Almost 40 years after the Borg were introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek has just introduced a genuine contender to their villainous throne. The Borg are a relentless but cold species, terrifying in their relentless dominion of organic races, and while a lot of aliens have been introduced to Star Trek since their debut in 1989, there aren’t many that could claim the same sort of legacy. The Q may be the only exception, but they’re on another plane entirely. But Star Trek‘s canonization of another species certainly poses an interesting question.
Also hailing from the Delta Quadrant, like the Borg, the Furies are new to Star Trek‘s live-action series, but have previously appeared outside of recognized canon. Their appearance in the latest episode of Starfleet Academy changes canon in a way that makes the already dangerous Delta Quadrant even more terrifying. And while the claim that they could rival the Borg may sound far-fetched, their potential is darkly impressive. Deep Space Nine has the Dominion, and Voyager has Species 8472, but crucially, both brokered peace with the Federation: the Furies would never stoop so low.
Who Are The Furies? Star Trek’s “New” Villains Explained
The Furies may be new to live-action, but they actually debuted in the Star Trek: Invasion! four-part series of books that debuted in 1996. Crossing over all 4 of the main Trek series of the time, Invasion introduced the Furies as an ancient race of aliens so fearsome they had passed into mythology and folklore. The first book sees Kirk’s Enterprise encounter them thanks to a distress call from the Klingons, which says all you need to know about the Furies. In the books, they’re capable of influencing their victims and using fear to crush their minds, and they quickly incapacitated the Enterprise.
Believing themselves to be the true rulers of the Alpha Quadrant after an ancient war with the “Unclean” (whose bloodlines would become those of the Alpha Quadrant’s “modern” species), they were a universally feared collection of 666 species, terrifying to behold, and incredibly powerful. And given their short but major impact on non-canon history, to see them finally brought into canon (even with some changes) is a great nod for long-term Trek fans.
How Starfleet Academy Changes The Furies
In Starfleet Academy, the species’ origin is different: they’re not confirmed to be a collection of species, though they do look very different to one another. At first, they’re confirmed to be humanoid hybrids, before Nus Braka reveals to Captain Ake that they are part lynar, a bat-like alien first introduced in The Next Generation Season 6 episode “Chain of Command”. That classic TNG story – one of the best ever, in fact – reveals the cave-dwelling creatures are harmless, but whatever mix they are in to create the Furies clearly changes that demeanor. The Furies are also confirmed to be cannibals and riddled by an all-consuming hatred, as Paul Giamatti’s Braka eloquently explains:
“They hate being Furies… they’re in ball-clenching, sphincter-puckering pain, all the time. The only relief they get is to spooge it all over everyone else.”
Instead of being committed to restoring their races to their rightful place, ruling the Alpha Quadrant, they are merely berserkers, exploiting weaker races and cutting a bloody swathe through the galaxy. They’re led by N’Duwo Skra (a heavily disguised Stephen Adekolu), a mask-wearing hulk of a creature who takes advantage of the actor’s former career as a professional footballer. Starfleet Academy reveals the Furies’ modus operandi: taking hostages, sending a “message” by killing one immediately, and then seemingly killing all of them even when paid their ransoms. And of course, eating their victims. The Borg may be relentless, but they are not as wild, as volatile, or as unexpected, and the Furies come with seriously advanced technology. If they return, and live up to the reputation they built in the Invasion books, they could be Star Trek‘s next answer to a Borg-level threat.
If there’s one criticism of Starfleet Academy episode 6, it’s that the weakness built into the Furies is a little underwhelming. Because of the conceit that they are part lynar, they have elevated hearing, and thus are vulnerable to sonic attacks. That results in their rather quick defeat, but hopefully, their alliance with Nus Braka will mean we’ll see more of them.
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