Prepare to have your mind blown.

The law is this: every odd-numbered Star Trek movie is dreck. Every even-numbered Star Trek movie is terrific. This Law - the subjectivity of movie criticism notwithstanding - held up perfectly for decades.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (bad) Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) (good) Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984) (bad) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) (good) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) (bad) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) (good) Star Trek Generations (1994) (bad) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (good) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) (bad)



Then everything was up-messed:



Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) (bad!? should have been good!) Star Trek (2009) (good??!?! should have been bad!) Star Trek XII: So Very Tired (2012) (???)

Now watch carefully as I restore the timeline.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (bad) Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) (good) Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984) (bad) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) (good) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) (bad) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) (good) Star Trek Generations (1994) (bad) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (good) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) (bad) Galaxy Quest (1999) (good) Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) (bad) Star Trek (2009) (good)

2013 update

Unfortunately the rule is now permanently scuppered because Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) was neither good nor bad, but mediocre.