It can be an incredibly stressful life serving with Starfleet, so it's a good job that there's a selection of legendary Star Trek bars where officers can unwind after a tough day protecting the galaxy. From Romulan ale to Chateau Picard, alcohol - and its more responsible synthetic replacement - has been a key part of the culture of Star Trek. New starships were christened with a bottle of champagne, while absent friends were honored with a toast in Ten Forward or in the Ready Room of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The most important bar in Star Trek history is arguably the one run by Quark (Armin Shimerman) on Deep Space Nine, which paid host to various new species from the Gamma Quadrant, strengthening both diplomatic and commercial relations with the region.

Quark's Bar was independently run, but Starfleet certainly knew the value of providing a bar on their starships. From Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Lower Decks, the starship bar has been a comforting location in which to socialize with fellow crew members or relax between missions. Generally, these bars appeared to stock synthehol to avoid the ill effects of heavy drinking, but both Star Trek: TNG's Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) and Lower Decks' Lt. JG Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) kept a stash of the hard stuff for special occasions. Whether it was alcohol or synthehol behind the counter, the starship bar is an integral part of Star Trek starship.

RELATED: What is Star Trek's Romulan Ale (& Why It's Illegal)

5 Ten Forward In Star Trek: The Next Generation

Appropriately located on deck 10 in the forward section of the USS Enterprise-D's saucer, Ten Forward was a lounge and recreational facility run by Guinan. Alongside a well-stocked bar of alcoholic and syntheholic drinks, Ten Forward also had a bank of replicators to fulfill the crew's off-menu requests. During Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons, Ten Forward hosted the wedding of Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao), and the various musical concerts from classical symphonies to jazz quartets. Guinan's bar was staffed with the Enterprise's civilian crew, identified by their pastel green uniforms.

As with many bars, Ten Forward saw trouble very occasionally. During Spock's father's battle with Bendii syndrome, the heightened emotions of Sarek (Mark Lennard) inadvertently caused a bar brawl in Ten Forward. Another bar brawl almost happened during the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Night Terrors", but Guinan had learned her lesson and had tooled up with a weapon from Magus III. Ten Forward was also a designated emergency support shelter during shipwide emergencies, providing sanctuary to the Enterprise's civilian residents and crew.

4 The USS Cerritos Bar In Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks is heavily influenced by the Star Trek: The Next Generation era, so of course the USS Cerritos has a bar. The USS Cerritos bar serves a very similar purpose to Ten Forward in TNG, though things often get a lot more raucous than they ever did aboard the USS Enterprise-D. For example, the visit by the Betazoid diplomats in Lower Decks season 4, episode 5, "Empathological Fallacies" led to a wild party in the Cerritos bar, which veered rapidly out of control due to the Bendii syndrome experienced by Provisional Lieutenant T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz). Under the influence of heightened Vulcan emotions, the Cerritos crew shed their Starfleet professionalism - and their uniforms - to build a giant crewmate pyramid.

The bar on the USS Cerritos is also staffed by green uniformed civilians, like the bartender Honus (Anthony Atamaunik). A dubiously informed gossip, Honus is always willing to engage in scandalous chatter with his customers, like when he let slip to Ensign Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) about Mariner's apparently shady past. Like Ten Forward, the USS Cerritos bar has also experienced a bar brawl or two, though it was brought about by Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) being infected by a rage virus, rather than over-indulgence in Mariner's stash of real booze.

3 USS Discovery’s Bar In Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: The Original Series occasionally gave glimpses of the USS Enterprise's bar, or to give it the proper title, its recreation room. 900 years later and the 23rd century starship, the USS Discovery got itself a proper bar when it had its futuristic refit. Star Trek: Discovery's bar made its debut in season 4, as the more utilitarian mess hall was replaced with a fancier recreation facility. Given the end of the universe stakes that the USS Discovery often finds itself caught up in, it makes perfect sense to give Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew somewhere to unwind. It's clear that Ten Forward was such a success on the USS Enterprise-D that Starfleet ensured that all starships were given a well-stocked bar well into the 32nd century.

2 Ten Forward In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

The USS Titan-A didn't appear to have a designated bar in the same way that the USS Enterprise-D did, because Admiral Picard chose to unwind in the holodeck instead. It's likely that the reason for this was that he needed somewhere more familiar for his heart-to-heart with his son Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). A fully functional holodeck replica of Guinan's Ten Forward bar in Los Angeles, it was a sanctuary for the crew of the Titan when all seemed lost in the fight with Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the Shrike. This taste of home was of comfort to the young members of the Titan crew, many of whom likely thought they'd never see Earth again.

Now that the USS Titan-A has been refitted as the USS Enterprise-G, it's unclear if it will have its own bar like the original Star Trek: The Next Generation Ten Forward, or retain its holodeck replica. Upgrading the Enterprise-G with a holodeck bar could be a neat way to continue the legacy of Picard, Guinan, and the Enterprise-D crew. Not least because the Starfleet legends continued to make use of its Earthbound original, last seen enjoying a boozy game of poker after closing time.

1 Port Galley In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The USS Enterprise finally got its own bar in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Port Galley, which is very similar to Ten Forward a century later. As well as a good selection of alcohol - synthehol wouldn't be introduced until the 24th century - the bar on the Enterprise had three-dimensional chess and other recreational facilities. It was the location for the big song and dance number in which Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) stated her desire to leave Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and the USS Enterprise behind. More historically from a Star Trek perspective, Port Galley was the very first place that legendary Starfleet officers Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Lt. Spock first shared a drink.