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The other day, as I was looking up a data point on boxofficemojo.com, I noticed something that shocked me: The top 10 grossing movies of 2024, from “Inside Out 2” to “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” are all sequels. Every goddamn one of them. “Wicked” and “Moana 2” will soon bring break into the top 10 — and though “Wicked” isn’t technically a sequel, when you consider how many people have seen the original Broadway show, the truth is that the movie version, as much as any sequel, is a kind-of-the-same-but-also-different follow-up to a gargantuan known quantity. It’s all part of déjà vu entertainment culture.

The reason I was shocked by the fact that I could be shocked by this is that Hollywood has been famously awash in sequels since the dawn of the Reagan era. Making jokes about the creative bankruptcy of films with Roman numerals after their title...

When it comes to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, few things in franchise history can be labeled both a success and a failure. That just happens to be the case with this film, however. It pushed the bounds of visual expectations at the time, giving audiences a sight spectacle that few other films were capable of at the time.

Yet, the story and overall energy of the film felt detached from what fans had expected from Star Trek's first foray into the world of cinema. The push was for it to be more grand, like Star Wars: A New Hope, and that was never Star Trek's bag.

It did well enough to warrant a sequel but the tone and perception of the second film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, was far more in line with what fans expected from a Star Trek film.

The short-falls of...

Look at some of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and chances are you'll find a whole bunch of mayhem. Destructive events and deadly encounters with the unknown often go with the territory, to the point that it can sometimes be difficult to envision a work of science fiction that doesn't rack up a significant body count before the end credits roll. 

But it doesn't always have to be that way. While mortal danger is an easy way to create stakes and showing people die is the easiest way to establish danger, there are plenty of methods of making a sci-fi project interesting without killing off half the cast. This doesn't mean that the space Marines have to put down their laser rifles and settle their differences with the alien invaders over a game of Canasta, either. Many sci-fi films have found ways to provide thrills without any fatalities...

To date, there have been 13 "Star Trek" feature films, with a 14th movie, "Section 31," scheduled to debut on Paramount+ on January 24, 2025. The films are, many Trekkies would agree, various degrees of good and bad. Some of the "Star Trek" films are among the best sci-fi movies ever made, while others are handily the worst. Many agree that Nicholas Meyer's 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is the best one, although J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" is the highest-grossing. The four films based on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- that is: "Generations," "First Contact," "Insurrection," and "Nemesis" -- are all pretty middling, although many like the Borg action from "First Contact." My personal favorites are Robert Wise's 1979 epic "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," for its cerebral grandiosity, and Meyer's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" for its political bent. 

The films also fluctuate wildly in mere production quality.

This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 5, episode 5, "Starbase 80?!," follows the U.S.S. Cerritos as it becomes stranded in space due to a mysterious navigational malfunction. With only impulse engines operational, the ship has no choice but to visit Starbase 80 for help. Starbase 80 had previously only been mentioned in hushed tones among the Cerritos' crew, as it is said to be cursed. At the very least, it's the worst place to work in all of Starfleet, even worse than the Cerritos.

When the crew arrives, they find the "Star Trek" equivalent of a long-ignored truck stop. Starbase 80's crew members wear uniforms that are two centuries out of date, while the station's diplomatic liaison, Cassia Knox (Nicole Byer), reveals that its technology hasn't been updated since the 2260s. That, Trekkies might instantly recognize, was the decade the original "Star Trek" series took place.

William Shatner says one of his toughest ever shoots was on the 1977 film 'Kingdom of the Spiders’ because he had to be covered in real tarantulas.The 93-year-old Hollywood legend starred as veterinarian Dr. Robert ‘Rack’ Hansen in the science-fiction horror flick set in rural Verde Valley, Arizona, overrun by killer tarantulas.Shatner's co-stars Woody Strode and Tiffany Bolling played local farmer Walter Colby and archaeologist Diane Ashley, respectively. Walter becomes frightened when his farm animals are killed by an unknown creature and after he and Hansen send off a sample to a university laboratory arachnologist Dr. Hansen arrives to inform Walter that his animals were killed by spider venom, much to the astonishment of everyone. The discovery of the killer spiders has fatal consequences for the town.To film the scenes with the tarantulas, director John 'Bud' Cardos did not use prop spiders and instead arranged for 5,000 live tarantulas...

Much has been said about William Shatner's ego and his larger than life persona, especially from his former co-stars. But, according to Deborah Arakelian, who was a production assistant to Harve Bennett during the filming of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, nobody equaled Nicholas Meyer. Arakelian's claim, recorded in The Fifty-Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, is that "Nicky is larger than life. His persona is much larger than Bill's."

Meyer was hired to direct The Wrath of Khan and ended up rewriting the script as well. Meyer wrote a story that everyone loved. Even Shatner admitted "we were in love with the script and impressed by his [Meyer's] creative ability." And no one requested any major changes because of that love.

According to Arkelian, it wouldn't have mattered because "no one tells Nicky what to do. Bill could have tried,...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds exists as the perfect "do right" show. The series that can "do right" by fixing numerous issues that the franchise has fallen into. With so much of the Nu Trek being, to some degree, disappointments, Strange New Worlds exists as the show that got it right. It's not perfect, we've talked about aspects of the show we'd like to change, but it is the best of the new series by a mile.

And we're not even talking comparatively, Strange New Worlds is among the best shows the franchise has ever created. So in that regard, it exists as the series that is "doing right" by Nu Trek series. It's reassuring us that they can still make good Star Trek series in the modern day.

Yet, its place in the timeline also allows it to "do right" by correcting issues that would come up in the...

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The "Star Trek" universe is vast and complicated. Most of the "Star Trek" shows to date take place on Federation vessels or stations staffed by career officers on specific assignments. The franchise largely revolves around managerial professionalism and workplace propriety. There is respect for the chain of command, and orders are given and followed as a matter of course. Starfleet is a military organization, but with its militant strictness devoted to exploration and diplomacy rather than combat and conquest. Ships are assigned to distant areas of space where they are tasked with examining a curious pulsar or, say, to a disease-ridden world in need of medicine. The bureaucracy works in "Star Trek," and individuals go where they are needed.

As such, when a minor character appears on "Star Trek," Trekkies assume that they merely arrived on the U.S.S.

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Fun trivia: "Star Trek" didn't have a full-blooded Vulcan character in its main cast until the introduction of Tuvok (Tim Russ) on "Star Trek: Voyager" in 1995. Until that point, most of the central Vulcan characters were partially non-Vulcan. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), of course, was half-Vulcan and half-human, with a Vulcan father (played by Mark Lenard in the original series) and a human mother (played by Jane Wyatt). Spock was raised on Vulcan, however, and had devoted himself to the Vulcan ethos of emotionlessness and logic. 

Saavik (Kirstie Alley) from 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," one might find, was also not fully Vulcan, although only deep-cut Trekkies might know about her true heritage. Saavik, for the uninitiated, was a Starfleet cadet who was serving on board the U.S.S. Enterprise as Spock's protégé. "Star Trek II" opened...

While the 1991 sci-fi political thriller "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" was still being developed at Paramount, the half-Vulcan-half-Romulan officer Saavik was originally going to play a sizeable role. Saavik, Trekkies can tell you, first appeared in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and was played by Kirstie Alley in one of her earliest acting roles. Saavik was introduced as a protégé of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and displayed a lot of befuddlement over the emotional lives of the humans she was to work with. Saavik returned for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" in 1984, but Alley was replaced by actress Robin Curtis, playing the part in a more stern and emotionless fashion. Curtis also appeared briefly at the start of "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

Saavik was originally going to appear in "Star Trek VI" as well, but "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry objected to her role in...

Star Trek: The Original Series debuted a challenging foe for Captain Kirk [William Shatner] in the episode "Space Seed." Ricardo Montalban played the part of the augmented Khan Noonien Singh who, like most villains, want world domination....or space domination. Of course, Khan was defeated by Kirk and sent to Ceti Alpha V to live out the rest of his life with his team of soliders and new wife. But then the planet became a wasteland, which cost Khan his wife, and he and his team were forced to eke out an existence. We all know how that worked out when Khan returned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Khan dies at the end of the movie, but a spec script for Star Trek: The Next Generation had the idea to bring him into Captain Picard's [Patrick Stewart] world. Supposedly, according to writer and director Marc Bernardin, who...

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" has become a huge part of the franchise's legacy and is considered by many to be the best "Star Trek" movie of them all, but it was a serious challenge to bring to the screen. After the relative failures of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," franchise creator Gene Roddenberry was sidelined, allowing for a darker, grittier "Star Trek" than we had ever seen before. "The Wrath of Khan" is an operatic epic, following the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise under Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) as they contend with genetically engineered villain Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). Khan was one of the most terrifying antagonists from "Star Trek: The Original Series," specifically the episode "Space Seed," so bringing the character back was a big deal. It raised the stakes, as Khan had the capacity to do real damage — stealing terraforming...

Cameos and "Star Trek" go together like cake and ice cream, in large part because celebrities are big fans of the franchise themselves and want a chance to be a part of it. Whether it's superfan Seth MacFarlane, who created the "Star Trek"-inspired series "The Orville" starring in two episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise" as a Starfleet officer, or classic Dracula actor Frank Langella playing a Bajoran politician on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" because his kids were such fans, it's always great when people just want to be a part of the massive sci-fi franchise. 

For one seriously intense "Star Trek" fan, getting the chance to play a tiny role in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" was more than just a dream come true, it was also a really lucky break courtesy of some good old nepotism. Actor Christian Slater could probably talk his way into a...

When he first appeared in the "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed", Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) was merely a villain-of-the-week. Khan was a remnant of the long-ago Eugenics Wars, a conflict that broke out on Earth in the late 1990s, and which contributed to the near-destruction of the planet several decades later. Khan, genetically enhanced, managed to escape Earth in cryogenic stasis, only to be found and revived by the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise nearly 200 years later. As one might predict, Khan, still thirsty for power, attempted to take over the Enterprise. 

It wouldn't be until the release of Nicholas Meyer's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" in 1982 that the character would become mythic. Montalbán returned to play a Khan that was miffed after having been abandoned, and who goes on a mad quest to find and kill Admiral Kirk (William Shatner). In "Space Seed,...

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Thanks to their fictional captain, the original crew of the Starship Enterprise almost didn't get a fond big-screen farewell.

Prior to 1989, the starcrossed "Star Trek" franchise had survived network cancellation and a box office/critical disappointment in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." As such, the brand was unexpectedly in terrific shape coming off three hits in a row in the 1980s with "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." For once, it felt like the entire "Star Trek" team was playing with house money. Then William Shatner, having watched Leonard Nimoy take two turns at the helm, which earned him a hugely successful non-"Star Trek" directing effort in "Three Men and a Baby" (the highest grossing film of 1987), decided it was time to strut his stuff behind the camera.

The Star Trek universe obviously includes a vast number of TV shows, feature films and self-serving William Shatner vanity projects. Also, according to some fans, the Trek canon includes Cheers and Frasier (and, to a lesser extent, The John Larroquette Show and Wings).

How could this be true, you might ask? Well, it’s because both of those classic sitcoms are really just part of an elaborate Holodeck program that exists within the reality Star Trek. The Holodeck, of course, being the sophisticated environment simulator of the future that routinely breaks down and turns into a death trap.

Sure, this probably sounds like the ramblings of a sentient TV Guide that’s been experimenting with peyote, but a number of folks have floated this bizarre theory over the years, and it’s oddly convincing.

The basis for this theory is the fact that Cheers and Star Trek shared several actors,...

Although it became something of a pop culture catchphrase, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) only said "He's dead, Jim" four times throughout "Star Trek." He does say variants like merely "He's dead" or "He's dead, captain" a few times, however. This is all to point out that people die frequently on "Star Trek," as being a Starfleet officer is a dangerous job. One cannot serve on the Federation flagship without encountering life-threatening danger on a weekly basis.

Indeed, many Trekkies became flippant about the deaths on "Star Trek" to the point of finding them a little risible. The word "redshirt" -- a slang term for a doomed, nameless pawn -- entered the lexicon when Trekkies noticed how often supporting players, usually in red uniforms, bit the big one under the command of Captain Kirk (William Shatner). McCoy may have only said "He's dead, Jim" four times, but 24 redshirts died on his watch.

Actor William Shatner is synonymous with the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. He originated the role in the now iconic television series Star Trek: The Original Series. Among the show’s many critically acclaimed and fan-favorite episodes, Shatner’s favorite is the twenty-fifth episode of season 1, which is rooted in a personal tragedy.

William Shatner played Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series (Credit: Paramount).

The episode, titled The Devil in the Dark follows the Enterprise crew as they investigate deaths at a planetary mining facility. However, while filming the episode, Shatner learned about his father’s passing. As a result, Shatner had to work through a personal tragedy while making the episode, which remains divisive because of some aspects, and here is everything you need to know about it.

William Shatner’s Father Passed Away While He Was Filming the Star Trek...

Kirstie Alley had a different approach to Lt. Saavik when she starred in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. She brought emotions to the character, even crying at Spock's funeral. Star Trek fans weren't necessarily fans of her showing those emotions, and that all changed when Robin Curtis took over the role for Alley in Star Trek III: The Search's for Spock.

According to Curtis, who appeared on the SciFi Diner podcast [via Slashfilm], her portrayal of the Vulcan lieutenant was based upon direction from the movie's director, Leonard Nimoy. She admitted she wasn't a Star Trek fan and knew nothing about Vulcans. But Nimoy wasn't concerned and simply told her he'd "take her every step of the way."

"When people comment on the subtle differences or perhaps some of the more obvious differences between the two portrayals, I have to remind them I think it's very much a...

In Leonard Nimoy's 1984 film "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," the Vulcan officer Saavik (Robin Curtis) was tasked with exploring and mapping the Genesis planet, a brand-new world that had been instantaneously formed by the Genesis Device, a terraforming widget introduced in the previous movie. The Genesis planet, she found, was evolving at too rapid a pace, rotating through seasons at an hourly rate. It was hot and muggy one hour, then snowy the next. By the end of the movie, the Genesis world will prove to be unstable, crumbling from within. It was too good to be true.

The deterioration is only one of several tragedies that occur throughout the film. During a rescue operation, Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) has to destroy the U.S.S. Enterprise, and his son David (Merritt Butrick) is murdered by Klingons. Saavik, being an emotionless Vulcan, witnesses these tragedies with a stone face.

When the people at Paramount decided that they were going to create another "Star Trek" show in the wake of the original series, they wanted to bring in some of the people who helped make the first show into a massive part of pop culture. They didn't want them on screen, necessarily, as the new show would be "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and they wanted to feature the next generation of Starfleet officers. But they did want some of the old team behind-the-scenes. One of the first people they asked aboard was Leonard Nimoy, who played Commander Spock on "Star Trek: The Original Series," as well as directing "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." (He also produced "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.")

While Nimoy makes a lot of sense as a possible producer for "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he passed on the opportunity.

Anything and everything to do with the Hollywood revolution starts with George Lucas and Star Wars. The visionary director and certified genius from whose imagination the galactic empire was conceived took a lot of impossible leaps to make his dream a reality. Among those leaps were the foundation of Industrial Light & Magic and eventually, Pixar.

Up [Credit: Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures]

Today, both these animation companies stand at the pinnacle of computer-generated graphics imagery and the department of visual effects. Without Ilm, the film and entertainment industry would be robbed of such classics as Alien and Terminator. Visionaries like James Cameron would be equipped with grand ideas ahead of his time with no tools to help shape them into reality.

Pixar, on the other hand, has singlehandedly ruled over Hollywood’s animation works, breaking box office records left and right with their cutting-edge animated films that have produced more Oscar-winning billion-dollar films...

Nicholas Meyer was chosen as the director of the second movie in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and while the movie turned out to be hugely successful, it didn't come without its trials. Though wisely regarding as one of the best movies in the franchise, Star Trek II faced some hurdles, once of which was Gene Roddenberry who wasn't thrilled with the movie's premise. In fact, he allegedly deliberately tried to spoil the plot of the movie, especially to get fans riled up about the death of Spock. [via Slashfilm]

Meyer remembers the time leading up to the filming of The Wrath of Khan as exceptionally busy with rewrites of the script needed in just twelve days to keep everything on schedule. While he recalled meeting Roddenberry, he doesn't recall much interaction with the creator of Star Trek because Roddenberry wasn't part of the movie.

French philosopher Roland Barthes' 1967 essay "The Death of the Author" argues the literary theory of separating the meaning of a work from the author's intention, essentially allowing for a reader's personal interpretation to supersede it. Given the plethora of disparate voices seen today, made up of professional critics as well as average audience members, this theory has generally become widely accepted, at least within reason. It's a much easier thing to do when it comes to television and film, given the fact that, auteur theory aside, these are artistic mediums brought to life by dozens or hundreds of people, and not just one.

Yet pushing past the clearly stated intentions of the originator of a work can be daunting, especially when that creator seems to change their mind about what those intentions are over time. This is exactly the situation that Nicholas Meyer, Harve Bennett, and the rest of the...

It's time for another edition of Star Trek Explorer Magazine, and issue #12 will be on sale September 24th. For all of you who subscribe, you should have it in your mailboxes or email inboxes by now. Each quarter the magazine brings you a compelling variety of interviews with the actors, the behind-the-scenes team like the artists and creators, exclusive fiction, and so much more.

On top of that, the creative talents of the writing team are put to the test to bring fans the best news, reports, updates, and opinion pieces, and they never disappoint. In this issue, for example, Jay Strobie, a prolific writer for Startrek.com and Star Trek Explorer, delves into the Top Ten Star Trek Moments. You might be surprised at some of the ones chosen to be highlighted.

Titan Comics, the publisher of Star Trek Explorer, was, as always kind enough to provide us with...

Star Trek is a worldwide franchise that is beloved by millions if not hundreds of millions of people. Its influence is well-known and the fandom is diverse. Scattered across races, religions, economic situations, and the like. So it's not surprising or shocking that some would embrace the franchise in their everyday walk of life.

Enter social media, where this week we saw one very specific cargo ship go viral on Twitter/X. That ship bore a name that many fans should be familiar with, the Kobayashi Maru. Of course that was the name of the stranded ship that Starfleet Cadets had to try and rescue. Dubbed the "no-win scenario" by many, the ship was the foundation of an important test that prospective captains had to take.

It put the students in a situation where they had to rescue the Kobayashi Maru from a nasty situation, while not engaging in a...

A World of Timeless Musicians Since long before the days of film, there have been countless great composers throughout history; people who have a true ear for music and have been able to write and produce melodies that have gone on to be remembered for generations to come. Such individuals include Beethoven, Georges Bizet, Krzysztof Penderecki, Ennio Morricone, and John Williams. However, today I’d like to honor a composer that was taken from us far too soon, a man by the name of James Horner. Background James Horner was born on August 14, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. His father, Harry Horner had previously moved to the United States to work in theater as a set designer and art director. Meanwhile, his brother Christopher Horner, born two years later, would go on to write and film a few documentaries, including a 2004 feature titled ‘The Disappearing of Tuvalu: Trouble in Paradise.’ As for James Horner himself,...

Norm Macdonald passed away in 2021, but to quote Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (and that one episode of Seinfeld), he’s not really gone as long as we remember him.

Obviously, Macdonald left behind a huge body of work, not just his on-camera performances, but his writing as well. Like his 2016 book Based on a True Story: A Memoir, which, despite its title, was a mischievous fantasy that critics compared to the writing of Hunter S. Thompson.

Then there was Macdonald’s Twitter account (he obviously didn’t live to see it rebranded as “X”), which is quite the repository of material. Not just jokes, but poems, short fiction and personal anecdotes. There’s his lengthy account of the time he had a sleepover with Bob Dylan. Or his story about how Robin Williams, the “funniest man in the world,” calmed the “terrified” Macdonald before his first ever Letterman appearance,...

When it comes to Star Trek, many people hold creator Gene Roddenberry up as this end-all-be-all figure. They celebrate him and lean on his beliefs when defending or criticizing shows or films. It's always been a fascinating thing to behold, as many of these fans have no idea just how much Roddenberry hated his own creation.

When he had complete control over the franchise, this wasn't the case. It was when the franchise started to leave him behind that Roddenberry grew resentful of the series that he started. Maybe the most famous story of Roddenberry's own juvenile hatred was that of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. A film that is universally beloved by Star Trek fans, yet reviled by Roddenberry.

So much so that the series creator tried to ruin the film while doing the convention circuit prior to the film. Roddenberry would ruin the reveal that Spock died at the end,...

Leonard Nimoy immortalized the character of Spock in pop culture with his memorable performance in the Og Star Trek series. His take on the half-Vulcan first officer of the USS Enterprise earned him immense respect. He was so popular in his role that it was difficult for the fans to accept Zachary Quinto as the character in J.J. Abrams’ reboot trilogy.

Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Star Trek | Credits: Paramount

Similar to the late Nimoy, Spock also became a significant stepping stone in Zachary Quinto’s career. Sadly, his performance in the role raised mixed responses from the hardcore Trekkies. Many fans felt Quinto’s Spock was not as good as Nimoy’s. But despite all the comparisons, Quinto shared a wholesome bond with the late Star Trek star.

Leonard Nimoy has a special place in Zachary Quinto’s heart

Leonard Nimoy played Spock with a unique realism...

Star Trek: The Original Series premiered almost six decades ago, changing the face of sci-fi and television as a whole with fans celebrating its premiere date as Star Trek Day. However, before the USS Enterprise took flight on the small screen, creator Gene Roddenberry had to produce two pilot episodes to get the series off the ground.

William Shatner wasn’t in the first pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series (Credit: NBC).

The first and original pilot for the now-iconic sci-fi series did not feature one of its most important characters, Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner. Instead, the USS Enterprise was under the command of a different captain from the original pilot, who was later incorporated into the wider franchise. As we celebrate the 2024 Star Trek Day, here is everything you need to know about the legacy of Enterprise’s original captain.

Star Trek‘s First Pilot Did...

One of the best bits of advice any writer will give you is to make yourself familiar with as many tropes, cliches and conventions as possible. That way, you can understand how they work while also knowing just when to ignore them. One convention seen in just about all of fiction is the idea that the protagonist and antagonist must share at least one, if not many, moments together, culminating in a final altercation in which the hero emerges victorious over the villain. It's a trope so common that not only is it not questioned, it's routinely expected, so much so that when it's missing, it seems initially like it could be a mistake. Of course, there are many examples of novels, TV shows, and films where this convention is subverted or even ignored, yet it becomes more difficult to do so when an artist is working within the confines of genre.

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From low-budget romps to high-energy blockbuster films, Star Trek has become one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of all time. While Trek has decades worth of TV, film, and animated iterations that might rival Star Wars, it also has its own unique legacy and long-time, passionate cult following (and merch).

In the past few years, the Trek television universe has become one of the highlights of original programming on Paramount+.

"Star Trek," as many may know, wasn't a huge hit during its initial 1966 to 1969 run. The series always struggled with low ratings, and only received a third season after a passionate letter-writing campaign kept it on the air. The third season, luckily, pushed "Star Trek" up to 76 episodes, which was just enough for syndication deals. "Star Trek" began airing in reruns in the early 1970s, and only then did the series find a wider -- and widely obsessive -- audience. Reruns allowed Trekkies to watch episodes multiple times, and develop their own theories about the Enterprise, about the show's technical devices, and about the characters' backstories. 

The first official "Star Trek" convention was held in September 1972, and show creator Gene Roddenberry began showing up at subsequent cons to discuss his show and hear from fans about what they liked. I am convinced that it was during the convention circuit years...

William Shatner’s one decision in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was crucial in making it one of the best films in the franchise. After the successful Star Trek: The Original Series, the cast returned for the films starting with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Fans and studio executives were not happy with the first film despite the film becoming a financial success.

William Shatner in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Shatner suggested that the second film in the series makes Captain James T. Kirk more vulnerable. The suggestion was initially met with skepticism but Kirk’s mid-life crisis turned out to work really well for the movie. The film kickstarted a three-part storyline that ended in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

William Shatner Made The Crucial Decision To Make Captain Kirk More Vulnerable in Star Trek II William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy...

Leonard Nimoy held a lot of thoroughly acclaimed acting credits to his name, but unarguably none shaped his star-studded career as perfectly as the Star Trek saga did. Throughout the time he continued to leave viewers baffled with his incredible acting skills, he delivered some of the most iconic performances as Spock in the fan-favorite sci-fi universe over nearly half a century.

Leonard Nimoy as Spock in the Star Trek universe. | Credits: Paramount Pictures.

And yet, his tremendous collaboration with the saga just may not have even gone that far in the first place as Nimoy’s original response for Star Trek II was originally nothing short of a hard no. In fact, had it not been for the one who developed the story promising the actor a “great death scene” through the $97 million film, perhaps he wouldn’t even have gone that far!

“A Great Death Scene” Convinced Leonard...

The only major film role actress Robin Curtis had before 1984's "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" was playing a minor role in John Irvin's 1981 horror film "Ghost Story." By a weird coincidence, "Ghost Story" also featured actress Alice Krige, who would play a prominent role in 1996's "Star Trek: First Contact." Curtis also appeared in an episode of "Knight Rider" in 1983, and in the salacious TV movies "In Love With an Older Woman" (can a 29-year-old possibly love a 43-year-old?) and "First Affair" (Oh no! I'm in love with my professor!). 

So by "The Search for Spock," Curtis was already used to being on set and acting in high-profile studio productions. "Star Trek," however, was the largest project she had worked on yet. She played the role of Saavik, taking over for Kirstie Alley in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Saavik is a Vulcan, and...

Nicholas Meyer's 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is generally regarded as the best of the 13 extant "Star Trek" movies, at least according to any Trekkies you may ask. At the very least, "The Wrath of Khan" became the popular model on which multiple other "Star Trek" movies would be based; several "Star Trek" films feature a charismatic, revenge-bent "villain" character at its center.

At least one person, however, really hated "The Wrath of Khan" -- "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry.

Roddenberry had spent the bulk of the 1970s attending "Star Trek" conventions and refining his thoughts on his creation. He and Trekkies, during the conventions, began to zero in on the pacifist, diplomatic nature of the show, coming to the conclusion that "Star Trek" isn't about dominance or military power. Instead, it redefines power as being connected to intelligence, professionalism, and one's ability to solve problems in a group.

Leonard Nimoy's 1984 film "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" is one of the most significant -- and tragic -- films in the "Star Trek" franchise. Recall that Spock (Nimoy) died at the end of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and that his body was launched onto the surface of the newly-created Genesis planet.

In "The Search for Spock," however, circumstances led Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) to believe that Spock could be resurrected. For one, Spock shunted a copy of his consciousness into the brain of Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) shortly before his death. Also, the Genesis world, given its propensity for hyper-fast evolution, managed to create an infant clone of Spock's body, a fact discovered by Saavik (Robin Curtis) and Kirk's son David (Merritt Butrick). Kirk feels that if he can retrieve the living Spock body and use an oblique Vulcan ritual to reunite Spock's consciousness with it,...

The character of Saavik was first introduced in Nicholas Meyer's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" as a protégé of the soon-to-retire Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Saavik, being a young cadet, was still baffled and annoyed by working with humans, an issue she was able to discuss with Spock on a few occasions. In "Khan," Saavik was played by Kirstie Alley, but was replaced by Robin Curtis for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Both actors were perfectly capable in the role and provided the appropriate level of cold, Vulcan logic.

Saavik, despite being a Vulcan, had to face multiple dramatic events throughout the three movies. Most notably, in "Star Trek III," Saavik had to be present when a twisted Klingon warrior assassinated David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), the son of Admiral Kirk (William Shatner). She was the one who had to,...

Marvel superheroes have had some memorable last moments on film. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) affirming one last time "I am Iron Man" before annihilating Thanos with a finger snap in "Avengers: Endgame." "Logan" has Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) dying a peaceful death with his heart in his hands, finally knowing the last answer all people receive: "So this is what it feels like." Remy LeBeau, currently deceased after the shocking "X-Men '97" episode "Remember It," stopped the completion of a mutant genocide by detonating the Sentinel that skewered him, giving his life with one last boast: "The name's Gambit — remember it!"

But while a handful of superheroes have died in the movies, many more have in the comics. Since the 1992 event "The Death of Superman," it's pretty much become a right of passage for any Marvel or DC character deemed important enough to receive a headlining death and then resurrection.

It has been written in the pages of /Film in the past (by yours truly) that "Star Trek" excels when it eschews the boring tropes of action thrillers in favor of philosophy, diplomacy, crisis, teamwork, and character. Action movies demand that heroes use violence to solve their problems, and most of the films in the genre climax with a fistfight, a shootout, or a chase. Often, the hero will even go so far as to murder the villain. Action movies use fake violence as a simple solution to complex problems. How easy it would make things if kicking a man off a cliff repaired the world's ills!

"Star Trek," at least to my mind, has always served as an important counterpoint to action-forward thinking. Yes, plenty of "Star Trek" stories (especially the 13 movies) end with an explosion and/or the murder of the villain, but it has always been truer...

Kirstie Alley has been known to star in films such as ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn’ (which gave her stardom). She’s also been known to star in the television show ‘Cheers.’ However, there is more to the actress than the average fan will know. Humble Beginnings Kirstie Louise Alley was born on January 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. She had an ordinary childhood. She had a father named Robert, who owned a lumber company. Kristie also had a mother named Lilian, a homemaker to Kirstie and her two other siblings. She was a cheerleader in high school. While she attempted to go to college, she thought heavily about acting for a living. In the early 1970s, she decided to move to Los Angeles to make her dream come true. While she was in L.A., she worked as an interior decorator. During her free time, she went to auditions...

To date, there have been six feature films based on "Star Trek," four based on Star Trek: The Next Generation," and three set in a rebooted timeline (called the Kelvin timeline by fans). Those 13 films were all released theatrically from 1979 to 2016, averaging one film every three years or so. Up next, "Star Trek: Section 31" is slated for release on Paramount+ sometime in 2025, and it will be the first "Star Trek" TV movie. There has also long been talk of making a fourth film in the Kelvin timeline, but that movie's fate is currently a question mark; I'll believe it when I see it.

The longstanding general consensus is that the odd-numbered "Star Trek" films are bad and unsuccessful, while the even-numbered films are amazing hits. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," for instance, was something of a disappointment at the box office, but "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan...

Film historians agree that computer-generated imagery (CGI) was first used in a motion picture as far back as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), which utilized abstract computer animation under its opening credits. Of course that’s not immediately what comes to mind when we think of CGI (or just plain CG) today: the earliest, crude instances of the kind of CG that dominates modern filmmaking were first seen in Westworld (1973), Star Wars, Looker (1981), the groundbreaking Tron (1982), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), and The Last Starfighter (1984).

But the first genuine leap in using CG to animate and incorporate photorealistic three-dimensional objects into live-action came in James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) via the creation of the alien pseudopod made out of digital ocean water. The techniques developed by Industrial Light and Magic for that film blew open the doors to the true CG revolution in cinema, which began in the 1990s...

Our latest review of new and recent books about (or connected to) cinema includes an extraordinary look at transness in film; memoirs from Griffin Dunne, Jon Chu, and Susan Seidelman; and several new books on music, highlighted by the latest from the great Steven Hyden. Plus, we run down some noteworthy novels worth checking out before the summer’s end. Let’s hold on to the season a bit longer, shall we?

Corpses, Fools, and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema by Willow Maclay and Caden Gardner (Repeater)

The world of cinema has been in dire need of a book like Corpses, Fools, and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema. It is no exaggeration to say that this study of transness in film––from the silent era to more recent works like Isabel Sandoval’s Lingua Franca and Jane Schoenbrum’s We’re All...

Paramount’s free streaming service Pluto TV has revealed its August highlights. Pluto TV is boldly going where no streamer has gone before, becoming the first service to offer the entire Star Trek film series for free!

Pluto TV has long been home to a galaxy of science fiction entertainment, and now all of the cinematic adventures of the Star Trek Prime Universe (William Shatner and Patrick Stewart) and the Kelvin Universe (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto) are beaming up to your favorite device. Also joining Pluto TV in August are Alien Nation by Dust and three new channels from Fox.

Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service, delivering hundreds of live, linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience. The Emmy Award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels in partnership with hundreds of international media companies.

Pluto TV offers various genres, languages, and categories featuring movies,...

For many fans around the world, the films and TV shows that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe are among their top choices when it comes time kick back and relax with some comfort viewing. But for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, making those pieces of entertainment is his job, he’s surrounded by Marvel entertainment for his entire work day. So when he needs comfort viewing, it’s time to turn to something outside the MCU. Speaking with Mashable, Feige revealed that his comfort viewing choices include Seinfeld, RoboCop, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and the Friday the 13th franchise!

When asked for his go-to comfort watch choices, Feige answered, “During the pandemic, I started watching a lot of Thin Man movies from the ’30s and a lot of Frank Capra films from the ’30s. I sort of had a gap in my cinematic viewing of late ’20s to early ’40s,...

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is why people remember Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) as the greatest enemy of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Previously, Khan was only in one episode of the original "Star Trek" — "Space Seed." It's a memorable episode, but still just an episode. Indeed, part of the impetus in "Wrath of Khan" is how what became a defining event in Khan's life was just another day on the job for Kirk.

Khan is a genetically-engineered superhuman from the 20th Century who, in the 1990s, ruled a quarter of the world beside his fellow Augments. ("Star Trek" was created in the 1960s; later shows like "Strange New Worlds" have had to revise this timeline.) When they were overthrown, they fled into space, never to be seen until the year 2266 when the Enterprise discovered their ship, the SS Botany Bay.

In "Space Seed," Khan is...