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Generations
Premiered: 1995 Director: David Carson Screenplay: Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga Music: Dennis McCarthy
The Cast:
Jean Luc Picard: Patrick
Stewart William Riker: Jonathan Frakes
Brent Spiner
Geordi Laforge: Levar Burton
Worf: Michael Dorn
Beverly Crusher: Gates
McFadden
Dianna Troi: Marina Sirtis
James T. Kirk: William Shatner
Soran: Malcolm McDowell
Guinan: Whoopi Goldberg
There were only two ways for "classic Trek" cast members to appear in a movie with the
cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation: either Capt. Kirk and his contemporaries would
have to be very, very old, or there would be some time travel involved in the plot. Since
geriatric heroes aren't very exciting (despite a welcomed cameo appearance by the aged Dr. McCoy),
Star Trek: Generations unites Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)
in a time-jumping race to stop a madman's quest for heavenly contentment.
On the holodeck in celebration of Worf's
promotion to lieutenant commander, this is cut short by a personal
communiqué to Picard and a distress call from the Amargosa Solar
Observatory. By the time the Enterprise reaches the observatory,
attackers have already left their mark. Back on the Enterprise, Data
decides that the time has finally come for him to try Dr. Soong's
emotion chip for himself. Dr. Soran, a researcher from the
observatory, insists on returning there so he can continue his work in
spite of the recent attack. It is discovered that the attackers were
searching for trilithium, a vital component in a new and highly
destructive explosive device. Data and Geordi are scanning for
trilithium on the observatory when Data is overcome with emotions; Dr.
Soran appears and takes this opportunity to take them hostage. Aboard
the Enterprise, Picard reveals to Troi that he received a message
earlier informing him of the death of the only other living members of
the Picard family, leaving him the sole survivor of his family line.
When Soran launches a probe from the observatory into a nearby star,
the star explodes, leaving only minutes or seconds before the stellar
shock waves reach and destroy the Enterprise and the entire solar
system. Worf and Riker beam to the observatory and rescue the
fear-stricken Data, but Soran keeps Geordi in his sights, transporting
away to a Klingon Bird of Prey which, along with the Enterprise,
barely escapes the star's death throes in time. The Klingon ship is
commanded by the Duras sisters.
On the Enterprise, the incident nearly
80 years ago involving the Enterprise-B is investigated when Soran and
Guinan are both discovered to have been there. Guinan explains to
Picard that Soran is trying to replicate the ribbon of immense energy
that destroyed the ship they were on decades ago, since it was a
doorway to an ethereal plane of eternal happiness, so he can return
there.
Picard and Data find out that Soran destroyed the star to
divert the energy so he can once again reach the Nexus, but another
star will have to be detonated before Soran can reach his goal - and
that star's solar system is heavily populated. The Enterprise tracks
down the Duras sisters' ship, and Picard agrees to exchange himself
for Geordi as a hostage so he can try to stop Soran. Picard finds
himself on one of the target star's planets, where Soran is moments
away from firing another probe that will finally allow him to reach
the Nexus. Geordi is returned to the Enterprise with an undetectable
transmitter that sends his VISOR's input to the Klingon sisters, who
use information Geordi sees in engineering to launch a withering
attack on the Enterprise. Worf discovers a weakness in the Bird of
Prey's defenses, and manages to destroy the Duras sisters at last, but
the Enterprise has sustained more damage than can be contained, and
the crew is evacuated to the saucer section so the warp drive section
can be jettisoned before it goes critical.
Picard manages to attack Soran, but not
before the scientist launches his probe into the star. The
Enterprise's drive section explodes, catapulting the saucer straight
into the planet's atmosphere, where it lands safely, though the
Enterprise will never take to the stars again. When the Nexus opens
up, Soran and Picard are sucked into it; moments later, the exploding
star destroys the planet the Enterprise's saucer has landed on.
In the Nexus, Picard encounters a
fragment of Guinan that was left in the rift in the Enterprise-B
incident. She informs him that he can go to whatever time he wishes,
and Picard intends to use this ability to prevent Soran from launching
the probe that destroys the Enterprise's crew. Guinan also suggests
that Picard seek the help of another Starship captain who was captured
in the Nexus when the Enteprise-B was struck by its energy discharge
after rescuing Guinan. That individual happens to be James T. Kirk.
Picard convinces Kirk to help him stop Soran, and they emerge at the
point in time before Soran launched his final probe. Kirk battles
Soran as Picard tries to sabotage the probe, but Soran manages to
shoot Kirk and the probe is launched anyway. However, Picard's efforts
send the probe back into the planet harmlessly, and the Nexus cannot
be reached. When Soran assaults Picard in a blind fury, Picard is left
with no choice but to kill him. Captain Kirk dies just before a
shuttle from the Enterprise arrives to retrieve Picard, while the
Enterprise crew is evacuated to the Starship Farragut, leaving the
wreckage of Picard's most legendary command on the planet surface.