As much as I love “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” the newest episodes can’t come fast enough. So while we’re waiting 7 whole days between each new installment, I took it upon myself to assemble a series of “Star Trek”-Inspired clips to keep you motivated.

(Also, some of these clips are a great way to introduce your homies to the franchise, if that’s what you’re going for.)

I did my best to consult the internet when preparing this list for you, so I would be remiss if I didn’t include this list from Screenrant: “10 Best Star Trek Parodies All Fans Should Watch.” It includes several fantastic recommendations, like the class Futurama episode “Where No Fan Has Gone Before.”

This episode is a must-watch for Futurama and for Star Trek fans, and is a great way to get new people involved in either franchise.

I’ve written an entire post of ways to get your friends into “Star Trek,” but I neglected to include “Futurama,” which in its early seasons, had a writing staff full of Trekkie nerds. That stacked writing staff led to gems like this episode, as well as other fun references spread throughout the series.

Within this parody list there are several other suggestions that I have some thoughts about.

The list mentions the show “The Orville” by Seth MacFarlane as a Star Trek parody, but I have to disagree with the writer on that one. I’ve written about “The Orville” before on this blog because I am obsessed with that show, and one thing fans should be aware of is that Seth MacFarlane is a total geek. The man loves science fiction, especially Star Trek, maybe just a little too much. And because he loves “Star Trek” so much, there’s no way he can parody it.

“The Orville” is Seth MacFarlane’s self-insert Star Trek fanfiction and I genuinely love it. Tons of stars reach a point in their career where they can make just about any project they want, and for him to decide to continue Gene Roddenberry’s legacy makes me so happy. Please watch it.

The list also mentions the movie “Galaxy Quest,” which absolutely is a Star Trek parody. It’s also one of my all-time favorite movies and is beloved by Star Trek fans, actors, and regular people all over the world. If you haven’t seen it yet, log into your Paramount+ account and watch it now.

Once you’re through that list, you may want something even sillier (and shorter). I’ve said this before, but “Robot Chicken” is a show that has heavily influenced me and my thoughts about pop culture. “Robot Chicken” has a wide anthology of videos about “Star Wars,” beloved shows from the 80s, and anything remotely related to superheroes. “Robot Chicken” has a few “Star Trek”-themed skits, although not nearly enough. I’ve included a few of these skits below.

They tell us in like episode 3 of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” that Data is fully functional and that functionality includes having a robo-wang. The fact that Brent Spiner lent his voice to this video only makes it better.

In these three clips, the crew makes funny noises, Bones gives the men prostate exams, and Kirk has to contact his prior lovers about space STDs.

Redshirts finally get the upper hand in this one. I also quote it to myself more than I care to admit.

I also did some digging into some pre-2000s sketch shows like “In Living Color” and “Mad TV,” and I think readers may enjoy the results.

In this parody from “In Living Color,” young Jim Carrey does one hell of a Shatner impersonation. Spock’s response to Captain Kirk is also probably one of the funniest jokes about the Star Trek movies ever written.

What if everyone on the Enterprise spoke Spanish with a horrible accent? That is the whole premise of this clip, I think.

When sourcing this clip for you guys, I did some essential data-gathering: I sent it to my Spanish-speaking friends and asked “Do you think this video is funny or stupid?” They replied with “Both,” so I figure it was good enough to share.

Speaking of brightening, Mad TV also did another Star Trek parody, although this time it was about the guys who do the laundry for the Federation. It’s pretty dopey, but it came out at a time when it felt like there were a million different Star Trek shows being greenlit, so the concept made me chuckle.

This gender-swapped parody by the 1991 revival of the Carol Burnett Show remains one of the funniest Star Trek parodies I’ve ever seen.

This last clip is from Saturday Night Live back in 1976. In other words, it came out after the show was cancelled, but before the actors were brought back to make the movies.

It didn’t make me bust out laughing, but as this is one of the first Star Trek parodies ever made, and it features actors like John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Dan Akroyd, it firmly deserves a spot in the “Star Trek Parody Hall of Fame.” The skit brutalizes NBC for cancelling “Star Trek” in the first place, and I like to think if I was a fan first watching this skit in 1976, then watching this would feel like the ultimate brain scratch. Honestly the more I learn about this skit, the more I like it, and I think you will as well.