The Badguys of Star Trek

A story cannot be truly interesting without engaging villains, and Star Trek has some excellent opponents for our heroes to face. Below are some of the major enemies of the series (they appear in more than one episode or film).

Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), known simply as Khan, is one of Kirk's most formable enemies. He makes his first dramatic appearance is in the episode "Space Seed," in which he is found frozen on the Botany Bay by the Enterprise. He and the crew of his ship were a race of genetically engineered superhumans who escaped Earth's Eugenics War in the 1990's. The evil Khan tries to seize the ship, but is defeated by Kirk and condemned to live on a desolate planet for the rest of his life. But in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Khan returns to seek vengeance on Kirk. Despite Khan's superior strength and intellect, Kirk defeats him, once and for all. Khan is the bad guy everyone loves to hate, in Star Trek, no doubt aided by Montalban's terrific performance. Khan poses a great challenge for Captain Kirk, and remains one of Trek's best villains.

The Klingon Empire pose a great threat to the Federation in Star Trek, and Kirk must face a number of Klingon adversaries throughout the series and films. The first of these is Kor, as seen in "Errand of Mercy," in which the Organian Peace Treaty is established. The Federation faces further threats from the Klingons in a variety of other episodes including "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Day of the Dove." The commanders of this race of warriors prove to be cunning fierce enemies, and provide a number of excellent villains for the Star Trek films. Notable among these is Chang (Christopher Plummer), the Shakespeare-quoting antagonist in Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. By this film, however, negotiations for peace have begun, and it is clear that peace is eventually reached with the Klingons, though they remain a distinct and fearsome race.

The Romulan Empire is as treacherous as the Klingons in Star Trek, but in a more subtle, mysterious way. The Romulans are the distant cousins of the Vulcans, but unlike the Vulcan people, they refused to rid themselves of emotion and passion. Because of this they broke away from Vulcan. Many years before the events of the original series, a war was fought between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. Afterward the Neutral Zone was established, which neither side may enter. The Enterprise is forced to enter during a cat-and-mouse battle with a Romulan craft in "Balance of Terror". Another dramatic appearance of the Rolumans occurs in "The Enterprise Incident," in which the Federation plots to steal the Romulans' 'cloaking device'. The Romulans' intelligence and unique technology make them dangerous opponents. A settlement for peace was never reached, but negotiations continue.