This site is NOT a chronology - it is a viewing guide that will assist you through watching the entire franchise in in-universe story order, all the way from the 21st to the 43rd centuries, while making adjustments as needed to ensure an enjoyable viewing experience. It is not rigid - some episodes are shifted in the order to keep things as clear and fun as possible. The guide is updated regularly to stay current with new episodes.
So the movie Star Trek: Section 31 takes place here, but due to time travel shenanigans, it features characters and plot lines that you haven’t even come CLOSE to getting to know yet, so we’ll be watching it much later in the chronology.
The Next Generation - Season 1, episodes 1-2 - Encounter At Farpoint Part 1 and 2
The crew of the Enterprise is put on trial by a mysterious force called "Q" for all the crimes of mankind.
Original airdate - September 28, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 3 - The Naked Now
Romance, danger and chaos result when a mysterious contaminant renders the crew of the Enterprise intoxicated.
Original airdate - October 5, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 4 - Code of Honor
Kidnapped by aliens known as Ligonians, Lieutenant Tasha Yar battles for her freedom and the welfare of a diseased Federation planet.
Original airdate - October 12, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 5 - The Last Outpost
Held captive over an unknown planet, the away teams of the U.S.S. Enterprise and Ferengi starships must pass an important inquisition by a mysterious life form known as Portal, before they are allowed to continue their journeys through space.
Original airdate - October 19, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 6 - Where No One Has Gone Before
Teenager Wesley Crusher and a dying alien are the crew's only hope for escape from a bizarre galaxy where thoughts become real.
Original airdate - October 26, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 7 - Lonely Among Us
Passing through a series of complex energy patterns, the Enterprise crew find themselves trying to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Assistant Chief Engineer Singh and the altered personalities of Lt. Worf, Dr. Crusher and the Captain.
Original airdate - November 2, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 8 - Justice
When Wesley is sentenced to death for innocently violating an alien planet's customs, Captain Picard is forced to choose between negotiating for Wesley's life or adhering to the Federations' prime directive which prohibits interfering with another civilization's way of life.
Original airdate - November 9, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 9 - The Battle
A thought altering device, controlled by a Ferengi Captain seeking revenge on Picard for his son's death, threatens the life of the Captain and the safety of the Enterprise.
Original airdate - November 16, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 10 - Hide And "Q"
The Enterprise is once again challenged by the dangerous and powerful "Q" who offers Riker god-like powers in exchange for Riker's membership in the "Q" continuum.
Original airdate - November 23, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 11 - Haven
Counselor Deanna Troi is caught between her feelings for Riker and her devotion to family customs when she faces a prearranged marriage.
Original airdate - November 30, 1987
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 12 - The Big Goodbye
When the holodecks malfunction, the Captain and three crew members become trapped in San Francisco, 1941, where they are held hostage by murderous gangsters.
Original airdate - January 11, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 13 - Datalore
Data's android look-alike formulates an evil master plan that could destroy the Enterprise.
Original airdate - January 18, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 14 - Angel One
While the away team struggles to save male fugitives on a planet run by women, the Enterprise is ravaged by a highly infectious virus.
Original airdate - January 25, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 15 - 11001001
The Enterprise is hijacked by an alien species who need the ship's computer to regenerate the one damaged on their own planet.
Original airdate - February 1, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 16 - Too Short a Season
The Enterprise escorts a Federation admiral to a planet to negotiate the release of hostages, but the planet governor wants to kill him in revenge for a previous hostage crisis that ended in tragedy.
Original airdate - February 8, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 17 - When The Bough Breaks
Wesley and several children from the Enterprise are kidnapped by a sterile civilization which hopes to use them to rebuild their race.
Original airdate - February 15, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 18 - Home Soil
A powerful microscopic life form declares war on humans, takes over the Enterprise's lab and computers and threatens to destroy the ship.
Original airdate - February 22, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 19 - Coming of Age
While Wesley endures the grueling Starfleet Academy entrance exam, Captain Picard faces an investigation into his competency as a commander.
Original airdate - March 14, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 20 - Heart of Glory
Lt. Worf is torn between his loyalty to the Enterprise and his fierce Klingon heritage when two Klingon fugitives take over the ship.
Original airdate - March 21, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 21 - The Arsenal of Freedom
Picard and the away team fight for their lives on a planet run by a computerized weapons system.
Original airdate - April 11, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 22 - Symbiosis
The Enterprise is caught in the middle when two alien races wage a bitter battle over cargo which one of them needs for survival.
Original airdate - April 18, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 23 - Skin of Evil
A rescue mission turns to tragedy when one of the Enterprise officers is killed by an evil alien.
Original airdate - April 25, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 24 - We'll Always Have Paris
Captain Picard is unexpectedly reunited with his first love in the midst of an investigation into lethal time warp experiments.
Original airdate - May 2, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 25 - Conspiracy
Captain Picard and Commander Riker travel to Earth to Investigate a conspiracy in the highest ranks of Starfleet command.
Original airdate - May 9, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 1, episode 26 - The Neutral Zone
While traveling to a meeting with the hostile Romulans, the crew discovers a ship containing three frozen Americans from the 20th century.
Original airdate - May 16, 1988
This season introduces the most popular and iconic character of the entire Star Trek franchise: Riker’s Beard. More seriously, due to a writers strike this year the producers had to dip into episodes written for the early 70’s Phase II series that was never made. Will Riker and Troi were ALWAYS a revamp of the original plans for Will Decker and Ilia, but the season opener was literally written in the 70s with Ilia in the place of Troi.
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 1 - The Child
While preparing to transport a deadly plague to a research lab, the crew is stunned by the announcement of Counselor Troi's pregnancy.
Original airdate - November 21, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 2 - Where Silence Has Lease
The crew is held hostage in a mysterious void by a being who wishes to observe the many ways in which humans die.
Original airdate - November 28, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 3 - Elementary, Dear Data
Data poses as Sherlock Holmes to decipher a puzzle that threatens Dr. Pulaski's life.
Original airdate - December 5, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 4 - The Outrageous Okona
While the Enterprise crew plays host to a witty, renegade captain, Data struggles to acquire a sense of humor.
Original airdate - December 12, 1988
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 5 - Loud As a Whisper
The future of a warring planet depends on a deaf mediator, who suddenly loses his ability to communicate.
Original airdate - January 9, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 6 - The Schizoid Man
A brilliant but terminally ill scientist seeks eternal life by transferring his mind into Data's body.
Original airdate - January 23, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 7 - Unnatural Selection
The crew grapples with a mysterious disease which accelerates the aging process, causing humans to die of old age within a matter of days.
Original airdate - January 30, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 8 - A Matter of Honor
Riker's loyalties are put to the test when he is assigned to a Klingon vessel which plans to attack the Enterprise.
Original airdate - February 6, 1989
The series doesn’t truly find its footing until Season 3, but “The Measure of a Man” is widely considered TNG’s first “great” episode, a sign of many more to come.
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 9 - The Measure of a Man
When Data refuses to be disassembled for research purposes, Picard is enlisted to defend his rights in court.
Original airdate - February 13, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 10 - The Dauphin
Wesley finds romance with the beautiful young ruler of Daled Four whose secret power could destroy the Enterprise and her crew.
Original airdate - February 20, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 11 - Contagion
The Enterprise's computer system falls prey to a mysterious electronic "virus" which programs the ship to self destruct.
Original airdate - March 20, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 12 - The Royale
Investigating the discovery of a piece of metal bearing a United States Air Force insignia, the Away Team finds Itself trapped in the world of "The Hotel Royale", a novel come to life.
Original airdate - March 27, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 13 - Time Squared
The U.S.S. Enterprise discovers a Federation shuttle containing an exact double of Captain Picard from six hours in the future.
Original airdate - April 3, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 14 - The Icarus Factor
Riker's long-lost father reappears on the eve of his departure to become captain on a new starship.
Original airdate - April 24, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 15 - Pen Pals
Data races against time to save the life of a little alien girl on a planet doomed for destruction.
Original airdate - May 1, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 16 - Q-Who?
The crew is hurled into a distant part of the galaxy by the malevolent Q, who sets them up for destruction by a race of half-human, half-robot aliens known as the Borg.
Original airdate - May 8, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 17 - Samaritan Snare
While Picard fights for his life in surgery, Geordi is held hostage by the leaders of an alien race.
Original airdate - May 15, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 18 - Up The Long Ladder
The crew's rescue of a missing earth colony leads to the discovery of a civilization composed entirely of clones.
Original airdate - May 22, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 19 - Manhunt
In her search for the perfect mate, Troi's mother beams aboard the Enterprise -- and sets her sights on Captain Picard.
Original airdate - June 19, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 20 - The Emissary
An official mission becomes a personal matter when Worf's former love is sent to the Enterprise to mediate a dispute between Klingons and the Federation.
Original airdate - June 26, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 21 - Peak Performance
A simulated war game suddenly turns into a real-life fight for survival when the crew is ambushed by a Ferengi battleship.
Original airdate - July 10, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 2, episode 22 - Shades of Gray
Commander Riker is struck down by a deadly microbe which invades his central nervous system and attacks his brain.
Original airdate - July 17, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 1 - Evolution
The crew fights for survival when a mysterious force attacks the ship's life-support systems.
Original airdate - September 25, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 2 - The Ensigns of Command
Data races against time to save a human colony that's been marked for death by aliens.
Original airdate - October 2, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 3 - The Survivors
The crew travels to Rana IV, a remote colony where just two of Its 11,000 inhabitants have miraculously survived a devastating attack.
Original airdate - October 9, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 4 - Who Watches the Watchers
Mistakenly believing Captain Picard to be a god, the members of a primitive culture seize Troi and prepare to sacrifice her to him.
Original airdate - October 16, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 5 - The Bonding
When the ship's archeologist is killed on a mission led by Worf, the Klingon feels responsible for the son she left behind.
Original airdate - October 23, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 6 - Booby Trap
The Enterprise is caught in a booby trap that captures the ship and converts its energy Into lethal levels of radiation.
Original airdate - October 30, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 7 - The Enemy
After Geordi is stranded on a storm-ravaged planet, the crew's attempts to rescue him are hindered by an aggressive Romulan warship.
Original airdate - November 6, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 8 - The Price
Counselor Troi is swept off her feet by a dashing delegate that uses unethical methods to conduct his business on board the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Original airdate - November 13, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 9 - The Vengeance Factor
The crew's attempts to mediate a violent dispute between warring clans are sabotaged by a mysterious assassin.
Original airdate - November 20, 1989
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 10 - The Defector
A Romulan defector leads the crew into a showdown that could erupt into a fullscale war.
Original airdate - January 1, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 11 - The Hunted
The Enterprise is bombarded by a soldier who is the victim of government mind control which turns him into a violent killer.
Original airdate - January 9, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 12 - The High Ground
Dr. Crusher's abduction by a radical terrorist group thrusts the crew into an explosive civil war on Rutia Four.
Original airdate - January 30, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 13 - Deja Q
The crew is surprised by the appearance of their mischievous nemesis, Q.
Original airdate - February 6, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 14 - A Matter of Perspective
Riker is suspected of murdering a respected scientist who had accused the Enterprise officer of seducing his wife.
Original airdate - February 13, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 15 - Yesterday’s Enterprise
The course of history is altered when a time rift brings a Starship Enterprise from the past into the present with a crew that includes Tasha Yar.
Original airdate - February 20, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 16 - The Offspring
Data becomes a father when he creates an android using a transfer of his own neural programming.
Original airdate - March 13, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 17 - Sins of the Father
When his long-lost brother appears on the Enterprise, Worf is thrust into a life-or-death battle for his family's honor.
Original airdate - March 20, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 18 - Allegiance
Without the crew's knowledge, Captain Picard is kidnapped and replaced by an evil imposter.
Original airdate - March 27, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 19 - Captain’s Holiday
While on vacation, Picard becomes entangled in the search for a missing weapon from the future.
Original airdate - April 3, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 20 - Tin Man
The crew is thrust into a deadly showdown with the Romulans over a newly discovered life form in a remote star system.
Original airdate - April 24, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 21 - Hollow Pursuits
The crew struggles to help a young engineer whose obsession with the fantasy world Holodeck is endangering the ship.
Original airdate - May 1, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 22 - The Most Toys
The crew leaves Data for dead when his shuttlecraft explodes during a dangerous mission.
Original airdate - May 8, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 23 - Sarek
The Enterprise is plagued by an outbreak of violence when it is visited by a renowned Vulcan Ambassador.
Original airdate - May 15, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 24 - Menage a Troi
Riker and Troi's shore leave on Betazed is interrupted when they are unexpectedly joined by Deanna's mother, Lwaxana.
Original airdate - May 28, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 25 - Transfigurations
The Enterprise rescues a mysterious humanoid whose remarkable powers affect the entire crew.
Original airdate - June 4, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 3, episode 26 - The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1
The evil Borg capture Captain Picard in an attempt to conquer the human race.
Original airdate - June 18, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 1 - The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2
Riker must choose between saving Picard and saving humanity when the Borg use the kidnapped captain as part of their plan to destroy Earth.
Original airdate - September 24, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 2 - Family
While the Enterprise undergoes repairs on Earth, crew members reunite with families and Picard comes face to face with his jealous brother.
Original airdate - October 1, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 3 - Brothers
After being summoned home by his elderly creator, Data clashes with his evil brother, Lore.
Original airdate - October 8, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 4 - Suddenly Human
Picard risks war when he refuses to return a human boy to the alien father who raised him, and may have abused him.
Original airdate - October 15, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 5 - Remember Me
Wesley's experiment with warp fields result in the mysterious disappearance of the crew.
Original airdate - October 22, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 6 - Legacy
A rescue mission leads the crew to the birthplace of their late comrade Tasha Yar, where they encounter her mysterious sister.
Original airdate - October 30, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 7 - Reunion
When Picard is chosen to mediate a Klingon power struggle, Worf confronts the Klingon who disgraced him.
Original airdate - November 6, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 8 - Future Imperfect
After an Away Team mission fails, Riker awakens in sickbay to discover sixteen years have passed and he now commands the Enterprise.
Original airdate - November 13, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 9 - Final Mission
After being accepted to Starfleet Academy, Wesley accompanies Picard on a final mission, only to find himself struggling to keep the captain alive.
Original airdate - November 20, 1990
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 10 - The Loss
Counselor Troi resigns her post after experiencing a mysterious loss of her empathetic powers.
Original airdate - January 1, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 11 - Data’s Day
A friend's impending wedding compounds Data's confusion about the nuances of human feelings.
Original airdate - January 8, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 12 - The Wounded
Picard must stop a renegade Federation starship that is making unprovoked attacks on a former enemy's ship.
Original airdate - January 29, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 13 - Devil’s Due
Picard fights to save a terrorized planet from a powerful woman who claims to be the devil.
Original airdate - February 5, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 14 - Clues
Picard and the crew are shocked to discover that Data is lying to them.
Original airdate - February 12, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 15 - First Contact
Critically wounded during a first contact mission, Riker is mistaken for a hostile alien.
Original airdate - February 19, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 16 - Galaxy’s Child
The Enterprise becomes surrogate mother to a huge alien creature after Picard is forced to destroy its real mother.
Original airdate - March 12, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 17 - Night Terrors
Trapped in a rift in space, the crew of the Enterprise is plagued by unexplained paranoia and hallucinations.
Original airdate - March 19, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 18 - Identity Crisis
Dr. crusher races against time to locate a parasite that threatens to transform Geordi into an alien creature.
Original airdate - March 26, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 19 - The Nth Degree
When a crewmember is endowed with super human intelligence by an alien probe, he threatens the fate of the Enterprise.
Original airdate - April 2, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 20 - Qpid
The mischievous Q turns Picard into Robin Hood and sends him on a quest designed to force him to prove his love for an old flame.
Original airdate - April 23, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 21 - The Drumhead
A search for a spy aboard the Enterprise turns into a witch-hunt in which Picard is implicated as a traitor.
Original airdate - April 29, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 22 - Half a Life
Picard risks war when he offers asylum to a visiting scientist whom wishes to escape the ritual suicide mandated by his society.
Original airdate - May 6, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 23 - The Host
Dr. Crusher's love is put to the test when she falls for an alien who exists in different "host bodies" in order to survive.
Original airdate - May 13, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 24 - The Mind’s Eye
Romulan forces kidnap Geordi and turn him into a killing machine.
Original airdate - May 27, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 25 - In Theory
Data experiments with love by pursuing a romantic relationship with a fellow crew member.
Original airdate - June 3, 1991
The Next Generation - Season 4, episode 26 - Redemption, Part 1
As civil war threatens the Klingon Empire, Worf's loyalties are torn between the Federation and his people.
Original airdate - June 17, 1991
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