Does Star Trek Have Christmas Episodes?

It is an unwritten rule of television that when you get at least a half-season order for a new series, you need to make room for a Christmas episode. Sure, some shows break this rule, but they do so at their peril. There's not a more sure-fire way to coax new viewers into falling in love with recently introduced characters than to show them contending with the highs and lows of the yuletide season. How tried-and-true is this approach? "The Simpsons" kicked off with a Christmas episode in 1989 ("Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"), and it's currently in its 36th season.

While some series quickly discover that Christmas episodes are a tradition their viewership expects to celebrate at least every other year ("The Big Bang Theory" celebrated the holiday six times over its 12-year run), others mine the season for sentiment more sparingly. Basically, the longer a show or a franchise lasts, the more likely it is that the writers and producers will go back to the Christmas well for seconds and thirds. So, when you're dealing with a brand that's 58 years old like "Star Trek," you'd figure that there are multiple Christmas episodes scattered across its many different series. But just how many times has the Gene Roddenberry-created franchise gotten all festive?

There isn't a single Christmas episode in the "Star Trek" television canon. Was Roddenberry a big ol' grinch who forbade its mention in any series bearing the brand's name? Not really. It's just that Christmas and Christianity in general is largely irrelevant in a future built around secular humanity (and there is a brief Christmas scene in the 1994 film "Star Trek Generations"). This doesn't mean you need to take a holiday from "Star Trek" over the holidays. According to StarTrek.com, there are 10 episodes from different incarnations of the franchise that express yuletide themes or at least have a Christmas-y vibe. They are as follows:

• "The Trouble with Tribbles" — "Star Trek: The Original Series"
• "New Ground" — "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
• "You Are Cordially Invited" — "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
• "11:59" — "Star Trek: Voyager"
• "Silent Enemy" — "Star Trek: Enterprise"
• "Forget Me Not" — "Star Trek: Discovery"
• "Nepenthe" — "Star Trek: Picard"
• "Grounded" — "Star Trek: Lower Decks"
• "Kobayashi" — "Star Trek: Prodigy"
• "Spock Amok" — "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds"

As a casual "Star Trek" fan who's had trouble keeping up with the flurry of new series (which I'm sure I'll love when I get around to them), I can absolutely vouch for the levity of "The Trouble with Tribbles" and the Worf-centric "New Ground" and "You Are Cordially Invited." It turns out everyone's favorite Klingon is a perfect vessel through which to reinforce Christmas themes of family, friendship, and forgiveness.

Of the others, you can't beat "Nepenthe" for a good cry. This is the "Star Trek: Picard" episode that brought Patrick Stewart's eponymous character back together with Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis), and it delivers warmth and melancholy in equal measure. I'll slot the others on my must-watch list, and encourage you to do the same. You don't have to explicitly celebrate Christmas to key in on what makes the season so valuable the world over.