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Star Trek, the highly acclaimed sci-fi franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry. The franchise saw its first appearance with its television series debuting in 1966, after which it released many movies and TV shows, greatly increasing the horizon of the franchise and making it a cultural phenomenon.
Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. Leonard McCoy, Jean-Luc Picard, and Data are among the franchise's most famous characters. Outside of these fan-favorite characters, the franchise has introduced many other great characters, which for some reason did not end up getting as much recognition and love.
In this list, we shall discuss 10 such characters that deserve more love and admiration.
Please note this entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.
1) Dr. Katherine Pulaski
Dr. Katherine Pulaski was introduced in season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character replaced the renowned Beverly Crusher from season 1. Dr. Pulaski was passionate and fierce when pursuing her patients' welfare. She had a no-nonsense attitude and was brassy; that is, she strongly articulated her opinions.
In episodes like Samaritan Snare and Unnatural Selection, she even saved Picard’s and crew members life respectively.
2) Dr. Phlox
Known for his cheerful disposition and curiosity, Dr. Phlox was one of the most underrated characters in Star Trek: Enterprise. He used a mix of traditional Denobulan and advanced technological approaches and sometimes quite bizarre methods to treat his patients. Dr. Phlox had a strong bond with Captain Jonathan Archer and gave him advice from his experience in medicine as well as wise words.
Episodes like Dear Doctor and Stigma showed his morality and compassionate nature.
3) B'Elanna Torres
B’Elanna Torres was the chief engineer of the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager. Being a half-Klingon and half-human, she often struggled with her dual personality. The Klingon side made her strong-willed and the human side brought compassion and vulnerability to her character.
Episodes like Faces and Day of Honor showed the viewers Torres’s inner conflicts on accepting her dual heritage. These challenges gave her a significant character arc. However, she didn't get as much popularity as she deserved.
4) Reginald Barclay
He is one of the most underutilized characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Reginald Barclay, the brilliant but socially awkward engineer who was often referred to as Brocolli by his colleagues.
The social awkwardness, always made him shadowed by the popular and charming. Yet such qualities also made him relatable for many but did not get the popularity enjoyed by others. Also, being a recurring character, he hardly received enough time to depict character development.
5) Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge had served as chief engineer aboard the USS Enterprise-D and later on the Enterprise-E. With extraordinary engineering skills, he has saved the Enterprise from many a crisis. His relationship with Data was heartwarming.
However, unfortunately, Geordi wasn't as popular as some of his fellow crew members. He showed various sides of his character through his interactions with Data, Captain Picard, and other characters, but was never really given the spotlight he so richly deserved.
6) Miles O'Brien
A dedicated Starfleet officer, Miles O’Brien was an underrated but exceptional character in the Star Trek Universe. His loyalty and down-to-earth personality made him one of the most humble characters in the franchise. Even after facing various challenges, he always rose above them adeptly.
However, even after appearing for so many episodes in Star Trek TV shows, O’Brien still didn’t get enough love and appreciation for being such a relatable character.
7) Lwaxana Troi
While Lwaxana Troi, the Betazoid ambassador, and mother of counselor Deanna Troi, injected some comic relief into Star Trek: The Next Generation, she simultaneously portrayed a woman who cared for her daughter while playfully flirting with Captain Picard, and then eventually created a loving bond with Odo in Deep Space Nine. All three show different facets of her character.
However, she was not a fan favorite and deserved some love.
8) Michael Burnham
Michael Burnham was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery. She is the adopted sister of Spock. Due to being raised by Vulcans, she had a unique combination of human emotion and Vulcan logic. Her character was complex and received mixed reactions from fans.
Her challenges with duty and loyalty, and her relationship with her Discovery crew deserved more love and admiration.
9) Scotty
Montgomery Scott is another cherished character of the original Star Trek series and its ensuing movies. As chief engineer, Scotty performed mostly in the background. Though he occupied a spot in the storyline, it was often overshadowed by the more prominent roles of Captain Kirk and Spock.
Whereas Kirk was an extravagant character in the limelight, Scotty was a more humble, down-to-earth man who prioritized the needs of his ship and crew above all else.
10) Ezri Dax
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Ezri Dax was introduced in the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, due to which she didn’t get much time to impress fans of the Star Trek Universe. She replaced Jadzia Dax who had a well-developed character arc and was more preferred over her.
Even her relationships with Worf and Julian Bashir didn’t feel organic due to less time developing them. Hence, making her character a wasted potential.
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