The Star Trek franchise has spawned 13 films to date. Following the adventures of the Original Series, The Next Generation, or Kelvin timeline crew, each movie has expanded the already complex universe of Star Trek.
These are the top ten so far, and some of the rankings may surprise you.
10. Star Trek: Beyond
The worst of the Kelvin timeline films, Star Trek: Beyond is still worth a watch. With a confused plot involving veteran British actor Idris Elba as ex-human warlord Krall, Star Trek: Beyond moves from one action set piece to another. While the Kelvin timeline movies are all watchable, they lack the character development of the Original Series and The Next Generation films. This is no surprise, as those actors spent years working with one another on the shows.
9. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek: The Final Frontier is nowhere near as bad as everyone says. For some Trekkies, it is where “Shatner ruined the franchise”, but the decision to let William Shatner write and direct the fifth Star Trek film was not a total disaster. There are some goofy moments and some of the sets and effects do look low budget, however Star Trek: The Final Frontier probably has the best character-focused plot of any of the films. It is essentially a buddy movie set in space with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy trinity arguing about everything from middle age to how to break out of a holding cell.
While it certainly isn’t great, Star Trek: The Final Frontier does have some good scenes. For anyone interested in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it is necessary viewing, as Spock’s half-brother Sybok has returned in that show.
8. Star Trek: Into Darkness
The second of the Kelvin timeline films, Star Trek: Into Darkness gives us a reimagined Khan (played by the ever-popular Benedict Cumberbatch). Kirk and the crew take the genetically modified superman on, but this time it is Kirk who makes the supreme sacrifice for the good of the many.
7. Star Trek (2009)
Beating Star Trek: Into Darkness by a whisker is the first of the Kelvin timeline films, Star Trek (2009), which has the edge in terms of character development and plot. There is a get a good measure of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy’s backstory, and we see Kirk grow from a carefree irresponsible youth into one of the greatest Federation captains of them all. Eric Bana plays a surprisingly nuanced villain who is seeking revenge for the loss of his family and way of life.
6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
An embittered Kirk must safeguard a peace treaty with the Klingons. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a good, solid adventure film with plenty of tense moments and great character interactions. The movie came out in 1991, however, and the Original Series cast were showing their age by then. Everyone could see the writing on the wall, and there were already plans for the The Next Generation actors to take over film duties. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is still a fine offering, tightly plotted, and featuring a memorable bad guy in the form of Christopher Plummer who plays a Shakespeare-obsessed Klingon warmonger.
5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Yes, it’s the one with the whales. Directed by Leonard Nimoy (who plays Spock), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a well-plotted, big-budget Star Trek movie that leans heavily on comedy. After the serious nature of the first three films this was unexpected, but audiences of the time loved it. A powerful alien probe threatens to destroy Earth unless the crew of the Enterprise goes back in time to kidnap some whales. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is full of hilarious scenes: Spock performs a Vulcan nerve pinch on a troublesome thug; McCoy uses his medical tricorder to cure half the patients in a hospital; and Chekov gets caught by the CIA. Not to mention Scotty has an engineering headache trying to transport the giant creatures into the ship’s cargo bay.
4. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Receiving mixed reviews upon release, Star Trek‘s first attempt at breaking into films is enjoying something of a reappreciation among Trekkies. Drawing clear inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is all about big-budget effects, lingering shots of the Enterprise, and a subdued slow-burning plot.
Shatner manages to hold all this together and create a memorable performance. This is not the Kirk of the TV show, with the character becoming more realistic and far less sure of himself. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit screens in 1979, Star Wars was at the height of its popularity and people were expecting space battles, big explosions, and phasers set to kill. What they got was a thoughtful, lengthy movie with strong character arcs.
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock picks up where Wrath of Khan left off and is basically a continuation of that movie. With Spock presumed dead and the Genesis device up for grabs, Kirk must save his friend and confront his old enemy, the Klingons. Building on the success of the previous film, audiences wanted more space battles and tense scenes. Though good, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was a let down compared to Wrath of Khan, so it comes third on the list.
2. Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is easily the best of the The Next Generation era movies. Star Trek: Generations suffered from a weak plot and a sense of uncertainty about itself. Star Trek: First Contact is very much about the Next Generation era characters, and the Borg return as the ultimate unfeeling, genocidal swarm out to assimilate everything and everyone. Patrick Stewart gives an excellent performance, showcasing Captain Picard’s weaknesses and many strengths.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan is the best film on this list for good reason. With tight plotting and good character work, it displays a sense of urgency that The Motion Picture lacked.
Admiral Kirk is sent to a remote research station where scientists are developing a potential weapon of awesome power: the Genesis device. There he confronts an old enemy in the form of the genetically engineered megalomaniac Khan (played brilliantly by Ricardo Montalban). Kirk sent Khan and his gang of followers into exile on a harsh planet decades ago, but never checked on their progress. With many of his people dead, Khan is out for Kirk’s blood (and that of his kin). He steals a Federation ship (the Reliant) and sets up an epic confrontation with the Enterprise, managing to severely damage Kirk’s ship, but Kirk doesn’t believe in a no-win scenario and sets about using all his old tricks to keep himself and his people alive.
Epic lines, including the infinitely meme-able “Khaaaan!” scream, ensured the film’s place in the popular imagination. Spock’s touching death scene, meanwhile, is one of the most dramatic in all of Star Trek. Just remember that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few… or the one.