Six sci‑fi TV series inspired by Star Trek

Published 18 minutes ago, Movieweb ran a roundup of six science‑fiction TV series that draw clear inspiration from Star Trek: The Expanse, Firefly, The Orville, Red Dwarf, Farscape and For All Mankind. The Expanse ran six seasons, was adapted from James S.A. Corey’s novels, played a darker, more grounded tone than Star Trek and lacks warp or lightspeed travel; it ran three seasons on Syfy before Prime Video picked it up for another three and gave it a proper ending.

Firefly lasted one season before cancellation, later received the feature‑length Serenity, and notably features no alien life despite its spacefaring premise. The Orville, created by Seth MacFarlane, wears its Trek influences openly and is often seen as a like‑for‑like replacement for The Next Generation; it has three seasons and its return for Season 4 remains unannounced but widely expected by those involved.

Red Dwarf, a British sci‑fi sitcom, premiered a year after Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted and uses a comedic sitcom format with occasional specials. Farscape, partly produced by the Jim Henson Company, mirrors Voyager’s premise in parts, deploys many sci‑fi tropes (including a randomizing “starburst” drive), was canceled in 2003 and returned the next year for a two‑part miniseries to resolve a cliffhanger.

Key Topics

Culture, The Expanse, Firefly, The Orville, Red Dwarf, Farscape