Each era of the Star Trek movie franchise has had its strengths and weaknesses, but the original films did something better than all the rest. The Star Trek franchise made the leap to the big screen in 1979’s The Motion Picture, but it wouldn’t really find its footing until the sequel, The Wrath of Khan.

Bringing the Enterprise crew back for new adventures was a recipe for success, but the Star Trek films also matured the characters and told compelling stories. The success of the movies got Trek back on the small screen, and Star Trek: The Next Generation arrived in 1987 to usher in a decade of TV dominance for the utopian sci-fi franchise.

Naturally, the TNG crew got their own series of films throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, before the franchise went on a brief hiatus a few years later. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the entire Star Trek universe with his eponymous film, and the Kelvin timeline allowed for new stories set in the TOS era without messing up the continuity.

Throughout every era of the film series, Star Trek has tried to reflect the vision of creator Gene Roddenberry by delivering a future that is idealistic and hopeful. Despite this, the movies are still brilliant and compelling stories, usually with rich characters and intriguing plotlines. However, there’s one key detail that only the original movies nailed every time.

The Villains In The Original 6 Star Trek Movies Are Better Overall Than In The TNG & Kelvin Movies

The Classic Trek Movies Crafted The Greatest Antagonists

Though there are other things that the original Star Trek movies did extremely well, the most compelling part of the classic films is the villains. A good antagonist can make or break a film, and Star Trek is a unique specimen because its futuristic philosophy leaves little room for generic baddies who terrorize the heroes with cliché plots.

It started with V’Ger in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, who is the perfect representation of the franchise’s futurist views. V’Ger isn’t evil, but merely a piece of technology that has gained sentience and is accidentally wreaking havoc. It allows Kirk and his crew to reckon with the impact that their desire for knowledge has had on the universe.

Perhaps the most recognizable villain in Star Trek history is Khan, and his quixotic quest for revenge is not just exciting to watch, but it forces Kirk to grow as a character. He draws inspiration from the original show, but pushes the franchise into dark places it had never gone before.

Though antagonists like Captain Kruge (Star Trek III) are a bit more generic, he still has a profound impact on Kirk’s character, and it pays off in Star Trek VI. The finale for the original series movies, The Undiscovered Country, features another Klingon villain, Chang, but this time he’s a complex veteran of the same conflicts that hardened Kirk.

The two describe themselves as cold warriors when they square off, and neither man can let go of their prejudices when coming to the diplomatic table. It’s that kind of character development through the villains that helps make the classic movies so good, and it’s a trait sorely lacking in both the TNG and Kelvin eras.

The Only Good Star Trek TNG Movie Villain Is The Borg Queen

Even The Borg Queen Is Weak Compared To Other Star Trek Villains

Despite having seven seasons to work with, the Next Generation quadrilogy is sorely lacking the same depth and development as their predecessors. The Enterprise-D crew had plenty of amazing adventures to pull from as inspiration, but the TNG films sadly opted for a more action-oriented approach that didn’t try to build on what was established in the show.

Star Trek: First Contact is undoubtedly the best film in the Next Generation era, and it has the villain that comes closest to being great. The Borg Queen was not originally part of the Borg lore, but was introduced in the film as a central antagonist to be the central focus of Picard’s revenge.

Ultimately, it was a smart decision to give the Borg a face, though it does go against the collective nature of the cybernetic beings. The Borg Queen is creepy and effective, but her motivations seem secondary to the movie’s need to make Picard angry.

First Contact never earns its changes to Picard’s character, and it doesn’t make sense for him to suddenly be so filled with hate over his previous ᴀssimilation. The Borg Queen was necessary as a storytelling device, but her fascination with Picard and devious behavior is the anтιтhesis of the cool and evil logic of the Borg collective.

The Only Good Star Trek Kelvin Movie Villain Is Nero

The Kelvin Universe Fared Even Worse For Villains

The alternate Kelvin universe was also somewhat divorced from the original philosophy of Star Trek, which is perhaps why the villains in the trilogy are the blandest of the bunch. Without years of character development to build on, the Kelvin movies have to jump straight to the most catastrophic plots possible, and they often feel hollow.

Nero was the villain of 2009’s Star Trek, and he is the strongest antagonist of the Kelvin timeline. Styling himself as the avenger of the entire Romulan race, his attempts to destroy Earth (and his successful destruction of Vulcan) make him the most dangerous antagonist in all of Star Trek.

His motivations are clear, but they aren’t nearly as compelling as previous villains like Khan or Chang. Kirk is still somewhat caught in the crossfire, and Nero is only tangentially related to the Enterprise crew through Spock’s younger self. The characters can’t really grow through Nero because they haven’t had any adventures yet.

Compared to Nero, the Kelvin version of Khan in Into Darkness is bland and uninspired, and Beyond‘s Krall is a serviceable but pointless heel. The Kelvin Star Trek movies never stop to ask why the villains are who they are, and there’s almost no depth to their interactions with the heroes besides the classic good vs. evil conflict.