Shinzon
2002

Stills in the gallery

Co-stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Ron Perlman, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis

Awards: Won 2003 Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature- Fantasy, nominated for 2003 Saturn Award for Best Costumes, Best Make-up, Best Science Fiction Film, and Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hardy)

Synopsis: The tenth film in Paramount’s highly lucrative sci-fi franchise is also positioned as the last for the entire original Next Generation crew. En route to the honeymoon of William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receive energy readings identical to those uniquely emitted by the positronic brain of android crew member Data (Brent Spiner). Upon investigation, they discover the disassembled parts of an identical android named B4, an early prototype of Data himself, now scattered on the surface of a remote world. As they reassemble B4, the crew receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who claims to seek détente with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. As commander of the closest starship to Romulus, Picard is ordered there to negotiate with Shinzon. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus (the residents of which are vampire-like creatures that dwell on the perpetually dark side of their home world), and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself. It soon becomes clear that Shinzon has lured the Enterprise to Romulus using B4 as bait and that his sinister ulterior motives include the destruction of Earth. A vicious battle between the Enterprise and Shinzon’s powerful warship ensues, resulting in heartbreaking heroics and a devastating casualty.

Tom Hardy: “The character was like the Prince And The Pauper or more like Greystoke to me. He essentially has not had the same circumstances and experiences. Picard doesn’t have the same baggage that Shinzon carries. So that was more freeing. He is essentially an orphan and an abused child, who becomes an emperor. There were moves that I had to play with, that did not have anything to do with Picard. The whole film is about why they are not similar. So the relationship had a ground or basis to work from.

Tom with Sci-Fi Talk:

I don’t know any clones. So you have to use your imagination. This is a human being that you’re playing. I know its set in science fiction and in the future and we don’t know as yet that there are races like the Remans. You have to hang a human not or theme, essentially a character that is a human being as realistic as possible. You can use techniques for dramatic effects. You can ham things up or you can slap the thigh and give it all the saber Rattling moments as when need be.

But you have to have something to hang the character on or it becomes mimicry, which is mockery in a way .”

Brent Spiner on Shinzon and Tom:

And Shinzon is a fabulous villain, as good as we’ve ever had. The kid’s terrific in the part. The scenes with Patrick and Tom Hardy are wonderful. What’s good about this movie is not only is it a huge action ride – because the last hour is hold onto your seats, because it never stops, it just keeps going, and it’s exhausting, and it’s action – but at the same time, it’s also a really emotional film.

Patrick Stewart on acting with Tom:

I enjoyed working with him enormously.  He brought a freshness, not to say a certain rawness, to much of what was going on.  As another Brit on the set, of course, it was interesting to have that experience with a young British actor.

Paul Unger, Art Asylum VP on the action figures:

Both Tom (“Shinzon”) and Brent (“Data”) Spiner were totally helpful and interested in the process.  Tom was totally stoked on getting his action figure made, and he worked with Digger and the guys to get it just right.  He  had just been filming for hours in this dark room-we watched it,  it was a grind to say the least-and his character is brooding and hardcore.  But when he came into the truck, he just lit up and was totally cool and happy to be apart of it.

Ron Perlman on Tom: