Pausing right after Azetbur said, "Kirk will pay for my father's death."
I saw TUC the day it came out in theaters when I was 12. I had the novel, the comic, and a
Star Trek VI T-shirt. The teaser had me pumped. The trailer had me pumped. I couldn't wait to see this.
First of all, this movie felt like an event, as in An Event. As soon as the opening credits appear, we're greeted with a great soundtrack by Cliff Eidelman. Then we have the explosion of Praxis and the USS Excelsior being caught in the ripple shock wave. After seeing all the TOS movies earlier in 1991, this one in particular stood out to me. When I watched it felt like the Star Trek movies were brought into the '90s. Which was a Big Deal because back then everything was all about how "It's the '90s!"
The look of this film easily fits into the look of
Discovery. From the ships, inside and out, to the make-up, to the production design, and the overall aesthetic in general.
If you throw hair on the DSC Klingons, which the second season will do, the Disco Klingons might look a little different, but the difference isn't
too too much. I can suspend disbelief. Something more people need to do. The discussion the Klingons have with each other after Azetbur and the Federation President speak is dead-on
Discovery. "Attack or be slaves in their world!" Azetbur's response, "War is obsolete as we are in danger of becoming" is the acknowledgment of how their approach must stop. Dying will not preserve their culture. All it will do is ensure it turns into a memory. A self-fulfilling prophecy which she refuses to indulge.
Then there's Kirk. Back in 1991, it seemed too easy to think "Kirk is wrong, he needs to change his attitude about Klingons." Possibly so, but it's a bit more complicated than that. In 1991, the remnants of the Cold War ended and the USSR gave way to Russia and several smaller nations. The cold-conflict that defined the latter-half of the 20th Century was over. The Future seemed exciting. The Future was where the next generation could step in. And Star Trek paralleled this with
Star Trek: The Next Generation. TUC showed the first step between how relations between the Federation and the Klingons went from how they were in TOS to how they went in TNG. So back then, the story is heavily tilted toward having Kirk come to embrace the TNG mentality.
In light of DSC and how the Klingons are portrayed there, it's a little bit easier to sympathize with Kirk's resistance toward a future of peace and cooperation with the Klingons. "You don't trust me. I don't blame you. If there
is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it."
Moving beyond DSC and into Real Life, we live in such a polarized time that the idea of seeing eye-to-eye with our enemies seems totally foreign. This is in stark contrast to how things were in the early-'90s, as HW Bush's passing away has reminded us as we've looked back to remember him.
EDIT: Picking up where I left off.
"I can't believe I kissed you." "Must've been your life long ambition!" I love William Shatner as an actor. But wow. That line works on two levels.
On another note: it's great that they have Iman, David Bowie's wife, as Martia. And watching Kirk, McCoy, and Martia cross the surface of Rura Penthe was a sight to behold. Hiro Narita's cinematography is masterfully accompanied by Cliff Eidelman's score.
The scene between Spock and Valeris in sickbay. "You have to shoot. If you
are logical, you have the shoot." "I do not want to." "What you want is irrelevant. What you've chosen is at hand." Kirk interrupts. And then Spock smacks the phaser out of Valeris' hand with stone cold disappointment in her, and Valeris wishing this was someone else. Anyone else. This scene was raw. Moreso than Picard's explosion at Lily tells him to blow up the ship in
First Contact. Why? Because the understated-ness is what makes it so effective. The expressions on Spock's and Valeris' faces speaks volumes.
The mind-meld scene. I can't not weigh in on this. I understand that they were trying to show Spock was trying as hard has he could to find out the location of the Peace Conference but the scene would've worked just as well with the swelling of the music, Spock putting both hands on Valeris instead of just one, and let that do the work until Spock concludes she doesn't know. With the way it's played in the actual film, I have to agree with what's been said elsewhere over the years that, at best, it went too far. And, at worst... Let's not go there. Point is the scene became anguishing beyond what was necessary. If it was intended to be disturbing, then I'm sorry to say it was.
Kind of strange to hear Kirk and Spock talk about how old they've become. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were 60. And here I am thinking, "That's going to be
my age in 20 years!" Strangely, 60 doesn't seem as "old" to me as it used to. To me, I would still think of it as "middle-aged". 70, 80, 90,
that's old. 60? Not so much. That's why the whole "they were getting too old!" argument rings false to me. Especially when Patrick Stewart's age wasn't too much different.
Then there's the rush to the finish. The battle between the Enterprise and the Bird-of-Prey with Excelsior as the cavalry. The battle might seem like nothing today but back in 1991, in the theater it was truly epic and even today is still pulse pounding. Less is more. When the torpedo pierces through the Enterprise's hull, that had more impact to me than anything they did to the Enterprise in Kelvin Films where I felt so desensitized to it all. Note to 21st Century film-makers: tone it down a little. Bizarrely it's more effective when things aren't exploding and going ka-blooey every other second. And the end of the battle when the torpedo hits the Bird-of-Prey and Sulu says "Target that explosion and fire!" never gets old. It was truly cathartic when the Bird-of-Prey meets its end. "To be or not to be."
Following that is the mad-dash to stop the assassination of the Federation President. Which had me on the edge of my seat as Kirk leaped to the rescue and the assassins were stopped. The speech at the end, along with the applause felt earned. I don't care if it was schmaltzy. The crew ended its run of movies standing proud.
I don't care what anyone says. It's no
Wrath of Khan, but I love this movie. In 1991, you can bet I was thinking, "Why does this have to be the last one?!" But I had an advantage over other fans. I hadn't seen TOS itself yet. Just the movies. So, for me, it wasn't the last one. I had a whole series to look forward to. And look forward to it I did.
On to the first episode of
Discovery, while this is all still fresh in my mind!
