Rated PG (Sci-Fi Action and Some
Mild Language)
Running Time: 1 Hour & 58
Minutes
Cast:
Patrick
Stewart-Captain Jean-Luc Picard
William
Shatner-Captain James T. Kirk
Jonathan
Frakes-Commander William Riker
Brent
Spiner-Lieutenant Commander Data
LeVar
Burton-Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge
Michael
Dorn-Lieutenant Commander Worf
Gates
McFadden-Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina
Sirtis-Counselor Deanna Troi
Malcolm
McDowell-Dr. Tolian Soran
Whoopi
Goldberg-Guinan
Barbara
March-Lursa
Gwynyth
Walsh-B'Etor
James
Doohan-Captain Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott
Walter
Koenig-Commander Pavel Chekov
Alan
Ruck-Captain John Harriman
Jacqueline
Kim-Ensign Demora Sulu
Majel
Barrett-Ship's Computer
Directed by David Carson
 |
| You have two of the finest captains in the history of Starfleet and what do you have them do? Cook breakfast. |
Note: Part of the "Star Trek The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection" Blu-Ray set.
“Star Trek The Next Generation”
finally ended its seven year run in May of 1994 but that wasn’t the end for
Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, because the seventh film,
“Star Trek Generations,” was just around the corner. Released on November 18,
1994 and now available on Blu-Ray, “Generations” was supposed to be a ‘passing
of the torch’ moment with the much-hyped meeting of Picard and Kirk from the
Original Series. To be honest, this is my least favorite of the TNG films
because it feels like an extended episode of the TV series. Despite being
bogged down by a rather bland story and weak villains, there are still enough
moments to win over most Trek fans.
The USS Enterprise-B is about to begin its
maiden voyage and former captains James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery
Scott (James Doohan) and Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are on-hand to
send the ship on her way. However, they receive a distress call about two ships
trapped in some sort of ‘energy ribbon’ and the Enterprise is the closest ship
to conduct a rescue. The ships happen to carrying El-Aurian refugees who are
escaping from the Borg and while some of them managed to be rescued, the
Enterprise becomes trapped in the energy ribbon. Kirk descends to the
Engineering Bay to simulate to effect of a photon torpedo to break free and he
succeeds, although he is killed after a hull breach. 78 years later, Captain
Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) of the USS Enterprise-D is attending a
ceremony to promote Worf (Michael Dorn) to the rank of Lieutenant Commander
when they receive a distress call from the Amargosa Solar Observatory.
Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and his away team find only one survivor, a
Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), and the body of a dead Romulan. While Data
(Brent Spiner) and LaForge (LeVar Burton) are investigating the observatory for
clues, they come under attack by Soran, who launches a solar probe to destroy
the nearby Amargosa star. He captures LaForge and is beamed to safety with the
help of the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor (Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh).
Picard learns from Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) that Soran is trying to get back
into the Nexus, a place where time has no meaning and where one’s every dream
becomes reality. With time running out, Picard and his crew must find a way to
stop Soran and enlist the aid of a long-dead Starfleet captain.
The plot of
“Star Trek Generations” definitely feels like little more than an excuse to
have Picard and Kirk team up and is rife with a few plot holes. One of the more
obvious is when Picard is in the Nexus and is told he can leave to any point in
time since time has no meaning. He chooses to arrive mere minutes before Soran
is about to destroy the Viridian star when he could’ve just picked any time and
catch Soran unawares. Writer Ronald D. Moore reasoned that it was because
Picard didn’t want to tamper with the timeline, a lame excuse if I ever heard
any. Still, like all Trek films, there is a theme and this time it’s time and
mortality. When Picard gets the news that his older brother and nephew had died
in a fire, he remarks that he was become aware that ‘there were fewer days
ahead than they are behind,’ meaning he has spent most of life dedicated to
Starfleet that he has neglected to start a family and raise children. Kirk also
feels this way in the prologue when he questions how Hikaru Sulu found time for
family. By the end of the film, Picard comes to the conclusion that there’s no
point lamenting on what you could or couldn’t do but to try to make the most of
whatever time you have left (‘I rather believe that time is a companion who
goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it
will never come again’). Of course, Soran does not see it this way and wants to
use the Nexus as a way of bringing his family back after they were attacked by
the Borg. Even though what the Nexus creates is all an illusion, he doesn’t
care. Like the sequel, “First Contact,” there’s a subplot involving Data, who
has now taken that leap of faith and installed the emotion chip from his evil
brother, Lore. This leads to much hilarity such as when he starts guffawing at
a joke made seven years ago and expresses his love of scanning life-forms
through song. Some of it borders on being cheesy but come on, it’s Data!
The acting
is generally good and Patrick Stewart continues to have a commanding presence
whenever he’s on-screen. Unfortunately, when he finally meets Kirk
face-to-face, the moment just isn’t as powerful as I thought it would be.
Also, when Kirk finally does go down fighting, the scene doesn’t pack any
emotional punch. Malcolm McDowell’s Soran also doesn’t appear to be menacing at
all but it’s more the fault of the writers in handling the character than his
performance. The special effects are a cut above from the TNG series but lacks
the ‘wow effect’ when I first laid eyes on the Enterprise-E in “First Contact.”
Although Industrial Light & Magic did create a digital model of the
Enterprise-D, they still used physical models to keep costs down. The most
impressive set-piece would be the Stellar Cartography room, which provides a
three-dimensional view of space and various planets on a two-dimensional
screen. There’s also a ship battle between the Enterprise and a Klingon Bird of
Prey but it pales in comparison to the one in “First Contact.” The film crew
also tore up the Enterprise real good with consoles exploding everywhere and
the scene when it crash lands into Viridian III is the most visually
impressive.
The Blu-Ray looks very good for a film made in 1994 and close-up
shots on the actors/actresses faces reveal incredible detail. Hell, I could see
every line on Data’s face! However, it makes much of the dated effects look
like it came from the Sci-Fi Channel and you’ll notice a slight outline
whenever a person is standing behind a blue-screen. Audio is better as weapon
sounds like disrupter fire or photon torpedoes pack quite a punch, especially
during the space battle over Viridian III. Things get even louder as the
Enterprise crashes into the planet below and you can feel the floor shake as it
skids to a stop in a forest. Special features include audio commentaries from
director David Carson and Manny Coto, writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
and various featurettes detailing the production process such as visual effects
and creating the weapons. Like “First Contact,” Paramount spared no effort in
packing the disc with extras.
“Star Trek Generations” received quite a large
amount of hype leading up to its release (including an official website
dedicated to the film) but critical reception was mixed, with a 48% on Rotten
Tomatoes. The film made $76 million domestic and $118 million worldwide,
impressive considering it had a $35 million production budget. “Star Trek
Generations” is an average Trek film with a few good moments but the story is
nothing more than an excuse to bring Picard and Kirk together. While it
succeeds in passing the torch to the TNG crew, one can’t help but feel like
they’re watching a double length TV episode of the series.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived."
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