Just as comic books used the ages of humanity as a metaphor to describe publishing eras which differed in content and tone, so too I think it is time to describe Star Trek as a series of ages.

Golden Age (1966-1986)

The Golden Age of Star Trek is a 20 year era that began with the premier of TOS on September 8, 1966 and ended with the debut of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home on November 26, 1986.

This era closely followed franchise creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the future. As described by The Take:

“Every episode is both a suspenseful action story and a morality tale, set out to simultaneously entertain and provide enriching thought material for the viewer via classical mythological style. Protagonism is centered around altruism, and the characters must make decisions based on those ideals. They exist in a universe free from internal conflict, disease, poverty, or hunger, set out on a galactic mission to discover and communicate with other life forms.”

Source: https://the-take.com/watch/what-was-star-trek-creator-gene-roddenberrys-vision-for-the-series

The franchise made use of allegory to enable the morality tales resonate with audiences:

“The series would feature allegories of contemporary cultural and social issues, making its morality tales that much more cohesive and tangible for audiences.”

Source: https://the-take.com/watch/what-was-star-trek-creator-gene-roddenberrys-vision-for-the-series

This bright and hopeful future was for a specific purpose:

“…he was hoping to somewhat lead by example: Depict the world operating harmoniously, and perhaps people will believe it is possible.”

Source: https://the-take.com/watch/what-was-star-trek-creator-gene-roddenberrys-vision-for-the-series

TV series and movies in this era:

  • TOS: The Original Series (1966–1969)
  • TOS: The Animated Series (1973–1974)
  • TOS: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 7, 1979)
  • TOS: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (June 4, 1982)
  • TOS: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (June 1, 1984)
  • TOS: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (November 26, 1986)

Silver Age (1987-2005)

The Silver Age of Star Trek is an 18 year era that began with the premier of TNG on September 28, 1987 and ended with the conclusion of Enterprise on May 13, 2005.

This era continues with episodic, planet-of-the-week format, featuring a bright and hopeful future, and a timeline that builds on the past continuity rather than reinventing it.

TV series and movies in this era:

  • TNG: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
  • TOS: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (June 9, 1989)
  • TOS: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (December 6, 1991)
  • DS9: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
  • TNG Films: Star Trek Generations (November 18, 1994)
  • VOY: Voyager (1995–2001)
  • TNG Films: Star Trek: First Contact (November 22, 1996)
  • TNG Films: Star Trek: Insurrection (December 11, 1998)
  • ENT: Enterprise (2001–2005)
  • TNG Films: Star Trek: Nemesis (December 13, 2002)

Bronze Age (2009-present)

The Bronze Age of Star Trek began with the Star Trek film on May 8, 2009 and continues to the present day. In general, this era features new directions with different tones than what came before.

The Kelvin movies featured a departure from past continuities and a move to more action-oriented, less cerebral scripts.

The new TV series include the Lower Decks TV-MA cartoon with adult humor, Star Trek: Discovery which includes the F-word, and Star Trek: Picard whose storyline has darker and more cynical tones. The sets tend to feature dark rooms with shadows and less of the bright, fluorescent atmosphere of the series in the Silver Age.

Both movies and TV series have cases of recasting TOS characters with new actors.

TV series and movies in this era:

  • Kelvin Film: Star Trek (May 8, 2009)
  • Kelvin Film: Star Trek Into Darkness (May 16, 2013)
  • Kelvin Film: Star Trek Beyond (July 22, 2016)
  • DIS: Discovery (2017–present)
  • ST: Short Treks (2018–present)
  • PIC: Picard (2020–present)
  • LOW: Lower Decks (2020–present)