Best and worst of 'Star Trek' movie villain

Best "Trek" movie villain

Khan (Ricardo Montalban, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan")

Best "Trek" movie villain? How about the best movie villain ever? Khan was strong, sexy and sympathetic, but when it came time to shove a giant mutant space maggot into Chekov's ear, he was ready to throw down. Give him credit for keeping his crew alive - and their hair looking fantastic - for years on an abandoned planet that appeared to have nothing but sand as a resource. In an industry filled with synthetic bad guys, Khan was a rich Corinthian villain.

Honorable mention: General Chang (Christopher Plummer, "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country")

Worst "Trek" movie villain

Ad'har Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, "Star Trek IX: Insurrection")

Abraham is a fine villain for a Mozart biopic, but he's just not cut out for world domination. If the choice of the spindly Abraham as the film's main bad guy wasn't enough, the screenwriters gave his character a plastic surgery addiction that made him seem more pitiful than fearsome.

Honorable mention: Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier")

Most random "Trek" cameo

Christian Slater ("Star Trek VI")

Slater is a big "Star Trek" fan, and his mother was in charge of casting for the movie. So he shows up - for about six seconds - as the spaceship Excelsior night duty officer. His mission: to wake up Capt. Sulu. They don't have alarm clocks in the 23rd century?

Honorable mention: Kirstie Alley ("Star Trek II"); Kim Cattrall ("Star Trek VI")

Best "Trek" smackdown

Spock ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home")

"Star Trek IV" was a little too whale-heavy for some hard-core Trek fans, but we thought the Leonard Nimoy-directed movie was a lot of fun - especially the time travel plot that brought the crew to modern-day San Francisco. The most cathartic moment was on a Muni bus crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, where Nimoy's Spock puts a Vulcan sleeper hold on a punk playing his music too loud. The ovation from his fellow passengers said it all.

Most unrealistic feat of "Trek"-related athleticism

William Shatner

("Star Trek V")

By the time "Star Trek V" came around, William Shatner looked as if he might have had a hard time climbing up a flight of stairs. But that didn't stop the screenwriters from giving him an extended scene climbing El Capitan. In their defense, it was the best scene in this horrible film. And he did fall off. But a slow hike up Bridal Veil falls would have been more his speed. ("Star Trek V" also gets worst "Trek"-related body double award.)

Otherwise decent "Trek" movie most in need of a 25-minute trim

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

The first "Star Trek" film might have been one of the best - if it wasn't so long. The effects scenes were the most draggy parts. "The Sound of Music" director Robert Wise was so enamored with the newfangled visuals, he let several of the kaleidoscope-like space scenes linger for what seemed like half a light-year. (That transporter deformation scene was cool, though.)

Best "Trek" movie

"Star Trek II"

This one's not even close. The story, action, pacing and acting were all the best of the series. Spock's "death" scene was arguably the most moving moment in the "Trek" canon. People remember Khan's maybe-fake-maybe-not chest and Shatner's exaggerated cry of "Khaaaaaaan!" and mistake this for pure camp. Watch it again. It's a really good movie.

Worst "Trek" movie

"Star Trek VII: Generations"

Other movies (cough, "Star Trek V," cough) were more horrible from a filmmaking standpoint, but this one had the most on the line. If you're going to write the last chapter for a character as great as Capt. Kirk, you better not botch it. And this movie completely botched it. More than the other forgettably bad pictures, this one did the most to harm the franchise.

From:www.sfgate.com