As a kid i loved watching the next generation and deep space 9 with my dad. Ive always liked sci fi, more of a (stargate fan) and wanted to get back into star trek, but Im just so lost on timelines and whats going on. There are like 6 kirks and I have no idea how/where to get started with watching this again.
After being gone from it since Star Trek Enterprise, my wife and I got back in with Star Trek Lower Decks (oddly enough). If you can handle it being animated (and goofy), it is actually a very dearly written love-letter to TNG and some of the most important moments in Star Trek lore. We appreciated that it didn’t try to reinvent characters that already exist, and did a good job of bringing on old actors for cameos. They bring on people from TNG, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager all the time to reprise their roles.
There’s a live-action Star Trek currently running that I can’t attest to, but it has a crossover with Lower Decks that means I’m going to give it a try.
My friend. Watch Strange New Worlds. Best Trek since TNG (imho).
It does lean a little towards the silly more than I’d generally like, but even the silly is good.
And the cross over episode was top notch.
Ill give Lower decks a shot!
I do have to say one of the things that has turned me off from the ones I’ve tried to start up is the repeated attempts to revive/reinvent the old characters. Not a fan of reboots.
Lower Decks does have some legacy characters as guest stars. Riker, Paris, Troi, Q, Quark, Kira and a few others all make appearances. But those are cameo type appearances and the focus of the show is on new characters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_Lower_Decks_characters#Guest_characters
Watching this now. I’m enjoying it more than I expected and would also recommend it.
I haven’t watched the new season of strange new worlds but it’s certainly a star trek show more so than discovery. Strange new worlds listened to the fan complaints and went more towards TOS in feel
Start with The Next Generation, just remember the first two seasons are the weakest by far. Really picks up in S3/4.
Then do DS9 and Voyager. Enterprise is worth watching if you get there.
Or start watching Strange New Worlds, it’s freaking awesome and modern but has the same feel as old Trek.
I stand by my claim that TNG is better when Riker has a beard and its best when Geordi has a beard!
I rewatched TNG in its entirety during peak pandemic. Season 1 is pretty painful, but the rest holds up well. I tried to watch DS9 afterwards and bounced off it pretty hard. It’s got such a different vibe from TNG. Voyager is a little closer to TNG, but missing some of the campiness that I enjoy.
I’m really liking Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Picard Season 3 (avoid Picard Seasons 1&2 at all costs, just skip them as they have nothing to do w/ S3).
I tried watching TNG a few times and holy shit it was so bad. There’s no way I can slog through two seasons to get to the decent bits
Start with s3e1, wayyy better
Many of us feel the impulse to recommend whichever Trek first pulled us in. Others are completists or like to get everything in release or chronological order.
I see lots of recommendations starting along these lines here. That might not best for you OP. I’ve had the personal experience of watching everything in first run in release order, but I don’t know if I would attempt that if I were wanting to break back in after a long hiatus.
If you liked the original 1960s show (TOS) with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, Strange New Worlds may be your best entry point now. It takes place on the original Enterprise under an earlier captain, 10ish years before the time of the original show. Kirk and Spock are the same people you know but younger, and necessarily played by new actors. It’s designed to be a gateway show for fans who’ve never seen any Star Trek so you won’t be lost trying to figure out where things fit in. (The movies with Chris Pine as Kirk are set in a separate universe.)
If you were a Next Generation fan, then you might wish to start with Picard season three or Lower Decks.
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The Original Series and Next Generation movies are in the Prime Universe, the new movies (2009, Into Darkness, Beyond) are in what’s known as the Kelvin Universe.
There are some major events that lead to a branching into two timelines around the time Jim Kirk is born.
Watch season 3 of Picard
Yes. This. But only if you have nostalgia for TNG (bonus points for DS9/Voyager).
Do NOT watch Picard seasons 1 or 2. Skip them entirely. I bailed out a few episodes into season 1 and recently picked up season 3. Aside from the first 5 mins of S3E1, you need to know absolutely nothing about the previous seasons. It’s like they suddenly realized that a show called Picard should actually be about Picard and just jettisoned all the nonsense they had been doing beforehand.
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to get back into Star Trek I would recommend either Strange New Worlds or Lower Decks. Strange New Worlds is Star Trek heart and soul. Lower Decks is a comedy but also does a great job capturing the heart and soul of Star Trek.
The movies with Chris Pine.
jk lol
Go back and finish Deep Space Nine if you didn’t watch it consistently, it’s great and probably the most adult Trek. If you’re looking for less of a commitment, Strange New Worlds is great. The only plot point you need to know going into it is
spoiler
Pike has seen his future and knows he’s destined to become severely paralysed
Discovery is pretty standalone but it’s a very odd show. Everyone is very emotional and every episode is super dramatic. Not to everyone’s taste but good if you want a Trek that reflects more modern TV.
Enterprise gets quite good as well, despite it’s flaws.
Strange New Worlds is a great starting point. SNW is set in the 5 year mission before Kirk’s 5 year mission on the enterprise. There are some arcs that you might not get but it’s not necessary to know what the episode is about because it is episodic. I watched the corresponding TOS / Discovery episodes with Captain Pike after I watched the SNW episodes to fill in the parts that I really didn’t get but here is a list of the episodes I watched.
The Menagerie Part 1 and 2 (TOS) -> Through the Valley of Shadows (DIS) -> A quality of Mercy (SNW) -> Balance of Terror (TOS)
Picard season 3 is an absolute must if you watched next gen / DS9. For the whole season to make sense you’ll probably want to watch the last 2 seasons of DS9. If you watch the last 2 episodes of picard season 3, watch TNG’s best of both worlds part 1 & 2, All good things… (the series finale), and Voyager’s Endgame (the series finale) it’ll make more sense.
the last 2 seasons of DS9 is very political and heavy but many people say it’s the best trek - however now SNW is getting close to taking the title.
I would watch them by order of Discovery, Enterprise, Strange New Worlds, The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lower Decks and Picard.
I thought enterprise was before discovery.
Nope. Discovery was originally set in 2256, eleven years before Enterprise. Discovery has a lot of time jumping, so past the first two seasons it would no longer be considered before.
