Time Signatures

Star Trek Generations is a 1994 science fiction film, and the seventh feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. It is the first film in the series to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was shot in Overton, Nevada; Paramount Studios; and Lone Pine, California. While the film did reasonably well at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
The story begins with retired Captain James T. Kirk reluctantly attending the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise-B, which is running on a skeleton crew and has several major subsystems still under construction. During the voyage, Enterprise is pressed into a rescue mission to save two ships from a strange energy ribbon. The Enterprise is able to save some of the El-Aurian refugees, including Dr. Tolian Soran and Guinan before both ships are destroyed, but then becomes trapped in the ribbon itself. Kirk travels to the Engineering decks to alter the behavior of the deflector shields, allowing the Enterprise to escape. The Energy Ribbon makes contact with the engineering hull and causes major damage, as the crew recovers, they find the section that Kirk was in has been exposed to space, Kirk himself missing, presumed dead.

Seventy eight years later, during a ceremony for the promotion of Worf to Lieutenant Commander, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D receives a distress call from the Amargosa solar observatory. They find that everyone, except Soran, has been killed by the Romulans. Data, who recently installed his emotion chip, and Geordi LaForge search the station, discovering trilithium in a hidden room. As they analyze it, Soran appears and knocks LaForge unconscious, and threatens Data at gunpoint while launching a missile containing trilithium at the Amargosa star, causing all nuclear reactions within the star to cease. This sends a shock wave, capable of destroying a planet, towards the station and the Enterprise. Soran and LaForge are transported to a Klingon Bird of Prey belonging to the Duras sisters, while Data is rescued by Worf and Commander Riker just before the station is destroyed.

Captain Picard learns of Soran’s past and turns to Guinan for help. Guinan explains that Soran’s goal is to return to the “Nexus”, the energy ribbon the Enterprise-B encountered. Picard and Data perform an analysis to track the path of the ribbon, observing the effects of the local gravitational field on it and altered by Soran’s actions. They determine that Soran is likely attempting to reenter the Nexus on Veridian III by destroying its star. As one planet in the system is heavily populated, Picard orders the Enterprise to the Veridian system to stop Soran. Upon arrival, they encounter the Duras sisters who offer to trade LaForge for Picard, which he accepts. Picard is transported to the planet’s surface and finds Soran working on another missile installation, shielded to prevent Picard from interfering. LaForge is brought back aboard the Enterprise, unaware that his visor is transmitting a signal to the Klingons. When the Duras sisters discover the Enterprise’s critical shield frequency, they launch an all-out attack on the ship. The Enterprise is able to counterattack and destroy the Bird of Prey, but has taken critical damage to the warp core. Riker orders an evacuation to the saucer section and subsequent separation before the core explodes. The saucer section is forced to crash land on Veridian III.

Meanwhile, Picard has found a hole in Soran’s shield, but is too late to stop him from launching the missile. The Veridian sun goes supernova, destroying all the planets and the Enterprise saucer section, but Picard finds himself safely in the Nexus. After encountering a ghost of Guinan, Picard finds that Kirk is also safe in the Nexus. Picard approaches Kirk as one Starfleet officer to another, and convinces him to return to Picard’s present to help stop Soran. Though initially apathetic and distracted by the flood of memories, Kirk eventually agrees, and the two leave the Nexus, ending up on Veridian III minutes before Soran launches the missile. Together, they are able to distract Soran long enough to lock the missile in place, causing it to explode on the launchpad, killing Soran. However, Kirk is mortally wounded from the encounter, and as he dies, Picard assures him that Kirk helped to make a difference. Picard buries Kirk before traveling to the wreckage of the saucer section and reuniting with his crew as they are evacuated from the planet.

from wikipedia