Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country isn't the best movie in the lineup of Star Trek: The Original Series movies, and Walter Koenig doesn't hesitate to share
What a weird thing to say. I’ve always heard it described as one of the best TOS films and I always found the ending quite an emotional and fitting send-off to the TOS crew.
I think the ending needs some work but I like the concept.
I don’t know if the boomers could write a story about getting old wisely, particularly not way back then. I like the idea of showing different characters managing getting older, both in positive and negative ways, and perhaps some characters having an arc.
Kirk would definitely be trying to keep living his glory days. He already looked like an idiot wrassling Klingons in Star Trek 3, by 6 he should be seeing the consequences of his insistence on playing hero, a washed up captain with a growing number of failed missions because he keeps trying to go down and fight the bad guy and kiss the lady and he just isn’t capable of it anymore. His arc would be learning to let go of the day to day battles, and leaning into his wisdom earned by a lifetime of work in the field to help raise the next generation of people who will be taking over after him. In the actual canon just as Kirk never faced the Kobayashi maru challenge head on, his character never actually faced aging head-on and died in a battle including 3 old men.
The idea that McCoy would stop being a doctor is dumb, many doctors practice until they die of old age. His arc would be about coming to grips with the reality that he has a limited amount of time left and what that means.
Spock would be an investigation of what it means to have more time since he’d be a young man in Vulcan terms, looking at aging from an alien perspective, but hey we introduced a new family member last movie how about we introduce sarek’s dad who is in the final stages of Vulcan decline and the consequences of having people be such reliable pillars for so long and then losing them.
Scotty’s story of becoming a drunk stays, it’s too interesting to not do something with.
Uhuras story should be a future reflection on a life for a woman that was much different than the life of a woman in the 60s when TOS first aired, an opportunity to show how different gene’s future was than the present of 40-60 years ago.
Contrasting to Kirk who was the captain in his prime winning all the fights and getting all the chicks, Checkovs (sorry Koenig) character would be a reflection of a life of regret, of opportunities not taken. His arc would be about making peace with his past self and taking steps to constructively manage his future.
Sulu could be shown taking an entirely different path, such as a strategic command, and his arc would be about using his wisdom and experience from the enterprise adventures to advise the fleet.
With all this, I think two huge threats are too much. Galactic war or youth worms, and I think Galactic war makes way more sense for the last hurrah.
You’d start off with a captains log and the on a routine mission to transport Spock in his role as a diplomat to mediate a dispute on a planet. Smash cut to a battle between Kirk and a klingon. The dialogue would suggest Kirk quickly sniffed him out with his experience, but while he puts up a good fight ultimately he loses the fight. He beams up and a space battle starts with a klingon ship. He issues competent commands and wins the battle but just a beat too late so the ship takes some hits and some people die. Later he’s admonished by Starfleet command and given an ultimatum that he either accepts a role as an admiral commanding fleets or he can retire, and he can make the decision when he gets back to earth but for now his first officer is in command of the ship. Just as they are about to set a course for earth they get a message that war has broken out with the Klingons and the Enterprise is needed immediately to participate in the war effort.
Anyway better stop here or I’ll write a whole script lol
As for the story of the war and some of the characters stories… The age of heroes like Kirk in their prime is over, the federation is losing the war. Younger crews weren’t properly mentored and so lack the knowledge of the aging heroes and so are not doing well at all, and the older crews dont have the vigor to engage in total war. Meanwhile the Klingons seem to be doing just fine, being both vigorous and wise, hence why they decided to start a war sensing a weak federation. Kirk would slowly over the course of the movie learn that it’s not so bad mentoring top people. Bones would struggle after watching the young men come into the sickbay dead realizing in just a few years his final destination would be upon him, and he’d be making mistakes and cracking. Spock would share his struggles with his grandfather dying and would speak logically about death like nimoy did in “I am Spock” and it would help McCoy put death into perspective. Scott would learn he drank because he didn’t think he had anything better in his life until he saw the new batch of engineers trying really hard to keep the ship running but lacking know-how and one of the engineers would come to him with personal problems and he’d realize he had more to offer than just work. Spock would do some brilliant work as a seconded science officer and later would use his skills as a diplomat to help end the war with the Klingons once the Enterprise becomes the focal point of a passing of the torch where the old crews realize they need to build up the new ones which makes the Klingons realize their time has passed to attack (with a little prodding). Uhuras work as a communications officer ends up front and center as she is a second diplomat working with Spock near the end of the movie. Checkov would realize that while he isn’t happy with his past all he can do is move on to his future. Sulu would have a whole b-plot where he talks at desks about strategy and helps see several ambushes by the Klingons in advance which is part of what helps end the war.
His feelings might be related to his plan for the sixth film involving the TOS crew being forcibly retired and then slaughtered.
Interesting read. Half of that feels like the plot points of Picard season 3. Perhaps inspiration
I think the ending needs some work but I like the concept.
I don’t know if the boomers could write a story about getting old wisely, particularly not way back then. I like the idea of showing different characters managing getting older, both in positive and negative ways, and perhaps some characters having an arc.
Kirk would definitely be trying to keep living his glory days. He already looked like an idiot wrassling Klingons in Star Trek 3, by 6 he should be seeing the consequences of his insistence on playing hero, a washed up captain with a growing number of failed missions because he keeps trying to go down and fight the bad guy and kiss the lady and he just isn’t capable of it anymore. His arc would be learning to let go of the day to day battles, and leaning into his wisdom earned by a lifetime of work in the field to help raise the next generation of people who will be taking over after him. In the actual canon just as Kirk never faced the Kobayashi maru challenge head on, his character never actually faced aging head-on and died in a battle including 3 old men.
The idea that McCoy would stop being a doctor is dumb, many doctors practice until they die of old age. His arc would be about coming to grips with the reality that he has a limited amount of time left and what that means.
Spock would be an investigation of what it means to have more time since he’d be a young man in Vulcan terms, looking at aging from an alien perspective, but hey we introduced a new family member last movie how about we introduce sarek’s dad who is in the final stages of Vulcan decline and the consequences of having people be such reliable pillars for so long and then losing them.
Scotty’s story of becoming a drunk stays, it’s too interesting to not do something with.
Uhuras story should be a future reflection on a life for a woman that was much different than the life of a woman in the 60s when TOS first aired, an opportunity to show how different gene’s future was than the present of 40-60 years ago.
Contrasting to Kirk who was the captain in his prime winning all the fights and getting all the chicks, Checkovs (sorry Koenig) character would be a reflection of a life of regret, of opportunities not taken. His arc would be about making peace with his past self and taking steps to constructively manage his future.
Sulu could be shown taking an entirely different path, such as a strategic command, and his arc would be about using his wisdom and experience from the enterprise adventures to advise the fleet.
With all this, I think two huge threats are too much. Galactic war or youth worms, and I think Galactic war makes way more sense for the last hurrah.
You’d start off with a captains log and the on a routine mission to transport Spock in his role as a diplomat to mediate a dispute on a planet. Smash cut to a battle between Kirk and a klingon. The dialogue would suggest Kirk quickly sniffed him out with his experience, but while he puts up a good fight ultimately he loses the fight. He beams up and a space battle starts with a klingon ship. He issues competent commands and wins the battle but just a beat too late so the ship takes some hits and some people die. Later he’s admonished by Starfleet command and given an ultimatum that he either accepts a role as an admiral commanding fleets or he can retire, and he can make the decision when he gets back to earth but for now his first officer is in command of the ship. Just as they are about to set a course for earth they get a message that war has broken out with the Klingons and the Enterprise is needed immediately to participate in the war effort.
Anyway better stop here or I’ll write a whole script lol
As for the story of the war and some of the characters stories… The age of heroes like Kirk in their prime is over, the federation is losing the war. Younger crews weren’t properly mentored and so lack the knowledge of the aging heroes and so are not doing well at all, and the older crews dont have the vigor to engage in total war. Meanwhile the Klingons seem to be doing just fine, being both vigorous and wise, hence why they decided to start a war sensing a weak federation. Kirk would slowly over the course of the movie learn that it’s not so bad mentoring top people. Bones would struggle after watching the young men come into the sickbay dead realizing in just a few years his final destination would be upon him, and he’d be making mistakes and cracking. Spock would share his struggles with his grandfather dying and would speak logically about death like nimoy did in “I am Spock” and it would help McCoy put death into perspective. Scott would learn he drank because he didn’t think he had anything better in his life until he saw the new batch of engineers trying really hard to keep the ship running but lacking know-how and one of the engineers would come to him with personal problems and he’d realize he had more to offer than just work. Spock would do some brilliant work as a seconded science officer and later would use his skills as a diplomat to help end the war with the Klingons once the Enterprise becomes the focal point of a passing of the torch where the old crews realize they need to build up the new ones which makes the Klingons realize their time has passed to attack (with a little prodding). Uhuras work as a communications officer ends up front and center as she is a second diplomat working with Spock near the end of the movie. Checkov would realize that while he isn’t happy with his past all he can do is move on to his future. Sulu would have a whole b-plot where he talks at desks about strategy and helps see several ambushes by the Klingons in advance which is part of what helps end the war.
Ok but that’s it…