Be Grateful Star Trek: TNG’s Best Villains Never Appeared In Captain Kirk’s Era

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Patience is often rewarded, and that’s certainly the case with the villains of Star Trek. The original Star Trek series was crucial in creating many of the franchise’s most memorable antagonists. We first met the Klingons in the episode “Errand of Mercy,” the Romulans in “Balance of Terror,” Khan in “Space Seed,” and the Gorn in “Arena.” Even the character Trelane from “The Squire of Gothos” unintentionally laid the groundwork for Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

As a huge Trek fan, it’s amazing how few of the really memorable villains actually started in the original series. And honestly, when it comes to one particular bad guy race, that’s a good thing. They’re way more effective because we didn’t have any pre-conceived notions about them from the beginning!

Admit It, The Borg Would Have Been Terrible In Star Trek: The Original Series

Looking back at Star Trek, what really struck me when The Next Generation came along wasn’t the change in captains or even having a Klingon as a main character. It was how the feeling of the show shifted. The original Star Trek felt very much of its time – the 60s – with a kind of bright, playful, almost silly vibe, a bit like Happy Days. You could tell it was aware it was a bit cheesy, with those running gags about Spock being super logical. But Gene Roddenberry was brilliant at blending that fun, familiar style with his grand vision of the future and space exploration.

By the 1980s, television shows began to strive for more realism. This trend was reflected in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the darker, more subdued colors of the Starfleet uniforms symbolized the show’s more mature direction.

The Klingons underwent a significant change between the original Star Trek series and The Next Generation. They evolved from being portrayed as cunning, unscrupulous criminals into a proud race defined by a strong warrior culture and a strict code of honor. This shift began with Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and fully reshaped the Klingons for a new generation, building upon their existing traits while adding depth and complexity.

Such a transformation would never have been possible for the Borg.

As a huge Trek fan, I always thought the Borg were brilliant villains. They first showed up in season two of The Next Generation, and honestly, they’re probably the most iconic bad guys Star Trek introduced after the original series. And that’s perfect, because the way they’re presented – the whole creepy, collective consciousness thing – just wouldn’t have worked back in Captain Kirk’s day. The special effects and storytelling needed to really sell the Borg simply weren’t available then.

The Borg immediately captivated viewers because they were truly frightening. From ominous warnings by Q and Guinan, to the chilling first glimpse of a Borg cube accompanied by unsettling music, and the sudden appearance of a pale, zombie-like intruder, the Borg were essentially Star Trek’s first monsters. This initial sense of fear cemented their place as beloved villains for the next forty years.

As Star Trek: The Next Generation explored the Borg more and more, it became obvious they were unlike anything seen in Star Trek before. The dark and frightening interiors of their ships, their ruthless commitment to destruction, and the horrifying fate of being assimilated – this was a much darker and more intense version of Star Trek than fans were used to.

What Borg In 1960s Star Trek Might Have Been Like

The Klingons served as adaptable villains for audiences in the 1980s during The Next Generation. However, the Borg would likely have been unremarkable if created during Captain Kirk’s time.

It’s fun to think about how a Borg invasion might have looked in a classic Star Trek episode from the 1960s. The original network, NBC, probably would have asked for some changes to the Borg’s appearance. The idea of walking, undead creatures covered in black tubes might have been too intense for the show’s early days. So, the Borg would likely have looked either more human – perhaps with normal skin tones – or more clearly robotic. And the stark black-and-white color scheme definitely would have been replaced with something more colorful.

NBC was likely hesitant to portray a species traveling the galaxy and routinely killing or consuming humans, viewing them as inferior. This would have left only a race of robots attempting to transform humans in their own image—a decent concept, but not the iconic Borg, and unlikely to become a lasting threat in the Star Trek universe.

A key reason the Borg were so effective in Star Trek: The Next Generation was their seemingly unbeatable nature. When Picard first faced them, the Enterprise-D was only saved by the intervention of Q – it wasn’t a true victory. This kind of long-term storytelling, where a powerful enemy is built up for a later defeat, was different from Star Trek: The Original Series. A 1960s version of the Borg would likely have been overcome – either by force or diplomacy – within a single episode, preventing them from ever becoming a truly intimidating threat.

While Star Trek could have shown a more advanced version of the Borg during The Next Generation, introducing a weaker version to Captain Kirk in the original series might have lessened their impact. It was smarter for the Borg to remain mysterious and powerful for a longer period.

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2025-11-16 00:09