Feature Star Trek: Nemesis
Gates McFadden
Star Gates
 After
over three years off, the Enterprise-E crew return to
the screen this November in Star Trek: Nemesis. Nick Joy caught up with
Gates McFadden, alias Dr. Crusher, to learn what's
in store...
• Jonathan Frakes interview excerpt:
see below
Gates McFadden is headlining at February's
Starfleet Ball convention in
Bournemouth, and after two hours of autographs, jet lag and some dodgy English
cuisine, she could be forgiven for avoiding the press. However, being the
(starship) trouper that she is, Gates shares some carefully selected thoughts
about the new movie, while ever wary that Paramount would frown upon divulging
any spoilers. She's in a good mood, if only because this journalist has just
cracked his head on a banner hanging over the autograph desk. At least there's
a medical officer to hand. "Really?" she gasps. "Well, I'm not
sure she's that good."
With the release of the movie nine months away, it would be unreasonable for
Gates to go into much plot detail, though she is quick to point out that
"They always seem to have half of the script on the Internet before we've
seen it. But, I'm not spoiling any surprises by saying that I think that it's
going to be a really good film. I enjoyed filming it, and I think John Logan
wrote a really good script."
Logan previously wrote the Oscar-nominated script for Ridley Scott's
Gladiator, as well as the 2002 re-make of The Time Machine. His Nemesis script is based on a
story by himself, producer Rick Berman and Brent [Data] Spiner. "The story
is interesting and they manage to use all of the characters well," she
continues. "Jean-Luc Picard really does meet his match in this film, which
is great!" This is presumably an allusion to the character of Shizon, the
titular character played by Brit newcomer Tom Hardy, a role for which Michael
[Stargate] Shanks had auditioned.
But why such a lengthy intermission between movies? When Nemesis is
released in November 2002, four years will have passed between Star Trek
movies – a long time in show biz. "I think it was all around matching
schedules, getting the money and all of those normal things involved in making
a movie," McFadden explains. "Sure, it took a long time, and that's
my personal recollection, but I certainly think that it was good to wait a
while... You need the time to get a really good script together."
One criticism of Insurrection was that it read like a TV episode,
rather than a good sequel to the ‘big screen’ feel of First
Contact. "Yes, I didn't think it [Insurrection] was so strong.
It was a little quick after First Contact, but that really is just a
personal opinion. By comparison, I thought that First Contact was a
really solid ‘together' script; I loved the story. I wasn't as wild about
Insurrection, but I've talked to many people who loved it. So, there you
are," she shrugs. If forced to compare Nemesis to the two previous
movies, to which is it closer in tone ? "Well, I don't know if I'd compare
it in that way. But in the same way that First Contact was good for all
of us as a cast, I think that Nemesis is a more balanced film..."
by Nick Joy
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