The main Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members were announced on May 15, 1987. The initial press release highlighted the casting of LeVar Burton, known for appearing in the miniseries Roots, as Geordi La Forge. The only other two members of the cast mentioned were Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (pictured) and Jonathan Frakes as William Riker. Michael Dorn was cast as Worf and was intended to appear in seven of the first thirteen episodes, but after Dorn's performance in the pilot "Encounter at Farpoint", this role was expanded to a series regular. During casting, the role of Deanna Troi was originally assigned to Denise Crosby, with Marina Sirtis cast as Security Chief Macha Hernandez. Executive producer Gene Roddenberry believed that Sirtis would be better in the role of Troi and switched the two actresses; Crosby was cast as an earlier version of the security chief, called Tasha Yar. Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher was dropped after season one, but returned in season three. (Full list...)