The Best Star Trek Movie Just Got Added To The National Film Registry

Every year, film buffs assemble online to see which 25 movies will be added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry — a list that includes titles you'd expect like "The Godfather," "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," "Thelma & Louise," and "Casablanca." For 2024, the new additions bump the NFR's total catalog to 900 films, bringing in classics and modern classics alike in a crop of movies spanning decades.

For sci-fi fans, the main attraction this year will likely be "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." The 1982 theatrical sequel is still held up as one of the high watermarks for the entire "Star Trek" franchise, and in the eyes of many fans, its greatest singular achievement. Spock's noble sacrifice in the film has gone down in history alongside the Darth Vader reveal and the "tears in rain" monologue from "Blade Runner" as an all-time iconic sci-fi moment. And more than 40 years after the movie's release, it's finally being recognized by the National Film Registry — a recognition that Trekkies might argue is long overdue.

In addition to "The Wrath of Khan," this year's NFR additions include classics from the comedy, romance, and thriller genres, one particularly early entrant from 2010, and one film that's nearly 100 years old.

The oldest movie in the 2024 NFR graduating class is "KoKo's Earth Control," a 1928 animated short from early animation pioneer Max Fleischer. The film follows the eponymous clown and his dog, Fitz, as they discover a building with controls for the rain, day and night, and all other aspects of life on Earth.

On the other end of the spectrum, 2010's David Fincher-directed Facebook fictionalization "The Social Network" has been added to the National Film registry this year. It's a testament to the movie's stellar reputation — some consider it Fincher's finest work — that it's already gained entry to the exclusive club after less than 15 years.

The rest of the catalog for 2024 includes the Eddie Murphy crime comedy classic "Beverly Hills Cop," the 1974 proto-slasher film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze's 1987 sensation "Dirty Dancing," the Coen brothers' critically acclaimed "No Country for Old Men," and Robert Rodriguez's 2001 family action-adventure flick "Spy Kids."

For a franchise that's primarily broken ground on television, it's obviously a big deal to get something admitted to the National Film Registry. More than 40 years after it premiered in theaters, "The Wrath of Khan" remains near the top of many lists of the greatest sci-fi movies ever, even though "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry wasn't as big of a fan.

Though Roddenberry was the mind behind the franchise and worked closely on the first "Star Trek" movie, he was pushed out of "Khan," which took on a decidedly more action-focused style than what the property had previously been known for. Roddenberry even tried to sabotage "Wrath of Khan" by leaking story details, but his efforts didn't do anything to hinder the film's substantial success. No one can argue with what Roddenberry would later do with "Star Trek" after creating "The Next Generation," but it's also hard to view "Khan" as a failure in any regard.

Of course, critics and fans welcomed the sequel with open arms, even with the heart-wrenching twist of Spock's death at the end. Writer-producer Harve Bennett has even called "Wrath of Khan" his favorite "Star Trek" film, and many sci-fi aficionados would likely agree. Now, it will be forever immortalized among the greatest movies of all time in the National Film Registry.