This is the first and most celebrated era of Star Trek history, focusing on Captain James Kirk’s Enterprise.
The original series, created by Gene Roddenberry, lasted three seasons (1966-1969), although it was almost cancelled at the end of its second season and was reportedly saved only through a letter-writing campaign. But the show, with 79 episodes, became a hit in syndicated re-runs.
While many elements of the Enterprise were present from the start, the series only slowly built its universe, as required for its episodic stories. The first season established the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet, Starfleet Command, Starbases, and the idea that there were twelve ships like the Enterprise in service. Chekov was added for the second season, which expanded on Spock’s heritage. While episodic, a few episodes did make reference to past adventures. Exactly when the show was set remained vague throughout, with contradictory references to Earth’s past, because Gene Roddenberry preferred to leave the setting vague.
On a number of occasions, the series used its outer-space setting to reflect issues of the time, especially the Cold War. The series also frequently featured humor, an element later series lacked, and episodes often ended with a joke or with laughter, cementing the core characters’ camaraderie.
After four seasons off the air, the show returned in 1973 as a half-hour, animated series, produced by Filmation. All of the principal characters returned, voiced by their original actors, except Chekov. The series made relatively mild changes to the Enterprise’s technology and crew, but it remained in tone with the original series — with the exception of a prohibition against killing crew members, which occurred only in a single animated episode. The series also used the medium of animation to produce more elaborate alien landscapes and non-human-looking characters than were present on the original, live-action series.
Animated shows at the time rarely had long lives. The first season won an Emmy Award, which was reportedly the only reason it was renewed for an abridged second season. In total, 22 episodes were produced.
Although the animated series was regarded as non-canonical for years afterward, a view advanced by Roddenberry, it introduced several elements that remained as part of the Star Trek canon and were referenced by later productions. The show’s voice actors and writers, however, largely regarded it as effectively constituting a fourth season of the original show.
Roddenberry, an atheist, now pushed for a film revival of the franchise, first with a 1975 treatment entitled The God Thing. This evolved into a new story entitled Planet of the Titans, which (like some original series episodes) displaced its critique of religion into Greek mythology. A full script was produced, only to be abandoned in 1977.
At the time, Paramount sought to create its own TV network, and it decided that a revived Star Trek series would serve as the network’s headliner. Star Trek: Phase II was thus announced on 17 June 1977 and was expected to start filming in May 1978. Sets were built, and fifteen scripts (including two two-parters) were completed. Leonard Nimoy did not plan to return, due to various objections (including what he believed were unpaid royalties on the Spock character). All other core cast members would have returned, with Chekov promoted to chief of security. New characters included first officer Willard Decker (son of Matt Decker from the original series episode “The Doomsday Machine”), who would command away missions; Xon, a young and brilliant Vulcan, designed in part to replace Spock; and Lt. Ilia, a Deltan, a species with shaved heads, empathic powers, and a pro-sex culture.
Paramount abandoned its plans for its own TV network, cancelling Star Trek: Phase II. But the success of 1977′s Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind had demonstrated that movie audiences had a renewed taste for science fiction. Paramount proceeded with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, adapting the script for the two-part first episode of Star Trek: Phase II, “In Thy Image.” Nimoy agreed to return, Xon was written out. Willard Decker and Lt. Ilia were preserved, although they were lost at the movie’s end. Implicitly, the Enterprise’s crew began a new series of adventures at the end of the film, paralleling plans for Phase II.
The Motion Picture, released at the end of 1979, did well at the box office, despite lackluster reviews. Paramount decided to produce a sequel, and Roddenberry planned a time-travel story in which the Enterprise must restore the timeline after the Klingons use the Guardian of Forever (from the celebrated original series episode “The City on the Edge of Forever”) to undo John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Paramount saw it as a continuation of the plodding, cerebral pace of The Motion Picture and rejected it. Blaming Roddenberry’s many rewrites for the expanding budget of The Motion Picture, which had risen to $46 million, Paramount removed Roddenberry’s control over the sequel.
The sequel, produced for a mere $11 million, acknowledged how much time had passed since the original series. (The Motion Picture had occurred just a few years after the conclusion of the Enterprise’s five-year mission under Kirk.) This allowed the film to address aging and death, culminating in the death of Spock, which actor Leonard Nimoy had desired. The film was intended to be the final one, but Nimoy had so much fun shooting the film, however, that Spock’s death was rewritten to allow his resurrection, should the opportunity present itself.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, released in the summer of 1982, made less at the box office than The Motion Picture but was far more profitable, due to its much lower budget. It was also critically acclaimed, especially because of its memorable villain: Khan, a character introduced in an episode of the original series (“Space Seed”) and bent on revenge against Kirk. Paramount green-lit a sequel the day after the film opened.
After Nicholas Meyer, director of The Wrath of Khan, dropped out of directing the sequel, Nimoy agreed not only to return but petitioned successfully to direct the third film. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock opened in the summer of 1984 and returned Spock to life. It was not as well received as its predecessor, although it performed almost as well.
Nimoy returned as director for the next film, now granted greater creative control by Paramount. William Shatner was initially unwilling to return, causing Paramount and Nimoy to consider a prequel set around Starfleet Academy, before Shatner signed for $2.5 million, the same amount Nimoy was paid. In addition, as a condition of Shatner’s return, Paramount promised that he could direct the next film.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home took a lighter tone, after the darker tone of the previous two films. Opening in late 1986, the film was well-received both critically and commercially. It outperformed the past two films (although not The Motion Picture) — a rare feat for sequels in the 1980s.
Leonard Nimoy, who had resisted appearing in Star Trek: Phase II and only appeared in The Wrath of Khan to give his character a final, irreversible death, had now guided the franchise through its last two, successful films. He also had become a director of other films, beginning with the hit comedy Three Men and a Baby, released in 1987, the year after The Voyage Home.
The increased salaries of Shatner and Nimoy — perhaps a quarter of The Voyage Home‘s $21 million budget — spurred Paramount to consider a new series, starring relative unknowns who could be paid less. This led to the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which debuted in 1987. That show, overseen by Roddenberry and set a century later, would use many elements from the abandoned Star Trek: Phase II. William Riker and Deanna Troi bore a great resemblance to Willard Decker and Lt. Ilia, while Data’s quest to understand humanity paralleled the all-Vulcan Xon’s. Two scripts written for Phase II (“The Child” and “Devil’s Due”) were directly adapted for The Next Generation.
Star Trek V: The Voyage Home, based on a story initiated by Shatner and directed by Shatner, was released in summer of 1989. It was a critical and commercial flop, achieving a lower box office ($63 million) than any Star Trek film to date, even amid generally booming box office revenues. Criticism was especially heavy for Shatner, both as an actor and as the film’s director. The film series that had been riding high after The Voyage Home now seemed in jeopardy.
For a sixth film, planned in time for Star Trek’s 25th anniversary in 1991, Paramount revisited the Starfleet Academy prequel idea, originally suggested for the fourth film. A script was written, although strong negative reaction, from insiders and from fans, led to its cancellation.
Walter Koenig, the actor who played Chekov, then proposed a script in which the crew, except for Spock, would be forced into retirement for failing fitness tests. After aliens capture Spock and his new crew, the old crew would proceed with a rescue mission — and would all be killed, except for Spock and McCoy. (McCoy had already been featured on The Next Generation.) Paramount rejected it but kept the idea of using the film as a swan song for the original cast, which had not only become expensive but had grown older. Leonard Nimoy, asked for ideas, came up with the notion of using the fall of the Berlin Wall, continuing the parallel between the Klingons and the Soviet Union.
Paramount was determined to keep the film no more expensive than the previous installment. Shatner and Nimoy accepted lower salaries, in exchange for a greater percentage of the film’s revenue. Roddenberry hated the script’s military aspects and the presence of racism or bigotry within the Federation, but he was largely overruled.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country debuted in late 1991, receiving generally positive reviews and succeeding at the box office, taking in about a third more than The Final Frontier but not as much as other installments (such as The Voyage Home).
The Undiscovered Country would indeed be the final Star Trek film with the original cast. It was also the final film seen by Gene Roddenberry, whose health had been deteriorating for some time. He died on 24 October, just days after seeing a near-final cut of the film.
Of course, the film series would continue — only starring the Next Generation crew. That TV series would soon spawn its own, multiple spin-offs, vastly eclipsing the original series in terms of number of episodes. By the time the story of the original crew came to a close, Star Trek’s own future was already well underway. And when Paramount decided to relaunch the franchise, it was this first, classic crew that would be recast, culminating in the 2009 film, simply titled Star Trek.
This same page is available with an expanded version of the following table (0 more items and 21 more images).
| Pike Era | ||
| Star Trek #0 | ||
“The Cage” -- 63 minutes occurs 13 years prior to “The Menagerie, Part I” (as mentioned there) | ||
| The Original Series | ||
| Star Trek #3 | ||
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” -- 55 minutes stardate: 1312.4 | ||
| Star Trek #6 | ||
“Mudd’s Women” stardate: 1329.8; aired 13 Oct 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #10 | ||
“The Corbomite Maneuver” stardate: 1512.2; aired 10 Nov 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #1 | ||
“The Man Trap” first season debut; stardate: 1513.1; aired 8 Sept 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #2 | ||
“Charlie X” stardate: 1533.6; aired 15 Sept 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #5 | ||
“The Enemy Within” stardate: 1672.1; aired 6 Oct 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #4 | ||
“The Naked Time” stardate: 1704.2; aired 29 Sept 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #14 | ||
“Balance of Terror” stardate: 1709.2; introduces the Romulans; aired 15 Dec 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #17 | ||
“The Squire of Gothos” stardate: 2124.5; aired 12 Jan 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #7 | ||
“What are Little Girls Made of?” stardate: 2712.4; aired 20 Oct 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #8 | ||
“Miri” stardate: 2713.5; aired 27 Oct 1977 | ||
| Star Trek #9 | ||
“Dagger of the Mind” stardate: 2715.1; aired 3 Nov 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #13 | ||
“The Conscience of the King” stardate: 2817.6; aired 8 Dec 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #16 | ||
“The Galileo Seven” stardate: 2821.5; aired 5 Jan 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #20 | ||
“Court Martial” stardate: 2947.3; contains the first mention of Starfleet, Starfleet Command, and Starbases; several ships are shown undergoing repairs at Starbase 11, including the (Constitution-class) Lexington (NCC-1709), Hood (NCC-1703), Exeter (NCC-1672), and Excalibur (NCC-1664); aired 2 Feb 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #11 | ||
“The Menagerie, Part I” stardate: 3012.4; aired 17 Nov 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #12 | ||
“The Menagerie, Part II” stardate: 3013.1; aired 24 Nov 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #36 | ||
“Catspaw” stardate: 3018.2; occurs earlier than any other second-season episode; features Chekov, chronologically his earliest appearance (based on stardate, although this was indeed the first episode shot with Chekov); aired 27 Oct 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #15 | ||
“Shore Leave” stardate: 3025.3; aired 29 Dec 1966 | ||
| Star Trek #18 | ||
“Arena” stardate: 3045.6; aired 19 Jan 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #27 | ||
“The Alternative Factor” stardate: 3087.6; aired 30 Mar 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #19 | ||
“Tomorrow is Yesterday” stardate: 3113.2; Kirk says there are 12 (Constitution-class) ships like the Enterprise (including the Enterprise); aired 26 Jan 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #28 | ||
“The City on the Edge of Forever” stardate: 3134.0; won a Hugo award; aired 6 Apr 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #22 | ||
“Space Seed” stardate: 3141.9; introduces Khan Noonien Singh; aired 16 Feb 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #21 | ||
“The Return of the Archons” stardate: 3156.2; aired 9 Feb 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #23 | ||
“A Taste of Armageddon” stardate: 3192.1; aired 23 Feb 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #25 | ||
“Devil in the Dark” stardate: 3196.1; aired 9 Mar 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #26 | ||
“Errand of Mercy” stardate: 3198.4; first appearance of the Klingons; aired 23 Mar 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #45 | ||
“The Gamesters of Triskelion” stardate: 3211.7; one of three second-season episodes that occurs before “Amok Time”; aired 5 Jan 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #38 | ||
“Metamorphosis” stardate: 3219.4; features Zefram Cochrane; one of three second-season episodes that occurs before “Amok Time”; aired 10 Nov 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #29 | ||
“Operation: Annihilate!” first season finale; stardate: 3287.2; aired 13 Apr 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #30 | ||
“Amok Time” first appearance (by airdate) of Pavel Chekov; first appearance of the planet Vulcan; second season debut; stardate: 3372.7; aired 15 Sept 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #24 | ||
“This Side of Paradise” stardate: 3417.3; only first-season episode to occur after “Amok Time”; aired 2 Mar 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #31 | ||
“Who Mourns for Adonais?” stardate: 3468.1; aired 22 Sept 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #41 | ||
“The Deadly Years” stardate: 3478.2; aired 8 Dec 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #40 | ||
“Friday’s Child” stardate: 3497.2; aired 1 Dec 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #32 | ||
“The Changeling” stardate: 3541.9; features a plot similar to Star Trek: The Motion Picture; aired 29 Sept 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #43 | ||
“Wolf in the Fold” stardate: 3614.9; aired 22 Dec 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #42 | ||
“Obsession” stardate: 3619.2; aired 15 Dec 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #34 | ||
“The Apple” stardate: 3715.3; aired 13 Oct 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #33 | ||
“Mirror, Mirror” first appearance of the Mirror Universe; although aired one week before “The Apple,” was produced after that episode; aired 6 Oct 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #39 | ||
“Journey to Babel” stardate: 3842.3; introduces Spock’s parents, Sarek and Amanda; aired 17 Nov 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #35 | ||
“The Doomsday Machine” stardate: 4202.9; the (Constitution-class) Constellation is destroyed and its crew (including Matt Decker) is killed; aired 20 Oct 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #48 | ||
“A Private Little War” stardate: 4211.4; aired 2 Feb 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #47 | ||
“The Immunity Syndrome” stardate: 4307.1; the (Constitution-class) Intrepid (manned almost entirely by Vulcans) is destroyed along with its entire crew; aired 19 Jan 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #68 | ||
“Elaan of Troyius” stardate: 4372.5; one of two third-season episodes that occur during the second season; aired 20 Dec 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #61 | ||
“Spectre of the Gun” stardate: 4385.3; one of two third-season episodes that occur during the second season; aired 25 Oct 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #54 | ||
“Bread and Circuses” stardate: 4040.7; aired 15 Mar 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #37 | ||
“I, Mudd” stardate: 4513.3; Harry Mudd (from “Mudd’s Women”) returns; aired 3 Nov 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #44 | ||
“The Trouble with Tribbles” stardate: 4523.3; aired 29 Dec 1967 | ||
| Star Trek #46 | ||
“A Piece of the Action” stardate: 4598.0; aired 12 Jan 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #51 | ||
“By Any Other Name” stardate: 4657.5; aired 23 Feb 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #53 | ||
“The Ultimate Computer” stardate: 4729.4; the (Constitution-class) Lexington, Excalibur, Potemkin, and Hood engage the Enterprise in wargames, during which they are severely damaged and the entire crew of the Excalibur is killed; aired 8 Mar 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #49 | ||
“Return to Tomorrow” stardate: 4768.3; aired 9 Feb 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #50 | ||
“Patterns of Force” no stardate is given (although many guides reference stardate 2534, which would create a continuity problem, because Spock performs his mind meld in front of McCoy in this episode, yet the first time that occurs is in “Dagger of the Mind,” around stardate 2715.1); produced directly after “Return to Tomorrow”; aired 16 Feb 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #52 | ||
“The Omega Glory” produced as the penultimate episode of season two; the Enterprise investigates the disappearance (six months prior) of the (Constitution-class) Exeter, which is found intact but abandoned; the Exeter’s captain (Ronald Tracey) is arrested; aired 1 Mar 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #55 | ||
“Assignment: Earth” second season finale; features Gary Seven; intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for a series (titled Assignment: Earth) starring Gary Seven as a futuristic James Bond-type; aired 29 Mar 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #58 | ||
“The Paradise Syndrome” stardate: 4842.6; introduces the concept of the Preservers, who seeded the galaxy with humanoid life; aired 4 Oct 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #57 | ||
“The Enterprise Incident” stardate: 5027.3; aired 27 Sept 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #59 | ||
“And the Children Shall Lead” stardate: 5029.5; aired 11 Oct 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #67 | ||
“The Empath” stardate: 5121.5; aired 6 Dec 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #71 | ||
“The Mark of Gideon” stardate: 5423.4; aired 17 Jan 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #56 | ||
“Spock’s Brain” stardate: 5431.4; third season debut; aired 20 Sept 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #63 | ||
“For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” stardate: 5476.3; aired 8 Nov 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #62 | ||
“Day of the Dove” produced directly after “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”; aired 1 Nov 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #60 | ||
“Is There in Truth No Beauty?” stardate: 5630.7; introduces the Medusans (a non-humanoid species); aired 18 Oct 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #64 | ||
“The Tholian Web” stardate: 5693.2; introduces the Tholians (a non-humanoid species); the (Constitution-class) Defiant is lost with all hands (later seen in the two-part Enterprise episode “In a Mirror, Darkly”); aired 15 Nov 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #66 | ||
“Wink of an Eye” stardate: 5710.5; features time-accelerated aliens; aired 29 Nov 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #69 | ||
“Whom Gods Destroy” stardate: 5718.3; aired 3 Jan 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #73 | ||
“The Lights of Zetar” stardate: 5725.3; aired 31 Jan 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #72 | ||
“That Which Survives” produced directly before “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”; aired 15 Mar 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #70 | ||
“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” stardate: 5730.2; aired 10 Jan 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #65 | ||
“Plato’s Stepchildren” stardate: 5784.2; features the celebrated Kirk-Uhura kiss (although Kirk only does so under mind control and the two actors did not kiss on set); aired 22 Nov 1968 | ||
| Star Trek #76 | ||
“The Cloud Minders” stardate: 5818.4; aired 28 Feb 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #75 | ||
“The Way to Eden” stardate: 5832.3; aired 21 Feb 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #74 | ||
“Requiem for Methuselah” stardate: 5843.7; aired 14 Feb 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #77 | ||
“The Savage Curtain” stardate: 5906.4; aired 7 Mar 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #79 | ||
“Turnabout Intruder” third season finale; stardate: 5928.5; aired almost three months after the preceding episode and aired on a Tuesday (instead of the usual Friday slot); the Enterprise is scheduled to rendezvous with the (Constitution-class) Potemkin to conduct gravitational studies of the binary Beta Aurigae system when the events of this episode delay the Enterprise; aired 3 June 1969 | ||
| Star Trek #78 | ||
“All Our Yesterdays” stardate: 5943.7; aired 14 Mar 1969 | ||
| The Animated Series | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #1 | ||
“Beyond the Farthest Star” first season debut; stardate: 5521.3; aired 8 Sept 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #2 | ||
“Yesteryear” stardate: 5373.4; aired 15 Sept 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #3 | ||
“One of Our Planets is Missing” stardate: 5371.3; aired 22 Sept 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #4 | ||
“The Lorelei Signal” stardate: 5483.7; aired 29 Sept 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #5 | ||
“More Tribbles, More Troubles” stardate: 5392.4; aired 6 Oct 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #6 | ||
“The Survivor” stardate: 5143.3; aired 13 Oct 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #7 | ||
“The Infinite Vulcan” stardate: 5554.4; aired 20 Oct 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #8 | ||
“The Magicks of Megas-tu” stardate: 1254.4; aired 27 Oct 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #9 | ||
“Once Upon a Planet” stardate: 5591.2; aired 3 Nov 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #10 | ||
“Mudd’s Passion” Harry Mudd (from “Mudd’s Women” and “I, Mudd”) returns; stardate: 4978.5; aired 10 Nov 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #11 | ||
“The Terratin Incident” stardate: 5577.3; aired 17 Nov 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #12 | ||
“The Time Trap” stardate: 5267.2; aired 24 Nov 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #13 | ||
“The Ambergris Element” stardate: 5499.9; aired 1 Dec 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #14 | ||
“The Slaver Weapon” stardate: 4187.3; introduces the lost Slaver civilization and its stasis boxes; aired 15 Dec 1973 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #15 | ||
“The Eye of the Beholder” stardate: 5501.2; aired 5 Jan 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #16 | ||
“The Jihad” first season finale; stardate: 5683.1; aired 12 Jan 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #17 | ||
“The Pirates of Orion” second season debut; stardate: 6334.1; Kirk’s captain’s log refers to the (Constitution-class) Potemkin picking up the drug needed to save Spock’s life, then transferring it to a freighter for delivery to Enterprise; aired 7 Sept 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #18 | ||
“Bem” stardate: 7403.6; reveals that James Kirk’s middle name is Tiberius; aired 14 Sept 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #19 | ||
“The Practical Joker” stardate: 3183.3; aired 21 Sept 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #20 | ||
“Albatross” stardate: 5275.6; aired 28 Sept 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #21 | ||
“How Sharper than a Serpent’s Truth” stardate: 6063.4; aired 5 Oct 1974 | ||
| Star Trek (animated series) #22 | ||
“The Counter-Clock Incident” stardate: 6770.3; second season finale; introduces Robert April, the first captain of the enterprise (prior to Christopher Pike); aired 12 Oct 1974 | ||
| Movies | ||
 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | |
| stardate: 7410.2; release date: 7 Dec 1979 | ||
 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | |
| stardate: 8130.3; release date: 4 June 1982; Khan Noonien Singh (from “Space Seed”) returns; Spock dies | ||
 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | |
| stardate: 8210.3; release date: 1 June 1984; David Marcus dies; Spock is resurrected; the Enterprise is destroyed; Sarek appears briefly | ||
 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | |
| stardate: 8390.0; release date: 26 Nov 1986; Sarek and Amanda appear briefly; the crew gets a new Enterprise (the Enterprise-A) | ||
 | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | |
| stardate: 8454.1; release date: 9 June 1989 | ||
 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | |
| stardate: 9521.6; release date: 6 Dec 1991; introduces Valeris, Spock’s new protoge (after Saavik); the Enterprise heads back to Earth to be decommissioned | ||
