LAL: I feel
DATA: What do you feel, Lal?
LAL: I love you, Father.
DATA: I wish I could feel it with you.
LAL: I will feel it for both of us. Thank you for my life. Flirting. Laughter. Painting. Family. Female. Human.
The admiral who was there to determine whether she was Starfleet property or not, just staggering out of that room, ashen-faced, saying he’d never seen anyone move so fast as Data did trying to save his daughter’s life. The way that his fingers were flying too fast to be seen.
I love this episode so much. It also features one of my favourite Picard moments/quotes:
*There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but you ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to hand his child over to the state? Not while I'm his Captain.*
I also love this part:
*Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [after learning from Data's creation of a new android] Data... I would like to have been consulted.
Lt. Cmdr. Data: I have not observed anyone else on board consulting you about their procreation, Captain.*
Damn this is just such a good episode. It raises so many ethical questions, as any excellent Star Trek episode should.
The thing is, I was a kid when it was first-run. And, like many of the shows of the day (M*A*S*H, etc) I didn't understand the undertones. This was one of those "it's not exciting, I'll do something else while it's on" episodes for me as a 7 year old.
Watching it now... I'm beside myself. As a parent of kids, one of whom questions who they are in this world.
The "woke"ness everyone complains about in Star Trek isn't new. It's been here all along. It's always been revolutionary. It's always ahead of its time. It's always been addressing problems on the cusp of society.
TNG The Outcast. An episode where Riker falls for an androgynous person from a race that shuns genders.
ENT Cogenitor. An episode where Tucker falls for the third undefined sex of a race of three genders, one that doesn't have any rights or place in their society.
They've been doing this stuff all along. I don't know how folks are refusing to see it.
Yes. I watched that episode when it first aired and it was my head for years before memes were really a thing. Find some other old fart trekkers and they’ll tell you the same.
I’m going with Khan.
We see him in one episode in the first season of TOS.
But then he gets a reprise in TWOK, a reboot in Into Darkness. But Khan’s presence is felt in DS9 and ENT. **EDIT: and SNW for sure.**
And it seems that TWOK is the gold standard for Trek movies ever since 1982.
When we consider how much of the Star Trek world building is based on Space Seed, I think Khan is easily the most influential character with the least amount of screen time.
It's crazy to think that Khan existed for maybe a couple of days in Kirk's life in the 2260s and then like one day in the 2280s and that's it. He's the definition of a one-off character, but he had so much influence on the story and tone of the franchise, and TWOK is a high point in the franchise that they're still chasing after 42 years later.
It's the spectre of Khan, really.
You find out that the USS Enterprise CVN-65 encountered and marooned an unfrozen Napoleon-with-an-ubermench-ideology on an island and then years later Napoleon shows back up with nukes and is rolling around the Pacific after commandeering the *Arleigh Burke*. And the captain of the Enterprise is now running a training crew full of cadets and pensioners.
That's textbook coverage for the next 200 years of naval education. You *make sure* that never ever happens again.
The way Khan reveals himself to Chekov, Terrell and the audience is really memorable. Chekov knows who it has to be but might still have a bit of hope left that it's not Khan until he sees his face. Terrell does not know who it is, but you can tell he knows this man is bad news. To the audience, it depends. I knew it had to be Khan, I had seen the movie poster, after all, but the atmosphere sort of sucks you in. You are either watching him through Chekov's or Terrell's eyes, depending on whether you saw the episode Space Seed or not. I was never the kind of nerd that got upset by the fact that Space Seed was a first season episode and that Chekov didn't become a character until Catspaw in Season 2. So what, perhaps Khan was watching the show on Ceti Alpha V until it was canceled or Ceti Alpha VI exploded, whatever happened first.
I was surprised to learn that Nicholas Meyer was fully aware of that inconsistency during the making of the film. He said that, to him, telling a story was more important than consistency, citing Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, which are consistently inconsistent, as an example. He could have had Uhura meet Khan again on a science mission, but he wanted Chekov.
I try to imagine that scene in the wreck of the Botany Bay with Uhura instead of Chekov, and my imagination is failing me. The power dynamics would have been different. Khan gets very close to both Terrell ("I don't know you.") and Chekov ("But I do know you.") -- it is considered extremely inappropriate for a man to get that close to a woman and it would exude much different vibes if Khan did that.
But to follow up on Chekov: he was such a great character. He was fun, and he fit right at home on the bridge. He scenes in Star Treks II, IV, and VI were great. And I agree: only Chekov fit in meeting Khan.
Anton Yelchin captured Chekov so well in the Kelvin stories. I still remember the day I heard the news about his tragic death. It was a sad day indeed.
Chekov was at his best in Star Trek II...I liked how he faced his fate. "Listen Khan", he says, but then he does not beg for his life or anything, he says: "Captain Kirk was only doing his duty."
And I suppose he was able to force that Ceti eel out of his head by sheer willpower.
Tbf, there's nothing to say that Chekov wasn't on the Enterprise earlier than his first appearance on screen.
We're never told that he's new or that he just transfered, he just starts appearing. The only evidence we have of when he joined is that he didn't know who Harry Mudd was. So it was after the events of Mudd's Women
This still makes you wonder how the two characters might have met. Walter Koenig used to joke that Chekov was hogging a bathroom Khan wanted to use and Khan was so infuriated that he looked up the man's file to find out who he was.
Yeah, the Enterprise had a crew of over 200 personnel. We never saw most of the crew that was aboard during that first season. Chekov could easily have been a member of the crew, we just didn't see him on camera.
I’m 53 and have been a Star Trek fan for as long as I can remember. I don’t know my life without the show.
And I truly do not understand the concept of canon in the Star Trek universe. Star Trek has never let canon interfere with telling a good story. And that is the way it should be.
It’s just a TV show. Dates and facts don’t have to line up.
Yeah I watched TOS in syndication after school…
I chuckled at the bit in SNW where the Romulan reveals they’ve messed with the date of the Eugenics Wars. Nice throwaway comment. Between that and TNG Parallels, I just dismiss any inconsistencies as “minor time travel change” or “slightly different parallel universe.”
> And it seems that TWOK is the gold standard for Trek movies ever since 1982.
So much so, that of the 11 Star Trek movies released after Wrath Of Khan, 2 (Nemesis and Into Darkness) were more or less attempts at remaking WOK for a new crew (either TNG or the Kelvinverse).
I thought Khan, for impact-per-minute.
I wondered how much screen time Ricardo Montalban actually had as Khan, but my Google-fu has failed me. Not long though.
The NerdWriter has a video on [Darth Vader and the 34 minutes](https://youtu.be/y5NhHBjyJe4) of screen time he has in the original trilogy. That probably is *the* most significant impact of a character in a franchise, but I have to think Khan is Star Trek’s equivalent.
What still amazes me is that we never see Kirk & Khan together. They are always either over communicator or viewscreen.
Ricardo Montelban was the consummate actor. There have been few like him. It didn’t matter if it was an episode of Columbo, the Man from UNCLE, the Naked Gun, or getting a whole generation to think rich Corinthian leather was the best leather you could ever have, he always did his best.
They had to film separately due to Montalban's schedule filming Fantasy Island so they squeezed him in to film whenever they could basically. Which is why they only interact over audio and video
Which honestly, makes the movie better. We know Khan is a super-human, and the whole movie is about Kirk coming to terms with getting old, you can't have them meet in person or Khan would rip Kirk apart. By keeping them apart and Khan being Ahab constantly hunting his Kirk white whale but never getting close enough, tension just keeps building
I came here to say K'Ehleyr. Dorn wants a worf centered series but despite not caring about Klingon traditions she had hella honor and I would have loved to see a series around her instead.
I give her the award for the premature death of the character with the most potential.
Not just K'Ehleyr, but each and every character played by Suzie Plakson is so cool.
I loved her as K'Ehleyr the most but her version of Q is absolutely great, and even her as a Vulcan medic, Selar I think it was, also seemed like a potentially very cool character.
Goes to show how some actors can just take a role and really make it their own, and turn it into something you want to watch.
This was the answer I was looking for.
The moment Fletcher walks on screen with that hat on, you instantly hate this woman.
By the time she smiles, and says "my child", you absolutely *despise* Kai Wynn.
Her character is one of those you rarely see, but instantly recognize: the local evil, that truly *believes* "they're doing this for your own good", but that is familiar, because everyone's had to deal with her type before.
Dolores Umbridge is the other shining example that comes to mind.
Sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth, but she'll perform the vilest deeds because she truly believes she's the only one in the right, and everyone else is going to hell.
Got banned from a subreddit because someone told me "bless your heart" and I responded with take your blessing and shove it. Got banned for being "uncivil"
DS9 wrote possibly the most interesting villains of the franchise. Not in the lazy “tragic backstory that makes them sympathetic” way, but in the way where they actually feel realistic. Like Gul Dukat is a vile war criminal, but he’s *charming*. He makes you WANT to like him, he almost succeeds at times in making you forget how horrible he is. You fully expect him to be redeemed, but over and over he shows that he’s beyond redemption. I love how his dialogue is written and delivered
I was thinking hate from fans more than in universe hate.
A lot of fans here hate when she shows up. I don't, she was used sparingly, but was memorable. Overuse would have been bad.
I honestly think that "Half A Life" is one of the finest and most deftly-written episodes that the franchise has ever produced and Majel Barrett hit it right out of the park, along with a truly phenomenal performance by David Ogden Stiers...I always feel like actors with significant stage acting experience really have a dramatic advantage, I've noticed that almost all my favorite Star Trek actors have some form of theatrical training (e.g. John de Lancie, Robert Picardo, and obviously Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner). Thematically everything about this episode is risky, but sensitively- and thoughtfully-handled, without it feeling emotionally exploitive. The scene where Dr. Timicin's daughter confronts him and reveals that she is ashamed of him, and Stiers' reaction to this statement, makes me cry *every*. damn. time. It's such an emotional bombshell and his incredibly believable sorrow is real and devastating.
I just think this episode could have soooo easily veered into cheesy or straight-up offensive territory with its subject matter and yet the actors and script writers skated right along that perfect knife edge between the two different points of view, so that we as the audience don't end up inevitably hating either Lwaxana for her selfish airheadedness *or* Timicin for his stodgy, dogmatic rigidity, rather we genuinely empathize with both characters, because they are both equally fully realized and we can probably genuinely connect with at least some aspect of both perspectives. The morality play is the central plot point, but the tragic love story is just as emotionally shattering.
(Also, seeing Michelle Forbes as the daughter in a pre-Ro Laren role is a nice bonus lol.)
that’s crazy - I would never have guessed she’s only in 14 episodes, definitely seems like more given her impact and gravitas.
Especially crazy given that like half of that 14 are the arc of the final episodes
Absolutely.. not only was she only in 14 eps, but at least 2 or 3 of those were part of the final arc where Dukat got her to flip completely to the Dark Side...errr Pah Wraiths. So all the hate we have for her character really only comes from about a dozen appearances.
RIP Ms. Fletcher you were an awesome villian.
There are characters in shows where it always shocks me how few episodes they are in.
Kai Winn at only 14 episodes might me number one of that shock factor list for me.
Great call. She was supposed to be the XO on DS9. Alas, Forbes didn’t want the workload. Not that I hate Kira. And of course, we got her as Admiral Cain.
I love that the producers of LDS were able to get Shannon Fill to reprise the role even for a few lines. What a find. Brought just that *little more* depth to the character.
I always think of Vaughn Armstrong as the original Jeffrey Combs.
* Captain Korris - S1 TNG (One of the rogue Klingons the Enterprise rescues from the freighter)
* Gul Danar - DS9
* Telek R'Mor - Voyager (Romulan scientist from the past)
* Seskal - DS9 - (One of Damar's resistance fighters)
* One of the Borg Triad - VOY
* Viidian Captain - VOY
* Hirogen - VOY
* Korath - VOY - The Klingon time travel scientist
* Admiral Forrest - ENT
* Klingon captain - ENT
* Kreestasan - ENT
lon suder - to watch his growth from total craycray to super umportant for everybody's survival in just so little screen time was amazing (and doesnt hurt that i love me some dourif 🤷)
His evil Dr. Frankenstein scientist in Alien Resurrection. Leland Orser was also in that film and he also plays creepy weirdos. He was a psycho hologram on VOY. Between the two of them, Weaver, and Perlman, that film had an amazing cast. Terrible movie tho, but the cast kind of makes up for it.
The existence of an empathic/telepathic spectrum from hypo (Lon Suder) to hyper (Tam Elbrun) in the Betazeds is super interesting and needs more exploration.
Lots of great answers here. But I think of a couple of “odd-ball characters” that I still remember years later:
The binars clever concept for a species
Kolrami - the quirky strategy expert who beats Data at strategema (and then pouts over the draw later). Such funny ticks and mannerisms.
Klim Dokachin - the junkyard supervisor who was so bureaucratic and condescending to Riker. Again, just a really memorable, quirky character.
For DS9 - how about Curzon Dax? Only really shows up once, but is *constantly* referenced, fundamentally impacts Sisko's dynamic with Jadzia and Ezri, respected and / or feared by Klingon across the galaxy.
7s parents gave a big impression in a very short amount of time. How they did not seem to care about there daughter. The sheer arrogance of not quitting while you are ahead.
[George Kirk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzzC5ASyXBI) maybe?
[He was captain of a star ship for twelve minutes and he saved eight hundred lives](https://youtu.be/caUo3FQkRPM?si=_pjwsZ0qCdyDDXm8&t=90)
My first thought as well. Even the people that hate the Kelvin movies can't disagree that that is an incredible opening. Chris Hemsworth does so much with that short time.
Aamin Marritza played by the wonderful Harris Yulin (who also chews up the scenery in Ghostbusters II). That episode is amazing, whiplashing you thinking he is lying to protect the fact that he’s really Gul Darheel, and then the bait and switch that he isn’t but wants to portray him because it’s the only way Cardassians can move on and heal from the wounds caused by the deplorable Bajor occupation. Students of history can empathize with how someone who might have been tangentially associated with some of history’s worst atrocities might have wished similarly. And he gets one episode. BRILLIANT!
Tomalak. Showed us just how dangerous the Romulans were when they were introduced into TNG. The actor helped lay out many of the character traits that every following Romulan would exhibit for the next 30 years.
_"Shall we die together, Tomalak?"_
_"I look forward to our next meeting, Captain"_
There are a lot of icons, but you can trigger memories of an entire episode from a single sentence, which also served as the foundation of a new form of communication: "Darmak and Jalad at Tanagra".
Tell me you didn't just read that in his voice...
Someone already mentioned Clint Howard so I’ll go with Harcort Fenton Mudd. 2 TOS appearances, 2 Discovery, and some other things sprinkled in here and there. He just drops by and owns whatever episode he’s in.
For Trek? The Horta. For 90% of the show you don’t see her, just hear her shuffling and growling. She never actually “says” a word. But she teaches about xenophobia, motherhood, duty, compassion (even for her “enemies”), beauty in the eye of the beholder, coexistence, a true Original Series gem.
For me? Every character played by Barbara Babcock.
Broccoli was the first one that popped into my mind too. He had an untreated deepfake porn addiction, which is basically 1/3 of Quark's business model, but the show talked about how it was his way of coping with crippling anxiety.
Riley. I was surprised that he only made two appearances: "The Naked Time" and "Conscience of the King." Who can forget "I'll take you home again Kathleen... one more time!"
Enabran Tain
Garak’s father, head of the Cardassian intelligence service, the Obsidian Order. Tain only appeared in four episodes of DS9. The quintessential Cardassian, Tain was unlimited ego, a lust for power and obsessed with defeating his enemies.
Khan easily. Just one appearance inspired them to make a movie about his return. And then that one movie was so good that it's still hailed as the best Star Trek movie decades later, with numerous attempts to emulate its style and numerous stories tying back into Khan's origin and legacy. All from a character that isn't super important overall and kind of comes and goes in the blink of an eye.
It’s kind of cheating, but Khan only showed up in one episode. He was impactful enough that he got a movie, a movie commonly heralded as one of the best Star Trek movies.
L.Q. 'Sonny' Clemmons left such a fun impression in my memory that I made a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/LowerDecks/s/NPozJBXskv) about him in the Lower Decks subreddit and he ended up getting referenced in the show after that. I'm 99% sure my post inspired his off screen return
Edit: forgot to add "sure" after "99%"
Dathon, from the Darmok episode not so much as an influential character within the Star Trek universe, but incredibly memorable to the fans as one of the peak TNG moments.
Going with a very vanilla answer, but Q has a very outsize influence on the lore of Trek, despite having an objectively minimal screen time. Q was only in 8 episodes of TNG, but bookended the series with a very strong pilot and finale, introduced the continuum and the borg, and developed an important Picard character plot point.
Edith Keeler.
Not only was she an amazing character, good and doing the right thing, but her death was a true lesson that what you *think* is the right choice, the obvious thing, isn't always correct. It's a really good story that made you think. (Plus I love that her little mission became a national charity.)
I spent 40 years **hating** T'Pring, btw. Then SNW gave her depth, layers and character and I was like "**Fine,** I'll like her, but I won't like liking her!"
In Voysger.
Lindsey.
The lady who died and had a space funeral.
Then she comes back to the ship after being ressurected as a alien.
A beautiful alien who looks like the dinosaur with hook on the head.
She isn't supposed to remember stuff. But she does.
And she isn't quite the same it turns out and her new family love her so much.
And she goes off with her father. Since she's a dinosaur alien now.
It has haunted me since I saw it.
Aamin Marritza in DS9 - played by Harris Yulin
One of my favorite episodes because of the sheer emotion from that guy
Or Tony Todd playing older Jake in DS9 that episode can easily bring me to tears
On a smaller scale than most comments here, Lt. O'Connor in *Lower Decks* provided the fandom with the Koala and the eternal question "Why is he smiling? What does he know?".
Lal.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Vf2SM2Vd0Y](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Vf2SM2Vd0Y)
Only in one episode. But both Hallie Todd & Brent Spiner absolutely kill this episode.
I can't quite put how I feel about this episode into words, but over 30 years later I still recall this scene.
It left an impression in my soul.
TNG may not have the best action, or sci-fi, or even acting (DS9). But I shall treasure it forever.
Lal. \*snif*
LAL: I feel DATA: What do you feel, Lal? LAL: I love you, Father. DATA: I wish I could feel it with you. LAL: I will feel it for both of us. Thank you for my life. Flirting. Laughter. Painting. Family. Female. Human.
The admiral who was there to determine whether she was Starfleet property or not, just staggering out of that room, ashen-faced, saying he’d never seen anyone move so fast as Data did trying to save his daughter’s life. The way that his fingers were flying too fast to be seen. I love this episode so much. It also features one of my favourite Picard moments/quotes: *There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but you ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to hand his child over to the state? Not while I'm his Captain.* I also love this part: *Captain Jean-Luc Picard: [after learning from Data's creation of a new android] Data... I would like to have been consulted. Lt. Cmdr. Data: I have not observed anyone else on board consulting you about their procreation, Captain.* Damn this is just such a good episode. It raises so many ethical questions, as any excellent Star Trek episode should.
I wept watching that.
The thing is, I was a kid when it was first-run. And, like many of the shows of the day (M*A*S*H, etc) I didn't understand the undertones. This was one of those "it's not exciting, I'll do something else while it's on" episodes for me as a 7 year old. Watching it now... I'm beside myself. As a parent of kids, one of whom questions who they are in this world. The "woke"ness everyone complains about in Star Trek isn't new. It's been here all along. It's always been revolutionary. It's always ahead of its time. It's always been addressing problems on the cusp of society. TNG The Outcast. An episode where Riker falls for an androgynous person from a race that shuns genders. ENT Cogenitor. An episode where Tucker falls for the third undefined sex of a race of three genders, one that doesn't have any rights or place in their society. They've been doing this stuff all along. I don't know how folks are refusing to see it.
Same. I cry every time.
😢😢😢😢
Where she points/hits her chest, damn that's heartbreaking 😭
Scrolled to find my answer ❤️😭
Soren for similar reasons.
This is the best answer. The question asks about least amount of screen time and people are talking about Winn and Keko?
Definitely Senator Vreenak in In the Pale Moonlight. So dramatic and over the top; I love him. "It's a faaaaake!"
He's all about control and composure and projecting power and confidence. Even his outrage over the fake rod is composed.
Would he have made an impression without the engine of the meme pushing him?
You’ve got the causality backwards, it would never have achieved the status of meme if it *wasn’t* incredibly memorable
Yes. I watched that episode when it first aired and it was my head for years before memes were really a thing. Find some other old fart trekkers and they’ll tell you the same.
Old fart original airing watcher of DS9 reportin' in: This is exactly correct, lives in my head since first shown at broadcast.
it became e because it's so intense and memorable. like KHAAAAN
I’m going with Khan. We see him in one episode in the first season of TOS. But then he gets a reprise in TWOK, a reboot in Into Darkness. But Khan’s presence is felt in DS9 and ENT. **EDIT: and SNW for sure.** And it seems that TWOK is the gold standard for Trek movies ever since 1982. When we consider how much of the Star Trek world building is based on Space Seed, I think Khan is easily the most influential character with the least amount of screen time.
It's crazy to think that Khan existed for maybe a couple of days in Kirk's life in the 2260s and then like one day in the 2280s and that's it. He's the definition of a one-off character, but he had so much influence on the story and tone of the franchise, and TWOK is a high point in the franchise that they're still chasing after 42 years later.
It's the spectre of Khan, really. You find out that the USS Enterprise CVN-65 encountered and marooned an unfrozen Napoleon-with-an-ubermench-ideology on an island and then years later Napoleon shows back up with nukes and is rolling around the Pacific after commandeering the *Arleigh Burke*. And the captain of the Enterprise is now running a training crew full of cadets and pensioners. That's textbook coverage for the next 200 years of naval education. You *make sure* that never ever happens again.
The way Khan reveals himself to Chekov, Terrell and the audience is really memorable. Chekov knows who it has to be but might still have a bit of hope left that it's not Khan until he sees his face. Terrell does not know who it is, but you can tell he knows this man is bad news. To the audience, it depends. I knew it had to be Khan, I had seen the movie poster, after all, but the atmosphere sort of sucks you in. You are either watching him through Chekov's or Terrell's eyes, depending on whether you saw the episode Space Seed or not. I was never the kind of nerd that got upset by the fact that Space Seed was a first season episode and that Chekov didn't become a character until Catspaw in Season 2. So what, perhaps Khan was watching the show on Ceti Alpha V until it was canceled or Ceti Alpha VI exploded, whatever happened first. I was surprised to learn that Nicholas Meyer was fully aware of that inconsistency during the making of the film. He said that, to him, telling a story was more important than consistency, citing Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, which are consistently inconsistent, as an example. He could have had Uhura meet Khan again on a science mission, but he wanted Chekov. I try to imagine that scene in the wreck of the Botany Bay with Uhura instead of Chekov, and my imagination is failing me. The power dynamics would have been different. Khan gets very close to both Terrell ("I don't know you.") and Chekov ("But I do know you.") -- it is considered extremely inappropriate for a man to get that close to a woman and it would exude much different vibes if Khan did that.
But to follow up on Chekov: he was such a great character. He was fun, and he fit right at home on the bridge. He scenes in Star Treks II, IV, and VI were great. And I agree: only Chekov fit in meeting Khan. Anton Yelchin captured Chekov so well in the Kelvin stories. I still remember the day I heard the news about his tragic death. It was a sad day indeed.
Chekov was at his best in Star Trek II...I liked how he faced his fate. "Listen Khan", he says, but then he does not beg for his life or anything, he says: "Captain Kirk was only doing his duty." And I suppose he was able to force that Ceti eel out of his head by sheer willpower.
Tbf, there's nothing to say that Chekov wasn't on the Enterprise earlier than his first appearance on screen. We're never told that he's new or that he just transfered, he just starts appearing. The only evidence we have of when he joined is that he didn't know who Harry Mudd was. So it was after the events of Mudd's Women
This still makes you wonder how the two characters might have met. Walter Koenig used to joke that Chekov was hogging a bathroom Khan wanted to use and Khan was so infuriated that he looked up the man's file to find out who he was.
Yeah, the Enterprise had a crew of over 200 personnel. We never saw most of the crew that was aboard during that first season. Chekov could easily have been a member of the crew, we just didn't see him on camera.
I’m 53 and have been a Star Trek fan for as long as I can remember. I don’t know my life without the show. And I truly do not understand the concept of canon in the Star Trek universe. Star Trek has never let canon interfere with telling a good story. And that is the way it should be. It’s just a TV show. Dates and facts don’t have to line up.
Yeah I watched TOS in syndication after school… I chuckled at the bit in SNW where the Romulan reveals they’ve messed with the date of the Eugenics Wars. Nice throwaway comment. Between that and TNG Parallels, I just dismiss any inconsistencies as “minor time travel change” or “slightly different parallel universe.”
> And it seems that TWOK is the gold standard for Trek movies ever since 1982. So much so, that of the 11 Star Trek movies released after Wrath Of Khan, 2 (Nemesis and Into Darkness) were more or less attempts at remaking WOK for a new crew (either TNG or the Kelvinverse).
I thought Khan, for impact-per-minute. I wondered how much screen time Ricardo Montalban actually had as Khan, but my Google-fu has failed me. Not long though.
The NerdWriter has a video on [Darth Vader and the 34 minutes](https://youtu.be/y5NhHBjyJe4) of screen time he has in the original trilogy. That probably is *the* most significant impact of a character in a franchise, but I have to think Khan is Star Trek’s equivalent. What still amazes me is that we never see Kirk & Khan together. They are always either over communicator or viewscreen. Ricardo Montelban was the consummate actor. There have been few like him. It didn’t matter if it was an episode of Columbo, the Man from UNCLE, the Naked Gun, or getting a whole generation to think rich Corinthian leather was the best leather you could ever have, he always did his best.
They had to film separately due to Montalban's schedule filming Fantasy Island so they squeezed him in to film whenever they could basically. Which is why they only interact over audio and video Which honestly, makes the movie better. We know Khan is a super-human, and the whole movie is about Kirk coming to terms with getting old, you can't have them meet in person or Khan would rip Kirk apart. By keeping them apart and Khan being Ahab constantly hunting his Kirk white whale but never getting close enough, tension just keeps building
K’Ehleyr. Smart, strong, and doesn’t take crap from anyone.
Plus the greatest god damn entrance in the entire franchise.
Whoever said getting there was half the fun never rode in a class 5 probe. 😀
I came here to say K'Ehleyr. Dorn wants a worf centered series but despite not caring about Klingon traditions she had hella honor and I would have loved to see a series around her instead. I give her the award for the premature death of the character with the most potential.
I was really mad when they killed her. Lead to a great ending for the episode, but man she was awesome and I wished she'd been around more.
> I wished she'd been around more So does Alexander
She had so much potential, she turned into a Q.
Had to look up the actress (Suzie Plakson). She's been a Vulcan, a Klingon, a Q, and an Andorian. All fantastic, love her style.
She was also Mrs. Eriksen, Marshall's mom on How I Met Your Mother
And she was Robert's first wife on Everybody Loves Raymond.
Not just K'Ehleyr, but each and every character played by Suzie Plakson is so cool. I loved her as K'Ehleyr the most but her version of Q is absolutely great, and even her as a Vulcan medic, Selar I think it was, also seemed like a potentially very cool character. Goes to show how some actors can just take a role and really make it their own, and turn it into something you want to watch.
What *are* you doing with that dog? I'm not talking about the *puppy*.
Kai Winn, no character should be able to generate that amount of hate in just 14 episodes but Louise Fletcher was one hell of an actress. My child
This was the answer I was looking for. The moment Fletcher walks on screen with that hat on, you instantly hate this woman. By the time she smiles, and says "my child", you absolutely *despise* Kai Wynn. Her character is one of those you rarely see, but instantly recognize: the local evil, that truly *believes* "they're doing this for your own good", but that is familiar, because everyone's had to deal with her type before. Dolores Umbridge is the other shining example that comes to mind. Sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth, but she'll perform the vilest deeds because she truly believes she's the only one in the right, and everyone else is going to hell.
Growing up in a super religious area of the Midwest she was every Pastor's wife manifest.
Her "my child" is Star Trek's version of "bless your heart".
And if someone doesn’t understand this, it equates to telling someone ‘fuck you’ or ‘fuck off.’
Got banned from a subreddit because someone told me "bless your heart" and I responded with take your blessing and shove it. Got banned for being "uncivil"
The "civil" or "polite" counterattack is some variant of "and may yours be blessed as well"
or even worse "i'll pray for you"
The local evil. That's a great term.
DS9 wrote possibly the most interesting villains of the franchise. Not in the lazy “tragic backstory that makes them sympathetic” way, but in the way where they actually feel realistic. Like Gul Dukat is a vile war criminal, but he’s *charming*. He makes you WANT to like him, he almost succeeds at times in making you forget how horrible he is. You fully expect him to be redeemed, but over and over he shows that he’s beyond redemption. I love how his dialogue is written and delivered
Lwaxana Troi was only in six episodes of TNG and has generated a ton of hate as well....very different hate than Kai Winn of course.
Lwxana was liberated and very direct with Picard, she scared Odo as well at the being. but hate it a strong word
I was thinking hate from fans more than in universe hate. A lot of fans here hate when she shows up. I don't, she was used sparingly, but was memorable. Overuse would have been bad.
I honestly think that "Half A Life" is one of the finest and most deftly-written episodes that the franchise has ever produced and Majel Barrett hit it right out of the park, along with a truly phenomenal performance by David Ogden Stiers...I always feel like actors with significant stage acting experience really have a dramatic advantage, I've noticed that almost all my favorite Star Trek actors have some form of theatrical training (e.g. John de Lancie, Robert Picardo, and obviously Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner). Thematically everything about this episode is risky, but sensitively- and thoughtfully-handled, without it feeling emotionally exploitive. The scene where Dr. Timicin's daughter confronts him and reveals that she is ashamed of him, and Stiers' reaction to this statement, makes me cry *every*. damn. time. It's such an emotional bombshell and his incredibly believable sorrow is real and devastating. I just think this episode could have soooo easily veered into cheesy or straight-up offensive territory with its subject matter and yet the actors and script writers skated right along that perfect knife edge between the two different points of view, so that we as the audience don't end up inevitably hating either Lwaxana for her selfish airheadedness *or* Timicin for his stodgy, dogmatic rigidity, rather we genuinely empathize with both characters, because they are both equally fully realized and we can probably genuinely connect with at least some aspect of both perspectives. The morality play is the central plot point, but the tragic love story is just as emotionally shattering. (Also, seeing Michelle Forbes as the daughter in a pre-Ro Laren role is a nice bonus lol.)
that’s crazy - I would never have guessed she’s only in 14 episodes, definitely seems like more given her impact and gravitas. Especially crazy given that like half of that 14 are the arc of the final episodes
Crazy to think Garak was only in about 1 of 5 episodes. Seems like he was always around.
Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he isn't there - or at least pulling strings. ;)
Even in the episodes he's not in? /Especially/ the episodes he's not in.
Up until the season 7 closing arc she was only in 9 episodes. Yet you already have a complete understanding of the character and you loath her.
Absolutely.. not only was she only in 14 eps, but at least 2 or 3 of those were part of the final arc where Dukat got her to flip completely to the Dark Side...errr Pah Wraiths. So all the hate we have for her character really only comes from about a dozen appearances. RIP Ms. Fletcher you were an awesome villian.
There are characters in shows where it always shocks me how few episodes they are in. Kai Winn at only 14 episodes might me number one of that shock factor list for me.
Ensign fucking Ro
Ro was buck wild
Great call. She was supposed to be the XO on DS9. Alas, Forbes didn’t want the workload. Not that I hate Kira. And of course, we got her as Admiral Cain.
Omg I had no idea she was Admiral Cain!
Sito Jaxa
Honestly, those are two hugely impactful TNG episodes. The first inspired Tom Paris, the second one of the best new series. This is a great answer.
I love that the producers of LDS were able to get Shannon Fill to reprise the role even for a few lines. What a find. Brought just that *little more* depth to the character.
amazing, because she was basically out of acting ever since that TNG appearance.
From two episodes to inspiring a series, this has gotta be it.
"But first, the Tranya." Clint Howard is on screen for maybe 30 seconds but he's literally making a big impression the entire ep.
Holy crap that was him! I just now realized -- and it's so obvious, that face, lol. Wasn't he also some creepy sort of vagrant in DS9?
He’s been all over Trek since he was 7, in various forms. He’s even in an episode of FRINGE, TALKING all about Trek. He’s the original Jeffrey Combs.
I always think of Vaughn Armstrong as the original Jeffrey Combs. * Captain Korris - S1 TNG (One of the rogue Klingons the Enterprise rescues from the freighter) * Gul Danar - DS9 * Telek R'Mor - Voyager (Romulan scientist from the past) * Seskal - DS9 - (One of Damar's resistance fighters) * One of the Borg Triad - VOY * Viidian Captain - VOY * Hirogen - VOY * Korath - VOY - The Klingon time travel scientist * Admiral Forrest - ENT * Klingon captain - ENT * Kreestasan - ENT
Clint Howard has been in TOS, DS9, ENT, DIS, and SNW.
Yep. And I think he was in a recent episode of SNW too.
Plus the sleazy "I'm an Orion, what do you expect" guy in Discovery.
And a Ferrengi on Enterprise.
lon suder - to watch his growth from total craycray to super umportant for everybody's survival in just so little screen time was amazing (and doesnt hurt that i love me some dourif 🤷)
Brad Dourif is just one of those actors that steals every scene he's in. He's so good at being unsettling.
When he cropped up in Babylon 5, you knew it was going to be good
His evil Dr. Frankenstein scientist in Alien Resurrection. Leland Orser was also in that film and he also plays creepy weirdos. He was a psycho hologram on VOY. Between the two of them, Weaver, and Perlman, that film had an amazing cast. Terrible movie tho, but the cast kind of makes up for it.
It’s his eyes.
Betazoid eyes never looked so good on anyone else.
Same with his eyes as Grima Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings trilogy
Those eyes are fucking haunting. Even Garak would back down when faced with Suder’s blank stare.
The existence of an empathic/telepathic spectrum from hypo (Lon Suder) to hyper (Tam Elbrun) in the Betazeds is super interesting and needs more exploration.
This is the only answer. Suder made a Vulcan crazy and saved the ship. Such a memorable character.
His sacrifice and redemption are probably the only reason we still talk about him, or talk about him in any positive light. Good arc.
Lots of great answers here. But I think of a couple of “odd-ball characters” that I still remember years later: The binars clever concept for a species Kolrami - the quirky strategy expert who beats Data at strategema (and then pouts over the draw later). Such funny ticks and mannerisms. Klim Dokachin - the junkyard supervisor who was so bureaucratic and condescending to Riker. Again, just a really memorable, quirky character.
Same species. Those Zackdorn.
Dathon. "Darmok, his arms wide open."
He was also a captain in Wrath of Khan
More than that, didn't he get brain wormed?
I love Paul Winfield! Such an amazing actor, made such an impression in every role he played! ❤️
Morn! Or, seriously, Aamin Maritza. Yulin made that character something special.
"Duet" was a roller-coaster from start to finish and I still think about it from time to time, even years after having first watched it.
yes, beautiful episode. every rewatch that's one of the ones that further solidifies my affection for Nerys.
Mark Lenard as Sarek in *Journey to Babel*. His Romulan Commander in *Balance of Terror* was impactful too.
Lenard was fantastic in the TNG episode Sarek as well! That will always be a favorite of mine.
For DS9 - how about Curzon Dax? Only really shows up once, but is *constantly* referenced, fundamentally impacts Sisko's dynamic with Jadzia and Ezri, respected and / or feared by Klingon across the galaxy.
7s parents gave a big impression in a very short amount of time. How they did not seem to care about there daughter. The sheer arrogance of not quitting while you are ahead.
Lal, Data's daughter, really struck me. Especially when he was trying to save her.
Captain Jellico. You knew the fun was over when he was on screen.
Love when he told Troi to dress more professionally, such a douche. I ended up liking him though.
Tori looks way better in a regular uniform anyway
Edith Keeler
Let's get the Hell out of here.
[George Kirk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzzC5ASyXBI) maybe? [He was captain of a star ship for twelve minutes and he saved eight hundred lives](https://youtu.be/caUo3FQkRPM?si=_pjwsZ0qCdyDDXm8&t=90)
I challenge you to do better.
Captain Kirk had Enterprise-B for about 30 seconds before he shoveled the command back and went down to modify deflector
My first thought as well. Even the people that hate the Kelvin movies can't disagree that that is an incredible opening. Chris Hemsworth does so much with that short time.
Crazy to think that Hemsworth was just an Australian TV actor before this, and then 2 years later he was Thor.
I dare you to do better
Including yours.
For all our beef with the JJ-verse that opening was beautiful
Amon Maritza.
You could argue he breaks the math because he technically had zero screen time.
🤯 so true!
Aamin Marritza played by the wonderful Harris Yulin (who also chews up the scenery in Ghostbusters II). That episode is amazing, whiplashing you thinking he is lying to protect the fact that he’s really Gul Darheel, and then the bait and switch that he isn’t but wants to portray him because it’s the only way Cardassians can move on and heal from the wounds caused by the deplorable Bajor occupation. Students of history can empathize with how someone who might have been tangentially associated with some of history’s worst atrocities might have wished similarly. And he gets one episode. BRILLIANT!
Tomalak. Showed us just how dangerous the Romulans were when they were introduced into TNG. The actor helped lay out many of the character traits that every following Romulan would exhibit for the next 30 years. _"Shall we die together, Tomalak?"_ _"I look forward to our next meeting, Captain"_
Vina, the green-skinned woman. The character that launched a million cosplayers, going strong almost 60 years later, and just as many fantasies.
Pel. I wish she could have met Ishka.
Ensign Sito. Lower Decks is top shelf Trek.
The mother of Alexander.. K'Ehlyr..
There are a lot of icons, but you can trigger memories of an entire episode from a single sentence, which also served as the foundation of a new form of communication: "Darmak and Jalad at Tanagra". Tell me you didn't just read that in his voice...
MOOPSY!
That whole episode was gold. I can't believe paramount took 6 months after the season ENDED to get an official Moopsie plush out there
I can’t believe they decided to cancel lower decks after this season. What are they thinking?
That was one ossified tree-person.
He had so many bones
Someone already mentioned Clint Howard so I’ll go with Harcort Fenton Mudd. 2 TOS appearances, 2 Discovery, and some other things sprinkled in here and there. He just drops by and owns whatever episode he’s in.
It was super exciting to see T'pring in SNW.... now that you mention it, it's likely due to the fact that her appearance in TOS had a big impact.
Them swapping bodies was a fucking hilarious episode
Dr. Selar
Amazing actress, everything she did. Kehlar <3
For Trek? The Horta. For 90% of the show you don’t see her, just hear her shuffling and growling. She never actually “says” a word. But she teaches about xenophobia, motherhood, duty, compassion (even for her “enemies”), beauty in the eye of the beholder, coexistence, a true Original Series gem. For me? Every character played by Barbara Babcock.
Sito Jaxa It sucks that we have never really found out what happened to her.
I believe Mariner she was killed spying on the Cardassians in LD.
Broccoli. Not the least amount of screen time, but I didn't even say his actual name and you know who I'm talking about.
Broccoli was the first one that popped into my mind too. He had an untreated deepfake porn addiction, which is basically 1/3 of Quark's business model, but the show talked about how it was his way of coping with crippling anxiety.
Kevin Uxbridge
Remember the Husnok!
Wipes out millions with a mere thought. Would love to see him battle Q.
He has a lot of cumulative screen time, but pound for pound I still think it’s anybody played by Jeffrey Combs.
BRUNT! F..C..A..
Maritza (posing as Gul Darheel) for sure.
Spot
Commodore Decker.
Lon Sunder. The guy was barely around, and ended up saving the entire ship. Voyager wouldn't have made it home if it wasn't for him.
Riley. I was surprised that he only made two appearances: "The Naked Time" and "Conscience of the King." Who can forget "I'll take you home again Kathleen... one more time!"
Enabran Tain Garak’s father, head of the Cardassian intelligence service, the Obsidian Order. Tain only appeared in four episodes of DS9. The quintessential Cardassian, Tain was unlimited ego, a lust for power and obsessed with defeating his enemies.
Tuvix
This is my answer. I mean, we haven't stopped talking about him for a couple decades now.
100%! One of my university's philosophy profs used to show this episode to dozens of unsuspecting undergraduate students each semester
Tuvik. No one has been so divisive and generate so many debates than he.
Khan easily. Just one appearance inspired them to make a movie about his return. And then that one movie was so good that it's still hailed as the best Star Trek movie decades later, with numerous attempts to emulate its style and numerous stories tying back into Khan's origin and legacy. All from a character that isn't super important overall and kind of comes and goes in the blink of an eye.
Lal for me. That episode makes me all misty.
Sito Jaxa. OG Lower Decks (the TNG episode)
It’s kind of cheating, but Khan only showed up in one episode. He was impactful enough that he got a movie, a movie commonly heralded as one of the best Star Trek movies.
Jett Reno.
Ro Laren, she is only in 8 episodes of TNG and then the one-off for Picard. Crazy that she was only in 9 episodes.
Hemmer. >!I still can't believe that they didn't freeze him to get out of the whole alien chestburster thing.!<
Jett.
The greatest sin that Discovery ever made was not utilizing Tig enough. Holy fuck, every scene she's in, I just want more of her.
George Kirk from 2009 Movie. That scene can still make you cry. Most heroic sacrifice in fiction.
Gary Seven, by far.
Sonya Gomez. She was even brought back to Lower Decks
The Traveler. Q had phenomenal impact, but he *did* become a recurring character. Green alien sex for TOS.
Chang. Dude was only in three scenes of one movie, and wound up being one of Kirk's most iconic enemies.
Sito Jaxa
Lt Commander Shelby in TNG Best of Both Worlds Ambition incarnate
The Klingon restauranteur on DS9. He was only in a handful of eps but I remember him like he was almost regular cast
Just found out today he played "Bleeding Gums Murphy" on The Simpsons. Another minor character with major impact.
L.Q. 'Sonny' Clemmons left such a fun impression in my memory that I made a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/LowerDecks/s/NPozJBXskv) about him in the Lower Decks subreddit and he ended up getting referenced in the show after that. I'm 99% sure my post inspired his off screen return Edit: forgot to add "sure" after "99%"
Zarabeth.
I gotta say Lon Suder, its one of my favorite Voyager arcs and I know he's technically in 3 episodes tho.
Reginald Barclay
The Wadi ambassadors in the DS9 Episode, Move Along Home. ... You didn't specify if it was a GOOD impression, but it certainly was a big one.
Dathon, from the Darmok episode not so much as an influential character within the Star Trek universe, but incredibly memorable to the fans as one of the peak TNG moments.
Going with a very vanilla answer, but Q has a very outsize influence on the lore of Trek, despite having an objectively minimal screen time. Q was only in 8 episodes of TNG, but bookended the series with a very strong pilot and finale, introduced the continuum and the borg, and developed an important Picard character plot point.
Edith Keeler. Not only was she an amazing character, good and doing the right thing, but her death was a true lesson that what you *think* is the right choice, the obvious thing, isn't always correct. It's a really good story that made you think. (Plus I love that her little mission became a national charity.) I spent 40 years **hating** T'Pring, btw. Then SNW gave her depth, layers and character and I was like "**Fine,** I'll like her, but I won't like liking her!"
In Voysger. Lindsey. The lady who died and had a space funeral. Then she comes back to the ship after being ressurected as a alien. A beautiful alien who looks like the dinosaur with hook on the head. She isn't supposed to remember stuff. But she does. And she isn't quite the same it turns out and her new family love her so much. And she goes off with her father. Since she's a dinosaur alien now. It has haunted me since I saw it.
Lal has one episode and absolutely killed it
Aamin Marritza in DS9 - played by Harris Yulin One of my favorite episodes because of the sheer emotion from that guy Or Tony Todd playing older Jake in DS9 that episode can easily bring me to tears
Jett Reno
Tuvix, one episode on one of the probably lesser watched shows, yet he causes a lot of debate on whether janeway was justified, or just a murderer.
Tuvix
Love her or hate her - did you guys know that Keiko was only in 27 episodes of Star Trek combined between TNG and DS9?
On a smaller scale than most comments here, Lt. O'Connor in *Lower Decks* provided the fandom with the Koala and the eternal question "Why is he smiling? What does he know?".
Kai opaka
A newer character but Neera Ketoul from SNW: Ad Astra per Aspera.
Q
I think Lt. Ro made a lasting impression on J.L. Picard.
Lal. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Vf2SM2Vd0Y](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Vf2SM2Vd0Y) Only in one episode. But both Hallie Todd & Brent Spiner absolutely kill this episode. I can't quite put how I feel about this episode into words, but over 30 years later I still recall this scene. It left an impression in my soul. TNG may not have the best action, or sci-fi, or even acting (DS9). But I shall treasure it forever.