star trek nemesis viceroy

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Ron perlman’s viceroy: star trek: nemesis' controversial villain explained.

Cult icon Ron Perlman played the Reman Viceroy in Star Trek: Nemesis, and played an integral role in the final TNG movie's most controversial scene.

• Ron Perlman's role as the Reman Viceroy in Star Trek: Nemesis was controversial, particularly due to his involvement in a disturbing scene.
• The movie itself was considered a failure, leading to the cancellation of a fifth and final Star Trek film for Captain Picard and his crew.
• Perlman's career has since moved beyond Star Trek, with notable roles in Hellboy and other genre movies, while the responsibility for the scene lies with the director and screenwriter.

Cult hero Ron Perlman played the controversial Reman Viceroy in Star Trek: Nemesis , the final movie for the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. Perlman has an extensive list of credits in genre movies, many of which have performed better commercially than Nemesis . The final TNG movie was such a box office failure that it torpedoed any hopes of a fifth and final movie for Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-E. Perlman was physically unrecognizable under the heavy prosthetics that transformed him into a Reman, but his familiar gravely tones were instantly recognizable.

Ron Perlman's Viceroy was the second-in-command of Tom Hardy's Shinzon during their hostile takeover of the Romulan Star Empire in Star Trek: Nemesis . The movie has a reputation for being a dark and miserable affair, and Ron Perlman's character played a substantial role in one of its most controversial scenes. Thankfully, the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast did finally get to have their final farewell. Despite this, Star Trek: Nemesis and the Reman Viceroy's role in the movie's most unpleasant scene still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth twenty years later.

Tom Hardy Was "Odd, Solitary" Filming Star Trek: Nemesis, Says Patrick Stewart

Ron perlman played the viceroy in star trek: nemesis.

The Reman Viceroy took the young Shinzon under his wing when Picard's clone was sent to the dilithium mines on Remus. Harshly rejected by the Romulans, Shinzon came to see the mistreated Remans as his brothers, under the tutelage of the Viceroy. The Remans were a slave species on Romulus, and through Shinzon they saw a way to avenge themselves against their oppressors. The Reman Viceroy played a key role in the uprising, and used his telepathic abilities to stabilize Shinzon's fragile mental state. The Viceroy later led the boarding party that attempted to capture Jean-Luc Picard during Star Trek: Nemesis ' climactic scenes before being killed by Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

Ron Perlman is best known for playing cult comic book hero Hellboy in several animated movies, and two live-action feature films alongside Star Trek: Discovery 's Doug Jones . Hellboy marked the first of several collaborations with director Guillermo del Toro, and he would go on to star in Pacific Rim , Nightmare Alley , Pinocchio and del Toro's animated series Trollhunters , which also starred Star Trek 's Anton Yelchin. Other big genre movies that have featured Perlman include the Harry Potter spinoff/prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Conan the Barbarian . On TV, Perlman has played Clarence 'Clay' Morrow in Sons of Anarchy and The Lich in Adventure Time .

Ron Perman’s Viceroy Controversy In Star Trek: Nemesis

The most controversial scene in Star Trek: Nemesis is Shinzon's telepathic violation of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Nemesis is a dark Star Trek movie and the psychic sexual assault of Troi was a step too far. The fact that the studio had previously threatened to drop Marina Sirtis from Nemesis makes the harrowing treatment of Troi even worse. Although it was Shinzon who violates Troi's mind, it's the telepathic Reman Viceroy who facilitates the assault.

Ron Perlman's Viceroy played an integral role in Shinzon's telepathic sexual assault of Deanna Troi, which is why the character was so controversial. The fact that the Viceroy allows Shinzon to use his telepathic abilities to violate Troi makes it even worse. His only objection to Shinzon's actions is that the Praetor has " no more time for games. " It's a horrible scene from a badly judged movie that risked ruining the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation . The blame for the scene rests purely with director John Baird and screenwriter John Logan, especially as Ron Perlman and Tom Hardy's careers have long since transcended their roles in this derided Star Trek movie.

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Published Dec 14, 2010

Reman Viceroy from Nemesis - Ron Perlman (Part 2)

Yesterday, genre favorite Ron Perlman talked in detail about his memories of making Star Trek: Nemesis . Now, in part two of our interview with him, he answers the big question – what he thought of the last Next Generation silver-screen adventure, and then updates us on his current slate of shows and films, which includes the series Sons or Anarch y and the film Season of the Witch , which is set for release on January 7, 2011.

Some people consider Nemesis underrated, while other people think that the general perception of it as a letdown is entirely accurate. What was your feeling about the finished product?

Perlman: I thought it was uneven. I thought it had some great moments to it, but not enough. I didn’t think it added up, at the end of the day, to being one of the high points in the Star Trek (franchise)

Let’s get people caught up on your current projects. What made you say yes to Season of the Witch ?

Perlman: First of all, it was the team, Nic Cage, (director) Dominic Sena, (producers) Chuck Roven and Alex Gartner, all guys I’ve had tremendous reverence and regard for. The script was just going to be a bonus, but it turned out to be the bonus, because I loved the character, Felson, and because it’s me and Nic as buddies moving through this strange and mysterious world together and sort of bouncing off each other from beginning to end. I love Felson’s mindset. And then I ended up having a great time shooting the film.

The story involves 14th century knights (Cage and Perlman) escorting a young woman (Claire Foy) to a monastery where the monks who live there will determine whether or not she’s a witch. Going by your previous comments about finding the “real reality” within the genre trappings, what’s the heart of the tale?

Perlman: I guess the heart of the film is the exploration of the difference between spirituality and superstition and those that would blur the lines in order to further and perpetuate their own power and leverage in the world. I guess that’s what this is.

Christopher Lee plays the Cardinal, who sends you and Nic Cage on your journey. Lee is a god to a lot of horror and fantasy fans. You’d actually worked with him before, right?

Perlman: I had worked with him on something 15 or 18 years ago, and we got along like a house of fire back then. We had lunch together every day and we had these wonderful conversations about things not having to do with movies, but about the things that he did as the run-up to being an actor. He was a hero in World War II. There are a lot of things people don’t associate with Chris. He’s a great, very-storied member of the British Empire and a real gentleman, and very unlike me. I always felt like a total slob around him because he’s just so well-mannered and always dressed to the nines and has a great respect for the life he lives. He does it in a way that’s sort of royal gentry, whereas I’m this schlub from a lower-middle-class background in New York City. But somehow there was this place that we met that made for a really, really good friendship. When I saw his name on the Season of the Witch call sheet I was surprised. I didn’t know he was going to play the Cardinal until almost the day it happened. I got to set early because I knew he was working before I was, just to hang out with him in the makeup trailer. We ended up sitting around for a few hours while they were lighting the set and talked about life and old times, and it was wonderful. I felt there was this affection between us two old warhorses and, 18 years later, we’re still at it.

Sons of Anarchy just ended its third season. How pleased have you been with the evolution of the stories and characters, and the response to the show?

Perlman: I’m very pleased with the world that we’re exploring and I’m really, really pleased with the quality of writing and the amazing quality of this ensemble cast, none of whom have any egos, all of whom are great people to be around and have this beautiful, wide-eyed enthusiasm for the work that they’re doing. And I’m amazingly pleased and always quite surprised by the response of the public. It’s the biggest hit show in the history of FX. It looks like the show is going to have a very long life if it wants to, and I’m pretty proud to be on it.

Let’s get quick updates on some projects that genre fans in general and Ron Perlman fans in particular are eager to hear about: The Hobbit , Hellboy 3 and Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Male Vampires .

Perlman: Hellboy 3 , I would like to see that happen. I signed the petition. Guillermo (del Toro) said it’s because of me they’re not doing it. He had people start a petition to get Hellboy 3 made. I was the 1500th name that signed the petition. So he’s wrong about that. He’s not wrong about much. I’d love to see Hellboy 3 get done. I’ve not heard anything about that eventuality, so I can’t comment on whether it’ll ever come to pass or not. Guillermo is off The Hobbit , so I’m off The Hobbit . And Bubba Nosferatu has just been languishing because of not being able to get the financing together. I know that there’s a great will on everyone’s part to get it done. (Writer-director) Don Coscarelli, (would-be co-star) Paul Giamatti, myself; we all want to do it. I think it’s just a matter of time before we finally get that one up and running.

And what else do you have completed that you’re excited about?

Perlman: I’m excited about Drive , with Ryan Gosling and a very talented director named Nicolas Winding Refn. I’m in Conan the Barbarian . I’m excited about Season of the Witch . Bunraku doesn’t have a distributor yet, but hopefully it will in the near future. And I’m very excited about a little movie called Frankie Goes Boom . It’s a comedy that ( Son of Anarchy co-star) Charlie Hunnam is the star of, that he lured me into. I play a transsexual. You can never see enough of me in a dress.

Read part one of Ron Perlman's interview here .

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Ron Perlman

• View history
• 1 Personal life
• 2.1 1979–1990
• 2.2 1992–2000
• 2.3 2001–present
• 2.4 Voice-over roles
• 3 External links

Personal life [ ]

Perlman was born in Washington Heights, New York. He graduated from New York City's Lehman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre in 1971. He later graduated from the University of Minnesota with a master's degree in theater arts.

Perlman was married to Opal Stone from 14 February 1981 to May 2019. They have two children: a daughter, Blake Amanda Perlman (born 1984), and a son, Brandon Avery Perlman (born 1990). He married Allison Dunbar in June 2022.

1979–1990 [ ]

Perlman made his television debut on the soap opera Ryan's Hope in 1979, where he worked with Daniel Hugh Kelly . From December 1979 through January 1980, he appeared on Broadway opposite fellow Star Trek film villain F. Murray Abraham in the play Teibele and Her Demon .

He made his feature film debut playing Amoukar in Jean-Jacques Annaud's acclaimed 1981 drama Quest for Fire . For his performance in this film, Perlman was nominated by the Canadian Genie Awards for "Best Performance by a Foreign Actor." Annaud later cast Perlman in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose , in which Perlman again acted with F. Murray Abraham. Christian Slater also starred in this film.

Perlman co-starred with Mary Crosby in the cult 1984 science fiction film The Ice Pirates . Ian Abercrombie and Robert Symonds had roles in this film, as well. Perlman then made several television appearances, including guest spots on The Fall Guy (with Robert Costanzo ), Miami Vice (with Kevin Conway ), and Max Headroom (starring Matt Frewer and George Coe ).

In 1987, Perlman was acting alongside Jonathan Frakes in a play called My Life in Art (along with Bruce Gray ) when Perlman received word that he won the role of Vincent for the CBS fantasy drama series Beauty and the Beast . Coincidentally, Frakes learned he won the role of William T. Riker on The Next Generation that same day. Perlman and Frakes reunited fifteen years later on the set of Star Trek Nemesis . [1]

Perlman starred on Beauty and the Beast for three seasons, from 1987 through 1990. He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Vincent on the series, and also won a Golden Globe. A number of Star Trek alumni had recurring roles on the show, including Edward Laurence Albert , Ellen Geer , Tony Jay , Stephen McHattie , and Armin Shimerman . Other alumni with memorable one-time appearances included Joey Aresco , Merritt Butrick , Rosalind Chao , and Jeffrey Combs .

1992–2000 [ ]

Since Beauty and the Beast ended, Perlman has appeared in hundreds of film roles. Some of his film credits from the early 1990s through 2000 include Sleepwalkers (1992, with Alice Krige , Mädchen Amick , and Frank Novak ), When the Bough Breaks (1993, with Robert Knepper and Scott Lawrence ), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993, with Dion Anderson and Leon Russom ), Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994, with David Graf ), Fluke (1995, opposite Bill Cobbs ), Prince Valiant (1997, with Zach Galligan , Walter Gotell , and Gavan O'Herlihy ), I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998, with Lee Arenberg and Carel Struycken ), Frogs for Snakes (with Mike Starr ), Happy, Texas (1999, with Paul Dooley and Scarlett Pomers ), and Price of Glory (with Clifton Collins, Jr. ).

In addition, Perlman played a lead role in the 1993 horror film Cronos , which was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Perlman and Del Toro later worked together on several films during the 2000s. Perlman also starred in the acclaimed 1995 French film The City of Lost Children , which was co-directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Perlman was again directed by Jeunet on Alien Resurrection (1997, starring Raymond Cruz , Brad Dourif , Leland Orser , and Winona Ryder ).

Perlman appeared with two Star Trek regulars in two different TV movies in 1995: Mr. Stitch with The Next Generation 's Wil Wheaton and The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space with Star Trek: The Original Series 's Nichelle Nichols . The latter also starred Daniel Riordan and Liz Vassey . Perlman also worked with Star Trek: Voyager regular Robert Picardo on The Second Civil War (1997, featuring Joanna Cassidy , Brian Keith , Dick Miller , and William Schallert . Perlman and Keith were previously directed by Dante for the first episode of the anthology series Picture Windows . In 2000, Perlman co-starred with Scott Bakula , David Graf, and John Schuck in the TV movie The Trial of Old Drum .

Perlman's other TV movie credits during this time included Original Sin (1995, with David Clennon ) and Houdini (with Paul Sorvino and David Warner ). He has also guest-starred on such series as Perversions of Science (with Brian Brophy , Jeffrey Combs , Jeff Corey , and the aforementioned David Warner), The Outer Limits (directed by Steven Weber ), and Family Law (with Christopher McDonald , Salli Elise Richardson , and Julie Warner ).

Between 1998 and 2000, Perlman was a regular on The Magnificent Seven , a western series on CBS based on the 1960 film of the same name. Andrew Kavovit and Rick Worthy were also regulars on this series.

2001–present [ ]

Perlman reunited with Jean-Jacques Annaud, his director from Quest for Fire and The Name of the Rose , for Enemy at the Gates (2001). Perlman then reunited with his Cronos director, Guillermo del Toro, for 2002's Blade II , which involved characters from Marvel Comics magazines. In 2003, Perlman, along with Robert Picardo and TNG guest stars Marc Lawrence and George Murdock , were seen playing Acme Vice Presidents in the film Looney Tunes: Back in Action , which also marked Perlman's third collaboration with director Joe Dante.

One of Perlman's most popular film role came when he starred in the Guillermo del Toro-directed Hellboy , playing the demonic title character (alongside Doug Jones ). He reprised this role in the film's 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army . He also voices the character in a series of animated made-for-TV and direct-to-video movies.

His other 2000s film credits included Quiet Kill (2004, with Corbin Bernsen ), How to Go Out on a Date in Queens (2006, with Jason Alexander ), and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007, with Kristanna Loken and John Rhys-Davies ). He also starred in the 2006 thriller The Last Winter and had supporting roles in Outlander and Mutant Chronicles (both 2008).

In 2008, Perlman starred as biker gang leader Clarence "Clay" Morrow in the hit FX television series Sons of Anarchy , which aired until 2014. The show co-starred Star Trek: Deep Space Nine recurring actor William Lucking .

In 2010, Perlman co-starred with Nicholas Cage in the movie Season of the Witch . In 2013, he reunited with Guillermo del Toro for Pacific Rim , which also starred Idris Elba and Clifton Collins, Jr. , as well as his Sons of Anarchy co-star Charlie Hunnam. In 2014, he starred in the Amazon Prime pilot Hand of God , which was picked up for a full series.

Voice-over roles [ ]

Perlman has become well-versed as a voice actor on television, in film, and even in video games. His gruff, distinct voice can be heard on such animated shows as Superman , Justice League , Disney's Aladdin , Danny Phantom , Teen Titans , Avatar: The Last Airbender , and Star Wars: The Clone Wars . On Justice League and Justice League Unlimited , he voiced the character of Orion, who was voiced by Steve Sandor on Superman The Animated Series .

Perlman was the voice of the villainous Matt Hagen aka Clayface in the DCAU 's Batman: The Animated Series ; of note, the initial episode ("Feat of Clay, part 1") which introduced the character featured original musical composition by Star Trek: First Contact orchestrator Jeff Atmajian. He also voiced an anonymous thug (credited as "Driller") in an earlier episode of the same series, appearing with Robert Costanzo and Marcelo Tubert . He also voiced Clayface in the related series The New Batman Adventures (appearing with Costanzo again) and for the video game Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (featuring Jeffrey Combs , Loren Lester , and Cary-Hiroyuki ).

He later voiced the villains Killer Croc and Bane (the same character was later portrayed in the film The Dark Knight Rises by Perlman's co-star Tom Hardy ) on a different Batman series entitled The Batman . He also had a voice-over role in the 2000 film Titan A.E. , as did the late Charles Rocket .

His voice has been featured in video games such as Chronomaster (with Brent Spiner ), Lords of Everquest (with Kate Mulgrew ), and the mega-hits Halo 2 and 3 , the latter also featuring Debra Wilson . Ron Perlman's opening monologue lines to the Fallout game series are considered contemporary cult classics, beginning with "War. War never changes." Michael Dorn , Malcolm McDowell , Dwight Schultz , and Wil Wheaton have also appeared in the Fallout series. He also lent his voice talents to voice Jagger Valance in the 2004 videogame The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay . His other video game credits include 2005's Gun (which also featured the voice of Brad Dourif ), 2006's Justice League Heroes (as the voice of DC Comics ' Batman), and 2008's Turok (with Mark Rolston ). Perlman's distinctive voice can be heard as the narrator of the SPIKE TV anthology series 1000 Ways to Die currently airing.

External links [ ]

• Ron Perlman at Wikipedia
• Ron Perlman at the Internet Movie Database
• Ron Perlman at StarTrek.com
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Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

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Tom Hardy Found One Star Trek: Nemesis Character Too Frightening To Look At

Reflecting on his role in 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis," Tom Hardy admitted that one of his co-stars in the final film chapter featuring the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" crew was too scary to stare in the face.

In the movie, Hardy plays the villainous Praetor Shinzon, an enemy clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). But luckily for Stewart and the core TV-turned-film cast — Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, and Gates McFadden — none of their mugs caused Hardy to advert his eyes. Instead, it was his co-star Ron Perlman, who plays Shinzon's alien associate, the Viceroy.

At first glance, though, Hardy didn't think Perlman's character looked scary enough. "Ron Perlman is a splendid man. His acting is fine and it was brilliant to work with him, because he's such a kind and generous and funny bloke," the actor said in the 2016 book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams." "My first thought was that if Shinzon was a Napoleon or Hitler-y type — a spoiled bastard in a way — the right-hand man, the Viceroy, has got to be big and mean and hard and scary."

However, Hardy didn't realize the menace the veteran actor could bring to the role, especially when he wore the Viceroy's makeup. "I saw Ron Perlman's photo and I thought, 'Oh, he's not that scary. He's got to scare me,' he recalled. "On set one day I saw him from the back. He turned around and had these yellow eyes in and Geez! I was really scared. I couldn't look at him."

Hardy had a very low-key presence on set, Stewart says

Tom Hardy's time in the "Star Trek" universe was filled with oddities apart from the daunting presence he felt playing Praetor Shinzon opposite Ron Perlman's Viceroy. To begin with, Hardy's nude "Star Trek" audition tape landed him his huge movie role in "Star Trek: Nemesis," which was followed by some very low-key behavior when the cameras weren't rolling.

In particular, Patrick Stewart recalled in his 2023 memoir "Make It So" (via Business Insider ) that Hardy wouldn't engage socially with him or any of his co-stars while working on "Star Trek: Nemesis." Once the production wrapped and Hardy left the set, Stewart recalled remarking to Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner, "And there goes someone I think we shall never hear of again." Since the film came out in 2002, Hardy was still a relative newcomer to showbiz.

Now,  Stewart happily admits how Hardy proved him wrong after "Star Trek: Nemesis."  Since playing Shinzon in the film, Hardy has starred in such films as Christopher Nolan's "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises," and earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "The Revenant." Hardy's other big screen credits include his titular turns in "Mad Max: Fury Road" and the "Venom" films.

Star Trek: Nemesis

Where to Watch

Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) Jonathan Frakes (William Riker) Brent Spiner (Data) LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge) Michael Dorn (Worf) Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher) Tom Hardy (Shinzon) Ron Perlman (Viceroy) Shannon Cochran (Senator Tal'aura)

Stuart Baird

The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.

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I'm sitting there during "Star Trek: Nemesis," the 10th " Star Trek " movie, and I'm smiling like a good sport and trying to get with the dialogue about the isotronic Ruritronic signature from planet Kolarus III, or whatever the hell they were saying, maybe it was "positronic," and gradually it occurs to me that "Star Trek" is over for me. I've been looking at these stories for half a lifetime, and, let's face it, they're out of gas.

There might have been a time when the command deck of Starship Enterprise looked exciting and futuristic, but these days it looks like a communications center for security guards. Starships rocket at light speeds halfway across the universe, but when they get into battles the effect is roughly the same as on board a World War II bomber. Fearsome death rays strike the Enterprise, and what happens? Sparks fly out from the ceiling and the crew gets bounced around in their seats like passengers on the No. 36 bus. This far in the future they wouldn't have sparks because they wouldn't have electricity, because in a world where you can beam matter--beam it, mind you--from here to there, power obviously no longer lives in the wall and travels through wires.

I've also had it with the force shield that protects the Enterprise. The power on this thing is always going down. In movie after movie after movie I have to sit through sequences during which the captain is tersely informed that the front shield is down to 60 percent, or the back shield is down to 10 percent, or the side shield is leaking energy, and the captain tersely orders that power be shifted from the back to the sides or all put in the front, or whatever, and I'm thinking, life is too short to sit through 10 movies in which the power is shifted around on these shields. The shields have been losing power for decades now, and here it is the Second Generation of Star Trek, and they still haven't fixed them. Maybe they should get new batteries.

I tried to focus on the actors. Patrick Stewart , as Capt. Picard, is a wonderful actor. I know because I have seen him elsewhere. It is always said of Stewart that his strength as an actor is his ability to deliver bad dialogue with utter conviction. I say it is time to stop encouraging him. Here's an idea: Instead of giving him bad dialogue, why not give him good dialogue, and see what he can do with that? Here is a man who has played Shakespeare.

The plot of "Star Trek: Nemesis" involves a couple of strands, one involving a clone of Data ( Brent Spiner ), which somehow seems redundant, and another involving what seems to be a peace feeler from the Romulan empire. In the course of the movie the Romulan Senate is wiped out by a deadly blue powder and the sister planet of Remus stages an uprising, or something, against being made to work as slaves in the mines. Surely slavery is not an efficient economic system in a world of hyperdrives, but never mind: Turns out that Picard shares something unexpected with his rival commander, although once I tell you that you can no doubt guess what it is, since the movie doesn't work you very hard.

There is a scene in the movie in which one starship rams another one. You would think this would destroy them both, and there are a lot of sparks and everybody has to hold onto their seats, but the "Star Trek" world involves physical laws which reflect only the needs of the plot. If one ship rammed another and they were both destroyed and everyone died, and the movie ended with a lot of junk floating around in space, imagine the faces of the people in the audience.

I think it is time for "Star Trek" to make a mighty leap forward another 1,000 years into the future, to a time when starships do not look like rides in a 1970s amusement arcade, when aliens do not look like humans with funny foreheads, and when wonder, astonishment and literacy are permitted back into the series. Star Trek was kind of terrific once, but now it is a copy of a copy of a copy.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Rated PG-13 For Sci-Fi Action Violence and Peril and A Scene Of Sexual Content

116 minutes

Patrick Stewart as Capt. Picard

Jonathan Frakes as Commander Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Dr.Crusher

Ron Perlman as Reman Viceroy

Directed by

• Stuart Baird
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Brent Spiner

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Characters / Star Trek: Nemesis

Edit locked, for characters who debuted in star trek: the next generation , see characters.star trek the next generation, for admiral janeway, see her entry in characters.star trek voyager.

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Portrayed by: Tom Hardy

Dubbed in french by: guillaume orsat.

• Bald of Authority : The leader of the Reman rebels, and later the Romulan empire is Praetor Shinzon, a clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard , one of the franchise's primary Reasonable Authority Figures . Shinzon is shown to be completely bald, having been artificially born and experiencing accelerated development.
• Bald of Evil : He's about as old as Picard was when he attended Starfleet Academy and yet, he's completely bald.
• Big Bad : The main antagonist of the film.
• Blade Enthusiast : Shinzon clearly has a thing for daggers — he carries more than one on him most times and toys with one during a quiet moment. In the climactic battle he tries to stab Picard with a dagger instead of grabbing any one of his fallen Remans nearby dropped guns.
• Brits Love Tea : Much like Picard, he loves his earl grey tea (hot, naturally). He even orders some mid-fight .
• Clone Angst : Created as a clone of Picard for a scheme that was abandoned, he's got a major chip on his shoulder about it, at Romulans, humans and Picard alike. At least some of his motivation seems to be just proving he's his own man... in the most monstrous way imaginable.
• Clone Degeneration : It gets worse and worse as the movie progresses. By the end of the film, he's as pale as a Borg Drone with visible veins all over his face.
• Dark and Troubled Past : He was a slave who worked in the dilithium mines for many years (starting when he was a child ) and was subject to horrible abuse by the Romulan guards, who apparently despised him even more than they did the Remans.
• Evil Brit : He's played by the British actor Tom Hardy and is the Big Bad , even if his character is a clone of a French man.
• Evil Knockoff : Shinzon is a clone of Picard and the main villain of Nemesis .
• Evil Is Not Well-Lit : Likes tending to stick to the dark, because of his childhood spent in the mines means his eyes are pretty sensitive to what humans would consider normal mood lighting.
• Fantastic Racism : Loathes the Romulans for certain. [to Cdr. Donatra when she attempts to seduce him] "You are not a woman. You are a Romulan."
• Generic Doomsday Villain : The extreme actions that actually relate to his supposedly well-intentioned goals occur entirely in the opening minutes of the movie: as he was raised by the Remans, he understandably doesn't like their status as the Warrior - Slave Race of the Romulan Empire. But when he assassinates the entire Romulan Senate and installs himself as the new dictator... he's already solved all the Remans' problems. At that point his only real explanation for wanting to destroy Earth is to eclipse Picard in the history books and make sure nobody ever subjugates the Remans again. For a poorly explained reason (to prove to everyone that the Remans are to be taken seriously), he has a super battleship way more advanced than every ship it comes up against. He also got a planet-destroying superweapon from... somewhere.
• I Am What I Am : Mid-fight, Picard tries again to reason with Shinzon's better nature. Shinzon categorically refuses, denying any remnant of his humanity left. Shinzon: I am Shinzon of Remus [...] and my voice will echo long after yours has faded to a dim memory.
• Inertial Impalement : Picard uses a piece of metal aboard the Scimitar to run Shinzon through the abdomen just as the latter is about to kill him .
• Informed Attribute : He's supposedly a gifted strategist, according to his Dominion War record. His onscreen tactics, however, leave much to be desired.
• Kick the Dog : He does a Mind Rape on Troi to pile misery on her.
• Kill and Replace : The Romulans created him for this purpose, but the mission got scrapped and he was sent to the Reman mines.
• Love at First Sight : A dark, twisted version for Troi.
• Motive Decay : Is his motive to cannibalize Picard so he can live ? To destroy the Federation ? To get in Deanna Troi's pants ?
• Oh, Crap! : When Picard is about to ram the Enterprise into the Scimitar .
• Orcus on His Throne : If there's one thing Shinzon enjoys, it's sitting around doing jack shit for long periods of time.
• Psychopathic Manchild : His physical maturity was accelerated well beyond his mental maturity. Growing up in a Romulan prison didn't help.
• Shadow Archetype : To Picard.
• Shut Up, Kirk! : He gives one to Picard after the latter's Kirk Summation .
• Super-Senses : The cloners copied Picard right down to his childhood hyper-sensitive hearing.
• Taking You with Me : He decides to take the Enterprise down with him after the Scimitar is disabled with his thalaron weapon . It doesn't work out thanks to Picard and Data's intervention .
• Too Dumb to Live : It's not very wise to wait for the procedure regarding the clone dengeneration that late. The Viceroy repeatedly seems to speaks for the entire audience regarding Shinzon's predicament: Viceroy : You're wasting time.
• Villainous BSoD : He goes through one after the Enterprise rams the Scimitar and decides to calmly deploy the thalaron weapon to take the Enterprise down . Shinzon : Some ideas are worth dying for, aren't they, Jean-Luc?
• Villainous Crush : On Troi. He appears in a Mind Rape sequence when she's making love to Riker.
• Villainous Legacy : While Shinzon only appears in one film, his actions and legacy end up driving much of Star Trek: Picard 20 years later (both in-universe and in real time). Data's death aboard the Scimitar continues to haunt Picard during Season One (with Data's subsequent resurrection ironically only being possible due to Shinzon's usage of B-4). Finally, his coup destabilizes the Romulan government, leaving it ill-prepared for the Supernova that destroys Romulus and devastates the heart of the Star Empire.
• You Have Failed Me : When Picard and Data escape the Scimitar , Shinzon has a Reman guard who fails to stop their escape killed.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness : The Romulan government cancelled the plan to replace the real Jean-Luc Picard with him, and simply dumped him on Remus to die in the mines.

Reman Viceroy

Portrayed by: ron perlman, dubbed in french by: françois siener.

• All There in the Manual : The post- Nemesis novels give him the name Vkruk.
• Disney Villain Death : Meets his end by falling into a Bottomless Pit that somehow exists in the lower reaches of the Enterprise .
• The Dragon : Acts as Shinzon's second-in-command, and leads the Reman boarding party aboard the Enterprise in the final battle.
• Everybody Calls Him "Barkeep" : His actual name is never stated, and he's only ever referred to as "Viceroy" in both the dialogue and end credits.
• Evil Sounds Deep : His voice is even deeper than his actor's natural resonant tones, which only makes him more intimidating.
• Hypocrite : Reprimands Shinzon for wasting time having dinner with Picard instead of just getting on with his Evil Plan ... and then helps Shinzon use his telepathic powers to mentally rape Troi, thereby wasting even more time.
• Pet the Dog : When Shinzon was banished to the mines of Remus as a boy, the Viceroy protected him from the Romulan guards and essentially raised him.

Portrayed by: Brent Spiner

Dubbed in french by: yves beneyton.

• Aesop Amnesia : Apparently the Enterprise crew didn't learn from their experiences rebuilding Lore back in TNG.
• And I Must Scream : When Data questions B-4 about Shinzon's plans, he makes sure to only activate his brain and mouth, leaving him motionless.
• Blank Slate : He starts off not knowing anything and being completely innocent.
• Bus Crash : Star Trek: Picard reveals that Data’s attempted resurrection failed because B-4 couldn’t measure up to him and he was disassembled. Though this is later Downplayed in that his memories and aspects of his personality are uploaded into Daystrom Android M-5-10, along with Data, Lore, Lal and Altan Soong.
• Continuity Nod : The Next Generation episode "Inheritance" makes note of the fact that there were three prototypes constructed prior to Lore and Data.
• Dub Name Change : He's named Proto in the French dub.
• Flawed Prototype : He works, and he doesn't have Lore's little bug of "kill and betray everyone who looks at me", but clearly Doctor Soong still hadn't worked out all the kinks. B-4's mind seems permanently set at a childlike state, and Picard makes clear he's nowhere near as sophisticated as his brothers.
• Manchild : He's identical to Data, but has a childlike demeanor.
• Meaningful Name : He was the prototype of Lore and Data. He closely resembles Data with his stiff robotic speech pattern.
• Not So Similar : Used as an example by Data as to why Picard and Shinzon aren't the same man. Data: I aspire to grow, to be more than I am. B-4 does not.
• Sealed Evil in a Can : The Enterprise crew find him dissassembled and put him back together. It turns out he's part of an elaborate evil scheme by Shinzon.
• Unwitting Pawn : Shinzon found him sometime before the film and programmed him to hack the Enterprise computer and download Starfleet's tactical database. When Data questions him after the fact, it seems like B-4 doesn't even understand what he did, or why.
• You Are Number 6 : Unlike his "brothers", B-4 doesn't have a real name.

Commander Donatra

Portrayed by: dina meyer, dubbed in french by: christine guerdon.

• Big Damn Heroes : Attempts to do this for Picard and fails miserably: Shinzon's too good and the Scimitar is too tough.
• Everyone Has Standards : She was fine with Shinzon wiping out the Romulan council and seizing power, but draws the line at launching an unprovoked attack on Earth.
• Green-Skinned Space Babe : Downplayed in the same fashion as her Vulcan cousins from two other movies—attractive, but wearing a military uniform rather than anything Stripperific .
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Star Trek: Nemesis: Official Clip - A Battle of the Mind

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How 'Star Trek: Nemesis' Failed 'The Next Generation'

20 years later, Star Trek: Nemesis remains a crash course on what not to do when closing the book on a franchise.

Closing the book on a long-running iteration of a franchise is hard. You have to make sure to create a story that's not only compelling but gives the characters a worthy sendoff. Sometimes the work pays off, and you get Avengers: Endgame and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King . Other times... you get Star Trek: Nemesis . Directed by Stuart Baird , the film was meant to close the book on the story of Star Trek: The Next Generation , but 20 years later, it's a glaring example of how not to end a franchise.

Stuart Baird Didn't Seem to Brush Up on His 'Star Trek' Lore

The biggest problem came from Baird, who was unfamiliar with the Star Trek franchise. Nemesis sprung into being when Brent Spiner contacted his friend and lifelong Trek fan, screenwriter John Logan . Spiner had a story in mind that would give the Next Generation cast a proper sendoff and Logan, fresh off the success of Gladiator , jumped at the opportunity. In contrast, Baird apparently couldn't be bothered to brush up on the basics of the franchise. He refused to watch previous episodes of The Next Generation and even referred to LeVar Burton as "Laverne." Jonathan Frakes , who helmed Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection in addition to playing Commander William Riker, apparently regretted not taking on the director's hat for Nemesis . Granted, Frakes was preoccupied with directing Clockstoppers , but it's still a resource Baird could have used.

Baird's approach to the material was more in line with his previous directorial efforts, U.S. Marshalls and Executive Decision . He hits the ground running in the film's opening sequence, which begins with an attack on the Romulan Senate, and doesn't let up. While this makes sense for an action film, the Trek franchise has always been more cerebral, and Nemesis suffers heavily from its fast pace. Plot points that could have propelled the film are often resolved within a single scene or two, and the space battles lack the tension of previous Trek films. The Wrath of Khan , this isn't.

RELATED: 'Star Trek Prodigy' Shows the Voyager Crew Couldn’t Escape a Tragic Fate

Deanna Troi Is Reduced to a Damsel in Distress

However, the greatest letdown was in how the Next Generation cast was handled. This was meant to be their grand sendoff, and yet they were handed storylines that were either beneath them or completely out of character. Take Deanna Troi ( Marina Sirtis ) for example. After years of "will they, won't they" between her and Commander Riker, Nemesis finally saw the two getting married, but Troi is soon subjected to an invasion of the mind by the Reman Viceroy ( Ron Perlman ). What's worse, this psychic invasion happens when she and Riker are in the throes of passion — which more or less amounts to a psychic and sexual assault. Given how Troi had grown over the course of Next Generation , to once again be subjected to a storyline where she's the damsel in distress felt extremely insulting. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Sirtis has less than fond feelings for the film .

Shinzon Is Not a Compelling Villain

Captain Picard's ( Patrick Stewart ) storyline doesn't fare any better. In Nemesis , Picard learns that the Romulan Empire created a younger clone of himself named Shinzon ( Tom Hardy ), who is slowly dying and plans to take the Federation with him by destroying his experimental warship Scimitar and flooding the Earth with poisonous radiation.

The idea of Picard facing a younger and darker version of himself is a rather interesting one — but Shinzon is not particularly menacing or compelling. Compared to previous foes like the Borg Queen in First Contact , he doesn't push Picard's mental or even physical limits. And to make matters worse, previous episodes of The Next Generation , as well as the feature films Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Insurrection , already featured Picard grappling with his morality.

Data Is Wasted in 'Nemesis'

Picard isn't the only person dealing with a doppelganger, or confronting the ghosts of plot points past. Data has his own twin, named B-4, who ends up taking Data's place when the android sacrifices himself to stop the Scimitar. Again, Data's sacrifice could have been an extremely profound moment, and a perfect way to cap off the franchise. But that sacrifice is undercut when B-4 reveals that Data's memories more or less live within his body. On top of that, this is yet another plot point that was already tackled within Next Generation , namely with Data's "evil twin" Lore.

In the years following Nemesis ' release, it was revealed that Baird had left a great deal of footage on the cutting room floor that would have fleshed out the bonds between characters. Among those moments are a brief interaction between Picard and Wesley Crusher ( Wil Wheaton ) at Riker and Troi's wedding, and a heartwarming moment where Worf ( Michael Dorn ) bonds with Data's cat Spot after the android's death. Those scenes are a great reminder of the bond the Next Generation crew shared, and leaving them out is essentially stripping out the heart of the series.

Without 'Nemesis', There Would Have Been No 'Picard'

With Nemesis flopping at the box office, a planned sequel which Spiner likened to the " Justice League of Star Trek " never manifested. However, the first season of Star Trek: Picard would rectify many of Nemesis' mistakes. Like Nemesis , it focuses on Data — particularly his daughters, Dahj and Soji ( Isa Briones ), and their own connection to humanity. Picard was once again grappling with his mortality, but this time, it was given the appropriate heft as he was growing old and disillusioned with what Starfleet had become. And Data did ultimately receive a final sendoff, but not before he and Picard have a final meeting within Data's mind. Data even saves his former captain from death by transferring his mind into an android body. Even Riker and Troi reappear, having been happily married with children.

Though Nemesis failed the cast of the Next Generation , that failure made Picard possible. Hopefully, the third and final season, which reunites the Next Generation crew, is a fitting send-off.

Star Trek Nemesis is available to stream on HBO Max. Seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Picard are available to stream on Paramount+.

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