Every Star Trek Movie Ranked Worst To Best

"Star Trek" is easily one of the most influential science fiction franchises in history. Over half a century in, the saga's optimistic vision of the future continues to inspire new generations of storytellers. When Gene Roddenberry's original series debuted in 1966, its sci-fi mythology of a future where mankind has moved past racism, sexism, and bigotry was an absolute game changer. Not only was "Star Trek" progressive in a social sense, but the invented elements preceded real developments in science and space travel.

After the original series was canceled after its third season, the journey to reach the big screen was more tumultuous. A follow-up television project titled "Star Trek: Phase II" had been in development, but the record-breaking success of "Star Wars" in 1977 indicated that audiences would turn out in mass for science fiction films. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" united the original cast for a new adventure, and they would go on to star in five direct sequels.

As the original cast aged into their roles on the big screen, "Star Trek" returned to the small screen, as well, when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" debuted in 1987. After a successful seven-season run and following the conclusion of the original crew's story onscreen, "The Next Generation" cast starred in four films of their own. The franchise languished in development hell in the early 21st Century, but a new trilogy recast the original series characters.

Here is every "Star Trek" movie, ranked worst to best.

"The Next Generation" cast had both the benefit and the handicap of moving to the big screen after their story had been completed on television. Unlike the original series, which was cut short in its prime, "The Next Generation" had developed each of its characters well throughout a seven-season run that produced many of the greatest moments in "Star Trek" history. Unfortunately, this dynamic was never fully captured cinematically; "The Next Generation" was more of an ensemble show than the original series, which tended to mostly focus on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. While this made "The Next Generation" a stronger prolonged television show, balancing a larger cast was harder to do within the two-hour window of a film.

"Insurrection" is the lowest point in "The Next Generation" cast's films because its story wouldn't even stand out amidst the television run. The metaphor of a "Fountain of Youth" planet and the conflicts it causes with the "Prime Directive" had already been done better on the show. "Insurrection" barely progresses any of the characters, who all appear as caricatures of their more developed personalities. In particular, forcing Captain Picard and Data into a dynamic reminiscent of Kirk and Spock's relationship contradicted their depiction on the show.

Although the film's budget was significantly higher, the action was uninspired. Director Jonathan Frakes attempted a more light-hearted tone reminiscent of "The Voyage Home," but the attempts at humor were awkward and unfunny. "Insurrection's" biggest crime is being very, very boring.

While "Generations" isn't as boring as "Insurrection" or as big and stupid as "Nemesis," the first incarnation of "The Next Generation" crew on the big screen is a complete embarrassment that fundamentally did not understand the appeal of the landmark sequel series. Beloved characters who had been well developed throughout the show's run are largely relegated to the background in an installment that tries to turn Picard into an action hero. Compared to the well-reasoned, intelligent ship captain that he is in the series, Picard appears in "Generations" as a brash and reckless character. It was an attempt to fit Stewart into Shatner's shoes, when in actuality Kirk and Picard are radically different characters.

Even more confusing is the film's use of Kirk himself. The concept of the two captains working together was an exciting possibility, but Kirk overstays his welcome and takes away the narrative focus from "The Next Generation" crew. Kirk's presence is also awkward given the proper sendoff he received in "The Undiscovered Country," and his meeting with Picard himself is massively underwhelming. At the very least, the opening scene where Kirk takes control of the "USS Enterprise-B" shows a more mature version of the iconic ship captain. This is contradicted in the film's terrible ending, which disrespects the character's legacy.

In hindsight, the fact that "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" went in a more slowly paced, spiritual direction is simultaneously one of the boldest and most baffling decisions in the entire franchise. After the success of "Star Wars," it made sense that audiences would turn out to see the "Star Trek" crew on the big screen for an action-packed adventure. "The Motion Picture" is not that at all; the philosophical exploration of identity, overreliance on technology, and faith in institutions were much closer to the artsier sci-fi fare of "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Solaris." Not only was it radically different than the spectacle of "Star Wars," but the more mature direction of "The Motion Picture" wasn't anything like the original series itself.

The result is a fascinating combination of heady science fiction themes and a fan-pleasing reunion of the original series cast. A decade had passed since the show had been taken off air, and suitably the characters had grown into different roles. Kirk still had signs of the brash captain he was in his younger years, but as an Admiral he's saddled with more responsibility. Spock's reintroduction to his old colleagues after spending time studying his people's culture on his homeworld is thoughtfully handled.

Unfortunately, the methodical pacing and reliance on spectacle haven't aged well. Laborious time is entirely dedicated to depicting the visual effects in prolonged space sequences.

After the divisive response to "Star Trek Into Darkness" and the more action-centric direction of the "Kelvin Timeline" series, the third installment scaled things back for a more contained sci-fi adventure. Chris Pine had matured into the role of Kirk beyond his more eccentric depiction in the previous two films, and here he both wrestles with his father's legacy and considers what life beyond the captain's chair would look like.

"Star Trek Beyond" masterfully divides the crew and gives each character a moment to shine. After a stunning sequence in which the alien leader Krall (Idris Elba) attacks the "Enterprise," crashing the crew on a mysterious jungle planet, the crew is paired off as they search for Krall's base. In particular, seeing Bones (Karl Urban) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) interact works very well, as the pair share some great humorous banter. There is also time made for more serious moments that thoughtfully honor the passing of Leonard Nimoy.

The thought of anyone but the original cast taking on the original series seemed unthinkable, and a prequel adventure threatened to cause further hiccups in the mythology, which was already complex enough. However, J.J. Abrams found a creative way to introduce an alternate timeline set in the "Kelvin" universe that opened the franchise up again and even brought Leonard Nimoy back as the elder Spock Prime, who becomes Kirk's mentor.

2009's "Star Trek" does a great job balancing the entire cast and giving each equal screen time, but the heart of the story is the relationship between Kirk and Spock. It's fascinating to see how the adversarial relationship transforms into a friendship, and Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto honor their predecessors without simply impersonating them. The 2009 film has one of the best opening sequences in the franchise, which establishes how Kirk's father (Chris Hemsworth) left a lasting legacy for his son to uphold. Unfortunately, "Star Trek" does lose some points for its underwhelming villain, Captain Nero (Eric Bana).

"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" is the most comedic entry in the series, and the fish-out-of-water humor of seeing the "Enterprise" crew in modern California offered many sharp satirical insights. While the environmental storyline of the crew capturing the sound of whales (which have become extinct in the future) in order to destroy an alien probe is ridiculous, "The Voyage Home" treats the importance of animal rights with earnestness.

There's a lot of great self-aware humor that pokes fun at the cliches of Federation procedures as Kirk and Spock venture through modern San Francisco, including a hilarious sequence where Spock dispatches with a rowdy bus rider. It also has one of the most satisfying endings of any film in the series, which sees Kirk praised for his heroism, but demoted from the Admiral position and back into his old captain's chair. It was a great wrap-up to the story arc of "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search for Spock" that set the crew up for further adventures.