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Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision of the future is almost sixty years strong. Luckily, streaming Star Trek online is easier than ever before. Almost every property, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Star Trek: Picard can be found on Paramount Plus. It’s also the only place you can stream new Trek, whether you’re partial to the back-to-basics approach of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or the hilarious animated Star Trek: Lower Decks. Here’s everything you need to know to stream Star Trek online.
Where to Stream Star Trek TV Shows and Movies
A brief history of ownership
The original Star Trek show premiered on September 8, 1966. It was produced by Desilu Productions. Desilu was later acquired by Gulf and Western in late 1967, which renamed the studio Paramount Television. Since then, Star Trek and all its properties fall under the Paramount umbrella. While many of the popular series were at one point available on services like Prime Video and Netflix (aside from a few outliers here and there), Paramount Plus is the only place to stream (almost) every piece of Star Trek media.
Paramount Plus formally launched on March 4, 2021, but the streaming service existed long before that. Before its rebranding, the platform was known as CBS All Access. It was the destination of Star Trek: Discovery, the franchise’s illustrious return to television since the abrupt cancelation of Star Trek: Enterprise in May of 2005.
Paramount Plus is essential for streaming Star Trek
As streaming services ramp up competition, Paramount Plus can proudly boast one of the best libraries of exclusive content. Paramount’s tendrils extend over countless popular properties, including shows from popular channels like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and CBS.
Like any great streaming service, Paramount Plus is also home to tons of great originals including reality hits like RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, action-packed series like Seal Team, and even long-awaited revivals like Beavis and Butthead. And unlike many streaming services, the price is fairly reasonable, especially if you’re looking to stream Star Trek online. There are two basic packages available:
- Essential, $4.99 per month: This tier gives you access to the entire Paramount Plus library, which includes every Star Trek show, as well as tons of other great legacy and exclusive shows and movies. You’ll also get access to live sports like Champions League soccer, and NFL on CBS Live. The incredibly affordable price of $4.99 per month is thanks to limited ads peppered in here and there. You can save even more by subscribing for a whole year at once, for only $49.99.
- Premium, $9.99 per month: For a few dollars more, you can upgrade to the Premium tier. Firstly, you get all the good stuff in the Essential tier. The only difference is everything you watch will be commercial-free. You can also download shows and movies for offline viewing, and get access to stream your local CBS affiliate any time you want. Like the Essential tier, if you pay for an entire year of access at once, you can save 16 percent or $99.99 for a whole year.
Of course, you don’t need to decide on a long-term commitment all at once. Paramount Plus offers one week free of full access to its streaming service.
How to stream Star Trek: Where to start
After subscribing to Paramount Plus, you’ll be able to watch Star Trek from now until Zefram Cochrane invents warp drive (2063 A.D). In fact, it’s never been a better time to be a Trekkie. Here are a few suggestions for new fans, as well as fans who have neglected the franchise—perhaps for other properties with “star” in the name.
Must-watch classic show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Jean Luc-Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D proved that Trek wasn’t just some ’60s-era fad. For many, especially Gen Z and Millennial sci-fi fans, Next Generation is more emblematic of the series than anything involving William Shatner. And while the show made Trek a household name again, arguably its biggest impact is serving as a seven-season preamble to the best Trek series that’s ever been: Deep Space Nine.
What is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine about?
Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) was, to put it bluntly, a terrorist. The Bajoran freedom fighter had to be. She was fighting off the fascist Cardassians, who invaded and occupied her home planet for half a century. Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is a Starfleet commander, who lost his wife during the Borg invasion of the Federation. He is adrift without his wife and struggles to find his footing in command, and as a father.
After Bajor applies for Federation membership, these two leaders must work together, to help rebuild a society ravaged by the horrors of war, heal old wounds, and confront new enemies. They do all this while dealing with issues regarding the complexities of faith, progress, and of course, duty.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is as gritty as Star Trek gets, though it’s anything but a slog. Despite Trek being one of the few utopian pieces of sci-fi, Deep Space Nine reveals that even paradise isn’t without its flaws and hypocrisies. It still retains the usual Trek sheen, without ever becoming trite—or worse, cynical and humorless. Come for the solid, serialized sci-fi, and stay for the hilarious Ferengi episodes. (Iggy Pop even shows up at one point.)
Other Great Classic Shows: Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: The Original Series
Must-watch new show: Star Trek: Lower Decks
Starting in 2017, Trek returned to TV after more than a decade of absence with Star Trek: Discovery. Discovery takes place a decade before the start of the original series and was a bit scattered. It did, however, make new fans thirsty for space travel after three blockbuster movies starring Chris Pine. But for the obsessive Trek fans who have warp cores and Klingon drinking songs on the brain, Star Trek: Lower Decks isn’t just a hilarious sci-fi romp—it’s a veritable love letter to Trek.
What is Star Trek: Lower Decks about?
Kirk. Picard. Janeway: the names of these Starfleet captains are seared into history. But where would these leaders of the legend be without their faithful crews? And no, I don’t mean the second, third, or even fifth in command. (Or hell, anyone that’s even been near the bridge.) Lower Decks is a show for the underdog, starring the brave Starfleet members that make sure ships run on time no matter the warp factor.
Beckett Mariner is one of many ensigns aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, a humble, but proud California-class ship in the Federation fleet. Mariner is such a troublemaker, she’s been demoted more than once, but her sense of adventure inspires the loyalty of many, including the straight-laced dreamer Brad Boimler.
Because Lower Decks is animated, stories aren’t constrained by production budgets. Being freed from these considerations has already resulted in amazing and hilarious adventures. The series is rife with cameos from Trek veterans such as John De Lancie (Q), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker), and even Alice Krige (Borg Queen). The season 3 episode “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” was so full of cameos, it practically served as a Deep Space Nine reunion.
Other Great New Shows: Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Picard
Where to stream Star Trek movies
For a hot second, only a few Star Trek movies were available to stream online. Every single one from “the one with the whales” to Star Trek Beyond was conveniently available on the same streaming platform as the rest of the Roddenberry canon.
But in today’s tumultuous streaming climate, nothing can ever be too easy for subscribers. Licenses for franchises bounce around like crazy, and even the utopian-minded Star Trek isn’t safe from this. Luckily, after spending some time in the wilderness, the 10 movies spanning the original series and Next Generation casts are now available on HBO Max. For those who haven’t jumped onto one of the best streaming services going, there are two packages to choose from.
- With Ads, $9.99 per month: This tier gives you complete access to the vast HBO Max library, which includes popular brands like Cartoon Network, TCM, DC Comics, Studio Ghibli, and now, 10 Star Trek films. There are also must-watch originals including Peacemaker, House of the Dragon, and Pretty Little Liars, as well as full access to legendary legacy shows including Deadwood, Sopranos, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Of course, this budget offering comes with a catch: you will have to watch the occasional ad. If you pay for a year’s subscription all at once it will only be $69.99, which is a savings of 40 percent compared to a month-to-month subscription.
- Ad-Free, $14.99 per month: This tier provides access to everything in the “With Ads” tier, but without a single commercial to sit through. Additionally, you can download shows for offline viewing via apps available on smart devices to watch on the go. You also get access to 4K content when available, especially with additions to the ever-growing library. Like the previous, more affordable tier, you can save 40 percent by paying for a yearly subscription for $104.99.
The first two films from the ’09 reboot are available to stream on Paramount Plus. The outlier from both of these services is Star Trek: Beyond, which is only available through AMC. However, you can also rent or buy it via Amazon Prime Video.
