Few franchises take casting as seriously as Star Trek. The actors who bring the crew of the Enterprise to life in Star Trek: The Original Series are so beloved that not just anyone can fill their shoes. In J.J. Abrams’ movie franchise, which also follows Captain Kirk and Co., Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, and the rest do everything they can to honor their predecessors, sometimes by emulating them and sometimes by avoiding their tricks altogether. The same can be said of the performers who are working on the latest Star Trek projects, which also take place around the same time as The Original Series.
What Paramount has been avoiding is replacing the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of course, Star Trek: Picard picks up after the events of that show, allowing all the familiar faces to return and continue their characters’ stories. However, it’s only a matter of time before it’s time to refill the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Here’s what the cast of The Next Generation would look like if the show were made today.
There aren’t many Star Trek characters as controversial as Wesley Crusher. After coming aboard the Enterprise-D, he acts like he’s the smartest person on the ship, and he’s probably not far off. To avoid the issues that plague the original show, Jacob Tremblay, who knows a thing or two about playing a wunderkind, will step in for Will Wheaton. The Wonder star will bring a humbleness to Wesley that’s necessary if he wants to stick around for the long haul.
Marina Sirtis’ Deanna Troi is the voice of reason throughout The Next Generation, serving as the ship’s counselor and using her psionic abilities to communicate with alien races. There’s always a sense of calm when Troi is around, and Stephanie Beatriz can recreate that. While Beatriz’s role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes it out like she’s nothing but a grouch, her other roles prove that there are no limits to her acting range. Put her Troi in a room with crewmates, and they’ll all be singing like canaries about their troubles.
Chief Medical Officer is the most overlooked position on a Starfleet ship, but Beverly Crusher does such a good job that it’s hard to ignore her. The only knock against her character is that The Next Generation doesn’t know what to do with her at times, relegating her to the background in major stories. Having Kirsten Dunst in the mix would take care of that issue because there’s very little she can’t do when it comes to acting. She chews up scenery and could easily go toe-to-toe with whoever ends up playing her love interest, Jean-Luc Picard.
The Next Generation works hard to ensure that Klingons aren’t seen only as bad guys. The show’s most significant leap is making a Klingon named Worf one of its main characters. He serves as the Chief Security Officer under Picard’s command and does a bang-up job, being a physical presence that makes would-be attackers think twice about messing with Starfleet. Black Panther star Winston Duke has been filling that role for years, including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, he also has what it takes to explore Worf’s emotions, as the Klingon has plenty of skeletons in his closet.
The Next Generation fills the Spock role by bringing an android, Data, into the fold. He doesn’t understand humans all that well, but he proves to be a valuable ally to the entire crew. While it will be hard to top Brent Spiner’s performance, Asa Butterfield has all the makings of a great Data. The actor plays his fair share of awkward characters, including Otis Milburn in Sex Education. It’s his turn as Ender Wiggin in Ender’s Game that really builds the bridge, though, as the character is colder and more calculating than his colleagues.
There’s one character who looks past Data’s quirks and embraces him for who he is: Geordi La Forge. Their friendship is one of the best parts of The Next Generation, but there’s no doubt that Levar Burton’s character does most of the heavy lifting. One actor who could bring Burton’s positive energy to a new take on the show would be John Boyega, best known for starring as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. If Boyega can bring himself to walk across the aisle, he will fill Burton’s shoes beautifully.
William Riker isn’t a typical first officer, being smug and worrying more about talking to women than the mission at hand. However, when it’s time to lock in, there’s no one better to have mapping out a strategy than Riker. Jack Lowden plays a very similar character in the Apple TV series Slow Horses. River Cartwright is a bit of a bumbling fool until he isn’t, consistently saving the day alongside the other employees of Slough House by coming up with out-of-the-box strategies.
Replacing Patrick Stewart is about as hard a task as one can find in Hollywood. Fortunately, 20th Century Fox already got that out of the way by having James McAvoy take over as Charles Xavier in the X-Men films. McAvoy can bring all the qualities that make Picard great to life with ease, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s already proven that he can pull off a shaved head. Sometimes, the easiest solution is the right one, especially when the lead role in a Star Trek series is on the line.
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