Sci-Fi Classic Review: STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991)
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- The last of the original series films, Star Trek VI is a good send-off for the cast and a worthy follow-up that remains one of the best in the entire franchise.
If you're looking for a "review" in the traditional sense, then let me just say I love this movie. This video, however, is a "review" in the literal sense (using the Miriam-Webster definition "a retrospective view or survey"), in that I'm going over the history of the film and its place in sci-fi cinema history.
In other words, please stop commenting on how my videos aren't what you consider "reviews."
#StarTrekVI #NicholasMeyer #TheUndiscoveredCountry
00:00 1-5 Recap
03:42 Synopsis
04:24 Production Background
08:15 Casting
10:40 Filming
12:00 Release & Legacy
12:34 Opinion & Analysis
16:43 Outro
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The story at the time for why Savik became Valeris was that the fans wouldn't like them turning her into one of the bad guys. Watching the movie in the theatre I took the name change as a big honking clue that she was one of the conspirators.
The easy out would have just been to give Saavik, a small but prominent role either on the bridge of the Excelsior or at Star Fleet Command, thus making Valeris much less of an obvious expy...
@@KonElKent Although it would be a nice trick for the story, it would have been too expensive and Kirstie Alley or Robin Curtis would likely not be interested in a thankless and almost pointless role. What part of the story would Saavik be used for other than picking up some of Valeris' lines?
@@palmercolson7037 I don't know what Robin Curtis' asking price in 1991 was, but just spitballing ideas; on the low end, just have her cameo next to Grace Lee Whitney on the Excelsior, because what part did Rand play besides simply being there? Or give her the part of Dmitri Valtane in conveying what happened to Praxis (and that opens up some interesting ideas for that Flashback episode of Voyager). On the larger end, making her a staff member of Admiral Cartright, who recognizes that things aren't quite kosher and out of loyalty/sense of propriety duty either helps to convey info to Kirk and Co, or just gathers evidence against the conspirators to be presented when they get their comeuppance. And I'm sure any writer could come up with a thousand other ideas that fit the budget and helped to obscure the Savik/Valeris connection.
@@KonElKent As stated in the video, the character Saavik was changed into Valeris only because Cattrall didn't wan't to play it as Saavik. They would then have to work/write Saavik back into the story again. They had enough to do that was of higher priority to them. They only had only so much time and money to spend. And again, you presume she would want to do it or have time to while the movie was being shot.
Either way, they didn't want to, so they didn't. At this point, it is a moot point.
As for Rand, she was in 9 episodes. She was almost a regular member of the original cast. That is why she would show up in minor roles in the movies.
Very thorough review. One piece of trivia about lines from The Bard. Not only were screenwriters fond of layering him in the script, two of the cast had were classically-trained actors. Both Shatner and Plummer's backgrounds involved Canada's Stratford Theater, a Mecca for Shakespearean plays. I like to think that Plummer took the General's role partly because he got to say some of the playright's best lines.
See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shatner
Interesting technical note: Star Trek VI had an experimental Dolby Digital 5.1 mix made for it (this was about six months before Batman Returns, the official debut of the system). It was only shown on a few screens (probably to show off to movie critics and theatre chain owners), but it was technically the first movie to get such a treatment.
I was 17 when I saw Star Trek 6. I actually drove myself an hour north to the state capital so I could see it in a “nice theater”. Talk about journeying through the undiscovered country.
I have a similar story.
My Mom paid for my younger brother and I to see STVI on the big screen as a Christmas Stocking Stuffer. It was so fun, and I still love the movie. I do really like the slightly longer Director's Cut better, but the theatrical cut is still superb. Chris Plummer's General Chang is a standout, and the story was a worthy final voyage for our classic crew. I especially like the flaws and darkness displayed here by Kirk.
Who is more heroic, the Paragon, or the human that realizes they have flaws and works to better themselves?
Nice fun facts in the credits...glad Roddenberry got to see a cut of the film before the end.
One of your best commentaries yet. Very insightful and shows Meyer’s vision through your words. Well done.
Thanks!!
GOOD job on the retro-spec Unapologetic Geek,well done.Quite the nostalgic ride for me.Saw this movie in theatres,enjoyed it very much.My second favorite Star Trek film with the original cast.Forgot TNG was on tv when these movies were at the cinema.1991.I was in the navy,stationed at the Phila Naval Shipyards-assigned to the USS KITTYHAWK-in was in the yards for a total re-fit.There were a lot of Star Trek fans in my unit,we'd always watch TNG tv show and you could hear a pin drop in the day room when it was on.Working on an aircraft carrier during a re-fit is hard,balls to wall,labor.PERIOD.We had weekends off tho.Our ship's motto was-WORK HARD,PLAY HARD!!! LOL.And that we did.The harder you worked the more RESPECT you got.Even the officers respected the lower enlisted if you busted your ###. GO NAVY!!!
Kurtwood Smith did his best Trek work in Voyager, for sure, but I didn't realize he broke into the franchise so much earlier!
He has my vote.
The themes were so fitting then, and they're super relevant in today's times. Meyer and crew were so good at what they did.
One of the best parts about Star Trek's V & VI, is the shameless use of Star Trek The Next Generations sets! Of course it makes sense given the budget constraints, but it inadvertently helps tie the originals and the newer series art direction together. Thanks for another great Star Trek Sci-Fi Review!
Now only a few years left until Star Trek Generations is 30 years old 😉
I do imagine the behind the scenes stuff would be fun to cover!
Belloq in "Raiders of the lost Ark"...Gekko in "Wall Street"...Gruber in "Die Hard"...general Chang in "Star Trek VI"...
smart charismatic antagonists with a strong motivation >> my kind of worthy opponents!
My favourite ST movie, mainly cos it's witty and genuinely funny and a moving finale. With its references to the Manchurian candidate, and a support cast that is great David Warner, Brock peters , imam, Christopher Plummer & kurtwood smith.
It also has in my opinion one of the best sequences in the zero gravity assination of David Warners Gorjon character.
Roddenberry never seemed to understand his own IP with the ridiculous idea of no prejudice in space.
ST6 was always clearly a finale with Kirk (& ego) and for the final hurrah.
After the relative artistic & commercial failure (although deeply flawed it does have its merits)
Great review again
I'm going to sound like a heretic here but I was never really a massive ST TV series fan, and couldn't stick the next Gen, as thought it looked cheap.
But the ST movies I always liked. Even the iffy ones cos there's always something that enjoyable in them.
Some of Spock/Kirk's, or McCoy's lines are priceless.
The next Gen movies noticeable improvement on the TV series even with the final next gen movie considered largely rubbish. But still many separate elements that are good.
Unfortunately Brent spiner in them.
I agree with your assessment of STVI: TUC. This also my 2nd favorite “original” Star Trek movie behind of course... most everyone’s favorite STII: TWOK. I particularly appreciated the contemporary storyline. It was poignant, most of us grew up during the Cold War. Overall...a enjoyable ending to Star Trek: “The First Generation...”.
No, no, that's entitled _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_
Seeing this after V was a welcome palate cleanser. I recall feeling joy at the end when the crew gets a standing ovation. It felt like the perfect send off for the crew.
While I wish you had more subscribers, so my comments would just be a whisper in a strong wind, it is nice that you clearly read your comments.
I also agree with you on ranking this as #2 after Wrath.
Can you do a rankings of your Star Trek favorites?
Another nice review of a Star Trek movie. I distinctly remember seeing this in a theater so long ago.
Having David Warner play the Chancellor was an interesting idea: the character had its Lincoln like quality, but there was something off-putting and sinister too. He and the Klingons needed help, but he didn't draw a lot of sympathy. The sympathy and trust had to be given despite it all.
Good points. You have a point at hitting all the points. While it's nice to think human nature would drastically change in the next 300 years the mistrust of the Klingons, something the Klingons earned, makes the characters more believable and identifiable.
Happy New Year. I've always found this movie both uneven and at the same time very re-watchable. I prefer the slower overall pacing of TUC to 'TWOK', which always felt to me like it was flying past, when I wanted it to slow down at times, so I could breath in the experience. And I have issues with how Kirk is written in both Myers directed/scripted films. I realise it's a character arc in both films for him, but it contradicts so much of what Kirk has already demonstrated and learned in TOS. The 'never faced death' in TWOK and the 'I've never been able to forgive Klingons' in TUC. It feels like an artificial reset both times in the same way that Mal Reynolds is written in 'Serenity'. I don't mind the film closing on a more somber and low-key note. For the age of the actors/characters that seemed fitting. They aren't really up to facing down a V'Ger-type threat again and it is about a definite signing off for this part of ST.
The night I saw this theatrically...oh, boy. I was in college, aged 22. A friend and I went to Pizza Hut before the film and each of ate, on a dare, a medium pizza. Then we went to see this film. Stomach hurt, but what a great film.
A great farewell that solve a major plot point, so it's my second favourite after the First one.
Shame that they were unable, again, to use Romulans as they should.
We rank it at #2 as well. A detail dispute; Rene Auberjonois was in the theatrical cut, it was extended as you show. I'll always remember his line, "We'll wind their chronometers". His character was also the LONE GUNMAN😲
Not sure what I like more about your Posts... The level of research you do for your videos, or how you manage to cram so much info into them without letting them get bogged down into simply a drawn-out expositional monolog! Long time Trekkie here (as you know!) & I think the only thing I disagree with you is that to me, VI narrowly edges out II for 1st place! (Well... that & I agreed with the discission to give Fake-Saavik the Spaceboot as it were.)🖖
Debido a la experiencia con la V, esta fue la primera película de Star Trek que no vi en las salas de cine, la compré cuando salió en DVD y en verdad la disfruté, una de mis favoritas (mi favorita de la tripulación original).
It definitely ranks in the upper half of Star Trek films. And I've gone close to mad trying to find the Starfleet blankets you see on Kirk's bed during the log scene. Like you'd think somebody on Etsy or eBay would have them! And I thought convincing my wife to let me put them on the bed would be the hardest part...!
Happy New year to you (:
I am always stuck as to what my favourite original cast movie is , TWOK or TUDC there's not much in it for me they are both brilliant in my opinion.
The low point however has to be star Trek 5 at the time after seeing that at the cinema i thought well thats it for Star Trek Movies!
But Thank God for The Undiscovered country !
Loved this one. More Trek please.
15:15 never noticed this, is Spock instinctively trying to nerve-pinch Kirk, before snapping out of it and just patting him on the back? :D
I believe he is attaching a tracking device so that Spock knows where Captain Kirk is at all times. I only figured that put the 8th time I watched it. I was graced to have Star Trek Suitable Aged children and saw it on the big screen during the times reflected in the film. Roddenberry I hope was satisfied with the end product. I am impressed with his integrity to resist the militarization which dominated The Next Generation.
I'd like to see you do some less mainstream movies too. You have a good analytical objective take.
My next review is far less mainstream, don’t you worry.
I'd like to see you do Soylent Green
Already done! Check my back catalogue.
Roddenberry was wrong about every one of the movies, including the only one he had anything to do with, and basically pitched a hissy fit about not being in the driver’s seat anymore. He also seems to have had some - I’ll say this as delicately as I can - memory issues regarding some things. For instance, he said Saavik wouldn’t betray the federation because none of the characters he’d created would ever do such a thing, evidently not remembering that he didn’t create her. Given that the guy had had at least one minor stroke and decades of substance abuse problems by that point, I think it’s entirely plausible that he was fuzzy on some details. I mean no insult by that, he was just an old man in rapid decline by that point, and these things happen.
Kirsty Alley refused to ever return to Trek because she’d had such a bad experience with Shatner in the filming of Khan, and deliberately priced herself out of the sequel. She asked for a completely unreasonable salary and refused to negotiate as a way of getting out of it without having to create a scene about saying no. She really hated working on that movie.
As I recall, Kim Katral invited playboy in to do a nude photoshoot of her on the bridge in full makeup and nothing else, which resulted in Nimoy getting wind of ti, chasing down the photographer before he left the lot, and yanking the film out of his camera while security threw the photographer out.
I think, but am not sure, that in the original draft of the movie, Sulu was captain of the Enterprise when Praxis explodes, and is conspicuously absent when we later learn he’s been transferred to the Excelsior. Not really sure why they changed that as it creates a minor plot hole later on
i give a subscribble to this nibble
You won't regret that! Make sure to check out his backlog too! Lots of great retrospective reviews ready to enjoy!
I'd give good money if he'd shut up.
I believe you 4 got Balance of Terror in your racism citing my brother!
To say nothing of Doctor McCoy's unsubtle digs and even outright name-calling aimed at Mister Spock.
Star Trek VI is best in the original Klingon.
Unfortunately, Gene Rodenberry was more of an ideologue than reality agreed with.
True, but as a kid in the 1960s growing up with the original Star Trek, it was the ideology that stood out even more than the unique technology and was imo the aspect I most wish would come true - especially considering it is really no more unlikely than faster-than-light travel, transporters, deflectors, or humanoid-alien crossbreeds to begun with.
The term "racism" is thrown around much too easily these days. pointing out observable behaviors isn't "racism".