Ranking Every Star Trek Series Based on How Musical They Are
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a musical episode. But how musical are the other series in the franchise?
“Subspace Rhapsody”. That’s the title of the upcoming musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And while this is the first time the franchise has ever gone full musical, it isn’t the first time a Trek series has been imminently musical.
In fact, nearly every series of Star Trek has some music in it beyond the incidental stuff. But the question is–which Trek series reigns supreme?
To get it out of the way, let’s rule a few series out of contention. None of the animated Trek shows are very musical. TAS isn’t. Prodigy isn’t YET but, hey, a second season can rectify that! And while the Outrageous Okona is a DJ in an episode of Lower Decks, we’re leaving Mariner and the gang off FOR NOW, too. That still leaves EIGHT SHOWS to rank.
So, taking the entire run of every live-action Star Trek series into account, here’s a ranking based on which ones are the most musical.
Courtesy of Bad Robot
Honorable Mention: Star Trek Kelvin Universe Movies
Beastie Boys. Space cops. Spaceships. I’m telling all y’all–it’s a Sabotage. Truly one of the weirdest needle drops in science fiction history. Not sure why it works, but it really does. Not a lot else to say about this. It’s very cool that Chris Pine’s incarnation of James T Kirk will fight for his right to party. That’s all.
Courtesy of CBS Television
8. Enterprise
This is also kind of an honorable mention inclusion. Star Trek: Enterprise is not terribly musical by nature. However, it does have one thing going for it that no other Star Trek series has–an opening theme with lyrics.
Yes, it’s been a long road, getting from there to here. It’s been a long time, but Enterprise’s time is finally here. And, in fact, believe it or not, Enterprise could’ve been much higher on the list.
Apparently, as Enterprise struggled in the TV ratings, a UPN (ask your parents) executive wanted the 2000s Trek series to have a new “hip, young band” feature every week. And, look–some executive also wanted The Rock on Voyager and that worked a treat. Still, somehow T’Pol and Good Charlotte sound like uneasy at best bedfellows. Still, somewhere out there in the multiverse is a version of Enterprise that’s the most musical Trek of all!
Courtesy of Paramount Plus
7. Star Trek: Discovery
Hard to believe that despite Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz as two of their stars, there’s been next to no music in Star Trek: Discovery. Stamets and Culber do talk about opera (and boy will we be talking about opera a lot in this post), but that’s mostly it.
The only notable song in DISCO appears in the season two episode “An Obol for Charon”. As Tilly deals with a parasitic invader, Stamets calms her by having her sing her favorite song: “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. It’s weird, but it’s also very touching and a perfect song for Star Trek in general.
With only one season left to go, maybe DISCO will dip into the musical pond one more time.
Courtesy of Paramount Plus
6. Picard
Star Trek: Picard doesn’t seem terribly musical at first blush. But if you think about it, a few of the show’s biggest moments are all musical in nature. And that makes sense we you cast multiple actors who can sing.
Take for example the send of Picard season one where Isa Briones sings “Blue Skies” as Data (or at least a version of Data) dies. Or season 3 when Riker whistles “Pop Goes the Weasel” in order to shut down the Moriarty security protocol at the Daystrom Station. Also, coincidentally, something that relates directly to Data both in past and in present.
But let’s be real. The weirdest musical moment ins Star Trek history (so far) is also from Star Trek: Picard. In the episode “Two of One” Dr. Agnes Jurati, under the control of the Borg Queen, sings the Pat Benatar song “Shadows of the Night”. Why does she sing a Pat Benatar song? As a distraction? I think? Unclear. It’s a truly bizarre scene. But Alison Pill’s voice is wonderful and for that we’re grateful.
Courtesy of CBS Television
5. Voyager
This is where the list gets tricky. Believe it or not, most Star Trek is actually extremely musical. Star Trek: Voyager is a perfect example. The Doctor develops a love for opera. He almost leaves the ship entirely to be a pro opera singer in “Virtuoso”.
The Doctor also teaches Seven of Nine how to sing in the My Fair Lady in Space episode that is “Someone to Watch Over Me”. But of course, the best and most musical of all is the two-part episode “The Killing Game”.
In that episode, the Hirogen mind-wipe the entire crew and plug them into the holodeck so they can be hunted for sport. And in a holodeck version of World War II France, Seven of Nine is a torch singer at Janeway’s bar/secret resistance HQ. Absolutely bonkers. Could’ve been a full musical two-parter all on its own.
Courtesy of Paramount Plus
4. Strange New Worlds
Yes, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the first and only series in the franchise to have a full musical episode. But that’s one episode! Yes, it’s very cool and groundbreaking. Yes, there are a reported 10 songs in the episode’s whopping one-hour run time. And yes there is dancing too (more on dancing later).
Consider this a “one to grow on” ranking. After all, SNW is only two seasons old as of this ranking. Almost every other show on this list has 7 seasons under its belt (with 22+ episodes each season to boot). And in addition to “Subspace Rhapsody” there’s also “Children of the Comet” where Uhura sings to, well… to a comet.
The batting average is high. If things keep up, SNW will be number one in no time. But in the meanwhile…
Courtesy of CBS Television
3. Star Trek: The Original Series
From the very moment Spock pulls out the Vulcan lute in “Charlie X” you know TOS is destined for musical greatness. And that’s before Uhura even starts singing about the Enterprise. From there, the musical nature of the original Star Trek only becomes more and more legendary.
Consider all the times music plays so that our cast and guest stars might dance around. In “Plato’s Stepchildren” Spock even sings! In Star Trek: V – The Final Frontier Uhura sings and does a full-on fan dance–perhaps the coolest thing anyone has ever done in the history of the franchise.
But let’s be honest with ourselves: this is about more than a show. This is about William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Both actors are known to sing enough to release albums full of said singing. Shatner especially has released more music than almost every legacy artist you can name.
TOS walks so that (almost) every other Trek series after may run. Strange New Worlds would never even think of a musical episode without TOS.
Courtesy of CBS Television
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Deanna Troi. That’s the only lead character in all of Star Trek: The Next Generation who is not explicitly good for a musical. Literally, every other member of the senior staff is pitch-perfect for a musical. Consider:
Riker plays the trombone and acts. Data plays the violin, sings, and acts. Worf sings Klingon opera. Picard plays the flute, sings, and directs. And Dr. Crusher not only also directs but is also famously known as “the dancing doctor”.
Multiple episodes are dedicated to how musical the TNG crew is. And if that’s not enough, there’s also the opening to Star Trek: Insurrection where Picard and Worf capture a malfunctioning Data by leading him in a rousing rendition of “A British Tar” from H.M.S. Pinafore. And, yes, Isa Briones would never have sung “Blue Skies” if Data hadn’t done it first in Star Trek: Nemesis.
Since we’re including some of the actor’s extracurriculars, let’s also remember that Brent Spiner released an album entitled “Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back” a reference to both Sinatra and Data. Truly (almost) the most musical Star Trek show.
However…
Courtesy of CBS Television
1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Vic Fontaine. We can stop right there if we want to and there’s no argument that DS9 is unquestionably the most musical of all Star Trek. Beginning with the show’s sixth season, singer and actor James Darren was brought on as holodeck lounge singer Vic Fontaine. By the show’s seventh season, Fontaine was a regular fixture of the show and basically, the best therapist Star Trek ever had.
We hear 13 songs from Fontaine’s repertoire. That doesn’t even include the times when he helps Odo admit his feelings to Kira while pretending to play piano. And there’s even a point where Ben Sisko himself sings along with Vic. And Sisko actor Avery Brooks is both a piano player and a jazz singer in real life.
But of course, the most musical thing about DS9 comes from the beloved episode “Move Along Home”. And I quote:
“Allamaraine, count to four, Allamaraine, then three more,
Allamaraine, if you can see, Allamaraine, you’ll come with me”
Truly, a classic for the ages.
