I don't know if I can do it. I recently finished TNG and watch about 50 mins of DS9 and I want to dive head first into a Bat'leth.

I almost started with TNG, but on Netflix...it's all in SD. That made it hard as hell to watch on my tv. So, I wound up starting with TOS. Since then, I've learned that the first two season of TNG are in HD on Amazon Prime. I'm assuming that since Netflix bundles all the seasons together, and TNG seasons are still be transferred into HD, it automatically has everything in SD format.

Enterprise isn't as bad as people say, but it's definitely pointless to watch it first.

Next Generation. Keep in mind that season one and most of two are a little rough.

All those haters hating voyager... It's definitely not classical Star Trek, but still a great series and in my opinion a good starting point for newbies. Of course it often relies on the older series, but it is apart from the "main story" of the alpha quadrant, so it is easier to get in. It combines classical Star trek features with modern action sequences, it has brilliant caracters: EMH, 7/9 and Nelux are just the tip of the ice berg. And it has the most multicultural crew, giving insights in most of the squabbels going on in the alpha quadrant. I really don't understand how someone could call it "shit" except if you dislike strong women or think that things may never change(in other words evolve). Sometimes I hated Janeway so much for her decisions and her unconditional ideals, but still she's a great character and acted pretty good after the first season.

In conclusion, Voyager is a HollywoodBlockbuster-Star Trek-mix, but in my opinion because of that very good to start with.

Oh, and about the supply-limit problems: Several episodes are about mining minerals, several others are about trading. In at least 4 episodes I remember serious shortages of minerals. But usually, if energy = supplies and you're one of the most advanced species in the quadrant, you can get your stuff!

Voyager is awesome don't listen to these guys from first page.
My suggestion would be, watch a few episodes from first season of all and then make your conclusion. All shows get better in third or fourth season, once they get a good grip on the idea.

TOS is the best, I would definitely start there. If you can look past it's age you might be surprised at the quasi-philosophical nature of some of the episodes. It also has the best characters. There's a reason why the new JJ Abrams movies went back to TOS as it's base. You can't beat Kirk, Spock, and Bones.

I like TOS and TNG equally. They have very different casts and tone so they don't exactly compete. I think you might appreciate TNG more if you watch TOS first.

TNG and DS9 in that order.

Its sad that there is no current star trek shows on tv right now.

I just started watching Star Trek 2 years ago. I've seen at least a few episodes of each main version, not the animated one though.

Enterprise is my favourite so far, I reallyreally love it. I'd heard bad things about it too, I think it's one that annoyed fans but as time has passed I've seen more and more people saying they think it deserved another couple series -shrug-. Definitely worth a watch and forming your own opinion. It's maybe a little more serious and darker than the others, I really liked that they are literally just muddling through with no Prime Directive to follow. The very last episode is bad though, I kinda wish I'd avoided it honestly but imo that was pretty much the only bad episode it had. Anyway I found it a good place to start, chronologically it's the oldest but its the newest one made which made it easier to get into initially since it's not as dated.

I'm currently about halfway through TNG and loving it, there are some cheesy moments of course and the end episode of series 2 is shite. Honestly, you can skip it - it's 90% flashbacks to earlier episodes. The characters have taken longer to grow on me than in Enterprise and there are a couple I don't like but despite that it is an awesome series. It might take an episode or two to adjust to it's datedness but I found it doesn't really bother me after that.

From what I've seen of DS9 and Voyager I'll also really like them too, I've not watched much of them yet so can't really comment further.

I couldn't get into the Original series though, I might give it another try but it's not just those action sequences that are cringey. Maybe avoid it until after you've seen some of the other series and know how much of a Star Trek fan you are.

I don't know why people are so snobby about Voyager but opinions are like poop. They kinda stink.

So here's my stink!

Most fun and action: Voyager. Show got my wife into Star Trek due to its strong female characters and generally fun cast. The Doctor is polarizing I guess but my favorite character of all time ever in any fiction.

Most story and character building: Deep Space Nine - fantastic build to an amazing finale. Fun and super diverse cast.

Most Patrick Stewart: The Next Generation - Technically the best show cuz holy crap it's good.

Most old: Star Trek: The Original Series - it's cute!

Enterprise

I quite disliked DS9 - I thought it was too much like a soap opera. I did like Voyager though - aside from it's ending and a few other annoyances. I also thought Enterprise was ok, especially towards the end of it's run.

I watched the Star Trek series in the order they came out - more or less at their times of release. I have the original 3 series on DVD and think the Kirk era is the seminal Star Trek period. I'd say the most watchable is Next Generation, but think it silly for someone not to start watching that at S1E1, despite improvements happening in the later series.

Check out this article and see which favorite episodes sound most interesting to you. The authors also conducted a poll from Star Trek fans to rank the movies and TV shows. http://www.ongoingworlds.com/blog/2016/09/star-treks-50th-anniversary-your-favorite-trek/

The best episodes of TOS are very fun and faster paced than anything I've seen of TNG. BBC America usually does a nice curated marathon of TOS and TNG, that's what actually led to getting into classic Trek.

Next Gen, then DS9, and if you're still craving for more check out the Original Series, unless you just can't get past the 60's era trappings.

Avoid Voyager. The Holographic Doctor and the Seven of Nine are the only interesting characters the rest are boring and interchangeable. I watched it all and to this day still consider it time wasted (kinda like Lost!)

Enterprise came when people were burnt out on Trek by the bad movies and Voyager, but holds up better now. The characters are much better than Voyager's, but it can be a little bland and slow in spots, particularly early. Plus the captain has a dog. On a spaceship.

Max Temkin did a TNG essentials list: https://medium.com/maxistentialism-blog/star-trek-the-next-generation-in-40-hours-c4a6762cbd3

This thread is four years old.

Friend of the site Max Temkin created his own idealized viewing guide of TNG, and to be honest it's pretty well put together.

I'd start with TNG and broach into DS9 (which Max also made a lovely little guide for). Enterprise was interesting conceptually but throws said neat concept out the window almost immediately.

Voyager is the topic of grand debate and is basically TNG-lite. I don't like many of the characters, though as most will agree the Doctor has very interesting writing and is easily the high point of the show in both concept and execution. You won't miss much if you skip it, but if you find yourself starving for Trek it's not the worst thing.

Once you get your fill of TNG and DS9, then I'd say poke at TOS. It's EXTREMELY aged, and not like the fine wine. You'll find yourself losing your shit at what are supposed to be serious moments of tension, and the fight scenes are even funnier. Shatner continues the most non-actor actor in existence, and Nemoy shows off a prime example of his acting potential as the exact opposite of the ridiculousness that is Kirk. I jest about it, but the series does have some sincerely touching moments. Spock and Kirk's dynamic is wonderful, and I never really get tired of Bones's character. Getting in from the pilot and the first few episodes is...rough. But once you settle into the tone of the series, it is really quite enjoyable.

Hope this helped.

EDIT: holy shit who rezzed this I thought I was posting on a fresh thread, this was on recent discussions wtf

Start with TNG and then just spread as you wish. Some are worse than others but if you enjoy Star Trek you'll find things about all of them that are enjoyable. But TNG is probably the modern truest form of Star Trek so it's a great starting point.

https://medium.com/maxistentialism-blog/star-trek-the-next-generation-in-40-hours-c4a6762cbd3#.va6q4dy5h

Apologies if someone already posted this. His collection for DS9 is also excellent.

Echoing everyone who says to start with TNG and then move into DS9. TNG is definitely the best Trek series. Even if you don't follow Max's guide, you can probably skip a good chunk of season 1 as the show hadn't quite found its groove yet.

My only issue with DS9 is it aired up against Babylon 5, which was a better show. It's definitely worth a watch, though it did take a couple seasons to find its legs as opposed to TNG which I loved from season 2 on.

I wouldn't bother with Voyager. I know some people kind of like portions of Enterprise, but I find it fairly skippable as well. There are other better sci-fi shows you'd probably be better off checking out.

Finally, TOS is fine if you can appreciate how campy it is at this point, but just be ready for some really bad production values at times. It just depends how much camp you can tolerate.

I love TOS personally with all its campyness and poor production, there's still some really great writing in there and great science fiction. TNG just makes me bored, but to be honest I haven't even gotten past season 1. From what I have heard of DS9 just makes me want to watch Battlestar Galactica again.

TOS actually has some pretty strong writing on par with anything in the other series, but also is a lot of fun when it's being silly. DS9 has the best ensemble of characters (and actors), and has the best tone. TNG is good but a step down from the other two. That show was lucky they had Stewart and Spiner, because they elevated that show a lot, especially in the early years.

I don't get all the hate for Voyager. I really enjoyed the series.

I guess if you're not invested in Star Trek Lore or anything, give it a shot. Some Episodes are really dumb, and the ending is kinda underwhelming, but there are some diamonds in there.

At least in my experience if you're going to enjoy Star Trek it won't really matter where you start. I watched a fair amount of TOS then went to TNG, DS9 and am a good way through Voyager. I've enjoyed them all up to this point and while some are going to be better than others, there's still a Star Trek feeling to all of them so if that clicks with you, you should have a lot of TV to enjoy!

Voyager isnt "that" bad, honestly. It kinda takes from the TNG playbook, and maybe goes too far from it, since most of the complaints tend to be a dislike of the characters that don't fit the TNG mold. The internet will be arguing the good/bad of Voyager for years to come, but i'd say try a few episodes, see if it sticks.

My personal favourite is DS9, but that comes from how it covers a lot more of the big picture "politics of the alpha quadrant" stuff, vs. just what happens on one ship. I'm also a massive nerd for worldbuilding and the lore of giant fictional universes, which I suppose is why I also love Tolkien so much.

They all have some really bad episodes. TOS is as campy as you expect from a show of that era and Season 1 of TNG is kinda them learning to pull away from that, not always in good ways. I think you're either going to be into it, or won't find it watchable no matter where you start.

@marv89: there are some good episodes in Voyager but it's biggest problem is that most of the characters are unlikable, annoying, or boring. The captain and first officer should anchor the series, but Janeway and Chakotay were dull.

I found this helpful when I wanted to find out what Star Trek was all about: https://medium.com/maxistentialism-blog/star-trek-the-next-generation-in-40-hours-c4a6762cbd3

I eventually stopped watching, but I liked the episodes I watched.

TNG past the first season. Seriously, I know "skip the first season" is cliched advice and not always good (Buffy's first season, for instance, is fine) but TNG's is almost laughably bad...unless you want to laugh at how bad it is, then go for it!

Original Series gets a bad rap for things like the Gorn Captain fight, but if you're willing to overlook the INCREDIBLY dated special effects, there's a LOT to appreciate about how weird they were willing to get with the stories. Squire of Gothos, for instance, is STILL a great episode of TV.

Also they're all available to stream on Netflix if hard drive space is such an issue.

Yeah, what does he think this is? Some kind of discussion forum?!

The original series. Yes, it's dated, but it has some good stories. You don't have to watch them in order. I started rewatching The Next Generation as I was nearing the end of the original series.

I'm just here to say that people give ST:E much more shit than it deserves.

1. This thread is 5 years old
2. DS9 is overrated - even during the Dominion war, dominion war episodes were few and far between and it stars some of the franchise's worst actors (e.g. Jadzia Dax, Keiko O'Brien) and it's worst captain (he doesn't have much acting range)
3. TOS is underrated - sure, the special effects are rough, but the acting is pretty good and some of the episode concepts are great. Season 3 was done on a shoestring budget and has the fewest good episodes, so it could probably be skipped.
4. The hardest thing to take about Star Trek these days is that TV has really moved on from the episodic format. Excluding the Dominion war (for reasons stated above) the number of multi-episode story lines in Star Trek could probably be counted on your fingers (and the number spanning 3 or more on one hand). Anyone getting into Star Trek should be prepared for that trip back to a less ideal past.

The trick to Voyager is to only watch the episodes where Robert Picardo gets to act.

That's not a bad rule of thumb.

TNG. watch the first and last 3 episodes of season 1. then skip to season 3. Enjoy. After that do DS9. Get out before the last two seasons.

haha I actually liked Star Trek Voyager, I would say start with TNG then DS9 then Voyager and you can avoid Enterprise. I never watched the Original series

@bocckob: yep, easily the best character on Voyager.

Also... Probably all seasons of TNG have episodes worth skipping, but none of the seasons should be entirely skipped. There are a few good episodes even in season 1.

There's so little love for Enterprise. I thought this was Giant Bomb, where we had faith of the heart. But seriously, Enterprise is my favourite. Don't write it off without at least trying it. Its the only series where the crew is allowed to be flawed and out of their depth instead of perfect examples of future people. This also makes it the only series with characters that are actually relatable.

What is it with people and recommending others to "skip seasons". God damn just watch the whole thing.

Seasons 1 and 2 of TNG have some brilliant episodes, as someone who's watching the show for the first time (I'm at season 5) the first 3 seasons are by far much more enjoyable. The show finds its footing more later on with the characters but the story lines of the individual episodes are mostly boring and predictable. The first 3 seasons had interesting and weird storylines (specifically the holodeck ones, Data Holmes!) that surprised and were fun. DON'T SKIP THEM.

I know it's not popular but I love Enterprise. I find the characters engaging and the story lines very interesting until they get to season three then they become repetitive. Unlike most, I also like the two part ending. I thought it was an original take that ties it into the cannon.