Star Trek: Nemesis

Right now you can watch Star Trek: Nemesis in Australia on Paramount Plus, and in the US on fuboTV and Paramount Plus Premium — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Patrick Stewart anchors it with a performance that grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Put it on tonight on Paramount Plus and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Star Trek: Nemesis earns its spot. Star Trek: Nemesis treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself. Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2002. Star Trek: Nemesis resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Star Trek: Nemesis fits the bill. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Patrick Stewart grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.