Star Trek: Generations

"Two captains. One destiny."

1994 1h 58m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🥫

48%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 1,569🥫48%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 90,576

Science FictionActionAdventureThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.

“Two captains. One destiny.”

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Cast

Patrick Stewart
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes
Commander William T. Riker
Brent Spiner
Lt. Commander Data
LeVar Burton
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn
Lt. Commander Worf
Gates McFadden
Dr. Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis
Counselor Deanna Troi
William Shatner
Captain James T. Kirk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Carson
Writers: Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore, Rick Berman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Carson, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dennis McCarthy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter E. Berger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two captains. One destiny.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Carson directs. John A. Alonzo behind the camera. Dennis McCarthy scores. Peter E. Berger cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by David Carson, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dennis McCarthy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter E. Berger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Two captains. One destiny.".
9IMDB entry: tt0111280 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "android", "spacecraft", "teleportation", "starship".
11Released under 32 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Original score: Dennis McCarthy
Editing: Peter E. Berger
Production design: Herman F. Zimmerman
Costume design: Robert Blackman
Makeup / hair: Michael Westmore
VFX supervisor: John Knoll
Sound: Chris Jenkins
Stunt coordinator: Bud Davis
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $38,000,000
Box office: $118,071,125
Return: 311% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 48% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 90,576 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations total

Part of

Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection

The Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection explores futuristic adventures led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Blending science fiction, action, and philosophical themes, it delves into diplomacy, identity, and humanity’s place in the cosmos through thrilling encounters and thought-provoking challenges.

Also by

David Carson

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-07-24
★ 9/10
Ambitious and High-Concept Sci-Fi (for Grown-Ups only) I can see WHY some don't like "Generations" (1994) or don't 'get' it: This seventh Star Trek film has some (false) plot holes and some things aren't spelled-out or explained very well (So what? Doesn't mystery intrinsically come with the territory of space adventure?); plus the story is a bit convoluted, particularly for those not familiar with Star Trek up to this point, both generations. Regardless, "Generations" is ambitious, high-concept sci-fi of the highest order; it leaves the viewer with many interesting questions to ponder long afterwards. Although the Nexus has been criticized as a mere gimmick to get Kirk and Picard together, I find the concept utterly fascinating: No matter how much we want it, an illusory paradise is just that, an illusion. As far as I'm concerned, the concept of the Nexus and its implementation into the storyline is nothing short of brilliant. Who created the Nexus? Why, who else but the Talosians, the 'antagonists' of Trek's very first episode, "The Cage"! Think about it. Besides this, there are multiple highlights (some SPOILERS follow): The usual Trek humor, Data's amusing experiences with the emotion chip, Malcolm McDowell's outstanding performance as the Soran, his believable obsession and justifications, B'Etor & Lursa and their "wild bunch" Klingons, the startling obliteration of them and their vessel, the thrilling crash-landing of the Enterprise-D, the meeting of Kirk and Picard in the Nexus, the final showdown with Soran and Kirk's death. Needless to say, "Generations" does far more than offer mere juvenile space battles. BIGGEST PLOT HOLE (OR MAYBE NOT): Picard's purpose in leaving the Nexus is to stop Soran from annihilating the Enerprise-D crew and the entire Veridian solar system, including the 230 million people that live on Veridian IV. Since Picard can leave the Nexus and "go anywhere any time," as Guinan pointed out earlier, why go to Veridian III about A MINUTE before Soran launches his rocket? Why not go back to when Soran was a guest on the Enterprise-D and apprehend him then and there? Writer Ronald D. Moore defended Picard's decision on the grounds that he didn't want to risk the dangerous and unexpected consequences that can occur when tampering with the timeline; hence, his journey back in time from the Nexus is only a matter of a minute or so. It's a good explanation. Speaking of explanations, some have criticized the fact that Guinan is simultaneously present in the real world and in the Nexus. How could this be? It's simple: It is repeatedly established that the reality experienced in the Nexus is not real; one experiences what they desire in the Nexus, not what is necessarily real. For instance, Picard has no children in the real world, but because he DESIRED to have them he was able to experience them in the Nexus. Hence, the 'Guinan' portrayed in the Nexus may walk, talk and act precisely like Guinan, but she's not real. She's only there because Picard desires her to be there for the purpose of explaining the nature of the Nexus. That said, many of the people in the Nexus are real, like Picard and Kirk. COMMENTARY ON THE NEXUS: Although the Nexus should simply be taken at face value as a strange space phenomenon (likely created by the Talosians), you can also regard it as an analogy. At first glance the viewer might get the impression that the Nexus is a type of heaven, but this can't be so since it is repeatedly emphasized in the film that the people and events experienced in the Nexus are NOT real (for the most part). 'Heaven,' a term theologians and ministers traditionally use to refer to the eternal abode of the redeemed (technically referred to as "the new heavens and new earth" in the bible, as shown in 2 Peter 3:13), is always depicted as real in the bible, not an illusory paradise. If the Nexus is not analogous of heaven, what could it be a type of? The Nexus corresponds to any addiction a person "tastes" and embraces to escape reality (e.g. pipe dreams, drugs, alcohol, computer games, TV, porn, fishing, shopping, golf, etc.). Some, like Soran, are unable to flee its clutches and waste their lives and talents OBSESSED by it. Others, like Picard and Kirk, are able to see the truth and escape; they therefore "make a difference" in real life. BOTTOM LINE: This "passing-of-the-torch" installment requires an attention span and an appreciation for high-concept sci-fi; it will likely bore those for whom Star Trek only means neato spacecrafts and superficial space dogfights (don't get me wrong, they each have their place in Trek). "Generations" has the courage to make bold changes -- killing off an iconic character, and fairly prominent support characters as well, not to mention destroying the Enterprise-D. In short, "Generations" is science-fiction for grown-ups and youth with advanced cerebral development. All others should stick with juvenile space fantasy flicks (giggle). The film runs 1 hour, 57 minutes. GRADE: A
GenerationofSwine2023-01-10
★ 1/10
I'll be honest, I really hated Star Trek The Motion Picture. I mean, I REALLY hated it and I am a Star Trek fan... ... so it's sort of fitting that I hate Generations as well. I mean, it doesn't do the first generation or the Next Generation justice at all does it? Kirk shouldn't have been in it. The OG Enterprise crew shouldn't have been in it. It felt like it robbed TNG of their first outing on the big screen while insulting the original crew of the Enterprise.
JPV8522023-04-03
★ 6/10
I've seen this one a few times over the years and while not great and the plot was something akin to a two-part episode of TNG, I still was mildly entertained even if Malcolm McDowell's role was underdeveloped with us being told of his motivations with the death of his family versus being shown it via flashbacks. But the selling point was seeing the two iconic Captains together, even if only for 25-minutes. 3.0/5