Movie Notes: Star Trek 7: Generations

May 12th, 2009

= 2 stars

Starring Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Brent Spiner
Directed by David Carson

Synopsis

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the captain of the fourth starship Enterprise, must stop the mad scientist Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowall) who is obsessed with reaching the “nexus,” a mysterious paradise that can only be reached through a “ribbon” wandering through deep space. Complicating matters: James T. Kirk (William Shatner) fell into the “nexus” some 78 years earlier.

The Good

• Data the android receives an emotion chip, leading to many of the film’s best moments as he struggles with unfamiliar, chaotic feelings.
• Stewart does the best he can with middling material.
• The scene where Kirk meets Picard proves entertaining, as both Shatner and Stewart seem determined to up their acting game a bit. Shatner’s emotive but cheesy Priceline guy is an amusin contrast to the stoic Stewart.

The Bad

• Kirk’s death is handled in a weak, disrespectful manner — while he dies nobly trying to save lives, it feels wrong since it’s on a deserted planet with a virtual stranger, and pales in comparison to Spock’s reverential death in Star Trek 2. Some reverence could have been added through cuts to a Kirk funeral held in the 23rd century. But a huge question still remains: why kill Kirk? His death, frankly, was unnecessary to transition the film franchise to the next generation. I still wonder why they did it, and it can’t help but think it was malice on the part of the filmmakers.
• The plot is essentially a complex knot woven to bring Kirk and Picard together in the same place and time. And with my wondering why Kirk needed to die or even exist in this installment, the entire film becomes suspect.
• The new crew’s personalities are all-too agreeable, efficient, and willing to take orders from Picard. While Bones and Spock were often at odds with the egotistical Kirk, Picard is surrounded by “yes” men and women who are barely distinguishable from one another. Data is ironically the only emotional oddball that I felt a connection to. Maybe the entire crew needs emotion chips.

Conclusion

The entire premise of Generations seems flawed from inception: Why kill Kirk? That, combined with the new crew’s near total lack of personality, presents the 24th century as a really dull place I could barely stand to visit for even two hours, let alone a five year voyage. No wonder Soran wanted in on that nexus.

IMDB: Star Trek 7: Generations
Wikipedia: Star Trek 7: Generations
Rotten Tomatoes: Star Trek Generations: 54%