Every Star Trek Movie In Chronological Order

Star Trek now has 14 feature films that premiered theatrically and as a streaming-only release, and there are different orders in which to watch them. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture premiered in 1979, Star Trek officially became a movie franchise. Starting in 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, fans could enjoy voyages in the final frontier on both television and on movie screens.

Every decade since the 1970s has seen at least one Star Trek movie released, with the 1980s and the 1990s as the golden age of Star Trek feature films. Every era of Star Trek, from when Gene Roddenberry controlled the franchise to Rick Berman’s heyday in the 1990s to the current Paramount+ streaming era under Alex Kurtzman, has also presented Star Trek movies.

Before Star Trek: Section 31 in 2025, Star Trek was strictly a theatrical movie franchise. Similarly, every Star Trek movie before Section 31 was about a version of the Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), or the alternate Kelvin timeline’s younger Captain Kirk (Chris Pine).

Many of the biggest, most beloved, and resonant moments in Star Trek history happened in movies, and here’s how to experience them:

How To Watch Star Trek Movies Chronologically In Theatrical & Streaming Release Order

Watching the Star Trek movies in their theatrical and streaming release order is the simplest way to go. The 14 films are broken up into easy-to-digest blocks: the 6 Star Trek: The Original Series films, the 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation films, the three Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams set in the alternate Kelvin timeline, and finally, Star Trek: Section 31.

Here are the Star Trek movies in theatrical and streaming release order by year:

How To Watch Star Trek Movies By In-Universe Timeline Order

A more interesting and challenging way to watch the Star Trek movies is by in-universe timeline order.

Although the ‘present day’ of the Star Trek movies is either The Original Series‘ 23rd century or The Next Generation‘s 24th century, some of the Star Trek movies involve time travel and flashbacks. Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams’ films are set actually before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.

In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2009, the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of James T. Kirk’s father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), by time-traveling Romulans in 2233 spawned an alternate reality where numerous major events happened at an accelerated pace.

Star Trek: Section 31 deposits Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) in the early 24th century, 40 years before Star Trek: The Next Generation. How Georgiou became Emperor in the Mirror Universe is also revealed in flashbacks set a hundred years before Star Trek: Section 31‘s main story.

Factoring in time travel and alternate universes, here’s how to watch the Star Trek movies by in-universe timeline order:

Paramount Skydance Is Making New Star Trek Movies Only For Theaters

Following Skydance Media’s 2025 purchase of Paramount Global, Paramount Skydance is prioritizing making new Star Trek movies as part of the studio’s ambitious agenda to release 30 theatrical films a year. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who executive produced Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, considers Star Trek a “beloved franchise.”

Paramount Skydance formally announced a new Star Trek movie in development at CinemaCon 2026. While not offering specifics, this new film could be the reported project by Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves filmmakers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, which will not be connected to any previous Star Trek movie or TV show.

More than one Star Trek movie is rumored to be in the works. However, Paramount Skydance seems to be interested in a new vision of Star Trek to attract new and wider audiences that won’t be dependent on 60 years of Star Trek canon.

Whether it’s another reboot, set in a different century or galaxy, or simply ignoring the Star Trek that preceded it, Paramount Skydance may want new Star Trek movies disconnected from the franchise’s past, and this could go for future Star Trek TV series on Paramount+ as well.

Paramount Skydance has also made it clear that Star Trek movies will be made for theaters going forward. Star Trek: Section 31‘s disappointing reception from critics and audiences ended Paramount+’s hopes to make more Star Trek streaming movies.

Paramount Skydance Canceled Star Trek 4 & Other Star Trek Movies

Paramount Skydance also canceled Star Trek 4, which was disappointing but not wholly unexpected. ‘Star Trek 4‘ is what the fourth movie produced by J.J. Abrams and starring the cast led by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban was commonly referred to.

After Star Trek Beyond underperformed in 2016 relative to Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness’ box office numbers, J.J. Abrams’ fourth Star Trek movie entered what became nine years of development hell. Multiple directors, including S.J. Clarkson, Matt Shakman, and Quentin Tarantino, were attached to Star Trek 4, then left due to ‘creative differences.’

Despite J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek cast, including Academy Award-winner Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, and Sofia Boutella, echoing Pine, Quinto, and Urban’s public statements of wanting one more movie aboard the Starship Enterprise, Paramount Skydance officially dashed those hopes in 2025.

Fargo and Alien: Earth‘s executive producer Noah Hawley was developing his own Star Trek movie project that was killed by Paramount’s change of management. A Star Trek Origins movie by director Toby Haynes and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith is also officially dead.

Star Trek‘s remarkable run of 14 movies will inevitably expand, adding more unforgettable voyages in the final frontier. Whether the future of Star Trek movies will involve new characters or see the return of the Starship Enterprise to the big screen in some fashion remains to be seen.

TV Show(s)

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Cast

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh

Created by

Gene Roddenberry