Disclaimer: Star Trek is owned by Paramount Pictures, and I am in no way trying to infringe on their franchise.
Star Trek, as you're probably aware, was created by Gene Roddenberry back in the 60's. That was The Original Series, or TOS, for short. Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and the gang. But not being a big TOS fan, I'll leave it at that, except to say that it only ran for three seasons and then moved on to films, some good, some not so good.
In the 1980's, Roddenberry decided to give Star Trek another try and a new beginning. Thus Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) was born. Captain Picard took up the now "continuing mission" to explore the galaxy, along with his stalwart crew: Commander Riker, Lt. Commander Data, Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher etc. They had many adventures and got along so well with each other. TNG lasted for seven years before taking over the helm of Star Trek films from TOS.
But then, in 1993, a new series began, one in which there would be animosity among the crew and a station instead of a ship. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) was born. Commander Benjamin Sisko took command of a wrecked Cardassian space station with a half-Federation, half-Bajoran crew. This instantly became my favorite Trek of all. So, I've devoted a separate page to it. DS9 is currently in it's sixth season.
During DS9's third season, after TNG had already left the small screen, a new ship joined the cast of players. Star Trek: Voyager (VOY) was born, with a woman at the helm. Captain Kathryn Janeway leads her crew, a mix of Starfleet and Maquis dissidents, through the Delta Quadrant and toward home. VOY ended its series run this year.
Pocket Books (who publishes the Star Trek novels) started a new series, only in books: New Frontier. These are the adventures of Captain Mackenzi Calhoun, Commander Elizabeth Shelby and the rest of the crew of the Excalibur. And now, Pocket Books has continued the Deep Space Nine saga by publishing a line of books set on the station after the end of the war. (See my book recommendations page for more information.)
But Star Trek, is more than just a sequence of television shows. It's a phenomenon. What began in the 60's has lasted for more than 30 years. It's crossed the oceans and spawned hundreds of books, nine films (the ninth one is in the works at the moment) and a fandom that just won't quit. Follow the following links for some cool Star Trek sites, including works of fiction written by fans.
Star Trek stories on this site
Stardock Alpha's Star Trek Webpage
bravenet.com