Enter the world of Star Trek: Take the quiz and find out where to start!

Star Trek is absolutely stellar. Humanistic techno-optimism with unforgettable characters larger than the universe itself, inspiration for hundreds of real-world inventions, and the source of thousands of memes, including the legendary Picard facepalm.

<p>But with thirteen feature films and twelve series ranging from two to seven seasons, where the hell do you even start with this behemoth?</p>

<p>I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't have the solution. Take our ultimate <strong>Star Trek test</strong>, answer eight questions, and find out which movie or series is your ideal gateway into the world of Vulcans, the Federation, and the most British Frenchmen the universe has ever seen.</p>

Your result

I've excluded things that are inherently unsuitable for a new fan, namely Picard, Short Treks, and all films except the first ones.

<h2>Series</h2>

<h3>1. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)</h3>
<p>This is simply the classic where it all began. The first <strong>Enterprise</strong>, the first encounter with Klingons (who back then looked like a parody of Mexican farmers), and the first kiss between different species and ethnicities.</p>

<p>But let's be honest, it hasn't aged perfectly. Everything is made of rubber and styrofoam, except for Kirk's uniform, which is made of paper and tears in every other episode just so the audience can admire Shatner's nipple.</p>

<p>Some episodes are still legendary today, while others elicit more of an ironic laugh than anything else.</p>

<p>Unless you suffer from some form of OCD that forces you to watch the universe in release order, this won't be a good starting point for you.</p>

<h3>2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)</h3>
<p>TNG is the evolution of <strong>Star Trek</strong> in every respect: characters are much more fleshed out, aliens are more believable, the captain is more of a diplomat than an action hero, and many stories focus on interesting ethical and moral dilemmas rather than shooting rubber lizards.</p>

<p>Episodes like the trial regarding the rights of artificial beings or communicating without a translator with a species whose language works on a different principle are legendary and easily outshine the vast majority of today's TV sci-fi.</p>

<p>Sure, the series as a whole has aged a bit, and the effects are primitive. The show spent the first season finding its footing, and even later episodes couldn't avoid excesses like grandma and sex with a ghost from a candle. Still, it's Trek through and through—optimistic, smart, adventurous—and if you can handle a bit of dust, it's the ideal start for your Star Trek obsession.</p>

<h3>3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)</h3>
<p><strong>Deep Space Nine</strong> was my gateway into the ST world. Unlike its predecessors, it doesn't tell the story of a starship, but of a single station orbiting a world recovering from the horrors of war.</p>

<p><strong>Deep Space Nine</strong> is darker, more political, and more complex. The post-war state, recovering from occupation, lingering hatred, and a new fragile hope bring a spectrum of very interesting problems and dilemmas that no other Trek offers.</p>

<p>It's also the <strong>Star Trek</strong> that focuses most on species and people outside the Federation fleet. Civilians from all sorts of planets live on the titular station, and many of them are just as important to the story as the phenomenally played Commander Sisko or Jadzia Dax.</p>

<p>It's also the Trek with the biggest and best character development. It's fascinating to watch characters you hate from the bottom of your heart (hello, Dr. Bashir) gain unexpected human dimensions, grow through unlikely friendships, and suddenly you're rooting for them, hoping they finally defend that Alamo on the holodeck with O'Brien. Another great entry point. A bit grittier, but great.</p>

<h3>4. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)</h3>
<p>Voyager has a great premise: two enemy factions are on one ship, cut off from the known universe. Only if they can cooperate can they hope to return home.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, by the third episode of ST:V, the show throws that concept out the window; everyone gets along, and the crew cooperates seamlessly.</p>

<p>The premise of a stranded ship having to make tough decisions between survival and Federation values is great but underutilized, and overall, Voyager is among the weaker pieces of the ST universe. Plus, even before Discovery came out, Voyager held the record for the most annoying character ever to appear in Trek.</p>

<p>It's not an explicitly bad entry point, especially if you're drawn to exploring the unknown universe, but there are significantly better candidates.</p>

<h3>5. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)</h3>
<p><strong>Enterprise</strong> goes back almost to the present day and shows what Earth's first timid steps into space looked like. No Federation, no warp 10, five phasers, and an experimental teleporter the crew is afraid to step into for half the season.</p>

<p>Scott Bakula as Captain Archer is absolutely great, but the same can't be said for all his companions, and the whole series spent so long finding itself that it got cancelled. In four seasons, it went from an episodic format to an epic season-long story, through demented time wars to clusters of multi-episode arcs.</p>

<p>It's interesting to see how it all began, but that's probably more appreciated by already knowledgeable Trekkies, not complete newbies. As a gateway, the series is rather unsuitable, unless you suffer from OCD that forces you to watch the series in-universe chronologically (and then you're in for an extreme headache with the reboots).</p>

<h3>6. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)</h3>

Discovery is a narratively failed fanfiction. It takes place in the era of the original Trek, and the main character (for the first time, Trek has one clear, dominant lead) is Spock's adoptive sister—the best Vulcan and human at once—who never makes a mistake, and when she does, it's because she's smarter than everyone around her and they love her for it.

After disobeying her captain and starting a galactic war, she gets a spot on an experimental ship that is the only one that can save the fate of two universes, only for Burnham to immediately become a literal religious idol and savior from the future and…

Every season, even if it offers an interesting and tense plot, brings a resolution worse than the previous one. And the bar was pretty low to begin with.

The characters are likable, but it doesn't matter because they get no space due to the dominant Mary Sue, and the only good thing about Discovery is that it gave us the spin-off Strange New Worlds.

<h3>7. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present)</h3>
<p>SNW is a standard episodic adventure, but it has a lot to say. Even about classic characters, breathing new life into them and giving them dimensions that 60s television simply wasn't capable of.</p>

Even the writers, producers, and directors are magicians.

When they decide to use one of the dumbest concepts in Star Trek—the Time Wars—they shake a great, heart-wrenching episode out of it and add even more to a great character.

When they decide to make a musical episode—something that is obviously completely out of place in Star Trek—all the musical haters on Reddit come out and start praising them.

When they decide to do a crossover with a comedic animated series with a completely different tone, it's a hit. It just doesn't make sense! If you want to taste the world of Picard and Kirk but just can't handle the older series, this is a great entry point. And even if you can handle them, it's still not a bad idea to start right here. This is simply great Trek.

<h2>Animated series</h2>

<h3>8. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)</h3>
<p>The animated original Star Trek is just a cartoon continuation of the classic adventures with the classic crew.</p>

If you want to start with Spock and Kirk but don't have the nerves to sit through an hour of Shatner overacting while shouting at styrofoam rocks, the 20-minute animated format might be the ideal starting point.

<h3>9. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present)</h3>
<p><strong>Lower Decks</strong> is super, but it's not classic Trek. It's a frantic comedy in the style of Futurama, and although classic characters like Riker have cameos here, it's mostly about jokes and nothing else.</p>

Definitely watch Lower Decks, but not as your first Trek. For one, you'll enjoy it much more when you catch at least half the references to all the other series, and they definitely aren't a representative sample. They're like that uncle who's fun to be around, but he smells and threw up on the couch.

<h3>10. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present)</h3>
<p><strong>Prodigy</strong> is Star Trek for kids—that's how they present it, that's the plot, and those are the characters. But it's also the second-best Trek of the last ten years and a series made by people who obviously love this whole universe incredibly much.</p>

This is an absolutely perfect series for Trekkie parents who want to introduce their child to their beloved fandom; everyone will enjoy it. One character is better than the next, and the only extremely annoying one has a totally great story arc and growth.

The story is adapted for a younger audience, but it's not stupid or simple and has plenty of dark shades. Child slaves (all aliens) on a mining asteroid find an abandoned Federation ship, on which they manage to escape their captors. Left to their own devices and a hologram of Janeway, they make their way through the universe, make a lot of mistakes, but also learn and become better.

<h2>Movies</h2>

<h3>11. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)</h3>
<p>The first feature film. Still Kirk and the classic crew, but with much more impressive visuals and music.</p>
<p>But it's also over 40 years old and feels a lot like it was filmed by Kubrick from Wish. It's said that only the even-numbered Trek films are good, and the first one definitely doesn't disprove that claim.</p>

<p>If you don't mind an attempt at more philosophical sci-fi and want to soak up the atmosphere of the original <strong>Star Trek</strong>, but not too much, the two-hour self-contained format is the ideal opportunity from which you can skip straight to something better, like Next Generation or Strange New Worlds.</p>

<h3>12. Star Trek (2009)</h3>
<p>JJ Abrams, known as the guy who got lost while writing the script for LOST, tried to reboot and modernize Star Trek in 2009.</p>

Time-traveling Romulans split the timeline and created an alternative universe in which only a new and more action-oriented Kirk with a more emotional Spock can save the Federation.

The rebooted ST is simply a modern action movie. It's all shiny with lots of lens flares, fists and lasers are flying, and if you manage to avoid any deeper reflection on the plot during those two hours, it's decent popcorn entertainment.

Final word

Star Trek is a fascinating world full of adventure, moral dilemmas, and characters that have become icons not only of the sci-fi genre but of pop culture as a whole. Every series and film brings something unique—from the beginnings with Captain Kirk and Spock to modern incarnations like Strange New Worlds.

Choosing the right series or movie can be complicated, but no matter where you start, you'll become part of one of the most significant sci-fi sagas of all time. So grab your tricorder, set warp, and go where no one has gone before—and as they say on the Enterprise, "Live long and prosper." 🚀🖖