The well-known Star Trek Beyond. As the Star Trek movie series progressed, audiences noticed the unusual trend that every other Star Trek movie was better than the one that preceded it - until Star Trek: Nemesis came along.
The first nine Star Trek Into Darkness (number XII) was not.
Why Do Star Trek Movies Alternate In Quality?
The roller coaster quality of the Star Trek movie franchise is certainly an unusual phenomenon, but it's also a reliable gauge to go by overall. While every Star Trek movie has its fans, it's hard to deny that the even-numbered films are usually better than odd-numbered. For the Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Star Trek: The Next Generation's four movies are trickier. Star Trek Generations' story beats were largely mandated by Paramount to make the film an event. TNG rebounded with the sensational Star Trek: First directed by Jonathan Frakes, but Frakes also directed the next film, Star Trek: Insurrection, which stumbled. The disastrous Star Trek: Nemesis was directed by Stuart Baird and written by John Logan, two franchise outsiders. Once J.J. Abrams took over, he delivered a blockbuster Star Trek movie like never before in 2009 but his team badly miscalculated with Star Trek Into Darkness. Star Trek Beyond was a fine course correction but enthusiasm for the Abrams movies waned.
If The Curse Holds, Is Star Trek 4 Already Doomed?
Star Trek 4 has been mired in developmental hell for years, losing attached directors including Matt Shakman, who chose to helm Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four instead. An idea to have Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) team-up with his father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), has also been abandoned. It's now unknown what Star Trek 4 could be about if the film's development gets underway as no new creative team has been announced by Paramount. Even the cast, while willing to reprise their roles, are unsure if Star Trek 4 is ever going to happen.
However, if the Star Trek movie curse holds true now that J.J. Abrams' movies have reversed it, Star Trek 4 being a good movie may be a moot point. Star Trek 4 is actually Star Trek XIV, and the even-numbered film hints that it's doomed from the get-go. Of course, there's always the possibility that Star Trek 4 will turn out to be great if the film finally gets made. The question then becomes whether this would end the Star Trek movie curse or simply reverse it back to its original even-numbered are good, odd-numbered are bad configuration.
