Does Anyone Remember When Star Trek Used to ‘Boldy Go Where No One Has Gone Before?’

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her five year (ongoing) mission, to explore strange, new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man (one) has gone before." The entire mission statement of the Enterprise is to "go where no one has gone before." So why, then, has the entire motion picture run of the franchise taken place on Earth?The Enterprise was built for the purpose of exploration. We saw lots of that with the original series. However, ever since the franchise went to the big screen, the Enterprise has hardly ever left orbit. We are currently being inundated with trailers for the new movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness, featuring images of the Enterprise crashing into San Francisco Bay. As Picard asked in Star Trek: Insurrections, "Can anyone recall when we used to be explorers?"

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The film begins and ends on Earth. The first third of the movie is spent just trying to get the Enterprise out of our own solar system.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

Earth again. The Enterprise is now in dock as a training vessel. The entire film takes place in already explored regions of our galaxy.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

The film begins with the Enterprise returning to Earth. We spend the first half of the movie on Earth in either Kirk's apartment of at the Earth orbiting space station. Okay, so they do explore a new world, the Genesis planet.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The entire movie is on Earth. 1986 San Francisco to be exact.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Okay, this films starts on Earth, but takes us to a new, unexplored planet, where no one has gone before (except for the criminals imprisoned on it.) Unfortunately, this doesn't count since the people who made it and even the fans are trying to forget the movie ever existed.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Earth again. Okay, so we get to see the Klingon home world, and the penal planet Rura Penthe. The penal planet doesn't count, though, because you can tell that it was made out of styrafoam on a sound stage somewhere on .... Earth!

Star Trek: Generations

No new worlds, unless you count the Nexus. For much of the film, Kirk and Picard are back on Earth.

Star Trek: First Contact

Earth. Even more so... Earth of 2063.

Star Trek: Insurrection

Picard and crew facing conflicts in Federation space. No exploration here.

Star Trek: Nemesis

Okay, we get to see the Romulan home world. Been there, done that. Does anyone recall the episodes Unification: Part I and II, which were light years better than this movie?

Star Trek 2009

Earth, Earth, and Earth.

The saga continues. Star Trek: Into Darkness, seems to spend more quality time in San Francisco. Now don't we all feel silly for complaining about Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Enterprise? Bet you wish you had them back now, don't you?