Evidently created to act as a prologue/segue into the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Undiscovered Country brings resolution to the age old conflict between the Klingons and the people of Earth. The Klingons are still a bit peeved about Captain Kirk being responsible for the deaths of several Klingons, but after their planetary moon explodes, destroying their chief energy production facility, their leader decides it is time to set peace accords in place.
The Enterprise is called to act as the Klingon ambassador’s bodyguard ship as it heads to the peace summit. After an awkward dinner party between the Klingons and Enterprise folks, the Klingon ambassador is assassinated and his ship attacked by the Enterprise. Or so it seems. Kirk and McCoy board the Klingon vessel in an attempt to help the wounded and they are taken as political prisoners. They face a show trial on the Klingon home world and are sentenced to life imprisonment on a frozen labor camp planet.
Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew work to figure out how it appeared the Enterprise attacked the Klingons when all their weapons are accounted for, and who is the mole among them responsible for assassinating the ambassador.
In the end, everything works out in an all-too-clean manner. From the get-go, I was able to figure out who the mole is. The reasoning behind the attack and its orchestration is interesting, but it’s also a little too convenient to be appreciated. Star Trek VI suffers from a bit too much excess. Excess in over-dramatizing much of film’s contents, and excess in overacting by good guys and bad guys alike hurt this film, which had limited potential to begin with. On the whole it feels like an overdrawn, overblown excuse for one last hurrah before finally (and begrudgingly) passing the Star Trek torch off to the cast of The Next Generation.
It’s like a parent that just doesn’t know when to let go and definitely puts to rest the notion that even numbered Trek films are superior. If you must watch, you’ll see oddball appearances by both Kim Cattrall and Christian Slater. But in reality, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is best left undiscovered.
Quite instantly besting its predecessor, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is darker and richer than anything Star Trek we have seen before and are likely to see again. It’s all about one psychopath’s quest for revenge against Admiral Kirk and the consequences thereof. It also is the first chapter in a three film arc that makes the early Trek films worthwhile and unique.
Khan was a villain in an episode of the Star Trek TV series. He was some kind of genetically altered superhuman and was banished to a desolate world after being thwarted by then Captain Kirk. Many years later, a Federation science team is taken hostage by Khan, who manages to lure Kirk to his outpost. Khan is an embodiment of evil and lusts for revenge. But he is also incredibly smart and well-read. He is a sort of philosophical madman, which creates for a very engaging story and an interesting matchup with Kirk.
However, two things could have made this movie solidly good: better special effects and consistency with the title score. I was immediately shocked to find that the opening music was not the same theme as for the original Star Trek film. I still haven't found a reason for this. Consistency is important in a movie series and changing your opening music is anything but consistent.
Also, the TV sensibilities are back and the visual effects show it. The budget was tight, which never helps, and maybe “true” fans of Star Trek wouldn’t mind some mediocre effects here and there, but it was a slight turnoff to me. All in all, this is a pretty well done piece of science-fiction. Watching The Wrath of Khan with an open mind will allow you to appreciate what Trekkies have going for them. While it’s not spectacular, my guess is that it wasn’t really trying to be in the first place.
Good fun, and you’ll finally understand why Trekkies pause and shout “KHAN!!!!”
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
