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00:00Very few Star Trek foes are out-and-out one-note monsters. Most antagonists...
00:05tend to have at least one saving grace. Sometimes, however, the deeds of a character...
00:10organisation or even an entire species go so far beyond the pale that they...
00:15airlock any chance at redemption they may have had, probably along with a few of their victims.
00:20Well, with that in mind, I'm Ellie for Trek Culture and these are the 10 Most Irredeemable Star...
00:2610. The Augments
00:28Very much a product of their time...
00:30The Karnoonian Singh and the Augments, as they later came to be called, were Star Trek's exploration...
00:35of the 20th century's most destructive set of beliefs, eugenics. These particular villains...
00:40were the result of humanity's experiments with DNA re-sequencing. The double helix structure...
00:45of DNA having only been discovered about a decade and a half before Space Seed was first broadcast.
00:50In the late 20th century, the Augments conquered and enslaved the world. The resulting...
00:55eugenics wars between them and the regularly DNA'd had cataclysmic consequences...
01:00for Earth. An estimated 35 million people were left dead before the dictatorial...
01:05supermen were deposed. All remaining Augment embryos were put on ice and Karn and about...
01:1080 of the other over-ambitious Clark Kent's were sentenced to death. They managed to skip town...
01:15and the solar system, however, aboard the SS Botany Bay before execution day. The ninth...
01:2080s were wild, man. In 2267, Karn and co. made an ultimately unsuccessful...
01:25attempt to commandeer the Enterprise, but Kirk let them off with little more than a slapped wrist...
01:30tiny, tiny terraforming project and one Marla MacGyver's. Afterwards, neither Kirk nor...
01:35Starfleet stopped by for a SETI Alpha high-five and things went from bad to worse on the...
01:40planet. Karn, of course, would return to seek vengeance in the film that sports his name.
01:44In that...
01:45movie, and not before a lot of ear reels and Moby Dick, Karn and the other Augments went the way...
01:50story of the Old Testament. Knowing his death slash rebirth as a rock was coming, Karn's...
01:55solidified his status as irredeemable villain by using his last moments to quote Melville...
02:00relentless captain. From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my...
02:05last breath at thee. Naturally, a couple of members of the Soong family were also involved in all this...
02:10along the way, but more on that later. Number 9, Section 31. Perhaps the reason...
02:15Section 31 is so beyond redemption is that they have never really sought it in the first...
02:20place. More amoral than immoral, there is a certain unfeeling pragmatism to the...
02:25organization that just wants to get the dirty, but objectively necessary job done. Such cold...
02:30rationale and dubious use of Cicero can hardly hold water for long, however...
02:35rules in war and especially for peace. Chronologically speaking, the earliest we see of Section...
02:40Section 31 is through Malcolm Reed's involvement in the organization. However, the shady group's first...
02:45on-screen appearance was in Star Trek Deep Space Nine to spend time with Bashir on the holiday...
02:50Convinced the Doctor wasn't a Dominion spy, Director Sloan tried the recruitment pitch. Sure, it's...
02:55a super dangerous job, you'll have to lie to everyone you know and love and check your principals at the door, but...
03:00you get one of those cool black jackets just for signing up. Section 31 was an open secret once...
03:05and Starfleet Command didn't deny denying it. After the Inquisition, the group appeared in DS9...
03:10on a few more occasions. Oh, and there was that attempted genocide thing. I bet that'll never come up again...
03:15In Star Trek Discovery, almost everyone seems to have heard of Section 31. Far from operating...
03:20autonomously of no fixed abode, as in Sloan's day, in the 23rd century...
03:25Starfleet maintained at least a degree of oversight over Section 31, and the organization had its...
03:30own HQ. Starfleet Admiral submitted reports to Section 31's AI system control...
03:35its operatives sometimes served openly aboard Starfleet vessels, and they weren't shy...
03:40about showing off their fancy advanced technology, either. Ooh, comm badges! Section 31...
03:45one maintained its cruel streak all the same, hiring a former Terran Emperor and hunting down...
03:50Spock, just so they could scramble his neurons. Control almost wiped out all sentient life in the game...
03:55Galaxy, but that was probably nothing compared to what was on those pads, since Sloan slowly exploded...
04:00including Mind Palace. Soon, we'll be getting a long trek look at all the clandestine goings on in a movie...
04:05with Michelle Yeoh. Who else is excited for that?
04:08Number 8. Dukat. We were never...
04:10going to warm to the guy. He was the last prefect to oversee the brutal occupation of Bajor...
04:15before, much to his chagrin, Cardassian withdrawal in 2369. There aren't many...
04:20ways to spin it. If it walks like a fascist dictator, talks like a fascist dictator...
04:25then it's probably Mononymous Tyrant Dukat. And never forget, he killed Jadzia...
04:30in Cold Blood. It was in Deep Space Nine's Waltz that, just in case you hadn't twigged before...
04:35Dukat's true depravity was revealed for all to see. As he descended into the madness of evil...
04:40he ceased the slow dance around his feelings for the Bajorans. In the Season 6 episode, he...
04:45poured out his vile hatred to Sisko, saying...
04:48From the moment we arrived on Bajor...
04:50it was clear that we were the superior race. I hated them. I should have killed every last one of...
04:55one of them. I should have turned their planet into a graveyard, the likes of which the galaxy had never seen.
05:00In...
05:00In spite of this sickening diatribe, the character retained a surprising level of popularity amongst...
05:05fans. As related in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine companion, some fans on the internet...
05:10went so far as to defend Dukat's actions during the occupation, and this apologia for Jadzia...
05:15genocide shocked the show's writers and producers. They, as well as Mark Alaimo, who played him...
05:20tried to make Dukat a fully rounded character. But there should have been no room for ambiguity in the fact that...
05:25he was the despicable despot of the piece. By DS9's finish, Dukat had disguised himself...
05:30as a member of the species he so despised in order to curry favour with the next miscreant on...
05:35this list. Then, somewhat fittingly, he wound up in Bajoran hell.
05:38Number 7. Win Adal...
05:40Admittedly, this Ranjan, then Vedic, then Kai wasn't all bad. She had a few...
05:45things going on for her. During the occupation, she risked her life and was imprisoned for preaching...
05:50in her faith, and saved a number of lives. Once by bribing a Cardassian officer to divert...
05:55the transport of Bajorans headed for execution. Plus, perhaps, if the Prophet's presumably because they'd already...
06:00seen her entire career path, hadn't wanted her to end up siding with the Costa Mojin, they might...
06:05have not let it go to Celestial Temple voicemail every time she tried to call. Still, in spite of...
06:10the above, and after carefully considering her turncoat tactics in the fire caves...
06:15switching sides really only because Ducat had gained the upper hand...
06:18Win Adami remains a character...
06:20past the point of redemption. She stabbed poor Solber quite literally in the back for profit...
06:25sake, and did so in the more metaphorical sense to plenty of others who got in her way.
06:29Win shunned Sisko...
06:30So from the very beginning, unwilling to accept, until a lot later, that a non-believer could be...
06:35designated emissary of the prophets. She fought Keiko O'Brien for teaching science, which was...
06:40still just a ruse to try to assassinate Vedic Ryle, further connived her way to becoming Kai, took...
06:45credit where none was due, and sent in the militia over a few reclamators. Later, she interrupted the...
06:50Reckoning, and then nearly set Bajor and the rest of the galaxy on fire by attempting to release the...
06:55parades.
06:56Number six, the sphere builders. This video isn't using kill count as a...
07:00measure of everlasting evil, but still. This band of problematic aliens from another plane were...
07:05behind an attack on Earth that cost seven million lives, including the sister of one chief engineer.
07:10That's...
07:10That was just their warm-up act, however. The sphere builders had convinced the Zindi to finish the job of...
07:15humanity's eradication. Depending on how you think about time, none of this should have ever happened, but it did.
07:20One of the fiendish factions of the Temporal Cold War, the sphere builders had spied a future they...
07:25didn't particularly like, in which they were sent packing back to their realm by the Federation...
07:30in an alternate 26th century. As the crew of the NX-01 found out in the 22nd century...
07:35the species' goal was to transform space in our universe into their own trans-dimensional...
07:40playground, by using the gravimetric energy generated by a vast network of humongous...
07:45spheres. Had they not been stopped, the spatial transformations in The Expanse would have grown to encompass...
07:50hundreds of systems, with disastrous consequences for any inhabited worlds in their...
07:55path. You can't really get more irredeemable than an attempt at galaxy-level genocide just so you...
08:00can move into the neighbourhood. Number 5. A selection of Soongs. So far in Star Trek...
08:05essentially all we've seen of the Soong Dynasty is a succession of scientists. One more zany...
08:10than the last. In amongst the often endearing and inventive oddity lies the family's darkest...
08:15side. A couple of songs whose dastardly deeds are greater than Noonien's penchant for puns...
08:20The first of the long lineage we've met is Dr. Adam Soong in the early 21st century...
08:25In an alternate timeline where Rene Picard never brought back some clever bacteria from Europa...
08:30It was Adam who saved humanity from the effects of climate change with his flying force field...
08:35contraption. Nevertheless, he became a part of the sinister Confederation of Earth...
08:39and even invented...
08:40and invented its racist slogan...
08:41A safe galaxy is a human galaxy. In the variant 2050...
08:45in the early 20th century this Soong had statues erected in his honour. After the La Sirena gang arrived...
08:50in 2024 to fix the mess... Adam Soong teamed up with the still very resistance...
08:55his futile Borg Queen Jurati... sent off some soldiers for assimilation...
08:59and then went to try to...
09:00to murder Rene killing Talyn the Traveller instead...
09:03Plus, he had been holding on to a little something...
09:05called Project Khan. Just over a century later...
09:07the Soong family produced another doctor of genetics...
09:10of dubious ethics...
09:12Arikson. Taking up his ancestors' interest in augments...
09:15Arikson...
09:15Ariks stole some of the embryos that had been on ice since the 90s...
09:18from Cold Station 12...
09:19to make some...
09:20the modifications of his own...
09:21and raised the result as his children. As adults...
09:24these augments were...
09:25went on a murderous rampage...
09:26to free the rest of their fellow Enhanced...
09:28and Ariks caught up with them to lend a hand...
09:30number four...
09:31the Bluegills...
09:32they only ever appeared in one episode of Star Trek...
09:34aside from...
09:35a mention by those...
09:36butt-bug conspiracy theorists...
09:38in Lower Decks...
09:39but they've had us check in...
09:40the backs of our necks...
09:41ever since.
09:42These terrifying nightmare-inducing...
09:44parasitic creatures were...
09:45climbed their way into the highest ranks of Starfleet Command...
09:48and turned dinner time into a horror show.
09:50An infected Admiral Quinn...
09:51did get in some impressive high kicks though...
09:53for his years...
09:54so perhaps...
09:55it's worth giving them a try.
09:56And uh...
09:57Admiral?
09:58Bit embarrassing...
09:59but your stunt double is showing.
10:00Thoroughly...
10:00alien...
10:01it is the manner in which the Bluegills...
10:02go about their villainy...
10:03that makes them so irredeemable.
10:05They enter through the mouth...
10:06and take complete control of a victim's mind and body.
10:09Yes...
10:10still claim...
10:11we mean you no harm...
10:12we seek peaceful coexistence.
10:13Yeah yeah...
10:14and we'll surpass...
10:15pacifist now.
10:16They also didn't hesitate...
10:17to blow up an entire starship...
10:18and crew...
10:19once it's captured...
10:20Captain was onto them.
10:21And let's spare a thought...
10:22for poor old Commander Remick...
10:23he had to have their mother inside...
10:25only for his head and chest...
10:26to be phased off.
10:27Picard and Riker must have been in therapy...
10:29for months...
10:30It's tough to see these little...
10:31and one large...
10:32blue buggers...
10:33ever changing their ways.
10:34Number 3...
10:35Maxwell...
10:36and other books.
10:37Towards the end of the Star Trek Voyager...
10:39two-parter Equinox...
10:40Captain Janeway...
10:41walks down the line...
10:42of remaining reprobates...
10:43from the now destroyed...
10:44ship of the...
10:45episode title...
10:46citing their names...
10:47as she strips them of rank.
10:48This time...
10:49you'll have to earn...
10:50her trust...
10:51she says.
10:52Dismissed.
10:53There are a few faces missing...
10:54from this perp parade...
10:55however...
10:55most notably absent...
10:56for the purpose of this list...
10:57is a certain Commander...
10:58with Lieutenant Pips...
11:00I stalk my exes...
11:01halfway across the galaxy...
11:02Maxwell...
11:03meatball...
11:04burrito...
11:05he was slimy...
11:06and sly...
11:07from the start...
11:08getting arsey...
11:09with Janeway...
11:10when she wanted to make...
11:10a stand on Voyager...
11:11and giving us...
11:12full-on facepalm cringe...
11:13during his reunion...
11:14with...
11:15there was something...
11:16just not quite right...
11:17with this first officer...
11:18when his captain...
11:19Rudolph Rudy...
11:20Ransom...
11:21finally decided...
11:22to stop committing murder...
11:23to rev up the warp engines...
11:24and surrender to...
11:25the Voyager...
11:26Maxwell mutinied...
11:27and took a gaggle...
11:28of fellow Barclays...
11:29with him...
11:30to the slaughter...
11:30in the end...
11:31the four-bridge...
11:32insurrectionists...
11:33try to escape...
11:34to the Equinox's...
11:35one remaining...
11:35battle...
11:36but the aliens...
11:37catch up with them...
11:38the last we see...
11:39of Burke...
11:40is his rapid...
11:41desiccation...
11:40death...
11:41as the wronged...
11:42interspatial lifeforms...
11:43take their...
11:44nucleogenic vengeance...
11:45Number 2...
11:45to the Orion Syndicate...
11:46To be clear...
11:47and so as not...
11:48to let Tendi down...
11:49we're not saying...
11:50all...
11:50orions...
11:51are wrong-ins...
11:52just the ones who are...
11:53there are certainly...
11:54a lot of...
11:55femme fatale...
11:56stereotypes...
11:55out there...
11:56about the species...
11:57dating back to...
11:58the first Star Trek pilot...
11:59and which have...
12:00only recently...
12:00begun to be...
12:01deconstructed...
12:02it's really...
12:03the Orion Syndicate...
12:04and future rebrand...
12:05that give...
12:05the rest the bad...
12:06space pirate name...
12:07the Orion Syndicate...
12:08was one of the worst...
12:09or at least the...
12:10most organised...
12:11criminal gangs...
12:12in the galaxy...
12:13by the 22nd century...
12:14when the NX-01...
12:15had a run-in with them...
12:16near Klingon space...
12:17thanks to the...
12:18handiwork...
12:19of two of the other...
12:20entries on the...
12:20list...
12:21several members...
12:22of Archer's crew...
12:23were captured...
12:24and auctioned...
12:25into slavery...
12:25or being rescued...
12:26if you'd like to...
12:27poll though...
12:28you can always...
12:29kick the Syndicate...
12:30in the Brussels sprouts...
12:30in the 24th century...
12:31the Orion Syndicate...
12:32had expanded...
12:33its membership...
12:34to include...
12:35a smorgasbord...
12:35of criminals...
12:36of different species...
12:37notably...
12:38Chief O'Brien...
12:39was once sent...
12:40undercover...
12:40Starfleet Intelligence...
12:41into a section...
12:42of the Syndicate...
12:43on Fabius Prime...
12:44to root out...
12:45the Consequences...
12:46of this mission...
12:47would follow the Chief...
12:48leading him a year later...
12:49to investigate...
12:50the family...
12:50of Esri Dax, who had become embroiled with the nefarious organisation.
12:55In the closed Burn world of the 32nd century, the Syndicate got a makeover and a nodding
13:00name change to become the Emerald Chain. Much like their forebears of the 24th century,
13:04the Ch-
13:05The Chain was a multi-species enterprise, with a green lady at its helm, the Orion Osyraa.
13:10Thorn in the side of the Federation and the Discovery, Osyraa and the Chain relied on the
13:14most brutal-
13:15methods of control. Slave labour was enforced by explosive implants, and anyone who-
13:20tried to oppose or simply got in the way was either left without antennae or fed to an
13:24over-
13:25size worm. Osyraa did get her comeuppance, however, at the end of Michael Burnham's
13:29phaser rifle.
13:30And never insult a man's cat. She's a queen.
13:33Number 1. The Borg Queen
13:35Given the events of the final season of Star Trek Picard, we've already discussed the Borg
13:39Queen quite-
13:40quite a lot, but it would be difficult to do a list about irredeemable villains without
13:44including Her Majesty on it. In season 2 of Picard, we got a semblance of a hint that the-
13:49or rather A Queen could mend her ways. Even then, it was only with the persuasive skills-
13:54of Dr. Agnes Girardi that this alternate timeline queen could be convinced a kinder collective-
13:59was the future. Moreover, in that queen's home universe, humanity was arguably the far greater villain-
14:04Back in our regular reality, and as the role requires, the Borg Queen has always been quite-
14:09open in expressing just how awesome she thinks assimilation is. What makes the Borg and the Queen so-
14:14terrifying, after all, is that psychopathic absence of empathy as they make you one of their own-
14:19We did catch a glimmer of light for one incarnation of the Prime Borg Queen in the Star Trek Voy-
14:24future-length episode Dark Frontier. When Her Royal Highness Rumble's Seven of Nines attempt-
14:29to help a group of species 10026 escape assimilation, she at first-
14:34tries to recapture the fleeing vessel. Strangely, Seven's subsequent pleas for mercy don't-
14:39fall on deaf ears as the Queen lets the ship go. This may simply have been a scheme to win over her-
14:44would-be protégé, or perhaps the spark of something a little deeper. Either way, for her return in-
14:49season three of Picard, the Queen is all Borg business, seething with anger towards stuff-
14:54fleet and the Federation, and ready to get some high-end revenge. And that concludes our-
14:59list. Now, we are so close to 300,000 subscribers, so if you've just watched this-
15:04video and realised you haven't yet clicked that subscribe button, then please go do it now! And a big-
15:09big thank you to that nearly 300,000 of you who already have! Also make sure-
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15:19wouldn't say no to it! I've been Ellie for Trek Culture! I hope you have a wonderful day-
15:24and remember to boldly go where no one has gone before!
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