Here we are at the conclusion of this 5-Part celebration of 50 years of Star Trek. Each day this week we looked at the each television series ending yesterday with the original. Today, it’s all about the films. Since 1979 there has been 13 feature films grossing over 2.2 billion dollars at the box-office.
The Original Series films (1979 to 1991)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) ***
This is the one that started it all. When a mysterious and destructive entity advances towards Earth, Starfleet command dispatches the Enterprise to intercept. I feel like I’m in the minority but The Motion Picture is one of my least favorite films. TMP is very slow moving in building any kind of sustainable momentum. And those uniforms, I hated those uniforms.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) ****
A sequel to the classic episode “Space Seed” where we first met Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) when he tried to seize control of the Enterprise only to be stopped by Kirk and crew. Hands down in my mind and with all due respect to the Borg, Khan is the greatest villain in Star Trek history. There isn’t a fan that hasn’t quoted Khan at least once. This film also marked the film debut of Kristie Alley as the Vulcan Saavik. Not only does Wrath of Khan present Trek’s greatest villain, it also gives us its most moving and human moment ever… the death of Spock. To this day, that scene between Kirk and Spock makes me sad. As Kirk would say… KHANNNNNN!!!
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) ***1/2
The ongoing joke about the Star Trek films was that all the even ones were good and the odd ones not so much. The Search for Spock turns out to be the best of the odd numbered films. It’s also the first direct sequel to a previous film. After Spock’s death, we learn that his katra, his soul if you will had been transferred into McCoy. No Kirk must find a way to save both his friends and fight off a renegade Klingon in the process. Directed by Leonard Nimoy and co-starring Christopher Lloyd as that aforementioned Klingon Commander Kruge, this film had its share of memorable moments. From the stealing of the Enterprise, to Kirk’s “no-win scenario” decision to destroy his ship in order to survive, to finally the emergence of Spock himself. We’re reminded that sometimes the needs of the one, outweigh the needs of the many.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) ****
Perhaps the greatest save the whales movie of all-time. After taking two serious turns with the previous films, The Voyage Home once again directed by Leonard Nimoy, takes a lighthearted approach with this time traveling story. While returning home to face court-martial after the events of The Search for Spock, Kirk and crew receive a distress message from Earth regarding an attack by a large probe. Spock concludes that the only way to answer the probe is with humpback whales. The problem is, they were extinct. Now the crew of the Enterprise must travel back to the 20thcentury and bring some whales back home with the help from a marine biologist (Catherine Hicks). This films was so much fun whether its Chekov’s search for Nuclear Wessels or Spock’s attempt at colorful metaphors, The Voyage Homeputs a wonderful bow on a story arc that began with The Wrath of Khan and ending with as McCoy would say, two humpback whales telling some probe what to do with itself.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) ***
The Final Frontier was William Shatner’s turn at the director’s chair and let’s just say he makes a better captain. What does God need with a Starship? While I agree this film has some problems both visually and with its forced comedic timing, it has grown on me over the years. When Spock’s half-brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) believes he knows where to find God and communicate with him, he leads a band of believers into hijacking the Enterprise and its crew to get there. Throw in an ambitious Klingon captain (Todd Bryant) set on fighting Kirk, you have a film with lots more potential than what was realized. Here’s a tidbit, Sean Connery was the original choice to play Sybok but declined due to filming Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Connery did however play a role in the film in a most creative way. The writers used the name Sha Ka Ree, as the name where God resides. Say the name quickly and you’ll see what I mean.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) ****When the Klingon moon blows up; it sends a rippling effect that will reshape both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. With war no longer an option, the Klingons seek peace with the Federation. That peace comes at a stiff price when the Klingon Chancellor (David Warner) gets assassinated by crewmen of the Enterprise and the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff (Christopher Plummer) holds Kirk and McCoy responsible. Now, it’s up to Spock to prove that they’re innocent before another attempt is made this time with Kirk and McCoy as the targets. The Undiscovered Country was the perfect sendoff to the original crew and the perfect bridge to the Next Generation. It was a nice casting touch by adding TNG’s Michael Dorn to play his own grandfather defending Kirk and McCoy during the trial. The climax between the Klingon Bird of Prey and both the Enterprise and the Excelsior is one of the best moments in the motion picture series.
The Next Generation films (1994 to 2002)
Star Trek Generations (1994) ***1/2This is the first film to not feature the original crew. Although, three members do have cameos, Mr. Scott, Mr. Chekov and of course Captain Kirk. If it wasn’t for the hype, this movie could have and probably should rank higher among all the films. The dream of Kirk and Picard meeting and fighting a common enemy (Malcom McDowell) was a formula made in space heaven. Unfortunately the execution left too much to be desired. Kirk appears in the beginning and disappears literally until the climax of the film. In between, Generations feels too much like an episode of TNG than a big screen adventure. When the two Captains finally do meet, it was fun to watch and it makes you wonder what could have been.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) ****Directed by Jonathan Frakes, First Contact is by far and away the best of the Next Generation films and perhaps one of the very best period showcasing a superior villain in the Borg. Seeing Picard channeling his inner Kirk was awesome to see. When confronted as to why stay and fight, Picard answered with, “The line must be drawn here… no further will we go.” That’s what a Captain should say. It’s too bad that the two films that would follow couldn’t match the intensity or the sense of urgency that First Contact displayed. This film showed why TNG was a well-written and well-acted sci-fi series. Resisting this film would be futile.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) ***Here the Prime Directive gets challenged when the crew of the Enterprise discovers that Starfleet has conspired with an alien species (led by F. Murray Abraham) to relocate inhabitants from their planet in order to gain control of the planet’s natural resources. In the end Insurrection proved to be slightly better the last film of this series but not by much.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) **1/2Nemesis was the last film featuring Picard’s crew and unfortunately for the franchise, it was the least satisfying. The premise of a Picard clone (Tom Hardy) that was both human and Romulan had so much potential. Then they started filming and it went downhill from there. It’s ashamed that this is turned out to be the final voyage for the Next Generation crew. After seven seasons and four films, it should have been better.
“Reboot” films (2009 to Present)
Star Trek (2009) ****
It had been seven years since the last Trek film arrived in theaters. Now with director J.J. Abrams at the helm a new and re-imagined Star Trek universe was reborn. A new and fresh take on the franchise with a young Kirk (Chris Pine) and a young Spock (Zachary Quinto) leading the way. When Vulcan is destroyed by Romulans from the future, it’s up to Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to save Earth from suffering a similar fate. This film is a reboot of sorts but unlike a true reboot that resets the mythology, this universe takes place in an “alternate reality” of the original. It uses time travel to alter timeline. Leonard Nimoy appears as Ambassador Spock to bridge the two realities. This is one of the very best films made for this franchise and I love the camaraderie that gets established in this film and those that will follow.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) ***1/2
The legacy that creator Gene Roddenberry had for Star Trek has always been to mirror the real world we live in and put a science fiction spin on it. This latest installment honors that legacy by questioning the moral implications against an unknown enemy and the consequences of such decisions. This is by far the most politically aware Trek film ever made. Its social commentary parallel’s today’s post 9/11 world.
The plot is very simple: A branch of Starfleet headquarters out of London comes under a terror attack by one of “their own”, the mysterious John Harrison (played hauntingly wonderful by Benedict Cumberbatch). It turns out to be just a red herring as the main target would be the main Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco and a gathering of the senior staff of Captains and their First Officers in order to cripple the Federation to its core. Harrison would turn out to be the re-imagined version of Khan made famous by the late Ricardo Montalban from the original series and Wrath of Khan film.
As with Wrath of Khan, a final sacrifice is made but instead of Spock, it’s Kirk who decides that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.
Star Trek Beyond (2016) ***1/2
It’s been three years into their five-year mission and doubt starts to settle in for both Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) regarding their true purpose. That all changes or at the very least sidetracked when a rescue mission goes horribly wrong. After a surprise attack by a race of alien warriors, Kirk and what remains of the Enterprise crew are marooned on a distant planet with no hope of survival. With Kirk and company now separated, he aligns himself with Jayla (Sofia Boutella) who herself has been marooned as they race against time to stop Krall (Idris Elba), a lizard-like creature hell-bent with a personal vendetta on destroying the Federation. Star Trek Beyond was directed by Justin Lin and co-written by Simon Pegg.
On a sad note, this would mark Anton Yelchin’s (Chekov) last film. He died tragically in an automobile accident on June 19, 2016. A fourth film for this franchise has already been approved but no release date has been set as of yet. Early word has Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as Kirk’s father.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
