Star Trek : Generations - Nexus Ribbon

[Vger23]

To me, the Nexus is actually an amazingly interesting idea that is also amazingly difficult to write into a narrative. It is essentially a "rip" in the multiverse, that allows anyone who enters it unlimited access to the infinite universes and possibilities across all of time and space.

What the concept of the movie (sort of) demonstrates is that such access essentially makes "life" meaningless, though. Without mortality, and with the ability to go anywhere, anytime, with any setting and history...it's even more of a fantasy than a holodeck, because even with a holodeck you are mortal and need to return to "real life." In the Nexus, you have neither grounding elements. I'd imagine that it is one of those experiences that, if you were only there for a limited amount of time, would seem heavenly...but to exist in that manner for all eternity could be downright hellish.

 

[Yistaan]

Generations has a new and awful meaning after Picard Season 3. We saw what Picard's fantasy life was. And without spoiling Picard, a certain someone made sure he didn't get that and the severity of that is completely glossed over. It's why I can't really jump on the Picard Season 3 is the "best Trek ever" bandwagon despite the well written dialogue and acting, because no amount of well written dialogue and acting can cover what amounts to drastically acting out of character.

You could get Shakespeare to write dialogue for and Laurence Olivier to act out a story of Sherlock Holmes selling out England to German invaders and helping build a nuclear weapon to use against London, but at the end of the day it's still Sherlock Holmes betraying his country and blowing up his home.

 

[Vger23]

Generations has a new and awful meaning after Picard Season 3. We saw what Picard's fantasy life was. And without spoiling Picard, a certain someone made sure he didn't get that and the severity of that is completely glossed over. It's why I can't really jump on the Picard Season 3 is the "best Trek ever" bandwagon despite the well written dialogue and acting, because no amount of well written dialogue and acting can cover what amounts to drastically acting out of character.

You could get Shakespeare to write dialogue for and Laurence Olivier to act out a story of Sherlock Holmes selling out England to German invaders and helping build a nuclear weapon to use against London, but at the end of the day it's still Sherlock Holmes betraying his country and blowing up his home.

If there's one thing life has taught me it's that people change over time and that everyone has a "secret personality" or "unexpected character traits" when it comes to highly emotional issues like family and relationships.

 

[Ssosmcin]

To me, the Nexus is actually an amazingly interesting idea that is also amazingly difficult to write into a narrative. It is essentially a "rip" in the multiverse, that allows anyone who enters it unlimited access to the infinite universes and possibilities across all of time and space..

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

 

[Vger23]

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

I felt the opposite about that characterization. It felt far too metaphysical and vague. I get what she was trying to convey, and there's a metaphor somewhere buried in the script about drug addiction, but it falls flat for me.

 

[Tango]

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

What does a starship captain need with God?

 

[Yistaan]

What does a starship captain need with God?

Kirk: It's not like you ever answered any of my prayers anyway!

God: Isn't Spock resurrected and even now standing beside you?

Kirk: Oh, uh, good point.

Spock:

 

[STEPhon IT]

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

I struggled to understand why Kirk's wish fulfillment wasn't commanding a Starship one last time??? In the beginning of the movie he seemed he didn't want to retire and felt he had something left in the tank.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I struggled to understand why Kirk's wish fulfillment wasn't commanding a Starship one last time??? In the beginning of the movie he seemed he didn't want to retire and felt he had something left in the tank.

I thought his wish fulfillment was not having a steady partner in life.

It seemed like he found somebody to settle down with in the mountain cabin.

 

[Dukhat]

Still, how the Federation knew of the El Aurians is a minor headscratcher and it's possible their ships were scanned by the Enterprise with numerous staff reading up on the information as to who they were.

Because it was the Federation who were helping to relocate them. The two ships they were on were the S.S. Lakul and the S.S. Robert Fox, two Federation transport ships.

I thought his wish fulfillment was not having a steady partner in life.

Nope. Kirk's wish was to be in command of a ship again. This was quite clear at the start of the movie. Picard's Nexus fantasy, on the other hand, was to have a family, right before he found out about Robert and Rene's deaths. So what was on Picard's mind at the time he entered the Nexus was his regret about not settling down and finding a wife and kids.

Now it's entirely possible that, had Kirk's Nexus fantasy continued, that he would eventually command a ship again. There's evidence of this when he states that 'today was the day I told Antonia that I was going back to Starfleet' or whatever he said. What was on Kirk's mind before he entered the Nexus was regret that his best years in Starfleet have passed him by. So in the Nexus fantasy world, he leaves his gf and goes back to SF and commands a ship again. Only he didn't get that far because Picard talked him out of the fantasy.

 

[Dryson]

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

Being wrapped inside of joy sounds like a creature that creates extreme joy, all of the time, and then harvests the chemicals from the people always being overjoyed. The creature provides the chemical stimulus that the organic needs while the organic provides the creature with a chemical that the creature is lacking.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I actually found Guinan's description of it much more compelling and also harder to visualize: "being wrapped inside joy" really sounds fascinating. The last thing I pictured was what we eventually saw. A rather mundane wish place. Essentially "Heaven." Where everyone but starship captains want to stay.

Which makes it funnier that when Picard stumbles on Kirk (who also just got there), Kirk is chopping firewood. I never would have imagined such menial household chores would meet the legendary James T. Kirk's criteria for "joy"

 

[Dryson]

I also thought that the dichotomy between what Jack said about being inside the Hive at the end of Last Generation was rather interesting. Being inside the Hive was joy, just like being inside the Nexus was joy. A joy that no body wanted to let go of.

Could inside the Hive actually be a mechanical construct of the Nexus ribbon?

 

[Dukhat]

Which makes it funnier that when Picard stumbles on Kirk (who also just got there), Kirk is chopping firewood. I never would have imagined such menial household chores would meet the legendary James T. Kirk's criteria for "joy"

That was the point. Kirk wasn't deriving joy from it either. It was just a task he was doing as part of his fantasy of returning to Starfleet. And as I mentioned above, had Picard not interrupted that fantasy, he would have left his firewood, his gf, his cabin, his burnt eggs and his dog and went back to fantasy Starfleet.

 

[Vger23]

That was the point. Kirk wasn't deriving joy from it either. It was just a task he was doing as part of his fantasy of returning to Starfleet. And as I mentioned above, had Picard not interrupted that fantasy, he would have left his firewood, his gf, his cabin, his burnt eggs and his dog and went back to fantasy Starfleet.

The big question, though...the real mind-bender...is "Is it really fantasy...or is it just infinite access to an infinite number of universes / timelines/possibilites? And, if so...what's the difference??"

 

[Dukhat]

The big question, though...the real mind-bender...is "Is it really fantasy...or is it just infinite access to an infinite number of universes / timelines/possibilites? And, if so...what's the difference??"

You would have to ask Berman and Braga that question. And I'm sure you would not be satisfied with their answer.

But I can give you my answer: The Nexus was just an ill-conceived plot device to get Picard and Kirk together in the most contrived way possible. And if you think B&B thought about it any further than that, you're going to be disappointed.

 

[Vger23]

You would have to ask Berman and Braga that question. And I'm sure you would not be satisfied with their answer.

But I can give you my answer: The Nexus was just an ill-conceived plot device to get Picard and Kirk together in the most contrived way possible. And if you think B&B thought about it any further than that, you're going to be disappointed.

Well...yeah...I mean, I get it...but I guess I was just trying to have my own fun with it. I'm not really sure what the creators thought of it, I'm just saying that it's a cool concept if you really let your mind wander into it a little.

 

[Dukhat]

Well...yeah...I mean, I get it...but I guess I was just trying to have my own fun with it. I'm not really sure what the creators thought of it, I'm just saying that it's a cool concept if you really let your mind wander into it a little.

Don't get me wrong; I like your line of thinking. Someone could have easily taken this silly plot device and went with it in such a way as you're describing, and I think that would have been fascinating. Retconning the Nexus into a portal into multiple universes would be a great mine of storytelling material, if done right.

 

[Dryson]

Don't get me wrong; I like your line of thinking. Someone could have easily taken this silly plot device and went with it in such a way as you're describing, and I think that would have been fascinating. Retconning the Nexus into a portal into multiple universes would be a great mine of storytelling material, if done right.

If the Borg were able to use the Nexus to actually be able to access any point in the past, let alone the future, that would rather interesting. How would anyone stepping into the Nexus know which door of reality to step into in order to follow the Borg?

Could a trans warp conduit be built, inside of the Nexus, to achieve such a goal?

 

[USS Artorius]

I would rather a new 25th Century show not keep alive old story lines and threads from previous movies/series and just do something new. I want to be able to get a Trek newcomer to watch it and actually understand what's going on without a tonne of references and fan service.