{Pilots}
Star Trek "The Cage" (1964), "Where No Man Has Gone Before (1965)
In the mid-60s, no one knew Star Trek would become Star Trek, it was a TV show, not a bloated franchise. The initial pilot starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and featured only one member of the later cast, Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Though NBC rejected the pilot, which was a nice little piece of true sci-fi, they placed the unusual order for a second pilot. As Hunter was unavailable for the second pilot, William Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk. Though the female first officer from "The Cage" was dropped, Mr. Spock remained, soon to be joined by Bones, Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura, the other regulars (Chekov came later). "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was picked up by NBC and the show ran for three years, though it has lived on in syndication for another thirty-five.

Star Trek: The Next Generation "Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II" (1987)
This is quite possibly the worst piece of Star Trek ever. (Worse even than Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is in a race to the bottom with only Voyager's series finale, "Endgame, Parts I and II.") But, it was successful because of starvation. For the eighteen years between Star Trek's cancellation in 1969 and this new series, the only thing people had to watch were the seventy-nine episodes of the original series; as great as they are, once you've seen each one a dozen times you begin to desire something, anything, new and different. Fortunately, TNG overcame the shortcomings of its pilot (and first two seasons) and for the committed viewer, eventually became the second-best of all Star Trek series and gave the franchise a new birth.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "Emissary, Parts I and II" (1993)
After six years of producing The Next Generation, the people behind "Emissary" knew what they were doing; a direct spinoff of TNG, DS9 incorporated such TNG-introduced elements as Trills ("The Host"), Cardassians ("The Wounded"), Bajorans ("Ensign Ro"), and Chief Miles O'Brien. "Emissary" even included both Picard's Enterprise-D and the infamous Battle of Wolf 359. Unlike "Encounter at Farpoint," you can see the seeds of DS9's greatness in "Emissary." It was the first episode written; so, clearly you can discern that both the writers and the actors are trying to find each character's voice, but the show was both strong and distinct from day one. Many people, though, gorged on The Next Generation (and, some have suggested, possibly because DS9 had a black captain), did not give the new show the same incredible patience they had given its older brother. By the time we arrive at "The Way of the Warrior" and "Call to Arms," this was obviously their loss, and sucks to be them for missing the greatest of all Star Treks.

Star Trek: Voyager "Caretaker, Parts I and II" (1995)
1994 was an exciting time in Star Trek. In May, The Next Generation concluded, beginning a new franchise of movies in November with Star Trek Generations; DS9 was improving with every episode and about to introduce a dark mirror image of the Federation in "The Jem'Hadar"; and a new ship-bound series was in the works. This was Star Trek: Voyager, the product of hubris and a lamentably wasted opportunity. "Caretaker" says almost everything that needs to be said about Voyager; it was a servicable story, but with a thousand small yet ominous tidings, all of which, sadly, were borne out. The new show was flat, one-dimensional, and unimaginative; arguably, the first season was the best, as it at least has the excuse of being the first season. Over the course of seven years, the characters remained static, the story meandered, and when all was said and done there was no celebratory hurrah, just a wearied acknowledgment that the ordeal was at last over. (I do not mean to boast, but my version of the show, Star Trek: Odyssey would have been far superior.)

Star Trek: Enterprise "Broken Bow, Parts I and II" (2001)
With the failure of Voyager and the lackluster reception of the third TNG movie, Star Trek: Insurrection, it was decided that a radical change was necessary to revive the franchise: instead of setting a fourth show in TNG's 24th century, the new show would take a page from Star Trek: First Contact's exploration of the time between ourselves and Kirk's 23rd century and be set ninety years after first contact with the Vulcans, one hundred ten years before Kirk, and ten years before the Federation was even founded. Enterprise as the show was originally titled, is a curious endeavour; it was conceived, possibly ill-conceived, as a grand departure from what had come before, but the most enjoyabe moments of the show have come from retroactively exploring elements introduced in the later series: Vulcans, Andorians, Romulans, Klingons, Tellarites, and even, slyly, Ferengi and Borg. "Broken Bow" was an attention-grabbing pilot and Enterprise had quite possibly the strongest first season of any of the modern Star Trek shows.

What happens next? The fourth TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis was the first Star Trek movie, in a history that stretches over ten films going back to 1979, to not make money in theaters. (Many suspect it was the last film we shall see featuring Captain Picard and the adventures of the Enterprise-E.) Honestly, I think the best course of action would be to focus on Star Trek: Enterprise for the time being, and make it the best show it can be. What happens after that would depend on the success the show enjoys, which could spawn another show set in the 22nd century at the birth of the Federation (Star Trek: Federation?), or I know many would like to return to the 24th century (my ideas: Star Trek: New Frontier, the adventures of the Enterprise-E under a new captain, basically a new TNG; Star Trek: Dominion, a series set in the still mysterious Gamma Quadrant after the cataclysmic finale of Deep Space Nine; and Star Trek: To Boldy Go, a five year mission of exploration beyond the frontiers of the Federation). If Star Trek has taught me nothing else, it is that in the future, in the very idea of the future, there is hope.