TheStar Trekmovies often existed to fulfill requests from the studios. They routinely played with story concepts that wouldn’t have made sense in an episode.Star Trek: Generationswas pitched as the connection point betweenThe Next GenerationandThe Original Series. The IP holders wanted Kirk to meet Picard despite the considerable gap in their service timeline. The writers devised the Nexus, an extradimensional gap that let the captains play together.
TheStar Trekcanon is complicated. Though it seemsanything could happenin the ongoing shared narrative, the extraneous materials in books, comics, video games, and other mediums expand without limits. Concepts abandoned by the series find second lives on the page. No idea is safe from further exploration. The Nexus is a concept developed to be set aside after it served its purpose, but it continued beyond its initial plan.
What is the Nexus inStar Trek?
The Nexus isStar Trek’s science fiction answer to heaven. It’s an alternate reality beyond the physical galaxy. It exists outside the bounds of time and space. The only way into the Nexus is through a mobile ribbon of “temporal energy.” That ribbon passes through the galaxy on a routine schedule every 39.1 years. The energy involved is catastrophically destructive. Ships caught in the rear edge of the temporal energy ribbon become trapped in gravimetric fields, which renders escape impossible and gradually shatters the vessel. Humans experiencing the same effect shift into temporal flux, phasing in and out of the spacetime continuum. Those potential downsides fall out of focus when examining the benefits of the Nexus. Any person who successfully enters the Nexus enjoys their greatest desires. It allows any person to play out their fantasies.Guinan, the wise El-Aurianbartender on the Enterprise, described the experience like this:
It was like being inside joy. As if joy were something tangible and you could wrap yourself up in it like a blanket.
The Nexus is acritical narrative MacGuffininStar Trek: Generations, the seventh film in the franchise. The film opens with Kirk, Chekov, and Scotty leaping out of retirement to rescue two El-Aurian refugee vessels trapped in the trail of the Nexus' destructive ribbon. They save a few passengers, but theEnterprisegets caught in the gravimetric field. Scott engineers an escape, but Kirk is absorbed into the Nexus. His friends presume him dead for the following 78 years. The crew saved two El-Aurians, Guinan and Tolian. Tolian became obsessed with returning to the Nexus after a brief experience in its splendor.Picard discovered Tolian’splan to summon the Nexus ribbon, which involves blowing up two stars and killing several hundred million innocent people. Picard intervenes, but Tolian launches his missile and sends himself and Picard into the Nexus.
Picard’s Nexus heaven involved settling down with a lovely nuclear family. He has a fictional wife named Elise, five children, and his beloved nephew, who had recently died in reality. He briefly enjoys his fake family before meeting a psychic echo of Guinan, who reminds him of his responsibilities. Picard sets aside his dream scenario to do the right thing, valuing making a difference in other people’s lives over his happiness.He tracks down Kirk. Captain Kirk’s fantasy places him in beautiful, familiar locations with a loving wife and his long-lost dog. While Kirk is riding horses on his uncle’s farm, Picard joins him and talks him into leaving the Nexus. They take off to fight Tolian together. Since the Nexus is outside time, they leap back into reality shortly before Tolian fires the missile. Kirk and Picard stop Tolian, but Kirk dies in the process.
Does the Nexus breakStar Trekcanon?
There’s nothing inherent about the Nexus that would render it non-canonical inStar Trek. The concept is ridiculous, but the film sections it off. The Nexus only returned to the franchise for agag inLower Decks. It’s an ill-conceived idea that only ever existed for a cross-over film. The Nexus' specific schedule should have sent it careening through the universe in 2410. Only theStar Trek: OnlineMMO game examines this era of the franchise. It’s one of millions of ideas that appear from nowhere and disappear instantly after they’ve achieved their limited narrative purpose.
The Nexus is a comical concept inStar Trek. It’s the kind of thing fans would expect from ashoddy tie-in video gametrying to justify having access to every character.Star Trek: Generationsearned a modest profit at the box office, but fans and critics offered decisively mixed opinions. The Nexus provides some fascinating ideas. It might be fun to see the beautiful fantasy realms in the rest of the characters' hearts. That aspect of the Nexus is secondary to its less impressive goal of uniting two actors fans enjoy. The studio needed both Captains on deck, and the Nexus was the glowing heaven highway they had to take to get them there.
