Looking for the correct Star Trek movies in order? You’re not alone — with three separate crews, two timelines, and a 2025 streaming spinoff, this is one of the trickiest sequencing questions in sci-fi. Here’s the short version: release order and chronological (in-universe) order are not the same for this franchise, because the 2009 reboot created an entirely separate timeline and the streaming film Section 31 jumps centuries ahead of everything else. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the franchise has spawned 13 theatrical films that have grossed well over $2 billion combined, plus a Hugo Award-winning legacy that reshaped science fiction on screen. Before you dive in, check the quick-answer table below to see exactly where each film fits.
Also Read: Star Wars Movies in Order
Quick Answer: Star Trek Movies in Order
| # | Film | Year | Director | Timeline / Era |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | 1979 | Robert Wise | Prime — TOS Era |
| 2 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | 1982 | Nicholas Meyer | Prime — TOS Era |
| 3 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | 1984 | Leonard Nimoy | Prime — TOS Era |
| 4 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | 1986 | Leonard Nimoy | Prime — TOS Era |
| 5 | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | 1989 | William Shatner | Prime — TOS Era |
| 6 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | 1991 | Nicholas Meyer | Prime — TOS Era |
| 7 | Star Trek Generations | 1994 | David Carson | Prime — TNG Era |
| 8 | Star Trek: First Contact | 1996 | Jonathan Frakes | Prime — TNG Era |
| 9 | Star Trek: Insurrection | 1998 | Jonathan Frakes | Prime — TNG Era |
| 10 | Star Trek: Nemesis | 2002 | Stuart Baird | Prime — TNG Era |
| 11 | Star Trek | 2009 | J.J. Abrams | Kelvin Timeline |
| 12 | Star Trek Into Darkness | 2013 | J.J. Abrams | Kelvin Timeline |
| 13 | Star Trek Beyond | 2016 | Justin Lin | Kelvin Timeline |
| 14 | Star Trek: Section 31 | 2025 | Olatunde Osunsanmi | Prime — 32nd Century |
Callout: For a first watch, release order is your friend — it’s how most fans experienced the franchise, and it avoids spoiling the Kelvin Timeline’s twist before you’ve earned it.
Star Trek Movies in Order: The Complete Watch Guide
1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Admiral Kirk reunites his old crew to intercept a mysterious energy cloud barreling toward Earth. It’s a slower, more cerebral film than the TV series ever was, closer in spirit to 2001: A Space Odyssey than a swashbuckling adventure. Director Robert Wise was an Oscar winner brought in to elevate the production after Star Trek: Phase II was scrapped when Paramount saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind dominate theaters. The film’s mixed reception nearly ended the franchise before it began, but it set the stage for the tighter, faster sequel that would actually make Star Trek a movie institution.
2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Widely considered the best Star Trek movie, this one brings back Ricardo Montalban’s genetically engineered supervillain from the “Space Seed” TOS episode for a revenge plot against Kirk. It’s essentially Moby-Dick in space, and it works. Director Nicholas Meyer reportedly hadn’t seen much Star Trek before taking the job, which is partly why he leaned into naval warfare tactics instead of technobabble. The ending sets up a genuine cliffhanger, and the next film picks up literally moments later — making this the rare Trek movie you should not watch out of order.
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
A direct continuation of Khan‘s finale, this film follows Kirk and crew as they defy orders to retrieve Spock’s body — and possibly his soul — from the newly formed Genesis planet. Leonard Nimoy stepped behind the camera for the first time here, a rare case of an actor directing a film built around resurrecting his own character. The Klingons take center stage as antagonists for the first time in the film series, a choice that would echo through decades of Trek storytelling. The trilogy wraps up cleanly with the next entry’s tonal 180.
4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
After three increasingly dark films, this one is a comedy — Kirk and crew travel back to 1986 San Francisco to save Earth from an alien probe by finding humpback whales. It became the highest-grossing Trek film of its era precisely because it didn’t require any prior Trek knowledge to enjoy. Leonard Nimoy returned to direct, having proven himself with Search for Spock. The fish-out-of-water culture-clash humor was so successful that later Trek productions kept returning to the “crew visits the past” well.
5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Widely regarded as the weakest entry, this film has Kirk’s “brother” Sybok hijacking the Enterprise to search for God at the literal center of the galaxy. William Shatner directed, fulfilling a contractual clause that gave him the same opportunity Nimoy had already used twice. Budget cuts gutted the planned special effects, leaving several sequences visibly unfinished. It’s mostly remembered today as a cautionary tale — and as the reason Paramount handed the next film to a more experienced Trek hand for the original crew’s send-off.
6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
The original crew’s final voyage together doubles as a Cold War allegory, with the Klingon Empire pursuing peace with the Federation as its own version of Chernobyl looms. Director Nicholas Meyer returned for his second Trek film, again grounding it in real-world political tension rather than pure space opera. It was released to coincide with the franchise’s 25th anniversary and gave the TOS cast a genuinely emotional farewell. From here, the film series hands the baton to The Next Generation crew.
7. Star Trek Generations (1994)
Picard and the Next Generation crew take over the film franchise, in a story built around a literal handoff — Kirk himself appears to help Picard stop a scientist chasen an energy ribbon that erases time. Director David Carson came from television, having helmed several TNG episodes. The film’s centerpiece is a passing-of-the-torch moment between two Captains that fans still debate as either touching or wasted. It’s a transitional film more than a classic, but it clears the runway for a genuinely great sequel.
8. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Often called the best TNG-era film, this one sends Picard’s crew back in time to stop the Borg from preventing humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. Jonathan Frakes (who plays Riker) directed, becoming the second Trek actor-turned-director after Nimoy and Shatner. The Borg had never been portrayed as this genuinely terrifying on-screen before, and Alfre Woodard’s Lily Sloane became a fan favorite one-off character. It’s frequently cited alongside Wrath of Khan as proof the franchise could work as pure blockbuster filmmaking.
9. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
The crew discovers a Federation conspiracy to relocate a peaceful species so their planet’s rejuvenating radiation can be harvested. Jonathan Frakes returned to direct again, giving this one a lighter, more character-driven tone than First Contact. It leans harder into ethical dilemmas than action, which divided audiences expecting another Borg-scale threat. Commercially softer than its predecessor, it nonetheless kept the TNG film run going into one final, much darker chapter.
10. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Picard confronts a clone of himself, Shinzon, in what became the TNG cast’s theatrical farewell. Director Stuart Baird was a Trek outsider best known for editing work on films like Lethal Weapon, and his unfamiliarity with the franchise reportedly caused friction on set. The film underperformed badly at the box office, effectively ending the film series’ TNG chapter for good. Trek would sit dormant on the big screen for seven years until a total reboot revived it.
11. Star Trek (2009)
J.J. Abrams relaunched the franchise by sending a Romulan miner back in time, creating an alternate “Kelvin Timeline” where a young Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) meet under very different circumstances. The film was a critical and commercial smash, introducing Star Trek to an entire generation who’d never watched a single TOS episode. Its title has no number or subtitle, a deliberate signal that this was meant as a fresh entry point. Abrams stayed on to shepherd the trilogy’s darker second chapter.
12. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
This Kelvin Timeline sequel reimagines Khan (now played by Benedict Cumberbatch) as a genetically engineered terrorist targeting Starfleet from within. J.J. Abrams returned to direct, again drawing heavily on Wrath of Khan for inspiration while trying to subvert fan expectations about who the villain really is. The decision to keep Khan’s identity secret in marketing became one of the more debated choices in modern blockbuster history. It set up a trilogy-capping adventure that would take the crew furthest from home yet.
13. Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Released for the franchise’s 50th anniversary, this one strands the Enterprise crew on a hostile planet after an ambush by a mysterious enemy with ties to Starfleet’s past. Justin Lin, best known for the Fast & Furious series, took over directing duties and brought a more kinetic action sensibility. It’s also a quiet tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who died during production, and to Anton Yelchin, who passed away shortly before release. It remains the most recent Star Trek film to hit theaters as of this writing.
14. Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
A streaming-only spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, this film follows Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou as she’s recruited by the Federation’s shadowy black-ops division. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi, a veteran of the modern Trek TV shows, gave it a noticeably pulpier, heist-movie tone than any prior film. Set in the 32nd century — centuries after every other Trek movie on this list — it’s the franchise’s furthest jump forward in time. It closes out the current chapter of Trek movies while the next theatrical entry remains in development.
Star Trek Movies in Chronological Order
Here’s the same 14 films, but sorted by in-universe stardate/year instead of release date. Note that the Kelvin Timeline films are set earlier than the TOS films because they take place in a parallel timeline that diverges from a point before Kirk’s original five-year mission even begins.
| # | Film | In-Universe Year | Release Year | Timeline / Era |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Trek | ~2258–2259 | 2009 | Kelvin Timeline |
| 2 | Star Trek Into Darkness | ~2259 | 2013 | Kelvin Timeline |
| 3 | Star Trek Beyond | ~2263 | 2016 | Kelvin Timeline |
| 4 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | ~2273 | 1979 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 5 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | ~2285 | 1982 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 6 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | ~2285 | 1984 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 7 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | ~2286 | 1986 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 8 | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | ~2287 | 1989 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 9 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | ~2293 | 1991 | Prime — TOS Era |
| 10 | Star Trek Generations | ~2371 | 1994 | Prime — TNG Era |
| 11 | Star Trek: First Contact | ~2373 | 1996 | Prime — TNG Era |
| 12 | Star Trek: Insurrection | ~2375 | 1998 | Prime — TNG Era |
| 13 | Star Trek: Nemesis | ~2379 | 2002 | Prime — TNG Era |
| 14 | Star Trek: Section 31 | ~3190 | 2025 | Prime — 32nd Century |
Callout: Notice the huge gap before Section 31 — it’s set roughly 800 years after every other film on this list, which is exactly why chronological order isn’t a practical way to actually watch these movies. It’s useful for understanding the timeline, not for viewing order.
Do You Need to Watch Discovery Before Section 31?
No, but it helps. Section 31 is designed as a semi-standalone entry point, but Georgiou’s backstory — including her death and resurrection as a “Mirror Universe” alternate — pays off much better if you’ve seen at least some of Discovery.
Minimum viable watch order:
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (peak classic Trek)
- Star Trek: First Contact (peak TNG-era Trek)
- Star Trek (2009) (the reboot, no homework required)
- Star Trek Beyond (closes out the Kelvin trilogy)
- Star Trek: Section 31 (optional, watch Discovery seasons 1–2 first if you want full context)
How Many Star Trek Movies Are There?
There are 13 theatrical Star Trek movies released between 1979 and 2016, plus the 2025 streaming spinoff film Star Trek: Section 31 — bringing the total to 14 Star Trek movies as of 2026.
All Star Trek Movies in Order by Release Date
1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture — December 7, 1979
2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan — June 4, 1982
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock — June 1, 1984
4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home — November 26, 1986
5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier — June 9, 1989
6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country — December 6, 1991
7. Star Trek Generations — November 18, 1994
8. Star Trek: First Contact — November 22, 1996
9. Star Trek: Insurrection — December 11, 1998
10. Star Trek: Nemesis — December 13, 2002
11. Star Trek — May 8, 2009
12. Star Trek Into Darkness — May 16, 2013
13. Star Trek Beyond — July 22, 2016
14. Star Trek: Section 31 — January 24, 2025
What’s Next for the Franchise?
At CinemaCon 2026 — the franchise’s 60th-anniversary year — Paramount Skydance confirmed a new Star Trek film is officially in development, featuring an entirely new cast and story separate from the Chris Pine-led Kelvin Timeline. Details remain thin, and no release date has been set.
A long-rumored Starfleet origin story from writer Seth Grahame-Smith and director Toby Haynes has also been in and out of development for years, with some reports suggesting it could predate the Enterprise era entirely — but Paramount’s 2025 acquisition by Skydance, plus ongoing merger uncertainty with Warner Bros. Discovery, has left several previously announced Trek projects in limbo. A direct sequel to Beyond is also still technically “in the works,” though with no confirmed movement. Treat every date here as speculative until Paramount makes an official announcement.
FAQ
What order should I watch the Star Trek movies in?
Release order is the easiest way to follow character arcs and technical evolution naturally; chronological order only really matters if you want to track in-universe timeline events, which jump around significantly between eras.
Do I need to watch the shows before Star Trek: Section 31?
No — it’s built to work as a standalone thriller, though prior knowledge of Discovery‘s Georgiou storyline deepens the experience.
How many Star Trek movies are there in total?
There are 13 theatrical films plus the 2025 streaming spinoff Section 31, for 14 total Star Trek movies.
Is there a new Star Trek movie coming out?
Yes — Paramount confirmed at CinemaCon 2026 that a new film with an entirely new cast is in development, though no release date has been announced.
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