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 57 years and spawn a dozen TV series (and counting) as well as 13 feature films.
Watching Star Trek was relatively simple throughout the 1960s into the early 2000s. 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 five current 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.
13 Star Trek: Enterprise
The earliest-set Star Trek series is Enterprise, later retitled Star Trek: Enterprise in season 3. Set almost a hundred years after Earth's First Contact with Vulcans, 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..." was actually set during the 24th century of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7. But Enterprise remains the recognized beginning of Star Trek.
12 Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 & 2
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 were also set about a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series, which makes it a prequel (initially). Discovery brought Star Trek into the modern Peak TV era, but its production values and storytelling risks clashed with established canon. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, the series jumps to the other end of the timeline so that the rest of the saga occurs during the 32nd century.
11 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
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 was incredibly well received for bringing the optimistic and episodic voyages of the Starship Enterprise to modern audiences.
10 Star Trek: The Original Series
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 Star Trek show in the 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.
9 Star Trek: The Animated Series
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 cast 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.
8 Star Trek: The Next Generation
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, The Next Generation inherited the Star Trek movie franchise, delivering four films from 1994-2002. TNG kicked off what is creatively the richest and most complex period of Star Trek, spawning three spinoffs, and The Next Generation's legacy is concluded in Star Trek: Picard.
7 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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 Captain, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), DS9 broke 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, which continues to impact Star Trek: Picard in the early 25th century.
6 Star Trek: Voyager
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 Voyager throughout its 7-season journey back home to Earth. Voyager explored a region of Star Trek never seen before and created a breakout character in the former Borg named Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
5 Star Trek: Lower Decks
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 as it enters season 4 with a fifth season already greenlit.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
4 Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek: Prodigy, a joint venture between CBS/Paramount and Nickelodeon, is designed to bring younger viewers into the Star Trek franchise. 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 Prodigy season 2 poised to travel to an alternate 25th-century timeline.
3 Star Trek: Picard
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 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 hopes the 25th-century era will continue in a new series dubbed Star Trek: Legacy.
2 Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, 4 & 5
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
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.
