he Romulan senate has rejected a proposal to join forces with Shinzon (Hardy), the mysterious leader of the Remans, inhabitants of Romulus' twin planet, who live in total darkness. That turns out to be a fatal mistake.
Meanwhile, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) delivers the best man's toast at the Alaska wedding of two old friends. "You are my family," he says, raising a glass. Data (Spiner) delivers his own wedding gift to the gathered "ladies, gentlemen and invited transgender species": the song stylings of Irving Berlin.
On its way to the planet Betazed, the U.S.S. Enterprise-E picks up something odd on sensors—a positronic signal from the planet Kolarus III. Though the planet lies close to the Romulan Neutral Zone, the Enterprise crew heads to investigate.
On the desert planet, Picard relishes the chance to try out the new all-terrain vehicle, the Argo. But the crew makes a startling discovery: pieces of an android very much like Data. What's its name? "B-4," the android's head tells them, before the planet's scaly inhabitants make themselves known and give chase.
Back aboard the Enterprise, the reassembled android shows itself to be a rudimentary version of Data, likely from the same inventor who made Data. At the same time, Picard receives an urgent message from Starfleet Command. The new Romulan praetor, Shinzon, has requested a diplomatic meeting on the Romulan homeworld. Adm. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, in a cameo) orders Picard to Romulus.
Who is this Shinzon? He has emerged from the mines of Remus as a fearsome warrior, Starfleet research shows. Little else is known about him.
So it comes as a great shock when Picard, Data, Riker (Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) beam over to Shinzon's massive ship, the Scimitar. Shinzon is human. And he has an unusual interest in Capt. Picard.
Another good even-numbered Trek flick
Star Trek Nemesis, the 10th installment in the popular series, will no doubt add to the belief that even-numbered Trek movies are the best. It mixes fan-pleasing moments with ambitious themes, including an exploration of family, duty and the duality of good and evil. The film's epic scope is attributable to the script from Gladiator writer and avowed Trekkie Logan, with story elements by Spiner and longtime Trek executive producer Rick Berman.
Baird, who confessed no knowledge of Trek before taking Nemesis, has attempted to bring to bear his own sensibilities to freshen things up as much as he can. His contributions notably included the casting of young British actor Hardy as Shinzon, who convincingly conveys the menace of his conflicted character, though he seems physically slight for the role. It's also nice to see Troi with more to do.
Baird's other contributions include pushing the regular cast beyond rote characterizations and to darken the look of the film, especially in the design of Shinzon's ship, the Scimitar, and the conceptualization of Remus and the Remans. In a desert scene, Baird shoots with desaturated color on grainy stock; in fight scenes on the Enterprise, he offers fresh angles and expressionistic lighting.
Baird, who understands that Trek movies are essentially operatic, also seems competent enough with the movie's visual effects and action scenes, though an early desert chase seems overly long and a final ship-on-ship battle seems too familiar to fans of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Nemesis' chief flaws have to do with pacing and an overall lack of emotional resonance, especially in the final scenes. The movie raises important issues, but does little to follow them up. The film also drags in the midsection, the action doesn't hold as much suspense as it should, and the ultimate fate of key characters falls surprisingly flat.
