star trek bad guys name

• Copy from this list
• Report this list

Top 120 Star Trek Villains

Various evil faces from the numerous films and shows!

1. Ricardo Montalban

Actor | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Legendary actor Ricardo Montalban was the epitome of Latin elegance, charm and grace on film and television and in the late 1940s and early 1950s reinvigorated the Rudolph Valentino / Ramon Novarro "Latin Lover" style in Hollywood without achieving top screen stardom. Moreover, unlike most minority...

2. Alice Krige

Actress | Star Trek: First Contact

Alice Maud Krige was born on June 28, 1954 in Upington, South Africa where her father, Dr. Louis Krige, worked as a young physician. The Kriges later moved to Port Elizabeth where Alice grew up in what she describes as a "very happy family", a family that also included two brothers (both of whom ...

3. Annie Wersching

Actress | The Last of Us

This talented actress was born Anne Marie Wersching and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. She opted early on for a life in the entertainment industry, performing in community theatre and later as a dancer for some fourteen years with a troupe called the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers. After moving to ...

New Borg Queen.

4. Susanna Thompson

Actress | Malignant

Susanna Thompson was born on January 27, 1958 in San Diego, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Malignant (2021), Dragonfly (2002) and Once and Again (1999). She is married to Martin B. Katz.

5. Leland Orser

Actor | Taken

Leland Orser was born on August 6, 1960 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Taken (2008), Se7en (1995) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). He has been married to Jeanne Tripplehorn since October 14, 2000. They have one child. He was previously married to Roma Downey ...

Serial killer hologram

6. Matt Frewer

Actor | Watchmen

Matt Frewer has been travelling all over North America in recent months filming recurring roles. Most recently, he worked in Los Angeles for HBO's Perry Mason and in Austin for AMC's Fear The Walking Dead. In Vancouver portrayed Carnage in Netflix's sci-fi drama Altered Carbon (2018); in Montreal (...

7. Brent Spiner

Actor | Star Trek: First Contact

Brent Spiner, whose primary claim to fame is his portrayal of the beloved android Data on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His parents, Sylvia (Schwartz) and Jack Spiner, owned and operated a furniture store, and were both from ...

8. Brent Spiner

Soong’s next of kin

9. Brent Spiner

Soong ancester

10. Bruce McGill

Actor | Law Abiding Citizen

Bruce McGill grew up in San Antonio, Texas. His mother, Adriel Rose (Jacobs) is an artist, and his father, Woodrow Wilson McGill, is a real estate and insurance agent. He graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School San Antonio, where he acted in the department of theatre, and from The University ...

11. Mark Lenard

Actor | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Mark Lenard was an American actor, primarily known for television roles. He is primarily known for playing Vulcan ambassador Sarek (Spock's father) in "Star Trek: The Original Series" and a number of its spin-offs. In 1924, Lenard was born under the name "Leonard Rosenson" in Chicago Illinois. His ...

Romulan commander

12. Denise Crosby

Actress | Pet Sematary

Denise Michelle Crosby was born on November 24, 1957 in Hollywood, California. Denise graduated from Hollywood High School in 1975 and attended Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz where she enrolled in the Drama Department. Forming part of the extensive Crosby family dynasty, this striking leading ...

13. Tamlyn Tomita

Actress | The Day After Tomorrow

Tamlyn Tomita was born on January 27, 1966 in Okinawa, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Eye (2008). She is married to Daniel Blinkoff .

Saboteur Commodore Oh (Picard).

14. Ed Begley Jr.

Actor | A Mighty Wind

Ed Begley Jr. was born on September 16, 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for A Mighty Wind (2003), Pineapple Express (2008) and Whatever Works (2009). He has been married to Rachelle Carson-Begley since August 23, 2000. They have one child. He was previously ...

15. Jeffrey Nordling

Actor | Big Little Lies

Jeffrey Nordling was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA. Jeffrey is an actor, known for Big Little Lies (2017), 24 (2001) and Flight 93 (2006). Jeffrey is married to Francia Dimase . They have three children.

16. Jeffrey Combs

Actor | Re-Animator

Jeffrey Combs was born on September 9th, 1954 in Oxnard, California. He grew up in Lompoc, California with a plethora of siblings both older and younger. He attended the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, and the Professional Actor's Training Program at the University of ...

17. Raphael Sbarge

Actor | Once Upon a Time

Raphael Sbarge has been a working actor for more than five decades. Growing up in New York City's Lower East Side, Raphael began working on Sesame Street (1969) at the age of four. His did his first Broadway show at 16, opposite Faye Dunaway and his first big film, Risky Business (1983) starring ...

18. Richard Lynch

Actor | Halloween

Richard Hugh Lynch was born on February 12, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York City, to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of seven children. Before starting a career as an actor, he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1958. He served for four years where he made Corporal, and did a tour of the ...

19. Jonathan Frakes

Jonathan Scott Frakes was born in Bellefonte, central Pennsylvania. He is the son of Doris J. (Yingling) and Dr. James R. Frakes, a professor. His parents moved with Jonathan and his younger brother Daniel to Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania. There, his father taught English at Lehigh University, ...

20. Kurtwood Smith

Actor | RoboCop

Kurtwood Smith was born on July 3, 1943 in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for RoboCop (1987), Broken Arrow (1996) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). He has been married to Joan Pirkle since November 5, 1988. He was previously married to Cecilia Souza.

Mad scientist Annorex (Voyager).

21. Christopher Plummer

Actor | Beginners

Legendary actor Christopher Plummer, perhaps Canada's greatest thespian, delivered outstanding performances as Sherlock Holmes in Murder by Decree (1979), the chilling villain in The Silent Partner (1978), the iconoclastic Mike Wallace in The Insider (1999), the empathetic psychiatrist in A ...

22. Frank Langella

Actor | Frost/Nixon

Frank Langella was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, to Angelina and Frank A. Langella, a business executive. He is of Italian descent. A stage and screen actor of extreme versatility, Frank Langella won acclaim on the New York stage in "Seascape" and followed it up with the title role in the Edward Gorey ...

23. Victor Rivers

Actor | The Mask of Zorro

Victor Rivers was born in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. He is known for The Mask of Zorro (1998), The Air I Breathe (2007) and Hulk (2003). He has been married to Mim Eichler Rivas since 1988. They have one child.

24. James Horan

Actor | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, of Irish/Scandinavian heritage, Horan first became interested in acting while attending Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. When he was 19, he starred in his first play, as the Marquis de Sade in "Marat/Sade", what he calls a "baptism by fire." He also ...

Mysterious voiced operative on Enterprise

25. William Sadler

Actor | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

William Thomas Sadler was born on April 13, 1950 in Buffalo, New York, to Jane and William Sadler. He began his acting career in New York theaters, appearing in more than 75 productions over the course of 12 years. His roles included that of Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey in Neil Simon 's Tony Award winning ...

26. F. Murray Abraham

Actor | Amadeus

Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham was born on October 24, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in El Paso, Texas. His father, Fred Abraham, was a Syrian (Antiochian Orthodox Christian) immigrant. His mother, Josephine (Stello) Abraham, was the daughter of Italian immigrants. Born...

27. Alec Newman

Actor | Karen Pirie

Alec Newman was born in Glasgow, Scotland. After graduating from LAMDA he built up a steady list of theatre and screen credits before landing the lead role of Paul Atreides in the Emmy award winning miniseries Dune (2000). Introduced to US audiences, a string of appearances on American TV and film ...

28. Marco Rodríguez

Actor | Cobra

Marco Rodriguez is a film, television, and stage actor. Received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and trained with notable acting coaches, Jeff Corey and Jose Quintero. After a short stint as a teacher in the Lausd, Rodriguez embarked on a professional acting ...

29. Anthony Zerbe

Actor | The Omega Man

Hailing from Long Beach, California, talented character actor Anthony Zerbe has kept busy in Hollywood and on stage since the late 1960s, often playing villainous or untrustworthy characters, with his narrow gaze and unsettling smirk. Zerbe was born May 20, 1936 in Long Beach, and served a stint in...

30. Malcolm McDowell

Actor | A Clockwork Orange

Malcolm John Taylor was born on June 13, 1943 in Leeds, England, to working-class parents Edna (McDowell), a hotelier, and Charles Taylor, a publican. His father was an alcoholic. Malcolm hated his parents' ways. His father was keen to send his son to private school to give him a good start in life...

31. Christopher Lloyd

Actor | Back to the Future

Christopher Lloyd is an American actor with a relatively long career. His better known roles include drug-using taxicab driver Jim Ignatowski in the sitcom Taxi (1978), Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), inventor Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future ...

32. John Savage

Actor | The Last Full Measure

John Savage is an American actor best known for his roles in The Deer Hunter (1978), The Onion Field (1979), Hair (1979), Salvador (1986), The Last Full Measure (2019), In Dubious Battle (2016), and the television shows Goliath (2016), Twin Peaks (2017), and Dark Angel (2000). He was born in Old ...

33. Titus Welliver

Actor | The Town

Titus Welliver was born on March 12, 1962 in New Haven, Connecticut. His father was a famous landscape painter, Neil Welliver. His mother was a fashion illustrator, Norma Cripps. He has three brothers, one was killed overseas. He was raised in Philadelphia and New York City, surrounded by poets and...

34. Rick Worthy

Actor | While You Were Sleeping

A native Detroiter, Rick graduated from Southfield Senior High in 1985, and then from the University of Michigan in 1990. He then moved to Chicago where he performed at several prestigious theaters including Chicago Dramatists Workshop, The Goodman Theatre, and Victory Gardens Theater. Rick's ...

Crewman Essing

35. Olivia Birkelund

Actress | The Bone Collector

Olivia Birkelund attended Brown University and Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City. After several years of New York and regional theater (The New Group, The Stratford Festival, The Guthrie Theater), she worked as a contract player (Arlene Vaughn) on All My Children. Since then, she...

36. Robin Curtis

Actress | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Robin Curtis was born on June 15, 1956 in New York Mills, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

37. Patrick Massett

Writer | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Patrick Massett co-wrote Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) starring Angelina Jolie . His television career began with Veritas: The Quest (2003) at ABC, which he and his partner John Zinman , Co-Created and Executive Produced. He then went on to Co-Executive Produce Emmy Award Winning, Friday Night Lights ...

38. Ron Gans

Actor | Pryde of the X-Men

While many people may not know Ron Gans' face, any self-respecting fan of '70s drive-in exploitation cinema should be highly familiar with his extremely distinctive and unmistakable deep'n'dulcet velvet smooth golden throat voice. Gans lent his deliciously plummy tones to numerous theatrical ...

39. Barbara March

Actress | Star Trek: Generations

Barbara March was born on October 9, 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). She was married to Alan Scarfe . She died on August 11, 2019 in British Columbia, Canada.

Duras sisters

40. Gwynyth Walsh

Gwynyth Walsh was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada but was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. Walsh earned her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Alberta and started her career appearing on stage, across Canada and in the United States, in many classics, including. For ...

41. Beth Toussaint

Actress | Scream 3

Beth Toussaint was born on September 25, 1962 in Pleasant Hill, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Scream 3 (2000), Red Eye (2005) and Babylon 5 (1993). She has been married to Jack Coleman since June 21, 1996. They have one child.

42. Renée Jones

Actress | Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI

Renée Jones was born on October 15, 1958 in Opa-Locka, Florida, USA. She is an actress, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987).

43. Alan Scarfe

Actor | Lethal Weapon 3

Alan Scarfe was born on June 8, 1946 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Andromeda (2000) and Double Impact (1991).

44. Marie Marshall

Actress | Babylon 5

Marie Marshall is from Dallas, Texas. Parents Jane and Ralph E. Marshall, she is the youngest of two. Attended North Texas State University, and has a B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. Her TV debut was playing Denise Darcy on 'As the World Turns' 1985-1988. During the next five years she...

45. Matt Winston

Actor | Little Miss Sunshine

Matt Winston was born on February 3, 1970. He is an actor and producer, known for Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) and Jurassic Park (1993). He has been married to Amy Smallman since October 11, 1998. They have two children.

46. Cindy Katz

Actress | Heat

Cindy Katz is known for Heat (1995), Limitless (2011) and The Age of Innocence (1993).

47. Gregory Sierra

Actor | The Towering Inferno

Lanky, balding, intense American character actor of Puerto Rican ancestry, born in New York's Spanish Harlem. Deserted by his parents, Sierra was brought up by an aunt in a rough, predominantly Irish neighbourhood from the age of six. Though briefly tempted by gang life as a teenager, he took up ...

48. Ben Lemon

Actor | Liar Liar

Ben Lemon was born on May 21, 1955 in Tarrytown, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Liar Liar (1997), Die Hard 2 (1990) and Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993). He is married to Fionn. They have two children.

49. Lenore Kasdorf

Actress | Starship Troopers

Lenore Kasdorf was born on July 27, 1948 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Starship Troopers (1997), Cellular (2004) and Babylon 5 (1993). She was previously married to Phil Peters .

50. Rick Worthy

Android Cravic

51. Michael Forest

Actor | Jûbê ninpûchô

Six-foot-three and weighing in at a lean, mean 215, Michael Forest was a rugged-looking addition to the Roger Corman and Gene Corman 's list of leading men during their 1950s heyday. Between Corman films, he was a stage actor who worked in Shakespearean plays and other legitimate productions as ...

52. John Fleck

Actor | Waterworld

John Fleck is an actor, known for Waterworld (1995), Falling Down (1993) and Velvet Buzzsaw (2019).

53. Claire Rankin

Actress | Son of a Critch

Claire Rankin is from Prince Edward Island. She is best known as Mary Critch on the comedy series Son Of A Critch (CBC) She is a trained singer and dancer. She spent four seasons performing with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. She performed the role of Cynthia Murphy on the US National Tour of ...

54. Peter Weller

Peter Frederick Weller was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to Dorothy Jean (Davidson) and Frederick Bradford Weller, a federal judge and career helicopter pilot for the United States Army. He traveled extensively as his father literally flew around the world. Before he was out of his teens, he ...

55. Gary Combs

Stunts | Blade Runner

Gary Combs was born on December 13, 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an assistant director and actor, known for Blade Runner (1982), RoboCop (1987) and They Live (1988).

The Gorn opponent!

56. Steven Weber

Actor | The Shining

This Queens-born actor has certainly proven himself adept at everything from quirky comedy to flat-out melodrama earning TV stardom in the early 1990's and maintaining a strong foothold on stage, film and TV in its aftermath. Steven Robert Weber was born on March 4, 1961, to Fran (Frankel), a ...

57. Robert Knepper

Actor | Prison Break

Robert Knepper, the son of a veterinarian, was born in Fremont, Ohio, and was raised in Maumee (near Toledo). When he was growing up, his mother worked in the props department for the community theater, and because of her involvement, he became interested in acting. Robert began his career in ...

58. Robert O'Reilly

Actor | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Robert O'Reilly was born on March 25, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), The Mask (1994) and Star Trek the Next Generation Interactive VHS Board Game (1993). He is married to Judy. They have three children.

59. J.G. Hertzler

J.G. Hertzler was born on March 18, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Zorro (1990) and BioShock (2007).

Koval in Of Gods and Men

60. Gregory Itzin

Gregory Itzin, accomplished stage, film and television actor, was perhaps best known for his Emmy Award-nominated performance for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series as Pres. Charles Logan on 24. Born in Washington, D.C. to parents Evelyn Loretta Itzin and Martin Joseph Itzin, he and his...

61. Mark Rolston

Actor | The Shawshank Redemption

Mark knew he wanted to be an actor at age nine; he took his career and studies to Europe to fulfill his dream. Once there, he was asked by five major acting schools to join them. He chose the Drama Centre London, where he studied for five years. Mark then beat out 2,000 others for an important ...

62. Jack Donner

Actor | So This Is Love

Widely known and admired as Romulan Subcommander Tal in the original Star Trek (1966), Jack Donner has worked steadily in TV, film and theater since the 1950s. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he did his first professional theater and TV work there before heading for New York during the glory days ...

63. Tom Morga

Stunts | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Stuntman, stunt coordinator, and actor Thomas Alvin Morga was born on November 27, 1941 in Burbank, California. While in college, Morga worked as a smoke jumper stationed in Missoula, Montana between 1969 and 1974. It was Tom's work as a smoke jumper that led to his first television appearance as ...

64. Martha Hackett

Actress | Star Trek: Voyager

Martha Hackett was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) and The Bye Bye Man (2017). She was previously married to Tim Disney .

65. Ken Marshall

Actor | Krull

Kenneth "Ken" Marshall was born on June 27, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor. He gained international attention for playing the title role in the Italian-based historical TV-series Marco Polo (1982), with Burt Lancaster and Leonard Nimoy. Other Italian productions were Liliana ...

66. Louise Fletcher

Actress | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, to Episcopal minister Robert Fletcher and his wife Estelle, both of whom were deaf, Louise Fletcher was introduced to performing at a young age by the aunt who taught her to speak. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, she took a trip out west with her...

67. Bernie Casey

Actor | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bernie Casey was born on June 8, 1939 in Wyco, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Never Say Never Again (1983) and Revenge of the Nerds (1984). He was married to Paula. He died on September 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, ...

68. Kaitlin Hopkins

Actress | Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Kaitlin Hopkins was born on February 1, 1964 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), As Good as It Gets (1997) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). She has been married to Jim Price since September 2007. She was ...

Kilana (DS9)

69. Ted Cassidy

Actor | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Ted Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Philippi, West Virginia. He was a well respected actor who portrayed many different characters during his film and television career. His most notable role was Lurch, the faithful butler on the television series The Addams Family (1964)....

Android Ruk

70. Ted Cassidy

Balek’s Puppet

71. Charlie Brill

Actor | Silk Stalkings

Character actor and comedian Charlie Sanford Brill was born in Brooklyn, New York. His older brother was the piano prodigy and nightclub entertainer Marty Brill . Charlie made his screen debut in 1958. He met his future wife, the actress Mitzi McCall , the following year at a Paramount comedy ...

72. Monte Markham

Actor | We Are Still Here

Monte Markham- Actor, Director, Filmmaker While enjoying a substantial career as a versatile, award winning actor/director/writer in feature motion pictures, television, and on Broadway, in 1992, Monte, with his son Jason Markham and wife Klaire Markham , founded their independent production company,...

73. James Horan

Jo’Bril (TNG)

74. Kurtwood Smith

Cardassian prison manager Thrax (DS9).

75. Randy Oglesby

Actor | Nothing to Lose

Randy Oglesby is known for Nothing to Lose (1997), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Idle Hands (1999).

Silaran (DS9)

76. James Horan

Ika’ita (DS9)

77. Marc Alaimo

Actor | Total Recall

American character actor Marc Alaimo (born Michael Joseph Alaimo) began acting on the stage in the early 1960s. Even in his early days he had a propensity for playing shady characters or sinister villains, including the treacherous Iago of Shakespeare's Othello and the brutish Bill Sykes of Oliver!...

78. Glenn Morshower

Actor | The Resident

Glenn Morshower was born on April 24, 1959 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Resident (2018), Bloodline (2015) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). He has been married to Carolyn Elizabeth Lindsley since December 30, 1978. They have two children.

Terrorist member (TNG).

79. Benedict Cumberbatch

Actor | The Imitation Game

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born and raised in London, England. His parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch), are both actors. He is a grandson of submarine commander Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, and a great-grandson of diplomat Henry Arnold ...

80. Judson Scott

Actor | Blade

Judson Earney Scott was born on July 15, 1952 in Azuza, California. He graduated from California State University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, and trained at Los Angeles' prestigious Actors Studio. He entered the American College Theater Festival and received the Irene Ryan Award for Best Actor in ...

81. Casey Biggs

Actor | Broken Arrow

Casey Biggs decided to give up football and pursue an acting career while a student at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio. He joined a glee club and chorus, then started getting involved in musicals and operettas. This led to his audition for the Juilliard School, where he received a BFA ...

82. Shannon Cochran

Actress | The Ring

Shannon was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She had extensive theatre work in Chicago, including the world premiere of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile", a play by Steve Martin . She received a Joseph Jefferson Award for her ...

Kalita, Maquis resistance fighter on TNG who later works with Thomas Riker on DS9.

83. Tim Ransom

Tim Ransom was born on April 19, 1963 in Binghamton, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), The Dressmaker (1988) and Preacher (2016).

84. Bob Gunton

Bob Gunton is an American actor, primarily known for portraying strict and authoritarian characters in popular films. His better known roles include Chief George Earle in "Demolition Man" (1993), Prison Warden Samuel Norton in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), medical school dean Dr. Walcott in "...

85. Christopher Shea

Christopher Shea was born in Arlington, Massachusetts. He attended Matignon High School and later attended and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He is one of the founding members of the Neurotic Young Urbanites--a theatre ...

Keevan (DS9)

86. Iggy Pop

Actor | Cry-Baby

Iggy Pop was born on April 21, 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Cry-Baby (1990), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and Dead Man (1995). He has been married to Nina Alu since November 22, 2008. He was previously married to Suchi Asano and Wendy Weissberg.

87. Gregory Itzin

Ilon Tandro (DS9)

88. Bridget White

Actress | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Bridget White was a competitive gymnast for ten years and started her professional career as a dancer/singer and choreographer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from DeSales University. She studied opera at The Bryn-Mawr Conservatory of Music. After College, she moved to New York and was cast in ...

89. Cyril O'Reilly

Actor | Porky's

Cyril O'Reilly grew up in Claremont, California. At the age of ten Cyril's father was appointed Deputy Director for the Peace Corps, and moved his family to Somalia, East Africa. Upon his return to the US, Cyril was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduation, he studied ...

90. Brad Greenquist

Actor | Pet Sematary

Brad Greenquist is a character actor best known for his portrayal of Victor Pascow in Pet Sematary. Mr. Greenquist was born in Fort Meade, Maryland, and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1983, after earning a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, he went to New York City and quickly began ...

91. Gregory Itzin

Security officer disguised thief Hain (DS9).

92. Leland Crooke

Actor | The Master of Disguise

Leland Crooke is known for The Master of Disguise (2002), Alias (2001) and Angel (1999).

93. Nick Tate

Actor | Space: 1999

Nick Tate, born to Neva Carr Glyn and John Tate, played the part of Alan Carter in Space: 1999 (1975) which ran from 1975 to 1977, appearing in 42 of the 48 episodes. He received the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor for his performance in The Devil's Playground (1976) (1976). In the 1980s he played ...

Liam Bilby (DS9)

94. Norman Parker

Actor | Prince of the City

Norman Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is known for Prince of the City (1981), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Family Ties (1982).

95. Kevin Rahm

Actor | Nightcrawler

Kevin Rahm is an American actor known for his television roles as Kyle McCarty on Judging Amy, Lee McDermott on Desperate Housewives, and Ted Chaough on Mad Men. Kevin Rahm was born on January 7, 1971, in Mineral Wells, Texas. He attended and graduated from Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Texas in ...

Dax’s evil brother

96. Leonard Nimoy

Actor | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit ...

Mirror Universe Spock

97. Nana Visitor

Nana Visitor was born on July 26, 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Friday the 13th (2009) and Ted 2 (2015).

Mirror Universe Kira

98. Scott Bakula

Actor | Quantum Leap

Scott Stewart Bakula was born on October 9, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Sally (Zumwinkel) and J. Stewart Bakula, a lawyer. He is of German, as well as Czech, Austrian, Scottish and English ancestry. He comes from a musical family. In the fourth grade, he started a rock band and wrote songs for ...

Mirror universe Archer

99. Salome Jens

Actress | Green Lantern

Highly accomplished American stage and screen actress, director, dancer and musician. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she is the daughter of builder/farmer Arnold John Jens and his Polish-born wife Salomea Szujeuska (after whom she was named). Her sister Arnette Jens is married to the well-known...

100. John de Lancie

Actor | Crank: High Voltage

John de Lancie was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Kent State University where he won a scholarship to Juilliard. John's father was a professional oboist with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. de Lancie is probably best known for his portrayal as Eugene Bradford on Days of Our ...

List Activity

Tell your friends, other lists by muybueno16.

Recently Viewed

• Entertainment
• From Q to Khan: The 10 Best <em>Star Trek</em> Villains Ever

From Q to Khan: The 10 Best Star Trek Villains Ever

A t its best, Star Trek is a science fiction series about humanity’s ability to expand its horizons and overcome differences . But all that would be pretty boring without some great villains to overcome. Trek’s bad guys have been a mixed bag, ranging from the laughable — looking at you, Harry Mudd — to the legitimately terrifying — The Borg.

Who’s the baddest of the bad? Here’s TIME’s ranking of the 10 best Star Trek villains ever.

The omnipresent, omnipotent, omni-jerkwad Q is up here in tenth place only because he’s not really a villain — he just loves messing with the crew of Picard’s Enterprise. Sure, he can be a real pain sometimes, like when he tried to tempt Commander Riker with godlike powers. But he also helped the Enterprise, and the Federation at large, by flinging the Enterprise into a confrontation with another big bad on this list — the Borg. This move gave humanity a sense of what they were up against while they were out there, boldly going.

2. Duras Sisters

There are few Klingons less honorable than sisters Lursa and B’Etor of the House of Duras, whose actions plunged the Empire into civil war. They also had a history of working with Romulans to take control of Klingon politics, which is the sort of thing that would get you stabbed with a Bat’leth. The Duras Sisters came close to killing Picard’s crew, but some quick work by Commander Data helped the Enterprise-D turn the tables on their Bird of Prey — though the Federation flagship suffered irreparable damage in the process.

The robotic probe Nomad was launched from Earth with a noble goal: Seeking out new life and new civilizations, which is something of a theme in Star Trek. Unfortunately, a collision and melding with an alien probe turned it into a super-intelligent death machine, capable of genocide on a massive scale. But Captain James T. Kirk managed to use Nomad’s grim logic against the spacecraft, leading it to self-destruct, thus saving the Enterprise, humanity and probably lots of other species. (Good job, Kirk!)

4. Dr. Soran

What would happen to you if you found your way to heaven, only to get torn back out? That’s what happened to Dr. Tolian Soran, and it messed him up good. Soran had an encounter with “the Nexus,” essentially a rift in space-time that visitors experienced as a dreamlike world they could shape to their liking. After he was pulled from the Nexus against his will, Dr. Soran became obsessed with getting back — even if it meant destroying entire worlds in the process. Not cool, dude.

5. Professor James Moriarty

Okay, fine, Professor James Moriarty is a pretty great villain no matter where he shows up. But he’s particularly good in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he appears as a holographic simulation that gains a degree of self-awareness and turns to evil. Eventually, Picard and crew found a clever and humane way of outsmarting him: They trapped him in a computer simulation with “enough experiences to last a lifetime.” It’s all very meta. Either way, Moriarty episodes are some of that series’ best “Holodeck gone wrong” stories. Won’t somebody fix that Holodeck?

Whereas the android Data is basically the chillest dude who ever stepped foot on the Enterprise-D, his “brother” turns out to be seriously evil. On their first encounter, Lore deactivates Data and impersonates him in an unsuccessful effort to steal the ship. Later, he attacks Federation outposts and tries to manipulate Data to get him to turn against the Enterprise crew. That almost happens, but Geordi and Captain Picard step in to remind Data his brother kinda sucks, and Data dismantles his evil twin.

7. Gul Dukat

The Cardassians are basically a whole species of evil jerks, with Gul Dukat among the most twisted. He oversaw the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, subjugating the planet’s population as a ruthless dictator. He later aligned his people with the Dominion, an advanced government hell-bent on galactic takeover and a major Federation enemy. He ultimately ended up imprisoned in the Bajoran fire caves, which is fine, because he was not a nice person.

8. The Borg

The Borg are Star Trek’s most viscerally terrifying villain. Part organic lifeform, part machine, the Borg destroy all life they see as inferior, and assimilate any species in which they find value. They’re also bound together in “the Collective,” a hivemind that allows essentially zero independent thoughts or actions. And they have very powerful weapons. Picard, who was once assimilated, summed it up best in this speech :

9. General Chang

Now here’s a Klingon villain who really ranks in the top echelon of Trek baddies. After a nearby disaster put the Klingon homeworld at risk, the Federation and the Klingons moved towards peace talks — the thinking being that, if the Klingons didn’t have to spend so much money on its military prowess, it could fix the planet. But General Chang, among other Klingons and Federation officials, hated to the idea of peace. Instead, they conspired to ruin the talks — only to be foiled by Captain Kirk and crew. Chang also had an annoying habit of quoting Shakespeare, so nobody really missed him.

10. Khan Noonien Singh

Could anybody else really take the number one spot? A genetically engineered super-human from the past, Khan was a dictator who controlled large swaths of Earth until he was nearly deposed. Instead of being captured or killed, he fled the planet on a ship in biological stasis, only to be found centuries later by Kirk and company. After Khan unsuccessfully tried to take over the Enterprise, Kirk left him to settle a nearly barren world. He was later re-discovered by another Federation ship years later, harboring intense hatred for Kirk after the planet became nearly inhospitable to life. Khan then went on a vengeance tour, nearly destroying the Enterprise with a ship-turned-suicide bomb. Thankfully, Spock saved the day — at the cost of his own life. Sorta. The takeaway is this: Khan’s a seriously evil dude.

More Must-Reads From TIME

• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
• Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
• Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
• 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
• If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
• The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
• Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Contact us at [email protected]

'Star Trek': The 10 Best Villains, Ranked

"KHAAANNNN! KHAAANNNN!"

With well over twenty television series and movies focusing on the exploits and adventures of numerous Starfleet commanders, the Star Trek saga has become one of the most iconic sci-fi stories in entertainment history. With its incredible line-up of heroic leads, though, there also needs to be an array of antagonists capable of striking fear into the hearts of fans.

From the original Star Trek series to revival shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation to 2009’s cinematic re-imaging of the franchise, the saga at large has a cohort of worthy villains. Ranging from misunderstood antagonists to outright evil and tyrannical beings, Star Trek ’s 10 best bad guys are just a small collection of the regular threats to the galaxy Starfleet faces.

10 Captain Gabriel Lorca – 'Star Trek: Discovery' (2017-)

From Harry Potter to Star Wars: Rebels , Jason Isaacs has made a career out of playing villains with outstanding and underrated impact. As such, it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Gabriel Lorca was revealed to be a bad guy in Star Trek: Discovery .

As the commanding officer of the USS Discovery, Lorca presented as a hard-edged captain, but not one without a sense of fairness and accountability. However, it was then revealed that he was an imposter from the mirror universe who had murdered and schemed to get to his position. To date, Discovery is yet to produce a villain as compelling as Lorca.

9 Nero — 'Star Trek' (2009)

A credit to the brilliance of 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , many of the series’ villains have boasted epic tales of revenge against crew members of Starfleet. While most of those homages have fallen well short, one that did get close was Eric Bana ’s portrayal of Nero, a spiteful Romulan who blames Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) for not preventing the supernova which killed his family.

RELATED: Why We Haven't Gotten a New 'Star Trek' Movie Yet

Traveling back in time to exact his vengeance, Nero creates an alternate timeline the new Star Trek movies take part in. While the character is a little one-dimensional, Bana makes his seething hatred burst off the screen with a magnetic vigor, and the fact that he realizes part of his plan by destroying Vulcan made him all the more impactful.

8 Kai Winn Adami — 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' (1993-1999)

Religious zealots often make for fantastic villains. In addition to having immense power and influence in their story worlds, they also usually excel as complex characters who are difficult for protagonists to outmaneuver. That was exactly what fans got in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Winn Adami ( Louise Fletcher ).

As a ruthless opportunist, Adami often used her prominent standing in her faith as a means to gain more power and often came at odds with Captain Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ), despite being named the Emissary of the Prophets. Delivering every snide line with her spiteful, condescending smirk, Adami may not have been the most terrifying villain in Star Trek , but she was certainly capable of stoking the ire of fans like few others.

7 General Chang — 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country served as the film farewell to the cast of the original series. It also saw the belligerent race of the Klingons restored to the brand of villainy that made them so popular in the original series, with General Chang ( Christopher Plummer ) an over-the-top antagonist for the ages.

With peace talks between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets nearing a conclusion, Chang uses his unique Birds of Prey warship to frame Captain Kirk for a political assassination, thus shattering relations between the Klingons and humanity. Resentful of the prospect of a peaceful future, the wily old Klingon was also made memorable for his love of Shakespearean quotes.

6 Weyoun — 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' (1993-1999)

A gifted villainous actor, Jeffrey Combs has appeared as a wide range of characters throughout Star Trek , but the greatest one he portrayed was Deep Space Nine ’s Weyoun. A Vorta who serves as the mouth of the Dominion, the conniving diplomat always presented a wide smile but was never one to be trusted.

RELATED: From 'Picard' to 'Discovery': Every 'Star Trek' TV Show (So Far), Ranked

As a clone (which all Vorta are), he was also quite difficult to get rid of. Despite being killed several times throughout the series, he kept coming back for more and usually delighted fans every time he returned with his wonderfully slimy personality still firmly intact.

5 Q – 'Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

As a being of unlimited power, it is quite funny that Q ( John de Lancie ) became almost a comedic figure in the series, but that is not how he was introduced. First appearing in the pilot episode of The Next Generation , the omnipotent villain charged Picard for the crimes of humanity before becoming a recurring character, not only in The Next Generation but in the wider Star Trek series.

Arguably his most villainous action came when he challenged Picard’s mettle as a leader by transporting the Enterprise to a distant system. His display of immense power introduced the Borg to the Federation, which kick-started a conflict that resulted in the deaths of millions.

4 Kruge — 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984)

Feudal, ruthless, and incredibly brutal, the Klingons were a military power to be feared ever since their introduction in Star Trek: The Original Series . That couldn’t have been emphasized better when Christopher Lloyd portrayed Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

A commander of a Klingon Bird of Prey warship, Kruge was a relentless fighter with a stern desire to acquire secrets of Genesis to further his career and strengthen the Klingon Empire. He killed his own lover for looking at classified information and sanctioned the murder of Captain Kirk’s ( William Shatner ) son, something which haunted Kirk throughout the rest of the Star Trek saga.

3 Gul Dukat — 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' (1993-1999)

Star Trek has had many unforgettable villains across its numerous television series, but few are as truly evil as Gul Dukat ( Marc Alaimo ). A Cardassian war criminal who appeared throughout Deep Space Nine , he ruled over Bajor with an iron fist, assembling labor camps that saw millions of Bajorans die.

RELATED: Ranking the Top 10 Takes on the Enterprise: Trekking Throughout the Years

Interestingly, Alaimo didn’t only excel at making Dukat a force of evil, but he was also able to give him layers and complexity as well, which made him all the more compelling. Not only the best of Deep Space Nine ’s antagonists, Gul Dukat is arguably greatest villain in Star Trek ’s television history.

2 The Borg Queen — 'Star Trek: First Contact' (1996)

After making their first appearance in the second season of The Next Generation , the Borg fast became one of Star Trek ’s most notable antagonistic clans. As a cybernetic force operating as a hive mind to assimilate all other lifeforms to their state of being, the Borg were a terrifying threat that fans feared would be undermined with the introduction of their queen in Star Trek: First Contact .

With Alice Krige portraying her, however, the character became one of the saga’s most striking villains with her horrific goals and her unnerving sensuality. The character became a recurring role in the franchise, appearing in Star Trek: Voyager and recently returning in Star Trek: Picard .

1 Khan Noonien Singh — 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982)

If its cinematic predecessor left some fans a little underwhelmed, then The Wrath of Khan more than made up for it. The first of many sequels, it features all the fan-favorite main characters of the series but became such an adored film within Star Trek ’s filmography thanks to Ricardo Maltabán ’s turn as Khan.

A past enemy of Starfleet, Khan was a genetically engineered superhuman on a warpath to exact revenge against Captain Kirk and his crew. With his raw and resonant motivation, some great dialogue, and a magnetic performance from Maltabán, Khan elevated The Wrath of Khan to be the best Star Trek movie produced to date and stands unmatched as the greatest villain the saga has ever produced.

KEEP READING: From 'Star Trek' to 'The Mandalorian': 10 Iconic Shows Set in Space

The Best Star Trek Villains Ranked

Space — the final frontier. In that vast expanse, there waits mystery, challenge, and according to  Star Trek , a bunch of gods, cyborg collectives, and countless species waiting to kill us, assimilate us, or test the boundaries of our civility. 

Since  Star Trek: The Original Series  ( TOS ) premiered in 1966, the Trek universe has been feeding our imaginations with villains — from bizarre to embarrassing to utterly ruthless — for over half a century. Since many of the earliest  Trek series were episodic, we didn't often get the chance to see the same bad guys return to hound the heroes. But as Trek experimented with serialized storytelling — particularly with  Deep Space Nine   ( DS9 ) — the more promising space-faring antagonists got multiple chances to show how bad they could be or, in some memorable cases, to prove they weren't quite as bad as you thought.

Among Trek 's villains are some of the most fun and memorable in popular media, and we thought we'd give you our own choices of who among them shines the brightest. Best lists are always subjective, but we're fairly confident there won't be too many disagreements for our picks of the best Star Trek  villains, ranked from worst to best. 

Badgey makes fun of both Star Trek and Microsoft

As one of the youngest  Star Trek  series with a much stronger focus on comedy, the animated  Star Trek: Lower Decks doesn't boast a wealth of recurring villains. Regardless, one of the few reappearing bad guys from the series is one of the funniest and cleverest conceptions in the entire  Trek  franchise. Voiced by Jack McBrayer (best known as  30 Rock 's Kenneth the Page), the holographic villain Badgey is a hilarious and brutal send-up of not only one of  Star Trek 's most tired tropes but of one of the most famously annoying aspects of Microsoft's software. 

We first meet Badgey in season 1's "Terminal Provocations," when Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) introduces Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells) to his holodeck training program. Acting like the animated paper clip "Clippy" from Microsoft Office and shaped like a Starfleet badge, Badgey at first seems eager to help Rutherford and Tendi with whatever they need. But when an attack by alien scavengers causes the holodeck to malfunction and disengage the safety protocols, Badgey takes the opportunity to get vengeance on the person he sees as his abusive creator — Rutherford. Sharing such Clippy-like homicidal gems as, "Fun fact: I'm gonna rip your eyes out!" and, "Here's a tip: I'm going to burn your hearts in a fire!" Badgey pursues Rutherford and Tendi across holographic landscapes until Rutherford figures out a way to defeat him. 

Badgey makes a second appearance in the season 1 finale, and we hope we'll be seeing plenty more of him in the future. 

Annorax is one of Star Trek's most sympathetic villains

Kurtwood Smith has made a number of TV and film appearances in the  Star Trek  franchise, but none of his characters are both as chilling and sympathetic as the brilliant scientist Annorax from season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager . He places a low on our list because he never reappears after the two-parter "Year of Hell," but he makes enough of an impression to earn a spot regardless.

Part of a race known as the Krenim, Annorax begins his cursed quest by seeking to restore his people's once expansive empire to power. To this end, he develops a temporal weapon called simply the "Weapon Ship," which he uses to wipe out other species — not simply killing them but making it as if they never existed in the first place. While his attempts do restore more and more of the Krenim Imperium, the restoration of a single colony eludes him every time — the colony of Kyana Prime, where Annorax's wife, children, and grandchildren lived until his actions unintentionally erased them. So he and his restless crew, protected from the time-space continuum within their ship, have continued like this for two centuries, committing genocide again and again to feed the obsession of a captain who's convinced time itself is claiming vengeance upon him.  

While his time is brief, Annorax is one of the most quietly horrifying and tragic villains in the entire Trek  franchise.

General Chang was a perfect rival for Captain Kirk

Few Star Trek  villains simultaneously embody the sophistication, Shakespearean nobility, and ruthlessness of the late Christopher Plummer's General Chang. Plummer was a fitting choice not only because of his acting chops but because he was an important part of William Shatner's career. A decade before Shatner assumed the role of Captain Kirk, he was Plummer's understudy in a 1956 production of  Henry V .  

Chang appears exclusively in the final film to feature the complete  Original Series  crew, 1991's  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Chang is one of the architects of an alliance between rogue elements of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Empire who are unwilling to see a lasting peace between Earth and Qo'noS. Chang plays a large part in the framing of Captain Kirk (Shatner) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) for Klingon chancellor Gorkon's (David Warner) assassination, he prosecutes them in the unforgiving Klingon court, and he captains the prototype Bird-of-Prey that comes close to destroying both the  Enterprise  and the  Excelsior  toward the end of the film. 

While Chang is ultimately unsuccessful, from start to finish he exudes a singular presence among  Trek 's rogues' gallery. Plummer is particularly impressive when he and the rest of Gorkon's entourage are leaving the  Enterprise  after a diplomatic dinner. In spite of not saying a single overtly threatening word or making any hostile gesture, his body language and facial expressions tell you everything you need to know in the scene — that Chang is eager to be the man who defeats Kirk in battle. 

Data's evil brother was a fun and formidable foe

The android Data is unquestionably one of the fan-favorite characters from  Star Trek: The Next Generation . But one of the downsides of portraying the android is that — except in instances when something causes Data's programming to go haywire (which, admittedly, is often) — the emotional spectrum that actor Brent Spiner gets to play with is fairly limited. That changes just a little bit with the season 1 introduction of Data's evil brother, Lore, in "Datalore." 

Unlike Data, Lore is "gifted" with human emotions, but unfortunately, he receives them long before Dr. Noonian Soong has truly learned to properly program them. As a result, Lore is unstable and treacherous. It's eventually discovered that it's Lore who summoned the powerful Crystalline Entity that destroys all human life on Omicron Theta — the planet upon which both androids are discovered. After Lore is reassembled, he deactivates his brother and assumes Data's identity in an attempt to feed the crew of the  Enterprise  to the Crystalline Entity. And in his final appearance — the two-part "Descent" bridging the sixth and seventh seasons — he becomes something of a cult leader to a group of Borg who've liberated themselves from the Collective.

As humorous as he is evil, Lore is one of the most fun villains to show up on  The Next Generation  ( TNG ). At the same time, his appearances often pack an emotional punch, since the evil android remains one of the few creatures Data can call family. 

Gowron isn't always a villain, but when he is, he threatens the entire Federation and more

First appearing in the season 4  TNG  episode "Reunion," Gowron isn't always a villain. He's introduced as one of two contenders for the Klingon chancellorship, a title he eventually achieves. For the most part in his TNG  appearances, Gowron is more of a neutral character pursuing his own agenda. This changes once  TNG  ends and Gowron becomes a recurring character on  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . 

While his first DS9 appearance is season 3's "The House of Quark," Gowron doesn't become an important part of the show's serial drama until Michael Dorn's Worf joins the series in the season 4 premiere "The Way of the Warrior." While still perfectly expressing the trademark Klingon passion for battle, on  DS9,  Gowron is portrayed more as an opportunistic politician. He uses the threat of the Dominion to reignite his people's warlike tendencies with an invasion of Cardassia and, later, a new war with the Federation. During the epic war storyline in the show's final season, Gowron purposely wastes the lives of his warriors by sending the forces of General Martok (JG Hertzler) — who he sees as a political rival — to fight battles they can't win in order to humiliate Martok. 

Played expertly by Robert O'Reilly in all of his appearances, Gowron is an unforgettable Klingon villain with some of the craziest eyes you'll ever see.

Gabriel Lorca fooled us all

For most of  Star Trek: Discovery 's inaugural season, Jason Isaacs' Captain Gabriel Lorca commands the eponymous vessel. While he has a mysterious air early in the series, you're convinced he's the real deal because of his leadership skills and what appears to be an unwavering dedication to his crew. 

That changes after the  Discovery  winds up in the Mirror Universe in the final moments of "Into the Forest I Go." For most of the time  Discovery  is in this strange, much more brutal reality, no one seems to know exactly how they got there. It isn't until the third-to-last episode of the season, "Vaulting Ambition," that we learn Gabriel Lorca is a Mirror Universe native. Having switched places with his Prime counterpart before the events of the series, Lorca sees the potential of Discovery 's spore drive to bring him back home so he can continue his rebellion against Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh).

Arguably, just the fact that Lorca is able to pull the wool over so many viewers' eyes is enough reason to earn him a spot on this list. But Isaacs' superb acting and the layered conception of the character earn the accolades all on their own. Lorca is able to fool us precisely because he isn't simply a mustache-twirling bad guy. While he's using the  Discovery  crew for his own ends, he bears no ill will toward them, and in some ways, the respect and care he shows for them is genuine ... until it isn't.

Shran walks the line between friend and foe

A lot of fans would balk at the idea of the blue-skinned Commander Shran being labeled a villain. Portrayed by Jeffrey Combs — who's played more roles on  Star Trek  shows than most — Shran is an Andorian fiercely loyal to his people who's introduced in  Star Trek: Enterprise 's ( ENT ) first season. We meet Shran in "The Andorian Incident" when he leads a squad of his blue-skinned brethren in the violent takeover of a Vulcan monastery. Shran and the other Andorians come off as paranoid and xenophobic bullies. But in spite of their thuggish behavior, Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) discovers they're right about the monastery being a cover for a Vulcan facility monitoring the Andorians. When Archer exposes the truth, he earns an uneasy ally in Shran.

Shran comes to the aid of Archer and the Enterprise  on more than one occasion. In particular, in season 3, Shran bails the heroes out twice, including in the final battle to save Earth from the Xindi's doomsday weapon. But there's always a volatility working under Shran's surface, threatening to once more put him at odds with Archer and his crew. It happens, for example, in season 4's "United" when Shran's stubborn refusal to give the Tellarites the benefit of the doubt leads to Archer challenging him to a death duel.

Commander Kruge is one scary Klingon

For the most part,  Christopher Lloyd 's most famous characters – like Doc Brown in the  Back to the Future  series — aren't particularly intimidating. So it's a testament to the actor's range that he performed so well as the Klingon Commander Kruge in 1984's  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . When Kruge learns of Starfleet's secret Genesis project — meant to instantly turn lifeless celestial bodies into habitable planets — he means to seize it as a doomsday weapon for the Klingon Empire. In the process, he orders the murder of Captain Kirk's son — a death that scars Kirk for years. 

In many ways, Kruge is the first example of the kind of Klingon we'd see in the subsequent Trek movies, as well as the  Star Trek: The Next Generation  era of TV series. While the Klingons' new look is seen briefly in 1979's  Star Trek: The Motion Picture , it isn't until Kruge that we get to see a fully fleshed-out performance. While the Klingons were always warlike, Kruge and his crew are more brutish than their predecessors in  TOS.  Locking himself in a death grip with an alien beast just for fun and going mano a mano with Kirk as Genesis is in its explosive death throes, Kruge gives us a portrayal of what remains one of the most potent examples of the Klingon passion for combat.

Benjamin Sisko is no fan of Michael Eddington

You don't find a lot of Trek villains wearing Starfleet uniforms. After all, the desire to join Starfleet is usually accompanied by a drive to uphold the values of the United Federation of Planets . But one notable exception is Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall). Introduced in  DS9 's season 3 premiere, Eddington starts out as an officer who appears to be overly concerned with promotion and more than willing to turn in the heroes of  DS9  if they dare disobey their Starfleet superiors. 

Toward the end of season 4, we learn Eddington's seemingly tireless devotion to Starfleet is a ruse. In "For the Cause," Eddington tricks most of DS9's command crew away from the station, and in their absence, he steals a shipment of industrial replicators, revealing himself as a member of the Maquis — a group of violent rebels who oppose the Federation's treaty with Cardassia and wage relentless guerrilla war against the aliens.

The very fact that Eddington is able to pull the wool over his eyes makes Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) obsessed with capturing the traitor. He's one of the few villains capable of getting so thoroughly under a series captain's skin, to the point where Sisko actually humors some rather questionable tactics in apprehending him.

Harry Mudd is a truly conniving Star Trek villain

The flamboyant and deceptive Harry Mudd is one of the few named antagonists from  TOS to enjoy a second appearance. He first shows up played by Roger C. Carmel in season 1's "Mudd's Women," trying to sell women like cattle and using an illegal drug to render them physically irresistible. Later in season 2's "I, Mudd," the con man gives up the  Enterprise  crew to a group of androids with dreams of galactic conquest. 

Carmel returned to voice his famous crook in "Mudd's Passion," an episode of  Star Trek: The Animated Series . He runs afoul of the  Enterprise  once more after attempting to con the inhabitants of an alien planet into believing he could sell them Starfleet Academy. 

That wouldn't be the end of Mudd. Rainn Wilson (best known as  Dwight Schrute on  The Office ) plays a more vicious version of Harry Mudd in  Star Trek: Discovery 's ( DISCO ) first season. Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) meets Mudd in "Choose Your Pain," when they're both prisoners of the Klingons, and Mudd is more than happy to give up his fellow humans to avoid a beating or two. After Lorca and Lieutenant Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) leave Mudd behind when they escape the Klingons, the con man gets revenge with a plot involving a time manipulation device in "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad."

Luther Sloan is a complicated character

One of the most popular pieces of Trek mythology introduced by  DS9 is the clandestine organization Section 31. And William Sadler's brilliant performance as Luther Sloan — the director of Section 31 during the events of  DS9  – is one of the main reasons for the group's popularity. 

Suspecting Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) of being an unwitting spy for the Dominion, Sloan first shows up on DS9  using a holodeck to find out the truth. He subjects Bashir to an elaborate illusion, in which all of his friends on DS9 turn their backs on him. Once Bashir discovers the truth, Sloan is convinced of Bashir's innocence and offers him a position with Section 31. In spite of Bashir's clear refusal, Sloan soon returns to use the doctor in a covert operation involving infiltration of the Romulan Empire. Toward the end of the series, we learn Sloan is behind poisoning Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and all of his people with a deadly plague.

Sloan is a singular Trek villain. He's ruthless, cunning, and mysterious, but he's surprisingly sympathetic. He's aware of the hypocrisy of betraying the Federation's core values in order to protect it, yet he still believes in what he's doing and has no ill will towards Bashir for despising him. He sees Bashir as exactly the kind of man he was born to protect, even if in safeguarding him, he earns nothing but Bashir's disgust.

Intendant Kira is one of Star Trek's most sadistic bad guys

Introduced in  TOS ' "Mirror, Mirror," the Mirror Universe is an alternate dimension where the Federation is replaced by the tyrannical Terran Empire. Rather than living by values like tolerance, diplomacy, and discovery, the Terrans are a brutal people believing in conquest and cruelty. But in  DS9 's "Crossover," Dr. Bashir and Major Kira (Nana Visitor) find themselves in the alternate universe, where they learn that since the events of  TOS , the Terran Empire has been conquered by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Terrans have become a slave race, and DS9 — retaining its original Cardassian name Terok Nor — is led by Intendant Kira.

Intendant Kira is the cold-blooded counterpart to Major Kira, and the character gives Visitor a chance to show us her acting range. Other than the Kiras of both universes sharing the quality of natural leadership, Intendant Kira is a wild departure from Major Kira. She's seductive, with an unapologetically endless appetite for pleasure, using Sisko — a pirate in the Mirror Universe — as her personal plaything. She's as vicious as any of the Cardassians or Klingons under her command and deceptively sadistic, sometimes acting as if she's about to absolve her victims before ordering their executions. 

Intendant Kira was far too much fun for just a single  DS9  episode. She's a recurring villain, including showing up for all of  DS9 's Mirror Universe stories.  

Kai Winn's tale is a tragic one

You hear a lot about villains you "love to hate." But then there are villains you just straight-up hate. Kai Winn is definitely one of the latter. 

Louise Fletcher — Nurse Ratched in 1975's  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest — plays Winn on DS9 , beginning as an ambitious vedek of a rigid religious order on Bajor. Winn is a slippery and manipulative vedek, working behind the scenes in coup and assassination attempts. Her actions, she claims, are always at the service of the Prophets — the aliens living inside the wormhole who the Bajorans worship as gods — yet it seems she's always working towards her own ascension in the ranks of Bajor's clergy. She succeeds in becoming Bajor's spiritual leader, the Kai, but by the end of the series, her jealousy towards Ben Sisko, her seduction by Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), and her anger toward the Prophets leads her to finally abandon her religion and follow the devilish Pah-wraiths.

Winn is one of the most interesting and complex villains in all of Trek . Her downfall is tragic in the most classic sense of the word. Once she wins the title of Kai, rather than simply basking in her power as we expect, she seems to genuinely want to help her people. The problem is, of course, she also seems to fully believe that the ends justify any and all means. 

Weyoun steals the spotlight with his manipulative charm

What if you could genetically engineer a race to be equally cunning leaders and diplomats in the most hostile of situations? What you come up with might look a lot like the Vorta, the Dominion's lieutenant race, leading the hordes of brutal Jem'Hadar while being completely subservient to the Founders. And of the Vorta we meet on  DS9 , none is more memorable than Jeffrey Combs' Weyoun. While Weyoun dies at the end of his first appearance in season 4's "To the Death," the villain was just too good to keep dead. So, it was decided that the Founders keep clones of the Vorta always at the ready, complete with the memories of their predecessors. 

As the head of the Dominion's military in the Alpha Quadrant, Weyoun shows up often in the last two seasons of  DS9 , and he steals every scene he's in. He's dishonest and manipulative without shame, ready to shift from intimidating to conciliatory at a moment's notice. In scenes with politically influential  DS9  characters like Ben Sisko and Gul Dukat, Weyoun uses conversation like a deadly, evasive weapon — always adapting to his counterpart's mood with everything from wrath to abject apology. He lies so easily that you wonder whether or not Weyoun knows, or even cares, what's true or false.  

The Prime Universe's Khan Noonien Singh is obsessed with revenge

Any list of best Star Trek villains that doesn't include Ricardo Montalban's Khan needs to delete everything and start over. First appearing in  TOS 's "Space Seed," Khan is a genetically enhanced despot who ruled over a quarter of the Earth before escaping the Eugenic Wars with 84 of his followers. The  Enterprise  crew soon regrets waking Khan and his people from suspended animation once they take over the ship.

While Khan is a fun villain in his first appearance, his appeal doesn't reach full bloom until 1982's  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , arguably the best Star Trek movie ever . Blaming Kirk for the tragedies that have befallen him since they crossed paths years earlier, Khan and his followers take over the U.S.S.  Reliant  and wage war on the  Enterprise . While Khan's followers believe they're using the stolen Federation property for power and prosperity, it's soon clear their leader is willing to sacrifice everything — including his own life and theirs — to get revenge on Kirk. 

Through Montalban, Khan becomes the absolute embodiment of all-consuming vengeance. The villain regularly either paraphrases or directly quotes lines from Herman Melville's novel  Moby Dick . And just as Captain Ahab is obsessed with destroying the titular whale, Khan ultimately has no purpose left but vengeance against Kirk.

The Borg Queen is equal parts sexy and scary

In  TNG 's "Q Who," the Borg — one of the Federation's deadliest enemies — are introduced. The cybernetic, zombie-like, hive-minded bad guys kill with impunity. However, their goal is not to kill but to assimilate the technology and biology of other intelligent species into their collective to bring them closer to perfection. There are no individuals within the Borg Collective, but in 1996's  Star Trek: First Contact ,   we're introduced to the Borg Queen, the living embodiment of the Collective's will.

The Borg Queen does something you wouldn't think possible with the Borg — she makes them sexy. In fact, she spends most of her scenes in  First Contact  seducing Data (Brent Spiner) with promises of pleasures he's never been capable of fully experiencing. But she's far from just a temptress. Particularly in her subsequent appearances in  Star Trek: Voyager  ( VOY ), the Borg Queen — played by both Alice Krige and Susanna Thompson at different points — conveys the singular horror of being confronted by a being who is, in her own words, "one who is many."

Speaking to  Looper in early 2020 , Krige shared interesting insights about playing the cybernetic villain, including just how old she thinks the Borg Queen is. "I think she was an entity that happened at the moment of creation," Krige explained. "And she's always been that and she always will be, and it is entirely abnormal."

Q is a delightfully devious trickster

Perhaps no other single villain has appeared in as many  Star Trek series as John de Lancie's all-powerful Q. Showing up for the premiere of  TNG , its finale, and a bunch of fun episodes in between, Q is a mischievous, godlike being who defies definition. He would eventually come to harass  VOY 's Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) almost as much as he does Picard (Patrick Stewart), along with making brief but memorable appearances on  DS9  and  Star Trek: Lower Decks . 

Hilarious and carefree, Q is so popular that it might be a problem for some fans to even call him a villain. But while he isn't wholly evil, he's certainly a villain in the sense that when he shows up, he's almost always an antagonist. While he usually reverses any direct harm he inflicts upon humans, he couldn't care less about those lost indirectly, such as the  Enterprise  crew members killed by the Borg in "Q Who."

Whether you see him as a good guy or a bad guy, de Lancie's portrayal of the trickster is one of the most delightful parts of TNG  and  VOY . Without him, after all, we'd never see a mariachi band on the  Enterprise  bridge, we'd never see Guinan plunge a fork into a dude's hand, and most importantly, we'd never see the  Enterprise  crew in Sherwood Forest.

Dukat is Star Trek's greatest villain

One of the places where  DS9  excels over other Trek series is that its serialized storytelling allows for characters to evolve. And you can see this evolution clearly in the Cardassian tyrant Gul Dukat. Formerly the prefect of Bajor during its occupation, Dukat is none too happy to find a human sitting in his old office in  DS9 's premiere, and his fixation on Sisko and his crushing sense of inadequacy grow over the course of the series, to the point where it suffocates him. 

The Dukat we meet in  DS9 's premiere isn't the Dukat we see in its finale. A characteristic Cardassian, Dukat spends the first few seasons of  DS9  working towards the goal of once again finding himself ruling over the people of Bajor. He's not only unwilling to face the atrocities he committed, but he's so delusional that he harbors resentment for the Bajorans refusing to honor him with statues and plaques. For a time, he's something of an ally to the DS9 crew, but when the Dominion gives him an opportunity to seize control over all of Cardassia, he becomes the Alpha Quadrant's most feared warlord. Before the end of the series, he goes from conqueror to madman, madman to cult leader, and from cult leader to the powerful vessel of the Pah-wraiths — the Prophets' destructive adversaries.

Wonderfully portrayed by Marc Alaimo, Dukat is ultimately the most complex, believable, and twisted villain in all of Star Trek .

The best Star Trek villains of all time: from the Borg to the Klingons

The most memorable bad guys from the final frontier.

Like the even older Doctor Who, Star Trek has created more than its fair share of memorable adversaries since it debuted in 1966.

As captains James T Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway and the rest have boldly gone across the final frontier, they’ve met countless alien antagonists, human foes and even the occasional malevolent machine.

Many were instantly forgettable – few fans are still singing the praises of the Kazon, the Son’a or the Xindi – but others are nearly as famous as the franchise itself.

Here are 10 of the best Star Trek villains from the last five decades, taking in baddies from everywhere from the original series to The Next Generation, the movies and Discovery.

Don’t forget that you can set phasers to upvote or downvote these classic Star Trek villains.

All of the existing Star Trek TV shows are available to stream on Netflix, while Star Trek: Picard is on Amazon Prime Video.

Every one of the Star Trek movies is available to watch now on Paramount+. In fact two Star Trek shows feature in our best Paramount+ Shows guide.

• Get another sci-fi fix with our shortlist of the best Star Wars movies , ranked

10 great Star Trek villains

1 . Khan Noonien Singh

During Earth’s Eugenics wars of the 1990s (yep, they passed us by too) Khan was a genetically engineered tyrant who escaped into space with his most loyal followers. Revived by James T Kirk in original series episode “Space Seed”, he tried to take over the Enterprise before being exiled on a barren world for his troubles.

Superhumans don’t give up, however, and when he was unexpectedly picked up by a recon mission 15 years later, Khan vowed vengeance – and became one of Star Trek’s greatest villains in franchise highpoint The Wrath Of Khan. Khaaaaaaaan!

2 . The Borg

The comically inept Ferengi were originally set to be the Big Bads of Star Trek: The Next Generation, hard as that is to believe three decades later. That didn’t quite work out, but in season two episode “Q Who?” one of sci-fi’s all-time great antagonists appeared on Jean-Luc Picard’s viewscreen for the first time – the Borg.

Cybernetically enhanced and acting as a single, ruthless hive mind, they’ve spent centuries assimilating other species into their collective, while reminding the universe that “resistance is futile”.

3 . The Klingons

A product of 1960s Cold War paranoia, the Klingons were a thinly veiled analogy for the Soviet Union in the original Star Trek. As synonymous with the franchise as Daleks are to Doctor Who, the Enterprise’s most famous foes returned as villains in the movies with a radical new look – those famous lumpy foreheads – before making an uneasy peace with the Federation in the Next Generation era. Their warrior-based society went on to form the backbone of many a TV story.

4 . The Romulans

Although closely related to the Vulcans, the Romulans have always favoured military superiority over logic. First introduced in the original series, this secretive race went AWOL for decades before Jean-Luc Picard reopened hailing frequencies in The Next Generation.

Since then, they’ve been regular Star Trek antagonists on TV and on the big screen – including JJ Abrams’s first reboot movie, where their world was destroyed by a supernova. The survivors of that apocalypse are set to play a key role in upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Star Trek: Picard.

While Kirk and Spock met a being who claimed to be god in the laughable Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, The Next Generation had its own omnipotent being to contend with. Originally introduced in the pilot episode, putting the Enterprise crew on trial for the crimes of humanity, Q gradually evolved from full-on antagonist to a fun (if all-powerful) thorn in the side – and even developed a grudging respect for Jean-Luc Picard and co.

Episodes were generally better if they boasted a visit from Q – he even played matchmaker between the Federation and the Borg.

6 . The Dominion

Deep Space Nine started off as a pedestrian hybrid of The Next Generation and Babylon 5. Then its second season revealed the threat that lived on the other side of the wormhole: the Gamma Quadrant’s evil Dominion.

They were comprised of the militaristic Jem Hadar, genetically engineered to do their masters’ bidding; the Vorta, obsequious clones bred to relish admin; and finally the shapeshifting Founders running the show, acting like gods and providing a worthy enemy for Star Trek’s first proper story arc.

The old storytelling staple of the evil twin gets an android reboot, in the form of Data’s older brother, Lore. Unfortunately, this prototype model had some major programming glitches – like megalomania, an innate sense of superiority, and a penchant for mass genocide.

He’s also fond of impersonating his little bro. Lore eventually led a rogue faction of Borg who were struggling to deal with their new-found individuality, before he was ultimately captured and permanently boxed.

8 . Captain Gabriel Lorca

Starfleet captains are usually model Federation citizens, but there was always something a bit different about Gabriel Lorca. Being on a war footing against the Klingons was always going to shift the rules of engagement, but even so, the USS Discovery’s commanding officer had remarkably scant regard for regulations and the sanctity of human life.

It all made sense when the captain was revealed to be the other Lorca from the authoritarian Terran Empire in the Mirror Universe, a place where it’s good to be bad.

Sometimes the worst enemies are the ones you build yourselves… In 2001: A Space Odyssey wannabe Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the mysterious V’Ger wiped out all in its path as it attempts to hook up with “the creator”. Ultimately it turned out to be Nasa probe Voyager 6 with some serious upgrades.

It had learned some stuff through the course of its lengthy travels, so was looking to attain the next level of existence – with little concern about the collateral damage.

This malevolent oil slick only appeared once, in The Next Generation episode “Skin Of Evil”, but warrants a place in this list of great Star Trek villains because it’s one of the few entities to kill off a principal crew member. The distillation of an entire planet’s bad vibes, it delighted in tormenting humans and murdered security chief Tasha Yar for its own amusement. One of Trek’s most shocking moments makes you rather glad he can’t leave his home planet.

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

The next epic Star Wars story is under the spotlight

Apple TV Plus' next big new sci-fi movie lands its star

Every Doctor Who Ranked: Who is the best Doctor Who?

Related reviews and shortlists.

The best games console 2024: Switch, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

The best Doctor Who episodes, ranked

We now know when Netflix's biggest shows will be released

20 straight to streaming movies that you need to see

A cinema legend is up for directing Avengers: Secret War

The best Amazon Prime Video series to binge-watch right now

• Stranger Things Season 5
• Deadpool and Wolverine
• The Batman 2
• Spider-Man 4
• Yellowstone Season 6
• Fallout Season 2
• Entertainment

7 best Star Trek villains, ranked

Thanks to its more than 50 years of continued existence, Star Trek   has produced just a lot of stuff. That stuff includes several great TV shows, more than a few outstanding movies, and perhaps most importantly of all, some genuinely great villains.

4. The Klingons

3. the borg queen, 2. gul dhukat.

Because Trek has always concerned itself with the politics of the stories it tells, the series has also introduced some genuinely nuanced bad guys. There are plenty of great villains of the week, to be sure, but there are also legendary villains who have made their way onto this list. These are the seven best Star Trek villains, ranked.

Say what you will about  Star Trek Into Darkness , but J.J. Abrams’ first Star Trek effort was a rousing success. Among its many feats was its introduction of a totally new villain in the form of Nero, a vengeful Romulan who blames Spock for not preventing the death of his family.

• 7 best Neil Gaiman adaptations, ranked
• The best sci-fi movies on Max right now
• 7 best comeback movies ever, ranked

Eric Bana’s performance in the role is transformative, but what really sells the whole endeavor is the sense of grandeur and scale that’s on display. Nero is filled with rage, and it’s that rage that has driven him to where he is now.

We’ve had plenty of great villains from across the many Trek shows, but Deep Space Nine ’s Weyoun was among the most beloved, in part because he was an ideal foil to the show’s cast. As the mouthpiece for the Dominion and a Vorta himself, Weyoun always delivered his message with a smile, but that rarely meant that he actually had the best of intentions.

In fact, Weyoun was in many ways your typical slimey politician, and that was undoubtedly a huge part of what made him so appealing to fans of  Deep Space Nine every time he was killed off and then inevitably returned to the show.

An omnipotent being that is a reminder of how far  Star Trek  characters can come, Q was first introduced as an ominous presence but became something much sillier as he became more familiar to Star Trek fans.

It was Q’s actions that ultimately resulted in the introduction of the Borgs to the universe, and he was also the one who charged Picard with the crimes of humanity. In spite of his power, Q is ultimately not the worst perpetrator of evil in the world of Star Trek, even though he certainly could have been.

In many ways the primordial Star Trek villain, the Klingons have shown up in a number of different villainous guises over the course of the franchise’s long and storied history. In the show’s original configuration, they existed as a foil to the Federation — the USSR to the Federation’s America.

Of course, Trek never expressed any idea quite that simply, and the Klingons were always humanized, even as they often opposed what the Federation was doing. You understood that they had their reasons, even if you weren’t always supposed to be sympathetic to them.

The Borg, in general, is a major menace to the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Operating as a hive mind with the goal of assimilating all other living things into them, part of the point of the Borg was that they were everywhere and nowhere.

That’s why many were so worried by the introduction of the Borg Queen, but they didn’t have any reason for concern. The Borg Queen totally works, in large part thanks to Alice Krige’s memorable, sensual performance in the central role.

Gul Dukat was the best version of the authoritarian mode of Star Trekvillain. A character so villainous and tyrannical that you wanted nothing more than his ultimate defeat, even if you also found him compelling.

A Cardassian war criminal who ruled over Bajor as a complete totalitarian, what made Dukat so remarkable was that you could understand that his actions were heinous, even as you found yourself drawn into his world. Many argue that Gul Dhukat is the finest villain Star Trek has ever produced, and we think that’s pretty close to being on the money.

A name memorably screamed not once but twice in Star Trek movies , Khan is most remembered today for killing Spock in  The Wrath of Khan , widely regarded as the best of the  Trek  movies for a reason.

Although Khan was just a villain-of-the-week in the original series, in Wrath of Khan , he is elevated to a devious mastermind, capable of taking down and outsmarting even Kirk, Spock, and their crew. Ricardo Montalbán’s performance made the role one of the most important in the history of the franchise. As for Benedict Cumberbatch’s reprisal of the character? Well, the less said about that, the better.

Editors' Recommendations

• Fallout is a huge hit. Watch these 3 great sci-fi shows on Amazon Prime Video now
• 10 best Netflix shows with more than 5 seasons, ranked
• The best sci-fi movies on Hulu right now
• 10 best 2010s sci-fi movies, ranked
• 10 best sci-fi TV shows of all time, ranked

The video game adaptation trend continues with Amazon Prime Video's Fallout, and Walton Goggins was among the hit streaming show's standout performers. His casting as the former Hollywood actor and mutated ghoul was pitch-perfect for the dystopic world's atmosphere and sardonic humor.

One of the best character actors around, Goggins typically specializes in morally ambiguous or outright evil characters. Aside from Fallout, the actor has played compelling roles across film and TV over the last decade. Check out these critically praised movies and TV shows if you're looking for more of the Fallout star's career highlights. Justified (2010-2015)

For most movies, the only cut that we get the chance to see is the one that's released in theaters. Sometimes, a Blu-ray release will include some deleted scenes, but it's rare for those scenes to be reintegrated into the film. On some rare occasions, though, we get a chance to see what a director would have done with a movie if they had been granted final cut. Usually, these director's cuts come from some of the best directors ever to work in Hollywood, and they're sometimes even directorial debuts.

Sometimes, these director's cuts aren't that different from the theatrical versions, or it turns out that those cuts are actually worse than the ones we saw in theaters. Other times, though, we get cuts that are genuine improvements on the original film. We've compiled seven of the best director's cuts that ever saw the light of day for this list and ranked them below. 7. I Am Legend (2007) I Am Legend (2007) Official Trailer #1 - Sci-Fi Thriller

Streaming prices continue to increase, but luckily for viewers, there's a growing number of free streaming services out there. From Amazon Freevee to Tubi, Pluto TV, and even no-cost options on Peacock, there's tons of free content to be enjoyed. In recent years, the free content has also gotten a lot better now that major companies are investing in free streaming services.

This is especially great news for sci-fi fans since lots of fantastic new and classic sci-fi films have made their way to these free streamers. Whether you want a big box office hit, an award-winning indie film, or a legendary cult classic, you can find them for free. Here are seven of the best sci-fi movies you can stream right now without paying a dime. The Thing (1982)

Villains Wiki

Hi. This is Thesecret1070. I am an admin of this site. Edit as much as you wish, but one little thing... If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!!

• Live Action Villains
• Cartoon Villains

Star Trek Villains

• View history

Villains and antagonists from the popular sci-fi franchise Star Trek which include TV series, films, and other media.

All items (473)

• Alexander Simmons

• Carter Greyhorse

• First Families

• Gerda Asmund

• Higher Synthetics

• Joshua Grant

Star Heck: The 15 Most Bumbling Star Trek Villains

15 "Star Trek" villains who were ridiculously bad at being ridiculously bad. These cats couldn't evil their way out of a paper bag.

"Star Trek" is no stranger to evil-doers and ne'er-do-wells. The Borg, the Klingon Empire, the Dominion -- all of these names have achieved immortal status in the science fiction lexicon. That said, there's a lot of "Star Trek" out there, and despite creating some of the most successful big bads around, they're also responsible for a few legitimately terrible ones.

RELATED:   Bad Bad Guys: The 15 Worst Comic Book Movie Villains

From mediocre con-artists to terrible thieves to overambitious thugs, we've gathered 15 of Trek's most ridiculous criminals. Some were powerful, but unlucky, others were shrewd, but fatally flawed, and the rest were just plain bad at their jobs. So, if you're thinking about commandeering a starship or enslaving an entire race anytime soon, read below for a primer on what NOT to do.

Before everyone sets their phasers to "WTF?" this entry is only in reference to Q's appearance on "DS9" . In the season 1 episode, "Q-Less," fan-favorite Vash arrives on the station followed closely by even bigger fan-favorite, Q. What follows is an embarrassing performance by the normally savvy and impressive being. He comes across as whiny, passive-aggressive jilted boyfriend instead of the arrogant demi-god he normally purports to be.

Hey tries to ruin Vash's date with Bashir by... pretending to be a Bajoran waiter. Dude! You're Q! turn Bashir into a Dabo wheel and wait for someone to notice. He toys with Sisko in a lame boxing match, and not only does he look like a total fool with that mustache, he can't box for crap. Sisko actually manages to make him bleed, and all Q can do is pout. At least in "Q-Pid," his Nottingham had some bite. Q's always been more of a jester than a villain, but in this episode, he's petty and ultimately laughable. Thank goodness for his appearances on "Voyager."

14 THE KAZON

The Kazon were the primary antagonists of "Voyager's"  first and second seasons. We know what you're thinking -- they commandeered Janeway's ship out from under her in a brilliant gambit -- not exactly doofuses. And they certainly did, that's for sure, but they'd have still been buzzing around fighting with each other if Seska hadn't defected from Voyager and taken the reins. Without her, the Kazon are nothing more than violent tech scavengers, mooching off of whatever species they can find.

The only time they ever become a real threat is after Seska updates their technology and gives them the benefit of her considerable military experience. She's the one who brokers the attempted alliance with the Voyager crew, only to have it ruined by Maj Cullah's last-minute unreasonable insistence on new terms. She's also responsible for working with Michael Jonas, who spied on the Voyager crew and sabotaged the ship for her. If you put them side-by-side, Seska shines a light on just how backward the Kazon really are. Without the power behind the throne, these guys are a glorified space gang.

13 LURSA AND B'ETOR

These ladies were a pair of feisty Klingon sisters who just couldn't seem to catch a break. After the death of their brother, Duras (Worf iced him for killing his baby momma, K'Ehelyr, in the TNG episode, "Reunion." No one was sorry to see him go.), they attempted a couple of failed alliances, failed seductions and failed schemes in an effort to bolster their house's flailing status. They were blocked at every point, but refused to stop using the same methods -- steal something of value, use it to fund/help their cause.

Their "finest" moment was arguably their part in the destruction of the Enterprise D. This feat would've been markedly more impressive if they hadn't gotten their own ship destroyed in the same battle. The two sisters are a master class in half-baked schemes aimed at promoting their house, but never end up going anywhere. It probably has something to do with the fact that the Durases in general are super-fond of doing dishonorable things to succeed in the... Klingon Empire. Strategic geniuses these ladies are not.

God, self-styled, was the primary villain in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."  "He" was a non-corporeal being that lured Spock's well-intentioned half-brother to the center of the universe in an effort to escape a really extreme prison sentence. Unfortunately, he also lured the Enterprise crew who were quick to spot the unlikelihood of God needing anything to do with a spaceship.

So, the seemingly all-powerful being's spell was broken by Kirk uttering a single question, "What would God want with a starship?" And with that, God loses every last bit of His chill and makes to destroy anyone who questions Him. Spoiler alert: he's not actual God, and he loses -- a pointless loss when you consider the fact that there were a million different answers to Kirk's query that would've at least put the crew off base long enough for God to escape space-jail. Take these comebacks for example...

• "I don't need to prove anything to humans."
• "I'm taking humanoid form to preach the Good News, and I need appropriate transport."
• "I like you guys. You're officially my chosen vessel."
• "I do what I want. I'M GOD."

The possibilities are endless, but God whiffed it. Hard. Next!

Ardra certainly gets points for trying, especially when you consider the fact that she was a one-woman show. She could change form at will, using extremely sophisticated holographic technology and even better acting chops. She also managed to fool an entire planet! This highly-skilled con-artist pretended to be a mythical deity come to collect on an equally mythical pact that would've netted her some really sweet real estate.

BUT, she's yet another victim of flying too close to the sun and getting torpedoed by her own ambition. How long could she really have expected to keep this up? She did manage to fool an entire planet, but as a result, she attracted the attention of the decidedly secular Enterprise. They set things right pretty quickly and expose "Ardra" for the fraud she is. If she'd had a few more wits about her, she'd have disabled planetary communications to buy herself some time. Or hell, just aimed a little lower and conned a few wealthy dopes into giving her a life of luxury.

10 HENRY STARLING

Henry Starling was a hippie who picked a very lucky campsite. When Captain Braxton's ship crash landed in the High Sierras, Starling was chilling close by. Braxton had evacuated the ship via emergency transport before the crash, so his ship, the Aeon, with all of its 29th century technology, was ripe for the picking. Starling scavenged as much as he could and became Fake Steve Jobs.

Now, granted, this was impressive, but not really when you consider the fact that, like, two days after the Voyager crew showed up, Starling's entire empire is in shambles. He doesn't understand the 29th century technology well-enough to use it to defeat the 24th century technology Janeway and company throw his way. He's unable to pilot the timeship with the proper skill necessary to avoid creating a temporal explosion. He was so arrogant, despite the fact that the Voyager crew warned him of the danger of piloting the ship himself, that he did it anyway and killed himself trying to get back to the 29th century for more tech. Dope.

9 BERLINGOFF RASMUSSEN

The first rule of effective villainy, as exemplified in so many Bond films and episodes of "Inspector Gadget," is never reveal your secret plan while you're still in enemy territory. Berlingoff Rasmussen was a murderous little twerp from 22nd century New Jersey who managed to rob and kill the owner of a 26th century timeship that had way fancier technology than the Enterprise D ever did, or would. Thus, he was able to fool the crew into thinking he was from the future and in need of assistance.

He spent a few days acting better than everyone else and conveniently refusing to give the crew any information that would result in any timeline disturbances. All the while, he was pinching 24th century technology to take back to New Jersey so he could take credit for it and improve his own career as an inventor. He got greedy, though, and tried to swipe Data at the last minute. Instead of disabling the android, he pointed a phaser at him and came clean about everything. Big mistake. The phaser had been deactivated, and he wound up stranding himself in the 24th century. Way to go, kid.

This goofy guy was a semi-omnipotent being who kidnapped members of the Enterprise crew for his own personal amusement in the "TOS" episode, "The Squire of Gothos." A giant fanboy of humanity, he'd stocked his home, Gothos, with various 18th century objects and decor. When the Enterprise crossed his path, he jumped at the chance to add living dolls to his collection. With his considerable power, he was able to trap a decent portion of the bridge crew on his planet and force them to be his playmates. Until his parents showed up, that is. It's hard to be truly terrifying when you're still subject to the almighty will of Mom and Dad.

Also, despite his awesome power, Trelane made a few pretty classic blunders, the most prominent of which was his use of a long-range telescope to look at Earth, which significantly time-delayed his images... to the tune of 900 years; hence his taste in fashion and interior design. When all was said and done, Trelane was a big, very powerful child. Think of a 5-year-old in a rocket ship. Left there for long enough playing with buttons, they'll probably turn something on, but it's more likely they'll break something before making it to the moon. That said, if you like the concept of Trelane, he pops back up in Peter David's apocrypha novel, "Q-Squared" as a member of the Q Continuum. He's a far better villain in that story than he is in this one.

You gotta give Arne Darvin props for trying. This Klingon, not once, but two times went undercover as a human on Deep Space Station K-7 to obstruct Federation interests. The first time, he poisoned grain aboard the Enterprise in an effort to prevent the Federation from colonizing a nearby planet. Unfortunately, his disguise wasn't good enough to fool... the Tribbles. Kirk holds a Tribble near Darvin and it squeals, revealing his identity as a Klingon. Granted, he couldn't have predicted the presence of Tribbles on the space station, but surely once he was aware of their presence, he should've aborted as opposed to remaining and effectively surrounding himself with Klingon detectors.

In DS9's "Trials and Tribbilations," Darvin seeks revenge on the Tribbles and the Enterprise crew by planting a bomb in one. But his new disguise is exactly as good as his old one, and the DS9 crew caught him again. Plans failed 2.0. A non-violent, sneaky failure, Darvin is maybe the worst Klingon ever. After all, his lifelong nemeses were legless rodents and they won. Twice.

6 ETANA JOL

THIS LADY! Etana Jol fooled us all into believing she was a good-time girl having some harmless fun with Riker on Risa. Turns out, she was a no-nonsense Ktarian bent on conquering the Federation with the cunning use of... video games. That's right, her "brilliant" plan was to infiltrate and overtake one of the mightiest powers in the galaxy using glorified hypnosis. And it would've worked if it hadn't been for those pesky kids! The game stimulated the brain's pleasure centers while simultaneously weakening the player's higher reasoning capabilities. Basically, the crew got turned into the sedate version of drunk teenagers. It took Wesely Crusher and Robin Lefler -- a cadet and an ensign -- less than an hour to figure this out.

Despite the fact that she did manage to overtake the Federation Flagship (must've been an extremely embarrassing explanation for Riker to give), she didn't hold it very long. And frankly, what was the plan after the Enterprise? Just hope the crew'd manage to spread the use of the game fast enough that no other ship in the Federation would notice the flagship was suddenly crewed by a bunch of dopes addicted to Google Glass? Etana should've quit while she was ahead and just made Riker her sex slave. He probably wouldn't have minded.

5 CHEKOV (MIRROR UNIVERSE)

Kirk is onboard the Terran Empire Enterprise less than an hour before someone tries to execute him. And it's our sweet little Anton Chekov who's responsible for the dastardly attempt! It's pretty standard in the Mirror Universe for officers to advance by assassination, so Chekov plans an ambush outside a turbolift.

But, like so many of the doofs on this list before him, Chekov wasted a bunch of time talking about his master plan instead of DOING his master plan. In the time it takes for Chekov to explain how awesome it'll be for Kirk to be dead, Kirk's security team gets there and foils everything. Chekov clearly didn't plan for the contingency of... Kirk's bodyguards. This whole mess was the equivalent of a smash-and-grab. Not the best strategy when you're on a spaceship with no escape and you're not so much stealing anything as trying to kill a formidable adversary. It's such a bad strategy that Chekov biffed it when it was four against one. One needs more sophistication if one is to survive in the Terran Empire. See: the Captain's Woman.

4 THE ESSENTIALISTS

The Essentialists were a group of dorks who trolled Risa, whining about how life in the Federation was too easy. Aside from seriously not knowing their audience, their complaints were pretty baseless. These guys were clearly the descendants of the dingleberries that hang out outside sci-fi conventions telling cosplayers they're going to hell.

They carried on making various demonstrations while Worf and Jadzia were also on Risa for vacation. Worf, annoyed with the "hedonism" surrounding him, was swayed for a bit, but they go too far. When they realize that no one is really listening to them, they mess with the weather and ruin everyone's vaycay. Surprise, surprise, this doesn't turn anyone to their cause. So, they go even further and start putting people's lives at risk with weather that's even more extreme than Risa's natural rainy, jungle climate. Worf draws the line there, but the leader of the Essentialists doesn't take this too well and makes a critical (and stupid) mistake -- laying hands on a Klingon. Needless to say, the Essentialist movement doesn't last very long after that. Villains need to pack more punch than sanctimony if they want to withstand a Klingon in hand-to-hand combat.

3 THE PAKLEDS

The Pakleds were a backward race so stupid they fell ass-backwards into acquiring technology. In what turned out to be a very bad day for Riker, he answered a distress call from a damaged Pakled ship and beamed Geordi over to help because WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? Well, plenty of things as Worf pointed out, considering no one knows anything about the Pakleds at this time. So, it's no surprise really, that the minute they realize how useful Geordi is, they refuse to return him.

That said, because they operate at a third-grade reading level, Geordi and Riker are able to communicate a very obvious rescue plan literally while the Pakleds are listening attentively. Then, because they can't even use their sensors properly, Riker manages to distract them with a light show while Geordi disables their ship in under 24 seconds. Let's just say getting captured by the Pakleds is akin to getting surrounded by sea lions when you're on a boat. Don't make sudden movements, but you'll probably be fine. The only thing more pathetic than they're "plan" was the fact that it took four meetings for the senior staff to solve the problem. This is why Picard never goes on vacation, FYI.

2 HARRY MUDD

If your nefarious intentions are apparent from the minute you beam aboard, you might be a bumbling villain. Never was there a more obvious and unsuccessful con-artist than Harcourt Mudd. Unable to conceal his identity from a computer, he was immediately pegged as a scoundrel within hours of his first contact with the Enterprise ("Mudd's Women"). One of the reasons was that he had a record a mile long of unsuccessful crimes and cons.

His flawless plans included marrying a trio of ugly women to dilithium miners (for a nominal finder's fee) while hopping the women up on the Venus drug that made them cute for less than a day. What could go wrong? Then he got booked for selling stolen technology without the rights to do so. He also tried to sell someone Starfleet Academy. Guess how well that went. The lesson here is cover your tracks. Mudd was just too flashy for his own good, making us wonder why he stayed in the con game to begin with. That said, he was a snappy dresser.

1 THE FERENGI

Bless these lil' guys, but they really need to stay in their lane. Initially conceived as one of TNG's primary villains, akin to TOS' Klingons, the Ferengi were to embody the evils of avarice, something Gene Roddenberry felt very strongly about. During their first episode on TNG, "The Battle," the Ferengi are considerably more malevolent than bumbling, but this characterization didn't land with the audience at all. Their appearance and manner were more ridiculous and funny than intimidating, so the writers really leaned into them as comic relief.

While undeniably the best deal-makers and financiers in the galaxy, they're counters not fighters. Any time a Ferengi attempts to engage in combat, military aggression or criminal activity against the Federation in any way (be it kidnapping Lwaxana Troi, commandeering the Enterprise or snagging exclusive rights to a Delta Quadrant wormhole) they always fail. They've cornered the market on it, you could say. Again, great with finances, horrible at everything else. This characterization is softened a bit on DS9 -- Quark's series regular status offered a more in-depth look at the race. Regardless, the Ferengi will always be the dopes that had the Enterprise only to lose her to... children.

Who is your favorite bumbling Star Trek villain? Let us know in the comments!

Every Star Trek Movie Villain Ranked From Worst To Best

Who are the baddest of the bad on the big screen Star Trek adventures?

From the very first moment pen was put to paper on Star Trek it was envisaged as presenting a utopian, idyllic future for humanity. Gone were the wars, the greed, and poverty, and the disease that defined our modern age and, in its place, one unified human race dedicated to the exploration of both outer space, and the inner soul.

But this is entertainment! Without the villainous yin to the do-gooder yang of these intergalactic boy scouts, we'd have all spent the last half a century watching our intrepid crews galavant around the galaxy just cataloguing assorted gasses. A TV show, as the saying goes, is only as good as its protagonists, but a movie... well, that lives or dies by its bad guys.

Thus every time Star Trek has made the leap from the small to the silver screen, it's required a great deal of thought about who'd be brought in to provide the necessary threat to our established crews. Terrifying alien overlords, insidious Starfleet double-agents, even mind-bending entities whose motivations are, actually, pretty harmless, we've had a bit of everything across 13 films now.

So, with everything from their performance, their motivations, their actions, and their legacy to consider, how do you rank every single one of them from worst to best? Well, let's find out.

19. Admiral Dougherty

Admiral Dougherty was the Starfleet commander of the mission in the Briar Patch. He worked with Ru'afo to move the Baku from their village on the planet in the name of saving lives. The metaphasic energy in the planet's rings was crucial to reversing the ageing process, effectively making the entire location the Fountain of Youth.

Though acting from a well-intentioned place, Dougherty let his obsession for this mission blind him to Ru'afo's real goals. Though Captain Picard challenged him on it, he was unwilling to waver in his determination to continue. He even went so far as to order Ru'afo to send two Son'a warships after the Enterprise-E to stop the ship from reporting what was going on to the Federation Counsel itself.

A late in the day change of heart led to his undoing. Picard finally managed to open the Admiral's eyes enough for him to confront Ru'afo, though this rapidly led to the man's death. He had stumbled into the middle of a blood feud that ended up destroying him and his reputation.

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

Star Trek: Voyager's Greatest Villains, Ranked

Here's the worst of the worst.

Star Trek: Voyager encountered many villainous obstacles on its long journey back to Earth, but which among these would fans consider the best? Better yet, where do they rank compared to each other? 

I’ve been binging Star Trek: Voyager with my Paramount+ subscription , and feel like I have a solid lock on some of the show's best villains fans might remember. Ranked from great to greatest, here is a rundown of the worst Captain Janeway and her crew faced as they made their way through the Delta Quadrant. Given all the chatter as of late about Kate Mulgrew potentially reprising her role in live-action , it feels like as good of a time as any to remember why so many folks are still clammoring for new Voyager projects these days.

10. Angry Tuvok

Star Trek fans received a taste of an unhinged Tuvok in Season 2's “Meld,” where the crew worked to solve the mystery of a murder on the Voyager . The Vulcan, disturbed by the fact the Betazoid responsible for the crime didn’t have a motive, attempted a mind meld in order to try and understand what occurred. As a result ,he found himself with a murderous rage, and it took a good deal to get him back to his normal self. 

Angry Tuvok is toward the bottom of the list because, let’s be honest, he’s not actually a villain. With that said, seeing him unhinged and out of control of his emotions shows just how dangerous Vulcans were before they committed to logic and suppressing feelings. He could easily bring Voyager down if he wanted to, so I have to commend his restraint in not doing that, or strangling Neelix to death. 

9. The Nazi Hirogen

The Hirogen species had a few encounters with Voyager during the show’s run, but one particular misdeed of theirs really sticks out. The Season 4 two-parter “The Killing Game” sent the crew back to Nazi-occupied France as Janeway and the crew attempted to combat the soldiers. In reality, the Hirogen had captured them, and forced them into a holosimulation without their knowledge in an effort to enjoy the thrill of ongoing hunts. 

The Nazi Hirogen, while not truly Nazis outside of the simulation, were still pretty dastardly. They used technology to brainwash the crew, and disabled safety protocols on injuries, which required the Doctor to perform operations on the crew to keep them alive between hunts. Thankfully, Harry Kim was able to free the crew by working with the Doctor, which was one of the few times Voyager made him look competent and capable .

Devore inspector Kashyk from Season 5's "Counterpoint" was about as charming as he was conniving, and Janeway and crew were forced to deceive him to protect its telepathic passengers. While their initial efforts were effective, Kashyk duped Janeway by claiming he'd defected from his species, only to expose the whereabouts of the telepathic crew and capture them. 

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

Kashyk wasn’t the worst of the worst of Star Trek: Voyager , but he was quite a snake. He also toyed with the heart of our beloved captain at a vulnerable time in her life. Luckily, she was a bit more clever, and managed to turn the tables on him yet again. Still, the guy was just a rat bastard, and I’m glad we didn’t see him again for the rest of the series. 

Some might say Seska is the primary villain tied to the Kazon, but even she suffered at the hands of Culluh. The Kazon gave the crew hell during Seasons 1 through 3, and honestly, nearly ended this mission well before it really made any progress. 

What makes Culluh especially evil, however, is using Seska and his own child in a ploy to stop Voyager , under the guise that the child was Chakotay’s. Culluh’s actions ultimately resulted in Seska’s death, which was the only thing that really led Culluh to leave Voyager be. 

6. The Clown

Some folks will argue Season 2's “The Thaw” is one of Star Trek: Voyager ’s most frightening episodes. I wouldn’t go that far, but I will agree that one of the show’s worst villains appeared in the episode, and I’d certainly hate to come across The Clown after what he put his captives through here. 

The Clown was merely a manifestation created inside of a neural network but was able to hold a group of individuals hostage in stasis for fifteen years before Voyager came along. The psychological torture is just unfathomable, and while he ultimately was defeated, there’s no doubt that the impact of his influence was felt by those affected for years to come. 

5. Icheb’s Parents

Star Trek: Voyager introduced the young refugee Borg Icheb’s parents in Season 6's “Child’s Play,” and in hindsight, we should’ve guessed they weren’t great people. After the Voyager crew convinced Icheb to reconnect with his family, it seemed like we were headed toward a happy ending. Unfortunately, we later learned that he was intentionally assimilated by the Borg, as his Brunali parents infected him with a pathogen that damaged the Borg cube and protected their people from attack. 

Icheb’s parents are here on the list because they never intended to make a meaningful reconnection with their son, but rather wanted to send him out again in an effort to infect more Borg with their virus. Pretty heartless, and upsetting for viewers.

Kes was always a complicated character for Star Trek: Voyager to tackle, and it seemed the series never knew what to do with her before writing her out of the main cast. Though Lien left the series as a main cast member, she did get a return episode in Season 6's “Fury” in which Kes went on a misguided quest for revenge against Voyager . 

Kes was much older due to her species’ shortened lifespan, but her psychic abilities made her effectively unstoppable. She would've succeeded, but her past self managed to talk some sense into her. 

3. The Wormhole Creature

Season 5's “Bliss” offers the crew hope when they seemingly find a wormhole that will transport them instantly back to Earth. Understandably so, the entire crew was thrilled and eager to go to any lengths to make it happen, but Seven of Nine had her doubts. It soon became a battle between Seven and the rest of the crew, as she attempted to save her friends from themselves. 

The wormhole creature from “Bliss” might be a wildcard choice for Star Trek: Voyager villains, but I can’t think of a more perfect creature for this list. If it wasn’t for a last-minute push from the EMH Doctor and Seven, the Voyager crew would’ve perished under the illusion they were on a fast track back to Earth. On one hand, it’s probably not the worst fate they could’ve succumbed to, but man, what a cruel fate considering all they’d been through to that point.  

2. Annorax 

The Star Trek: Voyager crew was brought to its knees during Season 4's “Year Of Hell,” after encountering a temporal scientist named Annorax hellbent on restoring the status of his homeworld. Janeway and the crew tried to fight back, but his weapon systems were engaged with a device capable of wiping an entire species from existence. This led the crew to be cautious, and engage in a long conflict that nearly wiped them out entirely. 

The “Year Of Hell” arc is an all-time great Star Trek storyline, and part of that is due to Kurtwood Smith’s incredible performance as Annorax. One man’s quest to restore his planet’s status and bring back his wife becomes obsessive and results in the deaths of countless individuals. Thankfully, the time element managed to reset things to normal, though his impact on the crew makes him an easy choice for one of the greatest enemies Voyager ever faced. 

1. Borg Queen

As if there were any choice for number one, the Borg Queen stands as the definitive villain for Star Trek: Voyager . Hell, the Borg Queen is an all-time villain for the Trek franchise. There’s definitely something special about Voyager ’s connection to the Borg, and that’s largely because of the queen's encounters with Jeri Ryan ’s Seven of Nine in Seasons 5 through 7. 

The Borg Queen is a master manipulator and always seemed capable of pulling just about anyone into her grasp if given the opportunity. This dynamic was so strong that it became a major part of the latest season of Star Trek: Picard , so it’s no surprise the Borg Queen reigns supreme in terms of the series' greatest villains. 

Stream Star Trek: Voyager right now on Paramount+ . After that, be sure to check out Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway on Prodigy , and keep that subscription for the number of other upcoming Trek shows slated for the coming months. 

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

The Real-Life Alleged Baby Reindeer Stalker Is Speaking Out About The Viral Netflix Series: ' He’s Written A Bloody Show About Me'

Jake Paul Has Reportedly Gained A Lot Of Weight, Which Could Be A Huge Deal For His Mike Tyson Fight

Ryan Gosling Surprised Universal Studios Guests By Joining A Stunt Show, And I Can't Stop Thinking About The Guy Who Yelled 'I'm Just Ken' At Him

Most Popular

• 2 The Real-Life Alleged Baby Reindeer Stalker Is Speaking Out About The Viral Netflix Series: ' He’s Written A Bloody Show About Me'
• 3 Scarlett Johansson Took Her Hubby's Jokes During The White House Correspondents Dinner, And She Looked Stunning Doing It
• 4 20 Best Star Wars Characters, Ranked By Most Evil To Most Good
• 5 Jake Paul Has Reportedly Gained A Lot Of Weight, Which Could Be A Huge Deal For His Mike Tyson Fight

Picard has resurrected one of Star Trek’s best villains

We’re three episodes into the final season of star trek: picard , and it’s now much, much clearer exactly what kind of enemy picard and company are facing..

By Alex Cranz , managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired.

Share this story

We’re three episodes into the final season of Star Trek: Picard , and it continues to be a chaotic ballet of storylines. There’s a lot happening on this show. Beverly Crusher has become a frontier doctor / Robin Hood-style smuggler traveling the outer fringes of the Federation with her son, Jack Crusher, and has spent months being hunted by mysterious forces. Worf now works as a spy for Section 31 and has spent months anonymously working with Raffi to hunt down a new cell of terrorists who seem to be as mysterious as the forces hunting Crusher.

Now, Picard, Riker, and Seven have haphazardly commandeered the Titan and are fleeing through a nebula with a greasy, cruel, and mysterious Vadic (Amanda Plummer) chasing them. And in the third episode, all those plots crash into each other, and the true villain of the season appears to have been revealed.

It goes without saying that spoilers are coming, so click away now if you don’t want to know more.

It’s changelings.

If you didn’t watch Deep Space Nine , you almost certainly have no idea what a changeling is. They were the primary villain of the show (apart from Odo, played by René Auberjonois, who was a hero and main character on the show). Originally from the Gamma Quadrant, changelings built an enormous empire, the Dominion, and used their shapeshifting ability to hide their own influence as the architects of that empire. They then invaded the Alpha Quadrant, infiltrating and destabilizing the governments of the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Federation.

It was only because of some super unethical biological warfare and the threat of genocide that the Dominion finally retreated from the Alpha Quadrant and agreed to leave the worlds of Star Trek , as we know them, alone. Since then, the Star Trek franchise has studiously avoided the changelings. While it’s had no problem trotting out other familiar Big Bads like the Borg, the Romulans, and even the Gorn, the changelings have stayed safely shuttered away in the Gamma Quadrant — someone else’s problem.

Behind the scenes, there’s certainly rationale for this. Deep Space Nine is often considered the black sheep of the Star Trek franchise; it was a much darker show that focused on complex and very adult themes. While Star Trek tends to be a big space Western about the wonders of exploration and / or cool space fights, Deep Space Nine liked to ponder things like how the colonized overcome decades of institutional violence or the complexities and sometimes necessities of terrorism.

So it just wasn’t as popular a show. People who tuned in for space adventure didn’t necessarily want to tune in for stories like “adorable Ferengi teen struggles with war-induced PTSD.”

But in the years since Deep Space Nine ended, the way we watch TV has changed. Now it seems like we hunger for darkness and extreme moral complexity in our space adventures. Where The Next Generation was expertly built for the world of syndicated TV , Deep Space Nine was an attempt at a modern prestige drama a good seven years before The Sopranos kicked off the golden age of television and popularized the form. People can appreciate a Deep Space Nine reference now — where once they might have cringed and braced themselves.

And it’s fitting that changelings would be the big villain of the final season of Star Trek: Picard . Back on Deep Space Nine, the changelings and their war were used as tools to explore the potential flaws of Star Trek and its utopia-like Federation. They wiped away the veneer of flawlessness. And this season of Picard is very much about wiping that same veneer away from its heroes.

Few scenes have exemplified that better than the crackerjack one between Picard and Crusher in this episode. In the last episode, Beverly wordlessly confirmed to Jean-Luc that her son was also his son, and he spends a good chunk of this episode stewing on that knowledge before confronting Beverly in one of the best scenes of the show. These actors haven’t lost the chemistry that made their relationship so compelling 30 years ago. Gates McFadden seems to bring something out of Patrick Stewart, and he gives one of his best performances as Picard in years. There’s real fury in his eyes as he confronts her about the child she hid.

McFadden has a tough job in this scene because she has to make you believe that the very kind, if obstinate and egotistical, Beverly Crusher of The Next Generation could really abandon all of her loved ones and friends to raise a child in secret. The decision, as Crusher explains it, was rooted in fear. Crusher lost both of her parents at a very young age to a space-based disaster, her grandmother to a parasitical alien ghost in a lamp, her first husband to a Starfleet accident, and her first son to extra-dimensional god-like alien travelers. These are not all things you would know unless you were an obsessive consumer of Star Trek , and McFadden has to remind us of all of that trauma with only a few lines.

And she does. The scene works, and it’s some of the most mature and adult performances we’ve seen in Star Trek since, well, Deep Space Nine . So it makes sense it happens in the same episode we find out changelings are the Big Bad of the season. If you’re going to make your Star Trek characters this flawed and morally complex, there’d better be a changeling lurking somewhere nearby.

In the first Autonomous Racing League race, the struggle was real

The walls of apple’s garden are tumbling down, the apple vision pro’s ebay prices are making me sad, the oled ipad pro could launch with an m4 chip, they turned cattle ranches into tropical forest — then climate change hit.

More from Entertainment

The Nintendo Switch 2 will now reportedly arrive in 2025 instead of 2024

The best Presidents Day deals you can already get

Vudu’s name is changing to ‘Fandango at Home’

Tommy Tallarico’s never-actually-featured-on-MTV-Cribs house is for sale

Star Trek: Discovery Finally Gave Us A Closer Look At The Franchise's Most Mysterious Villain

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

"Star Trek" might represent an idealistic vision of a bolder and brighter future, but the last few seasons of "Discovery" have proven that there will always be bad guys with a penchant for muddying up those ambitions in unexpected ways -- even in the 32nd Century. While the Borg, Romulans, and the warlord Khan often have a stranglehold on the title of "Best 'Trek' villains," one alien species in particular has remained shrouded in mystery for decades. First mentioned in foreboding whispers in "The Next Generation" and finally seen in the flesh (well, so to speak) in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the Breen have played a significant role throughout the franchise in the years since ... yet Trekkies still had to wait until now to actually see what lies underneath their distinctive helmets.

The advantage of never showing us a Breen's face, as it turns out, is that "Discovery" was able to hide one in plain sight all along.

So far, the addition of scavengers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) has felt like a shoe waiting to drop. The close-knit pair continue to frustrate Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the rest of the Discovery crew (nowhere more dramatically than in last week's time-traveling bottle episode ), remaining one step ahead of our heroes in their quest to recover whatever Progenitor technological treasure hides at the end of this galaxy-spanning rainbow. About midway through episode 5, titled "Mirrors," the writers unleashed their big twist. L'ak, thus far considered an unknown type of extraterrestrial, actually reveals himself as a Breen. Or, rather, an emotional Moll lets this information slip by accident during a particularly fraught moment. In the process, "Trek" finally unmasked its most enigmatic aliens.

Read more: Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

Putting On A Brave Face (Or Two)

In the span of one episode, "Discovery" officially made "Star Trek" history.

Long treated as a mystery that left everything up to our own imaginations, the Breen reveal puts a specific face to what had previously only been a name ... actually, make that two faces. While Moll and L'ak come to a tense faceoff with Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) on board the mirror-universe version of the USS Enterprise while trapped in multidimensional space (it's a long story), the writers treat this as the perfect opportunity to delve into the scavengers' shared past. In a series of flashbacks, we find out that L'ak was part of the Breen royal family and disgraced by his powerful Primarch uncle. Hoping to earn his way back to his people's good graces, all his plans are upended by a torrid romance with then-courier Moll. With their backs against the wall and nowhere else to turn, the lovers choose their own path altogether and, along the way, L'ak reveals his most private aspect of himself: his Breen face.

Of course, the episode adds another twist and introduces the concept of the Breen having two  faces -- a solid, corporeal form they can present to others if they so choose, and a more translucent one. (Really, it can only be described as  squishier. ) In fact, this creepy and altogether unique visage symbolizes a much more meaningful difference, as we learn when L'ak's uncle calls his chosen face an "insult to your heritage." Apparently, most Breen have moved beyond this "weak" form and consider this some sort of societal faux pas. In just a few minutes, we discover more about Breen culture than we've ever known before.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Apr 14, 2017

Michael Ansara: Good Guys, Bad Guys & Guys in Between

Our heroes keep passing away at an increasingly alarming rate, but so too do our villains. Neither, it seems, triumphs in the end. Michael Ansara -- who would have turned 95 years old today; he died in 2013 at the age of 91 -- played both hero and villain, and some characters in between. But in reading the first two obituaries I caught in the mainstream media following his death four years ago, I was struck by the prominence that his part as Klingon Captain Kang in Star Trek 's " Day of the Dove " received. It was the very first credit noted in both obits! You know, in that "Humphrey Bogart, star of Casablanca " way.

About this, I had -- and still have -- mixed feelings. On one hand, as a fan, I'm delighted by Star Trek 's continuing visibility and its influence on pop culture outlasting so many formerly-fashionable entertainment phenomena. And on the other hand, well, Kang really wasn't Ansara's most important role (though, sure, it's important to us here in Trekland).

No, I'd argue, first, to consider the Westerns. Ansara was the star of two pioneering TV Westerns, portraying Cochise in Broken Arrow (1956-58, derived from an earlier Jimmy Stewart film) and Marshal Sam Buckhart in the 1959-60 series Law of the Plainsman (one of Ansara's favorite acting jobs ever). Both are all but forgotten today, having no real afterlife I'm aware of in TV Valhalla (i.e. reruns, VHS/DVD releases, replay on nostalgia networks, streaming availability). In both shows, the Syrian-born Ansara portrayed Native American protagonists in a medium whose only significant previous Indian hero had been The Lone Ranger's Tonto. "I was sort of an innovator," Ansara said in 1996. "I helped make them real, human people." Several Indian tribes across America responded by making Ansara a blood brother.

With his then-wife Barbara Eden, he took a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Irwin Allen's 1961 movie that spawned the later TV series). He showed up on Lost in Space and Allen's other SF TV shows, too. Ansara also guested as the Blue Djinn (and other characters) on Eden's hit sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (even directing an episode). There were countless TV gigs (among them The Fugitive, Perry Mason, Rawhide, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible and The Untouchables ). He made movies both major (as Judas Iscariot in The Robe , 1953's Julius Caesar , Harum Scarum with Elvis Presley) and minor ( Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, The Manitou, Day of the Animals ). I really liked (i.e., loathed) him as a bad guy in Guns of the Magnificent Seven and The Comancheros (facing John Wayne). He was even Killer Kane in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV series (though not its movie/pilot).

To me, though, his two most pivotal performances came in black & white ("Soldier" on the original Outer Limits ) and cartoon color ( Batman: The Animated Series ' "Heart of Ice"). Ansara was riveting as the brutal (and brutalized) Qarlo, an ultra-violent "Soldier" from tomorrow inadvertently come to our time to (perhaps) kill in the Harlan Ellison-scripted, 1964 Outer Limits classic (an admitted inspiration for The Terminator ). Almost three decades later, Ansara only needed his voice to portray the cold but compelling Mr. Freeze in the acclaimed "Heart of Ice" (which won writer Paul Dini an Emmy). It offered a new take on an old Batman baddie, making Dr. Victor Fries (a.k.a. Mr. Freeze) not a villain, but a chilling figure of pathos, a lonely, maddened scientist driven to crime to implement a cure for his diseased, cryogenically frozen wife.

If that icy scenario seems familiar now, it's because the 1992 "Heart of Ice" incarnation then became DC Comics' standard for Freeze's subsequent comic book appearances. The 1997 live-action flick Batman & Robin cannibalized the characterization and some story points -- but Arnold Schwarzenegger, the once and future Terminator, did a terrible job at following Ansara in this role. Ansara also voiced Freeze in Batman cartoon spinoff programs and the 1998 direct-to-DVD animated film Batman & Mr.Freeze: SubZero .

So, considering all this, did "Day of the Dove" really deserve that obituarial honor as the most identifiable Ansara role over some of these other credits? Perhaps. Personally, I'd give it to Broken Arrow or "Soldier." You may feel differently. The New York Times , at least, in their obituary (which I read later) gave equal billing to Cochise and Kang, contrasting them as warriors from different times.

As for Klingon Captain Kang, "What a magnificent character to play!" Ansara exclaimed when Starlog interviewed him (twice, Mark Phillips in issue #138, Tom Weaver, #225). "Immediately, just from reading the script, I knew how special the role was and how rare it was to find a character like this in either television or film. Kang had nobility and that's a quality that I have always been fascinated by. People seemed to like [that 1968 segment], and I loved doing it."

Ansara reprised the role 26 years later -- along with fellow Klingons John Colicos (Kor) and William Campbell (Koloth), "a very, very close friend" -- on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1994. "They [the producers] were a little worried, they thought we were rickety old men," Ansara told Weaver, "and they wondered if we could climb the stairs and do the swordfights. We sort of laughed about it."

Despite the "miserable-to-put-on" newish Klingon makeup, Ansara thought DS9 's " Blood Oath " was "fun. As I understand, it turned out to be one of the best episodes." He was Kang again in Star Trek: Voyager 's " Flashback " in 1996.

Ansara also returned to DS9 , briefly playing another character, one of Lwaxana Troi's husbands, in " The Muse ." But, I certainly agree with that critical assessment of "Blood Oath." It's bloody good. In fact, that DS9 episode is what brought the Klingons Three (Ansara, Colicos, Campbell) to the May 1995 SeaTrek Cruise, which is where I met him.

The major Trek celebs and "the little people" (minor guests like Starlog Special FX Editor David Hutchison and me) got to clamber aboard ship ahead of regular cruisegoers. "Hutch" and I soon headed to the early buffet, got plates heaping with goodies and grabbed a table portside. Not long afterward, my pals Bill and Tereza Campbell ambled by with their trays and joined us. Ten minutes later, Campbell flagged down Michael Ansara and third wife Beverly, who had been forlornly looking for a place to eat. Introductions were made by Campbell (the most extroverted guy I've ever met) and they sat down for lunch. Sorry to say but Klingon was not spoken.

Ansara seemed a little reticent, reserved, yet regal; his head, entirely shaven bald, was striking, a unique look he had apparently returned to after initially going full Picard in the 1960s for a production of The King and I .

Today, 22-plus years later, I only vaguely recall the topics of conversation (cruising, Hollywood, Trek fans, etc.). To me, Ansara appeared far more shy than the characters he had portrayed. Circumspect is really the right word to describe him. Maybe he was overwhelmed by the cruise or our mutual friend Campbell (anyone might seem shy compared to Campbell's exuberance), or perhaps merely careful while dining with strangers from Starlog .

Maybe, though, it's just me. I already knew almost all the other cruise celebs. And I admit to being a tad in awe of Ansara. After all, he had worked with Abbott & Costello, Peter Lorre and John Wayne. But, I did take the opportunity then to arrange contact info for that second Starlog interview, conducted months later by film historian Tom Weaver, so Ansara could talk to us about more than just Star Trek.

That's when Ansara declared, "I was never considered a leading man -- maybe a leading character actor," before listing his career regrets to Weaver. "You never think you do quite as much as you would like to do. I would have liked to have done more, gotten bigger, more important. But on the other hand, I had a long, long career, longer than so many people who would come, make a flash and disappear. So, I really have no complaints, and yet -- who is ever satisfied? You always would have liked to have done more."

David McDonnell, "the maitre’d of the science fiction universe," has dished up coverage of pop culture for more than three decades. Beginning his professional career in 1975 with the weekly "Media Report" news column in The Comic Buyers’ Guide , he joined Jim Steranko’s Mediascene Prevue in 1980. After 31 months as Starlog ’s Managing Editor (beginning in October 1982), he became that pioneering SF magazine’s longtime Editor (1985-2009). He also served as Editor of its sister publications Comics Scene, Fangoria and Fantasy Worlds . At the same time, he edited numerous licensed movie one-shots ( Star Trek and James Bond films, Aliens, Willow, etc.) and three ongoing official magazine series devoted to Trek TV sagas ( The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine, Voyager ). He apparently still holds this galaxy’s record for editing more magazine pieces about Star Trek in total than any other individual, human or alien.

Get Updates By Email

Screen Rant

10 movies that made you root for the bad guys.

Great movies can make audiences root for thieves, con artists and even murderers. This creates a wholly different experience from most other films.

• Some movies make audiences support bad guys, creating a fun change of pace and blurring the line between good and evil.
• Compelling villains like Killmonger and Harry Lime can steal the show, making audiences root for the "wrong" side.
• Characters like Tony Montana and The Joker garner sympathy despite their crimes, challenging traditional views of morality.

Some movies subvert expectations by making the audience fall for the bad guys. This is sometimes a result of using antiheros who operate based on their own moral compass, but there are other times when a captivating villain can steal the show, and audiences start rooting for them instead of the villain. Movies that make audiences support bad guys can be a fun change of pace.

Plenty of crime movies feature compelling bad guys, especially gangster movies and heist capers. It can be fun for audiences to support the opposite side for a change, and movies like this question the true divide between good and evil. Some criminals are more righteous than law enforcement, and some societal outcasts are kinder than the herd. Captivating movies can often make the audience root for the "wrong" side, even if they don't realize it at first.

10 Movies Where The Villain Was By Far The Better Character

10 black panther (2018), killmonger makes a strong argument for wakanda's future.

*Availability in US

T'Challa initially struggles with the legacy of his father and the responsibility of becoming the Black Panther. He needs Killmonger's alternative viewpoint to show him that he shouldn't be fearful of change.

Erik Killmonger is one of the best villains in the MCU , even though he isn't the most powerful. Like all the most compelling villains, his motivations are just as compelling as the hero's. He believes that Wakanda should step out of the shadows and share its advanced technology with other African nations so they can overthrow their oppressors on a global scale. His desire for the throne is merely a means to achieve this goal.

T'Challa initially struggles with the legacy of his father and the responsibility of becoming the Black Panther. He needs Killmonger's alternative viewpoint to show him that he shouldn't be fearful of change. Ultimately, T'Challa comes around to Killmonger's way of thinking. After Killmonger's death, T'Challa reveals Wakanda's true nature to the whole world. Killmonger may have lost to T'Challa, but he still scored a posthumous victory in this regard.

9 Four Lions (2010)

The comedy quickly turns to tragedy as reality sets in.

These characters don't deserve a clean slate after what they've done, but they could have been shown some kind of mercy or salvation.

Four Lions is a satirical comedy about a group of wannabe terrorists , and it manages to do the impossible by making terrorism funny. It achieves this by drawing a stark contrast between their glorified ideals and the haphazard reality of their bombing attack. Although the absurdity of their fanaticism is nothing to admire, their humanity shines through in their final moments, and there's the indication that they realize the error of their ways.

Omar and Waj are particularly tragic cases, since Omar only grapples with the true scale of his actions when it's too late and Waj is never intelligent enough to know what's going on. These characters don't deserve a clean slate after what they've done, but they could have been shown some kind of mercy or salvation. For the most part, their deaths are as random and chaotic as the ones which they caused.

8 Scarface (1985)

Tony montana's intoxicating rise to the top is a thrilling watch.

Not available

Tony essentially digs his own grave, but he also falls victim to a culture obsessed with power and status.

Scarface is a rags-to-riches story about the American dream, but Tony Montana's empire crumbles into dust due to his own hubris. Although Tony is a violent thug who alienates everyone close to him, his journey from inauspicious beginnings makes him a hard character to hate. He's forced to fight against the odds and claw his way to the top , even though this means developing his ruthless streak until it takes over his entire personality.

Audiences may not exactly want Tony Montana to achieve all of his goals, but they may be rooting for his redemption. His final showdown highlights that he has learned nothing and he can't truly change. Tony goes out in a blaze of glory. It's a tragic end for a character who still garnered a lot of sympathy despite his long list of violent crimes. Tony essentially digs his own grave, but he also falls victim to a culture obsessed with power and status.

7 The Third Man (1949)

Harry lime is too magnetic and charming to hate.

After Harry's first meeting with Holly and their conversation on the ferris wheel, it's hard not to root for him as he leads the police on a frantic chase through Vienna's sewer system.

Orson Welles didn't direct The Third Man, but the noir thriller provided him with one of his most unforgettable roles. Welles plays Harry Lime, a black market trader living in post-war Vienna who fakes his own death to outrun the law. He doesn't appear for most of the movie, but his figure hangs over the entire plot. When he finally appears in a doorway with the faint glimmer of an impish smirk, he instantly attracts the audience's attention.

Harry is a rogue operator living in an area of Europe still trying to forge a new identity after the devastation of the Second World War. He has his own way of looking at the world, and he has a supreme, infectious confidence . After his first meeting with Holly and their conversation on the ferris wheel, it's hard not to root for him as he leads the police on a frantic chase through Vienna's sewer system.

6 Nightcrawler (2014)

Leo bloom is a compelling antihero.

Audiences tend to be drawn to characters who are passionate and hard-working. Lou is both of these.

In Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a struggling thief who begins a career as a freelance journalist, chasing car crashes and shootouts with his police scanner. Lou Bloom is unethical from the very beginning, posing bodies at crime scenes to get the best angle for his footage, but these habits soon escalate until he is committing crimes just so that he can get the exclusive scoop as soon as it happens.

Audiences tend to be drawn to characters who are passionate and hard-working. Lou is both of these. If anything, he has a little too much of each quality. This makes him easy to support and sympathize with, even if his crimes are utterly unjustifiable. Nightcrawler also makes Lou easy to root for by showing the dire circumstances he has to endure in the beginning, when he resorts to stealing scrap metal from railyards.

5 The Killer (2023)

In a world of duplicitous assassins, the killer is basically a good guy.

David Fincher uses his signature directorial style to track the Killer's every move with acute attention to detail.

The Killer follows a professional assassin after a botched job in Paris which brings his life under threat. David Fincher uses his signature directorial style to track the Killer's every move with acute attention to detail. With every tilt of his head and crack of his knuckles, Fincher brings the audience one step closer to inhabiting the role of the Killer, and his constant narration also contributes to this effect.

Although he is a contract killer with low morals, the Killer is a completely absorbing character. Each of his decisions are methodical and deliberate. This is important because he acts as a proxy for the audience, so he has to be a knowledgeable guide into the world of hired guns. One other thing that makes him easier to support is the fact that, despite his line of work, there are many much worse people in his business.

4 Joker (2019)

Arthur fleck's misanthropic worldview is sadly convincing.

The Joker's methods may be unnecessarily violent, but he's right to want to dismantle the kind of society which doesn't care for its citizens in need.

There were doubts before Joker 's release over whether the Batman villain even needed an origin story, since he often works best as an enigmatic agent of chaos, like Heath Ledger's famous portrayal in The Dark Knight. Joker silenced the doubters with a dark psychological drama that brought a completely new dimension to a well-known character. Suddenly, the Joker became a tragic figure beaten down by an unjust world.

The Joker's methods may be unnecessarily violent, but he's right to want to dismantle the kind of society which doesn't care for its citizens in need. He sees beyond the glossy veneer of community to Gotham's dark heart, and he only wants people to stop pretending that they are any more than animals . Joaquin Phoenix is returning as Arthur Fleck for the sequel, Joker: Folie À Deux , alongside Lady Gaga.

3 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Hannibal lecter may be a murderer, but at least he has manners.

Hannibal just wants his freedom back, or at the very least a window in his cell, and these are motivations that anyone can relate to.

Hannibal Lecter is a convicted serial killer who eats his victims, but he is still more likable and easier to support than some of the other characters in The Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal is one of very few people who look Clarice in the eye and treats her with respect. Most of her male colleagues either leer at her or dismiss her entirely. Hannibal is interested in who she is as a person.

Many of the best quotes in The Silence of the Lambs belong to Hannibal Lecter. Anthony Hopkins stretches every second of screen time that he gets as Hannibal, and his presence dominates the movie even when he is far away from the events unfolding. Hannibal just wants his freedom back, or at the very least a window in his cell, and these are motivations that anyone can relate to.

2 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Martin scorsese's biopic glamorizes a group of selfish egomaniacs.

Scorsese's portrait of American decadence is meant to be idealized and enviable, therefore making the viewer question their own morals.

Plenty of Martin Scorsese's movies create compelling portraits of unsavory criminals . Goodfellas, Casino and The Irishman are all told from the perspective of criminals, but none of them are as indulgent and over-the-top as The Wolf of Wall Street. The crime comedy shows white-collar criminals throwing lavish parties on private yachts and satisfying their every vice. They are brash and obnoxious, but they are living aspirational lifestyles.

The true story behind The Wolf of Wall Street is a little darker than what appears on screen, but this is the point. In real life, Jordan Belfort didn't just scam the wealthy, and many people were left penniless by his schemes. Scorsese's portrait of American decadence is meant to be idealized and enviable, therefore making the viewer question their own morals. It's easy to judge Belfort and his colleagues from the outside, but most people are simply envious of the party.

1 Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Many heist capers are about bad guys having fun.

Other heist movies often try to present the thieves as heroes. Ocean's Eleven makes no such claim to the moral high ground.

Ocean's Eleven, like many of the best heist movies ever, is about a gang of unscrupulous crooks working together for a big score. Other heist movies often try to present the thieves as heroes. For example, Now You See Me depicts the Horsemen as radical redistributors of wealth, and Nicole's motive in How to Steal a Million is to keep her father out of prison. Ocean's Eleven makes no such claim to the moral high ground. Danny Ocean and his crew are thieves by trade, and they set out to steal from the Las Vegas casinos for personal gain.

It's easy to root for the gang because they are so fun to spend time with. Aside from the sub-zero cool of Danny and Rusty, there's also the plucky charm of Linus, the rapid-fire banter of Virgil and Turk, and the sheer marvel of Yen. Terry Benedict, the antagonist of the story, commits no major crime other than standing between Danny and an incalculable fortune, and also dating his ex-girlfriend.