Since the 1960s, great space sci-fi television shows have been overshadowed byStar Trek.Gene Roddenberry’s hopeful vision of humanity’s spacefaring future is a cultural touchstonethat inspired dedicated Trekkies worldwide. Reruns and movies kept that dream alive long enough to launch many moreStar Trekproperties.After a long drought, theStar Trekfranchise is stronger than ever in the streaming era, with five shows and morenewStar Trekprojectson the way.
Shows that follow any part of theStar Trekformulaare inevitably compared to the sci-fi juggernaut, even when trying to break away from their inspiration. Sometimes,simply being set in space is enough to push a great sci-fi show into the long shadow cast byStar Trek. Criteria for these shows are their use ofTrek-like tropes like ethical dilemmas, future technology, and humanoid aliens to tell stories about humans exploring and surviving in space; but not quite reaching the same level of recognition asStar Trek.
Red Dwarf
Cast
Set in the distant future aboard the mining spaceship Red Dwarf, this British sci-fi sitcom follows the misadventures of Dave Lister, the last known human survivor, and his companions: a hologram of his dead bunkmate, a creature that evolved from his cat, and a neurotic android. Isolated in deep space, they encounter bizarre phenomena and alien creatures as they traverse the galaxy.
The British sci-fi comedyRed Dwarfwasn’t widely available in the U.S. during its first run, so it was easily overshadowed by the 1990s trifecta ofStar Trekshows.Red Dwarfstars low-ranking officers, dealing with all the absurdity that space has to offer on the eponymous mining ship, while generally failing to get along. As a comedy with an everyman perspective,Red Dwarfhas more in common withStar Trek’s animated sitcom,Star Trek: Lower Decks,than its contemporary,Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is a sci-fi television series that revolves around a group of humans and aliens that work together on a space station known as Babylon 5 during the twenty-third century. The show explores intergalactic relations, conflict, and the relationships of the crew as they try to help their respective species thrive and survive.
Accusations of J. Michael Straczynski’sBabylon 5plagiarizingStar Trek: Deep Space NinemeantBabylon 5had a difficult time standing on its own merits when it aired. Both shows were set aboard space stations during a pivotal interstellar war, with a human commander fulfilling an alien prophecy.Babylon 5’s planned five-year arc tells a tightly written, ambitious story with sweeping political intrigueas several alien species attempt to forge alliances.B5might look likeStar Trekon the surface, but it’s an early deconstruction of the formula that works.
8Earth 2 (1994–1995)
Created By Billy Ray, Michael Duggan, Carol Flint, & Mark Levin
NBC’sEarth 2, about a female-led expedition towards a promised destination, coincidentally aired one year before the premiere ofStar Trek: Voyager.Earth 2was just as ambitious in production value as its sister show,seaQuest DSV, and also capitalized on the ongoing mystery storytelling style that madeThe X-Filesso popular.With the DNA of so many hits, and Tim Curry as a recurring villain,Earth 2should have been an easy win for NBC,but only lasted one season.
7Space: Above and Beyond (1995-1996)
Created By Glen Morgan & James Wong
Space: Above and Beyondwas the kind of sci-fi space show that, on its surface, seemed like the opposite ofStar Trek— at least untilDS9’sDominion War played with similar tropes.Above and Beyond’s young Marine cadets, the Wildcards, are tested in battle as some of Earth’s last remaining defenses against a hostile alien enemythat seeks to prevent human colonization beyond our solar system. With morally gray heroes and skepticism,Space: Above and Beyondwas as ahead of its timeasDS9.
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a sci-fi adventure television series spin-off set in the Stargate Universe, initially created by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. Set roughly a year after the film’s events; the story takes place after it becomes known that the Stargate technology allows those who use it to travel across different planets. With several teams dispatched to perform recon and defend the Earth from potential extraterrestrial threats, the series follows the titular team SG-1 of the U.S. Air Force as they face several alien threats.
Stargate SG-1applied theStar Trekformula to Roland Emmerich’s 1994 filmStargate,expanding the movie’s premise with new alien worlds inspired by Earth mythology. Each week saw the SG-1 team travel through the Stargate to visit a new planet, often with aStar Trek-style moral dilemma.Stargate SG-1’s episodic structure evolved into longer arcs with rich lore and strong character development. Eventually,Stargatebecame a franchisewith spin-off shows, which further distanced it from the parent film.
Farscape
Farscape is a sci-fi television series that initially premiered in 2004 and was created by Rockne S. O’Bannon. Astronaut John Crichton is sucked into a wormhole across the universe after an experimental flight goes haywire, setting him onboard a ship with a crew of several different alien races. Stuck in space and on the run from a nefarious organization known as the Peacekeepers, John and company work together to make it day-by-day while trying to maintain peace throughout the universe - as much as possible
Farscapeis a beautiful fever dream of a show that flew under the radar when it aired on the Syfy Channel but has since been embraced as a cult favorite. When John Crichton finds himself the lone human among a colorful cast of distinctively alien misfits on the living spaceship Moya, getting back to Earth isn’t really an option. Compared toStar Trek: Voyager’s Delta Quadrant,Farscapefeels truly alien. With non-humanoid aliens from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and storytelling that pushes the limits of sci-fi tropes,Farscapeis deeply weird, unexpectedly funny, and surprisingly full of heart.
Firefly
Firefly is a science fiction television series set in the year 2517, focusing on the crew of the spaceship Serenity. As humans inhabit a new star system, the renegade crew, led by Captain Malcolm Reynolds, navigates conflicts and alliances while pursuing their own interests across lawless territories.
In an awkward time for sci-fi TV,Fireflywas a risky space western that hardly stood a chance.The 13 episodes comprisingFirefly’s single season aired out of orderon FOX in 2002, botching the introduction of Nathan Fillion’s Captain Mal Reynolds' Serenity crew as a found family of outlaws trying to survive in a scrappier version of the final frontier. WhileFirefly’s mysteries were solved and wrapped up in its follow-up film,Serenity,its passionate fanbase still decriesFirefly’s early demise.
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television series that premiered in 2004. The plot follows the crew of the aging Battlestar Galactica as they protect a small fleet of human survivors from the renewed threat of the Cylons, in a quest to find the mythical 13th colony, Earth.
Battlestar Galacticadid earn a strong following in its own right, but still owes a debt toStar Trek.BSGexecutive producer Ronald D. Moore was aTNGandDS9writer responsible for adding the depth and realism that madeDS9hit differently.Moore took theDS9approach to remake 1978’sStar Wars-inspiredBattlestar Galactica,crafting a tenuous political climate charged with realistic characters in the wake of the Cylon war.
The Expanse
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
The Expanse, based on the book series of the same name, beatStar Trek: Discovery’s premiere by two whole years, but a stronger focus on the franchise name put more attention onStar Trek’s return to television. LikeDiscovery,The Expansetook a darker, grittier approach to its mystery. UnlikeStar Trek,The Expanse’s extrapolation from real-world science and politics imagined space as a harsh and unforgiving setting that requires tenacity to survive, instead of a utopia.
The Orville
Created by Seth McFarlane and set in the 25th century, The Orville follows the crew of the titular ship and its captain, Ed Mercer (McFarlane) as they explore the galaxy. Inspired by Star Trek, it also spoofs the sci-fi classic, taking a comedic approach to its serialized story and science-fiction premise. Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Scott Grimes star alongside McFarlane as part of an ensemble cast.
The Orvillewasn’t just overshadowed byStar Trek; it played exclusively in the house thatStar Trekbuilt, down to its color-coded uniforms, moral dilemmas, and technology.WhenStar Trek: Discoverytook a hard turn into new territory forStar Trek,The Orvilledelivered a 2010s take onTNG,and even involvedStar Trektalent like director Jonathan Frakes to make sure the 1990s nostalgia hit just right. Surprisingly,The Orvilleevolved beyond its initial premise and became far more than a tongue-in-cheek throwback.
Star Trekis one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of our time, butStar Trekis not the end-all, be-all of sci-fi TV shows about space.These space shows are important for their different perspectives and views of the future,which further capture the “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” that evenStar Trekitself espouses as a philosophy.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.
