Films like Star Trek
14 picks with a similar feel
What defines Star Trek, going by its Boxlist taste profile: An otherworldly sci-fi film that is expansive, inventive and emotionally cool. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of culture clash and unlikely connections, plus tags such as child driving car, black hole and parachute.
Here are 14 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Star Trek (2009).
- 1
Project Hail Mary (2026)
Film8.7
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: space mission, space.
- 2
Interstellar (2014)
Film8.3Heavier option
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: black hole, spacecraft, space.
- 3
Stargate (1994)
Film7.0
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping. Common ground: teleportation, space opera, space.
- 4
The Adam Project (2022)
Film7.1Lighter option
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 5
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Film7.5
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 6
Divergent (2014)
Film6.9
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and inventive. Common ground: futuristic, alternate reality.
- 7
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Film7.3
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping. Common ground: space opera, spacecraft.
- 8
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Film8.1Heavier option
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 9
The Terminator (1984)
Film7.6
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 10
Avatar (2009)
Film7.5Easier to follow
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: futuristic, space opera, space.
- 11
Predestination (2014)
Film7.4More intricate
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 12
Film7.3
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: unlikely friendship.
- 13
- 14
Total Recall (1990)
Film7.3Heavier option
Why it's like Star Trek: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: futuristic.
Boxlist compares Star Trek with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Star Trek?
- Picks with a similar feel include Project Hail Mary, Interstellar, Stargate and The Adam Project. Each shares part of Star Trek's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 14 films.
- How are these films like Star Trek chosen?
- Boxlist compares Star Trek with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
- Is there a lighter film like Star Trek?
- The Adam Project has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.