Fans of Star Trek: The Original Series are forgiving about many details regarding the show, treating it with the affection you give old friends, because that’s how they’ve always been, and you know they aren’t likely to change.
Certain special effects and storylines don’t age well, but one issue that continuously stands out in the original series is how bland or ineffective some of the antagonists are.
From boring bad guys to aliens with convoluted motives, let’s take a look back at three villains who simply missed the mark.
1. The Kelvans
In “By Any Other Name” (S02E22), the Enterprise crew is drawn to a planet by a fake distress call by beings called the Kelvans, an alien species that seek out other species and planets to conquer, as their own is dying. In reality, the Kelvans, who are from an adjacent galaxy near Andromeda, need Enterprise to return to space and have taken human form to travel in it. However, the longer the Kelvans keep their humanoid form, the more human they become and begin to experience new sensations and emotions—the taste of human food and drink, jealousy, and pleasure.
While the Kelvans are able to neutralize most of the Enterprise crew and distill them down into what look like intergalactic teething toys, that, and the ability to freeze the crew with devices on their belts, are the only true weapons they have. Once they board the Enterprise, they get involved almost immediately with human drama and emotions, making them seem more like a comedic presence than anything else.
2. Dr. Severin and his followers
In “The Way To Eden” (S03E20), a group of zealots, led by Dr. Severin, attempt to take over the Enterprise to find Eden and live in peace, without technology, even though a disease the doctor carries would infect and kill any native being. Severin knows he carries the infection, and his young followers are eager to assist him.
The group somehow manages to steal away in a shuttlecraft after rendering the crew unconscious and makes it to the planet they believe is Eden, only to have it covered in acid and poisonous fruit. Severin and one of his followers die from eating the fruit, and the rest return to Enterprise for treatment.
At one point in the episode, Spock tells Kirk that he believes Dr. Severin to be insane, but unlike a zealot antagonist such as Tolian Soran from Star Trek: Generations, his insanity just makes him seem scattershot with his plans and ideas.
3. Sylvia and Korob
Many of the events in “Catspaw” (S02E02) don’t seem to make much sense outside of an Elvira movie, and the antagonists, Korob and Sylvia, who temporarily capture the Enterprise, are even more convoluted. The latter claims she can read men’s minds and control their environment, which she proves by making Scotty, Sulu, and McCoy do her bidding. In the end, Kirk destroys a wand-like object called the transmuter, revealing that the two aliens are, in truth, fragile, flightless birds that die almost the moment the false environment vanishes.
What makes Sylvia and Korob so ineffective is their lack of true power and unity. Once Sylvia encounters Kirk, she becomes infatuated with him and would rather destroy her companion than obey the “old ones,” some ambiguous figures who are only mentioned once.
How well do you remember these three antagonists? Do you have others that aren’t mentioned here? Let us know at our X and Facebook page—we’d love to hear from you!