Could have used some tweaks, but still good

“Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country” did about as good a job as any movie ever of sending classic characters off into the sunset, which maybe caused a bit worry when “Generations” decided to bring a couple back. “The Next Generation” was a good 7 years old when this movie came out and it would finally get its own movie here. Meant as the pass the torch moment for the “Star Trek” films, it had a lot to live up to.

And it brings back the, still, two best Star Trek Captains. The just retired Kirk (William Shatner) and newly minted Picard (Patrick Stewart) both encounter distress signals while on the Enterprise, but spaced 78 years apart. In both instances, a Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell) seems to be the main culprit of the disturbances. He’s a mad scientist trying to reopen a Nexus which is pretty much a gateway to never ending joy.

Some complicated exposition follows as we get the usual techno-babble before learning Soran is willing to stop at nothing to open it back up, which includes destroying stars, planets, and all of their inhabitants. An alliance between Soran and the Kling-ons only muddies the waters more and there are also musings on time and mortality, regret, and when Picard goes into his heartfelt speech about being the last Picard in the family line, we can be pretty sure that’s going to come up again later, too.

Where “Generations” really shines then is in the special effects battles, which include some spectacular crash landings, ship explosions, thrilling escapes, and a finale on a collapsing bridge where the two Captains square off against Soran. The command deck is also used to great effect as the crew is shaken, sent flying, and showered with debris by every hit the ship takes.

There’s also some nice levity here, mostly coming from the android Data (Brent Spiner). He’s trying out an emotion chip for most of the movie in order to understand the purpose of humor. Cracking up over jokes he remembers from 7 years ago, trying alcohol for the first time, but also experiencing the downside of human emotion in a crisis as well, it leads to a good blend of laughs and challenges.


It doesn’t skip out on the cameos. Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Scotty (Jimmy Doohan) make appearances, and Whoopi Goldberg’s mystic bartender Guinan is on hand for exposition and some fun scenes. And McDowell, another fantastic character actor pressed into being a scratty psycho, has never not given his all to villains like that and ably acquits himself here.

And it takes a while but seeing the two Captains together, trading a few one liners and self-aware nods (Jim’s “I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim!” to Jean-Luc by far the best) before working hand in hand is worth the wait. Shatner (in basically a cameo) doesn’t shirk his send-off, instead giving it all the pride he can muster, while Stewart is the epitome of grace and forthright control.

If there is one big disappointment about “Generations” it’s that we don’t get more of them together. The film leaves them, and the meat of the story (the problem of choosing happiness over reality), to the last third of the film. We could have used a bit more time inside the Nexus and it should have been a bit harder for both Captains to realize the happiness they’ve acquired is actually fake.

As is, the challenge of acceptance is never as compelling as it really should be. Had the screenplay served a bit more focus and made what’s inside the Nexus most of the movie, I have a feeling “Generations” could have been a much more highly regarded “Star Trek” film. But as is, everything from the actors to the technicians are giving it their all and by the end, you still feel like the Enterprise is being left in good hands.