The Star Trek: The Next Generation Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign

It may be surprising to think now, but when it debuted in 1987, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was considered a big risk for Paramount. Nobody had ever successfully resurrected such an iconic television series, and this one wasn't even going to feature any of the original cast members, like the "Leave It To Beaver," "Mission Impossible," or "Sanford & Son" revivals had.

Instead, "The Next Generation" crew was all new '— and very unlike their predecessors on the original Enterprise. Fans had built relationships with the original crew over the years, and came to know them like they knew themselves: if you were an Aries, you were Kirk, if you were a Virgo, you identified with Spock. But who were these new explorers that beamed into living rooms each week, traveling aboard a ship that looked like a melted version of the beloved Enterprise?

Over 7 seasons, fans came to love the "Star Trek: Next Generation" cast every bit as much the original, while the series built its own fandom around the likes of Picard, Riker, Data, and Troi. Viewers connected with their new Enterprise family, and identified with favorite new characters. But how do they compare with the zodiac? Read on for which "Next Generation" character you are, based on your zodiac sign.

Riker is such an Aries that he was even once offered command of the U.S.S. Aries. He's strong willed, intense, and determined. As first officer of the Enterprise, Riker's primary role is to carry out the orders of his captain, but the first officer is always in charge of away missions, putting him in the command role more often than not on "The Next Generation." Riker does things his way, and Picard trusts him to accomplish the objective. Commander Riker rarely asks for permission, in true Aries fashion.

In "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1." this came to a head when he moved forward with a plan to engage the Borg, but was overruled by Captain Picard when the new Lt. Commander Shelby went over his head with another strategy. Picard ordered him to consider Shelby's plan, and Riker was not happy, threatening her in no uncertain terms about "doing an end run" around him. This strong reaction and gamesmanship is another Aries tendency. Later, in the second part of "Both Worlds," Riker showed Shelby how a true maverick Aries gets things done, executing a bold and risky plan to rescue the assimilated Picard and stop the Borg from annihilating all of mankind during their attack on Earth.

Throughout "TNG," Riker showed his Aries side often, whether that meant keeping busy acting in Dr. Crusher's plays, or fiercely standing up to his commanding officers. 

Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge is (after the first season) the ship's chief engineer, and is nothing if not dependable and good in a crisis, just like a Taurus. When emergency klaxons are blaring around him and crew members are panicking at Red Alert — when warp core breaches are imminent and the containment fields are collapsing — Geordi doesn't panic. Instead, the consummate pro that is he, Geordi calmly sets about remodulating the dylithium crystals and rebalancing the matter/anti-matter flow regulators. He's calm, cool, and collected, and the person everyone depends on in the midst of the ship's imminent destruction. Such is the life of those born under the bull sign.

One weakness of a Taurus however is a certain stubbornness, particularly against that which threatens their emotional security. They don't react particularly well to criticism, and can close off those who attack their usefulness. Such was the case with Geordi around two particular engineers who were critical of his style: Starfleet ship designer Dr. Leah Brahms (in "Galaxy's Child"), and the Enterprise's original chief of engineering, Scotty (who popped up in the Season 6 episode "Relics"). But a Taurus isn't so stubborn that they won't listen to reason, and in both cases Geordi was able to see eye to eye and find common ground. Because that's Geordi, and that's the Taurus sign: rational and reasonable.

Sometimes a playful trickster, sometimes a sinister dark foil — other times a wise spiritual advisor — there are many sides to the immortal super-being known as Q. But he's the most talkative villain you'll find, always with a joke or a cutting remark, an insult or jab. Annoying the crew with petty pranks and dangerous gambits, he has used his omnipotency to travel in time and change history, put mankind on trial, and created entirely fictional worlds to torment Picard and the Enterprise. 

Q used his unlimited imagination to annoy the crew to their wits' end; he introduced them to the Borg for a laugh, and managed to drive them crazy even after losing his powers in "Deja Q." In that episode, he was stripped of his god-like abilities as punishment for being a nuisance to the galaxy, and — terrified of being alone — chose to spend the rest of his "sentence" on the Enterprise because in all the universe they were the closest thing he had to friends. When he appears, he takes on the guise of a Starfleet officer, a military soldier, a sage old doctor, and more — for, like a the sign, he is a patchwork of personalities. Smart, swift, and spunky, Q has all of the traits of the twin zodiac sign.

Cancer signs are wise and emotional, guided by feelings more than intellect, following instinct over informed rational thinking. Counselor Deanna Troi is the only member of the Enterprise crew to truly embody the sign of the crab. Some may count a Cancer's sensitivity as a weakness, but for the half-Betazoid empath, it's her greatest strength. Costar Astrology says a Cancer's "emotions are like an exposed nerve. They can feel everything" and Troi — the half-Betazoid empath with the ability to sense other people's emotions — quite literally feels everything around her. She's used these ability to see through the lies in the words of an enemy commander on the viewscreen, and to sense truth from the words of the falsely accused. 

When a Cancer falls in love, they will carry that emotional connection with them forever. Likewise, even after their breakup years before the series, Troi and her now-commanding officer, William Riker, continued their deep and abiding love as friends, each still addressing each other as "Imazadi" (the Betaziod word for "beloved"). Cancers are also notoriously bad at keeping their attractions a secret from those around them, and in the episode "The Price" she became quickly infatuated with visiting diplomat Devinoni Ral, and was unable to hide her clear affection for him from the likes of Dr. Crusher and her one-time lover Commander Riker. All this added up — if you're a Cancer, you're definitely Deanna Troi.

Are you a Leo? Well then, you probably can see a lot of yourself in Ensign Ro Laren, the first Bajoran audiences ever met on "Star Trek." Brash, headstrong, and willful, Laren is also charismatic in her own way, able to charm herself into the good graces of the Maquis not by tricking them with artificial sincerity, but by being herself. Sometimes seen as overbearing (particularly in the eyes of the more by-the-book Commander Riker), she also has a reputation as a bit of a show-off, casually and smugly remarking to her superior that she "found a better way" to perform her duties, despite specific orders. 

Leos also want to be given special treatment, but only because they feel deserving of it. This can often be mistaken for arrogance, something Trekkies have seen a lot of in Ensign Ro — such as when she insists on being given an exception to uniform requirements for her Bajoran jewelry. She feels she's smarter and better than other Starfleet officers, and wants recognition for it, even going so far as to say "I've always thought Starfleet could learn a lot from me" in her debut episode. Ro, like a Leo, hates being bossed around, and doesn't take kindly to being disrespected. In true Leo fashion, she can be cold and distant when slighted, but is an intensely loyal friend.

You might think a person with no emotions couldn't possibly embody a sign on the zodiac. You might also be taken aback if you're a Virgo, being compared to an emotionless, stolid android, bereft of feeling and incapable of love. But Commander Data is also the most noble and selfless officer on "TNG," never motivated by self-serving interests. Such are the finest qualities of a Virgo, who according to some are also extremely intelligent and astute, even if they do sometimes come across as lacking emotional depth.

In the penultimate Season 4 episode "In Theory," Data begins a relationship with fellow crewman Jenna D'Sora, and it becomes clear that, like a Virgo, Data is similarly drawn to messes — projects for him to fix — as the smitten Ensign is an emotional minefield, her quarters cluttered. Data does his best to balance her own brand of chaos with his orderly nature, another trait that Virgos will surely recognize. Data's primary programming, given to him by famed cyberneticist Dr. Noonien Soong — combined with the debt he feels he owes to the Starfleet officers who rescued him from the dustbin on Omicron Theta — mean he is always looking to be useful. But he becomes more than that; he becomes an indispensable member of the Enterprise crew. So if you're a Virgo, don't feel uncomfortable being compared to Data ... be proud.

It's hard to pick a Libra from this crew, but the sign's description of Costar Astrology seems to describe the Dwight Schultz character perfectly: "difficult to really understand because they seem so contradictory on the surface. They're simultaneously extroverted and introverted, strategic and spontaneous, focused and intuitive." It also notes prominently that Libras are "prone to fantasy." This encapsulates Barclay, the brilliant, socially-awkward, introverted Lieutenant who fantasized himself as a more gregarious, extroverted, confident officer on the holodeck.

It also said of Libras that "they have strong opinions about other people, but take a long time to understand themselves." In Barclay's first appearance in the Season 3 episode "Hollow Pursuits," he gives pretty strong judgements of the ship's senior officers, particularly on the holodeck where he calls Riker "a mannequin in a cheap suit." But Barclay also shows ingenuity, resourcefulness, and imagination, seemingly limited only by his lack of self-confidence. Once he is gifted god-like powers in "The Nth Degree," he gains the necessary conviction and self assurance to unleash the full extent of his true capabilities. When returned to his normal self, the crew gained a newfound respect for him — the sort of respect a Libra always wishes for.

Scorpios are devious, cunning, and clever. Dark, mysterious, twisted visionaries. "A Scorpio with a bad purpose is a dangerous animal." Lore, Commander Data's evil android twin, is surely the sign of the scorpion, the one that will trick you with its charm and lure you in before attacking and piercing you with its deadly tail. 

An enigmatic force of nature, it's sometimes hard to tell whether Lore is truly evil, or just programmed that way. Resentful of the respect and attention his younger, emotionless brother Data has received both by humanity and their father — as shown in the Season 4 episode "Brother" — Lore is fueled by dangerous ambition to show his superiority. Scorpios are said to possess an uncanny ability to play people against each other, something Lore does in the episode "Descent," pitting a group of corrupted, rogue Borg against both one another and the Enterprise. He also manages to turn Data against his friends, who he nearly convinces to kill Geordi LaForge.

Scorpios fear few things: not darkness, not silence, not even death. After being jettisoned by the Enterprise when he attempted to take over the ship, Lore said he drifted in space alone for nearly two years until being picked up by a Pakled freighter, something he didn't seem to mind much. If you're a Scorpio, you might want to check and make sure you're mixing your intellect and cleverness with good intentions, or you might wind up floating in space.

The sign of the "warrior-poet," nobody on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" screams Sagittarius quite like the ship's resident warrior and Klingon philosophizer Lt. Worf. When looking at key Sagittarius traits, it almost reads like a description of the Son of Mogh himself: empirical, principled, recklessly pursuing their many quests. "Both a fearless adventurer and a jaded critic," Worf's passion lies in adventures that can be found both in violent combat and in the intangible battle for the soul. He is perhaps one of the more skeptical Klingons you'll come across, questioning the High Council on more than one occasion, and even critically doubting the apparent return of "Kahless the Unforgettable" in the episode "Rightful Heir," at a time when most Klingons were ready to bow down and swear loyalty to the resurrected messiah without a moment's hesitation.

A Sagittarius is not one to play it safe, either. Though not exactly a reckless person, Worf is always willing to take risks to achieve his lofty goals. When it comes to love, Worf — like the Red Panda that represents the sign of the Sagittarius — is drawn to someone who he can simply have a good time with, someone to sing songs of their deeds with, which is probably why he and Counselor Troi were such an ill-fitting pair (and why he and Jadzia Dax on "Deep Space Nine" worked so well). Focused and driven, Worf is the one everybody turns to when there's an important, life or death mission at hand, making him a quintessential Sagittarius.

Captain Picard is the Capricorn of the Enterprise, and you shouldn't really be surprised. If you're the sign of the sea goat, you'll know the hallmarks of your personality include incredible wisdom, an "old soul" mentality with the maturity of an adult, actions propelled principally by a diligent commitment to duty, and an increased likelihood to suppress emotional outbursts in favor of a stoic resolve.

Picard, as even Mr. Spock said in "Unification, Part II", has an "almost Vulcan quality" in his repression of emotion and his logical, thoughtful approach to everything he does. The least attention seeking of the zodiac signs, Capricorns are "masters of discipline" who are perfectionists to the point of being workaholics, and as Trekkies will recall it took a direct order from Dr. Crusher to get him to take a vacation in "Captain's Holiday." But while on holiday on the pleasure planet Risa, he met one of the few loves he'd encounter on "TNG", Vash. The wild outlaw archaeologist, it took him quite a while to warm up to her — par for the course for a Capricorn, who wants strong, self-determined lovers who can also keep up with them in their pursuits.

If you're a Capricorn, feel honored, for you're in the company of one of the most well-respected officers in the fleet, and one of the most beloved characters in the entire "Star Trek" franchise. 

Hindsight has been kind to the much maligned Dr. Katherine Pulaski. Originally added to the cast to replace Dr. Crusher — who the producers famously disliked — she has historically been viewed with at least some derision over the years. But recent looks back at the show have viewed Pulaski with a fresh eye, and a greater fondness for the more irascible, grumpy doctor who was designed to invoke the classic "Bones" McCoy. Ultimately however, the replacement single season doctor never quite fit in with the group, something that is, ironically, fitting for an Aquarius. Often seen as a contrarian, the Aquarius Doctor was ever disagreeable, but always willing to debate you with a smile. "I couldn't disagree more" is a famous line she had in the classic Season 2 episode "The Measure Of A Man."

Not cold, but rational, Pulaski was nonetheless willing to embrace wild conspiracy theories, a possible reason for her aversion to the transporters, despite them being deemed safe and reliable for more than a hundred years. Pulaski often seems "addicted to figuring people out," something that is true of most Aquarius folk. She found Commander Data particularly fascinating, probably because to her examinations, he defied categorization. She may not have been a fan favorite when she appeared in the show's second season, but she's certainly an Aquarius, and is arguably one of the reasons "TNG" was able to shake off its rocky first season.

Like a Capricon, the Pisces is incredibly wise, but uniquely, is also childlike — being "both 5 and 50 years old at the same time." Although in Guinan's case, perhaps five hundred might be more accurate, as the Enterprise's bartender is at least that old, having been on Earth as early as the 1890s. Even aside from her true age, there's still a lot we don't know about Guinan, who seems to possess a certain "cosmic awareness" of existence, able to tell when history has been altered ("Yesterday's Enterprise"), or when supreme beings are nearby ("Q Who"). This "feeling" and "intuition," though here presented in more sci-fi terms, is in the zodiac indicative of a Pisces, who embraces the esoteric and the divine. They are usually someone who believes in the meaning behind dreams, as Guinan does.

Pisces are emotional and imaginative, and there's not much Guinan values more than a strong imagination, something she has mentioned more than once, most notably in "Imaginary Friend" and in "Hollow Pursuits," where she compares the imaginative Lt. Barclay to her misfit uncle Terkim. It's also said that a Pisces' irrational intelligence can be misconstrued for a psychic ability, but it's possible that Guinan's race, El-Aurians, actually do have some form of psychic powers, though that's never been fully explored. Guinan is possibly the most profound and ethereal of the characters on "TNG," and therefore embodies the Pisces more than anyone.