Could Star Trek V been saved?

[Mudd]

I saw ST V at a preview screening at the Yorktown theater in Baltimore, two days before its public opening. The audience was mostly invited fans and local TV and newspaper critics.

It was an uncomfortable and rather unhappy group when the lights went up. Casual questions by the theater manager at the exit evoked several variations of "at least there's the Next Generation" - and this was not at a moment when TNG was yet all that widely loved by the fandom.

 

[Grant]

The last TNG episode to air before Trek 5 came out was "Shades of Gray" -- it was a step up from that anyway.

 

[Dukhat]

I saw ST V at a preview screening at the Yorktown theater in Baltimore, two days before its public opening. The audience was mostly invited fans and local TV and newspaper critics.

It was an uncomfortable and rather unhappy group when the lights went up. Casual questions by the theater manager at the exit evoked several variations of "at least there's the Next Generation" - and this was not at a moment when TNG was yet all that widely loved by the fandom.

Paramount’s prevailing belief at the time was that TNG would be produced for the small screen, and the TOS crew would make movies indefinitely for the large screen. What they utterly failed to take into account was that not only were these actors getting old, there was no logical reason why they would still be serving with each other on the same ship. TFF made them painfully aware of both points. It was like a mediocre TOS episode as if the last four movies never happened and they were still on their 5 year mission. And that’s not even going into the problematic nature of the story itself.

Of course, the whole ‘actors getting older and still serving together on the same ship despite no logical reason for this’ idea was recycled yet again for the four TNG films, but that’s another story.

 

[fireproof78]

Very likely. As Shat said the stunt guys in the suit could barely move, let alone climb up a mountain!

What about climbing a rock?

Did they sing "We will, we will, rock you" as they worked with the costume?

I'm sorry, but "Crystal Skull is leaps and bounds superior to STV" is simply not a sentence that should ever be permitted to be spoken in polite society.

IDIC right?

 

[Pauln6]

Paramount’s prevailing belief at the time was that TNG would be produced for the small screen, and the TOS crew would make movies indefinitely for the large screen. What they utterly failed to take into account was that not only were these actors getting old, there was no logical reason why they would still be serving with each other on the same ship. TFF made them painfully aware of both points. It was like a mediocre TOS episode as if the last four movies never happened and they were still on their 5 year mission. And that’s not even going into the problematic nature of the story itself.

Of course, the whole ‘actors getting older and still serving together on the same ship despite no logical reason for this’ idea was recycled yet again for the four TNG films, but that’s another story.

They could have made something that had the crew separate but working together. I think Uhura's contribution in STIII was a bit too minimised but it's certainly more memorable than STII or STIV. They could have leaned into that like with Chekov and Kyle in STII and Sulu and Rand in STVI. Kevin Riley on the planet of galactic peace might have been fun.

 

[Dukhat]

They could have made something that had the crew separate but working together. I think Uhura's contribution in STIII was a bit too minimised but it's certainly more memorable than STII or STIV. They could have leaned into that like with Chekov and Kyle in STII and Sulu and Rand in STVI. Kevin Riley on the planet of galactic peace might have been fun.

What they should have done was make TFF with the understanding that it would be the last film with the TOS cast, and have them go their separate ways. Not some nonsensical story about Spock’s brother’s quest to find God.

 

[Grant]

Dude don't get it.

 

[Firebird]

They could have made something that had the crew separate but working together. I think Uhura's contribution in STIII was a bit too minimised but it's certainly more memorable than STII or STIV. They could have leaned into that like with Chekov and Kyle in STII and Sulu and Rand in STVI. Kevin Riley on the planet of galactic peace might have been fun.

Riley was a non-entity as a character, so why sacrifice screen time from the main cast to shoehorn in another redshirt?

 

[Pauln6]

Riley was a non-entity as a character, so why sacrifice screen time from the main cast to shoehorn in another redshirt?

I just couldn't see any of the main crew posted to Paradise city! Oh wait, Chekov. He'd make a great head of security. On brand.

 

[Firebird]

I just couldn't see any of the main crew posted to Paradise city! Oh wait, Chekov. He'd make a great head of security. On brand.

The universe in Trek is already small enough. I’m glad we didn’t see any pre-existing characters in Paradise City.

 

[Set Harth]

Paradise City did not live up to the song at all.

 

[Mudd]

Paramount’s prevailing belief at the time was that TNG would be produced for the small screen, and the TOS crew would make movies indefinitely for the large screen. What they utterly failed to take into account was that not only were these actors getting old, there was no logical reason why they would still be serving with each other on the same ship. TFF made them painfully aware of both points. It was like a mediocre TOS episode as if the last four movies never happened and they were still on their 5 year mission. And that’s not even going into the problematic nature of the story itself.

Of course, the whole ‘actors getting older and still serving together on the same ship despite no logical reason for this’ idea was recycled yet again for the four TNG films, but that’s another story.

At the time, Bennett went so far as to blame TNG's existence for the lackluster reception of TFF. In one interview, he said something like, "Thanksgiving isn't such a big deal when you're eating turkey sandwiches every week."

 

[fireproof78]

Paradise City did not live up to the song at all.

Mccoy knows the classics though

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[Denise]

They could have made something that had the crew separate but working together. I think Uhura's contribution in STIII was a bit too minimised but it's certainly more memorable than STII or STIV. They could have leaned into that like with Chekov and Kyle in STII and Sulu and Rand in STVI. Kevin Riley on the planet of galactic peace might have been fun.

Have you read Denny Martin Flinn's Fearful Summons? That's the story that STV or STVI should have been. It would have been fun--everyone is doing their own thing, and then they are called together on a sort of A-Team mission to rescue Sulu and his people. There is a kind of romance with Kirk and a young Academy graduate (but she needn't be young--seems to me some older women and men could join Star Fleet) or she could have been written out. Anyway, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Originally, it was supposed to have happened after STVI, but then Generations (ugh). So now it supposedly happens before STVI.

Flinn was one of the co-writers of Star Trek VI and used some of his ideas for that film in the book when those ideas were rejected/supplanted.

 

[diamond204]

Have you read Denny Martin Flinn's Fearful Summons? That's the story that STV or STVI should have been. It would have been fun--everyone is doing their own thing, a

I saw a video on Youtube where the original opening of 6 was indeed everyone was out of Starfleet with the exception of Scotty who was training cadets at the Academy. Apparently Spock was acting in Shakespeare plays - seems like a bit of a jump the shark moment...

 

[Firebird]

I saw a video on Youtube where the original opening of 6 was indeed everyone was out of Starfleet with the exception of Scotty who was training cadets at the Academy. Apparently Spock was acting in Shakespeare plays - seems like a bit of a jump the shark moment...

Spock wasn't in the original opening at all since he was off brokering the peace treaty at the behest of Sarek. Kirk, Bones, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura are all listed as retired.

Kirk is enjoying an evening with Carol Marcus when he's called back to service by a mysterious Courier with some device in their hand that glows red and emits green smoke.

Scotty is then seen next, and is indeed lecturing cadets at the Academy in front of the Bird of Prey from TVH.

Bones is dragged away from a dinner party, stone drunk.

Chekov is getting his ass handed to him by a Betazoid in a chess game.

Finally, Uhura is hosting a fucking Frasier-esque radio call-in show for some reason.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Spock wasn't in the original opening at all since he was off brokering the peace treaty at the behest of Sarek. Kirk, Bones, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura are all listed as retired.

Kirk is enjoying an evening with Carol Marcus when he's called back to service by a mysterious Courier with some device in their hand that glows red and emits green smoke.

Scotty is then seen next, and is indeed lecturing cadets at the Academy in front of the Bird of Prey from TVH.

Bones is dragged away from a dinner party, stone drunk.

Chekov is getting his ass handed to him by a Betazoid in a chess game.

Finally, Uhura is hosting a fucking Frasier-esque radio call-in show for some reason.

Wait, was this filmed? Scripted? What? I so don't know this stuff!

 

[Firebird]

Wait, was this filmed? Scripted? What? I so don't know this stuff!

Nope, never filmed, thankfully. It was a key deletion from the script right before production started so they could bring the budget down. The summary I gave was from the fifth and final draft of the screenplay.

 

[Denise]

I saw a video on Youtube where the original opening of 6 was indeed everyone was out of Starfleet with the exception of Scotty who was training cadets at the Academy. Apparently Spock was acting in Shakespeare plays - seems like a bit of a jump the shark moment...

Spock is quite funny in the scene in the book. He and the other actors form a community against the play's director in what he calls the closest thing to the camaraderie of the Enterprise that he's experienced since leaving Star Fleet. It's no stranger than the stuff they have him say in Star Trek V or in his conversation with Doug in SNW.

 

[diamond204]

As I mentioned earlier on this thread I have been working on a new Fanedit of 5 - which I am calling "Star Trek V The Final Frontier " Revisited'.

It is an editorial edit that deals with what I saw were shortcomings in the film to bring it closer in tone to Undiscovered Country. Plus it features many new special effects shots and sequences that were provided by the talented Wil Jaspers who did the effects work in the infamous Star Trek 5 'Special Edition' that was shown to Shatner.

It is nearly complete with just three minor SFX effect replacement shots not added yet. I am looking for anyone who would like to view this 'preview edition' and help me with any technical glitches they notice (if any). Please DM me if interested.