Summary
Despite a failed pilot and a brush with cancelation,Star Trekhas grown to become a juggernaut of science fiction storytelling. Across hundreds of episodes, movies, novels, and comics, the adventures of Starfleet’s best and brightest have entertained legions of fans.
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Yet whileStar Trekmay be a tent-pole franchise (and a core part of Paramount’s streaming strategy), it is only one space opera among many. The decades sinceThe Original Serieshave seen projects run byStar Trekalumni, affectionate parodies, and takes on the genre from across the Atlantic.Star Trek’s fans are a diverse bunch, but the sci-fi canon caters to all.
8Space: 1999 (1975–1977)
Gerry Anderson’s pioneering marionette seriesThunderbirds(1965–1966) made him a household name in the UK. When his alien invasion thrillerUFOwas canceled after one season, plans for further episodes were retooled into a new Moon-based series—Space: 1999.
Space: 1999sees Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) and the other inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha thrown into various alien encounters after the Moon is torn from its orbit by a massive explosion. Adrift in space, they must search for a new home among the stars. The voyage of discovery premise and episodic format makeSpace: 1999ideal for fans ofStar Trek: Voyager, while its excellent model work (honed by Anderson’s prior experience with puppetry) still holds up today.
7Andromeda (2000–2005)
The name Dylan Hunt crops up in several of Gene Roddenberry’s failed pilots, including 1973’sGenesis II, but would not see the light of day in a full series until some years after Roddenberry’s death. InAndromeda, produced by Roddenberry’s widow, Kevin Sorbo plays Dylan Hunt, captain of the titular starship.
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The series sees Hunt thrown 300 years into the future aftera close encounter with a black hole. The Systems Commonwealth that Hunt served has collapsed, and it is now up toAndromeda’s motley crew to restore order to the galaxy.Andromedais a series with a great premise and a mostly excellent cast, but behind-the-scenes power struggles resulted in a show that never quite fulfilled its potential. Nonetheless, it has its charms, and offers some campy sci-fi fun.
6V: The Miniseries & V: The Final Battle (1983–1984)
Kenneth Johnson’sV: The Miniseriesdepicts the arrival of the apparently friendly Visitors on Earth, humanoid aliens who offer to solve the planet’s problems. However, the Visitors have a secret agenda (and a not-so-human appearance), and a group of human resistors, led by journalist Mike Donovan (Marc Singer) and scientist Juliet Parish (Faye Grant) soon uncover the terrible truth.Vis one part soap opera and one part sci-fi thriller, making itperfect for fans ofDeep Space Nine.
The following year’sV: The Final Battletied up some loose ends without Johnson’s direct involvement. It is generally regarded as a lesser series but is not without its merits. Eighteen episodes of a further sequel were also produced. However, the shift to weekly episodes is accompanied by a noticeable drop in quality, and they are best avoided by casual fans.
5Blake’s 7 (1978–1981)
Star Trek’s Federation is a utopia, butBlake’s 7imagines a different future. The Federation in this classic BBC series (spearheaded byDalek creator Terry Nation) is a totalitarian regime that regularly murders or frames its rivals for heinous crimes. Overseen by the glamorous but icy Serverlan, it seeks to capture theLiberator, an advanced alien starship commandeered by a rebel crew. These rebels all have their own agendas: the idealistic Blake wants to overthrow the Federation, while the ruthless Avon is only out for himself.
Blake’s 7has aged poorly in terms of visuals, butTrekfans who can put up withThe Original Seriesshould have no trouble suspending their disbelief. WhatBlake’s 7lacks in polish it more than makes up for in its excellent characterization and cast—as well as an ending that cements the series as one of sci-fi’s finest.
4Battlestar Galactica (2003–2009)
Having honed his writing skills onDeep Space NineandThe Next Generation, showrunner Ronald D. Moore producedBattlestar Galactica, a gritty post-9/11 reboot of a campy 70’s sci-fi show. Transforming vintage cheese into deeply serious political drama was a gamble, but the resultingBattlestar Galacticais a modern classic of the sci-fi genre.
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Followinga devastating attackby the robotic Cylons, humanity must embark on a dangerous voyage back to its mythical home of Earth.Battlestar Galacticais able to mine this premise for drama on both a personal and epic scale, with assistance from an excellent cast. The unrelenting grimness may remind viewers ofStar Trek: Discovery’s freshman season, and can make the show a grueling watch, but it earns its place in the sci-fi canon.
3The Expanse (2015–2022)
Based on a series of novels by the pseudonymous duo James S.A. Corey,The Expansepremiered in 2015. Despise receiving praise for its storytelling and visuals, it was canceled after three years on SyFy, although it found a home on Amazon Prime for a further three seasons, andeven spawned a video game.
The series offers a densely plotted vision of the future, involving a power struggle between Earth, Mars, and the “Belters”, occupants of far-flung space stations. The introduction of an alien molecule into this tense situation has predictably explosive consequences, as each faction seeks to gain the upper hand. The result is as much a political thriller as it is a sci-fi story, although there is an element of seeking out new life as the show develops. Strong performances and a well-defined world makeThe Expansea must-watch show for sci-fi fans.
2Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
The rivalry betweenBabylon 5andDeep Space Nineis well-documented, but there is no reason why fans will not enjoy both of these space station-set epics. J. Michael Straczynski’s five-season series may look cheap compared toStar Trek’s efforts, but it offers a great long-term arc for fans who are willing to cut it some slack.
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The eponymous Babylon 5 is a miles-long space station dedicated to galactic peace. It plays host to a variety of alien ambassadors hoping to further their civilizations' agendas but soon becomes key to saving the galaxy from the nefarious Shadows.Babylon 5is a groundbreaking and sprawling series that is particularly rewarding to those rewatching. First-time viewers may struggle at first, but perseverance is bound to pay off. Nor is the series dead and buried—an animated feature film,Babylon 5: The Road Home, which came out Jun 18, 2025.
1The Orville (2017–)
Sometimes the line between parody, homage, and copycat is a thin one. Having made his fortune as the creator ofFamily Guyand the iconic voices of Peter Griffin, Quagmire, and the many other cartoon characters on the show, Seth MacFarlane embarked on live-action with his filmTed. Soon after, he chose to produce and star inThe Orville,a loving pasticheofThe Next Generation. Whether the patchily amusing series represents a true alternative toStar Trekor merely a vanity project remains up for debate, butThe Orvilledoes offer a good balance ofTNGsensibilities and scatological humor, particularly in its second season.
Macfarlane throws himself into the role of Captain Ed Mercer, a man who must work with his ex-wife aboard an exploratory starship. They are joined by Mercer’s booze-loving pilot, Gordon Malloy,DS9actress Penny Johnson Jerald as the ship’s medical officer, and the surly alien Bortus.The Orvillemay be derivative, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
