10 Times Star Trek Stole From Itself

When rebooting a franchise, it is inevitable that ideas can and indeed should be carried forward. While that doesn't mean they should be copied wholesale, taking elements that worked perfectly for an earlier incarnation should, in theory, work well for a later one as well, if handled properly.

Star Trek Into Darkness is an example of these ideas not being handled properly. The film is a subpar remake of The Wrath of Khan, with no character development, hamfisted plot inclusions and an entirely pointless cameo by Leonard Nimoy. This felt like the film was begging to be taken seriously.

From the lacklustre attempts to conceal the identity of the main villain to the utterly ridiculous breakdown of Spock, the film simply doesn't work. Each homage to the earlier film is a light being shone on the failings of the latter one. Star Trek Beyond wisely chose to write a new story for the Enterprise.

The idea of a reboot is absolutely welcomed, with Star Trek 2009 being a fine example of balancing old and new. Into Darkness, in taking far too much of what made The Wrath of Khan strong, was weakened for it.