Star Trek: Discovery is one of the latest versions of the ever-popular Star Trek franchise. First airing in 2017, it was the first Star Trek television series to air since Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005.
Discovery is set around 10 years before Star Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek: Discovery tells the tale of the crew of the USS Discovery as they travel through space.
As with all versions of Star Trek, the crew is made up of a unique and highly entertaining mix of humans and other species.
In this version, Michael Burnham is a science specialist aboard the USS Discovery. She is a human who was raised by Vulcans, bringing a unique perspective to the team.
We learn more about Michael and her somewhat tumultuous path to the Discovery throughout the season. We also see the role she plays in the war, and find out more about the Klingons.
The plot of Discovery is slightly less episodic than that of some of the earlier Star Trek series. Discovery takes the overarching tension of the Federation-Klingon war, and builds a suspenseful story that spans over the entire series.
If you’ve watched Discovery and are dying for more exciting space exploration shows to enjoy, you’re bound to find some shows that will interest you on this list.
Here are 10 shows like Star Trek: Discovery you can check out today.
1. Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction show based on the original series of the same name.
In the 2018 version of Lost in Space, the Robinson family goes to space as part of a colony mission. Earth has begun to colonize other planets because of an impact event that has disrupted life on Earth, making it unlikely that the human race can continue to prosper there.
During their planned voyage something goes awry, and the family crash-lands their escape pod alone on an unknown planet.
Viewers piece together information about the family, Earth, and the threats facing them over time, while the main plot of the show pummels the family with one major problem after another, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Like Discovery, this series is a thrilling and suspenseful take on space exploration.
2. Killjoys
Killjoys is a sci-fi space exploration series about a group of bounty hunters who take on warrants to find people or objects across their solar system.
Dutch, John, and D’avin work for the Reclamation Apprehension Coalition, or RAC. They are paid to bring back the person or thing they were contracted for without getting involved in any of the communities they meet.
This proves to be a rather difficult task at times, as they repeatedly get into dangerous situations and as they uncover information they can’t resist looking further into.
Killjoys has a quirkier tone than Discovery, but is another show with an adventurous crew traveling through space, fighting bad guys, and solving mysteries.
3. The Expanse
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in a future where the human race has colonized the solar system, but relations between colonies are very tense and on the verge of collapsing.
Josephus Miller, a police detective, investigates a missing person case and uncovers much more than expected. James Holden, the Executive Officer of the ice hauler Canterbury, discovers something that threatens to destabilize the already tense relations between the colonies.
Chrisjen Avasarala, an executive of the United Nations Security Council, strives to prevent a war that seems imminent.
The Expanse is a sci-fi drama with lots of action, mystery, and suspense.
4. The Orville
If you would like to see classic Star Trek remade as a comedy, you’re in luck. The Orville does just that. The characters, plot, visuals, and music are all very similar to Star Trek, but with a much more comedic tone.
The series centers on Ed Mercer, who is made captain of his first ship, the USS Orville. His (cheating) ex-wife Commander Kelly Grayson, who sent his life on a tailspin, is made first officer of the ship.
Other crew members include Doctor Claire Finn, the chief medical officer, Lieutenant Gordon Malloy, a good friend of Mercer’s and a bit of a troublemaker, Lieutenant Commander Bortus, an alien from the planet Moclus, Lieutenant Alara Kitan, the chief of security from the planet Xelaya, who has much greater than average strength, Lieutenant John LaMarr, the navigator, and Isaac, the science and engineering officer from Kaylon-1 who is a non-biological life form (an android, basically) who has high intelligence, but a strong dislike of all biological life forms.
The crew of the ship is quite quirky, but the plot is somewhat reminiscent of Star Trek, especially The Original Series.
5. Nightflyers
Based on the novella and short stories by George R.R. Martin, Nightflyers is a horror sci-fi drama about a team of scientists who go into space aboard the Nightflyer in 2093.
Karl D’Branin gets the opportunity to take a team of scientists into space on a mission that he thinks could save the planet. They are trying to make contact with aliens who have knowledge that could potentially save Earth. The rest of his team is a bit more reluctant about his plan.
The team includes a cyberneticist who can communicate with the ship’s computers, and an L-1, who is a powerful telepath feared by everyone aboard.
We see strange things happening aboard the Nightflyer, and it becomes obvious that their mission will not be a simple one to complete.
Like Discovery, Nightflyers is a space exploration series with elements of darkness, and with lots of adventure.
6. The 100
The 100 is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama loosely based on the series of novels by the same name. This show tells the story of the survival of the human race after a nuclear apocalypse. The human race survives by fleeing to a space station named the Ark.
The ruling body of the Ark has a death penalty for all crimes, but won’t kill children, so younger criminals are usually kept in jail until they became adults and their crimes can be put under review to decide if they will be killed or not.
When the Ark is in danger of no longer being able to support the people living there, they decide to send 100 delinquent teenagers to Earth to see if it is habitable again, knowing that it is likely a death sentence.
Once they arrive on Earth, they are met with many unexpected dangers and they have to adapt or die.
The series is filled with twists and turns, and shows the dark lengths people will go to for survival.
The 100 is a thrilling drama involving space travel, survival, and war.
7. Dark Matter
Dark Matter is a sci-fi drama about a crew of 6 people who wake up aboard a ship named the Raza with no memory of who they are.
They name themselves with the numbers 1 through 6. With the help of the Android on board, they then do everything they can to try to find out who they are and what led them to this point.
As the series progresses, we find out more about each crew member and the events that led them to lose their memories, and the plot becomes quite complex.
Fans of adventurous crews who travel through space solving mysteries will enjoy Dark Matter.
8. Firefly
Firefly is a science fiction show that gained a cult following even though it was cancelled during its first season. The series had 14 episodes and they later made a movie named Serenity to wrap up the plot.
Firefly follows Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew of outlaws on the starship Serenity.
They are often referred to as space cowboys, since the show has a bit of a Western feel, despite it being set in space in the future.
Firefly is set in a future just after a civil war, where the Alliance rules over humankind. The Alliance appears to be a fusion of Chinese and American superpowers, whose cultural influences are seen throughout the Firefly’s travels.
Some of the crew had fought on the losing side of the civil war, and are not happy with the current rule.
The rebellious crew makes a living on the outskirts of the star system, doing work that is usually not entirely legal (they smuggle in addition to doing some cargo runs).
Also on the outskirts of the star system are the Reavers, a brutal, cannibalistic race. The crew of the Firefly goes through countless dangerous adventures together, and become like family.
Firefly has a more lighthearted tone than Discovery, but still has its dark moments, and plenty of suspense. This show also has a crew of complex characters traveling through space and encountering more than they had bargained for.
9. Battlestar Galactica
The original Battlestar Galactica was from 1978, but the 2004 remake is even more in line with the general feeling of Discovery.
Battlestar Galactica takes place in a world where a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies was attacked by an android race that had been created by humans.
Commander William Adama and his crew on the Battlestar Galactica are trying to save the human race, helping them to flee their home in search of a planet called Earth that many think is mythical.
One of the best space shows of all time, Battlestar Galactica is smart, thrilling, full of action, and has great character development. Even the music on this show will have you on the edge of your seat.
If you’re looking for an exciting show about space travel after Discovery, Battlestar Galactica is where you’ll find it.
10. Other Star Trek shows and movies
If you love Star Trek: Discovery, and you haven’t yet seen the rest of the Star Trek series, you need to check them out. Starting with The Original Series, and going through all of the amazing tv shows plus the movies is a must.
There are also several upcoming series including the Discovery spin-off starring Michelle Yeoh, the upcoming Picard series, and the web series, Short Treks (an anthology spin-off from Discovery).
The shows and films vary in tone, but they all carry the same theme of boldly going where no one has gone before.
This article was written by a freelancer.
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