Star Trek: Music of the Frontier

While we all have our differences in this franchise. Some of you might think me craft for liking things like Voyager, Generations, or the reboot films. We all have our differences in this franchise, but one thing I think we can all agree on in this particular franchise, is that the music is absolutely incredible. Whether you're sporting the old school original series, or lost in the Delta Quadrant with Voyager, the Maddux of this franchise has almost never disappointed me. And I won't lie, I kinda pride myself in knowing when I hear a good soundtrack. A few exceptions withstanding (said as I eyeball that bad pop rock theme to Enterprise), this music has always been on target from the very start. It's some of the most iconic music of science fiction. But I'm gonna focus particularly on the music scores of the films. Unlike a TV series, a film is much more dependent on a good film score. Nothing against the Star Trek music of the series, but in the shows, it can take a back seat to the actual story a lot of the time. That's not to say that it can't be great, the flute theme from Inner Light remains one of my favorite things in this franchise's music, but unlike the films, it can suffer one it two bad episodes with little fear. A movie doesn't get that luxury if you ask me. But something strange that I see is that even in this franchise's WORST movies, the musical score can be absolutely phenomenal. It can really help carry the film when everything else is failing to do so. And the scores of these films can vary so incredibly well. So I'm looking at all 13 movies again, and I'm ranking them by how memorable their soundtracks are.

Please note, that story, characters, and other things are not the focus here. This is focused entirely on music. It also needs to be said, that I in no way consist any of these soundtracks, bad. Each are incredibly memorable in their own ways. So don't think of this so much as a worst to best, as it is a good to greatest. So sit back, and enjoy how I rank the 13 Best Musical Scores of the Star Trek films. Click the links for standout tangs from each score.

13. Star Trek: The Voyage Home (Leonard Roseman)
https://youtu.be/mMbLDQVrd5A (Main Title)
https://youtu.be/PjDXz4bWqTY (Crash-Whale Fugue)
https://youtu.be/siD30IEz6LU (Hospital Chase)

Whenever I hear the main title of this film, my pulse begins racing.  It's one of the most triumphant pieces I know that on its own, carries the entire soundtrack. It's not often I'll give so much credit to one piece of music.  The film's soundtrack unfortunately doesn't compare as much to this one piece alone, at times taking a backseat to the hilarious story, at times getting a bit goofy for a Trek soundtrack, which is why I'll say it's probably among the weaker scores of the franchise, but it's still a good score altogether. 

12. Star Trek: Nemesis (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/wwI-88jfEw0 (The Knife)
https://youtu.be/wMOLH7gke5w (The Scorpion)
https://youtu.be/1b1AnNuCtrY (A New Friend)

Nemesis has a very intense score, which is kinda unique for most Star Trek scores, aside from one we'll get to shortly. But it certainly fits this movie which features one of my favorite space battles of the entire franchise. It can be intimidating, tense, and at times a real treat to listen to, even if there are times it doesn't take a break from the tension. But whether it's calm or tense, it stands out more than simple background music.  The music gives Shinzon an intimidating presence on screen in ways that aren't shown with other villains.  Not even Khan. 

11. Star Trek Into Darkness (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/mu6xJsHKw58 (London Calling)
https://youtu.be/DwlFeVttLMg (The Kronos Wartet)
https://youtu.be/Y2xalm5xvDk (Brigadoom)

You can say what you want about the reboots as far as story or setting. But if you even think of saying that their music is bad around me, you will get a fucking lecture about music appreciation, because I thoroughly believe that the scores to EACH reboot film are absolutely incredible. Again, remember that this list isn't so much a worst to best list.  I love each and every one of these scores. And this is that other really intense score. If you'll remember, of the reboots, this is the one I like the least as the action at times doesn't fit, but at least the music is a treat to listen to. From the softer piano melodies, top the intense music played during the chase scene with the Klingons, this score is a testament to the intimidation that is throughout this film. It may be a weaker film of Star Trek, but the soundtrack isn't one I'd call weak.

10. Star Trek: Insurrection (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/poOdzrYzLpQ (Ba'ku Village - Visual Contact)
https://youtu.be/xKSOUBcsxSQ (Underwater Search - The Hollowship)
https://youtu.be/5vgejKmGJhQ (The Riker Maneuver)

Despite my disliking of Insurrection, it does have a wonderful score. I love the calmer theme of this score, which perfectly portrays "Paradise". The score provides an excellent atmosphere at times, which brings out the film's absolutely gorgeous scenery, from space to the landscape. Even when the action comes into play, the music can keep up, and it does make for one of the film's stronger suites thankfully. Good thing too because that's all I can really say about the movie itself. 

9. Star Trek: The Final Frontier (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/EBWKRp-4zEM (The Mountain)
https://youtu.be/0WaOYxxTGJg (A Busy Man)
https://youtu.be/GZDnzlCNYIU (Free Minds)

Even the film which most will call the worst of Star Trek has a good score. Jerry Goldsmith brings back more of the classic themes you're so used to, some bringing in a rather majestic atmosphere which can fit the mood perfectly. From their entrance into the Center of the Galaxy, to them landing on the planet, and finding..."God", the music doesn't fail this film in ways that everything else kinda...well, does. Credit where credit is due.

8. Star Trek: The Search for Spock (James Horner)
https://youtu.be/dMy1zZ6VGMk (Prologue and Main Title) 
https://youtu.be/aEmAi8Yp-A0 (Stealing the Enterprise)
https://youtu.be/_D9SteuGn3I (The Katra Ritual)

Honestly, as good as the score is, this score doesn't do too much to make itself unique. It's not bad persay, but nothing really stands out at me when I watch it. It doesn't have as memorable a theme as Wrath of Khan, or as triumphant a feel as Voyage Home. To me, the score is just kinda...there. But that's nothing against it. It just didn't make that big an impact on me personally. Despite some wonderful melodies, I personally feel that at times, it leaned a little too much on its predecessor's score, and didn't make too much out of itself. That might be because James Horner once again was behind this score. But none the less, it does have some great music.  A particular favorite comes during the stealing of the Enterprise from Starfleet.

7. Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman)
https://youtu.be/GT-wunjnEXA (Overture)
https://youtu.be/0YN5Gy1URlk (The Battle for Peace)
https://youtu.be/g9jpAV3G5rY (Sign Off)

The final film of the original crew is my favorite film of the franchise, though its soundtrack isn't exactly its strongsuit.  The doesn't mean it's not a good soundtrack at all, because it has a lot of very strong moments, particularly at the very end.  The sign off track can bring a tear to my eye, and it's for more reasons than simply watching all the signatures of the original bridge crew cast display themselves on the screen.  It's just the perfect sendoff for this crew, and the perfect music to have played for it. 

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/Nt9dOIdGIeM (Ilia's Theme)
https://youtu.be/ARcgqTx3NOg (The Enterprise)
https://youtu.be/kPQjYQZ7wW0 (V'Ger Flyover)

How ironic is it that the film I will call the absolute worst of Star Trek, has some of the most beautiful, and most iconic music in the entire franchise? Let me just put it this way, if the entire film were meant to be just a big mega suite of Star Trek music, set to nothing but the opening sequence of stars at the beginning of the movie, I'd totally put it on for background music. Jerry Goldsmith was probably one of the best things that happened to Star Trek music. He'd compose countless scores, and many themes. He composed Voyager, and The Next Generation took its theme straight from this film. The film may be boring as hell, but this music is far from that.

5. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (James Horner)
https://youtu.be/TDW5-VczFHo (Main Title)
https://youtu.be/eoit0OdKt-I (Surprise Attack)
https://youtu.be/xh0dEIb8enY (Buried Alive)

Horner gets a lot of praise for this soundtrack for good reason. From a memorable theme, to intense battle music, to unsettling tension, or somber sadness.  It's a real testament to the late Horner's career, which if you ask me, stands unmatched in his entire career. I may not give Wrath of Khan the most credit when it comes to it as a film on a whole. I still think that the middle of the film seems kinda nonexistent, but you'll never hear me declare this soundtrack to be uninteresting. It's amongst the best for a reason.

4. Star Trek: Generations (Dennis McCarthy)
https://youtu.be/FBdmVGGaJEE (Generations Overture)
https://youtu.be/uN8H3RhqaUk (Out of Control/The Crash)
https://youtu.be/75Y6-6_kr24 (The Nexus/A Christmas Hug)

Say what you want about Generations, it has one of the best soundtracks of the franchise.  The overture alone could go as a theme for any future series to come out of this franchise. And I do have to say that the atmosphere of the Nexus, and battle music of this film can be outright gorgeous. I love this score so much, that I often listen to it when writing up Star Trek projects of my own.  From start to finish, it's got a lot of oomf. Dennis McCarthy doesn't get enough credit for his musical contributions to Star Trek, well this is a great monument to that if you ask me.

3. Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/UkijbBY1QUA (Enterprising Young Men)
https://youtu.be/zpnaRE1vEb8 (Nero Death Experience)
https://youtu.be/4WZblBDaorU (End Credits)

From the time we see the shuttles fleeing the destruction of the USS Kelvin at the beginning of this film, and we hear the soft beginning of an incoming theme growing louder and louder, to the time we see the films title amidst a barrage of timpani (being a former percussionist, and having played timpani myself, I have a soft spot for them), I knew I was listening to one of the best scores of the franchise, if not one of the best scores I've ever heard, period. It's the perfect score to introduce this darker timeline of the franchise, in more ways than one.  If it's not that awesome theme, you got some really cool Vulcan themed music that can get to you each and every time. And of course, the rendition of the classic original theme is absolutely priceless.

2. Star Trek: First Contact (Jerry & Joel Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/K0BC4YoBKa4 (Red Alert)
https://youtu.be/f7Dy5F6hLfM (The Dish)
https://youtu.be/X9rtsG21ncg (First Contact)

For the longest time, this was my favorite score, mainly because of the music that plays during the landing of the Vulcans. It's perfect. But it goes beyond that.  The combat music, the music when the Borg invades Earth Space...screw it. EVERYTHING in this score is absolutely brilliant, but damn it if that music when First Contact officially happens doesn't bring a tear to the eye each and every time.  I love the movie, I love the soundtrack...but there is one film I feel with the superior soundtrack, and it just came out.

1. Star Trek Beyond (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/XPvPp6dOjf0 (Thank Your Lucky Star Date)
https://youtu.be/BZpXNZXLoDU (Night on the Yorktown)
https://youtu.be/EgLPN06E6j0 (Hitting the Saucer a Little Hard)

The newest film's soundtrack takes first place in my book easily. Why? Because it's the one soundtrack that I honestly believe is as close to perfection as you can get. It's emotional, it's intense, it sets the right mood almost each and every time.  I will say that for a film marking the 50th Anniversary of the franchise, "Night on the Yorktown" IS perfection. The music during the destruction of the Enterprise.  Perfection. One of the things going in to see this movie that I made sure to pay attention to was the soundtrack, because of how great the other two reboot soundtracks were.  I wasn't disappointed one bit. I really do believe that it will be hard to top this soundtrack in the future.  But you never know I guess.

And there you have it, my rankings of the Trek films by their soundtrack.  Agree?  Disagree? Let me know what you believe is the best Star Trek soundtrack down below, and as always, thanks for reading.

GAME REVIEW: Star Trek Online

Space...the final frontier. These are the words every Star Trek fan knows by heart. And if you don't, that means you're lying. It didn't take me long to gain a small liking to this franchise, and though it took a while, it has become one of my favorite science fiction franchises of all time. From the series, to the films, to books, to comics, to board games, to ship models, I can proudly say I have a little bit of everything. However, being the big gamer that I am, for the longest time, I'd never owned a Star Trek video game. And honestly, that was for good reason. That's because a lot of the Star Trek video games...well...kinda suck. Like the recent 2013 game simply entitled "Star Trek" Which was based on the reboot franchise. Much love to that series, but that game was pretty bad. That's not to say that all Star Trek games are bad, I remember the Voyager arcade game that dominated most movie theater lobbies in the 90's, and I've been recommended games like Bridge Commander or Armada. Both of which I want to try, but lack the PC to do so. And for the longest time, the game we're going to be talking about was unavailable to me, despite how much I wanted to try it. But finally, it was released as a free to play on Xbox and Playstation, so of course I jumped on it. I was ready to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before.

...And about fifteen minutes into the game I could list about fifteen things that would make this game insanely better. That's not to say the game is terrible. Far from it.  But the overall gameplay at times can be underwhelming, linear, and far from Trek-like. And thus we do have yet to get that perfect Star Trek game, but it does need to be said that the blueprints for that perfect Star Trek game are here. It gets a lot right, but completely misses out on other things. The result can be a kind of frustrating mixed bag that still has its fun elements.

The first thing that immediately comes to mind that I love about this game is the setting. Unlike a good majority of fans, who prefer the Kirk era of Star Trek, I'm very much a guy who prefers later 24th Century Trek. I like Picard, Sisko, and Janeway. And I much prefer that era. Seeing this game go beyond the 24th Century, into the first decade of the 25th Century is a much welcome move for me. I was ready to see how the Romulan Empire dealt with the tragic destruction of Romulus, I was ready to see how the Federation and the rest of the galaxy was recovering from the devastating Dominion War, I was ready to see what kind of new threats perhaps awaited us in the stars. Unfortunetaly, very little of this comes to be. In fact, you quickly realize the marketing ploy behind this when you get a rather disappointing explanation as to what exactly is going on. The diplomatic relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire has fallen apart, and they're at war. I'd have been open to this, but the way they present it feels so very forced. All I can seem to gather is that some Klingon Ambassador felt that the Empire wasn't itself unless it was at war. I'm not joking, this seems to be the only motive.  I highly doubt that the long-time relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire, which has had close calls before but has also been through thick and thin would go to war for such a simple reason. And if that wasn't enough, you also get to fight Romulans who want revenge for the loss of their homeworld, the Borg who are returning because...reasons, and the Dominion, which is building up its forces yet again. Do you see what I mean by marketing ploy? Instead of giving us anything new really, we're back to fighting pretty much each and every famous antagonist the Federation ever faced. There's no explanation of how the Dominion built up its forces, despite being completely dominated in the last stages of the war, there's no explanation of why the Borg are suddenly a threat again, despite being crippled in Voyager...it feels more like a gimmick.

You start this game off creating your ship captain using a rather disappointing character creator. While you're given plenty of options, the graphics of this game are nothing to marvel at and it's very hard to give your character a perfect look (for a 2010 game, it could look better). Features can stick out in all the wrong ways. For example, the beard my character sports really doesn't look like its a part of him at all. What disappointments there are in creating your character however are near completely forgotten when you get to customize your ship. Acquiring, customizing, and flying your ship is where this game really shines. While it needs to be said that certain classes of ships are rather hard to come by (more on this later), each ship you get can be customized in so many ways, and the graphics of the ships look absolutely gorgeous. And despite many classes of ships you can use being rather...outdated if you ask me (I have a feeling that in the 25th Century, the NX ships, Miranda Class, Constitution Class, and Excelsior class despite my love of this class would no longer be produced), you're given a decent amount of options to create the ship you want, in look, and performance. You'll start out with a Miranda class (if you go with the Federation), then as you level your character up, you'll unlock other ships, from smaller yet powerful escort ships, to the iconic cruisers, to science vessels. There is plenty of variety to choose from. You can rename your ships, select their bridge crew from personnel who give your ship different abilities, and this has become the main driving force of the game for me. I want to unlock more ships. And pilot them. And I find it very fun to come across other players, and to examine their ships. I love seeing what other Trekkies like myself have named their ships. But of course, you do have the other players, who obviously know nothing about Star Trek, or just don't care about the immersion factor. That's nothing against the game, it's just something I find silly to be warping through the depths of space, only to come across a ship known as the "USS Destroyer 420" or the "USS enterprice". Or to come upon a ship that's a member of "Fleet 69". Classy.  Straight from the numerous lore archives of Memory Alpha itself.

Unfortunately certain ships you might wanna acquire are completely locked off. One ship I've yet to be able to acquire because I'm not a high enough level yet, is the Vesta Class starship, and even if I was at a high enough level, I doubt I'd be able to get it because to my understanding, the only way to acquire it is to buy Zen points with your own money. It needs to be said that microtransactions make their appearance in this game. They unlock certain ships, cosmetics of certain ships, bridge officers, clothing, you name it, they're in a lot of places, and what's really kinda angering is that most of the more powerful ships are locked behind these transactions. You can unlock the games signature Odyssey Class ship, but an even more powerful version of it is available for money. And these ships can run you up to twenty-five dollars or more! For one single ship! This is a bit of a slap in the face to me, but for a free to play MMORPG, my guess is they gotta pay their bills somehow. And I am thankful that they don't shove these microtranaactions in your face as other games do. So I kinda see this as a necessary evil in a way. Even if a bit dickish.

The story of this game is at times, incredibly linear. One thing I found incredibly hopeful at first only to be disappointed, was that you start off as an ensign, straight from the academy.  This I like! I thought it would be cool to work your way up through the ranks to eventually gain command of the ship, but alas, this wasn't meant to be as the first mission has it. Your commanding officer is killed right off the bat and you pretty much gain your ship right then and there. I think it would have been pretty cool to work your way up, rather than just gain commanding status right away. Right off the bat, I found myself not really enjoying the ground missions. The planets you beam down to really aren't that open, the enemies you face aren't overly challenging, and the environments can be rather bland and dull. A lot of these mission maps serve as nothing more than for you to go from point A to point B.  And you're not given a whole lot of options in solving a mission. There is no take suggestions from your fellow bridge members option, or attempt a solution yourself, it is one bridge officer or you have the solution at the ready, go execute said solution, and kill whoever stands in your way.  Again.  Very much like the lore of the franchise. This is where the game could have shone as a testament to what a true Star Trek game could have been like.  While I understand that Starfleet holds to high moral codes, why is the dialogue system of this game so very...scripted? You're not given a whole lot of options.  And even when the dialogue system does have multiple options, you'll always have a green highlighted option which will progress your mission forward.  There is no right or wrong answer.  You cannot develop a personality with your captain, it's been written for you.  In other words, if I wanted to break immersion, and be just a complete jerk of a captain, I can't do that.  I cannot in any way affect the diplomacy of this game, and Star Trek is practically centered on diplomacy. And while certain solutions can come up that are unique to your character's class (Tactical, Engineering, or Science), these so very rarely come up, that I can't help but wonder why they bothered including them in the first place. More work here could have been done to make this a more variable game, perhaps with an added element of cause and effect.  Perhaps a wrong decision has a very negative impact on your mission? Or even relations with other factions? See where I'm going with this? Diplomacy in this manner might actually make for a very strong Star Trek game, rather than the shoot 'em up game we ended up with.

Gameplay on the ground is also rather stiff.  I almost never aim down the sights because the aim is so very werky-jerky, and constantly locks onto members of my own team, and I have no easy way of switching to enemy targets. At times, it even switches when I don't want it to or tell it to. The weapons that you can have are pretty fun and varied. And capable of doing different effects. You don't really have to worry too much about aiming as a lot of these kinda just hit your target, but this isn't so much a complaint from me, because headshots and whatnot really don't matter too much in this game, and I actually like this aspect as it keeps very much to the Star Trek spirit.  It's cool to know that your high intensity weapon can be just as deadly on the body as a head shot in your average Call of Duty game. While ground combat and gameplay can be disappointing, it is all forgotten when you're piloting your ship and engaging in ship to ship combat, because this is again, one of the coolest aspects of the game. Like ground combat, you don't have to worry too much about aiming, but this is again, very much in the Trek spirit.  And you can still work to avoid the attacks of your enemies, and are very much focused on ways to deplete the shields of your enemies, whilst unleashing your full payload of photon torpedoes on your enemies. This is yet another aspect of the game that keeps me playing.  I'm not confident enough to try and challenge other ships, but it needs to be said that when you're engaged in battles in which the ships are neck and neck and tearing each other up, it can be satisfying to walk away victorious.

Some Trekkies will appreciate the amount of nostalgia that is in this game.  Many levels of this game come straight from elements or actual plots of other episodes. For me personally, this can get a bit confusing, or at times a little...too safe.  I don't like spoiling things, but the very last level of the Klingon War story arc, you get to fight a planet killer. If you don't know what a planet killer is, it's an enemy from one of my favorite episodes of the Original Series, "The Doomsday Machine". I wouldn't mind this too much as fighting this mechanical horror is fun in a nostalgic way, but the take a lot of elements straight from the episode it's based off of. An ally you have in this straight up rams a shuttlecraft down the killer's maw and reveals to the player that the open maw is its weakness. Another example includes an altered timeline because the Enterprise-C was taken from its original timeline. You know...like the episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" of The Next Generation, which features the same ship and plot. While each of these missions have their own take to the story, it cane be a bit of a head scratcher to me.  Why just base missions off famous episodes of the franchise, instead of create something new? Because a lot of the original missions they have seem so very basic and not too rewarding. While I enjoy playing through these missions, and uncovering lore and background of this universe, a lot of it can be rather bland. But it does need to be said that there are a lot of very fun missions that aren't just based off episodes of the franchise.  One of my favorite episodes revolved around my ship going back in time to stop a Klingon ship from destroying the original NCC-1701 Constitution Class USS Enterprise. This episode does kinda...well...feature the Guardian of Forever from the Original Series, but it does it in a very fun way.  Hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice (he did do some voiceover work for this) as Spock, thanking my ship for the assistance made me smile. And later on when I'm confronting the Klingon who tried to destroy the Enterprise, they come back and assist me!  This is a geek's dream come true.

However, there are times I feel this game isn't quite as polished as it should be. I've run into numerous bugs that while not entirely game-breaking, have been very annoying and frustrating.  I had the hardest time passing one particular mission because during one segment in which I had to destroy a comet, I had numerous Klingon Ships warp in to attack me. And though I could engage them, after I'd destroy one, my weapons would just straight up refuse to fire. This wasn't anything like a weapons deactivation ability, my weapons didn't even have the option to fire. I'd get destroyed, respawn, I'd be able to fire, I'd destroy one Klingon ship, and then the bug would come right back.  This was beyond frustrating. Eventually I had it so that I destroyed the comet before engaging any other Klingon ships and this worked.  I haven't experienced a bug like that since, but you'll notice them in the game more often than not.  I've also been frustrated when a certain action box or dialogue box will come up, and then shortly afterward, ANOTHER one will come up in front of it or behind it. And there's no way to exit out of some of these boxes. Sometimes you actually have to control your dialogue options of the box that's behind the other box.  There's gotta be an easy fix for this...come on Arc. I also find it kinda silly that there is no ship collision damage. While we know better than to run directly into an asteroid while flying a ship, if you were to do it, there's no consequence.  You'll just kinda harmlessly bounce off it in an awkward way, or even at times, ghost right through it. Maybe Starfleet perfected the Phase-cloaking? The same goes for other ships and planets. You cannot die by crashing your ship into anything which is in a way kinda understandable, but I feel some sort of consequence should have been added here. Another thing I need to mention is that the overall gameplay of your ships and whatnot isn't exactly explained the best.  It took me at least ten to fifteen missions to realize that Bridge officers provided the numerous abilities for your ships, and even then I didn't know how to equip the ship with bridge officers.  And I can't say I'm an expert there because I'm still learning how to recruit additional bridge officers and whatnot.  I'm a Commander, level 29, and only have one additional bridge officer from recruitment. I'm unsure if this is the way it's meant to be or if I'm just missing something.  

All in all, the blueprints for a good Star Trek game are here, and in some ways, the elements in this game are very well done.  But as fun and satisfying as it can be, some things do just hold it back.  I won't penalize it too much as it is free-to-play, and for the amount of game we're given, it can be quite impressive despite a few frustrations in learning, but once you pick it up, it can be a real treat, especially if you're into Star Trek as I am. Yeah the story doesn't really feel very much like a Trek type of story, but for what we have right now, there are a lot of things I have found fascinating in the game's lore, and overall story.  It does hold to the spirit of discovery, even if you're not exactly out exploring the unknown, more than you are just fighting your enemies.  The music, is nothing too special, but the opening theme I gotta say is pretty cool. And it does need to be said that there are times you will go off the path of your normal missions just to go and explore, and you will find things to do, that will keep you entertained, or come across just little things like a memorial where Romulus once was that make exploring a bit encouraged.  It's not the perfect Star Trek game, but it's a really good first step to getting that perfect game we will one day have...hopefully.

I'm giving Star Trek Online a solid seven out of ten.  If you're on the console Xbox One or Playstation 4, and have been wanting to try this game, we've final been given the opportunity, For a free to play game, I'm happy for the most part with what we got.  Feel free to voice your opinions down below, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 7/10

REVIEW: Star Trek Beyond

Remember in January, when I started my Star Trek filmdom marathon in which I sat down, watched each and every Star Trek film to date, and reviewed it?  If so, I hope you enjoyed it.  If not, you can check it out in the archives.  But today, we finally REALLY wrap up the marathon because the third reboot film is out, and I gotta say that I was most anxious to see this one. As a brief reminder to you all, I myself, am a fan of the reboot. I enjoy the cast (and was saddened to hear of the tragic accident that claimed the life of Anton Yelchin), I think the action when done right can be mind boggling, and I like the darker tone the series can have in this alternate timeline. Much love and respect to what we fans call the "primary timeline", but there's no reason you can't like both.  The first reboot film is easily in my top favorite Trek movies, but though Into Darkness had its moments with me, like I pointed out in my review a few months back, it lost that spirit that made the first film so likable to me. And it was the film that made so many fans I know turn themselves away to this film.  

And believe me what I say I wanted this movie to succeed. And was given plenty of hopes. The writer, Simon Pegg, who I believe to be a fantastic science fiction writer, and knows Star Trek well enough to write for it was behind the script.  And he specifically stated that he knew what the fans wanted to see in Star Trek, and that this film would have much of those elements. But with the hope there was also the signs that the road ahead was anything but smooth when the director for the project was announced to be Justin Lin, the director of the Fast and Furious movies. I haven't seen any of those, but you know that Fast and Furious is not exactly the thing you put on the resumé if you're hoping to direct something like Star Trek. The first trailer itself made even more people shut themselves off to it when it only seemed to reveal elements of nonstop action, and...dirt bikes. Even Simon Pegg himself said he wasn't a fan of the trailer. I banked hard on Simon Pegg to give the fans of the franchise something...ANYTHING to make them see the reboots from another point of view.  As something more than just pointless action movies that only share the same name. Because if you ask me, these movies, even Into Darkness, are more Trek-like than people give them credit for, even if they're different. They can base themselves or mirror our own events, they can share (at times) culture in other alien races, and there is a sense of wonder, discoery, and technological marvel somewhere in each film.  So with all this said...I've seen the movie.  Does it deliver?

...

Friends...do yourself a favor and go see it. I'll be blunt. This film is surprisingly strong, blowing Into Darkness out of the water, and becoming a very strong contender for Star Trek films right now. There is a lot of things to talk about here, and I'm gonna do my absolute best not to spoil anything. From reinstalling the Star Trek spirit back into these films, to giving us a sense of wonder and awe in the world of the Federation, to giving us an albeit somewhat clunky but fun narrative, to honoring the Mr. Nimoy himself, this film succeeds on so many levels, I'm actually astonished. I'm still a bit dazed as I write this even now.  But, I won't let that distract me.  Despite having some of the common traits of the other Star Trek reboot films, this film stands on its own, and gives me some reason to hope that there's a bit more life in these reboots than what a lot of us tend to think.

The opening of this movie, aside from a rather silly opening scene, is incredible.  Some of the character development in Kirk is very welcome, as we see him reflecting on his Starfleet career as he turns one year older than when his father was killed. These reflections give off another side of Kirk that hasn't been seen before.  The first 15 minutes or so of this film revolve around the feelings of characters all around the ship, and it's very well done.  And it's in this that we get one of the things I found absolutely flawless in this film, but we'll get to that later.  The environments of a space station called the Yorktown, are absolutely stunning to look at, creative, and give us some really visually appealing sets, even if they can hurt the eyes slightly.  Star Trek meets Inception. But when we get a distress call from within a Nebula, we're off and the action is soon to follow, and before I get any whining comments...I actually believe the action is kinda toned down a bit in this film.  In fact, ironically enough, I think most of the action takes place during this opening act.  Now that's not to say that action isn't in the rest of the movie, because it is, but it's much better paced than it was in Into Darkness.  Kahn doesn't just show up out of nowhere and start randomly blasting Klingons to oblivion here if you care to take my comparison. The action that happens, makes sense, is fun to watch, unique (I love the drone swarm concept, I mean come on, in my Star Trek fan writings, I've played with the idea to an extent), and to those of you owndering what they could have possibly done with a dirt bike...well...as silly as the concept is, they found a way to make it work and fit. Well I guess there's also a really...really ridiculous scene near the end where the music of the Beastie Boys literally saves the day but...no I'll let you judge that one by yourself.  

I'm kinda showering this movie with praise.  Let me take a step back because I don't want to give the idea that this movie is flawless.  It does have some problems, mainly with the narrative. As I said above, it's a bit clunky.  There were times I watched this where I felt that the story was either trying to do too much, or just didn't know how to execute certain things.  There were times I was wondering if a little added extra footage could have enhanced certain scenes to help smooth out the story, or other things.  But I will say when the story was reaching the end, a lot of things did fall into place, and it did set up one very fun twist, even if the big bad doomsday weapon of the movie is rather underwhelming. Yeah, I don't mean to spoil anything here, but the weapon they're trying to save the day from really isn't focused on too much here.  We keep getting told that it's this powerful device that can wipe out all sorts of life, and the most we see it do is kill a person. Scary. Actually, now that I think about it, that weaon is kinda similar to the infinity stone in Guardians of the Galaxy.  Which might explain that article from way back in which Paramount said they wanted this movie to feel like that movie.  Well congradulations Paramount, you just made me more confused than ever. That's my biggest problem with this, is just the narrative really.  Though things all come together, there are times I just had to blink, scratch my head or wonder if I missed something.  And honestly, the whole weapon thing is pretty forgettable. In many ways, it reminds me of the Genesis project of Wrath of Khan. It's there, but it's not focused on too much...

But the shortcomings in story are easily forgoten with the strength this movie has in characters.  The characters of this movie are developed so very well, from the main crew, to the villain, to secondary characters, that I honestly believe that it may be one of the strongest character movies in Star Trek out there. Another thing that I love is that they manage to give a little homage to the old NX ships of the franchise.  I won't spoil much, but we do get to see one of those old babies in action, and it's actually very fun.  One of the more predictable things about this movie that I liked was the occassional comedy. There is some legit comedy here, from funny exchanges of dialogue, and other moments that had me laughing.  Heck, Chekov himself actually directly referenced a line from The Trouble with Tribbles. I think I was the only one laughing in the theater at that line.  And of course, one of my favorite things about the reboots in general that they absolutely nailed in this movie was the music.  The score is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm gonna have to make it a goal to pick up the soundtrack.  It's gorgeous.

And for those who are wondering? Bonus points, there's not that many lens flares here in this film. 

But honestly, the best thing about this movie was how they paid homage to Leonard Nimoy.  From the beginning of the film, we see Spock get the news of Ambassador Spock's passing, and it becomes a bit of a theme in the film in which they talk about Ambassador Spock, how he lived, and each time they're doing it, you will be smiling.  Zachary Quinto talks about him in the middle of the film, and each word he says makes it sound as if he's talking about Nimoy himself. It's absolutely beautiful.  And there is a moment at the end that will have even the most devoted fans who hate the reboots tear up a bit. I won't dare spoil it.  All I will say is that it does tug at the heart strings just a bit. It's a perfect farewell to Leonard, and nothing else could have made it better...except that during the credits, we do get a moment of silence as we see the text read "In Loving Memory of Leonard Nimoy". ... And "For Anton", which made me applaud just a bit, knowing that they were able not only to say goodbye to a beloved Star Trek legend and icon, but goodbye to a close friend that was taken far too soon.  

All in all, this movie is just...mind numbing. Despite the few flaws it has, Simon Pegg, and Justin Lin birthed something incredible with this film.  I am willing to bet that even those who don't care for the reboots will find SOMETHING in this film to enjoyo.  And with all this said, I am giving Star Trek Beyond a three and a half star rating out of four. I wanted to give this film a four. I really did.  But the clunky narrative can detract ever so slightly, but don't let that stop you from watching this, because almost everything else about this film is just fun, exciting, wonderful, and well...I will say it's Star Trek.  If there's one reboot film out there that I can for sure call Star Trek, it is this one.  I'm still trying to figure out which one I like more, the original 2009 film or this one. I don't know.  I enjoy both for very different reasons, but if I were to distinguish which one has more spirit of Trek?  Well...look no further. Simon...I knew you wouldn't let me down.  And Justin....hey, congrats.  You hit it out of the park.

Please feel free to request any movie you'd like for me to review, and I will do my best to cover it.  Leave a comment down below telling me of your own thoughts about this film, and as always, thanks for reading.  And thank you for joining me on this awesome marathon of Star Trek.  Hard to believe it's been 50 years...

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

We miss you Leonard.  And we miss you no less, Anton...

REVIEW: Star Trek Into Darkness

And here we stand, at the end of the road at the present moment. We've talked about the magic that the original six movies could portray, we've talked about the new edge, and fun that the Next Generation films could pull, and last week, we talked about how I personally really like the first reboot film. Despite what others will continue to say, I rank it as my third favorite Star Trek film, and despite what others say, yes...I call it a Star Trek film. So you can imagine that I was very excited for the potential of the sequel.  What was J.J. gonna do to keep this magic up?  What sort of potential was he gonna unleash with this alternate universe now fully at his command?

Well...I'll admit that when I first saw it, I liked it.  I liked it a lot.  But I have to admit, having watched all the Star Trek films now, and having been getting in touch with a lot of the series lately...rewatching Into Darkness...I wasn't as impressed as I once was.

Last December, some of you may have read my review for The Force Awakens, which was also directed by J.J. Abrams. Some of you may remember that I took criticism to the movie mainly because there were times in the movie where it really literally felt like J.J. Had a checkbook of scenes from the first movie that were iconic enough to include in his film.  From the Cantina scene, to the Trench Run Scene, to the info in a droid scene, to the hero getting killed scene, to...look you get the idea.  There is a LOT of retreading in the Force Awakens, and it got to me. If I were to re-rate the film, I'd almost be tempted to rate it a three star rating instead of the original three and a half star rating, but I gave it that original rating because it was still a very fun movie.  Watching it, I could say that this was Star Wars.  Is it flawed?  Yes.  But it holds to that legacy of being just a fun fantasy space adventure, without needing to go into too much complexity that the prequels tried to do (though ironically, a little political explanation was kinda needed here).  Well...enter Into Darkness, a film three years older than Force Awakens. And...you know...J.J. Abrams is a director I kinda like. I loved things like Cloverfield, and whatnot...but...with Force Awakens...and now Into Darkness...why am I seeing a troubling pattern here?

Now I can't exactly call this a retread of Wrath of Kahn, because...it's not.  It does have a different plot.  But it leans so much on Wrath of Kahn, holding to that checkbook of similar scenes, or exact lines from certain characters and other things that as much as I love Star Trek, I am gonna get even harsher on this film than I will Force Awakens, despite it being the older film.  Why?  Because at least with Star Wars?  The legacy was upheld.  Here?  Yeah...I will sympathize with a few of you who call these films glorified action films. Because...that's what this is.  It is the most action packed Star Trek movie out there...in all the wrong ways.  And it absolutely breaks my heart to say that, because there are some scenes that I actually REALLY really like.  And the first scene that ultimately comes to mind when I say this is that...absolutely wonderful to watch warp battle between the Vengeance and the Enterprise.  That is a real treat to watch to this day.  Just a monster ship tearing apart the Enterprise at warp...it's a wonderful scene, and has wonderful tension.

But...that's really the only action scene I really liked.

While the film is set up good with an attack at Starfleet in London, the film just quickly descends into this action packed mess that holds little to no honor to the Star Trek name. Starfleet officials are killed when Kahn attacks their exposed headquarters (because Kahn is in this movie), they ATTEMPT diplomacy with the Klingons, before Kahn just jumps in and it's a shootout all over the place, we have another space jump which honestly isn't as impressive as the jump in the previous movie, we have chase scenes, space battles, and brawls and it just doesn't stop.  Heck!  I'd say that the action keeps going until maybe...five minutes left of the movie.  FIVE!  WHY? And that's another thing, the ending of this movie feels like it's just getting shoved out the door.  "Action's done, you guys can go home now, here's you half-assed ending."  Just...WHY?

I'm not even focusing on the mirroring of Wrath of Kahn any more, we all know the problems there, from Kirk replacing Spock as the guy to save the ship, only to be brought back miraculously to life. Before this movie was even released, rumors were all over the place to the point where we could pretty much see Kahn coming in a mile away. And though the previous film had some genuinely funny moments, a lot of the comedy in this film falls flat.  It revolves around Scotty running from one end of the ship to another, or Spock and Uhura uncomfortably arguing in front of everyone. And even smaller elements of this film...from a very forced and non-impressive cameo from Leonard Nimoy, to a cheap lowest common denominator shot of a woman in underwear, just feel unnecessary and add absolutely nothing to this film. And I hate highlighting all these problems, because the film does have some genuinely stong moments.

The story is easy to follow, and when Kirk and Pike argue, or share their final moments together, it does show some very decent character bonding. I love character development!  But it's few and far between in this film.  Kahn isn't portrayed. half-bad either, and I dare say that Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Kahn on a level very near that of Ricardo Montalbán. I'm not joking, he doesn't try to impersonate Ricardo's performance, he does his own, and he does have a very menacing feel in that performance. And despite what other say, I find that dark side of Starfleet to be rather interesting.  You can say it doesn't fit the picture but...remember Undiscovered Country?  There were people in Starfleet conspiring to keep the Klingon Empire as an enemy.  Officers in Starfleet, a Romulan, Klingons, even a Vulcan. So I'm not gonna accept the argument that this doesn't fit Starfleet.  Compared to Undiscovered Country, this little conspiracy in Starfleet is a walk in the park.  But these few good things just failed to hold this movie up for my recent viewing. It makes me kinda happy that Abrams isn't exactly calling the shots anymore for the upcoming film, because as fun as the action can be...it's not at all very Trek-like.

Star Trek Into Darkness is another film that is hard to rate. But after hard consideration, I am giving this film a final rating of a two and a half star rating. It's not...bad. It holds more water than other stinkers like Final Frontier, The Motion Picture, and Insurrection. But compared to other mediocre films like Nemesis or Generations, this one just doesn't feel as Trek-like as the rest of the group.  The constant action makes you forget that you're supposed to be watching Star Trek, and the fact that out of all the potential, Abrams decided to just experiment with Wrath of Kahn, I can't help but feel that one too many corners were cut here.  And I hate saying that, because I feel it's this film that has made so many people question the quality of the reboot films, and with some warning signs already up for Star Trek Beyond, I have a feeling that a lot of them won't go see it...even if it's good.  Speaking of which, I will be going to see that film, and it will get a review.  I still hold hope to it, because despite what others think, I do know that Simon Pegg, the film's writer DOES in fact hold a high respect for the franchise, and he's not disappointed me before. Can he write a good film?  I fully believe he can.  Yeah, Justin Lin is a questionable director (and I've not even seen the Fast and Furious movies), but if anyone can give these reboot films a good name, I fully believe Simon can.  Time will tell.

Please feel free to request any film you wish for me to look at.  Leave a comment down below telling me your own personal thoughts on the film, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 2.5/4

Thank you all for reading through my Trek-a-then film reviews, but it's not done yet, and won't be done until July hits! Hopefully Star Trek Beyond will help ease some pain from Into Darkness, but we won't know for sure until we get that final product.  But until then, I say that I am happy to be a Trekkie for the franchise's fiftieth anniversary, and only hope for the best to come up ahead.  But now...I think I got another anniversary to uphold...I think I gotta review the Pokémon movies now...oh boy...

REVIEW: Star Trek (2009)

Do you guys have any idea how stoked I am to finally be writing this? Honestly you don't. I love talking about controversial entertainment like this. Let's dive right in!

For those who have absolutely no idea, the Star Trek reboot films have been the talk of the Star Trek communities nowadays. It has completely split the Fandom right up the middle. You either love them, or you hate them. I've encountered one too many discussions about how people love the darker tone which can reflect our post-9/11 country right now, or how people absolutely despise the..."J.J.-verse". Well where do I stand? I'm not entirely sure myself. Each film has their strengths and weaknesses. And each one has given me something to enjoy. 

But to avoid ten paragraph reviews, I'm going to get a few of the more common debates out of the gate right here, right now. Whether you agree with these points or not...well...I'm not gonna debate too much about them. HERE WE GO!!!! I like the new layout of the Enterprise, I think the new cast does a great job at portraying their roles, I don't at all mind all the lens flares, while it seems to be the most controversial topic, a lot of the action is very well done, and finally, I really don't give a damn whether or not you think it fits the vision of Gene Roddenberry. Because let's face it, if everything everywhere had to fit the original vision of their original creator, a lot of franchises like Star Wars or Stargate would straight up suck- Have I pissed anyone off yet?

Okay let's get serious. In all seriousness, Star Trek needed the little break it got after Nemesis, and Enterprise. While I've yet to see any Enterprise episodes, I've heard enough fanboy hate to know that Trek needed a break. Some new blood. Something...new. Enter director J.J. Abrams who came up with a little idea of creating an alternate time line, which in all honesty....I'm all for. Now before I get too many hate comments, let me just say, that no, I don't hate the primary time line. I'm just a HUGE fan of alternate realities, time lines, and I won't lie, the plot of this movie is the ultimate story I can think of when time travel goes horribly wrong. I find it really kinda cool to see that the hero fails to fix it. This new dark tone does in fact mirror a lot of what our country felt in the post 9/11 days, and correct me if I'm wrong, but Star Trek kinda likes mirroring recent events. From the Klingon Empire mirroring Nazi Germany of the Original Series, to Undiscovered Country mirroring the end of the Cold War, just to name a relative few. I've heard people call this reboot mirroring "exploitation". So what do they call that other stuff? And again, don't even bother bringing up "oh it's not Roddenberry's vision". Refer to the previous paragraph. 

Now I will say this, that yes, fans do give this and the next film legitimate criticisms that I actually kinda sympathize with. Whether it's a relative few plot holes (all of which are explained in deleted scenes or the prequel comic....come on J.J.), or how the amount of action just doesn't fit at times, or how Starfleet doesn't quite act like Starfleet  (more on this point in the next review). One point I've heard is that these films don't reflect Star Trek spirit in terms of moral standpoints and whatnot, and all I'm gonna say is this.  Leave that stuff to the show, because I pay to watch a movie for a fun adventure. Nearly every Star Trek movie or there has been based on an adventure, and those that tried to be something else kinda failed. Wrath of Kahn, Search for Spock, Voyage Home, First Contact....all adventures. I guess you can say Voyage Home had a moral, but everyone seems to criticize it. In fact the ONLY film I can say has both a good adventure and moral standpoint is Undiscovered Country. So what do people have against this adventure? Because I can easily follow it, I have a lot of fun with it, and while it's not perfect...I'm glad it was the first Star Trek movie I saw in theaters. 

The only thing I really have a problem with in this particular movie, is the fact that write quite frankly, I'm kinda done with Kirk and Spock. They had their time in the limelight. But even this isn't do much a hindrance with this movie, because this story that was given was just way too fun not to enjoy. Each cast member portrays their character very well, even if there are a few moments I still kinda scratch my head at (like the Spock Uhura relationship). And despite everything, this movie does portray a very fun new beginning for Kirk and his crew, from Kirk cheating at the Kobayashi Maru, to the intimidating Romulan/Borg ship (comic expansion), to Nero, who is one of my favorite Star Trek villains to this point. The action in this movie is spot on, and even if it's a little excessive, it at least fits, unlike some of the action in Nemesis. 

But for me the films strongest point comes from Leonard Nimoy, in a performance I like to call the ultimate finale (if not for his rather forced cameo next film). Once you see him on screen, you immediately smile, you immediately sit yourself down, and you love each and every second he's on screen. Like I said, if it wasn't for his forced cameo in the sequel, this would have been the perfect performance for him to leave the franchise on. Especially in the films final scene, which is easily one of my favorite scenes in all of Star Trek, when we see the Enterprise boldly going where no one has gone before, to Nimoy excellently voicing that iconic monologue. It left me on a high, and only wanting more. Whether I got more? I guess you'll have to check in next week for that answer. 

But when all is said and done, this is a film that is easily one if my favorite films of the franchise, and honestly I feel the reason it gets so much hate, is the fact that people will worry that the future of Star Trek will be based on this new time line. Well after doing my own research, all answers point to no. This seems to just be a fun little trip, so all I'm gonna say is sit back and enjoy the ride while we wait eagerly for our new series in 2017. But for this movie, this reboot, Star Trek earns a three and a half star rating out of four. It's flawed, but it does so much right that I can forgive said flaws. The acting is good, the story is great, the visuals are easily amongst the best out there, and the music is absolutely phenomenal. Massive points to Michael Giacchino for the musical score here. If you don't like it for some of the reasons I've stated above, there are some of those I can relate and sympathize with, but I'll quote a favorite critic of mine here. If you're gonna hate something for the sole reason of it being different, I kindly ask for you to go beck to your corner of the room that remembers your Utopian time period which never existed. Star Trek is, and always has been a flawed but enjoyable series to follow, and this film was absolutely no different. 

Boy I can't wait to see the hate come pouring in here. 

Please feel free to request films you'd like to see reviewed. Leave a comment down below expressing your own thoughts and opinions on this movie, and as always, thanks for reading. 

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

One more guys. One more film before July. We're wrapping up ourTrek-a-thon next week, hope you'll read then!

THROWBACK REVIEW: Star Trek: Nemesis

We did it!  We're through the Next Generation films! Yup, unlike the crew of the original six movies, Picard's crew only got four films to wrap up their series, and on some levels, that's probably for the best. Unlike the Original Series, which only got three seasons (including that God-awful third season), The Next Generation remained on the air for a whopping seven seasons, all of which were pretty dang good. Yeah the first couple seasons weren't as good, but compared to Season Three of the original series? It's gold. And no, I will never get tired of ripping that third season a new one. Back on track, with such a big series, I don't think Picard's crew needed six films to wrap up their series. Heck, I'm not sure they even needed four, but here we are. Is Nemesis a worthy send-off?

Well...yes and no. Now I will get this out of my system now, this is a film that some people will compare to the Final Frontier, as yet another bad bad bad Star Trek film, and all I have to say to that is.....really? I mean, granted it's not perfect, but I had a lot of fun watching it. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but honestly, I think it gets way too much dirt than it deserves. There are some things here that don't belong. But there are a lot of things here that hit right on the money. And the thing it does decent at right up front is.....I'll be honest, the action. Now before I get too many angry fans tearing me a new one, I will say that some action doesn't fit. And the scene that immediately comes to mind is the ATV action scene in the first act. I still don't get why they added it. It really adds...nothing to the film. It could have been cut, and nothing would have changed in the film. I mean granted we get a couple of cheesy, but likable lines in the scene (I don't care what others might say, unsafe velocities had me chuckling), but the Reman attack was completely unnecessary. And a few of the shootouts....probably could have been edited down and whatnot (a shuttle flying through the halls of a warbird seems a little over the top). But one thing I absolutely love in this film is the space battle, which is absolutely phenomenal. Easily amongst the best of the franchise, and I've yet to get to a personal favorite space battle. It's paced wonderfully, visually appealing, and at times, even intense to the point where you're wondering if it's scary (God I love hull breach scenes). And the fact that the Romulans....long time enemies of the Federation, aid the Enterprise in this battle, only strengthens this battle. It's a real treat to watch.

The concepts of Nature vs Nurture are also a concept I found somewhat interesting, though not so much emotionally gripping as one would hope. Here you have a concept never before explored in Star Trek, where Picard is facing his own clone. You'd hope this would have a bit more of a payoff than what we got. Instead we just get a few scenes of them together, in which the clone just kinda drops the whole "If you were in my place, you'd do the same thing!" a couple times, before we get our eventual climax, and that's that. Honestly, it kinda felt a little anti-climactic,and if it weren't for the....spoiler alert....death of Data giving it a more serious emotion to the overall scene, the whole thing would have felt rather mediocre.

Which leads me to discuss the biggest factor of the movie, the send-off. Let's compare the send-off of the original crew to the send-off of the Next Generation crew.  Minor note, this paragraph includes spoilers.  If you don't wanna be spoiled, skip ahead to the next paragraph. The original crew's send off was as such.  With peace talks now beginning with the Klingon Empire, the Enterprise is ordered to immediately return to Starfleet where it will be decommissioned, and the crew will mainly retire.  So...the crew takes their ship out for one last ride to wherever. It's a fantastic, glorious ending that is still every bit as awesome as it should be.  Picard's crew?  It's...much more somber. Here, Data is dead, Riker and Troi are getting transferred, and while peace talks with the Romulans are beginning, there's not a lot to smile about, because the crew is just...going through such a tough time. I mean sure, the original crew saw the death of Spock, but he came back. And though Data's memories start to resurface in the memory banks of...B-4...(who I won't dedicate a paragraph to, but let's just say I don't like this character at all), we don't get another movie to see Data return.  For all we know, he may be gone...forever. Seeing the crew, standing there in near silence, reflecting on Data is truly sad to watch.  And it doesn't help that Riker and Troi are leaving the beloved crew of the Enterprise.  The send off of Picard's crew leaves so many holes in the crew we have come to know and love.  And honestly...that's a really gutsy move. It's not the glorious "everything will be okay" ending that Kirk always seemed to get.  Here...things have happened, that have caused a lot of pain.  Whether you approve of this or not...I'll let you decide.  For me personally...I think it's pretty dang strong.

But I think the biggest reason that Nemesis can get the flab it gets is mainly because for the time it came out...Star Trek was running on fumes.  It needed a break, and I'm glad it got one. Whether you criticize it for too much action, or issues in continuity, or anything else...I mainly get the feeling that while it knows what to do in a lot of areas, it gets too distracted with other scenes.  I asked about it on G+, and found that roughly 70% of fans liked this movie. There are so many things that I absolutely love about this film, that hit the bullseye, but there are a lot of things also that just didn't need to be there.  And the fact that this can happen...continuously, I think is the film's biggest fault.  If it were just one or two elements, I wouldn't mind, but it just resurfaces one too many times. While I love the ending of this film and the action, it needed to focus more on those concepts it was trying to introduce, and less on B-4's character, and the very unnecessary action scenes. It's a big mixed bag, but it's still an enjoyable mixed bag.

Star Trek: Nemesis is a film I'm unsure how to rate honestly.  I wanted to give this film a three, because by most means, I njoyed this film from beginning to end.  While there were elements that I don't care for, not once in the movie did I say, this isn't how I remembered it, or that it was a bad film.  It has bad moments, but moment's don't condemn a film for me. However thinking harder on it, I'm going to issue this movie with some tough love, a two and a half star rating out of four. While enjoyable, the film's easy distraction, and whatnot distracts the viewer, and can at times make you question why it was in the film.  Is it a perfect send off for Picard?  No.  Is it worthy? ...you can be the judge of that one for yourself.  But as distracting as it can be, I still very much recommend a viewing of it.  THe good that is in this film...is just too good to not recommend it.

Please feel free to suggest any movie you might want me to look at in the future down below.  Leave a comment telling me your own personal thoughts or feelings about this film.  Agree?  Disagree?  I want to know! And as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 2.5/4

We did it!  The Next Generation films are complete!  But...there's still two more Star Trek films out there that I must tackle.  Films that I know, not everyone will agree with me on.  It's time to tackle the infamous reboot films.  See you next week.

THROWBACK REVIEW: Star Trek: Insurrection

Oh boy... 

Here we stand, ready to talk about one of my most disliked films of the franchise of Star Trek. Yup. We've gone from one of my favorite films, to a film I really don't like that much, but unlike Star Trek: The Motion Picture which I don't like due to absolutely atrocious pacing, or Star Trek V, which I don't care for due to poor editing and forgettable story, Insurrection gets a stamp of disapproval from me for much more technical reasons. It is the one movie out of all the Star Trek movies out there, that feels like it doesn't belong. And I hear some of you already asking me, "Oh yeah? Well what about those reboot films?" Yes. Even the reboots have more to do with Star Trek than this film does. There. I said it. Shall we begin?

Now a few things I will say regarding this film that are actually well done, are the environments. I cannot, and will not deny that the imagery of space in this movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at. No other Star Trek film has portrayed the Enterprise going through a nebula so beautifully. So I will give credit where credit is due. The scenery in space is absolutely gorgeous.  Heck, I'll admit it, even the scenery on the planet the movie focuses on is good, there's just nothing that really stands out about it like the Nebula does.  The Enterprise is looking good as ever (though....whoever was the design genius behind the idea that the Enterprise should be controlled by a joystick in an emergency has been playing too much Atari), and even the enemy ships (who belong to this race called the Son'a) look visually appealing.  There are a few effects during the film's action that appear slightly out of place if you ask me, but overall, the ships are beautiful in this film.  And that is about all the good I can say of this film.  That's not a good thing, movie.

The film's main plot focuses on a race of "aliens" called the Ba'ku, and I put quotes around that word, because they look human in every way possible (they couldn't put a little effort into the make-up department to make these guys look a bit more alien?), who have very much decided to isolate themselves from using....machines....despite using machines in their daily lives. I mean, they straight up say in the movie, "We believe that when you create a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man." Well that's just lovely...but the thing is...as Linkara expertly points out in the excellent review he does with the Nostalgia Critic of this Ba'ku use machines everywhere, from dams to irrigation systems, and likely to sewing machines. "It's almost like machines are helpful or something." I'll rant a bit more about this later, but another thing I cannot accept in this movie is the fact that the Ba'ku, a race we are told has forsaken technology, knows how to...fix...an android.....

....

Bullshit. Just pure, simple, bullshit. Normally I'm pretty open to Star Trek explanations for certain things, but Insurrection managed to be one of the few things of the franchise that just pressed all the wrong buttons. How does this race know how to fix an Android when throughout the series, almost all life that sees Data, looks upon Data as a technical marvel and revolutionary figure? No one knows how to make another like him, and his creator is dead. Heck, Data has to personally instruct Geordi a lot of the time on routine maintenance. And this race that has forsaken machines and technology can just pull off miraculous repair work? That's........just stupid! They go on to reveal that they know the secrets of Warp travel and other things and, it just....doesn't fit. And I say this because the villagers look at Data like he's some kind of monster. More on their behavior shortly.

Another thing that kinda gets to me, a point that Linkara points out in the mentioned review, is the fact that apparently, the Dominion War is going on during this movie. For those who don't know, the Dominion War is a war the Federation is involved with against the mentioned Dominion, particularly during the series Deep Space Nine. And the Federation was losing pretty badly, with predictions that if the Federation loses, BILLIONS of people will die. And we are told that the unique radiation or whatnot that the planet can give off can help....say it with me now...BILLIONS. Yet Picard says, how dare you try to relocate this small group of six hundred people, who aren't indigenous to the planet. It's like the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.....oh wait... Yeah there's a generic bad guy plot behind it all, but if you don't know that, you'd think Picard wasn't thinking straight. That and the whole fact that Picard has been involved with numerous relocations in the past...really doesn't seem to fit the overall picture here.

But with everything wrong with this picture, from Picard's overall thinking, to just...overall...strange scenes with Data (like how he can be used as a floatation device or how they sing to...gain control of him?), and from overall rushed plot elements, to plot elements that make absolutely no sense (I still don't get why the Ba'ku could do half the crap that they do in this movie), there is one thing I've been waiting to talk about as to why I dislike this movie so much, and it revolves somewhat around the Ba'ku and technology. As I said up above, the Ba'ku don't like machines or technology so much (despite using machines...and having knowledge of technology...as stupid as it sounds). And I've said how this movie goes about depicting it, from the village basically looking to Data as this...abomination almost. Kids run away from him, the people distrust him, the movie hammers in the point that they look at technology as a bad thing.  And ironically...TECHNOLOGY SAVES THE DAY!  Yeah, I can't help but wonder what the Ba'ku were thinking of Picard's crew who were shooting down drones and erecting force fields to protect the 600 villagers.  I like a certain line from that review I keep mentioning (sorry I bring it up a lot, it's an excellent review). "Thanks for saving us with your technology, by the way, we hate technology." But that's not even what gets to me.  Star Trek is about how we as humans have evolved through the centuries up ahead, to better ourselves as a species with the help of relations with aliens, and the advancement of...say it with me now...technology.  Technology is a CORE ASPECT of Star Trek.  Now I understand that Star Trek is a broad series, and honestly, I would have welcomed this concept of the crew coming across a culture that has rejected machines, but the way it was executed here, it literally felt at times like the moral of whatever story they were telling was that we shouldn't rely on technology...and while some may say this to be true...technology is just a tool that we use in our daily lives. And the people of Star Trek know it. While yes, some people shouldn't spend so much on technology nowadays, the philosophy of Star Trek stands for how much our advancement in technology has done us good. I mean, good God, it's inspired inventors to actually make so many things from the show for the past fifty years! And this is what I mean when I say that this movie feels like an anti-Star Trek movie, it rejects this core aspect.  You may argue that the reboots may not be in full spirit of Star Trek, But at least they stuck with the basic principles for the most part.  This movie straight up turned its back to it.

Star Trek: Insurrection easily earns a one star out of four. If the improbable plot elements and ideals don't get to me, the overal themes do.  What could have very much been at best, a mediocre episode perhaps, ends up taking up an entire feature film, which only leaves me rubbing my head, and asking myself "How could Jonathan Frakes, the guy behind First Contact, come up with this?" How could this movie...which has such gorgeous scenery, and at least...a followable plot, get so much wrong?  How could Final Frontier end up entertaining me more than this?  These are questions I will likely never get an answer to.  While the first Star Trek film got a lot of dirt from me for pacing and boring story, this one just...nearly infuriated me for it's themes, and that's another bad sin to come from Star Trek. I'm pleased to say that no other Star Trek film has ever tested me on this kind of level, but...we still have three more Star Trek films to go...and they all have their critics.

Please feel free to suggest a movie for me to review down below.  Leave a comment about your own thoughts and feelings about this film, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 1/4

THROWBACK REVIEW: Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact in multiple ways feels like this was the Star Trek movie that was made for me. It is one of the coolest adventures of the Trek universe, and easily the best of the Next Generation films of Star Trek.  Long have I praised this film, long have I defended it from the relative few who I have seen trash talk it.  And long will I continue to love and defend it.  I won't let some nitpicking fans ruin my love of this film, especially when I feel that a lot of their points that they try to make are debatable at best. Is Captain Picard out of character here?  Is there too much action?  Let's just take a look.

I will start this review out by pointing out ironically, my only problem with this movie.  The setting. At the end of Generations, we'd witnessed the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D, and we saw the crew getting picked up by a few Starfleet ships, before warping into the distance, ready to continue their many adventures.  Well, when First Contact starts up, where are we?  On the new and beautiful ship Enterprise-E.  But.....where did it come from?  This is my biggest question.  Why weren't we given a little introduction to this ship? I mean in Star Trek IV, when the crew is getting shuttled to their new assignment, we were given a glimpse at the newly constructed USS Enterprise-A. This gave us some insight as to the fact that the legacy of the Enterprise was only beginning.  Here, they're literally just sitting around a table, talking about their new ship and how they're ready to fight the Borg. I mean don't get me wrong, the Enterprise-E is a beautiful ship, but I would have loved to get to know her a bit before this movie.  An introduction scene or montage or something.  I mean heck, even the crew members like Geordi look different. His visor is gone.  We were given no hint that he'd be given implants instead of his visor before this.  And in his case, no one even bothers mentioning the fact that he decided to get implants or what led to his decision.  It's just a minor gripe about how they set up this movie that gets to me.  But by the time the movie gets rolling, this problem can easily be forgiven, because when we hear that the Borg are attacking Earth...well...who wouldn't be on board?

The opening battle between Starfleet and the Borg cube is one of the coolest scenes of these movies. Normally, Star Trek isn't a franchise I'd associate to put together a fun space battle, but this movie certainly went above and beyond to put this one together in which we get a small cameo by the USS Defiant, and even a very brief glimpse of the famous Millenium Falcon from Star Wars.  And while this battle may not be too visually spectacular when compared to the dogfights of Star Wars or whatnot, it's still a very impressive scene to have come out of Star Trek, before launching us into the main plot of the film in which the Borg send a probe back in time to assimilate Earth before humanity can launch their very first warp-capable ship, which would enable first contact between them and the Vulcans. The Enterprise, caught in this time warp, finds itself in the 21st Century, in a post-WWIII world.  Where we meet easily my favorite non-Enterprise character of the movie, Zephram Cochrane, played perfectly by James Cromwell.  James is an absolute riot in this movie.  I don't think I've ever see a guy play a depressed drunk quite like him. The crew of the Enterprise is tasked with assisting him in repairs to his ship, which is damaged during the Borg attack, and in just...well...helping him find that pride to actually do the launch again, though the hero worship doesn't help at all. Every emotion, every line that James says is just...so in character.  Even the franchise's only title drop in it's long history seems fine. James easily makes this movie worth watching.  He was perfect for the role of Zephram.

One of the things people tend to complain about in this movie is the fact that Picard seems out of character, as he slowly descends into an obsession to destroy the Borg at the cost of...well...anything. I've read articles about how this once intelligent and level-minded leader, was turned into nothing but a man who just wanted to kill anything Borg, despite not ever showing this side before.  To that I say...really?  So his willingness to use a single Borg drone to carry a virus to eradicate the entire Borg race wasn't an obsession? In that same episode, his angry refusal to even speak to the Borg drone who was starting to show signs of individuality wasn't an out of character grudge?  Look I understand that in that episode, he did decide against his act against the Borg, and did in fact get to know the drone in question, but you gotta put into effect what exactly is going on in this movie.  Picard's entire way of life is at risk.  The Borg are threatening to end life on Earth as we know it, erasing everything we've done.  Now I will say that yes, Picard could have been more level-headed but all captains react differently in a crisis. Picard didn't want to lose the Enterprise, despite the fact that for all he knew, it was already lost. With everything the Borg had put him through in the entire franchise, I could easily see why he was so reluctant to accept defeat, and to destroy his foe in the only means left.  And to see him finally realize what he was doing in the end, I felt was very fitting.  When he starts quoting Moby Dick, before finally ordering the complete evacuation of the Enterprise it's easily one of the strongest scenes of the movie. I can only guess that people don't like this because it makes Picard, arguably one of Star Trek's strongest captains, appear weak. Weakness is a part of being a captain, and I find it interesting to see how captains handle this aspect. I mean....if you want an example to compare it to, Captain Edward Smith was supposed to have been the most experienced and talented Captain of White Star Line back in 1912. Yet when the Titanic struck an iceberg, even the talented Captain was weak in the time of crisis. It's just a thing that captains face, and I thought this movie pulled it off. 

As far as the action is concerned in this movie, you'll hear no complaints from me. I've long since grown a bit tired of hearing complaints about how much action should be in Star Trek. Now before I go on, yes, there are times when Star Trek action does very much feel out of place. And I will take note of it. But in this particular film, there was not one scene that felt out of place. Why? Well I guess it was how the scene was set up. I can't really compare it to action of Star Trek II or VI, because unlike action of those two movies which involves ship to ship combat, this action primarily takes place within the Enterprise, which is a move I absolutely love. The concept of the Borg beginning to take over the Enterprise is something that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially when you begin to realize that the fight is a losing battle. But that tension is still present. When you watch the crew slowly walking through the halls of the Enterprise, past Borg drones, left and right, or when Picard and Worf are battling the Borg on the hull of the Enterprise itself? Man....it's so satisfying to see Worf slice through a Borg in zero gravity. 

But I think the best aspect of this movie, is finally seeing just how humanity meets the Vulcans for the first time. Now I will say that the climactic scene, which features the landing of the Vulcans feels a bit rushed into, especially after the climactic fight between the Borg Queen, Picard, and Data. The fight is resolved, and we pretty much suddenly see the landing happening. I would have appreciated just a little buildup, but the whole fascination between the humans and Vulcans alike is well done, and the music to the scene? Perfect. I've not talked much about the music of the films, but I really should. The musical score of this film, and Generations are fantastic. Regardless of what you might think of the movies, the music is very well done. Back to the scene, we've only had to imagine before this how First Contact could have played out. To see the humans and Vulcans finally meeting, engaging with one another, and experiencing each other's culture for the first time is a treat I really love. I absolutely love how the Vulcans react to Zephram's jukebox. 

At the end of it all, there's a lot I could talk about in this movie, from interactions between both Data and the Borg Queen, and Picard and Zephram's friend, Lily, but then this review would be longer than I'd like. All you need to know, is that I feel this is the one film of the Next Generation crew that got almost everything right. The strongest of the film's. And though there are a few minor gripes, it's nothing that made me dislike this film, or penalize it in ways other films did get penalized from me. Is it my favorite film? I dunno. Again, it's still hard to decide between this, and Undiscovered Country, but it's still a great film, for multiple reasons. 

Star Trek: First Contact, is issued with tough love, a three and a half star rating out of four. I want to give it that full four star rating more than anything, but I think it just barely misses that. Barely. While it does so many things that will make it rival other strong films, it does seem a little rushed in a few areas which does end up slightly hindering the experience, but it's still one of the best out there, and I will continue to preach that until the cows come home. From the action, to the acting, it still feels like the perfect Trek movie for me as a person. 

Please feel free to request a movie you'd like me to take a look at. Leave a comment down below telling me of your own thoughts on this movie or whatnot, and as always, thanks for reading. 

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

THROWBACK REVIEW: Star Trek: Generations

I hope you all enjoyed my reviews of the original six Star Trek movies, and my little Battlefield Earth intermission review, now let's keep going. We've crossed into the threshold of the movies of Star Trek which belong to that of the cast and crew of the hit TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. And these are the films I find that are highly criticized. And parts of me don't really understand why. I'm sure all the "hard-core" Trekkies could refer me all over the map as far as why certain films are terrible and whatnot, but for the most part, I enjoyed these films. And ironically, the Trekkies who dissect these films trying to make me understand why they're terrible...only make me like these films even more for what they are. Now I will admit that there are a lot of times where you will notice that the crew of Picard just doesn't seem to carry quite the same movie magic that Kirk's crew had in their films, but when they're on target, the results can just be fantastic. And the first film to tackle, in this area? The film known as Generations.

This is one of those films often called one of the bad films, and having watched it a few times now...I don't get it. Why is it hated so much? I mean sure it has flaws, but I still can't figure out a sure answer as to why it's so despised. In my eyes, it tells a competent story, it keeps my interest, and I will stand by this statement of it having one of the absolute best scenes in the filmdom of Trek. 

Well I guess one reason it's not liked by so many is the manner in which they put both Picard and Kirk on screen at the same time. The Nexus is an idea I remain open to, though perhaps it could have been fleshed out a bit more. The exact manner in which one enters or exits the phenomenon known as the Nexus is never really explained. Kirk enters it through a hull breach, Picard is kinda just...taken into it, and they both just...kinda leave it. How? I can't even explain it. Is the Nexus alive? Did it know that they both wanted to leave and go to the same place at the same time? It doesn't make sense. I mean we're told that it's this place of never-ending happiness and whatnot, but it's not explored much in the film, despite the fact that it's the focus of the main story of the film.

Another thing that I kinda found slightly annoying was the emotion chip of Data, which he had gotten from Lore in the series. What could have been a great way to develop Data's character further was instead overused in some rather...silly and annoying comedy that for the most part, fell flat. I wouldn't mind this comedy so much if it was maybe only one or two scenes, but in this movie, it seems that whenever Data is on screen, he's laughing hysterically, behaving like a child, or just being overall odd. I sincerely laughed at his first real taste of alcohol, and I absolutely loved how he delivered that "Yes!" line. but when he was playing with..."Mr. Tricorder", and singing "Tiny Little Life Forms", I kinda rubbed my head a bit.  Now I should say that there is development with Data and the emotion chip in the film, but the overall unneeded comedy far outweighs the serious development. I just wish it was handled better because after this film, the whole concept of emotion in Data is roughly never heard of again. It was potential that was just wasted.

And of course, we all know that William Shatner stars in this film, reprising his role of the iconic Captain Kirk, and his time on screen with Picard is a little silly, but I will say he has some very good moments. Despite what some might say, I actually like the discussion the two have while they make a delicious looking meal of eggs. And both Picard and Kirk do seem to work rather well together, despite having such different personalities; Kirk being the adventurous cowboy diplomat, and Picard being the more disciplined by the book man.  They are so different, but I can't help but feel that they blend rather well together.  Their fight scene with the film's antagonist, Tolian Soran (who is excellently played by Malcom McDowell) was much better than from what I remembered, and when we get that Kirk death scene, despite it getting SO MUCH negative rep, I can't help but say...you know, it's a fitting death scene. As Kirk predicted, he died alone (You can say that he died with Picard, but they didn't really know each other, so I'm willing to say that his prediction from Star Trek V came true in that sense). And to know that he helped save billions of lives in the system, I see as a fitting way to send off the legendary captain.  I've yet to hear a reasonable argument as to why this scene is bad, that doesn't include how Kirk deserved a much more dignified or glorious death.  

But my favorite scene has to be the destruction of the Enterprise....oh...spoiler alert....screw it, the film is over 20 years old. I've heard some people argue that the old Klingon Bird of Prey should not have been able to take down the Galaxy Class iconic starship, an argument that I will say does hold some ground, but the film explains it well enough for me.  The only thing that annoyed me about the scene was the obvious use of stock footage when destroying the Bird of Prey from Star Trek VI. But the following crash scene is just...so impressive. The practical effects used to show the saucer section crash landing on the planet below are so unbelievably incredible to watch, and they still hold up today.  I honestly will call it one of the absolute best scenes of any Star Trek movie. While the destruction of the Enterprise in Star Trek III may be a bit more of an emotional destruction, as far as effects and overall "epicness", this scene blows that one out of the water.  The saucer section plowing through trees, people getting thrown around left and right, it's not a glorified end of the Enterprise-D as some would have wanted it, but I could REALLY care less at that. It's a great scene. Not everything needs to end glorious.

When all is said and done, Generations is a flawed, but enjoyable film for me.  I have heard so much dirt about it, and watching it again, I can't understand why it's trashed as it is.  It's nowhere near the worst, and I won't even call it bad.  Am I wrong? I don't know.  As a critic, I live by the statement that there's no such thing as a wrong opinion.  So I will say, maybe I'm in the minority.  But you know what?  That's just fine by me. I don't at all mind being part of a small group of people who find some charm in this movie, despite its flaws. I'll call it a guilty pleasure.

Star Trek Generations earns a three star rating out of four for me. Yeah, it could have been done better, but the things that it did do that hit on target have such a great payoff that I find it impossible to hate this film.  It plays off maybe to some as what one might expect from a mediocre episode of the show, but to me, I could follow it from beginning to end. From the questionable scenes (such as Picard dealing with the news of the death of his brother and nephew), to the better scenes (that awesome crash), it's a movie I find enjoyment in, and before anyone questions, no, I will not say that I'm blinded by nostalgia, as I saw this film only once as a kid. And barely remembered it before watching it again (other than it had the cool opening scenes with my then favorite incarnation of the Enterprise-B).  All I know was that I liked it then, and today, I still like it.  And if the majority of Trekkies don't like it...well it just makes me like it even more.

Please feel free to request a movie you'd like for me to perhaps take a look at and review.  Leave a comment down below telling me your own thought and feelings of this film (I have a feeling a lot of you might disagree with what I've said about the film in question).  I'll see you next time on our Trek-a-thon, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3/4