History Characters / StarTrekSpeciesNToZ

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Of course, being demons, they're pretty much evil by default. [[PlayedWith Then again]], they may simply be more like an evil faction than an evil race, as they are presumable the same species as the Prophets, just their equivalent of dangerous extremists.

* BizarreAlienBiology: On the surface, they still look almost identical to their Vulcan ancestors. Inwardly, a few thousand years of separation mean there's just enough difference to make medical transplants impossible. The modern Romulan is actually more biologically compatible with a ''Klingon'' than a Vulcan.

* PlanetofHats: {{Subverted}}. While it's assumed that all Orions are SpacePirates, it's something of stereotype the spieces tries to forget.

* EvilerThanThou: They're [[ExaggeratedTRope more lethal than even]] ''[[ExaggeratedTrope the Borg]]''. Yes, the [[TheJuggernaut near-unstoppable]], [[HordeOfAlienLocusts all-consuming]] cybernetic HiveMind that has been the terror of the galaxy for centuries is completely outclassed by the genetically superior, highly territorial eldritch aliens. The Borg want to assimilate everyone into their collective; Species 8472 wants to [[AbsoluteXenophobe annihilate every other living thing]] because they consider it an affront to their vaunted purity. The good news for the galaxy, however, is that Species 8472 fundamentally just want to be left alone in their dimension and cease their incursions when ''Voyager'''s crew persuades them that the Federation will respect their isolation.

* HisNameIs: The Caretaker dies of old age before he can return ''Voyager'' to the Alpha Quadrant. Whether he ever intended to do so is a mystery.

* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: Slightly skewed -- the Ocampans do not recognize the Nacene as God, but more of a benign ruler or father. The Caretaker's inner sanctum is just a fancy holodeck.

[[folder:Xindi]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TheXindi_9206.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: a Primate, an Arboreal, a Reptilian, and an Insectoid. Not pictured: the Aquatics and the (extinct) Avians.]]
->''"Without a world of our own, we are but children lost in the wilderness."''

Debut: [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise ENT]], "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS02E026TheExpanse The Expanse]]"

Homeworld: Xindus

A unique race from the Delphic Expanse consisting of five distinct sub-species: primates, arboreals, reptilians, insectoids, and aquatics. A sixth species, the avians, went extinct during the destruction of their shared homeworld in the 2030s.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Blustering insults represent formal politeness; a conversation begins with complaints and insults.

* SitcomArchnemesis: Klingons are unique among Star Trek's races in their extreme hatred of the creatures. The feeling was apparently mutual, because tribbles emit a loud shrieking noise instead of their normal soothing purr in the presence of Klingons. This caused problems for Arne Darvin, an undercover Klingon spy.

* MemeticHandGesture: The Vulcan salute, usually accompanied with the phrases "Live long and prosper" and "Peace and long life." Nimoy based it on a Jewish blessing representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש).

* AbusivePrecursors: They created the Delphic Expanse a thousand years ago for the purpose of transforming our galaxy into something their race they can inhabit.

* CreateYourOwnHero: Ironically, the Romulans' attempt to destabilize the Alpha Quadrant through a series of {{False Flag Operation}}s instead drove the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites to form TheFederation to form a unified front against them.

* FantasticRaceWeaponAffinity: Vulcans prefer the lirpa as a weapon during ceremonial combat. It's a [[BladeOnAStick staff with a fan-shaped blade]] on one end and a hefty counter-weight on the other, good for slashing or bludgeoning enemies.

* CerebusRetcon: The Vulcans are always the heavies in ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', hiding behind religious piety while secretly harboring deep-seated racist and totalitarian beliefs. Indeed, their temple on P'Jem, the most sacred of Vulcan monasteries, is where their covert surveillance apparatus is stashed. In "Twilight" (which took place in an apocalyptic future), T'Pol speculates that her government deliberately withheld technology from Earth for 100 years to leave them utterly dependent on Vulcan and unable to defend themselves. When coupled with the Vulcans' treatment of other races (including half-breeds), this paints them in an especially negative light, much like the Visitors of ''{{Series/V|1983}}'' who pretended to offer friendship to humans while secretly pursuing their own agenda. This was a sticking point with some fans. Yet another [[invoked]]AuthorsSavingThrow was hatched by producer Manny Coto to explain why 23rd century Vulcans are so dramatically different. The aborted Season Five was planned to cover the Earth-Romulan War, possibly leading into an EnemyMine scenario.

* StereotypeFlip: In the 32nd Century, the secretive Romulans have become more open and understanding, whereas the Vulcans have become insular and secretive, albeit for different reasons.

* StereotypeFlip: In the 32nd Century, Vulcans are now insular and suspicious like Romulans, while Romulans have in turn become more open and understanding.

* {{Matriarchy}}: Despite appearances, it is actually the women who control Orion society, using their pheromones to manipulate the men around them. Although these pheremones, and the men actually being slaves, are EarlyInstallmentWeirdness concepts that don't feature after being introduced in [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E17Bound "Bound"]].''[[WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks Lower Decks]]'' Would later clarify that not ALL Orion female have this ability with Tendi showing repeated annoyance at people who perpetuate the stereotype.

* DisappearsIntoTheLight: If the Diviner's death is typical of their species, when they die they dissolve into blue particles.

* {{Matriarchy}}: Despite appearances, it is actually the women who control Orion society, using their pheromones to manipulate the men around them. Although these pheremones, and the men actually being slaves, are EarlyInstallmentWeirdness concepts that don't feature after being introduced in [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E17Bound "Bound"]], other than a ContinuityNod in ''[[WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks Lower Decks]]'' where Tendi says she's not that type of Orion.

* UnreliableNarrator: Just about everything we know about them comes from the Diviner, a zealous xenophobe with a rose-colored view of his species' glory days.

* GenocideBackfire: The Borg discovered and invaded their native dimension, known as Fluidic Space, intending to assimilate their species like so many others. 8472 not only drove them out of their realm, but launched a counter-invasion of the Milky Way that threatened to wipe out the entire Collective.

* EvilIsBigger: In the 24th century, their warbirds are considerably larger than the Federation's flagship ''Galaxy''-class starships or the Klingons' battleships, though partly as a result of huge negative spaces in the hull. A ''D'deridex''-class warbird has a volumetric coefficient less than half that of the Galaxy-class and slightly less than the much flatter Klingon ''Vor'cha''-class battlecruiser. However, the sheer size of the warbird ([[AllThereInTheManual the DS9 Technical Manual]] gives a length of [[MileLongSpaceship 1,041.65 meters]] and other sources give even larger) gives it twice the volume of the 643-meter ''Galaxy''-class and close to ''ten times'' the volume of the 481-meter ''Vor'cha''.

* EvilIsBigger: In the 24th century, their warbirds are roughly as big as the Federation's flagship ''Galaxy''-class starships or even the Klingons' battleships, though mostly as a result of huge negative spaces in the hull. A "compressed" Romulan ship is likely of similar or less mass than an equivalent Starfleet vessel.

* EarthShatteringKaboom: Their homeworld is destroyed by a Varuvian bomb in the ''Lower Decks'' season 2 finale, supposedly planted by "Klingon extremists", but actually by Pakleds doing it themselves, ''on purpose''. The planet itself remains mostly intact, but with a huge chunk blown out of its crust (leaving the molten core exposed to space) and no life remaining on the surface.

* PigMan: They had distinctive snouts, often wore beards, and their hands were sometimes hoof-like in appearance. Their lower jaw usually possessed a pair of small tusks, some more prominant than others, which give them a rather swine-like appearance. Doesn't help that in "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary" shows that in terms of religion, the wolf-like Krognik demon was the equivalent of the Devil.

%%* PigMan

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As a result of debuting in a series set before all other ones but produced after the bulk of the ones it's a prequel to. They were some of Earth's most prominent enemies from its early days of exploration, and are never heard from again past the 22nd century (outside of the ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'' and ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', anyway). According to Daniels, they ''do'' join TheFederation at some point prior to the 26th century. The Xindi-Insectoid do finally make a reappearance in season 4 of ''Star Trek: Discovery''.