all star trek content in order

How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline

The full star trek timeline, explained..

Ever since 1966’s premiere of the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, the entertainment world has never been the same. This franchise that has boldly gone where no property has gone before has captured the hearts and minds of millions around the world and has grown into a space-faring empire of sorts filled with multiple shows, feature length films, comics, merchandise, and so much more. That being said, the amount of Star Trek out in the world can make it tough to know exactly how to watch everything it offers in either chronological or release order so you don’t miss a thing. To help make things easier for you, we’ve created this guide to break down everything you need to know about engaging with this Star Trek journey.

It used to be a bit trickier to track down all the Star Trek shows and movies you’d need to watch to catch up, but Paramount+ has made it a whole lot easier as it has become the home of nearly all the past, present and future Star Trek entries.

So, without further ado, come with us into the final frontier and learn how you can become all caught up with the adventures of Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko, Spock, Pike, Archer, Burnham, and all the others that have made Star Trek so special over the past 56 years.

And, in case you're worried, everything below is a mostly spoiler-free chronological timeline that will not ruin any of any major plot points of anything further on in the timeline. So, you can use this guide as a handy way to catch up without ruining much of the surprise of what’s to come on your adventure! If you’d prefer to watch everything Star Trek as it was released, you’ll find that list below as well!

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

How to Watch Star Trek by Release Order

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star Trek: Enterprise is the earliest entry on our list as it takes place a hundred years before the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series. The show aired from 2001 to 2005 and starred Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer, the captain of the Enterprise NX-01. This version of the Enterprise was actually Earth’s first starship that was able to reach warp five.

While the show had its ups and downs, it included a fascinating look at a crew without some of the advanced tech we see in other Star Trek shows, the first contact with various alien species we know and love from the Star Trek universe, and more.

2. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

This is where things get a little bit tricky, as the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery take place before Star Trek: The Original Series but Seasons 3 and 4 take us boldly to a place we’ve not gone before. We won’t spoil why that’s the case here, but it’s important to note if you want to watch Star Trek in order, you’ll have to do a bit of jumping around from series to movie to series.

As for what Star Trek: Discovery is, it's set the decade before the original and stars Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, a Starfleet Commander who accidentally helps start a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. She gets court-martialed and stripped of her rank following these events and is reassigned to the U.S.S Discovery.

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also begins before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series and is set up by Star Trek: Discovery as its captain, Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, makes an appearance in its second season. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Pike first appeared in the original failed pilot episode “The Cage” of Star Trek: The Original Series and would later become James T. Kirk’s predecessor after the original actor, Jefferey Hunter, backed out of the show.

Fast forward all these years later and now we get to learn more about the story of Christopher Pike and many other familiar faces from The Original Series alongside new characters. It’s made even more special as the ship the crew uses is the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, the very same that would soon call Kirk its captain.

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

The fourth Star Trek series or movie you should watch in the order is the one that started it all - Star Trek: The Original Series . Created by Gene Roddenberry, this first Star Trek entry would kick off a chain reaction that would end up creating one of the most beloved IPs of all time. However, it almost never made it to that legendary status as its low ratings led to a cancellation order after just three seasons that aired from 1966 to 1969. Luckily, it found great popularity after that and built the foundation for all the Star Trek stories we have today.

Star Trek: The Original Series starred William Shatner as James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, but the rest of the crew would go on to become nearly as iconic as they were. As for what the show was about? Well, we think Kirk said it best during each episode’s opening credits;

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise . Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

While Star Trek: The Original Series may have been canceled after just three seasons, its popularity only grew, especially with the help of syndication. Following this welcome development, Gene Roddenberry decided he wanted to continue the adventures of the crew of the Enterprise NCC-1701 in animated form, and he brought back many of the original characters and the actors behind them for another go.

Star Trek: The Animated Series lasted for two seasons from 1973 to 1974 and told even more stories of the Enterprise and its adventures throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

The first Star Trek film was a very big deal as it brought back the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series after the show was canceled in 1969 after just three seasons. However, even it had a rough road to theaters as Roddenberry initially failed to convince Paramount Pictures it was worth it in 1975. Luckily, the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and other factors helped finally convince those in power to make the movie and abandon the plans for a new television series called Star Trek: Phase II, which also would have continued the original story.

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, James T. Kirk was now an Admiral in Starfleet, and certain events involving a mysterious alien cloud of energy called V’Ger cause him to retake control of a refitted version of the U.S.S. Enterprise with many familiar faces in tow.

7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture written, but Paramount turned it down after the reception to that first film was not what the studio had hoped for. In turn, Paramount removed him from the production and brought in Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards to write the script and Nicholas Meyer to direct the film.

The studio’s decision proved to be a successful one as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is considered by many, including IGN, to be the best Star Trek film. As for the story, it followed the battle between Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise vs. Ricardo Montalban’ Khan Noonien Singh. Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman and he and his people were exiled by Kirk on a remote planet in the episode ‘Space Seed’ from the original series. In this second film, after being stranded for 15 years, Khan wants revenge.

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock continues the story that began in Wrath of Khan and deals with the aftermath of Spock’s death. While many on the U.S.S. Enterprise thought that was the end for their science officer, Kirk learns that Spock’s spirit/katra is actually living inside the mind of DeForest Kelley’s Dr. McCoy, who has been acting strange ever since the death of his friend. What follows is an adventure that includes a stolen U.S.S. Enterprise, a visit from Spock’s father Sarek, a run-in with Klingons, and so much more.

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

While it is undoubtedly great that Kirk and his crew saved Spock, it apparently wasn’t great enough to avoid the consequences that follow stealing and then losing the Enterprise. On their way to answer for their charges, the former crew of the Enterprise discover a threat to Earth that, without spoiling anything, causes them to go back in time to save everything they love. The Voyage Home is a big departure from the previous films as, instead of space, we spend most of our time in 1986’s San Francisco.

10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier once again brings back our favorite heroes from Star Trek: The Original Series, but it’s often regarded as one of the weakest films starring Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc. In this adventure, our crew’s shore leave gets interrupted as they are tasked with going up against the Vulcan Sybok, who himself is on the hunt for God in the middle of the galaxy.

11. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the final movie starring the entire cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, and it puts the Klingons front and center. After a mining catastrophe destroys the Klingon moon of Praxis and threatens the Klingon’s homeworld, Klingon Chancellor Gorkon is forced to abandon his species' love of war in an effort to seek peace with the Federation. What follows is an adventure that calls back to the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall and serves as a wonderful send-off to characters we’ve come to know and love since 1966, even though some will thankfully appear in future installments.

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

After you make it through all six of the Star Trek: The Original Series movies, it’s time to start what many consider the best Star Trek series of all time - Star Trek: The Next Generation . The series, which starred Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, ran from 1987 through 1994 with 178 episodes over seven seasons.

There are so many iconic characters and moments in The Next Generation, including William Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher, and many of these beloved faces would return for Star Trek: Picard, which served as a continuation of this story.

While we are once again on the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, this story takes place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. However, there may just be a few familiar faces that pop up from time to time.

13. Star Trek Generations (2293)

While Star Trek Generations is the first film featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew, it also features a team-up that many had dreamed of for years and years between Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain James T. Kirk.

Our heroes are facing off against an El-Aurian named Dr. Tolian Soran, who will do whatever is necessary to return to an extra-dimensional realm known as the Nexus. Without spoiling anything, these events lead to a meeting with these two legendary captains and a heartfelt-at-times send-off to The Original Series, even though not every character returned that we wished could have.

14. Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

Star Trek: First Contact was not only the second film featuring the crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it also served as the motion picture directorial debut for William Riker actor Jonathan Frakes. In this film, the terrifying Borg take center stage and force our heroes to travel back in time to stop them from conquering Earth and assimilating the entire human race.

This movie picks up on the continuing trauma caused by Jean-Luc Picard getting assimilated in the series and becoming Locutus of Borg, and we are also treated to the first warp flight in Star Trek’s history, a shout-out to Deep Space Nine, and more.

15. Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

Star Trek: Insurrection, which unfortunately ranked last on our list of the best Star Trek movies, is the third film starring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew and followed a story involving an alien race that lives on a planet with more-or-less makes them invincible due to its rejuvenating properties. This alien race, known as the Ba’Ku, are being threatened by not only another alien race called the Son’a, but also the Federation. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew disobey Federation orders in hopes to save the peaceful Ba’Ku, and while it sounds like an interesting premise, many said it felt too much like an extended episode of the series instead of a big blockbuster film.

16. Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

The final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie is Star Trek: Nemesis , and it also isn’t looked at as one of the best. There are bright parts in the film, including Tom Hardy’s Shinzon who is first thought to be a Romulan praetor before it’s revealed he is a clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but it also features a lot of retreaded ground. There are some great moments between our favorite TNG characters, but it’s not quite the goodbye many had hoped for. Luckily, this won’t be the last we’ll see of them.

17. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth Star Trek series and it ran from 1993 to 1999 with 176 episodes over seven seasons. Deep Space Nine was also the first Star Trek series to be created without the direct involvement of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, but instead with Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Furthermore, it was the first series to begin when another Star Trek Series - The Next Generation - was still on the air.

The connections between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine don’t end there, as there were a ton of callbacks to TNG in Deep Space Nine, and characters like Worf and Miles O’Brien played a big part in the series. Other TNG characters popped up from time to time, including Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and certain Deep Space Nine characters also showed their faces in TNG.

Deep Space Nine was a big departure from the Star Trek series that came before, as it not only took place mostly on a space station - the titular Deep Space Nine - but it was the first to star an African American as its central character in Avery Brooks’ Captain Benjamin Sisko.

Deep Space Nine was located in a very interesting part of the Milky Way Galaxy as it was right next to a wormhole, and the series was also filled with conflict between the Cardassians and Bajorans, the war between the Federation and the Dominion, and much more.

18. Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Star Trek: Voyager is the fifth Star Trek series and it ran from 1995 to 2001 with 172 episodes over seven seasons. Star Trek: Voyager begins its journey at Deep Space Nine, and then it follows the tale of Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway (the first female leading character in Star Trek history!) and her crew getting lost and stranded in the faraway Delta Quadrant.

The episodes and adventures that follow all see the team fighting for one goal: getting home. Being so far away from the Alpha Quadrant we were so used to letting Star Trek be very creative in its storytelling and give us situations and alien races we’d never encountered before.

That doesn’t mean it was all unfamiliar, however, as the Borg became a huge threat in the later seasons. It’s a good thing too, as that led to the introduction of Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine, a character who would continue on to appear in Star Trek: Picard and become a fan favorite.

19. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

Star Trek: Lower Decks debuted in 2020 and was the first animated series to make it to air since 1973’s Star Trek: The Animated Series. Alongside having that feather in its cap, it also sets itself apart by choosing to focus more on the lower lever crew instead of the captain and senior staff.

This leads to many fun adventures that may not be as high stakes as the other stories, but are no less entertaining. There have already been three seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the fourth season is set to arrive later this summer.

The series is also worth a watch as it is having a crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that will mix the worlds of live-action and animation.

20. Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

Star Trek: Prodigy was the first fully 3D animated Star Trek series ever and told a story that began five years after the U.S.S. Voyager found its way back home to Earth. In this series, which was aimed for kids, a group of young aliens find an abandoned Starfleet ship called the U.S.S. Protostar and attempt to make it to Starfleet and the Alpha Quadrant from the Delta Quadrant.

Voyager fans will be delighted to know that Kate Mulgrew returns as Kathryn Janeway in this animated series, but not only as herself. She is also an Emergency Training Holographic Advisor that was based on the likeness of the former captain of the U.S.S. Voyager.

The second season of Star Trek: Prodigy was set to arrive later this year, but it was not only canceled in June, but also removed from Paramount+. There is still hope this show may find a second life on another streaming service or network.

21. Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Star Trek: Picard is the… well… next generation of Star Trek: The Next Generation as it brings back not only Partick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, but also many of his former crew members from the beloved series. The story is set 20 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis and we find Picard retired from Starfleet and living at his family’s vineyard in France.

Without spoiling anything, certain events get one of our favorite captains back to work and take him on an adventure through space and time over three seasons and 30 episodes.

The show had its ups and downs, but the third season, in our opinion, stuck the landing and gave us an “emotional, exciting, and ultimately fun journey for Jean-Luc and his family - both old and new - that gives the character the send-off that he has long deserved.”

22. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3 and 4 (3188-TBD)

While Star Trek: Discovery begins around 10 years before Star Trek: The Original Series, the show jumps more than 900 years into the future into the 32nd Century following the events of the second season. The Federation is not in great shape and Captain Michael Burnham and her crew work to bring it back to what it once was.

Star Trek: Discovery is set to end after the upcoming fifth season, which will debut on Paramount+ in 2024.

For more, check out our look at the hidden meaning behind Star Trek’s great captains, why Star Trek doesn’t get credit as the first shared universe, if this may be the end of Star Trek’s golden age of streaming, and our favorite classic Star Trek episodes and movies.

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Series & Movies

How to Watch Every Star Trek Series (and Movie) in the Right Order

Ready for a rewatch but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Have you ever wondered what the best way is to stream Star Trek from start to finish? Look no further.

Approaching the chronological watch of a franchise that’s been on over fifty years can be daunting. Especially with a science-fiction universe that has time travel, multiple universes, concurrent shows and entirely new timelines.

Fear not, as we have created a handy binge-watch guide using the Stardate of each series and film. Here is our guide on how to watch every Star Trek series and movie in the right order.

How Long It Would Take To Watch All of Star Trek (Yes, ALL of It)

Very few franchises have as rich a television and cinematic universe as Star Trek, so just how long would it take to watch ALL of it?

Quick Links

The Original Series Introduces Viewers to the Cast and Universe of Star Trek
The Next Generation Found an Audience Starved for Science Fiction
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Proved There Was Room for Multiple Star Trek Series
Star Trek Voyager Continued To Break From Traditions
Star Trek: Enterprise Is Star Trek's Last TV Series for Over a Decade
Short Treks Offers Mini Side Stories
Star Trek: Picard Revisits Many of the Ideas From TNG
Animated Star Trek Series Have Become an Important Part of Star Trek
Currently Active Star Trek Series Continue To Expand Star Trek's Universe
Star Trek: TOS Films Gave The Original Series Cast a Comeback
Star Trek: TNG Movies Offer a Sense of Scale to the New Era
The Kelvin Timeline Movie Series Press the Reset Button on the Series
How Many Hours of Star Trek Are There?
Watching the entire Star Trek franchise may seem daunting, but it's actually possible to do in a little over a month.
The entirety of the franchise totals an astonishing 837.5 hours or 34.9 days with all series and films combined.
As the franchise continues to expand, so will the amount of time required to watch Star Trek in its entirety.

Over the five decades since its inception, the Star Trek universe continues to inspire new generations of Trekkies. The original series that began in the mid-1960s has spawned countless spinoffs in television shows, as well as animation and feature films, some of which are still under production.

Someone new to this massive franchise may be wondering just how long it will take to watch all of Star Trek. With so many series and films in the catalog, catching up on everything may seem like a daunting task. Even some diehard fans have no idea just how many episodes of Star Trek there are. This list will divide the franchise into different categories to show just how long it takes to watch them. This way, consuming the entire Star Trek saga won't seem so intimidating after all.

Updated by Sage Ashford on December 31, 2023: This list has been updated to include more information on all of the Star Trek series.

The 30 Most Powerful Star Trek Species, Ranked

13 the original series introduces viewers to the cast and universe of star trek, star trek: the original series.

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

This is the one that started it all. For a series with so much significance in television and pop culture history, it's surprising to find out that Star Trek: The Original Series lasted for just 79 episodes over three seasons.

Each TOS episode lasts around 50 minutes for a total of 3,950 minutes, meaning it will take just under 66 hours to watch them all uninterrupted. In other words, The Original Series can be finished in less than a week with constant binging. Even those who don't have that much time can finish watching the show in under a month.

12 The Next Generation Found an Audience Starved for Science Fiction

Star trek: the next generation.

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was so successful during its seven-season run that it's arguably more popular today than The Original Series . The Next Generation 's episode count topped its predecessor by almost a hundred for a total of 178 episodes, each with an approximately 44-minute runtime.

That adds up to a series total of 7,832 minutes or 130.5 hours — just under five and half days. If the viewer is free from work for about two weeks, The Next Generation series can be completed with ease.

11 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Proved There Was Room for Multiple Star Trek Series

Star trek: deep space nine.

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

Deep Space Nine's 'Far Beyond the Stars' Is About Star Trek Itself

Near the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's run, Paramount created another series that could run alongside it. The new series broke from Star Trek tradition by being set on a space station, Deep Space Nine, that connected the Federation to the Milky Way galaxy.

Another breakout success, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ran for another seven seasons from 1993 to 1999. In those seven seasons, there are 176 episodes, each running 45 minutes. That's a grand total of 7920 minutes or exactly 132 hours. People willing to watch five episodes a night could likely finish it within a month's time.

10 Star Trek Voyager Continued To Break From Traditions

Star trek voyager.

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

Star Trek: Voyager took over after Star Trek: The Next Generation ended, ensuring there were still two Star Trek series on the air. The series went back to setting the series on the starship Voyager. The Voyager is run by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the first female lead, who aims to get her people home after being stranded.

Star Trek Voyager was another success for Paramount and their new network UPN, running for seven seasons. Like the prior show, each episode ran 45 minutes. At 172 episodes, that places the full series runtime at 7,740 minutes or 129 hours. This is another series that would require roughly a month of binging to get through.

9 Star Trek: Enterprise Is Star Trek's Last TV Series for Over a Decade

Star trek: enterprise.

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

Scott Bakula Saved Star Trek: Enterprise Before the Pilot Filmed

After running multiple Star Trek television series throughout the '90s, the franchise was gradually beginning to cool off. Finally, Paramount launched one more series, Star Trek: Enterprise . Unlike the others, Enterprise was intended as a prequel even to the original series. It followed Earth's first attempt at trying to make First Contact with other alien races.

Star Trek: Enterprise didn't quite have the same popularity that the other series did. Instead, it ran for four seasons and only 98 episodes. At 42 minutes an episode, that adds up to 4116 minutes, or 68.6 hours.

8 Short Treks Offers Mini Side Stories

Some stories within the Star Trek universe don't need a full forty or fifty minutes to reach a satisfying conclusion. With that in mind, Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman launched Star Trek: Short Treks . Running alongside Star Trek: Discovery , Short Treks gives viewers a chance for smaller stories to check out.

The project began back in 2018 with a season of four episodes, while a second season launched a year later with six episodes. The shows run from 8 to 18 minutes, and with only ten episodes, there are only 150 minutes so far. Fans can check that out in a single weekend.

7 Star Trek: Picard Revisits Many of the Ideas From TNG

Star trek: picard.

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

After years of fans watching stories about new characters, the new era of Star Trek finally decided to revisit an older era. In 2020, Star Trek: Picard decided to tell the first new story with Admiral Jean-Luc Picard since the Star Trek: The Next Generation films. Initially, Picard worked with a new cast that wasn't connected to the original series, but across the show, more of the classic characters were gradually added back in.

Star Trek: Picard ran for three seasons from 2020 to 2023, with ten episodes in each season for a total of thirty episodes. Episode lengths varied wildly since the series was on CBS All Access and could go from 39 minutes to 62 minutes. The full minute count, though, is 1350 minutes, or 22.5 hours. That's basically one solid day of marathoning or a week of leisurely watching episodes.

6 Animated Star Trek Series Have Become an Important Part of Star Trek

Star trek: lower decks.

The support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, have to keep up with their duties, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Wants to Create Animated, Live-Action Movies

Star Trek: The Animated Series only lasted for two seasons in the early 1970s, releasing 22 episodes that were each 24 minutes long. As such, The Animated Series is only 528 minutes long or just under 9 hours. The whole series can be watched in just a single day.

Star Trek: Lower Decks premiered its first season in 2020 with 10 episodes. Each episode is 25 minutes long, totaling 250 minutes, meaning that the entire first season can be watched in just over four hours. Seasons 2 through 4 of Lower Decks also have 10 episodes each, making the total runtime around 1000 minutes. Very Short Treks is the most recent animated Star Trek series with five episodes, each running about 10-15 minutes long. All three animated series combined would take just under 1600 minutes or just under 27 hours.

5 Currently Active Star Trek Series Continue To Expand Star Trek's Universe

At present, there are only three Star Trek series that are still running: Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Prodigy , and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The first ten episodes of Prodigy are already out, amounting to a total of 240 minutes or 4 hours.

Finally, Strange New Worlds has two seasons with ten episodes in each. Discovery has 55 episodes in four seasons, with each episode averaging around 45 minutes, meaning it will take just under 41 hours and 15 minutes to catch up.

4 Star Trek: TOS Films Gave The Original Series Cast a Comeback

Ten years following the end of The Original Series , the adventures of Captain Kirk continued on the big screen in the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture , which has a run time of 132 minutes. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , universally considered the best film in the franchise, is 113 minutes long. The Leonard Nimoy-directed Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is 105 minutes, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is 122 minutes.

Finally, William Shatner's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is 106 minutes, and Nicholas Meyer's The Undiscovered Country has a 110-minute running time. Overall, the original film series clocks in at a total of 688 minutes, which equals 11 hours and 28 minutes.

3 Star Trek: TNG Movies Offer a Sense of Scale to the New Era

The Next Generation did not have the same big-screen success as the original series but made four films, including two that were released following the end of the show. The first film, Star Trek Generations , featured both Picard and Kirk and is 118 minutes long.

The best-reviewed of the films, Star Trek: First Contact , clocks in at 111 minutes, Star Trek: Insurrection is shorter at 103 minutes, and the last film, Star Trek: Nemesis , is 116 minutes long. The four Next Generation films combined run at a total of 448 minutes, equaling 7 hours and 28 minutes. Binging all four movies can be done within the span of a single day.

2 The Kelvin Timeline Movie Series Press the Reset Button on the Series

How star trek connected the kelvin timeline to the prime universe.

The most recent movie series, known as The Kelvin Timeline films, takes place in an alternate reality featuring the crew from The Original Series . The Kelvin movie franchise consists of three films, with each film varying in length.

2009's Star Trek runs 127 minutes, the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness is just five minutes longer at 132, and the latest film, Star Trek Beyond , is actually the shortest at 122 minutes. The film trilogy totals 381 minutes, or 6 hours and 21 minutes. New Trekkies can finish this trilogy very quickly.

1 How Many Hours of Star Trek Are There?

All 13 Star Trek films have a combined total of 25 hours and 28 minutes, or just over a full day. Every single television series, both currently airing and retired, totals up to around 48,700 minutes, which is approximately 812 hours or 33.8 days. Every series and movie combined totals 837.5 hours, meaning it will take 34.9 days to watch them all uninterrupted.

Obviously, watching them all consecutively is impossible, but realistically, watching everything in the Star Trek franchise could take less than half a year. This doesn't even include upcoming movies like Star Trek 4 and new seasons for existing series. For those who believe this beloved universe is worth investing over 50,200 minutes of their life, it's time to boldly go where only true diehard Trekkies have gone before.

Pocket-lint

How to watch the star trek movies and tv shows in order.

The universe is composed of 13 films and eight TV shows. Here's how to watch them all.

Key Takeaways

Explore the Star Trek universe by watching the franchise in chronological order, based on stardates.
The original Star Trek timeline includes the TV show Enterprise and the first two seasons of Discovery.
The original series, The Animated Series, and the first Star Trek movie are important parts of the franchise's origins.

With the Star Trek franchise rapidly expanding on Paramount+ , now is the perfect time to boldly go explore the Star Trek Universe.

The universe is composed of 13 films and nine TV shows. Now, it'd be easy enough to watch them all in the order they premiered, but if you prefer to watch everything chronologically (when the events take place), we've compiled an ultimate viewing guide for you. Below, you'll find the entire franchise organized by stardates. It starts with the oldest event in the original Star Trek timeline.

Speaking of timelines, there are two in Star Trek: The original, which includes nearly all the films and TV shows; and Kelvin, an alternative timeline that kicked off with the latest three reboot films. To better understand what we're talking about, please read the guide below. Those of you who want to proceed spoiler-free, however, can scroll all the way to the bottom for the list version of this guide.

Also at the bottom, we've included another spoiler-free list. It's structured by order of release - or when each film and TV show premiered.

How to watch every Marvel movie and TV show in chronological order

The original star trek timeline.

The thing to remember about this order is that it is chronological - based entirely on the stardate time system in the Star Trek franchise. Think of stardates as years. In that case, the order below starts with the oldest events in the Star Trek Universe - but it excludes the Kelvin timeline films.

There are spoilers below.

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

The first to boldly go where no man has gone before, star trek: enterprise.

Stardate: 2151 to 2156

Enterprise follows the adventures of one of the first starships to explore deep space in the Star Trek Universe.

Set right before the founding of the Federation of Planets (and about 100 years before the original Star Trek series), Star Trek: Enterprise is a TV show that follows the adventures of Captain Jack Archer, played by Scott Bakula, and the Starship Enterprise crew. This ship is the first Federation vessel to have Warp 5 capabilities, allowing its crew to be among the first deep-space explorers.

The series introduces many of the different alien species important to the Star Trek Universe, such as the Vulcans and Klingons. It also begins to lay the groundwork for the Federation of Planets, in the fourth and final season.

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

Discover a new type of starship, set ten years before the original series, star trek: discovery.

Stardate: 2256

The first two seasons of Discovery is set ten years before the original series as the crew of the titular ship tests an impressive new warp drive.

Star Trek: Discovery follows Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, the first officer aboard the USS Shenzhou before she is found guilty of mutineering. However, with the Federation at war with the Klingons, the captain of the new Discovery ship, Gabriel Lorca, played by Jason Isaacs, enlists Burnham to help get the ship’s experimental warp drive properly working.

Discovery's early setting in the Star Trek universe was changed with a leap through time at the end of season two, which is why we're placing the recently released third season elsewhere on our list.

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

A direct prequel to the original series., star trek: strange new worlds.

Stardate: 2258

Strange New Worlds follows the early adventures of the Starship Enterprise, before Kirk became its captain.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike.

Pike will be a familiar name to Star Trek fans, as Pike is the man who commanded the starship Enterprise before Captain Kirk. The series follows Pike doing just that, in his final five-year mission as captain of the Enterprise before he becomes Fleet Captain and hands the reigns to Captain Kirk.

This being a prequel to the original Star Trek series, there are also other recognizable names, with Ethan Peck playing Spock and Celia Rose-Gooding as Uhara. A third season is currently in production.

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

Where it all began, star trek: the original series.

Stardate: 2266 to 2269

The original Star Trek series follows Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew as they boldly go where no man has gone before.

This is the original Star Trek TV show. It began airing in 1966 and primarily follows the crew of the USS Enterprise, starting with them embarking on a five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before”.

The series introduces William Shatner’s Captain James T Kirk and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, too.

It also gives us the basis for the universe that makes Star Trek so successful, from introducing numerous alien species like the Vulcans and Klingons to showing us the inner workings of the Federation of Planets. The origins of the Star Trek Universe wouldn’t exist without it.

5 Optional Star Trek: The Animated Series

Continue the journey with the original crew, star trek: animated.

Stardate: 2269 to 2270

Continue the adventures of the original series in this animated version that sees most of the cast return to voice their characters.

After The Original Series ended, it quickly became a cult classic. Creator Gene Roddenberry then began work on an animated series that saw most of the original cast provide voice work for the animated versions of their characters. The show essentially functions as the fourth season of the original series, with the original characters navigating unexplored sections of space.

However, it was eliminated from canon by Roddenberry himself, when the rights were renegotiated following the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. So, if you want to consume every drop of Star Trek content, add this to your list.

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The first star trek movie, star trek: the motion picture.

Stardate: 2273

Captain Kirk, his crew, and a newly remodeled Enterprise head out to investigate an alien entity known as V'ger.

This is the first feature film in the Star Trek Universe. It sees Captain James T Kirk retake the helm of a renovated USS Enterprise to investigate a mysterious cloud of energy that is moving toward Earth. The energy cloud destroys a Federation monitoring station, as well as three Klingon ships, but before Kirk is able to engage it, he must learn to operate an unfamiliar USS Enterprise.

7 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Star trek: the wrath of khan.

Stardate: 2285

The crew of the Enterprise faces off against it's most fearsome adversary, Khan.

The second Star Trek movie is perhaps the most successful entry in the franchise. It sees Captain James T Kirk taking command of a USS Enterprise staffed with untested trainees in order to track down the adversary Khan Noonien Singh and his genetically engineered super soldiers.

In the process of escaping a planet that Kirk trapped him on, Khan learns of a secret device known as Genesis, capable of re-organizing matter to terraform (make them habitable) planets. Khan tries to steal the device, but, of course, Kirk will do all he can to stop him.

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The crew of the enterprise try to resurrect spock, star trek iii: the search for spock.

Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise set out on a mission to recover Spock's body and bring him back to life.

Following their battle with Khan, the crew of the USS Enterprise returns home to Earth in this third feature film.

Once there, Leonard H “Bones” McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, begins to act strangely, leading to him being detained. Captain James T Kirk, with the help of Spock’s father, Sarek, played by Mark Lenard, then learns that Spock transferred his Katra into McCoy before dying.

If nothing is done, McCoy will die from carrying Spock’s Katra. So, the crew of the USS Enterprise go back to the site of their battle with Khan - in the hopes of retrieving Spock’s body. To top it all off, they must battle with the Klingon Kruge, played by Christopher Lloyd, over control of the Genesis Device. The Search for Spock is also directed by Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy.

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Earth is in danger and the only hope is humpback whales, star trek iv: the voyage home.

Stardate: 2286

The Enterprise travels back in time to 1986 and has to untangle a mystery involving humpback whales and an alien probe.

In this film, a mysterious ship begins orbiting Earth and destroys the planet's power grid. It emits strange noises, too, and the newly resurrected Spock realizes the sound is similar to the now-extinct humpback whale. Believing the strange ship is expecting to hear back the song of humpback whales, the crew goes around the Sun and travels back in time to 1986 to get a humpback whale.

Nimoy returned to direct this film, as well.

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

The enterprise crew must face off with spock's brother, sybok, star trek v: the final frontier.

Stardate: 2287

The Enterprise heads out on a mission to rescue hostages from the planet Nimbus 3.

After finishing a mission, Kirk, Spock, and Bones are enjoying a camping trip in Yosemite in this film when they are ordered to rescue hostages on the planet Nimbus III. But, once arriving on the planet, the crew realizes Spock’s half-brother, Sybok, is responsible for taking the hostages in order to lure a starship, with the hopes of reaching the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree and meeting a God.

Sybok realizes he’ll need Kirk’s expertise to navigate through the barrier at the centre of the Milky Way that leads to this mythical planet. Along the way, the Klingon Kraa decides to hunt Kirk. The Final Frontier is also the only Star Trek film directed by William Shatner.

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The final film starring the original series cast, star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

Stardate: 2293

After being framed for a political assassination, Kirk and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise must unravel the conspiracy to avoid war with the Klingon Empire.

In the final film of this series, we see the Klingon homeworld nearly destroyed, leading the hostile empire to engage in peace talks with the Federation. Captain James T Kirk is assigned to escort the Klingon ambassador, but is instead blamed when assassins beam aboard the Ambassador’s ship and kill him. The Klingons then sentence Kirk and McCoy to life imprisonment on a frozen asteroid.

At that point, Spock and the rest of the crew must find the true culprits behind the attack of the Klingon ship and rescue Kirk and Bones.

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

The next generation takes over the uss enterprise, star trek: the next generation.

Stardate: 2364 to 2370

A new crew takes over the Enterprise and heads out on a five-year mission to explore the unknown.

Set 71 years after the USS Enterprise’s last mission with Captain James T Kirk at the helm, The Next Generation introduces us to a new USS Enterprise staffed with the next generation of Starfleet officers, led by Captain Jean Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart).

This TV series also shows us new species of aliens, the Cardassians and the Borgs, which replace the now-friendlier Klingons as the Federation’s primary adversaries.

The Next Generation ran for seven seasons and featured a couple of cameos from The Original Series, like Spock and Bones, among others.

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Everyday life in the deepest reaches of space, star trek: deep space nine.

Stardate: 2369 to 2375

Set on a stationary space station instead of an exploring starship, Deep Space Nine explores what life in space is like after the exploring part is done.

This TV show overlaps with the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It focuses on the former Cardassian space station, a backwood outpost that the Federation now controls and has ordered a Starfleet crew to run, with Avery Brook’s Benjamin Sisko as the commanding officer.

It's not about a starship exploring the unknown, but rather the trade disputes and political manoeuvring surrounding a crucial military hub.

14 Star Trek Generations

The two enterprise crews unite to take on a force with the power to destroy stars, star trek: generations.

Stardate: 2371

The first Star Trek film to feature the Next Generation crew also brought back the Enterprise crew from the original series.

Star Trek Generations is the first film to feature the crew of The Next Generation while also starring some of The Original Series cast.

The plot primarily centres around an El-Aurian, named Dr Tolian Soran (played by Malcolm McDowell), as well as an energy ribbon known as the Nexus.

You see, in 2293, Soran is rescued from the Energy Ribbon by a retired Captain James T Kirk, who is attending a maiden voyage of a new USS Enterprise. Then, in 2371, while answering a distress call, Captain Jean Luc Picard finds Soran - and he has a weapon capable of destroying stars.

15 Star Trek: Voyager

A federation starship stranded in uncharted space, star trek voyager.

Stardate: 2371 to 2378

Follow a Captain Janeway and her crew of the USS Voyager as they attempt to find their way home after being stranded in space.

After leaving Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in search of a group of Maquis rebels, the Starship Voyager, led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), is captured by an energy wave that sends it - and a ship of Maquis rebels - into the middle of the unexplored Delta Quadrant. With both ships damaged and far from home, the crews agree to join forces and begin a 75-year journey back to Earth.

16 Star Trek: First Contact

The crew of the enterprise travels back before the first warp drive was used, star trek: first contact.

Stardate: 2373

The Enterprise must travel back in time to prevent a Borg ship from assimilating all of Earth.

In this film, the USS Enterprise tries to help defeat a Borg Cube attacking Earth, with Captain Jean Luc Picard assuming command of a fleet of starships. However, just before the Cube is destroyed, it releases a smaller ship that enters a temporal vortex. The USS Enterprise gives chase through the vortex, but in the process, realizes the Borg traveled back in time and assimilated the entire planet.

And once through the Vortex, the crew arrives in 2063. More specifically, they arrive one day before Zefram Cochrane (played by James Cromwell) uses the first warp drive system, which draws the attention of the Vulcans, leading to humanity's first contact with an alien race.

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

The enterprise must uncover the mystery around a nearly immortal group of people, star trek: insurrection.

Stardate: 2375

The crew of the USS Enterprise uncovers a conspiracy involving the forced relocation of a peaceful alien race.

The action now centres around a planet with a type of unique radiation that rejuvenates its people, known as the Ba’ku. The effects of the radiation make the Ba’ku nearly immortal.

In this film, Brent Spinner’s Data is sent undercover to monitor the Ba’ku people and soon begins to malfunction, which causes Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise to investigate.

They uncover a conspiracy between a species, which is hostile to the Ba’ku, and Admiral Mathew Doherty, a Starfleet officer played by Anthony Zerbe. The crew of the Enterprise must stop them both in order to save the Ba’ku from being forcibly removed from their home planet.

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

Picard vs picard, star trek: nemesis.

Stardate: 2379

Captain Picard and the crew face a new, dangerous enemy in the form of a clone of Picard himself.

Captain Jean Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise crew are sent on a mission to meet with the leader of the Romulans, Shinzon, played by a super young Tom Hardy. Once there, they learn that Shinzon is actually a clone of Picard, created in the hopes that he would one day be able to infiltrate the Federation. The Romulans had abandoned the plan and sent Shinzon into slavery.

He led a rebellion, however, and created his own starship, the Scimitar. Soon, the Enterprise learns Shinzon’s true plan is to use a form of radiation poisonous to all life in order to attack the Federation and destroy Earth.

19 Star Trek: Picard

Picard's forced out of retirement one more time

Star Trek: Picard

Stardate: 2399

Captain Picard's retirement is about as full of adventure as his career on the Enterprise.

One of the most popular starship captains in the Star Trek Universe, Jean Luc Picard had retired to a life of wine-making, but a new mission set 20 years after the events of Nemesis sees Captain Jean Luc Picard return to space along with many of his old friends. The first season sees Picard struggling with the events that led to his retirement from Starfleet -- when he's forced into a conflict that sees him thrust into a captain's chair again.

The second season sees Picard transported to an alternate timeline by the interdimensional being known as Q (John De Lancie), who originally appeared in The Next Generation. The third and final season of Picard recently got a teaser and is slated to premiere in spring 2023.

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

The discovery's journey picks up later than any other star trek content.

Stardate: 3188

Catch up with the rest of Discovery after a timejump shifts the story to the end of the Star Trek timeline.

Burnham and the crew of the Discovery make a jump through time that lands them further in the future than we've ever seen in the Star Trek Universe.

There, Burnham is separated from the rest of the crew of Discovery.

While trying to locate the ship, she learns that the United Federation of Planets has fallen following the event known as The Burn, which saw ships simultaneously explode throughout the entire galaxy. The fuel for Star Trek's ships, Dilithium, has also become extremely rare, which makes travel across wide distances of space much harder. In the fourth season, Burnham and the crew of the Discovery begin the process of rebuilding the Federation of Planets. A fifth season of Star Trek Discovery is slated to premiere in 2024.

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

These films kick off JJ Abrams' alternate Star Trek timeline. Officially called the Kelvin timeline, it's named after the USS Kelvin. If you want to watch them, you can do so either before or after Star Trek: The Original Series. We prefer you watch it after - in fact, watch it after you've finished the original Star Trek timeline, because it literally takes place in a different timeline.

How to watch Star Trek in order

Whether you're wanting to check out the Original Series or Discovery, figuring out how to watch Star Trek in order is a breeze with this easy guide!

Is it just us or is figuring out how to watch Star Trek in order getting more and more complex with each passing year? The prospect of watching Star Trek in order would be daunting for even the most decorated of starship captains with multiple series being brought to life on both the big and small screens. But fear not Trekkies - we've got you covered!

If you've ever tried to watch the Marvel movies in order , you'd be forgiven for thinking that was the most complicated franchise on the planet, but we kid you not - it has nothing on Star Trek. The 55-year-old sci-fi franchise includes nine (soon to be 11) TV shows and 13 movies and it spans 1000 years, making for one super complicated and vast timeline.

So, what is the best way to watch Star Trek in order? Well, that depends. For you purists out there, you might like to opt for viewing this franchise by release date, just like all the original Trekkie fans did back in the day. This will allow you to follow along as they did and get a similar experience. While the timeline does jump around, ( Star Trek: Discovery , for example, is set at the end of the 32nd century but was released before Star Trek: Picard , which is set in the 24th century), it gives you a more complete picture.

Because the Star Trek franchise involves movies and TV series that take place at different times, another option is to watch everything in chronological order. This means you get to start with something a little bit more modern, but the one problem with this is that references will often be made to films you've not yet seen, which could make certain elements difficult to follow.

To be honest, just like we recommend in our guide to how to watch the Star Wars movies in order , it really is a matter of personal preference. As long as you have one of the best TVs , you'll find you enjoy this franchise no matter what order you decide to watch it in.

So, without further ado, here's how to watch Star Trek in order - based on release date and in-universe continuity...

Star Trek TV shows and movies in chronological order

This is probably the list you're looking for if you're trying to figure out how to watch Star Trek in order. It's where things get really interesting, as Star Trek movies and TV shows have a habit of jumping around the franchise's chronology with sequels, prequels and bits in between. There are even two distinct timelines – but don't worry, we'll explain all that.

The original ‘Prime’ timeline was started by the Original Series, the Next Generation-era TV shows, and the first ten movies, The alternative ‘Kelvin’ timeline, meanwhile, was created in JJ Abrams’ first Star Trek (2009) to allow the familiar Enterprise crew of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Chekov to have new adventures without contradicting canon . To avoid confusion, we've defined the two timelines as separate entities below.

This list doesn't, however, include all of the brief Short Treks – short stories which are mostly set around the Star Trek: Discovery era – and adventures where Starfleet crews time-travelled to the eras before any of the shows/movies are set (eg visits to 1986 in The Voyage Home and 2063 in First Contact). We've also left out upcoming Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Section 31 , since it's not yet in production. (Also, we're not entirely sure exactly when it'll be set.)

Let's start with everything in one big list.

Star Trek: Enterprise (seasons 1-4)
‘The Cage’
Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 1-2)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: The Original Series (seasons 1-3)
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations (opening sequence)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (seasons 1-5)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (seasons 6-7), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 1-2)
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 3-4), Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 1-2)
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (seasons 5-6), Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 3-4)
Star Trek: Insurrection
S tar Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 7), Star Trek: Voyager (season 5)
Star Trek: Voyager (seasons 6-7)
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek (2009) – Prime timeline sequences
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Discovery (season 3-)
Short Treks: 'Calypso'

If you watch in the order given above, you'll get a continuous ‘history’ of the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 32nd centuries according to the Star Trek timeline. That said, you will notice some odd discrepancies – thanks to the time in which respective shows were made, the technology in prequel show Star Trek: Discovery is significantly more advanced than what Kirk and Spock used in the Original Series.

Below, we'll explain how the different eras of the shows and movies break down for context.

Note that Gene Roddenberry's original pre-Kirk Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage', is counted as an instalment of the Original Series. You'll usually find it listed as a bonus episode as part of season one when you're watching it on streaming services.

Star Trek: Enterprise era (22nd century) Begins and ends with: Star Trek Enterprise seasons 1-4

About a century before James T Kirk and his crew embark on their famous five-year mission in Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Jonathan Archer leads Earth's first steps into the wider universe.

Star Trek: The Original Series era (23rd century) Begins with: 'The Cage' Ends with: Star Trek: Generations (opening sequence)

For many this is the most familiar era of Star Trek, since it involves Kirk, Spock and the classic Enterprise crew.

This section of the Trek timeline kicks off with the original unaired Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage' . Next up in franchise chronology are the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , which work as a prequel to the Original Series (they even feature a younger version of Spock), but it's all change in season 3 – the events of the season 2 finale send the crew into the distant future of the 32nd century. More on that later...

Upcoming spin-off Strange New Worlds will follow the adventures of Captain Pike, Number One and Spock on the Enterprise after the USS Discovery travelled to the future. And at some point after that, Captain James T Kirk will take command of Starfleet's most famous ship – a role he filled throughout The Original Series , The Animated Series and the first six Star Trek movies ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture , The Wrath of Khan , The Search for Spock , The Voyage Home , The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country ).

The latest point we've seen (so far) in the 23rd century era is James T Kirk being taken away by the Nexus ribbon in the prologue of Star Trek: Generations . This is the event that allows Kirk to meet Picard when the Next Generation crew take on the mantle of headlining the big screen franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation era (24th century) Begins with: Star Trek: The Next Generation Ends with: Star Trek (2009) – Prime timeline sequences

The richest, most complicated period in Star Trek chronology. During The Next Generation era, Star Trek was experimenting with the idea of a shared universe years before Marvel got in on the act, with three TV shows (TNG, Deep Space Nine and Voyager ) and four movies ( Generations , First Contact , Insurrection and Nemesis ) interweaving through the same timeline – Voyager's Captain Kathryn Janeway even shows up in Star Trek: Nemesis as a newly promoted admiral.

New animated comedy spin-off Lower Decks is set a year after Picard and the Next Generation crew's final mission in Star Trek: Nemesis, while Nickelodeon kids' cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy will see Kate Mulgrew reprising her role as Voyager's captain, Kathryn Janeway. That suggests it will presumably be set at a similar point in the Star Trek timeline.

In JJ Abrams' first Star Trek movie (2009), the destruction of Romulus and Spock Prime's accidental trip back to the pre-Original Series era (in the Kelvin timeline) also take place after the events of Nemesis.

In the list above, we've shown how the movies (roughly) fit into the chronology of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

Picard era (turn of the 25th century) Begins with: Picard Ends with: ???

Aside from glimpses of the destruction of Romulus in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Picard gives us our first post-Star Trek: Nemesis look at what the United Federation of Planets has become.

Since we last saw Jean-Luc Picard, he's retired to his vineyard in France, an android uprising on Mars has led to a ban on all synthetic life, and a disabled Borg Cube (known simply as the 'Artifact') is being mined for technology.

Distant future (32nd century) Begins with : Star Trek: Discovery season 2 (finale) Ends with: ???

In order to save the galaxy, the brave crew of the USS Discovery set off on a one-way mission 900 years into the future in Star Trek: Discovery 's season 2 finale. Their 32nd century destination is new territory for Star Trek – thanks to the mysterious 'Burn', most of the dilithium in the galaxy has been destroyed, making warp travel impossible. As a result, the Federation is a shadow of its former self – even Earth has decided to go it alone.

This isn't, however, the furthest Star Trek has ventured into the future – Short Trek ' Calypso ' is set on the Discovery in a distant future where the ship's computer has become sentient.

Star Trek's alternate 'Kelvin' timeline explained

In 2009's Star Trek movie directed by JJ Abrams, Spock Prime tries to save Romulus from a supernova, inadvertently creates a black hole while doing so, and gets pulled into the past, along with Romulan mining vessel the Narada. Once there, the Narada attacks the USS Kelvin on the day James T Kirk is born. The ship is destroyed as Kirk's father, George, sacrifices himself to save the rest of the crew.

When all that happens, the alternative ‘Kelvin’ timeline is created, with events unfolding in parallel (but with remarkable similarity) to the original Prime timeline.

Got all that? There are just three movies set in the Kelvin timeline:

Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek TV shows and movies in release date order

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986)
‘The Cage’ (previously unavailable Star Trek pilot from 1965, given VHS release in 1986)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017-)
Short Treks (2018-2020)
Star Trek: Picard (2020-)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-)
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021, TBC)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TBC)

Considering The Original Series was cancelled after just three seasons in 1969, it's remarkable that Star Trek is still around half a century later. But as the show's popularity grew in syndication on US TV, Trek fandom became a big enough force for the five-year mission to resume via Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973. Most of the original cast – with the notable exception of Walter Koenig (Chekov) – were enticed back to voice their characters.

Then, helped by Star Wars turning sci-fi into the hottest genre in Hollywood, Star Trek beamed onto the big screen with 1979's The Motion Picture . The original crew headed up five more movies ( The Wrath of Khan , The Search for Spock , The Voyage Home , The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country ) before bowing out in 1991. The ’80s also gave the world a hint of the Star Trek that never was when 'The Cage' , the original unaired pilot, was released on VHS in 1986 (it appeared on TV two years later). Of the pilot crew, only Leonard Nimoy's Spock went on to reprise his role in the TV show, though footage from 'The Cage' was used extensively in the Original Series’ only two-parter, 'The Menagerie'.

While the Enterprise was making it big in cinemas, the franchise returned to its TV roots in 1987 with The Next Generation . Set over 70 years after Kirk and Spock's final mission, it featured a new crew – led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard – on board a new starship Enterprise. The Next Generation was arguably even more successful than the Original Series, spawning two spin-off series: Deep Space Nine (which began in 1993) played with the Trek format by focusing on a space station, while Voyager (1995) dumped its crew on the other side of the galaxy, hundreds of light years from home.

The Next Generation crew also fronted four movies of their own ( Generations , First Contact , Insurrection and Nemesis ) between 1995 and 2002.

After Voyager came to an end in 2001, Star Trek left the Next Generation era behind, and went in a completely different direction – Star Trek: Enterprise was a prequel set a century before Kirk and Spock's adventures. Enterprise lasted only four seasons, however (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager all made it to seven), and was canceled in 2005.

These were also dark times for the movie branch of the Trek franchise, as the disappointing box office performance of Nemesis had put the film saga on hiatus – it wasn't until 2009 that Star Trek warped back onto the big screen.

Future Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams (already hot property as director of Mission: Impossible 3 and co-creator of Lost) gave the franchise an action blockbuster makeover, recasting Kirk, Spock and the rest of the original crew as rookies on their first mission. The reboot, simply titled Star Trek , made more than twice as much at the box office as any of its predecessors, and two sequels ( Star Trek into Darkness , Star Trek Beyond ) followed.

Star Trek belatedly returned to TV in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery . Set a decade before the Original Series, it was a darker, more serialized Trek than we’d seen before – more in tune with the prestige shows of the so-called Golden Age of TV. As it’s turned out, it was just the beginning of Star Trek's renewed assault on TV...

A series of brief Short Treks appeared online ahead of Discovery's second season, while The Next Generation follow-up Star Trek: Picard left spacedock in January 2020. Animated series Lower Decks followed in August 2020, and Discovery spin-off Strange New Worlds – featuring Anson Mount's Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn's Number One and Ethan Peck's Spock on the pre-Kirk Enterprise – is now in production.

There's also another cartoon offering heading for the Alpha Quadrant, in the form of animated kids show Star Trek: Prodigy.

And there's potentially even more to come, as the much-talked about Michelle Yeoh vehicle Section 31 is still in development. But with Paramount Plus programming boss Julie McNamara telling Variety that the streaming service's current aim is to debut "a new Trek every quarter", we may have to wait for Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks and/or Strange New Worlds to stand aside before we get a new TV iteration of Trek.

To keep things simple, all the shows above are listed by the date their first episode aired. While the chronology does jump around if you watch Star Trek in order of release date, there are some benefits. For example, the prequel shows assume a fair bit of knowledge of earlier series, like the Borg's appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise episode 'Regeneration', or Star Trek: Discovery's revelations about the ultimate fate of Christopher Pike (the Enterprise captain in 'The Cage', who later shows up in 'The Menagerie'). Moments like that undoubtedly make more sense in the context of later events in the Star Trek timeline.

How to stream Star Trek TV shows and movies

If you just want to know how to stream the 13 Star Trek movies and eight TV shows in the US and the UK, we've laid it out below.

In the US, the newly rebranded Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) is definitely the place to go, with every TV show available to watch. In the UK, Netflix hosts all the Star Trek series except for Picard and Lower Decks.

Watching the 13 Trek movies is a rather more complex affair, with the films spread across numerous streaming services in the US and UK – and some of them you'll have to pay to rent/buy.

The TV shows

Star Trek: The Original Series ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: The Animated Series ( US: Paramount Plus UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: The Next Generation ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: Voyager ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: Enterprise ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: Discovery ( US: Paramount Plus UK: Netflix)
Star Trek: Picard ( US: Paramount Plus UK: Amazon Prime Video)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (US: Paramount Plus US: Amazon Prime Video)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek: Generations ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
Star Trek: First Contact ( US: Paramount Plus UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek: Insurrection ( US: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek: Nemesis ( US: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video UK: Only available to rent/buy)
Star Trek 2009 ( US: DirectTV UK: Sky Cinema/Now TV)
Star Trek Into Darkness ( US : FX Now UK: Amazon Prime Video)
Star Trek Beyond ( US: Amazon Prime, Hulu UK: Amazon Prime Video)

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Richard is a freelance journalist specialising in movies and TV, primarily of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. An early encounter with a certain galaxy far, far away started a lifelong love affair with outer space, and these days Richard's happiest geeking out about Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and other long-running pop culture franchises. In a previous life he was editor of legendary sci-fi magazine SFX, where he got to interview many of the biggest names in the business – though he'll always have a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum who (somewhat bizarrely) thought Richard's name was Winter.

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Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Untangle the different timelines and get the popcorn: Here are the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release.

Chronological order
Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

Kelvin Timeline
Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

We've got a guide to watching the Star Trek movies in order, decloaking off our starboard side!

So long as movies stick numbers on the ends of their titles, it’s easy to watch them in order. Once they start branching out, however, things can get a little muddled, especially when reboots come along and start the whole process over from scratch.

You may have heard that the even-numbered ones are good and the odd-numbered ones are not. That’s spot on for the films starring the cast of The Original Series (aka Kirk and friends) falls apart once you reach the tenth entry in the series. It would probably be worth your while to have this list of the Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best around to steer clear of the clunkers. Look, we’re not going to pretend everything here is worth two hours of your day, we’re just letting you know which came out after which.

Should your Trek appetite remain unsatiated after your movie watchathon, feel free to pull from either our list of the best Star Trek: The Original series episode s or best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes . Either one will set you up for a weekend jam-packed with great Trek moments. Consult our Star Trek streaming guide for all the details on where to watch the movies and shows online

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline.

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Crew in Star Trek: The Motion Picture_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 8, 1979
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (1982)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: June 4, 1982
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Walter Koenig, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei in Star Trek III The Search for Spock (1984)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek IV The Voyage Home (1986)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 26, 1986
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness.

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, and Laurence Luckinbill in Star Trek V The Final Frontier (1989)

Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country (1991)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 6, 1991
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort.

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

Malcolm McDowell, Brian Thompson, and Gwynyth Walsh in Star Trek Generations (1994)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 18, 1994
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time.

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

U.S.S. Enterprise battling the Borg in Star Trek First Contact (1996)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 22, 1996
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin.

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek Insurrection (1998)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 11, 1998
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle.

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

Patrick Stewart and Tom Hardy in Star Trek Nemesis (2002)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 13, 2002
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy.

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and Chris Pine in Star Trek (2009)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: May 8, 2009
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline.

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Pine in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)_© Zade Rosenthal_Paramount Pictures

Release date: May 16, 2013
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction.

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

Idris Elba and Chris Pine in Star Trek Beyond (2016)_© Kimberley French_Paramount Pictures

Release date: July 22, 2016
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day.

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety .

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Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

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How to watch Star Trek in order – both release and chronological orders

From The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, here's how to watch the entire Star Trek canon in order.

David Craig
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It's a hugely exciting time to be a Star Trek fan, especially after the news that we'll be getting a new prequel movie from the director of Andor!

The Star Trek franchise has enjoyed a dramatic revitalisation in recent years, returning to its original home on the small screen to launch a sprawling shared universe of exciting shows.

Coming up next in the world of Star Trek, we've got Star Trek: Discovery season 5 to look forward to, as well as Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 after the series was saved by Netflix – and more! Meanwhile, Star Trek: Picard wrapped up with a third and final season, while we got renewals for shows like Lower Decks .

With all these interconnecting stories, it's not surprising that newcomers to the franchise want to ensure they are watching in the correct order. Fortunately, we can help with that.

Below, we've compiled how to watch Star Trek in release and chronological order, while we also weigh in on the pros and cons of each method. Once you have all the information you need, venture forth into the final frontier.

More like this

How to watch star trek in release order.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things

Arguably, the most faithful way of watching Star Trek is in the order each series was made, allowing you to follow the franchise from its inception and explore its universe as the original fans did decades ago.

It makes sense to do it this way as while the shows do jump around in terms of time period, they still find ways to build on what came before in order of release.

In that sense, you're likely to get a slightly more complete picture of Star Trek by watching in this order, instead of piecing the shows together in a chronological timeline.

Star Trek release order (films listed in italics )

Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS)
The first six Star Trek films (The Motion Picture up to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Star Trek: Voyager (VOY)
Star Trek films 8-10 (First Contact, Insurrection, Nemesis)
Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT)
Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek: Discovery (DSC)
Star Trek: Short Treks*
Star Trek: Picard (PIC)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (LOW)
Star Trek: Prodigy (PRO)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW)
Untitled Toby Haynes Star Trek prequel film

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* Star Trek: Short Treks premiered after Discovery, hence the listing here. However, Short Treks season 2 sets up some plot threads picked up in Discovery season 2 and beyond, so it's best to alternate between them if you can.

Some people who watch in this order choose to skip over the first three steps and begin with Star Trek: The Next Generation. There is a belief among certain Trekkies that TNG has aged better than The Original Series, making it an easier entry point for newcomers to the franchise.

It would be worth watching the first few episodes of TOS to see what you think of it, but if William Shatner's Captain Kirk doesn't quite cut it for you, feel free to move on to the dulcet tones of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard. The two shows have relatively few connections, so you don't need to worry about feeling lost (although they do eventually cross over in a major way in the Star Trek: Generations movie).

How to watch Star Trek in chronological order

As previously stated, the various shows in the Star Trek universe take place at different points in a sprawling timeline, so an alternative method is to watch in chronological order.

This comes with pros and cons: on the one hand, it allows you to begin with a modern show, which may be preferable to some people. But on the other hand, some of the references contained in more recent episodes may not land with you in the way they were intended.

Star Trek chronological order (films listed in italics )

Star Trek: Enterprise (Year: 2151-2161)
Short Trek: The Girl Who Made the Stars (Year: 2230s)
Short Trek: The Brightest Star (Year: 2239)
Star Trek: The Cage – The Original Series one-off pilot episode (Year: 2254)
Short Trek: The Escape Artist (Year: 2250s)
Short Trek: Q&A (Year: 2253)
Star Trek: Discovery season 1 (Year: 2256)
Short Trek: Runaway (Year: 2257)
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 (Year: 2258)
Short Trek: The Trouble with Edward (Year: 2250s)
Short Trek: Ask Not (Year: 2250s)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Year: 2259)
Star Trek: The Original Series (Year: 2265-2269)
Short Trek: Ephraim and Dot (Year: 2267-2285)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (Year: 2269-2270)
The first six Star Trek films (Year: 2273-2293)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Year: 2364-2370)
Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis (Year: 2293-2379)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Year: 2369-2375)
Star Trek: Voyager (Year: 2371-2378)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380)
Star Trek: Prodigy (Year: 2383)
Short Trek: Children of Mars (Year: 2385)
Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3 (Year: 2399-2402)
Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4 (32nd Century)
Short Trek: Calypso (far future, year unknown)

Note – Star Trek: Short Treks was a two-season anthology series, which visits various periods on the franchise timeline. Anything listed as a Short Trek is a single episode of this show (with a runtime between 8 and 18 minutes).

It's not currently confirmed where precisely Toby Haynes' film will sit in the chronology but we do know it'll be a prequel film, taking place "decades" before Star Trek (2009).

For those wondering, the recent trilogy of Star Trek movies directed by JJ Abrams and Justin Lin – Star Trek, Into Darkness and Beyond – are set in an alternate universe, meaning they do not connect to a chronological order of the series.

They do, however, contain references to The Original Series – most notably the return of Leonard Nimoy as Spock – but can be watched at any point as standalone stories.

Star Trek: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Netflix .

Star Trek: Picard is exclusive to Prime Video. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.

Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds can be found on Paramount Plus. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight.

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How to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows in order

When the USS Enterprise first brought audiences aboard in 1966, few imagined that Star Trek: The Original Series ( TOS ) would spawn a media empire half a century later — including both live-action and animated Star Trek series, as well as more than a dozen Star Trek movies.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star trek: discovery, seasons 1 and 2, star trek: the original series, star trek: the animated series, the original six star trek movies, star trek: the next generation, seasons 1 to 5, tng, seasons 6 to 7 and star trek: deep space nine, seasons 1 to 2, ds9, season 3; star trek: voyager, season 1, and star trek: generations, ds9, seasons 4 to 5; voyager, seasons 2 to 3; and star trek: first contact, ds9, seasons 6 to 7; voyager, seasons 4 to 5; and star trek: insurrection, voyager, seasons 6 to 7, and star trek: nemesis, star trek: lower decks.

The Kelvin Timeline — Star Trek (2009) to Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Star Trek: Picard

Star trek: discovery, season 3.

What’s next for Trek?

As the Star Trek universe expands, so does its fictional timeline, and for fans who want to know exactly what happened and when, it’s getting a little difficult to navigate. That’s why we put together a guide to enjoying all of Star Trek’s canonical films and series in chronological order .

If you’re new to Star Trek, be warned: We’ll do our best to avoid spoilers, but for the sake of clarity, here and there, a tribble-sized reveal will have to make its way through the cracks.

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While Star Trek: Enterprise proved to be the last of the Trek revival series (it ended in 2015 after four seasons) until Star Trek: Discovery ‘s premiere 12 years later, ironically, it’s your first stop on any franchise-wide binge. Beginning in 2151 — a little over a century before the events of TOS — Enterprise has no United Federation of Planets, no Prime Directive, and no shields.

Considering how often time travel comes up in Star Trek, it shouldn’t be a surprise that while most of the events of Enterprise take place long before any other shows or films, there are a few exceptions. Some leftover Borg from 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact show up in season 2, a season 3 two-parter connects with TOS ‘ The Tholian Web episode, and the series finale surprisingly crosses over with the Star Trek: The Next Generation ( TNG ) season 7 episode The Pegasus .

Star Trek: Discovery ‘s premiere takes place a little over a century after the Enterprise finale and roughly a decade before TOS . The United Federation of Planets has been formed, and Discovery opens with its first destructive war with the Klingon Empire.

If you’re doing a franchise-wide binge, make sure to schedule TOS ‘s pilot episode The Cage before season 2 of Discovery . It’s Captain Christopher Pike in the Enterprise’s captain’s chair in the pilot, played by the late Jeffrey Hunter. Anson Mount plays Pike in season 2 of Discovery , and the events of The Cage are critical to the plot.

At the end of season 2, Discovery jumps ahead over 900 years into the future, so you should probably wait a bit before getting back to it.

Finally, the series that started it all with its iconic trio: The always pensive and logical Spock (Leonard Nimoy), the always complaining Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and between them, the adventurous James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

It can be a little jarring to watch The Original Series after Discovery . Not only is it weird to see a spaceship run on dials, buttons, and paper printouts after witnessing a ship like Discovery — where every panel looks like it was designed personally by Tony Stark — but particularly in season 1, it’s clear TOS hadn’t yet worked out everything about the Federation and Starfleet. For example, in one early episode, McCoy makes a joke implying that rather than being Earth’s allies, the Vulcans were conquered by humans.

While the original crew’s live-action adventures went on hold after TOS ‘ final season, in 1973, almost the entire regular cast — save for Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in TOS — returned to voice their characters in Star Trek: The Animated Series ( TAS ). They were joined by a couple of new alien crew members who would’ve been nearly impossible to make work in a live-action series of the time.

Even though it originally aired as a Saturday morning cartoon, TAS is impressively faithful to the canon. We see the return of recurring characters like Harry Mudd and Spock’s father, Sarek, and even minor details from TOS — such as a brief mention of Spock’s childhood pet — are faithfully reproduced in TAS .

If you get this deep into the Trek-wide binge and are getting tired of TV episodes, this will be a nice break. Kirk, now an Admiral, muscles his way back into the Captain’s chair in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the timeline continues through Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , and ending with 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

TNG ‘s first five seasons enjoy the single longest chronology of all the franchise’s shows to go uninterrupted by other series or films. While there were plenty of naysayers who never thought the series would last or live up to the original, TNG outlives TOS by four seasons, and its success would help make even more spin-offs viable.

For its final two seasons, TNG shares time with the first two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ( DS9 ). Still traumatized by the death of his wife at the hands of the Borg, Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) takes command of a space station overlooking the newly liberated Bajor.

Make sure to not start DS9 until at least after watching TNG ‘s Rascals episode — chronologically, it’s Chief Miles O’Brien’s (Colm Meaney) final episode of TNG as a member of the ship’s crew, after which he jumps ship to become the Chief of Operations on DS9 .

Deep Space 9 enjoys precious little time at the end of its second season and the beginning of its third as the only Star Trek game in town. Early in its third season, it’s joined by the beginning of Star Trek: Voyager, and in fact, part of Voyager ‘s premiere episode takes place on the DS9 space station guarding the Bajoran wormhole.

Originally tasked with capturing the rebellious Maquis, Voyager ‘s Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) soon finds herself and her crew thrown across the galaxy, and both Starfleet and Maquis have to work together to begin the long journey home.

About midway through DS9 ‘s third season comes the first film to feature the TNG crew — 1994’s Star Trek: Generations , which features the first and only meeting between Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and TOS ‘s Captain Kirk.

Season 4 of DS9 opens with the fan-favorite episode The Way of the Warrior , with Michael Dorn joining the show’s regular cast as Worf — but don’t worry, they keep sneaking him onto the Enterprise for the movies anyway. Seasons 4 and 5 of DS9 run fairly concurrently with seasons 2 and 3 of Voyager . Early in season 5 of DS9, the Starfleet uniforms change to gray, and that change is reflected on the Enterprise in TNG ‘s first motion picture, 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact , pitting the TNG crew against fan-favorite villains the Borg, set toward the end of DS9 ‘s fifth season and Voyager ‘s third.

With Voyager ‘s fourth season comes the game-changing addition of Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, while back in the Alpha Quadrant on DS9 , open war rages between the Federation and the tyrannical Dominion. The Dominion War lasts until the very end of the series, which unfolds around the same time as the end of Voyager ‘s fifth season. In the meantime, the eighth Trek film, 1998’s Star Trek: Insurrection , takes place fairly early in DS9 ‘s final season.

For its final two seasons, Voyager gets to fly all on its own. The lost ship’s journey culminates in the two-part Endgame , with the heroes confronting the Borg while making a desperate attempt to get back home.

And in the final Trek film before J.J. Abrams steps in to create the so-called Kelvin Timeline stories, 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis takes place about a year after the Voyager finale, and the film doesn’t forget about the show. One of Voyager ‘s lead characters makes a cameo, and since the show ended, they’ve gotten enough pips on their collar to give Captain Picard orders.

In 2020, Trek fans were introduced to one of the most unique series in the franchise — the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks . Partly inspired by the TNG final season episode Lower Decks , focusing on the usually anonymous crew members we see milling in the background aboard Starfleet ships and space stations, the series feels like Star Trek with a couple of dashes of Rick & Morty . In spite of its goofiness, Lower Decks is canonical, and its first season begins in 2380 — one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis .

The Kelvin Timeline — Star Trek (2009) to Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The films of what’s come to be known as the Kelvin Timeline have an interesting, if confusing, place in Trek chronology.

Rather than acting as a prequel, as some thought it would, 2009’s Star Trek introduces a whole new timeline. In the prime timeline’s 24th century, the Romulan sun goes supernova. Romulus is destroyed, and both Spock and the Romulan mining ship Narada are sucked into a black hole and sent backward in time. Coming out the other side in the 23rd century, the Narada — captained by the vengeful Nero (Eric Bana) — destroys the Kelvin, creating a new timeline.

So, in one sense, the three Abrams-era films — Star Trek , 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness , and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond — come between the events of Lower Decks and those of Star Trek: Picard , because that’s when the Romulan sun goes boom. But in another sense, they run partly concurrent to the events of Discovery ‘s first two seasons and between those seasons and TOS . We’re putting it here because, all things considered, it’s the less confusing option.

We can only imagine where (and when) the events of subsequent seasons will take Captain Picard and his new friends, but the first seasons of Star Trek : Picard are set at the end of the 24th century, in 2399. Since we last saw him in Star Trek: Nemesis , Picard’s been promoted to admiral, led an ultimately abandoned evacuation of Romulus, and left Starfleet in protest. In spite of the time that’s passed, the series’ opening episode makes it clear Picard is still not over a tragic loss he suffers in the final TNG -era film.

While Discovery begins as a prequel series, in its third season, it becomes something different. At the end of season 2, the heroes jump forward over 900 years into the future, and the galaxy is a changed place.

A little over a century before the events of Discovery season 3, a cataclysmic event known as The Burn destroys almost all the dilithium in the galaxy, killing untold numbers of space-bound people and making warp technology almost useless. As a result, while the Federation still exists, it’s fractured, with its number of member planets shrinking from around 350 to 38.

Among the major historical events to have occurred between the 24th and 32nd centuries, we learn that at one point, Spock’s dream of reuniting the Vulcan and Romulan people has become a reality, with both races giving Vulcan the new name of Ni’Var. There was also a series of conflicts known as the Temporal Wars, whose events led to such destruction that all forms of time travel have been banned within the Federation.

What’s next for Trek?

Along with future seasons of Discovery , Picard , and Lower Decks on their way — not to mention the possibility of future films — the timeline of Star Trek is always changing. While there’s no firm release date, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is expected to release sometime in 2022. Anson Mount will reprise the role of Christopher Pike from season 2 of Discovery , and along with brand new characters, he will be joined by Ethan Peck as Spock and Rebecca Romijn as Number One. The series promises to take place between the events of Discovery ‘s second season and TOS , as well as reportedly giving fans a more episodic format reminiscent of Trek’s earliest series .

Timeline-wise, as far as some of the upcoming Trek series are concerned, there are a couple of unknowns. First, there’s the animated kids’ series, Star Trek: Prodigy , in which a group of alien teens commandeers a derelict Starfleet ship. According to TrekMovie ‘s April 2021 report, Prodigy ‘s first season begins in 2383, placing it between Lower Decks and Picard , assuming Lower Decks — which begins in 2380 — doesn’t go past 2383. If it does, then eventually, the two timelines will intermingle.

Likewise, there’s Star Trek: Section 31 , which is still in development. Michelle Yeoh will reportedly lead the series in her role as the Mirror Universe version of Philippa Georgiou, and Shazad Latif is also believed to be returning as Ash Tyler. Our best guess is that Section 31 ‘s timeline will intermingle with that of Strange New Worlds , but it’s too early to tell. While she initially joins the Discovery crew in the 32nd century, Georgiou is sent back to an undisclosed point in time in season 3’s episode Terra Firma, Part 2 .

We know the Star Trek timeline keeps getting more complex — not only because new properties keep getting added, but because the franchise’s heroes use time travel almost as often as they do phasers. But don’t worry. As Trek keeps trekkin’, we’ll keep updating our timeline guide.

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‘star trek’: the ultimate guide to watching every series in order.

Clockwise from top left: 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' 'Star Trek: Picard,' 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' and 'Star Trek: The Original Series'

There’s a lot of Star Trek out there, and it can be intimidating figuring out where to get started if you’re new to the franchise and don’t know your TOS from your Ent. With almost 60 years and 12 whole series’ worth of content, there’s a lot out there, but don’t worry: We’re here with a comprehensive guide to watching every Star Trek series in order.

There’s two options here: order of release, or attempting to construct some sort of in-world timeline where you can watch the events in the order that they happen—but given the mind bending time travel hijinks pretty much every ship gets up to, I can promise you, that way lies madness. Besides, tempting as the chronological version might be ( because there have been attempts ), if you take this route for your first watch, you won’t know what’s going on or who the characters are half the time, and you’ll have spoiled a lot of long-term plot arcs for yourself. Don’t do it, is what I’m saying. Just stick with the nice order-of-release approach we’ve laid out for you below.

Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS)

Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) crouch in tall grass in 'Star Trek: The Original Series'

This is where it all began. Star Trek , the Original Series, is 80 episodes of sometimes campy madness. Featuring Greek gods, telepathic powers, and Captain Kirk (William Shatner)’s utter inability to keep his shirt on. Follow the crew of the Enterprise as they fight space Nazis, slip into the evil mirror-verse, and battle multiple hostile artificial intelligences. Roddenberry designed this series to emulate a Western in space and it really does feel like it, with stories and characters that are obviously offensive to a modern audience alongside ones that were highly progressive at the time. But because most of the episodes are self-contained, with very few overarching plot lines, you can skip occasional episodes if you want and won’t miss very much.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS)

Spock gives the "live long and prosper" hand sign in 'Star Trek: The Animated Series'

Picking up where TOS left off, Star Trek: The Animated Series is like TOS but wackier. It was originally intended to be canon but was later retracted—except that some parts of it still are canon and it’s not always clear which ones are and aren’t. It’s complicated, basically. But it’s a lot of fun to watch, and has the vibe of an old school Saturday morning cartoon, so it’s nostalgic, too.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)

The Enterprise crew in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

Star Trek’s triumphant return to live-action syndication, Star Trek: The Next Generation features everyone’s favorite space daddy, Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Continuing to boldly go, TNG introduces new species, more serialized story arcs, and for some reason switches the uniform colors around for command and operations, which always bothered me as a kid. It also introduces beloved android Data (Brent Spiner), kicking off the exploration of what defines sentience and personhood that’s a running theme through Star Trek .

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)

The crew of 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'

Unlike all the other Treks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine takes place on a station, run by first Commander and then Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks), and while there is a ship—the Defiant, introduced in later seasons—the station remains the focal point of the action. Set in the aftermath of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, Starfleet is given command over the former Cardassian station Deep Space Nine to act as both a deterrent to future Cardassian aggression, and prepare Bajor to join the United Federation of Planets. DS9 is a darker series, exploring the tensions between the Federation and less powerful, non-member worlds, the cultural imperialism Starfleet is prone to, and the long term impacts of colonialism and genocide. DS9 is always forcing the characters, and the viewer, to confront uncomfortable moral dilemmas, and face up to the fact that sometimes there isn’t an easy answer that lets everyone involved keep their hands clean.

Star Trek: Voyager (VOY)

What was meant to be a short mission chasing after a ship full of Maquis into the Badlands became a years-long attempt to get home in Star Trek: Voyager , after an energy wave took both ships 70,000 light years across the universe into the Delta Quadrant. Starting around halfway through DS9, the series kicks off with a crossover episode where the Voyager crew visits the station before beginning their mission. Similarly to TOS, Voyager does a lot of “episode of the week” self-contained first contact missions, but there are overarching plots in addition to the central mission of getting everybody home.

Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT)

The post-9/11 jingoistic Trek, Star Trek: Enterprise imagines the early days of Starfleet and the birth of the Federation, with plenty of grave threats to Earth to justify grim, unethical behaviour. Routinely panned as the worst Trek, Enterprise goes hard on time travel plots, with the Temporal Cold War spanning several seasons, as well as introducing new (hostile) alien species. Enterprise featured regular first contact encounters, an explanation for the dramatic changes in appearance the Klingons underwent between TOS and TNG, and attempted a classic Star Trek anti-racism plotline that paved the way for Spock’s birth in the future.

Star Trek: Discovery (DIS)

Captain Michael Burnham in 'Star Trek: Discovery': A Black woman with long braids smiles as she looks to the right, wearing an all red star trek uniform.

Starting with the beginning of a new war between the Federation and what remains of the Klingon Empire, Star Trek: Discovery follows Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) on her path to captaincy. With plenty of time and dimensional travel and season spanning plot arc each season also has its own unique plot and vibe. The Discovery is also unique in that, unlike previous ships in other series, it uses a piece of technology called the spore drive to make jumps across the galaxy. Discovery does some very interesting things with this, involving mushrooms and an intergalactic biological network, but I won’t spoil it for you by going into details.

Star Trek: Short Treks (SHO)

Captain Lynne Lucero (Rosa Salazar) holds a tribble in 'Star Trek: Short Treks'

Short Treks is a companion series to Discovery , and features short episodes (10-20 minutes each) focused on small groups of characters that flesh them out or provide background information about the Star Trek -verse. It’s best to watch each season of Short Treks after the corresponding season of Discovery because they were intended to go together like that.

Star Trek: Picard (PIC)

Promotional image for 'Star Trek: Picard' featuring (l-r) Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, Patrick Stewart as Jean-luc Picard, and Jonathan Frakes as William Riker. We see them from the shoulders up and they are against a black background. They are Photoshopped together with Crusher and Riker standing with their backs to Picard, who stands at an angle, but faces the camera. Crusher is a white woman with long red hair that has thick white streaks in it. She wears all black. Picard is a bald white man also in all black. Riker is a white man with silver hair an da silver beard. He wears a black jacket over a navy blue shirt.

Returning to Captain Picard, now a retired Admiral in his nineties, Star Trek: Picard has a darker perspective on the Federation than TNG. Picking up where TNG left off in its interrogation of artificial intelligence and personhood, the series begins when Picard is contacted by a woman asking for his help, who turns out to be a synth connected to Data. Synthetic lifeforms—as well as any practical research unto them—have been banned, meaning she and all other existing synths are under a death sentence. Picard finds this abhorrent and, knowing some of them have survived, commits himself to ensuring they stay that way. PIC is full of intrigue, with conspiracies layered on top of each other, and provides an interesting expansion on what we know about Romulan society and culture.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (LOW)

Another animated series Star Trek:Lower Decks explores the lives of lower ranking Starfleet characters with a mix of adult humour and sincere storytelling. Incredibly fun, with a lot of the TOS zaniness that later shows are missing, LOW is sometimes strangely serious as well. Unlike TAS, LOW is canon and sometimes ties in with other series.

Star Trek: Prodigy (PRO)

The cast of 'Star Trek: Prodigy,' an animated series for children

Aimed at children, Star Trek: Prodigy features a crew made up of teenagers and children of different species and is set in the Delta Quadrant. Imprisoned in a mining colony on an asteroid, the children find a Federation starship inside, with a holographic Captain Janeway serving as ship’s adviser/assistant. Using the ship to escape, and under pursuit from the prison’s villainous overseer, the children learn about the Federation and decide to make their way to the Alpha Quadrant in hopes of a better life. Obviously, on the way they have various adventures and regularly find themselves in child-friendly peril.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW)

Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Following on from Captain Pike (Anson Mount)’s appearance is Discovery , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is about the Enterprise during his time as captain. Featuring beloved classic characters like Spock and Uhura, SNW recaptures some of the feel of TOS with high stakes, single episode adventures and a wide variety of plots—ranging from classic first contact encounters to body swaps and sentient nebulas. SNW also deals with some of the complex, ethical questions Star Trek is so good at, and does it well (no spoilers here). One of the most interesting things about the series is Captain Pike’s awareness of his eventual, horrible fate and his path to accepting it in order to do the right thing for the rest of the galaxy. SNW balances classic sci-fi adventure with serious, personal drama.

If after all that you still want to try and re-watch every Star Trek series in chronological order instead, well—good luck and godspeed! Let us know how it turns out in the comments.

(featured image: Paramount / The Mary Sue)

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How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline

The full star trek timeline, explained..

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

How to Watch Star Trek by Release Order

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

2. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Star Trek: The Animated Series lasted for two seasons from 1973 to 1974 and told even more stories of the Enterprise and its adventures throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

11. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

13. Star Trek Generations (2293)

14. Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

15. Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

16. Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

17. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

18. Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

19. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

The series is also worth a watch as it is having a crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that will mix the worlds of live-action and animation.

20. Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

21. Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Without spoiling anything, certain events get one of our favorite captains back to work and take him on an adventure through space and time over three seasons and 30 episodes.

22. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3 and 4 (3188-TBD)

Star Trek: Discovery is set to end after the upcoming fifth season, which will debut on Paramount+ in 2024.

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The Best Order to Watch All of Star Trek

Whether you’ve overlooked Star Trek for the past 60 years, looking to finally catch up, or are a die-hard fan setting out on a new binge, this list is here help you figure out the best order to watch everything the long-running sci-fi series has to offer.

There are really three ways to approach a binge of this size and complexity: chronologically, by release, or the mythical “best.” Here we’ll provide you with the full list of how to do each one and you can choose for yourself from there.

How to Watch All of Star Trek in Release Order

Watching by release date is probably the easiest way to do this, though it might not deliver the best overall experience. Considering this is how much of the fanbase got hooked, however, it’s a perfectly valid way to get into Trek . It also helps with the times when later shows reference earlier ones, ensuring you’ve seen everything that’s being referenced. It should be noted here that many series and films — especially the current Paramount+ ones — overlap. For these moments, which are noted below when shows/movies were on at the same time, it might be wise to stagger your viewing of the seasons as there may be overlap in their storylines.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974) — (Note: Maybe not canon but maybe also is.)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) — (Note: some characters overlap with TNG )
Star Trek: Generations (1994) — (Note: Overlap with TNG )
Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) — (Note: While rare, some characters overlap with DS9 )
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024)
Star Trek: Short Treks (2018-2020) — (Note: Bridges gaps between Discovery seasons)
Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-Present) (Note: Overlaps with SNW )
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-Present)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present) — (Note: Overlaps with Discovery and Lower Decks )
Star Trek: Very Short Treks (2023) — (Note: Not canon)

How to Watch All of Star Trek in Chronological Order

Watching a franchise with as many entries as Star Trek in chronological order can be pretty tricky since some newer shows and films take place in the earlier in the timeline while older shows take place later. There’s also the films starring Chris Pine that take place on a different timeline entirely (the Kelvin timeline). That’s not to mention that time travel is an accepted and heavily regulated science in-universe and a popular plot mechanic, so almost every crew has, at some point, done it. That raises the question of where to put films like The Voyage Home , which has the TOS crew traveling back to the 1980s, or something like Discovery , which starts in the TOS era, spends half its first season in a parallel dimension, and then jumps millennia forward. Let’s not even get started on the ending of Enterprise . The point being is that chronological order is a terrible way to watch this franchise. If you must, though, here is the correct order, based on what time period each crew called “home” originally.

Star Trek: Enterprise (Stardates: 2151-2156)
Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks (First two seasons: 2256-2258, Final three seasons: 3188-?)
Star Trek (2258-2259 Kelvin Timeline)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2259-2260 Kelvin Timeline)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-??)
Star Trek Beyond (2263 Kelvin Timeline)
Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2273)
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (2285)
Star Trek: The Search for Spock (2285)
Star Trek: The Voyage Home (2286)
Star Trek: The Final Frontier (2287)
Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (2293)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)
Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)
Star Trek: Generations (2371)
Star Trek: First Contact (2373)
Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-??)
Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-??)
Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)
Star Trek: Very Short Treks — (Not canon)

How to Watch All of Star Trek in the Best Order

As you can tell from the two very long lists above, there is a lot of Star Trek to watch. Those lists don’t even do it justice considering that even without all the new streaming shows and movies, there are 709 episodes. That is a lot of time to dedicate to one franchise (and it is totally worth it), but if you’re going to do it, you’ll want an order that gets you hooked. Release date order may work for some, but it’s not the best way to get into great Trek right away. Instead use the method below to enjoy your journey through Star Trek to its fullest.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Start with what is easily the most accessible series and, for many, still the best. The first two seasons can be a little rocky, but they build the foundations for basically all Trek to come. The majority of Star Trek’s greatest episodes reside within this series, making it easy to get into and stick with. The episodic nature also makes it a good series to binge in free time to get your addiction kicked off without paying 100% attention. Yes, there are references and cameos from TOS , Voyager , and DS9 but not enough to not recommend simply watching TNG on its own straight through.

Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek movies I-VI

Now that you’re hooked, go back to the start. TOS may be a bit dated and wonky, but it’s all Trek , and it’s incredibly ahead of its time. The contrast between Kirk and Picard as Captains will also play off each other by watching these series back-to-back. Once you’re done, jump into the TOS films, which will keep things chronological for a good while as none of these films cross over with the TV shows in any way.

Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Films

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you watch Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness , or Star Trek Beyond as long as you’ve watched TOS and its films already. The movies are heavily connected to that series but kick off an entirely different timeline from every other show and film. Since they’re separate, you can really watch these at any point post- TOS , but watching it right after will give you the best experience of Star Trek ‘s “What if…?” storylines.

Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and TNG Films

Here’s where things get a little mushy. You can quite easily binge these three completely separately as they have minimal impact on each other. However, the best experience is probably to watch these as audiences of the time would. That means binging Deep Space Nine for two seasons, then alternating between episodes with Voyager while watching the TNG films during the seasons they came out before capping it all off with Star Trek: Nemesis . This order should give a good variety through a very long stretch of what can be some fantastic television and film. Fair warning, however, that the groundbreaking, serialized, final season of DS9 is going to be very hard to pause for even one episode of Voyager .

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy , having recently been renewed by Netflix , pops up in a weird place in the watch order because it’s just hard to place. Geared towards engaging younger viewers in Trek , it’s absolutely fantastic. Honestly, if you’re watching with a child, it could even be a perfect way to start your viewing. However, the Voyager cast play a large role in the first season, so watching it after Voyager is really helpful if you care about plotlines and canon like any well-respected adult should. Can you watch it any time after your Voyager binge? Sure, but why not dive into something really good before you start Discovery ?

Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Short Treks , and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

You have to watch Discovery to get to SNW , which is the only reason this list doesn’t have SNW higher. The second season of Discovery functions as a backdoor pilot to SNW while also being the best season of Discovery . Once the latter show jumps to the far future, they’re entirely separate so there’s no need to alternate viewing between the two if you feel like binging all of Discovery before moving onto SNW . You’ll need to watch Short Treks between the Discovery seasons they debuted before as they have some plot points in them you would miss otherwise.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Look, there’s very obviously a lot of not-so-great Trek to get through at the end of this list, but the goal is to be such a fan by this time that you’ll watch it anyway. Enterprise isn’t as bad as you may have heard, but it isn’t good either. Get through it. Enjoy the weird season set almost entirely in a hidden portion of the universe known as The Expanse, and then get just as angry as everyone else at its idiotic conclusion. At least you’ll be able to complain with the best of them once you’re done.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

We’re going to break up the suck with some of the best Trek on TV right now. Lower Decks is a Star Trek parody made by Star Trek . As such, you can’t really appreciate it until you’ve watched everything else. In fact, thanks to binging the rest, you may appreciate it more than most as you pick out deep cuts and references that those who watched the shows as they aired might miss. It’s a great reminder why you’re watching all of this before having to suffer through the final show.

Star Trek: Picard

One might expect that you’d just keep the good times rolling by watching Picard right after TNG . The show is, after all, a continuation of that series built on nostalgia and some unfinished plotlines. However, the first two seasons of Picard are so terrible that doing so would be like eating filet mignon and then instantly washing it down with some moonshine. Plus, the third and only decent season, is a massive nostalgia trip that can only be fully appreciated if you’ve spent the hours and hours and hours it takes to get through all of Trek . It’s the perfect victory lap for what you’ve just accomplished.

Bonus: Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: Very Short Treks

Is it canon? Is it not? Who cares. TAS is weird, dumb, poorly animated, and kind of hard to watch — but there’s some great episodes in there. You can avoid it entirely and be totally fine or slot it into any watch order you want post- TOS . Very Short Treks are just some fun YouTube shorts released in the style of TAS . Watch them whenever too.

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Star Trek - In Release Order

Star Trek release order (*=films) 1) Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) 2) Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) 3a) *Star Trek: The Motion Picture 3b) *Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn 3c) *Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock 3d) *Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home 3e) *Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier 3f) *Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country 4) Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) 5) *Star Trek: Generations 6) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) 7) Star Trek: Voyager (VOY) 8a) *Star Trek: First Contact 8b) *Star Trek: Insurrection 8c) *Star Trek: Nemesis 9) Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT) 10a)*Star Trek (2009) 10b)*Star Trek Into Darkness 10c)*Star Trek Beyond 11) Star Trek: Discovery (DSC) 12) Star Trek: Picard (PIC) 13) Star Trek: Lower Decks (LOW) 14) Star Trek: Prodigy (PRO) 15) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) Note: Some newcomers to the franchise may want to skip the first 3 steps if the originals haven't aged enough for their palate.

Movies or TV
IMDb Rating
In Theaters
Release Year

1. Star Trek (1966–1969)

TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Nichelle Nichols

Votes: 92,447

2. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1975)

TV-Y7 | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , George Takei

Votes: 8,129

3. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

G | 143 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 96,325 | Gross: $82.26M

4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

PG | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.

Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 128,917 | Gross: $78.91M

5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.

Director: Leonard Nimoy | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 85,943 | Gross: $76.47M

6. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

PG | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.

Votes: 91,240 | Gross: $109.71M

7. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

PG | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.

Director: William Shatner | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 64,039 | Gross: $52.21M

8. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.

Votes: 80,704 | Gross: $74.89M

9. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Stars: Patrick Stewart , Brent Spiner , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton

Votes: 135,269

10. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.

Director: David Carson | Stars: Patrick Stewart , William Shatner , Malcolm McDowell , Jonathan Frakes

Votes: 86,861 | Gross: $75.67M

11. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

Stars: Avery Brooks , Rene Auberjonois , Cirroc Lofton , Alexander Siddig

Votes: 70,443

12. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

TV-PG | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

Stars: Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Robert Duncan McNeill

Votes: 76,975

13. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.

Director: Jonathan Frakes | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton

Votes: 131,777 | Gross: $92.00M

14. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

PG | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

When the crew of the Enterprise learn of a Federation conspiracy against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Captain Picard begins an open rebellion.

Votes: 79,282 | Gross: $70.12M

15. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.

Director: Stuart Baird | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton

Votes: 83,741 | Gross: $43.25M

16. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Stars: Scott Bakula , John Billingsley , Jolene Blalock , Dominic Keating

Votes: 58,827

17. Star Trek (2009)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg , Leonard Nimoy

Votes: 619,386 | Gross: $257.73M

18. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , Benedict Cumberbatch

Votes: 496,459 | Gross: $228.78M

19. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.

Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Karl Urban , Zoe Saldana

Votes: 257,939 | Gross: $158.85M

20. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.

Stars: Sonequa Martin-Green , Doug Jones , Anthony Rapp , Emily Coutts

Votes: 132,521

21. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

TV-MA | 46 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

Stars: Patrick Stewart , Michelle Hurd , Jeri Ryan , Alison Pill

Votes: 94,241

22. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020– )

TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

The support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, have to keep up with their duties, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Stars: Tawny Newsome , Jack Quaid , Noël Wells , Eugene Cordero

Votes: 24,703

23. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024)

TV-Y7 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A group of enslaved teenagers steal a derelict Starfleet vessel to escape and explore the galaxy.

Stars: Rylee Alazraqui , Dee Bradley Baker , Brett Gray , Angus Imrie

Votes: 5,479

24. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

TV-PG | 52 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

Stars: Anson Mount , Ethan Peck , Christina Chong , Melissa Navia

Votes: 58,087

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How to watch the Star Trek movies in order

Set phasers to "fun" and watch the Star Trek movies in order

It’s a good time to be a Star Trek fan and watch all the Star Trek movies in order. With three active TV series ( Discovery , Picard , Lower Decks ) and three more in the works (Section 31, Prodigy, Strange New Worlds ), there are more Star Trek adventures airing now than at any point since the mid-90s.

While Star Trek TV shows have come and gone since the ‘60s, Star Trek movies maintained a pretty consistent release schedule between 1979 and 2016. On average, we got a new film once every three years. But with the fourth move of the Star Trek reboot franchise allegedly canceled , we may be in for a long wait until we see the U.S.S. Enterprise on the big screen again.

Still, there’s one missing piece of the puzzle: Where are all the Star Trek movies? Unlike watching the Star Wars movies in order , you can't see every Trek film on the same service.

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In the meantime, there are thirteen Star Trek movies to watch (or rewatch), either on DVD or your favorite streaming services. I personally bought the Blu-ray collections so that I wouldn’t be at the mercy of shifting streaming schedules, but if you prefer an all-digital experience, these movies are almost always available somewhere online.

Star Trek movies in order: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek movies in order of release date

Watching the Star Trek movies in release order is, for the most part, exactly the same as watching the Star Trek movies in chronological order. (There’s some time travel here and there, but the later films still follow “after” the earlier ones.) There are 13 films. The first came out in 1979; the last came out in 2016.

The only issue is that they're spread out across a number of different subscription services. 10 of the 13 can be found on Amazon Prime Video, and seven of those are also on Hulu. FX Now and Fubo each have one Star Trek movie a piece, each film being a streaming exclusive (you'd need to buy or rent to watch otherwise). And then CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount Plus) and Pluto also have one film.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) : On Prime Video
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek: Generations (1994) : On Prime Video
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) : On Prime Video
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) : On CBS All Access/Paramount Plus and Pluto
Star Trek (2009): On Fubo
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) : On FX Now
Star Trek Beyond (2016) : On Hulu and Prime Video

Star Trek is just one of many great things you can watch on <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1584493&xcust=hawk-custom-tracking&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2F&sref" data-link-merchant="SkimLinks - hulu.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Hulu . In addition to its acclaimed originals like High Fidelity and Shrill, Hulu streams next-day airings of current TV shows and library content from FX.

<a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=45724&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0858YGKZ4%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Amazon Prime Video has a huge library beyond Star Trek movies. Not only do they have a ton of top movies and TV shows, they've got a lineup of acclaimed originals. They've got everything from Fleabag to Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to The Expanse to Jack Ryan.

<a href="https://geni.us/YkQAuWd" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Fubo.TV : One of the streaming services you'll need to complete the Star Trek movies in order, Fubo has all of the right network channels too. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got <a href="https://geni.us/YkQAuWd" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" data-link-merchant="geni.us"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

One year of Paramount Plus: was $99 or $59, now $49 or $29

One year of Paramount Plus: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1584493&xcust=hawk-custom-tracking&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbs.com%2Fcbs-all-access%2Finterstitial%2F1%2F&sref" data-link-merchant="SkimLinks - cbs.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> was $99 or $59, now $49 or $29 If you sign up a little under one month before Paramount Plus launches, you'll save $30 to $50 on its annual price. The higher rate is for the ad-free version. Paramount Plus will pack everything from Yellowstone to SpongeBob SquarePants, The Real Criminal MInds and more.

On top of there not being one home for all the movies, there are a few small wrinkles in this plan, however. First: The Star Trek movies aren’t completely standalone. They require some knowledge of what happened in the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation TV shows to fully grok.

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Furthermore, the 13 movies don’t tell one continuous story. Rather, they’re based on three separate iterations of the long-running franchise.

star trek movies in order: Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek movies in order of series

Just like the Star Trek TV shows, the Star Trek movies don’t all focus on the same characters and settings. While there’s a little bit of crossover (which we’ll cover below), the films generally fall into three categories.

The first category is based on Star Trek: The Original Series. This is your daddy’s Star Trek, complete with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, the original U.S.S. Enterprise and Scotty beaming people up. If you’ve ever heard about “KHAAAAN!” or “the one with the whales,” or “Shakespeare in the original Klingon,” this is where they come from.

They're all available on Prime Video, and almost all (The Voyage Home is missing) are on Hulu as well.

Star Trek: The Original Series movies

Next up, there are the Next Generation movies. This is Gen X/Elder Millennial Star Trek, starring Picard, Data, Worf and the crew. The movies start off with the Enterprise-D, but transition to the sleeker Enterprise-E in First Contact. Generations features a crossover with some original series crewmembers, but the rest put the TNG cast front and center, with occasional Deep Space Nine and Voyager cameos.

You'll need at least two streaming services to see all of them.

Star Trek: The Next Generation movies

Star Trek: Generations (1994): On Prime Video

Finally, there are the “reboot” Star Trek films, also known as the “Kelvin timeline” films. Kirk, Spock and McCoy take center stage again, but this time in an alternate reality, where events play out differently. This is Star Trek for the cool kids, complete with fast starships, pulse-pounding action and soundtracks populated by the Beastie Boys. (It’s not quite as mindless as it sounds — except for Into Darkness, maybe.) For the most part, these films don’t require previous Star Trek knowledge. But they do pick up where Nemesis left off, more or less, before winding the clock back.

This set is the splintered across services more than any of the others.

Star Trek reboot movies

Star Trek (2009) : On Fubo

star trek movies in order — Star Trek: The Original Series: Space Seed

Star Trek episodes to watch first

TOS: The Original Series TNG: The Next Generation ENT: Enterprise

Watching the Star Trek movies is an extremely straightforward process, but they may be a little incomprehensible unless you’ve seen at least some of the TV series . (I watched the entire franchise , but that may not be practical for you.) The Motion Picture picks up after The Original Series ends; likewise with Generations and The Next Generation.

As such, here are some episodes you should watch if you’re going to dive into the movies. Generally, the movies stand on their own, but it might help to know about some of the supporting characters and subplots:

Episodes for Star Trek: The Original Series movies

Space Seed (TOS, S1, E22) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Errand of Mercy (TOS: S1, E26) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Journey to Babel (TOS: S2, E10) : On Hulu and Prime Video

Episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation movies

Q Who (TNG: S2, E16) : On Hulu and Prime Video
The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I and II (TNG: S3, E26 / S4, E1) : On Hulu and Prime Video
Family (TNG: S4, E2) : On Hulu and Prime Video

Episodes for Star Trek reboot movies

Unification, Parts I and II (TNG: S5, E7 & E8) : On Hulu and Prime Video
First Flight (ENT: S2, E24) : On Hulu and Prime Video
The Xindi (ENT: S3, E1) : On Hulu and Prime Video

Which Star Trek movies are good?

If you watch all 13 Star Trek movies, you’re signing yourself up for about 26 hours of screen time. That’s more than a casual fan may want to invest. Luckily (or unluckily?), not ever Star Trek film is created equal. For a long time, fans held that the even-numbered movies were good, while the odd-numbered ones were bad. That trend seems to have reversed with the recent reboot films, though: The odd ones are good, while the even one is, well, not.

In any case, if you want to start with the movies that are really worth your time, here they are:

I personally like some of the other ones quite a bit (Nemesis is better than you remember, and Generations has quite a few moving moments), but those should at least represent a good starting point.

And once you’re done with those, you can move onto Galaxy Quest: the best Star Trek movie that’s not actually a Star Trek movie.

Next: How to watch Harry Potter movies in order

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.

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The Original Series
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Just ahead of Star Trek: Discovery’s final season, today the Star Trek Universe got a bright spotlight shined upon it — and bringing readers a lot of new information about the future of this decades-old franchise.

In a lengthy cover feature for Variety, writer Adam B. Vary talks to Trek’s cast and creative team, visiting the sets of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 film starring Michelle Yeoh, and even going inside preproduction on the next television adventure, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

For the currently-filming third season of Strange New Worlds , the Enterprise sets will be expanding with a dedicated laboratory where Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) will investigate scientific dilemmas in front of a bank of large monitors — and above a water-filled tank which has already led some fans to joke that it may be a live-action Cetacean Ops.

In this new photo showcasing the new science lab from production designer Jonathan Lee , Spock is seen wearing an updated version of the Original Series’ red hazmat suits first seen in “The Naked Time” — redesigned by series costumer Bernadette Croft for the modern era.

Season 3 will also continue the trend of bringing new genres to Strange New Worlds episodes — as longtime Trek director Jonathan Frakes does reveal he’s finished a story “framed as a Hollywood murder mystery” that he describes as “the best episode of television I’ve ever done.”

Moving to the next live-action adventure — Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31 film, which just finished filming last week — the Variety piece confirms that the project shifted from an ongoing series to a one-off movie due to the impact of the pandemic, as well as Michelle Yeoh’s rise in popularity that reduced her availability.

Despite her limited schedule, the actor returned to the Trek fold for this new Philippa Georgiou project, which sees the one-time Terran emperor zapped back in time after departing the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3. But where, you may ask, did the Section 31 agent arrive?

Surprisingly, it seems that the film will be spending at least some time in the 24th century’s ‘Lost Era’ — between the launch of the Enterprise- B in Star Trek: Generations and the launch of the Enterprise- D in Star Trek: The Next Generation — as Variety reveals the identity of one of Yeoh’s Section 31 co-stars.

Kacey Rohl ( Hannibal, The Magicians ) will be portraying as a young Rachel Garrett , better known to Trek die-hards as the future captain of the Enterprise -C. The character appeared only once, in Next Gen’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” leading her ship and crew into a dark alternate future where she died in a Klingon attack before the Enterprise- C could return to its own time. (The older Garrett was played by Tricia O’Neil.)

The article also mentions that despite its temporal setting, the Section 31 film has repurposed some sets originally built for the now-finished Discovery series — and that the budget is, as shared by Alex Kurtzman, “much less” than a theatrical Trek production.

Kurtzman also noted that his team at Secret Hideout is considering other possible streaming movie concepts, including a possible Star Trek: Picard follow-up, and that Michelle Yeoh is interested in a Section 31 sequel… if the first film is successful.

Speaking of Trek theatrical projects, the years-long efforts to drum up a fourth and final outing for Chris Pine’s Star Trek Kelvin Timeline crew continue — I know, I know, you’ve heard that many times before — with the current Kelvin project in the hands of screenwriter Steve Yockey (HBO’s The Flight Attendant ).

Also still chugging along is that other film concept first discussed back in January — said to be a prequel to the overall Star Trek timeline — expected to move into active preproduction later in 2024.

As always… we’ll see what happens in this department!

The next big television project, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , has been oddly coy about its place in the Star Trek timeline — and while fans have speculated for months about when the series will take place, Variety has confirmed that the show will be set in the post- Discovery 32nd century era.

Set to start filming later this summer as previously reported , Starfleet Academy has taken over the former home of Star Trek: Discovery in Toronto’s Pinewood Studios. The biggest soundstage in Canada, the series is expected to film on “the largest single set ever created for Star Trek television.”

“Plans [include] the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage.”

As for the still-uncast Academy cadets, showrunner Noga Landau describes them as kids who have “never had a red alert before, [and who] never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

Finally, Alex Kurtzman went onto share that he has no plans to hand over the Star Trek franchise reins anytime soon.

“The minute I fall out of love with [‘Star Trek] is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

You can read the entire feature piece — truly worth your time — on Variety’s website.

Star Trek: Discovery returns next week, followed by new episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy later in 2024. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is expected to return in 2025. Release dates for Star Trek: Section 31 and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy have not yet been announced.

Behind The Scenes
Kelvin Timeline
SNW Season 3
Star Trek: Section 31
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Trek Movies

Release schedule for all 10 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5

I n under a week, Star Trek fans will be watching the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery , the Star Trek series that kicked off a whole era of Star Trek series. Picard , Strange New Worlds , Lower Decks , Prodigy ...it all started with Discovery , which aired its first episode back in 2017.

The beginning of the end begins on Thursday, April 4, when Paramount+ will upload two episodes at once. Episodes will come out on every Thursday thereafter until this story is told. Here's the full schedule:

Episode 401: “Red Directive,” April 4
Episode 402: “Under the Twin Moons,” April 4
Episode 403: “Jinaal,” April 11
Episode 404: “Face the Strange,” April 18
Episode 405: “Mirrors,” April 25
Episode 406: “Whistlespeak,” May 2
Episode 407: “Erigah,” May 9
Episode 408: “Labyrinths,” May 16
Episode 409: “Lagrange Point,” May 23
Episode 410: "Life Itself," May 30

Speaking to SFX Magazine , Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise even shared little hints about what's to come in each new episode:

Episode 401: “Red Directive”: “Launching the mission. The mission is a red directive. An exciting mission that launches us onto our season, and it’s super-secret.”
Episode 402: “Under the Twin Moons”: “A lovely Burnham and Saru episode.”
Episode 403: “Jinaal”: “Culber like you’ve never seen him before.”
Episode 404: “Face the Strange”: “Mind bending and exciting, and a heck of a lot of fun.”
Episode 405: “Mirrors”: “[Long pause] I’m trying to think of something that won’t be spoilery! Surprising encounters and surprising new information about our heroes.”
Episode 406: “Whistlespeak”: “Oh, classic TOS-style adventure!”
Episode 407: “Erigah”: “Tense and unexpected.”
Episode 408: “Labyrinths”: “Oh, just an incredible gorgeous location, incredible scope and a singular journey for Burnham.”
Episode 409: “Lagrange Point”: “Discovery in a location where you’ve never seen her before.”
Episode 410: “Life, Itself”: “Part of me wants to say the end of an era. But that just sounds so sad. I don’t wanna say that! Hopefully it’s all the things that Discovery has always been. Action, adventure, heart, family, love, sci-fi wonderfulness, beautifully acted, beautifully directed, production values, gorgeous VFX. It’s everything we have always had in Discovery in one episode.”

Even as Discovery ends, its legacy will live on. And I don't just say that metaphorically. There's a Section 31 movie in the works starring Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant character she debuted on Discovery . Star Trek: Discovery ushered in a whole new era, and while it will be sad to see it end, hopefully it will go out on a high.

All new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery will air on Paramount+.

This article was originally published on winteriscoming.com as Release schedule for all 10 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 .

Promotional art for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, featuring a cast lineup surrounded by alien runes. LtR: Blu Del Barrio as Adira, Mary Wiseman as Tilly, Wilson Cruz as Culber, Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, David Ajala as Book, Doug Jones as Saru and Anthony Rapp as Stamets.

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2024 Spring Entertainment Preview

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

Imagining the future of the future

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It’s a truth universally acknowledged that even among the greatest television shows in Star Trek history, most of them take two seasons to stop being kind of bad. Never has that been more true or more excruciating than in the case of Star Trek: Discovery .

Polygon is looking ahead to the movies, shows, and books coming soon in our Spring 2024 entertainment preview package, a weeklong special issue.

Often it felt like what Discovery was really doing in its early seasons was discovering what didn’t work. Strong performances from a great cast? That works. A Klingon design that absolutely nobody liked ? Definitely not. But despite the stumbles, Discovery season 1 had still averaged C’s and B’s with reviewers, and had built an audience and a subscriber base for Paramount Plus. On the strength of Disco ’s first season, Paramount greenlit Star Treks Picard , Lower Decks , and Prodigy , three new shows covering a huge range of ages and nostalgic tastes. And spinning out of Disco ’s second season, which introduced familiar , nostalgic characters and a brighter, more Star Trek-y tone, Paramount produced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , inarguably the best new addition to the franchise since 1996.

Star Trek: Discovery crawled so that the rest of modern Trek could run... and then it started to walk. The show’s third season saw the USS Discovery and crew in the place that should have been their starting blocks: the bleeding future edge of Star Trek’s timeline. Thanks to season 3’s groundwork, season 4 became the first time that Discovery had a status quo worth returning to. In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery is finally free — free in a way that a Star Trek TV series hasn’t been in 23 years.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery, season 5. Wearing a glowing uniformed spacesuit, she clings to the back of a spaceship speeding through hyperspace, colorful lights streaking the background.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is such an elder statesman of the television elite that it’s easy to forget that it was daring. The show’s triumph wasn’t just that it featured a new cast of characters, but also its audaciousness in imagining the future of the future — and making that future unmistakably different . The Original Series showed a racial and national cooperation that seemed fantastical in its time, with an alien crewmember to denote the next frontier of embracing the other . Next Generation saw that bet and raised it, installing a member of the Klingon species, the Federation’s once-feared imperialist rival state, as a respected officer on the bridge of Starfleet’s flagship.

Next Generation ’s time period — one century after Kirk’s Enterprise — wasn’t a nominal choice, but a commitment to moving the story of Star Trek forward. From the show’s foundations, Gene Roddenberry and his collaborators, new and old, set a precedent that the Federation would evolve. Therefore, in accordance with the utopian themes of the franchise, old enemies would in time become friends. Next Generation embraced The Original Series ’ nemeses and the rest of ’90s Trek saw that bet and raised it again, pulling many of Next Gen ’s villains into the heroic fold. Voyager welcomed a Borg crewmember and disincorporated the Borg empire; Deep Space Nine gave the franchise the first Ferengi Starfleet cadet, and brokered a Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance in the face of an existential threat.

But Discovery — at least until it made its Olympic long-jump leap 900 years into the future — couldn’t move Star Trek forward. So long as it was set “immediately before Kirk’s Enterprise,” hemmed in by the constraints of a previously established era of Star Trek history, it could graft on new elements (like Spock’s secret human foster sister) but it couldn’t create from whole cloth (like a galaxy-wide shortage of starship fuel that nearly destroyed the Federation). Like its predecessor, the ill-fated Star Trek: Enterprise of the ’00s, it was doomed to hang like a remora on the side of the events of The Original Series , or, if you’ll pardon another fish metaphor, doomed like a goldfish that can only grow as large as its half-gallon fishbowl will allow.

Discovery ’s later, free seasons in the 32nd century have shown the Federation at its most vulnerable, a subtler echo of Picard ’s own season 1 swing at fallen institutions . (Fans of Voyager and Deep Space Nine know that this is an extremely rich vein of Trek storytelling.) In its third season, Discovery solved a galaxy-wide fuel crisis that had shattered the community of the Federation. In its fourth it fought for a fragile new Federation alliance and its millennia-old ideals.

And those seasons have also boldly committed to the idea of imagining the future’s future — 900 years of it. The centuries-old rift between Vulcans and Romulans is long healed, Ferengi serve as captains in Starfleet, the work of Doctor Noonien Soong has brought new medical technologies to the fore.

Even still, Discovery hasn’t been truly free in its third and fourth seasons. Star Trek: Picard was out there, forming new past elements of a post- Next Gen / Voy / DS9 era that Discovery had to abide by. And, after all, the show still had to make sure there was something for its own next season to come back to.

Blu del Barrio as Adira in Star Trek: Discovery. She kneels confused before a strange figure dressed in white with white hair, with red robed figures in the background.

But now — with Prodigy and Picard finished, and Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks locked into their settings of Star Trek’s established past, and Starfleet Academy and Section 31 not yet in production at the time that its final season would have been written — Discovery has reached the final final frontier for a Star Trek show. If you’re a Star Trek fan, that should excite you.

Not since Deep Space Nine in 1999 and Voyager in 2001 has a Star Trek series had the freedom to wrap up its run with the Federation in any state it wants to. With franchise flagship Next Generation at an end, and Voyager restricted to the Delta Quadrant only, Deep Space Nine used its last seasons to throw the Federation into all-out war, making sweeping changes to the established ficto-political norms of ’90s Trek. Voyager used its finale to do what Captain Picard never could: defang the Borg (mostly).

We don’t know exactly what Discovery will do with that freedom. Season 4 directors have talked about reaching “ into the past to get further into the future ,” and likened it to Indiana Jones. Official news releases have said the crew will “uncover a mystery that sends them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.” But speculating on what that means would be beside the point.

Discovery , the show about an intergalactically teleporting starship, can finally, actually, go anywhere. It’s been almost a quarter of a century since a beloved Star Trek series was so free to boldly go. Let’s hope they’re very bold indeed.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres with two episodes on April 4 on Paramount Plus.

Spring 2024 entertainment preview

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10 star trek characters j.j. abrams introduced to canon.

J.J. Abrams' ambitious and exciting Star Trek Kelvin Timeline movies also introduce several new and vital characters to the movies' canon.

J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek in 2009 with a new USS Enterprise crew and the creation of the Kelvin Timeline.
George Kirk, Winona Kirk, and Jaylah are key characters introduced into the franchise by Abrams.
Abrams' Star Trek Kelvin-universe movies prioritize character and crew-based tension, with notable character developments and impactful villains.

Star Trek (2009) introduced the much-loved franchise to a new audience with a successful reboot. Director J.J. Abrams’ initial space-faring feature film launched a new, superbly recast Star Trek: The Original Series crew and introduced the anything-goes alternate Kelvin Timeline. Initially introducing origin stories for the movie’s leading characters, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), a series of unexpected and dramatic events soon leads to the early formation of the young, iconic USS Enterprise crew. As Kirk and Spock, Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), and the crew of the USS Enterprise work to overcome the universe-altering threat, a slew of familiar and new faces make spaces of significance in Federation history .

Over Abrams’ three Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies, previously established but unseen and newly originated characters are revealed to delight or terrify audiences. The three movies’ villains devastatingly influence Federation history, substantially affecting Star Trek’s established multiverse timeline and posing dangers previously unseen. It’s important to note that Abrams’ films commendably prioritize character and crew-based tension as a primary source of conflict, resulting in subtle yet worthy character developments and heightening the impact and fall-out of each villain’s despicable drive. With a focus on these new and previously unseen faces, here’s a look at ten Star Trek characters J.J. Abrams introduced into canon .

10 J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movie Positives You Only Notice On Rewatch

10 lieutenant george kirk, chris hemsworth - star trek (2009).

Previously unseen in the Star Trek franchise, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) served on the USS Kelvin under the command of Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir). George was the youngest First Officer in Starfleet history at the age of 29 – a legacy later advanced by his son, James T. Kirk (youngest captain). Following Nero’s arrival and the subsequent murder of Robau, George Kirk was advanced to the USS Kelvin’s commanding officer. Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison), a fellow Kelvin crewmember and pregnant wife to George, is removed to an escaping medical shuttle when George Kirk evacuates the ship in light of Nero’s attack. With the ship’s automatic controls offline, George Kirk opts to remain on board and gives his life, manually pilot the ship into Nero's ship, the Narada, to protect the escaping shuttles.

It’s hard to overstate the significance and influence that George Kirk had on Starfleet history.

George Kirk’s youngest son, James Tiberius Kirk, was born and named moments before George’s death. In Star Trek Beyond , Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is troubled by his turning a year older than George was when he died, contrasting the reasons they each enlisted in Starfleet. Kirk says, “ He joined because he believed in it. I joined on a dare .” It’s hard to overstate the significance and influence that George Kirk had on Starfleet history, as well impact on the life choices and development of his youngest son. Making the ultimate sacrifice to aid in the survival of others, George Kirk makes a bold and explosive entrance into Star Trek legend.

9 Winona Kirk

Jennifer morrison - star trek (2009).

Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison) was the wife of Lt. George Kirk and mother of Captain James T. Kirk (and Jim's older brother George Samuel Kirk ). In 2233, pregnant with James, Winona Kirk, in the final stages of her pregnancy, was evacuated to Medical Shuttle 37 during the Romulan mining vessel Narada’s attack on the USS Kelvin. Advanced to acting Captain, George Kirk ordered the crew’s evacuation and Winona was transferred via wheelchair. The baby was born prematurely during the attack, named “James Tiberius” after his grandfathers, moments before George Kirk piloted the Kelvin into the Narada to protect the escaping shuttles.

Winona Kirk's significant and developing character adds further layers to the Kirk family dynamics.

When Winona returned to Earth as a widow , she settled to raise her young family in Riverside, Iowa. She subsequently returned to working for Starfleet, spending periods off-planet during her sons’ youth. Though Winona’s later relationship with Jim is not (yet) specified, Captain Kirk’s comment to Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) in Star Trek Beyond that he planned to call her “ on the day ” (his birthday and anniversary of his father’s death) suggests at least a degree of emotional complexity and trauma. In Star Trek (2009), Winona Kirk is seen on-screen for the first time. Winona Kirk’s significant and developing character adds further layers to the Kirk family dynamics and character histories, and the franchise’s rich overall lore.

8 Captain Richard Robeau

Faran tahir - star trek (2009).

Introduced in Star Trek (2009), Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir) was the commanding officer of the USS Kelvin . When Nero and the Romulan mining vessel Narada encountered the USS Kelvin following their temporal incursion in 2233, Ayel (Clifton Collins Jr.) instructed Captain Robau to shuttle across for negotiations. With no available options, Robau delegated command of the Kelvin to Lt. George Kirk and boarded the Narada. Questioned, Ayel then demands the current stardate. Infuriated by the knowledge that they had become stranded in the past, Nero murders Captain Robau with a large-bladed weapon and resumes the attack on the USS Kelvin.

Robau is also the first example of a 23rd-century Starfleet Captain Star Trek (2009) introduced as the alternate Kelvin Timeline was created.

Captain Robau’s obvious strength and commitment to his crew and the Federation demonstrate professional versatility and deep respect for those around him. Robau's courage and innate calm accentuate his place in Federation history as the USS Kelvin’s ill-fated commanding officer. Robau is also the first example of a 23rd-century Starfleet Captain Star Trek (2009) introduced as the alternate Kelvin Timeline was created.

7 Nero & Ayel

Eric bana & clifton collins jr. - star trek into darkness.

The Romulan captain and second-in-command crew member of the 24th-century mining ship Narada were directly responsible for the formation of the alternate Kelvin timeline in Star Trek (2009). When a supernova of the system’s sun destroyed Romulus in 2387, Nero (Eric Bana) blamed the Prime-universe Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the Federation for failing to prevent the disaster and sought revenge. Inadvertently pulled into the artificially created red matter black hole designed to counter the supernova, the Narada is pulled into an alternate universe, back in time to 2233, where Nero and his crew soon encounter and attack the USS Kelvin.

Over many years, Nero’s actions resulted in the deaths of many. After Spock Prime’s arrival in the Kelvin timeline , Nero orders an attack on Vulcan – opening a singularity at the planet’s core – and later attempts a similar attack on Earth. By the sheer numbers involved in the “ particularly troubled Romulan ” commander’s genocide of Vulcan, Nero is one of Star Trek ’s most vicious and most significant villains .

Nero destroying the planet Vulcan created one of the most significant divergences between Star Trek 's Kelvin and Prime Timelines.

Ayel, a Romulan miner and second-in-command to Nero, supported Nero and regularly spoke in his stead. Ayel assists in Nero’s destructions , loyal to the captain but not sharing the depth of his need for revenge. Ayel attacks James T. Kirk on several occasions but falls from a high platform after Kirk shoots him with a Romulan disruptor. Nero is later lost when the Narada is ravaged by ignited red matter and pulled into a black hole.

Chris Pine's Star Trek Movies Explained

6 thomas harewood, noel clarke - star trek into darkness.

Noel Clarke stars in Star Trek Into Darkness as Thomas Harewood, a Starfleet officer and a member of the secretive and morally objectionable organization – Section 31. Primarily motivated by his family, Thomas was married to Rima Harewood (Nazneen Contractor) with their ailing and terminally ill daughter Lucille (Anjini Taneja Azhar) suffering in a critical care children’s hospital. Quietly coerced by John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), later revealed to be Khan Noonien Singh, Thomas Harewood agrees to assist in an attack on Starfleet in return for Harrison saving his daughter’s life through a small transfusion of augmented blood.

Harewood's story briefly contemplates the complexities of morality, humanity, and torn allegiances, pitting the horrors of death, compulsion, and destruction against the realities of parental love.

In exchange, Harewood detonates a bomb in the sub-basement of London’s Kelvin Memorial Archive – allowing for a later, more direct attack on high-ranking personnel at Starfleet Command intended to kill Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller). Prior to detonation, Harewood sends a short transmission to Marcus explaining his actions and that he had acted to save his daughter. Forty-two people, including Thomas Harewood, died in the bombing. Harewood’s story briefly contemplates the complexities of morality, humanity, and torn allegiances, pitting the horrors of death, compulsion, and destruction against the realities of parental love.

5 Admiral Alexander Marcus

Peter weller - star trek into darkess.

Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus was the head of Starfleet and leader of the secretive Section 31 . Conspiring to create a war with the Klingons, Marcus used the revived and genetically augmented Khan Noonien Singh to develop advanced weaponry and further his aberrant goals. Holding Khan’s fellow Augments hostage later led to the disruption of his schemes when Khan escaped with the other Augments and attacked several Starfleet locations – a Section 31 facility disguised within the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London and an emergency session of high-ranking officials at Starfleet Command.

Marcus was father to Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) , who had falsified her transfer into the USS Enterprise under the name Dr. Carol Wallace, and mentor to Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), citing himself as the reason for Pike’s enlistment in Starfleet. Admiral Alexander Marcus’ conniving and cunning were counter to the ideals and responsibilities of his station and resulted in the death of many innocents. Marcus was killed by Khan following a failed attempt to recapture the augment and destroy evidence and witnesses to his illegalities treachery

Peter Weller also appeared as John Frederick Paxton in "Demons" and "Terra Prime" in Star Trek: Enterprise, season four.

Sofia Boutella - Star Trek Beyond

A member of an unknown species, Jaylah teamed up with USS Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Simon Pegg) following Krall’s attack on the ship – and later worked with the Enterprise command crew to escape the planet and defeat Krall. A survivor of an earlier attack by Krall, her family subsequently killed, Jaylah had lived on Altamid for many years – hidden among the wreckage of the USS Franklin using holographic technology to conceal and defend herself, scavenging for parts and working to restore the ship.

Having learned to speak English from Franklin’s ship records and music library, later used to disrupt the Swarm ships’ cyber-pathic connection with a meaningful song, Jaylah worked through emotional and traumatic memories to provide a rough map of Krall’s base and assist in the rescue of USS Enterprise officers and crewmembers. After the escape, Jaylah joins the crew in celebrating Captain Kirk’s 30th birthday and is offered acceptance into Starfleet Academy . Jaylah’s lone, impressive character is meaningful and bold, hopeful though damaged, showcasing a courageous determination and passion for life and knowledge that echoes Star Trek ’s core ideals .

Jaylah was Inspired by Jennifer Lawrence 's character in Winter's Bone.

3 Krall AKA Captain Balthazar Edison

Idris elba - star trek beyond.

The primary villain in Star Trek Beyond , Krall was formerly a human Starfleet Captain who commanded the USS Franklin in the 22nd century. Initially serving as a MACO (Military Assault Command Operations) during the Xindi and Romulan Wars, Captain Balthazar Edison was left stranded on the planet Altamid after the USS Franklin crash-landed. Using alien energy transference technology found on the planet, Edison mutated himself into alien form to prolong his life and take on new abilities. Edison objected to the ideals of peace, tolerance, and unity that the Federation was founded on and, as Krall, sought to destroy it.

Krall was ultimately defeated by Captain Kirk, consumed by the Abronath, and sucked into open space.

Captain Balthazar Edison transformed into Krall , his frustration with the Federation amplifying into active hate and a belief that unity was a weakness. Krall made use of other technologies on the planet, too, learning about and searching for the Abronath – a powerful weapon, split into two pieces – later learning that the missing half was onboard the USS Enterprise. Sending Kalara to lure the Enterprise to Altamid, Krall used his Swarm drone to “ cut their throats ” and devastated the ship. Later locating the missing Abronath artifact, Krall launched an attack to destroy all life on the new Starbase Yorktown . Krall was ultimately defeated by Captain Kirk, consumed by the Abronath, and sucked into open space.

Chris Pine’s Star Trek Movies Ranked Worst To Best

2 kalara aka jessica wolfe, lydia wilson - star trek beyond.

At Starbase Yorktown, Kalara arrives in an escape pod and explains that her ship and crew are stranded on the planet Altamid in a nearby nebula. She requests aid to rescue them, and the USS Enterprise is assigned. As Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew set course, Kalara helps lure them into a carefully orchestrated trap. Formerly a human Starfleet officer serving as a scientist on the 22nd-century USS Franklin , Jessica Wolff was stranded with Captain Balthazar Edison and the USS Franklin crew when a wormhole led to a crash landing. Among the few survivors, Wolff used an energy transference technology found on the planet to artificially prolong her life, transform her appearance, and renamed herself Kalara.

Mutated over time by the energy transference into an alien form, Kalara joined Captain Kirk and Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) on the planet’s surface after the devastating attack on the Enterprise. When Kirk soon suspects her of dishonesty and involvement in the attack, Kalara is tricked into messaging Krall – exposing her true intentions and Krall’s location at the same time. Duplicitous and deadly, Kalara is subsequently killed in the ensuing fight between Kirk and Chekov and members of Krall’s Swarm , crushed when the Enterprise’s wrecked saucer section is overturned.

1 Commodore Paris

Shohreh aghdashloo - star trek beyond.

Star Trek Beyond introduces Commodore Paris (Shohreh Aghdashloo) as the commanding officer of Starfleet’s newest and most impressive Starbase , Yorktown. Kindly and wise, Commodore Paris is understanding of Captain Kirk’s uncharacteristic uncertainty regarding his future when he applies for promotion to a Vice-Admiral position at Paris’ Yorktown, ultimately offering him the role upon his return from the disastrous rescue mission to Altamid.

Commodore Paris is professional and warm, providing subtle yet valuable insight and advice, occupying an influential position of power and respect that accentuates her moral capability.

With Captain Kirk, Commodore Paris receives a request for assistance from the unexpected Kalara – her ship and crew apparently stranded on the planet in a nearby nebula. Upon Kirk’s return, Paris closes the long-pondered files on Captain Balthazar Edison and the crew of the USS Franklin and commends Kirk and his crew for their actions surrounding the attack on Yorktown.

Kirk declines the promotion in favor of commanding the new USS Enterprise-A, explaining that “ Vice Admirals don’t fly .” After the negative impression left by Admiral Marcus, Commodore Paris is professional and warm , providing subtle yet valuable insight and advice, occupying an influential position of power and respect in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies that accentuates her moral capability, experience, and charming merit.

Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond are available for streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness is a 2013 movie directed by J. J. Abrams and starring John Cho, Alice Eve, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Part of the Star Trek franchise, this sequel sees Captain Kirk relieved of his duties as commander of the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek Beyond

In the Kelvin timeline of Star Trek Films, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew return to fight a new enemy who puts everything they and the Federation stand for to the ultimate test. This third installment of the rebooted Star Trek films marked the 50th anniversary of the classic sci-fi franchise.

IMAGES

Star Trek Complete List in Chronological Order. How to watch it in
Star Trek at 50
Official Timeline of Star Trek
Cronologia Star Trek Timeline
Star Trek Timeline Officially Released, Updated With New Shows
Star Trek Releases Updated Official Timeline For Entire Franchise

COMMENTS

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4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269) The fourth Star Trek series or movie you should watch in the order is the one that started it all - Star Trek: The Original Series. Created by Gene Roddenberry, this first Star Trek entry would kick off a chain reaction that would end up creating one of the most beloved IPs of all time.
The Best Order to Watch All of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 ...
List of Star Trek television series
The Original Series logo. Star Trek is an American media franchise based on the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry.The first television series, simply called Star Trek and now referred to as The Original Series, debuted in 1966 and aired for three seasons on NBC.The Star Trek canon includes eight live-action television series, three animated series and one short-form ...
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Star Trek release order (*=films) 1) Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) 2) Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) 3a) *Star Trek: The Motion Picture 3b) *Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn 3c) *Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock 3d) *Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home 3e) *Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier 3f) *Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country 4) Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) 5) *Star Trek ...
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Here's how to watch the 13 Star Trek movies in chronological order in a couple of ways. Starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series' 3 seasons aired on NBC from 1966-1969, but the show exploded in popularity in syndication.After the blockbuster success of Star Wars in 1977, Paramount refashioned a planned TV series revival ...
How to watch the Star Trek movies in order
And then CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount Plus) and Pluto also have one film. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): On Hulu and Prime Video. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): On Hulu and ...
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Star Trek introduced the much-loved franchise to a new audience with a successful reboot. Director J.J. Abrams' initial space-faring feature film launched a new, superbly recast Star Trek: The Original Series crew and introduced the anything-goes alternate Kelvin Timeline.Initially introducing origin stories for the movie's leading characters, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary ...

How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

2. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

11. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

13. Star Trek Generations (2293)

14. Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

15. Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

16. Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

17. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

18. Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

19. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

20. Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

21. Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

22. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3 and 4 (3188-TBD)

How to Watch Star Trek by Order of Release

In This Article

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Quick Links

The 30 Most Powerful Star Trek Species, Ranked

12 The Next Generation Found an Audience Starved for Science Fiction

11 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Proved There Was Room for Multiple Star Trek Series

Deep Space Nine's 'Far Beyond the Stars' Is About Star Trek Itself

10 Star Trek Voyager Continued To Break From Traditions

9 Star Trek: Enterprise Is Star Trek's Last TV Series for Over a Decade

Scott Bakula Saved Star Trek: Enterprise Before the Pilot Filmed

8 Short Treks Offers Mini Side Stories

7 Star Trek: Picard Revisits Many of the Ideas From TNG

6 Animated Star Trek Series Have Become an Important Part of Star Trek

Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Wants to Create Animated, Live-Action Movies

5 Currently Active Star Trek Series Continue To Expand Star Trek's Universe

4 Star Trek: TOS Films Gave The Original Series Cast a Comeback

3 Star Trek: TNG Movies Offer a Sense of Scale to the New Era

2 The Kelvin Timeline Movie Series Press the Reset Button on the Series

1 How Many Hours of Star Trek Are There?

Pocket-lint

Key Takeaways

How to watch every Marvel movie and TV show in chronological order

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

5 *Optional* Star Trek: The Animated Series

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

7 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

14 Star Trek Generations

15 Star Trek: Voyager

16 Star Trek: First Contact

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

19 Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

How to watch Star Trek in order

Star Trek TV shows and movies in chronological order

Star Trek's alternate 'Kelvin' timeline explained

Star Trek TV shows and movies in release date order

How to stream Star Trek TV shows and movies

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Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

5 Optional Star Trek: The Animated Series