Star Trek Discovery: 10 Awesome Villains They Should've Used Instead
6. Tholians
Few Star Trek races are as enigmatic and intriguing as the elusive Tholians. Such is their overwhelming air of mystery and danger that fans have been clamouring for more information about them ever since their first screen appearance almost 50 years ago.
“The Tholian Web”, one of the bright spots of TOS’ maligned third season, established the Tholians as a highly xenophobic and territorial species intensely protective of their borders. Their physiologies were so complex, so alien, that they were almost unable to be rendered by 60s effects.
Since then, the Tholians have enjoyed only fleeting mentions in canon, and an in-depth focus during a venture to the Mirror Universe in the prequel series Enterprise. When it comes to the Prime Universe in which Discovery is set however, there has historically been an extreme shortage of genuine Tholian action. Often spoke of as formidable and aggressive, but too-rarely seen, Discovery has a chance to rectify their sparsity in canon.
The Klingons are the main foes, for now, but the ship on which the show derives its name carries expectations of voyages, of journeys and exploration, discovering both the wonders and threats of the universe. The Tholians are a perfect fit for the time period of the show, and they're out there, within reach of Lorca’s crew.