Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Revisited "Guess who's coming to dinner?!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, its time for my revisit of my review for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which marked the swansong movie for the original Enterprise crew. So, I will do a bit more expansion of the sections and give it a rating (which I didn't do in my previous post) as per usual these days.

And with said, let's take another look at this film some 31 years later from its release...

And yes, the usual warning is coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So, the story begins with the news that the Klingon empire coming under serious threat of dying out as they lose a key energy production facility and their home planet's ozone layer is destroyed.  The Klingons now realising the danger of their existence decide to try and forge a peace treaty with the Federation of planets.  Spock (Nimoy) puts himself up as a peace ambassador and the Enterprise is given the mission to escort the Klingon chancellor, Gorkon (David Warner) to the negotiations on Earth.  Kirk is naturally opposed to this arrangement as he has never forgiven the Klingons for the death of his son, and the Klingons and the Enterprise crew have an uncomfortable dinner onboard the ship.

However after the Klingons return to their ship, they are attacked seemingly by the Enterprise and two men board the Klingon vessel in spacesuits, as they have disengaged the vessel's gravity, they kill several crew members, and they shoot Chancellor Gorkon.  Kirk back on the Enterprise is surprised by the attack and clearly has no idea what is going on and as a sign of good faith he decides to beam aboard their ship and help, along with McCoy who tries to save Gorkon who soon dies from his wounds, after this Kirk and McCoy are placed under arrest.  Kirk and McCoy are soon put on trial for alleged actions in the attack and they are prosecuted by stern and devious Klingon, General Chang (Christopher Plummer) who was onboard the Klingon ship when it was attacked. Kirk and McCoy are soon found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on a penal planet, Rura Penthe.

Back on the Enterprise Spock assumes command of the Enterprise and then sets about trying to find out what happened onboard the Enterprise during the attack, with the help of his student Vulcan, Valeris (Kim Cattrall) and the rest of the crew.  Meanwhile on the prison asteroid, Kirk and McCoy soon meet a chaemeleon like alien creature Martia (Iman) who tells them that she can help them escape from the prison, which she eventually does but she soon betrays to the Klingons, but Kirk and McCoy are soon rescued by Spock and beamed back onboard the Enterprise.  

And from here Kirk begins to unravel who is behind the assassination of Gorkon and who is set to sabotage the peace conference on Earth....

THOUGHTS 

It has to be said that Star Trek VI is a big improvement on the below par Star Trek V and it also saw the welcome return of Nicholas Meyer to the directorial helm which also features a fine screenplay which he co-wrote and is rich with quotes from Shakespeare's Hamlet.  The main characters are really well represented again and the idea of the Klingons seeking a peace treaty with the Federation is also really good, especially as their very existence is under threat due to the environmental hazards on their own world, which leaves in a weak position where they can no longer afford to fight.

And the film also develops a whodunnit theme and Spock even acts as Sherlock Holmes in the film once he starts to investigate who was behind the attack, and he even quotes Holmes by saying "when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth".  The Klingon characters are also very well catered for with Chancellor Gorkon trying to make peace with the humans, and his mistrusting daughter, as well as the devious General Chang.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

Which brings me onto the performances of the film which are overall pretty good with the regular cast all giving their last hurrah together here and solid performances from the supporting cast.

Starting with William Shatner, who is great again as James T Kirk, and his character makes an important arc, especially as he starts off the film with hatred for the Klingons, but after the attack on the Klingon chancellor's ship he immediately surrenders to avoid confrontation, and he later understand the Klingons predicament.

Bill as you would expect get's plenty of good scenes in the film such as the one where Kirk confronts Spock over his decision to act as the ambassador for the Klingon peace talks. So, in the scene Kirk after the meeting says to Spock of the Klingons "They're animals!" but Spock tries to persuade him of the talks "Jim, there is a historic opportunity here" however Kirk warns Spock "Don't believe them! Don't trust them!". Spock however is more sympathetic to the Klingons and tells Kirk "They are dying" but Kirk then callously says "Let them die!". Spock looks a little surprised by Kirk's harsh reaction, who suddenly sighs and says "Has it occurred to you that this crew is due to stand down in three months? We've done our bit for king and country!".

The there is the scene where Kirk and McCoy are trying to sleep while living out their sentence on Ura Penthe and Martia comes up to see them but before Kirk tells McCoy of his fears of working toward peace with the Klingons. 

So, Kirk in the scene asks McCoy "Bones are you afraid of the future?" and Bones who was referring to something he said "I thought that was the general feeling I was trying to convey" and Kirk says "No, not this future. The future. I was terrified". And McCoy asks "What terrified you specifically?" and Kirk says "No more neutral zone. I was used to hating Klingons. I never occurred to me to take Gorkon at his word" and McCoy tells him "Don't be too hard on yourself, we all felt exactly the same way" and Kirk then says "No, someone felt a lot worse. I'm beginning to understand why". McCoy then says "Well, if you have any bright ideas, now's the time" and Kirk says "Time's the problem. You and I are nothing. But you heard the judge. The peace conference is on again. Whoever killed Gorkon is bound to attempt another assassination... unless we can get out of here".

SPOILER SCENE COMING UP!

Another good scene is when Kirk realises that Martia, the shape shifting alien, who helps them escape from the Rura Penthe mines, has set them up so he hits her. So, Kirk angrily says to her "She didn't need our help getting anywhere! Where'd you get these convenient clothes?! Don't tell me that flare is standard prison issue! It's to let them know where we are. Ask her what she's getting in return". Martia tells Kirk that she is getting a full pardon and as Kirk waits for Spock to beam him and McCoy up (as Spock placed a transponder patch on Kirk's back earlier) and Kirk says to her "An accident wasn't good enough". Martia then tells Kirk "Good enough for one. Two would have looked suspicious" and then she morphs into Kirk and says "Killed while trying to escape. Now that's convincing enough for both!". Then as Kirk and Martia (now in Kirk's form) fight each other, Kirk says to Martia "I can't believe I kissed you!" and the Kirk Martia tells him "It must have been your life-long ambition!".

And after Spock manages to beam up Kirk and McCoy it happens just as the prison commander is about to tell them who was behind setting them up. So after Kirk is beamed up, he starts swearing and ranting as he materialises onboard the Enterprise and complains to Spock "Couldn't you have waited just two more seconds! He was about to explain the whole thing!" Spock then looks surprised and Chekov asks "You want to go back?" and McCoy firmly says "Absolutely not!" and Kirk quietly says "Its cold!".

And then there is the scene where Kirk speaks to Spock in his private quarters and Spock says how he feels responsible for what happened to Kirk but Kirk forgives him for his actions. 

So, in the scene, Spock says to Kirk "You were right. It was arrogant presumption on my part that got us into this. Both you and the Doctor might have been killed" and Kirk smiles and says "The night is young!". Kirk then walks around and says "You're a great one for logic and I'm a great one for rushing in where angels fear to tread. We are both extremists and the reality is somewhere in between". And as the scene finishes Kirk tells Spock "Spock, you want to know something? Everybody's human" and Spock says "I find that remark..insulting" and Kirk smiles and says "Come on, I need you". 

And lastly there is the scene where (SPOILER!!) Kirk saves the life of the Klingon president, Khitomer when an assassination attempt is made on him. So, as General Gorkon's daughter, Azetbur asks what is going on, Kirk says to her "It's about the future, Madame Chancellor. Some people think the future means the end of history. Well, we haven't run out of history quite yet. Your father called the future - "the undiscovered country". People can be very frightened of change". Azetbur seems touched by Kirk's words and says to him "You've restored my father's faith" and Kirk says to her "And you've restored my son's" as the crowd applaud them both.    

Leonard Nimoy as Spock delivers a fine performance and we see his personality from Star Trek II pretty much fully restored, where has a fine balance of logic and understanding of human behaviour.

And Leonard has his on share of good scenes such as the one where Kirk confronts Spock over his decision to act as ambassador for the Klingon peace talks. So, in the scene after Kirk learns from Spock that they are expected to lead the Klingdon ambassador as an envoy out to the peace meetings and he is somewhat taken aback.  

So, Kirk angrily asks Spock "We volunteered?!" and Spock says to him "There is an old Vulcan proverb. "Only Nixon could have gone into China". However Spock insists this could work for them and says "Jim, there is a historic opportunity here" and Kirk angrily tells him "Spock, you know how I feel about this. They're animals!" and Spock says to him "They are dying" and Kirk angrily says to him "Let them die!" and Kirk then insists they have done their bit for "king and country" and that Spock should have trusted him, which leaves Spock looking a bit confused.

Another good scene is where just after Kirk and McCoy have been sentenced to life imprisonment, the Enterprise crew watch the trial from the bridge and Spock requests to playback the footage of Enterprise firing its torpedos on the Klingdon ambassadors ship. So, Spock says "An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". And when asked what Spock means, he says "It means that if we cannot have fired those torpedoes, someone else did". Spock then suggests another ship nearby could have fired the torpedos and his protege, Valeris suggests "A bird or prey" but Scotty insists "But a bird of prey cannae fire when she's cloaked" and Spock tells him "All things being equal, Mr Scott, I'd agree but things are not equal".

Chekov then suggests if there was a ship nearby then surely the assassins would have beamed aboard from there but Spock refutes it and says "You're forgetting something, Mr Chekov. According to our databanks, this ship fired those torpedoes. If we did, the killers are here. If we did not, whoever altered the databanks is here. In either case, what we are looking for is here".

Then there is the scene where Spock is having his crew search the ship for the gravity boots the killers used to board the Klingon ship. So, in the scene Spock calls Scotty over and asks him "Mr Scott. I understand you're having difficulty with the warp drive. How much time do you require for repair?". Scotty however seems puzzled and says "There's nothing wrong with the bloody thing!" so Spock is forced to explain himself "Mr Scott, if we return to spacedock, the assassins will surely find a way to dispose of their incriminating footwear, and we will never see the Captain or Dr McCoy alive again". Scotty then smiles and says "It could take weeks, sir!" and Spock, satisfied says "Thank you, Mr Scott".

WARNING: SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!

Another good scene is where Spock confronts Valeris as she is involved in the conspiracy to kill Chancellor Gorkon, so Spock forcefully uses his mind-meld on her to find out who colluded with her to have the chancellor killed.

So, as Spock performs his mind-meld on Valeris he speaks out the names of the conspirators and afterward the strain of the mind-meld appears too much for Valeris, so Spock let's her go after Kirk demands where the next peace conference location is. So, Spock emotionally tells Kirk "She does not know" and Scotty grimly says "Then we're dead!" and Spock says "I've been dead before. Contact Excelsior. She'll have the co-ordinates".

Then we have the scene where Kirk visits Spock in his quarters and the two of them discuss what happened and Spock admits "You were right. It was arrogant presumption on my part that got us into this situation. You and the doctor might have been killed" and Kirk smugly says "The night is young!". So, as the two of them discuss what happened, Spock says to Kirk "Is it possible that we two, you and I, have grown so old and so inflexible that we have outlived our usefulness? Would that constitute a joke???". Kirk then says "Don't crucify yourself. It wasn't your fault" and Spock says "I was responsible" and Kirk tells him "For no actions but your own" and Spock tells him "That is not what you said at your trial". So, Kirk says to Spock "Spock, all human beings..." and Spock interrupts him and says "But Captain we both know that I am not human" and Kirk tells him "Spock, you want to know something? Everbody's human" and Spock a little taken aback says "I find that remark...insulting!" and Kirk grins and says "Come on. I need you!".

And last of all is the final scene where (SPOILER!!!!) the Enterprise has been ordered to be decommissioned and the crew are to stand down. So, as the crew look surprised by this news, Spock suggests to the crew "If I were human, I believe my response would be, "Go to hell." If I were human!".

DeForrest Kelley next up is very good once again as McCoy, who usually gets some of the best dialogue in the series and he has his share of good scenes here.

As for a few examples there is the scene where just after Klingon ambassador ship has been attacked and Gorkon shot, Kirk and McCoy beam aboard as an act of good faith. So, as they both see Gorkon dying on the floor, McCoy asks Cheng "Aren't you carrying a surgeon?" and Cheng says to him "We were until this disgrace!" so McCoy pleads "Then for God's sakes let me help!".

Another good scene from Kelley is where Kirk and McCoy are on trial and Chang questions him and asks "Doctor, would you be so good as to tell me, what is your current medical status?" and McCoy with a smile says "Well apart from a touch of arthritis, I'd say pretty good!" and we hear some laughter from the audience. Chang then looks a little annoyed and says "You have a singular wit, Doctor!".

Chang then grills McCoy on the amount he had to drink that night where Gorkon and Chang attended dinner onboard the Enterprise. So, Chang asks "You know, I believe that you consumed a rather generous amount of Romulan ale in the officers' mess on the night in question. Am I right, Doctor?" and McCoy rather annoyed says "We all did! All of us!". Chang then confronts McCoy over his failure to save Gorkon that night, so he asks him "May, I ask do your hands shake?" and McCoy anxiously says "I was nervous!" and Chang says "No, you were incompetent! You WERE INCOMPETENT! Whether deliberately or as a result of age combined with drink, the court will have to determine!". McCoy however desperately tells the court "My God, man! I tried to save him! I tried to save him. I was desperate to save him. He was the last best hope in the universe for peace!".

Then there is the scene where McCoy and Kirk are imprisoned on Rura Penthe as they are trying to get to sleep and McCoy complains to Kirk "Three months to retirement. What a way to finish!" and Kirk says "We're not finished" and McCoy says "Speak for yourself!". Kirk however is seriously pondering what is going on as a result of their framing and asks McCoy "Bones, are you afraid of your future?" and McCoy says "That was the message I believe I was trying to convey!". Kirk however says "I don't mean this future" as in their sentence on the penal planet and Bones then asks a little annoyed "What is this?! Multiple choice!". However as Martia pays them a surprise visit she quietly tells them that she can help them escape and she kisses him before she goes. So, McCoy after looks to Kirk and asks irritably "What IS IT with you anyway?!" and Kirk grins and says "Still think we're finished?" and McCoy groans and says "More than ever!".

SPOILER!!! BIG GIVEAWAY IN NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!

And last of all is the scene where the Enteprise falls under attack from the film's main conspirator, Chang attacks the Enterprise and Spock suggests that they perform a dissection on one of their torpedos so they can return fire on the enemy ship. So, Spock asks McCoy "Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a torpedo?" and McCoy smiles and says "Fascinating!". And as the two of them work on the torpedo, Chang's arrogant voice is heard over the speaker system and McCoy says "I'd give real money if he'd shut up!".  

As for the supporting cast members, David Warner is excellent as Chancellor Gorkon as a seemingly decent and honourable man who is desperate to try and make a peace work with the Federation although his role is somewhat short lived. Warner also gets some good lines of dialogue, and he does get an amusing one where Gorkon dines with the Enterprise crew and he tells them "You haven't experienced Shakespeare until you have heard it in the original Klingon!" and Chang demonstrates as he says the line "To be or not to be" in his native tongue.

Then there is the scene where Gorkon is about to leave Kirk's ship after dinner and he addresses Kirk candidly. So, Gorkon says to Kirk "You don't trust me do you?" and Kirk says nothing and Gorkon says "I don't blame you, if we are to build a "brave new world", then our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it".

And in the scene where Kirk and McCoy board Gorkon's ship and find that he has been shot, McCoy desparately does what he can to try and save him but to no avail. So, with his dying breath, Gorkon brings his hand up to Kirk's head, who leans over him and Gorkon weakly says to him with his last words "Don't let it end this way, Captain" and he goes limp and his hand drops.  

Christopher Plummer is also excellent as the devious and manipulative General Chang and he also get's some fine lines, especially as he is quite fond of quoting Shakespeare (for some reason or other!).

And Plummer has his share of good scenes that include the one where Chang dines on the Enterprise with Kirk and his crew and they have an incredibly awkward and tense evening. So, Chang tells the othes ""To be, or not to be." That is the question which preoccupies our people, Captain Kirk. We need breathing room!" and as he has been hearing quotations all night, Kirk suddenly says "Earth, Hilter. 1938!" and Chang a little taken aback asks "I beg your pardon?". 

Then there is the scene where Kirk and McCoy are put on trial and Chang acts as the prosecutor and he questions both men. So, Chang starts with McCoy and he asks him of that night when McCoy tried to save Gorkon but failed to "Tell me, Doctor, do your hands shake?" and McCoy says "I was nervous!" and Chang says to him "No, you were incompetent! YOU WERE INCOMPETENT! Either deliberately or age combined with drink! The court will have to decide!".

And then later in the scene he questions Kirk and he says "There we have it, citizens. We have finally established the particulars of the crime, and now we come to the architect of this tragic affair, James Tiberius Kirk. What would your favourite author say, Captain? "Let us sit upon the ground "and tell sad stories of the death of kings." Tell us your sad story, Kirk!".

So, as Chang questions Kirk, he plays an excerpt of Kirk's audio log where he reveals that he has never trusted Klingons and never will as he could never forgive them for the murder of his son (David). So, when Chang asks Kirk did he says those words, Kirk says "Those words were spoken by me" however Kirk's defence says that his political views are not on trial which Chang angrily refutes "On the contrary! Captain Kirk's views and motives are indeed at the very heart of the matter!".
Chang then continues to press Kirk and shouts at him " Indeed, the record shows that Captain Kirk once held the rank ofAdmiral, and that Admiral Kirk was broken for taking matters into his own hands in defiance of regulations of the law. Do you deny being demoted for these charges?! Don't wait for the translation! Answer me now!!".

WARNING: NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS SPOILERS!!

And last of all is the scene where Chang is revealed to be the bad guy after all as he later on attacks the Enterprise and he rants at Kirk and the crew over the speaker. So, Chang says over the speaker to Kirk "I can see you, Kirk! Can you see me?!" and we see that his ship has been cloaked and decloaks and Chang says to Kirk "Now, be honest, Captain. Warrior to warrior, you do prefer it this way, don't you? As it was meant to be. No peace in our time. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends."  Chang then continues during the space battle to taunt Kirk and spout quotations of which the most notable is "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!!".  However, Kirk in the scene gains the upper hand as the Enterprise launches a torpedo at his ship and Chang looks on fearfully as it approaches his ship and he says "To be or not to be!".
  
Kim Cattrall is also very good in her role as the Vulcan starfleet officer, Valeris, who while she is a  student of Spock's at the same time isn't what she appears to be.

And Kim has some good scenes of her own here such as the one where Valeris lectures the crew of the origins of the term saboteur "Four hundred years ago on the planet Earth, workers who felt their livelihood threatened by automation flung their wooden shoes called "sabot" into the machines to stop them. Hence the word "sabotage.".

Then there is the scene where Spock, Valeris and the Enterprise crew all make their investigation into what happened and to find the killers, who may still be onboard the ship. So, in the scene Chekov suggests why didn't the killers just vapourise their gravity boots when they arrived back on ship. So, Valeris says to Chekov "Like this?" and she takes her phaser and vapourises a cooking pot, which sets off the ship's alarm systems, which Valeris turns off. So, Valeris reminds Chekov "At ease. As you know, Commander Chekov, no one can fire an unauthorised phaser aboard a starship".

WARNING: SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!

And last of all is the scene where Valeris is revealed to be a traitor and taken to the bridge where tells them her true feelings about the peace talks. So, Valeris says to them "You have betrayed the Federation! All of you!" and when asked what she thinks she has been doing she says "Saving starfleet". Valeris then tries to appeal to Kirk and says "Sir. You said so yourself. They killed your son. Did you not wish Gorkon dead? "Let them die," you said. Did I misinterpret you? And you were right. They conspired with us to assassinate their own chancellor. How trustworthy can they be?!". Kirk then demands that she tell him the names of her co-conspirators and she says "I do not remember" and Spock for once appears angry says to her "A lie!" and she says to him with an almost smug air "A choice". 

Iman (supermodel and widow of David Bowie) also puts in an appealing performance as the seductive shape shifting alien Martia, who helps Kirk and McCoy try and escape from the prison asteroid. 

Iman herself has some good scenes that include her first one where Martia interrupts Kirk being assaulted by a large alien humanoid, who picks him up and yells at him in an alien language. So, Martia translates "He wants your respect for the brotherhood of aliens" and Kirk says "He's got it!" and Martia then says "And your coat" and Kirk says "I'm afraid not. Besides it wouldn't fit!". So, Martia orders the alien to put Kirk down and afterward Martia says "You're Kirk and McCoy I presume?" and Kirk asks "How did you know that?" and Martia says "We don't get many presidential assassins" and Kirk says "We didn't do it" and Martia unconvinced says "Of course not!". 

And then there is the scene where Kirk gets into a fight with a big blue skinned alien humanoid, who Kirk knocks out by kicking it in the shins.  So, Martia tells Kirk "They'll respect you now" and Kirk says to Martia "That's comforting. I'm glad that thing had knees!" and Iman tells him "That wasn't his knee, not all lifeforms keep their genitals in the same place, Captain!". 

Another good scene is when Martia pays a visit to Kirk and McCoy late at night and she tells him that she can help them escape. So, Martia quietly says to Kirk "Kirk, it's me, Martia. Listen, no one has ever escaped from Rura Penthe" and Kirk suggests "Except us" and Martia says "It is possible. I know how to get out of the shield".  Martia then says to Kirk "I can't make it alone, and you're likeliest candidate to come in this hellhole for months" and Kirk asks "Candidate for what?" and she then kisses him and then says "Go to lift seven in the morning for mining duty. I'll see you there. Don't disappoint me!" and she leaves.

And last of all are the other Star Trek crew regulars.

Starting with James Doohan who is great once again as Scotty here and he too get's some of the film's most amusing scenes

And as a couple of examples of his scenes for starters there is the one where Scotty rants to Spock about Kirk and McCoy's trial after their sentence when Spock suggests that an enemy ship nearby fired on the Klingon ambassador's ship and not Enterprise. So, Spock suggests they must inform Starfleet command and Scotty angrily shouts "Inform them of what, a new weapon that is invisible? Raving lunatics, that's what they'll call us. They'll say that we're so desperate to exonerate the Captain that we'll say anything!".

And lastly there is the scene where Valeris fires her phaser onboard the Enterprise as Chekov suggests why didn't the killers simply vapourise (or wapourise!) their incriminating gravity boots, however the staser sets off the ship's alarms.

So, after Valeris tells Chekov firing a phaser onboard a starship is illegal and unauthorised, Scotty appears and asks "Who fired that...?!". So, Spock then asks Scotty " "Mr Scott. I understand you're having difficulty with the warp drive. How much time do you require for repair?". Scotty however seems puzzled and says "There's nothing wrong with the bloody thing!" so Spock is forced to explain himself "Mr Scott, if we return to spacedock, the assassins will surely find a way to dispose of their incriminating footwear, and we will never see the Captain or Dr McCoy alive again". Scotty then smiles and says "It could take weeks, sir!" and Spock, satisifed says "Thank you, Mr Scott".

Walter Koenig next up is good once again as Chekov also has a few amusing moments, especially the one where they hear word of the Klingon ambassador ship about to board with them. So, Chekov gives an ominous look and says "Guess who's coming to dinner...".   Another is when Chekov is suffering from a hangover after having Romulan ale at the dinner with the Klingons, and Kirk says "Chekov are you aware of any radiation surge?" and Chekov wearily replies "Only the size of my head!".

Another is when just after Valeris explains the origin of saboteur to Uhura and Chekov, Uhura tells them "We are experiencing technical malfunction. All backup systems inoperative" and Chekov sarcastically says "Excellent...I mean too bad! Too bad!". 

And lastly there is the scene where after Chekov suggests to Valeris why didn't the killers just vapourise their gravity boots and she demonstrates that no officer can fire an unauthorised phaser onboard the ship. So, later when McCoy asks the very same question, Chekov has the pleasure of informing him "It would have set off the alarm!".

And Nichelle Nichols gets some amusing moments here and there with the first one being where just after the Enterprise crew have their awkward dinner with the Klingon ambassador, Uhura remarks on the Klingon's very different dining methods and she asks "Did you see the way they eat?!" and Chekov says "Terrible table manners!". 

And last of all is the moment where the Enterprise crew try and cross Klingon airspace, and they have to communicate in Klingon, and they have loads of books of Klingon translation, and Uhura hastily and poorly speaks a few lines of Klingon to the Klingon's at the outpost. So, Uhura hastily manages to translate a few lines of Klingon when the Klingon border staff ask what they are doing. So, Uhura says in Klingon "We is condemning food, things and supplies!" and they reply "Don't catch any bugs!" and they laugh, and the Enterprise crew laugh with them, and Uhura prompty shuts off the comm!

Last of all of course is George Takei as Sulu who actually has the briefest role of all the regular crew in this film and is limited to just a few small scenes and Sulu in this film is now a Starfleet captain of the starship Excelsior. 

So, I will mention a couple with the first being the one where a young officer onboard Sulu's ship wakes him up with some news. So, the officer (played by Christian Slater) asks Sulu "Starfleet urgently requests any data we have on the whereabouts of Enterprise" and Sulu asks "What?" and the officer tells him "Well, apparently, they're refusing to acknowledge signal to return to space dock, sir". So, Sulu takes a moment and says "Signal Starfleet that we have no idea of the location of Enterprise" and the officer asks "Sir?" and Sulu looks at him sternly and asks "Are you having hearing problems, mister?!" and the officer says "No, sir".

And lastly there is the scene where Kirk contacts Sulu on the Excelsior and Kirk addresses Sulu and says "You realise that by even talking to us, you're violating regulations" and Sulu says "I'm sorry, Captain your message is breaking up" and Kirk smiles and says "Bless you, Sulu!". Kirk then asks Sulu "Where is the peace conference? They are going to attempt another assassination" and Sulu says "The conference is at Camp Khitomer, near the Romulan border. I'm sending the exact coordinates on a coded frequency". Sulu then tells Kirk "I'm getting underway now, but we're now in Alpha Quadrant. The chances of our reaching the conference in time are slim!" And when Kirk asks when the conference begins, Sulu tells him "From my information, it starts today" and Kirk grateful, says "Thank you, Captain Sulu" and Sulu smiles and says "Don't mention it, Captain Kirk!".

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for Nicholas Meyer he does an excellent job here with the film and keeps the drama moving along very well, and maintains a fine line of suspense, action and humour all at the same time. Meyer himself also co-wrote the screenplay for the film alongside Denny Martin Flinn and his script and direction are both great here.

The film also features an excellent score from composer Cliff Eidelman which is quite grand and operatic at times and is more dark in tone than the previous film scores and his opening theme is definitely the best piece of the score itself. Eidelman himself at the time was only 26 years old and was yet to have broken his way into the Hollywood scene, so this score certainly elevated his stance as a composer.  

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

As for flaws...yes, Star Trek VI does have some.

For starters, its funny how Kirk even at what must be the age of 60 is still attracting young ladies (or in this case aliens!) although perhaps this why in the new Star Trek reboot Kirk is seen fooling around with sexy alien females! But yeah it has to be said that it seems strange that Martia would have the hots for Kirk as a rather grey haired, bloated looking Starfleet officer!

I also felt the film made some weird choices such as the one to make Klingon blood pink (or fuchsia more accurately) as in previous films the Klingon blood was actually red, so did they have some sort of blood tranfusion through the years??? It certainly shows a lack of consistency in the series when they decided to go ahead and change the alien race's blood colour! Ah well.
 
I also found it funny how Chekov is so unfamiliar with some of the Starfleet regulations, such as firing a phaser onboard a starship is not permitted as it would set off the alarm, as Valeris informs him, but you would assume as a starfleet commander, he already should know that! Perhaps though this backs up the idea that the Enterprise crew at this point are becoming somewhat more aged and forgetting things! ;-) 

And further to this point, it seems odd that you cannot use a phaser onboard a starship with the vaporize setting but you CAN get away with using a phaser on stun, which McCoy finds out after examining the bodies of the two men who carried out the killings onboard the Chancellor's ship. So, yeah phaser on stun at close range is ok and won't set off anything but vaporising setting will. Yeah it just seems the film's logic is a bit inconsistent here.

Another issue I had was to do with the whole thing of Spock placing that patch on Kirk's back, which turned out to be some sort of transponder beam-up device that will allow Spock to keep tabs on Kirk's location and beam him up. Its fine that Spock places it there as a plot device to save Kirk later but its funny how they left so long before Kirk makes mention of it again! Also in the freezing cold winter and being beaten by aliens and doing alot of hard labour, its surprising that the thing never fell off his back! Its also even funny how no one even noticed it on him even during his trial, nothing is even mentioned of it by Chang or anyone else!  

Then there is the scene where Kirk and Spock confront Valeris near the end as she is revealed to be the traitor onboard the ship. So, when Kirk and Spock rumble her, McCoy out of the blue appears also but I'd have to ask would McCoy really need to be there at this point?! I mean he's the chief surgeon onboard the ship so you'd imagine he would have more pressing duties to attend to than act as a morale back-up for Kirk and Spock. But of course the film franchise always insisted on making it a real staple to have this trio together at key times (even if it wasn't always necessary!).   

Last of all, I thought it was a bit of a daft decision to have Kirk send Scotty up the stairs to stop the would-be assassin dressed as a Klingon above looking down on the conference. I mean Scotty isn't too light on his feet and is easily the chunkiest member of the crew at this point (and second oldest in terms of years). Why didn't Kirk instead send up Chekov, who is a lot lighter and more able on his feet than tubby old Scotty! 

And further to this point, I never liked how in the theatrical release of the film that we never see the identity of the would be Klingon assassin revealed as we see that in the director's cut and it is revealed its actually a human Starfleet officer and not a Klingon. It just leaves a bit of a loose end, which always bugged me in the theatrical cut and its good that they added it into the director's one.

So, that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So in summing up, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is still a very good entry in the franchise and it was a fine swansong for the original cast of the show, as this film also marked the 25th anniversary of the show, and it was a pity that its creator Gene Roddenberry passed away shortly before the film's premiere. And the film even manages a poignant ending with the cast's signatures showing up on display instead of their captioned names.

The film also features the regular cast all in good form for the last time together and excellent performances from the supporting cast particularly Christopher Plummer and Kim Cattrall in their roles as Chang and Valeris respectively. The music score is also very good and Nicholas Meyer also makes a wewlcome return to the series here after his success with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.   

So, overall I'd say that Star Trek VI remains one of the strongest entries in the series and to this day is still well worth checking out and I will rate it:

9 out of 10 

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.

Until then live long and achh you know what I mean! ;-)