Star Trek The Original Series: Where To Watch

Wondering where to watch the original Star Trek TV series? When you’re a sci-fi fan who’s Starfleet-curious, or a franchise completist who’s out to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, then you should know you can stream all episodes of Star Trek (1966) on Paramount+. So, let’s beam you up to one of the most foundational TV shows of the 20th century – or 23rd century, depending on how you’re counting …

Star Trek key facts

Series premiere: Sept. 8, 1966
Final episode: June 3, 1969
No. of seasons: 3
No. of episodes: 80, including the original, un-aired pilot, “The Cage”
Streaming: Paramount+
Created by: Gene Roddenberry
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Get Started With Paramount+

Where to stream Star Trek

USS Enterprise in Star Trek the original series — CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

You can stream Star Trek on Paramount+ with a subscription to any plan. And when we say Star Trek, we mean many, many things. We mean the original Star Trek TV series, which premiered 60 years ago this fall, and left a starship-sized mark on pop-culture history. We also mean the Star Trek shows and movies that the original series inspired. So, to recap, Paramount+ is the home of Star Trek, the series and the franchise, and you can stream hundreds of hours of episodes and film adventures here.

How to watch on Paramount+

In order to explore the final frontier of the original Star Trek series, you need a Paramount+ subscription. Plans start at $8.99 a month, and you can select either the Paramount+ Essential plan or the Paramount+ Premium plan.

Whichever plan you choose, you’ll have full on-demand access to the Star Trek Collection, which currently includes all the movies and more than 10 Star Trek TV shows. So, no, your binge-watch doesn’t have to start – or stop – with the original series.

Here’s a list of some of what you’ll find in the collection:

Star Trek shows streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek movies streaming on Paramount+

How many seasons of Star Trek are there?

Leonard Nimoy as Spock and Jeffrey Hunter as Capt Pike — CBS via Getty Images

From 1966-1969, Star Trek ran for three seasons on NBC, and reached a cruising speed of 79 episodes. The number of episodes hits 80 when you include the original Star Trek pilot.

“The Cage,” rejected by NBC in 1965, stars Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Christopher Pike and Leonard Nimoy in his earliest iteration of Spock. Paramount+ does include this episode in its Star Trek library, so 80 episodes is how many you’ll find when you explore the original series show page.

With so much to watch, you can take a blast from the past-future and drop in on iconic episodes. Grab some tissues for the heart-wrenching “City on the Edge of Forever” or giggle at the crew’s tribble-ations in “The Trouble with Tribbles.”

There are also foundational episodes like “Mirror, Mirror” where we get the first-ever look at the Mirror Universe. This darker parallel universe is revisited in DS9 and Enterprise, but most notably affects the early seasons of Discovery (which technically predate the original series).

Why Star Trek is still worth watching

Leonard Nimoy as Spock and William Shatner as Capt James Kirk in Star Trek the original series — CBS via Getty Images

When it launched in 1966, Star Trek brought other worlds to audiences worldwide, introducing them to Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the U.S.S. Enterprise. In addition to launching the Star Trek franchise, the show laid the groundwork for other sci-fi shows and movies set in the distant future while also reflecting the evolving values of 1960s America.

Beyond alien planets and phaser blasts, the characters’ relationships continue to draw in comfort binge-watches from fans and newcomers alike. The camaraderie between Capt. Kirk, Spock, and chief medical officer Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and their individual charisma gave each character a strong legacy. They all appear in several other Star Trek titles and are still referred to with great reverence by new characters. The Star Trek universe includes decades of imaginative, world-opening storytelling, but it all starts with the bold original series.

Whether it’s simply seeing the whimsical origins of the famous “Star Trek Shake” or watching the first interracial kiss (between a Black actress and a white actor) to appear on American television, you can still feel the long-lasting impact of the original Star Trek series. The diverse cast and morality-forward storytelling brought emotion and ethics into the action of the cold cosmos.

And you don’t have to worry about Star Trek’s three seasons going by at warp speed, because the episodes allow you to savor the story that started it all. If you can’t get enough, every episode is available to stream (and re-stream) on Paramount+, the home of Star Trek.

And so you know: Paramount+ offers remastered HD versions of the classic Star Trek episodes so you can enjoy a modern level of streaming quality. For the original series, this isn’t just upscaling; you can experience more detailed bridge monitors and shots of the original U.S.S. Enterprise, as well as CGI effects.

FAQ

Do I need to watch Star Trek before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?

One of the (many) wonderful things about the Star Trek franchise is that you can start watching anywhere, and still have a blast. In fact, if your plan is to watch the series in release order, you would watch Star Trek the original series before watching Strange New Worlds. If you’d rather watch in timeline order, your first watch should be Star Trek: Enterprise, followed by Star Trek: Discovery. Then, hop into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds before watching Star Trek (1966). Season 4 premieres Thursday, July 23.

What comes after Star Trek (the original series)?

Star Trek: The Animated Series, which premiered in 1973, occurs directly after the events of the original Star Trek series. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, from 1979, reunites the cast of the TV series on the big screen, and ushers in the era of the Star Trek film. Star Trek: The Next Generation, launched in 1987, expands the franchise beyond Capt. Kirk, Spock, and Bones – and, indeed, beyond the 23rd century.