The Best Aliens from Star Trek Enterprise Season One

One thing the Star Trek universe does not lack is an expansive gallery of alien species. Since we’re releasing our first podcast from the second season of Enterprise in a couple days, this seems like the perfect moment to look back at the contributions this season has made to that catalog.

The first season of Enterprise was a delightful mix of new and old aliens. In the pilot Broken Bow Part I, we are very quickly introduced to two of the most iconic alien species in all of Star Trek lore: the Klingons and the Vulcans. A few episodes down the road, they brought in an entirely revamped version of everybody’s favorite blue aliens in The Andorian Incident adding much more nuance and depth to a previously one-dimensional species. Surprisingly, we even got to have a surprise encounter with the Ferengi in Acquisition, all the while respecting the fact that Starfleet believes they didn’t make contact until 200 years later.

But in addition to the incorporation of old classics, Enterprise was unexpectedly impressive at creating their own 22nd century catalog of original alien species. Here are the top five:

5. Vox Sola Alien Organism

In our podcast dedicated to the Vox Sola episode, Podcast Co-Host Chris came down forcefully behind this bad boy as his favorite alien we’ve seen so far. Honestly, it’s tough to argue with him. This web-like organism that sneaks aboard the Enterprise while they’re docked with a Kreetassan ship is wildly different than the humanoid species Starfleet typically encounters. It initially seems to form a symbiotic relationship with Archer, Trip and a couple of lower crewman, but Hoshi and T’Pol are eventually able to communicate with the web beast and free their buddies. That it is ultimately revealed to be a fully intelligent creature and an organism that spans what looks to be the entire surface of a planet only make it all the more notable.

In spite of all that goodness, it only barely makes the list because part of it was CG, which is a thing that they had no right doing in 2001 if they wanted it to be watchable in 2017. Also, while the concept of the alien is really cool, it does kind of look like a bunch of bean sprouts covered in paste.

4. Xyrillian

The Xyrillians were the species featured heavily in the episode Unexpected, which had poor Commander Trip getting himself accidentally impregnated. This episode was also featured in our “Five Best Episodes of Enterprise Season One,” so there was a pretty good chance these folks were gonna make it onto another “Best of” list.  And that is primarily due to how goddamned cool they are.

First, their ship’s atmosphere is different than that of the Enterprise. This should be a thing that you would imagine you would see quite often, given that evolving on a different planets with different conditions would probably mean different optimal environments. Now, I don’t want a Star Trek bound by five-minute sequences every episode where human or alien crew adjust to each other’s atmospheres, but…just this once? Perfect.

In addition to the atmospheric difference, the Xyrillians themselves are just a surprisingly chill race. They have rudimentary cloaking devices, and they are responsible for introducing Starfleet to its first Holodeck. There’s no way we get all those Dixon Hill episodes in TNG without this meetup. And visually they look similar to a more tender version of the Dracs from that hit 1985 classic Enemy Mine.

3. Tandarans

Visually, these guys are pretty non-descript, but it’s what’s inside that counts. And what’s inside these mamma jammas isn’t real pretty. Where the crew of the Enterprise comes across as the best, most reasonable aspects of humanity, the Tandarans are much closer to our darker side that comes out in times of fear.

The episode Detained has Archer and Travis waking up in what turns out to be a prison where Tandarans have interned Suliban civilians based not on any wrongdoing, but only on the species to which they belong. The allegory here isn’t subtle as they even reference America’s own internment of its Japanese-descended citizens, but with this episode airing hot on the heels of the September 11th attacks during a period of rising anti-Islamic sentiment, it strikes me as an important reminder of our less-enlightened tendencies.

The best part is that they aren’t played as mustache-twirling villains, but instead as the well-meaning threats that you are likely to encounter in the real world. They genuinely believe they are locking up the Suliban for their own safety, making the Tandarans bad for the galaxy but good for entertaining television.

Bonus: Colonel Grat was played by Dean Stockwell, allowing for an unexpected Quantum Leap reunion.

2. Denobulans

The Denobulans were a real close contender for best alien species introduced in season one, but the only thing holding them back is the fact that we only had the pleasure to meet one of them. So it’s impossible to determine if it’s the species as a whole that is so engaging, or if it’s just John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox and his irresistible charm that puts these guys on the radar. His performance in “Dear Doctor” alone was enough to earn his species a spot on this list.

Regardless, Denobulans are a welcome addition to the Star Trek universe, and not only because of Phlox’s ability to make that uncomfortably large smile. His seemingly unending optimism feels like a manifestation of the positivity that dominates the United Federation of Planets during the time of The Next Generation, and serves as a sharp contrast to the persistent underlying danger that the crew of this 22nd Century vessel are constantly forced to recognize.

1. Suliban

How could it be any other species? The Suliban are featured in the season opener Broken Bow, the season finale Shockwave Part 1, and many episodes between. The Suliban Cabal serves as the primary tool of the shadowy villain in the Temporal Cold War, but also as the innocent civilians imprisoned without cause in Detained. Throughout the course of the season the Suliban are given expansive depth as a species that is rivaled only by the Vulcans in later seasons of Enterprise, or the Bajorans in Deep Space Nine. Plus, the Suliban we see the most is Silik played masterfully by John Fleck, and anytime he’s gracing your screen it’s a good day.

The end of season one is the high water mark for the Suliban, but I’m hoping by the time Star Trek Discovery rolls around they’ll see fit to incorporate one of the greatest contributions of Enterprise somehow.

You think I’m crazy over here ranking the Suliban as number one? You think the Kreetassans should have earned a spot? Feel free to get at me with your opinions!