star trek film tv

Where To Watch Every Star Trek TV Show and Movie in Order

Rachel Ulatowski

Official JustWatch writer

Paramount has ushered in a new era of Star Trek. Following the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery , the studio ordered multiple new series and began developing the TV movie Star Trek: Chapter 31 , which will star Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh. Given its revitalization, now is the perfect time to delve into the franchise. This guide will demonstrate where and how to watch every Star Trek movie and TV show in order.

The Star Trek franchise began in 1966 with the premiere of Star Trek , also known as Star Trek: The Original Series. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the sci-fi series follows Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) as they guide the Enterprise on a mission of intergalactic space exploration. While the show received poor ratings during its three-season run, broadcast syndication and reruns breathed new life into the franchise, garnering it a cult following after its 1969 cancelation.

Following the show’s re-evaluation, Roddenberry convinced Paramount to continue the original series on the big screen with Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Although it wasn’t a huge box-office hit, it did well enough to earn five more sequels, for which Roddenberry was a consultant.

As Star Trek: The Original Series remained one of the most popular syndicated TV shows years after its release, Paramount and Gene Roddenberry began working on another live-action series: Star Trek: The Next Generation . The series takes place aboard a new Enterprise one century after the events of the original series, with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) at the helm. Along with his crew, Captain Picard carries on his predecessors' mission of exploring new worlds.

Star Trek: The Next Generation also continued on the big screen after its conclusion, receiving four feature films. While films like Star Trek: First Contact were well-received, Star Trek: Nemesis was a critical and financial failure. The failure of Star Trek: Nemesis was followed by another blow as the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled amid low ratings.

Paramount switched directions on the big screen and released what many consider a “reboot” trilogy. However, the films aren’t an official reboot as they merely explore an alternate timeline known as the Kelvin Timeline and see Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto take over as Captain Kirk and Spock, respectively.

While the Kelvin Timeline film series played out, Star Trek went on a hiatus on the small screen. After a 12-year break, Paramount revived the franchise, aiming to create Star Trek shows specifically for its streaming service, CBS All Access (now Paramount+). In 2017, it released Star Trek: Discovery, followed by a new round of shows, including Star Trek: Picard , which continued Captain Picard’s story after Star Trek: The Next Generation.

There are no signs of the franchise slowing down, with the first TV movie, Star Trek: Chapter 31, on the way and Paramount showing interest in further Star Trek TV films, theatrical films, and shows.

How to watch the Star Trek franchise in order

Viewers can watch the Star Trek franchise either by release date order or chronologically. Those hoping to watch chronologically should know that the Kelvin Timeline trilogy takes place outside of the timeline of the other shows and movies, so they can technically be watched at any point. Star Trek: Short Treks also does not fit in the chronological order as it is an anthology series. Additionally, viewers may have to jump between shows occasionally due to time jumps in series like Star Trek: Discovery.

See below for the chronological order of every Star Trek show and movie:

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 - 2

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star trek ii: the wrath of khan, star trek iii: the search for spock, star trek iv: the voyage home, star trek v: the final frontier, star trek vi: the undiscovered country, star trek: the next generation, star trek: generations, star trek: first contact, star trek: insurrection, star trek: nemesis, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: voyager.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 3 - 5

Viewers can also watch the Star Trek franchise by the release date order detailed below. Read on to find out where to stream every Star Trek movie and TV show in the United States!

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise and its crew. The show is set in the Milky Way galaxy, roughly during the 2260s. The crew is headed by Captain James T. Kirk, first officer Spock, and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy. Shatner's voice-over introduction during each episode's opening credits stated the starship's purpose: The series was produced from 1966-67 by Desilu Productions, and by Paramount Television from 1968-69. Star Trek aired on NBC from September 8, 1966 to June 3, 1969. Although this television series had the title of Star Trek, it later acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish the show within the media franchise that it began. Star Trek's Nielsen ratings while on NBC were low, and the network canceled it after three seasons and 79 episodes. Nevertheless, the show had a major influence on popular culture and it became a cult classic in broadcast syndication during the 1970s. The show eventually spawned a franchise, consisting of five additional television series, 12 theatrical films, and numerous books, games, toys, and other products.

The animated adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command.

The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.

When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize earths oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

A renegade Vulcan with a startling secret hijacks the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to find a mythical planet.

After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.

At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types of unexpected problems that come their way.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.

When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.

During the mid-22nd century, a century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

Star Trek Into Darkness

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Star Trek Beyond

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Star Trek: Discovery

Follow the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself.

Screen Rant

Every upcoming star trek movie & tv show.

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Section 31: Release Window, Cast, Story & Everything We Know About Star Trek’s First Streaming Movie

Where you've seen star trek: starfleet academy's cast before, tawny newsome defends starfleet academy as “real star trek”, says new half-hour comedy is “my dream of dreams”.

• Star Trek on Paramount+'s Discovery and Lower Decks are both ending in 2024 with each show's season 5.
• Paramount+ is rethinking its Star Trek strategy, focusing on made-for-streaming movies and only two live-action series.
• The future still looks bright for Star Trek despite these changes, with new Star Trek theatrical movies in development.

Star Trek is still going strong, but the 58-year-old franchise's upcoming TV and movie slate will have fewer series and new theatrical and made-for-streaming movies. 2022 was a remarkable year that saw a new episode from 5 new Star Trek series streaming on Paramount+ nearly every Thursday of the year. 2023 saw the critically acclaimed ending of Star Trek: Picard, the lauded Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, and Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, perhaps the best run of the animated comedy yet.

Star Trek is in a transitional period in 2024. Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks end with their respective season 5s , while Star Trek: Prodigy moved to Netflix and delivered an acclaimed season 2. Reflecting industry-wide changes in streaming content as well as the sale of Paramount to Skydance, Paramount+ is rethinking its Star Trek strategy , starting with an expansion into made-for-streaming movies that are designed to feel like blockbuster events. Paramount Pictures' Star Trek movies are also showing signs of life, at last. While more change is imminent for the franchise, the future still looks bright for Star Trek .

Star Trek: Picard season 3's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , seems halted as showrunner Terry Matalas has moved to Marvel Studios and 20th Century films.

Star Trek Is Spread Out Across 3 Streaming Services Now - Where To Watch

The Star Trek franchise is split across three different streaming services in 2024. Here's where to watch your favorite Star Trek movies and shows.

7 Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5

The final season premieres october 2024 on paramount+..

Star Trek: Lower Decks is the last Star Trek series on Paramount+'s 2024 schedule, and it's also delivering its fifth and final season. Mike McMahan's animated comedy was creatively firing full phaser banks in Lower Decks season 4, promoting the Lower Deckers of the USS Cerritos to junior grade Lieutenants, homaging Star Trek: Voyager' s "Tuvix," visiting Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's new Ferengi Grand Nagus, and tying Lt. Beckett Mariner's (Tawny Newsome) backstory to the animated show's namesake, the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Lower Decks". Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5's teaser trailer premiered at San Diego Comic-Con:

Unfortunately, Paramount+ has opted to end Star Trek: Lower Decks with season 5, which premieres October 24, 2024 . This comes as a huge disappointment, especially considering how relatively inexpensive Lower Decks is to produce compared to Paramount+'s live-action Star Trek series. While a fan campaign has begun to save Star Trek: Lower Deck s, and there is preliminary talk of finding the animated comedy a new steaming home, the best way to boost Star Trek: Lower Decks' profile is to stream the previous four seasons and season 5 when it premieres in great numbers.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 - Release Date, Trailer, Cast, Story & Everything We Know

Great news: Star Trek: Lower Decks is coming back for season 5. Bad news: It's the final season of Lower Decks on Paramount+.

6 Star Trek: Section 31

The first made-for-streaming paramount+ movie premieres in 2025.

Originally planned as an ongoing series, Star Trek: Section 31 is now the first Star Trek original movie for Paramount+ . Star Trek : Section 31 is said to delve into the origin and secrets of Starfleet's insidious black ops agency. Star Trek: Section 31 will star Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh reprising her anti-heroine Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the former ruler of the Mirror Universe. Georgiou's new adventure places her in Star Trek 's 24th-century "lost era" and surrounds the Emperor with an eclectic new cast. Star Trek: Section 31's teaser trailer premiered at San Diego Comic-Con:

Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere in 2025 on Paramount+. Section 31 is directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi from a screenplay by Craig Sweeny, and, if it's successful, could spawn sequels and a new wave of made-for-streaming Star Trek movies. Also starring Sam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, Humberly Gonzalez, and Miku Martineau, Star Trek: Section 31 promises an action-packed and "messy" adventure that will see classic Star Trek aliens the Chameloids and Deltans return.

Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines Star Trek: Section 31, and here's what we know about Paramount+'s first Star Trek streaming movie.

5 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The next star trek series is set in the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the next Star Trek series on Paramount+, with production beginning in late 2024 for a targeted 2026 premiere. Created by Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, who serve as co-showrunners, Starfleet Academy introduces a new group of cadets learning under the series' star and Academy Chancellor, played by Oscar-winner Holly Hunter. Paul Giamatti has also signed on in a recurring role as Starfleet Academy's main villain. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduced its young cast at San Diego Comic-Con:

Starfleet Academy will film on the largest set ever built for Star Trek , and will return the school to its original Earth location of San Francisco after the Academy reopened in outer space in Star Trek: Discovery season 3. Kurtzman has also hinted at Starfleet Academy 's young characters questioning the decisions and even fixing the mistakes of past Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Lower Decks' Tawny Newsome is also part of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's writer's room.

Star Trek's next series, Starfleet Academy, counts Academy Award-caliber actors and a crew of new faces in its growing cast.

4 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 & 4

Strange new worlds gets 2 more seasons.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 wrapped production in May 2024 with an expected 2025 premiere on Paramount+. While Strange New Worlds season 3's premiere will pick up and resolve the Gorn cliffhanger of Strange New Worlds season 2 finale , season 3's episodes will see the return of directors Chris Fisher, Valerie Weiss, Dan Liu, and Jonathan Frakes, who is directing a Hollywood noir episode. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered a 5-minute clip of a season 3 episode directed by Jordan Canning at San Diego Comic-Con:

Excitingly, Paramount+ gave Star Trek: Strange New Worlds an early season 4 renewal , which essentially makes the series the new flagship of Star Trek on Paramount+ now that Star Trek: Discovery is over. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 will begin filming in Spring 2025, and that batch of 10 episodes will let Strange New Worlds help commemorate Star Trek' s 60th anniversary in 2026.

3 Untitled Star Trek Live-Action Comedy

Tawny newsome and justin simien are creating a new star trek show.

Also announced at San Diego Comic-Con is Star Trek' s first live-action comedy series. Created by Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien, their upcoming Star Trek show is a half-hour workplace comedy set on a pleasure planet somewhere in the galaxy. Newsome was inspired by her lifelong Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fandom, and standalone Star Trek episodes of the past. While little is known about the series, a live-action comedy is a bold frontier for Star Trek.

Tawny Newsome talks about her work as a writer on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and hints at her dream job, Star Trek's first live-action comedy.

2 Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie

Premiering in theaters in 2025.

Paramount Pictures officially announced an Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie for a targeted 2025 premiere in theaters. Directed by Toby Haynes, who directed Star Wars: Andor and the "USS Callister" episode of Black Mirror, the Star Trek Origin movie is written by Seth Grahame-Smith ( Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) . The Star Trek Origin Movie is produced by J.J. Abrams and is set "decades before" Abrams' Star Trek (2009) . When, exactly, in the Star Trek timeline the origin movie is set, and what characters or starship it will be about, is all under wraps, although the film is reportedly set mostly on Earth and will deal with the founding of the Federation.

1 Star Trek 4

The final chapter of chris pine's starship enterprise crew is in development..

Reportedly still in development is Star Trek 4 , the long-delayed fourth Star Trek movie produced by J.J. Abrams starring the USS Enterprise crew led by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Star Trek 4 has a new screenwriter, Steve Yockey, attempting to craft an adventure worthy of bringing Pine's cast back to the big screen after numerous failed attempts. Star Trek' s cast are all willing to beam back aboard the Starship Enterprise for their "final chapter", but the long wait for Star Trek 4 - which now stands at 8 years and counting - continues.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Not available

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond was released in 2016, Star Trek 4 is seeing progress toward becoming a reality . Billed as the "final chapter" of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek , the fourth film about the USS Enterprise led by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk has a new screenwriter in Steve Yockey ( The Flight Attendant) . No director for Star Trek 4 has been named, but fingers are crossed that the Starship Enterprise of the alternate Kelvin Timeline will finally make its big-screen return. Star Trek 4 possibly releasing in 2026 would be an ideal way to mark Star Trek 's 60th anniversary.

Den of Geek

Star Trek Streaming Guide: Where to Watch All the TV Shows and Movies

Find out where you can stream all the voyages of sci-fi’s longest-running franchise.

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Launched on September 8, 1966 — nearly 54 years ago — the NBC-TV series Star Trek was the beginning of a new age of science fiction on television and, eventually, the big screen. The first show to echo the sophistication and vision of sci-fi literature , Star Trek was only a cult hit at the time of its initial run but refused to die even after its cancellation, with the original 79 episodes running for years in syndication.

More than five decades later, Star Trek encompasses eight TV series (a total of 764 episodes and counting) and 13 films, plus countless books, comics, games and more. It’s had its ups and downs, its high points and its misfires, but it remains one of the most beloved and durable franchises in all of pop culture.

Now, thanks to streaming, all those episodes and movies are available to watch any time (we know you diehard Trekkers have the Blu-rays and DVDs, but you don’t have to break those out anymore). Below is a handy guide to where you can stream every iteration of Trek , from The Original Series to the movies to the new Star Trek: Picard . Grab your remote and boldly go…

Star Trek TV

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

The one that started it all, the original Star Trek came along at a time when most screen sci-fi (movies and TV) was still just monster movies or kiddie fare ( Lost in Space , anyone?). Gene Roddenberry ’s vision of an intelligent, allegorical sci-fi series, which used actual genre writers for much of its first two seasons, was groundbreaking in ways that reverberate to this day. And its cast, led by William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy, became iconic.

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Available in the US on Amazon , Hulu , Netflix , CBS All Access

Available in the UK on Netflix UK , Amazon UK * (*purchase only)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)

Using the voices of many of the original cast members and even employing writers from the original series, TAS had a genuine chance to extend the original show with the visual freedom animation offered. But the format turned out to be its enemy, as clunky, cheap animation and frequent reuse of shots gave the show a shoddy, amateurish reputation. Some of the stories are quite good, however.

Available in the US on Amazon , CBS All Access

Available in the UK on Netflix UK

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Set nearly a century after the original series, with Gene Roddenberry mandating that conflict between the crew members be diminished by that point, ST: TNG proved to be enormously popular even with a brand new, unfamiliar crew. It took most of three seasons for the show to find its footing, but Captain Picard (a magnificent Patrick Stewart ) and company went on many captivating and genuinely outstanding adventures of their own.

Available in the US on Amazon , Netflix , CBS All Access , Hulu

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Many fans consider DS9 the best Trek series ever , and they certainly can make a good argument for it: the first Trek show not set on a starship, but instead on a remote space station, DS9 addressed cultural divides, character conflict, religion and war in a bolder fashion that any Trek entry before it — while also utilizing the kind of serialized storytelling that is now the standard across the medium.

Available in the UK on Netflix UK , Amazon UK* (*purchase only)

Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Voyager found members of a Federation starship and the rebel Maquis stranded together 70,000 years from Earth in the Delta Quadrant, facing a 75-year journey home. Headed by Trek ’s first female captain , Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Voyager encountered all kinds of interesting new races as well as old enemies the Borg during the long and often compelling journey home.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

The first series to act as a prequel, set a decade before the creation of what would become the United Federation of Planets, Enterprise followed the crew of the first ship to bear that name. Uneven in quality and struggling to find resonant stories, Enterprise was canceled after four seasons and ended an 18-year run for Trek on TV. 

Available in the US on Amazon , Netflix , Hulu , CBS All Access

Star Trek: Discovery (2017- )

Set 10 years prior to TOS , Discovery ’s troubled birth (it went through numerous delays and several showrunners) led to the most polarizing show in the franchise to date. Focusing for once on a central character other than the captain — mutinous anthropologist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who turns out to be the adopted sister of one Mr. Spock — it has often ignored or played fast and loose with Trek continuity while painting Starfleet in a more conspiratorial light. Season 3 will debut in 2020.

Star Trek: Picard (2020- )

Like Discovery before it, Picard has divided Star Trek fans with its depiction of a Federation in decline, marked by bigotry, deception and treachery. But there is no questioning the powerful presence of Patrick Stewart, playing an older, flawed Picard for the first time in 18 years, and the thrill of seeing old friends like Seven of Nine, Will Riker and Deanna Troi. The show has certainly had its moments ; we’ll see if more are to come in the already-announced season 2 .

Available in the UK on Amazon UK

Star Trek: 50 Best Episodes

The 15 best worst episodes of star trek: the original series, star trek movies.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

After an aborted attempt at a second TV series ( Star Trek: Phase II ), Paramount Pictures brought Trek to the big screen in a lavish, $40 million epic (the most expensive movie of its time) that reunited the original crew in a 2001 -like encounter with a massive, mysterious space probe. Slow-moving, alternately impressive and shaky visually, ST: TMP nevertheless proved that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise could hold their own on the big screen — and strangely, the film has actually aged better than most.

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Available in the US on Amazon , Hulu

Available in the UK on NOW TV , YouTube *, Amazon UK *, Sky Store * (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Still considered the finest Trek movie of all , and rightfully so, The Wrath of Khan focused — like the original show — on character and story instead of visual effects and esoteric concepts. Bringing back a deadly enemy from the first season, the generic superman Khan (Ricardo Montalban), the movie was thrilling, dramatic and, with the death of Spock at the finale, incredibly moving.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , *YouTube , *Amazon UK , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Even though the end of Star Trek II strongly hinted at Spock’s return, it wasn’t a given. But Leonard Nimoy did come back for Star Trek III — as director (and yes, as Spock too in the film’s closing minutes) of this somber and often underrated entry . Captain Kirk loses almost everything — his beloved ship, his commission and his newly reconciled son — to save his friend’s life in a poignant story about friendship and loyalty. And there’s a bad-ass villain too, a Klingon captain played to the hilt by Christopher Lloyd.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * YouTube , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Leonard Nimoy’s second outing as director is both a comedy and an environmentally themed adventure — and it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the franchise. This light-hearted romp sent Kirk and the gang back to 20 th century San Francisco to rescue a pair of humpback whales, and the fish-out-of-water (pun intended) antics of the crew provide plenty of laughs and a ton of heart.

Available in the US on Amazon

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * YouTube , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Shatner got behind the camera for this turgid, unfunny mess , which regularly rates near the bottom of any Trekker’s list. The old “alien pretending to be God” trope, a long-lost brother we never knew Spock had and the other cast members acting by and large like buffoons make this perhaps the most embarrassing of the Enterprise ’s big screen voyages. There are a few nice moments — there always are — but this nowhere near first on our revisit list.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , *YouTube , * Sky Store (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

The classic Trek cast bounced back from Star Trek V with a final adventure that was also one of their best . A suspenseful, urgent meditation on aging, grievance and the end of the Cold War, Star Trek IV was a remarkable example of how Trek could show us at our finest even while facing down our lingering demons. Plus it ends with both a great space battle and one of the greatest cast send-offs ever (which was emulated by none other than Avengers Endgame ).

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

What could have been a magnificent passing of the torch from the classic Trek cast to the TNG crew ends up looking and feeling more like a tepid extended TNG episode with weak cameos from Kirk, Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig). Patrick Stewart and his team are all solid, as is villain Malcolm McDowell, and the crashing of the Enterprise is a genuinely gripping setpiece. But the story and motivations are undercooked — as is most of the movie.

Available in the UK on NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Easily the best of the TNG quartet, First Contact travels back in time to the very start of Earth’s push into space, where the Borg intends to cripple humanity once and for all. The crew of the Enterprise follow them to make sure history isn’t changed, even as Picard confronts his fear and hatred of the Borg . Jonathan Frakes does a nice first-time directing job, balancing the action and character work ably, while Alice Krige steals the show as the sensual Borg Queen.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Like Generations , the third TNG theatrical outing feels like a mediocre TV segment stretched to feature length; even Frakes’ direction seems uninspired. One difference: with Picard fighting a secret plan (engineered by F. Murray Abraham, above) to uproot the natives of a “fountain of youth” planet, the seeds were planted for later Trek entries that portrayed an increasingly corrupt Federation. Otherwise, this is a forgettable, often cheesy film.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The final big-screen outing for the TNG cast is better than its reputation suggests , as Picard squares off against a renegade Romulan who happens to be his clone. Tom Hardy chews the scenery fabulously as the latter, and the climactic battle between his massive ship and the Enterprise is well handled by director Stuart Baird. There’s also a surprising emotional payoff for Data (Brent Spiner) that ends up being the hook for Star Trek: Picard 18 years later.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams does what many thought couldn’t be done — he reboots Star Trek with a fresh, young cast inhabiting the original roles made iconic by Shatner, Nimoy and their crew. The new cast, led by Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, is the best thing about the film, which also uses a clever plot device to position this timeline just slightly to the side of the original one. The reliance on action over ideas is a bit of a letdown, and unfortunately would carry over to the next two movies.

Available in the UK on Netflix , NOW TV , * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

One of the worst Trek films ever , right down there with The Final Frontier . STID insults both fans and casual viewers with a brain-dead script, frantic action and massive contrivances (such as the sudden ability for someone to beam across the galaxy or the screenwriters’ well-worn “magic blood” gimmick). But its most egregious offense is turning into a half-assed remake of The Wrath of Khan that’s as dumb as it is pointless. This is what happens when people tackle Trek with no understanding of it.

Available in the UK on * Amazon UK , * Sky Store , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Still too reliant on action over depth, and featuring the third revenge-driven storyline in a row, Star Trek Beyond is nevertheless better than its predecessor . It mostly works as a standalone adventure, and once again the Pine/Quinto cast delivers with heart. But even though Beyond does occasionally capture the vibe of classic Trek , there’s a vague sense of desperation at work — like the franchise knows it’s run out of gas (and crashing the Enterprise for the third time in 13 films doesn’t help).

Available in the UK on * Sky Store , * Amazon UK , * YouTube (*purchase/rent only)

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

Pocket-lint

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

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Key Takeaways

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

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

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

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

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

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The original Star Trek timeline

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

There are spoilers below.

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

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

Stardate: 2151 to 2156

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

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

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

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

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

Stardate: 2256

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

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

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

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

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

Stardate: 2258

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

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

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

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

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

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

Stardate: 2266 to 2269

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

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

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

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

5 *Optional* Star Trek: The Animated Series

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

Stardate: 2269 to 2270

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

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

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

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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

Stardate: 2273

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

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

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

Star trek: the wrath of khan.

Stardate: 2285

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

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

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

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

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

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

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

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

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

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

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

Stardate: 2286

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

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

Nimoy returned to direct this film, as well.

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

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

Stardate: 2287

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

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

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

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

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

Stardate: 2293

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

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

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

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

Stardate: 2364 to 2370

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

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

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

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

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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

Stardate: 2369 to 2375

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

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

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

14 Star Trek Generations

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

Stardate: 2371

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

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

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

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

15 Star Trek: Voyager

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

Stardate: 2371 to 2378

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

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

16 Star Trek: First Contact

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

Stardate: 2373

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

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

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

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

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

Stardate: 2375

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

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

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

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

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

Picard vs picard, star trek: nemesis.

Stardate: 2379

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

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

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

19 Star Trek: Picard

Picard's forced out of retirement one more time

Star Trek: Picard

Stardate: 2399

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

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

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

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

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

Stardate: 3188

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

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

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

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

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

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

• Movies and TV

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

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

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

The Original Series

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

The Animated Series

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

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

The first six films

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

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

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

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

The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Generations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First Contact

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Insurrection

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

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

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

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

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

Voyager (Seasons 6-7)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lower Decks

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

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

The Kelvin timeline

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

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

Short Treks

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

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

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

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

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• Series & Movies

Where to Watch

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise , as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Picard

Taking place 20 years after we last saw Captain Jean-Luc Picard command the U.S.S. Enterprise , Star Trek: Picard picks up his story and finds him in a very different place in both his personal life and career.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Follow the support crew on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos , in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford, and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

Star Trek: Discovery

The fifth and final season will find Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. Season 5, Now Streaming

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy follows a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future.

Star Trek: Prodigy will stream on Netflix globally (excluding Canada, Nordics, CEE, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Belarus and Mainland China) and Season 1 is currently available on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe with Season 2 coming soon. Season two has launched in France on France Televisions channels and Okoo.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

• Akiva Goldsman
• Alex Kurtzman
• Jenny Lumet
• Anson Mount
• Christina Chong
• 1K User reviews
• 39 Critic reviews
• 11 wins & 35 nominations total

Episodes 31

Top cast 99+

• Captain Christopher Pike …

• La'an Noonien-Singh …

• Lt. Erica Ortegas …

• Una Chin-Riley …

• Nurse Christine Chapel

• Nyota Uhura …

• Dr. M'Benga

• USS Enterprise Computer …

• Lieutenant George Samuel 'Sam' Kirk

• Jenna Mitchell

• Captain Batel …

• Admiral Robert April

• Captain James T. Kirk …

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• Trivia Bruce Horak , the actor who plays Hemmer, is legally blind, just like his character's species, the Aenar, who are also blind.
• Goofs There are some rank insignia mistakes. Number One is introduced as "Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley" yet she is wearing the rank insignia of a full commander: two full stripes. A Lieutenant Commander's rank insignia is a full stripe under a thin stripe (in TOS it is a full stripe and a staggered stripe). It is not uncommon for a ship's first officer to be a Lt. Commander if they have not been in the position long. Spock at this point is a Lieutenant but he is wearing Lieutenant Commander's stripes; a Lieutenant just has one stripe. La'an is the ship's chief of security and the ship's second officer. She is also wearing Lt. Commander stripes but is addressed as a Lieutenant, but it would make more sense for her to be a Lieutenant Commander. Either way both of their rank insignia are not matching the rank they are addressed by. Ortegas is addressed as a Lieutenant but is wearing Lieutenant Commander's strips. A Lieutenant Commander may be addressed as a Commander or Lieutenant Commander but never as just a Lieutenant, so either her rank insignia or the manner she is addressed by the rest of the crew is in error.

[opening narration]

Captain Christopher Pike : Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

• Connections Featured in Nerdrotic: Woke Hollywood is FAILING, and That's a Good Thing (2022)

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• Sep 25, 2023

Technical specs

• Runtime 52 minutes
• D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

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How To Watch Every ‘Star Trek’ Movie and TV Show

Where to stream:, ‘the acolyte’s cancellation begs the question: what do audiences even want out of a star wars show, stream it or skip it: ‘star trek: prodigy’ season 2 on netflix, where the ragtag group of teen starfleet trainees join janeway on a dangerous mission, ‘star trek iii’ at 40: the story of how (and why) leonard nimoy brought spock back after being killed off in ‘the wrath of khan’, ‘star trek: strange new worlds’ renewed for season 4 at paramount+.

Since 1966, Star Trek has boldy gone where no man had gone before, and to this day, that mission continues.

What started as one three-season TV series 57 years ago has morphed into over 10 shows and 13 movies, which explore, in addition to the original series’ timeline, an alternate one that serves as a soft reboot on the franchise as a whole.

The legacy of Star Trek begins with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy , who left their mark on pop culture with their portrayals of Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, and even today, we’re still seeing iconic actors leave their mark on the franchise — Patrick Stewart returned as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Picard after 18 years away from the role. The third and final season of Picard began airing on February 16.

Below, we’ve broken down where you can watch every Star Trek movie and TV show, both on streaming services and paid video on-demand platforms, along with details on how the various timelines and which shows and movies fall into them.

Where To Watch Star Trek TV Shows

Unlike the films, all Star Trek TV series including all three animated series exist within the same timeline, even though they weren’t released in timeline order. The Original Series falls just about in the middle of the timeline.

A few of the series, including Enterprise , Discovery , and Strange New Worlds are technically prequels to The Original Series, so they take place before it in the timeline, while The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager all take place in the years following the end of TOS.

Where to watch Star Trek Movies

The final three movies in the Star Trek franchise (the ones starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock) are the only ones that don’t take place in the same timeline as the TV shows and their corresponding movies — the first six movies star The Original Series cast, while the next four take place during Next Gen.

Pine and Quinto’s movies take place in an alternate original series timeline, known as the Kelvin timeline because the inciting incident that changes the timeline is a critical failure aboard the USS Kelvin. While everything else in the Star Trek timeline is co-dependent to a degree, these three movies stand alone as an isolated trilogy.

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek: Picard

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Where Should I Start With Star Trek?

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The Star Trek franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with an upcoming Starfleet Academy series gearing up to premiere and fan-favorite series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds setting its phasers for a return. Yet with all the TV shows and movies released over the years, finding an entry point into Star Trek can be a tricky prospect. Fans also have opinions on what the best Trek entry point is, but for my money, there's one series that serves as the perfect entry point to the world of Star Trek ... and that's Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Taking place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek The Next Generation follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on their own voyage across the stars. Yet it stands on its own two feet, thanks to its incredible cast and the way it introduced and then built upon concepts and characters that would come to define the Star Trek universe for years. Star Trek: The Next Generation is also notable for being the last major Star Trek project that Gene Roddenberry was involved with before his death, and it would even reignite interest in the franchise over time.

‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Thrives Due to Its Ensemble Cast

Star Trek is well known for its ensemble casts, and The Next Generation might have one of the strongest ensembles in the franchise's history. Each character was able to shine across seven seasons, with plenty of episodes that spotlighted their individual strengths . But the biggest draw is the character dynamics between the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's crew. Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) has a close friendship with his first officer, William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ), and buckets of romantic tension with Dr. Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ); Geordi LaForge ( LeVar Burton ) and Data ( Brent Spiner ) are not only close friends, but they share some of the series' best episodes. Even characters like Wesley Crusher ( Wil Wheaton ) had their time in the limelight, which provided some much-needed variety that kept viewers tuning in week after week.

Star Trek: The Next Generation also thrived because it wasn't a carbon copy of Star Trek: The Original Series . The Enterprise-D crew has their own unique traits and struggles; Worf ( Michael Dorn ) wrestles early in the series with whether to embrace his Klingon heritage or continue serving with Starfleet, which is a direct contrast to how Spock feels split between two worlds because of his half-human heritage. Picard is also more of a strategist than James T. Kirk but struggles with developing closer relationships. Seeing these characters grow and change is part of the appeal of The Next Generation, and a great reason why it'll appeal to Trek newcomers.

'The Next Generation's Best Episodes Showcase Everything Great About Star Trek

Star Trek, at its core, is about humanity's desire to be better than it is — and Star Trek: The Next Generation puts that element at the forefront of its best episodes . Take Data; the android's quest to learn more about his humanity results in some compelling stories that explore what it means to be human. The Season 2 episode "The Measure of a Man" remains the best of these episodes, as Data is part of a trial to determine whether he's Starfleet property or his own individual. Picard's impassioned defense of Data remains one of the series' high points, especially as it taps into that essential Star Trek element of being better than you were. The episode "Elementary, Dear Data" also is a reminder that for all the heavy topics it tackles, Star Trek can still have a little fun with itself - especially in an episode that sees Data and Geordi reenacting a Sherlock Holmes story.

The episodes that truly stand out introduce characters or ideas that would return to affect the cast of The Next Generation . In the Season 2 episode "Q Who," the Enterprise-D crew encounters the cybernetic intelligence known as the Borg, who assimilate entire worlds into their collective. The Borg would continue to make appearances throughout the series, including " The Best of Both Worlds ," which saw the Borg kidnapping and assimilating Picard. This episode has everything that makes Star Trek great, as the crew of the Enterprise uses their knowledge — particularly in Geordi and Wesley's case — to beat back the Borg. There's a major human dilemma; can the Enterprise crew save Picard, or will Riker be forced to take down his friend? The Borg themselves remain a frightening presence, especially in this day and age where artificial intelligence is a major point of contention in the creative arts. "The Best of Both Worlds" is often cited as the moment where Star Trek: The Next Generation cemented itself as a true successor to the original Star Trek, but I'd argue that it's also one of the episodes to show newcomers if you want them to understand what Trek is about.

This ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Episode Was Banned in the UK

British television would not air this Season 3 episode for political reasons.

Some of the Best Star Trek Shows Wouldn’t Exist Without ‘The Next Generation’

As Star Trek: The Next Generation grew in popularity, it paved the way for a number of spinoff shows as well as a series of feature films. These projects were allowed to go in new directions thanks to the groundwork laid by The Next Generation , and it resulted in some great Star Trek stories. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showcased the darker side of Starfleet, and also featured a strong connection to The Next Generation in the form of Worf, who played a key role after joining Deep Space Nine in its later seasons. The Next Generation film Star Trek: First Contact dealt with the fallout of Picard's abduction by the Borg, resulting in one of Stewart's best performances as the character.

The Next Generation continues to have a massive impact on Star Trek projects , as its characters and storylines have inspired everything from the final season of Star Trek: Discovery to key plot points in Star Trek: Prodigy . The biggest example would be Star Trek: Picard , especially its finale "The Last Generation," which not only reunites the original cast of The Next Generation but has them piloting the Enterprise-D to once again battle the Borg. Once again, everything that makes Trek great is on the screen — and fans have Star Trek: The Next Generation to thank for it. The series is the perfect entry point for those new to Trek, both in terms of how it serves as the perfect introduction to this world and how it laid the foundation for some truly great stories.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Watch on Paramount+

• TV Features

LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow Gave Star Trek: The Next Generation Fans A Big First

There are 178 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and any devoted Trekkie has likely seen them all. True obsessives, however, probably don't consider the series complete unless they include an episode of "Reading Rainbow" called "The Bionic Bunny Show" (which aired on August 15, 1988). "Reading Rainbow," for those unlucky enough not to know about it, was a PBS series for kids, hosted by LeVar Burton, that encouraged kids to read. Burton and others would read picture books to the audience, spur on children to go to their local libraries, and regularly host educational segments. "Reading Rainbow" premiered in 1983 and ran regularly for years, sometimes taking extended breaks, through to 2006. Kids who found the series loved it. They also loved that Burton, so friendly on screen, encouraged them to read. Burton won multiple Emmys for the show, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

Each episode would feature a book, and in the episode in question, Burton talked about "The Bionic Bunny Show," written by Marc Brown and illustrated by Laurence Krasny Brown in 1984. The book revealed that the superheroes on your favorite TV shows are, in fact, just actors, and a lot of hard work goes into making a dazzling, FX-laden TV series. Burton, who was in the midst of filming the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" at the time, decided to walk kids through the set of his new show. Burton played Geordi La Forge, the helmsman of the Enterprise, and got special permission to bring his "Reading Rainbow" cameras onto the set to show kids how a TV show was made. Luckily, the makers of "Star Trek" understood the value of "Reading Rainbow" and gave their blessing.

The "Bionic Bunny Show" episode, as it were, holds the distinction of being the very first behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Take a look, it's in a book... er, TV show

In the episode, Burton takes kids into the makeup trailer and shows his co-star, Michael Dorn, being transformed into a Klingon. He also goes behind the scenes to the editing bay to show how scenes are constructed, shot by shot, as explained to those watching at home by Emmy-winning "Next Generation" visual effects supervisor Rob Legato. Little kids likely found this fascinating, as editing is not something children tend to pay attention to.

Legato also shows off some models he made for the show, as well as what he does to achieve the show's transporter effect. It involved dumping a tipple of glitter into a pitcher of water and stirring it rapidly. Legato also got to show off an outsize model of the Enterprise-D, which might be the most exciting part of the episode.

Trekkies will note that actor Denise Crosby was present during some of the scenes, meaning that she was likely filming her very last episode, "Symbiosis," the day Burton hosted the documentary. Crosby's character, Tasha Yar, was infamously killed in the episode "Skin of Evil," but she filmed "Symbiosis" last. The models Burton and Legato examine are from the episode "When the Bough Breaks."

Also excitingly, Burton was allowed to show some of the rare bloopers and flubs from the first season. One can see Patrick Stewart blowing his lines and stumbling over the show's techno-jargon. The bloopers, the first ever broadcast, were maybe the first chance Trekkies had to witness the otherwise staid Picard chuckling and behaving ridiculously. Burton closes the segment by saying that "Star Trek" is fun and TV shows are great because they're made by expert storytellers, but that it's better to pick up a book and become an expert yourself. When you read, he says, you're the producer, the director, and the SFX technician. It was a tactful way to close out a TV segment in a series devoted to reading.

Happy Star Trek Day: Paramount serves up free sample of TV shows to celebrate

Here's a rundown of this weekend's Star Trek Day 2024 fare to help launch the annual sci-fi party.

Happy Star Trek Day 2024!

It's that wonderful time of year again, when faithful Trekkies of all stripes proclaim their love of everything related to the expansive " Star Trek " sci-fi universe and honor the legacy of creator Gene Roddenberry's "Wagon Train To The Stars" that first launched on the NBC TV network back on Sept. 8, 1966. 

This official day of celebration originated back in 2020, and the number of pop-up events, screenings, surprise announcements, contests, and fan gatherings continues to grow.

Watch Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

Besides the older legacy films and broadcast TV series, these past seven years have seen a monumental surge of "Star Trek"-centric streaming offerings for fans to enjoy, including Paramount+'s " Star Trek: Discovery ," "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," "Star Trek: Prodigy," and the upcoming "Star Trek: Section 31" and " Starfleet Academy ."

Related: 'Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

For this year's Star Trek Day, Paramount has announced "Take the Chair, Make an Impact," a worldwide campaign urging fans to embrace the optimistic vision of a sunnier future and to deliver back to the eclectic community of fans that "Star Trek" has cultivated over the decades.

As part of this celebration, "Star Trek" has partnered with a trio of global nonprofit organizations that reflect the core values of the franchise, including Code.org, which gives K-12 students the opportunity to learn computer science; DoSomething.org, which fuels young people to change the world; and Outright International, which advocates for LGBTIQ inclusion and equality globally. 

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"Take the Chair" invites Trekkies to envision themselves in the classic U.S.S. Enterprise captain's chair and ask themselves, "What would I do if I were setting the course to the future?" Fans can engage with other enthusiasts via a digital experience available at StarTrek.com .

— Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

— 'Star Trek: Prodigy' is the 'Voyager' spin-off you never knew you wanted — and we love it

— Why 'Star Wars' needs its own answer to 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'

Paramount is also serving up an appetizing entertainment sampler platter for Star Trek Day, with the premiere episodes of many "Star Trek" series and "Short Treks" available to view for free from Sept. 7-13. The episodes can be tapped into on Paramount+'s partner platforms Amazon, Apple and Roku, its official YouTube page, Pluto TV and the Paramount+ free content hub (U.S. only).

Here's the complete lineup:

• "Star Trek: The Original Series," "The Cage"
• "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Encounter at Farpoint, Part I & II"
• "Star Trek: Voyager," "Caretaker, Part I & II"
• "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "The Emissary, Part I & II"
• "Star Trek: Enterprise," "Broken Bow Part I & II"
• "Star Trek: The Animated Series," "Beyond the Farthest Star"
• "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," "Strange New Worlds"
• "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Second Contact"
• "Star Trek: Discovery," "The Vulcan Hello"
• "Star Trek: Picard," "Remembrance"
• "Star Trek: Short Treks" – "The Girl Who Made the Stars," "The Trouble with Edward," "Ask Not," "Runaway," and "Ephraim and Dot"

For more info on where to find "Star Trek" online, check out our streaming guide .

However and wherever you celebrate, a Happy Star Trek Day 2024 to all!

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 Trailer Shows First Look at Allison Janney as VEEP Grace Penn (TV News Roundup)

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for Season 2 of its political thriller “The Diplomat.”

The trailer gives us our first look at Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn and answers one of the biggest questions fans had at the end of Season 1.

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Debora Cahn serves as showrunner, and Janice Williams, Keri Russell, Peter Noah and Alex Graves all serve as executive producers.

The season will premiere on the streamer on Oct. 31 at 12:00 a.m. PT, and you can watch the trailer below:

FIRST LOOKS/TRAILERS

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for Ryan Murphy’s true crime anthology series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which will be available to stream on Sept. 19.

“Following the massive success of ‘Dahmer,’ Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series returns with ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,’ chronicling the case of the real-life brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez,” reads the show’s log line.

It continues: “While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed – and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole – that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.”

Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, David McMillan, Louise Shore, Carl Franklin, Javier Bardem, Paris Barclay, Michael Uppendahl and Max Winkler all serve as executive producers.

Watch the trailer below:

Paramount+ unveiled the trailer for the second season of “Colin From Accounts,” which will premiere on the streamer on Sept. 26.

All eight episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch. Series creators Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer have returned to write, executive produce and star in the series that has already been feted with two Gotham TV Awards and has maintained a 100% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“‘Colin From Accounts’ is a romantic comedy about flawed, funny people choosing each other and embracing the all-too-relatable chaos of modern life. After Gordon (Brammall) and Ashley (Dyer) are brought together in season one by a spontaneous nipple flash and the subsequent accident that injured the titular (no pun intended) dog, season two of the hit series opens with Ash and Gordon now living together and trying to get their beloved, special needs dog, Colin, back from his new owners,” reads the series’ log line.

It continues: “It’s the first in a series of hurdles for the new couple as they find out more about each other, for better and worse.”

Watch the Season 2 trailer below:

DreamWorks Animation has unveiled the trailer for “The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist.”

“The Bad Guys set off on the ultimate Halloween heist, absconding with legendary deceased crook Reginald E. Scary’s prized stolen amulet. While on their mission in Scary’s haunted mansion, Wolf has a few tricks up his sleeve to spook his crew. But when Wolf ends up being haunted the Bad Guys must revisit the mansion to return the cursed loot,” the special’s logline teases.

This Halloween special premieres on Netflix Oct. 3 and is directed by Kevin Peaty. Bret Haaland and Katherine Nolfi serve as executive producers.

The cast includes Michael Godere as ‘Wolf,’ Ezekiel Ajeigbe as ‘Shark,’ Raul Ceballos as ‘Piranha,’ Chris Diamantopoulos as ‘Snake’ and ‘Reginald E. Scary,’ Mallory Low as ‘Tarantula’

Season 7 of the hit reality dating show “Love Is Blind” has been announced, with a scheduled premiere date of Oct. 2.

Created by Chris Coelen, “Love Is Blind” will feature 12 one-hour episodes this season and will take place in Washington, D.C.

Ally Simpson, Brent Gauches, Eric Detwiler and Brian Smith will executive produce. Vanessa & Nick Lachey are returning as hosts. 

The Star Trek franchise has announced “Take the Chair, Make an Impact,” a global campaign encouraging fans to embrace the vision of a brighter future. 

The “Take the Chair” campaign “invites fans to see themselves in the iconic U.S.S. Enterprise captain’s chair and ask themselves, ‘What would I do if I were setting the course to the future?’” according to a statement.

Fans will be able to celebrate “Star Trek Day” at various pop-up events in cities such as Chicago, Berlin and Vancouver. 

The premiere episodes of the “Star Trek” series will be available to watch for free in a special sampling between Sept. 7 and Sept. 13 on Paramount+ partner platforms (Amazon, Apple, Roku), as well as Paramount+’s YouTube page, Pluto TV and on the Paramount+ free content hub (US only). Premiere episodes include the original “Star Trek” series; “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard” and “Star Trek: Short Treks.”

“Star Trek Day” is timed to the show’s television debut on Sept. 8, 1966.

PROGRAMMING

FOX has announced plans to produce an all-new-two-hour special in which a group of male celebrities will volunteer to bare all to raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research. 

The special is titled “The Full Monty” and is inspired by the award-winning 1997 film of the same name, which sees a group of men form a male strip-tease act to raise a quick buck.

Emmy-and Golden Globe-nominated actor, comedian and producer Anthony Anderson (“We Are Family,” “75th Emmy Awards,” “Black-ish”) will rally a cast of male celebrities, including himself, Taye Diggs (“All American,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”), Chris Jones (3x Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs), Tyler Posey (“Teen Wolf”), Bruno Tonioli (“Dancing with the Stars”) and James Van Der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Varsity Blues”) to encourage men to get checked and strip the stigma around prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer.

During the two-hour special, Anderson will lead Diggs, Jones, Posey, Tonioli and Van Der Beek as they train and rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers, culminating with a big strip-tease dance, choreographed by Emmy Award-winner Mandy Moore (Choreographer for “So You Think you Can Dance,” “La La Land” and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour”), where they will bare all in front of a live audience. 

The special will air on FOX on Dec. 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Atsuko Okatsuka’s second stand-up comedy special will premiere on Hulu this November as part of the platform’s new stand-up comedy brand it has cheekily dubbed “Hularious.”

The special will be filmed at the Disney-owned El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Nov. 9. The show is part of Okatsuka’s newly added Los Angeles date on her 2024 Full Grown Tour, which is produced by Live Nation.

Following her HBO special “The Intruder,” Okatsuka embarked on her tour with over 200 shows in 100+ cities, 20+ countries, four continents and over 100K tickets sold. 

In addition to her stand-up career, she debuted two films at the Tribeca Film Festival: “All That We Love” by Yen Tan; and “Group Therapy,” directed by Neil Berkely and produced by Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions. She also wrapped the feature studio comedy “Outcome” for Apple, starring Jonah Hill and Keanu Reeves.

Hulu has yet to reveal the title of the special and its release date.

Jacoba Atlas’ documentary “The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause” premieres on PBS Oct. 17, followed by a 20-city U.S. screening tour.

Per the official logline, “‘The M Factor’ features renowned doctors, workplace advocates and leading advocates for women’s health addressing questions that have long plagued women. Women from all walks of life reveal the physical and mental anguish they live with every day. The film also sheds light on disparities faced by Black and Brown women as they assess their treatment options.”

“Every single woman will go through menopause,” said executive producers Denise Pines and Tamsen Fadal. “The neglect, ridicule, or shaming of debilitating symptoms is unacceptable and impacts more than just an individual woman’s well-being.“

“The M Factor” is produced by Women in the Room Productions and Take Flight Productions.

Fox has unveiled the guest stars for Season 2 of Dan Harmon’s mythological animated comedy “Krapopolis,” which premieres Sept. 29.

Guest stars making voice appearances in Season 2 include Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, Danny Pudi, Nick Kroll, Randall Park, Holmes, Sam Richardson, Paul Scheer, Brian Baumgartner, Dylan Gelula, Jason Mantzoukas, Ashley Park and Minnie Driver.

AWARD SHOWS

David E. Kelley, the writer and producer behind “Ally McBeal,” “L.A. Law” and “Big Little Lies,” will receive the 2024 International Emmy Founders Award at the 52nd International Emmy Awards Gala.

“Every generation has a favorite David E. Kelley show, and that’s because David Kelley has been turning out television hits since ‘L.A. Law’ forty years ago. He crafts memorable television for viewers across the globe,” Bruce L. Paisner, International Academy President & CEO, said in a statement.

“To be recognized by the International Academy in this way is truly overwhelming. This award stands as a testament to the incredible teams and individuals I have had the honor to collaborate with over the years,” Kelley said. “I am especially grateful for the many opportunities I’ve been given in being able to share stories and push boundaries of what television can be.”

The gala will take place on Nov. 25 in New York.

The Television Academy has revealed the first batch of presenters for night one of this weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys. Names include LeVar Burton, Mark Cuban, Nikki Glaser, Derek Hough, Phil Keoghan, Lucy Liu, Jane Lynch, Victor Montalvo and Hannah Waddingham.

The two-night 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards takes place Sept. 7 and Sept. 8 at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. An edited recap of the ceremonies will air Sept. 14 on FXX. A complete list of presenters can be found on the Television Academy website .

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A polar opposite among others, chemistry, comedy, and a sweet spot for chocolate, lost potential or limitations that were previously set.

Star Trek has captivated multiple generations with brave new worlds and iconic characters who have secured a legacy that extends far beyond the stars. The launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation gave creator Gene Roddenberry a new vehicle for the social commentary he had developed in the original series. The second coming of the continuing voyages of the Enterprise portrayed hope for a future where diplomacy and exploration would be guided by technological wonders that took humanity to places they had never been.

Many of the different characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation embodied the traits of the original cast, as well as other notable figures from folklore. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a modern incarnation of Captain Horatio Hornblower, and Data personified the razor-sharp logic of Mr. Spock. Proof that peace between adversaries could be accomplished took the form of Lt. Worf, a proud Klingon raised by human parents who continually seeks to uphold his people's traditions and maintain the decorum of a Starfleet officer.

One character who had the potential to be much more was the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi, portrayed by Marina Sertis. The emotional core of the crew, and often one who ended up as either a setup for comic relief or sexual tension, there was much more that could have been done with Deanna Troi as a character.

Female characters on Star Trek have continually been examples of independent thinkers and strong-willed personalities. In the original series, Lt. Uhura broke down barriers and provided thoughtful insight. Nurse Chapel was a welcome opposite to the eccentric and short-tempered Dr. McCoy. Even in Star Trek: The Next Generation , there were female characters who carried on unique roles in various capacities. Fans of the early seasons will remember Tasha Yarr, the headstrong security officer, and Dr. Pulaski, who, along with Dr. Crusher, served as beacons of morality and intellectual prowess in healing the sick and caring for others.

Deanna Troi possessed many qualities that made her an interesting character and a strong asset to the crew on the bridge. As an empath who could sense strong feelings in others, she played a pivotal role in the fragile diplomacy that existed between the other civilizations that came into contact with the Enterprise . Still, in a show that was known for its complex characters and stories that probed emotional depth, Deanna Troi sometimes felt underutilized. The insightful nature and guidance that could have been deeply established in Deanna Troi was often displayed through Guinan, portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg. Even in Star Trek: First Contact , the most memorable scene involving Deanna Troi was her sitting at a bar suffering the effects of too much tequila.

10 Sci-Fi Shows Like Star Trek That Aren’t Star Trek

A bunch of other sci-fi series have carried on Star Trek's legacy of world-building and proven that it's left plenty of room behind for exploration.

There were certainly a lot of moments when Troi proved to be an invaluable member of the crew and an exemplary part of solving the complex situations that the Enterprise would find itself in. Despite these attributes, many of the moments that even the most avid fans of the show remember involve her irrepressible mother, Lwaxana Troi , the sexual tension that she had with various members of the crew, and an obsession with chocolate.

Lwaxana Troi, played by Majer Barret, who had portrayed Nurse Chapel in the original series and provided the voice for the computer in both incarnations of the show, was, for the lack of a better term, the comic relief in the episodes in which she appeared. Constantly pursuing Picard and being the epitome of every overbearing and embarrassing parent, Lwaxana Troi was on par with Q as the series' most memorable and recurring character. Deanna Troi would often be the incidental character to set up these comedic moments with her mother . The sexual tension that involved Deanna Troi impacted multiple characters, such as Riker and Worf, and the most comedic of these appeared in an episode where Lt. Barclay imagined Troi, in a recurring holodeck fantasy, as the "goddess of empathy."

That's not to say that these moments ruined Troi as a character at all. Far from that. If anything, these moments certainly made Troi a memorable part of the crew. When aspects of romantic chemistry, dessert, and a boisterous parent overshadow the qualities that make someone an invaluable asset, especially when compared to so many other iconic characters who have flushed-out development and complex backstories known to serious and casual fans alike, it feels like there's so much more that could have been accomplished .

Star Trek: Deanna Troi’s 16 Best Quotes from the Franchise

The beloved half-Betazoid character is empathic, willful, playful, sarcastic, and wears her heart on her sleeve. Here are Deanna Troi's best quotes.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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The question that should be asked is whether Troi could have been developed further or whether the character's pre-existing limitations hindered said development. It's difficult to say. On one hand, there were multiple occurrences where Deanna Troi played a critical role in dealing with the complex emotions of the crew, particularly in the relationship between Worf and his son Alexander and the child of a recently deceased crew member. The capacity to heal and strengthen emotional bonds among so many different personalities isn't just something that's essential for a television series, but the human experience as well.

Deanna Troi played a pivotal role in the series, but the negative aspects that became associated with her as a character hindered not only her development but the perception among casual and avid viewers of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Considering how female characters were presented in later series, such as Deep Space Nine and Voyager , it appears that there's much more that could have been accomplished with Deanna Troi.

Why One Star Trek Actress Left & Later Returned To The Series

W hen actor Denise Crosby was first auditioning for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" back in 1986, she was more interested in the role of Counselor Deanna Troi -- the half-Betazoid psychiatrist on the Enterprise-D -- than in chief security officer Tasha Yar. The story goes that Crosby landed the role of Troi and Marina Sirtis was cast as Tasha Yar. Show creator Gene Roddenberry, however, swapped their roles at the last minute, and both actors took to their new roles incredibly well.

Crosby projected a steely toughness as Yar, easily fitting into the new show's ensemble. Yar was even given prominent roles in the episodes "The Naked Now" and "Code of Honor." She also delivered a notorious antidrug PSA in the episode "Symbiosis" and seemed interested in the matriarchal planet seen in "Angel One." There was no reason for Yar not to continue on the series indefinitely. As such, when Yar was killed suddenly and randomly by the tar monster Armus in the episode "Skin of Evil," it came as a shock to Trekkies. One of the show's main characters was, without any heroism or ceremony, killed off halfway through a random episode.

Yar's death raised the stakes for "Next Generation" -- anyone could die at any moment -- but it also felt perfunctorily swift. Like the character wasn't being respected.

It turns out Crosby asked to be written out of the show. She didn't necessarily want Yar to be killed, but the actor was unhappy with the way "Next Generation" was going. She realized after a few months that she was mostly just assigned to stand in the background and support the male characters in front of her. Not content to be what she called the "token hot blonde," Crosby decided to quit. She talked about why she walked away from "Star Trek" in a 2024 interview with IGN , as well as why she decided to return.

Read more: The Main Star Trek Captains Ranked Worst To Best

The Death Of Tasha Yar

It should be remembered that the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was chaotic and difficult . Roddenberry vied for complete control over the series and often butted heads with other producers and writers. There were stories that Roddenberry's personal lawyer was re-writing scripts behind everyone's backs. Crosby wasn't fond of the whirligig production, but more than anything, hated that Yar wasn't being given anything to do. Because she was young, already rich, and had no kids or husband, Crosby felt she was in a good spot to walk away from her contract, even if "Star Trek" was a lucrative opportunity for her.

She convinced Roddenberry to let her leave after she aired her grievances. Yar was departing the show. Sadly, during all the season 1 chaos, there was even talk that Sirtis might be fired, and one of the producers really hated Gates McFadden -- who was ultimately fired at the end of the season. Crosby felt terrible about adding to the chaos, saying:

"And now they're like, 'Oh my God, there's no [...] women. [...] So now we've got to keep Marina and Gates we'll recast' [...] It kind of wreaked havoc. That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get somebody in the room and tell me, 'What is this going to be? What is this character?' It's such an incredible opportunity. You have so much here, but I'm not going to just be the token hot blonde on the show."

Crosby pointed out that Roddenberry, for all his vision, was still kind of stuck in the miniskirted world of the 1960s "Star Trek" and seemingly had no problems with another mostly-male TV series. But, Crosby pointed out, in 1991, "Gene passed. And it shifted. There was a shift when [showrunner] Michael Piller came onto the show [in season 3] and things changed."

Yar's Multiple Returns

Of course, "Skin of Evil" wouldn't be the last time Trekkies saw Yar. In the third season of "Next Generation," Yar was resurrected thanks to a time travel paradox in the episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." In the episode, the U.S.S. Enterprise-C flies forward in time 22 years, fleeing a crucial battle with the Romulans. Because the Enterprise-C abandoned the battle, however, a war broke out, and the timeline shifted. The Enterprise-D suddenly becomes a warship, and Tasha Yar is still alive. It was a clever way to get Yar back on the ship.

Crosby loved the script for "Yesterday's Enterprise" and frequently jokes that Yar had to die in order to get a good story. She recalled getting a call from executive producer Rick Berman and being skeptical of his offer to bring Yar back, stating:

"Rick Berman called me at home. It was a long time since I talked to him. Out of the blue. And he said, 'We have this episode that brings Tasha back.' [...] It was such a shock; never saw that coming. And I said, 'Okay, ew. That sounds weird.' And he goes, 'But it's really good, the script. Will you read it?' I said, 'Absolutely. Of course.' Read it over the weekend. And I called him Monday. I said, 'Oh my God, this is so good.' This is what I wanted! It's ironic."

Crosby was brought back later when the alternate timeline version of Tasha went back in time, had a child with a Romulan, and the child grew up into a bitter half-Romulan commander named Sela ... also played by Crosby.

As for leaving the show in the first place, Crosby says she has no regrets. She felt it was the right thing to do at the time and had every reason to believe that Tasha Yar would eternally be a background character. Perhaps Yar would have been expanded in later seasons, but Crosby was fine with the way things played out. After all, "Yesterday's Enterprise" is considered one of the best episodes of the series.

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Read the original article on SlashFilm .

James Darren, ‘Gidget’ and ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ actor, dies at 88

LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday at 88.

Darren died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital, his son Jim Moret told news outlets.

Moret told The Hollywood Reporter that Darren was supposed have had an aortic valve replacement but was too weak for the surgery. “I always thought he would pull through,” his son told the entertainment trade, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”

In his long career, Darren acted, sang and built up a successful behind-the-scenes career as a television director, helming episodes of such well-known series as “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place.” In the 1980s, he was Officer Jim Corrigan on the television cop show “T.J. Hooker.”

But to young movie fans of the late 1950s, he would be remembered best as Moondoggie, the dark-haired surfer boy in the smash 1959 release “Gidget.” Dee starred as the title character, a spunky Southern Californian who hits the beach and eventually falls in love with Moondoggie.

“I was in love with Sandra,” Darren later recalled. “I thought that she was absolutely perfect as Gidget. She had tremendous charm.”

The film was based on a novel that a California man, Frederick Kohner, had written about his own teenage daughter and helped spur interest in surfing — one that influenced pop music, slang and even fashion.

For Darren, his success with teen fans led to a recording contract, as it did with many young actors at the time, among them Tab Hunter and Annette Funicello. Two of Darren’s singles, “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty,” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (“Goodbye Cruel World” also appeared in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans.”) Other singles included “Gidget” and “Angel Face.”

Darren was the only “Gidget” cast member who appeared in both its sequels, 1961′s “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and 1963′s “Gidget Goes to Rome.” Dee was replaced by Deborah Walley in the second film and Cindy Carol in the third. (“Gidget” later became a television show, launching the career of Sally Field.)

“They had me under contract; I was a prisoner,” Darren told Entertainment Weekly in 2004. “But with those lovely young ladies, it was the best prison I think I’ll ever be in.”

As a contract player at Columbia Studios, Darren appeared in grown-up films, too, including “The Brothers Rico,” “Operation Meatball” and “The Guns of Navarone.”

By the mid-’60s, when Darren appeared in “For Those Who Think Young” and “The Lively Set,” his big-screen acting career was almost over. He appeared in just a handful of movies after the 1960s ended, last appearing in 2017′s “Lucky,” directed by John Carroll Lynch.

But he remained active on television, appearing as a lead on the sci-fi show “The Time Tunnel” in the late 1960s, and doing guest spots and small recurring roles in TV shows such as “The Love Boat,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Fantasy Island.”

Darren was a series regular for four seasons of the William Shatner-starrer “T.J. Hooker” in the 1980s. While appearing on the show, he noticed that no director was listed for an upcoming sequence and asked if he could try out for it.

“When it was shown, I got several offers to direct,” he told the New York Daily News. “Soon I was getting so many offers to direct, I kind of gave up acting and singing.”

For almost two years, Darren directed episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Hunter,” “Melrose Place,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and other series. He returned to acting in the 1990s with small roles in “Melrose Place” and “Star Trek, Deep Space Nine.”

Darren was born James Ercolani in 1936 and grew up in South Philadelphia, not far from such fellow teen idols of the 1950s and ’60s as Fabian and Frankie Avalon. Singing came easy to him, and at 14 he was appearing in local nightclubs.

“From the age of 5 or 6 I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, or famous maybe,” he said in a 2003 interview with the News-Press of Fort Myers, Florida. He noted that such luminaries as Eddie Fisher and Al Martino had lived in the same area as he did, “a real neighborhood. It made you feel you could be successful, too.”

According to a 1958 Los Angeles Times profile, he got a break when he went to New York to get some pictures taken and the photographer’s office put him in touch with a talent scout.

He was soon signed by Columbia Pictures, and the newspaper said that after a few appearances, his fan mail at the studio was running “second only to Kim Novak’s. ... The studio now feels that the young man is ready to hit the jackpot.”

Darren married his first wife, Gloria, in 1955 and together had Moret, an “Inside Edition” correspondent and former CNN anchorman. After a divorce he married Evy Norlund, who came to the U.S. as the Danish entry in the Miss Universe contest. They had two sons, Christian and Anthony.

He was also the godfather of Nancy Sinatra’s daughter A.J. Lambert. Sinatra, his “For Those Who Think Young” co-star, posted The Hollywood Reporter obituary on her X page, with a broken heart emoji.

Bob Thomas, a longtime Associated Press journalist who died in 2014, was the principal writer of this obituary.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Man charged with killing 81 animals in three-hour shooting rampage

1 student dead after shooting in a Maryland high school dispute, police say

Plane lands on I-64, hits guardrail in Jefferson Co., Ill.

Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office searching for stolen trailer, skid loader

Latest news.

21-year-old killed in crash; MSHP investigating

Hiker found ‘alive and well’ a month after he was last seen

School district employee arrested after pointing gun at student’s head, police say

SEMO District Fair underway in Cape Girardeau

‘No survivors’ after small plane crashes just a mile away from airport

House Republicans unveil bill to avoid shutdown as Senate Democrats say they’re wasting time

'No survivors' after small plane crashes just a mile away from airport

Officials recall eggs linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak