Star Trek: Voyager‘s exploration of the Delta Quadrant vastly expanded the Star Trek canon by introducing countless new aliens. Due to their unique circumstances, the USS Voyager and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) conducted nearly as many First Contact missions as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) of the USS Enterprise. Many of the alien races that Voyager encountered were friendly species who wanted to help the travelers on their treacherous journey through the Delta Quadrant. However, they also made a great many enemies during their seven years in this isolated region of space.
As well as Star Trek: Voyager‘s regular fights with the Borg, the show introduced new threats such as the Hirogen, Vidiians, Kazon, and Species 8472. Each of these alien races provided unique challenges for Captain Janeway and her crew, due to their advanced technology or inability to communicate. As always with Star Trek, many of the alien species that Voyager encountered were variations on a prosthetic theme without the fascinating culture to back them up. However, there were 10 notable alien species that were friend and foe to the crew of the USS Voyager.
10 Talaxians
The Talaxians had quite a dark backstory given the slightly cartoonish similarity between Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Snarf from Thundercats. Neelix was the USS Voyager’s cook, guide, and eventually Talaxian ambassador to the Federation. His jovial character and desire to help people defined his character and that of his fellow Talaxians, which was a testament to them given their brutal history. In the episode “Jetrel” it was revealed that the Talaxians suffered genocide at the hands of the Haakonian Order who used a devastating weapon to kill 300 thousand of them. The devastation forced Talaxians like Neelix to seek a life elsewhere as an intergalactic freelancer.
9 Ocampans
The Ocampans were unwittingly responsible for the USS Voyager becoming stranded in the Delta Quadrant to begin with. When their Nacene Caretaker (Basil Langton) realized he could no longer look after their planet, he began seeking out replacements by abducting starships like the Valjean and Voyager. A race of telepaths with potentially major mental powers, the most notable Ocampan was Star Trek: Voyager‘s Kes (Jennifer Lien) whose mental abilities grew so powerful that she appeared to transcend into a being of pure energy. It’s possible that Kes’ evolution in the Voyager episode “Fury” is the fate of all Ocampans, given their rapid aging and average life span of nine years.
8 Kazon
The first major antagonists created for Star Trek: Voyager, the Kazon failed to make a lasting impression despite a bulk of seasons 1 and 2 being devoted to the new species. Their backstory of subjugation by the Trabe, and the orchestrated civil war was fascinating, but the elaborate sect structure was too convoluted. Ultimately, the Kazon were never intellectual equals to the Voyager crew, which made it difficult for them to pose a serious threat beyond aggression and brute force. Although they did manage to hijack the Voyager and maroon the crew on Hanon IV in the season 2 finale, this was likely thanks to the cold and calculating mind of Cardassian villain Seska (Martha Hackett).
7 Kobali
The Kobali were essentially alien bodysnatchers who reproduced by essentially recycling humanoid corpses via highly advanced DNA alteration. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Ashes to Ashes”, the crew encountered Jhet’lya (Kim Rhodes) who was a Kobali created from the corpse of Ensign Lyndsay Ballard. Jhet’lya retained Lyndsay’s memories and wanted to return to Voyager, but this proved incredibly difficult for everyone involved. Kobali returning to their old lives is forbidden, which is why Voyager comes under attack from two Kobali ships until Lyndsay Ballard agrees to leave her old life behind. They’re a fascinating culture that opens up discussions about how the dead are treated, which is why it’s disappointing that the Kobali haven’t returned.
6 Voth
The Voth was one of Star Trek: Voyager‘s many one-shot aliens that were too fascinating not to make a return. In the episode “Distant Origin”, a Voth scientist discovers evidence that his people originated on Earth when he comes into contact with the USS Voyager. However, his government refuses to accept his scientific findings, instead favoring the overriding religious doctrine of their culture. It’s a classic Star Trek tale of rationalism versus religion, but it’s made even more fascinating by the concept of Earth-based dinosaurs evolving the ability to travel among the stars. It’s an intriguing concept that always felt like it deserved more examination in future episodes of Voyager.
5 Nacene
One of Star Trek: Voyager‘s stranger aliens, the Nacene were a non-humanoid species who could navigate subspace and had vastly superior technology. It was the Nacene Caretaker who stranded Voyager in the Delta Quadrant but he died before he was able to return them home. Janeway and Voyager later encountered another Nacene, Suspiria (voiced by Majel Barrett), who believed that the crew was responsible for the death of her mate. Eventually proving themselves to Suspiria by showing mercy, Voyager was allowed to continue their journey in peace, though Suspiria did not use her powers to send them home.
4 Hirogen
Star Trek: Voyager‘s Hirogen aliens were a species of nomads that purely lived for the hunt. They opened up some fascinating discussions about the ethics of hunting and the moral dilemma of respecting a culture while also pushing for a more enlightened approach. One solution to stop the Hirogen from harming innocent aliens as part of their hunts was to give them the holodeck technology possessed by Voyager. However, this had its own moral implications as Janeway was effectively sanctioning the creation of holograms purely for the purpose of being slaughtered. It was a fascinating discussion of the difficult moral sacrifices made when respecting cultural practices that are deemed “regressive”.
3 Krenim
One of Star Trek: Voyager‘s most powerful enemies was the Krenim, whose fearsome temporal weaponry was responsible for the deaths of multiple Voyager crew members. Krenim scientist Annorax (Kurtwood Smith) invented a weapon that could remove rival alien species from existence. He used this to dispatch his enemies and restore the Krenim Imperium to power, attracting the attention of the Voyager crew. When Voyager attempted to protect the Garenor from Annorax’s weapon, he tried to wipe Voyager from existence but thankfully failed to do so. When Janeway succeeded in reversing the timeline, the USS Voyager plotted a course around Krenim space, avoiding their “Year of Hell” fate.
2 Vidiians
The Vidiians were a terrifying concept for Star Trek: Voyager villains, as they engaged in illegal organ harvesting to stave off the devastating effects of the Phage virus. These patchwork people replaced diseased organs with those of other species to prolong their lives. Voyager first encountered the Vidiians when they stole Neelix’s lungs in the episode “Phage”. They were also responsible for splitting B’Elanna Torres’ Klingon side and her Human side into two separate beings. They also helped Voyager at times too, as the Vidiian scientist Danara Pel (Susan Diol) formed a close bond with the EMH Doctor (Robert Picardo) later helping him cure Janeway and Chakotay of a terminal illness.
1 Species 8472
The terrifying Species 8472 aliens were introduced as a threat who were superior to the Borg, but they had hidden depths. Star Trek‘s first purely CGI aliens, Species 8472 were groundbreaking and stalked the corridors like the xenomorphs from Aliens. Although it was revealed that they were effectively a peaceful species acting in self-defense, they were no less terrifying a foe for Voyager to face. So terrifying were they that they forced Captain Janeway to make her biggest Star Trek: Voyager mistake – an alliance with the Borg Collective.
