Hello, Trekkies, and welcome to the final entry in our six-part series of the most dangerous aliens from Star Trek: The Original Series. It's been a long road, if you'll excuse the expression, but we still have three more arrogant, argumentative, and abhorrent beings that put Captain Kirk and his crew in danger in the deep reaches of space.
1. Commissioner Bele and Lokai ("Let That Be Your Last Battlefield")
These black-and-white bi-colored polar opposites from the same planet, Cheron, cause Captain Kirk plenty of problems when they bring their centuries-long battle on board the Enterprise. Lokai stole a Starfleet shuttlecraft to flee Commissioner Bele, who says the former has committed crimes on their home planet he must answer for. Lokai sees himself as his people's liberator, and the only way to tell these two apart is which side of the face is solid black or chalky white.
Both Bele and Lokai have considerable physical powers, from personal force fields to kinetic abilities. The latter allows Bele to short out the ship's self-destruct program after Kirk threatens to use it to stop him and Lokai (and cause most of the bridge crew to need a change of underwear). Bele also has telepathic will, so he can force Enterprise to go where he desires.
While Kirk is wily enough to overcome Bele until they approach Cheron and find that the two warring factions have absolutely deleted each other, it's obvious they have dangerous abilities that could cause their hatred to spread across the galaxy and entangle aggressive species, like the Klingons, to join his side. A special mention must go to the late Frank Gorshin, of Adam West's Batman fame, who gave a memorable performance as Bele.
2. The Gorgan ("And the Children Shall Lead")
I can almost feel the side eye I'm getting from readers by including the alien from one of the most widely-panned Star Trek episode ever, but hear me out. Yes, the kids have Children of the Corn vibes from the start. And, yes, the way the kids access their powers is, shall we say, off-putting. Plus, William Shatner chews the scenery harder than the Tasmanian Devil, but the emotions the Gorgan can trigger truly are dangerous.
Imagine an alien foe who uses the innocence of others as a weapon. If the children and the Gorgan had reached Marcos XII, they could have grown their army exponentially, and in a very brief period of time. Kids recruiting kids as their parents heebie-jeebie themselves into the afterlife is a terrifying idea, especially considering the level of power the Gorgan gave those children.
Also, I don't know who edited that tape of the children playing with their parents, but that footage of them all romping around to the cut of the parents' bodies strewn everywhere is the most savage cutaway in history!
3. The Zetarians ("The Lights of Zetar")
A polite alien knows when to leave, but the consciousness of a hundred final girls and guys from Zetar long overstay their welcome in the minds of others during this mission. It's almost like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with mind-snatching instead.
The effects in this episode are unintentionally hilarious, from the ultra-high contrast colors on the victim's faces to the weird croaking sounds they make, but when you consider the Zetarian's intent and the obvious powers they wield, it makes them not only creepy, but dangerous as well.
If they chose Lt. Mira Romaine as their vessel because her mind and will were strong enough to withstand their presence, there were likely many others like her who might be used in their goal to remain immortal. Talk about losing your mind!
My fellow Trekkies, it's been my enjoyment and honor to help bring this six-part series to life! Please share your thoughts and comments on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. Let us know which season(s) you think have the most dangerous aliens and why. We'd love to hear from you! Until the next series, friends.