7 most disliked Star Trek series, ranked

1) Star Trek: Picard

*sigh*

Imagine if you can, 2020 Cam sitting on her couch after her kids had gone to bed, ready - oh, so ready - to relive the glorious days in which she and her dad sat on the couch and watched Star Trek: The Next Generation together, eagerly anticipating a reunion with one of the most iconic captains in the galaxy, Jean-Luc Picard, and possibly his crew. Now, imagine how her smile and anticipation turned into a frown and sad feeling in her gut as, instead of the familiar warmth and wisdom of the captain we all admire, she was thrust into a universe that's a tad darker and a bit more brooding than she remembered. Welcome to Star Trek: Picard, a series that promised us a nostalgic voyage but took a detour through some unexpectedly shadowy space lanes.

We fans were all geared up for a cozy stroll down memory lane, only to find ourselves on a trek through uncharted territories that felt more like a shadowy alley at night. The shift from the optimistic exploration and moral quandaries of the Starfleet we knew to a more personal, gritty narrative left some of us Trekkies scratching our heads, wondering if we took a wrong turn at Alpha Centauri. Picard was bullied and belittled, and though it did count for shock value, it also threw all the nostalgia out of the window - especially as the first season continued to play out.

Star Trek: Picard is like that ambitious cousin who decides to backpack across the galaxy with nothing but a tricorder and a pack of replicated rations: it's bold, it's brave, and it's definitely not short on drama. But we weren't quite ready to swap our starship uniforms for a noir detective trench coat. The series, with its complex plot and darker themes, felt more like a puzzle that required a Vulcan's logic to solve, leaving some viewers longing for the simpler times of diplomatic missions and warp-speed adventures. It's as if our beloved Picard swapped his captain's chair for a therapist's couch, and while some fans were ready for the deep dive, others missed the comfort of the captain's steady hand at the helm.

In the grand tapestry of the Star Trek universe, Picard is that vibrant, challenging color that not everyone was expecting in the palette, making it one of the most hotly debated Star Trek installments to date. Though it arguably gets better in its third and final season, it feels more like a punch to the gut than a walk through memory lane.

Whether it's the philosophical musings of The Next Generation or the gritty realism of Star Trek: Discovery, each series contributes to the vast mosaic of this beloved universe. Sure, not every series or episode is going to be a hit, and debates about which is the best (or worst) can be as intense as a Klingon Rite of Ascension. But in the grand scheme of things, these diverse offerings ensure that Star Trek continues to engage, challenge, and inspire its fans, imperfections and all.

After all, isn't exploring the unknown, warts and all, what Star Trek is fundamentally about?

Live long and prosper, my friends.