The screenplay for “First Contact” was written by longterm “Trek” veterans Brannon Braga and Ron D. Moore, and they essentially juiced up the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” TV series into a full-bore action picture, with gunfights, death, and Picard transforming from a judicious and calming authority figure into a vengeance-bent action hero. “First Contact” doesn’t bear the tone of “Star Trek,” but many appreciated the action and violence.
When Picard is stalking the Enterprise with Lily, he explains that in the 24th century, capitalism has come to an end. “The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives,” he says. “We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.” It’s a great line, but it’s delivered oddly. Stewart isn’t facing Lily, and the two are covered in sweat as they lurk through a hallway. It’s not a moment with any gravitas, and the two characters aren’t given a moment to ponder the line’s profundity.
Moore noted that the above moment and similar other instances were indicative of Picard’s and Lily’s unromantic relationship. Frakes shot several moments where it looked like Picard and Lily were connecting emotionally, but the film’s editors cut them for their weakness. Moore said:
“The relationship between Patrick and Alfre’s character was really strong. It was more of a romance in the earlier drafts and I think there was more to the kiss [at the end of the movie] and it was shot to have a more romantic element to it. I think what happened was, it wasn’t quite playing as well on screen and that got kind of cut back through post and through the editing process.”
For the most part, Picard and Lily have an antagonistic relationship, and she’s the one to confront him about his violent attitudes.
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