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.

15

Q

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).

14

The 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 ᴅᴇᴀᴅly, 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.

13

Lore

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 ᴀssume full control of their shared synthetic body in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Lore makes the idea of an evil Data scary.

12

Kruge

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.

Kruge 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.

11

Admiral 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).

10

Vadic

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 тιтan-A.

9

Dr. 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.

8

General 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), ᴀssᴀssinated Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) and framed Captain Kirk for the murder.

Captain Kirk, Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the crews of the USS Enterprise and USS Excelsior uncovered General Chang’s plot and stopped the ᴀssᴀssination 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.

7

The 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.

6

Gul Dukat

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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