Star Trek spin-off's going boldly where others have gone before

Of the two big sci-fi franchises with 'Star' in their name, Star Trek was always the one more rooted in actual science and ideas than the more fantasy-oriented Star Wars.

- Chris Broom...

That's not to say it hasn't produced some fine action over its 59-year history - the cat and mouse chase between the two crippled spaceships in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is an all-time favourite, or any number of episodes involving The Borg.

But it has always pitched itself on the more cerebral side. The whole idea of Star Trek is based on lofty ideals - a utopian intergalactic federation with planets and various alien races working together for a stronger, collective future.

Of course, there are protagonists; it would be rather dull without anyone to fight against. There were the fearsome warrior race of the Klingons (later bought into the federation fold), the aforementioned all-assimilating Borg, or the cunning Cardassians.

Over the course of 14 films and 11 TV shows, its various writers, showrunners and directors have taken Gene Roddenberry's original and expanded its universe in every sense. The various iterations have gone both forwards and backwards in time, and as is de rigeur these days, into alternate timelines.