Star Trek Characters That Must Return (2026)

That time has come again to go through the list of missing, the departed, and the forgotten, and cry 'The Time Is Now!' Another year has passed with some surprising returns, including a certain Trill who may pop up a bit later on here. Our pointed-eared friend, a staple of this list, remains elusive, but who will be joining them on 2026's submissions?

These lists exist because Star Trek has given us a wide array of fabulous characters in its lifetime. In this, the 60th year of the franchise, we feel that now, more than ever, is the time to look to returns and reunions. Star Trek, according to so many different audience members, is about family and home. What better way to celebrate that than to bring those families home, together?

There are those names who, with each year, may seem even less likely to return and yet still live in our hearts and minds. Some have been teased, and in some cases even popped up to say hello, yet left us wanting even more. A return may not have to be confined to live-action, though; in saying that, a live-action return is a must for every name on this list. 

We are nothing if not ravenous, even at times demented in our hopes and dreams, but these characters from Star Trek inspire us to keep the candles lit, the flags waving, and our hopes hoping. How many of these names would you break temporal laws to see return?

Remember, this list is by no means a ranking - we want all of these players to pop back up. Thus, in no particular order, we begin.

The annual tradition of including Sela on this list is a source of both smiles and sadness. We seemingly will not let this idea ever drop, yet the fact that she must appear each year is a reminder that her return has yet to occur. 

Her last on-screen appearance was in Unification Part 2, which was told as part of the marketing campaign for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Simply put, it's been a while, Sela, where you at? Thankfully, Star Trek Online saw her return to her nefarious ways, scheming and plotting, even being an instrumental figure in the Romulan Supernova.

Star Trek: Picard closed with the promise of a Legacy series, though none has yet come into existence. With Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds now having completed filming, there is currently no televised Star Trek in production. The future looks about as much fun as that approaching shockwave.

However, this is also a time of opportunity. Should the executives at Paramount, and David Ellison himself, be so inclined, they could take stock of the online chatter. Legacy, United, and Year One all seem to dominate the conversation. As we know, Denise Crosby was among the few main actors from The Next Generation not to return in Picard, which feels like a major flaw in that series. 

With so much of Star Trek's focus in the last decade featuring the Romulan Supernova, and the marrying of live action and Online features, Sela's return remains one of the most obvious moves for a new vision in Trek.