Introduction

Star Trek is an American media franchise based on the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry.

The first television series, called Star Trek and now known as “The Original Series” or “Star Trek: TOS”, debuted on 08 September 1966 and aired for three seasons on NBC.

It followed the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise on its five-year mission, the purpose of which was:

“to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!”.

The USS Enterprise was a space exploration vessel built by the United Federation of Planets in the 23rd century for Starfleet.

The Star Trek canon includes the Original Series, an animated series, six spin-off television series, the film franchise, and further adaptations in several media (such as books and video games).

Outline

Paramount Pictures has produced thirteen Star Trek feature films, the most recent being released in July 2016.

The first six films continue the adventures of the cast of the Original Series; the seventh film, Generations was intended as a transition from original cast to the cast of the Next Generation; the next three films, focused completely on the Next Generation cast.

The eleventh film and its sequels occur in an alternative timeline with a new cast portraying the TOS characters. Leonard Nimoy portrayed an elderly Spock in the films, providing a narrative link to what became known as the Prime Timeline.

The alternate reality was christened the Kelvin Timeline by Michael and Denise Okuda, in honour of the starship USS Kelvin which was first seen in the 2009 film.

An R-rated Star Trek film, to be directed by Quentin Tarantino, was announced as in-development in December 2017.

In a December 2019 interview with Consequence of Sound, Tarantino indicated he may not direct the film. He later confirmed he would not direct any future Star Trek film in a January 2020 interview with Deadline, effectively ending development.

In November 2019, a new, unrelated film was announced as in-development, to be directed by Noah Hawley.

Star Trek Films

• The Original Series (TOS):
  • Star Trek 01: The Motion Picture (1979).
  • Star Trek 02: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
  • Star Trek 03: The Search for Spock (1984).
  • Star Trek 04: The Voyage Home (1986).
  • Star Trek 05: The Final Frontier (1989).
  • Star Trek 06: The Undiscovered Country (1991).

• The Next Generation (TNG):
  • Star Trek 07: Generations (1994).
  • Star Trek 08: First Contact (1996).
  • Star Trek 09: Insurrection (1998).
  • Star Trek 10: Nemesis (2002).

• Kelvin Timeline (Reboot):
  • Star Trek 11: Star Trek (2009).
  • Star Trek 12: Into Darkness (2013).
  • Star Trek 13: Beyond (2016).
  • Star Trek 14: In Development.

Star Trek TV Series, Films, and Documentaries

You can find a full index of Star Trek TV series, films, and documentaries here.

Trivia

You can read interesting trivia and background details about the Star Trek franchise here.

Production & Filming Details

• Creator: Gene Roddenberry.
• Release Date: 08 September 1966.
• Running Time: 50 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.