'Trek' rises against sci- fodder

The plots were original, the characters identifiable, and the acting admirable. But somewhere on the bumpy road from backwaters of syndication to the glitz of a Hollywood feature, the voyages of the starship Enterprise seem to have lost that something.

Courtesy of Paramount Donna Murphy stars as Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) girlfriend in the latest Star Trek flick to hit the big screen in "Star Trek: Insurrection."

The newest addition to this list of feature films is "Star Trek: Insurrection." The ninth "Star Trek" Hollywood release and the third featuring the cast of "The Next Generation," "Insurrection" brings the crew of the Enterprise to a remote paradise world threatened by an oppressive race of aliens with a chip on their collective shoulder and skin problems that would make Noxzema cringe.

The cast is essentially unchanged from the previous two movies and the television series. And the acting continues to be sufficient, if not strong. Patrick Stewart reprises his role as the austerely heroic Jean-Luc Picard.

Producer Rick Berman was incredibly fortunate to recruit Stewart at the show's inception. An accomplished stage actor, Stewart once again proves himself an exceptional performer in this installment. Above and beyond any apparent acting talent, Stewart is, with respects given to Jack Palance, the buffest over-50 entertainer in Hollywood. Sleeveless scenes featuring his incredible biceps have become expected fare in the "Star Trek" feature film.

Jonathan Frakes not only stars as Will Riker, the Enterprise's first officer, but also directs "Insurrection."

Levar Burton (best known for his award-winning public television program "Reading Rainbow") returns as the blind head engineer, Geordy LaForge.

Brent Spiner, whose career has experienced a modest upturn in recent years, plays Data, the android lieutenant.

Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden and Michael Dorn also return, reprising their respective roles.

"Insurrection" also features the most intricate special effects of any "Star Trek" movie to date. For the first time, the technicians chose to use computer animation in producing the Enterprise's battle scenes, to the movie's credit. The fight and flight scenes taking place within the so-called "briar patch," a difficulty unpredictable region of space, are visually spectacular, though disappointingly brief.

But despite its solid acting and excellent special effects, "Insurrection" doesn't seem to possess the magic that made the television series so compelling. One of the strengths of the series was its terse yet thorough dealing with each of its separate storylines. Each episode contained a stimulating and original plot that accomplished much without aiming above its means.

The plot of "Insurrection" doesn't follow suit, taking a watered down, cliché storyline and cramming too many of its elements into a two hour movie. By doing so, the film's character development borders on unbelievable, because each of the numerous scenes which could possibly reveal or advance a character's personality seems cut short.

A further weakness of each of the feature films, including "Insurrection," is the failed attempts at humanizing the characters.

For some reason, it seems that the creators feel that they must make the characters more palatable to a wider audience, that Data, Picard, Riker and the others will not be understood by those not intimately familiar with the television show.

In trying to do so, writers add a foreign element of humor to the world of "Star Trek." Unfortunately, these attempts often fail, revealing themselves as false or forced. Brent Spiner, who plays the android Data, is often the victim of these botched forays. The humor that presented itself in the original series was situational in nature, which made it genuinely funny. The humor present in "Insurrection" is too often contrived and unnecessary.

Nonetheless, despite its flaws, and despite the fact that it may not do justice to its television predecessor, "Star Trek: Insurrection" is an entertaining film. It has its weaknesses, but it has its redeeming qualities as well, especially for those of us who were fans of the syndicated series, and still crave its originality and charm. While far from perfect, "Insurrection" does provide its viewer with one more chance to travel into the depths of space, and, if you'll forgive the cliché, to go where no one has gone before.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures A Tarlac puts the moves on F. Murray Abraham, a bad villain in the new "Star Trek" movie.

12-11-98