Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
An Evaluation


THE SCENES

1. Sybok's Introduction
A great scene. Well filmed. The emotion felt when Sybok relieves the man's pain feels genuine. Then the surprise as we discover he is a Vulcan -- then he laughs! After "You're a Vulcan!", Larry does the Spock isn't-it-obvious eyebrow thing perfectly. The fade to white as the movie begins and the familiar "Star Trek" theme by Alexander Courage is heard... wow. This reminded me of the Original Series, when we were given a teaser before the show began. It's one of the best, if not the best, openings of all the Star Trek movies, and probably always will be.

2. Opening Credits
Also a good scene. They pan up to the sun, which becomes a star. Then they show outer space, then they show a beautiful establishing shot of Yosemite and El Capitan. The rock climbing scenes look real. It's the only Star Trek film that gives us a moment of quiet reflection during the credits.
McCoy even gives us dialogue that is a wink to The Original Series. Well done!

3. Kirk's Chat With Spock And The Fall/Rescue From Mountain
A weaker scene. The dialogue about "gravity of the situation" is a little silly. Kirk's fall looks real in some shots (some people in the audience actually gasped!) but looks very fake in others (obvious blue-screen). Spock's Superman imitation hurts the scene, too. Some say they can see the cable when it shows Spock holding Kirk. Plus, the "Mind if we drop in for dinner?" line is a groaner. It's a cute scene, but too cute.

4. Paradise City And The Taking Of The Hostages
A credible scene.  The introductions of the representatives are brief to keep the scenes moving.  The taking of the hostages are well-done and quick.  The scene serves its purpose and leaves us wondering what will happen.

5. Scotty And Uhura Are Apprised Of The Nimbus III Situation
Another credible scene with nice moments.  They are advised of their status.  There's nothing wrong with this scene, for it moves the story forward without being dull.

6. Sulu And Chekov Get Lost
A weaker scene.  Purely for cheap laughs.  Nice to see their close friendship (always implied but never stated in TOS, as when Sulu knew Chekov had no brother) has been remembered by the writers. I missed it. Although it does provide a chuckle or two, it's a rather pointless scene.

7. The Campfire Scene
Ah... the famous (infamous?) campfire scene.  This one is a toughy.  Fans are divided on this scene.  Some think it's too silly and runs too long, while others say it's the most endearing and sweetest scene in all of Star Trek.  I think it's a good scene, but lengthy.  Hearing them sing "row, row, row your boat" is a hoot, and their discussion of their friendship is a nice touch. The "Goodnight Bones/Spock/Jim" scene may be silly, but 3 old pros pull it off beautifully. Their timing is right on the mark. Nice little touches, as when Kirk tells Spock to call him Jim, Spock broaches a subject Kirk's too tired to get into, Kirk reverts back to Captain mode, Spock calls him Captain again. The whole exchange was 4 lines, but beautifully done.

8. Klaa's Introduction
A credible scene.  It's direct and to the point.  It introduces Klaa (and the subplot) effectively.

9. Uhura Picks Up Kirk, Spock, And McCoy
Another quick, direct scene that moves the plot forward.  

10. Shuttle Enters The Enterprise
A nice scene.  The return of the shuttlecraft is welcomed, and is well-filmed.  The "well versed in the classics" line is actually funny and well-done.  The only drawback is that it's not really important to the plot except for forshadowing the shuttle's use later.

11. Kirk Is Apprised Of Mission
A good scene.  Bennett's cameo is a nice in-joke.  The "I miss my old chair" line, followed by Spock's sympathetic look, is very funny.  The plot is moved forward nicely.

12. Klaa Discovers Kirk Is Going To Nimbus III
Another quick scene that reenforces Klaa's motivations.  A bit less important, though.

13. Crew Views The Hostage Tape
A very nice scene.  Kirk's comments on Korrd are interesting.  Spock's line about perhaps "seeing a ghost" make us curious.  Except for the Captain's Log Recorder breaking down, this scene is very well-done.


14. Spock Explains Sybok To Kirk And McCoy
A wonderful scene.  It gives us another moment of quiet reflection and Nimoy does a wonderful job telling the tale of Sybok.  The observation lounge is a nice set, too. For the first time Kirk's wearing one of those Starfleet casual jackets, seen on Scotty in ST III. Nice consistency, and nice tailoring too. Also, the lounge seemed like a nice precursor to 10-forward.


15. Enterprise Orbits Nimbus III
A great, however unfortunately brief, scene.


16. Kirk Takes A Shuttle Down To Nimbus III
A well-directed scene.  The shuttle interior shot is great, and the SFX are pretty good, as well. Nice to see the redshirts; skeleton crew or not. It still takes more than a monkey and two trainees to run that ship.


17. "Captain Chekov" Talks To Sybok
This is a nice scene.  It gives Koenig a cute moment without being silly.  Plus, again, it moves the story forward.


18. Uhura's Fan Dance
One of the worst scenes in the film.  Some argue that Uhura wouldn't dance naked to distract the lookout party.  I feel she would, but it's irrelevant.  The scene is just too silly.  Though I liked the way one of the men says "Ohhh... damn!"


19. The Fight On Nimbus III To Rescue The Hostages
Wow!!  An excellent scene!  One of the best in the film.  This is the only ground-fighting we've ever scene in the Star Trek films, and is directed great! Nice reminder these are military people who've worked well as a unit for thirty years ("Sulu, take out that light!") Nicest phaser stuns I've ever seen (you could feel the impact).


20. Kirk Fights A Feline Alien
Definitely weak.  The scene is clunky and the cougar sound effects make the scene laughable instead of exciting. Though the rest of the scene is okay.


21. Sybok Captures Kirk, Spock, And McCoy
A good scene.  Sybok's talk with Spock is very good, and some of the shots use a well-done "hand-held" camera shot.  


22. The Emergency Shuttle Landing Plan "B"
Another good scene.  The "B" dialouge is cute, but not bad.  The shuttle thrusting into the Enterprise is exciting and well-done. Also nice to see Kirk and the general relate to each other as military men.


23. Kirk Fights Sybok/Spock Confronts Sybok
Yet another good scene.  The hand-to-hand between Kirk and the much-stronger Sybok is good.  And the confrontation between Sybok and Spock is tense.  That look on Kirk's face as he turns his back on Spock is packed with emotion.


24. Kirk Confronts Spock In The Brig
Unfortunately, this scene, where Spock tells Kirk that Sybok is his brother, is inferior.  It's a bit goofy and Shatner runs his lines too fast.  Plus, they all act a bit immature, which is out of character.  While the actors were having fun, which is nice to see, this wasn't Captain Kirk, first officer Spock and Doctor McCoy talking. I can accept it a little more as Jim, Spock and Bones, but mostly it just looks like Bill, Leonard and De. It's fun, but detracts from the characters. Although the brig looks great, and the "Goddamned ass" line is a hoot.  Plus, we actually get to see a toilet on the Enterprise, since that's what Kirk sits on.  Luckily, the scene is short and gets some needed explanations out.  


25. Chekov Is Put Under Sybok's Control
A quick scene that moves the story forward.  Credible, but not much else.


26. Kirk Attempts To Escape The Brig
A cute scene, that also shows Kirk wasn't really that angry with Spock.  Nice tuck-and-roll by Bill. Prison breaks are also a classic Trek device. Not bad.


27. Sybok's Speech
A great, well-directed scene.  Sybok's revelation is interesting and leaves us wanting more.  The only thing that hurts it is the fact that Trekkers in the audience were asking "Isn't the Great Barrier on the OUTSIDE of the galaxy?"


28. The Jailbreak
Another "cutesy" scene, but not bad.


29. Scotty Bangs His Head
This scene was a bit too silly.   It did get laughs from the audience, so it served its purpose. But it looks like something that belongs in a Vaudeville show rather than a Star Trek film.  I don't think it's "offensive" like some others do, I just feel it's weak. Which is a shame, since up until that point, the scene is very good. Whatever else you want to say, Jimmy gives it his all- that's one heck of a fall for a man in his shape and age. It was also nice to see Sulu sprinting through the corridors, finding Scotty and giving orders.


30. The Journey Up The Turboshaft
A weak scene.  Yes, the ship has too many decks.  Yes, the decks are shown out of order as they fly up.  But it's the unbelievability and goofiness of the overall scene that hurts it more than anything.


31. The Talk With Sybok/Revelations Of Secret Pain
Great scenes!  Only the annoying breif cutaway to Uhura and Scotty hurts it.  Kirk's distress call, Sybok talking of Sha-Ka-Ree, the death of McCoy's father, Spock witnessing his birth, Kirk giving us great "Kirk" lines like "I NEED my pain!" all well-done.   A pivotal scene, especially for McCoy. Great to see De ACT again. A well-cast actor as Sarek, and Mark Lenard did the two-word voice-over. And it ends on a very emotional note.  The expression on Sybok's face when Kirk tells him he's mad.  "Am I?  ...we'll see."  Fantastic.


32. Full Ahead Through The Great Barrier
Another good scene.  "Are we dreaming?" "If we are, then life is a dream." Great lines.  The speaking of different languages of "Eden" is also a great touch.  But... all that talk about how it's impenetrable, then they get through with no problem? Only this and the sub-level "swirling liquid" effect of the Great Barrier hurts the scene.


33. The Exploration Of Sha-Ka-Ree
A credible scene, the only drawback is that it runs a bit too long.  But the scenery is wonderful.  And the SFX of the columns is not bad. Though Kirk would never flip open his communicator and be at a loss for words.


34. The Revelation Of "God"
The dialouge is okay, but "God" constantly changing size is a bit distracting.  Some bad SFX hurt this scene and the scenes that follow. Though the beam of light cutting across the Enterprise was nice.


35. The Battle With "God"
This is a bit better.  The lines  "Excuse me...What does God need with a starship?" and other lines help this scene a lot.  Classic Kirk logic, usually applied to destroy computers, used nicely here with "God." Nice bravado on everyone's part, with De showing McCoy's fear but standing up anyway. Perfect characterizations. The TOS sound effect of the torpedo is great, too.


36. Klaa's Demands
A good scene.  Especially Spock's line "Damn you, sir.  You WILL try."


37. Kirk Is Alone
Again, the "God" SFX hurt this scene.  Other than that, this scene is good.


38. The Rescue Of Kirk
This is a good scene.  The "Klingon bastards" line is good for fans.  Fast-paced, and enjoyable as "God" bites the dust.  Nice pose as Jim gets beamed up. And the "Not in front of the Klingons" line is very funny.


39. Cosmic Thoughts
This scene is great.  Kirk saying that God is really in the human heart, that he was glad to get his "brother" (Spock) back after losing him... and the revelation that he feels the Triad is really a family.  The deep "other men have families" thoughts are close to the original "no beach to walk on" lament of TOS. These men have chosen their lives, and sacrifice is a part of it. Very nice.  Kirk's grin says it all.


40. Finale
Not a bad final scene.  Kind of limp, but it's a nice bookend to the earlier campfire scene.  So the singing isn't that great!  Heck, it's not supposed to be!  The pan up the forest, to the mountains, to outer space is a nice way to end the film. Brilliant touch to pull that old Vulcan harp out of mothballs.


The film is flawed, yes. But it has many strengths. It explores the friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy better than any other Star Trek film. Arguably, it has a faster pace than The Motion Picture and The Search For Spock, has more heart than The Undiscovered Country, and has more depth than Generations and in many ways First Contact.

The main weaknesses in the film are the sub-standard special effects during the climax (This was because ILM was unavailable during the making of this film) and the sillier moments (which Shatner was pressured into adding into the film by Paramount, due to the success of humor in Star Trek 4. However, humor is not proper in the tone of this story). The film also takes a while to actually "get moving."  Plus, everyone knows that Kirk & Company could never really find the REAL "God".   Also, Paramount forced Shatner to tone down his original ideas for the storyline. There they would've fought the forces of the unknown in lakes of fire. They would've battled everything from gargoyles to giant rockmen. But Paramount's purse strings were pulled tight. Shatner's direction was fine (such as the camera angles and the timing and blocking of the actors and sets). It arguably felt more cinematic than Nimoy's directoral debut in Star Trek III., which for the most part was mostly bland TV-like medium shots.  

Meeting God and he's insane, or some variation on that theme, is an idea Gene Rodenberry worked with for decades; it was a nice homage to him before his death that this was a theme of the movie.

Here's a nice statement by Patrick McClelland:

"William Shatner is more than just an actor. Shatner's Kirk is the embodiment of the self-actualized perfect man that humanists and existential philosophers have discussed and dreamed about for centuries.

In the 1960's a huge upheaval was happening in the social order. The humanistic psychologies and utopian ideas about man that had been driven underground for a millennia were surfacing and becoming transformed and transmitted into the   mainstream of modern culture. Star Trek was transmitted to millions via television in 1967. Gene Roddenberry's utopian   ideas that were based on many humanistic ideals were now brought out into the science fiction format (the latest and most   sophisticated story device up to present times). People in the sixties responded with fervor; and when the show was   canceled in 1969 a large group of the public responded in an outcry. No other television show before or since has had   that kind of impact.

Shatner was the center piece of Star Trek. His confident, dashing character with a compassionate nature was perfect; and nobody could have done it better. Combined with the coldly rational, but capable of genuine human emotion alien,   Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the old fashioned, pragmatic, moralistic Dr. McCoy (Deforest Kelly), the show was   unstoppable. And like people in the sixties, the characters would explore strange new worlds, and try to make sense out of the universe that was brand new.

Twenty years after the show was canceled four Star Trek movies had been made. However, none of the movies werereally anything like the original premise of the television show. Star Trek V The Final Frontier was going to deliver what the other movies had missed out on. Shatner would direct it; and it would prove to be the only Star Trek movie that would explore the same humanistic ideas that the television show had so boldly explored.

There is no question that Shatner had a real understanding of what Star Trek was all about. Perhaps that is why in the cynical and oppressive 1990's Shatner's movies and himself have been so highly criticized. After all, it is not Shatner that we hate so much, but ourselves and our failure as science fiction fans to do anything about the obvious stifling, de-humanizing lives we have found ourselves in. We don't want to hear that "God is in the human heart" as Shatner says at the end of S.T. V. People would rather hear that some being "out there" is going to save us and we can't be held   responsible for what happens to us. Yes, Kirk would be ashamed of the typical Sci-Fi geek of the modern age for his cowardice and apathy.

Star Trek V shows us everything, God, sacrifice, but most of all it showed us that the bond between three men that have been through and seen the universe together is inseparable and can't be broken, even if promised paradise. Kirk throws paradise away for humanity and the eternal struggle. That is the superman of Nietcze! And when people say they HATE [the film], what they really are hating is their own weakness and failure to become super human." -- Patrick McClelland

I feel this film, though not the best of the bunch, was closest in spirit to the original series.

To Summarize:
Star Trek V is a flawed film, but it's not without some excellent moments.  Not the best of the Star Trek films, but it's far from the worst.  It's a movie made for fans of The Original Series.  And for that, I and many other fans are grateful.


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