It’s almost unbelievable but since the year Star Trek: The Next Generation began in 1987 we were blessed with 24 seasons in a row of sci-fi set in space! Stargate Universe, which was cancelled in 2011, was the last one. As I said it began with TNG which ran till 1994. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began it’s first season in 1993 and Babylon 5 had it’s pilot in 1993 and started in 1994 with it’s first season. Both series ended towards the millennium.

Space Precinct started in 1994 and ran only one season. In 1995 Star Trek: Voyager began and in 1997 Stargate SG-1 started it’s first season. In between there of course also was Space: Above and Beyond which ran from 1995-1996. Like Stargate SG-1, Lexx also started in 1997 but ended in 2002. Of course, objectively speaking, SG1 was not really set in space but along the way the series more and more went into outer space.

In 1999 Farscape began it’s first season and ended in 2003 and concluded in 2004 with The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries. Crusade, the follow-up series for Babylon 5, started and ended also in 1999.

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Andromeda started in 2000 and ran for five seasons. Voyager’s seventh season ended in 2001, in the same year of course when Star Trek: Enterprise started. In 2002 Firefly had it’s one and only season, what a mistake was that from FOX to cancel it! In 2003 Ronald D Moore brought his Battlestar Galactica remake. Stargate Atlantis was born in 2004. Enterprise was cancelled in 2005, Stargate SG-1 was cancelled in 2007 after 10 seasons but at that point we still had shows like Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica. Both shows ended (or were cancelled) in 2009 and in that same year Stargate Universe started, which only ran two seasons and ended in May 2011. In 2009 Defying Gravity also started but unfortunately was cancelled after 8 or 9 episodes. 24 seasons of sci-fi set in space, without a single season break. But now, since Stargate Universe was cancelled, we are still waiting for a series set in space, it’s been 3 seasons now, it’s about time we get what we deserve.

There are some possibilities for the near future but nothing is set in stone as of yet. At the moment I can only name a few possible series which could become the next tv series set in space. First it’s the Blake’s 7 reboot which luckily is not dead yet. The other one is Clandestine, a Syfy series which is being described as a cross between Farscape and Firefly. I have little faith in this project because there hasn’t been any news for quite some time. Other possibility is Space 2099 but also not much faith in this one and last month The CW announced two possible Mars series, but as with Syfy’s High Moon, set on a planet or a moon, not on a ship or space station but as with Stargate Atlantis, that does not need to be a big problem, therefore I would welcome it! Of course last month there also was a news item about a new Star Trek series, but my guess is this won’t happen before the third Star Trek movie. So for now we have to be satisfied with shows like Defiance, Continuum, Doctor Who and others, which are also sci-fi or contain sci-fi elements but are not series set in space, of course Doctor Who also has a lot of stories set in space and on other planets but I don’t believe it belongs in the list below. I guess we will have to wait a while longer unfortunately before we see another series between the stars.

Stargate Atlantis

Below on overview of the space travel series from 1987 until 2011

    • Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987-1994
    • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1993-1999
    • Babylon 5 1994-1998
    • Space Precinct 1994-1995
    • Star Trek: Voyager 1995-2001
    • Space: Above And Beyond 1995-1996
    • Stargate SG-1 1997-2007
    • LEXX 1997-2002
    • Crusade 1999
    • Farscape 1999-2004
    • Andromeda 2000-2005
    • Star Trek: Enterprise 2001-2005
    • Firefly 2002
    • Battlestar Galactica 2003-2009
    • Stargate Atlantis 2004-2009
    • Defying Gravity 2009
    • Stargate Universe 2009-2011

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