Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary: Your Favorite Trek
It was 60 years ago today that the first very first episode of Star Trek aired
in the 8:30 PM Eastern timeslot on NBC affiliate television stations throughout the United States. I’ll forego the specific episode synopsis as we already did that ten years ago on the 50th anniversary. If you remember, we then asked members of the community to tell us about their favorite Star Trek episode. Indeed, The Man Trap was even one person’s favorite!
A lot has changed in Trek since 2016. While we have gotten a renaissance of Trek TV, we’re still waiting for new Star Trek 4. What does the future hold? Who knows! But we can be sure that Trek will continue on, with both new productions and the classic stuff we enjoy today.
Instead of favorite episode, we went with favorite movie this time. Here are 13 members of the simming and online role playing community on their favorite Trek flick:
- Name
- Sim
- Favorite Trek Movie
- Why?
- Stack ranking of favorite Trek TV shows from best to worst (TOS, TAS, TNG, DSN, VOY, ENT, DISC, Pic, LD, Prod, SNW, SFA)
- Stack ranking of favorite Trek movies from best to worst (TMP, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TFF, TUC, G, FC, I, N, ST, ID, B, S31)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Name: Cor Cordale
- Sim: USS Astraea of Pegasus Fleet
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- “As one of the first films directly based off of a television series, two of the three credited writers had ONLY handled television series, while Livingstone’s best credit is this film. The Motion Picture was breaking new ground and while most people call it the Slow Motion Picture, if you watch it in 23 minute chunks, it feels more like a serial than a movie.”
- DS9, LD, TAS, TOS, ENT, DISC, TNG, SNW, VOY, SFA, PIC, PROD
- TMP, TWOK, TVH, TSFS, TUC, FC, ST, S31, ID, G, I, B, TFF, N
- Name: Altemuller
- Sim:USS Firebird of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- “‘Ensign, the possibilities of our returning from this mission in one piece may… have just doubled.’ A lesser director would start the movie with the cast already assembled. Kirk has to pull strings and usurp command to even board the ship. ‘No, Admiral. I don’t think you’re sorry. Not one damned bit.’ Spock tries to purge his humanity and fails miserably and Bones had to be forcibly conscripted back into service. Visually, it features the most beautiful starship ever committed to celluloid. The model is so good it makes the CGI in later films look like PS2 cutscenes. As much of a character as any other cast member. The weird vibe of TOS translates perfectly on the big screen, space feels vast, majestic and dangerous ‘Enterprise, what we got back didn’t live long… fortunately.’ A machine achieves apotheosis and tries to merge with its creator, quintessential science fiction.”
- TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, TAS, ENT, PROD, LD, PIC, SFA, SNW
- TMP, TVH, TWOK, TUC, TFF, TSFS, G, FC, I, N, ST, ID, B, S31
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- Name: Shran dh’Klar (aka Joseph “Stealth” Carroll)
- Sim: USS Washington of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- “The TOS films are the best Trek films. I have never been disappointed watching a TOS film. Now, WoK just edges out UC for me because of Kirstie Alley in her portrayal of Saavik. Everything about Trek that we love is in WoK. We get to wrap the storyline of Khan, we learn about Kirk’s family life, it has action, tactics, fun science, and duty and sacrifice on multiple levels. It is truly peak Trek.”
- DS9, TOS, VOY, TNG, ENT, TAS, LD, Prod, PIC, SNW, SFA/DISC (tied for last)
- TWOK, TUC, FC, TVH, TSFS, G, TMP, I, N, TFF, ST, ID, B, S31
- Name: Michael Intermeezo
- Sim: USS Albion of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- “If you look up ‘perfection’ in the dictionary, there should be a picture of TWOK’s movie poster. Together with TOS (and TNG), TWOK laid down the basic formula that Trek followed for 40+ years. It’s full of quotable lines, heroic sacrifices, villains you love to hate, space battles, alien worlds, you name it!”
- TNG, DS9, TOS, VOY, ENT, LD, TAS, SNW, PIC, PROD, DISC, SFA
- TWOK, TVH, FC, TUC, TSFS, G, I, N, TMP, ST, TFF, ID, B, S31
- Name: Malcom Llwyedd
- Sim: USS Firebird of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- “I used to watch TOS with my mother on reruns. I grew to love them. TWOK was the first Star Trek movie I saw and I had seen TOS episode too. It was fascinating to me. The battles, the discovery that Kirk had a child, the death of Spock… the emotional rollercoaster stays with me to this day.”
- DS9, TOS, TNG, SNW, PIC, VOY, LD, PROD, ENT, SFA, DISC
- TWOK, FC, TVH, TUC, I, TMP, TSFS, ID, N, TFF, B, S31
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
- Name: Nathalie Chapman
- Sim: Star Trek: The Burn (independent)
- Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
- “I liked it so much because after so much was lost, the iconic crew went rogue on a wing and a prayer to rescue one of their own; it felt like one last mission for the ages, centered on the TOS crew. Some scenes and lines I can’t forget. It is hard to pick one favorite Trek movie but this one always felt the same to me across the years.”
- TOS, VOY, SNW, DSN, PIC, LD, TNG, ENT, DISC, SFA, TAS, PROD
- TSFS, TMP, TVH, G, TWOK, TFF, FC, B, I, TUC, ID, ST, S31, N
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- Name: Maho Takahashi
- Sim: USS Myogi of Theta Fleet
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- “I like the environmentalist messaging. On a surface level, a time travel movie about humpback whales sounds ridiculous, especially with the onus of capping off a trilogy that started with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but it just works so well. The humor demonstrates that the original cast’s chemistry is still very much alive and well, and of course, the dedication to the crew of STS-51-L (Space Shuttle Challenger) always gets me. This film also holds a special place in my heart because it was the first Prime Star Trek film that I watched from start to finish, and I don’t think my opinions on it have really changed too much over time. What I liked about it then is what I like about it now.”
- DS9, ENT, TNG, LD, VOY, SNW, TOS, TAS, PIC, PROD, SFA, DISC
- TVH, TWOK, TSFS, TUC, FC, B, G, ST, I, N, TFF, TMP, ID, S31
- Name: Nikki
- Sim: Obsidian Command of Obsidian Fleet
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- “It’s honestly been a long time since I had enough personal time to rewatch Trek films! There’s so much great Trek that I feel like it’s competing for itself for my time (I’ve been lately diverting attention to collecting old Next Gen comics and novels too, just to complicate matters) but Voyage Home will forever just be a fun romp with some of our favorite characters, with memorable lines like- “Everybody remember where we parked.”; “double dumb-ass on you”; “No, I’m from Iowa. I only work in outerspace”; “I love Italian and so do you.” And who doesn’t greet a slowed down machine by saying – “hello computer”? Or want to know where the nuclear wessels are? I deserve to make myself some time to rewatch this one for sure.”
- “It was very difficult for me to pick between this movie and First Contact, because I’ll always love TNG most as a series I really feel conflicted having to choose, so it’s almost arbitrary that I’m going with TVH over FC. I notice they’re both time travel movies with fun moments. So maybe there’s something to that in my selection too.”
- TNG, DS9, LD, ENT, TOS, PROD, VOY
- TVH, FC, TWOK, G, TUC, ST, I
- Name: Endy
- Sim: USS Wayfarer of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- “It’s the end of the ‘Genesis Trilogy’ started with ST2, which took Trek in weird directions, and feels like both closing a chapter and opening something new for the second five-year mission. It’s a lot closer to Roddenberry’s Trek than 2 or 3. It’s a better version of TMP, too. The probe having both clear purpose and mystery that doesn’t get resolved is a great story element rather than an antagonist. It feels more like an episode of the show written with love rather than the almost spiteful way Trek was treated in 2 & 3. It’s got a little of everything – action, sci-fi, comedy, a good lesson, great banter. It avoids the navel-gazing of TMP and the different tone of 2 & 3. To me, it’s the best Trek movie because it’s a distillation of the best of Trek – Roddenberry’s unending hope and humanism, processed through people who can execute it well.”
- TAS, VOY, TNG, TOS, DS9, ENT. I haven’t watched any of the streaming-era Trek, so I won’t judge it. I the concept of Prodigy though and hope it gets to H&I or some other CBS-affiliate channel in the future.
- TVH, G, TMP, TFF, TUC, FC, I, TSFS, TWOK, N, ST. Again, never watched the streaming-era movie. I wish it had hit theaters.
- Name: Blitzen MK2
- Sim: December (independent)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- “My oldest brother is a lot older than I am, and we didn’t have a lot in common. It’s okay, because I have a lot of brothers I am close to. I really wanted him to like me, and so I started reading Sci Fi like he did. He brought me to a sci fi con his college was holding, and my elementary school self was over-the-moons. It was the first con I went to, and he bought me a cosplay t-shirt. In a lecture room they were marathoning the movies, and we just happened to get there in time for Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home. I didn’t know Star Trek, but I managed to follow the story, and had a blast. When we were leaving, we couldn’t find the car, and I thought ‘Everybody Remember Where We Parked’ was the funniest bit ever. My brother later said it wasn’t the best movie, but it’s his favorite too. No matter how good a new movie might be, it won’t change my perspective.”
- TNG, DSN, PIC, TOS, VOY
- TWOK, TVH, G, TFF, TMP
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Name: Kate Kono
- Sim: USS Washington of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- “I need to explain something important, and you’re not allowed to laugh. Okay, you can laugh a little. My favorite Star Trek movie-the one I will defend with my dying breath at every sim debrief and dorm common room argument-is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. I know, I know. The one even dad grief about. But hear me out. First of all, the adventure of it. The movie starts with Kirk free-climbing a mountain in Yosemite, which is already the most Kirk thing imaginable, and McCoy is furious! He’s literally there to deliver a bottle of bourbon and roast Kirk about how reckless he’s being, and you can feel decades of friendship in every insult. That’s the whole movie in miniature, really. The crew just… together, bickering, loving each other, getting into absolutely unhinged situations. And then Sybok’s people take the Enterprise. There’s this whole sequence where the ship gets hijacked by these passionate, slightly unhinged religious pilgrims-which, as someone who roleplays a Starfleet officer on a sim ship, I find both hilarious and vaguely familiar-and the crew has to fight their way back through their own ship. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching the main cast have an adventure inside the corridors they usually just stride through confidently. It makes the Enterprise feel like a real, explorable place. But my absolute favorite detail, the one that makes me grin every time, is the turbolift shaft scene. They’re climbing up the shaft to get to the bridge, and the deck numbers are increasing as they go up. Like, Deck 78, Deck 79… it makes no sense! On every other ship in Trek, higher decks are lower numbers. But in this movie? They just kept going up. I like to think the Enterprise-A was built by engineers who got bored and decided to mess with people. It’s such a weird, specific choice, and I love it unironically. Then there’s the moment Kirk realizes who these people really are. Sybok’s followers aren’t just zealots-they’re the ones boldly going where no man has gone before. They’re explorers, seekers, the exact kind of people Starfleet is supposed to be about. Kirk has this look on his face like he’s been outflanked by the mission statement itself as he takes a look at his own dang plaque on the helm. And instead of just punching his way out of the situation (though there’s some of that too), they find a compromise. They talk. They listen. It’s messy and idealistic and very Trek in a way that gets overlooked because everyone was too busy making ‘Kirk kills God’ jokes.”
- “Speaking of which: yes, Kirk kills ‘God.’ Or a being pretending to be God. And yes, he basically wins by being skeptical and stubborn and fundamentally unwilling to bow to a bully, even a cosmic one. The fact that the climactic moment is Kirk asking ‘What does God need with a starship?’ and then just… refusing to comply? It’s funny and weirdly profound. He doesn’t kill ‘God’, exactly, but he definitely kills the idea that you should obey something just because it claims to be divine. That’s my captain right there! And after all of that-the mountain climbing, the ship heist, the turbolift math errors, the cosmic entity with anger issues-where do they end up? Right back in Yosemite. With McCoy still complaining, and Spock finally understanding the song, and all of them just… singing ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ under the stars. Together. Exactly where they started, but having been through something impossible and strange and deeply human together. That’s why it’s my favorite. It doesn’t try to be perfect. It tries to be about friendship and faith and questioning everything, and it wraps it all up with a campfire song. If that’s not worth defending, I don’t know what is.”
- DS9, TNG, VOY ENT, TOS, LD
- TFF, FC, TUC, TWOK, TVH, I
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
- Name: Jeksenri
- Sim: USS Guinevere (independent)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
- “The Cold War analogy of the fall of the Soviet Union, it is the ending of one era and the beginning of a new era.”
- TNG, DS9, TOS, VOY, ENT, LD, PIC, PROD, SNW, TAS, SFA, DISC
- TUC, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, FC, I, G, B, ID, ST, TMP, N, TFF, S31
Star Trek Generations
None.
Star Trek: First Contact
- Name: Kevin
- Sim: USS Montana of Independence Fleet
- Star Trek: First Contact
- “I love the Borg! Also, in the Star Trek customizable card game, the cards based on the movie were absolutely incredible.”
- SNW, LD, DISC, Pic, TNG, DSN, VOY, Prod, ENT, TOS, TAS (I haven’t seen SFA yet)
- FC, ST, ID, TUC, N, TVH, TWOK, G, TFF, I, B, TSFS, TMP (I haven’t seen S31 yet)
Star Trek: Insurrection
None.
Star Trek: Nemesis
None.
Star Trek
None.
Star Trek Into Darkness
None.
Star Trek Beyond
None.
Star Trek: Section 31
None.
How do the numbers shake out based on the rankings?
Television Shows
| Rank | Series | Points | #1 Rankings | 2016 Rank |
| #1 | DSN | 138 | 5 | #2 |
| #2 | TNG | 129 | 4 | #1 |
| #3 | TOS | 118 | 2 | #3 (tie) |
| #4 | VOY | 108 | 0 | #3 (tie) |
| #5 | ENT | 88 | 0 | #5 |
| #6 | LD | 86 | 0 | N/A |
| #7 | PIC | 59 | 0 | N/A |
| #8 | SNW | 57 | 1 | N/A |
| #9 | TAS | 55 | 1 | N/A |
| #10 | PROD | 41 | 0 | N/A |
| #11 | DISC | 28 | 0 | N/A |
| #12 | SFA | 19 | 0 | N/A |
Films
| Rank | Film | Points | #1 Rankings | 2016 Rank |
| #1 | TVH | 158 | 3 | #4 |
| #2 | TWOK | 154 | 4 | #1 |
| #3 | FC | 130 | 1 | #2 |
| #4 | TUC | 129 | 1 | #3 |
| #5 | G | 101 | 0 | #6 |
| #6 | TSFS | 96 | 1 | #5 |
| #7 | TMP | 95 | 2 | #9 |
| #8 | I | 86 | 0 | #8 |
| #9 | TFF | 83 | 1 | #12 |
| #10 | ST | 62 | 0 | #7 |
| #11 | N | 49 | 0 | #11 |
| #12 | ID | 46 | 0 | #13 |
| #13 | B | 40 | 0 | #10 |
| #14 | S31 | 17 | 0 | N/A |
Abbreviation Tables
Television Shows
| Series | Abbr | Years | Seasons | Episodes |
| Star Trek (The Original Series) | TOS | 1966-69 | 3 | 79 |
| Star Trek The Animated Series | TAS | 1973-74 | 2 | 22 |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation | TNG | 1987-94 | 7 | 178 |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | DSN | 1993-99 | 7 | 176 |
| Star Trek: Voyager | VOY | 1995-01 | 7 | 172 |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | ENT | 2001-05 | 4 | 98 |
| Star Trek: Discovery | DISC | 2017-24 | 5 | 65 |
| Star Trek: Picard | PIC | 2020-23 | 3 | 30 |
| Star Trek: Lower Decks | LD | 2020-24 | 5 | 50 |
| Star Trek: Prodigy | PROD | 2021-24 | 2 | 40 |
| Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | SNW | 2022-pres | 4 | 37 |
| Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | SFA | 2026-pres | 1 | 10 |
Films
| Movie | Abbr | Year | Crew | Director | Budget* | US Box Office* | Yearly US Box Office Rank |
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture | TMP | 1979 | TOS | Robert Wise | $35 | $82 | 3 |
| Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | TWOK | 1982 | TOS | Nicholas Meyer | $11 | $79 | 5 |
| Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | TSFS | 1984 | TOS | Leonard Nimoy | $17 | $76 | 8 |
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | TVH | 1986 | TOS | Leonard Nimoy | $25 | $110 | 5 |
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | TFF | 1989 | TOS | William Shatner | $29 | $55 | 24 |
| StarTrek VI: The Undiscovered Country | TUC | 1991 | TOS | Nicholas Meyer | $30 | $75 | 15 |
| Star Trek Generations | G | 1994 | TNG/TOS | David Carson | $35 | $76 | 15 |
| Star Trek: First Contact | FC | 1996 | TNG | Jonathan Frakes | $45 | $92 | 17 |
| Star Trek: Insurrection | I | 1998 | TNG | Jonathan Frakes | $58 | $70 | 29 |
| Star Trek: Nemesis | N | 2002 | TNG | Stuart Baird | $60 | $43 | 56 |
| Star Trek | ST | 2009 | Reboot | JJ Abrams | $150 | $258 | 7 |
| Star Trek Into Darkness | ID | 2013 | Reboot | JJ Abrams | $190 | $229 | 11 |
| Star Trek Beyond | B | 2016 | Reboot | Justin Lin | $185 | $159 | 16 |
| Star Trek: Section 31 | S31 | 2025 | Other | Olatunde Osunsanmi | N/A | N/A | N/A |
*In millions (not adjusted for inflation).
Did you agree with these selections? Tell us in the comments below!
