STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
While not what you would call a Trekkie, I have been a big Star Trek fan since I was a little boy. I have watched the series and franchise grow into one huge monstrosity over the last 30 years and with the current direction the films are taking, I think it will last a lot longer. This is a series dedicated to the lovable space pioneers and the movies for which they starred. A lot of these caches are on a fairly busy road. I tried to place them where parking was good. Please watch children along this stretch and use good judgement. I hope you enjoy my latest entries.
Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek film franchise and the second film to exclusively feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. In addition to that cast, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy and Anthony Zerbe also appeared in main roles. The crew of the USS Enterprise-E rebel against Starfleet after they discover a conspiracy with a species known as the Son'a to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating properties.
Paramount Studios sought a change in pace after the previous film, Star Trek: First Contact. Michael Piller was asked to write the script, which was created from story ideas by Piller and executive producer Rick Berman. The story's first drafts featured the Romulans, and the Son'a and Ba'ku were introduced in the third draft. After Ira Steven Behr reviewed the script, Piller revised it and added a subplot involving a romantic interest for Captain Picard. The ending was further revised after test screenings.
The space-based special effects were completely computer generated, a first for a Star Trek film. The Ba'ku village was fully built on location at Lake Sherwood, California, but suffered weather damage. Sets from the television series Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were re-used and re-dressed. Michael Westmore created the make-up for the new alien races, and Robert Blackman revised the Starfleet dress uniform designs. Sanja Milkovic Hayes created costumes for the Ba'ku from cellulose fibers, which were baked and glued together. Jerry Goldsmith produced the film's score; his fourth for the franchise.
Insurrection was the highest-grossing film on its opening weekend, making US$22.4 million. The film made over $70.1 million in the United States and an additional $42.4 million in other territories, for a theatrical run of about $112.5 million worldwide. Critical responses to the film were mixed; the performance of Patrick Stewart and the directing of Jonathan Frakes were praised, and other critics referred to it as an extended episode of The Next Generation. Insurrection was nominated for both a Saturn Award and a Hugo Award, but the only award it received was a Youth in Film Award for Michael Welch. The film has been released on videotape, DVD, and Blu-ray home video formats.
CAST:
Patrick Stewart thought that the first Next Generation film, Star Trek Generations, was too much like a television episode but thought that his character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, was redefined as a "movie hero" in Star Trek: First Contact. He was concerned that in the new film, the character would return to that seen in the television series. Michael Piller said that he felt that in order to be a hero, Picard "should be acting out of a moral and ethical mindset, and stand for principles that are important to mankind". Stewart was later pleased with the film's romantic sub-plot, calling it "charming" and saying that he was "feeling very good about it." He thought that the film had a lighter tone than previous films, saying, "It shows our crew having a little more fun than we normally see them doing". Stewart was disappointed that a scene in which Picard and Anij kiss was cut from the final version of the film, saying that "It was a studio decision, but still somewhat inexplicable to me as I feel the audience were waiting for some kind of romantic culmination to the relationship, which did happen and was extremely pleasant." Stewart received a producer's credit on the film.
Star Trek: Insurrection was the second Star Trek film to be directed by Jonathan Frakes.
Jonathan Frakes appeared as Commander William Riker, and as with First Contact he directed the project. Brent Spiner starred as Lieutenant Commander Data. Spiner had asked for his character to be killed off in Insurrection because he was concerned that he was getting too old to play the role. His copy of the script came with a note from the production team saying, "Sorry, kill you later". His character was killed in the following film, Star Trek: Nemesis. The underwater scene required Spiner to wear more make-up than usual because it needed to be waterproof. LeVar Burton reprised his role of Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge; a month before the release of Insurrection he appeared in the role in a guest appearance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Timeless".
Michael Dorn returned as Lieutenant Commander Worf; Dorn had portrayed that character in Deep Space Nine since 1995. Unlike First Contact, there was no attempt to explain his absence from the television series and arrival on the Enterprise in Insurrection. Reprising her role as Doctor Beverly Crusher, Gates McFadden said that "Shooting Star Trek and getting paid to do it is great. But what's actually changed my life the most is travelling around and ... being a tiny little part of this huge mythology that has changed people's lives, in many ways for the better." Marina Sirtis appeared once more as Counselor Deanna Troi. She was positive about the film, saying "we've been involved with this for eleven years, we've done 179 episodes, three movies, and there are still surprises. There are more layers in this movie, it's not as black and white. It goes back to a lot of what Gene Roddenberry felt about Star Trek—I think he's going to be very happy up there when he sees this movie."
Prior to the casting process, no actors had been considered for the roles of the Son'a leader, the Ba'ku woman, and the Starfleet admiral. The Son'a leader, Ahdar Ru'afo, was portrayed by F. Murray Abraham, who won an Academy Award for his performance in Amadeus. Abraham was given the role without an audition. Abraham said of the franchise, "I was around when the series was first introduced to television and it was a hoot", He praised his make-up and prosthetics, saying "The idea that you can be somebody else behind the mask is an extraordinary feeling—it's very primitive and mysterious. A gap opens somewhere in the brain and it encourages wildness. It had me chewing at the scenery". He was particularly pleased to be working with Patrick Stewart.
Donna Murphy played the Ba'ku woman Anij, who is Picard's love interest. Eighty actresses auditioned for the role, which was awarded to Murphy who had previously won two Tony Awards for her roles in the Broadway musicals Passion and The King and I. Murphy was such a favorite of Frakes and the producers that after auditioning, only a small number of other actresses were seen. She said of the role, "I feel a great honor and responsibility to be a part of this film, because I know that the Star Trek audience has such a devotion to and affection for these richly drawn characters."
Filmed scenes featuring Armin Shimmerman and Max Grodénchik were cut from the final release of the film.
Anthony Zerbe originally auditioned for the role of Ru'afo, and was considered to be the best choice for it. However, the production team decided instead to cast him in the role of Admiral Matthew Dougherty. During Zerbe's audition, instead of reading the lines provided, he recited Dante's Inferno before seamlessly moving into the script. Frakes and the producers unanimously decided to award him the part of Dougherty. In the film's smaller roles, Stephanie Niznik played Ensign Kell Perim and Daniel Hugh Kelly appeared as Sojef. Gregg Henry appeared as Gallatin and child actor Michael Welch as played the Ba'ku child Artim. Michael Horton returned as the tactical officer he portrayed in First Contact; his character was called Lieutenant Daniels in this film. Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello played a Son'a warrior. Morello's make-up regime began at 5am, at which time he said he would normally "be crawling back into my coffin".
Several of the film's actors appeared in the Star Trek series. Bruce French, who portrayed Son'a Officer Number 1, appeared as Sabin Genestra in the The Next Generation episode "The Drumhead" and as the Ocampa doctor in the Voyager pilot episode. Son'a Officer Number 3 was played by Joseph Ruskin, who appeared in four episodes across the Star Trek franchise: The Original Series episode "Gamesters of Triskelion", and the Deep Space Nine episodes "Improbable Cause" and "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" and the Voyager episode Gravity". McKenzie Westmore, daughter of make-up supervisor Michael Westmore, played a Ba'ku woman. She previously appeared as a child in The Next Generation season one episode "When the Bough Breaks" and as Ensign Jenkins in the Voyager episode "Warhead". Scenes cut from the film would have featured two of the Deep Space Nine Ferengi. Max Grodénchik, more familiar as Rom, was to have appeared as a Trill in the library scene. Armin Shimmerman reprised his role as Quark in a scene in which he tries to set up timeshares on the Ba'ku planet at the end of the film.