The surprising best series to begin watching Star Trek

Star Trek has been around well over fifty years now, and new viewers are tuning in every day. 

With so many episodes and the different series to watch, there’s a Trek series for everyone, but what about that person who has never seen even one Trek episode? Should they start with The Original Series? Strange New Worlds? Or Enterprise. The executive producers of Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Picard, Trevor Roth and Rod Roddenberry answered this question in an interview with Movieweb, and the answer might surprise you.

The series that Roth suggested at the best entry point for new watchers is one that was just cancelled after only one season—Star Trek: Prodigy. And the reasons behind the choice, as explained by Roth, are sound.

"“I think we both feel very good about Star Trek: Prodigy being a fantastic entry point because Prodigy came from the standpoint of people who don’t know the Star Trek world. The characters themselves are learning as they go what it all means to be Starfleet and be Star Trek. I think from that standpoint, for people who are feeling intimidated by 57 years by the number of shows or episodes, it is a great way to understand what Star Trek is about through the characters learning the same things themselves.”"

To learn about Star Trek, it makes sense to start with a show teaching Star Trek.

In Star Trek: Prodigy, Dal and his friends were not just learning about the Federation and Starfleet; they were learning about everything to do with space, how to run a ship, how to be teammates, and how to think quickly on their feet, all of which is important for any member of Starfleet. They had to start from scratch just like a new Trek watcher needs to do.

So instead of jumping into a show that is already well-established in the canon,  a viewer can start watching Prodigy and learn along with the crew. Not to mention, they can not only start with a young team who are just learning the ropes, but they can learn the ins and outs of Starfleet and the Federation from one of the best former captains in the franchise, Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

Though the first season of Prodigy can’t be watched on any streaming channel with a subscription at present, it can be purchased through various online retailers. Interested viewers can also hit up some of their friends for a viewing party as many Prodigy fans now own that first season.