There are nearly 700 episodes of Star Trek spread across five television series and you’d assume the best episodes would translate to the most rewatched, right? After all, usually the cream rises to the top. Or does it? Netflix has just released their list of the ten most rewatched Star Trek episodes of all time, and frankly, this old school Trekker was left a little bit shocked by the results. Especially when you realize the finale episode of Voyager is the most rewatched Star Trek episode of all time on the streaming service, and not other, far more well regarded classics.
As a matter of fact, none of the original series episodes are among the most rewatched (blashphemy!), and only four The Next Generation episodes are in the top ten…and only one from our Eleven Best Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes list! I call shenanigans! You can check out Netflix’s list of the top ten most rewatched Star Trek episodes in the graphic down below.
Voyager can lay claim to having the most revisited episode of all, its series finale. As it turns out, the first episodes of any Trek series are usually the most-watched, so in an effort to seek data beyond default behavior, the first two episodes from any first seasons were omitted from the data. Also, it should be noted that the Borg show up in seven out of ten episodes. People must really want to be assimilated.
Usually, after the introductory episodes of any of the first seasons, it’s episodes introducing well-known parts of Star Trek lore that tend to be rewatched the most. The Next Generation and The Original Series can claim the largest audiences on Netflix, but Voyager and Deep Space Nine fans are better repeat customers, more likely to return for their favorite episodes.
My theory as to why the original series and The Next Generation are not so well represented in the rewatch list? Both the original show and TNG have excellent, upgraded to high-def Blu-rays, while neither Voyager or Deep Space Nine have ever been given a high definition upgrade. If you’re a hardcore Trekker, you’ll watch your original series or Next Gen Blu-rays before you watch a more compressed streaming version. But with the other shows, for many fans it’s the only way to watch them.
What do you make of the Netflix list? Are you surprised, or did you always know Janeway was #1? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.
Images: CBS / Paramount Pictures
