Do you sometimes find yourself greeting people with the Vulcan salute? If so, you’re clearly a Star Trek fan. But, even among fans, there is some debate as to which Star Trek series is the best. Now, we don’t know what your specific tastes are, but this is what we think the Star Trek favorites list should look like.
5. Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is considered to be the least favorite in the list, and is even believed to have led to the long hiatus before J.J. Abrams’ reboot. However, many fans still like it and believe that the initial disappointment was a result of the show’s inability to stand on two legs.
However, it eventually picked up pace towards the last season. Some of the best episodes include Borderland and In a Mirror, Darkly. Also, the show had one of the most rage-inducing series finales ever seen on TV.
4. Star Trek: Voyager
Climbing just one step above Star Trek: Enterprise is Star Trek: Voyager. The series follows the USS Voyager into the Delta Quadrant, which is an unknown area. The Voyager’s crew also has unlikely allies – The Masquis, who are a terrorist organization.
Voyager is considered to have the best premise and even boasted interesting characters like a half-human and a half-Klingon named B’Elanna Torres, as well as the determined Captain Kathryn Janeway.
3. Star Trek: The Original Series
As surprising as it might sound, the original series comes in at third place. The key reason is that some of the episodes were just downright silly and lacked production value. However, all said and done, this is the original series, and it laid the foundation for everything that came afterwards. More importantly, it did a brilliant job of allegorically representing issues such as racism, class, corruption, and privilege.
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation
This is the Star Trek that millennials grew up with, and the one that turned actor Patrick Stewart into a meme. Barring the brilliant characters, the show really changed things for the better. It took the old and turned it into something with more depth, bringing in politics, intellectual curiosity, and cliffhanger episodes.
Next Generation also oozed positivity. It was one of the few shows that glorified a future free from sexism, racism, or classism. In fact, one could say that this positivity is what made the show such a favorite.
1. Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Who can forget the monologue from Captain Benjamin Sisko, played by actor Avery Brook? It wasn’t just the rich baritone that got us, and it was what he actually said. Those words painted a grim picture of the cost involved in making progress and establishing peace. Deep Space 9 was unlike any other Star Trek series, even breaking some of the old rules. For instance, the series did not hesitate to include permanent conflict between crew members. On the whole, Deep Space 9 moved away from the positivity of The Next Generation and entered into darker realms. However, it did so with purpose.
