Budget-friendly travels will always be in style, and avid adventure-seekers will always be on the lookout for ways to save up on their next journey. If you are one of them and happen to love free activities, then planning a trip to a national park should be on your “to-do” list. Here are five fun things you can do in some of the most renowned parks in the US.

Walk by the Waterfalls at Yosemite National Park

Primarily known for its magnificent cascades and grand rock formations, Yosemite National Park in California is free to hike, offering several trails that pass through the thundering mist of Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls. The shortest hike is 6.5 miles long, so grab a camera and some energy bars, and get hiking!

Go Snorkeling Around a Fort at Dry Tortugas

Accessible by boat or plane, the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida is an indisputable hub of marine activities. As soon as you find a way to cross the 70 miles that stand between Key West and the park, you can spend the day snorkeling around the sea wall amid coral, fish, and wrecks. Get your bathing suit and underwater camera, and you’re good to go!

Explore Over 1500 Wildflowers in the Smokies

During springtime, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park between Tennessee and North Carolina comes to colorful life due to the 1500 species of wildflowers that blossom once winter is over. Grab a backpack and go exploring the mountain hikes among the blooming ephemerals. You won’t regret it! As it usually is with mountainous parks, you need to be careful to avoid close encounters with black bears.

Relax With Hot-Tubbing at Yellowstone

The directions are simple: follow the stream to Boiling River, and you will then reach a hot springs bathing spot that will make up for an unforgettable experience. You can bring your family and make it the perfect relaxing weekend getaway with your beloved people.

Try Vertical Hiking at Acadia

Scared of heights? The Precipice Trail at Acadia National Park in Maine is exactly what you need to conquer that fear. The trail is about 1.8 miles long, and opening hours for the park vary, so you need to check in advance. The vertical climbs happen through ferrata-style rungs, so you will be safe on the rocks as long as you watch your step!

Star Trek was not only famous for its innovative storytelling and advanced CGI, but also for its diverse casting. What did the women of Star Trek wound up doing?

Keiko O’Brien, played by Rosalind Chao, was on two shows: Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. O’Brien was a botanist and the head of plant science on the USS Enterprise-D, and also was a school teacher for kids living in the space station Deep Space 9. Keiko is an example of a very strong-willed (although some may say stubborn) character.

Rosalind Chia-Ling Chao is a second-generation Chinese-American, who was born in California and studied journalism at the University of Southern California. She broke barriers by being the only student not from a White family at her high school. She appeared in two episodes of M*A*S*H, and had a main role in the spin-off AfterMASH. She is still very active as an actress. Most recently, she was in The OA, a Netflix produced science fiction show.

Whoopi Goldberg was on Star Trek: The Next Generation in various episodes from season two through six. She played Guinan, who ran the lounge in the Enterprise-D, but her real role was to provide counsel to many of the Starfleet members, almost like a free therapist. As a child, Whoopi was interested in Star Trek, when she saw that a Black woman was portrayed in the original series. She told her mother: “There’s a black lady on TV and she ain’t a maid!”

Whoopi Goldberg is a name we are all still familiar with, as we should be. Goldberg is extremely successful, being one of a handful of people to ever achieve “EGOT” status. This means she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony award. This incredible feat has only been achieved by 12 people total, ever! She is still a very familiar face on TV, as one of the hosts of The View. However, she will always be remembered for classics like Sister Act and The Color Purple.

Uhura was a very special character as she was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, an African-American woman. She was the communications officer, who sat on the bridge, and was seen as equal in the decision making. It was so important that she was on screen, that Martin Luther King Jr. urged her to stay on the show, even when she wanted to leave. It was truly important, since she was the first Black character on any TV show with power; eventually, she rose to become a Starfleet commander.

Nichelle Nichols actually started out as a singer, and was prominent enough to sing with legend Duke Ellington. The reason why Nichols wanted to leave the show was to pursue roles on Broadway, but Dr. King told her, very warmly: “You can’t. You’re part of history.” She worked with NASA to recruit women and minorities to work in space exploration with a project called Women in Motion. She still acts; most recently in The Young and the Restless, and she got a Daytime Emmy nomination for the role.

In Star Trek: Voyager, Roxann Dawson plays half-Klingon, half-human B’Elanna Torres. Torres struggled with her half-and-half identity. Regardless, she was able to rise to the rank of Chief Engineer on the Voyager. Eventually, she married Tom Paris, and they had a kid, Miral Paris, while the Voyager was on its way to Earth. Not only was she talented as an actress on the show, but she was also skilled behind the camera. She directed 2 episodes of Voyager, and 10 episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Roxann Dawson started out on Broadway (not a bad place to begin) as a cast member of the musical A Chorus Line. After Star Trek, she pivoted careers, and became much more of a director. She has worked on big shows like Lost, Heroes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Mentalist. She was married to Casey Biggs, who, funnily enough, ended up becoming a cast member on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She later re-married Eric Dawson, a casting director.

Denise Crosby starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Natasha “Tasha” Yar. She played a lieutenant who was in charge of security. In the beginning, she actually went for another role, and Roddenberry flipped the casting. Although she started with a more prominent role, she eventually was shunted more to the background. She found this restrictive, saying: “I was struggling with not being able to do much with the character. I had all these ideas and couldn’t do them. I was just stage dressing.”

Denise Crosby was born in a Hollywood family, which included father Dennis Crosby and grandfather Bing Crosby. She quit college and started acting. Crosby landed her first big role in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Since then, she has been in many big programs, like Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, JAG, NYPD Blue, Baywatch, and The Walking Dead. Most recently, she was in Castle and The Watcher.  She has a son named August with her husband Ken Sylk.

In the film Star Trek: Nemesis, Dina Meyer was cast as Donatra. Donatra was a commander in the Romulan army, specifically of the warbird the Valdore. She was originally in cahoots with Shinzon, the clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but eventually, she found his desire to destroy Earth shameful and sinful. She switched her loyalties to the Starfleet and actually ended up helping the USS Enterprise fight Shinzon’s ship. At the end, Donatra said that Picard could consider her a friend and inside connection to the Romulans.

Dina Meyer has been successful as an actress both before and after her time in Star Trek: Nemesis. She started out on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1993. Eventually, she landed a mainstream movie role; she was cast in Johnny Mnemonic opposite Keanu Reeves. From there she starred in huge films like Saw and Starship Troopers. She had a main role in Sequestered, a web series. Meyer has also guest starred on well-known shows like NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Monk.

Arguably one of the most iconic female characters in the history of Star Trek, Jeri Ryan was an integral part of the success of Star Trek: Voyager. Portraying the complex Seven of Nine, she was captured by the Borg Collective and transformed into a cyborg. In fact, it was Kate Mulgrew’s character who had a significant part in Seven of Nine’s battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A cult favorite, it is most likely Jeri Ryan’s most memorable role.

Even though Voyager eventually came to an end in 2001, this didn’t stop Jeri Ryan from finding work elsewhere. Not only has she been involved with the show Boston Public, she is also a current regular on the drama Bosche. Despite her increased fame, Ryan has stayed loyal to her Trekkies and is regularly involved with conventions. She had a failed marriage with Republican Jack Ryan and the self-confessed Francophile eventually moved to France, married a Frenchman, and had kids together.

Marina Sirtis, better known amongst Trekkies as Counselor Deanna Troi, is an English-born actress. Sirtis’ character in the film is a half-human half-Betazoid creature who was a counsellor aboard the ship – the USS Enterprise-D. In the middle of filming ‘Star Trek’, Sirtis went back to the UK to star in the BBC’s 1990 drama film “One Last Chance”.

Aside from her booming television career following the feature in Star Trek series, Sirtis went on to starr in the next four films of the franchise, including Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek continues. Furthermore, in 2014, Sirtis appeared in “Finders Keepers”, a horror film aired on the SyFy channel. Later on in 2016, the actress was casted in Hallmark channel film, “My Summer Prince”.

Cheryl “Gates” McFadden played a medical doctor names Beverly Crusher.  She was originally cast as the love interest of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. McFadden left the show after the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation after conflicts with the head writer. After a season without her, she returned to the show, thanks to co-stars vouching for her.

Gates McFadden was a theatre major at Brandeis University, where she got good grades. In fact, she graduated cum laude. Then she studied at a prestigious French buffoonery school (mime and clown college), which is actually no joke. It is extremely competitive to get into. She now narrates audiobooks. In her personal life, she has a son, and is married to his father John Cleveland Talbot. She actually was pregnant during The Next Generation, but her belly was hidden by set pieces.

Martha Hacket is best known as Seska from Star Trek: Voyager, but she was actually also in a couple episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a different character (a Romulan rather than a Cardassian). Seska is most known for undergoing a procedure to make her appear Bajoran, in order to integrate herself with the Maquis rebels and spy on their secrets. Eventually, she ended up on the USS Voyager, but found the high moral standards and rules of the Starfleet too much to bear.

Martha Hackett is highly educated, with a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she graduated cum laude. When she got pregnant, she told the writers. In a funny moment of coincidence, the writing staff had already been writing a pregnant Seska into the script. After Seska was killed off, she still had the chance to come back for two more episodes. Hackett is married to Tim Disney, a filmmaker who is part of the Disney family. Hacket was also on NCIS as a guest star.

Kirstie Alley is well known today, but actually got her start in show business thanks to the 1982 movie Star Trek: II: The Wrath of Khan. She played Saavik, a Starfleet officer of the Lieutenant junior grade rank. She was a woman who was, in some parts of the film, due to the issues with the Genesis project, sitting in the captain’s chair, and ordered the ships coming and going from the spacedock. Saavik cried at Spock’s funeral, despite being a relatively emotionless Vulcan.

Kirstie Alley is still a big celebrity today, as her six-year-long role on Cheers propelled her image to millions of households in the late 80s and early 90s. She also starred in many films, including the Olsen twins move It Takes Two, and the Woody Allen film Deconstructing Harry. Most recently, she was in eight episodes of Scream Queens. She has publicly talked about her fluctuating weight, and is a spokesperson for Jenny Craig weight loss. Alley converted from Methodism to Scientology in 1979.

In 1979, Persis Khambatta, an Indian actress and model, was cast as Lieutenant Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Ilia, a Deltan, was a Starfleet officer who was on the USS Enterprise. Lieutenant Ilia was very committed to being a member of the Starfleet, even taking an oath of celibacy, despite her romantic interest in Captain Will Decker. The film had a $46 million dollar budget (with almost $2 million dedicated to building the sets), but luckily, it made $139 million dollars at the box office.

Persis Khambatta was just a regular girl from Mumbai, India. She became famous after she became the face of a soap brand, and eventually started competing in pageants. She first won the title of Miss India, and participated in the Miss Universe contest, being only the third Indian woman to ever be entered in the latter contest. After being in the Star Trek film, she made history by being the first Indian citizen to present an Oscar. Sadly, she suffered a fatal heart attack at 49.

Yvonne Craig guest-starred on one episode of the original Star Trek series. The episode was very memorable, though. Yvonne played Marta, an Orion slave girl, whose beauty was used by Garth of Izar as a honeypot. Marta was ordered to try and seduce Captain James Kirk, a skill that came naturally to the Orions. However, somehow, Kirk was able to resist her advances. Marta tried then to physically attack Kirk, but failed at that too. Marta was killed by Garth.

Yvonne Craig started out as a ballerina who eventually transitioned into acting. Despite her memorable role on Star Trek, she is certainly best known for portraying Batgirl on the 1960’s TV show Batman. The Huffington Post called her a “a pioneer of female superheroes.” Yvonne used her role as Batgirl to promote the idea that women should be paid equally to men. She wrote an autobiography called From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond. Sadly, at age 78, she passed away from cancer that spread to her liver.

Victoria Vetri played a shapeshifting being who was a companion to Gary Seven. The name of the character (which has now become unfortunate) is Isis. When it was not Victoria on-screen, it was a black cat, who was Isis’ other form; both forms shared the same shimmering diamond collar. Also, there were actually three identical-looking cats used during the filming, rather than one. The character was involved in a mission that went back to the 1960s to prevent a nuclear missile from working.

Vetri was a model and actress who posed in Playboy magazine, earning the high honor of becoming Playmate Of The Year. She also was in one of the most famous horror films, Rosemary’s Baby. She married Bruce Rathgeb in 1986. In 2010, Victoria opened fire at Bruce at close range, leading to her arrest and charge of attempted murder. Eventually, the charge was reduced to attempted voluntary manslaughter, and she pled no contest, leading to a sentence of nine years in prison.

Sally Kellerman played Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, a human Starfleet officer. She had an ability for extrasensory perception, which was shown even from her childhood, as she was good at games that involved making guesses. This is not surprising, as her family also scored high on extrasensory perception tests. She and Gary Mitchell both developed psionic energy abilities and also personality changes that made them crueler after they passed the galactic barrier. Dehner eventually sacrificed herself to help Kirk subdue Mitchell.

Sally Kellerman is a hugely successful star, and even garnered an Oscar nomination for her role of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the M*A*S*H movie. She was in the Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back to School, and the IFC comedy show Maron. She has had a career for fifty years, and has remained relevant throughout. She married film producer Jonathan D. Krane in 1980, but sadly he passed away in 2016. She adopted two children, one who unfortunately passed at age 27.

Sharon Acker played in Star Trek: The Original Series, in an episode titled “The Mark of Gideon.” She played a character called Odona, a Gideon, who came from a planet of the same name. They had an issue on their planet, much like some say is happening on Earth: overpopulation. The Ambassador of Gideon, who happened to be Odona’s father, decided that she should contract Vegan choriomeningitis from Kirk, and then bring it back to Gideon, to shave some numbers off the population count.

Sharon Acker is Canadian, but managed to break into Hollywood. One of her biggest roles was in The New Perry Mason, where she played Della Street, the secretary for the law firm. She acted alongside Sean Connery in the CBC production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Her film debut was in the British comedy Lucky Jim, which came out in 1957. She remained culturally relevant for many years, finally ending her appearances on television in 1992 by quitting her role as a doctor on The Young and the Restless.

Susan Denberg is the stage name of Dietlinde Zechner, an Austrian-German actress and model. People thought it would be hard for American audiences to pronounce her name, so she changed it for her appearance in many credits, including the episode “Mudd’s Women” of Star Trek: The Original Series. In the episode, she is part of a group of beautiful women, who are being transported by con artist Harry Mudd. She hails from the Halium experimental station, and ended up marrying a lithium miner.

Susan Denberg starred in movies too, notably the British horror movie Frankenstein Created Woman. After this, she headed home to her native Austria, and because she disappeared from the spotlight, people incorrectly thought she had passed away. She posed for Playboy in 1966. She now lives in Vienna, Austria, and is happily married to a man called Anthony Scotti. She has two children, one of which is named Wolfgang-Dieter. She dropped the stage name, as now she is back in German-speaking country.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Michelle Forbes played a significant role: Ro Laren. She was present from season five until season seven. Ro was a Lieutenant in the Federation Starfleet, but not for long. She was disgruntled with the Federation, and like many fellow frustrated Starfleet members, defected to the side of the Maquis. This makes sense, as she did not live the cushy life of a Federation kid, but rather the tough childhood. Ro said her childhood was a “long, depressing period.”

Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo moved on from Star Trek: The Next Generation to a police procedural show called Homicide: Life on the Street, which played on NBC. She portrayed Dr. Julianna Cox, the chief medical examiner in the show. She was in 18 episodes of 24, 7 episodes of Prison Break, and 15 episodes of True Blood, 20 episodes of The Killing, and 10 episodes of Berlin Station. The last show is still running on Epix. She was briefly married to Ross Kettle.

Lieutenant B.G. Robinson, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, was played by none other than huge star Teri Hatcher. This was back in 1988, which was at the beginning of her career. B.G. Robinson was a Starfleet officer who was in charge of the transporter on the USS Enterprise-D. While acting as the chief of the transporter, she beamed up Thadiun Okona, a rogue of sorts and captain of the Erstwhile cargo transporter. Admittedly, her role was small, but will always be remembered.

Even before Star Trek, Teri Hatcher was an NFL cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers. Teri also was one of the famous girls from Seinfeld, who said the famous line to her “They’re real… and they’re spectacular.” Her first breakthrough role was as Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. After that, she got one of her other biggest roles- the lead in Desperate Housewives. She has been twice married and divorced, and has a daughter from the second marriage.

Diana Muldaur portrayed Dr. Katherine Pulaski, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He character was meant to replace Dr. Commander Beverly C. Crusher while she was away at Starfleet Medical. Funnily enough, she was actually in Star Trek: The Original Series 20 years earlier as a guest star in the episode “Return to Tomorrow” as a science officer. Of the return to the same universe, she said: “I love being back in Star Trek. It’s a challenge, but a healthy challenge.”

Besides for her work on both Star Trek shows, she is notable for being a recurring cast member of L.A. Law, the legal drama that ran for eight seasons. She played the “bad guy,” whose personality was ruthless, who was named Rosalind Shays. In 1983, she made history by being the first woman to become the president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She was married twice, first to actor James Vickery, and secondly to producer Robert Dozier. Sadly, they both passed away from cancer.

Although it was Nichelle Nichols who originally played Uhura, Zoe Saldana gave the character the reboot it deserved in the more recent Star Trek movies. The actress originally found the role daunting but knew that it was the right move for her. She also didn’t want to let Trekkies down, especially because she admitted to not being a Trekkie herself. Nevertheless, fans have really taken to Saldana’s performances and so far, she has starred in all three new Star Trek movies.

There is no denying that Zoe Saldana is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Therefore, it should be no surprise that she was cast in such an important role in the Star Trek saga. With many roles of strong, independent women under her belt, such as Neytiri in Avatar and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Saldana is set to reprise her role of the former in four more movies! She is happily married to Marco Perego.

Before her portrayal of Robin Lefler in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ashley Judd didn’t really have many notable roles. When she starred in the first two episodes in 1991, she never looked back, and is now considered one of the biggest actresses today. Robin is a female human from the 24th Century who is an officer of Starfleet. Growing up on numerous starbases must’ve been a good education for her, as she ended up becoming part of the Starfleet Academy.

It wouldn’t take long before Judd joined the cast of NBC’s Sisters after her time on Star Trek came to an end. The 90s was a truly glorious time for the actress, with her starring in movies such as Heat, Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy. In recent times, she has worked on movies such as Divergent, and was an integral part of the franchise as a whole. She is also involved with the Twin Peaks reboot, portraying the character Beverly Paige.

Yarnall hasn’t let her brief appearance on Star Trek send her into the acting wilderness. She has managed to appear on other hit shows such as Land of the Giants and Hogan’s Heroes. Her personal life has also been pleasant, having married Nazim Artist. Ultimately, she traded in acting for education, securing a Ph.D. in nutrition. That’s not all though – Yarnall is also a professor at Pacific Western University and has even had books published about cats and dogs.

Originally from a small town in Ohio, Sabrina Scharf was determined from an early age to become a big star. Although she didn’t become a superstar, she did make a name for herself in numerous forms of media. In the 60s, she made appearances in issues of Playboy and eventually, she was given her big break in the movie Easy Rider. From this, she caught the attention of Gene Roddenberry and co, and appeared in season three as Miramanee.

Even though her role on Star Trek: The Original Series was brief, Scharf eventually found work elsewhere. However, cupid’s arrow struck and she fell in love with I Love Lucy writer Bob Schiller. This was the catalyst that made her decide to trade in acting for a more political role in her home state of California. She campaigned against pollution and even tried to run for Senate. These days, she has a successful career as an attorney.

Nancy Kovack’s early years were nothing short of impressive. The Flint, Michigan native was only 15 years old when she started studying at the University of Michigan and she was just 19 when she graduated. Upon graduation, she took a trip to New York and decided that she wanted to pursue a career in acting and modeling. After winning numerous beauty pageants, producers came calling and she was cast on Star Trek: The Original Series, playing the character Nona in season two.

Kovack’s career was full of roles in notable TV shows after her time as Nona came to an end. She made appearances in hit shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeanie, and even Batman. But it’s probably her role as hostess on the game show Beat the Clock that she’ll be best remembered for. Performing with the Three Stooges was also one of her career highlights. She is currently married to the Musical Director of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta.

Kate Mulgrew broke ground as the first female captain in Star Trek: Voyager. Mulgrew acknowledged how special this was: “I got the pleasure of transcending stereotypes.” Mulgrew stayed on the show until it ended in 2001.

Mulgrew has been successful on-screen since the end of Star Trek: Voyager. Her most notable role is Galina “Red” Reznikov, the Russian prisoner and mobster in Netflix’s huge breakout show Orange Is The New Black. In her personal life, she was married to Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Hagan, but reported in 2005 that she was divorced. She had a child when she was 18, gave her up for adoption, and then reunited with her years later in 2001.

Then is no doubt that Jennifer’s finest hour came when she was cast as Kes in Star Trek Voyager. She was part of the main cast for a couple of seasons. Kes is an Ocampan, a species that only live for up to a decade. During her time on the show, she only had good things to say about her cast members, referring to Ethan Phillips as “an incredibly talented guy.” She also praised Kate Mulgrew and Bob Picardo.

Unfortunately, Jennifer Lien’s career took a turn for the worst due to numerous run-ins with the law. Between the years 2012 and 2017 alone, she faced numerous charges that revolved around domestic violence, evading arrests, and DUI. Although she has appeared on virtually nothing since her time on Voyager came to an end, Lien has managed to maintain a healthy personal life. She is happily married to filmmaker Phil Hwang, and together, they had a son who they called Jonah.

Before her Star Trek career, Marj Dusay worked alongside the King himself, Elvis Presley in the movie Clambake. This was swiftly followed by roles in the classic series Hogan’s Heroes and Hawaii Five-O. When the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series came around, Dusay landed the role of Kara in the episode “Spock’s Brain.” She may have been in just one episode, but there is no denying that Marj Dusay gave a great performance as Kara.

Dusay is one of the ladies on this list that is better known for other projects in her long career. Having been involved in shows such as Capitol and Days of our Lives, it’s safe to say that Dusay is something of a soap opera queen. She also has a lot of range to her acting, having played both Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light (which she was nominated for an Emmy Award), as well as the villainous Vanessa Bennet in All My Children.

Sherry Jackson was cast as a guest star on the original Star Trek series. The 1966 episode had Jackson playing an android. She was made by fellow android Dr. Roger Korby, who said that Andrea “simply responds to orders. She’s a totally logical computer. A thing is not a woman.” However, Captain Kirk went on to prove, through his affection, that Andrea could start to feel feelings, or at least be confused enough to stray from acting like a computer.

Sherry Jackson started in show business at the ripe young age of seven, when she was recommended to an agent who started putting her in movies. The most famous role she had as a kid was undoubtedly Terry Williams in Make Room for Daddy. It was such a successful show that Sherry got a star on Hollywood Boulevard to commemorate her work. Jackson continued to act in guest roles in many big shows for years after that. Jackson was married, but her husband died in a plane crash.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was thought of as the “First Lady of Star Trek,” due to the fact that she starred in three of the series, and also was married to the creator, Gene Roddenberry. In the original series, she played Nurse Christine Chapel, and in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she played Lwaxana Troi, a Betazoid ambassador. It did not end there- she also lent her voice to many of the ship’s onboard computers.

Majel and Gene had one son, Rod Roddenberry, who is also involved in television production, including a show called Star Trek: Discovery. Majel did not appear on-screen as much after Star Trek, but rather did many voice-overs, including for films, but also for technical applications like certain devices on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Unfortunately, Majel passed away at age 76 from leukemia. Her funeral was attended by many big Star Trek names like Wil Wheaton and George Takei.

Terry Farrell was in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and played Jadzia Dax. In a strange sense, she played two characters, as she had a “symbiont,” Dax, who she shared a consciousness with. Jadzia was a Starfleet scientist. After she decided to leave the show, the writers had her character die in the dramatic finale of season six. The Dax, however, did not die, and was implanted in another character, known as Ezri Dax. Farrell lent her voice to the Star Trek video games that feature Jadzia.

In the beginning, Terry Farrell was not actually an actress. Rather, she was a model, who was so strikingly beautiful and tall, that she almost immediately was offered a contract with fashion magazine Mademoiselle. After Star Trek, she starred in Becker, as Ted Danson’s love interest, Regina “Reggie” Kostas. She was married to actor Brian Baker, who is best known as the guy from the Sprint commercials. Now, she is engaged to Adam Nimoy, the son of Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock.

Israeli-born actress Noa Tishby played the character, Amanda, a human from the 22nd century who served for Military Assault Command Operations as a soldier. Her role in Star Trek: Enterprise was instantly iconic, especially due to that fact that she was originally from Florida. She actually grew up in the same area as Commander Charles Tucker III. One of the more fascinating details about Amanda’s story was that she was romantically interested in the commander. However, he liked T’Pol instead.

Although the actress has a much bigger following in Israeli, her home country, she has developed a quiet reputation as a decent actress in the U.S. However, it was her role in Star Trek that took her career to the next level. She ended up shows like CSI: NY and Las Vegas. HBO’s Big Love was another show she was involved with, playing the role of Ladonna. Other shows she has starred include CW’s Valentine and the Jerusalem based Dig.

Jolene Blalock played a Vulcan science officer in Star Trek: Enterprise called T’Pol. Her character was one of the first Vulcan to be a part of a human ship for a prolonged period of time. It was a tough time for T’Pol, as many thought she was a double-agent for the Vulcan, but she managed to hang on for 10 years. Blalock said she liked working on the show because there was a “sense of immortality … you’re working on something that will never die.”

Jolene is self-described as an “awkward-looking child,” but somehow grew into her looks and started her career as a model. Her images were featured in Maxim and FHM, but found modeling to be taxing on the body and spirit, so she pivoted to acting. Since Star Trek ended, she has been in various TV shows like Stargate SG-1 and House. She also filmed scenes for Lost, but they did not make the final cut. She is married to the CEO of Live Nation.

Barbara Bouchet’s origins can be traced back to 1930’s Germany. Eventually displaced with her family in a U.S. Camp, she eventually was able to flee her country and move to the States. In a classic story of the American dream, Bouchet came from nothing, only to pursue her dream of becoming a model. After she achieved this, she became an actress and hit the jackpot when she landed the role of Kelinda in Star Trek: The Original Series.

Not only was Barbara Bouchet a Trekkie, she was also one of the many Bond women. In the original Casino Royale, she ended up playing the coveted role of Ms. Moneypenny, James Bond’s secretary. After featuring on the cover of Playboy, Bouchet decided that she had enough of American life, and moved back to Europe – specifically, Italy. She starred in movies such as Black Belly of the Tarantula. After a 32 year-long marriage with an Italian producer, it came to an abrupt end.

In Star Trek: Enterprise, Linda Park plays Hoshi Sato. Hoshi is the ship’s go-to person for communications, as she has the gift of knowing countless languages, including the ever-important Klingon. This mirrors her real life, as Linda speaks both Korean and English. Sato was born in Kyoto, Japan, however, the actress Linda Park was actually born in Seoul, South Korea. Although her character is something of a linguistic genius, she has something of an anxious persona, especially when trouble breaks out.

Linda came from Korea, and eventually earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University. Right out of school, she already broke into the entertainment business with a small role in Jurassic Park III, a movie that made over $350 million dollars. Linda was in a one-year relationship with Tom Hardy, the actor who played Bane. Park is also a dancer, and she is active in learning more and more about it. She says that “dancing has always been [her] second love.”

Chase Masterson played a Dabo girl named Leeta on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Dabo is the casino game that was played at Quark’s. During her time on the base, she dated Dr. Julian Bashir for a while, but it did not work out. Leeta also developed a liking for Rom, but they never expressed their feelings for each other, until Leeta almost left Deep Space Nine to be with another man. Eventually, Rom and Leeta married, right on the night of the Dominion War.

Masterson broke into acting as Ivy Lief on General Hospital in 1994. The next year, she got the role of Leeta, and spent four years on the show. Along with acting in various roles, she is a singer. Chase released two records- one in 2011, and one in 2012. She is working to make the world a better place by advocating against hatred of any kind through a foundation called Pop Culture Hero Coalition, which she co-founded. She has a project called Vendetta Vette coming out in 2018.

Beth Toussaint played Ishara Yar, who was a member of the Coalition. She was really tough, due to childhood trauma that left her and her sister Tasha alone, to raise themselves. You can hear her attitude in the Season 4, episode 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation: “I don’t run away when things get tough.” She cozied up to members of the Starfleet, and eventually gained their trust. However, at the last minute, her subterfuge was exposed, showing she was still loyal to the Coalition.

Toussaint started her career as a model, who appeared in the music videos for big rock stars like Bob Seger and Bon Jovi. On television, she played Tracey Lawton, who was a recurring member of Dallas. She is married to Jack Coleman, who was in The Office for three years and Castle for three years. They have a daughter together. Toussaint was in The Young and the Restless as Hope Adams Wilson, and as guest starred in shows like Melrose Place and Matlock.

Nana Visitor was on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She was a tough warrior, specifically a rebel in the Bajoran Resistance. It is not hard to tell she has lived a tough, battle-scarred life when hearing her speak: “Fighting hit and run, always outgunned, living on nothing but hate and adrenaline. It’s not much of a life and it eats away at you so that every day a little part of you dies.” Eventually, she assumed command of the Starfleet station, making her a strong female role model.

After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended, Nana Visitor still had a big connection to outer space. In fact, there was an asteroid named after her called “26733 Nanavisitor.” Beyond acting, she is a triple threat, meaning she could sing and dance too, which helped her as she starred as a cast member of Broadway’s Chicago. Nana Visitor was married three times, and has two kids. She was pregnant during Deep Space Nine. The writers worked it into the storyline of the show.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, Grace Lee Whitney played Janice Rand. Whitney was in the first season, and even was involved with promoting the show before it even aired. However, she was cut from the cast, as the writers wanted to free up Captain James T. Kirk to pursue other love interests. The firing was a murky and regrettable decision, with Roddenberry admitting he was sorry it occurred. She did later appear in movies, and also made appearances at conventions.

Grace Lee Whitney was in Some Like It Hot, the classic comedy movie, alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. She was also a Broadway star; she played Miss Holland in the musical Top Banana. Grace was also the original woman to portray the mermaid from Chicken Of The Sea tuna fish. Sadly, she lived a life marred by alcoholism, but eventually, she worked hard in various programs to keep herself and others sober. She passed away in 2015 at age 85.