Star Trek: Insurrection Is Better Than You Remember & Here Are 7 Reasons Why

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew reunited on the big screen forStar Trek: Insurrection, which holds up surprisingly well today. After the action-packedStar Trek: First Contact, Insurrectiontells a smaller story that has some great character moments and wrestles with classicStar Trekquestions of morality. Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Michael Piller,InsurrectionfollowsCaptain Picard and his Enterprise crewas they go against the United Federation of Planets to fight for a group of people called the Ba’ku.

Star Trek: Insurrectionproves that even people in the highest levels of Starfleet can be greedy, but there will always be other officers willing to stand up to the corruption.Insurrectionreceived mixed reviews at the time of its release and currently sits at 55% on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Still,the film ultimately delivers a fun and lighthearted storythat feels like aclassic episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. WhileInsurrectionmay not do anything revolutionary, it doesn’t do anything offensive either, which cannot be said for its lackluster sequel,Star Trek: Nemesis.

7Star Trek: Insurrection Rekindles Riker & Troi’s TNG Romance

Riker & Troi Were Always Meant To Be Together

From the very beginning,Star Trek: The Next Generationmade it clear thatCommander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi(Marina Sirtis) had a romantic history. Although they flirted throughout the series, they never officially got back together as a couple. InStar Trek: Insurrection,the rejuvenating effects of the Ba’ku planet brings old feelings to the surface for both Riker and Troi.They had spentTNGgrowing closer together as friends, but they never truly stopped viewing one another as Imzadi (the Betazoid word for beloved).

From researching in the Enterprise-E’s library to a cheeky counseling session, Riker and Troi are adorable throughoutStar Trek: Insurrection. They obviously care deeply for one another, andInsurrectionmakes it clear that they were always meant to end up together.At one point, Riker asks Troi:“Do you think it’s possible for two people to go back in time to fix a mistake they made?“AndInsurrectiongives them the chance to do just that, leading to their eventual marriage inStar Trek: Nemesis.

6Geordi Gets To See A Sunrise For The First Time

Thanks To The Rejuvinating Properties Of Ba’ku, Geordi Gains Natural Sight

Thanks to the regenerative properties of the Ba’ku planet,Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)gains natural eyesight. One ofStar Trek: Insurrection’sweak points is that it doesn’t give all the main characters enough to do, particularly Geordi and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Still, Geordi gets a couple of nice scenes, particularlythe one where he views a sunrise for the first time.

Geordi takes the helm of the Enterprise inInsurrection,for the first time (on screen) sinceTNGseason 1, episode 26, “The Neutral Zone.”

After experiencing trouble with his ocular implants, Geordi discovers that his eyes have been temporarily healed. With no idea how long his new eyesight will last, Geordi takes the time to view a sunrise, sharing the moment with Captain Picard. It’s a lovely scene, andit speaks to La Forge’s integrity that he still fights for the Ba’ku peopleeven knowing it could cost him the ability to view another sunrise.

5Data Forms A Sweet Friendship With A Ba’ku Boy

Artim Teaches Data The Importance Of Playing

Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner)spent much of his time onStar Trek: The Next Generationstriving to discover his own humanity. WhileStar Trek GenerationsandStar Trek: First Contactused the emotion chip to give Data feelings,Insurrectionabandoned that storyline in favor of a more organic exploration of Data’s character. When Data first went rogue and revealed Starfleet’s plan to relocate the Ba’ku,the sudden appearance of the android frightened many of the villagers,including the young Artim (Michael Welch).

Over the course of the film, however, Artim warms up to Data, eventually teaching the android something about what it means to be a child. After he overcomes his fear,Artim expresses genuine curiosity about Data,peppering him with questions as only a child can. Data reveals that he has imagined what it would be like to be a child, and Artim points out the importance of playing. This conversation leads to a cute scene at the end ofInsurrection,when Data finally gets a chance to play with Artim in some hay bales.

4Picard & Anij Is Jean-Luc’s Only Star Trek Movie Romance

Picard & Anji Work Well Together

While I wishStar Trek: Insurrectionhad allowedJean-Luc Picard’s romance with Beverly Crusherto bloom, his relationship with Anij (Donna Murphy) still has its moments. Anij comes across as likable and genuinely kind as she speaks for the Ba’ku.Like Picard, Anij has an adventurous spiritand approaches new situations without fear. She also cares deeply for her people, something that Picard undoubtedly admires.

Although a scene of Picard and Anij sharing a kiss was filmed, the scene was cut from the final film.

As the Ba’ku planet is essentially a fountain of youth, Anij is more than 300 years old, and she has found a certain contentment with her life that Picard lacks.Anij isn’t afraid to speak her mindand is more than able to keep up with Picard. The two make a lovely pair, and it would have been nice to see more of them together in a laterStar Trekproject, but unfortunately, Anij never appears again.

3Star Trek: Insurrection Is Genuinely Funny

Most Of The Film’s Humor Works Well

If I had to use one word to describeStar Trek: Insurrection,it would be charming. The film understands its characters better than some of the otherTNGfilms, allowing their friendship and humor to shine through. While some of the humor is a bit juvenile (the joke aboutData serving as a “flotation device"comes to mind), a lot of it works.Insurrectionmakes the Enterprise-E crew feel like a family again,allowing them to joke and laugh with one another.

One particularly funny moment comes after Troi helps Riker shave off his facial hair. As Data observes Riker’s newly clean-shaven face, Riker remarks,“Smooth as an android’s bottom, eh, Data?.“Data later gets to feel Riker’s chin and concludes that it is not, in fact, as smooth as an android’s bottom. While this could also have come across as juvenile,Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner make it work.The subplot involving Lt. Worf’s (Michael Dorn) Jak’tahla (aka Klingon puberty) also has some funny moments.

2Star Trek: Insurrection Has A Complex Moral Dilemma

Insurrection Presents An Interesting Philosphical Debate

At its best,Star Trekexplores complex moral dilemmas that often reflect real-world issues, andStar Trek: Insurrectiontackles a veryTrek-feeling ethical quandary.Starfleet’sVice Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe)argues that the forced relocation of 600 people is a small price to pay for Ba’ku’s healing properties, which could help billions. Captain Picard refuses to accept his excuses, angrily demanding:“How many people does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong?”

InThe Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Yearsby Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, director Jonathan Frakes spoke about howInsurrection’smoral dilmma sparked"philosophical"debates behind the scenes.

WhileInsurrectioncould have devoted more time to exploring other ways that Ba’ku’s properties could be used to help people, Captain Picard ultimately has the moral high ground. Picard stands up for the Ba’ku people, who do not have the numbers or the means to fight for themselves.Picard and his crew members refuse to compromise their principles,and they don’t give up until they save the Ba’ku and alert the rest of Starfleet to the unethical deal with the Son’a.

1Star Trek: Insurrection Feels Like An Episode Of TNG & That’s A Good Thing

Insurrection Also Feels More Like Classic Star Trek Than Any Other TNG Movie

One complaint that is often thrown atStar Trek: Insurrectionis that it feels like an extended episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.Star Trek: First Contactalready delivered a blockbuster action movie,soInsurrectionoffered a nice change of pace that felt a lot more likeTNG. Between the character interactions, the tough moral questions, and the compelling sci-fi mystery,Insurrectionfeels more quintessentiallyStar Trekthan any otherTNGfilm.

Star Trek: Insurrection feels a lot like home for those who fell in love with Picard and his crew on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generationdealt with conflicts similar to the one between the Ba’ku and the Son’a, and Picard regularly wrestled with similar moral conflicts. WhileStar Trek: Insurrectionmay not work quite as well for non-Star Trekfans, it feels a lot like home for those who fell in love with Picard and his crew onStar Trek: The Next Generation.