On this episode of Film Utopia, Steven, Benjamin, and Sean set phasers to stun and warp into the Next Generation era of Star Trek movies, covering Generations to Nemesis; a run of films that ranges from sublime to “why did they write it like that?”
We tackle the saggy, pacing-challenged middle of Generations, mourn the disgracefully anticlimactic death of Captain Kirk, and collectively shake our heads at how the baton was (barely) passed to Picard. There’s plenty of Borg-infested joy as we celebrate First Contact, the one universally beloved TNG film and a shining example of how to do big-screen Trek properly. Unfortunately, the goodwill instantly evaporates with Insurrection, a cinematic nap disguised as a feature film. “Bore-fest” doesn’t quite cover it. Finally, we hit Nemesis, greeted with a mixture of bafflement, frustration, and the occasional guilty defence. Mostly, though, it’s a telepathic chorus of “Yeah… it’s bad.”
