star trek timelines storyline

Star Trek timeline in complete chronological order, explained

Check our complete list of the Star Trek timeline in chronological with all movies and TV series to date, including the Kelvin timeline and Prime timeline.

Tom Percival

Published: Oct 24, 2023

Let’s journey through the Star Trek timeline in full chronological order . Ever since it began almost 60 years ago, Gene Roddenberry’s vision of humanity’s future shown in Star Trek has been igniting imaginations.

Now a sprawling franchise, Star Trek focuses on the human desire for exploration seen through the lens of Starfleet’s travels through the depths of space. But with 13 Star Trek movies and 60 years worth of Star Trek series , the expansive franchise has gotten pretty complex, with multiple and alternate timelines all being involved too, and a jumble of prequels and sequels and timelines. So, to clear things up, we’ve broken down every single movie and season of TV to create a clear image of the timeline in chronological order.

The complete Star Trek timeline so far

The current main Star Trek timeline begins in the year 2151, with the first season of Enterprise, and concludes over a millennium later in 3190 with the upcoming Star Trek Discovery season 5 .

After Enterprise kicked things off in 2151, the TOS-era begins in 2259, with the TOS prequel Strange New Worlds. It ends nearly 40 years later in 2293 with the final TOS movie, The Undiscovered Country.

Nearly 100 years later, the adventures of the USS Enterprise-D begin with Captain Picard in 2369. Over the next decade, the Dominion War begins and ends, and the USS Voyager is stranded in the Delta Quadrant and makes it back to Earth in 2378. This era of the Star Trek timeline concludes in 2379 with the final TNG movie, Nemesis.

Lower Decks and Prodigy round out the late 24th century, with the former being set around 2381 and the latter 2383. Then Star Trek Picard brings it into the 25th century, with the events of season 3 and the Borg attack on Frontier Day occurring in 2401, and the Captain Seven on Nine’s Enterprise-G beginning its service history a year later in 2402.

Finally, we have the latter seasons of Star Trek Discovery which have been set in the far-flung future of 3188 onwards after the huge time jump at the end of season 2.

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 timeline – Years set in: 2259-2260)
• Star Trek: Beyond ( Kelvin timeline – Year set in: 2263)
• Star Trek: The Original Series seasons 1-3 (Year set in: 2265-2269)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series seasons 1-2 (Year set in: 2269-2270)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Year set in: 2270s)
• Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (Year set in: 2285)
• Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock (Year set in 2285)
• Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (Year set in 2286)
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (Year set in: 2287)
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (Year set in: 2293)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation seasons 1-5 (Year set in: 2364-2369)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seasons 1-2 (Year set in: 2369-2371)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation seasons 6-7 (Year set in: 2369-2370)
• Star Trek: Generations (Year set in 2371)
• Star Trek: Deep Space 9 seasons 3-4 (Year set in 2372-2373)
• Star Trek: Voyager seasons 1-2 (Year set in: 2371-2372)
• Star Trek: First Contact (Year set in: 2373)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seasons 5-6 (Year set in 2373-2374)
• Star Trek: Voyager seasons 3-4 (Year set in: 2373-2375)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (Year set in: 2375)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7 (Year set in: 2375)
• Star Trek: Voyager seasons 5-7 (Year set in: 2376-2378)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (Year set in: 2379)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks seasons 1-3 (Years set in: 2380-2381)
• Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 (Years set in: 2383-2383)
• Star Trek (2009) (Partly in the Prime timeline – Year set in 2387)
• Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3 (Years set in: 2399-2402)
• Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-5 ( Years set in: 3188-3190)

Every Star Trek series and season in the timeline in chronological order

Star Trek: Enterprise (Seasons 1-4)

The mainline Star Trek timeline begins with Star Trek: Enterprise. The four seasons of the show are set in the 22nd century, the earliest point in the Star Trek timeline and a hundred years before The Original Series.

Enterprise deals with the earliest days of humanity’s journey out into the stars, with the crew of the first starship to bear the name Enterprise, led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). The show covered everything from the first contact with the Klingons to the foundation of The Federation and Starfleet, the Federation’s space force.

Star Trek: 2009, Into Darkness, Beyond (The Kelvin timeline)

The Kelvin timeline is an alternate timeline created by Spock which runs parallel to the events seen in the prime Star Trek timeline. Here, we have the three Chris Pine Star Trek movies in which we’re treated to different versions of Kirk and co. with their adventures playing out in a reshuffled order of events.

Chronologically speaking, the Kelvin timeline fits in approximately alongside TOS as it follows Kirk’s first adventures with the Enterprise, but as it begins with his childhood it technically precedes Discovery. It’s all pretty self contained, so if you just want to stick to the Prime timeline you can skip these for now.

Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 1-2)

Set ten years before the original series, this prequel show follows the adventures of the USS Discovery and her crew as they use their unique spore drive to zip around the Alpha Quadrant (our section of the galaxy). The first season deals with war breaking out between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons.

Meanwhile, in the second season, the crew (now joined by Captain Pike and a younger Spock) investigates strange signals and a mysterious figure known as the Red Angel. Ultimately the ship and crew are thrown forward in time (don’t worry, you’ll see them again) and presumed dead, while the event itself is covered up by Section 31.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Seasons 1-2)

Following on the adventures of Captain Pike, Spock, and Number One in the aftermath of Discovery season 2, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is another prequel to The Original Series, as it builds up to the events depicted in The Cage.

Strange New Worlds has taken Star Trek in a slightly new direction, and it has much more in common with, for example, The Next Generation, than is does with Discovery. This is because the sci-fi series is taking an episodic approach to storytelling, with each episode largely focussing on one member of the crew while adventures abound. Fun!

Season 2 of Strange New Worlds has continued on in this vein, bringing in Paul Wesley’s Kirk with a recurring role. It’s all leading up to Pike’s accident, and whereupon the command of the Enterprise will be handed over to Captain Kirk on a full-time basis for his five-year mission.

Star Trek: The Original Series (Seasons 1-3)

The original series, the definitive article, if you will, and probably the most recognisable of the Trek series. Set in the 2260s, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise on a five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, and boldly go where no man has gone before.

This is the show that defined what Star Trek is in the public consciousness as a progressive force, introducing the world to Kirk ( William Shatner ), Spock ( Leonard Nimo y), and Dr . Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (DeForest Kelley), as well as several iconic Star Trek villains, including the Klingons (although they didn’t have the bumpy foreheads), Romulans, and a genetically altered super soldier called Khan (he’ll become important later).

Star Trek: The Animated Series (Seasons 1-2)

Following the cancellation of the original series, Star Trek was resurrected as an animated show, with most of the cast returning to voice their respective characters. While the series was popular in its day, there are some questions about its canonicity.

Officially, the series isn’t canon. However, the events as seen in the show are increasingly being brought into series like Strange New Worlds, slowly making it canon by proxy.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

A direct continuation of the original series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, picks up after the events of Kirk’s five-year mission, in the 2270s. Now an admiral, Kirk and the gang assume command of the recently refitted Starship USS Enterprise to investigate and stop a mighty alien known as V’Ger, which is threatening to destroy the Earth.

A somewhat cynical attempt to cash in on the popularity of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars, The Motion Picture received mixed reviews from critics who didn’t enjoy the movie’s slow pace and lack of drama.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

Finally, we get to the good stuff. One of the best science fiction movies ever, The Wrath of Khan is Moby Dick in space, and it’s brilliant. Set in 2285, an older Admiral Kirk gets the Enterprise crew back together once again to stop the ruthless tyrant Khan (told you he’d come back) from getting his hands on the Genesis device, a machine capable of both terrible destruction and creating new life.

Wrath of Khan is perhaps best remembered for being ‘the one where Spock dies’, but it also introduces several other important plot beats, including the Genesis Device, and Kirk’s previously unknown son David,

Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock

Picking up right where The Wrath of Khan ends, the film deals with the fall out of Khan’s attack and the death of Spock. When Kirk learns that Spock’s Katra (his soul basically) is held in the mind of Bones, he and the crew steal the Enterprise and head off to return Spock’s body to the planet Vulcan so they can bring him back to life.

Things are complicated, though, by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), a Klingon who wants to get his hands on the Genesis device to use as a weapon. The Search for Spock is famous for three things, destroying the original Enterprise, bringing back Spock, and killing off Kirk’s son David, which gives Kirk a serious dislike of the Klingons which will get him in trouble three movies from now.

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home

Following the events of The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home sees the crew of the Enterprise return to Earth to face their punishment for stealing (and destroying) the Enterprise. Before they can get back home, though, a colossal alien probe arrives in Earth’s atmosphere and starts wreaking havoc.

Realizing that the probe is trying to communicate with the now-extinct humpback whales, the crew travels back in time to the ‘80s to try and find some whales in order to bring them forward in time to save Earth from the probe.

Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier

Probably the worst of the original film series, The Final Frontier sees the crew of the USS Enterprise as they confront Spock’s evil half brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill). The villainous Vulcan wants to travel to the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree which lies behind the Great Barrier, a seemingly impenetrable energy field near the galaxy’s centre.

Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country

The Undiscovered Country has the Enterprise crew working to figure out who’s trying to sabotage a potential peace treaty with The Federation’s longtime enemy, the Klingon Empire. Along the way, Kirk (who hates Klingons after the events of The Search for Spock) is framed for killing the Klingon chancellor and must escape a frozen penal colony.

Notable for being the final film to feature the entire original crew, the film ends with Kirk musing about a new generation crew continuing their legacy in an apparent reference to…

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

The Next Generation, the best Star Trek series, focuses on the crew of the Enterprise-D. Led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his senior staff William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), and Worf (Michael Dorn), the show was far more of an ensemble than the original series but all the better for it.

During the first five seasons, the crew of this new Enterprise would encounter new species like the Bajorans, Cardassians, Ferengi, and more. It also introduced two of Star Trek’s best-known villains, the mischievous trickster Q, who became a series staple and the terrifying Borg, a race of cybernetic zombies obsessed with assimilating other societies and cultures into their own who took an unhealthy interest in the technical might of The Federation.

The Next Generation is the quintessential Star Trek series, and is the franchise at its finest hour. Everyone has their personal preferences, but if you look for Star Trek in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Captain Picard, in his ready room with an Earl Grey, aboard the Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Seasons 1-2)

The first series not set on a starship, Deep Space Nine took place on a space station, the titular Deep Space Nine. Drawing upon the conflict between the Bajorans and the Cardassians introduced in The Next Generation, the series opens with the Bajorans inviting The Federation to run the station in the hopes they’ll protect them from the ruthless Cardassians who previously enslaved their people.

Led by Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), the station’s crew discovers a stable wormhole close to Bajor that offers a way between the Alpha Quadrant and the unexplored Gamma Quadrant. The first two seasons dealt with the tensions between the Bajorans, Cardassians and Federation, while also teasing a greater threat lurking in the Gamma Quadrant known as The Dominion.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 6-7)

The last two seasons of TNG run parallel with season 1 and 2 of Deep Space Nine. The writers used this in season seven to further explore the tensions between the Cardassians and Federation when the Bajoran Ensign Ro joins a group of resistance fighters known as the Maquis, a terrorist group who opposed the Cardassian Union and were first introduced in DS9’s second season.

The conclusion of The Next Generation, All Good Things… is a perfect finale balancing a look back through the past with an eye on the future.  If the Star Trek franchise had ended there, no one could have had any complaints.

Star Trek: Generations

The adventures of the crew of the Enterprise-D didn’t end with All Good Things… though, and the series led directly into a slew of films. This started with Generations, which saw the crossover Star Trek fans were waiting for, and the original crew meet the next generation gang.

Opening in the year 2293, way before the events of TNG, the film begins with the death of Captain Kirk, except not really he actually transported to the Nexus, an interdimensional realm that exists outside of normal space-time where all your dreams come true.

Fast forward to the 24th Century, and Picard is trying to deal with the villainous Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), who plans on destroying a planetary system to get into The Nexus. Shockingly he succeeds, and Picard is trapped in the Nexus with Soran, forcing him to team up with Kirk to save the day.

Some people, apparently, love Generations because they get to see these two Starfleet goliaths working together. But, in truth, Generations is up there with the worst Star Trek movies. In a dreadfully dull film, the movie’s biggest claim to fame is Kirk’s anti-climactic death (he falls off a bridge and then Picard buries him under some rocks) as well as the destruction of the beloved, iconic Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Seasons 3-4)

Continuing the plot beats introduced in seasons one and two, DS9’s third season introduces the USS Defiant, Starfleet’s first warship, designed to fight the growing threat of the Borg. The Marquis become more of a threat, with more and more Starfleet officers leaving to join their cause.

Meanwhile, The Dominion makes themselves known to The Federation, a tyrannical race of shapeshifters that seek to impose order across the galaxy by subjugating species they see as lesser. It’s here we learn they’ve already infiltrated all the major governments in the Alpha Quadrant. The series ends with war breaking out between the Klingon Empire and The Federation once again thanks to their machinations.

Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 1-2)

Star Trek: Voyager was a bit of a different show – the series opened with the USS Voyager and her crew being transported to the Delta Quadrant (a remote, unexplored region of the galaxy) while chasing a Marquis ship.

Trapped and with no other options, the crew of Voyager led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and their Marquis enemies are forced to unite to survive and begin the long journey home (77 years at maximum warp). Along the way, they encounter new threats like the Kazon and Vidiians while a few familiar faces, like Q, make an appearance.

Star Trek: First Contact

The best Next Generation movie, First Contact picks up soon after the events of Generations with Picard and the crew in a brand-new ship, the Enterprise-E. Their new ship is put to the test almost immediately, though when the Borg launch an attack on Earth. While Starfleet manages to repel the attack, the Borg go back in time and assimilate Earth before they can ever achieve warp speed, effectively wiping out The Federation before it even began.

Thankfully the Enterprise-E manages to go back in time as well and put right what once went wrong. First Contact has the dubious honour of introducing the Borg Queen, who’d go on to become a recurring villain in Star Trek: Voyager.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Seasons 5-6)

Season five of DS9 picks up where the fourth left off with the Klingon’s declaring war on The Federation. Thankfully Sisko and the crew manage to expose the shapeshifter who started the whole thing and broker peace over the course of the season, but it’s all for nought.

The Cardassians join the Dominion and give the tyrannical despots a foothold in our part of the galaxy. The Dominion then wipe out the Marquis, and the cold war spills out into open conflict. The Dominion War has begun…

Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 3-4)

Voyager’s third and fourth seasons are notable for revealing that the Delta Quadrant is actually the home of the Borg, and from this point on, they become something of a recurring foe for the Voyager crew. Although season three and four do briefly see the two enemies team up to fight off an even worse threat, the multidimensional beings known as Species 8472.

Inevitably though, the Borg betray our heroes, and in the scuffle, Voyager ends up with a new crewmember 7 of 9, a former Borg drone. We also get the interesting if slightly pointless Year of Hell during season four.

Star Trek: Insurrection

Set during the Dominion War, the Enterprise-E is being kept away from the front lines to perform diplomatic duties. This changes when the crew become aware of a plot to steal a planet with rejuvenating properties from its peaceful inhabitants, the Ba’ku. The gang go rogue and manage to save the Ba’ku while also dispatching the evil admiral and his alien allies.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine season 7

The final season of Deep Space Nine sees all the Alpha Quadrant powers, The Federation, Klingons, and Romulans, unite to finally win the war against The Dominion. All involved suffer catastrophic losses, and it’s only thanks to the Cardassian rebellion against their masters that the day is saved.

Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 5-7)

The Voyager crew continues their long journey home, meeting various antagonistic alien species along the way. Finally, in season seven, the crew make it back to Earth thanks to an alternate version of Captain Janeway, and they cripple the Borg at the same time.

Star Trek: Nemesis

The last Next Generation movie, Nemesis, sees a clone of Picard, named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), overthrow the Romulan Empire and declare war on The Federation. A box office bomb, the film’s only noteworthy contributions to Trek lore is the death of Data, who sacrifices himself to save Picard, and Riker and Troi finally tying the knot before leaving the Enterprise-E to command the USS Titan.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Seasons 1 – 3)

An animated comedy set on the least important starship in Starfleet, the U.S.S. Cerritos in the year 2380. While most Trek series center around a captain and their senior staff as they go on daring adventures, Lower Decks flips the usual formula on its head and instead focuses on low-ranking officers doing the grunt work.

While the nature of the show is incredibly funny (the ship’s unimportant in the grand scheme of things), it has little bearing on the series continuity, aside from frequent cameos. Still, it’s often very entertaining and the animated series is a worthy (if, very different) addition to the Star Trek timeline.

Star Trek: Prodigy (season 1)

Everyone wanted to see the return of Captain Janeway and explore where her life was taken after her ship’s return to Earth. Well, Prodigy gives us half of that, as a holographic Janeway tutors a group of young rascals who commandeer the abandoned USS Protostar.

Prodigy utilizes its position in the timeline by focusing a lot on Starfleet’s development of new technology, unimaginable even a few decades prior. Star Trek Prodigy season 2 will pick up the mantle.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot mostly takes place in an alternate timeline called the Kelvin Universe. That said, it does actually let us know what happened to the galaxy after the events of Nemesis.

Apparently, the Romulan sun went supernova, and the best efforts of The Federation and Starfleet weren’t enough to save them, resulting in the destruction of their homeworld. This is what causes Nero, the film’s main bad guy, to go back in time in the first place and alter the timeline.

Star Trek: Picard (Seasons 1 – 3)

Set 20 years after the events of Nemesis, Picard’s first season deals with both the fallout from the destruction of Romulus and The Federation’s ban on building androids.

From there, there are mysteries around every corner which are only exacerbated when Q returns in Star Trek Picard season 2 to send Picard and his new-found crew back in time to 21st century Earth.

Star Trek Picard season 3 brought things to a close by reuniting the TNG crew and making the jump to the 25th century, promising more adventures still to come with a potential Star Trek Legacy series.

Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 3 – 5)

The crew of USS Discovery arrive in the far-flung future (32nd Century) and find a galaxy in ruins with The Federation on its knees. The cause of this chaos? An event known as The Burn, during which most of the galaxy’s dilithium exploded, destroying almost every starship in use and making warp travel nearly impossible.

With The Federation reduced to just a handful of planets, the crew of The Discovery use their unique warp drive, the spore drive, to spread hope, rebuild The federation, and work out what caused The Burn.

Discovery season 4 continued the adventures on the frontier of the Star Trek timeline, and Star Trek Discovery season 5 release date promises to bring it all to a conclusion.

That’s it on the Star Trek timeline so far. For more on Star Trek, check out our guide to the Star Trek 4 release date , and see our rankings of the best Star Trek captains and best Star Trek characters. Or, read our  Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 review  as well as  our interview with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn .

You can also find our choices for the  best science fiction movies  of all time, and the  best sci-fi series  too before seeing what’s  new on Paramount Plus  this month. Alternatively, keep up to date with what’s going on by taking a look at our guide to every new movie coming out in 2023 and all the best streaming services to watch them on.

Tom Percival After graduating with an MA in journalism from the University of Salford, Tom set out to make a career for himself in the heady world of entertainment journalism. After spending six years working at UNILAD (and moonlighting at the BBC) where he interviewed the likes of Hugh Grant, Hugh Jackman, and Hugh Bonneville (plus other people not called Hugh) he left to find his fortune as editor at The Digital Fix where he spends his days trying to guess if the MCU's Doctor Doom will be in Avengers Secret Wars, thinking about Spider-Man , and watching Game of Thrones in a desperate attempt to untangle the Targaryen family tree . 

Star Trek Timeline Explained, Including Two Kirks, Two Different Prequels, and the Return of Picard

Boldly go through the eons of Trek.

It began so simply: A man named Gene Roddenberry wanted to make a TV show set in the future, featuring characters who would represent the best of humanity, boldly going where no one has gone before. Now, Star Trek has become one of pop culture's most enduring touchstones, constantly evolving with the times.

It is not an easy thing to put together a coherent timeline for a franchise that consists of over 50 years of films and TV (nine series and 13 films, to be exact). Yet Star Trek , when you break it down, does hold together pretty well for a narrative that has been crafted by literally dozens of writers and directors over the decades. This is especially impressive given the amount of time travel that's been built into the story, as well as some conflicting dates (for example, the Eugenics War makes things complicated ).

Choosing the most important dates of Trek history to focus on was at times difficult, but an effort was made to pinpoint moments where the franchise’s relationship with time was most complicated — after all, the ultimate goal of this article is to take over 50 years of sci-fi adventure and make it relatively comprehensible. With that in mind, The timeline below is restricted to the film and TV entries in the Trek universe, in part because the books, comics, and other media are fascinating enhancements to the narrative (especially when they push forward into the future) but are not widely considered to be officially canon.

Given that many of these events take place on different planets — with, thus, different year cycles — some dates are approximated, especially when their placement in the timeline is based on statements like "a thousand years ago." (If Trek 's stardate dating system was easier to compute, then it would have been incorporated here. Alas.) But even when some dates don't quite line up, the franchise's central principles are rarely lost.

[Editor's note: This article was updated on September 14, 2021 to incorporate "Star Trek: Lower Decks" Season 1.]

The Films and TV Shows (Combined)

The Age of Shatner and Nimoy

• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 (1966-1967)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2 (1967-1968)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 (1968-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 1 (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 2 (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)

The Next Generation Begins

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 (1987-1988)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 (1988-1989)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 (1989-1990)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 (1990-1991)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 (1991-1992)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 (1992-1993)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1 (1993)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 (1993-1994)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2 (1993-1994)
• Star Trek Generations (1994)

The Next Next Generation

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 3 (1994-1995)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 1 (1994-1995)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4 (1995-1996)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 (1995-1996)
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 5 (1996-1997)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 3 (1996-1997)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 6 (1997-1998)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 4 (1997-1998)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7 (1998-1999)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 5 (1998-1999)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 6 (1999-2000)
• Star Trek: Voyager Season 7 (2000-2001)

The Enterprise Era

• Star Trek: Enterprise Season 1 (2001-2002)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
• Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2 (2002-2003)
• Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3 (2003-2004)
• Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4 (2004-2005)

The Kelvin-verse

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The CBS All Access Age

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 (2017-2018)
• Star Trek : Short Treks Season 1 (2018)
• Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 (2019)
• Star Trek : Short Treks Season 2 (2019-2020)
• Star Trek: Picard Season 1 (2020)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks Season (2020)

Note: Spoilers follow for all of the above, including the season premiere of Picard .

The Days Before Space

4.6 Billion BCE (or maybe even more):

• The birth/arrival/creation of the Guardian of Forever on its ancient planet (ST:TOS S1E28, "The Guardian on the Edge of Forever").

4 Billion BCE:

• An unknown humanoid species, to quote Geordi LaForge, "scattered this genetic material into the primordial soup of at least 19 different planets across the galaxy," explaining why most sentient species look the same (ST:TNG S6E20, "The Chase").

3.5 Billion BCE:

• The beginnings of life in the Alpha Quadrant are threatened by Q's anomaly ( ST:TNG S7E25-26 , "All Good Things") .

400 CE (approximately):

• Approximate time when the Changelings founded what would become the Dominion, with the Jem'Hadar

900 CE (approximately):

• Kahless the Unforgettable slays the Qo'noS tyrant Molor and becomes the first Emperor of the Klingon Empire.
• First known sign of the Borg in the Delta Quadrant.

1600 CE (approximately):

• The beginnings of Bajoran space exploration leads to first contact between the Cardassians and Bajorans. (It does not go well for them.)

1800 CE (approximately):

• Establishment of the Cardassian Union.
• Picard, La Forge, Troi, Riker, and Crusher arrive in San Francisco after the discovery of Data's severed head in their century. Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) gets caught up in their efforts to save him (ST:TNG S5E26-S6E1, "Time's Arrow").
• Kirk and Spock chase a drugged and disoriented McCoy through the time portal known as the Guardian of Forever to New York City. While there, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler, a social worker whose life McCoy saved, but Kirk must ultimately let die, in order to preserve the timeline and prevent Germany from winning World War II (ST:TOS S1E28, "The City on the Edge of Forever").
• The Briori abduct several hundred humans from Earth and bring them to the Delta Quadrant, including Amelia Earhart (ST:VOY S2E1, "The 37's") .

1944 (alternate universe):

• Jonathan Archer and the Enterprise NX-01 crew find themselves in an altered version of World War II, where the Nazis have invaded America (ST:ENT S4E1-E2, "Storm Front").
• Quark, Rom and Nog crash their ship in Roswell, New Mexico and have to escape from the U.S. Military (ST:DS9 S4E8, "Little Green Men") .
• The Enterprise travels back to this year to prevent an agent from interfering with events, because Starfleet had a record of them doing so. Time travel is fun that way (ST:TOS S2E26, "Assignment: Earth"). The Enterprise also went on a similar mission in 1969 (ST:TOS S1E19, "Tomorrow Is Yesterday") .
• Kirk and friends, in search of humpback whales to save the future, arrive in San Francisco, where they meet marine biologist Gillian Taylor, invent transparent aluminum, and teach Spock how to swear (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) .
• The Eugenics Wars rage on (at least, according to almost all sources ). When the Enterprise first discovers genetically enhanced Khan Noonien Singh (ST:TOS S1E24, "Space Seed") , Spock says that during these years, Khan had conquered most of the Earth, before fleeing the Earth with 84 of his followers to drift through space in the S.S. Botany Bay.
• In this version of 1996 (perhaps because they've just ended?), there's no sign of the Eugenics Wars in action when the Voyager is pulled to sunny Southern California by a 29th century time ship. Despite being featured on local news broadcasts, the Voyager and its crew manage not to damage the timeline before returning to the 24th century (ST:VOY S3E8-9, "Future's End") .

December 27, 1999:

• One of Captain Janeway's ancestors gets caught up in the controversy surrounding the construction of the Millennium Gate tower, a self-sufficient structure built in Indiana that would become the model for the colonization of Mars (ST:VOY S5E23, "11:59") .
• Archer and T'Pol arrive in Detroit to stop the Xindi from annihilating the human race with a bioweapon — they succeed (ST:ENT S3E11, "Carpenter Street) .

Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2024:

• Thanks to a transporter accident, Sisko, Dax and Bashir arrive in a very different San Francisco from the modern world, and get caught up in the Bell Riots, a historical event which eventually led to massive reform of America's social issues (ST:DS9 S3E11-E12, "Past Tense") .

2026 – 2053:

• World War III ravages Earth, killing six hundred million humans.

The Dawn of the Warp Era

April 4, 2063:

• The Enterprise-E arrives at Earth after chasing a Borg sphere from the 24th century, just as the Borg plan to disrupt the launch of Zefram Cochrane's extremely important prototype warp drive flight (Star Trek: First Contact) .

April 5, 2063:

• Thanks to the Enterprise-E, Cochrane successfully completes his flight and, later that day, a Vulcan ship arrives on Earth, initiating first contact and beginning humanity's journey to its future as an architect of the Federation (Star Trek: First Contact).
• Colonies on Mars are established.
• An elderly Zefram Cochrane vanishes, after heading out on one last space voyage (ST:TOS S2E9, "Metamorphosis") .
• The Enterprise NX-01, the first starship capable of traveling at Warp 5, begins its mission to explore the galaxy. A major part of its adventures have to do with the Temporal Cold War, in which the crew found itself caught up in time travel conflicts.

March 2153:

• The Xindi attack Earth, firing a blast that causes destruction from Florida to Venezuela, killing seven million people. The NX-01 refocuses its mission on trying to stop the Xindi from causing further destruction.
• For the first time, Starfleet officers travel to the Mirror Universe, encountering a far darker version of their world (ST:ENT S4E18-E19, "In a Mirror, Darkly") .
• Discussion of uniting various planets for some sort of... federation, perhaps, begins (ST:ENT S4E22, "These Are the Voyages...") .

2156–2160:

• A four-year war with the Romulans leads to the creation of the Romulan Neutral Zone.
• Captain Archer speaks to the Coalition of Planets about the need to create...
• The United Federation of Planets, which is officially born that year (ST:ENT S4E22, "These Are the Voyages...") .
• Starfleet Academy is also founded.
• In an alternate timeline, the crew of the Defiant was sent back in time to this year, crashing on a planet called Gaia. While Kira died, the survivors eventually built a society of eight thousand people. This society, however, was wiped out of existence when the Odo living on Gaia prevented the Defiant from replicating that journey into the past, to save Kira's life (ST:DS9 S5E22, "Children of Time") .

March 22nd, 2233:

• In the Kelvin Timeline, Kirk is born aboard a USS Kelvin shuttlecraft as time-traveling Romulan Nero attacks the ship now being captained by James' soon-to-be-deceased father George (Star Trek 2009) .
• In the Prime Timeline, Kirk is born (exact location unknown, but could have still been aboard the USS Kelvin, albeit under more peaceful circumstances), and eventually raised in Iowa by George and Winona Kirk.
• Michael Burnham's family was killed at Doctari Alpha, following which Sarek brought her into his home and made her Spock's adoptive sister (ST:DIS S2E1, "Brothers") .
• The USS Enterprise, captained by Christopher Pike, launches its second five-year mission to explore the universe.
• Captain Pike, Lieutenant Spock and the Enterprise visit the planet of Talos IV (ST:TOS S1E15-E16, "The Menagerie") .
• The USS Shenzhou is called to investigate damage done to an interstellar array on the edge of Federation space, which leads to the ship being overwhelmed by an onslaught of Klingon ships. In the conflict, Captain Georgiou is killed, and Lieutenant Michael Burnham not just committing mutiny, but triggering a war between the Federation and the Klingons (ST:DIS S1E1-E2, "The Vulcan Hello"-"Battle at the Binary Stars") .

November 2256:

• Michael Burnham is, via a roundabout set of circumstances, transferred from prison to the USS Discovery under the command of Captain Gabriel Lorca (ST:DIS S1E3, "Context Is For Kings") .
• The Discovery arrives in the Mirror Universe thanks to Lorca, who had secretly snuck into the Prime Universe. The ship eventually returns home, but with the devious Mirror Universe version of Georgiou on board (ST:DIS S1E13, "What's Past Is Prologue").
• By making a pact with L'Rell and stopping an attack on the Klingon homeworld, Burnham is able to end the Federation-Klingon War (ST:DIS S1E13, "What's Past Is Prologue") .
• As the Enterprise needs repairs and the Discovery needs a (temporary?) captain, Captain Pike fills in the gap, introducing the mission to discover what's going on with the "Red Angel" who keeps appearing in multiple spots across the Alpha Quadrant (ST:DIS S2E1, "Brothers") .
• Burnham learns that the Red Angel is herself, from the future, and ultimately chases that predestination paradox (ST:DIS Season 2) .
• The Discovery, with a limited crew, travels to the year 3186. Those who stay behind, including Pike, Spock and Number One, adhere to the pact that speaking of the Discovery or its crew ever again is a treasonable offense (ST:DIS S2E14, "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2") .

2258 (Kelvin-verse):

• The Prime Universe version of Spock arrives from the future — which is just what Nero has been waiting for, for 25 years (Star Trek 2009) .
• James Kirk is just about to finish his time at Starfleet Academy when the planet of Vulcan is destroyed by Nero. Kirk and his new crew ultimately take down Nero, and end up taking over the Enterprise for a mission of exploration (Star Trek 2009) .

2259 (Kelvin-verse):

• Khan Noonien Singh arises to try to tear down the Federation. Kirk dies, but does not stay dead (Star Trek Into Darkness) .

2260 (Kelvin-verse):

• The Enterprise sets out on its five-year mission (Star Trek Beyond) .

2263 (Kelvin-verse):

• Three years into said mission, the Enterprise crew saves the space station Yorktown from destruction — destroying their ship in the process, but the Enterprise-A immediately gets commissioned (Star Trek Beyond) .
• The Prime Universe Spock, having lived in the Kelvin timeline for seven years, passes away at the age of 162 (Star Trek Beyond) .
• James T. Kirk takes command of the USS Enterprise for another five-year mission, encountering Klingons, con men and more.
• McCoy, after an unfortunate injection, rushes to the surface of an alien planet and escapes to the year 1930 thanks to the Guardian of Forever (ST:TOS S1E28, "The Guardian on the Edge of Forever") .
• The Enterprise experiences plenty of wacky experiences, but few as memorable as a trip to Deep Space Station K-7 to handle an agricultural situation aggravated by a tribble infestation (ST:TOS S2E13, "The Trouble With Tribbles") .
• After a time traveler tries to interfere with the events of DSS K-7, Captain Sisko and his crew arrive to make sure Kirk keeps the Klingons from sabotaging things (ST:DS9 S5E6, "Trials and Tribble-ations") .
• The Enterprise discovers Zefram Cochrane marooned on a remote planetoid, but ultimately leaves him behind with an alien consciousness with which he is in love (ST:TOS S2E9, "Metamorphosis") .
• At the end of the five-year mission, Kirk is promoted to the rank of Admiral, while Will Decker becomes captain of the USS Enterprise.
• When an alien-retrofitted version of Voyager returns to Earth, Kirk resumes control over the Enterprise to save Earth (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) .
• The Prime Universe Khan gets his chance at conquering the galaxy. Spock dies in the successful effort to thwart him (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) .
• Kirk steals the Enterprise, but Spock is successfully resurrected thanks to the planet Genesis's extraordinary properties. They return Spock to Vulcan so he can recuperate (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock) .
• An alien probe broadcasting humpback whale song doesn't get any response, and starts trying to destroy the planet Earth as a result. To prevent this, Kirk and his friends travel back in time (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) .
• Kirk is demoted to the rank of Captain, and thus he can return to being the Captain of the Enterprise (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) .
• The Enterprise crew goes on another adventure, which might be boiled down to this memorable incident: Captain Kirk asks the question "What does God need with a starship?" (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) .
• Hikaru Sulu becomes captain of the USS Excelsior.
• Kirk is framed for the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, and he and McCoy even go to prison for that presumed crime, but their friends rescue them in time to prevent another assassination. Kirk saves the peace talks and is told to bring the Enterprise back to Earth. He might end up taking his time getting there (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) .
• Tuvok serves under Captain Sulu aboard the Excelsior (ST:VOY S3E2, "Flashback") .
• Later that year, Kirk and other crew members are visiting the newly commissioned Enterprise-B. After an encounter with the Nexus that destroys a good part of the ship, Kirk is considered dead (Star Trek Generations) .
• Captain Rachel Garrett and the Enterprise-C are lost while defending a Klingon settlement, an event which proved pivotal to creating peace between the Klingons and the Federation — so pivotal that when it didn't happen in an alternate universe, it led to a far worse future (ST:TNG S3E15, "Yesterday's Enterprise") .
• War between the Federation and Cardassian Union begins, with conflicts tapering off in the 2350s.
• The USS Pegasus is considered missing after experimenting with phasing technology ( ST:TNG S7E12, "The Pegasus") .

The Rise of Picard, Sisko, and Janeway

• Seven years later, Picard re-experiences this first mission, because it is revealed that the trial which Q began during the trip to Farpoint had never actually ended ( ST:TNG S7E25-26 , "All Good Things").
• Lieutenant Natasha Yar is killed in action (ST:TNG S1E23, "Skin of Evil") .
• The Enterprise encounters the Borg for the first time, after being flung into the Delta Quadrant by Q (ST:TNG S2E16, "Q Who") .
• The Enterprise-C arrives in a very changed version of the universe, 22 years after it disappeared into a temporal rift. Captain Garrett and her crew eventually return to the point of their disappearance to preserve the original timeline, with Tasha Yar (who did not die in this new timeline) returning with them (ST:TNG S3E15, "Yesterday's Enterprise") .
• Jean-Luc Picard gets abducted by the Borg, and a battle he spearheads as Locutus of Borg, known as Wolf 359, is a brutal moment for the Federation. Benjamin Sisko's wife Jennifer is one of the many, many casualties (ST:TNG S3E26-S4E1, "The Best of Both Worlds"; ST:DS9 S1E1, "Emissary") .
• With the ascension of Gowron as Emperor, the Klingon Civil War begins.
• The Klingon Civil War ends, with Gowron maintaining his control over the Empire (ST:TNG S5E1, "Redemption II") .
• Ambassador Spock travels to Romulus to try to reunite the Vulcans and Romulan people — unsuccessfully. (ST:TNG S5E7-8, "Redemption I-II") .
• Commander Benjamin Sisko arrives at the station Deep Space Nine, where he encounters the "wormhole aliens," AKA "the Prophets," and devotes himself to bringing local planet Bajor into the Federation as Bajor rebuilds after Cardassian occupation (ST:DS9 S1E1, "Emissary") .
• The Enterprise-D recovers long-lost Montgomery Scott from a transporter buffer, and Scotty sets out to go exploring the galaxy (ST:TNG S6E4, "Relics").
• Commander Riker, struggling to decide what to do when his old commanding officer Admiral Pressman asks for his help, uses the holodeck to look back at Captain Archer's big speech to the Coalition of Planets (ST:ENT S4E22, "These Are the Voyages..."; ST:TNG S7E12, "The Pegasus") .
• The Federation-Cardassian Treaty is signed, officially ending hostilities and creating a demilitarized zone that left several planets previously colonized by Federation citizens under Cardassian control. This leads to the creation of the Maquis, former Federation members who rebel against the Cardassians (ST:DS9 S2E20-21, "The Maquis") .
• Picard begins to shift in time, from his past to his future, which lead to him discovering that Q has spent the last seven years evaluating the human race, based on the adventures of Picard and his crew. Ultimately, Picard convinces Q of humanity's value ( ST:TNG S7E25-26 , "All Good Things").
• Picard learns that his brother and nephew have ben killed in a fire at his family vineyard (Star Trek Generations) .
• The Enterprise-D gets caught up in Dr. Soran's attempt to reach the Nexus, a realm outside of space and time that can feel like paradise. Picard, inside the Nexus, meets Kirk, who he convinces to leave the Nexus with him to stop Soran. They succeed, but Kirk is killed and the Enterprise is destroyed (Star Trek Generations) .
• The USS Voyager departs Deep Space Nine to track down a missing Maquis ship, but both ships end up getting dragged 75,000 light years away from Earth. The Starfleet and Maquis crews end up working together to try to get back to the Alpha Quadrant (ST:VOY S1E1-2, "Caretaker") .
• The USS Defiant, a new ship to be captained by Benjamin Sisko, arrives at Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 S3E1, "The Search, Part I") .
• Odo learns that his people, the Changelings, are the Founders of the Dominion, which controls the Gamma Quadrant, and now aims to take over the Alpha Quadrant (ST:DS9 S3E1-2, "The Search, Parts I/II") .
• The Enterprise-E is launched.
• Thanks to Changeling infiltration at the highest levels of government, war erupts between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Worf joins the crew of Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 S4E1-2, "The Way of the Warrior") .
• After the Battle of Sector 001, in which the Borg gets close to attacking the Earth, the Enterprise-E launches into action, following a Borg Sphere back into the past (Star Trek: First Contact) .
• When the Changeling impersonating General Martok is revealed, war between the Federation and the Klingons ends (ST:DS9 S5E1, "Apocalypse Rising") .
• The Federation first learns about the existence of the non-corporeal Pah-wraiths, enemies of the Bajoran Prophets, when one of them takes over the body of Keiko O'Brien (ST:DS9 S5E5, "The Assignment") .
• Bashir, without anyone's knowledge, is replaced by a Changeling, which is not uncovered for a month (ST:DS9 S5E14-15, "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light") .
• The Dominion, as part of the deal, helps Cardassia completely eliminate the Maquis.
• To avoid war with the Dominion, the Bajorans sign a non-aggression treaty (ST:DS9 S5E26, "Call to Arms") .
• The Dominion takes over the Bajor sector as the Federation departs, beginning the Dominion War (ST:DS9 S5E26, "Call to Arms") .
• Voyager assists the Borg in fighting off Species 8472, and a drone known as Seven of Nine gets marooned on their ship (ST:VOY S4E1, "Scorpion, Part II") .
• Meanwhile, crew member Kes leaves the ship to explore her psychic abilities (ST:VOY S4E2, "The Gift") .
• The Dominion War is fought on multiple fronts, with Kira leading a resistance effort on Deep Space Nine while Sisko and the Defiant battle to eventually retake the station (ST:DS9 S6E6, "Sacrifice of Angels") .
• Gul Dukat's daughter Ziyal is killed by Damar during the battle over DS9 (ST:DS9 S6E6, "Sacrifice of Angels") .
• Worf and Jadzia Dax get married (ST:DS9 S6E7, "You Are Cordially Invited...") .
• First major appearance of Section 31 (in the Prime timeline), as an agent attempts to recruit Bashir (ST:DS9 S6E18, "Inquisition") .
• Thanks to Sisko working with the ruthless Garak, the Romulans join the war against the Dominion (ST:DS9 S6E19, "In the Pale Moonlight") .
• Dukat, having snuck onto DS9, kills Jadzia Dax and releases a Pah-wraith which closes the Bajoran wormhole permanently (ST:DS9 S6E26, "Tears of the Prophets") .
• The Dax symbiont is joined with a Trill named Ezri (ST:DS9 S7E1, "Image in the Sand") .
• After having left DS9 for a short time, Sisko recovers the Orb of the Emissary, and returns to reopen the wormhole (ST:DS9 S7E2, "Shadows and Symbols") .
• Dukat now leads a cult devoted to the worship of the Pah-wraiths (ST:DS9 S7E9, "Covenant") .
• The Enterprise-E crew, including Worf, work together to reconcile the Son'a and Ba'ku people after a century of distrust (Star Trek: Insurrection) .
• Sisko makes plans for life after the Dominion War, and also marries long-time girlfriend Kasidy Yates (ST:DS9 S7E18, "'Til Death Do Us Part") .
• Kira, Odo and Garak go to Cardassia to help Damar, now in open rebellion against the Dominion, lead a resistance movement. Odo learns that he has been infected by the virus killing the Changelings, which was created by Section 31 (ST:DS9 S7E21, "When It Rains...") .
• The Defiant is destroyed by the Breen, and a new ship is renamed in its honor (ST:DS9 S7E24, "The Dogs of War") .
• Odo, having been cured of Section 31's disease, returns to his people to spread the cure to them (ST:DS9 S7E26, "What You Leave Behind").
• Dukat, having surgically altered himself to resemble a Bajoran, becomes a confidante of Kai Winn and manipulates her into helping him unlock the power of the Pah-wraiths in the Fire Caves on Bajor. Sisko arrives in time to stop him, but all three of them are considered dead (ST:DS9 S7E26, "What You Leave Behind") .
• The Dominion War ends (ST:DS9 S7E26, "What You Leave Behind") .
• The USS Voyager continues its journey home.
• Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres get married (ST:VOY S7E3, "Drive") .
• Neelix leaves Voyager to join a Talaxian community (ST:VOY S7E23, "Homestead").
• With the help of a time-travelling Admiral Janeway, Voyager successfully uses the Borg transwarp network to get back to Earth (ST:VOY S7E25, "Endgame") .
• Miral Paris is born (ST:VOY S7E25, "Endgame") .
• William Riker and Deanna Troi get married (Star Trek: Nemesis) .
• The Enterprise-E discovers that Data's creator, Dr. Soong, had created an early prototype of Data known as B-4, which is more primitive than Data. Data tries to help by transferring his memories into B-4.
• Picard comes to Romulus after a military coup puts Shinzon, a clone of Picard created by Romulans who ended up becoming the leader of the Remans. In the ensuing fight, Picard kills Shinzon, but Data is killed saving his crew (Star Trek: Nemesis) .
• Ensign Tendi joins Rutherford, Mariner, and Boimler to serve on board the U.S.S. Cerritos, a ship dedicated to "second contact" encounters with new civilizations (Star Trek: Lower Decks S1E1, "Second Contact") .
• Boimler jumps at the chance of promotion to serve on board the U.S.S. Titan under the command of Captain William Riker, leaving behind his friends on the Cerritos (Star Trek: Lower Decks S1E10, "No Small Parts") .
• Thaddeus "Thad" Troi-Riker is born (ST:PIC S1E7, "Nepenthe").

Timeline [ ]

• Distant past
• 1st century
• 2nd century
• 3rd century
• 4th century
• 5th century
• 6th century
• 7th century
• 8th century
• 9th century
• 10th century
• 11th century
• 12th century
• 13th century
• 14th century
• 15th century
• 16th century
• 17th century
• 18th century
• 19th century
• 20th century
• 21st century
• 22nd century
• 23rd century
• 24th century
• 25th century
• 26th century
• 27th century
• 28th century
• 29th century
• 30th century
• 31st century
• 32nd century
• 33rd century
• 34th century

Related topics [ ]

• Mirror universe timeline
• Alternate reality timeline

Background information [ ]

Trek timeline [ ].

This is the timeline of the Star Trek series and films in chronological order in-universe. This does not include flashbacks , flashforwards, acts of time travel , or alternate timelines (excepting the alternate reality ). See the production timeline for a chronological overview of the production history of Star Trek .

• ↑ Based on Michael Burnham 's approximate age in the episode, "The Girl Who Made the Stars" is assumed to take place in the early 2230s.
• ↑ Some scenes in Star Trek take place in the 2240s, though no "hard" date, or dates, were given.
• ↑ No date, either approximate or exact, was given for "The Escape Artist". The episode is assumed to take place after " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad " and before " Where No Man Has Gone Before ".
• ↑ "The Trouble with Edward" is assumed to take place after the Federation-Klingon War in the 2250s and before Pike's command of the USS Enterprise ended.
• ↑ "Ask Not" is assumed to take place after the Federation-Klingon War in the 2250s and before Pike's command of the USS Enterprise ended.
• ↑ " Assignment: Earth " takes place entirely in 1968 , though the USS Enterprise traveled through time to, and later from, that year off screen.
• ↑ "Ephraim and Dot" depicts events that happen between 2267 and 2285.
• ↑ See here for the problem with dating The Motion Picture .
• ↑ No date, either approximate or exact, was given for when the only real time scene takes place in "Living Witness". Most of the episode is a historical recreation of events that took place circa 3074 , including recreations of events that took place in or after 2374 . Based on the remark that it could take " another seven hundred years " in the 3074 recreation and the requirement that at least seven years must pass from that date, the earliest the real time setting could be is the latter years of the 31st century , with the late- 38th century being seven hundred years after that.
• ↑ No date is given for the events of "Calypso" beyond the USS Discovery having been abandoned for nearly a millennium .

External links [ ]

• Timeline at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• The Star Trek Chronology Project

Den of Geek

Star Trek Timeline Explained

How does Star Trek: Discovery relate to the other Star Trek shows and movies? We unravel the history of the future to make it clear.

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This article comes from Den of Geek UK .

The Star Trek canon is a complicated place. Within the TV show and movies alone, there are prequels, sequels, time travel and alternate universes to keep track of – and not all of them happen in the right order. Star Trek Discovery is the latest continuity insert (and a fine one at that) – but how does it relate to everything else?

We begin our look at Star Trek’s timeline around 40 years into “our” future, at a point when the Earth is recovering from World War III…

2063 – Star Trek: First Contact (most of it)

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This movie – Star Trek 8 , if you’re keeping track – sees the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew take a jaunt back in time to the era of Zefram Cochrane: the man who invented warp drive technology. The flight of his ship, the Phoenix, attracts the attention of some passing Vulcans who make the titular first contact. It’s an important moment.

read more – 8 Amazing Things About Star Trek: First Contact

2151-2155 – Star Trek: Enterprise

A hundred years later, the crew of Starfleet’s first warp 5 vessel, the Enterprise (registration NX-01) seeks to establish humanity as a significant player in the galaxy, although poor relations between Vulcans and humans keep it from being a simple task. Significantly, the Enterprise is key to defeating the Xindi who attempt to attack and destroy Earth.

read more: The Importance of the Star Trek: Enterprise Characters

2161 – As detailed in the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT 4×22: “These Are The Voyages…”) the United Federation of Planets is formed from an alliance between four species: Humans, Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites. The Enterprise NX-01 is also retired.

2165 – Sarek, Spock’s father, is born on Vulcan.

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2210 – Amanda Grayson, Spock’s mother, is born on Earth.

2230 – Spock is born. Amanda Grayson is 20 and Sarek is 65. Problematic tbh.

2233 – James T. Kirk is born. Just for context, in the divergent timeline of the reboot movies the Romulan terrorist Nero arrives from the future on the Narada, destroys the USS Kelvin and kills George Kirk. Everything after this point doesn’t apply to the reboot timeline, but… that’s a separate article.

2245 – The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) is launched under the command of Robert M. April.

2254 – The USS Enterprise visits the planet Talos IV while under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. Spock is already serving aboard the vessel at this time. Although the Talosians attempt to capture the crew, they are able to escape. It’s all detailed in “The Menagerie” ( TOS 1×15-16).

2256- ongoing – Star Trek Discovery

Experimental starship Discovery (NCC-1013) fights in the first major Klingon-Federation war. Michael Burnham, Spock’s adopted sister, is part of the crew. Sarek also visits sometimes. At one point Discovery encounters the Enterprise of this era while investigating the red lights phenomena and is placed under temporary command of Captain Christopher Pike.

2265-2269 – Star Trek: The Original Series

Nine years after the events of Star Trek: Discovery , Kirk, Spock, Bones (and the rest) run a five year mission in deep space aboard the Enterprise, exploring the galaxy, establishing tropes, and talking numerous computers to death.

read more: The Most Important Star Trek Original Series Episodes

Notably, on one mission the Enterprise is able to restore a seriously-injured Christopher Pike to Talos IV so that he can live out his life in a psychically-created paradise preferable to reality. Lucky git.

2269-2270 – The Animated Adventures Of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek

Sometimes deemed non-canon but increasingly less so, this series takes place immediately following the live-action show and mostly features most of the original cast. (Don’t listen too carefully to the voices.)

There’s a comic book series where the animated crew meet the Transformers which is definitely not canon and absolutely nuts but therefore great.

2270s – Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Following an 18-month refit, the Enterprise encounters V’ger prompting Admiral Kirk to reassume command of the ship.

read more – The Troubled Production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture

2285 – Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Khan Noonien Singh, having escaped exile at the hands of Captain Kirk ( TOS 1×24: “Space Seed”), exacts revenge on the Enterprise using the Genesis device. The crew defeats Khan but Spock sacrifices his own life to save the Enterprise. Sad.

read more – The Difficult Journey of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Slightly later in 2285 – Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

The Enterprise returns to Earth for repairs before realising that Spock is still alive, having been reborn on the Genesis planet created in the previous film. The Klingons get involved and while attempting to rescue Spock, the Enterprise is destroyed. The crew hijacks a Klingon Bird of Prey and returns Spock to Vulcan and the care of Sarek.

read more – In Defense of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

2286 – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The crew of the Enterprise return to Earth (sans Enterprise) just in time to find it under attack: an invincible alien probe is bombarding the planet with a destructive signal trying to communicate with whales, which humans have driven to extinction. After heading back in time to 1987 to grab a whale, the crew return to 2286 and are placed on board a new version of the Enterprise: the NCC-1701-A.

2287 – Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Spock’s half-brother Sybok steals the Enterprise and tries to fly it into God. We wish we were making this up.

read more – Examining the Political Themes of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

2293 – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The wall comes down, IN SPACE. When the Russian Klingon power station Moon Chernobyl Praxis explodes, the notoriously insular empire begins discussion with its former enemies to achieve a friendly peace. Kirk and his crew save the peace process from a destabilisation plot by the Romulans. The Enterprise A is decommissioned.

read more – The Political Parallels of Star Trek VI: The Undisovered Country

2293 – Star Trek: Generations (some of it)

The Enterprise B (NCC-1701-B) is launched and Captain Kirk is thought to have died following an encounter with the mysterious energy ribbon known as The Nexus.

2344 – The Enterprise C (NCC-1701-C) is active under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett. You can learn more in TNG 3×15, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which is a great episode.

read more – Does Star Trek: Generations Deserve Another Chance?

2364-2370 – Star Trek: The Next Generation

The crew of the Enterprise D (NCC-1701-D) – Picard, Riker, Data (and the rest) travel around the galaxy encountering moral dilemmas which can usually be solved by reversing the polarity of something.

read more – The Best Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes

2368 – Sarek dies ( TNG 5×01 – “Unification”)

2369-2375: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Things get confusing as TV shows begin to overlap. Commander Sisko unleashes the dragon aboard the strategically-important space station, Deep Space Nine.

read more – The Best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Stories

2371: Star Trek Generations (the rest of it)

Picard et al rescue Kirk from the Nexus, proving that he didn’t die in 2293 after all. Although he later does in fact die. No backsies this time. Except in that one novel series. The Enterprise D is also turned into space-confetti.

2371-2378: Star Trek Voyager

Captain Kathryn Janeway gets the USS Voyager (registration unimportant) stranded in the Delta Quadrant and they spend 7 years trying to get home while stopping to check every molecule of every asteroid they so much as brush against. Harry Kim dies and is replaced by a replica created by a weird time thingy but no-one really talks about it.

read more – Why the Star Trek: Voyager Premiere is Worth a Rewatch

2373: Star Trek: First Contact (the rest of it)

Aboard the newly-commissioned Enterprise E (NCC-170-ah you get it by now) the Next Generation Crew follows a Borg ship back in time and prevents them from disrupting First Contact with the Vulcans. See the start of this article.

2375: Star Trek Insurrection

Nothing important happens in this one but it’s not as bad as people think.

2379: Star Trek Nemesis

Some important stuff DOES happen in this one because Data dies, but in this case it IS as bad as people think. Janeway shows up, promoted to Admiral, likely because she never wants to see the inside of a starship again.

read more – What Went Wrong With Star Trek: Nemesis?

2387: Star Trek (reboot)

Romulus is destroyed when a nearby star goes supernova. Spock is unable to stop it. A grieving Romulan named Nero travels back in time and creates the divergent JJ Abrams timeline which remains outside the scope of this article. However, the destruction of Romulus and the strange disappearance of Spock remain canon. Who knows what everyone else is up to?

Some time after 2387: Untitled Picard Series

The producers of the eagerly-awaited untitled Picard series have explained that the destruction of Romulus and dissolution of the Romulan empire will be a springboard for some of the events in this TV show, in which Picard has (likely) left Starfleet behind for good.

Sometimes around 3256: Short Treks’ “Calypso”

As someone pointed out in our comment section, one of Discovery’s latest Short Treks , “Calypso,” takes place roughly 1,000 years following the events of  Discovery , catching up with the abandoned ship’s computer, Zora. This potentially concerning peak into the Federation’s future has yet to be addressed in Discovery .

This, broadly, is where established canon ends. Further glimpses in the future (such as the future timeline seen in TNG finale, “All Good Things) can only be considered potential futures.

Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments!

All Roads Lead to Discovery: The Full Star Trek Timeline, Explained

Star Trek: Discovery takes place at the furthest point in the franchise timeline. Here is the stardate for each major entry in the series.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, the final season, is currently underway. The series debuted in 2017 and was used as the launch title for the streaming service CBS All Access, now rebranded Paramount+. It was also the first Star Trek series on television in 12 years following the conclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise back in 2005. While Paramount has spent nearly a decade trying to get Star Trek 4 out of development hell , the franchise has been going strong on Paramount+ with various series on the streaming service at different times of the year. Now, there is almost always a Star Trek series on the air at any given point.

Star Trek: Discovery is a fascinating case for the franchise, as it was originally conceived as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , but following the conclusion of Season 2 and starting in Season 3, the series jumped far into the future, the farthest point in the franchise history. Star Trek: Discovery now takes place in a universe built on years of stories. Here is a breakdown of the Star Trek timeline across television and film and how it all leads to Star Trek: Discovery .

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star trek: enterprise.

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The last television series on air before Star Trek: Discovery is also the first in the timeline as Star Trek: Enterprise takes place over 100 years before the adventures of Kirk and Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Jonathan Archer, the captain of the Enterprise NX-01 which was Earth’s first starship able to reach warp five. Major events in the series are around first contact with alien species like the Klingon and the Xindi. The series also featured the true formation of the United Federation of Planets.

The series also established the Temporal Wars, a conflict that stretched across time and space and resulted in the creation of multiple timelines as agents from various factions in the 32nd century were sent back in time to move history in their favor. This eventually resulted in an all-out war, and while it was resolved, it later had some major ramifications for the franchise. The first was that all-time travel technology became outlawed or destroyed in the 32nd century, so when the crew of Discovery jumped forward in time, they had no way of returning home. The other was a way for the writers to fix continuity errors , like moving up the date of Khan's rise and the Eugenics wars from the 1990s, as established in The Original Series , to the 2010s.

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

When Star Trek: Discovery first premiered, it was pitched as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , taking place nine years before the events of the series. It introduced Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, the never-before-mentioned adopted sister of Spock who ended up starting the war between the Federation and the Klingons, one that would have repercussions for the franchise for years. Star Trek: Discovery dealt with a threat from the Mirror Universe , a faction that would come into play in Star Trek: The Original Series , while season two brought on fan-favorite versions of characters from the original Star Trek pilot in the form of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijln), and Spock (Ethan Peck).

Star Trek: Discovery season two ended with the crew of the Enterprise making the decision to jump forward 1000 years in the future to save the galaxy from an artificial intelligence threat. This resulted in Pike, Spock, and Number One telling Starfleet that Discovery was destroyed in the battle and vowing never to speak of it or the crew again to prevent another incident like the rouge AI Control from happening. This was done to explain why nobody in the later series of Star Trek mentioned any of the characters on Discovery or the advanced technology the ship had as the first and only one of its kind to use an experimental spore drive.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is both a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery , following Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise, introduced in that series, as well as a continuation of the original pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series "The Cage." Now that Captain Pike knows the fate that awaits him by the time Star Trek: The Original Series happens, he and the crew of the Enterprise begin exploring strange new worlds. The series is notable for featuring not only Spock but also his first-ever meeting with Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) and the first missions of Uhurua (Celia Rose Gooding). Other members of the original crew, like Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), while Season 2's finale introduces a young Scotty (Martin Quinn).

Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

It also adds a new wrinkle to the lore: La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), who is a descendant of villain Khan Noonien Singh. The series has so far fleshed out the alien race, The Gorn, and features the foundation of the Prime Directive rule, one that forbids a Starship from interfering with the development of an alien planet. It also features time travel in two key episodes. The first was when La'an and another version of Kirk traveled to 2020 Toronto, where La'an has a chance to kill a young Khan when he was just a boy but doesn't due to him not being guilty of any crime yet, and the other involved the crew of Star Trek: Lower Decks traveling back in time and arriving back 100 years before their time.

Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

The one that started it all, Star Trek: The Original Series , follows the crew of the USS Enterprise in their five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and go where no one has gone before. Under the guidance of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), his first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and friend and ship doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly), the crew of the USS Enterprise are the most important characters in the Star Trek franchise. Decisions and events here have major ripple effects on the entire franchise.

There are far too many to name, but the biggest ones include in 2267 when the crew finds and uncovers the body of Khan Nooniegn-Signh, and after he attempts a mutiny, they leave him on a planet to begin a new life, an action that will have repercussions decades later.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Star trek: the animated series.

Star Trek: The Animated Series was made in 1973, four years after Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled. It featured the continuing adventures of the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. It lasted for two seasons and helped round out the stories of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2271)

Star trek: the motion picture.

While no official stardate is mentioned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and is only identified as the 2270s, supplementary material for the film dates it one year after the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. The film sees the crew of the Enterprise reunite to investigate a mysterious and powerful alien cloud known as V'Ger, which is destroying everything in its path as it approaches Earth. While not stated in the film, subsequent Star Trek material has suggested that V'Ger is the progenitor of the Borg, one of the franchise's most popular recurring enemies.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

Star trek 2: the wrath of khan.

The most iconic Star Trek film, The Wrath of Khan , picks up 15 years after the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed." The time since the planet Khan was marooned on , it became a wasteland after one of the planets near it was destroyed and altered the atmosphere. Khan now seeks revenge on Kirk and does so by going after the planet-terraforming machine called the Genesis device, a machine created by Kirk's ex, Carol Marcus, and his son, David Marcus. Kirk is able to defeat Khan but at a price, as Mr. Spock is forced to give his life to save the crew of the Enterprise. Spock's death will have major repercussions on the franchise that will be felt for years.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

Star trek iii: the search for spock.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock picks up just months after The Wrath of Khan , as the crew of the Enterprise discovers that there is a way to revive Spock. They go against Starfleet's orders and steal the Enterprise to return Spock's body and mind to Vulcan so that he can be reborn. The crew must also face off with hostile Klingons, led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), who is bent on stealing the secrets of the powerful terraforming Genesis.

Here’s How Much Each Star Trek Movie Made at the Box Office Upon Release

The film features some major hallmarks of the franchise. The first is the destruction of the Enterprise, a ship that had been with the franchise for years and would be absent in the following film. The second was establishing the core characters as fugitives from the United Federation of Planets, which would set up clearing their names in the follow-up. It also featured Spock being resurrected but at another cost for Kirk, the death of his son, which would begin to drive Kirk's prejudice against Klingons for many films.

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

Star trek iv: the voyage home.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sees the former crew of the USS Enterprise discover that Earth is in grave danger from an alien probe attempting to contact now-extinct humpback whales. The crew travels to Earth's past to find whales who can answer the probe's call. The first and final part of the movie takes place one year after The Search for Spock , but the majority of the movie takes place in 1986, the present day for moviegoing audiences. While Star Trek had done time travel stories before, this one set a template for future entries in the franchise. By the end of the film, Kirk and his crew had been reinstated and cleared of all charges.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

Star trek v: the final frontier.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier deals with the crew of the new USS Enterprise-A as they confront renegade Vulcan Sybok, who is searching for God at the center of the galaxy. Sybok is Spock's half-brother , and he is from his father's previous relationship with a Vulcan woman. This makes the second chronological secret member of Spock's family and the first introduced in the series in order of release.

Sybok's presence was actually hinted at in the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when his lover, Angel, attacks his half-brother's ship. The entry is also the first to allude to a higher power in the Star Trek franchise, and while God would not be revealed in the series, the idea of someone being the creator of life in the galaxy would be picked up years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation and is now the main storyline for the final season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

Star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

The final time the entire crew of the USS Enterprise would be together was in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . The Klingons seek to form an alliance with the Federation after years of fighting due to their planet suffering a major catastrophe, but Kirk is still bitter after the death of his son at the Klingon's hands in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Kirk and Bones are framed for the murder of a high-up Klingon official, which threatens the peace accords, and they, alongside the rest of the crew of the Enterprise, must work to clear their names.

This final entry for most of the original cast marks a turning point in the franchise. It marked the end of the Federation and Klingon conflict, setting up Star Trek: The Next Generation , featuring the character Worf in a prominent role as part of the crew. The film takes place 28 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, and through one live-action show, an animated series, and six films, audiences saw a massive epic unfold for these characters, but the story was far from over as a new era began for the franchise and the next generation began.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Star trek: the next generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation takes place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Captain Jean Luc-Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as they continue to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations. For many audiences, this was their Star Trek and introduced a whole new host of concepts to the franchise, with the most iconic being the villain, The Borg.

Star Trek: The Next Generation might be one of the most important in terms of how it connects to Star Trek Discovery. The first is the episode "Unification," in which Spock looks to bring peace between the Vulcans and Romulans. Not only is this paid off as Spock's vision of a united Romulus and Vulcan comes true in the form of the planet Ni'Var in Star Trek: Discovery , but his work with the Romulan people will lead to the events that create the alternate Kelvin timeline of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond .

Yet the most important element is in the episode "The Chase," which reveals that the reason various alien life in the galaxy looks so similar is due to sharing a common ancestry from an ancient species that crafted life in their image. This revelation forms the backbone of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season as the crew looks to find the technology of the species that created life, now dubbed the Progenitors. The episode debuted in 1993, and now, 31 years later, the series is finally going to delve into some answers.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star trek: deep space nine.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke from franchise conventions as instead of being focused on a starship, it was set on a space station Deep Space Nine, located adjacent to a wormhole connecting Federation territory to the Gamma Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy. The series begins one year before the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation come to a conclusion and is firmly connected to the events of that series as Benjamin Sisko, head of Deep Space Nine, is mourning the death of his wife, who was killed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 seen in the episode "The Best of Both Worlds Part II" from The Next Generation and has a difficult time seeing the face of Jean-Luc Picard as that was the face he saw leading the Borg that lead to the death of his wife.

The biggest event of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is The Dominion Wars, a massive story arc that ran over the course of the series. It involved all major powers of the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants, organized into two opposing military alliances, the Federation Alliance and the Breen-Dominion Alliance, which resulted in the deadliest conflicts in the galaxy. It would begin the drive for the Federation to become a more militarized organization.

Star Trek Generations (2371)

Star trek: generations.

Star Trek: Generations occupies an interesting place within the timeline. It is set one year after the events of The Next Generation and two years into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the year 2371. Yet the film's beginning takes place shortly after the events of Star Trek VI: The Final Frontier, which sees Captain Kirk stuck in a pocket dimension, allowing him to meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard of The Next Generation nearly a century later into his future. This film marked the death of Captain Kirk , who died the way he lived, a man of adventure.

Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

Star trek: first contact.

Star Trek: First Contact is another time travel movie, similar to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Set six years after being assimilated by the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Captain Picard and his crew travel through a time portal to pursue the Borg to April 4, 2063. This is the date before the historic warp drive flight that leads to humanity's first encounter with alien life, and the Borg are looking to alter the future so humans never make contact. The film's date of April 5th has now become an unofficial Star Trek holiday known as First Contact Day .

Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

Star trek: insurrection.

Star Trek: Insurrection is notable as the film is set in 2375, the same year as the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Trying to take the renegade Starfleet team element from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , the crew of the USS Enterprise -E rebels against Starfleet after they discover a conspiracy with the Son'a species to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating properties.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Star trek: voyager.

Star Trek: Voyager begins in 2371, the same year as Star Trek: Generations . It follows the adventures of the USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the galaxy. This entry is key for introducing two characters to the franchise that will play major roles in future installments. The series introduced Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the first female Captain in the franchise, who will later have a major role in Star Trek: Prodigy .

The second is Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), a former Borg drone that was born Annika Hansen before being assimilated by the Borg at age six in 2356, eight years before the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Seven of Nine plays a major role in Star Trek: Picard as the series delves more into the Borg's history and culture.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

Star trek: nemesis.

Star Trek: Nemesis takes place fifteen years after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation and deals with a threat from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who has taken control of the planet Romulus and was created by the Romulan Empire originally to create a spy within the Federation but the plans were abandoned likely due to the events of "Unification" and the clone child was left on die as a slave on the Romulan controlled planet Remus. The film marked the final film for the crew of The Next Generation as it marked many landmarks, including the wedding of Commander Will Ryker and Deanna Tori and the death of Data, all elements that lead into Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

Star trek: lower decks.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a comedic spin on the Star Trek franchise . This animated adventure follows the low-ranking support crew of the starship Cerritos and begins one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis . Star Trek: Lower Decks crossed over with Star Trek: Strange New World in that series' second season episode, "Those Old Scientists," which saw Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid get the chance to play their roles of Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler, respectively, in live-action.

The series just announced its fifth and final season, meaning both it and Star Trek: Discovery will come to a close in 2024, and fans are certainly hoping to hear a mention of the characters of Lower Decks in Discovery just to know these lowly crew members did become big names with the Federation history.

Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

Star trek: prodigy.

Star Trek: Prodigy was an attempt to create a new starting point for young kids to get into the Star Trek franchise. Set in 2383, it follows a group of young aliens from the Delta Quadrant who find the abandoned starship Protostar and learn about Starfleet with the help of the ship's computer, an AI of Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . This young crew of kids makes their way to the Alpha Quadrant while discovering what it means to be a crew and what being part of Starfleet is all about.

The series features plenty of cameos and references to the past Star Trek series but does so in a way that invites the young viewer to learn more about them. The series was canceled at Paramount+ after one season but was then picked up by Netflix, where it will have a second season.

Kelvin Timeline (2387, 2255 - 2263)

This is where things get a bit tricky. In the year 2387, a supernova destroys the planet Romulus. For those in the original timeline, the destruction of Romulus kicks off the events of Star Trek: Picard, but a major event happens that none of the characters are aware of at the time: the creation of a new timeline.

In an attempt to stop the supernova, an elder Spock launches a piece of red matter into the supernova that creates a black hole that sucks both him and the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) through it and back in time. Nero arrives first in the year 2233, which results in the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of Geroge Kirk on the birth of his son James T. Kirk's birth, creating a new branching timeline that is the Kelvin timeline, which is where the events of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond take place. This means that while the events of the Kelvin timeline take place earlier, they are doing so in a separate timeline that is built off the events of the prior stories. So 2009's Star Trek is both a reboot, a prequel, and a sequel to the franchise.

Due to the timeline changing, the events of the Kelvin timeline actually take place earlier than in Star Trek: The Original Series . 2009's Star Trek takes place in 2255, while Into Darkness takes place four years later in 2259, and Beyond is set in 2263, roughly four years into the crew's five-year mission. This is notably two years before Star Trek: The Original Series begins. By the 31st century of Star Trek: Discovery season three, the Prime Timeline is aware of the Kelvin timeline. They established a Starfleet officer named Yor, a time soldier who originated from another timeline and referenced the events of 2009's Star Trek .

Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard takes place 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis in the year 2399. In the years since the series concluded, the Federation has become more isolationist. Following the destruction of Romulus, the Romulan people have become scattered; meanwhile, an attack on a Starfleet operation has led to a ban on synthetics. Season one focuses on Picard discovering more about the syncs with the discovery of Data's daughter Soji while also exploring more into the Borg culture as Romulans have begun mining Borg technology.

Season 2 takes place two years later, in 2401, and sees an old adversary named Q, an extra-dimensional being, traping Picard and his new crew in an alternate reality which forces them to travel back in time to Los Angeles 2024 to save the future while exploring more about Picard's own family origin. Finally, season three takes place one year later, in 2402, as Picard reunites with his old crew from The Next Generation , as well as his long-lost son, for a final showdown with the Borg.

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3-5 (3188-TBD)

Now, finally, it's time to loop back to Star Trek: Discovery . Season 3 sees the crew of Discovery travel to the year 3188 to discover the Federation fragmented and investigates the cause of a cataclysmic event known as the "Burn" as they attempt to rebuild Starfleet. Burnham is promoted to captain at the end of the season, and in season four, the crew helps rebuild the Federation while facing a space anomaly created by unknown aliens that causes destruction across the galaxy, similar to the plot of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The fifth and final season sees Discovery faced with its biggest task yet. They embark on a journey to uncover the mystery of The Progenitors, the species that The Next Generation revealed created multiple sentient lifeforms in the universe. The final season of Star Trek: Discovery , the series set furthest in the Star Trek timeline, is now taking the franchise to answer the oldest question in the cosmos: where do we come from, and what is our purpose?

With humans making first contact with aliens on April 5, 2063, to the events of Star Trek: Discovery in 3188, the story of Star Trek is one that spans 1,125 years. It is an epic tale filled with heroes, villains, and worlds filled with imagination and hope. Star Trek continues forward as there are plenty more stories to tell.

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A Trekkie’s Guide To Navigating the Star Trek Timeline

With a narrative that spans seven decades and more than three times as many shows and movies, determining how to watch Star Trek might seem like a daunting prospect. Whether you’re new to the franchise or want to know how to watch the series following the in-universe chronology, this guide should help.

What is a stardate?

To avoid placing Star Trek in a specific century, the franchise has its own system of time: the stardate system. Originally inspired by the Modified Julian date system used by astronomers, writers, and producers have selected numbers using different methods over the years (some more arbitrary than others), which makes it impossible to convert all of the stardates to equivalent calendar dates.

What to know about the Star Trek timeline?

How time works in Star Trek, and how it’s impacted by Starfleet’s time travel shenanigans, is debated amongst the most devoted followers of the Church of Trek. But for casual fans, the first thing it’s necessary to know is that the Star Trek Universe consists of two timelines: the prime timeline and the Kelvin timeline. Although two timelines exist, most of the franchise’s films, shows, and tie-ins take place on the prime timeline.

The second thing to know is that Star Trek’s timelines are always subject to change. Due to the nature of time travel in the franchise, entries appearing earlier on the prime timeline can be impacted and changed (very important to remember) by events that happen later on. For example, the Star Trek: Enterprise season 2 episode “Regeneration” follows up on the events of Star Trek: First Contact .

How to watch the Star Trek prime timeline in chronological order

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

Star Trek: Enterprise (stardates: 2151 – 2155)

Star Trek: The Original Series pilot “The Cage” (stardate: 2254)

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 (stardates: 2256 – 2258)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (stardates: 2259 – 2260)

Star Trek: The Original Series (stardates: 2265 – 2269)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (stardates: 2269 – 2270)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (stardate: 2272)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (stardate: 2285)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (stardate: 2285)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (stardate: 2286)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (stardate: 2287)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (stardate: 2293)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (stardates: 2364 – 2370)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (stardates: 2369 –2375)

Star Trek Generations (stardate: 2371 and some in 2293)

Star Trek: First Contact (stardate: 2373)

Star Trek: Insurrection (stardate: 2375)

Star Trek: Voyager (stardates: 2371 –2378)

Star Trek: Nemesis (stardate: 2379)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (stardates: 2380 – 2381)

Star Trek: Prodigy (stardates: 2383 – 2384)

Star Trek: Picard (stardates: 2399 – 2402)

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and 4 (stardates: 3188 – 3190)

What about the J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie trilogy? 

As touched on above, there are two timelines in Star Trek . The J.J. Abrams movies take place on the Kelvin timeline, a parallel timeline created when a 24th-century Romulan, Nero, travels back in time to 2233 (between Ent and Disco season 1, for those keeping track) and splits the timelines in two. 

Most of the Kelvin timeline takes place around the TOS ‘s timeframe but on an alternate timeline. Well, at least so far. 

Here’s how to watch all three movies in the Kelvin timeline in chronological order:

Star Trek (2233)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2259 – 2260)

Star Trek Beyond (2263)

(featured image: Paramount Pictures)

Star Trek timeline: Boldly go on a chronological journey through the Trek universe

From the Original Series to Discovery, here’s how the Star Trek timeline fits together

The Star Trek timeline becomes more sprawling every week. There's little chance Gene Roddenberry, when he created the series back in the '60s, could have guessed that there would be a new episode of Star Trek made available every week (sometimes even two!).

With hundreds of hours of television spread across several TV shows and over a dozen movies, knowing where to begin with the Star Trek timeline is something of a challenge. The events of the ongoing series Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard don't exactly fit in seamlessly at the end. And if you're wanting to include Voyager or Nemesis on a watch/rewatch, then you're in for some complications.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled all the key events that shaped Federation history into one massive Star Trek timeline. We’ve even included the parallel "Kelvin" continuity of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie and its sequels, an alternative sequence of events kickstarted when a rogue Romulan ship from the future destroyed the USS Kelvin – killing James T. Kirk’s dad, George, and forever altering Kirk and Spock’s destinies. 

That said, because the numerous spin-off Trek comics and novels aren’t traditionally considered part of the official Star Trek timeline, we’ve left them out. We’ve also steered clear of the Mirror Universe, so there isn’t quite so much timey-wimey stuff going on that you’d have to be Spock or Data to understand it. But before we engage the warp drive and explore the history of the future, here’s an at-a-glance guide to how the various movies and TV shows fit into the Star Trek timeline:

The Prime Star Trek timeline

• Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: The Cage (1965)
• Star Trek Discovery pre-time jump (2017-2019)
• 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)
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
• 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: Nemesis (2002)
• Star Trek: Picard (2020-ongoing)
• Star Trek: Discovery post-time jump (2020-ongoing)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-ongoing)

The Kelvin Star Trek timeline

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Star Trek timeline

Around 200,000 years ago:  An ancient alien species is wiped out by an uprising of synthetic beings. They leave eight stars in an implausible arrangement, the Conclave of Eight, to serve as a warning to future generations. (Star Trek: Picard) 

1893 - The time-travelling crew of the USS Enterprise-D encounters The Adventures of Tom Sawyer author Mark Twain in San Francisco. (Time’s Arrow, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

1930 - Having been sent back to 20th century New York by the malevolent ring the Guardian of Forever, James T Kirk is forced to allow peace campaigner Edith Keeler to die in order to save millions of lives in World War 2. (The City on the Edge of Forever, Star Trek: The Original Series)

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1947 - Ferengi Quark, Rom, and Nog crash land in 20th century Roswell, New Mexico, and are captured by US authorities who (correctly, to be fair) think they’re aliens. (Little Green Men, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

1986 - Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the original Enterprise crew kidnap a pair of humpback whales to save the future from an alien probe. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

1996 - Genetically enhanced tyrant Khan Noonien Singh and 84 of his followers escape the Eugenics Wars on Earth (remember those?), going into suspended animation on the SS Botany Bay. (Space Seed, Star Trek: The Original Series)

2024  – Picard and La Sirena crew arrive in the 21st century to fix the event that's created a dystopian alternative timeline. Along the way they meet a younger version of Guinan and an ancient ancestor of Data's creator. (Star Trek: Picard)

2063 - In the wake of World War 3, Zefram Cochrane makes Earth’s first successful warp flight, attracting the attention of some passing Vulcans who subsequently introduce Earth into the interstellar community – all while the crew of the Enterprise-E fight to stop the Borg assimilating the planet. (Star Trek: First Contact)

2151 - Suliban fighting in a Temporal Cold War shoot down Klingon warrior Klaang over Broken Bow, Oklahoma – bringing about humanity’s first contact with a Klingon. The prototype USS Enterprise (NX-01) sets off on a mission to return him to Qo’noS – against the wishes of the Vulcans and their massive superiority complex. (Broken Bow, Star Trek: Enterprise)

2153 - An alien probe fires a massive energy beam at Earth’s surface, causing destruction across the American continent. The Enterprise is redeployed to the Delphic Expanse to fight back against the perpetrators, the Xindi. (The Expanse, Star Trek: Enterprise) A group of Borg who survived the attempted invasion of Earth in 2063 are accidentally thawed by a research team in the Arctic. It doesn’t end well. (Regeneration, Star Trek: Enterprise)

2164 - The USS Franklin, commanded by Captain Balthazar Edison, goes missing – that might just prove important later… (Star Trek Beyond)

2230 - Spock is born on Vulcan.

2233 - James T Kirk is born. 

2233 (Kelvin timeline) - The USS Kelvin is destroyed by time-travelling 24th century Romulan ship Narada, kickstarting the so-called the Kelvin timeline. (Star Trek, 2009)

Every Star Trek Discovery Easter egg and hidden reference you might have missed

2230s (exact date unknown) - After her parents are killed in a Klingon attack, Michael Burnham is adopted by Sarek and Amanda Grayson on Vulcan. Her adoptive brother, Spock, has his first sighting of a “ Red Angel ”. (Will You Take My Hand?, Star Trek: Discovery)

2254 - The USS Enterprise, captained by Christopher Pike, discovers the survivors of crashed survey ship SS Columbia on Talos IV – though it turns out they’re an illusion created by the telepathic Talosians. (Star Trek: The Cage)

2256 - The USS Shenzou’s first officer, Commander Michael Burnham, defies the orders of Captain Philippa Georgiou, and is charged with mutiny. The Federation/Klingon War begins at the Battle of the Binary Stars. (The Vulcan Hello/The Battle at the Binary Stars, Star Trek: Discovery)

2257 - The Federation/Klingon War ends, with the hydro bomb Section 31 plant at the heart of Qo’noS helping maintain peace between feuding Klingon houses. (Will You Take My Hand, Star Trek: Discovery) With the Enterprise under repair, Christopher Pike assumes command of the Discovery on a mission to understand the so-called “Red Angels” – and track down his AWOL science officer, Spock. (Brother, Star Trek: Discovery)

2258 –  In order to save all life in the universe from a rogue Federation AI known as Control, Michael Burnham uses the Red Angel time travel suit (created by her parents) to carry data collected by a millennia-old alien probe into the future. The USS Discovery and its crew follow her on a one-way trip through the wormhole. (Star Trek: Discovery)

2258 (Kelvin timeline) - The Narada reappears and destroys Vulcan, as an act of revenge on Spock. The Enterprise (commanded by Christopher Pike) engages the Romulan ship, but with Pike incapacitated, James T Kirk eventually assumes command of the ship – and defeats the Narada. In the wake of Vulcan’s destruction, Admiral Alexander Marcus tries to increase Starfleet’s military capabilities – and subsequently discovers the SS Botany Bay years earlier than in the Prime timeline. Khan Noonien Singh is revived and recruited by shadowy spy branch Section 31. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

2259 (Kelvin timeline) - Going under the name John Harrison, Khan wages a one-man war on the Federation – all in the name of recovering his crew from suspended animation. The Enterprise crew eventually defeat him and put him back into stasis, but Kirk dies in the process. Luckily Dr McCoy is able to use some of Khan’s blood to revive his captain – phew! (Star Trek Into Darkness)

2260 (Kelvin timeline) - The USS Enterprise begins its (other) famous five-year mission. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

2263 (Kelvin timeline) - Three years into the five-year mission (with things starting to get boring), the Enterprise is destroyed by Krall’s swarm ships, marooning the crew on an alien planet. It turns out Krall was the captain of the aforementioned USS Franklin, who’s spent the last century using alien tech to keep himself alive – and developing a colossal grudge against the Federation. He’s eventually killed on new Federation starbase, the USS Yorktown. James T Kirk and crew are assigned to a new ship, the Enterprise-A. The original Spock Prime – the one who travelled back in time – passes away on New Vulcan (Star Trek Beyond).

2266 - The USS Enterprise’s five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no one has gone before, begins under the command of Captain James T Kirk. (Star Trek: The Original Series)

2267 - After Spock mutinies, a gravely injured Christopher Pike is taken to the off-limits Talos 4, and lives out a “normal” life thanks to the illusions of the telepathic Talosians. (The Menagerie, Star Trek: The Original Series) The Enterprise discovers SS Botany Bay, and awakens Khan Noonien Singh from suspended animation. After he tries to take over the ship, Khan and his crew are exiled to Ceti Alpha 5. (Space Seed, Star Trek: The Original Series)

Early 2270s (exact year unknown) - The refitted USS Enterprise (commanded once again by Admiral James T Kirk) encounters V’Ger, a 20th century space probe (Voyager 6 under an alias) that has gained sentience and threatens to destroy planet Earth. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

2285 - While on a training mission, the USS Enterprise is critically damaged by Khan Noonien Singh, who has escaped exile on Ceti Alpha V and wants revenge on Kirk. The Genesis planet is created by detonation of the top secret Genesis torpedo, and Spock dies after sacrificing himself to save the Enterprise. (Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan) Kirk, McCoy and the rest of the surviving Enterprise crew defy Starfleet orders to commandeer the ship for a mission to the Genesis planet to recover Spock’s body. After they unexpectedly encounter a hostile Klingon Bird-of-Prey, Kirk self-destructs the Enterprise – but Spock is resurrected. (Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock)

2286 - A mysterious space probe appears in Earth orbit, attempting to make contact with now-extinct humpback whales. Kirk and co pilot their commandeered Bird-of-Prey back to 20th century Earth to find some whales. Admiral Kirk is demoted to captain as punishment for his insurrection, and the USS Enterprise-A goes into active service. (Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home)

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2287 - The new Enterprise is commandeered by Spock’s half-brother, Sybok, who plans to meet God (yes, really) at the centre of the galaxy. The question “What does God need with a starship?” has never felt so pertinent. (Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier)

2290 - Hikaru Sulu assumes command of the USS Excelsior, breaking up the Enterprise “dream team” – it was probably about time, to be fair.. (Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country)

2293 - Praxis, the Klingon moon responsible for most of the empire’s power production, explodes. With Kirk and the classic crew due for retirement, they set off on one last mission to escort the Klingon ambassador to peace negotiations with the Federation – and end up having to foil a complex plot to scupper the whole thing. (Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country) Captain James T Kirk is presumed dead when the Nexus energy ribbon has a close encounter with the newly launched Enterprise-B. Predictably, it’s not the end, though… (Star Trek: Generations)

2330s (exact year unknown) - Data is created by pioneering scientist Dr Noonian Soong. (Datalore, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2344 - The USS Enterprise-C answers a distress call from a Klingon outpost on Narendra III. Surrounded by Romulan Warbirds, it faces certain destruction until it disappears into a mysterious temporal rift… (Yesterday’s Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2356 - Future Seven of Nine Annika Hansen is assimilated by the Borg, along with her parents on their ship, The Raven. (The Raven, Star Trek: Voyager)

2364 - Commander William T Riker joins the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, under the command of Jean-Luc Picard. Omnipotent being Q appears and puts humanity on trial. (Encounter At Farpoint, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2365 - Q shows up again, and transports the Enterprise to uncharted space for Starfleet’s first encounter with the Borg. (Q Who, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2366 - The Enterprise-C emerges from that aforementioned temporal rift and creates a new timeline where the Federation is at war with the Klingons. (Yesterday’s Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation) The Borg show up in Federation space to start an invasion. Jean-Luc Picard is assimilated, becoming Locutus, and Starfleet is almost wiped out at the Battle of Wolf 359. (The Best of Both Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2368 - Now an ambassador, Spock turns up on Romulus trying to reunify the Vulcan and Romulan races. (Unification, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2369 - The Cardassians cease their occupation of Bajor and vacate their space station, Terok Nor. Starfleet moves in and renames it Deep Space Nine, with Benjamin Sisko taking command. It should be a relatively straightforward gig – until a wormhole opens to the Gamma Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. (Emissary, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

2370 - Starfleet makes first contact with the Dominion, an alliance of races led by shapeshifting Founders from the Gamma Quadrant. (The Search, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

2371 - Turns out James T Kirk wasn’t dead after all – he was just living inside the Nexus energy ribbon where all your dreams come true. When El-Aurian scientist Dr Tolian Soran threatens to destroy entire worlds to get back inside the Nexus, Jean-Luc Picard enlists Kirk’s help to stop him – which doesn’t end well for Kirk, who ends up dead for the final time. The Enterprise-D also meets its end. (Star Trek: Generations) USS Voyager and a ship of Maquis freedom fighters are transported to the distant Delta Quadrant by an alien “caretaker”. The two crews become BFFs implausibly quickly – and for some reason, invite Neelix on board. (Caretaker, Star Trek: Voyager)

2373 - The Borg have another crack at invading Earth. Seemingly defeated, they launch a last ditch attempt to assimilate humanity in the past – so Jean-Luc Picard and crew take their shiny new Enterprise-E back in time to stop them. (Star Trek: First Contact) Meanwhile, back in the Borg’s home territory of the Delta Quadrant, Voyager forms an unlikely alliance with the Collective to battle Species 8472 from “fluidic space”. Borg drone Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 (AKA, Seven of Nine) joins the Voyager crew. (Scorpion, Star Trek: Voyager) The Dominion War kicks off between the Dominion and the Federation. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

2375 - The Dominion War ends. Benjamin Sisko, the Bajoran “emissary” moves into the wormhole to commune with its residents – aliens who have no sense of linear time. (What You Leave Behind, Deep Space Nine) The Enterprise crew uncovers a shady Federation plot to relocate the near-immortal inhabitants of a paradise planet, to harness its youth-giving properties. It’s difficult to care about any of it. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

2378 - USS Voyager finally makes it back to Federation space. After seven years away, Ensign Harry Kim is still an Ensign. (Endgame, Star Trek: Voyager)

2379 - Shinzon, a clone of Jean-Luc Picard, takes control of the Romulan senate – and his overtures towards peace with the Federation turn out to be a front for war. The Enterprise eventually stops him, but Data has to sacrifice himself to save the day… (Star Trek: Nemesis)

2380  – The crew of the USS Cerritos travel around the galaxy, specialising in "second contact" situations. (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

2385  – Members of the Romulan Zhat Vash experience the Admonition on the “grief world” of Aia, driving many to madness and suicide. Their leader, Commodore Oh, instigates the uprising of synthetic workers at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars, leaving 92,143 people dead and the planet burning. Facing heavy losses, Starfleet abandons its rescue mission to help rescue the residents of Romulus from an upcoming supernoval. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard resigns in protest. (Star Trek: Picard) 

2387 - With a supernova threatening to destroy Romulus, Spock – still active after all these years, remarkably – attempts to save the planet by using “red matter” to create a black hole that will engulf the exploding star. He fails – and he, and Romulan ship the Narada, are sucked into the black hole, and back into the newly created parallel Kelvin timeline. (Star Trek, 2009)

2390  – Starfleet vessel the Ibn Majid encounters a pair of synthetic lifeforms. Under orders from Commodore Oh, the captain executes the two androids before taking his own life. First Officer Chris Rios is so traumatised by the experience – expunged from Federation records – that he leaves Starfleet six months later. (Star Trek: Picard)

2399  – The long-retired Jean-Luc Picard ventures back into space after years living on the family vineyard. Having discovered that the late Data had a pair of ridiculously advanced twin daughters, the long-retired Jean-Luc Picard ventures back into space after years on the family vineyard. EXTRA BITS After some close encounters with rogue Romulans, militant AI, and a few Borg, Picard succumbs to his terminal Irumodic Syndrome – but is reborn in a new android body. (Star Trek: Picard)

2400 –  Now running Starfleet Academy, Picard finds himself back on a starship when a spatial anomaly appears, broadcasting his name in multiple languages. After ending up in a totalitarian alternative timeline – possibly with a bit of help from Q – he gathers up the crew of La Sirena to travel back to a pivotal event in 2024. (Star Trek: Picard)

3069  – The so-called Burn causes the cataclysmic destruction of dilithium across the galaxy. The Federation is involved in a Temporal War that leads to a galaxy-wide ban on time travel. During this period, Temporal Agent Daniels travels back to 2151 to infiltrate Captain Archer's Enterprise, and overthrow a Suliban plot. (Star Trek: Enterprise/Star Trek: Discovery)

3188 –  Michael Burnham emerges from the wormhole, and joins forces with courier Cleveland 'Book' Booker. (Star Trek: Discovery)

3189 –  DIscovery arrives in the 32nd century and discovers a universe where the Federation has been decimated by the Burn – the biggest power is now criminal syndicate the Emerald Chain. With the spore drive now one of the most important resources in the galaxy, Captain Saru and crew work to discover the cause of the Burn – and restore the Federation to past glories. (Star Trek: Discovery)

3190  – As numerous worlds sign up to rejoin the resurgent Federation, a mysterious Dark Matter Anomaly destroys Book's homeworld and threatens all life in the Alpha Quadrant. (Star Trek: Discovery)

All caught up? Great, now come and discover the best Star Trek episodes that every Trekkie should watch right now, or watch the video below for a complete guide to the Star Wars timeline – that other sci-fi galaxy far, far, away... 

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy. 

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Star Trek Timeline

A holistic view of the chronological timeline of events in the Star Trek universe(s).

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This is a fan-created site dedicated to providing a holistic view of the chronological timeline of events in the Star Trek universe(s). Most material is sourced from the Memory Alpha fandom wiki site .

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Event Summary

The Entire Star Trek: Discovery Timeline Explained

For a series ostensibly about exploring the galaxy and meeting new lifeforms in the hopes of sharing knowledge and resources, there sure is a lot of time travel in "Star Trek." It's been present from the very beginning, as even Kirk and crew visited the past multiple times . Two of those adventures resulted in the iconic episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Star Trek 4: The Adventure Home."

Modern "Star Trek" adventures have embraced this aspect of the universe, as time travel was also the direct cause of the Kelvin Timeline featured in the 2009 "Star Trek" film and its sequels. When the Romulan Nero traveled back in time and destroyed the USS Kelvin, killing James Kirk's father, he accidentally contributed to the creation of a new universe running parallel to the prime timeline. Ultimately, time travel has become every bit as important to "Star Trek" as exploration.

"Star Trek: Discovery" is no exception to this. Initially a prequel series set ten years before the original series, it soon became a sequel set further into the future than any other "Star Trek" installment. Time travel tends to muddy the narrative progression of a story, so we will be looking at where "Star Trek: Discovery" started to shed some light on where it ended up. Here is the entire "Star Trek: Discovery" timeline explained.

A visit to Talos

"Star Trek: Discovery" is set ten years before what is now referred to as "Star Trek: The Original Series." However, one episode of "The Original Series" actually occurs before "Discovery." In many ways, it is the beginning of the entire "Star Trek" franchise. While most viewers back in the late '60s probably remember it as the story told in the exciting two-parter "The Menagerie," which reuses the footage captured for the original "Star Trek" pilot called "The Cage."

We have to begin here because these events play a crucial role in "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2. "The Cage" sees the Enterprise crew, led by Captain Christopher Pike, visiting Talos IV, encountering a strange alien race. These are the Talosians, telepaths who experience life by manipulating beings they keep in their menagerie. By forcing Captain Pike to endure multiple illusions of their creations, they hope to understand love, anger, fear, excitement, and other emotions they forfeited by choosing to further develop their mental abilities.

Years later, after Captain Pike temporarily assumes command of the USS Discovery, he is forced to revisit Talos IV to cure Spock of his current mental disorder. Not only is it a chance to save Spock's life, but it also allows Pike to seek out closure regarding his past experiences on the planet.

The Battle at the Binary Stars

"Star Trek: Discovery" officially begins with a huge two-part story called "The Vulcan Hello" and "The Battle at the Binary Stars." This is where we meet the star of the show, Commander Michael Burnham, the first officer of the USS Shenzhou. While most "Star Trek" shows tend to be ensemble pieces, "Discovery" belongs to Burnham and it is her arc that we follow.

This opening episode sees Starfleet encountering Klingons for the first time in about a century. An extremist group of Klingons led by the xenophobic T'Kuvma engaged in a devastating battle with the USS Shenzhou after an altercation with Burnham resulted in the death of one of their own. This opening battle becomes a war between the Federation and the Klingons, the effects of which are still being felt during "The Original Series" and the six original "Star Trek" movies .

Following this battle, Michael Burnham is stripped of her rank and sentenced to life in prison — which leads to the true beginning of the show.

Six months later

Following Michael's sentencing, the show jumps ahead six months. While being transferred to a new prison, there's an emergency and the Discovery arrives to save her. While on the ship she meets its captain, a dark and elusive man named Gabriel Lorca, and its crew. She also reunites with her old friend from the Shenzhou, Commander Saru. Healing their relationship following her mutiny is a major part of the first two seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery." 

Lorca believes that Michael's knowledge and experience could be of some use to them on the Discovery, so he invites her to unofficially join them as a specialist. The reasons behind Lorca's decision to go out of his way to save her, and why he wants her working with him on the Discovery, is another major element to the first season. His character comes off as a little strange right away, as Starfleet captains tend to be fairly approachable and diplomatic. However, Lorca is intimidating, conniving, and a little too adept at war to fit the typical captain archetype.

Taking Control

To correctly understand the timeline of "Star Trek: Discovery," we next need to dive into some events that are revealed during Season 2 but take place in Season 1. 

Section 31 is the secret Black Ops division of the United Federation of Planets . They operate in the shadows, carrying out missions the Federation doesn't want to be made public. They feature heavily in "Star Trek: Discovery" and its second season. Following the events of "The Battle at the Binary Stars," Section 31 starts using a threat assessment artificial intelligence called Control in the hopes of preventing wars.

The idea is the Federation would give Control information regarding potential threats, and Control would then provide suggestions on how to proceed. As often happens in science fiction when artificial intelligence is involved, things go haywire when Control decides it no longer needs human beings to implement its suggestions. Instead, it assumes "control" of human beings to enact its agenda. This leads to the massive time jump the USS Discovery would take into the future during the end of Season 2.

Into the Mirror Universe

The USS Discovery has an experimental new system called a spore drive. It allows the Discovery to travel along a microscopic network spread throughout the universe, effectively making instant travel possible. It's an incredibly complex system, one that Forbes notes was inspired by a real-life mycologist, which can be used to break the barriers between realities.

The idea is proposed to astromycologist Commander Paul Stamets by Captain Gabriel Lorca. Stamets is considering leaving Starfleet, but Lorca convinces him to stay on to try one final experiment to see if it truly is possible to visit alternate realities. The experiment works, and the entire crew of the USS Discovery is transported into the classic evil dimension of the "Star Trek" universe — the Mirror Universe .

In the "Star Trek" Mirror Universe the heroes are villains and the villains are heroes, and it is soon revealed that this is where Lorca is from. He arrived in the prime timeline, took over the original Gabriel Lorca's life, and orchestrated events to unite with Michael Burnham — who was his lover in the mirror universe — and use the spore drive to return to his universe and overthrow Emperor Georgiou.

While the time the crew spends in the mirror universe might seem brief, it turns out that nine months pass during that time. 

Nine months later

When Gabriel Lorca dies in the mirror universe, the crew of the USS Discovery returns to their native universe — but they've brought the emperor with them. 

One of Michael Burnham's defining character traits is parental issues. She lost her human parents at a very young age. She was then adopted by the Vulcan Sarek and his human wife, Amanda. They raised her on Vulcan with their son Spock, effectively making her Spock's human step-sister .

Although she tried to live like a Vulcan, her human emotions were far too powerful. As a result, when she joined Starfleet and was assigned to serve on the USS Shenzhou, she gravitated to its human captain Phillipa Georgiou, seeing her as a maternal figure. Tragically, Georgiou died in the Battle of the Binary Stars, and the guilt of her loss has tortured Burnham ever since. Upon arriving in the mirror universe and finding another Georgiou, she can't help but try and bring her back to the prime timeline, hoping to correct her biggest regret.

Back in the prime timeline, they discover that nine months have passed and the war has not been going well. Discovery is boarded by Sarek and Admiral Cornwell, who informs the recently-returned crew that the Klingons have almost won the war.

The mystery of the Red Angel

By the end of Season One, the Klingon War is over, and there is an uneasy peace between the two sides. However, the crew of the Discovery doesn't have long to reflect on these events, as they soon encounter the Enterprise and are boarded by Captain Christopher Pike. Pike has been directed to temporarily assume command of the Discovery to research red burst anomalies that have been popping up all over the galaxy.

The red bursts are caused by an entity referred to as the Red Angel. The identity of this entity and the reasons for its actions are complex but intimately related to Michael. It turns out that there are two Red Angels — one is Michael Burnham's mother, Gabrielle, and the other is Michael herself. The form of the angel is actually a suit capable of traveling through time developed by Michael's parents as a project for Section 31.

At some point, Gabrielle decides to use the suit to escape an attack from Klingons but winds up in the distant future. She sees that the AI system Control has taken over the galaxy, so she uses her suit to jump around in time in the hopes of preventing Control from evolving and spreading across the galaxy. Michael then uses the suit to send signals that appear as red bursts for the crew of the Discovery to follow, defeat Control, and travel to the future.

The all-knowing Sphere

Season 2 of "Star Trek: Discovery" is full of big, wild ideas that could serve as the basis for a film or an entire series. The first, of course, is the threat of Control. The second is the Red Angel. The third is a sentient, planet-sized lifeform called the Sphere.

This Sphere has spent hundreds of thousands of years exploring the galaxy, collecting information and experiences. It has existed for such a long time that it is now dying. With such a wealth of knowledge and experience, it doesn't want to be forgotten, so it transfers its memory to the Discovery's computers.

As wonderful a find as this is, it is also incredibly dangerous. When Airiam, a cybernetic member of the Discovery crew, is infected by a future version of Control, she is directed to transfer all the sphere data on artificial intelligence to the current form of Control. With that information, Control will be able to gain full sentience and take over the galaxy — just as seen in Spock's vision from the Red Angel.

Defeating Control

For any "Star Trek" fans upset that "Star Trek: Discovery"  takes place 10 years before "The Original Series" but the technology is significantly more advanced — or that Spock never mentioned having a human step-sister — their fears were partially quelled when the ship made the jump ahead almost one thousand years.

By the end of Season 2, Control was defeated, the mystery of the Red Angel was solved, and the need to get the sphere data to a safer time period arose. With the data merging to Discovery's computers, the decision was made not to try and delete the data but take it into the future. Using the Red Angel suit, Michael Burnham drags the USS Discovery into a time in a future not yet explored by the "Star Trek" franchise .

Once Discovery is gone, the Federation decides to clear the ship's existence from all Starfleet records and never speak of it, the crew, or its mission again. Thus, Michael Burnham is never mentioned, nor is the Discovery or its experimental spore drive. 

The future of Starfleet and the Federation

The jump to the future is successful, but Michael arrives there alone. Since she was towing the ship, not riding in it, the trip was different for her. Immediately upon arriving, she rams into a ship piloted by Cleveland Booker before being pulled in by a nearby planet's gravity, regaining control of the Red Angel suit only seconds before splattering on its surface.

At first, she is panicked that Discovery won't answer her call but is soon thrilled by the knowledge that there is life on this planet. She eventually meets Cleveland Booker and discovers that the Federation barely exists anymore. The reason for its diminished size and influence was something called the Burn. In the 31st century, nearly every warp core installed in Federation ships exploded, wiping out swaths of life and nearly destroying the Federation. Exactly what caused this "burn" is the central mystery of Season 3. 

One year later

In this new world, where dilithium is more precious than ever, Michael travels the galaxy, trading it for goods and services. She spends an entire year recording her experiences and searching for any sign of the Discovery. Finally, her search efforts pay off, and she is reunited with her crew. In a completely new headspace, Michael isn't sure about serving on the Discovery any longer. True, she earned back her respect and rank but is she is more interested in solving the mystery of the Burn and restoring the Federation rather than limiting herself to a single ship.

By the end of Season 3, the mystery surrounding the Burn is solved, the Federation is in the early stages of reconnecting with its lost members, and Michael joins the crew of the Discovery again. This time, however, she isn't a specialist or a first officer — she is the captain. 

Season 4 is still set in the 32nd century and Michael is now known as Captain Michael Burnham. Her arc mirrors the real-life arc of the show. She started as a first officer who lost everything and worked her way back to a command position, while "Star Trek: Discovery" began life as a prequel with a dubious connection to canon and became a sequel that takes the franchise to brand new heights.

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• How <i>Picard</i> Fits Into the <i>Star Trek</i> Timeline

How Picard Fits Into the Star Trek Timeline

I t’s been 26 long years since Star Trek: The Next Generation graced the small screen. But beginning Jan. 23, a new series centered around that show’s captain, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), will “boldly go” to the network’s streaming service, CBS All Access. Star Trek: Picard is about our titular captain’s life many years after his last fateful mission for Starfleet.

But how does Picard fit into the larger Star Trek timeline? The CBS series is set where no Trek has gone before, well past the events of TV’s Star Trek: Voyager and the last film of the Picard era, Star Trek: Nemesis. Many fan favorite characters are expected to return, including Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Seven-of-Nine (Jeri Ryan).

For Trek nerds out there, this means Picard takes place in the “prime” timeline, which is where each of the television series and the original films live. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the series with the film Star Trek, creating a new timeline for the already confusing Trek universe. In the film, a bad guy travels back in time and destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Captain Kirk’s father, George Kirk, in the process. All three of J.J. Abrams’ movies take place in this alternate timeline called the “Kelvin Timeline,” after the annihilated ship.

To familiarize yourself with the Trek universe, here are the two timelines:

Prime Timeline

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2161)

Airdate: 2001-2005

Plot: Set 100 years before the Enterprise ‘s mission in the original Star Trek , this series traces the adventures of the first Warp 4 capable Starfleet ship, also called Enterprise . Scott Bakula starred as the human captain Jonathan Archer, and Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan officer T’Pol.

Star Trek Discovery (2255)

Airdate: 2017-

Plot: Sonequa Martin-Green plays officer Michael Burnham, a human who was raised by Spock’s parents, Amanda and Sarek. Burnham has suppressed her human tendencies in order to assimilate into the hyper-logical Vulcan society but tries to reconnect with her emotional side when she serves Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and then Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).

Star Trek (2265-2269)

Airdate: 1966-1969

Plot: The original Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry featured Captain James Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) and the other Starfleet members on a mission of exploration and self-improvement. One of the most diverse shows on television at the time, Star Trek ran for three seasons and inspired future space sagas like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica .

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Airdate: 1973-1974

Plot: After the original series went off the air, Roddenberry created an animated series that continued the stories of Star Trek and reunited much of the same cast to do voice work for cartoon versions of their characters.

Original Star Trek movies (2273-2293)

Airdate: 1979-1991

Plot: Roddenberry leveraged the massive success of the syndicated series into a number of feature films starring Shatner and Nimoy. 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 Finale Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country continued established storylines.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Airdate: 1987-1994

Plot: Set 100 years after the events of the original Star Trek , this series followed Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew (Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, among them) on the fifth iteration of the Enterprise , USS Enterprise-D .

Next Generation Movies (2293-2379)

Airdate: 1994-2002

Plot: In Star Trek: Generations (1994), Captain Picard teams up with the once-presumed-dead Captain Kirk. The story unites the casts from the two Star Trek series at the time, effectively passing the baton from Shatner to Stewart. The Next Generation cast went on to star in three more movies, sans the original cast: Star Trek: First Contact , Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis .

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Airdate: 1993-1999

Plot: Set on a space station rather than a starship, Deep Space Nine focuses on the adventures of the people charged with guarding the opening to a wormhole at the end of the galaxy. Deep Space Nine was helmed by Trek’ s first black captain, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). It was also the first Trek series created without Roddenberry, who gave the concept his approval before he passed away in 1991.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Airdate: 1995-2001

Plot: After the ship Voyager gets stranded in the Delta Quadrant (the far side of the Milky Way galaxy) while searching for a renegade ship, they must make the 75-year journey home. Voyager was fronted by Trek’ s first female captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

Star Trek: Picard (2399-?)

Airdate: 2020 — ? (A second season is already in the works)

Plot: Many years after a daring mission to save a dying planet, Captain Picard — now an Admiral — has left Starfleet (or, more accurately, Starfleet has left him). But when a mysterious young woman with a potential connection to a certain beloved android shows up at his doorstep, it sets in motion events that lead Picard back into space — albeit with a crew that’s more swashbuckler than Starfleet.

Kelvin Timeline

Star Trek (2233-2258)

Release date: 2009

Plot: A bad guy named Nero (Eric Bana), angry that his planet is destroyed in the future, travels back in time and kills Kirk’s father (in 2233). He then hangs out for a long time to destroy Vulcan (in 2258) in front of old Spock who has also traveled back in time (and is played by Leonard Nimoy) because Spock failed to save the baddie’s home planet. Current-day Kirk (Chris Pine) encounters old Spock who explains all the confusing time-jump mechanics to him. Together, current-day Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) become begrudging friends and save the universe.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Airdate: 2013

Plot: The second J.J. Abrams film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain that the marketing team really tried to convince people was not genetically-engineered superhuman Khan. (He was Khan.) Kirk leads a mission to capture Khan after her murders a bunch of Starfleet officers.

Star Trek Beyond

Airdate: 2016

Plot: Justin Lin took over for the third reboot film and threw in some motorcycles because he has a thing for fast vehicles. In this one, a baddie named Krall (Idris Elba) kidnaps part of Kirk’s crew in hopes that Kirk will exchange a powerful McGuffin for their safety.

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Missions , also known as episodes and conflicts , are a key part of Star Trek Timelines , allowing players to progress in the storyline. Conflicts begin with players selecting their crew . Different crew are better suited for different tasks. Each character is proficient in at least one skill : Diplomacy , Science , Security , Command , Engineering and Medicine . Skills can be improved by leveling up, and fusing characters with extra copies of themselves. Crew also have inherent abilities called traits . For example, Commander Riker has the Pilot trait.

By completing conflicts, players can gain crew experience, credits , equipment, knowledge and many other items. Completing conflicts is a key way to improve crew in Star Trek Timelines .

• 1.1.1 The Beginning (Intro tutorial only)
• 1.1.2 Logic Under Fire (Intro tutorial only)
• 1.2 Episode 1 - The Art of War
• 1.3 Episode 2 - Never Forgive, Never Forget
• 1.4 Episode 3 - From On High
• 1.5 Episode 4 - Hostile Takeover
• 1.6 Episode 5 - Ethical Alternatives
• 1.7 Episode 6 - Something Rotten
• 1.8 Episode 7 - When Falcons Clash
• 1.9 Episode 8 - The Killing Syndrome
• 1.10 Episode 9 - Strange Bedfellows
• 1.11 Episode 10 - Shadow of a Doubt
• 1.12 Distress Calls - Delphic Expanse
• 1.13 Distress Calls - Celestial Temple
• 1.14 Distress Calls - Klingon Empire
• 1.15 Distress Calls - Infinity
• 2.1 Ex Astris, Scientia
• 2.2 The United Federation
• 2.3 A Certain Formality
• 2.4 Adv: A Certain Formality
• 2.5 Adv: United Federation
• 3 Undiscovered Missions
• 5.1 Honor Through Victory
• 6 Related Dev Diaries
• 7 References

Current Missions

The tables below shows chronitons cost and requirement level.

They also lists credits , character and captain XP gain per mission, presuming you did not fail any part if it.

The Beginning (Intro tutorial only)

After the first two missions are done, assuming no failed mission steps, the player will have 41,950 credits.

Logic Under Fire (Intro tutorial only)

Episode 1 - the art of war.

Episode 1 - The Art of War [ edit ]

Competing factions: Klingon Empire vs. Augments

Episode 2 - Never Forgive, Never Forget

Episode 2 - Never Forgive, Never Forget [ edit ]

Competing factions: Cardassian vs. Maquis vs. Bajoran

Episode 3 - From On High

Episode 3 - From On High [ edit ]

Episode 4 - Hostile Takeover

Competing Factions: Ferengi Alliance vs. Ferengi Traditionalists

Normal can drop 1x Klingon K'Vort Bird-of-Prey Schematic

Normal can drop 1x Jem'Hadar Fighter Schematic

Normal can drop 10x Ferengi D'Kora Marauder Schematic as a rare reward Normal can drop 2x Klingon K'Vort Bird-of-Prey Schematic

Episode 5 - Ethical Alternatives

Competing Factions: Terran Empire vs. Section 31

Episode 6 - Something Rotten

Episode 7 - When Falcons Clash

Competing Factions: Romulan Star Empire vs. Klingon-Cardassian Alliance

Episode 8 - The Killing Syndrome

Competing Factions: Hirogen vs. Dominion

Episode 9 - Strange Bedfellows

Competing Factions: Borg vs. Federation

Episode 10 - Shadow of a Doubt

Distress calls - delphic expanse, distress calls - celestial temple.

Distress Calls - Klingon Empire

Distress calls - infinity, cadet challenges, ex astris, scientia.

To see lists of Eligible Crew for this page visit the page: Eligible Crew

The United Federation

A certain formality.

Use one of Cadet Sito Jaxa / Ensign Ro for CMD or Ensign Seska / Lt. Naomi Wildman for ENG.

To Crit SEC use Persis . When trying to crit 2nd MED node use Persis for both SEC and DIP.

Adv: A Certain Formality

Adv: united federation.

Note: The skill requirements are not constant for all nodes, so check the mission page to find the specific requirements for individual nodes.

Undiscovered Missions

These missions are sometimes found in the listing of places to get equipment.

• Currently none.

The mission layout as of version 1.1.0

Honor Through Victory

A mirror universe villain and a catastrophic weapon of the past are threatening the Federation. Can you stop them?

The mission Honor Through Victory was shown in the PAX East 2015 Demo .

Related Dev Diaries

• Conflicts in Star Trek Timelines
• ↑ http://www.sub-cultured.com/pax-east-2015-star-trek-timelines-jotun/
• ↑ http://lorehound.com/news/pax-east-2015-our-first-hands-on-with-star-trek-timelines/
• Cardassian Vole Infestation
• Start Pages

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• VisualEditor
• View history

An overview of the Timeline of Star Trek Online

The Chronology gives an overview over historic events and the timeline of Star Trek Online .

Star Trek Online takes place in an Alternate Timeline. This is the story continuity which includes the events of all the Star Trek television series and the first ten movies, except the TV show Picard seasons 2 and 3.

The biggest part of the game's story takes place in the early 25th century , roughly 30 years after the last on-screen appearance of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E in Star Trek: Nemesis and ten years after season 1 of Star Trek: Picard . Early missions for the Discovery and TOS Starfleet factions take place in the 23rd century , close to the setting of the respective series.

The events of the Kelvin Timeline (as depicted in the 2009 Star Trek film and its sequels) are generally part of a separate continuity, as they take place in an alternate universe. However, the destruction of Romulus in 2387 was first mentioned in these movies, and the setting is visited during the mission “Terminal Expanse” .

• 2 The in-game year
• 4 External links

History [ | ]

The relevant history of the major political powers in the galaxy spans several notable periods.

The in-game year [ | ]

The first on-screen confirmation that it is now 2410.

• The largest part of the story of Star Trek Online takes place in the years 2409 , 2410 and 2411 .
• Klingon , Romulan and Federation characters start in 2409 and the year 2410 is subsequently mentioned in the mission “Surface Tension” . The in-game year following these missions is rarely mentioned on-screen.
• Characters from the DSC Starfleet and TOS Starfleet factions, will start in the years 2256 and 2270 , respectively. As their story advances, they will join other characters in the year 2409.
• An oddity occurs in the mission “Quark's Lucky Seven” : Intelligence files on various races in this mission mention stardates that correspond to the years 2411 and 2412. Notably, the files would place the missions of Victory is Life (and thereafter) in the year 2412.
• The first formal confirmation that the game progressed to 2411 came from dialogue in “The Measure of Morality (Part 1)” where the player welcomes Burnham to 2411, but it is not stated when in the year it is so it is not possible to estimate how many previous missions may also have taken place in 2411.
• Most automatically generated stardates in the game (i.e. in the personal mission log) advance in real time, and might correspond to years after 2410. This must likely be regarded as a production idiosyncrasy.

Sources [ | ]

• Most information in the timeline articles is derived from in-game sources, such as NPCs or system descriptions .
• Additional information comes from the novel The Needs of the Many , as well as Lore Blogs , Original Fiction stories, or developer comments by Cryptic Studio.

External links [ | ]

• See Memory Alpha for detailed information about general Star Trek lore.
• 1 Gold-Pressed Latinum
• 3 Playable starship

Star Trek: Discovery Just Dropped a Sneaky Timeline Easter Egg

Let's talk about 2371.

What was the most action-packed year in Star Trek’s future history? Thanks to some deep-cut Easter eggs in the latest episode of Discovery , the answer might surprise you. As Discovery approaches the end of its fifth and final season, the show continues to expand our knowledge of the Breen, while also sending its eponymous starship on a zig-zag quest around the galaxy to solve a puzzle that explains the very nature of life itself .

Along the way, Discovery is retreading a bit of Star Trek history the crew skipped over thanks to their time-traveling shenanigans at the end of Season 2. Now, in the episode “Erigah,” Discovery has reminded us that several major Star Trek events all happened in the same year. For us, it was 1994, but in Star Trek it was 2371. Spoilers ahead.

Why the 24th century matters

The USS Voyager in the Badlands in 2371.

Although Discovery, which is now in the year 3191, exists well beyond all the other Trek shows and films, it still has several ties to the franchise’s past. From Season 3 onward, Disco’s retro-Trek connections mostly stem from the fact the majority of the regular characters are from 2258, just before The Original Series, before they jumped forward in time. But now, because the ship is on a quest to find the Progenitor tech uncovered in the 24th century by Jean-Luc Picard, many of Discovery’s Easter eggs are tied to that golden era of Trek.

The 24th century is the most robust spot on the Trek timeline, simply because three classic shows took place between 2364 and 2379: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager . When you add in four feature films, and the recent series Lower Decks and Prodigy, it’s easy to see why the 24th century is such a big part of Star Trek. But why is 2371 so pivotal? Discovery just revealed the answer through two seemingly unrelated Easter eggs.

2371, the year that everything happened

23171 was a busy stretch.

In “Erigah,” the Discovery crew learns the next clue on their list is an antique Betazoid book called Labyrinths of the Mind , written in 2371. By the end of the episode, with the help of Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), they also learn this book is in a mobile library called “The Eternal Gallery and Archive,” currently situated in a part of space called the Badlands. At the same time, Dr. Culber is researching medicine during the Federation’s struggle against the Dominion. Guess what this all has in common? Events in 2371.

As revealed in the Deep Space Nine Season 3 finale, “The Adversary,” 2371 was the year the Federation learned the Changelings had come to the Alpha Quadrant and could shapeshift into anyone and anything. This was also the year when Thomas Riker, Will’s naughty transporter duplicate, stole the USS Defiant to help the Maquis fight the Cardassians. The first place Thomas took the Defiant ? Yep, the Badlands, where Discovery is now headed.

For Voyager fans, the Badlands is the rough and tumble area of space that flung Voyager halfway across the galaxy to the Delta Quadrant. Yes, Voyager also launched in 2371. And while DS9 was dealing with shapeshifters and a Riker doppelgänger, and Voyager was trying to figure out how to get home, the beloved USS Enterprise-D was forced to separate its saucer section and crashland on the planet Veridian III. While Will Riker (the good one) is crashing the Enterprise in Star Trek Generations , Picard is fighting a mad scientist named Dr. Soran and dealing with a time-traveling Captain James T. Kirk. All in the year-of-our-Q, 2371.

In our universe, all these events played out between May 1994 and January 1995. Star Trek was packing in as many events as possible, and impressively, fans were able to follow all the twists and turns in the canon. Discovery may not have meant to make a connection between a fictional book, the Badlands, and the most important year in 24th-century history, but when you look at all the stuff that happened back then, it was, as William Shatner might say , a very, very good year.

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

When Star Trek: Discovery Takes Place In Star Trek's Timeline (Every Season)

• Star Trek: Discovery takes place in two different eras of the Star Trek timeline: seasons 1 and 2 are prequels set in the mid-23rd century, while seasons 3, 4, and 5 take place in the 32nd century.
• Star Trek: Discovery faced controversy and creative changes but ultimately became the vanguard of Star Trek's distant future.
• Star Trek's 32nd century will be continued after Discovery season 5 by Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Discovery takes place in two different eras of the Star Trek timeline. Premiering in 2017, Discovery was the first new Star Trek TV series in 12 years, since Star Trek: Enterprise 's 2005 cancelation. Discovery helped launch the CBS All Access streaming service, which was rebranded as Paramount+. Controversial since its inception, Discovery was nonetheless successful enough to spin off multiple Star Trek series on Paramount+. Discovery is also the first Star Trek series to run for five seasons since Star Trek: Voyager , although the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery s eason 5 is also the show's last.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Star Trek: Discovery was originally conceived as an anthology that would take place in different eras with different characters. Behind-the-scenes creative conflicts saw Fuller leave the series before Star Trek: Discovery premiered, and season 1's showrunners were also replaced by Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise for season 2, with Paradise later becoming sole showrunner. Star Trek: Discovery is canonically part of Star Trek 's Prime Timeline , although the show's visual style and story created doubt in some fans' minds. Star Trek: Discovery has deep roots in the era of Star Trek: The Original Series, but Discovery is now the vanguard charting the farthest point of Star Trek 's distant future.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Star Trek: Discovery's season 4 finale saw Captain Burnham face Species 10-C and save the galaxy, setting up a brighter season 5 of exploration.

When Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 & 2 Take Place

Discovery began as a prequel to star trek: the original series.

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 are prequels set in the mid-23rd century, approximately a decade before the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Star Trek: Discovery season 1 takes place in 2256 and 2257, depicting a devastating war between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets that was partly instigated by Commander Michael Burnham, the adopted daughter of Vulcan Ambassador Sarek (James Frain). Discovery season 1 covers the beginning of the Klingon War into its conclusion, with a spectacular multi-episode detour into the Mirror Universe that brought Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) into Star Trek 's Prime Timeline.

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 was better received than its debut season , thanks to the introduction of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn). Pike left his post on the USS Enterprise to Captain the USS Discovery on a mission to uncover the Red Angel and save the galaxy from Section 31's genocidal A.I. called Control. Star Trek: Discovery season 2 ended with the shocking exit of the USS Discovery and Michael Burnham from the 23rd century as they permanently traveled 930 years into the future. Meanwhile, Pike, Spock, and Number One proved so popular that they received their own spinoff, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 picks up in 2259, a few months after Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery's one-way journey to the 32nd century.

When Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, 4 & 5 Take Place

Discovery traveled to the uncharted, distant future.

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3, 4, and 5 take place in the 32nd century, which is the farthest known point in Star Trek 's Prime Timeline . Commander Burnham arrived before her starship in 3188 and waited a year until she was joined by the USS Discovery. In Star Trek: Discovery season 3 , Burnham and the Discovery found the 32nd century Federation shattered by a galactic cataclysm called The Burn that eliminated warp drive from the galaxy. Burnham and her crew solved the mystery of The Burn and returned warp travel to the Federation.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 4, which takes place in 3190 , Captain Michael Burnham and her starship faced the Dark Matter Anomaly, a planet-killing entity that threatened the Federation. Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), seeking revenge for the DMA destroying his home planet of Kwejian, teamed up with mad scientist Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) to destroy the DMA's creators, Species 10-C. The USS Discovery ultimately crossed the Galactic Barrier into another galaxy to make peaceful First Contact with Species 10-C, with Book coming to his senses and helping Captain Burnham and Discovery.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 takes place in 3191 and centers on the USS Discovery's Red Directive mission to locate the ancient technology of the Progenitors. Introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode "The Chase", the Progenitors are the ancient humanoids who seeded life throughout the galaxy. Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery followed clues to the Progenitors' life-creating technology , which also must be safeguarded from the Breen.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 wasn't produced as the final season, and the cast and crew found out after the season finished filming that Paramount+ canceled the series.

Why Star Trek: Discovery Changed Timelines

Discovery soft-rebooted itself in season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery 's series trajectory is perhaps the most unusual of any Star Trek series, which are historically each based in one particular era, be it the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, or 25th centuries. While Star Trek: Discovery season 1 found plenty of fans, there was a hostile pushback from longtime Trekkers because of the series' irreconcilable anachronisms and technology, like the USS Discovery's game-changing spore displacement hub drive . Ultimately , the bold decision was made to change Discovery 's place in Star Trek' s timeline , which ended complaints about the series violating the 23rd-century Star Trek canon.

The 23rd-century prequel era was turned over to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which has been far better received overall than Discovery was in that same timeline.

Jumping 900 years forward into the 32nd century gave Star Trek: Discovery a renewed status as the first Star Trek series of an expanding universe on Paramount+. Discovery was the flagship of Star Trek on Paramount+, and setting up shop in the 32nd century gave Captain Burnham and Discovery the honor of charting Star Trek 's future . Star Trek: Discovery doesn't end where or when it began, but Captain Michael Burnham is now an anchor of two opposite points in Star Trek 's vast timeline.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Continues The 32nd Century After Star Trek: Discovery Ends

The next star trek series picks up where discovery leaves off.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the next Star Trek series on Paramount+. Star Trek: Discovery set up Starfleet Academy, even shifting Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) to become an instructor at the reopened school. Starfleet Academy is confirmed to continue Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century , and the setting will reportedly return to San Francisco on Earth.

Tawny Newsome, who plays Lt. Beckett Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks , is one of the writers of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Starfleet Academy' s showrunners are Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, and the series will film on the largest sets ever constructed for Star Trek . Some familiar faces from Star Trek: Discovery may appear in Starfleet Academy . With production slated to kick off in fall 2024, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy may not premiere on Paramount+ until 2026.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 6 Or Star Trek: Discovery Movies Happen?

There could still be the possibility of more discovery.

There has been no indication that Star Trek: Discovery will return for season 6 . Paramount is in talks about a pending sale of the studio, which will impact future Star Trek productions. This is likely a factor in the cancelation of Star Trek: Discover y and the decision to also end Star Trek: Lower Decks . However, along with the potential for Star Trek: Discovery characters to appear in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , there is a possibility that Star Trek: Discovery could receive its own streaming movie on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is completing production on season 3 and received an early season 4 renewal from Paramount+.

The first Star Trek movie made-for-streaming on Paramount+ is Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh. Section 31 is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery , with Yeoh reprising her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou. Paramount+ is reportedly pleased with Section 31 's production and is considering the future of Star Trek streaming movies . Perhaps Star Trek: Discovery 's cast could reunite for a 2-hour movie on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery is streaming on Paramount+

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Directors Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi

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Published May 8, 2024

Top Crew Moments that Defined the Kelvin Timeline

Revisit the Kelvin Timeline for the 15th anniversary of 'Star Trek.'

StarTrek.com

15 years ago, Star Trek (2009) created an alternate reality universe known as the Kelvin Timeline. In the parallel world of this film, and its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond , a retaliatory attack by a Romulan miner named Nero sets off a chain of events that forever alters the destiny of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701.

In this timeline, James Kirk loses his father, George, and is a reluctant recruit to Starfleet Academy in 2255. The half-human Spock witnesses the destruction of his home planet Vulcan; Uhura, a xenolinguistics expert, is in her early days as a cadet; and engineer Montgomery Scott is an accidental addition to the crew. While the alterations in the Kelvin-verse range from minute to major, all have an impact on the time continuum that sets everyone down a familiar yet different path from their TOS counterparts.

In honor of the 15th anniversary of Star Trek , we’ve rounded up some of the key crew moments that define the Kelvin Timeline. While fan reception varies across all three films, they do expand the lives of the TOS crew from their maiden voyage, their first five-year mission, to their fall, and reunion at Yorktown.

Captain George Samuel Kirk: Sacrifice of the U.S.S. Kelvin

Star Trek (2009)

The Kelvin Timeline starts with the death of George Kirk, since the alternate reality established in Star Trek is built on Kirk's sacrifice aboard the U.S.S. Kelvin .

Following an attack by Captain Nero, a 24th Century Romulan bent on revenge for the loss of his home world, George Kirk becomes acting command for Captain Richard Robau. With a passenger load of 800-plus on his shoulders, Kirk leads decisively to evacuate the Kelvin and destroy Nero's mining vessel Narada . His final moments are spent securing the life of his pregnant wife and child, just moments from birth. Captain George Kirk went down with the Kelvin , but not before naming his son. And not before saving the lives of nearly all its crewmembers in a legendary maneuver that involved manually piloting his ship into the Narada to give survivors more time. While his son, James, grew up without a father, George's influence was never out of reach. His DNA for steeliness was a blueprint, dad to son.

As Christopher Pike told James when recruiting him to Starfleet, George Kirk "didn’t believe in no-win scenarios."

Captain James T. Kirk: Going Down with the Enterprise

Star Trek Beyond

Yes, the captain's sacrifice to the warp core in Into Darkness could top the best of Kirk in the Kelvin Timeline. But even more real is the loss of the Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond .

Halfway through its first five-year mission, the ship's saucer section is destroyed by Krall, a former Federation officer who is now the mutated leader of the Swarm. Krall's advanced tech takeover is an eerie callback to the loss of the Kelvin and George Kirk in Star Trek 's opening moments. Jim Kirk confronts the exact decisions his father faced in his final moments, and he faces the inevitable destruction of the Enterprise with the same head-on decisiveness. The crew comes first, always. That principle is also exemplified in Kirk's impassioned plea to Admiral Marcus in Into Darkness when the ship is threatened with extinction. No one else is responsible for Kirk's orders, and he's always made that clear.

Spock: (Alternate) Future Planning for the Past

Spock's best moments in the Kelvin Timeline are the conversations he has with himself. He is an (alternate) future planner, and Ambassador Spock is the Prime messenger. There are two "hinge" events that have caused this parallel, divergent timeline — the destruction of Romulus around 2387, and the destruction of the U.S.S. Kelvin in 2233.

Prime Spock sets up his younger, alternate reality self with critical information, but nothing can stop the death of Vulcan and its billions of inhabitants. Ambassador Spock also convinces Kirk, while marooned on Delta Vega, to elicit a strong emotional response from his younger self so that Captain Spock "realizes" he is unfit for command. The Ambassador knows that the survival of the Enterprise relies on Kirk in the captain's chair, with Spock's measured logic guiding the captain with computer-like precision.

In Into Darkness , Ambassador Spock also warns the Commander of what's ahead. Because of the Ambassador's uncharacteristically strong response, Spock understands the full threat of Khan. He warns Kirk, repeatedly, that Khan is not to be trusted, even as a temporary ally. If only Kirk took the note.

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu: First Enterprise Mission

Star Trek Into Darkness

Lieutenant Sulu stands out on his first Enterprise mission. As the responders to the Vulcan distress signal in Star Trek , Sulu and a crew of fresh-faced cadets mobilize under Pike's command. While first day jitters cause Sulu to forget to disengage the Enterprise 's equivalent of a parking brake, we'll cut him some slack. Three minutes into his maiden voyage, Sulu pilots the Enterprise straight into Nero's trap, and is forced to pull off an evasive maneuver in a space field littered with what's left of a Federation Starfleet. And he can't go to warp.

Sulu's first "away mission," if parachuting into the Vulcan atmosphere to board and overpower the Narada qualifies, is also memorable. We learn just how much hand-to-hand combat he's working with when Sulu saves Kirk from two Vulcans with expert fencing skill. A sophisticated addition to a Starfleet resume and, in Sulu's case, the saving grace for one of the rockiest first flights in Star Trek history. Don’t test Sulu. If you do, "you will fail."

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura: Taking Down Khan

Lieutenant Uhura delivers the final blow to Khan in Into Darkness . When Bones discovers that Khan's blood is needed to save an irradiated Kirk, the Lieutenant beams down with seconds to spare to relieve Spock from a losing battle. Uhura's fight with Khan is also a resolution to her turmoil at the start of Into Darkness .

Following Spock’s near-sacrifice on Class M planet Nibiru, Uhura struggled to understand how the person she loved could end it all so easily. While fighting Khan, Uhura is the one who is prepared to die, demonstrating just how deep her bond with Spock runs.

Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer: Standing on Principle

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott gets a lot of play in the Kelvin Timeline as the inventor of transwarp beaming and as the Enterprise 's Chief Engineer. Kirk and Ambassador Spock first encounter Scotty in the Federation outpost on Delta Vega. His assignment is bleak, cold, and lonely, so he's only too happy to beam aboard the Enterprise while it's mid-warp even at risk of death. (Good thing too, 'cause he almost dies.)

To Scotty, the Enterprise represents limitless engineering possibilities. He is a veteran man of science, equally fascinated by the dated technology of the U.S.S. Franklin in Beyond . There is no challenge that Scotty doesn't match with grit. The rare exception is when he says "no" to Kirk in Into Darkness for all the right reasons. Scotty refused to support Starfleet's military operation against "John Harrison," telling Kirk that he considered himself an explorer. A man with a mission and a conscience.

Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy: Saving Jim Kirk's Life

Bones gets two "Best in Crew" moments as the Enterprise 's Chief Medical Officer. The first — inoculating and dragging Jim Kirk aboard the Enterprise in Star Trek . The second — saving Kirk's life in Into Darkness .

In order to cripple the U.S.S. Vengeance that was overtaken by Khan, James Kirk needed to stabilize the Enterprise by reactivating the ship's engines and weapons. So, he enters the warp core, sans containment suit, flooding himself with a deadly dose of radiation. The Enterprise is now down a captain, but at least it's no longer hurtling towards a fiery reentry on Earth. Enter Bones with a bit of Tribble inspiration.

After the successful capture of Khan on Qo'noS, Kirk requested that Bones test the blood of the madman to unlock the secrets of his superhuman healing and strength. Bones delivered, injecting a sample of Khan's blood into a Tribble. When Bones notices that Khan's super-blood reanimates that same Tribble from death, Kirk is taken off the cryotube, Khan is beamed back to the Enterprise , and an 11th hour blood transfusion brings Kirk back from the land of death.

Ensign Pavel Chekov: Manual Override Award

Ensign Pavel Chekov deserves a pip for dealing with multiple, catastrophic tech failures in the span of Into Darkness . When Chief Engineer Mr. Scott fails to persuade Kirk to disarm the Enterprise 's torpedoes, or else , the ship experiences a warp core coolant leak that removes their ability to evade Khan or counterattack. And, since Scotty handed in his resignation to avoid this preventable disaster, Chekov patches up the pieces. Throughout Into Darkness , the MVP Ensign scurries, dodges, and races against the ticking bomb of Khan to get the Enterprise back in semi-decent shape.

In the film's final showdown, the Enterprise and the U.S.S. Vengeance are both inoperable. They are trapped in Earth's gravitational field above San Francisco, plummeting towards certain death. Enter Chekov with his "right time, right place" talent. Making one of the most impressive plays in the Kelvin-verse, Chekov catches Kirk and Scotty from freefall in their race to get the warp core online.

Jaylah: A Warrior Survives Altamid

startrek.com

Star Trek Beyond is a survivor movie, and Jaylah is the ultimate survivor.

A crewmember that started as an ally, Jaylah is a member of an unknown humanoid species. She becomes a friend to Starfleet by sharing a common enemy in Krall, who also destroyed her people. For a handful of years, she was marooned on the planet Altamid, surviving and building a home out of a 2160s Federation starship. Jaylah's mastery over the legendarily lost U.S.S. Franklin makes her a best in (honorary) crew. By engineering defunct, century-old alien tech, she uncovers the secrets of an ancient vessel. Jaylah survives by camouflaging the ship with holograms, alarming it with traps, and listening to music on VHF.

By the end of Beyond , the reconstruction of Enterprise -A is already underway. The captain has refused an appointment to Vice Admiral so he can still fly, and Ambassador Spock is dead, leaving Commander Spock on a singular timeline journey. Uhura recommits to Starfleet, Jaylah gets a bid to join the Academy, and Bones all but says that he'll go wherever Kirk goes. As for the rest of the crew? The five-year mission remains uncharted, but all have their eyes on Enterprise -A.

To revisit the entire Kelvin Timeline, watch Star Tre k , Star Trek Into Darkness , and Star Trek Beyond . Bring it home today .

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Robyn Belt is a writer, editor, and journalist (Startrek.com, Marvel.com) who loves thinking about the real and speculative science of Star Trek. DS9, TNG, SNW super-fan. Find her on Twitter @robyn_belt or Threads @robynbelt_.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter .

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Doctor who subtly proves a matt smith sci-fi crossover is proper canon in rtd's new era.

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Doctor Who: Every Doctor & Who Played Them (In Chronological Order)

11 canon appearances the doctor has made outside of doctor who, did doctor who really set up season 14's major villain 15 years ago in a spinoff episode.

Warning: Very minor spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies."

• Doctor Who 's vast universe expands beyond the TV show to include novels, games, and comics, contributing to a complex timeline.
• Doctor Who season 14, episode 1 references a past crossover with Star Trek , teasing more potential future interactions between the two iconic franchises.
• Assimilation² , a comic integrating Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation , is hinted to be part of Doctor Who 's main continuity in "Space Babies."

Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies," includes Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor referencing an Eleventh Doctor story that involved a crossover with another huge sci-fi franchise - and his comment essentially confirms the event is now canon. Doctor Who isn't a saga that's limited to the TV show . There are countless audio dramas, novels, video games, and comics that all contribute to the Doctor Who continuity. The sheer amount of media available within the franchise creates a sprawling timeline of the Doctor's life that can be difficult to track. However, one arc from Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor sticks out.

Some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time happen off-screen, and they can be enjoyed in isolation from the main show. While the Doctor Who season 14 cast is unlikely to include any characters from outside the franchise, that doesn't mean certain events can't be referenced - as proven in "Space Babies." The tease from Gatwa's Doctor may seem like a fun comment to those unaware of Doctor Who 's huge sci-fi crossover, but those familiar with the event will appreciate the coy nod.

Doctor Who has been played by a crop of fantastic actors going back several decades, and each version has been both unique and memorable.

Doctor Who's Star Trek Crossover Explained

Assimilation² saw the cybermen join forces with the borg.

The world of Doctor Who collided with Star Trek: The Next Generation in a run of comic books by IDW Publishing in 2012. The pages of the crossover saga, titled Assimilation² (pronounced " Assimilated Squared "), focused on the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams interacting with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast . The story follows Doctor Who 's Cybermen teaming up with the Borg from the Star Trek universe - a collaboration that inspired the story's title.

Assimilation² is set between the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 5, episodes 17 & 18.

The comic run creatively integrated the two franchises and even explored different eras of each show. While Eleven is the main Doctor featured in the story, the comic's flashback sequences also show Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor interacting with the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series . The comics were illustrated by artist JK Woodward, who had previously worked on other Star Trek projects. Assimilation² was written by the trio of Scott Tipton, David Tipton, and Tony Lee, the latter of whom worked on Doctor Who comics before and after the Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover.

Doctor Who Season 14, Episode 1 Hints Eleven's Star Trek Crossover Is Fully Canon

"we'll have to visit them one day" implies fifteen knows how to return to the star trek universe.

Assimilation² has long been considered a standalone adventure with no bearing on the respective canons of either Doctor Who or Star Trek: The Next Generation . In other words, it can exist whether or not the story is considered to have "actually" happened within a shared continuity. However, Ruby mentions Star Trek in "Space Babies," when mentioning the concept of a "Matter Transporter". Fifteen smiles knowingly and replies, " We'll have to visit them one day ." Assimilation² may seem like a bizarre story to be integrated into the show's main continuity, but Doctor Who 's new "everything is canon" approach supports the addition.

Captain Jack Harkness addresses the Ninth Doctor as " Mr. Spock " during Doctor Who season 1's "Empty Child" two-parter. So, Star Trek clearly exists as a fictional property within the Doctor Who universe.

References have been made to the Star Trek franchise before in Doctor Who . For example, Captain Jack Harkness addresses the Ninth Doctor as " Mr. Spock " during Doctor Who season 1's "Empty Child" two-parter. So, Star Trek clearly exists as a fictional property within the Doctor Who universe. However, Assimilation² is set in the world of Star Trek rather than within the Doctor Who timeline . So, while Fifteen's on-screen acknowledgment of the events of Assimilation² makes the canon a little messy, it still does make sense.

Could Star Trek Actually Cross Over With Doctor Who On TV?

Rights issues could prevent a doctor who on-screen crossover of this magnitude.

Assimilation² likely had some legal issues to hammer out before the two franchises could cross over , and the same roadblocks would need to be overcome a second time if Doctor Who were to collide with Star Trek in live-action. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC, with Disney also now being part of the equation as of late 2022. Star Trek is the property of Paramount/CBS, so all parties would need to be on board with an on-screen Doctor Who / Star Trek crossover taking place.

The Doctor is the main character in Doctor Who, but the Time Lord has appeared in other shows on more than one occasion and for various reasons.

If said crossover were to happen, the current success of both franchises means the coming together of the sci-fi giants probably wouldn't happen anytime soon. There are several Star Trek projects ongoing and more coming up , and Doctor Who 's recent soft reboot means the new era is receiving much more attention than it has in recent years. So, neither property specifically needs a crossover event to boost its profile, meaning that Doctor Who will probably remain isolated from the Star Trek universe for now.

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Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.

• May 14, 2024 | Denise Crosby Returns As Captain Sela From Another Universe For ‘Star Trek Online: Unparalleled’
• May 14, 2024 | See Captain Sisko Meet A Familiar Face From ‘Picard’ In Preview Of ‘Star Trek’ #20
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• May 11, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’
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THEORY: Did ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Resolve The “Calypso” Mystery?

| April 23, 2024 | By: Iain Robertson 35 comments so far

“ Face the Strange ,” the fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s  final season, gave us a fun, old-fashioned Trek time travel adventure, but one scene in particular seems to tie into an intriguing and previously unexplained look into the far future.

Playing the long game with Short Treks

In “ Calypso ,” the second episode of Star Trek: Short Treks , we were presented with a vision of a future USS Discovery where the ship had been abandoned for almost 1,000 years. The ship’s sole inhabitant was Zora, a sentient AI with a penchant for watching musicals from Hollywood’s Golden Age to pass the time. While season 3 of Discovery partially delivered on the showrunner’s promise to provide a link to “Calypso” by showing how Zora emerged from the “ Sphere Data ,” just how the USS Discovery ended up abandoned in that far future has remained a lingering mystery.

Zora’s POV in “Calypso”

“Face The Strange” didn’t see Burnham and Rayner jump anywhere near that far—just to the year 3218, 30 years or so into the characters’ futures. In this dark future, the Breen had obtained the Progenitors’ technology from Moll and L’ak and used it to launch a devastating attack on the Federation. Burnham and the rest of Discovery’s crew had been dead for decades, and Zora was again the ship’s lone occupant, with a penchant for the music of Doris Day.

Zora’s musical taste and familiar shots of her “Zora Vision” POV suggest an attempt to resolve the remaining mystery linking the Short Treks episode to Discovery . One big clue is that “Face the Strange” was written by Sean Cochran, who co-wrote “Calypso” with Picard co-creator Michael Chabon. So if we accept that the callbacks to “Calypso” were deliberate, what can they mean?

Zora’s POV in “Face the Strange”

Let’s take a look at three potential possibilities…

THEORY 1: “Calypso” is part of the same alternate future

The first and most obvious explanation is that “Calypso” is a continuation of the possible future shown in “Face the Strange.” The Discovery’s crew are killed by the Breen, who succeed in conquering the Federation. Zora is then left on the deserted ship for the next 1,000 years (which would place it around the 43rd Century), whiling away the centuries listening to Doris Day and watching musicals—in particular, the Fred Astaire/Audrey Hepburn classic Funny Face —until she encounters the character of Craft (Aldis Hodge).

Zora’s musical tastes, the abandoned ship, and the “Zora vision” scenes would definitely suggest “Calypso” as a continuation of this particular future. Since Burnham and the Discovery crew are fighting to find the Progenitors’ technology before Moll and L’ak  (and likely to succeed), this would mean that future would cease to exist, and “Calypso” is an intriguing never-to-be alternate future, similar to the outcome of episodes like Voyager’s  “Timeless” or  Next Generation’s  “All Good Things.”

There are however some inconsistencies between the two futures.

Firstly, the version of Discovery seen in “Calypso” is the 23rd-century version, prior to its 32nd-century refit. Most notably, the ship clearly has the original NCC-1031 designation, missing the ‘A’ that was added in the refit. Of course, the obvious, real-world reason is that “Calypso” was made between seasons 1 and 2 of Discovery , before the show’s jump to the future and redesign of the ship. This doesn’t make sense in-universe, but Short Treks has some other canon hiccups, so trying to explain away the missing “A” designation may be asking too much. The ship seen in “Face the Strange” is also in worse condition, but it’s likely Zora had Dots available that could repair the ship.

The Discovery in “Calypso” – No bloody A, B, C or D

Another inconsistency is that in “Calypso,” Zora tells Craft “the crew is away at present,” and says she has orders to maintain her current position, which doesn’t match with the events shown in “Face the Strange,” where she clearly stated that the crew had died. However, we don’t know what 1,000 years of isolation may have had on Zora. As a sentient life form, it’s possible by the time of “Calypso” she’s been experiencing some kind of AI senility or has repressed the traumatic memories of the crew’s demise. It’s also possible that she incurred some damage over the centuries, making her misremember the events.

In “Calypso,” Craft states he’s a soldier fighting the “V’draysh,” which is a bastardization of “Federation,” according to Michael Chabon. This doesn’t make sense if the Federation was defeated 1,000 years earlier; would the name still be in use? The name “V’draysh” was used once in the third season of Discovery, where it indeed related to the Federation.

Federation HQ destroyed in “Face the Strange”

While it’s possible that “Calypso” is a continuation of the alternate timeline established in “Face the Strange,” there are enough inconsistencies that we should consider some alternative scenarios.

THEORY 2: “Calypso” is Zora’s dream

One new piece of information we find out about Zora in “Face the Strange” is that she dreams. Her first line to Burnham is “Captain, is that you? Or is this another dream?” Although we’ve no idea when this started, it seems the years of isolation coupled with Zora’s continued development have led to her having dreams. Obviously, this isn’t unprecedented in Trek. Data eventually evolved to the stage where he could dream, so it follows that Zora can too.

Could the events of “Calypso” be Zora dreaming of some company after years of isolation? It’s certainly a possibility, and dream logic is a good way of explaining away the inconsistencies, such as the USS Discovery’s appearance and the whereabouts of the crew. “Calypso” was an atypical, sometimes surreal Star Trek story, and having it be a dream does make a degree of sense, with Zora its unreliable narrator.

Zora wonders if she is dreaming in “Face the Strange”

There could also be a clue in the music Zora’s listening to in “Face the Strange.” “Que Sera Sera” is a song about a girl asking her mother about the future and what will happen to her. Is this a hint that the Zora we see past this point is her guessing about her future?

One major argument against the dream theory is that “Calypso” isn’t Zora’s story, it’s Craft’s. It starts with him and follows his time on Discovery and his odd love story with Zora. The story is told from his viewpoint. The only time this switches to Zora’s point of view is at the very end when Craft leaves Discovery and the camera remains behind, revealing Zora has named his shuttlecraft “Funny Face” and then returning to the bridge where Zora is again playing the movie. Although possible, the majority of dreams are in the first person. It would be unusual to dream a story from someone else’s viewpoint where you’re a secondary character. Then again, Zora isn’t human. Who knows what AIs dream of. Electric sheep maybe?

Craft says goodbye to Zora in “Calypso”

THEORY 3: “Calypso” is still in the future and episodes aren’t linked

It’s also possible that beyond the aforementioned links, the timelines from “Calypso” and “Face the Strange” are not directly linked. Zora’s musical tastes and use of her “Zora Vision” POV is something that will evolve regardless and so the future seen in “Calypso” is still to come. To completely tie it into the canon, some explanation could be made for why the ship had to be de-retrofitted before being abandoned for the best part of 1,000 years. The Discovery team didn’t know season 5 would be their last, so tying up the “Calypso” loose end and directly linking to Discovery’s final fate probably wasn’t a part of the plan.

The Discovery crew faces their future at the end of “Face the Strange”

Whatever will be, will be

There is a nice poetry to the “dream” theory, so that is our preferred way to look at it. The most likely explanation is that we’re not supposed to know. “Calypso” is an intriguing (and, to be honest, beautifully told) look at the Discovery’s possible future. While it’s been hinted at in Discovery , the Short Treks episode probably works best as a fun “what if.” The sequence in “Face the Strange,” besides serving as a warning to Burnham and Rayner of the price of failure in their mission, also offered Sean Cochran and the show’s producers a fun tip of the hat to “Calypso” as well as offering an enigmatic hint as to its connection to Discovery .

From Short Treks “Calypso”

But what do you have to say? Let us know in the comments below

Keep up with the latest about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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definitely on the “Dream Team”, it’s the only one that makes sense

Is it just me or was there some exciting plan to jump forward where the Federation was so gone what was left had gone wrong and only the Discovery reunited with the crew could rekindle it, then they chickened out all “there is no way we can do a Trek show without mommy Starfleet Command there to help!!”

I definitely sense a tension along those lines. The beginning of s3 certainly seemed to point in that direction. They could’ve been Robin Hoods.

You’ve nailed the particular item about TREK that has frustrated me endlessly since the mid-80s. I never felt it had to be adventures set within Starfleet. After they went rogue in TSFS, I thought the crew should live out their golden years on the BoP/Bounty, and that the money production saved on matte shots and other earthcentric filler like spacedock could be put into showing some actual strange new worlds. Would also allow more time for the supporting cast and for a genuine ‘band of bros and sis’ feel among them. (and frankly, Starfleet didn’t deserve them after all the political paranoia evinced post-Genesis … suddenly this evolved future civilization is coming off contemporary, feeling more shadowy-Watergate than I could see as remotely credible.)

The key bit that informs my take on TREK comes from David Gerrold when he talked about how good drama revolves around ‘Kirk has a decision to make’ and not ‘Kirk is in danger.’ The original series buttressed that by often having the ship out on the rim where he couldn’t rely on timely responses from the hierarchy and had to make hard calls on his own. What better way to take that further than to have them on the Bounty, getting into situations and making ethical choices that DON’T have to cowtow to a distant and possibly unreliable bureaucracy?

I also though DS9 (which I really really like, far above any other followup to TOS), should have turned a corner with Sisko supporting the Maquis, not hunting them down like Starfleet’s pit bull. But again, that would have put them outside the auspices of ‘mommy Starfleet’ as you say.

I don’t know if I’d have stuck with DSC in s3 even if they had upheld this ANDROMEDA-style take on things, just because TPTB didn’t have the golden-platinum crutch of Anson Mount to keep the show going in spite of the bad writing. But I’d have probably at least considered watching it, just to see how they dealt with things.

I think that is the problem with Trek now… e instant communication and thousands of starships to back you up, and the adventures of your single starship on the frontier just don’t seem to matter as much. In TOS, Kirk makes the wrong decision and it’s intergalactic war and millions of lives on the line. In TNG the best episodes is where Picard is compromised by the Borg and they get to take over or destroy the starfleet. DS9 rectifies this by letting Sisko basically command the entire fleet (though it sure looks silly when space combat is lines of thousands of ships just running into thousands of other ships). I feel someone in Discovery was trying to fix the problem of being “out there” again (probably whoever put color into the big E bridge) and then got overruled (along with boring down of the big E bridge). Calypso basically hinted they would be left out there alone in some primitive starship. The fate of the entire Federation depending on their ability to rebuild alliances, rebuild ideals. You could explain the lack of far off magical tech by the fall. Instead they chickened out, I don’t know why, but it’s condemned Discovery to rather the rather bland where they literally have to have the Federation fall apart AGAIN to fix it. Anyone play Star Control 2? They need to make that into a TV show lol

kmart — I LOVE what you wrote here regarding the events post ST3:TSFS and really everything you said here. VERY insightful!

Thanks. As you come across my postings here, you’ll see I’m very big on exploring ‘treks not taken,’ including what they could have done with an Enterprise-B limited series.

Michael Chabon was the worst choice to write any Star Trek story. “Calypso” don’t fit in any possible way to canon.

Calypso was a great episode of Trek, and fairly beloved based on reviews at the time. Sorry it wasn’t for you!

“Calypso” is one of Star Trek’s best episodes, and it was written before later seasons of Discovery made it not fit canon.

Yeah, he’s terrible lol look at Picard Season 1? Embarrassingly bad.

He wrote the two best episodes of SHORT TREKS, “Calypso” and “Q&A.” He also did a great job with PICARD season one.

The first season of Picard was fantastic up until the two-part finale when it was (somehow) simultaneously drawn out and rushed. It felt like the original plan was for Picard to fully and truly die, but then either Stewart decided he wanted to continue with playing Picard, or TPTB intervened, but that was by far the biggest misstep in season 1.

Unfortunately, while season 1 was lauded by critics, it was mostly derided by fans. As such, subsequent seasons largely ignored some of the more intriguing idea introduced in season 1 – exploring the state of the Romulans post supernova (is the empire completely gone, are they trying to rebuild, etc.); exploring a bit more of the Zhat Vash (i.e. did it survive after the events of the finale) – but not too much more; what’s the general state of the Federation as it appears to have entered a bit of an isolationist state; and what’s up with the scary AI things as seen in the premonition and briefly in the season finale.

Alas, I highly doubt any of those ideas will be explored at this point.

Why does it need to fit into canon? It’s 1,000 years in the future.

Canon is overrated. Calypso was a lovely story and exactly what Trek should be doing.

I have very little confidence they’ll resolve this storyline between short treks & season 5. They would have explicitly made it apparent they were connecting to that short trek in that episode & not be so nuanced.

I’m imagining the extra shooting they did to make it a “fitting series finale” is along the lines of Poochie from the Simpsons…I have to go now, my planet needs me. [poochie died in space during his trip home].

I hope they never clearly explain it and leave a sense of mystery. “Calypso” was so lovely, partially because it wasn’t concerned with overly pat canon connections.

To this day I always wondered how this story came around? It seems weird it would be a coincidence Chabon set this story so far in the future a season before it happened on the show itself. But then you have to wonder if he was told directly the plan then what were the parameters? How far could he go with it? Did they always know it was something they would have to deal with and had a plan or was it all after the fact?

I would love if someone just talked about the short and how it came about? Maybe we get it after the show ends.

My guess is that Chabon et al. wanted to create a wild future possible story line for Discovery that was outside any continuity restraints or existing plans they had. Maybe Calypso served as a pilot for where Discovery eventually went with its future jump, even if the details were ultimately quite different.

As you note, maybe Chabon will someday do a commentary track on the story and reveal its origin. He was quite communicative about his work on Trek while he was doing it.

There’s also still the open question, who upgraded the probe that Pike and Tyler fought with

Wasn’t it just Control in the future?

I’m squarely in the camp that I just don’t care to see it explained in any way. Whatever plan Chabon had to tie in this flash forward was dropped a long time ago, and it will be nothing more than a shoehorn explanation, at best.. with no story payoff. Just let it be, and make up your own head canon if you want to.

Yep. I still wish Enterprise hadn’t felt it necessary to explain the Klingon foreheads.

I generally find a lot of these genre “and that’s why x has y” explanations pretty thin. I don’t need to see how Indiana Jones got his scar, how Nick Fury lost an eye or how McCoy got his nickname.

There’s something to be said about leaving some things to the imagination.

Small point to respond to but just gotta say – I actually kind of like the Enterprise explanation for the ridges. I just don’t think they needed to bend over backwards to explain it away. A simple dialogue exchange in a random episode would have been enough.

I loved Calypso and I am VERY OK with it having been Zora’s dream, or in-universe really happening in that alternate future with a few inconsistencies. I have a feeling (no idea) that this is all we will get regarding Calypso and I’m OK with that — not everything needs to be explained.

Calypso was one of the most beautiful, artful pieces of Trek ever made. I almost wish it had been expanded into some kind of standalone feature-length piece.

Agreed, it was beautiful!

Based on what happened in Season 2, Calypso was seemed to be a red herring for the crew abandoning the Discovery with the Sphere data, which allowed it to gain sentience. It was a possible future that was averted when they took the Discovery into the far future.

It was a lovely episode, but it really didn’t fit into continuity, both before and now.

For me, it makes more sense that “Calypso” be in the same time-line as season 2 if the Red Angel had not changed time by jumping into the 32nd century. No jump, no refit.

I was wondering what they’d do, as two of the other three first season Short Treks did, indeed, tie in.

But I always saw the thousand year reference, together with “V’draysh” being used in Season Three, as pointing to an abandoned option for Season Three- they jump forward, the crew temporarily abandons the ship, the Federation has gone bad (or is seen as having done so), Calypso happens, the crew returns, and we pick up from there.

There is a possibility that Zora de-evolved the ship during repairs as she became more senile after 100s of years of isolation and being alone. We’ve seen the DOTS repair and repaint many times. Maybe, with Zora’s confused directions, they repaired the ship to its earlier version. You’ve gotta love Star Trek! There are always possibilities.

Yeah the DOTs and programable matter means Zora could have refit Disco back to the earlier form as she got sentimental in her old age and Isolation. I just view it as, yes, it was an extension of the “bad future” seen in this episode.

I remember enjoying this short when it came out. It would probably be cool to leave it as-is, not explain anything at all. A mystery piece.

I agree, Calypso was an intriguing and beautifully told story.

If it’s all Zora’s dream—and the writers don’t bother to clue us in to that, a la Data getting a whole episode where it is made very clear that he is experimenting with dreaming—that’s super lazy writing . I’ll come back to this.

I could be fine with ‘What if?’ Trek stories that show us events in an unexplained, divergent timeline. I will point to Marvel’s animated What If? show as proof of the viability of this storytelling approach for a modern, expansive, TV & film franchise.

I have just one, big problem: the entirety of Star Trek as a franchise, to date.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Star Trek TV and movies haven’t historically done pure ‘What If?’ storytelling. In fact, Trek writers across the decades have worked hard to preserve the coherence of the ‘Prime’ timeline and any offshoots or variations we see.

Starting with Mirror, Mirror and all the way through Discovery’s adventures in the mirror universe, Trek TV writers have bent over backwards to help us understand what we were seeing, whenever we saw a divergent timeline.

For all the many time travel stories (and all of Janeway’s headaches caused by temporal paradoxes), the writers have always tried to connect the dots for us.

Even the Kelvin-verse movies spent precious screen time showing how that alternate timeline diverged from Trek ‘Prime.’ We got a passing-of-the-torch scene with two Spocks (Nimoy and Quinto) and so forth, to really make sure we understood.

This is important because as the audience, we want to enjoy time with these characters we love. When an incoherent storyline distracts us from going on the adventure with these beloved characters, we get frustrated. The plot can be twisty and momentarily confusing, but it ultimately exists to provide opportunities for Kirk, Sisko, Burnham, et al to face challenges, be heroic, and grow—not make us go, “well I’ve seen the whole show, and it just doesn’t make any sense.”

The so-called ‘beta canon’ of books, comics, fan-made productions, etc. is another animal, of course. There, anything goes. And it has to be this way because after so many hundreds of TV episodes and so many movies, it gets really hard for writers to keep it all connected. I think a fair argument could be made that there is now way too much canon to keep tying everything together perfectly and tell exciting, new stories with familiar characters. That’s fine for books and comics and whatnot. There you have the freedom to take our familiar characters and play with them in a new sandbox if you want to.

But the TV and movie writers have always given us exposition—and a fair amount of technobabble—at least attempting to preserve a unified chronology of the Star Trek universe. They didn’t alway succeed 100%, but we’ve never seen them just throw in the towel on trying to make it all make sense.

If Calypso ends up being an unexplained ‘What if?’ it would be a first for ‘alpha canon’ Trek, I think.

I don’t hate the idea of Star Trek doing this, but could the writers / producers maybe give us a heads-up that they’re going this way? Or do it with some consistency instead of a one-off Short Trek that leaves fans wondering and theorizing?

Back to Marvel’s What If? series—there at least you have The Watcher giving you some intro voiceover explaining what’s going on. You see Timmy, audiences like mystery and surprise, but also really appreciate it when you make things understandable .

My conclusion: in the context of Star Trek, this is just lazy writing and/or a willful disregard for the unwritten rules of logical storytelling that Trek has established with its fan base for decades. It seems especially lazy or careless since Face The Strange bothers to hint at some answers, but doesn’t actually give us any that make sense.

Granted, we still have a few Disco episodes to go. They might surprise us by revisiting this whole debacle and clearing things up, Trek-style. They’d have to jump through some hoops to reconcile the discrepancies, but we’ve seen plenty of crazy stories. It’s sci-fi, anything can happen. It was a chroniton explosion. Q’s son did it. Whatever.

Somehow, I doubt these writers care . Discovery has always been a show that prioritized ham-fisted emotionalism over logical storytelling. I think that will be its legacy. Prove me wrong, Discovery writers! Time is running out, and as far as I know there’s no alternative timeline in which you will get a season six to be entertaining and coherent.