There are a lot of characters in Star Trek. While plenty are dearly beloved, many others are loathed, despised, or simply forgotten. Sometimes, those sentiments are deserved. Sometimes, but not always. Here, we’ll explore some characters that deserve more attention or credit than they get.
Of course, it’s hard to determine what makes a character underrated. In some cases, it can be that the fans don’t rate or praise a character as highly as they deserve. Other times, it’s that the stories themselves underserve the characters in some way. Making these judgments is obviously subjective, but I will try to explain my rationale all the same.
Also, for this list, characters who were introduced in the current era of Star Trek (basically Discovery till now) will not be included. There are certainly underrated characters in these shows, but their newness means that the fandom’s estimation of them has not settled yet. Maybe an update will be in order in the future, once it's clearer who really is underrated.
6. B'Elanna Torres
B’Elanna Torres isn’t so much disliked as she is forgotten. Along with Neelix and Kes, she’s one of the few Star Trek: Voyager main characters who haven’t appeared in newer series, despite being the only one plausibly in the Alpha Quadrant.
Cameos aside, B’Elanna is an underrated character who deserves more recognition. As a half-human, half-Klingon former Maquis and chief engineer of Voyager, her backstory had plenty of depth. Early seasons showed Captain Janeway mentoring her, but this dynamic faded too soon. She could have been a great counterpoint to Spock or Worf.
She’s arguably the best engineer in Star Trek, improvising without Starfleet support while stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Despite this, she kept Voyager running.
Most Voyager characters beyond the Doctor and Seven of Nine are underrated, but B’Elanna is a standout—both my favorite and often overlooked within the series itself.
5. Jonathan Archer
Like Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise has an underrated cast, likely overshadowed by The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) also gets more criticism than he deserves.
Enterprise feels more like Stargate SG-1 than TNG, with humanity as newcomers facing larger forces. The key difference is mindset—Enterprise is science-first, while Stargate is military-first.
Rather than a naive Picard, Archer is more like a diplomatic Jack O’Neill, navigating uncharted territory with little support. He strikes a perfect balance between authority and camaraderie, fostering a close-knit crew while maintaining firm leadership—even when challenged by T’Pol.
4. Chancellor Gorkon
General Chang’s theatrical villainy in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country often overshadows the quiet importance of Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner). Though primarily a plot device, Gorkon’s role in the film is pivotal, and his story could have been far more compelling if explored beyond his assassination.
As Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, Gorkon likely once supported expansionist policies. However, the Praxis disaster forced him to abandon those ambitions and seek aid from longtime enemies—a difficult and humbling position for a decorated Klingon.
While The Undiscovered Country focuses on Kirk’s journey toward peace, it never delves into Gorkon’s own struggles with this decision. His perspective on the resistance from both Klingons and the Federation remains unexplored.
Though not essential to appreciating the film, Gorkon’s role was crucial in shaping galactic politics leading into The Next Generation. He deserves more recognition than he receives.
3. Ezri Dax
Ezri Dax’s story in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is both compelling and underrated. While losing Jadzia was unfortunate, it allowed us to meet Ezri, played by Nicole de Boer.
Ezri never had the chance to fully develop, as one season wasn’t enough to explore her character like Jadzia’s six-season arc. Still, de Boer’s performance and the writers’ efforts made Ezri distinct while showing how the Dax symbiont lived on.
Unlike Jadzia’s exploration of past hosts through flashbacks and rituals, Ezri let audiences experience the emotional impact of losing someone and seeing part of them return—offering new insight into characters like Worf and Sisko.
The main issue is time; with only one season, Ezri remained primarily Jadzia’s successor. However, what we did see proved she was a strong character who deserved more recognition from both Star Trek and its fans.
2. Travis Mayweather
1. Katherine Pulaski
Dr. Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) is one of Star Trek’s most underrated characters, and I wish she had remained Enterprise-D’s Chief Medical Officer beyond Season 2 of TNG. While many prefer Beverly Crusher, Pulaski filled a unique role missing from the rest of the series.
Beyond her medical expertise, Pulaski wasn’t fully aligned with every Starfleet ideal. Some compare her to Dr. McCoy, but her presence was even more crucial on TNG, where moral righteousness often went unchallenged. Unlike Ro Laren, Worf, or Q, Pulaski was a Federation loyalist, making her critiques more meaningful.
She embodied core Star Trek ideals—honest, opinionated, yet open-minded. Her skepticism toward Picard and Data helped humanize them without making her rude or stubborn.
Production issues likely led to Muldaur’s short tenure, but Pulaski deserved more time. Personally, I prefer her to Dr. Crusher, but that’s just me.
Conclusion
There are many good characters in Star Trek, and the sheer number alone means that many will be forgotten or dismissed in favor of the big names. This was a very difficult list to construct, as I found myself constantly thinking of other characters whom I felt deserved more love than they seemed to get.
All along, I knew that Dr. Pulaski would be at the top for me, but the other characters were in more flux. As I said, shows like Voyager and Enterprise are replete with underrated characters. If you’re interested in who some overrated characters might be, though, I encourage you to check out what Anthony Cooper wrote on that subject.
