10 Star Trek Villains Who Actually Won

A great villain should be cherished like a fine bottle of Romulan Ale.

Star Trek 3 The Search For Spock Christopher Lloyd Kruge
Paramount

In Star Trek, as in any franchise, there has to be a threat for the heroes to overcome. As much as we do enjoy those speeches of Picard's, if the audience were simply watching fine monologues in every episode, things would certainly start to get a little dull.

Thankfully, Star Trek is the franchise that keeps on giving. From the early days of the Original Series to the latter days of Deep Space Nine, there have been great villains for the audience to hate, even if they do tend to love them a little bit.

Cardassians, Romulans, Bajorans, Humans and even a Thasian or two, the villains on this list all had very major victories along the way. Their final fates may be in the grave, yet who says victory has to end with the villain jetting off into the sunset?

What else is there but to bow down to the greatness that is these smarmy, proficient people - except to possibly hate them just a little bit more than is healthy to do?

10. Admiral Mendak - Data's Day

Star Trek 3 The Search For Spock Christopher Lloyd Kruge
CBS

How many people can say that they outmaneuvered Jean-Luc Picard? Not many, and this Romulan Admiral is among that exhalted few.

The Enterprise is tasked with bring 'Vulcan Ambassador T'Pel to an important diplomatic meeting with the Romulans. However, on their rendevous with the Warbird Devoras, she is seemingly killed in a freak transporter accident.

All is not as it seems, and the crew of the Enterprise quickly deduce that something is afoot. They warp back to the Romulan ship, only to be greeted by a returned Romulan spy, Subcommandor Selok. A patient, victorious Mendak waits as a second Romulan Warbird decloaks, ensuring that Picard has no choice but to turn tail and run from the Neutral Zone.

It is a bitter moment to endure as, not only was it unpleasant to see Picard being owned by the Romulans, but the show (to that point) had painted the Romulans to be often thwarted by the Federation.

Not this time.

Contributor
Contributor

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick