15 Star Trek Actors Who Directed Episodes

There is an old Hollywood joke that says if you ask an actor about their career, no matter what level of success they've had, they will generally get around to saying 'but what I really want to do is direct.'

The various iterations of Star Trek have included hundreds of main characters, plus hundreds more secondary characters, guest stars, and unknowns who later became stars in their own right.

The Star Trek franchise has been particularly kind to some of its actors when it comes to taking a turn in the director's chair. A surprising number of actors from across the various shows have had their moment to step to the other side of the camera and take the helm as directors.

For some, it was only a one-time thing - maybe a quick dip in the pond to see if they liked it. For others, they jumped in with both feet, becoming successful directors not only in the Star Trek world but in other TV series and movies.

Let's take a look at 15 Star Trek actors who transported themselves from working in front of the camera to working behind it.

Kirk and Spock are two of the OG Star Trek icons. Although neither of them directed any episodes of their show, they aren't strangers to the director's chair.

Nimoy directed The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, generally considered to be two of the best of the original Star Trek movies. Shatner directed The Final Frontier, generally considered to be...a movie.

Still, both are cultural icons, so Shatner gets a pass. As long as he doesn't take up singing again...