10 Sci-Fi Shows That Tried to Be the Next 'Star Trek'

10 Sci-Fi Shows That Tried to Be the Next 'Star Trek' Image via Disney+ By  Safwan Azeem Published 5 minutes ago

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Star Trek has been a core memory of my childhood, and I'm sure it's not just me. It has been a shared experience that a lot of us went through as a child, and also one of the reasons I have bonded with a lot of my friends. At that time, Captain Kirk taking impossible risks, Spock arguing logic over emotion, and Uhura talking into her headset like she ran the universe, was everything for me. That was my world. I used to re-watch the series’ scenes over and over again because one, the special effects were cool, and two, the ideas stuck with me.

Later, I realized how many people Star Trek had shaped, the tech innovators, writers, and dreamers like me. After that, I kept searching for shows that tried to capture that same mix of adventure and imagination. Some nearly succeeded, most failed. Here is a list of such shows that are different, but you can see that they tried to reach the same stars that Star Trek did.

10 ‘The Orville’ (2017– )

Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn stands casually with her arm around her son in The Orville.   Image via Hulu

The Orville is the clearest example of a show that reaches for the Star Trek spirit and never tries to hide it. Seth MacFarlane (Seth MacFarlane) created the series as an open love letter to the sci-fi he grew up with, and you see that sincerity in every episode.

The series follows Captain Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) and his crew aboard the USS Orville as they explore unknown worlds, deal with ethical dilemmas, and face threats that challenge their values more than their weapons. And this is where the show connects strongly with Star Trek. Instead of relying on big action set pieces, it leans into moral questions, diplomacy, and long conversations about what the “right thing” even means, exactly along the lines of Trek.

9 ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (2004–2009)

Six playfullly scratches Gaius Baltar's head as he relaxes in a poolside chair in one of Gaius' visions in Battlestar GalacticaImage via SyFy

If there’s any show that didn’t just borrow from Star Trek but pushed the genre into a heavier and even more human direction, it’s Battlestar Galactica. Right from the first episode, you can tell it won't hide behind technology. Battlestar Galactica focuses on people who are exhausted and trying to survive. And in that way, it reflects the most grounded parts of Star Trek.

The story follows Commander Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) as they guide the last remaining humans across space after a devastating Cylon attack. The show keeps asking uncomfortable questions about power, trust, identity, and what survival even means. It isn’t optimistic the way Trek often is, but it still treats people as humans.

8 ‘Farscape’ (1999–2003)

John Crichton as Ben Browder, Anthony Simcoe as D’Argo and Gigi Edgley as Chiana in FarscapeImage Via Sci-Fi Channel

Farscape is just like Star Trek, but different. You just cannot put your finger on it. It is wild, unpredictable, and often chaotic, yet underneath all the weirdness, it still holds onto the core idea of Trek that unlikely crews can form families.

The series begins when astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is thrown through a wormhole and ends up aboard a living ship populated by escaped prisoners. At first, nothing makes sense to him, or to the audience. But slowly, you get into the messy world of aliens. However, Farscape makes everything louder, funnier, and often much riskier than Star Trek.

7 ‘Babylon 5’ (1993–1998)

Michael O'Hare as commander Sinclair.Image via Warner Bros. Television

Babylon 5 is an interesting watch because of how it sneaks up on you. It is not like any cliche space station drama, and episode by episode, you start noticing how carefully everything is built. Every conversation, political shift, and strange visitor adds another layer to this giant five-year story that the creators planned from day one. That long-form vision is something Star Trek never fully embraced, which is why Babylon 5 stood out in its own way.

The show is centered on Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) and later Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), who both try to keep an uneasy peace among alien races while the galaxy inches toward war. There are disagreements, compromises, and mistakes everyone is making, which are too real to be true. And every decision changes the direction of the story. Babylon 5 delivers Star Trek-like ideas with more ambiguity and long-term payoff, which makes it a slow burn.

6 ‘Stargate SG-1’ (1997–2007)

Image via Sci Fi Channel

Stargate SG-1 is the show you start for fun and suddenly realize you’ve become attached to it. It expands the 1994 movie into a warmer and funnier tone, and before you know it, the team dynamic hooks you in the same way great Trek ensembles do. The missions matter, of course, but it's the crew that keeps you watching.

The story centers on Col. Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) as they travel through a network of ancient portals and discover new worlds and cultures. And while the setup sounds adventurous, the main theme of the show lies in how the team grows together. They argue, share danger, and tiny moments of humor that break the tension every now and then. Unlike Trek, it adds its own personality through mythology, recurring villains, and a surprising amount of comedy baked into serious episodes.

5 ‘Firefly’ (2002–2003)

Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynoldsand  Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra in FIREFLYImage via 20th Century Fox

Firefly quickly earns your trust. Within a few minutes, you understand the ship, the crew, and the messy, lived-in world they’re trying to survive in. It doesn’t feel sleek or idealistic like Star Trek, but rough, tired, and held together by people who care about each other more than they care about rules.

The show follows Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his patchwork crew as they take odd jobs across the outer planets after losing a civil war. They’re smugglers, survivors, and sometimes reluctant heroes, and that flawed humanity is exactly what separates Firefly from Trek’s polished aura. Yet, strangely, that’s also what makes it feel spiritually connected to the show because both of these believe that a small group of people, working together, can carve out hope in an unpredictable universe. Firefly failed commercially but lived on because of its honesty. And even though it was never planned to be the “next Star Trek,” fans embraced it for giving them a different kind of family among the stars.

4 ‘Andromeda’ (2000–2005)

Trance Gemini (Laura Bertram) and Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) are soiled and filthy in Andromeda.Image via Andromeda Productions

Andromeda starts with a mythic premise. A captain frozen in time wakes up 300 years later to discover that the civilization he fought for has collapsed. Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) is trying to rebuild something that once meant everything to him. The ship is called the Andromeda Ascendant, which is the center of the show. The high-concept sci-fi ideas and weekly adventures are just like Star Trek.

The crew is made up of former mercenaries, outcasts, and people who don't fully trust one another in the beginning. However, the theme of the show is a bit different from Trek, because the crew is not perfect or polished, but they are a group of people who are trying to figure out their identity while working on Dylan's mission to restore order.

3 ‘Dark Matter’ (2015–2017)

Melissa O'Neil as Two and Melanie Liburd as Nyx Harper in 'Dark Matter' Season 2.Image via SyFy

Dark Matter stands out right from this first episode because it throws you straight into uncertainty without any warning. It is about a crew that wakes up on a ship with their memories wiped, and for a few seconds, you're just as confused as they are. In those silent moments of fear when strangers are trying to figure out who they are and where they are, the show builds its momentum.

The crew, known only as One (Marc Bendavid), Two (Melissa O’Neil), Three (Anthony Lemke), Four (Alex Mallari Jr.), Five (Jodelle Ferland), and Six (Roger Cross), is a group of criminals, survivors, and people with complicated pasts. As the show moves forward, they grow to consider each other the family they never had. Dark Matter mostly resembles Star Trek, not in terms of aesthetics, but in certain core concepts.

2 ‘The Expanse’ (2015–2022)

Detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane) wears a protective suit and helmet as he treks through a peculiar, luminescent blue field in 'The Expanse' Season 2, Episode 5 "Home".Image via SYFY

If you love space adventures, The Expanse is the best one because it's a fresh take on the future of humanity among the stars. From the very first episode, the show gets into political tension between Earth, Mars, and The Belt, giving it a depth that Star Trek fans might appreciate. The story follows James Holden (Steven Strait), the reluctant hero whose actions can ignite wars; Detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), a morally driven investigator; and Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who is a cunning Earth politician navigating dangerous alliances.

Even though it has similar nuances, the show becomes unique because of its focus on realism. However, the characters are complex and morally grey, which adds layers to the story. Throughout its run, The Expanse tries to capture the spirit of Star Trek by exploring social issues and survival in space. Yet, it also leaned into suspense and mystery, which gives it a modern twist.

1 ‘Doctor Who’ (2005– )

Ncuti Gatwa, Christopher Chung, and Caoilfhionn Dunne in Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 3.Image via Disney+

Doctor Who has been a cultural icon for decades, and the 2005 revival brought it into the 21st century with renewed energy. The show follows the Doctor, a time-traveling alien, whose ninth incarnation is played by Christopher Eccleston, the tenth by David Tennant, and the eleventh by Matt Smith. Traveling through time and space in the TARDIS with companions like Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), the Doctor faces countless challenges, from alien invasions to moral dilemmas.

Just like Star Trek, the show thoughtfully raises moral and ethical questions and stitches them together in its science fiction genre. The questions often reflect contemporary issues in clever ways. There is an episodic structure of the show that allows for endless imagination from alien worlds to futuristic technology, which gives it a Star Trek-like sense of adventure. There are charismatic leads and a very creative storytelling that encourages viewers to think and dream about what lies beyond our world.

Like Doctor Who TV-PG Sci-Fi Adventure Release Date 2005 - 2021-00-00 Network BBC Directors Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy Writers Steven Moffat, Russell T. Davies

Cast

See All

• Jodie Whittaker The Doctor
• Christopher Eccleston

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse

• TV
• Stargate SG-1
• Firefly

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