Article - Star Trek Picard's Nemesis Connections
An article for Trek Central
March 22, 2023 • 2 min read • Writing
I've always felt that the 'final' (tbd at this point) Next Generation (TNG) cast film got an unfairly bad rap. Given my defence of Discovery maybe there is an element of truth in that I just like to defend things that others attack.
To explain my defence, Nemesis certainly isn't a great Star Trek Movie. It was also, objectively, a terrible send off for one of Star Trek's most iconic ensembles. Between Patrick Stewart wanting a Dune buggy scene because he liked them, Brent Spiner wanting to kill off Data because he felt he was becoming 'too old' to play an ageless android (despite a line in TNG stating that he could age) and the director being the result of a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' deal and not caring about Star Trek or the cast in the slightest - to the point of constantly calling the great Levar Burton 'Laverne' it didn't really stand a chance.
But none the less, it has amazing CG effects that hold up even today. The battle (despite being slightly Wrath of Khan derivative) was incredible. Tom Hardy delivers a great performance without much to work with...
There's a lot to like, but the franchise has been trying to repair the damage this film did to TNG fans ever since. Most notably Star Trek: Picard.
This article covers a number of those connections. With a focus on the third season (that was airing at the time).