Summary
Star Trekhas introduced an incredible cast of truly amazing women throughout its nearly 60-year history. In the utopian future ofStar Trek,women can climb the ranks of Starfleet to achieve the same positions of authority as their male counterparts. While this ideal was somewhat hindered by the landscape of the 1960s,modernStar Trekfully embraces Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a peaceful future where all kinds are welcome.From Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) onStar Trek: The Original Seriesto Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) onStar Trek: Discovery,everyStar Trekseries has included great female characters.
SinceStar Trek: The Original Seriesand its movies, women have served as Starfleet Captains, Admirals, and everything in between.Star Trek: Discoveryeven introduced a new United Federation of Planets President in Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) and a Vulcan President of Ni’Var, T’Rina (Tara Rosling).Not only were both of these women incredibly intelligent and great at their jobs, but they were also compassionate and authentic in the best way. A true list of amazingStar Trekwomen would include far more than 20 characters, but nevertheless, here are 20 ofStar Trek’sgreatest female characters.
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20Commander Ro Laren
Portrayed by Michelle Forbes
Ro Laren only appeared in eight episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand one ofStar Trek: Picard, butshe remains one of the franchise’s most memorable and compelling recurring characters.Introduced in theTNGseason 5 episode, “Ensign Ro,” thefiery Bajoran Ensign Rowas impulsive and slow to trust, but she was also incredibly clever and able to adapt to any situation.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) became a mentor to Ro, and he was devastated when she later decided to join the rebel group known as the Maquis.
Ro followed her heart and her strong sense of morality in joining the Maquis, determined to stand against injustice even if it meant betraying Starfleet.Ro was later recruited by Starfleet Intelligence. InStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Ro remains strong in her moral convictions in her eventual confrontation with Admiral Picard decades after her betrayal. Despite their differences, Ro trusted Picard to do the right thing, and her paranoia regarding the Changeling infiltration of Starfleet turned out to be well-founded.
19Guinan
Portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg & Ito Aghayere
As the enigmatic Ten Forward bartender on the USS Enterprise-D, Guinan patiently listened to the troubles of the ship’s crew members and offered advice.Guinan was one of Picard’s closest friendsand one of the few people he would approach for counsel. With her understated sense of humor,Guinan had a knack for pointing people in the right direction and getting them to come to realizations on their own.
Guinan was eventually revealed to be a member of the El-Aurian species, an extremely long-lived race of listeners.
Guinan returned inStar Trek: Picardseason 2, when Picard sought her out in the 21st century at 10 Forward Avenue in Los Angeles.This younger Guinan (Ito Aghayere) did not yet know Jean-Luc Picard, but she helped him anyway, pointing him in the direction of the Watcher he was searching for and contacting Q (John de Lancie).
Guinan’s Complete TNG & Picard Timeline Explained
Guinan, the Enterprise-D’s mysterious bartender, is one of the most intriguing and popular recurring characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
18Dr. Beverly Crusher
Portrayed by Gates McFadden
For six seasons ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,Dr. Beverly Crusher served as the Chief Medical Officeraboard the USS Enterprise-D.Dr. Crusher’s medical and scientific knowledge helped save the Enterprise crew on multiple occasions, and her profound compassion made her a great doctor.Beverly often served as the moral compass ofTNGand she was one of the few Enterprise crew members who would openly challenge Captain Picard.
Beverly managed to be a skilled doctor, an intelligent scientist, and a good mother to her son Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), and she did all three jobs with distinction.Dr. Crusher returned with a bang inStar Trek: Picardseason 3,having spent the last twenty years traveling the galaxy helping those in need. Dr. Crusher remained an excellent doctor and had also learned her way around a ship’s weapons system.
Beverly and Jean-Luc spent much ofTNGdenying their obvious feelings for one another, and never officially became a couple on the show. However,Picardseason 3 revealed that Beverly and Jean-Luc did spend a night together which resulted in the birth of their son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers).
17Counselor Deanna Troi
Portrayed by Marina Sirtis
Counselor Deanna Troi may not have always gotten the best storylines onStar Trek: The Next Generation, but she was nevertheless a vital member of the USS Enterprise-D crew.As a half-Betazoid, Troi could sense the emotions of those around her, which proved useful on numerous occasions.In many ways, Troi was the heart ofTNGand her skill as a counselor helped the Enterprise crew function together well.
5 Times Deanna Troi Deserved Better On Star Trek: TNG
Counselor Deanna Troi was often saddled with questionable storylines on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the character deserved better.
Deanna Troi’s relationship with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) became one ofStar Trek’sgreatest romances, as evidenced by their return inStar Trek: Picardseason 1.Deanna finally got to save the day inStar Trek: Picardseason 3,as her empathic abilities and connection with Riker allowed her to save the lives of her friends from the Borg.
16Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax
Portrayed by Terry Farrell
Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax was the Science Officer onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.As a joined Trill, Jadzia was the eighth host for the Dax symbiote, whose previous host had been close friends with Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).With the knowledge and experience of seven previous lives, Jadzia had a passion for life and was very comfortable in her own skin.
When Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) joined the cast ofDS9,he later fell in love with Jadzia, and the two have one ofStar Trek’sgreatest love stories.Jadzia had a particular appreciation for Klingon warrior culture, and she truly brought out the best in Worf.Not only did Jadzia have a fun and infectious personality, but she was also an incredibly capable and intelligent Starfleet officer who wasn’t afraid to stand up for her convictions.
Tragically, Jadzia was killed by a Pah-wraith-possessed Dukat (Marc Alaimo), and her symbiote was transferred to Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer).
15Major Kira Nerys
Portrayed by Nana Visitor
As the Bajoran liaison officer on Starfleet space station Deep Space 9, Major Kira served as Captain Sisko’s second-in-command.Prior to her position on DS9, Kira had been part of the Bajoran Resistance fighting back against the Cardassian occupation of Bajor.With her passion for the Bajoran people and her strong moral values, Kira proved to be vital in the fight against the Dominion.
With her warrior’s heart and strong sense of justice, Kira remains one of Star Trek’s strongest and most capable characters.
Even after the Dominion took over DS9,Kira continued to fight against them, eventually helping Starfleet retake the station.Kira took over command of the space station when Sisko disappeared inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’sseries finale. With her warrior’s heart and strong sense of justice, Kira remains one ofStar Trek’sstrongest and most capable characters, regardless of gender.
14Lt. B’Elanna Torres
Portrayed by Roxann Dawson
Because of herKlingon half, B’Elanna Torressometimes felt like an outsider at Starfleet Academy, and she got in trouble with her instructors on multiple occasions.Despite her intelligence and engineering prowess, she dropped out of the Academy and joined the Maquis, eventually ending up on the USS Voyager.B’Elanna may have been headstrong, but she was also resourceful, intelligent, and brave.
Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) initially thought B’Elanna was too much of a loose cannon to be the USS Voyager’s Chief Engineer, butB’Elanna later proved she had no trouble coming up with innovative solutions to keep the ship running.B’Elanna’s romance with Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) helped soften her cold exteriorand gave her the chance to find happiness, but she never truly lost her tenacious side.
13Captain Seven of Nine
Portrayed by Jeri Ryan
Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Ninehas come a long way since her introduction onStar Trek: Voyageras a Borg drone.Not only didSeven prove that Borg drones could be rehabilitated, but she became a valuable member of the ship’s crew in her own right.Seven’s journey to rediscover her humanity became one ofVoyager’sbest storylines, and Seven joined the ranks ofStar Trek’sbest characters.
Seven returned inStar Trek: Picard, eventually becoming Captain of the USS Enterprise-G.Despite her no-nonsense attitude, Seven cared deeply about the people around her and would do anything to keep them safe.BetweenSeven’s relationship with Commander Raffi Musikerand her adventures with Admiral Picard, she became a more fully realized character inStar Trek: Picardthan she had been onVoyager.
To Me, Seven Of Nine Is Star Trek’s Most Impressive Character
Although the Star Trek franchise is full of great characters, Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine has become one of the most impressive since her introduction.
12Admiral Kathryn Janeway
Portrayed by Kate Mulgrew
OnStar Trek: Voyager,Kate Mulgrew’s Kathryn Janeway more than lived up to the task of being the first female Captain to lead aStar Trekshow.Janeway commanded the USS Voyager on its seven-year journey through the unexplored Delta Quadrant,facing off against powerful enemies and establishing first contact with several new species. Janway proved herself to be a strong leader numerous times over, as she was faced with impossible decision after impossible decision.
Janeway made a great Captain who was extremely dedicated and loyal to her crew.
After the USS Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, no one would have blamed Janeway for seeking an early retirement, but she continued to devote her life to serving Starfleet.Janeway was promoted to Vice Admiraland continued to passionately fight for the Federation’s ideals.With her strong moral convictions and caring nature, Janeway made a great Captainwho was extremely dedicated and loyal to her crew.
11Ensign Hoshi Sato
Portrayed by Linda Park
Hoshi Sato served as the linguist and communications officer on the Enterprise NX-01 under thecommand of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). When the Enterprise NX-01 set out on its historic mission to explore the galaxy,universal translator technology had not yet been perfected, making Ensign Sato vital to the ship’s crew.Her knowledge of Klingon and Vulcan, in particular, as well as her ability to quickly translate new languages, often came in handy.
With her intelligence, kindness, her fear of the transporters, and her initial nerves about serving on the Enterprise,Hoshi was more relatable than many of the larger-than-life characters that often popular Federation starships.Because of her position on Archer’s Enterprise and her contributions to universal translation technology, Sato became an incredibly important historical figure.
