The first series, simply titled Star Trek, launched a massive multimedia franchise with twelve shows and counting. Some shows were better received than others, but they all boldly pushed the franchise forward in some way. More importantly, Star Trek has become one of the most influential sci-fi franchises in television history, not to mention garnering billions of dollars over the last six decades.

Since the release of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, the franchise has experienced a new golden age with five new shows currently on the air. Now it's been announced that the upcoming fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery will be the final one, ending a pretty respectable run for a streaming show. That said, fans can still rewatch any of the twelve Star Trek series on various streaming platforms.

Updated on January 18, 2024, by Robert Vaux: The announcement of a new series in the ever-developing Star Trek franchise has excited fans of the successful new wave of series. The upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is sure to entice fans with its promise of an all-new cast of characters. As such, we've updated this list with some more information and adjusted the rankings slightly. In addition, the formatting has been updated in keeping with current CBR guidelines.

12 Star Trek: Short Treks Delivered Trek in Bite-Sized Form

Looking for ways to expand the franchise, CBS developed Star Trek: Short Treks. This series ran for only two seasons and comprised a number of shorts centered around side characters in Star Trek: Discovery. The second season of Short Treks also helped set up Star Trek: Picard.

Fans generally considered the second season to be better because it expanded to include new characters like Strange New Worlds' Captain Pike. Short Treks even featured two standout animated episodes. The show might have improved more if it had progressed further, but the quality of the existing shorts was a little uneven.

11 Star Trek: The Animated Series Continued the Five-Year Mission

Several years after the original series went off the air, Star Trek: The Animated Series continued the adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew. The animated series followed the same formula as the live-action show. However, it also introduced new elements like Robert April, the first captain of the Enterprise.

There's also a certain amount of nostalgia for the wacky science fiction stories of the '70s. Unfortunately, it was considered a poor follow-up to the original at the time, which led to its non-canon status. The animation can be rough, but there's a certain charm about Star Trek: The Animated Series that recaptured the playfulness of the original.

10 Star Trek: Prodigy Was Aimed at Family Viewers

The third animated show to enter the Star Trek franchise was Star Trek: Prodigy, which returned the franchise to the Delta Quadrant and introduced new alien characters. Here, the new kids found an experimental starship and used it to escape slavery. With the help of the ship's hologram (Capt. Janeway), they set the course for the Federation and the hopes of a better life.

Star Trek: Prodigy quickly grew into a fan-favorite series. It was developed by fans of the franchise and will serve as a good entry point for kids looking to get into Star Trek. There's still a chance for the show to find a bigger audience when the second season streams, although it won't be on Paramount+.

9 Star Trek: Picard Was a Beloved Character's Curtain Call

Initially set in the final year of the 24th century, Star Trek: Picard sees the former Captain of the Enterprise called to action once again to unveil a Romulan plot to destroy all synthetic life forms. The second season started a new story that brought Q back to give Picard one final gift before he died.

Star Trek: Picard has had a rocky start with fans, and the first and second seasons were not always well-liked. The third and final season of Picard brought back the original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, allowing the series to go out on a high note with a few familiar faces.

8 Star Trek: Enterprise Showed The Early Days of The Final Frontier

Star Trek: Enterprise was the first prequel series developed in the franchise, though it wouldn't be the last. This show was set 10 years before the founding of the Federation and took place on the first starship capable of Warp 5. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, the ship would explore the furthest reaches of known space.

Star Trek: Enterprise didn't find its footing until season three, but it also came at a time when fans were getting tired of Star Trek. It's better remembered today thanks to its solid third and fourth seasons, but it never quite reached the heights of its predecessors.

7 Star Trek: Voyager Sent Its Crew to The Delta Quadrant

Star Trek: Voyager takes the franchise to the far-off Delta Quadrant of the galaxy. The crew of the USS Voyager becomes stranded 70 years away from home. Captain Janeway tried to keep her crew together while also finding a safe way to bring them home. Star Trek: Voyager introduced a lot of fan-favorite characters, like Seven of Nine.

They faced new foes while the looming threat of the Borg became more and more persistent. Captain Janeway may have gone too far at times, but she stands tall as one of the best captains in the franchise. Some of the best Borg-themed episodes of the entire franchise come from Voyager.

6 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Rediscovers a Forgotten Crew

​​​​​​Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returned to the Enterprise, but well before James T. Kirk took command. Under the leadership of Captain Pike, the Enterprise sought out strange new worlds and boldly went where no one had gone before. After many shows that tried different things with the franchise, fans were eager for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

The show brought the franchise back to the Planet of the Week formula and executed it almost as well as the original series. The show is still very much a work in progress, but with compelling characters on new exciting adventures, Strange New Worlds is the show fans have been waiting to see for years.

5 Star Trek: Lower Decks Pokes Affectionate Fun at the Franchise

CBS developed Star Trek: Lower Decks to capitalize on the rising popularity of adult animated shows. Lower Decks followed four officers who served on an unimportant ship in Starfleet called the Cerritos. The support crew members don't always take their jobs seriously, which only adds to the humor. Lower Decks is the first Star Trek series specifically created to be a comedy, which initially divided fans.

Some appreciated its referential humor and have grown to love the new characters, but others found the adult humor to be out of line with the franchise. But Star Trek: Lower Decks has a great voice cast and likable characters who continue to make new fans, and as time has gone on, it's become increasingly indispensable, not only as a Star Trek parody, but as great Star Trek in and of itself.

4 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Looked at the Dark Side of The Final Frontier

Taking a radical departure from the franchise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was set on a space station rather than a starship. The series revolved around a special wormhole that allowed passage to an unknown region of space called the Gamma Quadrant.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was often more political than its counterparts. Like most Star Trek shows, it had a rocky first few seasons but really got going when the Dominion War broke out. The series stands as one of the best in the franchise, and fans excitedly celebrated the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

3 Star Trek: Discovery Sparked a Franchise Renaissance

Star Trek: Discovery was a drastic departure from the rest of the franchise. Instead of the typical Planet of the Week format, Discovery was much more serialized. Discovery primarily followed Michael Burnham as she served on the USS Discovery, eventually finding herself at the center of a few conspiracies within the Federation. Star Trek: Discovery ushered in a new era of Star Trek, but it's received a certain amount of vitriol from fans.

Many didn't appreciate the drastic tone shift the show took and often complained about its sometimes sketchy place in the canon. The complaints were similar to the kind that greeted earlier Star Trek series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. However, Discovery pushed through the early flack, taking the franchise's signature progressiveness to exciting new levels and launching the current franchise renaissance in the process.

2 Star Trek: The Original Series Was the Start of It All

Star Trek introduced the world to a utopian future where humanity was exploring the stars. The original series followed the exploits of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. Each week, Kirk and the crew went to a new planet or explored something different in space, leading to fresh trouble and adventures.

While Star Trek's original series featured controversial episodes, it still stands tall among the rest of the franchise. In other words, the show that started it all is often considered the best. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are the most iconic characters to ever grace the franchise and their exploits are legendary.

1 Star Trek: The Next Generation Moved the Franchise Beyond a Single Crew

Set more than 80 years after the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced fans to the 24th century and a brand new Enterprise. Captain Picard commanded the Enterprise-D as it explored new planets and experienced new adventures.

For most fans, TNG was Star Trek perfected. While it didn't have a strong start, the series kept improving and delivered some of the most popular stories and adventures in the entire franchise. Fans fell head-over-heels for this new crew, as well as some of the deadliest enemies on Star Trek: The Next Generation.