Star Trek has always been a family affair, and some Trek actors have starred alongside their real-life children. Since the camaraderie of the crew of the USS Enterprise on Star Trek: The Original Series, the franchise has always celebrated found families and the bonds formed between shipmates on long space voyages. Star Trek has largely been geared toward families, with its stories of fun space adventures and moral lessons. Several Star Trek actors also found love with others involved in the franchise, most notably Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.

Only a handful of Star Trek actors have appeared alongside their real-life children, but this trend began with William Shatner himself during Star Trek: The Original Series. Shatner’s three daughters, Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie, all had small cameo appearances in Star Trek, as did James Doohan’s twin sons, Christopher and Montgomery. Patrick Stewart’s son, Daniel, appeared in one of the most celebrated episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and John de Lancie’s son portrayed his onscreen son, as well. Most recently, LeVar Burton’s daughter, Mica Burton, played Alandra La Forge in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

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John de Lancie & Keegan de Lancie

Star Trek: Voyager Season 7, Episode 19 – “Q2”

John de Lancie first appeared as the omnipotent being known as Q in the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and he quickly became one of Trek’s best recurring characters. Q checked in on Captain Picard about once every TNG season, much to Picard’s continued annoyance. After the end of TNG, Q turned his affections to Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) — after a brief interaction with Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) that ended with Q getting socked in the face.

In Star Trek: Voyager‘s “Q2,” Q arrives on the USS Voyager with his son, Q Junior, in tow, played by de Lancie’s own son, Keegan. Q hopes that Captain Janeway and Voyager’s crew can help Q Junior become more disciplined. After Q Junior’s powers are taken away, he shadows Voyager’s crew members and eventually befriends the former Borg drone, Icheb (Manu Intiraymi). In the end, Q Junior’s powers are restored as long as Q takes eternal custody of his son. “Q2” may not be the best Q episode, but it’s fun seeing John de Lancie’s real-life son play his character’s offspring.

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LeVar Burton & Mica Burton

Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunited the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew on the USS Enterprise-D, which had been painstakingly rebuilt by Commodore Geordi La Forge. Not only did Picard season 3 reveal that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard had a son with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), but the season also introduced the two daughters of Geordi La Forge. Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Alandra (Mica Burton) La Forge both followed in their father’s footsteps and joined Starfleet, although Sidney chose to become a pilot rather than an engineer.

Played by Burton’s real-life daughter Mica, Alandra helped her sister ensure that Geordi would help Picard and his friends, despite his initial reluctance. When the Borg assimilated the youngest members of Starfleet, both Sidney and Alandra were affected and eventually helped seize control of the USS Titan-A. Thankfully, this assimilation was soon reversed due to the actions of Picard and his reunited Enterprise-D crew.

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Patrick Stewart & Daniel Stewart

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 25 – “The Inner Light”

In the now iconic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “The Inner Light,” Captain Picard gets hit by an energy beam from an unidentified probe. He wakes up as a man named Kamin, a villager on the planet of Kataan. Picard then continues his life as Kamin, eventually having a daughter and a son with his wife Eline (Margot Rose). As an adult, Kamin’s son Batai was played by Patrick Stewart’s son, Daniel. After living an entire lifetime as Kamin, Picard wakes up back on the Enterprise, where only around twenty minutes have passed.

Picard realizes that the people of Kataan knew that their planet was dying, and they preserved Kamin’s life in a probe to preserve the history of their society. Picard never forgets his experiences as Kamin, and the Ressikan flute Kamin plays remains one of Jean-Luc’s most prized possessions even decades later in Star Trek: Picard. With its incredibly compelling story and phenomenal performances from Patrick Stewart and the guest stars, “The Inner Light” is often considered one of Star Trek’s best episodes.

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James Doohan & Christopher and Montgomery Doohan

Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled in 1969, but the show gained a large fanbase in the 1970s thanks to television syndication. Because of this renewed success, Paramount Studios began working on plans for a Star Trek feature film in 1975. At one point, these plans changed from a film to a new television series known as Star Trek: Phase II, and then back to a film again. Incorporating some of the ideas from Phase II, Star Trek: The Motion Picture follows Admiral Kirk and his crew as they work to understand a powerful probe known as V’Ger.

Two of James Doohan’s sons, twins Chris and Montgomery, appeared as background extras among the Enterprise crewmembers in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. After a fan campaign requesting that Chris or Montgomery portray Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) film (a role that went to Simon Pegg), Chris portrayed an unnamed Starfleet officer in Star Trek (2009) and a transporter officer in Star Trek Into Darkness.

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William Shatner & Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie Shatner

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 11 – “Miri,” Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

William Shatner has three daughters with his first wife, Gloria Rand, and all three of them had small cameo appearances in the Star Trek franchise. Shatner’s oldest daughters, Leslie and Lisabeth, both appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series season one episode, “Miri,” which featured a planet populated solely by children. Lisabeth, who was only five at the time, recalled her experience on set was “like a giant Halloween party to me,” according to the book Captain’s Log: William Shatner’s Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which she co-wrote with her father.

William Shatner’s youngest daughter, Melanie, appeared as a jogger in an uncredited role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, before appearing as the Captain’s yeoman in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Melanie appeared in a handful of television shows and movies before she retired from acting in 1999. Leslie and Lisabeth both pursued careers other than acting. Despite having only small roles, William Shatner’s daughters are some of the few Star Trek children who got the chance to step into their father’s shoes.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard, & the J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home & Star Trek V: The Final Frontier are available to stream on Max.