The Complete Star Trek Timeline Made Sense: A Manual for Every Fan
With almost a dozen TV shows totaling 900+ episodes and 13 feature films with more on the way, Star Trek has been among the premier science fiction series available for almost 60 years. Now spanning a thousand years of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet searching out unusual new worlds, Star Trek's Prime Timeline boldly goes where no one has gone before in the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 32nd centuries.
Rarely has Star Trek followed a straight, chronological path; time travel clichés, other universes, and large future leaps are all somewhat typical. One of the multiverse of many worlds found in Star Trek is an other Mirror Universe. Still running strong, the Star Trek chronology is a rich tapestry of fascinating people and science fiction parables. Mostly emphasizing the Prime Universe's Star Trek TV series and feature films in chronological sequence, this is a thorough guide to Star Trek's history including the alternative Kelvin history of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Movies where specified.
Star Trek TV show chronology
Comprising twelve shows (and counting), the Star Trek TV series has lasted for 57 years. See them all in chronological sequence here.
Reportedly set "decades before" J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009), an Untitled Star Trek Origin film might end up preceding this whole timeline.
Investigating Star Trek: Enterprise's Early Years and The Cage
Though officially the sixth produced, chronologically Star Trek: Enterprise is the first series in the timeline to chronicle the pioneering 22nd-century voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise. Designed as the first Warp 5-capable starship, Archer's Enterprise enabled the NX-01 to complete crucial First Contact missions and set the foundation for the United Federation of Planets' development. The four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise only show Archer's first few years of ten-year story, which culminates with the first Captain of the Enterprise assisting in founding the Federation in 2161.
The first Star Trek pilot NBC rejected was "The Cage". But "The Cage" is a classic tale set two years before Discovery season 1 and twelve years before Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in 2254, "The Cage" has Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the USS Enterprise lured to Talos IV, where Pike is imprisoned the planet's illusion-casting residents. "The Cage" became "The Menagerie," a two-part episode on Star Trek: The Original Series, and also served as the basis for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Discovery, the Klingon War and Beyond
Star Trek: Discovery starts with a tragic encounter between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire in 2256 that sets off a protracted deadly war almost costing the Federation its soul. Emphasizing Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Discovery explores the personal costs of battle as well as the ideas of empathy and atonement.
While Discovery season 2 brought in USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), season one of Star Trek: Discovery portrayed the Klingon War. The crew of the USS Discovery realise that jumping to the 32nd century, permanently leaving Star Trek: Discovery's initial 23rd century era behind, is the only option to save all organic life in the universe when confronted with a genocidal artificial intelligence named Control. For a multi-episode narrative, Star Trek: Discovery also journeyed to the 23rd century MIrror Universe.
The Kelvin Timeline: Star Trek & Beyond
Star Trek, under direction by J.J. Abrams, is a reboot that generates the Kelvin Timeline—alternative reality. Though the main narrative of Star Trek is set in 2258 of the parallel universe, the supernova of the Romulan sun in 2387 in the Prime Universe makes Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) unable to stop, therefore enabling the branching timeline of the film.
Time travels back to 2233 for the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana), whose attack on the USS Kelvin starts an all-new reality altering Captain James T. Kirk's (Chris Pine) life as well as the crew of the USS Enterprise. Kirk and the Enterprise set forth into the big unknown of their new world after defeating Nero. About 7 years before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew gain command of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek's Prime Universe, Kirk and his buddies join the crew of the Timeline Kelvin.
Star Trek: The Original Series and Beyond's Golden Age
Beginning in 2266, Star Trek: The Original Series follows the first three years of Captain James T. Kirk and the five-year mission of exploration of the USS Enterprise. This program launched it all. From starships, to beaming down to planets, to the enduring three-way relationship between Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the original Star Trek is an all-time classic establishing the fundamental tropes of the franchise. Not only would every subsequent Star Trek that came after be copied, but Star Trek: The Original Series would likewise become a lasting feature of popular culture.
Though Star Trek: The Original Series was quietly ended following its third season, the show would go on to become a syndication success. Star Trek: The Animated Series, an Emmy-winning animation aiming for a family-friendly ambiance without abandoning what made the live-action original Star Trek effective, was the first clue Star Trek would outlive its rather modest beginnings. With so many references in Star Trek on Paramount+'s shows, Star Trek: The Animated Series is practically the fourth season of Star Trek: The Original Series and has full canon status.
Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine: The Next Generation
The backbone and groundwork of Star Trek's popular 24th-century era is Star Trek: The Next Generation. TNG tracks the missions of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D crew and Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart). For a whole generation of viewers, TNG is Star Trek; the show delivered some of the best Star Trek Episodes ever. Nominated for a Best Dramatic Series Emmy, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a huge hit in first-run syndication and confirmed Star Trek as an A-list property for most of the 1990s, expanding the universe and canon in various ways.
In more respects than one, Deep Space Nine would innovate for the Star Trek Series. The first Black actor to lead a Star Trek series, Avery Brooks led DS9 as Commander (later Captain Benjamin Sisko). Commanding a former Cardassian space station renamed Deep Space Nine, Sisko would engage with a great cavalcade of personalities who would profoundly alter the Star Trek Universe in innumerable respects. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is an essentially vital component of the Star Trek universe, culminating in the epic Dominion War narrative that changed the galaxy.
Star Trek Timeline: An Interactive Travel Through Space and Time
The chronology of Star Trek is a complicated and amazing tapestry spanning a great range of characters, narratives, and parallel worlds. With an adventurous, exploratory attitude and a dedication to comprehending the expanse of the cosmos, the series has ventured into the depths of space and into the unknown. From the first days of Star Trek: Enterprise to the most recent show, like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the series has been changing to provide fresh viewpoints on the cosmos, its people, and the promise of mankind. Audiences are still enthralled with the rich and always growing universe that is Star Trek, which motivates next generations of enthusiasts.
The Star Trek Timeline provides evidence of the franchise's ongoing strength. Reflecting the vision and inventiveness of its designers, its fervent following, and its capacity to change with the times, this intricate and beautiful tapestry reflects Examining the chronology will be a fulfilling trip that will increase your knowledge and respect of this legendary series regardless of your level of Star Trek experience.
