The journey begins with original cast members Kirk, Scott, and Chekov in a story that spans space and time in “Star Trek: Generations,” continuing with a terrifying face-off against the Borg in “Star Trek: First Contact,” a dangerous plot against a peaceful planet in “Star Trek: Insurrection,” and a familiar old foe returning in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”
Last year, Paramount Home Entertainment released the “Star Trek: The Original 6-Movie Collection” in 4K, comprising the first six films in the Star Trek saga. This year, “Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection” gets the 4K special treatment, and deservedly so. To have all ten movies in the original franchise is a Trekkie’s dream. But this is one of the best series to own, even for non-Trekkies, for anybody who loves sci-fi, especially in glorious 4K.
With the help of long presumed-dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.
After the release of “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” in 1991, the final Trek movie consisting of the original crew, fans speculated if the new series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” would make the leap to the big screen. In 1994, that became a reality when “Star Trek: Generations” was released on November 17th. Fans expected a crossover event with the old crew and the new, based on the trailer released at the time, but they were sorely disappointed when Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov made glorified cameos in the beginning, never to be seen again, except for Kirk, who returns in the movie’s latter half to help Picard battle the story’s antagonist, Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), who is hellbent on destroying anyone who gets in his way of annihilating two stars in an attempt to obtain entry to the Nexus, an extra-dimensional plane of existence where one’s desires are converted into reality.
While the movie earned $118 million worldwide against a $35 million budget, it was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. I was initially disappointed it wasn’t a team-up with both crews, but upon watching it again for the first time in years, I found it wholly enjoyable—moreso than when I first saw it. Watching The Next Generation crew on their first solo mission was exciting, akin to the original crew’s outing in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in 1979. Watching Shatner’s Kirk and Stewart’s Picard collaborate to end the unhinged Soran was pure Star Trek joy. Two legends working together until (SPOILER ALERT!) Kirk meets his demise. I found the scene poignant and prophetic as it hearkened back to “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” when Kirk told Spock and McCoy, “I’ve always known I’ll die alone.” Watching him give his life on a far-off planet long after his two best friends had already died was gut-wrenching, considering how many times he had cheated death to save the lives of others.
The Star Trek Curse, if you’ve never heard of it, states that all the odd-numbered movies are mediocre, while the even-numbered films are excellent. In most regards, this is true but to each their own. While “Star Trek: Generations” is in no way the best Star Trek movie out there, honestly, it is not the worst either. Take it at face value and have fun watching both captains of the Enterprise work together and the installation of Data’s emotion chip, allowing him to experience a full scope of emotions.
The Borg travels back in time, intent on preventing Earth’s first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reach warp speed.
“Star Trek: First Contact” is considered the best of The Next Generation films, just like “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” was the original crew’s showpiece. And just like Leonard Nimoy, who not only portrayed Spock but also directed “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker, the ship’s first officer in The Next Generation, got to direct “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Star Trek: Insurrection.” When Picard is informed that the Borg, the Federation’s most lethal enemy, is attacking Earth, he heads home, and they manage to destroy the Borg Cube ship, but not before it deploys a smaller sphere. The Enterprise follows the sphere into a temporal vortex where they destroy it, but the crew realizes that Earth is now assimilated by the Borg, them having gone back in time to alter history. The Enterprise continues through the vortex and ends up hundreds of years in the past on April 4th, 2063, one day before Zefram Cochrane’s historic warp drive flight that leads to humanity’s first encounter with alien life. Picard comprehends that the Borg are trying to stop this landmark event from happening so that they can fully assimilate the planet, but the Enterprise and her crew will do everything in their power to prevent that from happening.
Fans and critics celebrated “First Contact” as a return to form, placing the film squarely alongside “The Wrath of Khan,” “The Voyage Home,” and “The Undiscovered Country.” Bringing back the Borg was a bold move but one that paid off. As one of the Enterprise’s most lethal adversaries, pitting Picard and co. against them was what the franchise needed. James Cromwell played Zefram Cochrane, the pilot, and creator of Earth’s first warp-capable vessel, with Alfre Woodard playing Lily Sloane, Cochrane’s assistant. Both actors play wonderfully off each other while Alice Krige plays the Borg Queen, infusing her with unflinching, totalitarian determination. I have to admit, of all the Star Trek villains, the Borg are the scariest. Just one touch from them is enough to assimilate a person. Watching them try integrating Data into their collective is intriguing to see how long he can withstand their indomitability. Director Jonathan Frakes delivers thrills, action galore, and copious amounts of much-needed humor. Watching “Star Trek: First Contact” in theaters was the way to see it, so if you have a big TV screen, crank up the volume, sit back, and allow yourself to be assimilated into this masterful sci-fi epic, and remember, “Resistance is futile!”
When the crew of the Enterprise learns of a Federation conspiracy against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Captain Picard begins an open rebellion.
“Star Trek: Insurrection,” another odd-numbered entry, was not well received, commercially or critically, upon its release in 1998. I felt the same way when I first watched it; it was okay but not to the same standard as “Star Trek: First Contact.” Watching it again for the first time in years, however, I realized it was much better than I had remembered, and while the majority of the action occurs in one location, it does have some creative action setpieces.
This time, Picard and the Enterprise are on Ba’ku to investigate why Data malfunctioned and took a cultural task force hostage. While on the planet, Picard discovers a Federation conspiracy involving a bizarre concentration of metaphasic radiation in the planet’s rings that offers its inhabitants a fountain of youth, some over 300 years old. Admiral Matthew Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) reaches out to Picard and tells them that they must leave the planet now that they have retrieved Data, but when an unseen enemy fires upon Picard and his crew, he decides to stay and investigate further, enraging Dougherty. When Picard learns that Dougherty is complicit with Ru’afo (F. Murray Abraham), the leader of the Son’a, descendants of the Ba’ku who were exiled in the late-23rd century, he comprehends that they want to remove the Ba’ku from the planet so they can take control of the metaphasic radiation coming from the planet’s rings. Naturally, Picard and his crew decide to stay and fight off Ru’afo.
I understand the backlash against “Insurrection,” its predecessor, “First Contact,” had the Enterprise fighting against one of its most ruthless adversaries, the Borg, but here, we spend the majority of the film on a peace-loving planet while Picard and his crew find themselves feeling rejuvenated and young in mind and spirit, a result of the planet’s metaphasic radiation. While F. Murray Abraham’s Ru’afo is the story’s central antagonist, he never elicits a sense of fear or dread, like the Borg before him, and so there is never any real sense of danger. I liked watching the Enterprise crew take time out for themselves and re-discover each other, like Riker and Deanna Troi rekindling their old flame, a reminder of why they fight bad guys, to save peaceful people like the Ba’ku and their civilization. While “Insurrection” isn’t a bad movie, it is, by far, one of the least exciting.
The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.
Long before Tom Hardy became a household name, starring in such blockbusters as “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Venom,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” and “Inception,” he was a young, struggling actor trying to make his way in the world. When he was cast as Shinzon, the central antagonist opposite Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: Nemesis,” it was only his third feature film, but he made quite an impression, and while the movie itself sunk at the box office, earning $67 million worldwide, against a production budget of $60 million, Hardy’s performance cemented him as one of Star Trek’s most memorable villains.
The Federation orders the Enterprise to go on a diplomatic mission to Romulus, the Romulan homeworld, to meet with Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy), the leader of the Reman people from the neighboring planet Remus, who has taken control of the Romulan Empire. He proclaims a desire for peace with the Federation, but Picard is unconvinced. When he meets with him in person, he is shocked to see a younger version of himself, a clone. He learns that the Romulans secretly created Shinzon to plant as a high-ranking spy into the Federation, but they abandoned the project when he was still a young boy and left him on Remus to die as a slave. Convinced that Shinzon wants to eradicate the entire Romulan people for what they did to him, he forgoes all diplomatic conversation and returns to the Enterprise, stating he will never believe him.
Medical officer Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) informs Picard that Shinzon is dying due to the procedure that created him, and the only way for him to survive is to utilize a blood transfusion from Picard. He refuses, but Shinzon kidnaps him onto his heavily armed flagship, the Scimitar. Data infiltrates the ship and gets Picard back safely to the Enterprise. With Shinzon in hot pursuit and the Enterprise suffering significant losses against Shinzon’s dreadnought, Picard must make a final decision that could destroy the Enterprise and her crew, leaving Shinzon free to invade the Federation and destroy all life on Earth.
“Star Trek: Nemesis” employs an intriguing premise, but by the halfway mark, you feel like the filmmakers have run out of gas. The idea of cloning Picard so that when he eventually dies, the clone can be inserted into the Federation by the Romulans and used for their own nefarious needs is compelling; it’s just a pity they didn’t harness that concept instead of using it as part of this film’s backstory. While the cast gives it their all, there are times when they seem tired, like they’re ready to call it a day, and by the time “Nemesis” ends, you feel the same way. I remember leaving the theater and feeling like we wouldn’t see any new Star Trek films in the foreseeable future, and that is precisely what happened. Seven years later, J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” rejuvenated the series, and we now have many TV shows to fill in until the next big-screen outing. If you are a Trekkie, I think it’s essential to watch all of the original ten movies, the excellent and the not-so-excellent, and experience the highs and the lows because each film is subjective, and while the majority might say “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” is the best Trek film out there, you might say “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” is, or “Star Trek: Generations.” Make up your own mind.
On a side note, I wrote a screenplay many years ago, back in the mid-’90s, titled “Remember the Best Times,” about a group of friends who reconnect having not seen each other for a long time. One of the characters is an actor, and while at the airport, waiting to be picked up, an old friend attending a Star Trek Convention meets him in full Klingon attire and drives him home. On the way, he tells his Klingon friend that living in LA, he got to appear in an episode of Star Trek titled “Nemesis,” which was a small inside joke to me because my first feature film was titled “Nemesis,” released in 2000, so when the title for the tenth Star Trek film was announced, I couldn’t believe it.
All four films are available together in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection.” The 4-Movie Collection includes each film on 4K Ultra HD™ and fully remastered on Blu-ray™, plus all legacy bonus content and access to Digital copies of each film. The Collection is beautifully illustrated in a slipcase to complement the “Star Trek: The Original 6-Movie Collection,” making this a must-own set to complete every fan’s Collection.
In addition, each film will be available individually on 4K Ultra HD™ with a bonus Blu-ray™ featuring the fully remastered film, along with all legacy bonus content and access to a Digital copy of the film.
Now available on 4K Ultra HD™ with Dolby Vision™
