Star Trek: The Next Generationintroduced a species that was so powerful that it’s no surprise they were never seen again.Star Trekhas always been known to reach well outside the sci-fi genreand has frequently mixed genres such as action, romance, fantasy, and more. The willingness to break out of classic sci-fi tropes while still maintaining a core theme is what makesStar TrekTV showsso memorable and timeless. However, with so much material and so many TV shows and movies to work with,Star Trekhas introduced some content that never quite stuck.
There have been plenty of missteps throughout theentireStar Trektimeline, and the reasons for narratives not being revisited are varied. Many times, these mishaps involve the introduction of species with vast amounts of unexplained power, andthese apparent space gods usually mysteriously appear humanoid and end up troubling theStar Trekcanon.First appearing inStar Trek: The Original Series, these kinds of powerful beings' abilities are usually so powerful that defeating them – or even communicating – through ordinary means is impossible, forcing characters to be creative. The difficulty of godlike species is that they aren’t complex enough to be interesting.
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Douwd Are Too Powerful To Bring Back
Kevin Uxbridge’s Crimes Prove His Species Holds Too Much Unknown Power
In theTNGseason 3 episode “The Survivors,“Star Trek: The Next Generation’s crewencounters a decimated planet with only two survivors: Kevin Uxbridge (John Anderson) and his wife, Rishon (Anna Haney). After some suspicious encounters, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) makes a connection between the seemingly oblivious survivors and the torturous music haunting Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sertis).Kevin eventually admits that he is, in fact, a Douwdm - an immortal being with vast powers,and that Rishon is an illusion. After his wife’s death years before, Kevin had instantly annihilated the planet’s fifty billion inhabitants with a single thought.
There’s no challenge or desire to such a powerful species' existence, and explaining them would be too difficult for an already complexStar Trekuniverse.
Kevin’s abilities aren’t explained, and Captain Picard struggles with assigning the Douwd guilt. Picard ultimately allows him to stay with the Rishon illusion, butneither Kevin nor the Douwd are ever seen inStar Trekagain.Why did the Dwoud remain undiscovered for so long, and why haven’t they reappeared? The problem with the Douwd – andevery space god inStar Trek– is that their power of unknown origin isn’t a great storytelling device. There’s no challenge or desire to such a powerful species' existence, and explaining them would be too difficult for an already complexStar Trekuniverse.
Space Gods Have Always Been A Popular But Troubled Star Trek Trope
Species With Powerful Abilities Are Sometimes Boring
One of thefirst godlike species,Star Trek: The Original Series' Trelane (William Campbell), hasn’t been seen on screen again. WhileTrelane’s godlike speciesremains unknown, it has often been speculated that he is connected toStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Q (John de Lancie), who often returned – an unusual trend for aStar Trekspace god.Star Trekhas struggled to continue the story of any space god other than Q. Unlike similar characters, Q is a fixed part ofStar Trek, butintroducing more species like Q would trouble established canonbecause the unawareness of so many all-powerful aliens would be hard to explain.
John de Lancie reprises his role as Q inStar Trek: Picardseasons 2 and 3.
While godlike species often have appeared inStar Trek,Q’s continual returns puts him in the minority amongStar Trek’s other vastly powerful beings. However, other than the Q,no similarStar Trekspecies are popular enoughto stand the test of time. With such a robust and complex canon universe, explaining the powers of unnamed space gods was too difficult forStar Trek: The Next Generationto easily accomplish.
