From "Nausicaans" to the Akira-class of starships, Star Trek has long shown love to the animated products of Japan. While the current future of Star Trek animation is a bit bleak, fans might find solace in various anime that can find kinship with Star Trek. What follows are 5 anime series that have certain themes or other elements that Star Trek fans would be right at home with.
(These series are listed in alphabetical order.)
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
With jazz music that Will Riker would love, Cowboy Bebop is a space western created by Hajime Yatate. It follows bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and the crew of a ship called the Bebop as they go on various adventures around the solar system.
The world depicted in Cowboy Bebop is much grungier, with a contemplative tone. Nonetheless, it has certain uplifting elements and plays with the idea of space being a Wild West-like frontier, recalling Gene Roddenberry's famous pitch of Star Trek as "Wagon Train to the Stars."
Edens Zero (2021)
Based on the manga series by Hiro Mashima, Edens Zero is more of a science fantasy story. It follows a human boy, named Shiki Granbell, and his crew aboard the starship Edens Zero. Their mission is to find the cosmic being known as "Mother," who is rumored to grant any wish.
Like Star Trek, Edens Zero sees the crew traveling from planet to planet and dealing with various situations. As a shonen battle anime, these situations are often dealt with through fights. Nonetheless, with several android and cyborg characters, Edens Zero delves into questions of self and humanity, reminding us of Trek characters like Data or Seven of Nine.