Embark on a Comprehensive Star Trek Viewing Journey: Chronological and Release Order Guides
Since the debut of Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, the franchise has expanded into a vast multimedia universe. This guide simplifies navigating this expansive saga, offering viewing options in both chronological and release order. Paramount+ provides convenient access to most Star Trek content.
Chronological Viewing Order:
- Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155): Preceding all other series, Enterprise depicts Earth's first warp five capable starship, the NX-01, and its early encounters with familiar alien species.
- Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 1 & 2) (2256-2258): Set a decade before The Original Series, Discovery introduces Michael Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery, amidst a Klingon war. Note: Seasons 3-5 jump significantly forward in time.
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD): A prequel to The Original Series, featuring Captain Pike and the Enterprise NCC-1701, bridging the gap to Kirk's era.
- Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269): The classic series that launched the franchise, featuring Kirk, Spock, and the iconic five-year mission.
Kelvin Timeline (Alternate Reality): The J.J. Abrams reboot films (2009's Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond) exist in an alternate timeline and can be viewed at any point.
- Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270): A continuation of The Original Series' adventures in animated form.
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s): The first Star Trek film, featuring an older Kirk and the refitted Enterprise.
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285): Widely considered the best Star Trek film, pitting Kirk against Khan Noonien Singh.
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285): The sequel to Wrath of Khan, focusing on Spock's resurrection.
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986): A time-travel adventure that takes the crew to 1980s San Francisco.
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287): Often considered a weaker entry, featuring a search for God.
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293): The final film of the Original Series cast, focusing on Klingon-Federation relations.
- Star Trek: Section 31 (2326): A recent addition, potentially set around 2326, focusing on the Section 31 organization.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370): The highly acclaimed series starring Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D.
- Star Trek: Generations (2293 and 2371): A crossover film uniting Picard and Kirk.
- Star Trek: First Contact (2373): A Next Generation film featuring the Borg.
- Star Trek: Insurrection (2375): A Next Generation film involving a planet with rejuvenating properties.
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2379): The final Next Generation film, introducing Shinzon, a Picard clone.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375): Set on a space station near a wormhole, featuring Captain Sisko.
- Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378): Following Captain Janeway and her crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-2382): An animated comedy focusing on lower-deck crew members.
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-2385): A 3D animated series aimed at younger audiences.
- Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402): A sequel series to The Next Generation, featuring an older Picard.
- Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 3, 4, & 5) (3188-3191): The later seasons of Discovery jump far into the future.
Release Order: This list follows the order of the shows and films' initial release.
- 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 (1986)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
- 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 (2017-2024)
- Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-TBA)
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present)
- Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
Upcoming Projects: Several new Star Trek projects are in development.
Enjoy your journey through the Star Trek universe!
