Star Trek: Insurrection
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| Star Trek: Insurrection | ||
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| Release date: 11 December 1998 | ||
| ← | 9th of 10 Star Trek films | → |
| ← | 546th of 726 released in all | → |
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| Screenplay By Michael Piller Story By Rick Berman & Michael Piller Directed By Jonathan Frakes Producer Rick Berman | ||
| Unknown (2375) | ||
- "The Battle For Paradise Has Begun"
As the Dominion War ravages the Alpha Quadrant, an idyllic planet in the middle of an unstable region within Federation space serves as home to the peaceful Ba'ku – and a veritable fountain of youth. When the Son'a and the war-torn Federation plan to exploit the planet in order to rejuvenate themselves, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise-E must rebel against their own people in order to save the Ba'ku and expose the atrocities that are about to take place.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] Act One
A small village sits under cloudless skies, nestled in the rolling, green hills of an alien planet: home to the Ba'ku. The citizens of this village go about their days, tending to crops and livestock – performing the functions of an agrarian civilization. A beautiful woman, Anij, emerges from a crowd of her fellow Ba'ku and makes her way through the village, stopping to silently greet a man named Sojef. Both are unaware that in the calm and peace of their home, they are being watched.
On computer terminals, the activities of the Ba'ku are being monitored. Within a cloaked "duckblind" positioned high on a hill overlooking the village, Starfleet officers and their alien partners, the Son'a, spy on the Ba'ku. Through special monitors, not only can they see the goings on in the village below, but also a team of researchers, themselves cloaked in isolation suits that glow red on screen. PADDs are passed back and forth, status reports are transmitted, and the Starfleet officers lie in the darkness of their duckblind, watching...
The quiet of the idyllic setting is suddenly disrupted. A bolt of phaser fire appears from nowhere, striking a narrow bridge as Ba'ku children scramble across it. Onlookers are shoved to the ground as invisible forces crash through the village.
In the duckblind, alert sirens sound as the Starfleet and Son'a officers observe the commotion. Through their special viewscreens, the observers watch as one of the cloaked researchers rampages through the village, attacking other men in red isolation suits.
Subduing his enemies, the researcher removes his helmet – it is Lieutenant Commander Data.
The Ba'ku villagers are shocked by the sudden appearance of the Android as he emerges from thin air, disruptor in hand. Ignoring orders to stand down from the officers within it, Data opens fire on the duckblind, disabling its cloaking device and revealing it to the Ba'ku. From the windows of the duckblind, the exposed Starfleet and Son'a officers look down as the Ba'ku look up. The villagers wonder who these people are and why they're here.
Aboard the USS Enterprise-E, Doctor Beverly Crusher fusses over the collar on Captain Jean-Luc Picard's dress uniform. Reading from a PADD, Counselor Deanna Troi repeats an alien greeting for the captain to memorize: "Yew-cheen chef-faw, emphasis on the 'cheen' and the 'faw'." Similarly decked out in his dress uniform, Commander William T. Riker arrives at the captain's quarters to gather the other officers - the guests are getting impatient.
As the four officers march down a corridor and into a turbolift, Riker breaks it to the captain: the Enterprise has been ordered to the Goren system to mediate a territorial dispute. Picard expresses his dissatisfaction, with the Federation embroiled in a bloody war with the Dominion, the Enterprise and her crew have been relegated to a diplomatic role. In that capacity, Picard and company are playing host to new protectorates, the Evora. "Can anyone remember," Picard wonders, "when we used to be explorers?"
The turbolift doors part and Picard, Crusher, Troi and Riker step out into a banquet hall to be greeted by a familiar face: Lieutenant Commander Worf, on leave from starbase Deep Space 9. Picard is genuinely happy to see the Klingon, leading his entourage to meet their guests. The captain recites the Evora greeting to the alien diplomats who welcome him in the "time honored tradition" of their people, draping a beaded ornament over the captain's head. No one was expecting this, to which Counselor Troi can only remark, "Nice beadwork."
Striking up the orchestra, Picard mingles with his guests when Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge approaches, informing the captain that they have received a communique from Starfleet Admiral Matthew Dougherty about Data. Setting up a com-line in the anteroom, Picard contacts the admiral. Dougherty is grave, telling the captain of Data's attack on the duckblind and a subsequent hostage taking. Picard offers assistance, but Dougherty rejects it out of hand, telling the captain that the Enterprise is not suited for travel within the unusual region called the "Briar Patch". Dougherty requests Data's schematics and tells Picard that he will keep the captain apprised of the situation. Disturbed, Picard informs La Forge that the Enterprise will be making a detour to the Briar Patch on its way to the Goren system, despite the fact that the two locations are in opposite directions.
Breaking through the red, gaseous clouds of the Briar Patch, a Son'a vessel heads toward the Ba'ku planet. In the bowels of the ship, a macabre "bodyshop" has been constructed where members of the ship's crew undergo bizarre medical treatments. The commander of the vessel and leader of the Son'a, Ahdar Ru'afo sits in an operating chair as two beautiful alien females stretch his skin over his forehead, stapling it to his skull. Admiral Dougherty watches, disgusted, while Ru'afo laments the decision to use the duckblind. Dougherty reminds him that it was intended to protect the Ba'ku population, but Ru'afo balks, "Planet's population! Six hundred people." Admiring the new face lift, Ru'afo adds, "Next time, leave your android at home." The deck suddenly rocks.
Entering the bridge, Ru'afo and Dougherty receive a tactical report: "Phaser blast, unknown origin!" On the Son'a viewscreen, Dougherty looks on as the attacking ship makes its escape. It's the mission scoutship, commanded by Data.
As the Enterprise warps away from the heart of the Federation, Captain Picard confers with his officers on the bridge. Commander Riker and Counselor Troi have downloaded all the necessary information on the duckblind mission and the Son'a, with orders to become "experts" in two days. In preparation for the task ahead, Worf too has been hard at work, modifying a tricorder to deactivate Data. While the range of the device is short, Worf assures Picard that it will stop the android. Picard orders the helmsman to take the Enterprise into the Briar Patch and the ship heads in.
Entering the gnarled, red nebulae of the Patch, the Enterprise crew is hard at work. In the ship's library, Troi and Riker have begun to review the data from Starfleet. Troi is amazed by what she reads about the Federation's partnership with the Son'a; known developers of the Dominion drug ketracel white. Riker too is stunned by the information on the Son'a, depicting the species as a conquering force. Troi wonders why the Federation would be involved with such a people, but there are no answers. As they work at their computer terminal, Troi stands close to Riker, caressing his neck. Riker says that it reminds him of their past relationship, but Troi plays innocent, "Was I doing something to your neck?"
In his quarters, Worf has overslept. Awaking to the sound of Captain Picard's com signal, the Klingon jumps up in bed, hitting his head on the ceiling. "I don't know how they do it on Deep Space 9," Picard jokes, "but here on the Enterprise we still report for duty on time." Making his way around the bridge to the helm, Picard listens to the sound of his ship, telling La Forge and Ensign Kell Perim that something sounds off. La Forge is amazed by the captain's acute hearing, noting that there is a minor misalignment in the torque sensors. As a disheveled Worf arrives on the bridge, Lieutenant Daniels at tactical reports an incoming hail from Admiral Dougherty.
On screen, the image of Dougherty and Ru'afo appears. Dougherty admits his surprise at seeing Picard here in the Briar Patch, then tells the captain that he hasn't got good news. Following the attack on Ru'afo's ship, Dougherty has concluded that Data must be neutralized. Ru'afo is less tactful than the admiral, angrily telling Picard that "your android has become dangerously violent," and suggesting that he must be destroyed. Picard sympathizes, but tells both men that if Data is to be captured, he should be the one to do it. Admiral Dougherty reluctantly agrees, giving Picard twelve hours.
Picard and Worf board a shuttecraft and head away from the Enterprise, toward the Ba'ku planet. Working the controls, neither officer can locate Data's scoutship – the rings around Ba'ku may be interfering with their sensors. The search is abruptly ended, though, when the Enterprise shuttle jolts under phaser fire and Data's scoutship makes its appearance.
Unable to shake the attacking Data, Picard attempts to reason with him over communications. Data does not respond. The captain pilots the shuttlecraft towards the planet, hoping to shake the scoutship in the atmosphere. Data continues to pursue, chasing Picard and Worf's shuttle into the clouds of the planet. The captain reasons that Data must be functioning on some level that could be reached through memory recall. Opening a computer file, Picard selects a song from the musical HMS Pinafore and begins to sing "A British Tar". However reluctantly, Worf too begins to sing along as the shuttles chase each other in the skies above Ba'ku. Data responds in kind, reciting the lyrics to the song and giving Picard and Worf the distraction they need. The Enterprise shuttle creeps up to the mission scoutship and engages its docking clamps, securing the two ships together.
Aboard the scoutship, Data realizes what has happened and is quick to react, engaging his engines and sending both ships into a barrel roll towards the surface.
On the Enterprise shuttle, Picard and Worf struggle to hold on as they spiral toward the quickly advancing ground. Working the helm, Picard is able to pull them out of the dive and into a stable flightpath. Worf seizes the opportunity, climbing through a hatch and into Data's scoutship. Seeing the intruder, Data lunges at Worf, but the Klingon successfully disables the android by the touch of a button on his modified tricorder: "Commander Data is safely in custody."
In the glimmer of the transporter effect, Captain Picard, Counselor Troi and Doctor Crusher lead an away team to the Ba'ku village. Troi is immediately struck by the peace that surrounds them, the "clarity of perception" of the Ba'ku people. Finding the "hostages" from the duckblind enjoying a lavish meal with the planet's natives, Picard is welcomed by Anij and Sojef, the leaders of the community. They tell the Starfleet captain that Data was suffering from damage to his positronic brain that they were unable to repair. Picard is surprised, it seems the Ba'ku aren't what they appeared to be: capable of space travel and advanced technologies, yet choosing to live a simpler existence. The captain apologizes for the intrusion then transports away with the Starfleet and Son'a officers, back to the Enterprise.
In his quarters, Picard briefs the admiral on his desktop monitor. Dougherty congratulates the captain, genially telling him, "Now, pack your bags and get the hell out of there." The admiral informs Picard that they will be sending a ship to retrieve the Son'a personnel; there are "a few loose ends to tie up." Ending the transmission, Picard sits at his desk, cluttered with PADDs bearing paperwork and status reports. Sifting through them, Picard dismisses his work and rises from his chair, standing at the windows overlooking the planet below.
Counselor Troi is busy at work in her office when the door chimes and Commander Riker enters. Asking Troi if she has a minute, Riker tells the counselor that he thinks a needs a little "counseling". He moves to Troi's couch and lies down, his head in her lap. "This isn't one of the usual therapeutic postures," she tells him, suggesting he sit up. Riker is playful, "Or you could try lying down." He sits up, stealing a kiss along the way. Troi is repulsed, pushing him back and laughing, "Yuck! I never kissed you with a beard before!" She shoves him through the doorway, hitting a panel that closes it shut in his face.
Picard and La Forge head down a corridor to engineering. La Forge reports on Data's status, who, it seems, was shot by a Son'a weapon. But, Picard says, the Son'a reported that Data fired first. La Forge disagrees, then is interrupted by a sudden headache - his ocular implants must be bothering him.
The two officers arrive at engineering where Data is being held in stasis. La Forge reactivates Data who admits that he seems to be missing several memory engrams. La Forge holds out his hand and several cybernetic components to which Data responds, "There they are." Releasing Data from his stasis confinement, Picard asks him what was the last thing he remembers. The android launches into another round of HMS Pinafore, but the captain stops him, "About the mission." Standing before the Enterprise warp core, Data recalls the he last thing he can remember: following Ba'ku children into the hills.
Down on the planet, Picard, Data, Anij and Sojef retrace the android's footsteps, finding a Ba'ku boy named Artim playing in a tree with a friend and his pet. Sojef asks Artim if he can recall where Data first appeared to them. The boy responds that he was playing in the hills by the dam and leads the way.
Back aboard the Enterprise, Riker and Troi have reconvened. Sitting in a bathtub in the commander's quarters, Troi uses an old fashioned razor to shave Riker's beard off, his face covered with a thick coat of shaving cream. The com chirps and Worf signals, telling Riker that Admiral Doughery is calling to find out why the Enterprise still has not left. Responding to the admiral from his quarters, Riker tells Dougherty that the captain and Data have traveled to the planet to discover the exact cause of Data's malfunction. The admiral is impatient, telling Riker to remind the captain that his twelve hours are up.
Arriving at a lake surrounded by snow-topped mountains, Picard and the group of Ba'ku watch Data as he uses his tricorder to scan for evidence. With heavy deposits of kelbonite in the mountains, Data says, the tricorder's functions are limited. Entering a few more commands into the scanning device, Data detects something "curious", then steps into the lake, disappearing below the surface. Descending deeper into the lake, Data continues his scans as fish swim past. Finally getting the readings he was in search of, he trudges across the bottom of the lake to a floodgate. Emerging from the water, the android opens the gate, emptying part of the lake and revealing the glistening hull of an invisible starship. Data tells Picard that the ship is "clearly of Federation origin."
Stepping onto a rowboat, Picard, Data and Anij float out to the cloaked ship to investigate. Crossing the lake, the three arrive at the dripping, invisible hull of the ship. Data operates his tricorder which opens an airlock, revealing the interior of the ship. Climbing inside, Picard, Data and Anij are stunned to find a perfect, holographic replica of the Ba'ku village...albeit an incomplete one. Picard doesn't understand, clearly Data was shot to prevent the discovery of this giant holoship, but what is it's purpose? Picard deduces that this ship is here to trick the Ba'ku, to transport them en masse to a new location away from their planet. But why?
A burst of phaser fire rings out, narrowly missing them. Picard and Data react quickly, shoving Anij out of the ship and away from the crossfire as they fire their phasers. Disabling an attacking Son'a officer, Picard and Data deactivate the holographic simulation and turn back to the lake to find Anij struggling to swim. The two Enterprise officers leap from the airlock into the water to save the Ba'ku woman. As Picard scoops her into his arms, Data assures them, "In the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device."
[edit] Act Two
In the Enterprise transporter room, Picard and Data have returned to the ship to find Lieutenant Commander Worf waiting for them. Worf informs the captain that neither the Starfleet nor the Son'a hostages mentioned the holoship in their debriefing. Picard orders the Klingon to debrief them again, then notices a huge blemish on his nose, "Mr. Worf, have you been in a fight?" Worf is humiliated, explaining that it is a gorch, a Klingon pimple. "Well," Picard tries to assure him, "it's hardly noticeable."
The officers exit the transporter room into a corridor where a clean-shaven Commander Riker meets them, "Smooth as an android's bottom eh, Data?" Riker catches up to the captain, telling Picard of the admiral's order to leave the Ba'ku region immediately. Picard is determined, "We're not going anywhere." He steps into a turbolift and contacts Doctor Crusher.
In sickbay, Crusher receives the captain's message, telling him that the Son'a officers refused treatment. When asked about the status of the Starfleet hostages, Crusher replies that they are better than fine, with improved muscle tone and energy. Picard acknowledges her signal as the doctor turns to her patient, Geordi La Forge.
Picard arrives in his quarters and heads to the lavatory. Calling to the computer, he orders music – "Something Latin... a mambo." The computer complies, playing upbeat music to which the captain begins to dance. Turning toward the mirror Picard smiles at his reflection, but then realizes that something is not right. He begins to put it all together.
Anij answers a knock at her door. It is Picard: "How old are you?"
A while later, Anij and Picard meet with Sojef, Artim and Tournel and they discuss the Ba'ku's real situation. Sojef explains that the Ba'ku traveled to this planet hundreds of years ago from a planet where technology threatened their very existence. Moving to the Briar Patch, the Ba'ku found a new way of life, and have been continually regenerated by a bizarre concentration of metaphasic radiation in the rings of the planet. The Ba'ku planet is a fountain of youth and Picard understands now why someone would want to take this all away from them.
Strolling through the quiet village at night, Anij teaches Picard about Ba'ku customs and tells him about herself. Picard reciprocates by telling her of his life in the Federation and of his desire not to let bloody chapters in history play out again here. Anij admits that Picard surprises her, he doesn't stand up to his reputation as an off-lander. "I wonder if you're aware of the trust you engender," Anij says, "In my experience, it's unusual for someone so young."
Leaving Anij's home, Picard continues his late night tour of the village as the sun begins to rise over the hills. Spotting one of his officers just beyond the village, Picard climbs to meet Geordi La Forge as he looks out over the scenery. The chief engineer, Picard sees, has also been affected by the metaphasic radiation, his eyes having been fully regenerated. La Forge tells the captain that he has never seen a real sunrise, but would like to see one before they leave in case the regeneration reverses itself. The two men stand on the hill and watch as day breaks over the picturesque hills of the Ba'ku planet.
In orbit, a fleet of Son'a starships enters the area, dwarfing the Enterprise as it flies below them.
Admiral Dougherty and Ru'afo enter the captain's ready room, demanding the release of the Son'a officers and the departure of the Enterprise. Picard is ready for them, telling them that he found the holoship. Dougherty knows that he has been caught and asks Ru'afo to wait outside. The Son'a, however, refuses and shouts an enraged, "NO!". The skin stretched tight over Ru'afo's forehead breaks and blood drips down his face, "This entire mission has been one Federation blunder after another. You will return my men or this alliance will end with the destruction of your ship." Ru'afo storms out, leaving Dougherty and Picard alone.
Dougherty is more calm than his Son'a partner, telling the captain that he looks rested. Picard cuts through pleasantries, telling the admiral that he will not allow the Ba'ku to be relocated. Dougherty doesn't care, he says he is acting under orders from the Federation Council; removing these six hundred Ba'ku will help billions in the Federation and create a whole new medical science. Picard questions the alliance with the Son'a, but Dougherty has an answer for everything, "We can handle the Son'a."
The admiral explains that Ru'afo and his men have the technology capable of extracting the metaphasic particles from the rings, but the process will make the planet uninhabitable. By removing the Ba'ku, they would be restoring them to their natural evolution, "Besides," Dougherty says, "Who would want to live in the middle of the Briar Patch?" "The Ba'ku," Picard answers, asking the admiral just how many lives would it take before this venture becomes wrong. Dougherty doesn't want to hear it and orders Picard and crew to the Goren system, "File whatever protest you wish to. By the time you do, this will be all done." Picard goes to his quarters. With a view of the Ba'ku planet below, he slowly removes each one of his rank pips and renounces his status as a Starfleet captain.
Aboard the Son'a flagship, Ru'afo is back in the "bodyshop", undergoing more treatment. As a glowing piece of equipment is placed over his head, one of the ship's Tarlac servants activates it, stretching Ru'afo's face. Sitting up, Ru'afo is glad to see his old friend Gallatin, finally released from captivity on the Enterprise. Gallatin tells Ru'afo that he was not hurt, but tells the Ahdar that it was not pleasant being among the Ba'ku. Ru'afo tells him not to worry about the holoship anymore, "Just get the holding cells ready."
On board the Cousteau, the captain's yacht, Picard is out of uniform, preparing to go to the surface alone. Beaming supplies aboard the yacht, he opens a cargo container and checks the contents: phaser rifles. The large aft hatch suddenly opens, revealing La Forge, Riker, Troi, Worf, Crusher and Data, each ready to help their captain defend the Ba'ku. Found out, Picard orders his command crew to return to their quarters, but, as Riker says, "No uniform, no orders." Each is prepared to risk their career to stand behind Picard, who grudgingly accepts their help. He orders Riker and La Forge to take the Enterprise out of the Briar Patch to contact Starfleet Command and let them know the details of Dougherty's plan. The rest go with him to the surface. "Saddle up," Data says, "Lock and load."
In a small tactical room adjacent to the Son'a flagship's main bridge, Ru'afo and Dougherty watch a monitor. On the screen, a simulation of the metaphasic extraction plays out. Gallatin enters carrying a large PADD and Ru'afo shares the good news: "The injector performs perfectly in every simulation..." Gallatin hands him the PADD, telling him the captain's yacht disengaged from the Enterprise before the ship departed. Ru'afo is furious, ordering Gallatin to take a team of shuttles to the surface, to capture the Ba'ku and take the planet by force, adding, "if Picard or any of his people interfere... eliminate them."
On the surface, night has once again fallen over the Ba'ku village. Tournel is high in a tower, ringing a loud bell, shouting to his fellow villagers, "We're leaving the village!" Data activates transport inhibitors around the gathering Ba'ku as Picard briefs Anij and Sojef. Pointing to the screen of a small computer terminal, Picard lays out his plan: they will follow the kelbonite deposits in the hills to avoid being captured by the Son'a. Anij adds that there are caves in the mountains that they can use to hide in.
Lights appear in the sky above them: Son'a shuttles swoop low to the ground, firing on the village and destroying several transport inhibitors. The villagers begin to run for cover, led by the Enterprise officers as explosions light up in the night. Sojef grabs Artim, trying to help him get to safety when he suddenly dissolves with a group of Ba'ku, transported away. Artim yells out for his father as Data scoops him up and carries him away.
Gallatin and his teams return to the Son'a flagship. Arriving in the tactical room, Gallatin has bad news for Ru'afo: the Ba'ku cannot be beamed off the planet as long as they are following the kelbonite. Ru'afo has lost his patience, suggesting they take an assault team to the surface. Gallatin has an alternative suggestion: isolinear tags will allow them to transport the villagers, but it will take time. With the Enterprise hurrying out of the Briar Patch to expose Ru'afo and Dougherty, they are running out of time and Ru'afo is unwilling to wait. Dougherty offers to contact Commander Riker, to order the Enterprise to turn around, but Ru'afo doesn't like that plan either. Instead, he says, he can send his ships to "escort" the Enterprise back to the Ba'ku planet. If people get hurt, Dougherty says, they will lose all the support they have.
"Federation support, Federation procedures, Federation rules," Ru'afo balks, "look in the mirror, Admiral... the Federation is old... in the last twenty four months, it's been challenged by every major power in the quadrant – the Borg, the Cardassians, the Dominion... they all smell the scent of death on the Federation. That's why you've embraced our offer... because it will give your dear Federation new life. Well, how badly do you want it, Admiral? Because there are hard choices to be made now. If the Enterprise gets through with news about their brave Captain's valiant struggle on behalf of the defenseless Ba'ku, your Federation politicians will waver, your Federation opinion polls will open a public debate, your Federation allies will want their say... need I go on?" Dougherty sits back in his chair, his arm has been twisted: "Send your ships."
As dawn breaks over the hills of the Ba'ku planet, a long stream of villagers winds through a field, an exodus. Data and Artim walk together, stopping to rest near a stream. Artim says that he cannot imagine what life would be like as a machine. Data confesses that he has often wondered what it would like to a boy. "Do androids ever play?" Artim asks. Yes, Data says, citing his advanced chess routines and his mastery of the violin. That's not what Artim means, "If you want to know 'what it's like to be a child', you need to learn how to play."
Worf catches up with Anij and Picard at the head of the group, the Klingon's hair has grown long and unruly; a symptom Worf says of Jak'tahla, Klingon puberty. "Any severe mood swings, unusual aggressive tendencies – be sure to let me know," Picard says, heeding Worf's warning that the Ba'ku have become tired. The captain orders an hour of rest to break out the rations.
Resting near a small waterfall, Picard and Anij sit on rocks, the captain staring through binoculars at their destination: caves set into distant mountains. Anij admires the captain, running her hand over his head, "It's been three hundred years since I've seen a bald man." He smiles at her, "I should warn you... I've always been attracted to older women..." Just ahead, the babbling of the waterfall silences as the water becomes a fine mist, flowing more like sand than water. Picard wonders how Anij is able to do this, but she has no answer for him. They sit in silence and enjoy a "perfect moment" in which time slows and they are together.
The Enterprise is deep within the red and orange clouds of the Briar Patch, continuing its course back to the Federation. On the bridge, Riker is in the captain's chair, La Forge is at the conn, Perim at ops. Reading her board, Perim reports: two Son'a ships are on an intercept course. With the Enterprise still an hour away from transmission range, Riker needs to buy time. But time for diversion is cut short, when the deck rocks under weapons fire. Determined, Riker orders full impulse, but Geordi is hesitant, the impulse engines can't handle that much speed in the Briar Patch. The commander warns La Forge that if they don't find a way to outrun the Son'a, little will be left of the Enterprise. La Forge nods and heads to engineering. Riker grips the armrests of his chair, "All hands! Battle stations!"
Back on the Ba'ku planet, Deanna Troi and Doctor Crusher are sitting together discussing the rejuvenating effects of the planet over field rations, "And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up?" Data overhears their conversation, walking over to Worf who is disgusted by the food they have to eat: "I have an odd craving for the blood of a live Kolar beast. The environment must be affecting me again." Data seems to understand, "And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up?" Worf looks at him puzzled for a beat, then looks to the sky as the Son'a shuttles return, dropping small drones over the Ba'ku refugees, "Take cover!" The Ba'ku scatter as the drones descend, shooting isolinear tags at them, allowing them to beamed away.
Smoke and plasma leak into the bridge as the Enterprise takes heavy fire. Riker hangs onto his chair as the ship shudders beneath him. In engineering, Geordi and his team are putting out fires and trying to keep the ship together, "We're going to blow ourselves up!" Geordi shouts up to the bridge, "We won't need any help from the Son'a!" On the viewscreen, a large red cloud looms in the distance. Perim warns Riker that they do not want to go in there, but Riker disagrees. Taking the helm, Riker sets a course directly for the cloud and takes the Enterprise in.
On the planet, Picard and his men are themselves in battle, as the drones continue to take Ba'ku. Troi, Crusher and Worf fire their phaser rifles, each taking out drones but there are so many of them. Swinging his rifle like a bat, Worf swings and strikes one causing it to explode in a shower of sparks, "Definitely feeling aggressive tendencies, Sir!"
In the nebula, an explosion rocks the Enterprise as a subspace tear forms; the Son'a have detonated an isolytic burst, a subspace weapon banned by the Second Khitomer Accords, threatening to destroy the Enterprise. Geordi calls up to the bridge, telling the commander that the ship's warp core is acting like a magnet to the tear, pulling it "like a zipper across space." The chief engineer suggests ejecting the core and detonating it in the tear though this suggestion only "may or may not work" as subspace weapons are unpredictable. Having little alternative, Riker orders La Forge to eject the core, but the engineer has already done it, sending the reactor spinning away from the ship towards the tear. As the core makes contact with the tear, the core is detonated, resulting in a massive shock wave that slams into the Enterprise, hurling the great ship through space.
All over the ship, consoles explode and crew members are thrown to the deck. Despite the heavy damage sustained by the Enterprise, the subspace tear has been sealed. On the bridge, a bleeding Riker keeps his post as sparks shower from damaged terminals. Still a half hour away from contact with the Federation, Riker knows they have to fight: "We're through running from these bastards!"
The Starfleet officers have led the Ba'ku into caves and erected a force field shielding them from the attacking drones. Data reports that forty-three Ba'ku have been beamed away. The group is allowed no rest as soon the thunderous sound of impacts is heard and the caverns shake: the Son'a shuttles are firing on the caves to drive them out. Data warns Picard that the structure of the cavern won't hold for long and uses his tricorder to search for an escape route. Finding a place in a cavern wall that will allow them exit, they use their phasers to cut through the rock. As the rock opens up and the dust clears, a clear view of the mountains and more caves can be seen. Picard orders everyone to move out.
In the Briar Patch, the Enterprise swings around towards large pockets of gas. On the bridge, Riker searches for a suitable cloud, finding one full of volatile materials. La Forge recommends they keep their distance, but Riker intends to use the gas to "shove it down the Son'a's throats." Activating the ship's Bussard collectors, the crew gathers metreon particles until storage is at full capacity. Activating the manual steering column, Riker grabs ahold of a joystick, flying the ship by touch. On screen, two Son'a battle cruisers loom close by. When the battleships fire their weapons, Riker orders the ramscoops emptied, sending the gas toward the Son'a ships. As the Son'a photon torpedoes make contact with the gas, the gas combusts into a massive fireball, engulfing and destroying one Son'a ship and disabling the other. Riker is victorious.
High in the mountains, Picard and company are busy fending off an attack by Son'a foot soldiers. Armed with an isomagnetic disintegrator, Worf takes aim at the henchmen and launches a blue-electric bolt that send them flying through the air. Crusher kneels over a wounded Son'a soldier, scanning him with her medical tricorder. Holding the tricorder for Picard to see her readings, the two aren't sure what to make of what they have just discovered.
Back in the caves, Anij and Tournel continue to evacuate the Ba'ku. As the last villagers make their way into the mountains, Anij realizes that Artim is nowhere to be found. She heads into the dark caverns after him, finding him in a particularly unstable area. Grabbing Artim by the hand, Anij leads him out as the caves begin to collapse. As rocks tumble from the cavern ceiling, the Starfleet officers rejoin the Ba'ku, Data grabbing Artim and pulling him to safety. Holding Anij close, Picard leads the way as the cave continues to crumble, sealing them inside and crushing Anij.
As the dust settles, Picard scans her vitals, "I'm losing her." With help on the other side of a newly formed wall of rocks, Picard must do his best to help Anij. Holding her hand, he asks her to help him keep her in this moment until help can arrive. As she begins to fade, dust falling from the ceiling suddenly slows and time around them moves slowly enough to allow Data, Crusher, Worf and Troi to break through the rocks and come to the rescue.
Carrying Anij out into the open mountain air, Picard and his crew face off against more Son'a drones. Each taking a defensive posture, they fire their weapons and destroy the drones. But one of the drones survives, shooting isolinear tags that attach themselves to Picard and Anij, sending them away in the shimmer of a transporter beam.
[edit] Act Three
Captain Picard and Anij find themselves with Sojef and the rest of the captured Ba'ku villagers aboard Ru'afo's flagship, in a holding cell. Ru'afo and Dougherty arrive, entering the force field protected brig to confront Picard. Dougherty orders him to call off the Enterprise, which has destroyed one of the Son'a battle cruisers and significantly damaged another. Dougherty threatens the captain with a court martial, but Picard is still defiant: "If a court martial is the only way to tell the people of the Federation what happened here, then I welcome it." The captain knows that Dougherty allowed Ru'afo to send his ships to attack the Enterprise, saying "I wonder which one of us will be facing that court martial." Dougherty backs down, but Ru'afo is persistent, "This is going to end now. The Ba'ku want to stay on the planet. Let them. I'm going to launch the injector... In six hours, every living thing in this system will be dead or dying."
"You would kill your own people, Ru'afo?" Picard asks. Sojef picks up where the captain left off, telling Ru'afo and Dougherty of Doctor Crusher's findings – the Son'a and the Ba'ku are the same race. Picard confronts the admiral, telling Dougherty that he brought the Federation into the middle of a blood feud. A century ago, it seems, a group of Ba'ku rebelled and were banished from the planet; now they have returned for revenge. Anij suddenly realizes who Ru'afo and Gallatin are, once called Ro'tin and Gal'na. Ru'afo shrugs it off, "Those names, those children are gone forever." He storms out, leaving Dougherty with Picard and the Ba'ku. The admiral is despondent, "This was all for the Federation." He turns and follows Ru'afo.
Finding Ru'afo at a computer console in the bodyshop, Dougherty confronts the Ahdar, telling him that the mission is over. Ru'afo reacts violently, throwing Dougherty over a railing and smashing his face into a glass cabinet. Ru'afo then straps the bloodied admiral into one of the cosmetic chairs, activating one of the face life devices. Dougherty warns him, "If you begin the procedure while the planet's still populated, the Federation will pursue you." Ru'afo doesn't care, "The Federation will never know what happened here." He engages the device, stretching the admiral's skin as he screams with pain.
Returning to the bridge of his ship, Ru'afo tells Gallatin that their plans have changed: deploy the collector now. Gallatin is clearly unhappy, asking to speak with Ru'afo alone. Speaking privately, Ru'afo reminds Gallatin, "No one hated them more than you, Gal'na." The Ahdar then orders him to separate the Starfleet crew into the ship's aft cargo compartment. Gallatin knows that those areas won't be protected from the metaphasic radiation; Ru'afo intends to murder them just as he murdered Admiral Dougherty. Gallatin steps off the bridge as the Son'a collector begins its slow activation sequence.
Incensed, Gallatin returns to the holding cells. Pointing a disruptor at Picard, he orders the captain to follow him to the aft cargo area. Picard complies, accompanying Gallatin through the corridors of the Son'a ship and into a turbolift. Once inside, Picard is able to convince Gallatin to relent, telling him that "there is still a way home." Deactivating his weapon, Gallatin asks Picard how he can help. Picard is at first unsure, there's no way to deactivate the injector from the flagship without Ru'afo finding out. Picard asks Gallatin to get him to a communicator and leave the rest to him.
The countdown continues on the bridge and the Son'a collector unfurls gigantic, golden sails near the rings of the planet. Ru'afo sits on a plush couch in the middle of the bridge and watches the activation sequence on the viewscreen. The ship suddenly shakes as the Cousteau flies toward it, firing harmless tachyon bursts. One of the Son'a officer reports that the ship is causing a fluctuation in their shields. "Very well," Ru'afo snaps, "Destroy that ship and reset our shield harmonics... do not delay the countdown..."
In space, the Son'a ship fires on the yacht, severely damaging it. In the cockpit, Data pilots the ship back toward the planet, where he will make an emergency landing.
On the bridge of the flagship, the Son'a officers report that the ship is retreating and the countdown is continuing. Suddenly, a flash of white light envelops the bridge, then dissipates. Unsure of what has just happened, the crew continues to monitor the injector as the countdown concludes. On screen, they watch as the injector deploys and the rings around the planet suddenly scatter. Ru'afo is in awe, "Exactly as the simulations predicted." But something is wrong, one of the Son'a officers reports, nothing has changed. Ru'afo is unconcerned, the scanners must be malfunctioning, but on closer inspection of their equipment, the crew discovers that there are simply no ship functions. "How can there be no ship functions," Ru'afo asks, "if the viewscreen is working?" Then he notices it: a bizarre hole in one of the bridge bulkheads. Pushing his fingers into the hole, he realizes that they are no longer aboard their ship. Grabbing his disruptor, he fires at the hole in the bulkhead, revealing a door surrounded by a hologrid, "A holodeck!"
Stepping through the doorway, Ru'afo and his crew find themselves aboard the holoship, they were transported aboard when they reset their shields. Finding the ship's bridge, they attempt to transport back aboard the flagship, but are unsuccessful. Ru'afo uses his communicator to contact the injector, but it is of no use, the collector has been deactivated. The Son'a Ahdar screams out in rage.
Stopped in mid-countdown, the Son'a collector hangs in space on the flagship's viewscreen. Picard turns to Worf, who stands at one of the bridge consoles, and orders the Klingon to destroy it. As he enters the commands into the computer, Worf realizes he has lost control of the ship. Gallatin reports that this must mean the crew of the ship has discovered the deception. Sensors report that Ru'afo has transported aboard the collector itself. Grabbing a phaser rifle, Picard resolves to beam over and stop him from reactivating it.
Materializing aboard the collector, Picard appears near a computer station where Ru'afo works to reactivate the sequence. Seeing the Starfleet captain, Ru'afo fires his disruptor. Narrowly escaping the blast, Picard begins to climb up the collector's superstructure to the self-destruct mechanism. Ru'afo pursues.
The Son'a crew has broken into the bridge, and Worf and Gallatin struggle to fend them off.
As the Enterprise makes its way back to the Ba'ku planet, sensors detect the captain on the collector. Riker hails Picard, who tells the commander that he may need a lift in a minute.
Picard reaches the mechanism and begins realigning the circuitry.
Back under the control of the Son'a crew, Ru'afo's flagship has begun an assault on the Enterprise, which trembles under fire. Detecting Worf aboard the ship, Riker realizes they have an advantage, "Set a collision course."
Pointing his weapon at the captain, Ru'afo orders Picard to step away from the control panel. Plasma vents all around them and Picard smiles, "Ru'afo, you and I are getting too old for this." Ru'afo counters, "After today, that won't be a problem... for either of us." Surrounded by puffs of plasma, Picard asks the Son'a Ahdar, "Are you really willing to risk igniting the plasma?" Ru'afo hesitates, momentarily lowering his weapon. "All right!" the captain says, raising his phaser rifle, "I will!" He fires and the plasma explodes, sending Ru'afo flying off his feet and down to a lower level, where he is barely able to hang on.
The Enterprise bears down on the flagship. Worf sits on Ru'afo's couch, surrounded by Son'a officers who hold him at gunpoint. The Son'a in charge turns to the Klingon in reaction to the ever closing starship, "He wouldn't!" Worf nods his head, "Yes. He would." The Son'a react quickly to move their ship out of the way as the Enterprise strafes it, firing it's phasers and dealing it a lethal blow. The flagship spins out of control, fires blazing on its hull.
Climbing back up to the self-destruct mechanism, Ru'afo is just in time to see Picard activate the device. Below, explosions shoot upward – the collector is breaking apart. Picard stands on a ledge and looks down as the destruction travels up the inside of the collector. Outside, the Enterprise swoops down, nearly hitting the surface of the exploding injector. Just as the fireballs reach him, a transporter beam engages and beams Picard away as Ru'afo and his collector are incinerated.
Back on the burned bridge of the Enterprise, Picard has returned in time to receive a hail from Worf on the Son'a flagship. With the ship severely damaged, the Klingon signals the crew's unconditional surrender, "It may have something to do with the fact that we have three minutes of air left." Picard and Riker smile, telling Worf to transport aboard, they have plenty of air.
On the surface of the planet, the Ba'ku villagers return to their homes. Riker wonders aloud to La Forge and Worf if his feelings for Troi will fade when they leave the planet. Worf comments that Riker's feelings have never changed; the planet merely let them back out. Picard proposes to Sojef and Anij that the Ba'ku and Son'a reunite. Sojef believes the feelings between the two peoples are too bitter. In the distance, Gallatin is reunited with his mother, showing that there might be hope.
Picard and Anij are having difficulty saying good bye. But, he assures Anij, he has plenty of shore leave coming and he doesn't intend to waste a minute of it. Data is found playing in a haystack with Artim and his friends. When Dr. Crusher calls for him, he tells them, "I have to go home now." Joining his command crew, Picard signals to the Enterprise and he, Commander Riker, Lieutenant Commander Data, Geordi La Forge, Doctor Crusher, Counselor Troi and Worf beam off the planet. The Enterprise makes its way back through the Briar Patch and into the expanse of space.
[edit] Memorable quotes
"Federation support, Federation procedures, Federation rules... look in the mirror, admiral... the Federation is old... in the last twenty four months, it's been challenged by every major power in the quadrant – the Borg, the Cardassians, the Dominion... they all smell the scent of death on the Federation. That's why you've embraced our offer... because it will give your dear Federation new life."
- - Ru'afo
"Jean-Luc, we're only moving six hundred people."
"How many people does it take, admiral, before it becomes wrong, hmm? A thousand? Fifty thousand? A million? How many people does it take, admiral?"
- - Matthew Dougherty and Jean-Luc Picard
"Admiral Dougherty will not be joining us for dinner. Deploy the collector."
- - Ru'afo
"Bridge to Commander Worf. Worf?"
"Captain..."
"I don't know how they do it on Deep Space 9, but on the Enterprise we still report for duty on time."
- - Jean-Luc Picard and Worf
"Come out, come out, whereever you are..."
- - Jean-Luc Picard, softly singing while waiting for Data to appear
"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?"
- - Jean-Luc Picard
"Mr. Worf, do you know Gilbert and Sullivan?"
"No sir, I have not had a chance to meet all of the new crewmembers since I've been back."
"They're composers, Worf."
- - Jean-Luc Picard to Worf
"And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up?"
"Not that we care about such things in this day and age."
"Uh-huh."
- - Troi and Dr. Crusher
"And have you noticed how your boobs have started to firm up? Not that we care about..."
- - Data, to Worf, after overhearing Dr. Crusher and Counselor Tro's conversation
"Geordi, are those pockets of metreon gas?"
"Yes, commander. highly volatile. I recommend we keep our distance."
"Negative. I want to use the ram-scoop to collect as much of it as we can."
"The purpose being!?"
"The purpose being ... I intend to shove it down the Son'a's throat."
- - William T. Riker and Geordi La Forge
"Yeah, but there's nothing stopping them from doing it again and we're fresh out of warp cores."
- - Geordi La Forge
"Photon torpedo. Isn't that the universal greeting when communications are down?"
"I think it's the universal greeting when you don't like someone."
- - William T. Riker and Geordi La Forge
"We're through running from these bastards."
- - William T. Riker
"I wouldn't be surprised if history remembers this one as the Riker Maneuver."
"If it works!"
"Either way, they'll be teaching kids at the academy not to do this for years to come."
- - William T. Riker and Geordi La Forge
- The 3rd line of the quote is from the novelization of Insurrection and is not in the movie.
"Counselor, do you think it's possible for two people to go back in time? Fix a mistake they made?"
"On this ship, anything's possible. (They kiss, then Troi pushes Riker away) Yuck!"
"Yuck?"
"I've never kissed you with a beard before."
"I kiss you and you say yuck?"
- - William T. Riker and Deanna Troi, suddenly rekindling their romance
"In the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device."
- - Data
"Have you been in a fight Mr. Worf?"
"No sir, it is a gorch."
"Gorch?"
(whispering) "Pimples, Sir."
"Oh, well, it's hardly noticeable."
- - Jean-Luc Picard, Worf, and Data
"You Klingons never do anything small, do you?"
- - William T. Riker, a little while later
"As smooth as an android's bottom, eh Data?."
(A bit later, Data touches Riker's face and shakes his head)
- - William T. Riker and Data, referring to Riker's newly shaved face
"Definitely feeling aggressive tendencies, sir!"
- - Worf
"Captain, the Son'a crew wish to negotiate a cease-fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we have three minutes of air left."
- - Worf
"I appear to be missing several memory engrams. (La Forge shows him some small computer components) There they are."
- - Data
"I have to go home now."
- - Data, to Artim after Dr. Crusher calls out that they're about to leave
"I have an odd craving for the blood of a live Kolar beast."
- - Worf, noticing the effects of the metaphasic radiation
"Eject the core!"
"I just did."
(Riker grins)
- - Riker and La Forge
[edit] Background Information
[edit] Development
| Movie trailer |
Development of the ninth Star Trek film began in earnest in February 1997 when producer Rick Berman and Paramount Pictures approached Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran writer/producer Michael Piller for story ideas. With Star Trek: First Contact screenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga occupied not only by their work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager respectively, but also on Paramount's Mission Impossible II, Berman and Piller would tackle the film alone. Piller had previously declined the opportunity to write 1994's Star Trek Generations due to interoffice competition for the project, and admitted that he found First Contact too "dark". His involvement with the new film project came under the proviso that it be "lighter" than the previous two:
- "...The strength of Star Trek depends on making people feel good about the future. Over the last ten years, the American public has turned to darker and darker science-fiction. But I think the fans love the parameters that Gene Roddenberry set for us, the 'box' that he put us in. It's an intellectual challenge, but we have to stay in that box."
Again a mesh of ideas like its predecessor, what would eventually become Star Trek: Insurrection, says Piller, emerged from his own experience with aging. "I literally got the idea for this film one morning as i was putting on my Rogaine...Not that I need it of course." Piller seized upon the prevailing attitudes and focus of American society on youth, deciding to craft a story based on the search for the Fountain of Youth. Rick Berman meanwhile hoped to remake a classic story into a Star Trek film. The collaborators utilized Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the concept of traveling "up river" to form their outline.
In a story titled Star Trek: Stardust (named after the Hoagy Carmichael song), Captain Picard is sent to track down a former Starfleet Academy classmate named Duffy, who is attacking Romulan ships in the far reaches of space. As the Enterprise crew pursues Duffy, they grow younger in age as they close in on the Fountain of Youth powers of the "Briar Patch". Problems with the dramatic impact of such a storyline, however, plagued the development. Berman believed the film to be too political; the Fountain of Youth scenario too fantasy-like. Ultimately, the rejuvenation of the crew was dropped in favor of a story more closely modeled on Heart of Darkness, drama upped by the replacement of Duffy with Data.
The second draft of Stardust featured Picard in pursuit of Data. Eventually battling and killing Data in the second act, Picard would ultimately reactivate the android in time to save the Federation from an "unholy" alliance with the Romulans. According to Piller, "How do you out-Borg the Borg? How do you create a villain or adversary that will be their equal? The answer is don't try. Make a different kind of movie."
Distributing the story to Paramount executives, Piller and Berman received mixed reviews - some reiterating Berman's previous concern that it was "too political", others opposed to the idea of aligning the Federation with the film's villains. The biggest blow to Stardust, however, came from Patrick Stewart, writing to Berman from the set of the TV movie adaptation of Moby Dick. According to Stewart:
- "I said three things: One was, I thought that Picard's involvement in the action line of First Contact had been very successful and I wanted to continue that. My feeling was that the captain should be in the thick of things. You've got to have the captain in jeopardy. Then I talked about perhaps trying to find a lighter tone for this film, I wanted to see our heroes having fun. And the last thing I suggested was that we should develop a romantic storyline that went a little further than the one that I had with Alfre Woodard in the last film. That was a fairly competitive relationship, which ultimately became respectful and fond towards the end - but it was just too late."
Finally given a chance to sit down and speak to Stewart, a disheartened Piller found that they were actually interested in telling the same story: "...It came to pass that the conflict that I had with Patrick really is what saved this project and did give me what I wanted in the first place." Stewart was especially enthusiastic about the Fountain of Youth notion, reintroduced into the third draft screenplay. Retaining, but confining the conflict with Data to the first act only, the new storyline introduced new villains called the "Son'i", victimizing the "Ba'ku", a race of children. This draft introduced elements that remained intact through the final film, including the regeneration of Geordi La Forge's eyes, the rejuvenation of the Riker/Troi romance and Worf's puberty. In it, Picard would rebel against a faction of Federation officers allied with the Son'i to steal the Ba'ku planet.
Giving the new draft to DS9 executive producer Ira Steven Behr, Piller once again received negative reviews, "Ira came into the office and sorta looked at me across the desk, took of his sunglasses and said, 'Mikeeeeeeey' - and I said, 'Oh jeez,' because Ira never takes off his sunglasses." According to Piller, Behr referred to the Son'i as "paper tigers" telling him that Picard's motivation to defy Starfleet was "flimsy". To strengthen Picard's reasons for going AWOL, the Ba'ku were made adults, allowing for the introduction of Anij, a love interest for the captain. This fourth draft incorporated more action elements and featured a more gruesome race of villains, now called the "Son'a". Bandying about new titles for the film, including Star Trek: Prime Directive and Star Trek: Nemesis, the name of the tenth film, Star Trek: Insurrection was ultimately decided upon, one studio executive suggesting that a long title was more interesting. Another executive, however, suggested another title be found, allegedly because they did not know what "insurrection" meant.
[edit] Preproduction
By the start of 1998, preproduction on Star Trek: Insurrection began with set and conceptual drawings generated by Herman Zimmerman and illustrator John Eaves as early as January. Director Jonathan Frakes returned to helm his second Trek film and co-star as Commander Riker, Patrick Stewart also did double duty as Captain Picard and associate producer. With Industrial Light & Magic busy with work on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Frakes and company turned to a new visual effects house for the first time since