New Appreciation for "STV: The Final Frontier"

[Shatmandu]

Hiya, folks.

I just got ahold of the second draft script of the movie. I know, I know: who wants to read anything having to do with Star Trek V? Well, this script makes me a bit sad: sad for what could have been. And I have a greater appreciation for what Shatner was going for.

It contains the same basic story as the final, but the details are very often different.

It's hard to describe, but the cut dialogue here fills out the story much better than the final. I understand the need to trim things, but they seem to have eventually cut the heart out of the story at times. A lot of the charm was deleted.

Sybok was a classmate and companion of Spock, not a long-lost brother. This makes the emotional punch of Spock's dilemma much stronger because it's not smothered with Soap Opera cheese-factor.

Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura's turning away from Kirk and following of Sybok is fleshed out a bit here, but it still rings a touch false. Would have been better to have them all resisting, a la Scotty, while the rest of the crew follows Sybok.

And the ending. The ending to the final film, due to budget concerns, is obviously disappointing. The ending here is terrific, having all the actual elements of danger and suspense the final was lacking.

"God" has a much-expanded role, offering much more in terms of story, conflict, and resolution. And his rockmen/gargoyle attackers are a swarm, clawing and tearing at Kirk, Spock, and McCoy as they flee. McCoy, after an extended, tense chase, is ultimately badly injured by them.

In your mind's eye, as you read the description of the dozens of screeching gargoyles literally ripping the shuttlecraft apart to get the three, a shuttlecraft designed to suffer the rigors of space travel, it is actually chilling. Very well written, and it could have been very exciting on film.

All in all, like I said, I have a new appreciation for what Shatner and the team were going for. In the pre-CGI days, I'm not sure if the ending could have been filmed as written at any cost, but it's nice to know that what they were going for was as exciting as any Star Trek film has ever been.

Joe, not shilling

 

[Opus]

I wonder if they could ever go back and give it another try in the future.

Where did you get the script, Joe? I'd love to read it myself.

 

[Amaris]

Same here. I love TFF as it is, but that's because for me everything just feels right, but I would have loved to see The Shat's ideas more fleshed out and given the proper treatment rather than the movie we have.

J.

 

[Sharr Khan]

Same here. I love TFF as it is, but that's because for me everything just feels right, but I would have loved to see The Shat's ideas more fleshed out and given the proper treatment rather than the movie we have.

J.

I'll second that thought!

Sharr

 

[Shatmandu]

I wonder if they could ever go back and give it another try in the future.

I know Shatner tried when the latest DVD was being put together, but they told him no.

Where did you get the script, Joe? I'd love to read it myself.

I snagged it off of ebay. I'll PM you and the others the details.

Joe, seriously not shilling

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I have a lot of love for TFF.

 

[Harvey]

Just reading the making of book about the film that, IIRC, Liz Shatner wrote, I'm filled with sadness over the final product. Shatner had to compromise on every aspect of the film, except, perhaps, Goldsmith's outstanding score. I'd be curious to hear more details about this draft of the script, if you're willing.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Where did you get the script, Joe? I'd love to read it myself.

I snagged it off of ebay. I'll PM you and the others the details.

[/quote]

I'd like the details too if you don't mind.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Same here. I love TFF as it is, but that's because for me everything just feels right, but I would have loved to see The Shat's ideas more fleshed out and given the proper treatment rather than the movie we have.

J.

I'll second that thought!

Sharr

Thirded.

 

[Unicron]

Sybok's interactions with Sulu, Uhura, Chekov and Scotty were expanded in the novelization, albeit a bit differently. Uhura's and Chekov's "healings" were not described (although Chekov thought Sybok spoke to him in Russian), but Sulu's and Scotty's were. Sulu lived on a colony that was attacked by the Klingons when he was a boy, and he lost several friends. He couldn't have done anything to save them, but he was tormented for years by the feeling that he could have done more. Scotty meanwhile still felt guilt over Peter's death in TWOK, and he helped Sybok develop an unusual shield geometry to let the Enterprise pass through the barrier.

 

[FatherRob]

As a TFF lover myself, I have always felt it to be the most human of the films. While it may not get much play beyond a small circle, I felt it was more faithful to TOS (at times too faithful) than most of the other films. The entire rock-climb/campfire setting was outstanding, and very effective at opening the triad up...

From a techie perspective, I was hideoulsy disappointed by the nonsense of getting to the center of the galaxy in a day... so I always chose to ignore that little tidbit...

I'd love to learn more about the differences myself...

Rob+

 

[FalTorPan]

Just reading the making of book about the film that, IIRC, Liz Shatner wrote, I'm filled with sadness over the final product. Shatner had to compromise on every aspect of the film, except, perhaps, Goldsmith's outstanding score. I'd be curious to hear more details about this draft of the script, if you're willing.

Of course, the production of nearly every feature film requires compromise -- especially a "franchise" film.

 

[trevanian]

Just reading the making of book about the film that, IIRC, Liz Shatner wrote, I'm filled with sadness over the final product. Shatner had to compromise on every aspect of the film, except, perhaps, Goldsmith's outstanding score. I'd be curious to hear more details about this draft of the script, if you're willing.

Of course, the production of nearly every feature film requires compromise -- especially a "franchise" film.

Are you thinking of the APES films? Geez, the guy who directed the last couple just kept running the same extras by over & over again, they were pinching pennies so tightly.

The dif on the trek stuff is that even in 1989 they knew they'd get rich off the homevid stuff, no matter how bad it fared in theaters. They could have thrown good money after bad on TFF and tried promoting it as the most expensive trek movie in 10 years, or any number of other routes (like slipping it to xmas, which is when it should have come out anyway, given the summer of 89 competition), and allowed for a decent period in post ... perhaps with more time Shatner would have wised up and threatened a Nick Meyer, like, give me more money or I'll pay for the reshoot myself (which meyer did successfully to restage an explosion on TWOK) ... or even gone ahead and ponied up his paycheck anyway. I still figure if he looked at it enough, he'd've realized what Bennett and Winter already knew, that it just wasn't going to work the way he intended. I'm not talking about unfixable stuff, like how non proactive the players are (I figure in the story stage they should have had Kirk Spock & McCoy stuck on Nimbus, then wind up fighting klingons and/or working with them, chasing the E to the god planet ... ), but things that would have paid off with the film as-is, like another cutter taking a go at the whole show, and of course supplementing the vfx with better work.

Even now, I think TFF's sound work is a marvel, and maybe that is one of the subconscious aspects that work against the pic, because it feels like a sound mix from a much more sophisticated film.

 

[FatherRob]

Even now, I think TFF's sound work is a marvel, and maybe that is one of the subconscious aspects that work against the pic, because it feels like a sound mix from a much more sophisticated film.

I have to agree here, the sound work on TFF is the best of all the Trek movies. The soundtrack, background, and the dialogue is outstanding...

Some other TFF things that appeal to me:
-favorite bridge of all films/episodes
-rear projection screens
-I actually felt the direction was very good on TFF

Just my opinion...

Rob+

 

[trevanian]

Even now, I think TFF's sound work is a marvel, and maybe that is one of the subconscious aspects that work against the pic, because it feels like a sound mix from a much more sophisticated film.

I have to agree here, the sound work on TFF is the best of all the Trek movies. The soundtrack, background, and the dialogue is outstanding...

Some other TFF things that appeal to me:
-favorite bridge of all films/episodes
-rear projection screens
-I actually felt the direction was very good on TFF

Just my opinion...

Rob+

I wish they'd used RP all along, myself. It is a hassle to work with at times, but the results spoke (to you and I anyway) volumes.

anybody want to open up a 'glories of tff' thread that I can check when I come back next week?

 

[Harvey]

Just reading the making of book about the film that, IIRC, Liz Shatner wrote, I'm filled with sadness over the final product. Shatner had to compromise on every aspect of the film, except, perhaps, Goldsmith's outstanding score. I'd be curious to hear more details about this draft of the script, if you're willing.

Of course, the production of nearly every feature film requires compromise -- especially a "franchise" film.

Of course. But the number of compromises, not to mention the number of things Shatner had to give up outright, were striking, even in the context of a big-budget franchise film. And this was in a book that was designed to promote the film.

 

[Sharr Khan]

The thing that helped shape this into a memorable film for me has alot to do with the fact I read the novel first before I saw it onscreen, since then Trek V's always left me with good vibes. Interesting the inverse is true for me of TMP... the novel only makes that film seem so much more pretentious and un-Trek like.

*feels the need to break out his Sybok avatar.

Sharr

 

[Ward Fowler]

I too read the novel before seeing the movie. Things were explained in the novel that might have otherwise left you puzzled when watching the movie. I hadn't considered it before, but perhaps having that knowledge made me enjoy the movie more than I otherwise would have.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Generally such "explanations" in novelizations are just the writer rationalizing his way through massive plot holes in the material that he was given to work with.

 

[Ward Fowler]

Well, generally I've found that a novelization is superior to the source material simply because the format allows for more detail. However, the novelization ultimately lives or dies depending on the quality of story (script). I found the TFF novelization to be quite good. You should pick it up at your local library and give it a read.