Star Trek: The Next Generation went off the air in 1994, well before today's crop of famous faces made their mark on television. But as old as the series may feel today, there are some cameos that still feel fresh. Here are ten guest stars that took part in that brave, new mission that fans might be surprised to rediscover.

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd as Ensign Lofler on Star Trek Next Generation.

The Next Generation provided Ashley Judd with her first on-screen experience. The star and activist earned her stripes playing Ensign Robin Lefler in two Season 5 episodes, "Darmok" and "The Game." Though her role in "Darmok" is small, the episode is a memetic fave that untangles a linguistic riddle through Picard's Shakespearean flair. But Judd gets a taste of the spotlight in her second appearance, where Lefler and Wesley Crusher struggle to resist the lure of a dangerously addictive video game. Wil Wheaton gives Judd her first on-screen kiss by the end of the episode, a charming beginning to her healthy career.

Tony Todd

Tony Todd as Kurn in Star Trek The Next Generation

Tony Todd adds a feverish intensity wherever he appears. His starring role in the cult horror classic Candyman is an example of him at his best. It's a talent that also made him one of the greatest recurring Klingons in The Next Generation, appearing as Worf's ferocious brother Kurn. Kurn first arrives on the Enterprise as part of a practice exercise, quickly going toe to toe with the crew. But his goal is to get close to Worf. Kurn was raised by another family, his lineage a secret due to the cloud over their dishonorable father, Mogh. Kurn appeared three times in The Next Generation and returned once in Deep Space 9's "Sons of Mogh." Todd also played an aging Jake Sisko and, once in Voyager, unrecognizable as a mysterious Alpha-Hirogen hunter.

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Diedrich Bader

Diedrich Bader plays a tactical crewman in an early role on Star Trek.

Diedrich Bader is still known to many as one of Drew Carey's close buddies in The Drew Carey Show, although his turn as the invasive neighbor Lawrence in Office Space is arguably his most enduring moment. Today he's a popular voice, slated to appear as King Randor in Kevin Smith's take on Masters of the Universe. But 1989's "The Emissary" was his first television role, giving him a little background time on a standout episode that dug deep into Worf's heart. It's not a big role, and Bader's credited only as a Tactical Crewman. But it's still a great bit to have in the resume, as appearing in Star Trek is still a bucket list wish for many actors today.

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking as himself in Star Trek The Next Generation.

Stephen Hawking was one of the modern giants of physics, reshaping the scientific understanding of general relativity and becoming a bestselling author with his layperson-approachable text A Brief History of Time. Hawking was also, like many in his high-tech fields, a big fan of science fiction. According to Stephen Hawking: A Life Well Lived by Kitty Ferguson, it was Leonard Nimoy who discovered that Hawking wanted to guest star on Star Trek, and Nimoy reached out to make it happen. Hawking is the only person to play himself, appearing in the sixth season episode "Descent" as a member of Lt. Cmdr Data's poker game against some of history's greatest scientific minds.

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Famke Jannsen

Famke Jannsen in Star Trek The Next Generation.

Famke Jannsen became a hot topic as a Bond Girl in 1995's GoldenEye and later endeared herself to X-Men fans as the face of Jean Grey in the 2000 film franchise. But Jean and Professor Xavier actually had their first encounter three years before her breakout moment, when Jannsen played the empathetic Kamala in "The Perfect Mate." As a Kriosian metamorph, her destiny was to marry for diplomatic and political purposes. But Kamala falls in love with Jean-Luc Picard. She imprints her personality on his desires instead, though she still marries her arranged partner. It's a terrific episode. Although seeing Jannsen in a gentle, mentoring relationship with Patrick Stewart almost a decade later can be surprising for Star Trek fans.

Mick Fleetwood

An unrecognizable Mick Fleetwood in Star Trek Next Generation.

Fleetwood Mac's eponymous frontman famously loves two things: his beard and Star Trek. Fleetwood was willing to do anything to earn a cameo on The Next Generation, so long as whatever character he played got to take a jaunt on the transporter. In the second season episode "Manhunt," Mick got his wish. Playing a fishlike Antedian ambassador in prosthetics that required Fleetwood to temporarily sacrifice his beard, his diplomatic contingent beams aboard the Enterprise. The Antedians face-off with Lwaxana Troi, who, in between her vivacious hunt for her latest mate, foils their plans to bomb a diplomatic conference.

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Stephen Root

Stephen Root as a Klingon in Next Generation.

Stephen Root is the beloved character actor behind Office Space's infamous Milton. He's also the voice behind dozens of today's cartoon characters, heard everywhere from Gravity Falls to Amphibia. He's an unlikely figure to think of when talking about Klingons, but he plays the hostile yet good-natured Klingon captain K'Vada in one of The Next Generation's most acclaimed two-parters, "Unification." He's integral to getting Picard and Data behind Romulan lines to search for Ambassador Spock. He even allows Data to access his ship's database to fox the Romulan spies seeking to disrupt their mission.

James Cromwell

James Cromwell as Zaglom Shrek, in Star Trek Next Generation.

James Cromwell is an actor and activist with an extensive film career. For at least one generation, he's the human heart of Babe, and for Next Generation fans, he's Zefram Cochrane, the engineer at the heart of 1996's Star Trek: First Contact. But Cromwell was a Star Trek veteran long before his big-screen hours with the Enterprise crew, first appearing in Season 3's "The Hunted" and returning several seasons later, unrecognizable as a wrinkled Yridian named Jaglom Shrek, in "Birthright." Polite and private, it's unknown how big a science fiction fan Cromwell actually is. However, with dozens of appearances in the genre, it's clear he's put his heart into the work.

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Bebe Neuwirth

Bebe Neuwirth on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Bebe Neuwirth is an Emmy-winning actor best known for playing Frasier Crane's spouse, Dr. Lilith Sternin, on both Cheers and Frasier. She's also a Broadway staple and a reliable fixture on Madam Secretary. But in 1991, she took a quick break from Cheers to appear in the fourth season episode, "First Contact." A huge fan of the franchise, she plays Lanel, a nurse and xenophile who offers to help the transfigured Commander Riker escape hospital imprisonment -- for a sexy price.

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst in Star Trek Next Generation.

Kirsten Dunst became a sensation at age 12 as the too-young vampire Claudia in 1994's Interview with the Vampire and later built her career on taking chances on films like Lars von Trier's Melancholia. She's best known to many as the Raimi Spiderverse's Mary Jane Watson, long-time true love of Peter Parker. But just one year before her breakout role, Dunst guest-starred on Star Trek in the season seven episode "Dark Page." She plays an alien girl named Hedril, a telepath and one of the first of her species to learn to speak aloud. Her tutor, Lwaxana Troi, has unconsciously connected the girl with her deceased first daughter, Kestra. The experience leads to a traumatic shock for Lwaxana, and eventually, the first steps toward healing.

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