Star Trek: 12 Most Powerful Beings Ever

Science Fiction is, at its heart, about exploring that which could be. In Star Trek, while there are many week-to-week issues that the crews must deal with, there are still many examples of this fundamental tenet of the genre - explore that which could be.

Gene Roddenberry was one of the driving forces behind this as, in his future, humanity would have no need to war with itself. Earth would be a perfect society and therefore they needed something greater to push them on.

The nature of existence has been explored many times in Star Trek. The creations of mankind returning in the future has been depicted, both in positive and negative ways. Yet, and especially in those early series, many of the great beings were depicted as forms of humanity that had simply stepped beyond the veil of what is.

Religion has a varied history in Star Trek and so not many of the entries on this list might classify as gods, though that is not to say that beings of immense power do not exist in the Star Trek universe. Religious systems have built up around them, most prominently on Bajor.

To quote the famous line - with great power comes great responsibility - and several of these entries have either ignored that message altogether or have had to learn it the hard way.

Interstellar wars are devastating, but when one has the power to wipe out all life, how do the cosmic scales balance? Read on...

Trelane has been described as both a member of a species that is as-yet unclassified, and potentially a member of the Q continuum, albeit one still grappling with his powers.

Whichever of the two it is, Trelane appeared initially to be something of a perfect gentleman, while taking the Enterprise captive and holding her crew against their will. He attempted to show them a good time, greeting them in their native tongue, treating them to a meal and keeping them entertained.

He styled himself as a foppish lord, displaying the first of his slip ups. His knowledge on Earth was out of date. Despite this, his powers were still tremendous. The crew began to suspect that a large and ornate mirror in his setting was the root of all of his power and they destroy it, allowing them to temporarily escape.

However, Trelane quickly follows them - by moving his planet into their path, no matter where they tried to escape to. Kirk decides to beam himself back down and confront him, finding himself in a court of Trelane's choosing (a setting that further lends weight to the suspicion that he might be an adolescent member of the Q).

Before things can get too out of hand, Trelane's parents appear and take him away. They appear as entities of energy. Kirk surmises that Trelane was simply a spoiled, yet dangerous, child, bullying others. The ship escapes and Trelane has yet to return.