These days, the biggest problem with being a Star Trek fan seems to be that there’s too much of it. Thousands of hours of past programming are available on line as well as over a dozen films. There isn’t enough time to take it all in, especially if you add the content that’s been flying toward us at warp speed the last several years. That flow of content may dry up in the next year as some shows come to a conclusion and the twin strikes mean other shows won’t start promptly. But that’s a problem for another day.
It wasn’t like that a generation ago
Flash back, if you will, to 1998. A quarter-century ago, Star Trek was on the rocks. The only Trek show on TV was the poorly-reviewed (though occasionally brilliant) Voyager. The best hope for a truly enjoyable experience were the films, which came out with some regularity. By this point the original series cast had retired and the Next Generation cast were beginning to age as well. 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact had been a runaway hit, still considered one of the top films in the franchise. What would come next?
The answer came in the largely disappointing Star Trek: Insurrection. Despite the exciting title, it was a largely low-stakes entry in the series, much more like an average episode of the TV show than an all-out adventure film. Although generally viewed as entertaining with effects that looked appropriate for the time, it felt like quite a snoozer compared to the film that preceded it. It seemed like a bad time for Star Trek in general.
Here’s one person’s opinion (not mine)
YouTuber “JoBlo Originals” produced a video on the subject, which you can watch here if you like:
They’re pretty harsh in their review, but much of those criticisms are deserved. The firm sought to return to a more personal, character-driven model but the only thing that happened was that the film was boring. To this day, it remains the only Trek film that I have ever fallen asleep in.
Here’s my opinion
Having watched Insurrection multiple times, it’s not that bad. The effects have definitely not aged well, being fairly early CGI. But, if you look at in the context of the entire Next Generation story, it’s a reasonably good film. Watching it on TV for free, it comes across as a decent 2-part episode of the TV show. That was a criticism then, but now it’s not. It’s just… ok. It’s ok in the same way that a lot of episodes of Next Generation are ok. The production values are higher and the overall direction is crisp. There’s a message buried in there somewhere about the injustice of people who literally suck the life out of you when you’ve done nothing but live the way you want to. That’s actually a pretty healthy message.
On the other hand, the film continues the long, laughable history of Trek admirals all being 100% wrong. No organization could survive with as many bad leaders as we see in Trek shows. It also pushes the idea that you have to be young to be vital, a message that doesn’t hold up very well as I’ve aged. So, it’s a mixed bag. So is much of Star Trek, a franchise I’m very fond of. With thousands of hours of content, some is going to be better than others.
I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for the film, as it was beloved by a friend who’s long-since gone. If you haven’t seen the film in a while, it’s worth a look.
