The Star Trek Re-watch - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
With that in mind I thought it was high time to explore some gaps in my film and television lexicon. So of course I completely scrapped that idea and decided to re-watch every one of the thirteen Star Trek films that have been released since 1979. We continue on our journey down the warp lane with a film that put a cap on the end of the original crew's adventures - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Plot:
After the moon Praxis explodes due to over-mining, the Klingon Empire's home planet of Qo'noS is poised to become uninhabitable. After years of military conflict, the Klingons sue for peace with the Federation hoping to save their people. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are ordered to escort Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to a peace accord summit. However, soon after a joint dinner the Enterprise inexplicably fires on Gorkon's ship while assassins eliminate the Chancellor. Soon a larger conspiracy begins to emerge indicating that not everyone in the Federation or the Klingon Empire is interested in peace. Spock, Kirk, and the rest of the crew must uncover the mystery in order to save the Federation, the Empire, and the future of the galaxy. 
Re-Watch Review: After the commercial and critical failure of The Final Frontier there was a fear that the journey was over for the original crew of the starship Enterprise. While Star Trek was alive and well with The Next Generation, audiences were beginning to comment on how long in the tooth the TOS cast was getting. ( MAD magazine was notorious for pointing this out.) In point of fact, the sixth Star Trek film was meant to be somewhat of a prequel focusing on the crew at Starfleet Academy. When Paramount producers passed on the idea (something that would be realized eighteen years later with J.J. Abrams film) longtime Star Trek producer Harve Bennett left the franchise. Consequently producers asked Leonard Nimoy to conceive a swan song for the original crew. Nimoy sought out Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer. Together the two came up with an innovative idea - what if the Wall (referring of course to the Wall that separated East and West Germany during the Cold War) came down in space? The result was The Undiscovered Country, an excellent and entertaining last hurrah for the original crew that holds up surprisingly well.
The Undiscovered Country does carry with it a few flaws. Iman is completely miscast as the shape-shifting alien Martia who lures Kirk and Bones into a trap. In point of fact that storyline feels completely out of place and really doesn't serve much of a purpose other than to give Shatner a hot woman to make out with. The Enterprise NCC-1701-A also looks vastly different from the previous film. There are more buttons than there are touch pads which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Also it's hard not to view this crew through the lens of age. There's no getting around the fact that everyone looks extremely old in this film. I'm not trying to be an ageist by any stretch of the imagination, but it's difficult to watch these characters struggle with the physicality.
My rating System:All that being said, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country serves as a fitting sendoff for the gallant original crew of the starship Enterprise. Sporting a complex plot and top-notch performances, the film holds up some three decades later. It remains one of the best entries in the entire Star Trek franchise.
Next Up: Star Trek: Generations!!!!!
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country rates: 8.5/10
