Movies - TV
Why Are There No Movies In The Star Trek Universe? An Investigation
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Viewers may find "Star Trek" characters reading books or attending the theater, but they may notice the marked absence of one particular form of media: cinema. Movies are occasionally referenced in "Star Trek," but there are hardly any mentions of a character having seen, say, "Rear Window" for the first time, or any mentions of grabbing a movie.
Although some "Star Trek" shows like "Discovery" had regular screenings of movies, partly as a pastime the crew could share or a way to learn about culture and art, the database of movies still felt limited. Crew members were also known for visiting the holodeck to reenact classic movies or shows, suggesting that they preferred to perform rather than merely watch.
Movies in "Star Trek" could very well have been replaced by holodecks, which makes sense as it not only solves the issue of large spaces required to house theaters but also allows the crew to step into a movie rather than just watch it. Additionally, movies usually invite copyright issues for the studio, unless they are in the public domain, which most are not.
This could be why "Star Trek" mentions more books than movies and that the few movie references have been of classics, whose licenses have probably expired. Also, in a grim theory, it could be likely that all movies had been destroyed in the show’s fictional wars — mainly, the Eugenics Wars and World War III — that led humanity to the brink of extinction.