The 25 Greatest Star Trek Movie Moments
The very best bits from the big-screen final frontier…
BY May 3rd 2009 16:16PMFILED UNDER: Features
User Comments (5)
The new Star Trek film opens on Friday, promising a space-whirlwind of rebooted adventures for Kirk and co.
In honour of JJ Abrams' redux, we've taken a trip through time - and, umm, back to the future - to name the most memorable moments from the franchise's movie outings...
25. Stealing A Starship (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, 1984)
One of the first purely wacky – yet still effective – sequences put forward by the Trek movies, this scene shows that a determined band of fogeys is easily a match for the cream of Starfleet security and the fleet’s flagship.
Laced with silly nods (Scotty telling the Excelsior’s breezily professional computer to go “up yer shaft” after sabotaging the swift ship’s shiny new warp drive), it’s a tribute to our heroes’ inventiveness and the dedication to their fallen (but now likely alive) comrade Spock.
Could’ve done without the comedy violin soundtrack that sounded like the musician was suffering a seizure, though.
Trek Trivia: Robocop’s Miguel Ferrer crops up in a tiny role as the Excelsior’s first officer, who smugly assures his captain that they’re ready to go capture the Enterprise… Shortly before everything breaks down. Ha ha!
24. Romulan Senate Dissolves (Star Trek: Nemesis, 2002)
Talking of dodgy security practices, the Romulan senate from the final Next Generation film clearly has less checks in place than your average airport.
Why? Well, villain Shinzon (Tom Hardy) has been able to sneak in a nasty technobabble bomb that reduces the senators to rubble and allows the sneaky clone of Captain Picard (long story) to take control.
The film is a distinctly dodgy, watered-down take on The Wrath Of Khan, but this is one of the few moments that really gets a post-9/11, terrorism-riffing moment of unique horror.
Trek Trivia: Gladiator’s John Logan penned the script for the movie, and given his Trek fan status, it really should have been a lot better.
23. Hello, Computer! (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, 1986)
The warm, kooky-kerrazy family-comedy style of the fourth film isn’t for everyone.
But this moment works because of the consummate comedy skills of Deforest Kelly and James Doohan.
Faced with a monolithic Apple Mac (which was state of the art back in 1986), Scotty at first attempts to talk to the machine, then assumes the mouse is a microphone before being asked to just use the keyboard. (“The keyboard… How quaint!”)
Trek Trivia: The computer was supposed to be an Amiga, but the thrifty Commodore company insisted the production team bought the machine. Apple was more than happy to loan out a Mac for the free publicity.
Next: Data Dies, The No-Win Scenario
Print Comments (5)
1: mattburgess says
Star Trek Generations, and the Enterprise-D is moments from being destroyed by a vastly inferior klingon warbird. But thanks to a nifty little trick by Data, they force the warbird to drop its own shields, and in one brilliant, heart stopping, breath taking moment, Commander Riker gives the order: "Fire!"
A single, fateful photon torpedo later, and the warbird is a complete wreck. Brilliant!
(Never mind the fact that Riker has previously asked for a spread of torpedos)
Posted: May 4th 2009 // 4:33PMAlert a moderator
2: jhr01 says
6. “This Far. No Further!” (Star Trek Generations, 1994)
The scene involving Patrick Steward and Alfie Woodward's Lily Sloane is from First Contact, not Star Trek's Generations!
Shame on you Total Film!!!!
Posted: May 5th 2009 // 9:42PMAlert a moderator
3: jwhite says
Argh! My bad. I'm turning in my phaser and heading to the Agony Booth for a sesh. Error fixed!
Posted: May 7th 2009 // 9:26PMAlert a moderator
4: Juliette says
Brilliant article, thanks! Though I think Spock's death has to be No 1 for me, and I also have a soft spot for Chekov's 'Now would be a good time!' in Star Trek IV
Posted: May 8th 2009 // 7:53PMAlert a moderator
5: stewart says
A really good article, thanks! Personally I thought your number 3 was probably the number 1 - Kirk destroying that which he coveted above all else - and of course the exchange between Kirk & Bones that followed. I felt that Star Trek III was the best of the lot - despite the critics harangueing it no end, and largely because of the scenes from that filn that you included in this article!
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