Star Trek Nemesis (2002)
(aka Star Trek X)
d. Stuart Baird, 116 minutes

Film Plot Summary

The film opened during a debate session in the Romulan Imperial Senate, where Commander Suran (Jude Ciccolella) proposed an alliance with the sister world of the Remans and its leader Shinzon - "Romulus and Remus will be united...It would be madness to reject it." The proposal was soundly rejected, however (as the Praetor announced that Shinzon and his followers would be "sent back to that black rock they came from!"). One of the Senators named Tal'aura (Shannon Cochrane), with a mysterious device on her desk, left the proceedings - after which it opened up and emanated greenish light particles throughout the room. The flesh of all of the members decayed and turned to dust - killing them.

Elsewhere, USS Enterprise-NCC-1701-E Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) - as best man - and other crew members were engaged in the celebration of the marriage of Lt. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) (the upcoming commander of his own ship, the Titan) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Lt. Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner) serenaded the bride and groom with the song "Blue Skies."

During the Enterprise's journeys, a positronic signal was received from the Kolarun System and the desert-like third planet of Kolarus III - Data surmised that the signal (coming from six different locations on the surface) could only be from androids ("a long-lost relative?") made by Data's own creator Dr. Noonien Soong. Cmdr. Worf (Michael Dorn), Data, and Picard landed in the shuttlecraft Argo and navigated the terrain in its auxiliary dune buggy, finding six disassembled body parts of a look-alike Data android - it was an earlier less-developed prototype named B-4. After an attack by Kolarin natives, they fled back to the ship.

Starfleet Command's Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) ordered Picard and the Enterprise on a diplomatic mission to Romulus, to meet with the new Reman Praetor named Shinzon (Tom Hardy). The militaristic Remans lived on the dark side of the Romulun planet and had always been treated like second-class citizens. The Enterprise was met by the Reman predatory Warbird Scimitar and they spoke to the Reman Viceroy Vkruk (Ron Perlman) before meeting the mysterious Shinzon himself inside his dark vessel - he talked about peace, tearing down walls, and unity. Picard was startled to see Shinzon in the light - a Human with the cloned likeness of his own self in his early 20s - both had suffered from the very rare Shalaft's Syndrome. After the meeting, Shinzon expressed to Romulan Commander Donatra (Dina Meyer) how he demanded strict allegiance from his followers, especially from impatient Commander Suran.

In a one-on-one dinner conversation with Picard in the Romulan Senate, Shinzon revealed facts about his past: there had been a Romulan plot to replace Picard with a clone (Shinzon was created from Picard's DNA) who would then become a Romulan spy within Starfleet, but the plan was abandoned as too risky when Shinzon was only a child. The Romulans sent the young boy to the dilithium mines on Remus to work and die, but he was pitied and taken in by his present-day Viceroy - and survived. His main mission in life was to liberate the Remans with his assembled army and Scimitar warship, but Picard didn't fully trust Shinzon's words of peace and unity. When Picard returned to the Enterprise, he learned that its computers had been accessed, and that when the Scimitar decloaked - it emitted dangerous, banned deadly radiation called thalaron (with "the ability to consume organic material at the subatomic level").

Newly-weds Troi and Riker were in bed together beginning to make love, when from her POV, Riker was suddenly replaced by Shinzon and then Shinzon's Viceroy for a moment of telepathic rape or violation (Shinzon boasted: "He can never know you as I can. He can never touch you as I can...Feel my lips"). Shortly later, both the B-4 android and Picard were transported over to Shinzon's ship, to download all of the B-4's information about Starfleet's communication protocols, and to restrain Picard in the medical lab while taking a sample of his blood. Shinzon had plans to conquer the Federation ("My life is meaningless as long as you're still alive... We are a race bred for war and conquest"). It was revealed that B-4 was actually being impersonated by Data, who was able to release Picard as prisoner - he then described how he had cleverly given the Remans false information and also told how he had determined that "the entire ship is essentially a thalaron generator." The android also demonstrated how he was equipped with one "emergency transport unit" in his arm, that would only work to transport one of them back to the Enterprise. Data and Picard stole a small Scorpion-class attack flyer and navigated it through the Scimitar's winding corridors so they could escape to the Enterprise - which then accelerated away at maximum warp speed.

Patience was growing thin in the Romulan Senate, where Donatra spoke to Commander Suran about how Shinzon's actual plan was to annihilate Earth ("He's not planning to defeat Earth. He's planning its annihilation. And his sins will mark us and our children for generations"). On board the Enterprise, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) explained to Picard why he had been targeted by Shinzon -- the Reman was dying of genetic degeneration and could only be restored with a complete blood transfusion from Picard ("the only donor with compatible DNA"). Data also deactivated B-4 for an indefinite period because of his potentially dangerous capabilities. In a staff meeting, LaForge described the Scimitar's thalaron radiation weapon - powerful enough to destroy Earth - this was something Picard vowed he would prevent ("He must not be allowed to use that weapon").

A battle ensued between the Enterprise and the Scimitar - the Enterprise lost its warp drive when Shinzon targeted its weapon systems and shields, and in Picard's own ready room, he was ordered by a holographic Shinzon to surrender his ship, but refused. Picard told Shinzon that they were similar in most respects, but that Shinzon did not possess "the potential to make yourself a better man. And that is what it is to be human. To make yourself more than you are" - instead, Shinzon vowed: "It's too late...I can't fight what I am." Picard received unexpected assistance from Commander Donatra from the Warbird Valdore, but their ally ship was soon disabled. A Reman boarding party entered the Enterprise to capture Picard, and he retaliated by ordering a direct collision course to ram into the Scimitar, while Cmdr. Riker pursued and killed the intruding Viceroy who fell to his death during their hand-to-hand combat.

Without any other options to prevent the deployment of the thalaron weapon within only seven minutes, Picard beamed over by site-to-site transport onto the Scimitar, as Data joined him by leaping from the Enterprise into open space and entering through a hatch. Picard was confronted by Shinzon in a final struggle during the deadly thalaron countdown, and the clone died when impaled by a spear-shaped piece of metal piping - he pulled himself along the length of the spear lodged in his torso until he was inches from Picard's face, grabbed Picard's neck, and spoke his final words before slumping over dead: "I'm glad we're together now. Our destiny's complete."

Data suddenly entered the scene, placed his single emergency transport unit onto the chest of a stunned Picard - causing him to immediately dematerialize and reappear back onto the Enterprise - as he softly said his final word: "Good-bye"; self-sacrificially remaining on the Scimitar, Data fired at the thalaron weapon to destroy it and cause a deadly explosion. All the remaining crew on the Enterprise, including Picard, watched in shocked horror as the warship Scimitar was blasted (with Data) into oblivion.

The senior officers gathered together in Picard's quarters to toast and remember Data. Later, during repairs to the Enterprise in drydock on Earth, Cmdr. Riker bid Picard farewell before leaving for his new mission as captain of the Titan - he told Picard it had been an honor to serve him. In Data's quarters, Picard realized that Data's prototype 'brother' B-4 probaby hadn't comprehended the loss or understood Data's desires to always want to be better - until B-4 began singing softly to himself the words to "Blue Skies": "Never saw the sun...Never saw the sun..." -- optimistically signifying that he had assimilated Data's memories successfully and would carry on after him.

Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.)

The fourth film of the second TNG series, and the last of the films with the TNG crew.

No Academy Awards nominations.

The first of the films to be rated PG-13.

With a production budget of $60 million, and box-office gross receipts of $43 million (domestic) and $67 million (worldwide).

Poorly received and with the lowest box-office take of all the Star Trek films. It was the franchise's biggest flop in the entire history of the brand. The low return was partially blamed on the studio's demands to cut 50 minutes of the film, which left out key scenes of developed characterization and plot, and left the film too action-heavy for a typical Trek film.

Great Scene(s): The wedding party for Riker and Troi, the skirmish between Kolarin natives and the Enterprise's dune buggy on Kolarus III, Data's and Picard's escape from the Scimitar in an attack flyer, the awe-inspiring moment when the Enterprise-E deliberately rammed into the Scimitar, Data's leap from the Enterprise-E to the Scimitar through open space without a spacesuit, the memorable impalement death of Shinzon, and the self-sacrificial death of Data.