Part of the problem with the TNG movies is the characters are kept in stasis

[Lance]

One puzzling disappointment was why didn't the ninth and tenth films bring back the idea of romance between Picard and Crusher?

I get that Generations (aside from being too soon after "Attached") and FC were already busy/packed and with Insurrection Stewart wanted a romance-of-the-week but the movie probably would have been better without it and instead with a second renewed attraction among the crew. And then there *really* should have at least been a renewal by Nemesis especially with Riker and Troi getting married, Picard feeling particularly lonely and the movie being the last one with the cast. I guess maybe the last movie was instead implicitly saying that Picard missed his chance but that feels too disappointing and underwhelming.

To be fair, there are a few deleted scenes in Nemesis hinting at a renewed attraction, or flirting at least, between them but of course they were excised from the movie. The original ending (with Picard talking to Crusher over comm link as she settles into her new role at Starfleet Medical) has the dancing doctor inviting him to dinner and, after he declines, promising Jean Luc that she'll save her last dance for him The wedding scene also originally showed them a little closer than usual

It was a shame those scenes were deleted, but also that they came out of nowhere in the first place. It would indeed have been more fun to have seen them set it up in Insurrection as they did Riker/Troi.

 

[The Wormhole]

One puzzling disappointment was why didn't the ninth and tenth films bring back the idea of romance between Picard and Crusher?

TNG movies really seemed to struggle at finding anything relevant for Dr. Crusher. As it is, Nemesis is the only movie in which her memorable scene, the one with her and Picard looking at the picture of him as a cadet is actually respectful to her. Her memorable scenes in the other movies sure aren't. In Generations Data pushes her into the ocean. In First Contact she's upstaged by a cameo from another Trek show (the EMH). In Insurrection her and Deanna talk about their boobs firming up. Which then gets upstaged by Data trying to start the same conversation with Worf.

 

[Qonundrum]

Definitely agreed; both in stasis, no development, no recurring theme running throughout the movie series - which also in part explains why TFF felt out of place after 3 movies with a running theme, then TUC jumping right back into the theme TFF ditched! TFF has its moments but even in 1989, having seen prior movies in the theater, something felt off for the then-latest installment. And not just turning the bridge crew into one-off jokes based on their job function.

The TNG movies also felt more like cast reunion parties that lacked any vision or direction. At least "Generations" was rushed. And after reading the one review of "First Contact", why didn't they do a DS9 crossover? It's the least obtrusive in-universe reason to contrive such a thing and otherwise serves to make DS9 look bad because only Worf is allowed to bring the big bad Borg bashin' space boat over, which promptly gets pummeled pitifully? (But it's salvageable! And there's so awful a joke in that scene played out on the bridge after the visual joke shown in f/x that should make anyone look at TFF and say "All is forgiven!!" as a result.)

 

[Qonundrum]

TNG movies really seemed to struggle at finding anything relevant for Dr. Crusher. As it is, Nemesis is the only movie in which her memorable scene, the one with her and Picard looking at the picture of him as a cadet is actually respectful to her. Her memorable scenes in the other movies sure aren't. In Generations Data pushes her into the ocean. In First Contact she's upstaged by a cameo from another Trek show (the EMH). In Insurrection her and Deanna talk about their boobs firming up. Which then gets upstaged by Data trying to start the same conversation with Worf.

Oi, teh boobs firming up aren't important in the 24th century! She said so! As such it also tells how nothing else is important or otherwise because none of it is relevant and it spirals out from there. But that's one poorly written scene in a movie loaded with misfires. All the Crusher scenes alone are all even more great examples of turning to TFF and saying "All is forgiven!"

 

[suarezguy]

And after reading the one review of "First Contact", why didn't they do a DS9 crossover?

Because it is difficult to write well in one film seven characters or more, and very hard for even good writers to do so for at least 13 or even 10. Crossovers can be cool but the movies didn't really need more characters competing for screentime.

 

[Discofan]

Because it is difficult to write well in one film seven characters or more, and very hard for even good writers to do so for at least 13 or even 10. Crossovers can be cool but the movies didn't really need more characters competing for screentime.

That's the problem with movies where three or four characters share most of the screen time.

 

[Lance]

The TNG movies also felt more like cast reunion parties that lacked any vision or direction. At least "Generations" was rushed. And after reading the one review of "First Contact", why didn't they do a DS9 crossover? It's the least obtrusive in-universe reason to contrive such a thing and otherwise serves to make DS9 look bad because only Worf is allowed to bring the big bad Borg bashin' space boat over, which promptly gets pummeled pitifully?

It always struck me that they should've pushed the crossover button on Insurrection. It feels like they had an instinct that it would be a good idea (the original ending featured a cameo by Quark), but they backed away. The movie maybe would have felt more substantive if it had featured DS9 and at least a few of that series' main characters as players, perhaps akin to how Yorktown was used in Beyond? The Enterprise could stop by there on her way through to the Brier Patch, and be racing back there in the final act to get reinforcements and their message back to Starfleet Command. It needn't have been a big role, but enough to suggest a much bigger universe outside of the Enterprise and the main characters.

 

[The Wormhole]

Because it is difficult to write well in one film seven characters or more, and very hard for even good writers to do so for at least 13 or even 10. Crossovers can be cool but the movies didn't really need more characters competing for screentime.

That being said, they could have tried to work Chief O'Brien into the movie somehow.

 

[Discofan]

I wonder why they didn't do at least one DS9 movie. It could have been interesting.

 

[Smellmet]

I wonder why they didn't do at least one DS9 movie. It could have been interesting.

I don't think it was commercially viable, the ratings were never as good as TNGs, and (like TNG) the story was completed, and by it's end in 1999, maybe they baulked at doing a movie after Insurrections lukewarm reception and box office.

What they should have done is tie Insurrection in with the Dominion arc, sack off the wishy washy crap we got and have crew get involved in the war in some capacity, then a crossover or tie-in would have been viable maybe. I dunno. The lack of joined up thinking with the Trek franchise has always scuppered things.

 

[Discofan]

I don't think it was commercially viable, the ratings were never as good as TNGs, and (like TNG) the story was completed, and by it's end in 1999, maybe they baulked at doing a movie after Insurrections lukewarm reception and box office.

What they should have done is tie Insurrection in with the Dominion arc, sack off the wishy washy crap we got and have crew get involved in the war in some capacity, then a crossover or tie-in would have been viable maybe. I dunno. The lack of joined up thinking with the Trek franchise has always scuppered things.

That's too bad because I thought that "Insurrection" was mediocre at best. It felt like a TNG episode, and not one of the best.

 

[Smellmet]

That's too bad because I thought that "Insurrection" was mediocre at best. It felt like a TNG episode, and not one of the best.

Insurrection is by some distance the worst of the TNG movies in my view. Boring, bland, pretentious, and completely lacking any wow factor.

 

[Lance]

Conversely, I think it's TV-ness is almost a strength. It maybe captures the camaraderie of the TNG cast best out of the four movies, though I agree that structurally it feels... insubstantial.

 

[The Wormhole]

Conversely, I think it's TV-ness is almost a strength. It maybe captures the camaraderie of the TNG cast best out of the four movies, though I agree that structurally it feels... insubstantial.

It does seem the TNG cast are clearly enjoying themselves in Insurrection, especially in comparison to Nemesis where they aren't. The directors likely played a part in this. Insurrection had Frakes, he was one of them and knew the material, plus he's known to try to create a fun atmosphere on things he directs. Nemesis has Stuart Baird, an outsider who knew nothing about Star Trek and the actors found him difficult to work with. Especially LeVar Burton, who had to put up with Baird constantly calling him "Laverne" for some reason.

 

[Smellmet]

It does seem the TNG cast are clearly enjoying themselves in Insurrection, especially in comparison to Nemesis where they aren't. The directors likely played a part in this. Insurrection had Frakes, he was one of them and knew the material, plus he's known to try to create a fun atmosphere on things he directs. Nemesis has Stuart Baird, an outsider who knew nothing about Star Trek and the actors found him difficult to work with. Especially LeVar Burton, who had to put up with Baird constantly calling him "Laverne" for some reason.

The cast enjoying themselves are one of the only highlights of the film. They all seem to be on form. It's not nearly enough for me though.

 

[Discofan]

The problem with Insurrection is that it's hard to feel any empathy for the Ba'ku who are a bunch of conceited arrogant luddites who seem unconcerned by the welfare of billions of people.

 

[Miramanee]

also the characters in TNG weren't that interesting to begin with

 

[arch101]

The Abrams films put all the previous films to shame with their ability to give the entire ensemble cast plenty of work. I chalk it up to the will of writers and producers to include the wider cast or stick to simpler plots that won't confuse an audience. There was plenty of room for more involvement in the TOS and TNG films, but the road wasn't taken.

 

[The Wormhole]

There was plenty of room for more involvement in the TOS and TNG films, but the road wasn't taken.

To be fair, in TOS, Kirk, Spock and McCoy were the only ones in the main cast, everyone else were recurring. Even McCoy himself was recurring in the first season. So it isn't as bad that the TOS movies only focused on the Big Three. Though Nimoy did give everyone at least one memorable scene in the movies he directed. Even the other movies utilize the other regulars a lot better than the TNG movies did.

 

[suarezguy]

What they should have done is tie Insurrection in with the Dominion arc, sack off the wishy washy crap we got and have crew get involved in the war in some capacity, then a crossover or tie-in would have been viable maybe. I dunno. The lack of joined up thinking with the Trek franchise has always scuppered things.

That's too bad because I thought that "Insurrection" was mediocre at best. It felt like a TNG episode, and not one of the best.

Tying into a long, ongoing arc from another series would have made the film instead feel like a DS9 episode or at best still another TNG episode-although yes, maybe more significant. A film doesn't have to have huge stakes but they should have been a lot higher than they were in Insurrection.

I think one of the ideas for the tenth film was to follow-up on the conspiracy, at least generally, relate it to Section 31 or another similar, larger conspiracy and that could have provided for crossover with DS9 characters or at least a thematic crossover.