Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Image From IMDB
Along with Wrath of Khan, Undiscovered Country for me is the best of the Original Star Trek movies. It’s a tense affair from start to finish with themes that ran parallel to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unknown future that came along with the historic event. Sci-fi is at its best when it can examine our real world fears in a fantasy manner, and Undiscovered Country revels in this.
When the Klingon Empire cause the future destruction of their own home world they enter contentious peace talks with the Federation. James T Kirk and the crew of the enterprise are given the task of escorting the Emperor safely across Federation space, and when he’s assassinated, Kirk becomes the prime suspect.
It’s an absolutely fantastic setup, which is delivered through one of the tightest scripts you’ll ever read. Kirks prejudice against the Klingons are well known, and he doesn’t hide them. He hates the idea of trusting they want peace, but must accept his responsibility as a captain, and leading figure in the Federation.
The script in fact is so tight that during the trail, even when as an audience you know Kirk wouldn’t have killed the Klingon Emperor, you still can’t help but nod along to all the evidence. No lies are told. We’re not manipulated as an audience in any way. Everything said is true, yet…
The movie is perfectly divided up with the first act playing like a spy thriller, the second act split between a detective murder mystery and sci-fi prison drama, while the final act injects action onto the screen. Every part is exciting and extremely funny. For such a tense story, there’s humour throughout. Most of your favourite OG Trek lines come from this movie, with the dinner scene being particularly funny.
Everyone in the movie is absolutely brilliant. They’ve all been playing the roles for so long they know the characters inside out, yet, still find their flaws and quirks. Kirk and Spock’s conversations are incredible, and everything with Kirk and Bones in the prison mine is genius. I really did spend the whole movie with a smile on my face, either from how charming and funny it was, or how brilliant the movie was as a whole.
It’s a perfect movie in my eyes, and I think many would agree. Everyone is at their best, and the story is one worth telling. The blend of tension and humour is balanced to perfection, and all your favourite characters have their moments, while those new to the franchise play their part.
Undiscovered Country is everything classic Trek should be. Adults exploring interesting themes and morals. No shortcuts are taken in the script or the characters. Kirk’s prejudice towards the Klingons is real. He’s not going to suddenly be a better person, he has to face the feelings and responsibility. They don’t make movies like this anymore. These conversations just don’t happen in the modern world, and the world is sadder for it. Once again, Trek is leading the way. It’s a movie everyone should watch and learn from.
