With two different Star Trek timelines and three different Enterprise crews, it can be hard to remember how many Star Trek movies there are. Between 1979 and 2016, Star Trek entertained audiences in movie theaters as well as on the small screen. Both TV versions of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation got their own movie franchises, with differing levels of critical and commercial success.
The most successful Star Trek movies at the box office were the three J.J. Abrams-produced films released between 2009 and 2016. However, this box office success became a curse as concerns over the box office figures for Star Trek Beyond led to difficulties in getting Star Trek 4 to theaters. Star Trek 4 becoming mired in development hell is why there have been no further movies in the franchise since 2016. However, recent reports suggest that Paramount could be making up for lost time as they seek to add three new Star Trek movies to the current crop of thirteen.
Every Star Trek Movie In Chronological Order
With 13 entries in the Star Trek movie series from 1979-2006, there are a couple of ways to watch the films chronologically.
There Are 13 Star Trek Movies (So Far)
There were thirteen Star Trek movies released between 1979 and 2016. The cast of Star Trek: The Original Series led six out of the thirteen movies, from Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991. The Star Trek: The Next Generation cast picked up the baton in 1994, leading four films until the failure of Star Trek Nemesis led to a radical rethink of the movie franchise.
The decision was made to reboot the franchise with a brand-new Star Trek timeline and a younger Kirk and Spock, played by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto respectively. Only three of the Kelvin Timeline movies were made, but a fourth film has been promised since 2016. While the fourth Kelvin Timeline movie remains in development, Paramount have taken a different approach for the fourteenth Star Trek movie.
Every Star Trek Film From 1979 to 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Title | Year of Release | Writer | Director |
Star Trek: The Motion Picture | 1979 | Screenplay by Harold Livingston | Robert Wise |
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | 1982 | Screenplay by Nicholas Meyer | Nicholas Meyer |
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | 1984 | Screenplay by Harve Bennett | Leonard Nimoy |
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | 1986 | Screenplay by Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer | Leonard Nimoy |
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | 1989 | Screenplay by David Loughery | William Shatner |
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | 1991 | Screenplay by Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Finn | Nicholas Meyer |
Star Trek Generations | 1994 | Screenplay by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga | David Carson |
Star Trek: First Contact | 1996 | Screenplay by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore | Jonathan Frakes |
Star Trek: Insurrection | 1998 | Screenplay by Michael Piller | Jonathan Frakes |
Star Trek Nemesis | 2002 | Screenplay by John Logan | Stuart Baird |
Star Trek | 2009 | Screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman | J.J. Abrams |
Star Trek into Darkness | 2013 | Screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof | J.J. Abrams |
Star Trek Beyond | 2016 | Screenplay by Simon Pegg & Doug Jung | Justin Lin |
The Next Star Trek Movie Is Made For Paramount Plus
The next Star Trek movie won’t be hitting theaters, but will instead be a Paramount+ exclusive streaming “event”. Starring Oscar winning actress Michelle Yeoh, Star Trek: Section 31 began production on January 30, 2024, presumably eyeing a 2025 release on the streaming platform. The movie will continue the story of Star Trek: Discovery‘s Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) as she joins Starfleet’s covert black ops group, Section 31.
If Star Trek: Section 31 is successful, it could lead to more streaming exclusive movies on the platform. There will inevitably be some debate about whether streaming exclusive movies such as Section 31 should be mentioned in the same breath as the theatrically released Star Trek movies. However, for all intents and purposes, Star Trek: Section 31 is being produced and marketed as a movie, given extra legitimacy by the involvement of Academy Award winning actress Michelle Yeoh.
Where You’ve Seen Star Trek: Section 31’s New Actors Before
Star Trek: Section 31 added several new cast members who will star alongside Acadamy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh in the upcoming film on Paramount+.
Star Trek Movies Rumored To Happen
Recent reports have emerged that two new Star Trek movies are being readied for production. A Star Trek origin movie is reportedly in development, with Seth Grahame-Smith and Toby Haynes’ attached as writer and director. While this origin story is yet to be officially confirmed by Paramount, Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary is in 2026, which feels like a perfect release date for such a movie. After all, Star Trek: First Contact celebrated the franchise’s 30th anniversary by depicting the first-ever warp flight and the First Contact between humans and Vulcans.
The same report revealed that the fourth and final movie for Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise was also in development. However, some version of Star Trek 4 has been in development for the past eight years, so fans could be forgiven for greeting this news with skepticism. There were also rumors about a Star Trek: Picard movie, but they felt like a misreading of a 2023 interview with Patrick Stewart. Whether Jean-Luc Picard is getting a final movie or not, it’s clear that the number of Star Trek movies won’t be stuck at thirteen for much longer.
