Summary
WithStar Trek: Discoverycoming to an end, it will be a long wait before another live-actionStar Trekseries is available to stream, but there are several great science fiction shows available to watch in the meantime.As one of the longest-running science fiction franchises,Star Trekcurrently includes 11 television series and 13 movies,with multiple new projects in the works. Not only didStar Trek: The Original Seriesspawn a mega-franchise, but it also inspired countless other films and television shows that came after.
While the wait forStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3or the premiere ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academymay seem long, there are plenty of other compelling sci-fi shows out there. Whilespace operas likeThe Expansecapture the space exploration aspects ofStar Trek,procedural dramas likeThe X-Fileshave a case-of-the-week structure similar to a lot of earlyTrek. For viewers who have already watched every availableStar Trekstory, here are seven other science fiction shows worth checking out.
Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show
Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.
Following FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson),The X-Filestakes place in a version of our world where aliens and other paranormal creatures exist.Throughout the series, Mulder and Scully travel across the country investigating strange cases,while also working to uncover a massive government conspiracy. One of television’s best will-they-won’t-they couples, Mulder and Scully’s relationship alone makesThe X-Filesworth watching.
12 Star Trek Actors Who Appeared On The X-Files
From exploring strange new worlds to fighting to uncover the truth, many actors have appeared on both Star Trek and The X-Files.
ConsideringThe X-Filesaired throughout the 1990s alongside multipleStar Trekshows, it’s no surprise that the shows are similarly structured. Like theStar Trek: The Next Generation-era shows,The X-Filesis mostly comprised of episodic, standalone stories, with the occasional two-parter and a loose overarching storyline.With its numerous close encounters, alien coverups, and bizarre creatures,The X-Fileshas plenty forStar Trekfans to love.
With two feature-length films and a limited two-season return in 2018,The X-Filesremains incredibly popular. Another reboot is currently in the works withBlack Pantherdirector Ryan Coogler at the helm.
A spiritual successor toThe X-Files,Fringefollows FBI Agent Olivia Dunham(Anna Torv) and her task force as they investigate cases relating to fringe science.Brilliant and eccentric scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson) work alongside Oliviaafter she recruits them to her team. AlthoughFringebegins with case-of-the-week stories involving strange phenomena, the show later explores a more serialized story involving parallel universes.
Fringe’smost significantStar Trekconnection is Leonard Nimoy himself, who portrays Dr. William Bell,the former lab partner of Walter Bishop and the founder of Massive Dynamic. A shady research corporation, Massive Dynamic ends up connected to many of the cases investigated by the Fringe team. WhileFringemay not feature space travel,Star Trekis no stranger to parallel universes and weird science.
Produced by The Jim Henson Company,Farscapetells the story of astronautJohn Crichton (Ben Browder), who accidentally flies into a wormhole that sends him to a distant part of the galaxy.Crichton ends up on a sentient ship named Moya, with a ragtag group of escaped prisonerswho are running from the brutal and militaristic Peacekeepers. As he searches for a way home, Crichton befriends his fellow crewmembers and makes his fair share of enemies.
Along with runaway Peacekeeper pilot, Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black),Crichton and his crew do their best to evade the Peacekeepers, often finding themselves in absurd situations.Thanks to animatronic puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, as well as make-up and prosthetics,Farscape’screatures look truly alien. After Farscape’s abrupt cancelation at the end of season 4, a three-hour miniseries calledFarscape: The Peacekeeper Warswrapped up the series.
Created byStar Trek: Picardshowrunner Terry Matalas,12 Monkeysoffers a unique take on time travel and post-apocalyptic stories. When scavenger James Cole (Aaron Stanford) is brought into Project Splinter,he must travel back in time to prevent a devastating plague.Things don’t quite go as planned, which results in numerous trips through time and a complicated search for a mysterious group known as the Army of the 12 Monkeys.
5 Reasons Star Trek: Picard Fans Need To Watch Terry Matalas' Other Sci-Fi Show
While fans await news of the proposed Star Trek: Picard spin-off, Star Trek: Legacy, they should check out Terry Matalas' other fantastic sci-fi show.
With its compelling characters (Todd Stashwick’s Theodore Deacon and Emily Hampshire’s Jennifer Goines are particular standouts) and twisty storylines,12 Monkeysis an incredibly fun show that comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of its four seasons. Although the first season of12 Monkeysreceived mixed reviews, the show hit its stride in season 2 and didn’t let up until the end.
For those who enjoyStar Trek’sintergalactic politics,The Expansetells a complex, often dark story of ruthless leaders and competing factions. WhenJames Holden (Steven Strait) and his makeshift crew aboard the Rocinante become embroiled in a massive conspiracy, they fight to uncover the truth. Over six seasons,The Expansegrows in scope as war looms between Earth and Mars and alien technology complicates matters.
Based on the series of novels by James S.A. Corey,The Expanseis incredibly intelligent sci-fi with a cast of bold, realistic characters.AlthoughThe Expansewas canceled after three seasons on Syfy, it was picked up by Amazon Prime for three more seasons.The Expanseended with season 6, without adapting the last three books in the series, leaving several storylines unresolved.
With three films and three television series, theStargatefranchise has many similarities toStar Trek. Beginning with the 1994 film, the franchise followsan Air Force special operations team as they investigate various planets by traveling through an alien portal known as a Stargate.Stargate SG-1has the most in common withStar Trek:The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation,as Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) leads his team to explore strange planets and keep Earth safe.
Although severalStar Trekactors guest star onStargate,Robert Picardo is the only actor to play a main character in both franchises — The Doctor onStar Trek: Voyagerand Richard Woolsey onStargate: Atlantis.
The first spin-off ofSG-1,Stargate: Atlantis,takes afterStar Trek: Deep Space NineandStar Trek: Voyager. When Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) discovers the lost alien city of Atlantis in the distant Pegasus Galaxy, Stargate Command sends a team to investigate.Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his military team spend the next five seasons exploring planets in the Pegasus Galaxyand fighting off the dangerous Wraith.
12 Star Trek Actors Who Crossed Over Into Stargate
Many recognizable Star Trek actors made appearances in another iconic science fiction franchise: Stargate.
Widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi television shows of all time,2004’sBattlestar Galacticafollows the last remnants of a human civilization as they search for a new home after a devastating attack.With a fleet of ships led by the Battlestar Galactica,Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) do their best to hold humanity’s survivors together.
As the orchestrators of the attack, the Cylons continue to plague the survivors, as sentient robots indistinguishable from humans infiltrate the fleet.Developed by Ronald D. Moore (who worked onStar Trek: TNG, DS9,andVoyager),Battlestar Galacticaoffers a gritty and realistic take on science fiction,without any of the colorful aliens or technobabbleStar Trekis known for. Still, both franchises have left their mark on popular culture and established themselves as science fiction classics.
Every live-action Star Trek show is available to stream on Paramount+.
