Every once in a while I am reminded that I live in an age with an eerie yet delightful attribute: I can ask why isn't there a device or piece of software that does a certain thing, and then usually within 6 months the thing I wanted becomes a reality. Case in point: I was wondering how a friend of mine went about keeping track of a bunch of major film festival deadlines. The most obvious answer was that he probably spends time on Withoutabox and enters in deadlines into some calendar software. Still, I couldn't help but ask myself "why isn't there an all-in-one app that helps filmmakers keep track of film festivals?" As if on cue, a few days later iFilmfest popped up on my digital radar.
iFilmfest Features:
Find festival deadlines instantly
Search a directory of the 300 most influential film festivals
Filter your festival search by tags, genres, categories, and submission deadlines
Detailed profiles for each listed festival
Setup deadline reminders and add festivals dates and info directly into your calendar
Create your own festival circuit and export it as a PDF, RTF, or TXT file
Overall, iFilmfest looks like a handy tool to get quick access to pertinent information on major festivals (although part of me would like a more comprehensive directory akin to Withoutabox), and of course I love the reminder and calendar functions. I have two complaints though: the app seems kind of sluggish on my iPhone 4, yet it doesn't strike me as something that would require a whole lot of system resources. The other more annoying issue is that -- while the number of days until a deadline are listed -- the month of the deadline isn't listed, which results in something like this: (null) 5th, 2013. Hopefully, both of these issues will be fixed in a future update.
Currently, iFilmfest is only available for the iPhone and iPad for a scant $4, but according to their website an Android version is in the works.
I grew up in a Trekkie household, and my parents loved watching all the shows and the movies. I think part of that is that the show and movies came out in their formative years and then stayed with them and always had something new for them as well.
That's what great franchises do, they grow with the fans and stay relevant in their lives.
So today, I wanted to go over the chronological order of Star Trek movies, so we can see how they shaped generations.
Let's dive in.
The 'Star Trek' Movies in Chronological Order
Before we dig into all the titles, here's a cheat sheet for you to see all the movies in chronological order.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
1. 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979)
Plot: A mysterious object is on a path of destruction towards Earth. Admiral Kirk retakes command of the newly refitted USS Enterprise to intercept it and learn its origins.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan
Director: Robert Wise
2. 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982)
Plot: Khan, a genetically engineered superhuman from Kirk's past, seeks revenge after being marooned for years. He steals a powerful device called Genesis and targets Kirk and the Enterprise.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Ricardo Montalban
Director: Nicholas Meyer
3. 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984)
Plot: Following Spock's death in the previous film, Kirk and his crew defy Starfleet orders to recover Spock's body and return it to his home planet Vulcan, where his soul may be reunited with his body.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Christopher Lloyd
Director: Leonard Nimoy
4. 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986)
Plot: To save Earth from an alien probe that is disrupting the planet's atmosphere, Kirk and his crew travel back in time to 1986 San Francisco to retrieve humpback whales, the only creatures who can communicate with the probe.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Catherine Hicks
Director: Leonard Nimoy
5. 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' (1989)
Plot: A crazy Vulcan, Spock's half brother, threatens the stability of the galaxy.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Laurence Luckinbill
Director: William Shatner
6. 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991)
Plot: Kirk and the Enterprise crew are tasked with escorting a Klingon delegation to Earth for peace talks, but a conspiracy threatens to derail the negotiations and ignite war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Christopher Plummer
Director: Nicholas Meyer
7. 'Star Trek: Generations' (1994)
Plot: Captains Picard and Kirk meet in a timeless realm called the Nexus, where they must stop a villain who wants to enter the Nexus and alter history.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Malcolm McDowell
Director: David Carson
8. 'Star Trek: First Contact' (1996)
Plot: The Borg launch a devastating attack on Earth. Captain Picard and the Enterprise-E must travel back in time to prevent the Borg from altering history and conquering Earth.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Alfre Woodard, James Cromwell
Director: Jonathan Frakes
9. 'Star Trek: Insurrection' (1998)
Plot: Picard and the Enterprise crew uncover a conspiracy involving Starfleet and a race called the Son'a who want to exploit a planet with unique properties that can reverse aging.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy
Director: Jonathan Frakes
10. 'Star Trek: Nemesis' (2002)
Plot: The Enterprise crew faces a new threat in the form of a clone of Captain Picard, who leads the Romulan Star Empire in a plot to destroy the Federation.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Tom Hardy
Director: Stuart Baird
11. 'Star Trek' (2009)
Plot: This reboot introduces a new timeline and younger versions of the original series characters. Kirk and Spock must work together to stop a Romulan from the future who is seeking revenge and threatening to destroy Vulcan.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy
Director: J.J. Abrams
12. 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013)
Plot: Kirk and the Enterprise crew face a mysterious and powerful terrorist named John Harrison, who has a personal vendetta against Starfleet.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch
Director: J.J. Abrams
13. 'Star Trek Beyond' (2016)
Plot: Stranded on a hostile planet after a surprise attack, Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew must face a new alien enemy and find a way to escape.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Director: Justin Lin
14. 'Star Trek: Section 31' (2025)
Plot: Former Emperor Philippa Georgiou, from the Mirror Universe, joins Section 31, a clandestine organization within Starfleet that operates in the shadows to protect the Federation. She'll be forced to confront her past actions while undertaking a new mission.
Cast: Michelle Yeoh (reprising her role as Philippa Georgiou), along with some new faces like Kacey Rohl, and Humberly González.
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Summing Up
What are your favorite Star Trek movies, and did you grow up watching them in order? For me, my favorites are probably First Contact and The Voyage Home, but I'm open to hearing other opinions.
Every once in a while I am reminded that I live in an age with an eerie yet delightful attribute: I can ask why isn't there a device or piece of software that does a certain thing, and then usually within 6 months the thing I wanted becomes a reality. Case in point: I was wondering how a friend of mine went about keeping track of a bunch of major film festival deadlines. The most obvious answer was that he probably spends time on Withoutabox and enters in deadlines into some calendar software. Still, I couldn't help but ask myself "why isn't there an all-in-one app that helps filmmakers keep track of film festivals?" As if on cue, a few days later iFilmfest popped up on my digital radar.
