Depending on which “Star Trek” show tickles your fancy, or what films you always go back to (the Kelvin Timeline movies, maybe?), every series that boldly went where no one had gone before had a handful of wonderfully written characters that helped get us there. In 1987, one standout member of Starfleet, alongside the likes of La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Data (Brent Spiner), was Chief Security Officer Worf, played by Michael Dorn. A child of war, who lost his parents in a Romulan attack, Worf was the first Klingon to join Starfleet and became a crucial member of Jean-Luc Picard’s crew aboard the Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” From there, he became a fan favorite and influential voice on the show, and in doing so, achieved an accolade that no other “Star Trek” character before or since has earned.
Even now, after numerous “Star Trek” shows and movies that have come and gone, Worf, son of Mogh and of the Rozhenkos family, has appeared more times in “Star Trek” than any other character in the franchise’s history. After his time in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” he returned in Season 4 of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and stayed through Season 7, then rejoined his former captain in “Picard.” This resulted in Dorn making a total of 284 appearances on “Star Trek” TV episodes, more than any other actor (he also appeared in multiple franchise films, though not in the best “Star Trek” movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes). A not-so-close second is another “Next Generation” star who also moved to the legendary “DS9” space station and gained a more prominent role as a result.
Colm Meaney and Patrick Stewart Weren’t Far Behind
While Dorn’s noble and fearless Klingon hero had a lengthy stint seeking out new life and new civilizations, two human members of Starfleet came the closest to taking his title. As it stands, Colm Meaney, who debuted in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as Miles O’Brien, had nowhere near as prominent a role as Worf. More of a background character initially, O’Brien got bumped up through the ranks when he returned in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” helping keep the space station in ship-shape condition. After appearing in these shows, Meaney managed to get an impressive 225 episodes under his belt.
The only other star who made it past the 200 mark is the legendary and beloved Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. While he only made a single appearance in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” adding that to his tenure aboard the Enterprise in “The Next Generation” and his comeback tour with his former pals in “Picard,” it left the staple of “Star Trek” history with a commendable 207 episodes. Like Dorn, Stewart also appeared in multiple movies based on the franchise, including the one he considers to be his favorite “Star Trek” film. It just goes to show how some characters earned their stripes as essential parts of “Star Trek” history, even if they didn’t initially start out that way. It also goes to show just how much of an impact “The Next Generation” had in the “Star Trek” timeline, with fans hungry to see more of its crucial characters return even years after it came to an end.
