star trek trilogy order chris pine

Home > Star Trek Chris Pine Movies In Order

Star Trek Chris Pine Movies In Order

• UPDATED: April 3, 2024

Table of Contents

Star Trek: Chris Pine Movies in Order

When it comes to the Star Trek franchise, one name that stands out is Chris Pine. The talented actor has portrayed the iconic character of Captain James T. Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek film series. With his charming charisma and impressive acting skills, Pine has won the hearts of both old and new fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise. In this article, we will take a look at the Star Trek movies featuring Chris Pine in chronological order.

1. Star Trek (2009): Directed by J.J. Abrams, this film serves as a reboot of the original Star Trek series. It introduces us to a younger version of Captain Kirk, played by Chris Pine, as he embarks on his journey to become the captain of the USS Enterprise. The movie explores Kirk’s early days at Starfleet Academy and his first encounter with Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of his crew. With its thrilling action sequences and strong character development, this film was a huge success both critically and commercially.

2. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013): The sequel to 2009’s Star Trek, this film once again sees Chris Pine reprising his role as Captain Kirk. Directed by J.J. Abrams, it follows Kirk and his crew as they face a dangerous terrorist named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). This movie delves deeper into Kirk’s leadership abilities and tests his loyalty to his crewmates. With its intense storyline and stunning visual effects, Star Trek Into Darkness further solidified Pine’s portrayal of Captain Kirk.

3. Star Trek Beyond (2016): Directed by Justin Lin, this third installment in the rebooted series takes the crew of the USS Enterprise on an epic adventure into uncharted territory. Once again, Chris Pine shines as Captain Kirk, leading his crew through various challenges and battles against a formidable enemy named Krall (Idris Elba). This film explores the themes of unity and friendship, while also showcasing Pine’s growth as an actor in his portrayal of Kirk.

Chris Pine’s portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies has been nothing short of exceptional. From his charismatic presence to his ability to capture the essence of the iconic character, Pine has truly made the role his own. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the franchise, these films are a must-watch for any sci-fi enthusiast. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy Chris Pine’s captivating performances in the thrilling world of Star Trek!

RELATED TOPICS:

• star trek chris pine movies in order

Related articles you'll love:

Ash williams movies in order, disney tinkerbell movies in order, what are all the thor movies in order, gods not dead movies in order, what is the thor movies in order, all aliens movies in order, latest articles, o.j. simpson saga – a tale of triumph, tragedy, and controversy, jeremy allan white filmography, jeremy allen white – all you need to know, the boy and the heron ending explained, da’vine joy randolph – all you need to know.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Ad Blocker Enabled!

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Untangle the different timelines and get the popcorn: Here are the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release.

• Chronological order
• Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

• Kelvin Timeline
• Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

We've got a guide to watching the Star Trek movies in order, decloaking off our starboard side!

So long as movies stick numbers on the ends of their titles, it’s easy to watch them in order. Once they start branching out, however, things can get a little muddled, especially when reboots come along and start the whole process over from scratch. 

You may have heard that the even-numbered ones are good and the odd-numbered ones are not. That’s spot on for the films starring the cast of The Original Series (aka Kirk and friends) falls apart once you reach the tenth entry in the series. It would probably be worth your while to have this list of the Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best around to steer clear of the clunkers. Look, we’re not going to pretend everything here is worth two hours of your day, we’re just letting you know which came out after which.

Should your Trek appetite remain unsatiated after your movie watchathon, feel free to pull from either our list of the best Star Trek: The Original series episode s or best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes . Either one will set you up for a weekend jam-packed with great Trek moments. Consult our Star Trek streaming guide for all the details on where to watch the movies and shows online 

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline. 

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• Release date: December 8, 1979
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• Release date: June 4, 1982
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.   

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• Release date: November 26, 1986
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness. 

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

• Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• Release date: December 6, 1991
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort. 

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

• Release date: November 18, 1994
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time. 

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

• Release date: November 22, 1996
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin. 

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

• Release date: December 11, 1998
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle. 

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

• Release date: December 13, 2002
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy. 

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

• Release date: May 8, 2009
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline. 

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

• Release date: May 16, 2013
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction. 

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

• Release date: July 22, 2016
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day. 

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.   

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety . 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

Best sci-fi movies with 90%+ on Rotten Tomatoes

'Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi' and 'Andor' blast onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray today

Yellowstone Lake's weird resistance to climate change could be about to crack

Most Popular

• 2 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission — Live updates
• 3 Best sci-fi movies with 90%+ on Rotten Tomatoes
• 4 Astronomers close in on the mystery of the erupting Orion star system (video)
• 5 Star Wars: Hunters launches in June for Nintendo Switch and mobile (video)

pop culture

A guide to the 'star trek' movies in order.

Perhaps you've started watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and you're wondering where this whole thing (like the whole thing ) originated from. Maybe you're completely ingrained in the Star Trek universe but want to start all over from the beginning for the hundredth time. Whatever the case may be, you're currently reading this because you plan on watching or re-watching all of the Star Trek movies in order. No worries, we've got you all covered with everything you need to know before you get to it. When you're dealing with franchise that has been around many different decades and has had different iterations things can get a bit tricky.

We're going to break it down the best way we can.

RELATED: How to Watch the Marvel Movies in Chronological Order

How Many Star Trek Movies Are There?

All-in-all, there are thirteen total films in the Star Trek franchise as of this writing. That's the simple version. Now we're really going to break it all down.

Star Trek "Original Series" Movies in Order:

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek "Next Generation" Movies in Order

• Star Trek Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek "Kelvin Timeline" Movies in Order aka the "New" Star Trek Movies in Order

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

• Release Date: December 8, 1979
• Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nicholas
• Extra Recommended Viewing:  While it isn't required to watch Star Trek: The Original Series in its entirety before Star Trek: The Motion Picture , seasons one and two in particular can help prepare you for the overall pace of the movie and familiarize yourself with the characters as they are the ones that star in the film.

Ten years prior to the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the television series, Star Trek: The Original Series , was cancelled after three seasons. Despite the cancellation, Paramount Pictures had been lobbying for a feature film which originally began development in 1975, but was scrapped in 1977 for another television series that was to be titled Star Trek: Phase II . However, after the success of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounter of the Third Kind in 1977, plans for a feature film were put back into motion since that particular film showed that science-fiction movies could be successful.

Finally, after many years, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released on December 8, 1979, as we just mentioned, it featured the cast from the television series. Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise is called upon by the federation to help contain an object that is on a crash course with earth. This object is an alien cloud that is wreaking havoc on everything getting in it's way. Kirk uses his leadership expertise to intercept the cloud, which eventually leads to an alien attack.

We then find out that Voyager aka V'Ger,  a 20th-century Earth space probe previously believed lost in a black hole, was found by an alien race of living machines, learned all the information it could, returned home to report what they discovered, but that nobody knew how to respond to the findings. Some people believe that you can skip this film altogether, but if you want to say that you've watched every single Star Trek , you've gotta get it in.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

• Release Date: June 4, 1982
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Similar to the first film, nothing is required to be watched in order to understand the movie. However, if you want to get super nerdy, you can watch "Space Seed" (season 1, episode 22) from the television series as that's when Khan is originally introduced.

Despite the mixed reviews of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the follow-up Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released three years later on June 4, 1982. Many consider The Wrath of Khan to be the best Star Trek movie of all time, which makes for a fun debate amongst fans and movie critics. Adm. James T. Kirk and Capt. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are monitoring trainees at Starfleet Academy when they discover that another vessel from the United Federation of Planets is about to test the planet-creating Genesis Device, which leads to two of Kirk's officers being captured and a showdown.

The Wrath of Khan was a huge box office success, grossing $97 million at the box office along with positive reviews from critics.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

• Release Date: June 1, 1984
• Extra Recommended Viewing: For Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , you will need to watch The Wrath of Khan as this film is a continuation of the events that happened in that movie.

Fast forward two years later, Spock is dead. Or is he? Adm. James T. Kirk succeeded in defeating Khan, but that defeat apparently came with the cost of losing Spock. While investigating  the Genesis planet from aboard the science vessel  Grissom , they discover that Spock has been resurrected, but in the form of a child and that he has lost consciousness. The crew defies orders disables the USS  Excelsior , and steals the  Enterprise in the attempt to retrieve Spock's body. While The Search for Spock did gross $87 million at the box office (which in reality wasn't that much less than its predecessor), the film was still considered a "moderate" success compared The Wrath of Khan .

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

• Release Date: November 26, 1986
• Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nicholas, Catherine Hicks
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home completes the arc of The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock , so you will need to watch both in order to understand what's going on.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is another debate starter as it is frequently put up against The Wrath of Khan in terms of which one is better. In it, Adm. James T. Kirk and his crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve humpback whales — which is the key to communicating with a probe that's dangerously looking for somebody that understands it/them/whatever you want to call it. The plot is inexplicably corny 1980s, but you can't deny its charm as it pulled in $133 million worldwide at the box office, and received four Academy Award nominations for cinematography and sound.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

• Release Date: June 9, 1989
• Extra Recommended Viewing: No required viewing, but it is recommended that you watch the previous films.

Alright, we're going to save you the trouble here — the mark was missed with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . It has a case for being one of if not the worst Star Trek film of all time. That said, The Final Frontier centers around Sybok, the half brother of Spock, who hijacks the Enterprise in order to meet God, who he also believes is himself. Interesting. We're not going to say skip The Final Frontier completely, but we will say to have proper expectations before you watch.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

• Release Date: December 6, 1991
• Extra Recommended Viewing: While it's recommended you watch the previous films, it should be noted that some have started their Star Trek journey with The Undiscovered Country . You don't have to watch the television series to understand what's going on this film either.

Whenever Star Trek would take a step backward in terms of critical and commercial success, they would always follow it up with a stronger attempt. The Undiscovered Country is a whirlwind journey as Capt. Kirk and the USS Enterprise Crew are carrying Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to Earth as leverage for a peace treaty with the United Federation of Planets. Their ship gets confused for firing on a Klingon vessel, which kills Gorkon. This leads to Kirk and Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) being arrested for murder as it is thought to be a revenge attempt by Kirk for the Klingons murdering his son. Now it's all left up to Spock to save the day.

7. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

• Release Date: November 18, 1994
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, William Shatner
• Extra Recommended Viewing: It is our recommendation that you watch at least a few episodes of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series that ran from 1987 to 1994, as the movies are set at the end of series and preceded by the 1994 series finale "All Good Things."

And here begins The Next Generation era of Star Trek . While not as captivating as the prior films, the movie had its own strong points as the Starship Enterprise gets sent to a giant energy field on the verge of engulfing two ships that presumably kills Capt. Kirk. Fast forward several years later, Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) learns that one of the survivors, Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell), has big plans to enter the field by destroying a neighboring star, and must be stopped. While The Next Generation received mixed reviews, it did gross $118 million at the box office, so it was a good first start to the new generation.

8. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

• Release Date: November 22, 1996
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner
• Extra Recommended Viewing: "The Best of Both Worlds" (season 3, episode 26 and season 4, episode 1)

The story behind Star Trek: First Contact goes a little something like this — Paramount Pictures asked writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore to start working on the next film. Braga and Moore wanted to feature the Borg in the storyline, but Rick Berman, the producer, wanted the plot to focus on time travel. The solution? They decided to combine both ideas, pulling references from the two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds" from Star Trek: The Next Generation , which served as both a season finale for season 3, and a season premiere for season 4.

First Contact features the crew following a Borg ship and traveling back in time to prevent the Borg from taking over the Earth in a past era. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and a space travel guru (James Cromwell) are stuck trying to create the first time warp, whereas Capt. Picard and mdr. Data (Brent Spiner) are trying to battle the borg queen as she attempts to take over The Enterprise. Fun stuff.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

• Release Date: December 11, 1998
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Any episode from The Next Generation and the previous movies in The Next Generation series.

When a mission to planet Ba'ku gets disrupted by a malfunctioning android named Data (Brent Spiner) taking the cultural task force hostage, Capt. Picard and crew learn that the Federation mission was actually a ploy by the Son'a to remove the inhabitants of Ba'ku. There's also the romance between Troi and Riker that gets rekindled in the process. While some may argue other Star Trek films are more dynamic, we'd argue that Insurrection stands on its own two feet.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

• Release Date: December 13, 2002
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Stuart Baird, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Tom Hardy
• Extra Recommended Viewing: You could watch the entire Next Generation series and all the prior films before tackling Nemesis , but it also works as a standalone.

The final film of The Next Generation series sees Capt. Picard diverting Enterprise's trip to Cmdr. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi's (Marina Sirtis) wedding in order to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romulans. Pre-Bane Tom Hardy takes on the role of Shinzon, the new Praetor of the Romulans, who needs Picard’s blood to survive. The only problem is Shiznon is also trying to destroy the entire Earth and take everyone down with him, so there's that.

11. Star Trek (2009)

• Release Date: May 7, 2009
• Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban
• Extra Recommended Viewing: The 2009 Star Trek essentially restarts the whole series. You can watch it without having seen any of the prior series or movies.

Back to the beginning we go! We get re-introduced to Kirk, Bones, Spock and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew as they are dealing with the villainous Romulan commander Nero (Eric Bana) who's kinda threatening all of mankind. It's up to Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and everybody else to defeat Nero before it's too late. Nothing too complicated here — just a simple plot to introduce newcomers to the franchise.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

• Release Date: May 16, 2013
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek (2009)

Capt. Kirk gets removed from his commander position by violating the Prime Directive, Admiral Pike replaces him, Spock gets transferred to another ship, and that's just the beginning. Khan is back, but he's actually kind of... somewhat... nice, and Kirk and the rest of The Enterprise team set out to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction which leads to a life or death battle. Fun stuff again.

13. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

And this is where the Star Trek movies (emphasis on movies) leaves us in this era until Star Trek 4 which is currently in development. Star Trek Beyond was about The Enterprise being deceived by Krall (Idris Elba), a vicious enemy who gets his energy from sucking the life out of his victims. Long story short, Krall needs an artifact that's on The Enterprise ship, and Kirk and the crew have got to battle against him. The events of Star Trek Beyond effectively serve as a prequel to the 1960s series, so you can actually watch Star Trek: The Original Series after this.

The Star Trek Movies in Release Order:

Unlike other franchises or universes , the Star Trek movies in order of release date is actually exactly the same as the chronological order.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture - December 6th, 1979
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - June 4th, 1982
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock - June 1st, 1984
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - November 26th, 1986
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - June 9th, 1989
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - December 6th, 1991
• Star Trek: Generations - November 18th, 1994
• Star Trek: First Contact - November 22nd, 1996
• Star Trek: Insurrection - December 11th, 1998
• Star Trek: Nemesis - December 13th, 2002
• Star Trek - May 7th, 2009
• Star Trek Into Darkness - May 16th, 2013
• Star Trek Beyond - July 22nd, 2016

RELATED: The 25 Most Expensive Movies Ever Made

The 25 Most Expensive Movies Ever Made

How to Watch the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies in Order

What Is the Best ‘Star Wars’ Movie? All 12 Films, Ranked

‘Star Trek’ Cast, Including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, Returning for Fourth Film

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

• Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four’ Adds Paul Walter Hauser 2 days ago
• Why ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Is the Latest Movie With Tie-In Toys That Reveal Spoilers 2 days ago
• Jeff Bridges Returning for 'Tron: Ares' 5 days ago

They’re boldly going back.

Paramount is planning to enter negotiations for “ Star Trek ” stars Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho and Simon Pegg to return to the Enterprise for their fourth tour of duty in the venerable sci-fi franchise.

The announcement was made by J.J. Abrams during the Paramount Investors Day Presentation on Feb. 15.

“We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into areas that you’ve just never seen before,” Abrams said. “We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”

The six actors first stepped into their respective iconic roles as Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, Sulu and Scotty in 2009’s “Star Trek,” directed by Abrams, which reset the “Trek” timeline and allowed for the reboot to exist unencumbered from the hundreds of hours of “Trek” continuity that had come before. The actors returned in two sequels, 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness,” also directed by Abrams, and 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond,” directed by Justin Lin.

Popular on Variety

Abrams is producing the new, as-yet-untitled film through Bad Robot, with Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) directing from a screenplay by Josh Friedman (“Avatar 2”) and Cameron Squires (“WandaVision”) based on a earlier draft by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”).

Paramount was close to bringing back this cast once before: In 2018, S.J. Clarkson (“Jessica Jones”) had signed up to direct a sequel that would have reunited Pine’s Kirk with his late father, played by Chris Hemsworth reprising his performance from the 2009 “Star Trek.” That film never materialized, however, after Paramount reportedly couldn’t close a deal with Pine and Hemsworth.

Since then, insiders say the studio has done market research to determine audience interest in the rebooted cast, given the long wait period between “Beyond” — which lost money for Paramount — and a prospective new “Trek” film. Execs determined that there was still lasting audience enthusiasm for Pine, Quinto and the rest of the cast in their established roles, which allowed the studio to feel comfortable with moving forward with bringing them back.

Paramount has also explored several other avenues for “Trek” features, none of which seem to have ultimately borne fruit. Quentin Tarantino reportedly cooled on a “Star Trek” script he was pursuing with “The Revenant” screenwriter Mark L. Smith. In late 2019, Paramount tapped “Fargo” and “Legion” creator Noah Hawley to write and direct a “Trek” movie that Hawley planned to feature new actors playing new characters. But when Emma Watts became president of the Paramount Motion Picture Group a few months later, insiders say she paused all “Trek” development, including Hawley’s film , to decide how best to move forward with one of the studio’s crown jewel franchises. With Watts’ departure from Paramount in September, it’s unclear what the current “Trek” film portends for other development for the franchise, including a screenplay by “Fear the Walking Dead” co-executive producer Kalinda Vazquez .

Bringing the 2009 “Trek” cast back could prove a challenge given they’ve all had busy schedules since “Beyond.” Pine added the “Wonder Woman” franchise to his resume and he’ll next appear in Olivia Wilde’s thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” and the black-ops film “Violence of Action.” Quinto headlined the AMC series “NOS4A2,” and starred in the Broadway revival of “The Boys in the Band” and its 2020 Netflix film adaptation. Saldana continued her run as Gamora in several Marvel Studios films, including “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “Avengers: Endgame”; she’ll star in “Avatar 2” this year and in “Guardians Vol. 3” in 2023. Urban appeared in 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok” and he’ll continue his performance as Billy Butcher on Season 3 of Amazon’s “The Boys” in June. Cho starred in acclaimed indies “Columbus” and “Searching,” and he starred in Netflix’s live-action adaption of the anime series “Cowboy Bebop.” And Pegg starred with Nick Frost on Amazon’s horror comedy series “Truth Seekers,” and he’ll reprise his role as Benji in “Mission: Impossible 7” in 2023.

One member of the 2009 “Trek” cast, however, sadly cannot join them. Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov, died in an accident in June 2016, a month before “Beyond” opened in theaters. At that film’s premiere at San Diego Comic Con, the cast, filmmakers and invited guests sat in a full minute of silence in tribute to the late actor.

Brent Lang contributed to this story.

More From Our Brands

We know hiring can be tricky. the best job search sites can help fill all your positions , savannah vs. charleston: which southern city has the best luxury hotels, gabby thomas hopes paris olympics can push track to lucrative future, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, wwe backlash 2024: how to stream the big event online, verify it's you, please log in.

Chris Pine movies in order

Image: ©Paramount Pictures

American actor, Chris Pine, is one of the most popular faces in Hollywood. Thanks to his likeable screen presence, as well as his dedication to his acting roles, he has built up a strong portfolio of films and countless fans too.

Pine’s projects have ranged from thrillers and action movies to fantasy films, musicals, and sci-fi pictures. He has appeared in a number of box-office hits, and has starred in such films as  Star Trek  and  All the Old Knives .

In this post I am taking a look back at Pine’s film portfolio with a rundown of all his movies. I will be going through his film career, decade-by-decade, to showcase all of the pictures he has starred in, dating back to the early 2000s.

Ever wondered what all of the Chris Pine movies are? Of course you have, so let’s get started!

Pine began his acting career in the early 2000s, initially through television shows, including  ER and  CSI: Miami . From here he then moved across to movies in 2004, with his big screen debut being the role of Nicholas Devereaux in Disney sequel, The Princess Diaries 2 .

Other film roles soon followed, with movies including Deadly Secrets , The Bulls , and Just My Luck . All of these roles helped the actor increase his on-screen profile, but none of the parts thrust him into the spotlight.

But then, just as the decade was coming to an end, Pine took on the role of Captain Kirk in Star Trek – a reboot of the popular sci-fi franchise. This significant piece of casting instantly propelled Pine to super-stardom, transformed him into a household name (pretty much over night), and ensured he ended the ’00s on a high!

Chris Pine’s films throughout the 2000s include:

• The Princess Diaries 2 (2004)
• Deadly Secrets (2005)
• The Bulls (2005)
• Surrender, Dorothy (2006)
• Just My Luck (2006)
• Blind Dating (2006)
• Smokin’ Aces (2006)
• Bottle Shock (2008)
• Star Trek (2009)
• Carriers (2009)

Heading into the 2010s and this is where Pine saw his profile really begin to rise. Thanks to his star turn in Star Trek , Pine was beginning to be offered better, more substantial, and more significant roles, and this certainly paid off in this decade.

Films during this period included Unstoppable , This Means War , and People Like Us . In 2012 he provided voice over duties for the superb animated movie, Rise of the Guardians , while in 2014 he took on the part of Jack Ryan for the movie, Shadow Recruit.

It was during the 2010s that Pine also returned to the world of Star Trek – not once, but twice, for Star Trek Into Darkness , and Star Trek Beyond . He also appeared in 2017’s smash-hit comic book movie Wonder Woman , and provided the voice of Peter Parker in animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse .

Chris Pine’s movies throughout the 2010s include:

• Small Town Saturday Night (2010)
• Chico & Rita (2010)
• Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010)
• Unstoppable (2010)
• Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012)
• This Means War (2012)
• People Like Us (2012)
• Rise of the Guardians (2012)*
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
• Stretch (2014)**
• Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
• Into the Woods (2014)
• Z for Zachariah (2015)
• The Finest Hours (2016)
• Hell or High Water (2016)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Wonder Woman (2017)
• A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
• Outlaw/King (2018)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)*

*Voice role

**Uncredited role

And finally, moving into the 2020s, and Pine continues to appear in a range of high-profile movies, including the comic book movie sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 ; spy thriller, All the Old Knives ; and fantasy feature, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves .

His films in the 2020s (so far) have included:

• Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
• The Contractor (2022)
• All the Old Knives (2022)
• Doula (2022)
• Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
• Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)
• Poolman (2023)
• Wish (2023)*

So, those are all of Chris Pine’s movies, but what are your favourites? Are you a fan of  Wonder Woman?  or is  Star Trek Into Darkness  more your thing? Perhaps  This Means War  is the movie for you, or maybe  Into the Woods ?

Well, whatever your favourite Chris Pine movie, be sure to drop a comment below and share the love. There are a lot of Pine fans out there, are you one of them?

And if you are a fan of Chris Pine you might like to know that many of his hit movies are available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray, including Don’t Worry Darling .

If you’ve not watched Don’t Worry Darling before, the film is a mind-bending sci-fi drama, about a seemingly perfect housing community, which might not be as perfect as it appears. The film stars Pine, alongside Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.

The Don’t Worry Darling DVD is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK .

Thank you for stopping by  It’s A Stampede!  to read this post about Chris Pine movies. For more movie-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

Disclaimer:  I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Chris Pine Reveals His Favorite Memes Of Himself, And His Answers Rock!

You’ll get a real kick out of Chris Pine’s favorite memes of himself.

Looking back at Chris Pine’s best movies , the clean-cut-looking actor is leading man material gracing the screen with the Star Trek movies, Unstoppable, and the Wonder Woman movies. Then it took promoting his creepy role in Don’t Worry Darling to make the Hollywood actor to become meme-able. The Dungeons and Dragons actor reveals what his favorite memes of himself are, and the answer absolutely rocks!

Any unique behavior an actor exhibits is very quick to become a viral meme. Chris Pine was one of those actors becoming a meme star while promoting his role in Olivia Wilde’s movie Don’t Worry Darling . While speaking to E! News at the premiere of his directorial debut Poolman, the Star Trek actor was asked what his favorite memes of his was. Here was his A+ response:

Do I have a favorite meme of myself? That’s a good question. I really did, I really got a kick out of it, I don’t know if it’s a meme, but it was a shot of when I was in Italy for the Don’t Worry Darling thing and I was looking up at the ceiling and the comments were out of this world. They were so good.

This meme he’s talking about came from a press conference during the Venice premiere of the thriller-mystery flick . While director Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh got into a long-rumored feud with speculations revolving around Wilde’s alleged affair with her star Harry Styles , Chris Pine got swept up in the Don’t Worry Darling rumor mill as well. Namely, there was a rumor that Harry Styles spit on Pine . The truth was that the two had a jet-lagged conversation with the pop singer leaning into the Princess Diaries 2 star to tell him something. He described his brain as “befuddled” from traveling which made him struggle to answer press questions, causing him to look up at the ceiling zoning out.

Other than the “Dissociating Chris” meme of the actor staring off into the ceiling, there’s another meme of himself that the Hell or High Water actor gave a hilarious response to:

That and like the non-binary lesbian aunt thing is, I love that stuff too.

Just in case this answer went way over your head like it initially did mine, there’s an explanation for Chris Pine’s new internet reputation. The clean-cut look that The Finest Hours actor tended to fashion early in his career, but that's been tossed aside for a more rugged look. During the red carpet premiere of Poolman , Pine pulled off wearing shorts, a flower, a blazer and hiking boots to make his introduction as an incoming director. One X user posted a photo of him wearing a long white garment with a caption saying the Just My Luck actor was “entering his middle aged lesbian aunt phase. Or wine aunt.” While Pine’s new look at the Poolman premiere may be giving me The Big Lebowski vibes, I still dig it.

Chris Pine proved to the internet that he is indeed meme-worthy with his favorite memes of himself being when he was staring off into space during the press conference of Don’t Worry Darling and being called a “lesbian aunt.” He's clearly showing admirable qualities in being able to laugh at himself and staying genuine to who he is. 

You can see Chris Pine in Don’t Worry Darling with your Hulu subscription and Max subscription . The 2024 movie release of his directorial debut Poolman will play in theaters on May 10th.

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

Just your average South Floridian cinephile who believes the pen is mightier than the sword.

Freaky Friday 2: What We Know About The Sequel

Glen Powell Explains What It Was Like Having 'A Giant Jet Engine' Blown In His Face While Shooting Twisters, And It Sounds Intense

I Just Rewatched Sixteen Candles For Its 40th Anniversary. It Hasn’t Aged So Well, But Here Are the Moments I Think Are Still Worth Celebrating

Most Popular

• 2 Paul Heyman Shares Who He Believes The First ‘Paul Heyman Woman’ Was, And Makes A Bold Prediction For The Modern Women’s Division
• 3 Tarot’s Jacob Batalon Tells Us About The Sneaky Spider-Man Photo He Took On Set, And The Warning Zendaya Gave Him As A Result
• 4 After How Law And Order: SVU Brought Back Kelli Giddish As Amanda Rollins, I've Changed My Mind About Benson's Current Squad
• 5 Glen Powell Explains What It Was Like Having 'A Giant Jet Engine' Blown In His Face While Shooting Twisters, And It Sounds Intense

Labour wins Liverpool and South Yorkshire mayoral elections

Timothy olyphant lost star trek role to chris pine.

Actor Timothy Olyphant has confessed he lost out on a role in the 2009 Star Trek reboot to Chris Pine who was described as 'younger' and 'really good'

Latest stories

Have a go hero dishes out life lesson after 'old man attacked in keighley'.

CCTV footage of old man 'being attacked in Yorkshire' goes viral online as have a go hero steps in

King Charles III's Funeral Plans Reportedly Updated, as He's 'Very Unwell.' Here's What We Found

Numerous rumors about the British monarch spread following his cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5, 2024.

BBC Bargain Hunt expert brutally shut down after 'awful' admission

The buyers stepped in after the suggested from Phillip Serrell

ITV Coronation Street actress speaks out on husband's 'break-up' with co-star

Sally Carman-Duttine plays Abi Webster on the popular soap

'Sad' Tesco shopper 'clears' supermarket shelves to make £1,000 profit

Sam, who has raked up an impressive 95,000 followers on TikTok, is one of many young Brits trying to make quick cash by reselling

Kate Middleton 'heartbroken' as she 'gives in' to Prince William's plans for Prince George

The Prince and Princess of Wales were seen touring Eton College's headquarters with the young heir last June which sparked speculation about whether or not George would attend the same school as his father William and uncle Prince Harry in just a few years time.

Queuing Greggs customer cannot believe his eyes at man in shop's actions

'A man weaved through the line in front of me, heading to the sandwich section, and I thought nothing of this at first'

Taxi spotted dropping off strangers 'at all hours of the day and night'

I compared supermarket butters to Lurpak to see if it could be beaten - it was

I tested supermarket butter from Asda, Tesco, Aldi, and M&S against Lurpak and another branded butter to find out which was best.

Urgent warning to gardeners over jail time and 'unlimited fine'

Gardeners could be slapped with a hefty fine or worse

New rule leaves National Lottery winner who won £10,000 with nothing

Jennifer Gothard won £10,000 on a £3 "triple cashword" scratchcard in March - but is still waiting for her winnings due to a new rule introduced by operator Allwynn

Porsche driver ‘killed trying to swerve pothole’

A 74-year-old Porsche driver has died after swerving to avoid a pothole, police believe.

Benidorm's Solana barman Mateo actor Jake Canuso looks very different 6yrs on from ITV show

Benidorm actor Jake Canuso, who portrayed bartender Mateo Castellanos in the ITV show, looks worlds away from his former role, six years after the ITV show finished

Kate McCann's life now from heartbreaking Madeleine traditions to new job

It's been 17 years since Madeleine McCann vanished during a family holiday in Portugal - and mum Kate McCann has never given up hope

King Charles 'must sit down' with Meghan and Harry and say 'I'm sorry' in difficult conversation says Piers

TV presenter Piers Morgan has claimed King Charles should sit down with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to discuss the pair's use of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles

London mayoral election: Results from council polls suggest Ulez could still be problem for Sadiq Khan

The Conservatives won council by-elections in Hillingdon, Sutton and Wandsworth

Strictly's Bobby Brazier says he will 'never' do The One Show again after Alex Jones snub

The EastEnders actor and Strictly Come Dancing finalist joked he wouldn't be returning to the BBC programme after appearing alongside Rebel Wilson

Mother of teenage murderer sobs after son is sentenced to life

The mother of a teenage murderer sobbed after her son was sentenced to life in prison.

Kevin Bridges has fans in stitches with hilarious take on Humza Yousaf resignation

KEVIN Bridges had fans in stitches with his take on the chaos caused by Humza Yousaf booting the Greens out of government.

Gyles Brandreth blames himself for Rod Hull's death: 'I killed a man - the emu man'

Gyles Brandreth says he blames himself for the death of Rod Hull, who died in 1999 when he fell from the roof of his home while attempting to adjust his television aerial. The 63-year-old entertainer was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital with a coroner later recording a verdict of accidental death. Speaking to John Cleese on the latest episode of his Rosebud podcast, Brandreth said: "I killed a man - it was Rod Hull, the emu man."

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Chris pine says getting ‘princess diaries 2’ role was “absolutely earth-shattering”.

The actor looked back at getting his first big gig while struggling financially, saying it was as if he had been told he would "make $15 million."

By Tatiana Tenreyro

Tatiana Tenreyro

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

In a preview from his conversation with Willie Geist for Sunday TODAY , Chris Pine looked back at how much his role as Anne Hathaway’s love interest in The Princess Diaries 2 : Royal Engagement impacted his career.

Pine recalled the exact moment he got the life-changing call saying he had been cast as Nicholas Devereaux. He was on the freeway, driving his 1972 BMW that he owned since he was 16, at a time in his life when he had only booked small TV roles.

Related Stories

Sandra oh reenacts 'princess diaries' phone scene for 'the kelly clarkson show', anne hathaway says "instant audience love" for 'the idea of you' feels similar to 'princess diaries'.

Pine shared that getting the call was “absolutely earth-shattering” as he was severely struggling financially. “I had an overdraft on my bank account. It was like $400 over. I was going to have to ask my parents for money, and then I got that 65,” he said.

“I remember distinctly knowing in that moment that my life had changed somehow,” Pine continued, “even though 65 at the end of the day turned out to be like $15,000.”

“And I owed my parents rent money,” he added. “But that is a wild feeling. I’ll never forget that.”

While Princess Diaries 2 was Pine’s first major role, which resulted in him being cast as the leading man in the 2006 Lindsay Lohan-starring rom-com Just My Luck two years later, Pine didn’t receive his big break until Star Trek . In the J.J. Abrams-directed reboot, Pine took over William Shatner’s role as Captain Kirk.

Two decades later, he might reunite with Mia Thermopolis. In 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a third Princess Diaries movie was in the works at Disney . Pine has expressed a desire to reprise his role as Nicholas, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2023, “I’m here for it. Give me a phone call or an email.”

However, no developments have been made in its production, as Julie Andrews told TODAY in March that there was “some dialogue about it” but “nothing had been realized.”

Pine’s chat with Geist airs May 5 on Sunday TODAY .

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Hot docs: nishta jain’s ‘farming the revolution’ takes top jury prize  , oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker maite alberdi talks about her upcoming narrative debut, manu rios on fame, feeling exposed and spending more time in los angeles: “it’s in the works”, matteo garrone’s ‘io capitano’ wins italian film awards, ‘my old ass’ to open toronto’s inside out film festival, ‘the maze runner’ reboot in the works with ‘transcendence’ scribe jack paglen in talks to write (exclusive).

Star Trek’s J.J. Abrams Advised Chris Pine to Be ‘Less Shatner’ While Portraying James T. Kirk

Chris Pine reflects on playing James T. Kirk in the latest Star Trek movies, and the actor acknowledges those wonderful "Shatnerisms."

• J.J. Abrams advised Chris Pine to embody "less Shatner" when portraying James T. Kirk in the big-screen reboot of Star Trek.
• Pine starred as Captain Kirk in all three reboot films; he says the franchise feels "cursed."
• A new Star Trek movie is part of Paramount's "intent," according to Roddenberry Entertainment's C.O.O.

“Less Shatner.” Those two little words encompassed the advice filmmaker J.J. Abrams had for Chris Pine when the two collaborated on the big-screen reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which began in 2009. Pine was tasked with picking up the enormous mantle of the iconic character, James T. Kirk, who was portrayed brilliantly by William Shatner from 1966 until 1994. Pine said in an interview during his appearance on the Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me podcast:

“I think the biggest correction that J.J. [Abrams] ever had for me was ‘less Shatner.’ Because it’s so deliciously fun. I mean, anything from how he sits in the chair to how he does a double take. There are many… the Shatnerisms are long and deep, and they’re beautiful. They’re beautifully crafted.”

*Availability in US

Not available

Pine starred as James T. Kirk in all three of the reboot films, which began with Star Trek (2009) and was followed up by the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond . Abrams directed the first two movies, but he turned the director’s chair over to Justin Lin for the third installment. And nearly eight years have passed since Star Trek Beyond , and Star Trek 4 has still yet to warp speed into movie theaters.

Chris Pine Believes the Star Trek Franchise Is 'Cursed'

While J.J Abrams’ 2009 reboot certainly isn’t the best of the Star Trek films, both critics and audiences alike enjoyed the U.S.S. Enterprise’s encounter with the rogue Romulan Nero (Eric Bana), which featured the return of Leonard Nimoy as the original Mr. Spock. Abrams’ new vision of the sci-fi phenomenon also made $385.7 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo ). So, a sequel was inevitable. And in the summer of 2013, Kirk and crew faced off against Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Star Trek Into Darkness .

Star Trek Into Darkness made even more money ($467.4 million) than Star Trek (2009) did globally, but 2016’s Star Trek Beyond didn’t fare as well as its predecessors ($343.5 million), and the reboot series has been in limbo ever since. Co-star Zoe Saldaña (Lt. Uhura) still has hope that Star Trek 4 will come to fruition. But when it comes to the Star Trek franchise, Pine “feels like it’s cursed,” according to an interview he did with Esquire in 2023.

Star Trek 4: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

In March of this year, the C.O.O./President of Development for Roddenberry Entertainment, Trevor Roth, said “there is a plan” for a new Star Trek movie. Roth elaborated on the possibility in the same interview conducted at the SXSW film festival:

“I am not able to say much, but I can say that it is Paramount's intent to figure out the Star Trek side of movies and what's going on there. There's every intent of a new movie coming out in the very near future. There's a lot of secrecy around what's going to happen there. But there is a plan getting into place. And we're very excited to see it return to the big screen.”

Most recently, Pine wrote and directed his first feature film, Poolman. Pine also stars alongside Danny DeVito in the comedic mystery, which opens exclusively in theaters on May 10. And fans can watch the Poolman trailer right now.

Chris Pine (I)

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 500 26

• Contact info
• 8 wins & 37 nominations total

• Steve Trevor

• Captain James T. Kirk

• Pre-production
• Narrator (voice)

• Magnifico (voice)

• Darren Barrenman

• Dr. Gregory Zonkowski

• Henry Pelham

• Hair Transplant Surgeon
• Alistair Covax (voice)

• Norman Bates
• Attorney (voice) ...

• Jay Singletary

• Peter Parker (voice)
• In Development
• producer (produced by)
• executive producer

• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• 6′ 0½″ (1.84 m)
• August 26 , 1980
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• No Children
• Parents Robert Pine
• Relatives Anne Gwynne (Grandparent)
• Other works TV commercial for "Armani Code Ice" men's fragrance - Model
• 2 Pictorials
• 7 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia Age 27 at the time of filming, he was the youngest actor to play the lead in a "Star Trek" film or series.
• Quotes [on fame] If the worst thing that happens in your life is that you're asked the same question repeatedly for a month, and people look very interested while they're talking to you and wanting to know about you, think about every day you worked at that restaurant and every day you worked as a delivery man for Domino's, every day you were a host, every day you were a bartender and worked until 4 a.m. And then just be very grateful.
• Trademarks Sparkling blue eyes
• Salaries Untitled Star Trek: Beyond Sequel $13,000,000
• How old is Chris Pine?
• When was Chris Pine born?
• Where was Chris Pine born?

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

How much have you seen?

Recently viewed.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Chris Pine says the 'earth-shattering' amount he was paid for 'Princess Diaries 2' changed his life

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Chris Pine is recalling his first big gig in Hollywood.

In a preview clip from the May 5 episode of Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist , Pine said his life "changed" when he booked the role of Nicholas Devereaux in the 2004 film, “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.”

“It was the height of summer and I was getting off at Magnolia. I was on my little Verizon tiny little flip phone, my silver one and I got a call from my agents that I booked the job,” he said. “I pulled over onto the side of the freeway and they said, ‘You’re getting paid $65,000,’ And it was like they had just told me I’d made $50 million. It was absolutely Earth-shattering.”

In the film, which was a sequel to 2001's " The Princess Diaries " starring Anne Hathaway as Princess Mia, Pine played one of Mia's suitors who eventually fell in love with her.

Pine says before landing that role, he was booked for a few commercials and read a couple of lines with Sally Field in "ER." But, it wasn't until he landed “The Princess Diaries 2" that he felt like he actually "started working."

“I got that $65,000 and I just remember distinctly knowing in that moment that my life had changed somehow, even though $60,000 at the end of the day turned out to be about $15,000,” he laughed.

“That lasted no time at all,” he continued, revealing that he had an overdraft of $400 in his bank account and had also thought about asking his parents for money prior to the call.

“And I owed my parents rent money. But that is a wild feeling. I’ll never forget that,” he added.

After "The Princess Diaries 2," Pine went on to star in other notable films such as 2009's "Star Trek" and 2017's "Wonder Woman."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

Recommended Stories

Berkshire hathaway annual shareholders meeting: warren buffett takes stage without charlie munger for first time.

Warren Buffett will take hours of questions from shareholders on Saturday without his right-hand man, Charlie Munger, for the first time in decades.

Score up to 40% off roses, tulips and more at 1-800-Flowers — in time for Mother's Day

Order mom's favorite blooms for a serious discount, and throw in some chocolates to make it extra sweet.

These 'amazing' brushes give a deep clean to the nooks and crannies of your home for only $3 a pop

Evict the grit with these simple yet great brushes.

Going on a plane? Spare yourself from screaming kids with the earplugs Courteney Cox swears by - just over $3 a pop

The actress said she 'can't sleep without' them and that they 'completely block out sound.'

Up to 74% off on grills, griddles, BBQs, pizza ovens, air fryers, and cooking essentials for Way Day 2024

Over 30 Wayfair deals on grills, griddles, air fryers, pizza ovens, and more outdoor cooking essentials from May 4 to 6.

'Silky and cool': This queen sheet set with 58,000+ fans is just $18 at Wayfair's Way Day sale (that's 60% off)

The wildly popular bed coverings are supremely soft, machine washable and resistant to pilling.

The cute spring top shoppers say ‘covers lots of body flaws’ is just $21 — that's 45% off

This flouncy blouse has more than 1,300 shoppers feeling a little more stylish this season.

Flirty and flattering: These are the 3 dress trends everyone will be wearing this spring and summer

You'll live in these pieces during the warmer months — and they're all under $200.

Some intriguing showstoppers from Auto China 2024

China’s vision of the electric mobility future is on full display during the ten-day Auto China 2024 event, which ends this weekend.

Way Day 2024: 45 best Wayfair deals on home, patio, grill and garage essentials

The big Wayfair sale, Way Day, is finally here. Save up to 73% off on things like patio furniture, garage storage, and more.

• Movies & TV
• Featured Categories
• Action & Adventure

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Return this item for free

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Image Unavailable

• Sorry, this item is not available in
• Image not available
• To view this video download Flash Player

Star Trek Trilogy: The Kelvin Timeline (Blu-ray + Digital)

• Blu-ray $14.99

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

From the manufacturer

When the U.S.S. Kelvin is wrapped up in a temporal anomaly, the path of Starfleet and the future of the universe as we know it takes off in a new direction: the Kelvin Timeline. Up against the Romulans, the superhuman Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the alien warlord Krall (Idris Elba), it’s all hands on deck for the U.S.S. Enterprise crew, led by the young and headstrong Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), and Scotty (Simon Pegg). J.J. Abrams’s reboot of the classic franchise has received dozens of accolades, including an Academy Award. For devoted fans of the beloved benchmark sci-fi series, all three films now come together in the Kelvin Timeline Trilogy – a bold, new beginning and a must-have in anyone’s Star Trek collection.

Product Description

Paramount Star Trek Trilogy: The Kelvin Timeline (Blu-ray)

Product details

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 4 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 6 hours and 20 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 11, 2019
• Actors ‏ : ‎ John Cho, Karl Urban, Chris Pine, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English, Portuguese, French, Spanish
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 6317790876
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3
• #95 in Science Fiction Blu-ray Discs
• #457 in Action & Adventure Blu-ray Discs

Videos for this product

Click to play video

Star Trek Trilogy: The Kelvin Timeline Blu-Ray (Overview)

Astonishing Buys

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviews with images

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Screen Rant

Rdj nails just why thor's mcu success is so impressive.

Robert Downey Jr.'s response to Chris Hemsworth's Love and Thunder regrets is well founded given how important Thor's introduction was for Marvel.

• Robert Downey Jr. responds to Chris Hemsworth's regrets about Thor: Love and Thunder , stating that Thor was always a tricky character to adapt.
• Downey praises Hemsworth and director Kenneth Branagh for turning Thor into a relatable yet godlike MCU hero back when the God of Thunder was Marvel's riskiest property.
• Thor 5 could go back to the character's grandiose roots in order to balance Thor's imposing persona with his newfound sense of humor.

Robert Downey Jr.'s response to Chris Hemsworth's Thor: Love and Thunder regrets perfectly explains why Thor is an especially impressive achievement by Marvel . Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok gave Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder a personality overhaul that helped him stand out during the Infinity Saga. However, Thor: Love and Thunder failed to live up to Thor: Ragnarok , as Thor's comedic behavior crossed the line of the absurd, which didn't sit well with audiences and Chris Hemsworth himself.

In an interview with Vanity Fair , Chris Hemsworth expressed his regret over his performance in Thor: Love and Thunder , saying that he got "caught up in the improv and the wackiness” of the movie. Hemsworth also admitted he had felt "like a security guard for the team” and "probably pretty replaceable" throughout Thor's eight MCU appearances . Shortly after, Robert Downey Jr. responded to Hemsworth's comments (via Vanity Fair ). Downey praised the actor, the character, and director Kenneth Branagh for making Thor work within the MCU from the start. Read Robert Downey Jr.'s full thoughts below:

“First off, Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt — lots of implied limitations — but he and Ken Branagh figured out how to transcend, make him somehow relatable but godlike." (...) “Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire and gentleness.”

Thor Was The Hardest Of The MCU's Original Avengers To Adapt

Thor's fantastical roots made him the mcu's biggest phase 1 challenge.

Back in Phase 1, adapting the original six Avengers to live-action within the same universe was quite a challenge for Marvel, as the superhero genre hadn't reached the heights it has already surpassed today. But whereas Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye were realistic enough characters to lead a superhero movie; and whereas Hulk was popular enough to be widely accepted as a believable character, Thor was Marvel's riskiest property at the time . Not only was Thor the most fantastical of the Avengers, but he also used to be much less popular than his fellow Marvel heroes.

Thor 5 Is More Important Than Ever After Chris Hemsworth's Love & Thunder Confession

Although Kenneth Branagh's Thor isn't among Marvel's heavy hitters with critics, audiences, and at the box office, it remains an impressive feat that laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's massive success. Branagh's inspired vision and Chris Hemsworth's performance — not to mention those of Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins — proved that Marvel could adapt any character, regardless of whether they were a grounded arms dealer-turned armored hero or an ancient Asgardian god. Having integrated himself into the wider MCU, Thor brought with him key aspects of the MCU's lore, including extraterrestrial beings, magic, deities, and the Infinity Stones.

Thor 5 Needs To Focus On What Makes Thor So Great

Thor's imposing persona can coexist with his playful sense of humor in the mcu's thor 5.

As Robert Downey Jr. explains, Thor's complex pysche and gravitas had made him interesting before Thor: Ragnarok . However, Thor doesn't need to revert to his Phase 1 state in order to course-correct. At this point, Thor 5 could bring back the God of Thunder's larger-than-life persona , focusing on his fierce yet gentle personality but striking an even balance between Thor's imposing power from movies like Thor and Avengers: Infinity War and his newfound playfulness from Thor: Ragnarok .

Source: Vanity Fair : 1 , 2 .

*Availability in US

Not available

May the 4th be with you! Here’s everything our critics have said about the ‘Star Wars’ franchise

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

With “Star Wars” Day looming, it’s an apt time to take stock of The Times’ reviews of each installment — movies and TV shows — in the ever-evolving, paradigm-shattering intergalactic franchise.

Updating our list from 2015 , which came before a new wave of “Star Wars” films and TV series endeared the franchise to a new generation of fans, we’re including our reviews of the latest theatrical entries in “Star Wars” movie canon, and some notable mentions of the TV, streaming and serial projects that gave us backstories for Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Mandalorian and his beloved Grogu.

Here, in the order of the action in the “Star Wars” universe, are the reviews and features (some from a long time ago) that appeared in a newspaper in a galaxy not so far, far away ...

‘Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace’ (1999)

Former L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan — who reviewed all three prequel films — didn’t love “The Phantom Menace.” His review said it was obvious that the new addition to the franchise was “aimed at younger audiences” and noted that it “delivers lots of spectacle but is noticeably lacking in warmth and humor.”

Review: The Prequel Has Landed

‘Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones’ (2002)

Turan was also not feeling newcomer Hayden Christensen and his sulky take on Anakin Skywalker: “Judging by his performance here (perhaps not a wise thing to do), young Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was picked for Anakin strictly on his ability to radiate sullen teen rebellion, something he does a lot. Anakin chafes like a grounded adolescent at the restrictions Obi-Wan places on him, grousing that the master is “overly critical. He never listens. He just doesn’t understand. It’s not fair.”

Turan dubs the relationship between Anakin and his beloved Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) “High School Confidential in Outer Space” and states that the two are less troubled by their forbidden love and more “burdened by a formidable lack of chemistry.”

Review: “When We Last Saw Our Heroes ...”

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008)

Times staff writer Michael Ordoña described the feature film that launched George Lucas’ computer-animated TV series as a “theatrical pilot for the upcoming animated television series” and wrote that “anyone older than 8 with the majority of brain functions intact will have a bad feeling about this.”

“But where new characters, plot threads and better dialogue might have made up for much, ‘Clone Wars’ simply doesn’t aim high enough,” he wrote. “For those who had expected improved writing from the last four films [‘Return of the Jedi’ to ‘Revenge of the Sith’], your hopes will be dashed on the ornately realized rocks of Tatooine.”

Review aside, the TV series ran for seven seasons — first on Cartoon Network, then Netflix and finally Disney+ — from 2008 to 2020. Not to mention, “The Clone Wars” (both film and series) introduced its share of key characters and lore that has been indispensable to the franchise in the Disney+ era.

Review: It’s a Weak Jedi Mind Trick

‘Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)

Turan came in with show-stopping pun: “‘Revenge of the Sith’ is a visual stunner, but beware of the talk side.”

Enough said.

Review: It Looks Hot ...

‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)

Former Times film critic Justin Chang took on the newer “Star Wars” installments after Turan left The Times in 2020. His duties involved reviewing the lesser-loved film “Solo,” whose rocky behind-the-scenes story involved the firing of original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and the hiring of their replacement, Ron Howard. The film details how fan-favorite rogue Han Solo scored the famous Millennium Falcon, met Chewbacca and came by his surname.

“[Howard] and his collaborators (including screenwriters Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan) have cobbled together a high-speed, low-energy intergalactic heist movie, an opportunity to spend too much time with people you don’t care about and too little time with people you do,” Chang wrote.

Review: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Never Gets Off the Ground, But Don’t Blame Alden Ehrenreich

Obi-Wan Kenobi has a deep history. Before the Disney+ series, here’s what to know

We look back at the Star Wars history of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, originated by Alec Guinness and played in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ by Ewan McGregor.

May 26, 2022

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (2022)

The titular former general and Jedi master, introduced in 1977’s “ A New Hope ” and whose backstory was expanded upon in 1999’s “ The Phantom Menace ,” got his own space adventure in this Disney+’s six-episode limited series starring Ewan McGregor.

Times staff writer Tracy Brown explained that for series co-write Joby Harold, part of the excitement of the Disney+ series was exploring what could have happened between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope” for McGregor’s Kenobi to become the version embodied by Alec Guinness. The series is also a touching tribute to everybody’s favorite princess: “Leia’s role in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ both expands her significance in the overall ‘Star Wars’ story and recontextualizes existing canon in a way that deepens Leia’s imprint on the saga,” Brown wrote.

Commentary: How Disney’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ changes Princess Leia’s legacy forever

‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2014)

Times television critic Robert Lloyd wrote that the 2014 expression of the “Star Wars” brand seemed “sent to hold your attention until the arrival of the seventh live-action film.” The cartoon series premiered on the Disney Channel and was “the first tangible fruit of the incorporation of ‘Star Wars’ into the Walt Disney empire, and a Disney cartoon is very much what this is.”

“Though firmly in the Lucas tradition, this is also a Disney cartoon, for a Disney crowd and a Disney corporation — watching, you can almost feel the plastic and the plush — and whatever the characters are up to, however cute or sentimental the business, it is smartly designed and cinematically staged, and not hard to enjoy.”

Review: Disney Is the Driving Force of ‘Star Wars Rebels’

‘Andor’ (2022)

The critically hailed Disney+ series “Andor ” tells the story of how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) transforms from disaffected, self-centered thief to committed resistance fighter willing to die for the cause, Brown wrote.

“Eschewing many of the familiar tropes and set pieces associated with the franchise, the series has pushed ‘Star Wars’ storytelling to new heights,” Brown said, and its political proclivities made the series must-see TV.

Commentary: ‘Star Wars’ Has Always Been Political. ‘Andor’ Made It Must-See TV

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)

Landing in theaters a year after “The Force Awakens,” the brisk and momentous story was actually set about three decades prior and is a “swiftly paced, rough-and-ready entertainment that, in anticipating the canonical events of ‘A New Hope,’ manages the tricky feat of seeming at once casually diverting and hugely consequential,” Chang wrote.

“With the Death Star undergoing its final quality assurance tests, the evil Galactic Empire is very much in the ascendant. The Rebel Alliance is fractious and disorganized. And what initially seems like a zippy stand-alone adventure soon reveals itself as a grimly exciting prequel to the first, or should I say fourth, film in the series, ‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.’ (Think of the new movie, if you must, as ‘Star Wars: Episode III.V — Dawn of a New Hope.’)”

Review: ‘Rogue One’ Adds an Uneven but Thrilling Wrinkle to the Mythology of ‘Star Wars’

Unlike ‘Andor,’ ‘Mandalorian’ is going all in on ‘Star Wars’ lore. Here’s what to know

Season 3 features protective space dad Mando (Pedro Pascal) and adorable Grogu (Baby Yoda) on yet another journey steeped in “Star Wars” allusions.

March 1, 2023

‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope’ (1977)

The first-ever “Star Wars” film from director Lucas — originally titled simply “Star Wars” — was heralded by the late Times critic Charles Champlin as “the year’s most razzle-dazzling family movie, an exuberant and technically astonishing space adventure in which the galactic tomorrows of ‘Flash Gordon’ are the setting for conflicts and events that carry the suspiciously but splendidly familiar ring of yesterday’s westerns, as well as yesterday’s ‘Flash Gordon’ serials.”

Review: ‘Star Wars’ Hails the Once and Future Space Western

‘Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

Champlin really got into the spirit of the Force, praising both the first film and this one for their optimism and more: “‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ like all superior fantasies, have the quality of parable, not only on good and evil but on attitudes toward life and personal deportment and there is something very like a moral imperative in the films’ view of hard work, determination, self-improvement, concentration and idealism,” he wrote. “It does not take a savant to see that this uplifting tone only a little less than the plot and effects is a central ingredient of the wide outreach of the films.”

Review: In the ‘Star Wars’ Saga, ‘Empire’ Strikes Forward

‘Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

We found someone who loved the Ewoks! The late Times movie critic Sheila Benson called the final film in the original trilogy “frankly irresistible” and heaped tons of praise on the furry fiends from the moon of Endor.

Review: ‘Star Wars’ Continues With an Inventive ‘Jedi’

‘The Mandalorian’ (2019)

The big-budget, live-action series launched Disney’s streaming platform (and gave us the adorable “baby Yoda,” a.k.a. Grogu). Lorraine Ali, who was then a Times’ TV critic, described the show as “‘Star Wars’/Disney right down to its weird sand creatures and blighted outposts, and a safe-but-entertaining start” for Disney+.

“The premiere episode of the first live-action series in the ‘Star Wars’ universe is a direct descendant of the big-budget film franchise in both tone and execution. It’s long on impressive special effects and alien shootouts, and short on a fresh story line beyond the usual unwitting hero with a mysterious family tree and a destiny that involves saving the universe (or part of it),” she wrote. “The feel of the series is blockbuster cinema — action-packed, predictable, entertaining — so it’s jarring when the first episode ends at around 35 minutes.”

Review: ‘The Mandalorian’ Is ‘Star Wars’ to the Core: A Safe, Entertaining Blockbuster

‘The Book of Boba Fett’ (2021-22)

The first spinoff of “The Mandalorian” focuses on fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett, who left a lasting impression despite only six minutes and 32 seconds of screen time and four spoken lines during the original trilogy, Brown wrote. (Hey, the action figure was cool.)

Picking up after the events of “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” follows Fett (Temuera Morrison) as he establishes himself as the new crime lord in charge among the local scum and villainy on Tattooine, along with his faithful right hand, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). The series also filled in some gaps about what Fett was up to between the events of “Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi” (1983) and his appearance in “The Mandalorian.”

Commentary: Boba Fett Had Four Lines in ‘Empire Strikes Back.’ How He Ended Up With His Own TV Show

‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ (2023)

When Ahsoka Tano crashed into Anakin Skywalker’s life as his newly assigned padawan apprentice in 2008’s animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” she changed “Star Wars” forever.

Much like her master, the teen was reckless, impulsive, stubborn and didn’t always follow the rules. She was also the first female Jedi protagonist who audiences got to see in action onscreen in a franchise that until pretty recently held the lightsaber-wielding users of the Force in the highest regard.

The next chapter in the character’s 15-year legacy was “Star Wars: Ahsoka,” which similarly broke new ground on the live-action side of the galaxy far, far away. Starring Rosario Dawson, the series boasts the first nonhuman “Star Wars” title hero as well as a core cast primarily composed of women. Both are representational milestones and examples of how “Star Wars” has become much more inclusive than it was when the original film premiered in 1977.

Commentary: ‘Ahsoka’ Proves That ‘Star Wars’ Has Long Been a Galaxy Where Women Can Be Heroes

‘Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens’ (2015)

Turan wrote that the most hotly anticipated motion picture since “Gone With the Wind” had “an erratic, haphazard quality to it” but was “a definite improvement” on the franchise’s “abortive” second trilogy set, “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”

“‘The Force Awakens’ is only at its best in fits and starts, its success dependent on who of its mix of franchise veterans and first-timers is on the screen,” Turan wrote. “But ‘The Force Awakens’ is also burdened by casting miscalculations and scenes that are flat and ineffective. Sometimes the Force is with this film, sometimes it decidedly is not.”

The Force was certainly with it at the box-office. The film grossed $120.5 million on its opening day, and in 2016 became the highest grossing movie in U.S. history (at the time), not adjusting for inflation.

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’: Was It Worth the Wait?

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi’ (2017)

The series’ eighth official episode, directed by Rian Johnson, was hailed as “easily its most exciting iteration in decades” by Chang, who described it as “the first flat-out terrific ‘Star Wars’ movie since 1980’s ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’”

“It seizes upon Lucas’ original dream of finding a pop vessel for his obsessions — Akira Kurosawa epics, John Ford westerns, science-fiction serials — and fulfills it with a verve and imagination all its own.”

Review: ‘The Last Jedi’ Brings Emotion, Exhilaration and Surprise Back to the ‘Star Wars’ Saga

‘Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)

“The Rise of Skywalker,” the frenzied big-bang conclusion of the franchise’s third movie trilogy, “offers itself up in the spirit of a ‘Last Jedi’ corrective, a return to storytelling basics, a nearly 2½-hour compendium of everything that made you fall in love with ‘Star Wars’ in the first place,” Chang wrote in 2019.

“The more accurate way to describe it, I think, is as an epic failure of nerve,” he said. “This ‘Rise’ feels more like a retreat, a return to a zone of emotional and thematic safety from a filmmaker with a gift for packaging nostalgia as subversion. Still, let’s acknowledge [director J.J.] Abrams for the proficient craftsman and genre-savvy showman he is. Like some of his other major pop-cultural contributions (two enjoyable ‘Star Trek’ movies and the twisty TV series ‘Lost’ among them), ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is a swift and vigorous entertainment, with a sense of forward momentum that keeps you watching despite several dubious plot turns and cheap narrative fakeouts.”

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Is Here to Remind You Just How Good ‘The Last Jedi’ Was

Former Times staff writer Meredith Woerner contributed to this report.

More to Read

‘The Phantom Menace’ dominated 1999’s box office. History has been kinder to it

May 3, 2024

The unmissable addition to Disneyland’s Star Tours ride? Space whales

April 9, 2024

Ahsoka, Andor and the Mandalorian are coming to Disneyland’s Star Tours

March 5, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.

More From the Los Angeles Times

How the Cat King in ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ captures a familiar queer dynamic

April 27, 2024

‘Dead Boy Detectives’ cleverly brings Neil Gaiman’s comic book sleuths to life

April 24, 2024

A stairwell at Cartoon Network Studios captured 20 years of history. Now you can see it, too

April 8, 2024

Entertainment & Arts

Jonathan Majors avoids jail time in assault of ex-girlfriend, must attend domestic violence program