THEN AND NOW: How 19 characters from 'Star Trek: The Original Series' have evolved over 56 years

• "Star Trek" premiered on September 8, 1966.

• Almost 57 years later, "Trek" is still going strong and finding ways to reinvent old characters.

• Here's how 19 characters from "The Original Series" have evolved over almost six decades.

Captain James T. Kirk was originally played by William Shatner.

Shatner played the first (and arguably most iconic) captain of the Enterprise for for all three seasons of "The Original Series" ("TOS") which aired from 1966 to 1969, before getting canceled.

He returned to voice the character in "Star Trek: The Animated Series" from 1973 to 1974.

Kirk remains many people's favorite captain of the Enterprise and "Trek" captain in general, as he set the blueprint for the next 57 years (and counting) of storytelling. Every "Trek" captain is measured against Kirk and Shatner's portrayal of him.

Shatner was last seen in the 1994 film "Star Trek Generations."

Shatner and the rest of the original crew starred in six movies starring the cast of "TOS" from 1979 to 1991 ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country").

However, to bridge the gap between "TOS" and "The Next Generation" ("TNG"), which aired from 1987 to 1994, Shatner reprised his role as Kirk in "Star Trek Generations," the first movie starring the cast of "TNG." In it, he teams up with the captain of the Enterprise 100 years in the future, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, to defeat a madman called Soran.

Spoilers for a 29-year-old movie, but Captain Kirk dies at the end of the film after helping to take down Soran, simply stating "It was fun. Oh my," before closing his eyes.

Additionally, archival footage and audio of Shatner has been used in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" ("DS9") in 1996, "Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005, and "Star Trek: Short Treks" in 2019.

In 2009, Chris Pine took over the role. He played Kirk for three films, and counting?

In 2009, director JJ Abrams rebooted "Star Trek" by creating an alternate timeline (called the Kelvin timeline by fans) and re-casting an entirely new crew of the Enterprise, led by a bolder, brasher, and younger version of Kirk played by Pine.

Pine's version of Kirk started as a bar-fighting 25-year-old living Iowa, and by the end of "Star Trek Beyond" in 2016, he was a decorated captain and was newly dedicated to his mission to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before.

Surprise news of a fourth Kelvin movie was reported in 2021 by Deadline, directed by "WandaVision's" Matt Shakman.

But in 2022, Shakman left the project to direct Marvel's "Fantastic Four," leaving Paramount looking for a new director to handle "Star Trek 4," according to a statement from the studio reported by Deadline.

In the latest "Trek" series, "Strange New Worlds," the Kirk torch was passed to "Vampire Diaries" vet Paul Wesley.

In "Trek's" latest show, "Strange New Worlds," which is a prequel to the '60s series, audiences got their first glimpse at yet another version of Kirk, this time played by "The Vampire Diaries" star Wesley, in 2022.

"Strange New Worlds" focuses on the captain of the Enterprise before Kirk, Captain Christopher Pike, who is fated to be brutally disfigured in the future. In an attempt to avoid his fate in the season one finale, Pike is transported to a different timeline where he survives, which is where he meets Kirk, now the captain of a ship called the Farragut. Eventually, Pike is returned to his normal timeline.

In season two, audiences met another alternate version of Kirk in the third episode, before finally getting to meet the future captain for real in the sixth episode, where he met his future first officer, Spock.

Kirk's best friend and first officer Spock was originally played by Leonard Nimoy.

Spock, an alien race in the "Trek" universe known as a Vulcan, was known for being extremely logical (to a sometimes frustrating extent), and was frequently bewildered by his human crew, even though he was actually half-human himself.

Spock, and his Vulcan hand greeting accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper," is one of the most enduring symbols of "Trek" as a whole.

Nimoy played Spock for all three seasons of the '60s series, and voiced him in "The Animated Series" as well.

His last appearance in the role was the 2013 film "Star Trek Into Darkness."

Nimoy appeared in all six movies as the unflappable Vulcan (though he does die at the end of "Star Trek II" and is subsequently resurrected in "Star Trek III"), and even directed the third and fourth movies.

After that, Nimoy reprised his role as Spock in a season five episode of "TNG" called "Unification" in 1991, which saw him 100 years after the events of "TOS" as a Vulcan ambassador. He also appeared in episodes of "DS9," "Discovery," and the animated series "Star Trek: Prodigy" through archival footage and audio throughout the '90s and 2000s.

Nimoy was the only cast member of the original "Trek" to appear in the Kelvin timeline movies — in it, his version of Spock was pulled into this universe by a vengeful Romulan (another alien) to see the destruction of his home planet. He appeared in the 2009 film and its 2013 sequel.

Nimoy died in February 2015 at the age of 83.

He co-starred in the 2009 reboot and its 2013 sequel with a younger version of his character played by Zachary Quinto.

As Nimoy played the original Spock, Quinto played the Kelvin timeline's Spock. This version of the character is earlier along in his journey towards understanding humanity, and clashes with Kirk, instead of acting like best friends as they are in the original show.

Quinto appeared in all three films as Spock, and even got to try his hand at the iconic "Khan" scream in "Into Darkness."

In "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," Ethan Peck now plays the logical Vulcan.

Peck first played an even younger version of Spock in the Paramount+ series "Discovery" in 2019, where he interacted with never-before-known-about half-sister Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). He then became a series regular on "Strange New Worlds" as Captain Pike's science officer and friend in 2022.

Spock is one of the few people aboard the Enterprise who knows about Pike's eventual fate, showing how close he was to his first commanding officer even before Kirk.

Kirk's other best friend and the Enterprise's chief medical officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy was originally played by DeForest Kelley.

Bones, as Kirk called him, represented the total opposite of Spock. Where Spock was ruled by reason and logic, McCoy was prone to passionate outbursts and was always concerned for Kirk and his friends.

And, famously, he was quick to remind everyone on board that he was just a doctor, not anything else.

Kelley, like his cast-mates, appeared in all three seasons of "TOS" and both seasons of "The Animated Series."

His last appearance in the role was the 1991 film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

Kelley appeared in the six movies starring the cast of "TOS," ending with his appearance in "Star Trek VI" in 1991. This was also his last on-screen film role, as he died eight years later in 1999.

In 1987, Kelley was on hand to bless the cast of "TNG" by appearing in that show's pilot episode as Admiral McCoy, a much older version of the character (137 years old, to be exact). He speaks with Data about how the Enterprise will always bring you home.

Kelley died at age 79 in June 1999, according to an obituary in The Washington Post.

Karl Urban played the good doctor in the reboot trilogy, beginning in 2009.

The 2009 film showed the meeting of Kirk and his future best friend on board a ship to Starfleet Academy — and explains how he got his nickname: He split from wife and his ex got everything in the divorce, leaving him with just his "bones."

Urban appeared in all three films of the Kelvin trilogy.

Nichelle Nichols played the Enterprise's communications officer, Nyota Uhura.

Nichols became a Black pop culture icon when she began playing Uhura, a communications officer, in the 1960s. She was one of the first Black women on TV to hold a high-ranking job, and was part of the first televised interracial kiss.

In fact, she was going to quit, but none other than Martin Luther King Jr. told Nichols she couldn't leave. "You have the first non-stereotypical, non-menial role on television. You have created strength and beauty and intelligence. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen. It's what we're marching for. You're a role model and whether you like it or not, you belong to history now," Nichols said he told her during an interview with the New York Post in 2011.

Nichols appeared in all three seasons of "TOS" and in "The Animated Series."

Her last appearance was also "The Undiscovered Country."

Along with her fellow cast-mates, Nichols appeared in all six "TOS" movies, wrapping up Uhura's experience in "Star Trek VI."

Nichols' face and voice also popped up in a 1996 episode of "DS9" and a 2022 episode of "Prodigy" via archival footage and audio.

Nichols died in July 2022. She was 89.

In the 2009 reboot, Zoe Salda?a played Uhura.

Salda?a played a version of Uhura straight out of the Academy, just like Kirk. She was a lot feistier than her '60s counterpart, and was one of the high points of the Kelvin trilogy.

Her character was also in a relationship with Spock, which was a marked departure from "TOS" and its movies.

In "Strange New Worlds," Celia Rose Gooding plays a younger version of Uhura who is still an ensign.

In "Strange New Worlds," fans learned that Uhura was actually on the Enterprise before Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov or Sulu, as a cadet under the leadership of Captain Pike.

Throughout the first season, we learned more about Uhura than we ever did in the '60s, including that she joined Starfleet after the death of her parents on Earth and was trying to escape how lonely she was on her home planet.

While she thought about leaving the Enterprise at the end of season one, in season two we learned she stuck around and was even promoted to ensign. Fans also learned that she was the one who inititally introduced Kirk and Spock.

Chief engineering officer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott was played by James Doohan.

Even if you've never seen "Trek," chances are you've heard the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" (although it's never actually said on the show).

Doohan, who is actually American, played the Enterprise's trusty Scottish chief of engineering for all three seasons of "TOS" and the two seasons of "The Animated Series."

His last appearance was a small role in the 1994 film "Star Trek Generations."

Before "Generations," Doohan played Scotty in the first six "Trek" films. He also appeared in a fan-favorite episode of "TNG" in 1992 called "Relics," which saw Scotty return to the Enterprise after 100 years of being stuck in the transporter (classic "Trek" science).

But his last on-screen appearance as Scotty was in the first couple scenes of 1994's "Generations" when he, Kirk, and Chekov are brought on board the Enterprise-B to help christen it. In classic Scotty fashion, he's able to help save the day, though he does witness the apparent death of his friend Kirk who was actually pulled into an alternate dimension called the Nexus. It's complicated.

Doohan is also seen in archival footage and heard in archival audio in episodes of "DS9" in 1996 and "Prodigy" in 2022.

Doohan died in July 2005 at age 85, NPR reported.

A new generation of fans got to know Scotty through Simon Pegg's performance.

Pegg, who also co-wrote 2016's "Star Trek Beyond," first debuted in the 2009 film as a member of Starfleet banished to a remote, icy base with a new small alien friend named Keenser. He meets Kirk and the two bond as they make a break for the Enterprise. Pegg reprised his role in the two sequels.

And, in "Trek" tradition, he also wasn't actually Scottish.

We first saw Scotty's hand and and heard his voice in the season one finale of "Strange New Worlds."

As previously explained, the 2022 season one finale of "Strange New Worlds" saw Pike transported to an alternate future aboard the Enterprise. In one scene, we see Spock attempt to repair the damaged ship, and he's assisted by an unseen engineer with a very familiar red shirt and Scottish accent.

However, in "Strange New Worlds'" primary timeline, the chief engineering officer was first an alien named Hemmer who (spoiler) dies in the penultimate episode of season one. He was then replaced by Pelia, another alien, in season two.

But still, fans who know that Scotty is coming to the Enterprise were excited to hear him, if just for a few moments.

In season two of "Strange New Worlds," a Scottish actor finally got to play Scotty: Martin Quinn. It only took 57 years.

Scotty was first teased in season one with a voice cameo, but fans got to meet him for real in the 2023 season two finale, "Hegemony." And now, he's finally played by someone who's actually from Scotland, an actor named Martin Quinn, as Polygon reported.

While it may be a new actor, this Scotty has the same resourcefulness as both Doohan and Pegg's versions of the character.

Hopefully, we'll see more of him in season three.

Hikaru Sulu, as played by George Takei, appeared through the original series as the ship's helmsman.

Takei played Sulu, the senior helmsman of the Enterprise for all three seasons of "TOS" and voiced the character in "The Animated Series."

Sulu, as portrayed by Asian-American Takei, was a large step forward in terms of Asian representation — at the time, many Asian actors were forced to play untrustworthy people or straight-up villains. Or, indeed, many Asian parts were played by American actors in yellow face (see "Breakfast at Tiffany's").

Sulu, by contrast, was shown to always be an upstanding member of the crew.

Takei's last appearance as Sulu was in a 1996 episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" entitled "Flashback."

By the time of Sulu's last appearance in "Star Trek," he had become a captain of a starship himself, the Excelsior, as seen in both "Star Trek VI" in 1991 and his final on-screen appearance as Sulu in an episode of "Voyager" five years later called "Flashback."

"Flashback" is, fittingly, a flashback to the events of "Star Trek VI" as seen by a member of the crew, Tuvok, who was apparently serving on board the Excelsior at the time.

Takei's voice can also be heard during a 2019 episode of "Short Treks" via archival audio. He also reprised his role one more time during a season three episode of the animated series "Lower Decks" in 2022.

While not Takei himself, Sulu's daughter Demora has a small role in "Generations" as an ensign on the Enterprise-B, played by Jacqueline Kim.

John Cho played Sulu in the rebooted film series, and gave the character a new back story.

To honor Takei's real-life sexuality, Sulu was revealed to have a husband during the events of "Beyond" in 2016. His daughter, presumably Demora, is also seen in the film. Takei, however, didn't approve of making Sulu gay, he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016.

Cho was also in 2009's "Star Trek" and 2013's "Into Darkness." He even got to nod to the character's love of fencing on "TOS" during a scene in the 2009 film.

Walter Koenig played Russian ensign Pavel Chekov. He joined in the second season of the original series.

Koenig didn't join the crew of the Enterprise until season two, when creator Gene Roddenberry decided that they needed a younger character who could appeal to teenage audiences. So, they slapped a Davy Jones wig on Koenig, and there was Chekov.

At the time, it was a huge deal to have a Russian hero on an American TV show during the Cold War, as History outlined.

Koenig appeared in the second and third seasons of "TOS," but due to budgetary restrictions, was not in "The Animated Series." Koenig did, however, write one episode of the show called "The Infinite Vulcan."

His last appearance as the character was in "Star Trek Generations" in 1994.

Koenig appeared in the first six "Trek" films with the cast of "TOS." Then, three years after "Star Trek VI" in 1991, Koenig, along with James Doohan and William Shatner, appeared in "Generations" to christen the Enterprise-B.

Besides that, Chekov is also seen in archival footage during an episode of "DS9," and was heard during the finale of "Star Trek: Picard" in 2023.

The late Anton Yelchin took over as Chekov from 2009 to 2016.

Yelchin was part of the main cast of the 2009 reboot and its two sequels. He died in June 2016 at the age of 27 in a freak accident.

The final Kelvin film (as of now), "Beyond," was released in July 2016, just a few weeks after his death. As Bustle reported, the film was subsequently dedicated to both Yelchin and Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015.

If a fourth Kelvin film does come to fruition, the creative team confirmed to The Wrap that Chekov would not be recast.

Fans of the franchise who watched "Star Trek: Picard" know that, as a nod to Yelchin, it was revealed that Chekov's son, Anton Chekov, is the president of the Federation — and he was voiced by Koenig himself.

Christine Chapel, played by Majel Barrett, worked under Dr. McCoy as a nurse.

As we'll see later, Chapel wasn't the first character Barrett played in "Trek." In the original (un-aired) pilot, Barrett played Number One, the first officer to Captain Christopher Pike.

But, when the show was taken in a different direction, Barrett was re-cast as Nurse Chapel, a nurse with a little bit of a crush on Spock.

Chapel appeared in all three seasons of "TOS" and in both seasons of "The Animated Series."

In 1969, after "TOS" was canceled, Barrett wed "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry.

Barrett returned for the films "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979) and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986).

Chapel only appeared in two of the "TOS" films: in the first as part of the main crew in 1979 and in the fourth in a small, cameo-like appearance in 1986.

Although Chapel never appeared in any of the "Trek" spin-off shows, Barrett did. She had a recurring role on "TNG" as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of the Enterprise's counselor Deanna Troi. Lwaxana was in five episodes.

Barrett could also be heard on three of the spin-offs: Her voice was used as the ship's computer in "TNG," "DS9," and "Voyager" for hundreds of episodes altogether.  Her voice is also the computer in "Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Star Trek: Insurrection," "Star Trek: Nemesis," and posthumously in the 2009 reboot film and "Star Trek: Picard."

Barrett died in December 2008. She was 76, The New York Times reported.

Nurse Chapel is only mentioned in the reboot trilogy, but she has a main role in "Strange New Worlds," played by Jess Bush.

Chapel gets a passing mention in both "Star Trek" and "Into Darkness" as an ex of Kirk's, but is never seen. By the time Bush began playing a younger version of her in "Strange New Worlds" in 2022, Chapel had been missing from our screens for 36 years.

Bush's portrayal of the character is instantly iconic. She's super-smart, capable, sassy, and altogether a lot of fun. Fans are also learning more about the relationship between Spock and Chapel's relationship, which is only hinted at during "TOS."

Yeoman Janice Rand, played by Grace Lee Whitney, only appeared in the first season of the original series.

Whitney played Yeoman Rand in just the first season of "TOS." Decades later, Whitney claimed she was written off the show after she was sexually assaulted by a producer, which The Washington Post reported in Whitney's obituary.

Her character seemingly had a relationship with Kirk, but it was never truly discussed.

Whitney made her last appearance in the "Trek" universe in "Flashback," a 1996 episode of "Voyager."

Whitney, after a dedicated effort by the Trekkies, was brought back for the first, fourth, and sixth "Trek" films in 1979, 1986, and 1991 respectively, though in a small role. In the sixth movie, specifically, she was seen as part of Captain Sulu's crew on the Excelsior.

Her last appearance as Rand was in the 1996 "Voyager" episode "Flashback," which flashes back to the events of the sixth "Trek" movie, "The Undiscovered Country."

Rand has yet to appear in neither in the Kelvin timeline films nor any of the Paramount+ series.

Whitney died in May 2015 at the age of 85, reported The Washington Post.

Bibi Besch made her debut as Carol Marcus, an old flame of Kirk's, in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" in 1982.

Besch only appeared in one "Trek" movie, but her role as Marcus was significant. In it, viewers found out that Kirk had had a significant relationship with her, and had even unknowingly fathered a son with her, David.

Ultimately, Besch never reprised her role as Marcus, although David went on to appear in "Star Trek III."

However, Marcus did get a passing mention in the season two finale of "Strange New Worlds" in 2023 as just Kirk's pregnant girlfriend Carol.

She died in September 1996 at the age of 54, according to The New York Times.

Alice Eve played a version of the character in the 2011 film "Star Trek Into Darkness."

In "Into Darkness," Eve took on the role of Marcus, and we see Kirk and Marcus meet, although there's definitely not a romantic relationship happening at that time.

During the movie, it's revealed that Marcus' father is a Starfleet admiral (and war hawk) who is secretly preparing for a war with the Klingons.

Marcus didn't appear in "Beyond" because, according to screenwriter Simon Pegg, there simply wasn't enough for her to do, he said on an episode of "Engage: The Official 'Star Trek' Podcast" in 2016.

Booker Bradshaw played Dr. Joseph M'Benga, another doctor aboard the Enterprise, in two episodes of the original series.

Bradshaw played another doctor aboard the Enterprise for two episodes: the season two episode "A Private Little War" and the season three episode "That Which Survives."

That was it for Bradshaw, and we never got to learn more about the character.

Bradshaw died in April 2003 at the age of 62, according to the British Film Institute.

Babs Olusanmokun has a starring role in "Strange New Worlds" as a younger version of the character.

When the cast list of "Strange New Worlds" was announced in 2021, you might have been surprised (and excited) to see that the Enterprise's chief medical officer wouldn't be Dr. McCoy, but instead Dr. M'Benga.

Over the course of the first season, we learned that M'Benga is a widower and has a daughter, Rukiya, who has an incurable, degenerative disease. We also learn that he's just as capable as Bones ever was.

In season two, we learned even more about M'Begna, including his past experiences as a soldier in the Klingon-Federation War.

Jeffrey Hunter and Sean Kenney played two different versions of Captain Christopher Pike, the captain of the Enterprise before Kirk.

Originally, "Star Trek" was supposed to be the story of Captain Pike aboard the starship Enterprise, played by Hunter. He starred in a pilot, called "The Cage," that was rejected by the network, which is how we ended up with our beloved Captain Kirk and William Shatner.

But instead of letting that footage go to waste, it was repurposed for a "TOS" episode called "The Menagerie," which sees a severely disfigured and disabled Pike (now played by Kenney) return to a planet called Talos IV, where he can live out the rest of his life under the illusion he's been cured, with the help of Spock.

Kenney played two other characters during "TOS" in the episodes "Arena" and "A Taste of Armageddon."

According to The New York Times, Hunter died in 1969 at the age of 42.

Bruce Greenwood played an altered version of the character in 2009's "Star Trek" and 2011's "Star Trek Into Darkness."

In the 2009 reboot and its immediate sequel, Greenwood plays a version of Pike pre-horrible accident, who convinces Kirk to enlist in Starfleet and mentors the young captain.

His fate in "Into Darkness" (read: his death at the hands of Benedict Cumberbatch's character), is very different than his TV counterpart's.

Anson Mount first appeared in "Star Trek: Discovery" as Captain Pike in 2019, and his portrayal was so popular that he received his own spin-off, "Strange New Worlds."

Mount made his debut as Captain Pike in season two of "Discovery" in 2019 as the temporary captain of the Discovery while the Enterprise was disabled. This appearance is at least five years after the events of "The Cage," the unaired "Trek" pilot from the '60s.

During one episode of "Discovery," he reunites with a character from "The Cage," Vina (more on her later), and in another, he sees a vision of the terrible accident in his future that causes his disfigurement.

He departed at the end of season two to resume command of the Enterprise and to star in his own spin-off, "Strange New Worlds," which began airing in 2022.

Mount reprised his role on "Short Treks," also in 2019.

Captain Pike's first officer, Una Chin-Riley, or Number One, was originally portrayed by Majel Barrett.

Before Barrett dyed her hair blonde and played Nurse Chapel, she played the first officer, known only as Number One, in the un-aired pilot of "Star Trek" called "The Cage," which was later repurposed into "The Menagerie."

The character wasn't seen again for over 50 years.

Rebecca Romijn now plays Number One in "Strange New Worlds." She also appeared in "Discovery" alongside Mount.

Fifty-six years after Number One was cut from "TOS," Romijn brought new life to the character when she appeared in "Discovery" alongside Anson Mount as Captain Pike in 2019.

She then began starring on "Strange New Worlds" in 2022, during which it was revealed that Number One is actually a genetically modified alien known as an Illyrian. We then learned that Illyrians are forbidden from joining Starfleet, leading to her arrest in the season one finale of "Strange New Worlds."

Thankfully, she was back on the Enterprise before long in season two.

Romijn also appeared in "Short Treks" in 2019.

Mark Lenard played Spock's father Sarek beginning in 1967.

Lenard makes his first appearance as Spock's estranged Vulcan father in the season two episode of "TOS" called "Journey to Babel." He subsequently voiced the character in an episode of "The Animated Series," as well.

In addition to Sarek, Lenard played a Romulan in another episode of "TOS," "Balance of Terror."

His last filmed appearance as the character was the 1991 film "The Undiscovered Country," though he appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that same year.

Lenard reprised the role of Sarek in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth "Trek" movies in 1982, 1986, 1989, and 1991 respectively, playing a pivotal role in the third movie where he convinces Kirk to retrieve Spock's body in order to reunite it with Spock's soul during a Vulcan ritual.

Lenard appeared in the first "Trek" movie too in 1979, though not as Sarek. Instead, he played an unnamed Klingon commander.

Sarek also appeared in two episodes of "TNG" in 1990 and 1991, one of which was named after him. In it, he develops a close friendship with Captain Picard. His next appearance, "Unification" in 1991, saw him reunite with his on-screen son, Spock. Sarek dies during this two-part episode.

Lenard died in November 1996 when he was 68 years old, according to The Washington Post.

Ben Cross played Sarek in the 2009 reboot.

During a brief scene in the beginning of the 2009 film, and then during a scene where Spock returns to Vulcan, his father Sarek is played by Cross. He did not reprise the role for "Into Darkness" or "Beyond."

Cross died in August 2020 at age 72, Deadline reported.

Sarek has most recently appeared in "Discovery," as played by James Frain, starting in 2017.

Sarek has a relatively important role in "Discovery," as he's both the father of Spock (who pops up in season two) and the adopted father of the show's main character, Michael Burnham.

It was confirmed in the second season of "Strange New Worlds" that Spock and his father are not on good terms.

Spock's human mother Amanda Grayson was first played by Jane Wyatt in the original series.

Wyatt played Spock's human mother Grayson in one episode of "TOS," the same one that Sarek made his debut in: "Journey to Babel."

Majel Barrett also voiced her in an animated episode, "Yesteryear."

Wyatt reprised the role for the 1986 film "The Voyage Home."

After Spock is resurrected during the events of "Star Trek III," his mother, played by Wyatt, returned for "Star Trek IV" to encourage her son to reconnect with his humanity.

Wyatt died in October 2006. She was 96, according to The New York Times.

Winona Ryder took over the role in 2009 in "Star Trek."

Much ado was made about how Ryder was cast as the mother of Zachary Quinto, as she was only six years older than him.

But, Ryder only appears in a few minutes of the movie, donning makeup to show age, to briefly reunite with her son Spock on Vulcan before she dies during the planet's destruction.

Mia Kirshner began playing her in 2017 on "Discovery," and has since appeared on "Strange New Worlds."

Kirshner took on the role of Grayson in "Discovery," mainly as the adopted mother of Michael Burnham, though she did connect with Spock once he popped up on that show.

She returned in 2023 during an episode of season two of "Strange New Worlds" to help Spock after he was accidentally turned into a human.

Khan Noonien Singh, one of the most iconic villains in "Trek" history, debuted in an episode of the original series. He was played by Ricardo Montalban.

"Space Seed," an episode during the first season of "TOS," has been named one of the best episodes of "Trek" of all time. Lots of that credit can be given to Montalban's performance as Khan, a genetically modified super-human who tries to take over the Enterprise to bring "order" to the Federation.

At the end of the episode, Kirk chooses to sentence Khan and his people to live on a bountiful planet called Ceti Alpha V, with the intention of telling Starfleet to check in on them in 100 years.

Montalban returned for the 1982 film "Wrath of Khan."

By the events of "Star Trek II," Ceti Alpha V has become a wasteland due to the explosion of neighboring planet of Ceti Alpha VI, and Khan and his people have grown bitter and desperate.

Montalban absolutely steals the show Khan, quoting classic literature, going toe-to-toe with Kirk, and indirectly killing Spock.

But, of course, the crew of the Enterprise prevails and Khan is blown to smithereens.

While adult Khan has not shown up since "Wrath of Khan," a descendant of his, La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is a regular on "Strange New Worlds."

The Los Angeles Times reported that Montalban died in January 2009. He was 88.

Benedict Cumberbatch (controversially) played Khan in the 2011 film "Star Trek Into Darkness."

Leading up to the release of "Into Darkness," the creative team and cast swore up and down that Cumberbatch wasn't playing Khan, but a different antagonist named John Harrison.

But then, fans watched as it was revealed that John Harrison was a fake name and Cumberbatch was indeed playing Kirk's most famous nemesis, Khan.

This choice generated some controversy, as Khan was described as a person of Indian descent and Montalban himself was Mexican — and Cumberbatch is white, as Screen Rant's Dusty Stowe wrote.

A young Khan from an alternate universe played by Desmond Sivan showed up in season two of "Strange New Worlds" in 2023.

During the episode, called "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," La'an is sent back in time to an alternate past in order to save the world, but she doesn't know what event she's supposed to be preventing. She's helped in this mission by an alternate Captain Kirk.

In a cruel twist of fate, La'an is forced to save a young Khan's life, because his death in the 21st century would set off a terrible future — and the alternate Kirk unknowingly sacrifices himself for the person who will one day kill his friend.

Arlene Martel played Spock's betrothed, T'Pring, in a 1967 episode.

During a famous episode of "TOS'" first season, "Amok Time," viewers were introduced to T'Pring, Spock's previously unmentioned fiancée. During the episode, it becomes clear that T'Pring doesn't not actually want to marry Spock, and instead loves a Vulcan named Stonn. After this episode, she's never mentioned again.

Martel died in August 2014 at age 78, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gia Sandhu now plays T'Pring in a recurring role on "Strange New Worlds."

"Strange New Worlds" picks up years before "Amok Time," and, as such, T'Pring and Spock were at first very much in love and each dedicated to making their relationship work, despite their differences.

Sandhu appeared throughout the first season in a recurring role, but after her and Spock's relationship was put on pause in season two, we don't know how much more of her we'll see in the future.

Roger C. Carmel's Harry Mudd is another "Trek" antagonist who has lasted through the decades, appearing in two episodes of the original series and two episodes of the animated series.

Harry Mudd, or Harcourt Fenton Mudd if you prefer, appeared in four episodes across "TOS" and "The Animated Series," always trying to get one over on the crew of the Enterprise, looking for the best angle, and perpetually scamming those around him.

Carmel died in November 1986 at age 54, according to The Los Angeles Times.

"The Office" star Rainn Wilson put his own spin on Mudd in "Discovery" and "Short Treks."

Wilson brought Mudd into the 21st century when he played the famed scammer in two episodes of "Discovery" in 2017 and in an episode of "Short Treks" in 2019 which he also directed.

In 2021, Wilson was campaigning to bring Mudd back into the fold and have him appear in "Strange New Worlds" at a fan convention, according to "Trek" fansite Trek Movie. Maybe in season three!

Susan Oliver played the lone survivor of a ship crash named Vina in an episode of "Star Trek."

Technically, Oliver as Vina was part of the un-aired pilot "The Cage." Vina was a woman living on Talos VI after a ship crash left her stranded there.

Her plight was then shown in the "TOS" episode "The Menagerie," which told the tale of Vina's first meeting with Captain Pike. The two fell in love while Pike was being held captive on the planet, but when the Talosians realized that humans can't be enslaved, they let Pike and his crew go.

While Pike wants Vina to come with him, she reveals she was heavily injured and disfigured during her crash, and the Talosians have used their powers of illusion to make her appear young and beautiful. She must stay behind in order to keep her appearance as is.

According to The New York Times, Oliver died in May 1990 at age 61.

Vina appeared in "Discovery" too, as played by Melissa George.

Some time after their encounter in "The Cage," Pike and Vina became telepathically linked to communicate once more after some years apart.

Vina, now played by George in a 2019 episode of "Discovery," reveals to Pike that the Talosians have allowed her to live out her days with an illusionary version of Pike to keep her company.

What neither of them knows, yet, is that after Pike has his accident, he will reunite with Vina on Talos VI so they can both live their own "happy" illusions, as seen in "The Menagerie."

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