How to Watch Star Trek in Release & Chronological Order

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Star Trek expert Richard Thomas explains the best way to start watching Star Trek

Co-authored by Richard Thomas and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: August 6, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Release Order
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• Chronological Order
|
• Getting Into Star Trek
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• Upcoming Projects
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• Where to Watch
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• What It’s About
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• More Shows & Movies
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

As the rival to Star Wars, Star Trek is one of the most popular sci-fi franchises out there. The original series premiered in 1966, and the franchise shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Because there’s so much content, it may feel a bit overwhelming to jump in, but we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll explain how to watch all the Star Trek shows and films in release and chronological order, as well as where to stream them and more, with exclusive advice from a Star Trek expert. Let’s dive in!

How do you watch Star Trek in order?

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Star Trek expert Richard Thomas says if you want to watch Star Trek chronologically, start with Star Trek: Enterprise and end with Starfleet Academy. However, most fans recommend watching the franchise in release order, starting with Star Trek: The Original Series and ending with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

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Section 1 of 7:

How to Watch Star Trek in Release Order

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1. 
   Most Trekkies agree that it’s best to watch the Star Trek franchise in release order, especially if you’re just getting into the series. Here’s the full release order of all the shows and movies, along with the years they were released:

   • Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
   • Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
   • 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 (1984)
   • Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
   • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
   • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
   • 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: Enterprise (2001-2005)
   • Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
   • Star Trek (2009)
   • Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
   • Star Trek Beyond (2016)
   • Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024)
   • Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
   • Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)
   • Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-2024)
   • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Ongoing)
   • Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
   • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026-Ongoing)

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Richard Thomas is a Star Trek expert and superfan who makes content about the franchise on TikTok and Instagram.
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Section 2 of 7:

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

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1. 
   Watching Star Trek in chronological order involves a bit of jumping around, so it’s more complicated than the release order. Thomas explains that Enterprise is the first show to watch chronologically and the last few seasons of Discovery and Starfleet Academy are the last to watch, as they take place after a massive time jump. Here’s the watch order along with the dates each entry takes place in-universe:

   • Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)
   • Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2 (2256-2258)
   • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)
   • Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)
   • Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)
   • Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)
   • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)
   • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)
   • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)
   • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)
   • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)
   • Star Trek: Section 31 (2326)
   • Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)
   • Star Trek Generations (2293 and 2371)
   • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)
     • Thomas suggests watching Deep Space Nine between Generations and First Contact because Worf shows up in First Contact on the Defiant, which means he's already been serving on Deep Space Nine.
   • Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)
     • Thomas notes that Voyager and Deep Space Nine roughly take place at the same time, so you can also start them simultaneously.
   • Star Trek: First Contact (2373)
   • Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)
   • Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)
   • Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-2382)
   • Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-2385)
   • Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)
   • Star Trek: Discovery season 3-5 (3188-3191)
   • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (3195)
   • Note: J. J. Abrams’s 2009 reboot series (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond) follows an alternate timeline. Because they take place out of the main timeline, Thomas says you can watch them whenever you want.

Section 3 of 7:

The Best Way to Get Into Star Trek

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1. If you want to get into Star Trek but aren't ready to follow any of the long watch orders above, there are a few good places to start! Thomas recommends these starting points for people who’ve never seen Star Trek before:

   • The 2009 Star Trek film, which is the first in the Kelvin timeline, says Thomas. He suggests this starting point because the movie is exciting and full of action, and introduces you to the characters (even though they’re not their classic Trek selves).
   • The Next Generation series is another great entry point, Thomas says. If that hooks you in, he suggests following the series release order from there (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, etc.).
   • If you like what you’ve seen, Thomas then recommends watching the original series, followed by the original series movies (especially the trilogy Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and Voyage Home). He says this is some of the best that Star Trek has to offer.
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Section 4 of 7:

Upcoming Star Trek Content

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1. Multiple Star Trek projects have been announced. If you’re already caught up on all the Star Trek content, don’t worry. More is on the way! Strange New Worlds season 4 is set to premiere on Paramount+ on July 23, 2026, and the second season of Starfleet Academy will likely premiere in 2027. A live-action comedy series is also in development, though there is no word on when it will be released.

Section 5 of 7:

Where to Watch Star Trek

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1. Watch the Star Trek franchise on Paramount+. If you want to watch the full franchise, you’re in luck! It’s all available to stream on Paramount+. Paramount currently owns the entire Star Trek franchise, so unless anything changes, expect to find any upcoming releases on there as well.
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Section 6 of 7:

What is Star Trek about?

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1. Star Trek follows the Starfleet crew as they explore the galaxy. According to Star Trek lore, in the 21st century, humanity developed the ability to use warp drive to travel through space faster than the speed of light, allowing them to make contact with an alien species known as the Vulcans. The series begins in the 23rd century and follows different characters as they continue to explore space and seek peace with other species.

   • Want to know which Star Trek character you’re most like? Take our “Which Iconic Star Trek Character Am I Most Like?” quiz to find out!

Section 7 of 7:

More TV Show & Movie Watch Orders

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1. Ready to nerd out with another popular franchise? We’ve got you covered! Check out these other wikiHow articles to learn the best watch orders for other shows and movies:

   • Battlestar Galactica
   • Stargate
   • X-Men
   • Arrowverse
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