Which Star Trek Series is the Highest Rated by Fans & Critics?
Every Star Trek fan has strong opinions about which series is the best. Of course, these opinions are highly subjective. Each fan has their own personal taste and their own idea of what makes for good Trek. Its hard to compare each of the Star Trek shows to the others because theyre so different. Some of the shows are episodic while others follow season-long arcs. Some focus on a completely optimistic vision of the future while others have a grittier, darker outlook. Some are character-based while others are action-based. So, its difficult to get an objective view of which Star Trek series is truly the best. However, in the age of the Internet, people have come to rely on critic and user ratings to evaluate television and movies. These scores provide a benchmark for comparison that opinion alone cannot rival. Heres what the numbers say. The Original Series Average Rating: 87      Play    Star Trek: The Original Series -intro ST:TOS  Likecoin  Coins for Likes: likecoin.pro/@fortinbras/eze9/taf1 2011-03-15T13:20:51Z  Without Star Trek: The Original Series there would be no Trekverse. The show inspired generations of fans, creators, writers, and directors. Trekkers whove been watching since the very beginning often rank TOS as the number one series in the franchise. However, fans who started watching Trek in the 90s or 2000s often cant get past the very 60s aesthetic of the show. That being said, TOS is still one of the most popular shows in the franchise. Its rated 8.5/10 on IMDB and 84% average rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasnt been rated by the critics on Metacritic, but users gave it a 9.3. So, its earned an average rating of 87. The Animated Series Average Rating: 80.25      Play    Star Trek: The Animated Series intro [HQ] Enjoy. 2019-06-18T05:10:09Z  Many Star Trek fans have never even seen the short-lived animated version of TOS known simply as The Animated Series. It debuted in the 70s in response to the massive fandom that had formed around TOS. Though not many fans would say that its their favorite Trek, its certainly well-loved. The series earned a 7.4/10 rating from IMDB users and an average rating of 86% from Rotten Tomatoes. It was not rated by the critics or users at Metacritic. That gives it an average rating of 80.25. The Next Generation Average Rating: 82      Play    Star Trek: The Next Generation Intro HD The other intro credits from the "Next Level" Bluray release TNG 2012-02-01T04:36:03Z  About 20 years after TOS hit the air, Paramount decided to reboot the franchise with Star Trek: The Next Generation. The reboot introduced a whole new set of people to the Trekverse and a new generation of Trekkers emerged. Original Trekkers and new Trekkers alike often claim TNG is the best of the franchise. The show was given an 8.6 by IMDB users and an average rating of 90 on Rotten Tomatoes. Users on Metacritic gave TNG a 9.4 rating, but the critics gave the show a 51. All the reviews on Metacritic were based on the first season of the show. So, that should be taken into account. With the low critic rating from Metacritic, the show ends up with an average rating of 82. Deep Space Nine Average Rating: 83      Play    Star Trek Deep Space Nine Opening Credits (Season 1) The iconic opening title credits from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1) 2011-11-01T13:08:59Z  The success of TNG led to the first spinoff of the reboot  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. DS9 was a departure from previous Trek shows in several ways. It was based on a space station instead of a starship. It was much more about intergalactic politics than exploration. DS9 also introduced serial storytelling to the franchise. Fans who love DS9 really love it, but fans who dont like the show really dont like it. So, the reviews are understandably varied. DS9 was rated 8/10 on IMDB, earned an average rating of 88.5 on Rotten Tomatoes, and was given an 80.5 average rating on Metacritic. So, the shows overall average rating comes in at 83. Voyager Average Rating: 76      Play    Star Trek: Voyager | Opening  Intro HD Over a thumb up and a subscription for our efforts, we would be very happy. But leave the bell quiet. ;-) 2018-06-03T23:45:15Z  A few years after DS9 premiered, the studio decided to expand the Star Trek franchise even further with Star Trek: Voyager. The show introduced the franchises first female lead and followed a ship stranded a lifetimes journey away from home. Voyager returned to the episodic, adventure of the week format that TOS and TNG had followed. After DS9s departure from classic Trek conventions, Voyager was an attempt to return to Trek norms. Like DS9, fans of Voyager really love it, and haters really hate it. This polarized sentiment is well-reflected in the ratings of the show. Users on IMDB gave Voyager a 7.8/10. It earned an average score of 75.5 on Rotten Tomatoes and 74 on Metacritic. So, the overall average score for Voyager ends up being 76. Enterprise Average Rating: 71.5      Play    Star Trek  Enterprise Intro HD Star Trek  Enterprise Intro HD 2009-04-10T13:38:25Z  With Voyager wrapping up, the studio wanted to capitalize on the Trek franchise. However, the showrunner, Rick Berman, was concerned that Trek was becoming overdone, as he told StarTrek.com. He was ready to give the franchise a rest. The studio won the argument. Berman and Brannon Braga created Enterprise, a prequel to TOS. The shows goals were to return to the Wild West exploration of TOS and provide an origin story for the Federation. While many fans loved the classic Trek feel of Enterprise, the show was not well-loved by the fandom in general. It was the first Trek show since TOS to get canceled and the only one of its era to not make it to seven seasons. The show was given a 7.5 by IMDB users and earned an average score of 66.5 on Rotten Tomatoes because of very low critic scores. Similarly, low critic scores give it an average rating of 73 on Metacritic. Enterprises average rating of 71.5 is, by far, the lowest among the classic Trek shows. However, its nowhere near as low as the ratings for the contemporary Trek shows. Discovery Average Rating: 63.5      Play    Star Trek: Discovery  Main Title Sequence Watch all-new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Sundays at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT, exclusively on CBS All Access. #StarTrek 2017-09-24T17:00:02Z  After the cancellation of Enterprise, the Trek franchise was dormant for almost a decade. In 2009, J.J. Abrams decided to reboot the franchise with blockbuster movies instead of a new show. He went on to make two more Trek movies. Alex Kurtzman was heavily involved in Abrams reboot of the Trekverse. In 2015, he signed a deal with CBS All Access for the first new Star Trek show in over a decade  Star Trek: Discovery.  Discovery was very different from the shows that came before. It was cinematic. It was dark and gritty science fiction rather than light and optimistic speculative fiction. As a prequel to TOS, Discovery inserted itself into Trek canon in a way that many fans found very upsetting. It quickly became the most polarizing show in the franchise, which is evident in the online ratings. Though the show was critically well-received, it was not well-received by the fandom. On Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a critic rating of 84, but a user rating of 42, for an average rating of 63. On Metacritic, Discovery received a 73 from the critics, but a 3.8/10 from the fans, for an average rating of 55.5. Users on IMDB were kinder to Discovery, but it still came in lower than the classic Trek ratings with a 7.2/10. All told, Discoverys average rating comes in at just 63.5. Picard Average Rating: 68      Play    Star Trek Picard  Main title sequence 2020-01-23T09:46:44Z  Just over a year after Discovery premiered, CBS All Access announced that it would be launching a new show, centered on one of the most beloved captains in the Star Trek universe  Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The first season was received similarly to Discovery. Many fans were upset about the future Star Trek: Picard imagined and how their favorite captain was characterized in the show. However, other sectors of the fandom were delighted with the continuation of Picards story. Though it wasnt received as poorly as Discovery, the reactions to Picard were mixed, at best. Like Discovery, the show was generally well-liked by critics, but less liked by fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave the show an 87 while fans gave the show a 55, for an average rating of 71. On Metacritic, critics gave the show a 76, while fans gave the show a 4.1/10, for an average rating of 58.5. Again, IMDB users were kinder to Picard, giving it a 7.5/10. Picards total average rating ends up being 68, just a bit higher than Discovery but well below classic Trek. Lower Decks Average Rating 60      Play    Star Trek Lower Decks Intro sci fi reviews channel: youtube.com/channel/UCrLsxBysUHnpSKRpXMbMVzg All parody Edits : youtube.com/channel/UCnnRzi7q1YTRFYvzSnjEzhQ 2020-08-06T08:02:29Z  In 2018, CBS All Access announced that theyd be launching a new animated Star Trek series targeted at teens and young adults. Star Trek: Lower Decks was the franchises first foray into animation in over three decades. It was also the franchises first concerted effort to target a younger audience. The show ended up being a hilarious homage to classic Star Trek with references and Easter eggs galore. Though it was well-received by some fans, they were absolutely in the minority. Overall, the show is disliked by critics and fans alike. On Rotten Tomatoes it earned an average rating of just 56.5. The average rating on Metacritic was just as dismal, a mere 53. It was also the lowest-rated Trek show on IMDB, though users were still kinder than on the other sites. IMDB users gave the show 7/10. So, Lower Decks comes in dead last with an average score of just 60. Based on the numbers from all three rating sites, The Original Series is the clear winner for the highest-rated show in the Star Trek franchise. Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation are essentially tied for second, though the low Metacritic ratings for TNG definitely skewed its average score. The contemporary Trek shows are nowhere near as highly-rated as the classic Trek shows, especially with the fandom. Though critics liked them better than fans, even the critics didnt like them as much as classic Star Trek.  And theres no debating the fact that Lower Decks is the lowest-rated show in the entire franchise. Follow the Heavy on Star Trek Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!