Star Trek: The Next Generation
Summary
The villainous Dr. Tolian Soran ( Malcolm McDowell ) and his obsession with the Nexus was ultimately responsible for the death of Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) inStar Trek Generations . The Nexus was conceptualize byGenerationsscreenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga as a mean to connectStar Trek : The Original SerieswithStar Trek : The Next propagation . Time had no meaning inside the additional - dimensional realm , which allowed Captain Kirk to meet hisStar Treksuccessor , Captain Jean - Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) without Moore and Braga having to repair to loud and gentle meter travel .
The Nexus was able to fulfill the desire of all who entered it , with Kirk able to settle down and hold out comfortably with his recede love , Antonia . Picard , meanwhile , was able-bodied to experience a kinfolk of his own , something he had denied himself due to his own government issue with his father . Soran was so determined to re - enter the Nexus that he plot to destroy two stars and an entire planet to do so . This plan ensue in both the decease of James T. Kirk and the end ofStar Trek : The Next Generation ’s USS Enterprise - D.
Who Was Dr. Tolian Soran In Star Trek Generations
Dr. Tolian Soran was , like Guinan ( Whoopi Goldberg ) , an El - Aurian who lost their home planet to the Borg . The departure of his nursing home , and of his entire sept harden the El - Aurian scientist , who came to conceive that the existence was defined by death . When a ship transporting El - Aurian refugee was caught inside the Nexus , Soran briefly experienced what his life would have been like if he had n’t lose his family line to the Borg . After he and the other El - Aurians were rescued by the USS Enterprise - B , he dedicate his lifespan to returning to the Nexus , no matter the cost to others .
Soran was played by Malcolm McDowell , best known for playing Alex in Stanley Kubrick’sA Clockwork Orange . However , McDowell ’s connections toStar Trekdon’t get and terminate with his role inStar Trek Generations . He play H.G. Wells opposite recurringTrekguest histrion David Warner ’s Jack the Ripper in the filmTime After Time , write and directed byStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan ’s Nicholas Meyer . McDowell is also the enate uncle ofStar Trek : Deep Space Nine’sDr . Julian Bashir ( Alexander Siddig ) .
Why Soran Was Obsessed With The Nexus In Star Trek Generations
Star Trek Generationsestablished that the going of his intact family to the Borg fundamentally change Dr. Tolian Soran . He became a more nihilistic man , who believe that death was the only unceasing in the universe of discourse . Therefore , he thought nothing of the countless life story he risked with his experiments to re - enter the Nexus . Essentially , Soran was a heartbreak - stricken man ineffective to move past the trauma of the Borg Collective ’s attack on the El - Aurian home world . The idyllic life-time he saw inside the Nexus therefore go through him , and his whole living became about reclaim it .
Soran ’s compulsion with the Nexus force him to over-the-top lengths , from side with the Duras sisters to usingGeordi’sStar TrekVISORagainst the crew of the USS Enterprise - D. He effectively became a religious zealot , determined to wreak havoc so that he could reach his own personal Eden . At the climax ofStar Trek Generations , Picard and Kirk baffle Soran ’s attempt to re - recruit the Nexus and saved the satellite Veridian III from being ruin . Kirk return his life to preserve the planet , while Soran cash in one’s chips in an explosion , hopefully discover some signifier of peace on the other side .
The Nexus Will Probably Never Return To Star Trek
The concept of the destructive energy ribbon that provide a gateway to a heavenly idyll is a dangerous one , which is presumptively why Kirk ’s body was stored in Daystrom Station inStar Trek : Picardseason 3.Kirk ’s time in the Nexusleft behind an echo , which could allow a Soran - similar zealot to overrule engineer entry into the Nexus using Kirk ’s DNA . While the concept of the Nexus is certainly an interesting one , it ’s still unbelievable that it will come back to the modernStar Trekfranchise .
The Nexus was fundamentally a narrative gimmick to institute Picard and Kirk together , so it does n’t attend to much of a role again afterStar Trek Generations . It was also poorly receive by audiences , and did n’t hold up to scrutiny as a serious sci - fi concept . It ’s therefore likely that the only references to the Nexus go forward will be ironic aside , like the ethereal encounter between Ensign Brad Boimler ( Jack Quaid ) and Captain Hikaru Sulu ( George Takei ) inStar Trek : Lower deck .
Star Trek Generationsis available to stream on Paramount+ .
