Star Trek: Insurrection

With the third of the Next Generation films, Star Trek: Insurrection, we have what may quite possibly be the worst of the Star Trek films. With an illogical and confusing plot, a serious lack of action and a rather bland villain makes this a rather unremarkable entry in the series. 

Lt. Commander Data (played by Brent Spiner) has been temporarily reassigned to a Federation project observing the peaceful Baku people on a planet in a system referred to as the Briar Patch. Data begins to Malfunction and in the process reveals the Federation's presence observing the Baku. Admiral Matthew Dougherty (played by Anthony Zerbe) contacts the Enterprise to get Data's schematics but states the Enterprise does not need to come to the planet. Suspicious, Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) ignores the order and the Enterprise goes anyway. 

After managing to fix Data, Picard becomes even more suspicious at Admiral Dougherty's attempts to get them to leave. They discover that the unique make-up of the planet and it's rings emit a radiation or "metaphasic particles" that continuously rejuvenate all life living on the planet, effectively making it's inhabitants immortal. As they spend more time on the planet, the crew begins to feel the effects of the planet. Geordi (played by LeVar Burton), who had been blind since birth, has his eyes naturally healed and able to see naturally for the first time in his life, Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (played by Marina Sirtis) begin feeling the urge to rekindle their romantic relationship, unfortunately Worf (played by Michael Dorn) begins going through the Klingon version of puberty again, and Picard finds himself falling for a Baku woman, Anij (played by Donna Murphy). As Picard and Data continue to investigate, they discover that Dougherty has been plotting with the leader of the Son'a race, Ahdar Ru'afo (played by F. Murray Abraham) to forcibly remove the 600 strong members of the Baku and take the planet and it's rejuvenating radiation for themselves. Picard is angered by the deception and becomes determined to expose the corruption to Starfleet and rescue the Baku people.

Jonathan Frakes returned to direct this film but unlike First Contact this one was more of a mixed bag. While the film looks great and the performances are generally good, it has some narrative problems that are hard to get past. The script by Michael Piller has some unique ideas and an intriguing setting with this planet that is essentially the Fountain of Youth and setting two different groups against one another over it. The problem is in the execution. We have the quiet and peaceful Baku, a group numbering roughly 600 who have shunned technology and live in a commune setting that looks like Tuscany by way of L.L Bean. Then there are the vain Son'a race, who through decades of cosmetic surgery in an attempt to cheat death have left them decaying and dying, all one billion of them apparently. There are a couple problems with this issue. 

One, the Baku, with such a small population, are supposed to be the good guys in this story. However, them wanting to keep the entire planet all to themselves and deny a literally dying race a place on said planet makes them look like a bunch of galactic assholes. Yes, there is a plot point about the Baku and the Son'a at one point being friends but then there was some sort of ideological falling out and they parted ways. It's all barely mentioned and glossed over pretty quickly. 

The second problem is a far bigger one. These two people are not fighting over a small town or a country or an island, they are fighting over an entire planet that looks like the love child of Earth and Saturn. Surely, there is room for everyone. Of course, there is a plot point about the Son'a wanting to basically vacuum up the radiation from the rings around the planet and take it with them, which seems extremely short sighted on their part. Why not spend some time on the planet instead and let it cure your ills. Stick to one side and the Baku stick to the other in their Hippie Tuscany commune and they never have to speak to one another. Geordi gained eyesight after being on the planet for a day! Whatever is ailing the Baku should clear up over roughly the length of a spa weekend at that rate. And if it begins to reoccur after they leave, just come back for a refresher. Problem solved. But then there would be no movie. 

Overall, Star Trek: Insurrection has it's moments. The romances between Riker and Troi and Picard and Anij were sweet, as were the scenes between Data and a Baku boy (played by Michael Welch), who teaches Data what it's like to be a boy. Those were all sweet and fun moments. I get that they wanted to go for something deeper and with a more moral quandary here but the narrative as a whole has some rather large plot holes that are difficult to overcome and the film falls apart because of them.