Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Kirk and McCoy are put on trial by the Klingon Empire!

THE PLOT

An explosion on the Klingon moon of Praxis leaves their Empire facing extinction. Spock projects that the Klingon homeworld will be uninhabitable within fifty years, leaving them no choice but to suspend military operations and sue for peace with the Federation. Starfleet has arranged for a ship to escort Gorkon (David Warner), the Klingon Chancellor, to Earth for a peace summit. The ship chosen for this task is... the Enterprise.

Kirk is not pleased, insisting that the Klingons are not to be trusted. He is all but openly hostile to Gorkon and his party, something which does not go unnoticed by the Chancellor's chief of staff, General Chang (Christopher Plummer). When Gorkon's ship is fired upon and the Chancellor killed by a pair of assassins in Federation uniforms, Kirk is placed under arrest. He and Dr. McCoy are made the subject of a Klingon trial and sentenced to work in the mines at the Klingon ice world of Rura Penthe - a slow death sentence.

But Spock notices discrepancies surrounding the incident. The Enterprise's records show they fired on the Klingon vessel, but all torpedoes are accounted for. The only explanation is an act of sabotage, meaning that a conspirator is still aboard the ship. With the peace conference still on schedule, the crew is left racing the clock to find out exactly what happened before any chance of peace is destroyed forever!

Capt. Sulu rides out a devastating explosion.

CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: "They're animals... Let them die!" In a film that more directly links the Klingon/Federation conflict to the Cold War than ever before, Kirk is the veteran Cold Warrior. He's spent his life in conflict with the Klingons. He lost his son to the Klingons - a moment which is treated with far more dramatic weight here than it was in the film where it actually happened! Every encounter he has had with them has taught him that they are not to be trusted, and the idea of making peace with them rankles as surely as it did when the Organians forced it on him in Errand of Mercy.

For all of his bitterness, however, Kirk is ultimately a man who recognizes the value of peace. When the incident occurs, he gives the order to surrender rather than start a war by firing on the Klingons. Nor does he shirk his responsibility at the Klingon trial. When asked if he bears responsibility for the actions of his crew, even actions he did not sanction, he acknowledges as much. William Shatner gives a fine performance throughout - restrained, but with the familiar vigor and emotion rising to the surface at all the right moments.

Capt. Spock: "An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth." Spock spends a great deal of this movie playing Sherlock Holmes, looking for evidence to explain exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the Chancellor's murder. He is meticulous, taking each speck of evidence and allowing it to lead him to a new theory until he realizes the truth - that there was a third, cloaked vessel that must have fired. Leonard Nimoy is excellent as always, and his usual reserve makes for a powerful moment when Spock has a sudden, angry reaction to a friend's betrayal.

Dr. McCoy: Desperately attempts to save the Chancellor, whom he calls "the last best hope in the universe for peace." Though Gorkon is still alive when McCoy reaches him, the doctor just isn't familiar enough with Klingon anatomy to save him. Already crushed by his failure, he is stung even further when Chang accuses him of being either deliberately incompetent, or too dulled by age and drink to do his job. DeForest Kelly's final screen performance as McCoy is a good one, making the most of the dramatic moments and lending some effective comedy during the middle of the film in his reactions to his and Kirk's dilemma.

Capt. Sulu: After being the worst-used of the regulars for five straight films, Sulu finally gets a good role. As captain of the Excelsior, he has a completely separate slice of the action. I'm sure there's a story behind George Takei having been carefully scripted to share no screen time with the other regulars (particularly Shatner), but it works tremendously well for the film. Instead of being a background extra, he witnesses the start of the story and helps to save the day at the end. We also see his dedication to his former captain and crew, being willing to disregard Starfleet orders to assist Kirk (something expanded on in the Voyager episode, Flashback).

Hot Vulcan Space Babe of the Week: Kim Cattrall is Lt. Valeris, who is quite literally a stand-in for the earlier films' Lt. Saavik. The role was originally written as Saavik, but Kirstie Alley declined to appear and director Nicholas Meyer did not want to recast again (and, though it's unspoken on the dvd commentary, he apparently did not want to reuse Robin Curtis. For which I don't blame him). It is a pity Alley turned it down, as both role and film would be that extra bit stronger if the character were someone we knew. Still, Cattrall does very well and maintains good screen rapport with Leonard Nimoy. Both character and actress work, even if it's impossible for me to watch Valeris and not think "Saavik 3.0."

Gen. Chang: "Be honest, Captain, warrior to warrior. You do prefer it this way, don't you? As it was meant to be: No peace in our time. 'Once more unto the breach!' " The always-excellent Christopher Plummer seems to be having a great time hamming it up as our scenery-chomping, Shakespeare-quoting Villain of the Week. Chang is very much Kirk's opposite number, a man who has lived for war and cannot picture a future for himself without it. His respect for Kirk seems genuine at every turn, and he's the rare villain who doesn't underestimate Kirk even when the captain seems beaten. When he recognizes his own defeat, letting slip one last Shakespeare quote as the inevitable approaches, he all but salutes the victor.

General Chang, determined to prove a villain.

THOUGHTS

Writer/director Nicholas Meyer was brought back to the Trek fold for the TOS crew's final bigscreen outing, in large part to repair the damage done by Star Trek V. He was a natural choice for the job. The Wrath of Khan had provided the film series with its template, launching a trilogy of Trek films that defined the original cast's bigscreen adventures. He also co-wrote Star Trek IV, the most financially successful entry and the film that brought the trilogy to its close. I don't think anyone, Gene Roddenberry included, was better-suited to closing out the adventures of the original Trek crew.

The script draws heavily on the then-topical subject of the end of the Cold War. The parallels between the decline of the Klingon Empire and that of the Soviet Union would be clear enough, even without references to "conservative elements" within the Empire who will want a military solution, let alone Spock invoking the quote that "only Nixon could go to China." We observe deep resentment at the idea of peace from both sides, with Kirk and Gen. Chang representing mirror images of the same basic attitude... though Kirk being a hero, he ultimately does all he can to preserve the peace he doesn't want, while Chang pursues the war he desperately craves.

Nicholas Meyer crafted some memorable set pieces for The Wrath of Khan, and he does it again here. The zero-gravity assassination is a wonderful scene, both graceful and suspenseful as the fully conscious victims are suspended in air, helpless to do anything as the slow-moving assasins clomp their way through the ship toward them. There are operatic visual flourishes: McCoy and Kirk, tried in a Klingon court, standing within a brightly lit pillar surrounded by darkness as the Klingons look down on them in judgment; the sweeping approach to the ice world of Rura Penthe; a trip through the mines seen as if from inside a mining cart. There's even a scene with Kirk facing off against a duplicate of himself!

This theatrical visual style is well-suited to a script that emphasizes the "opera" in "space opera." The Shakespeare references invoke the theater, as does the entire presentation. It opens with a storm in space, one which rocks the audience out of the credits. The themes are large and theatrical: family, betrayal, assassination, war and peace. In the midst of all this, the regulars maintain the human scale, as in the scene in which Kirk and Spock reflect on their respective losses and failures, musing about their own obsolescence.

The starships Enterprise and Excelsior.

OVERALL

As with Star Trek II, there are two versions of the film: The theatrical cut and a slightly extended director's edition.  Though there are several small differences, the most visible addition is a small but important supporting character played by Deep Space 9's Rene Auberjonois, whose Col. West helps to make the ending feel a bit more complete.  The overall review applies equally to both versions, however, and the film is equally satisfying in either cut.

Star Trek VI is great entertainment. The script, by Nicholas Meyer and Danny Martin Flinn, is thoughtful enough to have weight without ever forgetting to include the fun. It's not quite as good as The Wrath of Khan; the pace lags a bit in the middle of the film, and the situation never feels quite as desperate to the viewer as the script demands it be.

I'd still rate this as the second-best Star Trek film with the original cast, though. The story is relevant (the Cold War parallels could apply equally well to more modern conflicts), and the script makes excellent use of the characters' histories and gives at least one good moment to every character.

The result is a movie that's already very good on its own merits. As a final bow for Capt. Kirk and the TOS Trek crew, it's very nearly ideal.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

The Enterprise approaches The Great Barrier.

THE PLOT

Nimbus III is a planet located in the Neutral Zone. It is called "the planet of galactic peace," a world which the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan governments have agreed to develop in concert. In reality, it's a planet-sized garbage dump, its colonists the dregs of all three empires, its ambassadors washed-up failures at the ends of once-promising careers.  The development of the planet was forgotten almost as quickly as it began, and the entire project has become a largely forgotten backwater.

Which makes it all the more surprising when Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), a renegade Vulcan, raises an army from among the planet's unwashed and holds the three ambassadors hostage. Kirk and the new Enterprise are dispatched on a rescue mission.  But this new Enterprise is a disaster itself, a ship on which nothing seems to function properly. With Klaa (Todd Bryant), a bored Klingon captain eager to use this situation to test his combat mettle against Kirk, the challenges are already mounting.

And that's before they encounter Sybok, and realize that this entire mission is playing right into his plans!

Shatner braces himself for the first round of reviews.

CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: After a near fatal accident at the beginning of the film, Kirk reveals that he knew he wasn't going to die. He tells Spock and McCoy that he has always known that he will die alone. This is echoed at the end of the film, when he tells Spock he was sure he was going to die and Spock replies that this was impossible, because Kirk was "never alone." Kirk fights Sybok for control of the ship until they breach the Galactic Barrier. Then he stops fighting - Having encountered the unknown, Kirk is every bit as eager to explore it as Sybok is.

Spock: His surprise at seeing Sybok on the monitor is too evident for Kirk and McCoy not to catch. It's immediately obvious that while he is telling them the truth about Sybok's background, he is at the same time withholding something. That comes back to haunt all of them, when Spock disobeys the order to shoot Sybok and then reveals that the renegade is his half-brother. Spock refuses Sybok's entreaties to join him, even after he removes Spock's pain. He declares that he has found his place. His loyalty to Kirk is a part of his identity, and Sybok's mental powers can't disguise that fact.

Dr. McCoy: "Human life is far too precious to risk on crazy stunts!" Though the campfire scene is ludicrously overlong, McCoy's declaration of the value of human life is one of (too) few moments of value. The Razzie Awards, in their enthusiasm for damning this picture, nominated DeForest Kelly for Worst Supporting Actor. They couldn't have been further off the mark, in my opinion. Despite the script's focus being Kirk and Spock, it's McCoy who gets the best character moments. I even enjoyed his "group therapy" session with Sybok. Though the euthanasia backstory may be ham-handed, Kelly's knack for making his material seem authentic manages to make it work in a way that most of the surrounding material doesn't.

The Enterprise Crew: The script has little use for the supporting cast and doesn't know what to do with them.  The results are dismal. Scotty at least gets a few decent bits, and is the only supporting crew member to not instantly turn on Kirk when cured of his "pain." But even he bashes his head  into a bulkhead for the sake of a cartoon pratfall.  Meanwhile, Uhura spends the film coming onto Scotty after no previous film or television episode indicated the slightest hint of romantic feeling; and Sulu and Chekov mimic a blizzard, apparently forgetting that starships have sensors. The entire crew turns on Kirk the instant Sybok works his magic on them ... which, once it's revealed that Sybok isn't actually brainwashing anyone, makes no sense given that these same people were willing to throw away their careers for Kirk just two films earlier!

Sybok leads Kirk and his crew into the unknown.

THOUGHTS

After two movies directed by Leonard Nimoy, it was agreed that William Shatner should get a chance to sit in the director's chair. The results were... noticeably less successful. Star Trek V became the first film in the series to be considered a failure, and the critics were even less kind to it than the box office was. Nor has time granted it much respectability. This is very much the black sheep of the TOS films, widely regarded as the worst Trek movie with the original cast.

It should be said that Shatner's directing is competent on a technical level. Despite some weak effects, the film isn't really any worse visually than Star Trek III. Unfortunately, Shatner lacks Nimoy's ability to work with actors.  Laurence Luckinbill gives a surprisingly commanding performance as Sybok, but I suspect that was all Luckinbill rising to the role he was given.  With the exception of DeForest Kelly, the regulars give their weakest performances of any of the feature films.  And even a veteran character actor like David Warner seems basically uninterested in his (very weak) role.

The movie's most significant problem, as with most failed films, is the script.  The story often grinds to a halt in the first half for the sake of material that is either irrelevant, repetitive, or ill-advised. Some of this was studio-imposed.  The success of Star Trek IV was credited in large part to the film's humor. It was therefore decided that whatever else it was going to be, Star Trek V needed to Be Funny.

This creates several problems.  Star Trek V's narrative is heavily centered around a literal quest to find God and unlock the secret questions of creation.  This does not naturally lead to comedy situations, which means that the content and tone are at odds from the get-go.  Beyond that, the way in which comedy is applied is strained.  The previous movie never forgot that the situation was deadly serious to the characters.  Kirk and his crew weren't running around 20th century San Francisco cracking jokes; they were trying to get on with the mission as efficiently as possible.  The laughs came from how incompatible the characters were with the time and place in which they were stuck.

In this movie, the comedy arises not from situation and character, but from an externally-imposed need for "funny bits." The results are largely bad: The infamous Uhura "fan dance" scene; the Sulu/Chekov "blizzard" bit, which may be a series low for both characters; or Scotty's Clouseau-like head bash.

A little after the halfway mark, the movie finally stops grabbing for laughs and lets the story and characters take themselves seriously. I doubt it's a coincidence that this is where it finally gets better. A lot better. Once the jokes drop away, the last 45 minutes is able to establish a reasonable dramatic rhythm. There's some good character interplay, such as Spock's declaration to Sybok of having found his place or Kirk's statement that Spock and McCoy are his family. And if the climax falls a bit flat, it's still adequate on its own terms.

Looking into the face of God(?)

OVERALL

Once it became obvious that the comedy didn't work and made a mess of the pacing, Paramount should have authorized a ruthless re-edit to tighten things up. Without the misfired gags slowing the pace and annoying the audience, this could have been reduced to a lean and passably absorbing 90 minutes. It would still be noticeably weaker than the preceding trilogy, with a misjudged structure that keeps the story from even starting until after the halfway mark... But with the bad comedy removed and the pace tightened, I doubt it would be even half as badly-regarded as ended up being the case.

As it stands, the first hour lives down to the movie's dismal reputation, turning the viewing experience into a grim slog.  Things do eventually get better, though, and viewers who make it through will be rewarded with some decent character scenes that allow it to close on a pleasant note.

If that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement... Well, it isn't. The Final Frontier is by far the weakest TOS film, and even a ruthless edit would only downplay its flaws. I have no hate for the film - but with the best will in the world, it's a long way from being a good movie.


Overall Rating: 2/10.

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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Kirk and Spock, trying - and failing - to blend in on 1980's Earth.

THE PLOT

Three months have passed since Spock's unlikely resurrection. Scotty has completed repairs and modifications to the Klingon ship, and the crew of the former USS Enterprise has decided to return home to face their inevitable court martial. Spock has elected to return with them, to offer testimony on their behalf.

The trip is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious probe broadcasting an unrecognizable signal, one which leaves every vessel and Starbase in its wake with only emergency power. Spock identifies the signal as the song of the humpback whale - a species which, by the 23rd century, is extinct. There is only one way to answer. They must use the slingshot maneuver to travel back in time to 20th century Earth.

They find what they're looking for in the San Francisco bay, where an oceanic institute is keeping two humpbacks under the supervision of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks). But Kirk learns that he has only a day to complete the mission - a single day to win Gillian's confidence, recover the whales, and save all life on his future Earth!

A look at a humpback whale.

CHARACTERS

Admiral Kirk: He explains his (very mildly) profanity-laced mode of speech to Spock by acting as an authority on 20th century culture: "No one pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word." His authorities? Trashy 20th century novels, from the likes of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, doubtless a part of his antiques collection. Kirk in the 20th century looks at first glance like an eccentric "kook," but he retains the absolute confidence of someone used to command. That makes it impossible for Gillian to fully dismiss him or his offer of help.

Spock: Spock's intellectual capacity is fully intact, but he is struggling to fully rediscover himself. He is a bit "off" for most of the movie, overly literal at several points. Interacting with Kirk seems to reawaken something that his more formal retraining on Vulcan did not, and as the film goes on, he becomes more and more like the Spock we remember. By the movie's end he is fully himself again, but we see through his struggles to interact with others that this is not an effortless process.

Dr. McCoy: Reacts to 20th century medicine much as a modern doctor would likely react to early 18th century medicine: with outrage at the primitive ignorance of our medical techniques. He can't stop being a doctor just because he's in the past. When confronted with a patient he can easily cure, he does so, purity of timelines be damned. His argument with the doctor assigned to Chekov sees DeForest Kelly really throwing himself into it as he pleads with the man: "Put away your butcher knives and let me save this patient!" Oh, and a nice background bit during the chase that follows: When a man in a cast is knocked over, McCoy pauses to help him.

Scotty: Though definitely in a supporting role, and a smaller one than in The Search for Spock, James Doohan remains one of the steadiest of the regulars. He has a way of infusing small scenes and lines with a freshness and enthusiasm that makes them stand out. Unfortunately, he is also aging the most noticeably of the main cast.  His frame betrays more than any of the others that it's been far more than a few months since The Wrath of Khan. But that's an easy enough bit for suspension of disbelief to excuse - particularly when his performance is so good.

Sarek: Mark Lenard returns as Sarek, and again makes an indelible impression in just a few scenes. His interruption of the Klingon ambassador (John Schuck)'s rant is wonderfully done, his rock-like calm causing the Klingon's violent tempers to dash away to nothing. As the crisis with the probe comes to a head, Sarek is a voice of reason. He convinces the Federation president to issue the planet-wide distress call that alerts Kirk to the situation. At the end, he fully renounces his judgment against Spock having joined Starfleet, issuing the highest praise it's likely possible for him to give when he labels Kirk and his crew people of "good character."

Hot 20th Century Earth Babe of the Week: Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) has bonded with the whales dubbed George and Gracie, and her attachment to them is conveniently the only relationship she appears to have. Hicks is very pretty and an adequate actress, and she manages a decent screen rapport with William Shatner that stops just short of being a romance. I don't for an instant buy that, upon being transported 300 years in the future, she would be assigned to a science vessel. At best, she'd be given a job working with the whales she's helped transport, not being assigned to a ship going offworld when she hasn't even the most rudimentary knowledge of the time period she is now part of.

Kirk and his loyal crew.

THOUGHTS

The Voyage Home finishes up the trilogy begun in The Wrath of Khan.  This film brings Kirk, Spock, and their shipmates home - but by the long route, allowing them a last adventure together on their way to their court martial. It's much lighter fare than the previous Trek films, with the meat of the picture amounting to a fish out of water comedy as the characters try to navigate their way around 20th century San Francisco.  Kirk and his crew retain their focus on the mission throughout - but the ways in which they clash with this strange old world create opportunities for humor, and the film happily indulges as many of these as it can.

The tone is far lighter than its predecessors - but that seems to me an appropriate way to end the trilogy. The Wrath of Khan was about dealing with death. The Search for Spock heavily involved sacrifice, with Kirk giving up everything important to him to save his friend. But after this journey through darkness, it was time for the film series to emerge into the light.  It was time for a Trek film that celebrated life, and a good romp was a fine way to do that.

Besides, a lot of it is quite funny. There are some cute and clever visual gags, such as the moment in which Scotty, Sulu, and McCoy wonder where to find a research lab while standing in front of a wall-length "Yellow Pages" ad. Other comedy bits are more overt, such as Chekov and Uhura trying to get directions to the "nuclear wessels." I could quibble that most of the Chekov scenes make him look like an idiot, to the point that I can't completely fault one boorish naval officer's crude assessment of him.  But even he gets a moment of dignity, sending Uhura to beam out of danger while he stays behind.

Leonard Nimoy's direction is better here than it was in the previous film, particularly in visual terms.  There are more wide shots and fewer scenes that just intercut closeups, making it feel less like something that belongs on a TV screen. The Klingon Bird of Prey is more visually interesting than many of the series' Starfleet ships have been, and the darker lighting lends the potentially dry shipbound scenes some atmosphere. I also love the visual of the Klingon ship decloaking directly above the whaler near the end, looking as hungry and threatening as a true, living Bird of Prey.

Some would-be whalers get a very big surprise.

The plot that justifies the trip through time is not the strongest. The "save the whales" story feels a bit cloying, and the narrative frame feels cribbed from, of all things, the very solemn first Trek film: A probe, threatening the existence of Earth when it can't get a reply to its mysterious signal. Fortunately, these scenes are brushed aside within the first half hour, but it's a bit odd that the movie is at its worst when dealing with its actual "plot."


OVERALL

I'm torn between a "7" and an "8," but I'm going to go with the slightly lower score. That first half hour really isn't very engaging, creating a feeling of having to "get through" the setup before the real movie begins. But a "7" is still a good score, and this is the most purely "fun" Star Trek movie. That element - the fun - remains intact even when many of the trappings have dated, making it easy to see why this movie hit big with mainstream audiences, extending the franchise's appeal far beyond just the series faithful.

Until the next movie, in any case.  But that's another story for another day...


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Movie: Star Trek III - The Search for Spock
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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Kirk and his crew violate orders to save Spock.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise is returning home. Most of the trainee crew has already been reassigned, with Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis) and Kirk's son David (Merritt Butrick) transferring to a science ship studying the Genesis planet. It is a skeleton crew that returns to the starbase, whereupon Kirk is told that the Enterprise will not receive a refit. It is an old ship, it has had its day. It is to be decommissioned.

Shortly after, Kirk receives a visit from Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), Spock's father, who waves away Kirk's expressions of sympathy at Spock's death. He informs Kirk that when a Vulcan dies, he transfers his katra to another person, to be returned to Vulcan so that his knowledge will not be lost. Sarek had assumed Spock had done so with Kirk, until Kirk tells him that they were separated by glass when he died. Instead, Spock made the connection with Dr. McCoy, who has been behaving irrationally ever since.

Now Kirk is a man with a mission. To save one old friend whose mind is in peril, and to put to final rest another who has died, he will return to the Genesis planet. He will find Spock's body, and he will bring it back along with McCoy.

Even if doing so will cost him everything he holds dear!

The Enterprise stares down a Klingon Bird of Prey.

CHARACTERS

Admiral Kirk: Is warned early in the film that he will lose everything if he pursues this course, and that isn't far off what happens. By stealing Enterprise and taking it to Genesis, he all but guarantees the end of his Starfleet career. He is forced to listen helplessly as his son is murdered on the planet below. Finally, in order to give his crew "a fighting chance," he lures the Klingons onto the Enterprise and destroys the ship that has defined his life. As the Enterprise burns up in the atmosphere of a dying planet, Kirk is moved to exclaim: "My God, Bones. What have I done?"

Dr. McCoy: With Spock's katra in his head, he feels driven to return to Genesis. It's difficult to say how aware McCoy is of his actions early in the film. He only really seems himself again after Kirk gives him a drug to deal with a Vulcan mind-meld. Despite his annoyance at Spock taking "revenge for all those arguments he lost," he is a full participant in recovering his friend's body. When they find that body alive, he confides in an excellent quiet moment just how much he has missed him.

Scotty: Without Spock around, Scotty effectively acts as first officer. It's rather nice to see James Doohan get such a more substantial role, particularly after his very good showings in the first two films. His nonverbal reactions to moments such as Enterprise's destruction or David's death as effective as his (very good) line deliveries. He also receives some nice character bits. I particularly enjoyed his scornful reaction at the ultra-advanced Excelsior, which he gains entirely too much pleasure from sabotaging.

Sarek: Mark Lenard returns as Sarek, for the first time since TAS' Yesteryear, and for the first time live action since Journey to Babel. He still possesses the considerable screen presence that distinguished his earlier appearances, and makes an enormous impression in just a few minutes' screen time. The ending, as he expresses his recognition of all Kirk has sacrificed, sees him finding a respect for Kirk that had not previously existed.

Hot Alien Space Babe of the Week: With Kirstie Alley (probably more accurately, her agents) wanting too much money for her to return, the production opted to recast. I would have preferred Kirstie Alley, both for continuity and because she is a substantially better actress than Robin Curtis.  Still, if the salary demands were out of bounds, I can't fault the decision that was made. Robin Curtis' Vulcan performance occasionally tips over into "robotic," and she doesn't hold the camera the way Alley did.  But she is perfectly adequate to the demands placed on her, and her presence doesn't provide any barrier to enjoying the film.  It is easy to see why she was so quickly written out of the following movie, however.

ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Redshirt count: Only one significant redshirt: David (Merritt Butrick). Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), the Klingon captain, orders his subordinate to kill a hostage to demonstrate his seriousness.  When Saavik is selected, David decides to act like his father and heroically jumps the Klingon. His fighting skills are not on par with Kirk's, however, and the end of the fight comes very quickly. Given how bland and wimpy David came across in both films, it's hard to regret his loss.  Still, it should be noted that Butrick is far more likable here than he was in The Wrath of Khan.

A one-sided conversation between two old friends.

THOUGHTS

By picking up directly where The Wrath of Khan left off, The Search for Spock turns what might have been a series of standalone films into an ongoing narrative. The first two Star Trek movies told stories that were very self-contained. This movie weaves its entire plot from threads left by the previous film. It also ends in such a way as to demand a followup. The trilogy that defined the TOS movie series is effectively created here, because the script is specifically tailored to make this the second part of an ongoing story.

The way the movie builds its story on the plot threads of its predecessor is quite artful. The Genesis device, a subplot in the earlier story, becomes the focus of the conflict. In the previous film, Genesis fit the idea of bringing new life out of decay and death. Here, we discover that it doesn't actually work. The new world is unstable, and over the course of the movie it gradually self-destructs around the characters.  From death, to life, back to death again. Out of Spock's sacrifice of his own life comes a new world. Out of Spock's rebirth, that world is destroyed.

Star Trek III is probably the best evidence to disprove the "evens/odds" theory of Trek fandom: Namely, that all the even numbered films are good while all the odd-numbered ones are not.  While Star Trek: The Motion Picture was financially successful, it was not well-reviewed and is not very well-liked by fandom.  Star Trek V was both badly-received and financially unsuccessful.  But Star Trek III was well-reviewed at the time, remains a well-liked movie within fandom, and was successful at the box office. It may be a bit overshadowed by the titans on either side of it, but it still absolutely defies the "evens/odds" curse - and did so before that curse was even invented!

Leonard Nimoy does a capable job in the director's chair. He's good with the actors, and he keeps the pace tight throughout. He makes sure that every member of the ensemble gets a moment - something that was not true of the previous films. Nobody is wallpaper here. Uhura gets to chide a young ensign she dubs "Mr. Adventure." Sulu takes out his resentment on a dumb guard who refers to him as "Tiny." Chekov acts as science officer and gets a number of good nonverbal reactions. Everyone is remembered, leaving a much greater ensemble feel than the previous films.

On the other hand, his direction often feels more suited to television than to motion pictures. There are a lot of close-ups and static shots focused mainly on actors, talking. The model shots of the Enterprise and the Klingon Bird of Prey don't have the atmosphere of similar shots in the first two films. The scenes on the Genesis planet are marred by very obvious sets and backdrops. This is particularly true of the site where the hostages are held. When Kirk finds Spock and Saavik, the fakeness of the surrounding area has me actively looking for Ben Cartwright to come riding out from behind a Styrofoam rock.

Though the film was made for $5 million more than  The Wrath of Khan was, it just feels like a much smaller movie.  The result is a Trek film that arguably feels more at home on the small screen than the big screen.  It's entertaining, but even a "big" moment, such as the death of Kirk's son, just doesn't carry the weight that it should - and I think the flat visual style is a big part of the reason.

The destruction of the U. S. S. Enterprise.

OVERALL

What The Search for Spock lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in pace. It moves quickly, while still making time for strong, often humorous character-building.  Harve Bennett's script does a fine job creating a new adventure out of the story threads left over from The Wrath of Khan, and both script and direction do well in using the full ensemble.

If pressed, I'd say this was the least of the first three Trek films (though I suspect I'd be in the minority rating it below the first one). It remains an enjoyable picture, however, and a worthy part of the Star Trek franchise.

Overall Rating: 6/10.

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Kirk's first full look at the new Enterprise.

THE PLOT

A Federation monitoring station detects a mysterious blue cloud of extraordinary size and power, under attack by three Klingon battle cruisers. The Klingons fight with their signature aggressiveness, but are easily destroyed. The station computes the cloud's trajectory, and determines that it is on a heading straight for Earth.

There is only one starship within range to intercept the cloud: The Enterprise, of course. But the legendary starship has just undergone a complete refit, and has several technical glitches to be worked out. Its young captain, Decker (Stephen Collins), is untried in first contact situation - something which Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) seizes upon to regain command of his old ship.

Now back in the captain's chair and reunited with his old crew, Kirk prepares for one more mission against impossible odds, this time to save his home planet. But is this Kirk, who has commanded nothing but a desk for more than two years and who is completely unfamiliar with the new Enterprise, going to be up to the challenge?

Kirk, Spock, and Decker prepare to enter the cloud!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Kirk: For the first half, behaves more like one of the Pompous Space Bureaucrats from the original series than like that series' captain. He uses the crisis to seize command, then bristles when an upset Decker points out what he did. Kirk shares Decker's doubts about his ability to command, which leads him to be defensive when Decker corrects what might have been a catastrophic error in dealing with a warp-generated wormhole.

Once he's dealing directly with the crisis, the Kirk we know comes back to life. The more by-the-book Decker would either have gotten the Enterprise destroyed by insisting on raising shields and performing scans the entity would have read as hostile.  Had he survived that, he would likely have waited too long to undertake the "unwarranted risk" of entering the cloud.  Kirk trusts his instincts and takes the risks needed to get into communication with the alien, identified as "V'Ger." William Shatner's performance is not among his best, the cold style of the film not best suited to his acting strengths. Still, he relishes some terrific Kirk scenes late in the film, particularly when the captain goes along with Spock's suggestion to treat V'Ger as a child.

Mr. Spock: When he arrives at the Enterprise (surprisingly late in the film), he is at his coldest and most remote. Leonard Nimoy erects a very stiff posture for this version of Spock, and lowers and slows his voice so that no warmth or emotion at all is reflected. Nimoy carefully eases off this stiffness as the film progresses, and as Spock begins to fall into the familiar interaction with Kirk. But it's only after Spock's epiphany following a mind-meld with V'Ger that Nimoy returns to his "normal" Spock performance, with that familiar hint of warmth beneath the reserve.

Dr. McCoy: Gets the least to do of the three leads, but he does have some good scenes opposite Kirk. As he observes the conflict between Kirk and Decker, he doesn't take his old friend's side. Instead, he bluntly lays out that Decker "is not the one competing here," and that Kirk has allowed his obsession with commanding the Enterprise to cloud his own judgment.  When Kirk starts becoming defensive again, as Decker argues alternatives for dealing with the V'Ger cloud, McCoy watches like a hawk. This does not go unnoticed, and Kirk actually pulls back under the force of his friend's glare.

Commander Decker: A ready-made Kirk substitute. Knowing that many elements of this film were leftovers from the abandoned Phase II series, it seems clear that Decker would have been poised to take the lead had Shatner not chosen to stay with the series. With the move to the big screen, Decker receives a demotion within the franchise similar to the character's within the film: Moved from status as a regular and potential lead to that of a one-shot guest character. Stephen Collins does a capable job, reflecting competence and intelligence throughout, but there's no question that Shatner has a screen presence he simply can't match.

Hot Alien Space Babe of the Week: Ilia (Persis Khamabatta) is the ship's new navigator. She is a Deltan, a race required to swear an "oath of celibacy" in order to serve in Starfleet. Reasons for this are more fully explained in the novelization.  Suffice it to say that she is Decker's old flame - a relationship that was copied all but note-for-note for the Riker/Troi backstory in TNG. There's not much noteworthy about Ilia as a character, and Khambatta's performance and the characterization are far more interesting in the second half, when Ilia is replaced with one of V'Ger's probes.

The Enterprise, in the belly of the beast...

THOUGHTS

This film has come in for a lot of flack, and it's fair to say that it's a flawed movie, even in its director's cut. It's overlong, and its tone is too antiseptic to truly capture the spirit of 1960's Trek.  But it has ambition and is gorgeous to look at - and unlike several later Trek movies, it is unmistakably a movie, not an elongated television episode.

Much was made in contemporary reviews of the film's then-enormous $46 million budget. It's worth noting that this budget did include all the costs incurred by the development of the discarded Phase II television project.  It's also worth observing that one reason the sequels cost so much less was that they were able to reuse sets and models created for this film.

Even ignoring that, the money is evident on-screen. The effects are breathtaking, most of them holding up more than three decades after the fact. The elegant model work blends with the optical effects and Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic score to create a genuine spectacle. The redesigned Enterprise is beautiful, both the exterior model and the interior sets - and it would never look better than it does here (including, in my opinion, the variant seen in the 2009 film).

The plot isn't bad, either. It liberally borrows elements from three TOS episodes: The Doomsday Machine, which also featured the Enterprise trying to thwart a planet-destroying machine (with a guest character named Decker, no less!); The Immunity Syndrome, which also featured the Enterprise flying into a void that threatened all in its path; and The Changeling, which also featured a machine that mistook Kirk for its creator. But the tone of the film is distinct, and it never loses its own strong sense of identity. The ending provides a good twist, one contemporary viewers likely didn't expect, and there is plenty in the buildup to that ending that is intriguing. I'll admit to a certain bias - as readers of my reviews might have noticed, I tend to be a bit partial to episodes in which the crew explores something genuinely alien and unknown.  Nevertheless, I will stand up for there being a lot that's good here.

Still, it's a good thing for the franchise that this did not become the template for future films. The tone and atmosphere may be consistent and distinct... but it's all too cold and sterile for a Star Trek movie. The real key to the 1960's series' enduring popularity is the warmth between the characters. There's very little of that here. All emotion is muted. This may serve one of the central themes ("logic and knowledge are not enough"), but it does keep the viewer at a distance.

Another problem is with the interpersonal conflict between Kirk and Decker, which drives the movie's first half.  Decker resents Kirk's usurping of his command, and he doubts (with cause) that Kirk is truly capable of taking command of this new Enterprise. Kirk privately shares these doubts, which results in him reacting defensively. It's an interesting conflict, but it doesn't resolve.  Kirk doesn't do anything to prove himself to Decker (or to himself).  Instead, this thread just vanishes about 80 minutes in, barely even obliquely referenced again.  Structurally, it feels like there's something extra needed, something which never comes.

The Ilia probe takes the Enterprise to V'Ger's heart.

OVERALL RATING

In all cases of multiple editions, I will be using my preferred cut as the basis for my review.  My final score here will be for the 2001 director's edition, which features improved pacing and stronger character interaction.  But this was the third of three major versions, so for the sake of completeness I will briefly discuss all three.

The Theatrical Cut, hastily edited to make a tight December 1979 deadline, suffers from the absence of several character exchanges and from extremely overlong effects scenes. In his director's cut commentary, Robert Wise states that he had no opportunity to preview and fine-tune the film before its premiere, and it shows: Even though this is the shortest version, it "plays" the longest. I'd give it a 5/10.

The Network Television Edition was widely circulated during the VHS era. This cut restores the character scenes... but it also restores a lot of footage that was cut with good reason (such as Sulu and Chekov behaving like horny adolescents around Ilia), and it does nothing about the overlong effects sequences.  It's an improvement, but still only scrapes a 6/10.

For his director's edition, director Robert Wise has done the kind of fine-tuning he would have done in 1979, had he not run out of time.  The effects scenes are cut back so that the visual wonder makes an impression, but doesn't linger so long on the light show that it completely kills the momentum.  The strongest character scenes have been re-inserted, adding a touch of warmth (still not enough), but pointless and/or stupid moments have been allowed to remain on the cutting room floor where they belong. The result runs slightly longer than the theatrical version, but it feels leaner, because most of what's on-screen fuels the story or at least the atmosphere.

 Even in the director's cut, the flaws remain.  The restored character material is good, but it's not enough to fully offset the sterile atmosphere.  The trims to the effects sequences help the pace, but some moments - notably, the Enterprise's flyby of V'Ger about halfway in - still go on longer than is truly ideal. Still, this is as good as I think the movie can be, and in this version I find it engaging enough to genuinely recommend, if only to see a very different type of Star Trek movie than the more action/adventure oriented titles that followed.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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