Honestly, trying to track down where to watch Starfleet's finest feels a bit like navigating a Class 4 nebula without sensors lately. If you’ve spent the last twenty minutes hopping between apps just to find Deep Space Nine, you aren't alone. The streaming landscape for 2026 has shifted again, and the days of finding every single episode of every series on one easy-to-use platform are becoming a bit of a memory for a lot of fans.
It’s frustrating. One week you’re binging The Next Generation on Netflix, and the next, it’s just... gone.
Basically, the big players are fighting over the bridge. Paramount (now under the Skydance umbrella as of this year) is pulling its most valuable assets back into the home hanger. But licensing deals are messy, and depending on where you live or what specific era of the franchise you're looking for, your "where is Star Trek streaming" search might yield very different results than it did even six months ago.
The Paramount Plus Monopoly (Mostly)
If you want the short answer, Paramount+ is the primary answer to where is Star Trek streaming in the United States and most major international markets. It's the "home of Trek" by design. They’ve gone all-in on being the exclusive destination for the newest stuff, which currently includes the brand-new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy that just premiered this week on January 15.
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That show is a big deal. It’s got Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, and it’s effectively the flagship for the franchise right now alongside Strange New Worlds.
But here is the thing: "Exclusive" doesn't always mean "only."
For example, if you're looking for the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, you're actually looking in the wrong place if you only check Paramount+. That show famously jumped ship to Netflix a couple of years ago. However, even that is in flux. As of early 2026, Prodigy has actually started leaving Netflix in several regions because those specific licensing windows were incredibly short. It’s a bit of a tragedy for the younger fans who found the show there.
Where to find the Classic Series in 2026
The classic era—everything from Kirk to Archer—is where the most movement has happened recently. For years, Netflix was the global hub for The Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, and Enterprise.
That era is officially over.
As of January 8, 2026, the final holdout deals for Star Trek on Netflix internationally have expired. If you’re in the UK, Canada, or Europe, you probably noticed the "Last Day to Watch" warnings earlier this month. Paramount took those rights back to bolster their own service.
Here is the current breakdown for the US:
- Paramount+: Houses everything. The Original Series (Remastered), TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise.
- Pluto TV: This is the best "secret" for fans who don't want to pay. Since Paramount owns Pluto TV, they run dedicated 24/7 Star Trek channels. You can't always pick your episode, but if you just want some Voyager in the background while you cook, it’s free.
- The Roku Channel: They occasionally rotate in early seasons of the legacy shows, but it’s inconsistent.
The Movie Situation is Even Messier
Movies are a different beast entirely. Unlike the TV shows, which are largely consolidated under Paramount Global, the film rights have historically been a licensing nightmare.
Right now, the "Kelvin Timeline" movies (the J.J. Abrams ones from 2009 onwards) have been bouncing around like crazy. You might find Star Trek Beyond on Netflix one month and then find it’s moved exclusively to Max or Paramount+ the next. In January 2026, the Abrams trilogy actually just landed back on Netflix in the US for a temporary run, despite the TV shows being nowhere to be found on that platform.
As for the "Legacy" films—the ones featuring the original crew and the TNG cast—Paramount+ is usually your safest bet. However, MGM+ still holds secondary windows for several of the TOS films, like The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home. It’s a weird quirk of old contracts that refuses to die.
Why did Star Trek leave Netflix?
It’s all about the "streaming wars" 2.0. When Star Trek: Discovery launched back in 2017, CBS (now Paramount) didn't have a global streaming footprint. They used Netflix to fund the show, giving them international rights in exchange for the production budget.
Now that Paramount+ is available in dozens of countries, they don't want to share. They want you to pay for their app, even if the app's interface isn't exactly winning any awards for user experience. Fans have been pretty vocal on Reddit and Twitter about the "fragmentation" of the franchise, but from a corporate standpoint, keeping the Crown Jewels behind your own paywall is the only way they think they can compete with Disney+ or Netflix.
Real Talk: The International Gap
If you are in a country where Paramount+ hasn't launched yet—like New Zealand or parts of Southeast Asia—you are basically in "the Neutral Zone."
In these regions, the search for where is Star Trek streaming often leads to "nowhere." When the Netflix deals expired this month, many fans were left without a legal way to watch the shows they’ve enjoyed for a decade. Some local providers like Crave in Canada still carry parts of the library, but the "global library" is officially fractured.
What to do next
If you're trying to figure out your best move to keep watching, don't just blindly subscribe to every service.
Check Pluto TV first if you're in the US or UK. It's free, and the "Live" channels often play the best episodes of The Next Generation on a loop. It’s a great way to scratch the itch without adding another $15 to your monthly bills.
For the new stuff like Starfleet Academy, watch the first episode for free on YouTube. Paramount often puts the season premieres on their official YouTube channel for a few weeks to hook people. It’s a solid way to see if you actually like the new direction before committing to a full subscription.
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Lastly, if you're a die-hard fan, 2026 is the year to finally consider physical media. With shows jumping between platforms and disappearing entirely in some countries, owning the Blu-rays is the only way to ensure your favorite episodes don't get deleted by a corporate merger. You can usually find the complete series of TNG or DS9 at used media stores for less than the cost of a six-month streaming sub.
Keep an eye on the "Leaving Soon" sections of your apps every month. In this era of streaming, nothing is truly permanent.