See the list in the poll.
Which film had the best opening scene/sequence?
- Thread starter Candlelight
- Start date
I meant to add 'Enterprise B launched and Nexus rescue'..
The Kelvin attack scene was pretty cool. The destruction of Praxis is my favourite from the classic films.
The Search for Spock was the worst...
The Kelvin attack scene was pretty cool. The destruction of Praxis is my favourite from the classic films.
The Search for Spock was the worst...
I was surprised to find myself voting for GENERATIONS, but that's a great opening. Arguably, it's a better death scene for Kirk than the one at the end of the movie!
Plus, that opening shot of a champagne bottle tumbling through space is a very evocative visual . . . .
Plus, that opening shot of a champagne bottle tumbling through space is a very evocative visual . . . .
Attack on the Kelvin but Generations is a close second.
I did everything from memory, I was lucky to even remember Kirk climbing a mountain in that movie!
Another vote for Generations.
While it's certainly lacking in innovation, as someone who saw TSFS when it first came out, I thought it was great to open the way it did. I like the fade-in to color and I feel it succeeds at putting you back where TWoK left off. Obviously it loses something if you're watching the films back to back on DVD or something, but that wasn't an option at the time. Also, Horner's music adds immeasurably.
That aside, I don't believe I could choose a favorite, just ones that impressed me more versus those that...did not.
That aside, I don't believe I could choose a favorite, just ones that impressed me more versus those that...did not.
1. Star Trek (2009). Not only is it the best opening of the 11 films, it's also one of the absolute best scenes from any of the films. The birth of James Kirk coinciding with the death of George Kirk is absolutely epic. Plus, you have the all-too-brief general baddassery of Captain Robau.
2. Star Trek: Generations. Again, it may be the best scene of the film. While I'm a big fan of the Next Generation cast, I felt like this film clearly demonstrated that Kirk "still got it" and could have kept doing these movies for a few more years yet.
3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I love the way the tension builds as the shock wave begins to hit the Excelsior. The vibrating teacup is a great image. I love Captain Sulu's very basic reaction to the image of the shockwave heading for the ship. "My god. Shields. Shields!" Also:
"'An incident'?!"
"Do we report this, sir?"
"Are you kidding?"
Like the rest of this film, Meyer crafted a scene with style up the ying-yang.
4. Star Trek: First Contact. I love the very impressionistic style they used to recap "The Best of Both Worlds."
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Way to throw the spoiler whores off the scent by giving Spock that early fake-out death. I also love the exchange between Kirk & Bones:
"Physician heal thyself."
"That's all you have to say? What about my performance?"
"I'm not a drama critic."
(I just had a thought. What if Kirk had used the opportunity to turn McCoy's catchphrase back around on him? "I'm an admiral, not a drama critic.")
6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I'm generally not a huge fan of this movie but they do succeed in making space seem very alien & dangerous. Plus, Jerry Goldsmith's Klingon theme is classic.
2. Star Trek: Generations. Again, it may be the best scene of the film. While I'm a big fan of the Next Generation cast, I felt like this film clearly demonstrated that Kirk "still got it" and could have kept doing these movies for a few more years yet.
3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I love the way the tension builds as the shock wave begins to hit the Excelsior. The vibrating teacup is a great image. I love Captain Sulu's very basic reaction to the image of the shockwave heading for the ship. "My god. Shields. Shields!" Also:
"'An incident'?!"
"Do we report this, sir?"
"Are you kidding?"
Like the rest of this film, Meyer crafted a scene with style up the ying-yang.
4. Star Trek: First Contact. I love the very impressionistic style they used to recap "The Best of Both Worlds."
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Way to throw the spoiler whores off the scent by giving Spock that early fake-out death. I also love the exchange between Kirk & Bones:
"Physician heal thyself."
"That's all you have to say? What about my performance?"
"I'm not a drama critic."
(I just had a thought. What if Kirk had used the opportunity to turn McCoy's catchphrase back around on him? "I'm an admiral, not a drama critic.")
6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I'm generally not a huge fan of this movie but they do succeed in making space seem very alien & dangerous. Plus, Jerry Goldsmith's Klingon theme is classic.
ST XI: The opening battle action was great. I thought it was the most emotional opening with the birth scene. Then there was the big title reveal with the main theme. So cool and dramatic! Plus it had Robau. 
darkwing_duck1
Vice Admiral
I voted for 09, but really a tie with TMP. 2nd/3rd place honors to GEN, then WOK, TSFS, and TVH. The rest I'm not sure about...
Oh, definitely.
I voted for the new movie, though, whose opening scene is also one of the best scenes in the film. Heck, I found myself oddly more moved by George Kirk's death than Data's, as I observed in another thread. And the idea of James T. being born in fire, in the ruins of a moment... it's just a smashing way to begin any film, and personally the only Trek film with a hook anywhere near as good would be TUC (BOOM! What was that? Chernobyl in space, could it be?)
TMP is the best. As said before it shows how wonderous and dangerous space can be. ST '09 was way to chaotic of an opening. I generally do not like the fast/chaotic filming style and I don't get the love for Robau. He did nothing but leave the ship and let Kirk handle it all.
I'd vote for Generations if Scotty and Chekov weren't so out of character. Scotty spouting out all that theoretical TNG-style mumbo jumbo took me out of the scene. I'll give it credit for feeling epic, though. The Enterprise-B and those ships caught in the ribbon was just grand.
TUC was just great. I remember seeing it as a kid, and the bang literally made me jump in my seat! The Excelsior surfing against the waves was a very neat visual, too.
I would have to give it to XI, and it's arguably the strongest scene in the film overall. The action and the tragedy are amongst the best of Trek, but after a long Trek-less absence, just hearing the familiar "pings" from the passing Kelvin was a great reintroduction to the franchise.
TUC was just great. I remember seeing it as a kid, and the bang literally made me jump in my seat! The Excelsior surfing against the waves was a very neat visual, too.
I would have to give it to XI, and it's arguably the strongest scene in the film overall. The action and the tragedy are amongst the best of Trek, but after a long Trek-less absence, just hearing the familiar "pings" from the passing Kelvin was a great reintroduction to the franchise.
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