I was sick this weekend, and in between reading the two-volume oral history of Star Trek and watching football, I watched the first four Star Trek movies.

The Motion Picture - this was my first time watching this since seeing it in theaters in 1979. It's not bad, but it's not really good, either. The Enterprise has never looked this good though. Grade: Meh

The Wrath of Khan - probably the one ST movie I've seen the most often. Every time Chekov meets Khan on Seti Alpha 5, I still yell, "Chekov wasn't in The Space Seed and they wouldn't know each other!!!" And I give a slim smile of nerdy satisfaction. James Horner's score for this is magnificent. Spock's death still chokes me up.
Grade: KHAAAAANNNNNN!!!

The Search For Spock - hadn't seen this one in awhile...it's kind of a mess. Christopher Lloyd doesn't make for a good Klingon, the whole Spock is still alive! kinda makes the last movie meaningless, and no one really cares about David's death except for Kirk. I read in the oral history that in the scene where Saavik helps teenage Spock go through Pon Farr, she actually has sex with him! And later, on Vulcan, Saavik stays behind because she is pregnant with Spock's baby! But that cut all that out.
Grade: WTF?

The Voyage Home - Fun times. Probably the movie that gives the supporting cast the most to do beyond just saying "Starfleet is on the line, Captain," and "Yes, Keptin," and "Oh my!" Why the previous movies never had Kirk flirt with a gal before now is beyond me. That's what he was meant to do in the original series - bed every green chick he could, right? Good stuff with Spock and Chekov and McCoy, too. Uhura still has little to do, though.
Grade: More Start Trek comedies, please!

I'm going to watch Star Trek Vi: The Undiscovered Country tonight.

I'm not going to watch Star Trek V ever again, though, and you can't make me.

If you want to watch a Star Trek comedy, watch the greatest Star Trek movie of all time, Galaxy Quest

oh, I've seen that many times

I'd like to point out that this great nerd resource of a thread started as a spinoff of a review I wrote for Star Trek IV in the movie thread. That movie is awesome.

Yeah, I still watch this randomly because I enjoy it so much. It's like First Contact for me.

It's not your fault

ST V had some fun moments.

"I'm from Iowa, I only work in space." <-- That was a fun line!

This is the first episode with Brannon Braga credited as the writer and the second directed by Jonathan Frakes. For ST nerds this is an essential episode, as several important characters are introduced and much of the plot relies on developments in earlier episodes. TNG has reached a point where it can draw on its own mythology instead of referencing/copying material from TOS.

I think what I especially like about this one is that it shifts from being a political thriller to a romance to a Worf & Son family drama almost seamlessly. Plus there's some solid Bat'leh action bits thrown in.

That's ST: IV brah

Good rule of thumb - if you think of something good from ST:V, it's the wrong movie.

Eh I like 5. Sybok especially.

What does God need with a starship?

I hated the Klingon Captain apologizing to Kirk and then later saluting him in their version of ten-forward.

I too have started a rewatch of all the Star Trek movies, two at a time. And I'm including Galaxy Quest in that.


Star Trek: The Motion Picture - this word 'motion'... I don't think it means what they think it means. Endless Enterprise-porn shots, and endless sequences of the Enterprise flying through giant space sphincters. Terrible Star Trek, and a pretty boring movie.

3/10

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan - revenge, honour, love, friendship, sacrifice, regret, hope. It's a goddamn masterpiece.

10/10

Only part of ST V I liked was "Captain, please. Not in front of the Klingons"

You guys are seriously raising my appetite for a rewatch. I don't remember most of the stuff mentioned so far.

The Uhura fan dance scene should take care of that

Start Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Nicholas Meyer is truly the unsung hero of the Star Trek universe. He reinvigorated and kept alive the idea of Start Trek movies by helming II, and he wrote the Earth sections of IV. He caps it off with both writing and directing The Undiscovered Country - the best of all Star Trek films.

This movie is just about perfect. Not only does it give a proper sendoff to the TOS, but it gives backstory to TNG universe, as well...telling the story about how the Federation and Klingons finally come to peace.

What's not to love? All the principals get decent lines, actions, and bits of business. That's difficult juggling to do - even Sulu is an important piece of the plot, even though he's not on the Enterprise for this one.

The dinner party between the Enterprise officers and the Klingons is wonderfully droll.

I love how fallible and, well, human, Kirk and Chekov and Uhuha seem in their acknowledged prejudices against the Klingons. It makes them all more three-dimensional and real than they've ever been before.

Great "who-done-it" on board the Enterprise. Kim Catrall does a great job with a new character.

David Warner and Christopher Plummer are just smashing as the Klingon counterparts. Love all the Shakespeare Chang qutoes, and his bolted on eyepatch is awesome.

This movie really hums along - there is no fat on it. Even the prison planet Kirk and McCoy get sent to is a fully realized place, yet they are only there for a about fifteen minutes. Iman as the shapeshifter was fantastic. Wonder why she didn't act again? Great lines, especially by McCoy after Iman and Kirk share a kiss: "what is it with you?" And the fight between Kirk and Kirk is fun, even if they don't get the eyelines perfect.

Wonderful send-off at the end with TOS crew on the bridge. Spock says "Go to hell" to the Starfleet orders, and Kirk quotes Peter Pan as the last line. Perfect.

And when the hand-written signatures of the principals come on screen one-by-one, it's hard not to shed a tear for 25 years of great, poignant fun.

Grade: <sniff> Bravo.

Yes, opera

That was a nice 4 year run there by Warner - Federation diplomat, Klingon Chancellor, and Cardassian interrogator.

Also loved Chang's Adlai impression.

Great review, gonna have to go out and rewatch ST:6 ASAP. Wrath of Khan is GOAT, but Undiscovered Country is a magnificent sendoff for the TOS crew.

Yeah, Chang is awesome.