VHS tape is on my shelf, but the *book* is best..... Working my way through Trek History.....

I'm enjoying my summer survey of all things Cinematic Trek - I've got all the books in hand and it's very enjoyable. There is a continuity and depth when the author can draw on *all* of Trek history for the narrative, not just relying on visuals. When one author like Dillard gets to handle the books, you get an even tighter connection across the stories! I look forward to working my way through "First Contact" next (in fact, I've already started....) ( )

J.M. Dillard's adaptation of Star Trek: Generations not only covers the plot of the film, but includes one of the deleted scenes, more of the crew from the original Enterprise, and improves the ending. Since the movie is its own entity and the book closely follows its story, I will primarily focus on Dillard's alterations.
Following Kirk's death on the Enterprise-B, Dillard turns his attention to original crew members besides Scotty and Chekov. Sulu, aboard the Excelsior, receives the news via subspace message in the middle of an evacuation drill in which his crew is simulating a warp core breach and separating the saucer section. This is particularly poignant as it foreshadows the later evacuation of the Enterprise-D. Dillard's addition of McCoy and Spock attending Kirk's memorial service provides a much-needed emotional response that seemed missing in the film.
Moving to the Next Generation-era scenes, Dillard hews fairly close to the film, though with additional dialogue or the full sequence of Geordi following his return from the Klingon Bird of Prey. Dillard drastically alters both Kirk and Soran's deaths, removing the bridge crash from the movie. Instead, Soran shoots Kirk with the distruptor during their fight. Soran, recognizing Kirk, realizes that Picard must have traveled to the Nexus and is now working to undo Soran's work. Rather than die when his probe explodes, Soran dies after Picard shoots him. Apparently, this sequence did not test well with audiences, but I feel it works better than the scene the filmmakers reshot, in which Kirk dies in a bridge collapse.
The final section of the book contains a making-of for Star Trek: Generations that has some interesting behind-the-scenes information. It's mostly promotional, meant to help sell the film, but it should be of interest to Trekkers curious about The Next Generation's transition from television to film. ( )

Again, J.M. Dillard managed to salvage a badly-written script. ( )

A novelization that improves upon a mediocre movie, the crossover movie between Classic Star Trek and The Next Generation. Never have William Shatner's acting skills been more sorely tested, and a sore subject for his fans. At least the book is not subject to those limitations, and somewhat expands upon and improves the basic plot in which Kirk joins with Picard in a temporal displacement to stop a bad guy, Kirk losing his life in the process. ( )

Movie Tie-In