Every Star Trek Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

7. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock might've taken away from Wrath of Khan's ending, but there's still plenty to love about Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut.

Christopher Lloyd, who plays the villain of the film as Klingon Kruge, is a joy to watch, and while he lacks the staying power of Ricardo Montalban's eponymous antagonist from the second Star Trek film, he proves to be a worthy adversary to Kirk and co. Further still, it's to Nimoy's credit that Spock's return was received the way it was only a few years after the character's death, especially since Wrath of Khan was such a success when it released.

What makes The Search for Spock such an enjoyable one, however, isn't its story (which let's face it, is rather contrived), but the interpersonal relationships between the Enterprise crew members themselves. Kirk's determination to bring his old friend back is infectious - with Shatner again turning in a stellar performance as the Captain - and all the rest of the crew do themselves justice as well.

No assessment of the threequel would be complete without addressing the destruction of the Enterprise though, which is by far its standout sequence. Nimoy makes you feel as though you're losing yet another character, and while plenty more ships would follow in its place, the image of the Enterprise's burning hull hurtling across the sunset is one of Star Trek's most enduring.