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A new Enterprise generation takes over from the old one in this Star Trek franchise movie. Remembering back when this first came out I recall that Paramount signed William Shatner and Patrick Stewart for a movie and then wrote the script to contain both captains who roamed the galaxies a century apart.

This opens with William Shatner along with Walter Koenig and James Doohan out of retirement to take a short spin on the inaugural voyage of a new Enterprise. The ship gets called on a rescue mission but James T. Kirk is lost and presumed dead.

A century later Patrick Stewart and his Next Generation crew are involved with chasing a renegade scientist Malcolm McDowell whom you can usually find playing disturbed people. He's got some kind of mad scientist scheme to get to a place called the Nexus where time and space have no meaning. To do that he has to launch a missile into a star and have it explode. That it will kill all life in its solar system has little concern. As mad a scientist as you will ever find.

So there's Jean-Luc Picard in pursuit and he gets help from an unlikely source.

That's as far as I go. McDowell is a great villain, always is. It's not the greatest of science fiction plots I've seen. But Trekkies around the globe will love this summit film from the Star Trek franchise.

The crew of the Starship Enterprise have a major dilemma on their hands when a scientist named Soran (Malcolm McDowell), whom they'd once saved from his doomed home planet, reveals himself to be a very bad guy. He's hellbent on returning to something called the Nexus, a domain where, once a person has been there, they apparently don't want to leave. It's just pure joy. To stop Soran, Captain Picard (the great Sir Patrick Stewart) must team with the legendary Captain Kirk (the almighty William Shatner), who supposedly perished saving the "Enterprise-B" during its maiden voyage.

"Generations" initially comes off as a great gimmick, of uniting two generations of Enterprise crews, but this never really pays off, as the only two who meet are Picard and Kirk. "Generations" is NOT one of the stronger entries in this film series, with an engaging but uninspired story. The main attraction for veteran fans is likely to be the prospect of Picard and Kirk teaming up for the final half hour, engaging in fisticuffs with the maniacal Soran and hurrying to prevent him from destroying a star.

This viewer can't speak as one who has necessarily been a big Trek fan from the start, so he basically views this as pretty fun, all things considered. Certainly all the series regulars are in very fine form, with the android Data (Brent Spiner) getting the lions' share of the comedy relief, as he has inserted a special computer chip that allows him to experience emotions. This presents a problem at times, because either *everything* is amusing to him, or he gets scared easily.

It's nice to see old hands James Doohan and Walter Koenig, however briefly; Shatner brings the final part of the film to life. Not such an easy task, given the talents of Stewart (Picard has some key emotional moments) and the delicious, hammy villainy of McDowell. In addition to the regulars from the 'Next Generation' series, other familiar faces like Alan Ruck, Jacqueline Kim, Jenette Goldstein, Glenn Morshower, Tim Russ, and Brian Thompson turn up. An unbilled Whoopi Goldberg reprises her role of Guinan.

Wonderful music by Dennis McCarthy and some impressive visual effects by ILM help to make this a reasonably entertaining series entry.

Seven out of 10.

I always loved this movie. From the very first time I saw it, at the age of 10, I absolutely adored it. It took a big risk, admittedly, in bringing the Original Series and TNG together, but I believe it did it extremely well and with a lot of ingenuity.

The first part of the movie seems to pick up where "The Undiscovered Country" left off; and it does so on a somewhat sour note. Retirement does not sit at all well with Captain Kirk, and he hates the idea of being a "legend" and having the namesake of his beloved ship run by a bunch of inexperienced kids and a skeleton crew (the running "tuesday" gag is hilarious). I think Walter Koenig and James Doohan were marvellous in the first part of this movie, and the scene where they arrive on deck 15 and find themselves staring into the void of space is chilling.

After this, it picks up with the Next Generation Crew, and boy, does the camera love the Enterprise D. It's emotional to see the crew going through the changes this movie throws at them, and by the time Geordi's kidnapped and Data's emotions are uncontrollable, my heart was in my throat.

It's also a pleasure to see Whoopi Goldberg reprise her role as Guinan, and as far as humor goes, Data's newfound sense of humor had me on the floor.

I LOVED Picard and Kirk's interactions and the segment in Kirk's cabin is an absolute hoot. (Picard: "This is not your bedroom.") Soran is a great villain, truly ruthless and threatening. Out of all the Next Gen films, this is probably my favorite. It has an atmosphere about it that's very appealing to me, and the only other TNG film that had the same feeling was Nemesis, which I still maintain was a DAMN good movie.

(Credit IMDb) In the late twenty-third century, the gala maiden voyage of the third Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) boasts such luminaries as Pavel Chekov, Montgomery Scott, and the legendary Captain James T. Kirk as guests. But the maiden voyage turns to disaster as the unprepared ship is forced to rescue two transport ships from a mysterious energy ribbon. The Enterprise manages to save a handful of he ships' passengers and barely makes it out intact...but at the cost of Captain Kirk's life. Seventy-eight years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soren...who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soren's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years...

I find this to be very underrated among Star Trek goers. I mean, how cool is it to see the two greatest Star Trek characters in history Shatner's Kirk and Stewart's Picard team up to face evil adversity. It was a real treat to watch. I'm well aware Patrick Stewart had already started Trek previously before this with the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it was still cool. I also thought the opening tribute to Kirk was well-done, and neat to see, considering he did so much for keeping Star Trek alive. This movie also benefits from one of the most underrated madman's of cinema Malcolm McDowell playing crazy like only he can, going up against the two memorable Star Trek icons. The finale is intense, emotional, and in my opinion a fitting send off for Kirk.

Performances. William Shatner is not the star, his screen time is precious, but his bravery to take this part and putting his ego aside is clearly refreshing. He is still charismatic, and iconic as ever. Patrick Stewart's intensity knows no bounds, and he was the perfect choice to take over in the movies. I love the guy. Malcolm McDowell is a great foe for Stewart, and I was glued to the screen every time he was on it. Not many people can play a madman like him. Jonathan Frakes is likable, and enjoyable to watch as Riker. Rest of the cast does fine.

Bottom line. This is an entertaining entry to the Star Trek saga, and many people underrate it as far as I'm concerned. It ranks among my favorites in the series. Recommended

7/10

The picture is a crossover between the classic Star Trek with New Generations , they are incarnated by the usual sagas , as Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner) , Scotty (recently deceased James Doohan) , Chekov (Walter Koenig) and even a Sulu's daughter(Kim), they are reunited with the new crew from USS-17o1 , as captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) , Data (Brent Spiner), Worf (Michael Dorn) , Laforge (LeVar Burton) , Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Dr Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) , plus an uncredited Woopi Goldberg in a brief apparition . The film focuses captain Picard who must confront a villain megalomaniac scientific (Malcom McDowell) who has an only objective to get a bizarre , weird entity : ¨Nexus¨ which heads a relentless rout , besides he is taking on nasty Klingons (Brian Thompson) . He travels time and manages to hook up with Captain Kirk , both of whom team up and battle against the nefarious enemy . As always , the comic relief results to be the commander android Data , this time , he attains an emotional chip experimenting human feeling .

Idealism , humor , humanity , several agreeable characters and trademark effects abound and will please the enthusiasts and the neophytes . The writing is concentrated upon characters as well as the action and magnificent special effects by ILM (courtesy George Lucas) and a spectacular production design . Atmospheric and sensational music by Dennis McCarthy , habitual of TV episodes . Colorful cinematography by the classic cameraman John A. Alonzo . The motion picture was well directed by David Carson . The movie was made in the typical professional manner of the franchise and in the nostalgic mode of its predecessors . Yarn will appeal to hardcore trekkers as well as the initiated.

The one problem we have with the Next Generation films (all four of them) is that someone high up in the film-making process seems to forget that the Next Generation began as a television series about equals, as opposed to the Original Series having 3 stars and a lot of supporting characters. I understand that Picard and Data are seen as the most popular characters in the Next Generation that appeal to the general public, but the story lines that get played out for the two of them in the movies (family and finding humanity) have already been done in the series.

Those two themes - Picard's family and Data's quest for humanity - are central parts of this film, and take up a lot of the time, but the other characters do get their moments, and being the gracious professionals that they are, Frakes, Sirtis, McFadden, Burton and Dorn all give fabulous performances. Whoopi Goldberg appears unbilled as Guinan, and Patti Yasutaki also appears as Nurse Ogawa.

"Generations" also features three members of the Original Trekers, Captain Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, the latter two in small roles, while Kirk has a much larger role, yet his scenes, alongside Picard, are the slowest and most boring part of the film, even if they are confronting the enemy together.

One of the enemies in "Generations" is a mad man, well played by Malcolm McDowell, the others are the two Klingon sisters who appeared towards the end of the Next Generation series, and make welcome appearances once more. Also watch for Jacqueline Kim as the daughter of Sulu from the Original Series.

This is a decent film, but like all Next Generation films, can be quite repetitive and leaves some of the cast (particularly the lovely McFadden) with little to do.

When I originally saw this film in 1994 when I was 13 years old, I was distinctly underwhelmed but having re-watched this for the first time in over 20 years, I appreciate this film a lot more. Even though Star Trek will always work better as a TV Series, this is actually a very good film and I'll explain why below.

Originally I wasn't too fussed on the film because I was an avid Trekkie who had loved 'The Undiscovered Country', had been a huge fan of the TNG series and remembered that Scotty said in Relics that "I'll bet Jim Kirk himself hauled the old gal outta mothballs" and thus the film had what I considered a major plot hole as a result of Kirk dying. Now that I'm considerably wiser and no longer a virgin/13 years old, this minor plot inconsistency really doesn't matter to me. ;-)

Whilst the special effects are a bit rushed/cheap in places (re- using 'The Undiscovered Country' and TV Series effects), it stands up fairly well for a 20+ year old film on a limited budget (particularly compared to the new films). Anyway, special effects can sometimes get in the way of a good script or even negatively affect a film...as they did with 'Into Darkness'.

Generations has some stand out moments. I was quite touched by how lonely Picard and Kirk were despite the fact that they had extraordinary lives with excitement and variety that most of us could only dream about. And yet, Picard mourning the death of his family and the family he never had, really touched me...in a way that it didn't 21 years ago. Behind that extremely intelligent and reserved character, was a real, nuanced human being with regrets, dreams and hopes that were never quite realised. When people say this is out of character for Picard, it's obvious that the events in TNG Episode 'The Inner Light' really touched him on a personal level and made him reconsider how important family was. Kirk too, seemed to have heartache in his life and how his decisions/Starfleet ruined any chance of a normal existence. It was sad and compelling to watch and something I never really noticed when I was 13.

In fact, the writing by Braga and Moore is very good in the Nexus part whilst the acting by Patrick Stewart and William Shatner made this even more believable/tangible.

Moreover, there are humorous elements to the film - Data and the tiny life forms speech made my girlfriend laugh out loud several times - in fact, we watched it 4 times! Thus, it's not all sad. :-) And to me, that's the mark of a good film.

Soran, played by Malcolm McDowell, hams it up but is a good character. It was also nice to see Chekov and Scotty one last time. Seeing Kirk, Chekov & Scotty on the bridge and how out of place they were was a nice touch and well-acted.

Obviously the rest of the cast probably weren't utilised as much as they should have been but that's only a small negative.

Try to watch this with an open mind and maybe you'll appreciate Generations a lot more than you did previously. I know I did. :-)

I agree that this is far from the best of the Star Trek movies, but it has an interesting premise, the acting is good, and it gives us a cinematic transition from one era to another. Once Einstein gave us the business of time warping and being able to slip into alternate universes and revisit previous places, even paralleling the the current characters, it left everything wide open. I don't know what the big deal is with Jean Luc Picard crying. He's not a robot. Kirk was really a pretty one dimensional character with very little emotional baggage. That's great. Not everyone is Kirk nor should they be. Ultimately, we have a group of very creative people putting together a threat to the universe, a puzzle that must be solved. Through that aforementioned fabric, two heroes emerge and solve things. I have to get a little political here. I am so tired of people who are so wrapped up in these things that they actually get hostile. It's a review of a movie. Get out of the house more.

Above average Sci-fi action drama movie that has a modest production in comparison to the average high qualily fare STAR TREK film.This 7th Star Trek movie played more like a special TV episode which although still good,kind of let down a lot of high expectations due to a great potential storyline and incredible trailers.The movie was rushed and the screenplay/script really took the steam out of the storyline.Also,the special effects were very trimmed down.Still,if one is a big Star Trek fan,you will never forget the emotional scenes of Captain Kirk(what a guy!) and the great acting of Shatner (not to be outdone by Stewart!) here.Yes,this one could have been so much better but I would take a Star Trek movie over the majority of Scifi movies out there!For Star Trek fans only......

The Next Generation crew discover a villain (Malcolm McDowell) who develops a red ribbon (it's called a Nexus), which if you enter it, you can go back in the past and start remembering the times you had before. One thing I didn't like is that the opening has the original crew meet a different crew and doesn't show us how or why. I did see Generations in the theater because I liked the idea of the two groups working together, but it was mostly too blah. I liked Data's comedy, but there wasn't much action or interaction with the groups together, aside from Shatner and Stewart. I think the visuals were cool and it had some laughs, but the rest was nothing special. William Shatner is only at the beginning and end of the film.

Amongst Trek nerds, there's a hotly debated but generally true rule that the odd-numbered Treks suck (I: The Motion Picture, III: The Search for Spock, and V: Kirk Kills God) while the even-numbered ones kick ass (II: The Wrath of Khaaaaaaan, IV: Spock Hugs a Whale, VI: The Undiscovered Country). I myself disagree strongly with regard to #1 and #5 which are two of my favorites, but alas even I must concede that they were generally not well received.

You see, dating all the way back to the 60s, the Trek stories have always been very personal, meaning certain stories will resonate with certain people but fail on the general audience. Call me crazy but I frickin LOVED "The Empath". Yeah, me and one other person, right? Long preamble aside, my point is that with Trek you'll get so many conflicting, subjective opinions that it's hardly any use to read reviews, aside from sheer entertainment factor which I will do my best to provide here.

Welcome to STAR TREK 7, aka "Why Did William Shatner Do This? Wasn't Priceline Earning Him Enough Money in the 90s?" This was Paramount Studio's attempt to reconcile Trekkies (fans of the original crew) and Trekkers (fans of The Next Generation), although I'd say this is squarely a Trekker next generation film with little more than a passing nod to the Trekkies and a somewhat forced "handoff" from Kirk to Picard. I won't get into that since the only amicable resolution of any Trekkie/Trekker debate is when both sides agree that the Federation would kick Darth Vader's butt.

As for this film, my biggest criticism with Star Trek Generations is that we don't feel any real peril. So it's hard to take the story as seriously as other Treks where, oh, the fate of the entire galaxy, universe or your momma rest in the balance. Danger seems contrived and random. The bad guy (admirably handled by Malcolm McDowell sporting an 80s Sting haircut) just isn't menacing or psychotic enough to get our attention like, for instance, Khan, who sets the tone right in the beginning by sticking a brain-eating worm in Chekov's ear. With Khan we know right away that we better set our inertial dampers on full because it'is going to be a wild ride. In contrast here in Generations, there's no real threat to the Enterprise or her crew, so we the audience are reduced to merely watching a series of events happen. Sure, these are events of importance, but emotionally we don't necessarily feel the emotional weight.

Of course this leads me right to the subject of the... well, the event that happens at the end. Just in case you've been living in the Genesis cave for the last 20 years and you don't know what that event is, I won't ruin it. But it feels like it comes totally out of left field and was unnecessary. Sort of like the Star Wars Christmas Special in 1978, I'd just as soon believe it never happened.

I'm going to do an about face now and tell you what's good about the movie. Data's subplot about trying to deal with emotions for the first time was awesome. It was both interesting as well as amusing, and it was a throwback to the Trek we all know & love which was driven by strong personalities and character development rather than plot points.

Similarly, there is a brief but powerful subplot about Picard and his personal tragedy. That was another great, profound moment which reminds us that Trek is more than phasers and special effects.

But alas, then we are thrown back into a plain old plot, which could've easily been the story of any other scifi and didn't require the Star Trek franchise behind it. Picard's (Patrick Stewart's) acting is first class as always, and it is mainly that plus the aforementioned Data story which keeps this movie rolling. But beyond that, all other characters are peripheral, wooden and somewhat forgettable.

The special effects are, well, 90s. That means they are neither nostalgic (like the 80s) nor technically impressive (like the 10s). They're just sorta... 90s. Apologies to anyone out there who grew up in the 90s. Your decade sorta sucked dude. Scifi wouldn't become cool again until the remake of Battlestar Galactica in 2003.

And on that note, YES, the same Ronald D Moore who masterminded Battlestar in 2003 is the guy who wrote the story and screenplay for Generations, so I can't imagine how it came up as short as a Ferengi's knee socks. But it did. The story was the worst part of this production because it didn't really give the actors a chance to shine.

We'll let Ronald off the hook just because Battlestar kicked ass.

I'm not sure if the Even-Odd rule holds true beyond 7 because I haven't seen 8 through (what are we on now?)13. And like I said, Trek tastes are entirely subjective and you may end up loving Generations more than any other. If so, I believe the Generations fan club is even smaller than my Empath fan club, so kudos for enduring the public shame. Hey it could be worse. You could be a fan of "Arena".

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' may not be quite as influential or as ground-breaking as the original 'Star Trek' series, but quality-wise it is every bit as good with a few improvements.

Like with the original series, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' also spawned a series of films that are watchable in their own right but vary wildly in overall quality. 'Generations' is one of the weaker films based on 'The Next Generation' series, and to me one of the lesser 'Star Trek' films in general. There is plenty to admire here in 'Generations', but it is also frustrating that 'Generations' is as uneven as it is.

It is very easy to see why 'Generations' has got its mixed critical reception and why it's generally met with disappointment by 'Star Trek' fans. It has been mentioned for very good reason that Kirk deserved a better send off than he got here. Even as someone who isn't a fan of William Shatner's acting and who prefers Spock vastly of the original crew characters, it cannot be denied regardless that the character is iconic in the 'Star Trek' universe. Instead of an affectionate and heartfelt send off it ought to have been, it felt like a rushed tacked on cheat that reeked of the studio and producers wanting to get rid of the characters. Shatner's ego has nothing to do with it (if so he wouldn't have stood for such an indifferent treatment of such a character), like it wasn't with the failure of 'The Final Frontier' which with the budget hindrances and studio interference was doomed from the start.

More of a problem actually was Data's emotion chip subplot. Not only was it under-cooked in the writing and the explanations but it also felt well over-egged in how it featured in the film. It featured too much, and Data's ridiculously over the top behaviour (which Brent Spiner badly overdoes) and the humour that came with it embarrassingly contrived didn't help at all, instead further hindrances. It was lovely to see Chekov and Spotty again, they are played beautifully and have some humorous lines and interplay. They are underused however, seem out of character and their dialogue clashes with their personalities established in the original series, almost like there were other characters initially in mind.

Some of the story execution could have been better. There are many good moments here, mostly down to characterisation, but some of the narrative is a bit muddled and with some of the padding and some leaden pacing it did seem to me, and others, like an extended episode of the series rather than an expansive own entity. While there are instances where the lighting is very striking and atmospheric, there are other instances of either being too dark or too garish.

'Generations' has a lot to admire however. It is impeccably made, with rich and grand spectacle, elaborate settings, intimate and immersive photography and mostly first rate special effects (apart from the odd recycled one). The music score is very cleverly integrated into the film and works very well as music on its own. There is a mix of brassy pomp (like the fanfare in Kirk and Picard's first encounter), subtly intense mystery (the choral writing and synthesisers representing Picard's family discovery) and emotional lyricism (characterised by muted strings in Kirk's final scene). The sound effects are suitably eerie.

The script is problematic, like its over-emphasis on the poorly thought out emotion chip subplot and some overly talky philosophising, but has its good parts too. A lot of what Picard says is very thought-provoking, the interplay between Kirk and Picard is both funny and poignant and some of the best lines come from Soran (like his chilling taunts and interaction with Picard).

Likewise the story does have enough that's exciting, thought-provoking and compelling (even if it is bloated and unoriginal), and it's just about comprehensible (even with the Nexus stuff needing more clarity in places). It is very character heavy and is wisely driven by the characterisation and interaction. It's here where 'Generations' excels. Really enjoyed the interplay between Kirk and Picard, that reservations of them not gelling or the pairing not making sense were quickly forgotten. Picard's grief was also really quite moving, and Soran is a quite chilling threat which adds to the tension and suspense.

With the exception of Spiner (which was the result of bad writing), the performances are very good. Shatner surprisingly and remarkably reigns in the temptation to ham in a rare occurrence, and the charismatic, more restrained and affectionate approach was appreciated while also not forgetting to have fun. Jonathan Frakes was also great, while the Next Generations crew and Walter Koenig and James Doohan entertain hugely as well. Patrick Stewart brings effortless dignified gravitas to Picard, while Malcolm McDowell is on snarlingly evil form as one of the most interesting and best acted cinematic 'Star Trek' villains.

Overall, messy but with many things admiration-worthy. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Lets see--Star Trek, the Next Generation takes place about 80 years in the future from the end of the original's series movies. How do you provide continuity?--Why time travel, of course! Jeeze, this has been done to death! The writers of the TV series were much more original in bringing Scotty into the future with hi-tech mumbo jumbo about a rigged transporter. I thought movie script writers were paid more money and could at least come up with something on par with TV, but alas No(sadly, the same thing could be said of the "Star Trek" movie writers in general). And lets face it--Spock was supposedly still alive when "STTNG" occurred, so wouldn't he have liked to know his great friend was still alive?

I know Nimoy did not take part in this movie, because he did not think the role was "meaty" enough and his absence was sorely felt. It would have been very entertaining to see a match up between Data's machine logic and Spock's Vulcan logic.

The writing of this movie was obvious and ponderous. Given the power Kirk and Picard had at the cusp, they could have made it infinitely better than a hammed fist fight between old men. The danger also hardly warranted concern at all. Just go back to the time before the station was attacked and suddenly its over. Given the great writing for the TNG I wonder why this couldn't have been done the same way...

Despite some other people's reviews on this site, I thought this was an EXCELLENT Star Trek film. In fact, this is probably one of my favorites of the films. I thought everything about this film was above average, the story, the special effects, the acting, the directing...EVERYTHING!

I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and quite inventive. I really loved seeing the two captains fighting and working together. Also, I love the idea of this place, "The Nexus", a place where time has no meaning, you can relive all of your favorite memories and your dreams become a reality. I thought the story was excellent.

The special effects in this film were definitely above par! There are several scenes that just made my jaw hit the floor because they looked so good and were done so well. I've noticed a few people have complained that they used the exact same footage of the Klingon bird-of-prey exploding that was used in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", but I say "if they're going to use some archive footage to save some money and put that money into the other special effects that they need for the movie, more power to them" ! Besides, the scene is such a tiny scene in the movie and it wasn't the climax of the film anyway, so where's the problem?

The acting and directing are top notch in this film. I thought all of the actors did a fantastic job. William Shatner pulls off a great performance in his final Star Trek film, as well as James Doohan and Walter Koenig. The Next Generation cast does a great job as well, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden and Whoopi Goldberg all pulled off great performances! Malcolm McDowell did a fantastic job as the antagonist in this film! I also really enjoyed seeing Alan Ruck and Jenette Goldstein in the film, although they both had very small roles.

All in all, I thought this was a great addition to the Star Trek series and a great transition from the original Star Trek crew to the new Star Trek crew. Also, I love this film because you need to know very little about the original Star Trek films to enjoy this film. The only thing you need to know is that James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is the star of the original films and that Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) co-starred. Also...it may be useful to know that Commander Sulu was another one of the original crew members (but not terribly important). Anyhow, I would definitely recommend this film to any sci-fi fan and to anyone that likes the Star Trek films. I hope you enjoy the film. Thanks for reading,

-Chris

Star Trek: Generations promised everything and delivered absolutely nothing. Marketed as the meeting point between TOS and TNG it should have been a rip-roaring space epic with classic characters aplenty.

Unfortunately the reality is far from that vision. ST: Generation is absolutely nothing more than an extended episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and not really a great one at that. The whole thing feels like a television production from it's cheap look to it's awful storyline.

Trekkies are usually quite smart when it comes to science and engineering and can spot a plot hole or a physics mistake at a glance. TNG built it's reputation by including much more accurate tech talk which was praised by scientists, however the plot here is absolutely absurd, and so many things just stick out as "that wouldn't work!" I know that some suspension of disbelief is required with stuff like this, but a rocket which is visibly travelling at a not very fast speed, cannot reach a solar system's sun within a few seconds.

Add to this that half the cast of TNG only have a few lines in the film and you can start to see how it is unbalanced character wise. Malcolm McDowell as Soron is about as TV episode bad guy as you can get. Even though he did command a rather sinister performance his physicality just wasn't there to make him stand out and is easily forgotten amongst the bland script.

The biggest blow however, must come from the absolute waste of William Shatner in this film, and the horribly tacky manner of the death of such an Iconic character. Shatner is on screen for barely 20 minutes and his death in some remote cheap looking hilltop somewhere in a desert is just insulting.

Undoubtedly the best part of the film was at the start where we see Kirk take command of the new Enterprise during a crisis, again a horrible waste of James Doohan and Walter Koenig.

There are one or two good moments here and there, but it just feels far too much like the TV show to hold any sort of weight as a film.

In conclusion, the movie is nothing more than a great idea with a terrible story and sloppy execution. Had this film been made a couple of years earlier with a better plot and could have included Leonard Nimoy and the Wonderful DeForest Kelly before his decline in health, and had equal screen time for the characters then it could have been a winner. As it stands, it is a two hour advert for Rick Bermans Star Trek franchise that shamelessly exploits classic characters to excite interest and does not deliver.

We'd have to wait until First Contact to get a really decent Next Generation movie, but by then it was too late.