Star Trek Characters We Want to See in Star Wars Instead (And Vice Versa)

If you tried to get some Star Wars magic into the Star Trek universe, would these be the trades to make?

If you talk with Star Trek fans about Star Wars, or Star Wars fans about Star Trek, you’re still trying to mix water and oil by hand. Despite decades of stories and shifting allegiances by fans, both franchises continue with new streaming shows, potential movies, and a sea of other related media. And within each, you can sense some of the DNA mixing or similarities bubbling to the surface. Both franchises are still about as different as can be from each other, and the cold war between fandoms has softened in recent years. That leaves the door open for some hypothetical fun.

There are very few parallels between characters when comparing the Star Wars factions and the Star Trek collectives, but it did spark some interesting thoughts. Let’s say the Star Wars universe and Star Trek universe start to overlap and create some new opportunities for characters to make the jump to the other franchise. We wanted to look through a few figures from both Trek and Wars who might thrive and fit in within the other universe.

While it is a somewhat tough task, a few notable names could feel at home on the Enterprise or in the seediest corner of Mos Eisley if they make the jump. Below, we’ve listed out a few characters from Star Trek that could thrive in the Star Wars universe, and vice versa.

1) Harry Mudd

A con artist, smuggler, swindler, and crook. All fine ways to describe Harcourt “Harry” Mudd and his 23rd-century life. Mudd is likely the character that you could pick up from Star Trek and drop directly into the Star Wars galaxy without issue. While his character gets some fleshing out in Star Trek: Discovery, played by The Office alum Rainn Wilson, at his core, Mudd is still a colorful piece of the Star Trek universe.

Drop him in the Star Wars universe, and he might thrive. Each of his encounters with the Enterprise ends in failure, with Mudd either being exiled or imprisoned. He continues to escape time and time again, so none of the punishment is doing any rehabilitation for him. In Star Wars, Mudd would have a few crime syndicates to play off of, a war to profit off, and no shortage of planets he can hide on.

2) Admiral Thrawn

Star Wars features a few names that could also thrive in the Star Trek universe if you go in the opposite direction. A big one is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss Imperial officer who becomes the head of the Imperial Remnant following the end of the Galactic Civil War. As creator Timothy Zahn said in a Wired interview, Thrawn values “strategy and loyalty” in his subordinate crew, standing apart from his fellow officers due to his thinking and his motivation to protect his race of people.

In Star Trek, Thrawn could easily be in the captain’s chair for the Federation. His desire to lead through loyalty and accept creative ideas, and his focus on protecting his people over cartoonish evil, echoes with the goals of at least the Federation, but he could also be in opposition with another force, too. He’s only firmly a villain in his Star Wars appearances due to the circumstances around the storyline. Remove him from that, and it’s quite possible to see him as more of an anti-hero.

3) Quark

Another character you could plop directly in the Star Wars galaxy and they’d thrive is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s Quark. The Ferengi bar owner was always looking for a scheme to hatch, typically against the wishes of Commander Benjamin Sisko and security chief Odo. While primarily a comic relief character, Quark does have his moments of importance when it comes to brokering deals with other races in the Gamma Quadrant with the Ferengi.

If you dropped Quark into the Star Wars universe, would he land at his bar once again? Or is it possible that he could work his way to controlling the Trade Federation? Would he always try to cut a deal with the Empire to walk away? Or would he just explode with joy over all the profits he could make off the Galactic Civil War?

4) Lando Calrissian

While he’s become one of Star Wars’s most beloved characters, the gambler and scoundrel Lando Calrissian also could easily fit with the Star Trek universe. This becomes especially true when you consider where Calrissian has landed by the time of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, acting as administrator of Cloud City on Bespin. This role could easily become one of the many random encounters and single-episode storylines the Enterprise would experience on the original show and The Next Generation.

Beyond being an interesting choice for a leader or a foil during a random Star Trek episode, who couldn’t see Lando owning and operating a bar like Ten Forward on a Federation ship or a place like Deep Space Nine? While he lacks the mysterious background and ability to counter the Q Collective, Calrissian is the perfect figure to listen to and offer counsel to the members of the crew. Plus, he’s smooth as hell.

5) Deanna Troi

The Next Generation‘s resident half-human and half-Betazoid empath is one of the Enterprise‘s key figures, holding the rank of lieutenant commander and acting as the ship’s counselor. Most Betazoids are psychic, but her mixed heritage only makes her an empath.

Why is this a good fit for Star Wars? Well, as part of the Rebel Alliance, Troi could be a good support to find out like-minded recruits using her talents. There is also an entire piece of her character that would have some interesting interactions with the Force and the Jedi. Troi also has the elegance and style to match up with the upper echelons in the Senate, giving Mon Mothma’s fashion choices in Star Wars: Andor a run for their money.

6) Leia Organa

A good replacement for Deanna Troi on the Enterprise due to her Force sensitivity, Leia Organa’s role as a strong leader within the rebellion/resistance offers a lot to the work on the bridge. What she brings to the table that Troi lacks is the attitude. A large chunk of this is due to actress Carrie Fisher’s natural presence, but she also comes from a different background than Troi growing up.

She’s got what it takes to be firm and professional on the bridge, but she could also be a fun friend and passionate defender. All while getting time to grow her force powers and master them within her adventure.

7) Data

The final Star Trek character that would fit in with the rest of the Star Wars galaxy is Data. While C-3PO manages throughout the series and puts his talents to good use when needed, Data would be the improvement to that model. He’s an outsider despite his growing humanity in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Away from Data’s struggle for humanity and his “emotion chip,” Data would still be an improvement over the typical protocol droid.

Not only is his positronic brain a bit quicker with its computations versus 3PO’s, but he is also an effective warrior and growing into humanity as he experiences it firsthand. If C-3PO could throw hands or take out the Borg without getting an obituary ready, then he might be just as good.

8) Jabba the Hutt

While the main focus of Star Trek is exploration and diplomacy, there is still crime throughout the galaxy. The Enterprise is typically running into time-displaced criminals or aliens built on the look and feel of old Earth gangs, but there are also crime syndicates like the Orion Syndicate that aren’t too dissimilar from what we’ve seen in Star Wars.

Enter Jabba the Hutt. The slug-like crime boss loved his palace in the Tatooine desert and seemed to have his hands in almost everything. The Hutts were a mighty crime family, and they managed to cover a lot of territory despite their makeup. I could see Jabba moving in and consolidating his own power over the existing criminals in the galaxy. He would also not hesitate to sign treaties with other clans and groups to help boost their progress.

Do you agree with the choices? Did we miss an obvious character? Let us know in the comments.