The expanding Star Trek universe is home to plenty of icons as well as more minor characters who could hold their own in potential spinoff series. Star Trek is no stranger to spinoffs; after the film franchise based on Star Trek: The Original Series peaked in popularity with 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Paramount decided to expand the franchise with a new, live action series set a nearly a century after the days of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). That series would become Star Trek: The Next Generation and the franchise never looked back.
The modern age of Star Trek has been open to spinoffs as well. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, arguably the most popular current Star Trek series on Paramount+, is technically a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, where the beloved Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) was introduced. Just as Pike was ripe for a spinoff after his stint in Discovery, there are also plenty of Star Trek characters who could support their own show or, potentially, a made-for-streaming film on Paramount+ like the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou.
10 Seven Of Nine
This is perhaps the most obvious one. The end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 explicitly sets up Captain Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan) to begin her adventures in command of the USS Enterprise-G in a spinoff titled Star Trek: Legacy. Not only would it be a chance to continue the stories left lingering at the end of Picard, it would give Seven a chance to finally be the protagonist of the story, something she’s been capable of since her earliest days on Star Trek: Voyager. Her supporting cast is already in place, with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) serving as her First Officer, while Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) begins his Starfleet career under Seven’s guidance.
9 Worf
Of the returning cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, nobody was having more fun in Star Trek: Picard season 3 than Captain Worf (Michael Dorn). The Klingon warrior espoused a pacifist lifestyle, though he still managed to decapitate or impale more of his enemies. Worf’s role within Starfleet is left somewhat hazy for most of Picard season 3, something that would have to be firmed up for a potential spinoff. A Worf show could see the Klingon warrior command a starship post-Picard, but it would be more interesting to see him continue to serve as a covert Starfleet Intelligence officer, taking on crucial missions for Starfleet around the galaxy.
8 Khan
The infamous Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) is arguably Star Trek‘s greatest villain. Introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Space Seed,” Khan and his people were exiled to the distant Ceti Alpha V at the end of that episode, having attempted to steal the USS Enterprise and incapacitate the crew. Ceti Alpha V would eventually prove to be a harsh wasteland, fueling Khan’s rage in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. That movie’s director, Nicholas Meyer, has been working on a story that would chronicle Khan’s days on Ceti Alpha V, which might seem mundane in any other creator’s hands, but Meyer has earned a shot at a full-fledged Khan spinoff.
7 John Harriman
Introduced in Star Trek Generations, Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) was Captain Kirk’s immediate successor as commanding officer of the newly christened USS Enterprise-B. His first mission in Generations was a bit of a trial by fire for Harriman, and he was largely bailed out by Kirk, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig). But an Enterprise Captain shouldn’t be judged by one single mission, and Harriman is no exception. It doesn’t hurt that Harriman is played by Ruck, who recently proved his impressive acting chops in the final season of HBO’s wildly popular drama Succession.
6 Wesley Crusher & Kore Soong
Star Trek: Picard season 2 ended with an intriguing premise for a potential spinoff. Kore Soong (Isa Briones), a genetically engineered human, broke away from her father, the corrupt genetic scientist Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner), after the scope of his experiments on her and her deceased siblings was revealed. Lacking a direction in life, Kore was visited by Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), still a member of the Travelers as last seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Journey’s End.” Wesley offered Kore a chance to join him in the Travelers, traversing higher planes of existence and making sure the timeline is kept in order.
5 Beverly Crusher, Julian Bashir, & The Doctor
Star Trek doesn’t always have to be about space exploration to work. Paramount clearly agrees, with a Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series about teenage cadets in active development. Another non-space exploration angle could be a medical show, featuring Starfleet’s greatest clinical minds attempting to treat rare diseases and natural disasters. The show would likely be led by Admiral Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), in command of Starfleet Medical as of the end of Star Trek: Picard. Bringing in some Star Trek medical luminaries like Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and the EMH holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) would make for a great ensemble.
4 Jonathan Archer
Star Trek: Enterprise endured a bumpy 4-season run before being canceled, but one thing about the show that always worked was its lead character. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) immediately felt like a Star Trek natural, affable and empathetic but also willing to do hard things to protect his ship and crew. Revisiting Archer later in life, much like was just done with Star Trek: Picard, could be interesting; Bakula is still at the top of his game, and seeing an older Archer navigate the earliest days of the formation of the United Federation of Planets could be a lot of fun.
3 Quark
The much loved Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Ferengi Quark (Armin Shimerman) often served as the show’s reliable comedic character, even during the darkest days of the Dominion War. The possibilities with the profit-obsessed Quark are endless, but an interesting angle would be to see him return to his home planet Feringinar, having made his fortune in the years following the end of DS9. That show could explore not only Quark’s complicated relationship with his family but also comment on the current state of late capitalism in the real world 21st century through the intensely capitalistic Ferengi society.
2 Hikaru Sulu
For many years, fans held out hope that George Takei’s Hikaru Sulu might get a spinoff as Captain of the USS Excelsior. Despite a few false starts in the 1990s, that project never got off the ground and is unlikely to at this point. What could still happen, however, is a Captain Sulu show starring the younger, Kelvin timeline version of Sulu played by John Cho. It would be a perfect way to continue the beleaguered Kelvin timeline, as well as honor one of the franchise’s most celebrated supporting players.
1 Kathryn Janeway
The popularity of Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) has grown exponentially since Star Trek: Voyager ended in 2001. Now an Admiral, Janeway currently stars in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy set a few years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Janeway is great in Prodigy, but she deserves a full-on live-action revival in the vein of Star Trek: Picard, possibly set in that same 25th-century time period. Kathryn Janeway is one of the very best Star Trek has to offer, and more of her adventures would be very welcome.