No Way Home Star, they just wouldn’t listen

THE Star Trek the franchise has been on a journey in reverse over the years with The next generation The late 80s TV show is the franchise’s peak era. The story of that era, with Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard in the lead, continued with four films in the ’90s and early 2000s. The story of Next Generation ended with 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

The film unfortunately received negative reviews because it lacked the feel and energy of a Star Trek film. Jonathan Frakes who played fan favorite character William Riker in the Star Trek The franchise explained why the film failed to resonate with audiences, while also criticizing director Stuart Baird for his arrogant nature.

Jonathan Frakes doesn’t like the way Stuart Baird handled the production of Star Trek: Nemesis

After the 90s Star Trek films that mostly received mixed reviews from critics, the franchise returned in 2002 with Star Trek: NemesisThe film follows the crew of the USS Enterprise-E, including Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard and Jonathan Frakes’ William Riker, as they face off against Tom Hardy’s Shinzon, who has taken over the Romulan Star Empire.

The film primarily focused on Shinzon rather than the fan-favorite Star Trek characters that audiences have loved over the years. This unusual approach as well as the inconsistent narrative disappointed fans of the film. Frakes is also aware of fan criticism of the film and revealed how he offered to serve director Stuart Baird whenever he needed help with the franchise’s story.

In the oral history book The Fifty Year Mission, the Star Trek The actor revealed that he assured Baird that the cast was solid and that he would do whatever it took to make the best movie possible. However, the director did not approach him or ask him any questions during the filming of the movie, which Frakes interpreted as arrogance from Baird. Frakes said (via SlashFilm),

I remember calling him and saying, “If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’ve been around these people for all these years.” And I think in that same phone call, I said, “We’re really here to help.” You will find that we are a very strong team and we know how to do this and we are really happy to help make the best film possible. And he didn’t accept any of those offers. In retrospect, this looks like arrogance. Why wouldn’t you accept this kind of offer?

The Picard clone approach with Shinzon, while intriguing, ultimately failed to deliver the much-needed intensity and catharsis the film wanted audiences to feel. Star Trek: Nemesis was a big box office failure with only $67 million against a budget of $60 million (via Box Office Mojo). This remains one of the worst entries in the franchise.

Tom Hardy didn’t interact with anyone while working on Star Trek: Nemesis

Tom Hardy starred in Star Trek: Nemesis He starred in one of his first roles in the film industry. He played Shinzon, a younger clone of Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, and was the main antagonist of the film. The two stars, however, did not develop a great bond on the set due to Hardy’s solitary and non-verbal behavior.

Inside Stewart’s new memoir Make it so, he explained how Hardy didn’t engage or greet the people he met on the set of the film. He spent most of his time in his trailer with his girlfriend. Therefore, for Stewart, it was incredibly difficult to make a connection with Hardy that would benefit the film. THE Picard the actor said (via Insider),

Tom wouldn’t engage with any of us on a social level. He never said “Hello”, never said “Good night” and spent the hours he wasn’t needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend… He was in no way hostile – it was just a challenge to establish a relationship with him. .

Stewart even thought Hardy would never make it in the industry and was incredibly happy when Hardy proved him wrong. The actor returned to the role of Picard in his own series which ended last year on a high note with its third season. Fans can watch Star Trek: Nemesis on Max.