Regardless of its incarnation (be it television show, film, cartoon, video game, etc.), Star Trek has largely been considered a nerd-based franchise for the bulk of its existence. That is about to change following the release of the wildly anticipated reboot of the brand from director J. J. Abrams called simply Star Trek. The film looks to reinvigorate the story of the original crew of the Enterprise by exploring their formative years while simultaneously delivering a legitimate and well-made action-adventure film (something that has been lacking all too often in previous Trek films).

While the new film looks far more promising than many of its predecessors in terms of the narrative and action, it also seems well-positioned to entice an entirely new audience to the theater (non-Trek fans). This could ultimately make it the most successful Star Trek feature to date. But, what about it’s predecessors? They certainly weren’t all bad, but they weren’t all good “movies” either. Many tended to feel more like very good episodes of the television series (Star Trek or Star Trek: The Next Generation respectively) and less like solid action films. Please keep in mind that the writer is a huge Star Trek nerd and is desperately trying to write in a more impartial tone (though he may have overcompensated). So, boldly go with us as we revisit the previous ten films of the Star Trek canon.

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

After trying for years to bring the series to the multiplex, Gene Roddenberry finally convinced Paramount to back a Star Trek feature. (Of course, the success of a little film called Star Wars may have helped out a bit as well.) In this film, James T. Kirk has been promoted to admiral and is called to action when a strange alien force (a sinister blue cloud – no, seriously, the villain is a cloud) that threatens Earth. He gets his old crew to tag along and the human adventure begins. Underrated upon its theatrical release, the film has aged relatively well and a director's cut with remastered special effects corrects many of the film’s shortcomings though the plot often plods along with a pace reminiscent of  2001: A Space Odyssey (only without the smarts).

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Conceived as a sequel to the original series episode "Space Seed," the film pits Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise against an old foe hell bent on revenge – Khan, a genetically engineered superman from the 21^st century. A vastly superior film than the first offering in the series, this entry establishes the nostalgic tone the films would subsequently follow. The film is laced with literary allusions and sublime performances, most notably from William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban (as Khan) help this stand out as one of the best films of the series.

 

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

 

In this direct sequel to Wrath of Khan, the story picks up right where its predecessor left off when Kirk is forced to hijack the USS Enterprise and return to the Genesis Planet to discover whether Spock is still alive as he supposedly he died in the last movie (apologies to those of who haven’t yet seen Wrath of Khan – but, c’mon it’s nearly thirty years old, shouldn’t you have seen it by now?). Although not as riveting as Star Trek II, the film ably continued the return to the show’s roots that would culminate in the next film.

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Kirk and the rest of the gang go back in time (the mid-1980s to be exact) to save the Earth of the future from destruction by bringing back a pair of humpback whales to communicate with a alien probe that is unknowingly destroying the planet (it makes more sense in context, really). The film is filled with the tongue-in-cheek humor that made the series so entertaining as well as the social consciousness that was at the core of the series’ popularity (though it does tend to be a little in-your-face at times). Things are particularly entertaining when the crew attempts to fit in amidst 20^th century culture. This was one of the more popular entries among fans and easily enjoyed the greatest cross-over success of any of the films to date as it was less sci-fi and more about the relationships amongst the crew.

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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

After the triumph of the last three films (often referred to as the Trilogy by fans), the series was dealt a crippling blow with this plodding and heavy-handed mess. A renegade Vulcan commandeers the Enterprise and takes it on a journey to the mythic center of the universe to search for God. Although the film tries to continue in the tradition of the previous three entries in the series, Shatner's directorial debut (he also co-wrote the script) is a poor follow-up to the Leonard Nimoy-directed third and fourth entries in the series.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The final chapter in the series to feature the entire “classic” Star Trek crew is a somewhat successful return to the triumphs of the earlier films. When the film begins, the Federation and the Klingon Empire are preparing a much-needed peace summit but Kirk has his doubts about the true intentions of the Federation's longtime enemies. When a Klingon ship is attacked, Kirk and the Enterprise crew, who are accused of the crime, must try to find the real perpetrator. As is typical of the series, the film highlights current events – such as glasnost in this instance – in its plotlines. Nicholas Meyer returns to the director’s chair (he also directed Wrath of Khan and wrote the screenplay for The Voyage Home).

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Star Trek: Generations

The sci-fi phenomena continues with the first film spun off from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In an effort to bridge the two series, Captain Kirk is propelled into the future thanks to an explosion and manages to hook up with current Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) just in time to save the galaxy from the villainous Dr. Soren (Malcolm McDowell). For comic relief, android Data (Brent Spiner) gets an emotion chip and proceeds to ham it up when onscreen. Terrific special effects and a grandiose death scene for the heroic Kirk (albeit with a rather unsatisfactory finale) make this an entertaining yet ultimately unrewarding romp. Not the best of the Next Generation films, but certainly not the worst.

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Star Trek: First Contact

The eighth big-screen Trek saga is firmly in the hands of the Next Generation cast as Picard and the Enterprise crew crosses paths with the Borg and their sinister Queen. It's hard to tell whether the cry of "Resistance is Futile" is coming from the Borg, or the Trek franchise itself, as this installment succeeds in appealing to all audiences with its "less techo-babble, more action" approach and the overall quality of the performances. The Borg attempt to change history by traveling back in time (to 2063) to prevent the human discovery of warp drive. Trademark effects, humor, and idealism are in abundant supply and are able to please the long-time fan as well as the neophyte.

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Star Trek: Insurrection

In the ninth film, Captain Picard rushes to Data’s rescue when the android seemingly goes berserk while on a scientific mission to investigate the peaceful Ba'ku. What Picard discovers is a planet that's virtually a fountain of youth and a dastardly plan by the Federation and the evil Son'a, led by bitter Ru'afro (F. Murray Abraham), to obtain this secret even though it means destroying the planet to do so. More humor and romance than usual does nothing to help this rather pedestrian entry to the series.

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Star Trek: Nemesis

The franchise thankfully ends its Next Generation incarnation with this disappointing outing. After crew members Riker and Troi get married, the Enterprise heads to Troi’s homeworld for a celebration, but is sidetracked by the discovery of a dismantled Data prototype. Picard then receives word of the Romulans' intention to negotiate peace with the Federation. He smells a rat, and he's right. The insane leader of the Romulans turns out to actually be from Romulus's sister planet Remus, and a clone of Picard. Stewart brings his usual gravitas to the role of Picard, but even he can't save this boring, tired film that effectively killed the franchise until….

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Star Trek

Director J.J. Abrams attempts to reenergizes the franchise by introducing the early Starfleet careers of Kirk, Spock, Scotty, McCoy, and the others in this prequel to not only the film series but the television program as well.

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What do you think? Did we overlook something ultimately redeeming about Star Trek V? Did we not do justice to the brilliance that is Star Trek: Nemesis?

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