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The five greatest ‘Star Trek’ movie villains of all time

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Zachary Quinto, Sofia Boutella and Karl Urban (from left) in Star Trek Beyond.

5. Shinzon (Tom Hardy), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) A pre-fame Hardy makes this somewhat silly villain (a clone of Picard) into a haunted outsider who’s been mistreated his entire life and has become obsessed with the man he views as both his father figure and his natural enemy.

4. John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Making Harrison an alternate version of Khan was a poor choice, but he works well as a villain on his own terms, deviously manipulating the Enterprise crew and then ruthlessly hunting them down when they no longer serve his needs.

3. The Borg Queen (Alice Krige), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) The calm, seductive embodiment of the cybernetic Borg collective is like something out of a horror movie, using the weaknesses of Picard and Data against them as she attempts to assimilate all of humanity.

2. General Chang (Christopher Plummer), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Plummer gives the Shakespeare-quoting Klingon military leader an air of erudite menace, and his actions are motivated by a righteous commitment to preserving his planet’s indigenous culture.

1. Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Widely considered the best Trek villain of all time, Khan is fascinating thanks to his tragic nobility, his quest for vengeance against Kirk consuming him until he becomes desperate and even pitiable.

Star Trek Beyond Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban. Directed by Justin Lin. Rated PG-13. Opens Friday citywide.

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