How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

Watching every 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 60 years and spawn a dozen TV series, as well as 14 feature films.

Watching Star Trek in order was once relatively simple. Star Trek: The Original Series was about the 23rd-century voyages of the Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, depicting Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) 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.

A new era of Star Trek TV series began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, which spawned five spinoffs. Star Trek on Paramount+'s multiple series take place throughout Star Trek's timeline, from the 23rd century to the distant future of the 32nd century. Regardless of live-action or animation, every Star Trek TV series is part of the same canon in Star Trek's Prime Universe.

Here's the proper way to watch every Star Trek series by in-universe timeline order.

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). Star Trek: Enterprise aired for four seasons on United Paramount Network (UPN).

Captain Archer's adventures primarily took place in the 22nd century, althoughh Enterprise introduced a Temporal Cold War that impacted the 25th century, and Star Trek: Enterprise's controversial 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.

12 Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 & 2 (2017-2019)

23rd century: 2256-2258

Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 were set in 2256 and 2258, about a hundred years after Star Trek: Enterprise, and centered on Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). 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.

11 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-2027)

23rd century: 2259-2265

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 includes younger versions of Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Scotty (Martin Quinn), and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush).

Strange New Worlds is yet another prequel that takes place approximately 5-7 years before Star Trek: The Original Series, and it was well-received for bringing the optimistic and episodic voyages of the Starship Enterprise to modern audiences. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' five-year mission bridges to Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) taking over the Starship Enterprise and the start of Star Trek: The Original Series.

10 Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

23rd century: 2266-2269

Star Trek: The Original Series was the first Star Trek show to air, but its mid-23rd-century setting (2266-2269) now places 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 NBC canceled Star Trek in 1969, it became even more popular thanks to syndication, opening the door to an aborted sequel series, Star Trek: Phase II, which was turned into 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The original Star Trek 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 (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.

Star Trek: The Animated Series 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 on Paramount+ have included numerous references to TAS, making the animated Star Trek show relevant and canonical once more.

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 VI: The Undiscovered Country. 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 to 2002.

Perhaps the most popular Star Trek series of all, and widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction TV shows of all time, 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.

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 Star Trek: The Next Generation joined Star Trek: 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.

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).

5 Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)

24th century: 2380-2382

The first Star Trek animated half-hour comedy, Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the late 24th century, beginning in 2380, a year after the final Star Trek: The Next Generation film, Star Trek: Nemesis. Lower Decks is a continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation's era, but centered on the "less important" starship, the USS Cerritos, and its junior officers.

Running for five seasons, Star Trek: Lower Decks proved that 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 breathed new life into episodic Star Trek, and its ambitious scope opened up the multiverse while developing multiple endearing characters.

4 Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-2024)

24th century: 2383-2385

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 Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 going even bigger as the ragtag crew of the USS Protostar saved the multiverse and touching upon every other iteration of the Star Trek franchise.