4 A-List Actors Launched By Star Trek’s Paramount+ Renaissance

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Four well-known actors have gained prominence through their roles in recent Star Trek series on Paramount+, including Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Prodigy. Between 2022 and 2023, Paramount+ offered five different Star Trek shows, such as Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

As a long-time Trek fan, I remember how exciting it was when Star Trek: Discovery landed in 2017. It wasn’t just a good show – it really breathed life back into the franchise after years of silence following the end of Enterprise in 2005. In fact, it was a huge part of what got the CBS All-Access streaming service, now Paramount+, off the ground. Discovery didn’t just revive Star Trek on TV, it proved there was still a huge appetite for it.

Recently, Star Trek on Paramount+ has seen a remarkable resurgence. The show brought back the beloved cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation in Star Trek: Picard, successfully expanded into animation with the hilarious Star Trek: Lower Decks and the family-friendly Star Trek: Prodigy, and even innovated with the first-ever musical episode in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

A key to the success of Star Trek on Paramount+ is its incredible casting choices. The show consistently features talented actors who quickly become beloved characters within the Star Trek universe. For example, Michelle Yeoh, who starred in Star Trek: Discovery, later won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The new series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, boasts Academy Award winner Holly Hunter and Emmy winner Paul Giamatti as leads.

The team behind Star Trek, Secret Hideout, was great at discovering talented actors who went on to become major stars. Four actors, in particular, really launched their careers after appearing in Star Trek.

Sonequa Martin-Green

Star Trek: Discovery

Sonequa Martin-Green starred as Captain Michael Burnham in all five seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, the show that successfully revived Star Trek for streaming audiences. Before Star Trek, Martin-Green gained recognition for her role as Sasha on The Walking Dead, but Star Trek: Discovery significantly boosted her career.

Sonequa Martin-Green made history as Captain Burnham. She was the first Black woman to lead a Star Trek series in a live-action role. Beyond acting, Martin-Green also became a producer on Star Trek: Discovery, where her colleagues often recognized her strong leadership and commitment.

While starring in Star Trek: Discovery, Sonequa Martin-Green also appeared in Space Jam: A New Legacy and the highly praised film, My Dead Friend Zoe.

After appearing on Star Trek: Discovery, Sonequa Martin-Green became a main cast member on the popular CBS drama Boston Blue, alongside Mark Wahlberg. Due to her growing success, Boston Blue has been picked up for a second season.

Isa Briones

Star Trek: Picard

Isa Briones was a standout performer in Star Trek: Picard, most notably playing the synthetic twins Soji and Dahj, as well as Kore Soong. Before joining Star Trek: Picard, she gained recognition as the youngest member of the Hamilton cast.

Isa Briones brought a fresh take to androids in Star Trek: Picard, first as Data’s ‘daughters,’ Dahj and Soji, and later as the rebellious Kore Soong. She portrayed both evolved, more human-like androids and a villainous synthetic character named Sutra, ultimately leading Kore to discover a larger purpose in season 2.

Since finishing her role on Star Trek: Picard before its third season, Isa Briones appeared on Broadway in Hadestown and also starred in the Hulu series Goosebumps.

Isa Briones, who played the complex Dr. Trinity Santos in The Pitt, now appears in an Emmy-winning drama series. Like her memorable role in Star Trek: Picard, Briones truly shines as part of The Pitt‘s talented cast.

Ella Purnell

Star Trek: Prodigy

Ella Purnell is the voice of Gwyndala in Star Trek: Prodigy. She’s a seasoned actress with a growing list of credits, including roles in popular TV shows like Ordeal By Innocence, Sweetbitter, and Belgravia. She’s also appeared in films such as Never Let Me Go, Maleficent, and Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead.

Gwyndala Purnell quickly became a standout performer in the voice cast of Star Trek: Prodigy. Throughout the show’s two seasons, she often acted alongside John Noble, who voiced her character’s father, The Diviner. Together, Gwyn and the other young alien characters learned the values of Starfleet and ultimately protected not only the galaxy, but also the entire multiverse.

Ella Purnell simultaneously worked on two popular projects: she voiced the character Gwyndala in Star Trek: Prodigy while also portraying young Jackie Taylor in the highly praised series Yellowjackets.

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Ella Purnell is currently starring in two very different roles: as a survivor in the Prime Video series Fallout and as an assassin in STARZ’s Sweetpea. She also continues to lend her voice to animated shows like Netflix’s Arcane and Prime Video’s Invincible.

Jack Quaid

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Jack Quaid is the voice of Brad Boimler (who later becomes a Lieutenant) on the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, and he also voices Captain William Boimler, who is a clone of Brad. Coming from a famous acting family – his parents are Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan – Jack Quaid started his film career with a role in The Hunger Games and went on to appear in Vinyl and Logan Lucky.

Jack Quaid played Brad Boimler, one of the main characters in all five seasons of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, alongside Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner. Both Quaid and Newsome also appeared as their characters in a live-action episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, marking a historic crossover and earning critical praise.

Alongside his role in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Jack Quaid played Hughie Campbell throughout all five seasons of The Boys on Prime Video. He also appeared in the cast of Oppenheimer.

After his time on Star Trek, Jack kept busy with a string of films like Companion and Novocaine, plus comedies such as Neighborhood Watch and Heads of State. And if you’re looking for something a little different, he’s also doing fantastic voice work as Superman in My Adventures with Superman.

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2025-12-20 21:50