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Since premiering in 1966, the Star Trek franchise has managed to introduce a lot of villains through countless shows and movies. As such, the attention of the fans typically focuses on the most iconic villains, such as Khan Noonien Singh or the Borg. However, for every Khan and the Borg Queen, there are dozens of Star Trek villains who aren't in the spotlight, and not because they aren't interesting.
Some villains simply flew under the radar, while others became overlooked as time passed, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of the audience's attention. Even if they're not sympathetic, these underrated Star Trek villains deserve much more love from the series' fans.
5 Gary Mitchell
The very first Star Trek villain (and also one of the best), if the viewers don't count the first originally unaired pilot The Cage, was also a supervillain in times when villains and superheroes weren't all the rage. Gary Mitchell, previously Captain Kirk's best friend, got superpowers during a freak accident on the ship. As his powers grew, so did his belief that he was superior to all of the other crew members, including his former friends.
In the end, the Captain had no choice but to maroon his former friend on Delta Vega, and they ended up fighting to the death. If the second Star Trek pilot didn't have a strong story and a compelling villain, it's likely that there would be no Star Trek franchise today, and Gary Lockwood's performance as Gary Mitchell was a big part of the episode's success.
Lockwood is chilling in the episode as his powers grow stronger, and he loses more and more of his humanity. At the same time, it's easy to sympathize with him since he never asked for the powers, and, in the rare moments when he comes back to his old self, it's clear that he doesn't like what happened to him or who he became. Such complex characters are rare to see even today, and it's a shame that Gary Mitchell only appeared in a single episode and never got more attention from the franchise.
4 The Intendant (And Other Mirror Verse Characters)
Playing a good and an evil version of the same character takes some serious acting chops. Nana Visitor proved her talent yet again when she portrayed the Intendant: a sadistic and manipulative version of Kira Nerys who ruled Terok Nor (the station Deep Space Nine in the main universe). The Intendant was very different from Major Kira, and she didn't shy away from hurting or killing others if it fit her purpose.
Unfortunately, The Intendant only appeared in a handful of episodes even though she could have easily carried her own series, if it ever happened! Other characters from the Mirror Verse got even less attention and love than they would have deserved, such as the evil Captain Kirk or the crew of the original Enterprise traveling through space in the 22nd century, with T'Pol, Tucker, and others.
3 Trelane
Trelane has had the misfortune of being overshadowed by a later character that had similar traits but got much more space to breathe. When Trelane appeared in a single episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, he was a godlike being that wanted people to obey him and had great powers at his disposal, yet he used them in a childish way.
If that sounds familiar, it's because Q, who was portrayed by John de Lancie, is in many ways similar to Trelane. The only major difference between the pair is that Q was lucky enough to appear repeatedly throughout the series, most recently in Star Trek: Picard, while Trelane was a one-time villain. However, his chaotic lifestyle and the way he approached the crew made for a lot of fun, even if Trelane himself was quite irritating.
Despite all of his character mistakes, Trelane still proved too much of a challenge for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and if his parents didn't show up to let Trelane know he was misbehaving, it's unlikely the crew would have scored another victory. Trelane deserves more attention because he's not only fun to watch, but also, because, without him, it's possible that there would be no Q, who went on to become a fan favorite of many.
2 Vindor
Vindor is one of the newest Star Trek villains but, considering the animated Star Trek series never got as much love as the live-action ones, he's rather underappreciated. What's interesting about Vindor is that there's more to him than meets the eye. Once again, Star Trek gives the audience a valuable lesson: that they shouldn't judge somebody based solely on their appearance.
Vindor looks like a huge brutal creature, and when Commander Ransom goes to fight him, the expectations are that Ransom is going to lose. Instead, it turns out that Vindor isn't the simple-minded brute he's been portrayed as, but instead a being that likes to read and isn't fond of violence. He instantly goes from antagonistic to sympathetic and could easily become a fan favorite villain if he gets more space in the future.
1 The "Humanized" Vulcans
Vulcans are one of the more represented species in Star Trek, thanks to main characters such as Spock, Tuvok, and T'Pol. However, there's one aspect of Vulcan culture that hasn't been explored very much, and those are the Vulcans that don't deny their emotions. In the shows, they had the biggest part in Star Trek: Enterprise in the episode "Fusion," in which they visited the ship.
Not all of them were nice, especially Tolaris, who first looked like he only wanted to get to know T'Pol better but ended up mentally attacking her during a mind meld later on. While Tolaris wasn't sympathetic, it would have been interesting to get a further glimpse into the lives of Vulcans who defied the usual Vulcan teaching.
Another good example of a Vulcan who lost control over his emotions, albeit due to Pon Farr, was Vorik on Star Trek: Voyager. Vorik pursued B'Elanna and was almost villainous in his inability to take no for an answer until B'Elanna decided that enough was enough and challenged him to solve the problem through combat once and for all. As such a logical species, any diversion from the usual state makes for fascinating Vulcan characters, including those who act in an evil way.