Ranking the Star Trek movies and TV shows

Michelle Yeoh was supposed to star in a spinoff of “Discovery,” but the project was sidetracked due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they had part of an idea, and also an actor with an Oscar now in Yeoh. Unfortunately, “Section 31” should have probably been left an unmade project. It is, after all, a movie that went directly to Paramount+. We are far from alone in considering this movie the worst “Star Trek” property.

“Nemesis” is the movie that ended the “Star Trek” movies for a while. It is the third sole “The Next Generation” film, but it does seem like they were out of ideas. The main villain, after all, is a clone of Jean-Luc Picard. Yeah, even hearing that premise is enough to make you roll your eyes, but the execution wasn’t even particularly good on that bad idea.

We said “sole” when talking about “Nemesis” because “Generations” was a passing-of-the-torch movie featuring both the “Next Generation” crew and the original “Star Trek” crew. Of course, by 1994, the original “Star Trek” show was almost 30 years old. Also, not every “Star Trek” cast member thought the project was worth appearing in, which may say it all. Instead of being an exciting team-up movie spanning, well, generations, this film felt like a complete shrug.

Of the new, streaming “Star Trek” shows, “Prodigy” is the worst. Maybe you could argue it is a little unfair to judge an animated show for kids by the same standards as other “Star Trek” shows and movies, but there are “Star Wars” shows in the same vein that are much-venerated. “Prodigy” was canceled by Paramount+ after one season, and then Netflix picked it up for one season before nixing it. If both Paramount+ and Netflix are only giving you one season, you probably don’t have much going for you.

Yes, three “Next Generation” movies are in the bottom five. Don’t worry, “TNG” fans. It’ll be a while before you see another entrant stemming from this show. When you read up on the production of “Insurrection,” it seems clear they wanted another “TNG” movie, but didn’t have an idea with much juice. That makes sense, as “Insurrection” feels tossed off. Not bad, but certainly mediocre.

William Shatner helped develop the story for “The Final Frontier” and also directed it. Yeah, that may tell you all you need to know. Shatner was not exactly known for his ability to work well with others, but after Leonard Nimoy got to direct a couple of “Star Trek” movies, it’s not surprising Shatner got a chance to try once. There’s a reason why the only other movie Shatner ever directed is 2002’s “Groom Lake,” and there is a reason why you are hearing of “Groom Lake” for the first time.

In a way, “Star Trek: The Animated Series” is fine. In terms of quality in and of itself, the show would be a couple of spots higher. However, the ‘70s cartoon is just unambitious. In addition to being cheaply animated in that ‘70s style, the show is essentially “What if we did more ‘Star Trek’ stories, but now it is animated?” The lack of vision and creativity makes a fine show feel less impressive, critically speaking.

The last film for the full original “Star Trek” cast had the momentum of a plot themed around the end of the Cold War, which was relevant at the time. If the same plot had been done, say, 10 years prior, maybe it could have been good. Instead, it was 1991, and the cast was perhaps not suited to a space adventure, or at least to carry a space adventure. “The Undiscovered Country” is fine, but only fine.

“Short Treks” was hard to place because it is almost assuredly the least-known “Star Trek” property. It’s an anthology series made up of shorts based on characters from “Discovery.” It also aired when Paramount+ was known as CBS All-Access. While several of the shorts are solid, even good, there is also only so high up this list an anthology of shorts can get.

Thanks to the success of “Star Trek” in syndication (and the success of “Star Wars, they made a “Star Trek” movie a decade after the show ended. As exciting as that probably was at the time, “The Motion Picture” was rushed to get it in theaters on schedule, and as such, the film didn’t feel fully baked. The first “Star Trek” movie was, well, decent at best.

“Strange New Worlds” is the first show on this list still in production, so it could move up or down between now and the end of the fifth season, which will be the final season. “Strange New Worlds” is essentially a prequel to the original “Star Trek.” To that end, the main character is Captain Pike, the Enterprise's captain before James T. Kirk took over. “Strange New Worlds” is the streaming-era “Star Trek” show that feels most like the original, but that is both a positive and a slight negative.

If they had just not bothered hiding the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan, it would be a couple of spots higher. Instead, they did just that. “Into Darkness,” as a result, couldn’t help but be a bit frustrating. Even if the execution is there in the film, when a movie is built around a twist you know is coming, that can only hurt it.

We’re in pretty good, perhaps even good, territory now. “Discovery” was the first streaming “Star Trek” show, essentially kicking off a new era for this particular universe. Because they were figuring out what to do, “Discovery” went through a lot of chaos, but it emerged largely unscathed. There was also a mid-run pivot that was for the best. While the show began as a “Star Trek” prequel set in the 23rd century, at the end of the second season the ship travels through time to the 32nd century, allowing “Discovery” to be more creative and more of its own thing.

“The Search for Spock” is essentially the middle entry in a three-film arc. While some middle entries do just fine, a la “Empire Strikes Back,” this one felt more like it was killing time to bridge the first two films together. Hey, as far as bridges go, “The Search for Spock” isn’t a bad one!

“Enterprise” is the last show in this franchise to air on traditional television. That was long enough ago that the show was on UPN. The show is enough of a prequel to be unconnected to the original “Star Trek” show and its world. This Enterprise, as opposed to the later Enterprise, is the first ship that can travel at warp five. Scott Bakula starred as the captain of the ship, making him the most famous person cast in a “Star Trek” show at the time.

“Voyager” is notable because the captain of the ship in this show is Kathryn Janeway, the rare female commanding officer in the world of “Star Trek.” The show focused on a wayward ship trying to make it back home, and “Voyager” was perfectly solid for a while. Then, in the fourth season, Jeri Ryan showed up as Seven of Nine, and things picked up for the rest of the run.

We kick off the top 10 with the last of the movies starring Chris Pine as Kirk. “Beyond” got sort of overlooked at the time, perhaps owing to the frustration people felt with “Into Darkness,” or perhaps owing to the lack of J.J. Abrams as director. As such, we think it’s fair to call “Beyond” underrated, as it is a good movie that is worth watching, even if you weren’t wild about “Into Darkness.”

“Deep Space Nine” found a pathway to standing out by being a show focused on a space station, as opposed to a spaceship. Although, a ship, the Defiant, was eventually added to let the show do stories about space travel. Then, Worf joined the show to add some extra energy to it (and to coast on the love for “The Next Generation”). “Deep Space Nine” is good, though it is also a bit of the George Harrison in the “Star Trek” world i.e. the one you say is your favorite to try and stand out from the crowd.

Jean-Luc Picard, and thus Patrick Stewart, returned. Stewart is, arguably, the best actor employed in any of the linear television era of “Star Trek,” and he had done well in returning as an older version of Professor X in the “X-Men” world as well. Long retired when “Picard” started, unsurprisingly, it sees the former captain being pulled back in. Wisely, the show kept its story to three seasons of 30 episodes, so it didn’t need to overstay its welcome.

In hindsight, it’s surprising that “The Voyage Home” is as good as it is. It’s the follow-up film to “Search for Spock.” It involves the Enterprise crew time-traveling to the (then) present year of 1986, and humpback whales are majorly important to the plot. It turned out that “The Voyage Home” made all of that work, though, ending this third-film arc with aplomb. Credit to director Leonard Nimoy, even if his success here probably led to Shatner being given the chance to direct.

“Lower Decks” is not remarkable simply because it is an animated show in the “Star Trek” universe. What makes it remarkable is that it is an animated comedy, one for adults at that. The show focuses on the support crew of a starship working on, well, the lower decks. It’s silly, but it’s also funny, and the voice cast for “Lower Decks” is quite good as well.

Hey, “The Next Generation” is in the top five. We know for many this show is tops, or the silver medal at the very least. We aren’t quite there, though. This is, after all, a syndicated drama that ran for over 150 episodes. There have to be filler or cheaply made episodes to make that reality work. At its peak, “TNG” is as good as any “Star Trek” property. In the total picture, though, it sits here in fifth.

This is the top-ranked TV series on this list. Yes, it gets a lot of credit for being the genesis of all of “Star Trek.” It deserves that. While the budget is clear, as are the 1960s special effects, every “Star Trek” was being created here. This was pre-“Star Wars,” a time when sci-fi wasn’t at the forefront. The characters became iconic, the tropes codified. “Star Trek” is a highly important TV show, on top of everything else.

We may have criticized the “TNG” movies before, but “First Contact” really works. The time travel doesn’t feel like a lazy conceit, the Borg proved a formidable villain worthy of a feature film, and Patrick Stewart’s acting acumen got to take center stage. “First Contact” is also a movie that works even if you only have minor working knowledge of “TNG,” which is nice when it comes to a movie based on a TV show.

It was perhaps inevitable that “Star Trek” would get a cinematic reboot, and for the first time, it would be done with a whole new cast, not as a TV spinoff. All that consideration paid off. The casting, across the board and led by Pine as Kirk, was well considered. They also managed to tie “Star Trek” into the original franchise by bringing in Leonard Nimoy as a Spock from an alternate reality. While the ardent J.J. Abrams haters may not want to give “Star Trek” any credit, it is very good.

We are not reinventing the wheel or being contrarian. It is a popular opinion, perhaps the popular opinion, that the second “Star Trek” movie, “The Wrath of Khan,” is the best. That’s partially why so many people were irked by the Khan reveal in “Into Darkness.” They didn’t do any of that nonsense with “Wrath of Khan.” They just had Ricardo Montalban there as pretty definitively the most-compelling antagonist in the history of the franchise. Plus, there’s that ending. It’s a truly iconic ending, not just in this franchise, but in film.