Star Trek Discovery: 10 Awesome Villains They Should've Used Instead

The Vampiric Cloud, which made its screen debut in TOS’ “Obsession”, is ripe for a 21st Century update with its demonic cloud-like appearance having sparkling potential for a sleek, nightmarish re-polish.

As the subject of Captain Kirk’s vengeful obsessions, the vampiric cloud had preyed on the USS Farragut ten years before the setting of the original show… the exact time period that Discovery is exploring. Its reputation for evil and murderous tendencies are well-known, having killed over two hundred crewmen on the Farragut, including its captain, and drawing Kirk’s decade-long ire.

Bringing such a dangerous foe as the Vampire Cloud into the show would instantly up the stakes with its survival guaranteed - a luxury the characters of Discovery don’t enjoy. The premiere made careful note that there are countless dangers to be found in space, as well as wonders, and the vampiric creature is one of many that we as an audience are all too familiar with.

Star Trek is somewhat darker than it was 50 years ago, and would be capable of portraying the entity in frightening and truly consequential ways.

It’s doubtful that the crew of the Farragut were the only victims of the Vampiric Entity - so why not have the fresh-faced crew of the titular show make a chilling discovery in the form of the remains of unlucky souls in other systems to have encountered the creature? With some careful canon-manuevering, the crew could even suffer a fearful brush with the dreaded entity itself, barely escaping with their lives.