The film’s prologue is set in the 23rd century days of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew – in this case, that means Scotty and Chekov (Leonard Nimoy and George Takei turned the film down, and DeForest Kelley was in declining health and could not get insurance in order to appear).
The bulk of the film is then set 78 years later in the era of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).
The climax combines the ingredients and brings Kirk and Picard together to double-team the film’s nefarious villain, Dr Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).
This is made possible thanks to the presence of ‘the Nexus’ (aka the “energy ribbon”) – a “conflux of temporal energy” that passes through our galaxy every 38 years or so.
All in all, Generations feels overlong, gimmicky and confusing but the visuals are spectacular. This was the final appearance of Wiliam Shatner as Captain Kirk – with Kirk finally going where he had never gone before . . .
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Patrick Stewart
Cmdr William Riker
Jonathan Frakes
Lt Cmdr Data
Brent Spiner
Lt Cmdr Geordi La Forge
LeVar Burton
Lt Cmdr Worf
Michael Dorn
Dr Beverly Crusher
Gates McFadden
Counsellor Deanna Troi
Marina Sirtis
Dr Tolian Soran
Malcolm McDowell
Captain James T Kirk
William Shatner
Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott
James Doohan
Ensign Pavel Chekov
Walter Koenig
Captain John Harriman
Alan Ruck
Demora Sulu
Jacqueline Kim
Guinan
Whoopi Goldberg
Director
David Carson
