The fourth and finalStar Trek: The Next Generationmovie,Star Trek: Nemesis, put a nail in the coffin of what was—at the time—a dyingStar Trekfranchise.Star Trek: Nemesissaw Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) confront a younger clone of himself, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who had been created by Romulansto secretly replace Picard. Shinzon had been discarded to the mines of Remus before becoming the new Romulan Praetor to exact his revenge.Star Trek: Nemesis' subplot featured the discovery of B-4 (Brent Spiner), an inferior Soong-type android built before Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner).
In theory,Star Trek: Nemesis’high-stakes cinematic action, with a screenplay and story by Academy Award-nominated John Logan with Brent Spiner, was designed to draw casual moviegoers. Further,Star Trek: Nemesis' themes of identity and duality in its Picard and Data storylines were supposed to create that cerebralStar Trektouch. In practice,Star Trek: Nemesisfell apart by packing its 1 hour and 57 minute runtime with more style than substance.Star Trek: Insurrection’s lukewarm reception soured suits on Jonathan Frakes taking the helm again, but franchise newcomer Stuart Baird directedNemesislike aStar Trekmoviethat was afraid to beStar Trek,leavingStar Trek: The Next Generation’s beloved ensemblerudderless and inconsistent.
Star Trek: Nemesis’ Ending Explained
Captain Picard And Lt. Commander Data Team Up To Destroy Shinzon
Star Trek: Nemesisends with a face-off between the USS Enterprise-E and Shinzon’s massive starship, the Scimitar.Shinzon vowed to take revenge by using deadly thalaron radiation to wipe out all life on Earth,which the Enterprise must prevent at all costs. Romulan Commander Donatra (Dina Meyer) arrives to help the Enterprise, not Shinzon, citing “internal security”. While the Scimitar is distracted by Donatra’s Warbirds,Counselor Deanna Troi(Marina Sirtis) empathically locates Shinzon’s cloaked ship, and opens fire. The Enterprise is outgunned, however, and Remans board the ship to seize what Shinzon truly wants: Captain Picard.
Every Star Trek Movie Ranked (From Worst To Best)
There have been fourteen Star Trek movies over the last 40 years, but which is the boldest big-screen adventure to go where no man has gone before?
Rather than suffer more casualties, Picard yields to Reman capture, while Data crosses the space between the Enterprise and Scimitar’s open hulls. As the thalaron emitter charges,Shinzon and Jean-Luc meet in single combat, with Picard victoriously spearing Shinzon, who’s consumed by his own hubris. Data places an emergency transport key on his captain and beams Picard back to the Enterprise, before Data destroys the thalaraon emitter, sacrificing himself in the process. Data’s memory is celebrated on the Enterprise-E, and Donatra promises Picard a friend in the Romulan Empire.
Shinzon’s determination to find and unleash the darkness in Picard’s heart is his own downfall,
At the end ofStar Trek: Nemesis, Shinzon’s determination to find and unleash the darkness in Picard’s heart is his own downfall. Shinzon and Picard share DNA and a sense of justice for the downtrodden, butShinzon insists that Jean-Luc would be as megalomaniacal as Shinzon is had Picard also been raised in the darkness of the Reman mines. Picard’s equally steadfast insistence that Shinzon is capable of doing good only proves how alike they are, instead of supporting the movie’s stated point that their backgrounds make them different.
Why Data Died In Star Trek: Nemesis
Data’s Death In Star Trek: Nemesis Was Brent Spiner’s Decision
At the end ofStar Trek: Nemesis,Lieutenant Commander Data heroically sacrifices himself to destroy Shinzon’s thalaron emitter and save all life on Earth. Data’s act of bravery ensures the Federation’s survival, but ultimately contributes toStar Trek: Nemesis' reputation as a franchise-killer. Compared toSpock’s (Leonard Nimoy) deathinStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Data’s death rings hollow. UnlikeThe Wrath of Khanbuilding to Spock’s sacrifice,Nemesisdoesn’t have a narrative throughline that supports Data’s decision, and his replacement is already lined up in B-4.
Why Data Died In Star Trek: Nemesis (& Did He Have To?)
Data’s death in Star Trek: Nemesis was supposed to provide the film with an emotional climax, but it was an unworthy end to a much beloved character.
Brent Spiner co-wroteStar Trek: Nemesis’story with John Logan, creating his own graceful exit fromStar Trekby killing off Data. As an android, Data wasn’t supposed to age, andSpiner’s advancing years were becoming more difficult to mask with Data’s makeup.Star Trek: Nemesisended with B-4 in possession of Data’s memories on the USS Enterprise-E, however, leaving the door open for Spiner’s return in a futureStar Trek: The Next Generationmovie.
Star Trek: Nemesis Set Up A 5th TNG Movie That Never Happened
Nemesis' Follow-Up Would Have Set Up DS9 And Voyager Movies
Star Trek: Nemesisset up a potential fifthStar Trek: The Next Generationmovie that never happened. Conceptualized byNemesisscreenwriter John Logan and Brent Spiner,the finalTNGmovie would have been a crossover betweenStar Trek: The Next Generation,Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,andStar Trek: Voyager.Characters from all threeTNG-eraStar Trekserieswere slated to join forces against a massive threat that only a team-up betweenStar Trek’s finest could thwart. Just asStar Trek Generationspassed the franchise to theTNGcast, theNemesisfollow-up would have led toDS9orVoyagermovies.
Why Star Trek: Nemesis’ Failure Killed TNG’s Movie Franchise
Star Trek Changed Direction After Star Trek: Nemesis
Waning interest inStar Trekas a franchise, low box-office returns, and poor fan reception led toStar Trek: Nemesisultimately killing futureStar Trek: The Next Generationmovies. AsStar Trek: Enterprise’s pivot to earlier in theStar TrektimelinesuggestedStar Trekmight be done with the 24th century,Star Trek: Nemesisopened to a disappointing US$18.5 million box office.Ticket sales dropped 76% forNemesis' second weekend, indicating fans were dissatisfied with the latestTNGmovie.Star Trek: Nemesisclosed three months later, after grossing a woeful $43.25 million domestically.
$75,671,125
$118,071,125
$38 million
$92,027,888
$146,027,888
$46 million
$70,187,658
$112,587,658
$70 million
$43,254,409
$67,336,470
$60 million
Seven years passed beforeStar Trekreturned to cinemas with J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot. TheKelvin TimelineStar Trekmovieswere a change of pace that combined Abrams' fresh take with nostalgia forStar Trek: The Original Series. AlthoughStar Trek Into Darknessreceived mixed reviews, andStar Trek Beyondwas an underrated gem, Abrams’Star Trekmovies renewed interest in the franchise.The Kelvin Timeline paved the way forStar Trek’s return to television—and a chance to fix the mistakes made byStar Trek: Nemesis.
Star Trek: Picard Fixed Nemesis’ Mistakes
Star Trek: Picard Gave Star Trek: The Next Generation A Proper Send-Off
Star Trek: PicardfixedStar Trek: Nemesis' mistakes by returning to themes thatNemesisbotched in its delivery. Backed up as a positronic ghost, Lieutenant Commander Data asked Admiral Picard to grant Data’s ultimate wish: the universal human experience of death.By reframing death as the final step in becoming human,Star Trek: Picardgave Data’s death the meaning it lacked inStar Trek: Nemesis. Data’s legacy lived on in the highly advanced synth,Soji Asha (Isa Briones), instead of B-4, while Picard’s new mirror was Jean-Luc and Beverly Crusher’s son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), instead of Shinzon.
Star Trek: Picardfollowed through with Commander Donatra’s promise that Jean-Luc Picard had a friend in the Romulan Empire. Admiral Picard had a personal investment in evacuating Romulus before the Romulan supernova destroyed the planet in 2387; this promise ultimately cost Picard his career when Starfleet called his resignation bluff.
Star Trek: Picardseason 3reunited theStar Trek: The Next Generationcastfor the proper send-off thatStar Trek: Nemesisfailed to give them.Picardgave each member of the former USS Enterprise-E crew a spotlight,especially the characters thatNemesissidelined, like Captain Worf and Beverly Crusher. Deanna Troi had more agency in her fewStar Trek: Picardappearances than ever before. Even Data’s return was an evolution of his quest for humanity.Star Trek: PicardallowedStar Trek: The Next Generationto end with the dignity it deserved instead of being killed byStar Trek: Nemesis.
