Star Trek: Webspinners (Sonic World)

Star Trek: Webspinners is a 2000 American action adventure film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the ninth feature film in the Star Trek franchise and is the crossover movie of the entire main casts of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: U.S.S. Oberon television series. It is directed by Mark Patrick and written by writter-producer Jonathan Blake Babel (from a story developed by Babel, Brandon Braga, and producer Rick Berman). The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E meet with the crew of the U.S.S. Oberon on their final mission to end hostilities with the Tholians.

Principal photography took place from July 1999 to January 2000. Jay Aster composed the film's score. The film was released in North America on November 17, 2000. The film received generally positive reviews, with publications criticizing the film for being the most successful in the Star Trek franchise. It was nominated for over six Academy Awards, winning four (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Special Effects, Best Sound Design).

Plot
Immediately after the events of the final episode of Star Trek: U.S.S. Oberon, the U.S.S. Oberon NCC-1880 has destroyed the Tholian mothership when Captain David Welles (Mark Patrick) opened communications and the Tholians demanded his surrender. Two years later, science officer Lt. Commander T'Kaht (Christina Ricci) visited the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E during Valentine's Day, where she and Lt. Commander Data (Robert Picardo) sang a duet song, Don't Go Breaking My Heart. During the sing along, T'Kaht feels pain and goes angry and attacks Data, she is confined to sickbay until the Oberon rendezvous.

Dr. Beverly Crusher deduces that T'Kaht is suffering from the Tholian bio-weapon, perlexius, she must die in three weeks. So Captain Karl-Heinz Jurgen (Patrick Stewart) contacts Captain Welles and informs that T'Kaht is dying from perlexius. After the Oberon arrives, Captain Welles and Commander Amelia 'Amy' Janette (Kim Basinger) beams over to the Enterprise and tour the Federation flagship of the fleet. Suddenly, their tour is interrupted when the Tholian cruiser has entered Federation space. So the Oberon and the Enterprise were battle ready. The cruiser trapped the Enterprise in a Tholian Web. The Oberon frees the Enterprise and the damaged Tholian ship warps back to Tholian space.

Starfleet orders both ships to Tholian space to negotiate with the Tholians for peace, hopefully to end hostilities by killing the Tholian dictator, Pa'luk (voiced by Miguel Ferrer). En route, Amy told the Enterprise crew that they need a antidote for T'Kaht, which can be found in Tholian ships. Jurgen, Data, Lieutenant Stellunia (Heather Locklear), Welles, Amy and Lt. Commander Akira Tikosti (Dennis Dun) beam over the Tholian mothership so they can find the antidote. The Enterprise and Oberon strike teams battle the Tholians in the corridors. During the phaser fight, Tikosti found the antidote, but Welles is captured by his enemy, Pa'luk.

Amy angrilly blames the Tholians for taking Welles, Jurgen admits it everyone is responsible. In the Tholian mothership, Welles is tortured by his nemesis, screaming in agony, calling out his KHAAAAN!-like line, "YOU MURDERERS!!! YOU MURDERERS!!" Jurgen informs Starfleet that Pa'luk is sending a Tholian armada to destroy the Federation, Admiral Maxwell Babel (Jonathan Blake Babel) places Jurgen in command of the huge Starfleet armada to Tholian space.

As the Starfleet armada engages the Tholians, both Enterprise and Oberon send strike teams to the Tholian mothership to kill some Tholians. During the battle, the Oberon is hit and was damaged beyond repair, Amy puts the ship on self-destruct while ramming the mothership. As Pa'luk prepares to kill Welles, the Tholian dictator was disintegrated by Jurgen, who rescues the tortured captain. With no weapons to destroy the mothership, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Commander John Toliver (John Charlton) overload the warp core and separate the Enterprise's saucer section as the stardrive section approaches the damaged Tholian mothership.

The ship's stardrive section detonates, destroying the Tholian mothership in a blast, the Enterprise and the Oberon crew were okay, Jurgen is contacted by the Tholian president that negotiations will begin. Several months later, the Enterprise is repaired. Jurgen's crew says one last goodbye to the crew of the Oberon as the movie ends with Jurgen, the newly promoted Admiral Welles and Captain Janette ride on a travel pod to inspect the new starship, Oberon.

Cast

 * Patrick Stewart as Captain Karl Heinz Jurgen
 * Lance Guest as Commander William Tiberius Dwight
 * Robert Picardo as Lt. Commander Data
 * Tim Russ as Lt. Commander K'Torf
 * LeVar Burton as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
 * Gates McFadden as Commander (Doctor) Beverly Crusher
 * Denise Crosby as Commander (Counselor) Deanna Grada
 * Miguel Ferrer as the voice of Pa'luk
 * Mark Patrick as Captain/Admiral David Welles
 * Kim Basinger as Commander/Captain Amelia 'Amy' Janette
 * John Charlton as Commander John Toliver
 * Diana Muldair as Commander (Doctor) Katherine Pulaski
 * Alice Kersan as Lt. Commander (Doctor) Marion Baxter
 * Dennis Dun as Lt. Commander Akira Tikosti
 * Christina Ricci as Lt. Commander T'Kaht
 * John Winston as Lt. Commander Tuniah Pygiasa
 * Kim Darby as Lt. Commander Gyglas Pygiasa
 * Aries Spiers as Lieutenant Colin Jefferson
 * Heather Locklear as Lieutenant Stellunia
 * Matt Hill as Lt. Commander Pyrus
 * Jonathan Blake Babel as Admiral Maxwell Babel and the Tholian computer voice
 * Majel Barrett as the Enterprise and Oberon computer voices

Writing
On July 1998, after the cancellation of Star Trek: U.S.S. Oberon with a cliffhanger, Jonathan Blake Babel wants to write a U.S.S. Oberon feature film to pick up what the series left off, but failed. Soon after the box office failure of Star Trek: Insurrection, Paramount Pictures had a bold proposal for Babel write the crossover movie where the Oberon crew meets the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Rick Berman and Brandon Braga helped Babel writing the script for the movie.

The early draft of the script which involves Captain Jurgen sacrificing himself to save David Welles, that script doesn't feature the destruction of the Oberon. Rick Berman changed the ending so that Jurgen lives and the Oberon was destroyed. The late draft of the script was submitted in March 1999.

Pre-Production and Special Effects
Rick Berman and Jonathan Blake Babel set about compiling both casts of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: U.S.S. Oberon. Mark Patrick dieted for three months in order to play David Welles and decides to direct the film. Kim Basinger is ready to see the cast again. Patrick Stewart turned down the script for two months.

In order to voice the main villian of the movie, the dark and mysterious Tholian dictator, Pa'luk. Jonathan Blake Babel hired his friend, Willard Strikes to voice the main villian. But Strikes turned it down. Rick Berman wanted Tim Curry to replace Willard Strikes, but Curry was unavailable. It took a week to find a voice actor to play Pa'luk, until Miguel Ferrer accepted to voice the Tholian.

The special effects for this movie is by Magical Vision Studios, which had done the effects for 1986's Aliens, 1991's Alien: Elite Force, Jurassic Park films as well as for 1999's The Matrix and Shadow the Hedgehog. All Tholians seen in this movie are CGI, stand-in actors are filmed before CGI is placed in post production. They done the phasers and transporter effects.

For the space battle scene, Magical Vision Studios, used CGI models of the Tholian ships from U.S.S. Oberon (including the mothership), they also used Federation ships including the Enterprise and the Oberon, along others seen in the movies and television shows, (including the Akira, Saber, Steamrunner and Norway-class starships seen in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), the Defiant-class starship seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), the Intrepid and Nova-class starships, and the Prometheus seen in Star Trek: Voyager (1995), the Galaxy, Nebula and Ambassador-class starships seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), the Constellation class starship seen in Star Trek III: The Voyage Home (1986), the Excelsior and the Oberth class starships seen in Star Trek II: The Search for Spock (1984) and the Constitution and Miranda class starships (like the Oberon) seen in Star Trek: The Revenge of Khan (1982).

Filming
Principal photography began on July 1999, the first scene is on the bridge of the Enterprise, where Captain Jurgen contacts David Welles. One day during filming on October 23rd, 1999, John Charlton had a heart attack on the bridge of the Oberon, paramedics are set to defibrillate, Alice Kersan told them she is a doctor, she defibrillates John Charlton so they could finish filming.

The last scene shot on January 2000 was the opening scene where T'Kaht and Data sing, Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Christina Ricci practiced singing for two weeks.

Marketing
The first teaser trailer of Star Trek: Webspinners was released on December 1999, attached to Shadow the Hedgehog (1999) during filming, the teaser trailer contains unfinished footage from the film along with clips from the pilot episode of Star Trek: U.S.S. Oberon, Star Trek: The Revenge of Khan, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, the final note says, "COMING TO THEATERS, JUNE 2000."

The second teaser trailer was released on April 2000, attached to Rules of Engagement (2000), in this teaser, the final note says, "COMING TO THEATERS, NOVEMBER 17th, 2000." The full trailer was released on July 2000, attached to X-Men (2000), which shows the destruction of the Oberon, and Pa'luk himself.

Playmates Toys released a full line of Star Trek: Webspinners action figures, the Enterprise, the Tholian mothership and the Oberon and the phaser and tricorder toys. Rubies Costumes released several Webspinners adult and kids costumes including Captain Jurgen's shirt and vest, Commander Janette's uniform, Lt. Commander Data's uniform, Lt. Commander T'Kaht's uniform, Lt. Commander Worf's uniform and Captain David Welles' battle uniform. GSP Cresendo released a Star Trek: Webspinners soundtrack which contains most of the score of the film, and a sound effects library. Carl's Jr promoted a kid's meal for Webspinners and promoted four glasses based on scenes of the movie and a Starfleet combadge and sold VHS cassettes of the first eight Star Trek films.

Release
Star Trek: Webspinners was scheduled for release for June 2000, but was delayed until November 17th, 2000 in the United States and enjoyed the largest opening-weekend box office receipts in history by pulling in $417 million. The film was released in England, Scotland and Ireland on December 4th, and in the French Empire and Japan on December 26th, and received its complete worldwide release on January 2nd, 2001.

Critical Reception
The film was released to generally positive reviews. Gene Siskel said, "It's good, easy fun, a very passable movie. While predictable, Star Trek: Webspinners delivers exactly what it picks up from the cliffhanger finale of U.S.S. Oberon. There's something here for Trekkies and for the average moviegoer." Roger Ebert noted, "Entertaining from the first space battle between the Enterprise, the Oberon and the Tholians and the Enterprise separates from its main body in the end, it was the most Star Trek film I ever seen in my life, it was the true crossover of both The Next Generation and the Oberon." Leonard Maltin said, "Webspinners was one of the best Star Trek movies of all time, the Next Generation crew and the Oberon crew meet for the first time ever."

Box Office
Star Trek: Webspinners was the highest-grossing film of 2000 in the United States, pulling in $903 million in box office receipts, while generating an additional $2 billion overseas, thus raising the total worldwide gross to $304 billion, making it the most successful Star Trek film, significantly outgrossing the most successful film in the series, 1989's Star Trek IV: The New Adventures of the Starship Enterprise.