Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is almost unanimously labeled as the very worst Star Trek film ever produced. And, truth be told, it’s almost impossible to dispute such an assessment. It really is a disjointed, awkward, clumsy, campy affair that barely manages to accomplish anything. The film is, simply, mismanaged. But I will say this, I disagree that The Final Frontier is far and away the worst film of the franchise. Put alongside Nemesis, the two films are roughly comparable in their overall failures (and minor successes). The details of the failures and (minor) successes are, of course, slightly different. But the bottom line is that this film is no worse an overall experience than Nemesis.

One of the worst elements to this film is its very poor forced humor. The script is littered with the kinds of jokes that even the campiest Original Series episode would have shied away from. And the film never really lets up, either. There’s the opening gag of Kirk falling off of a rock cliff in Yosemite Park. Spock’s rocket boots. McCoy talking to himself. And a strangled rendition of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” And that’s just the very first scene in which we see our heroes. To be fair, there are some enjoyable moments, such as Spock’s “Not in front of the Klingons” and Sulu’s glib comment about crash landing a shuttle craft. But that’s more the result of throwing so much bad pasta at the wall that sooner or later something is going to stick. And the running gag of the Enterprise as a lemon – breaking down all. the. time. is just too grating to be really funny.

In terms of plot, things get started on the suitably sci-fi-y planet of Nimbus III, a barren desert planet home to Paradise City, a place where representatives of the Federation, and the Romulan and Klingon Empires try and coexist amongst the wretched hive of scum and villainy (including an exotic female dancer with a cattail and three breasts). The setting is an unfortunate crossbreed of Mos Eisley and Road Warrior and about a half-dozen other dystopian locales/movies. Into this barren landscape comes Sybok – a Vulcan prophet who manages to convert followers with remarkable swiftness and ease – think of a televangelist with super powers – and who also happens to be Spock’s half-brother.

The Sybok character gets credit for the portrayal of fanaticism – an important point considering the fact that God himself (sorta) is a character in the film’s final act. This then becomes one of the running themes of the film – the struggle between overwhelming emotions and overwhelming reason. In other words, there are extremes on both sides and the true path is somewhere in the middle. This is the kind of commentary which was the bread-and-butter of the Original Series and its inclusion (albeit in a very muddled presentation) is to the benefit of the film.

Unfortunately, this concept barely rises out of the muck because the first half of the film is not only poorly paced, but also filled with implausible contrivances – such as the broken-down Enterprise being the only possible ship to be dispatched to Nimbus III, and the requisite Klingon bad guy who just wants to kill Kirk because … the script told him to. And he’s a bad guy. With a bad hairdo. Or something. Really, the whole Klingon angle is aimless and superfluous. Oh, and Sybok manages to not only reach the bridge of the Enterprise, but also manages to somehow convert the whole ship to his will – except for Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty.

The movie actually contains a very powerful scene in its midst. It’s the sequence in which Sybok tries to pry apart the loyalties of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy by using his special powers. There’s actually quite a bit at work in this scene. There’s the conflict between emotion and reason – well stated by Sybok in his rejection of his Vulcan heritage. And there’s the “trick” by which he gets people to confront their deepest pain and then release it, thereby ensuring their neverending loyalty. Through this, we see a particularly gripping scene in which McCoy chooses to euthanize his ailing, elderly father – only to learn that a cure had been found shortly afterwards.

But when Sybok turns his attention to Kirk, we get a classic exchange that would have found its home in any episode or film of Star Trek ever made. Kirk rejects Sybok, proclaiming that the pain we all feel is part of what makes us human. As he says, “I don’t want my pain taken away. I need my pain!” It’s quite literally the most forceful moment of the film. And Shatner delivers it perfectly.

Then there is God.

As it turns out, Sybok’s whole quest is to meet his maker – to meet God, as it were, on the planet of Sha Ka Ree at the center of the galaxy past a great barrier. Nevermind that the whole barrier thingy was already introduced in the Original Series as something that existed on the galaxy’s edge. Here, the concept just doesn’t work because it turns out that the barrier is little more than a fancy light show (though the effects aren’t so fancy, but I’ll get to that momentarily). At any rate, on the planet, they discover something that turns out to be little more than the Wizard of Oz – an outcast who just wants to go home (by hijacking the already hijacked Enterprise), but in the meantime amuses himself by putting on impressive little displays that amount to almost nothing.

Perhaps the most interesting element to all of this is Kirk’s rather straightforward bluntness in asking, “What does God need with a starship?” Good question. Except it pisses off God – well, it really isn’t God, but whatever. What ensues are some awkwardly placed sequences that end up with Kirk being rescued by the Klingon ship (don’t ask how, it’s not worth detailing).

Just before the film concludes, there’s a rather poignant scene in which Kirk admits that Spock and McCoy, and the rest of the crew, are indeed his family. But then it’s ruined by yet another rendition of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

C’est la vie.

As for the film’s aesthetics – they’re pretty poor. The special effects are particularly amateurish and stick out like a sore thumb (particularly when the Enterprise crosses the Great Barrier), especially considering this film was released in 1989. The music isn’t bad, but it is mostly generic outside of the occasional using of familiar Trek themes (such as the title piece that was used for TNG).

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is, without question, a bad film. What is up for debate, however, is whether or not it’s significantly worse than Nemesis. True, Nemesis has a much higher production value. But its fundamental premise is much, much more flawed than The Final Frontier. In the end, I suspect I’m in the minority on this point, but I sincerely believe that the two films are equally bad. And if I were forced to watch one of the two, I’d pick The Final Frontier – despite my affinity for the TNG cast.

Filed under: Feature Films, Original Series