Ricky Church on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country…
To say Star Trek changed the pop culture landscape when it premiered in 1966 is an understatement to say the least. When the television series got revitalized as feature films and led to a spin-off/soft reboot with Star Trek: The Next Generation and an entirely new cast, it begged the question of just how long The Original Series cast would keep boldly going with their adventures. That question was answered with 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. While a few TOS actors would briefly reprise their roles in future Star Trek media, this film marked the final time the original cast were all together for one last adventure on the USS Enterprise.
The Undiscovered Country finds the Klingon Empire in a state of disarray after a disaster destroys one of their moons, threatening their planet and future. The Klingons, after decades of conflict with the Federation, sue for peace since they can no longer afford ongoing hostilities and will need the Federation’s help. Captain Kirk and the Enterprise are charged with beginning peace talks with the Klingons, something Kirk is deeply reluctant to do after Klingons killed his son in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. While hosting the peace talks, the Klingon Chancellor is assassinated and Kirk and Dr. McCoy are framed for their murders, leaving it up to Spock to clear their names and discover a wide ranging conspiracy acting against the prospect of peace.
The film came at a very significant time for the franchise. The previous film, The Final Frontier, did not get a very warm reception from both critics and fans. With 1991 being the franchise’s 25th anniversary, Paramount wanted to do something special and after vetoing an idea of a prequel featuring Kirk and Spock in the Academy (with some elements being later absorbed into the 2009 reboot Star Trek), a swan song for the original cast was decided on. With Star Trek always having reflected aspects of real-world problems, Spock actor Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer developed an idea based on the real-life events of Chernobyl, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. After all, the Klingons in The Original Series was something of a metaphor for Russia and the tension between the US and Soviet Union so it only made sense to examine the end of the Cold War, especially since the Federation and Klingon Empire were on much better terms in The Next Generation and could show how the two factions got there.
Aside from the real-world aspects to the film, Undiscovered Country is a great character-driven story for both Kirk and Spock. Kirk is understandably bitter towards the Klingons for the death of his son, enough so to actually tell Spock “Let them die” and speak his view of how their race cannot be trusted. Throughout the first half of the film Kirk is not acting very Kirk-like as he is subtly hostile to Chancellor Gorkin and his entourage, likening their need for expansion to Hitler in the years before World War II. In other circumstances nobody would ever think Kirk capable of assassinating an ambassador, but it is because of his open hatred for Klingons that make him such a great scapegoat to frame.
It is not often a franchise is willing to take their main hero into an unlikeable place, but Undiscovered Country does just that with Kirk as he says thing out of character and is later confronted by it. The look on Kirk’s face when he hears his log at his trial about how he can never forgive the Klingons or to hear his words “let them die” said back to him verbatim once they uncover a culprit in the conspiracy is something both wonderful and tragic for the character’s development. That he learns he indirectly inspired a promising young Starfleet officer to assassination and sabotage a chance for peace is a devastating blow, but one that helps him confront the dark prejudices within. As he tells Spock, he never considered Gorkin was actually serious about peace, a possibility Gorkin called “the undiscovered country”, and allowed his grief for his son to turn into something ugly.
Undiscovered Country really is a great meditation on age and prejudices not just for Kirk, but for Spock as well. While Spock is not prejudiced toward the Klingons or other races, he has what he calls a presumptive arrogance at believing he could volunteer the Enterprise without discussing it with Kirk or believing his protege Valeris would make an excellent officer strictly because of her accomplishments as a Vulcan. It culminates in one of the best scenes between William Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock reflect on their prejudices as Spock asks “Is it possible we two, you and I, have become so old and so inflexible we have outlived out usefulness?” Their scene connects so many of the film’s themes and helps Kirk realize the dream of the undiscovered country by the film’s conclusion when they once again save the day.
The story is also a very prescient one that continues to hold significance. The possibility of the Federation and Klingons ending their decades-long feud created a frightful prospect for several of the parties in the conspiracy. For the Klingons, some believed it would lead to the end of their culture and traditions. For Starfleet, it meant giving the Klingons a continued role in galactic politics and a chance to regain strength. For the Romulans, it was a possible alliance between the Federation and Empire. Throughout history, especially in the last few decades, we have seen parties sabotage chances at peace and better futures for their own selfish goals and given the current politics of today where cynicism, fear-mongering, tribalism and absolutism are all too prevalent, The Undiscovered Country seems particularly relatable. Nevermind the fact the conspirators ironically achieved more working together than apart as they created a technological marvel in a Klingon Bird of Prey that could fire when cloaked, something thought impossible for any ship before this film.
While the film is undoubtably Kirk, Spock and McCoy’s show, the rest of the cast is equally great. George Takei may not appear as much as the rest of the Enterprise crew, but the fact Sulu went from being a bridge officer to the captain of his very own starship is a huge moment for the character. It’s no wonder Star Trek Into Darkness made such a big deal out of Sulu briefly taking command of the Enterprise and the fact Sulu disobeys Starfleet orders to discreetly help Kirk and the Enterprise, going so far as to join them in the final battle, adds so much depth to his loyalty and character as a captain. Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols and James Doohan all get great beats as well and the new characters are quite memorable. Sex and the City‘s Kim Catrall as Valeris (who was originally intended to be Saavik from the earlier films) is an interesting addition as Spock’s protege, enough so that it is a surprise when her involvement in the conspiracy is revealed. David Werner’s Gorkin is unlike any Klingon seen before as he is very earnest in his desire for peace and Christopher Plummer is delightfully hammy and menacing as Chang, a Klingon general who wants nothing more than to meet Kirk in battle while spouting Shakespeare.
Beyond the character development and timely relevance both then and now, Undiscovered Country boasts the best effects of the Original Series films. It is a perfect blend of practical effects, stuntwork and computer effects, especially in regards to the zero-gravity moments during Gorkin’s assassination where the Klingons are floating helplessly in zero-G while the assassins calmly walk in their spacesuits shooting Klingons as they go with blood floating all around. The finale where the Enterprise and Excelsior are ambushed by Chang’s Bird of Prey is matched only by Wrath of Khan‘s battle in the nebula. The tension, effects, music, acting all combine to make an exhilarating climax where the Enterprise use a pretty ingenious method to defeat Chang. The Kirk we see who saves the Federation Chancellor and delivers a stirring speech to him and Gorkin’s daughter on the undiscovered country and how people can be frightened of change is a more familiar Kirk, one who has reconciled his prejudices with the hope of the future.
For a film that sees the original cast all together one last time, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a perfect swan song for Shatner, Nimoy, Kelly, Koenig, Nichols, Doohan and Takei. The moment Kirk orders the Enterprise to engage on a leisurely pace to dock and we see the crew on the bridge in the final shot is a very bittersweet moment. It’s incredible that something as simple as showing the actors autographs during the credits can evoke so much emotion as it signals an end of an era, something even Avengers: Endgame paid homage to with the six original Avengers. With its story, timeliness and focus on characters, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country stands among the best of the entire Star Trek franchise.
SEE ALSO: To Boldly Go: Ranking Every Star Trek Movie From Worst To Best
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
