Greatest Season of the Star Trek Franchise?

[Maj. Dick]

For me it's season 4 of TNG. It's the season I grew up watching on repeat. I like every episode which is rare for an entire season. It also has a great verity of episodes. You get a good amount of sci fi, mystery, political intrigue, and the thing season 4 is most known for, deep character development. Best episode for me has to be a tie between Drumhead and The Wounded, but I also have a soft spot for Future Imperfect.

 

[NCC-73515]

ENT S4, PIC S3, and PRO S2

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I took my average scores for each season and the quantity of absolute bangers and came up with this mathematically generated top ten (in chronological order).

• TOS S1 - The very first season was one of the best, with stories like The Menagerie and City on the Edge of Forever.
• TOS S2 - The second season was also great, with Mirror, Mirror, Doomsday Machine, Trouble With Tribbles etc.
• DS9 S4 - Season 3 had its high points, but season 4 brought the show to another level with Way of the Warrior being perhaps my favourite Trek episode.
• DS9 S5 - Trials and Tribble-ations, Purgatory's Shadow/Inferno's Light, Call to Arms... this season was amazing.
• DS9 S6 - Featured the awesome 6 episode Terek Nor arc.
• Disco S2 - The season arc was pure nonsense and I'll probably be less keen after a rewatch, but at the time I was hooked.
• LDS S1 - It's just Lower Decks from this point on I'm afraid.
• LDS S2 - I'm really surprised that TNG S3 or S4 didn't make the list, due to episodes like The Defector, Yesterday's Enterprise and Reunion.
• LDS S3 - But the sad truth about TNG (and Voyager) is that the quality is all over the place.
• LDS S4 - So a more consistent show will wipe the floor with it when I average my episode ratings.

My top TNG season was 3, my top Voyager season was 4, my favourite Enterprise season was 4, and my favourite Picard was season 3. Star Trek shows really do figure themselves out in the 3rd/4th year don't they?

 

[Frontis]

TOS season 1 and 2.
DS9 all seasons.
SNW all seasons so far.

 

[Uhura's Song]

TOS1 easily for me.

If I had to pick one from each series:

1) TOS 1
2) TAS 1
3) TNG 5
4) DS9 6
5) VOY 4
6) ENT 4
7) DISCO 1
8) PIC 3
9) LD 4
10) SNW 2
11) PRO 2

TNG, DISCO, LD, SNW, and PRO were all tough calls.

Other excellent seasons, off the top of my head: TOS2, TNG3, TNG4, TNG6, DS93, DS94, DS95, LD2, LD3, SNW1, PRO1.

If I had to do a top 20, the 11 listed there and 9 of the 11 series champs minus TAS & DISCO.

Though I am a bit fuzzy on VOY seasons.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Oh oh, I want to pick one for each series too.

• TOS - S1
• TAS - S1
• TNG - S3
• DS9 - S5
• VOY - S4
• ENT - S4
• Disco - S2
• Picard - S3
• LDS - S2
• SNW - S2
• Prodigy - S2

Pretty similar numbers.

 

[ananta]

TOS S1 and it’s not even close. Not just a season of tv but a cultural epoch.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

TOS S2.

Slightly edges out TOS S1 in my opinion.

Honourable mentions:

ENT S04
PIC S01
DSC S04

 

[Daedalus]

It's a tough choice between seasons 4 or 5 of TNG(3 and 6 too, for that matter)

I think it goes to TNG S5, though.

Inner light, Cause and Effect, A Matter of Time, The Next Phase, Unification ..just incredible moments of television.

TOS S1 is the runner up. An iconic and monumental piece of tv history

PRO S2 gets the streaming era hair-ruffle, the little scamp. Well done, kid.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

If I must pick one, without hesitation, it is TOS S1. Even if TOS did not have two additional seasons, the first is so astoundingly defining and entertaining, that it is no wonder TOS remains the face of the franchise.

 

[Maj. Dick]

ENT S4, PIC S3, and PRO S2

I still need to get through Enterprise, but I can imagine form what I've seen, I would love season 4. Reminds me of Babylon 5.

 

[Maj. Dick]

I took my average scores for each season and the quantity of absolute bangers and came up with this mathematically generated top ten (in chronological order).

• TOS S1 - The very first season was one of the best, with stories like The Menagerie and City on the Edge of Forever.
• TOS S2 - The second season was also great, with Mirror, Mirror, Doomsday Machine, Trouble With Tribbles etc.
• DS9 S4 - Season 3 had its high points, but season 4 brought the show to another level with Way of the Warrior being perhaps my favourite Trek episode.
• DS9 S5 - Trials and Tribble-ations, Purgatory's Shadow/Inferno's Light, Call to Arms... this season was amazing.
• DS9 S6 - Featured the awesome 6 episode Terek Nor arc.
• Disco S2 - The season arc was pure nonsense and I'll probably be less keen after a rewatch, but at the time I was hooked.
• LDS S1 - It's just Lower Decks from this point on I'm afraid.
• LDS S2 - I'm really surprised that TNG S3 or S4 didn't make the list, due to episodes like The Defector, Yesterday's Enterprise and Reunion.
• LDS S3 - But the sad truth about TNG (and Voyager) is that the quality is all over the place.
• LDS S4 - So a more consistent show will wipe the floor with it when I average my episode ratings.

My top TNG season was 3, my top Voyager season was 4, my favourite Enterprise season was 4, and my favourite Picard was season 3. Star Trek shows really do figure themselves out in the 3rd/4th year don't they?

First season of TOS is for sure one of the strongest seasons of any Star Trek. Surprised there is no TNG on your list.

 

[Maj. Dick]

TOS S1 and it’s not even close. Not just a season of tv but a cultural epoch.

It's probably a close second for me along with maybe season 6 of DS9. That season has by far the most amount of perfect episodes in any season of Star Trek, even if there are some weak points.

 

[Tomalak]

I agree that TOS S1 takes the crown. It's all killer no filler, except perhaps for The Alternative Factor.

TOS S2 is definitely up there, but for me there are a few more weaker episodes than S1.

TNG's best is S4, they were firing on all cylinders by then, but there was still a lot of fresh ideas and energy. I would have S3 next, probably S6 third.

DS9's all great, but S4 and S5 are the absolute peak.

So my top five would be:
TOS S1
DS9 S5
DS9 S4
TNG S4
TOS S2

All the other shows have definitely had their moments, but I don't think any other single season is better than those. IMO obviously.

 

[Farscape One]

Best season of the franchise?

DS9 season 4... as close to a perfect season a series has ever gotten. Only part of a single episode is mediocre... out of a 26 episode season, that is beyond remarkable.

PRODIGY season 2 is right behind this one, as well.

Other excellent seasons...

TOS season 1
TOS season 2
TNG season 3
TNG season 4
DS9 season 5
DS9 season 6
VOY season 4
ENT season 4
LDS season 3
LDS season 4
PICARD season 3
PRODIGY season 1
SNW season 1



Virtually every season in the franchise is either rewatchable or VERY rewatchable, with only a few notable exceptions. If I'm being honest, there are very few seasons that are what I consider to be BAD in the franchise. Out of the 11 shows (TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DISCO, PICARD, LDS, PRODIGY, SNW) and 46 seasons, they are...

DISCO season 1
DISCO season 2
DISCO season 4
PICARD season 2

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

TOS Season Two hands down. Very little soft-focus nonsense, no mascara in the Captain's quarters, no repetitive Lazarus or EMPATH-style dragging. What you do have is excellently-directed action, memorable close-ups, dynamic lighting in particular, two Spock-centric epics, plus killer giant Bugles, T'Pring, funky CATSPAW music, extra beamdowns for Uhura, a dash of Tamoon, and of course, the pentagon of classic episodes AMOK TIME, JOURNEY TO BABEL, MIRROR MIRROR, DOOMSDAY MACHINE and BY ANY OTHER NAME most of all.

 

[Maj. Dick]

TOS Season Two hands down. Very little soft-focus nonsense, no mascara in the Captain's quarters, no repetitive Lazarus or EMPATH-style dragging. What you do have is excellently-directed action, memorable close-ups, dynamic lighting in particular, two Spock-centric epics, plus killer giant Bugles, T'Pring, funky CATSPAW music, extra beamdowns for Uhura, a dash of Tamoon, and of course, the pentagon of classic episodes AMOK TIME, JOURNEY TO BABEL, MIRROR MIRROR, DOOMSDAY MACHINE and BY ANY OTHER NAME most of all.

There is a lot of lazy studio set/costume excuse episodes. "Oh we have a bunch of outfits leftover from a world war 2 movie so lets... make an episode where aliens are nazis?" Season 2 can just be super lazy at times. Also didn't care for the gimicky episodes like the Halloween one, Private Little War, and the backdoor pilot of Assignment Earth.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

There is a lot of lazy studio set/costume excuse episodes.

Largely redeemed by the writing, I'd say. Think of it as a federation of eclectic planets.

 

[Farscape One]

There is a lot of lazy studio set/costume excuse episodes. "Oh we have a bunch of outfits leftover from a world war 2 movie so lets... make an episode where aliens are nazis?" Season 2 can just be super lazy at times. Also didn't care for the gimicky episodes like the Halloween one, Private Little War, and the backdoor pilot of Assignment Earth.

The budget really hamstrung them, but they were quite creative with those choices for "BREAD AND CIRCUSES" and "PATTERNS OF FORCE", for example.

And as a horror fan and Halloween lover, "CATSPAW" is always a favorite.

"A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR" is always a standout because of the ending... I use it as a reminder to others that there are far less happy endings in TOS than many think.

I do agree about "ASSIGNMENT: EARTH", though... I thought it was a rather meh episode. (Maybe because it was so blatant an attempt at a backdoor pilot is the reason why this one never worked for me.)

 

[Tomalak]

It's not "lazy", it's working within budget constraints. It's no more lazy than TNG always redressing the same sets, or that Planet Hell set. It's just living within your means.