How to Watch Every 'Star Trek' TV Show In Chronological Order
From the original series to 'Picard,' 'Discovery' and beyond, here's your guide to the 'Star Trek' TV timeline.
Premiering in 1966, Star Trek only lasted for three seasons before coming to an end. Over the following years, however, the show continued to air reruns and built up a massive and dedicated fanbase. Paramount decided to relaunch the franchise as a film series before launching a new TV series in the franchise.
Both the movies and new shows were successful, leading to one of the longest-running and most successful sci-fi franchises of all time, with yet another upcoming series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy being officially announced on March 30, 2023.
Over the years, various shows have been made depicting different time periods of the Star Trek timeline, which can make watching them in order confusing. Here's how to watch all Star Trek shows in chronological order.
Star Trek Shows In Order
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
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The earliest series in the timeline is Star Trek: Enterprise, which follows the adventures of the crew of the very first warp-capable starship, the Enterprise. Set during the earliest days of Starfleet, the Federation has yet to be established. Scott Bakula stars as Captain Jonathan Archer, who leads a crew that consists of Vulcan T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), engineer Trip Tucker (Conner Trinneer), security officer Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) and communications officer Hoshi Sato (Linda Park). The events of the show the events that would lead to the formation of the Federation.
Related: 15 Fun Facts About Star Trek
Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 and 2 (2017-2019)
Paramount+
Next on the timeline is Star Trek: Discovery, which follows the adventures of the crew of the starship Discovery. The series is set about 10 years before the events of the original series and shows the events that led to the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham.
Unlike other shows, the main character doesn't start off as the captain of the ship, with Burnham initially serving as a science specialist. The cast also includes first officer Saru (Doug Jones), engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), and captain Gabriel Luca (Jason Isaacs). At the end of the second season, the Discovery is catapulted into the far future, so only the first two seasons belong here canonically.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-)
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The second season of Discovery reintroduced Captain Christopher Pike to modern Star Trek fans. The original captain of the Enterprise, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shows Pike commanding the ship before Kirk takes command for the original series. This show follows the typical Star Trek format, with the crew exploring the universe, meeting new aliens and getting into shenanigans every week. Anson Mount plays Pike, while Ethan Peck portrays Spock and Rebecca Romjin plays Number One.
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Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
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While this show comes fourth in the timeline, everything Star Trek started here. The show is often referred to by fans as "the original series," although its official title is simply Star Trek. William Shatner stars as James T. Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise. He lead the ship as it completed its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, during which time the ship came across strange new life forms, and also routinely came into conflict with known aliens like the Klingons or Romulans. Leonard Nimoy also stars as Spock and Deforest Kelley portrays Dr. McCoy.
Related: 8 Most Inspiring Quotes From William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)
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Set after the events of the original series, Star Trek: The Animated Series is basically the same show as the original, except animated. Due to it being a cartoon, the show's creators had a bit more freedom in the types of aliens and creatures that the crew could encounter. Also, due to it being a cartoon, the stories were a bit more kid-friendly. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Majel Barrett all returned to voice their characters from the previous series.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
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Set nearly a century after the event of the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard as he leads the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as it explores the galaxy, looking for new life and new worlds and going where no man has gone before. Sir Patrick Stewart portrays Picard, with the rest of the cast including first officer Riker (Jonathan Frakes), lieutenant commander Data (Brent Spiner), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), chief engineer Geordi La Forge (Levar Burton), security chief Worf (Michael Dorn) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis).
Related: 50 Best Jean-Luc Picard Quotes to 'Engage' Your Mind
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
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Set several years after the events of Best of Both Worlds, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the first Star Trek show to take place on a space station. Commander Benjamin Sisko leads a crew of both Federation and Bajorin crew members who quickly discover that the station exists next to a stable wormhole to the other side of the galaxy. Avery Brooks stars as Sisko, with the rest of the cast including Major Kira (Nana Visitor), Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig), shapeshifting security chief Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and science officer Dax (Terry Farrell). Michael Dorn would eventually join the cast, reprising his role as Worf.
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Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
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Set a few years after the discovery of the Deep Space Nine wormhole, Star Trek: Voyager tells a different type of story for Star Trek. After an accident sends the Voyager, along with a ship belonging to the terrorist organization the Macqui, to the other side of the galaxy, the two crews must work together to make the 35-year journey back home.
Captain Catherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) leads, with the crew consisting of first officer Chakotay (Robert Beltram), security chief Tuvok (Tim Russ), helmsman Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), and engineer Torres (Roxan Dawson). Jeri Ryan would eventually join the cast as former Borg drone Seven of Nine.
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Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-)
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Star Trek: Lower Decks is the first animated comedy series set in the Star Trek universe. Set several years after the end of Voyager, the series follows a group of support crew members who work on the lower decks of the USS Cerritos. The show follows the exploits of ensign Mariner (Tawny Newsome), ensign Boimler (Jack Quaid), ensign Tendi (Noel Wells) and ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero).
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Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-)
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Set only a few years after the events of Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy comes next in the timeline. The animated show is aimed at younger audiences and tells the story of a group of young aliens who discover the abandoned Starfleet vessel USS Protostar. The series follows 17-year-old Dal R'El (Brett Gray) as he leads his friends to the Alpha Quadrant. The crew also includes linguist Gwyndala (Ella Purnell), Jankon Pg (Jason Mantzoukas) and the ship's holographic training advisor (Kate Mulgrew), which is based on the appearance of Admiral Janeway.
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Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
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Star Trek: Picard is set about two decades after the end of Voyager and, as the title suggests, follows the adventures of retired admiral Picard. Each season tells a self-contained story, but the show mainly follows Picard (once again played by Sir Patrick Stewart) as he teams up with old friends like William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), along with new allies, such as Raffi (Michelle Hurd), a former Starfleet officer suffering with abuse problems.
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Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 3-5 (2020-)
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At the end of its second season, the USS Discovery is flung into the far future. Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery picks up with the crew of the ship realizing that they're now in the year 3188 (about 900 years after the events of the original series). The crew must help restore Starfleet, which suffered major losses during a mysterious event known as the burn. Sonequa Martin-Green still stars as Michael Burnham, along with Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, and Mary Wiseman.
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