By Jim Johnson, Star Trek™ Adventures Project Manager
Art by Carlos Cabrera
What if you want to play Star Trek™Adventures but you’ve never watched an episode of Star Trek? Perhaps you’re a casual fan who has seen a handful of episodes here and there. Maybe you’re on the fence about the game and just need some inspiration. Or perhaps you are uncertain which handful of episodes out of the hundreds available might help answer the questions: “Just what is Star Trek?” and “What can my group and I do in a game of Star Trek Adventures?”
Before delving into the quickstart adventure or the new Starter Set, consider watching some of the following suggestions, which illustrate Star Trek characters in action together and arguably exemplify what’s possible for a typical Star Trek Adventures mission. As you watch them with your group, imagine what your group of characters might do to carry forward the Star Trek ideals and ethos embodied in these stories.
STAR TREK
The original series laid the foundation for the entire franchise and set the tone and style for nearly 60 years of science fiction storytelling. Check out “Balance of Terror,” “Space Seed,” “Amok Time,” “The Galileo Seven,” “The Deadly Years,” “Mirror, Mirror,” “City on the Edge of Forever,” and “Wolf in the Fold.” For a good example of how to have fun within the setting, check out “The Trouble with Tribbles.”
STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES
The Animated Series continues where the original series left off, and while the crew composition changed somewhat, the storytelling is as strong as ever. Standout episodes include “The Time Trap,” “Yesteryear,” “The Lorelia Signal,” and “The Slaver Weapon.”
THE FEATURE FILMS
While feature budgets and scopes require a refocus of intent, the thirteen Star Trek films deliver spectacle as well as story. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home present a deep, character-driven trilogy that is alternately action-packed, tragic, and humorous. The “Kelvin timeline” trilogy presented Star Trek to a new generation of fans. It’s worth noting several of the feature films involve some form of time travel, a Star Trek storytelling staple.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Moving the franchise into a new era, The Next Generation builds on what came before and adds much detail to the Star Trek universe. Standout episodes include “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” “Measure of a Man,” “Remember Me,” “Tapestry, “Data’s Day,” “The Inner Light,” “The Emissary,” and Lt. Worf’s Klingon-focused saga starting with “Sins of the Father.” “All Good Things” brings the series to an epic conclusion and tells a deeply personal story along the way.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
Deep Space Nine takes a bold new approach to Star Trek storytelling—rather than traveling to the adventure every episode, now the adventure would come to the station. This means that issues and challenges left unresolved at the end of an episode would often still be present next time. Be sure to check out the episodes “Emissary,” “Duet,” “Blood Oath,” “Crossover,” “Dax,” “The Visitor,” “Far Beyond the Stars,” “In the Pale Moonlight,” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” for examples of powerful, character-driven stories. If you’re considering playing in a Klingon-focused game, watch “Soldiers of the Empire” for inspiration.
STAR TREK: VOYAGER
Voyager shows us that even if you take a crew far away from the established Star Trek universe as shown in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, you can still tell a wealth of stories in the Star Trek tradition. Standout episodes include “Caretaker,” “Counterpoint,” “Lineage,” “Timeless,” “Year of Hell,” “Scorpion,” “Author, Author,” and “Endgame.”
STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE
Enterprise takes us to the beginning, showing us what exploration was like for Starfleet in its infancy. The Enterprise NX-01 breaks new ground episode after episode, illustrating what a deep-space exploration mission might look like. Check out “Carbon Creek,” “First Flight,” “Dear Doctor,” “Similitude,” the “Affliction” and “Divergence” storyline, and “In a Mirror, Darkly.”
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY
Taking the franchise into bold new directions (and, in later seasons, 900+ years into the setting’s future), Discovery tells some of the most mature and thoughtful stories contained within the franchise. Consider viewing “Lethe,” “Such Sweet Sorrow,” “An Obol for Charon,” “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” “Die Trying,” “But to Connect,” “New Eden,” “Species 10-C,” and “That Hope is You.”
STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS
Each of the Short Treks episodes are character focused, and all worth checking out. To experience a spread of genres, watch “Calypso,” “The Trouble with Edward,” “Ask Not,” and “The Escape Artist.”
STAR TREK: PICARD
The first season of Picard tells a deeply personal story, something not seen before in the annals of Star Trek on such a scale or with such focus. Consider watching “Absolute Candor,” “Remembrance,” and “Nepenthe.” Season two took the characters in a new direction—into the past and an alternate universe. The episodes “The Star Gazer” and “Two of One” are good character-focused stories. The third season brings Picard and his allies back to the early 25th century to face off against Picard’s long-time nemesis for one final battle. Check out “Imposters,” “Vox,” and “The Last Generation.”
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS
Taking the franchise into the funnest frontier, Lower Decks brings a whimsical yet reverent tone to Star Trek. It’s worth checking out the whole series since the episodes are short, but if you need a few highlights, watch “Much Ado About Boimler,” “Moist Vessel,” “No Small Parts,” “I, Excretus,” “Wej Duj,” “Reflections,” “Strange Energies,” “The Stars at Night,” “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” and “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee.”
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS
Spinning off from the success of Discovery, Strange New Worlds brings in Pike, Spock, and Chin-Riley and the Enterprise, along with a new cast and a new set of adventures following the Klingon-Federation War. The series has enjoyed a strong start; highlights include “A Quality of Mercy,” “Strange New Worlds,” “Those Old Scientists,” “Subspace Rhapsody,” “Under the Cloak of War,” “Spock Amok,” and “Ad Astra Per Aspera.”
STAR TREK: PRODIGY
The first Star Trek animated series truly aimed at a younger generation, Prodigy introduces a non-Starfleet crew of youths and connects them with a mentor in the form of a holographic Kathryn Janeway aboard the experimental U.S.S. Protostar. Standout episodes include “Supernova,” “Dreamcatcher,” “Lost and Found,” “Time Amok,” “Crossroads,” All the World’s a Stage,” and “A Moral Star.”
Order the print edition of the second edition Starter Set now and receive the digital version right away. Or order the digital file by itself.
You may also choose to order your print copy of the second edition Star Trek Adventures core rulebook now in standard format or one of three limited edition covers! And order a print copy of the second edition Game Toolkit as well, to expand your options for exploring the final frontier.
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Command):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Sciences):
2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Operations):
All physical orders will also receive the digital versions right away.
Alternatively, you can order the digital editions by themselves of the standard core rulebook and the Game Toolkit.
2nd Edition Core Rulebook PDF:
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about other upcoming Star Trek Adventures product releases. Live long and prosper!
TM & © 2025 CBS Studios Inc. © 2025 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
