star trek captains chronological order

Screen Rant

Star trek: every captain of the enterprise.

Star Trek has featured many starships named Enterprise. Along with Kirk and Picard, here's every Enterprise Captain from each movie and TV series.

Here is a breakdown of all USS Enterprise Captains across the various Star Trek movies, live-action series, comics, and books. Beginning with Star Trek: The Original Series , the Starship Enterprise has been at the very heart of the enduring sci-fi franchise created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966. Of course, the two most famous Captains of the Enterprise are James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who shared the big screen together in 1994's Star Trek Generations, but Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is quickly achieving greatness in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek has introduced other successful spinoffs set on different starships like Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Discovery , as well as the space station-based Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . But, in the eyes of many fans, it isn't truly Star Trek unless it's about the Enterprise . The men and women who have commanded the Enterprise rank among the greatest heroes in Star Trek, because they know that when they sit in that chair, they can make a real difference. These are the accomplishments of all USS Enterprise Captains from every TV show, movie, and alternate reality.

The 22nd Century - USS Enterprise NX-01

Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) - Star Trek: Enterprise 's titular starship was the first United Earth starship that could travel at Warp 5. Captain Archer commanded it during its missions which created pivotal alliances that ultimately led to the founding of Star Trek 's United Federation of Planets, which Archer presided over in 2161 – marking him among the most important of all USS Enterprise Captains.

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NX-0002

Admiral/Captain Charles Rasmussen - A Federation Starfleet Admiral and instructor at Starfleet Academy, Charles Rasmussen captained the Constitution-class ship NX-0002, during which Rasmussen also sacrificed his life to save his crew. This occurs in an issue of the Star Trek: The Original Series comics called "Shakedown."

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain/Admiral Robert April - Captain April first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series , where he was voiced by James Doohan. In the 23rd century, Robert April was the first Captain of the Constitution -class USS Enterprise NCC-1701 deep space heavy cruiser when it launched in 2245. Christopher Pike was his First Officer during the starship's first five-year mission. Admiral April (Adrian Holmes) is a recurring character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Captain/Fleet Captain Christopher Pike - The Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Christopher Pike leads a new five-year mission of exploration. Pike counts Enterprise legends like Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) among his crew. In a few years, Fleet Captain Pike will suffer a horrific accident that leaves him trapped in a wheelchair. Jeffrey Hunter played Pike, Leonard Nimoy played Spock, and Majel Barrett played Number One in the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage."

Vice Admiral/Captain Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook) - Starfleet Vice Admiral Katrina Cornwell temporarily assumed command of the USS Enterprise and then later transferred it back to Pike in 2258. This was part of the efforts to keep the Enterprise out of the war with the Klingons. At the Battle near Xahea, Cornwell ends up sacrificing her life in order to save the ship from an undetonated photon torpedo. Before that, in 2257, Cornwell also temporarily commanded the USS Discovery.

Captain/Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) - The most legendar y Enterprise Captain of the 23rd century, Kirk's five-year mission was seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) held the dual role of the Enterprise 's First Officer and Science Officer. Kirk's Starship Enterprise engaged in numerous pivotal missions that resulted in Kirk's promotion to Admiral at the end of his voyages. Outside of the main series and movies (and often even outside of the Star Trek universe), Captain James T. Kirk continues to be referenced in animated series such as Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.

Captain Zarlo - In the Star Trek comic book series, Kirk gets assigned to take on a secret mission against the Klingons on the planet of Mobita, and Captain Zarlo gets assigned to replace Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Willard Decker (Stephen Collins) - In Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Captain Will Decker was in command of the retrofitted Starship Enterprise when Admiral Kirk demoted him to First Officer and took command of the mission to intercept V'Ger. Decker merged with V'Ger at the end of the film and was listed as "missing in action".

Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) - In 2285, Spock was promoted to Captain and commanded the Enterprise , which was primarily used as a training vessel. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Admiral Kirk once again assumed command when Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) stole the Genesis Device, which resulted in Spock's death.

Captain Lawrence H. Styles (James B. Sikking) - The arrogant and appropriately named Styles was actually the captain of the experimental USS Excelsior , which chased but failed to catch up to the Enterprise , ending up stolen and used in Kirk's mission to resurrect Spock. In the Star Trek novel "Prime Directive," Styles temporarily assumed command over the Enterprise during its refit after it was severely damaged. Styles has a similar attitude to Kirk, which is why they severely dislike each other (and mainly why their dynamic works).

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Captain James T. Kirk - After stealing the Enterprise to resurrect Spock, and subsequently saving Earth from a space probe seeking to communicate with humpback whales in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Admiral Kirk was demoted to Captain and given command of the new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. Kirk's Enterprise-A in Star Trek V : The Final Frontie r and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country met God and helped secure peace with the Klingon Empire before the Enterprise-A was decommissioned.

The 23rd Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B

Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) - The Excelsior -class USS Enterprise-B was launched in 2293 under the command of Captain John Harriman. Their shakedown cruise is infamous for encountering the Nexus, which resulted in the presumed death of Captain Kirk, as seen in the prologue of Star Trek Generations.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C

Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neill) - The Ambassador -class USS Enterprise-C made only one appearance, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise". The Enterprise-C was meant to be destroyed at Narendra III while defending a Klingon outpost from a Romulan attack, but it fell through a time vortex that altered the timeline. Captain Garrett died before the Enterprise-C could return to its proper era and set the timeline right.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) - Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Galaxy -class USS Enterprise-D was designated as the flagship of the United Federation of Planets. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the Enterprise-D's numerous missions involved multiple first contacts with new species, diplomatic and military engagements, and scientific pursuits. The Enterprise-D was destroyed on Veridian III in Star Trek Generations but the D was rebuilt and saved the galaxy one last time in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Acting Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) - In TNG 's "The Best of Both Worlds" two-parter, Captain Picard was abducted by the Borg and turned into Locutus. Commander William Riker became the Enterprise-D's Acting Captain and led the successful rescue of Picard and defeat of the Borg, after which Picard resumed his role as Captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) - Perhaps the most despised Captain of the Enterprise, Edward Jellico was assigned to take over the Federation flagship when Picard went on a secret mission and was captured and tortured by the Cardassians in the "Chain of Command" two-parter. After alienating the crew and clashing with Riker, Jellico returned the Enterprise-D back to Picard once he was rescued.

The 24th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E

Captain Jean-Luc Picard - The Sovereign -class USS Enterprise-E was the most advanced starship in the Federation when it was assigned to Captain Picard prior to Star Trek: First Contact. Continuing as the Federation flagship, the Enterprise-E was the setting of three Star Trek: The Next Generation movies and the crew successfully faced the Borg, the Son'a, and the Remans led by Picard's clone, Shinzon (Tom Hardy).

Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) - Captain Picard was promoted to Admiral and left the USS Enterprise-E to lead the Federation's mission to rescue the Romulans from their sun going supernova. Worf was promoted to Captain of the Enterprise , but the ship was lost under mysterious circumstances. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Worf insisted what happened to the E was "not my fault."

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-F

Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) - The Odyssey -class USS Enterprise-F made its lone appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Under the command of Admiral Shelby, the F was intended to lead Starfleet's Frontier Day celebration before the starship was retired. Tragically, the Enterprise-F and the rest of the assembled Starfleet were assimilated by the Borg, and Shelby was apparently killed at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3.

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) - In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Commodore Geordi La Forge oversaw the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime where he painstakingly restored the USS Enterprise-D in secret. Geordi got to unveil his surprise to Admiral Picard and his fellow Enterprise-D crew mates as they warped off to save the galaxy on Frontier Day. When Picard beamed to the Borg Cube to rescue his son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Geordi became Acting Captain of the Enterprise-D. La Forge led the Enterprise's assault against the Borg Cube and successfully rescued Picard and friends before ending the threat of the Borg, at last.

The 25th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-G

Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) - The Constitution III-class USS Titan-A was rechristened as the USS Enterprise-G at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 . The Titan's First Officer, Seven of Nine, was promoted to Captain of the Enterprise, with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) as her First Officer and Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) appointed as Special Counselor to the Captain. Seven also makes history as the first LGBTQI Captain of the Enterprise.

Star Trek Alternate Reality Enterprise Captains

The 22nd century mirror universe - iss enterprise nx-01.

Captain Maximilian Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) - In the Mirror Universe, the NX-01 ISS Enterprise was commanded by Captain Forrest. In the Star Trek: Enterprise "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter, Forrest engaged in a tug-of-war for control of the Enterprise with Commander Jonathan Archer until he was killed by Tholians. However, Archer took command of the USS Defiant, a 23rd-century Constitutio n-class starship from the Prime Universe.

23rd Century United Earth Fleet Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) - In an alternate reality created by Romulan interference in Earth's 21st-century history, Captain James T. Kirk commanded the USS Enterprise, a starship in the United Earth Fleet . The UEF was mired in an endless war with the Romulans, which humanity was losing. Kirk and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) traveled back to 21st-century Toronto to reset the course of history back to Star Trek's proper Prime Timeline, but Captain Kirk was tragically shot and killed by a Romulan time traveler named Sera (Adelaide Kane) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow."

The 23rd Century Mirror Universe - ISS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain Christopher Pike - The ISS Enterprise' s original Captain was assassinated by James T. Kirk prior to the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode, "Mirror, Mirror".

Captain James T. Kirk - After he killed Pike, Captain Kirk maintained his control over the Enterprise thanks to a device called the Tantalus Field, which allowed him to vaporize his enemies remotely. Kirk was briefly switched with his Prime Universe counterpart, who posed as the Mirror Kirk until they were switched back to their proper realities.

Captain Spock - When the Mirror Kirk returned to the ISS Enterprise , Spock relieved him of command, took the Tantalus Field, and also Kirk's mistress Marlena Moreau (Barbara Luna).

"All Good Things..." Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Admiral William T. Riker - In the future reality seen in TNG 's series finale, "All Good Things..." , the refurbished Enterprise-D (which had a third nacelle allowing the starship to reach Warp 13) was Riker's personal flagship.

26th Century - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-J

Captain Dax - In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Azati Prime", Captain Archer was brought to a potential 26th-century timeline where the Universe -class U.S.S. Enterprise-J was under the command of Captain Dax, a Trill who hosts the Dax symbiote that once joined with Jadzia (Terry Farrell) and Ezri (Nicole de Boer) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

J.J. Abrams Star Trek Kelvin Timeline - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) - In the alternate Kevin timeline created by J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009 reboot, Christopher Pike was Captain of the Enterprise, which was the Federation flagship, when Starfleet mobilized to save Vulcan from the time-traveling Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana).

Acting Captain Spock (Zachary Quinto) - After Pike was abducted by Nero, First Officer Spock became Acting Captain, which was challenged by cadet James T. Kirk, who later assumed command of the Enterprise as Acting Captain, leading to Nero's defeat.

Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) - As thanks for saving the Earth from Nero, Kirk was promoted to Captain and given command of the Enterprise. Kirk remained Captain in Star Trek Into Darkness and then launched a five-year mission of exploration.

Kelvin Timeline - U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Captain James T. Kirk - Three years into their five-year mission, the Enterprise was destroyed by Krall (Idris Elba). After Kirk saved the Starbase USS Yorktown from Krall, he was given command of the newly-built Constitution -class USS Enterprise-A at the conclusion of Star Trek Beyond .

Image of USS Cerritos of Star Trek: Lower Decks

The Ultimate Chronological Star Trek Viewing Guide

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Newly added: Discovery Season 5!

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Abbreviation Guide

The 21st Century

The 22nd century, the 23rd century.

(DIS,SNW,TOS,TAS)

The 24th Century

(TNG,DS9,VOY,LDS,PRO,PIC)

The 25th Century

The 31st century, the 32nd century, introduction.

This Star Trek viewing guide will assist you through watching the entire franchise, based not on production dates, but on in-universe story order, all the way from the 21st to the 32nd centuries. As it is a viewing guide and not a rigid chronology, some episodes are shifted to keep things as clear and fun as possible. The site is updated regularly to stay current.

There is now a print-friendly version without the graphics as well.

To avoid spoilers, I’ve moved discussion of the thinking behind some less clear-cut decisions to a separate “methodology” page . Opinions and feedback are welcome!

Series Overview and Abbreviation Guide

Past Shows:

TOS —> Star Trek - The Original Series (1964, 1966-1969)

TAS —> Star Trek - The Animated Series (1973-1974)

TNG —> Star Trek - The Next Generation (1987-1994)

DS9 —> Star Trek - Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

VOY —> Star Trek - Voyager (1995-2001)

ENT —> Star Trek - Enterprise (2001-2005)

SHO —> Star Trek - Short Treks (2018-2020)

PIC —> Star Trek - Picard (2020-2023)

MOV —> Theatrical Movies (1979-1991, 1994-2002, 2009-2016)

Current Shows:

DIS —> Star Trek - Discovery (2017-2024)

LDS —> Star Trek - Lower Decks (2020-)

PRO —> Star Trek - Prodigy (2021-)

SNW —> Star Trek - Strange New Worlds (2022-)

Series Overview and Abbreviation Guide: Star Trek Universe

April 5th, 2063:

Star Trek essentially begins on this date, when Zefram Cochrane creates faster-than-light travel (“warp drive”) allowing humans to meet extraterrestrial life, the Vulcans, for the first time. We will see this event later in the viewing order, but for now it’s just backstory.

We start with Star Trek: Enterprise (technically just titled Enterprise until season three). While the first in the timeline, this show was actually the sixth Star Trek series made, and includes many fun hints of future events. We will mostly follow the release order, but will skip some episodes in Seasons two and four until later in the viewing order.

ENT Season 1, episode 1 - Broken Bow, Part 1
ENT Season 1, episode 2 - Broken Bow, Part 2
ENT Season 1, episode 3 - Fight or Flight
ENT Season 1, episode 4 - Strange New World
ENT Season 1, episode 5 - Unexpected
ENT Season 1, episode 6 - Terra Nova
ENT Season 1, episode 7 - The Andorian Incident
ENT Season 1, episode 8 - Breaking the Ice
ENT Season 1, episode 9 - Civilization
ENT Season 1, episode 10 - Fortunate Son
ENT Season 1, episode 11 - Cold Front
ENT Season 1, episode 12 - Silent Enemy
ENT Season 1, episode 13 - Dear Doctor
ENT Season 1, episode 14 - Sleeping Dogs
ENT Season 1, episode 15 - Shadows of P'Jem
ENT Season 1, episode 16 - Shuttlepod One
ENT Season 1, episode 17 - Fusion
ENT Season 1, episode 18 - Rogue Planet
ENT Season 1, episode 19 - Acquisition

ENT Season 1, episode 20 - Oasis
ENT Season 1, episode 21 - Detained
ENT Season 1, episode 22 - Vox Sola
ENT Season 1, episode 23 - Fallen Hero
ENT Season 1, episode 24 - Desert Crossing
ENT Season 1, episode 25 - Two Days and Two Nights
ENT Season 1, episode 26 - Shockwave, Part I
ENT Season 2, episode 1 - Shockwave, Part II
ENT Season 2, episode 2 - Carbon Creek
ENT Season 2, episode 3 - Minefield
ENT Season 2, episode 4 - Dead Stop
ENT Season 2, episode 5 - A Night in Sickbay
ENT Season 2, episode 6 - Marauders
ENT Season 2, episode 7 - The Seventh
ENT Season 2, episode 8 - The Communicator
ENT Season 2, episode 9 - Singularity
ENT Season 2, episode 10 - Vanishing Point
ENT Season 2, episode 11 - Precious Cargo
ENT Season 2, episode 12 - The Catwalk
ENT Season 2, episode 13 - Dawn
ENT Season 2, episode 14 - Stigma
ENT Season 2, episode 15 - Cease Fire
ENT Season 2, episode 16 - Future Tense
ENT Season 2, episode 17 - Canamar
ENT Season 2, episode 18 - The Crossing
ENT Season 2, episode 19 - Judgment

ENT Season 2, episode 20 - Horizon
ENT Season 2, episode 21 - The Breach
ENT Season 2, episode 22 - Cogenitor

We are skipping episode 23 (“Regeneration”) for now, but will return to it later.

ENT Season 2, episode 24 - First Flight
ENT Season 2, episode 25 - Bounty
ENT Season 2, episode 26 - The Expanse
ENT Season 3, episode 1 - The Xindi
ENT Season 3, episode 2 - Anomaly
ENT Season 3, episode 3 - Extinction
ENT Season 3, episode 4 - Rajiin
ENT Season 3, episode 5 - Impulse
ENT Season 3, episode 6 - Exile
ENT Season 3, episode 7 - The Shipment
ENT Season 3, episode 8 - Twilight
ENT Season 3, episode 9 - North Star
ENT Season 3, episode 10 - Similitude
ENT Season 3, episode 11 - Carpenter Street
ENT Season 3, episode 12 - Chosen Realm
ENT Season 3, episode 13 - Proving Ground
ENT Season 3, episode 14 - Stratagem
ENT Season 3, episode 15 - Harbinger

ENT Season 3, episode 16 - Doctor's Orders
ENT Season 3, episode 17 - Hatchery
ENT Season 3, episode 18 - Azati Prime
ENT Season 3, episode 19 - Damage
ENT Season 3, episode 20 - The Forgotten
ENT Season 3, episode 21 - E²
ENT Season 3, episode 22 - The Council
ENT Season 3, episode 23 - Countdown
ENT Season 3, episode 24 - Zero Hour

In its fourth and final season, Enterprise, under the guidance of a new showrunner, really takes advantage of its ability to foreshadow events in later chronologically-placed stories. Please pay attention to the episode numbers as we skip episodes 18, 19, and 22 for now and watch them later.

ENT Season 4, episode 1 - Storm Front, Part 1
ENT Season 4, episode 2 - Storm Front, Part 2
ENT Season 4, episode 3 - Home
ENT Season 4, episode 4 - Borderland
ENT Season 4, episode 5 - Cold Station 12
ENT Season 4, episode 6 - The Augments
ENT Season 4, episode 7 - The Forge
ENT Season 4, episode 8 - Awakening
ENT Season 4, episode 9 - Kir'Shara
ENT Season 4, episode 10 - Daedalus
ENT Season 4, episode 11 - Observer Effect
ENT Season 4, episode 12 - Babel One
ENT Season 4, episode 13 - United
ENT Season 4, episode 14 - The Aenar
ENT Season 4, episode 15 - Affliction
ENT Season 4, episode 16 - Divergence
ENT Season 4, episode 17 - Bound

ENT Season 4, episode 20 - Demons
ENT Season 4, episode 21 - Terra Prime

Although we will be moving on from Enterprise for now, we will return to watch the skipped episodes and the series finale later. Even so, the two-parter above is near-universally considered a better end-point for this point in the story.

The Earth-Romulan War, which was first mentioned in the original 1960s series, occurs here. Enterprise intended to cover this starting in the fifth season, but was unfortunately cancelled after Season Four. While we don't get to see the conflict on screen, its impact is felt throughout Enterprise and beyond. During the war, Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites form a loosely structured Coalition of Planets which manages to push back the Romulans. This Coalition leads directly to…

…the formation of the United Federation of Planets, the primary political setting of the Star Trek franchise.

From this point on, Star Trek focuses on the Federation, depicting its periods of peace, war, expansion, and decline, which will set the agenda for much of the franchise.

Early 2230s

An adaptation of an (actual) ancient African legend, told to a young girl we will meet again later as an adult, this is our first “Short Treks” episode. These mini-episodes are not tied to any specific time or place in the Star Trek franchise and will appear occasionally throughout this list.

SHO Season 2, episode 5 - The Girl Who Made the Stars

2233 - A sidenote about universes/timelines:

There are two main “universes” in the Star Trek franchise: the Kelvin timeline (consisting of three feature films) and the Prime timeline (covering everything else). This year, 2233, is when events occur which split the universe into the Kelvin and Prime timelines. For now, we will stay with the Prime timeline in this viewing order, but keep in mind the Kelvin timeline for later. Note that there is a third universe, the "Mirror" universe, and occasional alternate timelines. However, for simplicity, our visits there will not be separated from the Prime episodes.

2233 (Prime)

The USS Kelvin flies through space, exploring strange new worlds.

Nothing happens.

All is well.

SHO Season 1, episode 3 - The Brightest Star

After a quick Short Trek in which we meet a young ensign reporting to his new ship, we reach the very first Star Trek episode produced: The Cage, dating from 1964-65. Rejected by NBC for being "too cerebral," studio owner Lucille Ball convinced the network to give the show another chance at a pilot. While much of The Cage’s footage is reused in a later episode, "The Menagerie," we recommend that you don't skip either one. The character of Captain Pike becomes highly significant shortly, and both episodes offer valuable insights into him and Spock.

Viewing notes: When referring to the original 1960s "Star Trek," this guide uses the abbreviation TOS (The Original Series). TOS is available in two versions: the classic 1960s version and a CGI- enhanced remastered version made from 2006-08. The remastered versions do not alter the stories in any way making the version you choose a matter of personal preference.

SHO Season 2, episode 1 - Q&A
TOS Season 0, episode 1 - The Cage

We now begin Star Trek: Discovery, which is the seventh Star Trek series produced, but only the second series chronologically. It also is the first series to significantly revamp the visual designs, departing from the previous assumption that the 23rd century looked the same as it did in the original 1960s series. Discovery updates the designs, and we are trusted to accept that they have "always" looked this way, affecting uniforms, ships, alien makeup, and more. The Klingons, in particular, received a dramatic redesign, though it was significantly backtracked after the first season. These are not continuity issues, and should not be viewed as such, though we could certainly nitpick details if we chose to.

DIS Season 1, episode 1 - The Vulcan Hello
DIS Season 1, episode 2 - Battle at the Binary Stars
DIS Season 1, episode 3 - Context is for Kings
DIS Season 1, episode 4 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry
DIS Season 1, episode 5 - Choose Your Pain
DIS Season 1, episode 6 - Lethe
DIS Season 1, episode 7 - Magic to Make the Sanest Man go Mad

DIS Season 1, episode 8 - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
DIS Season 1, episode 9 - Into the Forest I Go

Watching Trek in this order presents a quirk in episode 10, where the USS Defiant is, to avoid spoilers, somewhere it shouldn't be. The show assumes that we know the explanation, but don't worry about it. We will learn why when we reach 2268, but in the meantime, it is entirely unimportant to how the story in Discovery unfolds.

DIS Season 1, episode 10 - Despite Yourself
DIS Season 1, episode 11 - The Wolf Inside
DIS Season 1, episode 12 - Vaulting Ambition
DIS Season 1, episode 13 - What's Past is Prologue
DIS Season 1, episode 14 - The War Without, The War Within
DIS Season 1, episode 15 - Will You Take My Hand?
SHO Season 1, episode 1 - Runaway
SHO Season 1, episode 4 - Escape Artist
DIS Season 2, episode 1 - Brother
DIS Season 2, episode 2 - New Eden
DIS Season 2, episode 3 - Point of Light
DIS Season 2, episode 4 - An Obol for Charon
DIS Season 2, episode 5 - Saints of Imperfection
DIS Season 2, episode 6 - The Sound of Thunder
DIS Season 2, episode 7 - Light and Shadows
DIS Season 2, episode 8 - If Memory Serves
DIS Season 2, episode 9 - Project Daedalus
DIS Season 2, episode 10 - The Red Angel
DIS Season 2, episode 11 - Perpetual Infinity
DIS Season 2, episode 12 - Through the Valley of Shadows
DIS Season 2, episode 13 - Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 1
DIS Season 2, episode 14 - Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2

I will avoid spoilers, but after watching the episode listed just above, it will be clear why we are pausing our viewing of Discovery, even though there are more episodes left to watch. We will come back to the series at the appropriate time to continue the series.

SHO Season 2, episode 2 - The Trouble with Edward
SHO Season 2, episode 3 - Ask Not

We now move away from the Discovery crew to follow Capt. Pike, back in command of the Enterprise, for an absolutely delightful series that deliberately throws back to 1960s Trek in many ways, including the first appearances of some characters we will continue to see for many years to come.

SNW Season 1, episode 1 - Strange New Worlds
SNW Season 1, episode 2 - Children of the Comet
SNW Season 1, episode 3 - Ghosts of Illyria
SNW Season 1, episode 4 - Memento Mori
SNW Season 1, episode 5 - Spock Amok
SNW Season 1, episode 6 - Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach
SNW Season 1, episode 7 - The Serene Squall
SNW Season 1, episode 8 - The Elysian Kingdom
SNW Season 1, episode 9 - All Those Who Wander
SNW Season 1, episode 10 - A Quality of Mercy
SNW Season 2 episode 1 - The Broken Circle
SNW Season 2, episode 2 - Ad Astra per Aspera
SNW Season 2, episode 3 - Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
SNW Season 2, episode 4 - Among the Lotus Eaters
SNW Season 2, episode 5 - Charades
SNW Season 2, episode 6 - Lost in Translation

Skipping Episode 7 for later…

Pay attention to the possible future laid out in this next episode; we see how the timeline actually plays out later in this chronology.

SNW Season 2, episode 8 - Under the Cloak of War
SNW Season 2, episode 9 - Subspace Rhapsody
SNW Season 2, episode 10 - Hegemony

Here’s that second Original Series pilot Lucille Ball fought for, now with (most) of the classic 1960’s Star Trek crew. Still no Dr. McCoy, Uhura, or Chekov, Kirk has a different middle initial, the uniforms and sets still aren’t quite right… but we are for the first time recognizably in the world of the show that started it all.

TOS Season 1, episode 3 - Where No Man Has Gone Before

2266-Notes on The Original Series

Just to clarify - the original Star Trek will appear less advanced in terms of its designs and aesthetic compared to the other Star Trek shows we have watched so far, but this is only due to the limitations of television production at the time. This is not “true” in story terms - the technology and society in TOS should be read as on par with Discovery and Strange New Worlds, which all take place at roughly this point in the timeline, and the Enterprise, despite looking different, should be accepted as the exact same ship Pike commanded in Strange New Worlds.

As for the actual viewing order, to fully appreciate the development of the show, it's recommended to watch TOS in production order instead of by air date. In general, don’t get too hung up on continuity with the rest of the franchise in these early days - they take quite a while to pin some stuff down that the rest of the franchise takes for granted.

The Menagerie is largely reedited from The Cage, which we watched a while back, but don’t skip it - after spending so much time with Spock and Pike since, this episode is absolutely essential.

TOS Season 1, episode 10 - The Corbomite Maneuver
TOS Season 1, episode 6 - Mudd's Women
TOS Season 1, episode 5 - The Enemy Within
TOS Season 1, episode 1 - The Man Trap
TOS Season 1, episode 4 - The Naked Time
TOS Season 1, episode 2 - Charlie X

Next we revisit SNW’s season 1 finale, “A Quality of Mercy”, and see how differently events play out with Kirk in command of the Enterprise.

TOS Season 1, episode 14 - Balance of Terror
TOS Season 1, episode 7 - What Are Little Girls Made of?
TOS Season 1, episode 9 - Dagger of the Mind
TOS Season 1, episode 8 - Miri
TOS Season 1, episode 13 - The Conscience of the King
TOS Season 1, episode 16 - The Galileo Seven
TOS Season 1, episode 20 - Court Martial
TOS Season 1, episode 11 - The Menagerie (Part I)
TOS Season 1, episode 12 - The Menagerie (Part II)
TOS Season 1, episode 15 - Shore Leave
TOS Season 1, episode 17 - The Squire of Gothos
TOS Season 1, episode 18 - Arena
TOS Season 1, episode 27 - The Alternative Factor
TOS Season 1, episode 19 - Tomorrow is Yesterday
TOS Season 1, episode 21 - The Return of the Archons
TOS Season 1, episode 23 - A Taste of Armageddon
TOS Season 1, episode 22 - Space Seed
TOS Season 1, episode 24 - This Side of Paradise
TOS Season 1, episode 25 - Devil in the Dark
TOS Season 1, episode 26 - Errand of Mercy
TOS Season 1, episode 28 - The City on the Edge of Forever
TOS Season 1, episode 29 - Operation: Annihilate!

TOS Season 2, episode 7 - Catspaw
TOS Season 2, episode 9 - Metamorphosis
TOS Season 2, episode 11 - Friday's Child
TOS Season 2, episode 2 - Who Mourns for Adonais?
TOS Season 2, episode 1 - Amok Time
TOS Season 2, episode 6 - The Doomsday Machine
TOS Season 2, episode 14 - Wolf in the Fold
TOS Season 2, episode 3 - The Changeling
TOS Season 2, episode 5 - The Apple
TOS Season 2, episode 4 - Mirror, Mirror
TOS Season 2, episode 12 - The Deadly Years
TOS Season 2, episode 8 - I, Mudd
TOS Season 2, episode 15 - The Trouble with Tribbles
TOS Season 2, episode 25 - Bread and Circuses
TOS Season 2, episode 10 - Journey to Babel
TOS Season 2, episode 19 - A Private Little War
TOS Season 2, episode 16 - The Gamesters of Triskelion
TOS Season 2, episode 13 - Obsession
TOS Season 2, episode 18 - The Immunity Syndrome
TOS Season 2, episode 17 - A Piece of the Action
TOS Season 2, episode 22 - By Any Other Name
TOS Season 2, episode 20 - Return to Tomorrow
TOS Season 2, episode 21 - Patterns of Force
TOS Season 2, episode 24 - The Ultimate Computer
TOS Season 2, episode 23 - The Omega Glory
TOS Season 2, episode 26 - Assignment: Earth

While Mirror, Mirror is the episode that first introduces the Mirror universe, we’ve already been there on Discovery. Enterprise had a two-part episode there too, actually, but that’s one of the ones we skipped for later viewing and will be arriving at shortly.

TOS Season 3, episode 6 - Spectre of the Gun
TOS Season 3, episode 13 - Elaan of Troyius
TOS Season 3, episode 3 - The Paradise Syndrome
TOS Season 3, episode 2 - The Enterprise Incident
TOS Season 3, episode 4 - And the Children Shall Lead
TOS Season 3, episode 1 - Spock's Brain
TOS Season 3, episode 5 - Is There in Truth No Beauty?
TOS Season 3, episode 12 - The Empath
TOS Season 3, episode 8 - For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
TOS Season 3, episode 7 - Day of the Dove
TOS Season 3, episode 10 - Plato's Stepchildren
TOS Season 3, episode 11 - Wink of An Eye
TOS Season 3, episode 17 - That Which Survives
TOS Season 3, episode 15 - Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
TOS Season 3, episode 14 - Whom Gods Destroy
TOS Season 3, episode 16 - The Mark of Gideon
TOS Season 3, episode 18 - The Lights of Zetar
TOS Season 3, episode 21 - The Cloud Minders
TOS Season 3, episode 20 - The Way to Eden
TOS Season 3, episode 19 - Requiem for Methuselah
TOS Season 3, episode 22 - The Savage Curtain
TOS Season 3, episode 23 - All Our Yesterdays
TOS Season 3, episode 24 - Turnabout Intruder

In one of the more fun examples of the shows tying together, the next three episodes we watch have a TOS episode leading into two of the Enterprise episodes we skipped, PLUS they finally explain why the Discovery detected the USS Defiant in the Mirror Universe.

TOS Season 3, episode 9 - The Tholian Web
ENT Season 4, episode 18 - In a Mirror, Darkly, Part I
ENT Season 4, episode 19 - In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II

We finish Kirk's Five-Year Mission with Star Trek: The Animated Series. Is TAS in continuity? Debatable. In later years, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry liked to say it was not, but later works in the franchise certainly seemed to disagree, with Enterprise’s Vulcan arc as well as the first of the Kelvin films borrowing heavily from Yesteryear, Robert April appearing in Strange New Worlds, numerous references in Lower Decks, etc., so I see no reason not to consider it as canon as everything else. Besides, “La mort de l'auteur” means we don’t have to listen to Gene.

TAS Season 1, episode 5 - More Tribbles, More Troubles
TAS Season 1, episode 6 - The Survivor
TAS Season 1, episode 7 - The Infinite Vulcan
TAS Season 1, episode 8 - The Magicks of Megas-tu
TAS Season 1, episode 9 - Once Upon a Planet
TAS Season 1, episode 10 - Mudd's Passion
TAS Season 1, episode 11 - The Terratin Incident
TAS Season 1, episode 12 - The Time Trap
TAS Season 1, episode 13 - The Ambergris Element
TAS Season 1, episode 14 - The Slaver Weapon
TAS Season 1, episode 15 - The Eye of the Beholder
TAS Season 1, episode 16 - The Jihad
TAS Season 2, episode 1 - The Pirates of Orion
TAS Season 2, episode 2 - Bem
TAS Season 2, episode 3 - The Practical Joker
TAS Season 2, episode 4 - Albatross
TAS Season 2, episode 5 - How Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
TAS Season 2, episode 6 - The Counter-Clock Incident
TAS Season 1, episode 1 - Beyond the Farthest Star
TAS Season 1, episode 2 - Yesteryear
TAS Season 1, episode 3 - One of Our Planets is Missing
TAS Season 1, episode 4 - The Lorelei Signal

Movie time! Some background here. Paramount was planning on making a new network, and intended a new Star Trek series, "Star Trek Phase II", to anchor it. Scripts were written, sets were built, and actors cast. When network plans fell through, and Star Wars became a hit, they decided to take one of those scripts and streeeeeeeeeetch it out into a movie.

So…. Is it way too long for the amount of plot it has? Yes, though it has its charms. And isn’t it basically a retread of Nomad from the episode "The Changeling" anyway? It is. And hey, isn’t that the pedophile Dad from 7th Heaven? mm-hmm. Anyway, if you have access to it I recommend the Director’s Cut, in which pacing is much improved and some particularly flawed effects are redone, but either version works story-wise.

MOV Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Following The Motion Picture, the franchise underwent a significant transformation with the release of the next film, adopting a different style and tone that many, including the author, believe resulted in the best Star Trek movie to date.

MOV Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
MOV Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Ephraim and Dot ’s continuity really makes no sense anywhere, but it’s cute so who cares. Anyway, this seemed the BEST place to put it.

SHO Season 2, episode 4 - Ephraim and Dot

MOV Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Or, to use the all-but-official secondary title, “The One With The Whales”

MOV Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

A criminally underrated film.

MOV Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Sidenote: The opening sequence of the film. Star Trek: Generations takes place this year, a few months after The Undiscovered Country. I very much do not expect people to watch things in pieces, but as there IS a clear delineation in the film, you can, optionally, watch the beginning of Generations and stop when the “78 years later” caption comes up. Or you can just not worry about it, and watch the whole film in one sitting when we reach 2371.

We now jump forward 70-odd years to see a far more established Federation, and perhaps the most popular and beloved Star Trek series of all, Star Trek - The Next Generation. That said, it is extremely rough at the outset, so you’ll need to give it some time. I promise you, the series gets a lot better later on and absolutely earns the affection it still receives to this day.

TNG Season 1, episode 9 - The Battle
TNG Season 1, episode 10 - Hide and Q
TNG Season 1, episode 11 - Haven
TNG Season 1, episode 12 - The Big Goodbye
TNG Season 1, episode 13 - Datalore
TNG Season 1, episode 14 - Angel One
TNG Season 1, episode 15 - 11001001
TNG Season 1, episode 16 - Too Short a Season
TNG Season 1, episode 17 - When the Bough Breaks
TNG Season 1, episode 18 - Home Soil
TNG Season 1, episode 19 - Coming of Age
TNG Season 1, episode 20 - Heart of Glory
TNG Season 1, episode 21 - The Arsenal of Freedom
TNG Season 1, episode 22 - Symbiosis
TNG Season 1, episode 23 - Skin of Evil
TNG Season 1, episode 24 - We'll Always Have Paris
TNG Season 1, episode 25 - Conspiracy
TNG Season 1, episode 26 - The Neutral Zone
TNG Season 1, episode 1 - Encounter at Farpoint, Part 1
TNG Season 1, episode 2 - Encounter at Farpoint, Part 2
TNG Season 1, episode 3 - The Naked Now
TNG Season 1, episode 4 - Code of Honor
TNG Season 1, episode 5 - The Last Outpost
TNG Season 1, episode 6 - Where No One Has Gone Before
TNG Season 1, episode 7 - Lonely Among Us
TNG Season 1, episode 8 - Justice

This season introduces the most popular and iconic character of the entire Star Trek franchise: Riker’s Beard. More seriously, due to a writers strike this year the producers had to dip into episodes written for the early 70’s Phase II series that was never made. Will Riker and Troi were ALWAYS a revamp of the original plans for Will Decker and Ilia, but the season opener was literally written in the 70s with Ilia in the place of Troi.

The series doesn’t truly find its footing until Season 3, but “The Measure of a Man” is widely considered TNG’s first “great” episode, a sign of many more to come.

TNG Season 2, episode 9 - The Measure of a Man
TNG Season 2, episode 10 - The Dauphin
TNG Season 2, episode 11 - Contagion
TNG Season 2, episode 12 - The Royale
TNG Season 2, episode 13 - Time Squared
TNG Season 2, episode 14 - The Icarus Factor
TNG Season 2, episode 15 - Pen Pals
TNG Season 2, episode 16 - Q Who?
TNG Season 2, episode 17 - The Samaritan Snare
TNG Season 2, episode 18 - Up the Long Ladder
TNG Season 2, episode 19 - Manhunt
TNG Season 2, episode 20 - The Emissary
TNG Season 2, episode 21 - Peak Performance
TNG Season 2, episode 22 - Shades of Gray
TNG Season 2, episode 1 - The Child
TNG Season 2, episode 2 - Where Silence Has Lease
TNG Season 2, episode 3 - Elementary, Dear Data
TNG Season 2, episode 4 - The Outrageous Okona
TNG Season 2, episode 5 - Loud as a Whisper
TNG Season 2, episode 6 - The Schizoid Man
TNG Season 2, episode 7 - Unnatural Selection
TNG Season 2, episode 8 - A Matter of Honor

TNG Season 3, episode 1 - Evolution
TNG Season 3, episode 2 - The Ensigns of Command
TNG Season 3, episode 3 - The Survivors
TNG Season 3, episode 4 - Who Watches the Watchers?
TNG Season 3, episode 5 - The Bonding
TNG Season 3, episode 6 - Booby Trap
TNG Season 3, episode 7 - The Enemy
TNG Season 3, episode 8 - The Price
TNG Season 3, episode 9 - The Vengeance Factor
TNG Season 3, episode 10 - The Defector
TNG Season 3, episode 11 - The Hunted
TNG Season 3, episode 12 - A Matter of Perspective
TNG Season 3, episode 13 - The High Ground
TNG Season 3, episode 14 - Deja Q
TNG Season 3, episode 15 - Yesterday's Enterprise
TNG Season 3, episode 16 - The Offspring
TNG Season 3, episode 17 - Sins of the Father
TNG Season 3, episode 18 - Allegiance
TNG Season 3, episode 19 - Captain's Holiday
TNG Season 3, episode 20 - Tin Man
TNG Season 3, episode 21 - Hollow Pursuits
TNG Season 3, episode 22 - The Most Toys
TNG Season 3, episode 23 - Sarek
TNG Season 3, episode 24 - Ménage à Troi
TNG Season 3, episode 25 - Transfigurations
TNG Season 3, episode 26 - The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1

TNG Season 4, episode 1 - The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2
TNG Season 4, episode 2 - Family
TNG Season 4, episode 3 - Brothers
TNG Season 4, episode 4 - Suddenly Human
TNG Season 4, episode 5 - Remember Me
TNG Season 4, episode 6 - Legacy
TNG Season 4, episode 7 - Reunion
TNG Season 4, episode 8 - Future Imperfect
TNG Season 4, episode 9 - Final Mission
TNG Season 4, episode 10 - The Loss
TNG Season 4, episode 11 - Data's Day
TNG Season 4, episode 12 - The Wounded
TNG Season 4, episode 13 - Clues
TNG Season 4, episode 14 - Devil's Due
TNG Season 4, episode 15 - First Contact
TNG Season 4, episode 16 - Galaxy's Child
TNG Season 4, episode 17 - Night Terrors
TNG Season 4, episode 18 - Identity Crisis
TNG Season 4, episode 19 - The Nth Degree
TNG Season 4, episode 20 - Qpid
TNG Season 4, episode 21 - The Drumhead
TNG Season 4, episode 22 - Half a Life
TNG Season 4, episode 23 - The Host
TNG Season 4, episode 24 - The Mind's Eye
TNG Season 4, episode 25 - In Theory
TNG Season 4, episode 26 - Redemption, Part 1

TNG Season 5, episode 1 - Redemption, Part 2
TNG Season 5, episode 2 - Darmok
TNG Season 5, episode 3 - Ensign Ro
TNG Season 5, episode 4 - Silicon Avatar
TNG Season 5, episode 5 - Disaster
TNG Season 5, episode 6 - The Game
TNG Season 5, episode 7 - Unification I
TNG Season 5, episode 8 - Unification II
TNG Season 5, episode 9 - A Matter of Time
TNG Season 5, episode 10 - New Ground
TNG Season 5, episode 11 - Hero Worship
TNG Season 5, episode 12 - Violations
TNG Season 5, episode 13 - The Masterpiece Society
TNG Season 5, episode 14 - Conundrum
TNG Season 5, episode 15 - Power Play
TNG Season 5, episode 16 - Ethics
TNG Season 5, episode 17 - The Outcast
TNG Season 5, episode 18 - Cause and Effect
TNG Season 5, episode 19 - The First Duty
TNG Season 5, episode 20 - Cost of Living
TNG Season 5, episode 21 - The Perfect Mate
TNG Season 5, episode 22 - Imaginary Friend
TNG Season 5, episode 23 - I, Borg
TNG Season 5, episode 24 - The Next Phase
TNG Season 5, episode 25 - The Inner Light
TNG Season 5, episode 26 - Time's Arrow, Part 1

2369, Part 1

We now reach my personal favorite series: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, which will eventually feature Star Trek’s first significant attempt at serialized storytelling. Like other shows in the franchise, it has a slow start, but once it gets going it’s a real joy. To stay in the correct chronological order, we’ll be bouncing between TNG and DS9, and later DS9 and Voyager, with occasional minor tweaks to avoid interrupting story arcs in progress.

TNG Season 6, episode 1 - Time's Arrow, Part 2
TNG Season 6, episode 2 - Realm of Fear
TNG Season 6, episode 3 - Man of the People
TNG Season 6, episode 4 - Relics
TNG Season 6, episode 5 - Schisms
TNG Season 6, episode 6 - True-Q
TNG Season 6, episode 7 - Rascals
TNG Season 6, episode 8 - A Fistful of Datas
TNG Season 6, episode 9 - The Quality of Life
TNG Season 6, episode 10 - Chain of Command, Part 1
TNG Season 6, episode 11 - Chain of Command, Part 2
DS9 Season 1, episode 1 - Emissary, Part 1
DS9 Season 1, episode 2 - Emissary, Part 2
DS9 Season 1, episode 3 - Past Prologue
DS9 Season 1, episode 4 - A Man Alone
DS9 Season 1, episode 5 - Babel
TNG Season 6, episode 12 - Ship in a Bottle
TNG Season 6, episode 13 - Aquiel

2369, Part 2

Pay attention to this next episode - it will be important (much, much) later.

DS9 Season 1, episode 6 - Captive Pursuit
DS9 Season 1, episode 7 - Q-Less
TNG Season 6, episode 14 - Face of the Enemy
DS9 Season 1, episode 8 - Dax
TNG Season 6, episode 15 - Tapestry
DS9 Season 1, episode 9 - The Passenger
TNG Season 6, episode 16 - Birthright, Part 1
TNG Season 6, episode 17 - Birthright, Part 2
DS9 Season 1, episode 10 - Move Along Home
DS9 Season 1, episode 11 - The Nagus
TNG Season 6, episode 18 - Starship Mine
TNG Season 6, episode 19 - Lessons
DS9 Season 1, episode 12 - Vortex
DS9 Season 1, episode 13 - Battle Lines
DS9 Season 1, episode 14 - The Storyteller
TNG Season 6, episode 20 - The Chase
TNG Season 6, episode 21 - Frame of Mind
TNG Season 6, episode 22 - Suspicions
DS9 Season 1, episode 15 - Progress
TNG Season 6, episode 23 - Rightful Heir
DS9 Season 1, episode 16 - If Wishes Were Horses
TNG Season 6, episode 24 - Second Chances
DS9 Season 1, episode 17 - Dramatis Personae
DS9 Season 1, episode 18 - The Forsaken
DS9 Season 1, episode 19 - Duet
TNG Season 6, episode 25 - Timescape
DS9 Season 1, episode 20 - In the Hands of the Prophets
TNG Season 6, episode 26 - Descent, Part 1

2370, Part 1

By the end of this year we’ll have bid farewell to The Next Generation with the fantastic series finale “All Good Things,” we’ll have finally watched Enterprise’s far less popular finale “These are the Voyages…”, and we will have been introduced to The Dominion, the major story driver for most of Deep Space Nine.

TNG Season 7, episode 5 - Interface
TNG Season 7, episode 6 - Phantasms
DS9 Season 2, episode 6 - Melora
TNG Season 7, episode 7 - Dark Page
DS9 Season 2, episode 7 - Rules of Acquisition
DS9 Season 2, episode 8 - Necessary Evil
TNG Season 7, episode 8 - Attached
TNG Season 7, episode 9 - Force of Nature
DS9 Season 2, episode 9 - Second Sight
DS9 Season 2, episode 10 - Sanctuary
TNG Season 7, episode 10 - Parallels
DS9 Season 2, episode 11 - Rivals
DS9 Season 2, episode 12 - The Alternate
TNG Season 7, episode 11 - Inheritance
TNG Season 7, episode 12 - Homeward
TNG Season 7, episode 13 - The Pegasus
ENT Season 4, episode 22 - These Are the Voyages...
TNG Season 7, episode 1 - Descent, Part 2
DS9 Season 2, episode 1 - The Homecoming
DS9 Season 2, episode 2 - The Circle
DS9 Season 2, episode 3 - The Siege
TNG Season 7, episode 2 - Liaisons
TNG Season 7, episode 3 - Gambit, Part 1
TNG Season 7, episode 4 - Gambit, Part 2
DS9 Season 2, episode 4 - Cardassians
DS9 Season 2, episode 5 - Invasive Procedures

2370, Part 2

DS9 Season 2, episode 13 - Armageddon Game
TNG Season 7, episode 14 - Sub Rosa
TNG Season 7, episode 15 - Lower Decks
DS9 Season 2, episode 14 - Paradise
DS9 Season 2, episode 15 - Whispers
DS9 Season 2, episode 16 - Shadowplay
TNG Season 7, episode 16 - Thine Own Self
TNG Season 7, episode 17 - Masks
DS9 Season 2, episode 17 - Playing God
TNG Season 7, episode 18 - Eye of the Beholder
DS9 Season 2, episode 18 - Profit and Loss
TNG Season 7, episode 19 - Genesis
DS9 Season 2, episode 19 - Blood Oath
TNG Season 7, episode 20 - Journey's End
DS9 Season 2, episode 20 - The Maquis, Part 1
DS9 Season 2, episode 21 - The Maquis, Part 2
TNG Season 7, episode 21 - Firstborn
TNG Season 7, episode 22 - Bloodlines
DS9 Season 2, episode 22 - The Wire
TNG Season 7, episode 23 - Emergence
DS9 Season 2, episode 23 - Crossover
TNG Season 7, episode 24 - Preemptive Strike
DS9 Season 2, episode 24 - The Collaborator
DS9 Season 2, episode 25 - Tribunal
DS9 Season 2, episode 26 - The Jem’Hadar
TNG Season 7, episode 25 - All Good Things, Part 1
TNG Season 7, episode 26 - All Good Things, Part 2

2371, Part 1

Like Phase II was intended to do, and Discovery does again a few decades later, Star Trek Voyager is launched as the centerpiece of a new network: the short-lived UPN, home of Shasta McNasty and The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfieffer. Note that Voyager episode orders, particularly in season two, jump around a bit due to some production weirdness.

DS9 Season 3, episode 8 - Meridian
VOY Season 1, episode 3 - Parallax
MOV Star Trek: Generations
DS9 Season 3, episode 9 - Defiant
DS9 Season 3, episode 10 - Fascination
DS9 Season 3, episode 11 - Past Tense, Part 1
DS9 Season 3, episode 12 - Past Tense, Part 2
VOY Season 1, episode 4 - Time and Again
DS9 Season 3, episode 13 - Life Support
DS9 Season 3, episode 14 - Heart of Stone
VOY Season 1, episode 5 - Phage
DS9 Season 3, episode 15 - Destiny
VOY Season 1, episode 6 - The Cloud
DS9 Season 3, episode 16 - Prophet Motive
VOY Season 1, episode 7 - Eye of the Needle
DS9 Season 3, episode 17 - Visionary
VOY Season 1, episode 8 - Ex Post Facto
DS9 Season 3, episode 1 - The Search, Part 1
DS9 Season 3, episode 2 - The Search, Part 2
DS9 Season 3, episode 3 - The House of Quark
DS9 Season 3, episode 4 - Equilibrium
DS9 Season 3, episode 5 - Second Skin
DS9 Season 3, episode 6 - The Abandoned
DS9 Season 3, episode 7 - Civil Defense
VOY Season 1, episode 1 - Caretaker, Part 1
VOY Season 1, episode 2 - Caretaker, Part 2

2371, Part 2

VOY Season 1, episode 9 - Emanations
VOY Season 1, episode 10 - Prime Factors
DS9 Season 3, episode 18 - Distant Voices
VOY Season 1, episode 11 - State of Flux
DS9 Season 3, episode 19 - Through the Looking Glass
VOY Season 1, episode 12 - Heroes and Demons
DS9 Season 3, episode 20 - Improbable Cause
DS9 Season 3, episode 21 - The Die is Cast
VOY Season 1, episode 13 - Cathexis
DS9 Season 3, episode 22 - Explorers
VOY Season 1, episode 14 - Faces
DS9 Season 3, episode 23 - Family Business
VOY Season 1, episode 15 - Jetrel
DS9 Season 3, episode 24 - Shakaar
VOY Season 1, episode 16 - Learning Curve
VOY Season 2, episode 3 - Projections
VOY Season 2, episode 4 - Elogium
DS9 Season 3, episode 25 - Facets
DS9 Season 3, episode 26 - The Adversary
VOY Season 2, episode 6 - Twisted
VOY Season 2, episode 1 - The 37’s

2372, Part 1

VOY Season 2, episode 2 - Initiations
VOY Season 2, episode 5 - Non Sequitur
DS9 Season 4, episode 1 - The Way of the Warrior, Part 1
DS9 Season 4, episode 2 - The Way of the Warrior, Part 2
DS9 Season 4, episode 3 - The Visitor
DS9 Season 4, episode 4 - Hippocratic Oath
VOY Season 2, episode 7 - Parturition
DS9 Season 4, episode 5 - Indiscretion
VOY Season 2, episode 8 - Persistence of Vision
VOY Season 2, episode 9 - Tattoo
VOY Season 2, episode 10 - Cold Fire
DS9 Season 4, episode 6 - Rejoined
VOY Season 2, episode 11 - Maneuvers
DS9 Season 4, episode 7 - Starship Down
DS9 Season 4, episode 8 - Little Green Men
DS9 Season 4, episode 9 - The Sword of Kahless
VOY Season 2, episode 12 - Resistance
DS9 Season 4, episode 10 - Our Man Bashir
DS9 Season 4, episode 11 - Homefront
DS9 Season 4, episode 12 - Paradise Lost
VOY Season 2, episode 13 - Prototype
VOY Season 2, episode 18 - Death Wish
VOY Season 2, episode 14 - Alliances
DS9 Season 4, episode 13 - Crossfire
VOY Season 2, episode 15 - Threshold
DS9 Season 4, episode 14 - Return to Grace

2372, Part 2

VOY Season 2, episode 16 - Meld
VOY Season 2, episode 17 - Dreadnought
VOY Season 2, episode 19 - Lifesigns
VOY Season 2, episode 20 - Investigations
VOY Season 2, episode 21 - Deadlock
DS9 Season 4, episode 15 - Sons of Mogh
DS9 Season 4, episode 16 - Bar Association
DS9 Season 4, episode 17 - Accession
VOY Season 2, episode 22 - Innocence
DS9 Season 4, episode 18 - Rules of Engagement
DS9 Season 4, episode 19 - Hard Time
DS9 Season 4, episode 20 - Shattered Mirror
VOY Season 2, episode 23 - The Thaw
DS9 Season 4, episode 21 - The Muse
VOY Season 2, episode 24 - Tuvix
DS9 Season 4, episode 22 - For the Cause
VOY Season 2, episode 25 - Resolutions
DS9 Season 4, episode 23 - To the Death
DS9 Season 4, episode 24 - The Quickening
DS9 Season 4, episode 25 - Body Parts
DS9 Season 4, episode 26 - Broken Link
VOY Season 2, episode 26 - Basics, Part 1

2373, Part 1

VOY Season 3, episode 8 - Future's End, Part 1
VOY Season 3, episode 9 - Future's End, Part 2
DS9 Season 5, episode 7 - Let He Who is Without Sin
DS9 Season 5, episode 8 - Things Past
VOY Season 3, episode 10 - Warlord
MOV Star Trek: First Contact
VOY Season 3, episode 1 - Basics, Part 2
DS9 Season 5, episode 1 - Apocalypse Rising
DS9 Season 5, episode 2 - The Ship
VOY Season 3, episode 7 - Sacred Ground
VOY Season 3, episode 5 - False Profits
VOY Season 3, episode 2 - Flashback
VOY Season 3, episode 3 - The Chute
VOY Season 3, episode 6 - Remember
VOY Season 3, episode 4 - The Swarm
DS9 Season 5, episode 3 - Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places
DS9 Season 5, episode 4 - Nor the Battle to the Strong
DS9 Season 5, episode 5 - The Assignment
DS9 Season 5, episode 6 - Trials and Tribble-ations

Only took 222 years, but after this next episode, we’ll have completed all of Star Trek Enterprise.

ENT Season 2, episode 23 - Regeneration
DS9 Season 5, episode 9 - The Ascent
VOY Season 3, episode 11 - The Q and the Grey
DS9 Season 5, episode 10 - Rapture
DS9 Season 5, episode 11 - The Darkness and the Light
VOY Season 3, episode 12 - Macrocosm
VOY Season 3, episode 13 - Fair Trade

2373, Part 2

VOY Season 3, episode 14 - Alter Ego
DS9 Season 5, episode 12 - The Begotten
DS9 Season 5, episode 13 - For the Uniform
VOY Season 3, episode 15 - Coda
VOY Season 3, episode 16 - Blood Fever
DS9 Season 5, episode 14 - In Purgatory's Shadow
DS9 Season 5, episode 15 - By Inferno's Light
VOY Season 3, episode 17 - Unity
VOY Season 3, episode 18 - Darkling
DS9 Season 5, episode 16 - Doctor Bashir, I Presume
VOY Season 3, episode 19 - Rise
DS9 Season 5, episode 17 - A Simple Investigation
DS9 Season 5, episode 18 - Business as Usual
DS9 Season 5, episode 19 - Ties of Blood and Water
VOY Season 3, episode 20 - Favorite Son
DS9 Season 5, episode 20 - Ferengi Love Songs
DS9 Season 5, episode 21 - Soldiers of the Empire
DS9 Season 5, episode 22 - Children of Time
VOY Season 3, episode 21 - Before and After
VOY Season 3, episode 22 - Real Life
VOY Season 3, episode 23 - Distant Origin
VOY Season 3, episode 24 - Displaced
DS9 Season 5, episode 23 - Blaze of Glory
VOY Season 3, episode 25 - Worst Case Scenario
DS9 Season 5, episode 24 - Empok Nor
DS9 Season 5, episode 25 - In the Cards
DS9 Season 5, episode 26 - Call to Arms
VOY Season 3, episode 26 - Scorpion, Part 1

2374, Part 1

Voyager gets a much needed shot in the arm with the introduction of Seven of Nine, and Deep Space Nine delivers a great season as the Dominion War arc reaches full swing.

DS9 Season 6, episode 6 - Sacrifice of Angels
VOY Season 4, episode 6 - The Raven
VOY Season 4, episode 7 - Scientific Method
DS9 Season 6, episode 7 - You are Cordially Invited
VOY Season 4, episode 8 - Year of Hell, Part 1
VOY Season 4, episode 9 - Year of Hell, Part 2
DS9 Season 6, episode 8 - Resurrection
VOY Season 4, episode 10 - Random Thoughts
DS9 Season 6, episode 9 - Statistical Probabilities
VOY Season 4, episode 11 - Concerning Flight
DS9 Season 6, episode 10 - The Magnificent Ferengi
DS9 Season 6, episode 11 - Waltz
VOY Season 4, episode 12 - Mortal Coil
VOY Season 4, episode 14 - Message in a Bottle
VOY Season 4, episode 1 - Scorpion, Part 2
VOY Season 4, episode 2 - The Gift
VOY Season 4, episode 3 - Day of Honor
VOY Season 4, episode 4 - Nemesis
VOY Season 4, episode 5 - Revulsion
DS9 Season 6, episode 1 - A Time to Stand
DS9 Season 6, episode 2 - Rocks and Shoals
DS9 Season 6, episode 3 - Sons and Daughters
DS9 Season 6, episode 4 - Behind the Lines
DS9 Season 6, episode 5 - Favor the Bold

2374, Part 2

VOY Season 4, episode 13 - Waking Moments
DS9 Season 6, episode 12 - Who Mourns for Morn?
DS9 Season 6, episode 13 - Far Beyond the Stars
DS9 Season 6, episode 14 - One Little Ship
VOY Season 4, episode 15 - Hunters
DS9 Season 6, episode 15 - Honor Among Thieves
DS9 Season 6, episode 16 - Change of Heart
VOY Season 4, episode 16 - Prey
VOY Season 4, episode 17 - Retrospect
VOY Season 4, episode 18 - The Killing Game, Part 1
VOY Season 4, episode 19 - The Killing Game, Part 2
DS9 Season 6, episode 17 - Wrongs Darker than Death or Night
DS9 Season 6, episode 18 - Inquisition
DS9 Season 6, episode 19 - In the Pale Moonlight
VOY Season 4, episode 20 - Vis À Vis
VOY Season 4, episode 21 - The Omega Directive
DS9 Season 6, episode 20 - His Way
VOY Season 4, episode 22 - Unforgettable
DS9 Season 6, episode 21 - The Reckoning
DS9 Season 6, episode 22 - Valiant

We are skipping Voyager episode 23 (“Living Witness”) for now, and will be watching it later.

VOY Season 4, episode 24 - Demon
DS9 Season 6, episode 23 - Profit and Lace
VOY Season 4, episode 25 - One
DS9 Season 6, episode 24 - Time's Orphan
VOY Season 4, episode 26 - Hope and Fear
DS9 Season 6, episode 25 - The Sound of her Voice
DS9 Season 6, episode 26 - Tears of the Prophets

2375, Part 1

VOY Season 5, episode 1 - Night
VOY Season 5, episode 2 - Drone
VOY Season 5, episode 3 - Extreme Risk
VOY Season 5, episode 4 - In the Flesh
VOY Season 5, episode 5 - Once Upon a Time
VOY Season 5, episode 8 - Nothing Human
VOY Season 5, episode 6 - Timeless
DS9 Season 7, episode 1 - Image in the Sand
DS9 Season 7, episode 2 - Shadows and Symbols
DS9 Season 7, episode 3 - Afterimage
DS9 Season 7, episode 4 - Take Me Out to the Holosuite
DS9 Season 7, episode 5 - Chrysalis
DS9 Season 7, episode 6 - Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
DS9 Season 7, episode 7 - Once More Unto the Breach
DS9 Season 7, episode 8 - The Siege of AR-558
VOY Season 5, episode 9 - Thirty Days
DS9 Season 7, episode 9 - Covenant
VOY Season 5, episode 7 - Infinite Regress
VOY Season 5, episode 10 - Counterpoint
DS9 Season 7, episode 10 - It's Only a Paper Moon

There’s no place where Insurrection’s references to the Dominion War and the presence of Worf really make perfect sense, but this is probably the closest to working. I’m not going to go too nuts about it.

MOV Star Trek: Insurrection
DS9 Season 7, episode 11 - Prodigal Daughter
VOY Season 5, episode 11 - Latent Image
VOY Season 5, episode 12 - Bride of Chaotica
DS9 Season 7, episode 12 - The Emperor's New Cloak
VOY Season 5, episode 13 - Gravity
DS9 Season 7, episode 13 - Field of Fire
VOY Season 5, episode 14 - Bliss
DS9 Season 7, episode 14 - Chimera
VOY Season 5, episode 17 - The Disease
DS9 Season 7, episode 15 - Badda-Bing Badda-Bang
DS9 Season 7, episode 16 - Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

2375, Part 2

VOY Season 5, episode 18 - Course: Oblivion
VOY Season 5, episode 15 - Dark Frontier, Part 1
VOY Season 5, episode 16 - Dark Frontier, Part 2
VOY Season 5, episode 19 - The Fight
VOY Season 5, episode 20 - Think Tank
DS9 Season 7, episode 17 - Penumbra
DS9 Season 7, episode 18 - 'Til Death Do Us Part
DS9 Season 7, episode 19 - Strange Bedfellows
DS9 Season 7, episode 20 - The Changing Face of Evil
DS9 Season 7, episode 21 - When it Rains
DS9 Season 7, episode 22 - Tacking into the Wind
DS9 Season 7, episode 23 - Extreme Measures
DS9 Season 7, episode 24 - The Dogs of War

Farewell, DS9. I’ll always love you best.

DS9 Season 7, episode 25 - What You Leave Behind, Part 1
DS9 Season 7, episode 26 - What You Leave Behind, Part 2
VOY Season 5, episode 21 - Juggernaut
VOY Season 5, episode 22 - Someone to Watch Over Me
VOY Season 5, episode 23 - 11:59
VOY Season 5, episode 24 - Relativity
VOY Season 5, episode 25 - Warhead
VOY Season 5, episode 26 - Equinox, Part 1

VOY Season 6, episode 1 - Equinox, Part 2
VOY Season 6, episode 2 - Survival Instinct
VOY Season 6, episode 3 - Barge of the Dead
VOY Season 6, episode 4 - Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
VOY Season 6, episode 7 - Dragon's Teeth
VOY Season 6, episode 5 - Alice
VOY Season 6, episode 6 - Riddles
VOY Season 6, episode 8 - One Small Step
VOY Season 6, episode 9 - The Voyager Conspiracy
VOY Season 6, episode 10 - Pathfinder
VOY Season 6, episode 11 - Fair Haven
VOY Season 6, episode 15 - Tsunkatse
VOY Season 6, episode 12 - Blink of an Eye
VOY Season 6, episode 13 - Virtuoso
VOY Season 6, episode 16 - Collective
VOY Season 6, episode 14 - Memorial
VOY Season 6, episode 17 - Spirit Folk
VOY Season 6, episode 18 - Ashes to Ashes
VOY Season 6, episode 19 - Child's Play
VOY Season 6, episode 20 - Good Shepherd
VOY Season 6, episode 23 - Fury
VOY Season 6, episode 21 - Live Fast and Prosper
VOY Season 6, episode 24 - Life Line
VOY Season 6, episode 22 - Muse
VOY Season 6, episode 25 - The Haunting of Deck Twelve
VOY Season 6, episode 26 - Unimatrix Zero, Part 1

VOY Season 7, episode 1 - Unimatrix Zero, Part 2
VOY Season 7, episode 3 - Drive
VOY Season 7, episode 4 - Repression
VOY Season 7, episode 2 - Imperfection
VOY Season 7, episode 5 - Critical Care
VOY Season 7, episode 6 - Inside Man
VOY Season 7, episode 7 - Body and Soul
VOY Season 7, episode 8 - Nightingale
VOY Season 7, episode 9 - Flesh and Blood, Part 1
VOY Season 7, episode 10 - Flesh and Blood, Part 2
VOY Season 7, episode 11 - Shattered
VOY Season 7, episode 12 - Lineage
VOY Season 7, episode 13 - Repentance
VOY Season 7, episode 14 - Prophecy
VOY Season 7, episode 15 - The Void
VOY Season 7, episode 16 - Workforce, Part 1
VOY Season 7, episode 17 - Workforce, Part 2

VOY Season 7, episode 18 - Human Error
VOY Season 7, episode 19 - Q2
VOY Season 7, episode 20 - Author, Author
VOY Season 7, episode 21 - Friendship One
VOY Season 7, episode 22 - Natural Law
VOY Season 7, episode 23 - Homestead
VOY Season 7, episode 24 - Renaissance Man
VOY Season 7, episode 25 - Endgame, Part 1
VOY Season 7, episode 26 - Endgame, Part 2

MOV - Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek returns to animation with its ninth series, and first all-out comedy, Star Trek: Lower Decks, aimed towards a more adult audience than The Animated Series or Prodigy.

LDS Season 1, episode 1 - Second Contact
LDS Season 1, episode 2 - Envoys
LDS Season 1, episode 3 - Temporal Edict
LDS Season 1, episode 4 - Moist Vessel
LDS Season 1, episode 5 - Cupid’s Errant Arrow
LDS Season 1, episode 6 - Terminal Provocations
LDS Season 1, episode 7 - Much Ado About Boimler
LDS Season 1, episode 8 - Veritas
LDS Season 1, episode 9 - Crisis Point
LDS Season 1, episode 10 - No Small Parts

2381, Part 1

LDS Season 3, episode 3 - Mining The Mind's Mines
LDS Season 3, episode 4 - Room for Growth
LDS Season 3, episode 5 - Reflections
LDS Season 3, episode 6 - Hear All, Trust Nothing
LDS Season 2, episode 1 - Strange Energies
LDS Season 2, episode 2 - Kayshon, His Eyes Open
LDS Season 2, episode 3 - We’ll Always Have Tom Paris
LDS Season 2, episode 4 - Mugato, Gumato
LDS Season 2, episode 5 - An Embarrassment of Dooplers
LDS Season 2, episode 6 - The Spy Humongous
LDS Season 2, episode 7 - Where Pleasant Fountains Lie
LDS Season 2, episode 8 - I, Excretus
LDS Season 2, episode 9 - wej Duj
LDS Season 2, episode 10 - First First Contact
LDS Season 3, episode 1 - Grounded
LDS Season 3, episode 2 - The Least Dangerous Game

We now travel back for our last Strange New Worlds episode, which is ABSOLUTELY a delight.

SNW Season 2, episode 7 - Those Old Scientists
LDS Season 3, episode 7 - A Mathematically Perfect Redemption
LDS Season 3, episode 8 - Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus
LDS Season 3, episode 9 - Trusted Sources
LDS Season 3, episode 10 - The Stars at Night

2381, Part 2

LDS Season 4, episode 1 - Twovix
LDS Season 4, episode 2 - I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee
LDS Season 4, episode 3 - In the Cradle of Vexilon
LDS Season 4, episode 4 - Something Borrowed, Something Green
LDS Season 4, episode 5 - Empathological Fallacies
LDS Season 4, episode 6 - Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place
LDS Season 4, episode 7 - A Few Badgeys More
LDS Season 4, episode 8 - Caves
LDS Season 4, episode 9 - The Inner Fight
LDS Season 4, episode 10 - Old Friends, New Planets

The first Star Trek since The Animated Series to be geared explicitly for kids, Star Trek: Prodigy takes place on the border of the Delta Quadrant last seen in Voyager, and features the return of several characters from that series. Don’t dismiss this as “just a kids show” though — it’s quite complex, quite good, and quite Star Trek.

PRO Season 1, episode 1 - Lost & Found, Part 1
PRO Season 1, episode 2 - Lost & Found, Part 2
PRO Season 1, episode 3 - Starstruck
PRO Season 1, episode 4 - Dream Catcher
PRO Season 1, episode 5 - Terror Firma
PRO Season 1, episode 6 - Kobayashi
PRO Season 1, episode 7 - First Con-tact
PRO Season 1, episode 8 - Time Amok
PRO Season 1, episode 9 - A Moral Star
PRO Season 1, episode 10 - A Moral Star, Part Two
PRO Season 1, episode 11 - Asylum
PRO Season 1, episode 12 - Let Sleeping Borg Lie
PRO Season 1, episode 13 - All the World’s a Stage
PRO Season 1, episode 14 - Crossroads
PRO Season 1, episode 15 - Masquerade
PRO Season 1, episode 16 - Preludes
PRO Season 1, episode 17 - Ghost in the Machine
PRO Season 1, episode 18 - Mindwalk
PRO Season 1, episode 19 - Supernova, Part 1
PRO Season 1, episode 20 - Supernova, Part 2

As of this update, no episodes of this season have aired in a language I speak. It is possible that when they are viewed, I will wish to update their placement in this list. The below is tentative.

Also note, the listed titles are derived from their French-language titles, and their eventual English titles may vary.

PRO Season 2, episode 7 - The Race
PRO Season 2, episode 8 - Veritas?
PRO Season 2, episode 9 - The Time Devouring Scavengers, Part 1
PRO Season 2, episode 10 - The Time Devouring Scavengers, Part 2
PRO Season 2, episode 11 - The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part 1
PRO Season 2, episode 12 - The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part 2
PRO Season 2, episode 13 - A Tribble Called Bridule
PRO Season 2, episode 14 - The Mirror Universe
PRO Season 2, episode 15 - The Ascent, Part 1
PRO Season 2, episode 16 - The Ascent, Part 2
PRO Season 2, episode 17 - On the Brink
PRO Season 2, episode 18 - Behind Enemy Lines
PRO Season 2, episode 19 - Ouroboros, Part 1
PRO Season 2, episode 20 - Ouroboros , Part 2
PRO Season 2, episode 1 - Into the Breach, Part 1
PRO Season 2, episode 2 - Into the Breach, Part 2
PRO Season 2, episode 3 - Who Saves the Saviors?
PRO Season 2, episode 4 - Temporal Mechanics 101
PRO Season 2, episode 5 - The Mystery Spiral
PRO Season 2, episode 6 - Imposter Syndrome

The events of this Short Trek set the events of Star Trek - Picard, which we’ll be coming to shortly, in motion.

SHO Season 2, episode 6 - Children of Mars

Okay. Deep breath. In 2387 the Romulan sun goes supernova, devastating the Romulan empire. A failed attempt by Starfleet to help stop this accidentally sends the Romulan mining vessel Narada back to 2233, creating an alternate reality known as the “Kelvin Universe” or “Kelvinverse.” We'll be watching the three movies set in this universe next. It's essential to note that this new timeline DOES NOT replace the original “Prime” timeline, which still exists as it always has and to which we will be returning shortly.

2233 - (Kelvinverse)

The USS Kelvin is destroyed by the Narada, newly arrived from the Prime Universe 2387. This begins the divergence from the Prime timeline.

2258 - (Kelvinverse)

Too action-oriented for some, and plot-holes galore, 2009’s “Star Trek” is not what I would want Star Trek to be all the time, but is a quite fun alternate take on the original series, with some great acting and effects. Don’t overthink the chronology and details of this batch of movies though, or you’ll start seeing all kinds of things that make no sense.

MOV Star Trek (2009)

2259 - (Kelvinverse)

MOV Star Trek Into Darkness

2263 - (Kelvinverse)

MOV Star Trek Beyond

This film, while a solid improvement on Into Darkness, did not perform to expectations, meaning that the long-promised fourth film has been in-and-out of production for years, and I cannot say if we’ll ever see the Kelvin timeline again.

Therefore, we now return to the Prime timeline, already in progress.

PIC Season 1, episode 1 - Remembrance
PIC Season 1, episode 2 - Maps and Legends
PIC Season 1, episode 3 - The End is the Beginning
PIC Season 1, episode 4 - Absolute Candor
PIC Season 1, episode 5 - Stardust City Rag
PIC Season 1, episode 6 - The Impossible Box
PIC Season 1, episode 7 - Nepenthe
PIC Season 1, episode 8 - Broken Pieces
PIC Season 1, episode 9 - Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1
PIC Season 1, episode 10 - Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2

I gotta say, I strongly feel the Picard seasons all would make much more sense if you assume A LOT more time takes place between them than what the official sources say, but it is what it is.

PIC Season 2, episode 1 - The Star Gazer
PIC Season 2, episode 2 - Penance
PIC Season 2, episode 3 - Assimilation
PIC Season 2, episode 4 - Watcher
PIC Season 2, episode 5 - Fly Me to the Moon
PIC Season 2, episode 6 - Two of One
PIC Season 2, episode 7 - Monsters
PIC Season 2, episode 8 - Mercy
PIC Season 2, episode 9 - Hide and Seek
PIC Season 2, episode 10 - Farewell
PIC Season 3, episode 1 - The Next Generation
PIC Season 3, episode 2 - Disengage
PIC Season 3, episode 3 - Seventeen Seconds
PIC Season 3, episode 4 - No Win Scenario
PIC Season 3, episode 5 - Imposters
PIC Season 3, episode 6 - The Bounty
PIC Season 3, episode 7 - Dominion
PIC Season 3, episode 8 - Surrender
PIC Season 3, episode 9 - Võx
PIC Season 3, episode 10 - The Last Generation

As you watch this you’ll see why the exact placement can be debatable, but 3074ish seemed best. With this episode, we finish Star Trek: Voyager. Keep in mind that this episode takes place entirely in the Delta quadrant, far away from most of the events of the franchise.

VOY Season 4, episode 23 - Living Witness

Several hundred years later, we rejoin Star Trek: Discovery, already in progress, to discover what has happened in the interim.

DIS Season 3, episode 1 - That Hope is You, Part 1

DIS Season 3, episode 2 - Far From Home
DIS Season 3, episode 3 - People of Earth
DIS Season 3, episode 4 - Forget Me Not
DIS Season 3, episode 5 - Die Trying
DIS Season 3, episode 6 - Scavengers
DIS Season 3, episode 7 - Unification III
DIS Season 3, episode 8 - The Sanctuary
DIS Season 3, episode 9 - Terra Firma, Part 1
DIS Season 3, episode 10 - Terra Firma, Part 2
DIS Season 3, episode 11 - Su’Kal
DIS Season 3, episode 12 - There is a Tide…
DIS Season 3, episode 13 - That Hope is You, Part 2

DIS Season 4, episode 1 - Kobayashi Maru
DIS Season 4, episode 2 - Anomaly
DIS Season 4, episode 3 - Choose to Live
DIS Season 4, episode 4 - All is Possible
DIS Season 4, episode 5 - The Examples
DIS Season 4, episode 6 - Stormy Weather
DIS Season 4, episode 7 - …But to Connect
DIS Season 4, episode 8 - All In
DIS Season 4, episode 9 - Rubicon
DIS Season 4, episode 10 - The Galactic Barrier
DIS Season 4, episode 11 - Rosetta
DIS Season 4, episode 12 - Species Ten-C
DIS Season 4, episode 13 - Coming Home

As of this update, only four episodes of this season have aired. It is possible that when they are viewed, I will wish to update their placement in this list. The below is tentative.

DIS Season 5, episode 1 - Red Directive
DIS Season 5, episode 2 - Under the Twin Moons
DIS Season 5, episode 3 - Jinaal
DIS Season 5, episode 4 - Face the Strange
DIS Season 5, episode 5 - Mirrors
DIS Season 5, episode 6 - Whistlespeak
DIS Season 5, episode 7 - Erigah
DIS Season 5, episode 8 - Labyrinths
DIS Season 5, episode 9 - Lagrange Point
DIS Season 5, episode 10 - Life, Itself

Far Future:

Calypso is intentionally somewhat mysterious, and we have yet to learn exactly how it fits into the Star Trek timeline, but for now it seems to be the final part of our Star Trek Viewing Guide. There are still questions here. I expect Disco to answer them in Season 5, which will be the final season.

SHO Season 1, episode 2 - Calypso

Click here to read about my methodology and intentions with this list.

If you use or have an opinion on this viewing order, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

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 and fantasy 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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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.

Starfleet captains

View history

In the history of Starfleet , many officers held the rank of captain or held the title of captain while commanding starships .

According to Travis Mayweather , Matthew Ryan spent more time in space than most Starfleet Captains. ( ENT : " Fortunate Son ")

1.1 Senior captains
1.2.1 22nd century
1.2.2 23rd century
1.2.3 24th century
1.2.4 25th century
1.2.5 29th century
1.2.6 31st century
1.2.7 32nd century
1.3 Junior captains
1.4 Unnamed captains
2.1 Senior captain
2.2 Captains
2.3 Junior captains
2.4 Unnamed captains
3.1 Captains
3.2 De facto captain (not recognized by the Terran Empire)
3.3 Unnamed captain
4.1 Senior captain
4.2 Captains

List of prime reality captains [ ]

Senior captains [ ].

Starfleet flag officers sometimes retained or took command of a vessel. Most often, these officers held the rank of commodore , but there were instances of admirals operating as starship captains.

Commodore Decker, Matthew (USS Constellation)

Captains [ ]

The substantive rank of captain was typically held by officers captaining starships. Officers of this rank also sometimes served in other capacities, such as in command of starbases or divisions of support personnel (such as JAG officers or members of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers ), or as members of experimental engineering programs.

22nd century [ ]

Brody ( Saratoga )
Duvall ( Shenandoah )
Gardner ( NX Program )
Jefferies, W.M. ( NX Program )
Jennings ( Republic )
Shumar, Bryce ( USS Essex )
Stiles ( Earth-Romulan War )

23rd century [ ]

Becker, M. ( Instructor ; Communications , STC , Starfleet Academy )
Garrovick ( USS Farragut )
Graffeo, C. (Instructor; Beam Technology , STC, Starfleet Academy)
Harris ( USS Excalibur )
Lorca, Gabriel ( USS Buran )
Maltese, D. (Instructor; Beam Technology, STC, Starfleet Academy)
Maranville, Steven ( USS Yeager )
Uhura, Nyota ( USS Leondegrance )
Xon (STC, Starfleet Academy)

24th century [ ]

Adams, Douglas ( USS Heart of Gold )
Aguayo, Monico C.
Amasov ( USS Endeavour )
Annon, Jeffery Joal ( USS Sherlock Holmes )
Arakaki, Jimmy ( USS Mustang )
Arnold, Richard ( Warp Technologies Development Group )
Arrat, Itzak ( USS Ticonderoga )
Bennet ( Seventh Tactical Wing )
Blackwood ( USS Tombaugh )
Bligh, W. ( USS G'Mat )
Braga, Brannon ( Flight instructor , Starfleet Academy )
Braswell, Elizabeth S.
Brownfield, Dick ( USS Atlantis ; Fleet Yards Operations )
Cameron, Roy
Carson, David (Fleet Yards Operations)
Chalmers, Chip (Fleet Yards Operations)
Chamberlin, Mandy ( Research & Development )
Chess, Joe ( Advanced Technologies Group )
Clark, Margaret C.
Conklin ( USS Magellan )
Curry, Daniel ( Warp Technologies Development Group , Starfleet Operations )
Darson ( USS Adelphi )
Dean, Doug ( Orbital Operations )
Dieghan, Drew ( USS Intrepid )
Diego ( Diego's starship )
Drexler, Douglas ( USS Mare Tranquillitatis and Science Ops )
Dwyer, John M. ( Engineering Group )
Entebe ( USS Ulysses )
Fleck, Jerry (Flight Ops Officer, Starfleet Academy )
Friedman, Layne ( USS Albert Einstein )
Fries, Sandy ( USS Non Sequitur )
Furen, Bryan D. ( USS Aleo )
Genovese, Cosmo ( USS Endeavour )
Giddings, Diana ( USS Robert Louis Stevenson )
Gifford, K.L. ( USS Min'ow )
Gleason ( USS Zhukov )
Goldberg, Seth ( USS Callisto )
Grumby, Jonas ( USS Minnow )
Gump, J. ( USS Hispaniola )
Hammond, Asenath ( USS Max Plank )
Hansen, Kurt S.
Hunnicutt, B.J. ( Starfleet Operational Support Services )
Hutzel, Gary ( Warp Technologies Development Group )
Jacobson, Phillip
James, Richard ( USS Constantinople ; Engineering Corps)
Jameson, Mark ( USS Gettysburg )
Jedlicka, Martin ( USS Saratoga )
Jein, Gregory ( Yard Engineer )
Kobayashi, Alan ( USS Tycho )
Laporin ( Laporin's starship )
Legato, Robert ( USS Matte Fringe and Warp Technologies Development Group )
Leyton ( USS Okinawa )
Lin, Michael J. ( USS Gremlin )
Livingston, David (Wing commander, Starfleet Academy )
Loomis ( AR-558 )
Mann, Maria ( USS Endeavour )
McCoullough
McKenzie, Richard ( USS Yamato ; Engineering Corps)
Mees, Jim (Engineering Group)
Miles, Tod ( USS John F. Kennedy )
Moore, Ronald B. ( Warp Technologies Development Group )
Narth ( USS Ajax )
Nesterowicz, John ( Starfleet Academy )
Neuss, Wendy ( Warp Technologies Development Group )
Oja, Darryl ( USS Ganymede )
Paris, Owen ( USS Al-Batani )
Park, Jana ( USS Atlantis )
Peets, Bill ( Stellar Imaging Division )
Peterson ( USS Carolina )
Pierce, Benjamin Franklin ( USS James Fenimore Cooper )
Pressman, Erik ( USS Pegasus )
Priestly, J. ( USS Gallico )
Probert, Andrew (Engineering Corps)
Ramirez ( USS Valiant )
Raymer ( USS Destiny )
Raymond ( USS Tecumseh )
Reynolds, Charlie ( USS Centaur )
Rush, Marvin (Stellar Imaging Division, Research and Development)
Rubenstein, Louis ( USS Constellation )
Shelby ( USS Sutherland )
Simmons, Adele ( USS Bushwacker )
Smutko, Alex ( USS Excalibur )
Sordal, Bob ( Orbital Operations )
Stein, G. Harry ( USS White Sands )
Sternbach, Rick ( USS Tranquillity Base )
Stone, Jason ( USS Strata )
Swift, J. ( USS Yosemite )
Swofford, Quentin ( USS Cortez )
Thomas, Cari L. ( USS Puget Sound and USS Farouk El-Baz ; Engineering Corps)
Trimble, Lora ( USS Equicon )
van de Ven, Mary ( USS Elmer Fudd )
Veneziano, Sandy ( USS Omaha Nebraska )
Wong, Leslie ( USS Cairo )
White, Dana (Yard Engineer)
Yacobian, Brad (Fleet Ops)
Zaheva, Chantal ( USS Brattain )
Zimbata ( USS Victory )
Zimmerman, Herman ( USS Nightwing and USS Yorktown )

25th century [ ]

Benbassat ( USS Excelsior )

29th century [ ]

31st century [ ]

Weems, Robert ( USS Hiraga Gennai )

32nd century [ ]

Imahara ( USS Armstrong )

Junior captains [ ]

According to the rules of naval parlance, a person of any officer rank could be addressed as captain if they were assigned as sole commanding officer of any starship. Captains could also have been awarded provisional (brevet) ranks or field promotions to be accorded the title of captain.

Commander Riker, William T. (USS Hathaway, USS Excalibur, and USS Enterprise-D)

Lieutenant Commander Piersall ( USS Prometheus )

Unnamed captains [ ]

Saratoga captain (2286)

Chakotay's first captain
USS Enterprise -B launch spectator , 2293 ( Star Trek Generations )
USS Defiant captain ( TOS : " The Tholian Web "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")
USS Jenolan captain ( TNG : " Relics ")
USS Lalo captain ( TNG : " We'll Always Have Paris ")
USS Saratoga captain ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )
USS Saratoga captain ( DS9 : " Emissary ")
Starfleet Command aide-de-camp ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )
Starfleet Command briefing attendee ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )
Transport captain commanded the starship that transported Benjamin and Jake Sisko to Deep Space 9 in 2369 . ( DS9 : " Emissary ")
USS Venture captain ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
Yar's commanding officer ( TNG : " Legacy ")
Alien captain 1
Tellarite captain
Cardassian captain
Ckaptir captain
Human captain 1
Human captain 2
Human captain 3
Human captain 4

List of alternate reality captains [ ]

Senior captain [ ].

Starfleet flag officers sometimes retained or took command of a vessel.

Fleet Admiral Marcus, Alexander (USS Vengeance)

The substantive rank of captain was typically held by officers captaining starships. Officers of this rank also sometimes served in other capacities, such as members of experimental engineering programs.

According to the rules of naval parlance, a person of any officer rank could be addressed as captain if they were assigned as sole commanding officer of any starship. Captains may have also been awarded field promotions to be accorded the title of captain.

Lieutenant Commander Kirk, George (USS Kelvin)

Daystrom Conference Room meeting attendee ( Star Trek Into Darkness )
Starfleet Headquarters secret meeting attendee ( Star Trek Into Darkness )
Yellowstone -class presentation female ( VOY : " Non Sequitur ")
Yellowstone -class presentation male ( VOY : " Non Sequitur ")

List of mirror universe captains [ ]

Pike, Christopher ( ISS Enterprise NCC-1701 )
Spock ( ISS Enterprise NCC-1701 )
Spoeneman ( ISS Cooper )

De facto captain (not recognized by the Terran Empire ) [ ]

Archer, Jonathan ( ISS Defiant )

Unnamed captain [ ]

ISS Avenger captain ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")

List of parallel universe captains [ ]

A list of captains seen in alternate timelines and parallel universes :

In at least one parallel universe, Starfleet flag officers sometimes retained or took command of a vessel.

Admiral Riker, William T. (USS Enterprise-D)

Halloway, Thomas ( USS Enterprise -D ) ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

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.

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.

This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Star Trek Franchise

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in Picard

Don't look now, but "Star Trek" is a thing again. It's been a while — after redefining television in the 1960s and enjoying a resurgence in the '80s and '90s, the final episode of ""Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005 marked the beginning of a dark period in which there was simply no "Trek" to be had. Then, in 2017, the drought ended with the premiere of " "Star Trek: Discovery ," and when it rains, it pours. "Discovery" heralded the arrival of a whole new era of ""Star Trek," and that's just the beginning — Paramount+ will soon play host to two new "Star Trek" shows, with three more currently in development, and there's a new movie scheduled for release in 2023 . Suddenly, we are awash in "Trek," which means that if you're unfamiliar with Gene Roddenberry's universe, it's a pretty good time to jump on board. Only where do you start with a franchise this big — and more importantly, what's the proper watch order?

These are the questions we're here to answer. While it's tempting to try and watch "Star Trek" chronologically, using either the fictional timeline or release dates, we recommend an order that's a bit of a blend of both. Following this list should result in an experience that provides a complete picture of what "Star Trek" is while also remaining easy to binge. With that in mind (and with the understanding that a few spoilers are unavoidable ), it's time to boldly go where every previous "Star Trek" installment has gone before!

The Original Series

When you watch "Star Trek," you really need to begin at the beginning. Not with Enterprise, which is set earlier in the "Trek" timeline than any show, but with "Star Trek" — or as it's lovingly called these days, "The Original Series." This is the show that ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, forever altering the television medium, the science fiction genre, and the experience of being a fan. While some viewers may find the special effects laughable or the political themes unsubtle, the most astonishing thing about "TOS" is how well it holds up, even more than 50 years later. The first two seasons, in particular, are absolutely riddled with classic episodes, and while the third season is significantly worse due to changes in the creative team, it's still fun to watch William Shatner ham it up as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy raise a single Vulcan eyebrow as Mr. Spock, and the original Starship Enterprise soar through space. Most importantly, though, those first 79 episodes introduce rules, concepts, and even characters that "Star Trek" is still playing with today, from Class M planets and the Prime Directive to Khan and the Klingons.

The Animated Series

The unofficial fourth and fifth seasons of "Star Trek," "The Animated Series" aired on NBC from 1973 to 1974, after tempers had cooled somewhat between NBC and Roddenberry, who left "Star Trek" after its second season out of frustration with the network. Not only was the entire original cast back (minus Walter Koenig), but so was Roddenberry, and so was D.C. Fontana, Roddenberry's longtime assistant who had grown into one of the most celebrated "Trek" writers and had also departed after Season 2. Between the return of some of the show's original creative minds and cast, and the fact that animation allowed them to do so much more than live action special effects of the era, "TAS" is pure, undiluted "Star Trek."

It's never been made explicitly clear whether "TAS" is canon, but considering the number of "TAS" ideas re-used in later live-action shows, plus the introduction in "TAS" of canon pieces of backstory, like Kirk's middle name, it's silly at this point to believe otherwise. And it's required viewing for completists who want to see every televised adventure undertaken by the original Enterprise crew.

The first six films

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released by Paramount in 1979, and while it's not an especially good film, it holds historical importance as the launching point for the "Star Trek" movie franchise. The real highlights in this part of the list, though, are the three films that followed. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home essentially form their own trilogy of movies within the larger "Trek" saga, and are some of the most popular and critically acclaimed installments in the franchise. "The Wrath of Khan," in particular, tends to show up near the top of "best science fiction films in history" lists, making the titular Khan such an iconic villain that he was recast for the J.J. Abrams reboot movies, while "The Voyage Home" is probably the most charming "Star Trek" film, as the Enterprise travels to the past to rescue the humpback whale species from extinction.

Even the most dedicated binge-watcher can safely skip the horrendous fifth movie, "The Final Frontier," but "The Undiscovered Country" is an absolute masterpiece, and taken together, these six films provide a worthy capstone to the franchise's inaugural era.

It might seem counterintuitive to follow up the oldest "Star Trek" series with one of the newest, especially given that "Star Trek: Discovery" actually takes place prior to "The Original Series." But there's a good reason to jump from the tales of Kirk and Spock to the tales of Michael Burnham and...well, and Spock, who shows up in Season 2. "The Original Series" and its accompanying animated and film extensions are foundational to "Discovery," which is set shortly after the events of the rejected "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." And characters from "The Cage" show up in Season 2 and are also appearing in their own spinoff, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

While an in-universe chronological watch order would put the first two seasons of "Discovery" before "TOS" and the third season at the very end (as the crew travels forward in time to the far future) it makes more sense to us to treat "Discovery" as its own story. The third season does occasionally reference "past" events from other shows, but that does lead nicely into the next "Trek" installment...

The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

For many Trekkies today, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was their introduction to the franchise, and for good reason. If any one series beyond the original can lay a claim to being the single most iconic "Star Trek" story, it's Next Generation, which premiered in 1987 and went on to not only have seven seasons of its own, but to jumpstart a chain of interlocking "Star Trek" shows that would thoroughly dominate the 1990s. Before that, though, the first five seasons of Next Generation stood alone, and if you're trying to get somebody instantly hooked on Trek, this might actually be the place to start, despite the fact that the first couple of seasons don't hold up incredibly well.

If you're absorbing all of "Star Trek," though, "Next Generation" has to be the place to start. After all, it's the next generation of what, exactly? The answer is the Starship Enterprise, which comes with an entirely new cast and crew, introducing the world to Worf, Data, Counselor Troi, and Geordi LaForge, and permanently branding the hearts of a thousand Trekkies with the image of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The Next Generation (Season 6) / Deep Space Nine (Season 1)

Okay, this is where it gets weird. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" debuted in January 1993, just a few months after "Next Generation" kicked off its sixth season — a season full of unmitigated classics, incidentally, from the return of Montgomery Scott in "Relics" to the legendary two-parter "Chain of Command." Picard even makes a cameo in the first episode of "DS9," which takes place aboard a space station and uses the ideas and events of earlier "Next Generation" episodes to inform characters like Commander Benjamin Sisko and Quark. It's essentially impossible to understand Sisko's backstory, for example, without first having seen the "Next Generation" episode "The Best of Both Worlds."

Despite the fact that they take place over roughly the same time period, we recommend watching the entirety of Season 6 of "Next Generation" followed by the entirety of Season 1 of "DS9," if for no other reason than the former has more episodes than the latter, making it a complicated process to intercut between them. But however you choose to do it, these two seasons really should be watched back to back.

The Next Generation (Season 7) / Deep Space Nine (Season 2)

Similarly, the second season of "DS9" coincides with the last "Next Generation" season. While it might lack the standout episodes of earlier seasons, Season 7 manages a few achievements. For one thing, it puts a bow on one of the most beloved shows in television history with a flourish, ending the program with an ambitious, timeline-jumping two-parter that ties directly into the events of the very first episode. It also inadvertently lays the groundwork for a much more modern "Trek" show with an episode about junior officers called "Lower Decks." But most importantly, it ties into and reinforces "Deep Space Nine," most notably in the penultimate episode "Preemptive Strike," which deals with concurrent "DS9" problems like the Cardassians and the Maquis.

By the end of Season 2, "DS9" has already proven capable of standing on its own, having picked up and ran with the Maquis threads from earlier "Next Generation" episodes, returned to the Mirror Universe first introduced in the original series, and introduced the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar, who will serve as the series' primary antagonists. But the stories of Picard and company were far from over...

Generations

The four feature films built around the cast of "Next Generation" are a direct continuation of the movies that came before, not least because the first one, 1994's "Generations," serves as a bridge between "TOS" and its descendant, and between Kirk and Picard, in about the most literal way you could imagine. This movie marks the final appearance of several characters from the original show, including Kirk himself (the one played by William Shatner, at any rate) which makes it a crucial piece of the "Star Trek" timeline, as does the introduction of Data's emotion chip. Of course, some might consider the movie worth it just to see Malcolm McDowell chew the scenery like he hasn't eaten in three days, and we can't say they're wrong.

"Generations" launched Picard's crew onto the big screen almost immediately after their exit from the small one, meaning they would continue to be the face of "Star Trek" for the remainder of the decade. But back in the realm of "Trek" TV, things were only heating up, as a new series prepared to take the field and challenge "DS9" for television dominance.

Deep Space Nine (Season 3) / Voyager (Season 1)

Once again, it's time to switch between two seasons of "Star Trek," as the third season of "DS9" overlaps with the debuting "Star Trek: Voyager." The first "Trek" series to feature a woman (Kathryn Janeway) in the captain's chair, "Voyager" also had a unique and fascinating premise. Much of the "DS9" action is driven by the existence of a nearby wormhole that leads to the Gamma Quadrant, a section of space far away from the Federation's native Alpha Quadrant. This allows the titular space station and its intrepid crew to encounter any number of new and dangerous alien species. "Voyager" goes even farther, literally — a solitary ship finds itself transported to the even more distant Delta Quadrant and spends the rest of the series trying to get home.

Due to this premise, there's no reason whatsoever to jump between individual episodes of these two seasons, as the events of one show don't affect the other in any way. But jumping between shows by the season provides a fun and accurate experience of what it was like to watch the interlocking "Star Trek" programs of the 1990s.

Deep Space Nine (Season 4) / Voyager (Season 2)

Like most "Star Trek" shows, "Voyager" takes a couple of seasons to find its feet, and Season 2 in particular contains some of its most notoriously bad episodes, from the tone-deaf Native American implications of "Tattoo" to Janeway and Voyager pilot Tom Paris turning into salamanders and having salamander babies together in "Threshold" to the utter abomination that is "Tuvix." At least it has the consideration to get them all out of the way early on.

"DS9," meanwhile, was encountering its own problems in Season 4, which took a sharp turn away from the burgeoning conflict with the Dominion and instead spent most of its time dealing with the newly antagonistic Klingon Empire. Fortunately, even as the overarching plot went briefly off the rails, the writing was getting better and better, and the diversion is, if nothing else, entertaining. As a bonus, Season 4 features one of television's first lesbian kisses, and also brings in Worf, the Klingon security officer from "Next Generation" — until Picard, Michael Dorn was the only actor to star in the main casts of two different "Star Trek" shows.

First Contact

As a result of his dual roles, Worf would spend the next several years hopping back and forth between television and the movies. One reason it's important to watch Season 4 of "DS9" prior to watching "First Contact," the second film starring the "Next Generation" cast, is because in order to include Worf in the story, the latter is obligated to include a scene in which the Enterprise rescues another ship called the Defiant, introduced in "DS9" and captained by Worf himself. Future "Next Generation" movies, which decline in quality moving forward, come up with increasingly hand-wavy reasons for his presence on the Enterprise bridge.

"First Contact" itself, however, is by far the best of the "Next Generation" films and one of the best "Star Trek" films in general, as the crew travels back in time to prevent the cybernetic hive mind known as the Borg from altering history. Not only is "First Contact" a great movie (and the film directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander William Riker), it also kicks off a spectacular "Star Trek" run that can stand up against any other period in franchise history.

Deep Space Nine (Season 5) / Voyager (Season 3)

With Season 5, "DS9" gets back on track after the previous outlier season, quickly focusing around a single unified threat thanks to an alliance between the show's original antagonists the Cardassians and the Dominion. The presence of the sinister Changelings adds an intrigue element to the story, as any character could potentially be a Changeling in disguise — a concept that would be used to great effect years later in the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." The season concludes with the official start of the Dominion War, a conflict that would dominate the remainder of the show.

"Voyager," meanwhile, was also getting back on track in its third season, which generally sees an uptick in quality — particularly toward the end, with episodes like "Before and After," "Real Life," and "Worst Case Scenario." Robert Picardo, who plays Voyager's holographic doctor, also gets to make a cameo in "DS9" as the Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman, in the episode "Doctor Bashir, I presume." And Season 3 ends with the first installment of "Scorpion," which catalyzed "Voyager's" official rise to greatness in part thanks to a memorable new character.

Deep Space Nine (Season 6) / Voyager (Season 4)

These two overlapping seasons, airing in late 1997 and early 1998, represent the pinnacle of "Star Trek's" '90s golden age. In "DS9," the Dominion War is in full swing, the series' much-discussed religions themes are building in prominence, the mysterious Section 31 is introduced, foreshadowing its prominent role in both "Enterprise" and "Discovery," and most memorably, the showrunners do what almost no iteration of "Star Trek" has ever dared to do: permanently kill off a member of the main cast.

Casting changes are also a major part of Season 4 of "Voyager," which jettisons the little-loved character of Kes and officially introduces Seven of Nine , a liberated Borg drone played by Jeri Ryan who quickly joins the ranks of the franchise's most widely known characters. It's an oversimplification to suggest that the overall brilliance of Season 4 is the direct result of Ryan joining the cast, but no matter how much of it you attribute to her, it's a phenomenal season of television, filled from start to finish with some of the best "Voyager" episodes (and also "Retrospect," but we don't talk about that one).

Insurrection

It's not "First Contact," but 1998's "Insurrection" is still a pretty good "Next Generation" movie, another solid offering from Jonathan Frakes. While "Insurrection" doesn't interact much with the events of "DS9" or "Voyager," watching it at this point in the "Trek" timeline provides an overall context for the state of the Federation, which has been intermittently challenged, as the movie's primary villain points out, by the Borg, the Cardassians, and the Dominion. A sense of the Federation being assailed from all sides isn't strictly necessary for the film's story of familial betrayal on a planet that confers immortality, but it does make viewing it a more interesting experience (though again, the perfunctory inclusion of Worf simply because he's expected to be in "Next Generation" movies is potentially jarring for "DS9" fans who have become invested in his character development, which "Insurrection" largely ignores).

"Insurrection" is Frakes' last "Star Trek" movie as director (though he would later direct episodes of "Discovery" and "Picard") and marks the beginning of the end of the '90s "Trek" boom. There's still plenty of great "Trek" ahead, but the curve is now pointing down.

Deep Space Nine (Season 7) / Voyager (Season 5)

The final season of "DS9" represents one of the single greatest creative accomplishments in "Star Trek" history, as no "Trek" show to date has managed to stick such an ambitious and satisfying landing. In a unique move, the last 10 episodes of the season form a single, series-ending story, and the feature-length finale, "What You Leave Behind," is considered one of the greatest "Trek" episodes of all time. "DS9" had been great for at least two seasons prior to this one, but the success of Season 7 cemented it as a foremost jewel in the crown of the "Star Trek" franchise.

"Voyager," meanwhile, continued its stellar run of episodes, capping off a three-year rehabilitation effort that saw one of the franchise's shakiest shows become one of its best. It was good timing, too, because with "DS9" wrapping up ("What You Leave Behind" aired the week after the Season 5 "Voyager" finale, "Equinox"), Captain Janeway and her crew were suddenly the only starship in the galaxy. And you, intrepid binge-watcher, can finally stop switching between two different shows.

Voyager (Seasons 6-7)

Unlike "DS9," the final seasons of "Voyager" are not its best, though admittedly, after Seasons 4 and 5, that's a high bar to clear. Season 6 comes close with a steady stream of classics, introducing both the popular Holodeck scenario Fair Haven and the "Pathfinder" storyline that sees "Next Generation" vets Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi join up as recurring characters. By Season 7, however, the quality of "Voyager" has begun to dip noticeably — the final season contains few memorable episodes and at least one extremely ill-conceived romantic subplot. It earns some redemption, however, with the two-part series finale "Endgame," which, whether you like it or not, at least fulfills the promise of the show's premise and comes to a definitive conclusion about whether the ship and its crew are ever getting back to the Alpha Quadrant. It's a moment that would have been easy to shy away from, and "Voyager" meets it head on.

"Endgame" aired in May 2001, and in retrospect, the title didn't only apply to "Voyager." The continuous story that "Star Trek" had been telling for the past 14 years over the course of three different shows and three different movies was over. There was, however, one last (incredibly depressing) chapter to get through.

The final "Next Generation" film, released in 2002, is by far the worst of them, and the worst "Star Trek" movie in general since 1989's "The Final Frontier." It was so bad, in fact, that it notoriously killed "Star Trek" — plans for a fifth "Next Generation" movie were scrapped after "Nemesis" bombed at the box office, and creatively, it's an absolute nightmare, introducing a Romulan sister planet with the unfortunate name of Remus, blatantly attempting to restart Data's entire character arc via a literal copy with the also unfortunate name of B-4, and tying these and other unfortunate decisions together with a nonsensical plot featuring Tom Hardy as a secret clone of Picard. After "Nemesis," the scuttling of future franchise installments can honestly be seen as a mercy killing.

"Star Trek" wasn't quite dead in 2002, however. While we've now officially made it through the combined stories of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager," there's one more show, independent from the others, that now enters the viewing order. And watching it involves going back to the very beginning... and even before that.

In a chronological viewing, "Star Trek: Enterprise" would actually be the first show you watch, since it takes place a hundred years prior to "The Cage." Indirectly spinning off from the events of "First Contact," it tells the story of Earth's first warp starship, appropriately named the Enterprise and captained by Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, and of humanity's early relationships with alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and Andorians. Despite its status as a prequel, the sheer degree to which "Enterprise" relies on its audience having knowledge of other "Star Trek" properties makes it almost impossible to recommend as an entry point. It fits much better here, as the official end of the franchise's second major era, especially given that the final episode, "These Are The Voyages...," frames itself as a holodeck simulation being watched by the Enterprise crew from "Next Generation."

"There Are The Voyages..." aired on May 13th, 2005. There wouldn't be another "Star Trek" show for more than 12 years. At this point, our watch order breaks away from order of release, but we feel strongly that it's how "Star Trek" from 1987 to 2005 should be watched.

Lower Decks

If you think 12 years is a long gap between "Star Trek" installments, that's nothing compared to the 45 years that went by between "Trek" stories told via animation. "Short Treks" was technically the first "Trek" show since "The Animated Series" to include animated episodes, and that aired in 2019, but 2020 gave us the first season of "Lower Decks," an entirely animated show about the people who don't get to hang out on the bridge.

The first franchise installment to ever concern itself primarily with characters who are not in command of a starship or space station, "Lower Decks" is the "Star Trek" equivalent of shows like HBO's "Harley Quinn" — an irreverent, adult-oriented comedy that revels in its TV-MA rating, delivering violence, sex, and swearing at warp speed frequencies. Chronologically, it's set shortly after the events of "Nemesis," but more importantly to the binge-watcher, it's the dessert following a feast — a vital dose of pure fun after absorbing almost four full decades of space drama.

The Kelvin timeline

After the box office failure of "Nemesis" brought an abrupt end to the "Next Generation" movies, there wasn't a new "Trek" film until 2009. And far from being a continuation of the existing movie franchise, this new version, simply called "Star Trek," was a reboot of "The Original Series," casting new, younger versions of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the first Enterprise crew. Sequels to the reboot followed in 2013 and 2016.

Watching these three movies as part of a "Star Trek" binge is pretty much entirely optional, since they take place in an alternate timeline created when the USS Kelvin was destroyed in battle with time-traveling Romulan ship from the 24th century, leaving an infant James T. Kirk without a father in the process. Moreover, the trilogy is widely considered to be of uneven quality (though the third movie, "Star Trek Beyond," is considerably better than its predecessor, possibly due to the departure of director J.J. Abrams). Still, if you're going to watch them, this is the place in the viewing order to do it, as a key plot point of the first film — the Romulan sun going supernova — plays a major role in "Picard."

Short Treks

The Kelvin movies might not exert much direct influence over the larger plot of "Star Trek," but they played a major role in the future of the franchise by bringing in Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman is the showrunner on "Discovery," and with the exception of "Lower Decks," he has been directly involved in every modern "Trek" series. In 2018, after the successful first season of "Discovery" led to a new expansion of the "Star Trek" franchise, Kurtzman and co-creator Bryan Fuller (formerly a writer on "DS9" and "Voyager") premiered "Short Treks," an anthology series of short, unrelated stories. As of this writing, there have been two seasons and 10 total episodes, some live-action, some animated.

"Short Treks" spans almost the entire "Star Trek" timeline — two episodes are set in the period of time between "Enterprise" and "The Original Series," while a third takes place in the far future. As a result, watching it requires a sense of the entire scope of the "Trek" universe. It's the penultimate entry in this watch order, however, because the Season 2 finale, "Children of Mars," leads directly into the final entry: "Picard."

"Star Trek: Picard" is the first of the modern "Trek" offerings to look forward rather than back, giving us a story set after the events of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager." Indeed, not only does the series follow up with Jean-Luc Picard 20 years after we last saw him (and 12 years after the Romulan sun went supernova) but it also brings in an older version of Seven of Nine, once again portrayed by Jeri Ryan. As mentioned, Picard also ties into the most recent installment of "Short Treks," which involves a terrorist attack by synthetic life forms that eventually leads to a ban on their creation — one of the many plot elements of "Picard" that has drawn criticism for being inconsistent with the original utopian vision of "Star Trek."

With so many new "Trek" shows on their way, this list will quickly become outdated. But all the upcoming series will reward previous "Trek" viewing, from Janeway's return on "Star Trek: Prodigy" to a show focused entirely on Section 31. So if you're going to binge all of "Star Trek," you might want to get started now!

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: 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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Star Trek: Discovery Finally Gave Us A Closer Look At The Franchise's Most Mysterious Villain

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."

"Star Trek" might represent an idealistic vision of a bolder and brighter future, but the last few seasons of "Discovery" have proven that there will always be bad guys with a penchant for muddying up those ambitions in unexpected ways -- even in the 32nd Century. While the Borg, Romulans, and the warlord Khan often have a stranglehold on the title of "Best 'Trek' villains," one alien species in particular has remained shrouded in mystery for decades. First mentioned in foreboding whispers in "The Next Generation" and finally seen in the flesh (well, so to speak) in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the Breen have played a significant role throughout the franchise in the years since ... yet Trekkies still had to wait until now to actually see what lies underneath their distinctive helmets.

The advantage of never showing us a Breen's face, as it turns out, is that "Discovery" was able to hide one in plain sight all along.

So far, the addition of scavengers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) has felt like a shoe waiting to drop. The close-knit pair continue to frustrate Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the rest of the Discovery crew (nowhere more dramatically than in last week's time-traveling bottle episode ), remaining one step ahead of our heroes in their quest to recover whatever Progenitor technological treasure hides at the end of this galaxy-spanning rainbow. About midway through episode 5, titled "Mirrors," the writers unleashed their big twist. L'ak, thus far considered an unknown type of extraterrestrial, actually reveals himself as a Breen. Or, rather, an emotional Moll lets this information slip by accident during a particularly fraught moment. In the process, "Trek" finally unmasked its most enigmatic aliens.

Read more: Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

Putting On A Brave Face (Or Two)

In the span of one episode, "Discovery" officially made "Star Trek" history.

Long treated as a mystery that left everything up to our own imaginations, the Breen reveal puts a specific face to what had previously only been a name ... actually, make that two faces. While Moll and L'ak come to a tense faceoff with Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) on board the mirror-universe version of the USS Enterprise while trapped in multidimensional space (it's a long story), the writers treat this as the perfect opportunity to delve into the scavengers' shared past. In a series of flashbacks, we find out that L'ak was part of the Breen royal family and disgraced by his powerful Primarch uncle. Hoping to earn his way back to his people's good graces, all his plans are upended by a torrid romance with then-courier Moll. With their backs against the wall and nowhere else to turn, the lovers choose their own path altogether and, along the way, L'ak reveals his most private aspect of himself: his Breen face.

Of course, the episode adds another twist and introduces the concept of the Breen having two faces -- a solid, corporeal form they can present to others if they so choose, and a more translucent one. (Really, it can only be described as squishier. ) In fact, this creepy and altogether unique visage symbolizes a much more meaningful difference, as we learn when L'ak's uncle calls his chosen face an "insult to your heritage." Apparently, most Breen have moved beyond this "weak" form and consider this some sort of societal faux pas. In just a few minutes, we discover more about Breen culture than we've ever known before.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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Review: Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 “Mirrors”

Star Trek: Discovery picks up immediately where “ Face the Strange ” left off, as our protagonists track their quarry’s ship to a hidden, interdimensional pocket of space that holds a few surprises for them and the audience.

Thanks to some sciencing from Paul Stamets ( Anthony Rapp ) and Sylvia Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ), Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) has a way to find where Moll ( Eve Harlow ) and L’ak ( Elias Toufexis ) are. Apparently, there’s a wormhole hiding in plain sight near where Discovery lost track of the criminals’ warp signature.

This wormhole is too small for a Crossfield- class ship to fit through, so Burnham and Cleveland Booker ( David Ajala ) – the latter of whom is on a mission to rehabilitate Moll, if possible – take a shuttle and see what’s on the other side of the wormhole’s aperture. Find a surprise, they do indeed, as the I.S.S. Enterprise , the evil version of the heroic Starfleet ship, is nestled in the wormhole – albeit without its crew, which apparently evacuated the vessel at some point. It’s beaten to hell and serves as a refuge for Moll and L’ak, whose own ship was destroyed by the interdimensional pocket of space’s destructive environment.

Discovery writers sure can be sneaky! They’ve been foreshadowing the appearance of a Constitution -class for the last two episodes; remember when Gen Rhys ( Patrick Kwok-Choon ) and Commander Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ) both remarked the Connie was their favorite ship? As we’ll see, this isn’t the last bit of foreshadowing that comes true in this episode.

“How did it end up in interdimensional space?” “I don’t know. Must be one hell of a story.” – Book and Burnham upon seeing the I.S.S. Enterprise

Astute viewers will recognize an often-used cost-saving measure in the annals of Star Trek history: the reuse of sets from another concurrent show. (Seriously, rewatch TNG , DS9 , and Voyager and you’ll be surprised how often props and sets are reused between those shows.) As Burnham and Book explore various halls and rooms, including the bridge and sickbay, the familiar surroundings seen in Strange New Worlds are subtly transformed by Mirror Universe iconography. While nods to the iconic starship Enterprise are always appreciated, our initial reaction to this surprise location—admittedly tinged with pessimism—is that it’s of course it’s the Enterprise . A practical move, perhaps, to keep expenses in check. By Grabthar’s hammer… what a savings.

Finding the ship deserted sure is strange, and Burnham and Book ascertain Moll and L’ak are in sickbay, presumably with the next clue in the Progenitor puzzle. But first, the pair check out the transporter room, which holds some strange items, such as blankets, children’s toys, and a locket that holds a picture of two people, which Burnham inexplicably decides to take with her. Moreover, the dedication plaque of the I.S.S Enterprise tells the story of the ship and its crew: the Terran Universe emperor seemingly tried to make changes to the way things were done in that evil universe, and the Enterprise escaped and picked up refugees who were trying to flee the Terran Universe and enter the Prime Universe.

One of the leaders among those on the Enterprise was a Kelpien, who Burnham deduces must have been the Mirror Universe version of Saru, and that the crew must have fled the Enterprise once it got stuck in the interdimensional pocket of space. Is it just us, or does this sound like a potential episode of Strange New Worlds ?

Burnham, Book, Moll, and L’ak face off in sickbay, where Burnham makes a startling connection between L’ak and a particular dilemma he is facing. The criminal pair hope to use the Progenitor treasure to clear L’ak’s Breen blood bounty. Yes, L’ak is Breen, that enigmatic and masked species from Deep Space Nine . Neato!

The rest of the episode bounces between what’s happening on the Enterprise , and flashing back to how Moll and L’ak first met and became romantically involved. Moll, the courier, would do business on the Breen space station on which L’ak, a member of a royal Breen family, was posted. The two connected over L’ak’s recent demotion and efforts to fight the embarrassment that came with it.

Over some time, the two became nearly inseparable, and L’ak even took the bold step with Moll by showing her his face – a big deal in Breen culture, as keeping their masks on allows them to retain their true, semi-transparent form, and not the solidified appearance we’ve seen on L’ak. Their relationship is tested when L’ak’s superior (and uncle), Primarch Ruhn ( Tony Nappo ) decides to interrupt their courtship. L’ak doesn’t take kindly to being asked to kill Moll, so the Breen turns on his own people, earns a Breen blood bounty, and flees with Moll. The pair now share a goal: earn enough latinum to retire on an (unnamed) fabled planet somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant, free from the trials and hardships of the courier life.

Suffice it to say, “Mirrors” is most memorable because it casts a welcome light on the shadowed backstory of this season’s main villains. Moll and L’ak are now a relatable pair, star-crossed lovers who are hell-bent on earning themselves a happy ending. As much as we don’t want to see the Progenitors’ tech get into the wrong hands, who now doesn’t want to see everything work out for Moll and L’ak?

Anyway, the quartet still need to get off the Enterprise , but the shuttle on which Burnham and Book arrived is destroyed by the turbulent pocket of space. With mere minutes to spare before the Enterprise is destroyed by the wormhole’s tiny aperture, Book and Moll share some last-minute words about their shared relationship with the late Cleveland Booker, and how Book hopes Moll makes the right choices regarding her quest for the Progenitor tech. Burnham, meanwhile, engages in a melee with L’ak, and the Breen ends up injured and inadvertently relinquishes control to Burnham of the next map piece in the Progenitor puzzle. The courier and disgraced Breen end up escaping the ship in a convenient Terran warp pod, leaving the chase between our heroes and enemies for another day.

“If we hit it precisely with a sequential hexagonal pattern, it should stay open for approximately sixty seconds. But once it collapses, it’s gone for good.” “Why hexagonal?” “Doesn’t matter… it’ll work.” – Adira ( Blu del Barrio ), Rayner, and Stamets as the crew finds a way to get the wormhole aperture bigger. We think this line from Stamets is reflective of the evolving working relationship between the results-orientated Rayner and the crew, and how this relationship is getting better the longer Rayner is first officer.

Burnham devises a novel way to signal her first officer for help in getting the Enterprise through the aperture: a pulsing tractor beam emitting from the Enterprise , shot through the wormhole’s opening, in a numerical sequence featured in a famous play from Kellerun culture. Rayner is then able to lead his crew to devise a way to pull the Enterprise into normal space.

The sequence where Rayner is faced with command of a ship tasked with the near-impossible rescue of his captain is the best of the episode. It’s no secret Rayner was knocked down a few pegs after his demotion and reassignment to Discovery , but that lack of confidence and inner angst is demolished thanks to Rayner listening and working with his bridge crew to save the Enterprise . Plenty of lesser-known bridge officers get a say in how Discovery could help the Mirror ship, and lightning-fast decision-making shows Rayner back on his game.

The last element to note about this episode is some emotional trouble Doctor Hugh Culber ( Wilson Cruz ) is having. Tilly provides an outlet for this angst. Culber explains the experiences he’s had in the last few years – namely dying, coming back to life, and being a Trill host – really put into perspective the intellectual journey he is on in the face of the Progenitor’s quest. Tilly helps him realize he isn’t only experiencing an intellectual quest, but a spiritual one. This conversation is just another instance of Discovery setting up some wild expectations for what the crew might ultimately discover at the end of the season – something beyond the bounds of science, perhaps?

Even though their prey gets away again, Burnham and her crew have the next clue in the Progenitor puzzle, and it is hiding in the I.S.S. Enterprise ’s sickbay. Hidden in the map piece Burnham grabbed from L’ak is a vial, which Stamets will analyze soon. Burnham learns the crew who escaped from the I.S.S. Enterprise ended up in the Prime Universe and were able to start new lives. A Terran scientist aboard the Enterprise , Dr. Cho, ended up being a branch admiral, and we’re meant to assume she was one of the scientists on Dr. Vellek’s team hundreds of years ago as they studied the Progenitor tech. Dr. Cho then hid her piece of the Progenitor puzzle aboard her old ship as a symbolic gesture of her ability to find freedom in a new universe.

Discovery continues its final season with another thumbs-up episode that serves an important lore-building role in the franchise. Seeing the Breen again is a joy, especially since we were staring at one the whole time and never knew it. And how striking was that Breen space station where L’ak was based? Another important note for Star Trek historians is that now the Mirror Universe Enterprise is in the 32 nd century, and stationed near Earth thanks to Joann Owosekun and Keyla Detmer piloting the ship back to Federation space. Will we see that ship again this season?

As the Progenitor puzzle deepens, so do the emotional stakes for our crew, exemplified by Culber’s introspective journey, the subtle reignition of Book and Burnham’s relationship, and Rayner’s triumphant return to leadership. We’re now at the halfway point in this season, so there’s still plenty of time for surprises, emotional consequences, and expectation-setting for this eagerly awaited treasure.

Stray Thoughts:

Hopefully, you’re watching this episode with subtitles on, because goodness is it hard to hear what masked Breen says.
The Mirror Universe version of the U.S.S. Enterprise was last seen in the Original Series episode “Mirror, Mirror,” albeit this wasn’t the Strange New Worlds version of the ship. Likewise, the Terran version of Spock, whom Booker asks if Burnham ever met, was in that same episode.
How did Adira conclude they were the one who brought the time bug aboard Discovery ?
Why didn’t Burnham and Book try talking down Moll and L’ak before diving into the room with the holo-projected doubles?

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+ , this season stars Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Season five also features recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll).

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Prodigy , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Lower Decks , and more.

You can follow us on X , Facebook , and Instagram .

Kyle Hadyniak has been a lifelong Star Trek fan, and isn't ashamed to admit that Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek: Nemesis are his favorite Star Trek movies. You can follow Kyle on Twitter @khady93 .

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 trailer teases Burnham & crew’s final mission

With the launch of the final season of Star Trek: Discovery right around the corner, Paramount+ has released an official trailer for the series’...

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Star Trek - Chronological Order

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: 92,875

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

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: 8,177

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: 96,590 | 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: 129,187 | 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: 86,150 | 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: 91,460 | 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: 64,188 | 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: 80,887 | 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: 135,918

10. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) Episode: Encounter at Farpoint (1987)

TV-PG | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

On the maiden mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), an omnipotent being known as Q challenges the crew to discover the secret of a mysterious base in an advanced and civilized fashion.

Director: Corey Allen | Stars: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Denise Crosby

Votes: 7,325

11. 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: 87,019 | Gross: $75.67M

12. 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: 70,750

13. 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: 77,285

14. 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: 132,030 | Gross: $92.00M

15. 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: 79,442 | Gross: $70.12M

16. 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: 83,911 | Gross: $43.25M

17. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

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

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.

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

Votes: 59,076

18. 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: 620,176 | Gross: $257.73M

19. 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: 497,024 | Gross: $228.78M

20. 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: 258,442 | Gross: $158.85M

21. 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 , Mary Wiseman

Votes: 134,715

22. 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: 94,656

23. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–2024)

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: 24,939

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: 58,820

25. 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: 5,577

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