Which of the 10 existing Star Trek feature films is your favorite
@alexdiazgranados (678)
United States
February 4, 2007 12:24pm CST
As you may have heard, Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost) are developing an 11th Star Trek feature film. Rumors about its story center on the possibility that it'll be a prequel to the Original Series and will feature Kirk, Spock and McCoy at Starfleet Academy.
Until Star Trek XI is made and released, though, there are 10 movies out there now, based on the first two television series. Some fans tend to see them as one big film series, while others see them as two distinct storylines, linked only loosely by Star Trek: Generations.
My personal favorite is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Yes, there were other good films, and even the weak ones (Star Treks I, V, Generations, Insurrection, and Nemesis) had their good bits, but for me, the literary allusions, the break from Roddenberry's stranglehold on story ideas, and Nicholas Meyer's fresh approach saved the franchise from being defunct after the ponderous Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
To see how I rank the 10 films out on DVD or VHS, please see http://www.epinions.com/content_4328104068.
Now, can you, without the use of Ceti eels as in Star Trek II, tell me which is your favorite Trek feature film and why? (Again, one-liners with just the title will get negative ratings.)
2 people like this
3 responses
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I think "First Contact" is my favorite. The Borg are my favorite star Trek "big bad" and I really enjoyed the interaction between the Borg Queen and Data. The parallel story of the first warp drive was also a fun story that was easy sci-fi...not too scienticically complex while retaining a very human feel.
@alexdiazgranados (678)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Good choice. Of the Next Generation films, First Contact is the best one, and I concur with your reasons. I would also like to add that Jerry Goldsmith's score and the relationship between Capt. Picard and Lily add emotional resonance and dramatic depth to this film.
Thanks for your response!
1 person likes this
@FloatingGum (346)
• United States
9 Feb 07
My favorite was The Undiscovered Country. I just have this thing for Klingons...
Seriously, I like the whole script in that and how it's acted and how it plays out. Yes, Kirk admits he's WRONG about something, he's not GOD and PERFECT. It has a good deal of comedy amid the crisis as well.
I don't think I will like a prequel. These always tend to contradict what's already aired because writers and directors come in with a story to tell rather than looking at the history we already know from the series. I am not optimistic if this is the direction they take.
1 person likes this
@alexdiazgranados (678)
• United States
9 Feb 07
"You've not experienced Shakespeare until you've heard him in the original Klingon."
Interesting how Nick Meyer was able to get creative freedom and tweak Star Trek beyond Roddenberry's somewhat naive "Starfleet captains aren't soldiers, they're explorers" Utopian views and "there can be no conflict between the crew members" dogma. That "social commentary" along these lines was relevant during The Original Series' run from 1966 to 1969 is "sans reproach," as it were, but asking writers to create films without conflict (overt or suggested) was one reason Roddenberry was eased out as Executive Producer of ST-TNG.
As Meyer has said in his audio commentaries to Star Trek II and The Undiscovered Country, he benefited greatly from being a Trek outsider. He was willing to keep what worked from the mythos of Kirk and the Enterprise, but he was compelled to also follow his own path as a storyteller, which is why The Wrath of Khan and your fave film work so damn well.
@handsomeitaliano (1050)
• United States
27 May 09
I can tell you which one was the absolute worst of them all:
http://www.cinemaroll.com/Science-Fiction/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-1979-25-Stars.655225
