When it comes to ranking Star Trek movies from worst to best or least favorite to favorite, many Reddit users are hesitant to jump on a bandwagon. They search for things like acting chops, believable characters, and rich plot points. A tread started by u/NotA_ProCritic gave many fans a forum to express their views.
The debate often hinges on the differences between the first ten films based upon the franchise's first two television efforts and the JJ Abrams' movie trilogy that replaced William Shatner with Chris Pine as the captain of the famed U.S.S. Enterprise. The user rankings are striking because some entries generally less regarded are being given a fair shake.
Star Trek (2009)
The production that perhaps saved a struggling franchise but divided a fanbase. Through Spock's actions to save the Romulan Empire, the "Kelvin Timeline" was created alongside the "Prime Universe" of Trek up until its release. The original characters from the 1960s Star Trek television series were featured with new actors and events which distinguish them separately from the first 10 movies.
The JJ Abrams reboot helped Star Trek find a new audience. Reddit user Gemandrailfan94 pointed out "if you showed the 2009 movie to someone who's never even heard of Star Trek, that person would get the general idea of what Trek is all about." The film was well-received by critics scoring 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Star Trek Generations (1994)
More than a decade prior, the franchise attempted to retool by having a crossover movie between the original series and The Next Generation. However, only three members of the original crew, including William Shatner's Kirk, returned for act one. By act three, Captains James T. Kirk and Jean Luc Picard join forces to thwart a mad scientist from obtaining entry into the Nexus, a timeless realm of existence comparable to Heaven.
One Redditor is divided over the film's merits. Left Liner felt "(Dr.) Soran was a great villain and the sequence where the Enterprise D crashes is amazing." Despite this, their overall impression was "there was absolutely no need to make a movie where TOS hands the baton to TNG."
Star Trek Nemesis (2002)
The TNG crew went out with a bit of a whimper. A major character was killed off at the climax. It presented a good-evil duality by introducing a clone of Picard as the new head of the Romulan Empire. In the end, the antagonist fails because each man's experiences dwarfed the other.
ShaunLevi1995 was delighted that "evil Picard played by Bane was cool. The film's saving grace." He was referring to Tom Hardy of The Dark Knight Rises. His sentiments seem to reflect those of the venerable Roger Ebert who after viewing the film felt the Star Trek franchise had run its course.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
It's interesting many Redditors have mixed feelings regarding the first attempt to launch Trek on the big screen. In many ways, it echoes 2001: A Space Odyssey with its long continuous cut scenes in space, bringing a sense of foreboding. When the mystery unfolds, the crew finds evidence of symbiosis between an alien entity and a lost Earth satellite, essentially a Deus Ex Machina.
Redditor Pickelsurprise gave TMP high marks for effort. "This one has some really good sci-fi, but it's just so boring and drawn out until the V'ger story really hits its stride." The V'ger story harkens back to TOS episode "The Changeling" where an Earth probe, Nomad, merged with an alien consciousness in search of its creator.
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
The middle edition of the unofficial original series trilogy is another mixed bag. The title implies Spock will be found and resurrected despite his death in The Wrath of Khan. Kirk and company take action when Starfleet won't and steal the Enterprise in what seems like an "ends justifies the means" cliche. Ultimately, they are proved correct, but their victory comes with great cost.
Redditor Left Liner feels the film missed several opportunities with "a weak villain and it needed an obstacle to get to Spock that was more thematically interwoven in the main plot." Christopher Lloyd bore the honor of carrying the title of main villain, Kruge the Klingon commander.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
This Star Trek ranking makes no logical sense. After all, this is the one with Spock's zealot half-brother who takes hostages in a bid to acquire the Enterprise to satisfy his need to answer the universe's biggest mystery, "Is God really out there?" The William Shatner-directed outing typically does not find the top five of any fan's analysis.
Yet, one Redditor thought one aspect of the movie was relatable more than three decades after its release. ShaunLevi1995 concedes "the premise is kind of silly, but I love the scenes of the three friends together." He refers to the sequences depicting Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy in Yosemite National Park.
Star Trek First Contact (1996)
This story picks up where the TNG two-part episode "The Best Of Both Worlds," which introduced audiences to the Borg, left off. To safeguard their timeline, Captain Picard and crew must travel back in time to ensure the day humans have their first extraterrestrial encounter proceeds as scheduled.
Redditor u/NotA_ProCritic summed up the plot with a simple analysis writing "this movie gives an origin story to basically Star Trek." It follows up on a TOS episode "Metamorphosis" that first introduced Zefram Cochrane as the inventor of warp drive, however, did not go into intimate detail as to what events transpired after. This movie and Star Trek: Enterprise filled in the blanks.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Often branded for its social commentary about saving a pair of Humpback whales, this entry also takes advantage of yet, another time-travel trope to solve a 23rd century crisis with a 20th century solution. The whales are the key to communicating with a mysterious probe raking havoc on Earth. In addition, the crew must reconstitute their power source from an aircraft carrier coincidently named Enterprise.
The surprisingly light-hearted nature of the plot enticed one Redditor to place this title among the most revered in all science fiction. Randyboozer contends "it's the Back to the Future of Trek and its great." That kind of praise and company certainly qualifies it for the bronze medal of all franchise films.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
As if it were pre-destined to coincide with the end of the Cold War, the original series crew went out on a high note by rekindling the central theme of the television series, a contrast between western nations and the Soviet Union. On their final mission aboard the Enterprise, Kirk and crew must unravel a clandestine conspiracy between elements of Starfleet and their arch enemy, the Klingons, to prevent intergalactic war.
Redditor Left Liner declared it "a beautiful send-off to the TOS crew and a fantastic allegory..." adding "the end fight is gorgeous, tense, and meaningful," referring to the Battle of Khitomer between the Enterprise, newly promoted Captain Sulu's U.S.S. Excelsior, and General Chang's (Christopher Plummer) prototype Bird of Prey with a unique ability to fire when cloaked.
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)
It should come as no surprise that the continuation of TOS episode "Space Seed" was Reddit's top-ranked Trek film. It plays with multiple genre formula like gory imagery in a horror flick to a cat and mouse game as if space were the desert of the American West. Basically, Khan Noonien Singh has thought only of revenge against Captain Kirk and the Enterprise for fifteen years. However, his genetically enhanced ego also wants ultimate power found in a terraforming project called Genesis.
Redditor Sionhanellis labeled it a "fabulous story," and asked "who can ever go past Ricardo Montelban as Khan?" Abrams reinterpreted the character with British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, for 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. His character traits were similar, but the film flopped at the box office.