10 Star Trek Actors Who Have Appeared In The Most Shows
To boldly go where no-one has gone before...again and again and again.
Whether you're doing sci-fi or horror, comedy or tragedy, casting is a vital part for any work of film or television.
Star Trek is no different. Across nearly 56 years of televisual history, countless hundreds, maybe even thousands, of actors have crossed the bridges of the various titular ships, and rubbed shoulders with some of the most recognisable faces in all of sci-fi.
Finding somebody to sit through the often arduous process of make up (particularly Ferengi, as many of this list have experienced) before delivering monologues of technobabble and unpronounceable Klingon is going to be a tall order for any actor. It's no surprise then, that the makers of all things Trek will occasionally have a flick through the pages of their phonebooks, to find the names of Star Trek stalwarts, who have reliably given great performances for years and, in some cases, decades.
These, then, are the names of those that casting directors can always rely on in times of need. Whether main cast, recurring characters or explosive cameos, the actors on this list have returned to the bridge time and time again, and their names truly are a part of Trek history.
10. Tim Russ - 3
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager
Many actors have appeared in at least three incarnations of Trek, but none have the honour of sharing the screen with four separate series Captains. For that honour, we must go to Tim Russ.
Audiences' first encounter with Russ would be in The Next Generation episode 'Starship Mine', as a member of a group of mercenaries attempting to steal trilithium resin from the Enterprise-D during a baryon sweep. Succumbing to a well placed Vulcan nerve pinch by Picard, this would be a one and done deal for the character.
In a weird display of typecasting, Russ would pop up again in DS9 under heavy Klingon makeup as somewhat of a wrong-un. Employed by the Trill Verad, Klingon mercenary T'Kar arrives on the station to help his employer forcibly extract the Dax symbiont from Jadzia as part of a tense hostage situation with Captain Sisko.
Russ would share the screen with Captain Kirk in the movie 'Generations', but his most iconic role would be that of Voyager's resident Vulcan and hirsute security officer Tuvok. A loyal confidante of Captain Janeway, Tuvok's would be the first Vulcan presence onboard a ship since Spock, and his frequent frustrations with the emotion of his more illogical crewmates (looking at you Neelix) would give the writers plenty to play with.