Star Trek: 10 Disastrous USS Voyager First Contacts

Originally created because Brannon Braga and Bryan Fuller were impressed by the sheer size of American Football players whilst watching an NFL game one night, the Hirogen towered over Voyager from their introduction in season four to their final appearance in season seven. They even popped up in Star Trek: Picard, once in the form of an ex-Borg on the Artefact in Nepenthe, and then as part of a tale with which to regale the cadets in No Win Scenario.

Voyager's first time with the species is certainly one of the most interesting on this list. The moment had all the diplomatic flair of an argument with the cat filter on over Zoom, but at least provided a bonding opportunity for Seven and B'Elanna. Seven's "mild shock" feedback loop option stunned Captain Janeway as much as it did the intransigent Hirogen at the relay station.

Successive encounters went from bad to worse: Hirogen attacks and kidnappings culminated in a full-scale take-over and occupation of Voyager. The crew resisted à la française and took back the ship, but not before handing over holodeck technology to the Hunters. This fateful decision would have deadly consequences only a few years later when Hirogen-created hyper-holograms rebelled against their pitiless masters.