By Richard Allen Greene BBC News Online

The action begins when the starship Enterprise is diverted on its way to a celebration to meet the new leader of the Romulans, who has signalled that he is interested in a parley with the empire's old enemy, the Federation.

The new praetor of the militaristic empire, Shinzon (Tom Hardy, of Band of Brothers and Black Hawk Down), however, turns out to be the last person they were expecting.

Cast and crew are hinting broadly that Nemesis may be the last Next Generation film, though actor Patrick Stewart refused to commit one way or another in an interview with the BBC's Tom Brook.

Some of the scenes border on the maudlin

If so, it is a fitting send-off to probably the best of the five different Star Trek crews to have appeared on the small scene since Captain Kirk's premiere in 1966.

As with the original 1960s TV series, the new film grapples with issues confronting contemporary society, searching for a humane perspective on difficult questions.

Where subjects in the 1960s included racism, today it is bio-technology.

More subtly, it also covers the danger of losing track of what happens to abandoned weapons programmes, a timely theme as the Reagan-era Star Wars missile defence system roars back to life under George W Bush.

The filmmakers handle their discussion of bio-technology much more thoughtfully and successfully than, for example, the latest James Bond outing does.

Climactic

The film allows for two parallel discussions on how cloning affects the nature of identity without sacrificing dramatic tension.

This is a tribute both to the script and to the talents of Stewart as Captain Picard and Hardy as Shinzon.

In true Star Trek fashion, the Enterprise crew would rather talk than fight, but that does not - luckily for action fans - avert a climactic final space battle.

This is one of the few moments where the film's special effects rise above the ordinary.

The screenplay - co-written by Brent Spiner, who plays Data - is stronger when dealing with serious themes than when going for laughs, though a few jokes do hit the mark.

It is weakest in its final scenes, which border on the maudlin.

Overall, however, Nemesis compares well to other Star Trek films. Recommended.