Which Star Trek film was the first to be rated PG-13 in the US?

The first Star Trek film to receive a PG-13 rating in the United States was Star Trek: First Contact. Released in 1996, it was rated PG-13 for sci-fi adventure violence, including intense battles with the Borg.

The earlier films were rated G or PG. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was rated G, while films such as The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, and Star Trek Generations received PG ratings. First Contact therefore marked a clear change in the series’ American theatrical ratings.

The rating suited the film’s darker tone. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-E fight the Borg in two connected battles: one in orbit around Earth and another aboard the ship after the Borg travel back in time. The film also includes more graphic science-fiction violence than most earlier entries.

A common mix-up is Star Trek: Nemesis, which was also rated PG-13 in the United States. However, Nemesis came later, in 2002; First Contact was the franchise’s first PG-13 film.