For the ENT episode of the same name, please see "Extinction".
The skeleton of a prehistoric animal
Extinction is a term for the condition of a species of which there are no currently living members. Extinctions have occurred naturally on many worlds through the course of evolution or natural catastrophes. Some species have become extinct through unnatural means.
Extinctions
Distant past
The skull of a Xindi-Avian, which went extinct in the mid-21st century
- The D'Arsay race existed 87 million years ago and were presumed extinct. (TNG: "Masks")
- Dinosaurs, such as velociraptors became extinct at the end of Earth's Cretaceous Period. (VOY: "Distant Origin"; ENT: "Azati Prime", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
- The Tkon Empire was a massive and incredibly advanced empire that existed over 600,000 years ago. The empire collapsed not long after the Age of Makto when the central star of its home system went supernova. Little is known of the Tkon and they were believed to be extinct. (TNG: "The Last Outpost")
- Iconia was devastated by a massive orbital bombardment approximately 200,000 years ago. The Iconians were believed to be extinct, although a part of the population may have escaped through their gateways. (TNG: "Contagion")
- The Verathans were a now-extinct civilization native to the Verath system in the Gamma Quadrant, which reached their height approximately 30,000 years ago. (DS9: "Q-Less")
- An ancient humanoid race from the Andromeda Galaxy became extinct following the destruction of their homeworld when their sun went supernova. Remnants of the species survived for a time on scattered outposts but eventually died out. (TOS: "I, Mudd")
- The Kurlan died out several millennia before the 24th century. (TNG: "The Chase")
- The ancient humanoid species is believed to be extinct. (TNG: "The Chase")
Pre-Federation
- Before the 4th century, Golana was inhabited by a now-extinct, technologically advanced civilization. (DS9: "Time's Orphan")
- The Promellians and Menthars were two spacefaring races who fought to their mutual extinction in the 14th century. (TNG: "Booby Trap")
- All life on the planet Kataan in the Silarian sector became extinct in the late 14th century due to the effect of increased solar radiation. (TNG: "The Inner Light")
- The Xindi-Avians once flourished on the planet Xindus with the other five Xindi races. They were apparently the only race that did not survive the destruction of their homeworld in the mid-21st century. The skull of an Avian adorned the Xindi Council in 2154. (ENT: "The Council")
- The Loque'eque were an intelligent race native to the Delphic Expanse who began to die out when they lost the ability to reproduce. They attempted to preserve their race by engineering a mutagenic virus which transformed the DNA of other species into their own. By 2153, however, the virus was all that remained of them. (ENT: "Extinction")
Recent past
The M-113 creature, the last of which died in 2266
- The spacefaring race referred to by the Klingons as the Hur'q were believed to be extinct. (DS9: "The Sword of Kahless")
- The Draco lizard was a small Earth reptile that went extinct in the early 21st century (presumably due to humans). (TNG: "New Ground")
- The White rhinoceros, a large Earth mammal, went extinct in the 21st century, due to human hunting. (TNG: "New Ground")
- Due to hunting, humpback whales became extinct in the 22nd century. This would almost cause the destruction of Earth in the 23rd century when an alien probe attempted to contact the planet's humpback whales. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
- The Buffalo, also called the Bison, another large Earth mammal, was wiped out by the 23rd century (presumably in the 21st century), by human overhunting and habitat degradation.
- By the 22nd Century, the Valakian's genomes had been deteriorating for millennia, manifesting itself as a plague that was expected to render the species extinct by the 24th century. (ENT: "Dear Doctor")
- By 2266 the entire civilization of planet M-113 became extinct. (TOS: "The Man Trap")
- In 2267, James T. Kirk and his crew made contact with Apollo, the last survivor of his kind. Humanity learned that the ancient Greek gods were in fact extraterrestrial beings. The encounter resulted in the death of Apollo and possibly the extinction of his species. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?")
- Later in 2267, the Malurian civilization was wiped out by the malfunctioning Earth space probe Nomad. (TOS: "The Changeling")
- Given that some Malurians had traveled to another planet over a century earlier, it is likely that some Malurians were off-world when their civilization was destroyed by Nomad.
- In 2268, James T. Kirk and his crew encounter the last three survivors of a race that died 500,000 years ago. One of the survivors, Henoch, was killed and the two remaining, Sargon and Thalassa, chose 'oblivion' and possibly the extinction of their species. (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow")
- Later in 2268, James T. Kirk and his crew encounter the non-corporeal lifeform Gorgan, last survivor of his race. Gorgan caused the death of many in the Starnes Exploration Party. The encounter resulted in the death of Gorgan and the extinction of his species. (TOS: "And the Children Shall Lead")
- By 2268, the humanoid civilization native to the planet Cheron had destroyed themselves in a racially motivated civil war. Though there were two survivors, who had been off-world at the time, the race is effectively extinct. (TOS: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield")
- The Pralor and the Cravic were two species native to the Delta Quadrant who had waged war with one another since at least the early 23rd century. Ironically when both races decided to make peace, they were destroyed by the Automated Personnel Units they had constructed to fight for them. (VOY: "Prototype")
- In 2366, the Husnock, an intelligent but aggressive spacefaring race, was completely exterminated by a Douwd using the name Kevin Uxbridge after his wife Rishon was killed when the Husnock destroyed the Federation colony on Delta Rana IV. (TNG: "The Survivors")
- The Yash-El were an extinct species by the 24th century. (TNG: "The Chase")
Previously believed extinct
- The tribbles were believed to have been completely eradicated by the Klingons by the end of the 23rd century. Tribbles were re-introduced in 2373 when crew members of the USS Defiant traveled to the year 2267 and brought back at least one tribble. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
- At some point before the 2360s, the Federation believed that the Yridian race went extinct. This disappearance was so total that it even convinced the Borg, who designate the Yridians as Species 6291, that the species was no longer in existence. However, Rudolph Ransom, a Starfleet exobiologist, discovered that there were some still alive and carried out first contact. For this he was awarded the post of captain of the USS Equinox. (VOY: "Equinox")
Extinction and the Prime Directive
- In 2365, Data violated the Prime Directive by communicating with a young inhabitant of Drema IV, a doomed planet. Despite initially invoking the Prime Directive, Captain Picard changed his mind and saved Drema IV and its inhabitants from extinction. (TNG: "Pen Pals")
- In 2370, Worf's adoptive brother Nikolai Rozhenko violated the Prime Directive by becoming involved with a group of villagers on Boraal II, a doomed planet. After Captain Picard invoked the Prime Directive, Rozhenko secretly saved the group from extinction as Boraal II become uninhabitable. (TNG: "Homeward")