The Enneagram is a powerful system for understanding our personalities, and our true natures.

Now, I’m quite sure the characters in Star Trek (in this article I’ll use examples from TOS (the original series), TNG (the Next Generation), and Voyager) are not as deeply developed as the Enneagram system is! But, there are surface level behaviors of the characters that are reminiscent of each of the 9 Enneagram types.

So, here are my observations of the 9 Enneagram personality types in Star Trek…

Type 1 “The Reformer”: Seven of Nine
Seven, the liberated Borg drone, is intensely concerned with adhering to protocol and doing the “right” thing. You can certainly detect a level of physical tension/anger under the surface, especially when she doesn’t approve of people’s behavior. Seven is not sure if she is an “OK” person or not, after all, she contributed to the death and suffering of thousands as a Borg drone. As she learns to accept the varying qualities of others, she learns to get a little more forgiving of herself.

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Type 2 “The Helper”: Neelix
Neelix is Voyager’s cook, ambassador and unofficial morale officer. He is a little “sensitive” at times and has been known to have his feelings hurt. He is sometimes needy and may work a little too hard to ingratiate himself. Neelix wants to be needed, and he wants everyone to be happy and have their emotional needs met. In the end, you wouldn’t want to be lost in the delta quadrant, or anywhere else, without your friendly “2”. They provide endless heart-energy to nourish your emotional self.

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Type 3 “The Achiever”: Shelby
Lt. Commander Shelby has the 3’s ambition and talent, and no thing and no one is going to stand in her way. She is very adept at saying and doing all the right things to project an image of perfection and humility to those she is trying to impress, while at the same time being quite aggressive and direct with Commander Riker about her desire to usurp him. In the end, she learns that her image and “success” isn’t of paramount importance, and maybe she does have a thing or two to learn.

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Type 4 “The Individualist”: Guinan
Guinan, the bartender/host of the 10-forward lounge on TNG, is an individual. She dresses with her own unique flair. She has a flexible job where she can be herself and doesn’t need to follow a lot of rules. When people seek out her counsel, they are always encouraged to act in alignment with their true selves. She’s definitely an imaginative romantic, just watch her enjoy sweet talk from Riker, or describe her childhood imaginary friend. If she feels passionately about something, watch out, she is a force to be reckoned with!

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Type 5 “The Observer”: Data
It is the android Data’s personal mission to observe humanity, believing that if he understands enough about how humans behave, he may become human. When faced with operating in a new context, such as parenting, or dating, he is infamous for trying to learn how to behave from books/research. He learns that he needs less researching and reflecting, and more doing and engaging, and discovers how to truly be himself and fully exist in the world. Along the way he shares some invaluable insights and helps us all understand who we are.

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Type 6 “The Loyalist”: Chakotay
First Officer Chakotay displays all of a 6’s main characteristics, which by the way are renowned for being somewhat contradictory! He has a history of rebellion and protection of the downtrodden as he fought with the Maquis rebels, yet he readily became loyal to the conventional, disciplined Federation and captain Janeway when they became stuck in the delta quadrant.  6’s are also known as “the devil’s advocate/the doubters”…They constantly think of what might possibly go wrong, and Chakotay often does express his concerns to Captain Janeway about her plans. Although on the whole he is very loyal to Captain Janeway, that loyalty does not go self-unquestioned. On the few occasions when Chakotay decides he can no longer be loyal to Captain Janeway, it is a major existential crisis for Chakotay. For the most part, Chakotay admirably demonstrates the courage and commitment that the evolved 6 has to offer.

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Type 7 “The Adventurer”: Kirk
I just have to use Captain Kirk here, even though it’s my only reference to TOS. Really, captain Kirk just wants to have fun. Problems? Concerns? Planets exploding? Big deal! Let’s just move on to our next wild adventure and by the way let’s get some hot alien-chick action along the way. Leave it to Kirk to come up with the last-minute, out-of-the-box creative solution to save your ass and keep the party going. You can have a great time on Kirk’s Enterprise, but have no doubt, it’s Kirk’s ship and you are just along for the ride!

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Type 8 “The Challenger”: Janeway
Captain Janeway exemplifies the go-ahead-make-my-day attitude of the stereotypical 8. She generally keeps to herself, and she has a bit of a “hard” edge. She doesn’t say a lot, but she says what she means and it is very clear that her words carry weight. 8’s are also known as “the Protector”, and Janeway is fiercely protective of her crew. Cross her, or threaten her crew, and she can be ruthless, vicious and vengeful.

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Type 9 “The Peacemaker”: Troi
Deanna Troi is the ship’s counselor on TNG. She often does play the role of peacemaker, and you’ll see her providing balance and perspective to almost any conversation. She is given to using chocolate to deal with any feelings she is personally uncomfortable with. Perhaps not surprisingly for an empath, she can get swept up into the emotions of others. At times, this goes to extremes, and she has gotten “lost” in another, forgetting her own self and her own needs, and this has led to serious consequences for her.