Star Trek V: The Final Frontier took the USS Enterprise-A where no one had gone before, and Star Trek is continuing its legacy regarding Spock’s brother, Sybok (Lawrence Luckinbill), in a surprising way. Directed by William Shatner and written by David Loughery from a story by Shatner, Harve Bennett, and Loughery, 1989’s Star Trek V is one of the lowest-grossing and most poorly-reviewed Star Trek movies. However, in recent years, Star Trek V‘s virtues have been reconsidered by fans, who see it as a flawed but earnest effort by director William Shatner.
Star Trek V was driven by Sybok, a renegade Vulcan who hijacked the USS Enterprise-A on his mad quest to find God, whom he believed lived on the fabled world of Sha Ka Ree beyond the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy. Sybok’s Vulcan empathic abilities converted most of the Enterprise crew into his followers. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) resisted Sybok’s control, but allowed Sybok to take the Enterprise to Sha Ka Ree mainly out of curiosity.
Meanwhile, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey led by Captain Klaa (Todd Bryant), pursued the Starship Enterprise and Captain Kirk to Sha Ka Ree. The Klingons would end up being the key to how Kirk and his Enterprise crew defeated “God.” Star Trek V: The Final Frontier‘s ending affirmed the brotherly love between Spock and Sybok, and the eternal friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
How Captain Kirk & The Starship Enterprise Defeated “God”
Sybok Sacrificed Himself For His Brother
Of course, God did not reside on Sha Ka Ree. Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Sybok took a shuttle to the planet and went face-to-face with a malevolent alien enтιтy posing as God (George Murdock), who instantly coveted the Starship Enterprise as his vehicle to escape Sha Ka Ree. Captain Kirk instantly debunked the Almighty being’s claims with his immortal question, “What does God need with a starship?” God’s response to Kirk’s query was to angrily attack the Starfleet heroes with energy beams.
Sybok took the longest to accept that his deeply held faith that he was God’s chosen one to find him on Sha Ka Ree was a fallacy. However, Sybok rose to the occasion and chose to protect his brother Spock and his friends from “God’s” wrath. Sybok sacrificed himself to the evil pretender’s strange energies, allowing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to escape. Kirk diverted “God’s” attention to their shuttle craft and ordered Spock and Bones to beam back to the Starship Enterprise.
“God” was quickly destroyed by Klingon disruptor fire.
“God” destroyed Kirk’s shuttle and pursued him, but the Klingon Bird-of-Prey surprisingly came to the Captain’s rescue. “God” was quickly destroyed by Klingon disruptor fire. Meanwhile, Kirk feared the worst when the Klingons beamed him aboard, and he was shocked to find Spock as the gunman. General Korrd (Charles Cooper), one of Sybok’s converts, ᴀsserted his authority over Klaa and aided Starfleet. Escaping Sha Ka Ree, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy resumed their camping shore leave at Yosemite National Park on Earth.
Star Trek V‘s ending, where General Korrd forced Captain Klaa to stand down to save Kirk, tacitly set up Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country‘s story of the Klingons pursuing peace with the United Federation of Planets. Korrd showed Klingons and Starfleet could respect each other and work together for the common good. Along with Lt. Worf’s (Michael Dorn) spotlighted role in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek V helped usher in a new direction for the Klingons.
Star Trek V Was The Last Time Kirk, Spock & McCoy Were The Focus
The Enterprise’s Top Trio Spent Almost All Of Star Trek V Together
One of the most pleasing aspects of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is that director William Shatner honed in on the close bond between Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy. Kirk, Spock, and Bones were all but inseparable throughout Star Trek V, sharing most of their scenes together, including the silly but entertaining campfire moments that opened and closed the movie. Star Trek V was the last time the Enterprise’s big three were given so much time together.
Originally, William Shatner’s story involved Sybok winning Spock and Bones to his side after making them “face their pain,” leaving Captain Kirk as the lone holdout against the mad Vulcan. However, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley rejected this plan as they both felt it was impossible for Spock and Bones to betray Kirk after everything they endured together. The result was Kirk, Spock, and McCoy standing firm as a unit in defiance of Sybok, although that lessened the drama Shatner hoped for.
Captain Kirk’s words that he always knew he will die alone, meaning without Spock and Bones present, proved prophetic and were confirmed in Star Trek Generations.
In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are isolated for much of the film after they were imprisoned by the Klingons. Spock and Kirk are also diametrically at odds regarding peace with the Klingons, with the Enterprise’s big three finally getting on the same page in Star Trek VI‘s final act. While Star Trek VI was the final adventure Kirk, Spock, and Bones shared together, Star Trek V was the last movie that was truly about the trio’s friendship and unbreakable bond.
How Star Trek V Led To Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Paramount Vetoed A Starfleet Academy Prequel Movie
William Shatner’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier only grossed $63 million worldwide at the box office compared to director Leonard Nimoy’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which raked in $109 million and stood as the highest-grossing Star Trek movie until J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009). Star Trek V was also savaged by critics and fans, and Shatner’s misfire almost put an end to the Star Trek movie franchise.
Producer Harve Bennett began developing a prequel about how young Kirk and Spock met, intended to usher in Star Trek‘s 25th anniversary in 1991. тιтled Star Trek: The Academy Years (or Star Trek: The Beginning), Bennett’s plan was to recast Star Trek: The Original Series‘ cast with younger actors. (This is something J.J. Abrams successfully achieved in his 2009 Star Trek reboot.)
Harve Bennett was so dejected by Paramount reversing course on his prequel that he left the Star Trek movie franchise after producing Star Trek II to Star Trek V.
However, Paramount vetoed Bennett’s plan in favor of reuniting the original Star Trek cast for one final film together, which became Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, directed by Nicholas Meyer and executive produced by Leonard Nimoy. Paramount also firmed up plans to shift the movie franchise to focus on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ultimately featured in four movies from 1994-2002.
Sybok Made A Surprising Return In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Spock’s Brother Is Back In Star Trek: The Original Series’ Prequel
After its 1989 box office failure, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was considered a red-headed stepchild of the Star Trek movie franchise for decades. However, time has proven to be kind to William Shatner’s movie. Despite Star Trek V’s low-quality visual effects and questionable “The Enterprise meets God” story, the charms of Shatner’s film endure as Star Trek‘s TV shows and movies became more action and special effects-oriented. Yet direct references to Star Trek V were absent until Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shockingly brought back Sybok.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 7, “The Serene Squall,” ended with the surprise appearance of Sybok. Strange New Worlds, a prequel set years before Star Trek: The Original Series, revealed that Spock’s renegade brother was married to a space pirate named Captain Angel (Jesse James Keitel) and ᴀssumed the name Xaverius. Fascinatingly, Sybok is held in a Vulcan prison under the watch of T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), Spock’s estranged fiancée.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’s final moments are an eternal reminder to audiences that life, and Star Trek, is but a dream.
Sybok has yet to reappear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but if he does, it will hopefully deliver even more context to Sybok’s lifelong quest for Sha Ka Ree. Strange New Worlds‘ unexpected tie-in to Sybok is the most overt reference yet to Star Trek V since 1989, and it offers a potential redemption for William Shatner’s maligned story about God and his Vulcan true believer. Meanwhile, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier‘s final moments are an eternal reminder to audiences that life, and Star Trek, is but a dream.
