NIGHTMARE FUEL: Which 'Star Trek' Aliens Are the Scariest?

OCTOBER 17, 2023 - Star Trek has been running for over 56 years, and throughout its lifetime there have been some incredibly creepy (yet amazing) aliens. Today we will be ranking the top 10 creepiest Star Trek aliens. 

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10. The Remans

Honestly, the Remans as a species are not very scary. However, the design is based off Count Orlok from Nosferatu, a character widely considered to be the first modern-day depiction of a vampire. The Remans are from the planet Remus and have been oppressed by the Romulans, and forced to work as their slaves. Remans are theorized to be related to Vulcans and Romulans however it is not technically canon (even though the Star Trek Encylopedia said that they were).

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9. Horta

The Horta are not a very dangerous lifeform however they do look creepy as heck. They are immune to type one phasers and are pretty much undetectable by tricorders. Horta survive by eating and tunneling through rock. They do this by producing an acid capable of dissolving practically anything in their way. The Horta also live for about 50,000 years and the mother Horta is effectively immortal. 

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 8. Armus

Armus is a pile of black goo most well known for killing Tasha Yar in the TNG episode “Skin of Evil.” Armus isn’t necessarily terrifying in his look, but rather in his manner. He is simply evil for the sake of being evil and that is horrifying. Armus is incredibly powerful, capable of immediately inflicting immense pain on any of his victims, however, this power does not stop the Lower Decks squad from prank-calling him in season 2, episode 6 of that show.

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7. The Tardigrade

The Tardigrade is not an evil creature. As we learn in Discovery, the Tardigrade will only attack in self-defense, however when it does attack, boy, is it terrifying. A single Tardigrade was able to kill a dozen Klingons without suffering a single bat’leth scratch. Its claws can shred the hull of a Starfleet ship and it can withstand a phaser set to kill. The tardigrade is by far one of the scariest adversaries any member of the federation ever faces, if it wants to kill you, it can. 

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6. Moopsy

Though Moopsy is very friend-shaped, you should under no circumstances try to hug it. Under that adorable squishy exterior is a horrifying monster capable of liquifying your bones. If that isn’t a horrible way to die I don’t know what is. This creature lures you in with its adorable face and round body only to brutally murder you without a care in the world. It is capable of launching itself at incredibly high speed towards much larger prey, draining them of their bones in seconds. Its voracious appetite never appears to be satisfied. 

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5. The Tholians

These guys are pretty horrifying. Their crystalline bodies make them impossible to hurt and their six legs mean they move at incredibly fast speeds. Luckily, the Federation is currently on good terms with the Tholians, so nobody has to fight these creatures, however, if they did, it would not be an easy fight. 

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4. The Ceti Eels

Though they’re small these little creatures are hardy and terrifying. It is the only known native creature that survived the orbital shift of Ceti Alpha V following the explosion of Ceti Alpha VI. The eel larva enters the ear of a larger animal and wraps itself around the cerebral cortex. This causes its host extreme pain and makes them very susceptible to outside influences. As the larva matures it causes its host to go mad and eventually die. The eels bring about a horrifying end I would not wish upon anyone. 

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3. The Salt Vampire

The Salt Vampire is probably the most well-known monster from TOS. It is able to telepathically draw people close by appearing to them as someone they trust and then it will suck all the salt from their body leaving red round welts in its wake. If their telepathic deception fails they are still incredibly strong, capable of receiving many punches without issue. 

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2. The Gorn

Strange New Worlds did an amazing job at making the Gorn terrifying. The Season 2 finale Hegemony had me quaking with fear. Gorn are incredibly powerful. A  single adult Gorn is able to dispatch a fully armed Starfleet landing party with ease. The Gorn breeding planets are something out of a nightmare. The Gorn put sentient beings on these planets to serve as prey for their hatchlings. A Gorn breeding planet is the last place in the Galaxy I’d want to be. 

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1.  Parasitic Beings

These are also called Bluegills, however, that is not technically canon yet so for now I will just call them parasitic beings.

Though they look a bit cute these are horrifying monsters responsible for one of the scariest TNG episodes of all time. This parasitic being crawls into a host’s body to take control of them. Its gill protrudes from the victim's skin at the base of the neck allowing it to breathe. The parasitic being takes complete control of its host by rapping itself around their brainstem. They stimulate the adrenal glands with their tendrils which gives the host victim “megastrength” and a greater resistance to physical harm. Even more horrifying than the parasitic beings is the Mother creature. It is over half a meter tall and lives inside its host along with a bunch of its progeny.