Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Trek’s infamously “gritty” sibling deals with a lot of heavy subjects, and breaks a lot of what felt like the then-established rules of the series—a starbase, not a starship, a mix of Federation and non-Federation crew, and a lot of moral complexity where our heroes aren’t always heroic. It’s an incredible show, but arguably tough as a first recommendation, because part of what makes it work is having an underlying knowledge of the rules it’s breaking.
Start Here If…: You want a Star Trek that is as challenging as it is loving of what the franchise is about, and one that feels modern in its tone and storytelling spite of being over two decades old.
