star trek nemesis crew

Star Trek Nemesis

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A coup d'état on Romulus brings a new praetor, Shinzon, to power. However, Shinzon is not a Romulan, but rather a genetic duplicate of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. After being banished to the planet Remus for years, he now plots to draw the Starship Enterprise and her crew into a deadly confrontation and destroy the Federation once and for all.

• 1.1 Romulus, 2379
• 1.3 Next stop, Betazed
• 1.4 What do we have here on Kolarus?
• 1.5 A new mission
• 1.6 Romulus
• 1.7 En route to Earth
• 1.8 The Battle in the Bassen Rift
• 1.9 Cease fire
• 1.10 The Romulans arrive
• 1.11 Spacedock: Earth
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Cast trivia
• 4.2 References to other series and films
• 4.3 Sets, props, and costumes
• 4.4 Promotion
• 4.5 Merchandising
• 4.6.1 Merchandise gallery
• 4.7 Box office performance
• 4.8 Reception
• 4.9 Deleted scenes
• 5 Apocrypha
• 6 Awards and honors
• 7.1.1.1 Cast
• 7.1.1.2 Stunts
• 7.1.1.3 Crew
• 7.1.1.4 Songs
• 7.2.1 Okudagram references
• 7.2.2 Meta references
• 7.2.3 Unreferenced material
• 7.4 External links

Summary [ ]

Romulus, 2379 [ ].

Romulan capital

On Romulus , in the capital city, two Romulan commanders are urging the Senate to accept an alliance with Shinzon of Remus , an opportunity that would make the Empire powerful enough to outmatch any foe in the Quadrant , even the Federation . Unfortunately, their proposal falls on deaf ears, as Praetor Hiren silences him, telling him that " the military does not dictate policy on Romulus " and that Shinzon and his followers will be met with all deliberate force and sent back to " that black rock they came from! " Seeing that the Praetor has made himself clear, the two commanders leave (after a covert glance at Senator Tal'aura ).

Praetor Hiren consumed by mysterious radiation

As soon as they are gone, Tal'aura stands and excuses herself for a scheduled meeting with the Tholian ambassador . As the Senate begins discussing trade relations with Celes II , a small device left behind by Tal'aura opens, sending a cascade of greenish energy particles over the room. Confused, the Praetor calls for security to bring Tal'aura back, but it is too late – the entire Senate begin to decay from inside, and the Praetor himself topples to the ground and crumbles into dust …

The wedding

Captain Picard speaks about how a Starfleet captain's life is filled with solemn duties. Picard remembers commanding men in battle, negotiating peace treaties between implacable enemies and leading numerous first contact missions, but all of that pales in comparison with the duty he is performing now… as best man .

There is a wedding reception in progress for Commander (soon to be Captain) Will Riker and his new wife, Deanna Troi on Earth at the foot of the magnificent Alaskan mountains of Riker's home state. At the table, along with Picard and the Rikers, are Data , Geordi La Forge , Worf , Beverly Crusher , and her son Wesley Crusher . Picard talks about how as a best man, he is expected to be gracious and very complimentary on this blessed union but he begins jokingly complaining that they are not considering the "damned inconvenience," they are putting him through: the USS Enterprise -E is losing its first officer and counselor in one go, as they depart for Riker's new command, the USS Titan , where Picard is sure they will be blissfully happy, while he is left behind having to train his new first officer, " a tyrannical martinet who will never, ever allow me to go on away missions! " Data – to whom Picard is referring – begins quoting the applicable Starfleet Starfleet regulation , and Picard amiably tells him to "shut up." While the assembled laugh, Picard remarks that he's waited for fifteen years to say that to Data.

Picard solemnly tells Riker and Troi they still have time to change their minds, but they decide "nah." So Picard raises his glass, and expresses his sincere thanks to Riker and Troi as his indispensable guides and advisers, and wishes them both the greatest happiness in their new lives together. " You are my family ," he says. Picard, in the best maritime tradition , wishes them both clear horizons and to "make it so". He invites everyone to join in his toast , " To the bride and groom! " Everyone raises their glass in a toast and Riker leans over and kisses Deanna, his new wife.

Later, as the guests dance, Geordi La Forge is sharing a table with Guinan and asks if she has ever considered remarrying. She says no, stating that " twenty-three was my limit. " Meanwhile, a very hung-over Worf moans and grumbles that Romulan ale should be illegal, and La Forge reminds him that it is.

Back at the main table, Troi compliments Picard on his toast and she assures him she will brief his new counselor on all she needs to know, but Picard absolutely forbids it, saying Troi already knows too much about him as it is. Picard asks if he'll have to make a speech during the ceremony on Betazed . Riker tells him there'll be no speeches – and per tradition, no clothes either.

Data stands up on the dais and calls for everyone's attention. He announces that, according to his studies of Betazoid and Terran marriage traditions, both cultures find it customary to present the happy couple with a gift . Given Riker's fondness for archaic Terran musical forms, Data's gift to Riker and Troi, " in honor of their conjugation, " is him singing " Blue Skies ". The song is a big hit with the happy couple and most of the guests, while Worf sinks his head back down onto his table with a groan and mutters " Irving Berlin… "

Next stop, Betazed [ ]

" We will all honor the Betazoid tradition. "

Later, as the USS Enterprise -E is making its way to Betazed, Picard steps out onto the bridge while Troi is trying to convince Worf to honor the Betazoid wedding tradition – since, after all, he more than anyone should understand the importance of tradition. Worf appeals to Picard, saying it is inappropriate for a Starfleet officer to appear naked in public. Picard jokingly wonders what a "handsome, strapping fellow" like Worf would have to be embarrassed about. Before Worf can say anything, he is interrupted by a beeping from the tactical console, which has detected a signal coming from the Kolarin system – a positronic signature. La Forge narrows it down to the third planet in the system . Data speculates that as this signature has only been transmitted so far by androids created by Dr. Noonien Soong , Data's creator. Picard decides to set course for the planet, despite it being very close to the border with the Romulan Neutral Zone . Picard finds the planet to still be well on the Federation side of the border and believes it is worth taking a look at. Picard assures Riker that they will still arrive in time for the ceremony on Betazed where, Picard makes it clear, especially for Worf, that they will all observe the Betazoid tradition. And with that, Picard is off to the ship's gymnasium. Riker orders the ship to the Kolaran system at warp five and La Forge wonders if Data is about to discover a long-lost relative.

The Enterprise enters orbit of Kolarus III

In orbit, six separate positronic signatures are detected. La Forge recommends that they not use the transporter as there is an ion storm nearby and there's always a chance that it could come their way. With that in mind, Picard tells Worf and Data to go with him. Riker tries to tell Picard that it's his job to go down and not Picard's, but Picard invokes captain's prerogative, especially as he's been wanting to try out the Argo . Plus the fact that Picard knows that Troi would never forgive him if anything should happen to Riker. As he leaves the bridge, he jokingly tells Riker " You have the bridge… Mr. Troi, " causing snickers all over the bridge.

What do we have here on Kolarus? [ ]

The Argo flies out from the Enterprise 's shuttlebay and lands on the surface. The away team takes the Argo 's auxiliary all-terrain buggy out and Picard has fun with driving it at high speed around the local terrain . The team finds pieces of an android strewn throughout the area and, although the android is completely disassembled, its various pieces – including the head (which is identical to Data's) – are still active; an arm reaches out and grabs Worf by the foot, startling him, and the head speaks to Data. However, just as the searchers locate the final piece, they come under attack from Kolaran natives in vehicles of their own, so Picard drives the Argo back to the shuttle while Worf mans the buggy's aft phaser cannon . Data has the shuttle waiting behind a cliff. Picard jumps the buggy off the cliff and into the shuttle, where it is secured. The shuttle lifts back off toward the Enterprise .

" You know, all things considered, Data, I think you have nicer eyes. " " Our eyes are identical, doctor. "

Back aboard the ship, Dr. Crusher looks at the newly discovered android's head and decides that Data has nicer eyes. Confused, Data points out that his eyes are identical to the other android's. La Forge's scans reveal that the android is likely a prototype built by Dr. Soong, as the android has the same physical makeup as Data, but not nearly as much development in its neural pathways. Data asks the head what its name is and the head refers to himself as B-4 . Picard notes that Soong's penchant for whimsical names ("Before") continues. Data asks if B-4 knows how he got to the planet or anything about his life prior to that, but B-4 knows nothing. Picard tells La Forge to reassemble him. Data asks if B-4 knows him and B-4 tells Data " You are me. " Data corrects him and tells B-4 that his own name is Data and that he is B-4's brother. It is becoming clear that the state of B-4's positronic brain results in him being simple-minded.

A new mission [ ]

In his ready room , Picard orders Earl Grey tea from his replicator while reading a PADD at his desk . Shortly after, he receives a message from Starfleet Command and when the signal comes through, he's pleased to see the recently-returned Admiral Janeway on the screen. Janeway surprises Picard by sending him on a diplomatic mission to Romulus . The recently-installed Praetor , Shinzon , has requested a Federation envoy. As if that weren't surprising enough, Shinzon himself is Reman , not Romulan, having ascended as a result of some kind of political shake-up. Janeway says that Starfleet is just as confused as Picard must be, but needs an experienced captain on the scene, and the Enterprise happens to be the closest ship to the Romulan border. Janeway warns Picard to watch his back, and to be careful, since instability in the Empire could have consequences for the entire quadrant.

Picard steps out onto the bridge and tells the helmsman, Lieutenant Branson , to set course for Romulus, regretfully telling Riker " I'm afraid the Opal Sea will have to wait, Number One. " With Picard's command, the Enterprise warps into Romulan territory.

In the observation lounge , Data briefs the crew on what little the Federation knows of Remus and the Remans: the planet Remus is tidally-locked , leaving one side permanently facing the Romulan sun and therefore uninhabitable, and the other side in permanent dark, which is where the Remans live. Virtually nothing is known of life on the planet, except Starfleet Intelligence has conducted long-range scans that indicate the presence of dilithium mining and heavy weapons construction.

As for the Remans themselves, Data notes that they are, in the hierarchy of the Empire, second-class citizens , but Riker notes that they also have a reputation as being formidable warriors; during the Dominion War , Reman troops were used as ground assault troops (i.e., cannon fodder) in the most violent encounters. La Forge wonders how a Reman could have become Praetor, and Riker theorizes that the Remans must have orchestrated a coup d'état with the support of the Romulan military .

Picard asks what is known about Shinzon himself. Data reports that Starfleet has nothing except a portion of his military record, from which it can be inferred that he is relatively young, but a very capable commander, having fought twelve successful engagements in the war. Picard remarks that the Enterprise is truly " sailing into the unknown " and asks everyone to keep up their research.

On the way to Romulus, Data, with La Forge's help, downloads a copy of his memory into B-4. Data is hopeful that with his memories and information that B-4 will be more successful in becoming a productive member of society. To Data's silent disappointment, the results of the memory download do not appear to be successful but La Forge notes that B-4 is assimilating a lot of information and it could just take some time. Data examines the back of B-4's head while La Forge is talking, and discovers an unknown port on his neck . La Forge thinks it may be a redundant memory port, believing it could possibly be provisional memory storage in case B-4's neural pathways overload. La Forge decides keeps B-4 with him in order to see if there's more he can do for him.

Romulus [ ]

On the bridge, the crew continues to wait. Picard asks Troi for impressions, and she reports that " they're out there, captain. " Worf recommends raising shields but Picard refuses. Riker comments that " with all due respect to diplomatic protocol, the Federation Council isn't sitting out here; we are. " Picard reminds Riker that " diplomacy is an exacting occupation " and that they will continue to wait. On the viewscreen, a massive warship decloaks in front of them, easily twice the size of the Enterprise . Worf automatically begins to raise shields, but Picard tells him to stop and calls for a tactical analysis. Worf scans the ship and reports grimly that the vessel is loaded with weapons systems: 52 disruptor banks , 27 photon torpedo bays, and primary and secondary shield generators . Picard grimly sums up the vessel: " She's a predator. "

They are hailed by the warship. A Reman holding a scepter appears on screen and identifies their ship as the Reman Warbird Scimitar . Picard, thinking this is Shinzon, begins to address him, but the Reman tells them he is not Shinzon, but rather his viceroy . He relays transport coordinates to the Enterprise and promptly cuts off the transmission. The senior staff head for the transporter room.

Praetor Shinzon

They beam over to Scimitar and find themselves in a darkened room. A man hidden from view up a flight of stairs asks their forgiveness for receiving them in such a darkened room but Remans are uncomfortable in light. The man, Shinzon, finally walks into view although his face is still hidden by the darkness. He tells Picard that he imagined Picard to be taller and that Data may scan him without trying to hide the tricorder . Picard tells Shinzon he is not what they imagined him to be and Worf correctly identifies him as Human . Shinzon takes notice of Troi while Picard asks why they were summoned here. Shinzon says he's never met a Human woman before, but Troi tells Shinzon she's only half-Human. Shinzon recites many statistics about Troi, how she's from Betazed, and the ship's counselor. All this Shinzon knew, but he states he did not know she was so beautiful. Riker, obviously concerned about the remarks Shinzon is making about his wife, comments that he seems to know a lot about their personnel, Shinzon tells Riker he does indeed. He asks Troi if he can touch her hair, but Picard steps in and tells Shinzon that they came on what was made to sound like an important mission and if Shinzon has any real business to do with them, he should get on with it. Shinzon apologizes and says there is much to discuss. Shinzon proposes unity, tearing down the Neutral Zone and establishing peace. Shinzon tells Picard that he's likely thinking this is too good to be true, but that a chance for peace cannot be ignored. When Picard confirms it, Shinzon raises the light level in the room, which causes the Viceroy to step back into the shadows. No one but Picard recognizes who Shinzon appears to be. Shinzon looks just as Picard did in his early 20s. They are of the same flesh, the same blood, the same person. Shinzon tells Picard to come tomorrow to Romulus and the two of them – or rather – the one of them, will have dinner and speak more about the future then. He pulls out a knife, cuts his hand, and gives the blood stained blade to Data, knowing they'll want to scan it. He bids them farewell, returns the light back to the previous levels and he and the Viceroy leave the room and the away team beams back up to the Enterprise .

In sickbay, Beverly Crusher examines the bloodstain in the computer and tells Picard that right down to his aggressive strain of Shalaft's Syndrome , Shinzon is a clone of Picard. She notes that they probably cloned him from a hair follicle or a skin cell of Picard's. Riker wonders why the Romulans would clone Picard; Picard tells Riker that he intends to find out.

On Romulus, Suran is growing impatient with Shinzon, telling him that they only supported him because Shinzon said it was time for an attack on the Federation but now Shinzon is delaying and he wonders what purpose bringing the Enterprise here serves. Shinzon tells Suran he doesn't have to understand Shinzon's purpose and that he should really learn patience – something that spending eighteen hours a day being harassed by a Romulan guard will teach a man. Shinzon sends them away but asks Commander Donatra to remain a moment. Shinzon tells Donatra to consider the word "allegiance," and that he demands that from people who serve him. He says that Donatra serves him and he believes she does so faithfully but not so with Suran. Donatra asks Shinzon to consider the word "trust" and asks if he trusts her and to what extent. She asks what she should do to prove herself faithful as an officer and as a woman. Shinzon, however, tells her that she's not a woman, but merely a Romulan. He tells her to watch Commander Suran and if he shows any sign of disloyalty, he is to be eliminated. Then she will have proven herself. On her way out, Shinzon tells Donatra that if she ever touches him again, he will kill her. She leaves the Senate hall as Shinzon doubles over immediately after and the Viceroy touches his chest and appears to calm him. Donatra meanwhile, watches the entire incident outside the door.

In Data's quarters, B-4 seems to receive a signal. He stops petting Spot and walks over to the computer and begins working it with the apparent skill and ability of Data.

That next day, in the Senate Hall, Shinzon tells Picard he was created from a sample of Picard's DNA and that at the right time, he would replace Picard and be a Romulan spy in the heart of Starfleet. When Picard asks what happened, Shinzon explains that the plan was abandoned some time ago when a new government came to power and they deemed the idea too risky, fearing it would incite a war with the Federation were he discovered. Shinzon explains that his face isn't exactly as Picard's was because of how he's endured a lifetime of violence, with the Romulans breaking his nose and jaw. But Shinzon says that the eyes should be very similar and Picard agrees. Shinzon says a man's eyes reflect the life he's led and says Picard's eyes are so confident. Shinzon confesses he hoped to grow to a height of two meters, a feeling Picard shared. Picard asks how Shinzon ended up on Remus and Shinzon tells Picard that he was sent to the Reman mines to die. They didn't think a Human would last very long there. Shinzon recalled not seeing the stars again for almost ten years after he arrived and also how the only thing the Romulan guards hated more than the Remans was him. He would have died quickly had a man not taken pity on him and kept the Romulans away from him. The man that helped him when he was only a small child became his Viceroy after Shinzon began his rise to power. He tells Picard that everything he has done has been for the sole purpose of liberating the Remans, from building the Scimitar at a secret shipyard to assembling his army and finally coming to Romulus in force. Shinzon realized the Romulans would never willingly liberate them and so they would have to forcibly take their freedom.

When Picard asks just how many Romulans died for their freedom, Shinzon has to admit it was "too many", but he is also glad to see that the Empire is finally beginning to realize there is a better way, the way of peace. Shinzon realizes that Picard doesn't trust him and Picard has to admit it is so. Shinzon tells Picard that if it had been him on Remus, he would be doing the exact same thing; Picard tells Shinzon if he were in Picard's position he'd know that Picard's responsibility to the Federation prevents him from letting his personal feelings affect his judgment. Shinzon remarks that all he has to go with are his personal feelings, and that he wants to know what it means to be Human. While the Remans have given Shinzon a future, he wants to know about his past. Picard says that he can tell Shinzon about Picard's own past. Shinzon asks if the Picards were always warriors. Picard says he prefers to think of himself as an explorer, so Shinzon asks if they were always explorers. Picard says he was the first of the family to ever leave the solar system ; it caused a great stir in his family, but he had spent his life looking at the stars and dreaming of new worlds. Picard says that he wants to believe Shinzon and that the Federation strongly believes that all races can be united, and that a Starfleet captain standing in the Romulan Senate is a good example of that. Picard adds that when the trust of the Romulan Empire has been earned, he will be pleased to take Shinzon's hand in friendship.

Dr. Crusher explains

Later, back aboard the Enterprise , Worf reports an unauthorized access of the ship's main computer and that La Forge is working on locating the source, but what he finds strange is that no restricted material was accessed – just basic stellar cartography and colony tracking station uplinks, for example. Picard says that they must still find the source of the break-in. La Forge also tells Picard that when the Scimitar decloaked, they detected thalaron radiation ; because it was thought to be theoretical, initial scans didn't detect it earlier. Picard remembers how research into thalaron radiation was outlawed in the Federation because it could be used as a biogenic weapon. Crusher tells Picard that merely a microscopic amount of the radiation could kill all life on the Enterprise -E in seconds.

In the Senate, the viceroy tells Shinzon that this was a mistake and they are wasting time. The viceroy reminds Shinzon that he must not forget their mission and they must act now. Shinzon says he'll spend his time how he pleases, but that he was merely curious about Picard.

In Picard's quarters, Crusher comes to visit him. They reminisce about how Picard was when he was younger, and Crusher mentions that he turned out alright. Picard says that he wanted to believe Shinzon, but the evidence of the thalaron radiation proves that whatever he is after, it is not peace. Picard tells Crusher that Shinzon is very much as Picard was when he was younger. Data signals from engineering and says he and La Forge have found the source of the unauthorized access, as well as a way to take tactical advantage of it.

In Riker's quarters, Riker and Troi head for bed and they begin kissing each other passionately. In Troi's mind, Riker disappears and is replaced by Shinzon, telling her that Riker can never know Troi as Shinzon could. Troi realizes this isn't real, but the image of Shinzon changes into the Viceroy. As it turns out, the Viceroy is creating a sort of mental link and placing himself and Shinzon in Troi's mind, a form of telepathic rape . Riker finally manages to snap Troi out of the assault, and Shinzon tells the Viceroy to find her again. Another Reman enters and informs Shinzon that they've received the transponder signal. As he leaves, Shinzon doubles over again. The Viceroy touches Shinzon's chest and tells him that Shinzon's condition is accelerating and that he has no more time for games. Shinzon tells the Viceroy to get the doctors ready.

On the bridge of the Scimitar , Shinzon orders B-4 beamed aboard. The Remans tap into him and begin a download of the files that he accessed from the Enterprise . Meanwhile, Shinzon orders a cup of hot tea.

In sickbay, Crusher tells Troi that, other than elevated readings of adrenaline and serotonin , she's all right. Troi tells Picard that she was violated and that she feels herself to be a liability, and asks to be relieved of duty. Picard denies her request, telling her if she can withstand any future assaults, he needs her by his side now more than ever with the Enterprise being so far from Federation space. Before he can say anything further, Picard is beamed away before Riker can order Worf to put the shields up. The Scimitar cloaks and moves away from the Enterprise .

Aboard the Scimitar , Picard is restrained in a medical lab. Shinzon has the doctors take a sample of Picard's blood and he points out that B-4 was bait that Picard couldn't refuse. Shinzon says that with the information obtained from B-4, he now has all of Starfleet's communications protocols and knows the exact locations of the entire Federation fleet. Shinzon says his life has no meaning as long as Picard is alive. Picard says that if Shinzon has issues with him, then Shinzon should deal with him, and leave the Enterprise and the Federation alone. However, Shinzon says that the Remans will no longer bow before anyone – not the Romulans, and not the Federation. Shinzon says that if Picard had lived Shinzon's life, Picard would do the exact thing Shinzon is doing. Picard tells Shinzon that he's a mirror for Shinzon as well, but Shinzon says that he won't be for long, and that he's about to witness the echo triumph over the voice.

On the Enterprise , La Forge tells Riker that Shinzon's cloak is perfect and that there's no way to detect the Scimitar . Riker tells La Forge to keep trying.

The emergency transport unit concealed in Data's forearm

On the Scimitar , B-4 enters and tells the Reman guard that Shinzon wants the prisoner. As the guard releases Picard, B-4 – revealed to be Data posing as B-4 – gives the Reman a Vulcan neck pinch to incapacitate him. After completely freeing Picard, Data tells Picard that Scimitar is, for all intents and purposes, an enormous thalaron generator. He also tells Picard that the information he (as B-4) gave Shinzon was false, created by himself and La Forge. He offers Picard the prototype of the emergency transport unit that La Forge gave him. Since it will only work for one person, Picard says he and Data will find a way off together.

The viceroy comes to the bridge and tells Shinzon that it's time; Shinzon goes with him to the medical lab. Meanwhile Data, acting as B-4, has Picard cuffed and taken at gunpoint away as an act to fool any passing Remans. Eventually, when Shinzon and the Viceroy arrive at the medical lab, they find the doctor just waking up and Picard gone. The Viceroy kills the Reman doctor on Shinzon's order, and the alert is sounded. Picard is freed of his manacles and given a disruptor. Once they reach the shuttlebay, Data attempts to decipher the code while Picard holds off the Reman security force by himself. Data does not have much luck initially, as Reman is a very complex and difficult language. Picard urges him on, telling him, " We really need that door open! " Finally, Data manages to punch in the right code. He and Picard enter the shuttlebay, and Picard welds the bay doors shut with his disruptor rifle. Data tells Picard that the shuttles on board are Scorpion -class attack fliers . While the Reman guards try to shoot through the door, Picard tries to become acquainted with the controls of the fighter. After being able to lift off, Data tells Picard that force fields have been erected around exterior portals, preventing them from leaving through the shuttlebay doors. Picard has Data fire through the door from which they came, and flies the fighter through the Scimitar 's corridors. They finally return to the observation deck where Shinzon had initially received them, and fly out through the window. This causes a disruption in the cloaking field, revealing the location of the Scimitar . Shinzon notices the fighter flying toward the Enterprise and orders that it be caught in a tractor beam . At the same time on the Enterprise , they see the fighter flying toward them, and Riker has Worf transport the fighter aboard into a shuttlebay. As transport completes, the Enterprise races away from Romulus at maximum warp.

Commander Suran shortly thereafter calls Shinzon and tells him his patience is wearing thin, wondering why Shinzon continues to delay further after promising that it was time for action. Shinzon tells Suran that the Enterprise won't even make it out of the Neutral Zone , and that two days later, the Federation would be crippled beyond repair. Shinzon asks if that will satisfy Suran, who says it will, "for the moment." Shinzon says that when he returns to Romulus, he and Suran will have a little chat about showing proper respect. He closes the channel. Tal'aura wonders what's happening to Shinzon's face. Before everyone leaves the Senate Hall, Donatra stops Suran and asks him if he's truly ready to have his hands drenched in blood, and explains that instead of trying to conquer Earth, Shinzon plans on annihilating it; that crime will dishonor and stain their hands with blood for many generations.

En route to Earth [ ]

Later, aboard the Enterprise , Beverly Crusher explains that Shinzon is dying from genetic degeneration because he was created with a temporal RNA sequence, which would allow him to skip thirty years of his life in order to reach Picard's actual age more quickly. But since that wasn't activated, his body is beginning to break down and the only thing that will save him is a complete blood transfusion from Picard, which would kill him. Crusher says she doesn't know how long it will take for Shinzon to die, but knows that the effect is accelerating. With this information at hand, Picard realizes that Shinzon will come for him.

In Data's quarters, Data has B-4 restrained and activates only cognitive and vocal subroutines. Data tells B-4 that because he is a danger to the ship, he must be deactivated indefinitely. However B-4 does not understand and wishes to be released but Data cannot allow it. Data asks about Shinzon's plans, but B-4 doesn't have any useful information. B-4 asks how long "indefinitely" is, and after deactivating him, Data says it is a long time.

During a senior staff briefing, La Forge calls Shinzon's weapon a cascading biogenic pulse and that the properties of thalaron radiation allow the weapon to expand its radius enough to affect a ship, or even a planet. Picard realizes that the only reason Shinzon would have built such a weapon would be to destroy Earth. If Humanity is destroyed, the Federation is crippled and would be an easy target for a Romulan invasion. La Forge also reluctantly tells Riker that there is no way to penetrate Shinzon's cloak. Crusher notes that Shinzon will likely come after Picard before going to Earth, which is what Picard is counting on. He tells the crew they're being sent to Sector 1045 to meet Star Fleet Battle Group Omega ; hopefully the fleet will be able to stop the Scimitar . Picard stands and tells the staff that under no circumstances can Shinzon be allowed to use the weapon, and that all other concerns are secondary. After Riker assures him they understand his order, Picard orders the ship to battle stations .

On the Scimitar , the viceroy touches Shinzon's chest, and tells him that he only has a matter of hours and they must begin the procedure. As it turns out, the Scimitar is cloaked and right behind the Enterprise . The viceroy tells Shinzon they will reach the Bassen Rift in seven minutes.

In astrometrics , Picard asks Data where their current position is. Data reports that they will reach the fleet in forty minutes. Picard remarks that Shinzon called himself a mirror of Picard, but Data disagrees, saying the events of Picard's life have created a unique individual. He compares Picard's situation with Shinzon to his situation with B-4; he says that while B-4 may be physically identical to Data aside from the former's less developed neural ability, B-4 would not be Data even if he did have equal mental powers. Data explains that he aspires to be better than he is, as does Picard – but neither B-4 nor Shinzon share that trait. As they begin passing through the rift, their connection to Starfleet Cartography is interrupted, and Data explains that all long-range communication will be affected. As he does so, both he and Picard realize that this is what Shinzon has been waiting for. Picard taps his combadge and orders Riker to take evasive maneuvers, but it is too late, as Shinzon has already begun firing at them. Shinzon orders his gunner to only target weapons and shields, as he doesn't want the Enterprise destroyed.

The Battle in the Bassen Rift [ ]

The next shot knocks out the Enterprise 's warp drive , causing it to revert to impulse speed. The Scimitar is visible for the briefest moment as it too drops out of warp, disappearing completely as it turns about to resume the attack .

Picard and Data arrive on the bridge as disruptor blasts continue to impact the Enterprise . Riker reports that they cannot return fire while the Scimitar is firing through its cloak, and La Forge says their warp drive is inoperable. Picard orders Worf to fire a full phaser spread at zero elevation, with photon torpedoes ready to launch at any shield impact. The Enterprise looses a corona of phaser blasts, a few of which hit the Scimitar behind it, but it easily evades the volley of torpedoes. On his bridge, Shinzon sneers, " You're too slow, old man, " and orders his crew to perform Attack Pattern Shinzon Theta.

Passing overhead, the Scimitar rakes the Enterprise 's dorsal hull with disruptor blasts, almost draining its shields in that quarter. Picard orders a full-axis rotation to port, and to fire all ventral phaser banks. The Enterprise scores several hits, but only causes minimal damage to the Scimitar . Riker orders evasive pattern Kirk Epsilon and Picard calls Troi to the bridge. Shinzon hails and asks to see Picard in his ready room.

Cease fire [ ]

In the ready room, Picard encounters a holographic Shinzon , who tells him not to bother trying to trace the holographic emitters. Shinzon wants Picard to surrender and to allow him to transport Picard aboard his ship. When Picard asks about the Enterprise , Shinzon says he has little interest in it. Picard asks Shinzon to look at him; he says that Shinzon's heart, hands and eyes are all the same as his own, and that they all have the same potential. Picard tells Shinzon that using that potential to make yourself a better man is what it means to be Human. Shinzon dismisses all of this as childish dreams he lost in the brutality he experienced in the Reman mines. Picard says that he knows that deep down, they are a better man than someone who would exterminate an entire planet's population. Picard asks if Shinzon will waste his life with in a blaze of hatred, and says he can make another choice. However, Shinzon says that he can't change what he is, and that he will show Picard their true nature; he says his voice will echo through time after Picard's fades to a dim memory. With that, the hologram disappears. Picard sighs sadly, forced to accept that he has lost his last chance to get through to Shinzon, and now has no choice but to fight him to the death.

The Romulans arrive [ ]

Shinzon returns to his bridge just in time to see two Romulan Warbirds decloak. On the Enterprise , Picard steps out just in time to see the same thing. Riker tells Picard this is happening " just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. " At that moment, they are hailed and Commander Donatra, aboard the warbird Valdore , offers her assistance to the Enterprise . Picard is amazed that they're here to help them instead of Shinzon. She explains that the Empire considers this situation a matter of internal security and she apologizes that Picard has had to get involved. Picard says when this is over, he owes Donatra a drink; Donatra suggests Romulan ale. The three ships get to work coordinating with each other to make a full attack on the Scimitar . Shinzon attacks the flanking Warbird and manages to disable it. The Valdore makes a strafing run on the Scimitar . Shinzon orders a partial de-cloaking and has the ship come to a full stop, making it looks like the Scimitar has suffered significant damage. Donatra takes the bait and has the Valdore close in. At the critical moment, Shinzon fires all weapons just as Valdore passes over them, and Valdore is disabled as well. Donatra tells Picard they have life support but are otherwise disabled. With the Romulans out of the way, Scimitar turns its attention back to the Enterprise . With shields failing and the hull beginning to fail in certain areas, Troi has an idea.

On Scimitar , as Shinzon prepares the next attack, the viceroy suddenly gasps in shock. When Shinzon asks what's wrong, the Viceroy tells him " She's here… " Troi has used the same trick the viceroy did earlier to get Shinzon in her mind. She is locating the viceroy through her mind and at the same time, guiding Worf's hand to precisely locate the Scimitar . After a few moments, she locks onto the Viceroy despite his attempts to resist, telling him to " Remember me! " At that moment, she tells Worf " Now! ", and Worf fires a full volley of quantum torpedoes toward the Scimitar , all of which score direct hits. Picard has the Enterprise continue to fire. The ship makes a strafing run over the Scimitar while slamming it with phasers and more quantum torpedoes, which finally disable the cloak. Shinzon orders the Viceroy to prepare a boarding party and to go get Picard. Shinzon orders full disruptors targeting one specific point on the Enterprise ; it is enough to disable the Enterprise 's shields, and the Reman boarding party beams to the Enterprise . Riker and Worf lead a team to confront their intruders. On the way, Worf admits to Riker that the Romulans fought with honor, and Riker agrees.

Reman boarding party

At that moment, the parties meet, and a firefight ensues in the corridor. The viceroy, after sneering at Riker, eventually ducks into a Jefferies tube ; with Worf covering him, Riker follows. They soon meet in the tube, the viceroy knocking Riker's phaser rifle away and cutting Riker's arm with his knife.

The Scimitar fires on the bridge, destroying the viewscreen and causing a massive hull breach that blows the helmsman, Lieutenant Branson , out into space. The rest of the crew hang on to whatever is nearby until the emergency force fields are put in place. Picard calls for medical teams as Troi races down to take over the Ops position in order to pilot (the conn position having been destroyed along with half the bridge). Data reports that they have exhausted their torpedo complement and phasers are down to four percent. Picard considers targeting all phasers on one spot, but with the Scimitar 's shields still at seventy percent, La Forge tells him it would make no difference. The Scimitar pulls into position so they can see it right through the hole in the bridge where the viewscreen was. Troi wonders what Shinzon is doing. Picard realizes that Shinzon is trying to look him in the eye; thinking Shinzon knows what Picard will do, Picard realizes they have a chance to get him. Picard tells La Forge to divert all power to engines and has Troi standing by. Shinzon hails and asks if Picard is still alive; Picard says he is. Shinzon suggests that Picard go ahead and surrender. Picard tells Shinzon that when he was in the Academy , during his first evaluation, he was considered to be very overconfident; Picard cuts off the channel before Shinzon can finish his reply. Meanwhile, as he was talking to Shinzon, Picard sent Troi an order via text message to prepare to engage the engines at full impulse on his command. As Picard cuts off the channel, he tells Troi to engage, and orders all hands to brace for impact. Troi takes the Enterprise to maximum impulse on a direct collision course with the Scimitar . Shinzon quickly notices what Picard is doing and orders evasive action, but not in time. The Enterprise collides with the Scimitar , and starts to plow its way through the main hull. The Enterprise suffers massive damage, throwing the entire crew off their feet and destroying several sections of the ship, while the Scimitar 's hangar and other decks are completely demolished by the saucer. Eventually, the Enterprise comes to a stop, leaving both ships locked together.

In the Jefferies tube, Riker gets the drop on the viceroy and kicks the knife away from him; at that point, their battle becomes a hand-to-hand brawl.

The Battle in the Bassen Rift

On the Scimitar , Shinzon orders full reverse on the engines, which separates the ships and destroys several decks, leaving part of the Enterprise 's saucer section in the Scimitar . During the pull away, Riker and the viceroy fall into a chasm, likely caused by the ship's separation; Riker, hanging onto a metal causeway, kicks the Viceroy's leg out from under him and sends him plummeting to his death.

With both ships separated and all other options exhausted, Picard attempts to initiate the auto-destruct sequence; however, the computer informs him that it is offline. On the Scimitar , Shinzon is told that their disruptors are off-line. Shinzon orders that the weapon be deployed and used to kill everyone on the Enterprise ; afterward, they are to set course for Earth and complete their mission. As the thalaron matrix begins to activate, Shinzon quietly says to Picard that there are some ideals worth dying for.

The activation is noticed on the Enterprise . When Picard asks how long they have, La Forge says the sequence should take about seven minutes as the thalaron radiation is relayed to the firing points; once that happens, no one on the Enterprise will survive. When Troi wonders how Shinzon can do that, knowing it will kill Picard, Picard tells her it's not about him anymore. Picard picks up a phaser rifle stored behind a wall on the bridge and orders La Forge to prepare for a site-to-site transport . When La Forge begins to tell Picard that he might not make it, Picard says that's an order. Data asks Picard to let him go, but Picard says he must do this. He leaves Data in command, and tells him to try to put some distance between them and the Scimitar . Just as the transport completes, they short out and transporters go down. Data orders Troi to assume command and takes La Forge with him. Data and La Forge head for an exposed corridor that faces Shinzon's vessel. The two old friends exchange a brief look at each other, knowing it is for the final time, before La Forge activates another force field between him and Data. As Data runs toward the hole in the ship, La Forge deactivates that force field which, as he leaps, blows Data out of the Enterprise and toward the Scimitar . When he reaches it, Data grabs hold and activates a hatch, allowing him access.

On the Scimitar , Picard heads toward the bridge, shooting any Reman he comes across. Upon reaching the bridge, Picard destroys the door and begins firing at any and all Remans on the bridge. One Reman gets close to him; he beats the Reman with his phaser rifle, which unfortunately destroys the rifle. Shinzon and Picard begin brawling, and Picard loses his phaser when it falls out of its holster. Picard gets away from Shinzon long enough to get up close to the thalaron generator, but realizes he's lost his phaser; between the generator and him is Shinzon, holding a knife. The two have another close fight, and the knife is lost into the thalaron generator, destroying it immediately. Shinzon pulls out a smaller blade, but Picard, against the wall, pulls down a pipe and impales Shinzon with it. Shinzon pulls himself along the pipe, running it all the way through himself; he puts his hands around Picard's neck, and tells him that he's glad they're together at that moment and that their destiny's complete. Shinzon dies with his hands around Picard's throat, and Picard is left frozen in shock.

"Good bye…"

Data enters the Scimitar 's bridge, goes up to the generator, and pulls Shinzon's body off of Picard. In the ultimate sacrifice, Data activates the emergency transport beacon on Picard, who disappears just as he begins to protest. Data softly says " Goodbye. " He turns toward the thalaron generator, which will fire in ten seconds; he aims his phaser at the thalaron generator and shoots it in the final seconds, which destroys the generator, the Scimitar , and himself along with it.

Data makes the final sacrifice

From the Enterprise , La Forge and Troi witness the destruction of Scimitar , shocked by what they see. They turn and see Picard standing on the bridge. Troi asks about Data, but Picard can only shake his head. The Valdore signals as Commander Donatra tells Picard she is sending shuttles with medical personnel and supplies; she informs Picard that he's earned a friend in the Romulan Empire , which she hopes will be the first of many. A devastated Picard asks La Forge to open the doors, as the Romulans won't know their procedures. He tells La Forge to " just open the doors. " La Forge gently assures Picard that he'll take care of it as Picard retreats to his ready room.

A toast to Data

Later in Picard's quarters, he hands glasses of Chateau Picard to Riker, Troi, La Forge, Crusher, and Worf. He makes a toast in remembrance of their fallen crewmate and friend. Troi begins to cry, and in Irish wake tradition, Riker, through tears, chuckles and recalls the first time he saw Data on the holodeck . Riker mentions how Data was trying to whistle but couldn't ever get the tune right, but Riker can't remember the name of the tune Data was trying to whistle.

Spacedock: Earth [ ]

The Enterprise undergoing repairs

Later, after the Enterprise is taken to Earth, the ship is undergoing extensive repairs in drydock . Picard is reading something in his ready room when Riker comes in, now wearing his captain's rank pips, and asks Picard for permission to disembark, which Picard grants. Picard asks where Titan is headed off to and Riker tells Picard they're going back to the Neutral Zone and that they're heading up a task force out there. It seems the Romulans are now interested in talking. Picard offers Riker one piece of advice and Riker is happy to take it. Picard tells Riker that when his first officer insists that he can't go on away missions to ignore him. Riker says he intends to. The two men and old friends clasp hands. Riker tells Picard that serving with him has been an honor and Picard says the honor was his. And with that, Captain Riker leaves the Enterprise to head for the Titan .

Picard goes to his quarters and talks to B-4, telling him about Data's goal of becoming more Human and that Data's wonder about Human nature allowed them to see the best part of themselves and Data embraced change because he always wanted to be better than he was. B-4 doesn't understand though and Picard says he hopes B-4 eventually will and that they will talk again. Worf calls and tells Picard they're ready to put the warp engines online and Picard leaves for the bridge. B-4 begins to mumble lyrics from "Blue Skies." Picard helps him continue by singing along a couple of lines. As he walks down the corridor, Picard smiles knowing that a small part of Data survives in B-4 and that despite all that's changed recently, things will indeed be all right.

Log entries [ ]

Memorable quotes [ ].

" A starship captain's life is filled with solemn duty. "

" Data? " " Sir? " " Shut up. " " Yes, sir. " " Fifteen years I've been waiting to say that! "

" Did you ever think about getting married again? " " No. Twenty-three was my limit. "

" Romulan ale should be illegal. " " It is. "

" But I take it there will be no speeches during the ceremony on Betazed? " " No. No speeches and… no clothes. "

" Ladies and gentlemen, and invited transgendered species… "

" Captain, I do not think it is appropriate for a Starfleet officer to appear… naked. " " Oh, come now! A big, handsome, strapping fellow like you? What can you be afraid of? "

" Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the gym. "

" The Son'a, the Borg, the Romulans – you seem to get all the easy assignments. " " Just lucky, Admiral. " " Let's hope that luck holds. "

" You have the bridge… Mister Troi. "

" I will always be puzzled by the Human predilection for piloting vehicles at unsafe velocities. "

" It appears to be a robotic arm. " "Very astute. "

" Why do you have a shiny head? "

" B-4? Doctor Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end. "

" Why does the tall man have a furry face? "

" I am in a room, with lights! "

" Jean-Luc… how'd you like a trip to Romulus? " " With or without the rest of the fleet? "

" Diplomacy is a very exacting occupation. "

" Raising shields! " " No! " " Captain… " " Tactical analysis, Mr. Worf" " 52 disruptor banks, 27 photon torpedo bays, primary and secondary shielding " " She's a predator "

" Come to dinner tomorrow on Romulus! Just the two of us. Or, should I say, just the one of us? "

" Our eyes reflect our lives, don't they? And yours, so confident! "

" If there is one ideal the Federation holds most dear is that all men, all races, can be united. "

" Remember him? " " He was a bit cocky as I recall. " " He was a damn fool. Selfish, ambitious, very much in need of seasoning. " " He turned out alright. "

" As ship's counselor, I recommend you come and get some sleep. " " Some honeymoon! "

" Why am I here? Why have you done this? " " I was lonely. "

" What is it your Borg friends say? Resistance is futile. "

" What am I while you exist? A shadow? An echo? "

" I'm a mirror for you as well. " " Not for long, Captain. I'm afraid you won't survive to witness the victory of the echo over the voice. "

" And like a thousand other commanders on a thousand other battlefields, I wait for the dawn. "

" For now we see but through a glass darkly. "

" Can you learn to see in the dark, captain? "

" Captain Picard, Commander Donatra of the warbird Valdore . Might we be of assistance? " " Assistance? " " The Empire considers this a matter of internal security. We regret you've become involved. " " Commander… when this is over, I owe you a drink. "

" The Romulans… fought with honor. " " Yes, they did, Mr. Worf. "

" Goodbye. "

" Captain, we are being hailed. " " On screen. (looks up to see there is not screen) Open a channel. "

" You've earned a friend in the Romulan Empire today, captain. I hope the first of many. "

" To absent friends. To family. "

" Serving with you has been an honor. " " The honor was mine… captain. "

" Never saw things… " " …going so right. " " …going so right. "

Background information [ ]

• Filming on Star Trek Nemesis began on 28 November 2001 ( citation needed • edit ) and wrapped on 8 March 2002 , overlapping with the filming of the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise . ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 2 , p. 6)
• This TNG film featured the longest gap between it and the preceding movie, a span of about four years. This was also the longest drought in the Star Trek franchise until it was surpassed by the next film in the series, Star Trek, which was released nearly six and a half years later. However, due to its poor box-office performance and reception, Nemesis was also the last film chronologically set in the prime universe (save for the Spock Prime mind-meld 2387 flashbacks in the 2009 film).
• There are no opening credits save the title. Both the letter "R" in "Trek" and the second "E" in "Nemesis" are presented backward within the words in order to introduce the idea of a mirror image. In the audio commentary of the DVD, Rick Berman says that he "was not crazy" about the inversions.
• Brent Spiner receives partial story credit for this film, following in the footsteps of Leonard Nimoy who co-wrote the story for the final appearance of the Star Trek: The Original Series cast in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .
• The Enterprise -E is not the first Federation starship to visit Romulus . The USS Bellerophon visited the planet in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ".
• This is the only TNG film not to feature the Mintakan tapestry ( TNG : " Who Watches The Watchers ") somewhere in Picard's quarters.

Enterprise -E saucer section in "Regeneration"

• Jeri Ryan was asked to reprise the role of Seven of Nine in a cameo at Riker and Troi's wedding, but refused both because she wanted to avoid being too attached to Star Trek and she was confused as to why Seven would attend the wedding of people she did not know. ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years )
• The song Riker can't remember from his first encounter with Data was " Pop Goes the Weasel ," dating all the way back to the pilot, " Encounter at Farpoint ".
• A large mock-up of the saucer section of the Enterprise -E, used during the collision course sequence, later appeared in the debris field of a Borg sphere in the Star Trek: Enterprise second season episode " Regeneration ". ( ENT Season 2 Blu-ray , "Regeneration" audio commentary )
• As with the actors portraying Remans, Michael Dorn 's voice was electronically lowered in pitch in post production to give Worf a more alien sound.
• The contact lenses used in Data's makeup differed from those used in previous outings as, this time, they were more opaque yellow.
• In an interview early in the film's preproduction, John Logan stated that a Gorn would be present in Riker and Troi's wedding reception. However, no such alien appeared in the final movie due to the prohibitively high cost of creating such a creature. However, Logan's insertion of a " Tholian ambassador ," spoken by Tal'aura, survived the final cut of the movie. A redesigned Gorn later made an appearance in ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ". ( citation needed • edit )
• Logan also wanted the battle in the Bassen Rift to be fought with a fleet of vessels, not just four, however, this too would have been prohibitively expensive. ( citation needed • edit )
• A scene cut from the movie's script states that the USS Hemingway towed the critically-damaged Enterprise to Earth following the latter ship's battle against the Scimitar . ( citation needed • edit )
• In the It's A Wrap! sale and auction , an unused blue casual jumpsuit that was to be used by Shinzon was put up for auction. This costume was never used, which could suggest that there was an intended scene which may have had Shinzon in a casual state.
• The film's visual effects were provided by Digital Domain .
• Before kicking the Reman viceroy to his death, Riker originally was going to quip " Don't worry, hell is dark. " Jonathan Frakes objected to the line, feeling that it made Riker seem like he was enjoying the thought of killing the viceroy rather than doing it out of self defense, but it initially remained in the movie. However, when the film's script was leaked on the internet in mid-2002, Riker's quip in particular was widely ridiculed by fans, which finally led to the line's removal. It is, however, kept in the novel.
• The leaked script also revealed that the bridge of the Scimitar would have had several warp core relays built into it, and Data would have destroyed the ship by shooting one of the relays at the climax. This ended up being removed after Rick Sternbach pointed out how ridiculous it would be to have part of the warp core routed through the bridge, and Sternbach also called attention to the fact that if a firefight broke out on the bridge (as indeed happens when Picard arrives) one misplaced shot by either party could destroy the whole ship. As a result, the script was changed so that Data destroyed the Scimitar by shooting the thalaron generator. ( citation needed • edit )
• Just after Data destroys the Scimitar , Picard appears suddenly on the bridge of the Enterprise in very much the same fashion that Data suddenly appears on the bridge after Gomtuu leaves in a brilliant flash of light in TNG : " Tin Man ".
• This is the first Star Trek film to use the 2002-2012 Paramount Pictures logo.

Cast trivia [ ]

• The only actors, beside the main cast, to participate in both this film and the first TNG film, Star Trek Generations , are Majel Barrett and Whoopi Goldberg . In both films, Barrett voiced the Enterprise computer and Goldberg played Guinan.
• Shannon Cochran had previously appeared as Kalita in TNG : " Preemptive Strike " and DS9 : " Defiant " and as Martok 's wife Sirella in DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ".
• J. Patrick McCormack had previously played Admiral Bennett in DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume " and Prax in VOY : " Counterpoint ".
• Bryan Singer , director of the first two X-Men films (which featured Patrick Stewart ), can be seen in one scene as the replacement tactical officer .
• Although Wil Wheaton 's ( Wesley Crusher ) only scene in the movie with any dialogue was cut from the final film, he can be seen sitting to the left of his mother at the far end of the front table during the wedding celebration (note inset photo marked "The wedding"). Several deleted scenes, including that one, can be seen in the two-disc DVD Special Collector's Edition .
• In a 2012 convention appearance, Wil Wheaton talked about his appearance in this film. According to Wheaton, he found out about it and that it was going to be the last one after a chance run-in with LeVar Burton and that it was Burton who went to the producers and asked that Wheaton be included in the film. Wheaton said that only a few days later, his agent got an offer from Paramount to appear in the film and Wheaton agreed without even knowing what he would be doing, only that he would be again portraying Wesley Crusher. Wheaton also said that he asked John Logan what Wesley was doing there, was he still a Traveler and just visiting or had he stopped traveling and returned to Starfleet? Wheaton said that Logan told him he didn't have an opportunity in the script to decide that one way or the other and it really didn't matter as far as the rest of the film went and that it would just have to be one of those things left to the audience to decide which would be the case.
• Steven Culp , who later played Major Hayes in ENT Season 3 , was filmed portraying the Enterprise -E's new first officer, Commander Martin Madden . This scene was cut from the theatrical release, but is available as a deleted scene on the DVD and Blu-ray release.
• In his appearance here, and in his recurring special guest appearances on the third season of Star Trek: Picard, Worf is the only Star Trek: Deep Space Nine main character to be seen in other live-action Star Trek productions since DS9 went off the air in 1999 . Kira Nerys, Quark and Odo (the latter using archive audio) later appeared in animated form in episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy ; Odo actor Rene Auberjonois also appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise , but as a different character.

References to other series and films [ ]

• Admiral Kathryn Janeway 's comments to Captain Picard in the original script called for her to name "the Borg, the Son'a, the Romulans, even that pesky Dr. Soran ", referencing the main adversaries of all four TNG films. The first three made it into the final cut; Janeway and her ship were already whisked away to the Delta Quadrant when the Soran incident took place and entirely out-of-contact with Starfleet , before managing to re-establish regular contact at a later point in time.
• The film contains references to all five live-action Star Trek television series that had been released at this time. Riker employs an evasive maneuver named after James T. Kirk , the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation appears, Riker discusses the Remans' participation in the war with the Dominion , Admiral Janeway appears, and a USS Archer is listed among a Starfleet battle group.
• The name of the Romulan ship Valdore was later reused as the name of a 22nd century Romulan senator and admiral, Valdore , in Star Trek: Enterprise .
• The toast given in Data's honor posthumously by Captain Picard, " To absent friends ", was also spoken by Admiral Kirk in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , in reference to Spock 's death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . " To absent friends " is the traditional naval toast of the day for Sunday. A similar toast, " To absent comrades " was given by Kor given in Jadzia Dax ' honor in " Once More Unto the Breach ".
• The end of the film (where Shinzon decides to unleash the thalaron device to destroy the Enterprise and Data's subsequent decision to destroy it, ultimately killing him) mirrors the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , where Khan decides to unleash the Genesis device on the Enterprise , in which Spock sacrifices himself to save the Enterprise .
• Additionally, the closing scene between Picard and B-4 , in which it is hinted that Data's memory transfer to the prototype android was seemingly successful, could be interpreted as setting up a potential regeneration of Data through B-4 – just as Spock was regenerated in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – for a next outing in the film series, which however did not come to fruition, as explained below .
• The way Riker defeats Shinzon's viceroy is also reminiscent of the way Kirk defeats the Klingon, Kruge , in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
• The closing scene with the Enterprise undergoing repairs in drydock over Earth pays homage to Star Trek: The Motion Picture , reusing music from the scene in which the refurbished USS Enterprise is first viewed by Kirk from a shuttle.

…the ultimate fate of B-4…

• Data's self-sacrifice became a major plot point for Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard which premiered in 2020, and in which Picard stated on several occasions that he still mourned his friend after two decades. It was also revealed in the opening episode " Remembrance " that B-4 had been deactivated and disassembled when it became evident that Data's memory engrams had not taken hold after all. The disassembled B-4 being put in storage at the Daystrom Institute indefinitely, effectively put an end to any possibility of Data being resurrected à la Spock as he only appeared in Picard's guilt induced dreams.
• In Picard 's season one finale " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 " however, it turned out that Data was not dead in the truest sense of the word, as his consciousness had been preserved by Bruce Maddox and Altan Soong in an artificial construct. A single neuron from the memory engrams Data had copied into B-4 was used to reconstruct his consciousness. When a dying Picard got to visit Data in the construct, he was finally able to get closure by thanking Data in person for his self-sacrifice, who himself had no memory of the event as it occurred after he had transferred his memory engrams into B-4. Aware that he was only "living" in a simulation, Data however, requests Picard to terminate the simulation, thereby making his death definitive. Picard grants Data's wish.

Sets, props, and costumes [ ]

• The Enterprise -E main bridge set was placed on gimbals during production to allow for more realistic movement during battle sequences. Hence, the typical lurching movements made by the actors to simulate weapon impacts would appear more authentic. ( citation needed • edit )
• The interiors for sickbay and the crew quarters were new sets specifically built for this film. In previous outings, redressed interiors for USS Voyager were used. Unfortunately, they had already been struck by the time filming commenced. ( citation needed • edit )
• The freestanding terminals used on the Scimitar bridge are actually reused Cardassian consoles from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . ( citation needed • edit )
• The freestanding terminals used on the Valdore bridge are actually reused Klingon consoles that were used throughout the various series. ( citation needed • edit )
• The Valdore bridge itself was actually a redress of the bridge of the Enterprise -E. ( citation needed • edit )
• The Starfleet hand phasers were reused versions from VOY : " Endgame ". ( citation needed • edit )
• The Reman costumes were later reused as Xindi-Reptilian uniforms in Star Trek: Enterprise . ( citation needed • edit )
• Director Stuart Baird requested the redesign of many aspects of the universe, such as phasers and other props, to make them seem more realistic. He also requested a darker scheme to be used in the sets, hence a complete overhaul of the LCARS displays throughout the ship. ( citation needed • edit )
• The costumes worn by the Romulan guards seen briefly in the Senate were based upon ancient Japanese armor. ( citation needed • edit )
• The Enterprise -E observation lounge features a bank of computers that later reappeared aboard Enterprise NX-01 in " The Xindi " and later still in " Observer Effect ", where it was repainted. The lounge itself was in fact a redress of the Enterprise -D observation lounge, the only TNG set not struck after completion of Star Trek Generations . ( citation needed • edit )
• While in Star Trek Generations the displays in stellar cartography were created with blue-screens and digital compositing, stellar cartography in this film simply featured a large screen with a rear-projected display. This set, along with the cybernetics lab seen earlier in the film, were redresses of the Enterprise -E's main engineering set. ( citation needed • edit )
• Also, the console in the center of stellar cartography seen in this film was a reuse of the table featured in the Son'a conference room in Star Trek: Insurrection . ( citation needed • edit )
• The pants worn by Noriko Olling in the wedding scene were earlier used by Kate Vernon in the role of Valerie Archer in VOY : " In the Flesh ". ( citation needed • edit )
• Several props, set dressings, and costumes from this film were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including Jonathan Frakes ' Starfleet uniform, [1] a Starfleet stunt phaser rifle , [2] a Reman X buckle, [3] a Reman rifle, [4] a plate and bowl lot, [5] Roger Raskin 's Starfleet uniform, [6] Romulan senate chamber set dressings, [7] Sunny Gorg 's Starfleet undershirt, [8] a Romulan wig, [9] the USS Enterprise -E set stage plans. [10] a final draft script, [11] and a Kolaran costume which was later re-used as costume for Scott Booker in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Demons ". [12]

Promotion [ ]

The main page of the official Nemesis website

• The film's official website, operated by StarTrek.com and located at "nemesis.startrek.com", was launched on 28 June 2002 . The website's main page contained links to the film's trailer and the option of activating the site as run by Macromedia Flash or viewing a non-Flash version of the site. The site itself, like most official sites, contained information on the film and its cast and crew, as well as images, trailers, and downloads. The American version of the site was fully activated and updated by 30 November 2002 , and by February 2003 , links to foreign-language versions of the site had been added to the homepage. On 3 June 2005 , the site was integrated into StarTrek.com's main website. [13] (X)
• The fast food restaurant Del Taco featured promotional tie-ins to the film.
• Trailers and TV spots featured Shinzon's line " Kill everything aboard that ship, then set a course for Earth " edited into " Set a course for Earth – kill everything ".

Merchandising [ ]

• The toy company Art Asylum released four action figures based on the film in the likeness of Picard, Data, Shinzon, and the viceroy. However, its replica of the Enterprise -E (with lights and sound) was finally released in February 2006 , over three years later.
• Much like the score for Star Trek: Insurrection , the original soundtrack had a lot of material left off of it. A bootleg began circulation about six months after the film was released on home video. Yet while this bootleg contained more music, a couple of vital cues were left out of the score.
• In January 2013, Varèse Sarabande released a Limited Edition 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the score which contained everything heard in the film. [14] This release also revealed it contained mixes that the bootleg had and the two missing vital cues. This set also contains "Blue Skies" as heard by Brent Spiner in the film.

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Box office performance [ ]

• Opening on Friday, 13 December 2002 , Star Trek Nemesis earned a lower-than-expected US$18.5 million in its opening weekend. It became the first Star Trek film to not debut in the number one spot at the box office. That honor instead went to the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan , which beat out Nemesis by less than US$200,000 ( Nemesis actually made slightly more per cinema than Maid in Manhattan , but opened in nearly two hundred fewer theaters). Nemesis went on to lose over 76% of its business the following weekend, falling to eighth place in the face of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers . At the time, reflecting the fan's perception of the movie, this was the worst revenue drop of any major studio film in box office history, though it would be surpassed the following summer when Gigli (also starring Jennifer Lopez) lost 89% of its first-week business. The movie closed on Thursday, 13 March 2003 with a total gross of US$43.25 million, the lowest of all Star Trek films.
• Nemesis was equally disappointing in the United Kingdom. Opening on 3 January 2003 , it grossed only £4,666,630 in its entire run at the UK box office, considerably down on the other Next Generation films.
• The movie has the dubious distinction of becoming the all-time worst performing Star Trek movie, with the preceding Next Generation movie, Insurrection , coming in third, and one of only four which turned in an official net loss for the studio, the biggest one as a matter of fact. Even the hitherto most reviled one, The Final Frontier , had been able to break even. See for further details, Star Trek films: Performance summary .

Reception [ ]

• LeVar Burton is on record as having said that the film " sucked. " [15] Marina Sirtis backed him up, but also quipped " it sucked less than Insurrection . " Burton and Sirtis also criticized Stuart Baird for not watching a single episode of TNG. In later years, Sirtis has been more vocal in her criticisms of Baird, referring to him as " an idiot ." [16] According to Burton and several other members of the main cast, Baird kept referring to LeVar as "Laverne" throughout production and thought the character of Geordi La Forge was an alien.
• Fans came to agree with the assessments of Burton and Sirtis: the film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 37% overall approval rate for Nemesis. As of 2016, this is the second lowest of all Star Trek films, only surpassed by Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , which is widely considered to be the worst Star Trek film. [17] Released at a time when the franchise was already under fire for the poorly-received television series Star Trek: Enterprise , it added considerable weight to a fan campaign seeking the removal of the "current leadership of the franchise from their positions, including Rick Berman, Brannon Braga [note: who, incidentally, had not worked on Nemesis ] , and their entire staff".
• Patrick Stewart has divulged that Nemesis was not intended to be the last in the Next Generation series, but a subsequent, fifth, one, " While we were filming Nemesis , an idea was being developed by John Logan, the screenwriter of Nemesis , and Brent Spiner for a fifth and final movie. It was a very exciting idea for a screenplay. It would have been a real farewell to Next Generation , but it would have involved other historic aspects of Star Trek as well. " However, the dismal reception and performance of Nemesis ended all notions for an encore. [18]
• The poor performance and reception of Nemesis – hard on the heels of the equally poor performance and dismal reception of Insurrection – , combined with the failure of Enterprise , was for the franchise conglomerate the reason to cease any and all further investments in prime universe Star Trek . Pursuant the cancellation of Enterprise , the studio one-and-a-half years later sold off their entire warehouses' contents of Star Trek production stock assets in the 2006-2009 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection , and It's A Wrap! sale and auction wave of auctions , save for a limited amount for exhibition purposes, making it abundantly clear that Paramount was done with Star Trek as has been. Not only were live-action productions suspended, the release of related merchandise was, with the exception of home media formats, also dialed down considerably; exemplary of this was the publication cessation of two of the three official Star Trek magazines in existence at that time, Star Trek: Communicator in 2005, and the franchise's flagship magazine, Star Trek: The Magazine already in 2003, leaving the originally British Star Trek Magazine the sole survivor. Still, Paramount quite literally rebooted Star Trek with the alternate universe 2009 movie Star Trek , essentially reinventing and recreating Star Trek from scratch. It would not be until 2015 that a new prime universe work, which became Star Trek: Discovery , was announced.
• The poor fan reception became part of pop-culture when Nemesis was labeled a "terrible movie" in the otherwise Star Trek -friendly and heavily referencing sitcom The Big Bang Theory , in its only reference in the season four episode "The 21-Second Excitation".

Deleted scenes [ ]

• An extended wedding scene where Picard speaks with Wesley Crusher, who confirms that he has returned to Starfleet and will be serving aboard the USS Titan .
• A private conversation on board the Enterprise following the wedding between Picard and Data over a glass of Chateau Picard where Data examines Picard's Ressikan flute and Picard confirms that not only are Riker and Troi leaving the Enterprise but Dr. Crusher is also leaving to return to Starfleet Medical . They toast to "new worlds", which is later echoed during the dinner between Shinzon and Picard.
• Early introduction of Shinzon in the film (right after the wedding reception). This is the scene that includes the dialogue from the theatrical trailers, " But in darkness there is strength… " (Viceroy) and " The time we have dreamed of is at hand… the mighty Federation will fall before us… " (Shinzon).
• A discussion between Riker, Troi and Worf in the crew lounge about spending their honeymoon on the Opal Sea on Betazed (which is later expounded on in the theatrical cut where Picard tells Riker that "the Opal Sea will have to wait, Number One" after the Enterprise sets course for Romulus). Data also enters with B-4 and attempts to show the prototype android how to eat with a spoon.
• Worf warning Picard about the Romulans following the scene in the observation lounge on course for Romulus. This scene includes Worf's dialogue from the teaser trailer, " I recommend extreme caution… "

Captain Picard enjoys the new upgrade to the captain's chair in the original ending of the movie

• A scene of Picard walking with Troi down a corridor and Troi explaining to him that he and Shinzon are two different people. This scene includes the line from the trailer, " it was like a part of me had been stolen… " (Picard).
• The second mind-rape scene of Counselor Troi in a turbolift. Parts of this scene also appeared in the trailer showing Shinzon telling Troi " Don't fear " and later her on the floor of the turbolift looking distressed
• Sickbay getting ready for battle with dialogue between Dr. Crusher and Picard, referencing Zefram Cochrane 's quote " to seek out new life and new civilizations ."
• A scene of Worf and La Forge packing up Data's personal belongings in his quarters after his memorial service. La Forge examines Data's violin and Sherlock Holmes pipe . Spot jumps up in Worf's arms, who complains that he is " not a cat person ", as La Forge quips " you are now. "
• A conversation over subspace between Picard and Crusher, where she invites him to dinner on Earth after she has left the Enterprise for Starfleet Medical.
• The original ending – a new first officer is introduced on board the Enterprise as Riker departs and a new command chair is installed on the bridge.

Apocrypha [ ]

The A Time to… series of novels depicted Wesley Crusher still as a Traveler, and that he arrived to the wedding ceremony naked as he was expecting a Betazoid wedding. To cover the snafu, Picard had a uniform beamed down for Wesley to wear during the ceremony. The novel also established that Dr. Pulaski was present at the ceremony. The novel also establishes that Worf was serving temporarily as acting chief of security/tactical officer as the Enterprise 's chief of security was on shore leave on Earth and her second in command had recently resigned. Worf was also planning to transfer to the Titan with Riker and Troi as first officer, but after the death of Data, Picard requested Worf remain aboard the Enterprise and he agreed to do so.

Also, several novels, including Death in Winter , Resistance , Q&A , Before Dishonor , Greater than the Sum , and the Destiny trilogy have continued the adventures of the Enterprise beyond the events of Nemesis and showed further crew changes, for example, Beverly Crusher returning to the Enterprise after falling in love with, eventually marrying Captain Picard and becoming pregnant with their first child. Also, Worf is shown being promoted to full commander and becoming the Enterprise 's new permanent first officer.

The comic book series Star Trek: Countdown (that also functions as a prequel to the J.J. Abrams movie ), shows that Data "returned" to life by having his neural pathways eventually overwrite B-4 and then with help from Geordi and the Soong Foundation, upgraded B-4's neural net, thereby allowing Data's pathways to be fully operational. The restored Data would eventually become captain of the Enterprise after Picard becomes the Federation Ambassador to Vulcan . However, the events of this series would be later contradicted by the Cold Equations novel trilogy where Data's and B-4's fates take different paths than what are depicted in the comic.

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek Nemesis received the following awards and honors.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], closing credits [ ].

• Stuart Baird
• John Logan & Rick Berman & Brent Spiner
• Rick Berman
• Gene Roddenberry
• Marty Hornstein
• Jeffrey L. Kimball , ASC
• Herman Zimmerman
• Dallas Puett , ACE
• Bob Ringwood
• Peter Lauritson
• Jerry Goldsmith
• Amanda Mackey Johnson , CSA & Cathy Sandrich Gelfond , CSA
• Junie Lowry-Johnson , CSA
• Mark O. Forker

A Rick Berman Production

• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• Brent Spiner
• LeVar Burton
• Michael Dorn
• Gates McFadden
• Marina Sirtis
• Ron Perlman
• Jude Ciccolella
• Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Kathryn Janeway
• David Sardi
• Richard Oswald
• Michael Westmore
• Robert Blackman
• Matthew J. Birch
• Shannon Cochran
• Michael Owen
• Kate Mulgrew
• Robertson Dean
• David Ralphe ( #2 )
• J. Patrick McCormack ( #1 )
• Wil Wheaton
• Majel Barrett Roddenberry
• Doug Coleman
• Steve Kelso
• Brian Williams
• Sonia McDancer
• Eileen Weisinger
• Tony Angelotti
• Sandy Berumen-Justus
• Joey Box ( Enterprise -E engineer )
• Eliza Coleman
• Max Daniels
• Erica Grace
• Terry Jackson
• Mike Justus
• Bob McGovern
• Eric Norris
• Allen Robinson
• Chris Sayour
• Pete Turner ( Kolaran soldier , Reman guard , Reman guard , Reman officer )
• Irving Lewis
• John Alden ( Security officer )
• Chino Binamo
• Charlie Brewer
• Jarrid Eddo
• Mickey Giacomazzi
• Steve Holladay
• Brandon Johnson
• Dorian Kingi ( Reman soldier )
• Chris Palermo ( Crewmember )
• Clint Lilley
• Brennan Dyson
• Todd Bryant ( Stunt double for Ron Perlman )
• Joey Anaya ( Reman soldier )
• Dan Barringer ( Security officer )
• Robin Bonaccorsi
• Mark Chadwick ( Kolaran soldier )
• Darrell Craig Davis
• Dana Dru Evenson ( Security officer )
• Tanner Gill ( Security officer )
• Keii Johnston
• Tom Morga ( Boarding Reman , Reman in corridor )
• Brian Stewart
• Harry Wowchuck
• Cherie Baker
• Donald B. Woodruff
• Ronald R. Reiss
• John M. Dwyer
• Tom Southwell
• Glenn Richard Cote
• Gregory Lundsgaard
• Ken Nishino
• Alan Jacoby
• Leo Napolitano
• Dennis Seawright
• Don Steinberg
• Kerry Lyn McKissick
• Flemming Olsen
• Greg Schmidt
• Thomas Causey
• Joseph F. Brennan
• Richard Kite
• Dan Delgado
• Frank Mathews
• Lukas Henrey
• David A. Kaiser
• Glen Magers
• James D. Rose
• Michael Laws
• Greg Langham
• Greg Cantrell
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• Bill McKane
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• Donald M. Yamasaki
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• by Jerry Goldsmith
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• Jim Argenbright as Romulan senator
• Chris Bailey as Starfleet technician
• Stuart Baird as Scimitar computer voice
• Audrey Baranishyn as wedding guest
• William Bebow as Romulan senator
• Rita Tannenbaum
• Romulan senator
• Greg Bronson as Romulan senator
• Donna Burns as Romulan senator
• Jeremy Colp as Romulan senator
• Steven Culp as Martin Madden ( deleted scene )
• David Dacy as Romulan senator
• Robin Datry as Romulan senator
• Jason Decker as Romulan senator
• Jenny Deiker
• Bruce Dobos as wedding guest
• Marcus Eley as wedding oboe player
• Jonathan Engle as Romulan senator
• Chris Eves as wedding guitarist
• David Fahning as Romulan senator
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
• Sunny Gorg as operations Starfleet officer
• Nelson Grande as operations officer
• Pete Henderson as Starfleet wedding guest
• Peter Hill as Romulan senator
• Dieter Hornemann as Vulcan wedding attendee
• Cliff Howard as wedding guest
• Richard Irving as Romulan senator
• Baron Jay as command officer
• Lydia Jay as Romulan senator
• Andray Johnson as USS Enterprise -E sciences officer [19]
• John Jurgens as Reman soldier
• Andy Keith as Romulan senator
• Bradford Kelly as Romulan senator
• Michael Keppel as Romulan senator
• Michael Kurtz as Romulan senator
• Nicholas Lanier as ensign ( deleted scene )
• Jasmine Lliteras as Romulan senator
• Andrew MacBeth as operations officer
• Marti Matulis as Reman soldier
• Mykle McCoslin as sciences officer
• Bill Thomas Miller as command officer at wedding
• Kevin Moon as operations officer [20]
• Debra Naclerio as Romulan senator
• Noriko Olling as wedding piano player
• Roger Raskin as sciences officer
• Katja Rieckermann as wedding saxophone player
• Rachelle Roderick as Romulan senator
• Wanda Roth as Starfleet lieutenant
• Stephen Ryan as Romulan senator
• David Senescu as wedding trumpet player
• Bryan Singer as Kelly
• Gregory Sweeney as operations officer
• Loran Taylor as Starfleet wedding guest
• James Walker as Romulan senator
• Doug Wax as sciences bridge officer
• Tyson Weihe as Romulan senator
• Jessica Wheal as Vulcan wedding attendee
• Michael Wickson as Reman sub-commander
• Wanda Willis as wedding guest
• Spencer Wright as wedding bass player
• Young Shinzon
• Bolian wedding attendee
• Enterprise -E engineer
• Enterprise -E female relief ops officer
• Enterprise -E sciences female bridge officer
• Enterprise -E sciences male bridge officer
• Reman guard
• Reman soldier
• Sixteen Romulan senators
• Two female Wedding guests
• Two Reman surgeons
• Two Romulan Senate guards
• Valdore bridge officer 1
• Valdore bridge officer 2
• Valdore tactical officer
• Vulcan male wedding attendee
• wedding trumpet player
• wedding drummer
• Darrin Prescott
• Scott Rogers
• Rick Seaman
• Casey Erklin
• Vanessa Grayson – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Whitney Guss – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Peter Iacangelo – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Mark Rogerson – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Paul Sklar – stand-in and photo double for Patrick Stewart
• Scott Somers – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Michael Avallon – Driver
• Tom Boyd – Musician: Oboe
• Christopher Flick – Foley Editor
• Leslie Cook – Choreographer
• Gilley Grey – Set Medic
• Clark James , Prop Maker ( hand phasers , phaser rifles , and tricorders ) [21]
• Steve Johnson – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Duane Katz – Rigging Technician
• Mark Kenaston – Rotoscope/Paint Artist
• Jane Kilkenny – Model Maker
• Stacia Lang – Specialty Costumer
• Derek Ledbetter – Visual Effects Compositor ( Howard Anderson Company )
• Jennifer Mann – Makeup Artist
• Bart Mixon – Makeup Artist
• David Nowell – Aerial Unit Director of Photography [22]
• Dan Patterson – Data I/O Operator ( Digital Domain )
• Cristina Patterson Ceret – Contact Len Designer/Painter
• Diane Pepper – Hair Stylist
• Ralph Sarabia – Set Painter
• Marlene Stoller – Makeup Artist: Romulan senators
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• James Thatcher – Musician: French Horn
• Joshua Thatcher – 2nd Unit Conventional Light Programmer
• Tim Walston – Sound Designer
• Karen Westerfield – Prosthetic/Beauty Makeup Artist
• Jeff Wolverton – Digital Artist/FX Animator: ending explosion effects ( Digital Domain )
• Professional VisionCare Associates – Contact Lens company

References [ ]

2379 ; ability ; adrenaline ; agent ; aging ; Alpha Priority ; Argo ; assassination ; attack flier ; auto-destruct ; Bassen Rift ; Battle in the Bassen Rift ; Berlin, Irving ; Betazed ; blood ; " Blue Skies "; boarding party ; Borg ; Cancion y Danza No. 6 ; caste ; Chateau Picard ; Celes II ; cellular structure ; cloaking device ; clone ; cognitive subroutine ; collaborator ; communication subroutine ; coup d'état ; conjugal rites (aka conjugation ); cripple ; damned ; dilithium ; DNA ; Dominion War ; donor ; drydock ; Earth ; Earth spacedock ; emergency transport unit ; envoy ; explorer ; eye ; faith ; Farpoint Mission ; freedom ; General Orders and Regulations ; generation ; gift ; Guinan's marriages ; gymnasium ; hair follicle ; hand ; handshake ; heart ; heel ; height ; Human nature ; illumination ; imzadi ; intelligence scan ; ion storm ; jaw ; Kirk Epsilon ; Kolarin system ; Kolarus Prime ; Kolarus III ; maritime tradition ; martinet ; medical tricorder ; memory engram ; meter ; Mercury ; mining ; minute ; neural pathway ; nose ; number one ; occupation ; Opal Sea ; outcast ; piano ; pictograph ; " Pop Goes the Weasel "; prejudice ; positronic brain ; positronic matrix ; praetor ; pre-warp civilization ; radiation poisoning ; rate of decay ; Reman ; Reman language ; Remus ; Romulan ale ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulan ; Romulan Senate ; Romulan Star Empire ; Romulus system ; Romulus system primary ; Romulan Warbird ; Romulus ; Scimitar ; Scorpion -class ; Sector 1045 ; security detail ; self-actualization parameter ; serotonin ; Shalaft's Syndrome ; Shinzon's doctor ; ship's manifest ; shuttlebay doors ; Silver Spade ; site-to-site transport ; solar class ; solar flare ; Son'a ; Soong, Noonien ; Soong-type android ; Spot ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Academy marathon ; Starfleet Cartography ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Intelligence ; Stellar Cartography ; subatomic level ; tactical analysis ; tea ; telepathic ability ; temperature ; temporal RNA sequencing ; text message ; thalaron generator ; thalaron radiation ; Tholian ; Tholian ambassador ; thought ; Titan , USS ; toast ; tracking station ; trade negotiation ; transgendered species ; transponder signal ; transport coordinates ; transporter ; Transporter Room 4 ; tyrant ; Valdore ; Valdore -type ; Valdore 's sister ship ; vehicle ; verb ; vote ; Vulcan neck pinch ; wedding ; wedding cake ; wedding dress ; wedding traditions ; Whip

Okudagram references [ ]

Archer , USS ; Aries , USS ; Galaxy , USS ; Hood , USS ; Intrepid , USS ; Nova , USS ; Valiant , USS ;

Meta references [ ]

Unreferenced material [ ].

Beagle , HMS ; Denab system ; Hemingway , USS ; Madden, Martin ; Talos , USS ; vintner

• Star Trek Nemesis (Special Edition DVD)
• Star Trek Nemesis (DVD)
• Star Trek Nemesis (soundtrack)

External links [ ]

• Star Trek Nemesis at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek Nemesis at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek Nemesis at Wikipedia
• Star Trek Nemesis at the Internet Movie Database
• Linux and Star Trek – a discussion with the studio Digital Domain on using Linux to render special effects in Star Trek Nemesis and other films, including anecdotes and some code used in the process
• Star Trek: Nemesis script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

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• TV Listings
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Star Trek: Nemesis - Full Cast & Crew

• 51   Metascore
• 1 hr 57 mins
• Suspense, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Picard and crew discover a Romulan political leader is trying to bring down the Federation.

Screenwriter

Executive producer, co-producer, cinematographer, production company, art director, sound effects, sound/sound designer, supervising sound editor, special effects, production designer.

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Star Trek: Nemesis

2002, Sci-fi/Adventure, 1h 57m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Nemesis has an interesting premise and some good action scenes, but the whole affair feels a bit tired. Read critic reviews

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Star trek: nemesis videos, star trek: nemesis   photos.

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) diverts the starship Enterprise from its scheduled trip to Cmdr. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi's (Marina Sirtis) wedding to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romulans. Picard is shocked when Shinzon (Tom Hardy), the new Praetor of the Romulans, admits to being a clone of him. When the crew members discover a break-in on their computer, they are forced into a life-or-death battle to stop Shinzon's Warbird before it can destroy the Earth.

Rating: PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action Peril|Scene of Sexual Content|Sci-Fi Action Violence)

Genre: Sci-fi, Adventure

Original Language: English

Director: Stuart Baird

Producer: Rick Berman

Writer: Rick Berman , Brent Spiner , John Logan

Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2002  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011

Box Office (Gross USA): $500.0K

Runtime: 1h 57m

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Production Co: Paramount

Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

View the collection: Star Trek

Cast & Crew

Patrick Stewart

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Commander William T. Riker

Brent Spiner

Lieutenant Commander Data

LeVar Burton

Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge

Michael Dorn

Lieutenant Commander Worf

Marina Sirtis

Commander Deanna Troi

Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher

Ron Perlman

Shannon Cochran

Senator Tal'aura

Commander Donatra

Jude Ciccolella

Commander Suran

Praetor Hiren

Michael Owen

Helm Officer Branson

Kate Mulgrew

Admiral Kathryn Janeway

Robertson Dean

Reman Officer

David Ralphe

J. Patrick McCormack

Wil Wheaton

Wesley Crusher

Stuart Baird

Rick Berman

Screenwriter

Marty Hornstein

Executive Producer

Jeffrey Kimball

Cinematographer

Herman F. Zimmerman

Production Design

Dallas Puett

Film Editing

Bob Ringwood

Costume Design

Peter Lauritson

Co-Producer

Michael Westmore

Makeup Designer

Makeup Supervisor

Terry Frazee

Special Effects Coordinator

Mark Forker

Visual Effects Supervisor

Jerry Goldsmith

Original Music

News & Interviews for Star Trek: Nemesis

Your Epic Movie Franchise Binge Guide: The Best Way to Watch the Biggest Series

Patrick Stewart and the Star Trek: Picard Crew on Why the World Needs Jean-Luc Now More Than Ever

Every Star Trek Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

Critic Reviews for Star Trek: Nemesis

Audience reviews for star trek: nemesis.

Here is the kiss goodbye from the TNG ensemble, although perhaps less than a kiss and more of a postcard. And so we are lead through this roadside museum/cafe/diner dedicated to the "the good ol' days', where nods are halfheartedly made to all the familiar and recognizable tropes of the television show, and all the nourishment offered is kinda old and lukewarm. Ho-hum. Warp out of here.

It's difficult for a particular franchise of films to live on for an extended period of time, let alone a long TV series and 4 feature films. With uninspired direction and a gradually silly film, It seems that after 15 years, this iteration of the Enterprise crew just ran out of gas. Though 'Insurrection' did well at further developing the crew of the Enterprise, 'Nemesis' puts a heavy focus on its villain. This time played by newcomer (at the time) Tom Hardy. Hardy plays Shinzon, a mysterious character hell-bent on completing his Romulan mission with a background linked to Captain Picard himself. Although the dialogue isn't always the best, Hardy shows just how good of an actor he would become, especially up against someone as revered as Patrick Stewart. Director Stuart Baird supposedly had never seen an episode of The Next Generation, and the way he handled the direction and tone of this film definitely showed that lack of knowledge. I think his attempt at creating a story that felt very different from what came before is admirable, but too much liberties taken and you may have some upset fans. This also comes into play when you think about the strange inclusion of a brother to Data, and Shinzon being a clone of Picard. I didn't find either of those two story lines compelling, nor did it really bring anything new to that approach of storytelling. It's only when I watched the actors bring much more out of the dialogue that I realized there could have been something great here. If for anything else, Shinzon is an extremely active villain and Hardy doesn't waste the extra screen time, though I was a bit turned off by a unique communication device he uses early on in the film, seriously it's just uncomfortable (and not Star Trek at all) for the wrong reasons. With diminished screen time for the Enterprise crew, they barely leave the bridge, except for one out of place Mad Max style desert sequence. Nemesis is just one of those Star Trek films I can't seem to figure out. I can tell the franchise fatigue seemed to set in, but there's still plenty of good with the performances of the crew and the newcomer Tom Hardy. +Hardy showed promise +Picard and Data's performances -But their strange subplots were unnecessary -Director/writers uncomfortable plot choices 5.4/10

Final Star Trek film featuring the Generations crew is a pretty good final, before the J.J Abrams reboot, and it's a step up from the previous film, and it manages to be an effective blend of Scio Fi and thrilling action, enough to please fans of the show and films. Although not a perfect tenth film, Nemesis is a worthwhile picture, one that is quite entertaining from start to finish. A young Tom Hardy plays the villain here, and he gives the film's strongest performance. Here Hardy would show glimpses of what was to come later in his career. Add to that, a good story, and you have a worthwhile Star Trek film worth seeing if you've enjoyed the other entries in the series. Although not breaking any new ground in the film franchise, Nemesis is a worthy final for the Generations era of Star Trek films, and is a film that is also underrated. The film may be flawed, and it does fall short of what it could have been, but it does manage to be a highly engaging picture that is much better than what you might think. I enjoyed Nemesis and I thought for a tenth film, it managed to be quite good, even if it wasn't perfect. With that being said, there is enough thrills and entertainment value to be had here if you're in the mood for a fun little Sci Fi film. This one may not be the best Star Trek film, but it surely isn't the worst either. For what it offers, it has enough momentum to appeal to genre fans as well as Star Trek fans alike. This is a pleasant ending to the original series before the reboots, and it manages to be a pretty good final, despite the fact that it could have been a bit better as well.

Not bad. I don't feel that Tom Hardy's character does enough to hurt Picard for him to be considered his nemesis, though-kind of dumb considering this is the film's title. You also don't see Shinzon become any kind of complicated character-he doesn't struggle with any of his decisions, or does anything good, just evil. This is the only thing that really annoys me about the film. It wouldn't have been that difficult to make him a complicated character. This could've become a legendary rivalry between these two characters, but instead falls short of being great.

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Star Trek: Nemesis

• The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.
• After a joyous wedding between William Riker and Deanna Troi, Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew stumble upon a positronic signature which results in a prototype version of the android Data. Then the Enterprise is invited to Romulus to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romulans by their new leader, Praetor Shinzon. However, Shinzon is revealed to be a clone of Picard who was raised on Remus, a slave planet to the Romulans. Later on, Picard discovers that this peace treaty was nothing more than a set-up on account of the fact that Shinzon needs Picard in order to survive. But little do the Enterprise crew know that Shinzon also plans to do away with the Federation by unleashing a weapon that could destroy a whole planet. — Blazer346
• On their way to William Riker and Deanna Troi's honeymoon on Betazed, the Enterprise heads near the Romulan Neutral Zone, and picks up a prototype version of the android Data. Immediately, they are diverted to Romulus, where the new ruler, Praetor Shinzon, a human cloned from Captain Picard who lives on the slave planet Remus, appears to want peace with the Federation. But then the crew detects a break-in on their computer systems, and Picard is captured by the Remans because Shinzon needs him as his only matching supplier of genetic material. Picard and the Enterprise crew escape, only to find themselves battling Shinzon's completely cloaked Warbird, who goes after the complete destruction of Earth. — 42/103
• The Romulan military offers the Imperial Senate plans to join forces with the Reman military and invade the Federation, but the Praetor (Alan Dale) refuses to cooperate. A green Thalaron radiation mist is released into the room, and everyone is killed. Meanwhile, the crew of the USS Enterprise-E prepares to bid farewell to longtime first officer Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who are soon to be married on Betazed. On route, they discover a Positronic energy reading on a planet in the Kolaran system near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), and Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) land on Kolarus III and discover the remnants of an android resembling Data. When the android is reassembled it reveals its name is B-4 (Brent Spiner), and the crew deduce it to be a less-advanced earlier version of Data. Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) orders the crew to conduct a diplomatic mission to Romulus. Janeway informs Picard that the Romulan government has undergone a military coup and is now controlled by a Reman named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), saying he wants peace with the Federation and to bring freedom to Remus. This is a surprising development as the Romulans had regarded Remans as an undesirable caste used principally as slave labor, due to their long history of prejudice. Upon their arrival on Romulus, the crew learns that Shinzon is actually a clone of Picard, a remnant of a secret experiment conducted by the Romulans to take Picard's place in Starfleet as a spy; however, he and the project were abandoned after a political change in the Romulan government left him cast away to Remus as a slave. It is there that he meets his Reman brethren and effects his rise to power. It was also on Remus where Shinzon constructed his flagship, a heavily armed warship named Scimitar, with completely undetectable cloaking devices, an arsenal of weapons, and virtually impregnable shields. Though the diplomatic mission seems to go smoothly, the crew discovers that the Scimitar is emitting low levels of extremely dangerous Thalaron radiation, the same substance used to assassinate the Romulan senate as seen in the film's beginning. Several unauthorized computer accesses take place aboard the Enterprise, and Counselor Troi is mentally attacked by Shinzon while she is making love to Commander Riker. Picard is captured by Shinzon and is informed that he is slowly dying from the accelerated aging from his cloning process, and thus needs Picard's blood to live. Shinzon also transports B-4 aboard the Scimitar, revealing that Shinzon was behind the placing of B-4 on Kolarus III in order to lure Picard to Romulus. However, B-4 reveals himself to actually be Data - he rescues Picard, and they make their escape back to their ship. Realizing that the Scimitar is a Weaponized Thalaron emitter with enough power to destroy all life forms in a fleet of ships as well as an entire planet, Data deduces that Shinzon is using the warship to conquer the Federation and destroy Earth. The Enterprise races back towards Federation space, but is soon ambushed by the Scimitar, disabling the Enterprise's warp drive in the process in her first volley of torpedoes. In the ensuing assault, the Enterprise is outmatched. Two Romulan Warbirds arrive and assist in the assault, but Shinzon destroys one Warbird and disables the other. Refocusing his attention on Picard, Shinzon damages the Enterprise to a significant degree. Refusing to surrender, Picard uses his heavily damaged ship to ram the Scimitar, but only succeeds in slightly damaging it. Picard even tries to initiate the Enterprise's self-destruct sequence, but finds it disabled from the attack. Meanwhile, Shinzon initializes the Scimitar's Thalaron weapon in a desperate attempt to take the Enterprise down with him. Picard boards the vessel alone and faces Shinzon. Unable to stop the weapon from activating, Picard kills Shinzon by impaling him through the abdomen with part of a metallic support strut. Data arrives with a single-use personal transporter, using it to quickly beam the captain back to the Enterprise before sacrificing himself to destroy the ship, shutting down the weapon in the process. While the severely damaged Enterprise is under repair in a space dock in near-Earth orbit, Picard bids farewell to newly promoted Captain Riker who is off to command the USS Titan, to begin a true peace negotiation mission with Romulus. Picard then meets with android B-4, whereupon he learns that Data had succeeded in copying the engrams of his neural net into B-4's Positronic matrix not long before his death.

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Star trek: nemesis.

2002 Directed by Stuart Baird

A generation's final journey... begins.

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

Patrick Stewart Jonathan Frakes Brent Spiner LeVar Burton Michael Dorn Gates McFadden Marina Sirtis Ron Perlman Tom Hardy Dina Meyer Jude Ciccolella Shannon Cochran Kate Mulgrew Wil Wheaton Stuart Baird Alan Dale David Ralphe Majel Barrett Bryan Singer Whoopi Goldberg

Director Director

Stuart Baird

Additional Directing Add. Directing

Doug Coleman

Producers Producers

Peter Lauritson Rick Berman

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Marty Hornstein

Writers Writers

John Logan Rick Berman Brent Spiner

Casting Casting

Junie Lowry-Johnson Amanda Mackey Cathy Sandrich Gelfond

Editor Editor

Dallas Puett

Cinematography Cinematography

Jeffrey L. Kimball

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Leo J. Napolitano Gregory J. Schmidt Gregory Lundsgaard

Lighting Lighting

Dan Delgado Martin Reder

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Layna McAllister Flemming Olsen

Production Design Production Design

Herman F. Zimmerman

Art Direction Art Direction

Cherie Baker Donald B. Woodruff

Set Decoration Set Decoration

John M. Dwyer Ronald R. Reiss Scott Herbertson Martha Johnston Robert Woodruff Ahna Packard Robert Gray William S. Maxwell III Joe Pinkos Kenneth Sayers

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Ron Gress Todd Isroelit Mark Owen Forker Kenneth Jones

Title Design Title Design

Richard Greenberg

Stunts Stunts

Tim Rigby Robin Lynn Bonaccorsi Joey Anaya John Alden Tony Angelotti Chino Binamo Sandy Berumen Daniel W. Barringer Todd Bryant Mark Chadwick Joey Box Jon Braver Charlie Brewer Doug Coleman Eliza Coleman Lisa Hoyle Sonia Izzolena Keii Johnston Terry Jackson Steve Kelso Chris Palermo Erica Grace Tanner Gill Eileen Weisinger Brian J. Williams Brennan Dyson Harry Wowchuk Jane Austin Paul Sklar Clint Lilley Scott Rogers Brian Stewart Theo Kypri Dorian Kingi Dana Dru Evenson Jared S. Eddo Mark De Alessandro Mickey Giacomazzi

Composer Composer

Jerry Goldsmith

Sound Sound

Robin Harlan Sarah Monat Fred Burke Scott Curtis Scott G.G. Haller Randy Singer Harry Cohen James Wolvington David Grimaldi Doug Jackson Steve Mann Howard Neiman Paul C. Warschilka Thomas Causey Noyan Cosarer Chris Jenkins Frank A. Montaño James Simcik Frank Smathers Thomas W. Small Bub Asman Alan Robert Murray Jason King

Costume Design Costume Design

Bob Ringwood Robert Blackman

Makeup Makeup

Allan A. Apone Zoltan Elek Earl Ellis Tina Hoffman Bart Mixon Rick Stratton June Westmore Ellis Burman Jr. Marsha Shearrill Jake Garber Michael Westmore Jill Rockow

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Joy Zapata Judy Crown Rebecca De Morrio Chris McBee Shawn McKay Lisa Meyers Diane Pepper Elaina P. Schulman Kathe Swanson Linda Trainoff Toni-Ann Walker Lumas Hamilton Jr. Ora Green Terry Baliel Julia L. Walker Karen Asano-Myers

Paramount Digital Image Associates

Releases by Date

13 dec 2002, 03 jan 2003, 16 jan 2003, 06 feb 2003, 15 feb 2003, 06 mar 2003, 12 mar 2003, 14 mar 2003, 15 mar 2003, 21 mar 2003, 11 apr 2003, 01 apr 2008, 04 sep 2005, 27 jun 2006, 19 sep 2009, releases by country.

• Theatrical M
• TV 12 Network
• TV 10 Network
• Theatrical TP
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 13
• Theatrical PG

Netherlands

• TV 12 Veronica
• Physical 12 DVD
• Theatrical M/12
• Theatrical 7
• Theatrical 11
• Theatrical 12A
• Theatrical PG-13

116 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Will Menaker ★★★ 19

The one I will defend against all comers.

I'm sorry but this one kind of owns, and I have no idea how it got the reputation for being the worst Trek movie. When you've got movies like Ron Perlman playing a telepathic bat-goblin you can't lose! If the studio and director had let Tom Hardy do a wacky voice, this could have easily been four stars.

This is a good example of what I want from a Trek movie. If it's going to be a movie, I need to see some big social and political upheavals in the Trek universe. The board has got to get shook up. The Nexus? Finding God? A planet that makes you young again? Save…

Review by ScreeningNotes ★★ 3

"Data, I need another poorly plotted action movie with no character arcs or sense of direction" "Captain, don't you think the fans deserve—" "Make it so!" "Captain!—" "ENGAGE!"

Review by #1 gizmo fan ★★ 6

can I perhaps fuck tom hardy

Review by Branson Reese 9

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Looks like we made it Look how far we've come, my baby We mighta took the long way We knew we'd get there someday

Finally did it. Finally watched every theatrical Star Trek movie. Sure, there's some JJ Abrams joints out there and sure I'll watch them in between Orioles games, but let's not bullshit each other. This is the real end of the line. I think it was John Legend of the Beatles who said "What a long strange trip it's been."

This is the nu-metal Star Trek, no two ways about it. It's bad but not nearly as bad as its reputation suggests. Early aughts badassery does not wear well on Star Trek, which I think goes a…

Review by Chris Cabin ★★ 1

A remake of A Few Good Men centered on me grilling all three writers of this movie about which one of them wrote that weird-ass Riker-Troi-Shinzon-Viceroy sex scene.

Review by 20oldboy03 ★★★ 4

Der zehnte , und letzte Teil mit der originalen „Next Generation“ -Crew sowie der letzten aus einer Serie stammenden wie hervorgegangenen Mannschaft, ist ein einziger großer Zwiespalt.

Der Zwiespalt beginnt mit der dankenswerten und ausnahmsweise doch relativ großen Welt, die endlich einmal das Star Trek-Universum aus ihren Vierwänden nimmt und uns eben die Weiten des Universums (bildlichgesprochen) vorzeigt – soweit der Beginn. Ein Punkt der gleichzeitig wie ironisch jeglichen Charme der Serie raubt – auch hier treffen die Ausnahmen die Regel.

Der zweite Zwiespalt beinhaltet die Inszenierung und Optik der 2000er Jahre. Positiv ist einfach die Frische der Kulissen/Kostüme und der Effekte. Die Schlachten haben Wums, Größe und sehen dazu echt gut aus, woran der Einbau von Miniaturen beiträgt. Dagegen steht wiederum…

Review by Deckk ★★★ 2

100-word review: Using deadly weaponised thalaron radiation, the Reman Shinzon forcefully assumes Romulan Praetorship. Following the coup d'état, he professes a desire for peace with the Federation; the Enterprise is ordered on a diplomatic mission. Once there, however, our heroes discover that Shinzon is not only human, but also an acquaintance (of sorts). Nemesis continues the Star Trek tradition of openly debating ethics, this time focusing on a nature vs. nurture discussion with the characters of Picard and Data both being mirrored by duplicates of different upbringing. Unfortunately, that's all quickly abandoned in favour of an aimless, dull, and uninspired 'action' plot.

Part of my September 2021 Live Long and Prosper challenge; 10th out of 13 films.

Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★½ 3

.................................................................................................................................... Film #10 in The Star Trek Marathon! letterboxd.com/kikuchisawa/list/the-star-trek-marathon-march-20-31/ ....................................................................................................................................

The verdict is in! The only film worth seeing in the Next Generation film series was Star Trek First Contact!

Review by MAGE ★★★ 28

“I’m afraid you won’t survive to witness the victory of the echo over the voice.” Yeah. Fine. This entry is claustrophobic and glacially paced. The cast is getting a bit long in the tooth and baggy in the hindquarters. The pacing is slack and the action is lacking. But I’ll be damned if this didn’t appreciate a fair amount for me on this, my first rewatch. 

And this moderate turnaround isn’t simply due to the 4K transfer, cause tbqh this one looks like hammered shit. After the aesthetic majesty of First Contact and Insurrection, Nemesis was a real Dolby Vision come down. The winning combination of Frakes directing and Matthew F Leonetti on cinematography from the previous two installments has…

Review by {Todd} ½ 4

This is the WORST star trek product ever put out.

Review by Ⓢⓒⓘ-Ⓕⓘ Ⓦⓐⓢⓐⓑⓘ🍥 ★★★½

🐺 You're not Reman! 🦊 And I'm not quite Human, so what am I?

The final TNG film that single-handedly eliminated all possibilities of future Trek films with its dismal box office returns. Fortunately JJ Abrams made Star Trek cool again with his version, paving the way for a resurgence, which would eventually see the TNG crew reunited one last time in the final season of Picard. So why do I like this steaming hot mess? Mostly due to nostalgia and it actually having the crew together for the majority of the film. Plus it features a menacing antagonist in a young, pre-rugged Tom Hardy as Shinzon, with an unrecognisable Ron Perlman as his mind-rapey viceroy. Love how the previous entry; Insurrection,…

Review by Mr. DuLac ★½ 2

What is all this about? -Picard

After Insurrection no one was clamoring for another Star Trek film, especially with The Next Generation crew and even the cast believed it to be the last one as they weren't even contracted for any more films. While various writers were still throwing around the idea of doing an origin film involving the Kirk and Spock characters, Paramount Pictures decided to give TNG another go at it.

Now even though I'm a diehard fan of the original cast of the 1966 series, I still find it odd that Paramount has this franchise with a vast universe and history behind it, but when it comes to making feature films they limit themselves to only using…

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Produced by, released by, star trek: nemesis (2002), directed by stuart baird.

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Synopsis by Karl Williams

Characteristics, related movies.

Star Trek: Nemesis

Film details, brief synopsis, cast & crew, stuart baird, kate mulgrew, robertson dean, jonathan frakes, levar burton, technical specs.

After years of traveling the universe preserving tranquility and promoting goodwill towards humans and aliens alike, the intrepid Starship crew that Captain Jean-Luc Picard has long thought of as his family is breaking up. Officer William Riker has married Counselor Deanna Troi and now Riker will assume the capataincy of the U.S.S. Titan. As the U.S.S. Enterprise travels from Riker's wedding in Alaska toward Troi's homeworld of Betazed, where a second ceremony will be performed, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge detects an unusual electromagnetic signature from the nearby planet Kolarus III. A quick search uncovers the dismantled pieces of an android fashioned after the Enterprise's own Lieutenant Commander Data. Back on course to Betazed, the starship is diverted once more when Picard receives a message from Admiral Janeway that the Romulans, longtime enemies of the Federation, have undergone a political upheaval, and their new leader, the Praetor, wants to discuss a peace treaty with the Federation. The Enterprise is the closest starship to the Neutral Zone; thus, it is up to Picard and his crew to respond and determine the Praetor's sincerity. Once in the shadow of the Romulan Empire, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew are thrust into the center of a plot that could lead to the destruction of Earth at the hands of a new and chilling nemesis.

Marina Sirtis

David ralphe, jude ciccolella, majel barrett roddenberry, brent spiner, shannon cochran, alicia delarrocha, ron perlman, j patrick mccormack, wil wheaton, gates mcfadden.

Patrick Stewart

Whoopi Goldberg

Michael dorn, michael owen, anthony angelotti, karen asano-myers, shawn baden, cherie baker, jim bandsuh, daniel w. barringer, richard j bayard, irving berlin, rick berman, sandy berumen, chino binamo, matthew j. birch, robert blackman, robin bonaccorsi, bruce botnick, joseph brennan, charles brewer, todd bryant, ellis burman, valerie canamar, thomas causey, mark chadwick, ray d chase, harry cohen, doug coleman, eliza coleman, alexander courage, scott curtis, james d'amico, max daniels, c marie davis, darrell craig davis, dan delgado, mariano agostino diaz, wendy drapanas, doug drexler, john m. dwyer, brennan dyson, john michael eaves, jarrid eddo, jackie edwards, mark eggenweiler, zoltan elek, sam emerson, dana dru evenson, alan faucher, tammy fearing, monica fedrick, mark o. forker, donald l. frazee, terry frazee, joanna fuller, jake garber, mickey giacomazzi, tanner gill, jerry goldsmith, erica grace, richard alan greenberg, jeffrey b gregg, kenneth hall, scott g g haller, robin harlan, barbara harris, scott herbertson, john holcombe, steve holladay, martin hornstein, todd isroelit, terry jackson, chris jenkins, amanda mackey johnson, brandon johnson, keii johnston, martha johnston, dr. ken jones, penny juday, thomas jung, mike justus, alan s kaye, steve kelso, jeffrey l kimball, dorian kingi, michael kory, markus kurtz, peter lauritson, irving lewis, clint lilley, junie lowry-johnson, greg lundsgaard, tom mahoney, sonia jo mcdancer, bob mcgovern, mark mckenzie, kerry lyn mckissick, joanna k mcmeikan, frederic mompou, sarah monat, frank montano, heather morrison, gerald moss, alan robert murray, leo napolitano, david j negron, wayne nelson, eric norris, michael okuda, flemming olsen, richard oswald, ahna k packard, chris palermo, tim l pearson, conrad pope, j michael popovich, dallas puett, greg rainoff, ronald r reiss, bob ringwood, allen robinson, gene roddenberry, scott rogers, david rossi, jerry sandager, cathy sandrich gelfond, david sardi, christopher sayour, anthony j scarano, greg schmidt, rick seaman, andy simonson, randy singer, william ladd skinner, thomas w small, tom southwell, rick sternbach, george c stevens, brian stewart, catherine sudolcan, ken swenson, bill taylor, christian l thomas, pete turner, james vanover, joseph viskocil, michael wassel, eileen weisinger, paul wertheimer, june westmore, michael westmore, brian j. williams, david s williams, jim wolvington, don woodruff, robert woodruff, harry wowchuk, james wright, herman zimmerman, miscellaneous notes.

Released in United States on Video May 20, 2003

Released in United States Winter December 13, 2002

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Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

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All the good things in star trek nemesis.

Star Trek Nemesis is generally considered one of the worst films in the franchise, but it does feature some memorable moments for the TNG crew.

Star Trek Nemesis is generally considered one of the worst films in the franchise, but it does feature some memorable moments for the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation . By the dawn of the 21st century, the Star Trek franchise was in fairly bad shape. Star Trek: Voyager ended its seven season run in 2001 with eroding viewership; Star Trek: Enterprise debuted later that same year and suffered middling reviews and anemic ratings. On the big screen, 1998's Star Trek: Insurrection failed to match the success of the previous TNG film, Star Trek: First Contact , and there was a then-unprecedented four year gap before the next film was released.

That film would ultimately become Star Trek Nemesis , the final film featuring the TNG cast. Star Trek Nemesis was a box office bomb , reviled by both critics and fans upon release. It's the only Star Trek film to not debut at the top of the American box office, bested by the Jennifer Lopez romcom Maid In Manhattan . It would be seven years before another Star Trek movie was released, which was the J.J. Abrams-produced reboot film starring younger versions of the Star Trek: The Original Series crew. Star Trek Nemesis was an objective failure, but it wasn't all bad.

Related: Picard’s Titan Captain Insults Are Really About The TNG Movies

10 Riker And Troi Finally Get Married

Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) rekindled their long dormant romance in Insurrection , and the pair finally tied the knot early on in Nemesis . It's a joyful scene, with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) giving a heartfelt speech at their reception and old friends like Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and former TNG bartender Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) making appearances. It's one of the few aspects of Nemesis that feels like a well done conclusion to a long-running TNG story, as Riker and Troi were always pretty clearly meant to be together. It's a nice moment of celebration and love before things start going off the rails.

9 Data Singing Blue Skies At The Reception

Lieutenant Commander Data's (Brent Spiner) wedding gift to Riker and Troi was a funny, touching performance of the Irving Berlin song "Blue Skies" at their reception. Spiner is actually an accomplished singer, and he imbues the performance with the perfect mix of his own vocal prowess and Data's charming awkwardness. "Blue Skies" would endure as a meaningful song for Data, as it was the tune that lulled him to his final rest in Star Trek: Picard 's season 1 finale two decades after Nemesis .

8 Admiral Janeway’s Cameo

Nemesis attempted to honor the previous iterations of Star Trek with subtle nods and easter eggs, but Voyager got a much more explicit shout out with Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) cameo early on. Having been promoted to Admiral after Voyager ended, Janeway gives Captain Picard his orders to travel to Romulus to meet Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy). It is to date the only time Picard and Janeway have met onscreen, but the actors bounced off of each other nicely, and another encounter between the pair in either Star Trek: Picard or Star Trek: Prodigy would be more than welcome.

7 Brent Spiner’s Performance As B-4

Early on in Star Trek Nemesis , the crew of the Enterprise-E discover B-4 (Brent Spiner), a prototype android that Dr. Noonian Soong (Brent Spiner) built before Data . Much less sophisticated than Data, B-4 is something akin to a positronic toddler. B-4 unintentionally betrayed the Enterprise-E crew when he was manipulated by Shinzon, and the scene where Data is forced to deactivate him features some of Spiner's best acting, as it's impossible not to feel sympathy for the scared, confused android.

Related: Why Data Died In Star Trek: Nemesis (& Did He Have To?)

6 Captain Riker Gets The USS Titan

Riker passed up several chances to command his own ship during TNG , sometimes for reasons that made sense, and sometimes less so. Star Trek Nemesis finally made Riker a Captain, as he departed at the end of the film to command the USS Titan. His final scene with Captain Picard is one of the movie's most affecting, with Patrick Stewart admitting he had trouble getting through the scene without crying. Captain Riker would go on to become a Starfleet legend in his own right, most notably seen in the animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks .

5 Picard and Beverly Reminisce About Young Picard

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Picard's closest friend and occasional lover, is barely in the TNG movies. Nemesis was no different, but she does have a nice scene with Picard in his ready room as he reflects on his past after meeting Shinzon, his mysterious clone. The pair discuss Picard's younger days when he was a much more reckless, undisciplined person. Picard is somewhat ashamed of the young man he was, but Beverly remembers that version of him fondly and suggests he wouldn't be the man he ultimately became without his turbulent youth.

4 The Dinner Scene Between Picard And Shinzon

Shinzon would ultimately prove to be an underwhelming, cartoonish villain bent on destruction and conquest, though before that became apparent he did have one compelling scene with Captain Picard. Shinzon and Picard shared a meal in the Romulan Senate where they ruminated on how they were genetically identical but were nevertheless very different men. Shinzon even expressed an interest in Picard family history, though that would all ultimately prove to be a ruse to conceal Shinzon's more nefarious intentions.

3 The Final Battle Between The Enterprise-E And The Scimitar

With the notable exception of Star Trek: First Contact 's opening battle against the Borg, the TNG films were somewhat light on engaging space battles. There were attempts to beef up the action in Insurrection , but that movie's archaic CGI almost immediately felt dated. The events leading up to the climactic starship battle in Nemesis may have been underwhelming, but the battle itself is well done, featuring great-looking CGI and some genuine thrills, like Captain Picard smashing the Enterprise-E into the Scimitar in a last ditch effort to stop the powerful Reman vessel's destructive mission.

Related: Star Trek Reveals The Enterprise's Fate In Picard Season 3

2 Worf As Comic Relief

Much like Dr. Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) did not have much to do in Nemesis . The handful of scenes he does get, however, are pretty great. After enjoying too much Romulan Ale at the wedding reception, Worf hilariously voiced his distaste for Irving Berlin. Later on the Enterprise-E bridge, he expressed reluctance to appear naked at the wedding ceremony on Troi's home planet of Betazed, as is tradition. Michael Dorn's comedic timing has always been impeccable, and he kept that reputation alive in his brief screen time in Nemesis .

1 The Final Scene Between Picard and B-4

After Data heroically sacrificed himself to save Picard and stop Shinzon's weapon from destroying the Enterprise-E, Picard attempted to explain to B-4 what kind of man his brother was. Despite Data downloading his memory into B-4 earlier in the film, the confused android fails to comprehend what Picard is expressing to him. Just before Picard leaves the room, however, B-4 begins quietly singing "Blue Skies," an indication that some part of Data may still live on. Star Trek Nemesis got a lot of things wrong, but the final scene between Picard and B-4 at least let the failed film end on a note of hope.

More: Every Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Ranked Worst To Best

Final frontier: 'Star Trek: Nemesis' marked the end of an era 20 years ago today

Raise a glass of Romulan ale for this final "Star Trek" film starring "The Next Generation" cast

Overshadowed by competition and often unloved by fans, "Star Trek: Nemesis" celebrates its 20th birthday today as the tenth movie in the franchise and the final "Star Trek" film to feature Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard and "The Next Generation's" intrepid crew.

After the somewhat tepid box office and critical flaying of 1998's " Star Trek: Insurrection ," interest was waning in the aging " Star Trek " franchise and audiences were turning to "Star Wars" sequels, "Harry Potter" movies, and "The Lord of the Rings" films to get their sci-fi/fantasy fix. 

" Star Trek: Nemesis " was cast into the mix in the wake of its previous "Star Trek" sibling during the holiday season where it floundered against other tentpole releases like "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "The Santa Clause 2," and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." When the tinsel finally settled it had only raked in a paltry $67 million in worldwide box office receipts.

Related: Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best

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Dropped into the crowded popular entertainment galaxy on Dec. 13, 2002 and directed by British filmmaker Stuart Baird, "Star Trek: Nemesis" has Picard altering the USS Enterprise's course following a scheduled rendezvous for Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi's (Marina Sirtis) wedding ceremony, to a tenuous peace treaty negotiation with the Romulans, who had rejected a plan to untie the forces of the planets Romulus and Remus.

Picard is soon shocked to learn that Shinzon (Tom Hardy), the recently "appointed" Praetor of the Romulans after a deadly coup, is actually a cloned Reman derived from his DNA to replace the venerable leader with a Romulan agent in the heart of Starfleet. After Enterprise crew members stumble across a computer system hack, a perilous game is played to thwart Shinzon and his Romulan warbird from completing a plan to attack Earth and cripple the Federation's armada.

Baird does a serviceable job keeping plot mechanics moving in this $60 million sequel, but there's a glaring absence of depth that begins to feel tedious after the initial narrative revelations. It's a handsome movie though, shot by "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible 2" cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball, yet disappointingly infused with a forgettable orchestral score by the Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith ("Planet of the Apes," " Alien ," "Star Trek: First Contact").  

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Stuart Baird's resume included editorial duties on classics like "The Omen," "Superman: The Movie," "Lethal Weapon," "Die Hard 2," and "Demolition Man," which explains the film's fluidity and momentum despite being shackled to John Logan's inert screenplay.

Looking a bit like "Hellraisers'" Pinhead minus the studs, a young Tom Hardy is charismatic as the intense rebel chieftain. He's certainly up to the task of holding his own against the imposing talents of Stewart and their interplay and exchanges make for compelling drama. 

And who can forget Data (Brett Spiner) singing "Blue Skies" at the nuptials, the sentient android discovering a younger prototype of himself, and Data's sacrificial death in the climactic scenes. Veteran character actor Ron Perlman ("Hellboy") also shines as Shinzon's Viceroy Vkruk, who carries an air of warrior-like menace though his screen lines are kept to a bare minimum.

"Nemesis'" visual effects and sets are impressive, especially the design of the intimidating Reman warbird, the Scimitar, glimpses of the dilithium mines of Remus where Shinzon was held for ten years as a slave, and the steel-buckling ramming of the Scimitar by the Enterprise in the showdown finale.

The wordiness of "Star Trek: Nemesis" and its tepid melodrama might not have been the "Star Trek" film we wanted to close out the legacy of cinematic sequels that had existed after 1978's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," but it's still an engaging entry with a professional sheen and enough interesting performances to warrant a repeat viewing, especially on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.  

It would be seven long years after "Nemesis" before J.J. Abrams rebooted the franchise in 2009 with "Star Trek" and its Kelvin Timeline, a similarly tenuous position the theatrical series now finds itself in after director Justin Lin's mediocre 2016 entry, "Star Trek Beyond." Will blue skies shine for the franchise once again?

"Star Trek: Nemesis" is currently streaming on HBO Max and Paramount+.

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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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I'm sitting there during "Star Trek: Nemesis," the 10th " Star Trek " movie, and I'm smiling like a good sport and trying to get with the dialogue about the isotronic Ruritronic signature from planet Kolarus III, or whatever the hell they were saying, maybe it was "positronic," and gradually it occurs to me that "Star Trek" is over for me. I've been looking at these stories for half a lifetime, and, let's face it, they're out of gas.

There might have been a time when the command deck of Starship Enterprise looked exciting and futuristic, but these days it looks like a communications center for security guards. Starships rocket at light speeds halfway across the universe, but when they get into battles the effect is roughly the same as on board a World War II bomber. Fearsome death rays strike the Enterprise, and what happens? Sparks fly out from the ceiling and the crew gets bounced around in their seats like passengers on the No. 36 bus. This far in the future they wouldn't have sparks because they wouldn't have electricity, because in a world where you can beam matter--beam it, mind you--from here to there, power obviously no longer lives in the wall and travels through wires.

I've also had it with the force shield that protects the Enterprise. The power on this thing is always going down. In movie after movie after movie I have to sit through sequences during which the captain is tersely informed that the front shield is down to 60 percent, or the back shield is down to 10 percent, or the side shield is leaking energy, and the captain tersely orders that power be shifted from the back to the sides or all put in the front, or whatever, and I'm thinking, life is too short to sit through 10 movies in which the power is shifted around on these shields. The shields have been losing power for decades now, and here it is the Second Generation of Star Trek, and they still haven't fixed them. Maybe they should get new batteries.

I tried to focus on the actors. Patrick Stewart , as Capt. Picard, is a wonderful actor. I know because I have seen him elsewhere. It is always said of Stewart that his strength as an actor is his ability to deliver bad dialogue with utter conviction. I say it is time to stop encouraging him. Here's an idea: Instead of giving him bad dialogue, why not give him good dialogue, and see what he can do with that? Here is a man who has played Shakespeare.

The plot of "Star Trek: Nemesis" involves a couple of strands, one involving a clone of Data ( Brent Spiner ), which somehow seems redundant, and another involving what seems to be a peace feeler from the Romulan empire. In the course of the movie the Romulan Senate is wiped out by a deadly blue powder and the sister planet of Remus stages an uprising, or something, against being made to work as slaves in the mines. Surely slavery is not an efficient economic system in a world of hyperdrives, but never mind: Turns out that Picard shares something unexpected with his rival commander, although once I tell you that you can no doubt guess what it is, since the movie doesn't work you very hard.

There is a scene in the movie in which one starship rams another one. You would think this would destroy them both, and there are a lot of sparks and everybody has to hold onto their seats, but the "Star Trek" world involves physical laws which reflect only the needs of the plot. If one ship rammed another and they were both destroyed and everyone died, and the movie ended with a lot of junk floating around in space, imagine the faces of the people in the audience.

I think it is time for "Star Trek" to make a mighty leap forward another 1,000 years into the future, to a time when starships do not look like rides in a 1970s amusement arcade, when aliens do not look like humans with funny foreheads, and when wonder, astonishment and literacy are permitted back into the series. Star Trek was kind of terrific once, but now it is a copy of a copy of a copy.

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: Nemesis (2002)

Rated PG-13 For Sci-Fi Action Violence and Peril and A Scene Of Sexual Content

116 minutes

Patrick Stewart as Capt. Picard

Jonathan Frakes as Commander Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Dr.Crusher

Ron Perlman as Reman Viceroy

Directed by

• Stuart Baird
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Brent Spiner

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Star Trek: Nemesis

Is it really any wonder that Star Trek films seldom live up to expectations, given that they have to serve two masters at once? On the one hand, they have to continue the Trek tradition, which emphasizes character development and thought-provoking premises. On the other, they also have to fulfill the requirements of cinematic science fiction, a tradition heavy on laser beams and explosions (and sure to get heavier on both, post- Solaris ). The new Star Trek: Nemesis combines both brilliantly, for half an hour or so. Cutting from a wedding presided over by a playful Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) to a chase featuring futuristic dune buggies, Nemesis initially seems well on its way to a balance that only a few previous Trek films found. Then, once it reaches the meat of the story, it seems to lose its confidence. Stewart, his just-married First Officer (Jonathan Frakes) and counselor (Marina Sirtis), Data (Brent Spiner), and assorted crew members given significantly less screen time all travel to the planet Romulus, where a coup d'etat has resulted in a takeover by a faction from its twin planet, Remus. In this year's second clone attack, Tom Hardy, a young genetic duplicate of Stewart originally created for the purposes of espionage, reveals himself as the coup's mastermind, and offers Stewart and the Federation an olive branch that may conceal a viper. Meanwhile, Spiner deals with a doppelgänger of his own, a childlike prototype android found in pieces on a desert planet. There's no shortage of interesting notions at work in Nemesis , particularly once Hardy's staff starts to look like a distorted image of the Enterprise crew, but few of them are developed as far as they might, in spite of the film's reams of exposition, and all of them get thrown out the window once the explosions begin in earnest. Director Stuart Baird brings a workman's touch to a John Logan ( Gladiator ) script taken from a story by Logan, Spiner, and Trek overlord Rick Berman. They seem to have used Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan as their template (shocking finale and all), but Khan 's intensity and command of Trek 's characters eludes them. For those fond of the show, it's good simply to see the characters again, and Nemesis offers no shortage of fodder for discussion and complaint until the next sequel, if there is one. Nemesis ' marketing campaign has suggested that this may be the final film to feature the Next Generation crew. In the literal sense, this would end the series with a bang, but in every other sense, it would go out too quietly.

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Published Dec 13, 2023

The Nemesis Effect

The final TNG film planted the seeds for future Star Trek adventures.

StarTrek.com

Viewed as The Next Generation crew’s send-off for nearly two decades, Star Trek Nemesis , which premiered in theaters on this day in 2002, appeared to close the book on stories pertaining to Captain Picard and his closest friends, but it actually planted the seeds for future adventures in Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Discovery , and beyond…

An Act of Matrimony

Star Trek Nemesis

The marriage between William T. Riker and Deanna Troi solidified the bond between the two lovebirds, setting the stage for them to settle into a life together. Nemesis indicated that Riker and Troi would be serving together on the U.S.S. Titan , yet it wasn’t until Picard ’s first season that we learned more about what transpired with the Riker-Troi family.

"Nepenthe"

The couple had two children, Thaddeus and Kestra, though the former sadly succumbed to a silicon-based virus when he was very young. We were reunited with the beloved characters on Nepenthe, where they had established a home and continued to raise Kestra, who had dearly cherished her brother and enjoyed discussing the fictional languages he created.

The Tale of the Titan

As mentioned above, Riker’s promotion to captain landed him command of the Titan , where Troi was to become the ship’s counselor. While Nemesis indicated the vessel’s first mission would involve leading a Federation task force to open talks with the Romulans, we did not get to witness the full extent of the Titan ’s exploits until its surprise appearance in Lower Decks .

After saving the U.S.S. Cerritos from the Pakleds, Riker welcomed Ensign Bradward Boimler aboard and continued to deal with Pakled problems, though Boimler eventually transferred back to the Cerritos .

Positronic Perils

Nemesis introduced us to B-4, an early Soong-type android who was less technologically sophisticated than his younger “brother,” Data. In the film’s final scene, it seemed as if B-4 might have been able to process the memories that Data had copied into him, but Dr. Agnes Jurati later revealed that B-4’s positronic brain simply couldn’t handle the information.

Praetor Shinzon’s original plan to modify B-4 so that he would steal Starfleet files from the U.S.S. Enterprise -E was not lost on the Zhat Vash, an ancient sect of the secretive Romulan Tal Shiar. The Zhat Vash turned to a similar tactic in Picard , reprogramming the A500 androids who worked at Utopia Planitia to initiate a devastating attack on Mars that ultimately propelled the Federation to enact a ban on synthetic lifeforms.

Leading the Relocation

The goodwill established between Starfleet and the Romulans during the fight against the Shinzon, who had been cloned from Picard’s DNA, in Nemesis gave Romulus the courage to ask for the Federation’s help when they learned that a supernova would destroy their planet. Picard took the lead on the effort to relocate as many Romulans as possible, presiding over the creation of 10,000 warp-capable ferries to transport refugees to new homes on worlds outside of the supernova’s path.

"Absolute Candor"

Picard’s sense of duty played a role in accepting the enormous responsibility, but the guilt he felt over seeing his own clone nearly destabilize the Star Empire could have also factored into his motivations. It was during these missions that Picard befriended a young Romulan named Elnor, who went on to play a significant role in Picard ’s first two seasons.

Data Endures

Picard explored the emotional toll that Data’s death had on Jean-Luc over the years, as his friend’s sacrifice weighed heavily on the retired officer decades after Nemesis took place. This personal connection drove Picard’s dedication to protect Soji, one of the many synths created from one of Data’s positronic neurons by Drs. Altan Soong and Bruce Maddox on Coppelius. Picard’s wish to defend Data’s "daughter" set him on the path to making an unexpected discovery on the synth planet…

"Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2"

Following a standoff between the Federation and Tal Shiar fleets, a dying Picard’s consciousness was temporarily placed in a simulation that Altan Soong and Maddox had fashioned from a copy of Data’s memories and one of his neurons. Data’s consciousness continued to live on within the construct, providing Picard the opportunity to say a proper goodbye before leaving the simulation and terminating it at Data’s own request.

Unification

"Unification III"

The cooperation between the U.S.S. Enterprise -E and two Romulan starships in Nemesis , as well as the Titan ’s diplomatic task force, proved to be small steps forward that contributed to Ambassador Spock’s ongoing goal of reuniting the Vulcans and Romulans. It took centuries for that work to bear fruit, but Michael Burnham had the pleasure of seeing the two cultures living together once again in the 32nd Century.

Ni’Var, formerly known as Vulcan, became one of the first worlds that Captain Burnham convinced to rejoin the Federation in Discovery ’s fourth season, a fact which her brother Spock would have surely found to be fascinating.

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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.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 through 4 are currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In Canada, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Seasons 1 to 4 of Star Trek: Discovery is also available to stream on SkyShowtime. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

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Star trek: nemesis (hbo).

: Captain Jean-Luc Picard meets his match in a Reman rebel leader who is his evil clone in this Star Trek adventure.

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Captain Jean-Luc Picard meets his match in a Reman rebel leader who is his evil clone in this Star Trek adventure.

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Starring: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn , Gates McFadden , Marina Sirtis , Tom Hardy

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The now-tossed Star Trek 4 went through many iterations since the first announcement in July 2016 , including a story by legendary Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, a surprise 2022 Kelvin cast announcement that apparently Chris Pine and company only learned about through the press, and prequel story set “decades before the 2009 film.”

Following the new Star Trek 5 announcement, star Chris Pine reportedly reacted “with a deep sigh” according to Deadline . “Chris is excited learn about this new film through today’s studio announcement,” said a representative for the actor, “because it went really well the last time this happened, right?”

Also expected for the Trek 5 reunion are co-stars Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (“Bones” McCoy), and John Cho (Sulu). Actor Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Chekov in the first three films, passed away in 2016.

While little is known about the planned story of this new film, sources close to Trek 5 development hear that Paramount is pursuing  Dune and  Wonka star Timothée Chalamet for the role of “Sybok,” half-brother of Spock, originated by actor Laurence Luckinbill in 1989.

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Den of Geek

Star Trek After Discovery: Alex Kurtzman on Legacy and the Future of the 32nd Century

Exclusive: Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman gives us a few updates on what's next for the franchise after the end of Discovery, including the latest on Star Trek: Legacy...

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Since its debut 1966, Star Trek has been about boldly going forward. And no Star Trek series has gone further forward than Discovery . After a rocky first few seasons set about a decade before The Original Series , Discovery found its place by jumping to the 32nd century, farther into the future than any other entry in the franchise.

As Discovery prepares to end its mission with its fifth and final season, fans might be wondering what’s next for the 32nd century and the TV franchise as a whole. With Strange New Worlds staying in Disco’s original pre- TOS era and Lower Decks and Prodigy exploring the period after the Next Generation movie Nemesis , Disco’s exit seems to leave the 32nd century unexplored.

But not so fast, says Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman . “I think you can expect more of [ Discovery’s ] 32nd century,” Kurtzman teases in an exclusive interview for the latest issue of Den of Geek magazine. “I won’t tell you how or, where, or why. But yes, that era is not over.”

Part of that continuing mission in the 32nd century will involve the recently announced Starfleet Academy series. This Paramount+ series will follow a group of new recruits, as they acquire the values that will allow them to continue rebuilding the Federation, which was in disarray when the USS Discovery first arrived in this still largely unexplored Trek era.

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Discovery already gave viewers a taste of what they can expect with Starfleet Academy . The season four episode “ All is Possible ” saw fan-favorite Lt. Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Adira (Blu del Barrio) leading a training mission for a trio of cadets. Consisting of a human, an Orion, and a Tellarite, this motley crew of young explorers almost fell apart when the mission went sideways. Drawing from her own experience learning to control her anxiety and gain confidence, Tilly helped the future officers overcome their fear and work together. At the end of that episode, Tilly resigned from the Discovery to become a teacher at the Academy.

Does that mean Tilly will be a cast member on Starfleet Academy ? No official casting announcements have been made as of yet, but Wiseman did share her hopes for Tilly’s future when she spoke with Den of Geek at SXSW 2024 . “I hope she lives forever,” Wiseman says of her character. “I hope she finds a rare space amulet that lets her live forever.”

While the next step in Tilly’s story remains unclear, there is one Discovery cast member who will certainly make it past the show’s finale. Michelle Yeoh returns as Philippa Georgiou, albeit the Mirror Universe version, for the upcoming TV movie event Star Trek: Section 31 .

The kind-hearted captain of the USS Shenzhou, Georgiou died during the Battle of the Binary Stars in Discovery ‘s first season, only to be replaced by her Mirror Universe counterpart, the cruel Empress of the Terran Empire. Caught in the Prime Timeline, Georgiou joined the mysterious Section 31, until she went to the 32nd century with the rest of the Discovery crew. However, Georgiou soon discovered that crossing time and dimensions has serious side effects, forcing her to return to the 23rd century.

According to Kurtzman, that journey forced Georgiou to change in important ways. “As for Section 31 , the version of Section 31 that we saw Georgiou be a part of on Discovery is very different from the version you will see in the movie,” the producer tells Den of Geek magazine. “We’re not just repeating the thing that we did already.” However, Section 31 will be bringing back elements of the past, as demonstrated by the recent announcement of Kacey Rohl joining the cast as Rachel Garrett , future captain of the USS Enterprise-C, as seen in the classic TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”

The story of a secret Black Ops organization within Starfleet, Section 31 does indeed run contrary to the optimistic vision of the future that otherwise defines the franchise. But to Kurtzman, that’s just fine. “ Picard is not for everybody. Discovery is not for everybody,” he told us at SXSW. Rather, the variety of offerings in the current Star Trek universe means that the franchise can tell stories with a more focused audience, while still serving every type of Trekkie. Those turned off from the darker elements in Section 31 can tune into Prodigy (on Netflix) to see a hopeful vision of kids coming together and embracing Federation ideals. Those who don’t want the strangeness in Prodigy can go to Lower Decks for the deepest possible winks to past lore. You want a more classic adventure-of-the-week Trek show? The excellent Strange New Worlds , which is currently filming a third season, has you covered.

And what of the highly requested Star Trek: Legacy series? Ever since Picard season three reunited the crew of the Enterprise-D and ended with the Enterprise-G beginning a new voyage under the command of Captain Seven of Nine, fans have clamored for a follow-up show. While Picard season three showrunner Terry Matalas has said several times that he already has plenty of ideas for the spinoff series, and even proposed the title Star Trek: Legacy in the first place, there’s been no official green light from Paramount since Picard ended last year. What is the hold up?

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“If I had a magic button, a magic ‘greenlight button,’ for Star Trek: Legacy , and it was all on me, I’d push that button today,” Kurtzman tells Den of Geek . “Right now, it’s beyond my paygrade.”

That said, per Variety and Patrick Stewart himself, there does seem to be more adventures for Jean-Luc Picard in the works, with the outlet reporting that Kurtzman is eyeing a “possible follow-up” Picard TV movie.

“I heard only last night about a script that is being written, but written specifically with the actor, Patrick, to play in it,” Stewart told the Happy Sad Confused podcast in January. “And I’ve been told to expect to receive it within a week or so.”

In other words, even if a Legacy series never happens, there’s still plenty of Trek to come on television, whether it’s in the 23rd, 25th, or 32nd centuries. The franchise continues to move forward, continuing the mandate established by The Original Series , seeking out new ideas and frontiers.

You can read more from Den of Geek magazine’s interviews with Alex Kurtzman, showrunner Michelle Paradise, and star Sonequa Martin-Green — featuring exclusive details on the final season of Star Trek: Discovery — here .

Star Wars: Discovery season 5 premieres on April 4 on Paramount+.

Why Star Trek Producers Didn’t Want William Shatner Playing a Villain

Star Trek writers considered bringing William Shatner back as an evil version of Captain Kirk; here is why those plans never materialized.

• Kirk is one of the most iconic Star Trek characters, forever linked to William Shatner, whose role even crossed timelines.
• Shatner almost reprised his role in a prequel series of Star Trek: Enterprise, cancelled due to budget issues and lack of interest.
• Despite Kirk's character's fate in Star Trek: Generations, newer iterations of the franchise keep exploring the legacy of the original series.

Star Trek is a massive multimedia franchise with various characters and stories told throughout it, but the character of Captain Kirk is easily one of the most famous characters in the franchise's history. While actors like Chris Pine and Paul Wesley have taken on the role in recent years, it is a role that will forever be linked to William Shatner . Shatner played the role in Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969 and then reprised his role in six feature films released from 1979 to 1991 alongside the original crew. The seventh film, Star Trek Generations , focused on the crew from The Next Generation series but also had the long-awaited moment where Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean Luc-Picard finally met Captain Kirk .

Star Trek: Generations saw Kirk's character finally die in the franchise, but despite that, writers and creatives kept trying to find ways to bring Shatner back to the beloved franchise. The closest came in Star Trek: Enterprise , a prequel series that was set before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . This raises the question: how was Shatner expected to reprise his role as Kirk in a prequel series set before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series but also factor in that Shatner had aged almost forty years since? The creators looked to reuse a concept from The Original Series , but the concept never made it to air. Here was how William Shatner almost returned as an evil Captain Kirk and why it never happened.

What Was The Original Plan

The idea for bringing Shatner back as Captain Kirk was the creatives building off an old episode from Star Trek: The Original Series , specifically Season 2, Episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror." The episode revolves around a transporter malfunction that swaps Captain Kirk and his companions with their evil counterparts from a parallel universe, which the franchise would later dub The Mirror Universe . Manny Coto, the showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise during its final season, explained in the book The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek by Peter Holmstrom his plans for bringing Shatner back as Captain Kirk. He said:

"In the original 'Mirror, Mirror,' the evil Kirk had a device that was called the Tantalus field, which you press a button and his enemies would vanish. Now, it was implied in there, in that episode, that they just kind of died, but what the Reeves-Stevenes were saying [was], 'What if what this field did was transport everyone who was opposed to him into this pocket universe?' So, they were all on this planet surviving. [...] But they’ve forged this kind of community in basically a prison."

The plan then would be for Admiral Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew to find their way into the pocket universe and come across the older evil Kirk. Later reports suggest to explain Shatner's Kirk being older. The explanation was the device would transport victims back in time to a penal colony. The Evil Kirk (known as Tiberius) seeks to use the transporter to return to his own universe but discovers that it has not yet diverged from the main universe and does not exist. The episode would then have explored the creation of the mirror universe through actions by Tiberius and Captain Archer, making the episode both a sequel and prequel to "Mirror, Mirror."

Why It Didn't Happen

The creatives were excited about the idea of Shatner returning to Star Trek . Yet Paramount decided against bringing Shatner back for Star Trek: Enterprise . While some might think the studio got cold feet about the star of the franchise playing an evil version of the popular character would be a factor, Paramount didn't actually care about that factor. Reportedly, the studio did not want to pay Shatner the money he was asking for at the time, as they deemed it too high a price for the series. Coto, however, believes there was another factor. He said, "[Paramount] wanted [Enterprise] to die." He added that the decision likely had little to do with money but that they had lost interest in the series, and "not because he was too expensive, but because they might've saved the series."

This episode was scheduled for Season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise , which would ultimately be its last. Despite being one of Paramount's biggest franchises, Star Trek was facing some tough times as a brand. Star Trek: Nemesis was a huge flop at the box office in December 2002, and Star Trek: Enterprise struggled to gain the massive ratings that other past series had. After years of continuity, only the hardcore fans could keep up, and Star Trek was a franchise. Casual fans could not just jump on board the series anymore.

Star Trek: The 20 Most Controversial Episodes from the Franchise

The episode was later reformatted into the two-part "In a Mirror, Darkly". The episode revisited the Mirror Universe and was a prequel to "Mirror, Mirror" while also acting as a sequel to the Original Series episode "The Tholian Web." The episode was entirely set within the Mirror Universe and showed the cast of Star Trek: Enterprise playing evil versions of themselves set in this alternate militaristic timeline. The episode was also intended to set up a plotline for Season 5 of Star Trek: Enterprise , which would see the return of the Mirror Universe crew. While filming the two-part episode, the crew got the news that Star Trek: Enterprise had been canceled by UPN, and this would be its final season.

"In a Mirror, Darkly Part I" aired on April 22, 2005, and "Part II" aired on April 29, 2005. Three weeks later, Star Trek Enterprise would air its final episode. While the final season could not bring Kirk back, for the final episode, they brought back Star Trek: The Next Generations characters William Ryker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Tori (Mariana Sirtis) for a major role in a move that was highly criticized for taking away the attention of the Enterprise characters for cheap fan service.

Star Trek Revisited Many of These Ideas Years Later

In 2005, Paramount Pictures started developing a new Star Trek feature film, which would eventually become 2009's Star Trek by director J.J. Abrams. Like the plans for the Mirror Universe episode of Enterprise , Star Trek involved exploring an alternate reality from the original series, but instead of an evil universe, this time one with younger versions of the main crew that splintered off from the main timeline.

J.J. Abrams did consider bringing back William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek but opted out of it, seeing his death in Star Trek: Generations as pretty definitive. To bridge the gap between the original Star Trek franchise and his reboot, he instead opted to bring back Leonard Nimoy as an older version of Spock, picking up from the storyline fans saw play out in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek is both a prequel to the original series but also a sequel to films and stories like The Next Generation , as the film involves an older Spock meeting the younger versions of the Star Trek crew. This is very similar to how the Star Trek: Enterprise episode would have been both a sequel and prequel to "Mirror, Mirror." This is not to suggest that the creators of the Star Trek film took this idea, as exploring alternate realities and timelines has been a long part of the franchise's history, but it is interesting that the two creative teams had similar approaches to doing Star Trek prequels.

Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

Star Trek would revisit Captain Kirk multiple times in the era. Not only did Chris Pine play a version of the character in the Kelvin timeline set films, but the character would make his return in the main Star Trek canon on Star Trek: Strange New World . Paul Wesley first played an alternate version of Captain Kirk in the Season 1 finale, "A Quality of Mercy," which showed how the story of the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror" might have gone down if Kirk was not Captain of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, another alternate Kirk would appear in the season two episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," which saw a version of Kirk in a timeline that the Federation had never formed. Wesley would finally get to appear as the actual Captain Kirk in the sixth episode of Season 2, "Lost in Translation," and return for the musical "Subspace Rhapsody".

Despite Star Trek: Enterprise not getting to bring back William Shatner as Captain Kirk, it is interesting to see how the franchise has gone on in the years since. When Star Trek: Enterprise was on the air and trying to bring back William Shatner, it was at a low point in the franchise. Now, many of the ideas have been remixed, reimagined, or re-explored in newer Star Trek material when the series is now more widespread than ever. It is clear that they might have just been ahead of their time.

Fans can see Shatner in William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill , a documentary where Shatner recounts his life and career and is currently playing in theaters.

How Star Trek: The Next Generation Disserviced Dr. Beverly Crusher

• Dr. Beverly Crusher's return in Star Trek: Picard honored her character and showcased her as a capable and respected member of the crew.
• The history of how Dr. Crusher was created and evolved in Star Trek: The Next Generation highlights the challenges faced in developing new characters.
• Despite being underserved in The Next Generation, Dr. Crusher persevered with Gates McFadden's commitment and provided inspiration to fans, especially women.

There are many reasons people loved the final season of Star Trek: Picard , but primarily it was because all the titular hero's old friends came back into the fold. Particularly, the series made good on the promise of Picard's long-standing affection for Dr. Beverly Crusher while still honoring the distance that existed between the two characters. Not only does she defend herself to Jean-Luc for keeping Jack Crusher a secret from him , she proves to be an incredibly capable and useful member of the crew.

In Picard , Dr. Crusher figures out what's going on in the nebula the USS Titan-A was trapped in for the first act of Season 3. She is also able to adeptly serve as the tactical officer on the bridge of the reconstructed USS Enterprise-D during its battle with the giant Borg ship hiding in Jupiter's red eye. The series ends with Dr. Crusher in her rightful place, as a respected Starfleet admiral, happy mother and, at least, on good terms with her old friend and lover Jean-Luc Picard. These were welcome developments in Picard , because despite being a fan-favorite character, Dr. Crusher wasn't served this well throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons and four movies.

How Beverly Crusher Was Created for The Next Generation

Picard's jack crusher actor thinks he actually auditioned for kirk.

When the Star Trek film series proved to be immensely popular, Paramount turned to Gene Roddenberry for a new series set in the universe. They were, again, trying to launch their own network, but that attempt failed. Instead, they made history by making Star Trek: The Next Generation the first-ever scripted, dramatic series to debut in syndication. The strong performance of Star Trek: The Original Series meant television stations knew that viewership would be high, even if The Next Generation struggled in its early seasons. Creating new characters with the specter of the original cast hovering over the writers wasn't easy.

Beverly Crusher was conceived as both a love interest for Captain Picard and the ship's schoolteacher . However, Star Trek: The Original Series alum David Gerrold had a different idea. "I said, 'We don't have a ship's doctor yet, why don't we have…Crusher be the ship's doctor?'" Gerrold said in The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. The idea was originally shot down by his fellow producers, including Bob Justman. He pointed out it would make the relationship more difficult to sell since she was technically under Picard's command. However, since it saved the writers from developing a new character for an already large cast and provided extra tension to the romance, it went through.

In the same book, actor Gates McFadden talks about her audition using sides from the comedic episode "The Naked Now." "I thought she was going to be a hilarious character," McFadden said, "and I ended up with the straightest and most serious character of all." However, even though Star Trek is known for its progressive values, McFadden dealt with sexism, and she spoke up about it. Even as the series progressed, Beverly Crusher was often sidelined, with her son Wesley, played by Wil Wheaton, going to the men on the ship for advice and counsel. McFadden's clashes with producers came to a head by the end of the first season.

The Dismissal of Dr. Crusher from The Next Generation Cast and Her Return

Patrick stewart's strict conditions for star trek: picard return revealed.

Rumors flew when McFadden was fired and replaced with Diana Muldaur as Dr. Pulaski. Some thought McFadden had friction with Stewart. "Patrick had absolutely nothing to do with it," Rick Berman said in The Fifty-Year Mission . " Maurice [Hurley, head writer in Season 2] hated Gates. He disliked the…character…. He didn't like [McFadden's] acting, and he didn't like her." Berman said he argued against her firing, but Hurley convinced Roddenberry, who was looking to bring his old colleague Muldaur (who appeared in two The Original Series episodes) into the fold.

When Hurley left the staff at the end of Season 2, Berman felt Muldaur wasn't working out. Equally, the actor was not enjoying her time on the show, either. While some fans wrote letters asking for Dr. Crusher to return (especially since her son was still a part of the crew), the decision came down to Berman. He felt it was "healthier for everybody involved to bring Gates back." Berman said the day Hurley left, he put in the call to bring McFadden back to the series. Dr. Crusher became a fan-favorite The Next Generation character almost in spite of the stories she was given.

McFadden says she "didn't know…for sure" she was hated by Hurley, during an interview with Michael Rosenbaum on Inside of You . "I definitely pissed him off," she said, "because I kept saying, 'Why is it I've raised this genius kid…and yet every time there is anything serious" he goes to the male crew members? Dr. Crusher," she said, "was written as a nagging mother." She also thought there were "silly, sexist" stories in the first season. When she came back, Dr. Crusher was different because the scripts had been written with Pulaski in mind.

How Dr. Crusher Persevered In Spite of Star Trek Disservicing Her Character

Why deanna troi wore a starfleet uniform in tng's final seasons.

McFadden isn't alone in saying that her time on Star Trek: Picard was her favorite outing with her character. Jonathan Frakes said in an interview with The Inglorious Treksperts and on convention stages across the country that Season 3's Riker was the best the character ever was. Yet, this perhaps undersells the remarkable success of The Next Generation . The series struggled because no sequel show was ever a success, at least in surpassing the original iteration. The Next Generation ended its run at the height of its popularity and graduated to films.

Gates McFadden's complete commitment to the character helped elevate even the weakest stories. Dr. Crusher was compassionate, sensitive, brilliant and brave in equal measure. When the ship counselor, Deanna Troi, thought about promotion , it was Crusher who encouraged her to go for it. She was created to be the love interest for Picard, but outside a handful of episodes, she wasn't. Instead, she was her own person with her own point of view, and it spoke to fans, especially women.

Just as Nichelle Nichols's Uhura inspired women in the 1960s through the 1980s to enter the STEM fields, Dr. Crusher was equally an inspiration. In later seasons, when interacting with Wesley, McFadden gave Crusher the kind of maternal compassion that rose above the dialogue. She was a woman who loved her son, her career but was not simply defined by her relationships with these men. Once Jeri Taylor joined the staff, she and McFadden were united in their efforts to ensure Beverly's character was improved and protected.

Crusher Was Forgotten In the Films, Save for Star Trek: First Contact

Star trek: first contact may contain an unintentional homage to gene roddenberry.

Of the four films featuring The Next Generation cast, Beverly Crusher was not given much to do outside of appearing with the ensemble. In The Fifty-Year Mission other cast members felt the same, such as Michael Dorn. Case in point: the Star Trek: Insurrection movie ignores Picard's relationship with Crusher in favor of a new love interest, whom he leaves behind at the end of the film. However, Star Trek: First Contact does give Dr. Crusher her heroic moments as the Borg take over the USS Enterprise-E. With Riker and Picard on Earth, she becomes the commander on the ship.

McFadden remains unhappy with the rest of the films. In The Fifty-Year Mission, she even refused to discuss Star Trek: Generations, calling her contribution "a small part." Perhaps the greatest indignity is in the final film, Star Trek: Nemesis . In the final scene with the primary cast, mourning the loss of Data, she doesn't even get a line. This ultimately serves the character in Picard because it justifies how Crusher felt slighted and sidelined by her former comrades, at least enough to cut off all contact with them for the duration of Jack Crusher's life. Still, her time in Picard gives the character the powerful, heroic swan song she deserves.

The complete Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard are available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streams on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Release Date September 26, 1987

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Rating TV-PG

Creator Gene Roddenberry

Production Company Paramount Television

Number of Episodes 176

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Is 'Legacy' About to Boldly Go? Whoopi Goldberg May Be Returning To 'Star Trek'

Her 'The View' co-host Joy Behar may have spilled the beans on-air.

The Big Picture

• Whoopi Goldberg's potential return to Star Trek as Guinan sparks excitement among fans and co-stars, but she denies any involvement.
• Goldberg plays Guinan, a centuries-old alien known for her wisdom and signature hats.
• Besides Star Trek , Goldberg is also rumored to reprise her role in Sister Act 3 .

Is Whoopi Goldberg returning to Star Trek ? Her The View co-host Joy Behar seems to think so, at least. As captured by Twitter user Kyle Arking , during an appearance by Zoë Saldaña and director Marco Perego on the talk show to discuss their upcoming film The Absence of Eden , the conversation turned to the latest announcement of a fourth Star Trek film starring Saldaña and her crewmates from the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot film. Saldaña was asked if she had any updates herself, prompting Behar to advise Goldberg, "don't tip your hand yet" and not to "let them know you got the job." Saldaña (who had no updates on her own Star Trek projects, but would welcome a return) was enthusiastic about the prospect of Goldberg's return to the role of Guinan, but for her part, Goldberg denied everything.

Goldberg is a longtime Star Trek fan who became enamored of Star Trek: The Original Series as a child when she saw the late Nichelle Nichols playing Lt. Uhura — a groundbreaking role for a Black woman at the time. Following the series' revival with Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1989, Goldberg lobbied for a role on the show; the recurring role of Guinan, the USS Enterprise-D 's bartender who debuted in the series' second-season premiere, was written for her. Goldberg would go on to appear in 29 episodes of the series, and the films Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis . She reprised the character in the second season of Star Trek: Picard .

Where Guinan would return is up in the air; while the character's long lifespan means she could pop up in any of the current Star Trek series, Patrick Stewart has discussed his interest in another Next Generation movie . Following the end of Picard Season 3, fans have also been clamoring for a Legacy spin-off series . Guinan could easily appear as a guest star in the potential series to give Picard's son, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) some much-needed advice.

Who Is Guinan in 'Star Trek'?

A member of the mysterious alien El-Aurian species with a fondness for enigmatic wisdom and enormous hats, Guinan is centuries-old, and first encountered Jean-Luc Picard and his Enterprise crew in 19th-century San Francisco. In the 23rd century, her homeworld was destroyed by the Borg ; she became a refugee and was rescued by the Enterprise-D 's predecessor, the Enterprise-B , as seen in Star Trek: Generations .

Having befriended Picard, she became the bartender at Ten Forward, the Enterprise 's lounge, and dispensed drinks and advice to the ship's crew and passengers. She was occasionally drawn into the Enterprise's adventures herself, confronting the omnipotent Q, warning Picard of the Borg, and once getting de-aged to childhood in a transporter accident. As of Star Trek: Picard , she has opened a bar in 25th-century Los Angeles.

How New 'Star Trek' Shows Get Made, According to Alex Kurtzman [Exclusive]

Guinan may not be the only past role Goldberg is looking to reprise. Sister Act 3 , in which she would return to the role of Deloris Wilson, is still in the works, according to Goldberg herself.

Whoopi Goldberg's potential return to Star Trek remains unconfirmed . Stay tuned to Collider for future updates. The franchise returns on Paramount+ when Star Trek: Discovery premieres its fifth and final season on April 4. You can watch Picard and many other shows from the franchise on the streamer right now.

Star Trek: Picard

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

Watch on Paramount+

The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans

“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.”

“Strange New Worlds” is the 12th “Star Trek” TV show since the original series debuted on NBC in 1966, introducing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful future for humanity. In the 58 years since, the “Star Trek” galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date. Even compared with “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Trek” stands as the only storytelling venture to deliver a single narrative experience for this long across TV and film.

In other words, “Star Trek” is not just a franchise. As Alex Kurtzman , who oversees all “Star Trek” TV production, puts it, “‘Star Trek’ is an institution.”

Without a steady infusion of new blood, though, institutions have a way of fading into oblivion (see soap operas, MySpace, Blockbuster Video). To keep “Star Trek” thriving has meant charting a precarious course to satisfy the fans who have fueled it for decades while also discovering innovative ways to get new audiences on board.

“Doing ‘Star Trek’ means that you have to deliver something that’s entirely familiar and entirely fresh at the same time,” Kurtzman says.

The franchise has certainly weathered its share of fallow periods, most recently after “Nemesis” bombed in theaters in 2002 and UPN canceled “Enterprise” in 2005. It took 12 years for “Star Trek” to return to television with the premiere of “Discovery” in 2017; since then, however, there has been more “Star Trek” on TV than ever: The adventure series “Strange New Worlds,” the animated comedy “Lower Decks” and the kids series “Prodigy” are all in various stages of production, and the serialized thriller “Picard” concluded last year, when it ranked, along with “Strange New Worlds,” among Nielsen’s 10 most-watched streaming original series for multiple weeks. Nearly one in five Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. is watching at least one “Star Trek” series, according to the company, and more than 50% of fans watching one of the new “Trek” shows also watch at least two others. The new shows air in 200 international markets and are dubbed into 35 languages. As “Discovery” launches its fifth and final season in April, “Star Trek” is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been.

“’Star Trek’s fans have kept it alive more times than seems possible,” says Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who executive produces the TV series through Roddenberry Entertainment. “While many shows rightfully thank their fans for supporting them, we literally wouldn’t be here without them.”

But the depth of fan devotion to “Star Trek” also belies a curious paradox about its enduring success: “It’s not the largest fan base,” says Akiva Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds” executive producer and co-showrunner. “It’s not ‘Star Wars.’ It’s certainly not Marvel.”

When J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” in 2009 — with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña playing Kirk, Spock and Uhura — the movie grossed more than any previous “Star Trek” film by a comfortable margin. But neither that film nor its two sequels broke $500 million in global grosses, a hurdle every other top-tier franchise can clear without breaking a sweat.

There’s also the fact that “Star Trek” fans are aging. I ask “The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who’s acted in or directed more versions of “Star Trek” than any other person alive, how often he meets fans for whom the new “Star Trek” shows are their first. “Of the fans who come to talk to me, I would say very, very few,” he says. “‘Star Trek’ fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young.”

As Stapf puts it: “There’s a tried and true ‘Trek’ fan that is probably going to come to every ‘Star Trek,’ no matter what it is — and we want to expand the universe.”

Every single person I spoke to for this story talked about “Star Trek” with a joyful earnestness as rare in the industry as (nerd alert) a Klingon pacifist.

“When I’m meeting fans, sometimes they’re coming to be confirmed, like I’m kind of a priest,” Ethan Peck says during a break in filming on the “Strange New Worlds” set. He’s in full Spock regalia — pointy ears, severe eyebrows, bowl haircut — and when asked about his earliest memories of “Star Trek,” he stares off into space in what looks like Vulcan contemplation. “I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from,” he says. “When I thought of ‘Star Trek,’ I thought of Spock. And now I’m him. It’s crazy.”

To love “Star Trek” is to love abstruse science and cowboy diplomacy, complex moral dilemmas and questions about the meaning of existence. “It’s ultimately a show with the most amazing vision of optimism, I think, ever put on-screen in science fiction,” says Kurtzman, who is 50. “All you need is two minutes on the news to feel hopeless now. ‘Star Trek’ is honestly the best balm you could ever hope for.”

I’m getting a tour of the USS Enterprise from Scotty — or, rather, “Strange New World” production designer Jonathan Lee, who is gushing in his native Scottish burr as we step into the starship’s transporter room. “I got such a buzzer from doing this, I can’t tell you,” he says. “I actually designed four versions of it.”

Lee is especially proud of the walkway he created to run behind the transporter pads — an innovation that allows the production to shoot the characters from a brand-new set of angles as they beam up from a far-flung planet. It’s one of the countless ways that this show has been engineered to be as cinematic as possible, part of Kurtzman’s overall vision to make “Star Trek” on TV feel like “a movie every week.”

Kurtzman’s tenure with “Star Trek” began with co-writing the screenplay for Abrams’ 2009 movie, which was suffused with a fast-paced visual style that was new to the franchise. When CBS Studios approached Kurtzman in the mid-2010s about bringing “Star Trek” back to TV, he knew instinctively that it needed to be just as exciting as that film.

“The scope was so much different than anything we had ever done on ‘Next Gen,’” says Frakes, who’s helmed two feature films with the “Next Generation” cast and directed episodes of almost every live-action “Trek” TV series, including “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.” “Every department has the resources to create.”

A new science lab set for Season 3, for example, boasts a transparent floor atop a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench, and the surrounding walls sport a half dozen viewscreens with live schematics custom designed by a six-person team. “I like being able to paint on a really big canvas,” Kurtzman says. “The biggest challenge is always making sure that no matter how big something gets, you’re never losing focus on that tiny little emotional story.”

At this point, is there a genre that “Strange New Worlds” can’t do? “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” Goldsman says with an impish smile. “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This approach is also meant to appeal to people who might want to watch “Star Trek” but regard those 668 hours of backstory as an insurmountable burden. “You shouldn’t have to watch a ‘previously on’ to follow our show,” Myers says.

To achieve so many hairpin shifts in tone and setting while maintaining Kurtzman’s cinematic mandate, “Strange New Worlds” has embraced one of the newest innovations in visual effects: virtual production. First popularized on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” the technology — called the AR wall — involves a towering circular partition of LED screens projecting a highly detailed, computer-generated backdrop. Rather than act against a greenscreen, the actors can see whatever fantastical surroundings their characters are inhabiting, lending a richer level of verisimilitude to the show.

But there is a catch. While the technology is calibrated to maintain a proper sense of three-dimensional perspective through the camera lens, it can be a bit dizzying for anyone standing on the set. “The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” says Mount. “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”

And yet, even as he’s talking about it, Mount can’t help but break into a boyish grin. “Sometimes we call it the holodeck,” he says. In fact, the pathway to the AR wall on the set is dotted with posters of the virtual reality room from “The Next Generation” and the words “Enter Holodeck” in a classic “Trek” font.

“I want to take one of those home with me,” Peck says. Does the AR wall also affect him? “I don’t really get disoriented by it. Spock would not get ill, so I’m Method acting.”

I’m on the set of the “Star Trek” TV movie “Section 31,” seated in an opulent nightclub with a view of a brilliant, swirling nebula, watching Yeoh rehearse with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and her castmates. Originally, the project was announced as a TV series centered on Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant Yeoh originated on “Discovery.” But between COVID delays and the phenomenon of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” there wasn’t room in the veteran actress’s schedule to fit a season of television. Yeoh was undaunted.

“We’d never let go of her,” she says of her character. “I was just blown away by all the different things I could do with her. Honestly, it was like, ‘Let’s just get it done, because I believe in this.’”

If that means nothing to you, don’t worry: The enormity of the revelation that Garrett is being brought back is meant only for fans. If you don’t know who the character is, you’re not missing anything.

“It was always my goal to deliver an entertaining experience that is true to the universe but appeals to newcomers,” says screenwriter Craig Sweeny. “I wanted a low barrier of entry so that anybody could enjoy it.”

Nevertheless, including Garrett on the show is exactly the kind of gasp-worthy detail meant to flood “Star Trek” fans with geeky good feeling.

“You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman says. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.”

On its face, that maxim would make “Section 31” a genuine risk. The titular black-ops organization has been controversial with “Star Trek” fans since it was introduced in the 1990s. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of ‘Star Trek,’” Sweeny says. But he still saw “Section 31” as an opportunity to broaden what a “Star Trek” project could be while embracing the radical inclusivity at the heart of the franchise’s appeal.

“Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’” he says. “I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.”

For Osunsanmi, who grew up watching “The Next Generation” with his father, it boils down to a simple question: “Is it putting good into the world?” he asks. “Are these characters ultimately putting good into the world? And, taking a step back, are we putting good into the world? Are we inspiring humans watching this to be good? That’s for me what I’ve always admired about ‘Star Trek.’”

Should “Section 31” prove successful, Yeoh says she’s game for a sequel. And Kurtzman is already eyeing more opportunities for TV movies, including a possible follow-up to “Picard.” The franchise’s gung-ho sojourn into streaming movies, however, stands in awkward contrast to the persistent difficulty Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot have had making a feature film following 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond” — the longest theaters have gone without a “Star Trek” movie since Paramount started making them.

First, a movie reuniting Pine’s Capt. Kirk with his late father — played in the 2009 “Star Trek” by Chris Hemsworth — fell apart in 2018. Around the same time, Quentin Tarantino publicly flirted with, then walked away from, directing a “Star Trek” movie with a 1930s gangster backdrop. Noah Hawley was well into preproduction on a “Star Trek” movie with a brand-new cast, until then-studio chief Emma Watts abruptly shelved it in 2020. And four months after Abrams announced at Paramount’s 2022 shareholders meeting that his 2009 cast would return for a movie directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”), Shakman left the project to make “The Fantastic Four” for Marvel. (It probably didn’t help that none of the cast had been approached before Abrams made his announcement.)

The studio still intends to make what it’s dubbed the “final chapter” for the Pine-Quinto-Saldaña cast, and Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”) is writing a new draft of the script. Even further along is another prospective “Star Trek” film written by Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and to be directed by Toby Haynes (“Andor,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) that studio insiders say is on track to start preproduction by the end of the year. That project will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise. In both cases, the studio is said to be focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for “Star Trek” feature films.

Far from complaining, everyone seems to relish the challenge. Visual effects supervisor Jason Zimmerman says that “working with Alex, the references are always at least $100 million movies, if not more, so we just kind of reverse engineer how do we do that without having to spend the same amount of money and time.”

The workload doesn’t seem to faze him either. “Visual effects people are a big, big ‘Star Trek’ fandom,” he says. “You naturally just get all these people who go a little bit above and beyond, and you can’t trade that for anything.”

In one of Kurtzman’s several production offices in Toronto, he and production designer Matthew Davies are scrutinizing a series of concept drawings for the newest “Star Trek” show, “Starfleet Academy.” A bit earlier, they showed me their plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.

But this is a “Star Trek” show, so there do need to be starships, and Kurtzman is discussing with Davies about how one of them should look. The issue is that “Starfleet Academy” is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.

“For me, this design is almost too Klingon,” Kurtzman says. “I want to see the outline and instinctively, on a blink, recognize it as a Federation ship.”

The time period was first introduced on Season 3 of “Discovery,” when the lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), transported the namesake starship and its crew there from the 23rd century. “It was exciting, because every time we would make a decision, we would say, ‘And now that’s canon,’” says Martin-Green.

“We listened to a lot of it,” Kurtzman says. “I think I’ve been able to separate the toxic fandom from really true fans who love ‘Star Trek’ and want you to hear what they have to say about what they would like to see.”

By Season 2, the “Discovery” writers pivoted from its dour, war-torn first season and sent the show on its trajectory 900-plus years into the future. “We had to be very aware of making sure that Spock was in the right place and that Burnham’s existence was explained properly, because she was never mentioned in the original series,” says executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. “What was fun about jumping into the future is that it was very much fresh snow.”

That freedom affords “Starfleet Academy” far more creative latitude while also dramatically reducing how much the show’s target audience of tweens and teens needs to know about “Star Trek” before watching — which puts them on the same footing as the students depicted in the show. “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Noga Landau, executive producer and co-showrunner, says. “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

In the “Starfleet Academy” writers’ room in Secret Hideout’s Santa Monica offices, Kurtzman tells the staff — a mix of “Star Trek” die-hards, part-time fans and total newbies — that he wants to take a 30,000-foot view for a moment. “I think we need to ground in science more throughout the show,” he says, a giant framed photograph of Spock ears just over his shoulder. “The kids need to use science more to solve problems.”

Immediately, one of the writers brightens. “Are you saying we can amp up the techno-babble?” she says. “I’m just excited I get to use my computer science degree.”

After they break for lunch, Kurtzman is asked how much longer he plans to keep making “Star Trek.” 

“The minute I fall out of love with it is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

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