Star Trek Staff: Your Guide to Star Trek’s Cast

Captain’s Log: What Does “Star Trek Staff” Mean?

If you are looking for the Star Trek staff, you may actually be looking for one of several things: the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the cast of a particular Star Trek series, or what Star Trek itself calls the senior staff of a starship or space station.

In Star Trek terminology, senior staff generally means the officers and other personnel responsible for running a ship or installation. That usually includes the commanding officer, first officer, chief engineer, medical officer, science officer, security chief and other department heads.

For the original Star Trek, the best-known crew consists of Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov.

Those characters created the basic ensemble formula that Star Trek has continued to reinvent for decades.

This guide focuses primarily on the fictional Starfleet staff, major characters and main cast of each series. If you are looking for complete production credits, including every director, writer, guest star and uncredited appearance, databases such as IMDb provide much deeper cast and crew listings.

There have been a lot of Star Trek crews since 1966, though.

So let’s sort them out.

Who Were the Original Star Trek Staff and Crew?

The original U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 was commanded by Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner.

Its best-known officers and recurring crew members included:

Chekov joined the regular cast beginning with the second season, while Janice Rand was primarily associated with the first season.

Christine Chapel remained a recurring character and would eventually become especially important again when a younger version of the character appeared in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

If someone simply asks, “Who was Captain Kirk’s crew?” this is usually the group they mean.

But the phrase Star Trek staff becomes much more complicated once the entire franchise is included.

Star Trek Staff and Crews at a Glance

The formula changes considerably from series to series.

Deep Space Nine is centered on a station instead of an exploratory starship. Voyager combines Starfleet and Maquis personnel. Lower Decks deliberately focuses on junior officers instead of only the bridge crew. Prodigy begins with characters who are not Starfleet officers at all.

That variety is one reason a simple list of “Star Trek staff” quickly becomes enormous.

Star Trek: The Animated Series Staff

Star Trek: The Animated Series largely continues the adventures of Kirk’s Enterprise crew.

William Shatner returned as Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as McCoy, James Doohan as Scotty, George Takei as Sulu, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and Majel Barrett as Christine Chapel.

The animated crew also introduced two unusual Enterprise officers.

Arex was an Edosian navigator with three arms and three legs. James Doohan provided his voice.

M’Ress was a Caitian communications officer voiced by Majel Barrett.

Pavel Chekov did not appear as a regular member of the animated Enterprise crew.

For practical purposes, though, The Animated Series is another chapter in the adventures of the original Star Trek staff.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Staff

Nearly a century after Kirk’s Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced viewers to the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D.

The ship was commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Its principal staff included:

• Jean-Luc Picard, captain, played by Patrick Stewart
• William T. Riker, first officer, played by Jonathan Frakes
• Data, operations officer and second officer, played by Brent Spiner
• Geordi La Forge, eventually chief engineer, played by LeVar Burton
• Worf, tactical and security officer, played by Michael Dorn
• Dr. Beverly Crusher, chief medical officer, played by Gates McFadden
• Deanna Troi, ship’s counselor, played by Marina Sirtis
• Tasha Yar, the original security chief, played by Denise Crosby
• Wesley Crusher, initially a civilian acting ensign, played by Wil Wheaton

Dr. Katherine Pulaski, played by Diana Muldaur, served as the ship’s doctor during the second season before Beverly Crusher returned.

The crew eventually moved from television into the movies Star Trek Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis.

For most of those films, the Enterprise-E replaced the destroyed Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Staff

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine changed the basic Star Trek formula.

Instead of following a Starfleet crew constantly traveling aboard a starship, the series centered on Deep Space 9, a former Cardassian station located near Bajor and the Bajoran wormhole.

Benjamin Sisko begins the series as commander of the station and eventually becomes captain.

The core DS9 staff and characters included:

• Benjamin Sisko, commander and later captain, played by Avery Brooks
• Kira Nerys, Bajoran first officer, played by Nana Visitor
• Odo, chief of security, played by René Auberjonois
• Miles O’Brien, chief of operations, played by Colm Meaney
• Julian Bashir, chief medical officer, played by Alexander Siddig
• Jadzia Dax, science officer, played by Terry Farrell
• Worf, strategic operations officer, played by Michael Dorn
• Ezri Dax, counselor and later Dax host, played by Nicole de Boer
• Quark, civilian bar owner, played by Armin Shimerman
• Jake Sisko, Benjamin Sisko’s son, played by Cirroc Lofton

DS9 is particularly interesting when talking about “staff” because its core ensemble is not exclusively Starfleet.

Kira is Bajoran. Odo is initially associated with station security rather than Starfleet. Quark is a civilian businessman. Jake is a civilian writer.

Yet all of them are fundamental parts of the series.

The crew of the U.S.S. Defiant later gives DS9 a more traditional starship component as well.

Star Trek: Voyager Staff

The U.S.S. Voyager begins its journey under Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew.

After Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant, its surviving Starfleet personnel join forces with members of a Maquis crew that was transported there as well.

That merger produces one of the franchise’s more unusual senior staffs.

Major Voyager characters include:

• Kathryn Janeway, captain
• Chakotay, first officer and former Maquis commander
• Tuvok, chief security and tactical officer
• Tom Paris, conn officer
• B’Elanna Torres, chief engineer
• Harry Kim, operations officer
• The Doctor, Emergency Medical Hologram
• Neelix, guide, cook and morale officer
• Kes, medical assistant during the early seasons
• Seven of Nine, former Borg drone who joins the crew later

Voyager is also unusual because circumstances force its crew to improvise.

The ship is tens of thousands of light-years from Federation support, meaning the crew cannot simply request replacement officers, new equipment or outside help whenever something goes wrong.

Their staff has to become a functioning society as much as a starship crew.

Star Trek: Enterprise Staff

Star Trek: Enterprise jumps backward in the timeline to humanity’s early exploration of deep space.

The Enterprise NX-01 operates before the Federation seen in later Star Trek series even exists.

Its crew includes:

• Jonathan Archer, captain, played by Scott Bakula
• T’Pol, Vulcan science officer and second-in-command, played by Jolene Blalock
• Charles “Trip” Tucker III, chief engineer, played by Connor Trinneer
• Malcolm Reed, tactical and security officer, played by Dominic Keating
• Hoshi Sato, communications officer and linguist, played by Linda Park
• Travis Mayweather, helmsman, played by Anthony Montgomery
• Dr. Phlox, chief medical officer, played by John Billingsley

The NX-01 crew represents a Starfleet that is still figuring out what Starfleet is supposed to be.

Many technologies, procedures and diplomatic assumptions taken for granted in later series are still being developed.

Archer’s staff is essentially laying the groundwork for the organization that Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway will eventually inherit.

Star Trek: Discovery Staff

Star Trek: Discovery is harder to summarize because its command structure changes considerably over five seasons.

The recurring heart of the series includes:

• Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green
• Saru, played by Doug Jones
• Paul Stamets, played by Anthony Rapp
• Hugh Culber, played by Wilson Cruz
• Sylvia Tilly, played by Mary Wiseman
• Jett Reno, played by Tig Notaro
• Adira Tal, played by Blu del Barrio
• Cleveland “Book” Booker, played by David Ajala
• Rayner, played by Callum Keith Rennie

The Discovery itself serves under several important commanding officers and leaders during the series, including Gabriel Lorca, Christopher Pike, Saru and eventually Michael Burnham.

The series also makes one of the most dramatic timeline jumps in Star Trek history.

Discovery begins in the 23rd century but eventually travels into the 32nd century.

That effectively transforms both the mission of the ship and its relationship with Starfleet.

Star Trek: Picard Staff

Star Trek: Picard does not begin with a traditional Starfleet senior staff.

Jean-Luc Picard is the central character, but he initially assembles an improvised group rather than taking command of one permanent Starfleet vessel.

The early ensemble includes:

• Jean-Luc Picard
• Raffi Musiker
• Cristóbal Rios
• Agnes Jurati
• Elnor
• Soji

Seven of Nine also becomes increasingly important.

By Season 3, the series becomes much more closely connected to The Next Generation.

Picard reunites with Riker, Data, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi. Jack Crusher is introduced, and Seven serves aboard the U.S.S. Titan-A.

That means there is no single “Picard crew” in quite the same sense as the Enterprise-D or Voyager crew.

The staff changes with the story.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Staff

Star Trek: Lower Decks deliberately flips the traditional Star Trek format.

Instead of focusing entirely on the bridge crew, the series follows junior officers aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos.

The principal lower-deckers are:

• Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome
• Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid
• D’Vana Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells
• Sam Rutherford, voiced by Eugene Cordero
• T’Lyn, voiced by Gabrielle Ruiz

The Cerritos also has a conventional senior staff.

That includes:

• Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis
• Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell
• Shaxs, security chief, voiced by Fred Tatasciore
• Dr. T’Ana, chief medical officer, voiced by Gillian Vigman

The split between the senior officers and the people doing the less glamorous work is basically the premise of the series.

In most Star Trek shows, the captain is the protagonist.

In Lower Decks, the captain is your boss.

Star Trek: Prodigy Staff

Star Trek: Prodigy begins with a crew that is not really a Starfleet crew at all.

A group of young aliens discovers the abandoned U.S.S. Protostar and gradually learns what Starfleet represents.

The core characters include:

• Dal R’El
• Gwyndala, or Gwyn
• Rok-Tahk
• Jankom Pog
• Zero
• Murf

They are initially guided by a holographic version of Kathryn Janeway.

The story later connects them much more directly to Starfleet, including the real Admiral Janeway and characters associated with Voyager.

Prodigy therefore gives Star Trek something a little different.

Instead of watching trained Starfleet officers carry out their duties, we watch outsiders gradually learn how to become the kind of crew that Starfleet needs.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Staff

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to the U.S.S. Enterprise before James T. Kirk takes command.

The ship is commanded by Christopher Pike, played by Anson Mount.

Its major staff includes:

• Christopher Pike, captain
• Una Chin-Riley, first officer
• Spock, science officer
• La’An Noonien-Singh, security officer
• Erica Ortegas, helmsman
• Nyota Uhura, communications officer
• Dr. Joseph M’Benga, chief medical officer
• Christine Chapel, nurse
• Hemmer, chief engineer during the first season
• Pelia, who later takes over the engineering role

The series is particularly interesting because viewers already know where some of these characters are headed.

Spock, Uhura and Chapel will eventually serve aboard Kirk’s Enterprise.

That also means several famous Star Trek characters now have multiple actors associated with them.

Leonard Nimoy originated Spock.

Zachary Quinto plays an alternate version of Spock in the Kelvin timeline films.

Ethan Peck plays the younger prime-timeline Spock in Discovery and Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Staff

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy makes the word staff especially appropriate because the series actually revolves around an educational institution.

The story combines Starfleet officers, instructors and cadets.

Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter, serves as Chancellor of Starfleet Academy and captain of the U.S.S. Athena.

The student characters include:

• Caleb Mir, played by Sandro Rosta
• Jay-Den Kraag, played by Karim Diané
• Series Acclimation Mil, or Sam, played by Kerrice Brooks
• Darem Reymi, played by George Hawkins
• Genesis Lythe, played by Bella Shepard
• Tarima Sadal, played by Zoë Steiner

The series also creates direct links to earlier Star Trek productions.

Robert Picardo returns as The Doctor.

Tig Notaro returns as Jett Reno.

Oded Fehr returns as Admiral Vance.

Gina Yashere plays Commander Lura Thok, who serves aboard the Athena.

Paul Giamatti appears as antagonist Nus Braka.

This is one of the clearest examples in the franchise where the Star Trek “staff” includes both the crew running a ship and the faculty training Starfleet’s next generation.

What About Star Trek: Short Treks?

Star Trek: Short Treks does not have a permanent crew.

It is an anthology of shorter stories associated primarily with characters and settings from the Discovery era.

Episodes feature characters including Tilly, Saru, Harry Mudd, Christopher Pike, Spock and Number One, along with characters created specifically for individual stories.

It therefore makes more sense to associate each Short Trek with the crew or period it belongs to rather than treating Short Treks as an independent Starfleet staff.

What About the Star Trek Movies?

Most Star Trek movies retain crews that originated on television.

The first six theatrical films primarily follow Kirk’s original Enterprise crew.

Star Trek Generations connects Kirk’s era with Picard’s.

Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis focus primarily on Picard’s Next Generation crew.

The Kelvin timeline films beginning with Star Trek in 2009 feature alternate versions of the original Enterprise characters:

• Chris Pine as James T. Kirk
• Zachary Quinto as Spock
• Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy
• Zoe Saldaña as Nyota Uhura
• Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott
• John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
• Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov

These are technically different versions of familiar characters living in an alternate timeline.

The streaming film Star Trek: Section 31 takes a different approach.

Rather than following a conventional exploratory Starfleet crew, it focuses on a covert Section 31 team connected to Philippa Georgiou.

That makes its “staff” closer to an intelligence or special operations unit than the classic Enterprise bridge crew.

What Does a Starfleet Senior Staff Actually Do?

Although every Star Trek crew is slightly different, certain jobs appear again and again.

Commanding Officer

The captain or commanding officer has ultimate responsibility for the ship, station and mission.

Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer and Pike all fill versions of this role.

First Officer

The first officer assists the captain, helps manage the crew and can assume command when necessary.

Examples include Spock, Riker, Kira, Chakotay and Una Chin-Riley.

Chief Engineer

The chief engineer keeps the ship’s propulsion, power and mechanical systems working.

Scotty, Geordi La Forge, B’Elanna Torres and Trip Tucker are some of the franchise’s best-known engineers.

Chief Medical Officer

The medical department is responsible for the health of the crew.

Star Trek has given us doctors including McCoy, Beverly Crusher, Bashir, Phlox and the Doctor from Voyager.

Science Officer

Science officers analyze astronomical, biological, technological and other phenomena encountered during missions.

Spock is the classic example.

Security and Tactical Officers

Security officers protect the crew while tactical officers handle many defensive and weapons systems.

Some characters perform both functions.

Worf, Tuvok, Malcolm Reed and La’An Noonien-Singh have all filled variations of these roles.

Operations Officers

Operations personnel coordinate shipboard resources and systems.

Data and Harry Kim are prominent examples.

Depending on the ship and era, the senior staff may also include counselors, communications officers, intelligence personnel, navigators, pilots and specialized department heads.

The titles change.

The basic idea does not.

Starfleet puts experts from different disciplines in the same room and expects them to solve impossible problems together.

Does “Star Trek Staff” Mean the Cast or the Crew?

It can mean either, depending on the context.

In-universe, the staff usually refers to officers and personnel running the Enterprise, Voyager, Deep Space 9 or another Starfleet installation.

In the real world, people searching for Star Trek staff may actually be looking for the actors, writers, directors or other members of the production staff.

For example:

William Shatner is a member of the Star Trek cast.

James T. Kirk is a member of the Enterprise crew.

Leonard Nimoy is the actor.

Spock is the Starfleet officer.

Jonathan Frakes is both an actor who played Commander William Riker and a director who has worked extensively across the Star Trek franchise.

Once Star Trek spans multiple television generations, movies, alternate timelines and recast characters, keeping those distinctions straight becomes surprisingly useful.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Star Trek Staff

Who was Captain Kirk’s crew?

Captain Kirk’s best-known Enterprise crew consisted of Spock, Dr. Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov, along with recurring personnel such as Christine Chapel and Janice Rand.

Who were the original Star Trek crew members?

The principal original cast included William Shatner as Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as McCoy, James Doohan as Scotty, George Takei as Sulu and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura.

Walter Koenig joined as Pavel Chekov beginning with the second season.

Who played Spock in Star Trek?

Leonard Nimoy originated the role of Spock.

Zachary Quinto plays an alternate-timeline version of Spock in the Kelvin films.

Ethan Peck plays the younger prime-timeline Spock in Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Who played Uhura?

Nichelle Nichols originated Nyota Uhura.

Zoe Saldaña plays Uhura in the Kelvin timeline movies.

Celia Rose Gooding plays the younger Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Which Star Trek series takes place on a space station?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is centered primarily on the Deep Space 9 station rather than a starship.

Benjamin Sisko commands the installation alongside a mixed Starfleet, Bajoran and civilian ensemble.

Who are the half-black, half-white people in Star Trek?

That description generally refers to Bele and Lokai from the Original Series episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.

Their faces are divided into black and white halves, but on opposite sides. Their hatred of one another serves as the central racial prejudice allegory of the episode.

They are not members of the Enterprise staff.

Was Spock part of Kirk’s senior staff?

Yes.

Spock served as Kirk’s first officer and science officer aboard the Enterprise, making him one of the most senior members of the ship’s command staff.

Was Scotty part of the senior staff?

Yes.

Montgomery Scott served as the Enterprise’s chief engineer and frequently assumed command when senior command officers were unavailable.

One Franchise, Many Crews

There is no single Star Trek staff anymore.

Kirk’s original Enterprise crew established the formula, but almost every series has changed it in some way.

Picard commanded a new Enterprise.

Sisko ran a space station.

Janeway combined two stranded crews.

Archer explored space before the Federation existed.

Discovery jumped centuries into the future.

Lower Decks turned its attention toward junior officers.

Prodigy followed outsiders learning what Starfleet represents.

Starfleet Academy finally brought the franchise directly into the classroom.

Different ships. Different centuries. Different uniforms.

The underlying idea has remained remarkably consistent.

Star Trek brings together people with different specialties, backgrounds and personalities, puts them in situations none of them could handle alone, and makes cooperation part of the solution.

That may be the most consistent “staff” Star Trek has had since 1966.