star trek timeline how to watch

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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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!

Pocket-lint

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

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

Key Takeaways

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

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

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

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

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

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

The original star trek timeline.

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

There are spoilers below.

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

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

Stardate: 2151 to 2156

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

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

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

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

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

Stardate: 2256

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

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

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

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

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

Stardate: 2258

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

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

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

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

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

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

Stardate: 2266 to 2269

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

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

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

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

5 Optional Star Trek: The Animated Series

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

Stardate: 2269 to 2270

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

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

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

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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

Stardate: 2273

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

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

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

Star trek: the wrath of khan.

Stardate: 2285

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

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

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

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

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

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

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

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

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

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

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

Stardate: 2286

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

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

Nimoy returned to direct this film, as well.

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

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

Stardate: 2287

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

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

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

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

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

Stardate: 2293

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

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

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

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

Stardate: 2364 to 2370

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

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

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

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

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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

Stardate: 2369 to 2375

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

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

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

14 Star Trek Generations

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

Stardate: 2371

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

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

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

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

15 Star Trek: Voyager

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

Stardate: 2371 to 2378

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

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

16 Star Trek: First Contact

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

Stardate: 2373

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

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

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

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

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

Stardate: 2375

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

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

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

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

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

Picard vs picard, star trek: nemesis.

Stardate: 2379

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

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

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

19 Star Trek: Picard

Picard's forced out of retirement one more time

Star Trek: Picard

Stardate: 2399

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

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

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

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

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

Stardate: 3188

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

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

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

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

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

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

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Series & Movies

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

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

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

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

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

How 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.

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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 all star trek tv shows in timeline order.

The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.

Watching Star Trek in timeline order allows viewers to experience the expansive and enduring universe that has spawned multiple TV series and films for over 57 years.
Star Trek: Enterprise serves as a prequel to the original series, showcasing the voyages of the original crew in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk's command.
Star Trek: Discovery introduces a new era of Star Trek, set ten years before the original series, and follows Commander Michael Burnham as she navigates through space and prevents a Klingon war.

Watching all of the Star Trek series in timeline order is a great way to experience the final frontier. Created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek - now dubbed Star Trek: The Original Series - premiered in 1966. After only lasting 3 seasons on NBC, little could anyone have guessed that Star Trek would endure for over 57 years and spawn a dozen TV series (and counting) as well as 13 feature films (and possibly more).

Watching Star Trek in order was once relatively simple. Star Trek: The Original Series began with the 23rd-century voyages of the Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). After Star Trek was revived as a movie franchise in 1979, a spinoff titled Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987 and depicted the adventures of the new USS Enterprise-D in the 24th century. Two more spinoffs followed before the first prequel series set in the 22nd century, Star Trek: Enterprise , premiered in 2001. Today, Star Trek on Paramount+'s multiple series take place throughout the Star Trek timeline , from the 23rd century to the distant future of the 32nd century. Here's the proper timeline order to watch every Star Trek series.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

13 star trek: enterprise (2001-2005), 22nd century: 2151-2161.

The earliest-set Star Trek series is Enterprise , later retitled Star Trek: Enterprise in season 3. Taking place almost a hundred years after Earth's First Contact with the Vulcans seen in Star Trek: First Contact, Enterprise centers on the voyages of the NX-01 Enterprise led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) . Enterprise aired for four seasons, and Archer's adventures primarily took place in the 22nd century with a couple of caveats: Enterprise introduced a Temporal Cold War that impacted the 25th century, and the controversial Enterprise series finale , "These Are The Voyages..." depicts events from 2161 but was actually set during the 24th century of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7. Still, Enterprise remains the recognized beginning of Starfleet's mission of galactic exploration in Star Trek.

Star Trek: Enterprise

12 star trek: discovery seasons 1 & 2 (2017-2019), 23rd century: 2256-2258.

Premiering in 2017, Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 were set in 2256 and 2258, about a hundred years after Star Trek: Enterprise . The first two seasons of Discovery also take place about a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series , which makes it a prequel (initially). Discovery brought Star Trek into the modern streaming TV era, but its feature film-quality production values and storytelling risks clashed with established Star Trek canon. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2 , the series time jumps to the other end of the Star Trek timeline so that the rest of Star Trek: Discovery occurs during the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery

In 2018 and 2019, Star Trek released a series called Star Trek: Short Treks that supplemented events from Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 and set up Star Trek: Picard season 1.

11 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 onward)

23rd century: 2259 onward.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds picks up in 2259, months after Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and centers on Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Star Trek legacy characters reintroduced in Discovery season 2. Strange New Worlds is yet another prequel that takes place approximately 5-7 years before Star Trek: The Original Series , but it has been incredibly well received for bringing the optimistic and episodic voyages of the Starship Enterprise to modern audiences. By the end of Strange New Worlds season 2 , younger versions of James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Scotty (Martin Quinn) have also been successfully introduced.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

10 star trek: the original series (1966-1969), 23rd century: 2266-2269.

Star Trek: The Original Series was the first Star Trek show ever to air, but its mid-23rd century setting (2266-2269) now sets TOS as the fourth series in the Star Trek timeline . The original Star Trek is about the pioneering five-year mission of Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise to seek out new life and new civilizations. After TOS was canceled, it remained popular thanks to syndication, which opened the door to an aborted sequel series, Star Trek: Phase II , which was turned into 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture . TOS continued as a movie franchise for six more films, concluding with 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

After Star Trek rereuns became a hit in syndication in the 1970s, a revival series, Star Trek: Phase II , was planned before the success of Star Wars led Paramount to rework Phase II into Star Trek: The Motion Picture , launching the Star Trek movie franchise.

Star Trek: The Original Series

9 star trek: the animated series (1973-1974), 23rd century: 2269-2270.

Star Trek: The Animated Series continued the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek: Original Series. TAS featured most of the Star Trek actors voicing their characters and many of the writers from the live-action series penned scripts. TAS can be regarded as Star Trek: The Original Series season 4 , but its canonical status was considered apocryphal for years. The more recent Star Trek series have included numerous references to TAS , making the animated Star Trek show relevant and canonical once more.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

In 2023, Star Trek released a series of animated shorts called Star Trek: very Short Treks that aren't considered Star Trek canon.

8 Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

24th century: 2364-2370.

Star Trek: The Next Generation begins in the mid-24th century, about 70 years after Star Trek: The Original Series. TNG is about the USS Enterprise-D led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Airing for 7 wildly successful seasons, Star Trek: The Next Generation 's cast inherited the Star Trek movie franchise, delivering four films from 1994-2002. Perhaps the most popular Star Trek series of all, TNG kicked off what is creatively the richest and most complex period of Star Trek , spawning three spinoff shows. Star Trek: The Next Generation' s legacy is concluded in Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: The Next Generation

7 star trek: deep space nine (1993-1999), 24th century: 2369-2375.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the first spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and it begins around the time of TNG season 6. The first Star Trek series starring a Black lead character, Commander and later Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), DS9 broke the Star Trek formula by being set on a space station guarding the Bajoran Wormhole. DS9 pioneered serialized storytelling in Star Trek , and the popular Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn) from TNG joined Deep Space Nine' s cast in season 4. Arguably DS9 's greatest storyline was the Dominion War, which altered the late 24th-century Star Trek galaxy and continued to impact Star Trek: Picard in the early 25th century.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

6 star trek: voyager (1995-2001), 24th century: 2371-2378.

The second spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager takes place at the same time as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the TNG movies in the 24th century. Voyager' s eponymous starship, led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), was stranded in the Delta Quadrant millions of light years from home. Janeway, the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek series , commanded the USS Voyager throughout its tumultuous 7-season journey back home to Earth. Voyager explored a region of the Star Trek universe never before seen and created a breakout character in the former Borg named Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).

Star Trek: Voyager

5 star trek: lower decks (2020 onward), 24th century: 2380 onward.

The first Star Trek animated comedy , Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the late 24th century, beginning in 2380, about two years after the USS Voyager returned to Earth and a year after the final TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis . Lower Decks is a continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation' s era , but centering on the "less important" starship, the USS Cerritos, and its junior officers. Lower Decks proved a comedic Star Trek can work wonders, shedding a humorous new light on both the mundane and fantastic events of being a Starfleet Officer.

Star Trek: Lower Decks ' Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) played their characters in live-action in a comedic crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

4 star trek: prodigy (2021 onward), 24th century: 2383 onward.

Star Trek: Prodigy is designed to bring a new young audience to Star Trek and instill the values of Starfleet into new viewers. Star Trek: Prodigy 's cast consists of all-new teenage characters mentored by legacy Star Trek icons like Admiral Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. Star Trek: Prodigy begins in 2383 but incorporates time travel into its saga, with the upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 poised to travel to an alternate 25th-century timeline and possibly beyond while touching upon every other iteration of the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled by Paramount+ but found a new streaming home in Netlfix, thanks in part to a dedicared #SaveStarTrekProdigy fan campaign.

3 Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)

24th-25th century: 2399-2402.

Star Trek: Picard depicts the sunset years of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard , who is joined by the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation in Picard season 3. Star Trek: Picard season 1 is set in 2399, at the end of the 24th century, although Picard season 2 is a time travel adventure that brings the Starfleet legend and his motley crew to Los Angeles 2024. The 25th century formally begins in Star Trek: Picard season 3, set in 2401, and the popularity of Picard 's final season creates hope that the 25th-century era will continue in a new series dubbed Star Trek: Legacy .

Star Trek: Picard

2 star trek: discovery season 3, 4 & 5 (2020-2024), 32nd century: 3188-onward.

Star Trek: Discovery broke from its prequel chains to have the honor of blazing the 32nd century, the farthest known point of the Star Trek timeline . At the start of Discovery season 3, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) arrived in 3188, with her starship, the USS Discovery, joining her a year later. After back-to-back missions where the USS Discovery saved the galaxy, Captain Burnham is poised to embark on a hunt for "the greatest treasure in the known galaxy" in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 , the series' final season.

1 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2025)

32nd century ().

The newly announced Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is expected to be set in the 32nd century after Star Trek: Discovery ends . Discovery season 4 reintroduced Starfleet Academy, which was defunct for over a century following the galactic cataclysm called The Burn. The new Starfleet Academy show would logically explore the reborn institution and how it forges the next generation of 32nd-century Starfleet Officers, which would make Starfleet Academy the new farthest point in the Star Trek timeline.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Every Star Trek TV series except Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix.

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

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

Star Trek: Enterprise

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

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

Star Trek: Picard

Star trek: discovery, season 3.

What’s next for Trek?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What’s next for Trek?

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

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

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

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

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Fans of monster movies have a lot to enjoy with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire thanks to its massive collection of giant monsters, known as Titans in the MonsterVerse franchise. With the return of Godzilla and King Kong, as well as newly introduced characters like Skar King and the young Suko, the new film puts the monsters front and center. The movie's stars even jokingly acknowledge that they're just supporting characters to the monsters, with Rebecca Hall telling AP, “They are the stars of the movie, we're just the scale." Her costar, Dan Stevens, added, "We’re just the sideshow."

Sequels have a bad reputation for being less than impressive. On the plus side, you have franchises like the new Star Trek movies and Guardians of the Galaxy, where the sequels aren't necessarily bad, they're just more of the same. On the bad end, you're left with what most sequels become: desperate attempts from studios to make more money by churning out absolute garbage, like Son of the Mask, Basic Instinct 2, Sex and the City 2, and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde.

Luckily, sci-fi is a genre that's largely been spared from horrific theatrically released sequels (the straight-to-DVD ones are another story). In fact, there are quite a few heavily praised sci-fi sequels out there ... some of which have even won Oscars. If you want to watch some great sci-fi sequels, check out the list below to discover the seven best. 7. Jurassic World (2015)

Netflix continues to bolster its sci-fi library with a wide selection of films. Right now, one of the most popular sci-fi franchises on Netflix is Jurassic Park. Witnessing the moment when Dr. Grant watches the dinosaurs for the first time is still a breathtaking scene. Other sci-fi blockbusters making the rounds on Netflix include Meg 2: The Trench, Rebel Moon, and Ready Player One.

Below, we picked five sci-fi movies to watch in March. One of our picks is Spaceman, a new sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler as a lonely astronaut who bonds with an extraterrestrial creature. Other films on our list include an underrated mystery from 2023, a visually appealing monster movie, and a fun sequel to an independent action film. They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

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How to Watch Star Trek in Order (2024) Complete Timeline

As a devoted Star Trek fan who has ventured into the captivating depths of the franchise, I'll gladly share my ultimate guide on how to watch Star Trek in order.

Follow along as we navigate through the series, episode by episode, and prepare for an out-of-this-world journey through the cosmos! Let's get started!

Trek is a vast franchise spanning multiple TV series, movies, and spin-offs. The timeline can be complicated and confusing, especially for newcomers.

As someone who loves Star Trek and has watched it many times, I get it. It can be confusing because you don't know how and where to start! But don't worry—I'm here to help. I'll gladly share my ultimate guide on how to watch Star Trek in order.

Follow along as we navigate the series, episode by episode, and prepare for an out-of-this-world journey through the cosmos! Let's get started!

Quick Viewing Order

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: The Cage

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series

The first six Star Trek films

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4

*Films are in italics

Star Trek Chronological Viewing Order

1. star trek: enterprise (year: 2151-2161) .

The Star Trek: Enterprise is a prequel to The Original Series. This series is the earliest by timeline based on the Star Trek timeline.

Its story revolves around the Earth's first-ever warp-five capable ship, the USS Enterprise NX-01, captained by Captain Jonathan Archer.

When Earth Starfleet launched its first starship, Archer took his human crew deep into space. They had their first contact with several Star Trek alien staples.

The Star Trek series also began humans' involvement in the Temporal Cold War when they first encountered the Star Trek aliens in Cabal.

Are you looking for a cool birthday party idea ? Playing the Star Trek Enterprise will make your Trekkie guests go wild!

2. Star Trek: The Cage – The Original Series one-off pilot episode (Year: 2254)

"Star Trek: The Cage" is a one-off pilot episode of the Star Trek The Original Series, set in the year 2254.

It follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise as they encounter a powerful alien race that can create lifelike illusions.

The episode explores themes of humanity, morality, and the potential of space exploration.

3. Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2 (Year: 2255)

Next on our list is Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2. This is the first Star Trek series to feature Michael Burnham, an officer, as the main character. Burnham is the science specialist on the USS Discovery NCC-1031.

In the first Star Trek Discovery season, Michael and her crew dealt with a galaxy on the brink of war. While in the second Star Trek Discovery season, she and her crew had to chase The Red Angel, a mysterious entity. It even showed Michael and her crew embark on a one-way trip to the furthest distance ever. You'll also find several Star Trek decor ideas in this series!

4. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Year: 2259)

It follows the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike, Spock, and Number One aboard the USS Enterprise.

This remarkable series captures the spirit of the original Star Trek, immersing us in a universe teeming with breathtaking exploration, riveting encounters with alien civilizations, and the unwavering dedication of our intrepid crew.

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

Star Trek: The Original Series is the series that started it all. While most Trekkies find this series to be the "first" series to watch when beginning the show, some still prefer it to be in third place chronologically.

It also followed the adventures of Captain Kirk and his First Officer Spock as they boldly went to a place where no one had gone before to explore strange new worlds.

We love Mr. Spock so much that we collected Spock action figures and other incredible Star Trek toys over the years!

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

The Star Trek: The Animated Series was originally and formally titled the Star Trek and The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek.

This animated series Star Trek was a continuation of the USS Enterprise's voyages in Star Trek The Original Series. The Star Trek: The Animated Series had the same cast as the two Star Trek series except for Ensign Chekov.

The original cast from the previous series mainly voiced the entire Star Trek animated series.

Some episodes were sequels to The Original Series Star Trek, such as "Once Upon a Planet," "More Tribbles, More Troubles," and "Mudd's Passion."

At the same time, the other Star Trek episodes were the original concepts of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, which weren't used before The Original Series concluded.

The Star Trek show mainly featured a handful of innovative technologies like the aqua shuttle and the recreation room.

Furthermore, it featured many non-humanoid alien species and alien officers aboard the Enterprise, which weren't featured within the Star Trek original series' budget.

7. The first six Star Trek films (Year: 2273-2293)

The first six Star Trek movies happened approximately three years after Kirk's adventures aboard the Enterprise.

The Star Trek films were The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, and The Undiscovered Country.

You can check out our favorite Captain Kirk quotes here .

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) followed nearly a century after the USS's initial five-year journey.

Enterprise, when the USS Enterprise-D begins its exploration mission. Seventy years after the undertakings of Star Trek VI, humans, and Klingons have finally found peace.

However, Patrick Stewart, aka Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and the Next Generation crew still encountered many hostile alien life forms in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series.

Star Trek: The Next Generation series also featured the incarnation of the famous starship. It is much larger than the starship captained by Captain James T. Kirk a century earlier, and it carried more crews aboard.

However, the crew's mission was wider than a five-year mission in the Next Generation. We found plenty of Star Trek gift ideas in this series!

9. Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis (Year: 2293-2379)

The Star Trek films 7-10: Generations - Star Trek: Nemesis focused on the passing of the torch from Captain James T. Kirk to Picard and the epic conclusion of Picard and his crew's adventures and five-year mission aboard the Enterprise-D.

Like the First Contact, the Star Trek Generations mostly took place in 2371, although the Star Trek movie opened in 2293, right after the events of Star Trek VI.

In contrast, Star Trek: Nemesis happened four years after the Star Trek Generations. When the Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Deep Space Nine events concluded, Picard and the Enterprise-D took their final season together.

In the Star Trek Generations, Romulan's new leader wreaked havoc on the Federation, instigating an investigation for the Enterprise. Soon, they discovered the new leader was Picard's genetic clone.

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

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) began approximately five years after The Next Generation began.

The Star Trek motion picture concurrently began to run with Picard's voyage. Unlike the other series, the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did not occur aboard a Starfleet ship.

Instead, the show focused on the defensive, political, and commercial space station Deep Space Nine. The Star Trek DS9 is an outpost near a stable wormhole's mouth in the far-flung places of explored space.

It also followed Sisko's command on the Deep Space Nine, even though the Deep Space Nine station belonged to the natural inhabitants of nearby Bajor.

11. Star Trek: Voyager (Year: 2371-2378)

Star Trek: Voyager essentially functioned as the fourth season of the Original Series.

It focused on the adventures of Captain Kathryn Janeway when she chased the Maquis vessel. She was aboard the USS Voyager when Maquis suddenly transported 70,000 light-years away.

The Star Trek Voyager is smaller than Picard's or Kirk's starships. Voyager could only accommodate 150 crews.

12. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380)

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" (2380) is an animated series that follows the support crew aboard the USS Cerritos, a less glamorous Starfleet ship.

The show offers a humorous and irreverent take on the Star Trek universe. It highlights the often-overlooked lower-ranking officers' adventures and mishaps as they navigate their duties, relationships, and unexpected encounters.

13. Star Trek: Prodigy (Year: 2383)

"Star Trek: Prodigy" (Year: 2383) is an animated series that follows a group of rebellious teenagers who discover an abandoned Starfleet ship, the USS Protostar [ 1 ].

Guided by an enigmatic hologram of Captain Kathryn Janeway, they embark on a thrilling journey across the galaxy, learning valuable lessons about teamwork, bravery, and the principles of Starfleet.

14. Star Trek: Picard (Year: 2399)

This series is focused on Captain Picard twenty years after his faceoff with Shinzon [ 2 ].

Picard has already retired and currently works in his family's vineyard. He miserably mourned the death of his friends and Romulus.

In the Star Trek universe, this planet was destroyed when its sun went supernova in 2387.

15. Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4 (32nd Century)

In seasons 3-4 of "Star Trek: Discovery Season" (32nd Century), the crew of the USS Discovery finds themselves stranded in a future where the Federation is on the brink of collapse.

They navigate a chaotic universe, facing new allies and enemies, as they work to restore hope and bring the Federation back to its former glory while uncovering the mysteries of the Burn and the Emerald Chain.

Is There Another Way/Order to Watch the Series?

Yes, there is another way/order to watch the Star Trek saga. You can watch it with the order based on the released date or in-universe continuity.

The Star Trek TV shows and films shows typically jump around the franchise's chronology with prequels, sequels, and bits in between.

However, we suggest you watch the Star Trek show chronologically, especially if you are a newbie Trekkie.

We also suggest watching the Star Trek TV shows first, followed by Star Trek movies.

You may start watching the Star Trek shows/series, starting with the Final Frontier, Strange New Worlds, or The Undiscovered Country.

But the franchise has two distinct timelines as separate entities that may confuse you, like the alternate timeline or alternate reality in Kelvinverse or Kelvin Timeline.

Where To Watch Stark Trek Movies?

Star Trek can be streamed on Paramount+ [ 3 ], the primary platform for all the latest series and a vast library of past episodes and movies. Select Star Trek content may also be available on other streaming platforms like Sling and Pluto TV.

How to Watch Star Trek Movies by Release Order

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 - 1969)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 - 1974)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1984)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 - 1994)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999)

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 (2009)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Star Trek: Discovery (2017 - Present)

Star Trek: Picard (2020 - 2023)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 - Present)

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021 - TBA)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 - Present)

Should you watch Star Trek in chronological order?

Yes, our team recommends watching Star Trek in chronological order of release date.

Although some Trek fans claim that The Next Generation is essentially a fresh start, there is a fair chance that you will miss various back-references.

What is the most popular Star Trek series?

Although the series ran for three seasons, most Star Trek fans believed that Star Trek: The Next Generation was the best series to start watching the whole franchise.

So, it is not surprising that it is, by and large, the most popular series. However, some fans also claim that The Original Series and the Kelvin Timeline are equally popular.

Can I watch the new Star Trek without watching the old ones?

Yes, you can enjoy the new Star Trek series without watching the older ones.

The new series is designed to be accessible to newcomers, offering fresh storylines and characters while still capturing the essence of the Star Trek universe.

Final Thoughts

Based on my experience, the Star Trek series and movies were released in a different order [4], so we hope you find this how-to-watch-Star Trek-in-order guide helpful for your binge-watching, especially for those new to Star Trek.

Starting with Star Trek: Enterprise through Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4, the subsequent shows and movies allow you to appreciate the evolving storytelling, character arcs, and rich history of this beloved franchise.

Whether you follow the chronological order or the release order, each entry offers unique contributions to the Star Trek legacy.

And if you are a solid Star Trek fan, you may also want to check out Star Trek toys and collectibles here.

Shop The Star Trek Collection Now

References:

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/2383
https://www.nme.com/news/tv/how-many-episodes-of-star-trek-picard-season-3-are-there-release-schedule-titles-3401570
https://www.paramountplus.com/intl/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/84877/20-enterprising-facts-about-star-trek

Continue reading

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Star Trek: How and where to watch the movies, live action TV, and cartoons in chronological and release order

Multiple shows, multiple movie franchises, multiple timelines. You'll need more than a tricorder to make sense of the Star Trek franchise.

'Computer, where do I start if I want to watch Star Trek?'

While that amazing LCARS computer and interface isn't yet a reality, we can provide the next best thing. Here’s how to watch the Star Trek franchise in chronological and release order. It helps that all of it is available streaming as part of a Paramount+ subscription.

With a narrative that spans seven decades and more than three times that many shows and movies, determining how to watch Star Trek might seem like a daunting prospect. The simple fact of the matter is, the best Trek starting point will likely depend on your own personal sensibilities.

But how to determine which Trek will match your sensibilities before you’re familiar with the franchise? This primer can help you determine where you want to Boldly Go first in the vast and ever-expanding Star Trek universe. Whether you’re interested in a show or movie, the prime Trek timeline of the Kelvin timeline, here’s how to watch Star Trek in chronological and release order.

How to watch Star Trek in chronological order

Here’s how to watch Star Trek’s prime timeline in chronological order:

Star Trek: Enterprise (September 2001 – May 2005)
Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 1 & 2; September 2017 – April 2019)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (May 2022 – ongoing)
Star Trek: The Original Series (September 1966 – June 1969)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (September 1973 – October 1974)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (June 1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (June 1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (November 1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (June 1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (December 1991)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (September 1987 – May 1994)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Jan 1993 – June 1999)
Star Trek Generations (November 1994)
Star Trek: First Contact (November 1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (December 1998)
Star Trek: Nemesis (December 2002)
Star Trek: Voyager (January 1995 – May 2001)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (August 2020 – ongoing)
Star Trek: Prodigy (October 2021 – cancelled but seeking a new home )
Star Trek: Picard (January 2020 – April 2023)
Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 3 – 5; October 2020 – 2024)

Wait, where is the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie trilogy? That's part of a vastly different Star Trek timeline, the Kelvin timeline, which we'll get into in a bit.

Some notes on time travel: the majority of the Star Trek shows and several of the movies include time travel storylines that bring the characters outside of their time frame, including to dates in the 20th and 21st Century (before Enterprise ). For the sake of clarity, these temporal outliers have been omitted from the above chronology.

Furthermore, because of the nature of the effect time travel has on the Trek timeline (see below), entries that appear earlier in the chronological order may be affected by those that appear later on. For example, the Enterprise season 2 episode 'Regeneration' flows from the events of Star Trek: First Contact.

The anthology series Star Trek: Short Treks is not included on this timeline, as it features episodes that take place throughout the Trek franchise timeline. Furthermore, note that Star Trek: VII – XI take place contemporaneously with part of the Deep Space Nine and Voyager timelines.

How to watch Star Trek in release order

Here’s how to watch the prime Trek timeline in release order:

Star Trek (May 2009)
Star Trek Into Darkness (August 2013)
Star Trek Beyond (July 2016)
Star Trek: Discovery (September 2017 – 2024)
Star Trek: Short Treks (October 2018 – January 2020)

Where are the Star Trek movies and TV shows streaming?

You're in luck. While some of the movies and TV shows are available individually across various streaming platforms, all of the Star Trek TV shows and movies are also available centrally on the Paramount+ streaming service. That is also the home for every announced upcoming Star Trek TV show and movie as well (althought hat may chnage).

Understanding Star Trek and the Kelvin timeline

The Kelvin timeline is a parallel timeline created when Nero (Eric Bana) travels from 2387 to 2233, a date between the time frames of Enterprise and Discovery season 1 . It is named for the Starfleet ship Nero destroys upon his arrival in the 23rd century, the USS Kelvin. The majority of the Kelvin timeline narrative takes place around the same time as TOS, but on an alternate timeline.

Here’s how to watch the three movies in the Kelvin timeline in both chronological and release order:

How does time travel affect the Star Trek timeline?

The mechanics of time travel in the Star Trek franchise were raised in Strange New Worlds season 2 episode 3, 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.' In this episode, La’An Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and a parallel timeline version of James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) travel back in time to the 2020s. There, they meet Sera (Adelaide Kane).

Eventually Sera is revealed to be a Romulan spy from the future. In dialogue, she states that she was sent back in time to prevent the rise of Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). According to Sera, a Romulan-constructed computer calculated that preventing the rise of Khan would prevent the formation of the Federation. These consequences are glimpsed when La’An visits parallel Kirk’s timeline in the cold opening and first act of 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.'

Sera reveals that the rise of Khan was meant to transpire in the 1990s. This comports with the timeline established in the TOS season 1 episode 'Space Seed,' which first introduced Khan. However, she further states that the side effects of time travel, including multiple “temporal wars” (see: Enterprise seasons 1 and 2 for one example), have caused unpredictable alterations to the timeline. In spite of these changes, she continues that certain persistent events seem to resist attempts to prevent them from happening. This includes the rise of Khan, which 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow' now suggests takes place in the 2030s rather than the 1990s.

Alterations to the timeline could therefore explain some of the apparent narrative inconsistencies across the various incarnations of the Star Trek franchise. This could include aesthetics, providing an explanation as to why the Enterprise on Strange New Worlds looks more advanced than the same ship on The Original Series . Likewise, it could explain why certain characters seem to 'forget' key information later on in the timeline. In early iterations, perhaps they remained ignorant.

In both cases, these inconsistencies have practical, real-world explanations: with better visual effects the Enterprise looks better, and when it comes to an expansive ongoing narrative like Star Trek, retcons of various degrees will eventually become inevitable. However, the revelation that Trek’s timeline is not fixed but rather evolving offers an in-canon explanation for these practical considerations.

There is an additional implication to be taken into account regarding the insight into time travel afforded by 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.' Because alterations to the timeline are possible, the 'known fates' of characters like Spock may not be as inevitable as they once seemed. However, in spite of this, said events still may prove unavoidable, as demonstrated by Pike’s fate in the SNW season 1 finale, 'A Quality of Mercy'.

It’s also worth noting that time travel may occur off screen in the Star Trek franchise. For example, in the Deep Space Nine episode 'Troubles and Tribble-ations', Department of Temporal Investigations agent Dulmur (Jack Blessing) states that Kirk was guilty of 17 temporal violations. It is likely that some of these violations occurred during time travel adventures that have not yet been (or may never be) directly addressed by the narrative.

Another example of off-screen time travel can be found in Lower Decks season 1’s 'Cupid’s Errant Arrow', in which it is implied that the Vancouver has previously undertaken multiple off-screen time travel missions to the 20th century. Considering the potential number of off-screen time travel missions makes the potential elasticity of the Trek timeline come into focus.

Do I need to watch Star Trek: Enterprise first?

The short answer is: no. While it is a prequel, Star Trek: Enterprise draws heavily from the shows that preceded it. For this reason, it may actually be a more challenging to begin with Enterprise rather than one of the other shows.

Other shows that more heavily rely on preceding stories include Star Trek: The Animated Series , Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Short Treks.

What Star Trek show or movie should I start with?

There are several Star Trek shows that are ideal for newcomers. While The Original Series works well enough, it naturally carries the aesthetic and narrative sensibilities of the 1960s. If this is alienating, later Trek series may serve as a better point of ingress. Furthermore, many Trekkies cite Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as an excellent point of entry into the franchise, even if it is technically a sequel to the The Original Series episode 'Space Seed'.

While DS9 and Voyager are spinoffs of The Next Generation, any of the three could serve as an introduction to the series. If one of the captains or crews is particularly appealing, leaning into the preference can indicate the best starting point. If you are already a fan of the 1990s Trek era and are looking for a re-entry point, the aesthetic and philosophy of the TNG time period continue on Lower Decks, set just after Nemesis continues. Meanwhile, Picard carries many of the storylines from those shows into the 25th Century.

Several of the shows from the Paramount+ streaming era are designed to be welcoming to new viewers. The series that launched the current era, Discovery , can serve as an excellent entry point to the franchise. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Prodigy intentionally introduces the tropes of Trek to potentially unfamiliar viewers. And while SNW may follow a cast that includes returning characters and creatures, its episodic nature and optimistic energy certainly have the potential to capture the attention of new audience members.

What’s the difference between the Trek movies and Star Trek shows?

With the exception of the three movies in the Kelvin timeline, the Trek movies and the Trek shows take place on the same timeline. However, as a general rule, the movies tend to be more action oriented than their small-screen counterparts. Nevertheless, the events of the movies are included in Trek television continuity.

For an illustration of how the sensibilities of Trek movies depart from the sensibilities of Trek shows, see Lower Decks season 1’s 'Crisis Point' and season 3’s 'Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus.'

Technically, the Kelvin timeline movies are connected to the prime Trek timeline, if we assume that the elder Spock who appears in them does indeed possess continuity with the Spock of The Original Series , The Animated Series , The Next Generation, and The Original Series crew movies. However the Kelvin movies otherwise exist in a parallel continuity to the prime Trek timeline. Aside from some Easter eggs, the Kelvin timeline is not currently more directly connected to the prime Trek timeline. Nevertheless, some Trekkies are big fans of the relatively self-contained reimagining of TOS that takes place in these three movies.

Space may be the final frontier, but there's no end to Popverse's love of the Star Trek universe. Hop aboard the starship Enterprise with our Star Trek watch order , explore strange new worlds with our upcoming Star Trek TV shows and movies list , seek out the new life of the franchise , and boldly go where no Star TRek film has ever gone before - with Quentin Tarantino ?

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Star Trek Order: How to Watch the Movies and Series

It’s time to boldly go where no one has gone before. This post will tell you how to watch all the Star Trek movies and shows in the best way possible. Whether you’re a hardcore Trek fan who wants to know the chronological order or someone new to this franchise, I’ve got something for you.

What’s in the Star Trek Viewing Order?

Star trek movies in order, star trek series in order, star trek kelvin timeline, what order should you watch star trek, how to watch star trek in order, the complete star trek chronological order, frequently asked questions about the star trek timeline.

Trek creators only consider the episodes and films to be canonical in the Star Trek universe so we display them here in chronological order according to stardate (though stardate definitions have changed over time, so we work with what we have).

This list attempts to create a viewing order for all Star Trek television and films, but does not attempt to split up any episodes to view congruently. Instead, it focuses on an easy to follow viewing list. In the event that two works cover the exact same timeframe we first list the one published first. Additionally the placement within the timeline is often based on where the work ends rather than where it begins. There may be a few exceptions which will be pointed out in individual reviews. This timeline includes:

The Original Series (TOS)
The Next Generation (TNG)
Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Voyager (VOY)
Enterprise (ENT)
Short Treks
Lower Decks

So enjoy this table version of the timeline, and continue reading for a detailed breakdown of all this information.

Believe it or not, the Star Trek movies as they were released, are already in chronological order. So I don’t have to give you two orders here. Even the films in the Kelvin timeline are best watched in this order. I’ll get more into why that is, but the short answer is that for old Spock, the Kelvin timeline is still chronologically later than all of the other films.

Here is the films order:

Star Trek I: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)
Star Trek III: Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VII: Generations (1994)
Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek: Beyond (2016)

All of that said, the films are fun, but the heart of Star Trek is really in the television series. So that’s what were going to talk about next.

Giving the order of the TV series is a little trickier, because several of them came out at the same time, and covered the same era. So we’ll be sure to break down those individually by season.

The release order look something like this:

The Original Series (1966-1969)
The Animated Series (1973-1974)
The Next Generation Seasons 1-5 (1987-1992)
The Next Generation Season 6-7/Deep Space Nine Seasons 1-2 (1992-1994)
Deep Space Nine Seasons 3-7/Voyager Seasons 1-5 (1994-1999)
Voyager Seasons 6-7 (1999-2001)
Enterprise (2001-2005)
Discovery (2017-)
Picard (2020-)
Lower Decks (2020-)
Prodigy (2021-)
Strange New Worlds (2022-)

And if you want to watch all of them chronologically, this is what that would look like:

Discovery Seasons 1-2
Strange New Worlds
The Original Series
The Animated Series
The Next Generation Seasons 1-5
The Next Generation Season 6-7/Deep Space Nine Seasons 1-2
Deep Space Nine Seasons 3-7/Voyager Seasons 1-5
Voyager Seasons 6-7
Discovery Season 3 and onward

Before we move on, let’s get into some of the details about how I place the new Star Trek movies in order.

First, let’s get one thing clear, the Kelvin universe is an alternate timeline from everything else, including Star Trek Discovery, and all of the new Star Trek TV shows.

However, there is one character from the main universe that shows up in the Kelvin universe, and that is old Spock. It’s his traveling back in time that creates this new universe.

So while this time period technically takes place before the events of the original series, I actually think a better place to watch them is where they take place chronologically, which would be after all of the main films, and after all of the series except for Picard in the later seasons of Discovery.

As of right now there are only three movies in the Kelvin timeline, and they are:

There is some debate on whether these are “good” Star Trek movies, as some say they are more like Star Wars , leaning heavily on the action. But whatever your opinion, it’s fair to say that these films are responsible for bringing in a whole new generation of Star Trek fans.

While the chronological order can be fun to do, especially for diehard Trek fans, I actually recommend going by release order if you want to watch everything.

Obviously, there is a lot to get through, so you might not want to watch everything, or if you do, you’ll want to pace yourself.

I would start with some of the films, and make your way through some of the most important episodes of The Original Series, as well as all of the shows that aired in the late 80s and 90s. That will get you caught up enough to be well-versed in Star Trek for the new shows that are coming out these days.

And I would definitely watch all of the films, because some of the most important events in Star Trek’s timeline take place in those films.

The best way to watch all of the Star Trek series and order is on Paramount+ which has pretty much everything.

However, if you don’t have Paramount+ and still want to get your Star Trek fix, there are a few other streaming services that have some of the older shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, though some of those streaming services are losing those shows as Paramount+ consolidates all of their Star Trek shows onto their own platform.

The other viable option is to buy them all for yourself, and there are links to do just that in the table above. This is particularly important if you want 4K versions of the films, you’re only interested in one specific type of show, or if you just don’t want to stream your Star Trek.

Personally, I would just go with Paramount+.

All right, now that we’ve outlined the release and chronological orders for Star Trek, let’s get into the full breakdown of everything together.

Enterprise (Year 2151-2161)

First, at least chronologically, we have Enterprise. This was a prequel to the original series, set at a time when humans were first sending out their warp five starships, i.e. the first starships that were able to go into deep space.

It is set during a time of uneasy alliances and contention between humans and other races, including even the Vulcans.

It also lays the groundwork for a number of key events, including the first contact with the Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, and many others.

It was canceled after four seasons, which at the time was the shortest run since the original series. It also marked the end of episodic Star Trek television for 12 years, until Star Trek Discovery appeared in 2017.

While definitely not the strongest of Star Trek shows, it still follows the basic formula, so if you like that, you will likely enjoy Star Trek Enterprise as well.

The Cage (Year 2254)

The Cage was a pilot episode to the original series that technically takes place before Star Trek Discovery. It actually takes place a number of years before the rest of the Original Series, and doesn’t even feature Capt. James T. Kirk as a character.

While some elements will be familiar to later trek fans, such as the USS Enterprise itself and Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), this really was a test ground for the series.

Although much of the original pilot would be scrapped in favor of a different Capt., several other different characters, and the shifting premise, overall The Cage would remain an important part of Star Trek canon, with a legacy that has built to the modern day with the introduction of Strange New Worlds, which features the same characters.

Discovery, Seasons 1-2 (Year 2255)

One of the newer entries of the franchise, Star Trek Discovery starts out in the years just before the time of The Original Series.

It focuses on a starship with a unique purpose, to discover the secrets of instant travel.

But doing so has consequences, and not to get too spoilery here, but let’s just say that, starting with season 3, the rest of this show takes place in a completely different time period.

The Original Series (Year 2265-2269)

The Original Series is what started it all when it aired in 1967, right at the height of the space race. It features Captain Kirk and a host of memorable cast as they elect to boldly go where no man has gone before.

It has since become iconic, spawning several films and multiple sequels until Star Trek became the media juggernaut that it is today.

Though a bit low on budget, and a little over the top in places, The Original Series still holds up remarkably well, and is a testament to how innovative and ahead of its time it truly was.

The Animated Series (Year 2269-2270)

Many people do not know that there was actually an animated series that followed the original series by a few years. I like to think of this series as the remaining two years in the supposed five year mission, following the original series cancellation after three years.

The animation looks a lot like the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the time, including the Flintstones and Scooby Doo, but the quality is not the best that Star Trek has seen overall, and this is definitely one that can be skipped unless you are a completionist.

The Original Series Films (Year 2273-2293)

In 1979, the first of the Star Trek films was released. It would be the first in a long line of Star Trek film and TV shows. There would be six films specifically focusing on the original Enterprise crew. Chronologically, these all take place after the original series but before The Next Generation.

The Next Generation, Seasons 1-5 (Year 2364-2469)

Next comes five full seasons of Star Trek: The next generation, which is one of the more uninterrupted periods of the chronological timeline.

This series deals with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) and his crew, as they continue the ongoing mission of the Star Trek Enterprise. It includes memorable characters such as Commander data, Commander Riker, Lieutenant Worf (the first Klingon with the Federation), and Chief Engineer Jordi Laforge.

The Next Generation, Season 6-7/Deep Space Nine, Seasons 1-2 (Year 2469-2471)

Following the first five seasons of The Next Generation, we get the final two seasons plus the first two seasons of Deep Space Nine.

The seasons overlap with each other, interweaving their narratives. If you want to know the exact episode order, I recommend referencing the table above.

The Deep Space Nine is a favorite Star Trek show for a lot of people. It involved some of the most memorable characters, including Captain Benjamin Sisko, who for many people, is the best captain. During the show they encounter a series of threats, including the Cardassian Union.

Star Trek: Generations (Year 2371)

I’m one of those few people who actually really love Star Trek Generations, the film that took place just after Star Trek The Next Generation, and involves the same cast. It also marks the final film appearance of William Shatner as Captain Kirk.

While many criticize it as being just an extended episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, I find this to be one of the films that is most true to its Star Trek roots, and feels the most like Star Trek.

Deep Space Nine Seasons 3-4/Voyager Seasons 1-2 (Year 2371-2372)

We get a few seasons of Deep Space Nine and the start of Star Trek Voyager following the events of Star Trek Generations.

Voyager is another Star Trek show that would run for seven seasons, and features a crew led by Captain Janeway as they tried to navigate an unknown region of space so they can return home.

Star Trek: First Contact (Year 2373)

Interrupting the ongoing shows is Star Trek First Contact, the Next Generation film that many people consider to be one of the Star Trek films of all time. It includes a definitive confrontation with the Borg, and some time travel shenanigans that lead to the witness of first contact with Earth.

It’s definitely one of the best films of Star Trek in general, largely due to Patrick Stewart’s brilliant performance, and an emphasis on character development for him in particular.

Deep Space Nine Seasons 5-7/Voyager Seasons 3-5 (Year 2373-2375)

As with many of these films, you will find several seasons of Deep SpaceNine and Star Trek Voyager in between. In this case you get the final two seasons of deep space nine, as well as two more seasons of Voyager.

Star Trek: Insurrection (Year 2375)

Next we get Star Trek Insurrection, which was not as well received as Star Trek First Contact. It’s plot was more mellow, trying to do too much, inject too much humor, and is overall a rather dull film. Nevertheless this film takes place right as Deep Space Nine ends, and should be watched at this point.

Voyager Seasons 6-7 (Year 2376-2378)

Here we finish off the last of the 90s era television shows. Star Trek Voyager ended with a bang, and although Star Trek Enterprise did come to take its place in 2001, by this time the golden age of Star Trek had kind of fizzled out.

In addition to Enterprise being canceled after four seasons, we will see with our next installment that people had rather grown tired of Star Trek.

Star Trek: Nemesis (Year 2379)

According to release date, Star Trek Enterprise would’ve been the next installment after Voyager, but chronologically our next step is Star Trek Nemesis. This Star Trek movie came out in 2002, to a weak box office return and lukewarm critical reception.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of this film, though it did lay the groundwork for a sort of Search for Data type of story, which I was very excited about at the time. And it does introduce us to Tom Hardy as the lead villain Shinzon.

Unfortunately this was the last we saw Star Trek for many years, and certainly the last of the Next Generation crew that we saw until just recently.

Lower Decks (Year 2380-2381)

With a revived interest in Star Trek television came an animated series called Lower Decks, which was a series geared for fans of adult animated series like Rick and Morty.

Though not quite is “adult” as Rick and Morty or similar television shows, it’s definitely not meant for kids. Chronologically, it takes place one year after Star Trek Nemesis, and spends a lot of time throwing Easter eggs and fun bits of Star Trek lore at us.

Overall, it’s a good time.

Prodigy (Year 2383)

Prodigy is another animated series, this time intended for children. It takes place just a few years after Lower Decks, and involves a group of young aliens coming across the USS Voyager.

It features the returning voice of Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway, and is a great entry point for younger fans of the Star Trek franchise.

Picard (Year 2399)

Picard is one of the flagship series in modern-day Star Trek. It shows the fallout of several key events, including the Romulan tragedy that resulted in Spock going back in time to inadvertantly start the Kelvin universe.

It takes place over a decade after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, and a lot has happened at that time. Of note is the fact that the former Captain Picard is no longer satisfied with the way Starfleet works, and he has to take some matters into his own hands.

Chronologically, this takes place several years after the last appearance of the Next Generation crew, but is technically not the end of the Star Trek timeline…

Discovery Season 3 and onward (Year 3188-89)

Finally we get back to Star Trek Discovery. Starting in season three, this show takes place nearly a thousand years after the main part of the timeline, and shows a very different universe than what we would expect.

To say more would be to spoil the show, so I won’t do that, but Star Trek Discovery is one of those shows that started off a little shaky, but has ended up being extremely good. I highly recommend it.

I’ve got a few extra questions that I get asked a lot related to this watch order, so I thought I’d include them in a short list here at the end.

Where does Star Trek Discovery Fit in the Timeline?

The first two seasons of Star Trek Discovery take place in 2255, just 10 years before the events of the original series. Beginning with the third season, Discovery takes place nearly a thousand years further in the future.

What is the Kelvin Timeline in Star Trek?

The Kelvin timeline is an alternate reality in Star Trek, one where Kirk’s parents died, Vulcan is destroyed, and a lot is different in general. It does not have any direct effect on the main timeline for Star Trek’s other shows. Right now it only consists of three films, the first two directed by JJ Abrams, and starring Chris Pine, along with a lot of other amazing actors.

When is the Picard Series in the Star Trek Timeline?

The Star Trek Picard series takes place in the year 2399, 20 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis.

Where does Lower Deck Take Place in the Timeline?

Star Trek Lower Decks takes place in the year 2380, one year after the events of Star Trek Nemesis.

Where does Star Trek Prodigy Take Place in the Timeline?

Star Trek Prodigy takes place in the year 2383, four years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, and three years after the events of Lower Decks.

Where Does Strange New Worlds Take Place in the Star Trek Timeline?

Strange New Worlds takes place in the year 2255, beginning immediately following the events of season two of Star Trek Discovery.

Do You Need to Watch Star Trek in Order?

No, you do not need to watch Star Trek in order. If you are a completionist, and want to watch everything in order, I recommend release order over chronological order. But most of the shows are designed to stand on their own, and can be watched without prior knowledge of the franchise.

Where is the Best Place to Start Watching Star Trek?

Star Trek began with the Original Series, but that show is hard for some to get through since we’re used to much higher modern standards. Generally, I encourage people to start with the first films (starting with Star Trek: The Motion Picture). The new Kelvin timeline can also be a good place to start, but be aware that those films are much different than most of the Star Trek media. As always, if you have questions or comments about this timeline, we recommend you visit our contact page .

22 thoughts on “Star Trek Order: How to Watch the Movies and Series”

Got a guy working on it.

Great, thx for the quick fix. I really appreciate the work you guys do. This site is a fennimonial tool.

Will this be updated when Discovery S03, Picard and Lower Decks come around?

Yep, it will be updated by the end of the year, then probably monthly or every other month after that.

I believe “The Cage” With Captain Pike happened before Star Trek Discovery season 1.

Are you sure First Contact takes place after In Purgatory’s Shadow? Because I am watching that episode right and Sisko mentioned the “recent Borg attack”

Right after season 1, though season 3 will be different.

Thomas Bates, on the Star Trek Fandom website it says, “ This episode mentions a Borg attack. This was intended to refer to the Battle of Sector 001 seen in Star Trek: First Contact. (AOL chat, 1997) However the stardate given in the film (50893.5) is later than the stardate given in this two-parter (50564.2; seen in the next episode, “By Inferno’s Light”). When asked about the inconsistency, Ronald D. Moore commented, tongue-in-cheek, “I am not at liberty to reveal the secret messages contained within the seeming “mistaken” stardates, but rest assured that it is another brilliantly conceived and skilfully executed Star Trek moment brought to you by the people who wrote “Meridian”.” (AOL chat, 1997).” So it was supposed to be about First Contact but in a way it is not.

You are aware that the Animated Series is not considered Canon by THe franchise owners.

Great site. But there seems to be an error in the release order when sorting Star Trek episodes by release dates

Technical problem. We’re working on it.

What happened to DS9 season 1 episode 8? It is missing from you list. Also when filtering out viewed episodes and movies in you r app it switches from Star Trek to Shakespeares… I enjoy Shakespeare and did Captain Jean-Luc Picard. However, I do not think he would appreciate the Enterprise’s computer doing something similar.

Yeah the app is experiencing some technical difficulties, but we’re working on it.

The cage is set between Enterprise and Discovery, not after Discovery. The events of Discovery Season 2 show that the events of the Cage have already occurred.

I think it is stupid to watch this series in any other order than the order of release. Thx for the list.

Star Trek Voyager season 4 episode 23 Living Witness takes place hundreds of years after the rest of the series

It’s the end of 2020 and Discovery S03 and Lower Decks aren’t on the list. When will the site be updated?

I guess you’ll be adding season 3 of Discovery AFTER Picard, but before Calypso. At least that’s where it would make sense.

Thank you for compiling this list! I’ve been watching Deep Space Nine and Voyager for this first time and simultaneously thanks to this timeline. Thank you, too, for including The Animated Series which has been repeatedly reinforced by CBS as canonical.

This is a good list. But you might want to make a small correction. Most of the time it makes sense to watch shows in the order in which they aired. But on rare occasions the show was originally aired out of order. In those cases, it makes more sense to watch them in the order in which they were MADE rather then the order in which they were AIRED. Such was the case with Star Trek TOS. Here is link to an alpha site that shows the list in the order they should be. [[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series]]

One more thing about that list. Discover and Strange New Worlds take place after “The Cage” but Before everything else.

Also for some of you with the TNG movies. What I originally did when I was watching the show on dvd, was I looked at the date that they were released in Theaters and then looked at the airdates of the corresponding seasons of the shows airing at the time. I noticed that around that time, there was a gap in the airdates where the shows went on Hiatus for the holidays. That is where I placed the movies.

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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 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 the Star Trek Movies in Order

You need multiple streaming subscriptions to watch all 13 movies

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What to Know

All 13 movies were released chronologically.
Search various streaming platforms to stream the movies by release date.
Organized by three eras: The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Kelvin Timeline.

Unlike Star Wars , which is housed on Disney+ , there’s currently no way to watch all 13 Star Trek movies on a single streaming service. Instead, you need to boldly go (sorry) to multiple platforms in order to watch every movie in the legendary sci-fi franchise.

This article only covers Star Trek movies that were released theatrically. It doesn’t include TV series like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , or canonical adaptations across other media. Although having knowledge of The Original Star Trek Series and other Star Trek TV series is helpful, it's not essential for enjoying the movies.

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How to Watch the Star Trek Movies in Chronological Order

The Star Trek movies can be separated into three distinct eras. The first era covers the “Prime” timeline started by Gene Roddenberry’s original series from the 1960s and features James T. Kirk and Spock. This era spans six films, beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and ending with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

The second era is spun off from Star Trek: The Next Generation and features characters from that TV series. Fittingly, these are known as The Next Generation films. Finally, the Kelvin timeline kicked off with the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek in 2009. This era is an alternate timeline featuring a significantly different history from the “Prime” universe.

If you watch all 13 Star Trek movies in one sitting, it takes you just over 25 hours. But if you add in the seven TV shows, that time climbs to nearly 25 days .

How to Watch the Star Trek Movies in Order of Release

The great thing about Star Trek is that the movies were released chronologically, so you’ll be following the exact same order as above if you want to watch them based on the release date.

The majority of the movies are available to stream on Amazon Prime or Paramount+ , but you also need to dip into other services like Fubo or SlingTV to track down the rest.

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Star Trek Chronological Order Uss Enterprise Star Trek, Star Trek
How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline
A Timeline of The Future: The ultimate Star Trek timeline
Chronology
Star Trek Releases Updated Official Timeline For Entire Franchise
The Star Trek timeline Explained In Order of Series

COMMENTS

How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline
Where to Watch: Paramount+ 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 ...
How to watch Star Trek in order
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 ...
How to Watch Every Star Trek Movie and TV Show in Order
By subscribing to Paramount+, you get access to every TV show in the franchise, including new Star Trek series like Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds. But while the service holds the bulk ...
Ultimate Chronological Star Trek Viewing Guide
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.
Watch Star Trek Shows In Chronological Order of Timeline
How to Watch 'Star Trek' Shows In Chronological Order. From the original series to 'Picard,' 'Discovery' and beyond, here's your guide to the 'Star Trek' TV timeline. Michael Patrick. Mar 31, 2023 ...
Star Trek in Order: How to Watch Every Episode of Your Favorite
Especially with a science-fiction universe that has time travel, multiple universes, concurrent shows and entirely new timelines. Fear not, as we have created a handy binge-watch guide using the Stardate of each series and film. Here is our guide on how to watch every Star Trek series and movie in the right order.
How to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows in order
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 ...
Star Trek in Order: How to Watch Every Episode of Your Favorite
Star Trek: Discovery is the first series to feature an officer as the main character. In this case, it's Michael Burnham, the science specialist of the U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031. In the first season, Michael and crew deal with a galaxy on the brink of war. In the second, they chase a mysterious entity known as "The Red Angel.".
How To Watch Every Star Trek Series & Movie In The Right Order
Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155) . Star Trek (2009) (2255 in the Kelvin timeline) Star Trek also contains flashbacks to 2233, the 2240s, and 2252 and a flashforward to 2387 in the Prime timeline.. Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 & 2 (2256-2258) The USS Discovery permanently time travels to the 32nd century at the end of season 2.. Star Trek Into Darkness (2259 in the Kelvin timeline)
How to watch Star Trek in order
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 ...
How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order
Watching Star Trek in timeline order allows viewers to experience the expansive and enduring universe that has spawned multiple TV series and films for over 57 years. Star Trek: Enterprise serves as a prequel to the original series, showcasing the voyages of the original crew in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk's command.
Star Trek timeline in complete chronological order, explained
A full list of the Star Trek timeline in chronological order: Star Trek: Enterprise seasons 1-4 (Year set in: 2151-2161) Star Trek (2009) ( Kelvin timeline - Years set in: 2233-2259) Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2 (Year set in: 2252) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 1-2 (Years set in: 2259-2260) Star Trek: Into Darkness ( Kelvin ...
Star Trek timeline
To watch the Star Trek timeline in chronological order, you'd start in the year 2252 with the first season of Discovery, watch a load of films and TV shows in between, before ending in the year ...
How to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows in order
DS9, seasons 6 to 7; Voyager, seasons 4 to 5; and Star Trek: Insurrection. Voyager, seasons 6 to 7, and Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek: Lower Decks. The Kelvin Timeline — Star Trek (2009) to Star ...
How to Watch Star Trek in Order? Easy Complete Guide
The recommended way to watch the Star Trek Universe in order is following the Release Order. By watching in release order, you see William Shatner as James T. Kirk in The Original Series before transitioning to Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard on The Next Generation. ... Reboot Films (Kelvin Timeline) Star Trek: Enterprise: September 26, 2001 ...
The Right Order To Watch ALL Of Star Trek
The Kelvin Timeline. In 2009, J.J. Abrams created a Star Trek reboot that explored the idea of an alternate timeline, otherwise known as the Kelvin timeline.The movies, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek: Beyond (2016), explore the world where the Romulan Nero went back in time to destroy the first Starfleet ship he met, which was the USS Kelvin.
How to Watch Star Trek in Order (2024) Complete Timeline
1. Star Trek: Enterprise (Year: 2151-2161) The Star Trek: Enterprise is a prequel to The Original Series. This series is the earliest by timeline based on the Star Trek timeline. Its story revolves around the Earth's first-ever warp-five capable ship, the USS Enterprise NX-01, captained by Captain Jonathan Archer.
Star Trek: How and where to watch the movies, live action TV, and
The anthology series Star Trek: Short Treks is not included on this timeline, as it features episodes that take place throughout the Trek franchise timeline. Furthermore, note that Star Trek: VII - XI take place contemporaneously with part of the Deep Space Nine and Voyager timelines. How to watch Star Trek in release order
Star Trek Order: How to Watch the Movies and Series
Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996) Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998) Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002) Star Trek (2009) Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) Star Trek: Beyond (2016) All of that said, the films are fun, but the heart of Star Trek is really in the television series. So that's what were going to talk about next.
How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline
How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order 1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155) 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.
Star Trek movies in chronological order
2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures) Release date: June 4, 1982. Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban. Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star ...
'Star Trek' Movies in Order: Watch in Chronological Order
Star Trek "Kelvin Timeline" Movies in Order. Star Trek (2009) Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Star Trek Beyond (2016) The films can be watched in combination with the various Star Trek series, or ...
How to Watch the Star Trek Movies in Order
The second era is spun off from Star Trek: The Next Generation and features characters from that TV series. Fittingly, these are known as The Next Generation films. Finally, the Kelvin timeline kicked off with the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek in 2009. This era is an alternate timeline featuring a significantly different history from the "Prime" universe.

How to watch Star Trek in order

Star Trek TV shows and movies in chronological order

Star Trek's alternate 'Kelvin' timeline explained

Star Trek TV shows and movies in release date order

How to stream Star Trek TV shows and movies

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The Ultimate Chronological Star Trek Viewing Guide

The 21st Century

The 24th Century

The 25th Century

Series Overview and Abbreviation Guide

April 5th, 2063:

Early 2230s

2233 - A sidenote about universes/timelines:

2233 (Prime)

2266-Notes on The Original Series

2369, Part 1

2369, Part 2

2370, Part 1

2370, Part 2

2371, Part 1

2371, Part 2

2372, Part 1

2372, Part 2

2373, Part 1

2373, Part 2

2374, Part 1

2374, Part 2

2375, Part 1

2375, Part 2

2381, Part 1

2381, Part 2

2233 - (Kelvinverse)

2258 - (Kelvinverse)

2259 - (Kelvinverse)

2263 - (Kelvinverse)

Far Future:

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Key Takeaways

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

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

5 *Optional* Star Trek: The Animated Series

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

14 Star Trek Generations

15 Star Trek: Voyager

16 Star Trek: First Contact

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

19 Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

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

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

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11 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 onward)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series

5 Optional Star Trek: The Animated Series