Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Dir: Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Regular Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig,
Additional Cast: Kim Cattrall, Christopher Plummer, Brock Peters, David Warner, Rosanna DeSoto, Iman, Michael Dorn
USA, 1991

Originally Seen: In the theatre, likely Towne & Country which was renamed it to something else but that is how I always remember it.

Revisited: March 15, 2009

Reason to Revisit: For the Countdown to Star Trek Movie Marathon

I remember loving this film in the theatre, and I'm sure a large part of that is from being previously disappointed in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. When I started this marathon it was hard not to skip ahead to the fun ride that is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but I am glad I waited and it sure lived up to the memories.

All the themes of the film speak to how times are changing. Considering the film came out in 1991, which is well into the popularity of the show Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) they embraced rather than ignored that the direction and focus of the films would soon fall to new cast.

Although I didn't know this, it shouldn't be a surprize that this film which is very dear to my Star Trek heart is directed by Nicholas Meyer who also directed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Similar to Wrath of Khan, it focuses on a thread of the Star Trek universe that involves both the movie and TV series. This time we follow an arc of the relationship between the Klingons and the Federation which lends itself beautifully to themes of change, resistance and various 'isms'.

Considering one end is near, it would have been so easy for the film to fall to into sentimentality but it doesn't. A strong plot surrounded in mystery along with great and innovative action sequences keep us engaged throughout. Fantastic supporting cast flesh out the ranks including Kim Cattrall as a Vulcan and Christopher Plummer as the formidable Klingon General Chang.

It is clearly one of the strongest films of the series, and it was a great joy to watch it again.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll watch it again, and again, and again
I'd highly recommend it

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009