Star Trekis back in a big way. The franchise is going strong onParamount+ through new original TV shows, with the recentStar Trek: Strange New Worldspremiering to positive reviews whileStar Trek: Picardfinished season two. Paramount also announced the long-awaited fourthStar Trekfilm in the recent series, which will see Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Karl Urban return to the franchise following a seven-year hiatus fromStar Trek Beyond. The franchise is now arguably the most popular and readily available that it’s been in its entire history, gaining new fans every day.
TheStar Trekfilm series currently includes 13 films and spans multiple generations of different crews that weave in and out of the different series. They form one giant massive timeline that builds off one another to show humanity’s future among the stars and the constantly changing relationship between various alien species. If the 13 films seem daunting, and you’re not sure how everything relates, take a look at this list that details theStar Trekfilm series in chronological and release order.
Update July 11, 2025: This article has been updated with where each entry in the Star Trek film is currently streaming and more details on each film in the franchise.
Star Trek Movies In Chronological Order
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picturetakes place in 2273, five years after the events ofStar Trek: The Original Series,and finds Kirk and his crew retaking control of the renovated Enterprise to investigate a mysterious cloud of energy that has destroyed Federation and Klingon ships. The movie was a massive hit, yet the critical reaction was more on the mixed side than Paramount expected. Even with how much money the studio put into it, bringing in Academy Award-winner Robert Wise to direct, the film was seen as a disappointment, yet has found a cult status and recently got thedirector’s cut released in 4K.
Star Trek: The Motion Pictureis available for streaming on Paramount+
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
A massive time jump,Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khantakes place in 2285,13 years after the events of the previous filmand 18 years since the original series ended. This film is less a sequel toStar Trek: The Motion Pictureand more to season one, episode 22, or ‘Space Seed,’ from the original series, which now finds that episode’s villain, Khan, seeking revenge on Kirk for marooning him on Ceti Alpha V. The movie sees an older Kirk wrestling with his age, and in the ultimate sign of time moving forward, Kirk loses his old friend Spock when the Vulcan-human hybrid sacrifices his life to save the crew of the Enterprise.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanalso serves as the first part in a three-movie story arc, often referred to by fans as The Genesis Trilogy (named after the Genesis device which becomes a key factor in the life/death cycle the three films explore), one that continues in the following two sequels. While not making as much money as the previous film,Wrath of Khanhad a smaller budget, so the profits of the film were greater and the film helped relaunch the popularity of the franchise. It still remains arguably the most acclaimed film of the franchise.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanis available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Picking up shortly after the previous film,Star Trek III: The Search for Spocktakes place in 2285 and focuses on Kirk and the Enterprise Crew’s attempt toresurrect Spockwhen they find out his spirit has been left inside Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, which involves stealing the Enterprise from the Federation. Meanwhile, the crew must contend with a Klingon crew led by Kurge (Christopher Lloyd) who seeks to steal information on the genesis device.
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The movie resurrects Spock but also sees another beloved member of the crew perish: this time in the form of the Enterprise. While the ship will be rebuilt, this marks the final appearance of the ship that Kirk and his crew piloted since the original series. Another major plot point is the death of Kirk’s son (who was established in the previous film), killed at the hands of Klingons, which will go on to inform Kirk’s bias a few films later.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spockis available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Homepicks up shortly after the previous film, with the Enterprise crew returning to Earth to face trial for stealing the Enterprise to resurrect Spock; however, they find the planet is in grave danger when a mysterious alien probe cannot communicate with any humpback whales. To save the Earth, the crew travels back in time to 1986 (the release date of the film) to attempt to find a group of whales to bring back to the future. The movie concludes the Genesis Trilogy, and due to itsfish out of wateraspect was a massive success even outside theStar Trekfanbase, grossing more than both previous entries.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Homeis available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Set in 2287,Star Trek V: The Final Frontierfocuses on the exploits of the Enterprise-A (the new ship that replaces the destroyed Enterprise) as they confront a renegade Vulcan who is attempting to search for God at the center of the universe. While opening big, the film had massive drop-offs in the following weeks due to poor word of mouth and competition from other summer movies likeGhostbusters IIandBatman.Star Trek V: The Final Frontieralmost killed the franchisefor many, but the studio wanted to give the classic crew of the original series one final and proper goodbye.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontieris available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Released in 1991, 35 years after the premiere ofStar Trek: The Original Series,Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrywas to give the original cast their proper goodbyes. The movie is set in 2293, which makes it 24 years after the events of the original series.The Undiscovered Countryacts as the end of the Cold War, but in space, the destruction of the Klingon moon, Praxis, leads the Klingon Empire to pursue peace with their longtime adversary, the Federation. However, a military conspiracy threatens to destroy the potential peace as Kirk is framed for a crime based on his prejudice towards Klingons for killing his son inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock.
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The movie ends as a proper conclusion to the original Star Trek series, as the two iconic foes of the Klingons and Federation have now found peace. With the Enterprise set to be decommissioned, Kirk and his crew take one final trip on the ship with the final mission log so that new crews, new ships and more will carry on their legacy, commenting on the future laid out in Star Trek series likeThe Next Generation,Deep Space Nine, andVoyager.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryis available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: Generations
A passing of the torch film between the crew of the original series andStar Trek: The Next Generation,Star Trek: Generationsis the iconic meeting between thetwo captains, Kirk and Picard. The movie’s prologue is set in 2293, shortly after the events ofStar Trek VI: The Voyage Home,while the main action of the film is 2371, 78 years later and one year afterStar Trek: The Next Generation.
The movie marks the final adventure for William Shatner’s incarnation of James Kirk, and while it will not be the last time the character appears thanks to the reboot, it serves as a true end for the original series and full acknowledgment ofStar Trek: The Next Generationbeing the face of the franchise for the 1990s.
Star Trek: Generationsis available for streaming on Paramount+
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: First Contact
Set two years after the previous film in 2273,Star Trek: First Contactsees The Borg as the film’s primary villain and follows the crew of the Enterprise-D as they pursue the villainous species back in time, with the Borg’s primary objective to take over in the past. The film borrows the time travel element ofStar Trek IV: The Voyage Homeand primarily is set on July 24, 2025, which is the day before Earth makes contact with alien life and begins the steps for the Federation of Planets to form, thanks to the work of Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), whose first successful warp drive creation draws the attention of the Vulcans.
Thanks to a heavy marketing push,Star Trek: First Contactwas a major box office hit and also received positive reviews from critics, and until the release of 2009’sStar Trek,was the best-performing film of the franchise internationally. Fans all over the world now celebrateApril 5th as First Contact Day.
Star Trek: First Contactis available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Insurrection
In 2375,Star Trek: Insurrectionsees thecrew of the Enterprise-Drebel against Starfleet when they discover a conspiracy involving two alien species. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with many claiming it lacked the scope of a movie and felt more like an extended episode of television.
The events ofStar Trek: Insurrectionare taking place around the time of bothStar Trek: Voyagerand at the end of the story forStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, and while there are no major references to the events of the series or vice versa, it does show how big the franchise was at this point in time but also how the overexposure and years of continuity were starting to hamper it.
