Star Trek V - The movie that could have been

[Balrog]

I was just reading an article about the ending of TVH. Kirk and Co. are piloting through Spacedock contemplating their next command. When it seems they indeed heading for Excelsior, they are suprized to see a new Constitution Refit Enterprise A.

The next scene shows them on the white and silver, prestine bridge. In the background are new Okudagrams of the different stations of the bridge, including Engineering. The Engineering panels depict the Enterprise' new TRANSWARP engines. Kirk says to Sulu, "Let's see what she's got," and the E-A blasts into deep space in a brilliant streak of rainbow colors.

We know Harve Bennett initially saw the Enterprise crew moving to Excelsior after Star Trek III. They quickly changed their minds after fans complained, thus created the E-A. It seems the producers still wanted this new, faster technology to use in further adventures for the crew.

In Vonda McIntyre's novelization of TVH (non-canonical of course), she mentions Kirk holding "paper orders" given to him by Starfleet for this new assignment, and that this meant their new mission was to be "something special".

Given this, what could have been the further adventures of the Enterprise crew had Shatner not gone and created the mess that became TFF? Perhaps following an Enterprise exploring the Delta Quadrant or the Megellanic Clouds as was mentioned in in the Star Trek II novelization (Capt. Flynn was exploring the region in a smaller exploration transwarp craft)

 

[sonak]

um, so really this has nothing to do with TFF, you're just asking about speculation for a totally different movie between TVH and TUC?


that could be pretty much anything. I mean, Trek has a pretty open story format.

there are a bunch of good Star Trek novels they could have picked for a film adaptation, I guess.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I liked the Star Trek V we got. Although much of the humor fell flat, it captured the feel and fun of TOS better than any other Trek movie.

I don't think the Enterprise-A had transwarp drive outside of Shane Johnson's book, "Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise" - and the Okudagrams reproduced in that were modified by Johnson from the versions seen on-screen. The idea that the massive Excelsior drive could be so quickly shrunk down into the diminutive Enterprise-class frame always struck me as hokey.

 

[CaptainMatt]

I can imagine some of the novels being just as good as "Star Trek V" if not better than the film we actually got. The Rift, Probe, or the final Khan book.

 

[Dukhat]

I think I would have been perfectly content if TVH was the final film with the original cast. Leave it to our imaginations to figure out what eventually happened with the 1701-A and her crew. TVH was the most logical point for the movie series to end anyway, IMHO. Anything they did for Star Trek V would have been jumping the shark.

Or better yet, have the ending of TVH be a lead in for a new series, with the old crew randomly saying their goodbyes and leaving while new crewmembers took their place. Unfortunately the ill feelings from Shatner and Nimoy at the time about a new Trek TV series that didn't feature them wouldn't have helped much...

 

[BriGuy]

um, so really this has nothing to do with TFF, you're just asking about speculation for a totally different movie between TVH and TUC?


that could be pretty much anything. I mean, Trek has a pretty open story format.

there are a bunch of good Star Trek novels they could have picked for a film adaptation, I guess.

And with such an "open story format," isn't it amazing how many old, tired and worn out stories get repeated and regurgitated?

I mean, people say this all the time, that there are "limitless stories" in Trek, yet so often we see the same stuff again and again and again...

In retrospect, I would've wanted them to get the Excelsior. Show them advancing a bit. Although at the time I know that never would've worked. And after getting the Enterprise back after seeing it destroyed, it would've been preferable to not have it be a broken down piece of junk.

 

[ToddKent]

um, so really this has nothing to do with TFF, you're just asking about speculation for a totally different movie between TVH and TUC?


that could be pretty much anything. I mean, Trek has a pretty open story format.

there are a bunch of good Star Trek novels they could have picked for a film adaptation, I guess.

And with such an "open story format," isn't it amazing how many old, tired and worn out stories get repeated and regurgitated?

I mean, people say this all the time, that there are "limitless stories" in Trek, yet so often we see the same stuff again and again and again...

That's exactly what I was thinking. But it's probably fodder for a different thread. It's always fun to speculate on what might have been...

 

[F. King Daniel]

The premise of Trek CAN tell any kind of story - it was Rick Berman's version that stuck to the same old "planet of the week" formula (with the exception of DS9 and ENT's third season)

 

[sonak]

The premise of Trek CAN tell any kind of story - it was Rick Berman's version that stuck to the same old "planet of the week" formula (with the exception of DS9 and ENT's third season)

agreed. Trek's format makes it almost without limits in terms of what kind of stories it can have.


the only limits are self-imposed, either through "Gene's vision" or a lack of sufficient imagination.

 

[Ian Keldon]

I liked the Star Trek V we got. Although much of the humor fell flat, it captured the feel and fun of TOS better than any other Trek movie.

I don't think the Enterprise-A had transwarp drive outside of Shane Johnson's book, "Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise" - and the Okudagrams reproduced in that were modified by Johnson from the versions seen on-screen. The idea that the massive Excelsior drive could be so quickly shrunk down into the diminutive Enterprise-class frame always struck me as hokey.

Johnson did so with the full knowledge and blessing of Mike Okuda, who was part of the production team at the time, and his book was intended to be official and binding by Paramount at the time it was written, including all the FASA references, etc. At a later point, Paramount changed it's mind.

 

[CaptainMatt]

So are you all pretty much saying that a Trek V was a good thing to make but not the Trek V we got? It's so confusing in here LOL J/K

 

[Dukhat]

That's not what I said.

 

[CaptainMatt]

No, you were saying IV was a good enough place to stop. However, I was not specifically addressing your post.

 

[Dukhat]

You said we were "all" saying that a Trek V was a good thing to make but not the Trek V we got. Clearly we weren't.

 

[22 Stars]

I'm glad they made movies after IV, I am just sorry they made Shatner's V. It was poorly conceived and even more poorly executed for many well known reasons. I like VI and am glad Paramount wanted to make it.

 

[CaptainMatt]

No reason to fight over it, is there, Dukhat?

 

[Dukhat]

Who's fighting? I'm a lover, not a fighter

Seriously though, if my response came off as argumentative I apologize.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The premise of Trek CAN tell any kind of story - it was Rick Berman's version that stuck to the same old "planet of the week" formula (with the exception of DS9 and ENT's third season)

This seems like a revisionist view of history. There were plenty of TNG and VOY eps under Berman's watch that avoided the planet-of-the-week cliche, or turned it on its ear.

 

[Maurice]

Albeit it's basically over, the default page for Wikipedia today (Tuesday) featured Star Trek V.

 

[Captaindemotion]

IIRC, Shatner originally considered a 'planet of eternal youth' story, long before Insurrection did the same thing. He would later re-visit it for his Ashes of Eden novel.

The Shat was somewhat hamstrung by the studio cutting the budget for the movie and their insistence that it contain more comedy, in light of TVH's success. He had a much bigger and more dramatic vision for the movie than the studio was willing to allow. Had they allowed for the SFX and action sequences he wanted and cut down on the hokey comedy, it could have been a much different and more successful movie.