STAR TREK: GENERATIONS
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1994 Scott Renshaw
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Malcolm McDowell, William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner. Screenplay: Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga. Director: David Carson.
Whether or not I would be considered a Trekker probably depends on whom you would ask. I have been a fan of both the original series and its recently retired follow-up, as well as the even- numbered entries in the film series. However, I have never been one of those folks who store away Trek minutiae and get into debates over the relative merits of Spock vs. Data. Somewhere along the line, the "Star Trek" film series began to seem more and more directed at those in the latter category, and STAR TREK: GENERATIONS may be the natural conclusion of this direction. Its production values may be high, but the writing is frequently appalling, and instead of a script has a collection of references, in-jokes and ill-defined characters.
GENERATIONS opens in the late 23rd Century, where members of the original Enterprise crew, including Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), are present for the christening of the latest ship to bear that name. No sooner is it out on its maiden voyage than a distress signal brings them to the Nexus, a mysterious ribbon of energy. Among those rescued from the Nexus is long-lived alien Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell), but he is none-too-pleased at being back in the real world. Seventy-eight years later, Soran is still trying to get back to the Nexus, and again encounters an Enterprise, this one led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Soran's plan involves destroying a star with an inhabited planet, and the only hope for saving 230 million people is the historic meeting of two Enterprise captains.
I don't think it is an insult to fans of "Star Trek" to suggest that to a certain extent, the particulars of a plot are not really the most important elements in a "Trek" film. It's about a chance to visit with old friends, and if they are involved in a truly interesting story it can be considered gravy. But even that interpretation assumes that characterization has to be consistent, and in GENERATIONS that just doesn't happen. Data (Brent Spiner) is particularly victimized by this sloppy writing. In the film's major sub-plot, Data decides to use a chip which will give him human emotions, a chip he has had in his possession for over a year. What is his motivation for taking this drastic and perhaps dangerous step? He doesn't get a joke. Once the chip is in place, Spiner gets to have a lot of fun with Data's new emotions, but the point is that he's no longer the Data we know. If the rest of the "Next Generation" cast fares any better, it's only because they're on the screen so little that they're simply window dressing.
But then again, this story isn't really about the new crew. It's about Kirk and Picard, the cowboy and the politician, sharing the screen. The huge surprise is that William Shatner blows Patrick Stewart away. Perhaps because he knows this is his last go-round in the part that made him a legend, Shatner looks like he's having the time of his life; Stewart, on the other hand, borders on the deferrential, and is saddled with the same lackluster motivations as everyone else in the cast. Stewart's edginess is indicative of what may be a very bad sign for Paramount's hopes to turn the new cast into the same kind of franchise the original cast was: these are clearly the Not Ready for Big Screen Players. By contrast, the prologue which features Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekhov (Walter Koenig) is the highlight of the film. These characters have become part of the popular mythology, and when they take over the Enterprise in a moment of distress, it's a moment of high energy. Only thirty years of history can create a moment like that, and that's time this new crew doesn't have.
It certainly doesn't help that the plot they are stuck in is so convoluted and badly constructed that you need to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find your way out again. It's also loaded with little gags all aimed at those who are familiar enough with the series to turn to all their friends in a shared nudge of recognition. I wonder whether anyone who is coming in cold to the "Trek" universe at this point would be anything but baffled and bored by what is going on. And what a waste of Malcolm McDowell, who could have been a great monomanical villain but should have been given a much more compelling reason for his obsession.
There are plenty of details both scientific and of continuity to pick at, but to do so would be to ignore GENERATIONS' major flaws. However, I would like to make one recommendation: seatbelts. Not just for the Enterprise crew, although you'd think by the 24th Century space travel wouldn't involve rolling around on the floor during a battle. No, I think the audience might need them more. This journey is one bumpy ride.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 GENERATIONS wrecks: 4.
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