59 Years Later, Star Trek Just Improved One Of Its Most Iconic Aliens

Published Aug 1, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team. Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Redshirts 2: Ghosts of the 21st Century #1! 59 years later, Star Trek has just improved one of its most iconic alien races. Introduced in season two of The Original Series, the blue-skinned Andorians captured the imaginations of the nascent Star Trek fandom. While the show had featured other fantastic-looking aliens, the Andorians, with their imposing frames and antennae, truly felt “alien.” First appearing in the season two classic “Journey to Babel,” alongside fellow Federation members the Tellarites, the Andorians are a warlike and aggressive species, on par at least physically with the Klingons. Fans later established that the Andorians were a founding member of the Federation. Despite this, they did not return for The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine or Voyager. Supposedly, The Next Generation’s production team felt the Andorians looked ridiculous, and thus they nearly faded into obscurity. The race was occasionally mentioned in dialogue, but that was the extent of it. Supposedly, The Next Generation’s production team felt the Andorians looked ridiculous, and thus they nearly faded into obscurity. However, Star Trek: Enterprise heralded the return of the Andorians. The show, set in the 22nd century and roughly a decade before the Federation’s founding, established the Andorians as key players early in its run. Enterprise showed that the Andorians were ripe with untapped potential, and the show mined it to brilliant effect. The Andorians’ have had a steady progression throughout Star Trek’s history, and now the franchise has made them even cooler. Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final FrontierTrivia Challenge 🚀ShipsEnterprise! ⭐CrewMake it so ☠EnemiesResistance is… ⚡TechWarp speed! 📖LoreLive long… ENGAGE → 01 The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series? ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656 ✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager. ✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager. NEXT → 02 Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character? AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek ✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise. NEXT → 03 Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called? AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive ✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols. NEXT → 04 “Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called? AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472 ✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.” ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.” NEXT → 05 Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him? AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula ✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. NEXT → 06 Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called? ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive ✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive. NEXT → 07 At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called? AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru ✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. NEXT → 08 In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain? AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat ✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record / 8 Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty? ↻ RE-ENGAGE The Andorians Have Their Own Security Services The Andorian Security Services Can Operate Under Starfleet's Noses In Star Trek: Redshirts 2: Ghosts of the 21st Century #1, by IDW Publishing and written by Gerry Duggan with art by Scott Buoncristiano, fans are introduced to Section Null, a renegade faction of Starfleet Intelligence. Among the group’s numbers are a human named Deubert and an Andorian woman named Lyna. Deubert is the newest recruit to Section Null, and is smitten with Lyna. However, Deubert quickly realizes Section Null is far worse than he thought, and no one can be trusted. Deubert learns Null is not just a branch of Starfleet: it is a front for a Romulan scheme to destabilize the Federation. As Deubert begins to grow wiser towards Null’s wrongdoings, Lyna comes to his quarters, only she is no longer in a Starfleet uniform. Lyna then reveals the truth behind her affiliation to Deubert: that she is a member of the Andorian Security Services. She and her comrades have been working to infiltrate Section Null, and have been tracking the group’s criminal activity for some time. Lyna takes Deubert into custody, telling the hapless ensign he will testify in court about Null’s activities, and bring the organization down from within. Star Trek Fans Requested the Andorians' Return For Years Star Trek fans had been demanding the return of the Andorians since The Original Series ended. The glimpses fans got of the Andorians in episodes such as “Journey to Babel” were tantalizing. As noted earlier, the Andorians possess Klingon-level strength, and have been known to have violent dispositions as well. At the same time, they are warp-capable and a pillar of the Federation. The Andorians embody contradictions, which translates to story possibilities, but for a long time the Star Trek franchise seemed content to let them drift by. A good deal of the Andorians' surge in popularity post-Enterprise is due to veteran genre actor Jeffrey Combs, who played "Shran," a military commander who begrudgingly helps Captain Archer. Star Trek: Enterprise reignited interest in the Andorians, and the franchise has continued their hot streak. Hemmer, the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer in the first season of Strange New Worlds, was a member of the Aenar, a telepathic subset of the Andorians. Hemmer’s presence aboard the Enterprise gave Star Trek’s creative teams even more chances to flesh out Andorian culture. While Hemmer’s time on the Enterprise was cut tragically short, it was enough to keep the Andorians relevant and alive in the hearts and minds of fans. The Andorian Security Service Is Not to be Underestimated Lyna is a Great Representative of the Andorians And now, the full scope of the Andorians’ resourcefulness is on display for Star Trek fans to see. Section Null is one of the most ruthless agencies in the galaxy, responsible for a great deal of criminal activity. Furthermore, they work with Starfleet’s blessing, even though they keep their activities a secret from the higher ups. Yet the Andorian Security Services were able to sneak in under Null’s noses, and are ready to bring the rogue organization to its knees. Lyna, who will be one of the central characters in Ghosts of the 21st Century, perfectly introduces the Andorian Security Services. She immediately subdues Deubert, and confidently tells him her mission. Lyna vows to destroy Section Null, saying Captain Miller, its head, has “killed his last redshirt.” The aforementioned contradictions just underneath the surface of the Andorian psyche come to the forefront in Lyna. The Andorians Are One of Star Trek's Coolest Species, Full Stop Now that Star Trek fans have seen just how awesome and cool the Andorians are, the days when the producers felt they were “goofy” seem far away. The Andorians have just as much potential as the Vulcans or the Klingons, and the franchise seems to be growing hip to this fact more and more. The introduction of the Andorian Security Services makes this iconic Star Trek race even cooler than they already were. Star Trek: Redshirts 2: Ghosts of the 21st Century #1 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!