Let's be honest for a second. For decades, if you called yourself a fan of Star Trek: The Animated Series, people basically looked at you like you’d just admitted to enjoying lukewarm Romulan Ale. It was the "weird" one. The one with the pink planet surfaces and the giant, three-armed Edosian navigator.
But here’s the thing.
Without this Saturday morning cartoon, Star Trek would probably be a dead relic of the 1960s. That's not hyperbole. When NBC swung the axe on the Original Series in 1969, the galaxy went dark. Then came 1973. Gene Roddenberry teamed up with Filmation, and suddenly, the Enterprise was back. It wasn't just a cheap cash-in for kids, though. It was a lifeline. It kept the phasers firing until the movies could finally get off the ground.
Most people dismiss it because of the "limited" animation style. You know the one—where characters walk past the same three background rocks for thirty seconds. But if you look past the shaky frames, you’ll find some of the most "Trek" stories ever told.
The Writers Who Saved the Federation
You might expect a 1970s cartoon to be written by people who didn't care about the source material. You’d be wrong. Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, who was basically the gatekeeper of Vulcan culture, served as the story editor. She didn't want fluff. She brought in heavy hitters like David Gerrold, who wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles," and even legendary sci-fi author Larry Niven.
Niven actually adapted his own short story, "The Soft Weapon," into the episode "The Slaver Weapon." It introduced the Kzinti—those giant, aggressive cat-aliens—into the Trek universe. Think about that. A Saturday morning show was doing hard sci-fi world-building while most other cartoons were busy making "Scooby-Doo" clones.
It felt like the fourth season we never got. Because it was animated, they weren't limited by the "cardboard and plywood" budget of Desilu Studios. They went to water worlds. They went to dimensions where physics didn't make sense. They showed us aliens that weren't just "guy in a rubber mask." They gave us Arex and M'Ress. One was a tripedal officer with three arms, and the other was a feline Caitian. You couldn't do that on a 1960s TV budget without it looking ridiculous, but in animation? It worked perfectly.
✨ Don't miss: Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett: Why Fans Are Still Divided Over the Daimyo of Tatooine
Why the Canon Debate Is Actually Over
For years, the big question was: Is Star Trek: The Animated Series canon?
Gene Roddenberry famously went back and forth on this. At one point, he told the writers of The Next Generation to ignore it. He wanted a clean slate. Fans were divided. But then, the 1990s and 2000s happened. Writers who grew up watching the cartoon started working on the live-action shows. Suddenly, references started popping up everywhere.
The most famous example is Spock’s childhood. In the episode "Yesteryear," we see Spock travel back in time to meet his younger self. We see his pet sehlat, I-Chaya. We see the Vulcan city of ShiKahr. Decades later, when J.J. Abrams directed the 2009 Star Trek movie, he used those exact details. When Star Trek: Discovery or Strange New Worlds talks about Vulcan history, they are pulling directly from "Yesteryear."
Even the middle name "Tiberius" for James T. Kirk? That started here. It wasn't in the Original Series. It was established in the animated episode "Bem." If you're watching Lower Decks or Prodigy today, you're seeing the direct DNA of the 1973 series. It’s not just canon; it’s the foundation.
The Voices Are Real (Mostly)
One of the biggest wins for the show was getting the original cast back. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols all returned. Walter Koenig was the only one left out, mostly because the budget was tight and they couldn't afford the whole bridge crew.
Koenig didn't get ignored, though. He actually wrote the episode "The Infinite Vulcan."
🔗 Read more: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
James Doohan was the MVP of the recording booth. He didn't just voice Scotty; he did the voices for about 50 different aliens and guest characters. If you listen closely, you can hear him talking to himself in half the scenes. It gives the show a weird, intimate energy. It’s like a radio play with colorful pictures.
The Weirdness Is the Point
Let’s talk about "The Magicks of Megas-tu." In this episode, the Enterprise travels to the center of the galaxy and meets a guy named Lucien who is basically the Devil. Or, well, he’s the inspiration for the legend of the Devil. Kirk ends up defending "Lucifer" in a cosmic court of law.
It is absolutely wild.
This is the kind of high-concept, slightly insane storytelling that defines the franchise. Star Trek: The Animated Series took risks because it could. It didn't have to worry about Nielsen ratings in the same way a primetime drama did. It just had to be interesting for 22 minutes.
Sometimes it failed. "The Terratin Incident," where the crew shrinks to tiny proportions, is... a lot. But even the failures were imaginative. They were trying to expand the boundaries of what Starfleet could encounter.
A Legacy That Refuses to Fade
If you haven't watched it recently, the visual style might be a shock. Filmation was notorious for recycling animation loops. You’ll see the same "red alert" graphic ten times an episode. You’ll see characters' mouths stop moving while they’re still talking.
💡 You might also like: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
It’s charming, honestly.
But beyond the technical limitations, there is a warmth to these episodes. They represent a time when Star Trek was just a cult hit trying to survive. There was no Paramount+, no billion-dollar cinematic universe. There was just a group of writers and actors who believed these characters had more to say.
The show proved that Trek could work in any medium. It paved the way for the massive boom of the 80s and 90s. If the cartoon had tanked, The Motion Picture might never have happened. We owe those 22 episodes a lot of respect.
How to Approach the Series Today
If you're looking to dive in, don't try to binge it all at once like a modern prestige drama. It wasn't built for that. It was built for cereal bowls and pajamas on a Saturday morning.
- Start with "Yesteryear." It is legitimately one of the best Spock stories ever written. It handles grief, family, and destiny with more maturity than many live-action episodes.
- Watch "The Slaver Weapon." It’s a great glimpse into how the show integrated wider sci-fi concepts.
- Look for the references. If you're a fan of Lower Decks, you’ll realize about 40% of their jokes are callbacks to this specific show.
- Accept the jank. The animation is what it is. Focus on the dialogue and the concepts. The "TAS" era is a specific vibe—embrace the 70s colors and the experimental music.
The show isn't just a curiosity. It’s the bridge between the 60s camp and the serious sci-fi that Trek eventually became. It’s 100% Star Trek, and it’s time we stopped treating it like the red-headed stepchild of the fleet.
Next time someone asks you about the best era of Trek, don't be afraid to mention the one where Kirk fought a giant clone of himself or traveled to a planet of sentient plants. It’s all part of the journey. Check the streaming logs, find the "Animated" tab, and actually sit through an episode. You'll be surprised how much of it feels like home.