What’s in the Star Trek Viewing Order?
Trek creators only consider the episodes and films to be canonical in the Star Trek universe so we display them here in chronological order according to stardate (though stardate definitions have changed over time, so we work with what we have).This list attempts to create a viewing order for all Star Trek television and films, but does not attempt to split up any episodes to view congruently. Instead, it focuses on an easy to follow viewing list. In the event that two works cover the exact same timeframe we first list the one published first. Additionally the placement within the timeline is often based on where the work ends rather than where it begins. There may be a few exceptions which will be pointed out in individual reviews. This timeline includes:
- The Films
- The Original Series (TOS)
- The Next Generation (TNG)
- Deep Space Nine (DS9)
- Voyager (VOY)
- Enterprise (ENT)
- Discovery
- Picard
- Short Treks
Where to start watching Star Trek?
Star Trek began with the Original Series, but that show is hard for some to get through since we’re used to much higher modern standards. Generally, we encourage people to start with the first films (starting with Star Trek: The Motion Picture). The new Kelvin timeline can also be a good place to start, but be aware that those films are much different than most of the Star Trek media. As always, if you have questions or comments about this timeline, we recommend you visit our contact page.
Got a guy working on it.
Great, thx for the quick fix. I really appreciate the work you guys do.
This site is a fennimonial tool.
Will this be updated when Discovery S03, Picard and Lower Decks come around?
Yep, it will be updated by the end of the year, then probably monthly or every other month after that.
I believe “The Cage” With Captain Pike happened before Star Trek Discovery season 1.
Are you sure First Contact takes place after In Purgatory’s Shadow? Because I am watching that episode right and Sisko mentioned the “recent Borg attack”
Right after season 1, though season 3 will be different.
Thomas Bates, on the Star Trek Fandom website it says, “ This episode mentions a Borg attack. This was intended to refer to the Battle of Sector 001 seen in Star Trek: First Contact. (AOL chat, 1997) However the stardate given in the film (50893.5) is later than the stardate given in this two-parter (50564.2; seen in the next episode, “By Inferno’s Light”). When asked about the inconsistency, Ronald D. Moore commented, tongue-in-cheek, “I am not at liberty to reveal the secret messages contained within the seeming “mistaken” stardates, but rest assured that it is another brilliantly conceived and skilfully executed Star Trek moment brought to you by the people who wrote “Meridian”.” (AOL chat, 1997).” So it was supposed to be about First Contact but in a way it is not.
You are aware that the Animated Series is not considered Canon by THe franchise owners.
Great site. But there seems to be an error in the release order when sorting Star Trek episodes by release dates
Technical problem. We’re working on it.
What happened to DS9 season 1 episode 8? It is missing from you list. Also when filtering out viewed episodes and movies in you r app it switches from Star Trek to Shakespeares… I enjoy Shakespeare and did Captain Jean-Luc Picard. However, I do not think he would appreciate the Enterprise’s computer doing something similar.
Yeah the app is experiencing some technical difficulties, but we’re working on it.
The cage is set between Enterprise and Discovery, not after Discovery. The events of Discovery Season 2 show that the events of the Cage have already occurred.
I think it is stupid to watch this series in any other order than the order of release. Thx for the list.
Star Trek Voyager season 4 episode 23 Living Witness takes place hundreds of years after the rest of the series
It’s the end of 2020 and Discovery S03 and Lower Decks aren’t on the list. When will the site be updated?
I guess you’ll be adding season 3 of Discovery AFTER Picard, but before Calypso. At least that’s where it would make sense.
Thank you for compiling this list! I’ve been watching Deep Space Nine and Voyager for this first time and simultaneously thanks to this timeline. Thank you, too, for including The Animated Series which has been repeatedly reinforced by CBS as canonical.