Star Trek Beyond – Anniversary

July 22, 2026

Hey, cruisers!

To paraphrase the right reverend Nicole Kidman’s view on movie theaters: “Somehow, pon farr feels good in a place like this.” 

As wonderful as watching Star Trek in the comfort of your living room is (even for a homebody like me), there’s nothing quite like the rumble of a warp drive idling through a massive theater sound system, or that sudden, collective gasp from an audience when the lights go down and the iconic opening fanfare blares across a dark room.

As we sweat through Summer Blockbuster season, I’ve been thinking about the undeniable and irreplaceable magic that is seeing Star Trek on the big screen. I remember seeing Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the movie theater. Admittedly, it was a little slow moving for little Bobby, but it was also life changing. It was the first time I’d ever seen something transfer from the small to big screen, so it literally and figuratively opened my eyes to what was possible in pop culture. And thanks to the many (many) glam shots, it was the first time I was able to truly appreciate the beauty of the Enterprise. 

Star Trek The Cruise X happens to sail during a monumental year for Star Trek movie milestones. We will be celebrating the 45th anniversary of what is arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made, 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and the 25th anniversary of a movie I don’t think gets enough love, 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

The big screen is where some of our most deeply embedded Star Trek memories were forged. It’s where we watched Kirk frantically scream “Khaaaan!” into a communicator, and where we wept open tears in the dark as Spock said, “I have been, and always shall be, your friend.” The movie theater is where we experienced the pure, time-traveling joy of “The One with the Whales,” where we watched Deanna Troi navigate—not crash!—the saucer of the Enterprise-D into Veridian III, Picard lose his…cool on a bunch of Borg in a holodeck, where we got to answer the question: “What would happen if an Oscar winner, a Tony winner, and an Olivier winner were forced to grapple with immortality and forced migration,” and where we got to see two Spocks on screen at the same time. 

Every single one of those, and countless other, theatrical moments binds us together as a community. And how amazing is it, whether we’re watching a movie on the pool deck or having lunch at a table next to the very actors who made our cinematic experiences so memorable, that energy is amplified by 1701 on the ship?

What is your all-time favorite Star Trek movie memory? Was it seeing a midnight premiere in full cosplay? Seeing Admiral Janeway talking to Captain Picard or Doctor Crusher talking to The Doctor? Or maybe asking yourself how two whales could fit into the cargo bay of a Klingon Bird of Prey?

So, get out the popcorn!