Star Trek is one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever, right?
We’re a Star Trek fan site. That line may be surprising to some, but it’s the truth. We’re big fans of Star Trek and while not all of the content hits the same way to us as it may for you, we find enough enjoyment in the franchise to dedicate copious amounts of time to it. And while we don’t think all of it works as well as other portions, there are some out there that don’t think Star Trek is as great as we believe it is.
So when Esquire compiled their “30 Best Space Movies of All Time“, we popped that sucker open and looked far and wide to see if they’d include Star Trek among their top-rated films.
To no one’s surprise, Star Trek was featured in the article. Shocking, we know. Yet, while we fully expected to see Wrath of Khan or The Motion Picture or even First Contact make the list, evidently the author decided just to put the franchise as a whole on the list. Which, I believe is a monumental copout.
Not all of Star Trek is as good as its best parts
Like what you like. We’re all on board with that idea. Is Discovery your favorite Star Trek? Wonderful. The Next Generation? Great. The Animated Series? Sure, someone has to like that the most. What about Wrath of Khan? Maybe you’re a fan of The Search for Spock? Maybe Insurrection or Into Darkness is your favorite film. That’s ok, everyone can like what they like.
Yet, for something to be good, something else must be lacking. Bad, not as good, not a personal favorite; however you want to label it, there will always be parts of Trek that you or I feel aren’t as good as other parts.
So when we see lists like this that just sidesteps the question of “which film would you pick”, it disappoints us. It’s ok to stand up for the film (or show) of your choice. I for one like to hear why someone likes or doesn’t like something. It helps provide a different point of view and can further expand your mind for either liking that thing more or less or changing your mind about it entirely.
Articles like this don’t help promote the idea of exploring different concepts and that’s ultimately why this selection disappoints.