Star Trekwill always be my perfect comfort TV show. Defined as TV that one turns to in hard times for comfort or simply for joy, a comfort show means different things to different people. For me,a comfort show is about how watching an episode feels like coming home.When I watch one of theStar TrekTV shows, stress and anxiety dissipate for a while. Falling into the sci-fi fantasy of Gene Roddenberry’s vision of utopia is my perfect way to relax, andStar Trekalways has plenty to offer.
With 11 shows plus a series of short episodes to choose from, theStar Trektimelinehas no shortage of material. Fans of any genre – sci-fi, action, romance, drama, fantasy – can find something in theStar Trekuniverse to interest them. You can trace theStar Trekuniverse from the 1960s to 2024 in real-life order, or start with a prequel show likeStar Trek: Enterpriseand watch the universe unfold in canonically chronological order. Whether I watchStar Trek: Voyageror board a version of the Starship Enterprise,I always find myself coming back toStar Trekfor comfort.
Star Trek’s Tight-Knit Crews Are Why It’ll Always Be My Comfort Show
Returning To A Crew I Love To Spend Time With Makes Rewatches Relaxing
Over the decades, Star Trekhas perfected – and perhaps even helped pioneer – the ensemble cast. Ever sinceStar Trek: The Original Series’castand characters boarded the very first Starship Enterprise,Star Trekhas been known to have large, diverse casts whose complex relationships add to each show’s appeal.Every time I turn onStar Trek: The Next Generation, I don’t feel like I have to relearn the characters and relationships because the on-screen chemistry does the job for me. The intricacies of the narratives interwoven through each episode and season makeStar Trekshows feel like coming home.
Every Star Trek Series, Ranked Worst To Best
There are 11 Star Trek TV series (and counting) over 58 years. From The Original Series to TNG to Strange New Worlds and Prodigy, we rank them all.
The individual characters inStar Trekare lovable and, perhaps more importantly, relatable.The crews ofStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Deep Space Ninemay be big ones, but both shows still portray each character with struggles and victories of their own. With plenty ofStar Trekcharacters fans see themselves in, it’s no wonder the crew seems so familiar and comforting. Even if it’s been years since I watched, coming back to a crew I feel like I know and love makes everyStar Trekshow easy to watch, rewatch, and come back to time and time again.
Star Trek’s Crews Have A Sitcom-Like Appeal, But With Aliens, Danger & Moral Dilemmas
The Mixture Of Genres In Star Trek Makes It More Diverse And Interesting
Comfort shows are often sitcoms, comedies, or other shows that act as a surface-level break from reality. These kinds of shows offer twenty or so minutes of lighthearted entertainment, and that’s perfect for a comfort show. However,Star Trekdoes all of that but also gives me more,for the same reasons thatStar Trek: The Original Seriesstill worksall these years later. Complex characters like those in the ongoing seriesStar Trek: Strange New Worldsgo through challenging moral dilemmas, aliens threaten the understanding of life as they know it, and danger adds an exciting and emotional edge.
I always return toStar Trekshows because they give me diverse watching experiences.
Returning to anyStar Trekseries feels like coming home,but it also offers something more than many other comfort shows: a challenging look at our past, present, and future.Star Trekoffers comedy, but it counterbalances it with drama. Where there’s a hero, there’s most definitely amajorStar Trekvillainwaiting around the corner to challenge and redefine an aspect of the crew’s existence. I always return toStar Trekshows because they give me diverse watching experiences, and they’re relaxing without becoming background noise. Simply put,Star Trekis the best of both worlds.
