Star Trek week: “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”
Take a look back this week at some previous “Star Trek” films and series. We’ll start it off with “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” (1989).
Kirk and a skeleton crew of a not quite space-ready Enterprise are called to the planet Nimbus III, where Sybok, an enigmatic figure with a strange ability “to free minds,” has taken hostage three ambassadors — a Terran, a Romulan and a Klingon.
Kirk and his crew come to their rescue with stuns guns blazing, but it’s not long before Sybok, with a little help from his half-brother Spock, takes over the Enterprise and redirects her course to the center of the galaxy, past the impenetrable Great Barrier, to a fabled planet where, Sybok says, God “waits for us on the other side.”
Of course, some more Klingons are thrown in just to keep the plot humming.
While the film does have its entertaining moments and the theme of family is strong and appealing, it is generally considered to be the weakest of the series. In the “Star Trek” universe, super powerful beings — some good, but most very bad — are trotted out regularly in all different guises, so it’s hard to believe any of the crew members give pause when they finally encounter “god.” And the crew capitulates to Sybok all too easily. Sybok, the keenest intellect Spock has ever known, is too easily swayed by smoke and mirrors. And the Great Barrier is pretty to look at but proves to be no real barrier. On the whole, the film promises more than it delivers.
Some of the humor comes off as unbecoming of space heroes and more fitting of Stooges. You have to cringe when the Trek triumvirate of Kirk, Spock and McCoy sings “Row, row, row your boat” around a campfire, and it happens twice. And the homage to “The Waltons,” with the endless “goodnights,” just grates. The worst offender: when Scotty accidentally knocks himself out when he walks into an overhead support while muttering something about knowing the ship better than anyone.
William Shatner’s hand is all over this film. Not only did he star, but he directed the film, which marked his debut as a feature film director, and he shares a story credit. Also, Shatner’s daughter Melanie plays a yeoman in the film.
Memorable quotes: “I need my pain” – Kirk; “Please, captain, not in front of the Klingons” – Spock to an emotional and relieved Kirk.
– Renee Lawrence
James T. Kirk (William Shatner)
Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley)
Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan)
Sulu (George Takei)
Chekov (Walter Koenig)
Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill)
Directed by William Shatner.
Screenplay by David Loughery.
Story by William Shatner, Harve Bennett and David Loughery.
Check out the trailer here.
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Comments
Hey did anyone see that the new stargate is suppose to be a cross with startrek. I think it might be worth checking it out. I found this clip where they talk about it a bit. http://www.koldcast.tv/video/2384
The Kirk quote was a cool one in my opinion, but you need the whole quote for the full effect:
“I don’t want my pain taken away! I need my pain! …. “