Star Trek Movies and Series in Order

Star Trek in Release Order

Release order is one of the easiest ways to experience Star Trek because characters, concepts and references appear in roughly the same way audiences originally encountered them.

The franchise begins with The Original Series and its animated continuation before moving into the original crew's movies. The Next Generation then begins a new era that expands through Deep Space Nine, Voyager and four feature films.

Modern Star Trek begins with Discovery before expanding through Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, Strange New Worlds, Section 31 and Starfleet Academy.

The Original Star Trek Era

The journey begins with Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise. The Original Series established Starfleet, the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Vulcans and many of the ideas that still define Star Trek.

The Animated Series continued the adventures of the original crew before they moved to cinema with Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Six movies follow Kirk's crew, with The Wrath of Khan beginning a particularly important sequence that continues directly through The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home.

The Next Generation Era

Star Trek: The Next Generation moves the franchise forward to the 24th century with Captain Jean-Luc Picard commanding a new USS Enterprise.

The series dramatically expands the Star Trek universe and introduces characters and storylines that continue across Deep Space Nine, Voyager and eventually Star Trek: Picard.

The Next Generation crew also made the transition to cinema, beginning with Generations and continuing through First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis.

Deep Space Nine and Voyager

The 24th-century Star Trek universe became much larger when Deep Space Nine and Voyager joined The Next Generation era.

Deep Space Nine moves away from the traditional Enterprise format by placing its characters aboard a strategically important space station. Its longer storylines explore war, politics, religion and the consequences of the Federation's ideals.

Voyager takes the opposite approach by sending Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew thousands of light-years from home, forcing them to survive while searching for a route back to Earth.

Star Trek: Enterprise Comes Before Kirk

Despite being released decades after the Original Series, Star Trek: Enterprise is one of the earliest stories in the franchise timeline.

Captain Jonathan Archer commands the Enterprise NX-01 during humanity's first major period of deep-space exploration, long before Kirk or Picard.

That makes Enterprise the natural starting point for anyone determined to watch the Star Trek universe chronologically rather than by release date.

Discovery and Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Discovery initially takes place before the Original Series and introduces another chapter of Starfleet history. Its story eventually makes an enormous jump forward in time, meaning the series occupies two very different periods of the Star Trek chronology.

Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike aboard the USS Enterprise before James T. Kirk takes command. It also features younger versions of several characters who become central to the Original Series.

For viewers who want a modern entry point into classic Star Trek, Strange New Worlds is one of the easiest places to begin.

The Kelvin Timeline Movies

The 2009 Star Trek movie created an alternate reality commonly known as the Kelvin timeline. This allowed new versions of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura and the Enterprise crew to exist alongside the established Star Trek continuity.

The Kelvin movies form a straightforward trilogy. Watch Star Trek first, followed by Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.

Because the trilogy establishes its own altered timeline, newcomers can watch these three films without completing the older Star Trek series first.

Star Trek: Picard Continues The Next Generation

Star Trek: Picard returns to Jean-Luc Picard decades after his adventures aboard the Enterprise and continues several stories from The Next Generation era.

The series becomes particularly rewarding for viewers familiar with The Next Generation, Voyager and the films featuring Picard's crew.

For that reason, Picard works much better as a continuation than as someone's first introduction to Star Trek.

Lower Decks and Prodigy

Star Trek animation expanded again with Lower Decks and Prodigy, but the two series approach the universe very differently.

Lower Decks is a comedy built around the less glamorous members of a Starfleet crew and contains countless references to earlier Star Trek adventures.

Prodigy introduces younger characters to Starfleet and works particularly well for viewers discovering the values and ideas of Star Trek for the first time.

Short Treks and Very Short Treks

Not every Star Trek production requires a full series commitment. Short Treks tells smaller stories connected to characters and events from the modern television era.

Very Short Treks takes a much more playful approach with brief animated stories created as part of Star Trek celebrations.

Neither is essential for newcomers completing their first major watch through the franchise, but both offer additional material for fans who want to explore everything.

Where Does Star Trek: Section 31 Fit?

Star Trek: Section 31 expands a secretive part of the Federation that has appeared throughout several Star Trek stories.

The movie is connected to the modern Discovery era rather than the Kelvin movie trilogy, so it should not be treated as a fourth movie following Star Trek Beyond.

It works best after viewers already understand the modern Star Trek universe and the history surrounding Section 31.

Where Does Starfleet Academy Fit?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes the franchise into the distant future established by the later seasons of Discovery.

The series follows a new generation of Starfleet cadets and represents one of the furthest points reached in Star Trek's main timeline.

Chronological viewers should therefore place Starfleet Academy towards the end of their journey rather than assuming a series about the Academy takes place before Kirk.

Star Trek Movies in Order

If you only want to watch the Star Trek movies, the easiest approach is to divide them by crew.

Start with the six original-cast movies, continue with the four Next Generation films and then treat the three Kelvin timeline movies as their own trilogy. Section 31 is connected to the modern streaming era rather than either theatrical movie sequence.

The Simplest Star Trek Watch Order for Beginners

Trying to watch every Star Trek production immediately can turn a brilliant universe into homework. New viewers are better served by choosing an era, learning its characters and expanding from there.

For the classic experience, begin with The Original Series. For the hugely popular 24th-century era, begin with The Next Generation. For modern production values with the spirit of classic Trek, start with Strange New Worlds. If you only want movies, the 2009 Kelvin trilogy provides the quickest self-contained introduction.

Once one version of Star Trek captures your imagination, following its connections into the rest of the universe becomes considerably easier.