I’m taking a more joking/light approach for this post. My last posts were a bit serious, dealing with outer planet karma in birth charts, and I thought it would be fun to combine 2 of my favorite things for this post: astrology and Star Trek. If you are offended by facetious, sweeping generalizations of zodiac signs (or are just really emotionally invested in Star Trek TNG characters), this post might not be for you.
My argument: every main character of Star Trek TNG is an exaggerated zodiac sign. Whether that’s the result of their race (such as being a Betazoid or a Klingon, for example) or not, the characters are representative of very distinct archetypes. I’m thinking that’s because the overarching goal of Star Trek is not intricate character development, so much as it’s about retellings of the same themes we’ve been dealing with in mythology since the dawn of man. But with a sci-fi spin. Here’s my opinion on the main characters of the show and why they fit the most stereotypical themes of different signs.
Jean Luc Picard
Of course, I have to start with the captain of the Enterprise, who is very clearly the archetypal Capricorn. When I was looking this up for fun some time ago I only found one post online about it, and the writer said they thought he was an Aquarius. While she/he had some funny arguments for that, I have to disagree. Picard is all about leadership, and even though he’s not a biological father to anyone, he’s definitely the father figure of the show, which matches the Saturn (father time) energy of Capricorn perfectly. His whole life and sense of worth hinges on his status, career, reputation, and personal integrity. He’s the lawful good aligned guy who takes no bullshit. While Aquarius is also affiliated with Saturn, I’m more inclined to associate it with its modern ruler, Uranus, as the energy feels more fitting overall. Saturn and the 10th house really belong to Capricorn.
This quote from Picard really goes with the Capricorn/Saturn theme of time:
“Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.”
Saturn/Capricorn also has a way of stripping away all that is illusory and facing cold hard reality:
“If we’re going to be damned, let’s be damned for what we really are.”
“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.”
William T. Riker
I’m picking Leo for Riker. He loves creative performance and being the center of attention, both very Leo things. He was the star character for the play “Frame of Mind” in the episode by the same name. Which is the best Riker-centric episode. Even his favorite musical instrument screams “Leo,” the trombone; it’s the color of Leo, gold (well, yellow brass, but whatever), it’s large, loud, and imposing. Also, Riker is a perpetual manchild, which goes well with the Leo/5th house theme of children. He has the Leo smugness as well as the Leo ego (with Leo’s ruling planet being the Sun and the Sun representing the ego, this makes sense). Leo/the 5th house is also house of romantic liaisons and sex, but not the really intense, intimate 8th house kind of sex. And Riker seems to get googly-eyed over any female who gives him the time of day. Sometimes they don’t even have to be biologically female (see episode 117, The Outcast).
Some Riker quotes showing he’s the Leo archetype:
“Deanna, facing death is the ultimate test of character. I don’t want to die, but if I have to, I’d like to do it with a little pride.”
“What’s a knockout like you doing in a computer generated gin joint like this?”
“The name of my ship is the Lollipop. It’s a good ship.”
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Crusher’s another fixed sign; the Taurus archetype. Stubborn, and maybe too stable at times. She’s probably the most predictable character on the entire show, and that’s saying a lot. Her field of expertise deals with the very tangible realm of the human body (or alien body), and Taurus is all about tangible experience. She’s a realist to a fault, except maybe when it comes to love, when she can become a bit of a hopeless romantic. Taurus is ruled by the love planet Venus, so that checks out. She doesn’t seem too capable of the higher, abstract thought of some of the other characters on the show. She’s textbook “earth energy.”
You might be wondering why I would say that and simultaneously peg Picard as an earth sign, with his waxing philosophical musings that border on pedantic. I’d guess that Picard has a Sagittarius Moon to back up his Capricorn energy. Plus, the signs of the zodiac tend to become more “abstract” in expression the further the move along the wheel (from Aries, the most primal force, to Pisces, the most diffused).
Anyway, here are some quotes that really speak to Crusher’s Taurus character:
“Perhaps it is a human failing; but we are not accustomed to these kinds of changes. I can’t keep up. How long will you have this host? What would the next one be? I can’t live with that kind of uncertainty. Perhaps, someday, our ability to love won’t be so limited.”
“If there is nothing wrong with me, maybe there’s something wrong with the universe!”
“Now, you be sure and dress warmly on those other planes of existence.”
Worf
The warrior archetype, fiery, independent, competitive, combative, and quick-tempered. Yep, Worf is Aries, the God of War. A one-track mind fixated on winning who would literally rather die than lose. His perception is black and white, something is or it isn’t, and his entire reality is filtered through the lense of the battlefield. You know those people who can only express things in metaphors related to their niche field of expertise? That’s Worf. Even love is a matter of conquest for him, which is a very Arien approach to love. He doesn’t really get complicated concepts like “nuance” or “table manners.”
He does have some Scorpionic tendencies to him as well, which also makes sense since the traditional ruler of Scorpio is also Mars. His bottling of emotions until they erupt into a raging volcano, for example. His prickly, asshole exterior, his obsession with death and weird rituals. He’s a Klingon so that’s part of the cultural package, but I think the point stands.
Some Worf quotes that show his Mars archetype:
“Klingons do not… pursue relationships. They conquer that which they desire.”
“If winning is not important, then Commander, why keep score?”
“Do not approach me unannounced—especially while I am eating.”
Deanna Troi
Troi is another one where race is going to factor in largely, as her whole thing is being an empath. Since she’s half human, she doesn’t have the full telepathic capabilities of a full-blood Betazoid, I guess. Or she just doesn’t “practice” enough on full-blown mind reading, as her mom has implied. It might even be that she’s intentionally handicapping herself because she gets so intoxicated with feelings that she doesn’t see a need to analyze the “left brain,” believing all there is to know is in the heart.
In any case, she pretty much feels other people’s feelings, and easily gets overwhelmed by strong emotions, because she’s just that special of a snowflake. I think you know where this is going: she’s Pisces. She’s bubbly, warm, idealistic, but also the most sexualized main character on the show (in her outfits compared to other characters, heavy makeup, overly stylized hair, and also by the fan base). For all the bad press Scorpio gets about being hyper-sexual, Pisces can sometimes get overlooked, but they do have some connection to sexuality as well. The 12th house in Vedic astrology is called the “house of bed pleasures.”
She also has an obsession with desserts, which I think is a stereotypical Pisces thing, indulging in sweets and other stuff that gives you a massive endorphin release but is actually toxic for you.
Some Deanna/Pisces quotes:
“It could provide us with valuable information about what’s troubling him. You know, there’s nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life, as long as you don’t let it take over.”
“Look. He wouldn’t even talk to me unless I had a drink with him. And then, it took three shots of something called “tequila” just to find out that HE was the one we’re looking for! And I’ve spent the last twenty minutes trying to keep his hands off me! So don’t go criticizing my counseling techniques!”
“It unites humanity in a way no one ever thought possible. When they realize they’re not alone in the universe, poverty, disease, war – they’ll all be gone within the next fifty years.”
Geordi La Forge
Mercurial, very technical, and the most neurotic character on the show: Geordi is our Virgo archetype of the show. Always questioning and second-guessing everything (most of all himself), and always looking for ways to streamline or otherwise improve upon something. Geordi is the problem solver, but often becomes dominated by how anal-retentive he is. I’m pretty sure he complains more than any other character on the show. He is cerebral, and intelligent, no doubt about that, and the ruling planet of Mercury suits him pretty well. However, Mercury is the “lower mind” (with Uranus being the “higher mind”), and I think Geordi’s visor/being blind is a pretty good metaphor on his frequent blindness to matters of the higher mind (which in many cases have to be cryptically spelled out for him by Gainan). Also, leave it to Virgo to adopt an android as his best friend.
Geordi/Virgo quotes:
“I can’t help thinking how… or what else might have happened, all because I misspoke a single word.”
“See, it’s human nature to love what we don’t have. Simpler days, huh? Anyway, stringing this rigging has made me dream of handling sails…”
“Look, Mr. Scott, I’d love to explain everything to you, but the Captain wants this spectrographic analysis done by 1300 hours.”
Scotty: “Do you mind a little advice? Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. But the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want.”
Geordi: “Yeah, well, I told the Captain I’d have this analysis done in an hour.”
Scotty: “How long will it really take?”
Geordi: “An hour!”
Data
I saved the fan favorite for last. In the beginning of this post I mentioned that another writer had listed Picard as an Aquarius. That same writer listed Data as a Capricorn. I guess because he is void of emotions? But I would flip those, and put Data as the archetypal Aquarius. The literal embodiment of the future and human progress. Freakishly intelligent on a cerebral level but severely emotionally handicapped. He tries to be creative but is lacking that basic element of humanity that would free him to move beyond perfect replications of pre-existing human creation. He literally has to learn to relate to humans slowly and painstakingly as a full grown adult. Sounds pretty Aquarius to me.
The thing is, like the Aquarius archetype, Data does have feelings, which are demonstrated in various episodes. They seem to be elusive to him, and he doesn’t really know how to effectively express them all the time. Much like a child, Data has to learn to recognize his own emotions and also learn how to express them and integrate them into his being. This is the final leap for Aquarius as well, represented in the zodiac wheel from moving from distant, cold Aquarius into the most deeply feeling Pisces.
Here are some Data/Aquarius quotes to end this post on:
“I would gladly risk feeling bad at times, if it also meant that I could taste my dessert.”
“I am attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.”
“There are still many human emotions I do not fully comprehend – anger, hatred, revenge. But I am not mystified by the desire to be loved – or the need for friendship. These are things I do understand.”
Astrotomey 