commentary tracks of the damned looks at Nemesis

Star Trek: Nemesis is featured in this week’s Commentary Tracks of the Damned in The Onion AV Club.

What went wrong: Nothing, though Baird’s offhanded and repeated dismissal of pre-established Star Trek canon—characters, design, relationships, backstory, previous Trek
films—strongly implies a fatal contempt for the series. He brightens
noticeably when describing the parts of the film he got to design from
scratch, or redesign to override previous series installments.

Comments on the cast: Virtually none. Baird devotes a bare
word or two of praise to actors Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, but
mostly seems to regard them as props amid his more interesting sets and
computerized cameras. Judging from an awkward reference to "Patrick and
Brent and… Worf," he doesn’t even necessarily remember their names.

Inevitable dash of pretension: Baird’s entire commentary is
self-important and affected; his gravelly murmurs make him sound like a
beat-poet wannabe at his first open-mic. Suddenly the film’s
ludicrously weighty tone makes more sense.

I wish someone could explain why the final film in the TNG canon was given over to a man who had such obvious contempt for the legacy and mythos of Star Trek. What a waste.

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24 thoughts on “commentary tracks of the damned looks at Nemesis”

  2. I’ve seen the movie and thought ‘meh, coulda been done better’. I’ve read the script…it’s terrible. I completely agree with AV Onion club.
    I could think of a hundred better ways to end TNG canon. Let us hope that they haven’t nailed the coffin shut juuust yet.
    Just hope they don’t let Baird come within a lightyear of any future Trek projects.

  3. I was disappointed that the idea for the film was taken from STII:TWOK. However, if a spin off series were to be created based off the movie…

  4. Wil,
    As a Trek fan for over 40 years, yes I’m that old, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was in Nemesis. Thanks for bringing this up. It’s been too long coming. TNG had a long and distinguished run, and deserved better than Baird.

  6. While I liked Nemesis enough it was by far not my favorite ST film. It wasn’t the best way to end such a legacy, that’s for sure. And I sincerely hope that they will reconsider ending it that way.

  7. While I don’t have the recent special edition of Nemesis, I do have the original DVD which has the same commentary. I agree that Baird sounds like he is bored and/or has contempt for everything except what he created for this movie. I have a great idea..what if you create a podcast commentary for Nemesis like Sci-Fi did with Battlestar Galactica?

  8. Lets face it, the head honchos that were cultivating the last years of the Star Trek Universe really didn’t care about the fans or just cared too late. Although resolving certain key points in the TNG universe, the Nemesis story itself was flawed. Like the Star Wars prequels, the cast was superb, but if the writing is superficial, contrite and more simply sucks… so will the movie. I wish certain directors like Baird understand that their audience are not completely inept and uneducated.
    Even with Enterprise, the best writing of the 4th season should have happened during the second or third. I hope that the francise will return and have the intelligent, quick-witted writing the new generation of Sci-Fi shows like Firefly and Battlestar Galactica exibit.

  9. I do believe that Nemesis did have a decent storyline and an interesting philosophical message behind it. However, I can’t believe the way the storyline and message were massacred. Nemesis lost touch with the spirit of Star Trek. As for the ending… any TNG fan would be disappointed with that (it ruined the movie for me). I’m still holding out for another TNG movie, although it’s looking bleak.

  11. Hooroo,
    Saw Nemisis last week on TV. Looked forward to it, but it was very stogdy, no zing at all.
    Like Shane said “Meh …”
    A disappointment.

  12. I think the problem was far bigger than Baird. It seems to me that he’s just one person in a long line of people who had long ago stopped caring about the integrity of Star Trek. I’m so sick of reading Berman and Braga say that the fans lost interest and killed Trek. The fans lost interest because Trek went from excellent to lousy in just a few years. It’s sad.

  13. Okay, it wasn’t a great movie. Not much we can do about it now.
    But, more importantly, does the new DVD show any of Wil’s deleted footage?

  14. No offense to you or anyone else in the cast, but for me Nemesis ranks only slightly higher then Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. It could have been so much better.

  15. You know Wil,
    Considering that you are the Alpha-geek around here (heh-heh, who among us can say we’ve been in Star Trek!), you speak of Star Trek with a below average regularity 🙂
    Seriously, as a *Fan* how do you see the ST Films? Forget for the moment that you were involved in the franchise…
    And do you think that TNG is done?

  16. Wil –
    Wondering if you’ve seen Serenity (or Firefly, for that matter), and if you’ve read any of the posts that call it a worthy successor to Star Wars (successor to crap, who cares) and to Star Trek (I can see this somewhat – it’s smart, it cares about issues, etc.).
    If I had a really influential blog – gotta work on that – I would be saying “what is WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!” because it doesn’t seem like many people even gave it a chance. Oh well … what I really want is the TV series back, and I don’t think that’s going to happen.

  19. Why they didn’t get Frakes to direct it is a mystery to me. Granted, Berman says that Frakes was busy with ‘Clockstoppers’ but Frakes himself, in more than one interview, said he was “surprized” that he was not asked, and would have loved to do it, so I don’t know where that leaves Berman’s comment.??
    In all fairness, Baird did direct some great movies, but his apparent disdain for ST – his attempt to reinvent the wheel by rejecting all that the fans know and love about Star Trek and the characters, is just crazy. Should have had Frakes direct it. Somebody who can direct, and above all loves the franchise. His commentary alone would no doubt have been worth the price of the Special Edition. — on a side note, where the hell is his commentary for Insurrection dammit!
    Wil – seen you in the wedding scene and the one that was cut — great job. See, although the scene didn’t contribute to the story necessarily directly, it did indirectly because you were part of the TNG family and your appearence was a coming together of the family. Should have kept it in, screw it if the powers-that-be thought it was too long — the fans wanted to see it. “The franchise” should take a lesson from the customer service industry with the truism – “the customer is always right”. In this case, the ST fan is always right. Give us what we want to see and you will make big money on your movies. Do not give us what we want to see …. well … see where that got ya.
    Love your site Wil.
    (Sorry for giving you an extra “l” on a previous post)

  22. It was a disappointment, I’d hoped for a better goodbye than that. I remember sitting in the cinema, with the familiar shiver running down my back as the film started – and then walking out at the end of the film, saying “But…but they…but…WHAT?” I wanted something of the same feeling I got at the end of the TV series – that it was over but at least it was a real goodbye. There wasn’t anything of that there.

  23. I have a suggestion about Star Trek, and since I don’t know anyone who works at Paramount, and am not an exec there myself (yet), here seemed as good a place as any.
    Part of what hurt Star Trek besides the uncaring way in which it was handled by the likes of Rick Berman, was simply an oversaturation of the market. So here’s what should be done:
    Instead of a series or films, Paramount should produce TV movies. Say 3 or 4 times per year. Make them mini-series if you have to, 2 or 3 nights. This way, you can explore all facets of the Star Trek universe, past, present, and future (beyond the TNG timeline, that’s what I want to see). You can go to Starfleet Academy. Make one all about Klingons, I don’t know, the posibilities are endless. The point is, make it an EVENT. Something that fans will tune in to see because we’ll feel like we’ve missed something big if we don’t. Secondly, bring in new talent. Read and option some of the stories from books like “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” It’s some of the best Trek I’ve ever read. Suddenly Paramount would have an endless supply of original, gripping tales.
    Thirdly, from a financial point of view, or Why A Studio Executive Would Ever Consider Such A Thing (WASEWECSAT). How do you make money from such a project? First, I think you’ll find higher viewership/ratings on TV than you’ve seen for Star Trek in a decade. So there’s that. Then, get your asses in gear and get a deal inked with Apple and iTunes for subsequent distribution of the show after it airs, at $2 a pop. The revenue will be slow at first, but who do you think the people are buying those video iPods are, “Desperate Housewives” fans? It’s the GEEKS! The Star Trek fans will download the show so they can watch it again anywhere they go. ANd lastly, DVD sales. You be sure to produce so much additional content that fans will not be able to pass up buying the DVD. I’m talking about cast interviews (shouldn’t be tough because most of the shows won’t need to use existing casts), screen tests, documantaries, blooper reels, commentary tracks, the WORKS. And the stuff we really want to see. There is your guaranteed money-maker. What do you think, guys? If you feel like chatting with me about it, drop me a line at [email protected].

  24. It’s a sad story, but it seems that Paramount never really liked its biggest franchise too much. I localized the “Omnipedia” aeons ago into German and we had no support from Paramount – which we bitterly needed. We were treated as “german trekkies” which seems to indicate doubled freakiness.

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