Whether due to casting troubles or story issues, severalStar Trekcharacters have been replaced throughout the franchise’s long history. From the beginning, Gene Roddenberry’s original concept forStar Trekwent through several changes. Most of the characters fromStar Trek’sfirst pilot, “The Cage,” were replaced by thenow iconic cast ofStar Trek: The Original Series.In some cases, the replacement characters became even more popular than the originals, while at other times the opposite was true.
Characters are always coming and going within theStar Trekuniverse, but some have more obvious one-for-one replacements than others. Aside from the first cast shake-up, most of the later character changes had more to do with the actors playing them. Some actors decided they wanted to move on to other projects, which often meant their character had to be replaced. Still, most ofthese actors remain a part of theStar Trekfamily,even if their characters ultimately didn’t last very long.
10Captain Christopher Pike Was Replaced By Captain James T. Kirk
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek’soriginal pilot, entitled “The Cage,” featuredCaptain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter)in command of the USS Enterprise, rather than Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).Executives at NBC at the time were not happy with this first pilot,feeling it was too strange and cerebral. Still, NBC had faith in Grene Roddenberry’s vision, and the studio commissioned a second pilot.
Why Kirk Replaced Pike In Star Trek: The Original Series
Why was Christopher Pike replaced by James Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series? It’s a complicated question.
Jeffrey Hunter elected not to return as Captain Pike, although accounts differ as to why he left the production. Rather than casting a new Pike,Roddenberry created the entirely new character of Captain James T. Kirkand cast William Shatner in the role. Kirk was a more dynamic and action-oriented character compared to Pike’s more thoughtful approach to command.
9The Cast of “The Cage” Were Replaced By The Cast Of Star Trek: The Original Series
Leonard Nimoy’s Spock was the only cast member fromStar Trek’soriginal pilot, “The Cage,”to stick around for the newer iteration. Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike was, of course, replaced by Shatner’s Captain Kirk, but most of the other characters don’t have one-to-one replacements.In “The Cage,” Majel Barrett’s Number One serves as Pike’s First Officer,but Science Officer Spock fills this role for Captain Kirk.
Several of the characters from “The Cage” got another chance at life inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,with Anson Mount’s Captain Pike leading the pitch-perfect cast.
Captain Pike’s originalChief Medical Officer, Dr. Phillip Boyce (John Hoyt), was eventually replaced by Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), who became the third member ofStar Trek’siconic trio.Majel Barret still played a role inTOS,as Nurse Chapel,as well as the voice of the Enterprise computer. Footage from “The Cage” was later used inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episodes 11 and 12, “The Menagerie,” establishing Christopher Pike as the Enterprise’s Captain before Kirk.
8Lt. Tasha Yar Was Replaced By Lt. Worf
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Based onStar Trek: The Next Generation’spremiere, Denise Crosby’sLt. Tasha Yar was set up to be one of the show’s main cast members.As Chief of Security on the USS Enterprise-D, she should have been at the center of the action. However, this only held true for a handful of early episodes, before Tasha was largely relegated to the background. Because of this,Denise Crosby decided to leaveTNGnear the end of the first season.
Star Trek’s Tasha Yar Death Annoyed Me, But Then TNG Made It So Much Worse
Tasha Yar could’ve been a great character, but Star Trek: The Next Generation ultimately failed her.
After Armus unceremoniously killed Tasha Yar inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 23, “Skin of Evil,“Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) stepped up to fill the position of Security Chief.From that point forward, Worf would become one ofTNG’smost beloved characters, as the show explored his complex relationship with Klingon culture. After the end ofTNG,Worf transferred toStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,where he further came into his own asStar Trek’s greatest Klingon.
7Dr. Beverly Crusher Was Replaced By Dr. Katherine Pulaski
ThroughoutStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) served as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise-D. A profoundly compassionate and intelligent doctor,Crusher lived on the Enterprise with her son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton),and had a history with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Despite being well-liked by fans,Dr. Crusher was written out ofTNGbefore the show’s second season.
Pulaski proved significantly less popular among fans than Crusher had been.
Then-showrunner Maurice Hurley disliked actress Gates McFadden and fired her at the end ofTNGseason 1.Diana Muldaur then joined the cast as Dr. Katherine Pulaski,taking over from Dr. Crusher as Chief Medical Officer. With her prickly personality, Pulaski proved significantly less popular among fans than Crusher had been. Still, she was a part of some great stories, asTNGfound its footing during its second season.
6Dr. Katherine Pulaski Was Replaced By Dr. Beverly Crusher
Dr. Pulaski had a personality similar to that of Dr. Leonard McCoy fromStar Trek: The Original Series.And while McCoy’s dynamic worked great alongside Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock,Pulaski didn’t quite gel as well with theStar Trek: The Next Generation’scast.At the end ofTNGseason 2, Muldaur chose not to renew her contract for the following season, and Gates McFadden returned to the cast.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: The Next Generation has one of the most beloved cast of characters in all of science fiction. Here are the major characters of the classic.
Not only had the studio reportedly received letters from fans asking for Crusher’s return, butPatrick Stewart himself also wanted McFadden back.After a brief stint as the Head of Starfleet Medical,Dr. Crusher returned as Chief Medical Officeraboard the Enterprise-D, replacing Dr. Pulaski. Although Pulaski was mentioned a handful of times throughoutTNG,she never made another onscreenStar Trekappearance.
5Lt. Ro Laren Was Replaced By Major Kira Nerys
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes)joined the cast ofStar Trek: The Next Generationat the beginning of the show’s fifth season, in the aptly titled, “Ensign Ro.” With her questionable background and strong-willed personality,Ro was unlike anyStar Trekcharacter up to that point.She had previously been court-martialed and demoted to the rank of ensign after a disastrous away mission left eight officers dead.
Ro made a surprising return inStar Trek: Picardseason 3, having rejoined Starfleet and rising to the rank of Commander.
The first Bajoran introduced onStar Trek,Ro was set up to play a lead role onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.Not wanting to be locked into a television series for several years, Michelle Forbes turned down the offer to star as Ro.The character of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) was created to replace Roas the Bajoran representative on space station Deep Space Nine, and she quickly developed into a unique and compelling character in her own right.
4Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax Was Replaced By Lt. Ezri Dax
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Terry Farrell’s Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax was one ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’smain charactersfor six out of the show’s seven seasons. Although the Trill had been briefly introduced onStar Trek: The Next Generation, Jadzia helped define the species for all of their future appearances.With her vibrant and lovable personality, Jadzia became a bright spotwithinDS9’sdarker storylines.
Why Terry Farrell’s Dax Left Star Trek Deep Space 9 After Season 6
Popular Star Trek: DS9 character Jadzia Dax was killed off at the end of season 6: here’s why Terry Farrell left the show.
InDS9season 6, Jadzia married Worf, and the two quickly became one ofStar Trek’sgreatest couples. In one ofTrek’smost tragic deaths,a pah-wrath possessed Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) killed Jadziajust after she and Worf had decided to try to have children. Jadzia’s Dax symbiote was then transferred to Ezri (Nicole de Boer), who became a main character forDS9’sfinal season.Lt. Ezri Daxbecame DS9’s counselor and eventually embarked on a romance with Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig).
3Geneviève Bujold’s Captain Nicole Janeway Was Replaced By Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway
Star Trek: Voyager
Although it’s difficult to picture anyone other than Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway, she was not the first choice to portray theStar Trek: Voyagercaptain. French-Canadian actressGeneviève Bujold was initially cast as Janeway, butshe left after only two days of filming.Not only was Bujold unused to the rigorous filming schedule of American television, but she also disagreed with producers about how to portray her character, then known as Captain Nicole Janeway.
Captain Janeway’s 3 First Names Explained By Star Trek: Voyager Producer
Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Janeway had a couple of different first names before she became Kathryn.
Kate Mulgrew had previously auditioned for the role of Janeway, and she was called back in. Mulgrew requested that Janeway’s first name be changed to Katherine, and the rest, of course, is history.Mulgrew’s Janeway then led Voyager through the Delta Quadrant,on the long and dangerous journey back to Earth. As the first female starship captain to lead aStar Trekshow, Janeway paved the way for many of the great officers who would come after her.
2Kes Was Replaced By Seven of Nine
Jennifer Lien’s Keswas one of the first characters Captain Janeway and her crew met after arriving in the Delta Quadrant onStar Trek: Voyager.As an Ocampan, Kes had a short lifespan of only nine years, and her questionable romance with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) made the character difficult to write for.Kes’s potential as a character was never fully realizedand Jennifer Lien unfortunately experienced some mental health troubles that led her to leave the show.
Former Borg droneSeven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) joined the castofStar Trek: Voyagerfor the show’s fourth season.Seven’s journey to reclaim her humanity became one ofVoyager’smajor storylinesand led to some of the show’s best moments. Jeri Ryan returned as Seven inStar Trek: Picard, finally achieving her dream of joining Starfleet and later becoming Captain of the USS Enterprise-G.
1Lt. Hemmer Was Replaced By Commander Pelia
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
One of the most interesting new cast members to be introduced onStar Trek: Strange New WorldswasBruce Horak’s Lt. Hemmer. A member of a rare subspecies of Andorians known as the Aenar,Hemmer was the USS Enterprise’s Chief Engineerwho also happened to be blind. ThroughoutStrange New Worldsseason 1, Hemmer became a mentor to Cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), before his untimely death inStrange New Worldsepisode 9, “All Those Who Wander.”
Bruce Horak also made a hilarious cameo as the singing Klingon General Garkog in theStar Trek: Strange New Worldsmusical episode.
After Hemmer sacrificed himself to protect his crew mates,Commander Pelia (Carol Kane)took over on the USS Enterprise as the new Chief Engineer.As a Lanthanite, Pelia has an extremely long lifespanandStrange New Worldshas only offered glimpses into her history. Pelia has a particular interest in ancient Earth artifacts and taught engineering at Starfleet Academy.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2 introduced one of Pelia’s best students with the worst grades,Star Trek’s iconic Scotty, Lt. Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn), who will eventually take over as the Enterprise Chief Engineer.
