Star Trek: The Next Generationwas predicted to be a giant bombshell that would fade away after a few seasons. There were a lot of critics and fans who couldn't imagine the franchise going on without Captain Kirk and Spock on the bridge of the seriesCompany.The first season ofStar Trek: The Next Generationhad some duds, but it was evident that there were seeds of greatness hidden in the early chaotic storylines. Eventually the franchise found its footing and would last for seven seasons and four films.
The turbulent atmosphere of the early seasons ofStar Trek: The Next Generationmanaged to alienate a few actors working on the show, while the films managed to piss off some of the guest stars, who only showed up for a single appearance. It is clear that there are many actors who loved their timeStar Trek: The Next Generationand it's evident that there's a camaraderie among the show's leads. It certainly wasn't easy working on such a complex show, which meant different actors had different experiences during their time aboard the Enterprise.We're here today to find out which actors are in itStar Trek: The Next Generationloved their time at theEnterpriseand who wish they could be beamed into space, from the original Ferengi, who turned the race into a joke, to the aging Captain, who returns to space for another adventure. Here are5Actors Who Regretted Being On TNG (And 15 Who Loved It)
Regrets: Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell played Dr. soran inStar Trek Generations,where he became the villain that sealed Captain Kirk's fate.Star Trek generationshas earned a lot of negativity from fans of the franchise, not least because of the undignified way Captain Kirk met his end, and nobody likes the film more than Malcolm McDowell.
McDowelltalked aboutStar Trek generationsat the LA Times Hero Complex Festival, where he said he was doing everyone a favor by silencing Shatner and that no one had done any goodStar Trekmovie by J.J. abrams McDowell is also one of the few actors who has ever criticized Patrick Stewart, saying that hearing him talk is like watching paint dry.
Revered: Diana Muldaur
Als Gates McFadden gingStar Trek: The Next GenerationAfter the first season, her character was written out of the show and replaced by Dr. Replaced Pulaski, played by Diana Muldaur.
The fans liked Dr. Pulaski never, due in part to her sour tongue and behavior towards Data, who quickly became the most popular character on the show. Diana left Muldaur after a single seasonStar Trek: The Next Generation,but she stillspeaks affectionatelyabout her time on the show. She accepts that it wasn't the kind of project she would have stayed with long, but she had tremendous fun playing the role of Dr. to play Pulaski, and participated regularlyStar Trekconventions for years after leaving the show.
Revered: Mick Fleetwood
There are manyStar TrekFans would do anything to appear in an episode, even if it meant dressing up like an alien. You have a much better chance of winning a cameo roleStar Trekhowever, if you're a celebrity, Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood has snagged a roleStar Trek: The Next Generation.Mick Fleetwood played a fish-like alien, which meant he had to shave off his beard in order for the prosthetic to fit his face.
Fleetwood is such a big fan ofStar Trekthat he didn't mind as long as he was beamed up/down at least once on the show. The musicianstill bubblingabout his timeStar Trek: The Next Generation,even as he praised Leonard Nimoy.
Revered: Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn spent more screen time than any of his colleagues who worked on itStar Trek: The Next Generation,how his character was transplanted into itDeep Space Nine,which meant he played Worf for over a decade.
You would think that the guy who spent hours in the vanity chair every day would have bad memories from workStar Trek,But Michael Dorn has been one of the most ardent advocates of a return to Worf, having repeatedly suggested a Captain Worfshow since the completion ofThe next generationmovies. Michael Dornhas indicatedthat the time he spent as Worf was the most brilliant eleven years of his career, with the seven years he spent at itThe next generationthe best years of his life.
Regrets: William Shatner
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrygave the crew of a fitting endStar Trek: The Original Series,which was then turned overStar Trek Generations,where Kirk presumably perished within the first ten minutes of the film, only to have a bridge fall on him at the end of the film.
No one is more dissatisfied with Captain Kirk's death than William Shatner himself, who did itbeen vocalin his critique of how the filmmakers handled Kirk's final moments. A certain oneSaturday night liveThe sketch gave the impression that William Shatner turned down the role of Captain Kirk, but he has always been proud of the role that made him famous and he has spoken publicly about how he would have dealt with Captain Kirk's passing and nothing on the other hand, recurrence of the role in the new films would have some form.
Revered: Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Frakes was involved in theStar TrekFranchised longer than most of his peers as he later moved into directing episodesStar Trekshows inclDeep Space Nine, Voyager,AndDiscovery.Frakes also directedStar Trek: First ContactAndStar Trek: Insurrection.
While Frakes may have made a career change by being behind the camera, he still let it onbe knownon many occasions that he is willing to don the Starfleet uniform once more and play Riker in othersStar Trekprojects. Frakes wanted to continue Riker's story in a show he pitched to CBS Paramount but was turned down due to failureStar Trek: Nemesis.Frakes still wants to return to the role and has said he would play Riker again in a second if the role was available.
Revered: Brent Spiner
Michael Dorn has complained about all the time he's been in the vanity chairStar Trek: The Next Generation,but Brent Spiner also spent many hours of his life being painted silver while wearing painful yellow contact lenses. Spiner has made it clear that he is so closely associated with the role of Data that it impacted his career, but the trade-off was that he played the most popular character on one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Spiner was delightedto repeat the roleof Data for another appearance after the release ofStar Trek: Nemesis,but the financial failure of that film prevented this.
Spiner is one of the few actors datingThe next generationwho has said he wouldn't reprise his most iconic role in a new project, but that has more to do with the fact that he's visibly aged while Data (as Android) should still look young.
Revered: Alice Krige
The idea of a Borg queen was met with negativityStar TrekFans, since the idea of a species like the Borg being ruled by a single entity seemed to contradict the whole idea of the collective consciousness that the Borg were made of.
Alice Krige gave an amazing performance as the Borg Queen inStar Trek: First Contact,especially considering the amount of makeup and prosthetics she had to wear for the role. Krige may have been covered in plastic during her timeFirst contact,but she has spoken at length about what ajoyful experienceit was working on the film and how everyone on the set was super professional due to the fact that one of them (Jonathan Frakes) was directing the film and they didn't want to let him down.
Regrets: Tom Hardy
The failure ofStar Trek: Nemesisat the box office put the franchise in a coma for several years. The person who took failureStar Trek: NemesisThe most heartfelt was Tom Hardy, who played the film's villain.
Hardy played Shinzon, who was a clone of Captain Picard, meaning he often had to play alongside Patrick Stewart while playing his younger double. The critics were not kind to Hardy's performance andNemesisalmost weakened his career. That was after Hardy almost drove himselfto illnessbecause he worked so hard on the film as he was on set seventeen hours a day to make sure he gave the best possible performance.
Revered: LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton was a big fan ofStar Trek: The Original Series,which was one of the reasons he fought hard to get castStar Trek: The Next Generation,although he was the most famous actor when the show went into production.
Burton may have had the most difficult time in terms of his performance as the visor he wore covered his eyes. Burton plays an important role in the history ofStar Treksince he was the reason Whoopi Goldberg (and through her, Dwight Shultz) performedThe next generation.Burton also directed many episodes of the variousStar Trekshows throughout his career. Regarding the experience of playing and working on GeordiThe next generation,Burton has spoken at length about how much heloved his timeon the show and how it made him part of a pop culture story.
Revered: Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton had the roughest time of allStar Trek: The Next GenerationCast, which was due to a child character feeling out of place aboard the Enterpriseand his many accomplishments gave the impression that he was playing a fan fiction character created by Gene Roddenberry.
When Roddenberry didn't belong anymoreStar Trek: The Next Generation,Wesley Crusher's role became less important to the series, eventually prompting Wheaton to leave the showThe next generationwas on the air, but he still thinks of his time on the show as animeselypositive and happyPart of his life, regardless of fan reaction to Wesley Crusher.
Revered: Lycia Naff
LeVar Burton found Geordi's visor uncomfortable to work with, according to the authors ofStar Trek: The Next Generationcame up with the idea of a new bionic implant that would allow Geordi to see, but the process of inserting the implants would have been dangerous.
The Sonya Gomez character was created to act as a love interest for Geordi, which would lead him to risk the surgery so he could see her for the first time. However, Naff only got a chance to play Sonya Gomez in two episodes before producers decided the character wasn't working. Nevertheless shehas spokenabout how much she loved her time on the show and was previously a huge fan of LeVar Burton and Patrick Stewart and considered it an honor to work with them, even if it was only for a short time.
Regrets: Denise Crosby
The first season ofStar Trek: The Next Generationwas created under unfavorable conditions, fueled in part by power struggles between an aging Gene Roddenberry and the executives who funded the show. The conditions for the first season ofThe next generationwere so bad that Denise Crosby asked to be written out as she felt her only role on the show would be to be behind a console.
Later Crosbywas askedif she had stayedThe next generationwith the show management's knowledge and she said she would have gone anyway because she was so unhappy and couldn't wait to be written off the show.
Revered: Whoopi Goldberg
The line between a film star and a television star used to be much broader and it was seen as a step backwards for a film actor to take on a regular television role as it was seen as a lower performing role. Whoopi Goldberg didn't care about the film/television distinction when she asked to appearStar Trek: The Next Generationsince she was such a big fan of Nichelle NicholsStar Trek: The Original Series.
Goldberg was friends with LeVar Burton when he was first cast on the show andhave asked himto let the producers know she was interested. This led to her taking on the role of Guinan, who appeared sporadically throughout the show as theEnterprise's bartender and advisorCrew. Goldberg did not visit her firstStar TrekConvention until 2016, but she spent itoverall appearanceto talk about how much she loved the show and how honored she was to have the chance to be a part of itThe next generation.
Revered: John De Lancie
Q was just a minor supporting actorStar Trek: The Next GenerationSince he only appeared a few times over the course of the show, he was in many ways the most important character on the EnterpriseCrew encountered during their mission. Q held them accountable for humanity's choices throughout their history, and one wrong move may have resulted in him eliminating humanity in one look.
John De Lancie has notably appeared on many other showsbreaking BadAndMy little pony: friendship is magic,But Q's role will always be the one that fans will remember him for. DeLancehas spokenHowThe next generationchanged his life for the better and how many friends he made while working on the series.
Revered: F. Murray Abraham
There are many actors who are reluctant to play sci-fi roles and seem almost to take pride in not learning about franchisesStar Trekorwar of starsbefore taking on a role in them, while showing displeasure with the series' most ardent fans. F. Murray Abraham is not one of those actors. When he was offered a roleStar Trek: Insurrection,he went headlong into the world ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand watched every episode of the show to prepare.
F. Murray Abraham was covered in prosthetics to play the role of Ru'afo in itStar Trek: Insurrection,but he had a great time working on the film.Abraham tellsthe officialStar TrekWebsite: “If making films with you is what I want to do with you for the rest of my life. And I meant it because it was just fun.”
Regrets: Armin Shimerman
The original intention forStar Trek: The Next Generationwas that none of the alien races from the original series would appear, leading to the creation of new aliens to take their place. The Ferengi's intent was that they would replace the Klingons as the new threat to the Federation. The Ferengi made their debut in The Last Outpost, where they were shown to be little more than a joke as they hopped around like rodents and screeched threats at the EnterpriseCrew.
Armin Shimerman, who played Letek in The Last Outpost, has been vocal about how unhappy he was with his performance on the episode and how he feltfeels responsiblefurther weakening the Ferengi as villainsThe next generation.Armin Shimerman would later be given a chance to redeem the Ferengi as a race during his tenureDeep Space Nine,where he played Quark for seven seasons.
Revered: Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis continued playing Counselor TroiStar Trek: The Next Generation,which earned her the unusual position of playing the ship's advisor, who also sat on the bridge during regular missions. Luckily, she had her empathic abilities to make her useful when aliens showed up.
Counselor Troi might not have had as many character-focused episodes as Data or Worf, but that didn't stop Marina Sirtis from loving working on the show for seven seasons. Marina Sirtishas saidthat ifStar Trek: The Next Generationwas still on the air then she would still be there as she loved the cast and the production so much, even though she admitted itfall asleepduring the opening ofStar Trek: Insurrection.
Adored: Joe Piscopo
There are few episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generationthat's as unpopular as "The Outrageous Okona," where the role of the most reviled character is a toss-up between the Mary Sue Okona, who everyone thinks is great, and a hologrammatic Joe Piscopo, who tells jokes older than Guinan.
The reaction to The Outrageous Okona may have been negative, but the actor didn't mindglowing thingsto say about his time on the show. The authors ofStar Trek: The Next Generationgave Piscopo room to improve and make an impression, which is in stark contrast to the other roles he has played on television over the years. Piscopo has also said that his role is upStar Trek: The Next Generationis the one he is most recognized for and people used to send himStar TrekCards to sign.
Revered: Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart must have loved the seven seasons ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,and the four movies for recently announcing that Captain Picard is returning to our screens in an upcoming solo series. You can't turn down a show so much when you come back to star at seventy-eight.
It's evident that Stewart will forever be associated with the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, starring Charles Xavier from theX-MenFranchise is a distant second. Stewart has always accepted that recognition with grace and never relinquished hisStar TrekClubs prevent him from returning to his first love: the theater. There is a touching momentThe Captain's PeakDocumentary in which Stewart talks about not being able to perform the sceneStar Trek: Nemesiswhere Picard and Riker say goodbye to each other due to the emotional weight that moment held for him as a person. Nobody who has reservations forStar Trekcould be desperate enough to leave the Enterpriseand crew behind.
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Do you know other actors who have adored or regretted their time?TNG?Let us know in the comments below!