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Star Trek: Nemesis - Full Cast & Crew

• 51   Metascore
• 1 hr 57 mins
• Suspense, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Picard and crew discover a Romulan political leader is trying to bring down the Federation.

Screenwriter

Executive producer, co-producer, cinematographer, production company, art director, sound effects, sound/sound designer, supervising sound editor, special effects, production designer.

Cast of Star Trek: Nemesis

Portrayed Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Played Commander William T. Riker in the movie.

Took on the role of Lt. Commander Data in the film.

Portrayed Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge.

Played the character of Lt. Commander Worf.

Took on the role of Dr. Beverly Crusher in the movie.

Portrayed Counselor Deanna Troi in the film.

Took on the role of Praetor Shinzon.

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• Cast & Crew

• Cast & crew

The full cast of Star Trek: Nemesis

Here you will find an overview of the cast of the movie Star Trek: Nemesis from the year 2002, including all the actors, actresses and the director. When you click on the name of an actor, actress or director from the movie Star Trek: Nemesis-cast you can watch more movies and/or series by him or her. Click here for more infomation about the movie.

We have made an overview that includes: actors , directors , the production team , the camera team , writers and other crew members .

Stuart Baird

Kerry Lyn McKissick

Doug Coleman

Brent Spiner

Rick Berman

Actors & actresses.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Marina Sirtis

Ron Perlman

Shannon Cochran

Kate Mulgrew

Wil Wheaton

David Ralphe

Jude Ciccolella

Majel Barrett

Bryan Singer

Whoopi Goldberg

Artistic design.

Ronald K. Nomura

Penny Smartt-Juday

Donald B. Woodruff

Cherie Baker

Andrew Petrotta

Tom Southwell

Kino Scialabba

Mariano Díaz

Richard J. Bayard

Steve Callas

Robert Van Dyke

Sam Mendoza

James M. Davis

Bert Rodriguez

Steve Fegley

John Holcombe

Willard Livingston

Michael Van Dyke

Monica Fedrick

David Tully

Jim Husbands

Ralph Sarabia

Gary Metzen

Herman F. Zimmerman

John M. Dwyer

Ronald R. Reiss

Robert Woodruff

Scott Herbertson

Martha Johnston

Ahna Packard

William S. Maxwell III

Kenneth Sayers

Robert Gray

Richard Greenberg

Layna McAllister

Leo J. Napolitano

Gregory J. Schmidt

Jeffrey L. Kimball

Mark Meyers

Hector Gutierrez

Daniel Nichols

Andy Bertelson

Ralph Del Castillo

Erik Hecomovich

Wayne Viespi

Jason Wayne Ellis

Richard Jones

Amber Maahs

Ignacio Woolfolk

Flemming Olsen

Gregory Lundsgaard

Sam Emerson

Costume & makeup.

Elizabeth Rabe

Bob Ringwood

Robert Blackman

Anthony J. Scarano

Keith M. Wegner

Anthony Franco

Kimberley Shull

Toni-Ann Walker

Terry Baliel

Kathe Swanson

Diane Pepper

Linda Trainoff

Elaina P. Schulman

Shawn McKay

Julia L. Walker

Lumas Hamilton Jr.

Chris McBee

Lisa Meyers

Rebecca De Morrio

Richard Schoen

Karen Asano-Myers

Allan A. Apone

Jake Garber

Zoltan Elek

Marsha Shearrill

Rick Stratton

Ellis Burman Jr.

June Westmore

Tina Hoffman

Michael Westmore

Jill Rockow

David Mayreis

Rochelle Best

Lori Harris

Sandra Collier

Lis Bothwell

Fran Murphy

Richard Kite

Markus Kurtz

Cesar Orozco

Marc Tantin

Bob Ahmanson

Thomas Zell

William Ladd Skinner

James Van Over

Shawn Baden

Rick Sternbach

Tom Mahoney

Mark De Alessandro

Brian J. Williams

Brennan Dyson

Jane Austin

Sonia Izzolena

Todd Bryant

Steve Kelso

Charlie Brewer

Dorian Kingi

Mickey Giacomazzi

Sandy Berumen

Daniel W. Barringer

Eileen Weisinger

Robin Lynn Bonaccorsi

Dana Dru Evenson

Chris Palermo

Keii Johnston

Eliza Coleman

Scott Rogers

Mark Chadwick

Chino Binamo

Terry Jackson

Harry Wowchuk

Tanner Gill

Tony Angelotti

Clint Lilley

Brian Stewart

Jared S. Eddo

Erica Grace

Michael Klastorin

Glenn Cannon

Heather J. Morrison

Mark Eggenweiler

Robert Schajer

Movie editing.

Scott Janush

Jason Wasserman

William J. Meshover

Donald Freeman

Dallas Puett

Lighting techniques.

Greg Langham

Frank Mathews

Dan Delgado

William Cueto

Glen Magers

Chris Pavlu

Lukas Henrey

David Kaiser

Christopher J. Lama

Martin Reder

Larry Sweet

Steven Serna

Amanda Mackey

Cathy Sandrich Gelfond

Junie Lowry-Johnson

Marty Hornstein

Peter Lauritson

Tammy Fearing

William Cawley

Galen Goodpaster

Matthew C. May

Joseph F. Brennan

Susan Kurtz

Mike Szakmeister

Richard Corwin

James Wright

Thomas W. Small

Sarah Monat

Robin Harlan

Scott Curtis

Scott G.G. Haller

Randy Singer

James Thatcher

Kevin Connolly

Conrad Pope

Mark McKenzie

Jerry Goldsmith

Harry Cohen

James Wolvington

Doug Jackson

David Grimaldi

Paul C. Warschilka

Howard Neiman

Thomas Causey

Frank A. Montaño

Chris Jenkins

Noyan Cosarer

James Simcik

Frank Smathers

Kenneth Hall

Alan Robert Murray

Special effects

Scott Edelstein

Aaron James McComas

Aladino V. Debert

Jon-Marc Kortsch

Michael Kory

Joe Jackman

Kevin Gillen

Matt Cordner

Keith Huggins

Jens Zalzala

Evangeline Monroy

Declan Quinn

Todd Isroelit

Mark Owen Forker

Kenneth Jones

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Produced by, released by, star trek: nemesis (2002), directed by stuart baird.

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Synopsis by Karl Williams

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Recently, we've done several changes to help out this wiki, from deleting empty pages, improving the navigation, adding a rules page, as well as merging film infoboxes.

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• Films starring Patrick Stewart
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Star Trek: Nemesis

• View history

Star Trek: Nemesis is a 2002 American science fiction film directed by Stuart Baird . It is the tenth film in the Star Trek franchise, as well as the fourth and final film to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation . It was written by John Logan from a story developed by Logan, Brent Spiner , and producer Rick Berman. In the film, which is set in the 24th century, the crew of the USS Enterprise -E are forced to deal with a threat to the United Federation of Planets from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon, who has taken control of the Romulan Star Empire in a coup d'état.

Principal photography for the film took place from November 2001 to March 2002. Nemesis held its world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on December 9, 2002. The film was released in North America on December 13, 2002 by Paramount Pictures, and received generally mixed reviews, with publications criticizing it for being the least successful in the franchise. The film was a box office failure, earning $67 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. Plans for a final film featuring The Next Generation cast were scrapped, and the film series was rebooted instead with Star Trek in 2009, which was a box office success. The television series Star Trek: Picard , a continuation of The Next Generation and Nemesis set two decades after the latter at the end of the 24th century, premiered in 2020.

• 3.1 Development and filming
• 3.2 Direction and writing
• 3.3 Make-up
• 4 Theatrical Trailer

On Romulus, members of the Romulan Senate debate terms of peace and alliance from the Reman rebel leader Shinzon. The Remans are a slave race of the Romulan Empire from the neighboring planet Remus, used as miners and cannon fodder. While a faction of the military supports Shinzon, the Praetor and Senate are opposed to an alliance. After rejecting the motion, the Praetor and senators are disintegrated by a device left in the room.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Starship Enterprise prepare to bid farewell to newly married first officer Commander William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi. The android operations officer Data serenades the couple with a rendition of "Blue Skies". En route to the ceremony, they discover an energy reading on the planet Kolarus III near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, security/tactical officer Worf, and Data land on the planet and discover the remnants of an android resembling Data named B-4. The crew deduce it to be an earlier version of Data. The trio then flee the planet, with B-4, as they are attacked by the native pre-industrial Kolarans.

Enterprise is ordered on a diplomatic mission to Romulus, where Shinzon has taken over the Empire and professes a desire for peace with the Federation. On arrival, they learn Shinzon is a clone of Picard, secretly created by the Romulans to plant a high-ranking spy into the Federation. The project was abandoned when Shinzon was still a child, and he was left on Remus to die as a slave. After many years, Shinzon became a leader of the Remans, and constructed a heavily armed flagship, Scimitar . The Enterprise crew discover that Scimitar is producing low levels of deadly thalaron radiation, the same radiation that killed the entire Romulan senate at the beginning of the film. There are also unexpected attempts to communicate with the Enterprise computers, and Shinzon violates Troi's mind through the telepathy of his Reman viceroy.

The medical officer, Dr Beverly Crusher, discovers that Shinzon is aging rapidly because of the process used to clone him, and the only possible treatment is a transfusion of Picard's blood. Shinzon kidnaps Picard and B-4, having planted the android on Kolarus as a lure. Data reveals he swapped places with B-4, and rescues Picard, by stealing a Reman attack vessel and breaking out of the hangar. They determine Shinzon plans to use the warship to invade the Federation, using its thalaron radiation generator to eradicate all life on Earth and any other planet he sees fit.

Enterprise races back to Federation space, but is ambushed by Scimitar in the Bassen Rift, which prevents subspace communication. Despite the aid of two Romulan Warbirds, Enterprise is heavily damaged. Picard rams Scimitar with Enterprise , crippling both ships. Shinzon activates the thalaron weapon in an act of mutually assured destruction. Picard boards Scimitar alone to face Shinzon, and kills him by impaling him on a metal strut. With Enterprise 's transporters damaged, Data leaps the distance between the two ships equipped with an emergency transporter, beaming Picard off the ship, and then sacrifices himself to destroy the thalaron generator and Scimitar with it. The crew mourn Data, and the surviving Romulan commander, Donatra, offers them her gratitude for saving the Empire.

Back at Earth, Picard bids farewell to Riker, who is leaving to command the USS Titan . Picard meets with B-4, and discovers that, before he boarded the Scimitar, Data downloaded the engrams of his neural net into B-4, allowing him to live on. As B-4 starts singing "Blue Skies", Picard leaves B-4's quarters and smiles.

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander / Captain William T. Riker
• Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data / B-4
• LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Commander Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Sirtis was "ecstatic" about the role Troi plays in the movie. She was pleased with the wedding scene, saying that the dress she wore for Nemesis was nicer than the one she wore at her actual wedding. She was happy to work once again with Wil Wheaton and Whoopi Goldberg, but felt that the film would be the last one with the entire cast of The Next Generation. She remained certain that it would not be the last Star Trek film to be made, as she thought that Paramount would want to make a film involving a variety of characters from the different Star Trek series.
• Tom Hardy as Praetor Shinzon, the leader of the Reman people.
• Baird and Berman had been searching for someone who resembled Patrick Stewart but looked about 25 years younger; at one point they considered Jude Law. Baird specifically wanted an unknown actor, and Hardy auditioned by tape after Stewart asked Hardy's agent if he thought any of his clients were suitable for the role. Hardy was filming Simon: An English Legionnaire in Morocco at the time,: 37  and decided against using the requested text for the audition. Instead, he got possession of a full script for Nemesis, used a different part of the script, and filmed it partly nude.: 38  He was flown to Los Angeles to do a screen test with Stewart; Hardy later described his performance there as "appalling". However, he had recorded himself performing the same piece in a hotel room the night before, and gave that tape to Baird, resulting in his being cast as Shinzon a few days later.: 39 
• Ron Perlman as the Reman Viceroy.
• Perlman and Hardy became friends on the set. Perlman said in an interview eight years after the release of the film, "I loved him when I first met him. I loved working with him. I found him to be really smart, really a great kid.": 43 
• Dina Meyer as Romulan Commander Donatra
• John Berg as Romulan Senator
• Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Kathryn Janeway
• Shannon Cochran as Senator Tal'aura
• Jude Ciccolella as Commander Suran
• Alan Dale as Praetor Hiren
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher (non-speaking role, apart from a deleted scene)
• Majel Barrett voice of the Enterprise's computer
• Stuart Baird voice of the Scimitar's computer
• Bryan Singer as Kelly (uncredited)
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan (uncredited)

Production [ ]

Development and filming [ ].

Principal photography began in December 2001 in Southern California. The film was cut by about a third from a much longer running time. Many of the deleted scenes in the movie were "character moments", which served to further the characters' relationships with one another; the reason why they were cut was to put more emphasis on the battle between the Enterprise -E and the Scimitar . Rick Berman has stated that about 50 minutes' worth of scenes were filmed but cut (though not necessarily all of them were usable in a final form).

In promotional interviews for the film, Patrick Stewart stated that room for a sequel was left as B-4 begins singing "Blue Skies".

Direction and writing [ ]

Stuart Baird was brought in to direct Nemesis by executive producer Rick Berman. It was Baird's third film following U.S. Marshals and Executive Decision , although he had directed a variety of second units previously. Baird did not have a background in Star Trek ; he was aware of the films and television series but did not consider himself an expert on the subject. Berman explained that Baird would bring "fresh blood" to the film and that Berman had enjoyed "the sense of fun and action that existed in Executive Decision ." Baird said in a promotional interview that this resulted in a non-typical Baird film, saying that it was "perhaps a little different from the dynamics of the previous films." He wanted to add energy to the action scenes and added some set pieces, such as the car chase. He called that scene a "signature piece" for the film, which turns dark after the crew is put in danger by the inhabitants of the planet. He also found that the cast would discuss any issues they had with the direction he gave to their characters. Despite Frakes' being in the cast and having directed the previous two Star Trek films, Baird decided not to seek his opinion on the direction of the film. He said that there was no resentment on set, noting that Frakes was completing work on directing Clockstoppers at the time and so likely could not have taken on directing Nemesis even if Baird had not been given the job. Baird had hoped that Nemesis would be enough of a success that he could consider whether to take the lead on a future, eleventh Star Trek film.

Make-up [ ]

The make-up team sought to make Hardy look more similar to Stewart by creating latex prosthetics from moulds of the latter's face. These included numerous versions of noses and chins, and in order to reduce the visible size of Hardy's lips a fake scar was added.

The music to Star Trek: Nemesis was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith , who composed previous entries in the franchise, such as the Academy Award-nominated score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , Star Trek: First Contact , and Star Trek: Insurrection , as well as the themes to the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (arranged by Dennis McCarthy) and Star Trek: Voyager . One of the final works written before his death in 2004, Goldsmith had also previously collaborated with Baird on Executive Decision and U.S. Marshals .

The score opens with airy synthesizers under a trumpet performing an augmented triad before preceding into Alexander Courage's Star Trek: The Original Series fanfare. The score then quickly transitions into a much darker theme to accompany the conflict between the Reman and Romulan empires. Goldsmith also composed a new 5-note theme to accompany the character Shinzon and the Scimitar , which is manipulated throughout the score to reflect the multiple dimensions of the character. The score is book-ended with Goldsmith's theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture , following a brief excerpt from the song "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin and the original Star Trek fanfare.

Theatrical Trailer [ ]

• 1 IF (2024)

Paramount Pictures

It was like I was seeing a ghost.

Playing With Fire

No shenanigans under my watch.

Like A Boss

We are two badass queens like those bitches who raised Wonder Woman.

The Rhythm Section

I need your help to find the ones who did this. I’ve got nothing to lose.

I could hear the whole tune in my head. It was all there.

In the wake of a joyful wedding between Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis), Picard receives another reason to celebrate: the Romulans want peace and the captain will be the Federation's emissary. But as the EnterpriseTM heads toward the Romulan Empire, a brilliant villain awaits - harboring a diabolical plan of destruction and an unimaginable secret that will give Picard his most fearsome challenge.

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Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

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Star Trek: Nemesis — Cast & Crew

Stuart baird.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

Brent Spiner

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Marina Sirtis

Gates McFadden

Ron Perlman

Shannon Cochran

Jude Ciccolella

Michael Owen

Kate mulgrew.

Robertson Dean

David Ralphe

J. patrick mccormack.

Wil Wheaton

Majel Barrett

William Bebow

Greg bronson.

Bruce Dobos

Whoopi goldberg.

John Jurgens

Nicholas Lanier

Jasmine Lliteras

Andrew macbeth.

Marti Matulis

Bill Miller

Brian Patterson

Guy Richardson

Katja Rieckermann

Rachelle roderick.

Bryan Singer

Gregory Sweeney

Wanda ray willis.

Daniel W. Barringer

Marcus Eley

Nelson r. grande, dieter horneman, andray johnson.

Noriko Olling-Wright

Anne woodberry, gene roddenberry.

Rick Berman

Peter Lauritson

Marty hornstein.

Jeffrey L. Kimball

Jerry Goldsmith

Thomas Causey

Harry cohen.

Noyan Cosarer

Chris Jenkins

Frank A. Montaño

Alan Robert Murray

James Wolvington

Cherie baker, donald b. woodruff, herman f. zimmerman, john m. dwyer.

Ronald R. Reiss

Bob ringwood.

Dallas Puett

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Star Trek: Nemesis is a 2002 American science-fiction film directed by Stuart Baird . It is the tenth film in the Star Trek film series , as well as the fourth and final film to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation . It was written by John Logan from a story developed by Logan, Brent Spiner , and producer Rick Berman . In the film, which is set in the 24th century, the crew of the USS Enterprise -E are forced to deal with a threat to the United Federation of Planets from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon , who has taken control of the Romulan Star Empire in a coup d'état .

Star Trek: Nemesis

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Star Trek: Who Is Shinzon And How Did He Take Over The Romulan Star Empire?

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6 Biggest Retcons To Star Trek History

Star trek: why are romulan and klingon starships so similar, 6 darkest star trek characters, ranked, quick links, who was shinzon, how did shinzon takeover the romulan star empire, shinzon's legacy in star trek.

• Shinzon, a dark reflection of Jean-Luc Picard, was the final villain in Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.
• In Star Trek Nemesis , Shinzon assumed control of the Romulan Star Empire against all odds and launched a devastating campaign against Picard and the Federation.
• Despite criticism of the movie, Shinzon's actions had lasting consequences on both the prime and Kelvin timelines in the Star Trek franchise.

Shinzon was the primary opponent faced by the crew of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Nemesis . That gives him the distinction of being the final villain of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the hugely successful era of Star Trek that covered seven series and four feature films. While the spirit of that show continued in contemporary series like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and more recently in Star Trek: Picard , this well-loved crew’s final voyage demanded a major threat and found it in an old sci-fi staple: the evil counterpart.

Dark doppelgängers have been with Star Trek since the Mirror universe was introduced to the Original Series in 1967’s ‘Mirror, Mirror.’ The show helped build many cliches associated with the trope designed to test a hero's mettle like never before (including evil goatee beards). In Nemesis , it was Jean-Luc Picard’s turn to be flipped, although not because of the Mirror universe. The renowned captain of the USS Enterprise faced a vengeful clone of himself with the full might of the Romulan Star Empire at his disposal.

Star Trek: The Earth-Romulan War Explained

How has this pivotal conflict in Star Trek history never made it to the screen?

At the start of Star Trek: Nemesis , Shinzon was a mysterious new Praetor, the title for the head of the Romulan senate, who had seized control of the Empire. Having been drawn to a planet near the Romulan Neutral Zone by the remains of a Soong-style robot, a prototype of TNG legend Data , the Enterprise-E was the closest Starfleet vessel when the Empire made unexpected peace overtures to the Federation. This rare mission to Romulus revealed the new Praetor to be a younger version of Picard who was happy to provide a sample of blood for Doctor Crusher to verify, even if it meant sinisterly cutting his hand.

Shinzon was a clone created from Jean-Luc Picard’s DNA as part of a Romulan plot to infiltrate the United Federation of Planets. Due to Shizon's age, fan theories have speculated that the DNA was taken when Picard commanded the USS Stargazer. While not yet an influential figure in Starfleet, the time paradox of Tashar Yar could have given the Empire knowledge of Picard’s highly decorated career to come. After ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’ saved Yar from an early death , Romulans captured her when she went back in time aboard the doomed Enterprise-C.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 Ending, Explained

After a challenging first year, Star Trek: The Next Generation ended with a menacing sign of things to come.

Picard’s clone suffered away from Earth, not least when he also developed Shalaft's Syndrome, which made him hypersensitive to sound, but had to wait far longer to receive treatment he waited for a doctor with knowledge of the rare human condition. Then, a power shift in the Romulan Empire canceled the risky clone-infiltration plan. Shinzon was exiled from Romulus to work in the dark dilithium mines of its twin planet, Remus. The clone was frequently beaten during 18-hour work shifts, but he forged a close relationship with Vkruk, who would later become his Reman Viceroy.

In Nemesis , Crusher’s analysis showed that the new Praetor was suffering from a fatal cellular structure breakdown. The clone incorporated temporal RNA sequencing, intended to accelerate his physical age to Picard's at any time to complete the deception. However, the program’s cancelation meant Shinzon's aging program was never activated, causing the clone to become unstable. Shinzon’s only hope was a complete blood transfusion from his genetic template, Jean-Luc Picard, so he carefully plotted the kidnap of the captain to complete the procedure.

The iconic Star Trek franchise and history is not without retcons that leave it open to different interpretations.

While Shinzon seemed fascinated by the Picard family history he’d been denied, his true goal was to stabilize his biology before crushing everything Picard represented. The parts of the Soong android B-4 that ensured the Enterprise was closest to the Neutral Zone were planted as part of this plot. The android’s existence was suggested to be another earlier attempt by the Romulans to infiltrate Starfleet .

Shinzon was a product of his brutalized life — like Frankenstein’s monster, a wonder of science abandoned by his creators who returned to wreak vengeance. While he sought freedom for his adopted people, the subjugated Remans, his ultimate plan was built on the back of revenge, jealousy, and hatred. The film tackled typical nature versus nurture questions posed by dark counterparts in a debate between Picard and Data.

Shinzon’s savage outlook was reflected in other underhand actions. In one of the film’s most controversial moments, Shinzon used the telepathic powers of his Reman viceroy to invade Deanna Troi's mind, having become obsessed with her — the first human, or half-human, female he had ever met.

Shinzon’s opportunity came during the Dominion War when the powers of the Alpha and Beta were forced into an alliance to beat the devastating forces of the Gamma Quadrant superpower . While the war that raged between 2374 and 2375 was shown in Deep Space Nine , behind the scenes, Shinzon was drafted to the Romulan military, where he commanded Reman forces in 12 successful engagements. Despite their very different upbringing, Shinzon shared the command abilities with his Starfleet progenitor.

Shinzon emerged from the Dominion conflict with impressive military experience, an army, and alliances with high-ranking Romulans. Shinzon and Vkruk devised a plan to free the Reman people by overthrowing the Romulan senate. To this end, Shinzon’s forces built the gigantic warbird Scimitar and developed a devastating and deadly weapon using thalaron radiation. Shinzon made overtures to the Romulan Senate but seized complete control in a coup d’etat when he assassinated the Praetor and senate members with a small thalaron projector. As the self-declared Praetor, Shinzon could now turn his attention to the Federation and Picard.

They may be renowned blood enemies, but have the Romulans and Klingons ever formed a military alliance?

In Nemesis , Shinzon believed his true purpose was to free the Reman people by overthrowing the Romulan ruling elite. However, a deleted scene in the movie confirmed he intended to follow the destruction of Picard by crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone to wage war on the Federation. Crushing the Romulans’ great foe would take revenge on humanity and secure his name above Picard’s in the history books.

Shinzon was defeated at the Battle of Bassen Rift when his flagship Scimitar locked talons with the Enterprise-E. Picard escaped his imprisonment with Data’s help and, using his younger self’s overconfidence against him, severely damaged the Scimitar by using his ship as an unorthodox ram. In a final battle with Picard, Shinzon was fatally impaled, his last words ominously proclaiming, “Our destiny's complete.” His plans died with him when Data sacrificed himself to destroy the thalaron weapon.

Despite a strong script from John Logan, the concept of Nemesis and Picard’s dark clone failed to spark, some criticism leveled at the emphasis put on the villain, and its underperformance ended TNG ’s journey on the big screen. However, the events of Nemesis would have consequences for the franchise’s prime and Kelvin timelines.

Despite Star Trek's portrayal of a utopian future, there are many characters throughout the franchise who feature some very dark characteristics.

The Kelvin timeline of 2009’s Star Trek and subsequent movies was created when a black hole propelled Ambassador Spock, the vengeful Romulan Nero, and his crew back in time. Spock had failed to stop the imminent supernova of Romulus and Remus’s sun, which destroyed the planets and killed Nero’s family in 2387, eight years after Shinzon’s death. The subsequent damaging campaign of another rage-filled villain finally put a leading Romulan villain on the big screen.

Star Trek: Picard , which dealt with the consequences of Data’s death in Nemesis , also filled in details of the destruction of Romulus in the Prime universe. Following his promotion to Admiral, Picard took charge of constructing and coordinating a fleet to evacuate affected Romulan planets.

The Romulan Senate’s plea to the Federation for help might have been ridiculous at any other time of their fractious history , but relations had thawed after Picard’s defeat of Shinzon. Picard’s acceptance of the role may have been motivated by guilt about his dark counterpart. That the evacuation plan was sabotaged by the Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence agency, masterminding a devastating synth attack on Mars, triggering the Admiral’s resignation from Starfleet as they did, indicated ongoing instability in the Romulan Star Empire after Shinzon’s defeat.

Perhaps the greatest sign of how Picard’s confrontation with his dark younger self affected the Star Trek icon has been his increasing closeness to the Romulan people. As well as taking in refugees Laris and Zhaban he saved his young protegee Elnor, who would become the first fully Romulan Starfleet cadet.

Star Trek: Nemesis

• Movies & TV

Star Trek's Time Travel Rules, Explained

• Star Trek time travel operates with genuine logic, impacting the past and future consistently within the narrative framework.
• Major series and films heavily rely on time travel, introducing rules like the "slingshot" effect and parallel realities.
• Changes in the past affect the future of the Prime Timeline, except for the creation of the Kelvin Timeline as a parallel reality.

As a mainstay of science fiction for six decades, Star Trek is no stranger to time travel stories. On the surface, it may seem as if the rules of time travel are loose in Gene Roddenberry's universe. The first chronological use of time travel comes at the end of Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 6, "The Naked Time," when the USS Enterprise is sent three days back in time. Since then, every major Star Trek series has featured time travel, with some even relying heavily on the convention.

Time travel also shows up in the films, from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home to Star Trek: First Contact . The 2009 reboot Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams also relies on time travel to create its brand-new universe. Star Trek also uses parallel realities, such as its famously evil Mirror Universe. While there are rules in its universe, the real-life way Star Trek time travel works is, essentially, narrative convenience. What the storytellers want to happen is what happens, but through these choices made by disparate storytellers, a framework emerges.

Time Travel in Star Trek: The Original Series Set the Tone

Star trek has been quietly influencing one of the most popular franchises of all time.

"The Naked Time" and the Enterprise being flung into the past was meant to be the first part of a two-part story. The second part was "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," eventually the 21st episode of the first season. In this story, the USS Enterprise is accidentally flung back to 1969. This episode developed the "slingshot" effect, in which the ship warps around the sun and uses that to break the "time barrier." In this story, the Enterprise is able to successfully erase its presence in the past by undoing the changes they made. In Season 2, Episode 26, "Assignment: Earth," The Enterprise is again in the past on what's supposed to be a "routine" observation mission. Instead, they help Gary Seven -- a mysterious human called a Watcher" -- prevent a nuclear detonation.

In that episode, Spock discovers the Enterprise was always supposed to be a part of the events that day. This is a closed time-loop in which the presence of time travelers was always part of what happened . However, in the famous episode "City on the Edge of Forever," a crazed Doctor McCoy accidentally goes back in time through the "Guardian of Forever" gate and changes history. The USS Enterprise disappeared, but the away team on the planet did not. This was the first time that changes in the past were immediately reflected in the timeline, which is the de facto way time travel manifests in Star Trek . Similarly, in Star Trek: The Animated Series , the Guardian of Forever is used to correct a mistake that erased Spock from history.

In "City on the Edge of Forever," proximity to the Guardian prevented the crew from being affected by the changes. Yet, in "Yesteryear," the crew by the Guardian were not immune, not recognizing Spock when he emerged. Lastly, in Star Trek IV the crew changes the past , but its effects are left vague. Scotty gives a random manufacturer the formula for transparent aluminum, while Chekov leaves behind his communicator and phaser when captured by the US military. How these changes affected the future are not known, but it's presumed that they would have been both instantaneous and unnoticeable upon the Enterprise's return to their present.

How The Next Generation Era Solidified Star Trek Time Travel Rules

One of star trek's best new characters reclaimed a problematic trope.

There were a number of episodes in the second wave of Star Trek that dealt with time travel, including its consequences on the future. In a Star Trek: Voyager two-parter, Ed Begley, Jr. played an important character who was, essentially, responsible for the 1980s and 1990s computer age the Star Trek: The Originl Series storytellers didn't see coming. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's "Past Tense," Captain Sisko has to step in for historical figure Gabriel Bell in the "Bell Riots," an important historical event. Also, Deep Space Nine revealed that Quark, Nog and Rom were the "Rosewell aliens" thanks to a time travel snafu. However, one episode further solidified how changes to the timeline worked.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's third season episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise," the USS Enterprise-C was displaced from its time into the 24th Century. The moment it arrived there, the timeline changed and none of the Enterprise-D crew was the wiser. Only Guinan was subtly made aware of these changes due to her El Aurian ancestry. When the Enterprise C went back into the temporal rift, that reality snapped back not just to normal but the moment it first emerged. This was despite the fact that days passed in the alternate present the ship's arrival created. This matches how the temporal changes in the sequel series worked as well. Sometimes other characters were exempt from the changes, and while there were sci-fi reasons given, it was, again, narrative convenience.

In Star Trek: First Contact , the Borg successfully altered the past when it sent a sphere back to 2063. The USS Enterprise-E was immune from the timeline changes because of its proximity to the temporal singularity that eventually allowed them to follow . Since the version of Zefram Cochrane that appeared in The Original Series was ignorant of the Federation, it's safe to assume the presence of The Next Generation 's characters changed that past from what it once was. When they returned to their present, presumably, any permanent changes to the present were, again, unnoticeable.

Star Trek: Enterprise and the Kelvin Timeline Changed Time Travel Rules Further

Star trek: discovery fixed one big mistake the kelvin timelines movies made.

The idea of a temporal war was introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise , again suggesting the version of events viewers saw was not the history the characters in the past series knew. From the war with the Xindi in Season 3 to the various temporal incursions in the earlier seasons, the NX-01 Enterprise experienced a different history than it should've. This suggests that every time travel adventure in Star Trek changed the past, save perhaps for the events in "Assignment: Earth." However, that episode is an outlier because it was conceived as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff starring Gary Seven. At some point, according to both Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , the Temporal War went from "cold" to "hot," resulting in even more significant changes.

Still, in almost all cases, changing something in the past affected the future of the Prime Timeline. There is one notable exception, which also exists for narrative convenience. When Ambassador Spock and the Narada traveled into the past after the destruction of Romulus, it created an alternate timeline that became a parallel reality running concurrent with the Prime Timeline . Unlike other time travel events that changed Star Trek canon , the Kelvin Timeline continued forward without undoing the events in the Prime Timeline. Star Trek: Picard Season 1 proved this by confirming the destruction of Romulus. And, when those characters time traveled in Season 2, the changes in the past were again reflected in the Prime Timeline's future rather than creating a branch reality.

For those looking for a sci-fi reason for this, one could say that the mysterious "Red Matter" Spock used had something to do with it. However, the Kelvin Timeline isn't necessarily the only parallel reality created by time-travel. In Star Trek: Discovery , the Guardian of Forever implied to Philippa Georgiou that there was a period in the Mirror Universe's past where it was the same timeline as the one fans know. Though, Enterprise showed that divergence happened, at least, as far back as Vulcan First Contact. Still, save for it and the Kelvin Timeline, Star Trek 's rules of time travel suggest changes in the past affect the future of the Prime Timeline.

There Are Still Unanswered Mysteries About How Time Travel Works in Star Trek

The new star trek series could erase the kelvin timeline, but shouldn't.

When it comes to the real-world story reasons for creating an alternate timeline versus a parallel reality, it's all down to narrative needs. The Kelvin Timeline needed a future unencumbered by existing canon, thus it existed without changing the Prime Timeline. However, most of the time travel incursions in the Star Trek universe don't work that way. Yet, events change for other, inexplicable reasons such as the birth and rise of Khan Noonien Singh . In "Space Seed," the The Original Series Season 1 episode that introduced the character, his reign of terror happened in the 1990s . Yet, Strange New Worlds fixed that in Season 2.

Khan's descendent, La'an Noonien Singh, was recruited by a Temporal Agent to fix an attack in the past. When he passed his Time Gizmo to her, the timeline changed around her, including erasing the Temporal Agent's body. While in the past, she encountered a Romulan temporal soldier sent back to the 1990s to kill Khan. Without him, Starfleet and the Federation would never form. Yet, when she got there, she found no evidence of Khan's existence. Eventually, she discovered him as a child in the mid-21st Century. She implied to La'an that certain "canon events" will happen regardless. Perhaps because of the changes made to the time in Voyager , Khan's creation didn't happen until later.

While these aren't the clearest rules, time travel can explain many things, including Strange New Worlds ' advanced technology . These changes alter the look and capabilities of Star Trek 's future, but the "big" things still happen. Christopher Pike captains the Enterprise and is debilitated in an accident. James T. Kirk replaces him, preventing a Romulan war. This can also mean that time travel events that don't happen on screen can also change the timeline in ways the characters (and the audience) would never realize . In fact, all these various stories told by different generations of storytellers over decades fit together even this neatly is a kind of miracle in itself.

Star Trek's series and Kelvin Timeline films are available to stream on Paramount+, while the first 10 films stream on Max. All are available to own on DVD, Blu-ray and digital.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

Created by Gene Roddenberry

First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Latest Film Star Trek: Nemesis

First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series

Latest TV Show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Scott Bakula, Kate Mulgrew, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Avery Brooks, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

TV Show(s) Star Trek: Animated, Star trek, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks

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I’m glad william shatner didn't appear in j.j. abrams’ star trek movie.

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Star Trek 2009 Cast & Character Guide

William shatner says star trek’s new kirk actors chris pine & paul wesley are "wonderful”, every the strangers movie, ranked worst to best.

• J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot benefited from not including William Shatner as Captain Kirk, allowing for a fresh take on the series.
• The decision to cut Shatner's scene improved the 2009 Star Trek ending by allowing the new cast to shine without overshadowing them.
• Shatner's cameo would have taken away from Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, robbing them of their own agency and deepening their characters.

It's for the best that William Shatner didn't appear as Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie. 15 years ago, J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot rejuvenated the Star Trek movie franchise after the poor performance of both Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis . Boldly deciding to recast the Star Trek: The Original Series characters and set the movie in an alternate timeline, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie was able to have the best of both worlds; 40-year-old cultural icons placed in a modern action-packed blockbuster.

To pass the torch between the Star Trek: The Original Series crew and their modern counterparts, Leonard Nimoy was cast as an older Ambassador Spock, a mentor figure to both the young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). However, early versions of the Star Trek script also featured a cameo by William Shatner as Captain Kirk , appearing as a recording in the movie's closing scenes. J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman eventually decided to cut the scene, which may be disappointing to fans, but it also improved the ending of Star Trek (2009) as a result.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek relaunched the movie franchise and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise.

William Shatner’s Scene In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Explained

"i miss you, old friend.".

A few months after the release of Star Trek in 2009, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci revealed that they had written a scene for William Shatner (via TrekMovie ). In the scene, Prime Spock presents his Kelvin Timeline counterpart with a pendant that turns out to be a holo-emitter, containing a message from William Shatner's Kirk . It's revealed that the pendant was a birthday message from Kirk to Spock in which he reflects on their friendship, and reveals his desire to live out his retirement with his best friend.

I suppose I’d always imagined us…outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching life swing us into our Emeritus years…

William Shatner's voice-over would then continue over the scenes of Chris Pine's Kirk being honored by Starfleet Command for defeating Nero (Eric Bana). As Prime Kirk reflects on when he and Spock " stepped onto the Enterprise as boys ", Kelvin Kirk accepts command of the Kelvin Timeline's version of the starship Enterprise . Touchingly, Prime Kirk acknowledges the Kelvin Timeline crew, by saying that " it's their time now " . However, it's also clear that the spirit of adventure is still alive in this older Captain Kirk, who closes the scene by saying:

You once said being a starship captain was my first, best destiny… if that’s true, then yours is to be by my side. If there’s any true logic to the universe… we’ll end up on that bridge again someday.

Shatner’s Kirk Cameo Would Have Undermined Chris Pine And Zachary Quinto

While the scene as written is a touching little coda, acting as a melancholy farewell between the prime timeline's Kirk and Spock, it does undermine Star Trek 's new leads. When handing his Kelvin timeline counterpart the pendant, Prime Spock says that it's a " dream " that the young Kirk and Spock can now fulfill. The implication being that the Kelvin timeline's Kirk and Spock are only friends because of an obligation to mirror their prime timeline counterparts. This robs Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's Star Trek characters of their agency, reducing them to performing hollow William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy tribute acts .

Star Trek director J.J. Abrams famously told Chris Pine to do " less Shatner " when playing Captain Kirk.

The end of the movie is about this new crew stepping out of the shadow of the Star Trek: The Original Series cast and embracing their own future , something that would have been undercut by a surprise appearance by Star Trek 's William Shatner . Reminding theater audiences of the original, iconic, Captain James T. Kirk at the exact moment that Chris Pine's version takes command of the USS Enterprise would have been a serious misstep. It's good, therefore, that the scene was cut from the finished Star Trek script, though it's also worth noting that notoriously cameo-averse actor William Shatner may have declined to return anyway.

Exclusive: William Shatner is Star Trek's original Captain Kirk and he has high praise for the actors who now play Kirk, Chris Pine and Paul Wesley.

Star Trek’s Old Kirk Could Never Be As Good As Spock

Star trek generations limited kirk's potential return in star trek 2009..

More than undermining Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, William Shatner's Star Trek scene doesn't work because it can't develop the character in the same way it did with Ambassador Spock. By the end of Star Trek , Spock has a new life in the Kelvin Timeline, helping the Vulcans to rebuild after the destruction of their home world. It's an appropriate last act for Spock, and one that helps him reconcile his lifelong struggle between his Vulcan and human sides. Due to the events of Star Trek Generations , Kirk could never have had such an arc in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie .

Having died on Veridian III, Kirk could only appear in Star Trek as a hologram, or perhaps via archive footage from the earlier movies. Kirk's death in Generations meant that William Shatner's cameo could only ever be a sentimental piece of lip service to the past, rather than anything that would drive the plot forward. The proposed William Shatner cameo in Star Trek could never have had the impact of Leonard Nimoy's appearance, which is why it was the right decision to drop it from the finished script.

Star Trek (2009) is streaming now on Paramount+.

Star Trek (2009)

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J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.