The Best Star Trek Series Gets Its Own Dedicated TV Channel

While the original series and The Next Generation have the biggest pop culture footprint, many fans consider Deep Space Nine the best Star Trek show. Fans and critics alike praised the show for its phenomenal acting, writing, and production quality, but it never caught the public’s attention the way the first two series of the franchise had. That’s part of what makes the series getting its own dedicated channel so important, acknowledging how underrated the show was when it was released. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was released in 1993 as a sequel series to The Next Generation. It continued plot points from the earlier series, such as the conflict between the Barjorans and the Cardassians, and Worf was transferred to the space station following the TNG finale. By building on the earlier show, the DS9 kept a clear sense of universe continuity while exploring new ground. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ran for seven seasons and, along with Voyager, created a new cast of Star Trek characters and stories for the 90s. Captain Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, gave the franchise its first black Captain, who is joined by an interesting crew composed of various alien races and humans working side-by-side. Characters like the popular Ferengi bartender Quark and the simple tailor Garak fit alongside the Starfleet Officers, including Miles O’Brien and the shapeshifter, Odo.

Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming service that combines the streaming model with more traditional channel-based programming. The new channel dedicated to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will run through every episode in order in the same way an old-school network might run a marathon. However, the show is also available for on-demand streaming on the platform, and it is free with ads as well. 

While the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine channel is new to Pluto TV, it’s not the streaming platform’s first or only Star Trek channel. It joins two pre-existing dedicated Star Trek channels: the Star Trek Channel and the More Star Trek Channel. The Star Trek Channel plays Star Trek: The Original Series and The Next Generation, while the More Star Trek Channel plays Voyager. 

The fact that a free, non-stop loop of the beloved sci-fi show is available could help new fans experience the show in a more organic way. While shows today are often made with the assumption that the audience will watch the show in order, seeing every episode, that wasn’t how shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were made. While Pluto’s streaming channel doesn’t recreate the weekly release schedule of the show’s original release, it does capture the experience of discovering the show through reruns. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is often considered the best but least discussed show of the Star Trek universe, so it’s good to see it getting the spotlight. Pluto TV’s unique, free streaming channels are the perfect way to experience the 90s sci-fi masterpiece. If nothing else, it’s the perfect excuse to watch or rewatch one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time.