10 Star Trek Villains Who Were Actually Right

Oh sure, we're not meant to agree with these Star Trek baddies, but were they entirely wrong?

Admiral Pressman Star Trek TNG Pegasus
CBS Media Ventures

For a villain to be anything other than one-dimensional, it is crucial that there be something of merit to their plans. That is not to say we are rooting for them to succeed, but that we can see in their logic something that rings true.

Often it is the method, as opposed to the goal, that inspires us to dislike or disagree with a villain. They may wish to provide more resources for the universe, but believe that reducing the universe's population by half is the way to do it. No, Thanos, that wasn't the 'only' way.

We would never be so bold as to claim that any of the villains on this list are those one might root for, but there's certainly an argument to say that each of them had one or two things in the pipeline that may, eventually, have done some good for all concerned. Let's swallow our fears and dive in.

10. Duras

Admiral Pressman Star Trek TNG Pegasus
CBS Media Ventures

No one is about to say that Duras was a likable man. Not only did he orchestrate the wrongful accusation of Mogh, and by extension his family, for the Romulan attack on Khitomer, but he also murdered K'Ehleyr to keep the secret. He also assassinated K'mpec, but what Klingon hasn't murdered a superior in order to rise up the ranks?

The questionable methods aside, Duras was attempting to seize power in the Klingon Empire, while also keeping his family name clean. It must be remembered though that while Duras certainly employed Romulan techniques in his acts (the bomb on K'mpec's ship) - it was his sisters who openly allied with the Romulans by the time of the civil war.

Duras attempted to shift the blame to Mogh's family to ensure that the House of Duras would rise to lead the Empire. From his point of view, the Empire had weakened itself by allying with the Federation and had strayed too far from the imperial efforts of times gone by. His dubious relationship with the Romulans aside, it could easily be argued that his attempt to rebuild the strength of the Empire suffered more from his methods than his goals.

By the time of his death, he was merely a symptom of a much larger problem in the Empire. His efforts, however dire they might have been for Worf and Starfleet, could well have started the Empire on a journey back to its former fearsome strength.

Or, as Duras himself may have put it, he very nearly did 'Make Qu'nos Great Again.'

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick