The following is a FAQ on all the information posted so far on the Internet, our wonderfull *infobahn*, about the upcoming new Star Trek movie. It was posted by Otto Heuer (see copyright at end of FAQ), and I am downloading it to C$erve simply because I am trying to be a nice guy ;-). Otherwise, I take no responsibility as to the authenticity of this FAQ. Hope everyone enjoys! Mitchell Schneider Compuserve # 72640,1472 mitsc@phantom.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current From: ottoh3@cfsmo.honeywell.com (Otto Heuer #3) Subject: FAQL: UPCOMING STAR TREK MOVIES Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 19:01:54 +0000 Message-ID: <9404300602.aa16624@dispatch.demon.co.uk> Sender: usenet@demon.co.uk Lines: 684 Archive-Name: faql.rec.arts.startrek.movies INFORMATION ON UPCOMING STAR TREK MOVIES (last updated 14 April 1994) This posting is intended to cut down on questions that seem to pop up daily asking what is known about the new Star Trek movies. It is one of a number of periodic postings posted to r.a.s.*. For a full list of informational postings, please read the "LIST OF PERIODIC POSTINGS" article in rec.arts.startrek.misc. For a list of acronyms used in this (and other) postings, please refer to the "ACRONYM LIST" which can be found in rec.arts.startrek.misc. =========================================================================== This entire article contains ***** S P O I L E R S ***** for upcoming movies. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read this! CURRENT INFO: TITLE: Star Trek: Generations WRITERS: Ron Moore and Brannon Braga (from a Moore/Braga/Berman story) DIRECTOR: David Carson (he did the DS9 pilot, "Yesterday's Enterprise", and episodes of Doogie Howser and LA Law) PRODUCER: Rick Berman LINE PRODUCER: Bernie Williams EXEC PRODUCER: Bernie Williams CO-PRODUCER: Peter Lauritson COMPOSER: Dennis McCarthy SETS: Herman Zimmerman COSTUMES: Bob Blackman CAST: William Shatner (Kirk), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan), Malcolm McDowell (Soren), and the TNG cast are signed (assuming not Wheaton, Muldaur, or Crosby); Doohan and Koenig are in a 10-minute intro/cameo. FILMING: through end of June 1994 RELEASE: late-November/December 1994 BUDGET: $25,000,000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17 July 1992 convention: Shatner said he had submitted a script idea (not an actual script) for ST7 to Brandon Tartikoff (sp). After two months of silence from Tartikoff he received a reply saying that another script idea was being considered before Shatner's. Then they would take a look at Shatner's idea. Shatner had said that Tartikoff had been very non-committal each time he had asked about it. But he did give the impression that both he and Nimoy are interested. Eric Stillwell has also mentioned a lot of talk around Paramount regarding a seventh TOS movie. Shatner has submitted a script idea (with Kirk having a young love interest) and they are re-considering Harve Bennet's "Academy Days" script with random actors portraying the crew at SFA. The 7 February 1993 copy of the Los Angeles Times (Sunday Calendar section, p. 24), reported that Paramount has given Rick Berman the green light for not one, but TWO TNG movies. A preliminary release date for the first movie is late 1994. Reports on GEnie say that Ron Moore and Brannon Braga will be co-writing the first two TNG movies. Hints dropped at a con in LA from Piller, Berman and others are that the first may very well contain TOS crewmembers along with some time travel elements. Guinan's past may play an element in the story. 4 April 1993 Pasadena convention: Rick Berman reported that he would be producing the next two Star Trek movies, and that they would feature the TNG cast. Berman says he has also talked to Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley and if everything goes right the TOS cast will be in the next movie as well. There are 2 movie scripts under development. The first will be written by TNG staff writers Ronald Moore and Brannon Braga. The second script will be written by former TNG writer Maurice Hurley. Berman said one script includes the TOS cast, but the other one could easily be modified to include them as well. The first movie will go into production in April 1994 for a Christmas 1994 release. 30 April 1993: The British national newspaper, the "Daily Mail", reported that Shatner and Stewart were asked to star in the same Star Trek big screen picture. British-born Stewart had no problem appearing in Star Trek Seven: The Next Generation and assumed he would receive star billing because Shatner's role was not a substantial one. That was light years away from what Shatner had in mind. Shatner, 62, told Paramount Films he would not be a 'simple guest star' and his name would not appear below Stewart's in the film's credits. Also he wanted to be paid at least six million dollars upfront, some five and a half million more than Stewart would get. 'Shatner was not going to play second fiddle to Stewart whom he felt was not a big name in the movie world', an executive told Bas Bamingboye of the Daily Mail. 'He has made many millions from his share of the profits and from the six Star Trek movies and Hollywood is all about perception. Shatner didn't like the idea that he was being perceived as some second string bit-actor.' Stewart didn't have much room to manoeuvre because he had to sign a contract to do a seventh series of Star Trek TV if he wanted to be in the film, and of course, he wanted to. While the studio was livid with Shatner's egotistical behaviour, they have had to bow to pressure because Star Trek fans are going to flock to any picture featuring both Enterprise captains. Although there will be equal billing, it will work in Shatner's favour because alphabetically, he comes before Stewart. In the movie's script Captain Kirk's cryogenically frozen body is stolen. He is revived and forced to fight against Captain Picard. Mid-May 1993: Reports from the TNG production crew on GEnie are saying that ST7 will have the two crews, but they will NOT meet. The TOS crew will be working on some problem, which will remain a problem in the Star Trek universe until the TNG crew solve it (the TOS-fix was only a temporary fix, it turns out). There are two scripts being worked on: this one with Ron Moore and Braga, and another one with Moore and Piller (which may involve Romulans and the Borg). The writers felt that this was the best way to mix the crew without messing up continuity (if the two crews met in a time travel deal, why didn't Scotty and Spock remember it when the guest starred on TNG?) or streching credibility too far. Late-May 1993: Someone who did not reveal his source said he heard that the movie would be following up on the season seven finale. Filming would begin in April 1994 and it would be ready for a December 1994 release. The same source reported that the TOS cast might be in the *second* TNG movie (whichever members are still alive by then). Since no source is sited, take this with a grain of salt. 4 June 1993: Marina Sirtis reported at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show that the cast will start filming the TNG movie in the spring of 1994 for a Christmas release. So far, only Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart are signed to appear in the TNG movie. The movie WILL NOT be called "Star Trek VII". It will be called "ST:TNG the Motion Picture" or something of that nature. 11 July 1993 San Jose convention: LeVar Burton said that ST7 would have the TOS cast for the first 18 minutes, then the remainder would be all the TNG cast. 24 July 1993 TV Guide reports that both of the movies will include the TOS cast. Early August 1993 Cinefantastique Annual Star Trek Issue reports that two scripts were assigned for the firt TNG movie, one to be written by Ron Moore and Brannon Braga, and the other by Maurice Hurley. (Note: Michael Piller was offered the assignment, but disliked the fact that his script would be in competition with another, so he turned it down.) The Moore and Braga script "brings back the entire original Enterprise crew when the Enterprise 1701-D crew is thrust back in time." Hurley's script "involves the appearance of Captain Kirk in the future as the sole representative of the original cast" and is rumored to be a story about Guinan and the Borg (possibly how they wiped out her people). Berman notes that this will *not* be a "Star Trek/Star Trek:TNG" movie, it's going to be ST:TNG movie. The original crew will only bolster the TNG cast. Berman also stated that the movie will be an "epic," going far beyond the scope of what they can do on the small screen. Nimoy *may* direct. Paramount is said to have booked 2400 screens for Christmas week. (There's lots more background info on the creation of the movie in the article.) 14 August 1993 Phoenix convention: Armin Shimerman reports that there were 4, not 2, movies planned, and that Frakes wants to direct one. He'll probably get the 2nd one, is the current thinking. Mid-August 1993 reports from GEnie say that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are not going to be considered for the first TNG movie because they wanted too much money. September 1993: McFadden reported at StarCon that Stewart was the only one currently under contract for the upcoming TNG film. Mid-September 1993 reports from CompuServe say that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are not going to be considered for the first TNG movie because they wanted too much money. It appears that they are going with the script done by Ron Moore and Brannon Braga. (It seems that Maurice Hurley didn't get his in on time.) If I recall correctly from Cinefantastique, this is the script where the Enterprise-D crew goes back in time and encounters the Enterprise-A crew. 4 October 1993: "Variety" (page 7): "There's also been talk of getting Leonard Nimoy to direct, though sources close to him say his schedule will preclude his doing anything more involved than a small acting role with the Vulcan ears. The studio's been trying hard not to snub the "Next Generation" crew or creatives, and might even do the movie through the TV division, in hopes of keeping the budget under $30 million." Early October 1993 TV Guide: The TNG movie with Kirk travelling through time has been dropped. The main script being considered has the Big E traveling backwards in time and meeting some of the original cast. 16 October 1993 San Francisco Creation Con: James Doohan said that they were considering two scripts, one with Shatner and Nimoy and one without. The deal seemed to be that Shatner and Nimoy wanted a lot of money. He did say that "all the rest of us will be there" (or something like that). I assume he meant all of the rest of the TOS cast. He did not mention anything about TNG cast. 18 October 1993 CNN Headline News: There was a report that Star Trek 7 will begin shooting in April 1994 with the original cast. It is expected to be out around Thanksgiving (USA) 1994. 19 October 1993 Chicago Sun-Times: Michael Sneed's "gossip column" says that ST7 will "reportedly star the old originals-- William Shatner and Co. -- not the significantly younger upstarts of the new 'Star Trek' TV shows. So there!" 22-23 October 1993 Valley Forge PA Creation Con: Brannon Braga and Ron Moore said their script was the more likely at this moment. They said it was going to be a TNG movie. Gates McFadden said that Stewart is the only one who has signed on to do the movie so far. DeForest Kelley said that only Nimoy and Shatner were approached about the movie. Late-October 1993: The movie industry trade paper "The Hollywood Reporter" has now listed the next Trek movie in the "upcoming film production" section: "Star Trek: The Next Generation (Start April); Paramount Pictures. 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles CA 90038 - 213-956-5000; Prd., Rick Berman; Scr., Brannon Braga, Ron Moore; Dstrb, Paramount Pictures" 29-31 October 1993 Honolulu Creation Con: There is definitely going to be a seventh movie, but it is not going to be ST7, it is going to be ST:TNG I. It will feature the TNG cast and as many of the original cast as they can sign and will be a 'passing of the torch' kind of thing. After that, future movies will feature just the TNG cast. Early November Variety "Future Films" section: "UNTITLED STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION FEATURE is how the new movie, to be released Christmas of 94, is being referred to in its listing on the Future Films page of the new Variety. Executive producer, Rick Berman. Screenplay, Ron Moore and Brannon Braga. This was the first appearance of the listing. No director, line producer, cameraman, ad, or cast members were listed, althoug they will be added when contracts are signed. Leonard Nimoy, favored by the rumor mill to direct, said he wasn't approached by Paramount and stopped waiting for them to call: he took another directing project although he said he certainly plans to appear in the TNG movie as Spock, "if there are interesting things for him to do." Since it seems very unwise to go with a freshman director at this point, the chances are Nick Meyer will be asked or one of the veteran TNG directors--perhaps even Rob Bowman or David Carson--would be tapped. In other news, Berman noted that the final two hour episode of TNGwould set up the premise of STAR TREK: VOYAGER, set to debut with a two hour telefilm of its own in January of 95... meaning, by implication, that the series will wrap before January of 95... suggesting that this season will indeed be the last for TNG." (thanks Scott!) 20 November 1993 Omaha, Nebraska convention: Richard Arnold reports that Ronald Moore and Brandon Braga are the script writers and David Carson is the director. There are actually two primary scripts still under consideration. Both are action-adventure themed. The major difference that he would state was the one script had a heavy Whoopie Goldberg presence in it. TNG sets will be redressed for Voyager and redressed for the Movies. 26 November 1993 New York City Creation Convention: Gates McFadden said that Patrick Stewart is the only TNG cast member signed for the TNG movie. It is directed by David Carson. Carson received the script last week. There will be another rewrite (supposedly final) of the script before it is handed to the cast. The movie will involve the TOS cast. Filming will start 21 March and run three months. Release date is late November. The TNG movie sets are being built as of right now. There will be an upgrade on the Enterprise bridge and some minor costumes changes due to fact that the movie will be on a movie screen where details will be bigger and more visible. Late November 1993 news (no source): The movie's script is still in decision. It'll be one of two different stories, each has spots written in for the TOS characters. One script has a "heavy Data theme" and the other a "heavy Riker theme". The only question is, which one is going to be the first movie, and which is going to be the second. This may be from Rick Berman from the TNG fan magazine. 5 December 1993 Madison, WI Creation con: Marina Sirtis said that stewart is the only one signed so far. It seems that everyone is in it right now, and the story will be modified to accommodate whoever actually shows up. 7-8 December 1993 Chicago Sun-Times: Bill Zwecker's "Celebs" column reports that the only thing holding up Paramount's TNG movie is William Shatner. He's reportedly demanding $1,000,000 to play Captain Kirk. It's only a cameo so Paramount is balking at his price tag. 15 December 1993 Detroit Free Press page 16D: "Levar Burton caught a look at the new 'Star Trek' movie script over the weekend and reports that 'there will be a formal passing of the baton.' Translated, that means William Shatner and James Doohan will have to squeeze into their overburdened Starfleet uniforms again, but only for the opening sequence. Then the action beams forward in time to focus on the new crew. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Movie' should start filming in April and hit theaters next Christmas, unless all that punctuation slows things down." Mid-December 1993: Several people reported seeing on Entertainment Tonight (and possibly other sources) that there would be two more seasons of TNG on TV with the TNG movies being filmed concurrently. [This seems unlikely, since doing *only* TNG on TV leaves the cast very little time--it seems unlikely that they would have time to squeeze a film in there (though the filming *IS* only supposed to take three months, so they could start the next season of TNG a little late, possibly in January 1995 --ed] 2 January 1994: The Globe (one of those "high-quality" rags like the National Enquirer) reports that Kirk dies in the TNG film. It starts in the time of Kirk, Spock, etc. They get involved in a battle of some sorts near a space-time phenomena, and in the ensuing battle, Kirk vanishes and is presumed dead. Jump ahead to TNG time. Something about a massive power struggle invloving aliens, and the new Enterprise happens upon this phenomena, where they find Kirk alive, but trapped inside. They free him, only to find he was injured in the battle that put him there in the first place. After some teary good-byes and cheesy dialogue, Kirk passes on, and Picard says something like "This won't be the last great starship to bear the name Enterprise." The gossip rags should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but they have been fairly accurate on the last three Star Trek movies. 9 January 1994 Sacramento con: Wendy Neuss reports that there is to be a significant part for Guinan in the TNG movie. The role is Whoopi Goldberg's if she wants it. Neuss strongly hinted that Guinan is the common thread between Picard and Kirk. 13-14 January 1994 New York Daily News: Marina Sirtis says the TOS cast will be filming for a couple weeks in March and the TNG cast will join them in April. She asys the crossover only happens with two characters, but the script will go through many re-writes, so things could change a lot. 15 January 1994 Daily Mail (British National Newspaper): In an article with the byline "By Peter Sheridan in Los Angeles", they report that Nimoy may not be in the movie: "He has been part of the Star Trek Legend for a space age. But Mr Spock will not be on board when the Starship Enterprise heads off on its latest movie mission. Leonard Nimoy, who has played the pointy-eared Vulcan for more than 25 years, has refused to appear in Star Trek VII, the next film installment in the space saga. Yesterday the man who wrote, co-produced, directed or starred in each of the six previous films blamed 'creative differences' for his decision to bow out. But insiders claim that Nimoy was unhappy because Spock had been reduced to a mere bit-player in the new movie." Mid-January 1994: Hero Magazine reports that Picard and company will rescue a frozen Kirk (a la Luke and Han in the Star Wars films). 17 January 1994 Chicago Sun-Times: They verified the story about a Spock-less movie because of "creative differences". Late-January 1994: Info supposedly from a recent convention says that the next movie will include both the original cast and the new cast *however* they will not actually meet. The basic plot is that the Enterprise-B (on its maiden voyage) is called to respond to some distress hail. They find a crazy Vulcan scientist on a planet who has made some device that creates what he calls a vortex that is essentially a place where time stands still. He's planning on using it for a doomsday weapon of some sort. Kirk and company battle him and in the course Kirk vanishes never to be seen again. The movie the jumps ahead 75 years, the Enterprise-D is called to some planet by a distress hail and find the same Vulcan. There's a big fight. Picard has to go down to the planet, and in the process gets caught in the vortex with the scientist. They fight it out and just as Picard is about to kick the bucket, Kirk (who has been in the vortex all this time) jumps out and they duke it out. The Vulcan kills Kirk, but not before Kirk and Picard kill him. Kirk dies in Picard's arms and his final words are, "It's been fun." 23 January 1994: Nimoy said at a convention that the Spock character would not be in the movie. He said he didn't feel like the character was being used well. Late-January 1994: A science fiction store in Cambridge (Man from Atlantis) has what they say is a lithograph from the upcoming Star Trek movie. It was sort of a promotional still photograph. It showed a rear shot of the Enterprise-D going into warp drive, with numerous streaks of red and blue light all around it. Apparently the title of the movie will be "Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Movie" (without the colons). The Star Trek TNG font was changed slightly, but not too much. Late-January 1994: The National Enquirer reports that Kirk and Picard will fight each other, with Kirk being forced into the fight. They claim that it comes from Nimoy. 30 January 1994 Los Angeles Creation con: They now are saying that Kirk and Picard will meeteach other at the *end* of the movie. 5-6 February 1994 Vancouver Creation con: The delayed the start of filming for the new movie from March 21 to March 25. Michael Dorn mentioned that Stewart is the only one signed for it so far. 12 February 1994 Little Rock Creation convention: Marina Sirtis said the only two people who have signed on for the movie are Stewart and Shatner. The February? 1994 Official Star Trek Fan Club Magazine reports that the last episode of TNG will NOT be a lead in to the movie. February 1994 con guests (Herman Zimmermann, William Shatner, Linda Gomez) are confirming the plot outlined in The Globe: The film opens with the TOS cast attending the commissioning of a new starship (reportedly the Enterprise-B.) Kirk meets Guinan and Picard in the film. The Duras sisters are in the movie. Herman Zimmermann (TNG/DS9 set designer) reports (not in The Globe) that the current film budget is $35 million. February 20 1994 con: Marina Sirtis says she only has two scenes in the movie. In one she crashes the ship. The ship gets to separate. She said the reason no one but the captains have signed it because Paramount offered the rest of the cast half of what they were offered for a movie two years ago. She says they've done better episodes (than the movie), and they haven't done many WORSE episodes. 27 February 1994 San Francisco Con: Richard Arnold said that only Stewart had signed. The TNG sets are getting more detailed with each episode in 1994 as they are polishing them bit by bit as the time gets closer to filming of the movie. He said that we will NOT see Wesley in the movie. 26-27 February 1994 Dever con: Patrick Stewart said that all the cast thought the season finale of TNG was a much better script that what they are going to be doing for the movie. 4 March 1994: Doohan said at a con that Paramount finally worked out a price with him to be in the movie. He also said that the entire TNG cast is signed. 5 March 1994: A first draft dialogue script dated 10/1/93 seems to agree with what The Globe printed. It involves the Duras sisters, heavy on the Data theme (he gets his emotion chip and makes it with one of the Duras Sisters (losing an arm in the process)). The saucer section crashes on a planet while the drive section blows up (they separated (evacuating personnel to the saucer) when they were ambushed). Troi was driving at the time. Paramount plans to redress the TNG sets to use for the movies, then redress the sets again for Voyager. They will build all-new sets for the second TNG film with the 1701-E ("The big E^2?"). Kirk meets Picard in the Nexus. After fighting the bad guy, Soran, Kirk dies in Picard's arms. Guinan and Soran were beamed aboard the Enterprise-B from the Nexus. The TOS sequence involves ships that are rescuing survivors from a Borg attack. This seems strange since the Borg never met the Federation until Picard was flung by Q. (Thanks Martin!) 5-6 March 1994 Montreal Creation convention: Marina Sirtis said that Stewart is still the only one signed, and the only thing keeping her from signing now has something to do with her hair. She said the plot has Guinan and the Duras sisters. The film might be called "Star Trek 7: The Next Generation". 12-13 March 1994 South Bend Creation con: Mike Dorn said he has signed on for three TNG films. 12-13 March 1994: The E cable network showed a press conference for movies to be released in 1994, including a clip of Shatner and Stewart announcing ST7. The title for the movie superimposed on the screen was "ST7: Generations". They only showed a few seconds of Shatner speaking, but he said something to the effect "The two captains meet and then there's trouble." Mid-March Vallry Gorge, PA Creation con: Stewart, Shatner, Doohan, Koenig are signed for the movie. Nimoy and Kelley will NOT be in it. Someone asked if Worf would ever be promoted and Frakes said "Watch the movie." 19 March 1994 Pasadena convention: Herman Zimmerman (Production Designer for DS9) said the movie would feature a new Enterprise B sick bay, a deflector room, an 1880 (I think) sailing ship, bird of prey and there would be a pair of captains on the bird of prey and it will be much bigger. On the Enterprise D there is a new stellar cartography set. Picard and Data looking at star maps and will be surrounded by the galaxy. ILM has a budget of $8,000,000 dollars for the film. He said the studio has been generous with the budget and the script is all action. There will be a new comm badge and ensigna for the film and also for the Klingons. Other info from the con: Whoopi hasn't signed but they hope to have her in the film. Wes Crusher and Q will not be in the movie. No children in the movie. Marina Sirtis will have a new wig for the movie. The feature film has its own production and art department. Rick Sternbach may do so minor things for the film. The budget went from $40,000,000 to $25,000,000. 20 March 1994 Entertainment Weekly: It was reported from the ShoWest convention in Vegas, which featured Stewart and Shatner together. Basic plot: Picard must rescue Kirk from a "terribly destructive phenomenon that travels through space where past, present, and futures converge." Shatner will *probably* be joined by at least Nichelle Nichols and DeForest Kelley, and maybe others. As previously reported, definitely no Nimoy for this one. Nimoy is quoted as saying "I just didn't respond to [the script]. I wish them bon voyage." He added, "I am sad about it." Of the TNG cast, Frakes, Sirtis, and Whoopi Goldberg have signed on. Sayeth Rick Berman, "Has every negotiation been signed, sealed, and delivered? No. Am I confident they'll all be in the movie? Yes." There will be sharper uniforms, and one "four-letter word" in the script. Kirk is slated to die at the end! However, one production source (unnamed) is quoted as saying, "Kirk may be stuck in the 21st [I believe he meant 24th] century forever, if Shatner has an opinion." 20 March 1994 From a copy of the first draft dialogue script dated 10/1/93 (extra major spoilers here): The film opens with a bottle breaking on bow of Enterprise-B, Excelsior class, at its commissioning ceremony. TOS crew assembles on bridge of Enterprise-B (this script assumes everybody signs). Enterprise-B is under command of Capt. John Harriman. Enterprise-B takes maiden voyage around sol system. While out and about, Enterprise-B receives distress call from the transport ship Lakul, which, along with two others, is bringing El-Aurian refugees to Earth (more on this later). Enterprise-B responds and finds the three ships under attack by tendrils of energy emanating from a large cloud of energy. Enterprise-B is using a skeleton crew and has no tractor beam. One of the transports is destroyed. Then the second. Enterprise-B closes to transporter range (which happens to also put it in range of the tendrils). McCoy goes down to medical to help out with the soon to be arriving survivors, and takes Chekov with him. Uhura takes over at transporter controls (on the bridge?) Meanwhile, Spock goes to science station and determines the survivors' life signs are fluctuating in and out of our continuum. Third ship is destroyed, but not before 47 people are rescued. Then the Enterprise-B comes under attack by the tendrils of energy. Down in sickbay, one rescuee gets violent, asking "why?" Bones gives him a sedative. As the ship is rocked violently, a woman begins to fall. Bones grabs her. Surprise! It's Guinan. Meanwhile, Spock decides that using the deflector to simulate an anti-matter burst could push them free of the energy cloud. Kirk takes off for the turbolift, to go down and effectuate Spock's plan in the deflector room. Kirk re-wires the deflector and they Enterprise-B fires its burst and begins to break free. One final tendril hits the ship, blasting a portion of the saucer section. The section Kirk was in has been vaporized, leaving a gaping hole into space. Everybody gets sad. Harriman orders the ship to return to Earth. Fade to TNG (78 years later): The crew is aboard the USS Enterprise (the original sailing frigate) and dressed in uniforms of the period. Picard orders the prisoner brought out. Troi and Geordi bring out Worf, shackled in irons. Picard then announces the charges against Worf (basically, being a good officer and everyone's friend). The crew finds him guilty. Worf is punished with... promotion to Lt Cmdr. During the ceremony, Data wishes he could join in the festivities, so Geordi activates Data's newly installed emotion chip. Data begins laughing too loud. Crew is called to bridge. Holodeck program ends. On bridge, they learn that a Federation science station in the Amargosa System is under attack by a Romulan Warbird. Onboard station, Romulans materialize and exchange fire with Federation occupants. Dr Soran (the rescuee who shouted "why?" in the Enterprise-B sickbay) has not aged a day and is on the station. Romulan grabs a Federation ensign and demands to know where the trillithium is. Just then, the Enterprise comes into view and opens fire on the Warbird. Worf, Riker and others beam onto station. Romulans beam out and cloak. Stardate at this point is 48646.3. Soran wants power restored to the station to continue his experiments. Riker tells him to wait. Data's emotion chip overloads and Geordi cannot remove it. We learn that trillithium is a substance the Klingons experimented with a decade ago, and could be thousands of times more powerful than an anti-matter weapon. Research was discontinued because trillithium could not be safely stabilized. On the station, Geordi discovers a solar probe that is emanating a trillithium signature. Soran knocks Geordi unconscious. Picard comes to Troi and tells her his brother, Robert, died of a heart attack and he'll miss the funeral. Picard says he is getting a sense of his own mortality based on time running out, rather than the consequences of his actions (battles, etc.) Suddenly, the star of the system the station is located in begins to flare and change colors, getting darker. Soran has launched his solar probe. Worf et al beam back to the Enterprise (without Geordi) as a Klingon Battlecruiser decloaks and beams Soran & Geordi onboard, then cloaks and leaves town. Meanwhile, the star has exploded and the Enterprise must outrun the shock wave. Afterwards, Picard learns that the Klingon ship belongs to Lursa and B'Etor, the Duras sisters. Picard and Riker make connection between Soran and the Enterprise-B incident. They review McCoy's logs from sickbay, learning that Tolian Soran suffers the same emotional trauma as other survivors from the Lakul. They then scan all other survivors and find Guinan on the list. Guinan says she doesn't remember much. She tells them the energy cloud is called the Nexus, and that being inside it is like heaven. A person can live wherever, whenever and forever. While she was on the Lakul, she was partially absorbed into the Nexus, but then was pulled out by the transporters from the Enterprise-B. Apparently, it was this experience that gave Guinan her additional "sixth sense" as it were. She believes Soran is trying to find a way back into the Nexus. Meanwhile, Soran tortures Geordi before putting a transceiver in his visor. Also, we learn that the Duras sisters are helping because they want a trillithium weapon, which Soran has promised to deliver. Data discovers the Nexus passes through our galaxy every 39.1 years (then why has no one ever seen it before?) (Note: while Data discusses the effects of the star's explosion, he mentions that the starship Bozeman was forced to make a course correction. The Bozeman, if you don't recall, is the ship that collided with the Enterprise in "Cause and Effect." Do they mean to say that it's still in service?) Data then says every ship that has approached the Nexus has been dest royed or damaged. (There's been more? Again, why has no one learned anything about it then?) Picard puts two and two together and realizes that Soran cannot enter the Nexus via ship, but is hoping to steer the Nexus toward him by blowing up stars along its route, thus altering its course toward him. He then determines that Soran will blow up the star in the Veridian system (which is populated). The Enterprise heads for the Veridian system. There, it encounters the Battlecruiser and tells it to surrender. The Duras sisters know they can't fight. Soran completes his implant in Geordi's visor and then transports Geordi to the Enterprise, while himself beaming down to the surface of Veridian III, where he meets with Picard. The Duras sisters watch, impatiently, at the image from Geordi's visor, waiting for him to go to engineering. Meanwhile, Picard talks to Soran. (Note: Picard says Soran's family was killed when the Borg attacked El-Auria, the survivors of which attack were being transported on the three ships in the beginning. 1) The Borg weren't in Federation space yet. 2) Borg don't typically leave survivors.) Data starts picking up a transmission from the Enterprise to the Klingon ship (dejavu? See "The Mind's Eye.") Meanwhile, Geordi finally gets to engineering. The Duras sisters see the control panels, figure out the codes to lower the Enterprise's shields, do so, and open fire. The Enterprise suffers massive damage. Worf recalls the old style battlecruisers were mothballed after discovering they suffered from defective plasma coils. Riker decides a low level ionic pulse will reset the coil and trigger their cloak. As the battlecruiser targets the Enterprise bridge, it begins to cloak, causing its shields to fail. Enterprise fires torpedoes. Klingon ship explodes, and Data shouts "Yes!" Meanwhile on the Enterprise, the magnetic interlocks have ruptured and we have a coolant leak. Five minutes until warp core breach. Crew evacuates to saucer section, which separates. Drive section explodes, forcing saucer section into atmosphere of Veridian III. Data says, "Oh, shit." Saucer section crashes onto planet and suffers massive damage. Picard runs from Soran, who shoots at him but misses. Soran makes off for his outpost on the planet's surface. Back to saucer section. Nothing works (doors, lights, other systems). They begin clearing debris and rescuing survivors. Data discovers Spot has survived. He (Data) begins to cry. Riker, Worf and Geordi go to the shuttlebay, where they find the doors ripped open and only one shuttle remaining, and it's badly damaged. As they evacuate the saucer section, phaser fire comes from the surrounding jungle. The Duras sisters and their guards beamed to the surface before the explosion and try to commandeer the remaining shuttle. Troi determines that the Duras sisters are experiencing a high degree of sexual arousal at this time, and everyone decides to send Data to "service" them and get in their good graces. Data seduces B'Etor, calling her his "little garlic muffin." After sex, Data returns, badly damaged. His arm falls off. Riker sends Worf, Data, 11 children and the Duras sisters in a shuttle to find Soran. If they don't find him within 1 hour, the shuttle will leave for the nearest starbase. Geordi disassembles Data and integrates him into the shuttle's computer system. Meanwhile, Picard has found Soran at his outpost and the two fight. Picard cannot stop Soran's probe from being launched. The probe hits the Veridian sun and it explodes. The Nexus is sent toward the planet and Picard and Soran are absorbed into it as the Veridian system is destroyed. In the Nexus, Picard meets his brother, Robert, who is a 12 year old boy. Picard follows Robert into Robert's secret hiding place on their parent's winery. Picard recalls that his brother only let him visit his secret place once, and never again. Robert leaves to get some bread to go with the vintage wine he's stolen from their father. As Picard waits, Guinan appears, wearing the same outfit she had on onboard the Enterprise-B. She explains that when she was beamed aboard the Enterprise-B, part of her was left behind in the Nexus - same with Soran. Guinan tells Picard he can visit any point in time and space. He wants to go back to Veridian III and stop Soran from launching the probe. Guinan says she knows who can help. Picard finds himself in a barn, where Kirk is grooming a horse. Picard explains the desperate situation to Kirk. Kirk says he is tired of saving the universe, he's done his time, now leave him alone. Kirk gets on his horse and rides off. Picard grabs another horse and follows. A chase ensues. Kirk and Picard leap a ravine, then stop. Picard points out that Kirk was not scared by leaping the ravine, because life has no meaning in the Nexus. Finally, Kirk agrees his life is meaningless in the Nexus and he agrees to return to Veridian III with Picard. They return. Kirk attacks Soran and the two fight hand to hand. Meanwhile, Picard can't stop the launch, again, but he does manage to cause the probe to lose its guidance and crash back on the planet. Soran shoots Kirk, who drops. Soran then attacks Picard, but Picard gets a blaster and kills Soran. Kirk dies in Picard's arms. The shuttle arrives to find Picard, and off they go to the saucer. Stardate is now 48650.1. The crew is rescued by the Farragut. Picard remains alone on the bridge for a moment. Sitting in his chair, he reads aloud from Hamlet: "He was a man, take him for all in all x I shall not look upon his like again." (Referring to Kirk or the Enterprise?) Picard beams up. The End. (there seems to be a typo in the Hamlet quote). (thanks again, Martin!) 25-27 UK convention: The second TNG movie is a Borg script. Shatner, Koenig, Doohan, Goldberg, and everybody from TNG are signed for "Star Trek: Generations". 57-day shooting schedule. ILM is doing the effects. Overall budget went from $50 million to $40, to $35, to $30. It stands at $25 at the moment. This is due to Viacom trying to recoup some cash it used to take over Paramount. 27-28 March 1994: "HOLLYWOOD -- Malcolm McDowell will star as the villain Soren in the upcoming feature 'Star Trek: Generations.' McDowell will do battle with both Capt Jean-Luc Picard of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' fame -- played by Patrick Stewart -- and Capt James T Kirk, played by William Shatner of the Original TV Series. The feature, due to begin principal photography Monday, brings together two generations of 'Star Trek' casts through a 'unique astronomical phenomonen,' Paramount confirms. Among cast member from the Original 'Star Trek' TV series who will reprise their roles are James Doohan as Scotty, and Walter Koenig as Chekhov. There will be no Mr Spock in this 24th century adventure. The 'Next Generation' TV cast members who will make the hyperspace leap to feature film will be Jonathan Frakes (Riker), LeVar Burton (La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Gates McFadden (Crusher), Marina Sirtis, (Troi), Brent Spiner (Data), and Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan). The film will be directed by David Carson, whose many TV and legit credits include directing the two-hour pilot episode of 'Deep Space Nine,' a 'Trek' spinoff. Rick Berman produces. Brannon Braga and Ron Moore have pulled scripting duties." --Kathleen O'Steen, Reuters/Variety Late March 1994: Multiple sources have reported a script where Kirk is cryogenically frozen and thawed by aliens to fight Picard. This sounds like something Paramount would intentionally leak out to throw people away fromthe real storyline. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you know of any other topics that should be included in this list, feel free to email me at one of the addresses below. Be aware that about 10% of the mail I send out bounces, so if you don't get a reply from me, it isn't because I'm ignoring you. :-) This article is Copyright 1994 by Otto Heuer. It may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. 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