ife is ephemeral—even in the 23rd century. Fifteen years pass in a heartbeat, and in that time milestones are passed, relationships are forged and the history that informs those relationships becomes the foundation for the adventures that are yet to come.
And so it is for Capt. Picard and the crew of the Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise's 10th installment, Star Trek Nemesis. Billed as the Next Generation family's final journey—and likely to actually be their final journey, given the film's poor performance at the box office—Nemesis truly does feel as if it's designed to give longtime fans a sense of closure. Although time stood still for the seven years the series ran on TV, just as in the real world, the crew is moving on, splintering into different directions as professional and personal demands dictate: Riker (Frakes) gets his own command and after years of angst prepares to marry Deanna Troi (Sirtis); Dr. Crusher (McFadden) is preparing to return to Starfleet Medical; and Data (Spiner) is continuing his study of the human condition with a Pinocchio-like reverence for his subject. Even Picard finds himself reflecting on the choices he's made over the years.
However, this isn't just about a tight-knit crew's last stand together; at the heart of the story, scripted by John Logan (Gladiator), is a character study of Picard. Or, at least, it tries to be one. If the DVD's included deleted scenes are any indication, as originally shot the script did a better job fleshing out the conflict between Picard and his Romulan-created clone, Shinzon (Hardy). If a few short, transition scenes can generate such thoughts, it's enough to make one wonder what other bits director Stuart Baird left on the proverbial cutting-room floor in order to create his tightly edited (the running time comes in under two hours) product—and whether they could have helped smooth out the film's many rough spots, ultimately making it more appealing to viewers.
Still, there are enough easy moments on screen between these longtime friends to make this film truly feel like an extension of the Next Gen series, and there are enough big-scale special effects in the battle among the Remans, the Romulans and the Enterprise to make it feel like this is something more. And by the time the roller-coaster action finishes and the end comes for one of these characters, it feels like a punch to the gut—although it a hollow punch.
The DVD includes an audio commentary by director Baird, four featurettes, deleted scenes and a photo gallery.
Deleted scenes delineate missing motivation
The DVD's menu navigation is simple—and yet confounding. Many of the selections are put on angle, which sometimes makes it difficult to read them. It can also make it difficult to navigate, as it's easy to mistake needing to go down for needing to go left.
Baird's audio commentary is interesting and highly technical, and, thankfully, the director doesn't feel the need to blanket every second of the film with inane observations, as some directors do.
The director is equally straightforward in the featurette that discusses the challenges in directing Nemesis. In addition, there are three other featurettes on the disc: one discussing the "Bold Vision" of creating Nemesis (really, this segment covers all aspects of the production); "A Family's Final Journey" (with reflections from the entire cast and the screenwriter on the story); "Red Alert: Shooting the Action of Nemesis"; the seven deleted scenes; and a photo gallery. (The so-called "Previews," lost on the third screen of the special features, is nothing more than a commercial for other Paramount products.)
The featurettes—each about 10 to 15 minutes in length—are particularly deftly edited and composed and provide interesting background to the story, complete with sketches and excerpts from the film to illustrate what's being discussed by the actors or production. The split screens on "Bold Vision" are especially intriguing, showing simultaneously the storyboards with the actual scene in the film and the same scene being shot, all on the same screen, or showing how a gimble works and the final effect. The inclusion of ample behind-the-scenes footage as well really helps bolster the feeling that the DVD's content might not be a complete afterthought after all (as is the case for so many films).
Taken together, the deleted scenes are nicely presented and offer tangible substance to enrich the viewing experience. There's an introduction by Trek uber-producer Rick Berman and a play-all option to watch the seven scenes back to back. A few of the early ones are set up by Baird; most don't benefit from such a specific treatment, though. Although there are several bits that are fun to watch (one depicts an extended wedding scene; another humorously shows Riker giving the new first officer some sage, tongue-in-cheek advice; yet another sequence in the Romulan Senate delves deeper into Shinzon's passion), two segments stand out in particular. "A Loss of Self" depicts a critical conversation between Picard and Troi—without this, Picard's reaction to Shinzon feels mostly empty in the film. The other, dubbed "Turbolift Violation," shows the talked-about but heretofore unseen scene in which Shinzon mentally rapes Troi.
