Highlights
- With the vastness of the Star Trek universe, newcomers may find it overwhelming to know where to start, but there are multiple routes into the franchise.
- "The Cage" is a well-made unaired pilot that introduces viewers to Star Trek's universe, but it may not be necessary to watch it due to reused footage in The Original Series.
- Star Trek: Enterprise may have a poor reputation, but it serves as an excellent entry point for new fans, offering an accessible introduction to Star Trek concepts.
The sheer size of the Star Trek universe reason that the franchise continues to endure. The franchise charts humanity's earliest voyages to the distant post-Burn future. Countless episodes, novels, and video games have contributed to this mythos since the first episodes of Star Trek in the mid-1960s.
Yet while this complex universe means that fans always have something to explore (and to argue about), it can be difficult to know where to start. Do newcomers go back to the failed pilot, dip into the high points of The Next Generation, or watch in chronological order? Just as there are many alien species, there are many routes into Trek.
6 "The Cage" (Unaired Pilot)
Long before Anson Mount would earn the adoration of fans for his performance as Captain Christopher Pike, the character appeared in "The Cage," Gene Roddenberry's original pilot for his "wagon train to the stars" concept. Here played by Jeffrey Hunter, Pike is captured by the powerful Talosians, telepathic beings capable of creating life-like illusions. "The Cage" is a well-made introduction to Star Trek's universe, although the quasi-Satanic Mr. Spock and a cold and competent female character led to the network asking for a replacement. There were also concerns that the pilot was too cerebral.
Footage from "The Cage" was reused in The Original Series' two-part story "The Menagerie" as a cost-cutting exercise. It is this fact that counts again starting Star Trek with "The Cage," as viewers will effectively watch the story twice in quick succession if they continue with The Original Series. As such, newcomers may prefer to skip the unaired pilot. Those that choose to watch it, however, are likely to enjoy the experience.
5 "The City On The Edge Of Forever" (The Original Series)
The Original Series has several "first episodes," including the failed Jeffrey Hunter-led pilot "The Cage" and "The Man Trap," which was the first episode actually broadcast. TOS does not have an episode explicitly detailing the premise of the series. Viewers are dropped straight into the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise.
While this can be confusing, it also means that newcomers can pick the show up wherever they please. Harlan Ellison's classic "City on the Edge of Forever" is often considered to be one of the franchise's finest entries, and offers viewers a good sense of the Star Trek tropes: Kirk the dashing romantic; Spock the loyal friend; a heartrending ethical quandary. "The City on the Edge of Forever" may be more interested in exploring the lives of the regular cast than in seeking out new beings and new civilizations, but it is Star Trek at its best.
4 "Broken Bow" (Star Trek: Enterprise)
The much-maligned Star Trek: Enterprise had the misfortune of killing TV Trek for over a decade. This has resulted in its poor reputation, although much of this is undeserved (the failure of Star Trek: Nemesis should perhaps hold the lion's share of the blame). While Star Trek: Enterprise rarely reaches the heights of the Star Trek shows that came before it, it offers an excellent entry point for new fans.
Set a century before the voyages of Kirk and Spock, the series shows the human race's first steps into the wider galaxy—much to the annoyance of their overbearing Vulcan sponsors. The pilot episode "Broken Bow" introduces viewers to a raft of Star Trek concepts, from the mighty Klingons to warp drive, but does so in an accessible manner. While contemporary fans were unimpressed (noted Trek author Diane Carey ridiculed the plot in her official novelization of the episode), Enterprise as a whole has its charms—especially for fans without pre-existing baggage.
3 "Lost And Found" (Star Trek: Prodigy)
While Star Trek once offered fun for all the family, the grungy, sweary nature of more recent series makes them unsuitable for introducing younger fans to the franchise. This issue was solved with the release of Prodigy, the first Star Trek series aimed specifically at a younger audience. Rather than focusing on an adult Starfleet crew, the animated series thrusts a crew of teenage misfits into the spotlight as they discover an experimental Federation vessel, the Protostar. In "Lost and Found," the impulsive alien Dal commandeers the Protostar with the help of his friends and escapes captivity.
Despite its kid-focus, Prodigy has plenty to offer older fans. Multiple cameos by Star Trek legends (everybody from Lieutenant Uhura to the shapeshifting Constable Odo has appeared in the show, thanks to archival voice samples) and a series that doesn't talk down to its viewers mean that Prodigy can be enjoyed by parents as well as children. As such, it offers a perfect entry point into the franchise for the next generation of potential fans.
2 "The Vulcan Hello" (Star Trek: Discovery)
Star Trek: Discovery launched the spacefaring franchise into the streaming era when it debuted in 2017. Although this edgier iteration of Trek has divided the fanbase, the truth is that "The Vulcan Hello" is more about courting newcomers to the franchise than pleasing older fans. This results in a series that plays fast and loose with Star Trek's lore, conventions, and aesthetics. Whether Discovery's embrace of grimdark storytelling is a betrayal of Gene Roddenberry's utopian vision or a smart way to increase streaming numbers, the strategy has proven successful.
"The Vulcan Hello" acts as an explosive crash course on the world of Star Trek. The basics are stylishly delivered: the Federation, the Klingons, and Starfleet and its ships. Rather than introducing an ensemble cast, "The Vulcan Hello" focuses on Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), the first officer of the USS Shenzhou. Burnham's actions throughout the pilot establish not only her character but also the arc of the series, culminating in a full-scale war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Discovery's pilot may be divisive, but it's a great jumping-on point for fans who like their sci-fi dark and their heroes flawed.
1 "Encounter At Farpoint" (The Next Generation)
Even Star Trek's most ardent fans will admit that its shows can take a while to find their feet. This is certainly true of The Next Generation, which often stumbles in its first season. Episodes like "Code of Honor" and "Angel One" are more likely to deter newcomers than convince them, and even the feature-length pilot "Encounter At Farpoint" is not without its issues. The pace is sometimes crushingly slow, and Captain Picard is overly brusque. Nonetheless, it provides an excellent introduction to Starfleet in the 24th century—as well as a truly memorable villain.
The pilot's length allows it to properly introduce and develop the series' cast and world while also finding time for a classic Star Trek plot involving an unknown alien race. TNG also provides an entry point for fans used to high-definition media: the remastered episodes look far more modern than other shows of the time, whose low resolution can be distracting to modern eyes. Yet perhaps the best reason to start with The Next Generation is because it lays the foundations for subsequent nineties Star Trek shows, like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.