“Star Trek” for beginners: which film or which series start with?

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS

April 5, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

The “Star Trek” universe is huge – but where do you best start? Here you will find out which series and films the entry is the most fun!

On April 5, 2025, “Star Trek First Contact Day” is again! We will tell you in our special for the day of the first contact what special trekkies will be – and whether something special happens on this day!

All “Star Trek” series & films: View now❯

The “Star Trek” universe has been on the flicker screens for almost 60 years. In 1966 “Spaceship Enterprise” started with William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy. In the late 70s, the franchise then dared to jump to the large screen and continued in TV format in the 80s with successful spin-off series.

Today there are around a dozen series and 13 movies. The stories play at different times in the “Star Trek” chronology and revolve around different crews. It could be confusing for newcomers if Kirk does not occur in “Spaceship Enterprise – the next century”.

From different points of view, we looked at how best to immerse yourself in the “Star Trek” universe. Here you can see a brief overview and on the next pages we will explain why we chose the respective film or the respective series:

• Best series for starting: “Spaceship Enterprise – The Next Century”
• Best film for starting: “Star Trek” (2009)
• Best “Star Trek” era for starting: the 24th century with Picard, Janeway & Sisko
• Best classic series for entry: “Spaceship Enterprise – The Next Century”
• Best new Paramount+series for entry: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
• Best series for children for getting started: “Star Trek: Prodigy”

Best series for starting: “Spaceship Enterprise – The Next Century”

Many would probably start with “spaceship Enterprise” because this series started the franchise. Nevertheless, Spock, Kirk and Co. have their charm, the series from the 1960s is no longer as good to look through today. Sycling habits have changed too much.

The successor series “Spaceship Enterprise – The Next Century”, on the other hand, is still very easy to see today. The topics, the characters and the visual design pass the test of the time. “The next century” has the same premise as “spaceship Enterprise” and relies on the same strengths.

The episodic structure of the series is also very useful when it comes to skipping the worse consequences. Because with 7 seasons with around 25 episodes each, there are of course some cucumbers. We have a guide so that you really only watch the “spaceship Enterprise – the next century” episodes that are worth it!

Best film for starting: “Star Trek” (2009)

In 2009 Paramount with “Star Trek” released a kind of new edition of the classic “Star Trek” stories with the Kirk crew. The new film takes place in a parallel timeline and so things do not necessarily occur like in “Spaceship Enterprise” or “Star Trek: The Film”, but the film was designed to inspire a new generation of spectators and spectators for “Star Trek”.

With a lot of heart, allusions and good actors and actresses, director JJ Abrams can build on what did the dynamics of the Kirk crew so well and pack it in a new guise. Due to modern production, the film is the perfect start, especially these days.

You learn enough about the core topics of “Star Trek”, you get to know Kirk, Spock and Co. and so the film can arouse interest in getting to older productions. Above all, “Star Trek II: The anger of the Khan” is worthwhile.

“The anger of the Khan” is referred to by most trekkies as the best film and we would probably recommend the film as an introduction if it does not require a bit that the viewership of Kirk and Spock's friendship has at least learned and appreciated a bit.

We advise against using “Star Trek: The Film” as an introduction. The Director's Edition is a wonderfully philosophical and, above all, epic film, but even more than all other “Star Trek” films presupposes “the film” to love the crew, the Enterprise and the franchise. It is a nostalgia tour and not an entry point!

Best “Star Trek” era for starting: the 24th century with Picard, Janeway & Sisko

In the 1990s there were three “Star Trek” series that were all seven and were able to enjoy a big fan base: “Spaceship Enterprise-The Next Century”, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Spaceship Voyager”. There are also the films with the “Picard” crew that appeared in the 90s. All of these stories play in the “Star Trek” chronology in the 24th century!

Sometimes there were even crossover episodes between the different series. But don't worry, in contrast to “Boba Fett” or today's Marvel series, they still work independently!

With Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) we also have a female leading role in a “Star Trek” series for the first time. If there is a “Star Trek” era to explore, then the 24th century from the 90s is the most exciting. And above all, it opens the door for some of the modern series.

Both “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and “Star Trek: Prodigy” play in the 24th century, only around a decade after the events around Sisko and Janeway. “Star Trek: Picard” season 3 is also a kind of sequel to all three series from the 90s.

Best classic series for entry: “Spaceship Enterprise – The Next Century”

Among the Classic “Star Trek” series Understand trekkies the series that have been published in front of the long doldrums between “Star Trek: Enterprise” and “Star Trek: Discovery”.

So if you want to use one of the classic series as an introduction, we recommend you – you definitely suspect – “spaceship Enterprise – the next century”. The series is simply best suited as an introduction and offers everything that makes “Star Trek”.

Best new Paramount+series for entry: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”

There are some representatives of the new series published by Paramount+ since 2017, including “Star Trek: Picard”. However, the best series of the Paramount+Own productions is clearly “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”. The series is celebrated by fans and critics, newcomers and die -hard trekkies.

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” relies on the classic Trek formula with episodic adventures and attaches great importance to the dynamics between the crew members. Coupled with the latest technology in implementation, “Star Trek” was only really brought into the 21st century by this series.

Best series for children for getting started: “Star Trek: Prodigy”

Most of the “Star Trek” series are child -friendly – or we rather say: family -friendly. But “the next century” and “Strange New Worlds” also have more adult moments and topics, so that the younger new trek can watch along – but will they also be thrilled?

The animation series “Star Trek: Prodigy” was an experiment and dared to go where there has been no “Star Trek” series before: it is a children's series with a young crew and warm values. The series is extremely entertaining and white, classic Trek to implement child -friendly.

It is particularly family -friendly that the series can inspire older trekkies with its topics and stories, so that the series is suitable for the whole family. The fact that Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) returns from “Voyager” is of course all the more beautiful for parents who are already fans and want to share the love for “Star Trek” with their children.

Fans are currently looking forward to “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season 3. This is scheduled to start at Paramount+ in the summer of 2025. We list all “Star Trek” new signs!