# Star Trek chronology **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [August 3, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659 "2025-08-03T13:35:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/1 "2025-08-03T13:35:10Z")
I’m trying to figure out what order the various series and movies are set in. Is this about right? The earliest setting: Enterprise A few decades later, happening roughly simultaneously: Discovery Short Treks Section 31 A few decades later: Strange New Worlds A few years later, with older versions of some of the Strange New Worlds characters: Star Trek: The Original Series The Animated Series A decade or two later, with older versions of the Original Series characters: Star Trek: The Motion Picture The Wrath of Khan The Search for Spock The Voyage Home The Final Frontier The Undiscovered Country A few decades later, happening roughly simultaneously: The Next Generation Deep Space Nine Voyager Lower Decks A few years later, with older versions of the Next Generation/Voyager characters: Prodigy Generations First Contact Insurrection Nemesis A couple of decades later, with older versions of the Next Generation characters: Picard Several decades later: Starfleet Academy A separate timeline: Star Trek (2009) Star Trek Into Darkness Star Trek Beyond ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/2 "2025-08-03T15:18:31Z")
If I understood correctly, at some point _Discovery_ was taking place in the 34½ Century (or whatever) with the Federation a rump state (centuries after the incipient decline and fall hinted at in _Picard_) and a “darker and edgier” galaxy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/3 "2025-08-03T15:33:36Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If I understood correctly, at some point _Discovery_ was taking place in the 34½ Century (or whatever) with the Federation a rump state (centuries after the incipient decline and fall hinted at in _Picard_) and a “darker and edgier” galaxy Okay, I just looked it up on Wikipedia. Apparently _Discovery_ started out in the 23rd century, which is after _Enterprise_ but before _Strange New Worlds_. Then in the second season, they time travelled to the 32nd century, around the time of _Star Fleet Academy_. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/4 "2025-08-03T16:07:14Z")
_Strange New Worlds_ and _Starfleet Academy_ are both spin-offs of _Discovery_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/5 "2025-08-03T16:28:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A few decades later, happening roughly simultaneously: > Discovery > Short Treks > Section 31 > > A few decades later: > Strange New Worlds I can’t speak for _Short Treks_ or _Section 31_, but _Discovery_’s first two seasons were set, in-universe, in the years 2256-2258 (before they jumped ahead in time to the 32nd Century); _Strange New Worlds_, as a direct spin-off from the early seasons of _Discovery_, started out in 2259. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/6 "2025-08-03T16:33:46Z")
Yeah, Strange New Worlds is coincident, essentially, with Discovery. ETA: What about Lower Decks? After all the main shows, I guess, since they reference all those shows. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/7 "2025-08-03T16:37:10Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > What about Lower Decks? After all the main shows, I guess, since they reference all those shows. The [Memory Alpha entry on _Lower Decks_ says](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Lower_Decks): > [@](#): > > The show’s time period is described as the _[Star Trek: The Next Generation](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)_-era, more specifically [2380](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/2380), after [_Star Trek Nemesis_](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_Nemesis). (Nemesis was the third and last movie with the TNG cast.) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/8 "2025-08-03T16:46:00Z")
This is the true path to madness. 😱 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/9 "2025-08-03T16:48:19Z")
Right, I think they actually had some TNG cameos on Lower Decks, right? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/10 "2025-08-03T16:54:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A few decades later, happening roughly simultaneously: > Discovery > Short Treks > Section 31 Section 31 takes place in the “Lost Era”, the time period between the end of the TOS movies and the beginning of TNG. I think there is some confusion around this one because it’s a spinoff of Discovery but there were temporal shenanigans involved in where a certain character ended up: In Discovery, Georgiou has an interaction with the Guardian of Forever. We don’t see where the Guardian ends up taking her but it looks like she jumped back from the 32nd century to early in the 24th century rather than going back to where she started in the 23rd. Why? They don’t explain it in the movie but I would assume she had her reasons for wanting to skip over some time. In any case, she’s in the latter half of the Lost Era which we know because she interacts with a Lt. Rachel Garrett, who ends up being the Captain of the Enterprise-C by 2344. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > This is the true path to madness. Nah, don’t even worry about it. Trekkies live for this stuff. > [@RitterSport](#): > > Right, I think they actually had some TNG cameos on Lower Decks, right? They had cameos from almost every series. The ones I can remember offhand are Riker, Troi, Kira, Quark, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, T’Pol, Zephram Cochrane, Q, Sulu, Grand Nagus Rom, Leeta, Nick Locarno, Wesley Crusher and Martok. T’Pol was an especially impressive cameo because Jolene Blalock had essentially retired from Star Trek after having a less-than-positive experience filming Enterprise. Two LDS characters also did a crossover into live action in the SNW episode “Those Old Scientists” which is a hilarious episode. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/11 "2025-08-03T17:45:52Z")
The _Short Trek_ entitled “Calypso” happens potentially many hundreds of years after the 32nd century, as a man finds the abandoned USS _Discovery,_ under AI control, waiting in vain for its long-dead crew to come back. This far, we haven’t seen any _Trek_ further into the future than “Calypso”. The upcoming series _Starfleet Academy_ takes place shortly after the 32nd century adventures of _Discovery._ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/12 "2025-08-03T18:58:42Z")
I think of myself as a “Trekkie” maybe lowercase “trekkie”. An interested and amazed fan. Who thinks the coininkydinks are fun. I think of you guys as “Trekkers”. More scientific and want things to match up and have the franchise adhere to some logic. I think its cool to be that way. Wish I could. ( it burns my brain ) Then I remember the whole thing is created in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/13 "2025-08-03T19:11:40Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I think of you guys as “Trekkers”. More scientific and want things to match up and have the franchise adhere to some logic. At least from a chronological standpoint, in recent decades, the producers have generally been pretty good about framing “when” these shows and films occur in the timeline, relative to other works, as well as relative to the Earth calendar that we know. IIRC, back in the original series’ days, Gene Roddenberry didn’t necessarily want the series to be set in a particular year, but a more nebulous future time, hence the use of “stardates” – and, sometimes, contradictory references to “actual” years, because the producers and writers probably didn’t keep a firm “series bible” about things like dates. By the 1980s (the films with the original cast, as well as TNG), the producers were more clearly staking out a timeframe, and actively working to keep some internal consistency. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/14 "2025-08-03T19:19:59Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > The upcoming series _Starfleet Academy_ takes place shortly after the 32nd century adventures of _Discovery._ This reminds me of a question I’ve had since I saw a trailer for _Starfleet Academy_ and saw that it was set in the 32nd century. I stopped watching _Discovery_ after the first episode of season three because I found the time jump and premise for the collapse of the Federation too hard to swallow. Am I going to be able to watch _Starfleet Academy_ without being hopelessly confused, or do I need to force myself to watch season three (and possibly subsequent seasons) of _Discovery_ first? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/15 "2025-08-03T20:10:51Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Am I going to be able to watch _Starfleet Academy_ without being hopelessly confused, or do I need to force myself to watch season three (and possibly subsequent seasons) of _Discovery_ first? I think you should be fine and if there is anything from Discovery that is particularly relevant to an episode they’ll probably include it in the previouslys. They will probably reference “The Burn” which was the plot of season 4 where dilithium stopped working for a while. They might also reference recent conflicts with the Breen which was part of season 5. But I don’t think there will be anything that requires watching those seasons or else it won’t make sense. Well, except apples. If Admiral Vance offers you an apple, do not eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/16 "2025-08-03T20:11:26Z")
I don’t know how confusing SA will be without watching all of Disco, but I can tell you that Disco in no way improved in later seasons. ETA: I just realized you don’t know _why_ “the burn” happened! Trust me, that plot point was one of the very stupidest pieces of shit ever written. (A Kelpian kid was really sad and wished dilithium would go away so it did.) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/17 "2025-08-03T23:49:09Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I don’t know how confusing SA will be without watching all of Disco, but I can tell you that Disco in no way improved in later seasons. > > ETA: I just realized you don’t know _why_ “the burn” happened! Trust me, that plot point was one of the very stupidest pieces of shit ever written. (A Kelpian kid was really sad and wished dilithium would go away so it did.) i had heard that Discovery went downhill beginning in season 3, which is one of the reasons I opted not to watch it. I wasn’t aware that Kelpians had such powers. 🙄 > [@DWMarch](#): > > If Admiral Vance offers you an apple, do not eat it. Noted. I’m almost afraid to ask why. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/18 "2025-08-03T23:56:49Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I wasn’t aware that Kelpians had such powers. They didn’t. It was just that one, randomly, with no explanation. He was the Anthony Fremont of Kelpia. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/19 "2025-08-03T23:59:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > He was the Anthony Fremont of Kelpia. I understood that reference! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659/20 "2025-08-04T00:06:26Z")
It’s a good thing, too. A real good thing. Otherwise, you might wind up in the cornfield. Although that would be a good thing, a real good thing, you know? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-chronology/1021659.md?page=2)