Star Trek TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

The Star Trek universe kicked off in 1966 with the original series, created by science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry, and later exploded into a massive film and TV juggernaut.

While the original series, which starred William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nemoy as Mr. Spock, saw only three seasons, it made an indelible impression on the sci-fi genre. Live-action TV follow-up Star Trek: The Next Generation, with Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard leading an ensemble cast, captivated viewers from 1987–1994 and inspired three more series that would air within the next decade: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,  Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Starting with 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Pictures has been regularly cranking out Trek films with the original series and Next Generation casts, as well as a rebooted version beginning in 2009 with Chris Pine as Starfleet Academy cadet James Kirk and Zachary Quinto as young Spock. (See our Star Trek film “Total Recall” here.)

In 2017, Trek returned to small screens with CBS All Access streaming title Star Trek: Discovery, set during a tumultuous wartime era about a decade before the original and starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones, and Jason Isaacs.

RELATED: Patrick Stewart and the Star Trek: Picard Crew on Why the World Needs Jean-Luc Now More Than Ever

The year 2020 just gave fans a celebration of one of its most iconic characters with the January premiere of Star Trek: Picard, with Stewart reprising his role in the new CBS All Access streaming series that also stars franchise newcomers Isa Briones, Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, Harry Treadaway, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, as well as returning veterans Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Del Arco, Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner.

But which of the seven live-action TV and streaming series is best? Have a look below to find out which TV title scored highest with critics in our Trek TV by Tomatometer list. (For completists, The Animated Series, which ran for two seasons in the early 1970s and has a 94% score on 16 reviews of its first season, isn’t included here because of the low number of eligible reviews.)

Disagree with the results? Tell us in the comments which series you think should have been ranked higher (or lower).

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001)
50%

#7

Synopsis: The adventures of Earth's first interstellar spaceship are chronicled in this 'Star Trek' spin-off, which takes place in 2151 (a... [More]

Starring: Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating

Directed By: LeVar Burton, Mike Vejar, Ben Willcock, James L. Conway

Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
77%

#6

Synopsis: A starship is stranded in the uncharted Delta Quadrant in this fourth 'Star Trek' series, the first to feature a... [More]

Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Rick Berman, Henry Darrow

Directed By: Victor Lobl, Mike Vejar, Kim Friedman, Marvin V. Rush

Star Trek (1966)
80%

#5

Synopsis: Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and the USS Enterprise crew seek out new civilizations in this seminal sci-fi series.... [More]

Starring: William Shatner, Abraham Sofaer, John Abbott, Vic Perrin

Directed By: Vincent McEveety, Robert Spear, David Alexander, Joseph Pevney

Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
83%

#4

Synopsis: The series follows the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one... [More]

Starring: Aldis Hodge, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones

Directed By: T.J. Scott, Marta Cunningham, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Douglas Aarniokoski

Star Trek: Picard (2020)
87%

#3

Synopsis: At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart)... [More]

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, Harry Treadaway

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
89%

#2

Synopsis: A new crew boards a revamped USS Enterprise in the first spin-off from the '60s cult classic. Set some 70... [More]

Starring: Robert Wiemer, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Ronald D. Moore

Directed By: Richard A. Colla, David Livingston, Chip Chalmers, Bob Lederman

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
90%

#1

Synopsis: Different races try to coexist peacefully in the third `Star Trek' spin-off. This one takes place on a 24th-century space... [More]

Starring: Deborah May, Frank Langella, Tim Russ, Max Grodénchik

Directed By: Cliff Bole, Robert Legato, Jonathan Frakes, Anson Williams