List of Star Trek films
Encyclopedia
The Star Trek
film series is the cinema
tic branch of the Star Trek media franchise, which began in 1966 as a weekly television show
on NBC
,
running for three seasons until it was canceled in 1969 because of poor ratings. Reruns of the series proved to be wildly successful in syndication during the 1970s, which persuaded the show's owner, Paramount Pictures
, to expand the franchise.
Paramount originally began work on a Star Trek feature film in 1975 after lobbying by the creator of the franchise, Gene Roddenberry
. The studio scrapped the project two years later in favor of creating a TV series, Star Trek: Phase II
, with the original cast. However, following the huge success of Star Wars
and Close Encounters
, Paramount would change its mind again, halting production on the TV series and adapting its pilot episode into the 1979 Star Trek feature film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
. Five more films featuring the entire original cast followed. The cast of the 1987–1994 spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation
starred in a further four films. A reboot to the original television series, simply titled Star Trek, was released in May 2009, and a sequel has been announced as in development.
The Star Trek films have received critically mixed reviews, and received 14 Academy Award nominations (winning one in 2010
). Four of the previous films had been nominated mainly in the areas of makeup, music, set design, and sound design.
The early Star Trek films were originally released on VHS; competitive pricing of The Wrath of Khans videocassette helped bolster the adoption of VHS players in households. Later films were also released on LaserDisc as well. For those films that did not receive an initial DVD release, Paramount released simple one-disc versions with no special features. Later, the first ten films were released in two-disc collector's versions, with The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan branded as "director's cut
s", followed by later box set releases. The films are now available on Blu-ray high definition discs.
. The box office success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind
convinced Paramount that science fiction films other than Star Wars
could do well at the box office, so the studio canceled production of Phase II and resumed its attempts at making a Star Trek film.
Principal photography for Star Trek: The Motion Picture
commenced August 7, 1978 with director Robert Wise
helming the feature. The production encountered difficulties and slipped behind schedule. Paramount had approached Douglas Trumbull
and John Dykstra
to handle the film's optical effects, but each was busy or unwilling. The production instead went with Robert Abel and Associates
, who proved unable to handle the film's large amount of effects work. Trumbull was hired and given a blank check to complete the effects work in time; the final cut of the film was completed just in time for the film's premiere in Washington, DC. The film received mixed reviews from critics; while it grossed $139 million, the film's price tag had climbed to about $46 million due to costly effects work and delays.
, he was "kicked upstairs" to a ceremonial role while Paramount brought in television producer Harve Bennett
to craft a better—and cheaper—film than the first feature. After watching all the television episodes, Bennett decided that the character of Khan Noonien Singh
was the perfect villain for the new film. Nicholas Meyer
became director after he finished a complete screenplay in just twelve days. Meyer did everything possible within budget to give The Wrath of Khan a nautical, swashbuckling feel, which he described as "Horatio Hornblower in outer space." Upon release, the reception of The Wrath of Khan was highly positive; Entertainment Weekly
s Mark Bernadin called The Wrath of Khan, "the film that, by most accounts, saved Star Trek as we know it".
Meyer declined to return for the next film, so directing duties were given to cast member Leonard Nimoy
for the third film. Paramount gave Bennett the green light to write Star Trek III the day after The Wrath of Khan opened. The producer penned a resurrection story for Spock that built on threads from the previous film and the original series episode "Amok Time".
Nimoy remained director for the next film in the series. Nimoy and Bennett wanted a film with a lighter tone that did not have a classic antagonist. They decided on a time travel
story with the Enterprise crew returning to their past to retrieve something to save their present—eventually, humpback whales. After being dissatisfied with the script written by Daniel Petrie, Jr., Paramount hired Meyer to rewrite the screenplay with Bennett's help. Meyer drew upon his own time travel story Time After Time for elements of the script.
Shatner was promised his turn as director for Star Trek V.
The Next Generation cast Both the sixth and seventh film acted as transitions between the films featuring the original cast and those with the cast of Next Generation with the sixth focusing on the original cast and the seventh focusing on the TNG cast. (See Films below.) The Next Generation cast made four films over a period of eight years, with the last two performing only moderately well at the box office.
, the franchise's executive producer Rick Berman
and screenwriter Erik Jendresen
began developing a new film, entitled Star Trek: The Beginning, which would take place after Enterprise but before The Original Series. J. J. Abrams
, the producer of Cloverfield
and creator of Lost
, was a Star Wars
fan as a child and confessed that the Star Trek franchise "disconnected" for him. In February 2007, Abrams accepted Paramount's offer to direct the new Star Trek film, having been previously attached as producer. Roberto Orci
and Alex Kurtzman
wrote a script that impressed Abrams, featuring new actors portraying younger versions of the original series cast. The Enterprise, its interior, and the original uniforms were redesigned. While the film was ready for a December 2008 release, Paramount chose to move the film's opening to May 8, 2009. The film earned over $350 million worldwide (from a solid $75.2 million opening weekend, higher than 1996's Star Trek: First Contact
), and surpassed Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
as the highest grossing film in the series. The sequel was greenlit even before the first one opened, and Paramount plans to release the film (the twelfth in the franchise) May 17th, 2013.
The reboot also has the distinction of being the first film in the franchise to win an Academy Award. It won for Best Makeup in 2010.
Fans commonly considered the films to follow a "curse" that even-numbered films were better than the odd-numbered installments. The tenth film, Nemesis, was considered the even film that defied the curse. The failure of Nemesis and subsequent success of the Star Trek reboot is considered to have broken the trend. The curse is well-known enough that it has been mentioned often in pop culture. One of the best known occurred in a 1999 episode of the Channel 4
sitcom Spaced
, where it was referenced by Tim Bisley, played by Simon Pegg
: Pegg, quite conscious of the irony, played Scotty
in the reboot film.
In 2001, Paramount Pictures
released the first film on DVD, which was redone with new computerized special effects to better satisfy the vision of Robert Wise
. The Director's Edition was an enormous success and Paramount released the rest of the films on 2-disc special edition DVDs. The second and sixth film in these special editions were slightly extended. The cinematic versions were only on the basic DVDs.
The films were released on Blu-ray
, with the original cast's films (I-VI) and The Next Generations released in separate collections.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
film series is the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
tic branch of the Star Trek media franchise, which began in 1966 as a weekly television show
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
,
running for three seasons until it was canceled in 1969 because of poor ratings. Reruns of the series proved to be wildly successful in syndication during the 1970s, which persuaded the show's owner, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, to expand the franchise.
Paramount originally began work on a Star Trek feature film in 1975 after lobbying by the creator of the franchise, Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
. The studio scrapped the project two years later in favor of creating a TV series, Star Trek: Phase II
Star Trek: Phase II
Star Trek: Phase II was a planned television series based on the characters of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, which had run from 1966 to 1969. It was set to air in early 1978 on a proposed Paramount Television Service...
, with the original cast. However, following the huge success of Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
and Close Encounters
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
, Paramount would change its mind again, halting production on the TV series and adapting its pilot episode into the 1979 Star Trek feature film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
. Five more films featuring the entire original cast followed. The cast of the 1987–1994 spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
starred in a further four films. A reboot to the original television series, simply titled Star Trek, was released in May 2009, and a sequel has been announced as in development.
The Star Trek films have received critically mixed reviews, and received 14 Academy Award nominations (winning one in 2010
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
). Four of the previous films had been nominated mainly in the areas of makeup, music, set design, and sound design.
The early Star Trek films were originally released on VHS; competitive pricing of The Wrath of Khans videocassette helped bolster the adoption of VHS players in households. Later films were also released on LaserDisc as well. For those films that did not receive an initial DVD release, Paramount released simple one-disc versions with no special features. Later, the first ten films were released in two-disc collector's versions, with The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan branded as "director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
s", followed by later box set releases. The films are now available on Blu-ray high definition discs.
Origins
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first suggested the idea of a Star Trek feature in 1969. When the original television series was cancelled, he lobbied to continue the franchise through a film. The success of the series in syndication convinced the studio to begin work on a feature film in 1975. A series of writers attempted to craft a suitably epic script, but the attempts did not satisfy Paramount, so the studio scrapped the project in 1977. Paramount instead planned on returning the franchise to its roots with a new television series, Star Trek: Phase IIStar Trek: Phase II
Star Trek: Phase II was a planned television series based on the characters of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, which had run from 1966 to 1969. It was set to air in early 1978 on a proposed Paramount Television Service...
. The box office success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
convinced Paramount that science fiction films other than Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
could do well at the box office, so the studio canceled production of Phase II and resumed its attempts at making a Star Trek film.
Principal photography for Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
commenced August 7, 1978 with director Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
helming the feature. The production encountered difficulties and slipped behind schedule. Paramount had approached Douglas Trumbull
Douglas Trumbull
Douglas Huntley Trumbull is an American film director, special effects supervisor, and inventor. He contributed to, or was responsible for, the special photographic effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner and The Tree of...
and John Dykstra
John Dykstra
John Charles Dykstra, A.S.C. is an Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor and pioneer in the development of the use of computers in filmmaking.-Education and early career:...
to handle the film's optical effects, but each was busy or unwilling. The production instead went with Robert Abel and Associates
Robert Abel and Associates
Robert Abel and Associates was a pioneering production company specializing in TV commercials made with computer graphics. Robert Abel's company, RA&A was especially known for their art direction and won many Clio Awards....
, who proved unable to handle the film's large amount of effects work. Trumbull was hired and given a blank check to complete the effects work in time; the final cut of the film was completed just in time for the film's premiere in Washington, DC. The film received mixed reviews from critics; while it grossed $139 million, the film's price tag had climbed to about $46 million due to costly effects work and delays.
The Original Series cast
The Motion Pictures gross was considered disappointing, but it was enough for Paramount to back a sequel, though with a reduced budget. After Gene Roddenberry pitched a sequel to The Motion Picture in which the crew of the Enterprise goes back in time to ensure the assassination of John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, he was "kicked upstairs" to a ceremonial role while Paramount brought in television producer Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett is an American television and film producer and screenwriter.-Early years:...
to craft a better—and cheaper—film than the first feature. After watching all the television episodes, Bennett decided that the character of Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" , Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more...
was the perfect villain for the new film. Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist, known best for his best-selling novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature film series, and the 1983 television movie The Day After.Meyer graduated from...
became director after he finished a complete screenplay in just twelve days. Meyer did everything possible within budget to give The Wrath of Khan a nautical, swashbuckling feel, which he described as "Horatio Hornblower in outer space." Upon release, the reception of The Wrath of Khan was highly positive; Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Mark Bernadin called The Wrath of Khan, "the film that, by most accounts, saved Star Trek as we know it".
Meyer declined to return for the next film, so directing duties were given to cast member Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
for the third film. Paramount gave Bennett the green light to write Star Trek III the day after The Wrath of Khan opened. The producer penned a resurrection story for Spock that built on threads from the previous film and the original series episode "Amok Time".
Nimoy remained director for the next film in the series. Nimoy and Bennett wanted a film with a lighter tone that did not have a classic antagonist. They decided on a time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
story with the Enterprise crew returning to their past to retrieve something to save their present—eventually, humpback whales. After being dissatisfied with the script written by Daniel Petrie, Jr., Paramount hired Meyer to rewrite the screenplay with Bennett's help. Meyer drew upon his own time travel story Time After Time for elements of the script.
Shatner was promised his turn as director for Star Trek V.
The Next Generation cast Both the sixth and seventh film acted as transitions between the films featuring the original cast and those with the cast of Next Generation with the sixth focusing on the original cast and the seventh focusing on the TNG cast. (See Films below.) The Next Generation cast made four films over a period of eight years, with the last two performing only moderately well at the box office.
Reboot
After the financial failure of Star Trek Nemesis and the cancellation of the television series Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
, the franchise's executive producer Rick Berman
Rick Berman
Richard Keith “Rick” Berman is an American television producer. He is most famous for his work as the executive producer of several of the Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager; and, several of the Star Trek theatrical productions, and...
and screenwriter Erik Jendresen
Erik Jendresen
Erik Jendresen is an author as well as a writer and producer for plays, television, and film.As a supervising producer of the critically-acclaimed mini-series "Band of Brothers" for HBO in 2001, Jendresen was one of the recipients of that year's Emmy Award for "Outstanding Miniseries", which he...
began developing a new film, entitled Star Trek: The Beginning, which would take place after Enterprise but before The Original Series. J. J. Abrams
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
, the producer of Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
and creator of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, was a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fan as a child and confessed that the Star Trek franchise "disconnected" for him. In February 2007, Abrams accepted Paramount's offer to direct the new Star Trek film, having been previously attached as producer. Roberto Orci
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J....
and Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman is an American film and television screenwriter and producer.Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he met his high school friend and long time collaborator Roberto Orci...
wrote a script that impressed Abrams, featuring new actors portraying younger versions of the original series cast. The Enterprise, its interior, and the original uniforms were redesigned. While the film was ready for a December 2008 release, Paramount chose to move the film's opening to May 8, 2009. The film earned over $350 million worldwide (from a solid $75.2 million opening weekend, higher than 1996's Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
), and surpassed Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
as the highest grossing film in the series. The sequel was greenlit even before the first one opened, and Paramount plans to release the film (the twelfth in the franchise) May 17th, 2013.
The reboot also has the distinction of being the first film in the franchise to win an Academy Award. It won for Best Makeup in 2010.
Films
| Name | Release date | Budget | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,... |
December 7, 1979 | $46,000,000 | ||||||
The feature film introduced an upgrade to the technology and starship designs, making for a dramatic visual departure from the original series. The starship Enterprise was "refitted" with a modernized design, both exterior and interior. Many of the set elements created for the earlier aborted "Phase II" television series were adapted and enhanced for use in the first feature film. The plot concerning a sentient massive energy cloud advancing toward Earth borrows many elements from two episodes of the original series: "The Doomsday Machine" and "The Changeling". |
||||||||
| Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T... |
June 4, 1982 | $11,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: Khan quests for revenge against Kirk who frustrated his plans to seize control of the Enterprise fifteen years earlier (in the episode "Space Seed"). Both the first and second films have television versions with additional footage and alternate takes that affect the storyline. (Subsequent Trek films tended to have shorter television versions.) Especially notable in The Wrath of Khan is the footage establishing that a young crewmember who acts courageously and dies during an attack on the Enterprise is Scotty's nephew. |
||||||||
| Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:... |
June 1, 1984 | $17,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: Concerned about McCoy's unstable condition since Spock's death, Kirk learns that in his final moments, Spock transferred his katra, or spirit, to the doctor. To reunite Spock with his soul, Kirk must violate a quarantine law and steal the Enterprise to retrieve Spock's body from the rapidly dying Genesis planet. The first film to be a sequel to the previous Trek film. |
||||||||
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The... |
November 26, 1986 | $27,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: Kirk and his crew head for Earth to stand at their court martial for the theft of the Enterprise, and its subsequent destruction, when they find Earth under siege by a giant probe transmitting a destructive signal—intended for the extinct humpback whales. Kirk takes his crew back to the late 20th century to retrieve some whales so they can respond. The second through fourth films loosely form a trilogy, with the later plots building on elements of the earlier ones. The third film picks up within several days of the conclusion of the second, the fourth three months after the third. The third and fourth films were both directed by Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels.... (also co-writer of the fourth) best known as the actor playing Spock Spock Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek... . |
||||||||
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series... |
June 9, 1989 | $27,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: Exiled from Vulcan, Spock's emotional half-brother Sybok believes he is called by God and hijacks the partially retrofitted Enterprise-A to take it to the Great Barrier at the center of the Milky Way to meet his maker, while an ambitious young Klingon captain sets his sights on Kirk. The fifth film was written and directed by William Shatner William Shatner William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T... who plays Captain Kirk James T. Kirk James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies... but was less well-received than the Nimoy-directed ones. |
||||||||
| Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and... |
December 6, 1991 | $17,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: After their homeworld is wracked by an environmental disaster, the Klingons attempt to make peace with the Federation though many on both sides are opposed. Just before the summit conference, Kirk and McCoy are arrested for the murder of the Klingon chancellor. Primarily a film with the original cast, this film is both a sendoff to the original crew and transitions to the events of Next Generation featuring one Next Generation cast member, Michael Dorn Michael Dorn Michael Dorn is an American actor, and voice artist who is best known for his role as the Klingon Worf from the Star Trek franchise.-Early life and career:... , as the grandfather of the character he normally plays, Worf Worf Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star... . Marks second and last film directed by Nicholas Meyer Nicholas Meyer Nicholas Meyer is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist, known best for his best-selling novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature film series, and the 1983 television movie The Day After.Meyer graduated from... and last script co-authored by Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels.... . |
||||||||
| Star Trek Generations | November 18, 1994 | $35,000,000 | ||||||
Following seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the next Star Trek film was the first to feature the crew of the Enterprise-D along with a long prologue sequence featuring three members of the original cast. |
||||||||
| Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s... |
November 22, 1996 | $45,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise-E pursues the Borg back in time as they threaten to prevent first contact between Humans and Vulcans, thus destroying the Federation before its founding. One of the most popular films and the next one following Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to be a direct sequel to a specific episode in a television series. |
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| Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next... |
December 11, 1998 | $58,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise aids a rebellion on the Baku homeworld against Picard’s superior officer, Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe Anthony Zerbe Anthony Jared Zerbe is an American stage, film and Emmy-winning television actor. Notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; Milton Krest in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill;... ), who wants to relocate the Baku to gain possession of the medicinal cosmic radiation that floods their planet. |
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| Star Trek Nemesis | December 13, 2002 | $60,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: Captain Picard confronts the villainous new Reman Reman In the fictional Star Trek universe, Remans are natives of the planet Remus. They were first introduced in the movie Star Trek Nemesis and were also shown in several episodes of Star Trek Enterprise... leader Shinzon, a younger genetic clone of himself who kidnaps Picard to replenish his own DNA and uses an earlier prototype of Data to spy on the Enterprise while plotting to destroy Earth. |
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| Star Trek | May 8, 2009 | $150,000,000 | ||||||
Synopsis: A "reboot" of the franchise, which sets up an earlier "alternate timeline" (containing an older Spock from the original timeline) to the story arc of the original series, with much younger actors playing the roles of Kirk, Spock, etc. The first film (or television production) to feature an entirely different cast of actors playing roles previously established by other actors, (although the older Spock is still played by Nimoy). Directed by J. J. Abrams J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity... who also produced it (with Damon Lindelof Damon Lindelof Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed... ) and written by Roberto Orci Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J.... and Alex Kurtzman Alex Kurtzman Alex Kurtzman is an American film and television screenwriter and producer.Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he met his high school friend and long time collaborator Roberto Orci... , this production attracted wider audiences, positive reviews and a number of nominations, and won one Oscar. |
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| Star Trek 2 Star Trek 2 (2013 film) Star Trek XII is a planned film sequel to 2009's Star Trek currently untitled and in the pre-production stages. The sci-fi action film is scheduled to enter production in January 2012 and is due to be directed by J.J. Abrams.-Development:... |
May 17, 2013 | TBA | ||||||
Star Trek 2 is an upcoming sci-fi action film directed by J.J. Abrams and is a sequel to the 2009 film, which is based on the TV series of the same name. |
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Fans commonly considered the films to follow a "curse" that even-numbered films were better than the odd-numbered installments. The tenth film, Nemesis, was considered the even film that defied the curse. The failure of Nemesis and subsequent success of the Star Trek reboot is considered to have broken the trend. The curse is well-known enough that it has been mentioned often in pop culture. One of the best known occurred in a 1999 episode of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom Spaced
Spaced
Spaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
, where it was referenced by Tim Bisley, played by Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
: Pegg, quite conscious of the irony, played Scotty
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
in the reboot film.
Music
Various composers have lent their musical talents to the eleven films. This table displays the eleven Star Trek films and their respective composers over the years.| Film | Year | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,... |
1979 1979 in film The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released.... |
Jerry Goldsmith Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring.... |
| Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T... |
1982 1982 in film -Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T... |
James Horner James Horner James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements... |
| Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:... |
1984 1984 in film -Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film.... |
|
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The... |
1986 1986 in film -Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.... |
Leonard Rosenman Leonard Rosenman Leonard Rosenman was an American film, television and concert composer.-Life and career:Leonard Rosenman was born in Brooklyn, New York. After service in the Pacific with the Army Air Forces in World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley... |
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series... |
1989 1989 in film -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million... |
Jerry Goldsmith Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring.... |
| Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and... |
1991 1991 in film The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November... |
Cliff Eidelman Cliff Eidelman Clifford Glen “Cliff” Eidelman is an American composer and conductor who scored films such as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Free Willy 3: The Rescue, and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.- Career :Eidelman began his formal training in violin at the age of eight and continued with... |
| Star Trek Generations | 1994 1994 in film 1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time... |
Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy (composer) Dennis McCarthy is an ASCAP- and Emmy Award-winning composer, mostly for television programs and films produced in the United States.... |
| Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s... |
1996 1996 in film Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:... |
Jerry Goldsmith Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring.... |
| Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next... |
1999 1999 in film The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep... |
|
| Star Trek Nemesis | 2002 2002 in film The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of... |
|
| Star Trek | 2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note... |
Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as... |
| Star Trek 2 Star Trek 2 (2013 film) Star Trek XII is a planned film sequel to 2009's Star Trek currently untitled and in the pre-production stages. The sci-fi action film is scheduled to enter production in January 2012 and is due to be directed by J.J. Abrams.-Development:... |
2013 |
Grosses
| Film | Release date | North American gross | Gross when adjusted for inflation Inflation In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a... |
Box office rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,... |
December 7, 1979 | $82,258,456 | $266,312,055 | 4 | |
| Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T... |
June 4, 1982 | $78,912,963 | $184,000,684 | 6 | |
| Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:... |
June 1, 1984 | $76,471,046 | $165,457,526 | 9 | |
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The... |
November 26, 1986 | $109,713,132 | $220,007,452 | 5 | |
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series... |
June 9, 1989 | $52,210,049 | $94,965,529 | 25 | |
| Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and... |
December 6, 1991 | $74,888,996 | $122,676,347 | 15 | |
| Star Trek Generations | November 18, 1994 | $75,671,125 | $113,755,291 | 15 | |
| Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s... |
November 22, 1996 | $92,027,888 | $131,404,433 | 17 | |
| Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next... |
December 11, 1998 | $70,187,658 | $95,372,974 | 28 | |
| Star Trek Nemesis | December 13, 2002 | $43,254,409 | $53,652,847 | 54 | |
| Star Trek | May 8, 2009 | $257,730,019 | $268,703,540 | 7 | |
| Star Trek 2 Star Trek 2 (2013 film) Star Trek XII is a planned film sequel to 2009's Star Trek currently untitled and in the pre-production stages. The sci-fi action film is scheduled to enter production in January 2012 and is due to be directed by J.J. Abrams.-Development:... |
May 17, 2013 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| Total grosses | $1,013,325,741 | $1,716,308,678 | |||
Home video
The Star Trek films were the first in a franchise to be released on DVD. The first nine films were issued in "vanilla versions", with their trailers being their only special features. They were released in reverse chronological order except for Insurrection, which was after The Final Frontier and before The Voyage Home.In 2001, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
released the first film on DVD, which was redone with new computerized special effects to better satisfy the vision of Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
. The Director's Edition was an enormous success and Paramount released the rest of the films on 2-disc special edition DVDs. The second and sixth film in these special editions were slightly extended. The cinematic versions were only on the basic DVDs.
The films were released on Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
, with the original cast's films (I-VI) and The Next Generations released in separate collections.
External links
- Star Trek movies page at StarTrek.com