{"id":22485,"date":"2022-12-10T15:48:38","date_gmt":"2022-12-10T15:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/10\/why-the-undiscovered-country-is-the-best-star-trek-film-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-12-10T15:48:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T15:48:38","slug":"why-the-undiscovered-country-is-the-best-star-trek-film-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/10\/why-the-undiscovered-country-is-the-best-star-trek-film-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"Why \u2018The Undiscovered Country\u2019 is the Best \u2018Star Trek\u2019 Film \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"The
Rob Lavers RIBA ARPS\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In November, a friend challenged me to watch all six classic Star Trek<\/em> films starring the original cast before the end of the month. Of course, I accepted, and by the time I finished, I came away with the notion that the series\u2019s final film was the best. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

A Star Trek<\/em> Allegory at Its Best<\/h2>\n
\"Plato
delcarmat\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019ve ever wondered why so many people treat Star Trek<\/em> like a religion, it\u2019s because many of its stories harness the storytelling power of allegory. They address real-life scenarios and teach moral lessons by placing the crew in an ethical conundrum that forces them to make hard choices and where there are often no good answers.<\/p>\n

Classic examples of allegorical storytelling in Trek include \u201cThe Doomsday Machine,\u201d which used an allegory of a planet-killing entity for the destructive power of an H-Bomb. \u201cA Private Little War\u201d saw the Klingons and the Federation provide private cultures with advanced weaponry as an allegory for the ongoing Vietnam War, where the Americans and the Soviet Union were locked in a proxy battle using the Vietnamese as stand-ins. And \u201cLet That Be Your Last Battlefield\u201d addressed the racial tensions in 1960s America.<\/p>\n

These allegories were sorely missing in Star Trek<\/em> films. When they did address current-day topics, like in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home<\/em>, no allegory was employed. Rather, they spelled out that humans killed all the Humpback Whales, and it was necessary to travel back in time to get some back to save Earth from a mysterious probe looking for them. And while Voyage Home<\/em> is a great watch, it often feels hamfisted with its messaging. \u201cSave the whales\u201d might as well have been plastered all over the screen.<\/p>\n

The allegory in Star Trek VI<\/em> is the ending of the cold war. And in 1991, that was about as current-day as it got. The premise, as director Nicolas Meyer puts it, was \u201cwhat if the wall came down in space,\u201d and was inspired by a walk on the beach with Spock actor Leonard Nimoy.<\/p>\n

The begging of the film is the Klingon Empire\u2019s (again a stand-in for the Soviet Union with the Federation playing the United States) primary energy production facility exploding, leading to the imminent collapse of the empire, which then reaches out to the Federation for peace negotiations. It\u2019s an obvious nod to the real-life nuclear disaster at Chornobyl in 1986, which kicked off a series of events that eventually led to the collapse of the communist empire.<\/p>\n

And in classic Trek fashion, themes of prejudice, aging, faith, hope, and more hang heavy in every scene of the film. Kirk must deal with his bigotry toward Klingons that began when a rouge crew murdered his son David in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock<\/em>. Spock faces the challenges of his faith in the logic that \u201cthe universe will unfold as it should.\u201d And Dr. McCoy\u2019s surgical skills fail him during his attempt to save the Klingon chancellor after an assassination plot. Every scene in this film is layered with meaning, subtext, and consequence. A thing that several Star Trek<\/em> films before just don\u2019t replicate.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Slow Burning Suspense Ride that Doesn\u2019t Let Up<\/h2>\n

Some lesser Star Trek<\/em> films leave you bored and wondering when something important or exciting will happen. Star Trek: The Motion Picture<\/em> and Star Trek V<\/em> are the worst offenders in this regard. This is not the case in The Undiscovered Country<\/em>. From the moment Praxis explodes to the moment the Enterprise<\/em> flies into the sunset, each scene builds upon the last in a tightly-woven, perfectly-paced action-adventure story presented as a political thriller, courtroom drama, prison break film, and murder mystery. No superfluous scenes, throw-away lines of dialogue, or fourth-wall-breaking gags drag the movie from the story unfolding in front of your eyes. It\u2019s a pure gripping story from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not to say that lighter films like Star Trek VI<\/em> are an unwelcome change of pace or that the brilliant work in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn<\/em> doesn\u2019t share a similar gripping structure. It\u2019s simply to say that after five films, Nicholas Meyer and company finally unlocked the formula of a perfect Star Trek<\/em> film and executed it accordingly.<\/p>\n

The Best Cast Star Trek<\/em> Film<\/h2>\n
\"Actor
Debby Wong\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After three seasons of live television, two years of an animated show, and five films, the original cast of Star Trek<\/em> is undoubtedly at its best in this film. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForrest Kelly, and the rest wear their characters like a set of old clothes that fit perfectly but somehow retain their sense of newness. However, the ancillary cast is arguably the best casting decision ever made in a Star Trek<\/em> film. Here\u2019s a rundown of the guest stars in The Undiscovered Country<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Christopher Plummer as General Chang<\/strong>: For my money, Captain Von Trapp from The Sound of Music<\/em> is the most brilliantly portrayed Klingon in all of Star Trek<\/em>. He\u2019s not the bloodthirsty warrior like Christopher Lloyd\u2019s Captain Kruge in Star Trek III<\/em> and Todd Bryant\u2019s Captain Klaa in Star Trek V<\/em>. Instead, he\u2019s cold, calculating, and refined. Versed in the classics of Earth\u2019s literature, he\u2019s constantly quoting Shakespeare in a way only a classically trained actor can. Chang rivals Kahn from Star Trek II<\/em> as one of the greatest Trek villains of all time.<\/p>\n

Kim Cattrall as Lt. Valeris<\/strong>: The future Sex in The City<\/em> star brings grace and femininity to the often stodgy Vulcan species. And those aspects of her character complement the cool logic of the race in a way that isn\u2019t replicated anywhere else in the franchise (sorry, T\u2019Pol). Her character was initially written to be the return of fan-favorite Lt. Saavik. However, the character was changed when Kirstie Alley and Robin Curtis proved unavailable to reprise the role. And that\u2019s a good thing, as the character\u2019s resolution wouldn\u2019t have sat well with long-time fans of the franchise.<\/p>\n

Kurtwood Smith as The President of the United Federation of Planets<\/strong>: In addition to being a murder-mystery sci-fi action adventure film, The Undiscovered Country<\/em> is an intergalactic political drama that involves the highest levels of the Federation government. The movie\u2019s events require the intervention (or non-intervention) of the rarely depicted president of the Federation, and Kurtwood Smith brings poise and gravitas to the role. And with his alien makeup, you won\u2019t even recognize him as Red from That \u201970s Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n

David Warner as Chancellor Gorkon<\/strong>: Star Trek<\/em> is famous for reusing actors in different roles across films and series. We last saw David Warner in Star Trek V<\/em> as St. John Talbot. A rather forgettable part. In The Undiscovered Country<\/em>, he plays the stand-in for former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. And he brings dignity and solemnity to the role. And the weight of the character\u2019s death early in the film fills the rest of the movie with a sense of dire consequence and high stakes.<\/p>\n

Brock Peters as Admiral Cartwright<\/strong>: We last saw this character in Star Trek IV<\/em>, but he didn\u2019t have a large part. And while Admiral Cartwright is only in a handful of scenes in this film, it\u2019s good to see a returning face. Peters brings a sense of continuity between the movies and contributes heavily to the themes of prejudice and war. He commands attention in every scene he appears in.<\/p>\n

Notable smaller parts in the film include the return of Grace Lee Whitney, reprising her role of Janice Rand on board the Sulu-commanded U.S.S. Excelsior<\/em>, and Michael Dorn portraying Colonel Worf, the namesake of the actor\u2019s famous Next Generation character. Plus, we see Rosanna Desoto as the shapeshifting siren Martia and Christian Slater, who has a cameo as a crewman that gets snapped at by Captain Sulu in one of the tensest moments in the film.<\/p>\n

The Enterprise<\/em> is Firing on All Thrusters<\/h2>\n
\"USS
Anna Gawlik\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It can\u2019t be overstated how vital the Starship Enterprise<\/em> is to Star Trek<\/em>. However, it might interest you to know that in all the classic Trek films up to this point, there has always been something wrong with the ship that kept it from performing at full capacity. In The Motion Picture<\/em>, it wasn\u2019t ready for action and had to launch prematurely. In The Wrath of Kahn<\/em>, it was crewed by Starfleet cadets when it was called into action. In The Search for Spock<\/em>, the ship was still severely damaged from the battle in the previous film. The Enterprise<\/em> didn\u2019t even appear until the final moments of The Voyage Home<\/em> on account of being destroyed in The Search for Spock<\/em>. In The Final Frontier<\/em>, the new Enterprise<\/em> wasn\u2019t ready for action and constantly glitched and sputtered out. The Undiscovered Country<\/em>, ironically, is the only time in the films we see the Enterprise<\/em> operating as it should with an entire crew of trained Starfleet officers onboard.<\/p>\n

It Portrays Starfleet and Its Officers at Their Finest<\/h2>\n

As crucial as the Enterprise<\/em> is to Star Trek<\/em>, Starfleet is even more so. And portraying them as qualified semi-military professionals is one of the things that Star Trek VI<\/em> does wonderfully. A thousand little moments show how every character is immersed in the Starfleet organization. For instance, there\u2019s a short scene where Captain Kirk enters the bridge of the Enterprise<\/em>, and Lt. Valeris calls out \u201cCaptain on the Bridge\u201d and rises to her feet.<\/p>\n

After a brief exchange with Kirk and Spock, they return to the technical business of launching the Enterprise<\/em> from spacedock. The nautical commands Kirk gives, like \u201cone-quarter impulse power\u201d to leave the docking station and Valeris reminding him that Starfleet regulations stipulate \u201cthrusters only while is spacedock,\u201d shows that these characters live and breathe the world of Starfleet and that they\u2019re committed to its mission and ideals. The film is filled with small nods like this and sells the notion of a highly professional crew, which is often missing from other films and TV shows that treat them as an afterthought or use them flippantly.<\/p>\n

So Many Top-Notch Scenes<\/h2>\n
\"The
Pixelbliss\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The writing in this film is arguably the tightest and most compelling of any movie in the franchise. As I mentioned before, the film is a slow burn that doesn\u2019t let up or give you satisfaction until the very end scene. But even among those scenes, a bunch stand out as classic trek moments.<\/p>\n

For instance, the briefing scene that lays out the mission Captain Kirk and company must undertake to bring the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council to Earth for peach negotiations is a masterclass of minimal filmmaking and perfectly lays out the emotional stakes of the film. It ends with a rare confrontation between Kirk and Spock when the Vulcan implores the Captain to consider that the Klingons are dying. \u201cLet them die!\u201d Kirk exclaims. Nothing could lay out his feelings more clearly.<\/p>\n

Another classic scene for the Trek ages is the one depicting the State dinner on board the Enterprise<\/em>, where the top officers of the ship host the Klingon delegation to a spread of blue food. This scene conveys the Klingon side of the stakes, as General Chang puts it, \u201cTo be, or not to be. That is the question which preoccupies our people, Captain Kirk.\u201d Of course, he follows up with, \u201cwe need breathing room,\u201d to which Kirk replies, \u201cEarth, Hitler, 1938,\u201d showing again precisely how he feels toward the Klingon Empire.<\/p>\n

Who could forget the trial scene where Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy are wrongly condemned for assassinating Chancellor Gorkon? Christopher Plummer chews the scenery in the best way possible as he grills the two Starfleet officers while quoting\u00a0Shakespeare yet again. \u201cWhat would your favorite author say, Captain? Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings?\u201d And then, he proceeds to lay out Kirk\u2019s supposed motives for murdering the Chancellor as revenge for the death of his son. It\u2019s chilling stuff and executed brilliantly. It\u2019s also the moment we learn what the \u201cT.\u201d stands for in \u201cJames T. Kirk.\u201d<\/p>\n

I would be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention the climatic space battle between the Enterprise<\/em> and Chang\u2019s cloaked Bird of Prey, with Captain Sulu\u2019s Excelsior<\/em> coming in at the last second for an assist. While space battles are a staple of Star Trek<\/em> films, they\u2019re used sparingly throughout the film franchise up to this point. In The Motion Picture<\/em>, the Enterprise<\/em> fires a weapon precisely one time.<\/p>\n

The battles in the Wrath of Kahn<\/em> are slow burns that don\u2019t involve a lot of weapons fire. The battle in The Search for Spock<\/em> involved a single exchange of phaser power. The Voyage Home<\/em> doesn\u2019t even have a space battle. In The Final Frontier<\/em>, a Bird of Prey stalks the Enterprise<\/em> throughout the film, but the climactic battle never happens. So, it\u2019s refreshing to see The Enterprise<\/em> locked in a true-blue battle with a Klingon ship, even though it is invisible. \u201cI can see you, Kirk,\u201d Chang taunts over the Enterprise<\/em> comm system, \u201cCan you see me?\u201d<\/p>\n

But What About Wrath of Kahn<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

I can already hear many of you thinking, \u201cWell, this is all fine. But can\u2019t you also apply most of these points to Star Trek II<\/em>?\u201d After all, they have the same director, and the events of Wrath of Kahn<\/em> set up nearly everything that happens in subsequent films. I agree with this notion to an extent. However, there are slight flaws in Wrath<\/em> that technically give Undiscovered Country<\/em> the edge. For example, the matte paintings aren\u2019t always top-notch and take away from the believability of some of the scenes. The central theme of \u201cthe needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one\u201d is contrived. There\u2019s no reason for Spock to have said that phrase when it was first uttered. And while these are quibbles with that film, I need to point them out because I know I have to justify ranking this film over Wrath<\/em> in the minds of those who will read this.<\/p>\n

The Perfect Goodbye<\/h2>\n
\"Nichelle
s_bukley\/Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the film series, growing old and fulfilling your true purpose in life is a recurring theme. Captain Kirk is constantly struggling with his rank, position, and age. So, it\u2019s fitting that we see his final commands as the film\u2019s last scene once the Enterprise<\/em> crew has \u201csaved civilization as we know it.\u201d As Checkov puts it, \u201cSo, this is goodbye,\u201d and Uhura receives an order to return to spacedock to be decommissioned. To put a bow on the aging theme, Kirk\u2019s last order is to set a course of \u201csecond star to the right and straight on til morning.\u201d Followed by his last Captain\u2019s Log officially relinquishing the Enterprise<\/em> and her history to the next generation to boldly go where no one has gone before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n