THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, November 21, 1994              TAG: 9411190082
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   52 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** The title of ``Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' was wrong in a Daily Break story Monday. Correction published , Tuesday, November 22, 1994, p. A2 ***************************************************************** HOW THE TREK MOVIES STACK UP

IT'S ONLY one person's opinion, but here's how the first six ``Star Trek'' movies stack up:

``Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' (1982) - A pumped up Ricardo Montalban is the best villain of all as he yells, ``Let them eat electricity!'' This was the most movie-movie of the bunch, with wit to match. Kirk finds a son and Spock makes the ultimate sacrifice.

``Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'' (1986) - One of the most humorous and entertaining of the series, it was the nearest thing to a ``crossover'' - a film that attracted people who were not even interested in the TV show. The crew travels back to the 20th century to save two humpback whales.

``Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' (1984) - The hype was so great we tend to remember it more than the others, even with the deadly section on the planet Vulcan right in the middle. Kirk and crew steal the Enterprise to find Spock, who was killed, or so we thought, in 1982.

``Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home'' (1991) - The send-off for the original crew featured Shakespeare quoted by Christopher Plummer as Klingon Gen. Chang. Iman, the supermodel, was in the cast. The End of History was discussed.

``Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (1989) - Most folks would place this one last, but theology was treated in a way seldom attempted in films. Kirk and crew literally search for God. Most memorable line: ``Don't just stand there. God's a busy man.'' William Shatner directed.

``Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979) - The first was the least, even though it had a huge budget and was directed by Oscar winner Robert Wise. The plot, a throwback to ``Fantastic Voyage,'' made no sense - all about a probe with a mind of its own. Reaction shots were plentiful. When it made money despite its reviews, the franchise was set. ILLUSTRATION: BRUCE BIRMELIN, Paramount Pictures

Ricardo Montalban played the villain in ``Star Trek II: The Wrath of

Khan.''

by CNB