1. Kirk
   Spock
2. Bones
   Sulu

The interplanetary lothario is none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk. In the original series, he was played by William Shatner, who never expected the show to be a success and never expected to be associated with the character decades later. In the film reboots, he is played by Chris Pine.

1. Bones
   Spock
2. Chekov
   Sarek

Ambassador Spock, as he eventually became, was constantly conflicted by his logical Vulcan half and his emotional human half. In TOS, he was played by the late great Leonard Nimoy and in the films, by Zachary Quinto.

1. Spock
   Uhura
2. Bones McCoy
   Sulu

Leonard "Bones" McCoy was the chief medical officer, who shared a brotherly bond with Kirk and a slightly contentious truce with Spock. He was played by DeForest Kelley in TOS and is played by Karl Urban in the film reboots.

1. Scotty
   Chekov
2. Uhura
   Kirk

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott was an engineer on Enterprise and was well-known for his Scottish accent. However, neither actor who portrayed him is Scottish. James Doohan (TOS) was Canadian and Simon Pegg is English.

1. Uhura
   Bones
2. Chekov
   Khan

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura made waves as one of the first female officers on a show and one of the first African-American characters to share equal screen time with white characters. She was played by Nichelle Nichols in TOS and by Zoe Saldana in the film reboots.

1. Noonien
   McCoy
2. Chekov
   Sulu

Hikaru Kato Sulu was the Helmsman of the Enterprise and in the 6th movie became captain of the Excelsior; he was played in by George Takei in TOS and John Cho in the film reboots.

1. Kirk
   Chekov
2. Uhura
   McCoy

The decision to create Russian character Pavel Andreievich Chekov during the Cold War was a bold one, but it paid off. Fans loved Walter Koenig's portrayal in TOS and a new generation fell in love with the too-soon-departed Anton Yelchin in the film reboot. Yelchin immigrated from Russia as a young child and Koenig's parents were Russian immigrants.

1. Q
   Khan
2. Marcus
   Spock

Ok, he's not typically included in lists of the best Star Trek characters on the basis that he's a movie character and not a main cast member, but Khan Noonien Singh is too good a character to exclude. Ricardo Montalbán gave the character his iconic portrayal in the TOS episode and 2nd film, but Benedict Cumberbatch just couldn't quite sell it in the reboot.

1. Picard
   Guinan
2. Riker
   Deanna Troi

Jean-Luc Picard was brought to life in The Next Generation by Sir Patrick Stewart. His character was named after Auguste Picard and Jean Felix Picard, 20th-century Swiss scientists.

1. Worf
   O'Brian
2. Riker
   Kurn

Commander William Thomas "Will" Riker was played by Jonathon Frakes. Fans have compared him to a reinvented Kirk in earlier seasons but praised his maturity in later seasons.

1. Wesley Crusher
   Geordi La Forge
2. Data
   Miles O'Brien

Geordi La Forge was played by LeVar Burton of Roots and Reading Rainbow Fame. La Forge used his trademark VISOR for the series and the first film, but he received ocular prosthetic implants in between the first and second movie and the VISOR was no more.

1. Moch
   Worf
2. Kurn
   Alexander

Worf, son of Mogh, was an orphaned Klingon raised by human parents. He was played by Michael Dorn, and his name was inspired by cultural-linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf.

1. Beverly Crusher
   Deanna Troi
2. Keiko O'Brien
   Guinan

Fan favorite Commander Beverly Crusher was played by Gates McFadden. McFadden was also the choreographer on The Labyrinth.

1. Tasha Yar
   Keiko O'Brien
2. Deanna Troi
   Guinan

Commander Deanna Troi served as ship's counselor aboard the Enterprise in TNG. Played by Marina Sirtis, fans often mocked her outrageously big hair and tight non-regulation uniform.

1. Lori
   Wesley
2. Q
   Data

Data was played by Brent Spiner. He was intended to be an outsider, TNG's version of Spock.

1. Ogawa
   Jack
2. Geordi
   Wesley

Wesley Crusher was played by Wil Wheaton. Many fans disliked the character and viewed him as a male Mary Sue or a default deus ex machina.

1. Locutus
   Seven of Nine
2. Q
   Khan

Q was a member of the Q Continuum, an Omnipotent being with a penchant for practical jokes. He was played by John de Lancie and appeared in NTG, DS9, and Voyager.

1. Lursa
   Kurn
2. Jack Crusher
   Guinan

Gentle and wise, Guinan was played by Whoopi Goldberg, who specifically asked producers to write her into the show. She was a huge fan of Uhura and hoped to inspire a new generation, the way Nichelle Nichols was an inspiration to her. Her bartender character was named after Prohibition bartender Texas Guinan.

1. Julian Bashir
   Benjamin Sisko
2. Ezri Dax
   Dukat

Commander Benjamin Lafayette Sisko was played by Avery Brooks. Brooks is known for other roles such as Hawk in Spenser: For Hire, and Dr. Bob Sweeney in American History X.

1. Quark
   Jadzia Dax
2. Odo
   Rom

Odo was played by René Auberjonois; a well-known voice actor, appearing in The Little Mermaid, The Last Unicorn, and a variety of video games and audiobooks.

1. Quark
   Rom
2. Nog
   Martok

Quark was played by Armin Shimerman, who also played Principal Snyder on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Quark appeared in episodes of both TNG and Voyager.

1. Odo
   Kira Nerys
2. Julian Bashir
   Jadzia Dax

The character of Julian Subatoi Bashir MD was played by Alexander Siddig. The character also appeared in an episode of ST: TNG.

1. Kathryn Janeway
   Tom Paris
2. B'Elanna Torres
   Samantha Wildman

Kathryn Janeway shares her first name with the actress who played her, Kate Mulgrew. The absolute badass Janeway was named as an homage to author Elizabeth Janeway, also a badass in her own right.

1. Neelix
   Tuvok
2. Chakotay
   Kes

Chakotay was played by Robert Beltran. His character was created to be an inspiration to the Native American community like Uhura was to the African American community, but his portrayal was received negatively.

1. B'Elanna Torres
   Vorik
2. Icheb
   Tuvok

Tuvok was played by Tim Russ. According to Tuvok, he was over 100 years old when Voyager began.

1. Seska
   Samantha Wildman
2. Seven of Nine
   Kes

Seven of Nine was played by Jeri Ryan. Her full designation was Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One, but before she was assimilated, her human name had been Annika Hansen.

1. Benaren
   Kes
2. Martis
   Linnis

Kes was played by Jennifer Lien. Her lifespan was only 9 years, which gave the writers a good excuse when they needed to let one of the cast go for budgeting reasons.

1. The Doctor
   Kes
2. Neelix
   Tuvok

The Doctor was an Emergency Medical Hologram Mark I, which was activated when the human doctor was killed in the Voyager pilot. He was played by Robert Picardo, who also played Richard Woolsey in Stargate.

1. Malcolm Reed
   Charles "Trip" Tucker III
2. Jonathan Archer
   Travis Mayweather

Jonathan Archer was played by Scott Bakula. Series creator Rick Berman described Archer as "a cross between Chuck Yeager and Han Solo", but many fans felt he fell a bit short.

1. T'Pol
   Hoshi Sato
2. Phlox
   Koss

T'Pol was played by Jolene Blalock. She was originally stationed on the Enterprise to observe the human crew and report back to the High Command.

1. Malcolm Reed
   Charles "Trip" Tucker III
2. Lorian
   Harris

Charles "Trip" Tucker III, referred to as either Trip or Tucker, was played by Connor Trinneer. Trip was close friends with Archer, having met him ten years prior to the start of the series.

1. Jonathon Archer
   Trip Tucker
2. Phlox
   Malcolm Reed

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was played by Dominic Keating. He had also been an Eagle scout on Earth, earning two more badges than Archer.

1. Phlox
   Hoshi Sato
2. T'Pol
   Takashi Kimura

Hoshi Sato was played by Linda Park. Her character spoke more than 40 languages, including Klingon.

1. Malcolm Reed
   Trip Tucker
2. Travis Mayweather
   Jonathon Archer

Ensign Travis Mayweather was played by Anthony Montgomery. His character was not popular with fans or critics, who viewed him as "a complete blank."

1. Feezal
   Lucas
2. Soval
   Phlox

Dr. Phlox was played by John Billingsley. Many fans enjoyed the character and used him as a positive example of what Voyager's Neelix could and should have been.