"We all grew into our roles" — When Star Trek: The Next Generation cast reunited for Awesome Con 2019

Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always look back at Awesome Con 2019 as a special treat. Five of the most loved cast members of the show — Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner — united at the event for a panel, where they shared memories and interesting anecdotes.

Awesome Con panel was held in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2019, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation panel was one of the best parts of the convention, pulling in a huge crowd that was excited to hear the cast members talk about their experiences.

One of the main topics that resonated was related to what impact the show had on the cast. As the cast pondered about their seven-season journey from 1987 to 1994 in Star Trek: The Next Generation, they recalled how they had evolved as individuals and also as the characters they portrayed on screen.

Wil Wheaton put it the best when he said:

“I think it is safe to say that we all grew into our roles over the course of the first two seasons.”

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How Star Trek: The Next Generation evolved with its cast

The panel kicked off with a conversation about the actors in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and their creative involvement besides their influence on their characters and the show.

While Wheaton hilariously noted that the producers didn’t take much input from him since he was a 'kid,' Marina Sirtis agreed that she wasn’t heard either:

“As a woman, they didn’t listen to me either.”

Gates McFadden, who was written off the show and later brought back after overwhelming fan demand, was also quite open regarding her experience during the earlier days. She explained on the panel:

“As a woman, that’s why I wasn’t there the second season because they didn’t like what I was suggesting, and they went their own way.”

Despite the tests and trials early on during Star Trek: The Next Generation, the actors agreed that over the course of time, the show eventually found its rhythm.

With Brent Spiner and Gates McFaden talking about how their characters being adjusted to fit their personalities helped, it became clear that by the third season, the show had very well caught up with how the actors wanted to portray their characters, and the series soon enough went on to become a powerhouse in the Star Trek franchise.

Wil Wheaton recalled how, by Season 2, their characters started to mould into ways that aligned more authentically with the actors as individuals.

The dynamics among the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast became stronger, and their real-life bond translated on screen, giving the show a level of genuineness that continues to stick with fans. Wheaton said:

"…Our love for each other and the bond that we shared as actors translated into the bonds that our characters should also naturally should've had"

Lighter moments and fan questions

The panel wasn’t just about thoughtful conversations involving the cast and Star Trek: The Next Generation — there were loads of fun, besides unexpected questions thrown at the cast, too.

Asked which books they’d put in a good word for, Wil advocated for The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Cat’s Cradle. Marina talked about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, while Gates inclined toward more classical stories like The Iliad and The Odyssey, both by Homer.

Brent Spiner, always ready with a joke, responded after Jonathan Frakes had recommended Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He said:

“It’s no Ulysses.”

Another hilarious moment came when a fan asked which album would the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation take if they were stranded on a remote planet.

Wil recommended Dark Side of the Moon, while Marina was torn between Help! and Rubber Soul. Brent, never missing a chance to get a laugh, cross questioned:

“What if they had record stores on that planet?”

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As the Awesome Con held in 2019 came to an end, it was evident that the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation still shared a meaningful relationship with each other. Their friendliness, laughs, and sincere appreciation for one another was obvious in every conversation they shared with fans and also with themselves.

The Awesome Con wasn’t just a gathering for the cast members — it was a recap for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation to know why the show remains so loved to this day.

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