Star Trek: Excelsior

If you're a fan of the Next Generation era of Star Trek, you might enjoy Star Trek: Excelsior, a fan-made audio drama set a few years after the conclusion of Star Trek: Voyager.

Set on the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C, the fourth ship to bear the name) in both the Alpha and Delta Quadrants, it takes Trek into uncharted territory, both physically and thematically. It's heavily arc-based, like Deep Space Nine, but it's worth it. If you're on the fence, start with the second episode in the current (fourth) season: "Guards! Get Them!" This episode is a good intro to the characters without spoiling (most) of the plot points of the preceding three seasons. If you like what you see, I recommend going back to the de-facto beginning: "The Valandrian Expedition."

The executive producer and head writer, James Heaney, is a good friend of mine. I myself make a couple of bit appearances in a recent episode, which means I get to appear in the same episode as an actual Trek actor. (Who? That would be telling.)

There's not a lot about alien biology or exoplanetary ecology in this series (aside from a description in one episode about underwater plants powered by tides instead of sunlight); I just wanted to recommend something very cool.

Enjoy!