1y ago

What other shows to watch for fans of Star Trek?

Hi all, maybe this community can help recommend some new shows. I'm looking for Star Trek-like 'world-of-the-week' stuff.

I've already seen the following:

The Orville
The Expanse
Battlestar Galactica
Farscape
Babylon 5 (I forgot that I never finished it, so it's going back on the menu)
Stargate SG-1 Quantum Leap (looooove Scott Bakula)
Doctor Who (Not all of it, but pretty caught up since Eccleston)
Firefly
Sliders
Foundation (really enjoyed this one, especially the Cleon clones storyline)
Andor (not a big Star Wars guy, but I really liked this series)

Is Andromeda worth watching? What else is out there?
Thanks in advance!

100 comments

Is The Expanse worth it? Thinking of starting that after strange new worlds.
- The expanse is great! Highly recommend it, and the books are even better.
  
  @maino82 @oehm Agreed. The show because of Shohreh Aghdashloo, whose casting was a stroke of genius. And the books because it's a great story. Silo (on Apple TV) is also great. #ScienceFiction
  
  @maino82
  Slight disagreement: Books and series are both fantastic, and yet: There are a bunch of great #SciFi sagas and novels, but hard #SF as TV series on that level?
  The series absolutely excels in its art form, the novels only shine very brightly in their, due to the much bigger competition.
  @oehm
- Oh boy you're in for a treat! The first season is my favorite one. Not very Trekky though, I get a vibe of Alien mixed with cyberpunk.
- Another big vote for The Expanse. I always tell people to give the first season 3-4 episodes before judging. The main plot doesn't get started until around then and the full cast isn't even fully introduced after the first episode (IIRC). It's one of those shows that doesn't make it easy early on, but rewards those who stick through for the whole ride.
- It’s very, very good. Every season is basically a different genre though - within the context of the setting.
  The first is my favorite and is basically a noir/detective story.
  Second is my least favorite and is basically a monster movie.
  Third is political thriller and I fell in love with the show again, fourth is like a western/frontier story and fifth is a family drama.
  The best thing about the Expanse is the world-building. A lot of attention to detail. Great characters too.
- I'm a huge fan of the first few seasons. When Amazon bought them I feel the quality really dropped (especially in the set pieces/visual effects) but the story is still good. A lot of people didn't care for the first season or Miller's character but I really enjoyed it.
  
  It's wild to me when fans of the show disregard the first season. To me, that season is pretty much perfect. Three arcs - a detective story, a motley crew, a political thriller - pay off feels so great when it all comes together at the end. Season 2 was such a drastic change in pacing, concept and 'feel' that I didn't want to keep watching. I felt a little betrayed that Miller wasn't actually the main character.
  Besides Amos, I don't really care about the Roci crew. I had to wait until Ashford came along in Season 3 for a new favorite character.
  All in all - Avasarala, Bobby and Drummer carried the series for me.
- Yes. IMO the best SciFi Series
- Yes, the Expanse is wonderful ... I miss it TBH. As "blasphemous" as it might be here, I'd be more excited for a new Expanse series than new a Trek series.
  You may have heard already, but give the show 3-4 episodes before you give up on it.
  I was told this and I recall a specific moment even where I felt myself switch from, "this is fine" to "ok I like this". May not be that way for everyone, but give it 3-4 episodes.
  Also, and others have said this, each season is different with a different vibe, however that alters your viewing.
  
  They'd need to reduce the time jump between books 6 and 7 to make another series work. I think where they ended it was a really good point. That said I would love to have seen like a fucking valkyrie on screen.
- In a word, yes. In three words oh fuck yes.
- @oehm @pinwurm some of the best sci-fi I’ve ever seen! I didn’t totally connect and buy in for the first few episodes, but after that? Incredible.
- Great series except for the first season. I nearly gave up many times until it really picked up in S2 and became a classic.
  
  Damnit, I’ve been kinda planning on dropping it… guess I’ll be watching a bit more lol
  What about S2+ changes things for you?
- Yes, but the books are better.

You don't watch other shows. You start over with Star Trek.
😁

Going to keep the British end up here
Red Dwarf
Blake's 7
Hyperdrive
Classic Dr Who (not all great but some classics in the run)

I'm gonna throw this in here since no one has mentioned it —
Dark Matter
A fun SyFy show that was cancelled way too early and run by Joseph Mallozi who contributed to SG-1 and SG: Atlantis.
- I'm always worried watching stuff that's cancelled too early. Does it end in a decent place?
  
  @pinwurm @DCimpulse
  Unfortunately it ends with an unresolved cliffhanger. Although I feel like they dropped enough hints that you could kind of imagine how the next season would go.
  Don't let that stop you. The show sputters here and there, but the story is intriguing. Anyone that complains has clearly never seen seasons 1 & 2 of ST:TNG, and Dark Matter's entire run is only 39 eps.
  And with all due respect to Brent Spiner, Zoie Palmer as the android is fantastic.
  
  I'll be honest. Where it ended, I was pretty pissed that I wasn't going to get a resolution.
  But, am I still glad I watched it? Absolutely.

How you gonna mention star gate SG1 but not mention Stargate Atlantis?!?!
- Also Stargate Universe - it is a shame that it was cancelled after only two series, as it was getting quite good

Altered Carbon (Netflix). This is what Blade Runner 2 should have been in terms of cinematography and story telling. First season especially is great.
- I have mixed feelings on AC. I really loved the first season. Beautiful cinematography, amazing acting (Joel Kinnaman is incredible), great concept and plot. Pacing could’ve been a little better, but it really evoked that Blade Runner vibe in a cool way.
  Season 2 didn’t really resonate with me :/ Felt like a cheap Marvel movie.
  
  I did enjoy both seasons, however Season 1 is definitely better written than Season 2.

Took me a bit to get into Star Trek: Lower Decks but I recommend it to any star Trek fan!

For All Mankind is by the same writer as ds9/bsg and is pretty entertaining. There's some bad personal drama, but the space and alternative timeline stuff is good.
- I think the personal drama is just fine in For All Mankind, but if you are looking only for the "science" part and not the "fiction" (i.e. stories about humans), I can see why it would be annoying or feel like it's taking valuable time away from what you are there to watch.
  
  I'm still salty about the Shuttle in lunar orbit. That's not what it's for, that's not where it goes.
- Yes! This show is great!
- @Shadow For All Mankind is the Star Trek prequel we should have had.
  As well as showrunner Ronald D Moore, the show has a raft of Trek alumni on its writing/producing staff.
  @pinwurm
  
  For All Mankind is the Star Trek prequel we should have had.
  I feel it works better as a prequel to The Expanse.
- I love, love, love For All Mankind! I didn’t put it on the list, I think of it more as a drama than a Sci Fi show. I didn’t realize it’s the same writer as DS9/BSG! Small world

I liked the first few seasons of Andromeda, not the last one though. Definitely worth a watch. The sci-fi with a sentient ship and drone technology are pretty cool.
- I agree. It was an interesting story that just never went anywhere. They kept going in different directions. It's like that south park episode where the manitee write the show at random.
  I still watched it all.
  
  I agree as well. I always did like Andromeda, but I'd be the first to admit it is wildly inconsistent in everything from quality to story.
  From what I hear the inconsistencies were partly due to Kevin Sorbo both producing the show and playing the main character in the later seasons - leading to story decisions being dictated by his ego rather than anything else.
  Despite all that, there is still good stuff to be had in that show.

The Mandalorian is probably the best star wars show out there at the moment. There is a world-of-the-week vibe to it, but like most modern shows the primary focus is on the overarching plot and characters that recur. That said, if you liked Andor I think you'll thoroughly enjoy The Mandalorian.
If you like animated shows, Futurama is a classic. If you want something a bit more obscure and odd, Final Space is a good and funny show too. That's starting to stray pretty far away from Star Trek other than it taking place in space though.
- I thought Andor was the best Star Wars thing ever made period but found Mandalorian kinda boring and dropped it after a few episodes.
  
  Mandalorian didn't really click for me until several episodes in. I feel like Pedro Pascal took a typical, surface-level Star Wars script and made the character amazing, though - I watch mostly for him, rather than the writing.
  
  You're entitled to your opinion. It's wrong, but you're entitled to it.
- Ah yeah, I saw Mandalorian. It was pretty fun to watch, but I didn’t find it super compelling beyond the visuals - especially compared to Andor.
  Of course, Futurama is one of my favorites! Haven’t heard of Final Space, I’ll put it on my list - thanks!!

You've got SG-1 but not Stargate Atlantis, so add that in, it's just about as good as SG-1. (not Stargate Universe, though, that one's bad.)
- There it is, Stargate SG-1
  Damn that show starts off slow - most people can't get past season one. But holy heck does it have an amazing team writing the plots. I thoroughly enjoyed that show. And it's so underrated. I know I never watched it much when it was on air weekly with new episodes
  
  I binged all 10 seasons and while the last couple were a drag to get through, I totally enjoyed it. The episodic format is great.
  Also enjoyed Atlantis though I was skeptical of it and the characters at first, but they really grew on me.
  I also enjoyed Universe but it was more of a dark, gritty show along the same vein as BSG. It got canceled pretty quickly so there isn't much to get into though.
  
  Yes season 1 is rough, season 2 is a bit battery. Season 3 is where the show really takes off for me.
  Stargate, Star Trek, Star Wars = the holy sci-fi trinity. Seen each countless times in their entirety, always find myself coming back
- Yeah, I never watched Atlantis. My ol' friend who recommended SG-1 (years ago) said the other series weren't worth watching, but maybe he just meant Universe. What was wrong with Universe?
  I just watched some YouTube clips of Atlantis and saw Colm Meaney makes some appearances. So.. adding to the list!
  
  The optimal way to watch Stargate, and the way it originally aired, is alternating episodes of SG-1 and Atlantis starting with the former's season 8 and the latter's season 1.
  Universe had a drastic tone and characterization change from the other Stargate shows, it's much more tonally similar to Battlestar Galactica than Stargate. SG-1 and Atlantis are about competent professionals who enjoy each others' company, while Universe is about a bunch of petulant children who hate and are constantly scheming against each other.
  No, I don't like BSG either.
- @buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml loved both SG-1 and Atlantis

It didn't exist at the time this was posted, but this is the kind of content that would fit right in at our new community, !quarks@startrek.website .

Earth Final Conflict is also an interesting series. It was developed by Roddenberry, and produced by Majel Barret. I enjoyed watching it when it was in syndication.
- Thank you, I’ll check it out!

I've watched and can recommend X-Files, Fringe, Warehouse 13, Eureka, Mrs. Smith, and Station Eleven.
These are some that people have recommended that seem interesting, but have not watched yet: Orphan Black, Killjoys, Humans, The 100, Dark Matter.
- Thanks for these recommendations! I actually never watched X-Files, and a friend of mine binge watched all of it earlier this year and was sending me funny clips. I should add it to the list.
  LOVED Station Eleven. It might be a top 5 show of all time. The first episode felt like a slog until that last minute. Partially ‘cause we were kinda living that pandemic.
  But I was absolutely hooked and psyched to see more. And every episode after was “holy crap!” moments through to the very end.
  Some of the best storytelling I’ve seen on TV. Really rich character development and such a beautiful concept altogether. It made me really hopeful.
  Same writer/creator as The Leftovers (which I also recommend, very cool show - 3 seasons with an ending, gets progressively weirder and wilder).
- Dark Matter was a really fun little scifi show. Just a shame it got cancelled without closing the story.

If you like SG1 you should checkout Travelers on Netflix. It was created by one of the SG1 co-creators, Brad Write. The first 2 seasons are really good.
- I didn't mention Travelers in my watched list because it's not very 'Star Treky', but I absolutely adored the series. It had some faults, but really clever writing, well thought-out characters, great acting, cool story. I still think about it. Did you not like Season 3? Enrico Colantoni was brilliant. Also loved him in Station Eleven.

Babylon 5 has an epic story, character development, and space battles.
"I have always been here."
- "Can not run out of time. There is infinite time. You are finite. Zathras is finite. This...is wrong tool... No... No, not good. No... Never use that."

I'm not seeing Doctor Who on your list yet! You could give that a shot. Many of the series have the world-of-the-week feeling.

Silo on AppleTV is really good. Compelling story and great character development. Not exactly in the same lane as Star Trek, but I really enjoyed the sci-of theme and mystery of it.
- Oh thanks for the reminder, I forgot that was coming out! Glad to know it’s good.

Definitely watch the rest of the Stargate movies and then get into Atlantis. The Stargate series is very much Star Trek but with a more grounded premise. Yeah there are aliens out there, but the majority of the powers are not interested in getting along with these plucky Earthlings.
Also seconding the SyFy shows, especially Eureka and Dark Matter. Eureka is much more comedic and optimistic than the usual science fiction show. About 5 seasons and was given the chance to end properly. Dark Matter is, well, dark. Opposite of the Star Trek universe, but has great character arcs and plot lines. Absolutely worth watching the 3(?) seasons even if it ends on a cliff hangar.

@pinwurm I liked the first few seasons of Andromeda at the time. Don't know if it aged well.

Stargate. Especially the movies SG1 and Atlantis

I could not get into farscape or earth final conflict. I've always wanted to watch SG1, but I can't find anywhere to stream it now.
- Try Farscape again and see if you can get to the end of the first series. It shifts majorly then when the main villian for the rest of the show turns up and the tone shifts darker and more serialised. It's one of my favourite sci-fis of all time.
- SG1 used to be on Hulu, looks like they only have Atlantis now. I found SG1 on prime video though, included with subscription
  
  Hulu cut out huge chunks of the episodes.

I'm also going to give a curve ball: MASH.

Movie recommendation: Run Silent, Run Deep. It's a WW2 Pacific theater submarine movie with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. But it's directed by Robert Wise (Star Trek: TMP) and the story beats will be recognizable by fans of both TMP and Wrath of Khan. It also focuses pretty heavily on the lower decks crew.

Lexx
Here's a bit of a left field one for a movie: Master and Commander the Far Side of the World
https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/13/review-of-master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world
- @andthenthreemore @startrek Good one — I’d also recommend the Hornblower series (although they are nowhere as good as the books IMO). Supposedly Roddenberry once described Star Trek as “Hornblower in space”.
  (But really, read the books — the character in the novels is fascinatingly complex, an introvert full of self-doubt who is also incredibly talented.)

This might be a reach out of /10, but my wife and I are about a dozen episodes into "Deadwood" (HBO Western from the early 2010's?) and I can't help but let her in on how it reminds me of DS9 in how every character is fleshed out in this backwater outpost. It's so good. Naturally she just looks at me like I'm speaking some dead language, but for any DS9 fans, cheggitout
- Deadwood is great, Ian McShane is a standout! I also loved him in American Gods.
  I can definitely see the DS9 comparisons.

If you're not attached to the books (I haven't read them), Foundation does a pretty excellent take on space opera. Multiple interesting planets/ships/technologies/characters. One/three/four(?) REALLY fantastic villain/villains. It's not a 10/10, but I enjoyed it. First season of Silo was also pretty okay. But not really comparable to Star Trek exactly beyond both being sci-fi.

I really enjoyed the stargate movie, but the series was not for me.
I get hard low budget 90s tv feelings from it.
Possible spoilers below….
They recast two great actors in the movie with people who look and act nothing like they did in the movie. I heard they later joked about it and fixed it, but I couldn’t not get that far

100 comments