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Star Trek: TNG Movie Novelizations #3
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star The Next Generation is the most popular, longest-running series in science fiction history. Now, after the spectacular worldwide success of Star First Contact, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise return to the big screen in a thrilling new adventure that captures all the fun and excitement of Star Trek at its best.Star Insurrection reunites the hugely popular crew of Star The Next Jean-Luc Picard, Starfleet's finest officer; Commander William T. Riker, his stalwart first officer; Lieutenant Commander Data, the indispensable android; Commander Deanna Troi, the empathic Betazoid counselor; Lieutenant Commander Worf, the fierce Klingon warrior; Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, chief of engineering; and Dr. Beverly Crusher, the ship's able medical officer.Together, they have faced many challenges over the years, but nothing has prepared them for the unexpected crisis that tests both their skills and their convictions.On an unnamed planet in a distant sector, Starfleet, in an uneasy alliance with a mysterious new alien species of unknown origin, has discovered a secret with astounding implications that could transform the future of the entire Federation. But this secret has a price that may be more than some are willing to pay.The secret first turns Data against Starfleet, then draws Jean-Luc Picard and the Starship Enterprise into a tense and dangerous situation that has unexpected effects on every member of the crew -- and presents them with an agonizing moral dilemma. Faced with orders he cannot obey and a crisis he cannot ignore, Picard finds himself torn between his conscience and his uniform.Bestselling author J. M. Dillard has written a powerful and exciting novel based on the major motion picture directed by Jonathan Frakes ("Commander William T. Riker"). Star Insurrection is sure to delight audiences throughout the world.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Dillard
48 books114 followersJ.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis (b. 1954) publishes her Star Trek novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 24, 2024
Star Trek Insurrection is a novelization of the movie by J. M. Dillard. It is based on the story by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and the Screenplay by Michael Piller. It was released in Hardcover by Pocket Books at Simon and Schuster in December of 1998.
As I've read through the Star Trek novelizations, some of them have been incredibly successful, some have been big failures, and some have been just ok. And J. M. Dillard has had all of the above with her various novelizations.
This one falls into the category of "just ok".
The biggest problem this book has is that the story itself is very weak. This feels like an episode of television that was stretched into a feature length script. As a result, the action, which would be fantastic for an episode, feels kind of mediocre and bland. Unfortunately, the novelization has to keep to the story, so it can’t do too much to fix the story problems.
However, the biggest strength the book has is that the story actually works better in book format. The pacing is much better than the movie, and the story very much feels like a Star Trek story. At its core, this book (and to an extent, the movie as well) gets what it means to be Star Trek, perhaps even more than the other Next Generation novelizations.
The rekindling of the romance between Riker and Troi was very much necessary, but it feels out of nowhere in the movie and also very rushed here in the book. It should have had another full length novel about the rekindling of their romance (just not like Imzadi).
Riker and Troi aren’t the only characters to have a romance. Picard gets a little romance with Anij from the Ba’ku village. Its not much, but its very sweet to read on screen, especially considering they are both aging characters in universe. It feels wrong to see Picard with anyone other than Beverly Crusher, so it still feels like a poisoned relationship (especially given that we know what happens later on).
The villains in the book were very mixed. Gallatin gets a lot more backstory and context in the book, which helps him be more relatable and understandable. Dougherty and Ru’afo feel very much like their movie counterparts, very one note and honestly not too interesting.
Overall, the book is an ok adaptation. It does add some context to some characters and relationships, and it does solve some pacing problems the movie had. However, its just not that interesting a story when compared to other original novels or even the movie novelizations. I’ll give the book a 6 out of 10.
As I've read through the Star Trek novelizations, some of them have been incredibly successful, some have been big failures, and some have been just ok. And J. M. Dillard has had all of the above with her various novelizations.
This one falls into the category of "just ok".
The biggest problem this book has is that the story itself is very weak. This feels like an episode of television that was stretched into a feature length script. As a result, the action, which would be fantastic for an episode, feels kind of mediocre and bland. Unfortunately, the novelization has to keep to the story, so it can’t do too much to fix the story problems.
However, the biggest strength the book has is that the story actually works better in book format. The pacing is much better than the movie, and the story very much feels like a Star Trek story. At its core, this book (and to an extent, the movie as well) gets what it means to be Star Trek, perhaps even more than the other Next Generation novelizations.
The rekindling of the romance between Riker and Troi was very much necessary, but it feels out of nowhere in the movie and also very rushed here in the book. It should have had another full length novel about the rekindling of their romance (just not like Imzadi).
Riker and Troi aren’t the only characters to have a romance. Picard gets a little romance with Anij from the Ba’ku village. Its not much, but its very sweet to read on screen, especially considering they are both aging characters in universe. It feels wrong to see Picard with anyone other than Beverly Crusher, so it still feels like a poisoned relationship (especially given that we know what happens later on).
The villains in the book were very mixed. Gallatin gets a lot more backstory and context in the book, which helps him be more relatable and understandable. Dougherty and Ru’afo feel very much like their movie counterparts, very one note and honestly not too interesting.
Overall, the book is an ok adaptation. It does add some context to some characters and relationships, and it does solve some pacing problems the movie had. However, its just not that interesting a story when compared to other original novels or even the movie novelizations. I’ll give the book a 6 out of 10.
June 3, 2024
Two-and-a-half stars.
For a quarter century, I've steadfastly felt Insurrection is an underrated and underappreciated Star Trek feature: It's got a thought-provoking and supremely creative premise (a fountain-of-youth planet); it's an entirely self-contained adventure (sans a few fleeting references to events happening concurrently on Deep Space Nine that provide some grander geopolitical context but aren't required knowledge to follow this particular narrative); it grapples simultaneously (and intelligently) with existential and sociopolitical quandaries (in the tradition of the best Trek stories); and it allows the ensemble cast to have some situational lighthearted fun, à la Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That Insurrection doesn't aspire to galactic-stakes storytelling like Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek: Nemesis is, for my money, a selling point, not a demerit.
While this is certainly an above-average novelization with respect to prose efficiency -- and it's faithful to Michael Piller's screenplay to a T -- author J.M. Dillard doesn't manage to convey the movie's whimsy or wonder, merely its plot and dialogue. She provides a bit more insight into the backstories and psychological profiles of the villains (Dougherty, Ru'afo, and Gallatin), which is appreciated, but it comes late in the game and slows down the climax. The other characters, meanwhile, are left with surface-level emotional experiences; we never get under their skin.
Divorced from the film's snappy direction (courtesy Jonathan Frakes) and very good performances (Patrick Stewart, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy), Insurrection falls flat on the page, oddly devoid of the story's romantic passion and rebellious spirit. Not the worst novelization I've read by a mile, but it doesn't exactly justify its existence, either.
For a quarter century, I've steadfastly felt Insurrection is an underrated and underappreciated Star Trek feature: It's got a thought-provoking and supremely creative premise (a fountain-of-youth planet); it's an entirely self-contained adventure (sans a few fleeting references to events happening concurrently on Deep Space Nine that provide some grander geopolitical context but aren't required knowledge to follow this particular narrative); it grapples simultaneously (and intelligently) with existential and sociopolitical quandaries (in the tradition of the best Trek stories); and it allows the ensemble cast to have some situational lighthearted fun, à la Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That Insurrection doesn't aspire to galactic-stakes storytelling like Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek: Nemesis is, for my money, a selling point, not a demerit.
While this is certainly an above-average novelization with respect to prose efficiency -- and it's faithful to Michael Piller's screenplay to a T -- author J.M. Dillard doesn't manage to convey the movie's whimsy or wonder, merely its plot and dialogue. She provides a bit more insight into the backstories and psychological profiles of the villains (Dougherty, Ru'afo, and Gallatin), which is appreciated, but it comes late in the game and slows down the climax. The other characters, meanwhile, are left with surface-level emotional experiences; we never get under their skin.
Divorced from the film's snappy direction (courtesy Jonathan Frakes) and very good performances (Patrick Stewart, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy), Insurrection falls flat on the page, oddly devoid of the story's romantic passion and rebellious spirit. Not the worst novelization I've read by a mile, but it doesn't exactly justify its existence, either.
March 30, 2025
Star Trek: Insurrection is a fun movie that I’ve always enjoyed despite what others have said. However, this novelization has proven that Jonathan Frakes was the secret to any kind of levity, whimsy, or punch that the story was given. Dillard basically transcribes Piller’s script and that’s about it.
May 24, 2021
I loved it.
Minus one star for no scenes about Picard and Crusher’s relationship. There weren’t any scenes of them having breakfast like they did in the show.
My favorite TNG movie novelization so far. Disclaimer: I don’t remember the movie.
Minus one star for no scenes about Picard and Crusher’s relationship. There weren’t any scenes of them having breakfast like they did in the show.
My favorite TNG movie novelization so far. Disclaimer: I don’t remember the movie.
September 28, 2023
An excellently produced novelization of my favorite Next Generation movie.
There's a decent amount of added content that brings to light more of the motivations of the antagonists.
I had just as much fun reading this as I do watching the movie!
There's a decent amount of added content that brings to light more of the motivations of the antagonists.
I had just as much fun reading this as I do watching the movie!
June 15, 2019
It's moderately better than the "Generations" novelization, and JM Dillard does her mighty best...but these super-short, cut-down adaptations of the TNG films pale in comparison to the epic novelizations of the TOS films...two of which were by Ms Dillard herself. I don't know why the decision was made to neuter these film adaptations, but it was definitely the wrong decision.
October 2, 2023
Review 52. Star Trek The Next Generation Movies #3 Insurrection by J.M. Dillard
Page Count : 295
Star Trek Insurrection for me has always been one of the weaker Star Trek movies and unfortunately, the book also continues this trend.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but there were moments that I didn't enjoy.
Even with that, I still gave the book 5 stars as the story is very well written by J.M. Dillard and has slight differences which are not in the film which make it more enjoyable.
In particular, the characters of Data, La Forge and Worf shone through, with Picard, Riker, Troi and Crusher less so.
There were sweet moments and very funny moments in this book especially when La Forge gets his natural vision back while on the Baku planet, then later complains when sweat gets in his eyes that he wants his implants back. This made me chuckle.
While this is not one of my favourite books, it is definitely one that I will reread in the future as it is quite light hearted after the much more tense First Contact.
There is a very slight link to one of the early episodes of Star Trek Picard season 3 with this book/film.
5*
*****
Page Count : 295
Star Trek Insurrection for me has always been one of the weaker Star Trek movies and unfortunately, the book also continues this trend.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but there were moments that I didn't enjoy.
Even with that, I still gave the book 5 stars as the story is very well written by J.M. Dillard and has slight differences which are not in the film which make it more enjoyable.
In particular, the characters of Data, La Forge and Worf shone through, with Picard, Riker, Troi and Crusher less so.
There were sweet moments and very funny moments in this book especially when La Forge gets his natural vision back while on the Baku planet, then later complains when sweat gets in his eyes that he wants his implants back. This made me chuckle.
While this is not one of my favourite books, it is definitely one that I will reread in the future as it is quite light hearted after the much more tense First Contact.
There is a very slight link to one of the early episodes of Star Trek Picard season 3 with this book/film.
5*
*****
Read
January 9, 2024There’s not a whole lot I can say about this. The movie is fairly mediocre for me in the grand scheme of the Trek films and the book doesn’t have a lot to work with. There are some bits and pieces added to the story that are interesting but not much more than the occasional reference. For me, the biggest failing of the story is that it feels like they just recycled a few episodes from the show and smashed the together into a sort of franken-story. I have long held the opinion that when Next Gen went off the air, they should have taken an extended break before making movies. Like we got with TOS. Let enthusiasm for the characters and the show grow back - otherwise you get what we ended up with - basically flogging a show that was getting a bit stale. In my opinion, the final season of Picard offers a glimpse at how much better these films could have been. I remember when the last two TNG movies came out in the theaters - at the time feeling like everyone was just kind of going through the motions. The book unfortunately has this vibe as well. I’m a huge fan of Dillard and the movie novelizations but this one is just a bit too bland for me.
August 16, 2018
Nothing too special here, it's the novelization of the film and pretty much sticks to that with a couple of exceptions - Ru'afo dying in the original way instead of the way he does in the movie and Data dealing with some baddies in a cool way that was cut. I appreciated the insight into the Admiral's and Artim's head which you couldn't see on film and understand the Admiral's motivations and why he did what he did. Some elements the film did do better which is expected and I think they added more comedy which I didn't notice in the book. Overall it was all right and had some interesting elements added in but it's Insurrection so it's not exactly the best story.
March 28, 2019
Admittedly, this is the one pre-reboot Trek movie I only saw once. So I when I listened to this one, I never read the book, and only barely remembered the movie. The story here, by itself, was pretty good. Still don't think it really is move material, but a book isn't a movie, of course. But this by itself was really good - it is presumably an abridged audio, but did not feel like it, it did not feel like anything was cut or missing. The narrator is okay... does a damn good Picard, let me tell you!
November 5, 2021
Insurrection is a great adaption! We get to see a different perspective to the charaters that we would hae not have had otherwise! Insurrection add more backstory to all the characters as well! This helps us to see what is actually driving them to do what they are doing as well as making them more human but at the same time show us how they have become what they are and why they are doing what they are doing! You will be up late with Insurrection seeing fro all these easter eggs and how things work out!
Crisp High Five! Brilliant and Highly Recommended! Get it when you can! :D
Crisp High Five! Brilliant and Highly Recommended! Get it when you can! :D
November 17, 2021
Die Romanfassung des neunten Films hat mir unerwarteter Weise sehr gut gefallen. Die Autorin trifft die Figuren und hält sich ans Drehbuch. Das TNG-Gefühl kommt vor allem in der ersten Buchhälfte durch mehrere Charakterszenen gut rüber. Das Finale weicht leicht vom Film ab, da dieses nachträglich geändert und neu gefilmt wurde. Für Fans empfehlenswert.
May 16, 2019
Very much Like the movie, This was a good read
October 27, 2020
A great family split in the guise of Star Trek. Younger members of the community what to destroy the planet to capture the special ingredients that stop aging.
x-tbr-owned
November 4, 2023Actually want to watch; a fan says it's the best movie of any of the series. And it's my fav. series, TNG.
August 20, 2022
Jeśli chodzi o serie wydawnicze z uniwersum star treka w naszym kraju jest ona traktowana bardzo po macoszemu.
Jak podaje źródło Wikipedii - stanach krąży okolo 850 książek serii, nowelizacji i spin offów i baza książek wciąż rośnie, gdzie w Polsce mamy dostępny dziennik pokladowy nr1, star trek rebelia... I tyle. Koniec.
W związku z tym bardzo ciężko spojrzeć na tytul Rebelii obiektywnie, jesli jest to jedyna nowelizacja filmowa, tu 9 filmu, wydana w Polsce.
Osoby, które nie są zaznajomione ze światem Star trek - the next generation (TGN) mogą mieć trudność ze zrozumieniem niektórych relacji postaci czy historii. W książce jest sporo nawiązań do wydarzeń z serialu czy innych filmów.
A i same postaci nie sa opisywane w sposób na tyle wystarczający, aby osoba niezwiazana z serią mogła sobie wyobrazić Datę, Rikera i jego brodę, czy powagę sytuacji oraz impasu który stworzył sie wewnątrz Gwiezdnej Floty.
Pozycja na pewno ciekawa z punktu widzenia fanów. Miłe uzupełnienie filmu. Jednak całkowicie odradzam je jako pierwsze spotaknie z załogą USS Enterprise.
Jak podaje źródło Wikipedii - stanach krąży okolo 850 książek serii, nowelizacji i spin offów i baza książek wciąż rośnie, gdzie w Polsce mamy dostępny dziennik pokladowy nr1, star trek rebelia... I tyle. Koniec.
W związku z tym bardzo ciężko spojrzeć na tytul Rebelii obiektywnie, jesli jest to jedyna nowelizacja filmowa, tu 9 filmu, wydana w Polsce.
Osoby, które nie są zaznajomione ze światem Star trek - the next generation (TGN) mogą mieć trudność ze zrozumieniem niektórych relacji postaci czy historii. W książce jest sporo nawiązań do wydarzeń z serialu czy innych filmów.
A i same postaci nie sa opisywane w sposób na tyle wystarczający, aby osoba niezwiazana z serią mogła sobie wyobrazić Datę, Rikera i jego brodę, czy powagę sytuacji oraz impasu który stworzył sie wewnątrz Gwiezdnej Floty.
Pozycja na pewno ciekawa z punktu widzenia fanów. Miłe uzupełnienie filmu. Jednak całkowicie odradzam je jako pierwsze spotaknie z załogą USS Enterprise.
October 21, 2016
Star Trek Insurrection is one of my favorite movies. Although it wasn't as much of a commercial success as First Contact, I felt that it was still a great Star Trek movie. The audio book adaption was not. It did live up to the fact that it is an adaptation of the movie, I was surprised to find just how many elements were either taken out, changed, or added in. Some of the things added in were nice as it gave us a perspective from other characters but I felt other things that were added in were unnecessary. I felt the changes that were made were also unnecessary. As well as elements taken out, I was so very disappointed. What made Insurrection a great movie was the humor that was injected in the movie and to my dismay, these moments of humor and levity were taken out which made the book more dry than it should have been. One of the major action sequences was changed unnecessarily as well which also disappointed me. All in all though, an okay book.
May 13, 2010
I'm quite the Star Trek fan, especially for The Next Generation and Voyager. I had first bought the movie, since Star Trek novels aren't easily found in bookstores around here, and found it a very good movie. My search for the book started soon after that.
As a book, it closely follows the movie, except that the unspoken emotions give it a whole new dimension. There are a few scenes added to it that the authors have come up with themselves or that have been removed from the book; scenes that were very entertaining, though. The best example of that is the library scene with Troi and Riker.
It's very well-written and definitely recommended to anyone who is a Star Trek fan. Especially if you are a Star Trek: The Next Generations fan.
As a book, it closely follows the movie, except that the unspoken emotions give it a whole new dimension. There are a few scenes added to it that the authors have come up with themselves or that have been removed from the book; scenes that were very entertaining, though. The best example of that is the library scene with Troi and Riker.
It's very well-written and definitely recommended to anyone who is a Star Trek fan. Especially if you are a Star Trek: The Next Generations fan.
January 23, 2016
The Next Generation embarks on another space adventure in Star Trek: Insurrection, a novelization of the motion picture. When Data malfunctions while on a survey mission on an isolated planet, the Enterprise comes to aid in his capture but ends up uncovering a disturbing secret that causes the crew to question their loyalty to the Federation. Unfortunately the story feels very self-contained, without any real stakes for the Enterprise crew. Yet author J.M. Dillard does a good job at character development, and expands on the screenplay to greater show the regenerative effects that the planet has on the crew. Still, while entertaining, Star Trek: Insurrection is a mediocre book with a rather lackluster plot.
January 19, 2011
Insurrection is one of those Star Trek movie novelizations that's actually better than the feature film its based on. The story works better as a book, because the subject matter resonates more when you can feel what the characters are feeling. Dillard does a great job of bringing it to life and doesn't needlessly depart from the screenplay like some of the earlier Star Trek film novelizations.
October 29, 2014
ok dont read if you havent seen the film or the book, ok bet u looked
well its sort of let move everyone to a new planet , just becase i dont want to age .
yep its gruesome too. see told u.
so then they fight to keep the planet etc
i bet u read that didnt u?
well its sort of let move everyone to a new planet , just becase i dont want to age .
yep its gruesome too. see told u.
so then they fight to keep the planet etc
i bet u read that didnt u?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2010
How could the movie have been 12 years ago?!
I don't remember the movie too well anymore, so I can't comment much on the novelization. The story is cheesy, and tries too hard to have 'moments' for the fans. I thought it was 'okay'.
I don't remember the movie too well anymore, so I can't comment much on the novelization. The story is cheesy, and tries too hard to have 'moments' for the fans. I thought it was 'okay'.
March 3, 2011
I own the VHS video of the movie upon which the book is based. Or is it the other way around. This is a good lunch read. Not too deep. Just interesting enough to keep you moving. The small differences between the movie and the book are interesting.
August 1, 2012
Story from the screenplay. Data sabotages a secret observation post to highlight that they are secretly planning to empty a whole planet to take advantage of the life-giving properties in the atmosphere. Good fun. As always the book is better than the film.
January 22, 2017
A good novelisation of what is probably my favourite 'The Next Generation' movie, with an ending that is different to the movie -- so the novel was probably written (and written well, it must be said) by J.M. Dillard from something other than the final script.
January 21, 2008
This was a great Star Trek novel, and it was also a very good movie. I liked it very much and I'm somehow tempted to read it again when I have too much time. Anyways, this is a good one!
January 15, 2014
Pretty good as far as movie novelizations go.
November 3, 2022
Star Trek: next generation settings are one of my favorites still. The characterization is great, as the characters continue to grow with each new story about them.
August 13, 2016
Again, not to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed Dillard's fleshing out of the story and the interactions to the characters as they encountered the "metaphasic radiation."
October 9, 2022
Not a bad novelization. It sticks fairly close to the movie.
10/9/22 Listened to audible while at work.
10/9/22 Listened to audible while at work.
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