Star Trek is replete with examples of biodiversity in relation to alien life. Granted, most of them resemble human beings with a plethora of plastic prosthetic patterns attached to their faces, but there is a wide variety of them!
Aside from bipedal, upright-walking humanoids, the Star Trek universe is crawling with higher-order lifeforms that are basically gods. Able to do everything from change form to bend the laws of physics at a whim, these entities have either plagued or mentored the personnel of various Starfleet crews across time, space, and different series.
Gary Mitchell
Star Trek’s second pilot went right for the gusto in of omnipotent, god-like beings with Gary Mitchell. A Starfleet navigator whose family history indicated a penchant for extra-sensory perception, Mitchell’s life took a decisive turn when he received near-omnipotent powers following the Enterprise’s breach of the galactic barrier.
Mitchell immediately went about proving the old adage about power corrupting, attempting to take control of the Enterprise. Not content with his own power, he attempted to turn Elizabeth Dehner, the ship’s psychiatrist who also manifested this power, to his side. Fortunately, Captain Kirk defeated him with some God-busting technology and an old-fashioned smackdown.
The “God” Entity
In all their travels encountering strange new worlds and new civilizations, the one being the crew of the Enterprise never sought or thought they’d encounter was God himself. That is until they were forced to by a renegade Vulcan whose life’s ambition was to find the Supreme Being.
This was the premise of the universally panned, William Shatner-directed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Sybok, the renegade Vulcan in question and Spock’s half-brother, brought the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy, where they encountered a being with the traditional visage of the Judeo-Christian conception of God. Demanding the use of a starship, Captain Kirk realized that this was no Supreme Being, but a misguided alien entity.
Apollo
In a plot reminiscent of an Ancient Aliens episode, the crew of the Enterprise is captured by a being resembling the ancient Greek god Apollo. Held captive by the entity on a distant planet resembling the ancient world, Apollo demands the crew stay and worship him as their ancestors once did. In return, he will provide an idyllic life.
Apollo also reveals that he and his kind visited the Earth in the past, and now he is the final member of his race. Despite his immense power, capable of almost crushing the hull of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk and the crew managed to defeat him.
Trelane
Many of the omnipotent beings encountered by Starfleet crews have limits to their abilities, either through biological or mechanical faults. In the case of Trelane, the near-omnipotent being encountered by Captain Kirk and his crew on Gothos, his Achilles’ heel was the mirror he never strayed far from.
It’s revealed that the contraption behind the mirror helped Trelane harness his ability to interchange matter and energy. As it turns out, although Trelane was immensely powerful, he was little more than a child, still dependent on instruments and his parents to guide his development.
The Caretaker
Some omnipotent beings, although extremely powerful, are also mortal, being able to get sick and die just like a human being. One such entity was The Caretaker, an omnipotent being who made it his life’s mission to take care of the Ocampa, a primitive race from the Delta Quadrant.
The Caretaker’s race was responsible for destroying the Ocampa’s planet’s atmosphere, so they took responsibility for their well-being. Unfortunately, The Caretaker had grown old and weary over the years and used his powerful array to scour the universe for replacement caretakers before he died. Unfortunately for the crew of the USS Voyager, they got dragged to the Delta Quadrant, 70 000 light-years from home by The Caretaker.
The Douwd
Viewers encountered one of the Douwd in The Next Generation episode, “The Survivors,” in the form of a middle-aged man named Kevin Uxbridge. Having assumed human form, he fell in love with a woman named Rishon and located to a colony on Rana IV. Unfortunately, that colony was attacked and destroyed by the Husnock, a violent and warlike species.
In grief and rage, Kevin willed the destruction of the Husnock- not just the ones that destroyed the colony, but all the Husnock throughout the galaxy, effectively destroying an entire race. Immensely powerful, Kevin continued to live on Rana IV with a reconstituted version of his wife.
The Metrons
As far as first situations go, they couldn’t get any worse than the first meeting between the Federation and the Gorn Hegemony. After the Gorn destroyed a Federation outpost at Cestus III, the Enterprise pursued the Gorn ship with the intent of destroying it.
Unfortunately for both ships, they tresed into the space of the Metrons, a race of omnipotent beings with a huge distaste for violence. They had enough power to disable both ships effortlessly while locking the two captains into a one-on-one battle. Thankfully, they spared both ships when Captain Kirk showed mercy to the Gorn captain.
The Organians
It’s odd for omnipotent beings to voluntarily interfere in the affairs of mortals, considering how trifling they must seem. Of course, when mortals bring their squabbles to these beings’ doorstep, it’s easy to see why they’d want to get rid of such a nuisance.
This was the case in the original series episode, “Errand of Mercy,” when the Klingons and the Federation both attempted to establish hegemony over the planet Organia. Originally appearing as simple village people, the Organians revealed their true nature and stopped a fleet of Federation and Klingon ships from battling over their planet. Forcing the two powers into a cessation of hostilities and an eventual treaty, they were prophetic in predicting the eventual partnership of the two galactic rivals.
The Prophets
The Bajoran Prophets (or wormhole aliens as they are also known) inhabit the stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants. Non-corporeal and non-linear, the Prophets exist outside of normal time and can see the past, present, and future at once. Artifacts from their domain, called “orbs,” are known to produce prophetic hallucinations in those who encounter them.
The Prophets had a vested interest in the planet Bajor and their Emissary, who was destined to save it. Fulfilling that function was Captain Benjamin Sisko, who defeated the Pah-wraiths (Prophets who had turned to evil) in the Fire Caves on Bajor.
The Q Continuum
One of the most enigmatic and dangerous entities the Federation has ever encountered, Q is capable of literally anything. With a snap of his finger, he can transport Voyager back to Earth, transform Deep Space Nine into a boxing ring, or hurtle the Enterprise halfway across the galaxy and into the path of a Borg ship.
Belonging to a race of beings called the Q Continuum, the purpose for the Q seems to be elusive, though they have taken interest in the affairs of those who they deem “lesser beings” from time to time. The Continuum’s civil war nearly brought the universe to ruin, making them the most powerful omnipotent entities in the Star Trek universe.