Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 film released by Paramount Pictures and the fifth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. The film was directed by William Shatner, following two films directed by his co-star, Leonard Nimoy. Shatner also developed the initial storyline. It was shot entirely on location in California.
Plot
The year is 2287, and following the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) is on break enjoying shore leave, as the newly built starship's shakedown cruise goes poorly while it undergoes repairs in spacedock. On planet Earth at Yosemite National Park, Captain James T. Kirk is on a camping trip with half-Vulcan First Officer Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy. Their leave is interrupted when the Enterprise is ordered by Starfleet Command to rescue Terran, Klingon and Romulan hostages on the desolate planet of Nimbus III; also referred to as the Planet of Galactic Peace. Learning of the Enterprise's mission, the Klingon Captain Klaa aboard a bird-of-prey, the Okrona, with the encouragement of his First Officer Vixis, decides to engage Kirk in combat for his own personal glory after growing tired pursuing and targeting derelict space debris.
Upon arrival at Nimbus III, the Enterprise crew discovers that a renegade Vulcan named Sybok (who is later revealed to be Spock's half-brother), is behind the hostage crisis. Sybok demonstrates that the hostage situation was a ruse to lure a starship to Nimbus III in order to reach the mythical planet called Sha Ka Ree, the place from which creation began. Sha Ka Ree is located behind a seemingly impenetrable barrier near the center of the galaxy. Sybok uses his unique ability to reveal the innermost pain of a person and help them emotionally heal themselves, in a bid to gain the trust of both the hostages and crew members. While McCoy and Spock agree to interact with hallucination imagery, Kirk refuses Sybok's offer, telling him that his emotional pain is part of what makes him human. Later however, Sybok reluctantly decides to declare a truce with Kirk, realizing he needs his leadership experience to navigate the Enterprise to Sha Ka Ree.
The Enterprise successfully breaches the barrier pursued by Klaa's vessel, and discovers a lone blue planet. Sybok, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy journey to the surface, where Sybok calls out to his perceived vision of god. An entity appears, and when told of how Sybok breached the barrier, demands that the starship be brought closer to the planet so that it may join it, attempting to exploit the Enterprise to leave the surface. When a skeptical Kirk inquires, "What does god need with a starship?", the entity attacks him in retribution. McCoy in turn, begins to realistically doubt the entity as a god who would purposely inflict harm on people for pleasure. Soon Sybok and Spock start to distrust the entity as genuine, at which point Sybok suddenly sacrifices himself in a physical struggle with it to help the others escape. Kirk orders the Enterprise to fire a photon torpedo at their location killing Sybok and temporarily incapacitating the entity in the confrontation. Spock and McCoy are then beamed back to the ship, but Klaa's vessel attacks the Enterprise before Kirk can be transported aboard.
On the planet below, Kirk is about to be killed by the entity when Klaa's vessel destroys it in a barrage of disruptor fire. Kirk is beamed aboard the bird-of-prey and learns that Spock and the Klingon hostage (General Korrd), have forced Captain Klaa to stand down. A reception is held aboard the Enterprise with the Klingons to celebrate the new détente, as Kirk, Spock and McCoy then return to their vacation at Yosemite.
Cast
- William Shatner as James T. Kirk. Shatner put himself into the best shape he had been in years, partaking in aerobics, strength training and stretching. The adrenaline rush meant he always awoke at 4 a.m. during filming, no matter what time he fell asleep.[1]
- Leonard Nimoy as Spock, first officer. Nimoy noted Star Trek V was the most physical film in the series, which reflected Shatner's energetic sensibility and what he enjoyed doing most on the show; "running and jumping". Nimoy recalled Shatner instructed him in riding a horse, although Nimoy had ridden many horses bareback when playing Native Americans for Republic Pictures serials. He did not tell Shatner this so as to not embarrass him.[1]
- DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy, chief medical officer. Kelley also noted the physicality required for this film and enjoyed doing things that he had not been asked to do for years. "I was very pleased to see that he [Shatner] brought it along in fine style."[1]
- James Doohan as Captain Montgomery Scott, chief engineer.
- George Takei as Commander Hikaru Sulu, helmsman. Takei said that despite the pressures of completing the film on time, Shatner maintained a creative and enthusiastic atmosphere on set. "I have enormous admiration for his ability to block that kind of pressure from seeping on to the set."[1]
- Walter Koenig as Commander Pavel Chekov, navigator.
- Nichelle Nichols as Commander Uhura, communications officer.
- David Warner as St. John Talbot, Terran Federation consul to Nimbus III.
- Laurence Luckinbill as Sybok.
- Todd Bryant as Captain Klaa.
- Spice Williams-Crosby as Vixis.
- Charles Cooper as Klingon General Korrd.
- Cynthia Gouw as Romulan Ambassador Caithlin Dar.
Production
When he signed on to reprise the role of Captain Kirk in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home following a pay dispute, William Shatner was promised he could direct the next film.[2] Shatner had directed plays and television episodes.[1] Shatner also convinced Harve Bennett to produce the film, even though he was exhausted by the previous three films and wanted to move on.[1]
Shatner based Sybok on televangelists, and wrote an outline entitled "An Act of Love".[3] Actor Sean Connery was originally contacted to star in the role, but was busy with other acting commitments such as the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade film. The name Sha Ka Ree, is a play of words from the actor's name. The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home writer Nicholas Meyer was preoccupied so he was unable to return to write the film.[1] Shatner approached novelist Eric Van Lustbader to write his screenplay, but his requested $1 million salary forced Paramount to offer the job to David Loughery instead. The studio told Loughery to inject more fun and humor to the otherwise intense story as to make it like its predecessor. While Shatner was busy making another film, Loughery and Bennett changed the storyline to focus on a less physical god; Shatner was unhappy when he learned about the rewrites to the script. Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley also disliked the script because they objected to how Spock and McCoy betray Kirk and allow Sybok to commandeer the Enterprise, which Loughery explained was done to give a "'one man stands alone'" conflict. The script was rewritten to please Nimoy and Kelley.[3]
Paramount rushed the film into production in late 1988, concerned that the franchise's momentum following The Voyage Home had disappeared,[3] in spite of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike cutting into the film's pre-production.[4] Filming took place in the Mojave Desert as well as in and around Yosemite National Park.[1] Industrial Light & Magic had anticipated their involvement in the film, but were told by Paramount that due to their estimated costs, their services would no longer be required. ILM subsequently delivered the main Enterprise model to Associates and Ferren, the visual effects studio chosen by Paramount.[4] The film's original climax; where a creature made of solid rock attacks the three lead characters, was deemed too unconvincing and dropped.[3][5] In an allusion to this sequence, a similar creature was created by ILM for the Trek parody Galaxy Quest.
Star Trek:The Next Generation production designer Herman Zimmerman was hired by Shatner to redesign the USS Enterprise-A's bridge so as to become a forerunner to the USS Enterprise-D's bridge.[4] Michael Okuda's LCARS style of backlit controls were implemented on the Klingon bridge as well as the Enterprise.[6] Shatner sought a grittier and more realistic feel to the Star Trek universe, although they could not overly alter the look of Starfleet's bridges.[7] Additionally, the corridors for the Enterprise were the same corridors from the Enterprise-D used in the television series. Shatner had rehired Richard Snell as makeup supervisor, advising him to make each Klingon forehead more distinctive.[8]
Release
Box office performance
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I had the most joyous experience of my life on Star Trek V. And it was also full of the major joys and major sorrows of anything I've ever done [...] An eye-opener and a life-changing, mind-altering experience. But I've learned a great deal. I've learned how to put a film together. I've learned how to deal with certain people (George Takei). I've learned the art of compromise and I've learned the deadliness of compromise. And the necessity of perhaps compromising with compromise.
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The Final Frontier grossed $52,210,049 in the U.S. and a combined $70,210,000 worldwide against a $27,800,000 budget. Though profitable, the film was considered a financial disappointment by many. It made only around half what The Voyage Home had made, and it quickly dropped off the box office charts after its solid $17,375,648 opening weekend.[9] It sold the fewest tickets of any Star Trek film up until Star Trek Nemesis thirteen years later, in 2002.
Critical reaction
The movie received a negative response from most critics and fans. Fans complained about the sub-standard special effects, and that too much of the humor was at the expense of the popular supporting characters, particularly Uhura and Scotty, who the film strongly hints are romantically involved. However, much of the humor was also directed at the main characters (including Kirk).
Among critics, Roger Ebert gave the film two stars noting; "There is no clear line from the beginning of the movie to the end, not much danger, no characters to really care about, little suspense, uninteresting or incomprehensible villains, and a great deal of small talk and pointless dead ends."[10] Peter Travers of The Rolling Stone similary commented; "Star Trek V: Shatner's Folly (the subtitle is mine) handily takes the hollow crown as worst in the series. It's bloated, bombastic and maddeningly pretentious."[11] Rita Kempley of the Washington Post added to the negativity remarking; "Star Trek V is a shambles, a space plodessy, a snoozola of astronomic proportions." The special effects in the film were not spared criticism either as she illustrated how the Enterprise attempts; "To pass through an impenetrable (Ha!) swirl of what appears to be cosmic Windex, beyond which is the planet Shockara, home of God, or perhaps California shot through a purple filter."[12] Positive reviews seemed to be few and far between. Among them, Chris Hicks of the Deseret News gave it three stars exclaiming; "There is a certain charm to "Star Trek V" in its ability to tackle one of life's "big questions" in a pompous, yet superficial manner, because that's exactly what the old TV series did all the time."[13]
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry jokingly considered elements of this film to be "apocryphal at best", and particularly disliked the idea that Sarek had fathered a child (Sybok) with a Vulcan female before Amanda. Roddenberry made similar statements about elements of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Nevertheless, both films are included in Trek canon.[14] Ralph Winter said they should have recognized the film's plot was too reminiscent of V'ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.[1] Shatner blamed himself for what he believed ended the franchise; only because the 25th anniversary of the series was approaching did Frank Mancuso, Jr. approve the development of the next film.[3]
Awards
The Golden Raspberry Awards also known as the "Razzies", saw Star Trek V win the award for Worst Picture of 1989, with Shatner also winning for both Worst Actor and Worst Director. The film earned nominations for DeForest Kelley as Worst Supporting Actor as well as Worst Screenplay for David Loughery, William Shatner and Harve Bennett. Bennett was also nominated as the recepient of the film for being the "Worst Picture of the Decade".
Home media
The film was released on VHS videotape in 1989. It would also be released as a widescreen VHS edition.
In 1991, the film premiered on national television on the CBS network. Certain scenes however, were edited out; such as the bar scene featuring the triple breasted dancing cat woman, as well as a scene on the bridge featuring Scotty and Uhura receiving new orders from Starfleet. The scene in the turbolift with Kirk commenting that he "could use a shower" was also cut from the broadcast. Furthermore, the campfire scene with Kirk, Spock and McCoy was edited in length removing the 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' sing-along.
The film was released on DVD on April 20, 1999 as a bare bones edition with no bonus extras. It was re-released on DVD as a 2-Disc Special Collector's Edition on October 14, 2003 with bonus extras added to it.
Following the success of the Director's Editions of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 2002 and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and subsequent collector's edition DVD releases of the third and fourth films in the series, William Shatner lobbied Paramount to be allowed a budget to film new special effect sequences to replace the ones made by Associates and Ferren and otherwise re-tool the movie to bring it closer to what Shatner originally intended to be released as a Director's Edition on DVD. However, his request was rejected by the studio and the original release version was reissued instead.
The film was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2009 to coincide with the new Star Trek feature, along with the other five films featuring the original crew in Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection.[15] The Final Frontier was remastered in 1080p high-definition from the 2000 DVD transfer. All six films in the set have new 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. The disc features a new commentary track by renowned Star Trek authors and contributors Michael and Denise Okuda, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and Daren Dochterman.[15][16]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dillard, 87-91.
- ^ Hughes, 31.
- ^ a b c d e Hughes, 33-34.
- ^ a b c Reeves-Stevens, 245.
- ^ Reeves-Stevens, 256.
- ^ Reeves-Stevens, 250.
- ^ Reeves-Stevens, 252.
- ^ Reeves-Stevens, 254.
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/?yr=1989&p=.htm Boxofficemojo.com Retrieved on 05-26-07
- ^ Star Trek V, review by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times, June 9, 1989
- ^ Star Trek V Review, review by Peter Travers, The Rolling Stone, April 17, 2001
- ^ Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (PG), review by Rita Kempley, Washington Post, June 9, 1989
- ^ Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, review by Chris Hicks, Deseret News, July 1, 1989
- ^ Okuda, Michael; Denise Okuda (1996). Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future, revised edition. New York: Pocket Books. vii. ISBN 0-671-53610-9.
- ^ a b Pascale, Anthony (2009-02-16). "TrekMovie: CBS & Paramount Announce First Star Trek Blu-ray sets - TOS S1 & All TOS movies coming April/May". TrekMovie. http://trekmovie.com/2009/02/16/cbs-paramount-announce-first-star-trek-blu-ray-sets-tos-s1-all-tos-movies-coming-apmarily/. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ Latchem, John (2009-02-20). "Boldly going onto Blu-Ray". The Gazette: p. D4.
References
External links
