Ranking every Star Trek franchise's 100th episode

For Star Trek fans, the 100th episode is a mark of excellence. It is the baseline for whether or not a show had a lasting run that can hold up against the sands of time. Nowadays, thanks to the truly awful era of streaming, most series that go five, six, or seven seasons are lucky to get 10 new episodes per season.

Discovery, Picard, Short Treks, Lower Decks, and every other Nu Trek show has failed to hit 100 episodes. Strange New Worlds will likely finish between 50-70 depending on how long it lasts, with Discovery having the most so far at 65. The only show that has a shot is Prodigy, as it produces 20 episodes per season, at about half the length of a standard episode of Star Trek.

So the era of "100" may be over. So with that, let's take a look at the best of the best. Starting with a few honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention - Enterprise- Maybe Shatner's return?

Star Trek: Enterprise finished with 98 episodes. Yet, had it gotten to 100, we would've had a fifth season and there had been rumors set in place for years that a season five would've dealt with the Romulans and would have brought back William Shatner. If those rumors are true, Shatner could've returned for the series 100th episode, making for a major moment that fans were robbed of due to the show's early cancelation.

Honorable Mention First Trek -The Animated Series: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" (episode)

Star Trek's The Original Series and the Animated Series both failed to hit 100 episodes on their own. Yet, unlike every other show on this list, those two shows are directly tied to one another. The Animated Series continues the adventures of the Original Series, complete with the same cast and crew. So if you were to combine them, the 100th episode would've been How Sharper Than a Serprent's Tooth from season two of the animated series. A very mid-episode indeed. One not fitting of the honor.

Honorable Mention - Nu Trek: Discovery: "All In"

Just to continue with the motif of 100, had Nu Trek been counted as a single show, the 100th episode would have ended up being Star Trek: Discovery's "All In". Sadly, much like TAS, "All In" is one of the worst episodes of the series, as it features a long, drawn-out, gambling episode.

3. The Next Generation - Redemption Part I

Depending on who you ask (Wiki vs. Memory Alpha), the 100th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation is either Redemption Part I or Redemption Part II. Either way, it's a stellar episode for the fandom to enjoy. The end of the first part, which I consider the 100th episode, features the return of Denise Crosby to the franchise as Sela. A huge reveal to end the season on.

2. Deep Space Nine - "The Ship"

"The Ship" was one of the first episodes of Deep Space Nine's fifth season. The entire season was a build-up to the Dominion War, and the season served to help set the table for how impactful and dire the Dominion War arc would be. "The Ship", the season's second episode, ended up being one of the more tense preludes to all-out war. While out surveying a planet, a Jem'Hadar ship crash lands, thrusting Benjamin Sisko and his crew into a life-or-death battle over the remains of one broken space vessel. The intensity is at an all-time high, and the episode delivers in that regard. It's also one of the more heartbreaking episodes in Deep Space Nine's canon.

1. Voyager - "Timeless"

Set in an alternate future where only Chakotay and Harry Kim survived to return home to Earth, both men set out in a attempt to change history. Even if they have to go up against one of Starfleet's most iconic captains; Geordi La Forge. Directed by the aforementioned La Forge actor, LeVar Burton, the episode is a testament to how creative they can be with the Voyager and its crew. It tackles survivors guilt, time travel and the idea that the journey, not the finish, is the most important thing. It's a wonderfully done episode and maybe Voyager's best.