Just imagine the species that will soon be coming toStar Trek: Discovery!
But what intrigues us the most is this melty guys backstory…
Including one about a race of wax soldiers that can be replicated and sent to do the Federations will.
Arex popped up in comics and novels and took his place of honor among the original crew.
But thanks toThe Animated Series, the distinctive Edosians live on and prosper in Trek lore.
The Excalbians are a silicon based life form that possessed the ability to shape shift.
Hows that for a traditional Survivor Series match?
Now, I would like to talk about how cool the Caitians were.
I would also like to talk about how a Caitian also appeared inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home…
This would make Kirks TV sci-fis first furry and Im sort of fascinated by this idea.
So this race is a purr-fect addition to our list.
Did the Enterprise come equipped with a giant litter box?
Okay, I need to stop now; this is going to some bad places.
They have been seen as barbers, manicurists, Federation troops, and high ranking officials.
Bolians are distinctive due to their blue skin and their ridge that bisects their anatomy.
They are highly friendly individuals and compassionate.
In fact, an episode ofVoyagerputs forth that Bolians were supportive of assisted suicide.
These deep seated beliefs make the Bolians an intriguing species ripe for future Trek exploration.
Fans got to know this ellusive species throughDS9regular/bar fly Morn.
Morn was a bombastic and talkative fellow who fans never got to actually hear speak.
He was a former thief that barely moved away from his bar stool.
Morn was also fiercely loyal to Quark and got his little Ferengi pal out of many a jam.
But mostly, Morn just sat there and drank stoically.
He also once had a torrid love affair with Jadzia Dax but that is a tale for another time.
Raise a glass to the Lurians!
The only classic races to get good screen time in the reboots have been Romulans and Vulcans.
But the films did give us Keenser the Roylan, Scottys diminutive engineering pal.
When Scotty beamed to the Enterprise, he left Keenser behind which was kinda sad.
The fourteenth issue of IDW PublishingsStar Trekcomic gifted fans with Keensars origin.
It also revealed the name of his species Roylan for the first time.
Whats not to love about Mugato?
Hes kind of cute, very fuzzy, and is as poisonous as the nastiest snake.
Poisonous gorillas in space, this is why we love Trek.
Sadly, Mugato only appeared briefly, attacking and poisoning Kirk before being disintegrated by Doctor McCoy.
For centuries, the tattooed Acamarians lived in rival clans and their planet was split apart by warfare.
One of the clan wars lasted three centuries and wiped one of the combating sides out of existence.
When Picards Enterprise encountered the Acamarians, the people finally almost found peace.
Denobulans are loyal but quite hedonistic by human standards.
Denobulan males can take up to three wives while the entire race embraces polyamory.
Phlox and the Denobulan held ethics in high regard as Phlox would never allow a sentient being to suffer.
Plus, Denobulans have really long tongues.
What was it that I said about hedonism and Denobulans?
Anyway, these cunning linguists were great doctors as seen throughEnterprises first mayor of the sickbay: Doctor Phlox.
Hit the next page for more!
Although a cosplay staple, the slave girl was just one Orion.
(So… combine Jean Grey with a mayfly and you get the idea.)
Ocampans are very accepting of their short life span and a rather enlightened species.
The Vidiians suffered a disease known as the Phage.
The Phage is kind of like a hardcore space Ebola that utterly destroys the infecteds body and organs.
The ravaged Phage would wander the galaxy and rob sentients of their organs and body parts.
But the space awesomeness of the Breen doesnt end there… One has to wonder what special M-114 might be: Cinnamon Vampire?
Due to this difference, the entire population save Lokai and Bele were eradicated.
Bele hijacked the Enterprise and used his vast array of mental capabilities to hunt for Lokai.
We should all have an Oreo Man during our most innocent years.
Oh, Oreo Man…
33.
A Nausicaan had quite the impact on the life of Jean-Luc Picard.
Picard and his pals accused the Nausicaans of cheating and the bad-tempered badasses stabbed Picard through the heart.
This required Picard to get an artificial heart.
(The more you know!)
The Nausicaans gave the crew ofDeep Space Ninea hard time as well.
Instead of being intergalactic conquerors, the Nausicaans have remained bullies, raider, and cheaters.
But they do have killer 80s rocker hair, dont they?
The Kazon race was separated into rival sects, which made negotiating with them as a whole almost impossible.
And what alien species was responsible for Kirks immortal battle with the Gorn?
Why that would be the shiny and nigh omnipotent Metrons.
The Metrons possess tremendous mental powers and can control matter and energy.
Also, the Metrons wear sparkly evening gowns so they have that going for them…
30.
The Horta was first encountered by a group of miners.
After a miner was killed, Kirk and company were called to see what was up.
They encounter the Horta, an extremely alien-looking beastie.
So Kirk and his pals dedicate themselves to protecting the things little vomit eggs from the angry miners.
Thank you for that valuable lesson, Mr. Horta.
Greek Gods
First appearance: Star Trek: The Original Series Who Mourns For Adonis?
(1967)
Wait, what?
Oh, by the bristling beard of Zeus, the Greek Gods exists in theStar Trekuniverse.
The legendary deities of ancient Greece were actually super-powered aliens that lived on Pollox IV.
They would visit Earth back in ancient times and bask in the worship of primitive humans.
Sadly, we never saw the other Greek gods.
(Because could you just imagine Kirk versus Zeus?)
The fact that this all exists in the same galaxy as Klingons and Borg just makes me very happy.
These thinking holograms quickly became more advanced than the Hirogen and turned the hunters into the hunted.
But not all El-Aurians were benevolent.
Sarek was able to solve the crime, freeing his name and forging a long-lasting peace with the Tellarities.
Shaka, when the walks fell.
(Hey, do you think when the Borg poops they all go at once?
Or does one go make while the rest of the Collective just snickers?
This is now the most ever written about Borg poop on the internet.
Im not googling that.)
Anyway, Species 8472 existed in an extra-dimensional bit of hell known as fluidic space.
8472 was having none of that and fought back, creating weapons that could slay the Borg with ease.
In fact, 8472 was able to destroy the Borg Cubes in seconds.
(Man, thats like taking down the Death Star with a single bullet.)
The Borg and Voyager had to form an unlikely alliance to drive Species 8472 back to fluidic space.
The Gorn
Oh, the Gorn.
Who doesnt love Gorn?
Imagine the spin offs.
Gorn to be Wild.
Gorn on the Fourth of July.
The Gorn were also one of the aliens made by Mego in its second set of Trek dolls.
The Tholians first encountered the crew of the Enterprise when the USS Defiant flew too close to Tholian space.
The Enterprise under Jonathan Archer also ran afoul of these crystalline killers.
Talaxians became dispersed throughout the Delta Quadrant after a devastating war with the Haakonian Order.
Talaxians had no real home world, but that did not break their spirits.
Keep going, because weve got more aliens for you!
Spock commented that his tricoder has more technology than the entirety of the Organians planet.
Sadly, the Organians home world became caught up in a war between the Federation and the Klingons.
Kirk warned the Organians leaders that war was coming but the Organians were completely unconcerned…
The Organians have an advanced form of ESP and can predict future events.
They also can possess the bodies of others.
So heres to the Organians, the Amish space gods of the galaxy.
But, real talk: no one really liked Wesley Crusher.
The Traveler freed us of all of that.
The Traveler is a member of a mysterious race of immensely powerful beings.
The Traveler seemed to be second only to Q in terms of power and omnipotence.
When the Traveler first met lil Wesley Crusher, he compared the lad to Mozart.
This caused Captain Picard to promote Crusher to ensign.
Later in his Starfleet career, Crusher began to have doubts about his lot in Starfleet.
The Traveler convinced Crusher to leave Starfleet after Crusher began to develop powers similar to the Traveler.
The Entity is a giant, electromagnetic engine of cosmic death that lives to consume organic matter.
It goes from planet to planet, absorbing all organic matter and leaving dry husks of death behind.
A Crystalline Entity destroyed the outpost where Commander Data was created, essentially making Data an intergalactic android orphan.
But, behind the beauty, lies a bite that can lay waste to entire species.
Troi was an exemplary member of the Betazoid race a mostly peaceful people that possess empathic and telepathic powers.
Most Betazoids, including Troi, use their powers for the benefit of others.
Betazoids are indistinguishable for humans except for their all black irises.
Fun fact: Gene Roddenberry wanted the Betazoid women to have four breasts.
Can you imagine trying to take Troi seriously with four breasts?
Get it all out of your system.
The Talosians were the sole survivors of a nuclear holocaust.
The remaining Talosians manifested the power to create illusions.
These beings grew addicted to the illusions and abandoned technology.
Like the Lotus Eaters of old, their existence was now tied to their narcotic-like illusions.
Soon, the Talosians grew bored.
The buttheads lured alien races to their planet and fed off the psyche of their victims.
Captain Pike of the Enterprise and his science officer Spock were drawn to the Talosian home world.
The Talosians showed compassion and let Pike and Spock go.
Later, Spock would return to the Talosian planet after Pike was left paralyzed.
The Talosians once again showed compassion as they allowed the broken Pike to live his life on the planet.
Not bad for a bunch of ass-heads.
Vorta are sly, cunning, and corrupt.
give a shot to imagine an entire species of Littlefingers and you get the idea.
But, like the JemHadar, the Vorta were programmed to serve.
As a whole, the Xindi posed a great threat to the early Federation.
The Symbiotes retain the personalities and memories of each host and pass these aspects on to the new hosts.
The first Trill Trek fans encountered was named Odan.
Through Dax, fans learned about almost every aspect of Trill life.
But, when you break down the threat the Tribbles represented, they actually are pretty terrifying… Thats a bit more Giger than Pokemon.
Despite the threat, the Tribbles also brought the laughs to generations of fans.
To quote a great man from a rival space franchise: Not bad for a little fuzzball.
JemHadar reach maturity in the span of about three days.
They are genetically programmed to be the perfect galactic foot soldier by their masters, the Vorta.
To insure control, the Vorta have withheld an essential enzyme from the JemHadar genetic makeup.
Essentially, JemHadar are drug-addicted soldiers unleashed upon the galaxy.
JemHadar are incredibly resilient and possess keen minds that help them plan for battles.
All for The White.
The Top 10 Star Trek aliens await on the next page!
Changeling
As we all know, life in the Trek universe can take many and varied forms.
The Changelings were also known as The Founders and were the puppet masters behind the Dominion War.
From their wormhole homeworld, the Changelings manipulated the universe.
But not all Changelings were adversarial.
Through Odo, Trek fans saw another side to this fascinating species.
He was a defender of his Federation friends, particularly Kira Nerys the woman he learned to love.
Plus, The Changelings are an alien species that can easily disguise themselves as furniture.
You cant teach that!
The Andorians have distinctive blue skin, white hair, and two protruding antennae.
The blue skinned humanoids have an advanced armada and a long history of conflict with the Vulcans.
This conflict was put aside as Andorians entered into the Federation and, with it, decades of peace.
It is very sparkly.
Because thats what drives the Ferengi race: cold, hard, glimmering, wonderful cash-money.
But not the Ferengi.
The Ferengi inNext Genwere vile and greedy, sort of like spacefaring Daffy Ducks.
Heck, Nog even became the first Ferengi to serve in Starfleet.
InDS9, fans learned many of the finer points of Ferengi culture.
For example, Ferengi women arent allowed to wear clothes.
In many ways, the Romulans are like the anti-Vulcans.
In fact, Romulans are an offshoot of the Vulcan race.
Earth was eventually victorious and, during the conflict, no human ever actually saw a Romulan.
Despite years of ill will, the Romulans sided with the Federation in the Dominion War.
Romulans have touched every part of Trek history and have even created a huge amount of it.
It all depends on a Qs whims.
Q became a sometimes-ally, sometimes-antagonist to the crew of the Enterprise and even popped up onDS9andVoyager.
Q is everywhere and everything.
Yes, in Trek, Q definitely stood for quality.
Trekkers first met the Bajoran through Enterprise Ensign Ro Laren, a fiery and ultra-capable young Starfleet cadet.
Ro had everything it took to get ahead in Starfleet.
She was loyal, dedicated, brilliant, and strong willed.
Yet, the past of her people, the Bajorans, was filled with so much tragedy.
Ros discontent was expanded upon by the inclusion of the Bajorans inDeep Space Nine.
InDS9, fans learned almost every aspect of the Bajoran race.
DS9introduced many Bajoran notables in its many seasons, and not all of them were benevolent.
The Cardassians were first seen as Nazi-like war criminals that committed a horrible genocide against the Bajoran people.
Cardassians warred with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire and took both fleets to the absolute limits.
At this time, fans met Gul Dukat and Garak.
Garak in particular demonstrated that there was more to the Cardassians than violence.
He became aDS9wildcard who, for the most part, was loyal to peace and harmony.
The Cardassians were a difficult mirror to look into because they exposed many societal flaws of the contemporary world.
The Borg is a race of cyborg drones that share a hive mind.
Their only aim is to assimilate the universe and make all Borg.
Borg are mindless automatons that answer to the Borg Queen and the Collective.
They are unstoppable and fiercely efficient.
Famously, Jean-Luc Picard fell to the Borg and was transformed into Locutus.
As Locutus, Picard came an eyelash away from assimilating the Enterprise.
Later, through characters like Hugh Borg and Seven of Nine, some humanity was given to the Borg.
Through both characters, more and more history was revealed about the Borg.
Fans even got to meet the Borg Queen in the filmStar Trek: First Contact and what an H.R.
Giger nightmare that was.
Throughout the decades,Star Trekhas been the most hopeful of sci-fi franchises.
Trek is infused with humankinds potential for greatness and a hope for an enlightened future.
Klingons
When we first met the Klingons, they were classically humanoid aliens that mirrored the worst of humanity.
In the earliest Klingon appearances, Klingon society was portrayed as brutal and despotic.
They were slave masters that would do anything to crush any opposition.
The Klingons were constant threats.
At times, the Klingons seemed to be analogous to the Nazi Third Reich.
In other instances, they resembled Communist Russia.
When the Klingons returned inStar Trek: The Motion Picture, this brutal races appearance was altered.
Suddenly, Klingons were shown to have deep forehead ridges and a more bestial appearance.
This just adds to the mystique of the Klingon race.
Klingons take the next step of their story evolution inStar Trek: The Next Generation.
That exploration continued intoDeep Space Nineand, through the half Klingon-half human engineer BElanna Torres, ontoVoyager.
There is an actual a Klingon language that exists in the real world.
A whole freakin language has been created inspired by these honorable and violent warriors of the cosmos.
Vulcans
Is there any race in genre fiction more beloved than the Vulcans?
This race of logic-driven, emotionless, pointy-eared people have defined theStar Trekexperience since day one.
Fifty years later, Spock is still the strong right hand of the Enterprise.
But the wonder of the Vulcans dont end with Spock.
There has been Sarek, Spocks father who dared to follow his emotions and take a human wife.
There has been Tuvok, the brave and able Vulcan officer who served on Voyager.
Sadly, in the latest set of Trek films, Vulcan has fallen and this magnificent race is endangered.
