Besides graduating from UCF's exclusive film program, Dalton's proudest personal achievement came with the publication of his first novel, Hotshot, in
The Star Trek movie franchise timeline stretches from the 20th century all the way up to the 24th, and even branches off into a parallel universe. One of the most recognizable science fiction TV shows ever, Star Trek helped introduce utopian concepts into the genre, offering an idealized view of the future.
Eventually, the franchise conquered the big screen too. As soon as the Star Trek movie franchise was launched, the chronology of the universe became much clearer. Star Trek: The Original Series was inconsistent with its timeline, but the feature films finally put the age-old debate to bed. The timeline of Star Trek is now well-defined, and it has maintained temporal continuity for decades. However, that's not to say that the Star Trek movie timeline is straightforward. The addition of time travel and even alternate universes have muddied the water a bit, but there is no mystery as to when each Star Trek movie takes place. Since the franchise's futuristic setting is so important, it's equally important that consistent dates and times are maintained. Even though it spans generations, the Star Trek franchise has never lost touch with its core ideas. Exploration and discovery are the heart of the final frontier, and the movies have kept that mission alive. Every major Star Trek era has seen at least one feature film, so a complete picture of the cinematic chronology is available. The 20th Century The furthest back that the Star Trek movie timeline stretches is to the 20th century. During the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk and company time travel to the year 1986 in order to bring whales back to the future. 1986 wasn't a year picked arbitrarily, it was also the year that Star Trek IV was released. The choice of 1986 was key to the movie's messaging, and The Voyage Home was designed specifically with an ecological message. The whales were key to Earth's survival in the 23rd century, so audiences were subtly urged to protect them in the 20th. It wasn't the first time that the Star Trek franchise intentionally drew parallels to the present day. The 21st Century The Voyage Home wasn't the only instance of time travel in the Star Trek movie timeline, and it happened again a generation later. In Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard leads his crew back to the 21st century where they must prevent the Borg from stopping Cochrane's pivotal warp flight. The flight eventually leads to first contact between humans and Vulcans, which plants the seeds for the entire Star Trek universe to unfold. Few moments in the history of the fictional universe are as important as First Contact Day, and it has become something of a holiday within the fandom celebrated every April 5th. The 23rd Century The bulk of the Star Trek movie timeline takes place in the 23rd century, specifically in the latter decades. Star Trek: The Motion Picture takes place a few years after the end of TOS, pinning it somewhere in the 2270s. The dates would become more concrete with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is squarely set in 2285. Because it picks up immediately after The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is also set in 2285. Split between centuries, Star Trek IV starts in 2286 before sending the Enterprise crew to the 20th century. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier jumped to 2287, and Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country is set in 2293. Generations is the first film in the Star Trek: The Next Generation franchise and it is split between the TNG and TOS eras. Immediately following The Undiscovered Country, Kirk is engulfed by the mysterious Nexus in 2293, which removes him from the timeline completely for nearly a century. Kirk would eventually resurface in 2371, fighting alongside Picard. The 24th Century Though Star Trek: Section 31 was met with ire, it did do something no Star Trek movie has ever done. Taking place in the year 2324, Section 31 is set in the franchise's so-called"Lost Era". Between the conclusion of the TOS movies and the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation, little has been said about the mysterious period. Subscribe to our newsletter for Star Trek timelines Want clearer chronology? Subscribe to the newsletter for authoritative, digestible breakdowns of the Star Trek movie timeline, era maps, and timeline clarifications that make sense of time travel and alternate universes. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for Star Trek timelines Want clearer chronology? Subscribe to the newsletter for authoritative, digestible breakdowns of the Star Trek movie timeline, era maps, and timeline clarifications that make sense of time travel and alternate universes. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Jumping ahead, to the latter years of the 24th century, the TNG movies all take place between 2371 and 2379. Generations picks up only a year after the final episode of TNG, which is set in 2370. Meanwhile, First Contact starts in 2373 before jumping back to the 21st century, and Insurrection is set two years later in 2375. Finally, The Next Generation crew went on their last mission together in Nemesis in 2379, concluding the era. Thus far, that is furthest the movie timeline has progressed, and it's unclear where the next Star Trek movie will be set. The shows have stretched further into the future of Star Trek, but the subsequent movies went back to the past. The Kelvin Timeline When J.J. Abrams rebooted the movie franchise with 2009's Star Trek, it was made explicitly clear that the film wasn't set in the original timeline. Star Trek 2009 opens in the year 2233, and shows the events that cause the splintering in the timeline. It then shows various points between then and 2258, when Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise. The Kelvin Timeline movies take place around the same time as Star Trek: The Original Series , but are not meant to erase the series. Star Trek: Into Darkness takes place in 2259, while Star Trek: Beyond is set in 2263. With the Kelvin Universe effectively dead, 2263 is as far as that portion of the Star Trek movie timeline will progress. Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberry First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series First Episode Air Date September 8, 1966 Cast William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
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