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There are any number of films I could have gone to following the sad death of Patrick Stewart. He was of course in the original Dune and Excalibur, he was superb in Green Room and was arguably the best thing in not just Logan but all of the X-Men movies he appeared in. If he wasn’t it’s a close run thing with Ian McKellen and they were both better for the epic double act that they presented. He added his gravitas to the under-seen family film The Kid Who Would Be King and took a number of memorable voice roles in a random selection of animated children’s films including Chicken Little, Ice Age 4 and Gnomeo & Juliet. I’ve not seen The Emoji Movie and have no intentions of doing so but the fact that he played the Poo speaks to his famous sense of humour. In the end though it had to be a Star Trek, like many I first met him aboard the Enterprise and he is still my captain. Why this one? Maybe it’s because Walter Koenig is in it too, who also passed away this week, maybe because this was Picard’s first big screen adventure.
There is no arguing with the fact that Star Trek: Generations is not the best TNG movie. That is probably First Contact but I am also very fond of Insurrection. This was one of the two that put Stewart’s Picard the most front and centre though and Nemesis unfortunately tripped over its own big intentions. Maybe that’s why this is better; because it doesn’t have as much ambition. The big climax here is just three guys on a mountain and it is happy with that because of who two of those guys are. It was of course a big deal for them to depict Captain Kirk’s final heroic moments (so much so that he gets two entirely different death scenes, both at the beginning and the end of the film) but watching it now it is great to see Picard share this moment. The whole thing is also about him bravely facing the fact that time is catching up with him and how the actions we take in life define us more than our prolonged existence. That seems right for this moment too.
Like so much of the Next Generation show, the movie also showcases Stewart’s great acting. There are the moments when he is caught in his ultimate fantasy, which is apparently enjoying a Victorian Christmas with a future family he’ll never have because the Borg removed his genitals. More than that though are the sequences after he has learned of the fire that killed his brother and nephew. He seems to struggle with his feelings just as much as the android Data who has just installed his emotions chip for the first time. Seriously Picard is snappy with his crew and constantly distracted, which is not great for the celebrated commanding officer of a Galaxy Class Federation starship but while I might have a problem with the writing here, I have no issue with the performance. If you are looking for the TV episodes where Stewart shines may I also recommend Season 5, Episode 25 – The Inner Light, Season 4, Episode 2 – Family and Season 6, Episodes 10 and 11 – Chain of Command. I’m not sure I can watch All Good Things yet.
Of course I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the other significant death and the area where they spent all the budget. Clearly I’m speaking of the demise of the Enterprise D which at the end of its seven year mission goes out with a bang. More than Kirk, the much loved ship gets three deaths; the first as the Secondary Hull is taken out by a warp core breach, the second as the Saucer Section collides with Veridian III and then disintegrates as the planet blows up and the third as we replay the same crash without the latter explosion.
Star Trek Generations is not a movie that is very fondly thought of, fitting in as it arguably does with the long running supposition that only the even numbered Trek films are good. It does have a lot to recommend it though and it was just what we wanted when it came out in 1994 just as it’s also kind of perfect for right now.
Make it so.
