Prepare to go Beyond with our Star Trek movies guide
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Yes, this is the one with the whales. In The Search for Spock, the crew did a few things that caused them to be court-martialed. While heading to their trial, they learn that a probe trying to communicate with humpback whales is destroying the earth. The problem is, humpback whales are extinct in this time. They have to travel back to the end of the 20th century to get a pair of them to bring home to their time. Definitely the funniest of the Star Trek films, it was also directed by Leonard Nimoy.
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
The Klingons try to make peace after a catastrophe on one of their worlds, when the Klingon Chancellor (David Warner) is assassinated by some crew from the Enterprise. Kirk is blamed but Spock tries to prove his innocence. He finds out that not everyone on either side is committed to peace. Fun fact: Michael Dorn, who plays Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation, plays the grandfather of his TV character.
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek Generations (1994)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Commander William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) are leaving to be married on Betazed when they discover a strange energy reading near the Roman Neutral Zone. Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) contacts them and sends them on a diplomatic mission to Romulus. The senate has been destroyed in a coup by a Reman named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who is a clone of Picard. Shinzon is aging fast and needs Picard’s blood, so he kidnaps the Captain. The crew discovers an early version of Data named B-4 (haha, get it?) and helps him begin to evolve.
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek (2009)
This film, directed by J.J. Abrams is a complete reboot and takes place in an alternate timeline. The only original cast member to appear is Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Kirk’s life is saved on the day he’s born by the sacrifice of his father. Spock joins Starfleet while Kirk gets into bar fights. Once he joins the academy, he’s accused of cheating in the Kobayashi Maru by Spock. A distress call from Vulcan forces the new crew to work together. Spock runs into an older version of himself who explains that their enemy Nero (Eric Bana) and he are from the future. After the fight, Kirk is promoted to Captain and the older Spock convinces younger Spock to stay in Starfleet.
Star Trek Movies Guide: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the alternate version of Khan, something long speculated by fans. Kirk (who was recently removed from command after violating the Prime Directive) and the Enterprise crew are sent to the Klingon homeward looking for former Starlet member John Harrison (Cumberbatch) who attacks Starfleet Headquarters, killing many senior officers. Kirk and Spock are reinstated on the Enterprise and go after Harrison. Harrison reveals himself to be Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically-engineered superhuman, one of many, who was revived to help develop weapons for a war against the Klingons. The Enterprise crew reveals the duplicity of Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller), who revived Khan. Kirk sacrifices himself (in a reverse of the second Star Trek film) to save the ships, which are plummeting toward Earth, but he is saved with the help of Khan’s regenerative blood. Khan and his fellow superhuman are stored in cryogenic pods.
Which of the Star Trek movies is your favorite? Star Trek Beyond will hit theaters on July 22, 2016.
