Review of Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) by Itzhak N — 06 Mar 2010

No, "Star Trek: Insurrection" is not as good as "Star Trek: First Contact." Nevertheless, the ninth entry in the long-lived but prosperous space odysseys of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise still has what it takes to boldly go. Director Jonathan Frakes, who helmed "First Contact," shifts the emphasis away from the usual swashbuckling heroics in this otherwise predictable but entertaining installment. Instead, Frakes focuses on the camaraderie among the Enterprise crew. Character dominates action in "Insurrection." Although younger "Star Trek" fans may complain about the scarcity of photon torpedo dogfights, the old guard will applaud "Insurrection" because the entire crew rather than Picard alone influences the outcome.

The Rick Berman & Michael Piller scenario has the Enterprise thwarting the forced relocation of 600 helpless colonists from their Eden-like planet whose properties make it a fountain of youth. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and crew find themselves drawn into an interstellar blood feud when android Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner) runs amok while participating in a Federation mission on the Shangri-La home planet of a gentle people called the Ba'ku. The Ba'ku live simple, uncomplicated lives comparable to the Quakers and the Amish. Shunning technology, these self-sufficient folks grow their own food and produce by hand their own clothes, tools, and art. According to the Ba'ku, when you create a machine to do a Manos work, you take something away from the man. Over 300 years have passed since the Ba'ku encamped on this unique planet in an unstable quadrant of space designated 'the Briar Patch.' Moreover, this Caucasian race of humans has weathered the ravages of centuries. The 'metaphasic radiation' emanating from the planet's rings has given them perpetual youth.

Meanwhile, suffering a dire reversal of fortune, the Federation has grown weak. The Borg and other enemy aliens have taken their toll, and the Federation has formed an uneasy alliance with the Son'a, a dying but technologically advanced race of fascists who dress like a cross-between of the Mummy and Marvel Comics' Dr. Strange. You know the Son'a are the bad guys the moment you see them because they look hideous. The Son'a endure constant face-lifts, like the cosmetic surgery in the Terry Gilliam movie "Brazil," because they cannot keep their wrinkled and rotting skins wrapped tightly enough. These devious dastards have teamed up with the Federation, and they are observing the unsuspecting Ba'ku before they pack them off the planet.

Dressed in orange outfits which enable them to pass sight unseen among the inhabitants, Son'a and Federation scientists both study the planet and plan for the removal of the Ba'ki. When the Son'a fire without provocation on Data, the pale-faced android short-circuits and destroys the cloaking device concealing the expedition from the Ba'ku. Suddenly, the Ba'ku find themselves surrounded by intruders. Hijacking a starship, Data opens fire on the Son'a flagship from which the Son'a chieftain, Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, who played the evil Salieri in "Amadeus"), and Star fleet Admiral Dougherty (Anthony "License to Kill" Zerbe), coordinate the mission.

Dougherty contacts Picard during a diplomatic ceremony and requests Data's schematics. When Picard offers to help, Dougherty politely declines. Pointing out that the Enterprise has been assigned elsewhere, Dougherty assures the inquisitive captain that Ru'afo and he can handle Data. An incredulous Picard decides to check things out for himself; he cannot believe that Data would turn rogue without a good reason. As they chart a course for the far side of the galaxy, Picard invites Worf on "Deep Space Nine" to accompany them. When Picard's navigator indicates that the Ba'ku planet is in the opposite direction of what they have been ordered, Picard shrugs it off as if it were nothing. When the Enterprise enters the 'Briar Patch,' the age reversal harmonics of the Ba'ku planet affect the crew. Cmdr. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Cmdr. Troi (Marina Sirtis) rekindle a long-dormant romance. Soaking by candle-light in a tubful of bubbles, Troi shaves off Riker's beard. Not only does Cmdr. La Forge ("Roots" LeVar Burton) regain his sight without the aid of technology, but also he experiences his first sunrise. Lt. Cmdr. Worf (Michael Dorn) suffers an outbreak of Klingon acne as well as a blood lust for combat. Finally, Picard himself dances to mambo music in his own quarters. When he beams down to the planet, Picard falls in love with the sensuous Anij (Donna Murphy), a 350 year old Ba'ku dame who doesn't look a day over 40 thanks to the regenerative particles in the planet's rings. Sadly, Frakes and his writers leave Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) hanging without a mini-subplot of her own. Nevertheless, "Insurrection" qualifies as an ensemble effort with everybody getting into the act, even if they don't have a subplot to distract their actions.

The Rick Berman & Michael Pillar script hearkens back to those venerable 1930s' Lone Star westerns with John Wayne where the city slicker bad guys try to steal the mineral rich ranch lands from under the naive pilgrims who don't realize the wealth that lies beneath their lands. Like John Wayne, Capt. Picard decides to intervene. Already deeply in love with Amij, who has shown him the eternal beauty of a single moment in time, Picard disobeys Admiral Dougherty's orders to clear out. Amij reciprocates and supports Picard when he reveals that the Son'a are going to destroy their way of life. As cheery and good-natured as "Insurrection" is, this "Star Trek" has its share of problems. Although "Insurrection" generates warp-speed momentum in story-telling, too many things are left unexplained. The filmmakers rely on the yucky looks of the Saran-wrap-skinned villains who bleed when they become enraged, but Frakes never explains why the Son'a resemble burglars with pantyhose stretched across their faces.

No, you neither have to be a Trekkie nor a Trekker to appreciate "Insurrection," but it wouldn't hurt. History will record "Insurrection" as more of a more crew intensive adventure.