10 Best CGI Effects In Star Trek

The 2009 Star Trek film featured the biggest leap forward for special effects in the franchise's history. Say all you want about lens flares, but the CGI was impeccable, a drastic improvement from the previous instalment in the franchise, Enterprise (which only went off the air four years prior).

The new transporter effect was much more detailed than any done before, the ships were gorgeous, and some of the alien designs were really creative, but the most impressive CGI work in the movie came near the opening sequence as the Narada, Nero's ship, first appeared.

The USS Kelvin was investigating what was described as "a lightning storm in space." Eventually they discovered that what they were seeing was actually a black hole that somehow, because of a reaction with "red matter," was acting as a gateway from the future. The lightning surrounding the black hole gives it such a menacing look, as if it's pouring out material from the other end. The effect also made the Narada appear even huger and more sinister than usual while emerging from the darkness and casting it's silhouette over the nearby star. The same black hole effect later consumed the Narada at the end of the movie, bringing the ship's whole story full-circle.

While this effect may not have been the most scientifically accurate (since nothing can really escape a black hole), it gets points for style.