A TREKKIE REVIEW OF NEMESIS MOVIE:
I know, perhaps, that this an over-reaction, given that Star Trek film number 10,
is only
FICTION, but read on…! :
I am, undeniably, upset with the state of this world, & the poor dear makers of Star Trek 10 have hit straight into my frustrations full on... I just think that dying a hero is over-rated, whether that be in real or fictional life... I get upset that people obviously don't feel the sense of responsibility I do (the responsibility we all have to stay healthy for each other and to take care of each other in general – Even Star Trek, in Nemesis, stopped being about shining that beacon of
hope & bright example... Instead, it became shaded, and wasn’t handled in the proper spirit – Look at First Contact, movie 8, that ran the gamut of emotions and shades, and yet, remained Star Trek!) I don't mind at all that TNG has come to an end, or that Brent Spiner wants to leave Data behind... What I do mind is how they've disposed of him, and how irresponsible I think that is, when Star Trek is supposed to be a shining beacon of hope, as aforementioned. OK, so Data died an wonderful example of self-sacrifice for the greater good, and loyalty to his friends, etc… But that has been done to the death, in both real and fictional life. We need films about life, about surviving, building bridges, not burning them, or being so desperate that death is the only option! We have enough of that in real life!! Nemesis just feels like a bit of a sell-out, & I've always resented general (negative) fan-consensus on 10’s Predecessor, Star Trek: Insurrection, which was about morals, life, living it, standing alone & going against the tide to make the better moral message clearly heard... If this world doesn't need help understanding that now, with political and societal habits of ‘jumping on the band-wagon’ rife… Then, I can only pray that, in real life, it will dawn on us in our final hour which we would be arrogant to deny... I am so disheartened & utterly shattered with the world of today, & several people in it... Fiction like Star Trek is supposed to stand tall and give us hope, not sell out to the pressures of a society greedy for all the wrong things!
Using my writing of fan-fiction as an example: Going back to the fictional, I’m no angel where Data’s concerned either (!)… Some of my Data fiction, my own writing, has put him through the ringer more than once… That was utterly selfish! I had certain issues I wanted to write down, work through, & poor Data got it in the neck because of that..! BUT each time I’ve tried to make sure there’s a light at the end of the tunnel ‘cos, as you can tell, I really resent it when there isn’t… It makes living with yourself hell!!!
The fatal flaw in Nemesis as a movie is that it was handed over to a director whom was unskilled and unwilling to learn from the colleagues he had around him on this movie. The film seemingly has bloopers because scenes from the wedding hit the cutting room floor: Scenes that explained the rejoining of certain characters to the cast list. Why is Worf a Starfleet Officer once again, and Wesley, how long has he been back..?? These scenes were deemed unwanted in the final product of NEMESIS... When you add this fact to other unwise decisions – Like the death of Data, and the introduction of B4, you can clearly see why people have turned their backs on this film… Now, if they had included a possibility, perhaps, that Data downloaded his android consciousness into B4, just prior to the explosion that killed him (this iconic, popular character!) – Then, this would have been more in the Spirit of Star Trek, and could, even, have been enough to ‘save’ the film… Making its other faults forgivable! Star Trek is, after all, about HOPE!!! (Or it should be – Rejuvenation!!!)
I hope that makes things a little clearer… Or murky??? Take your pick!!!
Reviewer: Bethany S. Heard…