The followingoutline is provided as an overview of and topical guide toStar Trek:
Star Trek is anAmericanscience fictionentertainment franchise, created byGene Roddenberry, which started in 1966 with the television seriesStar Trek (now known asStar Trek: The Original Series). With spin-offs, the franchise now includes twelve television series (nine live action, and three animated) totalling 814 episodes across 38 television seasons, as well as 13 feature films. TheStar Trek franchise also includes a large number of novels, comic books, video games and other materials, which are generally considered non-canon.
Star Trek can be described as all of the following:
Fiction – a form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s). Although fiction often describes a major branch of literary work, it is also applied to theatrical, cinematic and musical work.
Science fiction – a genre of fiction with imaginative but more or less plausible content such as settings in the future, futuristic science and technology, space travel, parallel universes, aliens, and paranormal abilities. Exploring the consequences of scientific innovations is one purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas".
Space opera – a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap opera".
Space Western – a subgenre of science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television programming, that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes onto an American Western setting.
Setting – setting includes the historical moment in time and geographic location in which a story takes place, and helps initiate the main backdrop and mood for a story. The setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context (especially society) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may include culture, historical period, geography, and hour. Along with plot, character, theme and style, the setting is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction.
Fictional location – a place that exists only in fiction and not in reality. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as the backdrop for their stories to take place in. The setting may be of any scope, from a specific spaceship or building to a neighborhood, city, country, world, galaxy or universe.
Fictional universe – self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm (or world).
Intellectual property – creations of the intellect for which a monopoly is assigned to designated owners by law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols and designs. The typical intellectual property rights granted for fictional works are copyright and trademark.
Media franchise – licensing of intellectual property of an original work of media (usually a work of fiction), such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game, to others. This licensing may involve trademarked characters and settings. Generally, a media franchise means that a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with licensing to others for merchandising and endorsements.
Star Trek – the first television series to follow the adventures of the StarshipEnterprise and its crew and set in the 23rd century. Now referred to asStar Trek: The Original Series, for clarity.
Star Trek – an animated series set after the live action series. It features the voices of the original cast. Now referred asStar Trek: The Animated Series for clarity.
Star Trek: The Next Generation – created by Gene Roddenberry twenty-one years after the original, the first episode takes place in 2364. It featured a newEnterprise, new technology and an entirely new cast.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – set in theNext Generation era, this spin-off series is set on the titular space station, situated on the edge of Federation territory.
Star Trek: Voyager – another spin-off series set in theNext Generation era, set aboard the starshipVoyager as its crew attempt to return home after getting transported and lost far away from Federation space.
Star Trek: Enterprise – a prequel series set on an early iteration of theEnterprise set in the nearby regions of the Milky Way galaxy around the year 2150, over a century before the originalStar Trek series.
Star Trek: Discovery – a series initially taking place shortly before the era ofStar Trek: The Original Series and set aboard theDiscovery. The first episode takes place in 2256.
Star Trek: Short Treks – an anthology web series of 10-20 minute shorts related toDiscovery, which explore the Star Trek universe and characters.
Star Trek: Picard – the first episode takes place in 2399, twenty years after the event of feature filmStar Trek: Nemesis. It continues the story of formerEnterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Star Trek: Lower Decks – a comedic adult animated series focusing on the support crew of one of Starfleet's most unimportant ships. It takes place shortly after theNext Generation era.
Star Trek: Prodigy – an animated series aimed at kids, set after the events ofVoyager and following a motley crew of young aliens who must learn to work together.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – a spinoff fromDiscovery and prequel toThe Original Series following Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USSEnterprise.
Star Trek film series – Paramount Pictures has produced thirteenStar Trek feature films. The first six films continue the adventures of the cast of theOriginal Series; the seventh film,Generations, was designed as a transition from that cast to theNext Generation series; the next three films, 8–10, focused completely on theNext Generation cast. The eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth films take place in an alternate timeline from the rest of the franchise with an almost entirely new cast playing the original series characters.
Films corresponding to theOriginal Series era
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) – V-Ger, an advanced intelligence from another dimension, visits Earth seeking its Creator, and is about to eradicate the Earth's infestation of humans, but has to deal with Captain Kirk and his crew aboard the USSEnterprise first.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) – Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced warlord exiled with his followers by Captain Kirk on a desolate planet for decades, escapes and vows revenge. A cat and mouse contest ensues between them for the Genesis Device, a mechanism capable of destroying a planet and rebuilding its life matrix at the same time.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) – Spock was killed in the previous movie. Or was he? And Doctor McCoy isn't behaving quite like himself. Admiral Kirk reassembles his crew and steals theEnterprise to search for his lost friend and bring him back from beyond the grave.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) – the crew returns home with a rejuvenated Spock, in a captured Klingon vessel and certainly subject to facing court martial. When they arrive, they find the Earth apparently besieged by a powerful alien spacecraft broadcasting in Whale. In order to save Earth from the craft's destructive signal, they attempt to travel back in time to find ahumpback whale to communicate with the alien craft to tell it that all is well.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) – the newly commissioned USSEnterprise-A is commandeered by Spock's long-lost half-brother. The crew travels to the center of the galaxy where they meet an alien portraying itself as God, who wants their starship.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) – Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy are imprisoned for the assassination of the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon. Spock takes command of theEnterprise and embarks on a rescue mission while he uncovers a conspiracy.
Films corresponding to theNext Generation era
Star Trek Generations (1994) – Captain Picard races against time to stop a deranged scientist from destroying an entire star system. In the process, he ends up meeting an unlikely ally: Captain Kirk.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – Captain Picard and the crew battle the Borg in the past to save humanity in the present. In the process, they ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight at warp speed.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – the crew of theEnterprise battles a renegade Starfleet operation who plans to destroy a mystical planet in the name of science.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – Captain Picard and the crew battle a clone of himself who has taken control of Romulan space and intends to invade Federation space.
Films in the reboot (Kelvin Timeline) franchise
Star Trek (2009) – in the 24th century, Spock and a Romulan warlord are sent back to the 23rd century through a black hole, disrupting the timeline and forcing the young crew of the USSEnterprise to come together earlier, despite their differences, after the warlord destroys Vulcan.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – a Starfleet special agent who later reveals himself as Khan Noonien Singh turns terrorist and destroys a Starfleet base on Earth and the newly reinstated Captain Kirk is ordered to take theEnterprise to the Klingon homeworld to dispose of him.
Star Trek Beyond (2016) – theEnterprise is ambushed and destroyed by countless alien microvessels; the crew abandon ship and are stranded on an unknown planet where they find themselves in battle with a ruthless warlord who has a well-earned hatred of the Federation.
Films set after the earlyDiscovery era:
Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) %ndash; FollowsPhilippa Georgiou on a mission with Section 31 to prevent a powerful weapon from falling into dangerous hands.
Human – aka Terran, are one of the races undertaking interstellar travel. Human beings were instrumental in the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Although politically fragmented at the end of the 20th century, Humans underwent political unification and made first contact with the Vulcan race in 2063.
Vulcan – extraterrestrial humanoid species who originate from the planet Vulcan. They are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion.
Klingon – extraterrestrial humanoid warrior species originating from the planet Qo'nos. An antagonist in the Original Series, turned ally of the Federation in theNext Generation era.
Romulan – extraterrestrial humanoid species from the planet Romulus. Generally depicted as antagonists, and are usually at war or in an uneasy truce with the United Federation of Planets.
Borg – collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning as drones of the Collective, or the hive. An enemy of all species, seeking to absorb them all. Introduced during theNext Generation.
Cardassian – extraterrestrial species originating from the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet, Cardassia Prime. Introduced during theNext Generation era, and located in the vicinity ofDeep Space Nine.
Bajoran – extraterrestrial species originating from the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet, Bajor. Introduced during theNext Generation era. In theDeep Space Nine era, Bajor is recovering from fifty years of occupation from the Cardassians.
Ferengi – extraterrestrial species whose culture is characterized by a mercantile obsession with profit and trade, and their constant efforts to swindle unwary customers into unfair deals. They are also known for their business acumen and for rampant misogyny. Introduced during theNext Generation era, and located in the vicinity ofDeep Space Nine.
Galactic quadrant – inStar Trek, the Milky Way galaxy is divided into four galactic quadrants: Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.
Galactic Core – central area of the Milky Way galaxy, lying partially in each of the four galactic quadrants.
Sector – a sector was a volume of space approximately twenty light years across. A typical sector in Federation space would contain about six to ten star systems, although sectors toward the galactic core would often contain many more.
Subspace – Subspace is an integral part of the space-time continuum, distinct, yet coexistent with normal space. In Star Trek, "subspace communications" refers to a kind of faster-than-light "radio signal" and is used often to allow characters to communicate almost intantaneously across vast interstellar distances.
Mirror Universe – The "mirror universe" is an informal name for a parallel universe first recorded as visited by James T. Kirk and several officers from the USSEnterprise in 2267 in the episode "Mirror, Mirror". It also appears in a number ofDeep Space Nine episodes, a two-partEnterprise episode and a number ofDiscovery episodes.
Q Continuum – extradimensional plane of existence inhabited by a race of extremely powerful, hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings known as theQ.
United Federation of Planets – interstellar federal polity with, as of the year 2373, more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies spread across 8,000 light years in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy, taking the form of a post-capitalist liberal democracy and constitutional republic.
Klingon Empire – home of the warrior race known as the Klingons, located primarily in the Alpha Quadrant.
Romulan Star Empire – interstellar power very similar to that of the Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire. Romulans share a common ancestry with Vulcans, but are passionate, cunning and opportunistic — in every way the opposite of the logical Vulcans.Star Trek Star Charts place the Romulan Empire into the Beta Quadrant of the galaxy. However, onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, they are referred to as an Alpha Quadrant power.
Borg Collective – also referred to as the "hive mind" or "collective consciousness", the Borg Collective is a civilization with a group mind. Each Borg individual, or drone, is linked to the collective by a sophisticated subspace network that ensures each member is given constant supervision and guidance. The Borg inhabit a vast region of space in the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy, possessing thousands of vessels. They operate toward the fulfilment of one purpose: to "add the biological and technological distinctiveness of other species to [their] own... [in pursuit of] perfection".
Ferengi Alliance – located in the Alpha Quadrant, what the Ferengi Alliance consisted of was never revealed; it may simply encompass the Ferengi homeworld Ferenginar and any uninhabited planets that the Ferengi have colonized, since there was little indication that the Ferengi government exercised authority over any species other than its own.
Cardassian Union – Orwellian-like power located in the Alpha Quadrant, characterized by strict government control over information and violent force. Its denizens have unquestioning obedience to authority on account of the general lack of personal rights, which provides a contrast to the personal protections of the Federation.
The Dominion – interstellar power and military superpower located in the Gamma Quadrant.
Q Continuum – extradimensional plane of existence inhabited by a race of extremely powerful, hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings known as theQ.
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