Star Trek is rapidly approaching its 60th anniversary this fall, as "The Man Trap" debuted on NBC on Sep. 8, 1966. Since then, Trekkies have enjoyed a banquet of different series, from those that never became popular in their own time to bona fide hits like Star Trek: The Next Generation, which paved the way for future series, to shows that found smaller niche audiences, like Enterprise.
No matter the series, they've all made an impact on the franchise, so today, we're ranking them all in a comprehensive list, a series dive so deep that it makes the Guardian of Forever jealous! Sync your chronometers and gird your Star Trek cosplay, fellow Trekkies, as we begin the following 14-series ranking from the franchise that changed the face of science fiction forever.
14. Short Treks
This 2018 anthology series is connected to Star Trek: Discovery as something of a companion piece, a side dish to the main series' entree. Available on Paramount+, the episodes range from 10 to 20 minutes and focus on various Discovery characters, including Harry Mudd, Saru, and Ensign Tilly.
One of the most interesting aspects of Short Treks is how wildly different the tone of each episode is.
Season 2's "Children of Mars" features two very different young women from the same planet who find themselves at odds with each other until their colony falls under siege, which had me sobbing, as did "The Brightest Star." The season 1 installment features a young Saru questioning his existence, as the character challenges all he knows to live a life that is wholly his.
Then you have episodes like "The Escape Artist" featuring actor Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd, with an ending so unexpected and clever that I was howling with laughter! The production quality is surprisingly good for these shorts, and fans of Discovery, in particular, might enjoy them.
13. Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery features the adventures of the ship of the same name and of the mutinous Michael Burnham, who is assigned to the vessel, with an experimental spore drive, as a specialist to help stop the war she started between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
Discovery ran for five seasons, earning mostly positive reviews from critics, and some fans enjoyed its links to its future spin-off, Strange New Worlds. Burnham remains a popular character, partly because she was adopted and raised by Spock's parents, Sarek and Amanda, on Vulcan.
Others felt this was forced into the plot so the series might gain more popularity. While the series had some interesting characters (most notably the amazing Doug Jones as the Kelpien Saru) and the ship's spore drive effects were excellent, the show's direction sometimes seemed uneven.
12. The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted in 1973 and ran for two seasons as a Saturday morning installment alongside other animated shows (and what a time it was to be a kid!).
TAS continued The Original Series' five-year mission and starred most of the voices of the cast, minus Walter Koenig, who Filmation replaced with a three-armed creature called Arex, voiced by James Doohan, to save money on production costs.
This series used a lot of humor and callbacks to the original series to make it kid-friendly. It's a safe and fun way to introduce kids who are too old for Star Trek: Scouts but might have seen The Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" with a parent.
Some episodes, like "Yesteryear," come with teachable moments, and the Filmation-style camera work is sure to bring back the nostalgia for any GenXer!
11. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the franchise's newest (and most controversial) series to date. It premiered in January of 2026, burned bright, and was sadly canceled shortly after its first season. While its second season is slated to come to Paramount+ next year, the series will not return after that.
In fact, internet trolls ran with the gay Klingon plot point and also targeted the show's star, Holly Hunter, for her acting style. Whether social media interfered with the growth of this series or not (it did), this is a series that many fans will always feel never got a fair shot and is simply one of those series that couldn't gain appreciation in its own time.
10. Star Trek: Scouts
This is the Star Trek franchise's only animated direct-to-internet series, and with individual episode times running at an average of less than four minutes a piece, toddlers will appreciate the cute characters and bright colors.
The series covers the adventures of elementary-school-aged "Scouts" J.R., Sprocket, and Roo as they travel to different places via the holodeck or protect their school from asteroid attacks. It debuted with two seasons (2025-2026) on Nickelodeon's Blaze and the Monster Machines YouTube channel.
While the animation in Scouts isn't much to look at as far as being unique animation, the writing is sharp, and most of the episodes crackle with humor! The Scouts' pets, Bubbles, Star, and Zip, all have different personalities, and the interactive portions of the show give young viewers a chance to practice problem-solving skills
9. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
This is the first prequel series in this ranking and features the adventures of a young crew, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), a decade before Captain Kirk commanded the NCC-1701 Enterprise. The series debuted in 2022 and will end with 5 seasons, presumably in 2027. Many Trekkies enjoy this series and consider it one of the best since 90s fare like Deep Space Nine.
Strange New Worlds revisits Pike, Spock, Uhura, and other familiar characters as younger versions of themselves. Considering how we Trekkies feel about our Original Series icons, it's amazing that it ever got cast, especially in an age where the internet can affect the future of a series!
Sometimes, the series wants to be iconic before its time (I'm looking at you, "Subspace Rhapsody"), but five seasons and a loyal audience may secure a legacy for it eventually.
8. Star Trek: Picard
If you were around to see the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation way back in 1987, then you might remember how insanely popular it got. For some, it was their first Star Trek experience, and it was quite a juggernaut. Picard is a love letter to that series, glowing and unashamed. It debuted in 2020 and ran for three seasons, during which it dropped more Next Generation guest stars than a tribble drops offspring!
Much of Picard season 1 has to do with humans becoming more synthetic as time goes on, but since it ran during the time COVID was at its peak, it seemed to match the uncertain feel of those years.
Some of the premises are a bit overly familiar, such as Jean-Luc Picard having a son he never knew. However, seeing the crew of the Enterprise-D back together in season 3 (Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, and Jonathan Frakes) was worth the weekly payoff!
And who can forget Q (John de Lancie) returning in season 2? Plus, Q's heartfelt goodbye with Picard in the episode "Farewell" remains one of the standout moments of the entire series.
7. Star Trek: Enterprise
This is the second prequel on our list, and it's also another controversial series that many Star Trek fans balked against because of its tone and inconsistent lore when compared with The Original Series.
Enterprise takes place nearly 100 years before the launch of the NCC-1701. Captain Jonathan Archer (played by the always-delightful Scott Bakula) commands the NX-01, the first starship built for long-range exploration, along with her crew.
It ran for 4 seasons, and some longtime Trek fans felt it broke with too many franchise traditions. Its title card didn't include the words "Star Trek," in the beginning, and it had a theme song with lyrics instead of the usual instrumental fare (allow me to clutch my dilithium pearls!).
The show never truly seemed to find its audience despite interesting characters like the Vulcan T'Pol, who at first is at odds with Archer and the ship's human crew. The series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, which earns it a fresh take.
6. Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks is another animated offering from the franchise, a fast-talking, pop culture-stuffed series that focuses on a young support crew and their daily lives on a minor support team aboard the USS Cerritos. The series debuted in 2020 and ran for five seasons, but it is so much more than just Star Trek meets Futurama, which it is often compared to.
This is one of those series that, despite being popular with a dedicated fanbase, fell under the financial axe at Paramount during its merger with Skydance. Lower Decks is still available to watch on Paramount+, and its rapid-fire humor, along with franchise in-jokes, continues to gain fans who hope to see a revival one day.
Plus, Mariner and Boimler's chaotic friendship ranks right up there with iconic Star Trek pairings of the past when it comes to those who get on each other's nerves, like Spock/McCoy and Quark/Odo. Lower Deck is by far and away the franchise's funniest show, and it is one of the best NuTrek shows ever produced.
5. Star Trek: Prodigy
The beloved science fiction franchise offers plenty of animated fare, but Star Trek: Prodigy is by far the best. The show, which features computer-generated animation, ran for only 2 seasons. However, during its short stint, Prodigy won two Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Alessandro Taini and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Bastien Grivet.
Prodigy focuses on a group of young people who find and steal the USS Protostar and must learn how to work together as they defend their newfound freedom. While this series was marketed as a children's show, there are plenty of adult Trekkies who count it as a favorite!
After all, Prodigy is an animated sequel to Voyager. Kate Mulgrew returns and voices the roles of both Hologram Janeway and Admiral Janeway. Plus, Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and The Doctor (Robert Picardo) play integral roles, as does the Traveler, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), in season 2. And who can forget getting to see Mirror Janeway and Mirror Chakotay in the unforgettable "Cracked Mirror" episode?
4. Star Trek: Voyager
When Star Trek: Voyager premiered in 1995, Deep Space Nine had already been on the air for nearly two years, and The Next Generation ended only the year before. One might think this didn't give Voyager much of a chance because of franchise saturation.
However, this juggernaut of a series ran for seven seasons and spawned books, podcasts, video games, comic books, and more! Whether it's the casting or the premise, Voyager is definitely a fan-favorite series.
Commanded by Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the USS Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant. A variety of people with extremely different views about the Federation must learn to trust each other so they can find a way home to the Alpha Quadrant.
While the writing doesn't hit the bullseye every season, memorable characters like Chakotay, Seven of Nine, Neelix, and especially The Doctor abound! Just don't mention Tuvix if you visit a Voyager Discord because that will cause a riot.
3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is one of those series that fans seemed to straddle the space fence during its run. It debuted in 1993, but, unlike other series, it took place primarily on a space station in Bajoran territory after the end of a hostile occupation by the aggressive Cardassians.
Commander (and eventually Captain/Emissary) Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is the Federation envoy, who is supported by a fantastic cast of characters, including Ferengi relatives Quark, Rom, and Nog.
Bajoran rebel Kira Nerys; the unforgettable Changeling Odo (played by the late, great Rene Auberjonois); and familiar faces like Miles O'Brien and even Worf round out the stellar lineup of actors.
While Deep Space Nine received solid viewership during its initial run, Trekkies rediscovered this gem mostly thanks to streaming. I must admit that even I passed it by back then, only to find that its darker and morally gray tone makes it extremely relatable in a time where the bad guys seem to be running the show.
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in an era before the internet and before any other franchise series other than The Animated Series. Debuting in 1987, it ran for seven seasons and eventually became a smash hit despite a shaky start.
The series continues Federation space exploration roughly 100 years after The Original Series, with a new vessel, the Enterprise-D, and a new commander, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by the iconic Patrick Stewart.
TNG eventually became so popular that it is referenced in pop culture even today and eventually branched into merchandising, including a series of paperbacks based on the series.
It's a series I did eventually get into (who can resist Brent Spiner's Data), but I have to wonder if it would have survived the first couple of shaky seasons if social media had existed. While episodes and writing became stronger and more compelling after season 2, the outcome may have been different!
1. Star Trek: The Original Series
What other series could stand at the helm of the Star Trek franchise, unashamed of its papier-mâché sets and pink unicorn dogs? Star Trek: The Original Series dropped on NBC in the fall of 1966 and ran for three seasons, during which its small but fiercely loyal fanbase fought to keep it alive.
TOS found its true followers during the 1970s, when syndication reruns made legends out of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise's crew. Its impact on global pop culture is unquestioned, which far outshines its humble beginnings as the "Wagon Train to the stars," as creator Gene Roddenberry pitched it.
The Original Series gave us so much: Kirk and Spock being ride or die for a quarter of a century, the Vulcan salute, the credo of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC), some of the most memorable villains of all time, the beautiful NCC-1701 Enterprise, and the idea that people of different races and species can work together to form a better future. Who can ask more than that? It's the king of the franchise for these reasons and many more!
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