Star Trek: 10 Strangest Alien Species
6. The Jarada
Communications and diplomatic relations are might be the most important jobs of a Starfleet captain, particularly in a first contact situation. One wrong move and you're at war with the Klingons for decades. But other times, maintaining a relationship with another race is even more important.
The Jarada were an insect-like species not exactly known for being friendly. In addition to being xenophobic and reclusive, they're also possibly the most anal retentive species in any part of the galaxy. Captain Picard was sent to meet a representative of the Jarada at a very specific time at a very specific place to delivery a very specific greeting in their language.
The last attempt at this greeting was 20 years earlier, an experience that captain did not survive after screwing it up. Again, the Jarada were incredibly anal retentive about pretty much everything. Naturally, a holodeck malfunction caused a delay which upset the Jarada but Picard did deliver the greeting to perfection. As such, diplomatic relations between the Jarada and the Federation resumed.