I'm listening to the track "Stealing the Enterprise" by Mr. Horner (crt. of Film Score Monthly) and can't help but gush with gleee at how fun this part of the film is. If my criteria is emotional impact, excitement, success in execution, flow, and all those other abstract foggy notions, I'd say this is one of my favorite sequence of all the films (Spock and Kirk parting in WOK is probably my most favorite due to the emotions it brings to the table, but it's also so damn sad). Stirring music, team work of our heroes against a clock, a beaten and broken E besting the new Excelsior, "Kirk, you do this and you'll never sit in the Captain's Chair again", Uhura being assertive and having some agency, adventure to save a lost friend... just a lot to like in a outing that misses a lot of marks by a tad. What do y'all find to be your most cherished sequence(s) in these films? Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be your favorite film, but rather your favorite segment.
You just listed and explained my favorite movie sequence, too. Clever dialogue, pacing, music, editing - one of Star Trek's finest moments. But I also loved the entire sequence in TWOK just before they entered the Mutara nebula for similar reasons (although the torpedo bay section 4 scene feels somewhat archaic and out of place for a 23rd Century starship) Bob
For me it's the "Meet V'ger" segment of TMP, from the red alert all the way through the plasma energy attacks; it's got the tension and pacing that the rest of the movie needed. I'm also fond of the "Spock Walk" because it's the most science-fictiony thing in any of the movies.
I absolutely adore the Enterprise theft sequence, it's the best bit in the entire movie for me and one of my favourite sequences in all the movies, no question. The music, dialogue and effects all come together perfectly.
Yeah, I love the Enterprise theft sequence, too. It's exciting and fun and just plain awesome. Another favorite of mine is the "walking on the outside of the ship" sequence from First Contact. Really cool sequence. The Enterprise-D crash from Generations is pretty thrilling, too.
TWOK: The brief shot of Spock descending the ladder (was it in a Jefferies tube?) to his fate after leaving the bridge. TVH: Not a fan of the film, but the mystic time travel sequence with the morphing heads and snatches of future dialogue was a good moment. TFF: The shuttle crash in the hangar bay.
Several spring to mind; in The Wrath of Khan, the scene in Spock's quarters between him and Kirk - with Spock explaining why Kirk screwed up by accepting command; also, same location and characters in The Undiscovered Country with Spock asking if they'd grown too old, etc; and in the Motion Picture, Kirk's (and ours, vicariously) orgasmic viewing of the refit Enterprise! ME
How coincidental, I was just thinking of this the other day. My single favorite sequence had to be the Klingon/Khan battle from STID. It is simply the most kinetic movie moment ST has ever accomplished. I literally felt like I was being hit with a hurricane while watching the scene. Movies: STTMP: So many individual sequences, but I have to go with the V'Ger spacewalk by Spock. The music, the experiences of V'Ger in visual form by Bob McCall and company make it memorable. Second might be the Klingon attack from the opening. STII: The Nebula battle. Still the best space battle in history. STIII: The Enterprise theft. Well executed between music and FX. STIV: The Probe effects Starfleet. It gave us a rare glimpse at other captains and ships. STV: Nada STVI: The Praxis explosion. I loved the Excelsior/Sulu scenes. The zero G attack is also memorable. SEGEN: I think I just liked seeing the E-D on the big screen. I liked the stellar cartography scene, as well as the crash. STFC: The Borg laser beams in the dark room come to mind. STINS: I enjoyed Geordi seeing his first sunrise immensely. STNEM: Romulan ships in a pitched space battle!! As much as I loved STNG and how they used diplomacy to get out of jams with the Romulans, I wanted to see them in one battle! ST09: So many good ones. The "teaser" sequence is one of the best commited to film. Loved the fleet warping to Vulcan. Spock in school. The Enterprise coming out of Saturn's rings. The space diving. Et al. STID: Aside from the aforementioned favorite, I LOVED the teaser. It was great seeing a mission on another planet while exploring.
TFF, the sequence where they invade Paradise City on horseback. Never mind the fan dance part, I liked it. "Spock, be one with the horse." "Yes, Captain." "Hold your horse, Captain." Aside from that, the campfire scenes bookending TFF. Great character stuff there.
Khan's sneak attack in TWOK. Except for a really lame-ass insert of a modern console that looks like something from a stereo set, this sequence builds wonderfully and the score works like crazy.
Seconded. For some runners up, I like the V'Ger intercept also, but it gets too many demerits from me once the plasma digitizers come into play. There's simply no excuse for the Enterprise not being toast; that sequence can be fixed only by Spock finding V'Ger's transmission and a reply getting sent before the first digitizer hits. There was an assessment voiced on the board not too long ago that Spock basically robbed Uhura of some action sending the reply, and I agree with that, also. If we're talking raw visceral emotion, the transporter accident in TMP (under the theatrical sound mix) is just about as intense as Khan's sneak attack, if not more so. There are many fine sequences in TMP, the Klingon attack, the Enterprise launch, and Spock's spacewalk among them. I concur that the visions during time travel with the morphing in TVH are very cool. The Enterprise theft scene in TSFS is pretty fun, too, and I enjoy watching the whole segment starting with the prison break scene. I also think that Sarek's mind-meld with Kirk is very powerful.
As we're talking "favourite" sequence and not "best" sequence, then I feel emboldened to share my own, here: Trying to put myself into that frame of mind where here, STAR TREK - all of STAR TREK - had been off the air for years and assumed gone forever. Now, here's William Shatner, in full Kirk regalia, standing in front of a shitload of extras in the Rec Room, including a number of real-life STAR TREK fan club members! One of whom, a young man with dark, greasey hair, a baggy head and bad skin, even gets his own "reaction" shot. I remember picking up from somewhere that as Shatner first came out as Kirk to address the crew, everybody in the damn place just errupted in thunderous applause. I'm sure this story's true and it always helps me appreciate TMP more. On its own, the movie has to stand on its own merits - without "putting it in its proper perspective," is it good? Does it entertain? That debate continues, of course, but for me, imagining STAR TREK's coming to life, again - especially on this epic scale - really helps me appreciate it, that much more. I love the cinematography, the art direction, the costumes, the props and models ... everything!
Having seen all of these in the theater, there is one moment that touches me, no matter how many times I see it. In TSFS, watching the Enterprise burn up in the atmosphere. Kirk: My God, Bones... what have I done? McCoy: What you had to do, what you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live. As strange as it sounds, losing that ship touched me more than losing Spock in the previous film. It was a beautiful shot, and acted with such sincerity.
TMP - lots of great little sequences (Spock's arrival; all the V'ger stuff), but a flawed film. TWOK - KM; Khan's sneak attack; Mutara TSFS - stealing the Enterprise, as others mentioned. Superb. TVH - not a fan, but the BoP decloaking above the trawler is pretty cool (if naff looking today). TFF - Like TMP, lots of great little sequences (potentially or realised) in a flawed film. I loved the McCoy/father scene and approaching the Barrier. TUC - not a fan but some nice individual moments, bar Rura Penthe and the third act which just bores me. Gen - beautifully shot, but meh. The crash is good. FC - Drunk Troi. Ins - Picard mambo-ing. Nem - Picard reacting to Scimitar's first appearance. 09 - Anything with Urban. Chekov's 'I can do zat'. Saturn rings. ID - Anything with Cumberbatch. Third act crash.
The whole escape from Khan + Spock's death scene in STII, plus the theft of the Enterprise + the destruction of the Enterprise in STIII are my favourties by far. I do have a soft spot for Grace Lee Whitney's cameo in STIII because it was fun to see her again and we feel how she feels plus I like the scene where Lily reads Picard the riot act in First Contact, as well and the first part of TMP where we get to see the refit Enterprise as a chaotic working machine but still a thing of beauty.
Really surprised to see the time-travel from TVH mentioned here, as I've always thought that was the WTF? moment to end all WTF? moments. (opening day, when they dissolve to the shot of the reeds in the water and had that acceleration sound effect, I was sure the BoP was going to auger in right there, it was misleading as hell, badly edited.) Actually went on netflix and watched SFS last night after seeing so many comments mentioning that. But it still doesn't work for me ... I like the first half-hour a lot (except for all the reuse of TWOK scenes and dialog and some of the very odd closeups, which feels like Klingon homoerotica), but I actually dozed off during the escape from spacedock (first time for everything I guess.)
Kirk´s trip to the Enterprise in TMP, no question. Seeing the new ship for the first time through Kirk´s eyes, only parts at first through the structure of the drydock, then the beauty shot of the front, getting closer and exploring all the little details, uninterrupted by dialogue or quick cuts and accompanied by one of the most beautiful music pieces ever written for a movie is a stunning experience - I get goosebumps every single time. Mario
I'm not listing only one, and you can't make me! /nyer TWOK: The Nebula battle still puts me on edge. It's brilliant. TSFS: Of course, the "Stealing the Enterprise" scene. TFF: The God's A Busy Man sequence, as well as the scenes in the Officer's Lounge. FC: The Phoenix launch never gets boring. ST09: ALL of the opening sequence; best Trek ever, IMO. STiD: Underwater/Saving Spock sequence, Vengeance intra-warp attack, and the Spock/Khan chase scene.