Is Star Trek a film franchise or a TV franchise? It’s both! Beginning in 1966, Star Trek has been taking viewers on thought-provoking and exciting adventures through space on both the small and big screen. Originally a television series with a cult following, the success of feature films and numerous spinoffs has led to this being one of the few franchises that exist in two worlds. It can be easy to forget in this golden age of streaming, but there was a time when there was a very clear line between movies and TV. For decades, Star Trek thrived on both sides. The historic series is still making movies and TV with shows like Strange New Worlds and the Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh (via Esquire).
That should mean that every film in the canon should be easily accessible to newcomers, correct? Surely, they can’t all just cater to fans. Well, the truth is that not only does every film in the franchise vary in quality, but they also vary widely in terms of how much Trek you need to know in order to enjoy it. If you were curious about watching one of the cinematic outings for the starship Enterprise, but don’t know much about Star Trek, this ranking should help you get started. Just a quick note: we are not ranking them based on how accurately they represent Star Trek or how good they are as films. This is solely about how much non-fans would enjoy them.
13 Star Trek Generations
The first feature film to feature the cast of The Next Generation, Star Trek Generations was meant to serve as a transitional film for those who have only seen the first six films starring the original cast. This meant that the cast most Star Trek fans had grown to love over the course of seven seasons had to share the screen with Captain Kirk.
As a result, the plot suffers as it solely exists as an excuse two bring Kirk and Picard together. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you were likely disappointed by the pedestrian story. If you’ve never seen anything related to Star Trek, you were probably lost entirely. It’s a bad Trek film and a lame sci-fi film. Thus, it ranks the lowest for accessibility.
12 Star Trek: Nemesis
The final film to feature the TNG cast tried to recapture the crowd-pleasing magic of The Wrath of Khan and failed miserably. Instead of an old enemy of the captain returning for vengeance, an evil clone of Picard (played by Tom Hardy) is seeking to destroy all life on Earth. You need to know about Romulans and have an appreciation for Picard’s character to follow Star Trek: Nemesis, therefore, it’s no good for non-fans. However, the film does such a disservice to the characters that it’s annoying for fans. On top of that, it’s ugly and unpleasant to watch. However, if you just want to watch some sci-fi action, you might enjoy it.
11 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
The third Star Trek film has rightfully received a reevaluation over the years. When compared to its immediate predecessor (The Wrath of Khan), The Search for Spock is weak tea. The villains are one-dimensional, and the story doesn’t have that same rousing, operatic thrill. It’s an inferior film, for sure, but it isn’t bad. Taken as a “goodies” vs “baddies” story, it’s perfectly entertaining.
However, if you’ve never seen Khan, this story would likely leave you cold. Yes, they explain Spock’s death, and they explain what the Genesis Device is, but you really need to have seen the second film to feel the emotional weight of everything.
10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
All you really need to know in order to understand Star Trek V is that the vast majority of Vulcans forsake emotions for logic. That’s because the villain of the film is a Vulcan who not only feels emotions but can take your pain away. The story of a megalomaniac stealing the Enterprise to find God is a tad silly, but wouldn’t have been out of place in the third season of the original series.
Thus, if you know what Vulcans are and don’t mind a goofy story, this film should be fairly accessible to non-fans. The problem is the embarrassing humor, laughable special effects, and misguided tone. If you enjoy unintentionally campy schlock, then you’ll get a kick out of it.
9 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Honestly, the sixth Star Trek film, The Undiscovered Country, is probably less accessible than the fifth in terms of Trek lore, but it is such a better movie that most non-fans will find something to enjoy in it. Nicholas Meyer returned to helm this project, and he successfully managed to give it the weave fun sci-fi adventure with great social commentary. The performances are great across the board, and this might be the best-looking film in the entirety of Star Trek’s cinematic catalog. On that level alone, non-fans should be able to enjoy the film. It just won’t hit quite as hard as it will for those who have journeyed with Kirk and crew for decades.
8 Star Trek: Insurrection
Just about the nicest thing most people can say about Star Trek: Insurrection is that it feels like a two-part episode of TNG. This means that the story’s scale is a bit smaller than usual and the stakes aren’t too high. For the most part, the film operates like a generic sci-fi film about a planet that keeps its inhabitants young. You could replace Picard and crew with any team of space heroes and the movie would barely change. Thus, it isn’t crucial that you understand the minutiae of Starfleet or Riker and Troi’s history. That being said, the film is so standard and mundane that a lot of non-fans will probably stop watching out of boredom.
7 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Talk about boring. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (sometimes dubbed The Slow-Motion Picture or The Motionless Picture) is notorious for its self-indulgent grandeur, endless glory shots of the enterprise, and lack of fun. The story, however, is pure Star Trek. An intelligence of unimaginable size barrels through the galaxy, headed straight for Earth, and it’s up to Kirk to make contact to save the world.
While later installments retain the adventure and excitement of the original series, this first film excels at capturing the awe of the program. You needn’t have seen the series to enjoy it (though, it helps), but the film’s pace is likely to chase a lot of viewers away.
6 Star Trek: First Contact
Just like The Wrath of Khan, the filmmakers behind First Contact go out of their way to explain why the Borg are such a big deal so that non-fans won’t feel lost. First Contact is, by far, the most accessible of the TNG films. The special effects are great, the story is suitably exciting, the actors are at the top of their game, and it moves at a brisk pace. The only element holding it back from being totally welcoming to non-fans is that the story surrounding First Contact Day requires some understanding of what the Federation is and how it functions. Other than that, most newcomers could enjoy this one.
5 Star Trek Into Darkness
The sequel to the 2009 reboot of the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness isn’t as welcoming as its predecessor. For the most part, it’s a big, noisy, adventure film with enough action to keep anyone entertained, but if you didn’t see Star Trek (2009), you wouldn’t care about any of these people. Also, it has to be mentioned, that the reveal of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character is handled in such a way that requires you to know about Trek history, but it shouldn’t hinder you from enjoying it. Still, if you just want a non-stop, emotional, and kinda dumb, thrill ride, Into Darkness won’t disappoint.
4 Star Trek Beyond
The third entry in the Trek reboot is one that a lot of Trekkers agree does a much better job of resembling the franchise they love. While it still relies heavily on action and violence, there’s also an attempt to bring the characters closer to their Prime Timeline counterparts. Unlike Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond doesn’t pull so heavily from its predecessor either. Sure, you’ll get more out of it if you’re familiar with the characters, but it isn’t 100% necessary. As long as you know that the Enterprise travels around space encountering new life forms, you’re good to go.
3 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Yes, “the one with the whales” is very friendly to non-fans. It was, after all, the most successful Trek film until 2009. You don’t earn box office returns like that just by playing to your base. The reason The Voyage Home works so well is obvious. The cast is superb, with everyone doing their absolute best to bring their characters to life. The story has a message that still resonates today. Finally, it’s a comedy.
This is your classic “fish out of water” story (that’s not a pun because whales aren’t fish) with folks from the future trying to make sense of the past. The opening act relies on knowledge of the third film, however, and humor hits harder if you know the characters. Those are the only reasons this film didn’t rank number two.
2 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
There are Trek fans and film fans alike who would likely put The Wrath of Khan at the top of this list. Not only is it widely considered the gold standard when it comes to Trek films, but it is also a solid movie in its own right. You don’t need to know the history between Kirk and Khan, nor do you need to understand anything about how the Star Trek universe works. It’s a deceptively simple story about aging and the past catching up with someone. In that way, it is entirely universal. The only reason it isn’t number one will be explained next.
1 Star Trek (2009)
Like it or not, the film that rebooted the franchise and created a whole new timeline was designed for non-fans. While the filmmakers certainly wanted Trek fans to see their big-budget, rip-roaring space opera, they were aiming directly at mainstream audiences. Not only is this an origin story, meaning viewers don’t need any pre-existing knowledge of the world and its characters, but it’s also the birth of a timeline free of continuity.
Anyone could walk in off the street and follow the story because it isn’t carrying any baggage. This is a sci-fi action film meant for people who enjoy sci-fi action movies. The fact that it’s Star Trek is almost irrelevant. So, in that way, it is the most accessible Trek film for non-fans.