FAVORITE STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION RECURRING ALIENS

no orion slave girls?

Ferengi

for the lulz

No kidding! Ferengi were unstoppably comic probably until they started doing all the "Ferengi backstory" episodes in DS9, and some of those were even pretty good.

space jews

Q

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/en/images/0/05/Zek.jpg

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Ferengi_Rules_of_Acquisition

1 Once you have their money, you never give it back. DS9: "The Nagus", "Heart of Stone"
3 Never pay more for an acquisition than you have to. DS9: "The Maquis, Part II"
6 Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.[1] DS9: "The Nagus"; ENT: "Acquisition"
7 Keep your ears open. DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets"
9 Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. DS9: "The Storyteller"
10 Greed is eternal. DS9: "Prophet Motive"; VOY: "False Profits"
16 A deal is a deal. DS9: "Melora"
17 A contract is a contract is a contract ... but only between Ferengi. DS9: "Body Parts"
18 A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. DS9: "Heart of Stone"
21 Never place friendship above profit. DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"
22 A wise man can hear profit in the wind. DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"; VOY: "False Profits"
23 Nothing is more important than your health ... except for your money. ENT: "Acquisition"
31 Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother.[2] DS9: "The Siege"
33 It never hurts to suck up to the boss.[3] DS9: "Rules of Acquisition", "The Dogs of War"
34 War is good for business[4] DS9: "Destiny", "The Siege of AR-558"
35 Peace is good for business.[5] TNG: "The Perfect Mate"; DS9: "Destiny"
45 Expand or die.[6] ENT: "Acquisition"
47 Never trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. DS9: "Rivals"
48 The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"
57 Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them. DS9: "Armageddon Game"
59 Free advice is seldom cheap. DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"
62 The riskier the road, the greater the profit. DS9: "Rules of Acquisition", "Little Green Men"
74 Knowledge equals profit. VOY: "Inside Man"
75 Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum. DS9: "Civil Defense"
76 Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies. DS9: "The Homecoming"
94 Females and finances don't mix. DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs", "Profit and Lace"
95 Expand or die. VOY: "False Profits"; ENT: "Acquisition"[6]
98 Every man has his price. DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight"
102 Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever. DS9: "The Jem'Hadar"
103 Sleep can interfere with your lust for latinum.[7] DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"
109 Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. DS9: "Rivals"
111 Treat people in your debt like family ... exploit them. DS9: "Past Tense, Part I", "The Darkness and the Light"
112 Never have sex with the boss's sister. DS9: "Playing God"
125 You can't make a deal if you're dead. DS9: "The Siege of AR-558"
139 Wives serve, brothers inherit. DS9: "Necessary Evil"
168 Whisper your way to success. DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River"
- A man is only worth the sum of his possessions.[8] ENT: "Acquisition"
190 Hear all, trust nothing. DS9: "Call to Arms"
194 It's always good to know about new customers before they walk in your door. DS9: "Whispers"
203 New customers are like razor-toothed gree worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back. DS9: "Little Green Men"
208 Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer. DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
211 Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them. DS9: "Bar Association"
214 Never begin a negotiation on an empty stomach. DS9: "The Maquis, Part I"
217 You can't free a fish from water. DS9: "Past Tense, Part I"
229 Latinum lasts longer than lust. DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
239 Never be afraid to mislabel a product.[9] DS9: "Body Parts"
263 Never let doubt interfere with your lust for latinum. DS9: "Bar Association"
285 No good deed ever goes unpunished. DS9: "The Collaborator", "The Sound of Her Voice"

betazoid - space hippies, space cougars

what species is the hermaphrodite that riker banged?

Resistance is futile, you will vote Borg!

what kind of alien was data? i liked that one.

I vote Crystalline Entity. What a tragic interaction that one was.

Also the Bynars were cool.

http://www.talshiar.org/Rules/Rulebook.jpg

my dad owns this book

i vote cardassians, only because of gul dukat

plus, iggy pop was a cardassian

http://www.startrek.com/imageuploads/200303/ds9-534-the-vorta-yelgrun/240X320.jpg

That's a Vorta, actually.

Nobody repping for the Romulans?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y6/akadaver/vreenak.jpg

IT'S A FAAAAAAAAKE!

I didn't think the Tholians were in TNG - in all of the later series, they were only mentioned here and there, perhaps to maintain their "mystique".

The Ferengi were conceived originally as the new Klingons, but as was obvious from a viewing of their debut episode, they fell way short of the mark.

Winner is gonna be either Q or the Borg.

no way are the Q going to come out in #1 or #2 dude

If we're talking TNG only, the Borg might walk away with the poll quite handily. Voyager really declawed them.

there was an episode of either TNG or Voyager where a Ferengi said "You think we are not smart. We are smart." that my brother and I thought was just hilarious for some reason and would quote all the time. also we'd make a lot of references to "gold-pressed latinum." good times, my nerdy childhood.

There's a compendium of valuations of various quantities of gold pressed latinum on the star trek wikia that is fucking awesome!

How is Lore an "alien"?

Ferengi DOS: Unprofitable command or file name
Klingon DOS: That command or file name HAS NO HONOUR!!!

I wuv the Ferengi. They drive a hard bargain, but you know you get good value from them.

Q?

"now pay attention Pickard!"

You can't free a fish from water.

^^^ Ferengi OTM

come on, Crystalline Entity!

http://www.daviddarling.info/images/Crystalline_Entity.jpg

I just love how beautifully stupid the thing is, how totally of the period both in terms of general sci-fi/philosophy/nerd tropes (rhizomatic thingumybob) and in terms of special effects technology...

Then the old lady takes him down HARDCORE DAMNNNN

i know it's obvious guys but klingons are hilarious

Crystalline Entity

klingons are hilarious = let us recall worf's pimple in that episode where tasha yar got on data

Data's Romances

The Borg is the coolest concept (an idea with an imaginative/philosophical impact that extends beyond the series itself. note how "resistance is futile" has entered the general lexicon) and is really the only one that is genuinely frightening to me.

IT'S A FAAAAAAAAKE!

OMG LOL I love that but it's cheating Sen. Vreenak is DS9. Millsner u r a nerd after my soul.

what species is the hermaphrodite that riker banged?

I think they were perfectly sexually androgynous, not hermaphroditic technically, but regardless of the case, they appeared only in one episode thank god. (They're the J'naii, for reference.)

If we're talking TNG only, the Borg might walk away with the poll quite handily. Voyager really declawed them.

As much as I liked First Contact, the idea of a Borg queen was a non-starter that wasn't executed terribly well on top of demystifying a lot of Borg scariness. But then, Locutus was way more awesome for some reason...

The Borg is the coolest concept (an idea with an imaginative/philosophical impact that extends beyond the series itself. note how "resistance is futile" has entered the general lexicon) and is really the only one that is genuinely frightening to me.

― Granny Dainger, Wednesday, October 1, 2008 8:18 PM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i didnt even realize that phrase started with star trek! thought it was older than that!

This poll is kind of 2 polls in one, since "recurring aliens" include the classic Trek aliens, those added to the Trek canon by TNG (Ferengi, Cardassians etc) as well as aliens of the week and those that showed up in only a couple of episodes (the Crystalline Entity, the Traveler--who should be on this list). It's tough to pick an established alien over one of the novelty species that appeared on the series. That said, I stand by the Crystalline Entity.

i didnt even realize that phrase started with star trek! thought it was older than that!

Pretty much, it's a standard trope. Long parodied too -- back in 1979 Douglas Adams had the Vogon guard being stereotypically mean and evil (goofily) by the shouting he likes to do -- "RESISTANCE IS USELESS!" But it's accurate enough to say that the Borg 'own' the phrase now, I guess.

"Resistance is futile" is a catch phrase used by the Borg of the Star Trek fictional universe.

Its first use in Star Trek came in the 1990 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Best of Both Worlds," written by Michael Piller. It was later used by Piller in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode "Emissary". It was made more popular as the tagline of the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact by the actor Jeff Coopwood who was the "Voice of the Borg" in that film. In 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, however, Mr. Spock, after Commander Willard Decker's explanation about a phaser strike weaken just enough to break free, told Captain James T. Kirk that "any short resistance would be futile."

"Resistance is futile" has subsequently been assimilated into popular culture as a proverb and has become a cultural meme. The term is often used in the media to describe a desperate and failing struggle 'against the flow'.

Yeah, I forgot the Traveler, plus the stupid parasite worms that infected Starfleet High Command.

Fair enough about Vreenak being from DS9, Leee. Thought I might get away with slipping him in.

I'm actually reconsidering my earlier vote for the Romulans, since their portrayal in TNG was too often one-dimensional "LOL sneaky" villainy. Only a couple of episodes gave them much depth, and they didn't have much to do in the grand scheme of things until much later in DS9.

Shame, because 'Balance of Terror' and 'The Enterprise Incident' are classics.

Though not recurring, the Tamarians are probably still the right answer to this thread.

I kept wishing, right until the end of TNG's run, that they would bring back the parasitic bugs from the "Conspiracy" episode. That was obviously set up for a sequel, but for TNG fans thinking it "too gross".

i'm not a "trecky" but the episode where the captain was a detective was pretty cool.

hehehehe

omg!

The parasite bugs were great--I remember stumbling on that ep in reruns and being completely surprised by it...certainly unusual episode, and a standout in the not-so-good first season.

It's pretty mystifying why they didn't bring back the parasite bugs or the interdimensional clicky-clack black-robed abductors (who I don't think were ever named).

Just to check: am I wrong or alone in reading "Omarion nebula" and basically having this image come to mind?

http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb40/glitterfy_com-2/graphics/101/Omarion_14.gif

Straight between Q and the Borg.

I wrote a very long essay in sixth grade about Q! Like at least eight pages. I wish I still had it.

god Enterprise was so horrible

plz no more Space-Dubya

What species was the sapient tar pit that ate Tasha Yar?

Also how is Lore an alien? He was just an android! Devised by Spiner-dad! Not a species! In fact Data is more arguably an alien bcz he got that flesh thing and like had a borg-queen orgasm and then part borg yes? Also by this reasoning Picard would be more of an alien than Lore? A francophile alien.

or "borgasm", if you will

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarlacc

xp

I never needed to see Data have a borgasm. Shit is haunting.

boregasm

zomg great pit of Carkoon space vag

but seriously folks

yar got killed by a talking oilslick

Has there ever been a poll between all the major modern television sci-fi universes? Like TNG/DS9 v. Firefly v. Babylon 5 v. BSG v. Stargate v. Whatever I'm Forgetting?

pretty sure there was a big ilx nerd poll but i can't find it

Also how is Lore an alien? He was just an android! Devised by Spiner-dad! Not a species! In fact Data is more arguably an alien bcz he got that flesh thing and like had a borg-queen orgasm and then part borg yes? Also by this reasoning Picard would be more of an alien than Lore? A francophile alien.

I mean alien in an ethical sense, id est, that of the unknowable other. While Data is more marked by his lack of emotions and Lore would seem more familiarly human by his duplicity, but the real test of alien otherness lies in how easily the one or the other evinces a willingness to abide by liberal humanist ideology; Data stands in a transitional penumbra between Great Chain of Being (note: not the Great Link!) ideology and pre-modernist liberal humanism (though fundamentally biased in favor of a post-Luther weltanshauung) wherein he advances towards a linear, enlightened invidualization signifying "progress" and which was metonymized by his quest to understand (and thereby gain) emotions; as he enacted an important liberal humanist fantasy, he necessarily divested himself of otherness and became a "pet" of humanness.

Lore, on the other hand, represents a volatile and intractable element governed by self-interest, thus was positioned against humanity, and his positronic BRANE symbolized the inscrutably unfamiliar and the inaccessibly alien.

Spot OTOH is a "pet" of "humanness."

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'm not a huge Trek fan, but I've always enjoyed the Q episodes I've seen.

Borg

The parasite bugs were great--I remember stumbling on that ep in reruns and being completely surprised by it...certainly unusual episode, and a standout in the not-so-good first season.

It's pretty mystifying why they didn't bring back the parasite bugs or the interdimensional clicky-clack black-robed abductors (who I don't think were ever named).

According to the Star Trek Wiki the parasite bugs were planned to return during the second season - they were supposed to be the Borg. In the end of the parasite episode, when they send the signal to outer space, it was the Borg who were to follow the signal. They were supposed to be different kind of members of the same insectoid race. However, it turned out that making the Borg insects would've cost too much in special effects, so they changed the Borg design and at the same time discarded their linkage to the parasites.

wasn't there some hack TNG novels linking the el-aurians to the Q

JOHN DE LANCIE VS MALCOM MCDOWELL VS WHOOPIE GOLDBERG GO

lol from wikipedia

It is uncertain whether the El-Aurians have any powers beyond those of normal humanoids. One possible piece of evidence that they do is when Guinan raises a hand threateningly to Q. This threat seems to be taken seriously at the time, though it is also possible that it may have been largely gestural. Alternatively, Q and Guinan may have had previous interactions or Q may be simply scared of Whoopi Goldberg.

'fascinating' xxxpost

wasn't there some hack TNG novels linking the el-aurians to the Q

But umm guys surely the TNG saga ended with Data dying and Lore kinda taking the place of Data in episode 1, w/r/t humanity

^^ that's right I just posted that in public

That's so sad!

It's true, talking about TNG movie details on the internet is pretty low

How did Data die? How could they not repair him???

SPOILER ALERT FOR SOMETHING NOBODY CARES ABOUT

(he was on a ship that exploded, vaporizing him beyond repair)

I'm totally wrong on one point, though: it wasn't LORE who started where he left off, it was a third brother-model, into which Data's memory banks had been incompletely copied.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ugh this is so rong

so wrong it feels so right

hahaha, i love crystalline entity as #2.

Now Q's fans have ruined an ILE poll, much as Q himself ruined an entire television series.

He was in like 12 episodes! That's some potent ruining.

By which I mean: if person in ~12-20 episodes ruined an entire series that ran 7 seasons, then THAT is some potent ruining (bcz those few episodes spreading to all the majority, ruined, whoa how he do that).

I feel bad not voting Borg now.

ugh this is so rong

― Kramkoob

This from someone who asked where the Orion slave girls were on a TNG poll.

He was in like 12 episodes! That's some potent ruining.

― Abbott, Monday, October 6, 2008 7:28 PM Ban

By which I mean: if person in ~12-20 episodes ruined an entire series that ran 7 seasons, then THAT is some potent ruining (bcz those few episodes spreading to all the majority, ruined, whoa how he do that).

― Abbott

Ahhhhh fuq~~

Oh wait an actual non-insulting post: are like half of the prominent races some variation of space Jew? Vulcan as coolly logical thinking Jews (where do Romulans fit?), Ferengi as lol mercantile Jews, and Bajorans as zomg persecuted Jews.

q is a playa tho

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9159/17theoutcast.jpg

Watched the Q ep from season 3 last night, he shows up naked, claiming he is now a human mortal, and spends most of the time complaining about how horrible it is to be a human. I liked how at the end when he gives Data the parting gift of laughter, someone asks what Data is laughing at, and he stops, and says he doesn't know. It was a very Zen.

how can the borg be aliens when they are all of us

My most favourite funny Data moment is at the climax of this clip from "Generations", which takes place when he has turned on his emotion chip, though it doesn't really work unless you've watched 7 seasons of stoic Data before it.

It's an odd realization, remembered very rarely, that "hey, Max Headroom was on this show!"

how can the borg be aliens when they are all of us

In the first Borg episode we see Borg babies in breeding chambers, and they are only interested in assimilating technology, not biological beings, so they're clearly supposed to be a race of their own. Even in "Best of Both Worlds", they only assimilate Picard because it's a part of their war plan. The concept that all Borg are assimilated beings from other races comes much later.

Yikes, completely forgot the episode where Famke Janssen plays an alien empath who makes everyone horny.