Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

 

Of all the Star Trek-films, this one feels like the odd one out. Not because it is bad (it isn't), but because it plays out more like an extended episode of the series than a true standalone film. That is not necessarily detrimental, but after the pretty bloody good 'First Contact', a first viewing might leave you a bit unsatisfied. But here, the theme of the film is more poignant than a first glance would reveal.

On a faraway planet, well hidden amidst something akin to a nebula, a small community of people live fairly simple lives. They are not aware that a Federation research station is observing them. That is, until Data runs amuck and reveals the perpetrators to the Ba'ku. This was apparently a mission in conjunction with the Son'a, because the planet of the Ba'ku has miraculous regenerating properties and the Federation would like to exploit this. 

Yes, there is something fishy going on here. How did you guess?

Because admiral Dougherty is being very mysterious, Picard and his crew want to find out more and head to the planet, even if they weren't supposed to. There, they discover that Data went haywire because he was shot by a Son'a weapon. The plot thickens when they also discover a massive hologram ship that replicates the Ba'ku village. So it turns out the Son'a want to relocate the roughly 600 Ba'ku. 

Why?

Well, the planetary rings create some sort of field that keeps people on the planet almost forever young. They can live hundreds of years and yet not seem older than 30. Our crew also begins to feel the effects of this rejuvenating radiation. But as the Prime Directive states, you can't interfere with indigenous people in this respect. 

See: this is all about forced relocation, something that still happens to this day and has brought nothing but grief to local people. Yes, that fits in nicely with themes that Star Trek has always had, because problems and issues of human society have been used extensively in the past.

What you won't find here, are flashy action set pieces. There is some action, but it doesn't overshadow the story. This is all about the idea of people being forcibly moved for no other reason than profit. That, and some history between the Ba'ku and the Son'a, but I won't give that away. Mostly because you can already see it coming. 

This film does suffer a bit in the villain department, alas. The Son'a leader Ru'afo isn't all that great or memorable and it is a bit of a shame that F. Murray Abraham plays him a little too over the top to be taken seriously. Sure, maybe the extensive makeup and lack of facial expression forced him to think big, but at times it does get a little silly. 

'Insurrection' is a fun film, but it is not a masterpiece. Like I said, it plays more like an extended episode of the series, especially as the final confrontation is wrapped up fairly quickly with no massive endpiece. But still, fans of the franchise will find plenty to enjoy here.