Characters originating in Star Trek: The Animated Series.
New Enterprise Crew Members
The series introduced two Sixth Ranger alien crew members, M'Ress and Arex. Since the animators didn't have to worry about the restrictions of live-action makeup and special effects, these new recruits are not the Rubber-Forehead Aliens often shown in the original series. For a while, they were Exiled from Continuity due to Paramount declaring the cartoon non-canon, but this eventually changed. Afterwards, they started appearing in Expanded Universe works, most notably some of the Star Trek: New Frontier novels, in which they are time-warped into the Next Generation era and wind up serving aboard the USS Trident.
Lt. M'Ress
Voiced by: Majel Barrett
M'Ress is from Cait, a planet of feline bipeds who have joined the Federation. She serves as the ship's relief communications officer when Lt. Uhura is off duty. Like Uhura, she sometimes acts as a temporary science officer when Mr. Spock is unavailable.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the comic book accompanying the Audio Play Passage to Moauv, she's portrayed as a blue-skinned, green-haired humanoid.
- Adventurer Archaeologist: According to her official biography
, archaeology is one of her interests, although the cartoon never shows this. - Barefoot Cartoon Animal: She goes barefoot throughout the series. The official explanation is that she doesn't need (or want) footwear because of her thick pawpads, although the animators don't bother drawing them when her soles are visible.
- Cat Folk: She resembles a bipedal lioness, complete with Pointy Ears, slit-shaped vertical pupils with yellow sclerae, a mane, a tail, and digitigrade legs. She also speaks with "a cat-like purring quality to her voice".
- Cats Are Mean: Subverted Trope, since she's a purrfectly Nice Girl.
- Communications Officer: As noted, it's her main job aboard the Enterprise.
- Constantly Curious: Her bio mentions her "persistently curious attitude".
- Flat Character: In the animated series, she's a supporting character who isn't given much to do compared to the leads. Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Logs, which are novelizations of the episodes, expand her role considerably and make her an Adaptational Badass.
- Last-Name Basis: Her first name is never revealed in the cartoon, but according to the New Frontier novels it's Shiboline.
- Playful Cat Smile: Her default expression, due to her felinoid anatomy.
Lt. Arex
Voiced by: James Doohan
Lieutenant Arex is a male Edosian Starfleet officer who lives during the mid-23rd century. He serves as navigator on the U.S.S Enterprise in place of Pavel Chekov.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: He has three arms and telepathy.
- Celibate Hero: While under Harry Mudd's love potion, he only plays a lute. Probably because he has no one of his species onboard the ship.
- Flat Character: He's mostly just a guy who responds to orders and does his job.
- Hidden Depths: He's quite good with his lute.
- Only One Name: Arex has only one name. Pretty much the trope.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Exists primarily as a cost-saving measure so they didn't have to hire Walter Koenig.
- Those Two Guys: Becomes friends with M'Ress and appears in many scenes with her.
