Intergalactic Makers of Mischief: The Good, the Bad, and the Eccentric

Former Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou's return is nearly upon us, as will debut on Friday, January 24.

Given Georgiou's habit of getting involved in all forms of mischief since her arrival in the Prime Timeline, now is the perfect time to chronicle a variety of Star Trek's most mischievous minds. These troublesome characters range from good-natured tricksters and nefarious con artists to eccentric individuals who inadvertently stirred up misfortune.

As a matter of fact, Section 31 has probably kept dossiers on many of these people over the course of its secretive existence....

Harry Mudd

Harcourt Fenton Mudd's diverse array of insidious dealings included collaborating with his Klingon captors in 's "Choose Your Pain," conspiring to steal the U.S.S. Enterprise in 's "I, Mudd," running off with his future wife's dowry, and breaking out of prison on Deneb V.

Harry Mudd concocted a particularly elaborate strategy in "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad," as he embraced the dual goal of inflicting his vengeance upon Captain Gabriel Lorca and selling the U.S.S. Discovery to the Klingons. Armed with temporal technology that allowed him to retrace his steps on an endless loop and learn Discovery's secrets, Mudd murdered Lorca dozens of times and seized control of the ship. Thankfully, Michael Burnham turned the tables and conned the con man into permitting his bride-to-be to beam aboard, thus preventing Mudd's gravest transgressions — such as Lorca's death — from becoming permanent.

Pelia

Perhaps the most whimsical person we will cover here, Commander Pelia balanced the wisdom she acquired as a long-lived Lanthanite with a delinquent quirkiness. Pelia's personality was best defined in ' "," where she protested La'An Noonien-Singh's investigation into her collection of relics with "suspicious provenance."

Pelia followed up her assertion that she was merely a packrat by describing a bunker she maintained in Vermont in the event the Federation utopia ever fell apart. As La'An found out when she traveled back to the 21st Century, Pelia's chaotic disposition (as well as her interest in archaeological treasures) had developed at least 100 years prior to her service on Captain Pike’s starship.

Trelane

The entity known as Trelane perplexed Captain James T. Kirk and his crew in Star Trek's "," exhibiting an acute curiosity that was tempered by intense fits of petulant anger. Trelane proved as eager to expose Kirk to his world's toxic atmosphere as he was to inquire about Earth's cultures.

The captain's attempt to subvert Trelane's mysterious power by destroying a machine concealed behind a mirror unlocked a murderous rage, as Trelane put Kirk on trial and chose to hunt him for sport. When two glowing beings intervened, the root of Trelane's childish behavior turned out to be quite logical: he was, in fact, their young child. Although they admonished Trelane and spared Kirk's life, Trelane's parents confessed that he had a lot of growing up to do.

Cyrano Jones

A traveling salesman who typically solicited Spican flame gems and Antarean glow water, Cyrano Jones introduced a population of rapidly reproducing tribbles into the confines of Deep Space Station K-7 in Star Trek's ."

The out-of-control infestation had not been the jovial man's objective, though his careless tribble breeding practices ensured him a hefty profit. Jones had a checkered history as an asteroid locator and prospector which entailed minor run-ins with the law, but nothing noteworthy enough to warrant Captain Kirk to truly believe he was a Klingon agent. Nonetheless, Jones' disruption of the station's daily affairs led Kirk to propose a choice: he could either be sentenced to a rehabilitation colony for transporting dangerous animals or pick up every tribble on Deep Space Station K-7. Needless to say, Jones selected the latter!

Thadiun Okona

Deanna Troi sensed Thadiun Okona to be a brazen rogue who lacked any malicious intent as soon as a comm channel was opened to his cargo ship in 's "."

Despite his gregarious charm and quick wit, Okona became the subject of a criminal controversy, as one local official accused him of stealing a valuable jewel and another charged him with fathering his daughter's child. As messy as the debacle seemed, the truth rested in Okona's romantic ideals. The son of the first leader had tasked Okona with delivering the jewel to the daughter of the second leader as part of a marriage ritual, but the couple worried that their nuptials would cause a war between their rival planets. In reality, Okona was a romantic at heart who had been quietly helping the youngsters see each other without their fathers' knowledge.

Vash

Equipped with an inclination to conceal her true goals from those she encountered on her travels, Vash first met Jean-Luc Picard when trying to trick a Ferengi into believing she had destroyed a valuable artifact so she could profit from selling it to the Daystrom Institute. The unconventional archaeologist returned in the hopes of illegally exploring the ruins at Tagus III, a fortuitous rendezvous which generated a professional partnership between Vash and Picard's archnemesis, Q, in The Next Generation's "."

As seen in 's "," that business arrangement didn't work out, as Vash and Q parted ways in the Gamma Quadrant. Nevertheless, after being retrieved by a runabout and transported to Deep Space 9, Vash expressed an authentic fondness for Jean-Luc.

Quark

An intrepid Ferengi who always seemed to have a trick up his sleeve, Quark and his pursuit of lucrative business opportunities plagued Odo throughout the Changeling's tenure as Deep Space 9's chief of security.

Whether tampering with the station's computer to advertise his bar in "," selling illegal weapons in "," filing false charges against Kira Nerys while faking neck injury in "," or absconding with a Klingon cloaking device in "," Quark wrought an unparalleled level of havoc aboard the starbase. On the bright side, Quark tended to surprise his friends and associates with unexpected acts of kindness and consideration that endeared him to many people who frequented the station.

Elim Garak

One might assume that a former agent of the Obsidian Order would maintain a serious disposition in their daily life, but Elim Garak relished the rumors, half truths, and outright lies that spread throughout Deep Space 9 and shrouded his past in mystery. Garak wove spun such an eloquent web of misinformation that, upon being asked which stories about him were true in "," the Cardassian answered that they were all true, "especially the lies."

Of course, his playful attitude hid his lethality, though the quality did emerge when he called upon it. A brutal interrogation of Odo in "" and an endeavor to eradicate the Founders' homeworld with quantum torpedoes in "" served as examples of his malevolent side. However, as was the case with Quark, Garak demonstrated genuine affection for Dr. Bashir and the station's other inhabitants when the mood suited him.

Changeling Infiltrators

The Founders' shapeshifting capabilities made them elusive foes in the build up to the Dominion War, as the notion that they could assume any appearance and hide in plain sight struck fear into the Federation, Klingon Empire, and beyond. These Changeling infiltrators manipulated the Alpha Quadrant's governments to ensure 's dominance.

Such deceptions included luring a joint Romulan Tal Shiar and Cardassian Obsidian Order fleet into a devastating trap in "The Die is Cast" and manipulating Chancellor Gowron into invading Cardassian space in "." A Founder even replaced Dr. Julian Bashir, evading detection for over a month before initiating a failed plot to ignite a supernova that would have wiped out Deep Space 9 and the entire Bajoran system. In that case, the Changeling infiltrator's hostile machinations lacked the affable nature present in many of our other mischief makers.

Q

The omnipotent and powerful being known as and Kathryn Janeway throughout their respective voyages, though Q's ability to manifest any scenario with the snap of his fingers did not prevent Picard from describing Q as a simple
"flimflam man" in The Next Generation's "."

At the pinnacle of his fiendishness, Q would put humanity on trial or fling the U.S.S. Enterprise-D into the path of the Borg. Yet, over the years, his appreciation for humanity's potential and the special affinity he held for Jean-Luc gradually emerged with a greater degree of frequency, culminating in an emotional goodbye between Q and Picard in 's "."

On the other hand, not even Q's apparent death proved to be a significant hurdle for him, as Q later manifested aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-G to tell Jack Crusher that his own trial had just begun in "."