The upcoming tenth movie of the Star Trek franchise continues to create buzz in the press: An Associated Press movie writer devoted an article today to commenting on the importance of having a strong villain in Star Trek movies.

"Like most sci-fi, fantasy and action franchises, Star Trek often lives and dies on the strength of its villains," writes David Germain. "'Star Trek Nemesis' ... has one of the series' most intriguing premises for an archenemy: a young Picard clone whose harsh upbringing has made him a hateful, murderous monster."

Germain notes that one of science fiction's greatest bad guys was Ricardo Montalban's "Khan" in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." "Part of Khan's appeal was his deep connection to Kirk, rancor that festered after the Enterprise captain exiled him to a wasteland for 15 years. 'Star Trek Nemesis' screenwriter John Logan said the aim for the new movie was to create that sort of antagonism between Picard and Shinzon."

He then quotes Logan: "In any story, if there's a personal connection between the hero and villain, it gives you more opportunity for drama. The dramatic possibilities here were all the better because the villain not only is equal to Picard, he is Picard."

Germain describes the other successful antagonists of the Trek movies, particularly Alice Krige's "Borg Queen" in "Star Trek: First Contact." "Generally, the more menacing the foe, the better the movie clicks with audiences," he comments, adding his belief that "mundane foes" were the downfall of the least popular movie, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

The full article, which includes quotes from star Patrick Stewart and producer Rick Berman, can be found at WashingtonPost.com.

"Nemesis," as you should know by now, opens Friday in theaters across the U.S., and early next year around the world (related story).

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