watch the Star Trek motion pictures so as, chronological and launch

Right here’s our full information on the right way to watch the Star Trek motion pictures in chronological order, launch order, in addition to our personal bespoke suggestion. For the reason that ‘70s, cinemagoers internationally have been handled with new Star Trek motion pictures in each single decade. What a blessed world we dwell in.

The 2020s will proceed this pattern as Star Trek followers had been lately hit with the announcement {that a} new Star Trek film led by Michelle Yeoh is coming. The Part 31 launch date is scheduled for 2024, and till then, we’ve 13 earlier entries to rewatch time and again, which embrace among the finest science fiction motion pictures of all time.

However the Star Trek timeline is a messy one, and determining one of the best ways to benefit from the adventures of Star Trek captains Picard and Kirk isn’t simple. To clear issues up, we’ve put collectively the definitive information on the right way to watch the entire Star Trek motion pictures so as, beginning with an explainer on the 2 timelines, our personal suggestions, then chronologically, then by launch. Have interaction, hit it, thataway, and many others.

What’s the distinction between the Kelvin timeline and Prime timeline in Star Trek?

The Star Trek motion pictures happen over two timelines: the Kelvin timeline, and the Prime timeline. Understanding the distinction between the 2 earlier than you embark on a mission to look at the Star Trek motion pictures so as is vital.

The Kelvin timeline covers the occasions seen within the three Star Trek reboot motion pictures starring Chris Pine, and every little thing else (from all of the Star Trek collection on TV, to the TOS and TNG motion pictures) is the Prime timeline.

Except for it being a launching level for a brand new period of Star Trek, the Kelvin timeline truly has an in-universe clarification. In the 12 months 2387, within the Prime timeline, Spock unintentionally sends himself again in time together with a Romulan named Nero.

Having been despatched to the previous (particularly 2233), Nero interferes with the pure passage of occasions and destroys the USS Kelvin, killing George Kirk (James T. Kirk’s father) within the course of. Doing so splinters the circulation of time, making a divergence level that results in two parallel however alternate timelines: the Kelvin timeline (which incorporates the occasions of Star Trek 2009, Into Darkness, and Past), and the Prime timeline.

The easiest way to look at the Star Trek motion pictures so as

The easiest way to look at the Star Trek motion pictures so as is to start out with the three Kelvin timeline motion pictures (which star Chris Pine as Kirk) earlier than transferring on to the basic TOS-era adventures after which the TNG-era motion pictures.

That is unorthodox however means you may watch the timelines progress in a largely linear vogue. We get into way more element on our causes for this under, however that is how we watch the Star Trek motion pictures, and it’s how we expect it’s best to too.

watch the Star Trek motion pictures so as:

• Star Trek 2009
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Past
• Star Trek The Movement Image
• Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III The Seek for Spock
• Star Trek IV The Voyage Residence
• Star Trek V The Remaining Frontier
• Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Nation
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek First Contact
• Star Trek Rebel
• Star Trek Nemesis

Star Trek 2009

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Inserting Chris Pine’s film on this place is comparatively controversial, however persist with us. Although it begins with the Prime Spock years after Nemesis, 99% of what we see within the three Kelvin timeline motion pictures successfully serves as a prequel.

Set in an alternate timeline created by Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, Star Trek 2009 follows a younger James T. Kirk as he first takes command of the USS Enterprise, begins his journey as a captain, and meets his crew. Subsequently, although set in an alternate timeline, the Pine motion pictures act as prequels to the occasions seen in TOS, and one of the best ways to look at the Star Trek motion pictures so as is to start out right here. That is under no circumstances the consensus, however we expect it affords probably the most coherent and satisfying viewing expertise.

Star Trek Into Darkness

The place to look at: Amazon Prime Video (VOD)

The second installment in Pine’s trilogy brings in Khan because the antagonist, taking part in with the order of occasions as seen in Shatner’s adventures. Let’s put a pin in that, for now.

Khan causes havoc, corruption is rife inside the Federation, and there’s an inversion of main plot factors seen in The Wrath of Khan. The film proved to be divisive upon its launch, and does lose sight of the thematic thoughtfulness which makes Star Trek so distinct.

Nonetheless, it continues to deepen the connection shared by the primary forged and characters, and should you’re going to decide to watching the Star Trek motion pictures so as, it’s an vital and essential piece of the puzzle.

Star Trek Past

The place to look at: Amazon Prime Video (VOD)

Set three years into the Enterprise’s five-year mission, Star Trek Past is the final movie within the Kelvin timeline and someway the primary to essentially present the crew truly doing its job. Unsurprisingly then, it’s one of the best film of the three, and it achieves a great steadiness of journey and introspection by firming issues down and decreasing the stakes.

Amid all of the quick motion and enjoyable, Past focuses on Kirk’s loneliness and his seek for which means within the vastness of house. It’s one thing new, and Star Trek thrives on new.

Since 2016, followers have been ready patiently for the Star Trek 4 launch date. However, with behind-the-scenes points, it looks like that’s now useless within the water.

Star Trek The Movement Image

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Now we get to the Star Trek motion pictures with William Shatner and co. because the crew of the USS Enterprise.

We suggest watching The Movement Image after Past, as a result of the Kelvin timeline Star Trek motion pictures happen throughout Kirk’s five-year mission, and The Movement Image is ready after these adventures when Kirk has been made an Admiral. So, regardless of being set in alternate timelines, that is simply the way it is sensible to us, quite than skipping backward and forwards throughout timelines.

In The Movement Image, Kirk re-assumes command of the USS Enterprise to cope with the menace posed by the mysterious V’Ger. His previous crew be part of collectively as soon as once more in a frosty reunion however regain their connections as the journey unfolds, constructing to a triumphant ending. It’s this progress throughout the film, and the depth of its themes, which signifies that we love The Movement Image regardless of its standing as an ungainly begin to the cinematic aspect of the franchise.

Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Probably the greatest motion pictures ever made, The Wrath of Khan is ready over a decade after The Movement Image with Spock now the captain of the Enterprise. How instances change.

The film is remarkably simple. Kirk is tricked into coming head to head along with his previous enemy Khan Noonien-Singh, earlier than the USS Enterprise and USS Reliant have interaction in a lethal sport of cat and mouse. Thrilling, intelligent, and deeply transferring, The Wrath of Khan ends with the dying of Spock, who sacrifices himself to avoid wasting the Enterprise and his buddy Jim Kirk. We’re not crying, you might be.

Star Trek III The Seek for Spock

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Directed by Leonard Nimoy who, in his infinite knowledge, needed so as to add a way of TOS-style enjoyable again into proceedings, The Seek for Spock is Star Trek at its most adventurous. Kirk steals the still-damaged Enterprise to embark on a mission to resurrect Spock, along with his loyal crew in tow. Captain Picard might by no means.

Set instantly within the aftermath of The Wrath of Khan, The Seek for Spock is the make-shift center installment in top-of-the-line trilogies ever made. The Klingon Kruge is a fearsome foe (although he can’t maintain a candle to Khan) who pushes Kirk to his very limits, and it units the stage completely for the good film that follows it.

Star Trek IV The Voyage Residence

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

The Voyage House is the one with the whales, and the nuclear wessels, and it’s an incredible achievement as soon as once more helmed by Nimoy. As Kirk prepares to return to Earth on the HMS Bounty to atone for his sins (disobeying Starfleet orders), the crew is as a substitute roped right into a time journey romp with a single aim: take whales from the previous and produce them into the current (2286).

There’s little or no jeopardy right here: no Khan, no Kruge, only a heartfelt journey to avoid wasting Earth from its previous misdeeds. It’s full of laughs and enjoyable, with excellent fish-out-of-water humor present in Kirk and his colleagues traversing ‘80s San Francisco. Ultimately, after the day has been completely saved, Kirk is demoted again to the rank of captain which is de facto what he’d at all times needed.

It ends a cohesive trilogy of Star Trek motion pictures, following the dying of Spock, his rebirth, and his return to journey alongside Jim Kirk. In the event you’re searching for one of the best science fiction motion pictures ever made you don’t must look any additional than these three.

Star Trek V The Remaining Frontier

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Exit Nimoy, enter Shatner. In addition to sitting within the captain’s chair, Shatner was swapped into the director’s chair for The Remaining Frontier too. And, actually, the film is a pure reflection of the person himself.

Involved with grand philosophical concepts, notions of ego, and the hunt for information, The Remaining Frontier follows the primary voyage of the USS Enterprise-A on the seek for God. It marks the introduction of Spock’s half brother Sybok (a superb Star Trek villain), and is infamous for its iffy visible results and puzzling tone.

It’s not all dangerous, although, and there are some gloriously camp sequences between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy on their tenting journey. The humor doesn’t at all times land right here, however its coronary heart’s in the proper place and I take pleasure in watching Kirk climb a rock (and adore his ‘Go climb a rock’ shirt). However, The Remaining Frontier was dangerous sufficient that it virtually prematurely ended the franchise, and prevented Shatner from exerting his inventive affect over the subsequent film.

Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Nation

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

The ultimate journey of the entire TOS-era crew, The Undiscovered Nation is a grand, emotional send-off for the primary Star Trek forged and a bunch of beloved characters.

Because the Klingon moon Praxis explodes because of unsafe mining circumstances, Kirk is shipped on one final mission: to barter peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire after years of rigidity and warfare. It’s a direct parallel to the Chernobyl catastrophe, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the tip of the Chilly Warfare.

Unsurprisingly then, The Undiscovered Nation is probably the most political Star Trek film, regarding itself with deep-rooted prejudice and the way private conflicts may be boundaries to social progress and peace. Kirk learns to beat his hatred for the Klingons and see the larger image, however not earlier than the Enterprise crew uncovers a traitor in its midst who’s trying to sabotage the peace course of.

“Second star to the proper, and straight on ‘til morning,” is the right finish to all of it. No less than, it might have been.

Star Trek Generations

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

After the smash success of Star Trek The Subsequent Era (the finale was seen on broadcast by an astonishing 30 million viewers), it was the TNG forged’s flip to have a go at making motion pictures too. What higher option to begin a brand new period than by trying again to an previous one?

Set within the instant aftermath of TNG season 7, Captain Kirk joins forces with Captain Picard because of a handy time journey plot machine. Collectively, they defeat the villainous Soran, a person obsessive about discovering a fantastical extra-dimensional realm referred to as the ‘Nexus’. The Enterprise-D is destroyed, and to make issues even worse, Kirk dies alongside the best way too. He’s buried below a pile of rocks by Picard, which isn’t precisely a hero’s send-off, however right here we’re.

Star Trek First Contact

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Like some joyless inverse of The Voyage Residence, First Contact sees a former first officer (Jonathan Frakes’ Riker) step into the director’s chair to create an journey that catapults the crew of the USS Enterprise again in time to Earth. This time although, there’s the specter of the Borg: it’s lots darker than a mission to avoid wasting whales.

Because the Borg makes an attempt to forestall Earth from making first contact with the Vulcans, the TNG crew cut up as much as fight the Borg in house with the shiny new Enterprise-E and be sure that issues go as they need to down on Earth’s floor. With among the finest motion Star Trek has to supply, that is extensively seen as the best TNG film, even when its makes an attempt to show Picard right into a Rambo-style motion hero are misguided.

Star Trek Rebel

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Usually likened to a TNG episode, Rebel lowers the stakes and opts for a extra private story as a substitute. Principally set on the planet of Ba’ku, Rebel sees Picard ditch Starfleet’s orders in favor of doing the proper factor.

The planet has restorative results because of its metaphasic particles, which the Federation’s allies the Son’a wish to harness for their very own private goals. That might imply shunting Ba’Ku’s inhabitants off to a different world, although, and Picard refuses to cooperate. As an alternative, he helps the Ba’Ku mount a resistance, which brings him near dying.

Star Trek Nemesis

The place to look at: Paramount Plus

Whereas the TOS forged acquired six motion pictures, the TNG forged might solely handle 4. Nemesis was their fourth and closing journey (till their reunion in Picard season 3) and it introduced Picard into battle with an evil clone… of himself, performed by a bald Tom Hardy.

This clone is Shinzon, who leads the Remans (slaves to the Romulans) aboard his ship the Scimitar. The Scimitar is supplied with a very highly effective Thalaron weapon that has the facility to destroy all earlier than it, together with Earth. Within the battle to defeat Shinzon, Knowledge sacrifices himself in an act just like Spock’s sacrifice in The Wrath of Khan. Riker leaves to take command of the USS Titan, and the Romulan commander Donatra suggests peace could possibly be on the horizon (one thing that by no means occurs).

It’s a downer ending which, after the perfection of All Good Issues… which concluded their time on TV, retroactively made all 4 TNG motion pictures appear considerably of a misfire.

watch the Star Trek motion pictures in chronological order

Because the Kelvin timeline is created within the Prime timeline within the 12 months 2387, the formal option to watch the Star Trek motion pictures in chronological order is with Chris Pine’s Star Trek trilogy on the finish.

Star Trek 2009 begins with Prime Spock post-Nemesis, so the films are technically (if not spiritually) sequels. This isn’t the best order during which to look at the films, as a result of it’s jarring to skip forwards and backwards.

However should you’re a stickler for guidelines, that is the way you’ll wish to do it. You’ve been warned, although. It will get messy, and fairly complicated.

watch the Star Trek motion pictures in chronological order:

• Star Trek The Movement Image (2270s)
• Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (2285)
• Star Trek III The Seek for Spock (2285)
• Star Trek IV The Voyage Residence (2286)
• Star Trek V The Remaining Frontier (2287)
• Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Nation (2293)
• Star Trek Generations (2371)
• Star Trek First Contact (2373)
• Star Trek Rebel (2375)
• Star Trek Nemesis (2379)
• Star Trek 2009 (Prime timeline 2387; Kelvin timeline 2255)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (Kelvin timeline 2259)
• Star Trek Past (Kelvin timeline 2263)

watch the Star Trek motion pictures in launch order

Starting over a decade after the tip of the primary Star Trek collection, the Star Trek motion pictures started in 1979. Since then, new motion pictures have been making their means into cinemas in neat intervals up till 2016, with the discharge of the newest Star Trek Past.

Fortunately, watching the Star Trek motion pictures in launch order isn’t sophisticated in any respect.

Star Trek motion pictures in launch order:

• Star Trek The Movement Image (1979)
• Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek III The Seek for Spock (1984)
• Star Trek IV The Voyage Residence (1986)
• Star Trek V The Remaining Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Nation (1991)
• Star Trek Generations (1994)
• Star Trek First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek Rebel (1998)
• Star Trek Nemesis (2002)
• Star Trek 2009 (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Past (2016)

All upcoming Star Trek motion pictures

Because it enters a brand new golden period with its TV collection, the Star Trek franchise has loads of life left in it, and there are two potential Star Trek motion pictures which could possibly be arriving within the subsequent few years.

First, we’ve the one which is formally in improvement: Star Trek Part 31. A spin-off of Star Trek Discovery centering on Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou, the brand new film is ready to shine a light-weight on the secretive operations of the notorious Part 31. This can be a clandestine group which varieties a part of Starfleet Intelligence and serves to guard the safety of the Federation by any means essential.

The Star Trek Part 31 launch date appears to be like like it is going to arrive sooner or later in 2025, and it’s set to air solely on Paramount Plus.

Then, we’ve the apparently-cursed Star Trek 4. A sequel to Star Trek Past with the Kelvin timeline forged has been within the works for near a decade now, and nonetheless we’ve nothing concrete confirmed concerning the movie.

Contractual negotiations and scheduling, in addition to a lot of shifting inventive instructions behind the scenes, have prevented the film from ever getting additional than a script. And even that, reportedly, is now scrapped. As every month passes by, the probability of Star Trek 4 ever being made lessens. The film hasn’t been formally canceled but, simply indefinitely delayed, so we’ve nonetheless acquired a shred of hope. For now.

Upcoming Star Trek motion pictures:

• Star Trek Part 31
• Star Trek 4

And, that’s it on the right way to watch the Star Trek motion pictures so as. In the event you acquired to the tip, nicely carried out: you’ve watched 13 motion pictures throughout two parallel timelines. That’s no imply feat.

If, like us, you continue to can’t get sufficient of the Enterprise in all its varieties, you may take a look at a few of our different Star Trek articles, together with our interview with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn about Unusual New Worlds, and a Unusual New Worlds season 2 evaluate in addition to our guides to the Decrease Decks season 4 launch date and a possible Star Trek Legacy launch date.

You may also see our picks for one of the best Star Trek starships, in addition to our explainers on the USS Intrepid, USS Farragut, and USS Kelcie Mae. Or, see our picks for one of the best Star Trek characters of all time, and our ideas on which Star Trek captain would win in a zombie apocalypse. You may also take a look at what’s new on Paramount Plus this month, in addition to our decisions for one of the best TV collection of all time.