hedril star trek next generation

Dark Page (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Continuity
• 3.5 Cast and characters
• 3.6 Reception
• 3.7 Apocrypha
• 3.8 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stand-ins
• 4.7.1 Okudagram references
• 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

Lwaxana Troi returns to the USS Enterprise -D , this time as the teacher of an alien race learning to speak, the Cairn . Their native form of communication is solely telepathy , but they want to learn spoken language in order to interact with other races and eventually to join with the United Federation of Planets . Lwaxana comes aboard with Maques and his daughter Hedril . Hedril is a young child and is Lwaxana's star pupil.

The crew begins to notice that Lwaxana doesn't seem to be her normal flamboyant self. She's quiet and almost reserved, even her clothing seems subdued compared to usual. She perks up when talking to Worf and Commander Riker , explaining the telepaths can't read their minds, only other telepaths'. Deanna then walks in, and she quickly has her meet Maques and leaves with Hedril. After introductions, he says Lwaxana told him Deanna needs a husband , and he, coincidentally, needs a wife .

Act One [ ]

Lwaxana finds Deanna walking down a corridor the next day and pushes to know what she thought of Maques. Of course, Deanna doesn't appreciate that her mother put her an uncomfortable position yet again, and, in an awkward encounter with another officer in the turbolift , tells her to stop. Then, Lwaxana is visibly hurt, but brushes it off as part of her work with the Cairn. However, she then worries aloud about losing Deanna, which worries her, but she has her appointments, so she goes. There, in her office , she finds Maques. He apologizes for his forwardness the previous day, but also relates that he senses some dark part of Lwaxana that she is keeping hidden. Troi asks Maques if he has asked her about it, but he tells her that Lwaxana told him it is private, the Cairn not understanding the concept of privacy. Relieved, Deanna says this is normal for them.

Deanna talks about how strange her mother has been with Riker at the bar in Ten Forward . Suddenly, Lwaxana enters and has a very emotional outburst toward him, yelling at him to leave her daughter alone and that with him out of the way, Deanna would have been married by now. Troi attempts to figure out what's going on, and has her mother examined in sickbay . Dr. Crusher determines that the chemical psilosynine , used in telepathy, is sapped – Lwaxana must refrain from using her telepathy and must rest until it can regenerate. Lwaxana is embarrassed by her outburst and asks Troi to pass on her apologies to Riker.

Deanna volunteers to help Maques and Hedril, but it is clear that Lwaxana is better suited to the task. Deanna suggests using verbal communication, so the Cairn can have more experience using words. Lwaxana still uses her telepathy occasionally, and, after she sees Hedril trip and fall into a pond in the ship's arboretum , falls into a coma .

Act Two [ ]

Dr. Crusher cannot figure out what is causing the coma, as the telepathy-chemical depletion would not cause it. Neural activity has completely shut down, except for the paracortex in which activity is much larger than normal. Since she had just communicated with Maques before the coma, they go to talk to him. There, he tries to explain, but he doesn't have the words. He decides to use telepathy, and Deanna is bombarded with images. She needs to go sort it out.

In Crusher's office, she explains that what she thought Maques was describing as private thoughts was really something in her metaconscious mind. It's possible she underwent some kind of trauma that it couldn't handle and has developed long-term effects from it. Crusher wants to wait for the subneural scans to be analyzed before continuing and suggests they come back in the morning when the results come in. Deanna requests to stay in sickbay and try to communicate with her mother telepathically. Crusher grants her request.

In the meantime, Troi tries to communicate with Lwaxana during the night. She hears her call out to help her, but cannot say more. Deciding to sleep in sickbay on a biobed , she notices Maques come in, and is staring at Lwaxana.

Act Three [ ]

In the observation lounge , Picard asks Maques what he was doing. He is again unable to explain verbally, so Deanna has him tell her telepathically. He was accessing images from Lwaxana to try to understand what happened, but he doesn't recognize the objects or the people in the images. He believes her psyche is collapsing, forcing her to retreat into her metaconscious. Crusher suggests that, if they try to access those images, they could at least understand whether she experienced a trauma. Maques believes he can serve as a bridge to help Deanna access the images in her mother's mind. Despite the unknown risk, Deanna wants to try, and Picard approves.

With Dr. Crusher monitoring Deanna's condition closely and Maques prepared to break the link if anything happens, Deanna enters her mother's thoughts, with Maques cautioning her that part of Lwaxana is afraid and to expect resistance to her presence. She has to fight Lwaxana's desire and defenses to keep her secret. Deanna encounters several obstacles, including having an illusory Captain Picard order her to leave, a wolf chasing her through a corridor and another delay tactic in the form of her own deceased father . He begs her to stay with and talk with him, but she must continue her investigation. Reluctantly and with tears in her eyes, she leaves him. Finally, in the corridor, she sees Maques' young daughter, Hedril, but as a Betazoid. She wonders what she is doing in her mother's mind when suddenly Lwaxana appears and screams at her to leave. Troi awakens in sickbay, frightened and unable to understand what she had just experienced.

Act Four [ ]

" Do you have any idea why Hedril would make my mother sad? " " No. "

In a meeting in the observation lounge, Maques brings Hedril in so Troi can talk with her. Hedril does not know what she would represent but presumes that it is somehow her fault that Lwaxana is sick, because she knows that for some reason, she makes Lwaxana sad. After the two Cairn leave, Crusher states she believes that Maques is right and that Lwaxana's current condition most likely had been precipitated by a traumatic event. Data believes they may be looking at this too literally. He speculates, given his recent experience with dream-like imagery , the different people inside Lwaxana's mind may represent different aspects of her. Deanna agrees, surmising that Hedril may represent a fragile part of her mother's psyche.

Troi has Mr. Homn on Betazed transmit a copy of Lwaxana's personal journals to find clues as to what the traumatic event was that she experienced. In Troi's quarters, she also goes through the personal belongings Lwaxana brought from home, including a photo of Ian in uniform, and a lock of what appears to be Deanna's own hair kept inside a locket . Picard and Troi look through the journals on Troi's desktop monitor from the beginning and find a seven-year gap of no entries at all. It starts about a year after her parents were married and ends a few months after Deanna's birth. Troi finds this odd, since Lwaxana keeps such diligent entries in her journals. Looking closer, Picard realizes that there were in fact entries made, but they had been deleted by Lwaxana herself shortly before they resumed again.

Act Five [ ]

Going back inside her mother's mind to get answers to these new questions, she finds Betazoid Hedril kneeling down beside the wolf in the corridors of the Enterprise ; she tells Hedril to be careful, but the girl doesn't recognize the name. The wolf and the girl briskly walk off down the hall and turn a corner, at which Troi finds that it ends into open space, and she steps out to drop into it. Troi finds her mother in a recreation of the arboretum doubling as Lake El'nar on Betazed . Lwaxana tearfully tries to get Deanna to leave her mind. She tries as much as she can to not disclose the painful secret she has kept for so long. She finally relents and shows Deanna that the Trois had a daughter before Deanna: Kestra , represented by Betazoid Hedril. Lwaxana gets partially caught up in the memory, moving from narrator to participant. One tragic day during a family picnic at Lake El'nar, Kestra wanted to go play by the water. Her parents told her to stay with them as they were going to eat soon and could go with her after, but while they became distracted with the teething Deanna, the family dog got away from Kestra and she went after him. She ended up in the lake and drowned. The Trois, and Lwaxana particularly, were devastated by the loss.

Troi is stunned to learn that she had a sister, her mother's "precious one." She realizes this was the genesis of her mother's term "little one" for her: she was the little one of the two sisters. Lwaxana (who had looked away for only a few seconds to tend to Deanna) blamed herself for all these years. Deanna acknowleges that Lwaxana may feel responsible for Kestra's death, but it was a terrible accident: she has to forgive herself and let go of her guilty feelings. From what Deanna saw, Kestra was sweet and happy, and must have brought great joy to their parents' lives: Lwaxana recalls that she woke every morning with a smile. Isn't it better to remember her that way and celebrate her life, Deanna asks, rather than mourn it? Deanna emotionally adds that she'd like to get to know the sweet girl who was the sister she never knew. After some convincing by Deanna, who vouches her support, Lwaxana summons her memory of Kestra to tell her how she feels and a true version of Kestra appears. Kestra and Lwaxana share a tearful goodbye and Lwaxana awakens from her coma, holding hands with Deanna.

Later on, mother and daughter look at an image of Ian holding Deanna and with Kestra at his side on a PADD . It is from a picture that Homn had saved in case one day Lwaxana wanted to remember her. Lwaxana can recall the day she took the photograph and wishes the girls had gotten to grow up together. Deanna asks to know all about her, and they have a heartfelt talk about Kestra.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I don't know what they'd have done without me. First, I had to learn how they communicate – it was an absolutely exhausting process– " " I'm sure it was. " " Quite different from Betazed telepathy. We transmit words, but the Cairn… it's… er… images… er… floods of them, all at the same time – it's overwhelming! " " I can imagine. " " Actually, it's a very efficient way of communication. If two Cairn were having this conversation, it would have been over minutes ago! " " Really?! " " Of course, they realize that they'll want to communicate verbally if they join the Federation. Oh! do me a favor! Introduce yourself to one of them. Engage them in conversation – they need the practice. " " I'd be happy to! "

" Now, I am warning you, stay away from my daughter! " " You're coming with me. "

" Aren't you going to mingle, Mr. Woof ? " " I do not care for telepaths. They make me… uneasy. " " Don't worry. The Cairn couldn't read your thoughts even if they wanted to. Your brain isn't sophisticated enough. " (Riker smiles) " Neither is yours, dear. They can only communicate with other telepaths. "

" Every morning, she woke up with… with a smile. " " Isn't it better to remember her like that? I just found out I had a sister I never knew. "

" I have to go now. " " I know. I know. "

" I wish you could have known her, Deanna. I wish you two could have grown up together. " " Tell me about her. I want to know everything. "

Background information [ ]

Kirsten Dunst with Simon

Amick Byram and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry

Production history [ ]

• Script: 26 August 1993 [1]
• Filmed: 27 August 1993 – 6 September 1993
• Premiere airdate: 1 November 1993
• First UK airdate: 21 February 1996

Story and script [ ]

• Jeri Taylor recalled, " There was a great reluctance to do this episode and " Phantasms " back-to-back, but it was one of those predicaments where we didn't have anything else ready to go. "Dark Page" had been around a long, long time and it had undergone many permutations. Hilary Bader had pitched this story and it just never seemed to work. It started as a Dr. Crusher story and went through every possible combination of people on the Enterprise . It wasn't until we hit upon Troi and Mrs. Troi that it really seemed to work, and then it was a long time before we could figure out what the secret was that is hurting Mrs. Troi. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ), variations of the theme of a telepathic rescue considered included: Doctor Crusher and another female doctor, a La Forge story, Crusher and Troi, and Lwaxana rescuing Deanna.
• René Echevarria , who gave an uncredited polish to the episode's script, noted the difficulty in finding a dark enough secret that after seven years wouldn't portray Lwaxana too unsympathetically. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Echevarria regretted having been forced to tone down Maques ' comical attempts at language. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Lake El'nar was named after a friend of writer Hilary J. Bader. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))

Production [ ]

• Split-screen shots against a blue screen were used to allow characters to interact with the wolf, which although trained was still dangerous. Peter Lauritson commented, " Nobody wanted to be there with the wolf except Dan Curry . " Kirsten Dunst petted a stand rather than the wolf, with the animal matted in later. The wolf's growl was achieved by giving it a lick of a meaty bone and then filming its reaction when a trainer moved as if to take it. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))
• Marina Sirtis performed her own stunt when apparently jumping into space: she leapt off a blue-screened platform onto air mattresses. This was then matted in with the star field and corridor walls. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? ))

Continuity [ ]

• Although Deanna says that Homn saved the picture of Kestra, Xelo was most likely Lwaxana's attendant at the time of Kestra's death. (" Haven ") Homn was Xelo's replacement, and Xelo apparently passed the picture on to Homn.
• This episode is one of a few in which the Enterprise bridge is not seen, along with " Family " and " Liaisons ".
• Data makes reference to his dreaming program, which had just received heavy focus in the previous episode, " Phantasms ".
• This episode is referenced in DS9 : " The Muse ". There, Lwaxana gives Kestra's death as one of the reasons she is unwilling to give up her unborn son according to Tavnian law.
• Deanna went on to name her own daughter, Kestra Troi-Riker , after her late sister.
• Tragically, Deanna would also lose her own natural firstborn, Thaddeus Troi-Riker , to mendaxic neurosclerosis . She had also suffered a similar loss of Ian Troi in 2365 when he had to prematurely end his Human existence.

Cast and characters [ ]

• This episode features a very young Kirsten Dunst as Hedril .
• This is Lwaxana's last appearance in TNG. Her next appearance is in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Fascination ".
• This is the first and only appearance of Ian Troi , whose name was previously established in " The Child ".
• Mr. Homn was to appear in the episode, but Carel Struycken was unavailable. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  ( ? ed., p. ? )) Consequently, this is the only TNG episode in which Lwaxana appears, but Mr. Homn does not.
• Norman Large had previously played the Romulan proconsul Neral in " Unification I " and " Unification II ", as well as Kobheerian captain Viterian in DS9 : " Duet ".
• This marks the final appearance of Deanna Troi and Lwaxana Troi together on-screen.

Reception [ ]

• Jeri Taylor remarked, " Ultimately, I think it worked really well and was an emotional episode. It provided a depth to Mrs. Troi's character that we had not seen before. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )
• Naren Shankar commented, " I think Rene, who did the production re-write on the episode, did a magnificent job on the show. It's sort of like The Joy Luck Club . It was better than I expected. It was quite touching in many ways. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )

Apocrypha [ ]

• The back story on Ian and Lwaxana Troi revealed in this episode was further expanded upon as a subplot in the novel The Art of the Impossible .

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 80, 23 May 1994
• As part of the TNG Season 7 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Majel Barrett as Lwaxana Troi
• Norman Large as Maques
• Kirsten Dunst as Hedril / Kestra Troi
• Amick Byram as Ian Andrew Troi

Co-star [ ]

• Andreana Weiner as Kestra

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• David Keith Anderson as Armstrong
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Buck as wolf
• Debbie David as Russell
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• John Copage as science division officer
• Hal Donahue as command division lieutenant
• Gunnel Eriksson as science division officer
• Gina Gallante as science division ensign
• Fumiko Hamada as command division officer
• Kai as science division officer
• Deborah Landis as Cairn
• Rad Milo as operations division ensign
• Michael Moorehead as science division ensign
• S. Reed as Burton
• Richard Sarstedt as command division ensign
• Simon as Troi's dog
• Teddy as wolf
• Oliver Theess as command division officer
• Candace Villwock as Deanna Troi (infant)
• Nicole Villwock as Deanna Troi (infant)
• Christina Wegler Miles as command division ensign
• Ten Forward waiter
• Two children in arboretum

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Debbie David – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• June Jordan as stand-in for Kirsten Dunst
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes and Norman Large
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart

References [ ]

2328 ; 2329 ; 2336 ; 2340 ; 2343 ; 2365 ; arboretum / arbor ; Betazed ; Betazed government ; Betazoid ; blossom ; Cairn ; counselor's office ; diligence ; dog ; " Down in the Valley "; dream ; dream analysis ; Earth ; Federation ; Federation Council ; Folnar jewel plant ; Folnar III ; Galaxy class decks ; gemstone ; heaven ; Homn ; hue ; Human ; Klingon ; Lake El'nar ; Maques' wife ; medical emergency ; metaconscious ; Milton, John ; Mister Woof ; painting ; Papa ; paracortex ; poetry ; privacy ; psilosynine ; pupil ; resin ; rose ; sub-neural scan ; spoken language ; teething ring ; telepathic lobe ; telepathic species ; telepathy ; Ten Forward ; tree ; toy ; VISOR ; verbal communication ; vocal enhancer ; wedding ; widower

Okudagram references [ ]

Starship mission status : Ajax , USS ; Alderaan ; Alpha Laputa IV ; Ambassador -class ; Apollo -class ; Aries , USS ; Beta Cygni system ; Bradbury , USS ; Bradbury -class ; Charleston , USS ; Constellation -class ; Excelsior -class ; Fearless , USS ; Goddard , USS ; Hood , USS ; Korolev -class ; Merced -class ; Merrimac , USS ; Monitor , USS ; Nebula -class ; New Orleans -class ; pulsar ; Renaissance -class ; Repulse , USS ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; sector ; Sector 21396 ; Sector 21538 ; Sector 22358 ; Sector 22846 ; Sector 22853 ; Sector 23079 ; Starbase 134 ; Starbase 434 ; Thomas Paine , USS ; Trieste , USS ; Victory , USS ; Vulcan Science Academy ; warp drive ; Zhukov , USS

Spacecraft Systems Status : Bussard collector ; captain's yacht ; class M ; gross vehicle mass ; impulse engine ; main shuttlebay Mars ; navigational deflector ; observation lounge ; phaser bank ; service docking port ; shuttlebay 2 ; shuttlebay 3 ; torpedo launcher ; umbilical connect port ; Utopia Planitia ; warp nacelle

Lwaxana Troi's journal: Belman ; Dominic, Primus ; Grax, Reittan ; Grax's girlfriend ; Janaran Sanctuary ; Lake Cataria ; Lilith ; uttaberry ; uttaberry pie ; Xelo

External links [ ]

• " Dark Page " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Dark Page " at Wikipedia
• "Dark Page" at StarTrek.com
• " "Dark Page" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast

10 Star Trek Next Generation Guest Appearances That Changed TNG

T hough the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation became as iconic and legendary as any in the universe, the guest stars changed the show for the better. Longtime fans wanted to take part in the new show set in Gene Roddenberry's universe. Legacy actors helped to make The Next Generation feel connected more completely to The Original Series .

While there are too many wonderful guest appearances to list in a single sitting, Star Trek: The Next Generation was changed for the better by some of them. These stars created fun behind-the-scenes legends, gave depth to the characters or, perhaps most importantly, gave closure to longtime stories. Below are some of the most influential guest stars on The Next Generation that elevated the series in unexpected ways.

Legendary Rockstar Mick Fleetwood Played a Fish-Man

Appeared in "manhunt", the star trek economy from latinum to federation credits, explained.

Fleetwood Mac is one of the most significant rock groups of the 20th Century, both for their enduring music and notorious in-band drama. Mick Fleetwood was a hugely important part of the group, but he was also a massive Trekkie. When news hit that Gene Roddenberry was restarting Star Trek , he wanted to appear in it. Despite being famous and recognizable, almost no one knew he was in the show until the credits.

Mick Fleetwood appeared in a cameo role in the Season 2 episode "Manhunt," as an Antedian dignitary. New to the universe at the time, this species were essentially "fish-people." Fleetwood wore heavy prosthetic makeup on his full face and even had to shave his beard for the role. According to The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Fleetwood remained friends with Gene Roddenberry, with eventual Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr saying he saw the rockstar walking around Roddenberry's Halloween party in a Starfleet uniform.

Michelle Phillips Played a Former Girlfriend of Jean-Luc Picard

Appeared in "we'll always have paris".

Michelle Phillips is another 20th Century music icon who co-wrote the legendary song "California Dreamin'" as part of The Mamas & The Papas. During the late 1980s she was frequently acting on television as a regular on Knots Landing . Michelle Phillips' guest appearance in Season 1 of Star Trek: TNG was one of the first signs Captain Jean-Luc Picard had a life before the show.

Phillips played Jenice Manheim, the wife of a scientist trying to access the multiverse. She first met Picard during his temporary assignment in Paris, France. When he was due to leave, he stood her up rather than say goodbye. This established Picard would always choose Starfleet over love. They both got some closure, before she returned to the planet with her husband to continue the experiments.

Kirsten Dunst Played an Emotional Role in TNG as a Child

Appeared in "dark page".

While not as massive as she is today, Kirsten Dunst was already a rising star when she took on a guest role for Star Trek: TNG's final season . She appeared in an episode with Majel Barrett Roddenberry's character, Lwaxana Troi, typically a comedic character. However, this was a deeply emotional episode with Dunst doing double duty as an alien child and her long-lost daughter.

Dunst's Hedril was a member of the Cairn species, who had no spoken language. The elder Troi served as an interpreter for the species. Later plagued by melancholy, Deanna Troi entered her mother's mind and encountered a psychic version of Dunst's character. It was revealed she was Kestra, Deanna's sister who died in an accident for which Lwaxana felt at fault. Later, in Picard , it's revealed Riker and Troi's surviving child is named Kestra after this sister.

David Warner Fulfilled Patrick Stewart's Childhood Dream

Appeared in "chain of command, part ii", star trek: tng's iconic 'there are four lights' episode almost didn't happen.

In Patrick Stewart's memoir Making It So , he writes about how watching David Warner perform onstage helped drive him into acting. Despite Warner's two Star Trek appearances on film, his guest spot on The Next Generation was personally important to Stewart. He wrote that Warner was the "greatest star of the British stage" and to share scenes with him was something Stewart placed "strictly within the realm of fantasy."

As Gul Madred in the two-part "Chain of Command," the two actors deliver a stunningly powerful story. Madred tortures Picard, promising him relief from pain if he says there are five lights shining in his face. "There are four lights," is an iconic line in The Next Generation . This episode changed the character of Captain Picard in a significant way, but not as much as it changed the actor who brought him to life.

Christopher McDonald's Star Trek Role Cast Him as a Hero

Appeared in "yesterday's enterprise".

Fans who recognize actor Christopher McDonald likely know him as a villain or antagonist, the role he most typically fills. However, in his guest appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Lieutenant Richard Castillo, Christopher McDonald was a hero. Serving as the helm officer on the USS Enterprise-C , he was a dedicated officer and, as is typical for Starfleet flyboys, a suave flirt. He formed a quick but deep connection with the revived Tasha Yar, when the ship's appearance in the 24th Century changed the timeline.

The ship's captain, Rachel Garrett, was in sickbay, so Castillo took command, ordering repairs on the Enterprise-C. He also agreed with Captain Garrett that the ship should return to its own time because its destruction saves the future. When Garrett was killed by attacking Klingons, Castillo, and Yar, took command and helped make sure history would never forget the name "Enterprise."

Ronny Cox Was a Controversial Captain of the USS Enterprise

Appeared in "chain of command parts i and ii".

As the second guest star from "Chain of Command," Ronny Cox's Edward Jellico is one of the few Starfleet officers who can say they were the captain of the Enterprise . He takes command of the ship when Picard, Worf and Beverly Crusher are sent to Cardassia on a secret mission. His brusque command style rankled the senior officers.

Still, Jellico's effect was felt on the series long after he left it. Most importantly, he's the reason Deanna Troi started wearing a Starfleet uniform . This led to her seeking promotion and taking on more command responsibilities. It also showed why Captain Picard was the best choice to lead the Federation's flagship. Captain Jellico was not an inept leader, just very different from what fans are used to.

Mark Lenard Brought TOS Credibility to TNG as Sarek

Appeared in "sarek" and "unification, part i".

In the early days of The Next Generation , producers -- and especially Gene Roddenberry -- wanted the series to establish itself as its own thing. Thus, any major connections to The Original Series were discouraged. Thus, when Mark Lenard returned as Sarek for an episode, producers had to strike a balancing act. Behr, in The Fifty-Year Mission , said there was an "insane" fight over whether or not they were allowed to even mention "Spock."

Still, bringing back Mark Lenard as Sarek for a guest starring role helped cement Star Trek: The Next Generation as truly part of The Original Series ' universe. This was the episode that established Vulcan longevity, and showed what could happen to a Vulcan late in life, specifically a kind of "senility" but related to emotion. By mind-melding with Sarek, Captain Picard became directly connected to the most important history of this universe.

DeForrest Kelly Helped Pass the Torch in TNG's Pilot Episode

Appeared in "encounter at farpoint", 10 star trek time travel stories that changed canon.

In the first TNG episode , "Encounter at Farpoint," the USS Enterprise-D is launched on its continuing mission to boldly go where no one had gone before. Except, in general, the crew of the original storied vessel already pioneered that journey. Despite Gene Roddenberry's insistence The Next Generation wouldn't rely on nostalgia for The Original Series , Leonard McCoy appeared in that first episode, and it was necessary.

The scene was almost an aside to the two stories at play in the episode. Data is seen giving a tour of the new Enterprise, to Kelly in extreme old age makeup. Bones is never identified by name, but his words of advice and gentle ribbing to Data about being like a Vulcan warmed fans' hearts. DeForrest Kelly's guest appearance was a clear signal to fans that despite all the differences in The Next Generation , it was still Star Trek .

Leonard Nimoy Added a Coda to Spock's Story on TNG

Appeared in "unification part i and ii".

Leonard Nimoy had a complicated relationship with his most iconic role. By the time Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was set to debut on the series' 25th anniversary, the actor came to terms with his legacy. The recent loss of Gene Roddenberry, with whom Nimoy feuded , compounded this. To celebrate his universe and promote the new film, he agreed to appear as Spock.

In the final scene of "Unification, Part I," Nimoy appeared on set with some of the cast of The Next Generation . The second part featured Spock, Picard and Data trying to prevent a Romulan attack on Federation space. Yet, what was truly special was it gave Spock his final mission. Spock would be an ambassador to the Romulans to preach the teachings of logic, ultimately leading to the unification of Vulcans and Romulans.

The Next Generation Saved Scotty From Certain Death

Appeared in "relics".

Despite the longevity of Vulcans, Klingons and Doctor McCoy, most of the human characters from The Original Series ' cast were expected to be dead by the time of The Next Generation . However, thanks to quick thinking and the sci-fi magic of transporters, Montgomery Scott was able to return to the 24th Century, played by James Doohan.

In "Relics," Scotty helps the USS Enterprise-D explore and escape a Dyson Sphere, while sharing his 23rd Century perspective on life in the 24th. The end of the episode sent Scotty off with a shuttle and no set destination. Even with the passing of Nimoy, Doohan, and Kelly, in The Next Generation era, their characters are still out there, fictionally immortal and having adventures forever.

All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Release Date September 26, 1987

Cast Majel Barrett, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Main Genre Sci-Fi

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Rating TV-PG

Creator Gene Roddenberry

Production Company Paramount Television

Number of Episodes 176

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

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How Old Was Kirsten Dunst as Hedril in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

In June 2016, Star Trek: The Next Generation actress Kirsten Dunst sparkled on the red carpet at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

23 years earlier, she made a guest appearance as young alien Hedril in the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation at the age of 11, a year before her movie breakthrough role in the 1994 American gothic horror vampire film Interview with the Vampire .

In the episode, split-screen techniques and blue screens were employed to create the illusion of interaction between the characters and a trained but potentially dangerous wolf.

To ensure safety, Kirsten Dunst’s character petted a stand-in rather than the actual animal, with the wolf’s image added in post-production. In November 2016, she shared a charming throwback photo from her “Star Trek” days.

            View this post on Instagram                         A post shared by Kirsten Dunst (@kirstendunst)

Kirsten Dunst played the role of Hedril, a young Cairn girl, in “Dark Page,” an episode from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The 159th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation originally aired on October 30, 1993. Kirsten Dunst celebrated her 11th birthday on April 30, 1993.

On the CFDA Fashion Awards 2016 red carpet, the then-34-year-old The Virgin Suicides actress wore a metallic moss and sheer lace sheath dress from Rodarte’s Fall 2016 collection .

The dress perfectly showcased her slender figure. The fun — yet elegant — dress featured bead and sequin embellishments in a wave pattern.

We think Kirsten was hard to ignore in it. The frock also boasted lace ruffles, side pleats, and a thigh-high split that offered a glimpse of her flawless legs.

Kirsten styled her blonde locks into old Hollywood curls, tucking one side behind her ear and showing off her brightly-colored orchid earring.

She rounded out her look with smoky eye makeup and pink lipstick.

The Jumanji star finished off her ensemble with a pair of pumps from Rodarte’s Fall 2016 collection.

The shoes are designed with panels of embossed metallic leather in different colors.

They also feature white leather trims, peep toes, buckled ankle straps, and about 4.5-inch cone-shaped heels.

A similar pair from the same brand, featuring leather ruffles, can be purchased at Mytheresa .

Star Trek: The Next Generation Actually Featured A Young Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst's burgeoning television and film career found its way to the "Saturday Night Live" stage on November 12, 1988. The six-year-old actor appeared as one of the granddaughters of Dana Carvey's iconic President George Bush on "SNL." But Dunst's portrayal of the blood-sucking killing machine Claudia in Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's "Interview with the Vampire" truly launched the actor to prominence six years later in 1994. But just the year before, the young thespian was a guest star in the final season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

In Season 7, Episode 7, "Dark Page," Dunst portrays a kind-hearted telepath named Hedril. Deanna Troi's (Marina Sirtis) mother, Lwaxana (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry), is busy teaching the one-time exclusively telepathic Cairn species how to communicate verbally, and Troi's mom refers to Hedril as her star pupil. Sadly, unbeknownst to the rest of the Enterprise-D crew, Hedril reminds Lwaxana of her firstborn daughter Kestra (Andreana Weiner) who died tragically in an accident while Deanna was still an infant.

Dunst has played virtually every character type imaginable from Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) love interest Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy, to the younger Amy March in 1994's feature film version of "Little Women," to Sofia Coppola's on-screen adaptation of Marie Antoinette. But don't let her small role on "TNG" fool you because Hedril was integral to "Dark Page's" storyline.

Dunst portrayed Hedril on Star Trek: The Next Generation

Almost a year prior to her vampiric character Claudia joining the undead family of Lestat de Lioncourt (Cruise) and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt) in the feature film adaptation of author Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" novel, Kirsten Dunst warped her way into the 24th century. True, Hedril was a tiny role on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," but Dunst's warmth and authenticity added even more gravitas to the already heart-wrenching storyline in which Lwaxana (Barrett-Roddenberry) finally had to confront the loss of her oldest daughter, Kestra (Weiner).

Some fans might be surprised by the acting skills Dunst possessed at such a young age, but "TNG" wasn't the actor's first rodeo. In fact, she'd been working professionally since she was a toddler. "I was three years old in the grocery store," Dunst said during an interview with Vanity Fair . "And people would come up to my mom and be like, 'Your kid's cute. You should put her in like child acting or modeling.' And we were in New Jersey. And so, I signed with the Ford Modeling Agency as a little girl."

"I went out for a Kix cereal commercial, and I booked it," Dunst continued. "And then 'Interview with the Vampire' came around. And that, you know, was my big break." Dunst most recently portrayed Rose Gordon in the film "The Power of the Dog" alongside husband Jesse Plemons and the MCU's own Doctor Strange , Benedict Cumberbatch.

Star Trek: The Next Generation : “Dark Page”/“Attached”

“Dark Page” (season 7, episode 7; first aired: Oct. 30, 1993)

Or  The One Where Lwaxana has a secret

So then—the last Lwaxana Troi episode. Well, the last Lwaxana Troi  TNG  episode, at least. (She has three more appearances on  Deep Space Nine,  apparently.) The last time we saw her was in season five’s rather dreadful “Cost Of Living,” which had all kinds of terrifying things like floating clown heads and Alexander sulking, but fortunately, neither of those are in evidence in “Dark Page.” Although once again, we have an episode where someone wanders around someone else’s dreamscape, so you can expect lots of strange camera angles, unsettling sound design, and freaky imagery. As Lwaxana eps go, this isn’t a particularly painful one, in no small part due to the fact that she spends a good half of the time unconscious. It’s also an episode that takes a big risk in terms of her character development, creating out of whole cloth a tragedy in her past—the sort of event which should, really, have been affecting her whole life since. The question here is, can those of us who’ve been with the show since the beginning credibly apply this tragedy to the character in retrospect?

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The setup (and I’ll mention here that the first line of my notes for this episode reads “LWAXANA TROI,” like some final howl of a damned soul): Lwaxana is serving as a liaison to the Cairn, a race of beings who communicate with each other solely through telepathy. Which makes me wonder why they have mouths at all, but whatever. The Cairn are interested in joining the Federation, but they need someone to teach them how to talk to non-telepaths, which is where Lwaxana comes in. As a full Betazed, she can participate in their mind-speak, and, as we’ve had ample opportunity to enjoy in the past, she’s very practiced at the art of spoken conversation as well. After spending some time on their planet, Lwaxana and few select Cairn citizens (an adult male named Maques, and his daughter, Hedril, played by a young Kirsten Dunst) are now aboard the  Enterprise , as Maques and Hedril attempt to mingle with the crew and expand their knowledge of oral interaction. But while the two Cairn make a decent job of it, something’s wrong with Lwaxana.

At first she seems her regular, overly charming self. She tries to force Maques in Deanna’s direction, telling him that Deanna is single and desperate for a man, ha-ha. But then she starts getting headaches. She stumbles into Ten-Forward, sees Riker and Troi having a conversation, and starts shrieking at Riker for ruining Deanna’s life. And finally, while the meeting with the Cairn and other crewmembers in the  Enterprise ’s arboretum (Betcha forgot we had one of those, didn’t you?), she collapses. Troi talks with Maques about the incident, and he struggles to explain something he’s noticed in Lwaxana during their time together—a “dark” part of her mind that he can’t access. Because of the strain of her work with the Cairn and her need to block off a certain segment of her past, Lwaxana has been driven past her breaking point, and now lies in a coma, fading quickly. Deanna, with Maques’s help, needs to form a link with her mother and trying and figure out exactly what’s bothering her, and force Lwaxana, for the sake of her life, to face her trauma and come out the other side.

Writing that all out here, I’m not sure I entirely buy it. It makes sense that Lwaxana’s contact with the Cairn would put her under a lot of stress, and, given how big a secret this turns out to be, you’ve got to imagine that the elder Troi has been making a concentrated effort to keep Deanna from sensing it, as well as any other Betazed she’s encounter over the years. That’s a substantial effort, and you could, if you wanted to, use this to justify some of Lwaxana’s excesses. Maybe she pushes so hard for Deanna to marry and start a family because she understands how precious life is, and because she’s basically a quarter crazy from having to split her mind down the middle for so long. That makes some sense. It’s just convenient that it turns out to be so life-threatening in this case. I don’t want make a huge issue over this, because I think the episode (which I didn’t hate) has another, bigger problem, but this is a step away from “She’s dying of a broken heart,” even with the technobabble we get about Betazed brain physiology.

So, much like Picard and Geordi did with Data at the end of “Phantasms,” we have Deanna wandering around Lwaxana’s mind, looking for answers. It’s a bit unusual that, for the most part, Lwaxana’s mind manifests itself with sets from the  Enterprise , and there’s nothing here that’s comparable to the eeriness of Data’s nightmares, but it’s trippy enough. It’s too bad this episode fell so quickly after “Phantasms,” as that takes away some of the oddness; ho-hum, just another brain-melding story, we do those all the time around here didn’t you know? Still, it’s fun to see the various ways unconscious Lwaxana tries to prevent Deanna from figuring out the root cause of her disturbance. There’s a fake Picard who shows up almost immediately; an attack wolf (why a wolf, of all things, I don’t know); and Lwaxana herself. Hedril appears in the dreams, and when Troi tries to approach her, Lwaxana freaks out. There’s a mystery here, and between sessions inside her mother’s head, Deanna tries to piece together what Lwaxana’s hiding. At first, she thinks there must be some connection to Hedril, as the girl keeps appearing in the elder Troi’s mind, but in real life, Hedril seems fine, and this isn’t the sort of show to have something unpleasant going on between Maques and his daughter. But then Troi realizes (after advice from Data, which actually references “Phantasms” in a semi-oblique way) that dreams have symbols, and that dream-Hedril could be representative of something else. With Picard’s help, Troi realizes that a period of entries from her mother’s journal have been deleted—a period covering seven years, ending just after she was born. So something happened. Something with a young girl.

It turns out Deana wasn’t Lwaxana and her husband’s first child. They had another girl named Kestra, who drowned, and in the time since then, Lwaxana has done everything in her power to hide this knowledge away. It’s a somewhat powerful scene when Troi finally uncovers all of this, and it’s sad in a way that  TNG  doesn’t often allow itself to be, acknowledging that even in a utopia, sometimes, bad things happen for no reason. Watching the episode, my initial response was to be frustrated by the out-of-left-field nature of this revelation. We’ve never had any hints of this in the past, and while I realize that  TNG  is not a heavily serialized show, and that this sort of twist can exist semi-plausibly in that context, this is something that’s so major, it’s a lot of ask of an audience to just accept it and move on. Poor Kestra isn’t really the issue here, either; it’s the idea that Lwaxana has spent so long hiding the existence of her first child. I don’t even know how that would work in the future. Her husband was a Starfleet officer, wouldn’t this be listed in his records? Wouldn’t there be a mention of a sister in Troi’s own history or medical records or  something ?

That’s not what really bothers me, though. As annoyed as I’ve been with Lwaxana in her various appearances over the years, I do appreciate that she’s a consistent character, and she’s occasionally been a fascinating one as well. “Dark Page,” intentionally or not, calls all this into question. Her whole philosophy of embracing life, being true to herself, annoying the hell out of Picard with her randiness—suddenly, this is all connected with her daughter’s death. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not, but when a long-running show pulls out a major twist of this nature, it throws a familiar character into a new light, and, much as I can’t believe I’m typing this, that does Lwaxana a disservice. It’s too close to making her a victim. There are ways you could’ve played this which would’ve been more effective, but as is, “Dark Page” is a not-too-terrible episode which nonetheless points to what’s becoming something of a theme for the seventh season: a show that’s working so hard to make an impact that the care and attention it used to put into characterization is in danger of being lost.

Stray observations:

• Maques’s “I’m being serious” face is absolutely hysterical.

“Attached” (season 7, episode 8; first aired: Nov. 6, 1993)

Or  The One Where Beverly Reads Jean-Luc’s Mind

This could’ve been a great episode. It very nearly is, in fact. Whereas “Dark Page” tries to create a brand new emotional moment in the guise of something buried, “Attached” serves as the pay-off for something that’s been building ever since the start of the series: the relationship between Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher. Over the course of this episode, Picard and Crusher are forced to face their feelings for one another in the most direct way imaginable, and it generates some of the most quietly moving exchanges we’ve seen on the show. For once, two adults discussing their feelings for each other on this show doesn’t come off as shallow or immature, and that has a large part to do with all the groundwork between them that’s already been laid. (So to speak.) Yes, it would’ve been nice if the show had dealt with this a little earlier, but I’m relieved they dealt with it at all, and I guess it is the sort of big moment you want to save for close to the end. So yeah, this could’ve been great.

What keeps it from being great is the ending. It’s one of the worst cases of “We can’t change the status quo!” this show has ever done, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say it cheapens everything that comes before it, it does undo a lot of what “Attached” tries to accomplish. Decisions which exist primarily to serve the interests of a show over the interests of the characters are tricky to pull off. They can work, but there needs to be more of an allowance made toward helping the audience suspend disbelief. Since most of us are aware that what we’re watching is a written work, there’s always that voice in the back of our minds checking the integrity of what we see. We want to believe the author is playing fair with us; we know none of this is  real , but we want to pretend it is, and we need to feel like the author is pretending along with us. So when something happens that seems overly convenient in serving that author’s needs, a plot development or character choice that keeps the story on a familiar path instead of sending everything off the rails, well, we question that. It’s possible to justify what happens at the end of “Attached” as character-driven, but the episode barely even tries. And that’s a shame.

The  Enterprise  is visiting Kesprytt III, where a race called the Kes is looking to be allowed into the Federation. The problem is, the Kes aren’t the only race living on Kesprytt, and the other race, the Prytt, are isolationists who refuse to even make contact with outsiders, let alone negotiate with them. The Federation doesn’t make a habit of allowing planets in who aren’t unified in their desire to join, for obvious reasons. If you have to two dominant races that aren’t on great terms with each other (as the Kes and Prytt clearly aren’t), and one suddenly has a connection to the vast network of resources and technology that the Federation represent… well, this is the sort of situation the Prime Directive was made for, isn’t it? I suppose it’s a sign of open-mindedness and optimism that the  Enterprise  were willing to show up at all. Jean-Luc and Beverly are to beam down to meet with Kes representative Admiral Mauric, but something goes wrong, and the two wake up in a Prytt detention cell. The Prytt are convinced that the Kes are working with the Federation to build a military base on the planet, so they’ve kidnapped the captain and the doctor, implanted them with neural devices, and are just waiting now to extract information about their plans.

To be honest, the first part of this episode is a bit on the silly side, a lot of elaborate maneuvering to get us to the main event. Once Picard and Crusher escape the Prytt base (with help from a secret Kes double agent), the episode divides into two stories: the captain and the doctor’s adventures in the Kesprytt countryside, and Riker’s increasingly frustrated attempts to make both the Kes and Prytt governments see reason. The latter plotline is fun, although it once again seems to be there mostly to remind us how silly paranoia-driven politics can be, and how wonderful it is that the Federation has risen above all that nonsense. I’m being a bit harsh, because really, watching Riker negotiate with a couple of equally arrogant morons is entertaining enough to justify its presence. It’s just, none of this has much to do with the Picard-Crusher scenes, apart from ensuring they’re isolated for a certain period of time, and the Kes-Prytt relationship seems underdeveloped by the end, more a stereotype than an actual entity worth our time.

But hey, the planet-side conversations between Beverly and Jean-Luc are very well done. Once you accept the contrivance of the mind-reading neural devices, it’s fascinating to watch how the two slowly realize they’re reading each other’s thoughts, and how being aware this is happening raises some issues both of them had thought long buried. There’s a bit of sniping, but none of it ever seems mean-spirited or damaging to their friendship, which is, I think, nicely observed; after a certain point of knowing someone for so long, you start to get a sense of what they’re saying even when they aren’t saying it. Beverly is surprised to find out that Picard is often faking it when he makes strong, clear decisions, and she also realizes he hasn’t been enjoying the elaborate breakfasts she prepares, but they are so cemented in their roles that none of this really affects anything. It would’ve been possible to make this into some kind of harrowing psychodrama, but  TNG  takes a lighter, while still thoughtful, approach, and serves both characters well.

The big reveal here is, of course, that Picard is in love with Beverly. Or was in love, at any rate; he knew her before she married Jack, and once their relationship was secure, Picard didn’t feel it was his place to say anything. He was also reluctant to have her aboard the  Enterprise , but he claims that once he saw her again, the issue resolved itself for him, and he no longer had the same feelings. But this isn’t the whole truth, as the final scene of the episode makes clear. The chemistry between these two actors has always been strong, and while it makes sense that Picard wouldn’t feel the same for Beverly as he did when they first met, in the time since she came on board his ship, a new sort of attachment has formed between them; one that’s more relaxed, less driven by intense passions than it is by mutual respect, but still just as warm and intimate. That may be conjecture on my part, but all those shared meals and conversations we’ve already seen read like scenes between two close friends who are holding back from being more out of fear or respect for the dead or some other combination of the two.

That’s why the ending is so frustrating. Jean-Luc and Beverly eventually make it back to the  Enterprise  after Riker elbow-bends the various factions into letting them go. They meet for dinner in Picard’s quarters after they’ve both had the neural implants removed, and after discussing their experience, Picard makes his move. And Beverly turns him down. Conceptually, I don’t have a huge problem with this, as there are plenty of arguments you could make to keep the two apart. Maybe Picard reminds Beverly too much of her dead husband, or maybe Picard can’t stand to be in a relationship with someone on his ship after his last relationship went pear-shaped. But all we get is Beverly saying, “Or perhaps we should be afraid.” That’s it. After spending an entire episode establishing how good a couple these two would be, how well-suited they are for each other and how much they love each other, “Attached” chickens out in the end, and doesn’t even have the decency to pretend it’s doing anything else. At its best, “Attached” is a great example of how a long-running show can use its wealth of history to create resonant character moments that stem naturally from everything that’s come before; at its worst, it’s a great example of how long-running shows can compromise themselves out of a desire to avoid change. The latter doesn’t ruin the former, but it does deflate what might have been a classic.

Stray Observations:

• The Prytt outfits are ridiculous. At times, that whole subplot seems like something that had leaked through from the original  Trek.
• “You’re acting like you know exactly which way to go, but you’re really only guessing. Do you do this all the time?”

Next week:  The  Enterprise  encounters a “Force Of Nature,” and Data has to deal with his “Inheritance.”

Before They Were Famous: Kirsten Dunst on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

At 12 years old, Kirsten Dunst had her very first on-screen kiss in the gothic horror film "Interview With the Vampire." Playing a child vampire, the role came with the difficult task of locking lips with a much older guy. Creepy? Maybe... if that "guy" wasn't Brad Pitt . Luckily, the smooch paid off and the film ended up kickstarting an already lengthy career for the now 30-year-old actress.

Dunst's makeout sessions opposite some of Hollywood's finest have only gotten better with age, including an unforgettable and epic upside-down, always imitated/never duplicated lip-smacker in the pouring rain with Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man." But in her upcoming comedy "Bachelorette," out Sept. 6, Dunst isn't the one walking down the aisle to kiss the groom.

In the film, three childhood friends (Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan) are asked to be in the wedding party for a girl (Rebel Wilson) they used to secretly make fun of in high school. As the bachelorette festivities get underway, Dunst and her gal pals end up on a wild ride that goes all sorts of wrong. The mean-girls-turned-bridesmaids don't seem to be the nicest friends one could ask for, so who knows what they would've had to say about a young Dunst's rather interesting look as an alien in one of her early roles on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Yep, before her days as a bloodsucker or bridesmaid, an 11-year-old Dunst beamed up to the sci-fi television show "TNG." She appeared in just one episode playing Hedril, a super intelligent child with a fancy voice enhancement and unique hairstyle. Hear and see Dunst in action at around the 57-second mark ...

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Star Trek: The Next Generation: The 10 Best Guest Stars in the Series, Ranked

The Next Generation had quite a few memorable, and even a few familiar guest stars during its run.

During its run, Star Trek: The Next Generation had many notable guest stars. Some were already well-known figures beforehand, while others would get their big break later in their careers. Some were the main focus of their stories, while others only appeared for short, yet memorable, scenes. Whether it was their performance or the character they played, these guest roles often left an impression on fans.

A few of these guest stars were also long-time fans of the series who ended up being a part of the franchise they loved. Many of the actors from the original series also made various appearances throughout the series. Quite often, they would reprise their original roles and usually help give their characters one more story for the fans at home.

10 John de Lancie (Q)

John de Lancie 's Q appeared in around eight episodes, arguably making him more of a recurring character, but he left an impression nonetheless. Q belongs to the Q Continuum, powerful reality warpers who treat existence as their playground. Notably, Q appears in the pilot, claiming to pass judgment on humanity, and ultimately claiming to pass the sentence in the finale. Q, at first glance, behaves like a trickster god. In fact, supplementary material suggests he was the inspiration for quite a few of the trickster gods in antiquity. However, rather than being completely chaotic for its own sake, Q wants to keep the Federation humble.

In particular, Q has something of a competitive rivalry with Jean-Luc Picard , which is once compared to a master and his pet. Interestingly, the Q Continuum isn't too fond of Q's actions, once even punishing him by temporarily rendering him mortal.

9 Ashley Judd (Robin Lefler)

Actress Ashley Judd played Robin Lefler in the episodes "Darmok" and "The Game." Lefler serves as a Starfleet officer and engineer. Growing up as the lonely daughter of traveling plasma specialists, Lefler once joked her only friend was a tricorder. While serving as a mission specialist, Lefler briefly became romantically attached to Wesley Crusher. The two notably uncovered a Ktarian plot to overtake the Enterprise with a mysterious yet addictive game. During their investigation, Lefler would fall victim to the game herself, but she managed to analyze enough of the game to help Wesley stop it once and for all.

Lefler was also remembered for "Robin's Laws," a series of over one hundred sayings she used as personal advice. During their final scenes together, Lefler gives Wesley a hardbound copy of these laws, with him suggesting a new one: "A couple of light years can't keep good friends apart."

8 Stephen Root (Captain K'Vada)

Actor Stephen Root played Captain K'Vada in the episodes "Unification I" and "Unification II." A Klingon and an officer, K'Vada was under orders to give transport Picard and Data to the planet Romulus. K'Vada was no exception to the Klingon dislike of humans and tried to make the trip an unpleasant one, from the sleeping quarters to the food. K'Vada also took his orders to the letter, promising no help to Picard and Data once they stepped foot on the planet. Despite this, Picard acts polite and unfazed to K'Vada's face.

Data eventually manages to get Captain K'Vada's help in accessing the Romulan Central Information Net, using Klingon computers, in exchange for sharing any found information. Root is unrecognizable in the part, often surprising viewers when learning he played the character.

RELATED: Star Trek: Geordi La Forge's 10 Best Quotes, Ranked

7 David Ogden Stiers (Dr. Timicin)

Actor David Ogden Stiers played Dr. Timicin in the episode "Half a Life." Timicin was an alien whose world's sun is dying out, with Timicin himself believing he can save it. When the Enterprise is tasked with assisting Timicin, Lwaxana Troi also gets involved with the mission. In particular, Lwaxana takes an interest in Timicin, which he appears to somewhat reciprocate, but refuses to act on.

Unfortunately, when the experiment backfires, it comes to light that Timicin won't have time to try again. The people of his planet are euthanized after a ritual known as the Resolution upon turning 60, and Timicin has come of age. Timicin is spurred to seek asylum to at least continue his research, while the planet's fate looms in the background.

6 Kirsten Dunst (Hedril)

A young Kirsten Dunst appeared in the series as Hedril in the episode "Dark Page." Hedril was a member of the Cairn species, who were telepathic to the point of not having a concept of spoken language. Hedril reminded Lwaxana Troi, who served as an interpreter between the Federation and the Cairn, of her late daughter, Kestra. In particular, Hendril falling into a pond of water while playing reminded Lwaxana of Kestra's accidental death by drowning during a picnic. The painful memories of her child's death, which she blamed herself for, eventually drove Lwaxana into a coma.

When Deanna Troi entered her mother's mind to help, a manifestation of Hedril also appeared, representing her sister Kestra. In this state, Hedril appeared with Betazoid eyes and did not recognize her name. Prior to the incident, Kestra's existence had been kept secret from Deanna, who was born shortly before her sister's death. Deanna ultimately helps Lwaxana make peace with Kestra's death.

5 Bebe Neuwirth (Lanel)

Actress Bebe Neuwirth of Cheers and Fraiser fame appeared as the Malcorian nurse Lanel in the episode "First Contact." Unlike other Malcorians, Lanel liked the idea of aliens from other worlds, even living among them and possibly starting a relationship with one. When William T. Riker was exposed as an alien, Lanel offered to help him escape, though she propositioned him beforehand. Riker offered to call the next time he visited her star system.

Neuwirth only appeared in one scene, but the comic relief role left an impression on viewers. Neuwirth had been interviewed over the part for The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine , where she believed that she got the part when the crew learned she was a fan of the franchise, even dubbing herself a "Trekkie."

4 Stephen Hawking (Himself)

In the opening scene of “Descent – Part I,” Data creates holodeck versions of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking , curious to see what a poker game between the three great intellects would be like. During the game, Hawking complains about having to hear Newton's "apple story" and ultimately beats Einstein in the game, complete with a smirk on his face.

The real life Stephen Hawking plays his own hologram, making it one of the rare times in the series where a guest star played themselves, barring archive footage. Allegedly, the noted scientist, a long-time fan of the franchise, asked Leonard Nimoy to visit the set during a screening of A Brief History of Time , a documentary based on Hawking's book of the same name. Hawking agreed to appear on the series during his subsequent visit. According to the DVD extras, Brent Spiner recounted a story where he later met up with Hawking, who jokingly asked for the money he won in this episode.

RELATED: Why It's Time for a Theatrical Star Trek Movie

3 Mark Lenard (Sarek)

Mark Lenard appeared in the original Star Trek series as Sarek, Spock's father. Notably, Lenard appeared as one of the first Romulan characters in the original series, even before being cast as Sarek. Lenard had made other appearances throughout the franchise, such as the animated series , as well as the Next Generation episodes, "Sarek" and "Unification I."

Sarek appears in his eponymous episode, where he boards the Enterprise as part of his latest diplomatic mission: a treaty with the Legarans. During a concert prepared for him, Sarek displays an unusual amount of emotion, amidst crew members also developing strange tempers. It soon comes to light that a disease is forcing Sarek's emotions to come out and influence the physical world. Picard becomes tasked with melding his mind with Sarek's to ensure the diplomatic meeting goes well. "Unification I" features the death of Sarek, who gives Picard the dying words, "Live long and prosper."

2 James Doohan (Scotty)

Actor James Doohan played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the original series. Doohan reprised the role in the Next Generation episode, "Relics." The Enterprise uncovers a missing ship, the USS Jenolan, where Scott materializes, saying the ship crashed on the way to his retirement. Scott initially assumes Kirk has come to save him before realizing there's a new crew. After meeting the new crew, Scott is eager to help, but proves too unfamiliar with the new technology. Scott also gets to make a holodeck recreation of the original Enterprise and offers a toast, with Scott soon sharing a drink with Picard. Eventually, Scott even begins to bond with Lt. Commander La Forge.

By the end of the story, Scotty has reconfigured the Jenolan and is loaned an Enterprise shuttle, meaning he will depart for more adventures. Archive footage of Doohan later appeared in the episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations."

1 Leonard Nimoy (Spock)

Leonard Nimoy , who played Spock in the original Star Trek series, among other parts of the franchise, reprised the role in the “Unification” two-parter, where he was billed as a "Special Guest Star." In the story, an Ambassador has disappeared and is suspected of having defected. Soon, it comes to light that the Ambassador is none other than Spock. Picard travels to the planet Romulus to find Spock, encountering him by the end of the first half.

As his actions have spooked the Starfleet, Spock claims to be on a personal peace mission. It soon comes to light that Spock has been caught up in reunification efforts between the Vulcans and Romulans. However, treachery may be afoot, with reunification coming in the form of an invasion. By the end of the story, Spock decides to change Romulan society from the inside, in the hopes of one day paving the way for a proper reunification. As a parting gift, Picard shares Sarek's feelings from their mind-meld with Spock, allowing him to know his father's true feelings.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

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