Star Trek Generations is the seventh Star Trek film, and it is the first of four films to star the cast of the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It takes place in the year 2371, a short time after the TV series left off. Importantly, this movie brings together Captain Jean-Luc Picard from The Next Generation and Captain James T. Kirk from The Original Series, which took place over 100 years prior. Of course, there is some time-travel tomfoolery that brings the two captains together.

Released in 1994, the film was sometimes labeled as Star Trek VII, especially in some old box sets containing several Trek films, even though that was never officially part of the title. This designation is increasingly rare today.

Without spoiling anything, this film was often reviled for one specific reason that I will discuss later in this article. Because of that, many regarded this first TNG film to be a failure. It was certainly not without its problems, but I don't think every fan (including myself) had the same strong negative feelings that many others did. I'm not saying the reactions were unwarranted – on the contrary, I think fans were right to react the way they did – it's just that the one big misstep did not ruin the entire film for me. I respect what they tried to do.

One-sentence summary: Picard recruits Kirk to help him thwart a madman who wants to get into the Nexus at any cost.

With the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation having aired earlier in the year, as well as the final movie featuring the Original Cast having been released three years prior, it absolutely made sense that it was time to bridge the two generations and somehow bring together the legendary Captains Kirk and Picard. We knew there would have to be some sort of time-travel trickery at work here, but the concept of the Nexus was met with mixed reviews. It's a bit too contradictory and magical, even for Trek. A doorway to a place of eternal bliss? But you can't just fly into it with a ship because it will damage the ship? That doesn't seem to actually matter to the several people on damaged ships that were transported to the Nexus anyway, so you can just fly into it with a ship? Everyone is so blissful there but somehow Picard and Kirk's sense of duty allows them to see through the illusion? And they can just leave the Nexus and go wherever and whenever they want? I dunno, it's all a little too contrived.

Here's some vaguely interesting facts about the opening scenes on the Enterprise‑B:

• Leonard Nimoy was asked to return as Spock. When he declined, his lines were given to James Doohan, playing Scotty.
• DeForest Kelley was asked to return as Dr. McCoy. When he declined, his lines were given to Walter Koenig, playing Pavel Chekov. (This explains why Chekov seemingly randomly recruits two reporters to help him provide medical aid to the refugees.)
• George Takei was asked to return as Hikaru Sulu. When he declined, they created a new character – Demora Sulu, Hikaru's daughter, played by Jacqueline Kim – and gave the lines to her.

Now, let's just address the elephant in the room. The thing that ruined this film for many fans was the extremely dissatisfying way that James Kirk died. First and foremost, the film is not about Kirk's death, and it doesn't give it the reverence it deserves. The film is about Picard and the TNG crew, and Kirk's death plays far too minor a part. I have to admit, I had to give my rating on this movie a good, long reconsideration. When I first saw this film, I was... well, 30 years younger than I am now. At that time, I had grown up with the TNG cast. The TOS cast was before my time, and I did not have the same history with them that many long-time fans did. So, to me, Kirk's death wasn't a deal-breaker; I was there to see the TNG cast's first movie. Well, looking back on this now, 30 years later, I really see what a terrible disservice they did in flippantly killing off Kirk how they did.

You have to understand, in this time, James T. Kirk is the face of Star Trek. He is the O.G. Captain. He had been with fans through The Original Series, The Animated Series, and six feature films. To take the star of your show, the representative, the embodiment, the essence, the paragon of Star Trek and discard him with such little regard, with no pomp and circumstance, with no reflection on his accomplishments and contributions to both his in-universe duties as a Starfleet officer and the out-of-universe Star Trek franchise as a whole is... well, it's not just wrong, it's a HUGE oversight and disservice.

👎 John Harriman — Our opening scene gives us a woefully ill-prepared new captain of the new Enterprise NCC‑1701‑B. Who gave this goon command of a ship?

👍 Enterprise‑D's Bridge Refit — I think the extra consoles along the sides of the bridge are long overdue. As the command center of a huge starship, the bridge always seemed to me like it didn't have quite enough... buttons.

👍Mister Tricorder & the Lifeforms Song — Except for a few special occasions, we've never really seen Data experiencing emotions in the seven seasons of The Next Generation, so these scenes are a delightful vehicle for comedy relief.

👎 Battle with the Klingon Bird of Prey — There's a lot about this sequence that sucks. I'll complain about it in the nitpickery section.

👍Saucer Section Crash Sequence — Though it's sad to see our beloved vessel meet its end, the crash sequence was brilliantly done.

🤷‍♂️ Deus Ex Nexus — Ah yes, the big mysterious space ribbon that grants all who enter it eternal bliss. It's an interesting enough concept, and it brings our two hero captains together on the big screen, so I'm perfectly happy with that. It has some quirks, though, and despite Guinan's insistence that no one would want to leave the Nexus once inside, Picard apparently finds the concept of everlasting joy to be less enticing than the prospect of stopping Soran.

The deciding factor here is really just going to be how hurt you are about Kirk's death. It is a serious offense, to be sure, but how is the movie, otherwise? I think it delivers on its primary charge: TNG, but with a movie budget. Ultimately, I knocked my rating down to a 6 from my original 7. While Kirk's death is a major fault, I can't fail the entire film because of it. Now, please join me in a moment of silence for the teddy bear that was lost in the destruction of the Enterprise‑D's stardrive section.