Star Trek Generations: The Film that Brought Together the 23rd and 24th Centuries
Star Trek Generations takes place across two eras of Star Trek, and its timeline of events can be confusing. The film’s plot device allowing Captain James T. Kirk to travel to the future and meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard was the Nexus, an intergalactic space ribbon where time has no meaning.
The film begins in 2293, with Captain Kirk’s apparent “death.” The USS Enterprise-A has been decommissioned, and Kirk attends the launch of the USS Enterprise-B, led by its new Captain, John Harriman. The Enterprise-B’s maiden flight becomes a rescue mission when two El-Aurian transport ships are trapped by the Nexus. Kirk is presumed killed in action when the Nexus smashes through the Enterprise’s hull.
When he was swept into the Nexus, Captain Kirk found himself at a recreation of his Idaho home. Kirk had only just arrived when he is joined by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who entered the Nexus in 2371. Because the Nexus is a dimension where time and space have no meaning, Kirk and Picard’s meeting happens outside of linear time. However, Picard convinces Kirk to come with him to 2371 to stop Dr. Tolian Soran, minutes before he destroys the Veridian star. Together, the two Captains of the Enterprise defeat Soran, but Kirk is mortally injured. Kirk’s official death happens in 2371.
Dr. Tolian Soran, who was one of the El-Aurian refugees aboard the transport ship trapped by the Nexus, entered the Nexus in 2293. However, Star Trek Generations did not reveal how long Soran was in the Nexus by his reckoning. The film only shows Soran’s entrance and exit from the Nexus, and does not provide a timeline of his journey.
Star Trek Generations is not only the debut feature film starring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it also passed the torch to the cast of The Next Generation, revealing the ultimate fate of Captain James T. Kirk. The film features appearances by cast members of Star Trek: The Original Series, including William Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig.