Watch order guide · Star Trek

How to watch the Star Trek movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 21 min read · 26 titles · 735 hours

Star Trek has no single order that suits everyone. The easiest start is The Next Generation (1987) or Strange New Worlds (2022); purists start with The Original Series (1966). Star Trek (2009) begins the separate Kelvin timeline, a self-contained trilogy you can watch at any point.

Titles
26
Films
14
Series
12
Watch time
735 hours
Box office
$2.26 billion
Avg IMDb
7.1
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Star Trek movies in release order

Here is every Star Trek (Star Trek series) title in the order it came out, 1966 to 2026: 14 films and 12 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.

#TitleYearTypeRuntimeIMDb
1Star Trek: The Original Series1966Series66h 22m8.4
2Star Trek: The Animated Series optional1973Series8h 48m7.2
3Star Trek: The Motion Picture1979Film2h 11m6.4
4Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan1982Film1h 53m7.7
5Star Trek III: The Search for Spock1984Film1h 45m6.7
6Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home1986Film1h 58m7.3
7Star Trek: The Next Generation1987Series135h 45m8.7
8Star Trek V: The Final Frontier optional1989Film1h 46m5.5
9Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country1991Film1h 50m7.3
10Star Trek: Deep Space Nine1993Series131h 58m8.1
11Star Trek Generations1994Film1h 58m6.6
12Star Trek: Voyager1995Series129h 57m7.9
13Star Trek: First Contact1996Film1h 51m7.6
14Star Trek: Insurrection1998Film1h 43m6.4
15Star Trek: Enterprise2001Series70h 39m7.6
16Star Trek: Nemesis2002Film1h 56m6.4
17Star Trek2009Film2h 7m7.9
18Star Trek Into Darkness2013Film2h 12m7.7
19Star Trek Beyond2016Film2h 2m7
20Star Trek: Discovery2017Series55h6.9
21Star Trek: Picard2020Series25h 13m7.5
22Star Trek: Lower Decks optional2020Series22h 26m7.8
23Star Trek: Prodigy optional2021Series15h 56m7.6
24Star Trek: Strange New Worlds2022Series35h 53m8.2
25Star Trek: Section 31 optional2025Film1h 36m3.8
26Star Trek: Starfleet Academy2026Series10h 21m4.6

Star Trek timeline: movies in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 26 titles here. In release order you start with Star Trek: The Original Series (1966); in story order you start with Star Trek: Enterprise, set in 2151–2161, which came out 35 years later.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Star Trek into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Star Trek also runs a separate continuity: The Kelvin timeline. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.

Where to start

Brand new to it

Start with Star Trek: The Original Series and go in release order, skipping the 5 optional titles on the first pass.

Short on time

The essentials are 21 titles and about 685 hours, 7% less than the full run.

Only the best

The three highest rated: Star Trek: The Next Generation (8.7), Star Trek: The Original Series (8.4), and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (8.2).

Every Star Trek movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

Star Trek: The Original Series poster

No. 01 · 1966 · Series · 66h 22m · 4th in story order

Star Trek: The Original Series

Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk with First Officer Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen led by Khan Noonian Singh. Their mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Why it matters: Kirk, Spock and McCoy: the 1966 original.

Scores
IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 75%
Episodes
79 across 3 seasons
Star Trek: The Animated Series poster

No. 02 · 1973 · Series · 8h 48m · 5th in story order · optional

Star Trek: The Animated Series

The animated adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

Why it matters: An animated continuation of the original crew; optional.

Scores
IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Episodes
22 across 2 seasons
Star Trek: The Motion Picture poster

No. 03 · 1979 · Film · 2h 11m · 6th in story order

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command.

Why it matters: The original crew's first film.

Director
Robert Wise
Box office
$139 million on a $44 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 51%
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan poster

No. 04 · 1982 · Film · 1h 53m · 7th in story order

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

Why it matters: Khan returns from a Season 1 episode; often called the best Star Trek film.

Director
Nicholas Meyer
Box office
$97 million on a $12 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock poster

No. 05 · 1984 · Film · 1h 45m · 8th in story order

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.

Why it matters: Picks up right after The Wrath of Khan.

Director
Leonard Nimoy
Box office
$87 million on a $18 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home poster

No. 06 · 1986 · Film · 1h 58m · 9th in story order

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.

Why it matters: Completes the Khan trilogy, with whales and 1986 San Francisco.

Director
Leonard Nimoy
Box office
$133 million on a $21 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 82%
Star Trek: The Next Generation poster

No. 07 · 1987 · Series · 135h 45m · 13th in story order

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Why it matters: Picard's Enterprise, a century after Kirk; the most popular entry point.

Scores
IMDb 8.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%
Episodes
176 across 7 seasons
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier poster

No. 08 · 1989 · Film · 1h 46m · 10th in story order · optional

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

A renegade Vulcan with a startling secret hijacks the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to find a mythical planet.

Why it matters: The weakest original-crew film; optional.

Director
William Shatner
Box office
$63 million on a $33 million budget
Scores
IMDb 5.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 22%
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country poster

No. 09 · 1991 · Film · 1h 50m · 11th in story order

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.

Why it matters: The original crew's farewell.

Director
Nicholas Meyer
Box office
$97 million on a $27 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine poster

No. 10 · 1993 · Series · 131h 58m · 14th in story order

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types of unexpected problems that come their way.

Why it matters: Set on a space station, with the franchise's longest war arc.

Scores
IMDb 8.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Episodes
173 across 7 seasons
Star Trek Generations poster

No. 11 · 1994 · Film · 1h 58m · 15th in story order

Star Trek Generations

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.

Why it matters: Kirk and Picard meet; passes the torch to the Next Generation crew.

Director
David Carson
Box office
$118 million on a $38 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 48%
Star Trek: Voyager poster

No. 12 · 1995 · Series · 129h 57m · 16th in story order

Star Trek: Voyager

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

Why it matters: A ship stranded across the galaxy; runs alongside Deep Space Nine.

Creator
Jeri Taylor, Rick Berman, Gene Roddenberry, and Michael Piller
Scores
IMDb 7.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%
Episodes
169 across 7 seasons
Star Trek: First Contact poster

No. 13 · 1996 · Film · 1h 51m · 17th in story order

Star Trek: First Contact

The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.

Why it matters: The Borg; the best Next Generation film.

Director
Jonathan Frakes
Box office
$146 million on a $46 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Star Trek: Insurrection poster

No. 14 · 1998 · Film · 1h 43m · 18th in story order

Star Trek: Insurrection

When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.

Why it matters: A lighter Next Generation film.

Director
Jonathan Frakes
Box office
$113 million on a $70 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 54%
Star Trek: Enterprise poster

No. 15 · 2001 · Series · 70h 39m · 1st in story order

Star Trek: Enterprise

During the mid-22nd century, a century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

Why it matters: The earliest era: Earth's first deep-space starship, a century before Kirk.

Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 56%
Episodes
97 across 4 seasons
Star Trek: Nemesis poster

No. 16 · 2002 · Film · 1h 56m · 19th in story order

Star Trek: Nemesis

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

Why it matters: The Next Generation crew's last film; leads into Picard.

Director
Stuart Baird
Box office
$67 million on a $60 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 37%
Star Trek poster

No. 17 · 2009 · Film · 2h 7m · 24th in story order

Star Trek

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

Why it matters: J.J. Abrams' reboot creates the separate Kelvin timeline.

Director
J.J. Abrams
Box office
$387 million on a $150 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Star Trek Into Darkness poster

No. 18 · 2013 · Film · 2h 12m · 25th in story order

Star Trek Into Darkness

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Why it matters: The Kelvin crew meets their Khan.

Director
J.J. Abrams
Box office
$467 million on a $190 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Star Trek Beyond poster

No. 19 · 2016 · Film · 2h 2m · 26th in story order

Star Trek Beyond

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Why it matters: The Kelvin trilogy's last film so far.

Director
Justin Lin
Box office
$343 million on a $185 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7 · Rotten Tomatoes 86%
Star Trek: Discovery poster

No. 20 · 2017 · Series · 55h · 2nd in story order

Star Trek: Discovery

Follow the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understand yourself.

Why it matters: Starts ten years before Kirk, then jumps 900 years into the future.

Creator
Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman
Scores
IMDb 6.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Episodes
65 across 5 seasons
Star Trek: Picard poster

No. 21 · 2020 · Series · 25h 13m · 22nd in story order

Star Trek: Picard

Set twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, we follow the now-retired Admiral Picard into the next chapter of his life.

Why it matters: Picard 20 years after Nemesis; best after The Next Generation.

Creator
Alex Kurtzman, Kirsten Beyer, Akiva Goldsman, and Michael Chabon
Scores
IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Episodes
30 across 3 seasons
Star Trek: Lower Decks poster

No. 22 · 2020 · Series · 22h 26m · 20th in story order · optional

Star Trek: Lower Decks

The lives of the support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Why it matters: An animated comedy after Nemesis; optional.

Creator
Mike McMahan
Scores
IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Episodes
50 across 5 seasons
Star Trek: Prodigy poster

No. 23 · 2021 · Series · 15h 56m · 21st in story order · optional

Star Trek: Prodigy

A motley crew of young rebellious aliens commandeer an old Starfleet ship and must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search for a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered, but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.

Why it matters: An animated series for younger viewers; optional.

Creator
Kevin Hageman and Dan Hageman
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Episodes
39 across 2 seasons
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster

No. 24 · 2022 · Series · 35h 53m · 3rd in story order

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Follow Captain Christopher Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Why it matters: Captain Pike's Enterprise; an easy, episodic place to start.

Creator
Jenny Lumet, Alex Kurtzman, and Akiva Goldsman
Scores
IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Episodes
40 across 4 seasons
Star Trek: Section 31 poster

No. 25 · 2025 · Film · 1h 36m · 12th in story order · optional

Star Trek: Section 31

Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.

Why it matters: A streaming spy film; optional.

Director
Olatunde Osunsanmi
Scores
IMDb 3.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 24%
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy poster

No. 26 · 2026 · Series · 10h 21m · 23rd in story order

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

A young group of cadets come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Why it matters: Cadets in the 32nd century, after Discovery.

Creator
Gaia Violo
Scores
IMDb 4.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Episodes
10

Star Trek box office and budgets

The 13 Star Trek films with reported numbers have grossed $2.26 billion worldwide on about $894 million in combined budgets, roughly 2.5 times what they cost. The biggest is Star Trek Into Darkness at $467 million, 21% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Star Trek ($387 million) and Star Trek Beyond ($343 million).

Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which made 8.0 times its $12 million budget. The weakest was Star Trek: Nemesis at 1.1 times its $60 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.

Worldwide box office and production budget, every filmBox office Budget
  1. Star Trek Into Darkness 2013 $467M / $190M
  2. Star Trek 2009 $387M / $150M
  3. Star Trek Beyond 2016 $343M / $185M
  4. Star Trek: First Contact 1996 $146M / $46M
  5. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979 $139M / $44M
  6. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986 $133M / $21M
  7. Star Trek Generations 1994 $118M / $38M
  8. Star Trek: Insurrection 1998 $113M / $70M
  9. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 1991 $97M / $27M
  10. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982 $97M / $12M
  11. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 1984 $87M / $18M
  12. Star Trek: Nemesis 2002 $67M / $60M
  13. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989 $63M / $33M

The best and worst rated Star Trek movies

Across 26 rated titles, Star Trek averages 7.1 on IMDb. The top of the list is Star Trek: The Next Generation at 8.7, then Star Trek: The Original Series (8.4) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (8.2). At the bottom: Star Trek: Section 31 (3.8) and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (4.6). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Star Trek Into Darkness, is only the 9th best rated.

IMDb score of every Star Trek title, in release order (1966 to 2026)
3456789 Star Trek: The Original Series (1966): 8.4Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973): 7.2Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): 6.4Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): 7.7Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984): 6.7Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986): 7.3Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987): 8.7Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989): 5.5Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991): 7.3Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993): 8.1Star Trek Generations (1994): 6.6Star Trek: Voyager (1995): 7.9Star Trek: First Contact (1996): 7.6Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): 6.4Star Trek: Enterprise (2001): 7.6Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): 6.4Star Trek (2009): 7.9Star Trek Into Darkness (2013): 7.7Star Trek Beyond (2016): 7Star Trek: Discovery (2017): 6.9Star Trek: Picard (2020): 7.5Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020): 7.8Star Trek: Prodigy (2021): 7.6Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022): 8.2Star Trek: Section 31 (2025): 3.8Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026): 4.6 Star Trek: The Next… 8.7Star Trek: Section 31 3.8
  1. Star Trek: The Next Generation8.7 · RT 92%
  2. Star Trek: The Original Series8.4 · RT 75%
  3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds8.2 · RT 93%
  4. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine8.1 · RT 91%
  5. Star Trek: Voyager7.9 · RT 77%
  6. Star Trek7.9 · RT 94%
  7. Star Trek: Lower Decks7.8 · RT 93%
  8. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan7.7 · RT 87%
  9. Star Trek Into Darkness7.7 · RT 84%
  10. Star Trek: First Contact7.6 · RT 93%

Who appears in the most Star Trek movies

William Shatner leads with 9 appearances as James T. Kirk and Captain Kirk, ahead of Leonard Nimoy (9) and James Doohan (9). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

ActorRoleTitlesFirst and latest
William ShatnerJames T. Kirk / Captain Kirk9Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek Generations (1994)
Leonard NimoySpock / Captain Spock9Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
James DoohanScott / Montgomery Scott9Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek Generations (1994)
DeForest KelleyDr. McCoy / Leonard McCoy8Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
George TakeiSulu / Hikaru Sulu8Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Nichelle NicholsUhura / Cmdr. Uhura8Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Walter KoenigPavel Chekov / Chekov8Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek Generations (1994)
Majel BarrettChristine Chapel / Starfleet Computer6Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) to Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Patrick StewartJean-Luc Picard / Captain Jean-Luc Picard6Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) to Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Jonathan FrakesWilliam T. Riker / Commander William T. Riker6Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) to Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Brent SpinerData / Lt. Commander Data6Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) to Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Michael DornWorf / Lt. Commander Worf6Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek directors and creators

25 filmmakers have directed or created Star Trek; Gene Roddenberry has the most, with 4.

  • Gene RoddenberryStar Trek: The Original Series (1966), Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), and Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
  • Rick BermanStar Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001)
  • Alex KurtzmanStar Trek: Discovery (2017), Star Trek: Picard (2020), and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
  • Nicholas MeyerStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
  • Leonard NimoyStar Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
  • Michael PillerStar Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
  • Jonathan FrakesStar Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
  • J.J. AbramsStar Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
  • Akiva GoldsmanStar Trek: Picard (2020) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
  • Robert WiseStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
  • William ShatnerStar Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
  • David CarsonStar Trek Generations (1994)
  • Jeri TaylorStar Trek: Voyager (1995)
  • Brannon BragaStar Trek: Enterprise (2001)
  • Stuart BairdStar Trek: Nemesis (2002)
  • Justin LinStar Trek Beyond (2016)

How long it takes to watch every Star Trek movie

All 26 titles add up to 735 hours: 27 hours of film and 708 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 368 two-hour evenings, or 74 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 685 hours. The longest film is Star Trek Into Darkness at 2h 12m.

Watch time by phase
  1. Kirk 86h 33m 8 titles
  2. The 24th Century 406h 44m 8 titles
  3. Before Kirk 161h 32m 3 titles
  4. The Kelvin timeline 6h 21m 3 titles
  5. After Nemesis 63h 35m 3 titles
  6. The Far Future 10h 21m 1 title
A weekend

The 4 best rated films: Star Trek, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek: First Contact.

An hour a day

Everything takes about 25 months; the essentials about 23 months.

Before the next one

Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.

Which Star Trek movies can you skip?

5 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 51 hours.

Common questions

What order should I watch the Star Trek movies in?

Star Trek has no single order that suits everyone. The easiest start is The Next Generation (1987) or Strange New Worlds (2022); purists start with The Original Series (1966). Star Trek (2009) begins the separate Kelvin timeline, a self-contained trilogy you can watch at any point.

How many Star Trek movies and shows are there?

There are 26 titles in the Star Trek franchise: 14 films and 12 series, released from 1966 to 2026.

How long does it take to watch all the Star Trek movies?

About 735 hours for all 26 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (21 titles) take about 685 hours.

What is the first Star Trek title in chronological order?

Star Trek: Enterprise, set in 2151–2161. In release order the first is Star Trek: The Original Series (1966).

Which Star Trek titles can I skip?

Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.

What is the best Star Trek movie?

By IMDb score, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) at 8.7, followed by Star Trek: The Original Series at 8.4.

What is the highest-grossing Star Trek movie?

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), with $467 million worldwide. Star Trek films have made $2.26 billion in total.

Who has appeared in the most Star Trek movies?

William Shatner, in 9 of them as James T. Kirk.

What is the longest Star Trek movie?

Star Trek Into Darkness, at 2h 12m.

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