The Top Five Star Trek Series of All Time (As In All of Them)

It seems laughable to do a top five list for something that only has five options to rank. But that is where you are flat wrong baby. Star Trek has existed in some form or another (either with new episodes, movies, or syndication) since 1966. Dear old dad was not driving when this phenomenon started. And since then there have been six series. Bam.

I was a huge Trekkie as a kid and am still a fan of the genre (I wouldn't even call myself a Sci-Fi fan because Star Trek is completely in it's own genre). I have already discussed how I collected tons of things and obsessed over the world of Trek. I even attempted to write a few short stories based in the Star Trek universe (the only thing they suffered from is being very bad stories-- other than that they weren't bad). I have involved myself on almost every level of the Star Trek universe and have finally caught up with all of the series by watching Star Trek: Enterprise with my roommate Kyle. We are nearly done with the show (you can watch most of the episodes for free here), so I figured now is as good a time as any to rank each Star Trek TV series exactly where they belong. I'll even throw in a few bits of information in there before I explain why I put which series where (including how many seasons, highlights, lowlights, and 2 episodes you should definitely watch including a thinker/heartstrings episode and an action fest two-parter [no series finales]).

Honorable Mention: Star Trek: The Animated Series

I thought it would be fun to at least acknowledge that there was a Saturday morning cartoon. To those of you who don't know (the 7 people I know will read this probably already know the info here) most of the original cast was back for this animated series. All of the characters were even voiced by the original actors from the live action series. The Animated Series also won an Emmy, which is one more than The Original Series received. The show lasted for one full season and is not really considered part of the Star Trek canon. But it was an official production from the makers of Star Trek, so it counts.

And now for the official Messy Shelves rankings of the Star Trek series.

No. 5: Star Trek: Voyager

Seasons: 7 (1995-2001)

Highlights: Anything to do with the Borg/ The Doctor's character arc/Lt. Barclay coming back

Lowlights: The existence of Chakotay/ The Phage lasting as long as it did/Ensign Kim being good on the clarinet without ever seeming to practice

2 Killer Episodes: "Think Tank", "Scorpion Parts 1 and 2"

Already I think I am in trouble with some of you. You thought certain that this would predictably start with another series produced during this millennium, but you were wrong. The simple and undeniable truth is that Voyager is good Star Trek, but it is far from always being good TV. The show is easily the biggest winner in overuse of technobabble, which is without question the most annoying thing about Star Trek. It also took them 3 seasons to realize that they were in the same quadrant as The Borg (the same alien race that gets ratings no matter what series they go to even though their trying to assimilate us all). Also it should be mentioned that no one represented multiple cultures (both real and fictitious) more poorly than Chakotay. My roommate and I have a goal before the end of the year to watch the worst episodes of Star Trek ever. We could probably just make them all Chakotay episodes and it would work. He just sucks (sorry Seven of Nine). And quit with the friggin' Holodeck!

The show was of course far from bad. It carried UPN throughout it's entire tenure. Star Trek struck gold again by creating a non-human character (The Holographic Doctor) that ended up having the most humanity on the show. Captain Janeway was a strong character even though her voice made me want to claw a chalkboard with a dead person's fingernails. And I was always a fan of new alien cultures, which Voyager had in spades. The only reason Voyager falls short to the next show is because the show ended when the engaging serial action series concept (Alias, Lost) was really starting to get some legs. It also doesn't hurt that the special effects would advance in the years following Voyager. Just watch the show, it's fine.

No. 4: Star Trek: Enterprise

Seasons: 4 (2001-2005)

Highlights: All of Season 3 /Trip being the inspiration for Sawyer on Lost/ Dr. Phlox's pleasant demeanor

Lowlights: Anytime Lt. Malcolm was in a dire situation/ Captain Archer always being pissed off/The premature cancellation of the show.

2 Killer Episodes: "Similitude", "In a Mirror, Darkly Parts 1 and 2"

The original impetus to write this blog was to make the insane stance that Enterprise was the best or second best Star Trek. But unfortunately this is simply not true. One of the reasons it's not true is because not enough people watched the show. The series moved to Friday night for it's 4th season which is pretty much the network saying, "I don't like your show, so I am going to banish it to the Rura Penthe of time slots." But while I have been quoted as saying "Enterprise would be awesome if it had good characters and good stories," I think there are a lot of good aspects to the show.

For one thing, Enterprise was more high drama than the other series simply because humanity had not evolved quite far enough. The best shows on television are the ones that acknowledge how much human beings can really suck. I'm not saying they are hopeless; the programs that have the highest drama produce heroes that succeed in their tasks despite their flaws (pretty much the plot of most epic movies such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Blazing Saddles). The other Star Trek series suffered from their characters being a little too perfect an altruistic sometimes. But Enterprise didn't have that problem. Captain Archer was pretty much a jack ass. Even T'Pol was kind of a sub-par Vulcan in terms of her emotional discipline. It seemed like every time the Enterprise would encounter a new culture they would get into serious big time trouble, and the endings were not always happy ones. This made for compelling and edge-of-your-seat style drama, especially during the Xindi arc of Season 3 (the first time a Star Trek series flirted with being serial by tying every single episode of the season into one story arc). In Season 4, things started to get more Trekkie, which hurts my "it's cool because it isn't like Star Trek" vibe, but the episodes were really cool. And then UPN cut it (you know, cause they knew what they're doing; hey how is that network doing these days anyway.).

The show isn't all roses, however. Ironically the viewership shrank when it got good. Season 1 and 2 meandered just a little bit (the first two seasons of a Star Trek series always seem a little off except for in The Original Series). Lt. Malcolm had to be the most oversensitive, whiny tactical officer in the history of time. In addition, Captain Archer is easily the worst of the 5 captains. He is head strong and constantly ticked off to the point that you just kind of get used to it. But the series really is exciting (and technologically very solid with much of the show in HD), and for the true Trekkie it riles up a lot of interesting historical canon issues that can keep you occupied for days. Highly flawed people=great TV.

No. 3: Star Trek: The Original Series

Seasons: 3 (1966-1969)

Highlights: Twilight Zone-style mysteries/ great interplay between the main cast/ grand introduction to a 45 year franchise

Lowlights: Too many mysterious aliens that look like your hot aunt/some blatantly awful Season 3 episodes/ very underdeveloped supporting cast (Sulu, Scotty, Uhura, Chekov)

2 Killer Episodes: "The City On the Edge of Forever", "The Menagerie"

Now it's time for the excommunication (it's OK I can make that joke-- RCIA baby). When talking to truly dedicated Star Trek fans (the kind that would say I am not one of them), they would say that The Original Series is, at the very least, the second best incarnation if not the first simply because it is the first show. I completely disagree. This is the same broken logic that people would use to claim George Washington was our greatest president. He wasn't. He was probably good, but he wasn't better than Lincoln, FDR, Teddy, Jefferson, or Benny Franklin (that last one is a joke in reference to The Office-- don't judge). TOS has to be judged on the same level.

The good news is, of course, that it is really flippin' good. TOS's best episodes are some of the best episodes in the history of Star Trek and worth viewing even if you aren't a Star Trek fan. There are dozens of episodes you could check out and be pleased with, just based on the fact that these episodes are iconic in terms of dealing with social issues of the time in a futuristic sci-fi show. "The City On the Edge of Forever" is one of the most intense, fascinating, and creepy episodes of TV I have ever seen in my life. When I was a kid I owned it on VHS and would watch it time and again. It is really a piece of art beyond the world of Star Trek.

Despite a lot of great things about TOS (some of the more comedic episodes are hilarious, and some of the more serious episodes can leave you thinking for days), the show had a lot of flaws. Because it didn't have a lot of support due to the network's nervousness about how popular it would be and how gung-ho and passionate Gene Roddenberry was on controversial topics, the show had some rough moments. It was essentially canceled before Season 3, but the fans protested and the network renewed it without too much of a fuss. This was pretty much a mistake because Season 3 is just not very good ("Spock's Brain"!!!!!-- an episode so bad that it caused me to set a record for how many !s I used in a single article). The show also focuses so much on the three main protagonists (McCoy, Spock, Kirk) that you aren't really sure why the other cast members are there.

All that being said, if you watch seasons 1 and 2 you will actually become smarter. I'm not even kidding. That's how good some parts of this show can be (when I read over this section I am somehow reminded of Bob Dylan in terms of inconsistent awesomeness)

No. 2: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Seasons: 7 (1993-1999)

Highlights: The overall darker tone (this show had some stones)/ Captain Ben Sisko is BA/ The best attempt to find a good villain that wasn't Borg (The Dominion)/ Quark and Odo interactions

Lowlights: Jadzia Dax leaving early for a dumb Ted Danson show/ Most of Season 2 (all Season 2s suck for every Trek except TOS)/ the overuse of the line, "the fate of the entire Alpha Quadrant"

4 Killer Episodes: "The Visitor", "The Search Parts 1 and 2", "The Way of the Warrior Parts 1 and 2", "Far Beyond the Stars

This is a mistake. I don't think that DS9 is the second best show in Star Trek. I think it's the best. But frankly there are two things keeping me from putting it at No. 1. And they are these:

1. Every character in DS9 is somewhere between good and incredible. But if you were to list the five greatest characters in Star Trek history, I don't think any of the DS9 folks should be on there except for one-- and he is borrowed from another show (my list would be Picard, Data, Spock, Kirk, and Worf with shout outs to McCoy, Sisko, Janeway, Odo, and The Holographic Doctor). Now most of the DS9 characters would get into the top 30 rather easily. But the fact is that Odo loses points for being a (great) re-tred of the Spock/Data humanity concept, and Sisko is also kind of a new spin on the "diplomatic but doesn't take crap" concept of Picard.

2. DS9's lack of solo time has to be taken into account. Of course that is the producers' fault and not the characters', but the fact that the show always had a partner on the air to make it seem more unique, darker, and better developed gives it an unfair advantage. Many people claim that DS9 suffered because it was never on the air by itself (always sharing time with TNG and Voyager), but I think it was an advantage. Kind of like Scottie Pippen. He was praised for doing all the things that Jordan didn't, and that is what made him great. But put Pippen on a team by himself and he is just a really awesome basketball player without the legend of being the held back, brooding, smarter sidekick (consult the 1994 Bulls or 2000 Blazers). Scottie Pippen matters as much as he does because of Michael Jordan. DS9 matters as much as it does because of The Next Generation.

With all of that being said, this show is just killer. It does all the things (serial TV, large story arcs, war, interpersonal conflict) that Enterprise does but with great writing and great acting. I felt an emotional connection to most of the characters on the show-- including a very large list of guest stars that were sometimes better than the main people (I'm looking at you Garak). In addition to being darker and more brooding it also explores a lot of emotional drama and even lets some of the characters have committed relationships (Worf can't keep his hands off anybody). There were episodes that had me on the edge of my seat and episodes that made me really tear up. That's good TV. Bonus points for being the only Star Trek show bold enough to (spoiler alert!) kill their main protagonist. When the show ended, it ended for good. None of the other series can say that. DS9 is my favorite, which means No. 1 must be awful good.

No. 1: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Seasons: 7 (1987-1994)

Highlights: Picard and Data (and the incredible acting done to portray them)/ the new spin on Klingons/ introducing the Borg/ Q/ poker/ basis of the best Star Trek movie (you heard me right) Star Trek: First Contact

Lowlights: Deanna Troi's feelings/ Dr. Pulaski/ the obsession with the Holodeck/ "Masks"

4 Killer Episodes: "The Inner Light", "The Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2", "Tapestry", "Chain of Command Parts 1 and 2"

TNG is not just the best Star Trek. It is one of the best shows in the history of television. You won't see it on any of the most current best of lists because it isn't serial at all, and it's hard to put a sequel to something else on one of those lists (it also doesn't have any grutuites scenes in it-- you need that to have critical acclaim since critics stab people in the back and commit adultary all the time). But the ratings were monstrous as was the critical acclaim of the time and the unique way it was broadcast (full on first time syndication). The show also featured some incredible actors (Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner) just acting the pants off stuff. The show had everything any of the other series had along with Gene Roddenberry's original vision still in tact. The emotional depth it reached was completely unparallel for a sci-fi show of it's time. The show presented humanity in a way that we could all look to the future with hope. The guest stars were amazing (Whoopi Goldberg as a 24th Century bartender? More please!). TNG is just plain good.

Sure it had it's drawbacks. It got predictable. Riker didn't really take off as a character the way he could have. The characters were a little too peaceful and understanding at times. And Deanna Troi's accent kind of freaked me out. But most of TNG's deficincies became endearing eventually. Kind of like a long healthy marriage. It isn't healthy because everything about it is perfect; it's healthy because you grow to enjoy the flaws of the other. That is how TNG is. None of the flaws made people stop watching, and that is why the show will be on TV for as long as TV still exists (so about 7 more years) and then it will casually move on to whatever is next. TNG made me love Star Trek, and it still makes me feel at home. I get geeked out just thinking about it. In fact, I might watch a couple of episodes tonight to recover from the dark world of Breaking Bad. Now there's a TV show.