Guinan

Guinan is a fictional character and a recurring guest star on the American sci-fi television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Played by actress/comedienne Whoopi Goldberg, she was introduced in the season two premiere, The Child" and made twenty-nine appearances in the series in total. She also appeared in two of the four NextGen feature films, Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis. Additionally, the character has appeared in numerous related media including video games, novels and comic books.

Overview
Guinan was an extraterrestrial humanoid from a long-lived race known as the El-Aurians. She worked aboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D and was the manager of the lounge known as Ten Forward. In addition to preparing drinks and food for the crew, Guinan embodied the traditions of the classic bartender trope, often doling out sage advice and words of wisdom to anyone who was willing to listen. In this capacity, she became a great asset to the ship's captain Jean-Luc Picard, often serving as the man's conscience when the pressures of service became too overbearing. Because of her extended life and great power, Guinan possessed a unique perspective on the workings of the universe and was a fount of information regarding various alien species - in particular, the Q Continuum.

Notes & Trivia

 * The character of was created by director Rob Bowman and writers Jason Summers, Jon Povill and Maurice Hurley based on concepts originally developed by Gene Roddenberry.


 * As a little girl, Whoopi Goldberg was greatly influenced by Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series.


 * Whoopi Goldberg was usually credited as "Special Guest Star".


 * Another El Aurian of note is Doctor Tolian Soran, the central antagonist from the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations.


 * Another notable bartender figure within the Star Trek mythos is Quark, the Ferengi bartender/manager of Quark's on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.


 * Guinan did not work aboard the Enterprise-E during the time of the films, but was later stationed on board the ship in the expanded material following the films such as the 2008 novel Star Trek: The Next Generation: Greater Than the Sum.