Star Trekhas endured and remained popular for nearly 60 years, in part because of bold decisions that seemed controversial at first but have aged well.Star Trek: The Original Seriesin the 1960s evolved into an eternal franchise encompassing a dozenStar TrekTV series and 14 movies, with more on the way.Star Trekhas grown beyond the voyages of the Starship Enterprise by taking chances that paid off.
Not that fans have always been on board with changes toStar Trek. Each newStar Trekseriesis met with trepidation, suspicion, and even outrage, starting withStar Trek: The Next Generationand continuing with the manyStar Trek on Paramount+ shows. Butchange is a necessary constant forStar Trek,which never forgets to hold onto the core values of Gene Roddenberry’s vision even as the boundaries of that vision are pushed. Here are 10 decisionsStar Trekmade that, in hindsight, have aged well, indeed.
10Moving Star Trek: Discovery To The 32nd Century
Star Trek Now Has A New Future To Explore
SettingStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1in the 23rd century while updating its visual style angered longtime fans ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesand it was a no-win scenario. At the end ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2,Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery jumped to the 32nd century, a decision that energized the series and created a new frontier forStar Trek.
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Star Trek: Discovery’s 32nd century allowed for the USS Discovery itself to be the flag bearer of Starfleet’s classic values as Burnham and her crew repaired a broken future. The 32nd century allowedDiscoveryto expandStar Trek’s technology, and introduced new planets and concepts. Even afterStar Trek: Discoveryended with season 5, the 32nd century will further thrive with the nextStar Trekseries,Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
9Worf Joining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) was added toStar Trek: Deep Space Nineto lend aStar Trek: The Next Generation-style boost to the space station-set spinoff. WhileDS9did become a more interesting place with the Klingon aboard, it was Worf who was the true beneficiary.DS9evolved Worf into an even more complex and fascinating character,as he fell in love with and tragically lost Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell).
Star Trek: Deep Space Ninewas the first to prove that adding Worf is a surefire way to improve anyStar Trek.
Worf joiningStar Trek: Deep Space Ninebolstered Michael Dorn’s record as the actor/character who has appeared in the most episodes ofStar Trek(288). Captain Worf’s comeback inStar Trek: Picardseason 3 benefited from his time onDS9, as the Klingon is now wiser, more self-aware, and even funnier than ever.Star Trek: Deep Space Ninewas the first to prove that addingWorf is a surefire way to improve anyStar Trek.
8Star Trek’s First-Ever Musical Episode
“Subspace Rhapsody” Is A Star Trek Milestone
AStar Trekmusical never should have worked. Yet Star Trek: Strange New Worldstook perhaps its boldest swing ever, and delivered an all-time classic that ranks among the best TV musical episodes of all time. Further,Star Trek’s first-ever musical, “Subspace Rhapsody,” isn’t just a gimmick, but it’s also an excellent episode ofStar Trekandhas become the signature calling card ofStrange New Worlds.
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' castproved their musical chops, led by powerful vocalists like Celia Rose Gooding and Christina Chong. But the true key to the magic of “Subspace Rhapsody” by songwriters Kay Hanley and Tom Polce, and writers Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, was to make the songs reflect the inner feelings of the USS Enterprise crew while alsosmartly creating a sci-fi reason forStar Trek’s first-ever musical to happen in the first place.
7Seven Of Nine Joining Star Trek: Picard
We Want Captain Seven Of Nine & Star Trek: Legacy
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was a wildly popular breakout character fromStar Trek: Voyager,and adding Seven toStar Trek: Picardreaped dividends. A plan for Seven of Nine to cameo inStar Trek: Nemesisdidn’t happen for the logical reason that the reclaimed Borg didn’t know the crew of the USS Enterprise-E. It took 18 years for Seven of Nine to finally meet Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), andSeven became even more popular from her three seasons ofStar Trek: Picard.
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Star Trek: Picardopened up new dimensions of Seven of Nine, revealing her as a hardened space heroine who reluctantly believes in Starfleet. After she finally joined Starfleet, Seven of Nine set a course to become the Captain of the USS Enterprise-G at theend ofStar Trek: Picardseason 3. Captain Seven’s story has yet to be told, andperhaps the most fervently demanded newStar Trekproject isStar Trek: Legacywith Seven of Nine as Captain.
6Star Trek: Lower Decks Making Star Trek Funny
A Star Trek Animated Comedy? Yes, Please.
In truth,Star Trekhas always been funny, but it was Mike McMahan who found the alchemy to createStar Trek’s first animated half-hour comedy.Star Trek: Lower Decksis another idea that, on paper, probably shouldn’t have worked, but McMahan’s vision teamed with a writing staff that reveresStar Trek, the vivid animation of Titmouse Inc., and an irrepressible voice cast led by Tawny Newsome and Jack QuaidturnedStar Trek: Lower Decksinto essentialStar Trek.
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Star Trek: Lower Deckstapped into the deep fondness fans have forStar Trek: The Next Generation’s era, and ingeniously made it central to the Lower Deckers' own love of Starfleet. ButStar Trek: Lower Decks' secret sauce is its abiliity to create loveable characters as complex and endearing asStar Trek’s live-action roster. Along withStar Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Lower DecksmadeanimatedStar Treka viable medium that’s even more inventive and inclusive than live-actionStar Trek.
5Star Trek: Picard Season 3’s TNG Reunion
Picard Season 3 Made TNG Fans' Dreams Come True
By design,Star Trek: Picardinitially separated Admiral Jean-Luc Picard from most of hisStar Trek: The Next Generationcohorts. After mixed critical and audience reaction,Star Trek: Picardseason 3 wisely pivoted towhat audiences wanted all along: Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D back together to save the galaxy. The result was perhaps the most acclaimed single season of the Star Trek on Paramount+ era.
Picardseason 3 showcased the eternally satisfying dynamic ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’s heroes.
Masterminded by showrunner Terry Matalas,Star Trek: Picardseason 3 hit all of theTNGnostalgia sweet spots while cleverly moving the USS Enterprise-D’s icons forward in their lives.Picardseason 3 showcased the eternally satisfying dynamic ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’s heroeswhile introducing popular new faces like Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers).Star Trek: Picardseason 3 provedTNGis not yesterday’s Enterprise, and fans want more in the form ofStar Trek: Legacy.
4Introducing Captain Pike & His Enterprise Crew In Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
The Result: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1 ended with the sight of the USS Discovery face-to-face with the USS Enterprise. It was a promiseStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2 fully kept by introducing Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), andNumber One (Rebecca Romijn). With ingenious recasting, Pike and Number One, characters not seen for 50 years, werereintoduced back intoStar Trekcanon, and better than ever.
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Not only was Anson Mount’s Captain Pike instantly popular, butaudiences clamored for a spinoff about Pike’s Starship Enterprise. In 2022, that spinoff came to life in the form ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, which modernized the style and episodic format ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesfor the 21st century.Star Trek: Discoverybringing in Captain Pike and the Enterprise worked better than anyone could have imagined.
3J.J. Abrams Recasting Star Trek: The Original Series Characters
Star Trek Has Mastered The Art Of Recasting Iconic Characters
Conventional wisdom held that only William Shatner could play Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy is the only one who can Mr. Spock. For his reboot,Star Trek(2009), director J.J. Abrams bucked convention, defied naysayers, and proved thatyounger actors can not only playStar Trek’s most enduring icons, but also breathe new life into the entire crew of the USS Enterprise.
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Although J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) updated the franchise with blockbuster movie visual effects, it was the ability ofStar Trek’s young actors, led by Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, and Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy, to distill the essences ofStar Trek: The Original Series' charactersthat left a lasting impression.Star Trek(2009)’s recasting opened the door to other actors taking on those roles, such as Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck playing Kirk and Spock onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
2Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Introducing Serialization
DS9 Foresaw The Streaming Era
30 years after it premiered, it’s clearStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewas ahead of its time. Indeed,DS9’s later seasons prophetically foresaw the modern age of serialized streaming TV shows.Star Trek: Deep Space Ninebroke television convention by adopting a serialized approach to its Dominion War storyline, demanding audiences keep up with the evolving saga ofCaptain Benjamin Sisko’s (Avery Brooks) fight to save the United Federation of Planets.
Star Trek Will Never Have A Cast As Big As Deep Space Nine Again
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine boasted a massive cast of popular series regulars and recurring characters that modern Star Trek isn’t able to equal.
Today,Star Trek: Deep Space Ninefeels even more relevant, and holds up as the most character-driven and complexStar Trekseries. Serialized television is now the norm, andStar Trek: Discoveryis credited with bringingStar Trekinto the streaming era. ButStar Trek: Deep Space Ninedid serialization first, and expanded whatStar Trekcould be in the process.
1Breaking Gene Roddenberry’s Rule On Starfleet Conflict
Star Trek Became More Human But No Less Compelling
Star Trek: The Next Generationlaunched withGene Roddenberry’s adjusted visionforStar Trek’s 24th century: an era where, in Gene’s mind,there is no conflict among the human crew of the USS Enterprise-D. It was an idyllic and Utopian vision that proved to be difficult forTNG’s revolving door of writers to create compelling dramatic stories. While aspects of Roddenberry’s vision still hold,Star Trekhas echewed Gene’s"no conflict"rule for the better.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s space station populated by an eclectic mix of aliens and Starfleet Officers offeredStar Treka way to show internal confict. Today’s Star Trek on Paramount+ showsprize compelling drama over Roddenberry’s vision while still trying to reflect the inherent optimism ofStar Trek.Moving past Gene Roddenberry’s"no conflict"rule allowedStar Trekto show a better way of overcoming disagreements and working together for a brighter future.
