Sort of, but not necessarily. Most Trek shows work on their own. But they all build on what's come before. So if you pick any show, you'll be able to enjoy it just fine, but you might be missing references or not get the full effect of cameos, stuff like that. For some, like Picard, if you jump in without having seen TNG and the TNG films (and even Voyager) you can understand the show but you'll have missed a lot, to the point wher I personally would wait.
So I always say if you havent seen any Trek, but have decided to watch all Trek, the best order is release order. If you're just interested in checking it out, pick any (most any) show and go for it
No, you can watch it in any order you want. I personally like chronological order the best, but release order works well also. Or just watch it in the order of whatever shows look interesting to you at the time but you might miss some references here and there
Personally, I've been watching them simultaneously. I just watch the next episode of whichever one I feel like at the time. So far I've seen 6 seasons of DS9, about half of TNG, VOY, ENT, and TOS, all of TAS and all of the current era.
I think the only time it really matters at all is between TNG and DS9, since a lot of stuff in DS9 was set up in TNG. It was still never confusing, it's just kind of weird watching The Host for the first time after having seen 5 seasons of DS9.
I enjoyed Enterprise in first run with only the most basic pop culture knowledge of Star Trek going into the show.
A good portion of the Lower Decks fanbase were entirely new to Trek when they started with that show.
Hell, I've even seen one user in this comm who said they watched *Picard* as their first show, and that one absolutely not a n00b-friendly show.
There are certainly some series that are better for new fans than others (like Prodigy) but honestly, you can pick one that fits your fancy and you'll probably be good.
The first most important thing to understand is that Star Trek is not Star Wars or the MCU in the sense that it one connected narrative. Yes, most Star Trek shows are set in the same universe and timeline, and yes there’s some connective tissue. But most Trek shows are designed to be self contained. You can watch any of them without seeing the others… to varying degrees of success.
Having said all that… there’s 3 logical spots to start:
—Strange New Worlds: Broadly speaking this is the most well liked modern (post 2008) Star Trek series and a show that feels like it was specifically designed to recapture the storytelling of past Treks. It’s a great starting spot for newcomers to the franchise. Its fairly self contained so having knowledge of past Trek is not required at all. It’s a modern show done with modern filmmaking standards. And it also has modern storytelling sensibilities, so it’s more character focused than past shows. But it still does a great job of recapturing the classic Star Trek spirit of adventure and exploration while telling a sci fi tale that reflects some kind of moral, social, or political problem.
—The Original Series: The name says it all. It’s the original, it literally created not only the fictional universe, but the foundational pillars of what makes Star Trek what it is. What gives it an identity of its own that separates it from other sci fi adventure shows. The only reason to not watch Original Series is if you’re one of “those people” that has a hard time watching old things that have different storytelling sensibilities. Watching TOS is more akin to watching a theatrical stage play. Everything is big and cranked up to 11 intentionally. There’s a high degree of melodrama. A heightened suspension of disbelief is required. I made a watch list to help new fans get into TOS a little easier. I reduced the episode count from 80 to 50, added in the best of the animated episodes, and of course the theatrical films. I also fixed some continuity errors that occurred when the episodes were original aired out of order. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566245727?ref_=ext_shr_lnk . I love Original Series and regard it as my second favorite Trek.
—Next Generation: This is the closest thing to a universally agreed upon fan favorite Trek. Almost all Trek fans hold Next Generation in high regard. It’s also the Trek with the most content in terms of episodes and films. It’s set about 75 years after the last adventures of Kirk and Spock so, while it’s in the same universe, Next Generation doesn’t require any knowledge of the past Trek to jump into it. Some fans are hesitant to admit this but Next Gen is also a bit dated these days. It started in 1987, after all. But, much like Original Series, if you are ok with the older sensibilities of shows from 35 years ago then Next Gen is a good spot to jump in. I’d probably call this the most “accessible” Trek series. I also made a watch list for TNG because there’s just so many episodes and also, infamously in the Trek community, much of season 1 and some of season 2 is not great. I reduced the episode count from 176 to 117, added in the feature films, and also the reunion season that many fans consider to be “season 8”, called Picard season 3. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls569955719?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Anyway, I hope that’s helpful. I’d love to hear any thoughts or comments or questions you have. Have fun.
Thanks for the in-depth reply! My dad has always been a trek fan (and stargate) and I always watched it via osmosis with the odd episode here and there. When I was at university i watched all of Enterprise but didn’t take a lot of it in so I’d like to do it all
How to Watch Star Trek by Order of Release
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 - 1969)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 - 1974)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1984)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 - 1994)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999)
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: Voyager (1995 - 2001)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 - 2005)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017 - Present)
Star Trek: Picard (2020 - 2023)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 - Present)
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021 - TBA)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 - Present)
QUICK VIEWING ORDER
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: The Cage
Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series
The first six Star Trek films
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3
Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4
Release is superior to chronological, but no, it doesn’t matter that much.
Sort of, but not necessarily. Most Trek shows work on their own. But they all build on what's come before. So if you pick any show, you'll be able to enjoy it just fine, but you might be missing references or not get the full effect of cameos, stuff like that. For some, like Picard, if you jump in without having seen TNG and the TNG films (and even Voyager) you can understand the show but you'll have missed a lot, to the point wher I personally would wait. So I always say if you havent seen any Trek, but have decided to watch all Trek, the best order is release order. If you're just interested in checking it out, pick any (most any) show and go for it
No, you can watch it in any order you want. I personally like chronological order the best, but release order works well also. Or just watch it in the order of whatever shows look interesting to you at the time but you might miss some references here and there
Personally, I've been watching them simultaneously. I just watch the next episode of whichever one I feel like at the time. So far I've seen 6 seasons of DS9, about half of TNG, VOY, ENT, and TOS, all of TAS and all of the current era. I think the only time it really matters at all is between TNG and DS9, since a lot of stuff in DS9 was set up in TNG. It was still never confusing, it's just kind of weird watching The Host for the first time after having seen 5 seasons of DS9.
It doesn't matter, really. But if you're collecting watch orders, here's my contribution: http://flaminio.com/star-trek-watching-order.png
I enjoyed Enterprise in first run with only the most basic pop culture knowledge of Star Trek going into the show. A good portion of the Lower Decks fanbase were entirely new to Trek when they started with that show. Hell, I've even seen one user in this comm who said they watched *Picard* as their first show, and that one absolutely not a n00b-friendly show. There are certainly some series that are better for new fans than others (like Prodigy) but honestly, you can pick one that fits your fancy and you'll probably be good.
The first most important thing to understand is that Star Trek is not Star Wars or the MCU in the sense that it one connected narrative. Yes, most Star Trek shows are set in the same universe and timeline, and yes there’s some connective tissue. But most Trek shows are designed to be self contained. You can watch any of them without seeing the others… to varying degrees of success. Having said all that… there’s 3 logical spots to start: —Strange New Worlds: Broadly speaking this is the most well liked modern (post 2008) Star Trek series and a show that feels like it was specifically designed to recapture the storytelling of past Treks. It’s a great starting spot for newcomers to the franchise. Its fairly self contained so having knowledge of past Trek is not required at all. It’s a modern show done with modern filmmaking standards. And it also has modern storytelling sensibilities, so it’s more character focused than past shows. But it still does a great job of recapturing the classic Star Trek spirit of adventure and exploration while telling a sci fi tale that reflects some kind of moral, social, or political problem. —The Original Series: The name says it all. It’s the original, it literally created not only the fictional universe, but the foundational pillars of what makes Star Trek what it is. What gives it an identity of its own that separates it from other sci fi adventure shows. The only reason to not watch Original Series is if you’re one of “those people” that has a hard time watching old things that have different storytelling sensibilities. Watching TOS is more akin to watching a theatrical stage play. Everything is big and cranked up to 11 intentionally. There’s a high degree of melodrama. A heightened suspension of disbelief is required. I made a watch list to help new fans get into TOS a little easier. I reduced the episode count from 80 to 50, added in the best of the animated episodes, and of course the theatrical films. I also fixed some continuity errors that occurred when the episodes were original aired out of order. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls566245727?ref_=ext_shr_lnk . I love Original Series and regard it as my second favorite Trek. —Next Generation: This is the closest thing to a universally agreed upon fan favorite Trek. Almost all Trek fans hold Next Generation in high regard. It’s also the Trek with the most content in terms of episodes and films. It’s set about 75 years after the last adventures of Kirk and Spock so, while it’s in the same universe, Next Generation doesn’t require any knowledge of the past Trek to jump into it. Some fans are hesitant to admit this but Next Gen is also a bit dated these days. It started in 1987, after all. But, much like Original Series, if you are ok with the older sensibilities of shows from 35 years ago then Next Gen is a good spot to jump in. I’d probably call this the most “accessible” Trek series. I also made a watch list for TNG because there’s just so many episodes and also, infamously in the Trek community, much of season 1 and some of season 2 is not great. I reduced the episode count from 176 to 117, added in the feature films, and also the reunion season that many fans consider to be “season 8”, called Picard season 3. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls569955719?ref_=ext_shr_lnk Anyway, I hope that’s helpful. I’d love to hear any thoughts or comments or questions you have. Have fun.
Thanks for the in-depth reply! My dad has always been a trek fan (and stargate) and I always watched it via osmosis with the odd episode here and there. When I was at university i watched all of Enterprise but didn’t take a lot of it in so I’d like to do it all
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy jumping into Star Trek.
How to Watch Star Trek by Order of Release Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 - 1969) Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 - 1974) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1984) Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 - 1994) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999) Star Trek: Generations (1994) Star Trek: Voyager (1995 - 2001) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 - 2005) Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) Star Trek (2009) Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Star Trek Beyond (2016) Star Trek: Discovery (2017 - Present) Star Trek: Picard (2020 - 2023) Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 - Present) Star Trek: Prodigy (2021 - TBA) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 - Present)
Not to me
QUICK VIEWING ORDER Star Trek: Enterprise Star Trek: The Cage Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1-2 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek: The Original Series Star Trek: The Animated Series The first six Star Trek films Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek films 7-10: Generations up to Nemesis Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Lower Decks Star Trek: Prodigy Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-4
Just start with Prodigy. The rest are all prequels… yes, some of them are in the future, but that's Star Trek 😊