Although no movie can perfectly replicate the appeal of Star Trek: The Next Generation, each of these five sci-fi efforts recaptures at least one of the elements that made the show great. Star Trek: The Next Generation’s blend of character drama, social commentary, humor, and inventive sci-fi storytelling makes it one of the best Star Trek shows of all time. In fact, many critics and fans of the genre would say that the seven-season series, which ran from 1987 until 1994, is one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.
As such, trying to find a movie that can replicate the appeal of Star Trek: The Next Generation is a fairly tall order. The most logical approach is to find various titles that each replicate part of the show’s appeal, even though this means the resulting list of movies will vary wildly in tone. Dark Star and Galaxy Quest share the character dynamics and warm comedy of the series, Dune and Arrival replicate its refreshingly serious approach to sci-fi, and Serenity nails the sense of adventure that brings viewers back to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Dark Star
Released in 1974, Dark Star is a fairly surprising debut for director John Carpenter and screenwriter Dan O’Bannon. Although Carpenter soon went on to direct the classic horror movies Halloween and The Thing, and O’Bannon penned Alien only a few years later, Dark Star is a far sillier, more surreal space-set adventure that leans into satire and absurd comedy rather than horror.
However, with its philosophical musings on the existential implications of deep space exploration, Dark Star calls to mind some of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s more comedic episodes. Eccentric and offbeat, Dark Star still manages to capture something real in the increasingly frustrated interactions between the movie’s astronauts. At their best, this dysfunctional crew resembles the USS Enterprise’s crew at their worst.
Serenity
A spinoff of Fox’s two-season classic Firefly, Serenity sees the show’s cast reprise their original roles in a new adventure. Set in 2517, Serenity follows the titular spaceship’s crew as they continue to eke out an existence as smugglers after the Unification War. More morally ambiguous and darker than Star Trek: The Next Generation, Serenity still captures the same sense of adventure and peril as the Star Trek spinoff.
If Dark Star’s story shares its tone with the show’s most light-hearted efforts, then Serenity is more akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s most dramatic hours. There are tragic character deaths, brutal battles, and a lot of twists, but the crew’s affection for each other consistently shines through even in their darkest moments.
Dune
Director Dennis Villeneuve’s long-awaited adaptation of Dune might be the most surprising title on this list. At first glance, the gloomy sci-fi blockbuster doesn’t seem to have a lot in common with the more idealistic Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, Dune does share Star Trek: The Next Generation’s earnest exploration of imagined alien cultures, and the show’s use of far-flung galaxies and far-fetched beings to comment on very real contemporary social and cultural realities.
Arrival
Like Dune, 2016’s Arrival comes from director Dennis Villeneuve. However, its presence on this list is likely to be a little less surprising, since even the hit sci-fi movie’s premise owes something to Star Trek: The Next Generation. In this superb story, a team of academics is tasked with communicating with extraterrestrial heptapods that have mysteriously appeared around the globe. Arrival’s thoughtful, twisty story shares Star Trek: The Next Generation’s idealistic depiction of a vision of humanity that greets aliens with intelligence, curiosity, and an open heart.
Galaxy Quest
Of all the movies listed here, 1999’s cult classic Galaxy Quest is perhaps the least surprising title. Directed by Bill & Ted Face the Music‘s Dean Parisot, this affectionate spoof of the entire Star Trek franchise sees the actors who starred in the eponymous Star Trek-style sci-fi show enlisted in a genuine extraterrestrial war years after their series was cancelled.
The washed-up former TV stars must embody their fictional characters once more as they are shocked to learn that an entire elaborate alien society has been shaped around the teachings of their chintzy but well-meaning TV series. With an all-star cast that includes Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Sam Rockwell, Galaxy Quest is a sweet, hilarious, and thoroughly good-hearted homage to the Star Trek franchise that couldn’t be a better fit for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation.