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

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 56 years (and counting) of storytelling. Every "Trek" captain is measured against Kirk and Shatner's portrayal of him.

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 in the future, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, to defeat a madman called Soran.

Spoilers for a 28-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"), "Star Trek: Enterprise," and "Star Trek: Short Treks."

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, 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."

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

"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, 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.

This was just a taste of Wesley's interpretation of the character; he'll reprise his role in season two of "Strange New Worlds," likely as the real Kirk that will one day captain our favorite starship.

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.

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," 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.

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.

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."

Peck first played an even younger version of Spock in the Paramount+ series "Discovery," 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.

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

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

Saldaña 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," 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 learn 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.

Here's hoping we get even more of Uhura in season two.

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 played the Enterprise's trusty Scottish chief of engineering for all three seasons of "TOS" and the two seasons of "The Animated Series."

Before "Generations," Doohan played Scotty in the first six "Trek" films. He also appeared in a fan-favorite episode of "TNG" in 1994 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 "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" and "Prodigy."

Doohan died in July 2005 at age 85.

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 reprises his role in the two sequels.

As previously explained, the 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 is an alien named Hemmer who (spoiler) dies in the penultimate episode of season one.

But, according to the showrunner, we won't be meeting Scotty yet in season two. Instead, a different replacement is coming aboard.

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.

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" 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Koenig appeared in the first six "Trek" films with the cast of "TOS." Then, three years after "Star Trek VI," 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."

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. It was subsequently dedicated to both Yelchin and Leonard Nimoy, who had died in 2015.

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

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.

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

Although Chapel never appeared in any of the "Trek" spin-offs, 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.

Barrett died in December 2008. She was 76.

Chapel gets a passing mention in both "Star Trek" and "Into Darkness" as an ex of Kirk, but is never seen. By the time Bush began playing a younger version of her in "Strange New Worlds," 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."

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 on the show.

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

Whitney, after a dedicated effort by the Trekkies, was brought back for the first, fourth, and sixth "Trek" films, 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 "Voyager" episode "Flashback," which flashes back to the events of the sixth "Trek" movie, "The Undiscovered Country."

Rand has yet to appear in any of the new "Trek" content, whether in the Kelvin timeline films or the Paramount+ series.

Whitney died in May 2015 at the age of 85.

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."

She died in September 1996 at the age of 54.

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 was a Starfleet admiral (and war hawk) who was 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.

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.

When the cast list of "Strange New Worlds" was announced, many were 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've 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.

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," which 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."

Hunted died in 1969 at the age of 42.

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.

Mount made his debut as Captain Pike in season two of "Discovery" as the temporary captain of the Discovery while the Enterprise is disabled. This appearance is at least five years after the events of "The Cage." He departs at the end of season two to resume command of the Enterprise and to star in his own spin-off, "Strange New Worlds."

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.

Mount also reprised his role on "Short Treks."

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.

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.

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

Romijn also appears in "Short Treks."

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."

Lenard reprised the role of Sarek in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth "Trek" movies, 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 appears in the first "Trek" movie too, though not as Sarek. Instead, he played an unnamed Klingon commander.

Sarek also appeared in two episodes of "TNG," one of which was named after him. In it, he develops a close friendship with Captain Picard. His next appearance, "Unification," 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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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 was last seen in season two in 2019.

"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.

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 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."

Montalban died in January 2009. He was 88.

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.

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.

"Strange New Worlds" picks up years before "Amok Time," and, as such, T'Pring and Spock are still very much in love and are each dedicated to making their relationship work, despite their differences. Sandhu appears throughout the first season in a recurring role, and will most likely continue to appear in season two.

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.

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

In 2021, Wilson was campaigning to bring Mudd back into the fold and have him appear in "Strange New Worlds." Maybe in season two!

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.

Oliver died in May 1990 at age 61.

Some time after their encounter in "The Cage," Pike and Vina become telepathically linked to communicate once more after some years apart. Vina, now played by George, 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.