Even higher, the collection settles into fleshing out its major characters. Yes, this does imply that some go by the wayside — not simply the departed Kes, but additionally Chakotay turns into an enormous nothing, Paris and B’Elanna get pushed into the home bliss nook, and Kim stays an ensign. But the tensions between Seven of Nine, Janeway, and the Doctor make for a traditional Trek trio, permitting the present to discover the character of humanity whereas additionally making the Captain essentially the most adventurous of Starfleet leaders. Plus, Voyager offers us the very best Trek child ever in Naomi Wildman and no we won’t hear counterarguments.
4. Strange New Worlds (2022 – Present)
Aside from TOS, almost each Trek collection has began off with a foul season or two. But that’s not the case with Strange New Worlds, which has not had a single dangerous episode but.
SNW returns to the early days of the USS Enterprise, following the adventures of Kirk’s predecessor Captain Christopher Pike and a crew that features younger Spock and Uhura. What may have been a reactionary retreat to a secure period of Trek, full with a straight white man within the captain’s chair, has turned out to be Trek at its finest. Anson Mount makes for not solely an affable, huge brother of a frontrunner as Captain Pike, however he’s additionally a remarkably beneficiant performer. Time and once more, Mount finds new methods of supporting his scene companions, whether or not it’s enjoying a baffled straight man when Spock will get overwhelmed by his human facet or reassuring his safety chief La’an with phrases of light knowledge.
Thanks to Mount’s capability to share the highlight, SNW has been capable of develop the very best ensemble forged of any Trek collection, a exceptional feat given its use of well-known characters. Ethan Peck has efficiently established his personal tackle Spock, enjoying a extra emotional model of the character that also appears like somebody who will develop as much as be Leonard Nimoy. Celia Rose Gooding performs Uhura as an extremely proficient Ensign who doesn’t but know that she’ll develop into the legendary Starfleet comms officer. Babs Olusanmokun, Jess Bush, and Rebecca Romijn totally spherical out characters barely glimpsed in TOS.
With this excellent forged and crew, SNW places a contemporary sheen on TOS themes and even episodes, with out diverging too exhausting from what got here earlier than. Case in level: the season one finale “A Quality of Mercy,” which revisits the traditional episode “Balance of Terror” in an alternate actuality. It’s our love for Pike and different characters that makes us need them to sacrifice a greater life so as to restore the unique timeline, even when it means Pike should settle for his fiery destiny.
3. Star Trek (1966 – 1969)
Newcomers to the franchise generally wrestle with the unique collection, discovering it hopelessly dated. TOS does positively embrace the aesthetics of its time, with its miniskirt uniforms, technicolor background lighting, and, sure, area hippies. But like The Twilight Zone, its closest counterpart of the period, each when it comes to themes and affect, Star Trek used its outlandish premise to talk to the center of the human situation.
