--- description: We explain when the new Patric Stewart series 'Picard' takes place and whether it falls in the 'Prime timeline' or the 'Kelvin timeline.' title: How 'Picard' Fits Into the 'Star Trek' Timeline image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bb8becbfffd64f2/698a093fb3fce337900c6394/star-trek-picard.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How _Picard_ Fits Into the _Star Trek_ Timeline  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:23 AM CUTPublished: Sep 22, 2017 9:25 PM CUT  Star Trek Picard Star Trek PicardViacomCBS  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:23 AM CUTPublished: Sep 22, 2017 9:25 PM CUT It’s been 26 long years since [_Star Trek: The Next Generation_](http://time.com/4482775/5-things-star-trek/ "undefined") graced the small screen. But beginning Jan. 23, a new series centered around that show’s captain, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), will “boldly go” to the network’s streaming service, CBS All Access. _Star Trek: Picard_ is about our titular captain’s life many years after his last fateful mission for Starfleet. But how does _Picard_ fit into the larger _Star Trek_ timeline? The CBS series is set where no Trek has gone before, well past the events of TV’s _Star Trek: Voyager_ and the last film of the Picard era, _Star Trek: Nemesis._ Many fan favorite characters are expected to return, including Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Seven-of-Nine (Jeri Ryan). For _Trek_ nerds out there, this means _Picard_ takes place in the “prime” timeline, which is where each of the television series and the original films live. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the series with the film _Star Trek,_ creating a new timeline for the already confusing _Trek_ universe. In the film, a bad guy travels back in time and destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Captain Kirk’s father, George Kirk, in the process. All three of J.J. Abrams’ movies take place in this alternate timeline called the “Kelvin Timeline,” after the annihilated ship. To familiarize yourself with the _Trek_ universe, here are the two timelines: ## Prime Timeline  Promotional portrait of the cast of the UPN television series, 'Star Trek: Enterprise,' in costume and on set, 2003\. L-R: Anthony Montgomery, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, Connor Trinneer and John Billingsley. (Photo by James Sorenson/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### **_Star Trek: Enterprise_** **(2151-2161)** **Airdate:** 2001-2005 **Plot:** Set 100 years before the _Enterprise_‘s mission in the original _Star Trek_, this series traces the adventures of the first Warp 4 capable Starfleet ship, also called _Enterprise_. Scott Bakula starred as the human captain Jonathan Archer, and Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan officer T’Pol.  Yeoh and Martin-Green kick off the new Star Trek with an action-packed episode on Sept. 24 Jan Thijs—CBS ### **_Star Trek Discovery_** **(2255)** **Airdate:** 2017- **Plot:** Sonequa Martin-Green plays officer Michael Burnham, a human who was raised by Spock’s parents, Amanda and Sarek. Burnham has suppressed her human tendencies in order to assimilate into the hyper-logical Vulcan society but tries to reconnect with her emotional side when she serves Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and then [Captain Gabriel Lorca](http://ew.com/tv/2017/06/21/star-trek-discovery-jason-isaacs-captain-lorca/ "undefined") (Jason Isaacs).  Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock and William Shatner as Captain James Kirk in Star Trek. CBS—Getty Images ### **_Star Trek_** **(2265-2269)** **Airdate:** 1966-1969 **Plot:** The original _Star Trek_ series created by Gene Roddenberry featured Captain James Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock ([Leonard Nimoy](http://time.com/4010798/star-trek-beyond-nimoy/ "undefined")), Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) and the other Starfleet members on a mission of exploration and self-improvement. One of the most diverse shows on television at the time, _Star Trek_ ran for three seasons and inspired future space sagas like _Star Wars_ and _Battlestar Galactica_.  LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 29: Uhura rescues a weakened Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Animated Series episode, "The Lorelei Signal." Original air date, September 29, 1973\. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### **_Star Trek: The Animated Series_** **(2269-2270)** **Airdate:** 1973-1974 **Plot:** After the original series went off the air, Roddenberry created an animated series that continued the stories of _Star Trek_ and reunited much of the same cast to do voice work for cartoon versions of their characters.  LOS ANGELES - JUNE 4: William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk in the movie, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Release date, June 4, 1982\. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### **Original** **_Star Trek_** **movies (2273-2293)** **Airdate:** 1979-1991 **Plot:** Roddenberry leveraged the massive success of the syndicated series into a number of feature films starring Shatner and Nimoy. _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_, _Star Trek V: The Finale Frontier_ and _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_ continued established storylines.  LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 8: Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode, "The Hunted." Season 3, episode 11\. Original air date, January 8, 1990\. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### **_Star Trek: The Next Generation_** **(2364-2370)** **Airdate:** 1987-1994 **Plot:** Set 100 years after the events of the original _Star Trek_, this series followed Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew (Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, among them) on the fifth iteration of the _Enterprise_, _USS Enterprise-D_.  ### _Next Generation_ Movies (2293-2379) **Airdate:** 1994-2002 **Plot:** In _Star Trek: Generations_ (1994), Captain Picard teams up with the once-presumed-dead Captain Kirk. The story unites the casts from the two _Star Trek_ series at the time, effectively passing the baton from Shatner to Stewart. The _Next Generation_ cast went on to star in three more movies, sans the original cast: _Star Trek: First Contact_, _Star Trek: Insurrection_ and _Star Trek Nemesis_.  LOS ANGELES - JUNE 12: Armin Shimerman as Quark and Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Sisko in the STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE episode, "The Jem'Hadar." Original air date, June 12, 1994\. Season 2, episode 26\. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### **_Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_** **(2369-2375)** **Airdate:** 1993-1999 **Plot:** Set on a space station rather than a starship, _Deep Space Nine_ focuses on the adventures of the people charged with guarding the opening to a wormhole at the end of the galaxy. _Deep Space Nine_ was helmed by _Trek’_s first black captain, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). It was also the first _Trek_ series created without Roddenberry, who gave the concept his approval before he passed away in 1991.  Cast of Star trek Voyager, first season, from left: Neelix (Ethan Phillips), Chakotay (Robert Beltran), Harry S.L. Kim (Garrett Wang), Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Kes (Jennifer Lien), Thomas Eugene Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), Tuvok (Tim Russ), "The Doctor" (Robert Picardo), B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson), 1995. CBS—Getty Images ### **_Star Trek: Voyager_** **(2371-2378)** **Airdate:** 1995-2001 **Plot:** After the ship _Voyager_ gets stranded in the Delta Quadrant (the far side of the Milky Way galaxy) while searching for a renegade ship, they must make the 75-year journey home. _Voyager_ was fronted by _Trek’_s first female captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). ### **_Star Trek: Picard_** **(2399-?)** **Airdate:** 2020 — ? (A second season is already in the works) **Plot:** Many years after a daring mission to save a dying planet, Captain Picard — now an Admiral — has left Starfleet (or, more accurately, Starfleet has left him). But when a mysterious young woman with a potential connection to a certain beloved android shows up at his doorstep, it sets in motion events that lead Picard back into space — albeit with a crew that’s more swashbuckler than Starfleet. ## Kelvin Timeline  Leonard Nimoy guest stars as Mr. Spock in Star Trek in 2009. Paramount ### _Star Trek_ (2233-2258) **Release date:** 2009 **Plot:** A bad guy named Nero (Eric Bana), angry that his planet is destroyed in the future, travels back in time and kills Kirk’s father (in 2233). He then hangs out for a long time to destroy Vulcan (in 2258) in front of old Spock who has also traveled back in time (and is played by Leonard Nimoy) because Spock failed to save the baddie’s home planet. Current-day Kirk (Chris Pine) encounters old Spock who explains all the confusing time-jump mechanics to him. Together, current-day Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) become begrudging friends and save the universe.  LOS ANGELES - MAY 16: Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock, Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonien Singh and Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk in the 2013 movie, "Star Trek: Into Darkness." Release date May 16, 2013\. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images ### _Star Trek: Into Darkness_ **Airdate:** 2013 **Plot:** The second J.J. Abrams film stars [Benedict Cumberbatch](http://time.com/3596317/benedict-cumberbatch-talks-genius-role/ "undefined") as a villain that the marketing team really tried to [convince people](http://collider.com/j-j-abrams-star-trek-into-darkness-khan-regret/ "undefined") was not genetically-engineered superhuman Khan. (He was Khan.) Kirk leads a mission to capture Khan after her murders a bunch of Starfleet officers.  Zachary Quinto, left, and Karl Urban appear in a scene from "Star Trek Beyond." Kimberley French—Paramount Pictures/AP ### _Star Trek Beyond_ **Airdate:** 2016 **Plot:** Justin Lin took over for the third reboot film and threw in some motorcycles because [he has a thing](http://time.com/4726355/fast-and-the-furious-movies-ranked/ "undefined") for fast vehicles. 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