The Best Episode From Every Star Trek TV Series

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For sixty years, Star Trek has captivated audiences since its debut in 1966, spawning numerous spin-off series. The latest installment, Starfleet Academy, premiered in 2026 as the franchise’s eleventh full series (excluding the shorter series Short Treks and the 1973 animated show). While it’s still early days for Starfleet Academy, the previous ten series have all demonstrated their strengths with fans, and each show boasts some truly outstanding episodes that stand out as highlights of the entire Star Trek universe.

Here’s a guide to the standout episode from each of the ten original Star Trek shows, before Starfleet Academy began.

10) Star Trek: Prodigy – Kobayashi (01.06)

Star Trek: Prodigy was designed specifically for younger viewers, making it a first for the franchise. The show was well-received, earning a 97% rating from critics and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, its episodes were divided between two streaming platforms: Paramount+ showed season one in 2021, and Netflix carried season two starting in 2024.

While not known for its highly acclaimed episodes, the standout of the show was “Kobayashi.” It featured Dal and Jankom Pog facing the Kobayashi Maru – a famously unwinnable test Captain Kirk once passed. The episode cleverly included lines from previous installments, like those spoken by Spock, making it a fun trip down memory lane for longtime viewers and offering a valuable lesson for younger audiences.

9) Star Trek: Enterprise – Similitude (03.10)

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics (a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes), Star Trek: Enterprise was popular with viewers, earning an 80% audience score. The show, which ran for four seasons, told the story of events that happened a century before The Original Series. Many fans consider an episode from the third season, written by Manny Coto, to be the show’s best. Coto later became the showrunner for its final season.

In the episode “Similitude,” Commander Tucker (Connor Trinneer) suffers a severe injury. The crew attempts a risky procedure: cloning him to harvest brain tissue and save his life. But when the clone ages at an accelerated rate, it begins to desperately argue for its right to exist, forcing the crew to confront a difficult ethical question.

8) Star Trek: Discovery – Species Ten-C (04.12)

Star Trek: Discovery was a groundbreaking series as the first in the franchise to premiere on a streaming service, initially CBS All Access, later known as Paramount+. The show spanned five seasons and centered on the adventures of the starship Discovery and its crew. Set roughly a decade before the events of the original Star Trek in the 23rd century, the series took a dramatic turn at the end of its second season when the crew traveled forward in time to the 32nd century. Many fans consider the episode “Species Ten-C,” the second-to-last episode of the fourth season, to be the show’s best.

This episode revisited the core principle of the prime directive when the crew discovered a completely new and truly alien lifeform – one that wasn’t humanoid at all. It’s considered one of the best episodes across all of the Star Trek series for its portrayal of encountering a lifeform so different and difficult to understand. The episode raises important questions about how to interact with unknown life and ensure fairness for all involved.

7) Picard – The Last Generation (03.10)

When Picard was first announced, I was genuinely hyped – I mean, another chance with Jean-Luc? Yes, please! But honestly, it didn’t quite live up to expectations, especially for those of us who grew up with The Next Generation. The fan reaction really shows that – it’s sitting at a pretty low 57% audience score, and a lot of us felt the show just didn’t capture the same Picard we loved from TNG. It just felt…off, you know?

Despite some flaws, the series had strong points, especially when it reintroduced beloved characters from the past. This culminated in a fantastic finale, ‘The Last Generation,’ which served as a proper farewell to the original Next Generation crew – something they didn’t receive after the end of Star Trek: Nemesis. The episode gave each character a meaningful moment, and the final scene of them sharing memories together finally gave fans the conclusion they’d hoped for from Picard.

6) Star Trek: Lower Decks – An Embarrassment of Dooplers (02.05)

Fans were delighted by Star Trek: Lower Decks, which injected a lot of humor and genuine emotion into the Star Trek universe. Considering it was the first animated Star Trek show in nearly 50 years and a comedy at that, it could easily have missed the mark, especially for those fans who take Star Trek very seriously.

The show was a big hit with critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and viewers alike (72% audience score). Over its five seasons, there’s plenty to enjoy, but many fans consider “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” from season two to be the standout episode. It shares similarities with the classic Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles,” except instead of Tribbles, this episode features Dooplers – aliens that multiply whenever they feel embarrassed. It’s a hilarious episode that still manages to capture the heartwarming spirit the series is known for.

5) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Those Old Scientists (02.07)

Currently airing, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to return for a fourth season in 2026. The show takes place ten years before the original Star Trek series, following Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) and the crew of the Enterprise in the 23rd century. It’s become a fan favorite and is considered one of the best Star Trek shows in recent years, with the episode “These Old Scientists” being a prime example of its quality.

This episode was a special crossover event with the animated show Lower Decks. Characters Boimler and Mariner from Lower Decks travel back in time to join Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise, and their arrival kicks off the story. The episode successfully blended the comedic style of Lower Decks with the more serious tone of Strange New Worlds, creating a surprisingly perfect combination. It’s consistently ranked as one of the most enjoyable episodes in the entire Star Trek franchise.

4) Star Trek: Voyager – Timeless (05.06)

Thanks to the new series Starfleet Academy and Robert Picardo reprising his role as The Doctor, Star Trek: Voyager is enjoying renewed attention. Many fans consider it one of the strongest Star Trek shows, despite it sometimes being overlooked. A standout episode features time travel and highlights Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), a character who deserves more recognition.

Okay, so “Timeless” really threw me for a loop. It jumps ahead 15 years and shows Harry Kim and Chakotay discovering the wrecked Voyager… frozen in ice! Turns out, a huge mistake by Kim is what caused the whole disaster, and they’re the only two who made it. The rest of the episode is them desperately trying to undo what happened and essentially rewrite the last 15 years of their lives. And honestly, a big highlight? Seeing LeVar Burton pop up as Geordi La Forge was a fantastic surprise. Definitely a memorable episode!

3) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – The Visitor (04.02)

Many Star Trek fans consider the Deep Space Nine episode “The Visitor” to be one of the greatest ever made. In this fourth-season installment, an older Jake Sisko (played by Tony Todd) tells the story of how his father, Sisko, became lost in time and was able to appear at different moments throughout Jake’s life.

One of the most compelling parts of the series for me was watching Jake’s desperate attempt to reconnect with his father. It was really powerful when his father told him to let go, to focus on living his own life instead of trying to rewrite what was meant to be. But honestly, it was devastating because Jake just couldn’t manage that. His ultimate sacrifice to fix the timeline was one of the most gut-wrenching moments I’ve ever seen in any Star Trek series – it really stayed with me.

2) Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Inner Light (05.25)

It’s no surprise that many fans consider “The Inner Light” to be the best episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as it deeply explores the character of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). This fifth-season episode features Picard receiving a signal that transports him into the life of a man on a planet facing destruction. The episode is particularly powerful because we see Picard live an entire lifetime – complete with a wife, children, and grandchildren – all within just 25 minutes.

The surprising reveal is that this whole experience was designed to give him a glimpse into the life of a man who lived on a planet destroyed a thousand years ago by a supernova. It’s a deeply emotional concept on its own, but it’s made even more impactful when Picard understands what he sacrificed when he chose a life in Starfleet, and then has that life taken from him. This episode is arguably the most powerful in all of Star Trek.

1) Star Trek – The City on the Edge of Forever (01.28)

It’s tempting to see the original Star Trek as simply a charming, retro show with a strong cast and enjoyable plots. But that would be overlooking its depth. The series tackles complex ideas and themes in a subtle way, planting seeds for concepts that later Star Trek shows explored more directly.

For me, the standout episode is “The City on the Edge of Forever.” It’s from the first season, and the premise is wild: Bones messes with a time portal and completely alters history, to the point where the Enterprise doesn’t even exist anymore. Kirk and Spock have to go back to 1930s New York to fix things, and they quickly discover the problem: Bones saved someone’s life. But to restore the timeline, they’re faced with this unbelievably difficult choice – sacrificing one person to save billions. It really showed how smart Star Trek was, tackling these complex moral questions so early on. Honestly, it holds up just as well as any of the later episodes that explored similar themes.

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2026-01-26 01:44