Transitioning a television series to the big screen is no picnic. Yes, big movies bring bigger budgets, but more pressure to deliver the goods comes with that. Unlike a television show with many episodes to try and try again, you only get one shot. Thank the stars that Star Trek: The Next Generation crew’s first movie hit the proverbial nail so precisely! Star Trek: Generations warped into cinemas thirty years ago and, in my eyes, still stands up as a fantastic movie.
In celebration of the release of Star Trek: Generations on November 18th, 1994, let’s trek back through a phenomenal story about one generation passing the torch to the next.
🚨 Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Generations! (Seriously, it’s 30 years old, so watch it!!)
Passing The Torch
Intertwining the movie with two Star Trek crews was a risk. The perception could have been terrible – can the TNG cast not handle the weight of a film on their own? The plot could have been clunky or weak – how do you handle the 78-year time gap? The list could go on, but it’s a moot point because Star Trek: Generations delivers a captivating Star Trek story. It explores themes familiar to the franchise in new ways and provides a natural handoff from the Original Series crew.
The movie begins with the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B. Guests of honour include the now-retired James Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig). This already feels like the passing of a torch, from the USS Enterprise-A to the new generation commanding the USS Enterprise-B. Shortly after leaving Earth, a distress signal comes in, and they divert to support. With several critical systems and personnel not due on board till “Tuesday”, things quickly go awry. They rescue who they can but tragically lose Kirk in the process.
Seventy-eight years later, we find Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise-D investigating another distress call. The following events connect the dots between Enterprise-B’s maiden voyage and a tortured scientist’s desperate attempts to find peace. Through the Nexus, the energy ribbon from Enterprise-B’s maiden voyage, Picard teams up with Kirk to save the day. Their subsequent success and Kirk’s actual death symbolize the passing of the torch from the old generation to the next. Pun intended!
A Matter Of Time
Generations stays true to Star Trek’s exploration of important themes. One such subject is Time, and how humanity handles the concept (i.e. not very well!). If there’s any certainty about Time, it is that everything eventually ends. Picard is dealing with this fact after he learns his brother and nephew passed away in a house fire. This loss hits him harder still with the realization that now, once Picard dies, his family line ends with him. Soran (Malcolm McDowell) inadvertently twists the knife by describing Time as “the fire in which we burn”.
Loss is a recurring theme throughout the movie. The El-Aurian’s planet to the Borg, Kirk’s death, Picard’s brother and nephew, the Enterprise-D, Kirk’s second death. Soran takes the opportunity while priming a missile to describe Time as a predator, stalking them. This informs his need to return to the Nexus.
“Time has no meaning there. The predator has no teeth.”
Soran (Malcolm McDowell) – Star Trek: Generations
Picard, in true Jean-Luc fashion, explains his very different opinion of Time in a beautiful monologue. In one of Generations last scenes, he describes Time as a lifelong companion who reminds us to treasure every moment. Appreciate the people we love, enjoy the good experiences, and learn from difficult times.
“What we leave behind is not as important as how we’ve lived.”
Jean Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) – Star Trek: Generations
Emotion, My Dear Data
I couldn’t trek back to Star Trek: Generations and not write about our favorite android! Where the human condition is explored through the themes of Time and loss, Data (Brent Spiner) takes this further. After failing to understand the concept of humor during Worf’s (Michael Dorn) promotion, Data decides to install his emotion chip. This is a decision he has been toying with for months prior. La Forge (LeVar Burton) supports him hesitantly; unfortunately, his concern bears fruit.
During an away mission to the observatory, Soran ambushes Data and La Forge. The usually resolute Data is paralyzed by fear, leading to his best friend being incapacitated and abducted. After the fact, the android processes these events and requests he be removed from duty. Picard sees through the request and rejects it, insisting Data learns to live with his new emotions. It’s a part of being human, the exact thing Data has been seeking all this time.
We enjoy Data’s journey of adapting to his new emotions throughout the movie. There’s his joy-filled rendition of “life-forms”, and his enthusiasm moments after destroying the Klingon Bird-of-Prey, which reflects the audience’s feelings. This is followed by his hilarious expletive minutes later, as the Enterprise’s saucer begins its uncontrolled descent towards the planet below.
Then he takes us from laughing to crying, finding his cat Spot unharmed in the aftermath of the crash. Data’s ability to make the viewer feel so much while he struggles to feel at all is beautiful. It’s truly fitting that, by the end of Generations, Data has finally achieved his next step towards becoming more human.
Conclusion
Since its release three decades ago, Star Trek: Generations has remained a stunning movie celebrating the legacies of two series. It seamlessly passed the torch from one show’s movies to the next while keeping Star Trek’s ethos at its core. It’s stood the test of Time, a feat I expect it will continue to achieve for many years to come.
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