J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) ranks higher than three Star Wars movies on Rotten Tomatoes Best 300 Movies of All Time list. Star Trek (2009) rebooted the dormant film franchise after the critical and box office failure of Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. Abrams’ reboot infused the Star Trek movie franchise with new visceral thrills and blockbuster visual effects, and it was followed by two sequels, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Star Trek (2009) is also the basis for the visual and storytelling styles of the live-action Star Trek on Paramount+ series.

In May 2024, Rotten Tomatoes released an updated list of the “300 Best Movies of All Time”. Among a slew of Academy Award-winning pictures, superhero films, and critical darlings, four movies from Star Trek and Star Wars – two of the most popular and enduring science fiction franchises ever – made the list. Incredibly, amidst competition including the beloved classics Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, as well as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek (2009) came out on top according to Rotten Tomatoes.

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2009 Ranks Higher Than 3 Star Wars Movies On Rotten Tomatoes 300 Best Movies Of All Time

Higher than Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back & The Force Awakens

Star Trek (2009) ranks at #120 on Rotten Tomatoes’ Best 300 Movies of All Time List. Star Trek is 3 spots higher than Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, George Lucas’ original Star Wars movie from 1977. Star Trek (2009) is also 19 spots higher on Rotten Tomatoes’ ranking than Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, which has long been considered the greatest Star Wars movie of all. Finally, Star Trek is a whooping 158 spots above Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was also directed by J.J. Abrams.

Star Trek (2009) is the only Star Trek movie on Rotten Tomatoes’ Best 300 list. Surprisingly absent from Rotten Tomatoes’ ranking is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which Trekkers generally consider as the greatest Star Trek movie. The Wrath of Khan only has an 87% Fresh Rate on Rotten Tomatoes, shockingly, compared to Star Trek (2009)‘s 94%. In a sampling of other genre films Rotten Tomatoes ranked, Star Trek (2009) also slots higher than Avengers: Endgame (#142), Raiders of the Lost Ark (#159), Best Picture Academy Award winner Oppenheimer (#199), and 2012’s The Avengers (#286).

Star Trek Outranking Star Wars On Rotten Tomatoes Is Ironic

J.J. Abrams turned Star Trek into Star Wars

Star Trek (2009) outranking the three Star Wars movies on Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies of All Time list is ironic because J.J. Abrams’ reboot is seen as his turning Star Trek into Star Wars. Abrams is a lifelong Star Wars fan who was not familiar with Star Trek when he took the gig to direct 2009’s reboot. Abrams’ visual wizardry and emphasis on kinetic action over the thoughtful morality plays Star Trek is known for made Star Trek (2009) extremely appealing to mainstream audiences, as did his recasting the iconic crew of the Starship Enterprise with younger actors like Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana.

J.J. Abrams’ turning Star Trek (2009) into Star Wars helped land him the job of directing Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was a billion-dollar success. Meanwhile, Star Trek (2009) is the 11th Star Trek movie; despite being primarily a TV franchise, Star Trek actually has more movies (13 with more on the way) than Star Wars (11 with more on the way). Star Wars’ TV ventures are increasing, but Star Trek far outpaces the galaxy far, far way with more than 900 episodes and counting of its various TV series. Rotten Tomatoes will likely revamp its list in the future but, for now, Star Trek (2009) has the surprising bragging rights of ranking higher than a pair of the most beloved movies in the Star Wars franchise in the 300 Best Movies of All Time.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Star Trek (2009) is available to stream on Paramount+