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We countdown the 10 worst sequels in Star Trek history, from disappointing storylines to missed opportunities. See which follow-ups failed to live up to the franchise’s legendary legacy.
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00:00For all that is good there is something that is less good. Though we begin with a powerhouse of
00:04composition these examples are those episodes and storylines that simply missed the mark. We
00:09discussed the best sequels in Star Trek in a previous list but what of those that left us
00:13cold? There are many stories in Trek that beg to follow up only for the result to leave the
00:18audience wanting. Did we for example really need to have certain questions answered? Were certain
00:23characters reintroduced for reintroduction's sake? What if anything did this do for the overall
00:28narrative? To be fair crafting a sequel to anything is a difficult task. As soon as a sequel is
00:34announced it carries the weight of expectation. Sometimes the initial story was so strong that
00:39any follow up is starting from the back foot while other examples offer odd sequel choices to stories
00:46that weren't that strong to begin with. There is always a place for further exploration in Star
00:51Trek and beyond with so many episodes and movies delivering on the promise. Consider the best of
00:58their endings in television history followed by an episode that nailed the landing. There
01:03were many, the writer of said story included, who felt it couldn't be done. Yet it was and
01:08we were the better for it. This list does not feature those episodes. I'm Sean Ferrick for
01:13Trek Culture and here are the 10 worst sequels in Star Trek.
01:18Number 10 Among the Lotus Eaters Star Trek Strange New Worlds shone in its debut season, offering
01:25audiences a hopeful view of the future with a return to episodic form, boldly going into
01:30the 23rd century once more. Though it played fast and loose with canon, it was able to largely
01:35create its own universe. But there were those episodes in the second season that began to
01:40confuse those following closely. Among the Lotus Eaters serves as a sequel to both If Memory
01:45Serves and The Cage, with the Enterprise returning to Rigel 7, the scene of the ill-fated mission that
01:51had occurred just before the events of the first Star Trek pilot. While the episode itself deals
01:56with loss, responsibility and guilt, it also stumbles from some production errors. For example,
02:02a rogue Starfleet officer is wearing a uniform that is noticeably incorrect, despite having been
02:08marooned for years. The episode If Memory Serves, from Discovery's second season, reconfirmed that the
02:15events of The Cage did take place in the years before Discovery picks up. The uniforms worn by the
02:21crew in Strange New Worlds are new variations, ones that could not have been available to Nian.
02:26This, combined with the fake-out of an Ortegas episode, makes Among the Lotus Eaters a frustrating
02:32follow-up to the Pike stories that had come before.
02:35Number 9. Star Trek Into Darkness
02:38Star Trek Into Darkness has aged well. On release, it suffered from comparisons to Star Trek II The Wrath of
02:44Khan, while also carrying the weight of advancing the story introduced in its predecessor. As the years
02:49have passed, the performances have helped to turn the tide of opinion on this film,
02:53with Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine standing out in particular. However, the film suffers from
02:58burying itself in Trek lore, taking far too many examples of older stories into its script. Kirk's
03:04relationship with Pike may rise above the latter's tragic death, though the introduction of Admiral Marcus
03:10rang too many bells from the jump. Simply put, everyone knew where things were going when the name Marcus
03:15was said out loud. With Admiral, there comes Doctor, and Carol Marcus appeared on the Enterprise,
03:20after appearing in a shallow marketing campaign focused on selling sex to the teenage audience.
03:25Cumberbatch delivers a blinder as Harrison can, but that's two for two with needless connections to
03:31an earlier Star Trek film. The pressure that the film faces, forcing the can connections, undoes its power as a
03:37sequel to the superior Star Trek, a film that reintroduced the original series characters with
03:42energy and a modern aesthetic. Had the film taken a different direction, similar to its follow-up,
03:48then the whole affair would be stronger for it. Number 8. Bloodlines
03:52The first season of The Next Generation is a mixed bag when it comes to the quality of the episodes.
03:57The battle is one of the stronger efforts, introducing the Stargazer, the Picard manoeuvre,
04:02and Damon Bok. Patrick Stewart gets a chance to shine as he battles the Ferengi's mind control orb,
04:08while audiences are treated to a return of the Enterprise bridge as seen in the first three Star Trek films.
04:14Bok's grievance with Picard centres on the loss of his son in the Battle of Maxia,
04:19despite his boy's provocation of the Stargazer. At the end of this episode, Bok is arrested
04:24and taken away, returning six years later in Bloodlines. The seventh season's sequel isn't awful by any means,
04:31when placed in the context of Picard's third season Jack Crusher reveal, it takes on greater depth,
04:37offering an early example of Picard as a family man. However, Jason Vigo is a difficult character
04:42to root for, and the 11th hour reveal of a potential son, a former flame, and a paternal side is
04:48simply
04:48too much in the final hours of the show's last episodes. The storyline simply goes nowhere,
04:53while the return of Bok feels cheap, his attempts to trick Picard feel less like a gut punch and more
04:59of a nod to an earlier, stronger episode. Also, was anyone truly looking for a sequel to that episode
05:04in particular? Number 7. That Hope Is You, Part 2. Star Trek Discovery's third season was a soft
05:12reboot for the prequel series, offering audiences a breath of fresh air after the previous two years'
05:17pre-original series home. Moving away from the 23rd century gave the show a chance to create its own
05:23history and write the future. That Hope Is You, Part 1, opens the season with a bang,
05:28introducing Cleveland Booker, giving us a Burnham free of the regular trappings,
05:32and there was that trance worm. A great start! The rest of the season felt the impact of Covid,
05:38airing as the world was still finding its feet again post-lockdowns. While the year meandered,
05:43the finale was tasked with explaining the cause of the Burn, preventing a repeat, dealing with the
05:47Emerald Chain and reinvigorating Starfleet. That Hope Is You, Part 2, is overstuffed with action
05:53set pieces, nonsensical logistics, just how big is the interior of the ship anyway, and a swift case
05:59of murder or two. The final scene offers hope for the future, though the cast was unable to fully gather,
06:04so camera trickery and CGI stepped in to fill the void, a trick that would be repeated in the fifth
06:10season finale, Life itself. It was a rushed ending to a slow season, but unfortunately also serves as
06:17a subpar sequel to an excellent premiere. Number 6. Q Less. Jennifer Hetrick was last seen as Vash
06:24in The Next Generation's Cupid. That episode quickly found itself in cult territory, endlessly quoted,
06:31I must protest, I am not a merry man, and a genuinely enjoyable, swashbuckling adventure. While that
06:38episode ended with Q whisking her away to archaeological wonders unknown, Deep Space Nine's sequel failed
06:44to deliver. Q Less was an early attempt to use John Delancey in a spin-off series, separate from
06:50The Next Generation, but it never quite reaches the heights of his interactions with Picard. Vash,
06:56though another fun performance by Hetrick, also feels underused. Quark was an inspired business partner,
07:02and much could have been done with them working together, but the whole affair is hampered by the
07:06misuse of Q. No one will begrudge the episode its boxing match or the matter-of-fact actions by Cisco,
07:12but as the episode that follows Cupid for Vash and comes in the same year as both True Q and
07:19Tapestry,
07:19this story doesn't stick in the mind like those other examples. Kudos as always to Miles O'Brien,
07:25who is having absolutely none of Q's nonsense at his new workplace. Number 5. The Bounty. So many
07:32moments from The Bounty shine right out of the screen. The Titan A's arrival at the Fleet Museum is
07:38tear-inducingly beautiful, as is Jerry Ryan's delivery while she shows Jack Crusher the great
07:44ships of yesteryear. It is an episode that offers nostalgia and heart, shining in the middle of
07:50Picard's final season. However, where the episode stumbles is in its use of Professor James Moriarty.
07:56Daniel Davis returns to the role after three decades, and despite the nostalgic warmth of his appearance,
08:02the episode then becomes a let-down coda to his arc on The Next Generation.
08:06Elementary Deer Data and Ship in a Bottle are iconic episodes of the earlier show,
08:11depicting some all-time moments from the series. Picard popping his top hat, Pulaski enjoying tea,
08:17and Barclay's computer, end program, all linger long after those episodes end, though the adventure
08:24that Moriarty and the Countess Regina Bartholomew embarked on had been the true end to those tales,
08:30until the bounty. Though the meaning couldn't be clearer and the nostalgia was fun at the time,
08:35Moriarty's appearance was long spoiled in the trailer for the season, while most of his footage
08:41was contained therein. When the episode aired, audiences had been led to believe more was to
08:46come. Instead, Moriarty is relegated now to a security program avatar stuck on a repeat of Pop
08:53Goes the Weasel with no Countesses in sight. Number 4. Judgment. Judgment is a fine episode
09:00in isolation, offering Scott Bakula plenty to do as Archer stands trial on Kronos. JG Herzler and
09:06John Vickery both shine as new Klingons, doing more than enough to secure their legacies in the
09:12pantheon of legal representatives in Star Trek. However, where the episode suffers is in its status
09:17as spiritual sequel to Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country. One might argue that it is more prequel
09:24than sequel, and one would have a point, but the episode is clearly drawing on the audience's
09:29knowledge of the Sixth Trek film adventure, and the iconic courtroom scene therein. While Herzler
09:35and Vickery are both excellent in judgment, it is difficult not to picture Christopher Plummer's
09:40outstanding turn as General Chang, roaring at Kirk to answer his questions, translations be damned.
09:45The episode's set suffers from budgetary concerns, resulting in a similar-looking courtroom,
09:51though one a fraction of the size. Rora Penthe appears, smaller in scale, again serving to remind
09:57the viewer of another depiction on another scale. This episode would have been better served abandoning
10:04the nostalgia of The Undiscovered Country and creating a new setting of its very own.
10:09Number 3. Star Trek Picard Season 1. As a sequel to Star Trek Nemesis,
10:15the first season of Star Trek Picard ably moves the story forward, though is at its strongest when
10:21it offers the audience a true goodbye between Jean-Luc and Data. Though some plot elements are
10:26hand-waved away, such as the rapid acceptance of banning synths in the wake of the Mars Assault,
10:32the season mostly manages to stand on its own. The season slips when one considers the context of
10:37its inspiration, the measure of a man. This seminal episode of Star Trek is one of the strongest
10:43episodes from the Trek universe, exploring not just what it means to be sentient, but what it means to
10:49treat others with respect. There, Data is the subject and the catalyst for much of the examination of
10:56artificial intelligence to follow, while Riker becomes the symbol of being forced into situations
11:01one would never wish to find themselves in. Picard's first season seemingly undoes the powerful ending
11:07to that episode, arbitrarily banning all synthetic lifeforms in the Federation, thus condemning Thaddeus
11:13Riker to an early death. The message that it delivers fails to satisfy on the measure of a man's premise,
11:19instead positioning itself as a darker future for all concerned, one where Starfleet has all but
11:25abandoned its principles. Number 2. Star Trek Section 31
11:31Despite scoring rather a few ups when it was released, Section 31 polarized audiences in early 2025.
11:38The long trek was the result of a truncated season, a lack of its stars availability, and a premise that
11:44strayed far from the universe in which it was set. It is also a sequel to the excellent
11:49Terra Firma two-part story from Star Trek Discovery's third season. Those episodes introduced
11:55Carl, the new face of the Guardian of Forever, and saw Michelle Yeoh leave that series. The seeds
12:01for a Section 31 series had been planted in Discovery's first and second seasons, and production
12:07looked set to begin on an ongoing saga. Yeoh's Oscar win directly impacted production on the series,
12:14forcing a rethink and restructuring. Sadly, the promised spin-off became a
12:19shortened story with a breakneck pace, sacrificing plot for spectacle and sense for explosions.
12:25For something that audiences had been waiting for, as well as an experiment in a new style of
12:30storytelling, Section 31 was a disappointment for those hoping for a more coherent plot centred in
12:36the Lost Era, one Garrett does not a Monster Maroon make, regardless of the number of star cameos involved.
12:43Number 1. The Naked Now George Takei described this Next Generation episode as
12:49young children putting on their parents' clothes and trying to act like grown-ups. As this is both
12:55a direct sequel to, and quasi-remake of, The Naked Time, then one can understand why the actor felt this
13:01way. The episode fails as a sequel as it tries so hard to recapture that feeling of the original,
13:07while using characters that no one really knew yet. This, the first episode after Encounter at Farpoint,
13:14seemed intent on showcasing the cast's comedy skills, though it ended up leaning too hard on Slapstick.
13:20The episode lifts the virus wholesale from the earlier episode, moving the polywater problem from
13:26a dying orbit to a dying star. Instead of an enterprise spiralling towards its doom, this new ship is immobilised
13:32by a drunken engineer and an insufferable teenager. When audiences fall back on the trouble with Wesley,
13:38The Naked Now is often the example that offers the most weight to the argument. With all respect
13:43to the young Wil Wheaton, this was not his strongest performance, nor was the material the most polished.
13:48The result is an annoying child who almost contributes to the structure of the ship. Gone are those fun moments
13:54of Sulu swashbuckling his way through the ship, replaced now with ill-conceived jokes about data
13:59being fully functional. A romp it might have been, but a poor follow up for all concerned.
14:04And that's everything for our list today folks, thank you so much for watching along. Do you have
14:08any examples of sequels that just failed to meet the mark for you? Let us know in the comments below.
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14:32you live long and prosper until I see you again. Treat yourselves with kindness, treat yourselves
14:36calmly and with love. Sometimes taking your breath is just as important as anything else.
14:42Look after yourselves, be kind, I'll talk to you soon. Thanks very much.
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