Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Review

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

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My Review

“Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” continues the story of the Enterprise crew after the events of “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” First-time director William Shatner developed the storyline of a renegade Vulcan named Sybok hijacking the Enterprise to go on a search for God in the center of the universe. The melodrama proceeds from there, from a screenplay written by David Loughery, producer Harve Bennett, and Shatner.

The controversial subject matter dealing with a search for the Deity, and other plotlines, was unpopular with some cast members, and among the general public. The film underperformed at the box office, with Shatner taking most of the blame in his debut at the helm of a movie production. His directorial career was limited from then on. The film won three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Director (Shatner), and Worst Actor (Shatner).

The cast, per usual, includes William Shatner as James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy, James Doohan as Montgomery Scott, Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura, Walter Keonig as Pavel Chekov, and George Takei as Hikaru Sulu.

The supporting cast members are Laurence Luckinbill (husband of Lucie Arnaz) as Sybok; David Warner, Charles Cooper, and Cynthia Gouw playing the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan ambassadors; Todd Bryant and Spice Williams-Crosby as the Klingon warbird captain & his lieutenant; George Murdock as the “god” entity; Cynthia Blaise as Amanda Grayson (Spock’s mother); Jonathan Simpson as Sarek (Spock’s father); Beverly Hart as a high priestess; Steve Susskind as Pitchman; Harve Bennett (producer) as a Starfleet Admiral; Melanie Shatner (Bill’s daughter) as Janice Rand; and veteran character actor Bill Quinn as Dr. McCoy’s father, his final film appearance. His first movie was in 1923 at the age of eleven. That’s sixty-six years on the big screen!

“Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” barely made a profit in theatrical release, when production costs and advertising expenses are figured in the budget, much to the chagrin of producer Harve Bennett, director Bill Shatner, and Paramount Pictures.

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