When Does ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Take Place? A Star Trek Timeline Explainer

By Meghan O'Keefe @megsokay
Published Sep. 22, 2017, 2:00 p.m. ET

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Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Discovery is zooming onto CBS All Access this weekend, making the first original Star Trek television series we’ve seen in 12 years. But where, oh, where does this bold new take on Star Trek fit within the larger Star Trek universe? Specifically: When does Star Trek: Discovery take place?

Star Trek: Discovery takes place about ten years before the original Star Trek series (which aired 1966 – 1969) in the original Star Trek timeline. 

That said, this is a more complicated question/answer than you may initially realize.

There are multiple Star Trek timelines, and within the main timeline, tons of individual television episodes, story arcs, and stand alone films that deal with the consequences of alternate universes colliding. So, yeah, it can be confusing to keep it all straight. Even Trekkies break out complex timelines and charts to deal with this stuff. However, Star Trek: Discovery is designed to fit snugly within the original Star Trek timeline. And it’s really not all that complicated (if you just choose to ignore the bulk of the countless “mirror universes” and timeline tampering the series has dealt with over the years).

Jason Isaacs plays Captain Lorca in the new series Star Trek: Discovery, which takes place approximately 10 years before the original Star Trek series.Photo: CBS

The easiest way to keep it all straight? Just remember that when J.J. Abrams made Star Trek it was indeed a total “reboot.” The film came up with a clever, universe-splitting plot-device to differentiate the adventures of Chris Pine‘s Kirk and Zachary Quinto‘s Spock from the classic William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy tales. Everything in this new Abrams-ified universe is known as the Kelvin timeline. The big question leading into Star Trek: Discovery seemed to be if this new take on the franchise would exist in the Kelvin timeline or the original Star Trek one. And we can confirm…no.

Again: Star Trek: Discovery takes place about ten years before the original Star Trek series in the original Star Trek timeline. 

Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and William Shatner in the original Star Trek television series.Photo: Everett Collection

If this is still all very confusing and you have no idea what order any of these shows and films come in, here’s a very rudimentary run down of the “original” Star Trek timeline:

  • The main plot of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (aka the one with the whales)
  • The main plot of Star Trek: First Contact (aka the one with Picard and Alfre Woodard and the Borg Queen)
  • Enterprise (aka the show with Scott Bakula and the hot Vulcan)
  • Star Trek: Discovery (aka the new show on CBS All Access)
  • Star Trek: The Original Series (aka the one with Kirk and Spock and tribbles)
  • The original Star Trek movies (aka everything from the bald lady to the beginning of Star Trek Generations)
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation (aka the one with Picard and Data)
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (aka the one with Avery Brooks and Dax and Odo)
  • Star Trek: Voyager (aka the one with Kate Mulgrew and the hot Borg trapped on the other side of the galaxy)
  • The Later Star Trek: The Next Generation movies (aka the ones starring Picard’s crew)
Chris Pine stars as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek films which take place in the “Kelvin” timeline, an alternate universe invented by J.J. Abrams.Photo: Everett Collection

And here is the “Kelvin” timeline — which is largely separate from above:

  • Star Trek (2009) (aka the really fun one with Chris Pine and Simon Pegg)
  • Star Trek: Into Darkness (aka the really frustrating one with Cumberbatch as Khan)
  • Star Trek Beyond (aka the fun one from last summer with Idris Elba)

Like I said, this is a very rudimentary list as many of the shows and movies overlap and intersect, but hopefully it helps you understand what order the shows and movies basically come in.

The bottom line: Star Trek: Discovery is dealing with the galaxy in the years before William Shatner’s Captain Kirk galavanted all over it. If you already can’t keep all the different shows and films straight, I don’t think knowing them will really affect how you view the new series. While Star Trek: Discovery will feature guest turns from characters who popped up in the original Star Trek series, you don’t need to know the semantics of the Delta Quadrant or the Kelvin timeline. And if you do, we’ll be here to help you.

Star Trek: Discovery will debut on CBS on Sunday, September 24th at 8:30 PM. Episodes one and two will immediately be available on CBS All Access and all future episodes will be rolled out weekly on CBS All Access.

Stream Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access on September 24