Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Top Tuesdays: Top Star Trek films.

There are twelve Star Trek movies. Six of them feature the Original cast, four of them feature the crew of the Next Generation, and the last two are JJ Abrams new Star Trek movies.
So, here they are, my least favorite-favorite! And just a side note.... I do love all these movies. But if I had to watch any Star Trek movie, the ones near the bottom would be the first ones I would run to.

12. Star Trek The Motion Picture.

 

To be fair.... I've only seen this movie once, maybe twice. I don't remember much of it.... but what I do remember.... dullllll..... There's a scene where they circle the Enterprise for, like, ten minutes. The wormhole was pretty cool, though, as was McCoy's entrance. That was funny.

11. The Search for Spock.

 

Again, I've only seen this twice, and I don't remember much of it.... I don't particularly care for this movie. Maybe it's Saavik.... maybe it's the whole Spock growing up thing.... I don't know. But I did enjoy it more the second time than the first, so that's a plus. And McCoy with Spock's katra is pretty funny sometimes.

10. Star Trek 2009.

 

I'm just not a huge fan of this movie.... It has it's good moments. But I'm more of a character person, not an action-let's-blow-every-thing-up person. Action is great. Except when it fuels the plotline. Which I feel it kind of does in this movie.

9. Nemesis.


 

The final Next Generation movie.... Picard meets his clone, and Data finds a third brother. Riker and Troi's wedding takes place at the beginning which is one of my favorite Star Trek scenes EVER. Mostly 'cause Data sings. Also 'cause Wesley is there for some unexplained reason. It's a sweet scene.
But I'm not too fond of the clone plotline.... and a certain thing at the end of the movie makes me very, very sad, which is why this one is at #9.

8. Star Trek Into Darkness.

 

See note on the 2009 movie. But I liked this one better, I think. Although I really could do without all the blowing up of everything/showing bodies being thrown about. And there was way too much swearing in my opinion.... But I loved how they reimagined one of the other Star Trek movies. I thought that was very well done. And Benedict Cumberbatch is in it... so that definitely makes it higher up on the list. :P

(Here's where we really start to get into my favorites)

7. Insurrection.

 

The third Next Generation movie. This one has the crew of the Enterprise-D (although I think by this time, it's the Enterprise-E) watching a planet of developing people who haven't discovered technology yet (I think), but seem to never grow old or get sick. There are also some weird aliens.... and a bunch of stuff happens. Haven't seen this one in awhile - and the score is very sappy - but it's pretty good.

6. The Undiscovered Country.

 

The sixth movie featuring the Original cast. I'm not sure why I like this one so much. I always end up watching it, though. Maybe it's the Klingons. Christopher Plummer (the dad from The Sound of Music) plays a Klingon that recites Hamlet. That's pretty cool. And if my memory is right, this is also the one where the gravity gets turned off and a bunch of Klingons get shot and their blood is pink (and floating in little balls, like in Tintin). Yeah, pretty gross. This one also has a weird shape-shifter lady and the guy who played Odo!

5. The Final Frontier.


The fifth movie starring the Original cast. This one has one of my favorite beginnings. Kirk and McCoy take Spock camping and hilarity ensues. They try to get Spock to sing "Row Row Row Your Boat." The crew is on shore leave.... Sulu and Chekov pretend to be caught in a snowstorm. It's hilarious.
Then everyone is called back to the Enterprise.... Spock meets a relative... Scotty bumps his head.... It's pretty fun.

4. The Wrath of Khan.

 

Despite the scene where Khan sticks a bug in Chekov's ear..... This is a really great movie, in my opinion. Khan is such an amazing bad guy. Plus the red uniforms are just so crisp and nice. And, gah, it's just good. A classic in Star Trek.

3. Generations.

 

This is the first Next Generation movie and a MUST SEE if you are a fan of Star Trek. The movie starts out with Scotty, Chekov, and Captain Kirk helping out with a cadet drill (or something). The cadets are supposed to bring the ship out, circle around Mars, and come back. But they receive a distress call and go out to rescue a ship of fugitives. While rescuing them, a strange phenomenon occurs and both ships are almost lost. Kirk, who was helping to do something or other is lost, pulled out of an airlock, vanished.
Years later, Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D receive a distress call from a space station. They go there and find everyone kidnapped by Romulans, except for Dr. Soran - who just happens to be one of the people that was found on that ship of fugitives. They pick him up and try to figure out what happened.
These two, seemingly separate storylines, fit together in the end and it's a brilliant end to an era/starting of a new one.
Plus, it's very funny in some parts. Data is experimenting with an emotion chip (being an android, he doesn't have any emotions).


One of my favorite scenes.

2. First Contact.

 

Oooohhhh my goodness. I LOVE this movie. It is the second Next Generation film and one of the best. The Enterprise-D is told of a Borg attack on earth and - even though they are told to stay at the Neutral Zone - they disobey orders and go to earth to help. The Borg Cube is destroyed, but it sends out a small sphere which somehow goes back in time. The Enterprise-D follows it and they find themselves in the year 2063, just after the Third World War has ended, and just before earth's first contact with aliens (Vulcans, to be exact).
The Borg are planning to sabotage earth's first contact, and assimilate them into the Collective.
So, of course, Picard and his crew must defeat them. And Picard must overcome him emotions from when he was assimilated into the Collective.
This is a great movie. They run into Zephram Cochrane (who created warp drive) which is funny... and Barclay makes an appearance, which is funny... And The Doctor (from Voyager) shows up! Even though it isn't really The Doctor... It's just another EMH. He bravely fights off a number of Borg. "I'm a doctor, not a doorstop," he says as Dr. Crusher escapes the medical bay with her patients. Then, as the Borg break through the door, "Those implants look inflamed. I can prescribe some cream...." The Borg don't seem too thrilled with that.

 

1. The Voyage Home.

 

The One With The Whales.
This is the fourth movie with the Original series.
It's another time travelling movie. And probably the most random and funny Star Trek movie ever.
It starts when a strange alien probe comes towards earth. It is broadcasting strange noises that are identified as the noises of the now-extinct humpback whales. The probe is obviously looking for something, because it is disrupting earth's communications with the rest of the universe. So, the crew of the Enterprise (in a Klingon Bird of Prey, because the Enterprise was destroyed) go back in time to get some humpback whales to communicate with the probe.
It's SO funny. Although there is a bit too much "colorful language" for my taste....
By far my favorite.

Live long and prosper!

P.S. I apologize... you get me started talking about Star Trek and I will go on for hours. And hours. And hours.

3 comments:

  1. Okay, so no one ever told me Spock, McCoy and Kirk go camping. I'm watching that movie, even if it is just the beginning to see that. I am still snickering over just the idea of it.

    I'm not to crazy about any of the movies, I like the series more. But some of them had their moments, though that is just me. I know many love them. 8-D

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  2. I've never actually watched Star Trek. Just like Star Wars and stuff...

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  3. I think, if you like the Star Wars movies, you would like the books. I think it was written after the movie, because it keeps really close to it, but the characters have a little more detail which is really cool. (Then again, they might be that way in the movies, it has been so long since I've seen them. I might catch a lot more when I watch them again.)

    I agree, Trekkie does sound cooler to say.

    Sidekicks do have a lot of fun and charm to them. Because, as you said, not being the hero, they don't carry all the pressure of having to save the world. Therefore, they can be more light hearted and joke more.

    Hehe, thank you. I'm glad you like Tony and Peter - and Steed and Kirk. (And, like you, I'm not sure if Kirk would be considered Steed's sidekick. I think he has the proper role for it, but while writing him, he never acted sidekick - ish. He was always one of those characters who did his own thing, but was nice about it.)

    I think my biggest disappointment over Matt Smith leaving is that I didn't really get the chance to like him till the second half of series eight, long story. And by the time I realized I could like him, I fell in love with his companionship with Clara. I was dying to see them in a whole series together, and now he had to go and leave. Which is sad. But, as you said, he did get four seasons, which is about average for the actors. He said he wants to leave before he is forever known as the Doctor, I think it is too late for that. I think it was too late after his first series. Once an actor becomes the Doctor, we likely always think of him as the Doctor 8-D

    You like Jar Jar Binks, I could hug you. I don't know of many who like him, which is sad because he's so funny!
    I think I feel the same as you about the first three Star Wars. I grew up watching the original, which I've always liked. And when the others came out I had mixed feelings. I found the first one a bit dull till I watched it a few more times and realized it was more of a character story. The second had too much of the, "We shouldn't be in love but I love you," plot for my taste, though I liked the battle at the end a lot. And the third one was very depressing. The whole time I wanted to slap Anakin and tell him to behave. (Of course, he didn't listen.)
    I didn't know that about Ewan McGregor, but that would make sense. I heard that, every time they filmed him using a light saber he made his own noises, and they later had to edit them out.
    But, in short, I think my main problem with them was Anakin. Maybe I just expected him to be more villainy or something. Not sure, but something felt missing there. Either way, while I do watch them, I don't like them as much as the original ones.

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