If you’ve been relying on Netflix to watch the classic Star Trek shows, I’ve got some bad news. All of the “classic” shows – from Kirk and Spock right through to Archer and the NX-01 – are leaving the streaming service in January 2026.
Netflix UK subscribers are now seeing “Last day to watch on January 8” warnings on The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise (with Prodigy leaving on December 31).
That’s over 700 episodes of Star Trek disappearing from one of the UK’s most popular streaming platforms in one fell swoop.
The classic shows have been available on Netflix internationally since 2016, giving fans easy access to decades of Trek history. They left Netflix in the US back in 2022, but have remained available everywhere else – until now.
Where Can You Watch Star Trek After January?
The shows aren’t vanishing into the ether. They’ll still be available on Paramount+ UK, where they currently sit alongside the modern Trek series like Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks.
Paramount+ now offers three tiers in the UK:
Basic with Ads costs £4.99/month – you’ll get the full library but with advert breaks, and only one device can stream at a time.
Standard costs £7.99/month – this is the ad-free option with Full HD quality and two simultaneous streams.
Premium costs £10.99/month – the top tier with 4K/UHD quality, four concurrent streams, and no adverts.
All three tiers come with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. You can sign up either directly through the Paramount+ app or website, or via Amazon Prime Video Channels if you prefer.
Sky Cinema subscribers get the Basic with Ads tier included for free, and can upgrade to Standard for an extra £3/month or Premium for £6/month.
So if you’ve been putting off subscribing to Paramount+ because you could watch the classics on Netflix, that grace period is about to end.
Paramount+ will finally become the almost-exclusive home of Star Trek in the UK, as they’ve been meaning to be for years.
Not All Star Trek Is Leaving Netflix
Interestingly, not everything Trek-related is getting the boot from Netflix UK.
The Kelvin timeline films – Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016) – are staying put, at least for now. The first film in that trilogy, 2009’s Star Trek, isn’t available on Netflix UK anyway, so if you want to watch Chris Pine‘s entire run as Kirk, you’ll need to look elsewhere for the opening chapter.
And there’s another major casualty in this story: Star Trek: Prodigy.
Prodigy’s Homeless Status
The animated Star Trek: Prodigy, which was aimed at younger viewers, is having an even rougher time. Both seasons are leaving Netflix UK on December 31, 2025 – just over a week before the classic shows disappear.
Unlike the other series, Prodigy won’t have a streaming home at all after it leaves Netflix. The show will only be available to purchase through services like Prime Video’s store, with no subscription-based option.
I reached out to Paramount to ask if they’re planning to bring Prodigy back to Paramount+ UK, but haven’t received a response yet.
Given the show’s troubled history – cancelled by Paramount+, rescued by Netflix, then not renewed for a third season – it seems the young crew of the USS Protostar is stuck in limbo.
Star Trek’s Bumpy UK Journey
This is just the latest chapter in what’s been a somewhat fragmented experience for UK Star Trek fans over the past few years.
Back in November 2021, Discovery was pulled from Netflix UK just days before Season 4 was due to premiere. UK fans were left in the dark for months while they waited for Paramount+ to launch here in mid-2022.
Even the show’s cast were telling fans at conventions that Season 4 would be on Netflix, not knowing the deal had already fallen through.
Then there was the curious case of Picard, which launched as a Prime Video exclusive in the UK, but later became available on Paramount+ as well. It’s still on both services today, making it the exception to Paramount’s strategy of consolidating everything on their own platform.
Lower Decks spent its first few seasons on Prime Video before finally moving to Paramount+, bringing all five seasons with it.
And Prodigy was removed from Paramount+ globally in 2023 as part of a cost-cutting measure, only to be picked up by Netflix as a “rescue”.
The Convenience Factor
For all its faults, having the classic Trek shows on Netflix was undeniably convenient. Netflix is already in millions of UK homes, with apps on pretty much every device imaginable and a user interface people know inside out.
Many fans subscribed to Netflix for reasons that had nothing to do with Star Trek, but having access to the entire back catalogue was a nice bonus.
Now, anyone who wants to rewatch The Best of Both Worlds or In the Pale Moonlight will need to take out another subscription.
The cheapest way in is the £4.99/month Basic tier, though you’ll have to put up with adverts interrupting your viewing.
For most people, the £7.99/month Standard plan probably makes more sense – it’s only £1 more than Paramount+ used to cost before they introduced the tiered system last year.
It’s not necessarily a bad deal if you’re a Trek fan – Paramount+ UK offers the complete package, with all the modern shows plus the classics (well, except Prodigy).
But it does mean adding another monthly payment to an already crowded streaming landscape.
Why Is This Happening?
The most likely explanation is that Paramount simply wants all of Star Trek under one roof, particularly as the franchise has become such a key part of their streaming service’s identity.
In the US, where Paramount+ has been around longer, the classic shows left Netflix back in 2022.
This also affects Trek fans globally – not just in the UK. The shows are leaving Netflix in every country except the US (where they already left years ago).
However, Paramount+ is only available in around 20 countries worldwide, meaning many international fans will be left with no direct streaming option at all.
There’s also been speculation that this timing isn’t entirely coincidental, given that Paramount and Netflix are currently competing to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max.
But these licensing deals are typically negotiated months or even years in advance, so it’s probably just unfortunate timing.
Whatever the reason, the end result is the same: if you want to watch classic Star Trek in the UK from January onwards, you’ll need Paramount+.
However, if you’re the type who prefers to own rather than rent, all of the classic Star Trek series are available on DVD and Blu-ray. Yes, you’ll need shelf space and a disc player, but you’ll never have to worry about licensing deals or shows disappearing overnight.
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It came as quite a surprise. I don’t plan to subscribe to any more streamers than Netflix.