Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writers (WGA):

Gene Roddenberry (based on "Star Trek" created by)
Leonard Nimoy (story) ...

Release Date:

6 December 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The battle for peace has begun

Plot:

The crews of the Enterprise and the Excelsior must stop a plot to prevent a peace treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.

Plot Keywords:

Freeze To Death | Sixth Part | Nose Bleed | Space Battle | Arm Blown Off

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Captain Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
James Doohan	...	Captain Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
Walter Koenig	...	Commander Pavel Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	...	Cmdr. Uhura
George Takei	...	Captain Hikaru Sulu
Kim Cattrall	...	Lieutenant Valeris
Mark Lenard	...	Ambassador Sarek
Grace Lee Whitney	...	Commander Janice Rand
Brock Peters	...	Admiral Cartwright
Leon Russom	...	Starfleet Commander in Chief
Kurtwood Smith	...	Federation President
Christopher Plummer	...	General Chang
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Azetbur (as Rosana DeSoto)

Runtime:

113 min | USA:109 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Klingon

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (some test prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Italy:T | Brazil:Livre | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | Iceland:LH | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Whoopi Goldberg was invited to play her "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) character but declined.

Goofs:

Continuity: The clock on the bridge is frozen when Chang is talking through the speakers during the battle.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain Hikaru Sulu: Stardate 9521.6. Captain's Log, USS Excelsior. Hikaru Sulu commanding. After three years, I have concluded my first assignment as master of this vessel, cataloguing gaseous planetary anomalies in Beta Quadrant. We're heading home under full impulse power. I'm pleased to report that ship and crew have functioned well.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Getaway: Seven Wonders of the World (#15.11)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

THEME FROM 'STAR TREK' TV SERIES

Classic Space Opera

The final Star Trek film to feature the original cast is an enormous improvement after the awful fifth film, and might just be the best in the series. Much of it is probably thanks to the return of director Nicholas Meyer, who is responsible also for the classic Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (while film III through V were directed by cast members). Meyer's very professional directing shows in every scene on ST-VI, and the old cast - William Shatner (Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), DeForest Kelly (McCoy), James Doohan (Scotty) and the rest - give here what is without doubt their finest performance. Mind - Shatner and Nimoy are by now 60 years old, while Kelly and Doohan are well into their 70s. But there isn't a trace of the pathetic silliness that characterized the fifth movie; Meyer knows what to do with these aging actors that wouldn't make them look like idiots. What we see in Star Trek VI is a much more mature approach, and the crew members have to face, more than an outside enemy, their own aging, and their fear of change. That fear is a key element here, and it's an issue that is well handled and is always relevant.

While the old cast members are doing splendidly here, the movie introduces some fantastic new characters. First and foremost, the experienced Shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer makes a fascinating villain in the conservative and suspicious Klingon General Chang, endlessly throwing out Shakespeare quotes on every turn. ('You haven't truly enjoyed Shakespeare until you've read it in the original Klingon') Also, Kim Cattrall, who achieved much success lately in the acclaimed 'Sex And The City'), plays the Vulcan Lt. Valeris and gives a great performance. Finally, David Warner gives a brief but memorable performance as the visionary Chancellor Gorkon. The real stars here, though, are Shatner and Kelly, whose attempt to save the Chancellor's life, as well as their trial for assassination before a Klingon court (CAMEO: Michael Dorn, who plays Worf in the Next Generation, plays Kirk and McCoy's attorney here - Colonel Worf. An ancestor, probably) make for some of the best scenes ever seen on Star Trek. The directing and camera work are splendid, and the script has just the right amount of self humor, which was dreadfully lacking from the fifth movie (e.g.: Spock: 'If I were human I believe my response would be "go to hell." ...If I were human.' All in all, a remarkable sign off for the original crew of the Enterprise and one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.