Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Generations (Paramount Pictures, 1994, see also 1994 in film) is the seventh feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. It is often referred to as just Generations. It is the first film in the series to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is a symbolic passing of the torch of the film series from the original series cast to the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast.
Cast
Plot summary
Not long after the USS Enterprise-A completed its final mission in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Captain James T. Kirk, Captain Montgomery Scott and Commander Pavel Chekov attend the christening of its successor, The USS Enterprise-B, commanded by Captain John Harriman. On its shakedown cruise, however, it goes to the rescue of a vessel being destroyed by an energy ribbon called The Nexus. During the efforts, the Enterprise-B hull is breached, Kirk disappears, and is presumed dead.
78 years later, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D find themselves fighting the insane scientist Dr. Tolian Soran, who with the help of the renegade Klingon sisters Lursa and B'Etor, is attempting to reach the same energy ribbon so he can enter it and live in its simulated bliss forever. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is forced to try to stop Soran. The Klingon's use Geordi's visor to "spy" on the ship and learn the shield frequency. They then attack, causing extreme damage to the ship. (in an extremely intense, special-effect, console-explosding, and crewman flying through the air as the bridge explodes behind them moment.) After half the bridge is destroyed and dead crewman are lying everywhere, the Enterprise finally destroyes the Klingon ship. Due to damage, the warp core suffers from a coolant leak that Gerodi "can't do anything" to stop it. After evacuating the stardrive section, the ship seperates and the saucer section races to get away from the exploding Stardrive section. They are not fast enough, and helm controls are damaged. After picking themselves off the floor, the crew look at the viewscreen as the ship begins to fall towards Virdian 3. Data appropriately states, "Oh shit." The saucer section then crashes into planet, destroying the bridge. (The consoles that data and the helmsman sit at and the command chairs all fly foward, as well as the ceiling which collaspes)
After realizing he is in the Nexus, Picard wishes to leave one dimension of the Nexus into another in order to find Captain Kirk (who, by Kirk's point of view, had just entered the Nexus from when the Enterprise-B of 78 years earlier was attacked). Picard enlists Kirk's help in stopping Soran on Veridian III. They go back in time to the point where Soran begins to call upon the ribbon. Both Picard and Kirk successfully stop Soran, but at the cost of Kirk's life. Picard buries Kirk on the Veridian mountain, then is taken by shuttle to help rescue the surviving Enterprise-D crew. The Enterprise is damaged beyond repair.
Themes
As in several earlier films, Generations contrasts a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants (Soran) with men who are willing to put aside everything they love and cherish to save others. Kirk makes the ultimate sacrifice, as does the Enterprise-D, in one of the more spectacular special effects sequences of the film series.
Lt. Commander Data also has to grapple with an emotion chip which he plants in his brain. When it fuses with his positronic net, it threatens to overwhelm him. Recognizing and overcoming his own personal failings is his story arc.
Notes
- Leonard Nimoy was originally slated to direct the film, but he pulled out before signing his contract. It is thought that he did not like the screenplay and wanted it altered, but producer Rick Berman refused any further changes. Berman said that he would have made the changes but there was not enough time to because the special effects and other production companies had already been booked.
- The film's production team included a great number of people who had worked on the The Next Generation television show, many starting work on the film while still working on the television show or transferring immediately to the film production team as soon as their work on the television show finished. The director David Carson had directed a handful of episodes of Star Trek including the The Next Generation episode Yesterday's Enterprise and the Deep Space Nine two-part pilot episode Emissary. The script was written by The Next Generation staff writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore who had written a number of popular episodes including the finale, All Good Things....
- Due to the time-travel elements involved, some Trek fans believe that all events following Picard's return from the Nexus — including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and the later The Next Generation-based films, take place in an alternate universe from the one seen at the start of Generations. This can only be considered conjecture as no later film or television series ever confirmed this. In addition, the time-loop demonstrated here appears to have been self-contained, in a similar fashion to the The Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect" which did not per se create an alternate universe.
- Early drafts reportedly featured more of the original series cast, but limited screen time convinced many of them to back out of the project. In the original script, it was not going to be Scotty or Chekov at the christening, it was going to be Dr. Leonard McCoy and Spock. However, Leonard Nimoy read the script and considered Spock's presence to be that of a walk-on role. He declined and so did DeForest Kelley, who said "I had a great final appearance on Star Trek VI, why muck it up?"
- Major plot elements were inspired by writings of Delmore Schwartz and Schwartz was given screen credit.
- Kirk's original death scene (in which he is shot by Soran) went over poorly in test screenings, and was re-filmed to be more heroic for the theatrical release. Another deletion was an orbital skydive sequence, in which Kirk skydived from orbit while Chekov and Scotty waited below. These scenes can be seen on the DVD special edition. Captain Kirk's love of orbital skydiving is mentioned in many of the novels written by William Shatner most prominently in Captain's Peril when Picard and Kirk skydive from Bajor's orbit
- The Next Generation episode "Relics" (filmed just two years before Generations and coincidentally written by Generations co-writer Ronald D. Moore) did not anticipate Scotty's appearance at the christening of the Enterprise-B, so Kirk's disappearance here is a retcon. In that episode, Scotty, upon hearing the name Enterprise from Riker, naturally assumes that "...it was Jim Kirk himself who hauled the old girl out of mothballs to come looking for me". Scotty's voyage on the USS Jenolen and later disappearance would have had to occur after witnessing the loss of Kirk. It's assumed by fans that Scotty was probably in a state of extreme disorientation after having been suspended in a transporter buffer for 75 years.
- The death of Kirk was naturally wildly controversial among Star Trek fans, with many refusing to accept the events of this film as canon. Among those who would not let Kirk die was William Shatner himself; over the next decade he would go on to co-write a number of original Star Trek novels that surmised that Kirk somehow survived the events of this film (referred to by fans as the "Shatnerverse" books). There has also been a fan movement in recent years to convince Paramount to revive Kirk, with a number of writers suggesting how the nature of Kirk's death in Generations allows for a possible revival.
- In the summer of 2004 reports began circulating that the producers of Star Trek: Enterprise were in talks with Shatner for him to reprise the role of Kirk, but it was assumed that it would be some alternate universe version of the character. Despite the overwhelming fan response in favor of Mr. Shatner's return as James T. Kirk, Paramount and Mr. Shatner were unable to come to an agreement for reasons unknown. It has since been confirmed by Shatner that Kirk's return would have involved the alternate version of the character from the original series' "Mirror Universe". Although this idea did not go ahead, it did inspire the episode "In A Mirror Darkly".
- The release of the Collector's Edition DVD of Star Trek: Generations was delayed 3 weeks in September 2004 due to a misprint on the packaging. The back cover stated that the movie trailers were among the bonus features included; however, Paramount was not able to obtain the clearance to include them. Although the discs were recalled to fix the error, many copies with the misprint found their way onto store shelves.
- The scene in her quarters is the only time we see Guinan not wearing a hat.
Errors and inconsistencies in the film
- It is entirely possible that Soran is not aware of the full properties of the Nexus, and furthermore, that many ships are destroyed before they even reach the entrance to the Nexus. Lastly, someone even as resourceful as Soran would have difficulty gaining a ship and crew necessary to perform such a feat, given that any claims he would make about it would be questionable. It appears as though the only people he can manipulate into following his plan is the Klingons, by bribing them with a weapon, and they seem very apathetic to the concept of the Nexus itself as an aim.
- After firing the weapon from Veridian III's surface at the star, Picard instantly sees the change in the star's reaction. Due to the speed of light, he should not see anything for a few minutes (assuming the star is a similar distance away from the planet as our Sun and Earth). Plus, the missile itself would take several minutes just to reach the star (even at the speed of light), which means that after it breaks orbit with its chemical propellant, it would have to engage a warp-propulsion unit.
Quotes
- Tolian Soran: Just who the hell are you?
Jean-Luc Picard: He's Captain James T. Kirk. Don't you read history?
- Lursa or B'Etor, about Geordi La Forge: He must be the only engineer in Starfleet who doesn't actually go to engineering!
- Data: I got it!
Geordi La Forge: Got what, Data?
Data: The clown can stay, but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to go! I just got it!
Geordi: What?
Data: You told me that joke during the Farpoint mission!
Geordi: Data, that was seven years ago!
Data: I know! I just got it!
- Data, after being told to scan for life-forms: (sings) Life-forms, you tiny little life-forms, you precious little life-forms! Where - are - you?
- Data bracing for a crash landing: Oh... shit!
External links
| Star Trek television series and feature films
|
| Series:
| Films:
|
|
