Star Trek 9: Insurrection (1998)

Elevator Pitch: The Son’a are a race who are obsessed with genetic modification and have an ambition to take over a planet inhabited by the Ba’ku which has properties allowing the inhabitants to regenerate. With the approval of the Federation they intend to relocate the Ba’ku to an alternative planet. Because Data has been involved in the observation of the Ba’ku and has malfuctioned, Picard and his crew become involved, and despite the Federation approval for the Son’a plan Picard suggests that the First Directive will be violated, and sheds his command insignia, with others attempting to protect the Ba’ku.

Content: There is no nudity or sex although Riker and Dina Troi are seen in the bath together and the young women in the Son’a space ship wear figure-hugging latex. A lot of time spent seeing the Ba’ku going about their peaceful business and once the Enterprise guys arrive, romance between Picard and a Ba’ku woman. Once the Son’a  attack the planet the inhabitants are seen trekking about in the hills looking for shelter and meanwhile the Enterprise is in combat with the Son’a ships, and so on, and so on.

A View: I have to say straight away that some aspects of the plot of this outing were completely fatuous, particularly the cloaked holodeck ship (you’d have to see it). I also found the romance between Riker and Troi toe-curling, although Picard and Anij not so bad – a kiss between them apparently cut from the final version. The critics mostly found it to be nothing more than an extended TV episode, and in an attempt to make in some way “meaningful” quite a lot of it was boring. I kept wanting to reach for the nearest magazine. So there are a lot of Star Trek films about. Maybe give this one a miss.

Additional Info: Riker has his beard shaved off (by Troi) as a result of female letter requests.