One Of The Worst Star Trek Movies And A Questionable Alien Sequel Have Something In Common

When Stuart Baird's "Star Trek: Nemesis" came out in 2002, it was seen as a dark sign for the future of the franchise. "Nemesis" was the fourth film spun off from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and was advertised as its last. What should have felt like a grand finale was instead a bleak, boring, sad action movie about Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) fighting his own clone (Tom Hardy) over the fate of the Romulan Empire. There was also a subplot about Data (Brent Spiner) finding a previously unknown android brother, letting him give two performances. This is the film that featured the Argo, Picard's dune buggy, in what may be one of the dumbest scenes in "Star Trek" history.

"Nemesis" was roundly rejected by fans, earning only $67.3 million on its $60 million budget. It's the lowest-grossing "Star Trek" film, even when not adjusted for inflation. It seems that post-9/11 audiences weren't interested in a franchise devoted to exploration and peace (and that Trekkies were very, very tired). The failure of "Nemesis," paired with the low ratings of "Star Trek: Enterprise" (2001 to 2005) made it seem like we were done with "Star Trek" forever.

"Nemesis" was written by Hollywood veteran John Logan, with a story brainstormed by Logan, Brent Spiner, and longtime "Star Trek" head honcho Rick Berman. Logan had already enjoyed a lucrative Hollywood career having written prestige pictures, such as Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" and "Any Given Sunday," but also schlocky monster movies, such as "Bats" and "The Time Machine." "Star Trek" was his first stab at a franchise picture. Logan would go on to write many, many notable studio films, ultimately earning him three Oscar nominations (for "Gladiator," "The Aviator," and "Hugo"). In 2017, Logan and Scott would team up to make a second questionable, late-stage sci-fi franchise picture with "Alien: Covenant," the eighth film in the "Alien" series (if you count the "Alien vs. Predator" crossover movies). "Alien: Covenant," like "Nemesis," wasn't well-received.

"Alien: Covenant" was also controversial when it released, seemingly bringing its franchise to an end (at least temporarily). "Covenant" serves as a direct follow-up to the events of Ridley Scott's 2012 film "Prometheus," itself a prequel to his 1979 film "Alien." Michael Fassbender returned as the untrustworthy android David, having settled on a distant planet where he was conducting bizarre genetic experiments in his copious spare time. Using the DNA of an impossibly ancient species of Engineers, as well as an all-purpose biological glop that forces eerie alien life forms to grow inside the bodies of hosts, David was attempting to construct what he felt was the most efficient, beautiful animal imaginable.

David has a chance to test out his artificially constructed life forms on a passing human vessel that lands nearby to investigate the planet's habitability. David's spores infect some of the visitors, and creatures begin to spout from their bodies. The creatures at the beginning of the film are slightly different from the creatures in "Prometheus" and "Alien," but by the end of the movie, a full-on alien Xenomorph appears. David, clearly self-obsessed, becomes fixated on Walter, another android also played by Michael Fassbender.

Reviews were mixed ("Covenant" has a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 408 reviews), and many "Alien" fans were still smarting over their negative feelings toward "Prometheus." The film was a modest success — it made $240 million on a $97 million budget — but it wasn't a big enough hit to inspire an immediate follow-up. It wouldn't be until Disney purchased 20th Century Fox that another "Alien" film would be put into production, "Alien: Romulus," which released in 2024. The TV series "Alien: Earth" streams on FX.

And to think John Logan co-wrote both "Covenant" and "Nemesis." Perhaps high-profile sci-fi franchises aren't his bag. Another coincidence? Both "Star Trek: Nemesis" and "Alien: Covenant" have a 6.4 user rating on IMDb. It's not significant, but it is fun.