See how fans score every Star Trek television show on IMDb from lowest to highest
The Star trek franchise has grown from Gene Roddenberry’s 1960s original into a sprawling multimedia universe, but its heart often beats strongest on television. This roundup examines all thirteen televised entries through the lens of IMDb user scores, using the current ratings as a snapshot of audience opinion. Instead of reciting production histories, the goal here is to explain why each series sits where it does on the list, highlighting major strengths, recurring criticisms, and a few standout cast or creative notes that shaped perception.
Scores fluctuate over time, and fan reactions can shift after new seasons or controversies, so think of these numbers as a living barometer rather than final judgment. The list includes legacy programs such as The Original Series and The Next Generation, modern streaming-era entries like Discovery and Picard, plus animated experiments and youth-oriented projects. Wherever possible this piece preserves factual anchors—series settings, notable leads, and the specific IMDb scores used for ordering—so you can track how reputation aligns with audience ratings.
The ranking is driven exclusively by IMDb user scores at the moment of compilation, which offers a populist counterpoint to critic aggregates. Using viewer ratings foregrounds what long-term fans and casual newcomers actually think after bingeing seasons or following a series over time. This approach also makes room to explain phenomena like review-bombed entries, shows with late-career resurgence, or titles whose strength lies in episodic highs rather than a steady arc. For clarity, each program is introduced with its IMDb score and a brief justification of its placement.
At the bottom sits Star Trek: starfleet academy (4.4), a 2026 Paramount+ effort criticized by many viewers and reportedly subject to review-bombing. Set in the 32nd century, it features Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) guiding a class of cadets including Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) and faces a nemesis in Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti); the series ran for two seasons. Just above, Star Trek: Discovery (7.0) revived the franchise on streaming in 2017, centering on Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and a hard-edged war-to-hope narrative that improves after its early uneven episodes and a far-future time jump. Star Trek: Short Treks (7.1) offered bite-sized stories and fan service, while Star Trek: The Animated Series (7.2), dating to 1973, extended the original cast into two seasons of animated adventures with memorable episodes like “Yesteryear.” Each of these entries plays a distinct structural role, from testing format to targeting new age brackets.
Mid-list placements reflect series that earned respect over time or aimed at different audiences. Star Trek: Picard (7.5) returns Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in a storyline that follows events nearly twenty years after the 2002 film Nemesis; the show struggled early but many viewers praise season three as a triumphant, reunion-style conclusion. Star Trek: Prodigy (7.6), a 2026 animated title, introduces younger viewers to franchise ideas via the Protostar and a holographic Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), blending coming-of-age themes with Delta Quadrant lore. Tied at 7.6, Enterprise (7.6) (2001) explores humanity’s first warp-era voyages under Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and finds stride with its Xindi arc. Meanwhile Lower Decks (7.8) uses irreverent animation and workplace comedy aboard the USS Cerritos to pay affectionate, satirical tribute to Trek conventions across five seasons.
The highest ranks are occupied by series that either shaped the franchise or refined its ideals. Star Trek: Voyager (7.9) sends Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her mixed Starfleet–Maquis crew 70,000 light-years into the Delta Quadrant on a decades-long struggle to return home, a premise that created both high-stakes drama and inventive episodes. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (8.1) moves the action to a frontier station under Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), delivering serialized character arcs and a resonant Dominion War storyline. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (8.2) resurrects Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in a largely episodic, exploration-focused mode that emphasizes tonal variety and classic adventure beats.
The original shows retain top positions: Star Trek: The Original Series (8.4) set the template with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and a willingness to tackle genre and social themes, while Star Trek: The Next Generation (8.7) refined the formula in 1987 with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), philosophical scripts, and memorable adversaries like the Borg and Q (John de Lancie). Together these series explain why modern Trek often looks back even as it reinvents, and why viewer appreciation still clusters around shows that balanced imaginative speculation with strong ensemble storytelling.