Star Trek Guide for Newbies

Star Trek is a massive phenomenon with hundreds of hours of enjoyment available to be viewed but for those who aren't already trekkies Star Trek can be a difficult thing to get into. There is just too much out there for newbies to jump in head first.

That's where I come in. I'll give you enough of a heads up in regards to the Star Trek universe for you to begin enjoying "the experience."

Five Series

The Star Trek universe consists of five different series: Star Trek (often referred to as the original series), Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek Enterprise. Though they were produced in the order I listed them, where they fit in the time line varies: Enterprise is set the earliest despite being the latest made, then the original series, then Next Generation which overlaps eventually with Deep Space Nine which eventually overlaps with Voyager.

What's the difference?

Enterprise deals with mankind's first ventures into deep space and all the trouble they get into.

The original series is composed of largely independent episodes. While they are all about the adventures of the starship enterprise, nearly all of them can be viewed independently without much being lost in translation. To some degree the same can be said of Next Generation, although a few more episodes reference back to characters and plot items from previous episodes and even occasionally all the way back to the original series.

Deep Space Nine is based around several cultures recovering from and preparing for war. According to my own personal theory, Deep Space Nine is a loose allegory of World War Two. These stories tie closer together then the original series and Next Generation so it is harder to just jump in at a random episode.

Voyager is the story of a group of people abruptly brought to a location in space decades further then any human beings had ever gone. Due to a moral decision, Voyager is unable to use the device that brought them that far from home and must travel home alone and in unfamiliar territory. While this series has more recurring plot then the original series, it has less then Deep Space Nine so it is easier to jump into.

Techno-babble and crazy terms.

More then any other show I know, Star Trek is filled with self made terms and references that an uninitiated viewer might find confusing. To help your viewing experience I'll explain a few.

Warp, warp bubble, warp shell, static warp shell

All of these terms reference back to warp drive, the fictional method of propulsion used to travel faster then light.

Klingons

An alien species common in all the different series. Their culture revolves around honor and being a warrior. In Enterprise and the original series they are the enemy of the humans but in all other series they are allies.

Dilithium crystals

A component used in warp drive notorious from breaking down at the worst possible time.

Trans-warp, trans-warp conduit

A form of propulsion significantly faster then warp that is not used by many species.

Q

A species of super-beings with nearly unlimited power. While capable of doing almost anything, they rarely do anything but meddle.

The Borg

A species of half machine half biological beings that forcibly assimilate other beings into their collective. They are all linked together into one hive mind, removing any sense of individuality.