Who are you favorite Star Trek antagonists?
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Cardassians, mainly because I think they were the best developed of the lot, as nuanced individuals.
The Dominion, and the Founders in particular, mainly because they were so mysterious and remained so for quite a long time.
I also liked early TNG Borg, before they were completely defanged. That started with First Contact and Voyager conclusively completed the process.
The Dominion, and the Founders in particular, mainly because they were so mysterious and remained so for quite a long time.
I also liked early TNG Borg, before they were completely defanged. That started with First Contact and Voyager conclusively completed the process.
I feel like I could've said this.
one thing they also show is the horrors of war and colonialism. The cardassians via the Bajorans, the Changelings via the Dominion War (and via the Vorta and Jem'Hadar), and the Borg via BoBW and First contact
the Vorta and Jem'Hadar are also good antagonists too
Conversely, the Klingons are a fun species, but they never felt like real threats outside of Star Trek VI, despite getting more of them than any other ST species. they're more like rivals than enemies. we never see them conquering other civilizations
romulans fare even worse in this regard. I love cloaking technology, and ships from both these civilizations, but when do we actually see Romulans do much of anything to make them worthy of being the big bad in Star Trek? IMO only really on Enterprise season 4.
I'd say Eddington is more of an antagonist than a villain
changelings. Biggest threat, even bigger than the Borg the Federation every faced.
Spot the cat.....
(sorry I mean Gul Dukat)
The Borg
The Dominon
(sorry I mean Gul Dukat)
The Borg
The Dominon
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I think they definitely damaged the Federation the most. and they're so insidious
The Jem’Hadar, Species 8472, and the Orions.
I picked V'Ger and other, because I didn't see the Whale Probe from Star Trek IV as an option.
Cardassians/Gul Dukat
Breen (haven’t finished Discovery yet so this could change)
Tholians
Breen (haven’t finished Discovery yet so this could change)
Tholians
The winners:
#2 Q - started out okay enough, but quickly was retooled to have Q give Picard some lesson on every visit. Still makes for a fun villain even in season 1, but 2-onward is when Q shines.
#3 Borg -- started out good, became great once it's revealed they will take people to create figureheads with. Then came the "I Borg" episode: This one, on the face of it, is a downer that alters characters to fit the plot outcome and I don't think the original idea of logic trap would have worked at all, but it led to "Descent" (a great first part with much potential for a horror element, followed up with utterly rubbish concluding episode that makes a caricature out of everyone.) Voyager did some justice with them before overusing them, but even STFC started the trend of neutering them as a baddie. "Scorpion" and "Dark Frontier" definitely reinstated the "big bad" approach, for a while.
#1 Romulans -- while being too much a carbon copy of the Klingons in TOS, with Romulan commander even saying they're "warriors" and with Spock saying "you're being clever, that's unbecoming of a Romulan" - unless Spock was bluffing or trying to wind the commander up as she was winding him up too, did he really believe her "warriors" line? But TNG really made them something special. Proper conniving, rarely would they be seen as trite. Except for NEM where it all feels like rubber stamp checkbox stuff so that everyone can be one big happy galactic family*.
Honorable mentions:
Moriarty - almost voted for him, but how the computer could create a sentient being and all one need do is to unplug the cable from the wall outlet and be done ends up hokey the moment you think into it too much.
Evil Admiral of the Week trope - can be really good (Captain Tracy, Admiral Pressman), or really bad (pretty much everybody else.)
Pakleds -- Lower Decks did to them what DS9 did to the Ferengi. Both species were created but not treated well in TNG.
Ferengi - see Pakleds.
* Look at the following video and extrapolate it on a galactic level. Giggling is optional:
#2 Q - started out okay enough, but quickly was retooled to have Q give Picard some lesson on every visit. Still makes for a fun villain even in season 1, but 2-onward is when Q shines.
#3 Borg -- started out good, became great once it's revealed they will take people to create figureheads with. Then came the "I Borg" episode: This one, on the face of it, is a downer that alters characters to fit the plot outcome and I don't think the original idea of logic trap would have worked at all, but it led to "Descent" (a great first part with much potential for a horror element, followed up with utterly rubbish concluding episode that makes a caricature out of everyone.) Voyager did some justice with them before overusing them, but even STFC started the trend of neutering them as a baddie. "Scorpion" and "Dark Frontier" definitely reinstated the "big bad" approach, for a while.
#1 Romulans -- while being too much a carbon copy of the Klingons in TOS, with Romulan commander even saying they're "warriors" and with Spock saying "you're being clever, that's unbecoming of a Romulan" - unless Spock was bluffing or trying to wind the commander up as she was winding him up too, did he really believe her "warriors" line? But TNG really made them something special. Proper conniving, rarely would they be seen as trite. Except for NEM where it all feels like rubber stamp checkbox stuff so that everyone can be one big happy galactic family*.
Honorable mentions:
Moriarty - almost voted for him, but how the computer could create a sentient being and all one need do is to unplug the cable from the wall outlet and be done ends up hokey the moment you think into it too much.
Evil Admiral of the Week trope - can be really good (Captain Tracy, Admiral Pressman), or really bad (pretty much everybody else.)
Pakleds -- Lower Decks did to them what DS9 did to the Ferengi. Both species were created but not treated well in TNG.
Ferengi - see Pakleds.
* Look at the following video and extrapolate it on a galactic level. Giggling is optional:
(Hmmm, filmed in fast-motion to accelerate the background characters, the lead band thus having to act their bits slower to compensate in order to appear "normal speed" with. And it's all done in one continual take. One wrong move or moment of forgetfulness would require a reshoot of the whole thing. 
)
)Speaking of forgetfulness, I put up the wrong video, so here's what I first meant to put up:
(Relation is via song title only, but it oddly fits into the previous one as well... )
Romulans are my favorite race in Star Trek, period.
I also really like parallel/alternate universes, so Terrans got a vote, too. Love their costumes!
And finally, Peanut Hamper. My wife and I constantly rewatch Peanut Hamper, and laugh just as hard every time.
I also really like parallel/alternate universes, so Terrans got a vote, too. Love their costumes!
And finally, Peanut Hamper. My wife and I constantly rewatch Peanut Hamper, and laugh just as hard every time.
I find the Cardassians the most interesting and effective villains (though maybe not as scary as the Borg). I'm just getting into the post-DS9 novels and I hope I get to learn more through them about what Cardassia looks like post-Dominion war and if & how their society changes.
Danny Glover: Except they all have that same damn haircut.
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