10 Most Fearsome Alien Races In Star Trek
7. Cardassians
A war hungry race first seen in The Next Generation, the highly dangerous and ever untrustworthy Cardassians became one of ‘90s Star Trek’s most dastardly species. They may have a name like a reality TV family, but for three generations of Trek, they were perhaps the galaxy’s greatest threat.
Their debut sees a peace treaty between the Cardassian nation and the United Federation of Planets severed, and while the Cardassians aren’t exactly to blame for this, they’re more than happy to run with the ball once the truce is over. They attack and annex various under defended planets, resulting in substantial territory.
By the time Deep Space Nine comes around, the Cardassian empire is starting to crumble, but the individual characters come to the fore, culminating with 1993 episode “Duet”, regarded as one of the series’ finest ever moments.
The tale of the Cardassians is almost tragic - they’re conquerors who didn’t quite know what to do with the spoils of war. They’re capable of great atrocities as we learn in Deep Space Nine, but they’re depicted with such detail that they can’t be dismissed as simple stock baddies.