Of course, I was soon put out of my misery when I started up the film and immediately saw one of my Voyager friends:
So here's the gist of Generations:
Prepare yourself for some mighty spoilers
The baddie from Tank Girl and Guinan got sucked up into a crazy, glowing joy ribbon called "The Nexus" like a super long time ago and then got spit out when Cameron Frye's Enterprise collided with them. Ever since, he's been trying to get back and, with the help of some jerk Klingons is about to do just that. Picard is way into stopping him but then he gets sucked up into the Nexus as well and Dream-Guinan shows up to give him the what-for and then points him in the direction of Kirk's Nexus. Kirk is all, "A dangerous mission? Awesome. First, let me ride this horse around for a minute." So then apparently the Joy Machine doubles as a Time Machine and Kirk and Picard go back in time--not to when the baddie (Soren) first came aboard the Enterprise but to when he's about to seriously mess everything up with a big ole' missile. Kirk, Picard, and Soren proceed to have a pretty epic old man fight and they save the day before things go really pear-shaped (the deadly kind of pear) for Kirk.
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| Told you it was epic. |
1- I was SUPER uncomfortable about Data's freak out.
2- This:
3- Crying when Data found Spot.
So, basically, this movie was all about Data when I was 10 and not at all about one captain passing the torch to the next one. This time around, I was a lot more invested in the Kirk/Picard stuff. Still, this movie just... it just doesn't do it for me. I wish it did. I really, really wish it did. Especially after eleven months of non-stop Star Trek, I'd really hoped that this movie would make more of an impression on me but I just didn't find it satisfying.
That's ok. The memory of watching Generations in the theatre, sharing popcorn with my dad, and bawling when Data found his kitty is enough for me.
Generations (believe it or not) was the first Star Trek movie I'd ever seen. And I think after years of watching Picard and crew on my little screen, the novelty of seeing it for the first time on a BIG screen was more than enough to dazzle and enthrall me. I knew who Kirk was, but I didn't KNOW who Kirk was, and that alone granted me enough grace to forgive (what I know now to be) the lackluster death he was given. And yet, even now... I will still defend his last words (it was fun) as very true-to-character and in their own way "noble". I think the things that stand out as memories for me are first and foremost, the death of the "D". I was shocked, appalled, saddened and amazed by the crash and the promise of a new Enterprise. The Enterprise D, represented Star Trek to me. At the time it was an unsinkable space-Titanic to me and I hated the Duras sisters for sinking it. Looking back now, I think it was some incredibly cheeky villainy and it's almost too bad they didn't survive to conspire again. The Nexus storyline was "pretty" and almost an allegory for religion itself (not that that occurred to me in 1994). It truly doesn't stand up very well over time, but hey - it was a big-screen "episode".
ReplyDeleteI saw this movie very shortly after a very significant/distant move away from home for the first time (I was 21) and I guess it holds a special place in my heart for being transitional. I was "growing up" and taking Star Trek into my adulthood and it's still with me. : )
"Lifeforms... you tiny little lifeforms... you precious little lifeforms... where are you?"
Johnny, I LOVE this comment. Everything you say here is the reason that I'm doing this project. So much of my Star Trek experience is (obviously) tied up in my real, personal life and emotions. Generations is less so for me but I still cried when Data found Spot and I agree that I liked Kirk's last words AND the Duras sisters as badass bad guys. Anyway, sometimes loving a thing doesn't mean that you love it because of artistic reasons or whatever but because it's tied up in a specific part of your life and every time you watch it you re-live that experience. So much of this year has been that way for me so I completely get where you're coming from.
DeleteI still cry when Data finds Spot. Sometimes I start getting choked up minutes ahead of time, since I know its coming.
ReplyDeleteYes! Me too. As soon as Troi said, "I'm detecting another lifesign--very faint," I had the chin quivers.
DeleteThis is my favorite of the movies. It's what a Star Trek movie should be. Everyone says that the ones following this were "glorified episodes." Well, maybe they just say that about "Insurrection."
ReplyDeleteThis one, though, is an EVENT movie. We see the Enterprise-B! Kirk and Picard work together! Worf is promoted! Data gets emotions! The Enterprise-D is destroyed! 18th century naval uniforms on the bridge! Weird lighting! Ten-Forward is actually crowded! Stellar Cartography! The Duras Sisters are killed! Kirk is killed! The "Life Forms" song! It's HUGE and still manages to retain the core values of Star Trek. I just watched it again a few months ago (I think I told you a long time ago that I've been watching Trek in chronological order [ENT-VOY]) and I love it just as much now as I did when I was fourteen.
We're usually on the same page and it always surprises me when are opinions are on complete opposite ends of the Trek-spectrum. I like that. :)
Hellow, mi name is Cesar, and write from Perú. I am a very big fan of Star Trek and Science Fiction in general, but I prefer literary Science Fiction. I just discover your blog minutes ago, and I found it very interesting. I'm phillosopher (scholar) in Catholic University of Lima, Perú. Your work is good. Receive my congrats. My other passion is heavy metal music and culture. I have a blog (in spanish, my tongue)about metal culture.
ReplyDeleteI'm still going writing you.
Ragards
César