The “Star Trek” universe has been around since 1966. In total, there are a dozen series and even a few more movies in which we’ve encountered some pretty cool villains. From “Star Trek: Enterprise” to “Star Trek: Picard,” some of them have achieved cult status.
And it’s not just the classic series and films that feature famous villains. Fans can also regularly look forward to impressive villainous roles in the new “Star Trek” releases. Which villain is your favorite?
16 Best Star Trek Villains
Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill)
Although “Star Trek V: At the Edge of the Universe” is relatively undoubtedly the worst of all the “Star Trek” films, villain Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) has a lot of potentials. The half-brother of Spock is charismatic, convincing and with his way of rallying people around him like a cult leader, a great villain!
The creators of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” recognized Sybok’s potential and hinted at his return. In “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 2, which starts on June 15, 2023, we can expect an appearance of the villain.
Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer)
Based on her starship alone, Vadic (Amanda Plummer) from “Star Trek: Picard” Season 3 is one of the best villains in the “Star Trek” universe. The Shrike is huge and immensely impressive and scary with its jagged design. Vadic herself is sinister and elicits unease with her calm manner of speaking. The fact that she addresses every person aboard the Titan by name makes things even creepier. How does she know everyone?
She’s a well-informed villain who knows her opponent and is thus always one step ahead. She’s not someone you want to mess with. A little fun fact on the side: actress Amanda Plummer is the daughter of Christopher Plummer, who will also appear in the coming pages. He played the villain in “Star Trek VI”.
Captain Angel (Jesse James Keitel)
In “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” Captain Angel is introduced in the seventh episode. Angel is villainous, cunning and highly intelligent. In the process, Captain Angel, portrayed by Jesse James Keitel, almost succeeds in outsmarting Captain Pike, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise.
When Angel’s plan fails, however, Angel manages to escape. This leaves the door open for a return. Especially since Captain Angel has an exciting connection to one of the most notorious “Star Trek” villains.
The Borg Queen (Alice Krige / Susanna Thompson / Annie Wersching)
One of the most famous “Star Trek” villains and villainesses of all is the Borg Queen. The leader of the Borg Collective is creepy, powerful and vicious. You don’t want to mess with the Borg Queen, as Picard (Patrick Stewart), Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and co. had to painfully learn.
In the movie “Star Trek: First Contact,” the role of the Borg Queen is played by Alice Krige. In “Star Trek: Starship Voyager” Susanna Thompson plays the iconic villainess and in “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2 Annie Wersching breathes new life into the role.
Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel / Rainn Wilson)
The episodes in which Harcourt Fenton Mudd, Harry Mudd for short, appeared are probably among the most embarrassing episodes from “Starship Enterprise.” Nevertheless, the performance of actor Roger C. Carmel is cult today. The opportunistic space pirate is in fact an exception: He appears in several episodes!
In the cult series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, villains always appeared in only one episode, but Harry Mudd had two appearances. Another one in “Star Trek: The Animated Series.” No wonder the iconic villain was also recycled for “Star Trek: Discovery,” portrayed by Rainn Wilson.
Valeris (Kim Cattrall)
“Sex and the City” star Kim Cattrall was once part of the “Star Trek” universe! In the film “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” she plays the Vulcan Valeris, who is sponsored by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and graduates at the top of her class at Starfleet Academy.
However, it is to be revealed during the course of the film that Spock’s protégé is actually on the side of the Klingons, betraying Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise. A thrilling double-cross, but one that can be uncovered in the end.
Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell)
Malcolm McDowell is a famous actor who loves playing villainous roles. Even though “Star Trek: Meeting of the Generations” is not necessarily one of the best “Star Trek” movies, villain Dr. Tolian Soran still left a lasting impression. This is not only due to McDowell’s performance.
The character stands out as a villain because he kills Captain Kirk (William Shatner). This had such a massive impact with fans that it caused them to wrap screenwriter Brannon Braga’s house in toilet paper.
Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd)
“Star Trek III: In Search of Mr. Spock” is a film that often gets lost in best-of lists of “Star Trek” films. Yet the film has a strong villain: Commander Kruge. A manic Klingon played by “Back to the Future” star Christopher Lloyd.
Dangerous to his fellow Klingons, Kruge searches for the secrets of the Geneis project and wants to use it as a weapon. In the process, he bluntly kills his own people when he is dissatisfied, and at the end of the film even Kirk’s son falls victim to him, which only further manifests Kirk’s hatred of the Klingons.
Captain Nero (Eric Bana)
When “Star Trek” got a reboot in 2009, some smart decisions were made. Namely, it is not only a reboot, but also a sequel. The story takes place in a parallel “Star Trek” timeline, so the plot is detached from the rest. However, the best decision was to cast Eric Bana as the Romulan Nero.
Nero is devastated after the destruction of his home planet, an event that is the subject of “Star Trek: Picard.” Since Spock did not arrive in time to save Romulus as promised, he blames Spock for the destruction of the planet.
He travels back in time by chance and waits there for Spock. For he wants to take revenge on him and destroy Spock’s home planet Vulcan before his eyes, which he succeeds in doing.
Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo)
In “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) is one of the recurring villains. The Cardassian is opaque, intelligent and ruthless. He has great influence over and exploits the politics of the Alpha Quadrant, where Vulcan and Earth are located.
Dukat is responsible for the alliance of Cardassia and the Dominion. He also leads Cardassia into a war against the Federation.
General Chang (Christopher Plummer)
Oscar winner Christopher Plummer actually always delivers, so it’s no wonder that his iconic “Star Trek” villain General Chang from the movie “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” is also remembered. The Klingon is determined to sabotage the peace negotiations between the Federation and the Klingons.
He even kills the Klingon rulers and frames Captain Kirk for the murder. Since Kirk is known to harbor some animosity towards the Klingons anyway, this leads to corresponding repercussions during the peace negotiations.
In the end, everything can be turned around for the better, but General Chang came close to truly driving Kirk’s crew to despair. In addition, the villain remains in the memory due to his numerous Shakespeare quotes.
Lore (Brent Spiner)
In the episode “The Duplicate” of “Starship Enterprise – The Next Century”, Lore (Brent Spiner) is introduced for the first time. The android is the twin of Data (Spiner) and has an emotion chip. This ensures that he is mentally unstable and malicious.
Lore even poses as Data to pursue his evil plans. He wants to destroy the Enterprise, kills his creator and even leads a group of Borg drones.
Q (John de Lancie)
In “Starship Enterprise – The Next Century” villain Q (John de Lancie) appeared for the first time. Fans liked the omnipotent rogue and so Q always returned, even in “Star Trek: Starship Voyager.”
Even though Q’s intentions aren’t villainous and his pranks don’t always have consequences, Q is responsible for the Borg learning of the Federation’s existence, which we know are the most dangerous villains in the “Star Trek” universe.
Due to the villain’s popularity, John de Lancie was brought back as Q for “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2. Once again, he wreaks havoc with Jean-Luc, but de Lancie reveals that Q actually wants to help Picard.
Locutus (Patrick Stewart)
The Borg become probably the biggest threat in the “Star Trek” universe. The species even manages to assimilate Picard, so that he becomes part of the Borg collective. As the spokesman for the Borg, Locutus, the former captain of the Enterprise becomes a dangerous enemy of the Enterprise.
With the knowledge Picard has about the Enterprise as well as the Federation, the Borg had a trump weapon in their hands. Fortunately, Picard’s assimilation could be reversed, so Jean-Luc was soon master of his senses again. Still, the assimilation left its scars.
Khan (Ricardo Montalbán)
Arguably the most iconic of all “Star Trek” villains is Ricardo Montalbán’s mega-villain Khan Noonien Singh! He first appeared in “Starship Enterprise,” and after the genetically modified superhuman wreaked havoc aboard the Enterprise, Kirk had him abandoned.
Years later, Kirk encounters the villain again in the movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and fights what is probably the toughest battle of his career as a Starfleet captain. Khan is bent on revenge against Kirk and he almost succeeds in killing Kirk.
But even though he didn’t succeed, Khan kills Kirk’s best friend Mr. Spock. Even though Spock is brought back to life in the next installment, this shocking film caused a stir among fans in the 80s cinema.
Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs)
In the first season of “Star Trek: Discovery,” Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) is introduced. At first, he is a somewhat shady, but moral captain. Soon, however, it turns out that Lorca comes from the mirror universe and is pursuing his very own plans.
Together with his entire crew, he comes to the mirror universe and causes a lot of trouble. For many fans, the twist that Lorca is actually the villain came as a surprise. Jason Isaacs’ charisma makes the role all the more impressive.
