anij star trek insurrection

Donna Murphy

Movie: Star Trek: Insurrection

Character(s): Anij

Donna Murphy is the Tony Award-winning American stage, film, and television actress who played Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection.

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Published Dec 10, 2023

The Lessons of Star Trek: Insurrection

For the 25th anniversary of its theatrical release, let's revisit what Jean-Luc Picard and his crew taught us with their third big-screen adventure.

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Star Trek: Insurrection put Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise -E at odds with a controversial Federation policy involving the forced relocation of the Ba’ku, testing the intrepid crew’s dedication to defending the core values that they had sworn to uphold…

Never Leave a Friend Behind

Star Trek: Insurrection

When Admiral Dougherty reported that Data had malfunctioned and requested the android’s schematics, he had no intention of allowing Captain Picard to become further involved in the situation. Of course, that didn’t stop Picard from immediately altering course and warping to the Ba’ku homeworld.

Upon learning that Dougherty was willing to terminate Data, Picard emphatically volunteered to try and capture the android intact. With Worf’s assistance, Picard safely brought Data as part of a daring retrieval mission that put all their lives in danger. Regardless of Dougherty’s disposition, Picard demonstrated that one should do everything possible to save a friend.

Challenge Your Preconceptions

According to Dougherty, the Ba’ku were a pre-warp society who held his science team hostage. Once Picard beamed down to the planet, he quickly realized that not only were the Ba’ku peaceful, but they proved to be a technologically-advanced species who simply shed their attachment to automation.

On a similar note, the admiral claimed Data’s systems failure was unprovoked, yet Picard and Geordi La Forge still chose to investigate further. The chief engineer discovered that the damage to Data was caused by a Son’a weapon, even though the Son’a claimed not to have fired until after the android malfunctioned. In both cases, Picard’s crew needed to temper their own expectations by gathering evidence and making direct observations.

The Line Must Be Drawn Here

Following the revelation that Admiral Dougherty and the Federation Council planned to transport the Ba’ku against their will, Picard delivered an impassioned rebuttal pointing out the tragic history of forced relocations of indigenous populations on Earth.

Although Dougherty wished to use the planet’s metaphasic radiation to heal millions, he stated that they were only moving 600 Ba’ku. Picard wisely questioned how many people’s rights needed to be violated for the action to be viewed as wrong?

Making Sacrifices

Picard resolved to put his career on the line to help the Ba’ku, even going so far as to take the rank pips off of his collar and change into civilian clothes. The Enterprise -E’s command crew soon joined him, also willing to risk all they had worked so hard to achieve in order to aid the Ba’ku and stand up for their ideals. Geordi La Forge offered a very personal take on the situation.

La Forge, whose eyes had been regenerated by the metaphasic radiation, questioned how he could enjoy watching another sunrise while knowing what that gain had imposed upon the Ba’ku. Aware of all an unsanctioned mission could cost them, the senior officers vowed to convince the Federation Council to alter its intentions and leave the Ba’ku alone.

Taking a Moment

The Ba’ku’s preference to take delight in life’s simple pleasures manifested physically, as Anij showed a talent for slowing the progress of time. Picard marveled at this, not understanding how such a feat could be accomplished. When a cave-in trapped the duo behind a rock wall, Anij was left with a serious wound. The only way to keep her alive long enough for Dr. Crusher to arrive was to attempt to focus on the moment once again.

Working with Anij, Picard found the strength within himself to bring time to a crawl, giving rescuers the chance to save the Ba’ku woman. Although living in the moment is a powerful lesson, the encounter in the cave also underlined the importance of believing in yourself and your ability to attain extraordinary goals.

Reconciliation Remains Possible

As it turns out, the Son’a were a group of Ba’ku who had been exiled from the planet for trying to take over the colony. Picard confronted Gallatin, one of the senior Son’a officers, and recruited him to prevent Ru’afo from massacring his own people. Gallatin participated in Picard’s bid to assert control over the Son’a flagship, a deed which turned the tide in the captain’s favor.

Gallatin’s change of heart, as well as the Federation Council’s decision to halt the relocation, showcased two of Starfleet’s most basic ideals — that diplomacy can win the day and one can always redeem oneself.

In this spirit, Anij arranged to start the healing process between the Son’a and Ba’ku by reuniting Gallatin with his mother, who quickly embraced her son without judging him for his mistakes.

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Screen Rant

Picard’s insurrection love interest is season 3’s weirdest callback.

Star Trek: Picard season 3’s oddest callback comes courtesy of Captain Liam Shaw, who has surprisingly detailed information about Insurrection.

Star Trek: Picard season 3’s oddest callback comes courtesy of Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), who has surprisingly detailed information about the events of Star Trek: Insurrection . Whereas the first two seasons of Picard largely eschewed overt references to the days of Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 3 was an absolute bonanza of fan-friendly easter eggs. No modern Star Trek series has leaned into the history and legacy of the franchise with quite the same level of love and detail as Picard season 3.

One of Star Trek: Picard season 3's funnier moments happens early on in the decidedly heavy episode "Imposters." Before being reunited with his treacherous former protégé Commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) muses that he hopes Starfleet takes into account the many times he and his crew saved the galaxy when considering their commandeering of the USS Titan-A, which leads Shaw to point out some of the more reckless choices Picard made in his salad days. Among those is a Star Trek: Insurrection reference that it's surprising Shaw would even know.

Picard Season 3’s Weirdest Callback Is Insurrection’s Anij

According to Captain Shaw, one of Picard's missteps in his days as Captain of the USS Enterprise-E was his romantic entanglement with the Ba'ku colonist Anij (Donna Murphy) in Star Trek: Insurrection . Picard was ostensibly defending the rights of the Ba'ku on ethical grounds, claiming moving them off world would be a violation of the Prime Directive . It is admittedly a little difficult to swallow that argument when Picard is clearly smitten with one of the colonists, in just one aspect of Insurrection that made it a franchise low-light.

Captain Picard ultimately got his way, as the Ba'ku were allowed to remain on their fountain of youth planet, and Picard and Anij made plans to see each other during Picard's shore leave. Anij was never seen again, likely a casualty of a story no one particularly liked. Her brief romance with Picard is definitely one of the more puzzling aspects of the Star Trek: The Next Generation film franchise.

How Does Captain Shaw Know About Picard’s Insurrection Girlfriend?

It's a little strange that Captain Shaw would know about Picard's love interest from a mission that occurred over two decades ago. It's probable that Picard would have mentioned Anij in his Captain's logs at the time, but the notion of Shaw studying Picard's career is a bit odd. Shaw makes his distaste for Picard and his style of command crystal clear from his very first scene, insulting his wine and dismissing him as a former Borg collaborator.

Ultimately, Shaw's reference to Star Trek: Insurrection is likely a very mild break of the fourth wall, with a character possessing information they probably shouldn't have to sell a joke. The joke is strong enough that the continuity flub can easily be forgiven. Star Trek: Picard not only knew how to honor and respect its Star Trek: The Next Generation icons, but also how to have a good-natured laugh at their expense.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Insurrection' at 25: When Picard and the Enterprise crew found the Fountain of Youth

This nimble ninth entry in the 'Star Trek' franchise celebrates its big birthday today

Often unceremoniously relegated to the lower-gauged tiers of " Star Trek " feature films, "Star Trek: Insurrection" deserves a respectful place at the table this holiday season as the Jonathan Frakes-directed installment in the sci-fi franchise celebrates its milestone 25th anniversary.

Released by Paramount Pictures on Dec. 11, 1998, "Insurrection" was the third film to showcase "The Next Generation" cast and came just two years after the unqualified critical and commercial success of " Star Trek: First Contact ," which is still considered one of the best entries in Hollywood's long association with Gene Roddenberry’s "Wagon Train to the Stars." Check out our streaming guide for Star Trek on where to watch all your favorite Trek shows and films.

Fortified with a lighter-toned "fountain of youth" screenplay written by Rick Berman and Michael Piller and starring the full complement of crewmembers returning to the USS Enterprise-E including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden, its story was somewhat light on action and instead went for a cerebral tale focusing on mortality, family, colonialism, forced resettlement, and the ills of human vanity.

Watch Star Trek: Insurrection on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

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Paramount's budget allocation for Insurrection was $70 million and the movie earned a respectable $117 million worldwide during its theatrical run. That's not a staggering sum for today's stratospheric box office expectations but a decent return based on 1998 dollars.  

Despite solid direction by Frakes, after cutting his teeth helming "First Contact," its reliance on a more old-fashioned storyline probably makes it better suited to the small screen as an extended episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" or "The Next Generation." Nevertheless the plot does have its merits in a sillier side that includes a semi-cringey romantic subplot for Picard, pimple jokes, Will Riker having his beard shaved in a bubble bath with Deana Troi, and Picard, Worf, and Data singing a rousing Gilbert and Sullivan tune from the classic "H.M.S. Pinafore" musical.

Story-wise, "Insurrection" employs a well-meaning script loaded with a prominent social justice theme that begins to wear out its welcome after the first hour. Within a region of the Alpha Quadrant known as the Briar Patch, a humanoid race called the Ba'ku lead a utopian existence devoid of advanced technology until a clandestine Federation-fronted observation team called the "Duck Blind" mission intervenes for nefarious purposes. Data, a member of the survey crew, goes haywire and ends up revealing himself and the observers to the peaceful agrarian society. 

Picard and his crew arrive to try to disarm Data without further escalation and unwittingly uncover a controversial scam concocted by the Son'a alien race and approved by Starfleet's Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) to relocate 600 Ba'ku off-world to steal their planet's life-extending substance.

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Academy Award winning actor F. Murray Abraham ("Amadeus," "Scarface") is perfectly cast as Ru'afo, the imposing leader of the Son'a, a rubbery, skin-stretched species whose master plan is to commandeer the planet's metaphasic radiation for personal salvation as well as significant future  financial gains by exploiting the magical cosmic elements. "Insurrection's" multiple flesh-tightening sessions and dental implants do demand a strong stomach and sci-fi aficionados will recall similar scenes in director Terry Gilliam's wild dystopian sci-fi flick from 1985, "Brazil."

The subplot of Worf going through Jak'tahla, the Klingon equivalent of puberty, is played to mostly amusing effect, with Worf suffering a severe acne outbreak and uncontrolled greasy hair growth, but the minor narrative device remains a shallow diversion that never truly hits its potential stride.

Other amusing yet unintended consequences are sprinkled throughout the film's runtime as a result of Picard and Co. being exposed to age-defying surface radiation and its libidinous, puberty-inducing, boob-firming side-effects provided by those blessed metaphasic particles cast from the planet's rings.

Picard's Ba'ku love interest, Anij (Donna Murphy), stirs up a modicum of sexual chemistry that only hints at carnal knowledge but thankfully never strays down that prurient path.  An onscreen kiss WAS filmed but ultimately deleted from final cut.

Tempted by the promise of perpetual youth, the Son'a have developed a technology to collect the precious rejuvenating particles which would subsequently destroy the biosphere. The Federation has partnered with them to share the cosmic wealth and justifies the relocation plan due to the Ba'ku not being naive to the planet, so the Prime Directive technically does not apply. But Picard believes this to be against the principles from which the Federation was conceived and sadly recalls all the cultures that have been destroyed via that same line of thinking.

Ruminating over history's soiled record of the forced relocation of small groups to satisfy the demands of a larger, technologically superior aggressor, Picard disobeys Federation orders and aids the Ba'ku in a battle against the Son'a to preserve their mystical home and its Zen-like harmony.

Picard and his posse finally lead the Ba'ku through a cave system during surface bombardment to prevent their extermination or being beamed off planet by the Son'a. Before Ru'afo is killed after being tricked and transporting to the activated harvester ship, it's discovered that the Son'a are actually the same species. They're a faction that broke off from Ba'ku society a century ago, resulting in a touching reunion finale between several aged Son'a and their younger immortal parents.

Following a placid, drama-drenched buildup, the final 15 minutes do provide some stimulating space dogfights presenting elegantly-designed Son'a battle cruisers amid the twisted red haze of the Briar Patch nebulae to elevate the flick further.

While certainly not exactly a low water mark in the "Star Trek" feature film roster (that honor goes to "Star Trek: The Final Frontier" with all due apologies to director William Shatner !), "Insurrection" is a light-footed rendezvous with "Next Generation" heroes that might feel somewhat familiar to longtime fans of "The Original Series." 

However, its playfully-paced spirit, focused storytelling, humorous tone, and brilliant cast chemistry make it a solid choice to revisit in honor of its 25th anniversary. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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Star Trek: Insurrection

• View history

" The Battle For Paradise Has Begun "

As the Dominion War ravages the Alpha Quadrant, an idyllic planet in the middle of an unstable region within Federation space serves as home to the peaceful Ba'ku – and a veritable fountain of youth. When the Son'a and the war-torn Federation plan to exploit the planet in order to rejuvenate themselves, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise must rebel against the orders of the Federation Council in order to save the Ba'ku and expose the atrocities that are about to take place.

• 1.1 Act One
• 1.2 Act Two
• 1.3 Act Three
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Story development
• 3.2 Pre-production and Visual Effects
• 3.3 Production
• 3.5 Costumes
• 3.7 Reviews and opinions
• 3.8 Box office performance
• 3.9 Deleted scenes
• 3.10 Merchandise gallery
• 4 Awards and honors
• 5.1.1 Opening credits
• 5.1.2.1 Second Unit
• 5.1.2.2 Blue Sky/VIFX East
• 5.2.1 Unreferenced material
• 5.3 Sources
• 5.4 External links

Summary [ ]

Act one [ ].

The Ba'ku village.

A small village sits under cloudless skies, nestled in the rolling, green hills of an alien planet : home to the Ba'ku . The citizens of this village go about their days, tending to crops and livestock – performing the functions of an agrarian civilization. A beautiful woman, Anij , emerges from a crowd of her fellow Ba'ku and makes her way through the village, stopping to silently greet a man named Sojef . Both are unaware that in the calm and peace of their home, they are being watched.

On computer terminals, the activities of the Ba'ku are being monitored. Within a cloaked " duck blind " positioned high on a hill overlooking the entire village, Starfleet officers and their alien partners, the Son'a , spy on the Ba'ku. Through special monitors, not only can they see the goings on in the village below, but also a team of researchers, themselves cloaked in isolation suits that glow red on screen. PADDs are passed back and forth, status reports are transmitted, and the Starfleet officers lie in the darkness of their duck blind, watching…

The quiet of the idyllic setting is suddenly disrupted. A bolt of phaser fire appears from out of nowhere, striking a narrow bridge as Ba'ku children scramble across it. Onlookers are shoved to the ground as invisible forces crash through the village.

In the duck blind, alert sirens sound as the Starfleet and Son'a officers observe the commotion. Through their special viewscreens , the observers watch as one of the cloaked researchers rampages through the village, attacking other men in red isolation suits.

Data reveals himself.

Subduing his enemies, the researcher removes his helmet – it is Lieutenant Commander Data – the left side of his neck having been apparently damaged.

The Ba'ku villagers are shocked by the sudden appearance of the android as his body starts to emerge from thin air as he rips off his suit, disruptor in hand, and exhibiting damage to the left side of his neck. Ignoring orders from Lieutenant Curtis to stand down within the duck blind, Data opens fire on the facility, disabling its cloaking device and revealing it to the Ba'ku. From the windows of the duck blind, the exposed Starfleet and Son'a officers look down as the Ba'ku look up. The villagers wonder who these people are and why they're here.

" The captain used to cut quite a rug. "

Aboard the USS Enterprise -E , Doctor Beverly Crusher fusses over the collar on Captain Jean-Luc Picard 's dress uniform in the captain's quarters . Reading from a PADD, Counselor Deanna Troi repeats an alien greeting for the captain to memorize: " Yew-cheen chef-faw, emphasis on the 'cheen' and the 'faw'. " Similarly decked out in his dress uniform, Commander William T. Riker arrives at the captain's quarters to gather the other officers – the guests are getting impatient. They are also eating the flower arrangements on the banquet tables.

As the four officers march down a corridor and into a turbolift , Riker breaks it to the captain: the Enterprise has been ordered to the Goren system to mediate a territorial dispute. Picard expresses his dissatisfaction; with the Federation embroiled in a bloody war with the Dominion , the Enterprise and her crew have been relegated to a diplomatic role. In that capacity, Picard and company are playing host to new protectorates , the Evora . " Can anyone remember, " Picard wonders, " when we used to be explorers? "

" Nice beadwork. "

The turbolift doors part and Picard, Crusher, Troi and Riker step out into a banquet hall to be greeted by a familiar face: Lieutenant Commander Worf , on leave from starbase Deep Space 9 . Picard is genuinely happy to see the Klingon , leading his entourage to meet their guests. The captain recites the Evora greeting to the delegation members who welcome him in the "time honored tradition" of their people, draping a beaded ornament over the captain's head. No one was expecting this, to which Counselor Troi can only remark, " Nice beadwork. "

Admiral Dougherty on subspace

Striking up the orchestra, Picard mingles with his guests when Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge approaches, informing the captain that they have received a communique from Starfleet Admiral Dougherty about Data and is requesting the android's schematics . Setting up a com-line in the anteroom, Picard contacts the admiral. Dougherty is grave, telling the captain of Data's attack on the duck blind and a subsequent hostage taking. Picard offers assistance, but Dougherty rejects it out of hand, telling the captain that the Enterprise is not suited for travel within the unusual region called the " Briar Patch ". Dougherty requests Data's schematics and tells Picard that he will keep the captain apprised of the situation. Disturbed, Picard informs La Forge that the Enterprise will be making a detour to the Briar Patch on its way to the Goren system, despite the fact that the two locations are in opposite directions. He will also ask Worf to delay his return to DS9 to join the Enterprise crew.

Ru'afo undergoes a flesh stretching session

Breaking through the red, gaseous clouds of the Briar Patch, a Son'a vessel heads toward the Ba'ku planet . In the bowels of the ship, a macabre "body shop" has been constructed where members of the ship's crew undergo bizarre medical treatments. The commander of the vessel and leader of the Son'a, Ahdar Ru'afo , sits in an operating chair as two beautiful alien females stretch his skin over his forehead, stapling it to his skull. Admiral Dougherty watches, disgusted, while Ru'afo laments the decision to use the duck blind. Dougherty reminds him that it was intended to protect the Ba'ku population, but Ru'afo balks, " Planet's population. Six hundred people! " Admiring the new facelift, Ru'afo adds, " You want to avoid unnecessary risks? Next time, leave your android home. " The deck suddenly rocks.

Entering the bridge, Ru'afo and Dougherty receive a tactical report : " Phaser blast, unknown origin! " On the Son'a viewscreen, Dougherty looks on as the attacking ship makes its escape. It's the mission scoutship , commanded by Data.

The Enterprise -E at warp

As the Enterprise warps away from the heart of the Federation, Captain Picard confers with his officers on the bridge . Sitting at the helm , La Forge tells Picard that they are about to lose all contact with Starfleet. Before they do, Commander Riker and Counselor Troi have downloaded all the necessary information on the duck blind mission and the Son'a, with orders to become "experts" in two days. In preparation for the task ahead, Worf too has been hard at work, modifying a tricorder to deactivate Data. While the range of the device is limited, Worf assures Picard that it will stop the android. Picard orders the helmsman to take the Enterprise into the Briar Patch at impulse and the ship heads in.

Riker and Troi research.

Entering the gnarled, red nebulae of the Patch, the Enterprise crew is hard at work. In the ship's library, Troi and Riker have begun to review the data from Starfleet. Troi is amazed by what she reads about the Federation's partnership with the Son'a, known developers of the Dominion drug ketracel-white . Riker too is stunned by the information on the Son'a, depicting the species as a conquering force. Troi wonders why the Federation would even be involved with such a people, but there are no answers. As they work at their computer terminal, Troi stands close to Riker, caressing his neck. Riker says that it reminds him of their past relationship, but Troi plays innocent, " Was I doing something to your neck? "

In his quarters, Worf has overslept . Awaking to the sound of Captain Picard's com signal, the Klingon jumps up in bed, hitting his head on the ceiling. " I don't know how they do it on Deep Space 9, " Picard jokes, " but on the Enterprise we still report for duty on time. " Making his way around the bridge to the helm, Picard listens to the sound of his ship, telling La Forge and Ensign Perim that something sounds off. La Forge is amazed by the captain's acute hearing, noting that there is a twelve-micron misalignment in the torque sensors , with Picard noting that he could hear a three-micron misalignment when he was an ensign. As a disheveled Worf arrives on the bridge, Lieutenant Daniels at tactical reports an incoming hail from Admiral Dougherty.

On screen, the image of Dougherty and Ru'afo appears. Dougherty admits his surprise at seeing Picard here in the Briar Patch and he says that the situation with Data is far too important for the Enterprise -E to remain on the sidelines. Dougherty then tells the captain that he hasn't got good news. Following the attack on Ru'afo's ship, Dougherty has concluded that Data must be neutralized. Ru'afo is less tactful than the admiral, angrily telling Picard that " your android has become dangerously violent, " and suggesting that he must be destroyed. Picard sympathizes, but tells both men that if Data is to be terminated, he should be the one to do it, as he is his captain and his friend. Admiral Dougherty reluctantly agrees, giving Picard twelve hours.

Picard and Worf board a shuttlecraft and head away from the Enterprise , toward the Ba'ku planet. Working the controls, neither officer can locate Data's scoutship – the rings around Ba'ku may be interfering with their sensors. The search is abruptly ended, though, when the Enterprise shuttle jolts under phaser fire and Data's scoutship makes its appearance.

Data distracted by musical theater.

Unable to shake the attacking Data, Picard attempts to reason with him over communications. Data does not respond. The captain pilots the shuttlecraft towards the planet, hoping to shake the scoutship in the atmosphere. Data continues to pursue, chasing Picard and Worf's shuttle into the clouds of the planet. The captain reasons that Data must be functioning on some level that could be reached through memory recall. Opening a computer file, Picard selects a song from the musical HMS Pinafore , which Data was rehearsing before he left and begins to sing " A British Tar ". However reluctantly, Worf too begins to sing along as the shuttles chase each other in the skies above Ba'ku. Data responds in kind, reciting the lyrics to the song and giving Picard and Worf the distraction they need. The Enterprise shuttle creeps up to the mission scoutship and engages its docking clamps , securing the two ships together.

Advancing toward Data's scoutship.

Aboard the scoutship, Data realizes what has happened and is quick to react, engaging his engines and sending both ships into a barrel roll towards the surface.

On the Enterprise shuttle, Picard and Worf struggle to hold on as they spiral toward the quickly advancing ground. Working the helm, Picard is able to pull them out of the dive and into a stable flightpath using inertial dampers . Worf seizes the opportunity, climbing through a hatch and into Data's scoutship. Seeing the intruder, Data lunges at Worf, but the Klingon successfully disables the android by the touch of a button on his modified tricorder: " Commander Data is safely in custody. "

Picard, Troi and Crusher arrive at the village.

In the glimmer of the transporter effect, Captain Picard, Counselor Troi and Doctor Crusher lead an away team to the Ba'ku village. Troi is immediately struck by the peace that surrounds them, the "clarity of perception" of the Ba'ku people. Finding the "hostages" from the duck blind enjoying a lavish meal with the planet's natives, Picard is welcomed by Anij and Sojef, the leaders of the community. They tell the Starfleet captain that Data was suffering from damage to his positronic brain that they were unable to repair. Picard is surprised, it seems the Ba'ku aren't what they appeared to be: capable of space travel and advanced technologies, yet choosing to live a simpler existence. The captain apologizes for the intrusion then transports away with the Starfleet and Son'a officers, back to the Enterprise .

Briefing Admiral Dougherty

In his ready room, Picard briefs the admiral on his desktop monitor . Dougherty congratulates the captain, genially telling him, " Now, pack your bags and get the hell out of there. " The admiral informs Picard that they will be sending a ship to retrieve the Son'a personnel; there are "a few loose ends to tie up." Ending the transmission, Picard sits at his desk, cluttered with PADDs bearing paperwork and status reports. Sifting through them, Picard dismisses his work and rises from his chair, standing at the windows overlooking the planet below.

Riker puts the moves on Counselor Troi

Counselor Troi is busy at work in her counselor's office when the door chimes and Commander Riker enters. Asking Troi if she has a minute, Riker tells the counselor that he thinks he needs a little "counseling". He moves to Troi's chair and lies down, his head in her lap. " This isn't one of the usual therapeutic postures, " she tells him, suggesting he sit up. Riker is playful, " Maybe you should try lying down. " He sits up, stealing a kiss along the way. Troi is repulsed, pushing him back and laughing, " Yuck! I never kissed you with a beard before! " She shoves him through the doorway, hitting a panel that closes it shut in his face.

Picard and La Forge head down a corridor to engineering . La Forge reports on Data's status, who, it seems, was shot by a Son'a weapon. But, Picard says, the Son'a reported that Data fired first. La Forge disagrees, then is interrupted by a sudden headache – his ocular implants must be bothering him.

Engineering

The two officers arrive at engineering where Data is being held in stasis . La Forge reactivates Data who admits that he seems to be missing several memory engrams. La Forge holds out his hand and several cybernetic components to which Data responds, " There they are. " The damage to his face repaired, Data is released from his stasis confinement as Picard asks him what the last thing he remembers is. The android launches into another round of HMS Pinafore , but the captain stops him, " About the mission. " Standing before the Enterprise warp core , Data recalls the he last thing he can remember: following Ba'ku children into the hills.

Data held in stasis.

Down on the planet, Picard, Data, Anij and Sojef retrace the android's footsteps, finding a Ba'ku boy named Artim playing in a tree with a friend and his pet . Sojef asks Artim if he can recall where Data first appeared to them. The boy responds that he was playing in the hills by the dam and leads the way.

Back aboard the Enterprise , Riker and Troi have reconvened. Sitting in a bathtub in the commander's quarters, Troi uses an old fashioned razor to shave Riker's beard off, his face covered with a thick coat of shaving cream. The com chirps and Worf signals, telling Riker that Admiral Dougherty is calling to find out why the Enterprise still has not left. Responding to the admiral from his quarters, Riker tells Dougherty that the captain and Data have traveled to the planet to discover the exact cause of Data's malfunction, as his future in Starfleet could depend on it. The admiral is impatient, telling Riker to remind the captain that his twelve hours are up.

The holoship, uncovered.

Arriving at a lake surrounded by snow-topped mountains, Picard and the group of Ba'ku watch Data as he uses his tricorder to scan for evidence. With heavy deposits of kelbonite in the mountains, Data says, the tricorder's functions are limited. Entering a few more commands into the scanning device, Data detects something "curious", strong neutrino emissions, and then steps into the lake, disappearing below the surface. Descending deeper into the lake, Data continues his scans as fish swim past. Finally getting the readings he was in search of, he trudges across the bottom of the lake to a floodgate. Emerging from the water, the android opens the gate, emptying part of the lake and revealing the glistening hull of an invisible starship. Data tells Picard that the ship is "clearly of Federation origin."

Picard, Anij and Data in the recreated village.

Stepping onto a rowboat, Picard, Data and Anij float out to the cloaked ship to investigate. Crossing the lake, the three arrive at the dripping, invisible hull of the ship. Data operates his tricorder which opens an airlock , revealing the interior of the ship. Climbing inside, Picard, Data and Anij are stunned to find a perfect, holographic replica of the Ba'ku village… albeit an incomplete one. Picard doesn't understand, clearly Data was shot to prevent the discovery of this giant holoship , but what is its purpose? Picard deduces that this ship is here to trick the Ba'ku, to transport them en masse to a new location away from their planet. But why?

Data serves as their raft

A burst of phaser fire rings out, narrowly missing them. Picard and Data react quickly, shoving Anij out of the ship and away from the crossfire as they fire their phasers. Disabling an attacking Son'a officer, Picard and Data deactivate the holographic simulation and turn back to the lake to find Anij struggling to swim. The two Enterprise officers leap from the airlock into the water to save the Ba'ku woman. As Picard scoops her into his arms, Data assures them, " In the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device. "

Act Two [ ]

In the Enterprise transporter room , Picard and Data have returned to the ship to find Lieutenant Commander Worf waiting for them. Worf informs the captain that neither the Starfleet nor the Son'a hostages mentioned the holoship in their debriefing. Picard orders the Klingon to debrief them again, then notices a huge red blemish on his nose, " Have you been in a fight, Mr. Worf? " Worf is humiliated, explaining that it is a gorch , a Klingon pimple . " Well, " Picard tries to assure him, " it's hardly noticeable. "

The officers exit the transporter room into a corridor where a clean-shaven Commander Riker meets them, " Smooth as an android's bottom eh, Data? " Riker catches up to the captain, telling Picard of the admiral's order to leave the Ba'ku region immediately. Picard is determined, " We're not going anywhere. " He steps into a turbolift and contacts Doctor Crusher.

Crusher examines La Forge

In sickbay , Crusher receives the captain's message, telling him that the Son'a officers refused treatment, so she had them confined to quarters. When asked about the status of the Starfleet hostages, Crusher replies that they are better than fine, with improved muscle tone and energy. Picard acknowledges her signal as the doctor turns to her patient, Geordi La Forge. As they exit the turbolift, Picard orders Worf not to release the Son'a hostages until he has had a chance to speak with Ru'afo.

" Smooth as an android's bottom, eh, Data? "

Picard arrives in his quarters and heads to the lavatory . Calling to the computer, he orders music – " Something Latin… the mambo. " The computer complies, playing upbeat music to which the captain begins to dance. Dancing towards the mirror, Picard stops to glace at himself and notices his age marks. This gives him pause and he decided to go back down to the planet.

Anij answers a knock at her door. It is Picard. " How old are you? " he asks simply.

A while later, Anij and Picard meet with Sojef, Artim and Tournel and they discuss the Ba'ku's real situation. Sojef explains that the Ba'ku traveled to this planet three hundred years ago from a planet where technology threatened their very existence. Moving to the Briar Patch, the Ba'ku found a new way of life, isolated from the threats of other worlds, and have been continually regenerated by a bizarre concentration of metaphasic radiation in the rings of the planet. The Ba'ku planet is a fountain of youth and Picard understands now why someone would want to take this all away from them. He tells the assembled Ba'ku that clearly the architects of this conspiracy want to keep this relocation a secret. Picard will not let them.

Anij and Picard tour the village

Strolling through the quiet village at night, Anij teaches Picard about Ba'ku customs and tells him about herself. Picard reciprocates by telling her of his life in the Federation and of his desire not to let bloody chapters in history play out again here. One of the references to Earth's history was an indirect mention of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Anij admits that Picard surprises her, he doesn't stand up to his reputation as an off-lander. " I wonder if you're aware of the trust you engender, " Anij says. " In my experience, it's unusual for someone so young. "

Geordi La Forge realizes a longtime dream of his and experiences a real sunrise with his own eyes

Leaving Anij's home, Picard continues his late night tour of the village as the sun begins to rise over the hills. Spotting one of his officers just beyond the village, Picard climbs to meet Geordi La Forge as he looks out over the scenery. The chief engineer, Picard sees, has also been affected by the metaphasic radiation, his eyes having been fully regenerated. La Forge tells the captain that he has never seen a real sunrise, but would like to see one before they leave in case the regeneration reverses itself. The experience of seeing his first sunrise moves La Forge to tears and the two men stand on the hill and watch as day breaks over the picturesque hills of the Ba'ku planet.

In orbit , a fleet of Son'a starships enters the area, dwarfing the Enterprise as it flies below them.

Ru'afo bleeds in anger

Admiral Dougherty and Ru'afo enter the captain's ready room , demanding the release of the Son'a officers and the departure of the Enterprise . Picard is ready for them, telling them that he found the holoship. Dougherty knows that he has been caught and asks Ru'afo to wait outside. The Son'a, however, refuses and shouts an enraged " NO!!! " The skin stretched tight over Ru'afo's forehead breaks and blood drips down his face. " This entire mission has been one Federation blunder after another, " he snarls. " You will return my men or this alliance will end with the destruction of your ship. " Ru'afo storms out, leaving Dougherty and Picard alone.

" It's only six hundred people, " Dougherty explains his actions

Dougherty is more calm than his Son'a partner, telling the captain that he looks rested. Picard cuts through pleasantries, telling the admiral that he will report Dougherty's actions to the Federation Council , but Doughterty retorts that he is acting on orders from the Council; they have decided that the Ba'ku are not the native inhabitants of the planet, and it is unnatural for the Ba'ku to be immortal; relocating them will simply restore them to their natural evolution. Picard is outraged at this sophistry, but Dougherty informs him that they are acting for the greater good: the Son'a have developed a procedure to collect the metaphasic particles from the planet's rings, but the procedure requires them to inject a substance into the rings that initiates a thermolytic reaction , after which the planet will be uninhabitable for decades. The planet is in Federation space, but the Federation cannot duplicate the Son'a's technology – which makes them, " petty thugs " though they may be, the Federation's willing partners.

With metaphasics, Doughterty expands, a whole new medical science will evolve, and help billions of people throughout the Federation. Picard tries every argument for delaying the procedure, but Dougherty has an answer for each one: although there are metaphasic particles all over the Briar Patch, only those in the planet's rings are concentrated enough to produce the rejuvenating effects; the Federation's best scientific minds have already examined the Son'a's technology and concluded that it is the only means of collecting the particles; Picard proposes that the Son'a establish a separate colony on the planet until a less-destructive alternative can be found; Dougherty rejoins that the Son'a's senescence is so advanced that it would take ten years of normal exposure to the radiation to begin to reverse it, and many of them won't live that long.

Besides, he adds, the Son'a don't want to live in the middle of the Briar Patch. " Who would? " Picard responds, " The Ba'ku. " He says this mission is a violation of the Federation's founding principles, as well as the Prime Directive ; and that it will result in the destruction of the Ba'ku's society. Picard believes that this is an attack on the Federation's soul. Becoming exasperated, Dougherty repeats that they are only moving six hundred people. In cold fury, Picard asks Dougherty to tell him just how many people it takes before what they're doing becomes wrong. " A thousand? Fifty thousand? A million? How many people does it take, Admiral?! "

Finished with trying to reason with Picard, Dougherty orders Picard to release the Son'a officers and then depart for the Goren system. " File whatever protest you wish to, " he says. " By the time you do, this will be all done. "

Resolving to help the Ba'ku.

Picard goes to his quarters. With a view of the Ba'ku planet below, he slowly removes each of his rank pips and renounces his status as a Starfleet captain.

Gallatin returns to the flagship.

Aboard the Son'a flagship, Ru'afo is back in the "bodyshop," undergoing more treatment. As a glowing piece of equipment is placed over his head, one of the ship's Tarlac servants activates it, stretching Ru'afo's face. Sitting up, Ru'afo is glad to see his old friend Gallatin , finally released from captivity on the Enterprise . Gallatin tells Ru'afo that he was not hurt, but tells the Ahdar that it was not pleasant being among the Ba'ku. Ru'afo tells him not to worry about the holoship any longer and says, " Just get the holding cells ready. "

The team has assembled, the insurrection begun.

On board the Cousteau , the captain's yacht , Picard is out of uniform, preparing to go to the surface alone. Beaming supplies aboard the yacht, he opens a cargo container and checks the contents: phaser rifles . The large aft hatch suddenly opens, revealing La Forge, Riker, Troi, Worf, Crusher and Data, each ready to help their captain defend the Ba'ku. Found out, Picard orders his command crew to return to their quarters, but, as Riker says, " No uniform, no orders. " Each is prepared to risk their career to stand behind Picard, who grudgingly accepts their help. He orders Riker and La Forge to take the Enterprise out of the Briar Patch to contact Starfleet Command and let them know the details of Dougherty's plan. The rest go with him to the surface. Tellingly, it is Data who says, " Saddle up. " Then he adds, " Lock and load. "

In a small tactical room adjacent to the Son'a flagship's main bridge, Ru'afo and Dougherty watch a monitor. On the screen, a simulation of the metaphasic extraction plays out. Gallatin enters carrying a large PADD and Ru'afo shares the good news. " The injector performs perfectly in every simulation… " Gallatin hands him the PADD, telling him the captain's yacht disengaged from the Enterprise before the ship departed. Ru'afo is furious, ordering Gallatin to take a team of shuttles to the surface, to capture the Ba'ku and take the planet by force, adding, " If Picard or any of his people interfere… eliminate them. "

Several Ba'ku are beamed away.

On the surface, night has once again fallen over the Ba'ku village. Tournel is high in a tower, ringing a loud bell, shouting to his fellow villagers, " We're leaving the village! Take only what you need! " Data activates transport inhibitors around the gathering Ba'ku as Picard briefs Anij and Sojef. Pointing to the screen of a small computer terminal, Picard lays out his plan: they will follow the kelbonite deposits in the hills to avoid being captured by the Son'a. Anij adds that there are caves in the mountains that they can use to hide in.

Lights appear in the sky above them: Son'a shuttles swoop low to the ground, firing on the village and destroying several transport inhibitors. The villagers begin to run for cover, led by the Enterprise officers as explosions light up in the night. Sojef grabs Artim, trying to help him get to safety when he suddenly dissolves with a group of Ba'ku, transported away. Artim yells out for his father as Data scoops him up and carries him away.

Ru'afo, furious, appeals to Dougherty.

Gallatin and his teams return to the Son'a flagship. Arriving in the tactical room, Gallatin has bad news for Ru'afo: the Ba'ku cannot be beamed off the planet as long as they are following the kelbonite. Ru'afo has lost his patience, suggesting they take an assault team to the surface and take them by force. Gallatin has an alternative suggestion: isolinear tags will allow them to transport the villagers, but it will take time. With the Enterprise hurrying out of the Briar Patch to expose Ru'afo and Dougherty, they are running out of time and Ru'afo is unwilling to wait. Dougherty offers to contact Commander Riker, to order the Enterprise to turn around, but Ru'afo does not like that plan either. Instead, he says, he can send his ships to "escort" the Enterprise back to the Ba'ku planet. If people get hurt, Dougherty says, they will lose all the support they have.

" Federation support, Federation procedures, Federation rules… " Ru'afo balks. " Look in the mirror, admiral! The Federation is old. In the past twenty-four months, it's been challenged by every major power in the quadrant – the Borg , the Cardassians , the Dominion – they all smell the scent of death on the Federation. That's why you've embraced our offer – because it will give your dear Federation new life. Well, how badly do you want it, admiral? Because there are hard choices to be made now. If the Enterprise gets through with news about their brave captain's valiant struggle on behalf of the defenseless Ba'ku, your Federation politicians will waver, your Federation opinion polls will open a public debate, your Federation allies will want their say… need I go on? " Dougherty sits back in his chair, his arm having been twisted. " Send your ships. "

The Ba'ku exodus.

As dawn breaks over the hills of the Ba'ku planet, a long stream of villagers winds through a field, an exodus. Data and Artim walk together, stopping to rest near a stream. Artim says that he cannot imagine what life would be like as a machine. Data confesses that he has often wondered what it would like to a boy. " Do androids ever play? " Artim asks. Yes, Data says, citing his advanced chess routines and his mastery of the violin . That proves not to be what Artim means. " If you want to know 'what it's like to be a child,' " he explains, " you need to learn how to play. "

" Mr. Worf, you need a haircut. "

Worf catches up with Anij and Picard at the head of the group, the Klingon's hair has grown long and unruly; a symptom Worf says of Jak'tahla , Klingon puberty. " Any severe mood swings, unusual aggressive tendencies – be sure to let me know, " Picard says, heeding Worf's warning that the Ba'ku have become tired. According to the geoscan, this is the safest area for the next few kilometers . The captain orders an hour of rest to break out the rations .

Resting near a small waterfall, Picard and Anij sit on rocks, the captain staring through binoculars at their destination: caves set into distant mountains. Anij admires the captain, running her hand over his head, " It's been three hundred years since I've seen a bald man. " He smiles at her. " I should warn you… I've always been attracted to older women. " Just ahead, the babbling of the waterfall silences as the water becomes a fine mist, flowing more like sand than water. Picard wonders how Anij is able to do this, but she has no answer for him. They sit in silence and enjoy a "perfect moment" in which time slows and they are together.

La Forge at the helm of the Enterprise.

The Enterprise is deep within the red and orange clouds of the Briar Patch, continuing its course back to the Federation. On the bridge, Riker is in the captain's chair , La Forge is at the conn , Perim at ops . Reading her board, Perim reports: two Son'a ships are on an intercept course. With the Enterprise still an hour away from transmission range, Riker needs to buy time. But time for diversion is cut short, when the deck rocks under weapons fire. Determined, Riker orders full impulse, but La Forge is hesitant; the impulse engines cannot handle that much speed in the Briar Patch. The commander warns La Forge that if they do not find a way to outrun the Son'a, little will remain of the Enterprise . La Forge nods and heads to engineering. Riker grips the armrests of his chair and shouts, " All hands, battle stations! " A red alert is sounded.

Back on the Ba'ku planet, Deanna Troi and Doctor Crusher are sitting together discussing the rejuvenating effects of the planet over field rations, " And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up? " Data overhears their conversation and walks over to Worf, who is disgusted by the food they have to eat. " I have an odd craving for the blood of a live Kolar beast , " he complains. " The environment must be affecting me again. " Data seems to understand, but really does not. " And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up? " Worf looks at him puzzled for a beat, then looks to the sky as the Son'a shuttles return, dropping small drones over the Ba'ku refugees. He promptly shouts, " Take cover! " The Ba'ku scatter as the drones descend, shooting isolinear tags at them, allowing them to be beamed away.

Using the patch like Brer Rabbit.

Smoke and plasma leak into the bridge as the Enterprise takes heavy fire. Riker hangs onto his chair as the ship shudders beneath him. In engineering, La Forge and his team are suppressing fires and trying to keep the ship together. " We're gonna blow ourselves up! " La Forge shouts up to the bridge, " We won't need any help from the Son'a! " On the main viewer, a large red cloud looms in the distance. Perim warns Riker that they do not want to go in there, but Riker disagrees. Taking over the helm, Riker sets a course directly for the cloud and takes the Enterprise in.

On the planet, Picard and his men are themselves in battle, as the drones continue to take Ba'ku. Troi, Crusher, and Worf fire their phaser rifles, each taking out drones – but there are too many of them. Swinging his rifle like a club, Worf swings and strikes one causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. " Definitely feeling aggressive tendencies, sir! " he notes.

" We're through running from these bastards! "

In the nebula, an explosion rocks the Enterprise as a subspace tear forms; the Son'a have detonated an isolytic burst , a subspace weapon banned by the Second Khitomer Accords , threatening to destroy the Enterprise . La Forge calls up to the bridge, telling the commander that the ship's warp core is acting like a magnet to the tear, pulling it "like a zipper across space." The chief engineer suggests ejecting the core and detonating it in the tear though this suggestion only "may or may not work" as subspace weapons are unpredictable, which was the reason they were banned. Having little alternative, Riker orders La Forge to eject the core, but the engineer has already done so, sending the reactor spinning away from the ship towards the tear. As the core makes contact with the tear, it detonates, resulting in a massive shock wave that slams into the Enterprise and hurls the great ship through space.

All over the ship, consoles explode and crew members are thrown to the deck. Despite the heavy damage sustained by the Enterprise , the subspace tear has been sealed. On the bridge, a bleeding Riker keeps his post as sparks shower from damaged terminals. Still a half hour away from contact with the Federation, Riker knows they have to fight. " We're through running from these bastards! " he declares.

Data, Picard, and Worf fire phasers to escape from the caves.

The Starfleet officers have led the Ba'ku into caves and erected a force field shielding them from the attacking drones. Data reports that forty-three Ba'ku have been beamed away. The group is allowed no rest as soon the thunderous sound of impacts is heard and the caverns shake: the Son'a shuttles are firing on the caves to drive them out. Data warns Picard that the structure of the cavern will not hold for long and uses his tricorder to search for an escape route. Finding a place in a cavern wall that will allow them exit, they use their phasers to cut through the rock. As the rock opens up and the dust clears, a clear view of the mountains and more caves can be seen. Picard orders everyone to move out.

Riker victorious.

In the Briar Patch, the Enterprise swings around towards large pockets of gas. On the bridge, Riker searches for a suitable cloud, finding one full of volatile materials. La Forge recommends they keep their distance, but Riker intends to use the gas to "shove it down the Son'a's throats." Activating the ship's Bussard collectors , the crew gathers metreon particles until storage is at full capacity. Activating the manual steering column , Riker grabs ahold of a joystick, flying the ship by touch. On screen, two Son'a battle cruisers loom close by. La Forge remarks, " I wouldn't be surprised if history remembers this as the ' Riker Maneuver . " Riker concedes, " If it works. " When the battleships fire their weapons, Riker shouts the order, " BLOW OUT THE RAMSCOOPS! STAND BY, FULL THRUSTERS! " When this is done, it sends the gas toward the Son'a ships. As the Son'a photon torpedoes make contact with the gas, they combust it into a massive fireball, engulfing and destroying one Son'a ship and severely disabling the other. The battle is won.

Deanna Troi fires her phaser rifle.

High in the mountains, Picard and company are busy fending off an attack by Son'a foot soldiers. Armed with an isomagnetic disintegrator , Worf takes aim at the henchmen and launches a blue-electric bolt that send them flying through the air. Crusher kneels over a wounded Son'a soldier, scanning him with her medical tricorder. Holding the tricorder for Picard to see her readings, the two aren't sure what to make of what they have just discovered. Crusher thinks they should ask the Ba'ku.

Back in the caves, Anij and Tournel continue to evacuate the Ba'ku. As the last villagers make their way into the mountains, Anij realizes that Artim is nowhere to be found. She heads into the dark caverns after him, finding him in a particularly unstable area. Grabbing Artim by the hand, Anij leads him out as the caves begin to collapse. As rocks tumble from the cavern ceiling, the Starfleet officers rejoin the Ba'ku, Data grabbing Artim and pulling him to safety. Holding Anij close, Picard leads the way as the cave continues to crumble, sealing them inside and crushing Anij.

Struggling to keep Anij alive.

As the dust settles, Picard scans her vitals. " I'm losing her. " With help on the other side of a newly formed wall of rocks, Picard must do his best to help Anij. Holding her hand, he asks her to help him keep her in this moment until help can arrive. As she begins to fade, dust falling from the ceiling suddenly slows and time around them moves slowly enough to allow Data, Crusher, Worf and Troi to break through the rocks and come to the rescue in time. Anij is favorably impressed. " And you thought it would take CENTURIES to learn, " she remarks.

Facing off against the drones.

Carrying Anij out into the open mountain air, Picard and his crew face off against more Son'a drones. Each taking a defensive posture, they fire their weapons and destroy the drones. But one of the drones survives, shooting isolinear tags that attach themselves to Picard and Anij, sending them away in the shimmer of a transporter beam.

Act Three [ ]

Picard and Anij held aboard the flagship.

Captain Picard and Anij find themselves with Sojef and the rest of the captured Ba'ku villagers aboard Ru'afo's flagship, in a holding cell. Ru'afo and Dougherty arrive, entering the force field protected brig to confront Picard. Dougherty orders him to call off the Enterprise , which has destroyed one of the Son'a battle cruisers and significantly damaged another. Dougherty threatens the captain with a court martial , but Picard is still defiant: " If a court martial is the only way to tell the people of the Federation what happened here, then I welcome it. " The captain knows that Dougherty allowed Ru'afo to send his ships to attack the Enterprise , saying " I wonder which one of us will be facing that court martial. " Dougherty backs down, but Ru'afo is persistent, " This is going to end now. The Ba'ku want to stay on the planet. Let them. I'm going to launch the injector… In six hours, every living thing in this system will be dead or dying. "

" You would kill your own people, Ru'afo? " Picard asks. Sojef picks up where the captain left off, telling Ru'afo and Dougherty of Doctor Crusher's findings – the Son'a and the Ba'ku are the same race. Picard confronts the admiral, telling Dougherty that he brought the Federation into the middle of a blood feud. A century ago, it seems, a group of Ba'ku rebelled and were banished from the planet; now they have returned for revenge. Anij suddenly realizes who Ru'afo and Gallatin are, once called Ro'tin and Gal'na. Ru'afo shrugs it off, " Those names, those children are gone forever. " He storms out, leaving Dougherty with Picard and the Ba'ku. The admiral is despondent, " This was all for the Federation. " He turns and follows Ru'afo.

Death by face lift.

Finding Ru'afo exposing his face to rejuvenating radiation in the bodyshop, Dougherty confronts the Ahdar, telling him that this mission is over. Ru'afo reacts violently, telling Dougherty that he does not take orders from him and throws the admiral over a railing, then smashes his face into a glass cabinet. Ru'afo then straps the bloodied admiral into one of the cosmetic chairs, activating one of the face lift devices. Dougherty warns him, " If you begin the procedure and launch the injector while the planet's still populated, the Federation will pursue you until… " Ru'afo sneers that " The Federation will never know what happened here. " He engages the device, stretching the admiral's skin so taut that his blood vessels burst and his skull is crushed.

Ru'afo returns to the bridge, calmly informing Gallatin that Dougherty will not be joining them for dinner. He orders him to deploy the collector, but Gallatin, clearly unhappy, asks to speak with Ru'afo alone. Ru'afo obliges, but repeats his order to the bridge crew to deploy the collector.

Speaking privately, Gallatin argues that killing all the Ba'ku is taking things too far, and Ru'afo reminds him, " No one hated them more than you, Gal'na. " He appeals to his old friend, reminding him that they are about to complete their mission, and not to jeopardize it now. Emerging onto the bridge, the Ahdar then orders him to separate the Starfleet crew into the ship's aft cargo compartment. Gallatin knows that those areas won't be protected from the metaphasic radiation; Ru'afo intends to murder them just as he murdered Admiral Dougherty. Gallatin steps off the bridge as the Son'a collector begins its slow activation sequence.

" I'm not pleading for my life… I'm pleading for yours. "

Gallatin returns to the holding cells. Pointing a disruptor at Picard, he orders the captain to follow him to the aft cargo area. Picard complies, accompanying Gallatin through the corridors of the Son'a ship and into a turbolift. Once inside, Picard is able to convince Gallatin to relent, telling him that " you can still go home, Gal'na. " Deactivating his weapon, Gallatin says it is hopeless; the collector cannot be deactivated except from the bridge, which is too well-defended; and no matter what they do, Ru'afo can override any commands to the injector with his communicator. Picard realizes that their success hinges on Ru'afo not realizing something is happening until it is too late. He asks Gallatin to take him to a communicator that will allow him to contact Worf and Data on the planet.

The Son'a collector deploys.

From the bridge, Ru'afo watches from his plush command chair as the Son'a collector 's separation sequence begins, counting down from three minutes. The collector unfurls gigantic, golden sails near the rings of the planet. The bridge officer alerts him that the Cousteau is flying up from the planet, piloted by Data. Ru'afo dismisses it as a threat, even as the ship fires tachyon bursts into the Son'a's shields. Eventually, one of the Son'a officers reports that the tachyon bursts are disrupting their shields; the Cousteau cannot damage the Son'a ship, but without shields they will be vulnerable to the thermolytic reaction when the separation is complete. " Very well, " Ru'afo snaps, " Destroy that ship and reset our shield harmonics, do not delay the countdown. "

In space, the Son'a ship fires on the yacht, severely damaging it. In the cockpit, Data pilots the ship back toward the planet, where he will make an emergency landing.

The Son'a bridge crew continues the countdown.

On the bridge of the flagship, the Son'a officers report that the ship is retreating and the countdown is continuing. Suddenly, a flash of bright white light envelops the bridge, then dissipates. Unsure of what has just happened, the crew continues to monitor the injector as the countdown reaches zero. On screen, they watch as the injector deploys and the rings around the planet suddenly scatter. Ru'afo is elated, noting the rings are behaving " exactly as the simulations predicted. " But something is wrong, one of the Son'a officers reports, nothing has changed. Ru'afo says the scanners must be malfunctioning, but on closer inspection of their equipment, the crew discovers that there are simply no ship functions. Furious, Ru'afo says that is impossible, when the viewscreen, artificial gravity and life support are all working… then he notices it: a bizarre hole in one of the bridge bulkheads. Pushing his fingers into the hole, he realizes that they are no longer aboard their ship. Grabbing his disruptor, he fires at the hole in the bulkhead, revealing a door surrounded by a hologrid , " A holodeck! "

" AAUGH!!! "

Stepping through the doorway, Ru'afo and his crew find themselves aboard the holoship, they were transported aboard when they reset their shields. Ru'afo swiftly uses his communicator to contact the collector, but it is no use, the collector has been deactivated. The Son'a Ahdar screams out in rage.

On the real bridge of the Son'a ship, Picard, Worf, and Gallatin confirm that the collector has shut down (with only six seconds left on the countdown). Worf decloaks the holoship and secures it with a tractor beam . When the rest of the ship's crew starts to contact the bridge to ask what happened, Gallatin seals it off.

Aboard the holoship, Ru'afo is informed that all 14 of the ship's long-range transporters have been locked down. Thinking fast, he orders the crew to isolate one, and re-route it through the auxiliary processor . When his crew tells him there is no point in going back to their ship, he responds, " I don't plan on going back to our ship. "

Picard orders Worf to target the flagship's weapons onto the collector. But as he enters the commands into the computer, Worf realizes he has lost control of the ship. Gallatin reports that this must mean the crew of the ship has discovered the deception and is re-routing control of the ship's weapons. Sensors then report that Ru'afo has transported aboard the collector itself and re-started the injection sequence.

Gallatin cannot disable it without Ru'afo's access codes. Picard asks if there is a self-destruct mechanism, and Gallatin says yes, but without the codes it can only be activated manually from aboard the collector, and there will only be a two-second delay before detonation. Grabbing a phaser rifle, Picard resolves to beam over and stop him from reactivating it. Gallatin warns him that, one minute before the separation, the cryogenics tanks will vent combustible exhaust inside the collector.

Ru'afo threatens Picard

Materializing aboard the collector, Picard appears near a computer station where Ru'afo works to reactivate the sequence. Seeing the Starfleet captain, Ru'afo fires his disruptor. Narrowly escaping the blast, Picard begins to climb up the collector's superstructure to the self-destruct mechanism. Ru'afo pursues, but is forced to stop firing when the exhaust begins to vent.

Before Picard has completed his task, the Son'a crew storms onto the bridge and take Worf and Gallatin prisoner.

As the Enterprise makes its way back to the Ba'ku planet, sensors detect the captain on the collector. Riker hails Picard, who tells the commander that he may need a lift in a minute.

Picard reaches the mechanism and begins realigning the circuitry.

Back under the control of the Son'a crew, Ru'afo's flagship has begun an assault on the Enterprise , which trembles under fire. Detecting Worf aboard the ship, Riker realizes they have an advantage, " Set a collision course. "

Picard activates the self-destruct sequence.

Pointing his weapon at the captain, Ru'afo orders Picard to step away from the control panel. Plasma vents all around them and Picard smiles, " Ru'afo, we're getting too old for this. " Ru'afo counters, " After today, that won't be a problem… for either of us. " Surrounded by puffs of plasma, Picard asks the Son'a Ahdar, " Are you really willing to risk igniting the exhaust? " Ru'afo hesitates, momentarily lowering his weapon. " All right! " the captain says, raising his phaser rifle, " I will! " He fires and the plasma explodes, sending Ru'afo flying off his feet, screaming " No! " and down to a lower level, where he is barely able to hang on.

The Enterprise bears down on the flagship. Worf sits on Ru'afo's couch, surrounded by Son'a officers who hold him at gunpoint. The Son'a in charge turns to the Klingon in reaction to the ever-closing starship, " He wouldn't! " Worf nods his head, " Yes. He would. " The Son'a react quickly to evade, exposing its ventral hull to the Enterprise which fires point-blank phaser blasts, knocking out engines and life support . The flagship spins out of control, fires blazing on its hull.

The collector explodes from within.

Riker signals the collector, telling Picard that they are " right around the corner. " Seeing that the launch sequence has just reached ten seconds, Picard smiles sadly and says, " Sorry… time's up. " He keys in the final destruct sequence, and, two seconds later, the collector begins to destroy itself. Ru'afo raises himself to his feet just in time to see explosions shoot upward. Picard and the Ahdar stand opposite each other, Picard fully expecting to die right there. Outside, the Enterprise swoops down, nearly hitting the surface of the exploding injector. Just as the fireballs reach them, a transporter beam engages and beams Picard away. Ru'afo's last word is " NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! ", and he is incinerated by the explosion.

Back on the burned bridge of the Enterprise , Picard has returned in time to receive a hail from Worf on the Son'a flagship. With the ship severely damaged, the Klingon signals the crew's unconditional surrender, " It may have something to do with the fact that we have three minutes of air left. " Picard and Riker smile, telling Worf to transport aboard, they have plenty of air.

The Enterprise crew leaves the Ba'ku planet.

On the surface of the planet, the Ba'ku villagers return to their homes. Riker wonders aloud to La Forge and Worf if his feelings for Troi will fade when they leave the planet. Worf comments that Riker's feelings have never changed; the planet merely let them back out for some fresh air. Picard proposes to Sojef and Anij that the Ba'ku and Son'a reunite. Sojef believes the feelings between the two peoples are too bitter to fully trust each other again. Picard, however, expresses optimism, and points out a regretful Gallatin embracing his mother , showing that there might be hope at reconciliation.

Picard and Anij are having difficulty saying goodbye. Picard tells her that he wishes he could stay, but that the Federation is going through difficult times and therefore cannot leave it in the hands of those who could threaten everything it has spent a lifetime defending. However he assures Anij that he has 318 days of shore leave coming and he intends to use them. Data is found playing in a haystack with Artim and his friends. When Dr. Crusher calls for him, he tells them, " I have to go home now. " Joining his command crew, Picard signals to the Enterprise and he, Commander Riker, Lieutenant Commander Data, Geordi La Forge, Doctor Crusher, Counselor Troi, and Worf beam off the planet. The Enterprise makes its way back through the Briar Patch and back into the expanse of space.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Say the greeting again. " " Yew-cheen chef-faw. Emphasis on the cheen and the faw. " " You either need a new uniform or a new neck. " " Yew-cheen chef-faw, my collar size is exactly as it was at the Academy. "

" Perhaps we should have the chef whip up a light balsamic vinaigrette – something that'll go well with chrysanthemums. "

" Can she mambo? " " Very funny. " " The captain used to cut quite a rug. "

" The android! He's out of control! "

" Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers? "

" I don't know how they do it on Deep Space 9 , but on the Enterprise, we still report for duty on time. "

" We believe that when you create a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man. "

" It took us centuries to learn that it doesn't have to take centuries to learn. "

" I never kissed you with a beard before. " " I kiss you, and you say yuck?! "

" In the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device. "

" It is a gorch. " " Gorch? " " A pimple, sir. " " Oh, well. It's hardly noticeable. "

" You Klingons never do anything small, do you? "

" We should all be so lucky. "

" Most of my people who live that faster life would sell their souls to slow it down. "

" I wonder if you're aware of the trust you engender, Jean-Luc Picard. "

" But some of the darkest chapters in the history of my world involve the forced relocation of a small group of people to satisfy the demands of a large one. I'd hoped we had learned from our mistakes, but it seems that some of us haven't. "

" You explore the universe. We've found that a single moment in time can be a universe in itself. "

" You know, I've never seen a sunrise. At least not the way you see them. "

" Who the hell are we to determine the next course of evolution for these people?!! "

" Jean-Luc, we're only moving six hundred people. " " How many people does it take, admiral, before it becomes wrong? Hmm? A thousand? Fifty thousand? A million? How many people does it take, admiral?! "

" Return to your quarters. That's an order! " " No uniform, no orders. "

" It's too easy to turn a blind eye to the suffering of a people you don't know. "

" Androids do not have fun. "

" I should warn you. I've always been attracted to older women. "

" How are you doing this? " " No more questions. "

" A photon torpedo. Isn't that the universal greeting when communications are down? " " I think it's the universal greeting when you don't like someone. "

" And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up? " " Not that we care about such things in this day and age. " " Uh-huh. "

" And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up? Not that we care about… "

" DEFINITELY FEELING AGGRESSIVE TENDENCIES, SIR! "

" I thought subspace weapons were banned by the Khitomer Accords! " " Remind me to lodge a protest! "

" I wouldn't be surprised if history remembers this as the Riker Maneuver . " " If it works! "

" If you launch the injector while the planet's still populated, the Federation will pursue you until–! " " The Federation…will never know what happened here. "

" Admiral Dougherty will not be joining us for dinner. "

" You offend me. " " Is this how a Federation officer pleads for his life? " " I'm not pleading for my life, Gal'na. I'm pleading for yours. "

" Ru'afo, we're getting too old for this! " " After today, that won't be a problem…for either of us. "

" Captain, the Son'a crew wishes to negotiate a cease-fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we have three minutes of air left. "

" Do you think when we get away from this metaphasic radiation it'll change the way we feel? " " Your feelings about her have not changed since the day I met you, Commander. This place… just let them out for a little fresh air. "

" I have to go home now. " " Bye. " " Bye. "

Background information [ ]

Story development [ ].

The theatrical poster for Star Trek: Insurrection

Development of the ninth Star Trek film began in earnest in February 1997 when producer Rick Berman and Paramount Pictures approached Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran writer/producer Michael Piller for story ideas. With Star Trek: First Contact screenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga occupied not only by their work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager respectively, but also on Paramount's Mission Impossible II , Berman and Piller would tackle the film alone. Piller had previously declined the opportunity to write 1994 's Star Trek Generations due to interoffice competition for the project, and admitted that he found First Contact too "dark". His involvement with the new film project came under the provison that it be "lighter" than the previous two:

Again a mesh of ideas like its predecessor, what would eventually become Star Trek: Insurrection , says Piller, emerged from his own experience with aging. "I literally got the idea for this film one morning as I was putting on my Rogaine…Not that I need it of course." Piller seized upon the prevailing attitudes and focus of American society on youth, deciding to craft a story based on the search for the Fountain of Youth . Rick Berman meanwhile hoped to remake a classic story into a Star Trek film. The collaborators utilized Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness and the concept of traveling "up river" to form their outline.

In a story titled Star Trek: Stardust (named after the Hoagy Carmichael song), Captain Picard is sent to track down a former Starfleet Academy classmate named Duffy, who is attacking Romulan ships in the far reaches of space. As the Enterprise crew pursues Duffy, they grow younger in age as they close in on the Fountain of Youth powers of the "Briar Patch". Problems with the dramatic impact of such a storyline, however, plagued the development. Berman believed the film to be too political, and the Fountain of Youth scenario too fantasy-like. Ultimately, the rejuvenation of the crew was dropped in favor of a story more closely modeled on Heart of Darkness , drama upped by the replacement of Duffy with Data.

The second draft of Stardust featured Picard in pursuit of Data. Eventually battling and killing Data in the second act, Picard would ultimately reactivate the android in time to save the Federation from an "unholy" alliance with the Romulans. According to Piller, "How do you out-Borg the Borg? How do you create a villain or adversary that will be their equal? The answer is don't try. Make a different kind of movie."

Distributing the story to Paramount executives, Piller and Berman received mixed reviews – some reiterating Berman's previous concern that it was "too political", others opposed to the idea of aligning the Federation with the film's villains. The biggest blow to Stardust , however, came from Patrick Stewart , writing to Berman from the set of the TV movie adaptation of Moby Dick . According to Stewart:

Finally given a chance to sit down and speak to Stewart, a disheartened Piller found that they were actually interested in telling the same story: " …It came to pass that the conflict that I had with Patrick really is what saved this project and did give me what I wanted in the first place. " Stewart was especially enthusiastic about the Fountain of Youth notion, reintroduced into the third draft screenplay. Retaining, but confining the conflict with Data to the first act only, the new storyline introduced new villains called the "Son'i", victimizing the "Ba'ku", a race of children. This draft introduced elements that remained intact through the final film, including the regeneration of Geordi La Forge's eyes, the rejuvenation of the Riker/Troi romance and Worf's puberty. In it, Picard would rebel against a faction of Federation officers allied with the Son'i to steal the Ba'ku planet.

Giving the new draft to DS9 executive producer Ira Steven Behr , Piller once again received negative reviews, "Ira came into the office and sorta looked at me across the desk, took off his sunglasses and said, 'Mikeeeeeeey' – and I said, 'Oh jeez,' because Ira never takes off his sunglasses." According to Piller, Behr referred to the Son'i as "paper tigers" telling him that Picard's motivation to defy Starfleet was "flimsy". To strengthen Picard's reasons for going AWOL, the Ba'ku were made adults, allowing for the introduction of Anij, a love interest for the captain. This fourth draft incorporated more action elements and featured a more gruesome race of villains, now called the "Son'a". Bandying about new titles for the film, including Star Trek: Prime Directive and Star Trek: Nemesis , the name of the tenth film, Star Trek: Insurrection was ultimately decided upon, one studio executive suggesting that a long title was more interesting. Another executive, however, suggested another title be found, allegedly because they did not know what "insurrection" meant.

• Michael Piller explained some early ideas in the first draft of the script, " In that script, we got to meet Picard at the Academy, one of his best friends (who played a huge part in the movie), Boothby , and the planet of 10-year-olds ". ( AOL chat , 1997 )
• Following the confirmation of Terry Farrell 's departure from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and plans to kill the character off, Michael Piller wanted to add a couple of lines to the film, acknowledging Jadzia Dax 's death and the impact it had on Worf. Rick Berman eventually overruled this, arguing that this would confuse film audience members who didn't follow the show regularly. ( Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft )

Pre-production and Visual Effects [ ]

By the start of 1998 , pre-production on Star Trek: Insurrection began with set and conceptual drawings generated by Herman Zimmerman and illustrator John Eaves as early as January. Director Jonathan Frakes returned to helm his second Trek film and co-star as Commander Riker; Patrick Stewart also did double duty as Captain Picard and associate producer. With Industrial Light & Magic busy with work on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace , Frakes and company turned to a new visual effects house for the first time since Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Splitting the workload, Blue Sky/VIFX and Santa Barbara Studios (SBS) were hired to contribute the almost entirely digital visual effects, some traditional physical model photography limited to the explosion of the Son'a collector ship. ( Cinefex , issue 77, pp. 91-93; Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models International , issue 35, pp. 19-21)

Illustrator John Eaves continued, " And this was also the movie where we decided that scales were going to be the very most important aspect to the drawings. The scales of the ships in Insurrection changed drastically throughout the effects part of the film, based on what would be seen with the story, and how the scenes would play out. And from that point, we all kind of decided we needed a scale set, so we started making drawings that would show those scales, and you would have everything in comparison with the Enterprise -E. " ("The Art of Insurrection", Star Trek: Insurrection  (Special Edition DVD) )

This movie was the first feature film where it was conceived that all the visual effects would be executed as computer-generated imagery (CGI). At that point in time, the technique was still relatively new, and the workload entailed in creating these effects was such that it was decided to employ two effects houses for their creation; Blue Sky/VIFX was contracted to provide all planet-bound effects, as well as the interior Son'a collector visuals (and, as it turned out during production, its destruction as well), whereas SBS was made responsible for all the space-bound visuals.

Creating digital ships on the computer involved building intricate designs. Doing so was a labor and a time-consuming effort from a technological standpoint, given the state of CGI technology at the time. SBS' Effects Supervisor John Grower recalled, " Each ship was made up of lots of nurb surfaces, and the databases were hundreds of megabytes per ship. These models were very heavy, but Maya [the CGI software package of choice at SBS] allowed us to efficiently structure and organize the data. We went through several iterations [of the ship designs] before we got approval, and Maya helped a lot there as well. Once we got the ships approved, of course, we had to make them look real. "

As for texturing the CGI models, instead of applying texture maps and skin around their wireframe models (as was the later commonplace method), SBS used a method called "slide projectors." Describing these projectors, Grower offered, " Imagine a spaceship with all of these slide projectors pointed at various parts of it, projecting high-resolution images which dissolve from one projector to the next where they overlap so we don't see any seams. That allows us to have infinite detail as we rotate around the ship, without all of the stretching problems that occur when we wrap a flat object around 3-D geometry. It was imperative for us to use this approach because of the multi-curved surfaces of the ships. Also, instead of having a texture for every nurb surface, which is what we did before – and there might be hundreds – this technique enabled us to simultaneously project onto several nurb surfaces. Instead of having a hundred textures, we had 30 or so, over which we'd add dozens of layers of different textures and 'effects maps' per ship to create highlights and other things, and then we'd render them with Renderman. It was very time-consuming to get the CG models to look right, because the filmmakers have been shooting [the Star Trek ] models for a long time, and they knew exactly what type of look they wanted. They would make us revise the models until they were right, which was very difficult. " ( American Cinematographer , January 1999, pp. 41-42)

Still, Animation Supervisor James Strauss considered the effort worthwhile. He remarked, " In this movie there was an attempt to do more wild actions [than the usual ship maneuvers in the Star Trek films]–probably since we were using CG and didn't have to worry about the lack of flexibility with [physical] model mounts. " ( Cinefex , issue 77, p. 79)

Scenic Artist Doug Drexler working on Starfleet interface okudagrams

Production [ ]

• According to Herman Zimmerman , Insurrection was the feature film with the most built sets. It included 55 sets, eighteen more than used in Star Trek: First Contact . ( Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Edition) )
• The cave set used in some scenes on the Ba'ku planet was the same cave set used throughout DS9, located at Paramount Stage 16 , significantly expanded to include multiple levels. When the film wrapped, the cave retained its modifications and was most recognizably featured in the DS9 finale, " What You Leave Behind " as the Bajoran Fire Caves . ( Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Edition) )
• Anthony Zerbe , who played Dougherty, initially read for the part of Ru'afo . When the part was given to F. Murray Abraham , the producers offered him the role of the admiral instead.
• F. Murray Abraham has said in interviews that he felt so strongly about his role in Insurrection , he would have done only Star Trek movies for the rest of his career. Abraham also compared acting in prosthetic make up to making love in the dark. ( Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Edition) )
• In an interview given for Star Trek Monthly ( citation needed • edit ) during pre-production, Rick Berman stated that Q would be in the film – suggesting that the producers hoped to bring the character onto the big screen. Ultimately, however, any such plans were either dismissed or proved to be unworkable. As Jonathan Frakes noted, in a later interview for the same magazine, " Q is not in the script I've seen, much to my chagrin… "
• The Tarlac and the Ellora were not included in the screenplay until the very last draft, before production.
• While shooting a scene on the bridge in which Picard, Riker, and Troi discuss the duckblind mission, Jonathan Frakes had to wear a fake beard, having already shaved it for upcoming scenes.
• Troi tells Riker that she had never kissed him with a beard. However, in TNG : " Second Chances ", Troi kissed Riker's transporter-copy Thomas Riker , who had an identical beard, and seemed unbothered by it.
• This is the first of only two Star Trek films not to feature any scenes on or near Earth . The second was Star Trek Beyond .
• This is the only Trek movie without any stardate reference, and one of two movies (the other being Star Trek Into Darkness ) in which no captain's log entry is heard. (Although Star Trek V: The Final Frontier also has no log entry, Kirk does at least begin to record one.)
• This film marks the first time that Geordi La Forge has been at the helm of the Enterprise since TNG : " The Neutral Zone ".
• Captain Picard tells Anij seeing his home planet for the first time from space was a moment when time stood still, a perfect moment. We can see the Captain sharing this approach with Rivan in " Justice ", Nuria in " Who Watches The Watchers ", Mirasta Yale in " First Contact " and Lily in Star Trek: First Contact .
• At 103 minutes, this is the shortest of all thirteen Star Trek movies, two minutes shorter than Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
• The Son'a went on to be mentioned later in DS9 : " Penumbra ", indicating either that there were more than just the few ships' worth seen in this film, or that the episode took place before the movie. The Son'a were also mentioned by Admiral Janeway in the next movie.
• Although the Evora were never mentioned again, several members of the species appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Lower Decks .
• Geordi La Forge's dialogue when he discusses seeing the sunrise for the first time with his eyes mirrors his words to Natasha Yar when he was infected with polywater intoxication in TNG : " The Naked Now ".
• The Tarlac were seen once more in VOY : " Life Line ", though in the form of a holographic masseuse .
• Recent Star Trek novels have made reference to Admiral Dougherty as an operative of Section 31 .
• This was the first time that Jonathan Frakes was filmed clean-shaven since TNG 's first season (his beardless appearance in TNG : " All Good Things... " was stock footage from " The Arsenal of Freedom ").
• Although Brent Spiner filmed scenes for Data's walk into the lake, including close-ups, only stuntman Brian J. Williams ' walk was used for the final movie.
• Among the auctioned items from It's A Wrap! on eBay which were seen in the film was a cloaking suit wrist scanner, [1] a Federation PADD , [2] [3] and a scratch paper pad from the deleted library scene. [4]
• This was the last Star Trek film to have the cast and crew credits at the start of the movie. Star Trek Nemesis , Star Trek and all Star Trek movies since have their credits after the movie had finished, as is now standard for most major Hollywood films.
• This is also the last Star Trek film to use the 1986-2002 Paramount Pictures logo.
• The poster and tagline for this film closely resemble the British VHS cover for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , which featured a similar shot of the Enterprise -A flying away from the viewer with a face looming in space. The UK tagline for The Undiscovered Country was "The battle for peace has begun".
• Sets for various sections of the Enterprise -E, including sickbay , crew quarters , Troi 's office, the transporter room , and the ship's library were all redressed interiors used on the TV series Star Trek: Voyager . (The film was shot between that series' fourth and fifth seasons.) During at least one scene in engineering, directly behind the warp core can be seen two cylindrical posts with inset monitors that were used in interior shots of Borg cubes and Malon vessels.
• The "body shop" set is a redress of the Kyrian Museum of Heritage from VOY : " Living Witness ".
• The Enterprise -E reception hall was a redress of the observation lounge from Star Trek: First Contact , which itself was a redress of the very same room from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation .
• Sets for Data's scoutship , the Enterprise -E shuttlecraft and Captain Picard's yacht were revamped versions of the Class 2 shuttle (from VOY) and Federation runabout (from DS9), respectively.
• Many of the set pieces from the Son'a ship later comprised the interior of Suliban starships , beginning with ENT : " Broken Bow ". Wall fixtures in Ru'afo's briefing room later appeared in " Fusion " in the bar on Earth.
• The computer table seen in Ru'afo's briefing room also appeared later when it was used in the Enterprise -E's stellar cartography in Star Trek Nemesis .
• Minor details on the Enterprise 's bridge were changed. Most significantly, the holographic viewscreen seen in First Contact was replaced with a more traditional version and the computer consoles next to Riker and Troi's seats were removed (though they returned in Nemesis ). The color palette of the graphics were adjusted and brightened and the consoles received headers stating their positions. Small strips of metallic tape were also applied to the walls as highlights.
• Despite the film's PG rating, Admiral Dougherty's death is fairly gruesome but is at a level similar to such deaths in PG rated horror films in the 1960s to the early 1980s.
• This is not the first time that Geordi La Forge was granted his sight but considered the price too high. The first time was in TNG : " Hide And Q ".
• The Federation holoship's cloak is not brought up by Picard to Dougherty as being a violation of the Treaty of Algeron .
• The holoship is the third Federation ship known to use a Federation cloaking device and not one developed by another species. The following is list of ships using cloaks not developed by them: In the mirror universe the ISS Enterprise used a Suliban cloak in 2155, the original USS Enterprise used a Romulan cloak and the USS Defiant also used a loaned Romulan cloak.

Costumes [ ]

• This movie featured the first motion picture appearance of the new Starfleet Admiral 's uniform which already appeared in DS9 and VOY.
• It also featured the debut of the new Starfleet dress uniform , this time a design that significantly departed from earlier designs. The new dress uniform featured a collar similar to those seen in The Next Generation uniforms and replaced prominent division colors for white over gray. Picard's uniform was white over white. The uniforms reappeared on DS9 in " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges " and in Star Trek Nemesis , where Data and Worf donned the uniforms as well.
• The metal bars attached to the Son'a, Tarlac, and Ellora uniforms were added to denote rank.
• The Tarlac wore purple uniforms, the Ellora wore blue – this was to make it easier for the audience to visually differentiate them.
• Captain Picard's waistcoat, as seen in much of First Contact , never made it in the final cut of the film, but was worn in a deleted scene in which the captain spills his lunch on himself. The uniform variant did not appear again in the movies, but was seen being worn by Benjamin Sisko and Luther Sloan on DS9.
• Among the costumes from this film which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay were Gates McFadden 's civilian costume (after the cave collapse), [5] Katrina 's boots, [6] Zorab Ovsepyan 's costume, [7] Fabio Filotti 's costume, [8] a Son'a energy pistol holster and harness, [9] and a lot of Starfleet ration packs . [10]
• While the commercial soundtrack release for Insurrection featured more music than Jerry Goldsmith 's previous release, First Contact , much of the score was still left out. This inspired fans of Star Trek and movie music to compile a "bootleg" score featuring almost double the music as heard on the album. The "Complete" Star Trek: Insurrection score remains a heavily traded and sold score, though none of the proceeds went to Goldsmith.
• GNP Crescendo Records released an expanded version of the score in August of 2013, despite the Original Soundtrack that is still in production. This was meant to make the widely circulated bootleg obsolete. [11] Although this does contain every note heard in the film, the only track that is unique to the Original Soundtrack is "Children's Story" which is longer than the final film version.
• One of the pieces of classical music used in the film during the reception is incorrectly listed in the credits. The actual piece is String Quartet No. 17 in B-flat Major K. 458 "The Hunt" I: Allegro vivace assai by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• Not included in the credits was the piece played as Picard leaves the antechamber after speaking with the admiral, just before the scene transitions to the Son'a vessel in the Briar Patch. This piece is Violin Concerto in g-minor, RV 317 III: Allegro by Antonio Vivaldi.

Reviews and opinions [ ]

• Insurrection received mixed reviews from mainstream film critics. Reviewers Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were split in their response, one thumb down from Ebert, one thumb up from Siskel. Ebert wrote in his Chicago Sun Times review that he felt the movie's problem lay in its morality play, stating that he wasn't sure that six hundred Ba'ku lives weren't worth sacrificing to help billions of Federation citizens. Siskel, however, felt differently, and though he died not long after screening the film, his wife later told Michael Piller that it was the only Star Trek movie Gene Siskel truly enjoyed.
• Piller himself agreed that some of what he had set out to accomplish with Insurrection did not come to fruition, but stated in interviews that he felt it was a film that Gene Roddenberry would have appreciated.
• Jonathan Frakes, who directed this film, reportedly felt the script was weak and thus made for a less-than-perfect movie, despite his confidence as a director following the success of Star Trek: First Contact . ( Star Trek: Insurrection (DVD) )
• Director and actor Jonathan Frakes has somewhat equivocal feelings about different aspects of the film. In 2009, he recorded a new commentary with Marina Sirtis that was released on Blu-ray disc on September 22nd, 2009.
• The film was nominated for a Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation."

Box office performance [ ]

• Insurrection premiered on 11 December 1998 , number one at the box office. With a budget of around US$58,000,000, it opened on 2,620 screens at US$22,052,836, and went on to garner around US$119,000,000 worldwide. By comparison, First Contact , with a budget of US$45,000,000, opened at US$30,716,131 and grossed US$150,000,000 worldwide.
• The film was a success in Britain, being released on 1 January 1999 . It enjoyed a two week stint at the top of the UK box office and earned £7,429,398 overall. [12]
• Insurrection is ranked #10 out of the #12 Star Trek films according to Box Office Mojo, not adjusting for inflation. [13]

Deleted scenes [ ]

Quark on Ba'ku

• Both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actors Armin Shimerman and Max Grodénchik 's scenes were deleted. Grodénchik's appearance as a Trill can be seen in the deleted scenes on the DVD Special Edition. Armin Shimerman's appearance as Quark can be seen in the photo gallery of the DVD, however the scene itself has never been released. Quark would have been seen vacationing on the Ba'ku planet, having arrived there via the USS Ticonderoga .
• Shimerman commented " While I was doing DS9, Michael Piller was writing Insurrection . We would have dinner parties every now and then and he would say 'there's a scene for Quark'. At one dinner party, he would say I was in, and another he'd say I was out. Eventually he said that he had put in [Quark] in in the final version and I was in. Rick Berman called me at home and offered me the part a couple of days later. I pretended to not know anything because that's the Hollywood thing to do, and the next thing I knew I was shooting the movie ". ("Quark Express", Star Trek Magazine  issue 131 )
• In dialogue cut from the library scene, Riker and Troi delve deeper into the motivation of the Son'a (summarized as "wine, women, and song"), revealing that they had recently begun to suffer genetic difficulties that prevented them from procreating. This made their struggle to obtain the metaphasic particles less about vanity and more a struggle to continue their race. It also explained their need to use other races as slave labor.
• A different ending from the one seen in theaters was shot, but ultimately deemed too "soft". In the original ending, Picard managed to disable the collector but Ru'afo escaped into a small pod that was then ejected into the planet's rings. Ru'afo ultimately died when he was bombarded with metaphasic particles that caused him to age in reverse and eventually disappear all together. Although this scene was deleted, actor Phillip Glasser received credit on screen for his role as a younger version of Ru'afo during the scene.
• Data was supposed to respond after feeling Riker's freshly-shaven face that it was not, as Riker claimed, as smooth as an android's bottom but, according to Jonathan Frakes in the DVD commentary , Brent Spiner refused to say that line leading to Data just giving him a look and a grin. The line was included in the novelisation.
• See also Deleted scene

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek: Insurrection received the following awards and honors.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• Brent Spiner
• LeVar Burton
• Michael Dorn
• Gates McFadden
• Marina Sirtis
• F. Murray Abraham
• Donna Murphy
• Anthony Zerbe
• Junie Lowry-Johnson , CSA and Ron Surma
• Jerry Goldsmith
• Peter Lauritson
• Sanja Milkovic Hays
• Peter E. Berger , ACE
• Herman Zimmerman
• Matthew F. Leonetti , ASC
• Martin Hornstein
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Rick Berman & Michael Piller
• Michael Piller

Closing credits [ ]

• Gregg Henry
• Daniel Hugh Kelly
• Michael Welch as Artim
• Picard – Patrick Stewart
• Riker – Jonathan Frakes
• Data – Brent Spiner
• Geordi – LeVar Burton
• Worf – Michael Dorn
• Beverly – Gates McFadden
• Troi – Marina Sirtis
• Ru'afo – F. Murray Abraham
• Anij – Donna Murphy
• Dougherty – Anthony Zerbe
• Gallatin – Gregg Henry
• Sojef – Daniel Hugh Kelly
• Artim – Michael Welch
• Tournel – Mark Deakins
• Perim – Stephanie Niznik
• Lt. Daniels – Michael Horton
• Son'a Officer #1 – Bruce French
• Lt. Curtis – Breon Gorman
• Bolian Officer – John Hostetter
• Elloran Officer #1 – Rick Worthy
• Tarlac Officer – Larry Anderson
• Starfleet Officer – D. Elliot Woods
• Female Ensign – Jennifer Tung
• Son'a Doctor – Raye Birk
• Regent Cuzar – Peggy Miley
• Librarian – Lee Arnone-Briggs ( deleted scene )
• Son'a Officer #2 – Claudette Nevins
• Alien Ensign – Max Grodénchik ( deleted scene )
• Elloran Officer #2 – Greg Poland
• Ensign – Kenneth Lane Edwards
• Son'a Officer #3 – Joseph Ruskin
• Ba'ku Child – Zachary Williams
• Ba'ku Woman – McKenzie Westmore
• Young Ru'afo – Phillip Glasser ( deleted scene )
• Chris Antonucci
• Jane Austin (Stunt double for Gates McFadden )
• Brian Avery (Multiple stunt aliens / Tarlac soldier – deleted scene )
• Joni Avery (Stunt double for Marina Sirtis / Stunt Bak'u)
• Gary Baxley
• Hunter Baxley
• Richard L. Blackwell
• Steve Blalock
• Joey Box ( Son'a soldier – deleted scene )
• Eddie Braun ( Tarlac soldier – deleted scene )
• Tony Brubaker (Stunt double for Michael Dorn )
• Zane Cassidy
• Lauro Chartrand ( Son'a in cloaking suit )
• Eliza Coleman
• Scott Alan Cook
• Charlie Croughwell
• Joshua Croughwell
• Phil Culotta
• Mark DeAlessandro ( Son'a in cloaking suit )
• Mark Donaldson
• Chris Doyle
• Kiante Elam
• Eurlyne Epper-Woldman
• Corey Eubanks
• Tabby Hanson
• Chris Howell
• Jeffrey S. Jensen
• Steven Lambert
• Julius LeFlore
• Irving E. Lewis (Stunt double for LeVar Burton )
• Clint Lilley (Stunt double for Jonathan Frakes )
• Kurt Lott (Stunt rigger)
• Diana R. Lupo
• Eddie Mathews
• Buck McDancer
• Sonia Jo McDancer (Stunt double for Marina Sirtis )
• James Minor (Stunt double for Michael Dorn )
• John Nowak (Stunt double for Patrick Stewart )
• Chris O'Hara (Ratchet stunts)
• Spiro Razatos
• Denise Lynne Roberts
• Robby Robinson
• Dennis Scott (Stunt construction / Stunt safety)
• Michelle Sebek
• Paul Sklar (Stunt double for Patrick Stewart )
• Jeff Smolek
• Monica Staggs
• Warren A. Stevens ( Son'a in cloaking suit )
• Mark Wagner
• Jennifer Watson
• Gary Wayton
• Webster Whinery
• Brian J. Williams (Stunt double for Brent Spiner )
• Darlene Williams
• Eddie Yansik
• Marty Hornstein
• Jerry Fleck
• Rosemary Cremona
• John Grower
• Michael Westmore
• Robert Blackman
• Ron Wilkinson
• Michael Okuda
• Sharon Davis
• Nancy Mickelberry
• Christopher S. Nushawg
• Edwin Natividad
• David Luckenbach
• Stephen Ullman
• Brian Armstrong
• Mark Santoni
• Harry Zimmerman
• David Garden
• John Vetter
• Elliott Marks
• Wayne Tidwell
• Patrick R. Blymyer
• Patric J. Abaravich
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• Joe Brennan
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• Genieve Nash-Morgan
• James Rohland
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• Scott Wheeler
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• Yolanda Toussieng
• Lee Ann Brittenham
• Lumas Hamilton, Jr.
• Ellen Powell
• Garet Reilly
• Christi Work
• Amanda Chamberlain
• Dennis McCarthy
• Irene Stepic
• Debbie Travis
• Monica Haynes
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• Billy Parrish
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• Lance Larson
• Mike Hollowach
• James Hughlett
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• Gregory Jein
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• Denise Lynn Okuda
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• Doug Drexler
• Anthony Fredickson
• Kurt Hanson
• Dexter Delara
• Benjamin Betts
• Michael Shugrue
• Paul Miller
• Robert Gibson
• Jeff W. Canavan
• Tom Barrett
• Adam Hernandez
• James W. Wolvington
• Cameron Frankley
• Terri Fiyalko
• Michael Szakmeister
• Richard Corwin
• Susan Kurtz
• Jeffery R. Payne
• Robert Ulrich , MPSE
• Kerry Kean Williams
• Thomas Small
• Tammy Fearing
• Christopher Flick
• Michael McDonough
• Shaun Varney
• Roger Fearing
• Bill Baldwin
• Ron Meredith
• Ethan Holzman
• Jason England
• Paramount Pictures
• Dave McDonald
• Randy K. Singer
• Sarah Monat
• Robin Harlan
• Catherine Harper
• Barbara Harris
• Robert J. Litt
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• Jo Ann Kane Music Service
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• Darrell Hall
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• Tim L. Pearson
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• Penny Juday
• Maril Davis
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• Jackie Edwards
• Valerie Canamar
• Rob A. Kelly
• Bobbie Schwarcz
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• Thomas J. Arp
• Frank "Ferb" Leasure
• John Carroll
• Clete F. Cetrone
• Larry E. Clark
• Sam Mendoza
• Aaron Rockler
• Larry Clark
• David Harris
• James Diggs
• Sam "I Am" Arroyo
• Home on the Range Gala Catering
• Adria Later
• David Gibbs
• Glenn Smith
• Wayne Nelson
• Fulton Greg Gilson
• Kenneth Newland
• André Bormanis
• Gentle Jungle
• Carol Sonheim
• Steve Hanna
• Central Casting
• Cenex Casting

Second Unit [ ]

• Mark Oppenheimer
• John Leonetti
• Ivan "Bing" Sokolsky
• Mike Weathers
• Daryl Smith
• Larry Sweet
• Joel Bystrom
• Richard Elias
• Blue Sky/VIFX
• John Kilkenny
• Anthony "Max" Ivins
• Mark Rodahl
• Cheryl Budgett
• Edwin Rivera
• Caleb J. Howard
• David J. Stephens
• Lisa Goldberg
• Sara DeCesare
• John Heller
• Hyun Sean Lee
• Anthony Mabin
• Ceasar Romero
• Christopher D. Bergman
• Dennis Bennett
• Randy Brown
• Rafael F. Colón
• Gregory Elwood
• David Gutman
• Uel Hormann
• Gloria de los Santos-Geary
• Jennifer Ann Howard
• Christopher Ivins
• Garrett E. Lam
• James Do Young Lee
• Lisa L. Pollaro
• Jonathan B. Robinson
• Kevin Adunio Bertazzon
• Brian C. Davis
• Mark E.A. de Sousa
• Tomás Rosenfeldt
• Andy Gauvreau
• Geoff "Hoaf" Harvey
• Matthew Hausman
• Robert D. Thompson
• Ha Ngan Thi Roda
• Brian Samuels
• Michael La Fave
• David Santiago
• Todd Wilbur
• Bela Brozsek
• Rick Sander
• Jonathan Wood
• Tsz "Gee" Yeung
• Robert Rioux
• Alison Yerxa
• Meg Freeman
• Travis Price
• Jennifer Jung Kim
• David Palmer
• Robert Harders
• Marian Rudnyk
• Bill Schaeffer
• Zeke Morales
• Deborah Phillips
• Larry Williams
• Paul Johnson
• Carlyle Livingston
• Patrick Denver
• Gary George
• Nathan Eriksen
• David Petterson
• John Sanders
• Greg Kozikowski
• David Collier

Blue Sky/VIFX East [ ]

• Mitch Kopelman
• Doug Dooley
• Shaun Cusick
• Dave Walvoord
• Jesse Hollander
• Christopher Scollard
• Leslie Schor
• Richard Hollander
• Mark A. Brown
• Debora Giarratana
• Santa Barbara Studios
• Bruce Jones
• Richard Kriegler
• James Satoru Straus
• Ron Moreland
• Mark Wendell
• Diane Holland
• Scott Liedtka
• Michael Parks
• Kelly Wilcox
• Mark Fattibene
• Darren Lurie
• Lila Vesely
• Julie Jaros
• Virginia Bowman
• Andrew Harris
• David J. Witters
• Scott Kilburn
• Hudson Shock
• Lance Wilhoite
• Matt Rhodes
• Eric Saindon
• Daniel Hornick
• Stephanie McCann
• Dragisa Trifkovic
• Oliver Lloyd
• Peter Lloyd
• Alison Learned
• Michael Kaelin
• O'Connor FX
• The Chandler Group
• Hunter/Gratzner Industries, Inc.
• Kathi Samec
• Buckie Claborn
• Elisabeth Arko
• Janet Grower
• Sharon Wrinkle
• Fulcrum Studios LLC
• CIS Hollywood
• Pixar Animation Studios
• Alias/Wavefront Technologies
• Mark Sylvester
• Silicon Graphics, Inc.
• Wam!Net, Inc.
• POP Film and POP Animation
• David Sosalla
• Melissa Brockman
• Carl Seibert
• David Crawford
• Jennifer German
• Brian Hanable
• Lawrence Littleton
• Ken Littleton
• Brandon McNaughton
• Barry Robertson
• Greg Kimble
• Tommy Dorsett
• Serverine Kelley
• Theresa Repola Mohammed
• James Wright
• Phill Norman
• Pacific Title/Mirage Cinema Research Corporation
• GNP Crescendo Records, CDs and Cassettes
• Fourth Movement: Finale-Vivace
• By Franz J. Haydn
• Performed by Caspar da Salo Quartet
• Courtesy of Point Classics by arrangement with Source/Q
• Fourth Movement: Allegro Vivo Assai
• by Wolfgang A. Mozart
• by William S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan
• First Movement: Grave
• by Ludwig van Beethoven
• Performed by Jeno Jando , Piano
• Courtesy of Naxos of America by arrangement with Source/Q
• by Alan Silvestri
• Department of Agriculture , Inyo National Forest
• Mammoth Lakes Film Commission
• Santa Barbara Film Commission
• Playback Technologies
• Merri Howard
• Steve Oster
• Eastman Kodak Film
• Deluxe ®
• Panavision ®
• Al Ahlf as Tarlac officer
• Kirk Alexander as Ba'ku
• Son'a cloaked observer
• Tarlac officer
• Molly Berman as Ba'ku girl
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Rico Bueno as operations division officer
• Charlie as Tarlac nurse
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• Lorella Cuccarini as Ba'ku Starfleet observer
• Steven E. Daniels as security ensign
• Andrew DePalma as Starfleet officer
• Baxter Earp as Ba'ku
• Michele Edison as dabo girl ( deleted scene )
• Cori Ellis as Ba'ku
• Evan English as Ba'ku
• Fabio Filotti as Ba'ku
• Richard Givens as operations division ensign
• Clint Glenn as Ba'ku
• Penny Juday as Ba'ku
• John Jurgens as Ba'ku
• Katrina as Tarlac nurse
• Trey King as Son'a (deleted scene)
• Claudia La Grippe as Evora delegate
• Linda Li as violinist
• Marti Matulis as Ba'ku
• Michael McAdam as Son'a
• Amy Miller as dabo girl ( deleted scene )
• April Dawn Minney as Gallatin's mother
• Mark Muñoz as Evora delegate 2
• Mario Muñoz as Evora delegate 3
• Michael Muñoz as Evora delegate 4
• Meredith Murphy as Trill science officer
• Brita Nowak as Ba'ku
• Louis Ortiz as Tarlac officer
• Zorab Ovsepyan as Ba'ku
• Lee Poppie as Evora delegate
• Shepard Ross as Ba'ku Starfleet observer
• Wanda Roth as Starfleet lieutenant
• Brian Scheu as Artim's friend
• Armin Shimerman as Quark ( deleted scene )
• Larry Stachowiak as Bajoran Enterprise -E engineer
• Robert Stachowiak as Enterprise -E sciences officer
• Stuart Wong as Enterprise -E sciences officer
• Ba'ku Starfleet observer #3 and #5
• Elloran female
• Enterprise -E command, Vulcan
• Enterprise -E conn officer
• Enterprise -E operations, Vulcan
• Enterprise -E security away team officer
• Evora delegates 5 and 6
• Four Tarlac officers
• Tarlac nurse
• Perry Barndt – stunt double for F. Murray Abraham
• Charlie Brewer
• Ousaun Elam – stunt actor
• Brian Finn – stunt double
• Heather Ferguson
• Paula Wayton
• Vanessa Grayson – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Claudia La Grippe – stand-in for Michael Welch
• Sue Henley – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• James Minor – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• Carol-Ann Potorski – stand-in for Stephanie Niznik
• Keith Rayve – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes and F. Murray Abraham
• Paul Sklar – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Scott Somers – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Larry Stachowiak – stand-in for Michael Horton
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Tom Vicini – stand-in for Michael Welch
• Josephine Beaudin – Assistant Accountant (Reshoots)
• Brian Davis – Special Effects Artist: Matte Paintings 3D drone and Shuttle animation
• Keith Christensen – Concept Artist
• John Coniglio – Assistant Editor
• Gloria Delossantos – Special Effects Artist
• Edward J. Franklin – Special Effects Artist
• Rene Garcia – Visual Effects Artist ( Fulcrum Studios )
• Tom Griep – Miniatures: Special Effects Unit
• Cheryl Harris – Animal Trainer ( Llamas )
• Leigh-Alexandra Jacob &ndash Model Painter
• Jim Key – Model Maker/Illustrator ( Blue Sky/VIFX East )
• John Mann – Storyboard Artist
• Haley McLane – 2nd Unit Script Supervisor
• Ian O'Connor – FX Supervisor/Producer: Miniatures
• Benjamin Pezzillo – Set PA
• Kevin Pike – Visual Effects Pyrotechnician
• Will Richards – wall artwork creator and provider
• Olun Riley – Visual Effects Artist ( Blue Sky/VIFX East ): pre-production VFX artist for the drone attack sequence
• Lori Roberts – Accountant
• Ralph Sarabia – Set Painter
• James Thatcher – Musician: French Horn
• Alicia Tripi – Hair Stylist
• Natalie Wood – Make-up artist for Claudette Nevins
• Sarah Ziff – Choreographer
• Cogswell Video Services, Inc. – Video Assist Company
• HMS Creative Productions, Inc. – Prop Company
• Professional VisionCare Associates – Contact Lens company
• Viewpoint DataLabs International, Inc. – 2D/3D Visual Effects Company

References [ ]

19th century ; ahdar ; ally ; anteroom ; archaeological expedition ; artificial lifeform ; assault team ; attaché ; attracted ; autosequencer ; Bajorans ; Ba'ku ; Ba'ku planet ; Ba'ku village ; balsamic vinaigrette ; bath tub ; Beethoven, Ludwig van ; binoculars ; biosignature ; body enhancement facility ; bosom ; Br'er Rabbit ; Briar Patch ; bridge ; brow ; " British Tar, A "; brush fire ; calcite ; captain's yacht ; Cardassian ; centimeter ; cheek ; chef ( Enterprise -E chef ); childhood ; chrysanthemum ; cloaking device ; collision course ; composer ; computer-driven image ; Concerto for Two Violins ; confined to quarters ; court martial ; coward ; dam ; day of lightning ; debriefing ; Deep Space 9 ; DNA profile ; docking clamp ; Dominion ; duck blind ; edaphology team ( edaphology ); elders ; Ellora ; emergency power ; emotion chip ; Enterprise -E, USS ; Enterprise -E shuttlecraft ; ETA ; ethical subroutine ; European Space Agency ; Evora ; Evora homeworld ; explorer ; fail-safe ; Federation Council ; Federation Diplomatic Corps ; Federation holoship ; Federation mission scoutship ; field unit ; floral arrangement ; flotation device ; forced relocation ; Gal'na ; generation ; Gilbert and Sullivan ; Gilles ; gold-pressed latinum ; gorch ; Goren system ; hair ; Hanoran II ; heart ; Henchman ; Henry VI, Part II ; high orbit ; HMS Pinafore ; hologram ; holographic projection ; inertial damper ; infertility ; interlink ; isolation suit ; isolinear tag ; isolytic burst ; isomagnetic disintegrator ; isomagnetic disruptor rifle ; Jak'tahla ; kelbonite ; ketracel-white ; Khitomer Accords ; Klingon ; Kolar beast ; lake ; leader ; long-range transporter ; machine ; madman ; " Make Over Mambo "; mambo ; manifold ; manual steering column ; Manzar colony ; McCauley ; Measure for Measure ; medical tricorder ; medscan ; metaphasic radiation ; meter ; metreon gas ; metric ton ; midlife crisis ; monsoon season ; moral subroutine ; narcissism ; NCC-75227 ; NGC ; NGC 2812 ; Nel Bato Conference ; neutrino ; nitrogen ; nomadic acquisition ; number one ; offlander ; opinion poll ; oversleeping ; oxygen ; paperwork ; parricide ; personification ; petroleum ; petty thugs ; phase variance ; physiometric data ; Piano Sonata Number 8 ; Picard, Yvette ; pimple ; positronic matrix ; Prime Directive ; primitive race ; puberty ; QSR ; QSR 390021 ; raft ; razor ; rehearsal ; relocation ; Riker Maneuver ; Romulans ; Romulan history ; Romulan Star Empire ; Ro'tin ; Ru'afo's flagship ; sanction ; sanctuary ; Saturn V ; Sector 441 ; Second Khitomer Accords ; shield generator ; " sidelines "; SNC ; SNC 461206 ; SNR ; SNR 093120 ; sociobiology ; Son'a ; Son'a battle cruiser ; Son'a collector ; Son'a Command ; Son'a drones ; Son'a uniform ; string quartet ; String Quartet Number 5 ; String Quartet Number 17 ; subahdar ; subspace weapon ; subspace technology ; survey team ; support craft ; Tarlac ; tachyon ; technological ability ; territorial dispute ; tetryon ; tetryon pulse launcher ; thermionic transconductance ; thermolytic reaction ; thermolytic radiation ; ton ; torque sensor ; transport grid ; transport inhibitor ; transporter ; transporter lock ; Treaty of Alliance ; Type 11 shuttlecraft ; UFC ; UFC 8177 ; UFC 9364 ; universal greeting ; vegetarian ; vein ; village ; warp drive ; water landing ; zipper

Unreferenced material [ ]

" Bartisi Social Protocol "; Belath'nin ; casino ; chromodynamic shield ; democracy ; election ; Federation Sociological Database ; Magellan , USS ; Nagus ; Richter's scale of cultures ; ruling caste ; semifeudal democracy ; spa ; Ticonderoga , USS ; timeshare ; working caste

Sources [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.), Larry Nemecek , Pocket Books , 2003 .
• The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection , Terry J. Erdmann , Pocket Books, 1998 .
• Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Edition) DVD , Michael and Denise Okuda , text commentary .

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: Insurrection at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek: Insurrection at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: Insurrection at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: Insurrection at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: Insurrection script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Patrick Stewart's Star Trek Romance With Donna Murphy Was Butchered In The Editing Room

Throughout "Star Trek," Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) has engaged in precious few romances. Early in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he reunited with an old flame (Michelle Phillips) in the episode "We'll Always Have Paris," and it was implied that he had a fling years earlier with a lawyer (Amanda McBroom) in "The Measure of a Man," but those relationships concluded before "Next Generation" began. Of course, Picard had a wild dalliance with Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) in "Captain's Holiday," lived out a life with his imagined wife (Margot Rose) in "The Inner Light," had a time-travel fling with a classmate (J.C. Brandy) in "Tapestry," and had a very palpable romance with Lieutenant Commander Nella Darren (Wendy Hughes) in "Lessons." 

Oh yes, and Picard was very clearly attracted to Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), and throughout "Next Generation," Picard and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) shared a professional regard through a definite romantic undercurrent. "Star Trek: Picard" also saw romantic implications from Picard's Romulan housekeeper Laris (Orla Bardy). 

Okay, it seems that Picard actually had quite an active romantic life throughout "Star Trek." He was presented as stoic and spartan when it came to romance, but in practice, he fell in love frequently.

 This was a tradition that continued into the 1998 film "Star Trek: Insurrection," wherein Picard developed a crush on a Ba'ku farmer named Anij (Donna Murphy). In the oral history book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams," edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, the makers of "Insurrection" noted that the romance was intended to play a much larger part of the movie. It was, sadly, eventually cut for time. 

The immortal Donna Murphy

"Star Trek: Insurrection" saw the U.S.S. Enterprise-E traveling to the very remote Ba'ku homeworld, a planet surrounded by radioactive rings that, through a quirk of science, regenerated the cells of living beings. The rings cure them of diseases and keep them young for centuries. Anij looks like a 39-year-old human woman but was in fact over 300. Picard and his crew have to defy orders to stop a shady, plastic surgery-addicted species called the Son'a (led by F. Murray Abraham ) from stealing the Ba'ku radiation from themselves. The Son'a plan would involve the forced relocation of the Ba'ku citizens, who live a gentle, tech-free, agrarian lifestyle.

Picard, naturally, feels that a forced relocation is too barbaric a trade-off, and stages an insurrection. He sides with the Ba'ku after spending a romantic night with Anij who explains the attractiveness of a slow, uneventful, meditative life. She reveals tantalizingly that she never gets to see bald men on a planet of unaging immortals, while Picard admits he's attracted to older women. 

Story writer and producer Rick Berman recalled that in early drafts of "Insurrection," there were actual on-screen kisses. He said: 

"There was a little romance cut out of the final film: a couple of kisses. And there were some heated debates as to whether the kisses were in the right place. Those who were against the kisses were against them primarily because the first one was during an altered reality sequence where the water slows down and the hummingbird slows down. There were those among us who believed that we were right in the middle of this exodus, there was a lot of action going on, and for those two characters to start making out seemed to not necessarily be appropriate at that moment." 

The slowed-down moment

Rick Berman refers to a sequence where Anij explains that the Ba'ku not only meditate but that they can seemingly slow time, allowing them to see a hummingbird flap its wings slowly, and for water to stop flowing temporarily. The sequence, however, did come when Ba'ku citizens were being evacuated from their village, and when Picard and Anij merely took a little side trek together. While a kiss could certainly have happened at that moment, it seems many fought against it. 

Sadly, that first kiss was intended to be a setup kiss for a second kiss at the end of the movie. When Picard and Anij part ways at the end of the film, Picard mentions that he has some vacation days he can cash in at work, and he'll happily come back and make out with Anij to their hearts' content. With the first kiss missing, sadly, the second became mawkish. Berman said: 

"The second kiss took place at the very end of the movie right when Picard says, 'I've got 318 days of shore leave coming,' but without the first kiss, the second kiss seemed very odd and out of place. There were a lot of discussions with the studio people and the final decision ended up being to take them out. It would not have made all that much of a difference one way or the other, and I don't think that the kisses would have done any damage to the story. Nor do I think their absence was all that missed." 

I suppose if their absence wasn't missed, then cutting the kisses wasn't a terrible loss. The actors, however, wished they had been left in. 

What's wrong with a kiss, my boy?

Murphy noted that the "slowed time" sequence was about a new kind of sense input for Picard, including a definite sensual element. For her, kissing Stewart in the scene was logical, and the two actors filmed it. Murphy was shocked to learn that both the slowed-time kiss and the end-of-the-movie kiss had been edited out. She remembered: 

"I initially had a negative response to that, because you shape performance thinking that there are certain pieces of the puzzle that are a given, and if you take those pieces out you might have chosen to shape the performance differently if you knew that those pieces were not going to be there. Patrick and I played that relationship as if there was an intimacy that had taken place at a certain point. I was told it was a studio decision that the kisses were not necessary." 

It does indeed feel like something is missing from "Insurrection."

Stewart, meanwhile, was annoyed that his kisses with Murphy were cut because it wasn't the first time it had happened. In the 1996 film "Star Trek: First Contact," Stewart kissed his co-star Alfre Woodard on the cheek, and that too was cut. Stewart began to suspect he was the weak link in both cases. He said: 

"There must be something they don't like about my kissing. It's the oddest thing. With the kiss with Alfre, it was on the cheek, but they took it out. So when it came to Donna and something a little more intense ... it's gone and it's very irritating." 

One can find more pictures online of Stewart kissing Sir Ian McKellan than any of his female co-stars. 

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, star trek: insurrection.

Now streaming on:

A funny thing happened to me on the way to writing this review of "Star Trek: Insurrection"--I discovered that several of the key filmmakers disagree with the film's plot premise. Maybe that's why this ninth " Star Trek " saga seems inert and unconvincing.

Here's the premise: In a region of space known as the Briar Patch, an idyllic planet is home to a race known as the Ba'ku. They are members of a placid agricultural commune, tilling the neat rows of their fields, and then returning to a city whose neo-Greco-Roman architecture looks uncannily like the shopping mall at Caesar's Palace. The Ba'ku are a blissful people, and no wonder: They have the secret of immortality. The "metaphasic radiation" generated by the planet's rings acts like a fountain of youth on their planet.

The planet and the Ba'ku are currently the subject of a cultural survey team, which looks down on them from something like a stadium press box, but remains invisible. Then Data ( Brent Spiner ), the android, goes berserk and makes hostages of the survey team. The Enterprise speeds to the scene, so that Capt. Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) can deal with the crisis. The plot thickens when it is revealed that the Son'a race, which is also part of the Federation, was once allied with the Ba'ku. But the Son'a choose a different path and are now dying out--most visibly in the scrofulous countenance of their leader Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham).

The Son'a want the Ba'ku kidnapped and forcibly ejected from their planet. There are, after all, only 600 of them. Why should their little nature preserve be more important than the health and longevity of the Son'a and billions of other Federation citizens? Picard counters with the Federation's Prime Directive, which instructs that the natural development of any civilization must not be interfered with.

The plot of "Star Trek: Insurrection" deals with the conflict between the desperate Son'a and the blissful Ba'ku and is further complicated when Picard falls in love with the beautiful Ba'ku woman Anij ( Donna Murphy ). "You explore the universe," she tells him, "but have you ever explored a single moment in time?" (Picard is so lovestruck he forgets that his answer would be "yes!") Further complications result when the metaphasic radiation leaks into the Enterprise and inspires Riker and Troi to start acting like horny teenagers.

As the best minds in the Federation wrestled with the ethical questions involved, I was also asking questions. Such as, aren't the Ba'ku basically just living in a gated community? Since this Eden-like planet has only 600 inhabitants, why couldn't they use the planet as a spa, circling inside those metaphasic rings and bathing in the radiation, which is probably faster-acting in space than down on the surface? After all, we're not talking magic here, are we? Above these practical questions looms a larger philosophical one. Wouldn't it be right to sacrifice the lifestyles of 600 Ba'ku in order to save billions? "I think maybe I would," said Jonathan Frakes , the film's director and co-star, when I asked him that question after the movie's press screening.

"You've got to be flexible," Stewart said. "If it had been left in the hands of Picard, some solution could have been found." "Absolutely!" Spiner said. "I think I raised that question more than once." "I had to be very narrowminded to serve the character," Murphy confessed.

I agree. Our own civilization routinely kills legions of people in wars large and small, for reasons of ideology, territory, religion or geography. Would we contemplate removing 600 people from their native environment to grant immortality to everyone alive? In a flash. It would be difficult, indeed, to fashion a philosophical objection to such a move, which would result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

But what about the rights of the Ba'ku? Shouldn't they volunteer to help us all out? Especially since they need not die themselves? The plot of "Star Trek: Insurrection" grinds through the usual conversations and crises, as the evil Ru'afo and his men carry forward their insidious plans, and Picard discovers that the Federation itself may be willing to play fast and loose with the Prime Directive. That's not exactly new; in the previous eight movies, there have in fact been many shots fired in anger at members of races who perhaps should have been left alone to "develop naturally"--presumably even if such development involves aggression and hostility. The overriding principle, let's face it, has been the Federation's own survival and best interests. So why not allow the Son'a the same ethnocentric behavior? The movie is a work of fantasy and these questions are not important unless they influence the film's entertainment value. Unfortunately, they do.

There is a certain lackluster feeling to the way the key characters debate the issues, and perhaps that reflects the suspicion of the filmmakers that they have hitched their wagon to the wrong cause. The movie is shorter than the usual "Star Trek" saga, at 103 minutes, as if the central issue could not bear scrutiny at the usual length. Think how much more interesting it would have been if the Ba'ku had joined an interracial experiment to share immortality. What would happen if everyone in the Federation could live forever? Think how many more sequels there'd be.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Rated PG For Sci-Fi Action Violence, Mild Language and Sensuality

103 minutes

Jonathan Frakes as Riker

F. Murray Abraham as Ru'Afo

Patrick Stewart as Picard

Brent Spiner as Data

Marina Sirtis as Troi

Anthony Zerbe as Adm. Dougherty

Donna Murphy as Anij

Gates McFadden as Crusher

LeVar Burton as Laforge

Michael Dorn as Worf

• Rich Berman
• Michael Piller

Directed by

• Jonathan Frakes

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Star Trek: Insurrection and the aging process onscreen

Entertainment Geekly's 'Star Trek' series goes to utopia.

The best book ever written about screenwriting in the 20th century is William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade . Goldman is a two-time Oscar winner, a bestselling novelist, a bestselling memoirist — “the guy who invented Inigo Montoya” if you want to impress millennials. With Adventures in the Screen Trade , he offers a panoramic vision of Hollywood, from the Golden Age through his career across the ’70s and very early ’80s. Tales from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , All the President’s Men , The Right Stuff , A Bridge Too Far , and other fine movies.

The book was, at one time, the most visceral and realistic portrait of the creative process in Hollywood. Now it is a remnant from a long-lost world, as fascinating and cosmic and revealing yet ultimately unfamiliar to us as the secret diary of a Pyramid architect. In a typical aside from Adventures in the Screen Trade , Goldman says: “Right now — today — comic-book pictures are only breeding more comic-book pictures, something that has never happened to this extent before.” His definition of “comic-book picture” includes The Thing , The Deer Hunter , and The Wrath of Khan . Times change, sometimes for the worse. Horror films, terrible war movies, and space-submarine screamfights all get respectable, if they last long enough.

“Eighteen years ago, William Goldman’s book Adventures in the Screen Trade taught me how to be a writer.” That’s the first line of the best book ever written about screenwriting in the 21st century. The book is apparently titled Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft — The Writing of Star Trek: Insurrection , which is still a better title than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . Who knows if that is the actual title; Fade In was never officially published by anyone. The “book” was written by Michael Piller, one of the true grandees of the ’90s Trek Renaissance. He was variously showrunner for Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and Voyager. His open-door script policy launched careers. In a typical aside from Fade In , Piller casually recalls that one time he discovered Ronald D. Moore.

Piller started working on the screenplay for the ninth Star Trek film in March, 1997. Here is where we could say: Star Trek had never been healthier. First Contact did solid numbers, satisfied the fandom but broke out beyond it. Deep Space Nine had cult acclaim; Voyager was UPN, when UPN was a grand future and not an overlooked past. Before “cinematic universe” was a phrase mouthed by every executive business-bot on every quarterly earnings call, Piller had to phone the showrunner of Deep Space Nine to figure out how to safely stitch Worf’s continuity between the TV show and the movie.

But here we could also say: March 1997 was the beginning of the end for Star Trek ’s Silver Age. Deep Space Nine and Voyager weren’t doing Next Generation numbers. First Contact couldn’t get past $100 million domestically, couldn’t outgross the movie with the whales. You can feel some of this anxiety, actually, in dialogue spoken midway through Insurrection :

Look in the mirror, Admiral. The Federation is old. In the past 24 months, they’ve been challenged by every major power in the Quadrant. The Borg, the Cardassians, the Dominion. They all smell the scent of death on the Federation.

“They all smell the scent of death.” The guy saying that line is a vision of time ravaging across a body. Well over a hundred years old, the man’s skin has been Brazil ‘d backwards across his skull, awful plastic surgery in a society grown so grotesque that to be “attractive” synonyms for “only slightly horribly deformed.” The makeup on F. Murray Abraham isn’t convincing — you’re constantly aware that he’s a handsome man wearing face mulch — but maybe that’s the point. At one point his character — “Ru’Olfo” — screams at Picard. His forehead cracks open, spilling blood. Here’s something you can’t build in a computer: A completely unrealistic effect that is nevertheless real , with all the tactile physicality of a cheap carnival haunted-house ride.

Michael died too young in 2005. Fade In is his lost masterwork, though it’s only “lost” if you aren’t looking. It was apparently planned as a behind-the-scenes tie-in to Insurrection ’s release. The studio never published it — a fact that leads you to believe that Fade In is a dishy gossip-hound takedown of the Trek machinery. Nothing could be further from the truth — Piller has generous words for producers, studio execs, actors, directors. All of these people, Piller insists, had the best intentions. And somehow, their best intentions made Insurrection terrible. Maybe that’s why Fade In never got published. No one in Hollywood wants you to know when they screw up a movie. But here is a book that follows, in minute and almost weekly detail, how a large group of talented and experienced people doing their jobs to the best of their ability still couldn’t make an even halfway decent movie.

Now, I’m loathe to quote too much from Fade In , since the book’s legality is suspect. (I should point out that if Fade In is entirely fictional, it is the most brilliantly and minutely realized fictional portrayals of the Hollywood process, right down to the flood of memos and the budgetary constraints on llamas.) A few years back, Sandra Piller was talking about giving it an official release. I would buy the hell out of that. But what executive is racing to publish a behind-the-scenes tell-some about one of the least beloved and barely remembered Star Trek movies? Especially at this juncture in history, when two major publicly traded corporations are — separately, desperately — trying to relaunch Trek as a going concern across film and television?

But Fade In is out there, if you’re looking for it. And it is, I think, the first essential book about screenwriting in the new century, a snapshot of Hollywood at the dawn of the franchise era: A portrait of the artist amidst corporate necessity, narrative continuity, the perceived requirements of fandom, the hazy way that actors in iconic roles can know everything yet nothing about their own characters, the urge to change , the simultaneous urge to not change too much . Piller writes how he wanted this ninth Star Trek movie to recapture the spirit of Next Generation , to show how the Enterprise crew as deep-down a family. Piller writes:

During seven years of the television show, Picard had emerged as a man of great principle and moral integrity. He solved problems with his intellect and communication skills and would never fire weapons unless fired upon. This side of him had not been explored in the other two feature films.

I sort of love this idea? I sort of agree? Generations and First Contact both landed on the idea that Picard needed to finalize into a man of action, needed to battle Malcolm McDowell across a rocky missile ledge, needed to carry big laser rifles before dangling above acid mist wearing John McClane’s Die Hard tank-top. Surely there was a way to make a film with Picard the thinker, Picard the outwitter, Picard the clever? But someone disagrees with me, disagreed with Piller. One of the leading Picard experts, actually: Patrick Stewart, who allegedly writes a long and thoughtful (and often quite funny) memo back to Piller declaring that these TNG movies needed to be different from TNG , that the emotions and action needed to be bigger, that too much sentimentality leads to heroes around a campfire singing “Row Row Row Your Boat.”

One last key quote from Fade In , a book that should be published everywhere, though for the purposes of this column I should add I only read it accidentally while attempting to download something else. Piller discusses — in lovely and thoughtful and witty detail — the very specific manner in which he conceived ideas. Piller had just been hired for the Trek movie assignment, and in these early stages, he was also taking a meeting with some network or other, pitching a TV show about life in the 1950s. The network rejected the pitch — apparently because a period-piece show wouldn’t play well for the youth demographic.

I was in front of the bathroom mirror cursing to myself about the network’s youth obsession as I sprayed Rogaine on my bald spot when my mind made an unexpected jump to the Star Trek assignment.

We’re obsessed with youth, I thought. Looking young, feeling young, selling to the young. When was the last time anybody did a fountain of youth story? I couldn’t remember. And I smiled.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

Michael Piller was 49 when he started writing the movie that would become Insurrection , just a little older than William Shatner in The Motion Picture . Patrick Stewart was 58 when Insurrection hit theaters, the same age Shatner shot his autohagiographical magnum opus . Gene Roddenberry was only 45 when Star Trek launched, but he was a 45-year-old raised before they invented teenagers and twentysomethings. Forty-five in 1966 meant memories of Depression and of war. (Roddenberry had a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal; he survived three plane crashes before he turned 26.)

Something to consider, maybe: Was Star Trek always supposed to feel a little old? I don’t mean “archaic,” although so much of Trek looks archaic now, and the phone you’re reading this on can accomplish greater technological wonders than any Enterprise console. But is Star Trek supposed to be about people of a certain age? Let’s say “over 35,” just old enough to have regrets and long-lost friends and whole forgotten periods of their lives — the sort of stuff that could plot-engine an episode about brain bugs or time travel.

To be “old” is the subject of Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country (and, in fairness, Generations ). The Voyage Home is the most lighthearted Trek film, but it’s an environmentalist vision, and environmentalism demands a certain nostalgia for how things used to be, combined with fervent optimism that things won’t just keep getting worse. The mere fact of Picard’s baldness would’ve coded him as “older” even without Stewart’s imperial bearing — and some of the finest Next Generation episodes deploy Picard in melancholic-ruminative mode, like Old Picard in “All Good Things,” or Old Picard in “The Inner Light,” or dying Picard looking backward to his younger days in “Tapestry.”

This is not to indicate, by any means, that Star Trek should only be watched by people of a certain age, or that Trek ’s themes are somehow “mature.” I started enjoying Star Trek before I even had the capacity to remember the first time I saw Star Trek — and maybe you would counter-argue that a saga of spaceship captains shooting lasers at frowning aliens is specifically intended for a younger demographic. (Although the “this stuff is for kids” argument made more sense before adults read Young Adult novels and watched TV shows for dragons.)

Every new iteration of Star Trek tries, in some ways, to age the franchise downwards. The original Trek added Chekov, with baby-faced Walter Koenig and his Monkees moptop. Next Generation wedged in Wesley. Voyager had Tom Paris, a proto-Chris-Pine-as-Kirk with a history of badass-renegade activity. For two decades, there was talk about a Starfleet Academy movie — the end result of which we’ll get to in two weeks.

It’s not insidious, to chase after the youth demographic. But it is worth pointing out that when Star Trek debuted, nobody really thought of “the youth demographic” the way we do now. Adults went to movies; it was assumed that adults decided what money went to what movies. That started to change not long after Trek debuted, and then it really changed right before The Motion Picture . Hollywood cinema has infantilized from there — generally, not completely, but steadily. This infantilization played out in myriad complex ways. Movies got dumber, bigger, better looking. Action scenes got cooler, but less believable. Star Trek movies got bigger laser guns, stopped quoting Shakespeare.

Actually, it’s tricky to even use a word like “infantilization.” Some of the dumbest action movies of the 1980s are now (rightly) considered classics. Some of the action heroes of the 1980s have found a second life doing the same stuff they did 30 years ago, with quotemarks implied. What does it mean to age, in the age of The Expendables ? Does anyone have to grow up?

The short answer is “No,” and the long answer is “Probably, but not if you’re rich and famous. What’s undeniable is that the Star Trek film about the fountain of youth feels, unsteadily, like a whole franchise grasping towards youthfulness — and “Coolness,” youth’s curse. It is like watching a whole franchise get plastic surgery, like you can see the very skin of Star Trek has stretching to its breaking point.

Oh, look: Boobs! Did I mention that this is also the first Star Trek movie where someone says “boobs”? It’s in the film’s Bechdel scene, when Troi and Crusher have a profound conversation about the effects of metaphasic radiation on the physiology of humanoid females:

Troi: And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up?

Crusher: Not that we care about such things in this day and age.

The Enterprise crew has arrived on a mysterious planet, populated by a mysterious race called the Ba’Ku. The film opens with an extended shot of their village, which has the faintly Greco-Asiatic style of Planet Naboo in The Phantom Menace . Actually, Wikipedia informs me that the architectural design combined Thai, Balinese, and Polynesian styles. Noticeably absent from the village: Anyone who looks Thai, Balinese, Polynesian, anything but lilywhite.

The Ba’Ku village was created in Lake Sherwood, one of those beautiful and remote California locations perfect for rehab resorts or New Age cults or yoga retreats. The Ba’Ku suggest all three, and worse. An advanced spacefaring race, they have given up technology the way rockstars give up booze, making them serene and thoughtful and healthy and boring. They live in the kind of utopia that simultaneously resembles Jeffersonian pastoralism and a Phish summer camp. They dress like burlap and probably eat their own smug smiles for breakfast.

The Enterprise has arrived here on a provocative mission. Data has gone mad, or gone native: Sent to the planet with a Starfleet team, he started firing phasers at the good guys and stole a spaceship. In Fade In , Piller explores how this arc originated out of the notion of doing a Star Trek version of Heart of Darkness — and at various points, Data was supposed to die. (Don’t worry: Death was never fatal.) But Insurrection can only commit to a bold idea for so long — and soon Data’s back with the good guys.

Not long after Data swims with the cute fishes, he boards a double-canoe with Picard so they can go to the middle of the lake. I can’t quite get over the cosmic irony of this shot. If we trust Fade In , Stewart was savvy enough to know that he didn’t want this movie to become The Final Frontier — and yet, here he is, at the same old-folks Trek summer camp where Shatner climbed Half-Dome. (And Shatner, god help him, never got within spitting distance of a freaking double-canoe .)

Much of the movie focuses on Picard’s sexless love affair with a local Ba’Ku woman, whose unpronounceable name is “Anij.” Anij dresses in drapes and pilgrim saris and spends most of the movie telling Picard to “live in the moment,” like so many annoying people who left religion but found Lululemon.

Their love affair begins one night when Picard walks into his quarters. He asks the computer to play something Latin: “Mambo.”

Picard can sense something is wrong. He looks at himself in the mirror, and can’t quite recognize the man he sees there. So he goes to Anij, and demands to know the hilarious truth: “How old are you?”

She tells him THE SECRET OF THE BA’KU, who cares. This planet has curious powers. It makes the Ba’Ku basically immortal: Anij herself is over 300 years old. (Actress Donna Murphy is 19 years younger than Stewart, and maybe there’s a sad joke here that Hollywood really would consider her ancient next to Stewart.) And it has strange, vaguely youth-ening effects on any visitor. Like Worf, who gets a zit.

Or Riker, who pops into Troi’s room with a spring in his step and playfully demands some smooches.

Or Troi, who agrees to the smooches only after Riker agrees to an old-fashioned candle-lit champagne shave-bath, the sort of thing hip youngsters have always demanded in the midst of their lovemaking.

I want to say that the loss of Riker’s Beard is further evidence that Insurrection is youth-besotted. That beard arguably defined Riker’s whole state of being, and symbolized how Next Generation got better as it steadily defined its characters eccentricities; taking that beard away is also, somehow, an act of taking all that history away. (No coincidence that Riker shaves his beard while rekindling a long-ago romance with Troi: Turns out you can go home again.)

But truthfully, all this silly stuff is the very best part of this terribly silly movie. The Troi-Riker stuff is loopy, but Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis are clearly having a ball. (Supposedly, the performers filmed that scene all-the-way naked; you do weird things when you’re bored, and so much of Insurrection is so boring.) The best sequence in the whole movie is Picard — mid space-chase — distracting a rampant half-insane Data with a Worf-assisted singalong to Gilbert & Sullivan.

Now, maybe that scene strikes you as helplessly goofy. Maybe you think Star Trek should be cooler, hip, less Gilbert & Sullivan, more Beastie Boys. Maybe you react to that scene the way Worf does.

You’re not alone. The movie itself resists all of its own lighthearted instincts. Picard discovers that there’s a nefarious plot to relocate the Ba’Ku, and to claim the magical mystery fountain-of-youth powers of the planet. This plot has been approved by the Federation — making Insurrection the middle chapter of the Paranoid Trilogy alongside The Undiscovered Country and Into Darkness . This leads Picard to resign his commission and put on a sweet leather jacket, the uniform of cool guys in the ’50s and guys in their 50s desperate to look cool.

This also leads to copious scenes where the Enterprise crew shoots drones with laser rifles. At one point, Worf fires a laser bazooka. If they only they had the budget for a laser chaingun, or a laser AK-47, or a laser Lancer with a laser chainsaw!

Part of the fun of reading Fade In is that, by exploring the film’s creation in such minute detail — complete with copious drafts and heavily-debated plot points — Piller seems to invite you to discover where, precisely, it all went wrong. In my opinion, it all started right from the beginning, when Piller and producer Rick Berman decided that they wanted to give the Next Generation cast their own Voyage Home . “Not a single weapon was fired in that film,” recalls Piller, quite lovingly. But then he suddenly pivots: “ Times have changed and we knew there’d have to be weapons fired in the new movie. But Rick wanted a story closer in spirit to the whale movie and that was fine with me.”

Bold text mine, because that statement is fascinating. Not fascinating because Piller is wrong. In fact, that is the constant conventional wisdom you always hear, in a crowd of people who care about this kind of thing, when you discuss The Voyage Home . Before 2009, Voyage Home was the highest-grossing Star Trek movie ever. If you adjust for inflation, Voyage Home actually made more domestically than Star Trek Into Darkness . Maybe that’s a goofy statistic — so did The Motion Picture , and Into Darkness made much more abroad — but maybe you could also factor in that, adjusted for inflation, The Voyage Home cost $140 million less than Into Darkness . (You save a lot of money when you don’t fire any weapons.)

And yet, the idea of creating a Star Trek movie without violence long ago went out the window and never flew back in. Maybe this comes down to the finances of Hollywood in the globalization age, with visuals that need to play in Peoria and Puyang. Maybe it’s the surprisingly long tail of influence of the ’80s action genre. Not long after Insurrection , the modern action movie was created by The Matrix and The Bourne Identity , movies where seemingly “normal” guys suddenly know kung fu and parkour.

All this is to say: This is another movie that puts Jean-Luc Picard in a sweaty T-shirt, and it doesn’t matter how great Stewart’s arms look (really great), what matters is that this is a movie that somehow wants to capture the spirit of a light whimsical character comedy but also add in lots of explosions and guns and space battles.

There’s a way to do that. Edgar Wright lives in this genre; so does Abrams, though the seams always show when he tries to get serious. Marvel Studios will get there, though they need funnier characters and better directors. Insurrection doesn’t get there, not even close. This is another Next Generation movie where the weird-looking freaks are weird and evil. F. Murray Abraham tries to preen and he tries to scream, but the film barely makes room for him. Too bad, too: His Captain’s Chair sofa is the most subtle effect in the movie, a throne so large that it makes Ru’Afo look like a petulant child.

Insurrection is sentimental, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s the sort of wish-fulfillment FanFiction that gives Geordi his sight back, as if blindness was somehow Geordi’s “problem” and not a potentially profound character trait.

It’s lovely to see LeVar Burton’s eyes, staring peacefully into the sunrise. You almost forget that the Enterprise ’s whole heroic action in this movie is to prevent the Federation from stealing all that metaphasic radiation. Which means that the Enterprise ’s message to the Federation is, basically: “We can have the benefits of this utopia, because we discovered them accidentally. But you can’t have those benefits, because that would be wrong.” (That’s a classic California liberal paradox, actually, the sort of reasoning conceived by people who fundamentally want everyone to live comfortably but would secretly prefer that most people live comfortably someplace else.)

“Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?” Picard says that at the start of Insurrection . I believe the movie means that line to be ironic and sincere. Insurrection wants you to giggle at the self-awareness, but also wants to explore again. You think of Tennyson’s Ulysses, old and tired of the happy life at home, setting out for one more adventure, maybe just leaving so he can die at sea. Nicholas Meyer definitely would’ve thought of Tennyson. But Insurrection is an old man’s movie desperately struggling to reclaim some lost youth, some semblance of cool.

“Tis not too late to seek a newer world,” says Ulysses in the poem, his tone of voice suggesting that perhaps he secretly knows it is too late. “Lock and load,” says Data in Insurrection , his tone of voice suggesting that everyone agreed that Star Trek needed optimism and whimsy and fun, but what it really desperately needed was way more guns.

FASHION CHECK-IN

Insurrection is almost forgotten in the Trek canon, which is arguably worse than being actively loathed like FInal Frontier and Nemesis and Into Darkness . Which means that, until I rewatched Insurrection this week, for the first time since it was in theaters, I had forgotten all about the first scene on the Enterprise . The Enterprise is throwing a party for some alien species or other, a ceremonial event requiring ceremonial attire.

The outfit takes the rough structure of the later Deep Space Nine -era grayscale attire, but mixes it together with the naval formality of my beloved Wrath of Khan redscale foldover-jacket turtlenecks. Actually, the Insurrection uniform goes Full Navy with the dress whites — and then goes Full Royal with the golden trim. And we’re talking blinding white – none of the lame beige of The Motion Picture or fudgey maroon-brown of the early Next Generation .

Imagine a whole movie with the Enterprise crew in these dress whites: a very important dinner party being thrown in Ten-Forward, a dead body that keeps disappearing on the holodeck, some attacking Romulans that threaten to ruin the party, a quick pop-in by Q who keeps timeshifting Picard away just as he’s about to finally eat his first bite. And all along, these dress-whites stay spiffy, bright, blindingly clean.

What I’m saying is: God help me, these are my favorite Star Trek uniforms.

THE WHOLE MOVIE IN A NUTSHELL:

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FILM REVIEW

FILM REVIEW; Beamed Up to Yet Another Final Frontier: A Bubbling Fountain of Youth

By Stephen Holden

• Dec. 11, 1998

Some good things really do last, if not forever, then longer than anyone might reasonably have expected. Take ''Star Trek.'' The 60's science-fiction series has successfully survived a generational turnover and made a relatively smooth transition from video into films. If ''Star Trek: Insurrection,'' the latest installment, is little more than a glorified television episode, it still has all the ingredients that have made it a perennial, with a few extras, including improved special effects.

Those staples include a starship captain who is a strong, wise, imperturbably serene daddy figure, a soldier with a heart of gold, piloting his harmonious multicultural extended family into the great unknown. Strip away the gadgetry and elaborate technobabble, and the problems that Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his loyal crew encounter out there on the intergalactic frontier are precisely the same ones we struggle with here on earth.

Almost every major villain in ''Star Trek'' is a variation on the same vengeful, power-mad tyrant. Often, as in the case of ''Insurrection,'' that bad behavior can be traced to some psychological wound. When the full story of the bad guys, a tribe called the Son'a, is revealed in the latest episode, the trouble can be traced to an ancient generational conflict. In the world of ''Star Trek,'' it seems, the late-60's generation gap is still grist for the narrative mill. And a little ''Father Knows Best''-style psychological strategy, applied gently and at the perfect moment, is all it takes to prevent catastrophe.

What makes this hokum work as entertainment is the series' unquestioned belief in basic human benignity. It is a conviction that can't be faked, and when expressed with a light touch, as it is here, it can be seductively appealing.

The new episode begins in the next best place to paradise, a pristine planet that is the habitat of the Ba'ku, a tribe of only 600 who live an idyllic agrarian existence. The Ba'ku enjoy eternal life and youth on their planet through an atmosphere whose chemical components regenerate human cells once the people have reached maturity. While exploring the planet, the crew of the Enterprise senses itself becoming rejuvenated. Even the nearly bald captain feels a tingling in his scalp.

What might heaven in outer space look like? Why, of course, like northern California. The Ba'ku suggest tranquilized residents of such affluent Marin County towns as Mill Valley, dreamily discharging their daily tasks in a world that has completely forsworn modern technology. Picard becomes deeply taken with Anij (Donna Murphy), a 309-year-old beauty who wears low-cut gowns and speaks in a voice that throbs with the calm wisdom of centuries. Anij discourses knowingly about the eternity of the moment.

But paradise is about to be despoiled. The Ba'kus' neighbors, the evil Son'a, have made a secret deal with the Federation to allow them to relocate the Ba'ku to another planet and harvest the regenerative properties of their atmosphere for the universal good. They plan to trick them into entering a spaceship that is a holographic replica of their planet, then spirit them to a place where they will age like ordinary mortals.

Picard's discovery of the plot occasions the movie's most impassioned speech, delivered to the starfleet admiral, Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe), who is cooperating with the Son'a, about the ugly history of forcible relocation. Picard, threatened with possible court-martial for disobeying a superior, refuses to go along with the plan and armed conflict erupts. The battle scenes, in which Picard and his crew fend off the swooping enemy aircraft armed with transporters that kidnap the Ba'ku one by one, have snap.

The Son'a are typical ''Star Trek'' villains. They're humans with fright masks. When he's not plotting mayhem, the Son'a's evil leader Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham) has facials in which his hideously crinkled gray skin is stretched and realigned over his features.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes, who appears only briefly as Riker, the Enterprise's second in command, ''Insurrection'' is breezily paced, and Michael Piller's screenplay has enough good-natured humor to keep things from bogging down into sentimental pomposity. The lighter moments include some innocuously clever man-vs.-machine banter between the Enterprise's resident android, Data (Brent Spiner), and an angelic little Ba'ku boy, and a witty scene in which Picard and Data sing a duet from Gilbert and Sullivan.

With its vision of a peaceable kingdom of eternal youth in an agrarian arts-and-crafts paradise in a California environment, ''Insurrection'' is an appealing millennial throwback to the hippie dream that is part and parcel of ''Star Trek's'' utopian ethos.

''Insurrection'' is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). There is some violence, but it is not gory, and some very mild sexual innuendo.

Insurrection

Directed by Jonathan Frakes; written by Michael Piller, based on a story by Rick Berman and Mr. Piller and on ''Star Trek'' created by Gene Roddenberry; director of photography, Matthew F. Leonetti; edited by Peter E. Berger; music by Jerry Goldsmith; production designer, Herman Zimmerman; produced by Mr. Berman; released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 105 minutes. This film is rated PG.

WITH: Patrick Stewart (Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Brent Spiner (Data), LeVar Burton (Geordi), Michael Dorn (Worf), Gates McFadden (Beverly), Marina Sirtis (Troi), F. Murray Abraham (Ru'afo), Donna Murphy (Anij) and Anthony Zerbe (Dougherty).

Donna Murphy (I)

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• Headmistress Burton

• Donna Zaveri

• Yara the Enchantress

• Mother Gothel
• Additional Voices (voice)

• Lorette Walsh

• Trulla (voice)

• Mother Gothel (English version, voice)

• Sophia Quayle

• DA Grace Russo

• Rebecca Sherman

• 12 episodes

• performer: "Send in the Clowns"

• performer: "No One Has Ever Loved Me"

• performer: "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"
• performer: "Incantation Song", "Mother Knows Best", "Mother Knows Best (Reprise)", "Prologue"

• performer: "Could I Leave You?"

• performer: "Swing!" ("Swing!")

• performer: "As Time Goes By"
• performer: "Hit Me with a Hot Note (And Watch Me Bounce)"
• performer: "Joliet Amuse-O-Rama"

• performer: "Fourth Letter", "I Read", "Garden Sequence", "Trio", "I Wish I Could Forget You", "Loving You", "No One Has Ever Loved Me", "Finale"

• performer: "Shall We Dance?"

• performer: "I Gotta Sing"

• performer: "Drums and Music", "Finale"

Personal details

• 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
• New York City, New York, USA
• Shawn Elliott October 7, 1990 - March 11, 2016 (his death, 1 child)
• Darmia Hope Elliott
• Parents Robert Murphy
• Other works She starred on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's "Passion" the Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, at the Plymouth Theatre in New York City.
• 1 Interview

Did you know

• Trivia Oldest of 7 children.
• Quotes I love any kind of transformation. I want to look in the mirror and not see Donna looking back at me.
• Where was Donna Murphy born?
• How tall is Donna Murphy?
• What is Donna Murphy known for?

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