Ranking and grading every completed Star Trek show of the Nu Trek era

Where do the Star Trek shows of the modern era fall?
L-R Zahra Bentham as CMDR Jemison, David Ajala as Book and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery, episode 9, season 5, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Michael Gibson/Paramount+
L-R Zahra Bentham as CMDR Jemison, David Ajala as Book and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery, episode 9, season 5, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Michael Gibson/Paramount+
4 of 4

Lower Decks (C+)

I'll go on record saying that of all four of these shows, Lower Decks was the worst representation of a Star Trek series but the best-executed show. The humor is subjective, though it never landed for me. That said, the show took painstaking steps to make sure that Star Trek was loved in their universe, even if the whole concept of the show was to buck the norms and trends of past Star Trek shows that came before.

They made things silly, in a franchise that was rarely intentionally so. Still, unlike other shows or films that may come across as mean-spirited in their attempt to create something new in the universe, like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Lower Decks was very clearly lovingly poking fun at Star Trek. They had reverence for past characters, callbacks that only the most diehard fans would know, and involved themselves in other storylines that made the show feel lived in.

They even went out of their way to resolve some stories as well. Like the Red Squad. It wasn't for me, but I can't deny that over the years, they made sure that fans felt like this was a show for them. It wasn't without criticism. The jokes were almost carbon copy from other franchises with similiar themes. It didn't craft its own style, instead lifting it from other contemporary animation shows of its day and age. It also overruled nostalgia and the surprise return as much as any other Star Trek show.

That's why it got the grade it got. It was the last of the shows to rebuke the Star Trek reputation, but it did so the best.

For those curious, Strange New Worlds and Prodigy would be hovering around an "A" and a "B+" respectively if they were to come to an end today.