STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
US, 1998, 13 minutes, Colour.
Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy, Anthony Zerbe, Gregg Henry, Daniel Hugh Kelly.
Directed by Jonathan Frakes.
This is the third theatrical film in the series featuring Patrick Stewart as captain of the Enterprise. The regular cast are all present and Jonathan Frakes, William Riker, directs this film. It features Brent Spiner as Data with other members of the enterprise. The villain is F. Murray Abraham, hidden behind some grotesque make up, as is Gregg Henry as his associate. Anthony Zerbe has an ambiguous role as an admiral.
While there are the expected activities aboard the enterprise, the film opens with Data under suspicion, seeming to go rogue, threatening a peaceful Shangri-La type of community. However, he eventually comes under control and returns to his ordinary self, still puzzling about his humanity.
The Shangri-La setting is a planet where the atmosphere and the radiation prevent people from growing old. This community is more than 300 years old but seems a very ordinary, peaceful community, led by Daniel Hugh Kelly and Donna Murphy. Their commitment is not to take up arms. However, there is a group of guards with surveillance over them. A plot emerges that they are all to be transferred off the planet, given alternate accommodation, use for experimentation and then to be discarded.
Needless to say, Captain Picard goes to the rescue. He is charmed by the community, but especially by one of the women, Donna Murphy, unmarried, more adventuresome than the men, who explains matters to Picard – and the two are attracted. There is also a little boy who has been afraid Data but then befriends him.
There is also galactic activity is in all the films. The rebels, led by F. Murray Abraham are manipulating the admiral but ultimately destroy him. It then emerges that they were young rebels from the Shangri-La who went out on their own, aged, bent on revenge, wanting to take over the planet and destroy the inhabitants. Which leads to various kinds of attacks on the Shangri-La, Picard and his team leading the inhabitants to a refuge and safety despite the attacks, a special role for Data who is underestimated by the rebels and his being able to sabotage them. In the meantime, William Riker and the others are on a mission to inform the Federation about what is happening.
Which leads up to a climax, Picard and the rebel leader confronting each other and some peace restored to this part of the galaxies.
Interesting to see the romantic side of Picard. The others are all welcome characters – but, F. Murray Abraham with his strong reputation offers quite some interest is the vengeful leader.
