Is Voyager actor Garrett Wang right about Star Trek: Nemesis?
By Chris Dixon
Star Trek Voyager actor Garrett Wang recently suggested that a Voyager movie should have happened instead of Nemesis. Is he right?
When it comes to Star Trek films, one of the least popular is Nemesis. While it was the final entry for The Next Generation crew (minus Captain Jean-Luc Picard), it was widely panned by fans and cast members alike.
Marina Sirtis once went as far as to call the director “an idiot.” Sirits notably had her own troubles behind the scenes, which lead to threats to replace her with Seven of Nine.
Given the troubles with the cast, the reviews after and the overall legacy of the film, would Star Trek had been better off without Nemesis?
Actor Garrett Wang had his own thoughts on the issue.
"I think Voyager’s “Endgame,” the final episode, the first hour was amazing. The second hour tied things up too quickly, right? They should have aired the first hour on your television screen and on the end say “To be continued in a theater near you” and and film a Voyager two and a half hour movie, got rid of the Nemesis script. Because, let’s face it, if your TNG feature film script is not as good as certain TNG TV episodes, don’t film it. Sorry."
Given Wang appeared on Voyager as Harry Kim, one could suggest he’s biased towards his own Star Trek show. But he may have a point.
Nemesis was the final film until the series was rebooted in 2009. It’s no secret many felt the saga was fatigued and needed a break, but would a different course had resulted in a much different future?
The final episode of Voyager dealt with the Borg, who are a popular villain within the franchise. The fearsome and unrelenting race of cybernetic aliens would make a great big screen antagonist.
The one argument against this would be that it’s been done before. First Contact involved the Borg as well.
Does that matter though?
The original series of films had the Klingons at the center of two films: The Search for Spock and The Undiscovered Country.
In fact, the second time around with the Klingons was a much bigger hit than Nemesis. A second entry with the Borg would have worked.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was almost all a dream. dark. Next
Voyager‘s ending would have undoubtedly made a great movie. A group of people being stranded away from home is a more relatable premise for moviegoers. The Borg would give it a science fiction feel and something for fans to get excited about.
Whether Star Trek at the time was suffering from franchise fatigue is still up for debate. But Garrett Wang’s idea might have charted an entirely different course for the franchise.
Could a Voyager film have worked out? Would it have performed better than Nemesis?