Review of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) by Lyndon G — 23 Jan 2010

Why is V the most loathed Star Trek feature? The plot transmogrifies to a dribble somewhere in the middle. A preponderance of weak chuckles escape only by shining the light of ridicule on the whole operation, with inoperative elevators, squeaky seats, busting control panels, Scotty self-concussing, and a skinny-dancing Uhura.

Then why do I defend The Final Frontier? Because it is entertaining. The opening is truly grand. Few moments in the series bring a sense of epic cinema; this is one of them. There is the infamous campfire singalong, which I must say I find endearing. It invokes camaraderie without, for me, more than a second's wincing (which is common with real singing and even real camaraderie), to the ultimate betterment of the film and the series. Last but not in the least the least, the meeting with a demigod on Sha Ka Ree is one of Star Trek's most powerful statements--so much that I suspect a fair number of viewers dislike the film just because it lands close to home.

I doubt this will spoil it for you, because in most fiction, it's seeing how something happens that counts, but you've been alerted: The demigod of Sha Ka Ree is disturbingly like the being described in the Old Testament. (This covers ground familiar to the series, but now nearer to our culture.) In Shatner's slightly dubious defense, he considers his posing demigod to be the Devil and indirect proof to the characters that there is some manner of God, which he believes, innocently enough, can be found inside the human heart.

Leonard Nimoy, when the topic of The Final Frontier comes up at the end of his commentary for Star Trek IV with William Shatner, exclaims, "A gigantic achievement!" Though I can't tell whether he's serious, I know from interviews that the cast and crew got along fairly well and enjoyed making this. V has gone down in history as an abject misstep, but I consider it much superior to many of the original episodes and no weaker in production than III (which I have enjoyed thoroughly twice), with one or two extremely strong moments. It's quite possible the strength of these moments disappoints many fans when they find they don't like the movie as a whole, as it is indeed quite uneven.