For me, it would be The Expanse, and Dark
(I am hopping to get recommendations for some good scifi shows I haven’t been introduced to from here)
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Lost in Space on Netflix. It’s a fantastic show about the wonders and dangers of space exploration with great acting, amazing effects and follows a well-constructed story. Only 3 seasons and ends on a lovely little scene.
It is a very tough choice, but Deep Space 9 just can’t ever seem to leave my top spot.
Firefly. Especially the second season.
It’s got to be Star Trek (Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Early Voyager too) and Battlestar Galactica. I’ve tried watching The Expanse several times and I have no idea why I can’t get into it - everyone recommends it!
Have you watched Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Season 2 just started and it feels like a return to the golden age of Trek instead of the gritty overly dramatic direction Discovery and Picard went.
I haven’t! Unfortunately it seems to only be available on paramount+ here and it’s not one of the streaming platforms I sub to. I did get very tired of the gritty, dark take on Star Trek. I was purely watching for the Utopian ideals originally but I’ll give almost anything with a Star Trek label a chance.
You can get a 1 week free trial of paramount on some platforms and binge season 1, or maybe wait until s2 is fully aired then binge both
Everything I was going to say has already been mentioned, some numerous times: The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape, Fringe, Altered Carbon season 1, Dark Matter, Killjoys, Twelve Monkeys.
So may I offer up Timeless and Warehouse 13? Both character-focussed and on the lighter side, but also dealing occasionally with some pretty deep character arcs. And they were just FUN (especially Warehouse 13).
Also, more recently I really enjoyed The Peripheral (though I would have preferred a proper ending, rather than the dangling threads we were left with - especially since, at the time, we didn’t know if there would be a second season).
ETA: Oh, and I haven’t seen any Star Wars shows mentioned besides Andor - which was admittedly fantastic. But my favourite Star Wars TV series are SW: Rebels and SW:The Clone Wars. The latter because it added so much depth to Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with many other characters, and also gave us great new characters like Ahsoka and Wrex. And Rebels holds a place in my heart - many of my favourite Star Wars characters come from that series (Hera, Kanan, Sabine… and Chopper!)
Babylon 5 is still one of my most favourite sci-fi series. There is a Babylon 5 animated movie being released soon, B5: The Road Home and i’m dying to see it.
Also Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, tonight is the first episode of season 2. It encapsulates what the original star trek felt like, and i like it.