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Star Trek
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Although it only lasted for three seasons in the 1960s, the original Star Trek has become one of the most influential TV series—and pieces of science fiction in any medium—of all time. Creator Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision focuses on exploration rather than conflict, as the starship Enterprise seeks out “new life and new civilizations.” Led by William Shatner’s hotheaded Capt. James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s logical Vulcan Mr. Spock, and DeForest Kelley’s irascible Dr. McCoy, Star Trek remains a sci-fi gold standard.
Seasons 1-3 of Star Trek are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: The Animated Series
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Thanks to the popularity of Star Trek reruns, NBC brought back Gene Roddenberry and many of the show’s writers and actors for this animated version, which lasted for two seasons in the 1970s. It follows the continuing adventures of the Enterprise crew and has been considered an extension of the original series, with characters and concepts that later made their way into live-action. The animation may be rudimentary, but the stories are every bit as thoughtful and layered as the episodes of the original series.
Seasons 1-2 of Star Trek: The Animated Series are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Following the continued success of Star Trek reruns and theatrical films, creator Gene Roddenberry launched a new series with a new Enterprise crew, set even further in the future. Starring Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, The Next Generation continues Roddenberry’s focus on a harmonious future, while expanding on alien races and galactic regions introduced in the original series. Co-starring Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, and more, The Next Generation has become every bit as iconic as its predecessor, setting the stage for decades of Trek to come.
Seasons 1-7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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Overlapping with the end of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine is the first Star Trek series to take place away from the Enterprise, set on a space station located in a volatile area of the galaxy. Avery Brooks leads the series as Capt. Benjamin Sisko, overseeing an unpredictable crew of Starfleet officers and alien allies, along with an entire station’s worth of residents and businesses. In its later seasons, Deep Space Nine introduced serialized storytelling to Trek for the first time, gaining a reputation as the darkest and most mature Trek series to date.
Seasons 1-7 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
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Star Trek: Voyager
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Returning to the exploratory missions of a starship, Voyager takes Star Trek into an entirely new quadrant of the galaxy. The crew of the titular vessel is transported via a mysterious energy wave into an area of space where Starfleet has never been. Capt. Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) must lead her crew on a long journey home, while navigating the unfamiliar threats in this strange new region. Voyager expands the scope of Star Trek‘s universe while introducing fan-favorite characters like the holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) and the former Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
Seasons 1-7 of Star Trek: Voyager are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: Enterprise
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A prequel set in the years before the formation of the galaxy-spanning United Federation of Planets, Enterprise takes place on the starship Enterprise a century before it’s occupied by Capt. Kirk and his crew. The primarily human crew is led by Capt. Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), as inhabitants of Earth are just beginning to explore the galaxy and encounter some of Star Trek‘s familiar alien races. Enterprise features a more action-oriented focus than previous Trek series, setting the tone for Trek series and movies to come, and its later seasons are driven by long-term serialized stories.
Seasons 1-4 of Star Trek: Enterprise are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
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Star Trek: Discovery
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After a dormant period of more than a decade following the cancellation of Enterprise, Discovery brings Star Trek into the streaming era with another prequel. Set after Enterprise but before the original series, Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham, the science officer on the starship Discovery. The first two seasons explore the early days of the Federation and revisit many classic Trek themes and characters. In later seasons, both the starship and the show are thrust forward hundreds of years into the future, truly going boldly where no Trek has gone before.
Seasons 1-4 of Star Trek: Discovery are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: Short Treks
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In conjunction with Star Trek‘s streaming revival, this anthology of bite-size episodes provides supplemental stories for the new Trek era. Some are standalone pieces highlighting minor characters or side stories from Star Trek: Discovery, while others tie more closely to ongoing plots from Discovery (and later Star Trek: Picard as well). It’s another way for Star Trek‘s creators to illustrate their expansive universe of galactic space exploration.
All episodes of Star Trek: Short Treks are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
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Star Trek: Picard
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Patrick Stewart reprises his Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in a series set 20 years after Picard’s last Star Trek appearance. The retired Picard returns to active duty with a new mission and a new crew, in a slower, more character-driven story than other Trek series. In addition to Stewart, actors from other past Trek series, including Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and Jeri Ryan, make appearances, as Picard struggles to find his place in a changed Starfleet that no longer reflects his values.
Seasons 1-2 of Star Trek: Picard are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: Lower Decks
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The first animated Star Trek series since the 1970s is also the first overtly comedic Trek series, focusing on a group of lower-level recruits who do all the grunt work on intergalactic voyages. Set around the end of the Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager era, Lower Decks takes place on the Cerritos, a Starfleet ship mostly assigned to minor missions. The creators combine gentle mockery with a deep love for and knowledge of Trek lore, which makes them perfect for taking the franchise down a peg.
Seasons 1-3 of Star Trek: Lower Decks are streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
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Star Trek: Prodigy
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Star Trek returns to animation again for this family-friendly series aimed at bringing in a younger audience. Like Star Trek: Voyager, Prodigy takes place in the remote Delta Quadrant, where a rowdy group of young aliens from a prison colony discover an abandoned Starfleet ship. They take control of the ship so they can escape their grim circumstances, in a harsh backwater beyond the reach of the United Federation of Planets. As they flee the colony’s cruel overlord, they’re trained in starship operations by a hologram of Voyager‘s legendary Kathryn Janeway (voiced by Kate Mulgrew).
Season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
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A spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Strange New Worlds takes place on the Enterprise before Capt. Kirk took over, when it was led by Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Pike is joined by younger versions of familiar characters who’ve served on the Enterprise, including Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). In contrast to the heavily serialized storytelling of other modern Star Trek series, Strange New Worlds focuses primarily on single-episode stories, enhancing its throwback style.
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming on Paramount+ ($4.99+ per month after a seven-day free trial).
