Since the 1970s, every decade up to the 2020s thus far has seen a Star Trek movie produced. Star Trek: The Original Series' cast starred in 6 films from 1979-1991. The torch was then passed to the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, who starred in 4 films from 1994-2002. Producer and director J.J. Abrams then rebooted Star Trek: The Original Series, casting stars such as Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban to play younger, alternate reality versions of Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in a trilogy of Star Trek movies from 2009-2016. Whether you want to watch them in order of theatrical release or in order of when the films stand in the Star Trek timeline, here's how to watch the 13 Star Trek movies.
How To Watch The Star Trek Movies Chronologically In Theatrical Release Order
The first 6 Star Trek movies are helpfully numbered
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Watching the Star Trek movies in their theatrical release order is the simplest way to go. The 13 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, and the three Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams that are set in the alternate Kelvin timeline. Here are the 13 Star Trek movies in theatrical release order:
|
Star Trek: The Original Series Movies |
Release Year |
Director |
|---|---|---|
|
Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
1979 |
Robert Wise |
|
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan |
1982 |
Nicholas Meyer |
|
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock |
1984 |
Leonard Nimoy |
|
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home |
1986 |
Leonard Nimoy |
|
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier |
1989 |
William Shatner |
|
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
1991 |
Nicholas Meyer |
|
Star Trek: The Next Generation Movies |
Release Year |
Director |
|---|---|---|
|
Star Trek Generations |
1994 |
David Carson |
|
Star Trek: First Contact |
1996 |
Jonathan Frakes |
|
Star Trek: Insurrection |
1998 |
Jonathan Frakes |
|
Star Trek: Nemesis |
2002 |
Stuart Baird |
|
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Movies |
Release Year |
Director |
|---|---|---|
|
Star Trek |
2009 |
J.J. Abrams |
|
Star Trek Into Darkness |
2013 |
J.J. Abrams |
|
Star Trek Beyond |
2016 |
Justin Lin |
How To Watch The Star Trek Movies By In-Universe Timeline Order
From 1986 to 2379 in two different Star Trek timelines
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, while the J.J. Abrams films are actually before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.
In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009, the destruction of the USS Kelvin in 2033 by time-traveling Romulans, which led to the death of James T. Kirk's father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), spawned an alternate reality where numerous major events happened in an accelerated pace. Factoring in time travel and alternate universes, here's how to watch the Star Trek movies by in-universe timeline order.
What Is The Next Star Trek Movie?
The next Star Trek movie won't be released in theaters
The next Star Trek movie won't be a theatrical release, but it will be a made-for-streaming film on Paramount+. Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh is the first Star Trek movie made for Paramount+. Section 31 is written by Craig Sweeney and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. A spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, Section 31 will detail what happened to Yeoh's popular anti-heroine, Emperor Phillippa Georgiou after she left Discovery in season 3, and the film will purportedly explore Georgiou's ties to and the history of Section 31, Starfleet's infamous black ops organization.
Star Trek: Section 31 introduces a new cast of characters joining Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Georgiou. Section 31 began filming in January 2024 in Toronto and is expected to wrap in March. Although no release date has been announced yet, Star Trek: Section 31 could be released on the streamer in late 2024 if not in 2025.
Depending on Star Trek: Section 31's success, a new Star Trek movie could be released on Paramount+ every 2 years.
Will There Be A Star Trek 4 From J.J. Abrams?
Two Star Trek theatrical movies are reportedly in development
Star Trek 4 is said to be the "final chapter" of the voyages of the USS Enterprise commanded by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and his crew.
Following the resolution of the WGA writers' strike, a new report indicated two Star Trek movies are in development at Paramount. Star Trek 4 is said to be the "final chapter" of the voyages of the USS Enterprise commanded by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and his crew. Meanwhile, a Star Trek origin film set "decades before" Star Trek (2009) is being developed by director Toby Haynes (Star Wars: Andor) and writer Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). While it seems inevitable that a new Star Trek movie will return to the big screen one day, it looks like the long wait will continue into the foreseeable future.
Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation movies are available to stream on Max.
Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Generations are available to stream on Paramount+.
