star trek animated series episodes ranked

The TOP 13 STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES Episodes — RANKED!

Posted By Dan Greenfield on Sep 8, 2023 | 1 comment

A 50TH ANNIVERSARY celebration!

Today is a twofer Star Trek anniversary: The original series debuted Sept. 8, 1966, and the Filmation animated series premiered exactly seven years later, on Sept. 8, 1973.

We’ve done a ton on the original series over the years — check out our TOP 13 EPISODE COUNTDOWN here — but we’ve barely touched on the cartoon series at all. But since it’s the 50th anniversary, we’re switching it up: 13th Dimension columnist and Trekkie nonpareil Jim Beard has for you the TOP 13 STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES EPISODES — RANKED , which you’ll find below.

And don’t forget — Jim’s new book, Galloping Around the Cosmos, a selection of essays by a litany of notable writers about growing up Trek, is coming soon! Here’s the not-quite-finished cover:

star trek animated series episodes ranked

Far out. Here’s Jim. (Beard, not Kirk.)

By JIM BEARD

When you get to be my age, remarking on how much time has passed since your youth becomes an almost daily occurrence. So, please indulge me on this one: Fifty years? How can it be fifty years since Filmation’s Star Trek: The Animated Series premiered?

I remember it like it was, well, not yesterday, but maybe only a few years ago. I was a Saturday Morning Cartoons junkie and had been for a while by 1973. I was all of 8 years old and when I heard Star Trek was coming to Saturday mornings, there was no way I’d miss it. I was deep into my Trek fandom then, and getting more of a show I already loved was the next best thing to heaven.

For some reason, I walked over to the neighbors’ house to watch it that September morn. I’m not clear today on why, because I had never done anything like that before—Saturday mornings were all but sacred to me—so it’s weird that I did it. And it was pretty much a mistake. My friend next door had beaucoup siblings, and we had to watch it on his mother’s kitchen television… and inevitably, it went sideways quickly. Only a half-hour long, the viewing was interrupted by bored kids, loud adults, and the sickening smell of peanut butter toast. I traipsed back home disappointed, vowing never to watch another Saturday morning cartoon on anything but my own TV in my own living room ever again.

Sadly, Star Trek: The Animated Series was here and gone far too swiftly, but looking back, I don’t see how it could be any other way and consider it lucky we got it at all. It seems a foolhardy project today, doomed from the get-go. I mean, trying to translate Star Trek into a half-hour kids show for Saturday morning?

Here’s the thing, though: They didn’t, not really.

So, for the uninitiated, what is Star Trek: The Animated Series ? First and foremost, it’s Star Trek. That’s important to stress. Oh, it’s sometimes goofy and almost always derivative of its “parent,” but with the glorious presence of nearly all our main cast, the sound effects, and a passel of Klingons, Romulans, etc., the animatesdshow absolutely feels like Trek, and that’s to its credit. It’s a worthy addition to the legend, and while its 22 half-hour episodes aren’t exactly considered canon by Paramount, they packed a wallop for a kid who needed more Star Trek past the original 79 episodes.

I did a full re-watch of the series to write this article, and, not having seen much of it since I was a kid, it amazed me as to what it delivers. Not every episode is a gem, but there are a few diamonds among the two “seasons” and a few more pieces of zirconia to help me fill up a basket with 13 stories. In all, it was a distinct pleasure to revisit an old friend… or rather I should say old friends, because Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, and the rest are (almost) all here, along with a few new faces, too.

Here are the TOP 13 STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES EPISODES — RANKED:

13. Mudd’s Passion. Yes, Christine Chapel’s being kind of dense here, but this story of another go-round with Harcourt Fenton Mudd, with uncredited voice work by Roger C. Carmel, doesn’t hurt anything. And if I’m being honest, Scotty and M’Ress getting all hot and heavy over each other is a hoot.

12. How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth. This one clocks in with, I believe, the Enterprise’s first Native American bridge officer, as well as equal time for a few of Earth’s mythologies that normally have to stand in line behind the Greeks and the Norse.

— 11. Albatross. McCoy accused of near-genocide? On a kid’s cartoon show? Yes, and our favorite doctor gets another turn in the spotlight with this one, something he didn’t get enough of in the live-action series, in my opinion.

10. The Terratin Incident. Land of the Giants meets Star Trek — and it delivers a story that probably could never have been given the justice it deserved in a live-action episode. It’s a very fun look at what would happen if our crew began to shrink and shrink…

9. The Lorelei Signal. Sure, it’s the old all-the-men-are-incapacitated gambit, but this one boasts Uhura taking command of the Enterprise, an all-women rescue team, and Scotty singing. Yeah, I knew that would get you.

8. The Jihad. Kirk and Spock join a Dungeons & Dragons group of characters and go on a quest for a mystical object in Mordor. It also offers a Saturday morning look at religious fervor, which for some may be worth the price of admission alone.

7. The Counter-Clock Incident. This was the last episode aired, and for the end, the show went back to the beginning, introducing us to the Enterprise’s first captain, Robert April—yes, even before Pike—and a fascinating look into an alternate universe where time flows backwards.

6. The Ambergris Element. I love underwater stories. There’s no way this one could ever have been done to satisfaction on the live-action show, but here the animation allows a water-breathing Kirk and Spock to discover “a whole new world.”

5. The Magicks of Megas-Tu. Another alien who influenced primitive man on Earth, yes, but the cool thing here is Kirk engaging in a Harry Potter-style magic duel with a dude who looks like Satan. Or Pan. But Pan always bored me, so…

4. More Tribbles, More Troubles. No one could ever mistake me as a fan of “The Trouble with Tribbles,” but there’s just something about this sequel that elevates it above its predecessor. At the very least, it has one of the greatest battles/standoffs with the Klingons ever, so there’s that.

3. Slaver Weapon. Legendary sci-fi writer Larry Niven mashes his Known Space universe up with Star Trek by pitting the amazing team of Scotty, Uhura, and Sulu against the feline Kzin. By the way, you could absolutely do a drinking game with this one: Just take a shot every time someone says, “stasis box.” You’ll be plastered before halfway through the episode.

2. Time Trap. I’m a sucker for stories with Sargasso Seas, as well as councils of alien beings… and boy, does this one deliver on that score. The council boasts so many Trek races, you’ll be smiling to bust your face. It also features the Bonaventure, the first ship in the Trek universe to have warp drive.

1. Yesteryear. Yep, you’ll often see this episode at the top of lists of the best entries in this series, and in my opinion, with good reason. The Guardian of Forever, another deep dive into Vulcan society, Spock meeting his young self, an uncredited Mark Lenard as Sarek, and… the real, honest-to-Toho Godzilla roar. I kid you not. What the Land of the Rising Sun didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, I guess.

— 13 THINGS I Loved About CLASSIC STAR TREK as a Kid. Click here .

— The STAR TREK Top 13 Episode Countdown. Click here .

13th Dimension columnist Jim Beard’s new book of essays, by a typically stellar selection of experts and superfans, is all about growing up Trek. Galloping Around the Cosmos: Memories of TV’s Wagon Train to the Stars From Today’s Grown-Up Kids is out soon — and here’s the official description:

Jim’s latest essay collection, is out soon.

And the Children Shall Lead!

Though creator Gene Roddenberry endowed his groundbreaking 1966-69 science fiction show Star Trek with plenty of substance and style to engage and entertain adult viewers, it also amazingly attracted the attention of younger eyes and imaginations—and in doing so forged entire generations of Trek Kids!

Watching the original series for the first time was a heady experience for a child, so much so it often made such an indelible impression that lasted their entire life. Galloping Across the Cosmos sets out to collect the memories of those who recall those early days in front of the TV for voyages into the Final Frontier alongside the stalwart crew of the Starship Enterprise, characters who became their teachers, mentors, and, yes, even friends along the way.

Beam up to the Federation’s top-of-the-line vessel with writer-editor Jim Beard as he curates a collection of essays from Grown-Up Kids who remember a time when Star Trek was new, fresh, and exciting—and even able to shape the people they would become as adults.

We need warp speed now, Mr. Sulu!

Keep checking 13th Dimension and the Becky Books Facebook page for updates on availability.

Star Trek: The Animated Series ' Must-Watch Episodes

It’s been a long road , friends, getting from here to there. A voyage, if you will , across Star Trek ’s brightest spots and darkest chapters , from the original classics to its latest discoveries . But all good things must come to an end, and our guide to the very best (or at least, enjoyably silly) that Star Trek has to offer is coming to an end in a suitably animated fashion.

Star Trek Ranks & Podcast

From @enterprisenxtra.

The Animated

Series ranks.

As a starting point to finally including The Animated Series here on TrekRanks, it must be said that our opinion on the series has softened. But only slightly.

We still stand by every word in our post "The Case Against the Animated Series." However, one very cool thing we learned about the series in compiling these ranks is that the first two minutes of almost every episode is actually pretty good. Why? Because almost every episode opens with a strong establishing shot of the Enterprise and a captain's log that could almost be pulled from any episode of TOS. (And we've always said that the beautiful Enterprise art is a strength of The Animated Series.)

Each of those log entry sets up a storyline with potential, but invariably, the vast majority of stories unravel into a childish mess. An unforgivable not fun mess. Not sure how 22-minute episodes can be so interminably long, but here we are.

So, without further ado, here are our TAS ranks, which, for the only time on TrekRanks, are listed from first to worst (since that just seems more appropriate for this series).

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Series & Movies

Published Sep 8, 2023

Top 10 Animated Star Trek Episodes

Illustrated banner featuring episodic stills across Star Trek's animated series like The Animated Series, Lower Decks, and Prodigy

StarTrek.com

Beginning in 1973, Star Trek began its foray into the world of animation. Now, exactly 50 years later today, the continuing adventures of Starfleet have firmly affixed themselves within this beloved medium, bringing exciting stories to the fore and introducing an entirely new generation of fans to the wonders of the final frontier. Granted, Star Trek is a world many feel shines best in live-action.

Does this then mean that the animated offerings of the starship Enterprise and its contemporaries are somehow inferior? Not by a long shot! In celebration of Star Trek: The Animated Celebration , what follows now is a look at 10 of the best animated Star Trek episodes to date. While they may be slightly smaller in scope then their live-action counterparts, each has been carefully chosen for its ability to both embrace the confines of animation, while still holding true to the ideals that have defined the Star Trek franchise for the last 57 years.

Did your favorite make the list? Let’s take a look and find out...

10. The Pirates Of Orion

"The Pirates of Orion"

Star Trek: The Animated Series - Season 2, Episode 1 Originally airing on September 7th, 1974, this Season 2 premiere of Star Trek: The Animated Series sees Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise battling Orion pirates who’ve attacked a Federation vessel carrying medicine needed to cure a fatally ill Spock. With some robust writing courtesy of a young Howard Weinstein, the story does a nice job of keeping viewers on their toes as the malicious marauders look for a way to outsmart our heroes without jeopardizing the status of their home planet. Add to this a healthy dose of McCoy/Spock banter, alongside some strong design choices for the primary antagonists, and you’ve got an episode that’s a near perfect blend of Star Trek and early 70’s animation. It’s not particularly deep or profound, but it holds well to the values of its live-action predecessor and is a really fun way to spend 24 minutes.

9. The Slaver Weapon

"The Slaver Weapon"

Star Trek: The Animated Series - Season 1, Episode 14 Hitting the airwaves on December 13, 1973, this episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series hails from science fiction icon Larry Niven and focuses on a group of Kzinti attempting to unlock the secrets of an ancient Slaver weapon. Exploring themes of race superiority, societal roles, and the dangers associated with digging up the past, this episode remains unique in that it actually serves as animated adaption of Niven’s 1967 short story, “The Soft Weapon”. Thus, both the Slavers and cat-like Kzinti are concepts explored within the author’s past body of work.

In addition to thrusting a spotlight on Spock’s leadership capabilities, the episode also marks the only official appearance of the Kzinti in Star Trek canon to date – although, they were mentioned by Riker in the Star Trek: Picard episode “Nepenthe," making them an official part of franchise lore some five decades later.

8. The Stars At Night

While celebrating in the Cerritos' mess, Mariner in civilian attire puts her arms over the shoulders of an uncomfortable Jack Ransom in 'The Stars at Night'

"The Stars at Night"

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 3, Episode 10 Gracing television screens on October 27, 2022, this Season 3 episode of Star Trek: Lower Deck s sees the crew of the Cerritos attempting to prove their worth in a mission race against a new class of drone. Tackling themes of corruption and greed, this episode uniquely admits not everyone in Starfleet is squeaky clean, while also lifting a curtain on the downfalls of artificial intelligence.

In addition, we also get some Indiana Jones-style shenanigans, upsetting revelations about Rutherford’s past, Shaxs living out his ultimate fantasy, and a surprise arrival by the cavalry! New is not always better and this episode proves it in a way that only Lower Decks could!

7. Kobayashi

"Kobayashi"

Star Trek: Prodigy - Season 1, Episode 5 While I’ll be the first to admit Star Trek: Prodigy didn’t initially strike the same sort of chord with me as other shows on this list, it was this episode in particular that made me sit up and take notice of just how special the series really was! Released on January 26, 2022, “Kobayashi” is written by Aaron Waltke and features a two-fold story that focuses on both Dal and Gwyn respectively.

Brimming with beautiful animation, humor and strong voice work, this episode fills out some much needed backstory regarding Gwyn’s past, while also taking a rather amusing route that sees Dal attempting (repeatedly!) to beat Starfleet’s famed no-win scenario. It’s a really fun episode overall, one that ticks all the boxes and features a number of surprise cameo appearances and Easter eggs that longtime fans of the franchise are sure to appreciate.

6. No Small Parts

Aboard the Cerritos' mess, Riker enthusiastically raises a glass while his arm is around the shoulders of a not-enthused Carol Freeman, as Deanna Troi smiles from behind in 'No Small Parts'

"No Small Parts"

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 1, Episode 10 Written by Mike McMahan and airing on October 8, 2020, this episode of Lower Decks crams some great stuff into its 24 minute runtime. Badgey returns and Peanut Hamper makes her debut. There are nods to everything from Star Trek: The Animated Series to Remco’s much-maligned Spock helmet. Rutherford plays hero, Mariner can’t escape the shadow cast by her family name, and Shaxs makes the ultimate sacrifice. Oh, and it’s all topped off by a surprise rescue from Captain Riker and the crew of the Titan ! There are Pakleds, fisticuffs a plenty, and even Landru makes an appearance.

Look, full disclosure here, I love Lower Decks – and this episode is not only one of the best from the series overall, but essential viewing for those looking to delve into the very best that the animated side of the final frontier has to offer!

5. Supernova, Part 1

"Supernova, Part 1"

Star Trek: Prodigy - Season 1, Episode 19 An episode that proves just how badly we need a second season of the show, this first chapter of a two-part finale aired on December 22, 2022 and sees the crew of the Protostar facing off against a fleet of Federation ships that will soon find themselves in the cross-hairs of the Living Construct.

Told against the backdrop of a seemingly dire situation, and featuring some of the best ship combat scenes in recent years, it’s a wonderful start to a worthy finale that allows each of the characters to shine while also reminding viewers that friends can accomplish amazing things when they work together. Gwyn’s leadership capabilities remain an episode highlight, while the final exchange with her father is plenty emotional and certain to bring a tear to the eye. Throw in a dash of childlike excitement courtesy of Jankom Pog coupled with an ending that leaves you wanting more and you’ve got one of the strongest Star Trek stories to grace the world of animation to date!

4. Supernova, Part 2

Close-up of Dal looking out ahead on the viewscreen with Zero, Holo-Janeway, Murf, Rok-Tahk, Gwyn, and Jankom Pog behind him on the bridge of Star Trek: Prodigy's 'Supernova, Part 2'

"Supernova, Part 2"

Star Trek: Prodigy - Season 1, Episode 20 Let me begin by saying that if, for some reason, we don’t end up getting a second season of Star Trek: Prodigy , this final episode of its inaugural outing, which originally aired on December 29, 2022, is exactly how you’d want things to end. More than just a group of outsiders, it’s clear to see just how much these characters have grown over the span of 20 episodes and everyone ends up in a good place come the end – although, perhaps not where you’d necessarily expect.

Kevin and Dan Hageman craft a truly satisfying “end” that comes to fans wrapped up in a nice, big bow – complete with a length of ribbon representing some of the plot threads that could still be picked up if the powers that be decide to move forward with a second season. Janeway’s final monologue is top-tier and I have to take my hat off to the fact that this is yet another piece of Star Trek media that succeeded in making us care about an artificial life form in a way I never thought possible. Bottom line, this is a great “conclusion” to a great show.

"wej Duj"

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 2, Episode 9 Ever wonder how other species in the galaxy spend their downtime? Then you’ll need to check out this fun episode of Lower Decks which originally aired back on October 7, 2021. While the majority of this episode focuses on Boimler attempting to find himself a Bridge buddy, it also features an expertly crafted three-pronged narrative that not only introduces some classic aliens into the mix, but seamlessly advances the overall plot of Season 2 toward its end. Witnessing the parallels between three different species is amusing to say the least, and it all ends up spearheading toward one of the finest season finales to date! The pacing is perfect, the writing strong. Plus, the scene that rolls during the end credits serves as a rather ingenious reminder as to why we need a show like Lower Decks now more than ever!

2. First First Contact

"First First Contact"

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Season 2, Episode 10 Proving that Starfleet never backs down from a challenge, this Season 2 finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks is a big one that sees the Cerritos attempting to save a fellow ship caught in a gravity well. Featuring perfect pacing coupled with moments of tension and genuine emotion, the episode is almost cinematic in scope and demonstrates that even the fleet's goofiest chapter, which aired this episode back on October 14, 2021, is capable of tackling a dramatic plot that holds true to Gene Roddenberry's original vision. Rich with themes of friendship, family, and a major twist ending certain to have you crying out for more, it's not only a gold standard in Star Trek animation, but the living embodiment of Cerritos Strong!

1. Yesteryear

"Yesteryear"

Star Trek: The Animated Series - Season 1, Episode 2 While it may not feature the humor of Lower Decks or the beautiful animation of Prodigy , this classic episode from September 1973 will always remain my top choice for the best animated Star Trek episode of all time. Written by the legendary D.C. Fontana, “Yesteryear” is not only an essential piece of Star Trek animation, but one that would go on to influence the future of franchise canon for 50 years!

An emotionally charged time-travel tale that looks back upon Spock’s childhood, it deals with themes of growing up and loss in a way guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings while once again reminding us that our favorite Vulcan is perhaps far more human than we know. Seriously, if you only watch one animated episode of Star Trek , make it “Yesteryear.” It’s not only a masterpiece in its own right, but an important part of franchise history that proves powerful storytelling is not limited to a single medium.

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John DeQuadros (he/him) is a professional toy photographer and freelance writer based out of Ontario, Canada. In addition to StarTrek.com, he contributes to a range of pop culture outlets including Toy Tales Canada, 8-Bit Pickle, Kaiju Ramen, Retro Format & Toy Collectr Magazine. Find John across numerous social media platforms at @RipRocketPix.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix outside of markets including Canada where it is available on CTV.ca and the CTV App, France on France Televisions channels and Okoo, in Iceland on Sjonvarp Simans Premium, as well as on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Prodigy is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter .

Collage of stills across Star Trek: The Animated Series

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The Top 57 Episodes of ‘Star Trek,’ Ranked From Great to Perfect

First, let’s be clear: Ranking the best “Star Trek” episodes is a silly thing to do. To date, the longest-running American TV franchise has aired a gargantuan 890 episodes and counting, starting with the original series in 1966. Since then, at least one “Star Trek” TV show has aired (or streamed) every decade, totaling 11 so far (with more on the way ). Choosing the best episodes within such a boundless, occasionally contradictory storytelling galaxy seems about as wise as cheating when playing poker with a Klingon.

On the other hand, there may be no more time-honored tradition among “Star Trek” fans than a vigorous debate over what constitutes the best of the franchise. (Best series ? Best captains ? Best starships ? Best aliens ? Best uniforms ? They’ve all been ranked multiple times !)

In that spirit — and to commemorate the 57th anniversary of “Star Trek” on Sept. 8 — Variety ’s resident “Trek” geeks have ranked the top 57 episodes of all time, across the franchise.

Creating our list required some deep-dish nerdiness in its own right: We compiled a long list of episodes from each series that we felt deserved to be on the final ranking. Then we created our own individual rankings — and promptly realized our taste was quite divergent. To reconcile our lists, we adopted the approach of the great movie ranking podcast, Screen Drafts : We took alternating turns placing a pick from 57 to 1, and we each had two opportunities to veto the other’s pick (which in every case was to ensure it was placed higher on the list).

Other than the short-lived “Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973-1974), this list reflects every other iteration of “Trek” on TV: “Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-1969); “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994); “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993-1999); “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001); “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005); “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017-2024); “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-2023); “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2021-2022); and the ongoing “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020-present) and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022-present).

The Way to Eden

“The Original Series” — Season 3, Episode 20

Look, this episode gets a lot of hate. But the fact is “TOS” is known (by today’s standards) for being very campy, and there is no episode campier than this one. A group of space hippies board the Enterprise on their journey to a mythical planet called Eden, where they can live happily forever. The episode memorably features Charles Napier (who would go on to a long career playing tough guys, villains, cops and the like) breaking out into song a bunch of times, including a jam session with Spock (Leonard Nimoy). —Joe Otterson Original airdate: Feb. 21, 1969

Terra Prime

“Enterprise” — Season 4, Episode 21 More than any other episode of “Enterprise,” “Terra Prime” made the most of the show’s mission to dramatize the beginnings of Starfleet, 100 years before the events of “TOS.” Just as a newfound coalition of planets begins to form on Earth (a precursor to the Federation), Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew must stop a xenophobic terrorist (played to the hilt by future “Star Trek Into Darkness” villain Peter Weller) bent on forcing all aliens to leave Earth. Subtle, it ain’t, but the story feels more relevant today than it did 20 years ago, and everyone in the cast gets a moment to shine. Alas, it came too late: “Enterprise” had been canceled before this episode even went into production. —Adam B. Vary Original airdate: May 13, 2005

“Prodigy” — Season 1, Episode 6

The animated “Prodigy” was the first “Star Trek” series geared toward kids, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t things for older “Trek” fans to enjoy. In particular, “Kobayashi” perfectly embodies what makes this show a worthy entry in “Trek” canon. Dal (Brett Gray) and Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) discover the holodeck aboard the Protostar, where they decide to go through the Kobayashi Maru, a.k.a. the “no-win scenario” that Capt. Kirk successfully beat during his time at the Academy. He gets help along the way from legendary characters like Spock, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Odo (René Auberjonois). —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 6, 2022

Stormy Weather

Pictured: David Ajala as Book, Grudge the cat and Sonequa Martin Green as Burnham of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 6

On a mission to discover the origins of a cataclysmic gravitational anomaly, the U.S.S. Discovery enters a subspace rift and finds itself trapped inside a lethal black void that threatens to collapse in on the ship. The result is a classic race-against-time thriller (directed by “Trek” mainstay Jonathan Frakes), but what makes “Stormy Weather” stand out amid the heavily serialized episodes of “Discovery” is its emotionally resonant use of the ship’s sentient A.I. computer, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), who has to learn how to calm her mind from overwhelming stimuli in order to guide the ship out of danger. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 23, 2021

Seventeen Seconds

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 3

“Picard” didn’t find itself until Season 3, which reunited the core cast of “The Next Generation” — and it was really Episode 3 that sealed the deal. Riker (Frakes) is forced to take command of the Titan as Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the Shrike hunt them. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Crusher get an all-time great scene together as she reveals why she never told him about their son, Jack (Ed Speleers). Worf (Michael Dorn) makes his big return. We learn the Changelings are still intent on attacking the Federation. Riker and Picard end up at odds in a way we’ve never seen before. In short, epic. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 2, 2023

The Enemy Within

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 5

The transporter — the cause of, and solution to, so many “Star Trek” problems — accidentally splits Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) into two people: Good Kirk, who is wracked with indecision, and evil Kirk, who is a histrionic asshole. Come for a meditation on the darkness that lies tucked inside everyone’s psyche, stay for some of William Shatner’s most deliciously hammy acting — and this was just the fifth episode of the series! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1966

Family Business

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episode 23

The Ferengi episodes of “DS9” are always great comic relief, with this episode giving fans their first view of the home planet of Ferenginar and Ferengi culture in general. Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Rom (Max Grodénchik) must return home when their mother, Ishka (Andrea Martin), is accused of acquiring profit (gasp!), something Ferengi females are forbidden to do. Shimerman and Martin shine as they play out Quark and Ishka’s relationship, while Grodénchik really gets to put his comedic chops on display. This episode is also notable as the first appearance of Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, as well as Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), frequent love interest of Cmdr. Sisko (Avery Brooks). —J.O.

Original airdate: May 15, 1995

Blink of an Eye

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 12

The Voyager gets stuck in orbit around a planet where time passes far more rapidly than in the rest of space, as the episode alternates between the bemused curiosity of Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew and the awestruck preoccupation of the expeditiously progressing populace on the planet below, for whom Voyager is a sparkling, fixed constant in the night sky. At one point, the Doctor (Robert Picard) beams down to the planet to investigate, and a delay of only a few minutes on Voyager means he spends three years on its surface. He even adopts a son! One of the great, wild what if? episodes of “Star Trek.” —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 2000

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 23

Mark Lenard absolutely crushed the role of Spock’s father, Sarek, in multiple episodes across multiple “Star Trek” series and movies, but this episode is perhaps his finest performance as the character. Sarek comes to the Enterprise-D on what is meant to be his final mission, only for the crew to learn he is suffering from Bendii Syndrome. The condition leaves him prone to uncharacteristic emotional outbursts while also causing him to telepathically influence the emotions of those around him. Picard saves the day by mind melding with Sarek, allowing him to finish his mission with dignity — and provide Stewart with the chance for some powerhouse acting as he channels Sarek’s volcanic emotions. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 14, 1990

“Enterprise” — Season 3, Episode 10

“Trek” loves a moral dilemma, and this one’s a doozy: After Cmdr. Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is critically injured while the Enterprise is on a deep space mission, Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) suggests growing a “mimetic symbiote” of Trip — effectively, a clone with a built-in two-week lifespan — in order to create the brain tissue needed to save Trip’s life. But that means the Enterprise crew must endure watching Trip’s clone rapidly age from a precocious kid to an adult man (played by Trinneer with eerie self-possession), who then pleads for his own right to live. Creepy and heartbreaking in equal measure. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 19, 2003

Trials and Tribble-ations

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 5, Episode 6

This episode is a love letter to the original series, with the Defiant’s crew transported back in time to the events of “The Trouble With Tribbles.” A Klingon agent is planning to use a booby-trapped tribble to assassinate James T. Kirk. Thanks to digital editing, the crew is able to interact with the original Enterprise crew and keep the timeline intact. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 4, 1996

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 23

Mirror universe episodes of “Star Trek” are (almost) always fun, if ultimately a little silly. But this one — in which Kira (Nana Visitor) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) find themselves in an alternate reality in which Bajor, Cardassians and Klingons subjugate humans as slaves — comes closest to matching the spark of discovery in the original “TOS” episode. It’s especially fun to watch Visitor devour the role of Kira’s deliciously wicked mirror counterpart, the Intendant. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: May 16, 1994

Memento Mori

Anson Mount as Pike and Ethan Peck as Spock of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 1, Episode 4

This episode proved “Strange New Worlds” — the newest “Star Trek” series — could be as action-packed as the very best of “Star Trek.” The Enterprise crew find themselves on the run from the Gorn, a savage enemy (first introduced on “TOS” and largely ignored in “Trek” canon) about which they know virtually nothing. They are forced to use every resource at their disposal to outwit and outrun the Gorn, including tapping into the subconscious of La’an (Christina Chong), the only crew member who has encountered the aliens and survived. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 26, 2022

Counterpoint

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 10

The main story is a tense, WWII allegory: Capt. Janeway and her crew hide telepathic refugees while passing through the space of the Devore, who have outlawed telepaths. But the real story is the relationship Janeway forms with the lead Devore inspector, Kashyk (Mark Harelik), who suddenly shows up alone and announces he’s defecting. As Kashyk aids Janeway in finding safe harbor for the refugees, she realizes how much he’s her intellectual equal, and she finds herself drawn to him — in spite of (or perhaps spurred on by) her continued suspicion of his motives. A great, subtle performance by Mulgrew captures both Janeway’s steely wits and her private yearning. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 16, 1998

The Drumhead

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 21

“Star Trek” has done a number of courtroom episodes, and this is one of the best. Rear admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) is sent to investigate suspected sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The investigation quickly spirals into paranoia and accusations of treachery against a crew member who is revealed to have Romulan lineage. It is an excellent reminder of what can happen when persecution is dressed up as an attempt at greater security, with Picard using Satie’s father’s teachings to bring about her downfall. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 29, 1991

“The Next Generation” — Season 7, Episode 8

More thwarted romance! The seasons-long will-they/won’t-they between Picard and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) gets its best showcase, when the pair are captured by isolationist aliens and given implants that allow them to read each other’s thoughts. You get the feeling Stewart and especially McFadden had been dying to play out this dynamic on the show, so they both bring years of sublimated longing to the episode. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 8, 1993

In the Hands of the Prophets

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 20

Louise Fletcher’s performance as Vedek Winn (later Kai Winn) ranks among the best “Star Trek” villains of all time. Deeply religious to the point of fanaticism, Winn protests Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching children on Deep Space Nine that the wormhole aliens are not deities, as many Bajorans believe. Winn’s words whip Bajorans on the station into a frenzy; Keiko’s school is bombed. But what Winn really desires is power, to the point she tries to get one of her followers to kill a fellow Vedek she sees as a threat. The episode sets up Winn’s role as a major antagonist throughout the series to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: June 21, 1993

The Trouble With Tribbles

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 15

If you’ve seen any episode of “TOS,” chances are it’s this one. While on shore leave at a space station, the Enterprise comes upon an adorably furry alien creature called a tribble, which are born pregnant, multiply exponentially, consume enormous quantities of food and react with alarm when in the presence of a Klingon. Fizzy and funny and, to this day, one of the best-known episodes of “Trek” ever. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 29, 1967

Balance of Terror

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 14

Introducing the Romulans alone makes this episode worthy of being on the list. But it’s also an epic cat-and-mouse game between Kirk and a Romulan commander played by none other than Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Sarek starting in Season 2. Kirk successfully lures the Romulan ship into a trap, leading to Lenard delivering the iconic line, “You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Dec. 15, 1966

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, from left: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, 'Qpid', season 4, ep. 20, aired 4/20/1991, 1987-94. © Paramount Television/ Courtesy Everett Collection

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 20

John de Lancie never disappoints when he plays Q, but this episode offered a wonderful twist on his usual appearances. Following the events of “Deja Q,” Q returns to the Enterprise saying he owes Picard a debt. Picard repeatedly tells Q he wants nothing from him, but Q notices Picard has eyes for Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), the mercenary archeologist Picard first met on Risa. Being Q, he naturally transports Picard, Vash, and the bridge crew to a Robin Hood fantasy in which Picard must rescue Vash from the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Clive Frevill). Added bonus: Worf, in scarlet tights, exclaiming in protest, “I am not a merry man!” —J.O.

Original airdate: April 22, 1991

STAR TREK, Bobby Clark (as the Gorn captain), William Shatner, in Season 1, Ep#19, 'Arena,' January 19, 1967. (c)Paramount. Courtesy:Everett Collection.

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 18

The classic “trial by combat” episode that pitted Kirk against a Gorn captain on a barren, rocky planet (i.e. the storied filming location Vasquez Rocks ). Few images from “Star Trek” have become more iconic than the original Gorn costume, which was essentially an actor dressed as a large lizard. The ending is also an all-timer, with Kirk choosing to spare the Gorn, proving to the all-powerful Metrons that set up the trial by combat that humans are capable of more than just random violence. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 1967

A Mathematically Perfect Redemption

“Lower Decks” — Season 3, Episode 7

“Star Trek’s” first pure comedy (and second animated series) often plays as a twisted love letter to the entire “Trek” franchise — like when Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue), one of the sentient Exocomp robots first introduced on “The Next Generation,” abandons the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in a time of need. This episode tracks Peanut Hamper’s journey to redemption afterwards, which involves her encountering a seemingly primitive species called the Areore. To say anything more would spoil the fun; suffice it to say, “Trek” has rarely provoked gasps of deep laughter like this episode does. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 2022

Bar Association

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 15

What better episode of “Star Trek” to talk about after Hollywood’s hot labor summer? Fed up with the unfair conditions at Quark’s bar, Rom talks the other workers into forming a union and going on strike. Max Grodénchik truly shines in this episode as the would-be union leader. Once Rom successfully gets Quark to agree to all the workers’ demands, he outright quits and goes to work as a repair technician for the station, setting up some of Rom’s best moments in the episodes to come. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1996

STAR TREK: VOYAGER, from left: John Savage, Kate Mulgrew, 'Equinox', (Season 5, ep. 526, aired May 26, 1999), 1995-2001. photo: Ron Tom / ©Paramount Television / Courtesy Everett Collection

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 6, Episode 1

The Voyager swoops to the rescue of the Equinox, another Federation starship stranded in the Gamma Quadrant — only this one, led by Capt. Ransom (John Savage), is a smaller ship not meant for deep space travel. With their crew whittled down to just 12 people, Ransom has resorted to murdering alien creatures to use their bio-matter to boost the Equinox’s engines — a horrific violation of everything Starfleet stands for. The discovery pushes Janeway to her own limits, as she obsessively pursues the Equinox despite the cost to her own crew and her morality. The two-parter is one of the darkest episodes of “Star Trek,” a chilling reminder of how easily good people can find themselves slipping into disgrace. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: May 26, 1999 & Sept. 22, 1999

Who Mourns for Morn?

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 12

Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) was a “Deep Space Nine” fixture, always at Quark’s bar, but never actually speaking onscreen. But in this episode, with Morn apparently dead in an accident, everyone reveals the offscreen times they spent with him, including the revelation that he “never shuts up.” Quark inherits all of Morn’s property, which Odo relishes revealing is ultimately nothing. But as it turns out, Morn had a much more adventurous life before his time on “DS9” than anyone knew, leading his former comrades to seek him out to get a hold of the money they believed he still possessed. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 4, 1998

Species Ten-C

Pictured: Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ © 2021 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 12

Other than the Gorn, almost all of the aliens on “Star Trek” are, essentially, humans with slightly different forehead ridges. But in its most recent season, “Discovery” embraced “Trek’s” prime directive (seeking out new life, bolding going where no one’s gone, etc.) by crafting a species that is truly alien: the Ten-C. Throughout the season, the Ten-C are presented as both a total mystery and an existential threat; when Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery finally reach them — outside the barrier of the Milky Way galaxy — they are unlike anything the show has ever encountered. Rarely has “Trek” applied more intellectual and emotional rigor to what it might actually be like to attempt first contact with extra-terrestrials, and rarely has it been this compelling. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: March 10, 2022

A Man Alone

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 4

Odo is one of the best characters in “DS9” — and in the “Star Trek” universe — in general, and this is the first episode to really establish him as a standout . A known criminal returns to the station only to die shortly after, and Odo is accused of his murder. Odo’s status as an outsider, but ultimately someone to be respected, is made crystal clear in this episode, with even his archenemy Quark acknowledging that Odo is not the type to murder someone in cold blood. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 17, 1993

Mirror, Mirror

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 4

The transporter strikes again, this time accidentally zapping Kirk, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan) and Bones (DeForest Kelley) from their reality into a parallel universe in which the benevolent Federation has been replaced by the bloodthirsty Terran Empire, governed by brute force and fascistic exploitation — and Spock has a goatee! More silly than serious (and no less fun for it), the episode effectively spawned an entire sub-genre of parallel universe episodes of TV (from “Supernatural” to “Friends”) and gave generations of actors a chance to play wildly against type. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1967

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 2

People rave about “The Best of Both Worlds” and Picard’s assimilation by the Borg, but fewer remember this incredible follow-up episode. Picard returns to his family vineyard to put the Borg incident behind him, even briefly thinking that he will leave Starfleet. Jeremy Kemp crushes it as Picard’s brother Robert, with the two sharing a memorable (and muddy) scene in which Picard breaks down and admits how much his assimilation has shaken him. The episode is also memorable for the appearance of Worf’s adoptive parents, who come to the Enterprise to be with him following his discommendation. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 1, 1990

Living Witness

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 23

For several minutes, “Living Witness” seems like a mirror universe episode, as a ruthless Janeway, captain of the “warship” Voyager, agrees to aid the Vaskans against the insurgent Kyrians by unleashing a biological weapon upon millions and executing the Kyrian leader. But then we realize that we’ve just witnessed a recreation at a Kyrian museum 700 years in the future, at which point a copy of the Doctor enters the story and learns, to his horror, how much the Kyrians have gotten wrong. What could have been a Rashomon-style caper instead becomes fascinating meditation on how the telling of history can be weaponized, even inadvertently, to maintain old wounds rather than heal them. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 29, 1998

Unification

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 7 & 8

Spock appeared on “The Next Generation” a month before the release of 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” — but this time, at least, crass cross-promotion prompted some sublimely entertaining TV, as Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) aid Spock in his effort to reunify the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. [Stefon voice]: This two-parter has everything : Klingon warbirds, rude Ferengis, Tasha’s evil Romulan daughter Sela (Denise Crosby), Data and Spock philosophizing on their twin pursuits of logic and emotion, the death of Sarek, Worf singing Klingon opera with a four-armed bar pianist, and Picard and Spock mind-melding! —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 4 & 11, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 7, Episode 9

Gul Dukat is the best villain in “Star Trek.” Yes, you read that right. The writers and actor Marc Alaimo created an incredibly nuanced character that goes through a remarkable arc over the course of the series. This episode, near the end of “DS9’s” run, reminds fans that Dukat sees himself as a savior, but is ultimately a force for evil. He establishes a cult dedicated to the Pah wraiths on Empok Nor, luring a number of Bajorans to his side. But of course, he also sleeps with his female followers and tries to trick them into a mass suicide. Amazing stuff. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 23, 1998

The Last Generation

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Brent Spiner as Data, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, Michael Dorn as Worf, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker and Patrick Stewart as Picard in "The Last Generation" Episode 310, Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 10

The cast of “TNG” infamously never got their swan song, after 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” bombed in theaters, so this series finale serves as a gift both to them and to “TNG” fans. Every character gets their spotlight, including the resurrected Enterprise-D, as Picard, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Data, Worf, LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) all help to take down the Borg once and for all. The final scene — everyone sitting around a poker table, laughing and reminiscing — is as pure and satisfying an expression of fan service as anything “Trek” has ever done. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 20, 2023

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 13

Until this episode, Q was an enjoyably malevolent force within “TNG,” an omnipotent being who’d gleefully pop up now and again to play with the lives of the Enterprise-D crew. But here, when Q suddenly appears on the bridge, he’s been stripped of all his powers (and all of his clothes) and begs Picard for safe harbor. At first, no one believes him — even after Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) stabs him with a fork — which only fuels John de Lancie’s sparkling performance, as Q confronts life as ( shudder ) a mortal human. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 3, 1990

An Embarrassment of Dooplers

“Lower Decks” — Season 2, Episode 5

The title refers to an alien called a Doopler, who duplicate themselves whenever they get embarrassed — which, naturally, becomes an issue the moment one steps foot on the Cerritos. But really, this episode is one of those deeply enjoyable “Trek” episodes that is less about story than it is about the vibes , as the characters spend their downtime winningly contending with the central premise of the show: The bittersweet contentment of life at the bottom of the ladder. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 9, 2021

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, from left: John Colicos, William Campbell, Michael Ansara, 'Blood Oath', (S2, E19, aired March 27, 1994), 1993-99. ©Paramount Television / Courtesy Everett Collection

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 19

The lives of the past hosts of the Dax symbiont are a recurring plot device on “DS9,” and no episode does it better than this one. A group of Klingons who knew Curzon Dax arrive at the station and enlist Jadzia’s (Terry Ferrell) help in killing their sworn enemy, a criminal known as The Albino who killed the three Klingons’ first-born sons. Jadzia ultimately honors the blood oath, as the episode explores the meaning of honor and solidarity. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 28, 1994

Where No Man Has Gone Before

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 3

The famed second pilot episode of “Star Trek” (which introduced William Shatner as Capt. Kirk) is a strange artifact today: Bones and Uhura aren’t aboard yet, Sulu (George Takei) isn’t at the helm, the Enterprise has a psychiatrist (played by Sally Kellerman), and the uniforms and sets look a bit off. But the central story — Kirk’s best friend, Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), is zapped by an energy blast at the edge of the galaxy, and begins to exhibit extraordinary psychokinetic powers — is vintage “Trek”: Brainy, brawny, and just the right side of uncanny. And it’s fascinating now to see how well-established Kirk and Spock’s dynamic of emotion vs. logic was from the very start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 22, 1966

The Measure of a Man

“The Next Generation” — Season 2, Episode 9

Data’s quest for humanity is at the very core of “TNG,” and this stirring episode literally puts that quest on trial — and establishes the show’s voice for the rest of its run. A Starfleet scientist wants to dismantle Data in order to create more androids, but Data refuses, setting up an intense courtroom drama — is Data merely a machine and the property of Starfleet? — with Picard representing Data while Riker is forced to represent the scientist. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 13, 1989

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

The Klingons started on “Trek” as a not-that-thinly-veiled metaphor for the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, but over the decades, they’ve developed their own richly detailed mythology. This two-parter (which aired just before the fall of the USSR) depicts a civil war within the Klingon Empire that leads to Worf’s decision to leave the Enterprise and join the fight. For a series that was episodic by design, this is the closest “TNG” ever got to serialized storytelling, incorporating events from several previous episodes — including the shocking introduction of Tasha’s Romulan daughter, Sela. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: June 17, 1991 & Sept. 23, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 11

It is endlessly entertaining to see Quark get what he wants as he then learns that it’s way more trouble than he realized. This episode sums that idea up nicely, while also featuring the first of many wonderful appearances by Wallace Shawn as Ferengi leader Grand Nagus Zek. Zek unexpectedly names Quark his successor, only for Zek to die shortly after. Quark is thrilled at first, before he realizes being the Nagus puts a massive target on his back. This episode also helps build the friendship between Nog (Aron Eisenbeg) and Jake (Cirroc Lofton), with Jake secretly teaching Nog how to read. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 22, 1993

Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 4

Yearning to grow past his programming, the Doctor allows himself the ability to daydream, in one of the flat-out funniest episodes of “Trek” ever. It opens with Robert Picardo singing opera as Tuvok (Tim Russ) undergoes pon farr (i.e. the madness to mate that consumes Vulcan males) and just gets wilder from there, up to the moment when the Doctor, who’d fantasized about taking over command of Voyager in an emergency, does it for real. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 13, 1999

STAR TREK, 1966-69, Leonard Nimoy (as Spock) & Arlene Martel (as his bride, T'Pring), in episode #34, "Amok Time," 9/15/67.

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 1

Speaking of pon farr, this is the “TOS” episode that first establishes it — as well as the planet Vulcan, several Vulcan customs and traditions, and the now legendary Vulcan salute (honorable mention: Spock actually smiles!). Wracked with pon farr, Spock asks for leave back on his home planet, and eventually reveals that he must meet his betrothed, T’Pring (Arlene Martel). Naturally, Kirk and Spock end up in a fight to the death in one of the most iconic battles in “Star Trek” history. —J.O.

Original airdate: Sept. 15, 1967

Year of Hell

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 8 & 9

The most lasting criticism of “Voyager” is that every week, no matter what happened in the previous episode, the ship and crew emerged unscathed and ready for a new adventure. As if in response, this two-parter tracks a year in which the Voyager is ravaged to the point of near ruin by repeated encounters with an aggressive alien species called the Krenim. Unbeknownst to the crew, they’re actually the victims of a Krenim scientist, Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), who developed a technology to alter the fabric of time by erasing entire species from ever existing. This is as harrowing and merciless as “Trek’s” ever been, but it’s not quite the best episode of “Voyager” due to the irony of its ending: Janeway crashes the husk of the Voyager into Annorax’s timeship — which resets the timeline completely, as if nothing that we’d seen had ever happened. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 5 & 12, 1997

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episodes 11 & 12

“Star Trek” often addresses timely societal issues, but this episode put them firmly in a 21st century context. Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally wind up in San Francisco circa 2024, where poverty and oppression of the disadvantaged are running rampant (crazy how that remains timely, huh?). When a man meant to serve an important purpose in an historic riot is accidentally killed too soon, Sisko is forced to take his place. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 2, 1995 & Jan. 9, 1995

Those Old Scientists

Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid and Anson Mount appearing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 2, Episode 7

In one of the rare “Trek” crossover episodes, Ens. Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Ens. Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from “Lower Decks” find themselves zapped back to the era when Capt. Pike (Anson Mount) captained the Enterprise. Marshalled by Jonathan Frakes’ steady hand as a director , the disparate tones of “Lower Decks” and “Strange New World” somehow mesh perfectly, and hilariously, together. Packed with guffaw-worthy laughs, “Those Old Scientists” also becomes a deeply poignant expression of the impact “Trek” has had on generations of fans. Maybe it’s controversial to place one of the most recent “Trek” episodes so high on this list, but this one more than earns its spot. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: July 22, 2023

The Best of Both Worlds

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

This two-parter is frequently cited as the best “Next Generation” storyline of all time, mostly because it features one of the most iconic cliffhangers in all of television. The Borg attack the Federation, leading to a showdown with the Enterprise. Picard is captured and assimilated, revealing himself to his crew as Locutus of Borg. If we’re splitting Borg nano-probes, the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first, which is why, for us, it doesn’t quite rank into the Top 10. Special shoutout to this episode for setting up the incredible “Star Trek” film “First Contact.” —J.O.

Original airdate: June 18, 1990 & Sept. 24, 1990

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 19

When a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) arrives on Deep Space Nine, Kira realizes he must have worked at one of the most notorious labor camps during Cardassia’s occupation of Bajor, and she arrests him as a war criminal. What follows is effectively a two-hander, as Kira’s interrogation of Marritza leads to a series of revelations that unmoor her hard-won fury at the atrocities inflicted upon her people. The conventional wisdom is that “DS9” didn’t get cooking until the Dominion War, but this early episode proves that this show was providing great, searing drama from the start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 14, 1993

STAR TREK, Ep.#24: 'Space Seed,' Ricardo Montalban, William Shatner, 2/16/67. Paramount/Courtesy: Everett Collection.

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 22

Ricardo Montalbán makes his debut as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically superior dictator from Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Khan and his people have been in suspended animation for 200 years and are looking to dominate humanity once again. Naturally, Kirk is able to beat Khan in a riveting confrontation, but rather than send him and his people to a penal colony, he agrees to let them settle on the wild planet, Ceti Alpha V. The episode proved to be so good, it led to the 1982 film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” arguably the best “Trek” movie of all time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 16, 1967

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 6

There’s something about time travel — and the twisty narrative paradoxes it can cause — that has engendered some of the best episodes of “Trek” ever made. That certainly includes this stunning “Voyager” episode, which opens with Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), 15 years in the future, discovering the frozen husk of the Voyager buried inside a glacier on a barren ice planet. It turns out Kim made a critical mistake that caused the catastrophic accident, from which only he and Chakotay survived. Their unyielding fixation to right that wrong — and erase the previous 15 years from history — makes for a gripping nail-biter about regret and devotion. Not only did LeVar Burton direct, but he cameos as Capt. Geordi La Forge! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 18, 1998

The Defector

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 10

Did a Romulan admiral really defect to the Federation, or are the Romulans perpetrating an elaborate hoax on Picard and the Enterprise crew? This wonderful episode sees the admiral in question (played by James Sloyan) claiming the Romulans are building a secret base within the Neutral Zone, forcing Picard to consider whether or not he should investigate and thus risk starting a war. It also features the excellent opening in which Picard tries to teach Data about humanity by having him act out scenes from Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 1, 1990

Chain of Command

“The Next Generation” — Season 6, Episode 10 & 11

Lured into Cardassian territory under false pretenses, Picard is captured and systematically tortured by a ruthless interrogator, Gul Madred, in a chilling performance by David Warner. Their disturbing tête-à-tête — Picard is stripped naked and nearly broken by the end — would be enough for one of the all-time best “Trek” episodes. But this two-parter also boasts Ronny Cox as Capt. Jellico, Picard’s replacement on the Enterprise, whose prickly and demanding leadership style creates all kinds of thrilling friction among the crew. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Dec. 14 & 21, 1992

In the Pale Moonlight

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 19

In this fantastic episode, Sisko grapples with the ethics of doing whatever it takes to get the Romulans to join the Dominion War on the Federation-Klingon side. This includes falsifying evidence and freeing a known criminal from Klingon prison with the help of master spy Garak (played by the always wonderful Andrew Robinson). Sisko (while recording a personal log) delivers a series of powerful monologues direct to camera about why he did what he did, ultimately deciding it was worth it in the end. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 13, 1998

The City on the Edge of Forever

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 28

Accidentally hopped up on stimulants, a crazed Bones leaps through a time portal on an alien planet and winds up changing history so drastically that the Enterprise disappears. Kirk and Spock travel back to stop him, and land in New York City during the Great Depression, where they learn that Bones saved the life of Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a pacifist whose message resonates so strongly that the U.S. stays out of WWII, allowing the Nazis to conquer Europe. Alas, Kirk falls deeply in love with Keeler, establishing a classic “Trek” moral dilemma: How does one suppress their most profound personal feelings for the greater good? An all-timer that still resonates today. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 6, 1967

Far Beyond the Stars

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 13

In this Avery Brooks-directed episode, Sisko envisions himself as a Black science fiction writer in 1950s New York named Benny Russell. Russell dreams up a story about the crew of a space station led by a Black captain, but his publisher refuses to run it. This episode is memorable for many reasons, the biggest of which being its handling of racism, but it also allows the show’s main cast gets to appear without any prosthetics or makeup, as completely different characters, to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 9, 1998

Yesterday’s Enterprise

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 15

The Enterprise-C, believed to have been destroyed over 20 years earlier, emerges from a temporal anomaly and resets history into a decades-long war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Tasha — killed off in Season 1 (after Denise Crosby wanted to leave the show) — is brought back to life, and falls for the Enterprise-C’s helmsman (Christopher McDonald), while Guinan implores Picard that something is desperately wrong with history and he must send the Enterprise-C back to certain doom. Somehow, this episode crams a movie’s worth of story into a nimble and rousing 44 minutes. Not a second is wasted. Outrageously great. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1990

The Inner Light

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 25

When the Enterprise comes upon a mysterious probe, Picard is suddenly hit with a signal that plunges him into a different man’s life on a dying planet. There, Picard experiences half a lifetime, with a wife, children and grandchildren, all in the space of 25 minutes. When Picard realizes this was all meant as a time capsule — a way to preserve the stories of the people of the planet, which was destroyed 1,000 years earlier by an exploding star — the revelation that he lived the life he’d long forsaken as a Starfleet captain, only to have it ripped away, is almost more than he can bear. But hoo boy, does it make for stunning, deeply moving television. In fact, almost no episode of “Trek” is better. Almost. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 1, 1992

The Visitor

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 2

Don’t watch this one without tissues handy. This emotionally devastating episode gets right to the heart of what made “DS9” so special — the relationship between Sisko and his son, Jake. Told in flashbacks by an elderly Jake (Tony Todd), the episode recounts how Sisko became unstuck in time, briefly revisiting Jake over the course of his life, and how Jake is determined to bring him back. In brief, fleeting moments, Sisko tells Jake not to worry about him and to live his life to the fullest. But Jake cannot bear the thought of losing his father forever, ultimately sacrificing his own life to restore the normal flow of time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 9, 1995

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Star Trek: The Animated Series

The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Gene Roddenberry
William Shatner
Leonard Nimoy
DeForest Kelley
51 User reviews
21 Critic reviews
3 wins & 3 nominations

Episodes 22

Photos 1676.

Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973)

Captain James Tiberius Kirk

Mister Spock …

Nurse Chapel …

Aquan Harvester …
Orion ensign …

Carter Winston …

Cyrano Jones

Harcourt Fenton Mudd

Young Sepek
Young Spock
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Trivia According to Lou Scheimer there were never any ego problems between the cast members during recording sessions, although William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy had a tendency to count their characters' lines and complain when one of them had too many more than the other.
Goofs Nurse Chapel's chest insignia is the standard oval-within-a-circle symbol for the Sciences division. However, in the live Star Trek (1966) , her uniform was unique in that she wore a red cross in place of that symbol.
Connections Featured in The NBC Saturday Morning Preview Revue (1974)

User reviews 51

Feb 16, 2005
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September 8, 1973 (United States)
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Star Trek: TAS
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Norway Productions
Paramount Television
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Runtime 30 minutes

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The best Star Trek series, ranked

Ready to settle in and watch some Star Trek episodes? Since there are so many, we’ve ranked all of the different series to help you get started on your quest.

Star Trek is one of the greatest franchises ever created. If you're new to the world of transporters and holodecks, you have so much wonderful content to catch up on — of course, some would say too much content.

Since there are over 850 episodes and counting (all of which you can stream on Paramount+ ), watching all of Star Trek can be more difficult than fighting a Gorn in the desert. To make things easier for you to get started, we've ranked every series (besides the short-form series Short Treks ) of this long-running franchise. Some of these choices were a bit daunting to play favorites with, but, like Jim Kirk, there's no belief in the no-win scenario.

Without further ado, here's our list of every Star Trek series ranked from worst to best.

11. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Star Trek: Picard was meant to be like comfort food to fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation . And whether fans were turned off by the changes in franchise direction with shows like Discovery or just wanted to see Patrick Stewart back in action, Paramount clearly thought this show would be almost universally beloved.

That didn't happen . The warm and fuzzy feeling of seeing a few familiar faces in the first season evaporated because of an often-confusing plot about androids. The second season continued this confusion with a time-travel story that often bordered on incoherence. While many Star Trek shows take a few seasons to hit their stride, it was shocking that so much of this relatively short series was seemingly created with "make it so-so" in mind.

10. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)

If you're in the right mood (or you've been sipping on some Saurian brandy), Star Trek: The Animated Series has some wacky entertainment value. Any given episode had the writers throwing in stories like a giant version of a beloved character. And the animators threw some fun curveballs, including making the embodiment of evil into a shirtless hottie that would make even shirtless Kirk jealous.

However, this animated show was often caught between two very different worlds. It wasn't fully a return to the (relatively) grounded exploration of space, science, and morality of The Original Series . And it didn't fully lean into the chaotic possibilities of a cartoon world (something Lower Decks would later handle much better). So, while more and more elements of The Animated Series have become canonical thanks to shows like Discovery , and it's fun to hear the voice acting of the Original Series cast, this cartoon is one that all but the most hardcore fans can skip.

9. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

Despite what you might have heard, Star Trek: Enterprise is not a bad show. It just didn't start as a very good show. The series was tragically canceled after the fourth season, which was arguably when it had just begun to hit its stride (thanks in part to longer story arcs and a really fun glimpse into Trek 's popular Mirror Universe).

At the end of the day, Enterprise is a show best enjoyed by Star Trek fans that like to pore over the Memory Alpha wiki and familiarize themselves with Trek minutiae. As a prequel show, it laid the groundwork for everything from Starfleet policy to alien interactions that other shows explore in more detail. If you don't have a shot at winning any Star Trek trivia contests at your local bar, it's still worth watching how captivating Scott Bakula can be in the captain's seat.

8. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present)

Star Trek: Prodigy was very difficult to rank. Unlike the other two Trek cartoons, this series was explicitly designed for younger audiences. Paramount clearly wants to use this show as a gateway for these younger fans to explore the wider world of Star Trek , but there are enough elements (most notably the return of Kate Mulgrew , reprising her role as Captain Janeway via a holographic form) to keep veteran franchise fans invested.

Ultimately, your enjoyment of this series will be largely dependent on how much you enjoy animated/YA entertainment. If nothing else, you should check out the first two episodes of this show to see just how beautiful the CGI animation can get.

7. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–present)

If Enterprise is the Star Trek show cut off too soon, Discovery may very well be the first Star Trek show to outlive its welcome, though it will end after its fifth season . There are many things the show gets right, from nifty effects to quirky characters to amazing casting (seriously, Sonequa Martin-Green is electrifying whenever she is on screen).

The show veers from a disjointed-but-interesting first season to a mesmerizing second season, which gets a real shot in the arm by introducing Captain Pike (played by the inimitably charming Anson Mount ) and Spock (played as a perfect homage to Leonard Nimoy by Ethan Peck). Later seasons, however, prove that the series can't get away from galactic-level threats, and character drama begins overriding plot development enough that we want to slingshot around the sun and return this series to its earlier roots.

6. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

Like many Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager had a rocky beginning, and it was often overshadowed by the excellent Deep Space Nine . Ironically, Voyager dramatically improved with what could be a cynical casting stunt: adding the alluring Jeri Ryan (constantly wearing a catsuit, no less).

Though it really looked like a desperate ratings stunt, Ryan turned the reformed Borg Seven of Nine into the most interesting character on the show. And, despite their alleged clashes behind the scenes, the actress helped to elevate every scene she shared with Kate Mulgrew. Between the new cast member, improved writing, and Mulgrew being nothing short of a damned icon, Voyager soon became appointment television, and it's definitely worth binge-watching for modern audiences.

5. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present)

Lower Decks is an impressive show for many reasons, including the fact that its execution elevates its initial premise, which focuses on the lives of the lower-level staffers aboard the starship. Because showrunner Mike McMahan previously wrote for Rick and Morty and the animation takes its cues from the cartoon adventures of Rick Sanchez, many fans may have assumed Lower Decks would simply be " Star Trek meets Rick and Morty ."

Thankfully, that's not the case. Aside from animation similarities, the main element these two cartoons have in common is a breakneck, borderline chaotic pace. But as entertaining as it can be, Rick and Morty is an often nihilistic show with gags revolving around how nothing really matters. Lower Decks , however, is a lighthearted series that serves as the cure to modern Trek . If you've dismissed other contemporary series such as Discovery and Picard because they are grim, violent, and serious, Lower Decks is a wonderfully lighthearted alternative that is never afraid to poke fun at its own franchise.

4. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a truly pleasant surprise to fans of the franchise. Set years before Captain Kirk sat in that famous chair, we see Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount reprising the role) lead the U.S.S. Enterprise into bizarre adventures alongside some familiar characters (Ethan Peck returning as Spock, for example) and a few new ones.

Part of what helps this show shine is that it marks a return to episodic Trek in that every installment is a self-contained adventure as opposed to other newer series like Discovery and Picard , which build entire seasons around a single plot. The characters all ooze with the same swashbuckling charm of The Original Series characters, and we can't wait to see more of their adventures. We also can't wait to see more of Anson Mount's amazing hair (arguably the most awesome practical effect in the franchise).

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

Star Trek: The Next Generation has the dubious honor of being the first Trek show where veteran fans warn against new fans starting at the very beginning. Early episodes ranged from stupidly horny (planetary inhabitants in the episode "Justice" were barely wearing scraps of clothing) to ridiculously racist ("Code of Honor" may very well be the worst Star Trek episode ever made). Many of these problems stemmed from the fact that despite being called "The Next Generation," the show was trying to recreate The Original Series (right down to using some of the same writers and shamelessly reusing scripts from the scrapped Star Trek: Phase II series).

As fans like to joke, the show got better as Commander Riker's beard got longer. Season 2 was a major improvement, which was then usurped by season 3, which brought in new uniforms, new sets, and Michael Piller to head up the writing team. Just like that, TNG embraced its differences from its famous forerunner (Picard was cerebral whereas Kirk was impulsive, Data yearned for emotion whereas Spock detested it, and so on). At last, the gamble paid off, and the next generation of this franchise ushered in the next generation of Star Trek fans.

2. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)

What can we say about The Original Series that hasn't been said already? Gene Roddenberry successfully fused science fiction with American pioneer spirit to create his vision of this " Wagon Train to the stars." The episodes were both fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, and William Shatner as Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, among many others, turned in performances that seared themselves into our collective pop culture consciousness.

The Original Series offered social commentary about racism, imperialism, and (often to Spock's annoyance) the human condition. And the blend of big acting, ambitious sets, and poignant plots helped this show become something truly transcendent. The OG Star Trek shaped not only the future of the franchise but television itself, and it's not hard to see why it continues to win over new generations of fans year after year.

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

Placing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the top spot is perhaps a contentious decision. However, this series did more than measure up to the quality of The Next Generation (a lofty feat in and of itself). The show also made a number of storytelling and production choices that have helped DS9 seem more relevant in recent years than ever before, including tackling issues about race, religious fundamentalism, and war on a regular basis.

Perhaps the main way DS9 feels so pertinent is that the show broke the longstanding Trek rule of making only standalone episodes. As the powers that be focused more on creating their next show, Voyager , DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr was able to get away with creating long story arcs and frequent episode callbacks. The end result of this is that Deep Space Nine is the first of the pre-streaming era Trek shows that is perfect for binge-watching.

Every Episode of Every Star Trek Series, Ranked

As long-time readers of this blog know (all seven or nine), I am a bit of a Star Trek fan, as may be deduced from my manic series Crisis of Infinite Star Treks alone.

Where that series delves into fannish hand-wringing and minutiae, it did remind my of how much I enjoy Star Trek in its seemingly infinite combinations . I wanted to do something special for its official 50th anniversary, but life has intervened (quantum filaments, holodeck mishaps, Borg incursions… the usual).

So what better way to express rampant fandom while looking back at the history of Star Trek than to rate each of its 700+ episodes? Think of it as a gift of the pandemic (well, for those of us in Sector 001).

Regardless, doing a retrospective of previous TV Trek seemed appropriate before now… and by the time I was fully invested in rewatching and ranking everything, new TV series started appearing (and may never abate). Yes, Lower Decks , the next seasons, of Discovery and Picard , and who knows how many other series will all find their way into the rankings ’cause I’m as foolish as Stamets wanting to do one more jump .

Oh what I wouldn’t give for a fortuitous temporal anomaly right now.

Anyway: to the links! (Not great links , perhaps, but links none-the-less)

The Methodology The short version? Every TV series (even the original animated one) is in. I had to make command decisions on how to judge two-parters and continuing storyline episodes, so I did. Movies are not included.

How to Rank ‘Em Yourself Even an honest Vulcan will tell you their logic is susceptible to mortal foibles as emotions and other intangibles creep into their calculations. It could be that ranking Star Trek episodes objectively is a no-win scenario, but tell me your Kobayashi Maru solution in the comments, whether it’s the top 10, the whole list, or anything in between (be civil, please).

What if you Object, Dislike, or Outright Hate My Rankings? No self-respecting Starfleet captain nor honorable Klingon commander would take such injustice lying down. Do something about it!

Re-watching (and in some cases, watching) all 700+ episodes of Star Trek took an inordinate amount of time over the past few years, so there’s no way I wasn’t going to comment on everything, including both spoilers… and a certain amount of irreverence. If you’re not ready for potential spoilers and snark, stick to the links marked “episode names only.”

(As alluded above, these lists will be updated as new episodes premiere. The lists below include all episodes for all series before July 2020)

The Whole Enchilada (All Series) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek (The Original Series or TOS) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek (The Animated Series or TAS) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only | Viewing Guide

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek: Voyager (VOY) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only | Viewing Guide

Enterprise (later Star Trek: Enterprise or ENT) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only Viewing Guide

Star Trek: Discovery (DSC) – Up through the first two seasons With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek: Short Treks (ST) With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek: Picard (PIC) – Up through the first season With Comments (includes possible spoilers & snark) | Episodes names only

Star Trek: Lower Decks (LD) (To be added ideally before season three.)

Star Trek: Prodigy (PRO) (Ideally, to be added in 2022)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) (To be added after season one completes, so… maybe 2023?)

I hope reading these lists reminds you of some of your favorites, encourages discussion, and maybe prompts you to a check out an episode –or a series– you may have overlooked.

In whatever you do, live long and prosper… unless it’s breeding tribbles. One way or another, that will probably end badly.

17 thoughts on “Every Episode of Every Star Trek Series, Ranked”

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Beautiful! the methodology, all of it! i would never have seen enterprise otherwise. & thr are gr8 stand alones in thr.

this was a truly spectacular & worthwhile endevour. thx, & nice work. -JC

may i inquire; was this a lockdown endeavor? marvelous either way. & thx again for all of your work. -JC

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Big fan of the blog! Dying to see your rankings of SNW and the newest PICARD episodes!!!

Thanks so much! My goal is to get to seasons 2 and 3 of Picard as well as Prodigy this summer before September 8th (a natural time to debut them). I’m not sure if I’ll get to SNW as part of me will want to do season 2 which is about to warp in before we know it. The trick is actually updating the Whole Enchilada. That’s daunting and part of me feels I should do a re-sort in a few years. Argh! I’ve created a monster like the Krell from Forbidden Planet! Still, it’s fun.

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Star Trek TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

Updated: September 8, 2023

The Star Trek universe kicked off in 1966 with the original series , created by science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry , and later exploded into a massive film and TV juggernaut.

While the original series, which starred William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, saw only three seasons, it made an indelible impression on the sci-fi genre. Live-action TV follow-up Star Trek: The Next Generation , with Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard leading an ensemble cast, captivated viewers from 1987–1994 and inspired three more series that would air within the next decade: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Enterprise .

Starting with 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Paramount Pictures has been regularly cranking out Trek films with the original series and Next Generation casts, as well as a rebooted version in 2009 with Chris Pine as Starfleet Academy cadet James Kirk and Zachary Quinto as young Spock. ( See the Star Trek films ranked here. )

In 2017, Trek returned to small screens with season 1 of CBS All Access streaming title Star Trek: Discovery , set during a tumultuous wartime era about a decade before the original and starring Sonequa Martin-Green . The new series marked a TV franchise reboot by Alex Kurtzman , writer on the 2009 Star Trek film and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness .

RELATED: All Star Trek Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

The year 2020 gave fans a celebration of one of its most iconic characters with the premiere of Star Trek: Picard and Stewart reprising his role in the new streaming series that launched its second season in 2022. New live-action series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was also released in 2022, and its first season was quickly Certified Fresh with a 100% Tomatometer score (it has since dropped to 99% on one review). The show’s second season, released in 2023, was nearly as well received and is Certified Fresh at 97% on the Tomatometer.

The TV franchise has since introduced two animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , about the misfit support crew on one of Starfleet’s least-important ships, and kid-friendly Star Trek: Prodigy , which tells the story of a diverse group of teens who inadvertently become the crew of a prize starship and learn important lessons in their subsequent adventures. The latter series — No. 3 on our list below — has since been canceled by Paramount+, but a petition to save the show has gathered over 33,000 signatures.

Have a look below to find out which series score highest with critics in our Trek TV by Tomatometer list.

Disagree with the results? Tell us in the comments which series you think should have been ranked higher (or lower).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) 98%

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) 94%

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021) 94%

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020) 92%

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) 92%

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) 91%

Star Trek: Picard (2020) 89%

Star Trek: Discovery (2017) 84%

Star Trek (1966) 80%

Star Trek: Voyager (1995) 76%

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) 56%

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The 10 most underrated Star Trek episodes ever, ranked

In the Futurama episode Where No Fan Has Gone Before , the wisecracking robot Bender describes Star Trek as having “79 episodes — about 30 good ones.” And, if we’re being honest, Bender’s not wrong. Across the franchise, there are now roughly 900 canonical installments, and out of a field that large, there are naturally dozens, even hundreds of entries that you can simply disregard. Of course, like any fanbase, Trekkies contain multitudes, and we don’t all agree on which episodes deserve the scrap heap.

10. The Time Trap (TAS season 1, episode 12)

9. monsters (picard season 2, episode 7), 8. the galileo seven (tos season 1, episode 17), 7. move along home (ds9 season 1, episode 10), 6. remember (star trek: voyager, season 3, episode 6), 5. peak performance (tng season 2, episode 21), 4. conundrum (tng season 5, episode 14).

3. … But to Connect (Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 7)

2. Children of Time (DS9 season 5, episode 22)

1. calypso (short treks season 1, episode 2).

One fan’s space junk is another fan’s latinum, and there’s no accounting for taste. We’ve selected ten episodes from across the history of the franchise that some fans might tell you to skip, but that we think deserve your attention. Is one of your dark horse faves on our list? Have we gone to bat for an episode you wish would be erased from the space-time continuum? Follow us to the salvage yard and find out…

Star Trek: The Animated Series , which ran for 22 episodes in the early 1970s, is unquestionably the weirdest corner of the Star Trek canon. The aim of the show was to continue the voyages of the USS Enterprise without the production constraints of live-action television. The writers — many of whom had worked on The Original Series — could let their imaginations run wild and introduce more otherworldly aliens, settings, and situations.

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This new series would even reunite most of the original cast, essentially allowing it to serve as a fourth season of Star Trek. That may sound like a great idea, but the result was a cheap-looking, weirdly paced, and stiffly acted cartoon that was too heady for a young audience and too sloppy for adults. Naturally, the show has its defenders, but most Trekies will tell you that only one episode is worthy of your attention, and that’s Yesteryear . But , if you were looking to try a second TAS episode on for size, we’d recommend The Time Trap .

To call The Time Trap a hidden gem is probably an exaggeration, but it’s a charming adventure story that demonstrates the ambition and scale of The Animated Series . In this episode, the Enterprise gets lost in the galactic equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, a strange pocket of space from which there is apparently no escape. There, they find the survivors of countless other ships that have gone missing there, representing over a hundred other worlds, and must work together in order to break free. The Time Trap illustrates (literally!) the lush diversity of the galaxy and, in true Star Trek fashion, teaches that we are all at our best when we combine our unique talents to face challenges as one.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks the second season of Picard is top-shelf Star Trek. The 10-part time travel story is spread much too thin, and none of the show’s younger cast is served particularly well. The season does, at least, contain some interesting exploration of its title character, digging into the origins of his commitment issues and some repressed childhood trauma. The climax of this arc comes in Monsters , when a comatose Picard (Patrick Stewart) hallucinates an intense therapy session with an unnamed counselor (guest star James Callis). Their scenes together make for a terrific bit of stage play, and they only become more interesting on a second viewing, with the awareness of the counselor’s true meaning and identity.

The rest of the episode might not be as interesting, as it follows the rest of the underdeveloped cast and their respective subplots, but in the midst of a dismal season, Monsters is a reminder of why we watch Star Trek: Picard in the first place — to watch Patrick Stewart freaking act . Here, opposite a terrific scene partner, we get to see Sir Patrick do what he does best, plumbing into the depths of a character that he’s spent decades getting to know.

It might be a stretch to declare any episode from the celebrated first season of Star Trek to be “underrated.” Seven of our top 10 TOS episodes come from Trek’s inaugural year, after all, but The Galileo Seven was never a serious contender, and in hindsight, that’s a shame. In this episode, a science team led by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is stranded on a hostile planet with little hope of rescue. The seven survivors must find a way to repair their ship while also fending off attacks from the planet’s inhabitants — eight-foot-tall cave people armed with spears and shields. As the danger grows and people start dying, tempers are running hot — except for Spock’s of course, and that’s only making matters worse. Spock wants to get his crew home safely as much as anyone, but his calm and mechanical decision-making is easily mistaken for apathy.

The Galileo Seven makes for an interesting study of conflicting value systems and modes of expression. It’s also a case of addition by means of subtraction — In most Star Trek episodes, it’s up to Kirk to make the big decisions, based largely on the input of Spock’s logical mind and McCoy’s bleeding heart. Take Kirk out of the equation, and Spock and McCoy find their differences much harder to reconcile. If you’ve ever watched classic Trek and asked “Why isn’t Spock the captain?” The Galileo Seven has your answer, all without cutting the character’s legs out from under him.

There’s a subset of Star Trek fans that tends to conflate silliness with stupidity, that rejects episodes with low stakes and goofy conceits as “skippable.” While there’s no accounting for taste, we think these galactic grumps are doing themselves a disservice, especially when it comes to Deep Space Nine . On the whole, DS9 is one of the darkest, heaviest series in the franchise, but that heft is counterbalanced by at least a handful of wacky comic adventures per season. They’re not all gems, but they’re often a breath of fresh air that evokes the color and camp of The Original Series . Move Along Home is among the first of DS9 ’s comedic interludes, and is frequently cited as one of if not the single worst episode of the show. Nonsense! Sure, it’s no In the Pale Moonlight , but it’s a perfectly entertaining romp.

In this episode, a delegation from the far-off Gamma Quadrant arrives at the station, but rather than talk trade deals or cultural exchanges, they’re only interested in gambling at Quark’s casino. But when Quark, predictably, cheats them out of their winnings, the visitors challenge him to a game of their own, one in which Sisko, Dax, Bashir, and Kira are the playable characters — whether they like it or not! Doesn’t that sound like a good premise for a Lower Decks episode? We hope you’ll give it a shot. Roll those dice.

We covered many of our favorite underrated episodes in our rather unconventional list of the top 10 Voyager episodes , but we have one more dark horse pick we thought was worth mentioning here. In Remember , Voyager takes on passengers from the planet Enaran Prime, an apparently friendly people with telepathic abilities. When chief engineer B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) starts having vivid dreams about witnessing genocide on an alien planet, she deduces that these visions are actually the memories of one of their guests. But whose memories are they, and why is she receiving them? B’Elanna is determined to see how the story ends, even as the strain from receiving these transmissions becomes more than her body can bear.

Remember is, transparently, a Holocaust allegory, but the veil of science fiction allows the audience to examine such a tragedy from angles they might not have considered. Rather than center the story solely on the victims of genocide (as we rightly tend to do when talking about real history), Remember interrogates the experience of being a bystander to unspeakable crimes. How does one turn a blind eye to racism or xenophobia? How does one justify their inaction? When the hideous truth becomes impossible to deny, how do they live with themselves? Remember meditates on these questions while also offering a complicated role to one of Voyager ’s most underserved characters.

The first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are infamously rough, and Trekkies will often advise curious new viewers to watch only a few essential episodes before jumping aboard with season 3. Peak Performance isn’t “essential” by any means, but it’s a fun, light-hearted episode that’s not quite like any other hour in the franchise. Here, Picard’s crew is challenged to participate in a war game exercise — against each other! Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) hand-picks a team to repair a derelict Starfleet ship that is theoretically no match for the state-of-the-art Enterprise and tries to defeat it in simulated combat. It’s essentially the Star Trek equivalent of one of those X-Men issues in which the Mutants play baseball, and who doesn’t love those?

While it’s not exactly the deepest or most cerebral TNG episode, it’s great fun to see our Starfleet heroes let their hair down within the context of a space adventure, as opposed to in some genre-mashing holodeck fantasy. There’s a sense of warm camaraderie throughout, not only within each team but between opponents, as they test their skills against each other in friendly competition. And though the story itself may not be profound, it does include Jean-Luc Picard’s single greatest nugget of wisdom: “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness — That is life.”

The Next Generation excels at “bottle shows,” episodes in which the characters don’t visit any new locations and meet a bare minimum of guest stars. While they’re usually created to help a production save money for use in more ambitious episodes, bottle shows can make the most out of these budget constraints and focus on character over spectacle. In Conundrum , the entire population of the Enterprise has their memories selectively altered, suppressing their identities and personal experiences but leaving their skills intact. Confused about who they are and how they got there, Picard and company learn that the Federation is at war and its survival depends on the Enterprise destroying an enemy base. With their memories faulty and their computers erased, the crew has no choice but to follow orders, but can they really trust what they’ve been told?

Conundrum is an intriguing thought experiment that cuts to the core of each member of the Enterprise crew. Who is a person without their memories? Which parts of oneself are immutable, and which are the result of lived experience? The episode explores this question from multiple angles, but the most eye-opening is the case of Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), an acerbic Bajoran officer embittered by a youth spent suffering under Cardassian rule. Who might Ro have been, had she not become so hardened to the world? Is she, perhaps, more fond of people — Will Riker in particular — than she lets on? Conundrum ’s memory gimmick shuffles up all of the character relationships and creates new dynamics to explore, along with a mystery to solve.

3. … But to Connect (Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 7)

Star Trek: Discovery is, for the most part, properly rated as “mid,” and it’s hard to isolate individual episodes from the season-long arcs in which they’re nested. Now and then, however, one chapter will stand out as an example of what Discovery — or Star Trek as a whole — does best. Positioned in the middle of the 10-part “Dark Matter Anomaly” arc, … But to Connect divides its attention between a pair of debates, one with galactic stakes and one that’s much smaller but no less important.

At Federation HQ, Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin Green) attempts to convince the assembled leaders to attempt peaceful contact with the extragalactic aliens whose gauge mining has laid waste to several star systems. There’s good drama here, with Burnham and her boyfriend Book on opposite sides of a difficult debate, but the more interesting conversation is happening aboard Discovery, where Federation scientist Dr. Kovich (guest star David Cronenberg) presides over what is essentially an HR dispute between Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and the ship’s sentient AI, Zora (voice of Annabelle Wallis).

You read that right — The HR dispute is the story we’re here to talk about. The issue on the table is that Zora, Discovery’s main computer, has become self-aware enough to experience emotions and refuse orders. Stamets is nonplussed about the idea of a sapient being with access to the sum of all knowledge and to every sensor on the ship and suggests that Zora should be altered into something less threatening. At first glance, this seems like a fair position, but as the episode unfolds and the debate gets deeper and more existential, it becomes less about the dangers of AI and more about the rights of any individual to be their complete self, in public. If one person finds another’s behavior or lifestyle uncomfortable, which party should have to make adjustments? Without putting too fine a point on it, … But to Connect becomes an argument for tolerance across divisions like sexuality and gender performance, and one of the streaming era’s best “message episodes.”

Deep Space Nine is known for boldly going to dark places where other Star Trek series would not. Dilemmas don’t always have a clear solution, protagonists aren’t always on their best behavior, and sometimes they flat-out lose. Children of Time is a time travel story with an intriguing setup: The Defiant crew encounters a planet populated by their own descendants. According to the locals, the Defiant is destined to crash-land there, two centuries in the past. Though they’ll be trapped on the planet, they will go on to lead full lives and build a lasting community. With foreknowledge of this accident, it should be possible for Sisko and company to avoid it and leave the planet safely, but doing so will mean that the entire colony, their own great-grandchildren, will never exist.

Children of Time presents the crew of the Defiant with an impossible choice and makes that choice as complicated for the audience as it is for the characters. The planet Gaia is a wonderful place, a monument to the unity and perseverance of its founders, and so much more. A new culture has been created, one in which the show’s main characters are ancient folk heroes. But, in order for that culture to exist, Deep Space Nine , the show, has to end, and we know that’s not happening. So, how are our heroes/the writers going to get out of this jam? We’re not expected to believe that they’re really going to erase all these nice people from time, right? …right? Children of Time is a top-tier Star Trek episode, and it’s a testament to DS9 ‘s overall quality that this one doesn’t pop up on more Best Of lists.

Between the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , CBS Studios launched Short Treks , which is exactly what it sounds like: A series of short films set in the Star Trek universe. The first patch of Short Treks mostly tied directly into Star Trek: Discovery , following up on threads from the first season or setting up a few for the second. One of the shorts, however, is a standalone story written by novelist Michael Chabon, set hundreds of years after the known Star Trek canon, A lonely traveler calling himself Craft ( Black Adam ‘s Aldis Hodge) stumbles across the derelict USS Discovery, whose only surviving resident is its AI, Zora. Alone together in the vastness of space, Craft and Zora develop a rapport that blossoms into a romance, but Craft has places to be, and Zora can’t go anywhere.

Calypso is a warm, emotional short film that works just as much on its own as it does as an episode of Star Trek , and is far and away the best work to emerge from the brief Short Treks experiment and one of the best Treks of the 21st century. Though generally enjoyed by fans, Calypso ’s residence in an obscure corner of the Trek library means that casual viewers are likely to miss it while they binge through Paramount+. We think that’s a shame, and while we’re not itching for a direct sequel, we’d love for Short Treks to return with more sweet standalone experiments like this one.

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Almost every TV show is designed to run for only a handful of seasons. However, The Simpsons hasn't stopped since it premiered in 1989. The show is now in its 35th season, and there are no signs of it ending anytime soon. It's not out of the question for this show, which has already produced 760 episodes, to reach 40 seasons.

Therein lies the problem, because The Simpsons really lost several steps after its first decade on the air. Almost all of the best episodes of The Simpsons come from the early seasons. There were so many great episodes back then that there are some later stories that haven't been properly recognized as being among the show's best. With that in mind, we're throwing the spotlight on our picks for the 10 most underrated episodes of The Simpsons. 10. Eternal Moonshine Of The Simpson Mind (Season 19, Episode 9)

Every Star Trek series is someone’s favorite (Star Trek: The Animated Series stans, we see you), but when it comes to the 18-year Golden Age of Trek between 1987 and 2005, the prequel series Enterprise is easily the least beloved. Airing on UPN for an abbreviated four-season run, Enterprise was meant to shake things up after three consecutive series set in the late 24th century. Imagined as a sort of origin story for Star Trek in the style of The Right Stuff, creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga wanted to capture the danger and excitement of United Earth’s early interstellar space program, even planning to spend the entire first season on Earth preparing for the launch of Starfleet’s very first Starship Enterprise. The network, however, had other ideas, insisting that Berman and Braga not meddle with the consistently successful Star Trek formula. Thus, despite taking place two centuries earlier, Enterprise became, essentially, “more Voyager,” which in turn had been “more Next Generation,” a once-great sci-fi procedural that was nearly a decade past its peak. That’s not to say that the series didn’t improve throughout its four-season run. After two years of struggling to justify the show’s very existence, Berman and Braga swung for the fences with a radically different third season that reinvented Enterprise (now renamed Star Trek: Enterprise) as a grim and gritty serialized drama unpacking the aftermath of a 9/11-scale attack on Earth. While immediately more compelling, the revamp failed to boost the show’s sagging ratings, and it was reworked yet again the following year, and leaned further into the “prequel to Star Trek” angle under new showrunner Manny Coto. This, many fans will argue, is where Enterprise finally found its legs, but it was too little and too late to prevent its cancellation. Still, each iteration of the troubled spinoff had its highlights and our list of the 10 strongest Enterprise episodes is spread fairly evenly throughout the run of the show. Warning: This article contains spoilers for each listed episode.

10. Babel One/United/The Aenar (season 4, episodes 12, 13, & 14)

Nearly 30 years after its premiere and 20 after it ended, Friends remains among the most beloved and celebrated sitcoms ever. The show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer, and the late Matthew Perry, followed the romantic and professional lives of six twentysomething friends in New York City. The show was a ratings and critical juggernaut, attracting high viewership and receiving the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002.

Although its reputation remains unmatched, not every episode of Friends is as popular; after all, with 236 episodes, it's logical that some might get lost in the process. These episodes are among the show's most underrated. Whether because of their safe plots, lack of memorable jokes, or proximity to flashier, more iconic episodes, these chapters are underappreciated by fans. However, they are no less worthy of praise, as they are still solid entries in the show's canon. 10. The One with the Apothecary Table - Season 6, Episode 11

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Boldly go: Every 'Star Trek' series, ranked

The Final Frontier is full of some amazing television.

With over 800 episodes of space-based adventure logged, Star Trek is the sci-fi TV franchise to beat.

For more than 50 years, whether fans have followed the voyages of the Starship Enterprise or the animated antics of the Lower Decks and Prodigy crews, Star Trek has proven that it is endlessly imaginative and consistently inspiring. The franchise takes its Vulcan mantra of “Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations” to heart, offering series led by an ensemble of complex and supportive characters that act as guides and companions on trips to the strange new worlds that Star Trek helps audiences escape to on a weekly basis. From Captain Kirk’s original five-year mission (which unfortunately was curtailed after just three), to Patrick Stewart's return in Picard , there’s something for everyone in the Final Frontier.

In honor of Star Trek: Discovery return to Paramount+ to finish off its fourth season this week, we have beamed down our definitive ranking of every Trek series. So replicate yourself a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot, and see if your favorite made (ahem) Number One.

11. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)

Credit: CBS via Getty Images

Unbound by live-action TV budget limitations, Star Trek: The Animated Series makes up for its low-fi animation and sometimes stiff pacing issues with an impressive execution of big sci-fi premises. From giant Spocks to flying plant dragons, TAS features truly out-there storylines that push the boundaries of what one would expect to find in Trek’s take on outer space. In the '60s. The Animated Series may not have the same respect or importance as other Trek shows, both animated and live-action, but TAS at least deserves some praise for its ambition and for trying to keep the franchise alive during its fallow period.

Featuring most of the original cast returning to voice their iconic characters, along with several key writers from The Original Series , the Enterprise's brief run of animated adventures delivers a nostalgic, kid-friendly continuation of the voyages fans fell in love with in the '60s.

10. Star Trek: Short Treks (2018-2020)

Credit: Michael Gibson/CBS

An inventive and (mostly) satisfying mix of live-action and animated tales, Star Trek: Short Trek s acted as a bridge between releases of full seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, with side stories centered on key characters and aspects of the then-CBS All Access era of the franchise. The shorts, with run times between ten to 20 minutes, feature storylines that cater largely to Discovery fans, with appearances from fan-favorites Ensign Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Captain Pike (Anson Mount) providing audiences with a peek at what happens in the periphery of the flagship series. These side missions allow the franchise to take one of its most unique and creative swings in its entire history; think Star Trek ’s version of Marvel’s “One-Shot” shorts.

While not every installment feels necessary or particularly engaging — the Saru-centric “The Brightest Star” struggles to find a compelling pace that works well with its heartfelt glimpse into the alien’s homeworld — Short Treks does provide impressive visuals and interesting bits of connective tissue to make the experience of watching future Discovery episodes more whole. The highlights of this brief run of shorts include the distant future-set “Calypso,” with a teleplay by Picard Season 1 showrunner and author Michael Chabon, and the zany animated tale “Ephraim and Dot,” which director Michael Giacchino injects with a strong dose of Tom and Jerry -esque antics as his film pinballs between certain iconic events from Trek ’s extensive history on both the big and small screens.

9. Star Trek: Picard (2020-Present)

Credit: Trae Patton/CBS

After a 26-year absence, Patrick Stewart and his iconic character of Jean-Luc Picard returned to the small screen in Star Trek: Picard . The highly anticipated, big-budget nostalgia play was a mixed bag of creative choices that fell somewhere between thrilling fan service and noble misfire.

Picard finds the former Enterprise-E captain struggling to enjoy life on his family vineyard after a mission to save Romulan refugees forced him into early retirement. But, when an android-human hybrid shows up at his home, hunted by ninja-like Romulan assassins, Picard must boldly go once again into space to find out who this woman is, what she has to do with the late Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and how all of this ties together with the Federation’s work in helping former Borg drones re-enter civilian life. The elevator pitch for the first season is basically Star Trek: Blade Runner , starring one of the most beloved Trek characters in the Rick Deckard role. However, Picard doesn’t bring much new to this premise, which sci-fi has more than adequately covered by now — and that’s unfortunate, because the last thing a Star Trek show should make one feel is a near-constant sense of “been there, done that.”

As fun as it is to see Picard, Data, and Jeri Ryan’s badass Seven of Nine back in action, it comes at the cost of some baffling and frustrating character choices, namely with Picard. For the first third of the series, we see a Picard who behaves in emotionally dishonest and unlikable ways. (For example, after the former Captain has a falling out with a dear friend and fellow officer, he never once checks in with her until years later — when he needs something.) To present a formerly selfless hero as someone who is now more selfish than ever before results in a profound narrative flaw at the core of this series, which progresses to a confounding finale where Star Trek cures death and no one bothers to even think about pointing that fact out. The limited success Picard does find, outside of impressive visual spectacles, are in the brief but rewarding scenes where our hero reunites with past Next Generation crew members or revisits certain dark areas of his traumatic past with the Borg. Here’s hoping Picard Season 2 packs more resonance with fans by affording the character more to do than just travel through other sci-fi’s great story ideas in search of his own.

8. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

Credit: CBS

UPN's attempts in 2001 to use Star Trek: Enterprise as a way to revitalize the franchise and make it more appealing to non- Trek audiences was, at the time, a risk that made creative sense. One that even occasionally paid off episodically. But the arrival of this prequel series arguably did more harm than good. (Remember those ads featuring The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go?" Woof.)

By the time Enterprise premiered, executive producer Rick Berman had already created three other shows during his time as the franchise’s overseer, and his tenure with Star Trek at this point had a very “assembly line” feel to it. On paper, the idea of exploring the early days of Starfleet from the bridge of a pre-Kirk Enterprise seemed like the shot in the arm that Trek needed, one ripe with possibility. But in execution, the series struggled to find its identity or connect with audiences in the way previous shows or their significantly more compelling and likable ensemble casts did. Enterprise ’s first two seasons never quite lived up to the marketing’s promise of a more rough-around-the-edges, action-packed Trek . Most of their episodes could have existed on any other Trek series, which didn’t help Enterprise stand out among its trailblazing predecessors.

The voyages of Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his intrepid crew really hit their stride in Seasons 3 and 4, however, especially in the latter. The show’s final season finally let Enterprise embrace its Trek- ness with callbacks to Original Series canon. (Mirror Universe FTW!) But, by then, it was too late. And that’s too bad, as Bakula brought a ‘90s-esque, Harrison Ford action hero vibe to the franchise as a Captain struggling to do what’s right and best for the galaxy’s future at a time when he is a vital figure in shaping it.

While we're here, let's give a special mention to the show's most underrated asset, Chief Engineer Trip Tucker (Conner Trinneer). He's basically McCoy and Scotty rolled into one.

7. Star Trek: Discovery (2017-Present)

Literally going where no Trek TV series has gone before, in both scale and tone, Discovery is the most diverse and progressive Trek so far, which is why it has, in part, such a passionate fanbase. The series is a thematically-driven, character-first, action-packed depiction of a Starfleet charged with test driving their Utopian ideals in the middle of a war with the Klingons — all on the bleeding edge of the Final Frontier.

While hardcore fans initially bumped against the show's darker elements, crying, "This isn't Star Trek, " after four seasons, those naysayers have seemingly come around to embracing Discovery ’s big-budget attempt to mix the current trend of “grounded and gritty” television with what makes Trek , well, Trek . After a bumpy first season launch, Discovery eventually found how to make that mixture work with its effortlessly entertaining Season 2, which brought the U.S.S. Enterprise from Captain Pike’s day into Discovery ’s prequel storyline. Combining the two crews and their histories allowed for a very entertaining season of fan-service highs, one that afforded Discovery to showcase one of Trek ’s strongest suits: Great characters.

The dynamic established by Discovery’ s diverse and endearing ensemble allows the series to tell stories that do what all great sci-fi does — use a future setting to hold up a mirror to our very present reality. In doing so, Discovery delivered one of the franchise’s most fully-formed and likable heroes ever, starting with Sonequa Martin-Green's conflicted Michael Burnham. (We are also big fans of Season 1’s duplicitous, and fortune cookie-loving, Captain Lorca, played by Jason Issacs.) And while the first season’s Klingon War arc comes off half-baked and under-serviced, in favor of a season-arc involving the Mirror Universe, that detour is totally worth it for a late-Season 1 phaser battle that is among the best action scenes Trek has ever produced.

6. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-Present)

This first animated Trek show since the ’70s, Lower Decks is also the first outright sitcom in Trek history.

Centered on the very junior, and very funny, crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos, Lower Decks premiered in 2020 on Paramount+ to quickly become one of the most talked-about and entertaining Trek series ever. From creator and showrunner Mike McMahan ( Rick and Morty ), Lower Decks is often a perfect mix of funny and Trek -level pathos. The show finds a unique and comical way to spin the mundane tasks of day-to-day life as a member of this plucky and endearing crew that embraces the best of Trek . This is a show featuring characters we laugh with but never at as they deal with the rewarding dirty work that Kirk and Picard’s crews never had time for. In doing so, Lower Decks manages to add a much-needed sense of levity by using memorable tropes and moments from Trek’s past to push the franchise and the overall story forward.

5. Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Star Trek: Voyager made TV history by being the first Trek series with a female captain when it premiered 26 years ago. That long-overdue and inspired choice was one of the few things that held Voyager together as it, like most Trek series post- TNG , got off to a rocky start during its early seasons. Voyager arguably had one of the bumpiest of beginnings in Trek history, as the UPN series struggled from the jump to fully deliver on its great premise: Federation officers and their freedom fighter counterparts are lost in space, 70,000 light-years from Earth, struggling to get back home. What was intended to be a showcase for what happens when you have no starbases to repair battle damage or replenish supplies turned into Next Gen Lite ; only a handful of episodes in the back half of the series’ run truly achieved best-of status or came close to fulfilling the series’ core concept. Most of Voyager ’s run feels like each new ep is almost re-piloting the series, which makes Voyager feel like a show ironically searching for its own path just as its characters try to find theirs back to Earth.

But what makes Voyager so consistently compelling to this day, aside from some of the series’ show-stopping space battles and a very likable cast, is Kate Mulgrew’s iconic Captain Janeway. Mulgrew invested Janeway with a fierce intelligence and endearing charm as she was both captain and “mother” to this crew, someone determined to get all of them home despite how many of the Delta Quadrant’s vast network of alien threats stood in her way. (Why she would sometimes prolong this mandate with exploratory detours that would risk depleting the ship’s already-low resources is debatable.) The introduction of former Borg Seven of Nine gave Voyager the shot in the arm it sorely needed.

Seven’s addition to the cast inspired a Kirk-Spock dynamic between her and Janeway, giving the show a strong dose of conflict and humanity as the two characters butted heads just as often as they worked together to save this family from castaway status. It is too bad Voyager all but flatlined with a big, lackluster series finale that shows Voyager returning to Earth after seven seasons without giving its crew — or the fans — a dramatically satisfying homecoming. The series finale concludes with the baffling choice to relegate Voyager's arrival at Earth to the episode’s final scene, and stopping the show there. This momentous occasion plays like it were just another planet that the starship visited. Both the characters and the fans deserved a better final episode.

4. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-Present)

It’s fitting that Star Trek: Prodigy is a pseudo-sequel series to Star Trek: Voyager . Not just because the former features the latter’s iconic Captain Janeway in hologram form, but because Prodigy is another series about untested but likable heroes forging a found family in one of the most distant corners of the galaxy, the Delta Quadrant. And, in doing so, they give fans some of the most thematically well-told, character-driven stories in recent Trek history.

All the popular and expected Trek tropes are there — along with the appearance of legacy Trek characters. But Prodigy is the first show to tackle them through the welcomed POV of non-Starfleet characters. Our young heroes, led by the cocky-but-capable Dal, aren’t even trained or really know what a starship like theirs, the experimental Protostar, is. By having the characters serve as a surrogate for the audience, to put us at ground level with them as they have some very intense on-the-job training in the world of Star Trek , makes it so that every panicked breath they take or victory they earn feel like one of our own. That creative choice yields some truly resonate storylines (and feature film-worthy dramatic and comedic beats) that elevate Prodigy to being not just an excellent animated show for kids, but also just overall a great television series.

3. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

Spock Star Trek: The Original Series 215 Still

Featuring the best first two seasons of any Star Trek series, the original adventures of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are classic television for a reason.

Aside from the uneven third season, plagued by budget cuts and behind-the-scenes creative issues, Star Trek ’s original voyages succeed largely by grounding their fantastic sci-fi concepts on the backs of characters you couldn’t help but root for. The show was one of the first series to have something to say, as creator Gene Roddenberry and producer/writer Gene Coon used the Enterprise and her crew to service themes and subject matter that were especially relevant to 1960s culture. In doing so, Star Trek created icons out of Kirk and the rest of his intrepid crew. It also set the standard for telling sci-fi stories on television in relatable and resonant ways that would inspire and fuel every subsequent Trek series. The first two seasons’ worth of storylines warp out of the gate with episodes centered on eugenics, the moral fog (and ethical cost) of war, what it means to be a captain when your best friend becomes your enemy, and, of course, the Mirror Universe. Never before or since has a Trek series premiered as close to fully-formed as this one does, with the Kirk-Spock-McCoy triumvirate headlining one of the most memorable and engaging casts in television history. Star Trek broke racial barriers with Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, and it used science fiction — and the way the Enterprise crew explored the vastness of space — as a way to give its very human audiences an opportunity to look inward and find what makes such exploration still worth taking.

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Pound for pound, you won't find a more consistent or entertaining run of Star Trek episodes than The Next Generation ’s third and fourth seasons. That's when this classic syndicated series found its narrative footing, after two very uneven seasons burdened with epic behind-the-scenes clashes among creatives. The show that emerged from all of that turmoil gave us Sir Patrick Stewart, the Borg, Star Trek ’s first cliffhanger ("The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1"), and several stone-cold sci-fi classics such as "Yesterday's Enterprise," "The Inner Light," "Cause and Effect," and the all-timer series finale "All Good Things".

While TNG petered out creatively during its last two seasons, it managed to change the genre and the franchise in a way that still resonates today. The core characters (especially the meme-friendly likes of Jonathan Frakes’ Riker and LeVar Burton’s Geordi LaForge) are arguably more popular now than they were when the series premiered in 1987. We can credit that continuing popularity to the new (pun intended) generations of fans finding the show via streaming and helping ensure the legacy of this iconic Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is perfect TV comfort food at a time when we really could use it. Unlike The Original Series, TNG had the time and budget to flex its full potential and find unique opportunities for sci-fi drama that only the Final Frontier affords. In doing so, Next Gen made nothing short of TV history.

01. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Credit: Paramount Television /Courtesy Everett Collection

One of the first pre-Peak TV series to embrace long-form, serialized storytelling, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was and still is the bastard, rule-breaking stepchild of the Trek universe. And it is all the better for it.

DS9 never found the ratings that its predecessor The Next Generation did, but it did find a deeper and more complex vein of sci-fi storytelling to tap into — one that has allowed the series to prove even more rewarding on subsequent rewatches. Released at a time when serialized television was often frowned upon, DS9 was more concerned with telling stories worth audiences’ time than complying with the times. The epic Seasons 3 through 7 embrace the diversity and heady themes that Trek is known for, by finding inventive — and, at times, harrowing — ways to bring intergalactic action and big emotional stakes to an anchored space station instead of to a flying starship.

Prejudice, racism, PTSD, and humanity’s often tenuous grip on morality are the rich thematic tent poles that the series frequently thread its gripping characters and their addictive story arcs through — to much success. And while adding Michael Dorn’s Worf from TNG was an attempt to boost ratings in the space battle-heavy fourth season, it also brought a surprisingly effective jolt of tension and character growth to the core ensemble’s dynamic, as they faced a growing, casualty-heavy battle with The Dominion. The riveting dramatic possibilities provided by DS9 ’s unique mix of aliens and humans, friends and foes, helped elevate this underrated Trek installment to become the franchise's crowning achievement.

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Every Star Trek TV Series Ranked

We're ranking all the Star Trek TV series, from The Original Series to Strange New Worlds and beyond!

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Since its debut in 1966, Star Trek has boldly gone to nearly every cultural aspect of modern life. The franchise has included 13 feature films with various crews, numerous board and video games, hundreds of action figures, commemorative plates — you name it, and there’s probably a version with a Starfleet logo on it.

But despite all this exploration into other media and fields, Star Trek remains best on television. And after a long drought, the franchise is finally thriving again in its original medium, despite the bumbling of its parent company Paramount. Even with Picard done and Discovery entering its fifth and final season, multiple series are still in production, including the acclaimed Strange New Worlds .

But as the greatest Trek theme song reminds us, it’s been a long road getting from there to here. The Original Series was canceled after a budget-strapped third season in 1969 and only built its following in syndication. Star Trek: The Next Generation overcame its rocky start to launch a renaissance that lasted throughout the 90s, but the cancelation of Enterprise led to 13 years without a new Trek show on TV.

With all of that behind us, and in the midst of a second Star Trek renaissance, it’s time to look back at the best and worst that the franchise has to offer.

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12. Enterprise (2001 – 2004)

Enterprise will always be known as the series that ended the first Star Trek renaissance. What began with The Motion Picture and peaked with multiple excellent television series finally fizzled out with a lackluster series that too often felt perfunctory.

The series certainly had the right idea in mind. Instead of continuing the storyline set out by The Next Generation or revisiting the Kirk era, Enterprise went back to the beginning, showing the rough early days of humanity’s warp-capable exploration and the establishment of the Federation.

Despite those noble intentions, Enterprise mostly floundered, starting with its cast. Trip Tucker made for a fun swashbuckling hero from the beginning, John Billingsley brought a delightful weirdness to his alien Doctor Phlox , and Jolene Blalock brought depths of nuance to the oft-underdressed Vulcan T’Pol, but the rest of the crew got either underutilized or used poorly. The incredibly likable Scott Bakula struggled to get a handle on Captain Archer, Linda Park’s Hoshi Sato got less to do than TOS Uhura, and Travis Mayweather had no qualities beyond being born in space.

However, Enterprise did eventually become a worthy Trek series. The Temporal Cold War gave the NX-01 more immediate relevance to other entries and the Xindi Civil War allowed the series to tackle questions raised by its post-9/11 present. However, even these advancements got overshadowed, partially by Ronald D. Moore leaving Trek to make the morally complex competitor Battlestar Galactica and by the producer’s decision to end the series by foregrounding Riker on the holodeck. In the end, Enterprise ’s time never came.

11. The Animated Series (1973 – 1974)

We don’t know what it was like to watch The Animated Series during its original run, but it must have been magical. A beloved series, seemingly gone forever, gets one more crack. While the cheap TV animation of the 1970s must have been a disappointment to even the show’s first viewers, and surely some lamented the loss of Walter Koenig’s Chekov , who was cut from the show for budget reasons (a script written by Koenig was used for the episode “The Infinite Vulcan”), most would take more Trek in any form available.

And to be sure, TAS was a worthy continuation of the original series. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and their co-stars proved to be able voice actors, breathing life into decidedly more static representations of their characters. Even better, the series benefited from scripts by some of the best sci-fi writers of the era, including the ever-reliable D.C. Fontana and Ringworld creator Larry Niven.

To be sure, some of the novelty of TAS has worn off. Star Trek has proven to be a reliable franchise, and fans no longer have to be satisfied with the scraps that the studio tosses them. Even the best animated episodes feel diminished by their medium; less a second chance for the Enterprise crew and more a lesser version of the franchise we’ve come to love.

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Star Trek - Short Treks: Children of Mars

10. Short Treks (2019 – 2020)

Short Treks is exactly what it sounds like: 8-15 minute short movies set in various parts of the Star Trek universe. This small-scale approach means that it’s easy to forgive the Short Treks entries that go awry, and some certainly have. The series closer “Children of Mars” feels like an after-school special with slick music video aesthetics, made all the worse by the fact that it’s a lead-in to Picard season one, perhaps the worst season of Trek ever. The great composer Michael Giacchino finds some delightful turns in the Pixar -inspired “Ephriam and Dot,” but it’s a tonal disaster that makes the Discovery crew look like monsters.

Fortunately, most of Short Treks ’ ten episodes are pretty great. “Calypso” takes a horror turn with Aldis Hodge playing a crewman alone on a haunted ship. The hilarious “The Trouble with Edward” stars H. Jon Benjamin as an insecure scientist whose arrogance gives tribbles their mass reproduction abilities. And “Q&A” foregrounds the wonderful Strange New Worlds , as Spock and Number One bond over show tunes while stuck in a turbo lift.

Unfortunately, the inessential nature of Short Treks cuts against these stronger entries as well. Buried someplace on the Paramount+ app, Short Treks rarely have strong relevance to mainstream stories, and thus can be easily ignored, the good and the bad.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 4 Review

9. Picard (2020 – 2023)

Picard ended with a miracle season, a perfect mixture of fan service and proper character development. Deftly helmed by showrunner Terry Matalas , Picard season three caught up with the beloved Captain and his crew twenty years later to find them grown older and different, not just stuck in their old routines. Combined with exciting newcomers, especially the stick-in-the-mud Captain Liam Shaw , Picard season three whet viewers’ appetites for more adventures, hopefully in a series called Star Trek: Legacy .

Notice how I keep specifying “ Picard season three”? Because up until that season, Picard was an absolute disaster, the worst that the franchise ever put on screen. To be fair, it’s easy to understand Patrick Stewart’s trepidation at bringing back the old crew , worrying that the show would be a sad rehash of thirty-year-old stories. But in trying to avoid easy nostalgia, the first two seasons of Picard seemed to hate the very franchise it continued. The first season featured the brutal on-screen dismemberment of Icheb, a domesticated Riker with a pizza oven, and Starfleet officers decrying the “pure fucking hubris” of Picard. Season two was even worse, with its ‘Q has dementia’ plotline and a misguided approach to the Borg Queen.

Fortunately, the Captain eventually righted the ship and gave us the story we wanted. Notably, the third season didn’t achieve success by avoiding darker moments. Picard has painful confrontations with Ro Laren and Beverly Crusher, the loss of a child threatens to tear apart Riker and Troi, and Worf straight-up beheads a dude. But all of these unpleasant notes come from a place of respect for the characters, building on what came before instead of destroying it for shock value.

"Hear All, Trust Nothing" - Ep#306 --Jerry O'Conell as Commander Ransom, Fred Tatasciore as Lieutenant Shaxs , Dawnn Lewis as Captain Carol Freeman of the Paramount+ series STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS

8. Lower Decks (2020 – Present)

There’s a unique joy to watching the Star Trek animated series Lower Decks , something akin to getting back together with old friends. Created by one-time Rick and Morty showrunner Mike McMahan, Lower Decks follows a quartet of ensigns on the USS Cerritos, a Starfleet ship tasked with mundane missions. With lower stakes, the characters have more downtime, allowing them to debate the merits of TNG ’s Rambo riff Roga Danor or play a Klingon DVD game hosted by Martok (voiced again by J. G. Hertzler). In these moments, Trekkies can’t help but chuckle with recognition. How is it that anyone else in the world laughs about these arcane parts of Trek lore?

But at the same time, Lower Decks can get somewhat exhausting. The jokes come fast and furious, as leads Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid , Eugene Cordero, and Noël Wells sometimes shout their lines (a fact referenced in the recent crossover with Strange New Worlds ). And at times, the multitudinous in-jokes can become the point of the episode, banking way too much investment in the humor of a Tom Paris commemorative plate.

However, Lower Decks has also proven itself to be capable of genuine character exploration. Over the course of the series, Newsome’s Beckett Mariner has revealed herself not to be a too-cool-for-school rebel from an 80s “slobs vs snobs” comedy, but an incredibly capable future officer whose difficult relationship with her mother drives her to self-sabotage. Wells’s Tendi fights against stereotypes about Orion pirates and sex slaves to establish herself as a good-hearted scientist. In these moments, LD finds its jokes in character motivations, not just in winking references.

7. Prodigy (2021)

We really hate putting Prodigy so low. As a children’s animated series with ties to the still-underrated Voyager , it’s easy to see why so many Trekkies have skipped over it. That oversight certainly had something to do with Paramount’s boneheaded decision to remove it from Paramount+, the so-called “Home of Star Trek .” But those who did catch Prodigy , especially with their Trek -agnostic kids, discovered a truly delightful series that captured everything great about the franchise.

Set deep in the Delta Quadrant, Prodigy follows a group of alien teens , led by Dal R’El (Brett Grey) and Gwyn (Ella Purnell), who escape a prison colony via the abandoned Starfleet craft the USS Protostar. With help from a holographic Captain Janeway , the kids learn to embrace the ideals of the Federation, while also uncovering their connection to the evil overlord the Diviner (John Noble). The kids’ idealism and desperate situation allows them to reaffirm Starfleet’s first principles, even as they encounter adults from the Federation who have forgotten the meaning behind the symbols they wear.

By making outsiders the focus, Prodigy serves as a perfect entryway into Trek for its younger primary audience. But that doesn’t mean it avoids deep cuts. The main cast counts among its number a Tellurite (voiced by the always hilarious Jason Mantzoukas) and a Medusan (Agnus Imrie). Everyone from Spock and Crusher to Odo and Chakotay have appeared as holograms, and the series even featured the return of one-offs Admiral Jellico and the Outrageous Okona. Through Prodigy , even the most uninitiated Trek fan gets to see the franchise’s goofiest characters and most inspiring ideals.

6. Discovery (2017 – 2023)

Strangely, Discovery only gets better as other Star Trek series embrace the standard form. When it first launched under the direction of the often wonderful but always idiosyncratic Bryan Fuller , Discovery aggressively separated from and connected to everything that came before. Instead of taking advantage of its likable cast, Disco focused almost entirely on Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), the heretofore unmentioned adopted sister of Spock. Season-long serialized arcs often built to disappointing reveals (all the dilithium in the 32nd century burned because a Kelpian had a temper tantrum?) and nobody asked to watch a topless Klingon woman commit sexual assault.

But as Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks become more prominent during the second Trek renaissance, Disco ’s oddities can be accepted as the experiments they were meant to be. After all, Fuller intended the series to be an anthology, focusing on different characters and timelines each season. That offbeat spirit remained in the show, even after Fuller left production. As it heads into its fifth and final season, Disco remains committed to taking Trek into new, uncharted territory.

Nowhere is that more clear than in its most controversial aspect: the crying. Emotion has always been a key part of Star Trek , represented by McCoy in the triumvirate with Kirk and Spock. But with Disco , emotion became a valid form of problem-solving, taking its place beside the franchise’s favored approach, logical thinking. Even if the crying in Discovery doesn’t work for everyone, there’s no denying that it serves the franchise’s core goals by finding new ways of understanding humanity.

5. Voyager (1995 – 2001)

Most Trek series get off on the wrong foot, but few screw things up like Voyager . Despite a fantastic premise, in which Captain Janeway strands her crew in the Delta Quadrant and is forced to work with Maquis dissidents, the series stumbles through some terrible decisions. Not only does it try to push the incredibly stupid and ugly Kazon as the chief enemy race (the way-better Vidiians are right there!), but it also acts like Neelix, who is controlling and petty with his two-year-old girlfriend Kes, is a lovable goof. Even for a Rick Berman-produced show, that’s creepy.

You do have to get over the fact that the show chooses standalone episodes over serialization, basically killing any larger tension and most character development, but the show quickly makes it easier to forgive that shortcoming by telling some fantastic single episodes. By the time the fantastic Jerry Ryan joins the show in season four as ex-Borg Seven of Nine and the Kazon get left behind, Voyager delivers some all-time great Trek episodes, including “Year of Hell” and “Blink of an Eye.”

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Even better, the series settles into fleshing out its primary characters. Yes, this does mean that some go by the wayside — not just the departed Kes, but also Chakotay becomes a big nothing, Paris and B’Elanna get pushed into the domestic bliss corner, and Kim stays an ensign. But the tensions between Seven of Nine, Janeway, and the Doctor make for a classic Trek trio, allowing the show to explore the nature of humanity while also making the Captain the most adventurous of Starfleet leaders. Plus, Voyager gives us the best Trek kid ever in Naomi Wildman and no we will not hear counterarguments.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 10

4. Strange New Worlds (2022 – Present)

Aside from TOS , nearly every Trek series has started off with a bad season or two. But that’s not the case with Strange New Worlds , which has not had a single bad episode yet.

SNW returns to the early days of the USS Enterprise, following the adventures of Kirk’s predecessor Captain Christopher Pike and a crew that includes young Spock and Uhura. What could have been a reactionary retreat to a safe era of Trek , complete with a straight white guy in the captain’s chair, has turned out to be Trek at its best. Anson Mount makes for not only an affable, big brother of a leader as Captain Pike , but he’s also a remarkably generous performer. Time and again, Mount finds new ways of supporting his scene partners, whether it’s playing a baffled straight man when Spock gets overwhelmed by his human side or reassuring his security chief La’an with words of gentle wisdom.

Thanks to Mount’s ability to share the spotlight, SNW has been able to develop the best ensemble cast of any Trek series, a remarkable feat given its use of well-known characters. Ethan Peck has successfully established his own take on Spock, playing a more emotional version of the character that still feels like someone who will grow up to be Leonard Nimoy . Celia Rose Gooding plays Uhura as an incredibly talented Ensign who doesn’t yet know that she’ll become the legendary Starfleet comms officer. Babs Olusanmokun, Jess Bush, and Rebecca Romijn fully round out characters barely glimpsed in TOS .

With this outstanding cast and crew, SNW puts a modern sheen on TOS themes and even episodes, without diverging too hard from what came before. Case in point: the season one finale “ A Qu a lity of Mercy ,” which revisits the classic episode “Balance of Terror” in an alternate reality. It’s our love for Pike and other characters that makes us want them to sacrifice a better life in order to restore the original timeline, even if it means Pike must accept his fiery fate.

Spock and Kirk stand together in Star Trek's "A Taste of Armageddon"

3. Star Trek (1966 – 1969)

Newcomers to the franchise sometimes struggle with the original series, finding it hopelessly dated. TOS does definitely embrace the aesthetics of its time, with its miniskirt uniforms, technicolor background lighting, and, yes, space hippies. But like The Twilight Zone , its closest counterpart of the era, both in terms of themes and influence, Star Trek used its outlandish premise to speak to the heart of the human condition.

At this point, it’s easy to make jokes about William Shatner ’s idiosyncratic delivery, but there’s no denying how well it works for Captain Kirk. Every pregnant pause, every sparkle in his key-lit eyes reveals a genuine love for exploration. When combined with the logical Spock and the irascible McCoy, Star Trek establishes a perfect formula for spacefaring television adventures. Even as they encounter low-budget baddies like the costume-shop Gorn or the blocky supercomputer Landru, Kirk and Co. remain focused on the human element.

Thanks to this approach, TOS perfected the sci-fi tension between high-concept ideas and terrestrial concerns. Gene Roddenberry and writers such as D.C. Fonatana and Gene L. Coon got to grapple with issues such as racism and the Vietnam War with stories about Klingons and Romulans. As rich and fantastic as TOS got, it never lost the humans at the center, making it ripe for continuing adventures and spin-offs.

2. The Next Generation (1987 – 1994)

Patrick Stewart didn’t empty his suitcase. That’s how certain he was in the failure of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Stepping in for the hammy masculinity of the established Captain Kirk, the patrician, thoughtful (and bald) Jean-Luc Picard seemed like an ill-fit for the franchise, even with the more traditionally heroic Will Riker in tow. And for the first two seasons, Stewart seemed to be correct, especially when Roddenberry and others tried to restrict the TNG cast to TOS -style stories.

But by the time it hit its third season, TNG perfected the Star Trek formula, embracing what was so great about TOS while also emphasizing its most underutilized asset, the ensemble cast. Instead of putting Picard at the center of a trio, which initially included Data and LaForge, the Captain became the imperfect parent of a family filled with interesting personalities. Debates about morality and philosophy occurred around a table in the ready room, where several voices chimed in on important issues.

This isn’t to say that TNG didn’t grapple with big ideas like its predecessor. “The Measure of a Man” raised questions about the dignity of life, “ Chain of Command ” looked at the cost of war, and “Ensign Ro” considered the morality of resistance. It’s just that all of these episodes came from a place of love and investment in the characters. We tuned in every week not just to seek out new life and new civilizations, but to spend more time with interesting characters whom we loved, making even the most outlandish adventure feel as comfortable as a poker game with old friends.

1. Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999)

What initially seemed like too far a departure from the Star Trek formula has now become the standard hipster answer for ‘best Trek ’. But, you know, Deep Space Nine is the best Trek !

DS9 veered from its predecessors in several important ways. Instead of focusing on a space-faring Enterprise, it remained on the titular space station (although the addition of the Defiant in season three allowed the show to indulge in standard “ship and crew” storylines). It dealt directly with religion, thanks to its engagement with the Bajoran prophets who chose Commander Sisko as their Emissary. And it took a notably darker tone as the space station shifted from the outpost at the edge of Federation space to the frontline of the massive Dominion War.

Despite these diversions, DS9 combined the best of the two previous series. Like TNG , DS9 boasted an excellent cast of interesting characters. As Benjamin Sisko , Avery Brooks played the best dad in television history, a grieving widower whose ideals often put him at odds with his Starfleet superiors. Armin Shimerman , Aron Eisenberg, and Max Grodénchik singlehandedly redeem the Ferengi, turning them from annoying and ugly enemy aliens to complex creatures with their own morality. And Nana Visitor’s Kira Nerys found layers of nuance in her Bajoran freedom fighter forced to work with the Federation.

With these complex characters in place, DS9 told some of the most complex and compelling stories in Trek history, episodes that both challenged and upheld the franchise’s core utopian ideals. “In the Pale Moonlight” found Sisko bending his principles to force a treaty with the Romulans and “Far Beyond the Stars” reaffirmed the importance of science fiction. The show even made space for some of the best comedic episodes in Trek history, such as the baseball romp “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” and the 30th-anniversary special “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Deep Space Nine showed Trek at its most humane, ambitious, complex, and idealistic, making it the best show in the franchise.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

10 Best Star Trek: Voyager Episodes, Ranked

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Everything about Star Trek: Voyager was a risk when the series debuted following the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation , an incredibly popular series. The flagship show of the nascent United Paramount Network, Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew faced familiar struggles from fans. Their story, however, took the Star Trek universe to a new part of the galaxy. The Delta Quadrant hosted never-before-seen alien species and was the backyard of the Borg.

Through syndication and wide streaming access, Star Trek: Voyager is now regarded as a classic of this universe's second wave. Voyager finished its journey strong, and the addition of Seven of Nine -- a human drone rescued from the Borg collective -- changed the series for the better. Now in the third wave of the franchise, Seven of Nine is the captain of the USS Enterprise-G, and Janeway is now a Vice Admiral leading the young cadets of Star Trek: Prodigy . Below are the episodes that best showcase why Voyager is among Star Trek's most beloved series

10 'Distant Origin' Is the Kind of Social Allegory Star Trek Does Best

Voyager is caught up in a tale about scientific truth, immigration and acceptance, how did star trek: voyager become a tv series.

Star Trek: Voyager debuted after The Next Generation ended its historic run, but Captain Janeway's series was in development long before then.

The only episode on this list before Seven of Nine joined the crew, "Distant Origin" is representative of what Star Trek does best . It's a high-concept story about scientific exploration and the ways entrenched powers oppress the truth and those who seem "lesser" than them . The Voth are a superior race of intelligent beings that evolved tens of millions of years in Earth's past and took the stars.

The titular theory threatens the social order of the Voth, and the idea that they have a right to oppress others because they are "the first race" in their sector of space. Ironically, the episode spends much of its time away from the USS Voyager. It's not really their story, but rather the story of the Voth scientist facing punishment for violating "doctrine."

9 'Dark Frontier' Reveals Seven of Nine's Human Past and Importance to the Borg

This episode ties voyager to first contact and the next generation.

A feature-length two-part episode, "Dark Frontier" brings the Borg Queen to television for the first time since the character was created for Star Trek: First Contact . It also reveals how Annika Hansen and her parents came to be assimilated by the Borg. Part-heist story and part "mythology episode," which gives viewers a courtside view to how the Borg assimilate a species.

The USS Voyager plans to steal some Borg technology to help them get to Earth more quickly, but it's trap to recapture Seven of Nine. The Borg Queen reveals that Seven of Nine was "allowed" to leave the collective, and her recapture is meant to make her the human face of the Borg invasion of Earth, just as Locutus (Jean-Luc Picard) and Vox (Jack Crusher) were meant to be. In rescuing Seven of Nine, Captain Kathryn Janeway proves herself to be the Borg's biggest threat .

8 'Drone' Is a Perfect Blend of Star Trek Weirdness and Character Study

A high-concept voyager episode with a deeply emotional ending.

In "Drone," the holographic Doctor and Seven of Nine have a baby, of sorts. Originally bound to sickbay and the holodecks, the Doctor was given a 29th Century mobile emitter by Henry Starling. A transporter accident blends Borg "nanoprobes" with this technology creating a 29th Century Borg drone, just without a collective. He names himself "One," becoming something like a son to Seven of Nine.

One accidentally signals the Borg collective, which shows up to assimilate him and the USS Voyager. One is curious about his people, yet he's fully an individual . First, he helps the crew fight the Borg cube, but even his 29th Century know-how can't match the cube's raw firepower. He sacrifices himself in truly epic fashion, saving the ship but breaking Seven of Nine's heart .

7 'Endgame' Is the Epic Series Finale for Voyager and the Borg

Janeway brings the crew home and defeats star trek's worst enemy, star trek: voyager actor weighs in on controversial tuvix debate.

Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvix actor Tom Wright shares his opinion on whether Janeway made the right decision about his character's fate.

While everyone from fans to some of the cast lament the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager didn't show the ship actually arriving on Earth, it's still a fantastic finale. It begins many years after the previous episode, when the USS Voyager does arrive on Earth. Now a Vice Admiral, Janeway travels back in time with a plan to bring the ship and immobilize the Borg. All it will cost her is her life.

The beginning of the finale shows a version of the crew's future, though not everyone made it to Earth. The Elder Janeway's plan is ambitious and takes the ship right into the heart of the Borg society. While her younger counterpart gets her ship home, the elder Janeway has a final showdown with the Borg Queen. "Endgame" is full of spectacle appropriate for a series finale, while not sacrificing attention on the characters fans loved .

6 'Year of Hell' Is an Epic Two-Part Struggle for Survival

A year-long episode of star trek: voyager was almost a whole season.

The "Year of Hell" is a two-part episode that, according to Star Trek Voyager: A Celebration , could've lasted for an entire season. The episode centers on a new species called the Kremin, who developed a "timeship" that could erase entire civilizations from history. The captain and lead scientist, Annorax , continues these temporal incursions and sets his sights on the USS Voyager.

The two-part episode takes place over an entire year, with the USS Voyager and the Krenim engaging in a running war. The ship is damaged, the crew is battered and demoralized. The resolution resets the series' status quo. Had the fallout from this taken a full season, the show might have gotten too dark. This two-part epic is just enough "hell" to make this episode a classic instead of "the one where the season started to go downhill." The Krenim and the idea of the "Year of Hell" was mentioned in Season 3's "Before and After," when Kes visited a possible future.

5 'Timeless' Is About the Death and Resurrection of the USS Voyager

The survivors of the uss voyager break the prime directive to rewrite history.

Time travel is a Star Trek staple , and Voyager featured a lot of it. In "Timeless," select members of the crew survive after the USS Voyager is destroyed. The episode was directed by LeVar Burton who also appeared as Captain Geordi La Forge from the alternate future. As the surviving crew tries to change the past, La Forge has to stop them from violating the "Temporal Prime Directive."

Along with being a dark look at the future, the episode is emotionally heavy, especially for Chakotay and Harry Kim. The latter blames himself for the accident that destroyed the ship. He is determined to fix that mistake. Even though he's successful, the episode ends on a down note as the elder Kim sends a message to his younger self.

4 'Message In a Bottle' Brings Voyager One Step Closer to Home

The emergency medical holograms prove their mettle as starfleet officers, star trek: prodigy is the last hope for janeway and chakotay shippers.

Star Trek: Prodigy brought Voyager characters Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay back into their story and there is a chance for the romance fans never got.

The Romulans appear in "Message In a Bottle," one of the rare times a classic Star Trek alien species appears in Voyager other than the crew. The ship discovers a massive sensor array, and Seven of Nine sends the Doctor to another Starfleet vessel on the edge of Federation space. The array is the bottle, and he is the message. However, the ship is experimental and has been overtaken by Romulans.

The Doctor meets the Mark II version of the Emergency Medical Hologram used by Starfleet, and the irascible pair have to take on the Romulans. Along with being a thrilling episode in its own right, "Message In a Bottle" was important to the overall story. It's the first time the USS Voyager is able to make contact with Starfleet, letting them know the ship was not destroyed .

3 'Living Witness' Is Unlike Any Other Star Trek Episode

The closest the uss voyager ever got to the 'mirror universe'.

Another Doctor-heavy episode, "Living Witness" is a truly unique premise, not just for Voyager but Star Trek itself. Much of the episode is set far in the future from the 24th Century, in a society where the USS Voyager, Starfleet and Captain Janeway have become myth. A copy of the Doctor's program is discovered, and a researcher at the museum reactivates him.

The holographic recreations of the USS Voyager are like Mirror Universe versions of the characters fans know. As the Doctor tries to set the record straight, it causes social upheaval in the society. Ultimately, he urges the researcher to deactivate him and maintain peace on his planet, at the cost of the truth . Though, an even further future ending scene shows the truth eventually came out.

2 'Scorpion' Represents an Ending and a Beginning for Voyager

These episodes introdce the borg and seven of nine, star trek: prodigy's connection to voyager, explained.

Star Trek: Prodigy is a new series with new characters in the universe, but the series is directly connected to Voyager through characters and ships.

The end of Star Trek: Voyager Season 3 and start of Season 4 began the ship's frequent conflicts with the Borg. The second part of the two-part episode also introduces Seven of Nine, as Captain Janeway makes an alliance with the Borg . They encounter a new alien, species 8472 from a dimension of "fluidic space" with no other lifeforms. They are immune to assimilation.

The first episode cold open is short but powerful. A pair of Borg cubes descend on the unseen species 8472 and are destroyed. "Scorpion" is as consequential to Voyager as the classic Season 3 to 4 " Best of Both Worlds " was to The Next Generation . Unlike the USS Enterprise, which only had to deal with a single Borg cube, the USS Voyager was in the heart of Borg space.

1 'Blink of an Eye' Is a Classic Star Trek Episode with a Unique Concept

The top-rated star trek: voyager episode encompasses everything the franchise does best.

The USS Voyager finds itself stuck in the orbit of a planet that has a strange time variance, due to a heavy concentration of "chronaton particles." While the ship spends less than a week in this predicament, the time differential means the ship is viewed in the sky by the planet's indigenous population for a millennia. The "skyship" is the subject of myth, religion, pop culture and serves as an impetus for scientific advancement.

Because of the Prime Directive , the crew avoids making contact with the population, even though the presence of the ship causes frequent planetwide earthquakes. However, as the society advances, explorers from the planet come to the ship. It's a classic Star Trek episode despite being so unique. Just like "Distant Origin," it deals with the idea of scientific exploration, respect for other cultures or societies, and the propensity for any species to turn to violence when faced with the unknown .

Star Trek: Voyager is available to own on Blu-ray, DVD, digital and streams on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

Star Trek Voyager

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

Every episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 ranked from worst to best

T his past week, we watched the grand finale of Star Trek: Discovery , and what a ride it’s been. The series took us on an interstellar journey full of twists, turns, and emotional moments. Now that the final episode has aired, it’s time for the ultimate mission: ranking all of this fifth and final season’s episodes from worst to best.

As we climb the ranks, the episodes just get better and better. From emotional character arcs to epic space battles, each one brought something special to the table. The top episodes had us cheering, crying, and everything in between. They showcased the best of Discovery : strong leadership from Captain Burnham, heartwarming moments, and of course, jaw-dropping sci-fi spectacle.

Let’s celebrate this incredible journey by reliving and ranking this last-ever chunk of episodes, starting, unfortunately, with the big finish:

10) Episode 10, "Life, Itself"

The series finale of Star Trek: Discovery aimed to wrap up the fifth season with a bang but fell short, landing it at the bottom of our rankings. The episode kicks off with Michael Burnham and Moll engaging in a dimension-hopping battle, trying to control the powerful Progenitor tech. Meanwhile, the Discovery crew faces imminent danger from Primarch Tahal's fleet, with Saru volunteering for a near-suicidal mission to save his shipmates. Despite the high stakes, the plot feels rushed and filled with forced twists, like Culber’s sudden spiritual insight and a simplistic puzzle Michael must solve. The climax fizzles out as Michael decides to destroy the tech, deeming it too dangerous, which undoes a season's worth of buildup. Even the final flash forward to Admiral Michael and Book's future with their son fails to deliver the emotional punch it wants to.

"Life, Itself" ranks last due to its convenient plot devices, rushed character arcs, anti-climactic resolution, and lack of emotional depth. While Star Trek: Discovery has delivered many thrilling adventures, this finale felt more like a misstep than a grand farewell.

9) Episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons"

"Under the Twin Moons," the second episode of season 5, takes us on a space adventure that's twistier than a barrel of Tribbles. Captain Burnham’s deep space musing sets the tone, but the episode starts off a bit slow with a hearing about Captain Rayner’s cowboy diplomacy. Not everyone’s impressed, and it drags a bit. The adventure kicks into gear on Lyric, a planet packed with history and Progenitor tech. Burnham and the crew are like space Indiana Jones, decoding riddles and dodging killer drones. This part is exciting and adds some much-needed thrills. Saru gets the nickname “Action Saru,” and it’s perfect. He and Burnham tackle ancient ruins and drone attacks like pros. The crew’s puzzle-solving feels a bit like a book club with higher stakes; it’s interesting but doesn’t quite match the action on Lyric. Book’s surprising (or convenient?) connection to Moll spices things up, but it’s a bit out of the blue. The race against Moll and L’ak is fun, but it feels a bit rushed. The episode’s metaphor about dualities — curiosity vs. preservation, adventure vs. respect — adds depth, reminding us of the complex nature of their mission. Despite the cool action scenes, the balance between excitement and downtime isn’t quite right.

"Under the Twin Moons" has its exciting moments and deep themes, but the slow start and uneven pacing hold it back. It’s a decent episode with some great action, but it could use a bit more zing. As it stands, it's in the second-to-last spot.

8) Episode 4, "Face the Strange"

"Face the Strange" takes us on a character-driven journey through time. The episode kicks off with a sneaky time bug that traps the Discovery in a time loop. This leads to our heroes popping up in iconic moments from the show's past, from battling the sinister AI known as Control and even seeing when the ship was constructed. It’s a nostalgic trip that’s fun but feels a bit like filler.

The episode shines a spotlight on Commander Rayner, who’s adjusting to his new role as first officer. His clashes with Captain Burnham’s emotional leadership style make for an interesting dynamic. By the end, Rayner learns the importance of emotional bonds and trust.

While the time loop and character moments are engaging, the episode’s pacing feels a bit slow. The plot involving villains Moll and L'ak doesn’t quite hit the mark; their motivations feel weak. "Face the Strange" is a filler episode with heart that sets the stage for more exciting adventures to come.

7) Episode 5, "Mirrors"

"Mirrors," the fifth episode of Season 5, has all the right ingredients but ends up being a bit of a middling meal. A mysterious wormhole, ghost ships, and a semi-destroyed USS Enterprise provide a spooky and intriguing setup. Book’s heartfelt reminiscing about his mentor and his attempts to pull Moll back from the dark side are touching if a bit plodding. Michael and Book’s space detective work inside the wormhole adds some excitement, but the episode could use more of it.

Despite the slow pace, we get some great character moments. Rayner stepping up and showing his leadership skills is a highlight. The villains in this episode don’t quite hit the mark. Moll and L'ak's backstory has potential, but the forbidden love story angle feels overused.

Overall, "Mirrors" has its moments but doesn’t quite hit the high notes we’ve come to expect from this show.

6) Episode 3, "Jinaal"

"Jinaal" gives us relationship drama, action, and some lessons on how not to be a jerk. Rayner’s character development is both frustrating and fascinating. He starts off as a bit of a bully, but Michael’s advice and Tilly’s tough love begin to break through his rough exterior. Watching Rayner learn to connect with the crew is both cringe-worthy and heartwarming.

Tilly and Adira’s mission to find Jinaal Bix, an ancient Trill, adds a fun and adventurous element to the episode. Their dynamic is entertaining, and their plan to talk to Jinaal through his newest host is classic Trek ingenuity. Wilson Cruz shines as Culber, especially when Jinaal’s consciousness temporarily takes over his body.

"Jinaal" blends relationship drama, character growth, and classic Star Trek adventure with heartfelt moments, thrilling action, and valuable lessons, keeping fans eagerly watching for what’s next.

5) Episode 1, "Red Directive"

"Red Directive," the season opener, kicks the season off with a bang and a bit of warp wave surfing! Captain Michael Burnham is on a mission to recover stolen goods from a vault, but things quickly go sideways.

The scenes where the cast socializes at Federation Headquarters are fun. It's great to see Burnham mingling with Stamets, Culber, and Tilly, who’s now a Starfleet Academy professor. The "Tonic 2161" cocktails add a nice touch of Trek nostalgia. The episode shifts into high gear with a chase across the desert planet Q’Mau. There’s a marketplace showdown, a sand runner chase, and an avalanche crisis that keeps the tension high. The tractor-beam tug-of-war is a standout moment. The Romulan puzzle box and its connection to the Progenitors is a brilliant nod to "The Chase" from Star Trek: The Next Generation . This season had so much potential.

Overall, "Red Directive" delivers a thrilling start with a perfect mix of action, nostalgia, and character development.

4) Episode 9, "Lagrange Point"

"Lagrange Point" is a thrilling ride that keeps you glued to the screen as Michael Burnham leads her team through high-stakes drama, epic space battles, and emotional moments. The tension is sky-high as the crew faces off against the Breen and tries to avoid getting pulled into merging black holes. Burnham's leadership shines and the action sequences are top-notch. Plus, the discovery of the mysterious Progenitor tech adds a twist that leaves you eagerly anticipating the finale. This episode perfectly blends action, suspense, and emotion, earning the number 4 spot in our rankings. If only the finale had been this good.

3) Episode 7, "Erigah"

"Erigah" is packed with political intrigue and heart-wrenching drama. It skillfully blends the spirit of classic Star Trek with fresh and modern ideas. The episode dives deep into Federation politics and the mysterious Breen. Commander Rayner steps up with a gut-wrenching backstory that makes you root for him. Rayner's dynamic with Burnham is electric. Their contrasting leadership styles create exciting tension. Moll and L'ak, our space Romeo and Juliet, find themselves in a cosmic pickle. L'ak's injury and eventual tragic overdose hit hard, leaving Moll alone and sad but determined to use Progenitor tech to bring him back.

"Erigah" blends heart-pounding drama, emotional depth, and classic Trek elements, making it a top-notch episode from this final season.

2) Episode 6, "Whistlespeak"

"Whistlespeak" is a standout episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5. This one has everything that makes Star Trek awesome. Captain Michael Burnham and the ever-bubbly Lt. Sylvia Tilly beam down to the primitive planet Halem'no. Visiting Halem'no is like stepping back in time, with log-tossing and no tech in sight.

But things get intense quickly! Burnham and Tilly find themselves wrapped up in the planet’s strange and dangerous rituals, including a life-or-death race and a terrifying sacrificial chamber. The stakes are high, and Burnham has to work her magic to save Tilly and a local girl, Ravah, without breaking the Prime Directive...well, maybe just a little.

What makes "Whistlespeak" shine is how it channels the spirit of classic Star Trek . It's all about exploring strange new worlds, facing ethical dilemmas, and tackling social issues. The dialogue is sharp, the action is fast-paced, and it feels like a break from the usual galaxy-threatening crises. This episode challenges the crew’s morals and mirrors our own societal flaws through the lens of a primitive culture, just like the original series did. The emphasis on character interaction and clever storytelling captures the essence of what makes Star Trek special.

"Whistlespeak" beautifully connects Discovery to the roots of Star Trek , making it a nostalgic treat for fans. It’s an episode that entertains and makes you think, reminding you why you love the series.

1) Episode 8, "Labyrinths"

"Labyrinths" takes the crown as the best episode of season 5, and it's easy to see why. This episode dives deep into Michael Burnham's character, showing her vulnerabilities, fears, and regrets. Her emotional journey is touching and deeply human. The mind-bending plot keeps you on the edge of your seat as Michael faces a life-or-death puzzle in a virtual liminal space. The suspense and twists are pure Star Trek magic. Michael and Book's relationship adds depth to the story, and their scenes together are both tense and tender. While Michael solves puzzles, the rest of the crew kicks butt against the Breen. Lt. Gen Rhys shows his command skills, and Adira and Stamets' scientific genius saves the day. The action is top-notch and keeps the adrenaline pumping.

This episode channels the original spirit of Star Trek with its themes of humanity, diplomacy, and preservation of life. The nods to The Next Generation are a treat for long-time Trekkies, bringing a sense of nostalgia and continuity. Michael's heart-to-heart with the entity is unforgettable. Her fears and anxieties about being a good captain, friend, and partner are laid bare, making her incredibly relatable. This scene alone makes the episode a must-watch.

With stunning visuals, a gripping narrative and emotional depth, "Labyrinths" is a perfect blend of what makes Discovery great. It's an emotional rollercoaster that leaves you eager for the series' conclusion.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account , sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel .

This article was originally published on winteriscoming.com as Every episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 ranked from worst to best .

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All 33 batman animated movies ranked worst to best.

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Every Upcoming DC Movie In 2024 And Beyond

All 9 batman animated series ranked worst to best, batman's new batsuit takes inspiration from an iconic dc movie villain.

DC animated movies have delivered amazing takes on Batman and Gotham City's mythos, thanks to the innovation and risk-taking allowed by the animation format.
Several Batman animated films also highlight the Bat Family, providing a fresh perspective on the Dark Knight's world compared to the live-action movies.
The best Batman animated movies include titles like Mask of the Phantom, The Dark Knight Returns, and Under the Red Hood.

Every Batman animated movie shows why the Dark Knight is the DC Universe ’s most popular character, as there are dozens of animated films from the most different styles centered on Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. DC’s animated movies and TV shows have explored Batman and other Justice League heroes extensively in the past decades. The many DC animated universes and continuities have arguably delivered better takes on Batman and his allies than most live-action films, mostly because the animation format allows for more innovative, risky stories.

The DC Animated Universe timeline includes some great Batman animated films. Likewise, the wide array of DCAMU movies notably contain several Batman stories, most of which highlight the Bat Family. There are also many standalone Batman animated films that either adapt classic comics or create original stories, all of which can be seen to have inspired upcoming DC animated releases as well. Here is every solo Batman animated movie, ranked worst to best .

Here's every new DC movie confirmed as in development by WB for 2024 and onwards, including release dates and where they belong in the franchise.

33 Batman: The Killing Joke Adapted An Iconic Dark Knight Story Questionably

Based on one of the best and most influential Batman comic books of all time, Batman: The Killing Joke is a terrible adaptation of a classic. Having Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and Joker, respectively, The Killing Joke adaptation was the perfect setup for what could have been a fantastic movie.

Unfortunately, The Killing Joke does little to capture the essence of the comic , even though it tries to mimic the original artwork in its animation style. The Killing Joke ’s opening segment, which changes the source material completely and adds a romantic relationship between Batman and Batgirl, makes it all even worse.

32 Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts Is Very Toy-Based

The Batman Unlimited movie series has three installments, which all released between 2015-2016 and based around a toy line of the same name. Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts is the first of these movies, and this may be what makes it the weaker of the trio, as it feels more transparently a story made to popularize the toy series to its audience. That said, Animal Instincts also arguably had the hardest job, as robotic animals are a little less in line with Batman's usual fare, and thus stand out a little clearer.

That said, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts still has its strengths, and includes a wider range of characters than may initially be expected based on the title alone. As such, it still has its own charm, even if audiences may be less drawn to it than some of the more prestigious Batman animated movies.

31 Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem Builds On The First Movie In The Series

Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem is the second installment in the Unlimited movie series, featuring Batman facing down a range of his spookier villains on Halloween. As such, the story generally feels a little more grounded in tangible Batman lore - something helped by the appearance of the likes of Scarecrow, the Joker and Clayface. That said, there are still moments that clearly align with ensuring audiences see as much of the toyline as possible, with one notable scene having Clayface transform into a T-Rex in order to add some dinosaurs into the mix.

30 Batman Unlimited: Mechs Vs. Mutants Is Delightfully Over-The-Tip

As the third and final movie in the Batman Unlimited lineup, it's perhaps unsurprising that Batman Unlimited: Mechs Vs. Mutants amps things up to be even wilder than the original two entries. The movie includes a wide range of villains, more of a concrete story than ever that actively follows on from the previous movies, and a colossal Batman mecha suit that looks like something out of a Transformers series.

As such, while Batman Unlimited: Mechs Vs. Mutants still has some of the downsides of the films, the manner in which it leans into its chaos makes it the most charming of the lot. Similarly, it includes a lot of moments that simply couldn't appear in other Batman movies, adding some inherent watch value through its lava-Clayface monster and mutant isopods alone.

29 Batman & Harley Quinn Adds Unusual Characterizations Of Iconic Figures

Batman and Harley Quinn is part of the DC Animated Universe timeline, meaning it is canon to shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League . However, despite bringing some of the original DCAU creators and voice actors, Batman and Harley Quinn is the franchise’s lowest point. The film, which features Batman, Nightwing, and Harley Quinn, sometimes feels more of a parody of those characters than an actual Batman story. Its characterizations of Bruce, Dick, and Harley were exaggerated, with comedic bits that do not work at all.

28 Batman: Death In The Family Adapts A Story That'd Already Been Adapted Before

Batman: Death in the Family is a retelling of the Batman: Under the Red Hood movie, combining old and new scenes. The project, which was part of the DC Showcase animated line, was released as an interactive movie that allowed viewers to change the outcome of the story based on their decisions. Despite the interesting premise, Batman: Death in the Family is an unnecessary addition to the legacy of what was already a great movie. Between watching Batman: Death in the Family or Under the Red Hood , the latter is the correct option.

27 Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham Is Too Different To Feel Totally Like The Dark Knight

Based on a DC Elseworlds comic book, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham imagines Batman’s story as a period piece. It sees the Dark Knight and the Bat Family going up against Lovecraftian creatures, steering Batman away from the usual realism. The premise is engaging, and the original comic book was good, but The Doom That Came To Gotham does not work. Batman feels like a very different character , and even though this was the point, The Doom That Came To Gotham fails to make its premise feel as interesting as it sounded.

26 Batman: Hush Tried To Combine Continuities Into One Film

Similar to The Killing Joke , Batman: Hush was based on one of the most popular Batman comic books and could have resulted in a great movie. However, Batman: Hush fails both as a standalone film and an adaptation. Set in the DC Animated Movie Universe timeline , Batman: Hush tries to combine the original story with elements from the New 52 continuity in a bland film that does not live up to the comic. One of the final entries in the DCAMU, Batman: Hush is also one of the franchise’s worst.

25 Batman: Subzero Is Good (But Not As Good As Its Source Material)

Batman: Subzero revisits one of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes, “Heart of Ice,” and sees a rematch between the DCAU Batman and Mr. Freeze. With Arnold Schwarzenegger set to play Mr. Freeze in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin , DC Animation was tasked with having the icy villain in its next Batman movie. Interestingly, Batman & Robin’s box office failure ended up getting Batman: Subzero ’s release postponed. While Batman: Subzero is a fun Batman adventure, it falls short compared to how “Heart of Ice” dealt with Mr. Freeze .

From Silver Age cartoons like The Adventures of Batman to the DC Animated Universe shows, here is every Batman animated series, ranked worst to best.

24 Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Is A Fun Crossover Story

Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have fought side by side multiple times, including in the 2019 film Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . The plot is as simple and straightforward as this crossover demanded, with Ra’s Al Ghul and the Shredder serving as the main villains. While not as good as most of the Batman animated movies, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings some great interactions to life . Seeing the turtles at the Bat Cave, or Batman fighting Shredder, could not have been cooler.

23 Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman Is A Good Mystery With Entertaining Villains

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman is part of the DCAU, although is not as special as Batman: Mask of the Phantom or Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker . A spinoff of The New Batman Adventures , Mystery of the Batwoman sees Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake investigating a new masked vigilante. The mystery regarding Batwoman’s identity makes for a fun detective story, and the ending twist works. The action is dynamic, and seeing some of the classic Batman: TAS villains like Bane and the Penguin is always entertainin g.

22 Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders Brought Back Adam West's Batman In Animated Form

Set in the same continuity as the 1966 Batman series, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders brought the dynamic duo back for another adventure. Adam West and Burt Ward reprised their roles as Batman and Robin, respectively, in a movie that embraced everything that made the original show a classic. Batman ‘66’s tone worked perfectly in animation form , resulting in one of the most unique DC animated movies. Other cast members from the original show also reprised their roles.

21 Batman vs. Two-Face Amps Up Everything That Worked For Return Of The Caped Crusaders

Batman vs. Two-Face was a sequel to Return of the Caped Crusaders , once again featuring Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo. The movie also featured William Shatner as Two-Face, a character that never appeared in Batman ’66. Retaining the fun and the comedy of the previous film, Batman vs. Two-Face is even better than Return of the Caped Crusaders .

20 Merry Little Batman Is A Fun Christmas DC Tale

Among a selection of movies that often can appear more similar, Merry Little Batman is a refreshingly stylized cartoon take on the Dark Knight and his biological son Damian Wayne. In this world, Damian is desperately trying to convince his father that he's ready to take on the Batman mantle alongside his dad, which leads to some Home Alone -style escapades when the Wayne child is left alone in a supposedly crime-free Gotham that is swiftly revealed to be less peaceful than it may have seemed.

Merry Little Batman is a cheerful addition to the Batman lineup that provides jokes and action in a colorful and child-friendly format that can still prove just as entertaining for adults. However, its seasonal premise means it's not as universally watchable as other Batman movies at all times of the year, and its bouncier story means it lacks some of the poignancy and drama of other installments focused around the Dark Knight.

19 Batman Ninja Brings A Whole New World Visually & In Its Story

With character designs from Takashi Okazaki, best known for Afro Samurai , Batman Ninja is among the most unique Batman animated movies . The combination of 3D and 2D animation made it visually different from previous Batman movies, and the story was nothing like Batman’s usual adventures. The reimagined versions of characters like the Joker and Harley Quinn resulted in a singular Batman tale that also features time travel and mechas.

18 Batman: Bad Blood Brings Less Well-Known Bat Family Members To The Spotlight

Batman was at the center of multiple DCAMU movies, including Batman: Bad Blood . That said, the 2016 film was more of a Bat Family film than a Batman one . In addition, Batman: Bad Blood explored lesser-known members of the Bat Family and did not feature characters like Jason Todd or Tim Drake. Instead, the story was centered on Kate Kane, the Batwoman. Batman: Bad Blood is fast-paced, and most of the film comes down to action pieces. The same can be said about most DCAMU Batman films, but the exaggeratedly fast pacing is a bigger problem in Bad Blood .

17 Batman: Gotham By Gaslight Is A Great DC Elseworlds Story

Inspired by a DC Elseworlds comic book, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight imagines Bruce Wayne in the Victorian Era. Batman has to investigate a series of mysterious murders, bringing the Dark Knight face to face with Jack the Ripper. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is one of the darkest DC animated movies, with surprising twists and creative action scenes. Gotham by Gaslight succeeds where The Doom That Came To Gotham failed when it comes to being an adaptation of a DC Elseworlds story.

16 The Batman vs. Dracula Shows Animation Can Do What Live-Action Might Struggle With

Set in the same continuity as The Batman (2005), one of the best Batman animated series , The Batman vs. Dracula is a fun film that makes the most of the animation format . A confrontation between Batman and a man who can become a bat may not have worked in live-action, but it does in this animated film. That said, those who have never watched The Batman might find the unique character designs and the overall tone of the film strange at first.

15 Son Of Batman Is A Great Introduction To Damian Wayne

Son of Batman has all of the qualities and flaws of the DCAMU Batman movies. It is fast-paced, most of the scenes are action sequences, and it tries to combine New 52 storylines with new elements. That said, the good things exceed the bad ones, and Son of Batman is a good Batman movie . Damian Wayne’s first on-screen portrayal is fun and engaging, and the fighting choreography for Deathstroke is particularly great.

14 Batman vs. Robin Is An Even Better Sequel

Batman vs. Robin , a direct sequel to Son of Batman , exceeds the first film. The fights are better, the story is more interesting, and the interactions between Bruce and Damian have never been better. Batman vs. Robin ’s Court of Owls story is not as good and rich as the one from the New 52 comic books, but it works for a 90-minute adaptation. Batman vs. Robin is the best of the Batman DCAMU movies.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, standing in a yellow field with weird lights, raising her hand

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Star Trek: Discovery tore itself apart for the good of Star Trek’s future

And it helped set the tone for where Star Trek is now

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If you were to jump directly from the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery to its finale — which just debuted on Paramount Plus — the whiplash would throw you clear out of your seat like your ship had suffered an inertial damper malfunction. Since its first two chapters premiered on CBS All Access in 2017, the series has moved to a different ship and a different century, and has acquired an almost entirely different set of characters. Moreover, Discovery has received a radical tonal refit, evolving in fits and starts from a dark and violent war story to a much sunnier action-adventure serial.

Though it never won the mainstream attention or critical acclaim of its spinoff, Strange New Worlds , nor the gushing fan adulation of Picard ’s Next Gen reunion , Discovery spearheaded Star Trek’s return to television , the franchise’s maiden voyage into the frontier of premium streaming content. Like any bold pathfinder, Discovery encountered obstacles, suffered losses, and made some major course corrections. But, if you ask the cast and crew, the adventure has been more than worth the tumultuous journey.

Tacking into the wind

“We were on wobbly legs for a long time,” admits star Sonequa Martin-Green, whose character, Michael Burnham, has had the rug pulled out from under her a number of times over the course of the series. In the first season and backstory alone, Burnham lost her parents, saw her mentor murdered, was tried for mutiny, discovered that her first love is a Klingon sleeper agent, and was betrayed by not one but two Mirror Universe doppelgängers of trusted Starfleet captains.

Move over, Deep Space Nine — this was instantly the grimmest canonical depiction of the Star Trek universe on screen. Season 1 of Discovery was rated TV-MA and featured more blood and gore than the franchise had ever seen, not to mention an instance of graphic Klingon nudity. (Actor Mary Wiseman recalls seeing her co-star Mary Chieffo walking the set wearing prosthetic alien breasts and thinking, What the hell? ) The corpse of Michelle Yeoh’s character is cannibalized by Klingons off screen, and her successor, portrayed by Jason Isaacs, turns out to be a manipulative psycho from the Mirror Universe who tries to mold Burnham into his plaything.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, midflip as she tries to escape from someone’s hold

The bleak, adult-oriented tone was not the only sticking point with Star Trek purists, as Discovery would take place a decade before the original 1960s Star Trek but have a design aesthetic much closer to that of the 2009 movie reboot, leading to some irreconcilable clashes with continuity. The show’s serialized, season-long arcs were a far cry from the familiar “planet of the week” stories of most previous incarnations of the franchise. Then there was Burnham’s backstory as the never-before-mentioned human foster sister to Trek’s iconic Vulcan Spock , a creative decision that has “clueless studio note” written all over it. Even ahead of its debut, Discovery faced vocal opposition from the fan base for straying so far from their notion of what Star Trek was supposed to be. (Not to mention the revolting but quite vocal faction of fans who were incensed that Star Trek had “gone woke,” as if it hadn’t been that way the whole time.) Many of Discovery ’s detractors flocked toward The Orville , a Fox series starring and created by Seth MacFarlane that was essentially ’90s-style Star Trek with the occasional dick joke thrown in. The Orville offered fans alienated by Discovery ’s vastly different approach to Star Trek a more familiar (but far less ambitious) alternative.

The grim Klingon War story was the brainchild of co-creator Bryan Fuller, who had been a member of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Voyager writers rooms before creating cult series like Pushing Daisies and Hannibal . Fuller would end up departing Team Discovery before production even began, asked to resign after a string of creative differences with the studio. New showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg carried out a version of Fuller’s plans without him, and then oversaw the show’s first major pivot. Discovery ’s second season was immediately brighter, more colorful, and cozier with established Star Trek lore. (This is the arc that would introduce the versions of Pike , Spock , and Number One who now lead Strange New Worlds .) But things weren’t so sunny behind the scenes — Harberts and Berg were fired midway through the season after writers accused the duo of creating an abusive work environment.

As different as Discovery would eventually stray from the HBO-style drama of its first season, co-creator Alex Kurtzman feels that the mission of the series has never changed.

“One of the things that we set up in season 1 is that we knew that Burnham would start as a mutineer and end up a captain,” says Kurtzman. “What was exciting about that is that we knew it would take time.”

Captain on deck

Lt. Nhan (Rachael Ancheril); Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green); Captain Pike (Anson Mount); Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson); Saru (Doug Jones); and Lt. Connolly (Sean Connolly Affleck), all standing in an elevator on the ship

It was after Harberts and Berg’s departure that Kurtzman, who had remained involved but been primarily occupied with the development of the growing television Star Trek franchise as a whole, took the helm of Discovery himself. Before long, he would promote writer and co-executive producer Michelle Paradise to the role of co-showrunner, which she would retain for the remainder of the series. Just as the late, great Michael Piller did during the third season of The Next Generation , Paradise brought a sense of stability and confidence to Discovery , which reverberated onto set.

“I commend Michelle Paradise and the rest of the writers because this show evolved ,” says Martin-Green. “Our initial showrunners, Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg, they made their impact and that’ll never be erased, but landing where we did with Michelle co-showrunning with Alex Kurtzman, jumping farther than any Trek had gone before, I feel that’s when our feet were solid on the ground and when we really established our identity.”

Season 2 fell into a steady rhythm that felt more in tune with Kurtzman’s “movie every week” philosophy, never far in tone from the reboot film trilogy on which Kurtzman served as a writer and producer. The steady presence of Michelle Yeoh’s deliciously amoral Emperor Georgiou was a major boon, essentially becoming Star Trek’s answer to Buffy ’s Spike or Dragon Ball Z ’s Vegeta. However, Discovery was also undeniably borrowing clout from legacy characters Pike and Spock, and the constant friction with established canon wasn’t sitting well with Kurtzman or the audience.

The season ended with a surprising twist that resolved the continuity problems but also changed the entire nature of the show. The titular starship and its crew would be propelled 930 years into the future, past the furthest fixed point in Star Trek’s continuity. No longer forced to tiptoe around the sacred canon, Discovery was free to sprint in a bold new direction. Once again and in a more tangible way, it was a whole new show.

“If the folks who came in had sort of taken us off the rails that would have been a very different experience,” says Anthony Rapp, who portrays the prickly Commander Paul Stamets. “But Michelle Paradise came through as such a shining light and a beautiful presence in our lives. She took the show into this territory of being able to have the heart in its center in a way that felt very grounded and meaningful, and really helped us to make that transition.”

An open sky

Anthony Rapp, Michelle Yeoh, Mary Wiseman, and Sonequa Martin-Green on the bridge of the Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery

Season 3 of Discovery offered Kurtzman, Paradise, producing director Olatunde Osunsanmi, and the rest of the creative team a rare opportunity to completely rewrite Star Trek’s galactic map . Not since the launch of The Next Generation in 1987 had a writers room been able to venture onto such “fresh snow,” as Paradise puts it. In the 32nd century, beyond the furthest point explored in the established Trek canon, the righteous United Federation of Planets has all but collapsed in the aftermath of “the Burn,” a mysterious space calamity. Some longtime friends are now adversaries, and even Earth has become an isolationist state. The USS Discovery, displaced in time, becomes the means by which to reconnect the shattered galaxy. It’s not hard to read this as a mission statement for Star Trek as a whole — a relic from another time, back to offer hope to a bleak present.

Season 3’s 13-episode arc restored a bit of Star Trek’s space Western roots, with warp drive a rare and costly luxury in the ravaged 32nd century and half the galaxy dominated by a vast criminal empire known as the Emerald Chain. Michael Burnham spent much of the season out of uniform, having found a new purpose as a more roguish freelance courier alongside the sweet and savvy Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). This is arguably the most interesting version of the show, as Michael questions whether or not Starfleet — the institution whose trust she has worked so hard to restore — is still her home.

By the end of the season (and right on schedule with Fuller and Kurtzman’s original plans), Michael Burnham finally accepts her destiny and becomes captain of Discovery. More subtly, this altered the premise of the show for a third time, as the central question of “Will Michael ever become captain?” had been answered in the affirmative. But, since she’d already been the central character and a figure of improbable cosmic import, the change was mostly cosmetic. And symbolic — Martin-Green considers her presence “being Black, and a woman, and a captain sitting in that chair” to be her greatest contribution to Star Trek. After three seasons of struggle and uncertainty, Burnham could now be as aspirational a character as Picard , Sisko, or Janeway .

The tone on which the show settled at the end of season 3 would be the one that finally stuck. Where the series had initially been bloody and brooding, it was now squarely an adventure show featuring a cast of characters with a boundless and demonstrative love for each other. The crew would face mortal danger each episode and a galactic-level threat each season, bolstered by very expensive-looking visual effects and a rousing score. At the same time, many conflicts both large and small would eventually be resolved by characters talking through their feelings and finding common ground. This was exhausting as often as it was compelling, but it was consistent. For its final two seasons, viewers could finally know what to expect from Star Trek: Discovery .

Discovering itself

This “feelings over phasers” approach was not for everyone, but it was never intended to be. Even from the outset, before Paramount began pumping out more Star Trek series to target different facets of the fan base, Discovery was never meant to be a definitive Star Trek experience that checked every box.

“You’ll never be able to be everything to everybody,” says Michelle Paradise. “The goal was always to make the best version of Discovery . It’s a different kind of Star Trek. It’s serialized, it’s fewer episodes, it’s a movie every week. That’s a thing that will appeal to many people, and for some people it won’t be their cup of tea.”

Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) sits in the captain chair in the season 3 finale of Star Trek: Discovery

Discovery has bounced up and down my personal ranking of Star Trek series a number of times during its run, more than any of its past or present siblings. I have begun each season of the show with great excitement, and that excitement is frequently exhausted by season’s end. Most Trek series have good years and bad years. To me, Discovery suffers from being simultaneously brilliant, innovative, lazy, cringe, inspiring, and eye-rolling at all times, only in different measures. It features the franchise’s strongest lead actor since Patrick Stewart, and a supporting cast that has never been leveraged to my satisfaction. In my career, I have written more words about Star Trek: Discovery than any other television series, and I still haven’t made up my mind about it. For as many cheerleaders and haters as the show must have, I imagine there are many more viewers who feel the way I do — it’s a show that I wanted to love, but never fully fell in love with.

As Discovery disappears in the aft viewport, some will bid it a fond farewell, some will be blowing it raspberries, and some will turn away with total disinterest. But regardless of how well Discovery itself is remembered in the coming years, it has already made a substantial impact on the franchise. It paved the way for every Trek series that followed, including three direct spinoffs. Its second season was the incubator for Strange New Worlds , now the most acclaimed Trek series in a generation. Michelle Yeoh had such fun in her recurring role on Discovery that, even after winning an Academy Award , she was still keen to return for the upcoming Section 31 TV movie . Discovery ’s 32nd-century setting will continue to be explored in the new Starfleet Academy series , leaving the door open for some of its characters to return.

Even the new shows that have no direct relationship to Discovery have benefitted from the precedent it set by being different from what came before. Lower Decks is an animated sitcom, Prodigy is a kid-targeted cartoon , Picard is… a bunch of different things that don’t work together , but they are all different shows. Star Trek was one thing, and beginning with Discovery , it became many things. And for Star Trek, an institution that preaches the value of infinite diversity in infinite combinations, that’s a legacy to be proud of.

Star Trek: Discovery is now streaming in full on Paramount Plus.

Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Trek has gone before by saying religion is... OK, actually

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Every Star Wars TV Show, Ranked

This article was originally published on August 22, 2023. We’ve updated it to coincide with the premiere of Disney+’s The Acolyte . You can read our ranking of every Star Wars movie here .

We really should’ve seen how complex Star Wars was going to get when the first one was retroactively titled Episode IV . In addition to the movies, there are dozens of canon Star Wars books and comic series, video games, and many, many TV shows. That last bit is important, because lately it’s been on TV that Star Wars is fully exploring the franchise’s endless possibilities for storytelling, most recently with Ahsoka , a live-action series about a character who first appeared in a cartoon and has gone on to be one of the most important characters in the entire galaxy.

Each Star Wars TV show is vastly different from the others, both in terms of tone, but also in how they incorporate or ignore the larger canon started by the movies. Some, like the earliest ’80s Saturday morning cartoons, were mostly sideshows, others were meant to expand the story with side stories that eventually became intrinsic to the overall franchise, and others are now as essential as any of the main Skywalker saga entries — particularly as at least one upcoming movie is set to directly pay off some of the TV shows .

This makes it hard to know where to start with Star Wars TV and to pick which shows to watch. So, we’ve ranked every single Star Wars TV series, based on whether they are worth your time, and whether they will matter at all to the future of the franchise.

There may be some nostalgia for this two-season ABC series about the cute but fierce warriors from the forest moon of Endor, but Ewoks never manages to shake off its cheap 1980s Saturday morning cartoon look and format. Cartoons of this era were primarily about selling toys, and the Ewoks seemed to exist in the movie primarily to appeal to kids. Paul Dini, the creator of the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series , co-created Ewoks , but this earlier effort has none of the craft of the cartoon he’d make a decade later. While there are some small references to Return of the Jedi , Ewoks mostly spends its time with cute forest teddy bears and plots that seem more fantasy than science-fiction. It’s as inessential to the overall Star Wars franchise as it gets.

Is it canon? No How important is it to understand what’s going on? 0 out of 10 Gungans.

Droids , a one-season companion to the ’80s Ewoks show, is just slightly better than the other half of the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour because its recognizably about Star Wars , exploring the galaxy’s criminal underworld and actually featuring Anthony Daniels, reprising his role as C-3P0. Still, nothing in Droids really, well, mattered, and despite being developed by sound-design master Ben Burtt, Droids doesn’t really impact the franchise at all, and its limited budget is quite noticeable, making this another Star Wars show that isn’t essential unless you’re a completist or someone with nostalgia for this show.

Then again, this cartoon does feature R2-D2 and C-3P0 facing off against space pirates, so that makes it worth a watch, because every show is better with pirates.

14. The Book of Boba Fett

Boba Fett, the silent loser who did absolutely nothing and died like a fool after ten minutes of screen time yet somehow became one of the most popular characters in all of Star Wars, finally got his own show — and it is not good. The big problem with The Book of Boba Fett is that the initial premise of a story about the Star Wars criminal underworld starring Boba Fett trying to be a crime boss quickly got swallowed up by flashbacks explaining how Boba himself survived getting swallowed by the Sarlacc, and endless subplots about other, less interesting characters. Perhaps The Book of Boba Fett ’s biggest redeeming quality is also the greatest indictment of it: There are entire episodes that don’t even feature Boba and are instead just transplanted hours of The Mandalorian that hastily wrap up the plot of an entirely different show.

Still, when The Book of Boba Fett was about Boba Fett, it had some things going for it. Temuera Morrison is always a badass, and he gave us an all-time great Star Wars meme . Plus there’s Boba riding a Rancor to fight a giant robot like he’s in a kaiju movie, and of course, Machete in space. Is it worth watching? Probably not, but the YouTube highlights are — and the Mando-centric fifth episode is required watching for that show.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 6 out of 10 Gungans, but mostly for the Mandalorian -centric episodes.

13. Star Wars Resistance

Despite the growing number of new Star Wars shows and the importance of Disney’s sequel trilogy, Star Wars Resistance is the only series that’s set in the era of Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron, meaning it’s the only option if you need your fix of First Order and Resistance stories. Resistance follows a New Republic pilot recruited by the Resistance to spy on the rising First Order shortly before, and during, the events of the sequel trilogy. The show has a cel-shading art style inspired by anime that makes it look distinct from other titles on this list, and has one of the most diverse casts of characters in the entire franchise. Though it features cameos by Kylo and Poe, and it features a fascinating storyline about how the First Order indoctrinates people, the story never stops feeling like a side story that the movies can easily ignore.

This is one of the more kid-friendly Star Wars shows out there. Despite the “Resistance” part of the title, the show doesn’t really feel like part of the galactic civil war, nor does the larger galactic conflict feel as urgent and serious as in other Star Wars cartoons that were also for kids but managed to explore complex subjects. We still get big space battles and heroic moments, but Resistance has more in common, tonally, with classic and simple fantasy tales of chivalry than with the more grounded tales of war and rebellion of other cartoons on this list.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 3 out of 10 Gungans.

12. Young Jedi Adventures

Everything you need to know about Young Jedi Adventures is in its title. Yes, this is aimed at a much younger audience than any other Star Wars show, but it still manages to capture that sense of magic and wonder of the original trilogy. As the only Star Wars title set in the time of the High Republic a couple of centuries before the prequels, Young Jedi Adventures has a much bigger sandbox in which to play than any other title in this list, exploring different species and cultures without having to worry about plot.

Indeed, the lack of a big galactic conflict like the Clone Wars or the reign of the Empire that drives the story forward allows this animated series to have a more slice-of-life approach, focusing on the very, very adorable younglings. So far, there aren’t any game-changing additions to the lore to be found here, no grand tease to the future of the High Republic titles or to Acolyte , so this is not the show to watch to prepare for the future of the franchise. If you’ve ever wanted to watch the Star Wars equivalent of PJ Masks , however, then Young Jedi Adventures definitely delivers.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 0 out of 10 Gungans.

11. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Much like The Book of Boba Fett , the Obi-Wan Kenobi series serves to answer a question that didn’t really need answering — what happened to the Jedi master between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope ? The value of that answer depends quite a lot on the level of nostalgia you feel for the prequel trilogy, as the show’s strongest appeal (and its best moments) comes from watching Ewan McGregor say “hello there” to the character once again, and from the emotionally charged interactions between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, played once more by Hayden Christensen in an unexpected return.

There are callbacks and references aplenty, but other than the compelling story of the Jedi-hunting Third Sister and a scene-stealing (if familiar) turn from young Princess Leia, Obi-Wan doesn’t offer much beyond just a new chance to see old characters in slightly a different setting. Does knowing Obi-Wan was once a depressed hermit with guilt over fighting his brother/apprentice enhance the story of the character we saw on the big screen? Probably not, and unless they make more seasons, the show isn’t necessary in order to watch any other Star Wars title. That being said, McGregor and Christensen do make this an entertaining, nostalgic, and cathartic experience.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 5 out of 10 Gungans.

10. Star Wars: Tales

Star Wars: Tales ( of the Jedi and of the Empire ) is an anthology show, and like many anthologies, the quality of the stories varies greatly. At its best, the animated series spins compelling, character-driven yarns that shine a light on the heroes and villains we barely got to see in the movies and live-action TV shows — like Count Dooku and Barriss Offee with their narratives of redemption and fall from grace. At its worst, stories like that of Morgan Elsbeth and Ahsoka Tano feel disjointed and redundant, retreading old ground while losing steam as the series tries to cover decades’ worth of franchise lore in three episodes.

Still, when Tales hits, it feels like an essential part of the larger universe, making even the smallest character feel pivotal to the franchise — and in the case of Elsbeth and Tano, they actually are key to the future of Star Wars . In addition, by using the same voice cast and animation team as The Clone Wars , Tales is a visually stunning continuation of the tone and themes of that earlier show.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 4 out of 10 Gungans.

9. The Mandalorian

A space Western set in the Star Wars galaxy, following a Mandalorian bounty hunter and a “Baby Yoda” that looks as if designed to be universally beloved? It’s no wonder the first live-action Star Wars show became such a phenomenon. That first season in particular offered something that was both old and new school, familiar and refreshing. The story was not focused on the Jedi, but featured familiar imagery, and it was episodic and standalone — inspired by the same serials that influenced the original film — while still adding to the lore of the franchise at large. In other words, it is a great introduction to the franchise.

Unfortunately, The Mandalorian became too big for its own good. The next two seasons focused too much on connecting to the rest of the franchise and on bringing familiar faces that it left behind the simple yet effective Lone Wolf and Cub story. When looked at as a whole, The Mandalorian may be the single most important title in Star Wars at the moment, inspiring many spinoffs, but as essential as the show is, it is far from the best Star Wars TV has to offer.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 9 out of 10 Gungans.

8. Forces of Destiny

Forces of Destiny , a series of YouTube shorts that eventually aired on the Disney Channel, is a fantastic surprise. The stories are simple ones (due to the runtime), but what is interesting is that they give the spotlight to female characters in the franchise that we may not have spent as much time with as we should, and the stories are set across every era of Star Wars .

What makes Forces of Destiny a great Star Wars show, however, is the way it plays with fan service of its purest form, shining a light on unseen moments in the story of the franchise — all of it being canon. How Ahsoka started using a second lightsaber, Rey’s training with Luke, Han and Hera’s first meeting, when Ahsoka found out about Anakin and Padmé, and much more. This is not the show to watch in order to catch up to what the overall franchise is doing, but what you watch when you just want to see more of your favorite characters having small adventures and meeting one another.

7. The Bad Batch

The Bad Batch , a direct sequel to The Clone Wars , takes place in the mostly unexplored early years of the Empire, and it’s one of the darkest Star Wars titles out there. Truly, this show gets bleak, as it not only starts with Order 66 and an animated recreation of Palpatine’s speech from Revenge of the Sith (during which liberty died with thunderous applause), but also explores how the Empire ditched its clone army in favor of stormtroopers. The show follows a group of clone troopers who are all distinct from their cloned brethren — and who all escaped the brainwashing of Order 66 — and through their struggle to survive in the nascent years of the Empire there is a nuanced exploration of the nature of fascism and the fast way in which it creeps into every aspect of society. It is an excellent and important companion to other Empire-era shows like Rebels and Andor.

And yet, The Bad Batch still manages to balance its serialized story with fun standalone episodes that showcase Star Wars ’ ability to handle any kind of story, from a treasure hunt, to a racing subplot. If nothing else, The Bad Batch is worth watching just to marvel at voice actor Dee Bradley Baker’s ability to give each and every one of the dozens of clones in the show a unique voice and personality.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 6 out of 10 Gungans.

Ahsoka carried the weight of continuing the story of Rebels and The Clone Wars , telling its own story, and also building up an upcoming movie. Your mileage may vary on how successfully it stood as its own series, but Ahsoka provides an exciting continuation to the story of its title character, Ezra Bridger, and Sabine Wren — albeit with some major pacing issues. Following Ahsoka’s efforts to locate Grand Admiral Thrawn before he wreaks havoc on the galaxy while also struggling with her relationship with her Padawan apprentice, the show is the most Star Wars -y of the live-action shows. This is a season of TV full of adventure, lightsaber fights, and space dogfights, but also a season that brings back a childlike sense of wonder and humor to a franchise that had become a bit too somber. We get silly lightsaber fights in space, murder-happy droids, and all kinds of cute alien creatures, and it rules.

What makes Ahsoka stand out, however, is how much it adds to the overall Star Wars universe. The show introduces wild new concepts that change everything we know about this world, from the nature of the Force and who can wield it, to introducing far, far away locations, the return of one fascinating group of villains, and the introduction of one of the best and most complex villains in all of Star Wars (Baylan Skoll, played by the late Ray Stevenson), this is not a show you want to miss — and neither should you, given how important it is for the future of the franchise.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? The full Jar Jar Binks.

5. Star Wars Visions

The biggest strength and weakness of Star Wars Visions is that it is an anthology show, meaning you get some rather dull and forgettable episodes alongside some of the best the franchise has to offer. At its best, this animated anthology serves as an avenue for a diverse group of animation studios to play in the sandbox of Star Wars , fulfilling the franchise’s potential to tell all kinds of stories. The first season focused on anime studios, while the second season opened up the borders to studios from all around the world doing vastly different takes on the Force, the Jedi, and the galaxy far, far away.

Indeed, Star Wars Visions provides not only some of the best-looking moments in the entire Star Wars franchise, but some of its most thematically resonant, like in the second season episode “In the Stars,” which combines a story of rebelling against the Empire with a real-life history of genocide in South America. You’ve never seen Star Wars like this, and it rules. Granted, because of the non-canon nature of the show, it does not impact any other Star Wars title, but that standalone format also makes this a special and thrilling viewing experience.

4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

It’s easy to understate just how much The Clone Wars has meant to the overall Star Wars franchise. The show played a big role in the redeeming of the prequel trilogy, turning Lucas’s awkward handling of political plots into a thrilling and complex web of conspiracies and lies as we saw Palpatine constantly play both sides against each other for his grand plan, but also how characters like Padmé (who finally gets a bigger spotlight here) stand up against his warmongering. Though still aimed at kids and featuring plenty of silly little side stories about Jar Jar or R2, The Clone Wars frequently gets dark and serious, embracing the “wars” part of its title and becoming more grown up and complex as it goes along. This cartoon, which has an anthology-like format of standalone episodes and multi-episode arcs telling the story of the titular three-year conflict, turned the clones from a faceless army into actual individuals the audience grew to care about, making their fate in the films all the more tragic. Likewise, it expanded on the world of Star Wars and the mythology of the Force, and even returned a fan-favorite character to life.

Most importantly, The Clone Wars made Anakin the hero we were told he was in the movies, a tragic, nuanced figure with insecurities, but also fierce loyalty and bravery, whose descent into the dark side came not out of nowhere, but slowly built up over the entire show. Of course, the biggest contribution the show made to the canon was introducing Ahsoka Tano, telling one of the best character stories in all of Star Wars , and kickstarting a story that continues to drive and impact the franchise today. Though the 133-episode count can be daunting, it is extremely rewarding, particularly in its final four-part episode, which is one of the best things the franchise has ever done.

3. Star Wars: Clone Wars

After Attack of the Clones , George Lucas tapped animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky to create a series of shorts that would bridge the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . Rather than just serve to tease the next movie, Tartakovsky delivered arguably the most visually stunning, bonkers Star Wars TV show to date. Though it’s no longer canon, having largely been usurped by Filoni’s similarly titled The Clone Wars , Tartakovsky’s shorts filled some blanks in the history of the Jedi in a dazzlingly stylish way. Many elements of the series have since rejoined the canon in recent years.

It is in this show that we get the first look at a Jedi knighting ceremony, and the building of a lightsaber. Likewise, Tartakovsky’s show presented two of the coolest villains in Star Wars , Asajj Ventress and General Grievous — the latter of which gets one breathtaking introduction that no other Star Wars villain has been able to match, until Vader’s hallway massacre in Rogue One.

Arguably Clone Wars’ biggest achievement and appeal is the way Tartakovsky reimagines the Jedi not as warrior monks or war generals, but as mythological heroes capable of impossible feats. Characters fight at the speed of light, jump incredible heights, and more. While movie Mace Windu spent most of his time sitting around in meetings, Clone Wars Mace Windu destroyed an entire battle droid battalion with nothing but his fists.

Is it canon? Technically no, but parts of it have become re-canonized. How important is it to understand what’s going on? 4 out of 10 Gungans.

2. Star Wars Rebels

Rebels had the daunting task of not just following The Clone Wars , but telling a story set in the years before the original trilogy with entirely original characters. And yet, this quickly became one of the most complex stories in the whole franchise, and one that has influenced Star Wars more than anything in years. The show has a stronger, more focused yet equally ambitious scope as The Clone Wars , and that is mostly thanks to the Ghost Crew. Rebels follows a cast of original characters, pilot Hera, former Jedi Kanan, Mandalorian warrior and tech genius Sabine, droid Chopper, former soldier Zeb, and a young kid named Ezra as they take a stand against the Empire and try to ignite a rebellion. Throughout the show, we get to know both individually and as part of a crew, as they quickly grow to be as compelling and unforgettable as the original trio of Han, Luke, and Leia.

Rebels does a good job of balancing episodic and serialized storytelling, capturing what made the original trilogy so special, giving us fun character-based adventures while also telling an epic story of the birth of the Rebel Alliance. We get some of the darkest moments in all of Star Wars here, as we see the Empire at its most powerful and cruel, making any kind of rebellion — let alone an open rebellion — seem daunting and near impossible. Adding to that is the way Rebels explores the internal conflicts of the nascent Rebellion and its different ideologies and methods.

Likewise, Rebels adds to the overall mythology of Star Wars in ways that continue to resonate, like bringing Thrawn (an Imperial officer introduced in the 1991 Heir to the Empire novel as the next big villain after the Emperor’s death) back into canon, and continuing or concluding the stories of characters from The Clone Wars and even the original trilogy. More than any other title, it is Rebels that really paved the way for the Star Wars we know today, with its influence being felt in both the movies and the shows. It’s not a coincidence that so many shows take place in the Rebels era. It is the perfect bridge between the two tones of Star Wars : the kid-friendly version that focuses on fun space adventure, and the ambitious and mature tone that tells a gritty and mature story of war and rebellion.

A prequel to a spinoff movie that told the story of the opening crawl of the first Star Wars , Andor quickly became not only the best Star Wars TV show, but possibly the best Star Wars title ever. Andor updates the Empire from a vague and cartoonishly evil dictatorship to a mundane evil, one that is so oppressive in everyday life, in casual cruelty that rebellion becomes not a choice, but a necessity. And yet, this show doesn’t glorify or simplify the Rebellion. There are no heroes here, no valiant effort to stand up for what is right by waving a flag. Instead, Andor is more like Star Wars meets Les Misérables , an angry work with something to say, following characters that would be in the background of any other story and giving them the spotlight.

The characters in Andor — like the titular Cassian Andor; the secret leader of the Rebellion, Luthen Rael; and even the future Rebel leader Mon Mothma — are not traditionally heroic, or even necessarily good people. This is a show not about the mystical chosen ones, or the heroes who shoot the torpedo that destroys the Death Star, but those who push the line forward, people who burn their lives to make a sunrise they know they’ll never see. Andor may feel smaller than most other Star Wars titles by focusing on fringe planets and small-time Imperial bureaucrats rather than Grand Moffs and Jedi. Yet, the show still feels much grander than many of the movies because the characters are constantly reminding us of how big the stakes are, how important this moment of rebellion is for the entire galaxy. Besides, the show looks gorgeous, with practical sets and a sense of tactility that brings to the original trilogy.

Just like The Clone Wars took the foundation of the prequel trilogy and turned subtext into text, Andor takes the simple story of rebels going against an empire and brings politics and revolution to the forefront. It showed that Star Wars didn’t have to hide its complex themes behind fun adventures or jokes, but that it could deliver a gripping drama featuring spaceships and laser guns. Andor feels very much like Star Wars , and yet is like nothing the franchise has ever seen.

Is it canon? Yes How important is it to understand what’s going on? 7 out of 10 Gungans.

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The <i>Star Wars</i> TV Shows, Ranked

The Star Wars TV Shows, Ranked

I n the wake of the success of The Mandalorian , Disney+ has produced many—arguably too many— Star Wars television series in hopes that the expanded universe content would draw die-hard fans of Jedis and droids to the streaming service.

The results have been mixed. Baby Yoda justifiably drew hordes of fans and plenty of coos when he used the Force to summon blue macarons in The Mandalorian . (Yes, we know his name is Grogu, but Baby Yoda sounds cuter.) And Michael Clayton scribe Tony Gilroy found impressive depth in the Rogue One prequel series Andor , a Star Wars show with awards aspirations. But then there were spinoffs like The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi that left some fans frustrated with how LucasFilm handled stories related to some of their favorite characters in the franchise.

Still, the Star Wars television universe is growing in importance. A Mandalorian movie is set to debut in 2026, the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters in nearly a decade. And LucasFilm has high hopes for its latest entry, The Acolyte from showrunner Leslye Headland ( Bachelorette , Russian Doll ) starring Amandla Stenberg and Carrie-Anne Moss. That show hit Disney+ on June 4—we will add it to this ranking once it has released sufficient episodes to determine its proper placement.

Here's TIME's ranking of every Disney+ Star Wars series.

5. The Book of Boba Fett

When Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett made his long-awaited return to the screen in Season 2 of The Mandalorian , fans finally got a canonical answer to the age-old question of whether the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunter had survived his encounter with the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi . But it turns out an even pulpier version of Mando's adventures wasn't exactly what many viewers wanted out of a Boba Fett-centric series. While The Book of Boba Fett ostensibly focused on Fett's quest to take control of the Tatooine criminal underworld once ruled by Jabba the Hutt, the show's late-season inclusion of two episodes that were integral to the plot of The Mandalorian 's third season felt like a forced attempt to get the fandom onboard with a spin-off that was otherwise proving to be a jumbled disappointment.

4. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan suffers from the most common prequel affliction: how do you build suspense in a story when the audience already knows the ending? Set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope , the show follows its titular character as he abandons his job watching a (safe) young Luke on Tatooine to save a kidnapped Princess Leia. Parts of the plot are absurd: A precocious 10-year-old Leia is repeatedly able to outrun powerful bounty hunters. Sure. But the series' greatest weakness is its insistence on building out lore for characters who already carry so much history. The entire series builds to confrontations between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader that are zapped of all tension because nothing of significance could happen when these two meet. Any injury or even mildly interesting conversation between the two surely would have come up during their fight in A New Hope . And so Obi-Wan finds itself hamstrung, inventing convoluted ways for nothing to happen in its plot.

In the wake of Rosario Dawson's introduction as Ahsoka Tano in Season 2 of The Mandalorian , Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight as she navigates her role in the galaxy in the years after the Empire's defeat in Return of the Jedi . Helmed by Star Wars veteran Dave Filoni, the series builds on the backstory for Ahsoka that was established in the 2008 animated Star Wars movie The Clone Wars —in which a young Ahsoka became the Padawan apprentice of Anakin Skywalker—and its subsequent TV series, The Clone Wars and Rebels . An uneven first season saw Ahsoka team up with some of her fellow Ghost crew resistance fighters, like Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren and New Republic General Hera Syndulla, to investigate rumors that former Imperial commander Grand Admiral Thrawn was poised to return as heir to the Empire. Fans of Filoni's more mystical take on Star Wars lore likely enjoyed this one.

2. The Mandalorian

Three seasons in, the novelty of the crown jewel of Disney’s Star Wars TV universe has somewhat worn off. While the father-son relationship between Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and his Baby Yoda ward Grogu remains adorable as ever, the show's recent meandering storylines have burned through a lot of fan goodwill. Still, there's a reason The Mandalorian was the most-watched streaming original of 2023 . Set around five years after the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi and 25 years before the rise of the First Order—the authoritarian regime firmly in control of the galaxy when The Force Awakens begins—the first two seasons of the inaugural live-action Star Wars series revived the spirit of the franchise with new and exciting characters whose adventures originally extended beyond the scope of the over-tread Skywalker Saga. The result was a pop culture phenomenon that instantly grabbed viewers' attention and sparked renewed interest in the galaxy far, far away.

Andor has no right to be so good. It's a prequel to Rogue One , itself a prequel to A New Hope . One might expect it to be filled with easter eggs and winks. Thankfully, showrunner Tony Gilroy, who cut his teeth on the Bourne movies, has higher ambitions. The show centers on Cassian Andor, a Rebel spy ready to die for his cause in Rogue One. But when we meet Cassian in Andor he's a cynical mercenary, skeptical that the upstart Rebellion can take on the Empire. But as he takes on missions, finds himself in binds, and begins to see the banality of evil up close, his politics and worldview start to change. There's no Sith Lord laughing maniacally as he tortures Cassian. Just nameless guards and soldiers whose faces remain impassive as they inflict suffering on others. And both the rebels and empire often use the same turns of phrase to describe their cause, a decision that intentionally blurs the lines between the good guys and the bad. It's a fascinating study of how a citizen is radicalized into a freedom fighter.

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'Star Trek: Strange New World' Season 2's Showrunners on Setting the Tone for the 'Lower Decks' Crossover

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back this week with bold new episodic storytelling that runs the full gamut of genres and themes. Set in the years leading up to the events of Star Trek: The Original Series , Strange New Worlds showcases the thrilling adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the leadership of Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ). Season 2 sees James Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) play a much larger role than he did in Season 1, bringing the series closer to the events that Star Trek fans are very familiar with, while still presenting brand-new, fresh takes on the beloved crew of the Enterprise .

Ahead of the premiere of Season 2, Collider had the opportunity to chat with Strange New Worlds ' showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman to about where the series is headed with the Gorn threat, the highly anticipated Lower Decks crossover , what it was like to film in the middle of downtown Toronto, and what they have up their sleeves for Carol Kane 's fascinating new character.

COLLIDER: So I really love the way that Strange New Worlds does the episodic handling of the ensemble, letting each character really shine in the episodes, and I think Season 2 really excels at what Season 1 already did really well. But in the premiere, we get this little tease of the Gorn War, and then it kind of takes a backseat for the rest of those first six episodes that we've seen. Is this something that audiences should be keeping in the back of their minds as they navigate through Season 2?

HENRY ALONSO MYERS: We will address the Gorn. That's all I'm gonna say.

Excellent. I absolutely love Paul Wesley as Kirk, I think that is exceptional casting, but I'm curious, what has it been like bringing this iteration of the character to life? Do you have a cardinal rule that you keep in mind as you're developing the character or little hallmarks that you want to make sure you meet as you bring this character into the story?

AKIVA GOLDSMAN: Well, first, I want to know why you have a Strange New Worlds tote bag that I don't have. [Laughs] It's our sort of interpolation game, right? We sort of know, as Henry said just last interview, where he ends up, and so what we do is we take some liberties with how he got there, and that, for us, is really fun. It's a very different kind of storytelling. The end for all our characters is written, you know? Now that's fascinating because endings are really hard, like when you're writing something, the worst part is the ending, right? Anybody can start anything, it's the ending that's hard, but it's also in the end that the piece has meaning. So it's a very complicated but interesting sort of hat, sort of a smoke and mirrors trick to try to create suspense and to create an open-ended character narrative when you actually know where it's going. So our hallmarks are where it ends and the little bits we know from canon that we can either take in or sort of body English around with.

When you're approaching canon, there's so much in the Star Trek canon, especially with the mixed media of comics and tie-in novels and all of these little things. Are you ever focused on trying to pull in from some of these other areas as you're building these characters, or is it more just focused on the original series, what we have from Discovery , and those aspects?

GOLDSMAN: I'm gonna let Henry answer, I’m just gonna say one thing; for the purposes of Star Trek as an institution, if that makes any sense, nothing that has not appeared on screen is canon. So the way it works is, for TOS, it's actually five seasons because it includes the animated show, but unless it's appeared on screen, it's technically not canon, it's secondary reference material.

MYERS: I mean, we discuss it internally, and it comes up, and we think about it, but I think it's important for our show that it's a show that people who love and know every aspect of Trek will enjoy it, and people who have never seen a single moment of it will enjoy it. We really don't want to alienate. And I think it's actually sort of an interesting idea because I think this focuses on how we approach character, which is to say, yes, we know where they're gonna go; yes, we have an idea because we've been told where they come from, but the characters don't know where they're gonna go, and so that's how we approach them. We approach them like they're real people who are experiencing actual emotional moments that we wanna see because we're also thinking very hard about, like, what are we gonna give Paul Wesley to do? What's the experience he's gonna have as an actor? We really want to do that because we don't wanna just have him in and do quotes from other series and then push him out, we want to have him be a character in the moment. And, you know, this is a younger Kirk, we get to show that.

And it's a very fun Kirk. I have to say, that episode on Toronto is very fun, and I did want to ask about that episode specifically. I know that filming off-world scenes can have their own challenges, whether you're filming in-studio or on location, but what was it like filming Star Trek in the middle of downtown Toronto?

GOLDSMAN: I'll answer differently, which is, we didn't mean for it to be. We wrote it for New York, right? We were gonna do this giant spectacle and take the show to New York, and we quickly realized we could not afford it. So then we went through the process of doing that thing that everybody does, which is, well, how do we make Toronto look like New York? And then we sort of thought, “Huh, why don't we just let Toronto be Toronto?” And that was fun for us and probably lower impact on the city than you might imagine. So, you know, I don't think it was like trying to film Star Trek in Times Square.

MYERS: But it also became an interesting gift for our director, who came from Toronto and really knew it, and everyone who works on the show, who all know Toronto very deeply, and had a chance to kind of give it a look and a feel that made it feel a little bit different and more recognizable to people who knew that area of the world.

Oh yeah, it was so fun to see it when the first trailer dropped, and everyone was like, “Oh my gosh, those are Toronto businesses, those are Toronto restaurants!” You recognize these hallmarks, and I think it's fun because Toronto almost always plays for New York or DC or sometimes Los Angeles, and so to let the city be itself was a fun treat. I have a lot of friends who are fans of Star Trek who are in Toronto, so it was very fun for them to see their city as part of it.

MYERS: One of the only unique challenges we had, that we've never had literally in the VFX work that we do across the show, is there are sections of Toronto that we invent, and you wouldn't know that it's not real until you see it, you know what I mean? That was a unique challenge for that show that made it completely different from all the other ones.

Akiva, you mentioned the animated season of The Original Series , which makes me think about, you know, we're going to get this crossover with Lower Decks , which is an animated series. How did that come about? Were there any really unique challenges with bringing those characters into live-action?

GOLDSMAN: Oh, it was so insanely hard! It's hilarious how hard the episode was because it seemed like such a good, easy idea. What was really hard about it was tone, you know? It's not what you think is hard about. Like, what you think is hard is, “How are the animated people and the live-action people–?” That's not a problem. It turns out people have been doing that for a really long time. But how do you marry the canonical world of Lower Decks with the canonical world of Strange New Worlds ? It was…holy–

MYERS: [Laughs] It was, yeah, it was. I mean, at the end of the day, it was fun. It was just more like trying to get all the pieces in place. It took a lot of doing, and there were so many people that we wanted to be happy with it and to try to bring into it. I mean, Jack [Quaid] and Tawny [Newsome], primarily because we wanted to show them in person, and so figuring that out was complicated, doing design work with them was complicated. Weirdly, doing the animation was not. He was totally right.

So going off of the question of tone, each episode kind of has its own essence, its own flavors, so can we expect more of a Lower Decks flavor from that episode in terms of tone?

GOLDSMAN: Well, I would say more of, but we're still our own show, you know what I mean? It's a Strange New Worlds episode, not a Lower Decks episode, which… maybe we should try it next season. [Laughs] But it's an episode with Lower Decks boarding.

MYERS: I mean, I would say the supplies, like we're talking about all the other characters, which is to say, if you've seen Lower Decks before, you will be delighted by all the stuff we put in it. If you haven't seen Lower Decks , you will think, “Oh, this is the fun, crazy animated episode where they connect with the different parts of our universe in a way that can be a total surprise to them.”

I'm very excited for it! I think there should be more fun little crossovers like that between the shows. While I still have a little bit of time, I did want to ask about bringing Carol Kane in. I think her character is so fun, and the way she is used is so fun. Was that character designed for her, or did it evolve? What was the inception of that character because it's very fun?

MYERS: Well, we had an idea for the character. We wanted a character who just had a different look and feel from who that character has been in the past. And as we were sort of looking around for the right person, our casting people were like, “What about Carol Kane?” Then I think it was one of those ones where Akiva and I looked at each other, and we were like, “That seems like a great idea.” She ended up being sort of perfect for it. I mean, she's amazing. I don't know what to say other than it's no big surprise that she's very good.

GOLDSMAN: It's like a gift for us. We were like, “Seriously?”

MYERS: “You wanna be in our space show? You wanna see things blow up?” [Laughs]

Can we expect her character to have her own episode, as well, or is she more to kind of back up to a lot of the other stories being played out?

MYERS: I mean, this season, she is a crucial member of the cast. She does have some connected stories. You know, I'm not gonna say any more about the future other than to say we will try to use Carol Kane many ways, and we hope you will enjoy it.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 beams down tomorrow, exclusively on Paramount+. Check out our interview with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

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