15 Greatest Star Trek Villains Of All Time

Star Trek's nearly 60-year legacy of TV series and movies has created countless memorable villains, and here are the 15 greatest. Starting with the voyages of Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise, Star Trek has primarily been about exploring strange new worlds in the final frontier. Seeking out new lifeforms and new civilizations inevitably leads to facing opposition, and sometimes, outright evil, especially for a sci-fi action-adventure saga like Star Trek.

Most Star Trek episodes have a villain of some sort, and the episodic nature of Star Trek TV shows from Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: Enterprise usually meant a different enemy or opposing force every week. Star Trek on Paramount+'s serialized shows often focus on one particular big bad throughout each season. Meanwhile, the Star Trek movies typically feature a dramatic and powerful villain with grand schemes to destroy the Starship Enterprise and the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek's greatest villains, whether it's an individual or a group, or a species, share a few traits in common: They have been a viable threat to our Starfleet heroes, their villainous acts have had lasting ramifications, and they are simply memorable. The Federation's philosophy is to turn enemies into allies, and while that has even worked with some of the Big Bads below, the 15 top villains in Star Trek will always be known for their nefarious deeds first and foremost.

15Q

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard

Q (John de Lancie) often behaves more mischievously than malevolently, but his omnipotence always makes him a viable threat. Q's fascination with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and later, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) on Star Trek: Voyager, categorized him as more of a nuisance, but there is continuous cause to fear Q's unlimited power and unpredictability.

Q's return in Star Trek: Picard season 2 showed how dangerous he is: Even though Q was dying, he used the last of his power to change Star Trek's Prime Timeline into a dark reality ruled by the fascist Confederation of Earth. And this was all to teach Admiral Picard a lesson about facing the buried secrets of his childhood. Q's surprise comeback in Star Trek: Picard season 3 renews him as a possible threat to Picard's son, Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers).

14The Gorn

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

For decades, the Gorn were considered comical after a Gorn Captain (clearly a man in a cumbersome rubber suit) fought Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series. However, the Gorn have been reimagined by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to become the primary enemy of Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise.

Mysterious, carnivorous, and always deadly, the Gorn have many ghastly ways to kill, including infecting their victims, like Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), with their eggs until they die horribly from giving birth to malicious baby lizard aliens.

13Lore

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard

As wondrous as Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is, his opposite number, Lore (Brent Spiner), shows just how much havoc an evil Data could wreak. Lore is Data's android older brother, and he used his positronic intellect and lack of regard for human life to menace the USS Enterprise-D.

From attempting to form his own Borg Collective to attempting to erase Data and assume full control of their shared synthetic body in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Lore makes the idea of an evil Data scary.

12Kruge

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Before he played the lovably eccentric Doc Brown in Back to the Future, Christopher Lloyd portrayed Commander Kruge, one of the most evil Klingons Star Trek has ever seen. In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Kruge would stop at nothing to acquire the power and secrets of Project Genesis.

uge ordered the death of Admiral James T. Kirk's son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), personifying Kirk's hatred of Klingons and forever earning a place in the annals of Star Trek villainy.

11Admiral Alexander Marcus & Khan Noonien Singh

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness had two villains, although they both hated each other. Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), the Commander in Chief of Starfleet in J.J. Abrams' alternate Kelvin timeline, intended to militarize Starfleet under his rule and ignite a war with the Klingons. Marcus was even willing to destroy the Starship Enterprise and everyone aboard, murdering hundreds of innocent people.

Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) was the weapon Admiral Marcus intended to manipulate to achieve his master plan, but the genetically engineered super villain was an even bigger threat. The brilliant and powerful Khan eventually killed Marcus and attempted to destroy San Francisco, after he'd already implemented a terrorist bombing of London and attacked Starfleet Headquarters, murdering Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood).

10Vadic

Star Trek: Picard

Vadic (Amanda Plummer), one of the main villains of Star Trek: Picard season 3, is perhaps the most striking and impactful adversary of the Star Trek on Paramount+ era. A Changeling with tragic backstory and a justifiable grudge against Starfleet and Section 31, Captan Vadic theatened the Federation aboard her fearsome warship, the Shrike.

Ultimately, Vadic and her Changelings worked for the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). But before Vadic's demise, she attacked cities, stole the corpse of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, held Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) hostage, and murdered Lieutenant T'Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski) when Vadic hijacked the USS Titan-A.

 

9Dr. Tolian Soran

Star Trek Generations

El-Aurian mad scientist Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) destroyed the Veridian sun and several planets in his attempt to return to the Nexus in Star Trek Generations. However, Soran's claim to eternal Star Trek infamy will always be that his villainy resulted in the death of Captain James T. Kirk. Originally, Soran killed Kirk by shooting him in the back, but this was changed for the final version of Star Trek Generations. Either way, Soran is the reason for Captain Kirk's demise.

 

8General Chang & Star Trek VI Conspirators

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

 

 

Peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire would never have happened if General Chang (Christopher Plummer) and his conspirators succeeded. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Chang and his accomplices, including Starfleet's Admiral Cartwright (Brock Peters) and Lieutenant Valeris (Kim Cattrall), assassinated Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) and framed Captain Kirk for the murder.

Amanda Plummer's Vadic in Star Trek: Picard season 3, followed in her father, Christopher Plummer's, footsteps to become an all-time great Star Trek villain.

Captain Kirk, Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the crews of the USS Enterprise and USS Excelsior uncovered General Chang's plot and stopped the assassination of the Federation President (Kurtwood Smith). General Chang and his conspiracy ultimately failed, but they came too close to ensuring perpetual war between the Klingons and the Federation.

 

7The Klingons

All Of Star Trek

 

 

In the 24th century, the Klingons are allies of the Federation, but the fearsome warrior race are usually at their best when opposed to Starfleet. The Klingons have been redesigned throughout Star Trek history, but they are always considered one of the most dangerous species in the galaxy. The Klingons nearly topped the Federation in Star Trek: Discovery's 23rd century, and returned to their anti-human ways on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but they'll always be as menacing as they are popular with Star Trek fans.

 

6Gul Dukat

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

 

 

The Cardassians are a great Star Trek enemy species, but standing head and shoulders above the most odious Cardassians is Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo). The former head of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, the smarmy and egotistical Dukat is endlessly fascinating, whether he's attempting to seduce Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), leading the Cardassians as allies of the Dominion, or trying to prove his superiority over his rival, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).

5Nero

Star Trek (2009)

Nero (Eric Bana) created a brand new Star Trek timeline, and then tried to destroy the Federation. The main villain of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) reboot, Nero was a Romulan miner who blamed Ambassador Spock for a supernova destroying Romulus in the 24th century, and sought revenge against the Vulcan.

In the alternate Kelvin Timeline's 23rd century, Nero killed Lieutenant George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), the father of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and destroyed the planet Vulcan. Thankfully, Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise stopped Nero before he destroyed Earth, but the mad Romulan's impact on Star Trek is undeniable.

 

4The Romulans

All Of Star Trek

 

 

The Romulan Star Empire have been the insidious adversaries of the Federation throughout Star Trek's timeline, and, unlike the Klingons, they never brokered peace with humans. Instead, Romulans worked in a clandestine fashion to undermine and destablize the Federation through deceit and subterfuge rather than outright aggression.

Star Trek: Picard revealed that the Romulan Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) infiltrated the Federation to become Head of Starfleet Security. Oh and her Romulan cohorts engineered the Mars Attack of 2385 that altered the trajectory of the Federation. Romulans even disabled a Borg Cube and turned it into the Romulan Reclamation Project. Underestimate the Romulans at your peril.

 

3Khan Noonien Singh

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

 

 

One name is synonymous with Star Trek super villains: Khan (Ricardo Montalban). Introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series' classic episode, "Space Seed," Khan Noonien Singh is the genetically engineered former warlord who was revived by Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise in the 23rd century. Khan quickly tried to hijack the Enterprise and kill Kirk before he was banished to Ceti Alpha V.

Khan returned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to seek his revenge against Admiral Kirk, stealing the planet-altering power of the Genesis Device. Ricardo Montalban's scenery-chewing menace as Khan will always be the gold standard of Star Trek villains. Lasting proof of Khan's lofty status is that he remains the only villain with a Star Trek movie named after him.

 

2The Dominion

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine created the Dominion as the main enemy of Captain Benjamin Sisko and his Starfleet space station, and the Dominion ultimately altered the balance of power in the galaxy. A fascist regime from the Gamma Quadrant led by the Changeling race known as the Founders, the Dominion also consists of their negotiators, the Vorta, and their genetically engineered shock troops, the Jem'Hadar.

The Dominion War saw the deaths of millions, devastated multiple planets, and left the galaxy reeling even after the Federation's victory.

The Dominion War on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine saw the Gamma Quadrant invaders, with their Cardassian and Breen allies, nearly topple the Federation and conquer the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion War saw the deaths of millions, devastated multiple planets, and left the galaxy reeling even after the Federation's victory. Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks explored the aftermath of the damage the Dominion left behind.

 

1The Borg & The Borg Queen

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard

 

The Borg and their ruler, the Borg Queen (Alice Krige, Susanna Thompson, Annie Wersching), are the definitive Star Trek villains since their introduction in Star Trek: The Next Generation. A cybernetic race bent on universal assimilation, the Borg exemplify the loss of individuality and submission to a hive mind. After assimilating Captain Picard, the Borg attempted to conquer Earth in the 24th and 21st centuries at the behest of their diabolical Borg Queen.

Yet Starfleet proved resistance is not futile. No matter how overwhelming the Borg seemed to be, the Federation found ways to strike back. Admiral Kathryn Janeway infecting the Borg with a pathogen in Star Trek; Voyager's finale led to Admiral Picard and the USS Enterprise-D destroying the Borg once and for all in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Regardless, the Borg endure as Star Trek's most popular and greatest villains, and it's only a matter of time before they return.