The Least Disliked Introduction Of Recurring Alien Antagonists

[Sakonna]

or,
The Least Disliked Introduction Of A Recurring Alien or Not-Fully-(Prime-Universe)-Human Antagonist Race Or Group
(I know we all appreciate specific, precise titles with these )

First, a big thanks to @Farscape One for helping to put this list together!

One of the great things about the Star Trek franchise is watching the evolution of the various antagonist aliens -- Starfleet has a wonderful rogues gallery. I thought it would be fun to put the original appearances of these antagonist groups in an elimination game against each other -- it seemed an enjoyable way to both revisit how these aliens/organizations began, and survey the storytelling diversity of the franchise's history.

Anyway, THE RULES. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. Below is a list of first appearances of Star Trek antagonist groups of various stripes. Eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, please leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win.

*If anyone's interested, I can go into the parameters that were used to determine what belonged on the list and what didn't, but honestly it's a bit insane (and involved a degree of precise parsing that suggests I probably should have become a lawyer). But one key takeaway is...
If you disagree with something even being included here, feel free to use that as a reason to eliminate it!
Enjoy!

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
TRIBBLES: “The Trouble With Tribbles”, TOS Season 2
ENORMOUS SPACE DWELLING ORGANISMS: "The Immunity Syndrome", TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
FERENGI: “The Last Outpost”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
KAZON: “Caretaker”, VOY Season 1
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[BillJ]

Goodbye "Tribbles", and your overrated episode.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ENORMOUS SPACE DWELLING ORGANISMS: "The Immunity Syndrome", TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
FERENGI: “The Last Outpost”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
KAZON: “Caretaker”, VOY Season 1
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[NovaStar]

Booting out the Kazon for being unlikeable and unproductive. Glad they didn't last the entire series.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
TRIBBLES: “The Trouble With Tribbles”, TOS Season 2
ENORMOUS SPACE DWELLING ORGANISMS: "The Immunity Syndrome", TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
FERENGI: “The Last Outpost”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[MAGolding]

or,
The Least Disliked Introduction Of A Recurring Alien or Not-Fully-(Prime-Universe)-Human Antagonist Race Or Group
(I know we all appreciate specific, precise titles with these )

First, a big thanks to @Farscape One for helping to put this list together!

One of the great things about the Star Trek franchise is watching the evolution of the various antagonist aliens -- Starfleet has a wonderful rogues gallery. I thought it would be fun to put the original appearances of these antagonist groups in an elimination game against each other -- it seemed an enjoyable way to both revisit how these aliens/organizations began, and survey the storytelling diversity of the franchise's history.

Anyway, THE RULES. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. Below is a list of first appearances of Star Trek antagonist groups of various stripes. Eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, please leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win.

*If anyone's interested, I can go into the parameters that were used to determine what belonged on the list and what didn't, but honestly it's a bit insane (and involved a degree of precise parsing that suggests I probably should have become a lawyer). But one key takeaway is...
If you disagree with something even being included here, feel free to use that as a reason to eliminate it!
Enjoy!

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
TRIBBLES: “The Trouble With Tribbles”, TOS Season 2
ENORMOUS SPACE DWELLING ORGANISMS: "The Immunity Syndrome", TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
FERENGI: “The Last Outpost”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
KAZON: “Caretaker”, VOY Season 1
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

Why does your list of first appearances indicate that the Orions in "Journey to Babel" and "The Pirates of Orion" are the same as the Orions in "The Cage" but different from the leaders of the Orion Syndicate in "A Simple Investigation"? There is little evidence to connect various groups of Orions mentioned in various productions with each other.

Furthermore, "The Cage" doesn't specify whether the green Orion slave girls are members of the same species as the Orion traders.

 

[Brennyren]

Farewell, ENORMOUS SPACE DWELLING ORGANISMS. Because seriously, dude, even at 12 I knew a space-going amoeba was silly.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
TRIBBLES: “The Trouble With Tribbles”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
FERENGI: “The Last Outpost”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[Farscape One]

Why does your list of first appearances indicate that the Orions in "Journey to Babel" and "The Pirates of Orion" are the same as the Orions in "The Cage" but different from the leaders of the Orion Syndicate in "A Simple Investigation"? There is little evidence to connect various groups of Orions mentioned in various productions with each other.

Furthermore, "The Cage" doesn't specify whether the green Orion slave girls are members of the same species as the Orion traders.

Sakonna, if you don't mind, I'll take this explanation. I argued for their inclusion, so I feel responsible for justifying it.

Think of the Orion Syndicate as another Maquis, in terms of alien organizations. The Maquis were antagonists and had nonhumans like Bajorans, Klingons, Bolians, Vulcans, and more. The Orion Syndicate has shown to be made up of other races... we see this in DS9's "A SIMPLE INVESTIGATION", "HONOR AMONG THIEVES", and more.

 

[Farscape One]

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
TRIBBLES: “The Trouble With Tribbles”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
MALON: “Night”, VOY Season 5
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

I am eliminating the Ferengi from "The Last Outpost", as their subsequent appearances were FAR better. Particularly DS9.

 

[Sakonna]

I'm going to get rid of "Night" and the Malon. I don't really love either the episode or the aliens. The episode is just so downbeat, especially for a premiere, it was not a satisfactory start to the season. And the environmentalism angle on the Malon was undercooked, it felt a bit too obvious somehow.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
SULIBAN: “Broken Bow”, ENT Season 1
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

Why does your list of first appearances indicate that the Orions in "Journey to Babel" and "The Pirates of Orion" are the same as the Orions in "The Cage" but different from the leaders of the Orion Syndicate in "A Simple Investigation"? There is little evidence to connect various groups of Orions mentioned in various productions with each other.

Furthermore, "The Cage" doesn't specify whether the green Orion slave girls are members of the same species as the Orion traders.

Sakonna, if you don't mind, I'll take this explanation. I argued for their inclusion, so I feel responsible for justifying it.

Think of the Orion Syndicate as another Maquis, in terms of alien organizations. The Maquis were antagonists and had nonhumans like Bajorans, Klingons, Bolians, Vulcans, and more. The Orion Syndicate has shown to be made up of other races... we see this in DS9's "A SIMPLE INVESTIGATION", "HONOR AMONG THIEVES", and more.

I'd buy the TAS: "Pirates Of Orion" aliens could be a different species (don't they even pronounce Orion differently in that one?), but we left off aliens that only appear a single time, so that would exclude them.

I do feel the other Orions have been knit into one fairly consistent species over the years, with the DS9 Orion Syndicate being the outlier -- maybe it's connected to the other Orion's and maybe it's not, but the times it popped up on DS9 we only see other types of aliens as members, so in my mind that's the one that feels like something different, until they explicitly tell us otherwise.

But I accept other interpretations are valid.

 

[Seven of Five]

The Suliban were never very interesting, so I'll eliminate them.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[Rahul]

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
THE Q: “Encounter At Farpoint”, TNG Season 1
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3


I'm going to throw out THE PAH-WRAITHS: “The Assignment”, DS9 Season 5.

Wormhole beings existing and being worshiped as deities by aliens was a genius idea to explore religion in a high concept SF show. Then it turned all into shit, with the beings being treated as actual gods, and the writers thinking - every god also needs a devil.

Turns out - it was people trying to make commentary about religion, who really only knew ONE religion - Western evangelical Christianity (as teached in school, not even the actual text or history) - who were even strong believers of it themselves!. Making them utterly incapable of incorporating ANY ideas from non-monotheistic religions (which, just btw, billions of religious people follow) into their grander observation about "religion". The need for a clear cut "devil" being probably the most obvious example (like every movie about greek gods turning Hades [or Ares] into a version of the "devil", and portraying Zeus like "our" god). They were writing parabolas about "religion", without actually knowing the 101 of more than one religion.

Basically, the equivalent of someone talking about the influence of videogames on the youth, that doesn't know how to use a computer, or even has a child, but listens to a whole lot of FOX-news every day.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Controversial, but I have to remove the Q. In the beginning they were somewhat interesting, an omnipotent species that feels it has the right to put humanity on trial, but over time as they just grew to be tedious and their ever growing interest/love for us plucky humans was just dull and dubious.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
NAUSSICANS: “Tapestry”, TNG Season 6
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[Sakonna]

Basically, the equivalent of someone talking about the influence of videogames on the youth, that doesn't know how to use a computer, or even has a child, but listens to a whole lot of FOX-news every day.

This is a great metaphor for DS9's take on the Pah-Wraiths! Though I do like "The Assignment" as it's own piece... but man is it downhill from there...

Controversial, but I have to remove the Q. In the beginning they were somewhat interesting, an omnipotent species that feels it has the right to put humanity on trial, but over time as they just grew to be tedious and their ever growing interest/love for us plucky humans was just dull and dubious.

This might have been my next elimination if you didn't get to it first. I think many of the Q eps are not aging particularly well, either -- John De Lancie muscled the whole construct into working with a great performance, but the underlying scripts were often seriously flawed.

 

[Brennyren]

Farewell to the Naussicans. "Tapestry" was an interesting episode, but not because of these generic baddies.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
THE ORION SYNDICATE: "A Simple Investigation", DS9 Season 5
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[BlueStuff]

I perhaps would’ve included a Discovery episode for the Kelpiens?

Anyway, since I’m taking this to mean we’re deleting episodes based on critique of the episodes themselves (rather than dislike of the alien species that were introduced) I’ll remove A Simple Investigation, which wasn’t a strong episode for me.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
MURDEROUS/EVIL/JUST-MISUNDERSTOOD HOLOGRAMS THAT BECOME SELF-AWARE/REAL/HAVE THEIR SAFETIES TURNED OFF: “The Big Goodbye”, TNG Season 1
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[NovaStar]

Not sure if I did this right the first time (since I’m not a Kazon fan) but going by introductions I’ll take out the Evil Holograms in The Big Goodbye. Elementary Dear Data and Ship In a Bottle did these enemies more justice.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3
THE SPHERE BUILDERS: “Harbinger”, ENT Season 3

 

[Farscape One]

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
YRIDIANS: “Birthright, Part 1”, TNG Season 6
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3

Taking out "HARBINGER" and the Sphere Builders. Given how advanced they were, they should not have been defeated. It was great having everyone work together to bring them down, but the 22nd century tech really should not have been a match. This is why I was never quite impressed with them.

 

[Seven of Five]

I have trouble remembering the Yridians, so I'll eliminate them. I know James Cromwell played one in Birthright, and did a nice job.

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
KLINGONS: “Errand Of Mercy”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3

 

[Sakonna]

Just to clarify my intent with the elimination parameters, for anyone wondering -- I wanted to leave room for people to make eliminations based on either the episode OR the alien/group, because I feel like Trek fans have such individual ways of determining what makes something best/worst that this is effectively what would happen anyway.

So I tried to set it up that TECHNICALLY we are eliminating the episode, but ALSO "I don't like Alien X because of Characteristic Y" is a valid reason on it's own to eliminate an episode, because if you dislike these aliens, it stands to reason you have negative feelings on the episode that introduced them. (I also thought I'd learn things from how people played it that might influence/refine the rules for a future iteration of this)

So, feel free to use the episode, the aliens, how the episode introduces the aliens, or some combination of these as your criteria for "worst"... my hope was that there would be no "wrong" answer for what makes something elimination-worthy (and there hasn't been yet), and that "Introduction to Recurring Antagonists" would just be a fun way to both revisit these aliens and these episodes from a different angle.

 

[Sakonna]

And we're already at the point where I like pretty much every alien/episode remaining! Except for the Klingons in "Errand Of Mercy", which I will cut now. I try to rewatch this, to appreciate the Klingon origin, and I can almost never get through it, it just bores me.

Also, they become one of the indispensable iconic races, but eeesh, it's an inauspicious beginning, especially design-wise. The TOS Klingon look is not aging well...

ORIONS & TALOSIANS: “The Cage”, TOS Season 1
ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3

 

[Takeru]

Goodbye ORIONS & TALOSIANS, I don't care for the Orions at all, the Talosians are a bit better but they appear so little and don't seem impressive enough to get a general order forbidding contact with them. There are more powerful species in the Star Trek universe, it doesn't make a lot of sense to single the Talosians out as this huge threat.


ROMULANS: “Balance Of Terror”, TOS Season 1
GORN: “Arena”, TOS Season 1
AUGMENTS: “Space Seed”, TOS Season 1
VULCANS: "Amok Time", TOS Season 2
TERRANS: “Mirror, Mirror”, TOS Season 2
ANDORIANS & TELLARITES: “Journey To Babel”, TOS Season 2
THOLIANS: “The Tholian Web”, TOS Season 3
BORG: “Q Who”, TNG Season 2
CARDASSIANS: “The Wounded”, TNG Season 4
THE PROPHETS & THE MARKALIANS: “Emissary”, DS9 Season 1
THE MAQUIS: “The Maquis, Part 1”, DS9 Season 2
THE ALLIANCE (MIRROR UNIVERSE KLINGONS/CARDASSIANS/BAJORANS): "Crossover", DS9 Season 2
JEM’HADAR & VORTA: “The Jem’Hadar”, DS9 Season 2
THE FOUNDERS: “The Search, Part 1”, DS9 Season 3
BREEN: “Indiscretion”, DS9 Season 4
SECTION 31: "Inquisition", DS9 Season 6
VIDIIANS: “Phage”, VOY Season 1
SPECIES 8472: “Scorpion”, VOY Season 3
HIROGEN: “Message In A Bottle”, VOY Season 4
THE OVERLOOKERS: “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”, VOY Season 6
THE XINDI: “The Xindi”, ENT Season 3