Star Trek's very first villains established a theme that would continue in every Star Trek TV series and movie throughout the franchise. Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," was produced in 1964, introducing the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter). Although NBC rejected "The Cage" and ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage's" events canonically predate the known events of the 23rd century seen in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the first six Star Trek movies. Hence, the denizens of Talos IV are Star Trek's original villains who aren't really villains.
Star Trek isn't defined by a simplistic 'good vs. evil' paradigm. While the Starfleet Officers of Star Trek are inherently noble and open-minded, they can fall prey to all manner of weaknesses in human nature. Conversely, Star Trek's villains are rarely mustache-twirling black hats. The antagonists of Star Trek tend to desire specific goals and their needs conflict with the needs of the many. The various alien races cast as Star Trek villains are also usually motivated by the preservation or manifest destiny of their species. Indeed, races like the Klingons, Romulans, and the Dominion often see themselves as the heroes and the United Federation of Planets as the 'evil empire.'
The Talosians Were Star Trek's Very First Villains - But Weren't Really Villains
Talos IV's psychic natives set the stage for Star Trek villains to come
Star Trek's very first villains are the Talosians in "The Cage," and the twist is they are not truly villains. Powerful psychics capable of casting immersively lifelike illusions, the Talosians lured the USS Enterprise to Talos IV in order to trap Captain Christopher Pike. However, the Talosians did so to find Vina (Susan Oliver) a mate. Vina was a human who crashed on Talos IV years prior, and the Talosians took responsibility for the girl when the rest of her starship's crew perished. The Talosians did kidnap Captain Pike, but only to give Vina, who is gruesomely deformed, a happier life in a perfect illusion.
Proving they were not malevolent, the Talosians released Captain Pike after they concluded from their experiments that human beings cannot be caged. Thus, Pike would not be a good mate for Vina when held against his will. In Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie," the Talosians helped Spock (Leonard Nimoy) bring the permanently disfigured Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) to Talos IV to live out his life in a perfect illusion with Vina. In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, the Talosians also helped heal Lt. Spock's (Ethan Peck) fractured mind - hardly the actions of villains.
Every Star Trek TV Show Since Has Featured Morally Ambiguous Antagonists
Few Star Trek villains are actually evil
The Talosians in Star Trek's "The Cage" set the stage for the morally complex Star Trek villains to come. Star Trek: The Original Series' heavies included space gods like the lonely Greek deity Apollo (Michael Forest), the overpowered child Trelane (William Campbell), and Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) first enemy, Lt. Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), who was corrupted by his powerful ESP abilities. Klingons were ruthless but have a complex society based on honor, while the devious Romulans have depth and layers of secrets. It takes a jump to the Mirror Universe to find Star Trek villains who revel in being evil.
Every Star Trek series has developed villains with complex motivations. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Cardassians were brutal imperialists who still loved and cherished their own families. The Changelings created a fascist Dominion out of a desire to control the 'solids' who persecuted their race. Even the Borg, who assimilate life into a hive-like collective, do so not because they are 'evil' but to attain 'perfection.' The omnipotent Q (John de Lancie) is driven by his fascination with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In Star Trek, things are rarely black and white, and digging into the motivations of the franchise's villains usually leads to some kind of profound understanding, even when their actions are irredeemable.
Star Trek's Pilot Episode Was Brave To Avoid A Traditional Villain
Gene Roddenberry had an ambitious vision
Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek to NBC as "Wagon Train to the stars," promising an action-packed outer space adventure every week. While "The Cage" was deemed "too cerebral" by NBC, Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek was evident by creating heroes who were genuinely human while avoiding one-dimensional villains. The Talosians became the standard for how Star Trek would depict alien antagonists, which requires the crew of the Starship Enterprise to solve their opposition with diplomacy and intelligence instead of always simply relying on fists and phasers, although that happened as well. This continued into every incarnation of Star Trek in TV and movies.
When Star Trek jumped to feature films, Gene Roddenberry's non-traditional villains manifested in Star Trek: The Motion Picture's V'Ger, the massive alien construct searching for its creator, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home's probe looking for humpback whales on Earth. Even Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), widely acknowledged as Star Trek's greatest villain, is a superior intellect driven by loss and wounded pride to seek revenge on Admiral Kirk. In Star Trek, understanding what the villain wants or needs often holds up a mirror to our own shared humanity, leading the audience to want to emulate the enlightened attitudes of our heroic Starfleet Officers.
