Star Trek has had a very good year with its storytelling. They had three shows aired and each show arguably had its best season yet, at least depending on who you talked to. The franchise may be in flux and there's a lot of craziness surrounding the franchise and its parent company(ies) but regardless of what happens next, at least we can look back at 2023 and see some quality content.
But of all that content, what show gets to say it had the best year? There were three that technically fell into the 2023 window, Lower Decks, Picard, and Strange New Worlds. Prodigy ended just before the start of 2023, and Discovery missed the entire year thanks to a variety of issues.
But with the three shows, which show made the biggest impact and had the best quality week to week?
3. Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4
Lower Decks has its fans, and it's certainly the type of show that can key on a D or E-plot from a show 30 years ago and resolve it, but as far as its grander impact on the franchise, it's not the type of show that can be seen as the franchise's watermark.
2. Star Trek: Picard Season 3
Picard had the inverse issue, it was a shot that was monumentally impactful on the franchise, but its quality and story didn't hold up week to week. The plot didn't make a lot of sense, and the justification for keeping Jean-Luc Picard's son from him is insulting, but it did create a crop of new characters, brought back key icons, and set up the potential for a spinoff.
1. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2
Despite all that, however, Strange New Worlds is the best and most impactful show of the year. Unlike Picard, Strange New Worlds' didn't end after its third season. It's the watermark of the franchise, and the best show consistently week to week and that's with its fair share of issues. It's going to be hard to take down Strange New Worlds as we move into 2024.