Star Trek Characters That Must Return (2026)

7. Sybok

Star Trek Strange New Worlds The Serene Squall Sybok
CBS Media Ventures

James T. Kirk, Leonard McCoy, and the Star Trek audience were introduced to Sybok via Laurence Luckinbill's performance in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. While that film failed to set critic reviews alight, this notion of a secret child of Sarek took on a life of its own. Certainly, it was so intriguing that additional secret children were added as time went on, including another name on this list.

Sybok was then teased in the closing moments of The Serene Squall, though only his back and side profile are seen. Clearly, this gives us the freedom to pick and choose how we'd like Sybok to appear. Perhaps he will remain in the shadows forevermore (at least until he is called to Sha-Ka-Ree). 

However, with Strange New Worlds' affinity for putting Spock through his paces, it seems both likely and reasonable to expect to see Sybok in the not-so-distant future. All one needs to do to keep things ticking along with canon is to keep those who were unaware of him in that film out of the line of sight. 

Sybok is the standout element of the fifth Star Trek film, not least because of Luckinbill's acting. However, he is also a largely mysterious character. There is so much to work with that, if handled properly, Sybok could become one of the most intriguing, fascinating characters in all of Trek. 

Also, who doesn't enjoy the booming sounds of a Vulcan's laughter?

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"