REVIEW: STAR TREK: GENERATIONS

 From:    J.  Young                              

To:      All                                    Msg #1, 19-Oct-94 16:45:46

Subject: REVIEW: STAR TREK: GENERATIONS

From: ag117@lafn.org (J.  Young)

[Note: this has spoilers.  If you don't want to read spoilers, don't read this.

Followups directed to rec.arts.sf.movies.  -Moderator]

    STAR TREK: GENERATIONS

     [Spoilers]

         A film review by J. Young

   Copyright 1994 J. Young

Director: David Carson.  Writers: Ronald D.  Moore & Brannon Braga.

Starring: Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Malcolm McDowell, Jonathan

          Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates 

          McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Whoopi Goldberg, Walter Koenig,

          James Doohan, Alan Ruck

A Paramount Pictures Release

     The screening was held on September 13, 1994, on the Paramount

lot.  It was a research screening used to gauge audience reaction to

the film prior to its release.

     Research screenings are common practice in Hollywood, and are used

by virtually all of the studios for all major films.  The studio

contracts out to a market research firm, in Paramount's case National

Research Group (AKA: Movie View), to conduct the screening and compile

data based on the reaction cards filled out by the recruited audience.

The studio then uses this information to determine which scenes could

use tightening or re-editing, and which demographic groups they can

best market the film towards.  And in some cases, they decide that

certain scenes will require changes that they have no footage for,

requiring them to go back out for additional filming.  And believe it

or not, this happens all the time.  A famous example is FATAL

ATTRACTION.  After the test screening they decided to reshoot the

ending, and the film went on to become a mega-hit.  (And more recently,

they even went back and added the original FATAL ATTRACTION ending

onto the video release.)

     So about a week before the scheduled GENERATIONS screening, they

started sending out movie recruiters (usually aspiring actors or

screenwriters) to various movie theaters around Los Angeles to recruit

their audience.  They approach a potential recruit and ask them if they

would like to attend the screening, and if so they take down certain

information (occupation, age, name, phone number).  The recruit is then

given a colored pass (good for two) and told to be sure to arrive early

as more passes are given out than there are seats (also the recruiters

are paid on commission--so if you don't get in, they don't get paid for

your pass).

     But this was a "Star Trek" screening and word soon got out to

fans.  Everyone wanted to go and I even know of some that started

photocopying passes for friends (which is very easy since they're just

printed on normal colored paper).  So by the time the screening came

around, *MANY* more passes were in the hands of fans than there were

available seats.  Realizing the potential for a riot, my group arrived

a little before 6:00 PM, even though the screening wasn't scheduled

until 7:30 PM--but even then, there were already about 70 people ahead

of us in line.  At about 6:30 PM there were so many people that they

started stopping cars at the gate and turning them back (a mini-traffic

jam developed on Melrose).

     While we waited in line, they came around and re-asked everyone

their occupation, age, name and phone number.  Then someone else came

around and asked us how many "Star Trek" movies we'd seen (you had to

have seen at least three).  Then yet another person came around looking

for people (only twenty) to stay afterwards for a focus group to talk

with the execs about the film.  How they chose these people is a

mystery to us.  (They chose two friends of ours, but none from our

immediate group.)

     At around 7:15 PM, they started letting us into the Paramount

Screening Theater (about the size of a medium movie theater).  The last

three rows of seats were taped off (reserved for the execs) but the

rest of the theater was general seating.  So everyone rushed for the

best seats they could grab.

     After everyone was seated, the moderator (Andy Fielder) went to

the front of the theater and made some announcements.  First, he told

us that we were the very first audience to see STAR TREK GENERATIONS

which garnered much applause.  Then he gave us the usual research

screening speech: "This film is a work-in-progress.  You may see some

scratches on the print.  There aren't any credits on the film yet.

Some special effects are in a temporary state, as is the musical

score.  Please stay seated after the screening to fill out your

reaction cards."  Then the lights went down and the film began:

***SPOILER TIME***

     A bottle flies through space, tumbling end over end.  It finally

crashes against the hull of the Enterprise NCC-1701-B spilling out

champagne.  They are launching the newest Enterprise, commanded by the

"green" Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")

and an "even greener" crew.  The news media is on board as are Kirk,

Scotty and Chekov.  This is a very funny scene with Kirk continually

eyeing the Captain's chair while he is forced to sit off to the side.

     As soon as they leave spacedock, they pick up a distress signal.

And although they are ill-equipped to handle emergencies, they are of

course the only ship in the quadrant.  They find the distressed ship

which is caught in some kind of energy ribbon that's ripping it apart.

The new Capt. chokes and Kirk takes command.  The Enterprise beams as

many people over as it can and ends up getting caught in the energy

ribbon itself.  Among the people beamed over is Soran (Malcolm

McDowell) and Guinan.  They determine to escape from the ribbon they

will have to create some kind of blast, but of course this ship has no

photon torpedoes yet.  So someone has to go below decks to manually

reconfigure the deflectors.  It's Kirk that goes (all by himself) and

successfully manages to get the ship thrown free of the energy ribbon.

In the process though, part of the hull is ripped away, and Kirk is

seemingly killed (presumably sucked out into space, but we never see a

body).

     All of a sudden we're on an old sailing ship on the high seas

(named Enterprise) with the "Next Generation" crew.  [This scene seemed a

bit long, and kind of "stiff" compared to the prior scene with the old

crew.]  It's a Holodeck simulation, where they're performing a kind of

ritualistic initiation for Worf who's receiving a promotion.  Worf is

on a wooden plank where he has to jump up and grab a hat without

falling into the water (apparently no one has been able to do this

before).  Surprisingly, Worf does it though and is very proud of

himself.  Riker isn't happy with this and says "Computer, remove

plank."  Worf is dropped overboard into the water.  Riker says "Oops, I

meant retract plank."  Everyone laughs, while Worf flails around in the

water.  This prompts Data to ask "Is that funny?"  He is told that it

is and so he pushes Crusher overboard.  Data is then told that that was

NOT funny.  Picard gets some kind of distressing personal message and

returns to the ship.  Soon after, they are all asked to return to the

ship.

     They have received a distress call from a distant Observatory and

set their course for it.  Picard seems disturbed by the personal

message he received and retreats to his Ready Room.  Riker questions

Picard but is rebuffed.  Meanwhile, Data decides he needs to know what

is and isn't funny and that will require emotions.  So Data has Geordi

install his emotion chip.

     They soon arrive at the Observatory and find dead bodies (some

Romulan) and a very alive Soran.  They take Soran back who tells them

that he has to talk to the Captain.

     Data and Geordi arrive in Ten Forward where Data tries one of

Guinan's new drinks.  He experiences his first emotion--disgust.  At a

nearby table sits Soran.  Picard enters and they talk.  Soran explains

that he has to continue his experiments immediately or years of

valuable work will be lost.  Soran looks in Picard's eyes and seems to

hypnotically convince Picard to agree to "see what he can do" against

his wishes.

     They find trace elements of Trilithium (an explosive of mass

destruction associated with the Romulans) on board the Observatory.

Geordi and Data beam over to investigate.  Data is laughing, getting

the punch lines to jokes told years ago.  They find a secret chamber

and start to investigate further.  While Geordi continues to work, Data

keeps making dumb jokes and laughing at them (like making a Tricorder

"talk").  [This is actually very funny.  Brent Spiner is great!]  This

very quickly starts getting on Geordi's nerves though and he tries to

get Data to concentrate on what they're doing.  It's no use though as

Data is laughing hysterically, having seemingly lost all control.  It's

the emotion chip.  Then in a kind of eerie special effect, Data's whole

face starts contorting and he collapses to the ground.  Just then,

Soran appears asking what's going on.  Geordi fills him in, when Soran

produces a weapon and stuns Geordi.  Data cowers on the ground in great

fear, pleading with Soran not to kill him.  [It was actually very

unnerving to see Data showing fear.]  Soran turns to the computer and

types some commands, launching a missile towards the system's star.

     Meanwhile, Troi confronts Picard about his moody behavior.  He

tells her that the message he received earlier was informing him that

his brother and nephew had died in a fire.  Picard thought of his

nephew as his surrogate son, and someone who would carry on the Picard

name.  He looks at their pictures in an old photo album.

     The Enterprise picks up the missile launch from the Observatory

and sends Riker and Worf over to investigate.  The missile hits the

star, exploding it and sending out an immense shockwave.  Just then, a

Klingon Bird of Prey decloaks off the Observatory.  Riker and Worf

battle it out with Soran but Data is too afraid to help.  Soran grabs

Geordi and beams out to the Klingon ship.

     Back on the Enterprise, they soon discover that piloting the

Klingon Bird of Prey are the Klingon sisters, Lursa and B'etor, and

that Geordi is their hostage.  The ship cloaks and is gone.  The

Enterprise high tails it out of there to escape the shockwave.

     After his strange behavior, they decide to remove Data's emotion

chip, but find that it's become permanently fused to his systems.

Meanwhile, they investigate Soran's background and find the Guinan

connection.  Picard goes to Guinan and asks for her help.  She tells

him about the energy ribbon (called the Nexus) and explains that it's a

place where all of your greatest wishes come true.  And once you've

been there, you will do anything to get back (because of some powerful,

almost drug-like, pull).  She should know, she was once there with

Soran.  So Soran is trying to return to the Nexus, but why did he blow

up a star?

     Picard goes to Stellar Cartography with Data.  [This is a really

great new department we've never seen before, with nice special

effects.]  They locate the energy ribbon's position.  But Data is

feeling guilty about not saving Geordi, and nearly has an emotional

breakdown.  He asks to be relieved from duty, but Picard refuses and

basically tells him to deal with it.  Data manages to compose himself

and they soon discover the significance of the star's destruction.

Soran is destroying stars to gravitationally alter the course of the

energy ribbon.  The ribbon will come very close to a planet in the

Veridian system, and if Soran destroys that star, the ribbon will

actually touch the planet.  This of course will destroy every planet in

that system, killing millions of Veridians.  They set course for the

Veridian system.

     On the Klingon ship, Soran has removed Geordi's visor, and is

torturing him while interrogating him about his knowledge of

Trilithium.  He doesn't get much out of him.  They arrive at Veridian

III and soon after so does the Enterprise.  Picard hails them, even

though the Bird of Prey is cloaked and Picard doesn't really know if

they're actually there.  Soran gets an idea and alters Geordi's visor.

He then beams down to the planet's surface.  Picard asks the sisters to

let him talk with Soran, but they tell him he is already on the

planet.  In between cracking jokes, Data tries to scan the planet, but

there is too much distortion.  Picard asks the sisters to beam him down

to the planet in trade for Geordi.  (Surprisingly, Riker doesn't

object.)  They agree, and Geordi is returned to the Enterprise while

Picard arrives on the planet (without his weapon or communicator).

     The location where Picard has materialized on the planet is a vast

lifeless desert.  [Actually, the Valley of Fire, 80 miles north of Las

Vegas.]  Soran is on a nearby mountaintop, amidst a huge construction

of girders and scaffolding housing a large missile.  Separating Picard

from Soran and the missile is a massive force field.  Picard tries to

talk Soran out of his plans of mass destruction in that calm,

reasonable, Picard way--but it's no use.  Soran continues to ready his

missile, while Picard searches for some way around the force field.

Eventually, Picard locates a small hole in the rocks tunneling beneath

the base of the force field.  He starts digging to enlarge the hole.

     Meanwhile, the Klingon sisters have hooked up a monitor and are

successfully receiving the video signal from Geordi's visor on the

Enterprise--what he sees, they see.  (Why the Enterprise wouldn't block

unauthorized transmissions from within the ship, I don't know.)  They

sit and wait, watching the monitor.  They soon become frustrated

because Geordi seems to be going everywhere but Engineering.

Eventually he does, and the Klingons get what they've been after--the

security code for the Enterprise's shield modulation, conveniently

displayed right on the panel.  (Some security.)  They remodulate their

torpedoes and fire on the Enterprise.  The torpedoes pass right through

the shields, and FURIOUSLY BLAST against the Enterprise's hull.  There

is much destruction.  The Enterprise tries to fight back, but can't

penetrate the Klingon shields.  The Enterprise is hit again.  More

destruction.

     Amidst all the buffeting, Riker questions Worf about possible

weaknesses in these particular Bird of Prey ships.  They find one,

which forces the Bird of Prey to cloak, thereby temporarily dropping

its shields.  They implement it and fire on the Bird of Prey--it's

destroyed.  The Klingon sisters are presumably killed.

     The Enterprise has experienced much damage throughout the ship.

Geordi is in Engineering trying to contain a coolant leak.  He is

unsuccessful, and there will be a warp core breach in five

minutes--nothing can be done.  Riker orders an immediate evacuation to

the saucer section.  Chaos reigns throughout the ship as everyone

rushes down corridors.  Everybody makes it in time.  (They must have

regular drills for this sort of thing.) The Enterprise goes to saucer

separation, but the warp core explodes too close and sends the saucer

section careening toward's the planet's atmosphere.  Data is at the

helm, they can't pull out of it.  The planet rushes up at them on the

viewscreen.  Data sees this and exclaims "Oh shit!" [Hands down, the

best line in the whole movie.  The audience went wild.]

     Back on the planet, Picard is still uncovering the rocks from the

hole beneath the force field.  Soran climbs up towards the top of the

mountain.  Picard wriggles through the hole.  He's almost through, but

Soran sees him and fires at the rocks.  There is a cloud of smoke as

the rocks come crashing down.  Picard isn't anywhere to be seen.  (Is

he dead?  Of course not.  Only one Captain's death per film.) Soran

continues to climb.

     The saucer section is out of control and heading toward's the

planet's surface.  They put power to the thrusters to try to glide in,

instead of crash.  In the end, they kind of do both--taking out a whole

forest in the process.  (This was one of the effects that wasn't done.

There were huge cables pulling the saucer along, so it looked kind of

odd.)

     Soran is almost at the top of the mountain.  Suddenly, Picard

appears and they fight.  Picard gets in some good ones, but Soran

manages to knock him down and launch the missile.  The star explodes.

Here comes the energy ribbon.  Picard and Soran are gone.

     Picard is in the Nexus.  It's Christmas, and Picard has a wife and

a family.  (Presumably, this is Picard's greatest wish.)  He seems

extremely content, almost glowing with joy.  They exchange presents.

Picard receives an antique sextant.  All of a sudden, the 23rd century

Guinan appears.  She explains the Nexus and that she is an "echo."

(Apparently everyone who enters the Nexus, leaves an "echo" behind.)

She further explains that Picard can go anywhere he wants--to the past

or the future.  (In this Christmas setting, you start to wonder if

Patrick Stewart is going to break into his one-man version of "A

Christmas Carol".) Picard decides that he wants to leave and stop

Soran.  Guinan tells him that he could use some help and she knows just

the person, "He just got here, too."

     Picard is now by a remote cabin in the woods.  Kirk is there,

chopping wood.  Picard recognizes him and tries to talk.  But Kirk is

preoccupied with everything else, but Picard.  Kirk runs inside the

cabin to check on his breakfast.  Picard follows him, and tries to

explain things again.  Just then, Kirk's old love, Antonia, calls to

him from the bedroom.  This makes Kirk realize that this is his past,

the last day that he spent with Antonia before going back to

Starfleet.  (Presumably this is Kirk's greatest memory.  Not commanding

the Enterprise, or being with his friends, or with Carol Marcus, or

with his son.  Hmmm.)  Kirk explains that after the Enterprise B had

the hull breach, he found himself here, chopping wood.  Picard tells

him that history recorded that Kirk died that day, saving the

Enterprise B.  Picard then tries to convince Kirk to go back with him

to stop Soran.  Kirk doesn't want to go, he's decided that he wants to

stay here with Antonia.

     Kirk takes the prepared breakfast and heads to the bedroom.

Picard follows him and all of a sudden they're both standing in a barn

filled with horses.  Kirk recalls that this is another memory from his

past and jumps on a horse and rides off.  Picard grabs another horse

and follows him.  Kirk is riding fast and is seemingly exhilarated by

all of this.  Kirk jumps a ravine and then comes to a stop.  Picard

catches up with him and Kirk explains that he wasn't scared jumping

that ravine for the first time in his life.  Kirk decides it's because

none of this is real, and Kirk can't truly be Kirk unless there's real

danger involved.  Antonia is in the distance, beckoning to Kirk.  But

he decides she's not real either, and Kirk can't truly be Kirk unless

there's real sex involved.  Eventually, Picard convinces Kirk to go

back with him.

     Back on the planet, Soran is on the mountaintop again.  He fires

at Picard wriggling through the hole again.  The saucer section is

crashing again.

     Suddenly, Kirk appears next to Soran and they begin to fight.

Picard goes to the missile launching platform's control panel and tries

to prevent the launch.  Soran pulls his weapon, but Kirk knocks him out

and the weapon falls to the ground.  Picard accidentally makes the

launching platform become cloaked and he can't see what he's doing.

Kirk finds Soran's remote control and decloaks the platform.

Unbeknownst to them, Soran awakes and recovers his weapon.  He aims and

shoots Kirk in the back.

     Soran runs to the top of the mountain, but Picard harmlessly

launches the missile into the desert.  The star doesn't explode.  Here

comes the energy ribbon.  It misses the planet.  Soran is obsessed and

tries to jump at it.  Picard goes to the wounded Kirk, lying on the

ground.  Soran freaks out and rushes at them.  Picard grabs the weapon

and fires at Soran, killing him.  Picard lies and tells Kirk that he's

going to be okay.  Kirk seemingly dies in Picard's arms.  (Note: In

preventing Soran and himself from ever entering the Nexus, Picard

should now actually be caught in an endless time paradox.  Oh well.)

     We see Picard placing rocks on a grave.  (Is it Kirk's?  Is it

Soran's?) Then Picard places Kirk's Insignia Badge on the grave.  It

must be Kirk's grave, but we never actually see the body buried.

Picard walks through the desert.  He is soon rescued by a

shuttlecraft.  (How they found him, I don't know.)

     Picard and crew are at the saucer section crash site, salvaging

what they can while shuttlecrafts evacuate crew members to an orbiting

rescue ship.  The Enterprise and the saucer section are completely

destroyed.  Data finds his cat Spot in the rubble of his quarters,

shaken but alive.  Picard and Riker are in the Ready Room sifting

through the mess.  There is a blackened hole where Picard's fish

aquarium once was--apparently they gave their lives.  Picard finds his

photo album and they exit to the bridge.  Riker looks at the Captain's

chair and laments that he was hoping to get a crack at it someday.

Picard tells him that he still might as he's sure there will be another

ship called Enterprise.  (NCC-1701-E?)  They beam off to the rescue

ship.

                            THE END

     When the screening ended, the lights came up and they promptly

passed out reaction cards and pencils to everyone.  It asked questions

like: How would you rate the film?  What would you tell your friends

about the film?  Which scenes did you like the most?  Which scenes did

you like the least?  What did you think of the ending? etc.  We filled

them out, turned them in, and were promptly ushered out of the

theater.  Unless you were one of the twenty people that were chosen to

stay afterwards for the focus group.  They were seated at the front of

the theater, where their names were written on small stickers to be

worn on their chests.  Then the moderator proceeded to lead them in a

discussion of various aspects of the film, while the execs sat in back

and listened.  Additionally, the discussion was tape recorded for

future reference.  The moderator asked leading questions, forcing the

discussion in specific directions.  After they were done, they gave

each focus group member ten dollars and thanked them for their time.

     Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and from the reaction of the

audience, it would seem they did too.  It was a very "Star Trek"

audience.  I spoke with people in line beforehand, and the majority of

them seemed to be "Star Trek" fans.  Additionally, I saw a lot of the

reaction cards people were filling out around me, and they were pretty

favorable.

     Some things that I noticed people complaining about on their cards

were that Kirk was killed and additionally how he was killed (shot in

the back).  Also, people were upset that they DESTROYED the

Enterprise.  Other than that, I think most other quibbles were minor.

As they explained at the beginning of the screening, the special

effects and score were temporary in-progress versions.  So everyone

knew not to complain about them.

     I wish some things were different in places, but a movie can't be

everything to everybody.  For example, I felt that some of the best

scenes were with the original cast at the beginning of the film, and I

wanted them to have more than twelve minutes of screen time.  But this

was supposed to be a Next Generation movie, so you have to accept that

Picard, Riker and Data are going to dominate the movie.

     As for the current reshoots that we've all read about, I believe

they're probably just minor changes and/or pickup shots.  I could be

wrong, but I think they probably want to make Kirk's death more heroic

than in the version that we saw.  I base this on some friends of mine

who were two of the people chosen to stay after for the focus group.

They told me that the moderator's questions kept focusing on the

ending.  How did they feel about it when Kirk was killed?  What about

the way he was killed?  The way they pose leading questions means they

felt that these aspects of the film were questionable before they even

screened the film and definitely before they read the reaction cards.

They told me that the general consensus of the group was that Kirk's

death could have been more heroic, especially considering the status

Kirk has with the fans of the show.  Basically, it could have been

better.  But my gut feeling is they're not going to reverse it and let

Kirk live, there are already enough devices in the film (e.g. the

Nexus) to easily bring him back in future films if they want to.

     I guess we'll find out on November 18th what, if anything, gets

changed.

--

J.  Young

ag117@lafn.org

Yup! Yet another interesting textfile from:

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