Star Trek Chronological Watch Guide: How To Stream Every Series In Order

Star Trek is the show that simply refuses to end — in a good way. Decades of series, time jumps, spin-offs, and a small mountain of canon later, the timeline can feel like homework. So here’s a watch order that follows the story in-universe, not by release date. One wrinkle: Discovery lives in two different eras, so it shows up twice. Buckle up.

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

   About a century before Kirk and Spock, Starfleet is still figuring out how to be Starfleet. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) leads the first Enterprise, the first ship to hit warp five. It’s rougher, earlier-days exploration and politics, and while it never hit the heights of the later shows, it lays the groundwork over four seasons.

2. Star Trek: Discovery — Seasons 1 and 2 (2017-2019)

   Jump ahead to roughly ten years before The Original Series. Discovery kicks off during the Federation-Klingon war and was the franchise’s streaming-era reboot: early seasons leaned heavily into serialization before loosening up later. Fans were split on some of its swings, but the show ultimately ran five seasons, wrapping in 2024.

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present)

   Running alongside Discovery’s first two seasons, this one returns to the Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) about a decade before Kirk. It’s a conscious throwback — bright, retro, and proudly episodic — where the crew actually meets, well, strange new worlds. Season 3 just wrapped; season 4 is on the way.

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

   The big one. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the rest of the Enterprise turned sci-fi TV into a place for ideas, not just rubber suits — and still found time for some gloriously pulpy detours. Only three seasons, culture-shifting impact.

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)

   A two-season animated continuation with much of the original cast returning to voice their roles (Shatner, Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, and more). Gene Roddenberry later labeled it non-canon; others treat it like a quasi-fourth season of TOS. Either way, it’s part of Trek’s DNA and belongs in this timeline.

6. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

   About a century after TOS, a new Enterprise under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes the chair. After a choppy first season, TNG becomes the gold standard for a lot of fans: diplomacy-first storytelling, big moral questions, and a killer ensemble — including Data (Brent Spiner), Worf (Michael Dorn), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Seven seasons, many classics.

7. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

   Premiering while TNG was still on, DS9 ties directly into it — Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) lost his wife during the Borg conflict from TNG’s Season 4. Set on a space station instead of a ship, it gradually leans into long-form storytelling, especially once the Dominion War arcs kick in starting in Season 3. Darker, messier, and for plenty of fans, the best Trek ever.

8. Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

   Overlaps with DS9 and runs a bit beyond it. The USS Voyager gets flung about 70,000 light-years away and spends seven seasons trying to get home. Reception was mixed at the time, but it’s aged better than some gave it credit for. Also notable: Trek’s first series led by a woman captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and a more balanced bridge crew — which somehow annoyed the usual suspects.

9. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)

   The franchise’s first adult-aimed animated series, set in the late 24th century alongside TNG/DS9/Voyager. It focuses on the rank-and-file aboard one of Starfleet’s least important ships, mining comedy from the grunt work while also being a sincere love letter to Trek lore. Expect cameos, deep cuts, and a surprising amount of heart.

10. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-2024)

    Built for younger viewers without talking down to them. Originally on Nickelodeon from 2021–2023, Netflix picked up the streaming rights soon after but chose not to renew in 2024. Set five years after Voyager makes it back to Earth, a group of alien kids find an abandoned starship, the Protostar, and learn what Starfleet is — guided by a holographic Captain Janeway. Light in tone, smart in the storytelling.

11. Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)

    Roughly three decades after TNG, a retired Picard gets pulled into one last stretch of adventures. Season 1 tries to chart a new course (with mixed results); by Season 3, it delivers what most people wanted: a full-on Next Gen reunion with Worf, Crusher, Riker, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). That victory lap season is, unsurprisingly, the most well-liked.

12. Star Trek: Discovery — Seasons 3 to 5 (2020-2024)

    Here’s why Discovery appears twice: the Season 2 finale slingshots the ship about 900 years into the future, landing in the 32nd century. The Federation is in pieces after a galaxy-shaking event called "The Burn." Captain Michael Burnham and crew spend the final stretch trying to rebuild what’s left while handling threats nobody in the 23rd century ever imagined.

And we’re not done. New shows — including Starfleet Academy — are already in the pipeline. Star Trek has basically become a TV institution at this point, as baked into American pop culture as Doctor Who is in the UK. The universe is huge, and Trek keeps finding new corners to explore.