STAR TREK V - THE FINAL FRONTIER

1989; 107 min.

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley , James Doohan , George Takai, Majel Barret, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols

Surprise, surprise! Apparently Spock's mother was not Sarek's first love (must be using his Pon Farr's pretty wisely, eh?), since we discover in this part that Spock has an older brother, Sybok. The reason, he is not talked much about in the Vulcan household (or has been mentioned in any previous episodes) is that he is apparently the black sheep of the clan. He has turned away from tradition, obsessed with the thought of meeting an entity he believes to be God and using whatever means necessary to achieve this goal - even if it means using his Vulcan mindpowers to force his will unto others.
He and his followers manage to kidnap the Enterprise (stunning new plot idea, yawn - but at least we get to see Uhura dance enchantingly in the moonlight in this installment), everybody meets up with "God" who, of course, turns out to be a powerful yet not exactly benign being, which is more reminiscent of a small child than an all-powerful creator. Sybok, recognizing his erraneous ways, gets what he deserves and everybody else gets out. Once more all is well in the universe.

STAR TREK VI - THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

1991; 110 min.

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley , James Doohan , George Takai, Majel Barret, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols

Starfleet wants to turn a new leaf: After a catastrophe has befallen the Klingon's chief energy source, time seems ripe for a peace treaty. However, not everybody is intrigued by the idea, and soon Kirk (himself not eager to forgive the Klingons for the death of his son) and the rest of the Enterprise crew find themselves entangled in a plot of sabotage and murder. If unable to find all of the conspirators and how they can be stopped, peace will not become a reality.
Sulu appears in this movie as the captain of his own ship, the Excelsior, a new and improved starship type. In a very Kirk-esque moment, Sulu gets to save his own comrades. In the end, the treaty (or at least the first gingerly steps) is made, which will lead to the Star Trek universe we will become familiar with in Star Trek - The next Generation, where Worf - a Klingon - is a crew member on the Enterprise.
Kirk finds peace within and the crew gets to say good-bye to the ship they have served on for most of their lives before they go off into retirement.

STAR TREK VII - GENERATIONS

1994; 117 min.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis.

Special Appearances By: William Shatner, James Doohan, Walter Koenig

A new generation - same as on the TV series Star Trek - The Next Generation - takes the helm in this movie. Yet we get a last glimpse of the original Trek cast, as Picard enlists the help of (un)dead Kirk, who is trapped in the Nexus, sort of an energy wave that suspends its "victims" in a dreamlike state where all their wishes come true. The problem: a scientist named Soran (Malcolm McDowell) wants to get absorbed by the Nexus. Unfortunately, one man's dream can be a nightmare for everyone else, since millions of lives may be wiped out to enable Soran to fulfill his plans.
After some action-packed sequences, the two starship captains do succeed though to overwhelm Soran and to reverse the past (sounds complicated, but makes sense when you see the movie). However, we can be fairly sure now that this has been the end of Kirk (no more sequels), since he gets - heroically -squished under one extremely big piece of rock in the final showdown.

STAR TREK VIII - FIRST CONTACT

1996; 111 min.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis.

Trouble is brewing: The Borg are coming! A huge battle ensues and the Borg, though defeated at the moment, manage to travel back in time and stop humanity before it got a chance to get strong. Luckily, the Enterprise also traveled back in time and try in turn to prevent the Borg from changing history. Especially "good" (I'm using this term loosely) is the Borg Queen who tries to seduce Data on her side by making him more human.

STAR TREK IX - INSURRECTION

1998, 103 min.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis.

The latest installment of the Star Trek universe has Picard and the crew of the Enterprise pitted against Starfleet itself. Officials at Starfleet have and continue to violate the highest principle, the Prime Directive, in order to gain access to a planet that seems to harbor the secret to everlasting youth. However, the planets inhabitants, the Ba'Ku, are less than thrilled to be forcibly removed, which may also mean their end. Picard has to wager his career to defend these innocent civilians and it does not help when some "renegade" Ba'Ku also appear and try to make trouble for their relatives.