Reddit Fans Discover Perfect Fix for Star Trek's Biggest Flop
Twenty-three years after Star Trek: Nemesis bombed at the box office, devoted fans on Reddit have identified exactly what could have saved the franchise's most disappointing film from disaster.
A brilliant remedy for the most catastrophic Star Trek film ever made has surfaced on Reddit, arriving more than two decades after it could have made a difference. The movie that sparked this discussion is Star Trek: Nemesis, which barely scraped together $67 million worldwide against its $60 million production budget.
The 2002 disaster featured an utterly forgettable antagonist in Shinzon, played by Tom Hardy. This bland villain felt like just another cookie-cutter bad guy, causing The Next Generation era to conclude with a whimper rather than the bang it deserved. However, Reddit users believe all of this disappointment could have been prevented with one simple change: replacing Shinzon with Tomalak as Picard's ultimate opponent.
The Romulan Commander Who Should Have Been
In a perfect world, the final Next Generation movie would have featured a villain fans already knew and respected: Tomalak. This Romulan commander had already established himself as Picard's most formidable adversary throughout the television series. Their encounters were built on a foundation of mutual respect and intellectual sparring that created genuine dramatic tension.
Despite marketing itself as a Romulan-focused story, Nemesis instead centered on the newly invented Reman race and a human clone villain. This decision dramatically lowered the stakes and left audiences feeling cheated by the sidelining of the Romulan Empire that had been carefully developed over years of storytelling.
Everything introduced in Nemesis felt rushed and underdeveloped, making it a terrible choice for a final chapter that should have celebrated years of character and world building. Instead of having Shinzon appear out of nowhere as Picard's clone, Tomalak's established rivalry would have provided the satisfying conclusion that fans had been waiting for.
Why Nemesis Failed So Spectacularly
The tenth Star Trek feature film is widely considered the franchise's lowest point because it shamelessly copied elements from The Wrath of Khan without understanding what made that classic work. Nemesis recycled the obsessed villain trope, featured a planet-destroying superweapon, and ended with a heroic sacrifice, but none of these elements felt earned or meaningful.
The film's problems extended far beyond its villain choice. Director Stuart Baird had no previous connection to Star Trek and seemed determined to reinvent established characters and relationships. The script introduced an entire new alien race when it should have been tying up loose ends from seven seasons of television.
Behind the scenes, production was plagued with issues as the director struggled to connect with the cast who had been playing these roles for over a decade. Multiple factors combined to create what many consider the franchise's biggest disappointment, leaving fans to wonder what might have been if different creative choices had been made.