star trek universe chronology

Star Trek Timeline

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

This is a work in progress. Content is being added and refined. More features coming as well. (filtering, sorting, etc.) Content last updated on

Have a suggestion, addition, or correction? Send an email!

By Significance

• The Original Series
• The Animated Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Short Treks
• Lower Decks
• Strange New Worlds

Special thanks to:

• Memory Alpha

Legal Disclaimer:

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

TrekTimeline.com is not endorsed, sponsored, or affiliated with CBS Studios Inc. or the "Star Trek" franchise. The Star Trek trademarks, logos, and related names are owned by CBS Studios Inc., and are used under "fair use" guidelines. The content of this site is released under the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial" license version 4.0.

Event Summary

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

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The 10 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows of All Time, Ranked

10 tv shows that are better than 'game of thrones', 13 tv shows that changed cast members after the pilot.

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

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

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

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

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

The Films and TV Shows (Combined)

The Age of Shatner and Nimoy

• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 (1966-1967)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2 (1967-1968)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 (1968-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 1 (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 2 (1974)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

The Next Generation Begins

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

The Next Next Generation

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

The Enterprise Era

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

The Kelvin-verse

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

The CBS All Access Age

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

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

The Days Before Space

4.6 Billion BCE (or maybe even more):

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

4 Billion BCE:

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

3.5 Billion BCE:

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

400 CE (approximately):

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

900 CE (approximately):

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

1600 CE (approximately):

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

1800 CE (approximately):

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

1944 (alternate universe):

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

December 27, 1999:

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

Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2024:

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

2026 – 2053:

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

The Dawn of the Warp Era

April 4, 2063:

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

April 5, 2063:

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

March 2153:

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

2156–2160:

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

March 22nd, 2233:

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

November 2256:

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

2258 (Kelvin-verse):

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

2259 (Kelvin-verse):

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

2260 (Kelvin-verse):

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

2263 (Kelvin-verse):

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

The Rise of Picard, Sisko, and Janeway

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

The Future Is a Dark Place

• Jean-Luc Picard puts the Data's Daughter painting into storage at the Starfleet Archive Museum (ST:PIC S1E1, "Remembrance") .
• Seven of Nne, working as a Fenris Ranger near the Romulan Neutral Zone, loses adopted son Icheb (a former Borg like herself) after Icheb is attacked by raiders looking for black market Borg implants (ST:PIC S1E5, "Stardust City Rag") .
• When a star near Romulus goes supernova, the entire planet is destroyed, despite Spock's attempt to stop the explosion by injecting the star with Red Matter and creating a black hole. The black hole instead brings both his ship and the nearby Romulan mining vessel containing Nero into the past (Star Trek 2009) .

2388-89 (approximate):

• In the wake of the destruction of Romulus, the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards of Mars are destroyed by rebellious synthetic workers on First Contact Day (April 5), killing thousands and leaving Mars ablaze for years to follow (ST:ST "Children of Mars," ST:PIC S1E1, "Remembrance") .
• The Troi-Riker family moves to the outlying planet of Nepenthe (ST:PIC S1E7, "Nepenthe") .
• The original year that the Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, prior to Janeway's temporal interference (ST:VOY S7E25, "Endgame") .
• While the future that Picard saw during his final confrontation with Q was eventually rewritten, this would have been the year in which Picard reunited his old crew to work together to stop the anomaly ( ST:TNG S7E25-26 , "All Good Things").
• Thad Troi-Riker dies of mendaxic neurosclerosis at the age of 15 (ST:PIC S1E7, "Nepenthe") .
• Jean-Luc Picard, having left Starfleet years ago after the destruction of Romulus, meets Dahj, a frightened young woman with a mysterious connection to Data. She inspires him to leave retirement and investigate further ( ST:PIC S1E1, "Remembrance").
• Picard's search to understand Dahj's origins leads him to assemble a ramshackle crew and discover Dahj's synth twin Soji, but in the race to save her and her fellow synths, Picard's terminal brain condition catches up with him and he dies in the climactic battle. Fortunately, his consciousness is saved and transplanted into a synthetic body, meaning that Picard has potentially years worth of adventure ahead of him (ST:PIC S1E10, "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2") .
• Admiral Janeway, having spent years figuring out a plan, leaves her original timeline to travel to the year 2378 and change the past (ST:VOY S7E25, "Endgame") .
• The USS Discovery arrives in an uncharted future. What happens next is totally unknown (ST:DIS S2E14, "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2," ST:DIS Season 3) .

3200s (or potentially more):

1000 years into the future of the Discovery, the abandoned ship (run by a now-sentient computer) rescues an escape pod and forms a bond with its occupant (ST:ST "Calypso") .

• Entertainment

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

From The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, here's how to watch the entire Star Trek canon in order.

• David Craig
• Share on facebook
• Share on twitter
• Share on pinterest
• Share on reddit
• Email to a friend

It's a hugely exciting time to be a Star Trek fan, especially after the news that we'll be getting a new prequel movie from the director of Andor!

The Star Trek franchise has enjoyed a dramatic revitalisation in recent years, returning to its original home on the small screen to launch a sprawling shared universe of exciting shows.

Coming up next in the world of Star Trek, we've got Star Trek: Discovery season 5 to look forward to, as well as Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 after the series was saved by Netflix – and more! Meanwhile, Star Trek: Picard wrapped up with a third and final season, while we got renewals for shows like Lower Decks .

With all these interconnecting stories, it's not surprising that newcomers to the franchise want to ensure they are watching in the correct order. Fortunately, we can help with that.

Below, we've compiled how to watch Star Trek in release and chronological order, while we also weigh in on the pros and cons of each method. Once you have all the information you need, venture forth into the final frontier.

More like this

How to watch star trek in release order.

Arguably, the most faithful way of watching Star Trek is in the order each series was made, allowing you to follow the franchise from its inception and explore its universe as the original fans did decades ago.

It makes sense to do it this way as while the shows do jump around in terms of time period, they still find ways to build on what came before in order of release.

In that sense, you're likely to get a slightly more complete picture of Star Trek by watching in this order, instead of piecing the shows together in a chronological timeline.

Star Trek release order (films listed in italics )

• Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS)
• The first six Star Trek films (The Motion Picture up to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
• Star Trek: Voyager (VOY)
• Star Trek films 8-10 (First Contact, Insurrection, Nemesis)
• Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT)
• Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond
• Star Trek: Discovery (DSC)
• Star Trek: Short Treks*
• Star Trek: Picard (PIC)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (LOW)
• Star Trek: Prodigy (PRO)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW)
• Untitled Toby Haynes Star Trek prequel film

Get sci-fi news direct to your inbox

The best sci-fi news and features this side of the Outer Rim.

By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy . You can unsubscribe at any time.

* Star Trek: Short Treks premiered after Discovery, hence the listing here. However, Short Treks season 2 sets up some plot threads picked up in Discovery season 2 and beyond, so it's best to alternate between them if you can.

Some people who watch in this order choose to skip over the first three steps and begin with Star Trek: The Next Generation. There is a belief among certain Trekkies that TNG has aged better than The Original Series, making it an easier entry point for newcomers to the franchise.

It would be worth watching the first few episodes of TOS to see what you think of it, but if William Shatner's Captain Kirk doesn't quite cut it for you, feel free to move on to the dulcet tones of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard. The two shows have relatively few connections, so you don't need to worry about feeling lost (although they do eventually cross over in a major way in the Star Trek: Generations movie).

How to watch Star Trek in chronological order

As previously stated, the various shows in the Star Trek universe take place at different points in a sprawling timeline, so an alternative method is to watch in chronological order.

This comes with pros and cons: on the one hand, it allows you to begin with a modern show, which may be preferable to some people. But on the other hand, some of the references contained in more recent episodes may not land with you in the way they were intended.

Star Trek chronological order (films listed in italics )

• Star Trek: Enterprise (Year: 2151-2161)
• Short Trek: The Girl Who Made the Stars (Year: 2230s)
• Short Trek: The Brightest Star (Year: 2239)
• Star Trek: The Cage – The Original Series one-off pilot episode (Year: 2254)
• Short Trek: The Escape Artist (Year: 2250s)
• Short Trek: Q&A (Year: 2253)
• Star Trek: Discovery season 1 (Year: 2256)
• Short Trek: Runaway (Year: 2257)
• Star Trek: Discovery season 2 (Year: 2258)
• Short Trek: The Trouble with Edward (Year: 2250s)
• Short Trek: Ask Not (Year: 2250s)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Year: 2259)
• Star Trek: The Original Series (Year: 2265-2269)
• Short Trek: Ephraim and Dot (Year: 2267-2285)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (Year: 2269-2270)
• The first six Star Trek films (Year: 2273-2293)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (Year: 2364-2370)
• Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis (Year: 2293-2379)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Year: 2369-2375)
• Star Trek: Voyager (Year: 2371-2378)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380)
• Star Trek: Prodigy (Year: 2383)
• Short Trek: Children of Mars (Year: 2385)
• Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3 (Year: 2399-2402)
• Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4 (32nd Century)
• Short Trek: Calypso (far future, year unknown)

Note – Star Trek: Short Treks was a two-season anthology series, which visits various periods on the franchise timeline. Anything listed as a Short Trek is a single episode of this show (with a runtime between 8 and 18 minutes).

It's not currently confirmed where precisely Toby Haynes' film will sit in the chronology but we do know it'll be a prequel film, taking place "decades" before Star Trek (2009).

For those wondering, the recent trilogy of Star Trek movies directed by JJ Abrams and Justin Lin – Star Trek, Into Darkness and Beyond – are set in an alternate universe, meaning they do not connect to a chronological order of the series.

They do, however, contain references to The Original Series – most notably the return of Leonard Nimoy as Spock – but can be watched at any point as standalone stories.

Star Trek: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Netflix .

Star Trek: Picard is exclusive to Prime Video. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.

Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds can be found on Paramount Plus. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now . For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast .

Subscribe to Radio Times

Try 10 issues for just £10!

Radio Times Travel Supplement

Expand your perspective with fresh ideas for holidays with a difference. 2025 Offers - buy one get one half price Italian Riviera, save £75pp on Madeira, save up to £1300 per couple on India and many more

Understanding equity release

How thousands unlock tax-free cash from their homes each year. Free guide written by Paul Lewis

The best TV and entertainment news in your inbox

Sign up to receive our newsletter!

Pocket-lint

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

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Key Takeaways

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

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

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

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

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

How to watch all the Marvel movies and TV shows in chronological order

The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 and is still going strong. Here's the entire MCU timeline, shows and movies included.

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

A Complete Timeline of Star Trek

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Star Trek stands as one of the most enduring and influential pop-culture franchises on the planet. From a comparatively humble cult TV series, it has expanded into an entire universe of speculative future history encompassing dozens of movies and TV shows. With more projects on the way, it doesn't look to slow down anytime soon. That can lead to a convoluted timeline, particularly in the early days when no one expected it to last as long as it has.

Star Trek: The Original Series producers didn't worry about what came before or after their show, and series creator Gene Roddenberry had a way of simply ignoring episodes he considered sub-par. Writers Michael and Denise Okuda are largely credited with firmly establishing a canonical Star Trek timeline during the expansion of the franchise following Star Trek: The Next Generation . That's resulted in a definable, if complicated, fictional history to chart the rise of the United Federation of Planets and its development through centuries of galactic history. Here's a breakdown of the Star Trek in-universe timeline, divided roughly by era.

The Early Years of Star Trek's Timeline Are Vague

Wrath of khan creates star trek's biggest plot hole, and the real-life explanation is hilarious.

How Khan recognized Chekov in The Wrath of Khan is Star Trek's biggest plot hole since he wasn't in the TOS episode. Walter Koenig has the answer.

The early years of Star Trek 's timeline run into a number of real-world continuity issues. This was most notable with the Eugenics Wars , which originally took place in the 1990s, but has since been retconned to an indeterminate point in the future. They're linked to the rise of genetically augmented humans who conquer and rule much of the planet, led by the notorious Khan Noonien Singh. The Eugenics Wars culminate in a Third World War, and the ensuing nuclear apocalypse all but destroys civilization. Khan and his followers escape the planet in a stasis ship, and await their rendezvous with Captain Kirk in The Original Series episode, "Space Seed."

The most important event after that arrives on April 5, 2063, subsequently known as First Contact Day. As depicted in Star Trek: First Contact , scientist Zefram Cochrane develops a faster-than-light engine and tests it in his vessel, the Phoenix . A Vulcan survey vessel notices the feat and makes first contact with Cochrane in Bozeman, Montana that evening. With the Vulcans' help, humanity quickly gets back on its feet. Hunger and poverty are eliminated by the early 22nd century, and even war itself has ended on the planet by 2113. A world government is established in 2150, uniting the globe under a single unifying body for the first time in human history.

Enterprise Reveals The Founding of the Federation

Why star trek: enterprise used shuttles instead of transporters.

Despite being its most iconic made-up technology, the transporter wasn't used in Star Trek: Enterprise that much, having used shuttles instead.

The events of Star Trek: Enterprise begin just one year later, in 2151, as humanity launches its first earnest efforts to explore the galaxy. Captain Archer and the crew of the Enterprise spearhead the effort, resulting in key first contact with such important species as the Andorians and the Tellarites. It also comes with new conflicts, notably the Xindi crisis of 2153 which lasts for nearly a year. That is followed in 2156 by the Earth-Romulan War , which stretches out over four years. Humanity, Andorians, Vulcans, and Tellarites all join forces against the common threat, resulting in the defeat of the Romulans and the establishment of the Neutral Zone.

The victory leads immediately to the founding of the United Federation of Planets in San Francisco in the year 2161, organized by the four victorious species. Several decades of peaceful exploration and expansion follow, led by Starfleet vessels who set out to explore in the name of peace, coexistence, and scientific understanding. That marks the end of the events of Star Trek: Enterprise and a relative blank spot in the timeline for a little less than a century.

The 23rd Century Brings War, Peace, and The Original Series

The complete history of vulcans in the federation era of star trek.

While the Vulcans are an ancient society in Star Trek, their history has been intrinsically tied with Starfleet and the Federation for millennia.

With the exception of a few peripheral events, the next few decades are quiet as far as canon events go. The timeline picks up again properly with the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery as open war breaks out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire in the year 2256 . The war lasts for a year and proves costly to both sides, ending thanks to efforts of the USS Discovery to stabilize the political situation in the Empire. The Discovery vanishes approximately one year later during the battle with the rogue AI Control , jumping ahead in time to the 32nd century in the process.

With the end of the war comes another era of peaceful expansion and exploration. That encompasses the events of both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: The Original Series , as Starfleet "boldly goes where no one has gone before." As the 23rd century continues, the franchise shifts to the first six big-screen Star Trek movies. That culminates in the events of Star Trek VI in 2293, resulting in the Khitomer Accords and long-term peace with the Klingon Empire . Captain Kirk is presumed dead a short time later as depicted in the movie Star Trek: Insurrection , officially bringing The Original Series era to a close.

The Next Generation Kicks off The 24th Century

10 best star trek: the next generation characters.

The Next Generation moved Star Trek beyond Captain Kirk and his crew. Between Jean-Luc Picard, Worf, and Beverly Crusher who are the best characters?

The early decades of the 24th century are another blank spot in the Star Trek calendar, marked by a few notable events but otherwise leaving a good deal open for speculation. The most important development during that time is the Battle of Narendra III in 2344 , where the Federation vessel USS Enterprise-C sacrifices itself to defend a Klingon colony from Romulan attackers. This results in a formal alliance between the Federation and the Klingons.

Star Trek: The Next Generation officially begins in the year 2364, with the Federation enjoying a golden age of peace and prosperity. The Enterprise-D under Captain Picard serves as Starfleet's flagship, conducting missions of diplomacy and peaceful exploration. The Enterprise first encounters the Borg in 2366 , during The Next Generation's Season 2 episode "Q Who." The Borg invade the Federation a year later, and come within a hair's breadth of destroying the Earth before the Enterprise crew saves the day during the Season 4 premiere, "The Best of Both Worlds Part II."

The Dominion War and the Delta Quadrant Mark DS9 and Voyager

How star trek: the next generation disserviced this fan-favorite character.

Star Trek: The Next Generation has became as iconic as The Original Series, but one fan-favorite character wasn't done justice throughout the series.

In 2369, a stable wormhole to the unexplored Gamma Quadrant opens near the planet of Bajor, kicking off the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . What at first seems a conduit to a whole new sector of space soon becomes an existential threat. The Dominion is a powerful totalitarian government in the Gamma Quadrant ruled by a species of shape-shifting Changelings. The Dominion sets its sites on the Alpha Quadrant , and launches an invasion in 2373. The Federation is forced to rally its long-time foes in the Romulan Empire to its side, who join with Starfleet and the Klingons to finally defeat the Dominion in 2375.

If that wasn't bad enough, the Borg launch another attack on Earth in 2373, and again come perilously close to assimilating the entire Federation before Jean-Luc Picard and his crew put a stop to them during the events of Star Trek: First Contact. Amid it all, the USS Voyager vanishes in the year 2371, having been flung into the far reaches of the Delta Quadrant and launching a seven-year journey to return to Federation space.

The 24th Century Ends with Peace and Old Enemies

Star trek: lower decks paid off a deep space nine character arc.

While not the most prominent character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Rom appeared in Lower Decks and paid off his character's arc in the best way.

The end of the Dominion War marks the beginning of another extended period of Federation-led peace. Voyager returns from its long journey in 2378 , and the Enterprise averts a surprise attack from the Romulan Empire in 2379 during the events of Star Trek: Insurrection . Beyond that, peace prevails, which leads the way to lighter Star Trek series such as Star Trek: Lower Decks (which begins in 2381) and Star Trek: Prodigy (which begins in 2383).

That comes to an end with the implosion of the Romulan Empire, whose sun is doomed and whose most militant factions sabotage any chance at Federation aid by orchestrating the destruction of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on April 5, 2385. Two years later, the Romulan sun goes nova, seemingly killing Mr. Spock, who was attempting to halt the explosion and creating the Kelvinverse timeline of the 2010s big-screen Star Trek movies. It renders the Romluans a scattered and defeated people. Jean-Luc Picard is able to repair some of the damage done to the two powers in Star Trek: Picard, Season 1, then rejoin with his crewmates in Season 3 to defeat a unified Dominion/Borg attack on the Federation in the year 2402.

The Far Future Beckons

'we broke barriers': star trek: discovery star celebrates show's diversity.

Ahead of Star Trek: Discovery's final season, Sonequa Martin-Green celebrates the show for making "television history" with its diverse cast.

Star Trek canon comes to a halt at the beginning of the 25th century after the events of Picard Season 3. That leaves a vast stretch of centuries that have not yet been defined in Star Trek canon, and will presumably be filled in by series to come. In that time, the Federation continues to expand until it is more than double the size it was in the 24th century. Then disaster strikes in the form of an event called The Burn, which instantly renders all dilithium in the galaxy inert in the year 3069. Every active warp engine detonates, causing widespread disaster and rendering interstellar travel exponentially more difficult.

The arrival of the Discovery in the year 3188 -- beginning with the premiere in Season 3 -- changes all of that. After destroying the tyrannical Emerald Chain, Captain Michael Burnham and her crew set about restoring the shattered Federation, which leads to the events of Discovery's final three seasons. With the series bowing out at the end of Season 5, subsequent Star Trek projects will have a new final frontier in the 32nd century -- uncluttered by earlier shows -- thanks to the leap forward in time.

Star Trek is currently streaming on Paramount+.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

Screen Rant

How to watch all star trek tv shows in timeline order.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

I don't care if modern star trek breaks established canon, star trek changes its iconic tribbles forever, with shock revelation about their biology.

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

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

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

Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.

13 Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

22nd century: 2151-2161.

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

Star Trek: Enterprise

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

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

Star Trek: Discovery

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

11 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 onward)

23rd century: 2259 onward.

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

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

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

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

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

Star Trek: The Original Series

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

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

Star Trek: The Animated Series

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

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

24th century: 2364-2370.

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

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

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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

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

Star Trek: Voyager

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

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

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

Star Trek: Lower Decks

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

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

Star Trek: Prodigy

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

3 Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)

24th-25th century: 2399-2402.

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

Star Trek: Picard

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

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

1 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2025)

32nd century ().

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

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

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

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix.

Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

As a media phenomenon, "Star Trek" began on September 8, 1966 with the airing of "The Man Trap" (the sixth episode in production order, but the first aired). Originally, the show's writers, including creator Gene Roddenberry, used the concept of "stardates" to ensure the show's actual timeline was left vague; for several episodes, all audiences knew was that "Trek" was set in the future and that the future was a pretty keen place. It wouldn't be until the episode "The Naked Time" (seventh episode produced, fourth aired, first aired on September 29, 1966) that the Gregorian year would be mentioned out loud, and an actual timeline could begin to be constructed. 

Since then, "Star Trek" has extrapolated an extensive, centuries long timeline of events, often skipping merrily back and forth through the centuries, adding more and more to the franchises complex chronology. The chronology of "Star Trek" is so complicated that entire books have been published tracking the various shows' and films' events. Because of the constant production of new "Star Trek," these books became dated immediately. 

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " is set to debut on Paramount+ on May 5, and it is set immediately before the events of the original "Star Trek," making it the third "prequel" series to the original. To keep matters as clear as possible, here is a (very brief, by the standards of "Trek") rundown of "Star Trek" chronology from within its own canon. 

NOTE : This list will not necessarily include single episodes wherein characters go back in time, but give an overall timeframe for each individual film and TV show.

1986: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Although beginning and ending within the proper chronology of the "Star Trek" future, Leonard Nimoy's 1986 feature film " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home " is set largely in the earliest point in the franchise's timeline (again, excluding single time travel episodes of any given TV series, wherein Mark Twain, the 1950s, and other eras are regularly visited). In the film, the crew of the Enterprise must go back in time to rescue a pair of humpback whales from extinction in order to appease an enormous, inscrutable space monolith that has been draining future Earth of its oceans, looking for its own kind. 

The bulk of "Voyage Home" takes place in 1986, and the film gained a lot of critical and audience attention for its fish-out-of-water humor and light tone; the previous three films had been comparatively dour, downbeat, or cerebral.

2024: Star Trek: Picard (Season 2)

As of this writing, the second season of "Star Trek: Picard" is still being released weekly on Paramount+, so the ultimate conclusion of the story is as yet unknown. 

What is known is that the trickster god Q (John De Lancie), a playful villain from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," visited an elderly Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to warn him of a parallel universe. In this parallel universe, Earth is a genocidal conqueror race that has wiped out most life in the galaxy. Picard must travel back in time, paralleling the story of "Voyage Home" in order to stop the fascist timeline from starting. Thanks to the limited information they have, they travel to the year 2024, and the bulk of the season's action takes place there. 

A bit of a continuity error already: In previously mentioned "Trek" canon, the Eugenics Wars — the conflagration that wrought Khan from "Star Trek II" — should have already happened by 2024 (I believe the original date for the Eugenics Wars was 1997), but, in "Picard," they had clearly been delayed. One of the subplots of the second season of "Picard,' however, involves a malevolent genetic engineer, so it looks like the Eugenics Wars may finally be nigh.

2063: Star Trek: First Contact

Although never directly filmed, there are constant references throughout "Star Trek" to World War III, an event that left the entire planet devastated. Despite destitution and technological ruin, an inventor named Zefram Cochran managed to invent an engine that allowed humanity to travel faster than light. This technology, when being tested for the first time in the solar system, attracted the attention of some Vulcans who just happened to be passing by. This was the First Contact mentioned in the title of the 1996 film " Star Trek: First Contact ." 

In that film, the characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" travel back in time to foil a plot by a malevolent species of cyborgs called The Borg, and find themselves in the year A.D. 2063 where they could witness First Contact themselves. This was the event that essentially kicked off creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of a peaceful future. In meeting intelligent space aliens, a hobbled humanity learned that war was churlish, and that unity as a species was preferable in the face of a suddenly occupied cosmos. 

"First Contact" is essentially the "Star Trek" origin story.

2151 - 2155: Star Trek: Enterprise

After first talking to Vulcans, humans were eager to take to the stars and join the galactic community. The conceit of the 2001 TV series " Star Trek: Enterpris e" (originally just called "Enterprise") was that the Vulcans, seeing how illogical and roughhewn humanity still was, encouraged them to stay on Earth for nearly a century before actually taking to the stars. In that century, humanity rebuilt, formed a Starfleet, and constructed its very first long-mission starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise NX-01. The show is about the adventures of the very first humans in space, circa A.D. 2151.

"Enterprise" took place before a lot of established "Trek" tech had been invented. There were transporters, but they weren't entirely safe for use on humans. There were no shields around the ship. There were no food replicators, and the Enterprise required a galley. Most notably, there wasn't a Prime Directive yet, so a lot of mistakes are bound to be made. It wouldn't be until 2161 — according to ancillary revelations — that the Federation would be formed. 

2254: The Cage

The unused "Star Trek" pilot has probably gained more canonical traction than any other unused footage from any other work of filmed fiction. "The Cage" didn't air in its complete form until 1986, 20 years after its making. Previously, footage from "The Cage" was incorporated into a two-part "Star Trek" episode called "The Menagerie" (November of 1966). 

In the pilot, we first meet Capt. Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his ship the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. We were first introduced to Spock as well, although Spock would be the only character carried over into the second pilot that was eventually used. Majel Barrett played the Enterprise's first officer in "The Cage," and she would go on to play multiple other roles throughout "Star Trek," including Nurse Chapel, M'Ress, Lwaxana Troi, and the voice of the ship's computer. 

The events of "The Cage" would also be revisited in the second season of "Star Trek: Discovery."

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

Another cataclysm that had been mentioned multiple times throughout "Star Trek" was a war between the Klingons and the Federation. The first season of "Star Trek: Discovery," which debuted on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in November of 2017, dramatized those events explicitly, as seen through the eyes of the U.S.S. Discovery. This new ship was a science vessel that had figured out a way to tap into a galaxy-wide network of near-undetectable, microscopic spores into order to teleport anywhere in the galaxy instantaneously. 

After surviving the Klingon war, the Discovery teamed up with the U.S.S. Enterprise while it was still being captained by Christopher Pike (now played by Anson Mount), putting the events of "Discovery" immediately after the original pilot. There were a lot — and I mean a LOT — of narrative excuses as to why the high-tech Discovery (realized with late-2010s special effects) didn't match the boxier, monochromatic world of "The Cage." 

The show's writers also needed to come up with an organic reason why a ship that can teleport — a technology that would have fundamentally changed the world of "Star Trek" — was never mentioned in any of the "Trek" shows made from 1966 until 2017. As such, at the end of the second season of "Discovery," the ship was thrown almost 1,000 years into the future in order to outrun an insidious computer intelligence that would spread throughout the galaxy if knowledge of it was passed around. As such, the Discovery more or less deleted itself from existence. As panicked, narrative ass-saving measures go, it's a 7.

2258: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The appearance of Capt. Pike on "Discovery" was so well-received that Paramount+ elected to go back to the Enterprise, bring back the characters from "The Cage," lump in a few familiar faces from the 1966 "Star Trek," and make " Strange New Worlds ," a series that takes place only eight years prior to the events of the original TV series. 

"Strange New Worlds" brings back Anson Mount as Pike, as well as a young Spock, a very young Uhura, a young Nurse Chapel, one of Khan's ancestors, and Dr. M'Benga, who showed up in a few episodes if the 1966 show. It also, notably, will not have season-long story arcs, but a single-hour episodic structure, standing in contrast with most of the other Paramount+-era "Star Treks," with "Lower Decks" being the proud exception.

2258 (KELVIN): Star Trek (2009)

Thanks to "Star Trek," the notion of parallel universes is quite well-known to the public. Incidentally, it's been quite odd watching the films and TV shows in the Marvel universe slow-walk the notion of a multiverse over the course of multiple installments when we've already seen Spock with a goatee. 

Thanks to complicated studio politics, there was a split in Paramount in the mid-2000s, and the Paramount side of the schism — when wanting to make a new "Star Trek" feature film — was legally required to make something distinguishable from the TV shows. Enter J.J. Abrams and his 2009 feature film " Star Trek " which takes place at the same time as "Strange New Worlds," but in a parallel universe where the characters from the 1966 show now look like a new cast, the Enterprise looks brighter and sleeker, and everything is more intense and action-packed. 

This new timeline would be created when a villain went back in time interfered with James T. Kirk right when he was born.

2259 (KELVIN): Star Trek Into Darkness

Although taking place far before the events of 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," J.J. Abrams' " Star Trek Into Darkness " (2013) drew a lot of story parallels to the Nicholas Meyer film. Taking place almost immediately after the 2009 film, "Into Darkness" involved the character of Khan who, in the timeline of the 1966 series, wouldn't be resurrected from cryogenic sleep for a few years hence. In "Into Darkness," he was awakened early, became involved in a plot to smuggle other cryogenically frozen compatriots. 

Originally, the Eugenics Wars were meant to have started in the 1990s, but — as "Star Trek" persisted, and the '90s came and went in the real world — that timeline had to be altered several times. The timeline of the Eugenics Wars in "Into Darkness" are a little unclear. As we saw above in "Star Trek: Picard," we know that they'll now take place sometime after 2024.

2263 (KELVIN): Star Trek Beyond

In Justin Lin's " Star Trek Beyond " (2016), Kirk (Chris Pine) laments that his adventures have already become episodic. It's unusual that the 2009 film and the 2013 sequel are essentially origin stories about the young Kirk coming into his own, and "Beyond" skips ahead to the point where he's already tired of being on "Star Trek." We missed the actual "five year mission" part!

Another interesting wrinkle in "Beyond" is that it alludes to a time somewhere after "Star Trek: Enterprise": The evil Kroll (Idris Elba) was, in fact, a human captain named Edison who led his own starship in the "Enterprise" era. Before the film, he was mutated into an evil alien. "Beyond," in explicitly mentioning the Xindi wars and other events from "Enterprise," anchors the Kelvin films a little more solidly into the "Trek" timeline.

2265 - 2269: Star Trek

After "The Cage" was abandoned by Paramount, the studio and Gene Roddenberry reworked the show into the 1966 program we all know and love. As mentioned, Spock was the only character carried over from the original pilot, and "Star Trek" now featured William Shatner as Captain Kirk and a host of new characters besides. "Star Trek" began as a horror show — there are many monsters and scare moments in the first season — eventually tackling ethical issues in a sci-fi fantasy context. 

"Star Trek" ran for three seasons, ending its initial run on June 3, 1969. Thanks to the gods of syndication, "Star Trek" would remain in reruns for the following decade, building up interest, spawning Trek conventions, and allowing the show to grow into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

2269 - 2270: Star Trek: The Animated Series

In the opening credits of " Star Trek ," Shatner brazenly informed the audiences that the U.S.S. Enterprise was on a five-year mission. Given that the show was canned after only three years, there was more mission left to witness. In 1973, Roddenberry teamed up with Filmation to make an animated "Star Trek" series that would, by dint of its two seasons, ostensibly complete the five-year mission. Chekov (Walter Koenig) was absent from this show, but other unusual aliens took his place, including a cat woman named M'Ress and Mr. Aryx, a being with three arms. The animated format allowed for wilder ideas, aliens, and ships to be employed, and there are stories featuring flying serpents, aliens made of plants, an undersea episode, and a story with a 50-foot Spock. 

This 1973 version of "Star Trek," in only running 30 minutes per episode, cut out a lot of extraneous character moments from the traditional "Trek" structure, and got straight to the story. It's a far more efficient show than the 1966 program, and it has a passionate following of fans. 

2273: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The decade of syndication, "Trek" conventions, and the financial success of George Lucas' sci-fi serial epic " Star Wars " in 1977 led Paramount to start thinking about restarting "Star Trek" on TV. A project was put into production that was to be called "Star Trek Phase II," and would have reunited several familiar "Trek" characters as well as introduce some new ones. For various reasons, "Phase II" was abandoned and elements of it were transformed into what would become the 1979 theatrical release " Star Trek: The Motion Picture ."

If all you had prior to "The Motion Picture" was a failed, low-budget TV show and a little-regarded animated series, this movie would feel grand in ways that you couldn't previously imagine. A lot of time was devoted to the size of the Enterprise, the importance of the characters, and mind-bending notions about the unending vastness of the cosmos. Here was a "Star Trek" film that is often compared to 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Good gracious was it enormous. 

"The Motion Picture" was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but not so successful that Roddenberry was welcomed back. Remember that detail when we get to "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

2285: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

2285 was a significant year. In the events of Nicholas Meyer's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), a thawed out Khan — the version played by Ricardo Montalbán from the 1967 "Star Trek" episode "The Space Seed," not the version played by Benedict Cumberbatch in "Star Trek Into Darkness" — hijacked a starship called the U.S.S. Reliant and set out on a mission of revenge against Admiral Kirk. The good admiral, we find, had forgotten about a lot of irresponsible actions taken in his past and had to face them head on just as he was looking down the barrel of old age. "Star Trek II" didn't end well for Kirk or for Spock. In that film, Spock famously dies. 

Not wasting any time, however, Kirk and co. sprang back into action in Leonard Nimoy's " Star Trek III: The Search for Spock " (1984), which picks up immediately after "Khan" ended. Thanks to the fineries of Vulcan psychic powers, and a high tech radiation wave that can generate life out of nothing, Spock could potentially be resurrected, and Kirk hijacks the Enterprise in order to help a friend. In so doing, Kirk destroys the ship, rouses the ire of some Klingons, loses his son (killed by said Klingons), and possibly destroys his career in Starfleet. Oops. 

Perhaps one of the reasons "Star Trek IV" (which began in 2286) was so popular was that it was the first "Trek" film to end on a wholly positive note. 

2287: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Often cited as the worst of the "Trek" movies, William Shatner's "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989) starts with a promising concept, but was undone by a bad script hastily written during a strike, and a repeatedly cut FX budget. The film ultimately feels flimsy and ill-considered, not able to truly confront the interesting ideas it brings up. Shatner has apologized for the poor quality of his film, which was fraught with production troubles.

In "Frontier," a newly-built Enterprise is hijacked by Spock's half-brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), who is leading a cult of brainwashed followers, freed from pain by their leader's psychic powers. He seeks a mysterious planet at the center of the galaxy where he believes God physically lives. The final frontier of the title is not space, but the soul, religion, or spirituality. Many "Trek" purists will point out that seeking the center of the galaxy, and finding a deity there, is similar to an Animated Series episode called "The Magicks of Megas-Tu," wherein Kirk found the planet at the center of the galaxy is actually home to Satan. 

Note : "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" is far better than "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

2293: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Made after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nicholas Meyer's " Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country " (1991) was very clearly a metaphor for the end of the Cold War. In it, the Klingon Empire is crippled by the accidental explosion of one of their moons, leaving the entire government requiring Federation help. "Country" is about how difficult it is to give up being enemies, especially when so much of one's identity is tied in with hate. There's an assassination, a investigation, a trial, a prison break ... It's one of the best "Trek" movies. 

One might glean from the title of the previous film in the series that the entire Kirk era was meant to end with "The Final Frontier." One might also glean that the poor reception and bad box office of "Final Frontier" led to one last go 'round. Fans may be relieved that the final feature film in the Kirk era was actually, y'know, a good one.

2364 - 2370: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Throughout the 1970s, Gene Roddenberry made tours on the convention circuit, talking about his vision for "Star Trek," and interacting with fans who were inspired by the peace, diplomacy, and calm that "Star Trek" has written into its DNA. Looking back over the 1966 show, notions of optimism and diplomacy are present, but they are mixed in with a lot of violence, sexism, and other now-backward ideas. After Roddenberry was essentially barred from involvement on the "Star Trek" feature films, he decided to make a purer, better version of his old show, set another 80 years in the future, and even more devoted to intelligence and diplomacy than ever before. Hence, 1987's " Star Trek: The Next Generation ." 

Taking place on a new ship, the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, and featuring an all new cast, the update of "Star Trek" started a little clumsily, but eventually found its stride to become the best "Star Trek" has offered to date. The tech was more convincing than it ever was, and it featured professional, adult characters who deal with crises with stiff upper lips. More so, it more frequently addressed questions about the meaning of life that humanity will always, it seems, wrestle with.

"Next Generation" last for seven full seasons, and its characters ended up occupying just as large a place in the pop consciousness as the characters from the 1966 TV series. 

Yes, "Next Generation" went back in time several times.

In terms of chronology, "Next Generation" overlapped with...

2369 - 2375: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

" Deep Space Nine " (1993 – 1999) was an unusual animal in many ways. It was the first time two "Star Trek" shows would run concurrently, and would take place over the same time frame (Picard from "Next Generation" appeared in the show's pilot). It was not about trekking at all, as it took place aboard a space station. It was also not set in the world of the Federation, often revolving alien species who were not offered protection from the organization. It was a show of healing and animosity. Of war and death. It started with an ensemble of seven or eight people, and eventually expanded to include about 30 main characters. "Deep Space Nine" is "Star Trek" via a Russian historical novel. 

When taken as a unit, "Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine," both excellent in their own rights, become a complementary mass that is greater than their sum. The strength of diplomacy vs. its breakdown. The avoidance of war vs. the involvement in it. The absence of fascism vs. its inevitable regrowth. 

Yes, "Deep Space Nine" went back in time several times. 

"Deep Space Nine's" chronology would overlap with "Star Trek: Voyager," as well as with...

2371: Star Trek: Generations

The 1994 feature film " Star Trek: Generations " was a strange excursion. Although "Next Generation" had already run for seven years, "Generations" was still insistent on "passing the torch" from Kirk to Picard, and it bent over backwards to create the means by which Kirk and Picard, separated by 87 years of history, could meet face-to-face. It was the fan crossover no Trekkie wanted. As such, "Generations" is a flimsy affair, speeding through a ridiculous plot about a mobile temporal nexus that serves as Heaven for the people it scoops up along its path. 

Trekkies were even-headed enough to realize that Kirk and Picard weren't meant to meet, and that "Next Generation" was its own entity. The decision to aggressively tie the two shows even more closely together was just baffling. 

Notable too: The Enterprise-D was destroyed in "Generations," and would be replaced by a big ol' ugly thing for three additional feature films.

2371 - 2378: Star Trek: Voyager

" Star Trek: Voyager " debuted in 1995 and ran concurrently with "Deep Space Nine" both on television and within the chronology of "Star Trek." To cleverly avoid any interference between the two shows, however — "Deep Space Nine" would eventually become embroiled in a galaxy-spanning war — "Voyager" was given a "Lost in Space"-style premise wherein the title ship was thrown all the way across the galaxy to a portion of space that has never been explored by Starfleet, and could otherwise only be reached by 70 years of space travel. 

While the premise would perhaps lead a viewer to believe that "Voyager" was going to be about resource allocation and survival, it quickly became more about the Borg, a character played by actress Jeri Ryan, and Captain Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) steady slide into autocracy. 

"Voyager" struggled with ratings for years, but still managed to last seven seasons like "Next Gen" and "Deep Space" before it. The final episode of "Voyager," a time travel story called " Endgame ," would air in March of 2001.

2375: Star Trek: Insurrection

While "Voyager" and "Deep Space Nine" were running concurrently on television, the "Next Generation" crew were yukking it up in the overwhelmingly mediocre 1998 Jonathan Frakes film " Star Trek: Insurrection ." Like "The Final Frontier," "Insurrection" can be seen straining against the limits of its budget, with bad CGI, bland costumes, and locations clearly found in the California mountains. The cheapness of "Star Trek" has often served as a boon for its story, forcing writers to insert interesting and challenging ideas into their plywood sets. "Insurrection" has no such ideas, asking the ethical question of forced relocation, but never feeling threatening, and offering a magical curative radiation that would require study and collection. 

Although one can admit this: "Insurrection" captures the tone of the "Next Generation" TV series far better than any of the other movies in this part of the series. It's a pity, though, that after the grand finale of "Next Generation," we find ourselves with suck lackluster films. 

Speaking of lackluster films ...

2379: Star Trek: Nemesis

Released in 2002, Stuart Baird's " Star Trek: Nemesis " was poised to be the final gasp for "Star Trek." "Enterprise" was already taking the franchise in a new direction, and the "NextGen" cast was clearly too tired to handle a continued barrage of poorly planned action movies, and thrillers that didn't resemble the show they were inspired by. "Nemesis" is dark and action-packed and violent and takes a lot of structural cues from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." 

In it, Tom Hardy plays a character named Shinzon who is, in fact, a clone of Captain Picard, grown in a Romulan lab, and eventually discarded into a Romulan mine. Shinzon escaped the mine, built an army, and is poised to take a giant death ship into Federation space to revenge all over people. "Nemesis" is also the film in which Data (Brent Spiner) dies, and Captain Picard drives a dune buggy. 

The sentiment of the time was reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's " The Hollow Men ." This is the way "Next Gen" ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Worry not. There will be further whimpers for the NextGen crew.

2380 - ?: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Named after a seventh season episode of "Next Generation," and taking place in line with the end of "Nemesis" and "Voyager," " Star Trek: Lower Decks " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020 as part of a slew of "Star Trek"-related indicia that the company was desperate to exploit. And while the all-your-eggs-in-one basket approach to TV production affected by Paramount led to stinkers like "Discovery" and "Picard," it did lead to this surprisingly good animated program. 

One of the more appealing aspects of "Star Trek" is that it's essentially a series of workplace shows. The characters are typically vocation-forward, and take their duty to their ship very seriously. Where a "Star Trek" character works speaks powerfully to who they are. "Lower Decks" follows the people who have the worst possible jobs on a Starfleet vessel, often tasked with cleaning holodecks, sanitizing floors, and arranging widgets for the senior staff. It's rough going for ensigns. They sleep in the hallway and are typically not deemed important enough to include on more exciting missions. What's more, the central ship on "Lower Decks" is a tiny, crappy ship with substandard tech. Surely such jobs would exist in "Star Trek." 

"Lower Decks" is eager to make "Trek" references, and is clearly made by people who understand "Trek's" ethos, but who still have a raunchy sense of humor. The future is here. And it's still crappy for those on the bottom. 

2383: Star Trek: Prodigy

Produced under the auspices of Nickelodeon, " Star Trek: Prodigy " (2021) was the first Trek series to be made explicitly with a younger audience in mind. The series follows a ragtag group of alien youths as they flee a prison mine and discover an abandoned Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Protostar. On board is an instructional hologram of Captain Janeway from "Voyager," and she teaches the kids how to behave like Starfleet officers, the importance of duty and compassion, and how their trauma does not define them. The design and the creatures are more reminiscent of "Star Wars" than "Star Trek" (the series features an evil emperor and his powerful masked servant, invoking the Emperor and Darth Vader), but it certainly functions as a generic space adventure. The "Star Trek" stuff is mere window dressing. 

It's almost disappointing to include "Prodigy" on this timeline, as one of the show's central mysteries — at least for the first part of its first season, the only part to have aired as of this writing — is when and where it takes place. It was possible that "Prodigy" took place centuries or even millennia beyond the known Trek universe. The last we saw, however, the real Captain Janeway is still alive, giving "Prodigy" a known place in Trek chronology. 

2399: Star Trek: Picard (Season 1)

After nearly 20 years of a world without Picard, Paramount+ convinced Patrick Stewart to reprise his role in a new show named for him. " Star Trek: Picard " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020, taking place further in the future than any other Trek show to date. In the timeline of "Picard," the Federation had become soured by xenophobia and openly discouraged the evacuation of Romulus, historically an enemy world, but now in dire straits after their sun went supernova (something something J.J. Abrams). Picard had left Starfleet in disgust, and had now retired to his winery. 

The story of the first season is too convoluted to get into here, needless to say it involved a Romulan secret society, a planet of androids, a reclaimed Borg cube, and a robot Cthulhu. I'm not kidding. 

It's a pity that "Picard" did not roll with its future setting more, establishing new tech or positive sea changes in the "Trek" universe. Instead, everything is devoted to a chewy, awful story about androids. Indeed, by the end, Picard himself would have his consciousness shunted into an android body. What a snore.

3188 - 3190: Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 3 and 4)

When last we saw the U.S.S. Discovery, it was being pulled through a time hole into the distant future. In the third and fourth seasons , Discovery's crew learns that they are stranded 930 years from home, and now must rediscover their function as Starfleet officers after the Federation went into hiding. A galaxy-wide disaster — The Burn — spontaneously destroyed millions of starships, and a fierce new criminal enterprise, The Emerald Syndicate, now rules the galaxy.

The 23rd-century ship now has to learn how to use 32nd-century technology. The Discovery was redesigned, and the new mission became to spread diplomacy in a galaxy unready for it. This is the premise, it seems, that Discovery should have started with two years prior. The writing is still rather weak, and the characters are callow and weepy, but "Discovery" does excel in one notable way: Queer representation. Seven of the main cast members are openly queer. After 55 years of a dodgy relationship with queerness, "Discovery" finally nailed it.

I just wish it were a better show.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

A Timeline Through the Star Trek Universe

Now featuring new details about Star Trek: Discovery, season three!

The Star Trek saga has boldly traveled through space and time throughout its over fifty year history. Starfleet has visited the distant past, the far future, and even some alternate timelines. Need some context before you dive deep into Star Trek: Discovery, season three? We've got you covered with our video timeline.

The Definitive Chronological Viewing Order For The Star Trek Cinematic Universe

Marvel might get credit for pioneering their transmedia “Cinematic Universe,” but truly, Star Trek in the 90’s was way ahead of the game.

In the span of that decade, the Star Trek universe saw the release of four feature films and three TV shows that all shared some degree of interconnected continuity, over a decade before the world realized that this was the future of entertainment.

Yes, Star Trek was twenty years ahead of its time, but most of it has aged so well there’s no reason not to go back and enjoy it. If you’re like us, and want to know how the puzzle fits together while you’re watching it built, we’ve got you covered.

Aside from the occasional stardate hiccup, Star Trek has done a pretty admirable job of keeping its continuity in order, making it fairly straightforward to place things into a timeline. With no end to Star Trek storytelling in sight, we’ll keep this page updated as frequently as possible as new movies and TV shows are announced and released.

[Update] We’ve added  Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3)  to the post.

Original Timeline

Star trek: enterprise.

This series follows Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of Starfleet’s first warp 5 vessel: The Enterprise (NX-01).

This early placement in the timeline gave the show a lot of runway to explore some seminal events in the Star Trek universe, including first contact with the Klingons. The series was cancelled after four seasons, and began a nearly 12 year hiatus for Star Trek episodic series that ended with Discovery in 2017.

“The Cage” is the initial pilot episode for the original Star Trek series. While at the time the network rejected it and ordered a new pilot (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”), the episode was retroactively canonized in Star Trek: Discovery .

Its new, official placement in the timeline is now notable for its introduction of Christopher Pike, the original captain of The Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 1-2)

This series was the first to debut on CBS All Access, with the first two seasons set about a decade before The Original Series . It follows the crew of the USS Discovery (NCC-1031) during the first Klingon-Federation war, with the second season revolving around a mysterious figure known as the “Red Angel.”

A third season is upcoming, but is set much further along in the timeline.

Star Trek: The Original Series

This is where it all began. Over a century after the events of Star Trek: Enterprise , this series follows the Captain James T. Kirk and the voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) on its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.

While the series only ran for three seasons, it continues to be some of the most defining storytelling in the Star Trek canon.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

This animated show essentially serves as a continuation of The Original Series , featuring the same cast of characters in 22 episodes across 2 seasons.

For a long time, this series was officially non-canon, but over the years it has become increasingly referenced in other material; and in 2007, the official website included information from The Animated Series in its “library” section, making a strong argument that the series is, at least in part, canonical.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Approximately four years after the conclusion of The Original Series , Kirk is now an Admiral. He resumes command of the USS Enterprise after a powerful alien being called V’Ger destroys several Klingon warships and sets a path towards Earth.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Wrath of Khan , widely considered to be the greatest Star Trek film, acts as a sequel to both Star Trek: The Motion Picture , and the episode “Space Seed” from The Original Series .

In that episode, Kirk and crew tangled with the genetically engineered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh, who ruled more than a quarter of the Earth during a period called the Eugenics Wars. At the end of the episode, Khan is exiled to the uninhabited planet Ceti Alpha V.

In The Wrath of Khan , he escapes, and plans a revenge using a device known as the Genesis Machine, designed for terraforming planets.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Picking up a few weeks after the end of Khan , The Search For Spock finds the crew of the Enterprise learning that there might be a way to bring back their deceased friend.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The Voyage Home concludes the unofficial film trilogy that began with The Wrath of Khan . Returning to Earth to face trial for stealing the Enterprise in the previous film, the crew become embroiled in time travel hijinks when they’re tasked with traveling to the past. Their mission? Bring back a humpback whale, now extinct in their timeline, which holds the key to stopping a destructive alien probe that has emerged from deep space.

The film concludes with Kirk returning to the rank of Captain, and taking command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A).

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

This film was William Shatner’s first feature directing credit, a result of his contract terms after Leonard Nimoy directed Star Trek III and IV . The film takes place shortly after the conclusion of The Voyage Home , as the USS Enterprise-A is taken over by the rogue Vulcan Sybok who believes God lives at the center of the galaxy.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The final Original Series film, The Undiscovered Country acts as a swan song for the cast as they embark on one final adventure together. One half murder mystery, one half Cold War political thriller, this is an often overlooked but really strong entry that closes out The Original Series era in style.

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

This series kicked off arguably the most explored era of Star Trek storytelling, with over 178 episodes, four feature films, and a ton of ancillary material. The numerous story arcs follow Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as it embarks on a long-term exploration mission.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 6, Episodes “Time’s Arrow: Part 2” – “Chain of Command: Part 2”)

This batch of episodes in TNG ‘s sixth season, culminating in the fantastic two-parter, “Chain of Command,” lead in to a period in the timeline where two Star Trek series ran concurrently.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 6, Episodes “Ship In A Bottle” – “Descent: Part 1” / Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1 )

Deep Space Nine , the fourth Star Trek TV series, is set concurrently with the events of TNG ‘s sixth season, just in a very different part of the galaxy. It follows Commander Benjamin Sisko aboard the titular space station, located near a wormhole that allows passage to the distant Gamma Quadrant of the Milky Way galaxy.

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

These two seasons also take place at roughly the same time, though it’s worth noting that The Next Generation Season 7 ends just before the last few episodes of Deep Space Nine Season 2.

The second season of Deep Space Nine is notable for introducing the USS Defiant.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3, Episodes “The Search: Part 1” – “Distant Voices”) / Star Trek: Voyager Season 1 (Episodes “Caretaker” – “Prime Factors”)

Following the end of The Next Generation , a new series called Voyager was aired that likewise overlapped with the timeline of Deep Space Nine . Voyager was the first Star Trek series to have a female captain, Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager. The series features the first appearance of a number of Star Trek species including the Kazon, Vidilians, and Hirogen.

Star Trek: Generations

Generations was the first of four Star Trek films set during The Next Generation era. This story worked as a bridge of sorts between The Original Series and TNG time periods, revealing the fate of Kirk, and giving him a brief meeting with his eventual successor, Picard.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3, Episodes “Through The Looking Glass” – “The Adversary”) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 1, Episodes “State of Flux” – “Learning Curve”)

The second halves of Deep Space Nine ‘s third season and Voyager ‘s first overlap.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 4) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 2 )

The Klingon-Cardassian war heats up for a strong season of Deep Space Nine that also introduces Worf to the cast.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 5, Episodes “Apocalypse Rising” – “For The Uniform”) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 3, “Basics: Part 2” – “Blood Fever”)

Deep Space Nine Season 5 is when the show started firing on all cylinders creatively. Tensions are rising, characters are growing richer, and the show’s plot threads are coming together. Voyager also went through a creative revamp, with season 3 containing some of its best episodes.

Star Trek: First Contact

This film gives the crew of TNG their own shot at some cinematic time travel hijinks, as they head to the past in order to protect the inventor of the warp drive from the Borg.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 5, Episodes “In Purgatory’s Shadow” – “A Call To Arms”) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 3, “Unity” – “Scorpion: Part 1”)

This block of episodes are some of the best across both shows.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 6) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 4 )

The Dominion War arc is in full swing on Deep Space Nine , while Voyager brings in Seven of Nine and has arguably its best season yet.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 7, “Image In The Sand” – “Covenant”) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 5, “Night”  – “Infinite Regress”)

Deep Space Nine ‘s seventh season is a little uneven in the first half but still has some great stuff. The rest of Voyager will never be as good as its fourth season, but Season 5 still has some great episodes.

Star Trek: Insurrection

This film finds the crew of the USS Enterprise-E going up against a species known as the Son’a, who are attacking the population of a peaceful planet to steal their regenerative properties.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 7, “It’s Only A Paper Moon” – “What You Leave Behind”) / Star Trek: Voyager (Season 5, “Nothing Human”  – “Equinox: Part 1”)

The Dominion War (and Deep Space Nine overall) comes to a close with an ambitious arc.

Star Trek: Voyager (Season 6-7)

Voyager continues on after the conclusion of Deep Space Nine , acting as the only running Star Trek series until the premiere of Enterprise in 2001.

Star Trek: Nemesis

The Next Generation era comes to a close with this final film, as the crew of the USS Enterprise-D encounter a clone of Captain Picard (played by a young Tom Hardy), who has taken over the Romulan Star Empire.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

This animated series might not feel like “core” canon due to its comedic tone, but the official word is that the events are set in continuity.

Bonus: Star Trek Online

While technically not a film or TV series, it’s worth noting that Star Trek Online takes place in the original timeline and continues the story past the events of Star Trek: Nemesis .

Star Trek (2009)

The J.J. Abrams helmed Star Trek kicks off the “reboot” era known as the “Kelvin Timeline,” after the USS Kelvin. While most of the story takes place in an alternate timeline (which we’ll explore in a separate section below), events narrated by Spock take place in the original continuity, following the destruction of Romulus.

The aftermath of this event in the original timeline is explored in the series, Picard .

Star Trek: Picard

The eight Star Trek series, Picard , takes place about 20 years after Nemesis . Jean-Luc Picard is retired, having resigned in protest when the Federation chose not to aid the Romulans as their home planet was destroyed.

Short Treks: Calypso

One of the shorts in the Short Treks collection on CBS All Access is set way in the future, hundreds of years after the events of Discovery .

Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3)

The end of Season 2 of Discovery saw the crew embark on a one-way trip to the furthest we’ve ever explored in the Star Trek timeline. The season will pick up about 900 years after The Original Series era.

Kelvin Timeline

Spock’s attempt to intervene in the disaster that destroyed Romulus inadvertently sent him and the Romulan mining ship Narada back in time, causing the creation of a second, alternate timeline. In this timeline (now the home of the OG Spock, effectively removing him from the original timeline), James T. Kirk loses his father shortly after his birth, resulting in a very different start to his Starfleet career.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Into Darkness reveals that in the Kelvin Timeline, the cryogenically frozen body of Khan Noonien Singh was recovered by Admiral Alexander Marcus of Starfleet, who covertly used him to develop advanced weaponry.

Star Trek Beyond

Beyond takes  place roughly two and a half years after Into Darkness , halfway into the crew’s five year mission. The crew of the Enterprise must contend with the dangers of the final frontier when they’re ambushed by a mysterious fleet. The end of the film sees the introduction of the USS Enterprise-A to the Kelvin Timeline.

To date, this is the furthest along we’ve seen of the reboot timeline, although rumors of a fourth film continue to persist (perhaps featuring the return of George Kirk, played by Chris Hemsworth); as well as another Kelvin-set feature written by Quentin Tarantino.

Upcoming Stories

Star trek: prodigy.

This animated series will follow a group of teenagers who take over an abandoned starship. It will feature the return of Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

This upcoming CBS All Access series will follow the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, before the events of The Original Series .

Star Trek: Section 31

This upcoming series will follow Philippa Georgiou as a member of the organization Section 31.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Season 2)

A second season of this animated show has been greenlit, and is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2021.

Star Trek: Discovery (Season 4)

The fourth season of Discovery has officially been announced, but no release date has been set yet.

Ceti Alpha V

This miniseries event was announced back in June 2018, and we haven’t heard much about it since. If it is still happening, it will follow the iconic character Khan Noonien Singh.

13 Comments

I do not fully understanding (apologies to Spock) the logic of your timeline methodology. Why, for example, do you place the Original Series Pilot – The Cage – second on the list? The Cage and the Menagerie stories describe the discovery of Talos IV, and in Menagerie, Spock’s desire to return to the forbidden planet following his former captain’s unfortunate accident, putting the disabled Pike in the wheelchair. At least it describes one of Pike’s early missions. So in my mind shouldn’t it immediately precede or follow Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in your timeline?

Last update was Jan 2021. My OCD is killing me!!

It’s safe to say that anything connected to Alex Kurtzman is no longer “Star Trek” (discovery, picard, lower decks, etc.). His teams simply stopped concerning themselves with a well constructed universe that takes into consideration every intricate timeline and started relying heavily on spectacle and poorly designed plot devices. The plot was forced in directions using mcguffins and nonsensical exposition while destroying any logical connections it had to the rest of the series. That’s why he put his timeline first, to rest on the infallible excuse that the timeline has changed as we’ve seen a few branched timelines throughout the franchise. Kurtzman’s branches, however, are directed in a way that might as well be 20th century humans given space and time travelling technology out of thin air and react as such. Nothing like the growth in a better human society we see in Roddenberry’s true vision of the future of mankind. So don’t waste your time dissecting this timeline while much of is not really Star Trek to begin with; just purchased copyrights of another man’s creative genius. Instead, go watch the series in the order it was produced and truly enjoy connecting the timelines as you jump around through them. Only then will you also be able to witness the catastrophic, shallow design put into today’s star trek as well.

I couldn’t agree more with you on this. Perfectly said. The Orville is actually more Star Trek than anything post Voyager.

I have been referencing this site for the last couple of years and today finished everything that has been produced and released to date. Thank you I really appreciate your guidance. The series I enjoyed most was Star Trek: Enterprise. Although I have viewed all the episodes of Discovery I’m not a fan, I think I do it out of obligation to the timeline. The other series were kinda hit or miss per episode.

where does Star Trek : Horizon fit in?

Horizons is not an official star trek series, so it does not fit in anywhere.

Greetings,the Kelvin/Abrams timeline is not derived from Prime/Roddenberry timeline,if U will look & listen preciously,U will notice in ‘Star Trek’ 2009,that in these events often described being in Roddenberry timeline-these with old Spock before departure from future R NOT in Roddenberry timeline,but in another Abrams timeline,as there r another stardates(in Abrams format) & there r also differences unexplainable by Nero’s actions as construction of Constitution-class ships on the ground(nonsence as Constitution-class is incapable of entering atmosphere,nor any atmospheric flight & is too heavy to be able to lift off). The Abrams Universe has its own 2 timelines & has nothing to do with Roddenberry Universe. Discovery is very hardly insertable into Roddenberry Universe,IF Strange New Worlds will fix the inconsistencies,which is possible,for example a destruction of forward half of the Primary hull of Enterprise followed by rebuilding its proper appearance without forward window & with original viewscreen,which could already be done after Control’s torpedo hit,some such event would explain the return to viewscreens. & Calypso is set AFTER Discovery season 3. The right order after Nemesis is: Lower Decks. (Renegades,Hidden Frontier & its spin offs,yes,fan production but better fitting into Roddenberry Universe than Discovery). Picard. Discovery season 3. Calypso. The Abrams univehas 2 ti

“In a Mirror, Darkly,” the two-parter in the last season of Enterprise was intended as a sequel to the TOS episode “The Tholian Web” and a prequel to TOS “Mirror, Mirror.” Those two TOS episodes are not back-to-back, but Darkly could be mentioned as being in the middle of the TOS timeline.

It’s a sequel to a season 3 episode but a prequel to a season 2 episode? How does that work? Is Mirror Mirror set in the future within TOS? I’m still on season 1 so haven’t reached it yet. Not saying you’re wrong, not at all, just observing how confusing show timelines can be sometimes.

isnt the first chronological appearence of the Borg in episode 23 of enterprise?

Discovery should not be listed in the same timeline as TOS. It is clearly an alternate reality.

Abrams’ movies should either be last or put Trek ’09 in between Discovery & TOS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Related Articles

The Pull List: Humanity Stows Away in a Virtual Noah’s Ark in ‘Arcadia’

The martian trailer is here, give it a watch.

Star Wars: What Do We Know About Lor San Tekka, Max von Sydow’s Character in The Force Awakens?

New Music Monday: Fear Factory, Luke Bryan, Mac DeMarco, Cattle Decapitation, and More!!!

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

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

The Star Trek timeline now spans billions of years and it's growing all the time. And even though Star Trek: Discovery makes its final voyage on May 30, that expansion is set to continue with upcoming new seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. This franchise has come a long way since Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry sent Kirk, Spock, and co. on their original five-year mission in the ’60s.

But with hundreds of hours of missions spread across 11 TV shows and 13 movies, knowing where to begin with the Star Trek timeline can be something of a challenge. With that in mind, we’ve assembled the key events that shaped Federation history into one massive chronology, featuring moments from The Original Series, The Next Generation, and its spin-offs, as well as all of the films and the TV shows of Trek's 2017 comeback – including Discovery and Star Trek: Picard .

We’ve even included the parallel "Kelvin" continuity of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie and its sequels, an alternative sequence of events kickstarted when a rogue Romulan ship from the future destroyed the USS Kelvin – killing James T. Kirk’s dad, George, and forever altering Kirk and Spock’s destinies. 

That said, because the numerous spin-off Trek comics and novels aren’t traditionally considered part of the official Star Trek timeline, we’ve left them out. We’ve also steered clear of the long-running Mirror Universe (y'know, the one where evil Spock has a goatee), so there isn’t too much timey-wimey stuff going on that you’d have to be Data to understand it. 

But before we engage the warp drive and explore the history of the future, here’s an at-a-glance guide to how the various movies and TV shows fit into the Star Trek timeline. And beware – spoilers ahead!

The Prime Star Trek timeline

• Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: The Cage (1965)
• Star Trek Discovery pre-time jump (2017-2019)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-ongoing)
• Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (1984)
• Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986)
• Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
• Star Trek: Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-ongoing)
• Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-ongoing)
• Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
• Star Trek: Discovery post-time jump (2020-ongoing)

The Kelvin Star Trek timeline

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

Star Trek timeline

Around 4.5 billion years ago - A species later dubbed "the Progenitors" seed numerous planets with their DNA, influencing the evolution of humans, Klingons, Cardassians, Vulcans, Romulans, and others. This explains why so many Star Trek aliens can be played by actors in prosthetics. (The Chase, Star Trek: The Next Generation; Star Trek: Discovery season 5)

Hundreds of thousands of years ago  - A mysterious alien probe – known universally as the Sphere – starts gathering detailed information about the galaxy. Thousands of years later, the USS Discovery will travel to the distant future to protect its secrets. (Star Trek: Discovery season 2)

Sign up to the SFX Newsletter

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

Around 200,000 years ago - An ancient alien species is wiped out by an uprising of synthetic beings. They leave eight stars in an implausible arrangement, the Conclave of Eight, to serve as a warning to future generations. (Star Trek: Picard season 1) 

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

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

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

1986 - Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the original Enterprise crew travel back in time to kidnap a pair of humpback whales who can save the future from an alien probe. (Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home)

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

~2022/23 - Enterprise security officer La'an Noonien Singh arrives in 21st century Toronto alongside a parallel universe version of James T. Kirk. With a Romulan time traveller out to change history by preventing the Eugenics Wars (which haven't yet happened in this adjusted timeline), she rescues a young boy named Khan from the Noonien-Singh Institute for Cultural Advancement. (Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

2024  – Picard and La Sirena's crew arrive in the 21st century to fix the event that's created a dystopian alternative timeline. Along the way they meet a younger version of Guinan (who already owns her bar at 10 Forward Avenue) and an ancient ancestor of Data's creator – another of Brent Spiner's many Star Trek roles . (Star Trek: Picard season 2)

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

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

2153 - A group of Borg who survived the attempted invasion of Earth in 2063 are accidentally thawed by a research team in the Arctic. It doesn’t end well. (Regeneration, Star Trek: Enterprise)

An alien probe fires a massive energy beam at Earth’s surface, causing destruction across the American continent. The Enterprise is redeployed to the Delphic Expanse to fight back against the perpetrators, the Xindi. (The Expanse, Star Trek: Enterprise) 

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

2230 - Spock is born on Vulcan.

2233 - James T. Kirk is born. He's from Iowa – he only works in outer space.

2233 (Kelvin timeline) - First officer George Kirk (father of James T.) sacrifices himself to save his crewmates when the USS Kelvin is destroyed by time-travelling 24th century Romulan ship the Narada, kickstarting the so-called "Kelvin" timeline. (Star Trek, 2009)

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

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

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

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

2257 - The Federation/Klingon War ends, with the hydro bomb Section 31 plant at the heart of Qo’noS helping maintain peace between feuding Klingon houses. (Will You Take My Hand, Star Trek: Discovery) 

With the Enterprise under repair, Christopher Pike assumes command of the Discovery on a mission to understand the so-called “Red Angels” – and track down his AWOL science officer, Spock. (Brother, Star Trek: Discovery)

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

2258 (Kelvin timeline) - The Narada reappears and destroys Vulcan, as an act of revenge on Spock. The Enterprise (commanded by Christopher Pike) engages the Romulan ship, but with Pike incapacitated, James T. Kirk eventually assumes command of the ship – and defeats the Narada. (Star Trek, 2009)

(Kelvin timeline) In the wake of Vulcan’s destruction, Admiral Alexander Marcus tries to increase Starfleet’s military capabilities – and subsequently discovers 20th century vessel the SS Botany Bay years earlier than in the Prime timeline. Khan Noonien Singh is revived and recruited by the Federation's shadowy spy branch, Section 31. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

2259  – Commanded by Captain Christopher Pike, the USS Enterprise boldly goes where no one has gone before – aside from all the Star Trek crews who came before. Pike and his team also meet a pair of animated Starfleet officers from the future, spend an entire episode singing and dancing (Subspace Rhapsody), and survive several scary encounters with the reptilian Gorn. They also encounter the cocky young first officer of the USS Farragut – a guy who goes by the name of James T. Kirk. (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 1 and 2) 

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

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

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

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

2267 - After Spock mutinies, Christopher Pike (gravely injured by a radiation leak a year earlier) is taken to the off-limits Talos 4, where the illusions of the telepathic Talosians allow him to live an active life. (The Menagerie, Star Trek: The Original Series) 

The Enterprise discovers SS Botany Bay, and awakens Khan Noonien Singh from suspended animation. After he tries to take over the ship, Khan and his crew are exiled to Ceti Alpha 5. (Space Seed, Star Trek: The Original Series)

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

2285 - While on a training mission, the USS Enterprise is critically damaged by Khan Noonien Singh, who has escaped exile on Ceti Alpha V and seeks revenge on Kirk. The Genesis planet is created by detonation of the top secret Genesis torpedo, and Spock dies after sacrificing himself to save the Enterprise. (Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan) 

Kirk, McCoy, and the rest of the surviving Enterprise crew defy Starfleet orders to commandeer the ship for a mission to the Genesis planet to recover Spock’s body. After they unexpectedly encounter a hostile Klingon Bird-of-Prey, Kirk self-destructs the Enterprise – but Spock is resurrected. (Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock)

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

Live long and prosper with the best Star Trek merchandise around

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

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

2293 - Praxis, the Klingon moon responsible for most of the empire’s power production, explodes. With Kirk and the classic crew due for retirement, they set off on one last mission to escort the Klingon ambassador to peace negotiations with the Federation – and end up having to foil a complex plot to scupper the whole thing. (Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country) 

Captain James T. Kirk is presumed dead when the Nexus energy ribbon has a close encounter with the newly launched Enterprise-B. Predictably, however, it’s not the end… (Star Trek: Generations)

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

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

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

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

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

2366 - The Enterprise-C emerges from that aforementioned temporal rift and creates a new timeline where the Federation is at war with the Klingons. (Yesterday’s Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation) 

The Borg show up in Federation space to start an invasion. Jean-Luc Picard is assimilated, becoming Locutus, and Starfleet is almost wiped out at the Battle of Wolf 359. (The Best of Both Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

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

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

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

2371 - It turns out James T. Kirk wasn’t dead after all – he was just living inside the Nexus energy ribbon, a place where all your dreams come true. When El-Aurian scientist Dr Tolian Soran threatens to destroy entire worlds to get back inside the Nexus, Jean-Luc Picard enlists Kirk’s help to stop him – which doesn’t end well for Kirk, who ends up dead for the final time. The Enterprise-D also crashes on the surface of Veridian III, though it won't be the last we see of the ship... (Star Trek: Generations) 

USS Voyager (under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway) and a ship of Maquis freedom fighters are transported to the distant Delta Quadrant by an alien “caretaker”. The two crews become BFFs implausibly quickly – and for some reason, invite Neelix on board. (Caretaker, Star Trek: Voyager)

2373 - The Borg have another crack at invading Earth. Seemingly defeated, they launch a last ditch attempt to assimilate humanity in the past – so Jean-Luc Picard and crew take their shiny new Enterprise-E back in time to stop them. It's our first introduction to the Borg Queen, who does her best to seduce Data. She succeeds for approximately 0.68 seconds. "For an android," he says, "that is nearly an eternity." (Star Trek: First Contact) 

Meanwhile, back in the Borg’s home territory of the Delta Quadrant, Voyager forms an unlikely alliance with the Collective to battle Species 8472 from “fluidic space”. Borg drone Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 (AKA, Seven of Nine) joins the Voyager crew. (Scorpion, Star Trek: Voyager) 

The Dominion War kicks off between the Dominion (led by the Changelings) and the Federation. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

2375 - The Dominion War ends. Benjamin Sisko, the Bajoran “emissary”, relocates to the wormhole to commune with its residents – aliens who have no sense of linear time. (What You Leave Behind, Deep Space Nine) 

The Enterprise-E crew uncovers a shady Federation plot to relocate the near-immortal inhabitants of a paradise planet, in order to harness its youth-giving properties. It’s difficult to care about any of it. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

2378 - USS Voyager finally makes it back to Federation space, after a future version of Janeway uses a lethal pathogen to wipe out many of the Borg. Following seven years of exemplary service, Ensign Harry Kim is still an Ensign. (Endgame, Star Trek: Voyager)

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

2380  - The USS Cerritos, under the command of Captain Carol Freeman, continues to specialise in “Second Contact” situations. (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

2381 - A pair of USS Cerritos crew members, Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler, are transported back to Pike's Enterprise for some unashamed fan worship. (Those Old Scientists, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

2383 - A ragtag group of alien kids stumbles on the abandoned USS Protostar in the Delta Quadrant. Their guide? A holographic version of Kathryn Janeway. (Star Trek: Prodigy)

2385  - Members of the Romulan Zhat Vash experience the Admonition on the “grief world” of Aia, driving many to madness and suicide. Their leader, Commodore Oh, instigates the uprising of synthetic workers at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars, leaving 92,143 people dead and the planet burning. Facing heavy losses, Starfleet abandons its rescue mission to help rescue the residents of Romulus from an upcoming supernova. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard resigns in protest. (Star Trek: Picard season 1) 

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

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

2399  - Having discovered that the late Data had a pair of ridiculously advanced twin daughters, the long-retired Jean-Luc Picard ventures back into space after years on the family vineyard. After some close encounters with rogue Romulans, militant AI, and a few Borg, Picard succumbs to his terminal Irumodic Syndrome – but is reborn in a new android body. (Star Trek: Picard season 1)

2400 - Now running Starfleet Academy, Picard once again finds himself back on a starship when a spatial anomaly appears, broadcasting his name in multiple languages. After ending up in a totalitarian alternative timeline – possibly with a bit of help from Q – he gathers up the crew of La Sirena to travel back to a pivotal event in 2024. A severely weakened Q later dies sending Picard and co back to their own time. Or does he...? (Star Trek: Picard season 2)

2401 - Jean-Luc Picard learns that he and long-term love interest Beverly Crusher have a son. They join forces with the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D (now resurrected by Geordi La Forge) to combat a new Changeling threat to the Federation. It later turns out that Jack is part-Borg, and that the Borg Queen (severely damaged by the pathogen in the Star Trek: Voyager finale) has been pulling the strings all along. (Star Trek: Picard season 3)

2402 - Jack Crusher, now an Ensign in Starfleet, is assigned to the USS Enterprise-G, commanded by Seven of Nine. Q – not so dead after all – appears in Jack's quarters, telling him that humanity's trial continues... (The Last Generation, Star Trek: Picard) 

3069  - The so-called Burn causes the cataclysmic destruction of dilithium across the galaxy, massively curtailing warp travel across the Alpha Quadrant. (Star Trek: Discovery season 3)

The Federation is involved in a Temporal War that leads to a galaxy-wide ban on time travel. During this period, Temporal Agent Daniels travels back to 2151 to infiltrate Captain Archer's Enterprise, and overthrow a Suliban plot. (Star Trek: Enterprise; Star Trek: Discovery)

3188 - Michael Burnham emerges from the wormhole, and joins forces with courier Cleveland 'Book' Booker. (Star Trek: Discovery season 3)

3189 - Discovery arrives in the 32nd century and discovers a universe where the Federation has been decimated by the Burn, and the biggest power in the Alpha Quadrant is now the Emerald Chain criminal syndicate. With the spore drive now one of the most important resources in the galaxy, Captain Saru and crew work to discover the cause of the Burn – and restore the Federation to past glories. (Star Trek: Discovery season 3)

3190  - As numerous worlds sign up to rejoin the resurgent Federation, a mysterious Dark Matter Anomaly destroys Book's homeworld and threatens all life in the Alpha Quadrant. Now (somewhat belatedly) captaining the Discovery, Michael Burnham leads the Federation's defences. (Star Trek: Discovery season 4)

3191 - The Discovery sets off on an interstellar treasure hunt to find the Progenitor technology that kickstarted all humanoid evolution in the galaxy billions of years ago. There are other interested parties, however, and Starfleet ends up going head-to-head with the Breen, mysterious former allies of the Dominion. After tracking down the tech, Captain Burnham decides to throw it into the event horizon of a black hole so that no one else can use it, reasoning that the Progenitors' legacy lives on through the existing species of the Alpha Quadrant. Dr Kovich admits he's actually aforementioned temporal agent Daniels. (Star Trek: Discovery season 5)

~3220  -   Zora, the sentient AI controlling Discovery, departs for her final mission, following a top-secret directive to travel to pre-assigned co-ordinates – and wait. All she knows is that 'craft' – whatever or whoever that is – will be involved somehow.    (Life, Itself, Star Trek: Discovery)

~4200  - Zora is still waiting. She runs into a soldier from Alcor IV named Craft, and the pair form a close friendship as she introduces him to Taco Tuesdays and classic movies. (Calypso, Short Trek)

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

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

Netflix’s new #1 movie is a teen sci-fi fantasy with a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score

Mike Flanagan's new movie gets surprise awards win, and it might have just made it a Best Picture frontrunner

Core Keeper dev celebrates going "from being called a 'fat nerd' as a child, to making maps for Heroes 3 and WarCraft 3, to now having a game that has more than 3 million players"

Most Popular

• 2 Yars Rising review: "A Metroidvania that's competent in every way, but it's all too forgettable"
• 3 Towerborne review: "A satisfying gameplay loop about gear, gear, and more gear"
• 4 Harry Potter Quidditch Champions review: "A fun yet forgettable nostalgia play"
• 5 Astro Bot review: "Soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer"
• 2 Transformers One review: "A cut above most of its predecessors"
• 3 Lee review: "Kate Winslet is wonderful but this wartime biopic needs less pathos and more punch"
• 4 Speak No Evil review: "A horror remake that honors the original while serving up some brutal surprises"
• 5 His Three Daughters review: "Natasha Lyonne is the MVP of this stealth weepie"
• 2 Terminator Zero review: "The franchise makes a welcome return to terror in this Netflix anime"
• 3 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 review: "A bleak, oppressive ode to Middle-earth anchored by one of the year's best performances"
• 4 Slow Horses season 4 review: "Apple TV's masterful spy drama remains one of the best shows on right now"
• 5 The Umbrella Academy season 4 review: "Like any good family reunion, most frustrations can be waved away, at least in the moment"

Star Trek Chronology

• 2 Background information
• 3 Galleries
• 4 External link

Summary [ ]

Background information [ ].

• The first edition of the Chronology was published in black and white, and covered events up to TNG Season 5 , while the second edition was published in full color, glossy paper throughout, and covered events up to DS9 Season 4 and VOY Season 2 , with the 21st century events of Star Trek: First Contact also included.
• The extensive research the Okudas and Debbie Mirek were performing for the Chronology also formed the basis for the Star Trek Encyclopedia , the first edition of which was published a year later and therefore essentially a derivative work of the Chronology . Much of the interior artwork that was especially produced for this book would be reproduced in the Encyclopedia . Particularly noteworthy were the pictures of starships that were otherwise not seen on-screen in the franchise, serving to illustrate gaps in official Star Trek lore. The reference models of these ships were especially constructed to this end by Greg Jein , and included the Daedalus -class (" Greg modeled the Daedalus for us for the Star Trek Chronology", Okuda later confirmed [1] (X) ), the DY-100-class display model , the Bonaventure (C1-21) , an Earth-Romulan War -era Romulan starship, [2] (X) and the SS Valiant . [3] (X) Excepting the Valiant and the Romulan ship, these eventually showed up on-screen as set dressing in the role of display models and were thus elevated to canon .
• Ed Miarecki had provided study models that were later featured as wreckage in " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ". Prior to their conversion into wrecks, Okuda himself had photographed both these, as well as Jein's models, for use in the Chronology , with Doug Drexler and Gary Hutzel Photoshopping them as they saw fit. [4]
• The Chronology was initiated by Gene Roddenberry when he was the executive producer of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation , as Mirek has clarified: " Roddenberry asked Mike to write up a chronology to keep the facts straight between TOS and TNG. I think at the time, he thought it would be about 7-10 pages of dates. Well, Mike (and Denise and ME) is a pathological overachiever. He felt to do the treatment justice, we would have to watch each episode and take notes… we ended up with about 10 pages of notes for EACH episode and the chronology was born. " [5]
• Debbie Mirek served as a researcher, proofreader, and editor on the book and while acknowledged for it in the long list of acknowledgments in the Chronology itself, as well as in the Star Trek Encyclopedia , 1st ed., p. 397 in more detail, she was not officially credited for it.
• A popular, influential, and well received book, it saw at least one international release in the form of the 1999 German language edition, and the official Star Trek franchise has subsequently treated it, together with the Encyclopedia and the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (co-written by Mike Okuda), as the sole primary quasi-canon sources for all subsequent in-universe reference works print publications, and requires licensed works of this kind, published since then, to be in concordance with the information contained within these three works, such as the later GE Fabbri and Haynes Publishing Star Trek publications. As a consequence, the franchise has officially debunked all previously licensed reference works written from an in-universe perspective (from which not a single piece of information was taken into account in either the Encyclopedia or the Chronology ), most notably Franz Joseph 's Star Fleet Technical Manual as well as Shane Johnson 's Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise and Worlds of the Federation . Labeled "unofficial", these works were de facto demoted by the franchise to the apocryphal status of novels, comics, non-production art (such as Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars ), and (computer) games. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 11 , p. 71)

Galleries [ ]

External link [ ]

• Star Trek Chronology at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)

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

How Picard Fits Into the Star Trek Timeline

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

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

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

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

Prime Timeline

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2161)

Airdate: 2001-2005

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

Star Trek Discovery (2255)

Airdate: 2017-

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

Star Trek (2265-2269)

Airdate: 1966-1969

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

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Airdate: 1973-1974

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

Original Star Trek movies (2273-2293)

Airdate: 1979-1991

Plot: Roddenberry leveraged the massive success of the syndicated series into a number of feature films starring Shatner and Nimoy. Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Star Trek V: The Finale Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country continued established storylines.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Airdate: 1987-1994

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

Next Generation Movies (2293-2379)

Airdate: 1994-2002

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

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Airdate: 1993-1999

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

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Airdate: 1995-2001

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

Star Trek: Picard (2399-?)

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

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

Kelvin Timeline

Star Trek (2233-2258)

Release date: 2009

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

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Airdate: 2013

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

Star Trek Beyond

Airdate: 2016

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

More Must-Reads from TIME

• How Kamala Harris Knocked Donald Trump Off Course
• Introducing TIME's 2024 Latino Leaders
• George Lopez Is Transforming Narratives With Comedy
• How to Make an Argument That’s Actually Persuasive
• What Makes a Friendship Last Forever?
• 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
• Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
• The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024

Write to Eliana Dockterman at [email protected]

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Number One, show me a list of all the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release — engage!

• Chronological order
• Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

• Kelvin Timeline
• Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

Raise shields, red alert — we’re going to try and put all the Star Trek movies in order. And we do mean try.

When they were focused on the Original Series era, the Star Trek movies were so easy to watch in order — the movies were numbered, everything was nice and simple. Then Picard comes in with his Next Generation buddies and suddenly numbers are out, subtitles are in. And that’s before we get all the time travel shenanigans that gave birth to the Kelvin timeline , an alternative timeline that splits off from the main canon.

It's been a long while since we've had a new Star Trek movie, with the last release — Star Trek Beyond — coming out back in 2016. Over eight years! Voyager got home from the Delta Quadrant in less time than that! Mercifully the drought is nearly over, with the Discovery spin-off movie Star Trek: Section 31 due to launch in early 2025.

So while we wait for Trek's silver screen return, we’re going to break down the various timelines and help you watch the Star Trek movies in either chronological or release order —- the Temporal Prime Directive be damned. Oh and we’re not making any judgements on the quality of the movies here, so head over to our Star Trek movies ranked list if you want to fight about whether the Kirk or Picard era movies are better.

All of the Star Trek movies are available to watch on Paramount+, along with almost all the shows — check our Star Trek streaming guide to find which nebulas the exceptions are hiding in. 

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline. 

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• Release date: December 8, 1979
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• Release date: June 4, 1982
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.   

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• Release date: November 26, 1986
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness. 

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

• Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• Release date: December 6, 1991
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort. 

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

• Release date: November 18, 1994
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time. 

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

• Release date: November 22, 1996
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin. 

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

• Release date: December 11, 1998
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle. 

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

• Release date: December 13, 2002
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy. 

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

• Release date: May 8, 2009
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline. 

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

• Release date: May 16, 2013
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction. 

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

• Release date: July 22, 2016
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day. 

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

Star Trek 4

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.   

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety . 

Still, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety.

Since then, there hasn’t been much in the way of updates, which leaves us with the worrying prospect of Star Trek 4 being stuck in development hell. During a 2023 appearance at the 57-Year Mission convention in Las Vegas (reported by TrekMovie ), Zachary Quinto explained that creative differences were the cause of the numerous delays. 

“I think there’s a lot of other stuff, creative things. It’s complicated. The fact that anything good gets made is kind of a miracle. I think it’s about different people having different agendas and ideas about what it will be.“

Star Trek: Section 31

In the meantime, we are getting the Star Trek: Section 31 movie staring Academy Award-winning actress MichelIe Yeoh. She is reprising her role as Emperor Philip Georgiou, her character from Star Trek Discovery (well one of them anyway, mirror universes and all that). This spin-off from the TV series is coming out of warp in early 2025.

Check out our guide to Everything we know about Star trek Section 31 for more info on the upcoming movie.

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].

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 128 — Starliner is Back! What Now?

The best 70s sci-fi movies

'Astroneer' is getting a surprise expansion 8 years after launch (video)

Most Popular

• 2 China prepares for 1st launch of new Long March 8A rocket
• 3 'Surprising' warmth above Antarctica is earliest observed on record
• 4 James Webb Telescope goes 'extreme' and spots baby stars at the edge of the Milky Way (image)
• 5 Could we turn the sun into a gigantic telescope?

Star Trek's Mirror Universe Fully Explained

T he Mirror Universe is one of Star Trek ' s most intriguing concepts with its own rich and fascinating history. Introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, the Mirror Universe has been used sparingly so that each appearance is an event. The alternate reality where nearly every beloved Star Trek character is the opposite of who they are in Star Trek 's Prime Universe spans five TV series: TOS, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Prodigy . The Mirror Universe is also very different from the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, which diverges from the Prime timeline at a fixed point in the 23rd century.

The history of Star Trek 's Mirror Universe unfolds confusingly. After its lone 23rd-century Star Trek: TOS episode, "Mirror, Mirror," Star Trek: Deep Space Nine picked up the Mirror Universe's story in the 24th century. Star Trek: Enterprise then jumped backward 200 years with a 22nd-century prequel tale. Star Trek: Discovery season 1 returned to the Mirror Universe in the 23rd century, a decade before TOS, before it jumped to the 32nd century and filled in some details of what became of the Mirror Universe in the last 800 years. Finally, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 updated the state of the Mirror Universe after DS9 . For clarity's sake, here is what happened in the Mirror Universe chronologically from before First Contact with the Vulcans to what is known about the alternate reality in the 32nd century.

How Star Trek's Mirror Universe Is Different From The Prime Universe

It's not quite a mirror..

Star Trek 's Mirror Universe runs parallel to the Prime Universe's because both realities co-exist in the same space but in different dimensional planes. The variances between people from the Prime and Mirror Universes are primarily cultural, with Mirror counterparts hewing towards malevolence and bigotry. However, there is also at least one distinct physical difference between the two universes: In Star Trek: Discovery season 1, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) noticed that "the cosmos has lost its brilliance" in the alternate reality . Burnham didn't just mean metaphorically; the Mirror version of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) needed eye drops due to his photosensitivity to the light in the Prime Universe.

The Federation and the Terran Empire know of each other's existence.

In Star Trek 's Mirror Universe, instead of the United Federation of Planets, humanity formed the Terran Empire and successfully conquered the Alpha Quadrant in the 22nd and 23rd centuries. The Federation and the Terran Empire know of each other's existence but suppress this information to prevent further crossovers. The Mirror Universe's Terran Empire was ruled by an Emperor. While Federation starships are designated USS, in the Mirror Universe, Terran vessels carry the designation ISS (Imperial Starship). However, the Terran Empire collapsed by the 24th century and was overrun by their enemies, the Klingons and the Cardassians, which formed an alliance along with other worlds like Bajor.

How The Mirror Universe's Terran Empire Rose To Power

The mirror universe's first contact was very different.

On the Mirror Universe's Earth, history unfolded in a mostly identical fashion as in Star Trek' s Prime Universe, except the human race embraced war and fascism as a means to solve problems . Mirror Earth's history involved nations going to war, with the strong overcoming the weak, until the pivotal date of April 5, 2063. This was the day of First Contact with the Vulcans , who landed in Boseman, Montana after Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) became the first human to achieve warp flight.

Cochrane immediately executed the Vulcan visitor with a shotgun.

However, instead of a peaceful meeting as had occurred in the Prime Universe, which fans saw in Star Trek: First Contact , in the Mirror Universe, Cochrane immediately executed the Vulcan visitor with a shotgun, believing this was the first step of an alien invasion of Earth. (Cochrane's shotgun later came to be owned by the Mirror Jonathan Archer.) Cochrane's people then raided the starship and executed the other Vulcans aboard. With Vulcan technology, the human race took to the stars, establishing the Terran Empire within the next century. The Terrans conquered and enslaved many of the other races in the Alpha Quadrant, and the xenophobic human-led empire lasted for almost 300 years.

Star Trek's 22nd Century Mirror Universe

As seen in star trek: enterprise season 4.

Star Trek: Enterprise 's "In A Mirror, Darkly" revealed that in 2155, Commander Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) mutinied against his Captain, Maximillian Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong), and took command of the Terran Empire's flagship, the ISS Enterprise. Archer's scheme involved taking the Enterprise into Tholian space to retrieve the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) , a Constitution Class starship that time-traveled from the 23rd-century Prime Universe to the 22nd-century Mirror Universe in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Tholian Web."

The USS Defiant (NCC-1764) is unrelated to the USS Defiant in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

With the Terran Empire in danger of losing a war against its many enemies, Archer's ambition was to use the far more powerful USS Defiant from the alternate reality to stage a coup where he would become the new Terran Emperor. The Enterprise (and Captain Forrest) were destroyed by the Tholians, but Archer succeeded in commandeering the Defiant. However, Archer was betrayed and killed by his mistress, Hoshi Sato (Linda Park). Sato then took command of the Defiant and completed Archer's coup, declaring herself Empress.

Star Trek's 23rd Century Mirror Universe

As seen in star trek: discovery seasons 1 and 3.

100 years after Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery season 1's Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) revealed himself to be a Terran from the Mirror Universe. Lorca used the USS Discovery's spore displacement hub drive to return to the alternate reality. However, he wanted Michael Burnham to help him stage a coup to dethrone the Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) . Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery posed as their Mirror Universe counterparts in order to survive being trapped in the parallel dimension.

Star Treks 10 Most Evil Mirror Universe Characters

Star Trek's Mirror Universe is home to the most evil versions of our favorite Starfleet heroes, but which ones are the best of the worst?

By 2257, the Terran Empire was the dominant power in the Alpha Quadrant and, under Georgiou's rule, the humans conquered the Klingons, although a band of alien races formed a rebel alliance against the Terrans. Georgiou also knew about the Prime Universe and the Federation because she had access to the USS Defiant's data files. But Georgiou's gravest threat was Lorca, who nearly succeeded in his coup. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery 's four-part saga in the Mirror Universe, Lorca was killed and Georgiou's reign was ended, but Michael Burnham brought the evil doppelgänger of her late Captain Georgiou back with her to the Prime Universe.

Starfleet identified a chimeric strain on the subatomic level in the Terran stem cell, which explains the Terran predisposition towards malevolence.

After the USS Discovery time traveled to the 32nd century Georgiou was personally debriefed by Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) . During their meeting, Kovich updated Georgiou, who knew nothing of the events seen in Star Trek Deep Space Nine , on the state of the Mirror Universe. Kovich revealed that the distance between the Mirror Universe and the Prime Universe had been increasing for centuries , which has prevented crossovers. In fact, no one had jumped from either reality for 500 years. Kovich also informed Georgiou that Starfleet identified a chimeric strain on the subatomic level in the Terran stem cell, which explains the Terran predisposition towards malevolence.

Star Trek: Discovery's Mirror Universe Gave Fans A "Great Sense Of Joy", Says Sonequa Martin-Green

Star Trek: Discovery series lead Sonequa Martin-Green discusses how season 1's Mirror Universe multi-part arc was a turning point for the audience.

With Emperor Georgiou dying from crossing both time and realities , the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) tested her worthiness. Georgiou returned to the Mirror Universe in the 23rd century, where she realized she had changed from her time with the compassionate Michael Burnham in Star Trek' s Prime Universe. The Guardian of Forever was satisfied with Georgiou's newfound perspective and sent the Emperor back to a time when the Prime and Mirror Universes had not yet permanently diverged. Georgiou's story will continue in Star Trek: Section 31 .

Star Trek's Mirror Universe In The 23rd Century

As seen in star trek: the original series season 2 and star trek: discovery season 5.

Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror" was the first appearance of the Mirror Universe that started it all. Chronologically set a decade after Star Trek: Discovery season 1, a transporter accident switched the Prime Universe's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and three of his officers with their Mirror Universe counterparts. While the USS Enterprise's Spock (Leonard Nimoy) quickly imprisoned the evil duplicates of his crewmates, aboard the ISS Enterprise , Kirk had to navigate the dangerous political waters of the Terran Empire, where assassinating your superior officers and rivals is the key to advancement and power.

Kirk challenged Mirror Spock to do what he could to change the destiny of the Terran Empire.

As Kirk grasped the profound differences between the two universes, he realized that the goateed Mirror Spock harbored grave doubts about the longevity of a fascist regime like the Terran Empire, which the Vulcan calculated was doomed to totally collapse within 240 years . Before switching back to his proper universe, Kirk challenged Mirror Spock to do what he could to change the destiny of the Terran Empire.

In the greater context of the overall Mirror Universe's history, Star Trek: Discovery season 2 revealed that the Prime Universe's Spock already knew what the Mirror Universe was thanks to his adopted sister Michael Burnham's experiences and from meeting Emperor Georgiou. As part of his lifelong pact never to reveal the truth about Burnham or the USS Discovery, Spock's swift and decisive actions when he meets Mirror Kirk become recontextualized since the Vulcan knew precisely where this evil version of his Captain came from.

Star Trek: Discovery's Enterprise Plaque Reveals New Mirror Universe History Details

Star Trek: Discovery brought the ISS Enterprise into the 32nd century, and a translation of its dedication plaque reveals new Mirror Universe details.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," picks up Mirror Spock's story when Captain Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) find the derelict ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space and pilot it into the 32nd century. Book and Burnham learned that Mirror Spock's attempts to reform the Terran Empire failed , and the Vulcan was assassinated. A group of refugees inspired by Mirror Saru (Doug Jones) hijacked the ISS Enterprise in an attempt to flee into the Prime Universe. Although the Enterprise was left abandoned, the Mirror refugees did make it into the Prime reality and started new lives.

Star Trek's Mirror Universe In The 24th Century

As seen in star trek: deep space nine and star trek: prodigy season 2.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine continued the story of the Mirror Universe in the 24th century for five episodes throughout its seven seasons. DS9 's first Mirror Universe episode, "Crossover," revealed that the Terran Empire was conquered by the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance. Following Mirror Spock's takeover and failed bid for peace, the vulnerable Terrans were overrun by their alien enemies. Terrans became slaves in the 24th century, fighting a rebellion against the Klingons and Cardassians. Ironically, whereas Spock's legacy was the reunification of the Vulcans and Romulans in Star Trek 's Prime Universe, Mirror Spock's attempt at nobility caused the demise of the mighty Terran Empire.

"Smiley," the Mirror Miles O'Brien, emerged as a central character of DS9 's Mirror Universe story.

DS9 's Mirror Universe saga was intensive, with characters crossing over into both universes , and the action revolved around the Deep Space Nine space station, which was still known as Terok Nor in the Mirror Universe. In "Through the Looking Glass," Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) had to briefly replace his dead counterpart, who was the Terran resistance's leader in the Mirror Universe. Meanwhile, "Smiley," the Mirror Miles O'Brien, emerged as a central character of DS9 's Mirror Universe story; Smiley not only recruited the Prime Sisko, but he also stole the plans for the USS Defiant from Deep Space Nine so that the Terran rebels could have a warship of their own.

Word of the Mirror Universe eventually reached the Ferengi Alliance and Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shawn) jumped to the Mirror Universe in order to open up business opportunities. The Terrans' main enemy was the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance's Regent, who was revealed be Worf (Michael Dorn) . The Regent was eventually overthrown by the rebels in DS9 's final Mirror Universe installment, "The Emperor's New Cloak." DS9' s Mirror Universe story left off with the Terran rebels still fighting to bring down the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance.

Im Thrilled Star Trek Finally Revealed Voyager's Mirror Universe

After seven seasons with no Mirror Universe episode, characters from Star Trek: Voyager's Mirror Universe have finally appeared in Prodigy.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 14, "Cracked Mirror," is now the furthest known point of the Mirror Universe's saga. "Cracked Mirror" revealed that after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Terran Empire rose again in the late 24th century. Adopting their old ways and forming a new Terran Armada, humans once again began conquering the galaxy. Briefly crossing over into the Mirror Universe, Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and the young crew of the USS Protostar found themselves aboard the ISS Voyager-A and become prisoners of the Mirror versions of Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Chakotay. After Mirror Janeway teamed up with the Protostar's heroes to repel the timeline-consuming threat of the Loom, what's next for Star Trek 's Mirror Universe remains to be seen.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Cast Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Gene Roddenberry

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

Where To Watch Paramount+

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

Star Trek: Enterprise

Cast Solomon Burke Jr., Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Anthony Montgomery

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+, Netflix

Writers Brannon Braga

Showrunner Brannon Braga

Star Trek: Discovery

Cast Rekha Sharma, James Frain, Anthony Rapp, Jason Isaacs, Rainn Wilson, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Chris Obi, Shazad Latif, Michelle Yeoh, Maulik Pancholy

Writers Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

Star Trek: Prodigy

Cast Rylee Alazraqui, Kate Mulgrew, John Noble, Jason Mantzoukas, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, Ella Purnell, Dee Bradley Baker

Writers Dan Hageman

Showrunner Dan Hageman

Where To Watch Netflix

• Article Timeline
• Article Archive
• Gniblets – Bite Sized Articles
• Article RSS Feed
• Gnomecast RSS Feed
• Random Article
• Game Making
• Game Mastering
• Player Perspective
• Treasure Tables
• All Categories List

List of All Authors

• Angela Murray
• Chris Sniezak

Jared Rascher

• John Arcadian
• Josh Storey
• Lori Caskey-Sigety
• Matthew J. Neagley
• Old Man Logan
• Phil Vecchione
• Poddy Gnomington
• Senda Linaugh
• Tomas Gimenez Rioja
• Troy E. Taylor
• Walt Ciechanowski
• Articles by Gnomes Emeritus
• Articles By Guest Contributors
• Thank You Patrons!
• About Gnome Stew
• Meet the Gnomes
• Guest Contributors
• Gnomespotting – Gnomes at Conventions!
• Testimonials
• Gnome Stew in Other Languages
• Code of Conduct
• Gnomenclature
• Gnome Stew Paper Miniature Maker
• Recipe for Gnome Stew
• Write for Gnome Stew

Select Page

• Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Core Rulebook Review

I have received review copies in the past from Modiphius for other 2d20 products, but I have not received any review material for the Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Core Rulebook, and I purchased this for review on my own. I have not had an opportunity to play through or run the material in this book, but I have run the first edition of the game for multiple campaigns, as well as other 2d20 RPGs.

  Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Core Rulebook 2d20 System Designer Nathan Dowdell Project Manager Jim Johnson Writers Mike “O’dah ziibing” Ashkewe, Tilly Bridges & Susan Bridges, Rachael Cruz, Alison Cybe, Michael Dismuke, Nathan Dowdell, Keith Garrett, Patrick Goodman, Jim Johnson, Fred Love, Erin Macdonald, PhD, Aaron M Pollyea, J.D. Kennedy, Chris McCarver, Troy Mepyans, Al Spader Editors Jim Johnson, Marieke Cross, Scott Pearson Proofreaders Jim Johnson, Marieke Cross Art Director Ariel Orea Graphic Designers Michal E. Cross, Mark Whittington, Stephanie Toro Cover Artist Paolo Puggioni Interior Artwork Artists Eren Arik, Cristi Balenescu, Marc Bell, Carlos Cabrera, Joshua Calloway, Alexey Chernik, Aurea Freniere, Michele Frigo, Chaim Garcia, Nick Greenwood, Aaron Harvey, Eva Lara, Jens Lindfors, Toma Feizo Gas, Matheus Graef, Vincent Laik, Thomas Marrone, Wayne Miller, Ariel Orea, Dat Phan, Paolo Puggioni, Tobias Richter, Vadim Sadovski, Martin Sobr, Steve Stark, Vitali Timkin, Rodrigo Gonzalez Toledo, Salvador Trakal, Justin Usher, Rhys Yorke, Eaglemoss Ltd., CBS Studios, Inc. For Paramount Global Marian Cordry, Stephen Zelin, Brian Bromberg, Aaron Hubberman, Brian Lady, Danwei Lando, James Salerno, Russell Spina With Thanks To Gene Roddenberry, Marian Cordry, BC Holmes, and the many fans who support this game

Computer, Display Schematics

For this review, I have had the opportunity to look at both the PDF and the hardcover version of the game. The hardcover is a solid chunk of a book that is very similar to both the original Star Trek Adventures book and the Klingon variation of the core rules. It uses similar font, but the colors deviate from the darker colors of the spines for the original books. The original version of the game had pages that emulated the L-CARS appearance of Next Generation consoles, including the black background for the pages. The second edition ditches those black backgrounds for a white one, which I can understand. It’s always a little disheartening when you end up with a permanent fingerprint on your solid black pages.

The official page count of the book is 384 pages, and includes the following:

• Front Endpapers with a map of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant (2 pages, PDF, endpapers in hardcover)
• Back Endpapers with a timeline of Star Trek properties, the Prime Timeline, and the
• Terran Universe Timeline (2 pages, PDF, endpapers in hardcover)
• Credits Page (1 page)
• Table of Contents (1 page)
• Character Sheet (2 pages, front and back)
• Personal Log (1 page)
• Index and Acknowledgements (4 pages)
• Front and Back Cover (2 pages, PDF, front and back cover, hardcover)

Most of the book is in a two-column layout. Some pages have a smaller column with sidebar commentary, as well as offset text boxes exploring topics brought up on the page. There are full color pieces of art introducing each chapter, and there are many half page pieces of art portraying various scenes that would be common for a Star Trek narrative, which includes staring at majestic ships in drydock, Starfleet medical personnel treating inhabitants of a planet, enjoying a meal in the lounge, and the more action oriented combat scenes. There are images from across the timelines detailed, and most are in the same style, except for a few “ Lower Decks ” styled images inserted in various locations.

While there are images from across the timelines, the book also uses a set of iconic characters, first introduced in the quick start. These characters are all from the Strange New Worlds era of Star Trek , with the same uniform and gear from that show. This includes a Betazoid security officer, a human science officer, a Vulcan chief medical officer, a Tellarite chief engineer, an Andorian first officer, and a Trill captain. These are the characters that make some opening comments about the topics introduced in the various chapters.

In addition to those iconic characters and their chapter introductions, there are quotes from a wide range of characters. Some of the characters that contribute quotes or commentary include Picard, Archer, Worf, Tendi, Boimler, Pike, Janeway, Gwyndala, Zero, McCoy, Booker, Data, Georgiou, Kirk, Mariner, Nog, Decker, Sisko, Freeman, Kira, Quark, Ransom, La Forge, and M’Benga.

The book itself is broken up into the following sections:

• A Star Trek Primer
• The Final Frontier
• Reporting for Duty
• Your Home Among the Stars
• Technology and Weapons
• Gamemastering
• Introductory Adventure
• Allies and Adversaries

The new format makes one nice improvement. There aren’t the random strings of numbers on various pages that were meant to represent cluttered data on a viewscreen. I often run the PDF text to speech function while reading, and it could get very tedious when those numbers were read as text instead of a background image.

For The Seasoned Officers

Before I dive into the details of the book, I wanted to hit a quick summary of the differences between the 1e and 2e edition of Star Trek Adventures . This is just a fast rundown, so feel free to check out the details further in the review.

• Say goodbye to the challenge dice–damage and progress are tracked without them now
• Stress is now determined only with your Fitness attribute, unless you have a trait that uses a different attribute
• Some challenges may use stress as one of the consequences of accomplishing goals
• In combat, you take an injury unless you spend stress equal to the weapons rating to resist the injury
• You can recover different amounts of stress by taking a breather (10 minutes or so), taking a break (a half hour to a couple of hours), or sleeping (several hours)
• NPCs don’t have a stress track, but Notable and Major NPCs can spend threat to resist injury
• In ship combat, shields work more like a progress track you are working to complete, rather than the stress for the ship
• There are guidelines for when to use a challenge versus when to use an extended task
• Your progress on extended tasks is based on your rating in a relevant department, rather than the results of the challenge dice
• Many species talents of been rewritten
• You get an additional focus at the end of character creation to reflect a personal interest (for example, Riker might use this extra focus for Jazz)
• There are more guidelines to what species traits are meant to summarize
• Character progression now defaults to the “personal log” method first introduced in the Klingon core rulebook
• Much like in certain political discussions of climate change, the scientific method has been abandoned
• The book is a “greatest hits” of some of the previous releases, incorporating some player character rules for species, traits, technobabble, reprimand and acclaim, and commendations, to name a few

Life in the Federation

I wanted to talk about the Star Trek primer section of the book first, because I think the summary of how the Federation operates may be one of the most concise and inclusive attempts that I’ve seen in any Star Trek product. The primary purpose of this section is to set the tone for what a Star Trek Adventures campaign should look and feel like, but it does more than that. The baseline assumption is that Star Trek Adventures is meant to portray a hopeful future, where humanity can live up to it’s potential, and learn and grow by interacting with other advanced species, while also pointing out where conflict happens.

There is a section that touches on the major cultures of the setting, including:

• The Klingon Empire
• The Romulan Empire
• The Cardassian Union
• The Ferengi Alliance
• The Orion Syndicate
• The Borg Collective
• The Dominion

These aren’t exhaustive treatments, but they often touch on those societies in multiple eras. The Klingons and Romulans both get multiple pages, the Cardassians and the Dominion both get a page, and the others each have a half-page of information. The information is current up through the third season of Picard , but that also means we get some season four information from Discovery .

There is a page on “other civilizations,” which includes a few paragraphs on the Tholian Assembly, the Q Continuum, and the Pakleds (including Lower Decks updates), as well as a paragraph that talks about Delta Quadrant societies like the Hirogen, Kazon, Vidians, and Talaxians. A notable omission is the Gorn Hegemony, which I imagine may have been avoided since Strange New Worlds is still in the midst of an ongoing narrative with that culture.

The information about life in the Federation is where this section shines. Have you ever wondered exactly what Star Trek means when various characters say they don’t have money in the Federation, especially in light of situations where Federation members seem to be working for profit or trading with cultures that definitely do still use money? What about human religion in the Federation? Have you ever wondered why sometimes something from the holodeck can leave the holodeck? Why can’t you use cargo transporters to transport large numbers of people from one place to another? These all receive answers that should make you feel better equipped to answer those questions when they come up.

Life in an Alternate Federation?

The previous version of Star Trek Adventures included a section on planet classification, space-phenomenon, and the basics of warp travel and subspace. This time around, there are a few more sections that touch on additional topics like alternate universes and time travel.

There is a brief section on the Terran Universe (or the Mirror Universe), and Quantum Multiverses (lots of different realities where things may be changed in smaller, significant ways). This also touches on time travel, and the different ways it can be accomplished in Star Trek (there are at least five different ways that this can happen outlined in the book).

Life in Starfleet

While this iteration of Star Trek Adventures isn’t quite as tied to portraying only Starfleet Personnel, it is still considered the default mode of playing the game. As such, we get a section on how Starfleet works, and how it has changed over the eras.

There are some sidebars on organizations adjacent to Starfleet, like Division 14, the section of Starfleet introduced in Lower Decks , which deals with Starfleet personnel that have been affected by strange phenomena. There is also a sidebar with a few paragraphs on Section 31, which frames the organization the way I prefer it to exist, as an organization that isn’t known outside of a few members of Starfleet that are allied with it, which does not have any official standing with the Federation or Starfleet.

The book touches on the Temporal Prime Directive and assumptions about what Starfleet personnel should do in a time travel situation. The original Prime Directive is also addressed. I enjoy that the examples they give make the Prime Directive feel more like something you can discuss and use in game, rather than an absolute hammer to drop on players that make the wrong decision. True to many of the episodes, you may need to justify your interpretation, but unless you completely throw it out the window, it should provide you with more roleplaying opportunities rather than an excuse to punish players for making hard decisions.

The section on Starfleet then discusses Starfleet Academy, duty assignments, and mission types. I appreciate that among the mission types, we get Second Contact missions integrated into standard Starfleet procedures, giving us a solid tie into the contribution made by Lower Decks.

There is a half-page dedicated to Non-Starfleet campaigns, which are better supported than in the original Star Trek Adventures book, but not as supported as, for example, in the Klingon core rulebook, which make sense. The biggest support from this section would be Federation civilians working in concert with Starfleet personnel, representing characters like ambassadors and civilian academics working with Starfleet science personnel.

(Quantum) Game Mechanics

The heart of the 2d20 system is pretty simple. Whenever you make a check, you roll two twenty-sided dice. You compare this to a number derived from an attribute and a department (in the case of Star Trek Adventures ). Your attribute will top out at 12, and your department will top out at 5. If you roll under those two numbers added together, you get a success. If you have a Focus that applies to the task you are attempting (like Martial Arts if you are making a hand-to-hand combat attack), you gain an additional success if you roll below your Department score. That means if you have a focus that is relevant, on 2d20, you could get from 0 to 4 successes.

You can spend some game currencies to buy extra dice, and some talents may add an additional die. You can never roll more than five on a check., meaning you would max out, in a spectacular series of rolls, at 10 successes. In some situations, someone else can aid you, but they will only be rolling 1d20, and you can only add their successes to your own if you have at least one success. That means, if you are facing a Difficulty 3 check to calm down an enraged government official, and someone is aiding you, and they roll two successes on their attempt to help you, if you roll 0 successes, it doesn’t help you at all. But if you roll one success, you can add their successes to your own and meet the Difficulty of three.

There are several currencies in the game. Momentum tops out at six. If you get more successes than you need on a check, you can generate momentum to add to your pool. You can use Momentum for several things, like buying extra dice, asking additional questions, or adding damage to a weapon’s rating. Threat is a similar currency that the GM can use. Whenever a PC rolls a complication (usually a 20), the GM can create a trait in the scene or add two additional Threat to their pool. Among other things, the GM can use this to create scene traits, or to modify NPC rolls in a manner similar to what PCs can use Momentum for. Players can choose to add threat whenever they don’t have Momentum to spend.

The final currency is Determination. You can only have three Determination at any one time. You can only spend Determination if you have a Value relevant to the task you are attempting, or if your task is related to the mission directives you have been given. Determination buys you an extra die, but the die is considered to have rolled a 1. That die does count against your five dice maximum. Your Values determine what your character believes, and if you challenge one of your values, you can add a Determination, cross it out, and rewrite it after the mission is over.

Talents work the way you may expect, being much like feats, talents, perks, or other game rules across RPGs. They are exceptions to how the regular rules work, granting you things like rerolling dice under certain circumstances. There are talents that add additional species abilities, general abilities, or abilities related to what career path you are on.

Character advancement is tracked by filling out character logs. The log doesn’t need to be a deep explanation of what happened in a game session. Instead, it’s a quick note about “X happened, this relates to my Value of Y.” After a number of log entries, a character gains an advancement, and characters can “spend” those log entries to remember a relevant situation to generate Determination in a current mission.

A good portion of play deals with traits. A scene trait may narratively deny a course of action or may make something more difficult to accomplish. Traits can have higher magnitudes, so you can have Ion Storm (3), which would make the difficulty of checks to transport through the storm, or send communications through the storm, increase by three. Traits are more open-ended, where the GM and the players can discuss what those traits mean and when they apply.

Character Creation

Character creation can be done in one of two ways. The first is a Lifepath system, where you walk through your character’s life up to the current day, adding attributes, department ratings, talents, and values at various steps of the process. The lifepath follows the following steps:

• Environment (where you were raised)
• Upbringing (how you were raised)
• Career Path (what you learned)
• Experience (how long have you been doing this)
• Career Events (significant events)
• Finishing Touches

If you don’t want to go through this process, there is the Creation in Play method. In this case, the character has a number of values, focuses, and unassigned division ratings. When your character attempts to do something, they can decide they want to assign points to one of their departments, and maybe a focus, to help with the roll. Once this happens, those elements are locked in, and the character has one less of each of those to assign.

There is much more direction about what a character’s species trait means. For example, they give examples that something that requires raw strength may be slightly less difficult for Klingons or Vulcans, because they have above average strength for humanoids their size. The species abilities have been reworked, and I like the directions many of them have moved. For example, Vulcans can spend stress to avoid gaining a trait associated with an emotional state, but if they are Fatigued, any emotional state trait they have is increased in potency by 1, to represent that Vulcans aren’t emotionless, they are just tightly in control of their strong emotions.

There are additional career paths that are civilian based, instead of the standard Starfleet career paths, including Diplomatic Corps, Civilian (Physician), Civilian (Scientist), Civilian (Official), and Civilian (Trader). Service roles integrate some of the slightly different roles that appear in the Star Trek Adventure’s Player’s Guide, including civilian postings like Bodyguard, Expert, Merchant, or Political Liaison. You can also choose to have a character that has cybernetic components or that has been genetically modified.

Starship combat is a little different from the first edition of Star Trek Adventures , but not dramatically. One of the big differences is that it has been framed to look a lot more like personal combat, but with a few more formal procedures that take place with each action. I don’t mind some extra procedure in rules like these, mainly because starship combat in Star Trek is more deliberate and tactical when it occurs. But that added procedure still needs to be approachable.

Like ground combat, movement is defined by zones. Unlike 1e edition, the similarity in combat rules means that you can fly your ship behind cover if cover exists in the zone, making you harder to hit. If your helm operator takes the Evasive Action option on their turn, the difficulty of hitting your ship changes from a static number to an opposed test. Damage takes down your shields, but you may also be reducing incoming damage as well based on your size and hull. If you can’t mitigate oncoming damage, you suffer a breach. When a system is breached, you need to make temporary repairs to get it back online, but if it takes a number of breaches equal to your ship’s scale, that system has been effectively destroyed.

Certain options are available to characters in different positions on the ship. For example, the Operations console allows you to reroute power to regenerate your shields.

Should I drop supporting characters here? Your number of supporting characters is tied to the scale of your ship, so why not?

Just like in STA 1e, you can bring supporting characters into scenes. This can be done when a player’s role on the ship doesn’t make sense for the away team, for example. You can create a number of supporting characters up to your Crew Compliment, and these characters belong to the ship, not any particular player. Supporting characters have a slightly lower standard array of Attributes, a range of Department ratings, and three foci.

Lower Decks has inspired a new twist on this, which is a Supervisory character, a senior character not played by one of the players that can be adopted by players when they need an officer to help direct them. They get a slightly higher array for their attributes and departments, and an additional focus. They also start with a value and stress track. Since I had a crew of players where no one wanted to play the captain, this would have been a nice rule to have available for that campaign.

While you can still contribute your own advances to supporting characters, reintroducing a supporting character now triggers an advancement once per adventure. These include gaining a Value and a stress track, increasing Attributes or Departments, adding a focus, or adding a talent to the character. A character that has gone through all of these improvements can’t be further improved unless a player adopts them as their new player character.

Mission Status

In addition to the rules, character creation, NPC stat blocks, and ships, the core rulebook also contains a starting adventure. If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you know I’m a fan of including adventures. Even if you aren’t going to use them, they help you to see how the designers intend the rules to be used for game sessions.

The adventure included in this book is based in the Strange New Worlds /just pre-The Original Series era. I like the structure of this adventure, because it presents a Prime Directive quandary, and enough wiggle room to argue for limited intervention, in addition to the science/medical emergency that is the primary conflict of the adventure.

The adventure includes a synopsis, a section on Spotlight Roles (the crew positions that will be doing the heavy lifting in the adventure), and the mission directives. The action is divided into three acts. The adventure has one encounter that might turn into combat, but most of the conflict comes from the moral quandaries and the science that needs to be done.

Glory to Your House  The broader options for non-Starfleet characters open up some character types that we’ve seen in multiple series. 

The way much of this book has been put together really does simplify the processes in the game. Combat makes more sense. Stress is more versatile. The species abilities are more nuanced and work together well with some of the new talents. The broader options for non-Starfleet characters open up some character types that we’ve seen in multiple series. There are better examples for when to utilize challenges and when to use extended tasks, and extended tasks are a little easier to follow. While the challenge dice were never a major impediment to me, I have to admit that when I’ve played 2d20 games that don’t utilize them, everything feels like its rolling along just a little bit smoother.

I Protest, I Am Not a Merry Man

The discussion of species traits did a wonderful job of explaining how those traits can be used in a contextual manner to cover a wide range of abilities native to the species. I wish they had extended that logic to Attribute bonuses, which are still tied to species. The organization of the book is much better than 1e edition, but I still feel like I need to hunt a bit to pull together all of the Starship rules. Some of the game rules are great and make sense for Star Trek, like the character log advancement, but may seem a little intimidating to a player that has first encounters it.

Recommended–If the product fits in your broad area of gaming interests, you are likely to be happy with this purchase.

When the original Star Trek Adventures rulebook came out, I thought it was one of the best examples of an RPG based on a property that understands its topic and is designed to support the emblematic narratives native to it. This version is no exception, doing what a solid new edition does–keeping a lot of the familiar structure that works, and streamlining the elements that weren’t as flexible or as intuitive in long-term play.

• STA 2e Cover - Images for Journalistic / Review Purposes     
• Personal Photo - Other     
• Reporting for Duty Chapter Art - Images for Journalistic / Review Purposes     
• Operations Chapter Art - Images for Journalistic / Review Purposes     
• Allies and Adversaries Chapter Art - Images for Journalistic / Review Purposes     

About The Author

Jared Rascher has been gaming since 1985, when he stole his sister’s D&D Basic Set to rescue it from disuse. In the past, he has written several articles for the Forgotten Realms fan site Candlekeep, was present for ground zero as a GM for Pathfinder Society Season Zero at Gen Con 2008, and helped provide feedback on the original documents for that organized play program. He has been a moderator for several online gaming communities, and these days, he likes to write RPG reviews to justify all of those games he can’t keep himself from buying.

Check out our newest content!

September 16, 2024

• Earning Their Trust: Keeping Your Promises

August 30, 2024

Commenting System Changes and User Cleanup

February 15, 2021

• Gnomecast 197 – Brand New Players

September 11, 2024

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

It Came From The Stew Pot

Written by a team of veteran Gamers and Gamemasters, Gnome Stew is a widely read gaming blog with multiple awards, ennies, and thousands of articles. We’re dedicated to helping gamers have more fun at the gaming table.

What Are People Saying?

What are people saying?

“If you aren’t reading Gnome Stew, you’re missing out.”

Wolfgang baur, kobold press, recent articles.

• Gnomecast 196 – Two GM Slip Ups
• Character Backgrounds: Set vs Emergent

Our Products

Our books for gms.

Through our partner Engine Publishing, we've published six system-neutral books for GMs, with over 28,000 copies sold. Available in print and PDF.

Through Encoded Designs

Through our partnership in the G.E.M. collective, many of the Gnomes are affiliated with creating products through Encoded Designs. Available in print and PDF.

Pin It on Pinterest