It took 22 years forStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryto giveStar Trek: The Original Seriesthe finaleCaptain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)and his USS Enterprise crew always deserved. Directed by Nicholas Meyer from a story conceived by Leonard Nimoy,Star Trek VIwas released in December 1991 as a timely parable for the fall of the Soviet Union. InStar Trek VI,Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise must foil a conspiracy to prevent peace between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets.
Star Trek: The Original Seriesended in 1969 with season 3, episode 24, “Turnabout Intruder.” A mad scientist, Dr. Janet Lester (Sandra Smith),switched bodies with Captain Kirk, her former lover. In Kirk’s body, Lester then tried to take over the Starship Enterprise. WhenStar Trekwas canceled by NBC after season 3, it left"Turnabout Intruder" as the ersatz series finale and final original episode aired of the series. “Turnabout Intruder” was produced in an era where television shows did not build toward season finales, although the writing was on the wall thatStar Trekwas over in season 3.
Star Trek’s phenomenal popularity in syndication, along withStar Warsbecoming a blockbuster in 1977, led to Paramount Studios revivingStar Trekas a feature film.Star Trek: The Original Seriesthen continued as a movie franchise, starting withStar Trek: The Motion Picturein 1979.Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrywas the final film starring thecast ofStar Trek: The Original Series, andit was also the fitting farewellStar Trekdidn’t get in 1969.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Was The Original Series’ True Finale
“So, This Is Goodbye.”
22 years afterStar Trek: The Original Serieslimped to an unceremonious end with season 3’s “Turnabout Intruder,“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrygave Captain Kirk’s USS Enterprise crew a rousing and fitting ending.Star Trek VIwas a big-screen outing that showed the original legends who started in all in their best light. By saving the Federation and Klingon peace talks, Captain Kirk’s Enterprise heroes also got to close out their final voyage by altering the state of the galaxy for the better, setting up Klingons and the Federation as allies inStar Trek: The Next Generation.
Star Trek: The Original Series' movies dealt head-on with the Starship Enterprise’s aging crew, butStar Trek VIshowed they still had a spring in their step. Captain Kirk, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and their friends sparkled with their chemistry, wit, and heroism.Star Trek VIallowed the USS Enterprise’s icons to have one last, memorable hurrahand then literally sign off in triumph, with the actors signing their names on the screen as a farewell - images so moving,Marvel Studios mimicked them inAvengers: Endgame.
Why Star Trek: The Original Series Needed A Real Finale After 22 Years
Star Trek’s Original Legends Needed A Chance To Say Farewell
“Turnabout Intruder” is by no means one of thebest episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series.As a final impression of Captain Kirk’s original voyages aboard the Starship Enterprise, his body swap escape with Dr. Janet Lester was a poor way for the classic TV show to sign off. Similarly, 1989’sStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, directed by William Shatner, was a critical and box office disappointment. After a series of hit films, and coming off director Leonard Nimoy’s 1986 crowd-pleaser,Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek Vcould not be left as the last time audiences saw the Starship Enterprise crew that started it all.
AlthoughStar Trek V: The Final Frontiercelebrated the eternal friendship between Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy,what the entire crew of the Starship Enterprise – and audiences – needed was closure. Further, a figurative passing of the torch toStar Trek: The Next Generation, earmarked as the inheritors of theStar Trekmoviefranchise, was also required.Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrydelivered both, and left generations ofStar Trekfans wholly satisfied as the franchise closed the chapter of its original cast.
Star Trek VI Was Supposed To Be What J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Became
A Starfleet Academy Movie Was Planned For 1991
Star Trek VIwas originally going to be a very different movie wherethe original Starship Enterprise crew would have gotten a beginning, not an ending.Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’s failurenearly led to the cancelation of theStar Trekmovie franchise, but producer Harve Bennett began developing a prequel film. DubbedStar Trek: The Academy Years,Bennett’s prequel would have told the tale of the young James T. Kirk and Spock’s first adventure as Starfleet Academy cadets.
J.J. Abrams proved inStar Trek2009 that audiences would accept recasting iconic characters like Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock with younger actors.
However, Paramount decided to scrap the prequel idea and giveStar Trek: The Original Series' cast one more movie, and toget that film into theaters in 1991 to celebrateStar Trek’s 25th anniversary. Harve Bennett’s Starfleet Academy idea was eventually brought to the big screen inJ.J. Abrams’Star Trekreboot film in 2009. Abrams' alternate timelineStar Trekdepicted the contentious first meeting between James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) before they teamed up to save the galaxy.
Not Everyone Loved Star Trek VI As The Original Series' Finale
Star Trek VI Didn’t Serve All Of The Enterprise’s Characters As Well
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryhas stood the test of time as one of thebestStar Trekmovies, but not everyone in the cast was as pleased as critics and audiences were. Walter Koenig, in particular, lamented that Commander Pavel Chekov’s dialogue was generic and could have been said by any character. Koenig also felt thatStar Trek VIfailed to finally develop supporting characters like Chekov, Scotty (James Doohan), and Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Given that it was their lastStar Trekmovie together, ending with the USS Enterprise’s bridge crew being underserved was a bitter pill to swallow.
George Takei’s Sulu was promoted to Captain of the USS Excelsior inStar Trek VI.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryalso upset the ailing Gene Roddenberry, who was angered by how Starfleet Officers' attitudes towards the Klingons were depicted. However, Roddenberry reportedly enjoyed the film, which he saw days before his death in 1991. With Roddenberry and the Starship Enterprise heroes he created warping into the sunset,Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrycontinues to be the blueprint for how aStar TrekTV series or movie should say goodbye to its icons.
