There are near countless races of humanoid (and not so humanoid) extraterrestrial beings depicted in the Star Trek series. Some are benign and helpful, ing with the United Federation of Planets in their pursuit to bring peace and harmony to the universe. However, others oppose the Federation's aims—seeking to destroy and conquer all that lies in their path. We've updated this list to include 5 more deadly races that Starfleet has thrown down with over the years, for a total of 15. Let's hope none of these baddies are lurking about in our real galaxy!
Updated on July 5th, 2020 by Derek Draven: As mentioned in our updated intro, we've included 5 more alien races in the Star Trek universe which are extremely deadly and should be given a wide berth. Any one of them is sure to ruin one's day, not to mention the rest of the known galaxy (and beyond), as well.
The Gorn
This bipedal reptilian race made its first appearance in the original Trek, featuring a classic battle between Captain Kirk and a Gorn captain who were pitted against each other on a barren planet. Since then, the Gorn have made limited appearances in other spinoffs, but it has been established that their technological prowess is on par with Starfleet's, making them a credible threat.
The Gorn race is also extremely deadly, thanks to a combination of super-strength, physical resilience, and reliance on brutal weaponry including hand-held and ship-mounted disruptors. Though the Gorn have shown no true hostile ambitions towards the Federation, they would represent a significant challenge if the day ever came.
The Breen Confederacy
The Breen Confederacy was mentioned on numerous Star Trek series but didn’t appear until Deep Space Nine. A mysterious race with warlike tendencies, not very much is known about The Breen, who wear fully sealed refrigeration suits that obscure their physical from the outside world. In their most bloodthirsty moment, they allied with The Dominion to wage war against the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans, destroying Starfleet headquarters on Earth.
The Vidiian Sodality
One of the strangest and most repulsive species in all of Star Trek, they first appeared in Voyager and haven’t shown up much since. Suffering from a nasty, flesh-eating disease, the Vidiians amputate and graft body parts from other races onto their crumbling bodies.
Aside from their brutal, patchwork visages, Vidiians are frightening because they view all other races as spare parts--mere resources to be mined from--carving up victims to use their bodies to save their own species and disregarding their right to life.
The Hirogen
The Hirogen were unique among many Star Trek species in the fact that their entire culture was built around the concept of the hunt. Indeed, all technological and societal progress was laser-focused on this one ideal. In essence, the Hirogen were the equivalent of the Predator franchise's yautja race in almost every way.
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So fine-tuned was their cultural need to hunt that the Hirogen were game for almost any kind of challenge, including holographic prey that learned from each encounter - eventually leading to a revolt. If the Hirogen ever decided to elevate their hunting culture to include galactic dominance, the results could be terrible.
Tribbles
It might seem odd to include these cute and cuddly pests on the list of the deadliest races in the Star Trek galaxy, but they've earned their reputation well. The galactic equivalent of rabbits with 1,000x the reproductive enthusiasm, Tribbles were capable of wiping out entire planetary ecosystems in very little time.
In their native habitats, Tribble numbers were kept in check by the local predator population, but when taken off their respective worlds, they soon became too much for anyone to handle, and the results could literally become life-threatening.
Changelings
Though not the most overtly threatening Star Trek race, Changelings are tough to kill, function as a hivemind, and have unmatched shapeshifting abilities, making them formidable adversaries. They do have a weakness in that they must return to their natural, liquid state in order to recuperate and regenerate. The most famous Changeling in the Star Trek universe is Odo from Deep Space 9. Though he became an ally of Starfleet, many of his race were part of The Dominion, a group that sought to bring order to the universe through terror and domination.
The Tholians
In addition to being hostile and territorial in nature, the Tholians possessed unique forms of technological and biological weaponry to push their agenda. One of their greatest and most well-known weapons was the Tholian Web, an energy field that could trap starships and other entities, preventing them from exiting, lest they be shredded by the filaments.
The only saving grace of the Tholians is their withdrawn nature. While not an expansionist race, they have annexed territories along their borders in an effort to shore up their own security, but they seem to have no plans for galactic dominance.
Cardassians
Once a race of high-minded, cultured individuals, the Cardassians were forced to become brutal and militaristic to survive. They first appeared in The Next Generation, though they’ve been spoken about in Deep Space 9 and Voyager as being even more dangerous (supposedly) than iconic baddies, the Romulans. A clever and crafty race, the prejudiced attitude with which they regard other species and their totalitarian ways lead them to infamously conquer the planet of Bajor, an event which reverberates throughout the entire Star Trek universe.
Pah-Wraiths
Evil with a capital “E”, the Pah-Wraiths are the non-corporeal, eternal enemies of Bajoran prophets. According to Bajoran lore, the Pah-Wraiths are themselves excommunicated prophets who formed a cult to combat the Cardassian Occupation of their planet.
Though they physically resemble other prophets, they boast devastating fire abilities and can induce hallucinations in their enemies. They are also able to possess the bodies of others, as they did in Deep Space 9 when they resurrected the Cardassian Gul Dukat in an attempt to destroy the known universe.
The series' OG antagonists, the Romulans first appeared way back during the show's first season in 1966. Ever since, they’ve been a thorn in the sides of every captain from Kirk to Janeway and beyond. The polar opposite of the unfeeling, logical Vulcan race, Romulans are full of wrath and make knee-jerk decisions. The Federation has a complicated relationship with the cunning, militaristic race, and has had to tamp down their attempts to conquer other species wholesale time and again.