Star Trek: 5 Awesome Movie Villain Performances And 5 That Sucked

star_trek Benedict Cumberbatch is set to make a huge impact in Star Trek Into Darkness. If early reviews are to believed, his performance is one of the highlights of the film and he joins a number of other iconic actors who have contributed to the Star Trek universe by playing memorable antagonists. But with every excellent villain €“ like most things in life €“ you have the polar opposite to contend with. Although never enough to ruin a film completely; a lackluster villain can be a sure fire way to keep a film firmly stuck in neutral. If the Enterprise crew don€™t have a sharp enough thorn in their side, all the running in corridors and frantic phaser firing isn€™t going to make the audience care. In order to celebrate the release of Star Trek Into Darkness in cinemas and the breakthrough of Cumberbatch (who it would be far too early to include in our usual 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked format), we bring you something a little different for our Friday column, we will explore the 5 awesome Star Trek movie villain performances and 5 that sucked.... The Awesome...

5. Laurence Luckinbill As Sybok (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

sybok4 A role that Sean Connery turned down; Spock€™s half brother and Vulcan evangelist went to Laurence Luckinbill to play. More deluded than evil, Sybok hijacked the Enterprise to find €˜€™god€™€™ on a planet at the center of the galaxy. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier had many problems and it receives more stick than it deserves but one of the highlights is Laurence Luckinbill who is absolutely charismatic as Sybok. A villain very different Sybok was a character that wasn€™t motivated by revenge and he didn€™t have a desire to take over the world, he wanted to help people. It was his blind belief and method that was the problem. His journey from absolute belief in his vision to the crushing realisation that his life€™s quest was a nothing but a fraud is perfectly conveyed, you never hate him even as he brainwashes the crew and endangers the ship. Luckinbill's take on the character is mostly why he stands out from the other antagonists on Star Trek; "Sybok is a very complex character.He's not a villain.Quite the contrary. He's a dyed-in-the-wool good guy who basically goes a step too far in trying to make everybody in every galaxy experience God his way. "To get a real handle on him, I found myself asking many very basic questions like what is religious experience and what is ambition? Sybok is a character who has a holy vision and is consumed with his wants and desires. That enormous drive and ambition is what I focused on."
Contributor
Contributor

Child of the 80's. Brought up on Star Trek, Video Games and Schwarzenegger, my tastes evolved to encompass all things geeky.