The Star Trek universe is full of siblings. Sometimes they are the best of friends. Sometimes they are bitter rivals. But, regardless of the tenor of their relationship, each familial clan still thrives and stands out through the rich storytelling the franchise serves up.
Here are the 20 best sets or groups of siblings from throughout the entire franchise. The rules for this list are as follows — they have to have appeared on-screen (not merely mentioned) and be identified as a sibling, no matter if that means biological, adopted, foster, or chosen. Additionally, siblings connected through different familial relationships are kept separate.
20. Worf and Nikolai Rozhenko
The son of Worf’s foster parents, Nikolai Rozhenko, and Worf didn’t get along as children, though they respected each other’s strong wills and personalities. Their paths crossed as adults when Worf was assigned to prevent his foster brother from further violating the Prime Directive as he observed a race known as the Boraalans.
19. Cleveland Booker and Kyheem
Though not biologically related, Cleveland Booker and Kyheem referred to each other as brothers. Raised together, Kyheem felt Booker was a coward who abandoned their family. They shared the same empathic abilities and worked together to drive the Emerald Chain’s swarms of locusts to the ocean, healing their rift in the process.
18. Tasha and Ishara Yar
Tasha Yar essentially raised her younger sister Ishara on the torturous colony Turkana IV. The two sisters parted ways as young teenagers when Tasha escaped their homeworld and joined Starfleet. They never saw each other again; Ishara resented her sister. Years later, Ishara used her relationship to Tasha to manipulate the crew of Enterprise into helping her commit an act of terrorism.
17. Kestra and Deanna Troi
The firstborn child of Ian and Lwaxana Troi, Kestra Troi died in a tragic accident when she was six years old, shortly after the birth of her younger sister Deanna. Deanna learned of her late sister while helping her mother through a traumatic telepathic episode on the Enterprise. Some years later, Deanna would go on to name her first daughter Kestra after her sister.
16. Narek and Narissa
Two of the children of members of the mysterious Romulan cabal known as the Zhat Vash, Narek and Narissa were committed to the group’s efforts of annihilating all artificial life in the galaxy. They worked together in this effort, though distrusted each other and frequently questioned and criticized each other’s methods. Narek often felt inferior to Narissa as he believed she judged him as the family’s “Zhat Vash washout.”
15. Ezri Dax, Norvo, and Janel Tigan
Before she was Ezri Dax, she was Ezri Tigan, the middle child between two brothers, Norvo and Janel. Though there was tension in their family, Ezri was particularly close to her brother Norvo who she believed had several artistic gifts. The three siblings went their separate ways after Ezri learned Norvo had murdered a woman and Janel was involved with the Orion Syndicate.
14. Paul and Travis Mayweather
Like many brothers, a stiff sibling rivalry existed between Travis Mayweather and his younger brother Paul. Paul resented Travis for leaving their family’s cargo ship the Horizon to join Starfleet. When the two brothers reunited during Travis’ visit “home” to the ship, Travis used his Starfleet training to upgrade the Horizon’s system, further irritating, but also helping Paul, and allowing a bit of a détente between them.
13. Kor, Curzon and Jadzia Dax
Having first met during the peace negotiations between The United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Klingon warrior Kor and Trill Curzon Dax formed a close bond through adventurous escapades together, referring to each other as a blood brother. When the Dax symbiont was passed from Curzon to Jadzia, Kor continued their familial relationship, going on more adventures with his blood sister.
12. Spock and Sybok
The two sons of the Vulcan Sarek, Spock and Sybok travelled very different paths. Although half human, Spock embraced the logical traditions of his people, while his older brother Sybok, a full Vulcan, rejected them, instead embracing emotions. Estranged for decades, the brothers reunited and reconciled after a fashion when Sybok hijacked the Enterprise as part of his quest to find the Edenic Sha-Ka-Ree in the center of the galaxy.
11. Worf and Martok
Worf and Klingon General Martok first encountered each other in a Dominion prison camp. They helped each other survive and subsequently fought side-by-side in the Dominion War. After Worf helped Martok rediscover his honor and courage, the General welcomed Worf into his House as a brother. The two were almost inseparable after that, supporting each other with honor through the trials of their lives.
10. Dahj and Soji (and their Coppelia siblings)
Created from a single positronic neuron by Dr. Bruce Maddox and Dr. Altan Soong through a process called fractal neuronic cloning, Dahj and Soji were twins who appeared to be fully human. The women each separately encountered Jean-Luc Picard. Though Dahj was killed, Soji relied on Picard to save her home world, Coppelia, where dozens of other synthetic twins who had been created from Data’s neural network also lived.
9. Molly and Yoshi O’Brien
The children of the man considered by many to be the most important officer in Starfleet history, Molly and Kirayoshi O’Brien were both born under unique circumstances. Molly was born when the Enterprise was struck by a quantum filament, disabling the ship. While pregnant with Yoshi, Keiko O’Brien was injured on a mission, necessitating her son’s transfer into Kira Nerys’ womb, who carried him to term. Molly doted on Yoshi, and their bond was shown to be strong.
8. Saru and Siranna
Kelpiens Saru and Siranna were devoted to each other from childhood through adulthood. Though they parted ways when Saru left Kelpinar to join Starfleet, their hearts were permanently linked. When Saru returned to his homeworld, he helped Siranna lead their people in breaking free of their fearful natures. Siranna, in turn, came to Saru and the Discovery’s aid when it battled the sentient computer Control.
7. Worf and Kurn
Worf and Kurn, the Sons of Mogh, were separated for most of their lives following the attack that killed their parents. Kurn sought out Worf, revealing their relationship during an officer exchange aboard the Enterprise. Kurn was loyal to his brother and their family, but hid his heritage during his brother’s discommendation. During the Dominion War, Kurn also faced dishonor. Worf helped Kurn assume a new identity to regain honor in the empire.
6. The Duras Sisters
Lursa and B’Etor were the devious sisters of Duras. Their family held great honor within the Klingon Empire until the treachery of their father Ja’rod and brother Duras came to light as well as their own conspiring with the Romulan Sela. They had successfully instigated a Klingon civil war and were responsible for the destruction of the Enterprise before dying in the same battle.
5. Jim and Sam Kirk
Growing up in Iowa, both James Tiberius Kirk and his brother George Samuel “Sam” Kirk saw their futures in the stars. Jim, of course, became one of the greatest starship captains in Starfleet history. Sam became a celebrated scientist. The brothers were reunited, albeit tragically, when the Enterprise arrived at the planet Sam was studying. Jim found his brother had been killed by a parasite.
4. Michael Burnham and Spock
Having been rescued by the Vulcan Sarek and his human wife Amanda Grayson, Michael Burnham was raised alongside Sarek and Amanda’s son Spock. The foster siblings faced a strained relationship at times, but when Michael was missing, Spock searched for her with the help of the Red Angel. Michael returned the favor years later, leading the search for Spock when he disappeared and was accused of murder. Spock credited Michael with helping him become the man he did, and Michael was moved and proud when she travelled to the future and learned of Spock’s legendary life.
3. Quark and Rom
On the surface, it appeared that Quark and Rom didn’t like each other very much, but the truth was few brothers loved each other as much as this Ferengi pair did. Quark often berated and manipulated Rom, but Rom always stood by his brother in his times of need. Quark also unfailingly helped his brother during crises, even breaking him out of a holding cell to prevent his execution by the Dominion. When Quark learned Rom was being named Grand Nagus, he was initially jealous but also expressed how much he truly loved his brother.
2. Jean-Luc and Robert Picard
As boys, Robert and Jean-Luc Picard bickered and battled constantly. The older brother, Robert, enjoyed bullying Jean-Luc. It wasn’t until Jean-Luc’s return to the family vineyard following his assimilation by the Borg and subsequent rescue that the two brothers settled their decades-long rivalry. Four years later, Jean-Luc was devastated to learn Robert and Robert’s son René had been killed in a fire at the vineyard.
1. The Soong Androids and Altan Inigo Soong
Dr. Noonien Soong had a large family. Of his four sons, three were androids and one was human. The androids Data, Lore, and B-4 had challenging and complex relationships with each other. Data long believed he was inferior to Lore while Lore was jealous of their father’s pride in Data. Meanwhile, B-4 was used to lure Data and Picard into a Romulan trap. Data tried helping B-4 improve, but his programming was insufficient, despite Data giving B-4 his memory engrams. Their human brother, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong, helped use some of those engrams to reconstitute Data in a simulation after the android’s death as well as using them to create numerous new pairs of synthetic twins. Altogether, they were, as Data described them, “An acquired taste.” Most siblings are.
This article was originally published on April 9, 2021.
Jake Black (He/Him) has an older half-sister, a younger brother, two adopted sisters, and a bunch of chosen siblings. His writing credits include Star Trek: Starfleet Logbook, Star Trek Magazine, Star Trek trading cards as well as works for DC Comics, Marvel, WWE, TMNT, and many more. He lives in a quiet Connecticut town with his wife, son, and twin daughters. Found online @jakeboyslim.
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