Star Treks - Kevin and I went to see the latest offering in the Star Trek franchise on Saturday, Star Trek: Nemesis. The film was a bit disappointing, with attempts at heavy-handed messages about nature-vs.-nurture that simply seemed out of place. There were some rather large plot holes, mostly involving the timelines established in the final episodes of the Next Generation series and where the various crew members ended up. There's also the matter of the fact that baddie Picard clone (played by cutie Tom Hardy) doesn't look all that much like Patrick Stewart. My favorite scene was the softly lit shot of Deanna Troi's eyes (through a Vaseline-coated lens) while she violated the mind of an enemy. Reminded me a lot of the type of cinematography seen in any flick starrring-and-directed by Barbra Streisand. It's always kind of sad to see characters that you've known for years be in a script that forces them to take stupid actions and say stupid things. I'll just keep watching the daily marathons on TNN and keep my happy TNG memories.

And it seems like the enthusiasm for Star Trek may be waning. Not only did Nemesis get beat up by the J.Lo. Cinderella retread, Maid in Manhattan, but the current Star Trek TV show, Enterprise, also seems to be struggling. While it's possible that some realignment to attract younger audiences and more women may help save this latest version of the franchise, judging by people I know, they may be missing an untapped market by not explicitly going after the gay crowds. I actually rather enjoy the self-referential storylines on Enterprise which acknowledge a future history, as oxymoronic as that may sound. I just hope that UPN can market it better, because I do think the show has promise, if it can reach the right audience.