Review of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) by Mary A — 13 May 2008

STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country(Details here), is the sixth instalment of the Star Trek movie franchise, and the last film where Captain James T Kirk(William Shatner) is the main focus and captain of the enterprise. An important film for Star Trek continuity, and a perfect example of the sci-fi sensation.

Captain Kirk is called to escort the Klingon ambassador to Earth for peace talks, only three months before they are due to retire. With his years of hatred for the Klingon race, he reluctantly accepts, however when the ambassador is assassinated, things take a turn for the worse.

Performances are interesting, showing how the characters have moved on in their lives and ways, showing them at the end of their careers and working lives. Beautifully handled as always, the main crew are a delight, and the supporting cast of new faces, whilst a tad stereotypical at times, are well rounded and performed.

The direction fails to be anything particularly interesting, the focus on the narrative, taking the classic murder mystery and putting it in space, with many other pleasant touches, and the usual intellectually humorous conversations between the leads.

Everything that Star Trek is about can be seen in this film, from the characters actions and mannerisms, to the intriguing storylines using sci-fi as a jump point, but not as the heart, providing something pleasantly surprising and showing why Star Trek is regarded as the greatest of all sci-fi franchises.