As a kid i loved watching the next generation and deep space 9 with my dad. Ive always liked sci fi, more of a (stargate fan) and wanted to get back into star trek, but Im just so lost on timelines and whats going on. There are like 6 kirks and I have no idea how/where to get started with watching this again.
The Original Series and Next Generation movies are in the Prime Universe, the new movies (2009, Into Darkness, Beyond) are in what’s known as the Kelvin Universe.
There are some major events that lead to a branching into two timelines around the time Jim Kirk is born.