I’ve been recommended TNG, DS9, and Voyager, and have been told that the rest pale in comparison.
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Always striking to me how many Star Trek fans are so dismissive of Star Trek. I know its of it’s time, but TOS didn’t take its place in history by accident. Wonderful storytelling, iconic characters - absolutely a must to watch, at least to try it out.
Voyager, by comparison, is pretty mid. The writing is super inconsistent and it absolutely squanders its own premise. Notable for Janeway, Seven, and the Doctor, but it’s definitely rough going.
But it’s still a good watch. The only ones I don’t think I could enthusiastically recommend are TAS, Enterprise, and Picard.
Enterprise all the way.
It starts strong with lots human/vulcan conflict and then eases into 2 seasons of TNG-style adventures.
Season 3 is an imperfect masterpiece that ultimately delivers some incredible episodes. This is where Enterprise comes into its own.
Season 4 is more like a collection of 3-parters that sees the crew touch on all the lore they missed in the first 3 seasons. Satisfying but a different vibe.
Highlights include:
- Captain Archer feuding with Duras
- Dr Phlox improving every episode he appears
- Lt Reed vs Major Hayes
- Grapplers!
Low points include:
- Decontamination
- Archer/Tpol tension
- Cogenitor episode
- The finale
Strange New Worlds is fantastic. Lower Decks is great too but you will appreciate a lot more if you watch some of the previous series.
You won’t get this meme but trust me it slaps
Whoever gave you that advice has sound judgement and good taste.
I’d say start with TNG. DS9 is probably objectively “the best”, but I think TNG is a better “entry point” if that makes sense? I think if I’d started with DS9 before watching TNG, I’d start wishing not too far into DS9 that I’d seen TNG already. Voyager gets some flack, but it’s what I have the most nostalgia for.
After Voyager, I think most of the shows are either “for the fans” (and contain tons of references that only established “fans” are going to get) or… kindof a pale imitation. If you really into Star Trek and run out of TNG, DS9, and Voyager to watch, by all means go on. (I’d probably do TOS next, honestly.) Discovery and Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks are great! But a lot of their charm (Discovery’s yet-another-fuck-up-of-Klingons notwithstanding) is about how they tie in to and reference the other shows more so than how they stand on their own.
Enterprise was… not my favorite. It was nice that it answered some questions other series left open, but they spent a lot of the show trying their hardest not to be Star Trek in ways that I say detracted from the experience. I’d say watch it before you watch Lower Decks, but aside from that, I don’t think it’s really worth watching unless you’re that level of fan already.
Oh, and the movies are amazing. Honestly, it might be good to watch the TOS cast movies before moving on from TNG to DS9. My favorite of all the Star Trek movies (and it’s not an TOS cast movie) is First Contact.
So, I guess if I were to recommend an order:
- TNG
- All the movies in release order, though the Chris Pine movies are optional at this point. I’d also skip Section 31 until later.
- DS9
- Voyager
- TOS
- Discovery
- Section 31
- Brave New Worlds
- Enterprise
- Lower Decks
- The Chris Pine movies if you’re still in the mood
- The Animated Series
- Then start watching non-official/non-canon stuff like Star Trek Renegades and Star Trek Continues
Anywhere in that progression that you decide to stop, I’d say you’ll have gotten the most impact you could have gotten from the portion you’ve already watched.
But of course, that’s just my take! The other opinions in this thread are all valid as well!
They’re all worth watching, if only so you can make your own decisions.
I mean the original series. Yeah its dated but so great. I liked enterprise personally. I was turned off by discoveries first season but I stuck with it and liked the second one. Lower decks cartoon is hilarious. I have not watched any more seasons fo discovery or any other recent content though.
From the new(ish) Star Trek shows I really liked Lower Decks and mostly liked Strange New Worlds and the last season of Picard (you can watch that season on its own, especially if you’ve watched TNG).
I have mixed feelings about Enterprise, but would recommend it as well. It’s only 5 seasons, so …
TV has also changed a lot since the TNG-era, so if you like the vibe of those shows, I’d recommend checking out other sci-fi shows from that time.
All of that is highly subjective of course.
TNG is a bit too slow-paced for me, but I understand that was sort of the culture at the time. Thankfully, for that we’ve got Jump Cutter, one of the best add-ons to grace browser stores.
Lower Decks is great but best saved for last so you get all the references they drop.
Do you prefer story arcs or bottle episodes?
Optimistic or dark stories?
I know DS9 is considered the “dark stories” one, but it’s still bursting with optimism compared with the majority of scifi out there.
I just go for thought-provoking. TNG S2 has been excellent for the most part (I’ve started with TNG).
Isn’t “thought provoking“ is kinda the whole point of sci-fi?
All 3 series have plenty of those, as well as their share of dud episodes. DS9 leans heavier into stories of war/colonialism. VOY is more about survival in desperate circumstances.
