Whether due to alternate universes or weird transporter malfunctions, severalStar Trekcharacters have met their doubles. Doppelganger storylines have been a trope ofStar Treksince one of the earliest episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series— season 1, episode 5, “The Enemy Within.” AlmosteveryStar Trekseriessince has featured at least one story where a character encounters an alternate version of themselves. This trope is not unique toStar Trek,of course, as many science fiction and fantasy stories have found creative ways to incorporate multiple versions of the same character.
Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with its many variants of classic characters,Star Trekhas introduced its own kind of multiverse.Star Trekbegan exploring this idea back in the 1960s with the evil Mirror Universe, but modernTrekhas greatly expanded the concept. With time travel shenanigans, pesky wormholes, and technical issues,it’s no surprise that duplicates pop up so often. However, partly because of the popularity of the device, some doppelgangerStar Trekstories and scenes work better than others.
10Admiral Janeway Meets Captain Janeway In Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26 - “Endgame”
InStar Trek: Voyager’sseries finale,Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)travels back in time to visit her former self. The admiral orders Captain Janeway to return to a Borg transwarp hub Voyager had passed several days ago.Voyager can use this to return home,saving the ship from 16 more years stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Captain Janeway and her crew, however, want to use Admiral Janeway’s future technology to destroy the transwarp network and weaken the Borg.
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Admiral Janeway travels to the Unicomplex, which houses the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), andunleashes a pathogen that infects the Borg and deals the collective a devastating blow.Although the admiral dies in the blast, Captain Janeway manages to lead her Voyager through the transwarp corridor back to the Alpha Quadrant. Voyager is then greeted by a fleet of Starfleet vessels who escort the ship home to Earth.
9Commander Will Riker Meets Lt. Thomas Riker In TNG
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 24 - “Second Chances”
In “Second Chances,” the USS Enterprise-D travels to Nervala IV and discovers a duplicate of William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). This Lt. Riker had been serving on the USS Potemkin when he was unknowingly left behind aftera transporter accident beamed one Riker back to the ship and left one on the planet.Having lived alone on an inhospitable planet for eight years, Thomas Riker has become a different man than his Enterprise counterpart.
When Thomas comes aboard the Enterprise-D, he clashes with Commander Riker, andlater wishes to rekindle his romance with Counselor Deanna Troi(Marina Sirtis). In the end,Thomas Riker decides to leave the Enterprisefor another posting in Starfleet. As revealed inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 9, “Defiant,” Riker later leaves Starfleet to join the rebel group known as the Maquis.
8Lt. Beckett Mariner Meets Captain Becky Freeman In Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 1 - “Dos Cerritos”
In theStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5opener, the USS Cerritos gets pulled into a dimensional rift and encounters an alternate-universe Cerritos. In a surprising twist, Becky Freeman, the duplicate of Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), serves as the ship’s captain. Unlike the Prime Universe Mariner,Becky has climbed the ranks quickly and established herself as a tough captain,but she’s not entirely happy in her position.
At first, the duplicates get along fine, but Lt. Mariner soon notices how strict Captain Freeman is with her crew. WhenBecky tries to switch places with Marinerand return to being a fun-loving lieutenant, Mariner fights to return to her home on the Cerritos. Mariner realizes that, whether or not she chooses to advance her career, she never wants to become like her doppelganger, Becky.
In theStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5 premiere, Lt. Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) also met his alternate universe self.Boimler’s bearded duplicate has more confidence than the Prime Universe Boimler,and he regularly takes over command from Captain Becky Freeman. Prime Boimler wants to know about every decision that his duplicate has ever made, leading him to steal a Padd from his alternate self.
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Like Mariner’s duplicate, Boimler’s doppelganger serves as a reflection of Prime Boimler, highlighting all of his insecurities. Unlike Mariner, however,Boimler wants to be more like his duplicate,and he immediately begins trying to grow a beard. Prime Boimler has come a long way since the beginning ofStar Trek: Lower Decks,but he still feels as though he has not accomplished enough. The story is a surprisingly insightful character study, revealing much about Boimler.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 2 - “Kayshon, His Eyes Open”
InStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 2, Brad Boimler landed a position on the USS Titan serving under Captain Riker. While on an away mission involving the Pakleds,Boimler accidentally created a transporter duplicate just like Captain Riker’s.Because it would be too confusing for two Boimlers to remain on the Titan, the original Boimler decides to go back to the Cerritos, while William Boimler remains on Riker’s ship.
The following year,William Boimler is recruited by Section 31, Starfleet’s black ops division, and he fakes his own death.William’s meaningless “death” sends Brad Boimler into a period of depressionas he struggles to process it. The last scene of William Boimler shows him accepting his position at Section 31 and laughing maniacally, butStar Trek: Lower Deckshas yet to resolve this particular plot thread.
5Captain Christopher Pike Meets Admiral Christopher Pike In Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 10 - “A Quality of Mercy”
In the season 1 finale ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,Admiral Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) visits his past self to warn him about the future. InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, Pike learns that he will be involved in an accident in several years that leaves him crippled and confined to a wheelchair.Pike is understandably troubled by this future,and he wonders if he could save the cadets who died in the accident.
As Captain Pike considers warning these future cadets, Admiral Pike appears in his quarters to caution him against it.Captain Pike then finds himself in an alternate universewhere he remains captain of the Enterprise during the events originally depicted in theStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisode, “Balance of Terror.” Pike learns that if he manages to avoid his tragic fate, Spock (Ethan Peck) will end up horribly injured, which helpsPike accept his ownStar Trekfuture.
4Lt. Sam Rutherford Meets Lt. Sam Rutherford In Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks'“Dos Cerritos” goes a different direction for the duplicate of Lt. Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), but still reveals something about Rutherford as a character. In this alternate universe,Lt. D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) returned to Orionand stayed there, embracing her life as a pirate. TheAlternate Universe Rutherford was so distressed by her absence, that he purged all memories of her and added more cybernetic parts to his body.
Duplicate Rutherford is extremely efficient (and even has a miniature third arm), but he no longer feels anything. Although Prime Universe Rutherford thinks his duplicate’s cybernetic enhancements are cool,he does not want to end up like him.While working with his doppelganger, Rutherford modifies his alternate self, giving him the ability to form friendships.
3Captain Michael Burnham Meets Specialist Michael Burnham In Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 - “Face The Strange”
When the USS Discovery gets stuck in a time loop due to a time bug, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) find themselves jumping through different time periods. In one of the jumps,Burnham and Rayner end up on the Discovery a few weeks after Burnham first joined the crew.While working with Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) to find a way out of the loops, Captain Burnham encounters her past self.
Theyounger version of Burnhamimmediately goes on the defensive, refusing to believe Captain Burnham’s claims. Having just gotten out of prison for committing mutiny,Specialist Burnham cannot imagine a future in which she is captain of Discovery.The two Burnhams engage in a fistfight, and despite being fairly evenly managed, Captain Burnham manages to incapacitate her younger self with a Vulcan nerve pinch.
2Commander Spock Meets Ambassador Spock In Star Trek (2009)
J.J. Abrams introduced a whole new generation of fans to theStar Trekfranchise with his 2009 film, connecting his story to the originalStar Trektimeline in an interesting way.The AbramsStar Trekfilms take place in an alternate universethat was created when a Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana) traveled back in time. As part of a plan to save Romulus from a devastating supernova, Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) also got pulled into the past of this alternate universe.
As James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew work to stop Nero,Kirk encounters Prime Universe Spock.Spock helps point Kirk in the right direction, but the aging Ambassador does not get to meet his alternate younger self until later in the film. When Ambassador Spock finally speaks withZachary Quinto’s Spock, he encourages him to remain in Starfleet, telling him to"put aside logic"and"do what feels right."
1Captain James T. Kirk Meets Captain James T. Kirk In TOS
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 5 - “The Enemy Within”
In one ofStar Trek: The Original Series’most memorable episodes,Captain Kirk gets split into two separate halves in a transporter accident.One Kirk is fueled only by rage and other negative emotions, while the other is kind but overly cautious. The “evil” Kirk wreaks havoc on the Enterprise, assaultingYeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney)and attempting to leave a landing party to die.
The two Kirks eventually face off on the ship’s bridge, where the good Kirk convinces his evil counterpart that they need one another to function. Spock, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan) eventually find a solution they believe will combine Kirk’s two halves back into one. In the end, the solution works and Captain Kirk is back to his normal self, bringing one ofStar Trek’sbest doppelganger stories to a close.
