Star Trek: Insurrection

Paramount Pictures sought a change of pace after Star Trek: First Contact (1996). Michael Piller was asked to write the script of the next installment, which was created from story ideas by Piller and producer Rick Berman. The story's first drafts featured the Romulans, and the Son'a and Ba'ku were introduced in its third draft. After Ira Steven Behr reviewed the script, Piller revised it and added a subplot involving a romantic interest for Jean-Luc Picard. The film's ending was further revised after test screenings. The special effects depicting outer space were completely computer generated, a first for a Star Trek film. The Ba'ku village was fully built on location at Lake Sherwood, California, but suffered weather damage. Sets from the television series Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were reused and redressed. Michael Westmore created the make-up for the new alien races, and Robert Blackman revised the Starfleet dress uniform designs. Sanja Milkovic Hayes created costumes for the Ba'ku from cellulose fibers, which were baked and glued together. Jerry Goldsmith produced the film's score, his fourth for the franchise.


Insurrection was the highest-grossing film on its opening weekend, making $22.1 million^[3] in the United States and Canada. The film went on to gross $70.2 million in the United States and Canada, and an additional $42.4 million in other territories, for a theatrical run of $117.8 million worldwide. Critical responses to the film were mixed; the performance of Patrick Stewart and the directing of Jonathan Frakes were praised, while other critics compared it to an extended episode of the television series. Insurrection was nominated for both a Saturn Award and a Hugo Award, but the only award it received was a Youth in Film Award for Michael Welch. It was followed by Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.

Patrick Stewart thought that the first Next Generation film, Star Trek Generations, was too much like a television episode but thought that his character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, was redefined as a "movie hero" in Star Trek: First Contact.^[4] He was concerned that in the new film, the character would return to that seen in the television series. Michael Piller said that in order to be a hero, Picard "should be acting out of a moral and ethical mindset, and stand for principles that are important to [humanity]".^[4] Stewart was later pleased with the film's romantic sub-plot, calling it "charming" and saying that he was "feeling very good about it."^[5] He thought that the film had a lighter tone than previous films, saying, "It shows our crew having a little more fun than we normally see them doing".^[5] Stewart was disappointed that a scene in which Picard and Anij kiss was cut from the final version of the film,^[6] saying that "It was a studio decision, but still somewhat inexplicable to me as I feel the audience were waiting for some kind of romantic culmination to the relationship, which did happen and was extremely pleasant."^[7] Stewart received a producer's credit on the film.^[8]


Jonathan Frakes appeared as Commander William Riker, and as with First Contact he directed the project.^[9][10] Brent Spiner starred as Lieutenant Commander Data, asking for the character to be killed in Insurrection out of concern for aging out of the role. His copy of the script came with a note from the production team saying, "Sorry, kill you later".^[11] The underwater scene required Spiner to wear extra makeup to make it waterproof.^[7] LeVar Burton reprised his role of Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge; a month before the release of Insurrection he appeared in the role in a guest appearance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Timeless".^[12]


Michael Dorn returned as Lieutenant Commander Worf, having portrayed him in Deep Space Nine since 1995.^[13] Reprising her role as Doctor Beverly Crusher, Gates McFadden said that "Shooting Star Trek and getting paid to do it is great. But what's actually changed my life the most is traveling around and ... being a tiny little part of this huge mythology that has changed people's lives, in many ways for the better."^[14] Marina Sirtis appeared once more as Counselor Deanna Troi. She was positive about the film, saying "we've been involved with this for eleven years, we've done 179 episodes, three movies, and there are still surprises. There are more layers in this movie, it's not as black and white. It goes back to a lot of what Gene Roddenberry felt about Star Trek — I think he's going to be very happy up there when he sees this movie."^[15]


Before the casting process, no actors had been considered for the roles of the Son'a leader, the Ba'ku woman, and the Starfleet admiral.^[16] The Son'a leader, Ahdar Ru'afo, was portrayed by F. Murray Abraham, who won an Academy Award for his performance in Amadeus.^[17][18] Abraham was given the role without an audition.^[18] Abraham said of the franchise, "I was around when the series was first introduced to television and it was a hoot".^[7] He praised his make-up and prosthetics, saying "The idea that you can be somebody else behind the mask is an extraordinary feeling — it's very primitive and mysterious. A gap opens somewhere in the brain and it encourages wildness. It had me chewing at the scenery".^[7] He was particularly pleased to be working with Patrick Stewart.^[15]


Donna Murphy played the Ba'ku woman Anij, who is Picard's love interest. Eighty actresses auditioned for the role,^[19] which was awarded to Murphy who had previously won two Tony Awards for her roles in the Broadway musicals Passion and The King and I.^[17][18] Murphy was such a favorite of Frakes and the producers that after auditioning, only a small number of other actresses were seen.^[18] She said of the role, "I feel a great honor and responsibility to be a part of this film, because I know that the Star Trek audience has such a devotion to and affection for these richly drawn characters."^[15]


Anthony Zerbe originally auditioned for the role of Ru'afo,^[17] and was considered to be the best choice for it.^[18] However, the production team decided instead to cast him in the role of Admiral Matthew Dougherty.^[17] During Zerbe's audition, instead of reading the lines provided, he recited Dante's Inferno before seamlessly moving into the script. Frakes and the producers unanimously decided to award him the part of Dougherty.^[21] In the film's smaller roles, Stephanie Niznik played Ensign Kell Perim and Daniel Hugh Kelly appeared as Sojef. Gregg Henry appeared as Gallatin, and 10-year-old Michael Welch played the Ba'ku child Artim.^[22] Michael Horton returned as the tactical officer he portrayed in First Contact; his character was called Lieutenant Daniels in this film.^[23] Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello played a Son'a warrior.^[24] Morello's make-up regime began at 5 am, at which time he said he would normally "be crawling back into my coffin".^[7]


Several of the film's actors had previously appeared in the Star Trek franchise. Bruce French, who portrayed Son'a Officer Number 1, appeared as Sabin Genestra in The Next Generation episode "The Drumhead" and as the Ocampa doctor in the Voyager pilot episode. Son'a Officer Number 3 was played by Joseph Ruskin, who appeared in four episodes across the Star Trek franchise: The Original Series episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion",^[25] and the Deep Space Nine episodes "Improbable Cause" and "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" and the Voyager episode "Gravity".^[20] McKenzie Westmore, daughter of make-up supervisor Michael Westmore, played a Ba'ku woman.^[22] She previously appeared as a child in The Next Generation season one episode "When the Bough Breaks" and as Ensign Jenkins in the Voyager episode "Warhead".^[26] Scenes cut from the film would have featured two of the actors who played Ferengi on Deep Space Nine: Max Grodénchik, more familiar as Rom, was to have appeared as a Trill in the library scene. Armin Shimerman filmed a scene in his role as Quark, in which he tries to set up timeshares on the Ba'ku planet at the end of the film.^[20]