Star Trek fans out there might want to give Netflix the boot once July rolls around. Paramount Plus has slowly been reclaiming the rights to various Trek shows since 2019, and now it’s managed to grab the very last one: Deep Space Nine.
Deep Space Nine first hit Netflix back in 2011, when Netflix acquired the rights to all five live-action Star Trek shows that existed at the time. But that era is now coming to an end, and the last day U.S. viewers will be able to watch Deep Space Nine on Netflix is June 30.
Deep Space Nine was something of a departure for the Star Trek franchise. The show was controversial at the time, given its focus on a much bleaker version of the future than had been seen in previous series. It also opted for a more serialized approach to its storytelling, which was almost unheard of in the days before streaming and catch-up services.
Still Deep Space Nine was received well enough to run for a full seven seasons, and has picked up a dedicated following in the 20+ years since it went off the air.
The news that the show is leaving Netflix was no major surprise. Star Trek is one of Paramount’s tentpole franchises, which is reflected in the fact we now have five ongoing Star Trek shows: Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy and the newly-minted Strange New Worlds.
It’s understandable that the network would want to bring all of Star Trek into the fold, but that doesn’t mean it stings any less.
The great Star Trek reclamation began in October 2019, when Star Trek: The Animated Series made the voyage home. October 2021 saw The Original Series and Voyager make the same journey, followed by The Next Generation in April 2022.
Following the departure of Deep Space Nine, the only piece of Star Trek canon that Paramount doesn’t have is the 2009 reboot — as directed by JJ Abrams. It’s not entirely clear who has the rights to that, but it certainly isn’t Netflix.
Currently international streaming rights are unaffected, and Netflix still holds the rights to classic Star Trek outside North America. The only exception is The Animated Series. However, with international launch of Paramount Plus scheduled for the U.K. and Europe, it’s likely that history will eventually repeat itself overseas.
Until that happens there’s always the option for U.S. Netflix subscribers to use a virtual private network, or VPN, which are legal, inexpensive and easy to use. Though we should point out that using one would technically put you in breach of Netflix's terms and conditions.
We've tested all the best VPN services, and right now our favourite is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to access the U.K. Netflix catalogue, you'd select United Kingdom from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head over to Netflix and search for your favorite Star Trek series, because U.K. Netflix has all the good ones.
