Here’s every Star Trek movie in the Kelvin Timeline continuity, ranked worst to best. The Star Trek franchise wasn’t in great shape in the early 2000s, thanks to the box-office disappointment of Star Trek: Nemesis – the final movie to star The Next Generation’s crew – and the cancellation of the prequel TV show Star Trek: Enterprise. This left the world Trek-less for a few years, and it wasn’t until J.J. Abrams’ 2009 movie reboot that new life was breathed into the franchise.
This entry took the crew from Star Trek: The Original Series – including Kirk, Spock, Bones, etc – but split them off on a brand new timeline. This alternate reality was dubbed the Kelvin Timeline, as it was kicked in the 2009 movie’s opening scene by the destruction of the USS Kelvin, which killed Kirk’s father George (Chris Hemsworth). Three films set in this timeline have been produced, to date, while both Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery has touched on the Kelvin timeline too.
Despite their box-office success, fans of the Star Trek series have had mixed reactions to the Kelvin trilogy overall, especially for how they favor action over sci-fi. Here are the Kelvin timeline movies, ranked.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
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Star Trek Into Darkness has a lot going for it, including the chemistry of the cast – who have had a chance to bond following the first outing – a menacing villain turn by Benedict Cumberbatch, and some good setpieces. Sadly, Into Darkness’ story is a sloppy mess, while it also doubled down on blockbuster thrills over the more cerebral tone of the best of the franchise. The sequel also suffers from bizarre missteps, like the famously ill-advised attempt to hide that Cumberbatch was portraying classic villain Khan, as the reveal in the movie itself is clunkily handled.
Star Trek (2009)
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Star Trek 2009 also has issues with plot holes and questionable logic, but it makes up for that by being a genuinely fun sci-fi adventure. The recast Enterprise crew perfectly slot into their iconic roles while the Kelvin timeline allows the reboot to play with the series’ mythology in fun ways. Abrams keeps the story moving at a good pace, though Eric Bana’s villain Nero is largely wasted, while Abrams’ trademark lens flare is at its flariest here. While not a perfect movie by any means, the reboot proved there was life in the franchise yet, which led to its modern-day revival.
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
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Star Trek Beyond could have been a mess, with Abrams departing the director’s chair to helm Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the sequel being put together quickly for the franchise’s 50th anniversary. Against all odds, Beyond turned out to be the best of the Kelvin timeline. It feels like an old-fashioned TOS adventure but on a much, MUCH bigger budget, while it gets the other crew members a chance to shine; Karl Urban’s Bones is a particular treat. Idris Elba’s bad guy is a little undercooked and the finale is rote, but Star Trek Beyond was a great merging of old and new. If this proves to be the final outing for the Kelvin crew, it’s a great note to end on.