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4 freakiest aliens from Star Trek: The Original Series

By Chad Porto

LONDON - DECEMBER 18: People explore the "Transporter Room" exhibit at the "Star Trek The Adventure" exhibition December 18, 2002 in London, England. The public exhibition is the largest Star Trek venue yet with over 600 original items from the television series as well as items from various Star Trek films. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
LONDON - DECEMBER 18: People explore the "Transporter Room" exhibit at the "Star Trek The Adventure" exhibition December 18, 2002 in London, England. The public exhibition is the largest Star Trek venue yet with over 600 original items from the television series as well as items from various Star Trek films. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
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Star Trek: The Original Series had some freaky aliens.

Star Trek: The Original Series‘ first season played like a horror movie. With monsters and visual designs that would put The Twilight Zone to shame, the original series of Trek made sure to make fans as unsettled as possible. While other aliens in Star Trek may be scarier now, considering the limitations at the time, the creators and designers did a great job bringing these haunted images to life.

These aliens resonate with people for a reason and it’s because of how off-putting they really are.

Sure, Next Generation and Voyager had the Borg but while the Borg is scray in a practical sense, these aliens from the original series are scary in a more unsettling sense. Not so much “boo!” or “ew!”, but more “..uhh…”.

So here are the four aliens from the original series of Star Trek that left us feeling the heebie jeebies.

Balok’s puppet

Balok’s puppet is the one that gave me the inspiration for this list. The creepy, creepy puppet. Modeled a bit like the big-headed, Area 51 aliens we’re all too familiar with, they’re then combined with what I can only describe as a shocked maitre d at a restaurant.

Distorted in a water-like effect, it’s nearly impossible to tell if the alien is in fact looking around and talking at the crew of the Enterprise or if the distortion is just making it seem that way. The alien was one of the first things Star Trek viewers got to see when the show launched, as Balok’s puppet popped up in the very second episode of the series; The Corbomite Maneuver.

What’s even worse about this alien was that it wasn’t even its real form. No, the real Balok was nothing more than your standard Teran toddler. Played creepily by Clint Howard, brother of famed actor and director Ron Howard.

The character, nor its race, has ever been seen in Star Trek since, and considering how eery the alien was when fans first saw him, it wouldn’t have been surprised if many thought this was an outer space version of The Twilight Zone.

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