Star Trek Generations is Underrated
I recently re-watched Star Trek Generations and I really feel like it's an underrated Star Trek film. Beware, there are spoilers ahead, so don't say I didn't warn you.
Star Trek Generations came out in 1994 and is the first of the Star Trek movies to feature the Next Generation crew. As a Star Trek fan, I've noticed it doesn't get a lot of love. There's a lot of fans who seem to dislike the movie. Some of their reasons aren't unreasonable, but I still feel like it get's overlooked a little too much.
The main plot of the movie is that there's a scientist, Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) is trying to enter The Nexus, another dimension that is described as “being inside joy”. Soran went so far as to destroy a star to accomplish this goal and that is what Picard and the crew of the Enterprise are trying to stop. In the process, Picard meets up with Captain Kirk from the Original Series and the two of them work to save the day.
There are a few reasons I've heard that people don't like the movie.
The Destruction of the Enterprise
The first is that it features the destruction, and end of the USS Enterprise D as it crashes into the planet at the end of the movie. Now part of this is apparently Rick Herman and others wanted an Enterprise that fit better on the big screen and the proportions of the Enterprise D didn't fit that mold. Whatever the reason, it didn't bother me all that much. Yes, it was a beautiful and iconic ship, but Kirk destroyed the original Enterprise back in Star Trek III, albeit in way that moved the story forward a little more. Either way, I'm not bothered by it's destruction.
Kirk's Death
There's no easy way to put this, Kirk dies at the end of the movie. While his death doesn't feel quite as “Saves the day” as Spock's death in The Wrath of Khan, it wasn't a meaningless death. He died fighting to save the lives of the crew of the Enterprise as well as the millions of lives of the species who lived in the Veridian system. It might have been better if he were on a ship rather than some random planet, but dying in the line of duty feels right for him.
When Picard Chose to Return to Reality
This is the one plot hole I don't get and can see the annoyance. In the movie, when Picard is in the Nexus, he finds out that he can return to any point in time. Why did he choose to go to Veridian III shortly before Soran's weapon was slated to shoot off and destroy the Veridian star? If I were Picard, I would've gone back to just after they reached the Amagosa Observatory right after they rescued Soran. I'd march into sickbay with a security team or two, throw him in handcuffs, drag him in the brig, throw up the forcefield and be done with it. Super easy, no muss, no fuss. Soran is imprisoned and the galaxy is saved. Obviously this wouldn't work as a plot point, but it would be so much simpler.
Either way, I definitely feel the movie is underrated and I always enjoy it when I watch it.
Besides, any Trek movie is better than Star Trek V.