The Star Trek watch order

Sixty years, eleven centuries and two timelines. The honest advice is that you should not try to watch it in any single order at all.

Updated 4 August 2026 · 26 titles tracked

Most watch-order guides will hand you a numbered list of all of Star Trek and wish you luck. That list is about eight hundred hours long, and following it is how people give up in the middle of Enterprise.

Star Trek is not one story. It is a collection of series that share a universe, and the right approach is to pick one and watch it, not to sequence the whole thing.

Every Star Trek series and film in release order

Grouped by production era. Long-running series are listed at their starting point — several overlap by years.

Open the interactive Star Trek list

Start with a series, not the beginning

Four good starting points, depending on taste.

Strange New Worlds (2022) — the easiest modern entry. Episodic, warm, beautiful to look at, and requires nothing.
The Next Generation (1987) — the best overall entry into Star Trek as a thing. Skip most of season one; it finds itself in season three.
Deep Space Nine (1993) — the best written of them, and the most serialised. Better once you know the universe a little.
The Original Series (1966) — where it starts, and still watchable, but the 1960s television grammar is a real barrier for some.

Why not chronological order?

Chronological order opens with Enterprise, a prequel made fourth and generally considered the weakest series. Starting eight hundred hours of television on its weakest entry is a poor plan.

It also separates shows designed to be watched together — Deep Space Nine and Voyager ran concurrently for years and constantly reference the same events — and it strands Discovery, which jumps nine centuries forward halfway through its run.

Chronological order is a fine curiosity once you know the universe. It is a bad way in.

The films, and which ones stand alone

The films split into three groups: six with the original crew, four with The Next Generation cast, and three in the separate "Kelvin" timeline created by the 2009 reboot.

The Wrath of Khan is the best of them and works nearly cold, though it lands harder if you have seen the Original Series episode it sequels. First Contact is the best TNG film and needs only a rough sense of who the Borg are. Star Trek (2009) requires nothing at all, being a deliberate fresh start.

What is the Kelvin timeline?

The 2009 film sends a Romulan ship back in time, splitting off an alternate reality. The three films from 2009 to 2016 take place there, with a new cast playing the original characters. It never rejoins the main timeline, so those three can be watched entirely separately from everything else.

Common questions

What order should I watch Star Trek in?

Pick a series rather than sequencing the whole franchise. Strange New Worlds or The Next Generation are the best starting points. Release order works well within an era; chronological order is a poor first watch.

Where should I start with Star Trek?

Strange New Worlds (2022) is the easiest modern entry point and requires no prior knowledge. The Next Generation is the best entry into classic Star Trek, starting from season three if season one drags.

Do I need to watch Star Trek in chronological order?

No, and it is not recommended. Chronological order opens on Enterprise, the weakest series, and separates shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager that were made to run alongside each other.

Are the Kelvin timeline films canon?

Yes, but in a separate timeline. The 2009 film creates an alternate reality that never rejoins the main continuity, so those three films can be watched independently.