Ranking every Star Trek film in franchise history according to metrics
By Chad Porto
Star Trek I: The Motion Picture
Final Score: 49.5
Peak 1970s fashion is on full display here, folks. The first Star Trek film is among the most spectacular looking that have ever been created. This is part of the reason that it gets some flack, as so much of what it is doesn’t gel with what Trek is known for. Trek wasn’t a super polished series that prioritized special effects, but Trek got the Star Wars treatment when it came to films. Bigger budgets, more special effects, less dynamic scripts.
The plot is weak at best, which is a contrast to the otherwise visually stunning film. Following a refitted Enterprise with a new captain, the original crew returns to the ship, demotes the new captain to the first officer, and loses the most interesting new character pretty quickly into the plot of the film, replacing her with a lackluster “robotic replica”.
That character is Ilia, and not only was she totally stunted by the writers, and I’m also pretty sure she got abducted and then killed off unceremoniously for no reason. I don’t even remember them talking about the actual character who got abducted dying at any point. Maybe they did, it’s been forever, but the fact one can’t remember such a pivotal point of the plot should tell you everything you need to know about said plot.