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When it comes to a franchise series like "Star Trek," there is always a concern of not only attracting the trekkies, but also fans who are not familiar with the show. In my opinion, they made a very good choice when they introduced the casts of both "Star Trek" (1966-69) and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-94) TV shows in the seventh film of the long running film series. While at the same time, the film represented a passing of the torch from the old actors to the new cast. The film itself is very exciting, and sometimes emotional, but after watching it so many times (mind you, I am a big fan myself), I think it could have been done perhaps a little bit better.

The film begins in the 23rd century where retired starfleet officers James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are guests of honor for the launch of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B (the first ship without Kirk as the captain). During a routine trip throughout the stars, two transport ships are under attack by a mysterious energy ribbon (which in this film is a doorway to another place known as the Nexus). At first the captain of the Enterprise-B (played by Alan Ruck who is best remembered for being in the film "Speed," and co-starring in "Spin City") ) is reluctant to go rescue them because his ship is as ill-staffed as it is ill-equiped. You really have to wonder why they should launch a new ship like this in the unexpected event of an emergency. However, with a little enthusiasm by Kirk, the Enterprise launches a desperate attempt to rescue the crew of one the ships that hasn't been destroyed by the ribbon. During the rescue attempt, Kirk is presumed to have been killed after a tentacle of energy from the ribbon tears a big chunk out of the Enterprise.

From there, the film moves 78 years later (the 24th century mind you) where Captian Jean-Luc Picard (played wonderfully by Patrick Stewart), and the crew of the Enterprise-D run into an El-Aurian (a humanoid race known to live many centuries) madman named Dr. Tolian Soran (played very charmingly by Malcolm McDowell who is best known for starring in the film "A Clockwork Orange") who has been destroying stars (causing them to super nova, and destroy other planets) of local solar systems to change the course of the energy ribbon so he can draw it to him, and thus enter the Nexus. Picard learns from the ship bartender (who is also an El-Aurian) Guinan (played by Whoopi Goldberg who guest-starred several

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