So here I was, standing in the shower, and suddenly I realized something.
Star Trek fans, Trekkies, were pulling what Tolkien fans pulled on me years ago.
Years ago my interest in the Tolkien world was sparked and I went looking for answers… the problem was that Tolkien fans were way too enthusiastic to oblige me. I was bombarded with information and couldn’t figure out jack squat. Everything took forever, what was canonical, what wasn’t canonical, why is Tom Bombadil in the first book but never mentioned again, I simply had no idea.
I feel that Trekkies are kind of doing the same thing… When new people ask what to watch and whether or not they need to watch the episodes in order they just get bombarded with so much information they get turned off… and that’s really not what we want.
SO…
Star Trek TV Shows You SHOULD Watch in Order
Star Trek Voyager
You should watch Voyager in order because the plot line is linear… it starts with them getting stranded and goes year by year on their journey home. However, Voyager is still episodic in nature… you do not have to watch the episodes in order if you don’t feel like it.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Definitely watch Deep Space Nine in order. The plot line is linear and continuing. It will help you understand what’s happening if you start with the beginning and end with the end.
Star Trek Enterprise
The plot line of Enterprise is also linear… it will help to watch from the beginning. However, just like Voyager the seasons are episodic in the first two seasons so you can easily jump around.
Star Trek TV Shows You DO NOT HAVE TO Watch in Order
Star Trek The Original Series
The Original Series is wildly episodic. The timeline and the plotline inside the show is extremely haphazard. You do not need to watch any of the seasons in order. You’ll be just fine.
Star Trek The Next Generation
The Next Generation can be watched any way you like. I actually got into Star Trek by watching season 3 of The Next Generation on BBC America. You can start at any episode and begin to get into it. A note for you though, The Next Generation uses a seasonal format for their seasons… by that I mean the ending episode of a season is actually two parts. One part is the last episode of the current season while the second part is the first episode of the next season.
Anyways…
Good luck. If you’re new to the Star Trek world… don’t listen to anybody. Watch whatever the heck you feel like.