Star Trekgenerally leans toward the cerebral, focusing on attributes like intelligence and wit, but the franchise has also introduced its fair share ofcharacters with incredible physical strength. Some aliens, like Klingons and Vulcans, are inherently stronger than humans, while other beings are created or genetically altered to be physically stronger. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) can both hold their own in a fight, but they sometimes find themselves physically outmatched.
Star Trek’smost powerful god-like beings, such asJohn de Lancie’s Q, rely on their magic-like abilities rather than physical strength. While Q and beings like him can theoretically be as strong as they want,they often use other tactics to intimidate and outsmart their enemies.Warrior races like the Klingons, on the other hand, rely on their brute strength and fighting skills to aid them in battle and prove themselves worthy. Many ofStar Trek’sstrongest characters have either been genetically enhanced or possess synthetic parts that make them stronger.
10Worf
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Picard
As Security Chief on the USS Enterprise-D, Worf (Michael Dorn) regularly faced off against alien threats to the ship and its crew. While he sometimes served as a punching bag to illustrate the strength of an opponent,Worf proved on numerous occasions that he was more than capable in a fight.Despite being raised by humans, Worf trained in the ways of a Klingon warrior, even programming a violent and challenging calisthenics program on the holodeck.
As an example of Worf’s strength, the Klingon defeated seven Jem’Hadar soldiers inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 5, episode 15, “By Inferno’s Light” when he was captured by the Dominion.
After Worf joined thecast ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,he may not have been in charge of security, but his Klingon strength regularly came in handy. By the time ofStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Captain Worf was working with Starfleet Intelligence andwielded a Klingon sword known as a kur’leth.This weapon was so heavy that Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) could barely lift it, while Worf swung it easily.
9Seven of Nine
Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard
Although Seven of Nine’s (Jeri Ryan) physical strength has not been clearly defined,her Borg enhancements made her significantly stronger than an average human.Since Seven had been assimilated by the Borg as a child, many of her implants could not be removed. Because of this, she retained not only enhanced strength and memory, but also much better eyesight thanks to her ocular implant.
To Me, Seven Of Nine Is Star Trek’s Most Impressive Character
Although the Star Trek franchise is full of great characters, Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine has become one of the most impressive since her introduction.
Throughout her time onStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Picard,Seven demonstrated superior strength and fighting skills, regularly taking down enemies who initially appeared to be stronger than she is. For example, when Seven’s Borg implants pushed her to respond to a homing beacon inVoyagerseason 4 episode 6, “The Raven,“she overpowered a concerned Tuvok (Tim Russ), despite his Vulcan strength.
8Number One
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
As First Officer on the USS Enterprise of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount),Number One (Rebecca Romijn)was one of the ship’s most accomplished and skilled officers. Because the United Federation of Planets banned genetic engineering after the Eugenics Wars,Una lied on her Starfleet Academy application about being a genetically enhanced Illyrian.Number One was put on trial when the truth came out, but she was thankfully allowed to return to her posting.
Una easily carried an unconscious Lt. Hemmer.
Although Una has not demonstrated many specific enhanced abilities,Illyrians are known to have enhanced strength and an extremely resistant immune system.InStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 1, episode 3, “Ghosts of Illyria,” Una easily carried an unconscious Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) and later bested Chief Of Security Lt. La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) in hand-to-hand combat.
7Khan Noonien-Singh
Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
First seen inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 24, “Space Seed,” Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) was a genetically enhanced human who became a tyrant during Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Khan and other augmented humans like himwere created to be far stronger and smarter than average humans.In “Space Seed,” Khan claimed to"have five times"Captain Kirk’s strength, although this could have been a boast on Khan’s part.
Still, Khan demonstrated his superior strength by wrenching open a locked door with his bare hands and knocking out guards with a single blow. In a one-on-one fight,Kirk could not subdue Khan without using a metal rod as a weapon.Khan returned as the primary antagonist inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,seeking vengeance after Kirk marooned him and his people on Ceti Alpha V. Khan was eventually killed when heactivated the Genesis Devicein an attempt to destroy the Enterprise.
6The Borg Queen
Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard
Introduced inStar Trek: First Contact,the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) was the only individual mind within the Borg Collective, and she provided direction for the rest of the hive mind. While theBorg Queen’s head and part of her torsowere organic,the rest of her body was synthetic.Not only did the Borg Queen have an immensely powerful mind, but she could also replicate herself and retain the memories of her previous hosts.
Every Borg Queen In Star Trek
The Borg Queen stands apart from the rest of the Collective, and there have been many incarnations since her Star Trek: First Contact introduction.
Like Borg drones, the Borg Queen’s synthetic and cybernetic parts greatly enhanced her strength, butit was her mind and control of the Collective that gave her true power.The Queen could also shield herself from phaser fire and adapt to shifting forms of attack, just like her drones. Although her synthetic body could likely overpower most humanoids, she did not need physical strength to attack and could assimilate someone with little more than a touch.
5The Gorn Captain
Star Trek: The Original Series
InStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 18, “Arena,” Captain Kirk and his Enterprise crew faced off against a Gorn shipthat had destroyed a Federation outpost on Cestus III. As the Enterprise pursued the Gorn ship, an advanced species called the Metrons disabled both ships and strandedKirk and the Gorn captainon a nearby planet.Kirk quickly learned that the Gorn captain was much strongerthan him.
The Gorn returned with an updated look inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,and appear to be every bit as strong as the Gorn Captain in “Arena.”
After Kirk threw a large rock at the Gorn,the Gorn responded by launching a much larger boulder.Even when Kirk dropped an even larger boulder on top of the Gorn, the lizard-like alien remained uninjured. Although Kirk was faster and more agile, he knew that he could not best the Gorn in hand-to-hand combat. Kirk eventually crafted a cannon and injured the Gorn captain but refrained from killing him.
4Spock
Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Despite being half-human, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was the strongest officer aboard Captain Kirk’s USS Enterprise. As a Vulcan, Spock not only possessed superior senses, buthe could also go far longer than a human without food or sleep.Vulcans had significantly faster reflexes than humans and were said to be about three times stronger than the average human.
Spock demonstrated his physical strength numerous times.
Spock could render a person unconscious with aVulcan Nerve Pinch, and he regularly used this technique to incapacitate enemies. When Kirk and Spock were forced to fight one another inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 1, “Amok Time,“Spock defeated Kirk fairly easilyand briefly believed he had killed his best friend. Although Spock demonstrated his physical strength numerous times throughout hisStar Trekjourney, his mind and diplomatic spirit became his greatest assets.
3Odo
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
As a Changeling,Constable Odo (René Auberjonois)had the ability to take on nearly any form, andhe sometimes used this to shapeshift his arm into a weapon.Although Odo’s strength was not specifically defined, he appeared significantly stronger than most humanoids. As the Chief of Security on Space Station Deep Space 9, Odo regularly arrested criminals, usually taking them into custody fairly easily.
Odo performed the Vulcan Nerve Pinch on at least two separate occasions, a move that required a certain level of strength.
Because of budget constraints, the producers ofStar Trek: Deep Space Ninecould not include as many shapeshifting scenes as they may have wanted, butOdo’s Changeling abilities clearly gave him an edge.In one of his most impressive displays of strength,DS9season 4, episode 13, “Crossfire,” Odo stops a plummetting turbolift by pushing outwards against the walls and bending the metal.
2Soji Asha
Star Trek: Picard
Although Soji (Isa Briones) and her twin sister Dahj originally believed themselves to be human, they were actually incredibly advanced androids created byDr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales)and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner). Created using a single positronic neuron from Data,Soji and Dahj had superior strength and abilities that remained dormant until they were under duress.
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When the Romulan Narek (Harry Treadaway) locked Soji in a chamber on the former Borg cube known as the Artifact, she punched through a solid metal floor to escape. Like her"father,“Data,Soji was stronger, faster, and more agile than almost all humanoids.She could also hack into computer systems with remarkable speed and accuracy, and had been programmed to collect information without being aware she was doing it.
1Data
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard
An advanced one-of-a-kind android, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) was one of the strongest beings in theStar Trekuniverse. Not only wasData’s android bodyresistant to most diseases and toxins that affect humans, buthe was far stronger than virtually every known humanoid species.Data’s positronic brain helped save the USS Enterprise-D on many occasions, but his physical strength also proved to be an invaluable asset.
As seen inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 7, episode 23, “Emergence,” for example, Data could hold back a car with one hand, even as the car pushed its engine to the limit.
ThroughoutStar Trek: The Next Generation,Data can be seen prying doors open, lifting and carrying heavy objects, and picking people completely off the ground with one hand. Dr. Noonien Soong intentionally created Data and his brothers to be superior to humans in many ways. AlthoughData longed more than anything to be human, the Enterprise-D and her crew would been lost many times over if not for the android’s enhanced abilities. Throughout its long history,Star Trekhas introduced many characters with incredible strength, but none can hold a candle to Lt. Commander Data.
