10 Best Star Trek Villains In Only One Episode
5. Kyril Finn - The Next Generation, The High Ground
Finn serves as one of the more sympathetic villains on this list, appearing in an episode that was deemed highly controversial on its release. He represents a group of separatists who have resorted to terrorism in order to achieve their ends, laying the groundwork for characters like Shaakar and Damar in the years to come.
The High Ground is the episode that makes reference to the Irish Reunification of 2024. That line alone got the show censored by the BBC on its released. Finn explains notions that one dead martyr is worth ten fighting rebels, painting himself like George Washington and espousing a belief that terrorism and freedom fighting depend on the view of the storyteller.
Perhaps of all entrants on this list, Finn is the most ambiguous. While he is aware of the damage that his actions cause, he believes them justified in the name of freedom. He tells Crusher that he won't kill her because he has no reason to, suggesting that if killing her would advance his cause, he would do so.
Children are recruited. Children are killed. Finn refuses to put down weapons, preferring instead to continue the fight for independence. At what point does the struggle veer away from its beginnings and simply become a grudge match - eye for an eye? Finn goes so far as to attack the Enterprise, believing the Federation to be siding against them.
In the end, while Finn may have had honourable intentions, his quest for vengeance brought more death and destruction to a divided community.