most powerful star trek aliens

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The Most Powerful 'Star Trek' Characters

When one thinks of Star Trek , one thinks of the noble human and alien characters who populate Starfleet, or the nefarious mortal villains like Khan, Kruge, and Nero. But one of the most enduring elements of Star Trek lore is the recurring theme of how power affects the personality. Trek history is filled with characters who possess immense strength, that are capable of bending time and space itself, and see humanity as mere playthings in the miasma of galactic chaos . Beings like Trelane, Q, the Prophets, and the Traveler consider humanity a fascinating science project or, at worst, an active nuisance. Some beings, like the Organians, try to use their immense power to prevent bloodshed, while others are far more capricious and irresponsible. With all those incredibly powerful characters inhabiting the Trek universe, one must ask: who is the most powerful Star Trek character?

• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• CBS Television Distribution

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 1, Episode 1 - "Encounter at Farpoint"

Powers & Abilities:  Complete mastery of time and space

Most Omnipotent Act:  Where to begin? Q is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful entities in the Star Trek universe (although his membership in the so-called Q Continuum implies that there are others like him). He is, as he so often will remind you, omnipotent. There seems no limit to his power, though he did have his abilities stripped by the Continuum in the TNG episode "Deja Q." Q takes great delight in testing the morality of humanity, specifically the crew of the Enterprise -D. From creating universe-threatening anomalies, trapping the ship in an energy field, and tempting crew members with membership in the Continuum, Q would do anything to prove his point that humanity is a "dangerous, savage child-race." Perhaps his most notable, dangerous act was instantly transporting the Enterprise -D into the Delta Quadrant and introducing them to their most lethal enemy: the Borg. Yet Q isn't all bad, and he takes an almost paternal interest in the moral development of Jean-Luc Picard.

Kevin Uxbridge

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 3, Episode 3 - "The Survivors"

Powers & Abilities:  Immortality, psychic powers

Most Omnipotent Act:  A member of the formidable Douwd species chose to live among humans under the false identity of "Kevin Uxbridge." As Uxbridge, the Douwd creature moved to Earth, married a human woman named Rishon, and finally settled on the Federation colony Rana IV. When Rana IV was ransacked by the belligerent Husnock species, Uxbridge could do nothing, owing to the code of the Douwd that states they cannot take a life under any circumstances. Sadly, Rishon perished, and a vengeful Uxbridge wiped out the entire Husnock species with a simple thought. Overcome with guilt and shame, Uxbridge created a copy of his wife and decided to stay on Rana IV for eternity. When Uxbridge revealed his transgression to the crew of the Enterprise -D, a horrified Picard decided humanity was incapable of judging him for the incaluable losses created by his hand. Picard left Uxbridge on Rana IV, content to allow him to live forever with his shame.

• Star Trek: The Original Series

First Appearance:  The Original Series,  Season 1, Episode 19 - "The Squire of Gothos"

Powers & Abilities:  Can turn matter into energy and back to matter again

Most Omnipotent Act:  Luring the Enterprise to his personal playground, the previously unknown planet of Gothos, Trelane subjects Kirk and his crew to various games, many of which are highly dangerous. Kirk comes to discover that Trelane is simply the petulant child of a powerful, mysterious race of aliens. Trelane's parents punish him for using his powers to torment the Enterprise . Unlike many other beings on this list, Trelane used his powers exclusively to entertain himself. He sees humans as almost like pets rather than antagonists, although he looks set to do some real harm before his parents step in.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Prophets

First Appearance:  Deep Space Nine,  Season 1, Episode 1 - "Emissary"

Powers & Abilities:  Existing outside of space and time, telepathy

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Prophets are the basis for the Bajoran religion — beings of pure energy that live inside the wormhole that connects the Alpha Quadrant with the Gamma Quadrant. They are opposed by the Pah Wraiths — Prophets that have been corrupted by evil. The conflict between these two factions threatens to consume Bajor, with Benjamin Sisko in the middle. He acts as the Emissary of the Prophets because, unbeknownst to him, he is the product of a relationship between a human male and a Prophet. It's his destiny to bring an end to that conflict. After helping to end the engagement between the Federation and the Dominion, then thwarting the Pah Wraiths, Sisko returned to the wormhole to take his place with his people.

First Appearance:  The Original Series,  Season 1, Episode 27 - "Errand of Mercy"

Powers & Abilities:  Exists as a being of pure energy, can take human form when necessary, can instantly render an entire space fleet's weapon controls too hot to touch

Most Omnipotent Act:  Trefayne and the seemingly simple, agrarian Organians brought calm to the Alpha Quadrant at a truly perilous time. With the Klingons and the Federation on the brink of open conflict, the Organians — in reality, a highly evolved species patiently observing the lesser creatures of the galaxy — adopted a treaty that would allow the two sides to coexist peacefully and eventually even become friends. As such, the Organians' greatest power was their ability to help create the framework for peace.

Gary Mitchell

First Appearance:  The Original Series,  Season 1, Episode 1 - "Where No Man Has Gone Before"

Powers & Abilities:  Telepathy, extrasensory perception, telekinesis, invulnerability to phasers

Most Omnipotent Act:  Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell was not only the helmsman of the USS Enterprise during the first known mission of the ship under the command of James Kirk, he was also one of Kirk's closest friends, dating back to their time at Starfleet Academy. That friendship would be tested when the Enterprise penetrated the Galactic Barrier on a mission to investigate a distress beacon from the USS Valiant . In the Barrier, Mitchell was struck by an unknown energy field which gave him almost God-like powers to control energy and matter. It also turned his hair gray and gave him silver eyes, but there's a downside to everything, isn't there? Mitchell's most omniponent act was, as you might expect, going mad and trying to rule humanity. Thanks to Kirk (with an assist from similarly-superpowered Dr. Elizabeth Dehner) Mitchell was unsuccessful.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Paramount Pictures

First Appearance:  Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Powers & Abilities:  The collected knowledge of centuries of space travel, twelth-power energy, plasma projectiles for defense

Most Omnipotent Act:  The V'Ger entity, contained inside a massive starship, sought to join with its creator. After hundreds of years traversing the galaxy, V'Ger could not remember who its creator was, just that it lived on the planet Earth. V'Ger used threats of wiping out the "carbon-based infestation" on Earth to attempt to coerce Starfleet, as represented by Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise crew, to reveal the information V'Ger needed to confront its creator. Ironically, it was those very carbon-based units that V'Ger was looking for. In the nick of time, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy discovered that V'Ger was actually the evolved consciousness of the centuries-old Voyager 6 probe, sent from Earth to "learn all that is learnable." Commander Decker chooses to merge with V'Ger so that it might fulfill its mission and evolve into its next state of being. What became of V'Ger's new form is unknown, presumably because it is so evolved that simple humanoids can't perceive what it is.

Charlie Evans

First Appearance:   The Original Series , Season 1, Episode 8 - "Charlie X"

Powers & Abilities:  Can read minds, can destroy a distant spacecraft with his mind, can transmute matter, can "disappear" people, can operate a starship all by himself

Most Omnipotent Act:  Charlie Evans is a teenager who grew up alone on a remote planet after a spaceship crash stranded him there. The powerful inhabitants of that world, called Thasians, taught him their matter-transmutation skills to help him survive. But as Charlie grew up, his emotional development didn't keep pace with his powers. By the time he finds himself on board the Enterprise , his short temper and his unrequited love for Yeoman Janice Rand begin to endanger the whole ship. At the peak of his powers, Charlie is able to run the Enterprise just with his mind, and to inflict horrible punishments on those who anger him - including turning one woman into a lizard, and removing another one's face. It turns out the only beings he fears are his Thasian foster parents, who are even more powerful than he.

• Star Trek VIII: First Contact

First Appearance:  Star Trek: First Contact

Powers & Abilities:  Controls the Borg species, has the ability to time travel

Most Omnipotent Act:  As the all-powerful figurehead of the Borg Collective, the Queen commands a fearsome fleet of Cubes and a transwarp hub that allows the Collective to travel great distances in far less time than standard warp-capable vessels. The Queen's greatest gambit was the assault on Sector 001, which would have succeeded if not for Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise -E. The Queen's Plan B was even more insidious: traveling back in time to a pre-warp Earth to prevent the test flight of space pioneer Zefram Cochrane. Again, Picard and the Enterprise -E were able to stop her, but the Queen's most omnipotent act was yet to come: transferring her consciousness through time and space, back to the Delta Quadrant. The Queen's body might cease to function, but through the power of the Collective, she could transcend the corporeal.

• Star Trek: Voyager

The Caretaker

First Appearance:  Voyager , Season 1, Episode 1 - "Caretaker"

Powers & Abilities:  Providing safety to the Ocampa, transwarp manipulation

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Nacene entity, better known as The Caretaker, felt that he and his kind owed a debt to the Ocampa, since they had inadvertantly damaged the Ocampa planet's atmosphere. Knowing of his own mortality, The Caretaker took starships from across the galaxy and brought them to the Delta Quadrant to experiment on them. The goal was to find another species that could care for the Ocampa when he was gone. Two of those ships were USS Voyager and the Maquis vessel Val Jean . While Captain Janeway was able to convince The Caretaker that he could no longer expect the Ocampa to be coddled like children, she could not get him to send Voyager or the Val Jean back to the Alpha Quadrant before he perished. It was The Caretaker who set Voyager off in its perilous journey back home.

The Traveler

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 1, Episode 6 - "Where No One Has Gone Before"

Powers & Abilities:  Altering space, time, and warp fields with his mind

Most Omnipotent Act:  Little is known about The Traveler, other than his race's immense power. To learn more about humanity, The Traveler joined up with Starfleet engineer Kosinski to create what Kosinski thought was a new method of warp travel. In truth, it was The Traveler manipulating warp fields to send starships traveling faster than warp nine. The Traveler was crucial to sending the Enterprise -D back to known space after an mishap with Kosinski's warp system. He also revealed that Wesley Crusher, the young son of Dr. Beverly Crusher, was a genius and would one day do amazing things with his abilities.

Gomtuu (AKA Tin Man)

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 3, Episode 20 - "Tin Man"

Powers & Abilities:  Warp drive, protective force field, transporters, telepathy

Most Omnipotent Act:  Gomtuu, better known by the nickname "Tin Man," was an organic creature that traveled the galaxy with a crew that lived a symbiotic, harmonious existence with it. A radiation leak caused the crew of Tin Man to perish, which sent it into a state of despair for thousands of years. With no one left to live on it, Tin Man decided to take its own life by orbiting a star about to supernova. The Romulans, thinking they had found a tactical advantage over Starfleet, decided to take Tin Man for themselves. The efforts of the Enterprise -D helped stop the Romulan plot, and telepathic ambassador Tam Elbrun stayed behind on Tin Man in order to pilot the ship and be its friend for the remainder of their respective lifespans.

The Cytherians

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 4, Episode 19 - "The Nth Degree"

Powers & Abilities:  Superior intelligence

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Cytherians were unique within the Alpha Quadrant. They did not travel through space. Instead, they used a sophistacted probe that downloaded their immense knowledge into a representative of a species who would then lead their starship into contact with the Cytherians. The Cytherian probe encountered Enterprise -D crewman Reginald Barclay, who took control of the ship and piloted it away. The knowledge corrupted Barclay, who turned malevolent while under Cytherian influence. 

Crystalline Entity

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 1, Episode 13 - "Datalore"

Powers & Abilities:  Can consume an entire planet, warp capability

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Crystalline Entity is, in essence, a large electromagnetic collector. It needs to feed on organic matter, which it then converts into the energy it requires to survive. Unfortunately for any planet or starship that encounters the Entity, that means that all life will cease to exist on it. The most notable incident in the Crystalline Entity's lifespan was its encounter with the Omicron Theta colony. After the Entity fed off of the inhabitants of the colony, Starfleet investigated the aftermath, finding the most remarkable being: the android Data. Taking him in, Starfleet would eventually allow Data to enter Starfleet Academy and be treated as any other lifeform would — with all the rights and privileges affording to a sentient being. (Subsequently, another android - Data's "evil twin" Lore - was found on the same colony.)

First Appearance:  The Original Series,  Season 3, Episode 22 - "The Savage Curtain"

Powers & Abilities:  Can control matter and rearrange molecules, able to camoflauge itself

Most Omnipotent Act:  Using their power to manipulate matter, Yarnek and his fellow Excalibans create reproductions of avatars of "good" and "evil" from galactic history: Abraham Lincoln, Klingon deity Kahless, the Vulcan Surak, Genghis Khan, and others. This is so that the Excalibans can better understand the concepts of right and wrong. Of course, the test also involves Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise away team struggling to defeat the side of evil. When Yarnek's experiment concludes, it sees no difference between good and evil, though Kirk attempts to explain that their motives for combat were drastically different. Evil fought for personal gain and ran when confronted, while good merely attempted to defend itself.

• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

The God of Sha Ka Ree

First Appearance:  Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Powers & Abilities:  Can change appearance, manipulate physical surroundings, shoot lighting bolts

Most Omnipotent Act:  Held against its will on the planet Sha Ka Ree, beyond the Great Barrier, "God" lured Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Spock's half-brother Sybok down to his planet in order to take over the Enterprise -A so that it might transport him across the galaxy. Sybok — so enamored with his belief in the apocryphal Vulcan myth of the heavenly planet of Sha Ka Ree that he would believe anything — accepted "God" at its word and offered the ship to it. Captain Kirk, naturally a skeptic, asked the memorable question "what does God need with a starship?" Kirk realized that "God" was an imposter, a malevolent alien who wanted only to destroy. With the help of a Klingon Bird of Prey, "God" was defeated.

Ancient Humanoids

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 6, Episode 20 - "The Chase"

Powers & Abilities:  The power to create life itself

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Ancient Humanoids are the progenitors of all major races in the Star Trek universe. Knowing that their time in the galaxy was finite, they seeded DNA across the galaxy to create species that would resemble them. The Ancient Humanoids also created a computer program that each species had a piece of. That program would display a holographic message explaining the origin of life in the galaxy. The hope was that this program would force all the species created by the Ancient Humanoids to work together. The Klingons and Cardassians rejected this revelation, but the humans and Romulans at least considered the possibility of their shared heritage.

First Appearance:  The Original Series,  Season 3, Episode 17 - "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"

Powers & Abilities:  Non-corporeal, telepathic, can make humanoids lose their minds just from its appearance, 

Most Omnipotent Act:  Kollos was a Medusan — a race of beings with highly advanced intellects, but the beauty of their minds was tempered by the hideousness of their appearance, which could induce insanity. Only Vulcans could gaze upon a Medusan, but strictly with the use of special visors. Medusans' navigational techniques are without peer - which comes into play when the crazed officer Larry Marvick sends the Enterprise hurtling into uncharted territory at warp 9.5. The only way to save the ship is for Spock to merge with Kollos and use Kollos's navigational expertise to chart a course back to known space.

First Appearance:  The Next Generation,  Season 1, Episode 23 - "Skin of Evil"

Powers & Abilities:  Immune to phasers, able to liquify and torment humanoids, capable of firing energy discharges

Most Omnipotent Act:  The personification of the evil thoughts and feelings of the inhabitants of Vagra II, Armus knew nothing but cruelty. To demonstrate how serious he was about harming the Enterprise away team, Armus struck Lt. Yar with an energy discharge, taking her life.

Female Changling

First Appearance:  Deep Space Nine,  Season 3, Episode 2 - "The Search, Part II"

Powers & Abilities:  Shapeshifting

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Female Changling was Founders' representative to the Alpha Quadrant. She could be as cruel as she was calculating. Her goal as leader of the Dominion was the complete subjugation of all races in the Alpha Quadrant and the end of the Federation. Her disdain for "solids," or any species that wasn't a Changling, dictated her every decision. By bringing about open conflict with the Federation, the Female Changling ended the peace the Alpha Quadrant had enjoyed for decades.

Powers & Abilities:  Great wisdom and leadership

Most Omnipotent Act:  During his time amongst the living, Kahless did not possess any discernable, confirmed superpowers. His greatest power was his ability to lead, as he was the last Klingon head of state to unite the great houses of the Empire. Tall tales were written about Kahless's prowess as a warrior, like Kahless fighting off an entire army by himself and flooding the ocean with his tears. Were these real events or exaggerations for artistic effect? We shall never know, but the most important part of Kahless's story is that when he perished, he ascended to the Klingon heaven known as Sto-Vo-Kor. Kahless promised that one day, he would return to unite the Klingon Empire once again — a story point that would be used by the Klingon clerics who cloned Kahless in the TNG episode "Rightful Heir." The clerics of Boreth attempted to use that clone to reunite the Empire behind their spiritual touchstone, but Worf discovered the deception. Still, the clerics' plan worked, in a certain way. The Kahless clone would eventually be made the ceremonial head of state of the Klingon Empire, as a means to inspire his people to better things. Unfortunately, the influence of a fake Kahless was not as powerful as the real thing, and the Klingons took up arms against the Cardassians thanks to the influence of the impulsive Chancellor Gowron. 

• Star Trek: Discovery
• CBS All Access

First Appearance:  Discovery,  Season 2, Episode 3 - "Point of Light"

Powers & Abilities:  Complete command of Starfleet and Section 31's ships, ability to bond with organic beings.

Most Omnipotent Act:  The Control threat analysis system, deployed by Starfleet following their conflict with the Klingons in the 23rd century, develops into an all-knowing artificial intelligence with a plan to take over the entire Federation. Control used nanite technology to reanimate the body of Section 31 operative Leland, who became the physical avatar for Control. Only the combined talents of the Enterprise and the Discovery were able to stop the computer and its Section 31 minions from achieving their goal.

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Published Jul 2, 2023

Star Trek's One-Hit Wonder Alien Species, Ranked

We may have only seen them once, but they made the most of their limited time.

StarTrek.com

When it comes to Star Trek aliens, the Klingons are as ubiquitous as the Beatles, while the Ferengi are more of “Top 40” choice, the Andorians are like an indie band, and the Romulans are whatever type of music you hate the most.

But what about the one-hit wonder alien races — the species that only appeared in one episode (or movie), but who we still think about all the time? Some looked unique, others communicated or reproduced differently, and many taught us important lessons about our own humanity. Here are some of our favorite one-hit wonder species.

10. The Nibirans

What happens when you disobey the Prime Directive? The Nibirans — aka, the species seen chasing down Kirk and McCoy in the opening of Star Trek Into Darkness — give us a possible answer. After getting a good look at the Enterprise , the primitive race sets aside their sacred scroll to draw pictures of the starship instead. Kirk gets demoted for “playing god” and you have to wonder how things changed on the planet Nibiru after that. Was an Enterprise shrine built inside the volcano Spock kept from blowing up?

9. The Kradin

When Chakotay’s shuttlecraft crash-lands on an unknown planet in Star Trek: Voyager 's " Nemesis ," he’s taken in by a group of earnest, plucky rebels fighting an unjust war against a murderous race called the Kradin. Chakotay sees the monstrous-looking Kradin abducting elderly villagers, harassing children, and killing his comrades — but it turns out it’s all a holosimulation designed to recruit fighters from the crews of passing ships. The Kradin are actually the good guys! But even after finding out the truth, Chakotay discovers that he still doesn’t want to be in the same room as one. “I wish it was as easy to stop hating as it is to start,” he tells Janeway.

When dealing with a shy, nervous race, send in the Irish guy. That seems to be Sisko’s thinking when he asks Chief O’Brien to befriend an alien whose ship he’s fixing in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's " Captive Pursuit ." O’Brien suspects he’s on the run, but he and the rest of the crew can’t get him to tell them what he’s running from. The riddle is solved when a hunter shows up, looking for his “prey.” Turns out, his species breeds Tosk to hunt them down, yet consider them sacred. The Tosk in their custody refuses asylum to avoid dishonor, so O’Brien helps him escape to live another day trying to evade the hunters.

7. The Tamarians

Shaka, when the walls fell!

If these words mean anything to you, you’re a fan of the memorable Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “ Darmok ,” which finds Picard stranded on a planet with a starship captain from a race known as the Children of Tama . Although his fellow maroon-ee seems relatively friendly, they can’t communicate, despite Picard’s universal translator. But literally no one is worried that Picard might not live up to the challenge. He figures out that the Tamarians speak in allegory, and learns what all the important ones mean in less time than you can say “Darmok and Jalad on the ocean.”

6. The Horta

The first silicon-based lifeform to be introduced in the Star Trek universe, the Horta might prompt you to utter, “I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer!" That is, of course, if you’re Dr. McCoy and have been sent to nurse the rocky-looking creature in The Original Series episode, " The Devil in the Dark ." Spock, on the other hand, performs a mind-meld and finds he quite likes the alien, who admires his ears. IRL, the unique-looking creature was the brainchild of Janos Prohaska, who originally created it for The Outer Limits , where it appears as a giant germ. According to Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , he added some fringe and veins to transform it into a miner’s worst nightmare on Star Trek .

5. The Kobali

How would a humanoid species reproduce, if not sexually? An interesting answer to this question is given in the Voyager episode “ Ashes to Ashes ,” which features the Kobali, a species that salvages dead bodies and implants them with a genetic pathogen. The pathogen causes their DNA to change and their bodies to reanimate. In the process, their memories are wiped — except for the few who still remember who they were the first time they were alive. One such Kobali is Jhet'leya, aka Ensign Lyndsay Ballard , who died on an away mission. When she shows up at Voyager in her now-altered form, more goes wrong than she expects — and that doesn’t even include hooking up with Harry Kim.

4. The Gormagander

If you love marine life, you can’t help but squee a little when the Gormagander makes his appearance in Star Trek: Discovery 's " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad ." Also known as a space whale, these endangered creatures just float around space, chilling. When the Discovery crew encounters one, it seems injured; they beam it aboard to take it to a wildlife sanctuary.

A good idea until they find out that the Gormagander is actually experiencing its own personal Jonah-and-the-whale situation. Hiding inside is the infamous Harvey Mudd, who’s later brought up on charges for “penetrating a space whale” (among many other things) in The Original Series.

3. The Flying Parasites

They were never really given a name, but don’t let that fool you — you do not want to run into the flying parasites that the Enterprise encounters on Deneva in " Operation: Annihilate! "

They sting, they know how to fly, they’re resistant to phasers — oh, and they made Kirk’s brother Sam go insane, then murdered him. These nightmare-inducing aliens, which look sort of like rubber placentas, are still no match for Spock, however. Although one latches onto his back, he overcomes the pain and the brainwashing, kidnaps one of the parasites to study, then has McCoy test out Kirk’s theory as to how to kill it. The procedure successfully releases him from the creature’s grasp, and even blindness can’t keep Spock down — thanks to his inner eyelids, the side effect is only temporary.

2. The Cheron

When the Enterprise encounters a comatose member of a new alien species from a planet that’s recently been destroyed, the fact that he has some organs Dr. McCoy has never seen is hardly the most notable thing about him. His skin is dark black on one side, and bright white on the other, leading McCoy and crew to decide he’s probably a mutant. But when they pick up a second survivor named Bele , he too has the unique pigmentation. There’s one problem — the two men hate each other.

In an unexpected twist, Bele (played by Frank Goshin, two years after portraying The Riddler in Batman ), explains to Kirk that the reason is obvious — he’s black on his right side, while the other Cheron is white on his right side. The episode " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield " is such a powerful allegory for racism that it stuck with a generation of fans who had only seen it on television one time.

What does pure evil look like? If you said “a sentient pool of tar,” from " Skin of Evil ," then you know why The Next Generation ’s Armus is number one on this list.

Literally a discarded second skin of everything “evil and negative within” from another race who abandoned it on a desolate planet, Armus displays his sinister intentions immediately by senselessly murdering Tasha Yar. Picard is ultimately able to distract him with his dazzling intellect (and some poetry) long enough to get the rest of his crew off the surface, but the act of killing Yar has repercussions that reverberate throughout the rest of the series.

This article was originally published on August 12, 2019.

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Jennifer Boudinot (she/her) is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on Collider, The Belladonna Comedy, and Points in Case. She's also the co-author of the books Dangerous Cocktails and Viva Mezcal. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is a Kira with a hint of Dax. Find her on Twitter @jenboudinot.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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You wouldn’t have Star Trek without the success of The Original Series , and you wouldn’t have The Original Series without Spock. Although the competition is fierce, there may not be another Star Trek character that is as beloved as Leonard Nimoy ’s Mr. Spock. Half-Vulcan and half-human, the logical character has been appearing in great Star Trek stories since 1966. The Vulcan race has been developed around his iconic performance, but there are many other great Vulcan characters in the universe’s history. The savior Surak, Spock’s father Sarek, the Enterprise hero Tuvok, and the ambassador Soval are just a few of the best.

The Vulcans’ sister species the Romulans are almost the complete opposite of their philosophical counterparts. The Romulan culture is based on conflict, and throughout the franchise’s history, the two alien species have frequently come into conflict. Romulans first appeared in The Original Series episode “Balance of Terror,” and their empire inspired many of the greatest Star Trek villains ever, including Spock’s tormentor Nero, the powerful Paraetor Neral, and the Federation’s rival Commander Tomalak.

There aren’t many Star Trek villains as truly frightening as The Borg. First appearing in The Next Generation , the hivelike species assimilates all of its opponents into servants of “The Collective.” Patrick Stewart ’s Captain Picard meets his greatest challenge in the beloved two-part storyline “The Best of Both Worlds,” where he is captured and assimilated to the villainous creatures. Picard deals with the post-traumatic stress disorder of his experiences well into the future; he’s forced to face his old enemies again in the excellent 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact . With the phrase “Resistance Is Futile,” The Borg is synonymous with immediate danger.

The Klingon Empire is one of the most powerful bodies in the Star Trek universe. The warrior species has a culture entirely based on combat and trial, with a caste-like system that divides them by their different rank. Kirk, Spock, and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew face off against the Klingons many times throughout the run of The Original Series . However, The Next Generation proved that not all Klingons were villains. The Next Generation fleshed out the Klingon culture in a more empathetic way, and introduced the USS Enterprise-D ’s Klingon security officer Worf. Worf’s bravery and loyalty made him one of the most valuable assets to Captain Picard’s crew, and he returned as a major part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ’s later seasons.

Cardassians

One of the most important new species introduced in The Next Generation was the Cardassians, who first appeared in the season four episode "The Wounded". Although the militaristic aliens were renowned for their brutality, unlike The Borg, each Cardassian character acted as an individual. The Cardassian species had developed their ruthless qualities as a result of many hardships, as their home planet had been ravaged by war and famine. The Cardassians kept their culture under strict authority, with a powerful surveillance system, dangerous police force, and strong nationalism within their military dictatorship. The Cardassians waged war against the Federation during Deep Space Nine when they joined the Dominion in an epic conflict.

While many of the most memorable Star Trek aliens are antagonists, the Ferengei are thankfully a great source of comedic relief. The quirky schemers tended to have greedy attitudes, but they haven’t historically been that malicious in nature. The Ferengei were more of a constant annoyance to Captain Picard’s Enterprise crew throughout The Next Generation than a threat like The Borg, and they even proved to be allies a few times. The Ferengi bartender Quark and his brother Rom added a great humorous addition to Deep Space Nine , which otherwise is one of the franchise’s more serious shows.

We’re always going to have a little trouble with Tribbles. The cute, furry species made their debut in the fifteenth episode of The Original Series season two, and fans are still a little divided on whether the adorable creatures are some of Star Trek ’s weakest features or one of its greatest assets. These plushy little guys tend to multiple, and they do it fast , causing problems for multiple generations of Star Trek heroes. Tribbled popped up again in The Animated Series episode “More Trouble, More Tribbles,” the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations,” and the Short Treks episode "The Trouble with Edward.” Amusingly, the Klingons considered the Tribbles to be their mortal enemies. Tribbles occasionally served a good purpose; in Star Trek Into Darkness , Bones is able to replicate Khan’s super blood in the Tribbles, thus saving Kirk’s life.

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The 20 Strongest Species, Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful

Humans may be a hardy lot in the Star Trek universe, but they’re far from the strongest. In fact, many otherworldly races are so dangerous that they are considered prime threats by Starfleet. A lot of these different races act as enemies to the Federation, while others have since mended fences, and become allies in pursuit of a greater good.

Still, others remain as hostile as ever, with immense physical, mental, and military powers that represent a serious threat to the rest of the galaxy, if not the entire universe. The scale of danger is a determining factor when it comes to gauging just how lethal Star Trek ‘s alien races are, and what they’re truly capable of.

Updated on December 8th, 2021 by Derek Draven: Humans aren’t the only species gallivanting around the Star Trek galaxy, and they’re certainly not the most powerful. Many other species possess abilities that range from comparably strong, to almost God-like, and only a specific set of variables keeps them in check.

Starfleet has had encounters with many species that could wipe them out with a thought, while others have remained a persistent thorn in the side of galactic peace. Others are immensely powerful, but hold no malice or ambition, making them wild cards in terms of galactic diversity. It’s worth taking a look at a few more that even hardcore Trekkies sometimes forget about.

20 Tribbles

They’re cute, cuddly, and irresistible, but left to their own evolutionary devices, Tribbles represent a very real threat. These little balls of fur multiply at an exponential rate, whilst consuming all available food in a surrounding area, and they do not stop – ever.

All it takes is a small piece of food to fuel a Tribble’s reproductive cycle, at which point they engulf an area with overwhelming numbers. Still, their ability to calm the human nervous system upon touch makes them a forgivable threat for many species around the galaxy.

19 The Xindi

The Xindi were a collection of five distinct species that were all native to the planet Xindus. The Xindi-Insectoid and Xindi-Reptilian peoples became so distrustful of each other that they both contributed to the mutual annihilation of their home world. Even after it was destroyed, they endured as a spacefaring alliance.

The transdimensional Sphere Builders guided the surviving species to habitable planets, and urged them to construct massive celestial weapons. This made them a huge threat to the safety and security of the galaxy at large, and the Xindi went down in history as one of the Federation’s first real challenges.

18 The Vulcans

Vulcans were the first extraterrestrial species encountered by humans in Star Trek,  and with their guidance, rose to become a major player on the galactic stage. While they are highly advanced and enlightened, they still carry some holdovers from their more primitive emotional evolution, and are not to be trifled with.

They are known for being resilient, both mentally and physically. Many Vulcans are capable of incapacitating another sentient with a single touch, referred to as the Vulcan nerve pinch. While seemingly benign, Vulcans can be rather ruthless, cold, and calculating – a side effect of their dispassionate devotion to pure logic.

17 The Cardassians

Cardassians are a mysterious and militaristic race notorious for their ruthlessness, and their society is strictly regimented. Banana republic-style politics and kangaroo courts were a mainstay of the oppressive Communist-style regime, and the Cardassians always seemed to engage in dangerous mind games against both enemy, and friend alike.

They carried out many atrocities in their zeal to dominate the galaxy, and expand. The most serious of these was the conquest and authoritarian occupation of Bajor, in which millions of Bajorans were imprisoned, tortured, and/or executed. They became a significant threat during the Dominion War, where their militaristic talents were put to frontline use.

16 The Klingons

Klingons are one of the most popular and enduring races in the Star Trek franchise. Their zeal for combat and glory made them a formidable military threat throughout the galaxy. Most Klingons, both male and female, are fierce fighters who undergo grueling rites of passage in order to become honor-bound warriors.

Though Klingon society is ostensibly ruled by a common sense of honor and tradition, the Empire has suffered dearly from political double-dealings and infighting. They are not fully trusted by the Federation, mostly because of their unpredictably hostile nature, which can turn them from ally to enemy at the drop of a hat.

15 The Romulans

Romulans share a common ancestor with Vulcans, but the Romulan history is much more complicated than that. Whereas Vulcans value logic and foster harmony, Romulans value ambition, and rely on cunning to advance themselves. Advancement in the military was the greatest honor a Romulan could earn.

They are best known for being masters of the long game, sometimes waiting decades to effect a master plan. Their weaponry and ship technology is on par with the Federation’s best, but their cloaking technology gives them a frightening advantage in a fight. The combination of elements makes Romulans a huge threat.

14 The Gorn

While reptilian in appearance, the Gorn possess a keen intellect, to the point of being able to achieve warp travel. They are also one of the strongest species in the entire galaxy, with physical feats of strength that greatly outnumber many others from different worlds. They were first introduced in classic Trek, when Kirk had to use both his fists and his brain to defeat one in combat.

The Gorn were territorial and aggressive, but not necessarily warlike. Their culture may have been xenophobic to a point, though they were later known to share in galactic events, while mingling with other species. However, very few dared to cross them.

13 The Tholians

The Tholians were a-non humanoid, enigmatic species first introduced to Star Trek audiences as an antagonist race. After trapping another Federation vessel, the Defiant , the Tholians attempted the same with the  Enterprise . The so-called “Tholian Web” was projected and woven in space by their vessels, comprised of interconnected energy filaments.

Tholians were an instant fan favorite, despite remaining so mysterious. There were mentioned again in subsequent Star Trek series, but they didn’t reappear on screen again until Star Trek: Enterprise . Their modern appearance was akin to a crystalline spider with average height, comparable to humans. Left unchecked, Tholians are a definite threat.

12 The Hirogen

The Hirogen were one of the most dominant species in the Delta Quadrant when the Starship Voyager encountered them in the 24th century. Much like the Yautja warriors of the Predator film franchise, the Hirogen based their entire culture on hunting worthy galactic prey.

Physically, they were very imposing, with great height and broad composite armor. Every aspect of their technology enhanced their martial and hunting capabilities. A single Hirogen hunting vessel required a minimal crew, and could dominate regions of space spanning many light-years. They were considered an apex species in the Delta Quadrant.

11 The Zalkonians

While the Zalkonian race appears to be a seemingly ordinary humanoid species, it’s their evolutionary biology that makes them so powerful. On their own, individual Zalkonians are no stronger than an average human, with comparable weapons and ship technology.

However, the Zalkonians were shown to be taking the first steps towards an evolutionary ascension in the 24th century. The Enterprise-D gave safe refuge to a Zalkonian dubbed John Doe, who was capable of healing mortal wounds, transporting himself or other beings with a thought, and resurrecting the dead.

10 The Prophets

The Prophets resided within the stable Bajoran wormhole between the Alpha Quadrant and the Gamma Quadrant. They are sufficiently alien in the fact that emotional concepts like love, grief, and even the concept of linear time are incomprehensible to them. They are solely concerned with their own perception of the welfare of Bajor.

They can probe the minds of those to whom they grant visions, appearing as familiar figures from that person’s life, based on the type of message they want to convey. With Captain Sisko as their Emissary, they heavily shaped the course of the Dominion War, making them one extremely powerful alien species that preferred indirect action, as opposed to outright violence.

9 The Breen

The Breen are as dangerous as they are mysterious. They are only ever seen in their armored regeneration suits, and they are immune to empaths. Physically, they are devastating in combat. During the Second Klingon Empire, an entire fleet of Klingon warships invaded Breen space. Not only were they repelled, but the fleet was never heard from again.

Even the Romulans and the Cardassians are frightened of the Breen.  They have no apparent rules of engagement and focus primarily on destroying their opponents by any means necessary. They even carried out a successful attack on Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco, at the start of the Dominion War.

8 The Jem’Hadar

The Jem’Hadar are a race of reptilian hybrids genetically engineered by the rulers of the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant. Their sole purpose in life is to fight, and sacrifice themselves for the Dominion in battle. To this end, the Jem’Hadar were engineered with astounding strength and resilience, but also a rapid lifecycle.

They are most dangerous when their supply of Ketracel White runs out. The Jem’Hadar depended on this addictive narcotic for their very sanity. With it, they remain focused and obedient. Without it, they would blindly charge into battle, and even attack their fellow soldiers and superiors.

7 The Changelings

In their natural state, the Changelings are a gelatinous species capable of shifting into many different humanoid forms. Their xenophobia and isolationism became so pronounced that the Changelings established the Dominion, and sought to bring conformity and order to the entire galaxy.

Many infiltrated the Klingon and Romulan empires, as well as the Cardassians, weakening them from the outside so as to become more vulnerable to Dominion attack. Their level of cruelty was astonishing, as was their willingness to backstab any ally that wasn’t a Changeling.

6 The Nacene

Star Trek viewers have only seen two members of the species called the Nacene, thus far. The one called the Caretaker was responsible for generating the displacement wave that flung the Starship Voyager thousands of light-years across the galaxy, to the Delta Quadrant.

Their technology allowed them to cross vast interstellar distances, but it also unintentionally wrought devastation on the Ocampa homeworld. The Caretaker and his mate agreed to remain as penance, protecting and nurturing the Ocampa for thousands of years. If the Nacene ever became a militaristic species, disaster would soon follow.

It isn’t known if Nagilum is a single entity, or a member of a race, but this extra-dimensional life form is indeed one of the most powerful in the known galaxy. After encountering the Enterprise-D in the depths of space, it set about conducting psychological and physical experiments on the crew, seemingly for the purpose of research.

Cold and unfeeling, Nagilum thought nothing of exterminating half the crew for the sake of study. Only a bold stand by Captain Picard forced it to stand down. Nagilum seems to operate under a code of ethics, though he views mortal beings the same way as scientists view lab rats, making him extremely dangerous.

The Borg are a cybernetic collective of humanoids focused on assimilating more species and technology into their society. In doing so, they would expand their biological and technological distinctiveness, and advance towards a goal of perfection. They are considered an implacable, relentless terror that strikes fear into the hearts of civilizations across the galaxy, and are responsible for some of Star Trek’s best episodic Borg stories.

Once an individual is assimilated, their bodies and minds are reprogramed to serve the collective hive mind. Physically, they are incredibly strong, but that’s nothing compared to their technology. The Borg can analyze any damage they receive, and adapt to it on the fly, rendering most conventional weapons useless against them. It’s a horrifying prospect, especially given their lethal efficiency when it comes to conquering worlds.

3 Species 8472

While they may only be known by their Borg designation, Species 8472 are a highly evolved biological terror. They are large tripedal creatures with devastating claws, keen telepathic senses, and a no-nonsense attitude. The species has developed a highly advanced form of biotechnology that lets individuals integrate with their vessels.

Species 8472 are so lethal that they almost obliterated the entire Borg collective. With no natural defense, they were forced to team up the starship Voyager in order to develop an effective bioweapon to counter their invasion. While highly aggressive, Species 8472 is open to compromise and truce, which is their only saving grace.

2 The Douwd

The Douwd were an ancient celestial race of unimaginable power, though they were relatively benevolent beings uninterested in the concepts of galactic conquest or ambition. One Douwd took the form of a human male colonist named Kevin Uxbridge, who fell in love with a human woman, who became his wife.

After she was killed during an attack by a malevolent alien species, Kevin succumbed to rage, using his powers to exterminate their entire race with a single thought. His powers were unfathomable, and perhaps only the Q were capable of rivaling the Douwd when it came to omnipotent abilities.

The Q, as they called themselves, are a Star Trek species of omnipotent god-like beings inhabiting a separate plane of existence called the Q Continuum. Their stated intention is not to interfere with the natural course of events in the galaxy, but this rule has been broken on many occasions, usually by rogue elements in their society.

Captain Picard and the Enterprise first encountered Q on their maiden voyage, who put them on trial for the crimes of humanity. He’d pop up several times throughout the show, creating threats both large and small. Their power is incomprehensible, yet for all their might, the Q are quite frightened of humanity, and the potential to rival them in due time.

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Star Trek: The 10 Best Alien Races, Ranked

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Regular Show Sequel Series Announced With Original Creator

Where the rookie season 6 leaves chenford, 10 major star wars characters active during the acolyte timeline.

Star Trek has been one of American pop culture's biggest sci-fi franchises for sixty years now. Fans have thrilled to the adventures of the intrepid officers of Starfleet and the many aliens they've encountered, as the show found a way to mix action, science, and thoughtful storytelling. One of the best parts of the show is the way it used its alien races to talk about modern humanity and create characters that challenged fans' views of the Federation.

RELATED: Star Trek: 5 Reasons To Make Another Movie With The Current Cast (& 5 Not To)

Over the years, many of these alien races have been fleshed out and become huge parts of the franchise. The best of them have captured the imaginations of fans for decades.

10 The Jem'Hadar Are More Interesting Than They Seem

At first, the Jem'Hadar seemed like another stereotypical warrior race to act as the foot soldiers of the Dominion, and this was basically true. However, fans were surprised by how complex they could be every time any spotlight was put on the genetically engineered soldiers. A race of honorable warriors whose faith was used against them, the tragedy of the Jem'Hadar made them interesting.

While there weren't too many Jem'Hadar centric episodes, the few that were produced made an impact on fans. They're an underrated race in the Star Trek mythos, one that is ripe for a return.

9 The Desperation Of The Vidiians Made Them Into Relatable Villains

Star Trek: Voyager sent the titular ship into the Delta Quadrant, far away from the familiar races of Star Trek past. The series often just used the archetypes of those more well-known aliens to create new ones, like the Kazon, but the Vidiians were quite different from anything fans had seen before. The entire race was ravaged by a disease called the Phage and traveled space stealing organs in order to keep themselves alive.

When fans learned the truth behind their organ snatching ways, it made them extremely sympathetic, and later appearances by the Vidiians played into that. They represented the best of Star Trek's aliens, changing fans' perception of them as the race evolved.

8 The Trill Were A Very Different Kind Of Alien Race

The Trill first appeared in the season four The Next Generation  episode "The Host." The host race of the Trill in that episode looked very different from the ones that came after in Deep Space Nine, but it wasn't the first time a race went through massive cosmetic changes in Star Trek. What didn't change is the premise behind the aliens.

RELATED: Star Trek: All Movies, Ranked According To IMDb

A symbiotic race, the long-lived Trill symbionts were put into the body of different humanoid Trill over the centuries. Jadzia Dax was the exemplar of this, becoming one of the most balanced  Star Trek  characters ever , her years of experience making her into a multi-faceted character. Each Trill was an amalgamation of lives, and this allowed the writers of DS9 to play with queer ideas that Berman era Trek didn't often touch on.

7 The Q Were A Race Of Omnipotent Tricksters

Q is one of the most intelligent Star Trek antagonists , and his entire race followed suit. First introduced in  The Next Generation 's   pilot "Encounter At Farpoint," Q became a Star Trek icon. Nearly every resulting Q played up the impish trickster persona that actor John De Lancie created for the character. Fans loved Q and learned more and more about his race and home as the years went by.

The Q are such a uniquely Star Trek race of godlike aliens. They serve to remark on humanity's growth and play amusing tricks on them. Even the least loved Q episodes are among the most beloved in franchise history.

6 The Bajorans' Story Of Occupation And Rebellion Was Unique In The Star Trek Mythos

The Bajorans were a very different kind of Star Trek race. First introduced in The Next Generation  with Ensign Ro Laren, they'd get fleshed out by Deep Space Nine  and become one of the richest and most interesting Star Trek races. Protected by the non-corporeal Prophets, who they worship as gods, their society went through trials and tribulations before they were enslaved by the Cardassians.

The Bajorans were a deeply spiritual people and as fierce as they come, embracing terrorism to fight against their oppressors. Their story was one of the most interesting of all the big Star Trek races.

5 The Borg Are Star Trek' s Most Iconic Villains

The Next Generation  is now known as a fan favorite, but the first few seasons weren't among the best of Trek . In fact, an argument can be made that TNG didn't truly become great TV until the Borg were finally felt in full force in the season three finale "The Best Of Both Worlds." While they were introduced in "Q Who" in the first season, they wouldn't become icons until that epic season finale.

The Borg represented the most frightening enemy of them all, the loss of individuality. They were an implacable foe that couldn't be reasoned with, and even fighting them was often was futile. They forced the crews to think outside the box and made for great TV.

4 The Cardassians' Embrace Of Fascism Made Them Terrifyingly Fascinating

The Cardassians had their genesis in The Next Generation ,   but came to prominence in Deep Space Nine   with some of the show's best episodes revolving around them . While they were often the villains, especially after they sided with the Dominion, they were also shown to be more than just a race of stereotypical evildoers, especially the character Garak.

The race was openly fascist and built their entire society around that idea. They were equally repellent and interesting, showing viewers the split sides of fascism and how it would affect individuals through the actions and characters of Garak and Dukat.

3 The Ferengi Became One Of Star Trek 's Most Fun Races

The Ferengi were introduced in the first season of The Next Generation  and were meant to be a new big villain race for the show. Their portrayal evolved over time until Deep Space Nine,  when Ferengi bar owner Quark became a main character, and fans were introduced to the hyper-capitalist lifestyle of the Ferengi. Ferengi episodes became among the show's most beloved, yet another reason why DS9 has some of the best seasons of Trek .

RELATED: Star Trek: 6 Things That Still Hold Up Today

The Ferengi were often the most entertaining aspect of every episode they were a part of, and their evolution as a race was a key subplot. Their lampooning of capitalism made them an interesting part of the openly socialistic Star Trek mythos.

2 The Klingons Became One Of Star Trek' s Most Popular Races

The Klingons were the main antagonists of TOS and have evolved over time from the villainous cliches of the '60s into one of the most popular Star Trek races. Creator Gene Roddenberry pulled this off by putting Worf on the bridge of the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation  to show that the enemies of yesterday could be the friends of today.

Worf served as the perfect character to bring the new Klingons to life, as actor Michael Dorn's portrayal of the character made him a fan favorite. Multiple Klingon-centric episodes fleshed out the race, and their culture and language are well known to all fans of Star Trek.

1 The Vulcans Have Always Been A Huge Part Of Star Trek

Spock was the first Star Trek alien fans were introduced to, and the Vulcan race would be established as one of the Federation's most important . Their place in Starfleet and their role in shepherding humanity into the stars was a big part of multiple Star Trek shows. The Vulcans have become a huge part of pop culture, with even non- Star Trek fans knowing something about them.

As they became more fleshed out, they'd only get more interesting. Their cold logic was revealed to be a veneer over volcanic rage that they had to control at all costs. This juxtaposition made them intriguing, and they were always great for human characters to play off.

NEXT: 10 Reasons It Doesn't Actually Make Sense To Pit Star Wars Against Star Trek

17 Most Powerful Predators, Ranked

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Why is an Alien vs. Predator Movie So Hard to Get Right?

The 20 strongest anime characters of all time, ranked, a brief history of aliens versus predator games.

• The Yautja, known as Predators, are unique individuals with varying abilities and motivations.
• Traveling to Earth for dangerous hunts, some Yautja put up great fights while others fail to impress.
• From powerful leaders like Scar to primitive hunters like the Feral Hunter, each Yautja has a fascinating story.

The Predators - or Yautja as they're sometimes known - have been around for over 35 years now, ever since audiences got their first glimpse of the alien who hunted Arnold Schwarzenegger and his platoon through the jungle in 1987. Unlike the Xenomorphs to which they're often compared, the Yautja are not all identical. They're each an individual with unique abilities, technologies, and motivations.

Does Prey Follow All The Predator's Rules?

Fans of the first four movies know that the eponymous hunter has certain codes that it will not defy. Does the fifth entry keep those rules in mind?

Although, by now, the Yautja should probably have learned that traveling to Earth (or messing with humans at all) is a bad idea, their search for a dangerous hunt keeps them coming back. While some never posed much of a threat beyond their intimidating appearance, others put up one hell of a fight. Here are all the Yautja hunters ranked by who's strongest .

Updated on June 9th, 2024, by Evan Regan: At last, every named Predator in the franchise will make an appearance on this list. Between video games and movies, the Yautja have a vast and varied cast of clan members, each of them with their own set of skills, their own unique armor, and their own devotion to the Yautja code. The nearly 40-year-old franchise has had entries in nearly every medium - from books to movies to video games - and has influenced them all to some degree. Here is the complete list of the most powerful Yautja to ever appear, in any medium, and how they stack up against their peers.

Dies Quickly Without Doing Anything Impressive

Out of any Predator to appear in any medium across the series' history, Chopper is by far the least memorable Yautja to ever make an on-screen appearance. He is literally just a target for a Xenomorph kill, and beyond that, has no memorable characteristics or moments.

In total, Chopper probably owns a grand total of one minute of screen time. He plants his boot firmly into a human when he first appears, and then is impaled by a Xenomorph tail mere seconds later. So ends Chopper, the least impressive Yautja ever. At least his helmet is kind of cool.

16 Ultimate Hunter

The least memorable part of a forgettable movie.

It's a shame that The Predator turned out to be such a down moment for the Predator franchise, and a big part of that was the focus on the Ultimate Hunter . Shane Black's directorial entry into the franchise (he also played Hawkins in the 1987 film) was a significant misstep, reportedly brought about by the studio meddling with Black's vision for the film.

The Ultimate Hunter lacks any kind of backstory or motivation for being on Earth (or any justification for being called "Ultimate"). He has next to zero impressive kills, no unique abilities or technology, and even though he looks cool visually it's not in a particularly noteworthy way. There's just not a lot that draws in (or scares off) viewers with this Yautja.

15 The Falconer

His cool helmet and drone make good use of little screen time.

Another Predator that doesn't get a lot of screen time, at least the Falconer has a strong enough showing to deserve a bit more attention. His standout biohelmet and unique drone technology make him unique among the Yautja on this list, and although he doesn't survive for long, he puts up a great fight.

That fight is against Hanzo, the Yakuza enforcer who was kidnapped and brought to the Yautja hunting grounds where the movie takes place. Hanzo and The Falconer have an epic showdown, exchanging blows that demonstrate the combat skill of both parties. The Falconer also demonstrates some adherence to the Yautja code of honor, something his fellow Super Predators fail to do.

14 The Fugitive

An exciting intro is wasted, as he's killed off in favor of a less-interesting predator.

Some of the most apparent evidence for the idea that The Predator suffered from studio meddling is the film's use of The Fugitive Yautja, who is by far the more intimidating Predator in the movie but is killed off midway through and replaced with the aforementioned Ultimate Hunter. It's hard to know if that was Shane Black's original intention or not, but it was certainly a letdown.

Prey: Great Historical Periods For The Sequel

The newest film in the Predator franchise takes place in 1719, but could pitting the Yautja against people of the past work again?

The Fugitive explodes onto the scene, effortlessly killing several armed human guards while he himself is unarmed. Killing more dangerous enemies while not making use of Predator technology is worth serious clout among the Yautja. Then there are his parkour abilities, which would make a Predator significantly more deadly in an urban jungle environment, but oddly is not something that other Yautja hunters make much use of in the franchise.

The Only Yautja To Bring Other Creatures Along For The Hunt

As far as any Yautja not named Berzerker goes, Tracker gives the fugitives in Predators the most trouble in the movie's early going, and he does so without even revealing his presence. True to his name, Tracker employs a pair of hunting hound-beasts that flush out his prey. The beasts themselves are no pushovers, and once they're vanquished, in comes Tracker and his awesome biohelmet.

Tracker does manage to isolate his prey, trapping Nikolai away from the rest of the group, stunning him, and impaling him on a wristblade. It's only Nikolai's willingness to blow himself up in order to take his enemy down with him that catches Tracker off guard. It's a memorable death, but it's unfortunate that Tracker isn't given more screen time before he goes down.

Fights Humans And Xenomorphs Using The Weaponry Of Fallen Predators

Aliens vs. predator (2010).

There is an unfortunate lack of backstory for this Predator, who is one of the most prolific killers in the Predator franchise. After earning the title of Elite, Dark is dispatched to investigate a distress call sent by a squad of youngbloods hunting on an alien world (BG 386). Dark arrives with a significantly reduced arsenal - just a wrist blade, shoulder cannon, and a bio-helmet with reduced vision modes - and instead claims his weapons from the corpses of other Yautja.

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Dark kills dozens of Xenomorphs and human Marines while he is on BG 386 and even takes down a Predalien (a cross between an Elite Yautja and a Xenomorph) while taking minimal damage himself, all before destroying the Yautja hunting grounds and escaping the ensuing explosion alive. He acquires the mask of a Legendary Predator and is last seen making his way to the Xenomorph homeworld. A brave venture indeed.

Seeks To Avenge Chopper And Goes Toe-To-Toe With A Xenomorph

Chopper's presence in Alien vs. Predator really only serves to provide motivation for Celtic , his youngblood brother. After Chopper's death, Celtic seeks revenge on the Xenomorph that killed him, and while he doesn't quite get it, he certainly gets his shots in.

Wearing one of the coolest-looking biohelmets in the entire franchise, Celtic's battle with the Xenomorph is a showcase of the brute strength and fighting prowess of the Yautja. Using a unique reversible wristblade, Celtic very nearly takes down the alien but was seemingly unprepared for the creature's acid blood, which eats through first his body armor, and then the net he captures it in. Eventually, one misstep grants the Xenomorph the upper hand, but prior to that it was anyone's fight, and it's hard not to root for Celtic as he tosses the Xenomorph around like a child's toy.

10 The Crucified

Does battle with the clearly-superior berserker, and exemplifies the yautja code.

This is an example of a Yautja who makes use of a small amount of screen time to have a huge impact, both in terms of his character and the lore of the Yautja species. The Crucified is discovered by Royce and the remaining human survivors, and Royce makes the bold decision to set the imprisoned Predator free.

That decision is rewarded, as the Crucified adheres to his code of honor and protects Royce from the attacking Berserker Yautja that arrives shortly afterward. While the Crucified is eventually killed in that battle, he exemplified the Predator code and drove home the raging conflict between Yautja sub-races that may otherwise have remained a mystery.

9 Greyback Elder

The oldest and most experienced predator to ever appear on-screen.

The Greyback Elder that appears in Predator 2 may be the same one that appears in Alien vs. Predator nearly 15 years later. The Yautja are virtually immortal, and the Greyback is confirmed to have visited Earth as far back as the 1700s, where he hunted pirates. He is also the oldest Predator to ever appear on-screen.

The Greyback Elder is unique in that his laser sight is mounted on his plasma weapon, rather than on his shoulder. His adherence to the code not only allows Detective Harrigan to escape the Predator ship before it takes off but also pushes Greyback to present Harrigan with a flintlock pistol as a trophy for his successful hunting of the City Hunter Yautja.

The Only Predator In AVP To Kill A Xenomorph, He Also Battles A Xenomorph Queen

The leader of a group of Yautja youngbloods sent to Earth to hunt a colony of Xenomorphs, Scar is, by a wide margin, the most capable and deadly member of his squadron, given that he is the only one who kills any Xenomorphs. He also takes out quite a few humans in this mostly silly 2000s "Vs" film.

Scar eventually claims his shoulder cannon - a badge of honor earned by killing a Xenomorph and marking himself with its blood - and goes toe-to-toe with a Xenomorph Queen. While the Queen does eventually kill Scar, he also manages to immobilize the Queen, leaving her vulnerable enough to be killed by a human named Lex. It's pretty fair to call that fight a draw.

7 The City Hunter

Intentionally chooses the most difficult hunting ground on earth: a major city.

Nearly every Yautja on this list does their hunting in remote areas, usually deep in the wilderness. The City Hunter prefers the urban sprawl. He operated in the middle of LA in the 90s and got more than his share of kills while doing so, some of which are truly memorable. He even toys with a few of his targets.

However, while he may be cocky, the City Hunter still adheres to the Yautja code, sparing a pregnant woman because killing her would mean killing her baby as well, and the baby isn't able to defend itself. In the end, his cockiness is his undoing. Lt. Mike Harrigan, an LAPD officer, feigns injury to bait the City Hunter in close and then kills him with one of his own weapons.

6 The Berserker

A hyper-violent yautja who does not adhere to the code.

The Berserker is the most purely evil Predator in the entire franchise. He strings up members of his own kind and kidnaps his prey for the hunt, killing them whether they can defend themselves or not. There is no code of honor for the Berserker when he hunts. All he cares about is the kill.

By virtue of being the last Super Predator standing, the Berserker is the most powerful Yautja in Predators . He hunts with deadly precision and is equally adept at killing humans and his own kind. The only way he was eventually killed was by beheading, which Royce is able to do after a hell of a struggle. The Berserker took every other hit like it was nothing and even laughed a few off.

Wipes Out A Xenomorph Queen And A Colonial Marine Platoon, All While Infected With Deadly Viruses

• Game : Alien Versus Predator 2
• Platforms : PC, macOS
• Release Date : October 22, 2001
• Developer : Monolith Productions

The sequel to the original Alien Versus Predator game worked hard to add a more coherent plot to the events of the game. Enter Prince , a high-ranking clan member who severely injures General Rykov, a Colonial Marine, nearly two decades before the game's events, leaving Rykov with a synthetic spine. Nineteen years later, Rykov returns for revenge.

The two most iconic space horror villains have clashed on the big screen, but the brawl has been less than impressive.

After capturing Prince, Rykov and the Colonial Marines experiment on the Yautja, first by injecting him with an array of deadly viruses, and then by exposing him to a Xenomorph Facehugger. Prince manages to escape regardless, and even with the viruses coursing through his system, manages to wipe out a squad of Colonial Marines, a Xenomorph infestation, a Xenomorph Queen, and then Rykiov himself, before claiming the General's synthetic spine as a trophy. We last see Prince in pursuit of the surviving members of the Colonial Marines. The hunt never ends.

The Highest-Ranking Predator Ever Seen, And Possibly A Yautja King

While Alien vs. Predator: Requiem as a movie is a disaster, Wolf is easily the best part, and steals every scene he's in. He is likely the highest-ranking Predator fans have ever seen in action, based on his numerous scars and trophies and his awesome throne room on the Yautja homeworld. He may even be a King.

Wolf is a total badass. He's missing a mandible and has a huge acid scar across one side of his face (presumably caused by Xenomorph blood). Among his many weapons, he also carries a whip fashioned out of a Xenomorph tail, and he uses it to kill a Xenomorph . How awesome is that? Despite the poor reception of AvP: Requiem , fans have been clamoring for more Wolf ever since its release.

3 Feral Hunter

Is just as lethal as his fellow yautja while using far more primitive tech.

The latest Yautja to grace the series, the Feral Hunter arrives on Earth well before any other member of his species, nearly 300 years ago in the Comanche Nation. Fans have speculated that he may have been a youngblood, but it's unusual for an uninitiated Yautja to be allowed to hunt alone.

Time and time again, these unstoppable anime heroes and villains have proven themselves to be the strongest characters that the medium has to offer.

What makes the Feral Hunter fascinating is that his technology is more primitive than the other Yautja in the franchise. His only ranged weapon is an inaccurate bolt caster. Otherwise, he sticks to blades or his hands. He's also not as adept as other Predators and is wounded frequently while on Earth. All of this doesn't make him any weaker, though. If anything, it makes his persistence and lethality more terrifying because he has so much less technology and experience at his disposal.

Returns From Exile, Kills A Yautja-Human Hybrid, And Successfully Restores His Honor

• Game : Predator: Concrete Jungle
• Platforms : PlayStation 2, Xbox
• Release Date : April 15, 2005
• Developer : Eurocom

After a failed hunt on Earth in the 1930s that cost him his eye, Scarface fails to kill himself (as dictated by the Yautja code) and is exiled to a hostile alien planet with just a wrist blade and a spear. One hundred years later, he is offered a chance at redemption.

Scarface returns to Earth to retrieve stolen Yautja technology, which has been used against other Predators in the century that's passed. Scarface achieves all that and more, retrieving the technology, wiping out a Xenomorph nest, and even killing a Predator-Human hybrid. His honor restored, Scarface rejoins his clan in what is the most badass character arc of any Predator in the entire franchise.

1 Jungle Hunter

The yautja who came closest to a successful hunt on earth... except he ran into arnold.

There is really no other pick for the top spot on this list than the Yautja, who went toe-to-toe with Arnold himself. The Jungle Hunter is a master, so good he remains totally invisible for the first half of the movie. He's also up against some of the most highly-trained humans that any Predator has faced, and although they aren't aware of what they're dealing with, Dutch's squad isn't exactly unprepared.

It takes Dutch using the Yautja's own tactics against it to finally draw the Jungle Hunter out and kill it, and even then, the Yautja still manages to take out everyone else in Dutch's platoon. Most Predators don't fare too well against humans, but this one was a single kill away from a successful hunt. That last kill just happened to be Arnold Schwarzenegger.

With its first entry coming long before any live-action movie, Aliens Versus Predator has had an interesting history in the video game world.

Prey: The Predator Franchise's History With Native Americans

Game rant's ultimate sci-fi guide, does prey follow all the predator's rules.

• Movies & TV
• Aliens vs. Predator

We know who the 5 most powerful aliens in Star Trek are, but who is the 6th?

By chad porto | aug 16, 2022.

What five alien races are the most powerful?

What are the five most powerful aliens in Star Trek ? That’s easy; the Tribbles. They’re not only the most powerful, but they arguably have the best life. They’re hard to kill, mate like crazy, and can sink a spaceship in an hour if there’s plenty of adult contemporary blaring through the ship’s speakers.

Unfortunately,  those fools over at IDW and Star Trek don’t seem to agree with the obvious, and most right answer possible.

In the IDW five-part miniseries, Star Trek: The Q Conflict , the five most powerful beings in the Star Trek universe were revealed and you wouldn’t be surprised at the five. If they doubled as a god, they were on this list.

The five were revealed as the Q Continuum, the Organians, the Metrons, Trelane, and the Prophets. The story was kind of cheeky. The Q, Organians, Metrons, and Trelane basically destroy the universe and the Prophets come in like disappointed parents to clean up the mess the other four made.

So, it sounds like the Prophets are the strongest of all?

For those new to the franchise , Trelane, Metrons, and the Organians were all part of the original series. Trelane was long-thought to be part of the Q, and while the comic disproves this, the comic isn’t canon. The Prophets were in Deep Space Nine, and were a focal point of the series, while Q pretty much appeared whenever and wherever he wanted.

If these are the five who is the sixth most powerful?

I’ve come down to there being four candidates for the sixth most powerful, the Ramurans, The Pah-Wraiths, the Douwd, and the Tribble.

Ok, fine. Not the Tribble.

The Douwd can wipe out entire species with a thought, the Ramurans are mind-altering aliens with the highest advancement in stealth imaginable and the Pah-Wraiths are the evil-mustache twirling version of the Prophets.

Honestly, if we subscribe to the notion that the Prophets are powerful enough to clean up the mess of a Q, then we can safely say the Pah-Wraiths deserve to be the sixth most powerful species. Unless we view the Pah-Wraiths as the same species as the Prophets.

Then my money would be on the Douwd. We shouldn’t dismiss the Betazoid and the El-Aurians either. They’re very capable in their own right.

But, let’s be honest, we all know who the real superpower of the Star Trek universe is. And you’d be in a lot of tribble if you didn’t agree…

Next. Ranking every Star Trek film in franchise history according to metrics. dark

Den of Geek

The Star Trek Aliens That Made TOS a Weirder (and Better) Sci-Fi Show

For a low-budget TV show from the 1960s, Star Trek came up with some wild forms of life.

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Even though it was a relatively low-budget TV show (by today’s standards, it was practically made for the cost of a home movie) and visual effects in the 1960s were limited (again, by today’s standards), Star Trek: The Original Series managed over the course of its three seasons to come up with some of the more decidedly weird alien races of the entire franchise.

While nowhere near as prolific in its production of monsters as its early ‘60s predecessor, The Outer Limits , which was mandated by its network to cough up a different boogeyman every week, Star Trek did turn out an interesting array of strange, creepy, or even psychedelic (this was the ‘60s, after all) deep space denizens – although in classic Trek fashion, many of them were not the threats that their hideous surfaces hinted at, and were often more advanced than us humans in our bags of bone, flesh, and blood.

What makes this even more surprising is that the rest of this now-vast franchise didn’t push the notion of aliens that didn’t look like us with more fervor as budgets and VFX opened up. While The Original Series had plenty of humanoid aliens wearing antennae, blue makeup, or furry facial appliances, shows like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine often presented a generic array of humanoids often represented by nothing more than bumps, ridges, or armored plates on top of their heads or down the center of their noses.

Maybe the drugs in the ‘60s really did expand the minds of the writers, producers, and designers of The Original Series . Maybe it was the fact that the show hired legendary sci-fi writers like Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch, and Harlan Ellison to pen multiple episodes. But as primitive as they may look now, TOS did give us some of the Trek universe’s most bizarre life forms, 10 of which we’ve featured below. And no, the Gorn is not on this list – we love him but he’s still just a guy in a lizard suit.

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The Salt Vampire

Although we’re mostly avoiding humanoid aliens in this survey, our first two entries are decidedly humanoid in shape – if not relatable to humans by any other measure. The very first Original Series episode ever televised, “The Man Trap,” was centered around an ancient creature that feeds on salt – by fatally draining it out of its victims — and is the last of its kind. The salt vampire (the race is never named) is humanoid in shape, but features hooded, reptilian eyes, a snout-like spherical mouth with sharp teeth inside and long fingers covered in suckers that attach to its target’s face.

The creature is a shapeshifter, able to present itself as whatever its victim wants to see, which provided TOS with one of its earliest progressive moments : Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) encounters the creature in an Enterprise corridor, where it appears to her as a tall African man. The two speak Swahili, Uhura’s native tongue, in a moment that was pretty special (and rare) for early ‘60s national network TV. The story is also ultimately empathetic to the creature and its plight, setting the pace for future Treks to come.

In the classic episode “The Corbomite Maneuver” (the 10 th episode aired, but the first filmed in regular production), the Enterprise encounters a titanic vessel in uncharted space that claims to be from the “First Federation.” Its commander, Balok, appears onscreen with a rather sinister-looking, almost demonic visage and proceeds to put the Enterprise through a series of threats and challenges; when Kirk finally outwits Balok, they end up meeting face to face. While Balok admits this was all just a test to gauge how civilized humans are, what’s most bizarre is that Balok’s initial appearance was a puppet: his real form, to us, resembles a little boy.

That little boy was played by Clint Howard (Ron Howard’s younger brother) and while Balok is certainly humanoid, the effect of this powerful alien being housed in the body of a child and voiced by an adult actor (Walker Edmiston) makes this one of the most surreal and unexpected early moments in TOS history. Although we never really heard much more about the First Federation on any of the Trek shows, fleeting references popped up now and again – including the fact that Balok’s favorite drink, tranya, was served at Quark’s bar on Deep Space Nine . In addition, this mysterious confederation, like other TOS civilizations first introduced on TV, were part of several Trek novels, short stories, and video games.

One of the most popular Star Trek episodes of all time was “The Devil in the Dark,” in which the Enterprise is summoned to a mining colony to discover what is killing the miners down in the tunnels. It turns out that the rock-like “monster” laying waste to the miners is actually a peaceful silicon-based form of life called a Horta, who’s merely protecting her eggs – which the miners are inadvertently destroying by the thousands – like any mother would.

According to Star Trek legend, creature designer and stuntman Janos Prohaska crawled into TOS producer/writer Gene L. Coon’s office one day wearing the Horta costume, which more or less resembled a giant lasagna. Coon wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when he saw Prohaska “give birth” to an egg, he immediately hit on the idea for “The Devil in the Dark,” one of the original show’s most acclaimed tales. Fun fact: the costume got an earlier test run in The Outer Limits , where Prohaska played an oversized germ in the anthology series’ final episode, “The Probe.”

Denevan Neural Parasites

The final episode of the first season of TOS , “Operation – Annihilate!”, finds a colony on the planet Deneva – including Kirk’s brother Sam and his wife – decimated by an invasion of flying, parasitic creatures that attach themselves to human beings and drive them insane with pain. The creatures are shapeless blobs of jelly that Spock describes as resembling “brain cells.” He’s actually right on point: the individual lifeforms are all part of one hive mind – the creature itself – that implant themselves in the human nervous system so that the entity can use humans to spread itself through the galaxy.

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The things and their physiology are so beyond the frame of human reference that Spock suggests they have come from outside our galaxy, and while the puppets used are rubbery-looking (and the strings making them “fly” can be glimpsed on hi-def versions of the episode), their cumulative effect and background is still unsettling (kind of like the gigantic space amoeba in the second season episode “The Immunity Syndrome,” although that was an exact opposite of the flying parasites, being one tremendous, mindless cell).

The Providers

In the second season’s “The Gamesters of Triskelion,” Kirk, Uhura , and Chekov are captured and transported to the title planet, where they are forced to compete in dangerous gladiatorial games with representatives of other alien races. It’s all for the amusement of the Providers, who enjoy wagering on the contests, and who turn out to be three glowing brains encased in a dome who – despite evolving past the need for anything but the most rudimentary physical form – have grown lazy and complacent.

The Providers – aside from their rather goofy appearance – are typical of TOS aliens in that they learn some kind of lesson thanks to Kirk and the Enterprise crew, eventually agreeing to stop using other beings as pawns for their games. It’s a stock TOS plot, but what makes it entertaining is that the Providers, despite their immense technological and mental power, speak down to others and bicker among each other like sneering, wealthy fat cats with too much time on their hands – which, in a sense, is what they are.

The Medusans

Fred Freiberger’s term as the producer of The Original Series ’ lackluster third season will forever be debated by Trek diehards, but one thing that Freiberger was interested in doing was making the show’s aliens more…alien. His first attempt at that was season 3 episode 5, “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”, which introduced us to the Medusans – a non-corporeal race of supremely intelligent, highly advanced beings whose natural state is so hideous that a mere glimpse of them can drive human beings insane.

By this point in the series’ run, we’d already met beings like the Metrons (“Arena”) and the Organians (“Errand of Mercy”) that advanced beyond physical bodies, assuming human form when necessary to deal with lower species like us. But while the Medusans, represented in this rather soap opera-esque episode by Ambassador Kollos, can form mind-links with physical beings, they are otherwise carted around in a special box that can’t be opened with humans around, lest the phrase “resting bitch face” take on lethal new meaning. The episode itself is inconsistent with its own rules (in one scene, with the box closed, Spock wears a special visor while Kirk stands there with nothing on his head but his toupee), but turning the idea of what defines “beauty” upside down is in many ways a classic Trek theme (A Medusan also showed on Star Trek: Prodigy , this time wearing a robotic suit).

The Melkotians

One of the more infamous episodes from Star Trek’s third season is “Spectre of the Gun,” in which Kirk, Spock, Scotty, McCoy and Chekov are forced to refight the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona between the Earps and the Clantons, with the Enterprise men on the losing Clanton side. Although the story is a perfect embodiment of much of the silliness of the third season, there is an atmospheric moment near the beginning when our heroes beam down to the planet of the Melkotians – xenophobic aliens who wish no contact with the Federation – and meet one of its representatives.

Although somewhat obscured by swirling mists, the Melkotian (or Melkot, as it’s sometimes called) was one of the show’s eerier beings, with a floating, oversized, bulbous head, large, glowing eyes, and either tentacles or limbs dangling below. For Star Trek , it was downright Lovecraftian, although in typical TOS fashion, these initially hostile aliens are inviting the humans to a sit-down by the end of the episode (strangely, in the episode’s novelization, the Melkot is humanoid). The Melkotians were also one-and-done; despite opening relations with the Federation, we never hear from them again.

The Tholians

In the popular third season episode “The Tholian Web,” the Enterprise comes upon a sister starship, the Defiant, that is trapped in an interdimensional rift in space with all its crew dead. When Kirk disappears into the rift after being stuck on board the Defiant, Spock tries to rescue him – but his efforts are hampered by the appearance of a hostile race called the Tholians.

The Tholians are crystalline in appearance, with an angular, glowing head featuring just two triangular eyes. The Tholian commander, Loskene (voiced by Barbara Babcock), seems to appear against a very hot background, indicating that they need high temperatures to survive. Although they don’t seem to be known to the Federation, Spock comments on “the renowned Tholian punctuality,” hinting that the Vulcans may have run into them before. But as it turns out, the Federation (in a bit of retconning) has encountered them earlier as well: the Tholians were one of the few non-humanoid races to return to a later Trek series, showing up in the Enterprise episodes “Future Tense” (where only their ships are seen) and “In A Mirror, Darkly” (where a Tholian’s full, insectoid body is shown).

The Zetarians

A number of Star Trek aliens were of the “sparkling energy cloud” variety: in the episode “Obsession,” there was one that drank blood, another one was desperately horny for warp drive inventor Zefram Cochrane in “Metamorphosis,” and a third literally planted fake news into the heads of the Enterprise crew and a bunch of Klingons to get them to fight in “Day of the Dove.” But what made the Zetarians – the last, disembodied survivors of a race looking for a physical body that they can inhabit – so bizarre is not their twinkly lights but what they did to their victims.

Although they are so powerful that they end up shorting out most people’s brains, the Zetarians cause their targets’ faces to shift through all kinds of strange psychedelic colors while their voices sound like a vinyl record being spun very slowly on a turntable. It’s a pretty creepy effect in an otherwise unremarkable episode (it sure scared the hell out of this author as a wee lad), making the Zetarians a minor but still memorable addition to the Trek gallery of weirdness.

The Excalbians

The final non-humanoid alien race to appear on ST: TOS , the Excalbians showed up in the late third season episode “The Savage Curtain,” in which Kirk and Spock must fight alongside recreations of Abraham Lincoln and a Vulcan philosopher named Surak against a team made up of four of history’s most sinister figures. Orchestrating all this is the Excalbians, a race of rock-like beings who use such “plays” to educate themselves about other civilizations and concepts such as good and evil.

The Excalbians are represented by Yarnek, who initially disguises himself (itself?) as a boulder before revealing his true self – a massive being made of searingly hot “living rock” (the Excalbians’ planet is mostly lava) with flashing, bulbous eyes and claw-like appendages. No doting mother like the other TOS rock monster, the Horta, Yarnek – and by extension, his people – is extremely powerful (they’re able to manipulate matter) and totally cool with forcing other beings to act out their little shows.

Star Trek: The Original Series can be streamed on Paramount+.

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

Star Trek: Best Book-Only Characters

• The Star Trek novels introduce unique characters like Akaar and Treir, adding depth to the expansive Starfleet universe.
• Characters like Nick Keller and Elias Vaughn bring new perspectives to the post- DS9 era, facing challenging galactic events.
• Mackenzie Calhoun leads the USS Excalibur in a new hero ship series, showcasing tactical genius in the New Frontier books.

Just like the universe itself, the Star Trek franchise is huge and far-reaching, encompassing several television shows, and numerous video games, movies, and books. While many of Star Trek 's most iconic characters appear in various series and films, there are many other great characters who only feature in alternative media sources. For instance, the final frontier has spawned some memorable video game-based characters .

Star Trek: 8 Most Powerful Federation Starships, Ranked

Yet perhaps the richest source of characters is the now questionably canon series of books that take place following The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine . From fresh takes on classic species like the Andorians and Orions, to some of Starfleet's finest officers, the Star Trek novels are a treasure trove of notable figures.

Leonard James Akaar

First appearence: star trek mission gamma book one: twilight.

• Author: David R. George III
• Publication Date: September 2002

Leonard James Akaar is unique among novel-only characters in that he does, in fact, make a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance on televised Trek . "Friday's Child," an episode of The Original Series , ends with his birth; however, the Capellan royal would not be seriously fleshed out until 2002's Mission Gamma: Twilight . By the time of the Deep Space 9 novels, Akaar had risen through the ranks of Starfleet to become an influential admiral with the ear of the Federation president.

Akaar's strategic mindset and steely resolve proved essential in preserving the Federation through some of its darkest periods, including the Borg invasion depicted in the Star Trek: Destiny series. The Starfleet legend may have been born in The Original Series , but the Star Trek novels were where he made his name.

First Appearence: Star Trek: Demons of Air and Darkness

• Author: Keith R. A. DeCandido
• Publication Date: September 2001

Star Trek features many inspirational female characters, from Kira Nerys to Katherine Janeway. However, few are as resourceful or as motivated as Treir , an Orion Dabo girl who transformed Quark's Bar into a highly successful business during the post- DS9 novels. Following her escape from Orion servitude, Treir earned her place as Quark's right-hand woman by implementing a series of radical reforms, including hiring a Dabo boy to attract more customers.

Star Trek: The Fates Of Every Live-Action TV Show's Main Character

Treir may not play a significant role in the canon-shattering events depicted in the Deep Space 9 novels, but this ruthless businesswoman helped to make Star Trek 's prose universe feel like a living, breathing place. If anyone is capable of giving Quark a run for his latinum, it's her.

Nick Keller

First appearence: star trek new earth: challenger.

• Author: Diane Carey
• Publication Date: August 2000

New Earth , a series of six novels that take place between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan , was intended to act as a backdoor pilot for a new narrative focusing on Commander Nick Keller . In the final novel, Keller takes command of a makeshift starship in order to defend the human colony of Belle Terre from alien attack. Keller was conflicted between overthrowing his inept captain and preserving the lives of his comrades, and it's a great shame that a full series based on the space cowboy's adventures never emerged.

Interestingly, author Diane Carey based Keller's appearance on Scott Bakula, who would go on to play Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise . Keller, however, would make only two more appearances in the Star Trek universe, with both being part of the multi-series Gateways crossover event.

Elias Vaughn

First appearence: star trek: avatar (book one).

• Author: S. D. Perry
• Publication Date: July 2001

Elias Vaughn was a Starfleet officer and intelligence operative who joined Deep Space 9's command staff following the end of the Dominion War . Despite only holding the rank of commander, Vaughn's expertise proved a boon to the Federation outpost, and he played a role in several key events, including the USS Defiant 's post-war exploration of the Gamma Quadrant (depicted in the Mission Gamma sub-series).

Star Trek: 8 Impressive Things Kirk Did Before Joining The USS Enterprise

Vaughn was haunted by the death of his wife, Ruriko, and his troubled relationship with his estranged daughter, Prynn. This relationship was complicated by the fact that Prynn was also assigned to Deep Space 9. However, father and daughter were eventually able to reconcile–but not without some bumps along the way.

Christine Vale

First appearence: star trek: the belly of the beast.

• Author: Dean Wesley Smith

While William Riker's USS Titan has made notable appearances in Star Trek: Lower Decks , the starship's adventures were originally chronicled in a series of spin-off novels. These books featured Christine Vale , a former detective turned Starfleet officer, as Riker's second-in-command. Vale was initially unwilling to take the post, as she disliked the idea of Riker working so closely with his wife, Deanna Troi.

Luckily, Vale took the post, which allowed her to act as a counterweight to any of Riker's Troi-related biases. During her time aboard the USS Titan , she helped to explore the Beta Quadrant and fend off a Borg invasion. Indeed, her record was so good that, following Riker's promotion to admiral, she took command of the Luna -class starship.

Thirishar ch'Thane

From their initial appearance in 1967's "Journey to Babel" and 2001's "The Andorian Incident," references to Star Trek 's Andorians were true and far between. One important detail was disclosed in The Next Generation , however: Andorians have four sexes , with all four required for successful reproduction.

The character of Thirishar ch'Thane (or "Shar") was a response to this premise. Shar served as Deep Space Nine's science officer following the end of the Dominion War, but was torn between his commitments to Starfleet and to his mating group, who wished him to return to Andor. This dilemma was further complicated by a dangerous decline in Andorian fertility, which threatened to cause the Andorians' extinction in the long term. Shar was eventually able to use his scientific knowledge to help solve the Andorian fertility crisis.

The Jem'Hadar are one of Star Trek 's most iconic creations , a powerful race of warriors motivated by their addiction to the chemical ketracel-white. During the Dominion War of 2373–2375, the Jem'Hadar were central to the Dominion assaults which nearly overwhelmed the Federation Alliance.

8 Best Starfleet Ships During The Dominion War

After the war's conclusion, Taran'atar , a Jem'Hadar without a ketracel-white dependency, was sent to Deep Space Nine as a cultural observer. Taran'atar's struggle to adjust to the Alpha Quadrant during peacetime makes for fascinating reading, as does seeing the fearsome warrior growing closer to his former enemies. Taran'atar's story takes some strange twists and turns, but he remains a fascinating character.

Mackenzie Calhoun

First appearence: star trek new frontier: house of cards.

• Author: Peter David
• Publication Date: July 1997

In 1997, Pocket Books published the first of Peter David's New Frontier books. While these novels included several characters from TV Trek (mostly notably Commander Shelby from "The Best of Both Worlds" ), they focused on a new hero ship, the USS Excalibur , and a new captain: Mackenzie Calhoun . Calhoun, an alien warrior modeled after Mel Gibson, was depicted as a tactical genius capable of beating Starfleet's toughest challenges–including the infamous Kobayashi Maru test.

Calhoun soon became a fan-favorite, with his New Frontier series including over 20 volumes. The Xenanian captain was even popular enough to be made into an action figure, the only example of this honor being bestowed on a character originating from any of Star Trek 's novels.

Created by Gene Roddenberry

First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Latest Film Star Trek Beyond

First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series

Latest TV Show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Creation Year 1966

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Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

The USS Discovery is on a mad chase across the galaxy for one of Star Trek’s biggest secrets

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Calling back to a single 30-year-old episode of television is a time-honored Star Trek tradition , one that’s led the franchise to some of its most fascinating detours. And in its two-episode season premiere, Star Trek: Discovery seems to be kicking off an entire season calling back to one particular episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

And not just any episode! The 1993 installment of Next Gen in question delivered a revelation so seemingly earth-shaking that it should have rewritten galactic politics on a massive scale. But then, as was the way in the 1990s era of episodic TV, nobody ever mentioned it again.

At least until now.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.]

Writer Michelle Paradise and director Olatunde Osunsanmi lay out the connection at the end of the first of two episodes released this week, “Red Directive.” Discovery’s mission is to follow a series of ancient clues leading to a cache of ancient technology, and to get there before a couple of professional thieves, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), do.

The technology, as Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) explains, belongs to the so-called Progenitors, a barely understood ancient spacefaring species that “created life as we know it […] every humanoid species in the galaxy.” Presumably such tech holds the key to understanding how the Progenitors did that, and how that power could be used again.

The Progenitors are from the Star Trek episode “The Chase”

Kovich also calls up a helpful video presentation of the moment the Progenitors were discovered by an assembled group of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian captains, including Jean-Luc Picard. But you don’t have to be a Star Trek lore nerd to know you’re actually just looking at clips from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Specifically, from the 20th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s sixth season, “The Chase,” in which Picard and crew discover pieces of a computer program hidden inside the DNA of species from dozens of different planets. Questions abound: What does the program do? And what kind of entity could have been so ancient and powerful that it had determined the genetic legacy of most of the known galaxy before sentient life had even evolved here — and then left no trace of its existence except the genetic codes themselves?

In a nutshell, the mysterious death of Captain Picard’s old archeology professor (did you know that if he hadn’t gone into Starfleet, Jean-Luc was studying to be a space archeologist? Well, now you do) sets the captain and the Enterprise on a search for the missing DNA fragments necessary to complete his unfinished work.

The action of the episode becomes a grand chase, as Klingon and Cardassian captains come to believe the program must be a great weapon or dangerous secret. Eventually Picard and his rivals all discover the lonely planet with the final DNA strain — and when they get there, some Romulans who’ve been secretly following all of them show up, too, just to make things even more tense.

In the end, the program isn’t a weapon or a secret, but a message from an ancient race of humanoids that apparently created sentient life in our galaxy as we know it.

Actor Salome Jens appears as a Progenitor hologram, and delivers a speech that’s stirring by any standard of Star Trek monologues, telling the story of a race of sentients that took to the stars and found them empty. They had evolved too early to meet other forms of sentient life, and knew that their time was too limited to ever expect to.

“We knew that one day we would be gone; that nothing of us would survive, so we left you,” Jens’ Progenitor explains. The Progenitors seeded humanoid life across the galaxy in their own image; life that tended to evolve into bipedal, tailless, largely hairless creatures with two eyes and two arms and five fingers on each hand. And they left clues in the genetic signature of their work, broken up among the stars.

Wait, was this really all about lampshading the limits of Star Trek’s alien design?

Kinda, yes! The writers of “The Chase,” Ron Moore and Joe Menosky, were inspired by elements of Carl Sagan’s Contact , but also by Menosky’s pet fascination creating an in-universe explanation for why all the common alien species in Star Trek are basically shaped like humans (albeit with latex on their faces).

In other hands, it would be hokey and trite, but even under heavy makeup, Jens sells the hell out of her single scene on voice and stance alone — it’s no wonder she was asked back to the Trek fold to play a major antagonist role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

“It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message, and if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled,” the Progenitor hologram concludes, with gentle compassion. “You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish: That you, too, would know life. [...] There is something of us in each of you, and so something of you in each other.”

But though “The Chase” carried a sweeping revelation, nothing ever really panned out from it. You’d think that a message of togetherness that fundamentally rewrote the origin of life in the universe would have to have tweaked Star Trek’s galactic politics a bit, right? Seems like this would give the Star Trek setting a radically different understanding of the origins of life than we have in the real world — this is literally intelligent design! At the very least there’d be some other characters talking about how humans and Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans and Ferengi and Cardassians and Trill and Bajorans, all share the same genetic ancestor.

But nope: The Pandora’s box of Progenitor lore remained closed. Gene Roddenberry’s successor and Trek producer Rick Berman seems to have been disenchanted with the episode’s reveal — and you can’t really blame him for not wanting to rock the whole cosmology of Star Trek in an episode that’s mostly about explaining how if you turn the DNA snippets like this they make a cool spiral. Now look at this computer screen with the spiral :

Except now, Star Trek: Discovery is opening the box and rocking the boat. This new mad, puzzle-box chase around the galaxy promises to expand on the Progenitors, an idea so big that not even The Next Generation was willing to touch it. It’s a tall order, but Discovery has never been more free to shake up Star Trek continuity than it is right now — we’ll have to wait for more episodes of the show’s final season to find out how free it intends to be.

Star Trek: Discovery tore itself apart for the good of Star Trek’s future

Star trek: discovery boldly goes where no trek has gone before by saying religion is... ok, actually, star trek: discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants, loading comments....

How Does A Star Trek Tricorder Actually Work?

The ultimate space travel multitool, a "Star Trek" tricorder is one of the handiest things aboard any Starfleet vessel. Useful for performing a wide range of functions, they are the "Star Trek" universe's answer to a smartphone. And like the mobile phone, these handy devices see quite a few evolutions through the years from the early bulky models on "Star Trek: The Original Series," eventually getting the ultimate 32nd century holographic interface as seen in "Star Trek: Discovery." As Bradward Boimler put it, "They never improved the design. Sure, they were made smaller, and more powerful, and less likely to explode" ("Star Trek: Lower Decks: Those Old Scientists").

As described in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation Series Bible (Season One)," tricorders are "portable scanning devices" that are "capable of scanning and recording information about alien landscapes, cities and objects." According to the 1967 "Star Trek Writer/Directors Guide." the "tri-" refers to the device's three primary capabilities as part sensor, part computer, and part recorder, all packaged neatly in a portable device. This handy piece of equipment is useful for much more than planet scanning on away missions and can function equally as means of recording communications or medical data.

Although the 1967 writers' guide explicitly states that the tricorders' functionality should never be explained in the series, the 1977 "Star Trek Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual" takes a pretty solid stab at tricorder engineering. Written by a group of fans — three of whom would end up working on "Star Trek" productions — and based on information mined from the series, the guide states that tricorders were built upon Dr. Richard Daystrom's duotronics technology. According to the manual's diagrams, earlier medical tricorders featured a scanner display, speaker/microphone, remote scanner, analysis section, surgical tools, and controls for analyzing, recording, and diagnosing.

The tricorder was designed for Yeoman Rand

Although the tricorder would eventually come to be an invaluable tool in the Starfleet universe, it started out as a plot device meant to increase the relevance of the ship's yeoman in "The Original Series," according to a production note revealed in "The Making of Star Trek." Sent from "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry to producer Robert H. Justman on April 14, 1966, the note considered ideas for expanding Yeoman Janice Rand's (Grace Lee Whitney) role, writing, "It has been suggested that she carry as part of her regular equipment [...] some sort of neat, over-the-shoulder recorder-electronic camera via which she can take log entries from the Captain at any time, make electronic moving photos of things, places, etc." (p. 169). In the same note, Roddenberry suggested a second use for this type of equipment: as a toy for "female-type children."

Those simple functions would soon be expanded to include the tricorder's three main functions. According to the "Star Fleet Medical Reference Guide," the "diagnose" function of the medical tricorder works almost exactly as the sick bay scanner would right down to the vital signs readout. "Analyze" allows users to evaluate information in more detail, ascertaining details like what type of bacterial organism they are dealing with or taking a much closer look at blood composition. And "record" allows users to record that data.

Although the tech would eventually change in-universe, Yeoman Rand's model would have a lasting impact on generations of Starfleet officers to come. Just as humans today often wax nostalgic over their favorite vintage technology, trill Starfleet officer Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) revealed how much she admired the classic design of the 23rd century model in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Trials and Tribble-ations."

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Every major star trek villain species, ranked.

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Star Trek’s Rest Of 2024 Is All Animation - That’s Good (& Bad)

Star trek officially confirms [spoiler] is a scotty-level engineer, star trek reinvents dukat as a legitimate starfleet hero.

Star Trek has featured a plethora of intriguing villain species over its seven-decade run, as well as a few that haven't quite worked. As humans sought out new life and new civilizations in Star Trek 's future, they were bound to run into some that weren't exactly friendly. The antagonistic species the crew of the USS Enterprise and other Starfleet vessels encountered were often reflections of humanity's own past failings, with fascist regimes and violent dictatorships in full swing across the galaxy.

Not every Star Trek story features a cut-and-dry alien villain; sometimes Starfleet officers face aliens with whom they simply have a misunderstanding in good faith, like Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and an unintelligible Tamarian captain in the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok," or the misunderstood creature called the Horta encountered by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Devil In The Dark." That said, most of Star Trek 's iconic antagonists are alien species with clear hostility toward the idealism Starfleet and the Federation stand for. Here's a ranking of every major Star Trek villain species.

Related: Every First Officer In Star Trek Canon Ranked

10 The Kazon

The Kazon were supposed to be Star Trek: Voyager 's ultimate bad guys, but it didn't quite work out that way. A warrior race bent on conquest, they generally came across as cheap knockoffs of the Klingons. Even the Borg didn't want to assimilate them. The Kazon would unsuccessfully menace Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of the USS Voyager for the show's first two seasons before being phased out of the show in the season 3 premiere "Basics, Part II." Star Trek: Prodigy has somewhat reimagined the Kazon as slave traders, but they remain one of Star Trek 's most underwhelming antagonists.

9 The Ferengi

The Ferengi were conceived by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to be TNG 's primary antagonists, but their initial appearance in the season 1 episode "The Last Outpost" scuttled that plan. TNG would eventually find their true villains in Q (John de Lancie) and the Borg, with the Ferengi only appearing sparingly over the rest of the series, often as comic relief. The Ferengi were eventually salvaged when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine refocused them as ultra-capitalists, largely through the duplicitous station bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) . Still, even if you owe them Latinum, most Star Trek species aren't particularly intimidated by the Ferengi.

8 The Breen

The Breen began as something of a running joke on TNG , often referenced but never actually seen. No one was laughing when they eventually made their debut on DS9 . A brutally violent species that wear fully enclosed atmosphere suits to acclimate to warmer climates, the Breen Confederacy became a major galactic player in the final days of the Dominion War, aligning themselves with the Changelings to take on the Federation, even managing to destroy Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) ship the USS Defiant. The fearsome Breen returned in the Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 episode "Trusted Sources," having overrun the planet Brekka. The Breen remain a mysterious, potent threat to Starfleet.

The Gorn are a lizard-like species that debuted in the TOS episode "Arena," where Captain Kirk was forced into a fight to the death with one of the monstrous creatures. One of the few purely malevolent species in Star Trek , the Gorn have been referenced often over the years but only made their return recently in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The family of the Enterprise's security chief Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) was murdered by Gorn when she was a child, and she was forced to relive her trauma when the Enterprise crew had to face a group of homicidal Gorn hatchlings.

Related: Strange New Worlds Retcons Star Trek: TOS' Gorn Timeline

6 The Jem'Hadar

The Jem'Hadar were a genetically-engineered warrior species that served as the Dominion's primary military force during the Dominion War. Physically powerful and with little regard for their own lives, they were bred to be the ultimate killing machines. They were addicted to the drug ketracel-white, and their dependence on the drug provided by the Dominion kept them in line. While unintended by their Dominion masters, the Jem'Hadar developed a somewhat twisted sense of honor; they weren't true believers in the Dominion cause, they simply had no other choice but to obey. In many ways, the Jem'Hadar were as much victims of the Dominion War as anyone else.

5 The Romulans

One of Star Trek 's oldest enemy aliens, the Romulans debuted all the way back in the TOS season 1 classic episode "Balance Of Terror." Since that initial stunner of an episode, the insidious Romulan Star Empire remained a constant threat to the Federation. They maintained something of a cold war with the Federation during the TNG era until their home planet, Romulus, was destroyed by a supernova in the late 24th century. After the destruction of Romulus, the Romulan Empire was severely weakened, but they were still powerful enough to send a 200-ship-strong armada to attack a planet of synthetics in the Star Trek: Picard season 1 finale.

4 The Changelings

The Changelings, also known as the Founders, were the primary species behind the Dominion. The rulers of the Gamma Quadrant naturally reverted to a gelatinous goo form, and generally congregated together in a massive sea known as the Great Link. Condescending and arrogant, the Changelings believed humanoids were inferior life forms and referred to them derisively as "solids." They sought to annihilate the Federation in the Dominion War through both direct attacks and complicated subterfuge. They were eventually defeated when Starfleet infected the Great Link with a deadly virus, which was ultimately cured when the benevolent Changeling Odo (Rene Auberjonois) rejoined the Link at the conclusion of DS9 .

3 The Klingons

Since TOS season 1, the Klingons have been portrayed as a warrior race obsessed with honor and conquest. The Klingons have looked quite different over Star Trek 's history, though the most frequent appearance has been the one made famous in TNG , featuring pronounced head ridges and leather and chain battle gear. By the era of TNG , the Klingons were somewhat uneasy allies of the Federation, though that alliance was temporarily dissolved in the lead-up to the Dominion War. Whether friend or foe, the Klingons are always a volatile, unpredictable species who yearn for battle and glory, often against the wishes of the Federation.

Related: Discovery Season 5 Must Reintroduce TNG Style Klingons

2 The Cardassians

The Cardassians were introduced in TNG , but they became an iconic villain species on Deep Space Nine . Long an enemy of the Federation, the Cardassians had declared an uneasy truce with the Federation by the time of DS9 . During their years-long conflict with the Federation, the Cardassians occupied the peaceful, non-Federation planet Bajor. The Cardassians brutalized the Bajorans, perceiving them as an inferior race suitable only for slave labor. Charismatic monsters like Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) saw these atrocities as the necessary cost of building an empire, indifferent to the plight of the innocent. The ultimate treatment of the Cardassians at the hands of the Dominion was a bitter irony.

A species of faceless, voiceless cybernetic zombies, the Borg are the most threatening villains in all of Star Trek . Introduced in the TNG season 2 episode "Q Who," the Borg assimilate entire planets and species into their collective with the explicit goal of making all of the universe Borg. After assimilating Captain Picard in the TNG season 3 episode "The Best Of Both Worlds," the Borg decimated Starfleet at the battle of Wolf 359 on their way to assimilate Earth. The Borg were critically wounded in the Star Trek: Voyager series finale "Endgame," but they remain the most dire threat to humanity in all of Star Trek .

More: Every Borg Queen In Star Trek