# BEST single-episode Star Trek aliens **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675 "2005-10-17T23:41:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/21 "2005-10-18T19:58:09Z")
Although I am emotionally pulled to declare the Horta the winner, I must put in a plug for the populace of Sigma Iotia II. Any group that spends their time being Chicagoland gangsters is having a great time, in my book. šŸ™‚ Seriously, though, how about a mention of Kollos, the Medusan ambassador? One look at the entity and your brain gets permanently scrambledā€¦ much like my spousal-type unit. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/22 "2005-10-18T20:06:29Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Although I am emotionally pulled to declare the Horta the winner, I must put in a plug for the populace of Sigma Iotia II. Any group that spends their time being Chicagoland gangsters is having a great time, in my book. I wanted to write a fanfic about them showing up on DS9, wearing copies of old-style uniforms and being dismissed as dorks, but Sharyn McCrumb kinda beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/23 "2005-10-18T20:10:57Z")
Klingons! Rarely\* saw a married one (that we were aware of) ((Except for a few episodes of various series)). \*Go ahead, nitpick it to death, since thatā€™s the mood these days. :dubious: šŸ˜ƒ BTW, I would suggest the thread could open up to include limited use aliens. Few truly one (and only one, no two parters or exteremely brief cameo appearances or homages in later series) episode aliens were very cool. IMHO. Frell, got enough disclaimers in this post? ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Wind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Broken\_Wind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Wind)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/24 "2005-10-18T20:24:32Z")
Big-butt-head-throbbing Talosians. I know, technically theyā€™re in three episodes of TOS, but ā€˜The Menagerieā€™ was a single episode split into two parts using parts of the pilot ā€˜The Cageā€™ that never officially aired. Donā€™t know if they ever cropped up again after that. Still my favorites though. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/25 "2005-10-18T20:27:48Z")
> [@Broken Wind](#): > > Big-butt-head-throbbing Talosians. I know, technically theyā€™re in three episodes of TOS, but ā€˜The Menagerieā€™ was a single episode split into two parts using parts of the pilot ā€˜The Cageā€™ that never officially aired. Donā€™t know if they ever cropped up again after that. Still my favorites though. Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/26 "2005-10-18T23:10:51Z")
I always liked the TNG super-being(I donā€™t know if they ever established if he was part of a race or not) from the FUBARed planet. The guy who recreated just his house and wife after it got nuked by space invaders. He has god-like powers, but mostly uses them to hang out eating wine and cheese and dancing with his wife. But piss him off and ZAP, your whole species is gone. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/27 "2005-10-18T23:57:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The [Gorn.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorn) > > You have to love a species that looks like Godzilla raided Tarzanā€™s closet. Bleh. The [Voth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voth) made the Gorn positively trite. I mean, how cool can you get? Transwarp drive? A city ship that can beam the Voyager into a cargo hold? These guys probably ate Borg for lunch. Too cool. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/28 "2005-10-19T00:37:53Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > None of the aliens so far named are single-episode. > > Species 8472 had multiple appearances on _Voyager_, the Gorn were shown again on _Enterprise_, and the tribbles were seen again in the awesome _Trials and Tribble-ations_ as part of Star Trekā€™s 30th Anniversary on _Deep Space Nine_. Sorry, havenā€™t had a chance to check this thread lately. Okay, **Aesiron** , you got me. How about change my pick to the U.S.S. Enterprise itself in [ā€œEmergenceā€](http://sttng.epguides.info/?ID=349)? šŸ™‚ Adam ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/29 "2005-10-19T01:07:36Z")
What was the salt-sucking alien that posed as as everyones little sex toy? Remember her/it? To McCoy she was an old girfriend, to Kirk some steamy sexpotā€¦ Iā€™m guessing that particular race never showed up again, because, really, sodium chloride is such an incredibly abundant substance on Earth, its colonies, and its vessels, I canā€™t imagine why any intelligent creature would go through the trouble this alien did to get it. I mean, come on, youā€™ve got to use telepathic disguises and vampire-like sucking action to get a little salt? Why not just ask for it? True Trek: Ridiculous sexualization of an alien, and, well, a ridiculous alien. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/30 "2005-10-19T01:17:44Z")
How about those talking mushrooms looking guys. (On the original star trek) You know, the ones that had a compulsive gambling habbit and would force their minions to fight to the death all the time? (It also had that chick in it that went to porn afterwords) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/31 "2005-10-21T19:04:24Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > How about those talking mushrooms looking guys. (On the original star trek) > > You know, the ones that had a compulsive gambling habbit and would force their minions to fight to the death all the time? > > (It also had that chick in it that went to porn afterwords) She did? Jeez, I didnā€™t know that. Anyway, it was ā€œThe Gamesters of Triskelion.ā€ Iā€™ts nicely spoofed in a ā€œSimpsonsā€ episode where Homer becomes an astronaut, but is first pitted in a death match against Barney. ā€œI wager 40 quatloos on the bald one,ā€ says a NASA engineer (Yes, Iā€™m paraphrasing). They even had that great TOS fight music with the braying trumpets. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/32 "2005-10-21T21:10:33Z")
The species that was represented by Famke Janssen. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/33 "2005-10-21T21:44:34Z")
I was always rather fond of Ardra, the greatest confidence trickster in the galaxy! Only Picard was smart enough to see through her cons. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/34 "2005-10-21T21:46:32Z")
> [@FordPrefect](#): > > The species that was represented by Famke Janssen. That is all. Which one was that? :: pant pant:: ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/35 "2005-10-21T23:49:54Z")
I was going to mention the Tar Pit thing that killed Tasha Yar, but she was kinda hot and much more of a man than Worf, so It hardly qualifies as ā€˜bestā€™. ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/36 "2005-10-22T00:01:16Z")
I liked the Organians from TOS. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/37 "2005-10-22T00:14:24Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I was going to mention the Tar Pit thing that killed Tasha Yar, but she was kinda hot and much more of a man than Worf, so It hardly qualifies as ā€˜bestā€™. Not even sure a killer hefty bag qualifies as ā€œtolerableā€ ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/38 "2005-10-22T00:28:39Z")
I liked the Sheliak ( [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Sheliak](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Sheliak) ). They were a real pain in the ass. Youā€™ve got to respect that. I also like the Hurā€™q ([http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Hurā€™q](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Hur%27q) ). A single-episode alien race that we never even see! Plus they kicked the crap out of the Klingons, so they must have been badass. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675/39 "2005-10-24T17:29:29Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Which one was that? :: pant pant:: ā€œThe Perfect Mateā€ Episode: #5.21 - 25 April 1992 She played a character that was able to bond psycho-sexually while wearing almost see-through clothing. It was crazy hot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-single-episode-star-trek-aliens/326675.md?page=1)