Oscar-winning screenwriter John Logan is looking forward to the Christmas release of his next film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but he is still gets questions about being associated with the only bona fide flop of the Trek franchise: Star Trek Nemesis. The Edmonton Sun quotes Logan defending his time on Trek and giving the new Star Trek his endorsement as well:
Did it feel like I killed the franchise?” he says with a laugh. “No. We all felt we put a great movie together. But I remain a huge Star Trek fan, and anybody who makes one, I’m first in line at the box office. I hear (Abrams’ script) is great.
It appears that Paramount/DreamWorks isn’t holding Logan responsible for Nemesis. Paramount is the studio behind Sweeney Todd and in 2009 Dreamworks will be releasing a Steven Spielberg directed biopic on Abraham Lincoln based on a script co-written by Logan.
Is Nemesis the worst?
The last Star Trek film may have been the biggest financial failure of the Trek film franchise, but was it the worst? Vote in the latest poll for the bottom of your Trek barrel. (see right sidebar)
Takes a lot of talent to cobble together ideas from Star Treks II, III, V, and VI and then present them as your own.
Nemesis wasn’t all that bad, but it could and should have been much better. Hopefully ST XI will remove some of the bitterness Nemesis left in many fan’s mouths.
Nemesis……….sigh. Such a missed opportunity. Tom Hardy was a huge mistake as Shinzon…the director was a huge mistake. So many out of character moments….and it just continued to deviate from what Next Gen truly was.
i am first, and therfore the biggest winner in the history of the universe.
Nemesis was the Star Trek V of the Next Generation movie era… a pretty interesting idea that failed due to horrible execution.
It’s the only Star Trek movie I don’t remember at all. I know the basic plot only because I’ve heard people talking about it, but I honestly can’t remember a single scene from the movie. I may have seen it in theatres, but I’m not sure. I think I tried to watch it three years ago, but I don’t know if I ever finished it. Maybe I should refresh my memory sometime…
I guess am not first. I am the biggest loser in the history of the univers.
MORE DULL AND LACKLUSTER THAN ACTUALLY BAD…
I’m not here to defend NEMESIS (I, too, think it’s the weakest of the TNG films), and I only saw it once in the theaters (don’t even own it on DVD), but I don’t seem to recall the filme being out-and-out BAD, as say, some of the more embarrassing moments of STAR TREK V (which, arguably, is still an overall better film/story than NEM). I just remember it being deadly DULL.
I seem to recall Shinzon taking FOREVER to walk down that staircase for his big reveal and thinking, “God, this movie is HORRIBLY paced” and then looking at the actors on screen and realizing they all looked TIRED. Not old, not badly-lit… just tired, you know? From then on, I just couldn’t get into the rest of the movie.
I remember walking out of the theater and there was no electricity in the air, no excited chatter at what a great movie is was, like after walking out of TREK’s II, III, IV, VI and FIRST CONTACT. It was a sad and depressing feeling and I knew we were in a for a TREK sabbatical of some kind, although I never expected it to be the last TNG film. A real shame.
Okey. heres my take on NEMESIS. Logan knew what he was doibg with this movie. it’s just that the director went and f***ed it up. (and i do mean f*&^ed it up). first and for most a trek movie must be a trek movie, then an action movie second. What do I mean by that? A trek movie would have allowed the Riker?Troi wedding to have it’s due. At least the dancing sean would have stayed in, if not the Wesely bit. Baired (Alright, I remembered his name now), killed that whole bit. he didn’t have any respect at all for Star Trek.
And to the guy who comment about Hardy being the wrong guy. I think he was fantastic. I would like you to name an actor who could have done it better. Hardy is a young actor, with not to many movie credits under his belt. So the fact that he did so well on a big deal action flick is commendible.
The only thing that I can really really down on Logan is that he wrote the charcters doing a few things they wouldn’t normally do. Picard just seemed to welding his phaser a lot more in this script. but…. that said I loved the Data B4 bit. I liked the Shinzon/picard bit. I liked the wedding short as it was. And in this script there was an attempt to let each charactor have his moment (although Worf unfortunatly got the short end of the stick)… and For once Troi has something meaningful to do, and she doesn’t destroy anything in the process.
And who can deny that the two ships crashing is not the coolest thing to hit the big screen. You can’t
so there you go. Theres my case for why Nemesis was okey, why it should have been great, and why it it wasn’t great.
please feel free to despute my points.
The *only* bona fide flop? I thought Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was a flop as well.
In any case — Nemesis was a terrible, terrible movie. The plot was simply retarded. If they were gonna do a TNG movie with the Romulans, why not bring back Sela? Tomalak? Those are folks who had REAL beef with Picard & Friends. Sela in particular would’ve been an excellent film villain, given the right plot. It was truly a lost opportunity, and it’s a shame that it killed the TNG movie franchise.
#5
Agreed, except what makes Nemesis even worse is it lacked the few rewarding character moments V managed to squeeze in. Of course, based on the cut scenes it doesn’t seem that was necessarily Logan’s fault.
I had a lot of hope for Nemesis, but in the end it sank because the story was simply not logical. Shinzon was cloned from Picard and, because of regime change, grew up at a normal pace — meaning the Romulans were trying to infiltrate Starfleet with a clone of a captain who was commanding a deep-space vessel (Stargazer) on a multi-decade mission, with no indication that he would eventually become the influential officer he ultimately became. Then there was B-4, who was somehow detected light-years away by the Enterprise after Shinzon, presumably knowing where the Enterprise was headed — heck, who needs a clone spy? — reprogrammed him. And Picard became a complete basket case in all this, even worse than the emotional damage done to him by the Borg — hardly someone you’d want to leave in command of the Federation flagship.
There’s more … but the simple fact is, the story was made secondary to lots of shooting, explosions and a villain intended to better (but falling woefully short of) Khan. I’m willing to believe this was not Logan’s fault, but the result of pressures unrelated to the story.
I’m still not ready to rate Nemesis as worse than ST V … but it sure didn’t help.
Well I still think ST V is by far the worst Trek movie. Yes, Nemesis was pretty dull, but The Final Frontier spat in the face of all Trek.
I still say Insurrection was the truely worst nextgen movie, but Nemesis should have been alot better…and the dune buggy scene….well pure shit like that shouldnt have gotten anywhere near the filming stage. The movie should have been about Romulans not some horseshit about a sub species, B-4 was an embarassing concept. I still love the battle scenes, but other than that it blows…so on second thought maybe it was the worst nextgen film…..
oh and the director was totally wrong for this project…and reinforced by listening to his embarassing commentary….Braid didnt even seem to have a passing familularity with the show….go back to Bond films….there you kicked mighty ass.
the story was horrible..the villians cliche’ to the max there was a few very few ‘ok’ moments in it but overall I wish to forget this movie every happened which is relatively easy..
We’re too hard on this guy.
The studio killed Star Trek, and Nemesis was their fault. As I understand it, they were behind the selection of the B-rate director (all though I thought he directed a DECENT movie, but a poor Star Trek movie.)
And If the script was so terrible, the studios should have said it was a no go.
There’s no greater crime in my mind than being boring–it’s why I still prefer TOS to TNG and it’s shown by the comparison of Trek V to Nemesis: Trek V is outrageously, entertainingly bad (and also has a few moments that are actually good) while Nemesis is just plodding, flat and dull. I have to say I have never liked Logan’s work–I walked out of Last Samurai…after NINETY MINUTES. If you can’t get me involved in a period epic after an hour and a half you’re in big trouble.
But on the other hand, reading these comments, I still feel like we Trekkies are Star Trek’s worst enemy. Yes, character moments are great, but they should be the spice of a good story, not the raison d’etre. I can’t believe people still fall for the “TV characters get married” ploy…this is the oldest, cheapest “sweeps” trick in the book and it’s about the equivalent of Fonzie jumping the shark. I never bought Troi and Riker’s “relationship” and Nemesis’ creepiest, most dumbfounding moment HAS to be the depiction of the Big Wedding Night, including a ghastly shot from Troi’s POV of hairy-backed Riker mounting her! i mean, I could feel the WAVES of nausea rippling through the audience in that scene! TNG and Voyager soft-pedaled sex for so long, treating it with the sophistication of a 12-year-old who hadn’t been on a date yet, that to turn around and then just say “hey, we’re gonna show these sophisticated adult characters DOING it” just doesn’t work.
Nemesis’ problem was, the basic story didn’t work. Not because it didn’t reference enough previous episodes, but because it just lacked inherent drama in and of itself. Who can relate to “someone’s created an evil clone of me and now it wants my bodily fluids”?
I will never understand why they did not just have Patrick Stewart play both roles instead of hiring Hardy. It would have really given Stewart the opportunity to let loose and chomp on some scenes. It also would have helped the film if Shinzon wasn’t so frickin’ crazy and actually had some believable motivation. He was not enough like Picard to make the cloning plot device believable. They also could have held onto the question of whether Shinzon was good or bad A LOT longer. It was revealed too soon that Shinzon was evil.
But I would also agree that there was far more wrong with this film than Shinzon alone. I can distinctly recall laughing out loud at several points in the film at which the actors delivered lines awkwardly or just behaved out of character. It was embarrassing to watch. I feel as if the film would have been far better if LeVar Burton had directed.
“Insurrection” takes the cake as the worst of the franchise. How quickly we forget a completely forgettable movie.
Guys I love Star Trek in all its forms, so I am hesitant to criticize the hard work that everyone put into Nemesis. I remember reading the interviews with John Logan at startrek.com before the movie came out and how excited he was about the movie. I went to see it with a couple friends, and I remember how often they got up to go get popcorn or go to the bathroom. Despite all the good ideas behind the movie, it just turned out…dull. I remember it lost out to some Jennifer Lopez chick flick that week, what a slap in the face….
I watched Nemesis again recently. Its an okay action film. What I think bugs me most was we were finally getting a movie about the Romulans and then there weren’t any important Romulan characters in it!! We get a baddie human and those Remans. Remans would be an interesting footnote but the true Romulan society never gets their due. I would have preferred following up on the things alluded to in Unification.
Also Picard and Data got too much of their ‘contractual screen time’. Not enough ensemble acting.
#19… agreed, I always thought it would have been a lot more dramatic if they has simply had Stewart play his double.
Any Trek Movie that centered on a Space Probe heading to Earth was bad.
I mean….that was dead and pushing up dasies within the first few minutes of the first film.
We need a film centered on character interaction – action – plot to the film or it
will just come up DOA before the first sip of your overpriced Fountain drink.
After all if the characters don’t care or come across well then why even bother?
Nemesis just sucked. I don’t get it why it did especially since the guy who wrote it was a Trek fan, I didn’t see any love there.
Nemesis wasn’t so bad, for what it was. I haven’t really enjoyed any of the TNG movies, so it was just more of the same old song. And as much as the TNG movies bore me, I found Nemesis much more entertaining than “Insurrection.” With the bad humor and boring story it misfired on all thrusters and gets my vote for the worst.
Trek 5 is nowhere near the badness of those 2 films. In fact, Trek 5 was a great look at what made TOS tick TOS was never about kick-ass effects, it was about Kirk, Spock and McCoy and how they reacted, as human beings (and a half human being), to the dangers and mysteries of the unknown. Trek 5 has more moments like that, where the characters really seem like the characters of the TV show, than any of the other movies.
In TMP, the characters were off base…distant.
In Trek 2 they were much better, but still felt out of place at times. I mean, Spock spouting lines like “I have been and forever shall be, your friend.” What the hell? SPock NEVER spoke like that in the series. Why they wrote him as some Guru of Mt. Selaya is beyond me.
In Trek 3, Harve Bennet’t’s dialog, is equally as bad. Kirk spouting off lines like, “We’ve paid for the party with our dearest blood.” What??? Pretty flowery dialog from ol JImmy boy.
Trek 4 started to finally get it right and by Trek 5, the writing and acting of the characters was on the money.
A common complain about the story, that it’s the crew searching for God. Uh….no…the story was about a madman hijacking the ship. HE was looking for HIS god. The Enterprise being hijacked by another alien or force to be used for personal gain. Nothing new there, it was done quite often in the TV series. Maybe the story wasn’t highly original, but it wasn’t any worse than this ship being taken over by the Kelvins, The Scalosions, Sargon, Frank Gorshin or Melvin Beli.
Many cry about the techon canonical “goofs”. ” It’s not the center of the galaxy, Spock doesn’t have a brother. the ship has 70 decks, yada yada yada,,” The original series had Kirk’s evil twin from The Enemy Within sport scratches on one side of his face…then in another scene they appeared on the opposite side!! Horrors!! By some people’s rationale, that must make that episode a stinker. Go figure.
Then, of course, there are the Shat bashers who need no other reason to dis the movie, other than it was Shatner’s baby.
Not only was Trek 5 not a bad Trek movie, it’s acutally one of the best.
Why? Because it is closest in spirit and feel to the original series. If you’re a fan of the original series you can’t ask for much more than that.
If you’re not a fan of the original series, then I can fully understand why you wouldn’t like it.
Just for trivia fans ,
the Jennifer Lopez flick that beat out Nemesis was Maid in Manhattan.
Nemesis was bad, but The Final Frontier was worse, which is even more shocking than Nemesis considering Shatner should have known better. Insurrection was the only other movie that was a disappointment to me.
John Logan’s Nemesis script was probably fine, if the director had a clue about the characters. One could almost sense Brent Spiner, Patrick Stewart and Michael Dorn (in the early sequences with the stupid dune buggy) saying their lines with a great deal of pain, like “you want me to do what?”. Director Stuart Baird had no clue as to who the characters were.
The good news is J.J. Abrams is a stickler for and a master at character development and everything we’ve heard from Orci indicates the production team loves and knows the characters. Trek XI should be a great story even if purists are disappointed with a few continuity issues.
Personally I think that, beyond all the technical goofs, ST V was way too cheezy. That being said I’m glad to see at least someone enjoyed it.
I can still watch ST V and have a great time, it’s especially great to watch with large groups and lots of alcohol. Nemesis is just infuriating.
And say what you will, but I really do love the guys singing around the campfire.
that poll makes harsh reading for trek 5 and i am surprised somewhat. ive always liked this movie but some things were way beyond shatners control. the studio got cold feet on several levels ie the god theme, the fact that there was a lot of competition that summer from other blockbusters, plus they were now also funding (and concentrating on) the next generation series. TNG was probably their main concern at that time as the future of the franchise was top of their agenda.
shatners vision of the film particulary that ending was severely hampered due to lack of cash. shatner did the best he could with what he had to work with.
it always surprised me because having had unprecidented financial sucess of star trek 4 the voyage home you would have thought the studio would have been a bit more confident and ready to splash out a bit. they would have had a far better movie had they put more money up.
but for me, i love the film and its classic star trek.
looking forward to trek 11.
cheers
greg
UK
Nemesis was horrible. It took me four tries before I could even sit through it. Final Frontier gets blasted most it seems, but, while not my favorite by far, in my opinion it had some of the best character moments of the entire movie franchise. It may have it’s moments of cheese and the effects are subpar, but it’s a great Saturday afternoon adventure flick. I could certainly stand repeated viewings of it over Nemesis any day. The true deciding factor in which is worst would of course be box office revenues. Nemesis wins the award in that race. I find it amusing that Rick Berman, John Logan, etc still maintain they believe they made a good film. I’m afraid a clone isn’t even close to being Picard’s “Khan” as Berman once said they were attempting.
I recently watched Nemesis and what made it work for me this time was to use the chapter button and skip the wedding, the planet when they find B4, skip the part when Picard and Shinzon meet for dinner, skip the briefing room stuff after that and get to the point, the action scenes are mostly the fun part, though Picard seemed to be lost at some point after ramming Shinzon’s ship. Saw it in about an hour! I’m sure there will be someone on Youtube whose re-edited it!
Simple reasons why Nemesis doesn’t deserve the name STAR TREK.
The ARGO.
Invaders on deck 29 (so where are they, in space below the ship?)
Long vertical shaft in the ship.
Suddenly there is yet another brother for Data.
It all reminds me of STV:
ARGO = horses; deck 29 = deck 70; shaft = shaft; B4 = Sybok.
But the worst mistake was:
The shield status diagram!!!! Did nobody notice? They used an OLD version of the ship’s design! It’s an early drawing from John Eaves for First Contact. The one Playmates used for the FC ship model, which was simply not the one that was used in the three movies.
Nemesis’ greatest flaw (in my opinion) is that, like most of TNG and VGR, it plays it too safe; sure, Data is dead (in a rip-off of Wrath of Khan) but we have B-4 as a backup! Sure, the Enterprise E gets trashed, but you see her in drydock at film’s end, getting spruced up for the next NG movie (which thankfully never happened). One reason why this film seems so dull next to shows like the new (and way improved) Battlestar Galactica, is that it didn’t really take any big risks; it was safe, Paramount-manufactured pablum. I did like Generations, where Picard gains new insights in light of his family losses. Kirk dies, no ressurection. Even the Enterprise D is truly destroyed. First Contact was darker, but the ending played it safe again. Whatever JJ Abrams puts together, remember, “Risk…is our business!” (as Kirk himself put it so well).
Logan’s original script for Nemesis read like cheesy fan fiction– what with all the nonstop cameos and episode references– but it was still LIGHTYEARS better than the version that ended up on the screen.
At least the idea that this was the “last mission of the TNG crew” gave the story a little bit of resonance and meaning. But once they took all that stuff out, the movie no longer had any reason to exist. It became just another boring, routine adventure.
And to me the WORST Trek film is clearly Generations. TFF was at least corny fun, and Insurrection had the good sense to bring back the original, more diplomatic Picard from the series.
But Generations was just unbearably cheesy and made a complete JOKE out of TNG. It makes me embarassed to be a Trek fan.
biggest stv problem: how the hell could they warp from earth to the center of the galaxy, a 40-year trip at Voyager-level maximum warp, which would probably be more like a 60-year trip for kirks era, in a couple of days with no engine modifications? did scotty use the excelsior transwarp control crystals he gave to bones on st3? and wtf was with that planet of galactic peace crap and now that we know george takei is gay wtf were sulu and chekov doing in the woods on their shore leave….reenacting brokeback mountain?
At one point watching nemesis on opening night, I turned to my wife and said, “these two (Picard and SHinzon) are boring me. Talk talk talk.” I was disappointed by the B4 concept–been there done that. And REALLY disappointed in the lack of involvement by Geordie.
And I loved the opening scene so much–what a great start.
So many factors contributed to the downfall of this movie. I have to say I side with those who blame the director. The person helming this movie did not understand Star Trek. That said, the final script, whoever is to blame for it, was emotionally bankrupt and devoid of originality.
Much higher hopes for ST08.
I think Nemesis had soooo much potential. It was that stupid director!!!!! Sorry, my rant is now over.
Overall, I think the story could have been stronger, but some of the directing/editing choices were very poorly made.
The problem with Nemesis is the script – it was a blatant attempt to write the Wrath Of Khan story over again for TNG. And also, whoever wrote that Picard freezes at the crucial moment of the movie, letting a subordinate bail him out and get killed, doesn’t know the character. Picard wouldn’t have frozen, and he would have had Data beam out and sacrificed himself instead – which would have then ended the TNG movie franchise with Riker as captain, and Picard dying a hero (getting a better death than they dished out for Kirk, certainly). Tying that into Riker’s wedding, and you get an ending and a beginning at the same time – a poetic story.
#26 Well Said.
I just finished watching STV, and thought, That is not a bad Trek! Sure effects were below standards, but there are some of the best Kirk/Spock/McCoy scenes in all of Trek. It in many ways DID feel like TOS.
I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the Paramount lot during the summer of 1988, during that writer’s strike, and saw the Enterprise Bridge being built. And asked “Wow, they have to build all new Enterprise sets?” It was explained that TNG had used most of the movies sets to the point where they required new sets built for STV. I thought then that the budget for this movie will skyrocket since STII-IV has standing sets to use.
Nemesis gets a bad rap, and as Trekkers, we seem to be constantly searching for the worst in things rather than looking for the best. I’m not going to try to defend the movie (I’ve done that at great length elsewhere), but I am going to say that I think the only reason it gets labeled among the truly worst is because it was heralded as the last Next Gen movie and they finished it with the death of what is arguably the most loved character from the TV show. Had they had their last big adventure and rode off into the sunset like the original crew did in Star Trek VI, I think it would be embraced by the fans.
I’m not trying to say that the movie was perfect, but none of them are, not even the much loved TWOK. Finally, although I did not choose it as my least favorite, I’ve never really understood the love of Star Trek IV. Give me the Star Trek universe in a Trek movie, not something that is set primarily in what was at the time, the modern day. Even though I’m not a big fan of time travel, at least First Contact didn’t set them down in the middle of modern day San Francisco. Surely they could have come up with something better than that if they would have tried a little harder.
I went to see Nemesis in the theatre, as I have every ST film. I don’t remember very much about Nemesis, so I’d have to say that, for this Trekkie, the film-makers fell short. You can’t realistically expect every movie you go to to be a major or minor masterpiece. ST fans are probably the most demanding, anyway.
I disliked Generations the most, because of the “kill-off-Kirk” whamo the producers/writers felt compelled to put in the film.
The thing that made the popular ST films hits (to whatever degree) is that something about the film touched some feeling/vibration with the audience, and it made people ENJOY ST movies. I’m thinking mostly TWOK, TVH, TUC, FC which are, generally, considered to be the most “artistically” successful films of the franchise.
Based on everything I’ve been reading, the new Trek-makers seem to understand this, so I’m expecting a lot of respect for the original concept of Trek to shine through. That original concept is what still touches people, IMO. Hope for a positive future seems to be a common wish these days…
I think the major problems with the TNG movies was that they weren’t acting like themselves. They were trying to copy the TOS formula which wasn’t them.
The movies centered around Picard and Data. While they were great characters, anybody would watched TNG knew it was an ensemble.
Picard was more of a cerebral man not John McClane. If they did storylines based on ideas and problem solving rather than The Wrath of Khan version 3.0 I am sure they would of been more successful.
I am sure I will get flack for thinking this way but I enjoyed star trek v. I enjoyed it more than te motion picture. V had a lot of human and good character moments. It is not my favorite movie but it is far from my least favorite. Most Next Generation movies were worse, especially Generations.
Also my opinion on this new star trek movie – I am excited but cautiously optimistic. I cant wait to see Leonard Nimoy play spock again (I have never seen him on the big screen). I am very curious to see how these new actors play out beloved characters. I also am curious to see how they handle the 60’s style sets and convert them to the big screen. I i would ideally like to see an exact replica, but realistically that is not going to happen. This movie is getting targeted at a younger audience (although i am 25) there will atleast be some changes. I think we will be lucky if we can recognize the sets from the original series in this new movie
Well now let me enlighten you all out there – Nemesis was technically & artistically done professionally enough – but it was different in ‘too’ dark a style & admittedly ‘outsider’ direction, which but does NOT make it ‘bad’ at all, on the contrary, in itself it is a very polished film, if not ‘true’ Trek, but I don’ t see why people keep putting the blame on Hardy or the perfectly good director besides, that’s all BS, & only shows they have to ‘blame’ someone – instead of seeing the obvious facts.
ALL the actors did as usual perfectly well at that, even though knowing this would be the ‘end’, they seem to have looked all a bit, ‘tired’ – not even ‘old’, or fed up, & given a good script, they all would return at once as simple as that, never mind all the illogical or tech hic-ups that occur in any film, the dune scenes were perfectly fun & the overall look is refined.
BUT, the ONLY reason it ‘flopped’, was because Data was killed off & no other ever, the most popular & beloved character of all ST, & the fans simply did not take nicely to that, why should they, some even knowing beforehand he would, & simply avoided the film, & people in the cinema who didn’t expect that, became very ‘upset’ when it happened, that’s why they also blame Logan – no comment on that – because they could have easily let him ‘retire’ a la last episode, ‘All Good Things…’
Like in, ‘Captain I am tired of saving the ship & your crew every week, & not ever see a deserved promotion for doing so, have a nice future but I believe it is time for me to retire now if I may, Sir…’ sort of thing –
THAT would have been much nicer & even funny, to ‘close’ the TNG franchise, if they really wanted to, but by making him depart this tragic way, & thinking that would make the character achieve his ‘final’ goal of being fully ‘human’, to sacrifice himself for his friends, (as if he hadn’t done or tried that all the time) it simply backfired & they killed it all no doubt, for all the wrong reasons, just like good Data. Full stop
Star Trek V is another one that gets a bad rap. “True” trek fans who trash STV are hypocrites–but they are not aware that they are hypocritical. I plan to provide a detailed argument and explanation on this point elsewhere.
Years ago a few people decided that STV was absolutely shameful, and then the rest of the community followed like penguins. Today, the fan reaction is nothing but a hasty reflex. You see the same thing when it comes to discussion about STII (TWOK)
Trust me, there are ONE or TWO Star Trek movies that are far more difficult to sit through than STV–or even STX.
Nemesis delivers some intensity (with minimal silliness), and is replete with stunning visuals. Some of you have simply forgotten how to enjoy sci-fi.
The title Nemesis really summed up went wrong with the TNG films. Instead of a multilayered plot what we ended up getting every time was Picard vs. some villain.
If they had made another one it probably would’ve been called ‘Star Trek Adversary’.
My biggest problem with the script, beyond all the obvious “inspiration” from Treks II and VI was the lack of a credible character arc for Jean Luc Picard.
TOS movies are memorable because they touch on the inherent issues that trouble their main characters, organic moments of evolution. TMP sees Kirk as obsessed with regaining command, with holding on to his youth in many ways. In the end, he witnesses the birth of V’ger and feels a sense of renewed vigor. That’s very much at the heart of TWOK as well. This time, Kirk accepts his age and his mortality and embraces it in the face of the birth of Genesis and his best friend’s death.
Kirk’s reckless abandon, his love of command and his friendship with Spock were there from the beginning of the series. The Kirk we saw evolve was the Kirk we all watched in TOS. His character arc was based on established traits. Same with TSFS. Kirk’s loyalty to Spock was something that was always at the heart of the series, so it made sense for him to risk it all for his friend. I could go on about TOS film series, but you get my point.
TNG series really only addresses established traits within our main characters in the first 2 films. GEN, for all that is disliked about it, holds a true emotional core for Jean-Luc Picard. This is a man who is alone in the universe. Family is everything to him (and we KNOW this from the series, have SEEN Picard’s devotion to the Picard family line) and he sees his family at an end. Picard’s guilt at never starting his own family informs so much of GEN and makes it superior to INS and NEM. Like TWOK, GEN is about our hero and how he faces death. What mortality really means. That’s even without getting into Data’s character arc. Though played for comedy, there is pathos in his rejection and acceptance of emotion.
FC obviously draws directly from Best of Both Worlds and is the most emotionally compelling TNG film. You really feel as though Picard has gone through something, that he has gone through a true character arc.
INS and NEM invent conflict, superficial conflict., for our characters. INS SHOULD be about Picard’s sense of loyalty to the principals of the Federation being tested. All that he has fought for seemingly being a lie. Him being forced to reevaluate the values he has fought to protect. The values that he gave up a normal life to protect. Instead, it’s some goofball jaunt through the forest, with Picard and Data fighting some meaningless villain with uninteresting motivation and no connection to our heroes or the internal conflicts that they face.
And finally, NEM. At least Logan TRIED to address Picard’s guilt and desire for family. This film needed something emotional to ground it. What Logan gives Picard is not a mirror image, because let’s face it, no one looks at Tom Hardy and says “That’s a young Patrick Stewart.” No one bought it. No one saw them as the same person. What you have given Jean-Luc Picard is a SON.
Picard is face with offspring. With ANOTHER PICARD. Finally, after thinking that the line would die with him after the events of GEN. After losing his surrogate son (Wesley Crusher), and the tease of the episode “Bloodlines,” here is a real Picard. It just happens to be a Romulan clone bent on galactic conquest.
What a perfect way to cap the series than to bring that internal conflict to a head. To close that door for good. That in the end, the only family Picard needs is on the Enterprise. Riker, Troi, Worf, Geordi, Crusher…and Data. In the end, Picard sees that through what he has taught Riker as Captain, what he has taught Data about being human, these are the things a father does for his children. That Picard’s final lesson to Data about being human is that the most human thing possible is to face death with courage. Mortality is what defines us as human beings, and Data’s final act allows Pinocchio to become a true “real boy.”
Logan tried to touch on those issues, but even in the script stage, it was very vague and muddled by Data’s meaningless subplot with B-4. What is left of that thematic material was gutted by Stuart Baird, but at least Logan *attempted* it.
In the end, TNG film series suffered because in at least 2 cases, either the writer or the director forgot that movies are not about cool set pieces. They are about people.
And, I almost forgot to address the fact that Picard starts cracking jokes and driving dune buggies.
FOR NO REASON…
Even IF Picard was going through a late life crisis where he wants to recapture his youth, for most of his career in Starfleet, he’s been a stuffed shirt. Sure, in FC he flexes his muscles and is an action hero, but he’s not James T. Kirk. He doesn’t make jokes. He’s a serious dude. A stoic kinda guy. Very rigid, but with occasional moments of warmth. Intellectual, idealistic, moralistic. Where was that Picard in NEM? I don’t even recognize Patrick’s performance or the way the character is written in the film. Even during his broadest moments (think Trek IV and V), I always recognized James T. Kirk.