The Next Reel

The introduction of the Borg as an antagonist on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” gave the crew of the Enterprise – and the teams on subsequent shows – one of their greatest villains. Not only are they a terrifying collective, assimilating everyone they come into contact with, but they thematically are the antithesis of everything the franchise has come to represent about technology and the future. Because of all of this, they seemed a natural element to include in the TNG cinematic stories. But the studio wanted them to include a way to personify the villain more than they ever did in the show. The filmmakers also wanted to make a time travel film. With all of these elements, were they able to pull it together to make a cohesive film? 

Does Data’s emotion chip make for a better or worse character when used? Just what kind of torture was Soran performing on Geordi? Why does Guinan conveniently appear in the Nexus? Tune in to this week’s show to get in on the conversation!

Even though “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was entering its fifth season and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier had underperformed, Paramount wanted to bring back the original crew of the Enterprise for one last hurrah to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise. To write and helm the film, they turned to the man who arguably made the best film thus far, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Nicholas Meyer co-wrote it and ended up directing it as well, making a film that stands out as one of the high points of the franchise. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Star Trek series with Meyer’s 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Leonard Nimoy had directed two Star Trek films so naturally, William Shatner wanted to give it a go. He even had a great concept for a story – the crew of the Enterprise go on a quest to find God. Unfortunately, with a writers strike hitting Hollywood at the time, with an effects company that couldn’t deliver, and with a studio demanding as much humor as they could cram into the script, Shatner’s vision was muddled and became what many consider to be the worst of the original cast films in the franchise. But is it really that bad? Is it possible to get past the terrible humor and find a compelling story?

With the success of their pair of Star Trek films under their belt, director Leonard Nimoy and producer Harve Bennett were asked once again to return to the well and bring forth yet another Star Trek story. This time, Nimoy had more free reign to make the film he wanted to make, and he and Bennett thought it would be nice to make something a bit lighter. Also? They wanted to feature time travel.