Given the long and storied history of Star Trek, it makes sense—for a list like this—to categorize its many entries by their era. First, you have the classic "The Original Series" from the late 1960s. Next came the film series featuring the original crew, which eventually transitioned into the Rick Berman era. This period began with "The Next Generation" and concluded with "Enterprise." Most recently, we've entered the modern era of Paramount+ shows, starting with "Discovery" in 2017.

Today, we're focusing on this modern era as the platform (which you might remember as CBS All Access) debuts its first streaming-exclusive TV movie, Star Trek: Section 31—a project that was initially conceived as a series. In a span of less than eight years, the creative team behind modern Trek has introduced five new series (two of them animated) and a collection of shorts aptly named "Short Treks."

The diversity in these projects makes direct comparisons challenging. They range from straightforward sci-fi drama to comedy, animation, short-form content, and feature-length productions. Another layer of complexity is that a series can have both excellent and underwhelming seasons. Our rankings consider each show's complete run, not just its peak, so keep that in mind as you read.

With that established, let's proceed! Engage, fly, punch it, blast off—or shout your favorite command for piloting a starship!

Ranking the Best (and Worst) Star Trek Series of the Modern Era

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