Star Trek Continues, as implied by the name, is intended as a continuation of The Original Series portraying the completion of the original five-year mission of the Enterprise and thus bridging the gap between that series and the films that follow. The show hews as closely as possible to the tone, style, and format of The Original Series, except that Continues has more continuity than the real show ever did. About half the episodes can be read as sequels to The Original Series episodes and the finale is a prequel to The Motion Picture.

As a fan series, all of Continues is freely available online. See the project’s website for information, downloads, and behind-the-scenes extras.

Episodic or serial?

Episodic, but with continuity between episodes. Stories are self-contained (aside from several being follow-ups to The Original Series episodes) but some episodes acknowledge events from previous episodes and the finale is a two-parter.

Idealistic or cynical?

Idealistic, mostly. This show deliberately mimics the tone of The Original Series which doesn’t completely avoid the occasional dark-tinged story but mostly presents a world where it’s worth sticking to your principles and where good defeats evil.

Worth watching?

If you love The Original Series, have exhausted all those episodes, are looking for more, and are willing to take a chance on a fan series, then yes, at least in part. Otherwise, no.

The production values here are through the roof. The sets, props, costumes, special effects, sound effects, musical scores, and cinematography are easily on a par with the actual show it’s mimicking. Naturally all the roles have been recast and the quality of the acting does vary, but for the most part it’s easy to see your beloved characters shining through from behind these new faces. And there’s a lot of fun connections to canon.

However, where the show does fall down a bit is in its inconsistent writing. Most episodes have interesting premises based on high-concept sci-fi ideas or ambitious social commentary, but the execution doesn’t always deliver on that potential.

Anything else that should be watched first?

The Original Series is all-but required. This series is a direct continuation and includes many references, follow-ups, and even outright sequels to that show’s episodes. (This does, unfortunately, include several episodes that my guide says to skip. But I have to assume that if you’re watching a fan continuation, you’re probably sufficiently invested to watch all the actual episodes of The Original Series anyway.)

While Star Trek Continues was created after several other canon series, the time frame in which it’s set means most of them are not relevant and you could safely watch this show before proceeding on to any other canon series. There are a couple of references to prequel series Enterprise, but they aren’t particularly important.

What should be watched after this?

This series is intended to bridge the gap between The Original Series and its feature films, so if you haven’t seen the latter yet they’re the natural next stop. Though if you are watching this right after The Original Series and haven’t checked out The Animated Series yet, a couple of those episodes are worth watching too.

Otherwise, you can go anywhere from here. It’s not canon, so no canon series builds on it.