10 Star Trek Villains In 2023 Ranked Worst To Best

Star Trek introduced some new villains in 2023 and brought back some old foes who have become iconic in their own right. Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Lower Decks all had new seasons in 2023, introducing the world to many new Trek heroes and villains. 2023 also saw the return of some classic Star Trek villains, like the Borg, the Changelings, and the Gorn. Whether they were facing off against Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), or the crew of the USS Cerritos, these big bads had it out for our intrepid Starfleet heroes.

Every hero faces off against a villainous adversary at some point, and 2023 put Star Trek’s heroes up against some truly frightening foes. Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation on the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D to face off against a threat to the Federation courtesy of the Borgs and the Changelings. Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 continued the adventures of Captain Pike and his USS Enterprise crew, pitting them against the vicious Gorn. The stakes also escalated for the crew of the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 as they stood their own against a returning enemy seeking revenge. Here are the top 10 villains in Star Trek 2023.

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10 David Huynh As Zac Nguyen – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A former USS Enterprise yeoman out for revenge.

The former yeoman of Captain Pike, Zac Nguyen was thought to have been killed during a mission to Rigel VII. Five years later, when the Enterprise returned to the planet in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, “Among the Lotus Eaters,” they discovered that Nguyen had survived. Nguyen then seeks revenge against Captain Pike for leaving him, locking up his former captain and forcing him to succumb to the memory-erasing properties of the planet. Despite his missing memories, Pike still fights for his crew, eventually facing off against Nguyen. Zac may not have been the most captivating villain, but he did illustrate what can happen when a Starfleet officer violates the Prime Directive, and how fruitless it is to seek vengeance (or to bet against Captain Pike).

9 Ellora Patnaik As T’Pril – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

T’Pring’s overbearing Vulcan mother.

In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5, “Charades,” Lt. Spock’s (Ethan Peck) Vulcan fiancee, T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), and her parents visit the Enterprise for a Vulcan engagement dinner. T’Pring’s mother, T’Pril, may not be a villain in the traditional sense, but she goes out of her way to state her disapproval of Spock as a match for her daughter. She is rude to Captain Pike after he spent hours preparing Vulcan dishes, and she insults both Spock and her own daughter. Although she is not directly responsible for T’Pring’s decision to break up with Spock, T’Pril certainly doesn’t help matters. Ellora Patnaik delivers a solid performance as T’Pril, and she certainly gets under the viewer’s skin.

8 Moopsy – Star Trek: Lower Decks

The cute, but deadly little pet.

In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 2, “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee,” some of the crew members of the USS Cerritos visit Narj’s Miraculous Menagerarium to rescue the two humans Narj has on display. One of Narj’s other pets, Moopsy, may look cute and harmless, but Moopsy is actually a dangerous predator who “drinks” the bones of its prey. After the two humans in Narj’s menagerie let Moopsy out of its enclosure, it kills Narj before Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) lure it back to its cage. Not only is the juxtaposition of Moopsy’s appearance and appetite a funny gag, but its agility and viciousness make it a genuinely frightening little creature.

7 Adelaide Kane As Sera – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The undercover Romulan time-traveler.

In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) travels back in time with an alternate universe’s Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). In 21st-century Toronto, La’an and Kirk encounter Sera, an undercover Romulan operative sent back in time to slow human progress. Sera initially presents herself as an eccentric Canadian conspiracy theorist, but she later reveals her true agenda and kills the alternate Kirk. Although La’an manages to prevent Sera from killing the young Khan Noonien-Singh (Desmond Sivan), she returns to her time deeply affected by Kirk’s death. Sera proved to be a master manipulator who killed an incredibly likable version of Star Trek’s most iconic captain.

6 Robert Wisdom As Ambassador Dak’Rah – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A Klingon war general turned Federation ambassador with a dark secret.

Robert Wisdom brought a commanding gravitas to his portrayal of Klingon Ambassador Dak’Rah, making it difficult to determine whether the former war general was sincere in his offers of peace. Dak’Rah’s visit to the Starship Enterprise in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8, “Under the Cloak of War,” triggers Dr. Joseph M’Benga’s (Babs Olusanmokun) and other Klingon War survivors’ PTSD. But both Dak’Rah and M’Benga harbor a secret about who the true Butcher of J’Gal is. In a shocking Star Trek plot twist, M’Benga kills Dak’Rah for his past crimes, but Dak’Rah has left a permanent stain on Dr. M’Benga’s soul.

5 Brent Spiner As Lore – Star Trek: Picard

Data’s android evil brother.

In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Lore (Brent Spiner), the evil older brother of Data, made a brief return as one of the personalities sharing the newly upgraded Daystrom Android M-5-10 built by Dr. Altan Soong (Brent Spiner). Data eventually won out over Lore to take control of the android’s brain, but not before Lore temporarily took control of the USS Titan-A. Brent Spiner never fails to deliver a captivating performance, and while it was fun to see Lore one last time, it’s nice to see Data’s evil brother finally put to rest.

4 Robert Duncan McNeill As Nicholas Locarno – Star Trek: Lower Decks

The disgraced Starfleet cadet.

First introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 19, “The First Duty,” Cadet Nick Locarno took the blame for the accident that got a fellow Starfleet cadet killed. Because of this, the young cadet was kicked out of Starfleet and didn’t make another appearance in Star Trek until Lower Decks season 4. A strange and powerful weapon plagued non-Federation ships throughout Lower Decks season 4, and the USS Cerritos helped figure out that Locarno was behind the attacks. It’s always fun when a character from a previous Trek show returns to the franchise, and Locarno’s involvement in Lower Decks was an unexpected surprise.

3 The Gorn – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The terrifying lizard aliens.

The fearsome Gorn have come a long way since their introduction in the Star Trek: The Original Series classic episode, “Arena.” With the aid of modern CGI and special effects, the Gorn of Strange New Worlds are truly terrifying, reminiscent of the xenomorphs from the Alien movie franchise. The Gorn view humanoid species as food and, so far, have given no indication that they can be reasoned with. In the Strange New Worlds season 2 finale, “Hegemony,” the Gorn attack a Federation colony, destroying the USS Cayuga and infecting its captain, Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), with Gorn eggs. Not only does “Hegemony” end with Captain Batel’s life hanging in the balance, but it also ends with several Enterprise crew members as prisoners of the Gorn, with Captain Pike unsure how to save them. ​​

2 Alice Krige As The Borg Queen – Star Trek: Picard

The iconic ruler of the Borg Collective.

The infamous Borg Queen, first introduced in Star Trek: First Contact, made a surprising return in the final episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3. After being nearly destroyed by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager, the severely weakened Borg Queen (embodied by Jane Edwina Seymour) allied with the Changelings to defeat Starfleet. After her near destruction, the Borg Queen concocted a plan in Star Trek: Picard season 3 to evolve the dying Borg by assimilating Starfleet through Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). The Borg Queen has always been formidable, but, in Picard, the desiccated and desperate Queen is particularly unsettling.

1 Amanda Plummer As Vadic – Star Trek: Picard

The Changeling with a grudge and a warship.

Amanda Plummer seems to be having so much fun playing the delightfully evil Captain Vadic, embuing the Changeling with a sadistic glee that makes Vadic one of Star Trek’s most compelling villains. As one of the Changelings who was grossly mistreated by Starfleet during and after the Dominion War, Vadic has every reason to want revenge. With her powerful warship and sheer ruthlessness, Vadic was a formidable adversary, made even more so by her alliance with the Borg Queen. Although Vadic was killed and her ship destroyed, she made quite an impression as one of Star Trek’s newest villains, and the plan she set in motion very nearly succeeded.

Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Lower Decks are available to stream on Paramount+.