8. Plan Out Your Antagonists
This is a lesson that can be learnt from The Next Generation, who developed the Ferengi as the show's major enemy race at the start of the first season. After two episodes featuring them, they were dropped from that role and were only used from then on as comedy relief (with only a couple of exceptions). The Ferengi as seen in The Next Generation season one simply was not threatening enough, and their mannerisms were comedic. Deep Space Nine resurrected them and turned them into fan favourites, especially with Armin Shimmerman who was in the whip wielding cackling scene from their first appearance in The Last Outpost. There are some good points and bad points about Maurice Hurley, but he did develop the Borg. We also have to thank the Writer's Strike between seasons one and two of The Next Generation which caused Hurley to drop the intended insect version and by the time they appeared in Q Who, they became their more familiar form. They remain the only antagonists who have appeared in the films and originated in a television show other than The Original Series, and this was because they were of sufficient threat and design to make them enter the mainstream mind-set in their own right alongside the Klingons and the Romulans. It took two nearly two full seasons for Deep Space Nine to introduce the Dominion, although references were made earlier than that. Voyager, by the nature of the show's premise had difficulty introducing a realistic antagonist. For example, it was never explained how Seska kept appearing during season two despite the crew of Voyager travelling back to the Alpha quadrant in a much faster vessel than the Kazon possessed. Eventually they brought in the Borg, which was something fans had been expecting since the ship was deposited in the Delta quadrant. So make the new antagonists powerful and a credible threat. Don't leave any room for a comedic element, as they should be absolutely deadly. They don't necessarily have to be introduced in the very first episode as Enterprise attempted with the Suliban, but Star Trek no longer has the ability to wait 42 episodes anymore even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has recognised this and hinted at a potential returning adversary after only three episodes.