So I did my favorite Trek characters it was only natural I do the
villains also. Since I already did movie villains, this is limited to
just one’s that appeared in the various series. And yes I know these
villains appear in other media but just TV appearances count.
#12.Seska
I tried to find a villain from Voyager to put on here, but it was
hard. Amazing that even Enterprise managed one memorable villain but
Voyager couldn’t. The closet was the Borg Queen but since that character
came from First Contact, it sort of didn’t count. Then I remembered
this witch. Man was she a nasty one, betraying Voyager to the Kazon
(who were mostly dull). I hated her so much one of my favorite Voyager
moments was in “Shattered” when a fully Borg’d Seven of Nine takes her
out!
#11.The Gorn
So why in the world is something as corny and silly as a man clearly in a
green lizard suit remembered fondly? Because fans are willing to look
beyond the goofy costume, and recognize what the creators were going
for. The Gorn are nasty bastards, and the fight he has with Kirk is
pretty intense. Usually when Kirk has a fight you don’t really think
he’s in any jeopardy (Amok Time notwithstanding) but “Arena” was a huge
exception to that. You really felt like Kirk’s life was in jeopardy! I
almost put The Tholians here, but they didn’t stand out as memorable as
The Gorn did. And Enterprise did their take on The Gorn and to be
honest, the CGI version was pretty damn cool.
#10.Khan
This one may seem kind of high, but as I said “Space Seed” is a tad
overrated. What isn’t overrated is the performance Ricardo Monatlban
gives. He owns every scene he is in! It’s no wonder Harve Bennett
decided to bring him back in TWOK. It’s almost through supreme luck that
Kirk survives and defeats him!
#9.Trelane/Koloth
Why a tie? Simple, they’re both played by the same actor! Honesty I
always liked Koloth a little more, there is just something so playful
and yet sinister in that performance. Trelane was much more immature, of
course, and while he seems playful for most of the episode the scene
where he puts Kirk on trial he’s downright evil. Hmm, that reminds me of
someone a lot like him that put Picard on trial….. Koloth felt like he
could be a reoccurring villain and in fact he was supposed to be.
#8.Weyoun/Shran
Another tie for the same reason as the last. Jeffret Combs is amazing,
every character he has given has been memorable and unique. I should
have put Brunt on here also. Weyoun is a master at seeming so calm and
civilized while he was doing awful awful things. He served the Founders
proudly. As for Shran, he was a warrior who will do whatever he as to
complete his mission. No lover of Vulcan’s he did grow to respect Archer
and his crew. Shran was the only memorable villain Enterprise managed
(yes including the Zindi, they just never came together for me. The
Suliban? Please) and it was all thanks to Combs portrayal.
#7.Tomalak
A lot of people think Mark Lenard was the quintessential Romulan
command, but for me it’s Tomalak. This guy was just a nasty son of a…you
know. I don’t think he’s as remembered as others from TNG but Andreas
Katsulous was just mean on this show. Yeah I know people know him more
as G’Kar on Babylon 5, but I loved him on TNG. Well except for when he
appeared in the final episode and was more goofy. Generally speaking the
Romulans are not nice but this guy just enjoys being mean so damn much!
#6.Kang
It’s hard to pick a Klingon to choose because they all have their
charms. Kor was a magnificent bastard, Koloth was delightfully quirky,
and Kang..was awesome. He only appeared in one episode but man did he
own that episode. In fact, the episode isn’t really that great. But
Michael Ansara gave us a Klingon who would come the closest to the
warrior that Klingos would layer be in movies and TNG. And he could be
reasoned with, thank goodness for Kirk and crew.
#5.Gul Dukat
This guy was just, evil. All of these villains have their charms and
moments when they seem be decent people, not this guy. This guy is just
rotten to the core. Oh sure he can fake civility when he needs to, but
it’s just a facade. As DS9 went on he got even more nasty, doing
anything he could to get the power he craved.
#4.Lore
It would have been so easy to phone in the cliched “evil double” story
with Data and Lore. But Spiner really did a good job giving Lore a
distinct personality that made him really mean. He appeared only twice
in the first six years and I would have bet any amount of money it had
been more than that, that’s how awesome he was. His final appearance in
Descent was pretty good, as he so expertly manipulated the Borg to
serving his ends. Speaking of The Borg…
.
#3.The Borg
What can I say about The Borg? They came along and gave TNG what it
really needed..a real enemy to worry about! Yeah you could argue that
Voyager ruined them too turning them into zombies, but during the TNG
years they were a fantastic villain. Imagine a society where everyone is
hooked into the machine, and every decision is a group decision. No
emotion, just pure cold logic. And the Borg have one agenda, to make
everyone else part of their perfect collective! They were the one
villain in Star Trek that were actually scary!
#2.Mirror Spock/Kira
You gotta love the mirror universe, and how it took characters we loved
and turned them into sadistic, nasty people. Spock was just mean in this
world, and yet still very logical. It was just fascinating how a little
goatee turned the lovable Vulcan into a very cold calculating bad guy.
Even in the end there is barely a redemption (he’ll consider it?). As
for Kira, what can I say? Nana Visitor seemed to be having a ball
playing this character who is so sadistic and yet loves every second of
it. She was sexy and seductive, but you ever notice she always has
others do the dirty work for her?
#1.Q
No surprise here. What in the world can I say here that I haven’t yet?
John De Lancie made this one the best characters on Next Generation, in
fact he was literally the one good thing in the pilot. Q was
mischievous, malevolent, sadistic..but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a
fun side! He truly respected Picard and some of their debates are among
the best bits of dialogue in any Trek series. Q was omnipotent and
didn’t care what he did or who he hurt. It was because of Q that Picard
and crew first met the Borg, and he was simply perfect in the series
finale “All Good Things”. He also appeared on DS9 (which was ok) and
Voyager in three episodes (first was great, the other two sucked). I
could do a whole essay on this character and the impact he made on TNG.
There is one classic series bad guy that everyone loves I left off, I
am going to do a separate article to talk about him. Any others that I
missed? Comment and let me know.
Alright, gonna have one more you. Gotta do the supporting characters, which should be a challenge
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