What The Last Living Stars Of Star Trek: The Next Generation Look Like Today

The 60th anniversary of "Star Trek" has quickly turned into a time of solemn remembrance for fans of the long-running sci-fi franchise. Mere days after Walter Koenig, who portrayed Pavel Chekov in "Star Trek: The Original Series" and the initial slate of feature films that followed it, died at the age of 90, news broke that Patrick Stewart had passed away as well. The esteemed actor, famous for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and its own spinoff film series, was 86 years old. As a result of Koenig's recent death, only two members of the main "TOS" cast — William Shatner and George Takei — remain alive today. 

Stewart, meanwhile, is the first main cast member from "TNG" to pass away. In turn, his death acts as a reminder that the "Next Generation" was actually a couple of generations ago now. After all, as of 2026, it's officially been 39 years since the beloved show premiered in the fall of 1987. In other words, "TNG" is nearly twice as old as "TOS" was when Captain Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D first set off on their maiden voyage. With that in mind, we decided to not only pay tribute to Stewart's legacy, but also check in with his former "TNG" castmates, see what they're up to these days, and celebrate them while they're still with us.

Captain Picard's right-hand man aboard the Enterprise-D was Commander Will Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes. In addition to his prominent onscreen role in the sci-fi series, Frakes has firmly established himself as one of the most prolific directors in "Star Trek" history. He helmed two of the four "TNG"-era films, as well as numerous TV episodes across multiple different iterations of "Star Trek." Most recently, Frakes directed an episode of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" that aired this past March. He turned 74 in August.

Arguably the most iconic character on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," besides Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard himself, was the sentient android Lieutenant Commander Data, played by Brent Spiner. In fact, in addition to Data being prominently featured on the show throughout its run, his struggle with humanity was one of the major throughlines that connected the four "TNG" movies. Much like Jonathan Frakes, Spiner — who turned 77 in February 2026 — has remained consistently involved with the "Star Trek" franchise over the years, most recently voicing an alternate version of Data in a 2024 episode of the animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

A man so prolific even the late, great Lance Reddick envied him, LeVar Burton's legacy extends well beyond his beloved role as blind engineer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Burton is also famous for playing Kunta Kinte in the '70s miniseries "Roots," as well as for his time as the host of "Reading Rainbow," which nabbed the actor 12 Daytime Emmy Awards. More recently, the 69-year-old Burton has appeared in films like "One Night Only" and lent his voice to shows like "Invincible," which also features his former "TNG" co-star Michael Dorn. Speaking of whom...

About five years after his time on "CHiPS" came to an end, Michael Dorn was picked to portray Lieutenant Worf on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Worf broke new ground for the franchise by being the first Klingon to serve as a member of Starfleet. After appearing in all seven seasons of the hit show, Dorn joined the spinoff series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" for the latter half of its run (in addition to returning to the Enterprise for the "TNG" movies). Dorn, who turns 74 in December, has also lent his voice to animated projects like "Invincible" and "X-Men '97" in recent times.

For the vast majority of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Gates McFadden starred as Dr. Beverly Crusher, the chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise-D. McFadden was fired after the show's first season, and Dr. Crusher was replaced by Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) during Season 2. However, McFadden returned in Season 3, and she remained part of the principal cast throughout the show's remaining seasons and its four spinoff movies. Like Michael Dorn, McFadden — now 77 — has pivoted to voice acting in recent years, even joining her former "TNG" co-star as part of "X-Men '97." She also lent her voice to "Masters of the Universe: Revelation."

Marina Sirtis portrayed Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi, the Enterprise-D's resident counselor, in all seven seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (as well as all four of the show's sequel movies). Like many of her former co-stars, Sirtis has maintained an off-and-on relationship with the franchise in the years since her initial tenure ended. Back in 2019, she guest-starred in an episode of the "Star Trek" parody series "The Orville." Sirtis, now 71, has reprised her role as Deanna Troi a few times since then, alongside appearing, more recently, in films like "The Phantom Warrior" and "Dream Hacker."

The case of Denise Crosby on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is a curious one. When the show premiered back in 1987, Crosby, who played Lieutenant Tasha Yar, was billed as a main cast member. Before too long, though, Crosby felt that her character was being underutilized, and asked to be written out of the show. She got her wish near the end of Season 1, when Tasha Yar was abruptly killed off. That being said, Crosby later returned to "TNG" in various guest-starring capacities, both as an alternate version of Tasha and as another character entirely. These days, Crosby, who turns 69 in November 2026, still regularly takes part in "Star Trek"-related events.

By far the youngest main cast member on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was "Stand By Me" star Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher, the adolescent son of Dr. Beverly Crusher. Wheaton left during Season 4, though he made a few guest appearances after the fact. Despite having a deeply complicated relationship with "Star Trek," largely owing to how his character was received, Wheaton still occasionally appears in modern projects in addition to being a prominent ambassador for the franchise. Wheaton celebrated his 54th birthday in July 2026.