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In the year 1996, Star trek First Contact was a huge hit for Paramount Pictures. The action-packed addition to franchise grossed a solid $92 million domestically, and another $54 millions abroad. Would Insurrection be the movie to break the pattern once and for all? Indeed, the franchise was set to continue, but as everyone who knows Trek is aware of, there’s a perceived curse on all the odd-numbered films in the series, and with this one being number nine, would

Insurrection

be the movie to break the pattern once and for all?Nope.Star Trek Insurrection is a curious follow-up to Star Trek: First Contact. Paramount wanted to make another Star trek IV: The Voyage Home, so they chose a lighter tone. They certainly wanted it to make even more money than First Contact as the budget had to be increased significantly due to the crew’s higher salary demands, which is why Star Trek: Insurrection has a 70 million dollar budget compared to

First Contact‘s 45 million, but significantly less in the way of action.Indeed, this is the one

Star Trek film that feels most like an episode of TNG, and a mediocre one at that. Michael Pillier is a veteran writer of the series and the film revolves around the Ba’Ku who are the 24th century version of Amish. They have embraced small, communal living despite being technologically advanced. They’re being terrorized, however, by an invading group called the Son’a who are working with Starfleet to relocate the Ba’ku in order to exploit its rejuvenating properties that make the Ba’ku’s inhabitants virtually immortal. The Enterprise crew will see their boobs and butts firmed up. Worf will go through Klingon puberty again. Troi and Riker are horny. Picard wears a super-tight tee. Geordi regains his vision. Picard is seen going up against Starfleet because he believes that his commanders are breaking the Prime Directive by trying to relocate the Ba’Ku. Metaphorical themes are prevalent in this episode, as they are in many Trek episodes. The show also focuses on the relationships between the Enterprise crew, especially the relationship between Jonathan Frakes’ River and Marina Sirtis’ Deanna Troi. The on-again/off-again romance between River and Deanna Troi was important on the TV series, but was abandoned in later episodes. In the movie, when Riker and Deanna get their libidos boosted by the Ba’Ku’s homeworld, they end up rekindling their relationship and the chemistry between the two actors, who are such good friends that they did the Blu-ray commentary together, is one of the reasons Insurrection

is worth watching. Riker shaves his moustache and beard for the first time in season 2.Notably Brent Spiner wanted to kill off Data in this episode, a la Spock. However, Patrick Stewart was against it. In early versions of the script, Data met his maker, but when he received the final script, in which Data lived, it came with a note from Stewart saying, “Better luck next time.” Spiner would eventually get his wish – in a fashion – with the divisive Star Trek: Nemesis

.For Patrick Stewart, who was always concerned about how Insurrection’s scale paled compared to First Contact, the Picard role would be somewhat underdeveloped. Picard was not supposed to have a love interest, as Donna Murphy’s Anji was originally supposed to be his. However, their romantic scenes in the movie were cut, much to Picard’s displeasure. He also wanted the final battle to be done on a grander scale, and his final confrontation with the movie’s villain, F. Murray Abraham’s Ru’afo, is too reminiscent of the low-key battle with Malcolm McDowell’s Soran in Generations. Patrick Stewart gets to show his ripped biceps once again, just like in First contact

. It only made $70 million in the US, which is far less than First contact. The end result was $5 million less than Generations, and that movie only cost half as much. The movie grossed about $117 million worldwide, which is the first Trek movie to lose money on the big screen since Star Trek v. It is likely that it broke even on cable and home video. It was not enough to kill the series – another really bad movie would be needed, but it paled in comparison to First contact. The studio has lost faith in the movie at some point. Test screenings resulted in many cuts and the movie was only released at CineVegas after a late premiere. The last film, however, was given a Royal Premiere by the Queen of England. It didn’t help that when Insurrection came out, it was the heyday of sites like Ain’t It Cool News, and the word was out on the movie being silly and low-key long before it ever hit theaters.Looking back at it now, Insurrection

suffers because the story is an absolute dud. How can you go from fighting Borgs to aliens, The Son’a who have never been seen in the Trek universe, and turn out to be humans with bad plastic surgery, when the story is a complete dud? Frakes’ commentary track is invaluable, as he explains why the movie was so low-key, and how it was written for the film long before it reached theaters. He left him to do his very best. Stuart Baird would replace him for the next movie, and many believe he had no sense of the franchise. It’s unfair that he has been blamed for the film’s failures, including subpar CGI. ILM wasn’t responsible for the film, as they were in First contact and likely because it was released six months after The Phantom Menace. This was the first Star Trek movie where all the effects were CGI, and at the time, they looked decent, but now seem archaic, which Frakes himself noted in the commentary with some consternation.Even still, the movie benefits from F. Murray Abraham chewing some scenery as the bad guy, another fine Jerry Goldsmith score, and some excellent character beats for the cast. Geordi’s decision to join his comrades despite knowing that it will cost him his vision is a particularly nice moment. He tells Picard in a lovely moment: “How could I see another sunset knowing what they cost me?” I also enjoy the Troi/Riker relationship, and Brent Spiner’s relaxed performance, despite wanting Data’s death, is a highlight. His chemistry with Patrick Stewart in this film has been amplified. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come for the Enterprise crew in a final big screen journey that would make this film look likeThe Wrath of Khan

by comparison. But that’s another story.

Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch