Star Trek: Insurrection

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Genre: Science Fiction
Year: 1998
Rating: 3 / 5

The Star Trek franchise has been in existence for over thirty-five years thanks to a large, devoted following. This following, to varying degrees, has followed the franchise's progression from the original Star Trek series through The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and finally on to Voyager. What keeps these same fans coming back for more? After six movies with the original cast, Star Trek: Generations provided the crossover necessary to introduce film fans to the cast of The Next Generation. Star Trek: Insurrection is the third film featuring this cast, but two things remain from the original cast: an overwhelming sense of familiarity and creator Gene Roddenberry's grand vision..

While on a routine voyage, the Enterprise receives a call from Admiral Matthew Daugherty (Anthony Zerbe), a high-ranking officer in the Federation. Admiral Daugherty has been working with the Son'a on a research study involving the regenerative properties of a distant, barely inhabited planet. Also assisting in this study is Data (Brent Spiner), the Enterprise's science officer, though he has been acting unusual of late. Instead of aiding the research team, a team that is studying the planet's current inhabitants, the peaceful Ba'ku, Data seems to have gone haywire. He is so out of control that Admiral Daugherty is forced to call Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to ask for assistance.

All is not as it seems, however, as Captain Picard and his crew learn upon landing on the Ba'ku's planet. The Ba'ka are a non-violent culture, but it soon becomes apparent that they are to be forcefully removed from the planet. The Son'a want the planet's life-extending properties for themselves, and they may have enlisted the Federation's help in making this possible. This conflicts with everything Picard knows to be true, for the Federation's Prime Directive states a policy on non-interference. Putting his principals above a direct order from Admiral Daugherty, Picard leads his crew on a mission to protect the Ba'ku, even at the cost of starting a war with the Son'a.

Actor-director Jonathan Frakes helms the ninth Star Trek film, steering the series away from its trademark action-based themes. Frakes allows this entry to delve into the core values at the center of the Enterprise's ongoing mission, eschewing the traditional entanglements of war and violence. This effort is true to a great many of The Next Generation's television episodes, markedly distinguishing it from the original series' direction. While I have enjoyed the most recent films, I find them to be little more than glorified television programs. The cast is first rate, and certainly up to the part, but, after a period of time, one realizes that this has all been done before. Star Trek: Insurrection is merely an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, but maybe that is not such a bad thing after all.

Cast:

Patrick Stewart..........	Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes..........	William Riker
Brent Spiner..........	Data
LeVar Burton..........	Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn..........	Worf

Certification: Rated PG.
Running Time: 103 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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