Star Trek, like any long-running pop culture franchise, has undergone some significant changes in the 21st century. Created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek explored heavy social and philosophical issues each week, which set it above many of its contemporary competitors, and still distinguishes it in 2026, its 60th anniversary.
At the beginning of the century, there was one Star Trek show left on the air: Voyager, after Deep Space Nine concluded its run in 1999. Voyager was followed by the prequel Enterprise. Yet by this point, “franchise fatigue” had set in, and Enterprise was canceled after four seasons. A movie, Nemesis, released in 2002 also failed to connect with audiences and critics. Some were ready to pronounce Star Trek dead.
Then, in 2009, director/producer JJ Abrams gave Star Trek a shot in the arm with a modern reboot that still honored all the stories that came before. Abrams recast the iconic roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Uhura with new actors. A new, sleeker Enterprise was created for the movies as well. Three were made in total, with the last, Star Trek Beyond, being released in 2016. Finally, Star Trek returned to television in 2017. Debuting first on CBS All Access before migrating to Paramount +, Discovery truly brought the franchise into the 21st century, and set the stage for a new age of Star Trek.
Numerous new characters have been introduced into the Star Trek canon since the year 2000, and here are the 10 best.
10
Dal R’El
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Dal R’El |
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Star Trek: Prodigy |
Brett Gray |
The new era of Star Trek, inaugurated by the release of Discovery in 2017, brought with it two animated series. The first, Star Trek: Lower Decks, was aimed at adults, while another, Prodigy, was aimed at a younger audience. When audiences met Dal in Prodigy’s debut episode, he was a slave in the mines of the Diviner, who was seeking the Protostar for his own ends. Dal and a ragtag group of slaves escape the Diviner aboard the Protostar, heading out for a joyride through the Star Trek universe.
For the first part of Prodigy’s criminally short run, Dal was not aware of his heritage, and his search for it helped drive the early episodes. Prodigy seeded many such mysteries, but Dal’s search for his past was one of the biggest, and when he found the truth it had deep connections to Star Trek lore. A hybrid, Dal was created by genetic engineers using the DNA of humans as well as 26 other species, including Vulcans. In many ways, Dal was the literal embodiment of the Federation.
9
Jett Reno
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Jett Reno |
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Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy |
Tig Notaro |
Jett Reno, introduced in the second season Star Trek: Discovery episode “Brother,” became one of the best recurring characters in the franchise. Comedian Tig Notaro infused Reno’s character with a sarcastic edge that recalled famous curmudgeons like Doctor McCoy. While Reno brought jokes and humor to the table, she was also a highly capable engineer, and as seen at Starfleet Academy, an excellent professor as well. The laid-back Reno was an excellent foil to her more high-strung comrades, such as the EMH or Paul Stamets.
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Reno was at her lowest point when fans met her. After losing her wife during the Federation-Klingon War (seen in Discovery’s first season), Reno enlisted aboard the Hiawatha, which was then destroyed. Reno was marooned for several months before being rescued by Discovery. She would join the crew, and even accompany them to the 31st century at the end of the show’s second season. There, she became an instructor at the newly-reopened Starfleet Academy, and found love once again with Cadet Master Lura Thok. Reno’s arc through the Star Trek universe is inspiring and a treat to watch.
8
Shran
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Shran |
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Star Trek: Enterprise |
Jeffrey Combs |
Shran single-handedly made the Andorians cool. Prior to Shran’s debut early in Star Trek: Enterprise’s first season, the blue-skinned Andorians, a founding member of the Federation, were hardly seen. According to legend, the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation found the Andoridans “goofy-looking,” and refused to spotlight any. Fans got a tantalizing glimpse at the Andorians in The Original Series, but they were just teases. Bits of information about the Andorians dropped from time to time, but they were a mystery.
The Andorians first appeared in The Original Series episode “Journey to Babel.”
That is, until 2001. “The Andorian Incident” brought the species back to the Star Trek franchise in a grand fashion, and introduced fans to Shran. Jeffrey Combs had already brought several memorable Star Trek characters to life, such as Brunt and Weyoun, and sure enough, he imbued Shran with the perfect mix of heroism and paranoia. As Enterprise progressed, Shran and Captain Jonathan Archer developed a begrudging respect for one another, forging bonds that would lead to the Federation in a few short years.
7
Series Acclimation Mil (SAM)
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Series Acclimation Mil (SAM) |
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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy |
Kerrice Brooks |
Starfleet Academy is the newest entry in the Star Trek franchise, and has already gifted it with one of its best new characters: Series Acclimation Mil, or Sam as her friends call her. Hailing from Kasq, a world of photonic beings, Sam was created to be a bridge between them and organic lifeforms. They sent Sam to Starfleet Academy to observe and report back. Sam’s people did not trust organics at first, but thanks to the efforts of her and her friends at the Academy, an olive branch was extended.
Other Star Trek “outsiders” include Spock, Odo and Data, which puts Sam in great company.
Every Star Trek show has an “outsider” character, who functions as a commentary on humanity, and Sam fulfilled that role on Starfleet Academy. Every experience in the organic’ world was a new one for Sam, and her joy and enthusiasm for it all was infectious. From learning what it was like to be drunk to learning the fate of Benjamin Sisko, Sam kept her head high. Even after she “lived” another life, complete with new experiences, Sam kept her adventurous nature.
6
Raffaela “Raifi” Musiker
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Raffaela “Raifi” Musiker |
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Star Trek: Picard |
Michelle Hurd |
When Jean-Luc Picard made his return to Star Trek in his eponymous series, he was not accompanied by his Next Generation crewmates. Indeed, they had scattered to the wind by the time the series opened, forcing Jean-Luc to seek new comrades. One of them was his former protégé Raffaela “Raifi” Musiker. The two had previously worked together at Starfleet overseeing the Romulan evacuation. When the Federation abandoned the effort, Picard left and Raifi floundered. She eventually left the service, drifting through planets and addictions before Picard brought her back from the brink.
Raifi was one of the regular characters throughout Picard’s three-season run, and she had an amazing character arc. Star Trek had never depicted a character in recovery before, and actress Michelle Hurd brought a rawness and intensity to the role that resonated with fans. In time, Raifi returned to Starfleet, finding love once again with Captain Seven of Nine, as well as a new job in Intelligence. Picard’s final episode teased more adventures, but they have yet to materialize. However, IDW will release a new comic, Star Trek: Zero Point, which features Raifi front and center.
5
T’Pol
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T’Pol |
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Played By: |
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Star Trek: Enterprise |
Jolene Blalock |
Star Trek: Enterprise was a prequel to The Original Series. It chronicled humanity’s first forays into deep space in the mid-22nd century. Set roughly 90 years after first contact between humans and the Vulcans, it showed that the two species were not always on good terms. In fact, humanity resented the Vulcans, feeling the aliens were holding them back. It took a good deal of convincing for the Vulcans to let humans “off the leash,” and even then it was done slowly.
An alternate universe version of T’Pol appeared in the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
T’Pol acted as a liaison between the two races, stationed as First Officer aboard the Enterprise NX-01. Initially skeptical and disdainful of humans, T’Pol in time helped bridge between them and her people. Just as humanity was learning to overcome its prejudices, the Vulcans were doing the same, and T’Pol played a large role in bringing this about. T’Pol was also instrumental in helping steer Vulcan society back in a more benevolent direction, which helped further relations between Earth and Vulcan, setting the stage for the creation of the Federation.
4
Michael Burnham
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Michael Burnham |
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Star Trek: Discovery |
Sonequa Martin-Green |
Star Trek: Discovery had its work cut out for it when it debuted in 2017. It had been 12 years since a Star Trek show was last on television, and the landscape had changed drastically. A strong lead was needed to anchor Discovery. Enter: Michael Burnham. Almost immediately, Burnham broke the mold for a Star Trek lead: previous shows were centered around an older captain, but Burnham was a young lieutenant working her way up when the Federation-Klingon war broke out. Her career would have been derailed, if not for her time on Discovery.
Part of Discovery’s appeal was watching Michael Burnham grow as a character. She began as a confident young officer, a hot shot on the rise. Burnham made mistakes, but learned from them and did better in the future. By the end of the show, Burnham was Discovery’s skipper, and a married woman. Fans got to watch the complete arc of Burnham’s Starfleet career, and seeing her go from mutineer to captain is one of Star Trek’s best.
3
Charles “Trip” Tucker III
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Charles “Trip” Tucker III |
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Star Trek: Enterprise |
Connor Trinneer |
Star Trek: Enterprise introduced some of the best characters to the franchise in the 21st century, and “Trip” Tucker was one of them. The engineer of the Enterprise NX-01, Tucker was also one of Captain Archer’s best friends. As the Chief of Engineering aboard the first Earth ship to break the Warp 5 barrier, Tucker had a front-row seat to the events leading to the founding of the Federation, including the Romulan War. His journey seemingly came to an end in Enterprise’s finale, but the ignoble nature of his death left many fans unsatisfied.
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Enterprise viewers had plenty of reason to be mad at Tucker’s death in the finale. Actor Connor Trinneer infused Tucker with smarts, heart and an “aw-shucks” charm, making him one of Star Trek’s most likable characters. Cocky and brash at the beginning of the show, Trip matured into a great engineer and an early example of the best Earth had to offer.
2
Beckett Mariner
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Beckett Mariner |
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Star Trek: Lower Decks |
Tawny Newsome |
Premiering in 2020, Star Trek: Lower Decks was unlike any other show in the franchise. It was the second animated Star Trek show and the first to be aimed at adults. It was also a workplace comedy, following the lives of newly minted Starfleet officers aboard the USS Cerritos as they rose through the ranks. Lower Decks introduced some of Star Trek’s best characters, including Beckett Mariner. The daughter of the captain, Mariner seemingly bucked authority at every turn, but somehow managed to retain her post. Mariner was loud, proud and a hot mess.
But underneath the seemingly hardened exterior beat a tender heart, one with deep connections throughout the Star Trek universe. On the surface, Mariner’s brashness could be off-putting, but as fans grew to know her, layers were peeled back. Mariner was Starfleet through and through, but saw the layers of bureaucracy, embodied by her parents, as impeding the actual mission. Mariner was loyal to those in her inner circle, and wanted only the best for them. Mariner was, in many ways, one of Star Trek’s most complex characters.
1
Jonathan Archer
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Captain Jonathan Archer |
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Shows: |
Played By: |
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Star Trek: Enterprise |
Scott Bakula |
Captain Jonathan Archer led humanity to the stars. As captain of Earth’s first deep space exploration vessel, Archer was at the forefront of many crucial moments in the 22nd century. He was present at first contact with the Andorians, led the offensive against the Xindi and helped quell a civil war on Vulcan. Archer was also crucial to the founding of the Federation, and according to some sources, he became President. By Kirk’s time, Archer was regarded as one of the best captains in Starfleet history.
Before Star Trek: Enterprise, Scott Bakula was best known for his role as Doctor Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap.
Archer actor Scott Bakula brought the right amounts of confidence and vulnerability to the role. Being one of the first humans to explore the galaxy, Archer had to make some tough decisions that would, in some cases, have ramifications for centuries, such as his decision to steal a warp coil from the Illyrians. Archer made plenty of mistakes, but like most humans in the Star Trek universe, he learned from them. Archer’s importance to the Star Trek canon cannot be overstated, making him the best new character introduced since the year 2000.
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