20. Star Trek: The TNG Movies

On this episode of Film Utopia, Steven, Benjamin, and Sean set phasers to stun and warp into the Next Generation era of Star Trek movies, covering Generations to Nemesis; a run of films that ranges from sublime to “why did they write it like that?” We tackle the saggy, pacing-challenged middle of Generations, mourn the disgracefully anticlimactic death of Captain Kirk, and collectively shake our heads at how the baton was (barely) passed to Picard. There’s plenty of Borg-infested joy as we celebrate First Contact, the one universally beloved TNG film and a shining example of how to do big-screen Trek properly. Unfortunately, the goodwill instantly evaporates with Insurrection, a cinematic nap disguised as a feature film. “Bore-fest” doesn’t quite cover it. Finally, we hit Nemesis, greeted with a mixture of bafflement, frustration, and the occasional guilty defence. Mostly, though, it’s a telepathic chorus of “Yeah… it’s bad.”