Star Trek’s very first villains established a theme that would continue in everyStar TrekTV series and moviethroughout the franchise.Star Trek’s original pilot, “The Cage,” was produced in 1964, introducing the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter). Although NBC rejected “The Cage” and ordered a second pilot that becameStar Trek: The Original Series, “The Cage’s” events canonically predate the known events of the 23rd century seen inStar Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the first sixStar Trekmovies. Hence, thedenizens of Talos IV areStar Trek’s original villains who aren’t really villains.
Star Trekisn’t defined by a simplistic ‘good vs. evil’ paradigm. While the Starfleet Officers ofStar Trekare inherently noble and open-minded, they can fall prey to all manner of weaknesses in human nature. Conversely,Star Trek’s villains are rarely mustache-twirling black hats.The antagonists ofStar Trektend to desire specific goals and their needs conflict with the needs of the many. The various alien races cast asStar Trekvillainsare also usually motivated by the preservation or manifest destiny of their species. Indeed, races like the Klingons, Romulans, and the Dominion often see themselves as the heroes and the United Federation of Planets as the ‘evil empire.’
The Talosians Were Star Trek’s Very First Villains - But Weren’t Really Villains
Talos IV’s psychic natives set the stage for Star Trek villains to come
Star Trek’s very first villains are the Talosians in “The Cage,” and the twist is they are not truly villains. Powerful psychics capable of casting immersively lifelike illusions, the Talosians lured the USS Enterprise to Talos IV to trapCaptain Christopher Pike. However, the Talosians did so to find Vina (Susan Oliver) a mate. Vina was a human who crashed on Talos IV years prior, and the Talosians took responsibility for the girl when the rest of her starship’s crew perished. The Talosians did kidnap Captain Pike, butonly to give Vina, who is gruesomely deformed, a happier life in a perfect illusion.
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Proving they were not malevolent, the Talosians released Captain Pike after they concluded from their experiments that human beings cannot be caged. Thus, Pike would not be a good mate for Vina when held against his will. InStar Trek: The Original Series'“The Menagerie,” the Talosians helped Spock (Leonard Nimoy) bring the permanently disfigured Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) to Talos IV to live out his life in a perfect illusion with Vina. InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, the Talosians also helped heal Lt. Spock’s (Ethan Peck) fractured mind -hardly the actions of villains.
Every Star Trek TV Show Since Has Featured Morally Ambiguous Antagonists
Few Star Trek villains are actually evil
The Talosians inStar Trek’s “The Cage” set the stage for themorally complexStar Trekvillainsto come.Star Trek: The Original Series' heavies included space gods like the lonely Greek deity Apollo (Michael Forest), the overpowered child Trelane (William Campbell), andCaptain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) first enemy, Lt. Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), who was corrupted by his powerful ESP abilities. Klingons were ruthless but have a complex society based on honor, while the devious Romulans have depth and layers of secrets. It takes a jump to the Mirror Universe to findStar Trekvillains who revel in being evil.
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EveryStar Trekserieshas developed villains with complex motivations.Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Cardassians were brutal imperialists who still loved and cherished their own families. The Changelings created a fascist Dominion out of a desire to control the ‘solids’ who persecuted their race. Even the Borg, who assimilate life into a hive-like collective, do so not because they are ‘evil’ but to attain ‘perfection.’ The omnipotent Q (John de Lancie) is driven by his fascination with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).InStar Trek,things are rarely black and white, and digging into the motivations of the franchise’s villains usually leads to some kind of profound understanding, even when their actions are irredeemable.
Star Trek’s Pilot Episode Was Brave To Avoid A Traditional Villain
Gene Roddenberry soldStar Trekto NBC as"Wagon Train to the stars,“promising an action-packed outer space adventure every week. While “The Cage” was deemed"too cerebral"by NBC,Roddenberry’s vision forStar Trekwas evident by creating heroes who were genuinely human while avoiding one-dimensional villains.The Talosians became the standard for howStar Trekwould depict alien antagonists, which requires the crew of the Starship Enterprise to solve their opposition with diplomacy and intelligence instead of always simply relying on fists and phasers, although that happened as well. This continued into every incarnation ofStar Trekin TV and movies.
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WhenStar Trekjumped to feature films, Gene Roddenberry’s non-traditional villains manifested inStar Trek: The Motion Picture’s V’Ger, the massive alien construct searching for its creator, andStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home’s probe looking for humpback whales on Earth. EvenKhan Noonien Singh(Ricardo Montalban), widely acknowledged asStar Trek’s greatest villain, is a superior intellect driven by loss and wounded pride to seek revenge on Admiral Kirk. InStar Trek, understanding what the villain wants or needs oftenholds up a mirror to our own shared humanity, leading the audience to want to emulate the enlightened attitudes of our heroic Starfleet Officers.
