The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 30, 1994, Page 7, Image 7
'Star Trek' moi
of thrills, good
LIGHTSC AM ? RARE ACTION
STEPHEN BROWN Staff Writer
STAR TREK GENERATIONS
t -kirk (out ot four stars)
They're supposed to go where no one has gone
before, but android Data (Brent Spiner) did not
need to go there!
Aboard a pirate ship simulated by the virtual
reality of the Enterprise Holodeck, Data takes
advice from his friend Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates
McFadden) to have some fun with life. Do something
unexpected, she tells him.
Evading his usual logic, Data pushes the prim
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She is not amused.
It is but one sequence that illustrates the concept
of actions leading to a discovery. Whether
the result sheds light or yields agony, these epiphanies
help characters to grow and to learn.
"Star Trek Generations," a bridge between
the classic television program and the recent new
generation series, is a serviceable entry into the
ongoing sci-fi saga. But its highlights are priceless
moments which offer reassurances that some
constants about the human condition hold true
for all of us, even in a galaxy far, far away.
The plot to bring together the two casts is
clever and reasonable.
The stoiy begins in the 23rd centuiy when a
retired Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Chekov
(Walter Koenig), and Scotty (James Doohan)
make a special appearance aboard the Enterprise-B
for its maiden voyage.
Disaster strikes when an energy ribbon destroys
a nearby ship and approaches the Enterprise.
Kirk, ever the hero, descends to the lower
part of the ship to engineer a rescue.
Scotty helps beam several survivors from the
destroyed ship onto the Enterprise, among them
Guinan fWhonni finlHhartrY tha snora Kor+onrior
from the "Next Generation" cast, and Dr. Soran
(Malcolm McDowell of "A Clockwork Orange"
and "Time After Time"), a villainous scientist on
the verge of a breakthrough.
Kirk, who helps save the Enterprise, appears
to be dead when the energy ribbon cuts away his
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The action then shifts to the 24th century,
when the "Next Generation" cast encounters the
energy ribbon and Soran, who has not aged.
The ribbon destroys everything in its path,
but its middle, the Nexus, is a Utopia ("It was
like being inside joy") that Soran yearns to reach,
even if he must kill millions of people to get there.
Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is determined
to stop him. Ultimately, Picard finds Kirk,
who is alive and well in the Nexus, and the two
captains join forces to defeat Soran.
Screenwriters Ronald Moore and Brannon
Braga, along with director David Carson, help
construct a story equally accessible to full-fledged
Trekkers as well as to viewers who simply want
a solid entertainment. Regardless of your familiarity
with the characters, it is easy to realize
their universal appeal and understand their
motivations.
The primary obstacle the filmmakers overcome
in this transitional entry to the film series
is to keep the story germane to followers of the
original series as well as to devotees of its successful
spinoff. Since "Next Generation" recently
ended its seven-year run, the filmmakers were
challenged to create a film that is more than just
an extended-length episode. And they succeed,
for the most part.
Since the classic cast said most of their good- ,
byes in the previous sequel, the major thrust of this
film spotlights the "Next Generation" ensemble
cast.
Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard gets to show
a wide range of emotions in response to a family
tragedy. His bold command of his life and of
the Enterprise make him a superb captain. Steworf
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to the subtext about the end of his family line.
Through visions of possible futures (reminiscent
of the "Deep Space Nine" premiere) and dialogue
about unfinished business, the film pits Picard
against himself as he struggles with questions
of destiny.
Stewart conveys Heard's courage as he plunges
into the Nexus despite Guinan's warning: "If you
go, you're not going to care about anything ?
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Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Cs
Trek Generations." It Is the seventh In the
and you're not going to want to come back."
Brent Spiner's Data is the highlight of the
film. When chief engineer Geordi LaForge (LeVar
Burton) inserts an emotion chip into Data's brain,
the android takes on an uproariously hilarious
personality. Singing his responses as he checks
the computer for life forms on a planet and laughing
hysterically for the first time at a joke he
heard seven years before in the original episode
"Encounter at Farpoint," Data injects into the
movie a needed dose of humor.
Picard tells Data, Tart of having human feelings
is learning how to integrate them into your
daily life."
Picard sorts through these deep questions of
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ipt. Jean-Luc Plcard (Patrick Stewart) make pi
Star Trek" movie series and the first to featui
life with Kirk and Soran throughout the film, la
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only constant in the universe, saying Time is
the fire in which we burn." In contrast, Picard fr<
states, "Our mortality is part of the truth of our th
existence." "1
Anyone doubting that Patrick Stewart is the N
best thing that ever happened in the "Star Trek" of
acting department will eat their words, especially
during his sequences with the consum- tl
mate over-actor William Shatner. co
The special effects are good, ranging from the . th
decloaking Klingon Bird of Prey to the always ch
updated transporter beam visual to a new stel- m
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Paramount
ans to save the universe again In "Star
e "The Next Generation."
r cartography room which maps out the N^xus
a virtual reality environment.
Some aspects of the storyline are recycled
Dm past films, including Soran's similarity to
e villain of the film series' worst installment,
flie Final Frontier," and the resemblance of the
exus concept to the Genesis planet of "Wrath
'Khan."
"Star Trek Generations" is a probing look at
le way lives interrelate and how our emotional
nnections help solidify our characters. "If someling's
important, you make the time," a wise
laracter says. Now it is time for the new cast to
ove forward and enjoy their own adventures.
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