In the meantime, we’ve learned that Soran’s Klingon confederates are the Duras sisters. Series fans know them as the conniving women who tried to install the young Duras heir as Emperor but failed, due mostly to the intervention of Worf and Picard. (They are also famous for introducing Klingon cleavage.) Soran provided them with schematics for a trilithium weapon apparently in exchange for transport and technology. When Soran brought Geordi back to their Bird of Prey to interrogate him (inflicting torture which was mostly cut from the film, thankfully), he also modified Geordi’s VISOR so it transmitted visual signals back to the Bird of Prey after Geordi was returned to the Enterprise. This allowed them to learn the Enterprise shield frequency and successfully attack it. Though the Klingons are destroyed in the battle, the Enterprise suffers a warp core breach. Riker orders everyone into the saucer section, and it is separated from the drive section where the warp core explodes.

The saucer is thrown out of orbit, and its crash landing onto the surface of Veridian 3 is a major moment in the movie. The landing is successful—but in the shock wave resulting from the exploded star, the saucer is totally destroyed, along with the rest of the planet. All appears to be lost.

But then there’s Captain Picard, blindfolded and spinning. And we’re in the Nexus.