The Best Of Star Trek 2024 (2025)

It’s that time of year again! 2024 has been quite an eventful year for Star Trek. The year saw the end of some Trek shows, the return of some Trek products and events, and a few surprises. Continuing a tradition, TrekMovie’s editors and contributors have taken a look back at the last twelve months and picked out the Star Trek highlights, celebrating the products, episodes, moments, and more that made this past year special. For your perusing pleasure, we present The Best of Star Trek 2024.

Best Episode Of Discovery – “Face the Strange”

While writers didn’t know this was going to be the final season ofDiscovery, they still managed to deliver an episode that paid tribute to the show’s past and celebrated how far the crew—and especially Michael Burnham—had come over the years. Mixing action and humor with a timey-wimey sci-fi problem, the episode’s biggest moment in the turbolift where Captain Burnham came face-to-face with her mutineer self from the past. Having Commander Rayner along for the ride kept things fun, along with a flashback to a more surly Stamets, a surprise appearance from Airiam and Jett Reno at her snappy best. – Laurie Ulster

Best Episode Of Prodigy – “Last Flight of the Protostar: Part 1”

It’s hard to think of a more moving, dialogue-free montage than the one that opened this episode, where we finally catch up with Captain Chakotay, marooned and alone, making his way through endless, unchanging days and mourning his lost crew. When our heroes show up, he’s embittered and defeated, but they snap some life into the surly, beaten-down captain with some help from Hologram Janeway. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and delivers hope at the end as the kids finally get through to the man who thought his adventure was over. – Laurie Ulster

Best Episode Of Lower Decks – “Starbase 80”

The fifth and final season of Lower Decks was bittersweet but the show went out strong, with an emphasis on character development, exploration of the show’s own lore, and more sci-fi episodic adventures. The episode that exemplifies that best was “Starbase 80,” where members of the Cerritos crew had to face their own preconceptions of what was seen as the worst posting in Starfleet only to find a lot of heart and humor beneath that old rusty station, once you get past the decon gel chamber and the rest of the classic Enterprise and TOS gags. The episode introduced a number of interesting characters, subverted expectations, and then had a surprise connection in the series finale, making it a sort of backdoor pilot for a spin-off series. – Anthony Pascale

Best Cameo – Jolene Blalock in Lower Decks

We’ve gotten used to all kinds of legacy cameos onLower Decks, but none came as a bigger surprise than the return of Jolene (now last-name-less) as Enterprise‘s T’Pol. (There should be an award for the whole production team just for keeping that secret.) Without the silly catsuit and with great insights after a decades-long marriage to Trip Tucker, Lower DecksT’Pol was the T’Pol we should have had all along. – Laurie Ulster

Best Bonus Content – “Unification”

The Roddenberry Archive has been an interesting project that has been creating digital replicas of Star Trek ships along with a collection of intriguing short films over the last few years. But their celebration of the 30th anniversary of Star Trek Generations really took it to the next level with the release of their most ambitious short “Unification.” Garnering millions of views, this bonus surprise release took fandom by storm. Without any dialogue, the short film was able to give a coda to James T. Kirk and Spock. The franchise’s most iconic pair were reunited via amazing digital prosthetic makeup, along with strong performances from Sam Witwer as Kirk (in various time periods) and Lawrence Selleck as Spock, stellar practical and digital production design, and a beautiful score. The 11-minute film is full of deep cuts and detailed connections, but can just be watched for what has been a profound emotional experience by many fans. – Anthony Pascale

Best Surprise – big stars cast for Starfleet Academy

Fans were sure that some favoriteDiscovery actors would find their way to the newStarfleet Academy show, but last summer brought the news that two big movie stars were joining the cast—and not just as one-off guest stars. In May, we learned that Oscar winner Holly Hunter (a favorite of mine sinceBroadcast News) would star as the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy, and a month later, Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) would be recurring as the season’s villain. Who could have predicted it? (And will we get to interview them?). – Laurie Ulster

Best Novel – TOS: Lost to Eternity

The competition for best novel was fierce with a small pool of excellent contenders, but this year, Greg Cox’s Lost to Eternity had it all: a rollicking TOS adventure, an alien first contact, and a podcast exploring the mystery of what happened to Gillian Taylor in 1986 when she seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Throw in a whole lot of Saavik, both on the cover and in one of three timelines covered in the book, and a smoky Klingon assassin in another, and you’ve got a winner. – Dénes House

Best Nonfiction Book – Open A Channel: A Woman’s Trek

Originally asked to write a coffee table book about the impact of female Star Trek characters, Nana Visitor (DS9’s Kira Nerys) understood the assignment but decided to take the idea a whole lot further. In her expansive book, she looks at the fictional women of Star Trek and talks to as many of the actresses who play/played them as possible, looking at what life was like for them during production and what they felt their roles were within society and their own circles. It’s a book about how women fit into the world—or don’t—as well as how far we’ve come and how far we’ve yet to go, and is likely to get you thinking and talking about your own history (no matter what your gender) in a way you haven’t done before. – Laurie Ulster

Best Comic Series/Arc – Defiant – “Hell is Only A Word”

2024 was a banner year for Star Trek comics. IDW didn’t just give us one-shots, annuals, and mini-series, but also added the fantastic Lower Decks ongoing story to the lineup. While the Eisner-nominated Star Trek ongoing remains stellar, for my money, this year belonged to Star Trek: Defiant. Written by Halt & Catch Fireco-creator Christopher Cantwell, with stunning art by Ángel Unzueta, Marissa Louise, and Clayton Cowles, Star Trek: Defiant is a gritty, character-driven masterpiece. This bold series throws together a crew of Starfleet outcasts led by Worf, with Ro Laren and B’Elanna Torres as instant ride-or-die besties, a weathered Spock, and newcomers like the mysterious Orion, Nymira, adding depth to the narrative. Its haunting “Hell is Only A Word” arc revisits the parasites from TNG season one and is messy (in the best way)—a perfect blend of unsettling tension and thrilling storytelling. Defiant isn’t just another Trek comic—it’s a love letter to Starfleet’s rebels and morally complex characters, with some of the best art the franchise has ever seen. – Joe Andosca

Best Individual Comic Issue – Star Trek Annual 2024

Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly with stunning art by Rachael Stott, the Star Trek Annual 2024 is a thrilling, Holmes-inspired pursuit across the galaxy that dives deep into Data’s obsession with finding Lore. Having gone rogue, resigning from Starfleet, and enlisting Chief O’Brien and Geordi to help him, Data is driven to the brink in his relentless quest. Lore’s danger looms large, and the story doesn’t shy away from the high stakes. Packed with fun callbacks and Easter eggs, the issue is somewhat self-contained but even richer if you’ve read Star Trek #17and#18. Between the Data/Geordi drama, the gorgeous art, and the breakneck pacing, this is everything you want in a Star Trek comic, and more. – Joe Andosca

Best Home Video Release – Star Trek: Discovery The Complete Series

Things slowed down a bit for home video releases in 2024, but there were still some releases worth picking up, especially when you know nothing can take away your physical media (unlike streaming or even digital copies). When Discovery ended with season 5 in spring 2024, it was obvious a disc release would happen a few months later. What was a nice surprise was that not only was season 5 released, but Paramount put together a new boxed set of all 5 seasons, and it actually had its own exclusive extras, it wasn’t simply all 4 previously released seasons shoved in a box with season 5. As the home video market slows down into more of a niche market, it was nice to see Paramount Home Entertainment do a little something extra. And for $51 (Blu-ray) and $40 (DVD), it’s a good deal too. – Matt Wright

Best Home Video Season Release – Star Trek Prodigy Season 2

This one could also be called “video release we’re most grateful for,” which goes to Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. Prodigy has become something of a red-headed step-child of the current era, and it’s a shame, as the show captures the heart of Star Trek in a way that some of the live action shows haven’t, and it is a wonderful way to engage children (or your own inner child) in what it means to be part of Starfleet and the Federation, and thus all the things we love about 24th century Star Trek. The fact that it’s been released on physical media is important, not every streaming media show gets a physical release, especially those on Netflix. This lets fans have a permanent copy of the show, and hopefully being available whenever you want it at home (regardless of streaming regions and/or licensing deals) will help get a few more eyes on the show too. – Matt Wright

Best Merch – Moopsy plush

2024 was a pretty good year for Star Trek merchandise with more releases from consistent licensees as well as some new entrants. Companies like Factory and EXO-6 are keeping high-end collectors happy with replicas, but there are more affordable finds as well including Fanhome getting die-cast Starship models going again. With Lower Decks wrapping up this year, there were plenty of ways to extend your love of the show through merchandise including a cool interactive novel. But our favorite release is something simple, a 10-inch plush from Master Replicas of everyone’s favorite bone sucking cutie: Moopsy! – Anthony Pascale

Best Convention/Live Event – Treksperts Stage at STLV

This year’s Las Vegas Creation convention featured a separate programming track from The Inglorious Treksperts, with a schedule so extensive it could’ve been a convention all its own. Packed full of anniversary celebrations, a diverse array of panels, and even a re-enactment of Plan Nine from Outer Space, it was almost a throwback to conventions of old, which were somewhat less celebrity-driven and allowed other contributors to the franchise (writers, designers, FX artists) to be recognized for their work. It was very well received by convention-goers and we hope to see more programming like this in the future. – Brian Drew

Best Online Event – Trek Talks 3

Three years in, the all-day virtual fundraiser to benefit Hollywood Food Coalition delivered almost nine hours of tasty Star Trek goodness, all to raise money for a great cause: feeding the hungry. What’s more Star Trek than that? Last year’s event included a “Tuvix” panel (including Tuvix himself, Tom Wright), aPicard season 3 reunion, a retrospective of Black women in Star Trek, a mix of old and new with Prodigy producers and Brannon Braga, one-on-one interviews, and a dive into the Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover. Trek Talks raised over $100k and returns for its 4th year on January 18, 2025. – Laurie Ulster

Best Celebrity Moment – Trek eras join up at Peabody Awards

In June Star Trek was honored with a Peabody Award and a diverse group of Trek veterans showed up for the prestigious Beverly Hills award ceremony. Many fans were heartened to see celebrities spanning the eras there, including a rare sightings of Enterprise’s Scott Bakula as well as TNG’s Sir Patrick Stewart. New Trek was also represented by stars from Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and even the upcoming Section 31 movie. – Anthony Pascale

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Best Podcast Series – Trek, Marry, Kill

Looking for something a little different in a Star Trek podcast? This one has it. Hosts Bryan and Kristen look at episodes from across the franchise, covering their origins and history (with excellent insights) before getting to the meaty part: the categories, which change from time to time, but always deliver. ,Familiar episodes are viewed through the new and funny lens of best and worst Trek tropes, what from this episode would be taught at Starfleet Academy, could it have been hornier and would that have made it better, and more, along with the Anton Karidian Award for best acting and the Shatner award for commitment. At the end, the episode is graded by its smart and funny hosts as a Trek, Marry, or Kill, but it’s the path to get there that will keep you listening. – Laurie Ulster

Best Podcast Episode – Inglorious Treksperts 300th episode (all about Star Trek III)

Inglorious Treksperts has made our best of Star Trek list before and for good reason. Co-hosts Mark Altman, Daren Dochterman, and Ashley Miller deliver detailed and fun discussions on just about every corner of Star Trek, with an amazing list of guests offering their insights. This year they celebrated their 300th episode with something special. To honor the 40th anniversary of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock they brought in Marvel super-producer Kevin Feige, 20th Century Films exec Steve Asbell, and Picard showrunner Terry Matalas to debate the hosts on what makes the third Trek feature one of the best. The result is as enlightening as it is entertaining. – Anthony Pascale

Best Fan Social Follow – Star Trek Minus Context

Sometimes you just have to laugh, and a good place to start is the always reliable “Star Trek Minus Context” (@NoContextTrek on Twitter, Bluesky, and Mastadon). The premise is simple: The account just posts seemingly random screenshots from Star Trek films and TV shows (often with closed caption). But that is the beauty of it all as so often these moments in time can be hilarious, especially sans context. Be sure to read the well crafted Alt-text descriptions of the images, which often offer up even more laughs. The account can also be timely, like a fun election day post that got a lot of likes. – Anthony Pascale

Star Trek Minus Context (@nocontexttrek1.bsky.social) 2024-12-31T22:21:44.796Z

Best Pro Social Follow – Aaron Waltke

Aaron J. Waltke, writer and co-executive producer for Star Trek: Prodigy, splits his time on social media posting fun things about Star Trek in general along with advocacy and insights on Prodigy as well as shedding some light onto the complex world of producing television in the streaming era. From explaining how content providers use watch time to gauge interest in a show, to posting full charts of how a story arc is planned, Waltke adds clarity to the business side of Star Trek, and does so without glamorizing his work or bemoaning the need to make tough decisions about content. Following him on social media (@GoodAaron on Twitter, BlueSky and Threads), you’re reminded that the creators of these shows often love them as much as us fan do. – Aaron Bossig

It’s heartening to see longtime fans sincerely wish for something they want to see in Star Trek, and the replies are filled with kind recommendations to watch animated Star Trek shows where they have already done it.

Keep spreading the word!

Animation is a medium, not a genre.

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— Aaron J. Waltke (@goodaaron.bsky.social) January 28, 2024 at 9:43 AM

Best Meme – Ending 2024

Is there anything more meme-able than Star Trek? There is a moment for every mood, thought and emotion. And so we wrap up our Best Star Trek of 2024 with one of our favorite memers, @robintrek on Instagram who has just the right take on this year… and she’s already got something for 2025 too. – Christine Rideout

What’s your best of 2024?

Sound off in the comments below to let us and other fans know what you think of our list. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites were this year, and feel free to suggest categories we didn’t include.

The Best Of Star Trek 2024 (2025)
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