Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'Star Trek: Nemesis'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘For now we see but through a glass, darkly.’
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard

There is one unique idea that has all crossed our minds at one point or another. The concept of what our lives may or may not have become had we grown up under different circumstances. We wonder if we would be a person with a moral center without our parents being around or what would have happened without the sage advice of our close friends.  

Yet we can never truly know what our lives would be if the tables had turned because there is not another one of us. We can never know if one changed decision would ruin our lives or send us into complete happiness. Yet is this notion something we would ever want to see? Are we truly prepared to find out what we would become under those different set of circumstances? These questions and that possibility all play a central role in the final voyage of the crew of The Next Generation in Star Trek: Nemesis.  

Romulus is in turmoil. The military has staged a coup d'état leading to the unexpected. The new Praetor, Shinzon, comes from the second class of Romulan citizens, the Remans, and he has extended a proposal of peace to the Federation. The Enterprise is dispatched to discuss terms but Captain Jean-Luc Picard is stunned to see that Shinzon, is a spitting image of the captain. It turns out the new Praetor is a clone of Picard and his message of peace is nothing more than a ruse. For this doppelgänger is nothing like the original and is set to conquer as many worlds as he can.  

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Let's start off with something important about this movie. It is highly underrated. Nemesis was no box office smash and it signaled a hiatus for Star Trek on the silver screen for some time and that's unfortunate because this really is a thoughtful adventure and it features some incredible moments and performances. Yet clearly it did not resonate with audiences and one reason for that is simple, it covers too much familiar territory. With it being the end of another era but for a different crew, there are homages abound to Trek in general. Every series is referenced and quite frankly so are the films since this movie parallels many elements of The Wrath of Khan. While there is nothing wrong with an Easter egg here and there, the similarities to Star Trek II clearly drove audiences away that were looking for something new.  

It is sad to have to write that, because of the unique storyline of Picard facing off against...Picard. This movie takes the possibility of becoming a different man under different circumstances head on and the result is an evil and twisted Picard that we are not used to seeing. The Jean-Luc we know and love is a thoughtful man, driven by the ideals of the Federation which are only amplified by his own moral center. But Shinzon is a man filled with hate, who uses his endless rage to fuel his every thought and move. It's a fascinating twist for the character and Tom Hardy, who plays Shinzon, does an incredible impression of Patrick Stewart. In fact, watch during the final battle, there is a moment where he matches Patrick in such a way that I thought I was watching Stewart in full makeup as a younger version of himself. His performance is that good.  

But speaking of the final battle, I think it is the excessive focus on action that finally put the nail in the coffin for Nemesis. The two Picard's duking it out consumes nearly a third of the film, removing any chance for more of the fascinating storyline surrounding these two. It's a shame really, because this story had the potential to blow all of us away and because the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E deserved to say goodbye in a proper fashion.  

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