Star Trek Movies

          The quarantine has given me the opportunity to show the Star Trek movies to my kids.  Although I had seen most of the movies, it’s been over 20 years since I’ve seen anything but the most recent series.  Once you start watching Star Trek you become aware of how much content is out there with all the different series.  Of the shows, I have seen two or three episodes of the original series.  I have seen perhaps a dozen episodes of The Next Generation, including the Best of Both Worlds, which sets up Star Trek First Contact.  I have seen two episodes of Deep Space Nine and one or two of Voyager. 

 

Spoilers below:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

I had not seen this film and due to its dull reputation when starting the series with my kids I did not want to start with it since I knew they might not stay engaged. Therefore I started with Space Seed of the original series and then went straight to Star Trek II.  However after finishing VI they were interested so we watched it.  It is more of an exploration film a la 2001 than a sci-fi action film.  Like 2001, there are a lot of slow paced sequences as the crew investigates a large cloud heading toward Earth that turns out to be an old Voyager probe turned sentient.  Director Robert Wise, of The Sound of Music and West Side Story, delivers a large scope and some of the shots of the Enterprise in the cloud must have looked impressive on the big screen.  Although the cloud is dangerous it is not hostile which is consistent with Gene Roddenberry’s overall vision.  

The idea is bigger than the characters who seem shoehorned in.  The white Enterprise bridge combined with the bright colored uniforms give the film a bland feel.  Kirk’s short sleeved uniform appears designed to show off his arms and looks too casual for a captain.  The line-readings are flat and there are a lot of scenes of the cast looking at the screen with awe and standing still.  The film is serious and humorless and this was the wrong story for Spock to have purged most of his emotion.  Even DeForest Kelly’s McCoy has little of his usual snark.  The central romance, between Decker and the Illia, is uninteresting though I enjoyed the jousting between Decker and Kirk.  Jerry Goldsmith’s score and the introductory shot of the Enterprise are highlights.  Also Kirk is addressed both as Admiral and Captain which I found confusing.  I would recommend it to serious Trekkers only **

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Director Nicholas Meyer, working with new executive producer Harve Bennett, created a sequel to Space Seed, which had an open ending in which Kirk had deposited Khan, a genetically enhanced human from the late 20^th century, on a planet and could lead his followers.  Picking up the story 15 years later gives the story more weight than if it had just been a year or so later on the show.  The duel between Kirk and Khan has an elaborate set up and then is paid off with two space ship equivalent of naval battles.  Kirk, Spock, and Chekov all have meaty stories and Meyer introduces a new Vulcan character, Saavik, played by Kirstie Alley, who continually tests Kirk’s mettle as she also aspires to be a captain. 

By allowing the characters to have aged alongside the actors Meyer (the first film took place soon after the series even though it was filmed about a decade later) allows them time to have reflected on their life decisions.  Kirk, who is now definitely an Admiral, has had a son after what was apparently a fling with scientist Dr. Carol Markus, but has not seen him grow up.  The rest of the crew are still in the field and all except Chekov are on the Enterprise for a practice run when Khan is inadvertently freed.

Ricardo Montalban brings a calculated rage to Khan, who after being deserted on a planet in which conditions turned worse than expected and killed his wife, wants revenge on Kirk for never moving his people elsewhere.  Montalban’s long grey hair and bulging chest muscle gives him a threatening look.

Meyer delivers with the first scene between Kirk and Khan in which the Reliant appears and the Enterprise crew can sense that something is off, but the scene is edited so that that they realize just an instant too late.  Although Khan and Kirk never meet face to face the big screens which they use to communicate are intimate enough that it feels as if they are in the same space.  Kirk and Spock’s ingenuity in quietly using Khan’s ignorance of Starfleet ships against him gives the scene a cheeky send off.  Shatner has fun when he teases what is about to happen, as Khan thinks he is about to receive the Genesis information when Kirk is actually ordering Spock to lower Reliant’s shields.  The tightness on Kirk’s lips saying “Fire” for the second shot sells it further.  Afterwards there is a clear human cost when Kirk visits the young cadets (established earlier) who were mortally wounded when Khan first fired.

This is also the film in which Spock dies.  Meyer sets up the mortality theme in the opening Kobyashi Maru scenario.  The only hint that this is a simulation is there is no exterior shot of the Enterprise. Later when it is revealed that Kirk had sidestepped the scenario it leaves him ill-prepared for Spock’s death.  When the ship is in danger Spock discretely leaves the bridge so Kirk does not notice and uses a little trickery to gain access to the radiation chamber to fix the warp drive.  After the ship escapes the glass separates the men and Spock’s struggle to hold his dignity while dying makes for a touching scene, lessened slightly by the fact that we know Spock was later revived.

The Genesis planet is more than just the MacGuffin.  Starfleet intends for it to use it for the use of humanity and Khan wants to use it as a weapon.  The biblical name and its initial presentation give a sense of its great potential.

Kirk’s meeting with his son seems to introduce a new opportunity for him.  Though he has lost one friend he now may have a chance to build a relationship with David, though that sadly never happens.

The late James Horner’s score includes an inspirational cue for the Genesis scene, a neat aggressive motif for Khan, contrasted by a softer theme for Kirk that cuts back and forth between them during the battle scenes. 

The Wrath of Khan is an enhanced subtitle than the original Revenge of Khan, which was changed when Return of the Jedi was expected to be titled Revenge of the Jedi. 

The Wrath of Khan is a stirring adventure.  The collection of characters, a classic villain, and the naval battle approach of the space scenes make it the gold standard of the Trek movies.  ****

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Leonard Nimoy had originally agreed to be killed off in Star Trek II in part because he was disheartened with the role and his association with it.  The positive experience of Star Trek II changed his perspective and Nimoy agreed to allow his character to be resurrected (hinted at the end of Star Trek II by placing Spock on Genesis) and after some wrangling with Paramount, secured the directing job as well. 

S      Star Trek III has some emotional elements built in, by sending the crew to go get Spock’s body from Genesis only to find him alive, but it also has some light hearted moments particularly when McCoy is acting like Spock in the early scenes.  Nimoy sets a quick pace to the proceedings and clearly knows the material.  While watching the film it is easy to get swept up in the quest but I think some of its big flaws prevent it from having the impact it should.

Some of them include:

•          If Starfleet will not give Kirk the Enterprise why does Kirk not just ask Sarek to take him?
•          The Genesis planet looks like a studio set. 
•          Saavik, now played by Robin Curtis, is just a functional character after being so key in II. 
•          Kruge, while played enthusiastically by Lloyd, has to follow Khan and is just greedy. 
•          When Kirk reviews footage from Spock’s death he is looking at a grainy videotape of Star Trek II, instead of what should be a single shot from an overhead angle.  Nimoy should have reshot the scene as the edits in the footage are jarring (he did the same thing in Star Trek IV, when showing “footage” of the Enterprise’s destruction).  

Also, the film undoes three of the biggest accomplishments of the previous film:

1.       Spock is brought back to life after so much emphasis is put on his passing in II.  As the entire film focuses on the logistics of this and the crew pays a high price I can let this go.
2.       Destroying the Genesis planet removes one of the most pure elements of Star Trek II.  A lot of effort went into its creation for it to be almost immediately destroyed.
3.       Kirk’s reunion with David is extremely short lived when he is killed by the Klingons.  For some reason Carol Markus is not even mentioned and she was the one closest to David. 

In summation it's a necessary film to watch in the series and has some moments but is less rewatchable.  ***

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Nimoy, who returned to the director’s chair for part IV, wanted to have a film without villains or battles.  In this story an alien probe looking to communicate with humpback whales inadvertently is threatening Earth.  Spock figures out the problem and discovers humpback whales have been extinct for years and so the crew goes back to 1980s San Francisco to get some. 

One of the smartest elements of the plot is that Spock needs to relearn how to integrate emotion into his interactions, which builds to the moment where agrees to help Chekov even though it is not necessary for the mission.  The interplay between McCoy, Spock and Kirk is exceptional, especially in the first act as they determine what action to take.  When the film gets to San Francisco the fish out of water elements are hilarious.    

Some highlights are:

1.          Spock’s utter lack of vanity mixed with his bungled attempts to use swear words ie “They are not the hell your whales”.  The headband and robe are fitting.
2.          Chekov asking about nuclear vessels in a Russian accent in 1980’s San Francisco and his exchange with the person interrogating him aboard the Enterprise.
3.          The hospital sequence in which McCoy is outraged at the “antiquated” medicinal practices.  

Catherine Hicks plays a marine biologist named Gillian at the aquarium in Sausalito which houses the whales and seems to be a budding love interest for Kirk.  She willingly goes “back to the future” with the crew but we never see her in future films.

The best way for a pop culture film to take up a cause without seeming preachy is to make it as entertaining as possible.  Star Trek IV certainly does so by having the whales be the MacGuffin and showing the crew save them from whalers so the audience can see, in a suspenseful way, what is happening to these creatures.  To this end I think if Gillian had stayed behind it might have made more sense as perhaps she could have advocated to save them so they would exist in the future.

Star Trek IV is a refreshing outing for the characters.  Nimoy and co-writer Nicholas Meyer make the most of the time traveling premise and it is a joy to see the characters in a recognizable setting.  ****

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

William Shatner directs this film which has a different feel from the others.  Interestingly it was the first one I saw in the cinemas and I remembered after I left I wondered if it might be the last, due in part to the title.  The Enterprise crew’s shore leave is cancelled to rescue hostages taken by Spock’s half- brother Sybok.  Sybok is using the hostages as bait to get a ship to pass the Great Barrier to find God.

Star Trek V is considered the black sheep of the series and has some obvious weaknesses though overall it is watchable and nowhere near as awful as its reputation.  The best Star Trek stories are character driven and this film has a concept that it tries to fit the characters into.  According to his book, Star Trek Movie Memories, Shatner had a lot of expensive ideas for the third act that ended up being heavily compromised.  The premise of looking for God is shaky in this type of film and there is no mention of faith.  The Great Barrier is a good idea but the film should have had something else beyond it.

Things I liked:

•          The Yosemite sequence shows the crew in a different environment.  I visited Yosemite a few months ago and it is beautiful so I appreciated these scenes.
•          Shatner shows us more of the ship than just the bridge and Kirk, Spock and McCoy are in a room where there is an old ship’s wheel.  The crew reports in casual clothing.
•          The scenes of Kirk, Spock and McCoy have some true depth.
•          The suggestion of an interracial romance was bold for 1989.
•          Laurence Luckinbill brings a presence to the park of Sybok.

Things I did not like:

•          The special effects are extremely poor.
•          There is almost no role for women and Uhura is used as a sexual object.
•          Sulu has nearly nothing to do.
•          The rest of the crew is converted by Sybok far too easily.
•          Although I like the scene would three men that age really sing “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat?”

I have no desire to revisit Star Trek V and nothing happens in it that is crucial to the series’ narrative.  I doubt this storyline would have been approved by Paramount had anyone but Shatner proposed it. **

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Or it could be called Star Trek VI: The Palette Cleanser, which is ultimately what this film was.  Paramount vacillated for a time to whether or not to make VI as Star Trek V made about half of what IV did.  After a couple of false starts Leonard Nimoy was hired to come up with a storyline and decided to mirror then current events and began developing an idea of the first steps of peace between Klingons and the Federation.  Paramount offered Nimoy the director’s chair but Nimoy declined to avoid the image that he was righting the ship after Shatner’s misfire and instead brought Nicholas Meyer back.

The storyline is a political thriller mixed in with a murder mystery.  Sulu, now captain of the Excelsior, witnesses a Klingon moon exploding and discovers that it is endangering their environment. Kirk, still bitter over the Klingon murder of David, reluctantly takes the Enterprise to a meeting with a group of Klingons in space to escort them to a peace conference.  After a tense dinner the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, who has been working on an agreement with Spock, is assassinated after it is made to appear the Enterprise fired on Gorkon’s ships.  Kirk and McCoy are put on trial and then taken to Rura Penthe, a wintry planet, while Spock and the rest of the crew try to solve the mystery of the attack.

The political elements of the film are intriguing.  Kirk’s storyline is commensurate with both his generation and personal views.  Spock represents the more rational view and is shown to be an effective captain with Kirk off the ship for half of the movie.  In his own way Spock rebels by always seeing the big picture and insisting on keeping the Enterprise near Kirk and McCoy, against orders.  Nimoy allows Spock a flash of anger when he slaps at a blaster held by Valeris, a new Vulcan character played by Kim Cattrall.

VI is packed with thoughtful details.  Sulu, although apart from his normal teammates, proves to be a principled and resourceful captain and George Takei finally gets the spotlight he has long deserved.  Kirk is furious at being put in this position.  The other crew members seem reluctant but not unwilling.  The set design makes the Enterprise interiors look darker than usual, which is reflective of the storyline.  There is a literary theme starting with the title, which is from Hamlet.  The theme is expanded upon with Christopher Plummer’s villainous Chang quoting Shakespeare extensively (though is he supposed to be saying it in Klingon but we are just hearing English?), and Kirk’s final order from the novel Peter Pan.

The final showdown has a memorable three ship battle as the Enterprise and Excelsior try to find Chang’s cloaked Klingon ship.  Each member of the crew plays a role in stopping a second assassination though of course Kirk gets the biggest hero moment.

Some highlights are:

·        The dinner scene

·         Spock’s Vulcan proverb “Only Nixon could go to China”,

·         Kirk’s noble instinct to surrender to the Klingons when the situation gets heated even though he   would probably rather fight them

·         Plummer’s scenery chewing

·         The trial scene with Michael Dorn as his Next Generation character’s grandfather

·         The main cast signatures in the end credits.

The final scene is a pointed but restrained send off and the last time we see all the crew together although each of them except, DeForest Kelly and Nichelle Nichols made subsequent appearances in future Trek projects.  Meyers sticks the landing with this part of the series. ****