Date: Fri 18-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Trek-Picard-Borg-Stewart

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING : "Insurrection" Is An Enjoyable Trek, But Series Should Be Wary

Of Routine

By Trey Paul Alexander III

This fall, Entertainment Weekly magazine charted sci-fi's top 100 movies and

guess who grabbed the first two spots? Star Wars and Star Trek , respectively,

nabbed best honors, and both show little sign of relinquishing their posts.

Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace will undoubtedly be next summer's

juggernaut blockbuster, and Star Trek: Insurrection , the ninth movie of the

venerable franchise, recently opened at No. 1 at the box office.

Star Wars is on the way up; its cachet is growing ever more commanding as we

near the release of the first original film in the series in over 15 years.

Trek , on the other hand, feels a bit less special. The current TV series

"Voyager," which recently celebrated its 100th episode, has already ventured

beyond the tenure of the original series, and "Deep Space Nine," still the

top-rated original one-hour drama in syndication, will end this season

matching the seven-year run of "The Next Generation." Could it be that Trek ,

once considered visionary and ahead of its time, is becoming a bit too

familiar? Is Trek now comfort food?

Familiarity may not breed contempt in this case, but it somewhat undermines

the cause of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and crew as they

attempt to boldly go forth in what is now their third feature film together.

Insurrection sets out to tell a fresh story with nary a Borg, Klingon (save

Michael Dorn's Lt Cmdr Worf, of course), or time travel twist in sight.

Instead, we meet two new alien races, an abundance of lavish locations and

gorgeous cinematography, and a lighter, almost giddy (particularly in light of

last outing's Borg plotline) outlook from the Enterprise crew.

Captain Picard and his mates are drawn into a conflict with their superiors

when they discover the Federation is buddying up with the Son'a, a

materialistic race trying to wrest a planet away from the Ba'ku, a peaceful

people who settled there some 300 years ago. The horribly disfigured Son'a,

led by a vicious thug named Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham), hope this strange

land, bathed in radiation that halts the aging process and boasts restorative

healing properties, can save their dying civilization.

The Enterprise crew, also affected by the planet's regenerative traits,

nevertheless follow the lead of their forthright captain, who voices his

indignation to Starfleet Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) over the prospect

of forcibly removing some 600 people for the benefit of scores of others.

Picard's resolve is also helped by the fact he has taken a shine to a wise and

stunning Ba'ku woman named Anij (Donna Murphy) who has an ability to literally

make time stand still.

Star Trek: Insurrection , directed by Jonathan ( Riker ) Frakes, is a much

more leisurely affair than First Contact (also helped by Frakes), yet the cast

seems more confident in their roles than ever before on the big screen.

Stewart is reliably regal as Picard, Down lends some muscle as Lt Worf

(conveniently on leave from "Deep Space Nine") and Brent Spiner is as

dependable as ever as Data. In fact, the three have a memorable scene that

allows them to warble a tune from Gilbert and Sullivan.

All in all, the film, rated PG for mild profanity and violence, is an

enjoyable trek with performers who seem increasingly comfortable with their

place in the Trek canon. Yet this reviewer, an admitted fan, couldn't help but

feel this installment, even laced with some new and original elements, lacked

a sense of urgency, a sense that if you miss this movie, you'll be missing

out. Granted, you can't kill off characters or destroy the Enterprise in every

movie, but Trek films need to go back to being more of an event instead of the

expected routine every two years.