Star Trek: Insurrection

(1998; film)
Directed by: Jonathan Frakes; Written by: Rick Berman, Michael Piller
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy, Anthony Zerbe

This was, I believe, the third feature-length film for the Next Generation crew. This time they head to a mysterious world where “metaphasic radiation” has halted the aging process of the inhabitants, called the Ba'ku.

Picard and company must help save the gentle Ba'ku from a conspiracy to relocate their population and steal their planet’s power. And in the process, the Enterprise crew are affected by the youth-making radiation themselves. Riker and Deanna rekindle their long-abandoned romantic relationship, Geordi's optic nerves begin to regenerate, and Worf develops a gorch (Clingon for pimple) just like an adolescent. And Beverly Crusher and Deanna share some girl talk about how their “boobs have started to firm up.”

Very enjoyable. I think I was more impressed with the earlier Star Trek: First Contact, but this one certainly deserves high marks as well. Scores another A, if not quite an A+. And it has that wonderful bit where they ask Mr. Data what they should do as they're handing around the weapons. He tries to caution them not to be too rash:

Data: “I feel obliged to point out that the environmental anomalies may have stimulated certain rebellious instincts common to youth, which could affect everyone's judgment. . . Except mine, of course.”

So Dr. Crusher asks, “Okay, Data, what do you think we should do?”

And Data grabs one of the weapons, and says with great authority, “Saddle up. Lock and load!”

It’s worth watching the whole movie just for that one scene.