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When production began on Stuart Baird's "Star Trek: Nemesis," everyone knew it was going to be the final cinematic outing for the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The film is full of giant, dramatic changes for its characters and features multiple fond farewells. It even opens with the marriage of Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), a romantic consummation that had been dangling over the franchise since 1987. Riker also, at long last, accepted a captaincy of his own, taking command of the U.S.S. Titan. "Nemesis" was going to dramatize Riker's final mission as first officer of a ship called the Enterprise.

The ending of "Nemesis" was dramatic and tragic. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was stranded on board a Romulan vessel and the Enterprise, pummeled in battle, was about to be destroyed. Data...