Star Trek V: The Final Frontier may have had one of the silliest villains in the entire franchise, but “God” actually makes a lot of sense. Star Trek V has a reputation as one of the poorer entries in the original Star Trek movie series, and there’s certainly a lot about the sequel that went wrong.
After taking the wrong lessons from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the fifth film had too much comedy which clashed with the serious storyline. William Shatner did a noble job of directing The Final Frontier, but an inconsistent script and behind-the-scenes turmoil meant the movie never had a chance to succeed.
One of the common critiques of Star Trek V is that its ending is out of place in the franchise, but the “God” that Sybok seeks is actually par for the course in the larger Trek universe. There’s a lot wrong with Star Trek V, but the “God” that Kirk and crew encounter isn’t one of those things.
Star Trek V’s “God” Is The Cheesiest Movie Villain
Though Sybok is the main villain of Star Trek V, the Enterprise crew encounter an even bigger threat when they breach the great barrier and meet “God”. This strange being is able to change its shape to resemble deities from myth, but it clearly isn’t omnipotent because it doesn’t know Kirk and needs a ride on a starship.
This idea is an interesting one to explore in a Star Trek film, but “God” falls apart because of how cheesy it is. Not only is the effect of a large white-bearded man somewhat lackluster compared to previous Trek adventures, there’s very little payoff. The enтιтy is quickly dispatched with a few disrupter blasts and the climax falls flat.
Had “God” been a bigger part of the plot, it might have felt less rushed and nonsensical. Sybok’s own change of heart is not given sufficient time, and the movie’s true foe is overshadowed. The climax was meant to be larger, but was cut down due to budget constraints, so it’s unclear what the original version would have added.
Why Star Trek V’s “God” Actually Makes Sense
Though the Star Trek movies tended to be more grounded, the TV shows featured their fair share of strange and omnipotent beings. Kirk and company encountered enemies like Trelane in “Squire of Gothos”, while Q was already harᴀssing Captain Picard on The Next Generation by the time The Final Frontier hit theaters.
Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987, between the release of Star Trek IV and V.
“God” was not an unusual addition, especially since the movie sets up Sha Ka Ree as a sort of mystical hub of myths from Vulcan, Earth, and other planets. Since “God” isn’t really the almighty, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier doesn’t betray the ideals of the franchise, it actually embraces them by dissecting the nature of belief itself.
