Star Trek began in 1966 as a TV series created by Gene Roddenberry, and has accounted for five more TV series, as well as 12 feature films—the latest being Star Trek Into Darkness, directed by J.J. Abrams. In addition to a bevy of quotable lines—“Beam me up, Scotty!” and “Live long and prosper,” to name a few—Trek is also known for its flashy star cameos. From Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and King Abdullah of Jordan, here are the most famous celebs to appear on Star Trek.
The Family Guy creator is a major Star Trek fan and has included numerous references to the series on the show. He made a cameo as Rivers, a human Starfleet officer who served as an engineer on the Enterprise and Columbia NX-02 on the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise. The two episodes he appeared in, “The Forgotten” and “Affliction,” aired in 2004 and 2005.
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Ashley Judd was an up-and-coming actress when, in 1991, she starred in two episodes during the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Judd played Ensign Robin Lefler, a human Starfleet officer who has a romantic tryst with Lt. Junior Grade Wesley Crusher, played by Wil Wheaton.
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Goldberg portrayed Guinan, a mysterious bartender with a taste for giant hats, on several episodes from Season 2 through Season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She also made cameos in the films Star Trek Generations and Star Trek Nemesis. Guinan tended bar in Ten Forward, the lounge aboard the USS Enterprise-D, where she provided counsel to her customers. She is an El-Aurian, a race of “listeners.”
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Before he became a movie star in 2002’s The Scorpion King, Dwayne Johnson was an eyebrow-raising WWF wrestler known as The Rock. In 2000, he portrayed the Pendari Champion—a Tsunkatse fighter who defeats Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in her first fighting match—on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
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Even royalty wanted to get in on the action. Abdullah bin-al Hussein, then-prince and now king of Jordan, was a huge Trekkie and made an appearance as an uncredited extra in the 1996 Star Trek: Voyager episode “Investigations.”
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In 1992, Grammer appeared as the bearded Captain Morgan Bateson in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Bateson is captain of the USS Bozeman and sees his ship get transported forward in time to the 24th century due to a temporal distortion.
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Hemsworth was a relatively unknown Australian soap star when he was cast as George Kirk, the father of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 film Star Trek. George manages to save 800 people in just 12 minutes as captain of the USS Kelvin, after it takes heavy fire from the Romulan ship Narada, captained by Nero (Eric Bana). The role was originally offered to Mark Wahlberg.
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Slater appeared in an uncredited cameo role as the night-shift communications officer in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The night-shift communications officer served in the communications department of the ship Excelsior under Capt. Hikaru Sulu, played by George Takei.
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Ryder played Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock (Zachary Quinto), in the 2009 film Star Trek. She is killed when Vulcan is attacked—and ultimately destroyed—by the Romulan ship Narada, captained by Nero (Eric Bana).
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Dunst was just 11 when she portrayed Hedril, a telepathic Caim child, in the episode “Dark Page” during the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired back in 1993.
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Before he hit the big time, Hardy starred as Shinzon, a Romulan clone of human Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the 2002 film Star Trek Nemesis. Shinzon attempts to destroy Earth, but is killed during the Battle of the Bassen Rift.
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Hawking played a hologram version of himself in a 1993 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled “Descent.”
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Before Sex and the City, Cattrall played Valeris, a Vulcan Starfleet officer aboard the USS Enterprise-A in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Cattrall received a Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for her performance.
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The former model, and current wife of David Bowie, starred as Martia, a chameloid imprisoned on a Klingon penal colony after a botched attempt to kill Capt. James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
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Seinfeld star Alexander, a devoted Trekkie, made a cameo as Kurros, a spokesperson of a group of alien scholars known as the Think Tank, in a 1999 episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Kurros is probably best known for his unique face, which resembles… take a wild guess.
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The director of The Usual Suspects and the X-Men films is also a huge Trekkie, and even flirted with directing the Star Trek reboot (the job ultimately went to J.J. Abrams). He made a cameo as a tactical officer aboard the USS Enterprise-E in the 2002 film Star Trek Nemesis.
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Before she became a soap-opera legend, Joan Collins starred as Edith Keeler, a social worker who ran a soup kitchen in the Twenty-First Street Mission on planet Earth, on the original Star Trek TV series. The episode she appeared in, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” aired back in 1967.
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Following back-to-back Emmy wins for his role on Taxi, Lloyd transitioned to films and starred as Klingon Commander Kruge, a villain who is out to acquire the technology to terraform an entire planet, in the 1984 film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
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The former Miss America-cum-singer/actress starred as the gorgeous Arandis, a Risian woman who served as Chief Facilitator for the Temtibi Lagoon in the 1996 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine titled “Let He Who Is Without Sin…”
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Kirstie Alley made her feature-film debut as Saavik, a Vulcan Starfleet officer aboard the USS Enterprise, in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Alley was to reprise her role in the followup film The Search for Spock, but balked when she wasn’t given a pay rise, and her character was recast and played by Robin Curtis.
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Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer portrayed the eye-patched, mustachioed, bald Klingon General Chang—a villain with a penchant for quoting Shakespeare—in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
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Before she became a TV star with leading roles in Lois & Clark and Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher appeared as Lieutenant B.G. Robinson, a Starfleet officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her episode, “The Outrageous Okona,” premiered back in 1988.
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The award-winning actor, director, playwright, and author behind the Madea films is also an avowed Trekkie, and made a cameo as Admiral Richard Barnett, the Starfleet Academy commandant, in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 film Star Trek.
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Prior to his film roles in The Aviator and Step Brothers, as well as his star-making turn in the NBC series Parks and Recreation, Scott appeared in a very minor role as a conn officer aboard the USS Defiant in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact.
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Back in 1996, when Silverman was a struggling standup comedian, she appeared in a pair of episodes on the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Silverman played Rain Robinson, a human scientist in Los Angeles who manages to pick up signals from the USS Voyager’s warp signature.
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The hell-raising comedian and star of the TV series’ NewsRadio and The Ben Stiller Show appeared as EMH Mark II, a holographic doctor from the Emergency Medical Holographic program, in the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Message in a Bottle,” which aired in 1998.
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The former model and co-host of Top Chef portrayed Kaitaama, a beautiful princess from Krios Prime who was kidnapped by a pair of Retellians in a 2002 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise called “Precious Cargo.”
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The Oscar-nominated and Tony Award-winning actor played Jaro Essa, a Bajoran politician, in the first three episodes of the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which aired back in 1993.
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The gorgeous Dutch actress, who’s starred as a villainess in Goldeneye and as Doctor Jean Grey in the X-Men films, portrayed Kamala—a Kriosian empathic metamorph from Krios Prime—in a 1992 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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The Grammy Award-winning Rage Against the Machine guitarist is apparently a huge Trekkie, and made a cameo as a Son’a officer in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection, and later appeared as a junction crewman named Mitchell on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
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The actress portrayed Elizabeth Dehner, a Starfleet psychiatrist in Star Trek: The Original Series. During the USS Enterprise’s first mission beyond the galactic barrier, she transformed into a being with psionic energy abilities (telepathic powers).
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The star of A Clockwork Orange portrayed Doctor Tolian Soran, an evil El-Aurian scientist who attempts to destroy planets in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations.
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The Oscar-nominated actress from Sideways starred as Kellin, a Ramuran tracer tasked with saving her fellow citizens from Ramura in a 1998 episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
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Best known as the farmer in Babe, Cromwell starred as Doctor Zefram Cochrane, a human scientist on Earth who invents the warp drive, in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact. He made numerous appearances in other Star Trek TV series.
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The Oscar-winning actress, best known for her role as the evil Nurse Mildred Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, portrayed the Bajoran spiritual leader Vedek in 14 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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Perlman, who starred as the title character in the Hellboy films, as well as the F/X TV series Sons of Anarchy, portrayed the Reman Viceroy in the 2002 film Star Trek Nemesis.
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The acclaimed actress starred as Lily Sloane, a human who worked alongside Dr. Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) in an effort to build the first warp drive, in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact.
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The Oscar-winning star of Amadeus portrayed the evil Ahdar Ru’afo, leader of the Son’a people, in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.
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Neuwirth, who appeared as Lilith Crane on Cheers and Frasier, is a huge Trekkie, and starred as Lanel—a nurse at the Malcorian medical facility treating Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s fourth season called “First Contact,” which aired in 1991.
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Shawn, who portrayed a tough-as-nails teacher in Clueless and a smart ass in The Princess Bride, starred as Zek, the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
