Since it first graced TVs across the country in 1966, Star Trek has captured the imaginations of millions. The promise of a better tomorrow, where humanity has overcome its foolish foibles and explores the heavens above continues to inspire artists and scientists to this day. But the real draw comes down to one word: aliens.

Aside from Doctor Who, no science fiction story has gone on as long or had the impact on pop culture that Star Trek has. It may not make billions at the box office, but everyone can look at some of the aliens from the franchise and instantly know what race they are. These otherworldly beings have become iconic figures in their own right.

5

Romulans

One of the earliest alien species to appear in Star Trek, the Romulans were introduced in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Balance of Terror.” The species were specifically designed to look like Mister Spock while being a separate race from the Vulcans as commentary on racism in America.

Along with the deeper message of the epiosde, “Balance of Terror” is also the first Star Trek story to take on the feel of a submarine tale by keeping the crew of the Enterprise and the Romulans they are facing off against in separate ships the whole time. This style would become a Star Trek mainstay that was best used in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

The Romulans themselves would become a major part of the franchise’s lore. A constant thorn in the side of the Federation and Starfleet, the Romulans would work with their sworn enemies when the Dominion threatened everyone in Deep Space Nine, and would eventually reunify with the Vulcans after the destruction of Romulus. But through it all, they stand out as the most conniving villians any Starfleet captain ever faced.

4

Cardassians

While the Cardassians may not be as recognizable to the general public as some other alien races in Star Trek, for the lifelong fans, this group is hard to forget. First introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Cardassian officer Gul Madred quickly became a character everyone hated as he tried to break Captain Picard in the two-parter “Chain of Command.”

And while Picard would never say that there were four lights, the Cardassians proved just how evil they could be when Deep Space Nine explored their treatment of the Bajoran people. The most iconic Cardassians, Elim Garak and Gul Dukat, are both beloved for very different reasons, with Garak being considered the first gay character in Star Trek despite the DS9 never making it expressly clear.

While the Dominion was seen as such a great threat to the stability of the galaxy that the Romulans and Federation worked together to stop them, the Cardassians chose to join the Dominion in the hopes of destroying Starfleet and becoming the dominant military force in the Alpha Quadrant. But even the Cardassians would come to join the Federation, with one serving as president in 3189.

3

Borg

While not a single alien race, the Borg are undoubtedly the most iconic foes of the Federation to be introduced outside of the original series. A Collective that has a single task – assimilate all organic life – these robotic villains have a lot in common with Doctor Who‘s Cybermen but with an added touch of zombification.

Because pieces of the person who once was can still be seen in every Borg, it adds a layer of pity to them, even as they assimilated Picard and nearly destroyed Starfleet in the Battle of Wolf 359. While the Borg have mainly been an issue for Picard and his crew, they were also a headache for Captain Janeway in Voyager.

What makes the Borg different from all other Star Trek aliens is that there is no clear way for them to become members of the Federation. While a race like the Ferengi, whose entire civilization is built on greed, can find a way to work within a post-money society, the Borg only exist to turn others into them, seeing no place for vareity in perspectives.

2

Klingons

The most well-known Star Trek aliens that don’t have green blood, the Klingons also have the most complicated history. While they started off as a stand-in for the Soviet Union in the allegorical Cold War of Star Trek: The Original Series, they became something vastly different when Star Trek: The Motion Picture was made.

In their initial appearances in the original series, Klingons looked much more like humans than they do now. They had big pointy eyebrows and way too much bronzer on, but beyond that they didn’t stand out from the crew of the Enterprise. But with the movies, the Klingons were redesigned into the look they are better known for now.

Along with that change in look, the concept of the Klingons was rethought. With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union gone, the minds behind Star Trek turned the Klingons into a warrior race, with Next Generation‘s Worf being used to explore their new reality. With that chance, what had once been a ham-handed metaphor became one of the most interesting mythologies in all of science fiction.

1

Vulcans

It could be argued that there is no alien race as iconic as the Vulcans. Mister Spock is not only the most recognized of the species, he is the most recognizable Star Trek character, with his appearance, no matter who plays him, barely changing over the last 60 years. Spock’s ears, eyebrows, and haircut are perhaps the most iconic things about Star Trek outside of the Enterprise.

Saying “live long and prosper” to any stranger will almost certainly be met with a Vulcan salute, or at least an attempt to do one, even if the person doesn’t really know Star Trek. The iconography of the Vulcan race is as embedded into everyday culture as that of Superman or the Beatles.

Vulcans are so important to Star Trek that even the attempts to replace them with a different concept have had limited success. Data is the clear stand-in for a Vulcan in Next Generation, but the franchise never bothered to bring in another android, choosing instead to go back to the pointy eared logic loving race for most of its shows.

Created by

Gene Roddenberry

First Episode Air Date

September 8, 1966

Cast

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh

TV Show(s)

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy