Star Trek: Generations SE (www.the-usher.com)

"Sounds like fun"

Captain James T. Kirk

While investigating the attack of a Federation space station, the crew of the Enterprise D discover that there is much more to the battle than just a Romulan raiding mission. When a missile is launched from the station and destroys the system's sun, Captain Picard (Stewart) and Lt. Commander Data (Spiner) realize that this is has happened in many systems with the goal of steering a spacial phenomenon known as the Nexus to a remote planet. This is all the doing of scientist Dr. Tolian Soran (McDowell) and the Enterprise races to confront him, Picard finds that he can actually get some help from a very unexpected source, the legendary Captain James T. Kirk.

There is a common consensus that the odd numbered Star Trek movies are not very good but is Generations the exception to that rule? Not really.

While the movie isn't as bad as Star Trek V: The Final Frontier or Star Trek: Insurrection, it still isn't up to the standards of The Voyage Home or First Contact. In fact it is the one of the best of the odd numbered movies in the franchise.

The bringing together of the Original Series and Next Generation casts was one of the most anticipated events in Sci-Fi history. The chance to see Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean Luc Picard on the big screen would have any Trekker foaming at the mouth but the problem is that the story is set on stun and not to kill. Bringing together the two eras of Star Trek was always going to be hard without resorting to the science fiction cliché of time travel. Writers Rick Berman, Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga came up with the Nexus to solve the problem and it works. The thought of Kirk been stuck in a spacial anomaly for decades and then coming to the rescue of the Next Generation crew was a fitting end to William Shatner's connection with the franchise but the premise doesn't live up to final result. Instead of going out in a blaze of glory, as you would want for one of the great Sci-Fi icons, Kirk doesn't get the exit he deserves, a fact that left both the star and fans disappointed.

One storyline that the fans had been waiting for is dealt with a lot better however. After seven years of the TV show, Data finally gets emotions. This is a chance of the excellent Brent Spiner to showcase his talent. He is an actor who deserves a lot more plaudits than he gets and has unfortunately never shaken the spectra of the famous android. Spiner has a real gift for comedy and Data deciding to use his emotion chip gives him the chance to excel. This is Spiner at his best and fans will rejoice at one of their favourite characters taking centre stage.

The rest of the famous cast make the transition to the big screen with ease. Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis are good as William Riker, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi but, as would become the case with all the next generation movies, their roles within the movie are very limited. The real shame is that lack of Original Series cast members that appear. Only James Doohan and Walter Koenig as Scotty and Chekov appear with William Shatner and their participation is limited to a cameo.

The main emphasis of the movie is seeing the two great Enterprise Captains on the screen at the same time and it doesn't disappoint. The two giants of the Sci-Fi genre don't actually share that much screen time together but just seeming them together is enough to give any fan goose bumps. Their scenes are great and William Shatner and Patrick Stuart bounce off each other superbly but you do end up wishing that they had more time together.

With some great special effects and an engaging premise, Star Trek: Generations is one of the best odd numbered movies in the series. While some Trekkers will be dismayed at their beloved Captain James T. Kirk exit from the franchise but this is still entertaining sci-fi and it is great to see both generations of the franchise on the big screen.

PICTURE & SOUND

The movie is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with a choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 2

Scene Deconstruction

Main Title (3.32 mins)
Special effects supervisor Dan Curry takes you through the design of the opening sequence of Star Trek: Generations.

The Nexus Ribbon (7.08 mins)
ILM visual effects supervisor Alex Seiden shows you how the Nexus spacial anomaly was created, taking you from the storyboards through to the final CG creation.

Saucer Crash Sequence (4.50 mins)
Visual effects camera operator Patrick Sweeney comments on how the saucer section of the Enterprise D was crashed onto the planet in the climax of the movie.

Visual Effects

Inside ILM: Models and Miniatures (9.39 mins)
Model supervisor John Goodson, model maker Howie Weed and visual effects camera operator Patrick Sweeney take you behind the scenes of the Star Trek: Generations model shoot at ILM. Here we get to see the scale of the Enterprise D models and how they are actually filmed with the use of computer operated cameras.

Crashing the Enterprise (10.44 mins)
ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll and visual effects art director Bill George reveal how the saucer section of the Enterprise D was crashed into the planet during the climax of the movie. You see how a miniature version of the planet surface was created for a 12ft model of the saucer section to crash into and how the scene was brought together.

The Star Trek Universe

A tribute to Matt Jefferies (19.38 mins)
Scenic art supervisor Mike Okuda, illustrator John Eaves, production designer Herman Zimmerman, scenic artist Doug Drexter and his brother Jon Jefferies pay tribute to the Original Series art director Matt Jefferies. They talk about how his work influenced every aspect of the show and all its iterations and how he influenced their own careers. The man himself reveals how he worked with Gene Roddenberry to create the starship Enterprise, revealing some of his original prototype drawings and models of the ship and the layout of the bridge. This is a fascinating insight into the man and his designed that influenced not only the TV show but also the way Naval ships are designed today.

The Enterprise Lineage (12.49 mins)
Scenic art supervisor Mike Okuda, illustrator John Eaves, production designer Herman Zimmerman, scenic artist Doug Drexter, Original Series art director Matt Jefferies and stars Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner take you through the real lineage of the name Enterprise. From the original US Navy Frigate, the aircraft carrier and the prototype Space Shuttle, the group reveal how the name Enterprise has gone down in the history books.

Captain Picard's Family Album (7.05 mins)
Art coordinator Penny Juday takes you inside Captain Picard's family album which you see him looking through during Star Trek: Generations. The featurette reveals the images and documents that made up the album including Picard's awards, certificates, schools records and family photographs.

Creating 24th Century Weapons (13.43 mins)
Official Klingon armourer Gil Hibben talks about his career as a knife making and shows you how he designed the blades used by the Klingons in Star Trek. Here we get to see the designs for the sword of Kahless, the knives from Star Trek: Nemesis and the many other knives he has designed.

Archives

Production Gallery
Your chance to view behind the scenes images and publicity shots from Star Trek: Generations

Storyboards
View storyboards from 'Worf's promotion', 'The Enterprise B' and 'Two Captains' sequences

Production

Uniting Two Legends (25.40 mins)
Director David Carson, executive producer Rick Berman and stars Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, James Doohan, Walter Koenig and DeForest Kelly talk about bringing Star Trek: Generations to the silver screen. The Next Generation cast talk about making the transition to the big screen from TV and the huge differences between in the levels of production between the two different mediums. They also talk about the growth of their characters and the plot of the movie. The Original Series cast talk about passing the torch to the next generation and how they were happy to appear for one final time.

Stella Cartography: Creating the Illusion (9.22 mins)
Production designer Herman Zimmerman, director of photography John A. Alonzo and star Patrick Stewart take you behind the scenes of the huge Stella Cartography set created for Star Trek: Generations. Here we see how most of the effects where creating in camera and how the animation of the charts was added in postproduction.

Strange New Worlds: The Valley of Fire (22.41 mins)
Director David Carson, production designer Hans Zimmerman, stunt coordinator Bud Davis and stars William Shatner, Patrick Stewart and Malcolm McDowell take you behind the scenes of the Valley of Fire shoot in the Nevada desert. The cast and crew reveal how difficult it was to shoot in 120oF heat during the summer and the problems the location presented, even though it was perfect for the look the of the movie. The featurette also shows you the large amount of stunt work that both the stars and the stuntmen had to prepare for the climatic sequence of the movie and the toll the heat brought to this.

Deleted Scenes (32.59 mins)
With introductions by executive producer Rick Berman, production designer Hans Zimmerman, William Shatner, Walter Koenig and James Doohan, these four deleted scenes entitled "Orbital Skydiving', 'Walking the Plank', Christmas with the Picard's' and 'Alternative Ending' show you more of Kirk, Scotty and Chekov, more from the Enterprise sailing ship, more of Picard in the Nexus and the less dramatic version of the final sequence.

OVERALL

Paramount has done an excellent job with the bonus features for Star Trek: Generations. Covering most aspects of the film production and much more, the featurettes are very good and the deleted scenes offer an insight into how the film was original supposed to begin and end, which will fascinate Trekkers. Extremely well packaged, one of the best odd numbered Star Trek movies gets the DVD treatment that it deserves and makes it a must buy for every Trekker in the Alpha Quadrant.

DVD

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