'Others' still trying to cross frontiers

By Lou Stanley

Space, the last frontier. Although we've moved beyond this well-known catch phrase, not much changes in the spirit of true trekking. Star Trek Generations has tried to meld the trekky cultures of the original Star Trek with Star Trek the Next Generation and will probably appeal to both sets of devotees.

If what you are after is an escapist sci-fi adventure, then Generations will be like an invigorating afternoon on the holodeck. Those fans who dislike The Next Generation are catered for by the resurrection of James T. Kirk's old-fashioned space buccaneering. He has the classic "deep" analysis of his life and actions in lines such as "It's fun".

Meanwhile Picard in typical snaggy fashion yearns for deeper meaning and the promise of immortality through passing on "the family name".

The transformation of Lieutenant Commander Data is well worth watching with some moments being pure high camp. Of course there is a smattering of baddies, the not so bright being Klingons off the port bow. I always thought they were off the starboard bow, but anyway port bow is as left as it gets in this film. There is also the brilliant Dr Soran, who is of course yet another "superior" white man.

The film has fantastic special effects by Industrial Light and Magic and wonderful cinematography directed by John A. Alonzo ASC of Harold and Maude fame. Tight direction by David Carson also makes Generations entertaining.

As a trekky fan I've always found the major power figures being "big white men" a bit hard to swallow. Of course there is a smattering of "others", from Guinan (played by Whoopi Goldberg) to Worf, but the hierarchy is not so different from today — let's hope that things do change a bit more than that before the 24th century.

From GLW issue 181