Skip to main content
Games Radar Newsarama Total Film Edge Retro Gamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The smarter take on movies
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Sci-Fi Movies

11 Villains For Star Trek 2

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 27 October 2010

If Khan can't, who could be the sequel's big bad?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Harry Mudd

Harry Mudd

Back-Story: Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) is a con man who Kirk discovers is trading in dodgy women on two occasions. In Mudd's Women , he uses drugs to make three mingers appear beautiful; in rematch I, Mudd , he's created a harem of lady androids.

Film Version: In the reboot's altered timeline, this Mudd is more psycho than rogue, whose android-building capabilities are to be used to take over the Earth and position himself as leader.

Played By: Paul Giamatti

Key Scene: Kirk gets it on with one of Mudd's women, only for her to transform into a robot assassin.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Gorn

Gorn

Back-Story: After the Enterprise battles with a Gorn ship in the episode Arena , the omniscient Metrons kidnap Kirk and the lizard-like Gorn captain (Bobby Clark), forcing them to compete in a duel to the death.

Film Version: The Metrons freezes time and brings the Enterprise into an intergalactic cage-fight where the entire crew must fight a rogue's gallery of foes: not just the Gorn, but Romulans, Klingons and even a batch of homicidal Tribbles.

Played By: CGI is inevitable, but for full tactility during combat it has to be a mo-capped Andy Serkis.

Key Scene: The Gorn leader disguises itself as an attractive woman to lure Kirk into a trap.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Gary Mitchell

Gary Mitchell

Back-Story: Kirk's buddy at Starfleet Academy and an Enterprise navigator, Mitchell is possessed by the mysterious Galactic Barrier in Where No Man Has Gone Before . Now cursed with ESP, his unnatural powers become a danger and Kirk is forced to kill his best bud.

Film Version: Much the same, but with enhanced shock and awe as the Galactic Barrier decides to use Mitchell as a conduit towards spreading its powers through the cosmos - cue a zombie-like uprising as Mitchell infects more of Starfleet with his powers.

Played By: Sam Riley

Key Scene: Kirk gets it on with a Starfleet intern, only for her eyes to glow silver. Mitchell's got to her!

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Salt Vampire

Salt Vampire

Back-Story: As seen in The Man Trap , a routine mission goes awry when it turns out that Bones' ex, archaeologist Nancy Crater (Jeanne Bal), has been replaced by a shape-shifting creature that sucks the salt out of its victims.

Film Version: A deadly race against time, after the Enterprise unwittingly brings the salt vampire on-board prior to a vital peace conference with the Romulans. But how can Kirk trust his crew when one of them might be the killer?

Played By: Julianne Moore doubles as Nancy and (using mo-cap) the vampire.

Key Scene: Kirk gets it on with what he thinks is "Nancy," only for the creature to shape-shift into McCoy. That's gonna cause some psychological damage.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Balok

Balok

Back-Story: In The Corbomite Manuever , the Enterprise engages in a Mexican stand-off with fearsome alien Balok (Clint Howard). Turns out the alien is a dummy; in reality, Balok's a kid, the poor blighter.

Film Version: The Enterprise starts a war after trespassing on Balok's turf. This time, there's no dummy; Balok really is scary.

Played By: Javier Bardem.

Key Scene: Kirk tries to unwind from the battle the only way he knows how, but his coitus is interrupted as Balok beams himself aboard the Enterprise. Awkward.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Kor the Klingon

Kor the Klingon

Back-Story: The Klingons made their debut in Errand of Mercy , waging war on the peaceful planet of Organia under the sadistic governorship of Kor (John Colicos). With war imminent, it's up to the Enterprise to save the day.

Film Version: This one scarcely needs changing, save to make the Klingons suitably bad-ass to surprise a generation raised on the nice Klingons of the spin-off series.

Played By: Josh Brolin

Key Scene: Kirk finds his path barred by a sexy female Klingon. Kill her...or kiss her?

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Horta

Horta

Back-Story: The Horta, an aggressive rock, is killing miners in The Devil in the Dark . But it turns out to be the last adult Horta alive, protecting its eggs from what it sees as an attack on the Horta race.

Film Version: This is a movie, so the Horta needs to be super-sized to planetary status. Big threat, but how can the Enterprise defend itself from the giant's attack when Federation policy forbids it to slaughter the last of a species?

Played By: Dwayne Johnson. Think about it.

Key Scene: Kirk and the Horta bond by sharing tales of past sexual conquests.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Trelane

Trelane

Back-Story: Tally-ho! In The Squire of Gothos , Trelane (William Campbell) is an omnipotent being with a fondness for recreating ye old Englande rituals, including hunting Kirk to the death.

Film Version: The timey-wimey shenanigans of the first film have opened the doors for Trelane to transform reality into a medieval playground. Without tricorders or phasers, the Enterprise crew must rely on their wits to survive.

Played By: John Cusack

Key Scene: Kirk gets it on with a medieval serving wench, only for the apparition to disappear into nothingness just as things are getting interesting.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
The Talosians

The Talosians

Back-Story: These bulb-headed telepaths kidnapped original Enterprise Captain Pike (in unaired Trek pilot The Cage ) and subjected him to experiments involving psychic visions. The story, and pilot footage, is revisited in the two-part The Menagerie .

Film Version: As in the TV version, Pike (a returning Bruce Greenwood) is kidnapped by the Talosians. The Enterprise's rescue mission is complicated by the fact they can't tell what's real and what's a Talosian projection...which is bad news, because the Klingons are genuinely on the warpath.

Played By: In a cute in-joke, Patrick Stewart gets prime slap-head honours as the Keeper of Talos.

Key Scene: A confused Kirk tries to get it on with everyone .

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Pancake Aliens

Pancake Aliens

Back-Story: In Operation: Annihilate! , a Federation colony is under siege by a race of flying pancake-shaped creatures with a hive-mind, which sting their victims to infect and ultimately kill them.

Film Version: Evolved slightly differently in the parallel timeline, these pancakes are more cunning and take control of key Starfleet personnel to initiate a secret coup.

Played By: Well, the creatures are going to be SFX, so let's get an acting heavyweight to make this silliness work. Isn't it about time Ian McKellen did a Trek ?

Key Scene: Kirk tries to cook a meal, only to find it's one of the pancake aliens...and now dinner wants revenge!

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Kirk

Kirk

Back-Story: In The Enemy Within , a transporter cock-up sees Kirk split into 'good' and 'evil' personalities.

Film Version: A perilous first contact mission with a warlike race isn't the best time for evil Kirk to capture control of the bridge.

Played By: Chris Pine, of course.

Key Scene: Both Kirks try to get it on with the same crewmember. Poor lass.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Simon Kinnear
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
GamesRadar+
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Latest in Sci Fi Movies
Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
Star Wars fans have uncovered a new dimension to Qui-Gon and Darth Maul's Phantom Menace showdown
 
 
The giant robot villain of Netflix's War Machine charging up an energy blast
The first trailer for Netflix's War Machine channels Predator vibes as Reacher star takes on an unstoppable killer robot
 
 
Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars' Daisy Ridley says it's unlikely we'll get any news about the Rey movie before 2027: "In the future sometime"
 
 
Andor
An Andor fan has noticed that the Star Wars show makes sense of "one of the worst things" about the sequel trilogy
 
 
Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell in Cold Storage
Cold Storage director says Stranger Things star Joe Keery is "absolutely brilliant" in the upcoming sci-fi comedy
 
 
Taika Waititi in a pink suit
Taika Waititi says his upcoming Star Wars film will "harness a little more of the fun" of the original trilogy
 
 
Latest in Features
Horizon Hunters Gathering screenshot showing the team of hunters assembling together
Horizon Hunters Gathering: Everything you need to know about Guerrilla's new co-op action game
 
 
Onimusha Way of the Sword
25 years later, Onimusha developers break down why Capcom's samurai action series is primed for a comeback
 
 
A woman playing a game with a controller using the Steam Frame
Despite its pricing delay, Valve's Steam Frame could still turn out to be the VR market's Steam Deck moment
 
 
XCOM 2 screenshot showing an alien brute with a plasma gun
10 years later and with no XCOM 3 in sight, I'm in love with XCOM 2 now more than ever
 
 
Big in 2026
Control Resonant may be an action-RPG, but Remedy isn't veering into hellishly-challenging territory: "There are no parries, there is no back-and-forth with a single enemy"
 
 
Gale clutches his glowing chest, clearly in pain and discomfort
My favorite Baldur's Gate 3 companion got more love in the latest MTG Secret Lair, but I can't stomach buying it
 
 
  1. A pudgy cat stands on the player's arm in Nioh 3 and emits a warm glow, with a rickety wooden bridge in the background, cropped
    1
    Nioh 3 review: "Brutal samurai and ninja clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this Soulslike is all demon killer, no filler"
  2. 2
    This Lord of the Rings card game is a puzzle-solving masterclass
  3. 3
    Highguard review: "A fresh but muddled FPS genre mashup that needs refinement if it's to have any staying power"
  4. 4
    This hidden role board game makes me feel like a puppet master, so Traitors fans should listen up
  5. 5
    Cairn review: "This climber has a grip on me – even when it loses its footing with awkward systems, the challenge remains surmountable"
  1. Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
    1
    Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
  2. 2
    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
  3. 3
    Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
  4. 4
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  5. 5
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  1. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
    1
    Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
  2. 2
    Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
  3. 3
    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
  4. 4
    Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
  5. 5
    Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...