There are many moments throughout the history of Star Trek that have left viewers in awe, but there is one particular scene from a classic Star Trek flick that remains mind-blowing to this day. And, believe it or not, that scene from the best Star Trek movie, Wrath of Khan, was actually put together by the creative heads at Pixar.
When looking back through the Star Trek timeline, it’s hard to argue that Wrath of Khan has ever been surpassed. For a start, the film features one of the very best Star Trek characters, with the titular villain lighting up the screen. William Shatner is on top form as the best Star Trek captain, James T. Kirk, and he is matched every step of the way by Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, too.
However, it’s the story at the heart of it all which makes Wrath of Khan one of the best science fiction movies of all time. When the crew on board the USS Enterprise learn the true power of the Genesis Device, we are treated to an awe-inspiring scene as we witness the birth of a planet before our very eyes.
While the fight between Star Trek and Star Wars to be the best sci-fi series has waged for many years, the two franchises actually both used the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) visual effects house to bring their incredible intergalactic adventures to life.
Turns out, ILM collaborated with the guys in the Computer Division at LucasFilm to create the Genesis Sequence scene from Wrath of Khan. As you may know, the Computer Division staff would eventually go on to form the founding members of Pixar. That’s right, the legends behind some of the best animated movies of all time, were creating epic sci-fi magic many years before they moved on to talking toys.
The Genesis Sequence is actually the first scene in a feature film to be entirely comprised of computer generated graphics. It was a truly pioneering moment in the history of cinema, and it seems that incredible work was just the start of the journey for the folks in the Computer Division at LucasFilm.
Many years and many projects later, the Computer Division became Pixar and gave us Toy Story, which remains one of the best Pixar movies still to this day. And they haven’t stopped there, with the likes of Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc among the very best movies of all time.
For more from Trek, here’s our list of the best Star Trek starships and our list of every Star Trek series ranked. Now, look ahead to the future with all we know about the Star Trek Legacy release date and the Star Trek Discovery season 5 release date. Or, for more visual effects magic, here’s what we know about Avatar 3.