Star Trek : Nemesis

Details

William Riker and Deanna Troi have finally tied the knot and, with the first part of the traditional wedding celebrations completed on Earth, the crew of the Enterprise-E are heading towards Troi's home world of Betazed for a second ceremony. However, en route the ship detects a strange positronic signal coming from a planet close to the Romulan Neutral Zone. With the signal apparently originating from an android similar to Data, Picard decides to investigate.

Landing on the planet, Picard, Data and Worf discover the scattered components of an android bearing a remarkable resemblance to Data. After a rather violent encounter with the local population - and an equally unlikely high-speed chase in Picard's new dune buggy - they return to the Enterprise and begin reconstructing their discovery.

Once reassembled, Data discovers that his new "brother" is called B-4 - good name, eh?! - and possesses a far less sophisticated positronic brain than his own. B-4 has little knowledge of his origins and no idea how he ended up scattered across the planet, leaving the crew with yet another mystery to solve.

Before they can investigate further, the Enterprise receives new orders from Starfleet. There's been a coup on Romulus and the new Reman leader, Shinzon, has made an unexpected request for peace talks with the Federation. With virtually nothing known about Shinzon or how he managed to seize control of the Romulan government, the Enterprise is dispatched to Romulus to discover whether the offer is genuine.

When Picard finally meets Shinzon, he's surprised by the young man's appearance and even more shocked when DNA testing reveals the truth: Shinzon is a clone of Picard. Created years earlier as part of a Romulan plan to replace one of Starfleet's most promising officers with an infiltrator, Shinzon was abandoned when the scheme was cancelled and sent to the brutal dilithium mines of Remus to die.

Instead, Shinzon survived with the help of the Remans and eventually rose to become their leader. Now suffering from a fatal genetic condition caused by the accelerated ageing process used in his creation, he needs Picard's genetic material to survive. Unfortunately, saving himself is only part of his plan. Hidden aboard his enormous warship, the Scimitar, is a thalaron radiation weapon capable of destroying all life on a planet - and Shinzon has set his sights on Earth.

Picture & Sound

For some reason, the picture quality on several of the recent Star Trek DVD releases has been rather disappointing, particularly on their Region 2 counterparts. Fortunately, this Region 1 release fares considerably better, with a detailed image, rich colours and a clean source print free from obvious dust, scratches or other imperfections.

The bitrate remains above average throughout and black levels generally hold up well during the film's numerous darker sequences. Given just how much of Nemesis takes place aboard dimly lit starships, that's particularly important. Flesh tones are convincing and there's a decent amount of detail visible in both the Enterprise interiors and the more elaborate Romulan sets.

Some of the CGI effects are rather less convincing, with occasional signs of outlining when computer-generated material is combined with live-action footage. Whether that's a limitation of the transfer or simply the effects themselves is difficult to say, although given the quality of the later space battle I suspect a substantial portion of the effects budget ended up being spent there.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is good, with clear and precise dialogue, plenty of surround activity during the action sequences and some suitably deep rumbling from the LFE channel. However, outside the major set pieces the rear channels aren't used as imaginatively as they might have been and there's less ambient activity than you'd expect from such a technically sophisticated production.

Fortunately, the battle sequences more than compensate. When Picard finally goes head-to-head with the Scimitar, the entire soundstage erupts into phaser fire, photon torpedoes, explosions and assorted starship destruction. It's easily the sonic highlight of the disc and gives a decent surround system a much-needed workout.

It may not quite reach the overall standard set by First Contact, but compared with some of Paramount's previous Star Trek DVD efforts, this Region 1 presentation is certainly a welcome improvement.

Menu & Extras

For a standard Star Trek release the collection of extras is actually rather good, although director Stuart Baird's audio commentary can hardly be described as the most exciting track you're ever likely to hear. Nevertheless, fans should find enough production information amongst his ramblings to warrant at least one listen.

It's just a pity that none of the principal cast members were persuaded to join him, particularly as this may prove to be their final film together. After fifteen years of working with these characters, you'd imagine Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and the rest of the crew would have plenty of stories to tell.

The four featurettes are considerably easier going and provide a decent look behind the scenes of the Star Trek universe. Director Stuart Baird discusses taking control of such a well-established franchise, whilst the remaining material covers the production design, the action sequences and the relationship between the cast members.

Naturally, there's the usual collection of mutually congratulatory interviews, but you certainly get the impression that after so many years together the cast have developed a genuine family bond. Given the events of the film, and the possibility that this really is their final cinematic outing together, that gives some of the material a slightly more poignant edge.

The highlight of the extras has to be the collection of Deleted Scenes. Whilst it's easy enough to understand why some material was removed for pacing, the omission of a scene introducing the Enterprise's new first officer is far harder to understand. That's exactly the sort of character moment that helps provide some closure to the film and really should have remained.

Each deleted scene is introduced by members of the cast, whilst Stuart Baird reveals that his original cut ran for nearly two and a half hours. Given that the deleted material included here only amounts to around fifteen minutes, there's clearly considerably more sitting in the Paramount vaults somewhere.

I therefore have my suspicions that a more substantial "Director's Cut" or special edition may appear at some point in the future, perhaps accompanied by more detailed interviews with the cast and crew. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a studio has encouraged fans to buy the same film twice.

Overall

Space exploration has certainly taken its toll on the crew of the Enterprise. They've taken their motto of "To Boldly Go" a little too seriously, as they've all become rather chubby! I'm surprised half of them can still reach the control panels with their Romulan beer bellies protruding like some sort of massive orbiting space port. Things don't get any better during the close-ups either, with an ever-expanding collection of wrinkles on display. Poor old Deanna Troi looks like she's about to fall apart! If this is what space travel does to you in the future then, thanks, but no thanks - I'll stick to planet Earth.

Joking aside, the passing years are actually rather important to the film. Riker and Troi are finally married, Riker is leaving to take command of the Titan and the familiar family we've followed since The Next Generation began is gradually starting to break apart. That should give Nemesis the feeling of a genuine final adventure. Unfortunately, the film never quite manages to deliver the send-off this crew deserves.

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the central idea. Shinzon being a younger clone of Picard gives Patrick Stewart an opponent who should force his character to examine what makes him the man he is. Shinzon possesses Picard's genetic identity but has experienced a completely different life, allowing the film to explore whether our personalities are determined by birth or by the choices and experiences that follow.

Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't really exploit that idea as effectively as it could. There are some interesting conversations between Picard and Shinzon, but they're increasingly pushed aside in favour of action sequences and Shinzon's plan to destroy Earth. What begins as a potentially fascinating confrontation between two versions of the same man eventually becomes another race to stop a super-weapon.

Tom Hardy certainly throws himself into the role and makes Shinzon an intense and unpredictable opponent. At times the performance borders on theatrical, but there's enough anger and resentment behind the character to make him interesting. His relationship with Picard is easily the strongest element of the plot and it's a shame the film doesn't spend more time developing it.

There's no doubt that Trekkies will find plenty to enjoy, but the more casual Star Trek viewer may be a little confused and disappointed by a film that bears a striking similarity to The Wrath of Khan. A vengeful adversary with a personal connection to the Enterprise captain, commanding an enormously powerful ship and determined to settle an old score, inevitably invites comparison with one of the best films in the series - and that's a dangerous comparison for Nemesis to make.

The screenplay also seems determined to ensure that virtually every principal cast member receives their own dramatic moment. Troi is subjected to a particularly unpleasant telepathic assault, Riker gets his heroic fight in the bowels of the Enterprise, Data sings, Worf gets to shoot things and Picard inexplicably gets to race around in a dune buggy. Individually some of these moments work, but together they occasionally feel like mini-stories inserted to ensure nobody is left sitting quietly on the bridge.

And that dune buggy sequence really is ridiculous. Apparently the Federation can transport people instantaneously, travel faster than light and scan entire planets from orbit, yet Picard decides the best way to collect the pieces of an unknown android is to tear across an alien landscape in an off-road vehicle. Perhaps captaining the Federation flagship doesn't provide enough opportunities for a mid-life crisis.

There are some genuinely good moments, though. I've always enjoyed a decent Star Trek space battle and the confrontation between the Enterprise and the Scimitar is easily the film's highlight. Shinzon's enormous warship feels genuinely dangerous and its ability to fire whilst cloaked gives Picard an opponent against which the Enterprise appears seriously outmatched.

The resulting battle is certainly up there with some of the better encounters from The Wrath of Khan and First Contact. The Enterprise taking the desperate step of ramming the Scimitar is particularly impressive and gives both the visual effects and soundtrack an opportunity to shine. If only the rest of the film had maintained that level of tension.

Some of the dialogue is rather less successful. When Riker's latest tactic earns the response "They'll call that the Riker manoeuvre", you'll either cheer or find yourself coughing up your popcorn and sneezing beer down your nose. Me? Oh, please!

Data's role also gives the finale considerably more emotional weight than I expected. His relationship with B-4 provides an obvious mirror to Picard and Shinzon: two apparently identical beings who have developed into completely different individuals. It's actually one of the film's more interesting ideas, although once again I don't think the screenplay explores it quite as deeply as it could have done.

For years there's been a running joke that the even-numbered Star Trek films are the good ones. Unfortunately, number ten rather spoils the theory. Nemesis isn't a terrible film and there are individual sequences I genuinely enjoy, but it's far from being a classic and certainly isn't the triumphant final adventure the Next Generation crew deserved.

Perhaps that's ultimately the biggest disappointment. After seven television seasons and four feature films, Picard and his crew deserved to leave the cinema with something memorable. Instead, despite a spectacular space battle and some interesting ideas, Nemesis feels strangely subdued and fragmented. The deleted scenes suggest that a longer version might have allowed some of the character material more room to breathe, which only makes their absence from the finished film more frustrating.

As a DVD package this Region 1 release fares rather better. The picture is a welcome improvement over some of Paramount's previous efforts, the soundtrack comes alive when the action starts and the supplementary material is reasonably substantial. The deleted scenes in particular make the disc worthwhile for established fans.

But as the final cinematic swansong for this crew, Nemesis is a disappointment. There are enough good moments to keep Trekkies entertained, but casual viewers may find the plot overly familiar and the character material rather disjointed. It's difficult not to come away wishing that Picard and company had been given one more opportunity to boldly go out on a genuine high.

Special features

• Commentary by Director Stuart Baird
• New Frontiers: Stuart Baird on Directing Nemesis
• A Bold Vision of the Final Frontier
• A Star Trek Family's Final Journey
• Red Alert: Shooting the Action of Nemesis
• Seven Deleted Scenes: Chateau Picard 2267, The Time of Conquest, Federation Protocols, A Loss of Self, Turbolift Violation, Sickbay Prepares for Battle, Advice for the New First Officer
• Photo Gallery
• Deep Space Nine DVD Preview