After the airing of one of the most iconic series to ever grace the small screen, television was never the same. The mythical science fiction show in question is the narrative-driven Star Trek. The Tv-series was eventually made into various films and animations, and, furthermore, quite a few actors made a name for themselves by starring in this show. The original series has a following of incredibly loyal fans, Trekkies, as they are affectionally called, and there are millions of them worldwide.
A lot of these actors’ names became synonymous with their Star Trek characters, and this opened a lot of new doors for them down the road. Keep reading to find out just what became of your favorite explorers of the final frontier.
George Takei — Lt. Hikaru Sulu — The Original Series
Even though George Takei was nobody before joining forces with the Star Trek Original Series crew, he shot off to stardom faster than the U.S.S. Enterprise could reach hyper-speed. He was a massive boon for the show’s ratings, and, following his incredible success as Lt. Hikaru Sulu, Takei devoted himself to social and political activism.
Advocating LGBTQ rights and openly gay himself, he has received several awards from the LGBTQ community for his activism. A slight mar on his reputation happened in 2017 when Scott R Brunton accused him of harassment, though Takei took to social media to deny these allegations, saying that it entirely went against his principles.
Patrick Stewart — Captain Jean-Luc Picard — The Next Generation
Everyone’s favorite Captain Jean-Luc Picard starred the amazing actor Patrick Stewart. It’s undeniable that his Star Trek: The Next Generation role gave him the high-speed boost needed to rocket his career to new heights. 
Now, he’s become well-known for his portrayal of X-Men’s Professor X. At this point in his life, he’s worth about $70 million, married to his third wife, and advocates social rights and equality.
Nichelle Nichols — Lieutenant Uhura — The Original Series
Between her role on Star Trek’s Original Series and her advocacy for African-American rights, Nichelle Nichols has had quite the impactful career. Her role as Lieutenant Uhura featured the first black actress not in a serving or other low-ranking capacity.
She was even later promoted up to the rank of captain, decimating many racist conceptions about black women. All of this allowed her to save a lot of money for retirement, freeing up her time to focus her energies on pushing for equality for women and minorities.
Levar Burton — Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge — The Next Generation
Though Levar Burton might be most recognizable from his time on The Next Generation, the rest of his TV portfolio is nothing to scoff at either. Between Roots and Reading Rainbow, this actor is a seasoned veteran of the small screen.
At this point in his life, he’s pretty much left the acting game for directing and writing, and he lives with his wife and two kids in Sherman Oaks, California. As for philanthropy, this actor has done extensive charitable work as well, especially helping AIDS research.
Ricardo Montalban — Khan Noonien Singh — The Wrath of Khan
Ricard Montalban shot off to stardom in his stellar performance of Planet of the Apes, but he also gained some notoriety as Khan Noonien Singh in the feature-length Star Trek: Wrath of Khan and even the Original Series.
This movie, specifically, was one of the best of all the Star Trek films, at least when it comes to sheer revenue. Instead of choosing to retire, Ricardo kept acting until his dying days. He passed away at 88 years old in 2009.
Whoopi Goldberg — Guinan — The Next Generation
Whoopi Goldberg is an icon in Hollywood and her incredible career should come as no surprise to anyone, as she’s been featured in many blockbuster movies, like The Lion King, Sister Act, The Color Purple, And More.
In The Next Generation, she took on the role of Guinan, a bartender, and was featured at many points in the series. Goldberg’s primary focus nowadays is on activism. For instance, she hosts a reality TV show about the transgender community.
William Shatner — Captain James T. Kirk — The Original Series
Perhaps the most recognizable of all Star Trek actors, William Shatner played the adored Captain James T. Kirk and was also featured in many Star Trek films. Nonetheless, once the show was over, Shatner had a hard time finding a new gig and even was on the verge of bankruptcy at one point.
Eventually, he moved on from his action-packed films and played T. J. Hooker and minor roles in The Practice and Boston Legal, which he used to bail him out of his money troubles. Today, Shatner is 87 and lives with his fourth wife.
Denise Crosby — Lt. Tasha Yar — The Next Generation
This actor took on the role of Security Chief Tasha Yar in the first season of The Next Generation as well as other ST productions. Diehard fans, though, will surely know about her documentaries, Trekkies and Trekkies 2, that covered the cult fandom of Star Trek.
Further, Crosby has starred in some other notable films but her acting career has never again reached its Star Trek height. She supplements her income by making some extra cash by posing for Playboy!
Colm Meaney — Miles O’Brien — The Next Generation
Colm Meany may have started as a minor character in The Next Generation, but it didn’t take long for producers to recognize his talent and decide to flesh out his character, Miles O’Brien, a bit more in Deep Space Nine.
As of today, his number of appearances in Star Trek is only topped by a single actor, Michael Dorn. He is still an active worker and has taken part in both television and film projects. Meaney married his second wife in 2007.
Avery Brooks — Benjamin Sisko — Deep Space Nine
Avery Brooks was the very first African-American actor to get a major role in Star Trek. In Deep Space Nine, he acted out the role of Benjamin Sisko. Having put his acting career behind him, he now teaches at Rutgers University, his alma mater and the place where he met his wife, whom he married in 1976.
Another notable role in Brooks’ career was when he played Dr. Bob Sweeny in American History-X. During his little free time, he is an avid musician and has dropped his very own jazz and blues tape in 2009.
Leonard Nimoy — Spock — The Original Series
Ah, one of everyone’s favorite characters: Spock! Leonard Nimoy became a true star through his role, and everyone else who has tried to take on the roll has had a tough act to live up to. His hand gesture, live long and prosper, is iconic, and for all his trouble Nimoy certainly had a pretty healthy bank account.
Nonetheless, his vices, including drinking and smoking, eventually caught up with him in 2015 when he passed away at the age of 83. Before his end, he also tried his hand at writing and directing.
Majel Barrett — Lwaxana Troi — The Next Generation
This actress is Star Trek to the core. Having made her ST debut in 1987 as Lwaxana Troi in The Next Generation, she’s been featured in basically every film or show since that has involved Star Trek.
All of this involvement has earned her the title “The First Lady of Star Trek.” Even though she made a ton of money through these profitable endeavors, she didn’t have much time to enjoy her retirement. Leukemia took her in 2008 when she was 76 years old.
Rene Auberjonois — Constable Odo — Deep Space Nine
Apart from Star Trek, Rene’s other notable appearances include M*A*S*H and Boston Legal, but we still prefer him as Security Chief Odo, the shapeshifting master from Deep Space Nine.
Since the end of his Star Trek journey, he’s been featured in quite a few TV shows and is still an active actor at the age of 78. His goal is to continue acting so long as he may live. Now that’s a true love of one’s craft!
Michelle Forbes — Ensign Ro Laren — The Next Generation
Though she should certainly be happy with the amount of wealth that she’s amassed over her lifetime, the truth is that most of her earnings didn’t come from Star Trek. She gained more popularity for her appearances in True Blood, Guiding Light, and Homicide: Life on the Street.
When it comes to ST, she showed her face on eight episodes in The Next Generation and in that time managed to win over quite a few Trekkies. Today, she stars on the hit TV show Berlin Station.
Nana Visitor — Major Kira Nerys — Deep Space Nine
Her portrayal of Security Officer Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine certainly gave her career a much-needed boost in addition to her role in Wildfire. Once Visitor left ST, she hasn’t found much success in acting, so we hope she’s doing all right in her wallet.
Though she had previously married and had a child with Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star Alexander Siddig, she has left him and is happily happened with her third husband for a quieter life.
Robert Beltran — Commander Chakotay — Voyager
Who could forget Robert Beltran’s lovable rendition of Commander Chakotay in Star Trek: Voyager? Besides this acclaimed role, he gained a reputation for playing Raoul Mendoza in Eating Raoul.
We know very little about Beltran’s personal life, besides the fact that he has a daughter, as he very much values his privacy. Unfortunately, this means that we’re completely in the dark about his love life, and yet we do know that he’s given a lot of money to Down Syndrome research and organizations because his brother has Down Syndrome.
Linda Park — Hoshi Sato — Enterprise
As a young actress, her role as Communications Officer Hoshi Sato on Star Trek: Enterprise shot off her career, though, unfortunately, she’s had little success since then. Besides a few minor shows and plays, she has also taken the initiative to produce and act in her very own movie, My Prince, My Angel.
Additionally, she’s the co-founder of the Underground Asylum theater company. Though she dated Tom Hardy in the early 2000s, as of today she is married to the actor Daniel Bass.
Stephen Collins — Captain William Decker — The Motion Picture
Though this is far from the most prominent role in his career, Stephen Collins did manage to snag the job of Captain William Decker in Stark Trek: The Motion Picture. However, in 2014 his reputation was marred by an NYPD investigation regarding an audiotape involving Collins abusing some minors.
While there was never enough evidence to land him in court, he later admitted that he had been wrong to act the way did but this did him no help. His career was permanently damaged and he soon faded away from the limelight.
Catherine Hicks — Dr. Gillian Taylor — The Voyage Home
Catherine may only have appeared in Star Trek: The Voyage Home, but she’s most widely known for her starring role in 7th heaven. This incredible actress has had quite the prolific career thanks to her good management and acting prowess.
She currently lived a quiet life married to professional makeup artist Kevin Yagher as of 1990. He was the man responsible for the design of the infamous “Chuckie” doll. Hicks is also a devoted Roman Catholic.
Mark Lenard — Sarek — The Original Series
I wonder what it’s like being Spock’s dad. Even though this role gave Mark Lenard some fame, he is also well-known for playing Romulan on the same show, in addition to appearances on three ST films, some episodes of The Next Generation, and even the animated series.
Before joining the crew of this classic sci-fi show, Lenard was a classical stage actor and had performed in many plays across the world. Sadly, he passed away from myeloma in 1996 at 72 years old.
John De Lancie — Q — The Next Generation
Starting in The Next Generation, John De Lancie would go on to play his iconic role, Q, in both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. This has led him to become a bit of a hero to Trekkies everywhere, though today he’s switching over to something for a bit of a different audience.
These days, He makes income from his voice acting in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and his role as Donald Margolis in Breaking Bad. He is married to and has two children with actress Marnie Mosiman.
Jolene Blalock — T’Pol — Enterprise
It’s certainly hard to find a Vulcan as hot as Jolene Blalock, and everyone adored her appearance as T’Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise. Once she left Star Trek, she’s been featured at a few Star Trek conventions and other related events.
She has also been featured in other successful shows, such as House, Slow Burn, and CSI: Miami, though none of this gave her the same prominence as Star Trek. She’s now working on avoiding student loans and raising a family with her husband, Michael Rapino.
Scott Bakula — Captain Jonathan Archer — Enterprise
Having starred in the well-known Quantum Leap, Scott Bakula came to Star Trek a seasoned sci-fi veteran. Once he joined the crew of ST: Enterprise, his fame, and bank account got a major boon from his portrayal of Captain Jonathan Archer.
Today, he lives with his second wife, actress Chelsea Field, in addition to their two children. He has also fathered two children in another marriage, and he prioritizes free time with his family above all else.
Kate Mulgrew — Captain Kathryn Janeway — Voyager
Not many women can boast the accolades of Star Trek starship captain in addition to having their own show, but Kate Mulgrew does just that by appearing in Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway.
After her time with Star Strek, she went on to star in various roles after the series, most notably in the popular Netflix special Orange Is the New Black. She gave up her child for adoption in the 80s but was eventually reunited with her daughter, Danielle, in 1998.
DeForest Kelly — Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy — The Original Series
Having been born in 1920, DeForest Kelley was already a veteran actor before he joined the Star Trek series, but surely the biggest role of his life was as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy.
Of course, everyone knows him as “Bones” and this caused him to have a hard time landing jobs in the later part of careers, a victim of typecasting. Nonetheless, he was able to make a living through Star Trek conventions even without an acting career. He passed away in 1999 as a result of stomach cancer.
James Doohan — Montgomery “Scotty” Scott — The Original Series
Before beaming anybody up, James Doohan served in the Canadian army and even fought in World War II. Once he joined Star Trek and became the famous “Scotty,” he launched his acting career to new heights and even made the younger generation want to go into engineering as a result.
Acting isn’t Doohan only talent, he also helped to form the Vulcan and Klingon languages! Unfortunately, his bright career was cut short when he departed this world in 2005, leaving behind a legacy of seven children.
Grace Lee Whitney — Janice Rand — The Original Series
Grace Lee Whitney’s time on Star Trek was but a blip on the radar, as her character only appeared on a mere eight episodes. Once she was written off, she had a hard time with her body image and began abusing alcohol.
During this time, she even accused the show’s executive of harassing her, though she did not name names. She spent the last years of her life trying to help others along the road to substance abuse recovery, eventually passing away at the age of 85 in 2015 as a result of natural causes.
Kirstie Alley — Lt. Saavik — The Wrath of Khan
Nowadays the actoress is known as a blonde diva but Kristie Alley got her big break by playing Lt. Saavik in Star Trek’s most famous movie, The Wrath of Khan in 1982. It was meant to be her first and only Star Trek film.
She’s been on a roll ever since, appearing in many movies and shows, though nowadays she’s most well-known for her drastic weight changes. Once she got her addictions under control, she devoted herself to getting back into shape and helping other women do the same.
Alexander Siddig — Dr. Julian Bashir — Deep Space Nine
Alexander Siddig wasn’t always the star that he is today. He started his career by taking on the role of Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. On this show, he got fame, fortune, and even a wife: Nana Visitor, another of the show’s cast.
Little is known about his personal life, apart from that he had one child before divorcing in 2001 In the meantime, Siddig has made appearances on various popular TV shows and films alike, proving to the world his acting chops.
Diana Muldaur — Dr. Katherine Pulaski — The Next Generation
Once Dr. Crusher left the cast, Diana Muldaur stepped onto the spaceship of The Next Generation to become Dr. Katherine Pulaski. She was only on the show for a single season, and her role was far from successful.
Nonetheless, she eventually landed the lead in L.A. Law, the most prominent position of her short career. Though she gained a certain degree of fame, she quit acting once that show ended. She now lives on the proceeds from these endeavors and is 79 years old.