I think finally seeing Prometheus a few solar cycles back got me thinking about movies depicting the human quest to meet our maker.
Naturally, this brings me to the most-reviled of Gene Roddenberry’s stepchildren (aside from Enterprise), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Why is it hated so? There are many reasons often offered up for this: Shatner can’t direct (but was promised an outing after Nimoy directed the previous two films), an too-human yet full-blooded Vulcan brother is invented for Spock seemingly out of nowhere, the special effects are nothing special, and it was generally a massive let-down coming on the heels of the much-beloved cinematic heights of the cycle comprising Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
A cable movie channel has been rerunning the Trek movies, and recently I stopped in my channel surfing to see that Star Trek V was on — and like the proverbial starship wreck, I couldn’t stop watching. It was actually fun to watch it again after so much time, and it occurred to me that there are some bright spots in this void of sci-fi cinema.
1. The cast is good. Capt. Klaa and his sexy first “mate” Vixis are pretty much cardboard Klingons, but they have fun with their parts and the pantomime villains are a relief from all the Empire’s political intrigue in The Next Generation that would come into being around the same time the film was released and that would follow in the next movie, The Undiscovered Country. David Warner, who would go on to play the Klingon chancellor in that next movie, always lends class to any production (even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze).
Laurence Luckinbill steals the show as Sybok, a Vulcan who embraces his emotions, something that would be explored later in Enterprise and very few other avenues. As absurd as it is, it’s delightful fun, and he brings to mind roguish Trek characters like Harry Mudd, Cyrano Jones, and “the outrageous” Okona — an element missing from other Trek movies.
Some trivia: He’s the son-in-law of TV icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who founded original Trek production company Desilu Studios. Some more: Todd Bryant, who played the Klingon captain, would go on to have a prolific stunt career and doubled for Ron Perlman in Star Trek Nemesis. Spice Williams, who played Vixis, also has a prolific stunt career, much of it in the Trek TV universe. And Charles Cooper, who played the drunken Klingon diplomat Korrd, would be better and more justly remembered for playing the Klingon chancellor K’mpec in several memorable episodes of The Next Generation.
2. The whole ensemble is utilized. The preceding movie, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, also did this, and probably did it 10 times better, but in Star Trek V, the Enterprise bridge crew got to do a lot of interesting things rather than just open hailing frequencies and press buttons. As good as the “Genesis cycle” of ST II-IV is, it’s nice to have the old crew back in action doing Federation-y things, like hostage rescue missions and jaunts to the center of the galaxy, again. And Uhura dances naked in the desert. Final Frontier, indeed.
3. It’s funny. “Excuse me … What does God need with a starship?”
4. It’s actually a rather decent space adventure flick. While there are a few moldy stock scenes of the Klingon Bird of Prey (a sad practice that inexplicably continued into the Next Generation-era movies) in Star Trek V, there are also some exciting new model shots (near the end of an era for that art form) and some admirable special effects. Sure, the final encounter with “God” didn’t get filmed as scripted, with an exciting gargoyle chase that I still want to see realized in some future special edition. But we get to see a lot of the Star Trek universe and the “new” Enterprise-A itself that hadn’t been realized on screen before. (Even if they did turn the awesome bridge into a living room.) And it leaves you wanting more, which isn’t always a bad thing.
5. It actually leads rather nicely into Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It opens and closes with the diplomatic corps of the Federation and Klingon and Romulan empires trying to find peace, and that exploration of detente is what drives the crew’s next and final adventure together.
So, what do you think? Am I totally off starbase here? Let me have it!
Originally published June 21, 2012.
You are so far off starbase, it’s embarrassing. This film had such promise….all it needed was another director and a slightly better script. One with focus.
Who can forget the film’s most annoying moments? The Uhura fan dance? Really? Really? What about the dreadful beginning, featuring the Spock and McCoy singing “Row, Row your Boat.” I almost retched.
You are so far off starbase, it’s embarrassing. This film had such promise….all it needed was another director and a slightly better script. One with focus.
Who can forget the film’s most annoying moments? The Uhura fan dance? Really? Really? What about the dreadful beginning, featuring the Spock and McCoy singing “Row, Row your Boat.” I almost retched.
You’re not alone. I’ve been championing the quiet decency of this film for years. You can head on over to my own blog, where I’ve written about it more than once if you like.
I’m glad to see people softening a bit when it comes to this one.
You’re not alone. I’ve been championing the quiet decency of this film for years. You can head on over to my own blog, where I’ve written about it more than once if you like.
I’m glad to see people softening a bit when it comes to this one.
I have always felt ST V was underrated and had some of the best character moments of the entire movie series.
Would be nice to have a director’s cut to smooth over some rough spots.
I have always felt ST V was underrated and had some of the best character moments of the entire movie series.
Would be nice to have a director’s cut to smooth over some rough spots.
Hey, the Uhura fan dance was fun, sure a decade too late but it was overdue and caught you off guard for sure.
I suppose my memories of this film are clouded with anger, in so much as that summer was a haze, I think I was 10 and was often dragged along to something with my mother during the day and sent off with a few dollars to see a movie. I saw (and dragged my younger sister with me, which I still am reminded of to this day) to see this film at least 8 times. Hey, when you’re 10 and your choices are that and The Milagro Beanfield War, its gonna be trek!
I agree on the good part of the complete utilization of the cast, the ship shots were ok, the score was ok, the film was VERY ok. But it is still to me tied for the worst of the films, with Nemesis. It tried to stay secular while dealing with faith, and didnt take any stand at all.
I was angry because;
-the films tempo was inconsistent, every 5 minutes of action would be followed up with 20 minutes of slow talk and flashbacks, all of which are completely new to the viewer and inconsistent as Trek fans.
-It was also replete with poor editing, specifically the scene where they are power boot-boosting up the turboshaft and deck levels are ascending, AND REPEATING, into the 70s!
-the convenient empty ship with hardly any crew being taken over by rebel rock-firing pellet guns was just too unbelievable, now i realize likely a budget move to save on extras…but COME ON! There were more extras in the federation hq receptionist area in star trek 4 when the window blew in from the storms.
-the bridge having been changed out to this touchscreen ultra brite rounded grey fabric carpeted from the last film also was annoying as it was inconsistent!
-sure, Larry Luckinbill is amusing, but as the bad guy? Almost as lame as Christopher Walken as the bad guy in 007 A View to a kill.
-The special effects from the opening gate were awful! When kirk fell off the mountain and was falling, half bent over, strings visible on the “catch”..when the shuttlecraft crash lands into the bay, the sparks start flying before it makes contact with the surface…eesh!
-Shatner somehow looked younger in this film than any others, convenient.
In closing, it was too convenient, much like if any of you have read Charles Dickens Great Expectations. In that story, Pip was always in the right place at the right time, and the stars aligned for him. In life, and in Trek, thats just not believable. If it were, then Life is a Dream!
Hey, the Uhura fan dance was fun, sure a decade too late but it was overdue and caught you off guard for sure.
I suppose my memories of this film are clouded with anger, in so much as that summer was a haze, I think I was 10 and was often dragged along to something with my mother during the day and sent off with a few dollars to see a movie. I saw (and dragged my younger sister with me, which I still am reminded of to this day) to see this film at least 8 times. Hey, when you’re 10 and your choices are that and The Milagro Beanfield War, its gonna be trek!
I agree on the good part of the complete utilization of the cast, the ship shots were ok, the score was ok, the film was VERY ok. But it is still to me tied for the worst of the films, with Nemesis. It tried to stay secular while dealing with faith, and didnt take any stand at all.
I was angry because;
-the films tempo was inconsistent, every 5 minutes of action would be followed up with 20 minutes of slow talk and flashbacks, all of which are completely new to the viewer and inconsistent as Trek fans.
-It was also replete with poor editing, specifically the scene where they are power boot-boosting up the turboshaft and deck levels are ascending, AND REPEATING, into the 70s!
-the convenient empty ship with hardly any crew being taken over by rebel rock-firing pellet guns was just too unbelievable, now i realize likely a budget move to save on extras…but COME ON! There were more extras in the federation hq receptionist area in star trek 4 when the window blew in from the storms.
-the bridge having been changed out to this touchscreen ultra brite rounded grey fabric carpeted from the last film also was annoying as it was inconsistent!
-sure, Larry Luckinbill is amusing, but as the bad guy? Almost as lame as Christopher Walken as the bad guy in 007 A View to a kill.
-The special effects from the opening gate were awful! When kirk fell off the mountain and was falling, half bent over, strings visible on the “catch”..when the shuttlecraft crash lands into the bay, the sparks start flying before it makes contact with the surface…eesh!
-Shatner somehow looked younger in this film than any others, convenient.
In closing, it was too convenient, much like if any of you have read Charles Dickens Great Expectations. In that story, Pip was always in the right place at the right time, and the stars aligned for him. In life, and in Trek, thats just not believable. If it were, then Life is a Dream!
What we need is not a director’s cut, but at producer’s cut. I’d like to see Leonard fix it up.
Not only do I feel that it is underrated, but it is one of my favorites of all the Star Trek movies. I love the Kirk,Spock ,McCoy moments. It doesn’t deserve it’s reputation as being one of the worst Star trek movies. The main problem with the movie is that it had a low budget and the special effects are not that great. If people can overlook that I think they will find themselves really enjoying the film.
I agreed the film is overly criticized.
Sybock was a interesting and the fleshing out of Mckoys history was good scene.
I was finally privy to this film after years of watching everything Trekkie, from the original series right up to the J.J Abrams reboot. After some minor googling I found this to be the most panned addition to the Star Trek canon, the desert strip tease and the all too famous line of “Excuse me, but what does god need with a star ship”. The campiness explodes from the screen, but I have to say that I LOVE IT ! Star Trek was campy in its original conception thanks to the “out there” sci fi themes and the overly acted machismo of James T. Kirk. This movie has it all, over the top rogue, Klingon captains, comedic miss steps and witty banter between the crew, the deep pain sensing cult leader who is, you guessed it, Spock’s half brother. The climax features a giant faced false god, which after reading this article, also entails a never before seen gargoyle chase scene, ” WHAT”! All it needs is a cocktail party with all our favorite Aliens, wait it has that. “I need my pain”
And yet, people want to compare this POS to the new movies? Give me a break.
Anybody that compares this movie favorably to the new ones needs their heads examined.