Whether you’ve overlooked Star Trek for the past 60 years, looking to finally catch up, or are a die-hard fan setting out on a new binge, this list is here help you figure out the best order to watch everything the long-running sci-fi series has to offer.
There are really three ways to approach a binge of this size and complexity: chronologically, by release, or the mythical “best.” Here we’ll provide you with the full list of how to do each one and you can choose for yourself from there.
How to Watch All of Star Trek in Release Order
Watching by release date is probably the easiest way to do this, though it might not deliver the best overall experience. Considering this is how much of the fanbase got hooked, however, it’s a perfectly valid way to get into Trek. It also helps with the times when later shows reference earlier ones, ensuring you’ve seen everything that’s being referenced. It should be noted here that many series and films — especially the current Paramount+ ones — overlap. For these moments, which are noted below when shows/movies were on at the same time, it might be wise to stagger your viewing of the seasons as there may be overlap in their storylines.
- Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
- Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974) — (Note: Maybe not canon but maybe also is.)
- 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)
- 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) — (Note: some characters overlap with TNG)
- Star Trek: Generations (1994) — (Note: Overlap with TNG)
- Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) — (Note: While rare, some characters overlap with DS9)
- 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: Short Treks (2018-2020) — (Note: Bridges gaps between Discovery seasons)
- Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-Present) (Note: Overlaps with SNW)
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-Present)
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present) — (Note: Overlaps with Discovery and Lower Decks)
- Star Trek: Very Short Treks (2023) — (Note: Not canon)
How to Watch All of Star Trek in Chronological Order
Watching a franchise with as many entries as Star Trek in chronological order can be pretty tricky since some newer shows and films take place in the earlier in the timeline while older shows take place later. There’s also the films starring Chris Pine that take place on a different timeline entirely (the Kelvin timeline). That’s not to mention that time travel is an accepted and heavily regulated science in-universe and a popular plot mechanic, so almost every crew has, at some point, done it. That raises the question of where to put films like The Voyage Home, which has the TOS crew traveling back to the 1980s, or something like Discovery, which starts in the TOS era, spends half its first season in a parallel dimension, and then jumps millennia forward. Let’s not even get started on the ending of Enterprise. The point being is that chronological order is a terrible way to watch this franchise. If you must, though, here is the correct order, based on what time period each crew called “home” originally.
- Star Trek: Enterprise (Stardates: 2151-2156)
- Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks (First two seasons: 2256-2258, Final three seasons: 3188-?)
- Star Trek (2258-2259 Kelvin Timeline)
- Star Trek Into Darkness (2259-2260 Kelvin Timeline)
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-??)
- Star Trek Beyond (2263 Kelvin Timeline)
- Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)
- Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2273)
- Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (2285)
- Star Trek: The Search for Spock (2285)
- Star Trek: The Voyage Home (2286)
- Star Trek: The Final Frontier (2287)
- Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (2293)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)
- Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)
- Star Trek: Generations (2371)
- Star Trek: First Contact (2373)
- Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-??)
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-??)
- Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)
- Star Trek: Very Short Treks — (Not canon)
How to Watch All of Star Trek in the Best Order
As you can tell from the two very long lists above, there is a lot of Star Trek to watch. Those lists don’t even do it justice considering that even without all the new streaming shows and movies, there are 709 episodes. That is a lot of time to dedicate to one franchise (and it is totally worth it), but if you’re going to do it, you’ll want an order that gets you hooked. Release date order may work for some, but it’s not the best way to get into great Trek right away. Instead use the method below to enjoy your journey through Star Trek to its fullest.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Start with what is easily the most accessible series and, for many, still the best. The first two seasons can be a little rocky, but they build the foundations for basically all Trek to come. The majority of Star Trek’s greatest episodes reside within this series, making it easy to get into and stick with. The episodic nature also makes it a good series to binge in free time to get your addiction kicked off without paying 100% attention. Yes, there are references and cameos from TOS, Voyager, and DS9 but not enough to not recommend simply watching TNG on its own straight through.
Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek movies I-VI
Now that you’re hooked, go back to the start. TOS may be a bit dated and wonky, but it’s all Trek, and it’s incredibly ahead of its time. The contrast between Kirk and Picard as Captains will also play off each other by watching these series back-to-back. Once you’re done, jump into the TOS films, which will keep things chronological for a good while as none of these films cross over with the TV shows in any way.
Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Films
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you watch Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, or Star Trek Beyond as long as you’ve watched TOS and its films already. The movies are heavily connected to that series but kick off an entirely different timeline from every other show and film. Since they’re separate, you can really watch these at any point post-TOS, but watching it right after will give you the best experience of Star Trek‘s “What if…?” storylines.
Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and TNG Films
Here’s where things get a little mushy. You can quite easily binge these three completely separately as they have minimal impact on each other. However, the best experience is probably to watch these as audiences of the time would. That means binging Deep Space Nine for two seasons, then alternating between episodes with Voyager while watching the TNG films during the seasons they came out before capping it all off with Star Trek: Nemesis. This order should give a good variety through a very long stretch of what can be some fantastic television and film. Fair warning, however, that the groundbreaking, serialized, final season of DS9 is going to be very hard to pause for even one episode of Voyager.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek: Prodigy, having recently been renewed by Netflix, pops up in a weird place in the watch order because it’s just hard to place. Geared towards engaging younger viewers in Trek, it’s absolutely fantastic. Honestly, if you’re watching with a child, it could even be a perfect way to start your viewing. However, the Voyager cast play a large role in the first season, so watching it after Voyager is really helpful if you care about plotlines and canon like any well-respected adult should. Can you watch it any time after your Voyager binge? Sure, but why not dive into something really good before you start Discovery?
Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
You have to watch Discovery to get to SNW, which is the only reason this list doesn’t have SNW higher. The second season of Discovery functions as a backdoor pilot to SNW while also being the best season of Discovery. Once the latter show jumps to the far future, they’re entirely separate so there’s no need to alternate viewing between the two if you feel like binging all of Discovery before moving onto SNW. You’ll need to watch Short Treks between the Discovery seasons they debuted before as they have some plot points in them you would miss otherwise.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Look, there’s very obviously a lot of not-so-great Trek to get through at the end of this list, but the goal is to be such a fan by this time that you’ll watch it anyway. Enterprise isn’t as bad as you may have heard, but it isn’t good either. Get through it. Enjoy the weird season set almost entirely in a hidden portion of the universe known as The Expanse, and then get just as angry as everyone else at its idiotic conclusion. At least you’ll be able to complain with the best of them once you’re done.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
We’re going to break up the suck with some of the best Trek on TV right now. Lower Decks is a Star Trek parody made by Star Trek. As such, you can’t really appreciate it until you’ve watched everything else. In fact, thanks to binging the rest, you may appreciate it more than most as you pick out deep cuts and references that those who watched the shows as they aired might miss. It’s a great reminder why you’re watching all of this before having to suffer through the final show.
Star Trek: Picard
One might expect that you’d just keep the good times rolling by watching Picard right after TNG. The show is, after all, a continuation of that series built on nostalgia and some unfinished plotlines. However, the first two seasons of Picard are so terrible that doing so would be like eating filet mignon and then instantly washing it down with some moonshine. Plus, the third and only decent season, is a massive nostalgia trip that can only be fully appreciated if you’ve spent the hours and hours and hours it takes to get through all of Trek. It’s the perfect victory lap for what you’ve just accomplished.
Bonus: Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: Very Short Treks
Is it canon? Is it not? Who cares. TAS is weird, dumb, poorly animated, and kind of hard to watch — but there’s some great episodes in there. You can avoid it entirely and be totally fine or slot it into any watch order you want post-TOS. Very Short Treks are just some fun YouTube shorts released in the style of TAS. Watch them whenever too.
