Star Trek The Next Generation: Where Are They Now?

When Star Trek The Next Generation first hit screens in 1987, few viewers could have guessed how influential and beloved the incarnation of Gene Rodenberry’s iconic franchise would become. As the Picard vs Kirk debate continues unabated (feel free to re-start that fire in the comments section), it has long since become obvious that, as solid as many iterations of the franchise are, The Next Generation is the lone follow up which can compete with the original series in terms of sheer fan love.

A huge part of the success of the series is down to the incredible chemistry between its line-up, with the cast gelling as well as the original line up of Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and Uhura. Whether it’s Patrick Stewart’s stoic Picard, Jonathan Frakes’ winning turn as his affable right hand man Riker, or John deLancie’s career-best turn as the unscrupulous villain/ campy sort-of-hero Q, there’s not a weak link in the cast—okay, maybe a certain Mr. Crusher, but it’s not the kid’s fault he’s annoying.

That said, not everyone from The Next Generation went on to do bigger and better things, and for some of the stars their careers peaked with this TV classic. With that in mind, we’ve hunted down the stars, big and small, of The Next Generation to see what they’re up to thirty three years after the original series debuted.

Look, you know where Sir Patrick Stewart is and what he's been doing, so it's a little pointless to bring him into this...

Let’s face facts—Picard may be the best captain the series ever had (or is he?), but Riker was the real hero of The Next Generation. Moving from the clean shaven straight man of early episodes to the slick and loveable laidback charmer who kept his cool in any crisis, Riker and his infamous beard will always have a place in the heart of the fandom.

So, er, whatever became of Frakes himself?

Well unlike some of the cast members listed here, Commander Riker never opted to rest on his laurels. The actor went on to voice David Xanatos in cult animated series Gargoyles as well as doing guest spots on TV shows as diverse as Adventure Time, Family Guy, and Criminal Minds. As of 2020, he has recently been seen in Disney XD’s animated adaptation of the Guardians of the Galaxy series and the latest iteration of Star Trek, Picard.

And that’s saying nothing of his memetic work as the presenter of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.