Star Trek: The Next Generation had the enormous task of living up to the original 1960s television series which featured beloved, fan-favorite characters like Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). However, despite the overwhelming odds, TNG eventually became one of the most beloved shows in creator Gene Roddenberry’s expansive universe.
However, something was lost in translation when the crew of the USS Enterprise-D made the move to the big screen, and now you can watch their divisive films all over again for free. Trekkies can currently stream all four of TNG’s movies without paying a cent on Pluto TV, but are they really worth revisiting? With the exception of Star Trek: First Contact (1996) the answer is sadly a resounding, “No!” Check out the AWFUL Tomatometer ratings the four TNG installments — aside from First Contact — hold on Rotten Tomatoes as a result of the critics' scathing reviews (below):
Star Trek Generations (47%)
Star Trek: First Contact (93% — Certified Fresh)
Star Trek: Insurrection (55%)
Star Trek: Nemesis (37%)
Certainly, the critics are often as wrong as they’re right. However, in the case of TNG’s Silver Screen adventures, even Trekkies and causal fans had a hard time stomaching these films. Producer Rick Berman and the writing duo of Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore got things off to a shaky start when they decided it would be fitting to kill off Captain Kirk in Generations. That decision was one of the most boneheaded mistakes made in the franchise’s nearly 60 years, and viewers responded by giving the movie a 57% Popcornmeter rating, formerly the RT audience score.
First Contact’s 89% Popcornmeter was a short lived victory two years later because Insurrection (44%) and Nemesis (49%) both failed the fandom miserably. Now, the good news is that films are subjective. There may be newer fans out there right now who’ve never seen the TNG flicks. For those people, this is the perfect opportunity to give these movies a chance. However, you need to act fast. While Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis are all currently available on Pluto TV, it’s only for a limited time — they’ve all been moved to the “leaving soon” section of the streaming site.
So, which of the TNG movies do you like and which ones are too bad to revisit? Share your thoughts and comments on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And be sure to check out where the best Star Trek movies are streaming for free.