Re-Watching VOY

[DonIago]

"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991)

The music right from the first frame seems so ominous. Cliff Eidelman is an incredible composter. It's criminal that he was never brought back. It gives a sense of the real gravity of this outing, rather than having the usual type of Star Trek score. It adds to Star Trek VI really feeling like An Event.

Then the film literally begins with a bang. The explosion of Praxis. It's one of those things where you have to be caught up in the moment. If Praxis was in orbit of Qo'noS, then the explosion of Praxis should've wiped out all life on Qo'noS instantly. End of movie. But ignoring that, ILM's special effects were first rate. Thinking about what the explosion would really do is only something I normally think of after the fact. The shaking of Sulu's cup of tea and then shattering was a nice touch as the energy wave from the explosion of Praxis approaches the Excelsior. I take the shattering of the cup to symbolic of the shattering of the times as the Federation and Klingons knew them.

Shout out to Hiro Narita as the Cinematographer. All of his shots look great. Interior, exterior, on-location, it doesn't matter. He's another person I wish they could've brought back later. If Nick Meyer wanted a dramatic or intense shot, Hiro Narita always delivered.

Having Nick Meyer back as Director was a treat. In several scenes, his directing made it feel like like I was on a ride, like with the Excelsior being caught up in an energy wave at the beginning of the movie with all the chaos it ensued, or the final showdown between the Enterprise and the Bird-of-Prey at the end. Throw in some sequences in the middle as well: 1) from Kronos One losing gravity to the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon, 2) Kirk and McCoy were trying to escape Rura Penthe with Martia, including the prison break, their journey on the harsh frozen planet's surface, and the fight between Kirk and Martia-as-Kirk and 3) The search on the Enterprise for the gravity boots the assassins wore. All of those scenes are extremely visceral and never get old, no matter how many times I watch them.

Other times, his directing looked like it was trying to set the mood and frame up the drama. There are two specific examples that come to mind. First, the dining scene with Klngons onboard, where Gorkon and Spock want it to go one way, as both want a better future, and then Chang wants it to go another away as he constantly tries to needle Kirk to get him to say the wrong thing, Chang vs. Kirk at the dinner table reminds me of Khan vs. Kirk at the dinner table in "Space Seed" where Khan says social gatherings are nothing more than warfare concealed. In this movie, Chang says all warriors are cold warriors. The second scene, which is as much about mood and atmosphere as it is about the drama is Chang prosecuting Kirk in the Klingon Courtroom Scene. The darkness, the set design, Chang's intensity, catching Kirk in the least flattering ways possible, and the sense of doom as the ominous Judge partially hidden in dark shadows pronounces Kirk and McCoy's sentence to Rura Penthe for the rest of their natural lives. When the Klingons keep chanting, "Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Kirk!" that says it all. They don't want justice. They want blood. They've wanted it since Star Trek IV and now was their chance. To quote one of the Starfleet Admirals, "It's a damned show trial." Once again, these scenes never get old.

Kirk's story arc, and the less than flattering way he's presented, is the emotional core of the film. He's bitter and hardened after the death of his son in Star Trek III. It went from the Klingons just being adversaries to something a lot more personal. You don't really see it that much in IV and V, but you REALLY see it here. I view it as Kirk's grief comes and goes in waves. There are high tides and there are low tides. Star Trek VI was a high tide. He'll go through the diplomatic mission, but he hates it. Some will say, "Kirk wouldn't have been like this in TOS!" And they're right. He wouldn't have been. But his son hadn't been killed yet. And he hadn't had 25 more years of experiences with the Klingons added yet either. This Kirk isn't in the same place mentally as he was in during TOS. At all. Unlike in the series, where the episodic nature of '60s TV demanded he stay the same from week-to-week, in the movies he was allowed to change. So, I take no issue with Kirk feeling so bitter and having to learn how to come to grips with changing times. Unlike a lot of other people, I think Kirk's arc where he has to overcome his prejudice against Klingons comes from a natural starting ground.

Spock also goes through some changes. On multiple fronts. He's continuing on the journey that started in the first Star Trek movie where he began The Motion Picture by seeing logic as the end-all/be-all and then ended it by realizing there could be more. In this movie, he tells Valeris that logic is the beginning of wisdom instead of the end. He's also leaving the Enterprise and I assuming pursuing a path that leads to him becoming an Ambassador by TNG. This is something else that fits his character arc. In TOS, he said that he didn't want to be Captain. He also always had difficulty in the role or faced resistance whenever something happened to Kirk. That left Spock stuck in First Officer mode, making Starfleet a dead end with nowhere up to go in Starfleet after the Enterprise. So, choosing a different career path makes sense for him and reaching out to Gorkon was a good start for that.

Sulu's role as Captain of the Excelsior was nothing but new material for him. Being in command, charging to the rescue as the cavalry, and being willing to assist the Enterprise crew however he can. McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov are their usual selves, so not much to say there. They also all get their scenes to shine in the film.

I know that Valeris was originally supposed to Saavik, but I appreciate that she was a new character rather than Nick Meyer casting a Third Saavik. While it's true that it makes her the most likely suspect for the audience when trying to figure out who the conspirator on the Enterprise is, it adds to another scene in a way that I've never seen mentioned before. Spock says that he was prejudiced by Valeris' accomplishments as a Vulcan, meaning that he just assumed she'd be great, all well and good... but I also think, on a more personal level, that Spock thought Valeris would be just like Saavik. And she wasn't. Spock is truly hurt when he realizes this. You see this he's enraged at Valeris and smacks the phaser out of her hand when they find out she's the conspirator. And you see it before, during, and after he mind-melds with Valeris while trying to find out more information. Spock goes too far with the mind-meld, I think, because of how disturbed he was at her.

The idea that members of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans would conspire to remain enemies was something that confused me when I was a kid. They were already working together, so how could they be against peace. But as an adult, I understand that it's because they're benefitting off the war machine. Just like in Real Life. I was told that in all of the United States' history, it's only in peace for 17 of its 250 years. That means war is big business. War is responsible for people's careers. They don't want a world without war. Which makes them enemies to the very concept of Star Trek, making them fitting adversaries, on a meta level, for the last Star Trek movie with the original cast.

That brings us to Chang: the true face of the conspiracy to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon, attempt to assassinate the Federation President, and prevent peace in the Alpha Quadrant. I didn't know until later that William Shatner worked with Christopher Plummer in Shakespearian Theater. They had to be thrilled to be working together in this movie. Christopher Plummer brings a real flare and sophistication to his role, and it makes him one of the most memorable Star Trek Villains. Some people might say Chang's constantly quoting Shakespear is a little bit too much, but I'm not one of those people. For most of the film, he has the upper hand on Kirk, and it makes him a formidable opponent. The entire fight between the Enterprise and Chang's Bird-of-Prey was intense. The most intense moment was when that Klingon torpedo literally pierced right through the hull of the Enterprise's saucer and the music that went along with it. It gets my heart pounding every time. I don't care how elaborate they make CGI battles now, nothing will ever beat that. Then, as the music tenses up, and Spock and McCoy have their torpedo ready, Kirk says "Fire!" and it has me completely captivated as the torpedo says "To be or not to be!" and his ship is finally destroyed with an explosion shot so nice, they use it in the next movie too!

It feels appropriately frantic after that as the Enterprise crew beams down to the Khitomer Peace Conference to stop the assassination of the Federation President, including Kirk's literal leap to rescue the President and Scotty taking down the would-be assassin. At the end, after Kirk gives his speech, Azetbur, Gorkon's daughter, says he's restored her father's faith and Kirk says she's restored his son's. I think Kirk and Azetbur were on a parallel journey in this movie. Kirk had to set aside his feelings about what happened to his son to move toward a new future and Azetbur had to set aside her feelings about what happend to her father to move forward to a new future as well. As everyone claps, it feels truly earned. This was an appropriate final movie.

I know the allegorical theme of the end of the Cold War dates the movie, but I don't think it affects the quality of it. There are other things I can nitpick as well, but those are all things after the fact. Whenever I watch this movie, I still enjoy it, despite any flaws. It's my fourth favorite Star Trek movie behind The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and First Contact.

By and large enjoyed and agree with this. A bit surprised that you didn't comment on David Warner (who had just appeared in the prior film) as the Klingon answer to Abraham Lincoln. Less surprised that you didn't comment on Rosanna DeSoto's perfromance as Azetbur.

 

[Lord Garth]

A bit surprised that you didn't comment on David Warner (who had just appeared in the prior film) as the Klingon answer to Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln (my favorite President) and Gorbachev.

Bleh. You're right. That was an unintentional oversight. I'll find a way to work it in tomorrow. I'm spent right now.

 

[Lord Garth]

I've just added the paragraph about Gorkon. It's the seventh paragraph down, between the paragraphs I have about Kirk and Spock. There are some more things I want to say about TUC, this time surrounding the film instead of the film itself.

TUC is the first Star Trek movie I saw in the theater as a fan. I was 12. I'd been taken to see TFF in the theater, but I wasn't a fan yet and it didn't convert me. Whereas by the time I went to see TUC, I'd already seen all the other movies, I was hooked, I'd just seen Spock on TNG, and I couldn't wait to see this one. I had a Star Trek VI T-shirt, I already bought the comic book adaptation, and I had the novelization. Plus, the trailer I'd seen for the movie during the 25th Anniversary Special (anyone else remember that?), along with all the behind-the-scenes coverage, had me super-excited, I couldn't wait to see it. Afterwards, I bought the Starlog Magazine's special issue devoted to TUC, complete with interviews from the cast and crew. I had everything.

I went to see Star Trek VI on Opening Day after school, with my mother and my brother. Then I went with my uncle to see it on Christmas Day. Coincidentally, the same day the USSR fell. Then I went to see it for a third time at a second-run theater in the late-winter or early-spring, something like that. My father finally watched it, when I rented it the day after it came out on VHS. Would've been the day of, but it was rented out by the time I got to the store, so I had to wait.

Then, one random night in the Summer of 1992, as I was flipping through cable channels, I came across George Takei on the Home Shopping Channel of all places! It was so weird. He talked about all kinds of things but also mentioned a Captain Sulu series. It had me interested. I got a little taste of it that summer anyway, since DC Comics put out a string of issues with Sulu now Captain of the Excelsior. So that gave me a chance to see a little of what it would be like. But a comic book isn't the same as live action. Which was why I was looking forward to "Flashback" and why I'd been hoping for a completely new adventure with Sulu.

 

[DonIago]

I still think TUC had not just the best trailer I've seen for any Trek film thus far, but one of the best trailers I've seen for any film. The narration is both well-written and well-delivered, and the scenes used were very well chosen, and it's great when they blend into the shot of the E preparing to go to warp.

 

[Qonundrum]

"Meld"

Suder's finally here! Tom Paris' mini-arc which leads up to flushing out Jonas starts! And what I am going to start this review off with? Neelix getting on my nerves again! Pestering Tuvok and saying he'll never rest until gets Tuvok to smile. And the pestering is starting to border on harassment. I'm on Tuvok's side.

Part of me would bet that the "Neelix fun death scene" was a response by the makers of the show in, what's the word, "trolling" the people who hated the character. Or maybe it wasn't, given the balance and tone and entirely of the show and presentation and, yeah, I like Neelix. Either way, as a fan of Neelix, it was damn good writing and acting to turn a fan fantasy into a holodeck trick.

But enough with that, and onto the real hook. Torres calls Tuvok down to Engineering, where a grisly murder has been uncovered. I already knew what was coming, since I know the episode. But for someone watching this the first time, it would probably be a sharp turn from out of left field.

I'd not seen it since forever, save for two clips (Neelix' fun-time neck crunch and Tim Russ's award-deserving speech as Tuvok to Janeway), so the reveal - in proper horror movie style - still suitably shocks. Or is the word, "Suderbly"?

Aside from Alien: Resurrection, I don't think I've ever seen Brad Dourif play anyone who wasn't crazy. And even in the Alien movie, what he was doing was crazy (helping in trying to weaponize Xenomorphs). And he delivers the crazy in this episode. It's like the role of Suder was written with Brad Dourif specifically in mind. Tuvok is completely perplexed when Suder gives the reason for killing someone as, "I didn't like the way he looked at me."

Tropey or Typecast or other T-words aside, he's still Terrific. Always use one's strengths. If Brad liked the show and a role was tailor-made, this really did Sud'er him...



(...I also have to stop using those dreadful puns...)

I think the Doctor is right. We evolved from predators. Suder can't repress those animal instincts. As soon as someone looks at him wrong, he kills them. He's out in the wild. He's in the jungle. To be honest, I'm surprised he managed to hold out until the middle of the second season. An assessment that Tuvok ultimately agrees with.

Or some form of mental illness, DSM-V stuff or whatever version was the norm back in 1996. True, humans still evolved and it's nice to see the show reflecting that, and many variables would and do exist.

Plus, "Worst Case Scenario" deserved to be sooner in the series' run as well.

I'll also say I think Chakotay made a mistake in not telling Janeway, Tuvok, and the Doctor about Suder much earlier. I understand that Chakotay didn't want to make things difficult for his fellow Maquis crew, but Suder's issues didn't have anything to do with that. I don't fault the episode, though. This is a character flaw specific to Chakotay in that he was trying too hard to have all the Maquis crew's backs.

It's another decent and nuanced touch, IMHO.

After Tuvok mind-melds with Suder, Tuvok's feelings begin to come to the surface. At first, it's thinking Suder deserves more punishment than what is feasible on Voyager. Janeway knows Tuvok well enough that she immediately picks up on it.

A great fake-out when Tuvok goes to the Holodeck and Neelix acts super-Neelix-y. What makes it such an effective fake-out is that Neelix is already so over-the-top that going slightly moreso doesn't even make anyone think anything is going on. On the surface, it seems like he's just being more annoying than usual. Then Tuvok does what a small part of him has probably wanted to do all along, and strangles Neelix to death! Computer, end program.

It's 100% sheer brilliance and brilliantly done, from script to screen. It's a perfect fit and cause.

When Tuvok sees Suder in the brig, Suder talks about how appealing violence is, since it doesn't require logic and how liberating it feels. He tries his hardest to make it sound good. The only appeal I see is when an aggressor is stopped and can no longer cause you harm. Here, Suder is the aggressor. He never stops to think about how "liberating" or "satisfying" it would feel for someone innocent to be on the other side of said violence. How liberating is that? Liberating maybe because you can do whatever you want. Satisfying you can do whatever you want. But that's it. On a starship, he most certainly can't do whatever he wants. Maybe that's made killing someone on Voyager feel that much more satisfying to do, because it was harder.

Tuvok had a point about a motive always being there, even if the story was trying to bypass the irrationality of unrelated emotional states being a possible motive in of itself. Random killings can and do happen, even if it's hard for humans to rationalize.

After the exchange with Suder, Tuvok goes to his quarters, relieves himself of duty, and smashes everything in said quarters. We don't see any of it and when Janeway visits him, we see the state Tuvok has left things in. Symbolizing Tuvok's own wrecked, mental state. I had an easier time buying Tuvok's ravaging of his quarters here than Odo's in DS9's "Crossfire". Though it's interesting that the two security chiefs wreck their quarters in such close proximity, airdate-wise. Tuvok has had over a century of repressed violent emotion which is being influenced, albeit unintentionally, by a murdering psychopath.

Writers cribbing notes? Given both series' differences, it is a coincidence - usually the new show takes ideas from older ones (e.g. "Starship Down" based and improving on "Disaster" for example, or "Dramatis Persona" being an inferior rehash of "Sarek", IMHO of course.) But rarely simultaneously. Then again, two Trek shows being developed simultaneously, to make a drinking game out of the number of close proximities in plot points wouldn't get even the most gleeful drinker from getting even remotely inebriated.

The camera pans across everything Tuvok has done, then stops on the shadow of Tuvok, like something Alfred Hitchcock would do if he were directing. That was a great shot. Even better is we can't see Tuvok himself. He's hiding in a corner, unseen, as he tells Janeway not to enter. As if he's some hoodlum on the street, lurking around the corner. It's genuinely scary when Tuvok tells Janeway not only how many martial arts he knows but how many ways he can kill someone using just a finger. I bet Suder would love to know all the ways he could kill someone using these methods. Then Tuvok rises, has sweat all over him, veins bulging, and his eyes look like those of a killer. None of it is special effects. Just really good makeup and really good acting. Tim Russ nails it.

^^this

Then Tim Russ nails it again in the next scene. When Tuvok is in Sickbay, with his emotional suppression removed and his telepathic abilities blocked, he becomes intrigued with the primitive Vulcan state, tells Janeway she's wrong for letting Suder live, and offers to kill Suder for her. He also says that Humans disgust him. There's a kernel of truth in everything he says. I think the normal Tuvok would think that Suder needs to pay for his consequences. I do think that Humans (in general) annoy Tuvok to some degree, he puts up with them at worst and tolerates them at best in a lot of cases. Things he'd never say with his inhibitions intact.

The story is chock full of minutiae-driven details and facets, and yet it never feels bogged down, bloated, slow, ineffectual, etc. Only engaging and intriguing. It couldn't be as easily done on the other Trek shows, partly because of the groupings of the people on board. Plus, we already had Tam Elbrun, who was another fantastic character for other reasons to bounce off the others with. Nothing about Suder feels tired or worn out, contrary to the belief that Trek was in burnout mode at this time.

In the middle of the night, Tuvok sneaks out of Sickbay, and heads off to kill Suder. The line of the show is when Suder says, "I'm ready to die, but are you ready to kill?" It's as if Suder is goading Tuvok to kill. Tuvok tries to rationalize it as Suder deserves to die, but Suder says that once Tuvok kills he'll want to keep killing and he'll have to give up his place in civilized society. I think Suder can't stand the thought of being confined to Voyager for rest of his life, wants to be killed, and thinks that if he's going down, then he's going to take the person who Tuvok was up until this episode down with him.

Fortunately, in the end, Tuvok doesn't kill Suder, Tuvok recovers, and Suder is permanently confined to his quarters. This episode was a great vehicle to show off Tim Russ' acting range. Something he doesn't get to do too often as Tuvok. It asks tough questions and doesn't give easy answers. I give it a 10.

And the moralplay, which Tuvok gets to relay of course. Everything about this episode is so solid, right down to the core. 10/10 is one of the few times I'd think the rating was too low, even if 10 is the best a story could get.

I should mention something about the Paris sub-plot, beyond the fact that it exists. He really leans into the Bad Boy image with the betting pool at the pool table. It was a good move not to have Jonas in this episode. On repeat viewings it would've made things too on-the-nose that both were connected.

It's nice to see fallible humans again. Definitely some shades of TOS but in new ways that TOS couldn't do, and it all just fits superb either which way.

 

[Lord Garth]

Writers cribbing notes? Given both series' differences, it is a coincidence

I personally don't think they were cribbing notes. I do think it's a coincidence. From what I can tell, there didn't seem to be any communication between the DS9 and VOY writing staffs unless one was writing about something in the other's territory; and that wouldn't have been the case here.

It's just amazing how the timing worked out between Odo and Tuvok wrecking their respective quarters. If I weren't doing re-watches of DS9 and VOY at the same time, it would've flown completely under my radar.

Plus, "Worst Case Scenario" deserved to be sooner in the series' run as well.

I actually think "Worst Case Scenario" is in the perfect spot. I consider it to be the last episode of Early-VOY. And so, I think it serves as a nice bookend. Looking back at how things could've gone, before the series looks forward to its next stage. The "Scorpion" two-parter changes the series permanently, and with Seven of Nine that change is seen in every episode except "Nemesis" (not to be confused with the movie), which is why I consider it to be the true dividing point.