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When production began on Stuart Baird’s Star Trek: Nemesis, everyone knew it would be the last film appearance for the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. The film is full of major dramatic changes for the characters and features multiple nostalgic farewells. It also begins with the marriage of Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), the romantic ending that has been hanging over the series since 1987. Riker finally accepts his captaincy and assumes command. of the USS Titan. “Nemesis” was supposed to be a dramatization of Riker’s final mission as co-pilot of the Enterprise.
The ending of Nemesis was both dramatic and tragic. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is stranded on a Romulan ship, and the Enterprise is nearly destroyed in the battle. Data (Brent Spiner) then bravely flies through space, boards the ship, rescues Picard and destroys it from within, sacrificing himself to save everyone. “Nemesis” featured more dead people than any other “Next Generation” movie. Later, after the conflagration was over, the surviving Enterprise crew members toasted Data’s life with wine. It’s an inorganic moment.
The final farewell came soon after, when Riker entered the captain’s preparation room and asked permission to disembark. He and Picard had a melancholy conversation with each other. Riker says it was an honor to work with Picard. “That honor was mine,” he replied. Both of them held back tears.
According to an oral history book “50 Years of Mission: The Next 25 Years: From the Next Generation to J.J. Abrams” Edited by Mark A. Altman and Michael Gross, the scene was difficult for Stewart to understand. The actors knew this would probably be one of their last scenes together forever, and memories of the past 15 years of “Star Trek” came flooding back all at once. Stewart admitted that she actually cried on set. The crew had never seen the quiet Stewart so disintegrated before, and some panicked.
Stewart cried so much that people thought he was drunk
Of course, the Enterprise’s crew are just colleagues, brought together mostly by chance on the whims of Starfleet Command. However, some of them became friends during their time on the job, and Riker and Picard developed a certain liking for them. Of course, Stewart and Frakes have developed a parallel relationship and have long collaborated on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In fact, Frakes directed multiple episodes of the show as well as two movies, and the two likely spent a lot of time discussing their characters and their craft. Saying goodbye was hard for Stewart and Picard alike.
Stewart remembers the scene well, especially how hard he cried…so much so that people wondered if he was drunk. In his own words:
“When I say goodbye to Riker at the end of the movie, I find myself completely caught up in the moment. I break down in tears. Emotions overwhelm me from a clear blue sky. The whole crew saw me crying and started muttering, “Has he had any alcohol?” But in that moment, all the feelings I had for them over the years came together completely, and it was truly terrifying and painful for me to say goodbye. ”
“Nemesis” wasn’t very well received, probably because everyone knew it was the masterpiece of the series. In 2005, when Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled, it seemed like Star Trek would be gone forever.
Stewart and Frakes would eventually reunite in the late 2020 revival of Star Trek: Picard. Picard Season 3 reunited most of the Next Generation cast for one final on-screen adventure. While Stewart had the pleasure of working again with his former colleagues, he also had to bear the brunt of saying goodbye. Only time will tell if there will be another reunion.
