Star Trek is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary today.
A couple of years ago, Sarah and I watched the entirety of Star Trek from beginning to end. I posted about her reactions to it here and here, but what I didn't do was post the order that we watched them all in. More recently, we watched Babylon 5 and I had to search the internet for a viewing order to integrate the TV movies and Crusade. I was reminded that I had written an order to show Star Trek to Sarah and now here it is. Well almost, we actually watched the first Abrams film first to test the water.
This isn't a strict broadcast order list, because that would mean alternating back and forth throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's run in a way that would make it difficult for any series to build momentum. Instead for periods when more than one series was on air at the same time we watched in batches as detailed below to maintain an overview of both shows.
I have blacked out my justifications for what to watch when because often they are full of spoilers. They are after the photos and you can highlight them with your mouse.
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Star Trek, Seasons One to Three
The Man Trap to Turnabout Intruder
Don't start with The Cage or Where No Man Has Gone Before, no one in 1966 did. Watch the 79 episodes of the original series in broadcast order, beginning with The Man Trap.
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Star Trek: The Animated Series, Seasons One and Two
Beyond The Farthest Star to The Counter-Clock Incident
Next watch all 22 episodes of the vastly underrated cartoon.
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture,
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan,
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
&
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
On to the first four Star Trek movies, ideally the Director's Cut of The Motion Picture and the extended cut of The Wrath Of Khan.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seasons One & Two
Encounter At Farpoint to Shades Of Gray
Jump to the 24th Century, because we're following release order here.
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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
You could watch this straight after The Voyage Home, but it's quite nice to break up TNG episodes.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seasons Three to Five
Evolution to The Game
Now watch the third and fourth seasons of TNG all the way through and then the first six episodes of the fifth.
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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I think watching this ahead of TNG would be quite jarring, both stylistically and also with its references to Worf, Khitomer and the way it complements...
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seasons Five & Six
Unification, Part 1 to Chain Of Command, Part 2
...Spock's appearance in Unification. Watch all the way through to the Cardassian two-parter ready for DS9.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season One
Emissary to In The Hands Of The Prophets
Watch the whole of Season One. You should visit the space station and meet Bashir before Birthright, Part 1.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seasons Six & Seven
Ship In A Bottle to Descent, Part 2
Finish out TNG's Season Six and then the first episode of the final season.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Two
The Homecoming to Blood Oath
Over to DS9 for all the pre-Maquis episodes.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season Seven
Liaisons to Journey's End
Nineteen more TNG episodes until the story that lays the foundations for...
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Two
The Maquis, Parts 1 and 2
This two-parter has geopolitical ramifications for the remaining episodes of TNG, DS9 and Voyager.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season Seven
Firstborn to All Good Things...
Now watch the last five episodes of The Next Generation.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Two & Three
The Wire to Defiant
Before returning to DS9 for the remainder of its second season and then watch the first nine episodes of its third.
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Star Trek: Generations
Now screen the seventh movie and the first to feature the TNG crew.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Three
Fascination to Distant Voices
Back to DS9 for ten more episodes.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season One
Caretaker to Learning Curve
Watch the entirety of Voyager's first season. Don't watch the episodes held over until season two, yet.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Three
Through The Looking Glass to The Adversary
The rest of DS9's third season from an episode featuring a cameo by Tuvok to the season finale.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Two
The 37's to Cold Fire
Back to the Delta Quadrant for ten more episodes.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Four
The Way Of The Warrior to Our Man Bashir
Now watch the first ten episodes of the fourth season.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Two & Three
Maneuvers to Basics, Part 2
The rest of Voyager's second season and the first episode of its third.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Four
Homefront to Body Parts
Fifteen more visits to DS9 takes us to the penultimate episode of the fourth season.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Three
Flashback to Coda
Fourteen more visits to Voyager before the series reintroduces the Borg.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Four & Five
Broken Link to The Ascent
Season Four's finale and nine episodes of season five.
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Star Trek: First Contact
Now it's time for the eighth film.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Five
Rapture to By Inferno’s Light
The new uniform from First Contact makes its debut and the Bashir changeling storyline plays out over these six episodes.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Three
Blood Fever to Worst Case Scenario
Ten more Voyagers. From the first appearance of the Borg on the series to the season's penultimate episode.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Five
Dr Bashir, I Presume to Empok Nor
Time for another nine episodes of DS9.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Seasons Three & Four
Scorpion, Part 1 to Waking Moments
Over to Voyager for the third season finale and the first thirteen episodes of its fourth.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Seasons Five & Six
In The Cards to Who Mourns For Morn?
The last two episodes of season five and the first twelve of season six tell the story of the beginning of the Dominion War, the occupation of the station and then get things back to something approaching normal.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Four
Message In A Bottle to Hope And Fear
The rest of Voyager's fourth season features the first foray into Hirogen space, the first proper contact with the Alpha Quadrant and the complications of both.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Six
Far Beyond The Stars to The Sound Of Her Voice
Thirteen more episodes of life during wartime take us up to the sixth season's penultimate episode.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Season Five
Night to Dark Frontier
The first fifteen episodes of season five take us up to the TV movie.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Six & Seven
Tears Of The Prophets to Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Sixteen more episodes of DS9 take us from the season six finale to the last episode before 'The Final Chapter' begins.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Seasons Five & Six
The Disease to Equinox, Part 2
Eleven more episodes take us to the sixth season's opener.
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Star Trek: Insurrection
Watch the ninth movie now.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season Seven
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges to What We Leave Behind
We return to DS9 for the last time.
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Star Trek: Voyager, Seasons Six & Seven
Survival Instinct to Endgame
Things get much simpler with only one show on the road. We watch the rest of Voyager's sixth season and then all of the seventh.
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Enterprise & Star Trek: Enterprise, Seasons One to Four
And then all of Enterprise and then following the name change, all of Star Trek: Enterprise.
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Star Trek
Following the prequel series, we go back to the actual beginning. The Menagerie is long enough ago that we can enjoy The Cage entirely on its own merit.
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Star Trek: Nemesis,
Star Trek XI,
Star Trek Into Darkness
&
Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek XI,
Star Trek Into Darkness
&
Star Trek Beyond
And the tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth motion pictures bring us right up to date until the release of Star Trek: Discovery, due to begin in 2017...
What do you think? How would you suggest to a newer fan what to watch and when?
