star trek races in the federation

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United Federation of Planets

• View history
• 1.1 History
• 1.2 Politics
• 1.3.1 Groups
• 1.4 Members of the Federation
• 1.5 Presidents of the Federation
• 1.6 Federation Council
• 1.7.1 Diplomatic treaties
• 1.8 Symbols
• 1.10 Culture
• 1.11 Economy
• 1.12 Language
• 1.13.1 Planets
• 1.13.2 Stars and systems
• 1.13.3 Borders
• 1.14 Conflicts
• 1.15 Alternate timelines and realities
• 2.1 Connections
• 2.2 External links

History and specifics [ ]

History [ ].

The Signing of the Articles of the Federation on 12 August 2161.

The Federation was formed on 12 August 2161 , the successor to the Coalition of Planets . ( ENT novel : Last Full Measure , TNG episode : " The Outcast ", ENT episode : " Zero Hour ", ENT episode : " Demons ")

The founding Member States of United Earth , the Confederacy of Vulcan , the Andorian Empire , the United Planets of Tellar , and the Alpha Centauri Concordium were subsequently joined by numerous other worlds to form one of the largest states in the galaxy. ( ENT episode : " Zero Hour ", ST novel : Articles of the Federation )

By 2380 , the Federation consisted of 155 Member States. ( ST novel : Articles of the Federation )

Alongside periods of peaceful relations and expansion, the Federation was also involved with numerous conflicts, some of the largest and most prolonged being with the Klingons in the 23rd century , and the Borg and the Dominion in the 24th century .

Around 12,250 , a Galaxy wide Mega-Federation was founded, consisting of the vast majority of civilizations in the whole of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is speculated that the Federation loosely united a chunk of the universe later on. (ST Short Story: “Our One-Million Year Mission”)

Politics [ ]

See also: Federation Government

The Federation is a representative republic, with an elected president as the head of the entire interstellar state. An election is held every four years, and a president may serve for an unlimited number of terms.

Political and direct administrative power is held within the Federation Council , which is composed of one councillor from every Member World. There is no limit as to how many terms a person may serve as councillor. T'Latrek of Vulcan, for instance, served on the Federation Council for nearly a century. Each individual Member determines how its councillors will be determined; the First Minister of Bajor , for instance, nominates that world's councillor and the Chamber of Ministers ratifies him or her, while the electorates of many other Members elect their councillors directly.

The Federation government has several executive departments whose heads form the Presidential Cabinet , who advise the president on their issues of jurisdiction and run their departments on a day-to-day basis. Cabinet members can have strong influence on Federation policy based upon their work with the president and the appropriate members of the Federation Council.

By the late 23rd and 24th century , the capital city of the Federation is Paris , and the capital planet is Earth . The seat of government is the Palais de la Concorde . [ citation needed ]

Earlier in the 23rd century the Federation government was based out of Geneva , Switzerland . ( TOS novel : Crisis on Centaurus )

Still earlier, a Federation capital was Federa-Terra , Florida . ( TOS novel : The Final Reflection )

Departments [ ]

• Federation Bureau of Colonization
• Federation Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs
• Federation Council
• Federation Diplomatic Corps
• Federation Grand Jury
• Federation Medical Council
• Federation Naval Patrol
• Federation Planetary Development Council
• Federation Science Council
• Federation Security
• Federation Supreme Court
• First Contact Division ( Director of Exosocial Relations )

Members of the Federation [ ]

Presidents of the federation [ ], federation council [ ], relations with other states [ ], diplomatic treaties [ ].

• Cheron Accords
• Khitomer Accords
• Frontier Accord
• Neutral Zone Treaty
• Treaty of Algeron
• Treaty of Alliance
• Treaty of Ectair

Symbols [ ]

Symbols of Federation patriotism include the Great Seal of the United Federation of Planets , which serves as the official emblem of the UFP. The Flag of the United Federation of Planets is also a prominent Federation symbol, often displayed at government buildings, official events, and at state and Starfleet funerals. The Anthem of the United Federation of Planets is the official musical composition of the UFP.

As a government body, the Federation issues awards and medals for beneficial military , medical or exploratory service. While many of these are generally given to members of Starfleet, there are some that are for citizens in general. The constituent nation-states of the Federation also sometimes have their own similar awards. One such award that is given to members of Starfleet for victories in battle is the Andorian Battle Star which recognizes command officers who demonstrate superior tactical abilities. ( FASA RPG module : Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual )

Culture [ ]

There is no official Federation religion, although members are free to practice their own religious and philosophical beliefs, as protected by the Guarantees contained in the Articles of the United Federation of Planets .

Every August 12, Federation citizens observe Federation Day , a patriotic holiday established in remembrance of the founding of the Federation.

Economy [ ]

The credit became the Federation's standard currency unit in 2227 . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook ) Poverty was eliminated though a policy of Guaranteed personal income and public housing. ( TOS novel : Best Defense )

Language [ ]

Territory [ ], planets [ ].

• Beta Nirobi II
• Europa Nova

Stars and systems [ ]

Borders [ ].

• Romulan Neutral Zone
• Klingon Neutral Zone
• Federation-Cardassian border

Conflicts [ ]

• Earth-Romulan War
• Earth-Kzin Wars
• Tholian expansionist programs
• Four Years War
• Galen border conflicts
• Federation-Cardassian War
• Battle of the Border ( alternate timeline )
• Tzenkethi War
• Dominion War
• Federation-Klingon War of 2405-2410
• Iconian War

Alternate timelines and realities [ ]

In an alternate timeline created by the death of Gabriel Bell prior to the Bell Riots in 2024 , Earth remained a pre-warp civilization , which had never expanded beyond the Sol system by the 24th century . Consequently, neither the Federation nor Starfleet ever existed. The USS Defiant , having been protected from the changes in the timeline by a subspace bubble , detected Romulan transmissions emanating from Alpha Centauri . This would indicate that the Romulan Star Empire was able to expand considerably further in this timeline due to the lack of Federation interference. ( DS9 episode : " Past Tense, Part I ")

In 2269 , the Romulans implemented their Second History project, briefly creating a timeline in which the Federation never existed. ( TOS novel : Killing Time )

In another alternate timeline, Captain James T. Kirk was unable to prevent the assassination of Federation President Ra-ghoratreii at the Khitomer Conference in 2293 , leading to war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Klingons eventually emerged victorious and controlled most of the Federation's former territory by the 2360s . ( TNG - Myriad Universes comic : " Do Not Close Your Eyes ")

In another alternate timeline created when the USS Enterprise -C was accidentally sent through a temporal rift from 2344 to 2366 , the Federation had been at war with the Klingon Empire for almost 20 years as the Enterprise -C's disappearance resulted in the destruction of the Klingon colony Narendra III . By 2366, 40 billion people had died in the war and, although it was not generally known, Starfleet believed that surrender would be inevitable within six months. ( TNG episode : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

In an alternate reality , the Borg Collective had succeeded in conquering the Federation and much of the Alpha Quadrant by 2370 . The USS Enterprise -D was one of the last surviving Federation starships by this time. ( TNG episode : " Parallels ")

In another alternate reality, the Federation had absorbed many of its former enemies including the Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians , the Tzenkethi and the Breen by 2377 . ( DS9 novel : Fearful Symmetry )

In another alternate reality, the Federation had fallen to the Borg by 2377. ( DS9 novel : Fearful Symmetry )

In another alternate reality, the Klingon Empire had conquered the Federation and most of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants by 2380 . ( TNG novel : Q & A )

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], external links [ ].

• United Federation of Planets article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• United Federation of Planets article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• Federation article at Star Fleet Universe wiki , the wiki for Star Fleet Universe / Star Fleet Battles .
• 1 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
• 3 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

Star Trek: Examining The Founding Members Of The Federation

The United Federation of Planets is a pillar of the Star Trek universe. Who were the founding fathers of science fiction democracy?

The United Federation of Planets is at the center of the Star Trek universe, and has gone through many iterations since its first introduction during Star Trek: The Original Series . Whether it's the shining beacon of hope and aspiration for the future of humanity during the early series, or a sometimes shady political and occasionally corrupt all-encompassing corporation where questionable ethics and tentative morality come into play constantly — it's a constant in the world of Star Trek.

The Federation, changing in size as it expands and diminishes over the franchise, spreads over eight thousand light-years at the time of Star Trek: First Contact (the year 2373), and is made up of at least 150 planets. During its peak, this grew to just over 350 planets. While growing in size and adding previous enemies such as the Klingons into the flock, there were only four key founding members in 2161 when the Federation of Planets formed, but who were they?

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What is there to say about Earth? Things changed when the Vulcans introduced themselves in First Contact after warp drive was discovered. Earth, also known as Sol III or Terra, was inhabited by humans (as well as the Voth, but that’s something for another article). In 2150, they all came together and unified as the United Earth Government, after realizing country segregation was far less of a dividing factor than planetary division, and that humans should band together as one government. Earth is also the capital planet of the United Federation of Planets. It is also the home of Starfleet, the Federation's military, exploratory, and science service.

While this new united Earth was the dream of the show's creator Gene Roddenberry, a culture of united humans looking past prejudice and discrimination , it made the planet far less interesting. This is inevitable when presenting a utopia, while still rearing its ugly underbelly from time to time. The problems normally found on earth were simply projected into space. Q, the ever omniciant, ever annoying being , said it best:

“A thousand years ago it had character. Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Watergate. But now it’s mind-numbingly dull.” (from the DS9 Episode “Q-Less”)

The stories so inherently human are now set in space, with crusades on space districts, and alien Inquisitions (there is most certainly a space Nixon parallel too ). Regardless of Q’s reservations on Earth and humans, though, they remain a fundamental player in the maintaining of the Federation, and were a key pillar in its founding.

The Vulcans are potentially the next most well-known species and an equally important founding member of the Federation. Originating for the creatively named planet Vulcan, the Vulcans are governed by the Vulcan high command. Their characteristic bold brows and pointy ears are almost as character-defining as their deep philosophical devotion to a path of logic, uninterrupted by emotion. They were not always so reasonable, however.

Once, the Vulcans were a violent and emotional species who were engaged in near-constant warfare, engulfing civilizations with a Borg-like efficiency . As they developed as a culture, their warmongering desires grew too, to the point where they almost wiped themselves out. To avoid this, they devised a new philosophy led by a Vulcan named Surak, which stated that the cause of all suffering stemmed from uncontrolled emotion. He proposed a new way of life-based purely on logic, where emotion was to be repressed. He thus became the founding father of the Vulcans shown within the majority of the franchise.

The Vulcans were the first species to make contact with humans, after their discovery of warp capability. With the knowledge they would eventually deliver them anyway, the Vulcans set about making first contact with any race able to make an interstellar flight. Their introduction to humans took place in 2063, when they detected a warp signature from Earth, created by Zefram Cochrane and his experimental ship the Phoenix. It was a pivotal moment in human history. The two species creating a powerful bond, and led to the founding of a united government and the Federation.

Now for the two lesser-known founding members of the Federation. The Tellarites, from the planet Tellar Prime are a pig-like humanoid race, sporting tusks and often beards. Despite their appearance, they are fantastic politicians, as they possess an uncanny ability to argue. Throughout the galaxy they are known to be impatient, stubborn people, and, in direct conflict to the Vulcans, were deeply emotional. Much like the banterous poetics of Viking humans , the Tellarites considered an argument a form of sport, spouting insults at one another as more of a conversation opener than a sign of aggression or annoyance.

They first appear in the episode “Journey to Babel” from the Original Series, introduced alongside the Andorians, as diplomats being escorted by Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise. Interestingly, these two species were once at war, but nothing more is said other than that the Tellarites “drove those blue demons back into their territory,” still using the contentious terminology towards their now allies . Both the Tellarites and the Andorians appear less often than one would expect for the founding figures of the federation, but this was in part due to Roddenberry's desire to move away from the creations of the Original Series, and instead focus on introducing new and exciting aliens and cultures.

Hailing from the moon Andoria, the Andorians had blue skin and white hair, with two antennae protruding from their head. Their culture is much like the Klingons, highly centered on honor and being a military-focused race. One large part of their tradition is a ritual called the Ushaan, where two combatants fight to the death using an ice miner tool called an Ushaan-tor. Their home world is as hard as they were, an ice world that, in the northern wastes, only reaches temperatures of -28 at the warmest. Due to the below-freezing climate, the Andorians live mostly underground, their vast cities connected by miles and miles of tunnels.

While these inhabitants of Andoria are most known to the federation, they are not the only ones that share the icy moon. Thousands of years ago, the Andorians and their sister species the Aenar coexisted, but after losing contact with one another, the existence of the Aenar descended into mere myth. They were much like the Andoria, but with no hair or skin pigmentation, resulting in a ghostly white appearance. They were also completely blind, but rather than this being a result of a genetic deformation or defect, it was a result of years and years of evolution that had given them incredibly powerful telepathic abilities. They were able to read mind and communicate with one another with ease, even perfecting their image straight into the minds of other races. They no longer needed to see in the traditional fashion, rendering their eyes useless because they were able to “see” using their mind. The two species were reunited in the year 2104, but the Aenar remained secretive and reclusive.

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The History Of The Romulans, And Their Place In The Star Trek Universe

"Star Trek" is home to countless alien races, but few have as enduring a presence in the franchise as the Romulans. They're the most persistent adversaries of the Federation, so much so that blue-tinted Romulan Ale remains under trade embargo. This hostility makes it all the more ironic that they resemble humanity's first alien allies, the Vulcans , sharing their pointed ears and arched eyebrows.

The in-universe origin of the Romulans is that they were Vulcans, millennia ago. In that distant past, the Vulcans were a warlike people, far from the cold logicians that fans know. That changed when (in Earth's 4th century), the philosopher Surak taught his people to embrace logic and master their emotions. Not all Vulcans accepted Surak's teachings; "Those Who March Beneath The Raptor's Wings" were eventually exiled from Vulcan. These dissident Vulcans settled on the twin planets Romulus and Remus, evolving into the Romulans and personifying a violent path not taken by their Vulcan cousins.

"Star Trek" is big on allegory — the interstellar powers represent the geopolitics of the 20th century. The Federation is the United States of America, a democracy of many member states. As the Federation's most pressing rival, the Klingon Empire is the Soviet Union. The Romulan Star Empire is China, a "sleeping dragon" superpower.

So, why have the Romulans endured as a crucial part of "Star Trek" history — and what does their role in that history look like?

Romulans in the Original Series

The Romulans were created by writer Paul Schneider, debuting in the season 1 episode "Balance of Terror." The episode features the Enterprise reacting to the destruction of outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone; the culprit is a Romulan ship armed with a cloaking device. The Romulans flee back home while the Enterprise pursues its invisible quarry in a cat-and-mouse game.

This episode established the Romulan Star Empire had fought humanity in a devastating war a century ago. The war ended with a Neutral Zone established between the two parties' territories. Notably, no human had ever seen a Romulan in this time (or at least, no human who survived to tell about it). That means the Enterprise crew is stunned when they discover their adversaries are identical to Vulcans. The Romulans' exact backstory isn't spelled out, but Spock (Leonard Nimoy) speculates they are a Vulcan offshoot who retained his ancestors' warlike ways.

Schneider modeled the Romulans on the Romans; their twin homeworlds are named for the mythical founders of Rome and they employ ranks like "Centurion." Interviewed for "The Captains' Logs" by authors Edward Gross and Mark Altman , Schneider explained: "I came up with the concept of the Romulans which was an extension of the Roman civilization to the point of space travel, and it turned out quite well."

The Romulans' ship, dubbed a "Bird of Prey" due to the hawk painted on its underbelly, also created an association between the Romulans and birds. By "Star Trek: The Next Generation," their imperial insignia had evolved into a stylized raptor. Their ancestors' moniker, "Those Who March Beneath The Raptor's Wings," was probably extrapolated from this connection too by writer André Bormanis (the name first appears in "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode, "Awakening," written by Bormanis).

Further appearances

"Balance of Terror" is one of the most acclaimed episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series." It was even semi-remade for the season 1 finale of "Strange New Worlds," titled "A Quality of Mercy." The unnamed Romulan Commander (played by Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Spock's father, Sarek) is an especially well-remembered villain, predating Khan Noonien Singh as the first worthy adversary of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Enterprise. Even with his last words, he retains dignity and honor: "I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

Despite this dynamite debut, the Romulans made only two more appearances in "The Original Series." They are the antagonists of the season 2 episode "The Deadly Years," about the Enterprise crew succumbing to premature aging. However, only their ships are seen, not the Romulans themselves. They make a second and final onscreen appearance in season 3's "The Enterprise Incident" ( written by the legendary D.C. Fontana ). In this episode, Spock seduces a Romulan commander (Joanne Linville) while Kirk poses as a Romulan officer to steal her ship's cloaking device.

According to "The Art of Star Trek" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, "Romulans were originally intended to be more of an ongoing threat to the crew of the Enterprise, but the make-up requirements proved too expensive. Klingons were cheaper." Note how, in "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident," Romulan extras often wear ear-concealing helmets — an easy way to bypass make-up expenses.

The Romulans had only minor roles in the six theatrical "Star Trek" films featuring the original cast. They were rejected as villains of the third film, "The Search for Spock," again in favor of the Klingons (this is why the Klingons in that film have a cloaked ship called a Bird of Prey).

The Rihannsu

During the 1980s, the Romulans took center-stage in "Rihannsu," a five-novel series written primarily by Diane Duane (Peter Morwood co-authored the second, "The Romulan Way.") Published from 1984 to 2006, the novels invented a culture and language for the Romulans wholesale; they are technically not "Trek" canon but remain acclaimed for their world-building.

"Rihannsu" ("The Declared") is the Romulans' native name for themselves, akin to how German people call their nation "Deutschland," the Japanese call theirs "Nippon," etc. They are driven by "D'era," an expansionist impulse akin to Manifest Destiny, and "Mnhei'sahe" (ruling passion), a complex code of conduct that is foremost a rejection of the Vulcan system of logic.

"Mnhei'sahe" is weighed by one's personal strength and devotion to the Empire. Romulans seek power not for personal benefit per se, but because greater power serves the Empire. Selflessness is an alien concept to the Romulans; do things for the sake of your own Mnhei'sahe and others will benefit in the process. "Mnhei'sahe" spreads its claws even into simple Romulan social interactions, where the ideal outcome is for both parties to depart with their honor intact.

Much of Duane's other additions are inferences based on "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident." Akin to Rome, the Romulans are an Oligarchic Republic; a Praetor is elected by the Senate itself, not the people at large. "The Enterprise Incident" showed a Romulan woman with a high military rank. So, "Rihannsu" gave the Romulan society a matriarchial tilt; a Romulan's family lineage is derived from their mother, not their father.

Much of "Rihannsu" is a holdover from the suggestion in "Star Trek: The Original Series" that Romulans were a warrior culture. For instance, their society has a semi-feudal system with a strong emphasis on family affiliation. Canon material would take a different path, showing Romulans as militant but not exactly honorable.

The Next Generation

In "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the Klingons were now good guys (mostly). They also became the go-to warrior race of "Star Trek"; Klingon society took on Viking and Samurai characteristics, where war, personal honor, and feudal affiliation were everything.

The Romulans became less and less the noble Roman-esque adversaries that Schneider had conceived of, with "TNG" instead highlighting their duplicity (with the cloaking devices) and isolationism. Thus, the stereotypical traits of Romulans became paranoia, deception, and xenophobia.

The Romulans were reintroduced in "TNG" season 1 finale, "The Neutral Zone," where it's said they had stayed out of galactic affairs for much of the 24th century. The episode (where several of their colonies are destroyed by the to-be-revealed Borg) awakens them. Creator Gene Roddenberry had initially not wanted to use the Romulans, but poor reception to the Ferengi meant the Federation needed a new adversary. Thus, the Romulans became the most frequent alien antagonist in the series; the Federation and Klingons were united as their enemies. Recurring Romulan villains included Tomalak (Andreas Katsulas) and Sela (Denise Crosby).

The most notable additions to the Romulans in "TNG" included V-shaped forehead ridges (dimorphic evolution from their Vulcan cousins), the D'deridex Class (enormous green warships descended from the Birds-of-Prey from "The Original Series"), and the Tal Shiar, Romulus' secret police.

Romulan highlights in "TNG" include "The Defector" (a Romulan military officer defects to the Federation) and "Reunification" (where Ambassador Spock has begun a push on Romulus for the two peoples to be one again).

The Next Generation (cont'd)

The Romulans weren't as prominent in "Deep Space Nine" as in "The Next Generation," but that series featured them finally uniting with the Federation. While the Federation and Klingons fight a losing war with the expansionist Dominion, the Romulans initially stay on the sidelines.

In the season 6 episode, "In The Pale Moonlight," Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Garak (Andrew Robinson) falsify evidence of the Dominion's plans to invade Romulus and try to sway Senator Vreenak (Stephen McHattie). When their deception is revealed, Garak (with Sisko none the wiser until it's done) pulls a move the Romulans would be proud of: he assassinates Vreenak and frames the Dominion. Thus, the Romulans join the war as allies, and remain so until the series' end.

The Romulans finally got a silver screen spotlight in "Star Trek: Nemesis," the final "TNG" theatrical film. The Romulan Senate is assassinated by a bio-weapon and a new Praetor, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), seizes power. It turns out Shinzon is a failed clone of Picard, the product of an aborted spying operation. The biggest wrinkle "Nemesis" introduces to the Romulans is the Remans. Playing on the pre-established twin planets Romulus and Remus, the grey-skinned Remans are a slave race, toiling as forced laborers and shock troops.

The film skimps on the details of Reman history, so viewers can surmise they evolved on Remus and were subjugated by the Romulans. However, the novel trilogy "Vulcan's Soul" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz builds on the Remans displaying telepathy like the Vulcans (which the Romulans have always lacked). In this telling, the Remans were Vulcan exiles who refused to give up their telepathy and so were oppressed by the future Romulans; their appearance stems from the poor living conditions on Remus.

Looking to the past

"Star Trek: Enterprise" was a prequel set in the 22nd century, beginning before first contact between humans and Romulans. That event was depicted in the season 2 episode "Minefield," when the Enterprise stumbles into Romulan territory and is disabled by a cloaked minefield. True to canon, only the Romulans' ships are seen in the episode.

The Romulans finally took a larger role in season 4. The three-parter, "The Forge/Awakening/Kir'Shara" was about a Vulcan conspiracy to invade the Andorians. The ending revealed that Vulcan Administrator V'Las (Robert Foxworth) was in league with the Romulans and secretly working towards reunification. A subsequent three-parter, "Babel One/United/The Aenar," featured the Romulans as the explicit villains. A Romulan drone-ship, equipped with a holographic projector and controlled by Admiral Valore (Brian Thompson), attacked ships throughout the Alpha Quadrant to ferment dissent (the story begins with it destroying an Andorian ship while disguised as a Tellarite one, it later destroys a Rigellian freighter while disguised as Enterprise, etc.). However, the attacks only wind up bringing the targeted races together.

"Enterprise" established a firm timeframe for the Earth-Romulan War: 2156 to 2160. Moreover, the war was revealed as the event that brought the Federation together; Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites united in a military alliance against Romulan expansionism and never broke apart. The Romulans' increased presence in season 4 was building up to the war, but unfortunately, "Enterprise" was canceled before subsequent seasons could depict it. Thus, the Earth-Romulan War remains undepicted onscreen, confined to novels "Beneath The Raptor's Wings" and "To Brave The Storm" (both by Michael A. Martin).

The home world destroyed

Romulans were again the villains of a "Star Trek" film in director JJ Abrams' eponymous reboot. In the year 2387, Romulus and Remus are destroyed when their star goes supernova, shattering the Empire. Spock manages to contain the explosion with the substance Red Matter, opening a wormhole that sends him back in time to the 23rd century. Following him is the Romulan mining vessel the Narada, captained by vengeful Captain Nero (Eric Bana) — his name is another allusion to ancient Rome . 

The Narada's presence creates an alternate timeline; Nero and his men destroy Vulcan with Red Matter before being defeated themselves. Nero and the Narada's crew stand out from other Romulans thanks to their shaved heads and tattoos; the admittedly non-canon comic "Star Trek: Countdown" suggests this is part of a mourning ritual. Normally the tattoos would fade, but Nero and his crew burnt them into their skin to ensure they'd never forget the loss of their home.

"Star Trek" returned to the "TNG" era with "Picard" and followed on from this point. It turns out that Starfleet offered to help evacuate Romulus, but after an attack on Mars, reneged on the plan; Picard himself resigned in disgust. The Romulans are far from extinct though. The Empire has collapsed into warring factions, one of which is the Romulan Free State. According to "Star Trek: Discovery," Vulcan/Romulan reunification will have become a reality by the 31st century. The groups remain culturally divided, but they again exist on the same planet, renamed from Vulcan to "Ni'var" (meaning two combined into one).

Romulan worldbuilding

Michael Chabon, showrunner of "Picard" season 1, also shared (via Medium) worldbuilding notes on the Romulans . These presumably influenced his onscreen depiction of them. Chabon writes that the Romulans are such secretive people that there is nothing more intimate to them than the truth; marriages have three participants because there must be third-party verification in everything.

The Romulan government is organized like an espionage network, with multiple competing cells, while Romulans all have four names: the common name (used for familiarity), imperial name (the state-recognized name), open name (for outsiders), and their true name (used only for close intimacy). Chabon suggests that a rumored reason for the Romulans' secrecy is the abundance of camouflaged predators on their adopted homeworld; their cloaked warbirds are modeled on a raptor whose plumage blends into the horizon.

Not all depictions of the Romulans totally align — compare Duane's Rihannsu to Chabon's Romulans. However, they all draw upon "The Original Series" and make inferences from there. "Star Trek" writers and fans aren't much different; they both take canon material and expand on it with some imagination.

"Star Trek" and its spin-offs are streaming on Paramount+.

The Charter of the United Federation of Planets

Adapted by Franz Joseph (Published in the Star Fleet Technical Manual )

We, the intelligent lifeforms of the United Federation of Planets, determined

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of intergalactic war which has brought untold horror and suffering to our planetary social systems, and

to reaffirm faith in the fundamental intelligent lifeform rights, in the dignity and worth of the intelligent lifeform person, to the equal rights of male and female and of planetary social systems large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and mutual respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of interplanetary law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

And to these ends

to practice benevolent tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and

to unite our strength to maintain intergalactic peace and security, and

to ensure by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods that armed force shall not be used except in the common defense, and

to employ intergalactic machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all intelligent lifeforms,

Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.

Accordingly, the respective social systems, through representatives assembled on the planet Babel, who have exhibited their full powers to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter, and do hereby establish an interplanetary organization to be known as the United Federation of Planets.

Index of Contents

Chapter i: purposes and principles, chapter ii: membership, chapter iii: agencies, chapter iv: the supreme assembly, chapter v: the federation council, chapter vi: pacific settlement of disputes, chapter vii: action with respect to threats of the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression, chapter viii: starfleet, chapter ix: interplanetary economic and social cooperation, chapter x: the economic and social council, chapter xi: declaration regarding non-self-governing regions, chapter xii: interplanetary trusteeship system, chapter xiii: the trusteeship council, chapter xiv: the interplanetary supreme court of justice, chapter xv: the president, chapter xvi: miscellaneous provisions, chapter xvii: transitory security arrangements, chapter xviii: amendments, chapter xix: ratification and signature.

The purposes of the United Federation of Planets are:

• To maintain interplanetary peace and security within its acknowledged and accepted borders, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention of threats to the peace, the suppression of acts of aggression, and to bring about by peaceful means, and employing the principles of justice and intergalactic law, adjustment or settlement of interplanetary disputes which might lead to a breach of the peace;
• To develop friendly relations among planets based on respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of intelligent lifeforms, and to other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
• To achieve interplanetary cooperation in solving intergalactic problems of economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character; in promoting and encouraging respect for intelligent lifeform rights; and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to culture, sex, lifeform, or religious belief; and
• To be a center for concilience of the actions of all social systems in the attainment of these common ends.

The Federation and its members, in pursuit of the purposes stated, shall act in accordance with the following principles:

• The Federation is based on the sovereign equality of all its members;
• In order to ensure to all of them equal rights and benefits resulting from membership, all members shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter;
• All members shall settle their interplanetary disputes by peaceful means in such manner that intergalactic peace, security, and justice, are not endangered;
• In all interplanetary relations, all members shall refrain from the threat, or use, of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any planetary social system, or in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Federation;
• All members shall give the United Federation every assistance in any action taken in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from assisting any planetary social system against which the Federation is taking preventive or enforcement action;
• The United Federation shall ensure that planetary social systems which are not members of the Federation act in accordance with these principles as necessary for the maintenance of intergalactic peace and security;
• Nothing within the present Charter shall authorize the Federation to intervene in matters which are essentially the domestic jurisdiction of any planetary social system, or shall require the members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter VII .

The original members of the United Federation of Planets shall be those planetary social systems which, having participated in the interplanetary conference on interplanetary Federation at Babel, or having previously signed the declaration of the United Federation of Planets of 11 October 2161, sign the present Charter and ratify them in accordance with Article 110 .

Membership in the United Federation is open to any other peaceful planetary social systems which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Federation, are capable and willing to carry out these obligations;

The admission of any such planetary social system to membership in the United Federation of Planets is contingent upon the decision of the supreme assembly upon recommendation of the Federation Council.

The Supreme Assembly may suspend the rights and privileges of membership of any member of the United Federation against which the Federation Council has taken preventive or enforcement action. The Federation Council may restore these rights and privileges of membership at its discretion.

Any member of the United Federation which has persistently violated the purposes contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Federation by the Supreme Assembly upon the recommendation of the Federation Council.

There are established as the principle agencies of the United Federation of Planets: a Supreme Assembly, a Federation Council, an economic and social council, a trusteeship council, an interplanetary supreme court of justice, a Starfleet combined peacekeeping force, and an Executive;

Such subsidiary agencies as may be deemed necessary from time to time may be established in accordance with the present Charter.

The United Federation shall place no restriction on the eligibility of male and female lifeforms or any member planetary social system to participate in any capacity under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary agencies.

Composition

The Supreme Assembly shall consist of all the members of the United Federation of Planets. Each member shall be entitled to have not more than five (5) representatives in this body;

Functions and Powers

The Supreme Assembly may discuss any questions on any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any agencies provided for in the present Charter and, except as provided in Article 12 , may make recommendations to the members and the Federation Council or both on any such questions or matters;

The Supreme Assembly may consider the general principles of cooperation in maintaining interplanetary peace and security, including disarmament and the regulation of armaments, and may make recommendations with regard to such principles to the members or the Federation Council or to both;

The Supreme Assembly may discuss any questions relative to the maintenance of intergalactic peace and security put to it by any member or the Federation Council, or a nonmember planetary social system in accordance with Article 25 Paragraph 2 and, except as provided in Article 12 , may make recommendations with regard to any such questions to the members, the Federation Council, or the pleading planetary social system, or to all of them. Any such question on which action is necessary shall be referred to the Federation Council by the supreme assembly either before or after discussion;

The Supreme Assembly may call situations which are likely to endanger the interplanetary and intergalactic peace and security to the attention of the Federation Council;

The powers of the Supreme Assembly as set forth in this Article shall not limit the scope of Article 10 ;

Where the Federation Council is executing the functions assigned to it under the present Charter with respect to any dispute or situation, the Supreme Assembly shall make no recommendation with regard to that dispute or situation unless so requested by the Federation Council;

The President, with the consent of the Federation Council, shall notify the Supreme Assembly at each session of any matters relating to the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security which are under discussion in the Federation Council, and shall notify the Supreme Assembly, or the members if the Supreme Assembly is not in session, immediately when the Federation Council completes its deliberations on any such matters;

The Supreme Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of:

• Promoting interplanetary cooperation in political fields and encouraging the progressive development of interplanetary law and its codification;
• Promoting interplanetary cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of intelligent lifeform rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to culture, sex, language, or religion;

The further responsibilities, functions, and powers of the supreme assembly with respect to matters mentioned in Paragraph 1(b) above are set forth in Chapters IX and X ;

Subject to the provisions of Article 12 , the Supreme Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among the planets, including situations resulting from violations of the provisions of the present Charter setting forth the purposes and principles of the United Federation of Planets;

The Supreme Assembly shall receive and consider regular and special reports from the Federation Council; which reports shall include an account of the measures that the Federation Council has decided upon or taken to maintain interplanetary peace and security;

The Supreme Assembly shall receive and consider reports from the other agencies of the united Federation on agreed upon regular periods or reporting;

The Supreme Assembly shall perform such functions of intergalactic trusteeship as are assigned to it under Chapters XII and XIII , including the approval of the trusteeship agreements for areas which are not designated as strategic;

The Supreme Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of the United Federation of Planets;

The expenses of the United Federation of Planets shall be borne by the members as apportioned by the Supreme Assembly;

The Supreme Assembly shall consider and approve any financial and budgetary agreements with specialized agencies referred to in Article 57 and shall examine the administrative budgets of such specialized agencies with a view to making recommendations to the agencies concerned;

All budgets of, and expenses of the United Federation shall be made and paid in the common interplanetary credit. The common interplanetary credit shall be the official medium of exchange within the United Federation treaty exploration territory;

Each member of the Supreme Assembly shall have one (1) vote;

Decisions of the Supreme Assembly on important decisions shall be made on a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members present and voting. These questions shall include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security; the election of non-permanent members to the Federation Council; the election of members of the trusteeship council in accordance with Paragraph 1(c) of Article 86 ; the admission of new members to the Federation; the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership; the expulsion of members; questions relating to the operation of the trusteeship system; and budgetary questions;

Decisions on other questions, including the determination of additional categories of questions to be decided by a two-thirds (2/3) majority, shall be made by a majority vote of the members present and voting;

A member of the United Federation which is in arrears in the payment of its financial obligations to the Federation shall have no vote in the Supreme Assembly if the amount it is in arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two accounting periods. The Supreme Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such a member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the member.

The Supreme Assembly shall meet in regular periodic sessions and in such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be convoked by the President at the request of the Federation Council or of a majority of the members of the United Federation.

The Supreme Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure. It shall elect its president for each session.

The Supreme Assembly may establish such subsidiary agencies as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.

The Federation Council shall consist of eleven (11) members of the United Federation. The United Nations of Earth, the Planetary Union of Vulcan, the Andorian Sovereignty, the United Alliance of Tellar, and the Confederation of Altair shall be permanent members of the Federation Council. The Supreme Assembly shall elect six (6) other members of the United Federation to be non-permanent members of the Federation Council, due regard being especially paid, in the first instance, to the contribution of the members to the United Federation to the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security and to the other purposes of the Federation, and also to equitable geogalactic distribution;

The non-permanent members of the Federation Council shall be elected for a term of two (2) session periods. In the first election of non-permanent members, however, three (3) shall be elected for a term of one (1) session period. A retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate reelection.

In order to assure prompt and effective action by the United Federation of Planets, its members confer on the Federation Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Federation Council acts on their behalf;

In discharging these duties the Federation Council shall act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Federation. The specific powers granted to the Federation Council for the discharge of these duties are laid down in Chapters VI , VII , VIII , and XII ;

The Federation Council shall submit regular and, when necessary, special reports to the Supreme Assembly for its consideration;

The members of the United Federation agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Federation Council in accordance with the present Charter.

In order to promote the establishment and maintenance of interplanetary peace and security with the least diversion of the Federation’s lifeforms, and economic resources for armaments, the Federation Council shall be responsible for formulating, with the assistance of Starfleet Headquarters staff referred to in Article 47 , plans to be submitted to the members of the United Federation for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments;

Each member of the Federation Council shall have one (1) vote;

Decisions of the Federation Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of seven (7) members;

Decisions of the Federation Council on all other matters shall be made on an affirmative vote of seven (7) members including the concurring votes of the permanent members, provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI , and under Paragraph 3 of Article 52 , a party to the dispute shall refrain from voting.

The Federation Council shall be so organized as to be able to function continuously. Each member of the Federation Council shall, for this purpose, be represented at all times at the seat of the Federation;

The Federation Council shall hold periodic meetings at which each of its members may, if it so desires, be represented by a member of its government or by some other specially designated representative;

The Federation Council may hold meetings at such places other than the seat of the Federation as in its judgment will facilitate its work.

The Federation Council may establish such subsidiary agencies as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.

The Federation Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its governor.

Any member of the United Federation which is not a member of the Federation Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Federation Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of the member are specifically affected.

Any member of the United Federation which is not a member of the Federation Council or any planetary social system which is not a member of the United Federation of Planets, if it is a party to a dispute under consideration by the Federation Council, shall be invited to participate, without vote, in the discussion relating to the dispute. The Federation Council shall lay down the conditions as it deems just for the participation of a planetary social system which is not a member of the United Federation of Planets.

The parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice;

The Federation Council shall, when it deems necessary, call upon the parties to settle their disputes by such means.

The Federation Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation that might lead to interplanetary friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security.

Any member of the United Federation may bring any dispute, or any situation of the nature referred to in Article 34 , to the attention of the Federation Council or the Supreme Assembly;

A planetary social system which is not a member of the United Federation of Planets may bring to the attention of the Federation Council or the Supreme Assembly any dispute to which it is a party if it accepts in advance, for the purposes of disputes, the obligation of pacific settlement provided in the present Charter;

The proceedings of the Supreme Assembly in respect to matters brought to its attention under this Article will be subject to the provisions of Articles 11 and 12 .

The Federation Council may, at any stage of a dispute of the nature referred to in Article 33 or of a situation of like nature, recommend procedures or appropriate methods of adjustment;

The Federation Council shall take into consideration any procedures for the settlement of the dispute which have already been adopted by the parties;

In making recommendations under the Article the Federation Council should also take into consideration that legal disputes should as a general rule be referred to the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice in accordance with the provisions of the statute of the court;

Should the parties to a dispute as referred to in Article 33 fail to settle it by means indicated in that Article, they shall refer it to the Federation Council;

If the Federation Council deems that the continuance of the dispute is in fact likely to endanger the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security, it shall decide whether to take action under Article 36 or to recommend such terms as it may consider appropriate.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 33 to 37 , the Federation Council may, if all the parties to any dispute so request, make recommendations to the parties with a view to a pacific settlement of the dispute.

The Federation Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations to maintain or restore interplanetary peace and security.

In order to prevent aggravation of the situation, the Federation Council may call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Federation Council shall take into account any failure to comply with such provisional measures.

The Federation Council may decide what measures short of the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and may call upon the members of the United Federation to apply such measures. These may include partial or complete interruption of economic relations, interplanetary communications and space travel, and severance of diplomatic relations.

Should the Federation Council consider that measures under Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by armed force as necessary to maintain or restore interplanetary peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockades, and other operations by Starfleet combined peacekeeping forces.

All members of the United Federation in obligation to the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security, agree to make available to Starfleet, on call of the Federation Council, armed forces, assistance and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security.

When the Federation Council has decided to use force it shall, before calling upon a member not represented on it to provide armed forces in fulfillment of obligations assumed under Article 43 , invite that member to participate in the decision of the Federation Council relating to the employment of contingents of the member’s armed forces.

In order to enable the United Federation to take urgent military measures, all members so capable, shall assign contingents of their armed forces to Starfleet to be employed as a single peacekeeping force of the United Federation of Planets. All contingents so assigned, and for the duration of their assignment, shall hold full faith and loyalty to the United Federation of Planets and the protection of the purposes and principles of the present Charter.

Plans for the application of Starfleet armed forces shall be made by the Federation Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee of Starfleet Headquarters.

There shall be established within Starfleet a Military Staff Committee to advise, and assist the Federation Council on all matters relating to the United Federation’s military requirements for maintaining interplanetary peace and security;

The Military Staff Committee shall consist of the chiefs of staff of the permanent members of the Federation Council, or their representatives. Any member of the United Federation may be invited to provide representation on the Military Staff Committee where its responsibilities requires the participation of that member in its work;

The Military Staff Committee, with the authorization of the Federation Council, shall establish a Starfleet as the armed, peacekeeping, forces of the United Federation of Planets. It shall be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of all facilities of Starfleet, including armed ships, starbases, and training facilities;

The Military Staff Committee shall be responsible under the Federation Council for the strategic direction of Starfleet armed forces, and the other armed forces of the members when required for the maintenance on interplanetary peace and security.

The action required to carry out decisions of the Federation Council for the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security shall be taken by Starfleet, using such contingents as appropriate to the specific action.

The members of the United Federation shall join in affording mutual assistance in carrying out the measures decided upon by the Federation Council and in assisting Starfleet in the performance of its duties and obligations.

If preventive or enforcement measures against any planet are taken by the Federation Council, any other planet, whether a member of the United Federation or not, which finds itself confronted with special economic problems arising from the carrying out of these measures shall have the right to consult with the Federation Council with regard to the solution of its problems.

Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense against armed attacks occurring to members of the United Federation, until the Federation Council has taken measures necessary to maintain interplanetary peace and security, and Starfleet forces can be brought into action. Such actions taken by members of the United Federation in their self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Federation Council.

There is established a Starfleet as the armed peacekeeping forces of the United Federation of Planets. It shall initially be comprised of contingents assigned to it by members of the United Federation under Article 43 until such time as facilities, recruitment, and training obviates the necessity of drawing upon the armament of any member, except as provided in Article 49 ;

The operations and actions of Starfleet shall at all times be under the direct cognizance of the Federation Council and the Military Staff Committee which shall also prepare and approve the budget for Star Fleet operations;

Initial expenditure is authorized under the present Charter for the establishment of a Starfleet Headquarters and twenty (20) starbases to be equitably located within the boundary of the United Federation of Planets and outside of any possible conflict with the territorial boundaries of any member of the United Federation. The Federation Council shall review and approve such other expansions of starbases and other facilities as shall seem appropriate from time to time in the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security;

Initial expenditure is also granted under the present Charter for the establishment of a Starfleet Academy for the purpose of training officers and personnel for Starfleet duty. The standards for training such officers and personnel shall be determined by the Military Staff Committee and approved by the Federation Council.

Initial expenditure is granted under the present Charter for the design, procurement, and operation of one hundred fifty (150) cruiser-class starships to provide the nucleus of Starfleet’s peacekeeping armed forces. These cruisers shall be capable of extended duration patrol of intergalactic range, with weaponry appropriate to such class of starships. They shall be provided with firepower superior to that now employed by any member of the United Federation, and appropriate to the tasks expected of them;

Expenditure is also granted under the present Charter for the procurement and construction of such lesser classes of starships as shall be required to support Starfleet operations and the cruiser class of starships. These may be, but not necessarily limited to, types such as scouts, destroyers, transports, resupply, shuttlecraft, and survey ships.

The training of base personnel and ship complements shall include all fields of science and technology as well as the military arts in Starfleet. It is the intent of the present Charter that Starfleet shall be used to conduct missions of scientific exploration and investigation whenever its services are not required in the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security;

Starfleet Headquarters and the Federation Council shall be at all times kept informed of the activities undertaken, or contemplated, for scientific exploration and investigation. Any ship so employed shall be detached from military fleet duty and reassigned as a nonmilitary scientific unit of the United Federation.

With a view to creating conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful relations among planetary social systems based on respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of all intelligent lifeforms, the United Federation of Planets shall promote:

• Higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development;
• Solution of interplanetary economic, social, health, and related problems; and interplanetary cultural and educational cooperation; and
• Universal respect for, and observance of, intelligent lifeform rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to culture, sex, language, or religion.

All members pledge themselves to take joint and separate action in cooperation with the United Federation for the achievement of the purposes and goals set forth in Article 55 .

The various specialized agencies, established by interplanetary agreement and having wide interplanetary responsibilities as defined in their basic instruments in economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related fields, shall be brought into relationship with the United Federation in accordance with Article 63 ;

Such agencies thus brought into relationship with the United Federation are hereafter referred to as specialized agencies.

The United Federation shall make recommendations for the coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies.

The United Federation shall, where appropriate, initiate negotiations among its members concerned for the creation of any new specialized agencies required for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth in Article 55 .

Responsibility for the discharge of the functions of the United Federation as set forth in this Chapter shall be vested in the Supreme Assembly and, under the authority of the Supreme Assembly, in the economic and social council which shall have for this purpose the powers set forth in Chapter X .

The Economic and Social Council shall consist of eighteen (18) members of the United Federation as elected by the Supreme Assembly;

Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, six (6) members of the Economic and Social Council shall be elected each session for a term of three (3) session periods. A retiring member shall be eligible for immediate reelection;

At the first election, eighteen (18) members of the Economic and Social Council shall be chosen, the term of office of six (6) members so chosen will expire at the end of one (1) session period, and the terms of six (6) other members at the end of two (2) session periods in accordance with arrangements made by the Supreme Assembly;

Each member of the Economic and Social Council shall have one (1) representative.

The Economic and Social Council may make or initiate studies and reports with respect to interplanetary economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related matters and may make recommendations with respect to any such matters to the Supreme Assembly, to the members of the United Federation, and to specialized agencies concerned;

It may make recommendations for the purpose of promoting respect for, and observance of, intelligent lifeform rights and fundamental freedoms for all;

It may prepare draft instruments with the rules prescribed by the United Federation;

It may prepare draft instruments for admission to the Supreme Assembly, with respect to matters falling within its competence;

It may call, in accordance with the rules prescribed by the United Federation, interplanetary conferences on matters falling within its competence.

The Economic and Social Council may enter into agreements with any of its agencies referred to in Article 57 , defining the terms on which the agency concerned shall be brought into relationship with the United Federation. Such agreements shall be subject to approval by the Supreme Assembly;

It may coordinate the activities of the specialized agencies through consultation with and recommendations to such agencies and through recommendations to the Supreme Assembly and to the members of the United Federation.

The Economic and Social Council may take appropriate steps to obtain reports from the specialized agencies. It may make arrangements with the members of the United Federation and with the specialized agencies to obtain reports on the steps taken to give effect to its own recommendations and to recommendations on matters falling within its competence by the Supreme Assembly.

The Economic and Social Council may furnish information to the Federation Council and shall assist the Federation Council upon its request.

The Economic and Social Council shall perform such functions as fall within its competence in connection with the carrying out of the recommendations of the Supreme Assembly;

It may, with the approval of the Supreme Assembly, perform services at the request of members of the United Federation or as may be assigned to it by the Supreme Assembly.

Each member of the Economic and Social Council shall have one (1) vote;

Decisions of the Economic and Social Council shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting.

The Economic and Social Council shall set up commissions in economic and social fields and for the promotion of intelligent lifeform rights, and such other commissions as may be required for the performance of its functions.

The Economic and Social Council shall invite any member of the United Federation to participate, without vote, in its deliberations on any matter of particular concern to that member.

The Economic and Social Council may make arrangements for representatives of the specialized agencies to participate, without vote, in its deliberations and in those commissions established by it, and for its representatives to participate in the deliberations of the specialized agencies.

The Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for consultation with nongovernmental and interplanetary organizations which are concerned with matters within its competence. Such arrangements may be made with planetary organizations after consultation with members of the United Federation concerned.

The Economic and Social Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its director;

The Economic and Social Council shall meet as required in accordance with its rules, which shall include provision for the convening of meetings on the request of a majority of its members.

Members of the United Federation which have assumed responsibilities for the administration of regions whose intelligent lifeforms have not yet attained a full measure of self-government recognize the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of these regions are paramount, and accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost, within the system of interplanetary peace and security established by the present Charter, the well-being of the inhabitants of these regions, and, to this end:

• To ensure, with due respect for the cultures of the intelligent lifeforms concerned, their political, economic, social, and educational advancement, their just treatment, and their protection against abuses;
• To develop self-government, to take due account of the political aspirations of the intelligent lifeforms, and to assist them in the progressive development of their free political institutions, according to the particular circumstances of each region and its intelligent lifeforms and their varying stages of advancement;
• To further interplanetary peace and security;
• To promote constructive measures of development, to encourage research, and to cooperate with one-another and, when and where appropriate, with specialized interplanetary bodies with a view to the practical achievement of the social, economic, and scientific purposes set forth in this Article; and
• To transmit regularly to the President for information purposes, subject to such limitations as security and statutory considerations may require, statistical and other information of a technical nature relating to economic, social, and educational conditions in the regions for which they are respectively responsible other than those regions to which Chapters XII and XIII apply.

Members of the United Federation also agree that their policy in respect of the regions to which this Chapter applies, no less than in respect of their metropolitan areas, must be based on the general principle of good-neighborliness, due account being taken of the interests and well-being of the rest of the Federation territory in social, economic, and commercial matters.

The United Federation shall establish under its authority an interplanetary trusteeship system for the administration and supervision of such regions as may be placed thereunder by subsequent individual agreements. These regions are hereinafter referred to as trust regions.

The basic objectives of the trusteeship system, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Federation as laid down in the present Charter, shall be:

• To promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancements of the inhabitants of the trust regions, and their progressive development towards self-government or independence as may be appropriate to the particular circumstances of each region and its intelligent lifeforms concerned, and as may be provided by the terms of the trusteeship agreement;
• To encourage respect for intelligent lifeform rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to culture, sex, language, or religion, and to encourage recognition of the interdependence of the intelligent lifeforms of the galaxy; and
• To ensure equal treatment in social, economic, and commercial matters for all members of the United Federation and their nationals, and also equal treatment for the latter in the administration of justice, without prejudice to the adjustment of foregoing objectives and subject to the provisions or Article 80 .

The trusteeship system shall apply to such regions in the following categories as may be placed thereunder by means of trusteeship agreements:

• Regions now held under mandate;
• Regions which may be detached from alien social systems as a result of interplanetary war; and
• Regions voluntarily placed under the trusteeship system by social systems responsible for their administration.

It will be a matter for subsequent agreement as to which regions in the foregoing categories will be brought under the trusteeship system and under what terms.

The trusteeship system shall not apply to regions which have become members of the United Federation of Planets, relationship among which shall be based on the respect for the principle of sovereign equality.

The terms of trusteeship for each region to be placed under the trusteeship system, including any alteration or amendment, shall be agreed upon by the social systems directly concerned, including the mandatory power in the case of regions held under mandate by a member of the United Federation, and shall be approved as provided for in Articles 83 and 85 .

Except as may be agreed upon in individual trusteeship agreements, made under Articles 77 , 79 , and 81 , placing each region under the trusteeship system, and until such agreements have been concluded, noting in this Chapter shall be construed in or of itself to alter in any manner the rights whatsoever of any social systems or any intelligent lifeforms or the terms of existing agreements to which members of the United Federation may respectively be parties;

Paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be interpreted as giving grounds for delay or postponement of the negotiation and conclusion of agreements for placing mandated and other regions under the trusteeship system as provided for in Article 77 .

The trusteeship agreement shall in each case include the terms under which the trust region will be administered and designate the authority which will be exercising the administration of the trust region. Such authority, hereinafter called the administering authority, may be one or more social systems of the United Federation itself.

There may be designated, in the trusteeship agreement, a strategic area or areas which may include part or all of the trust region to which the agreement applies, without prejudice to any special agreement or agreements made under Article 43 .

All functions of the United Federation relating to strategic areas, including the approval of the terms of the trusteeship agreements and of their subsequent alteration or amendment, shall be exercised by the Federation Council;

The basic principles set forth in Article 76 shall apply to the intelligent lifeforms of each strategic area;

The Federation Council shall, subject to the provisions of the trusteeship agreements and without prejudice to security considerations, avail itself of the assistance of the trusteeship council to perform those functions of the United Federation under the trusteeship system relating to political, economic, social, and educational matters in the strategic areas.

It shall be the duty of the administering authority to ensure that the trust region shall play its part in the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security. To this end the administering authority may make use of volunteer forces, facilities, and assistance from the trust region in carrying out the obligations towards the Federation Council undertaken in this regard by the administering authority, as well as for the local defense and the maintenance of law and order within the trust region.

The functions of the United Federation with regard to trusteeship agreements for all regions not designated as strategic, including the approval of the terms of the trusteeship agreements and their alteration or amendment, shall be exercised by the Supreme Assembly.

The trusteeship council shall consist of the following members of the United Federation:

• Those members administering trust regions;
• Such of those members mentioned by name in Article 23 as are not administering trust regions; and
• As many other members elected for three (3) session periods by the Supreme Assembly as may be necessary to ensure that the total number of members of the trusteeship council is equally divided between those members of the United Federation which administer trust regions and those which do not.

Each member of the trusteeship council shall designate one (1) specially qualified intelligent lifeform to represent it therein.

The Supreme Assembly and, under its authority, the trusteeship council, in carrying out their functions, may:

• Consider reports submitted by the administering authority;
• Accept petitions and examine them in consultation with the administering authority;
• Provide for periodic visits to the respective trust regions at times agreed upon with the administering authority; and
• Take these and other actions in conformity with the terms of the trusteeship agreements.

The Trusteeship Council shall formulate a questionnaire on the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of each trust region, and the administering authority for each trust region within the competence of the Supreme Assembly shall make a periodic report to the Supreme Assembly upon the basis of such questionnaire.

Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall have one (1) vote;

Decisions of the Trusteeship Council shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting.

The Trusteeship Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its director;

The Trusteeship Council shall meet as required in accordance with its rules which shall include a provision for the convening of meetings on the request of a majority or its members.

The Trusteeship Council shall, when appropriate, avail itself of the assistance of the Economic and Social Council and of the specialized agencies in regard to matters with which they are respectively concerned.

The Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice shall be the principle judicial instrument of the United Federation of Planets. It shall function in accordance with the appended statute, which is based upon the statute of the Tribunals of Alpha III, and forms an integral part of the present Charter.

All members of the United Federation are ’ ipso facto ’ parties to the statute of the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice;

A social system which is not a member of the United Federation may become a party to the statute of the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice on conditions to be determined in each case by the Supreme Assembly upon the recommendation of the Federation Council.

Each member of the United Federation undertakes to comply with the decisions of the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice in any case to which it is a party;

If any party in a case fails to perform the obligations incumbent upon it under a judgment rendered by the Court, the other party may have recourse to the Federation Council, which may, if it deems necessary, make recommendations or decide upon measures to be taken to give effect to the judgment.

Nothing in the present Charter shall prevent members of the United Federation of Planets from entrusting the solution of their differences to other tribunals by virtue of agreements already in existence or which may be concluded in the future.

The Supreme Assembly or the Federation Council may request the Interplanetary Supreme Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on any legal question;

Other bodies of the United Federation and the specialized agencies, which may at any time be so authorized by the Supreme Assembly, may also request advisory opinions of the Court on legal questions arising within the scope of their activities.

The Executive shall be comprised of a President and such staff as the United Federation may require. The President shall be appointed by the Supreme Assembly upon the recommendation of the Federation Council, and shall be the chief executive and administrative officer of the United Federation.

The President shall act in that capacity in all meetings of the Supreme Assembly, of the Federation Council, of the Economic and Social Council, and of the Trusteeship Council, and shall perform such other functions as are entrusted to the Executive by these bodies. The President shall make a periodic report to the Supreme Assembly on the work of the United Federation of Planets.

The President may bring to the attention of the Federation Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of interplanetary peace and security.

Article 100

In the performance of their duties the President and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the United Federation of Planets. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their positions as interplanetary officials responsible only to the United Federation;

Each member of the United Federation undertakes to respect the exclusively interplanetary character of the responsibilities of the President and the staff and shall not seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Article 101

The staffs shall be appointed by the President under regulations established by the Supreme Assembly;

Appropriate staffs shall be permanently assigned to the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, and, as required, to other bodies of the United Federation. These staffs shall form a part of the Executive;

The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geogalactic basis as possible.

Article 102

Every treaty and every interplanetary agreement entered into by any member of the United Federation after the present Charter comes into force shall as soon as possible be registered with the President and published by him;

No party to any such treaty or interplanetary agreement which has not been registered in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 1 of this article may invoke that treaty or agreement before any body of the United Federation.

Article 103

In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the United Federation under the present Charter and their obligations under any other interplanetary agreement, their obligations under the present Charter shall prevail.

Article 104

The United Federation shall enjoy in the territory of each of its members such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfillment of its purposes.

Article 105

The United Federation shall enjoy in the territory of each of its members such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the fulfillment of its purposes;

Representatives of the members of the United Federation and officials of the organization shall similarly enjoy such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions in connection with the organization;

The Supreme Assembly may make recommendations with a view to determining the details of the application of Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article or may propose conventions to the members of the United Federation for this purpose.

Article 106

Pending the coming into full force of such special agreements referred to in Article 43 as in the opinion of the Federation Council enable it to begin the exercise of its responsibilities under Article 42 , the parties to the Declaration of the Federation shall consult with one another and the other members of the United Federation with a view to such joint action on behalf of the organization as may be necessary for the purpose of maintaining interplanetary peace and security;

Nothing in the present Charter shall invalidate or preclude action in relation to any social system which has been an adversary of any signatory to the present Charter, taken or authorized as a result of that war by the governments having responsibility for such action.

Article 107

Amendments to the present Charter shall come into force for all members of the United Federation when they have been adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Supreme Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective statutory processes by two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the United Federation, including all the permanent members of the Federation Council.

Article 108

A general conference of the members of the United Federation for the purpose of reviewing the present Charter may be held at a date and place to be fixed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Supreme Assembly and by a vote of any seven (7) members of the Federation Council. Each member of the United Federation shall have one (1) vote in the conference;

Any alterations of the present Charter recommended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the conference shall take effect when ratified in accordance with their respective statutory processes by two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the United Federation including all the permanent members of the Federation Council;

If such conference has not been held before the tenth regular session of the Supreme Assembly following the coming into force of the present Charter, the proposal to call such a conference shall be placed on the agenda of that session of the Supreme Assembly, and the conference shall be held if so decided by a majority vote of the members of the Supreme Assembly and by a vote of any seven (7) members of the Federation Council.

Article 109

The present Charter shall be ratified by the signatory governments in accordance with their respective statutory processes;

The ratifications shall be deposited with the government of the United Nations of Earth, which shall notify all of the signatory governments of each deposit as well as the President of the organization when he has been appointed;

The present Charter shall come into full force upon the deposit of the ratifications by the United Nations of Earth, the Planetary Union of Vulcan, the Andorian Sovereignty, the United Alliance of Tellar, the Confederation of Altair, and by a majority of the other signatory social systems. A protocol of the ratifications deposited shall thereupon be drawn up by the government of the United Nations which shall communicate copies thereof to all the signatory governments;

The governments signatory to the present Charter which ratify it after it has come into force will become original members of the United Federation on the date of the deposit of their respective ratifications.

Article 110

The present Charter, of which the various language texts are equally authentic, upon the coming into full force of the United Federation of Planets, shall be transferred by the United Nations to the organization for permanent deposit in its archives. Duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by the President to the governments of all the signatory social systems.

In faith whereof the representatives of the governments of the United Federation of Planets have signed the present Charter.

Done at the planet Babel, 11 October 2161.

Followed by the signature sheets of the original signatory governments.

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Published Oct 23, 2020

How the United Nations Helped Shape the Federation

On UN Day we’re looking at how the United Nations influenced Star Trek and how Trek fans can return the favor

StarTrek.com

Today (October 24) is UN Day, an annual celebration of the aims and achievements of the United Nations. It’s a date that many Trek fans likely overlook. Coming as close as it does to Halloween, we’re often too busy perfecting our Khan Noonien Singh and Borg Queen costumes.

But it’s a date that’s important for all of us to observe. Particularly this year, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UN.

Over these last 75 years, the UN has been the world’s leading organization for the promotion of peace, security, and human rights on Earth. It has helped to fight disease and famine, and has brought peacekeeping missions to areas of conflict around the world.

But the UN has also had an intergalactic influence, inspiring the fictional history and ethos of the United Federation of Planets in the Star Trek universe.

Although the UN officially came into being 75 years ago, it had a long history before that. It was preceded by the League of Nations – the first worldwide intergovernmental organization – which was founded in the aftermath of the First World War.

Two decades later, at the height of the Second World War, the allied forces saw the need for a new coalition of nations. The name “United Nations” was coined by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was formalized by 26 nations in the Declaration By United Nations in 1942. From there it would take three more years before the organization would officially come into existence, with the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco by 50 nations, followed by the official birth of the organization on October 24, 1945.

United Nations

For fans of Star Trek: Enterprise , this brief overview may sound somewhat familiar, mirroring similar events in the show’s fourth season arc, which sees Captain Archer and his crew play an instrumental role in the foundation of the United Federation of Planets.

For instance, just as the UN had a precursor in the League of Nations, the Federation is preceded by the Coalition of Planets. And, just as the League Nations was formed in the aftermath of World War I, the Coalition of Planets is born out of the Babel Crisis – a conflict with the Romulan Star Empire, which draws together several planetary forces as allies for the first time.

The final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise jumps forward six years from this point, when the Coalition of Planets has evolved into the United Federation of Planets, following another conflict with the Romulans. The episode memorably concludes with Captain Archer signing the Federation Charter in San Francisco in 2161, just as the UN Charter was signed in the same city 216 years earlier.

But the influence of the UN on Star Trek extends far beyond this Enterprise season four storyline. For example, the Federation emblem – one of the most recognizable designs in the Star Trek universe – looks very inspired by the UN emblem. Both feature the olive branch of peace, but the Federation design expands on the globe of the UN with a cluster of planets.

For those with a quick finger over the pause button, an even more subtle sign of UN influence can be seen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Void." In this episode, Captain Janeway consults the Federation Charter and a glimpse of the text can briefly be seen onscreen. The words are taken directly from the UN Charter, with only small changes made to expand it from a human-centered viewpoint to an interplanetary one. Comparing these two passages gives an idea of the similarities between the charters, which aim to:

“reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small” (Charter of the United Nations) “reaffirm faith in the fundamental rights of sentient beings, in the dignity and worth of all lifeforms, in the equal rights of members of planetary systems large and small” (Charter of the United Federation of Planets)

With its origins in unification during times of crisis, alongside the olive branch of peace of its emblem, and the rights-based approach of its founding charter, it is clear that the UN has offered significant inspiration to Star Trek ’s Federation and its vision of a more peaceful and equal future.

But now, on this 75th anniversary, perhaps Star Trek fans can return the favor.

This year’s UN Day is themed around ‘Shaping Our Future Together’ and hopes to inspire “a large and inclusive global conversation on the role of global cooperation in building the future we want.” So far this year, the UN has consulted over one million people on their hopes for the future. Some of the main hopes that have been highlighted are for greater international solidarity and an end to poverty and inequality.

But there is still time to have your views heard if you want to take part. By visiting the official UN75 website, you can take part in a one-minute survey to help shape the future priorities of the UN and its member states.

Star Trek fans have always had a particularly optimistic vision of the future. This UN Day we have a chance to help shape that vision into a reality. Just as the United Nations has inspired Star Trek , Star Trek can in turn inspire the United Nations – by helping to direct our global priorities towards creating a more unified, peaceful, and equal world.

A Timeline Through the Star Trek Universe

Christian Kriticos is a freelance writer with degrees in English from Durham University (UK) and Northwestern University. He is currently based in London, England and has previously lived in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Scotland.

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Star Trek: The 50 Best Alien Races

From Tribble to Andorians, we're ranking the 50 best alien life forms explored in the Star Trek universe...

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The crews of the various iterations of Star Trek boldly went where no one has gone before — and then boldly met a crap ton of alien species.

Star Trek may be the human adventure, but there have been countless non-human beings, critters, menaces, gods, and blobs that have been introduced in the Star Trek  universe. From The Original Series to The Animated Series , to The Next Generation , to Deep Space Nine , the Delta Quadrant and Voyager , to the early adventures of Enterprise , to the modern day films, Star Trek has gifted fans with unforgettable species after species as the five-year mission has turned into five decades of first contact.

There have been vile races bred for combat, omnipotent races that use humankind as puppets, and even a bunch of cute little furry things.  Star Trek just keeps on delivering the cool aliens show after show, film after film. Just imagine the species that will soon be coming to Star Trek: Discovery ! But now is the time to celebrate the past as we present the fifty coolest Star Trek aliens ever to appear in films or TV.

50. Arcturian

First appearance: star trek: the motion picture (1979).

The Arcturian didn’t have a great deal of Star Trek screen time, but this alien race that resembled melted wax (eww) makes our list because it stands as a prime example of the story richness of the Star Trek  galaxy. An Arcturian can briefly be seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Mego toy company even made two versions of this blink and you’ll miss him creature (one 3 ¾ inch one 12 inch). But what intrigues us the most is this melty guy’s backstory…

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Star Trek costume crafters extraordinaire Fred Phillips and Robert Fletcher came up with a rich history for the Arcturian. According to Philips and Fletcher, the Arcturians were actually a race of clones that made up the bulk of the Federation’s infantry. While never seen on screen, there are legions of these guys running around, just waiting to be sent to some hostile planet to go to war. The Federation has always been portrayed as peaceful and benevolent, but it has the potential to unleash billions of melty looking monsters at a moment’s notice. Yikes.

Arcturians also appeared in the Star Trek daily comic strip and their back story continues to stand as a great example of the vast richness of the Star Trek galaxy, a place where billions of stories exist at all times. Including one about a race of wax soldiers that can be replicated and sent to do the Federation’s will. Eeep.

49. Edosian

First appearance: star trek: the animated series “beyond the farthest star” (1973).

Edosians are a tripedal species and are skilled at using their three arms and three legs in navigation and piloting. Lieutenant Arex, the loyal Enterprise navigator that first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series , is a proud member of the Edosian species and was a recurring character during this era of animated Trek. Arex was voiced by Scotty himself James Doohan and was a standout character in the era between The Original Series and The Next Generation .

Arex popped up in comics and novels and took his place of honor among the original crew. Arex also was a character that fully utilized animation as the six limbs and distinct alien features of this character would have been impossible to pull off in live-action back in the day. But thanks to The Animated Series , the distinctive Edosians live on and prosper in Trek lore.

48. Excalbians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the savage curtain” (1969).

Listen, any species responsible for bringing Abraham Lincoln into the Star Trek  universe has to make this list. The Excalbians are a silicon based life form that possessed the ability to shape shift. These rock beings, who honestly looked like something Steve Ditko would have designed for Doctor Strange, were fascinated by the human notion of good and evil.

So they did what anyone would do in the same situation: they made a recreation of Abraham Lincoln and teamed it with Kirk, Spock, and famous Vulcan goodie-good Surak and sent them up against four representatives of evil — Kahless the Unforgettable of Qo’noS, Genghis Khan, Colonel Green of Earth and Dr. Zora of Tiburon. How’s that for a traditional Survivor Series match?

For this wonderful bit of schlock and for making us believe that Ben Grimm could work in live action in 1969, we salute the ever curious Excalbians.

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47. Caitian

First appearance: star trek: the animated series “the survivor” (1973).

The cat-like Caitians were represented in Enterprise history by M’Ress, a feline female that served both as engineer and a communications officer during The Animated Series . M’Ress spoke in a purring voice and was a skilled operative that stood side by side with the more iconic members of the Enterprise.

Now, I would like to talk about how cool the Caitians were. I would like to talk about how M’Ress was the main character in the Power Records’ Star Trek book and record set Star Trek: Passage to Moauv (1975). I would also like to talk about how a Caitian also appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home …

But I just can’t help but wonder if Captain Kirk did what he does and somehow at some point bed down with this cat woman. This would make Kirk’s TV sci-fi’s first furry and I’m sort of fascinated by this idea. I don’t want to focus on this idea because it kind of reduces M’ress as a character and the Caitian as a race… But then I read that the alien twins that Kirk hooked up with in the first Abramsverse film were confirmed to be Caitian and everything just stirs up again and I fell absolved of all responsibility.

Anyway, M‘Ress and the Caitians might be considered obscure now, but she was a pretty big deal to Trek lore during The Animated Series era. So this race is a purr-fect addition to our list. Did the Enterprise come equipped with a giant litter box? Okay, I need to stop now; this is going to some bad places.

46. Bolians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation (1988).

The Bolians have been a perennial background species since their first Trek appearance in 1988. The first Bolian fans witnesses aboard the Enterprise was an ambassador, but many other Bolians have appeared around the Trek verse since. They have been seen as barbers, manicurists, Federation troops, and high ranking officials.

Bolians are distinctive due to their blue skin and their ridge that bisects their anatomy. They are highly friendly individuals and compassionate. In fact, an episode of Voyager puts forth that Bolians were  supportive of assisted suicide. These deep seated beliefs make the Bolians an intriguing species ripe for future Trek exploration.

45. Lurian

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the emissary” (1993).

Lurians were a very rarely encountered species that possessed multiple hearts, lungs, and stomachs. Fans got to know this ellusive species through DS9 regular/bar fly Morn. Yes, Morn is an anagram for Norm, because, like the famed Cheers fat man, in Quark’s Bar, everyone knew Morn’s name.

Morn was a bombastic and talkative fellow who fans never got to actually hear speak. He was a former thief that barely moved away from his bar stool. Morn was also fiercely loyal to Quark and got his little Ferengi pal out of many a jam. But mostly, Morn just sat there and drank stoically.

Although we only ever met one Lurian, we will always remember his name because Morn was such a constant (and inebriated) presence on Deep Space Nine . He also once had a torrid love affair with Jadzia Dax but that is a tale for another time. Raise a glass to the Lurians!

First appearance: Star Trek (2009)

So far, the rebooted Trek films have not really given funs much by way of alien species. The only classic races to get good screen time in the reboots have been Romulans and Vulcans. But the films did give us Keenser the Roylan, Scotty’s diminutive engineering pal.

Keenser first appeared in the first Trek reboot film as Scotty’s ever present companion when Scotty was exiled on the Federation outpost on Delta Vega. When Scotty beamed to the Enterprise, he left Keenser behind which was kinda sad. JJ Abrams and company must have thought so too as Keenser was all of a sudden part of the Enterprise’s crew in Star Trek: Into Darkness .

Keensar is ever loyal to his pal Scotty as the two share one of the best bromances in the galaxy. The fourteenth issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek comic gifted fans with Keensar’s origin. It also revealed the name of his species — Roylan — for the first time.

In this issue, fans learned that Keensar was constantly mocked by his peers because he was so tall (heh). It also revealed that Keensar served with distinction aboard the USS Kelvin and was shipmates with none other than George Kirk.

Keensar the Roylan is a constant presence in the new Trek Universe and I’m sure this member of the Roylan species will have many adventures to come.

43. Mugato

First appearance: star trek: the original series “a private little war” (1968).

Because sometimes in space, there are giant, poisonous horned gorillas. What’s not to love about Mugato? He’s kind of cute, very fuzzy, and is as poisonous as the nastiest snake. Poisonous gorillas in space, this is why we love Trek. Sadly, Mugato only appeared briefly, attacking and poisoning Kirk before being disintegrated by Doctor McCoy.

But, remember: as you watch the hard sci-fi and techno jargon of Trek, as you witness the human adventure of Roddenberry’s galaxy, as you watch carbon-based life forms achieve full potential and enlightenment, remember , in this same world there are fuzzy, horned, albino gorillas that will poison the crap out of you.

42. Acamarians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the vengeance factor” (1989).

The Acamarians are an advanced race of humanoids that have found a peaceful existence very late in its history. For centuries, the tattooed Acamarians lived in rival clans and their planet was split apart by warfare. One of the clan wars lasted three centuries and wiped one of the combating sides out of existence. When Picard’s Enterprise encountered the Acamarians, the people finally almost found peace.

However, a splinter group known as the Gatherers could not overcome centuries of clan warfare and refused to negotiate, so Picard had to navigate the complex web of Acamarians politics and bitterness as well as the assassination of the Gatherer ambassador to finally forge a peace with the Acamarians.

Despite all these issues, the Acamarians have a rich culture and mirror many contemporary Earth societies that have been splintered by war. Sci-fi works best when it reflects reality, and through the Acamarians, Trek fans got to see some really effective social commentary about tribalism and societal bitterness.

41. Denobulans

First appearance: enterprise “broken bow” (2001).

A Denobulan served aboard the very first Enterprise as the ship’s doctor, thus making the species vital to the origins of the Federation. Our medic in question, Phlox by name, was one of the main protagonists in Enterprise and was a staunch example of the exemplary qualities of the Denobulan race.

Denobulans are loyal but quite hedonistic by human standards. Denobulan males can take up to three wives while the entire race embraces polyamory. As humanity headed off into space aboard the first Enterprise, Phlox served as a constant reminder of the varied belief systems and practices the people of Earth would encounter as space exploration began.

Phlox and the Denobulan held ethics in high regard as Phlox would never allow a sentient being to suffer. Even though the ridge faced Denobulans had fierce tempers, they also were gentle and kind, and valued knowledge and pleasure over confrontation and violence.

Denobulans also have the propensity to puff out their faces when they were threatened — so, yeah, there’s that. Plus, Denobulans have really long tongues. What was it that I said about hedonism and Denobulans? Anyway, these cunning linguists were great doctors as seen through Enterprise ’s first mayor of the sickbay: Doctor Phlox.

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40. Orions

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the cage” (1966).

The green Orion slave dancer that shimmied into the dreams of Trek fans has been an iconic bit of Star Trek lore since her Shakiraesque debut, but the history of the Orions did not stop there…

Although a cosplay staple, the slave girl was just one Orion. Others have appeared in The Animated Series , Enterprise , novels, comics, toys, and one even prominently appeared in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek timeline as Uhura’s roommate and an early romantic partner of one James T. Kirk.

Orions are a species with close ties to the Federation — ties that are explored in some of the better episodes of Enterprise . Although the Orions will long be remembered because of the grinding of the hips of a slave dancer, there is so much more to this green-skinned humanoid species that has been part of Star Trek lore since almost day one.

39. Ocampans

First appearance star trek: voyager “caretaker part ii” (1995).

The Ocampans carry an importance to the Star Trek  universe because Kes, a noted member of the Ocampan species, was a member of the lost Voyager crew for three years. Ocampans are a race with powerful telekinetic powers but, sadly, this race of elf-like humanoids only have a life span of nine years. (So… combine Jean Grey with a mayfly and you get the idea.) 

Ocampans are very accepting of their short life span and a rather enlightened species. Through Kes, the crew of Voyager learned a lust for life as the wide eyed Ocampan enjoyed every minute of her existance even though she was trapped with the Voyager crew. When Kes’ power grew out of control, she left Voyager and her friends, including her constant companion Neelix, and used her abilities to push the lost Voyager out of Borg space and a year closer to home. This sacrifice taught the crew of the Voyager and fans of the show the innate nobility of the Ocampan race.

38. Vidiians

First appearance star trek voyager “the phage” (1995).

While the Ocampans were a nice, little, Tinkerbell-like species that fluttered about Voyager , there were also these Wes Craven nightmares… The Vidiians suffered a disease known as the Phage. The Phage is kind of like a hardcore space Ebola that utterly destroys the infected’s body and organs. So, yeah, Bones McCoy was sort of right about space being a petri dish of death and pain.

The ravaged Phage would wander the galaxy and rob sentients of their organs and body parts. So there you are, doing warp three with caution around the Delta Quadrant, and, all of a sudden, a few Vidiians beam unto your ship and rip out your liver and intestines. Then, they use said liver and intestines to replace their own — whether you filled out your Federation organ donor cards or not.

The Vidiians were eventually cured by the crew of the Voyager, but you have to assume that in a galaxy so big there are still some Vidiians cruising around out there taking hearts and lungs from innocent travelers. Yeesh.

37. Breen

First appearance: star trek deep space nine “indiscretion” (1995).

First off, cool points for the Breen because the helmet that this species wears looks kind of like the helmet Princess Leia used to disguise herself as a bounty hunter in Return of the Jedi . But the space awesomeness of the Breen doesn’t end there…

The Breen’s fighting prowess and technology are so advanced that even the Romulons and Klingon talk about this mysterious species in hushed whispers. And, indeed, when the Breen made themselves known to the Federation during the Dominion War, things got intense. These mighty warriors allied themselves with the Cardassians and the Dominion to take on the combined might of the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulons.

During this conflict, the Breen destroyed the USS Defiant, the flagship of the Deep Space Nine space station, and managed to attack the Earth city of San Francisco. The Federation managed to develop counter weaponry to defeat the Breen, but many will remember these armored badassess as race of military specialists to be reckoned with.

The alliance with the Dominion cost the Breen, though, and — after the War — it wasn’t easy being Breen.

36. Hunters

First appearance star trek deep space nine : “captive pursuit” (1993).

Imagine a Trek alien that is pretty much Boba Fett mixed with Kraven the Hunter and you have these big game-tracking motherfuckers. The Hunters popped out of the Bajoran Wormhole and had their first contact with the Federation in the DS9 episode “Captive Pursuit.” In this stirring installment of this reporter’s favorite Trek show, fans were introduced to the Hunters and their chosen prey: the genetically enhanced Tosk.

The Hunters (whether this was the species name is unknown) would alter their Tosk prey in order to make the hunt more difficult. The pursuing of the Tosk was an obsession with the Hunters that rubbed members of the freedom loving Federation the wrong way.

The Hunters even gave the Federation a run for its money as the race of killers had advanced tech to assist them in their eternal hunt for Tosk. Sadly, the Hunters only appeared in one episode of Deep Space Nine , but their fighting skills and bloodthirsty rituals will be burned into the minds of Trek fans for a long time.

35. The Salt Vampire

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the man trap” (1966).

Old Salty here, or creature M-113, is a reminder that space can be a really, really dangerous place because there are things out there called Salt Vampires. And, no, this thing doesn’t just hang around a Pringles factory, it freakin’ shape shifts and then kills innocent people and drains them of their salt. Kirk and his crew first encountered this thing as it took the form of a number of the Enterprise’s crew. It almost killed Sulu, Yeoman Rand, Spock, and Kirk before being shot and killed by Dr. McCoy who had no time for such foolishness.

I suppose Kirk could have kept the Salt Vampire alive and just fed it Wetzel’s Pretzels (those things are like licking the ocean), but I guess Kirk felt that a shape shifting thing that looks like it was spat out of the ninth plane of hell that brutally kills people and drains them of sodium probably needed to be deleted from the universe. One has to wonder what special M-114 might be: Cinnamon Vampire?

34. Cheron

First appearance star trek: the original series “let that be your last battlefield” (1969).

When we first met the Cheron, there was only two members of this species left: Bele (played by the Riddler himself, the great Frank Gorshin) and Lokai. Bele was hunting Lokai whom Bele deemed a traitor after the planet Cheron was wiped out due to centuries of racial wars.

Apparently, some Cheron were black on the left and white on the right while other members of this advanced species possessed the opposite skin alignment. Due to this difference, the entire population — save Lokai and Bele — were eradicated. Bele hijacked the Enterprise and used his vast array of mental capabilities to hunt for Lokai.

The whole opposite was a thinly veiled, but powerful allusion to the destructive potential and sheer idiocy of racism — a message as powerful today as it was in the ’60s. Of course, you know I’m going to say that Mego made a Cheron doll, a toy I treasured in my childhood and called Oreo Man.

We should all have an Oreo Man during our most innocent years. But who knew my beloved Oreo Man was actually a genocidal racist madman that used his vast power to almost destroy the Enterprise? Oh, Oreo Man…

33. Nausicaans

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “tapestry” (1993).

One of the surlier races in the galaxy, Nausicaans are big hairy warriors that hire themselves out as mercenaries throughout the galaxy. A Nausicaan had quite the impact on the life of Jean-Luc Picard. When the future captain of the Enterprise was an ensign, he played a stirring game of domjot with some Nausicaan thugs (as one does). Picard and his pals accused the Nausicaans of cheating and the bad-tempered badasses stabbed Picard through the heart. This required Picard to get an artificial heart. (The more you know!)

The Nausicaans gave the crew of Deep Space Nine a hard time as well. This hairy race of pirates even encountered Captain Archer and the original crew of the Enterprise back in the day, proving that big hairy thugs that cheat at domjot remain big hairy thugs that cheat at domjot.

All that aside, Nausicaan fighting prowess is equal to the fighting prowess of Klingons and the only thing that keeps the Nausicaans from being more of a threat is their mistrust and their inability to come together as a species. Instead of being intergalactic conquerors, the Nausicaans have remained bullies, raider, and cheaters. But they do have killer 80s rocker hair, don’t they?

32. Kazon

First appearance: star trek: voyager “caretaker” (1995).

The Kazon were the first race that the crew of the Voyager encountered when they arrived in the Delta Quadrant, and — as far as d-bag, aggressive alien species go — the Kazon take the space cake (because when you put the word space in front of something, it sounds like you are in the future).

The Kazon race was separated into rival sects, which made negotiating with them as a whole almost impossible. They were once a slave race that served the Trabe, but the Kazon were a fractured species before and during its enslavement. Despite their disloyalty to each other, the Kazon were fierce combatants who were unwilling to negotiate a peace treaty with the Trabe or Voyager.

The Kazon had advanced technology and a back-stabbing blood thirst that introduced the crew of the Voyager to the Delta Quadrant and caused Voyager to be trapped in what was going to be a very hostile place, if the battle-hardened Kazon were any indication.

31. Metrons

First appearance: star trek: the original series “arena” (1967).

We do so love the Gorn. And what alien species was responsible for Kirk’s immortal battle with the Gorn? Why that would be the shiny and nigh omnipotent Metrons.

The Metrons possess tremendous mental powers and can control matter and energy. These human like aliens fiercely guard their sector of space and regard even the most minor intrusion as a great trespass punishable by death. When the Enterprise and a Gorn vessel find themselves in Metron space, the Metrons mentally teleport both Captains to a remote planet and force them to fight.

The Metrons are intensely xenophobic and regard other races as barbaric, so when Kirk spares the Gorn, the aloof Metrons are impressed and free both vessels. You see, a simple act of kindness was all it took to free the Enterprise from the Metrons’ wrath and impress a race of people that do not impress easily. Also, the Metrons wear sparkly evening gowns so they have that going for them…

30. Horta

First appearance: star trek: the original series “devil in the dark” (1967).

The Horta may look like a pile of bile soaked dog puke, but, hey, it was featured in William Shatner’s favorite Star Trek episode, so we have to give this blob of silicon its props.

The Horta was first encountered by a group of miners. After a miner was killed, Kirk and company were called to see what was up. They encounter the Horta, an extremely alien-looking beastie. After the creature is injured, Spock attempts a mind meld but the creature is in too much pain for Spock to connect with it. Soon, the crew of the Enterprise learns that the creature is the lone survivor of its race charged with protecting the eggs of the next generation of Horta. So Kirk and his pals dedicate themselves to protecting the thing’s little vomit eggs from the angry miners.

All jokes aside, the Horta was classic Trek alien: a semi-cheesy-looking beastie that stars in an episode with a powerful theme. The Horta was a prime example that all life has merit and even something that looks like a half-digested taco only wants to survive and thrive. By saving the Horta, the crew of the Enterprise shows that their most important mission is to contact and understand all life, no matter what it looks like. Thank you for that valuable lesson, Mr. Horta.

29. Greek Gods

First appearance: star trek: the original series “who mourns for adonis” (1967).

Wait, what? Oh, by the bristling beard of Zeus, the Greek Gods exists in the Star Trek  universe. 

The legendary deities of ancient Greece were actually super-powered aliens that lived on Pollox IV. They would visit Earth back in ancient times and bask in the worship of primitive humans. Well, the humans of the Enterprise were no primitives, and — when the Pollox IV alien that called itself Apollo trapped Kirk and his crew on the planet and refused to allow them to leave — Kirk and Spock fought back, kicking a god’s ass in the process.

Sadly, we never saw the other Greek gods. (Because could you just imagine Kirk versus Zeus?) But, it was established the other gods existed — and that they wore togas and laurel leaves like they were going to a frat party. The fact that this all exists in the same galaxy as Klingons and Borg just makes me very happy.

28. Hirogen

First appearance: star trek: voyager “message in a bottle” (1998).

The Hirogen are a nasty Delta Quadrant species of reptilian hunters that view any other sentient beings as prey. When the Hirogen chose a victim, the religious ritual of the Hunt began and all aspect of Hirogen culture centered on this blood sport. After the Hirogen tracked and captured its prey, they would remove the victim’s skeletal system, muscles, internal organs, ligaments, and tendons and keep these parts as trophies.

The Hirogen ran afoul of the Starship Voyager a number of times and Captain Janeway and her elite crew always found ways to defeat these hunters. In one of the Hirogen’s more bone headed moves, they created advanced holograms that could feel fear and pain. These thinking holograms quickly became more advanced than the Hirogen and turned the hunters into the hunted.

Despite this addlepated move, the Hirogen were always a feared species for those that traveled through the Delta Quadrant because they were essentially Predators dropped into the middle of the Star Trek universe.

27. El-Aurians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the child” (1988).

El-Aurian were a race of wise and peaceful people that transverse the galaxy to listen to the stories of others. When the Borg wiped out the El-Aurian’s home world, the galaxy lost a race of wise listeners… Or it almost did, because the surviving members of this race spread out across the galaxy.

Fans met the El-Aurians when The Next Generation introduced Guinan, the proprietor of Ten Forward, the bar of choice for the crew of the Enterprise. When Guinan came aboard, the members of the Enterprise had a kind and quick-witted being to bounce their problems off of, and Guinan listened. It was a shame that so many people like Guinan were lost to the Borg as the El-Aurians long lived goodness was a boon to the galaxy.

But not all El-Aurians were benevolent. Tollan Soran was an El-Aurian survivor that was aboard a ship of refugees with Guinan when the ships ferrying the El-Aurians refugees was lost to the fiery Nexus ribbon. It seemed that the legendary Captain Kirk was killed in this rescue attempt, but it turns out Kirk was trapped within the Nexus.

Soran became obsessed with returning to the Nexus and his Ahab like need for knowledge led to the first and only meeting between James T. Kirk and Jean Luc Picard. Soran was an anomaly to the El-Aurians species as most of the race used their centuries of wisdom to spread enlightenment wherever they went.

26. Tellarites

First appearance: star trek: the original series “journey to babel” (1967).

Along with Andorians and Vulcans, Tellarites were one of the first species to join the United Federation of Planets. A Tellarite first appeared in The Original Series episode “Journey to Babel,” where Sarek, Spock’s father, was framed for the murder of a Tellarite ambassador.

Sarek was able to solve the crime, freeing his name and forging a long-lasting peace with the Tellarities. Early contact with the Tellarites was recounted in Enterprise , but members of the specials also popped up in The Next Generation and even in a couple of films. Tellarites, with their distinctive beards, hooves, and stubbornness, have long been one of the backbone species of the Federation.

25. Tamarians

First appearance star trek: the next generation “darmok” (1991).

“Temba, his arms wide. Shaka, when the walks fell.” Who can forget these poetic, yet somewhat ominous phrases spoken by Dathon the Tamarian to Captain Picard when the two were trapped on a hostile world together?

Trek lore has it that the Federation and the Tamarians only had seven encounters over the years because the Tamarian language was so hard to comprehend. Well, if he was to survive, Picard would have to understand it (and fast) because Dathon beamed Picard down to the planet in order to teach the human captain a language that was as complex as it was beautiful.

It turns out Tamarians only communicate in metaphors (I’ve had grad school professors like that), and in order for the Federation and the Tamarians to build an accord, Picard would need to understand those metaphors. “Shaka when the walls fell,” has become quite a famous little moment of Trek myth as the Tamarians stand as a metaphor themselves — for cultural understanding and empathy.

24. Species 8472

First appearance: “star trek: voyager” part 1 (1997).

Species 8472 are so deadly that they even make the Borg poop their cybernetic underroos. (Hey, do you think when the Borg poops they all go at once? Or does one go make while the rest of the Collective just snickers? This is now the most ever written about Borg poop on the internet. Or is it? I’m not googling that.)

Anyway, Species 8472 existed in an extra-dimensional bit of hell known as fluidic space. When the Borg discovered the fluidic dimension, the ever deadly race of cybernetic killers busted through the dimensions and attempted to assimilate Species 8472. 8472 was having none of that and fought back, creating weapons that could slay the Borg with ease. In fact, 8472 was able to destroy the Borg Cubes in seconds. (Man, that’s like taking down the Death Star with a single bullet.) Sadly, Species 8472 also took out many innocent Delta Quadrant planets, which forced the crew of Voyager to get involved.

The Borg and Voyager had to form an unlikely alliance to drive Species 8472 back to fluidic space. 8472 was one of the closet things Trek fans ever got to Lovecraft-like cosmic horrors, as even the Borg could not stand up to these waling nightmares. This species appeared a few more times on Voyager until Captain Janeway was able to broker a peace with these terrors that exist behind the fabric of time and space.

23. The Gorn

Oh, the Gorn. Who doesn’t love Gorn? Of course, this rubbery looking and cold blooded reptilian monstrosity first appeared in the classic TOS episode “Arena,” where Kirk had to go mano-e-lizardo with the captain of a captured Gorn vessel. What followed was one of the most classic fights in Trek history as Kirk had to fashion a makeshift cannon to defeat this alien monster.

Despite its primitive appearance, future novels established the Gorn as a technologically-advanced race and, you just have to admit, Trek lore has not even scratched the surface of the Gorn. Imagine the spin offs. The Gorn Identity. Gorn to be Wild. Gorn on the Fourth of July. Fans were able to witness the Gorn home world for the first time in DC Comics’ Star Trek the Next Generation: The Gorn Crisis .

The Gorn were also one of the aliens made by Mego in its second set of Trek dolls. Fun fact: Mego’s Gorn looks nothing like the TV Gorn, as Mego just reused Marvel’s Lizard mold, painted it brown and decked old Gorny in the outfit used for the Klingon doll. Despite this lack of toy respect, and despite one of the cheapest prosthetic heads ever seen on TV, the Gorn’s battle with Kirk is still forever burned into Trek lore.

22. Tholians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the tholian web” (1968).

Get a load of these psychedelic xenophobes. Yeah, the Tholians might look like a funky black light album cover come to life, but, really, they are brutal, territorial, hateful, and will do anything to keep other species out of Tholian territory. But, hey, they are known for the punctuality, so take heart in the fact that, when they kill you, it’ll be done in a timely fashion.

The Tholians cruise around their sector of space in geometric rainbow ships, making the aesthetic of the race more Yes album cover and less cool space despots. The Tholians first encountered the crew of the Enterprise when the USS Defiant flew too close to Tholian space.

Always protective of their borders, the Tholians phased the Defiant out of real space and into an interspace dimension. Kirk himself was phased out of time and space (for Shatner, it wouldn’t be the first or last time this happened), but Spock and the Enterprise were able to get their captain back and pimp-slap the Tholians.

The Enterprise under Jonathan Archer also ran afoul of these crystalline killers. The Tholians are a great example that in space, threats can come in any shape and even rainbows can kill you.

21. Talaxians

First appearance: star trek: voyager “caretaker” (1995).

One of the friendlier species of the Delta Quadrant, the Talaxians — or more accurately, an individual member of the Talaxian species — was pivotal to Voyager’s survival during the years it spent trapped in the Delta Quadrant.

Talaxians became dispersed throughout the Delta Quadrant after a devastating war with the Haakonian Order. Talaxians had no real home world, but that did not break their spirits. Talaxians are a very spiritual, upbeat, and whimsical race that — when confronted with two unpleasant paths to take in life — will find a third, happier path to traverse. This spiritual ability to find light and hope in any circumstance made the Talaxian Neelix indispensable to the crew of the Voyager.

Neelix was the cook and morale officer aboard Voyager and helped his friends out of many spiritual and literal crises. Throughout its wanderings in the Delta Quadrant, Voyager encountered many Talaxians that were always willing to lend a hand. Sadly, many aggressive species like the Borg also targeted the peaceful Talaxians — but, like Neelix, the Talaxians always found that third path.

Keep going, because we’ve got more aliens for you!

20. Organians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “errand of mercy” (1967).

When Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise first encounter the Organians, a non-distinct humanoid species, this new race appeared to be akin to an 18th century agrarian Earth society. Spock commented that his tricoder has more technology than the entirety of the Organians planet.

Sadly, the Organians home world became caught up in a war between the Federation and the Klingons. Kirk warned the Organians leaders that war was coming but the Organians were completely unconcerned… When the Klingons arrived and began to take Organians hostages, the Organians remained unconcerned — because, apparently, the Organians are millions of years more advanced than either Klingons or humans. The Organians mentally disabled the Klingon and Federation ships in orbit around their planet and calmly disarmed Kirk, Spock, and the Klingons.

The Organians have an advanced form of ESP and can predict future events. They also can possess the bodies of others. An Organian told Kirk that, one day, Klingons and humans would be friends — something ‘ol James T. couldn’t wrap his head around, but something Next Gen fans would know to be true. So here’s to the Organians, the Amish space gods of the galaxy.

19. The Traveler

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “where no one has gone before” (1987).

Now, let’s all be honest. Yeah, we love Wil Wheaton as he is truly nerd royalty and has done a great deal over the last few years as a sort of geek ambassador. But, real talk: no one really liked Wesley Crusher. We love Wesley’s mom, Dr. Beverly Crusher, but Wes was kind of the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek . The Traveler freed us of all of that.

The Traveler is a member of a mysterious race of immensely powerful beings. The Traveler could transverse time, space, and heavenly bodies at will and could use his thoughts to manipulate nature and reality. The Traveler seemed to be second only to Q in terms of power and omnipotence.

When the Traveler first met ‘lil Wesley Crusher, he compared the lad to Mozart. This caused Captain Picard to promote Crusher to ensign. Later in his Starfleet career, Crusher began to have doubts about his lot in Starfleet. The Traveler convinced Crusher to leave Starfleet after Crusher began to develop powers similar to the Traveler.

As Crusher’s powers grew, the Traveler took him on as protégé, teaching the former ensign how to best use his vast powers to help the galaxy. Wesley left the Enterprise with the Traveler as his very own Yoda and, for this, Trek fans hold a great debt to the Traveler as he freed us from the oft times insipid Crusher.

You know, looking back, I wouldn’t mind a novel or two explaining what happened to Crusher later in life. So, I guess we can give the Traveler credit for not only freeing us from Wesley, but also for making Bev’s boy into an interesting part of the Star Trek universe.

18. Crystalline Entity

First appearance: star trek: the next generation: “datalore” (1988).

The Crystalline Entity is basically the Galactus of the Star Trek  universe. The Entity is a giant, electromagnetic engine of cosmic death that lives to consume organic matter. It goes from planet to planet, absorbing all organic matter and leaving dry husks of death behind. A Crystalline Entity destroyed the outpost where Commander Data was created, essentially making Data an intergalactic android orphan.

Despite its destructive power, the Crystalline Entity is a beautiful sight: huge and multi-faceted, colorful and shimmering — frankly, an artist’s dream. But, behind the beauty, lies a bite that can lay waste to entire species.

This giant snowflake of death was pivotal in the origins of Data and is one of the most feared species in the entire galaxy. There are other Crystalline Entities out there in the void of space, but, thankfully, encounters with them are very rare. As of yet, no Crystalline Entity has been seen hanging out with a silver guy on a surfboard… but we remain hopeful.

17. Betazoid

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “encounter at farpoint” (1987).

For seven seasons and a handful of films, Star Trek fans got to know a very special Betazoid: Counselor Deanna Troi. Troi was an exemplary member of the Betazoid race — a mostly peaceful people that possess empathic and telepathic powers.

Most Betazoids, including Troi, use their powers for the benefit of others. The Enterprise was saved many times thanks to Troi and her fantastic abilities as she served with honor and distinction about the Federation flagship. Betazoids are indistinguishable for humans except for their all black irises. It’s a very cool thought that there is a race of Charles Xaviers in the Star Trek  universe and, with more Star Trek coming our way soon, let us hope we have the honor to meet more Betazoids.

Fun fact: Gene Roddenberry wanted the Betazoid women to have four breasts. Can you imagine trying to take Troi seriously with four breasts? Thankfully, Roddenberry was talked out of this silliness and the Enterprise’s resident Betazoid counselor became the stuff of Trek legend.

16. Talosians

First appearance: star trek pilot “the cage” (1965).

You know we had to include the first aggressive alien species ever encountered in a Trek episode. And, yes, we’ll get this out of the way quickly: the Talosians’ heads look like asses. We know. ‘Ol fanny foreheads. Butt heads. Get it all out of your system. Okay, done? Good.

The Talosians were the sole survivors of a nuclear holocaust. The remaining Talosians manifested the power to create illusions. These beings grew addicted to the illusions and abandoned technology. Like the Lotus Eaters of old, their existence was now tied to their narcotic-like illusions. Soon, the Talosians grew bored. The buttheads lured alien races to their planet and fed off the psyche of their victims.

Captain Pike of the Enterprise and his science officer Spock were drawn to the Talosian home world. The Talosians tempted the Federation officers with everything they could desire, but — through the minds of both men — the Talosians learned that humans hated captivity. The Talosians showed compassion and let Pike and Spock go. Later, Spock would return to the Talosian planet after Pike was left paralyzed. The Talosians once again showed compassion as they allowed the broken Pike to live his life on the planet.

The Talosian story ends sweetly, but just remember that, somewhere in the galaxy, there are siren-like, androgynous aliens (the male Talosians were actually played by female actors), ready to lore victims into a life of captivity. The Talosians were Trek’s first encountered, named alien species and they are also some of the most memorable as these illusion-casting humanoids set the standard for all Trek species going forward. Not bad for a bunch of ass-heads.

15. Vorta

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the jem’hadar” (1994).

The Vorta were genetically bred by the Founders to be the perfect military commanders and strategists of the Dominion. Vorta are sly, cunning, and corrupt. Try to imagine an entire species of Littlefingers and you get the idea.

In addition to the strategic acumen baked into Vorta DNA by the Founders, Vorta are also programmed to believe that the Founders are gods — and the Vorta serve their gods in all things. The Vorta created the Jem’Hadar and could clone themselves so the Dominion would never be without its master strategists for long. Even after death.

But, like the Jem’Hadar, the Vorta were programmed to serve. Upon capture or defeat, a Vorta was programmed to commit suicide, and during the Dominion War, many Vorta pulled the trigger on their own demise. The Vorta was one of the most cunning and immoral races Starfleet ever faced, even if the immorality was inserted into their genetic makeup by another species.

14. Xindi

First appearance: star trek: enterprise “the expanse” (2003).

The Xindi are a collective of six subspecies — avian, arboreal, primate, reptilian, insect, and aquatic — that form a single race. As a whole, the Xindi posed a great threat to the early Federation.

The Xindi worship a race known as the Sphere Builders and, when this mysterious race warns the Xindi that they will be involved in a war with Earth, the Xindi preemptively strike, killing millions of humans. Jonathan Archer and his crew take the fight to the Xindi who provide the first crew of the Enterprise its greatest challenge.

The Xindi was one of the first warnings to humanity that not every race is benevolent as the six races of this advanced culture reined death upon an Earth that was still getting used to the idea of contact with alien life.

13. Trill

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the host” (1991).

Trills are an advanced species of humanoid that are passionate and kind in most of their dealings. Some Trills are joined with wise Symbiotes that chose different member of the Trill species with which to share a mutual bond. The Symbiotes retain the personalities and memories of each host and pass these aspects on to the new hosts.

The first Trill Trek fans encountered was named Odan. Odan quickly struck up a romance with Dr. Beverly Crusher and, when Odan was tragically killed, the Symbiote was moved into the body of William Riker. Riker had long been friend-zoned by Crusher, so this began one of the most awkward romances in Trek history.

It also gave fans the legacy of the Trill, a legacy that continued into Deep Space Nine with the beloved Jadzia Dax. Through Dax, fans learned about almost every aspect of Trill life. It was a fascinating meditation of duality, sexuality, and identity and the character of Jadzia Dax was almost a dozen disparate characters in one. When Jadzia was lost, the Symbiote moved into Ezri Dax, a wonderful new character that continued the exploration into what it is like being many beings at once.

12. Tribbles

First appearance: star trek: the original series “the trouble with tribbles” (1967).

They’re fuzzy, they squeak, they can be deadly — who doesn’t love Tribbles? Ask any casual fan to name a Trek alien, and there’s a good chance Mr. Joe on the street guy will say Tribbles because these bundles of fur are just that darn famous.

“Trouble with Tribbles” — The Original Series  installment that first introduced these puff balls — allowed Shatner, Nimoy, and company to really flex their comedy chops. But, when you break down the threat the Tribbles represented, they actually are pretty terrifying… Imagine a species that reproduces so fast, a ship can be suffocating on the things in a matter of days. That’s a bit more Giger than Pokemon.

Despite the threat, the Tribbles also brought the laughs to generations of fans. Of course, the Tribbles were revisited in the classic DS9 episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” and also played a major role in the recent film Star Trek: Into Darkness . To quote a great man from a rival space franchise: “Not bad for a little fuzzball.”

11. Jem’Hadar

One of the greatest and most efficiently deadly militaries the galaxy have ever seen, the foot soldiers of the Dominion — the Jem’Hadar — are also one of the more tragic species that can be found in the Trekverse.

Jem’Hadar reach maturity in the span of about three days. They are genetically programmed to be the perfect galactic foot soldier by their masters, the Vorta. To insure control, the Vorta have withheld an essential enzyme from the Jem’Hadar genetic makeup. This enzyme is supplied to the Jem’Hadar in the form of The White, a liquid that the Jem’Hadar has filtered into their systems through a tube in their necks. Essentially, Jem’Hadar are drug-addicted soldiers unleashed upon the galaxy.

The Jem’Hadar were the main Dominion force that laid siege to Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War and were nearly unstoppable. The need for The White was a religion to the Jem’Hadar, who became one of the most feared species in any quadrant.

Jem’Hadar are incredibly resilient and possess keen minds that help them plan for battles. Despite all this, most Jem’Hadar die very young due to the fact that they are essentially cannon fodder for the Dominion. Yet, the Jem’Hadar value duty and loyalty above all else as they embrace their lot as pawns of the Dominion. All for The White.

The Top 10 Star Trek aliens await on the next page!

10. Changeling

First appearance: star trek: deep space nine “the emissary” (1993).

As we all know, life in the Trek universe can take many and varied forms. One of the most profoundly different races of the Trek galaxy are the Changelings, a race of intelligent liquid-based shape shifters that reshaped the political climate of the galaxy with the same ease that they reshape their bodies.

The Changelings were also known as The Founders and were the puppet masters behind the Dominion War. From their wormhole homeworld, the Changelings manipulated the universe. The Founders used entire races like chess pieces showing the Federation and its enemies that there are beings that exist within and behind the galaxy that are willing to go any lengths for power.

But not all Changelings were adversarial. Through Odo, Trek fans saw another side to this fascinating species. Odo was the constable aboard DS9 , a by-the-books cop who went to any lengths (literally) to solve crimes. He was a defender of his Federation friends, particularly Kira Nerys the woman he learned to love. When the Founders merged their liquid forms with Odo, they learned about humanity, and his love and bravery spread even to the hidden spaces of the galaxy.

Plus, The Changelings are an alien species that can easily disguise themselves as furniture. You can’t teach that!

9. Andorians

First appearance: star trek: the original series “journey to babel” (1968).

The Andorians are an aggressive yet advanced race that was one of the first alien races that formed the original Federation of Planets with humanity.

The Andorians have distinctive blue skin, white hair, and two protruding antennae. The blue skinned humanoids have an advanced armada and a long history of conflict with the Vulcans. This conflict was put aside as Andorians entered into the Federation and, with it, decades of peace. But peace wasn’t easy, as seen in Star Trek: Enterprise,  in which Federation Captain Archer and Andorian Captain Thy’lek Shran developed an adversarial relationship that, thankfully, culminated in a friendship based on mutual respect.

The Andorians are more than a bit xenophobic as they refer to humans and Vulcans as “pink skins” and have a long standing mistrust of everything not Andorian. In fact, the Andorians don’t even trust their offshoot race, the very rarely encountered, white-skinned, psychic Aenar.

Enterprise is a bit unfairly-maligned by some Trekkers, but it will always be the show that took the Andorians from background characters to a narratively-explored race with deep contradictions. Of course, I need to mention that the Andorian was also one of the final Trek dolls Mego produced. It is very sparkly.

8. Ferengi

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the last outpost” (1987).

I would  tell you some facts about the Ferengi, but I’d have to charge you about ten bars of (snarl, drool) gold-pressed latinum first. Because that’s what drives the Ferengi race: cold, hard, glimmering, wonderful cash-money.

By the time fans met the crew of the Kirk’s Enterprise, most races in the galaxy had abandoned cash-based economies to focus on the improvement of science and technology for all beings. But not the Ferengi. These big-eared, fanged critters utilize science and technology to procure cash and heaven help any sentients that stand in their way.

Fans first me the Ferengi in Next Gen as the greedy race of miscreants became the first real adversaries Picard’s crew had to face. The Ferengi in Next Gen were vile and greedy, sort of like spacefaring Daffy Ducks. But, in Deep Space Nine , fans were introduced to Quark, Rom, Nog, and other Ferengi that had a streak of nobility. Oh, they were still as greedy as they come, but this Ferengi family, saved the DS9 space station more than once. Heck, Nog even became the first Ferengi to serve in Starfleet.

In DS9 , fans learned many of the finer points of Ferengi culture. For example, Ferengi women aren’t allowed to wear clothes. In addition to their odd dress codes, the Ferengi live by the Rules of Acquisition, an almost religious text that teaches the Ferengi the best ways to make money. Quark constantly had to choose between loyalty to his friends and his Ferengi impulses for cash and this often humorous double nature led to some fun dramas.

But, if you have a piece of latinum in your pocket, be warned that there are many Ferengi out there who would kill for it because that is the Ferengi way.

7. Romulans

First appearance: star trek: the original series “balance of terror” (1966).

All sentient races in the galaxy have a good, healthy fear of the Romulans — and with good reason. In many ways, the Romulans are like the anti-Vulcans. In fact, Romulans are an offshoot of the Vulcan race. Centuries ago, the Romulans rejected the Vulcan idea of repression of emotions and struck out on their own, finally settling on the twin planets Romulus and Remus and forging an empire.

Where Vulcans are cold, collected, and benevolent, Romulans are fiery, aggressive, and often power hungry. This passionate need to conquer led to the Earth/Romulan war, the first time humanity experienced total war on an intergalactic scale. Earth was eventually victorious and, during the conflict, no human ever actually saw a Romulan. Years later, it was the crew of the Enterprise that actually saw what Romulans looked like and it was Mr. Spock that postulated a common ancestry between Vulcans and Romulans.

The Romulans were based on the aggressiveness and culture of the Roman Empire, which is seen through the race’s military aggression and clothing. Despite years of ill will, the Romulans sided with the Federation in the Dominion War. A Romulan also changed reality, as fans of the new Trek films know…

A Romulan named Nero used a Red Matter device to destroy Romulus and punch a hole in time and space. Nero then went back in time and destroyed the USS Kelvin, causing a new reality to splinter off from the original Trek timeline — a reality Trek fans are currently enjoying in films.

Romulans have touched every part of Trek history and have even created a huge amount of it. They continue to serve as a counterpoint to the Vulcans and their name brings fear and respect throughout the Trek galaxy.

If you can imagine God in the Star Trek   universe, you understand Q. Q isn’t a kind god or an emotionally-distant god, hungry for worship. Q is a curious god that wants to test the intelligent races of the galaxy — particularly Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise.

Q is a member of The Q, a race of omnipotent beings that observe the universe from afar and interfere in the lives of mortals when it suits their whims. The Q are a force of nature, appearing when and where they want to bring gifts or utter destruction to lesser beings. It all depends on a Q’s whims. Q became a sometimes-ally, sometimes-antagonist to the crew of the Enterprise and even popped up on DS9 and Voyager . (And, really, how awesome would it be to see Q pop into J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin Universe?)

Q is everywhere and everything. Wherever Q went, great storytelling followed — mostly because of the deeply complex and often comedic relationship between Q and Picard. Whether it was TV, comics, or novels (most notably the eminently readable Q Continuum trilogy by Greg Cox), The Q’s force of nature omnipotence have made them one of the most feared and gloriously divine species in the Trek universe. Yes, in Trek, Q definitely stood for quality.

5. Bajorans

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “ensign ro” (1991).

It is apropos that the Bajorans and Cardassians are so close on this list because the two races are forever linked in the mind of Trek fans. Trekkers first met the Bajoran through Enterprise Ensign Ro Laren, a fiery and ultra-capable young Starfleet cadet.

Ro had everything it took to get ahead in Starfleet. She was loyal, dedicated, brilliant, and strong willed. Yet, the past of her people, the Bajorans, was filled with so much tragedy. The loyalty to her race led Ro away from Starfleet and into the waiting arms of the Marquis, a group that abandoned Starfleet to form a renegade fleet of rebels dissatisfied with Federation doctrine.

Ro’s discontent was expanded upon by the inclusion of the Bajorans in Deep Space Nine . In DS9 , fans learnt of the suffering that the Bajorans were forced to endure at the hands of the Cardassians. Bajorans were a race of freedom fighters, a highly scientific and artistic race that had to embrace militarism and xenophobia in order to survive.

In DS9 , fans learned almost every aspect of the Bajoran race. What began with Ro continued the Kira Nerys, the second in command of the Deep Space Nine space station and a woman who would do anything to keep her people free and punish her former oppressors.

DS9 introduced many Bajoran notables in its many seasons, and not all of them were benevolent. Of all the races introduced in Star Trek , the Bajorans might be the most tragically human as they had to see their own darkness in order to survive the unthinkable in order to survive the Cardassians.

4. Cardassians

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “the wounded” (1991).

Nowhere in the Trek universe have there been a race more troubling, more complex, and more narratively-interesting race than the Cardassians. Fans first met the lizard like, leathery Cardassians in the Next Gen episode entitled “The Wounded,” in which the martial struggle between the Cardassians and the Bajoran was introduced.

The Cardassians were first seen as Nazi-like war criminals that committed a horrible genocide against the Bajoran people. The anger against the Cardassians, amongst other points of discontent, caused a large segment of Bjorn sympathizers to break off from the Federation and form the Marquis.

Cardassians warred with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire and took both fleets to the absolute limits. When the Cardassian/Bjorn conflict ended with the Bajoran victorious, it was up to the Federation to help the galaxy heal. The Federation set up the Deep Space Nine space station to oversee this transition of power as Cardassians began to be tried for war crimes that were simply unthinkable in such an enlightened galaxy. 

At this time, fans met Gul Dukat and Garak. Garak in particular demonstrated that there was more to the Cardassians than violence. He became a DS9 wildcard who, for the most part, was loyal to peace and harmony.

However, both Garak and former Cardassian military leader Gul Dukat had spilled their fair share of blood and the Cardassians began to stand-in for any race that committed genocide. Parallels were drawn not only to the Nazis but to Imperialistic Europe and to America’s treatment of indigenous peoples as well.

The Cardassians were a difficult mirror to look into because they exposed many societal flaws of the contemporary world. Through rich, powerfully crafted characters like Garak, Trek reminds viewers that in all species, there is the capacity for tremendous good and unthinkable evil.

3. Borg

First appearance: star trek: the next generation “q who” (1989).

Throughout Trek history, the wonderful men and women who have crafted stories for Star Trek have often reminded fans that space can be a cruel and terrible place — but no race has represented the horrors of the Final Frontier more than the Borg.

The Borg is a race of cyborg drones that share a hive mind. Their only aim is to assimilate the universe and make all Borg. Borg are mindless automatons that answer to the Borg Queen and the Collective. They are unstoppable and fiercely efficient. The Borg roam the galaxy in their distinctive Borg Cubes and, when they encounter any organic race, that race is forcibly assimilated into the Borg. All hopes, history, art, passion, and individuality become part of the Collective while the individual becomes a living weapon, a husk dedicated only to the Borg. Famously, Jean-Luc Picard fell to the Borg and was transformed into Locutus. As Locutus, Picard came an eyelash away from assimilating the Enterprise.

Later, through characters like Hugh Borg and Seven of Nine, some humanity was given to the Borg. Hugh was an injured Borg healed by Picard’s crew, while Seven of Nine broke her programming and served on Voyager. Through both characters, more and more history was revealed about the Borg. Fans even got to meet the Borg Queen in the film Star Trek: First Contact  — and what an H.R. Giger nightmare that was.

Throughout the decades, Star Trek has been the most hopeful of sci-fi franchises. Trek is infused with humankind’s potential for greatness and a hope for an enlightened future. The Borg serve as a reminder that technology can lead to paradise, yes, but it can also lead to a cold future of pure horror where individuality is worthless and resistance is futile.

2. Klingons

When we first met the Klingons, they were classically humanoid aliens that mirrored the worst of humanity. In the earliest Klingon appearances, Klingon society was portrayed as brutal and despotic. They were slave masters that would do anything to crush any opposition.

The Klingons were constant threats. At times, the Klingons seemed to be analogous to the Nazi Third Reich. In other instances, they resembled Communist Russia. But whatever real world nightmare the Klingons represented at any given moment, whenever a Klingon Bird of Prey warped into a confrontation with the Enterprise, fans know that intense action would follow.

When the Klingons returned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , this brutal race’s appearance was altered. Suddenly, Klingons were shown to have deep forehead ridges and a more bestial appearance. The real reason this was done was because Trek now had a budget, but there has never been an in story reason for the Klingon alteration. This just adds to the mystique of the Klingon race.

Klingons take the next step of their story evolution in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Now, a Klingon served on the bridge of the Enterprise, and it could be argued that this Klingon — Mr. Worf — was the very model of what a Starfleet officer should be. Through Worf, Next Gen explored every aspect of Klingon culture and made it more like a race of honorable technologically-advanced Vikings or Mongols than an analogy to fascism. That exploration continued into Deep Space Nine and, through the half Klingon-half human engineer B’Elanna Torres, onto Voyager .

There is an actual a Klingon language that exists in the real world. A whole freakin’ language has been created inspired by these honorable and violent warriors of the cosmos. So, raise a glass of Klingon Warnog, grab your Bat’leth, and salute the Klingons — a race that started out as typical villains, but evolved into one of the most engaging and inspiring races in the galaxy.

1. Vulcans

Is there any race in genre fiction more beloved than the Vulcans? This race of logic-driven, emotionless, pointy-eared people have defined the Star Trek experience since day one.

In the Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” the world was introduced to science officer Spock, a cold, calculating yet brave and benevolent alien who loyally assisted his captain. Fifty years later, Spock is still the strong right hand of the Enterprise. The Vulcan’s lack of emotion serves as a perfect narrative contrast to human nature, with the interactions and differences between Spock, McCoy, and Kirk as the beating heart of Trek since Roddenberry first put pen to paper.

But the wonder of the Vulcans don’t end with Spock. Over the decades — through countless books, films, TV episodes, and comics — many Vulcans have taken center stage and have, in the words of the most famous Vulcan of them all, fascinated fans for generations…

There has been Sarek, Spock’s father who dared to follow his emotions and take a human wife. There has been Tuvok, the brave and able Vulcan officer who served on Voyager. There has been T’Pol, the sometimes cold but always loyal commander that served as the first officer of the first Enterprise. By being so alien, all these characters and so many more have shown the world what it means to be human.

Trek lore has delved deeply into Vulcan history, creating one of most fully-functioning and detailed fictional worlds in all of sci-fi. Sadly, in the latest set of Trek films, Vulcan has fallen and this magnificent race is endangered. But take heart that Spock, Vulcan and Earth’s favorite son, is endeavoring to rebuild the race that has long made Star Trek so awesome.

Marc Buxton

Marc Buxton is an English teacher/private tutor by day,and a super-hyper-uber geek by night. Marc spent six years on the frontlines as a comic retailer before…

The top 10 Star Trek Federation Ships of All Time

Photo from unsplash.

Originally Posted On: https://www.mahannahsscifiuniverse.com/blogs/star-trek-news/the-top-10-star-trek-federation-ships-of-all-time

Star Trek has captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world with its iconic spaceships and interstellar adventures. From the original series to the latest installments, the Federation ships have become symbols of exploration, diplomacy, and defense. In this blog post, we will explore the top 10 Star Trek Federation ships of all time, based on their impact, capabilities, and design.

1. USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D , featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation, is one of the most iconic Federation ships. With its sleek design and advanced technology, it represented the pinnacle of Starfleet’s engineering prowess. The Enterprise-D played a crucial role in numerous diplomatic missions and battles, making it a symbol of the Federation’s commitment to peace and exploration.

2. USS Voyager NCC-74656

The USS Voyager , featured in Star Trek: Voyager, holds a special place in the hearts of Star Trek fans. Stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the Voyager embarked on a seven-year journey back to the Alpha Quadrant. Its advanced technology, including the warp drive and the bio-neural circuitry, allowed the crew to overcome numerous challenges and explore uncharted territories.

3. USS Defiant NX-74205

The USS Defiant , introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was a departure from the traditional Federation ships. Designed specifically for combat, the Defiant was smaller and more maneuverable than its counterparts. Its advanced weaponry and cloaking device made it a formidable force against the Dominion and other threats to the Federation.

4. USS Enterprise NCC-1701

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 , featured in the original Star Trek series, is an iconic symbol of the franchise. Under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, the Enterprise embarked on a five-year mission to explore new worlds and seek out new life forms. Its design and capabilities set the standard for future Federation ships.

5. USS Excelsior NCC-2000

The USS Excelsior, introduced in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, was one of the most advanced Federation ships of its time. Equipped with experimental technology, such as the transwarp drive, the Excelsior represented the cutting edge of Starfleet’s engineering. Although its transwarp drive was ultimately unsuccessful, the Excelsior played a significant role in the Star Trek universe.

6. USS Enterprise NX-01

The USS Enterprise NX-01 , featured in Star Trek: Enterprise, was the first starship to bear the name Enterprise. As an early prototype, it laid the foundation for future Federation ships. The Enterprise NX-01 played a crucial role in humanity’s first steps towards interstellar exploration and set the stage for the formation of the United Federation of Planets.

7. USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A , featured in the original Star Trek movies, was a refit version of the original Enterprise. With its updated design and advanced technology, it continued the legacy of its predecessor. The Enterprise-A played a vital role in defending the Federation against various threats, including the Klingons and the Romulans.

8. USS Prometheus NX-59650

The USS Prometheus, introduced in Star Trek: Voyager, was an experimental Federation ship equipped with multi-vector assault mode. This groundbreaking technology allowed the Prometheus to split into three separate sections, each capable of independent flight and combat. The Prometheus showcased the Federation’s commitment to innovation and adaptability.

9. USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E , featured in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, was a Sovereign-class starship. With its advanced weaponry and state-of-the-art technology, it represented the pinnacle of Federation starship design. The Enterprise-E played a crucial role in defending the Federation against the Borg and other threats.

10. USS Discovery NCC-1031

The USS Discovery , featured in Star Trek: Discovery, is a Crossfield-class starship equipped with a revolutionary spore drive. This experimental propulsion system allows the Discovery to travel instantaneously across vast distances. The Discovery’s mission to explore new frontiers and uncover the secrets of the universe embodies the spirit of Star Trek.

These top 10 Star Trek Federation ships have left an indelible mark on the franchise and continue to inspire fans around the world. Whether through their advanced technology, iconic designs, or pivotal roles in the Star Trek universe, these ships represent the best of what the Federation has to offer

One Of Star Trek's Biggest Mysteries Was Just Solved

O ne of Star Trek's biggest mysteries has always been the Breen. This mysterious race has been one of the franchise's biggest and most deadly antagonists, and we've known almost nothing about them. Not even what they look like. At least until now.

That changed in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5. In it, a Breen takes his helmet off for the first time, and we all find out not only what's behind the strange cooling suit they wear but also why they wear it.

Here's what Discovery's version of the Breen looks like with their masks on…

Breen Faces Revealed!

As the Breen take their masks off, their faces are revealed. However, they look strangely gelatinous. This is what they look like when they first take their masks off…

Once the masks have been off for a while, their faces seem to adjust to the air, and they eventually look like this…

The episode explains the reason we've never seen behind a Breen mask before is cultural. The Breen culture seems to work a lot like the Mandalorians on Star Wars. They view themselves as having two faces. One face is their mask; the other is their skin underneath. 

They believe the only face that matters is their mask, and as such, they only show that face to the world. In Star Trek: Discovery , one of the Breen bucks this trend when he falls in love with a human. The consequences for him, as you might imagine, are extreme.

Unbeknownst to the Star Trek: Discovery audience until Episode 5 of this season, there's been a Breen running around on the show all along. His name is Locke, but without his mask on, no one had any reason to suspect he might be a Breen, at least not until now.

Who Are Star Trek's Breen?

The Breen were first referenced on a fourth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , but they weren't actually seen on screen until Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It was on Deep Space Nine that they partnered up with the Dominion in an effort to destroy the Federation.

The Breen proved so deadly and so powerful that they launched a successful attack on Earth, causing massive damage. They even destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. 

The Breen also made a noteworthy appearance on Star Trek: Lower Decks . Unlike Discovery , which likes to modify traditional Star Trek designs since it's set so much further in the future, Lower Decks stuck with the Breen look we were used to.

Throughout all of it, we never saw behind the Breens' masks. Their faces always remained covered, and what's more, they always spoke only in strange, garbled mechanical sounds. Even the Breen's allies, the Dominion, professed to have no idea what the Breen looked like or why they wore refrigerated full-body suits. 

Though we now know what the Breen look like under those masks and why they wear them, we haven't learned why their outfits are so heavily refrigerated. Perhaps their armor is simply very thick, and they don't like to sweat. 

Whatever the case, a mystery Star Trek introduced in 1990 has now been solved. It took 34 years, but we now know what the Breen look like under those masks.

• View history

A species or race was any class of lifeform that had common attributes and were designated by a common name .

• 1 Observations
• 2.1.1 By location
• 2.1.2 By evolution
• 2.1.3 By association
• 2.2 Noncorporeal
• 2.3 Artificial
• 2.4 Trans-dimensional
• 4 External links

Observations [ ]

According to Data , " in the game of military brinksmanship , individual physical prowess is less important than the perception of a species as a whole. " However, according to Worf , if " no one is willing to test that perception in combat [..] then the reputation means nothing. " ( TNG : " Peak Performance ")

Data also " observed that in most species, there is a primal instinct to perpetuate themselves. " ( TNG : " The Offspring ")

Classifications [ ]

Corporeal [ ].

Corporeal lifeforms have a physical body , usually composed of carbon- - or silicon-based cellular structures . Most corporeal species metabolize energy by consuming food or by photosynthesis , and have a finite life cycle consisting of distinct periods of growth, maturity, and senescence. Intelligent corporeal species frequently enhance their capabilities with technology .

By location [ ]

• Alpha and Beta Quadrant species
• Gamma Quadrant species
• Delta Quadrant species
• Extra-galactic species
• Spaceborne species

By evolution [ ]

• Anthropomorphic species
• Humanoid species
• Non-humanoid species
• Omnicordial lifeform

By association [ ]

• Borg species
• Dominion species
• Starfleet species

Noncorporeal [ ]

Non-corporeal species were composed of various forms of coherent gas or energy . Most noncorporeal species absorb and utilize energy directly from their environment. Generally, noncorporeal species do not utilize technology, compensating with intrinsic physiological capabilities. Some noncorporeal species have evolved beyond the need for sustenance, and wield substantial control over space and time .

Artificial [ ]

Artificial lifeforms were usually created by another species, and can be sentient by design or have attained sentience spontaneously. There are two general types of artificial life: The first is a machine constructed from mechanical components. The second is a software program, which is reliant on a suitable computer in which to exist. These programs may manifest themselves physically in the form of holograms , which sometimes developed self-awareness .

Trans-dimensional [ ]

Trans-dimensional beings were lifeforms originating from a reality outside the normal space-time continuum. They can take a variety of forms which may or may not be comparable to those in this universe, depending on the nature of their native realm. Some trans-dimensional species are unable to survive in this universe without assistance.

See also [ ]

• Civilization
• Joined species
• Master race
• Race (species subclassification)
• Shapeshifting species
• Species reassignment protocol
• Telepathic species

External links [ ]

• Species at Wikipedia
• Race at Wikipedia
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Screen Rant

Star trek reveals the mind-blowing origin of its 'conspiracy' parasites (they're not just aliens).

At long last, Star Trek has revealed the mind-blowing secret origin of one of it biggest loose ends: the parasite aliens from "Conspiracy."

• The "Conspiracy" aliens, from another dimension, threaten the Star Trek universe with their terrifying agenda and overwhelming numbers.
• Spock's mind meld backfires as the crew of the Defiant battles to free infected crew members from alien parasites.
• Star Trek: Defiant #14 reveals the origin and menace of the "Conspiracy" aliens, connected to a long-standing franchise plot line.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #14!

The “Conspiracy” aliens have returned to the Star Trek franchise, and for the first time, their mind-blowing origin has been revealed. Worf and the crew of the Defiant are waging a valiant stand against the parasitic aliens on a remote Starbase. As they fight off the creatures in issue 14, Mister Spock makes a shocking discovery about where the aliens come from–and their agenda.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. B’Elanna Torres has been taken over by one of the parasites, and the crew of the Defiant is trying to free her from its clutches. Spock hits on an idea: use a mind meld to disrupt the parasites. The others protest, but Spock presses on. His mind meld backfires, and does not free B’Elanna. Instead, Spock learns the creatures are not from another planet, or another galaxy. Instead, they come from another dimension.

Furthermore, they have an enormous queen that towers over Spock.

The "Conspiracy" Aliens Nearly Did What the Klingons and the Romulans Have Failed to Do

These terrifying aliens are an existental threat to the star trek universe.

“Conspiracy” was the finale to the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and it would go on to become one of the Star Trek’s franchise's biggest dangling plot lines. For over 30 years, fans have clamored for the aliens to return, and for the show to explore their origins. The parasitic creatures attempt a takeover of Starfleet, but are thwarted by the crew of the Enterprise . Many years later, the aliens have returned, taking over Starbase 99 and infecting its crew. Previous issues teased the true nature of the parasites, and now it has been confirmed.

Star Trek: Defiant’s current storyline, “Hell is Only a Word,” has already positioned the “Conspiracy” aliens as terrifying entities. A text piece in a previous issue revealed the horrifying physical changes that can come over a host, particularly if they are infected with a queen. Furthermore, Defiant has drawn parallels between the parasites and the Borg , particularly in terms of social structure. The aliens have an agenda, one of conquest and subjugation. Their ability to infect a host and function discreetly is one of their greatest advantages. They used this effectively in “Conspiracy.”

Star Trek vs Alien Crossover Was Meant to Give Picard His Ultimate Challenge

The "conspiracy" aliens are legion--can the federation hope to stop them, the parasites could easily overrun the federation--and the galaxy.

Now the secret of the “Conspiracy” parasites is revealed: they are invaders from another dimension . Spock had a vision of this dimension, and it was overrun with parasites. Their numbers are great, and would easily overwhelm and infect any type of resistance. There may be enough parasites to infect everyone in the Federation and beyond. Finally, the parasite’s queen, standing several stories tall, is a horrific and disgusting sight. Worf and the crew of the Defiant are outnumbered, so they must find a way to close the gate, lest the “Conspiracy” aliens return to menace the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

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• May 2, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”
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Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Goes On A Spiritual Journey In “Whistlespeak”

| May 2, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 76 comments so far

“Whistlespeak”

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 – Debuted Thursday, May 2, 2024 Written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon Schultz Directed by Chris Byrne

A classic Trek setup delivers a solid episode exploring character arcs and big ideas.

Hey, I’m in this episode too!

WARNING: Spoilers below!

“The most important thing is to work in harmony”

Picking up on the clue they nabbed in the previous episode, Paul and the geek squad run into a science wall deciphering the simple vial of water so the captain suggests they try cultural analysis instead before she pops off to the mysterious Infinity Room. Kovich tells her that another ship is tracking Moll and L’ak, and the Disco has to stay on task for the Progenitor Tech. He does offer a bit of help, providing a list (on actual paper!) of all the scientists from Vellek’s team. Returning to the science lab the team quickly sorts out which scientist left the water clue, it was a Denobulan named Dr. Kreel who designed rain-making weather towers. A bit more detective work narrows things down to an arid world on an old Denobulan trade route and presto shroomo, they arrive at Planet Helem’no. The good news is they found one of Kreel’s weather towers. The bad news: the tower is surrounded by some “weird energy” preventing scans… and a pre-warp society. The captain flexes her xenoanthropology, revealing Helem’nites have three gender identities and no concept of class status; sounds like just the kind of place a Denobulan would party. Tilly is tagged to join on the field trip and so it’s good ol’ alien disguise time!

On the planet, they have a bit of a hike to get to the tower so they walk and talk about Tilly’s new life as a teacher at Starfleet Academy, where she is concerned one of her students is thinking of leaving. Soon enough they follow some “whistlepseak” (title alert!) leading to a group of pilgrims, only to witness one collapse due to spending too much time in the dust storms. Michael and Tilly struggle over that old Prime Directive, but the local woman ends up being saved by High Priest Ohvahz and his cool “sound cure,” which has the surprise side effect of knocking Michael out. She wakes up to find Tilly making friends with the priest’s kid Ravah who is super excited to get to the temple at the high summit, which is actually an 8-century-old Denobulan weather machine. Shhh. There is a traditional “Journey” race with the winner getting the honor to enter the temple and so Michael and Tilly sign up as a way in to search for the clue. Ravah signs up too, but priest dad is suspiciously not into the idea. Tilly encourages them, seeing the same kind of ambition she admires in her cadets. Michael takes a surreptitious sidebar to talk to Rayner and the gang on the Disco. Adira discovered more old (and broken down) weather towers and this last one is about to fritz out too. This fun day trip just turned into one of those “everyone is going to die if we don’t fix it” kind of things.

Why am I getting a sense this is no “fun run.”

“Let’s go meet the gods together”

Meanwhile on Discovery, Culber is still feeling a bit off. He decides to get counseling from a holo grief program based on his own abuela, who was known to dabble in the spiritual. He is looking for answers to what’s been happening to him since he merged with a Trill , but grandmother reminds him she was also a doctor, suggesting he stop trying to examine his soul before examining his body. So he grabs his hubby and they head to sickbay because “nothing is as romantic as a neural scan.” Aww. All Paul can detect is Hugh’s brain is normal, and of course “handsome.” Adorable. Culber was hoping for more, revealing ever since Trill he feels “more connected” to something big, but he just doesn’t know what to do it about. Is someone about to meet a Koala ?

Michael has a curious chat with the cured woman from earlier talking about how she really misses her old friend who won the last big race. Like priest dad, she suggests there are other ways to show devotion besides participating in the Journey ritual. Hmm. The race begins with the sucking of a cube that parches the competitors as they head up a course lined with water bowls, which they can’t drink without being disqualified. After spotting some mutated moss, Michael leaves the race to find the radiation-leaking control panel. Eventually, Tilly and Ravah are the only two left, both tripping big-time with dehydration. The ritual now calls for carrying water bowls, which seems particularly cruel. Ravah drops theirs and Dad is elated, but Tilly steps up and shares her water with her new little protégé, and they continue to the high summit together. Teamwork! They tie up and both get to enter the temple. As Ravah takes in the spiritual moment, Tilly uses her cool new retinal tricorder but isn’t finding any clue. Priest dad shows up looking miserable, telling the winners their sacrifice will bless Helem’No for many seasons. Sacri-whatnow?

Upon reflection, fire was not a good call for the vacuum chamber.

“Beliefs can evolve”

As the walls are about to literally close in on Tilly, Michael gets some tech support from Adira to fix the weather system’s control panel, which is in the middle of the forest for some reason. The ensign is still feeling out of sorts since letting the time spider on board (not their fault) but Rayner rallies them so after some technobabble, the system is fixed. Tilly is now trapped in a vacuum chamber and can’t be beamed out so Michael breaks the Prime Directive and beams into the room right next door where Priest Dad is hanging out. With the air escaping, Ravah is now having second thoughts as Michael goes all in with their father, revealing his whole world is a lie so he should just open the door. Yeah, that didn’t work so Michael makes contact through the impenetrable wall using her subcutaneous communicator and starts humming a song she hears from Ravah that their mother used to sing. That gets Ohvahz’s attention and with “I am not a god but maybe I was sent here by one,” he opens his mind to a new reality… and the door. By this time Ravah has collapsed but Culber’s medical team can now beam in for the save. Heisenberg be praised!

As Culber and his team work everyday miracles, Ohvahz takes in the wonder of a hologram of his planet as he learns aliens called Denobulans saved them centuries ago. Now it’s his job to keep their technology working… no prayer required. Michael plays agnostic on whether this big reveal disproves the divine, leaving him with the thorny issue of getting his society to stop the pointless (yet popular) sacrifices. As Dad and Ravah reunite, Tilly has big news, showing Michael wall markings matching those on that persnickety water vial clue. They are in the wrong tower, but the next map piece and clue is in tower #5. Back on the ship, Book is sulking for not getting picked for the fun away mission, doing what dudes do… playing video games – technically shuttle combat simulation, but it looked just like Asteroids . Culber joins to cheer him up with a snack and to find a new outlet to talk about his burgeoning “spiritual awakening.” The former courier offers solace saying it’s okay for Hugh to have a part of his life he doesn’t share with Paul, while Book inadvertently shares how much he misses what he had with Michael. As the boys share a nice moment, Tilly and Michael have one too as they put the fourth piece of the map in place and ponder the big picture, and how each of the scientists seems to be sending them a message through time, warning of the “massive responsibility” of the Progenitor tech. Before they work all that out, the word comes that Moll and L’ak have been found. Black Alert!

Wait ’till I tell you about Denobulan marriages, it’s going to blow your mind.

Faith of the heart

“Whistlespeak” is a decent mid-season episode that takes a moment to pause and reflect on the season’s themes and impact on the characters. The pacing was slower by design, giving time to take in the location, performances, and character development. And they threw in the world-ending stakes to keep it interesting. Like other season 5 entries, the premise is classic Trek with an actual visit to a strange new world. Exploring a pre-warp society and coming into conflict with the Prime Directive, evokes episodes like “Who Watches the Watchers,” “The Paradise Syndrome,” and many others. You may not even notice it but the facial markings and even Tilly’s hairstyle were added as they beamed down, a subtle 32nd transporter tech upgrade to having the doctor handle alien disguises. It’s always hard to come up with a new culture on Star Trek but keeping it simple worked for “Whistlespeak.” The events on Helem’No were also a bit of a microcosm of the season itself, a race to receive the grace of the gods is not so different than the USS Discovery’s race to find the Progenitor’s tech. Like the Progenitors, the Denobulans played God with this planet but there is a warning about even good intentions can have unintended consequences. Confronting the Prime Directive — one of the core tenets of Federation philosophy — isn’t so different than how the High Priest had to evolve his worldview. The season’s focus on connection was nicely woven throughout the various plots and stories with a strong emphasis on the recurring theme of exploring spirituality without getting too heavy-handed, showing respect, and learning lessons from different points of view, which is all very Star Trek.

This was a great episode for Mary Wiseman as she showed off all the familiar aspects of Tilly from her dry wit to her whip smarts, with the season’s added layer of her growing into a mentor figure, such as how she immediately bonded with Ravah, ably played by guest star June LaPorte. And once again this final season reminds us where it all started, bringing back some of the Michael/Tilly bonding seen in the first couple of seasons, including a bit of running together as they used to do around the USS Discovery. Extended scenes with Wiseman and Sonequa Martin-Green have been missed. But as this was a Tilly-focused episode, the show could have held back some of its tendencies, giving her more of the “aha” moments to move the plot along. Burnham will also be the hero, but share the character wealth. Wilson Cruz also stood out as we explored his character’s spiritual awakening. This storyline has been playing along nicely and seems to be setting something up. Simple things like paying off namedrops of his abuela show how much Discovery has improved on layering in these season-long character arcs.

Tilly is concerned about her listing on ratemyprofessor.com.

Reach for any star

While the intriguing big Breen reveal from the previous episode was set aside for this week, the search for clues structure continues to allow for these nice little episodic adventures. It’s always great to meet a new culture and expand on the canon. Once again the season doesn’t shy away from utilizing franchise lore, in this case bringing in a few bits of Denobulan society through Dr. Kreel. However, after we got to (sort of) meet the first two Progenitor research scientists in episodes 1 and 3, the show is missing an opportunity to continue that by introducing the others. Instead of just talking about Denobulans, it would have been a treat to actually get to see Dr. Kreel (and Dr. Cho in the last episode, too), and that could have also helped sell some of the episode’s themes. On the other hand, it’s always great to get to learn more about the enigmatic Dr. Kovich, with David Cronenberg continuing to intrigue us with more tidbits about his character who has a penchant for old legal pads. This and his “Infinity Room,” all feel like it is leading somewhere and hopefully this series doesn’t wrap up without finally explaining what is his deal.

Of course, the episode also has some of the usual frustrations. Discovery needs to find some more creative ways to explain away when and how and where the 32nd technology doesn’t work. It seems every episode has some weird energy field preventing the transporters from working so that the episode can progress at the desired pace, specifically a walking pace. That being said, the retinal tricorders were a nice new bit of tech, although perhaps not discreet enough if someone checks out what’s happening with one of your eyes. And while it may only be the “Prime Suggestion” to many Trek captains, it still isn’t clear if the season plot “Red Directive” supersedes the Prime Directive, but for obvious reasons, it’s not likely Burnham will face the same kind of tribunal as (formerly) Captain Rayner. The disruption to this society was pretty profound and they probably should have noted that Starfleet would be back to check in to make sure they didn’t just kick off a religious war. By the way, why didn’t the Denobulans ever check in after leaving all their tech running? These quibbles are not episode breakers but are the usual kinds of things that Discovery doesn’t seem interested in tying up, and perhaps they are a bit nitpicky, but that too is a Trek tradition. Finally, this may not be a nitpick, but the crew seems a bit blasé in how they treat the slowly-assembling map, which seems to be left around various parts of the Discovery. Like every hero ship before, the USS Discovery has been boarded by the bad guys on several occasions, so maybe this is setting up for a coming heist.

The most important thing in the Federation makes for a nice conversation piece.

Final thoughts

This (dare I say) “filler” episode was a solid outing that delivered some classic Star Trek to Discovery . With four out of five pieces of the map assembled in six episodes, it feels like we are making progress without getting sidetracked. The pivot in Season 5 continues to be finally finding the sweet spot in episodic adventures, serialized plot, and character development.

Only four more, y’all.

• For the third episode in a row, Doug Jones is not credited. Saru is confirmed to appear in at least the finale episode, so he will be back.
• The actual whistlespeak heard in the episode was performed by professional whistler Molly Lewis .
• Michael studied xenolinguistics on Vulcun under a Dr. T’Prasi.
• Denobulans use silver iodine to make it rain on Denobula, which is used today in cloud seeding .
• The walls of the Denobulan vacuum chamber were made of solid Tritanium , which was commonly used by Starfleet in the 24th century, but perhaps the thickness prevented beaming.
• The (replicated) Culber family Mofongo con pollo al ajillo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish with rice, chicken, and garlic.
• The “sound cure” bowls used by the Hilem’No are like so-called Tibetan “ singing bowls ” which have been used in the modern era for “ music therapy .”
• The sound wave pattern shown during the “sound cure” is a real phenomenon called cymatics .
• The weather control interface was in the Denobulan language , first seen on  Star Trek: Enterprise .
• If Kovich’s 21st century legal pad is made of acid-free paper, then it could indeed survive for centuries .
• Vellek (Romulan)
• Jinaal Bix (Trill)
• Carmen Cho (Terran)
• Hitoroshi Kreel (Denobulan)
• Marina Derex (Betazoid)… obviously named in honor of Marina Sirtis .

Four more?… for you maybe.

More to come

Every Friday, the TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast  covers the latest news in the Star Trek Universe and discusses the latest episode. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher and is part of the TrekMovie Podcast Network.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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It’s a good stand-alone ep. It proves you don’t need bad guys chasing for the same relics. I realized how unnecessary they are.

I echo that sentiment, big-time!

The best Trek is without “bad guys”. Always has been. Too bad modern writers don’t get it. This was a gem of an episode.

Great episode i really enjoyed the slow pacing of it and i always like a episode involving a trip to a pre warp society.

It’s great that they have gotten 4 of the 5 pieces of the puzzle already and not leaving it to the penultimate episode.

I do agree with the review that it would be nice to see the rest of the scientists and i hope when they do find the Progenitor Tech we find get some form of flashback with the scientists finding the tech.

I really like it when NuTrek references Enterprise.

What do you mean, exactly? I didn’t get get it

Possibly he’s referring to the Denobulans.

This is like the trill episode. A lot of other stuff happens with a minimal plot advancement. I’m ok with that, if it’s interesting. If you’re going to recycle and re-use tropes, it needs to be interesting. This was largely, not. I found it more interesting than the Trill episode, and I loved the delivery of the message Burnham gives at the end. That why I found this episode better than that one. But still wasn’t all that great.

I was bored rigid. This is what happens when you take 45 minutes of plot and stretch it out over 10 episodes.

I finally started watching Slow Horses on the weekend – and ended up binging all three seasons this week.

Six 40ish-minute episodes a season, no filler, complex plots and solid characters, writing and acting.

I wish Trek could pull that off.

Great show.

This is my main problem with it, yes. I loved episodes 1 and 2, but from after that it started going downhill for precisely that reason: because there’s not much of a story here. So we get a whole lot of filler scenes, scenes about people being unsure of themselves (this must be the most emotionally fragile crew in the history of Starfleet–it’s getting kind of ridiculous at this point), and minimal plot advancement. Meanwhile, all the focus is on Action Hero Michael every single episode, with Saru, Stamets, the entire bridge crew, and Reno doing almost nothing all season. Tilly has had more to do this season, which is great. But other than Michael, Book, Culber, and Saru, everyone else has done almost nothing since season two. I really wanted to like this season, and when it started I very much did. But it’s going nowhere fast.

You nailed it.

Wow you said everything I been thinking too. The season is feeling more and more flat and the characters outside a few of them just has nothing to do.

Started off great but halfway through now and I’m getting bored again because it doesn’t feel compelling enough.

Yeah, they took what might have been a solid four-hour story and turned it into ten hours, and they gave us two entirely lackluster villains. One thing that has been a big problem on Trek for a while now–on Discovery, as well as on Picard–has been utterly forgettable and boring villains. Not one of them has really stood out to me on either show, other than Lorca.

This has been the problem with almost all of these. I go back to, if you’re going to deviate a bit, it’s ok.. but it better be engaging.. better be interesting. With Star Trek, you really have to make the theme feel original. None of that happens here. I don’t have a problem with what they’re trying to do.. I have a problem with the execution of it. And that’s the same problem with most of Discovery for me.

agree. I wonder what the financial upside would be if they had the courage to write the main story they want to tell and film it. This should be the benefit of the streaming platform model. If it’s 5 episodes, it’s five episodes but – if they are a great five episodes, wouldn’t that be better for the franchise than 10 of mediocre quality?

Pssst… not sure if you are aware of this or not. But that was the whole premise of the show from the start. It was… and is… about Michael. It was never going to be a cast show. It is a show about Michael. And that is why she is predominately the focus in the episodes.

Bit behind on this series and just watched episodes 2 and 3 this evening., but Culber had a big part in episode 3 in my opinion. Also it seems to me that Captain Rayner has a big part. It isn’t just the Kirk, Bone, Spock show to me with Discovery this season.

This sounds lovely and wonderful! I think I’ll finally break down and join Paramount+ instead of waiting for the DVD release! (And I’m a Tilly fan, too :)

My least liked episode of the season. It was a filler episode without any meaningful filler.

Yeah they found the next clue in the end but it went sideways at times with Tilly and Culber having some kind of personal crisis that went nowhere. .In my opinion, it wouldn’t be noticed if this episode were accidentally skipped. It is a standalone episode that stands still.

Maybe this show is better if the seasons are watched in one sitting?

Hopefully the next episode will advance the plot more than this one did.

To my happy surprise, I enjoyed Tilly’s involvement a lot. I don’t always like her. But here, I thought she worked well. The rest of the episode? Pointless.

So Betazed is the location for both a red herring AND a real clue? Moll and L’ak are going to be pissed they missed it. I mean, they had to have missed it or they would have had no motivation whatsoever to return to Lyrek.

I think that’s more because the clues left for the Trill episode pointed toward the Trill and not the Betazed clue though too. Although, yeah I’d be irritated too.

Anyone else find it interesting though that whatever they’re making they are finding the pieces right in the order they appear in the circular puzzle?

Does anybody know why Doug Jones is absent for so much of this season? Was he off making a movie or something? It seems odd that he is not actually in the series that he is one of the main stars of…

This season is peculiar because of the missing regular cast, hard to believe they couldn’t get commitments from the actors unless the show simply couldn’t use them or didn’t want them. I suspect it has something to do with controlling the budget or other contractual issues.

It’s peculiar, I agree. Discovery has become the Michael-Book-Culber show, with most of the characters under-utilized and ignored. That, for me, has been its greatest failing in the past couple seasons, but especially in this one.

Tilly was similarly absent for most of last season. It’s keenly felt because it’s a small cast to begin with. That’s part of my frustration with how they never really promoted any of the bridge crew to be a more impactful and fleshed-out character. There’s been plenty of time to do it.

Doug Jones posted that he was out for most of this season due to Hocus Pocus 2.

Thanks for the information, William. I was going to say it was weird that he chose to be absent from a big chunk of the last season of his show, but then remembered that he did not know it was the last season.

Seems like Hocus Pocus 2 came out waaay before this and that wouldn’t have been filming anywhere close to each other – dates in Wikipedia indicates HP2 was done filming by the time Disco 5 was even ordered

But – time is an illusion. Tea time, doubly so.

This is his Twitter post: https://twitter.com/actordougjones/status/1784136793753042992

He was promoting Hocus Pocus 2 while S5 was being filmed.

That’s not how contracts work, though. If they wanted him for episodes of Trek, he’d have had to skip the press tour. This means they let him out of any contract he had, presumably; which in turn likely means they were find with paying him for fewer episodes.

It was a descent episode. And since you guys were discussing what a ‘filler’ episode is on you and Laurie’s (amazing) podcast, I too wanted to say: this is a classic filler episode. Nothing really happened but it was injoyable on its own. Funny enough, I give this one an enjoyable 7, where last week was a frustrating 7.

Some of the repeating things are getting annoying:

• Michael headlining EVERY episode.
• Transporters not working.
• Talking about characters but not showing them (at least here it was an unknown).

I still don’t understand what they’re trying to do with Culber and his so-called spiritual awakening. Like you said, it must be going somewheren, because, what else is the point. I’m juist not seeing (or getting) it yet.

I’m shocked you didn’t mention the perfectly machine-made wooden water bowls by the way. That one bugged me, for such a primitive people.

And I cringed at the Marina tribute, because it was just too on the nose as a literal first name of a person.

By the way, regarding Kovich: there might be a chance he’s from the department of temporal whatsit. Although not the same suit as temporal agents on SNW season 2, it is about the same color.

Yeah, I’ve always assumed Kovich could time-travel, so that’s how he gets the paper.

Correction: The episode happened in and around tower #3, the clue was in tower #5

I only mention that because I read somewhere how nitpicking is part of Trek … :)

I guess the fact that the winner of the race was sacrificed was supposed to be a surprise? When the priest tried to talk his child out of it, and the person Burnham saved talked about how the friend who’d won the race she ran when she was young was dead, I was sure that the winner would be sacrificed. If it was obvious to ME, how did Burnham and Tilly miss it?

I know Burnham decided to break the Prime Directive for what she thought was a good reason, but I’m amazed that she decided to show the priest his planet from space. Wait, once it’s broken, you can go whole hog? There’s no attempt to maybe limit the damage?

I’m an atheist because of Occam’s Razor, and I’m always uncomfortable when Star Trek tries to get spiritual. I grew up on Kirk’s unmasking false gods and tearing down computers who pretend to be gods, so NuTrek’s careful tiptoeing around gods always makes me long for a little Jim Kirk. Apollo’s just an alien with an extra organ in his chest, damn it! :-)

I didn’t even like it when DS9 turned the franchise more toward a distinctly non-Roddenberrian spirituality, much less when Discovery does it. That said, I enjoyed this episode.

The extended impact of Culber’s experience on Trill could have played out in a very cliche way, so at least this is different. I suspect his “new outlook” will have a place in the resolution of the Progenitor tech. It’s also sort of retcon of his rebirth, which never really was “used” properly. So far, I am liking this… and I definitely come to Trek to should down alien gods!

Mankind has no need for gods we find the one quite adequate Captain Kirk

McCOY: We were speculating …’Is God really out there?’ KIRK: Maybe He’s not out there, Bones. Maybe He’s right here …in the human heart. …Spock?

Kirk or Sisko wouldn’t have asked the dad to open the door. They would have blasted it with their phaser.

Could Kovich be a Supervisor ala Gary Seven and Tallinn?

I was wondering – or a Q?

I think he’s a time agent. His suit is different than the time agent in SNW but basically the same dark grey.

Two ‘meh’ ones in a row. Who Watches the Watchers this is NOT!

Sure, It’s great to see a pre-warp prime directive story again and I liked that Burnham revealed herself in the end to save Tilly and the girl. That’s always a Trek trope and I’m trying to think of any episode where they managed to stay completely hidden the whole time. Anyone have any examples?

But this episode just really lacked for me. Not awful just not very interesting either. It tried but just felt pretty flat overall.

As for finding pieces of the progenitor tech, it’s become pretty formulaic now and very little of a challenge. The clues are all easily found and it’s literally like putting together a Jinga puzzle. It just feels too easy. And Moll and Lak doesn’t feel threatening at all. They are just there so they can have some conflict in the story but it also feels so meh, similar to the Book and Tarka’s ‘chase’ last season.

I know they are trying and want to give us this grand adventure story but it’s still Discovery falling back to the same issues again and again. And this show keeps stretching five minutes of plot into an hour story. I wish I could care more about Culber’s ‘spiritual journey’ but yeah I just don’t.

Anyway four more episodes. Trying to stay positive but sadly I think I’m just back for the show to end. Hopefully things will finally start to ramp up and the Breen becomes a bigger part of the story.

Some great acting and character moments happened throughout this episode. But I was amused that violating the Prime Directive is just a matter of paperwork now.

I also always wonder how Michael and Tilly communicated with the people on the planet. Of course they had their universal translators and could understand them, but the people they were talking to didn’t have them.

I was surprised by the Prime Directive being paperwork too, especially after Rayner seemed to lose his command over what they were considering a Prime Directive issue.

yeah, the prime directive stuff is eye rollingly bad. It’s really there for the exact reasons they violate it in this episode. It’s stupid.

That has always been a problem with the universal translator on Trek. The concept works fine over a comms channel. But as soon as people are in direct communication the concept (as presented on all the shows) kind of falls apart, especially if only one side of the conversation even has such a technology.

I am thoroughly enjoying this season of Disco. Possibly because I am not hunting for anything and everything to criticize. Among other things, I think it is nicely balancing the slower pace of a serialized format while also having more episodic stories. It reminds me a lot of DS9 in this regard without having as many episodes per season to work with.

I am also interested in how well they will explore the topic of spirituality, another commonality with DS9. Although in the end I don’t think DS9 quite succeeded in this because the viewers could just dismiss Bajoran Faith as ignorance of the “true” nature of “The Prophets” as “wormhole aliens.”

Looking forward to see how it all turns out, though I wish this were not the final season as the series really seems to have hit its stride. But all good things…

I thought it was “ok.” Definitely tried to be a more traditional Star Trek episode, but I often feel when Discovery, and to a lesser degree Strange New Worlds, tries to do traditional Trek it just feels shallow. Like they are following a recipe to the letter but not adding any of the zest that really makes it stand out. I was also confused why they made such a big deal of the “whistle speak,” and then have it play almost zero role in the plot. Finally, it was really convenient that Michael and Tilly just happened to arrive at the exact perfect time to join the race to enter the temple. I wish I could master the art of perfect timing so well :-)

I though it was pretty clear that the young woman wanted to become and adult and requested the race because she thought she could beat “foreigners” in the race.

But I also thought it was going to become a battle to the death. They never went that far – only starving their competitors!

Ah, could be. I plan to watch it a second time and will look for that… thanks!

Making the race a battle to the death doesn’t really make sense because the winner of the race was actually going to be sacrificed.

I would like some Saru, Owosekun and Detmer now please.

The music in this episode was outstanding.

Is it now a Star Trek trope to show a member of a pre-warp society a view of their planet from space?

Whistlespeak is about caretaking.

Did this week’s episode begin a deeper, exploration of what this all could really mean? Power? Responsibility? Her trepidation is a nice way to end the episode.

I’m in love with the whole idea of sound as language. I wanted SNW’s musical episode to be totally like what we see in this episode – so it was a nice kick for me to get a taste .

That Denobulan’s name Hitoroshi Kreel….Hoshi Sato. Why do I feel like that might be another Enterprise reference?

47 comments so far. Discovery is quite the barn-burner! ; )

Maybe people are just annoyed by all the whining that people post in here.

People keep saying this and yet so far this has been generally a very positive season so what are we missing??

Even this episode, while more divided there are just as many people who liked it as many who didn’t (and unfortunately I am in the latter personally). Actually I would probably say more liked it than didn’t.

This idea that its been nothing but constant hate this season is not remotely any basis in reality. Most people seems to be more positive than negative over it. The real possibility seems to be many have just stopped caring in general as there is a lack of discussions everywhere online besides here and probably why the lack of postings this season.

I’m not sure what you’re reading, but it’s been nothing but negative comments from season one. People are sick and tired of the same comments over and over again. I know many people have stopped commenting due to this. But would be interesting to see what the site traffic numbers are and to see if the site traffic is gone down or just the comment section. It’s honestly the same people saying the same thing over and over and over… Yawn.

The real strength of this season so far is that they have not teased something they cannot deliver. I have really enjoyed each episode without worrying that the characters were going to do something stupid just for the sake of stuffing the plot with action. Seems pretty sad that they are largely “getting it right” and no one wants to celebrate that.

I literally counted the number of positive vs negative posts in the episode 4 thread when someone suggested this and it was 24 positive posts about an episode vs 3 negative ones.

Go back to the first two episodes of the season. Again it was overwhelmingly positive. Nearly everyone liked those. The outliers were the people who didn’t.

I just counted the number of people who were positive about this episode vs the people who weren’t. And I only counted the ones who directly said they liked or hated it.

The people who said they liked it are 13 people. Now some some of those were mixed feelings for sure but if they said they ultimately liked it then it counts. But half of those considered it outstanding. As for the ones, like me, who didn’t like it are 7 people. So again that’s more people here saying they liked it than didn’t correct? So what am I missing?

Every episode this season there has been way more positive posts than negative overall. Yes I get your bigger point people have been putting down the show since the first season which is definitely true lol but it didn’t stop people from talking about the show in droves for YEARS. And your argument doesn’t hold water this season because most people who are commenting seems to LIKE it, right? The minority comments so far are the people who still thinks the show sucks.

And even the people who don’t they are just giving their opinions about it and not attacking or challenging anyone who DID like it. That’s actually one thing I have been noticing about this season and there isn’t a lot of infighting about the show. Again look at this thread, besides me and you lol, who is arguing about it? There is no big debates or people being triggered. The people who said they liked it aren’t being challenged over it no more than the people who said they hated it.

Isn’t this is what we want on a message board? People being civil and not attacking others? And one such troll was finally banned here a month ago who IRONICALLY kept attacking anyone who was being negative about the show and turning everything into a ridiculous fight in every thread; so that probably has helped the civility here a great deal now he’s gone regardless of your personal thoughts about the show.

So I don’t remotely buy this argument. The reality seems to be a lot of people have just moved on from the show in general. When you look at the level of discussion about the show in its first three seasons vs the last two the gap is very obvious.

Again maybe many people are still watching the show. Unfortunately we don’t have any data on that. But we know how this works when people are passionate for a show on the Internet it’s very very easy to see everywhere.

Picard season 3 is the perfect example. I went and checked how many posts its episode 6 got here (since this episode 6 of this season) and it was 450 posts and that was just a year ago. And people slammed season 2 like no one’s business lol.

I don’t think this season has even gotten that many posts if you combined all the episodes.

I’ve also said this before as well and the show had been off the air for two years now. Yes we’re used to seasons having longer gaps these days but that’s still very long even for today and a lot of people could’ve just moved on or lost interest.

“Again maybe many people are still watching the show. Unfortunately we don’t have any data on that.”

Actually I have to correct myself on that because I forgot Paramount+ is part of the Nielsen ratings for streaming. But I have no idea exactly how in-depth they make it publicly. I only know how well a show is doing here when this site reports it.

And maybe Discovery will enter the top 10 this season. Now let me make this very very very clear, even if it doesn’t it doesn’t mean the show is failing in terms of views obviously. When there are 200 streaming shows these days and many on much bigger sites to boot it’s a miracle for any Trek show to be in the top 10 lol. And those listings are very skewed in my opinion since the only ‘top 10’ list we ever see are original shows. So while I’m happy to see Trek on any top 10 lists it still doesn’t tell us the whole picture just much these shows are truly being viewed.

And Paramount+ still avoids releasing any numbers independently unless a show is huge like some of the Yellowstone spin offs.

“Every episode this season there has been way more positive posts than negative overall.”

Hmm, maybe that’s the real problem and it’s all the negative and bitter haters that just finally left haha.

But don’t worry I still show up as much as possible! 😁

I’m teasing I’m actually enjoying the season for the most part but agree I think most people just lost interest. Obviously the people who always loved it are probably still devotely watching but it is probably the fence sitters and the people who always hated it who ultimately moved on which would make sense.

And I have seen people say they just have no interest to watch the show week to week anymore after being burned every season and just plan to binge it when this season was over. I even remember reading you were thinking of doing that so that could be another issue.

“Isn’t this is what we want on a message board? People being civil and not attacking others? And one such troll was finally banned here a month ago who IRONICALLY kept attacking anyone who was being negative about the show and turning everything into a ridiculous fight in every thread; so that probably has helped the civility here a great deal now he’s gone regardless of your personal thoughts about the show.”

This is really is the biggest irony out of all of this. A lot of these comments section does get inflated when you had people like that guy being triggered all the time, making the same 20 posts a day over anything he didn’t like (how many times did he utter the phrase ‘ROTJ’ in every Picard post 🙄) and literally went on constant tangents how people here were just coming here to drown the boards in hatefests?

Instead that lunatic was removed and ironically this place has been the most relaxing in years lol. The very fact as you pointed out no one is spending time arguing with others over their opinions is another reason there are fewer posts because no one cares anymore lol.

I think everyone just resigned to the fact the show is now done and everyone’s views are baked in so what’s the point arguing over it anymore?

And when you remove the disruptive people who wants to act like insullen babies like that guy and Alpha Predator, REGARDLESS how they feel about a show, good or bad, surprise surprise you get a more civil and balanced discussion and board now.

Yeah … shocking! 😉

Amazing episode again. This season the show is just knocking it outta the park! Wish it wasn’t the last season.

Admittedly this is kind of a paint-by-numbers Star Trek episode, but I enjoyed it quite a bit if largely for Tilly’s charisma. I do find the ongoing Culber existential crisis a little off balance, feels like we’ve already been here before with him after a far more significant event. But I do like aspects of his crisis, especially the tug between the scientific and the spiritual and how that’s expressed in his conversation with the analytical (yet caring) Stamets. Like much of Discovery’s writing, the story does take some logic shortcuts that I find distractingly convenient, but at least it fills in most of the gaps. On a side note, although I have a very high end sound system that sounds phenomenal with most streaming content, Discovery has uniquely terrible onset audio, it’s been a constant problem for the show (and seemingly all Toronto-based productions), but this season is by far the worst. It’s making it really hard to understand every word being spoken, I’m constantly rewinding to listen again and I just straight-up miss things all the time because the voices are often garbled.

While I certainly did not dislike this episode, I still found its resolution to be kinda lacking. It left me wondering whether they couldn’t have found a way to bend the Prime Directive instead of outright breaking it (even though, arguably the DISCO-crew weren’t the first to do so but rather the Denobulan scientist who installed those weather towers in the first place). It seemed like they just took the easiest possible route there… Also: Why was the episode even called “Whistlespeak”? Was there any sense in introducing that culture’s whistle language at all? I was honestly flabbergasted that there was no mention of such means of communication actually existing on Earth (on the Canary Island of La Gomera) and it existing on that planet could’ve been a nice setup for another linguistics-centered episode (not necessarily another “Darmok”, but maybe something akin to SNW’s “Children of the Comet” – you know like, a linguistic problem interwoven with a bunch of other problems). However, upon closer inspection, the whole introduction of that concept just went absolutely nowhere. A bit of a pity if you ask me.

Loved this episode. Very smart writing and continued with a great pacing. It had quite the TNG feel to it as well as feeling like a really Star Trek-y episode.

Really loving this season. The writing has been very solid as has been the acting.

For how much I dislike this season, I must admit this was actually a good episode to watch. As usual too many shared emotions, but the plot and the story was enjoyable for once.

I know I have mentioned this before but the dearth of posts this season is really surprising.. It’s the middle episode of the final season and its barely gotten 60 posts so far after a day. And again this is not TM alone. The show has lacked discussion everywhere and nowhere close to the kinds of discussions SNW season 2 and especially Picard season 3 got.

Maybe its getting more viewings than the discussions themselves are suggesting but if not it’s probably was a good idea to end the show after this season. I think a large part of the fanbase have simply moved on.

Yeah, I was curious about this and went back to check. Each recap/review article for SNW and Picard got hundreds of comments.

Yeah! And to be more fair I went and checked how many views those shows previous seasons got in the seasons run to correlate with the current episode of this season and for episode 6 Picard season 3 had 450 posts (which is pretty insane lol). For SNW season 2 it had around 240 posts which to be fair is the more common number for most live action shows.

Picard was more of an outlier for the obvious reasons. But then again it’s also PROOF when people are excited or passionate about a show or season you see it reflected.

It’s not nearly the same for this season. Many seem to like it overall and I include myself in that even if I’m starting to feel more mixed about it, but no one is really jumping up and down about it either.

Also, I wonder if Culber’s holo-Grandma is going to be the medical-holo on Academy. This seems like a perfect set up.