Star Trek's Most Incredible Alien Is a Total Secret to the TV Show Which Is a Crying Shame

The most incredible alien creature in the Star Trek universe is a total secret to fans of the TV shows and movies. For the past 59 years, the Star Trek shows and movies have featured some incredible, terrifying and awe-inspiring aliens. Yet one creature, who surpasses all of them, never appeared on-screen. Instead, it made its debut in Marvel’s Star Trek: Voyager #11, from 1997.

Star Trek: Voyager #11, the first part of the “Leviathan” story arc, was written by Laurie S. Sutton and drawn by Jesus Redondo. In the Delta Quadrant, Voyager stumbles upon a massive, techno-organic construct they dub “Leviathan.” The ship, which is sentient, came from outside the galaxy to study ours, yet it does so in a disturbing fashion: luring ships in and “incorporating” them into its structure.

The hapless species caught by Leviathan are then herded into habitat zones.

Voyager escaped Leviathan, and the story ends implying a connection to the alien V’Ger, from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Star Trek Has Been A Cultural Milestone On TV and in the Movies

Some of Star Trek's Best Stories and Characters Have Never Appeared On the Screen

Since 1966, Star Trek has served as a cultural touchstone for generations of fans, all drawn to the fantastic worlds the show depicts, as well as the franchise’s optimistic view of the future. Beginning with the Talosians in Star Trek’s first episode, “The Cage,” the franchise has featured powerful alien races. These aliens, who sometimes have powers and abilities far beyond humans, have forced Captains Kirk, Sisko and Janeway to “think outside the box” in order to defeat them. Many classic Star Trek episodes are built around this premise, and often reinforce the franchise’s ideals.

While Star Trek has thrived on TV and theater screens, it has also inspired a large body of non-canonical work that still manages to enhance the experience for fans. The first Star Trek comics, published by Gold Key, appeared within a year of the show’s premiere. The first Star Trek novels appeared around this time as well. These novels and comics, while not an official part of the canon, offer additional insight into the characters and their backstories. Paramount Pictures, despite not regarding them as official, have still taken elements from them to use in the shows and movies.

Leviathan Is the Most Awe-Inspiring Creature in the Star Trek Mythos

Star Trek Never Revealed Where Leviathan Came From, Making It A Big Franchise Mystery

Leviathan, seen in Star Trek: Voyager #11 and #12, is perhaps the most awe-inspiring creature ever glimpsed in the franchise. It is massive, easily dwarfing Voyager and any other spacecraft or starship. Leviathan is an incredibly complex creature, capable of technological feats beyond the Federation, the Klingons and maybe even the Borg. In Star Trek: Voyager #12, as Leviathan retreats, the crew are amazed at how fast it traveled: it approached Warp 9.9 with no problems. Most Starfleet vessels can only go this fast for limited amounts of time.

Leviathan’s origin was obscured, which only adds to its mystique. It originated from outside the galaxy, but where exactly it hailed from was never revealed. It stated its purpose was to learn and explore, but it chose a disturbing way of going about it. The fates of the people imprisoned abroad Leviathan are also a mystery. Why it was built, and who built it, will remain one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the Star Trek franchise, and a puzzle that will most likely never be followed up on, either on-screen or in the comics and movies.

Leviathan Had Deep Ties to Star Trek Lore--Maybe

Are V'Ger and Leviathan "Brothers?"

Star Trek: Voyager #12 forwarded an intriguing theory about Leviathan: that there was a connection to another massive, sentient alien construct: V’Ger. Seen only in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this entity was once a lowly Voyager probe. After being lost, it discovered a planet of machines, who saw in the probe a kindred spirit. They built a massive vessel to allow Voyager to complete its mission and return home. The movie ends with Captain Will Decker and Ilia merging into V’Ger and departing this plane of existence. However, whatever connection existed between V’Ger and Leviathan is never explained.

The connection between Leviathan and V’Ger makes sense, however, as both have similar gimmicks, only different ways of going about it. It is possible that Leviathan also hailed from the machine planet that created V’Ger. However, it does raise questions of its own, such as which came first. Another possibility, even more fascinating, is that Leviathan was an actual inhabitant of V’Ger’s machine world. V’Ger was merely a construct created by the machines, but Leviathan could potentially be one of them. If so, they may be the most powerful alien race in the entire Star Trek universe.

Star Trek Fans Are Missing Out by Not Reading the Comics and Novels

Non-Canon Star Trek Material Greatly Enhances the Franchise

The “Leviathan” story arc was fun and a great Star Trek adventure. It introduced a powerful new alien to the mythos, one with deep ties to franchise lore. While similar to V’Ger, Leviathan blazed its own path across the galaxy–and it may have even surpassed the former Earth probe. If done correctly, Leviathan could be an impressive sight on-screen and a worthy villain for Starfleet. As such, however, it only appeared in the comics, depriving Star Trek fans of the most fantastic creature seen in the franchise.