As "Star Trek: Insurrection" warps into theaters today, moviegoers may wonder how the ninth film in Paramount's lucrative franchise could map out new terrain. Well, Patrick Stewart (Captaino Picard) is quick to point out that this is only the third film for the "Next Generation" crew. "It's true that the number nine is attached to this movie," Stewart says, "but with all respect to the six films that preceded us, I don't think that we (the "Next Generation" group) have much in common with them. The ensemble work of this group is very different. I don't feel we're at the tired end of a franchise. On the contrary, I feel it is full of vigor and energy and still very young."

In fact, Stewart hints that he has an idea for the next film, which would get the Enterprise into double digits: "I feel there is a springboard from 'Insurrection' to what could be an extraordinary, powerful, and quite new feeling to the next movie, which is appropriate, since it would be 'Star Trek X.' But that's not something I can talk about."

Executive producer Rick Berman allows that Stewart may be the man on whom to place your long-term bets. "What we were after most was a strong story about Jean-Luc Picard. We wanted to put him to a test, to have him meet up with a major conflict in his life and deal with it in the heroic fashion that we have come to know he's capable of. When push comes to shove, these films end up being stories about Picard, a very rich character played by an extremely talented actor."

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