star trek beyond tv series

Full Cast of Star Trek Beyond - Every Actor & Character In the Movie

With the future of Star Tr e k ’s Kelvin Timeline reboot movies in a seemingly-continuous limbo, here’s a list of every character who appeared in the most recent entry from 2016: Star Trek Beyond .

Around the early-to-mid 2000s, the Star Trek franchise was stagnating. Following Enterprise ’s cancellation and the box-office bombing of Paramount’s then-newest Trek film, Star Trek: Nemesis , the studio decided it was time for a change. 

A reboot was conceived under the leadership of J.J. Abrams who went on to direct two movies, 2009’s Star Trek and its 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness .

The third entry into this rebooted series, Star Trek Beyond , opened on July 22, 2016, to less-than-stellar financial results.

Every Character & Actor in Star Trek Beyond

Many fans argue that Star Trek Beyond is the strongest movie in the Kelvin Trilogy. It featured a quick-moving narrative, solid character beats, and even a Beastie Boys song or two. 

Here are all the characters that had a part to play in the threequel and their corresponding actor.

Chris Pine - Captain James T. Kirk

Chris Pine’s Jim Kirk opens the film feeling the weight of the mission. The USS Enterprise has been exploring deep space for two and a half years, and everything is starting to feel a bit rote for the Starfleet captain.

Little does he know that a trip beyond Starbase Yorktown will result in him and his crew getting way more than they bargained for.

Zachary Quinto - Commander Spock

Everybody’s favorite half-human, half-Vulcan science officer returns, marking Zachary Quinto’s third time in Spock’s pointy ears.

Gravely injured during the first act and stranded on an uncharted planet with the rest of the Enterprise Crew, Spock must rely on the medical expertise of Dr. McCoy to survive.

Karl Urban - Dr. Leonard McCoy

Karl Urban returns as the irascible Dr. McCoy, who is teamed with Spock for much of the film as they try to find a way to reunite with the crew in between sarcastic zingers.

During the final conflict of the film, Bones and Mr. Spock man the controls of one of Krall’s drone ships to help take out the rest of the villain’s massive fleet.

Zoe Saldana - Lt. Nyota Uhura

The Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy superstar Zoe Saldana comes back for another round as Lt. Uhura, who begins the film on the outs with her boyfriend, Spock.

After the Enterprise is destroyed and the crew is taken prisoner, Uhura must fight for her life against Krall and his forces, patching things up with her Vulcan suitor in the process.

Simon Pegg - Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott

In Star Trek Beyond , Simon Pegg’s Scotty uses his engineering genius to escape the crumbling Enterprise in a photon torpedo tube.

Once on the surface of the planet Altamid, Scott meets a fellow strandee named Jaylah, and the two join forces to help get the wreck of the long-lost USS Franklin up and running again.

John Cho - Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu

John Cho’s Lt. Sulu, the Enteprise ’s helmsman, shares the bulk of his screentime with Saldana’s Uhura as the two try and free themselves from their captivity.

Sulu gets to put his piloting skills to the test when he’s called upon to fly the outdated Franklin off of its resting place on Altamid.

Anton Yelchin - Ensign Pavel Chekov

By the time of Beyond , the wide-eyed whiz kid Chekov has developed into a highly competent Starfleet officer, who pairs up with Captain Kirk throughout the movie’s second act.

The film is dedicated to actor Anton Yelchin, who tragically lost his life in a freak accident shortly before the theatrical release. The cast has spoken on many an occasion about how difficult it would be to make a fourth movie without him.

Idris Elba - Captain Balthazar Edison/Krall

An ex-MACO for the United Earth Military, Idris Elba’s Captain Edison fought in multiple conflicts with the Romulans as well as the Xindi.

But when the Federation was founded, his military skills and knowledge had no further use, and he felt abandoned by the very governing body he used to fight for. 

When his ship, the USS Franklin, crash-landed on Altamid, Edison took control of the planet’s technology, becoming the devious and disfigured villain known as Krall.

Sofia Boutella - Jaylah

Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah became marooned on Altamid as a young girl after her parents were killed by Krall.

In Beyond , Jaylah has taken up residence in the hull of the USS Franklin , a Federation vessel that went missing around the time of Captain Jonathan Archer’s missions in the mid-2100s.

Joe Taslim - Anderson Le/Manas

Joe Taslim plays Anderson Le, one of Edison’s crewmembers who was mutated into the evil Manas by Altamid’s energy transference tech.

Lydia Wilson - Jessica Wolff/Kalara

Much like her crewmate Le, Lydia Wilson’s Jessica Wolff survived on Altamid by becoming Kalara and serving as one of Krall’s underlings.

Sara Maria Forsberg - Kalara’s Translated Voice

Upon arriving in Yorktown to lure the Enterprise into Krall’s trap, Kalara is fitted with a universal translator collar which converts her alien speech into something more understandable. Sara Maria Forsberg provides the voice of the universal translator.

Deep Roy - Keenser

Deep Roy plays Scotty’s pal and fellow engineer Keenser in all three Kelvin timeline films. In Beyond , a caustic sneeze from Keenser helps the crew melt a lock to get out of a jam.

Melissa Roxburgh - Ensign Syl

An Enterprise crewperson, Melissa Roxburgh’s Syl hides a deadly weapon called the Arbonath in her cranial cavity thanks to some quick thinking on the part of Jim Kirk.

Shohreh Aghdashloo - Commodore Paris

The commanding officer of StarBase Yorktown, Shohreh Aghdashloo‘s Paris was actually added to the movie during reshoots. Some fans have also theorized that she’s an ancestor of Tom Paris from Star Trek: Voyager . 

Greg Grunberg - Commander Finnegan

Greg Grunburg, a longtime staple of J.J. Abrams-affiliated productions, plays Finnegan, an officer stationed in Yorktown’s command center. Fun fact: Finnegan is the alternate reality version of the character by the same name from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Shore Leave."

Danny Pudi - Fi’Ja

Community ’s Danny Pudi makes a cool (cool, cool, cool) cameo as Fi’Ja, a would-be assailant of Scotty’s who is put down by Jaylah.

Kim Kold - Zavanko

Savanko, another alien who tries to attack Mr. Scott on Altamid, is played by Danish bodybuilder Kim Kold.

Fraser Aitcheson - Hider

Fraser Aitcheson plays Hider, the third alien who comes after Scotty and is quickly dispatched by Jaylah.

Douglas Chapman - Sir Olden

Sir Olden, a Starfleet science officer portrayed by Douglas Chapman, is on the Enterprise when it’s brought down by Krall’s swarm ships.

Anita Brown - Tyvanna

One of the Enterprise ’s bridge officers, Anita Brown’s Tyvanna evacuated the ship once it was attacked.

Doug Jung - Ben

Doug Jung wrote Star Trek Beyond ’s screenplay alongside Simon Pegg. He also made a brief appearance in the movie as Ben, Lt. Sulu’s husband.

Dan Payne - Wadjet

A red-shirted Enterprise operations officer, Wadjet, was portrayed by Dan Payne.

Shea Whigham - Teenaxi Leader

Boardwalk Empire ’s Shea Whigam lent his voice to the Teenaxian who appeared in Star Trek Beyond ’s opening scene

Jeff Bezos - Alien Starfleet Official

Jeff Bezos (yeah, that Jeff Bezos) made an easy-to-miss cameo under heavy alien makeup as a Starfleet officer.

Carlo Ancelotti - Yorktown Doctor

Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian football manager, also made a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance as a doctor on Starbase Yorktown. He reportedly got the role because he’s friends with Zoe Saldana.

Will Star Trek Beyond Get a Sequel?

Ever since Beyond was released in cinemas in 2016, various attempts at making another sequel have been announced and subsequently shelved.

As the main cast members are typically quite busy, it would be something of a Herculean task to get all their schedules aligned so that they could work on a fourth Kelvin timeline film.

Anything’s possible, however, with Paramount's top brass claiming that they wish to move the Star Trek franchise back into features alongside its healthy TV presence.

Star Trek Beyond is available for purchase where ever movies are sold.

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Published Dec 14, 2015

Star Trek Beyond Trailer Released

The wait is over. Paramount Pictures has just released the first full trailer for Star Trek Beyond . And it's 90 seconds of action, with glimpses of the main crew and several important newcomers, as well as flashes of humor (including a grousing Dr. McCoy), all playing out against The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," a song that should ring a bell for fans of Star Trek (2009) .

Star Trek Beyond will open on July 22. Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for additional news about the latest Enterprise adventure.

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‘Star Trek Beyond’ Review: The Franchise’s Final Frontier

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Despite the futuristic tilt in the title, Star Trek Beyond works best when it boldly goes retro. The third chapter in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, with J.J. Abrams ceding the captain’s chair to Justin Lin, is plenty fast and furious (Lin directed four of those adrenalized F&F babies). But it also openly gives its heart to what came before; any Trekkie that doesn’t choke up at this 50th-anniversary edition is no longer in the club. Feelings run deep stemming from the death last year of original Spock Leonard Nimoy at 83 and for Anton Yelchin, as the Russian navigator Chekov, who died last month at 27 in a tragic accident . The movie is rightly dedicated to both of them.

And quite a movie it is. Playing like a mega-budgeted episode of the Gene Roddenberry TV series that took the time to develop characters, Star Trek Beyond may be hell on short attention spans. But patience and faith yield surprising dividends. The movie finds both Captain Kirk ( Chris Pine ) and Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) in a thoughtful mode: In the middle of a five-year tour for the Federation, Kirk wonders if he wants to be promoted to Vice-Admiral. He’d rather the job went to Spock, who’s thinking — after the death of Spock Prime (Nimoy) and his breakup with Uhura (Zoe Saldana) — that he should turn away from his human side and go back to Vulcan to start a family there. (Survival of the species and all that.) Kudos to Pine and Quinto, who bring new depth and feeling to their roles.

Don’t worry: The angst evaporates when the Starship Enterprise gets attacked. Screenwriters Doug Jung and Simon Pegg , who plays Scotty, know the rules of engagement. While docking at the utopian spaceport of Yorktown, where alien cultures live in harmony and Sulu (John Cho) shares a hug with his husband and their daughter (yes, he’s gay, even if the original Sulu George Takei, himself gay, doesn’t like it), the Enterprise is sent on a rescue mission that turns into an ambush. An enemy horde, led by the fearsome Krall ( Idris Elba ), blows the Enterprise to pieces, leaving the crew separated and stranded on the alien planet of Altamid.

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That’s the setup, which allows for some playful pairings. Spock and Bones (Karl Urban, terrific) snipe at each other hilariously. Kirk and Chekov ( damn, that Yelchin is good ) set out to rescue the captured Uhura and Sulu. And Scotty matches wits with Jaylah (a scene-stealing Sofia Boutella from Kingsman: The Secret Service ), an alien notorious for her white-and-black warpaint, attitude for days and combat skills accentuated by a trove of old-ass music called rap ( “ I like the beats and the screaming”). Scotty calls this dynamo “lassie.” He would.

Those are a lot of plot points to juggle. Luckily, Lin doesn’t drop too many balls, and the actors don’t just go through the motions. Elba makes a fierce villain, even when mostly buried under layers of prosthetics. (Why are we doing this to many of our best, most expressive actors? Look at Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises and Oscar Isaac in X-Men: Apocalypse. It’s like acting with a paper bag over your head. Elba can do it — he can do anything — but it’s a trend I’d like to see fade.)

Lin pulls out all the VFX stops in the final siege at Yorktown, a sequence that shatters the rafters. Yet, Star Trek Beyond manages to knock you for a bigger loop with just the sight of one man staring at a photograph. You’ll know it the moment you see it. Come to Star Trek Beyond for the pow; stay for the emotional wipeout.

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'Star Trek Beyond' Cast on Legacy, Character Evolution, & the Future of the Franchise

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Created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, the Star Trek franchise celebrates its 50 th anniversary this year, as the next installment, Star Trek Beyond , sees the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew exploring the furthest reaches of uncharted space. With director Justin Lin at the helm, they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

During a conference at the film’s press day, co-stars Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg (who also co-wrote the film with Doug Jung ), Karl Urban , John Cho and Zoe Saldana talked about paying homage to 50 years of the franchise while also telling a story that can stand on its own, the new character interactions, honoring Leonard Nimoy , the evolution of these characters, including the Beastie Boys song “Sabotage,” Justin Lin’s approach, the uniforms, adding more strong females, the tragic loss of actor Anton Yelchin , and the future of this franchise. Be aware that there are some spoilers discussed.

Question: This is the 50 th anniversary of Star Trek , so what were the challenges of paying homage to the original while also making a movie that you could see without having seen any of the previous incarnations, including the first two with this particular cast?

SIMON PEGG: Yeah, that was very important to Doug and I, and Justin, going in. We wanted to try to create a hybrid of an episode of the original series with a spectacular cinematic event. The Star Trek movies have always been event films. In a TV series, you get time to spend with the characters. It’s a longer game. In the film, you have to hit it. It has to be very self-contained. It has to be memorable. So, the thing was to try to make sure everybody that’s been here for 50 years gets what they deserve, in terms of a good Star Trek film, but for people who have never seen it before, and who perhaps aren’t as familiar with Star Trek , then they’re welcome, too. This is an interesting universe, in every way. Not just fictionally, but factually.

This film pairs Spock and McCoy together a lot. Zachary and Karl, how was it to spend a lot more time together and further explore that dynamic of these great characters?

KARL URBAN: I feel like this is probably the most fun that I’ve had making a Star Trek film. I think what Simon and Doug were able to do was present the most well-defined, well-rounded version of the character. It certainly gave me a lot of material to work with. I had an amazing time working with Zach, and I have a huge amount of respect for him and his approach. It was just great to have those two characters, that are so diametrically opposed to each other, be forced into a situation where they have to depend on each other to survive, and through the process, come to a deeper understanding of who they both are. It was obviously a great opportunity to explore a lot of comedy, but it also really deepened the relationship between the two. And I think that by the end of it, they were able to go back to their respective corners with a bit of inside knowledge. For long term fans, it’s a rewarding direction.

ZACHARY QUINTO: I couldn’t agree more. Karl and I had a great time working together. In a movie franchise where we’re used to spending so much time together, with all of us on the bridge of The Enterprise and in many of our adventures, it was actually really nice to have so many days where it was only Karl and me together. I think we got to know each other and appreciate each other more than we already did, which was already a significant amount. And from a character standpoint, I really echo the idea that these two characters, historically in this franchise, come at things from entirely different perspectives and points of view. There’s nothing more fun for fans of the original show to see that dynamic, unmitigated by Kirk, who usually manages to get between them. In the same way, Bones really saves Spock’s life in this film, and I think there’s a deep appreciation for that, obviously. They end this film in a much better place, as a duo, than I would say they begin it. 

Since he’s not super excited about being a Starfleet captain, at this point, where is Kirk at, three years into this mission?

CHRIS PINE: I always have the most fun on these films when we’re laughing or talking, and then usually shit blows up and we have to do the shit blowing up acting. I think I spend the majority of the film saying, “Let’s go! Can we do it? I don’t know.” I do a lot of just breathing heavily. I talked a lot with Simon about how to nuance what Kirk’s trip was, in this whole thing. Once we landed on the idea of him growing out of, or moving out from underneath his father’s shadow, that made a lot of sense. To do that scene with Karl was great fun. That scene made us giggle and have a good time, and hopefully people will appreciate that.

The film has such a lovely tribute to Leonard Nimoy. How did you figure out the way you wanted to pay homage to him, and was there initial expectation, earlier on in the process, that he would be part of the film, before his passing?

QUINTO: Leonard died on February 27 th . I think, if Leonard was well enough to be a part of this film, I’m sure he would have been. And I know that there were early conversations with him about that possibility, but true to his incredible self, he knew himself well enough to know that wouldn’t be possible, at a certain point. And then, it became important to all of us to figure a way to honor his legacy. I thought Simon and Doug did a beautiful job of incorporating it into the narrative of the film. We all carried him with us through this production, for sure. It was definitely a different kind of feeling to make this movie without him, for me in particular, but I think he was very much a part of it, in spirit. He will be a part of anything we do, moving forward, for sure.

PEGG: We wanted to make it part of Zach’s Spock arc, and not just a reference to Spock Prime. We wanted to have his passing be something which inspired our Spock to move on. And so, it became an integral part of the story, and not just a nod in Leonard’s direction. That felt more right.

Simon, Justin Lin said the main reason he wanted to tackle this project was because his childhood dream was to blow up The Enterprise, and then bring it back together. Was that a collaborative effort, or was that all his idea that he presented to you, and then you guys developed it in the script?                   

PEGG: I hated the idea at first. I was shouting at him, “We can’t do that! You can’t destroy The Enterprise!” My problem was that we’ve seen it before. It happened in “Search for Spock.” It happened in “Generations.” But Justin was very, very determined. And as we spoke about it, I realized what he was doing, brilliantly, was not only taking out a main character, but he was removing the physical connective tissue between the crew to see what happens when you take away the thing that physically bonds them together. If you take away that thing that necessitates their being a unit, do they dissipate or do they come back together? That was the genius of that. You take it away very violently and dramatically, and then you wait and see if they all come back together to be this family, which is essentially what they are. And of course they do. When I realized that, I backed down immediately and said, “Yeah, you’re right.” I do occasionally do that, but not always. In this instance, I realized it was a brilliant idea, but I was initially opposed to it.

Simon, what was the decision behind using the Beastie Boys song “Sabotage”?

PEGG: We just love the idea of them foiling a technologically terrifying threat with something very analog and old, like VHF. The initial idea was that they fired an old radio into the middle of the swarm. It took many shapes as we wrote it, but we realized that there was no sound in space, so we had to abide by physics. We just liked the idea that Jaylah discovered this old ship that had an archive of music, and she discovered rap music and liked it. She likes the beats and the shouting. “Sabotage” was a song we used in ’09. It’s part of Kirk’s childhood. All these things linked back to his past and his dad, with the motorbike and the song. It’s all him letting go of these things and moving on as a man, as well. It’s important for Kirk’s character, but it’s just a kick-ass song. If anything’s going to blow up a swarm of spaceships, it’s going to be the Beastie Boys.

Zoe, where is Uhura at now and how do you view her feelings for Spock, in this movie?

ZOE SALDANA:   She’s tired. I think she’s homesick. The one thing I appreciated the most about what Simon and Doug did for this installment was that they made us human, and just homesick and sad. Being overly worked, and being away from home and all the things that keep you grounded, can put a strain, not just on the intimate relationships that you may have, but also the professional ones. I thought I would never see the day where I would walk into The Enterprise, and we’re not that excited to see each other. I thought, okay, this is a great place to start because I can only imagine where we’re going to end up. We literally end up in the opposite direction. We’re dying to be close to each other. We’re dying to save each other to get back together. I thought, okay, that’s brilliant. And the relationship with Spock and Uhura felt so normal and human to me. It’s those consequences that may occur when you decide to love your co-worker in a lovey-dovey way. Sometimes the professionalism can get in the way of the spirituality, and I feel like that’s what happened between both of them. 

Is the Uhura/Spock relationship doomed, or do you have hope for them?

QUINTO: I think it ends on a really hopeful note, don’t you? Yeah, let’s go with hope.

SALDANA: If he were to walk in with some other Vulcan girl, shit would go down.

Zoe, 50 years since Star Trek began, how do you think Uhura has evolved?

SALDANA: I think there’s a beautiful – and I hate using the word – sprouting, but it’s true. Women are becoming very, very independent, not just in the workforce, but also in their personal lives. There’s something about realizing that you should want to be a part of something, but you don’t necessarily have to be a part of something, in order to be validated or respected or appreciated or considered strong enough. I feel like the break-up that Uhura and Spock have is amazing because she fell in love with her teacher. He came as this figure that represented responsibility and safety and maturity and wisdom, and now I think that she feels strong enough on her own. There is a parallel universe situation that’s going on with Uhura and women these days, where there’s no longer this animosity or this resentment to prove who you are. You just want to be left alone to find out who you are because you’re interesting and you’re curious. I like this autonomy that’s happening with women, right now. I like when a battle is fought just with a spoken word, and nothing that feels tense or violent. 

JOHN CHO: One of the questions that we were asked, maybe for giggles, on the tour, in either Sydney or London, was “Which timeline would you choose to be in – the original series or ours – if you had the choice?” And I did say, if forced to choose, that I would choose ours. Roddenberry did set up a world that was incredibly progressive, but it was tempered by the social mores of the era. I feel like we can go further in 2016 than he was able to do, at the time. I feel like our version is able to give more to the women and the people of color in the cast than Roddenberry was originally able to. 

PEGG: Not because he didn’t want to, either. He absolutely wanted to.

John, how do you feel about how Sulu has evolved? When did the idea come up to show his family life?

CHO: The idea came up when, I believe, Simon pitched it. Then, I was told of it through Justin, pretty early on, when he had set up at Paramount. We went in to have a chat and get reacquainted, and I thought it was a beautiful idea. I had concerns about how it would be received by George [Takei], and I had some other concerns, but the handling of it was the most important to me. Having seen the film, I think it’s nonchalant posture toward it is the best thing about it, and the fact that it’s normalized. It’s news now, but if you re-watch the movie in ten years, you won’t think anything of it. It’ll just go right by you. That’s the best thing about it. There’s no music cue. There’s no close up.

SALDANA:  The one thing that I guess has taken a secondary position is that it wasn’t just that we revealed that he’s gay, but we revealed that he’s a father. None of our characters have families that we’ve ever talked about. I actually feel quite puzzled that, in 2016, we’re having a bit of a fit over who he fathered a baby with. I’m happy he’s a dad.

PEGG: What we wanted to do was put somebody we care about in Yorktown, so when Yorktown was under threat, that made the threat tangible. We knew that Sulu’s family was there, so it wasn’t just a bunch of faceless Federation people. It was somebody that we cared about because we care about Sulu. That was really important. The nature of that relationship wasn’t an issue. By the way, that whole thing with George, people like to make things into a spat. George and I email, all the time, with big, long, lovely discussions about it, and we’re on great terms. We were never shouting at each other, or anything like that. And it’s a great discussion to have. I’m really happy with the way that it’s been talked about and responded to, and I’m still a huge fan of G.T., for sure.

Simon, what would your character from Spaced like and dislike about this movie?

PEGG: For those of you who don’t know, I started out on a sitcom in the UK, and it was about a nerdy guy. I don’t know what I was talking about, and it wasn’t me at all, but there’s a line in Spaced where Tim says, “As sure as eggs is eggs, as sure as day follows night, as sure as every odd-numbered Star Trek movie is shit…” And I wrote that in 1998. And then, here we are in 2016, I’ve written an odd-numbered Star Trek movie, and I’m happy to say that Tim is wrong. It’s an incredible thing to look back on the circularity of that, and of having grown up a fan of Star Trek and science fiction, to now be participating in it, in such an active way. I tried to make the kind of Star Trek movie that Tim Bisley would like. That’s what Doug and I did. And when I say Tim Bisley, I’m talking about the people that have been with Star Trek for a long time. Star Trek must have been doing something right because it’s been around for 50 years, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So, we wanted to embody the original show and instill it with what made the original show great, but also frame it in a big movie way, which is a luxury they never had, back in the day. That’s why the series turned into such a great thing. Necessity was the mother of invention with that show. They had to make these wonderful little teleplays. They couldn’t rely on special effects. Now we can do both, and it felt like I was always thinking, “What would Tim Bisley think?”

What was is like for all of you to be in space and fight in a foreign land?

SALDANA: I like being on the ship. There was dust everywhere. Helicopters were flying really low. I was like, “Put me on The Enterprise. It’s cleaner.” I’m more into comfort.

CHO: On the upside, it was cool to be paired off with Zoe, even though she was having a miserable time.      

SALDANA: I was so happy that I was complaining with John.

CHO: Typically, as characters, you’re relating on the Bridge, and everyone’s relating to Kirk, so there’s less talking to one another. And so, just getting that opportunity brought out some different colors and vibes, so it was good.

Simon, what’s it like to live your dream and get to tell people in Star Trek what to do?

PEGG: I ask them nicely. I think the business of writing a good story and making sure the plot works superseded any kind of wish fulfillment. We had to start with that, really. The whole splitting up the crew into different little interactive groups was nice. I love the relationships in Star Trek , and it was nice to pursue those a little bit more, specifically with Bones and Spock, and as the scene with Kirk and Bones, in the beginning. Getting the keys to that kingdom was a real joy, and it was nice to be able to write our signature underneath the hundreds and hundreds of signatures that have gone into writing the Star Trek universe, over the years. It was nice to put our little stamp on that, and fill it with little Easter eggs that only we know about.

What was the dynamic like, working with Justin Lin, compared to J.J. Abrams?

QUINTO: Justin has a different energy about him. I’d say he’s a little more internalized, just as a person. He’s a little quieter, but he’s no less confident. He’s incredibly gifted, as a visual storyteller. And I think he’s really sensitive to character dynamics, as well. He brings a balance of both of those extremes. He came in on an already moving train, in a lot of ways. He didn’t have a lot of time to prep for this film. And I think all of us were incredibly impressed by his sense of leadership and vision. It was also really great to have Simon in a position of creative influence on this film because he was a tremendous conduit for us, early on, before we formed our own relationships with Justin. But all in all, he was a really welcome addition. I would say he was very different from J.J., but also really exciting and really unique, in his own ways. It was reflective of this experience, which was different and new for us, to be away from the past and the configuration of the last two films. We all had a great time working together, and we really enjoyed him. Seeing what he was able to create, in the final product, is really exciting for all of us. 

How were the uniforms, this time around?

PINE: The pants were fantastic, this time. There was so much movement, and a lot of space in the hips, which I appreciate. This was like the retro-super-future version of Star Trek , so it’s looking way ahead into what Star Trek can become, and also has very specific nods to the past. One of the very small things that’s layered throughout all three iterations of the film, so far, is that there’s been a lot of discussions about the colors of yellow for Kirk’s shirt, and the cut of the shirt. This one is a very specific nod to the original series. It’s not the bright, fantastic yellow of the first and the second. It’s this lovely Kirk-ian mustard green. 

URBAN: Our costume designer, Sanja [Milkovic Hays], did an extraordinary job. One of the things I was most proud of was the fact that, unlike the previous two films we got to do with J.J., the women in the Starfleet uniforms in Star Trek Beyond all had ranks on their uniforms. That’s a fantastic thing. I thought she did a great job. It was a throwback to the costumes, but also made them slightly new. I had massive envy for Chris Pine’s survival suit.   

What was it like to add Sofia Boutella to the mix, as the very kick-ass Jaylah?

PEGG: Sofia’s incredible. Because she’s a dancer and she’s physically so adept, she was very up for the physicality of it. It’s funny, in the writing room, Doug, Justin and I wanted to create this very independent female, who was a very resourceful character, on the surface. We didn’t have a name for her, so we used to call her “Jennifer Lawrence In Winter’s Bone .” That was her long name. It was, “And then, Scotty lands there and suddenly ‘Jennifer Lawrence In Winter’s Bone ’ comes out and she fights these guys.” It started to get tiring calling her “Jennifer Lawrence In Winter’s Bone .” It’s a long name. So, we started calling her J-Law. And then, she became Jaylah. So, she’s named after Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone . But, there aren’t enough girls in Star Trek . Zoe has a lot on her shoulders, so we wanted to increase that. And also with Commodore Paris, as a figure of extreme authority. We all love Sofia. She’s a nutcase, and a golden addition to this group. She’s awesome.

This film is bittersweet, with the loss of Anton Yelchin. What was it like to work with him on this?

URBAN: First of all, it’s devastating to lose a family member. We’re at a point where we should be celebrating, not only this film, but this beautiful, talented man. For all of us, it’s almost incomprehensible to be at a point where we have to talk about him in the past. The pain of his loss is still very raw. We went and spent time with Anton’s family, and we know that they’ll be very, very proud of his contribution to the film. This film will probably forever be the most special experience for all of us. It represents the golden period of when our family was fully together, for the last time. It really was the best summer of our adult lives. We love him so much, and we miss him terribly. 

PINE: He was just a good guy. He was very sweet. He’s very beautifully, authentically Anton. There was not much of a sensor on the boy. I remember one of the first times I met him, like nine years ago or whatever, he was 17. I invited him back to my trailer to play guitar, because I knew he played guitar, and he played guitar really, really, really well. And he said, “I can’t, man, I’ve got to go back to my trailer.” I was like, “Okay, why?” He was translating an esoteric Russian novel into English, just because that’s what he wanted to do. Eight or nine years later, I talked to him and he was still translating it. And he was reading a book on physics that this French philosopher had written. And he was still trying to get all of us together. We’d be in Vancouver and he’d want to see some German neo-expressionist film that none of us had seen, and he would talk about as if everyone has or should have seen it. He was a great guy. He was just totally fearless. I think you try to grasp onto something that’s a positive, out of losing such a good guy, and it’s just to be fearless, creatively. He was always working on stuff. He had music projects and photography projects, and he was going to direct his first film this summer. He was just spectacularly interested in life, in a really great way.     

The original Star Trek relied on social commentary reflective of the time to propel their story forward. In this day and age, what is the message now?

QUINTO: I think the message is the same as it was when it began. It’s just that we have more room to explore and express it than they did, at the time. It’s shocking to me how divisive our culture has become, and I feel like Star Trek maintains a position on inclusivity and unity that is as resonant today as it was in the late ‘60s. This film, in particular, explores that idea, one side of that being about the unity and inclusivity, and the other being about breaking that apart. I think that’s really reflective of the society that we live in today. It’s troubling to me, on such deep levels, that we’ve gotten to this point of unwillingness to see varied points of view or feelings or opinions or perspectives. I think Star Trek remains, in a landscape of popular culture entertainment, something that is a beacon of inclusivity and progressive thinking. I think it just takes on different forms now than it did 50 years ago.

PEGG: I think the film is actually even more apt today. It’s become more so, even since we shot it. The message of this and the social commentary in this iteration of Star Trek is that we’re better together. It’s about collectivism. And in this era of Brexit and talking about building walls in certain places, now more than ever, we should be thinking about the value of collectivism, about cooperation, and about unity. That can be and is our strength. The more fractured we become, the less secure we all feel.

CHO: In the Star Trek set-up, you’re going into space and seeing so many different kinds of species. It does become comically apparent, when you look around the planet Earth that we live on, that we do have so much more in common than we don’t. So, the little things that seem to divide us here, in our present time, seem even more exaggeratedly small after seeing an episode of Star Trek .

PEGG: We’ve all got one head, do you know what I mean? Let’s live together.

How far do you see the franchise going, with these characters?

PEGG: Well, I hope it goes on for another 50 years. We’ll keep going for as long as we can, until we’re old and inappropriate. Some of us already are, like me. I hope it goes on. There’s a new CBS series starting. I love that the universe is a boundless place, and there are so many adventures to be had. As long as we have this idea, where we might actually become slightly more enlightened and slightly more tolerant beings, Star Trek will live forever.

Star Trek Beyond opens in theaters on July 22 nd .

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Star Trek Beyond

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Star Trek Beyond continues the franchise's post-reboot hot streak with an epic sci-fi adventure that honors the series' sci-fi roots without skimping on the blockbuster action.

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Upcoming Star Trek TV Shows: What's Ahead For The Sci-Fi Franchise

Here's what's ahead for Star Trek.

It’s a golden era for Star Trek tv shows, as the franchise is churning out more content than ever before. Fans with a Paramount+ subscription can stream a plethora of old and new content from one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time.

There’s a ton of new Star Trek content coming in the future, including the debut of a new show as well as the return of all the ones fans already know well. For those who need a breakdown of what all to expect, look no further because here’s where and when all the new Trek will arrive in 2023 and beyond. There’s even some information on planned shows that aren’t quite ready yet, but hopefully, we’ll see them soon enough. 

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 - Premiering On April 4th 2024

Captain Michael Burnham and the crew are back, and based on what we've seen and heard about Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 so far, some changes are on the way. Season 5 will see the crew race against others in an attempt to secure an ancient power, and will apparently have a tonal shift that will skew more toward action and adventure. We also learned that this coming season will be the final adventure , as Paramount+ decided to end the series after this coming season. The final season will kick off in April and, fingers crossed, leave an avenue open for more stories with these characters in the 32nd century. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 - In Production

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is coming back for Season 3, and is currently filming for the upcoming season. It's likely the season will kick off with the second part of the adventure started in the Season 2 finale . Pike must decide whether or not he's going to listen to Starfleet and retreat to avoid further conflict with the Gorn or to stay and try to save the kidnapped crew members. I have a hunch I know what decision he'll make, but I'm also very invested in seeing if Scotty will remain with the crew and what other adventures will come as well. 

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 - Coming In 2024

Paramount+ originally renewed Star Trek: Prodigy for Season 2, but announced later that it had been canceled alongside other shows on the platform. While the news was a bummer to many and encouraged responses from stars like Kate Mulgrew , there is a silver lining. After some talk with other companies, Paramount managed to negotiate a deal where the series will transition over to Netflix , and Season 2 will release over there. At this time, it's unknown whether or not this will lead to more seasons of Prodigy , but fans are thankful they'll at least get to see the season that was being worked on coming up in 2024. 

Section 31 Movie - Production Complete

Section 31 was one of the first Star Trek spinoffs announced after Discovery , and yet it took the longest to get off the ground. The series was supposed to Michelle Yeoh ’s Phillipa Georgiou and her efforts in the secret ops Starfleet faction that does the jobs that others in the organization would rather not know about. Other former Discovery stars, like Shazad Latif, were involved at one point, but some believed the odds of it happening aren't great after Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win .

It turns out Yeoh was interested in making it happen, and Paramount+ decided to alter the idea to a movie . Fans are excited about the project all the same, and ready to see Michelle Yeoh back in her role. Production on the film is officially underway, and it's looking like a premiere sometime in late 2024 to 2025 is likely.

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Starfleet Academy - Production Starting In 2024

Alex Kurtzman revealed not long ago that Star Trek is actively working on another new live-action series , and it’s going to be set at Starfleet Academy. Of course, we don’t know exactly what era this series is set to take place during or who is going to star in it yet. We don’t really know much of anything, though it’s worth noting that Star Trek: Discovery did write off its character Tilly when she took an offer at Starfleet Academy. The episode where that happened seemed like it could be a backdoor pilot for the show, but again, we have no idea. We do know that the writer's room is underway, but details are scant beyond that.  

As shown above, there’s still a ton of Star Trek on the way in 2024, and beyond. The only way to watch these shows is with a Paramount+ subscription , which is totally worth picking up with the increasing amount of shows and movies available to watch. 

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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Lifestyle noads Paramount Plus RS RECOMMENDS Star Trek Streaming TV/Movies

Set phasers to stream: here’s every ‘star trek’ show and movie you can watch on paramount+.

• BY Sage Anderson
• September 8, 2024

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

From low-budget romps to high-energy blockbuster films,  Star Trek  has become one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of all time. While  Trek  has decades worth of TV, film, and animated iterations that might rival  Star Wars , it also has its own unique legacy and long-time, passionate cult following (and merch ).

In the past few years, the Trek television universe has become one of the highlights of original programming on Paramount+ . Helmed by Alex Kurtzman, series like  Star Trek: Lower Decks  and  Picard  have pushed the boundaries of what can be done with the universe’s canon in their first seasons so far.

This year for Star Trek Day, with the premiere episodes of several Trek series and “Short Treks” will be available to view for free from Sept. 7-13. The episodes can be watched from Paramount+’s partner platforms Amazon, Apple and Roku, their official YouTube page, Pluto TV and the Paramount+ free content hub (U.S. only).

From the new releases like the second season of Strange New Worlds , to the old adventures of the Enterprise ,  Deep Space 9 ,  Voyager , and more, here’s how to watch Star Trek in order online.

How Can I Watch Paramount+ Free Online?

When you sign up for a Paramount+ subscription , you can actually choose between two plans to watch Paramount+ online. Pricing for Paramount+ plans include Essential (with limited commercials) for $7.99/month, or ad-free with Showtime for $12.99/month. But if you’re still not sure about committing to a full subscription, you can always stream Paramount+ for free with a 7-day free trial .

For a limited time, the streamer is also slashing the price on its annual plan by 50%, bringing the cost down to just $29.99 a year . Normally $59.99, the new Paramount+ deal gets you access to its full library of content  for just $2.50 a month . Check out the latest Paramount+ deals here .

Buy Paramount+ Free Trial

Paramount+ is the home for ViacomCBS’s massive existing library of content, as well as continuing to host critically-acclaimed original Trek series like  Star Trek: Picard ,  Star Trek: Discovery and the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31. New exclusive shows and movies are sure to appear on the service over the next few months, all of which you can stream on your TV, laptop, phone, or gaming console.

What  Star Trek TV Shows Are Available on Paramount+?

Premiering on September 8, 1966 on NBC-TV,  Star Trek  brought in a new era of programming for the science fiction genre. Though it wasn’t a critical success at the time it aired, with all 79 episodes of the original series running in syndication, a devoted fan base grew. Decades later, there are eight TV series with hundreds of episodes, all currently streaming now on Paramount+ .

Here’s an updated list of all the  Star Trek shows on Paramount+. Note that this isn’t the official timeline for when these shows take place in canon — Enterprise  is actually the “earliest” Trek series—but we’ll cover that below.

• Star Trek: The Original Series  (1966-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation  (1987-1994)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (1993-1999)
• Star Trek: Voyager  (1995-2001)
• Star Trek: Enterprise  (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: Discovery  (2017-Present)
• Star Trek:  Short Treks  (2018-Present)
• Star Trek: Picard  (2020-Present)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  (2020-Present)
• Star Trek: Prodigy  (2021-Present)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present)
• Star Trek: Section 31  (TBA)
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  (TBA) 

What  Star Trek Movies Are Streaming on Paramount+?

Paramount+ is the home to all the films featuring the cast of the Original Series, while many other Trek films are also hosted on other streaming services. Here are the  Star Trek movies streaming on Paramount+ right now. 

• 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 V: The Final Frontier  (1989)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country  (1991)
• Star Trek: Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: First Contact  (1996)
•   Star Trek: Insurrection  (1998)
• Star Trek: Nemesis  (2002)
• Star Trek  (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness  (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Building Star Trek  (2016)  —  Documentary
• Woman In Motion  (2021) — Documentary 
• Trekkies 2  (2004) — Documentary 

For Star Trek Day, here’s the complete lineup of free episodes available from Sept. 7-13:

• Star Trek: The Original Series: “The Cage”
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: “Encounter at Farpoint, Part I & II”
• Star Trek: Voyager: “Caretaker, Part I & II”
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: “The Emissary, Part I & II”
• Star Trek: Enterprise: “Broken Bow Part I & II”
• Star Trek: The Animated Series: “Beyond the Farthest Star”
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Strange New Worlds”
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: “Second Contact”
• Star Trek: Discovery: “The Vulcan Hello”
• Star Trek: Picard: “Remembrance”
• Star Trek: Short Treks: “The Girl Who Made the Stars,” “The Trouble with Edward,” “Ask Not,” “Runaway,” and “Ephraim and Dot”

How to Watch Every Star Trek Movie and Show In Timeline Order

Figuring out chronological timeline of  Star Trek  over can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned of Trekkies. With over 50 years of mirrorverses, time traveling back and forth, alternate timelines and spin-offs, we’ve created a guide for how to watch every  Star Trek  series and film in order. We’ve organized it by Stardate instead of year of release for optimal accuracy, but note that some series like  TNG  and  DS9  run concurrently.

• Star Trek: Enterprise  (2151-2161)
• Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 and 2  (2255-)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2255-) 
• Star Trek: The Original Series  (2265-2269)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  (2269-2270)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture  (2273)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  (2285)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  (2285)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  (2286/1986)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ( 2287)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country  (2293)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation  (2364-2370)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (2369-2375)
• Star Trek Generations  (2371)
• Star Trek: Voyager  (2371-2378)
• Star Trek: First Contact  (2373/2063)
• Star Trek: Insurrection  (2375)
• Star Trek: Nemesis  (2379)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  (2380)
• Star Trek: Picard  (2399-)
• Star Trek: Discovery Season 3  (3155?)
• Star Trek: Short Treks  (2239-3300 Prime Timeline)

The “Kelvin Timeline” refers to the newest Trek movies directed by  J.J. Abrams  and Justin Lin. The timeline of these films exist in a parallel universe created in 2233, so we’ve included them separately.

• Star Trek  (2258 Kelvin Timeline)
• Star Trek Into Darkness  (2259 Kelvin Timeline)
• Star Trek Beyond  (2263 Kelvin Timeline)

Every Star Trek Series Coming To Paramount+ This Year (And Beyond)

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 (2024)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 (2024) 
• Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 (2024) 
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  Season 5 (October 2024)
• Star Trek: Section 31  (TBA)
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  (TBA)

• In this article: Lifestyle , noads , Paramount Plus , RS Recommends , Star Trek , Streaming TV/Movies

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Star Trek Beyond

• 68   Metascore
• 2 hr 2 mins
• Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

This engaging sci-fi sequel finds Capt. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise facing off against a dictator named Krall. When an assault by Krall leads to the destruction of their starship, the team end up marooned on a remote planet inhabited by aliens both hostile and helpful.

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• 2016 - Oscar - Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - nominated

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Zachary Quinto

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This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Star Trek Franchise

Don't look now, but "Star Trek" is a thing again. It's been a while — after redefining television in the 1960s and enjoying a resurgence in the '80s and '90s, the final episode of ""Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005 marked the beginning of a dark period in which there was simply no "Trek" to be had. Then, in 2017, the drought ended with the premiere of " "Star Trek: Discovery ," and when it rains, it pours. "Discovery" heralded the arrival of a whole new era of ""Star Trek," and that's just the beginning — Paramount+ will soon play host to two new "Star Trek" shows, with three more currently in development, and there's a new movie scheduled for release in 2023 . Suddenly, we are awash in "Trek," which means that if you're unfamiliar with Gene Roddenberry's universe, it's a pretty good time to jump on board. Only where do you start with a franchise this big — and more importantly, what's the proper watch order?

These are the questions we're here to answer. While it's tempting to try and watch "Star Trek" chronologically, using either the fictional timeline or release dates, we recommend an order that's a bit of a blend of both. Following this list should result in an experience that provides a complete picture of what "Star Trek" is while also remaining easy to binge. With that in mind (and with the understanding that a few spoilers are unavoidable ), it's time to boldly go where every previous "Star Trek" installment has gone before!

The Original Series

When you watch "Star Trek," you really need to begin at the beginning. Not with Enterprise, which is set earlier in the "Trek" timeline than any show, but with "Star Trek" — or as it's lovingly called these days, "The Original Series." This is the show that ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, forever altering the television medium, the science fiction genre, and the experience of being a fan. While some viewers may find the special effects laughable or the political themes unsubtle, the most astonishing thing about "TOS" is how well it holds up, even more than 50 years later. The first two seasons, in particular, are absolutely riddled with classic episodes, and while the third season is significantly worse due to changes in the creative team, it's still fun to watch William Shatner ham it up as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy raise a single Vulcan eyebrow as Mr. Spock, and the original Starship Enterprise soar through space. Most importantly, though, those first 79 episodes introduce rules, concepts, and even characters that "Star Trek" is still playing with today, from Class M planets and the Prime Directive to Khan and the Klingons.

The Animated Series

The unofficial fourth and fifth seasons of "Star Trek," "The Animated Series" aired on NBC from 1973 to 1974, after tempers had cooled somewhat between NBC and Roddenberry, who left "Star Trek" after its second season out of frustration with the network. Not only was the entire original cast back (minus Walter Koenig), but so was Roddenberry, and so was D.C. Fontana, Roddenberry's longtime assistant who had grown into one of the most celebrated "Trek" writers and had also departed after Season 2. Between the return of some of the show's original creative minds and cast, and the fact that animation allowed them to do so much more than live action special effects of the era, "TAS" is pure, undiluted "Star Trek."

It's never been made explicitly clear whether "TAS" is canon, but considering the number of "TAS" ideas re-used in later live-action shows, plus the introduction in "TAS" of canon pieces of backstory, like Kirk's middle name, it's silly at this point to believe otherwise. And it's required viewing for completists who want to see every televised adventure undertaken by the original Enterprise crew.

The first six films

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released by Paramount in 1979, and while it's not an especially good film, it holds historical importance as the launching point for the "Star Trek" movie franchise. The real highlights in this part of the list, though, are the three films that followed. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home essentially form their own trilogy of movies within the larger "Trek" saga, and are some of the most popular and critically acclaimed installments in the franchise. "The Wrath of Khan," in particular, tends to show up near the top of "best science fiction films in history" lists, making the titular Khan such an iconic villain that he was recast for the J.J. Abrams reboot movies, while "The Voyage Home" is probably the most charming "Star Trek" film, as the Enterprise travels to the past to rescue the humpback whale species from extinction.

Even the most dedicated binge-watcher can safely skip the horrendous fifth movie, "The Final Frontier," but "The Undiscovered Country" is an absolute masterpiece, and taken together, these six films provide a worthy capstone to the franchise's inaugural era.

It might seem counterintuitive to follow up the oldest "Star Trek" series with one of the newest, especially given that "Star Trek: Discovery" actually takes place prior to "The Original Series." But there's a good reason to jump from the tales of Kirk and Spock to the tales of Michael Burnham and...well, and Spock, who shows up in Season 2. "The Original Series" and its accompanying animated and film extensions are foundational to "Discovery," which is set shortly after the events of the rejected "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." And characters from "The Cage" show up in Season 2 and are also appearing in their own spinoff, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

While an in-universe chronological watch order would put the first two seasons of "Discovery" before "TOS" and the third season at the very end (as the crew travels forward in time to the far future) it makes more sense to us to treat "Discovery" as its own story. The third season does occasionally reference "past" events from other shows, but that does lead nicely into the next "Trek" installment...

The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

For many Trekkies today, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was their introduction to the franchise, and for good reason. If any one series beyond the original can lay a claim to being the single most iconic "Star Trek" story, it's Next Generation, which premiered in 1987 and went on to not only have seven seasons of its own, but to jumpstart a chain of interlocking "Star Trek" shows that would thoroughly dominate the 1990s. Before that, though, the first five seasons of Next Generation stood alone, and if you're trying to get somebody instantly hooked on Trek, this might actually be the place to start, despite the fact that the first couple of seasons don't hold up incredibly well.

If you're absorbing all of "Star Trek," though, "Next Generation" has to be the place to start. After all, it's the next generation of what, exactly? The answer is the Starship Enterprise, which comes with an entirely new cast and crew, introducing the world to Worf, Data, Counselor Troi, and Geordi LaForge, and permanently branding the hearts of a thousand Trekkies with the image of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The Next Generation (Season 6) / Deep Space Nine (Season 1)

Okay, this is where it gets weird. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" debuted in January 1993, just a few months after "Next Generation" kicked off its sixth season — a season full of unmitigated classics, incidentally, from the return of Montgomery Scott in "Relics" to the legendary two-parter "Chain of Command." Picard even makes a cameo in the first episode of "DS9," which takes place aboard a space station and uses the ideas and events of earlier "Next Generation" episodes to inform characters like Commander Benjamin Sisko and Quark. It's essentially impossible to understand Sisko's backstory, for example, without first having seen the "Next Generation" episode "The Best of Both Worlds."

Despite the fact that they take place over roughly the same time period, we recommend watching the entirety of Season 6 of "Next Generation" followed by the entirety of Season 1 of "DS9," if for no other reason than the former has more episodes than the latter, making it a complicated process to intercut between them. But however you choose to do it, these two seasons really should be watched back to back.

The Next Generation (Season 7) / Deep Space Nine (Season 2)

Similarly, the second season of "DS9" coincides with the last "Next Generation" season. While it might lack the standout episodes of earlier seasons, Season 7 manages a few achievements. For one thing, it puts a bow on one of the most beloved shows in television history with a flourish, ending the program with an ambitious, timeline-jumping two-parter that ties directly into the events of the very first episode. It also inadvertently lays the groundwork for a much more modern "Trek" show with an episode about junior officers called "Lower Decks." But most importantly, it ties into and reinforces "Deep Space Nine," most notably in the penultimate episode "Preemptive Strike," which deals with concurrent "DS9" problems like the Cardassians and the Maquis.

By the end of Season 2, "DS9" has already proven capable of standing on its own, having picked up and ran with the Maquis threads from earlier "Next Generation" episodes, returned to the Mirror Universe first introduced in the original series, and introduced the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar, who will serve as the series' primary antagonists. But the stories of Picard and company were far from over...

Generations

The four feature films built around the cast of "Next Generation" are a direct continuation of the movies that came before, not least because the first one, 1994's "Generations," serves as a bridge between "TOS" and its descendant, and between Kirk and Picard, in about the most literal way you could imagine. This movie marks the final appearance of several characters from the original show, including Kirk himself (the one played by William Shatner, at any rate) which makes it a crucial piece of the "Star Trek" timeline, as does the introduction of Data's emotion chip. Of course, some might consider the movie worth it just to see Malcolm McDowell chew the scenery like he hasn't eaten in three days, and we can't say they're wrong.

"Generations" launched Picard's crew onto the big screen almost immediately after their exit from the small one, meaning they would continue to be the face of "Star Trek" for the remainder of the decade. But back in the realm of "Trek" TV, things were only heating up, as a new series prepared to take the field and challenge "DS9" for television dominance.

Deep Space Nine (Season 3) / Voyager (Season 1)

Once again, it's time to switch between two seasons of "Star Trek," as the third season of "DS9" overlaps with the debuting "Star Trek: Voyager." The first "Trek" series to feature a woman (Kathryn Janeway) in the captain's chair, "Voyager" also had a unique and fascinating premise. Much of the "DS9" action is driven by the existence of a nearby wormhole that leads to the Gamma Quadrant, a section of space far away from the Federation's native Alpha Quadrant. This allows the titular space station and its intrepid crew to encounter any number of new and dangerous alien species. "Voyager" goes even farther, literally — a solitary ship finds itself transported to the even more distant Delta Quadrant and spends the rest of the series trying to get home.

Due to this premise, there's no reason whatsoever to jump between individual episodes of these two seasons, as the events of one show don't affect the other in any way. But jumping between shows by the season provides a fun and accurate experience of what it was like to watch the interlocking "Star Trek" programs of the 1990s.

Deep Space Nine (Season 4) / Voyager (Season 2)

Like most "Star Trek" shows, "Voyager" takes a couple of seasons to find its feet, and Season 2 in particular contains some of its most notoriously bad episodes, from the tone-deaf Native American implications of "Tattoo" to Janeway and Voyager pilot Tom Paris turning into salamanders and having salamander babies together in "Threshold" to the utter abomination that is "Tuvix." At least it has the consideration to get them all out of the way early on.

"DS9," meanwhile, was encountering its own problems in Season 4, which took a sharp turn away from the burgeoning conflict with the Dominion and instead spent most of its time dealing with the newly antagonistic Klingon Empire. Fortunately, even as the overarching plot went briefly off the rails, the writing was getting better and better, and the diversion is, if nothing else, entertaining. As a bonus, Season 4 features one of television's first lesbian kisses, and also brings in Worf, the Klingon security officer from "Next Generation" — until Picard, Michael Dorn was the only actor to star in the main casts of two different "Star Trek" shows.

First Contact

As a result of his dual roles, Worf would spend the next several years hopping back and forth between television and the movies. One reason it's important to watch Season 4 of "DS9" prior to watching "First Contact," the second film starring the "Next Generation" cast, is because in order to include Worf in the story, the latter is obligated to include a scene in which the Enterprise rescues another ship called the Defiant, introduced in "DS9" and captained by Worf himself. Future "Next Generation" movies, which decline in quality moving forward, come up with increasingly hand-wavy reasons for his presence on the Enterprise bridge.

"First Contact" itself, however, is by far the best of the "Next Generation" films and one of the best "Star Trek" films in general, as the crew travels back in time to prevent the cybernetic hive mind known as the Borg from altering history. Not only is "First Contact" a great movie (and the film directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander William Riker), it also kicks off a spectacular "Star Trek" run that can stand up against any other period in franchise history.

Deep Space Nine (Season 5) / Voyager (Season 3)

With Season 5, "DS9" gets back on track after the previous outlier season, quickly focusing around a single unified threat thanks to an alliance between the show's original antagonists the Cardassians and the Dominion. The presence of the sinister Changelings adds an intrigue element to the story, as any character could potentially be a Changeling in disguise — a concept that would be used to great effect years later in the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." The season concludes with the official start of the Dominion War, a conflict that would dominate the remainder of the show.

"Voyager," meanwhile, was also getting back on track in its third season, which generally sees an uptick in quality — particularly toward the end, with episodes like "Before and After," "Real Life," and "Worst Case Scenario." Robert Picardo, who plays Voyager's holographic doctor, also gets to make a cameo in "DS9" as the Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman, in the episode "Doctor Bashir, I presume." And Season 3 ends with the first installment of "Scorpion," which catalyzed "Voyager's" official rise to greatness in part thanks to a memorable new character.

Deep Space Nine (Season 6) / Voyager (Season 4)

These two overlapping seasons, airing in late 1997 and early 1998, represent the pinnacle of "Star Trek's" '90s golden age. In "DS9," the Dominion War is in full swing, the series' much-discussed religions themes are building in prominence, the mysterious Section 31 is introduced, foreshadowing its prominent role in both "Enterprise" and "Discovery," and most memorably, the showrunners do what almost no iteration of "Star Trek" has ever dared to do: permanently kill off a member of the main cast.

Casting changes are also a major part of Season 4 of "Voyager," which jettisons the little-loved character of Kes and officially introduces Seven of Nine , a liberated Borg drone played by Jeri Ryan who quickly joins the ranks of the franchise's most widely known characters. It's an oversimplification to suggest that the overall brilliance of Season 4 is the direct result of Ryan joining the cast, but no matter how much of it you attribute to her, it's a phenomenal season of television, filled from start to finish with some of the best "Voyager" episodes (and also "Retrospect," but we don't talk about that one).

Insurrection

It's not "First Contact," but 1998's "Insurrection" is still a pretty good "Next Generation" movie, another solid offering from Jonathan Frakes. While "Insurrection" doesn't interact much with the events of "DS9" or "Voyager," watching it at this point in the "Trek" timeline provides an overall context for the state of the Federation, which has been intermittently challenged, as the movie's primary villain points out, by the Borg, the Cardassians, and the Dominion. A sense of the Federation being assailed from all sides isn't strictly necessary for the film's story of familial betrayal on a planet that confers immortality, but it does make viewing it a more interesting experience (though again, the perfunctory inclusion of Worf simply because he's expected to be in "Next Generation" movies is potentially jarring for "DS9" fans who have become invested in his character development, which "Insurrection" largely ignores).

"Insurrection" is Frakes' last "Star Trek" movie as director (though he would later direct episodes of "Discovery" and "Picard") and marks the beginning of the end of the '90s "Trek" boom. There's still plenty of great "Trek" ahead, but the curve is now pointing down.

Deep Space Nine (Season 7) / Voyager (Season 5)

The final season of "DS9" represents one of the single greatest creative accomplishments in "Star Trek" history, as no "Trek" show to date has managed to stick such an ambitious and satisfying landing. In a unique move, the last 10 episodes of the season form a single, series-ending story, and the feature-length finale, "What You Leave Behind," is considered one of the greatest "Trek" episodes of all time. "DS9" had been great for at least two seasons prior to this one, but the success of Season 7 cemented it as a foremost jewel in the crown of the "Star Trek" franchise.

"Voyager," meanwhile, continued its stellar run of episodes, capping off a three-year rehabilitation effort that saw one of the franchise's shakiest shows become one of its best. It was good timing, too, because with "DS9" wrapping up ("What You Leave Behind" aired the week after the Season 5 "Voyager" finale, "Equinox"), Captain Janeway and her crew were suddenly the only starship in the galaxy. And you, intrepid binge-watcher, can finally stop switching between two different shows.

Voyager (Seasons 6-7)

Unlike "DS9," the final seasons of "Voyager" are not its best, though admittedly, after Seasons 4 and 5, that's a high bar to clear. Season 6 comes close with a steady stream of classics, introducing both the popular Holodeck scenario Fair Haven and the "Pathfinder" storyline that sees "Next Generation" vets Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi join up as recurring characters. By Season 7, however, the quality of "Voyager" has begun to dip noticeably — the final season contains few memorable episodes and at least one extremely ill-conceived romantic subplot. It earns some redemption, however, with the two-part series finale "Endgame," which, whether you like it or not, at least fulfills the promise of the show's premise and comes to a definitive conclusion about whether the ship and its crew are ever getting back to the Alpha Quadrant. It's a moment that would have been easy to shy away from, and "Voyager" meets it head on.

"Endgame" aired in May 2001, and in retrospect, the title didn't only apply to "Voyager." The continuous story that "Star Trek" had been telling for the past 14 years over the course of three different shows and three different movies was over. There was, however, one last (incredibly depressing) chapter to get through.

The final "Next Generation" film, released in 2002, is by far the worst of them, and the worst "Star Trek" movie in general since 1989's "The Final Frontier." It was so bad, in fact, that it notoriously killed "Star Trek" — plans for a fifth "Next Generation" movie were scrapped after "Nemesis" bombed at the box office, and creatively, it's an absolute nightmare, introducing a Romulan sister planet with the unfortunate name of Remus, blatantly attempting to restart Data's entire character arc via a literal copy with the also unfortunate name of B-4, and tying these and other unfortunate decisions together with a nonsensical plot featuring Tom Hardy as a secret clone of Picard. After "Nemesis," the scuttling of future franchise installments can honestly be seen as a mercy killing.

"Star Trek" wasn't quite dead in 2002, however. While we've now officially made it through the combined stories of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager," there's one more show, independent from the others, that now enters the viewing order. And watching it involves going back to the very beginning... and even before that.

In a chronological viewing, "Star Trek: Enterprise" would actually be the first show you watch, since it takes place a hundred years prior to "The Cage." Indirectly spinning off from the events of "First Contact," it tells the story of Earth's first warp starship, appropriately named the Enterprise and captained by Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, and of humanity's early relationships with alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and Andorians. Despite its status as a prequel, the sheer degree to which "Enterprise" relies on its audience having knowledge of other "Star Trek" properties makes it almost impossible to recommend as an entry point. It fits much better here, as the official end of the franchise's second major era, especially given that the final episode, "These Are The Voyages...," frames itself as a holodeck simulation being watched by the Enterprise crew from "Next Generation."

"There Are The Voyages..." aired on May 13th, 2005. There wouldn't be another "Star Trek" show for more than 12 years. At this point, our watch order breaks away from order of release, but we feel strongly that it's how "Star Trek" from 1987 to 2005 should be watched.

Lower Decks

If you think 12 years is a long gap between "Star Trek" installments, that's nothing compared to the 45 years that went by between "Trek" stories told via animation. "Short Treks" was technically the first "Trek" show since "The Animated Series" to include animated episodes, and that aired in 2019, but 2020 gave us the first season of "Lower Decks," an entirely animated show about the people who don't get to hang out on the bridge.

The first franchise installment to ever concern itself primarily with characters who are not in command of a starship or space station, "Lower Decks" is the "Star Trek" equivalent of shows like HBO's "Harley Quinn" — an irreverent, adult-oriented comedy that revels in its TV-MA rating, delivering violence, sex, and swearing at warp speed frequencies. Chronologically, it's set shortly after the events of "Nemesis," but more importantly to the binge-watcher, it's the dessert following a feast — a vital dose of pure fun after absorbing almost four full decades of space drama.

The Kelvin timeline

After the box office failure of "Nemesis" brought an abrupt end to the "Next Generation" movies, there wasn't a new "Trek" film until 2009. And far from being a continuation of the existing movie franchise, this new version, simply called "Star Trek," was a reboot of "The Original Series," casting new, younger versions of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the first Enterprise crew. Sequels to the reboot followed in 2013 and 2016.

Watching these three movies as part of a "Star Trek" binge is pretty much entirely optional, since they take place in an alternate timeline created when the USS Kelvin was destroyed in battle with time-traveling Romulan ship from the 24th century, leaving an infant James T. Kirk without a father in the process. Moreover, the trilogy is widely considered to be of uneven quality (though the third movie, "Star Trek Beyond," is considerably better than its predecessor, possibly due to the departure of director J.J. Abrams). Still, if you're going to watch them, this is the place in the viewing order to do it, as a key plot point of the first film — the Romulan sun going supernova — plays a major role in "Picard."

Short Treks

The Kelvin movies might not exert much direct influence over the larger plot of "Star Trek," but they played a major role in the future of the franchise by bringing in Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman is the showrunner on "Discovery," and with the exception of "Lower Decks," he has been directly involved in every modern "Trek" series. In 2018, after the successful first season of "Discovery" led to a new expansion of the "Star Trek" franchise, Kurtzman and co-creator Bryan Fuller (formerly a writer on "DS9" and "Voyager") premiered "Short Treks," an anthology series of short, unrelated stories. As of this writing, there have been two seasons and 10 total episodes, some live-action, some animated.

"Short Treks" spans almost the entire "Star Trek" timeline — two episodes are set in the period of time between "Enterprise" and "The Original Series," while a third takes place in the far future. As a result, watching it requires a sense of the entire scope of the "Trek" universe. It's the penultimate entry in this watch order, however, because the Season 2 finale, "Children of Mars," leads directly into the final entry: "Picard."

"Star Trek: Picard" is the first of the modern "Trek" offerings to look forward rather than back, giving us a story set after the events of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager." Indeed, not only does the series follow up with Jean-Luc Picard 20 years after we last saw him (and 12 years after the Romulan sun went supernova) but it also brings in an older version of Seven of Nine, once again portrayed by Jeri Ryan. As mentioned, Picard also ties into the most recent installment of "Short Treks," which involves a terrorist attack by synthetic life forms that eventually leads to a ban on their creation — one of the many plot elements of "Picard" that has drawn criticism for being inconsistent with the original utopian vision of "Star Trek."

With so many new "Trek" shows on their way, this list will quickly become outdated. But all the upcoming series will reward previous "Trek" viewing, from Janeway's return on "Star Trek: Prodigy" to a show focused entirely on Section 31. So if you're going to binge all of "Star Trek," you might want to get started now!

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How to watch every star trek series & movie in the right order.

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New Starfleet TV Show Is The Discovery Replacement Star Trek Desperately Needs

Star trek explains why it uses 'quadrants' despite the universe being infinite, 2 modern star trek shows faced exactly the same criticism (but had opposite solutions).

In a choice between whether to watch the Star Trek TV series and movies in the order of release or watching the saga unfold throughout its in-universe continuity, here's how a Trekker can do either. When  Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966, no one dreamed it would launch a franchise that would last 55 years, and Star Trek  is still going strong . Star Trek now encompasses 9 TV series, with two more, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the animated Star Trek: Prodigy in development for 2022, as well as 13 feature films, with the 14th Star Trek movie earmarked for June 2023.

Star Trek has also grown into a massive canon that spans a thousand years of the future. Much of the franchise is focused on the Captain and crews of the various starships named Enterprise and most of the saga is divided between the optimistic future of the 23rd century's The Original Series ( TOS ) era and Star Trek: The Next Generation 's ( TNG ) 24th-century era, which also spans the spinoffs Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Picard . But in the last 20 years, Star Trek has also relied heavily on prequels, with Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2, and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie trilogy all set before TOS . Complicating matters, Abrams' films are also set in their own alternate canon, the Kelvin timeline. Star Trek: Discovery season 3 (and all future seasons) take place in the 32nd century, which is the farthest in the future the franchise has explored.

Related: Star Trek: Every Captain of The Enterprise

Star Trek  utilizes Stardates in-universe but it's easier to track the timeline based on the Greco-Roman calendar years each TV series and movie is set in. Of course, as a sci-fi franchise renowned for its innovative storytelling, Star Trek has told plenty of time travel tales . Nearly every TV series and several of the films have time travel adventures set that have sent the Starfleet heroes into the present day or even let them cross over and meet crews from different eras. There is really no wrong way to watch Star Trek but if a new fan is making the choice between release date order or the order of continuity, here is a handy guide to both options.

Star Trek TV Shows & Movies In Order Of Release

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 (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)

Star Trek Generations (1994)

Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

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-present)

Star Trek: Picard (2020-present)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-present)

Related: Star Trek: When The Kelvin Timeline Takes Place

Star Trek TV Shows & Movies In Chronological Order

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star Trek (2009) (2255 in the Kelvin timeline) Star Trek also contains flashbacks to 2233, the 2240s, and 2252 and a flashforward to 2387 in the Prime timeline.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 & 2 (2256-2258) The USS Discovery permanently time travels to the 32nd century at the end of season 2.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2259 in the Kelvin timeline)

Star Trek Beyond (2263 in the Kelvin timeline)

Star Trek: The Original Series (2266-2269)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and 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: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star Trek Generations (2371) Generations takes place before DS9 season 4 when Worf (Michael Dorn) joins the space station crew.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378) Voyager 's first four seasons take place concurrently with DS9 seasons 4-7.

Star Trek: First Contact (2373 and 2063) First Contact takes place during DS9 season 5 and Voyager season 3. Most of the film takes place in 2063, 90 years before the events of Star Trek: Enterprise .

Star Trek Insurrection (2375) Insurrection takes place during DS9 season 7 and Voyager season 5.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380 onward)

Star Trek: Picard (2389 onward) Picard also has flashbacks set in 2385.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 (3188-3189)

Next: Why Every Star Trek Series Ended

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: Discovery

10 Longest Waits Star Trek Has Forced Fans To Endure

For the nearly 60 years that Star Trek has been a science fiction staple, fans have been forced to endure long waits between an initial promise made by the franchise and seeing that story come to fruition. Being a long-running science-fiction franchise almost inevitably comes with fallow periods where no new content is being produced. Like fellow long-runners Star Wars and Doctor Who , gaps between eras of Star Trek have sometimes lasted for years, and it wasn't always certain that there would be new Star Trek shows on the other side of the wait.

The streaming age hasn't necessarily made things better for Star Trek fans. Shorter seasons mean we spend less time with characters we'd like to get to know. The unpredictable schedules of streaming shows mean it's hard to know when any given season of Star Trek will arrive ... or how long it will be when it does. After Star Trek 's great year in 2022 , when there was a new Star Trek story nearly every week, the gaps between Star Trek stories seem longer than ever. There were, however, much longer waits in Star Trek .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 to Season 3

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Release Date May 5, 2022

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Filming of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 was delayed by the SAG-AFTRA and the Writers' Guild of America strikes in 2023, so 13 months have passed since the Gorn attack on Federation colony Parnassus Beta in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 10 , "Hegemony". Some characters must survive the cliffhanger ending to be in Star Trek: The Original Series , but the fates of new characters like Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) still hang in the balance over a year later.

To tide fans over for the time being, Paramount provided a sneak peek clip of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 and teased that the upcoming season would arrive sometime in 2025. As of September 2024, an official release date for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 has yet to be confirmed , so the wait could wind up being much longer than 13 months.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 to Season 3

Star trek: discovery.

Release Date September 24, 2017

Less than a year had passed between Star Trek: Discovery 's first 2 seasons, so it was surprising that fans had to wait for 17 months to see what was on the other side of Discovery 's wormhole to the future, and how the USS Discovery would fare in the 32nd century. Star Trek: Discovery benefited from a longer period between seasons since Discovery season 3 acted as a soft reboot for Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery crew .

Freed from its 23rd-century setting, Star Trek: Discovery started to find its footing. With new missions to reunite a broken Federation and investigate the cataclysmic Burn, a new setting 900 years in the future, and great new characters like Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), the wait for Star Trek: Discovery season 3 could be overlooked.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 to Season 2

Star trek: prodigy.

Release Date October 28, 2021

Streaming Service(s) Netflix

Number of Episodes 40

The wait between Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 and Prodigy season 2 should have been shorter than the 19 months it wound up being. Fans of all ages who enjoyed the adventures of the young USS Protostar crew anticipated Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, originally scheduled to stream on Paramount+ late in 2023. Those plans changed when Paramount canceled Star Trek: Prodigy and removed Prodigy season 1 from Paramount+ . It didn't matter that Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 was completed. The show would have to find a new home to be released.

Fortunately, the plan to save Star Trek: Prodigy worked when Netflix picked up Star Trek: Prodigy. Netflix added Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 to their streaming catalog on Christmas Day, 2023. All 20 episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 dropped simultaneously on Netflix on July 1, 2024, about a year and a half after it was initially expected.

Star Trek: Picard Season 1 to Season 2

Star trek: picard.

Release Date January 23, 2020

The 24-month wait between Star Trek: Picard season 1 and season 2 wasn't nearly as long as the 18-year wait between the release of Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002 and Patrick Stewart's 2020 return as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard season 1. After a relatively normal 11-month wait between the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , the already-long stretch between Star Trek: Picard 's first 2 seasons was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic .

To prevent another 2-year gap between seasons, Star Trek: Picard was renewed for a 3rd season before Picard season 2 even aired, and Picard 's final 2 seasons were filmed back-to-back. This accommodated the schedules of Star Trek: Picard 's cast and crew, and allowed for the highly anticipated Star Trek: The Next Generation cast reunion in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 to Season 5

The 24 months that passed between Star Trek: Discovery season 4 and Star Trek: Discovery season 5 were the longest period between Discovery seasons. On paper, the payoff seemed small, since season 5 was Star Trek: Discovery 's shortest season yet, with only 10 episodes. This seemed to be the new normal for Star Trek since the count matched Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks ' 10-episode seasons.

It was worth it, though. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was an action-packed adventure spanning space and time , with deliberate but organic nods to nearly every past era of Star Trek, and a mystery that paid off another long wait. Discovery season 5 finally expanded the story of the Progenitors from Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase". Unfortunately, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was also the end of Discovery — but with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy coming soon , more 32nd-century adventures won't be too far away.

Star Trek Beyond to Star Trek 4

Star trek 4.

Writers Steve Yockey

Cast Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho

From 2009 to 2016's Star Trek Beyond , J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies sustained the franchise when it seemed like Star Trek was done with television shows. With the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, however, Star Trek 's streaming era has pivoted attention away from the Kelvin Timeline films and sent Star Trek 4 into development limbo for 8+ years.

In those 8 years, Star Trek 4 has taken various forms, with multiple rewrites and a revolving door of directors, ranging from Quentin Tarantino to its current attached director, Andor 's Toby Haynes. Plot details of Star Trek 4 are still under wraps, though if Abrams' Star Trek movies continue to pay homage to their Prime Universe counterparts, time travel may be involved. If and when Star Trek 4 happens, it will be the last Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movie for Chris Pine's James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto's Spock, and Zoe Saldaña's Nyota Uhura.

Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star trek: the motion picture.

Release Date December 6, 1979

Runtime 2 hours, 16 minutes

Where to watch Max

After Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled for the third and final time in 1969, there was no guarantee that fans would actually reunite with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) , Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). A strong showing in syndicated reruns prompted the creation of Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1971, but the Filmation cartoon rarely matched the quality of live-action Star Trek .

Interest in continuing the Starship Enterprise's live-action adventures peaked with the success of Star Wars in 1977 , proving that audiences really would come out to theaters for a space-based sci-fi movie. Elements of Roddenberry's failed Star Trek spin-off , Star Trek: Phase II , were folded into a new script, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit theaters in 1979, 10 years after Star Trek: The Original Series aired its final episode.

Star Trek: Enterprise to Star Trek: Discovery

Between the end of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 and the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, 12 years passed in which fans were unsure that Star Trek would ever return to television. Star Trek: Discovery represented Star Trek 's rebirth into a new television landscape , with a new format on streaming service CBS All Access (now Paramount+), deep serialization, and a darker vision of the future than Star Trek had ever had.

8 Ways Star Trek: Discovery Made Star Trek Better

Say what you will about Star Trek: Discovery, but the divisive show undoubtedly added to the infinite diversity of the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: Discovery was a new and different take on Star Trek that built off of the way that J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline films reinvigorated the franchise. Despite its rocky start, Star Trek: Discovery nonetheless blazed a trail for new Star Trek series of the 21st century to follow , just as Star Trek: The Next Generation had done in the 1980s and 1990s.

Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star trek: the next generation.

Release Date September 28, 1987

After the 1969 cancelation of Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek fans lacked an ongoing Star Trek television series for 18 years. The premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 promised a brand-new take on Star Trek , with a full century separating Captain Kirk's original Enterprise and the 24th-century adventures of the brand-new USS Enterprise-D crew under Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Although there were purposely very few references to Star Trek: The Original Series in Star Trek: The Next Generation , the TNG premiere, "Encounter at Farpoint", guest starred DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy to cement the connection between the old and new series.

Fans were initially skeptical of a new Enterprise and a new crew, not to mention Michael Dorn's Lieutenant Worf as the first Klingon in Starfleet . Of course, Star Trek: The Next Generation endured for 7 years and became the definitive Star Trek for a whole new generation of fans, spawning Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager as spin-offs of its own, as well as 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.

Star Trek The Cage to Strange New Worlds

With the longest time between a pilot and production of a Star Trek show, it took 58 years to make the show that Roddenberry first promised with the 1965 pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series , "The Cage". As a TOS prequel, Star Trek: Discovery season 2 hinted at the voyages of a pre-Kirk USS Enterprise, including Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Commander Una-Chin Riley (Rebecca Romijn), and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck). Fan demand for a Star Trek series led by Discovery 's charismatic Enterprise trio inspired the creation of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2022.

We've collectively breezed past the criticism that "The Cage" faced in its day.

Star Trek itself is responsible for much of the social progress that let Star Trek: Strange New Worlds exist, as we've collectively breezed past the criticism that "The Cage" faced in its day. Star Trek 's female captains have combated the skepticism of NBC executives protesting Number One (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry) as a First Officer. Modern audiences seek out smart storytelling, and Star Trek delivers , with an ever-expanding franchise that honors different demographics and tastes. The success of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds proves that some things are well worth the long waits that Star Trek fans have had to endure.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 280 User reviews
• 99 Critic reviews
• 16 wins & 31 nominations total

Episodes 80

Photos 2016

Top cast 99+

• Captain James T. Kirk …

• Mr. Spock …

• Lieutenant Leslie …

• Nurse Chapel …

• Ensign Freeman …

• Yeoman Rand …

• Announcer …

• Beta 5 Computer …
• Security Guard …
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Stellar Photos From the "Star Trek" TV Universe

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Did you know

• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Music by Alexander Courage

User reviews 280

• Nov 24, 2003

Women in Science Fiction

• How do they maintain Gravity on the the U.S.S. Enterprise ? .
• All aliens on all planets speak the English language?
• What does "TOS" mean?
• September 8, 1966 (United States)
• United States
• Star Trek: The Original Series
• Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
• Desilu Productions
• Norway Corporation
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 50 minutes

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