I always thought that the protagonists within the franchise had it mostly easy when encountering new species, save for the occasional Borg (well, when they first appeared anyway), the Viidians and "The Clown" (from the VOY episode "The Thaw"). I would think that as vast as the galaxy is, there would be a lot more exploration vessels presumed "lost" during their 5-Year Mission tour, due to unfortunate encounters with unknown alien species...
Horrific encounters with alien species?
- Thread starter dswynne1
- Start date
At least three ships were lost in the Gamma Quadrant, implied to be at the hands of the Dominion. There are loads of other episodes that focus on misunderstandings or confrontations with aliens of the week (look at pretty much all of Voyager or Enterprise).
By necessity of continuing the series, all ships lost without a trace must be ships other than the ships Our Heroes happen to serve on 
That said, there are several instances of First Contact situations that could be considered 'horrific', or at least, very negative. 'Silent Enemy' and 'Fight or Flight' from ENT come to mind, as does 'Schisms' from TNG, or 'Persistence of Vision' from VOY, to name just a few examples. But it seems that most first encounters are more friendly than that, yes.
That said, there are several instances of First Contact situations that could be considered 'horrific', or at least, very negative. 'Silent Enemy' and 'Fight or Flight' from ENT come to mind, as does 'Schisms' from TNG, or 'Persistence of Vision' from VOY, to name just a few examples. But it seems that most first encounters are more friendly than that, yes.
That Ent. episode where Porthos pooped on those aliens' holy tree.
In the far out frontiers of space... perhaps such encounters happened. But consider that most ships stay within established borders and known space, with known inhabitants, and it's pretty mundane. They simply don't encounter new species'.
That being said, if a ship was lost in one such encounter, or something horrific happened, it wouldn't likely have happened to the hero ships, as there would be no show or the series would get rated for mature audiences. Horrific stuff tends to be gory, bloody, disturbing and unsettling. That's not typical Star Trek.
That being said, if a ship was lost in one such encounter, or something horrific happened, it wouldn't likely have happened to the hero ships, as there would be no show or the series would get rated for mature audiences. Horrific stuff tends to be gory, bloody, disturbing and unsettling. That's not typical Star Trek.
TOS: Specter of the Gun could have been horrific if it had been told from a slightly different point of view. Even with the same outcome. Disembodied floating Melkotian floating head, eerie dreamlike semi-complete Old West setting, gunslingers trying to hunt people down, having to stand there and actually believe the bullets being shot at you would have no effect.
No mention of the aliens from "Conspiracy" the Blue Gills? Seriously, they were trying to take over the Federation from the inside and introducing weird dietary habits to boot.
Remember Tin Man as well. A first contact that went very badly because Tam Elbrun got so lost on their minds he was unable to relate the severity if the danger to his team.
The Galileo seven had a horrific experience with cavemen-like creatures on the planet that their shuttlecraft crash landed on. Deadly aliens can come in all forms, and they don't have to be technologically advanced in order to be dangerous and unwelcoming. They could simply be monsters.
The creatures on that planet reminded one Enterprise crew member, who was part of a search party, of aliens that he had encountered on another planet, Hansen's planet. So I guess, encounters with monsters by a Starfleet crew may be just as likely as an encounter with a smart but treacherous alien.
I hope the new Trek series would have an episode about this Hansen's planet.
Also, Kirk got a nasty bite from a white colored ape-like creature in "A Private Little War".
The creatures on that planet reminded one Enterprise crew member, who was part of a search party, of aliens that he had encountered on another planet, Hansen's planet. So I guess, encounters with monsters by a Starfleet crew may be just as likely as an encounter with a smart but treacherous alien.
I hope the new Trek series would have an episode about this Hansen's planet.
Also, Kirk got a nasty bite from a white colored ape-like creature in "A Private Little War".
Or what about those that performed all kinds of horrible and sometimes lethal medical experiments on the Voyager crew in Scientific Method ? Or Nagilum from TNG's Where Silence has lease, that proposed to kill of a third of the crew, but just as easily could have make the entire ship disappear without a trace?
Just because such first contact encounters ended relatively well for the crews involved (except for those poor that actually died as a result of course) doesn't make them non-horrific, in my eyes.
Just because such first contact encounters ended relatively well for the crews involved (except for those poor that actually died as a result of course) doesn't make them non-horrific, in my eyes.
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Well it's implied contact with the Klingons started from a bad point. Living Witness left a bad impression on the Kyrians.
I imagine by the 24th century Starfleet has protocols in place to ensure first contact doesn't end in a firefight or disaster every other Thursday.
I imagine by the 24th century Starfleet has protocols in place to ensure first contact doesn't end in a firefight or disaster every other Thursday.
What about the aliens the crew of the Equinox encountered? That was hardly a peaceful first contact, and nearly ended up in a war.
That's a good point. The torpedoes won't get there until next Tuesday.
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Let's not forget the Salt Vampire, Rukh, the neural parasites, the Talosians, the afore-mentioned giant cavemen in "The Galileo Seven," the Mugato, etc.
TOS had its fair share of scary aliens and androids.
And the Vidians on VOYAGER were pretty creepy, too.
I'm going to list a few episodes from each series, but first, you must put yourself into the shoes of regular old crewman Joe, or ensign Smith, aboard the Enterprise. Then see just how terrifying these experiences would actually be.
ENT:
The Crossing
Future Tense
The Expanse
Anomaly
And many more...
VOY:
Cathexis
Twisted
Deadlock
Scorpion
And many, many more...
DS9:
If Wishes were horses
Way of the Warrior
A time to stand
The Reckoning
TNG:
Where no man has gone before
Where Silence has lease
Q-Who
Night Terrors
Genesis
And many, many, many more
ST:
Charlie X
The Changeling
By Any other Name
The Tholian Web
Can you imagine going through some of this stuff? I just picture poor Mortimer sitting at his desk, looking at his iPad whenever the ship is caught in an anomaly, taken over by aliens, or crewmen are getting possessed by demonic nebula entities.
ENT:
The Crossing
Future Tense
The Expanse
Anomaly
And many more...
VOY:
Cathexis
Twisted
Deadlock
Scorpion
And many, many more...
DS9:
If Wishes were horses
Way of the Warrior
A time to stand
The Reckoning
TNG:
Where no man has gone before
Where Silence has lease
Q-Who
Night Terrors
Genesis
And many, many, many more
ST:
Charlie X
The Changeling
By Any other Name
The Tholian Web
Can you imagine going through some of this stuff? I just picture poor Mortimer sitting at his desk, looking at his iPad whenever the ship is caught in an anomaly, taken over by aliens, or crewmen are getting possessed by demonic nebula entities.
Absolutely! You'd think half the crew would have PTSD after being turned into chalky little polyhedrons . . . . .
"I still have nightmares about it, Doctor."
"Have you ever bee turned in to dehydrated block? You have no idea what I'm going through!"
I though the Talosians were pretty frightening.
