Star Trek: Generations.

Kirk and Picard team up. Eventually.

THE PLOT

2293:

The legendary Capt. James T. Kirk and his former crewmates, Scotty and Chekov, come aboard the newest USS Enterprise as part of its maiden voyage.. But a simple PR trek turns into something far more serious when the ship receives a distress call. Two El-Aurian ships, filled with refugees from their recently-destroyed homeworld, have been trapped by a ribbon of space/time distortion. The Enterprise has only partial function and a skeleton crew, but it's the only ship in range, as per usual.

The inexperienced Capt. Harriman (Alan Ruck) is in over his head, and turns to Kirk for help. Kirk snaps into action, along with Scotty and Chekov. The two ships are destroyed, but not before Scotty manages to beam half of one ship's complement to safety - almost 50 civilians, including a stunned Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) and an enraged Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), who begs with his rescuers to "Let me go back! Let me go back!" - Until Chekov finally sedates him.

Mission accomplished - but before the Enterprise can withdraw to safety, it too becomes trapped. The only way to save the ship is to modify the shields to disrupt the ribbon. Kirk runs to Deflector Control, managing the task just in the nick of time - but not before a final blast breaches the hull at his exact position. The ship is saved, but Capt. Kirk is lost...


2371:

The Enterprise D, under the command of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, is called to the Amargosa Observatory, a science station studying a neutron star. The crew arrives to the aftermath of a Romulan attack. Only one survivor is found: Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell). The Romulans were seeking trilithium, a substance capable of collapsing a star. Soran insists he has no knowledge of this, and asks only that he be allowed to return to his work.

Data and Geordi beam back to the station to search for any sign of trilithium - but Soran is waiting for them. He ambushes them just as his rescue arrives: A Klingon Bird of Prey, helmed by Picard's old enemies, Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh), of the disgraced House of Duras. The Duras Sisters beam Soran to safety, taking Geordi prisoner and collapsing the Amargosa star as they leave - A demonstration of the trilithium weapon soran has given them.

That's when Guinan informs Picard of her connection to Soran, and of his motivation. When Kirk rescued them, he pulled them from "The Nexus," a place of utter tranquility. Guinan was able to move on with her life, but Soran has spent the last 70 years obsessing over getting back. The trilithium has finally given him what he needs. He can divert the ribbon's path to the planet of his choosing. The only cost is the collapse of another star - this one a sun at the center of a solar system, populated by millions!

"I have to stop it!" Picard realizes. "But I need help..."

The TNG crew - in slightly different uniforms than usual...

CHARACTERS

Capt. Picard: Patrick Stewart is splendid in his first big-screen Star Trek film, anchoring the movie with a solid presence. This is very much the Picard of the later television series: Contemplative, intelligent, just vulnerable enough for the audience to identify with him but still very much in command. The film pushes him into a fragile emotional state almost immediately, as he receives news that his brother, sister-in-law, and beloved nephew died in a fire. With his nephew's death, and reflecting on his own choice to never have children, he realizes that he is the last Picard. When he dies, his family name will die with him.

Picard shuts himself away in his ready room to mourn. Once Soran's purpose is revealed, however, he snaps back to command. He pushes Data out of his guilt over the role his emotion chip played in Geordi's capture, alternating between a strict tone and a gentle one until the android returns to himself. Trapped on the wrong side of a force field while Soran prepares his missile, Picard tries reasoning with the man - but even as he does so, he stays alert for any hole in the scientist's defenses, and finally finds one.


Capt. Kirk: At the beginning of the movie, when the crisis hits, every nerve in Kirk's body is crying out for him to take charge. He has to force himself not to step in. "Is something wrong with your chair, Captain?" Scotty smirks at him when he keeps standing up and sitting down again. The instant Capt. Harriman turns to him for advice, he is ready to take control, and the crew instinctively responds to the experience and confidence in his voice.

When Picard finds Kirk in the Nexus, he has been completely lulled by his paradise - a representation of his own regrets, of things he wished he had done differently. "I'm going to do it right this time!" he vows, all but ignoring Picard's pleas. Right until he jumps his horse over a creek. He realizes that he felt no fear... Because it wasn't real, which means that nothing he does in the Nexus will make any difference at all. Once he realizes that, he is more than ready to go back for one last fight in the real world.

Capt. James T. Kirk, in his own time.

Riker: While Picard shuts himself away, grieving for his nephew and his family legacy, Riker directs the investigation of the station. He is again thrust into the captain's role when Picard beams down to the planet Soran is using as his base. While Picard attempts first to reason with, then to outmaneuver the crazed scientist, Riker is left to fend off an unexpectedly effective assault by the Duras sisters.

Data: Hewing perhaps a little too closely to the "A" plot/"B" plot structure of the TNG series, we get a subplot centered around Data's decision to insert and activate the emotion chip he obtained from Lore. Data's scenes in the next half-hour of the picture are extremely irritating, as the android makes childlike "Yuck" faces when Guinan gives him a foul-tasting drink, laughs like a hyena at jokes he overheard years ago, and cowers in terror when he experiences fear. Thankfully, this settles down in the second half, and Brent Spiner does some very good acting when he begs Picard to shut him down, angrily announcing: "I no longer want these emotions, sir!" But Data's scenes in the first half are borderline unbearable, and also do much to slow down the pace.

Guinan: Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan was much-missed in TNG's final season on television, so it is very good to see her return in the Enterprise D's first bigscreen outing. The decision to make Soran a member of her species, with a backstory closely linked to hers, means that she knows much of what Picard needs to know in order to defeat him. She largely becomes the voice of exposition, telling both Picard and us about the Nexus and Soran's desperation to return to it. But Goldberg's presence and her continuing strong chemistry with Patrick Stewart, makes her scenes feel more organic than they perhaps should.

Soran: I would have liked more exploration of Soran and less wacky android hijinks, as the potential exists for Soran to be a fine tragic villain. Soran informs Picard that there was a time he would not have harmed anyone. Then the Borg wiped out everything and everyone he held dear. It's unspoken, but we can guess from Picard's and Kirk's experiences that the Nexus gave him a life in which he had home and family back... And that Kirk's intervention ripped that away, making him lose them twice over. Malcolm McDowall, a veteran actor with a career that ranges from the brilliantly mad to the just plain mad, is firmly in scenery-chomping mode, but he still projects an intelligence that makes him a decent foil for Picard. Their two conversations - one on the ship early in the film, one on the planet near the climax - are highlights, and the movie could have used more such moments.

Picard and Data identify Soran's next target.

THOUGHTS

Generations kicked off the TNG films, opening to big box office and extremely mixed reviews. Looking back at it more than 20 years later, I still have much the same opinion I had at the time. This is by no means a bad movie - It's entertaining, with some strong performances, excellent visual effects, and several effective moments. It's not perfect - the pace gets very slack in the middle, and the subplot with Data's emotion chip is largely unwelcome. But judged simply as a movie, it works.

Unfortunately, it's not the movie it should have been. The film's trailers promise a proper "passing of the torch" between one era of Star Trek and another. "Two captains, one destiny." From the advertising, you would think Kirk and Picard were equal leads.

What we get instead is the equivalent of a two-part TNG episode featuring a guest appearance by William Shatner. Which, if you're expecting a team-up between Picard and Kirk anytime before the last half hour, is bound to disappoint.

This problem was entirely fixable, and without even significantly changing the structure. Had the supblot with Data's emotion chip been excised and the pace of the first part of the story generally tightened, the script could easily have gotten Picard into the Nexus not long past the film's midpoint. Kirk would be reintroduced roughly 40 minutes after his exit, which would allow time for the TNG cast to re-establish itself outside his shadow without making the audience restless waiting for his reappearance. Then Picard could have taken Kirk out of the Nexus at an earlier point, on the Enterprise, allowing some opportunity to have Kirk actually interact with the newer cast.

The climax could also have been re-written to be a more fitting end for Kirk. The film offers a double climax: Picard on the planet with Soran, while the Enterprise battles the Klingons. So how about having Kirk on the Enterprise bridge, once again taking charge during a crisis to defeat the Klingons - his nemesis through both his television series and films? Kirk could die in the crash of the Enterprise D, saving the rest of the crew in the process - a more fitting end than having a bridge fall on him! Meanwhile, Picard could deal with Soran on his own - Keeping Picard from feeling like someone who needs Kirk's help to outfight a middle-aged scientist, and leaving Picard to deal with a villain who has been very much defined as a foil for him.

It wouldn't have been substantially different - but it would have allowed both captains their own parts to play in the finale, without diminishing either of them.

Soran prepares to return to the Nexus.

TIME AND THE NEXUS

I should say that, outside of the missed opportunities with Kirk, I actually do mostly like this movie. I even, in contrast to many, enjoy the way the Nexus is portrayed - as a representation of The Road Not Taken.

Picard regrets his choice not to have a family. The Nexus gives him that "road not taken," presenting an idealized family with adoring children. Kirk regrets returning to Starfleet instead of asking the final love of his life to marry him. The Nexus returns him to that point in his history, giving him the chance to marry the woman and enjoy his Road Not Taken. Both men ultimately reject these paths; they aren't real, and as Kirk observes, nothing they do within the Nexus will ever matter at all. Beyond that, it's just not who these men are - There's a reason that road wasn't taken, and the choices they made were very much the right ones for them.

I also enjoy the related theme of "Time" that runs through the film. Soran is obsessed with time, telling Picard that, "Time is the fire in which we burn... It's like a predator, it's stalking you... In the end time is going to hunt you down, and make the kill." Picard feels time running out for his family name. Kirk marvels, not without regret, at how Sulu could have possibly found time for a family, with Scotty replying that if something is important enough you make the time.

Picard finally gets to pick up The Picard Sledgehammer in the end, stitching it all together for us just in case we missed it. Fortunately, Patrick Stewart plays his final homily wonderfully, not coming across too preachy as Picard rejects Soran's identification of time as a predator in favor of a more benign metaphor:

"I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment, because they'll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we lived."


OVERALL

Generations' greatest weakness is also its greatest strength. This really does feel like a TNG episode on the bigscreen. The characters feel right (yes, even Data, as annoying as his subplot was). Picard is very much the contemplative character we followed on television. And while the focus may be on Picard, Riker, Data, and Kirk, every regular gets at least one moment in the spotlight.

It is not an ideal Star Trek movie, and it is certainly not an ideal TOS/TNG crossover... But it does recapture what made The Next Generation so enjoyable when it was good, and it entertains at the same time. Simply put: It's flawed - but I think the good outweighs the bad.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

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Thoughts on the TOS Movies.

The six Star Trek movies featuring the original series cast were Star Trek during the 1980's - The only Star Trek for most of that time. The success of the films led directly to the return of the franchise on television, and also gave a chance for viewers to say a proper farewell to the crew that started it all.

In effect, the six movies form one last, multi-year season of the original Star Trek. The films even end up having much the same structure as a television series - right down to an arc that connects the episodes... And right down to a pilot that bears little resemblance to what the series would properly become.


FALSE STARTS AND EARLY STEPS: THE MOTION PICTURE



It's now reasonably well-known that Star Trek almost returned as a television series in the 1970's - the aborted Star Trek: Phase Two. Then Star Wars, and its enormous box office performance, made Paramount rethink its decision to relegate its most famous science fiction property to the small screen.

This probably saved Star Trek as an ongoing franchise. From what I know of Phase II, and from the couple of Phase II scripts that were repurposed into (very poor) TNG episodes, I strongly suspect it would have been a weak series, one that likely would have lasted a single season.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture has many of the failings of early TNG. The atmosphere is too sterile, and the human characters often feel only marginally less emotionless than Mr. Spock. It is also awkwardly paced, particularly in the version that was actually seen in theaters in 1979. Robert Wise's eventual "director's cut" lessens the problems with pacing and characterization - but it doesn't quite eliminate them, and it's a little too evident that the film was put into production before the script was fully ready.

Still, the movie does have a sense of grandeur, aided by some top class visual effects and a sublime Jerry Goldsmith score. There are fantastic sequences and set pieces, and I admit to having had a soft spot for it long before the director's cut was ever released. Most importantly from a studio standpoint, it made money - Which meant that big screen Star Trek was given a second chance to get it right...


TAKE TWO: THE WRATH OF KHAN AND THE TRILOGY



The Wrath of Khan was a much smaller film than The Motion Picture, and in fact remains the lowest-budget Star Trek film of them all. It's also the best of the lot, perfectly capturing the core appeal of the series: The cameraderie and chemistry among the regulars, and most particularly among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy. The film has some strong action set pieces and a remarkable villain in Ricardo Montalban's vengeance-crazed Khan - but at its heart, it's a character piece, with Kirk having to confront age and death, and having to learn to accept both of these.

The film was so successful, its own sequels simply carried on from it, forming a Star Trek motion picture trilogy. The Search for Spock picks up only a short time after Khan's endpoint. The Voyage Home carries on from Spock's endpoint. All three are very different films, but all were successful both financially and critically. All three movies revolve around the characters. The stories are built around their interactions, and those interactions feel right.


FALLING OFF THE MOUNTAIN: THE COLLAPSE OF STAR TREK V, THE RISE OF TNG, AND THE END OF AN ERA



What goes up must inevitably come down, and the Star Trek film franchise came crashing to Earth with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. William Shatner took his turn in the director's chair, and also collaborated on the story... Making it hardly a surprise that the movie centers entirely on Kirk, actively at the expense of the other characters. The film is poorly paced and even worse-structured. The seemingly endless first hour is centered on what is revealed to be a subplot, with the actual story not even starting until more than halfway in - which leaves the rest feeling rushed and underdeveloped.

The movie was released into a summer already crowded with blockbusters; and set along side the likes of Lethal Weapon 2 and Tim Burton's Batman, this particularly Trek came up decidedly short. Even worse for Star Trek V, it released just as TNG started to properly find its footing, leading many to grumble that the Star Trek television series was getting to be better than the movies. In the space of one bad film, the big screen future of Star Trek had gone from entirely assured to very much in doubt.


A GRACEFUL EXIT: STAR TREK VI - THE EPILOGUE



Star Trek VI was the final movie for the full 1960's cast, and it did much to recover viewer goodwill. Nicholas Meyer returned as director and co-writer, and the film features multiple callbacks to the core trilogy - most particularly in Kirk's resentment of the Klingons over the death of his son, David, something which helps drive the plot. In plot and also in tone, the movie feels like an epilogue to that trilogy... and with not a single mention of Star Trek V to be found, viewers who are not dedicated to being completists should feel absolutely safe in skipping that unfortunate misfire.

It's a dignified final bow for the crew, only slightly tarnished by Shatner's insistence on having Kirk be the one to outwit the villain at the end after the script had carefully laid the groundwork for Sulu to do so. A minor, if very visible, blemish on an otherwise very fine movie, one that allows the original series crew to go out with a winner.


FINAL THOUGHTS

As the above summaries make clear, the trilogy forms the core of the TOS movies, and those three films and Star Trek VI are what most people mean when they talk about the movies with the original cast. Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek V are clearly the odd men out, not quite fitting with the other four pictures, and it's likely no coincidence that these two outliers are the least popular TOS movies.

All of the movies (even Star Trek V) are carried by the seemingly effortless chemistry of the cast. There's a magic to this particular cast, and a joy in watching their interactions. I like all the subsequent Trek casts to varying degrees, and some of the later Trek stars would actually be better actors than some of the original stars. But however long Trek has run in however many forms, the magic of that original cast is one that would never be recaptured.


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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.

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Next Movie: Star Trek V - The Final Frontier

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