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It's the only "Star Trek" movie featuring cast-members from both the original series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Captain Kirk appears in the opening scene as the original captain of the Enterprise, along with Chekov and and engineer Scotty. As the men watch the ceremonial launch of a new starship, Captain Kirk disappears into a time vortex - and then the movie's story switches to the cast of "The Next Generation," 78 years in the future. Jean-Luc Picard is the new captain of the starship Enterprise, but a strange space anomaly will eventually bring the two men together. When the movie was released in 1994, the movie's poster highlighted this once-in-a-lifetime pairing, promising "Two captains. One destiny."

But the time vortex is just one side effect of a cosmic energy ripple which delivers fulfillment and happiness to anyone inside. Having briefly experienced the original ripple, Dr. Tolian Soran (played by Malcolm McDowell) is determined to return, even if it means destroying whole solar systems to ensure the ripple's trajectory. This is an interesting plot device, as ultimately Captain Picard himself will enter the magical "Nexus." (There it's revealed that his deepest happiness would come from having a family around him.) But it's within this time-transcending ripple that Captain Picard is finally able to meet Captain Kirk.

Captain Kirk's return is a strange and wonderful moment. Kirk is pre-occupied with living out his own dream life in the vortex, maintaining a rural cabin and eventually going for a horse ride. It seemed appropriate that the first captain would initially ignore the second, but a defining moment comes when Kirk realizes that without danger, there's no excitement. He agrees to join with Picard to stop the destruction of a solar system - and in a surprising twist, during the ensuing fight with Dr. Soran, Captain Kirk is killed!

The Enterprise is also destroyed in this film, and this film offers some other Star Trek firsts. The Next Generation's android navigator, Data, is equipped with an emotion chip, and the movie shows his character attempting to grapple with the unfamiliar emotions. Geordi La Forge is taken hostage, and Klingon spies later use his goggles to spy on the Enterprise. Lieutenant Commander Worf receives a promotion in a ceremony in which his friends historically recreate an old-fashioned sailing ship. All the familiar characters from "The Next Generation" are here, including Commander Riker, Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi.

The movie performed a minor miracle in successfully combining characters from the two TV series. Some fans complained that Kirk's death was unworthy of his character's history. (William Shatner later penned a Star Trek novel in which Kirk's character returns to life.) But as his character lies dying, he finds the right message beneath it all, and delivers an appropriate set of last words.

"It was fun."

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