This ‘Star Trek’ series has serious staying power
This ‘Star Trek’ series has serious staying power
‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ is nearly 40 years old, but it has near-infinite rewatch value, as I discovered this week.
As Valentine’s Day drew closer and closer this week, I began to consider TV shows and movies I could watch with my partner to slow down for a little together time. Like most couples, we’re busy people, but we love to find new titles to stream together when we want to decompress.
As I listed off series or movies we hadn’t watched yet to her, I decided to casually throw a suggestion I didn’t think had much chance of selection into the mix: “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” I’m a major Trek fan myself, but she had never really gotten into the franchise, so I was surprised to hear her give it her seal of approval. The resultant viewing experience proved that “Next Generation” is still a fantastic series 39 years after its initial release, and it was my favorite stream of the week.
As most likely know, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as it travels the galaxy, seeking out new life forms and new civilizations. The series is set in the 24th century, but many of its episodes are morality plays that seek to tackle complex social issues we still grapple with in 2026.
As a longtime “Next Generation” fan, I hoped to dazzle my partner with episodes of the show I considered to be foundational — titles like “The Best of Both Worlds” or “The Measure of a Man.” But she and I finally settled on an episode called “The Bonding,” in which the Enterprise crew is called upon to rally around a young boy whose Starfleet officer mother is killed on a mission. It’s a hard enough task to accomplish, and soon becomes nearly impossible when an alien impersonating her appears on the ship.
The episode was profoundly affecting to my partner, who saw so many parallels to the struggles she faces with grieving clients in her professional life. Her reaction to the episode served as a reminder to me that, though “Star Trek” has succeeded time and again in delivering powerful social statements on issues like race, gender identity, and environmental harm, it doesn’t need to hit those heights to reach an audience.
To me, that’s one of the surest signs of a good TV show. The age of the series, the constraints of its budget, the excellence of its special effects — none of it matters as much as a show’s ability to make a viewer feel something. To connect with a person in the moment in time they choose to consume it, no matter how long it’s been since that episode first aired. It takes a special type of program to do that, and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” delivered that experience this week.
The show still isn’t for everyone, and there are likely members of the audience out there who have never stopped to think for a moment that any “Star Trek” title would be up their alley. But “Star Trek: The Next Generation” can satisfy just about any audience member with its excellent writing and an ensemble cast whose chemistry becomes apparent as the show goes along.
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” has seven seasons of episodes, which viewers can stream on-demand on Paramount+ starting at $9 per month for the streamer’s ad plan. Alternatively, viewers can seek out free “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episodes on free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, or in the on-demand library of Pluto TV.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.