Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

[Doug Palumbo]

Read the background of the film, how it was rushed into production and how everything was pretty much stacked against it, then watch it. I did just that recently.

Easily, my second favorite of the first nine Trek films, after Wrath of Khan.

I will go into more detail after others have a chance to chime in.

[marcoshark]

Feel the same way, myself. Despite it's flaws, it's very enjoyable

[Doug Palumbo]

Humor, comradery, action, social commentary...good film and excellent addition to the Trek mythos.

[Eric Renderking Fisk]

There are some technical details of the movie that grates on my nerves, which is why I think there are aspects of the film that really needed to be refined and given more attention.

How come at warp speed it takes The Enterprise days to get to Nimbus 3 which is relatively close, but hours to get to the center of the galaxy that's hundreds or thousands of times farther? How come a ship with only 20 some odd decks has almost 100 levels? Why is it that when ever there's a crisis, The Enterprise is always the closest ship avaible. If there is another ship that's closer, how come Jim Kirk (or Picard) are the only men for the job?

Crap! Hope they never die because if they do... the Federation will cease to exist!

The basic premise of the film was really exciting, an entity claiming to be God needed a ride to get out of it's prison in the center of the galaxy! It wanted to ask so many though questions but failed... who or what is God? I remember reading the book that Shatner's daughter wrote about the behind-the-scenes experience and I have to admit, He was screwed. They really shorted him.

Should have been a better movie.

[DLFerguson]

Eric,

You've hit on the one thing that always cracks me up when I watch a STAR TREK movie: no matter what the problem, no matter where it is, the Enterprise is always the only ship able to respond to the crisis. Even if it's disabled and has no crew, it is always the only ship the Federation has available.

Makes you wonder why they even have a Starfleet, don't it?

[marcoshark]

I do remember that Shatner did not even have a sufficient FX budget to hire ILM. So he had to use stock FX and hire out for the cheap, I just remembered something.. One of my old pals who use to work in the visual effects business in NYC, told me that there was a group out in Hoboken, NJ that was shooting some of the opticals for ST-V. They actually had one of the larger miniatures of the Enterprise there.

[News Hound]

I do remember that Shatner did not even have a sufficient FX budget to hire ILM. So he had to use stock FX and hire out for the cheap, I just remembered something.. One of my old pals who use to work in the visual effects business in NYC, told me that there was a group out in Hoboken, NJ that was shooting some of the opticals for ST-V. They actually had one of the larger miniatures of the Enterprise there.

Would they want to be in a future Fedora Chronicles podcast?

[marcoshark]

Would love to help here, but I haven't been in contact with this person in years.

Would they want to be in a future Fedora Chronicles podcast?

[Bazooka Goof]

Eric,

You've hit on the one thing that always cracks me up when I watch a STAR TREK movie: no matter what the problem, no matter where it is, the Enterprise is always the only ship able to respond to the crisis. Even if it's disabled and has no crew, it is always the only ship the Federation has available.

Makes you wonder why they even have a Starfleet, don't it?

I remember some Japanese comic book poking fun at that- they had an entire series (I think it was called Star Trekker, but I'm not positive) that explained why Star Trek always focused on the crew of the Enterprise: because everyone else in the Federation was a complete idiot.

The series featured a Constitution-class starship with a female captain who always carried a baseball bat and beat the crap out of her crewmates/Klingon enemies. She always had the ship fire first, and generally her ship ended up separating the saucer section and the secondary hull exploding, destroying any surviving enemies.

When she took the Koybayashi Maru test, she ordered the ship to fire on Koybayashi- which blew up the ship, and ended up detonating all the Klingon ships as well. ("I gave them a swift death as opposed to capture & torture by Klingons.") - Kirk flunked her for that, and she called him an asshole.

In one especially hilarious episode that paralleled The Voyage Home, her ship became disabled by the probe, and in a childish act of revenge, she orders the ship to do a time-warp around the sun so she can go back to 1987 and eat one of the whales.

Hey, I just searched Amazon and found it:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-trekker-Atel ... B0006OVFWC

At least I know I wasn't dreaming the whole thing.

Oh, and back to the topic- Star Trek 5 blew donkey balls. But don't take my word for it- just Click Here!

[DLFerguson]

I actually enjoy the scenes with Kirk, Spock and McCoy on vacation together. People always rag on that scene but for me that's what made STAR TREK's original crew so memorable: we honestly believe that the seven of them are really friends. And I gained an even deeper respect for the acting ability of the original cast when I found out that most of them actively hated William Shatner, especially George Takei and Jimmy Doohan. Doohan refused to talk to Shatner until and unless they had to do scenes together. But you'd never know that from seeing them on screen together.

[Doug Palumbo]

I actually enjoy the scenes with Kirk, Spock and McCoy on vacation together. People always rag on that scene but for me that's what made STAR TREK's original crew so memorable: we honestly believe that the seven of them are really friends. And I gained an even deeper respect for the acting ability of the original cast when I found out that most of them actively hated William Shatner, especially George Takei and Jimmy Doohan. Doohan refused to talk to Shatner until and unless they had to do scenes together. But you'd never know that from seeing them on screen together.

For me, this is what saves the movie. Also the scene in 10 Forward (or whatever they call it) with Sybok and McCoy is handled very well. Nice insight into the character.

[DLFerguson]

The thing about the scene between Sybok and Dr. McCoy is that it works because it doesn't violate anything that has been established about the character and actually explains why he so fanatically determined to preserve life. It's a powerful scene and one that should have been in a better movie.

However, the whole thing with Sybok being Spock's brother is total and utter garbage. Even the scriptwriters knew it was garbage when during the scene when Kirk, Spock and McCoy are in the brig, Kirk flat out tells Spock to his face that the notion of Spock ever having a brother is bovine excrement. And he's right. There's no way you can convince me that after all they've been through and 30/40 years of friendship, Spock would never once mention that he had a brother.

[Eric Renderking Fisk]

I remember seeing it in the theater and having that same reaction, people actually YELLED "nonsense!" at the screen.

If Sybok was just another Vulcan, not Spock's brother, and they knew of each other before Spock's years in Starfleet - it would have been a better movie.

My issue with the Spock's brother is that this all turns Star Trek into a aristocracy - only the elites make it out into space, only those born into the "space ferrying class" are able to leave the planet and have adventures.

[Cousi]

One of my old pals who use to work in the visual effects business in NYC, told me that there was a group out in Hoboken, NJ that was shooting some of the opticals for ST-V.

That same outfit did the 'horses in the river' scene in Fellowship of the Ring if I remember correctly.

If Sybok was just another Vulcan, not Spock's brother, and they knew of each other before Spock's years in Starfleet - it would have been a better movie.

This is where these executives who are ignorant of their product come in. Someone with political pull in the production company probably said "hey, wouldn't it be cool if this guy was Spock's brother?" Everyone who knew the property probably inwardly cringed then said "hey - great idea!" and kept their jobs.

[DLFerguson]

I remember seeing it in the theater and having that same reaction, people actually YELLED "nonsense!" at the screen.

If Sybok was just another Vulcan, not Spock's brother, and they knew of each other before Spock's years in Starfleet - it would have been a better movie.

My issue with the Spock's brother is that this all turns Star Trek into a aristocracy - only the elites make it out into space, only those born into the "space ferrying class" are able to leave the planet and have adventures.

See, that was what pissed me off as well. Why not just simply have Sybok be another Vulcan, maybe he and Spock grew up together and leave it at that? Why did he have to be Spock's brother?

I do admit that the notion of a Vulcan who rejects logic and embraces emotionalism is a fascinating notion and one I'd love to see followed up with another character in another STAR TREK series.

And don't give me that look. You know another one's comin'...it's just a matter of time.