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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Cast and Crew

Star trek: the original series collection.

Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection contains the first six Original Series films starring the U.S.S. Enterprise's cast and crew from the 1960s TV series of the same name.

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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

" The battle for peace has begun. "

An interstellar cataclysm cripples the Klingon Empire's homeworld, leading to their Chancellor seeking peace with the Federation. But covert acts attempt to thwart the peace process with the assassination of the Klingon Chancellor. With Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy as the prime suspects, the Starships Enterprise -A and Excelsior must attempt to uncover the truth before the conspirators can plunge the Federation and Klingon Empire into fullscale war!

• 1.1 Prelude
• 1.2 Act I – The Mission and Catastrophe
• 1.3 Act II – The Trial and Spock's Investigation
• 1.4 Act III – The Rescue and Revelation
• 1.5 Act IV – Realizations and Confrontations
• 1.6 Epilogue
• 2 Log entries
• 3.1.1 Hamlet
• 3.1.2 Julius Caesar
• 3.1.3 King Henry IV, Part II
• 3.1.4 King Henry V
• 3.1.5 The Merchant of Venice
• 3.1.6 Richard II
• 3.1.7 Romeo and Juliet
• 3.1.8 The Tempest
• 3.2 General quotes
• 4.1 Landmarks
• 4.3 Story and production
• 4.4 Sets, props, and costumes
• 4.5 Miscellaneous
• 4.7.1 Concept art
• 4.7.2 Production gallery
• 4.8 Merchandise gallery
• 4.9 Production history
• 4.10 Different versions
• 4.11 Apocrypha
• 5 Awards and honors
• 6.1.1 Opening credits
• 6.1.2.1 Second Unit Photography
• 6.2.1 Library computer references
• 6.2.2 Unused Material
• 6.2.3 Unreferenced material
• 6.3 Timeline
• 6.4 External links

Summary [ ]

Prelude [ ].

" I cannot confirm the existence of Praxis. "

An explosion erupts, creating a massive subspace shock wave .

Aboard the USS Excelsior , Captain Hikaru Sulu takes a sip of tea , reads a report handed to him by his science officer Dimitri Valtane , and records his log :

Excelsior emerges from the shockwave

Suddenly, red alert klaxons sound on the bridge as the subspace shockwave reaches the Excelsior , throwing Sulu and his crew to the deck. Sulu orders helmsman Lojur to turn Excelsior into the wave and the ship clears the disturbance with no serious damage. At his post, Valtane locates the origin of the shockwave – Praxis , a Klingon moon , which Sulu notes is the Empire 's key energy production facility. Sulu orders communications officer Janice Rand to hail the moon and offer their assistance, then asks Valtane for more data. Valtane, perplexed, says that he can confirm Praxis's location... but not its existence. An image appears on the viewscreen: Praxis, or rather barely half of it, ripped in two by some catastrophe, to the disbelieving horror of Sulu and the rest of the bridge crew. Rand reports that she has intercepted a message from Praxis and puts it up: the viewscreen is filled with the grisly image of a Klingon officer , standing on a deck heaving beneath his feet and surrounded by flames, shouting desperately at the pickup. The message abruptly cuts off when more flames erupt in front of him and is replaced by an official transmission from Klingon Brigadier General Kerla , speaking for the Klingon High Command . Kerla explains that there has been an "incident" on Praxis, but that everything is under control and Federation assistance is not required, warning the Excelsior to "obey treaty stipulations and remain outside the Neutral Zone ." The transmission ends and the Klingon emblem replaces it.

Rand asks Sulu if they should notify Starfleet and Sulu simply replies: " Are you kidding?! "

Act I – The Mission and Catastrophe [ ]

" Ladies and gentlemen, the C-in-C. "

Two months later on Earth , the senior crew of the USS Enterprise -A assembles for a meeting at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco . The C-in-C of Starfleet opens the meeting, bluntly stating that the Klingon Empire has only fifty years of life left to it. He turns the meeting over to the Federation Special Envoy. Much to the surprise of Kirk and his officers, it is Spock. He announces that the destruction of Praxis has polluted the Klingon homeworld 's ozone so badly that the planet has only fifty years remaining without diverting resources from its significant military expenditures. At the behest of Vulcan ambassador Sarek , Spock has opened a dialogue with Klingon Chancellor Gorkon , who wishes to end all hostilities between the Empire and Starfleet, proposing the dismantling of all starbases in and around the Neutral Zone. The Military aide asks if they plan to mothball Starfleet, but Bill said that their "exploration and scientific programs would be unaffected." Admiral Cartwright interrupts, vehemently objecting, saying the Klingons must not be offered safe haven in Federation space, suggesting Starfleet use military force in order to dictate terms from a superior position. Captain Kirk agrees that giving the Klingons free reign in Federation space is a "terrifying idea." However, Spock counters, arguing that they must act now to support the Gorkon initiative before conservative elements in the Klingon Empire can seize control and try to fight to the death.

Spock has volunteered the Enterprise and its crew to welcome Gorkon and his aides aboard and escort their ship to a peace meeting on Earth. Kirk protests that he is hardly the man for the job but is overruled and commanded to extend full diplomatic courtesy. Verbally sending the Enterprise on its way, the commander in chief thanks the assembled Starfleet officers and reminds them the meeting they've just had is classified, dismissing them too.

At this point, Kirk is left alone with Spock, who reminds him of an old Vulcan proverb that " only Nixon could go to China . " Kirk is angry that Spock would volunteer the Enterprise without consulting him. Spock states that his father requested he open the negotiations with the Klingons. Though Kirk knows that Spock's father is the Vulcan ambassador, Kirk is furious at Spock for forcing him to treat the Klingon "animals" like honored guests after what they did to his son ; Spock knows how he feels about the Klingons, but reminds Kirk they are dying. Kirk snaps, " Let them die! " Upon Spock's somewhat startled reaction, Kirk asks Spock if he has realized that the Enterprise crew is due to stand down in just three months time, saying that they have all done their "bit for king and country" and Kirk says that Spock should have trusted him. They stand in the conference hall in silence, looking at each other from opposite ends of the long conference table, uneasy at the new prospects that face them.

" Regulations specify thrusters only while in spacedock. "

Soon after, Captain Kirk and party are ferried to the Spacedock One aboard SD-103 and board the Enterprise . Upon arriving at the bridge, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy meet Lieutenant Valeris , a young Vulcan female and the first Vulcan to graduate at the top of her class at Starfleet Academy , who is volunteering as helmsman. " Let's get this over with. Departure stations, " Kirk announces to his crew. After an awkward moment when Kirk orders Valeris to depart Spacedock at one quarter impulse power despite regulations specifying thrusters only, the Enterprise departs Spacedock and the Sol system to rendezvous with Gorkon's battle cruiser , Kronos One .

A photo of Kirk's son David Marcus

Valeris then interrupts Kirk in his quarters. She informs him that the Enterprise is almost upon arrival at the rendezvous point. Valeris then tells Kirk how much of an honor it is to serve with him. Kirk tells her she piloted well out of Spacedock and Valeris tells him she has always wanted to try it.

" History is replete with turning points, lieutenant. You must have faith. "

Later, Valeris discusses logic and philosophy with Spock in his quarters in terms of their current mission. Spock says history is replete with turning points and she must have faith that the universe will ultimately unfold as it should. When Valeris begins to ask if that is logical, Spock points out a simple fact that has taken him a lifetime to learn; logic is only the beginning of wisdom and not the end. Spock is soon to retire, with this being his last voyage on the Enterprise as a member of the crew and he intends for Valeris to replace him. Valeris states that she could only succeed Spock. Upon this, an announcement is made through the ship's intercom that all hands are to report to duty stations as a Klingon battlecruiser has arrived off the Enterprise 's port bow.

Upon rendezvous with Gorkon, Captain Kirk reluctantly, but formally, invites the Chancellor and his staff to have dinner aboard the Enterprise at 1930 hours as guests of the Federation. Valeris then suggests opening up the supply of Romulan ale that is aboard, thinking it may help the evening progress more smoothly. Kirk compliments her thinking and leaves the bridge. " Guess who's coming to dinner? ", Commander Chekov quietly says.

Later, in the transporter room , Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott are on hand to greet Gorkon and his party. All behave cordially on the surface. Gorkon introduces his daughter, Azetbur , his military adviser, Brigadier General Kerla , and General Chang , his chief of staff . While Gorkon is dignified and gracious, offering Spock his sincere gratitude for his actions towards peace, Chang, who has an especially smug, obnoxious demeanor, tells Kirk that he has so wanted to meet the great Captain Kirk, " warrior to warrior " out of admiration. " Right, " Kirk coldly replies. He leads the Klingon delegation out of the room, thinking they might enjoy a brief tour of the vessel.

" I offer a toast – the undiscovered country – the future. "

Shortly afterward, both Kirk and Gorkon's staff dine together. Gorkon gives a toast to "the undiscovered country – the future". Spock recognizes the line from Hamlet , specifically from act III, scene I, and Gorkon tells Spock that one has never read Shakespeare properly until reading the text in "the original Klingon." McCoy diplomatically offers a toast to Gorkon, calling him " one of the architects of our future. " The dinner proceeds with surface pleasantries gradually melting to reveal angry hostility. In particular, Chekov says the Federation believes all worlds have the sovereign claim to inalienable Human rights and Azetbur points out that this statement is racist and that the Federation is little better than a homo sapiens only club, " present company excepted, of course, " Chang adds. Chang tells Kirk that they all need breathing room, which Kirk points out is the same thing Hitler said in 1938 , which offends Chang. Thinly masking his disappointment, Gorkon simply quips that they have a long way to go.

As the Klingons prepare to leave, Kirk sarcastically jokes that they must do this again sometime. Gorkon says he knows Kirk doesn't trust him, and offers that " if there is to be a brave, new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it. " Chang walks up to Kirk before leaving, telling him " parting is such sweet sorrow, " and steps onto the transporter platform while Kirk shakes his head. Once the Klingons are safely beamed off the ship, the entire senior staff relaxes, observing that the Klingons exhibited poor manners; Spock notes that they were little better. " I'm going to sleep this off. Please let me know if there's some other way we can screw up tonight, " Kirk says before leaving. McCoy announces he is going to find a pot of black coffee . Spock raises his eyebrow.

" We're hit…! "

Lying down to sleep, and nursing a terrible hangover, Kirk is summoned to the bridge by Spock. Sensors are picking up an enormous amount of neutron radiation which appears to be emanating from Enterprise (which an equally hungover Chekov painfully jokes that it is only the size of his head). A photon torpedo shoots out and strikes Kronos One . The entire bridge crew immediately jumps into action, as a second photon torpedo knocks out the gravity. Kirk asks Scotty if Enterprise actually fired and Scotty denies it as according to the inventory the ship still has her entire complement of torpedoes.

As the Klingons begin floating helplessly about, a transporter beam engages and two men in Starfleet uniforms with closed helmets and gravity boots begin walking through the corridors, shooting every Klingon they come in contact with, including Gorkon.

" Why that cunning little Vulcan. "

When auxiliary gravity is restored on Kronos One , Gorkon is discovered, mortally wounded. A furious Chang accuses Kirk of defiling the peace they're striving to work for, and saying that he'll blow them out of the stars. Kirk denies that they fired, although the ship's data banks say they did according to Spock. Kirk orders that the Enterprise surrender, much to the surprise of the bridge crew. He prepares to board Kronos One leaving Spock in command – where he'll be able to get Kirk out of trouble. Spock subtly slaps a small black patch on Kirk's back. McCoy decides to go too in case they need a doctor. " Uhura, tell them we're coming and tell them we're unarmed! ", Kirk says.

When they materialize on Kronos One , Kerla asks if Kirk has "lost his mind." Kirk swears they genuinely do not know what has happened and that they only want to help. Kerla reluctantly allows them to follow him to Gorkon, who is badly wounded. Chang tells him about the torpedoes, the gravity, and the assassins. McCoy tries to save Gorkon but fails due to his lack of knowledge of Klingon anatomy. Before dying, Gorkon reaches up to Kirk, grasping the back of his head, and begs him not to let it end this way. General Chang has Kirk and McCoy arrested for murder under article 184 of Interstellar Law .

Act II – The Trial and Spock's Investigation [ ]

On the Enterprise Uhura relays the news of their arrest. Spock then formally assumes command of the ship and begins a full-scale investigation. When Chekov asks what will happen if they cannot piece together what transpired, Spock says then " in that case, Mr. Chekov, it resides in the purview of the diplomats. "

" This President is not above the law! "

On Earth, the Klingon Ambassador is speaking with the Federation President in his office in Paris , defending his government's decision to arrest Kirk and McCoy for the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon. The president has ordered a full-scale investigation too, but the Klingon ambassador says that by the articles of interstellar law Kirk and McCoy must stand trial in a Klingon court. Sarek and Romulan ambassador Nanclus concur. As the Klingon Ambassador leaves, the commander-in-chief, Admiral Cartwright, and Colonel West enter. They propose a plan they call Operation Retrieve , to rescue Kirk and McCoy, West states that they could go in and get Kirk and McCoy in less than 24 hours with acceptable losses in manpower and equipment. The president asks what would happen then if they precipitate a full scale war and West frankly states " Then Mr. President, we can clean their chronometers. " Nanclus tells the president that the Klingons are vulnerable and there would never be a better time to strike them. Cartwright says that the longer they wait, the less accessible the hostages become. The president then dismisses everyone saying he'll keep all this in mind. Everyone except for Sarek leaves the president alone. At the door, the C in C stops and reminds the president that Kirk and McCoy have literally saved the planet . The president knows this and tells the C in C that they are now going to save it again… by standing trial.

Uhura receives a message from Starfleet Command ordering them to return to Earth immediately. Both she and Chekov agree they cannot abandon the captain and Dr. McCoy. Valeris tells the both of them how 400 years ago on the planet Earth, when workers felt threatened by automation, they flung their wooden shoes called sabots into the machines to stop them, thus coining the word " sabotage ." Uhura comes up with a response that Enterprise 's backup systems are all inoperative. " Excellent. I-I-I mean, too bad, " Chekov says.

Azetbur, now Klingon Chancellor, communicates with the President. She says in one week she will attend a peace conference at a neutral, secret site on the condition that they will not extradite Kirk and McCoy and that the Federation will make no attempts at a military extraction. If they do so, the Klingons will consider it an act of war.

" War is… obsolete. As we are in danger of becoming. "

After ending the transmission to the Federation President, Azetbur's advisors (including Kerla) suggest attacking the Federation now while they still can, or else the Federation will take advantage of Praxis' destruction and enslave them. Azetbur stands up to them, saying that war is obsolete, as they are in danger of becoming. One of her advisors sneers, "better to die on our feet than live on our knees!" Azetbur firmly says that her father wanted peace, and Chang, standing aside in the corner, speaks for the first time, reminding her gently that her father's wishes got him killed. Azetbur stands her ground, saying the peace process will go forward, but adds, with resolve, that Kirk will pay for her father's death.

Spock's investigation is proceeding. The computer says that Enterprise fired and the torpedo inventory says they didn't, so they'll have to inspect each torpedo visually.

" If the gravitational field was not functioning, how could these men be walking? "

The trial begins, with Chang as prosecutor and Colonel Worf as Kirk and McCoy's defense attorney. In a Klingon trial on Qo'noS, the prosecution and defense question witnesses at the same time. The first witness says the murderers were wearing magnetic boots, a fact which, while viewing the trial back on the bridge of the Enterprise gets Spock to thinking. Chang then begins questioning McCoy, starting with McCoy's current medical status, to which McCoy jokes " other than a touch of arthritis, I'd say, pretty good! " Chang tries to impugn McCoy's medical competence and questions whether he really tried his best to save Gorkon. McCoy says he desperately tried to save Gorkon as he was the last best hope for peace. The judge then excuses him.

Chang then turns to Kirk and calls him "the architect of this tragic affair." Chang accuses Kirk of plotting to kill Gorkon as revenge for the death of his son, a charge Kirk denies. Worf objects, stating Kirk has not been identified as the assassin. Chang enters into the record an excerpt from Kirk's personal log:

Kirk admits that he did indeed say this. Chang uses a number of examples from Kirk's record to show that it's possible he arranged for Gorkon's murder, such as his demotion from admiral to captain for insubordination. Kirk is maneuvered into stating that of course he is responsible for the actions of every member of his crew. The judge finds both guilty as charged, which carries a death penalty. Worf argues that the bulk of the evidence against his clients is circumstantial and begs the court to consider this upon sentencing. The judge agrees then commutes their death sentences to life without parole on the penal asteroid of Rura Penthe , known throughout the galaxy as the aliens' graveyard .

On Excelsior , where Sulu and his crew have also been watching the trial, the captain directs that a message be sent to Enterprise , telling them that Sulu and the crew of Excelsior stand ready to assist them.

With the trial concluded, Spock asks Valeris to replay the footage of the torpedo launch. Scott insists that all the Enterprise torpedoes have been visually accounted for, and there is no way the ship could have fired. Spock repeats a maxim of one of his ancestors: " once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. " If Enterprise could not have fired, it must have come from a cloaked ship, probably a Bird-of-Prey , hiding underneath Enterprise . Scotty objects that a Bird-of-Prey cannot fire its weapons while cloaked, but Spock rejoins that apparently this one can. Unfortunately, they have no evidence, only a theory which happens to fit the facts available. Chekov argues that if there was a cloaked ship, the assassins must have beamed onto Gorkon's ship from there, not Enterprise , but Spock reminds him that someone was responsible for firing the torpedoes or making the false entry in the ship's data banks; either way, the person or persons responsible are aboard Enterprise . Spock puts Valeris in charge of a search for two pairs of gravity boots.

" … only a magnetic shield prevents beaming. "

Kirk and McCoy are taken from Qo'noS, along with a group of other prisoners, to the frozen wasteland of Rura Penthe, an appropriately harsh place protected only by a magnetic shield. On arrival at the prison, they are greeted by the warden, who warns them that escape is quite impossible, and that anyone who is disobedient or fails to work hard enough will be punished via exile from prison to the surface where nothing can survive; a fact which is graphically demonstrated when a naked prisoner is dragged out and thrown into the snowy wastes to rapidly freeze to death. Inside the prison, Kirk almost immediately has an altercation with a large alien, but is rescued by an exotic looking woman, Martia .

In the galley, Spock and Valeris observe the search going on. When Chekov asks Valeris why the assassins didn't simply vaporize the boots, she pulls a phaser out from a weapons locker and vaporizes a nearby pot. An alarm goes off and she deactivates it, explaining to Chekov that you cannot fire an unauthorized phaser set to vaporize aboard a starship. Scotty and Uhura come in wanting to know who triggered the alarm by firing the phaser. They continue to stall for time by claiming malfunctioning equipment. Uhura reminds Spock that they have lost all contact with Kirk and McCoy. Spock notes this but says that if he knows Kirk well, by this time he is deep into planning his escape.

" Not everyone keeps their genitals in the same place. "

Meanwhile, Kirk is engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another alien, and is surprised when he wins. Kirk informs McCoy and Martia that he was lucky the brute had knees. Martia tells Kirk that that was not his knee, noting that not all species have their genitals in the same place. Martia offers to help Kirk and McCoy escape. That night in their bunks, Kirk admits he'd gotten so used to hating Klingons and that it never even occurred to him to take Gorkon at his word. Martia comes in, gives Kirk a big kiss and tells him where to meet her to plan an escape.

Act III – The Rescue and Revelation [ ]

Aboard Excelsior , Sulu's officer tells him that Starfleet wants to know what has happened to the Enterprise . Sulu states that he nor the Excelsior personnel know anything about the Enterprise and dismisses the officer. Now Sulu is getting really worried.

" If the shoe fits, wear it! "

In the transporter room, Chekov finds some small dried remains on the transporter platform and takes a sample of it to Spock, who discovers that it is Klingon blood, which must have been floating through the Klingon ship and got tracked back to Enterprise by the assassins walking through it. Spock notes this as the first piece of evidence to corroborate their theory and therefore expands the search to include all uniforms aboard ship. Valeris eventually finds the magnetic boots; however, they are in the locker of a crewman whose feet are shaped differently from Humans'; the boots couldn't possibly be his much to Chekov's surprise.

Martia as the Brute: " They don't take girls. "

Martia, appearing as a small Human girl

Kirk and McCoy get into a lift for mining duty and discover that Martia is a shapeshifter. She changes bodies several times in the course of leading them out of the range of the magnetic shield. Uhura and Spock have noted Kirk's exit from the beaming shield as well. Spock orders the ship to Rura Penthe. It seems that what he put on Kirk's back was a viridium patch which enabled him to track the captain.

" We is condemning food… things and… supplies to Rura Penthe… over… "

The Enterprise passes into Klingon space and gets the attention of a Klingon listening post. If they respond while using the universal translator , the sentries would pick it up. In badly broken Klingon , Uhura identifies her ship as a freighter, IKS Ursva , headed to Rura Penthe to "condemn" food, supplies and "things." The Klingons at the listening post are fooled and end up making a Klingon joke, in which the Klingons and the Enterprise crew forcibly laugh at.

" Not me, you idiot, him!"

As Martia produces warm clothes and other supplies and lights a flare for heat, Kirk realizes that Martia is setting him and McCoy up to be killed. She's spoken previously of a huge reward to the person who gets them, and the flare is a dead giveaway. Martia changes into a duplicate Kirk and they fight, rolling all over the snow before being stopped by a jackal mastiff , Klingon guards, and the warden. Kirk and Martia (still appearing as Kirk) stand next to each other. Kirk convinces the warden to shoot Martia, since they don't want any witnesses. Kirk then asks who wanted them killed. Just before the warden can identify the culprit, Kirk and McCoy are beamed out of the cave – with Kirk swearing the whole way up.

Materializing on the transporter pad, Kirk asks Spock if he couldn't have waited just two more seconds, as the warden was about to explain the whole thing. When Chekov sheepishly asks if they want to go back, McCoy answers " Absolutely not! " Kirk adds, " It's cold. " Chang finds out about this from the commandant and prepares to intercept the Enterprise .

Sitting in the Enterprise 's officers' mess , Scott discovers two sets of uniforms with Klingon blood on them. Scott runs up to Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Chekov in a corridor and they subsequently find Yeomen Burke and Samno , both dead, killed by a phaser stun at close range. They were the ones on guard in the transporter room when Gorkon and party first beamed aboard the Enterprise . To lure out the assassin, an announcement is made over the ship's intercom ordering the court reporter to sickbay and that statements will be taken from Burke and Samno, as if they are merely injured. Someone walks into the darkened sickbay with phaser in hand – it is revealed to be Valeris. Valeris is stunned to see Kirk and her mentor Spock in the bio-beds instead of the dead crewmen. Hurt and angry over her betrayal, Spock challenges Valeris to shoot him (while Kirk prefers she doesn't), and violently slaps the phaser out of her hand. McCoy emerges from the shadows and informs her that the operation is over.

On the bridge, Valeris claims that as she did not fire the crew has no proof against her, but Kirk does. He reminds her that his personal log was used as evidence against him at the trial; she must have recorded him talking on his personal log that night when Valeris was standing outside his doorway. Valeris dodges the accusation by accusing Kirk and the entire ship of betraying Starfleet. When McCoy calls her on it and asks her what she thinks she's been doing, she says she's been working to save Starfleet. She doesn't believe Klingons can ever be trusted, and reminds Kirk that they killed his son and how he said to " let them die " rather than help, and Kirk can't help but feel ashamed that he made such a statement. She reveals that some Klingons conspired with Starfleet officers to kill their own Chancellor – how trustworthy can they be? McCoy ponders the concept of peace between the Klingons and Federation being so unacceptable to members of both sides that they worked together to prevent it (while implying the irony that the conspiracy actually proves that Humans and Klingons actually can coexist and work together). Kirk demands the names of her co-conspirators, and Valeris claims she does not remember. " A lie? ", Spock asks. " A choice, " she replies.

"Names , lieutenant! "

Spock slowly walks up to Valeris near the viewscreen and forces her into a mind meld , discovering that the conspirators include Admiral Cartwright, General Chang, and the Romulan Ambassador, Nanclus. Kirk asks where the peace conference will be held, so Spock looks further into her mind to the point it causes her physical pain, but Valeris ultimately does not know where the peace conference is. The Enterprise contacts the Excelsior and Sulu tells Kirk that the conference will be held at Camp Khitomer , beginning later that day.

Act IV – Realizations and Confrontations [ ]

Later, in Spock's quarters, Kirk admits that he couldn't get past the death of his son and that it took Gorkon's death to get him to realize how prejudiced he was. Spock admits he was prejudiced by Valeris's accomplishments as a Vulcan and speculates that he and Kirk – with their inflexible thinking – are obsolete.

The Khitomer conference begins, as Enterprise drops out of warp and races towards the planet at impulse. If Chang's ship is there, it's cloaked, and the only means of detecting it would be the same surge of neutron radiation that occurred when Gorkon's ship was fired upon. Tension mounts on board the ship as they get ever closer to transporter range. With just over 40 seconds to go, Chang contacts Kirk over subspace and asks him, " warrior to warrior ," to admit that Kirk prefers for the Federation and Klingons to remain enemies, and continue slaughtering each other in glorious combat: " Once more unto the breach, dear friends… "

Then, with another quote of "to be or not to be…" in Klingon, Chang signals his gunner, and the Bird-of-Prey opens fire with photon torpedoes . With the cloak in place, Enterprise's shields take a pounding, but they cannot return fire. Although Chang continues to taunt Kirk, Uhura tries but fails to locate the source of his transmissions.

Excelsior is hurtling to Khitomer at maximum warp. Aboard the bridge, which is trembling with the force of acceleration, helmsman Lojur warns, " She'll fly apart! " Sulu retorts, " Fly her apart then! "

On Khitomer, Azetbur's speech has begun and a Klingon stands up and walks out carrying a briefcase. Admiral Cartwright nervously watches, sweat dripping down his face.

" Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war! "

In space, Enterprise continues to take heavy damage, and Scott warns their shields are collapsing. A minor explosion on the bridge prompts Kirk to order auxiliary power, but Spock reports that the auxiliary circuits have been destroyed. Watching Enterprise attempting to evade, Chang quotes The Merchant of Venice :

Spock realizes that even with her cloak in place, the Bird-of-Prey's impulse engines will still vent plasma exhaust ; Uhura suggests using the equipment they have on-board to catalog gaseous anomalies as a guidance system. Spock asks McCoy to help him "perform surgery" on a photon torpedo to enable it to do so. " Fascinating! ", the physician says. Kirk continues to order evasive maneuvers in an attempt to mitigate the torpedo impacts across the hull.

Enterprise continues to suffer heavy damage, but before she can be crippled, Sulu arrives with Excelsior , taking some of the pressure off Enterprise as Chang chooses to divide his attacks between opponents. However, Chang has merely been slowed down: with his ability to fire while cloaked, Chang is still running circles around both ships.

At Khitomer, the Klingon who left has found a vantage point on an upper level and is cutting a small hole in one of the glass panes to aim a weapon at the President.

Chang relentlessly fires Shakespeare quotations such as:

and continues firing torpedoes, weakening Enterprise 's shields to the point that it takes a direct hit on the ventral-port side of the saucer section that ruptures the hull. Spock and McCoy complete their modifications to the photon torpedo, and with a great deal of satisfaction, Kirk gives the order to fire. It homes in on the cloaked Bird-of-Prey and lands a direct hit, but not before Chang gives his last Shakespeare quote from Hamlet :

Enterprise and Excelsior immediately target the location of the explosion, unleashing a barrage of torpedoes that destroy Chang's now decloaked (and shield-less) ship.

" It's Colonel West! "

The Enterprise crew beams down just in time for Kirk to knock the president out of the way of the would-be assassin's phaser rifle blast. He identifies himself to the dazed president. Cartwright orders them arrested and Spock retorts "Arrest yourself!" displaying a handcuffed Valeris. McCoy says that they have a full confession just as the Klingon assassin is about to shoot Valeris. At that moment, Scott kicks in the door to the assassin's hiding place, and shoots him just before he can kill Valeris. He falls through the glass pane to the floor. The Commander In Chief and Colonel Worf rush to the body and find out that it's not a Klingon; it's Colonel West. Cartwright takes advantage of the ruckus and tries to flee but is thwarted when Sulu, armed and accompanied by two security guards, transports from Excelsior and holds him there.

The Khitomer Conference saved

A confused and angry Azetbur demands to know what is going on. Kirk tells her this is all about the future and that history has not ended quite yet. Thinking of Gorkon's reference to the future as "the undiscovered country," Kirk notes that people can be very frightened of change. Azetbur tells Kirk he's restored her father's faith and Kirk tells her she's restored his son's. At that moment, the room breaks out into applause as the remaining Enterprise officers (including Sulu) walk up and join Kirk on the platform.

Epilogue [ ]

As Enterprise and Excelsior rendezvous above Khitomer , Kirk and crew reenter the bridge and exchange pleasantries with Captain Sulu. " Nice to see you in action one more time, Captain Kirk. Take care, " Sulu says as Excelsior moves away from the Enterprise , departing Khitomer. " By God, that's a big ship, " McCoy says. " Not so big as her captain, I think, " Scott adds. Chekov muses, " So… this is good-bye. "

The last flight of the Enterprise

" I think it's about time we got underway ourselves, " Kirk mentions. Uhura then tells Kirk that they've received direct orders from Starfleet Command to return Enterprise to Spacedock for decommissioning. The crew looks around at each other, emotional that their time together as a crew is now coming to an end.

Spock contemplates that for a moment and then remarks, " If I were Human, I believe my response would be 'Go to Hell .' If I were Human. " When Chekov asks for a course heading, Kirk tells him " Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning. "

Uhura steps over near Scott and everyone watches as Enterprise heads off toward the stars on one final voyage.

Log entries [ ]

• Sulu: " Stardate 9521.6, Captain's log, USS Excelsior , Hikaru Sulu commanding. After three years , I have concluded my first assignment as master of this vessel, cataloging gaseous planetary anomalies in Beta Quadrant . We're heading home under full impulse power. I'm pleased to report that ship and crew have functioned well. "
• Kirk: " Captain's log , stardate 9522.6. I've never trusted Klingons, and I never will. I can never forgive them for the death of my boy. It seems to me our mission to escort the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council to a peace summit is problematic at best. Spock says this could be an historic occasion, and I'd like to believe him, but how on Earth can history get past people like me? "
• Kirk: " The Enterprise hosted Chancellor Gorkon and party to dinner last night; our manners weren't exactly Emily Post. Oh, note to the galley: Romulan ale no longer to be served at diplomatic functions. "
• Kirk:" Captain's log, stardate 9529.1. This is the final cruise of the starship Enterprise under my command. This ship and her history will shortly become the care of another crew ; to them and their posterity will we commit our future. They will continue the voyages we have begun and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where no man – where no one – has gone before. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

Shakespeare [ ].

" I thought I would assume a pleasing shape. " (Act II, Scene II)

" The undiscovered country. " (Act III, Scene I)

" To be, or not to be. " (Act III, Scene I)

Julius Caesar [ ]

" Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war! " (Act III, Scene I)

" I am constant as the northern star. " (Act III, Scene I)

King Henry IV, Part II [ ]

" Have we not heard the chimes at midnight? " (Act III, Scene II)

King Henry V [ ]

" Once more unto the breach, dear friends. " (Act III, Scene I)

" The game's afoot. " (Act III, Scene I)

The Merchant of Venice [ ]

" Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not revenge? " (Act III, Scene I)

Richard II [ ]

" Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. " (Act III, Scene II)

Romeo and Juliet [ ]

" Parting is such sweet sorrow. " (Act II, Scene II)

The Tempest [ ]

" Our revels now are ended. " (Act IV, Scene I)

General quotes [ ]

" Do we report this, sir? " " Are you kidding? "

" I must protest. To offer Klingons safe haven within Federation space is suicide. Klingons would become the alien trash of the galaxy. "

" I don't know whether to congratulate you or not, Jim. " " I wouldn't. "

" There is an old Vulcan proverb. Only Nixon could go to China. "

" Don't believe them! Don't trust them! " " They're dying. " " Let them die! "

" You must be very proud. " " I don't believe so, sir. " " She's a Vulcan all right. "

" I've never trusted Klingons and I never will. I can never forgive them for the death of my boy . "

" History is replete with turning points, Lieutenant. "

" Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end. "

" Guess who's coming to dinner? "

" I offer a toast. The undiscovered country … The future. "

" In space, all warriors are cold warriors. "

" Human rights. Why the very name is racist. The Federation is no more than a homo sapiens only club. "

" We need breathing room. " " Earth, Hitler, 1938. " " I beg your pardon. "

" If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it. "

" Did you see the way they ate?! " " Terrible table manners! " " I doubt that our own behavior will distinguish us in the annals of diplomacy."

" Valeris, do you know anything about a radiation surge? " " Sir? " " Chekov? " " Only the size of my head. " " I know what you mean. "

" We come in peace and you BLATANTLY defile that peace! And for that, I shall blow you out of the stars! " " We haven't fired! " " Captain, according to our databanks we have. Twice. "

" Don't let it end this way, Captain. "

" This president is not above the law. "

" Then, quite frankly, Mister President, we can clean their chronometers. "

" Sir… Those men have literally saved this planet. " " Yes, Bill, I know that. And now they're going to save it again. By standing trial. "

" I'll bet that Klingon bitch killed her father! "

" Doctor McCoy, would you be so good as to tell me your current medical status? " " Aside from a touch of arthritis, I'd say pretty good! "

" James Tiberius Kirk… What would your favorite author say, Captain? Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. Tell us your sad story Kirk, Tell us how you planned to take revenge for the death of your son. " " That's not true. " " Objection! Captain Kirk has not been identified as the assassin! " " Sustained. "

" Do you deny being demoted by these charges?! Don't wait for the translation!! Answer me now!! " " I cannot deny it. " " You were demoted? " " Yes. " " For insubordination? " " On occasion, I have disobeyed orders. "

" An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. "

" This is the gulag Rura Penthe. There is no stockade. No guard tower. No electronic frontier. Only a magnetic shield prevents beaming. Punishment means exile from prison to the surface. On the surface, nothing can survive. Work well, and you will be treated well. Work badly, and you will die. "

" If my surmise is correct, those boots will cling to the killers' necks like a pair of Tiberian bats. "

" I'm Martia. You're Kirk and McCoy, I presume. " " How did you know that? " " We don't get many presidential assassins. "

" I was lucky that thing had knees. " " That was not his knee. Not everybody keeps their genitals in the same place, Captain. "

" What is it with you, anyway? " " Still think we're finished? " " More than ever. "

" Perhaps you know Russian epic of Cinderella? If the shoe fits, wear it! "

" Mr. Scott, start your engines. " " Aye, aye sir. "

" Leave me. I'm finished. " " No! Bones, I'm wearing a viridium patch on my back. Spock slapped it there just before we went on Gorkon's ship. " " Why, that cunning little Vulcan. "

" An accident wasn't good enough. " " Good enough for one. Two would've looked suspicious. Killed while attempting escape … now that's convincing for both. "

" I can't believe I kissed you. " " Must have been your lifelong ambition. "

" Isn't it about time you became something else? " " I like it here. "

" Kill him! He's the one! " " Not me, you idiot! HIM! "

" Who? Who wanted us killed? " " Since you're all going to die, anyway, why not tell you? His name is…! "

" Couldn't you have waited just two more seconds!? " " Captain? " " He was just about to explain the whole thing! " " You want to go back!? " " Absolutely not!! " " It's cold! "

" First rule of assassination. Kill the assassins. "

" You have betrayed the Federation. All of you. " " And what have you been doing? " " Saving Starfleet! "

" Then we're dead. " " I've been dead before . "

" Thank you, Captain Sulu. " " Don't mention it, Captain Kirk. "

" You were right. It was arrogant presumption on my part that got us into this… situation. You and the Doctor might have been killed. " " The night is young. "

" You're a great one for logic. I'm a great one for rushing in where angels fear to tread. "

" Is it possible that we two, you and I, have grown so old and so inflexible that we have outlived our usefulness? "

" Do you want to know something? Everybody's Human. " " I find that remark… insulting. "

" Let us redefine progress to mean that just because we can do a thing it does not necessarily follow that we must do that thing. "

" I can see you, Kirk. " " Chang. " " Can you see me? Oh, now be honest, Captain, warrior to warrior. You do prefer it this way, don't you, as it was meant to be? No peace in our time. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends. "

" Come on. Come on! " " She'll fly apart. " " Fly her apart, then! "

" Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a torpedo? " " Fascinating! "

" I'd give real money if he'd shut up. "

" We've got a heartbeat! "

" Where's that damn torpedo? " " It's ready, Jim. Lock and load! "

" Some people think the future means the end of history. Well, we haven't run out of history quite yet. "

" You've restored my father's faith. " " And you've restored my son's. "

" Once again we've saved civilization as we know it. " " And the good news is, they're not going to prosecute. "

" Nice to see you in action one more time, Captain Kirk. Take care. "

" So… this is goodbye. "

" Captain, I have orders from Starfleet Command. We're to be put back into Spacedock immediately. To be decommissioned. " " If I were Human , I believe my response would be: Go to hell! If I were Human. "

" Course heading, Captain? " " Second star to the right. And straight on 'til morning. "

Background information [ ]

Landmarks [ ].

• This is the second of two Star Trek productions (the other being Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) between 1986 and 2005 to be produced without any involvement from Rick Berman .
• Although this is the final Star Trek film to feature the entire Star Trek: The Original Series cast together, only Nichelle Nichols ( Uhura ) and DeForest Kelley ( McCoy ) make their final official Star Trek appearances in this film (Kelley's appearance as an admiral in TNG: "Encounter At Farpoint" the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation had occurred four years previously). James Doohan ( Scotty ) would appear in TNG : " Relics ", and then with William Shatner ( James T. Kirk ), and Walter Koenig ( Pavel Chekov ) in Star Trek Generations . George Takei ( Hikaru Sulu ) appeared in VOY : " Flashback " and Leonard Nimoy ( Spock ) appeared in TNG : " Unification I " , " Unification II ", Star Trek , and Star Trek Into Darkness .
• Chronologically, McCoy, Spock and Scotty appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation long after the events of this film.
• This movie is the first canon instance of Sulu's first name, Hikaru (Japanese for "shining"), being stated. Prior to the film, it was commonly used in the novels (and reportedly approved by Gene Roddenberry and George Takei ( citation needed • edit ) ), but had never been made official.
• This is currently the only Star Trek movie shot in Super 35 format instead of anamorphic . ( citation needed • edit )
• The film was nominated for two Academy Awards . It was nominated for "Makeup" and "Sound Effects Editing." It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation" and five Saturn Awards , winning for "Best Science Fiction Film."
• Leonard Nimoy co-wrote the story for this final outing of the TOS cast. Likewise, the final outing of the TNG cast ( Star Trek Nemesis ) was co-written by one of its cast members, Brent Spiner .
• The film confirms Kirk's middle name, which had previously been established in the animated series episode " Bem " as "Tiberius," for the first time in live action production.
• Finally, just before the closing titles roll, the signatures of the seven main cast members from The Original Series are displayed one by one, writing themselves on the starfield.

Members of the film's cast with Nick Meyer

• Rene Auberjonois ' role as Colonel West was cut from the theatrical release, as Gene Roddenberry was uncomfortable with ideas that were presented in his scenes. ( citation needed • edit ) The scenes were later restored for the VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD release, but the BluRay release contains the theatrical cut. Auberjonois later played Constable Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• Michael Dorn only found out he had a role in this film as Worf's grandfather when Nicholas Meyer and Herman Zimmerman were walking past the soundstages for Star Trek: The Next Generation and informed him about it. [1]
• The only actors, aside from the original cast, to appear in both this film and in Star Trek: The Motion Picture are Grace Lee Whitney ( Janice Rand ) and Mark Lenard . In both films, Whitney appeared as Janice Rand, whereas Lenard appeared as Sarek in The Undiscovered Country and a Klingon captain in The Motion Picture . This was the penultimate appearance of Rand, who went on to appear in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Flashback ". She is a lieutenant jg in this film, although "Flashback" incorrectly depicts her as a lieutenant commander at the time of the film's setting. Some of the comics set around the time of Sulu taking command of Excelsior not only support her lieutenant commander rank, but imply that she was also the Excelsior 's first officer.
• Rand was supposed to be the character that wakes up Sulu to inform him that Starfleet was looking for the Enterprise instead of Christian Slater 's character. Slater was a huge fan of the show and his mother – Mary Jo Slater , the movie's casting director – petitioned heavily to get him a part. ( citation needed • edit )
• Rene Auberjonois, Michael Dorn and Kurtwood Smith would later star together in the Deep Space Nine fifth season episode " Things Past ", where Auberjonois plays Odo, Dorn plays Worf and Smith plays Thrax .
• This is Rene Auberjonois and John Schuck 's fourth film together. The first was MASH , followed by Brewster McCloud , and McCabe & Mrs. Miller .
• Merritt Butrick appears posthumously as David Marcus , via a photo in Kirk's quarters.

Story and production [ ]

• The Undiscovered Country was almost never made as a Star Trek film, not only due to the dismal box office receipts of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , but also for an unbroken string of, for Paramount Pictures , disappointing yet very expensive film releases as well, leaving the studio deeply in the red, only aggravated by a worldwide recession . However as seen on the Star Trek VI DVD set and also according to William Shatner 's Star Trek Movie Memories , Paramount, specifically its president Frank Mancuso, Sr. – who had been intimately involved with Star Trek ever since Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – , did not really want to end the Original Crew run on The Final Frontier low note, especially with the 25th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise coming up, and wanted one more film, but found himself seriously hampered by the strictest of budget limitation: under NO conceivable circumstance was a potential new film to exceed the budget of The Final Frontier , not even by one dollar. It was at this point that Harve Bennett proposed his Starfleet Academy prequel , featuring a brand new, and thus far cheaper, cast, and was green lighted by Mancuso to go into pre-production, and proceeded as such, until Gene Roddenberry vehemently objected, and with him the fanbase and the secondary cast. But it was only when the (at the time) head of Paramount Communications (formerly Gulf+Western, owner of Paramount Pictures), Martin Davis , found out about the Academy concept and furiously demanding an Original Crew film be made, that Bennett's project was scrapped on the spot. Because nobody had thought of informing the highest boss, nearly eighteen months of valuable pre-production time had been lost. Because he wanted to do the prequel, and Mancuso no longer dared to continue, Harve Bennett left Star Trek after a decade with the franchise. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 347-348; Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, pp. 24-30)
• Earlier, a revised draft of Bennett's script featured a scene in which Kirk flashed back to his days at Starfleet Academy , allowing William Shatner and others to reprise their Original Crew roles as cameos – Bennett's effort to appease Roddenberry's ( et al. ) criticisms, before his project was scrapped altogether. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 343-345)
• Thoroughly chastized by his boss Davis, Mancuso subsequently turned to Leonard Nimoy in May 1990 to get a completely new film, featuring the entire Original Crew , started. It was during this meeting that Nimoy suggested the contemporary real world Gorbachev / Perestroika / Glasnost events as an allegory for the Federation and the Klingon Empire as basic story line, which was enthusiastically embraced by Mancuso. Informed that Bennett had gone, Nimoy requested to return Nicholas Meyer into the fold as co-writer and director, which was also embraced by Mancuso. In the early summer Nimoy and Meyer had an extended meeting at his holiday address in Cape Cod where they essentially hammered out the details as eventually featured in the film, though they became seriously hampered by studio politics through trying to burden the pair with the woefully inadequate dilettante Konner / Rosenthal "writing" duo. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 349-363) As the upper studio echelons were at the time, for the aforementioned reasons, embroiled in a tumultuous and very messy power struggle, derisively called the "The Studio Shuffle" in the contemporary press, the executive sponsors, Sid Ganis and Teddy Zee , of the Konner/Rosenthal duo were a short time later kicked out, and so were they, without having made a single noteworthy contribution whatsoever – according to both Nimoy and Meyer, what little they did turn in, immediately and literally trashed by (other) executives upon reading, was blatant plagiarism of their own story outlines. Yet Nimoy and Meyer (their relationship having actually become strained because of executives playing the one against the other in this matter, as it only became later apparent to both men) were too premature in their relief of being rid of the interloping duo, as the latter, near the end of the production, started legal procedures against both men for writing credits, partially succeeding, and nearly stripping Nimoy of any and all creative credit. ( see below ) Incidentally, Paramount veteran of 31 years Mancuso was also gone less than a month after he had approached Nimoy, unceremoniously fired over the telephone by Davis. [2] (X)
• When Nimoy was reaching out to Meyer, the latter was working in London, UK, working as writer/director on the MGM film Company Business (featuring Kurtwood Smith , he to subsequently play the President of the United Federation of Planets in The Undiscovered Country ), which ironically, had a similar glasnost theme. However, Meyer felt that the producers had "butchered" the film, and being vocal about it, it had at the time led in the industry grapevine to the rumor that it was this that led him to recycling the theme in The Undiscovered Country . For the remainder of the year Nimoy and Meyer, now reinforced by scriptwriter Denny Martin Flinn (he actually wanted, as it was Meyer who brought him in), communicated with each other by phone, fax and the early email, which however, made them susceptible to the studio politics as played by Ganis and Zee. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, pp. 28, 30; [3] ) Incidentally, before Nimoy even contacted Meyer at his holiday address, Meyer had already been informed by Davis and Mancuso, when the latter two were in London, that a "thirty million dollars" sixth Star Trek film was green-lighted. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 354-358, )
• When the Klingons return to their ship after the dinner on the Enterprise , Chang speaks a Klingon phrase into his communicator (without English subtitles). Chang says "daHmacheH" which, in English, means "Ready to return now." During the dinner, Azetbur says a unsubtitled Klingon phrase that, when translated to English, means "Daddy" or "Father."
• Originally, a prologue was planned for the film, in which it was established that, before they all got the call to reassemble: Kirk was in a revitalized relationship with Carol Marcus ; McCoy was making a nuisance of himself by showing up drunk at medical celebrity events (as he despises the hypocrisy of it all); Spock's status was "classified;" Uhura had become a radio show hostess; Scotty was working as an engineering professor; Chekov was competing as a not altogether successful chess grandmaster (losing to Betazoids – which was another attempt to tie in the Original Crew franchise with that of Star Trek: The Next Generation ); and Sulu was working as a taxi driver on some backwater alien colony . A fully worked-out prologue sequence, approved for shooting, had already been scripted by Co-Script Writer Flinn. Last-minute mandatory budget limitations, however, forced the creative production team, much against their grain, to scrap the entire prologue sequence, leaving only the introductory Original Crew scene at Starfleet Command instead. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 26; Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 376-378)

Element from a proposed scene from storyboard

• An early storyboard draft featured HMS Bounty in spacedock being disassembled by Starfleet engineers, under the supervision of Professor of Engineering Scott, before he got the call to meet up with his fellow former crew-members. This actually was part of the above-mentioned planned prologue of the film.
• It was originally intended for the Vulcan traitor to be Lt. Saavik , but the role was instead assigned to Lt. Valeris as a new character. According to William Shatner's Star Trek Movie Memories , this change was vehemently resisted by Gene Roddenberry , who felt that Saavik was too popular a character to be handled this way. Meyer (thoroughly fed up with the disruptive and incessant interlopings of Roddenberry, ever since he came aboard Star Trek , a decade earlier), could not care less what Roddenberry's thoughts on the matter were, rightfully claiming that the character was his creation, not Roddenberry's, and proceeded as planned. Yet, Meyer wanted only Kirstie Alley to reprise the role, but as she was at the peak of her popularity with Cheers at the time and her asking price was far too high. Only when Alley turned out to be unavailable, was it then decided to change the character, instead of casting yet another actress for the same part. Kim Cattrall initially refused the role as she was under the false impression that she had to portray Saavik, but jumped at the opportunity when she learned that that was not to be the case, as she considered Saavik "just a girl", whereas Valeris was a woman. Ironically, Cattrall had auditioned for the role of Saavik for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . To her big disappointment, Robin Curtis had never been considered to reprise the role of Saavik for this film. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 31; Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 374-375) Other stories say that Kirstie Alley refused Nicholas Meyer's requests that she reprise the role, as she was uncomfortable about her weight, and that she did not want to look overweight onscreen in the form-fitting uniforms. ( citation needed • edit )
• Many of General Chang's quotes and the subtitle, "The Undiscovered Country," come from Hamlet's " To be or not to be " soliloquy, by William Shakespeare . Chang also quotes or paraphrases Richard II , Julius Caesar , The Merchant of Venice , Henry IV, Part II , Henry V , and The Tempest .
• Chang's demand, " Don't wait for the translation! Answer me now! " is a reference to Adlai Stevenson 's similar demand of Soviet Union representative Valerian Zorin at the United Nations during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia )
• Nichelle Nichols objected to the scene in which the crew desperately searches through old printed Klingonese translation dictionaries in order to speak the language without the standard universal translator being used. It seemed more logical to her that Uhura, being the ship's chief communications officer, would know the language of the Federation's main enemy, or at least have the appropriate information in the computer. However, director Meyer bluntly overruled her. Chekov can be heard explaining at the beginning of the scene that " a universal translator would be recognized ". ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD -special feature, " text commentary ") In the alternate reality of Star Trek Into Darkness, Uhura — who may have had a different education from that of the Prime Uhura — does speak Klingonese (or as she and Captain Kirk refer to it, "Klingon").
• Uhura originally had a line " Would you let your daughter marry one? " (that is, a Klingon), but the line had to be cut because Nichols absolutely refused to say it. Chekov's line " Guess who's coming to dinner? " was also originally Uhura's, but Nichols considered it also to be racist and declined to say it. The line was moved to Chekov. It was a reference to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner , the first major film to deal with interracial marriage, in which Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Sidney Poitier starred. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 365-366; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD-special feature, "text commentary")
• On the Special Edition release of Star Trek VI , it was revealed that Brock Peters ' scene in the council chamber had to be shot in numerous takes, as he was very uncomfortable with the racial undertones in his lines that the Federation take the opportunity to "bring them to their knees", which was itself, a reference to another film in which that line was said about African Americans.
• The perceived racism toward the Klingons was of great concern to Roddenberry as well, as he felt there was no place for it in his Star Trek universe, but his considerations were entirely ignored by both Meyer and Nimoy. Aghast, he then summoned a meeting, even though Roddenberry had no formal say in the film whatsoever. Complete with heavy legal representation, a very charged meeting followed between the two sides, which quickly turned into a shouting match as Meyer finally unleashed his years of pent up frustration with Roddenberry in full. In later years Meyer came to regret his behavior. " He was not well, and maybe there were more tactful ways of dealing with it, because at the end of the day, I was going to go out and make the movie. I didn't have to take him on. Not my finest hour. ", a rueful Meyer recounted in 2011. Roddenberry died a few months later. ( [4] (X)  ; Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 366-367) Meyer remained regretful of his behavior as he reiterated the incident as recent as 2016 when he retold the story in Roger Lay, Jr. 's 50th anniversary documentary Star Trek: The Journey to the Silver Screen (Chapter 5: "End of an Era: Charting the Undiscovered Country") .
• In December 1990 a finalized script draft was turned in to the studio, and this version was approved to go into production. Meyer, finished in London, relocates to Los Angels later that month. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 30)
• However, less than a month later in early January 1991, the original, immovable studio budget restriction decree reared its ugly head in full force, as David Kirkpatrick , who had replaced Teddy Zee as the Paramount Motion Picture Group President in another round of "The Studio Shuffle", demanded a detailed budget breakdown for the script as submitted. Somewhat falsely reassured by the remarks Davis and Mancuso made to him in London the previous spring, Meyer came back with a total figure of US$40 million dollar. Kirkpatrick's reply was short and to the point; It would not do. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, pp. 33-35)
• A desperate scramble among the creative staff ensued to trim as much as possible of the budget as possible; the entire prologue was (albeit painfully) scrapped, scenes were trimmed, all planned set construction for new starship interiors was abandoned (though a new Kronos One corridor set did get build ultimately), the planned live-action shoots in Alaska for the Rura Penthe scenes were scrapped as were plans for new studio models and other visual effects elements. Starship sets were to be entirely recycled from Star Trek: The Next Generation , which was concurrently in production, but was slated for its summer hiatus, when filming of The Undiscovered Country was planned to start, and only existing studio models were to be used. Major cast and crew even agreed to deferred payment of (part of) their wages. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, pp. 35-36)
• Co-Producer Steven-Charles Jaffe , a former Trekkie , was so desperate to see the film come to fruition that he even went as far to suggest dropping Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as the visual effects vendor for the film, instead going for a cheaper company. However the Associates & Ferren visual effects debacle for the previous film was still very much fresh on the minds of his colleagues, and no one was willing to go that far. However, the planned 110 visual effects cuts were whittled down to just 51. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 35)
• With an absolute, rock-bottom downward revised budget of US$30 million dollar Meyer returned to Kirkpatrick & co. and vigorously and emotionally made a case for it. Kirkpatrick strictly adhered to the US$25 million dollar the previous film had originally been budgeted at, but was willing to up the budget with US$2.5 million to the total that film had actually cost, but not a penny more. Moved to tears, Meyer knew that the film could not be made for that amount and continued to make a passionate plea for it. After Kirkpatrick had deliberated with his colleagues, the verdict came back: The film was canceled. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 368-371)
• Yet, a few weeks later, with all activity on the film halted and production crews sent home, Meyer received a call from interim Paramount Pictures President Stanley R. Jaffe (not related to producer Jaffe), standing in for the released Mancuso, who had heard that the production was in trouble. Informed by Meyer that he could not make the film as he was shy of US$2.5 million dollars, Jaffe succinctly retorted, " Okay, you've got it, " effectively canceling Kirkpatrick's cancellation decision. Instead, it became Kirkpatrick who got "canceled" in April as a result of yet another round in "The Studio Shuffle". ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 371, 393)
• One of the major reasons Meyer could not budge from his budget was that there was one of the most expensive sets that absolutely had to be built, and that there was no way around it: the refit- Enterprise bridge set . The original set had a few months earlier been temporarily stored on the outside studio parking lot, in order to make room for other sets. A freak weather event completely wrecked the set beyond salvation, save for some parts such as the two turbolifts . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Special Edition) DVD-special feature, "text commentary") However, once rebuilt, the set had to do double duty as the USS Excelsior bridge as well by means of reshuffling the variable wall panels, as the original, more cavernous Excelsior bridge set had already been struck years earlier, shortly after its use in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Ironically, the Excelsior bridge scenes were shot first, before it became the Enterprise bridge. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD-special feature, "text commentary") Aside from his intimate familiarity with The Next Generation sets (which he had helped design and built), it was one of the most overriding reasons why Production Designer Herman Zimmerman was brought in, as he was the one who had been responsible for the bridge redesign as featured in The Final Frontier . In the process, it has also explained why The Next Generation 's USS Enterprise -D received a new battle bridge , as it had been the (heavily re-dressed) original refit-bridge that had stood in for it in the early seasons of the series. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 35)
• Trimming down the visual effects cuts to 51 turned out to be too ambitious, as 30 of the originally jettisoned effects sequences had to be produced by ILM and inserted after all, in order to make the film "cut" well. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 35)
• While the studio had no budget from new studio models, one was actually constructed as something of a labor of love by ILM staffers John Goodson and Bill George , the SD-103-type . The script had a scene featured which both men felt needed embellishment, and so, of their own volition, they constructed the model. ( Cinefex , issue 49, p. 48) The model went on to later become the Sydney -class . It has made The Undiscovered Country the feature in which the fewest new Star Trek starship designs were featured. George incidentally turned out to be a stickler for detail; As he was aware that the Excelsior now a new and smaller bridge, he made the effort to replace the originally larger bridge module on the Excelsior -class filming model with a smaller one, in order to reflect the change. ( American Cinematographer , January 1992, pp. 58-59)
• Reportedly, William Shatner was champing at the bit to assume the director's role for the film in order to redeem himself for The Final Frontier , but as writer Flinn had dryly noted, " It's amazing what three million dollars will accomplish. " As Shatner had, already since Star Trek: The Original Series days, entered into a mutual "favored-nation clause" covenant with Nimoy which stipulated that, simply put, what the one got so did the other, this meant that Nimoy was to receive the same remuneration for his portrayal of Spock alone – and thereby discounting his writer's fee. However, it was also the reason why Nimoy, already being two for one in director's chores, declined the original offer by Mancuso to direct the film himself, instead opting for Meyer. It is not only for Star Trek that star cast salaries had habitually inflated exponentially with each sequel, and it had been one of the overriding reasons why Bennett's "Academy"-project was green-lighted originally, but also one of the reasons why Meyer could not give in any further to the budget demands of Kirkpatrick. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 244, 350; Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 30)
• Also on the DVD (and in his memoir Star Trek Movie Memories ), William Shatner stated that he was unhappy with the final cut of his interchange with Spock in the Council Chamber, as he felt that it made Kirk seem too cynical and bitter. He originally had done the scene in one take, adding a dismissive wave after his comment to " Let them die! " which was subsequently edited out of the final film despite Meyer promising Shatner that he wouldn't do that, according to Shatner.
• The dinner scene in the officers' mess as scripted was originally longer, and filled with a bit more build up and escalating comments between the Federation and Klingon crews. The scene was originally to build almost to blows, when Gorkon says the line " It seems we have a long way to go. " [5] (X)
• The first scene at Rura Penthe was heavily influenced by The Bridge On the River Kwai , where the commandant of the POW camp gives a similar speech to the new British prisoners.
• According to Denny Martin Flinn in a 2003 audio commentary for The Undiscovered Country , Martia's alien language exclamation " Fendo pompsky " became a popular gag among the crew. Used in place of certain expletives, the line was even embroidered on the inside of the production crew jackets.
• The romantic comedy Frankie and Johnny was filming at nearby soundstages on the Paramount Pictures lot during production. Director Garry Marshall arranged for William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , and DeForest Kelley to appear in full Star Trek costume and makeup, out of camera shot, behind a door in one scene, to elicit genuine surprise from star Al Pacino when he opened it. [6]
• The poster artwork for the film was designed by John Alvin , who took over from previous Trek poster artist Bob Peak . Alvin was asked to design the poster in the style of Peak's.
• Co-producer Ralph Winter provided the film with a remarkable coda. Though understandably proud of what he and the creative team had achieved, he had second thoughts on Bennett's abandoned "Academy"-project, reasoning in hindsight that it would have instituted a long-term studio strategy for a sustainable Star Trek live-action production line, as opposed to the somewhat chaotic, spur-of-the-moment planning as hitherto employed. " With a long term plan you could milk this forever, " Winter mused. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 22 #5, p. 35) As it so happened, Winter got his wish sooner than even he could have foreseen, as David Kirkpatrick's immediate studio successor turned out to be Brandon Tartikoff . Brought in at the tail-end of the production of The Undiscovered Country , Brandikoff was yet to leave his mark on Star Trek by exactly doing that, what Winter had imagined.

Sets, props, and costumes [ ]

• General Chang's eyepatch had the Klingon crest painted on the heads of each rivet. The makeup artist painted them on for fun and they were never intended to be seen. ( citation needed • edit )
• Kirk and Spock 's quarters (Data's quarters, which were originally Kirk's quarters from Star Trek: The Motion Picture )
• Transporter room ( Enterprise -D transporter room)
• Sickbay ( Enterprise -D sickbay)
• Laboratory ( Beverly Crusher 's office)
• Officers' mess hall (the dining room, redress of Enterprise -D observation lounge )
• Engineering (clear redress of the Enterprise -D engineering; they simply replaced the display graphics and repainted some surfaces)
• Corridors (retouched with more metallic appearance)
• Galley (redress of Counsellor Troi's Office, later the USS Sutherland bridge)
• Captain Kirk's quarters featured two different maps of the Milky Way galaxy created for early TNG episodes ( TNG : " Conspiracy ", " The Emissary ")
• Captain Sulu's coffee table was a bit more than a cute addition to the Excelsior bridge. Beneath it was the support for an apparatus used to shake the whole bridge set during the Praxis explosion. As a side note, you may also notice the coffee cup that broke had no markings on it like the one Sulu was drinking from moments earlier. It was such a nice cup, the prop department didn't want it damaged. A similar table, likely for the same reason, can also be seen on the Enterprise bridge as well, between the captain's chair and the helm/nav console. ( citation needed • edit )
• Pfaltzgraff made the china used in the film, and sold 3,000 sets of reproductions. The company logo can be seen at the bottom of the aforementioned broken cup. [7]

Federation President's office in Paris

• The office of the Federation President is a redress of Ten Forward . A viewscreen is located in place of the art ornament behind the bar counter, and the walls are painted with some shade of brown. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia , 2nd ed., p. 502) The doors for the set accidentally retained the TNG style insignia during filming, and this can clearly be seen in the film.
• One of the models of the original USS Enterprise in Kirk's quarters was built by writer Ronald D. Moore when he was eleven.
• The book used by Uhura while frantically searching for a linguistic reference of the Klingon language while entering Klingon territory is actually the 1951 catalog for the "Alloy Steel Products Company, Inc.". ( citation needed • edit ) Interestingly, the title of the modified book states Introduction to Klingon Grammer , in which "grammer" should be spelled as "grammar".
• Several props and costumes from this movie were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a Rura Penthe miner's mask [8] (X) , a Vulcan Khitomer attendee's costume [9] (X) , a Klingon court attendee lot [10] (X) , a Klingon canteen [11] (X) , and a Klingon uniform lot, partially worn by Scott Leva . [12] (X) Also sold off was a desk lamp, which was featured during the Starfleet staff meeting. It was designed by F.A. Porsche and labeled as model "Jazz". [13] (X)

Miscellaneous [ ]

• Gene Roddenberry saw the movie two days before he died . According to William Shatner 's Star Trek Movie Memories (1995, p. 394), Roddenberry, after seeing the film, gave thumbs up all around, and then went back and phoned his lawyer, Leonard Maizlish , angrily demanding a full quarter-hour of the film's more militaristic moments be removed from the film, but Gene died before his lawyer could present his demands to the studio.
• Originally, director Nicholas Meyer wanted to bring back composer James Horner , whom he worked with on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to score The Undiscovered Country . However, Horner turned the offer down, saying his "career had moved past Star Trek ." Meyer then offered the film to composer Jerry Goldsmith , but he turned it down, citing the poor results of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , which he had also worked on. The film eventually went to composer Cliff Eidelman . According to the liner notes for the soundtrack album, Meyer's original concept for the score was to adapt Gustav Holst's The Planets , but getting the rights to the music proved too expensive. (Eidelman's score therefore pays homage to Holst, most notably in the opening credits where the score bears a close resemblance to "Mars," the first movement from The Planets .) An excerpt from The Planets was used a few years later in the trailer for Star Trek Generations . Eidelman was picked because of his extensive knowledge of Holst's "The Planets", having written his master's thesis on the complete suite.
• This movie and Star Trek: The Motion Picture are the only Star Trek films released before the alternate reality films not to use the opening fanfare from the " Theme from Star Trek " in the main title music.
• According to William Shatner's Star Trek Movie Memories , the original story credits for the film were to be " Story by Leonard Nimoy and Nicholas Meyer, Screenplay by Denny Martin Flynn " as nothing from the original submission by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal were used in the final film. According to Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Konner and Rosenthal went to the Writers Guild of America for arbitration as they felt they should deserve story credit. The WGA spoke to Nimoy and he showed them his notes where he had initially come up with the story idea for the film and they initially sided with Nimoy. However Konner and Rosenthal appealed again and eventually the WGA changed the credits to " Story by Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal , screenplay by Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flynn, " leaving Nimoy out of the credits. An incensed Nimoy contacted his lawyer and said if this weren't resolved by the end of the upcoming weekend, he would immediately sue Paramount and the WGA over the matter. Nimoy's lawyer reportedly worked non-stop over the weekend, working with Meyer's attorney, with Konner and Rosenthal's attorney, until finally coming up with a credit which was acceptable to all: " Story by Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal, Screenplay by Nicholas Meyer & Denny Martin Flynn. "
• The galley scene was quickly written into the movie just to demonstrate that you can't fire a phaser (set to kill) on board the ship without triggering an alarm. (This raises the question as to why a phaser locker is in the galley. The answer could be found as early as " The Corbomite Maneuver ". While the Enterprise is being towed by Balok 's ship, Yeoman Janice Rand brings hot coffee to the bridge. Dr. McCoy asks her how she made coffee when the "power was out" in the galley. Her pragmatic answer was, " I used a hand phaser and zap – hot coffee. ")

Is this worth $240?

• The blue food at the dinner scene was so disgusting that actors had to be bribed to eat it. Each actor was offered twenty dollars for every bite. Shatner did it, and won $240, before throwing up. (According to Leonard Nimoy, it was chunks of squid treated with blue food coloring.) Reportedly, Shatner was the only member of the cast able to swallow any of it, and the first time Shatner ate the colored squid, he turned and looked right at Nick Meyer and said, " Where's my twenty? " Meyer called " cut! " and pulled out the twenty and gave it to Shatner. ( William Shatner's Star Trek Movie Memories )
• Spock attributes the quote " If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth " to an ancestor. This quote (and numerous variations) derives from the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . Fans, noting the similarities between the characters of Spock and Holmes, have long speculated that Spock might be a descendant (on the side of his Human mother, Amanda Grayson ) either of the fictional Holmes or the historical Doyle; the first such speculation is found in a Ruth Berman article in Spockanalia in 1966. ( citation needed • edit ) Writer/director Nicholas Meyer, a Holmes fan, wrote the well-received Sherlock Holmes novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution and adapted it into an Academy Award-nominated screenplay.
• During the search of all uniforms on board the Enterprise , a crewman takes off the cover of a power conduit. When he moves to put the cover down, you can see production markings on the back.
• At the dining room, you can see paintings of many dignitaries, including Surak, founder of Vulcan philosophy and American President Abraham Lincoln . The Enterprise crew met recreations of both of them in TOS : " The Savage Curtain ". Another painting is of an unnamed Andorian dignitary.
• After the first day of shooting, someone noticed that Valeris 's jacket was trimmed in Sciences division gray, not cadet and trainee red, to match her cadet red turtleneck undergarment. Since re-filming would have been too expensive, it was quickly decided to just let it pass. ( citation needed • edit )
• Valeris also wears the incorrect rank insignia of lieutenant commander , although exclusively being referred to in both dialogue and credits as a lieutenant .
• During the Battle at Khitomer, Uhura mentions that the Enterprise is carrying equipment to study gaseous anomalies. In the beginning of the film, Sulu states that the Excelsior is also on a mission to study gaseous anomalies. It is not clear whether this is done intentionally, as the Enterprise 's mission is strictly escort duty for the Chancellor's ship.
• The sets for the Excelsior and Enterprise- A bridges were redresses of the same set, which were made up of modules to be rearranged, as needed.
• In the final shot of the Enterprise bridge crew, the helmsman's chair is left empty, symbolizing that Sulu is not present.
• In the credits at the end of the movie, Uhura is misspelled " Uhuru ."
• The final scene also has the characters standing in a staged lineup. The producers wanted it known that it was the last movie.
• The final captain's log was actually shot on the bridge of the Enterprise . This, however, was the last scene shot. Instead of using a dubbed log, they recorded it live. ( citation needed • edit )
• The Khitomer hall was represented by the Brandeis-Bardin Institute , located in southern California.
• The footage of the Enterprise -A in spacedock is actually modified footage from Star Trek IV (budgetary constraints, as well as the disappearance of the spacedock interior miniature from ILM's archives, dictated its use). This marks the second time that footage shot for a previous film was re-used for a second time (the other being the Genesis sequence from Star Trek II , which also appeared in Star Trek III and Star Trek IV ).
• The Bird-of-Prey explosion from this film was later used in Star Trek Generations .
• For some unknown reason, the art on the label for the special features disc of some editions of the Special Collector's Edition features an upside-down close-up image of the Enterprise -B while still in drydock from the film Star Trek Generations ; Paramount Home Entertainment later corrected this problem by reissuing it as a silver labeled DVD. A similar error occurs on the HD and Blu-ray editions of the film, with the Enterprise -B on the back cover.
• During the dinner scene, Kirk says that having Romulan ale is " One of the advantages of being a thousand light years from Federation Headquarters . " Given that 78 years later, a faster and more advanced USS Voyager would expect to take seventy years to travel seventy thousand light years, one may infer that it would take far longer than a year for the Enterprise to reach the rendezvous point with Kronos One . It is more likely that Kirk was speaking metaphorically and not quoting an exact figure.
• A scene in the script and novelization took place on Excelsior just after Sulu's conversation with Kirk, where Valtane was to have told Sulu, " Do you realize you've just committed treason, sir? " Sulu was supposed to reply something along the lines of " I always hoped that if I ever had to choose between betraying my country or betraying my friend, I'd have the courage to betray my country. " This exchange remained in the novelization.
• The events of this film were later revisited in VOY : " Flashback ", in which it is established that Tuvok served as an ensign aboard the Excelsior . External footage of the Excelsior and the Praxis explosion wave were reused directly from the film, but all other scenes were specially re-shot, partly to include Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ, who had not appeared in the film originally, but also because the movie's actors had aged significantly since the film was shot, meaning new footage of the actors filmed for the episode would not have matched any of the reused movie footage.
• As with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , this film shows Spock having full command of the Enterprise . In fact, this is the only film in which Spock actually gives Kirk orders.
• Spock references the events of this film during TNG : " Unification II ", citing his guilt over committing Kirk to be a negotiator in the Klingon peace talks and the consequences that followed.
• After TOS : " Whom Gods Destroy " and TAS : " The Survivor ", this marks the third time that a shapeshifter has assumed the form of Captain Kirk.
• A similarly extended, establishing prologue was later envisioned for the subsequent movie, Star Trek Generations , but it too, though partially filmed, was scrapped for budgetary reasons, as well as for running-time considerations.
• NBC, Star Trek' s former network, fittingly premiered Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country on November 6, 1994, a good 12 days in advance of Star Trek Generations 's nationwide release. It was the first time any kind of Star Trek was seen on The Peacock Network since Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973.

In Star Trek VI , during his trial, Bones says that he has been the ship's surgeon for 27 years. He took the post from Mark Piper at some point in 2265 , after " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", or in early 2266 , before " The Corbomite Maneuver ". This statement establishes a time frame for the film from 2292 to 2293 .

The film ends with the last voyage of the ship and crew. The prologue of Star Trek Generations is set more precisely in 2293, or 78 years before 2371 . In the prologue, a news reporter and Scotty talk with Kirk about how he has settled down into his retirement, suggesting that the retirement from the previous film is still a very recent thing for him.

StarTrek.com , Star Trek Chronology , and Star Trek Encyclopedia , 3rd ed., p. 691 use the year 2293. Memory Alpha uses this year as well.

Behind the scenes [ ]

Concept art [ ].

Production gallery [ ]

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Production history [ ]

• 5th draft script: 28 December 1990
• Start of principal photography: 11 April 1991
• End of principal photography: 2 July 1991
• Screening for Gene Roddenberry (2 days before his death): 22 October 1991
• Hollywood, California premiere: 3 December 1991
• US theatrical premiere: 6 December 1991
• CD soundtrack : 10 December 1991
• Comic adaptation : 1991
• Australia theatrical premiere: 1 January 1992
• Novelization : 1992
• UK theatrical premiere: 14 February 1992
• Japan theatrical premiere: 28 February 1992
• Germany theatrical premiere: 5 March 1992
• Hungary theatrical premiere: 1 May 1992
• Netherlands theatrical premiere: 5 June 1992
• Spain theatrical premiere: 19 June 1992
• US LaserDisc: 25 June 1992
• France theatrical premiere: 22 July 1992
• Japan LaserDisc: 10 February 1993
• VHS: 25 August 1993
• UK network television premiere: 7 January 1995 on BBC1
• UK LaserDisc: 1996
• France LaserDisc: 1996
• Widescreen VHS: 2 April 1997
• Region 1 DVD: 26 January 1999
• Special Edition Region 1 DVD: 27 January 2004
• Special Edition Region 2 DVD: 1 March 2004
• iTunes Store: 2006
• Blu-Ray: September 2009

Different versions [ ]

• Aspect ratios. The film was originally filmed and edited in Super 35 (4-perf). It was composed for multiple aspect ratios (meaning that all the important action had to be centered in a fairly small part of the frame). Every release is a reduction (croppings) from the original, never-released full frame using so-called "soft mattes". For theatrical release, the master was reduced to the usual 2.39:1 aspect ratio used for anamorphic 35mm projection (all the other Trek movies were filmed in this ratio, using anamorphic lenses instead of Super 35). A 2.20:1 version was also prepared for 70mm release (the same was done with all the previous Trek films). The film has never been commercially available in either theatrical aspect ratio, until the Blu-ray release. The non-widescreen television broadcasts and VHS releases were reduced to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, thus easing up the matte on the top and bottom, but cropping some of the sides. Early widescreen VHS and laserdisc transfers and the first DVD release were opened up to yet another ratio, 2.00:1, and then centered high on the screen with space at the bottom for subtitles, but was non-anamorphic. The Special Edition DVD release was opened up to the same 2.00:1 ratio, but was anamorphicly enhanced for widescreen TVs. Which portion of the full frame is used varies from shot to shot, rather than being a purely mechanical reduction – and the choices are made differently in each release, including the two 2.00:1 releases. Apparently the 2.00:1 is the director's preferred aspect ratio. However, for the May 2009 Blu-ray release, the film was made available in its original theatrical ratio of 2.39:1 for the first time.
• Extra scenes and edits. Until 2009 , the theatrical cut had never been released commercially in English (however has aired on TV a few times before then). The original 1992 home video release added back in the "Operation Retrieve" scenes (originally, the scene in the president's office ended with the line " This president is not above the law "), the scene between Spock, Scotty and Valeris directly before the trial, and the unmasking of Colonel West on Khitomer (just a few shots are added: Colonel Worf touching West's blood and saying " This is not Klingon blood " between Cartwright trying to escape and Sulu stopping him, the actual unmasking and the C-in-C and Worf looking at each other directly after). These scenes remained in all subsequent commercial releases until 2009 . The 2003 Special Edition DVD release re-edited the scene when Scotty is drinking coffee from a mug and drawing on a blueprint (using alternate shots) and added in flash frames of Cartwright, Chang, and Nanclus during Spock and Valeris' mind meld and slight alternate takes during her interrogation on the bridge. The original cut, albeit with the 2.00:1 aspect ratio, was present on the 1993 dubbed German VHS release. It was also released on iTunes, cut at 2.00:1 (640x320). The various releases of the movie on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in 2009 featured the original theatrical cut in its original aspect ratio.
• The end credits had a different format for the theatrical version. It featured the Starfleet Insignia at the top and the screen split between a white background and dark lettering and the other side with a dark background with white lettering.

Apocrypha [ ]

• Star Trek VI was adapted into novelization by Jeanne M. Dillard .
• A comics adaptation was written by Peter David and drawn by Gordon Purcell and Arne Starr .
• A novel and comic sequel to the events of this film, The Ashes of Eden , written by William Shatner and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens , depicts a plot created by a Klingon-Romulan alliance, staged in Chal, a homeworld populated by a race of genetically-engineered Klingon-Romulans. Kirk is called there by a native of the planet, Teilani, to help her people with this crisis.
• The conference at Khitomer was explored again in the non-canon Star Trek novel Assignment: Eternity .
• The novel Provenance of Shadows established that McCoy started doing research at Starfleet Medical and other novels have had McCoy as Chief of Starfleet Medical as well. " Encounter at Farpoint " clearly establishes that McCoy was an admiral at that point in time .
• According to the novel The Star to Every Wandering , at the time of Star Trek Generations , Chekov was working a ground assignment on Earth waiting for an executive officer position to open up. It's likely he was assigned to Excelsior as executive officer shortly thereafter (according to the non-canon novel The Sundered , he took the post of executive officer on the Excelsior ), eventually commanding two starships on his own before becoming an admiral.
• In the movie, Uhura said she was supposed to be chairing a seminar at the Academy, and The Lost Era novels established that she was going to do that very thing when she was recruited for Starfleet Intelligence and eventually rising to become an admiral and head of Intelligence by 2360 at the latest.
• The Starfleet Corps of Engineers novels have established that Montgomery Scott eventually became the head of the Corps of Engineers and other books established Scott as having helped to design and work on building the USS Enterprise -E . In fact, the novel Ship of the Line , which dealt with the actual launch of the Enterprise -E, established that Scott was acting chief engineer for the ship's shakedown cruise with Geordi La Forge as his first assistant chief.

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country received the following awards and honors.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• James Doohan
• Walter Koenig
• Nichelle Nichols
• George Takei
• Mark Lenard
• David Warner
• Kim Cattrall
• Rosana DeSoto
• Christopher Plummer
• Kurtwood Smith
• Brock Peters
• Paul Rossilli
• John Schuck
• Leon Russom
• Michael Dorn
• Mary Jo Slater , CSA
• Cliff Eidelman
• Marty Hornstein
• Brooke Breton
• Ronald Roose
• Herman Zimmerman
• Hiro Narita
• Gene Roddenberry
• Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal
• Nicholas Meyer & Denny Martin Flinn
• Ralph Winter and Steven-Charles Jaffe
• Nicholas Meyer

Closing credits [ ]

• Kirk – William Shatner
• Spock – Leonard Nimoy
• McCoy – DeForest Kelley
• Scotty – James Doohan
• Chekov – Walter Koenig
• Uhuru [sic] – Nichelle Nichols
• Sulu – George Takei
• Lt. Valeris – Kim Cattrall
• Sarek – Mark Lenard
• Excelsior Communications Officer – Grace Lee Whitney
• Admiral Cartwright – Brock Peters
• Chief in Command – Leon Russom
• Federation President – Kurtwood Smith
• Chang – Christopher Plummer
• Azetbur – Rosana DeSoto
• Chancellor Gorkon – David Warner
• Klingon Ambassador – John Schuck
• Klingon Defense Attorney – Michael Dorn
• Kerla – Paul Rossilli
• Klingon Judge – Robert Easton
• Klingon Officer – Clifford Shegog
• Klingon Commander – W. Morgan Sheppard
• General Stex – Brett Porter
• Excelsior Officer – Jeremy Roberts
• Excelsior Engineer – Michael Bofshever
• Excelsior Navigator – Angelo Tiffe
• Helmsman Lojur – Boris Lee Krutonog
• Excelsior Communications Officer – Christian Slater
• Martia – Iman
• The Brute – Tom Morga
• Klingon Translator – Todd Bryant
• Behemoth Alien – John Bloom
• First Klingon General – Jim Boeke
• Munitions Man – Carlos Cestero
• Young Crewman – Edward Clements
• Martia as a child – Katie Jane Johnston
• Prisoner at Rura Penthe – Douglas Engalla
• Second Klingon General – Matthias Hues
• Nanclus – Darryl Henriques
• Sleepy Klingon – David Orange
• Military Aide – Judy Levitt
• ADC – Shakti
• Crewman Dax – Michael Snyder
• Donald R. Pike
• Ed Anders (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• Jeff Bornstein (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• Eddie Braun (as Excelsior bridge crewman )
• Charlie Brewer (as stunt double for Brett Porter )
• Gary Baxley
• Brett Davidson (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• B.J. Davis (as Burke )
• Dorothy Ching-Davis (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• Maria Doest (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• Joe Farago (as Excelsior bridge crewman )
• Sandy Free (as Excelsior bridge crewman )
• Joy Hooper (as Excelsior crewman in sleep wear )
• Jeff Imada (as Stunt double for George Takei )
• Jeffrey S. Jensen
• Robert King
• Scott Leva (as Excelsior bridge crewman / Klingon transporter officer )
• Alan Marcus (as Samno )
• Cole McKay (as Excelsior bridge alien crewman )
• Eric Norris
• Noon Orsatti (as Excelsior bridge crewman )
• Deeana Pampena (as Stunt double for Grace Lee Whitney )
• Gary T. Pike (as Gorkon's soldier / Klingon officer )
• Donald B. Pulford (as Stunt double for William Shatner )
• Joycelyn Robinson (as Excelsior bridge crewman / Stunt double for Iman )
• Danny Rogers
• Don Ruffin (as Excelsior bridge crewman / Chang's assistant / Klingon officer )
• Spike Silver
• Erik Stabenau (as Excelsior bridge crewman / Stunt double for Rene Auberjonois )
• Douglas E. Wise
• Katy E. Garretson
• Nilo Rodis-Jamero
• Dodie Shepard
• Steven-Charles Jaffe
• William Hoy
• Scott Farrar
• Michael J. Mills
• Thomas R. Bryant
• Mickey S. Michaels
• Eugene C. Nollman
• Alan S. Kaye
• Louise Nielsen
• Ron Wilkerson
• Kirstin R. Glover
• Robert Morey
• Richard M. Stevens
• Gregory Schwartz
• John Beyers
• Charles Lang
• Keith Barber
• John Cybulski
• Ian Christenberry
• Jeff Durling
• Thom Embree
• Michael Katz
• Daniel Cook
• Dennis Flanderka
• Arnaud Peiny
• Gene S. Cantamessa
• Steve G. Cantamessa
• Mark R. Jennings
• Terry D. Frazee
• Donald E. Myers
• Donald Frazee
• Logan Frazee
• Eugene Crum
• Scott Lingard
• Joseph C. Sasgen
• Brian McManus
• Gilbert A. Mosko
• Gerald Quist
• Ron Walters
• Edward French
• Richard Snell Designs, Inc. ( Richard Snell )
• Greg Cannom
• Janice R. Alexander
• Carol A. O'Connell
• Don L. Hulett
• Jamie Buckley
• Richard Beck
• Edward G. Fitzgerald
• Elaine Maser
• Christine Heinz
• Joseph R. Markham
• Robert M. Moore
• Adrienne Childers
• Daniel Candib
• Scott Caldwell
• Michael Hofacre
• Richard Sellmer
• George Watters II
• F. Hudson Miller
• R. J. Palmer
• Frank Howard
• Bruce E. Bell
• Suhail F. Kafity
• Thomas Fucci
• Fred Stafford
• Bobbi Banks
• Victoria Martin
• Matthew Harrison
• Marva Fucci
• Maggie Ostroff
• Greg Thompson
• Marcy Stoeven Gibbens
• Jonathan Phillips
• Alan Howarth
• John Paul Fasal
• David Lee Fein
• Bunny Andrews
• Robin K. Eidelman
• Barbara Harris
• Jeffery J. Haboush
• Michael Herbick
• Greg P. Russell , CAS
• James Cavarretta
• Gary Ritchie
• Mark McKenzie
• William Kidd
• Carl Fortina
• Bob Bornstein
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Armin Steiner
• Rhonda Baer
• David Trotti
• Sheila Barnes
• Laurie Gauger
• Richard J. Bayard
• Cliff Bergman
• Mike Apperson
• Gary A. Clark
• Henry S. Coia
• Jan Glaser , CSA
• Wendy Engalla
• Chuck Maytum
• Michael McCusker
• Rebeca R. Brookshire
• Mary Beth Gentle
• Deborah L. Krainin
• Mary Jo Fernandez
• Brent Lon Hershman
• Brian Wensel
• Mindy Sheldon
• Debbie Tieman
• Scott Russell
• Michael H. Okuda
• Bob Hoffman
• Scott Benton
• Roland Armstorff
• R. Harrison Gibbs
• Russell Alan Steele
• Buffee Friedlich
• Aaron M. Albucher
• John Downer
• Gerald L. "Jerry" Sater
• Marc Okrand
• Brian Wallace

Second Unit Photography [ ]

• John V. Fante
• Christopher T. Gerrity
• Andrea Walzer
• Frank Del Boccio
• Frank Parrish
• Bob Crockett
• Clinton O. Johnson
• Cinema Research Corporation

Negative Cutting

• Theresa Repola Mohammed
• David Oliver Pfeil
• Industrial Light and Magic , a Division of LucasArts Entertainment Company Marin County, California
• Peter Takeuchi
• William George
• Bradley Kuehn
• Jil-Sheree Bergin
• Michael McGovern
• Peter Daulton
• Patrick Sweeny
• David Hanks
• Katie O'Neill
• Patrick Turner
• Robert Hill
• Scott Anderson
• Eric Armstrong
• John Berton
• Richard Cohen
• Joe Letteri
• Jim Mitchell
• Joe Pasquale
• Alex Seiden
• Gail Currey
• Jon Alexander
• Donald Clark
• Jeffrey Doran
• Selwyn Eddy III
• Keith Johnson
• Patrick Repola
• Kenneth Smith
• David Karpman
• Jennifer Lee
• Thomas Rosseter
• John D. Whisnant
• Debra Wolff
• Michael Ellis
• Robert Fernley
• Nelson Hall
• Lisa Vaughn
• Bruce Walters
• Charlie Clavadetscher
• John Graves
• Steven Reding
• Eric Swenson
• Thomas Bertino
• Kathleen Beeler
• Rebecca Petrulli-Heskes
• Sandy Houston
• Terry Molatore
• Jack Monogovan
• Ellen Mueller
• Carolyn Rendu
• Wes Ford Takahashi
• Gordon Baker
• Christopher Green
• Peter Crosman
• Shari Malyn
• Joshua Pines
• Randall K. Bean
• George Gambetta
• Timothy Greenwood
• Preston Richards
• Lawrence Tan
• Jon Foreman
• Brian Gernand
• Jon Goodson, Jr.
• Richard Miller
• Alan Peterson
• Eben Stromquist
• Paul Theren
• Wim Van Thillo
• Charles Wiley
• Richard Demolski
• Robert Finley, Jr.
• Ross Lorente
• Craig Mohagen
• David Morton
• Charles Ray
• Carol Lee Griswald
• Alia Almeida Agha
• Nancy Luckoff
• Tina Matthies
• Matte World – Marin County, California
• Craig Barron
• Michael Pangrazio
• Krystyna Demkowicz
• Paul Oehlke
• Joel Hladecek
• Wade Childress
• Peter Kuran
• Al Magliochetti
• Kevin Kutchaver
• Linda Henry
• Tim Segulin
• Rick Hannigan
• David Tucker
• Jacqueline Zietlow
• Pacific Data Images
• Les Dittert

Production Support

• Karen Logan
• Barbara Cimity
• Cliff Boule
• Nina Salerno
• Randy Weeks
• Craig Newman
• Katie O'Hara
• Pete Martinez
• Monte Swann
• Jeffrey Harstedt
• WildFire, LA
• Foam Tec, Inc.

Rear Screen Projection Compositing by

• MCA Compact Discs and Cassettes
• Music by Alexander Courage
• Technicolor ®
• Panavision ®
• Alaska Film Commission
• Alaska Helicopter Company
• Dave Archer Studios
• Pfaltzgraff
• Durand International
• August Amarino as presidential adviser
• David Keith Anderson as Enterprise -A crewmember
• Rene Auberjonois as Colonel West
• Lena Banks as Federation president's assistant
• Terrence Beasor as Klingon voices
• Robert Bruce as Klingon officer
• Faith Burton as Starfleet flag officer
• Eddie Caldwell as Romulan
• Max Cervantes as Daz
• Barron Christian as Klingon assistant to Commandant
• Dragon Dronet as Klingon spectator
• Andre Dukes as Klingon Rura Penthe guard
• Douglas Dunning as Alien delegate
• Joe Durrenberger as Klingon officer
• Farrel as Klingon General
• Mark Gonzaga as Vulcan delegate
• Trent Christopher Ganino as Klingon judge
• Clay Hodges as Klingon officer
• Klingon officer
• Klingon helmsman
• Bruce Koski as Alien delegate
• Tony Lawson as Klingon
• Susan Lewis as Enterprise -A officer
• Beau Lotterman as Romulan delegate
• Daryl F. Mallett as Rura Penthe prisoner
• James Mapes as Zelonite official
• Marin as Enterprise -A crewman
• Patrick Michael as Enterprise -A crewman
• Claude Nemeth as Klingon Rura Penthe guard
• Dennis Ott as Knee Jerk Alien
• Jim Portnoy as Starfleet flag officer
• Khitomer flag bearer
• Klingon spectator
• Evans Ricciardi as Starfleet flag officer
• Denise Lynne Roberts as Enterprise -A crewmember
• Richard Sarstedt as Romulan delegate
• Eric A. Stillwell as Klingon spectator
• Geraldine Sylvester-Bush as Vulcan delegate
• Kevin G. Tracey as presidential adviser
• Roma Lee Tracy as silver tube amazette alien dignitary
• Guy Vardaman as Klingon officer
• J.D. Walters as Klingon
• Clint Zehner as Rura Penthe prisoner
• Five Klingon Kronos One crewmen
• Three presidential advisers
• Three Klingon Rura Penthe guards
• Klingon judge
• Romulan delegate
• Tellarite delegate
• Zelonite ambassador
• Zelonite official
• Female USS Excelsior security officer
• Male USS Excelsior security officer

Uniforms for each of these named officers, each including a name tag, were sold off at the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay.

• Greg Gault as stunt double for David Warner
• Dennis Madalone as a Klingon officer
• Stunt double for Christopher Plummer
• Patrick Michael as stand-in for Leonard Nimoy
• Joycelyn Robinson as stand-in for Iman
• Lita Stevens
• Kenny Studer
• Jim Thompson
• Martin Valinsky
• Philip Weyland as stand-in for William Shatner
• David Abbott – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Aaron Albucher – Assistant Production Accountant
• Dave Archer – Artwork Provider: Paintings
• Margaret Bessara – Prosthetic Makeup Artist: David Warner , Kurtwood Smith , and Robert Easton
• Tom Boyd – Musician: Oboe
• Barney Burman – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Rob Burman – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Mary Burton – Makeup Artist: Iman
• Cogswell Video Services, Inc. – Visual Effects Unit Video Assist Company
• Danna Edwards – Costumer
• Robert Fletcher – Costumes Design
• Christopher Gilman and Dilligent Dwarves Effects Lab – Prop and Wardrobe Creator and Provider
• Kristin R. Glover – Camera Operator
• Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi – Assistant Makeup Artist
• Jeff Kleeman – Development and Production Executive for Paramount Pictures
• Norman Ludwin – Musician: Bass
• Iain McCaig – ILM Storyboard Artist
• Mike McCarty (for Dilligent Dwarves Effects Lab ) – FX artist: Ran parts for Klingon costumes
• Steve Neill – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Scott Schneider – Model Maker
• Marlene Stoller – Hair Artist
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• Todd Tucker – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
• Danny Valencia – Hair Stylist
• Karen Westerfield – Prosthetic Makeup Artist
• Philip Weyland – Dialogue Coach

References [ ]

19th century ; 1938 ; 2223 ; 2266 ; 2290 ; 2343 ; 24-hour clock ; Aamaarazan ; abduction ; accident ; act ; act of war ; Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise ; address ; admiral ; admiration ; advocate ; aft ; agenda ; aide-de-camp ; alarm ; alien ; Alpha Quadrant ; ambassador ; ambition ; amount ; anatomy ; ancestor ; annals ; answer ; architect ; arrest ; arthritis ; article ; artificial gravity ; ash ; assassin ; assassination ; automation ; attack ; author ; auxiliary circuit ; auxiliary gravity ; auxiliary power ; back ; back-up system ; battle cruiser, Klingon ; battle stations ; beaming ; beaming shield ; bearing ; behavior ; Beta Quadrant ; Beta Quadrant sector ; black ; blood ; " bloody "; boat ; boatswain's whistle ; " Bones "; bow ; bridge ; brigadier ; Brotherhood of Aliens ; bug ; Burke ; Camp Khitomer ; capital ; cardiac arrest ; career ; chairing ; chameloid ; chain of command ; Chancellor of the Klingon High Council ; Chang's Bird-of-Prey ; charge ; chief of staff ; chimes ; China ; choice ; Christ, Jesus ; chronometer ; Cinderella ; circuit A ; circumstantial evidence ; citizen ; citizenship ; civilization ; client ; cloaking device, Klingon ; close range ; club ; coat ; Code blue ; coffee ; cold warrior ; colleague ; colonel ; commander in chief ; commandant ; communications station ; commutation ; computer ; comrade ; Concise History of the Klingon Empire, A ; condolences ; conference ; confession ; confiscation ; conspiracy ; Constitution -class ; Constitution II -class ; control tower ; conversation ; Coon, G.L. ; coordinates ; course ; court ; court reporter ; creature ; crew quarters ; crewman ; cruise ; crime ; damage report ; data ; data banks ; daughter ; Davis ; day ; death ; death sentence ; decommissioning ; deflector shield ; degree ; demotion ; departure stations ; depiction ; dialogue ; dilithium ; dinner ; diplomacy ; diplomat ; diplomatic corps ; diplomatic function ; dockmaster ; doctor ; Earth ; Earth Cold War ; Earth year ; echo bar ; economy ; Efrosian ; electronic frontier ; energy production facility ; engine room ; Enterprise -A, USS ; epic ; error ; evening ; evidence ; Excelsior -class ; Excelsior , USS ; excerpt ; exile ; existence ; exoneration ; exploration ; exploration program ; explosion ; extradition ; extremist ; eyepatch ; fact ; faith ; father ; Federation ; Federation headquarters ; Federation members ; Federation President ; Federation-Klingon Cold War ; Federation space ; feeling ; feet ; first officer ; flag of truce ; flare ; flatbed shuttle ; forgery ; " for king and country "; France ; free will ; freighter ; friend ; fuel ; full ambassador ; future ; galley ; gang ; Garden of Eden ; gas ; gavel ; general ; generation ; genitals ; " give real money "; graveyard ; gravitational field ; gravity ; gravity boot ; ground ; guard tower ; guest ; guilt ; gulag ; hailing frequency ; Hamlet ; hand ; handcuffs ; head ; hearing ; heart ; heartbeat ; helm ; helmsman ; Henry IV, Part I ; Henry IV, Part II ; Hitler, Adolf ; Holmes, Sherlock ; hostage ; hostility ; hour ; Human ( homo sapiens ); Human rights ; idea ; idealism / idealist ; idiot ; "If you eliminate the impossible..." ; ignorance ; impulse power ; information ; insubordination ; intercept course ; interstellar law ; Introduction to Klingon Grammer ; jackal mastiff ; joke ; judgment ; Julius Caesar ; K't'inga -class ; key ; kiss ; Khitomer ; Khitomer Accords ; Khitomer Conference ; Khitomer conspiracy ; kill setting ; king ; Klingon Bird-of-Prey ; Klingon Empire ; Klingons ; Klingon High Command ; Klingon frontier ; Klingon history ; Klingon Neutral Zone ; Klingon Defense Force uniforms ; Klingon space ; Klingonese ; knee ; Kobayashi Maru scenario ; Kronos One ; laughter ; level ; Lincoln, Abraham ; " linguistic legerdemain "; light ; light year ; listening post ; listing ; livelihood ; location ; logic ; lunatic ; lying ( lie ); machine ; madam ; magnetic boots ( gravity boots ); Marcus, David ; master ; medical status ; medical tricorder ; meeting ; Megazoid ; Merchant of Venice, The ; meteor shower ; midnight ; Milky Way Galaxy ; military advisor ; military budget ( budget ); military operation ; mine ; mission ; mission of peace ; model ; money ; month ; moon ; mooring ; morning ; Morska ; mothballing ; motive ; multiple choice ; murderer ; mythology ; name ; NAR ; neck ; negotiation ; neutral zone ; neutron radiation ; news ; night ; Nixon, Richard M. ; Northern Star ; obedience ; objection ; officers' mess ; Okrand ; Okrand's Unabridged Klingon Dictionary ; olive branch ; Operation Retrieve ; opportunist ; order ; oxygen ; ozone ; pair ; pardon ; Paris ; parole ; patricide ; peace ; peace conference ; peace summit ; peace talks ; peace treaty ; penal asteroid ; penal colony ; permission ; personal log ; Pfaltzgraff ; phaser ; photon torpedo ; physics ; piano ; place ; plasma ( ionized gas ); plasma exhaust ; plate ; pollution ; port (facility); port (side of ship); port gate ; Post, Emily ; pot ; Praxis ; prejudice ; president ; prison ; prisoner ; progress ; problem ; prototype ; proverb ; pulse ; punishment ; Qo'noS ; question ; quarters ; rank ; reality ; refuse ; rendezvous ; report ; reprieve ; resource ; result ; retirement ; revenge ; reward ; risk ; Romulan ; Romulan ale ; Romulan government ; Romulan border ; rose ; rudder ; Rura Penthe ; Russian ; sabot ; sabotage ; Saboteurs ; safe haven ; safety precaution ; Salak ; Samno ; San Francisco ; saucer ; scene ; science station ; scientific program ; Scots language ; screaming ; SD-103 ; SD-103 type ; second ; secret ; sector ; Sector 70 ; seminar ; sensor ; sentence ; service record ; Shakespeare, William ; ship's bell ; ship's surgeon ; shoe ; shouting ; show trial ; sickbay ; silent running ; size ; slave ; smell ; smoking ; sniper rifle ; son ; sorrow ; space station ; Spacedock One ; special envoy ; species ; speculation ; Spoken Languages of the Klingon Empire ; sponsor ; starbase ; starboard ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Command Intelligence Database ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Starfleet regulations ; state dinner ; statement ; stern ; stockade ; story ; stun setting ; subspace ; subspace channel ; subspace message ; subspace transmission ; subspace shock wave ; suicide ; surface ; surgeon ; surgery ; surrender ; table ; table manners ; tail pipe ; targ ; tear ; tear duct ; Tempest, The ; terrorism ; territory ; theory ; thing ; thousand ; three-year mission ; thruster ; Tiberian bat ; tickling ; toast ; torpedo bay ; torpedo launcher ; torpedo room ; touch ; tour ; translation ; transporter pad ; transporter range ; transporter room ; trash ; trial ; truth ; universal translator ; universe ; Ursva ; value ; vessel ; viridium patch ; volunteer ; Vulcan ; mind meld ; walking ; warp drive ; warrior ; weapons locker ; web ; week ; wisdom ; Wise, D. ; witness ; wood ; word ; worker ; wound ; year ; Z-axis ; Zelonite

Library computer references [ ]

• Starship Mission Assignments : Ahwahnee , USS ; Challenger , USS ; Constellation , USS ; Eagle , USS ; Emden , USS ; Endeavour , USS ; Helin , USS ; John Muir , USS ; Kongo , USS ; Korolev , USS ; Lantree , USS ; Oberth , USS ; Potemkin , USS ; Republic , USS ; Scovill , USS ; Sector 21185 ; Sector 21186 ; Sector 21290 ; Sector 21399 ; Sector 21803 ; Sector 21835 ; Sector 21836 ; Sector 21837 ; Sector 22849 ; Sector 22858 ; Sector 22956 ; Sector 22958 ; Sector 23094 ; Springfield , USS ; Starbase 24 ; Starship Mission Assignments ; Whorfin , USS
• Operation Retrieve star chart : Alpha Bayard ; Alpha Beaird ; Alpha Cooper ; Alpha Crum ; Alpha Glover ; Alpha Johnson ; Alpha McCusker ; Alpha Meyers ; Alpha Saunders ; Alpha Suhr ; Apperson's Asteroid ; Arnold's Planet ; Baber Nebula ; Barnes Nebula ; Barnett's Star ; Bergman's Planet ; Beta Christenberry ; Beta Cook ; Beta Flinn ; Beta Friedlich ; Beta Garretson ; Beta Gonzales ; Beta Lingard ; Beta Michaels ; Beta Penthe ; Beta Penthe I ; Beta Penthe II ; Beta Penthe III ; Beta Penthe IV ; Beta Penthe V ; Beta Penthe VII ; Beta Penthe system ; Beta Schwartz ; Beta Sternbach ; Breton's Planet ; Brookshire's Planet ; Buckley's Planet ; Cantamessa's Star ; Cole's Star ; Constitution II -class; Cybulski's Planet ; Delta Hart ; Downer's Star ; Excelsior -class ; Farrar's World ; Foster Nebula ; Frazee's Nova ; Friedlich Nebula ; Gamma Fitzgerald ; Gauger Star ; Gullory Nebula ; Harstedt's Planet ; Hershman's Star ; Hodges Nebula ; Jaffeworld ; Latonaworld ; Meyer's Star ; Molly's Star ; Moreyworld ; Narita's Planet ; Nimoy's Star ; Nollman's Planet ; Nuzzo Station ; Operation Retrieve star chart locations ; Okrand Colony ; Rao-Beyers ; Rooseworld ; Sasgen's Star ; Sector 21166 ; Sigma Trotti ; Stevens Nebula ; Theta Gentle ; Theta Hulett ; Wenselworld ; Winter's Nova ; Wise Nebula ; Zimmerman's Star
• Federation star chart ("The Explored Galaxy") : Aldebaran ; Alfa 177 ; Alpha Carinae ; Alpha Centauri ; Alpha Majoris ; Altair VI ; Andor ; Ariannus ; Arret ; Babel ; Benecia ; Berengaria VII ; Beta Aurigae ; Beta Geminorum ; Beta Lyrae ; Beta Niobe ; Beta Portolan ; Camus II ; Canopus III ; Capella ; Daran V ; Delta Vega ; Deneb ; Eminiar ; Fabrini ; First Federation ; Gamma Canaris N ; Gamma Trianguli ; Holberg 917G ; Ingraham B ; Janus VI ; Kling ; Kzin ; Lactra VII ; Makus III ; Marcos XII ; Manark IV ; Memory Alpha ; Mudd ; Omega IV ; Omega Cygni ; Organia ; Orion ; Pallas 14 ; Phylos ; Pollux IV ; Psi 2000 ; Pyris VII ; Regulus ; Remus ; Rigel ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulus ; Sarpeid ; Sirius ; Talos ; Tau Ceti ; Theta III ; Tholian Assembly ; Vulcan

Unused Material [ ]

democracy ; economics ; employment ; gunboat diplomacy ; prerogative

Unreferenced material [ ]

Arc ; Bayard, D. ; Brookshire, R. ; Cantemessa, G. ; Downer, J. ; Flinn, D.M. ; Garretson, K. ; Glover, K. ; Hulett, D. ; Jaffe, S.C. ; Michaels, M. ; Morey, R. ; Narita, H. ; Rodis, N. ; Sector 21185 ; Sector 21290 ; Sector 21399 ; Sector 21803 ; Sector 21835 ; Sector 21837 ; Sector 22849 ; Sector 22956 ; Sector 23006 ; Tathwell, D. ; Thomas, C. ; Wise, D. ; Zimmerman, H.

Timeline [ ]

External links [ ].

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at Wikipedia
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country script at Star Trek Minutiae
• " Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Where to watch.

Watch Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with a subscription on Paramount+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

The Undiscovered Country is a strong cinematic send-off for the original Trek crew, featuring some remarkable visuals and an intriguing, character-driven mystery plot.

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Star Trek - Full Cast & Crew

• 82   Metascore
• 2 hr 8 mins
• Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Boldly go where no man has gone before as J.J. Abrams resurrects Gene Roddenberry's classic sci-fi franchise with this exhilarating prequel about the formation of the Enterprise's crew. James T. Kirk is forced to take command of the starship after an enemy attack, but he comes into conflict with Spock, who doesn't believe Kirk is qualified to be their captain.

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Executive producer, cinematographer, production company, art director, sound mixer, supervising sound editor, sound/sound designer, sound effects, special effects coordinator, visual effects supervisor, production designer, second unit director, re-recording mixer, animatronic supervisor.

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Every star trek movie in chronological order.

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Star Trek 2009 Cast & Character Guide

10 longest waits star trek has forced fans to endure, star trek’s future requires more patience than ever.

• Learn how to watch all 13 Star Trek movies in chronological order by following their theatrical release timeline.
• Dive deeper into the Star Trek universe by watching the films in their in-universe timeline order instead.
• Keep an eye out for new Star Trek movies - one on Paramount+ focusing on Section 31 and potential future theatrical releases.

Here's how to watch the 13 Star Trek movies in chronological order in a couple of ways. Starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series ' 3 seasons aired on NBC from 1966-1969, but the show exploded in popularity in syndication. After the blockbuster success of Star Wars in 1977, Paramount refashioned a planned TV series revival titled Star Trek: Phase II into a feature film: 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Star Trek officially became a movie franchise.

Since the 1970s, every decade up to the 2020s thus far has seen a Star Trek movie produced. Star Trek: The Original Series ' cast starred in 6 films from 1979-1991. The torch was then passed to the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation , who starred in 4 films from 1994-2002. Producer and director J.J. Abrams then rebooted Star Trek: The Original Series , casting stars such as Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban to play younger, alternate reality versions of Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in a trilogy of Star Trek movies from 2009-2016. Whether you want to watch them in order of theatrical release or in order of when the films stand in the Star Trek timeline , here's how to watch the 13 Star Trek movies.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek relaunched the movie franchise and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise.

How To Watch The Star Trek Movies Chronologically In Theatrical Release Order

The first 6 star trek movies are helpfully numbered.

Watching the Star Trek movies in their theatrical release order is the simplest way to go . The 13 films are broken up into easy-to-digest blocks: the 6 Star Trek: The Original Series films, the 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation films, and the three Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams that are set in the alternate Kelvin timeline. Here are the 13 Star Trek movies in theatrical release order:

How To Watch The Star Trek Movies By In-Universe Timeline Order

From 1986 to 2379 in two different star trek timelines.

A more interesting, and challenging, way to watch the Star Trek movies is by in-universe timeline order. Although the 'present day' of the Star Trek movies is either The Original Series ' 23rd century or The Next Generation 's 24th century, some of the Star Trek movies involve time travel and flashbacks, while the J.J. Abrams films are actually before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.

In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009 , the destruction of the USS Kelvin in 2033 by time-traveling Romulans, which led to the death of James T. Kirk's father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), spawned an alternate reality where numerous major events happened in an accelerated pace. Factoring in time travel and alternate universes, here's how to watch the Star Trek movies by in-universe timeline order.

What Is The Next Star Trek Movie?

The next star trek movie won't be released in theaters.

The next Star Trek movie won't be a theatrical release, but it will be a made-for-streaming film on Paramount+. Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh is the first Star Trek movie made for Paramount+ . Section 31 is written by Craig Sweeney and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. A spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery , Section 31 will detail what happened to Yeoh's popular anti-heroine, Emperor Phillippa Georgiou after she left Discovery in season 3, and the film will purportedly explore Georgiou's ties to and the history of Section 31, Starfleet's infamous black ops organization.

Star Trek: Section 31 introduces a new cast of characters joining Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Georgiou. Section 31 began filming in January 2024 in Toronto and is expected to wrap in March. Although no release date has been announced yet, Star Trek: Section 31 could be released on the streamer in late 2024 if not in 2025.

Depending on Star Trek: Section 31 's success, a new Star Trek movie could be released on Paramount+ every 2 years.

Will There Be A Star Trek 4 From J.J. Abrams?

Two star trek theatrical movies are reportedly in development.

8 years after Star Trek Beyond hit movie theaters, there is still no Star Trek 4 produced by J.J. Abrams . Star Trek 4 (AKA Star Trek 14 ) was scheduled for a December 2023 release date after audience polling by Paramount Pictures determined there was audience interest in seeing another Star Trek movie starring Chris Pine and the cast Abrams assembled. However, high-profile filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Noah Hawley, S.J. Clarkson, and Matt Shakman were unable to overcome the "creative differences" to get Star Trek 4 in front of cameras.

Star Trek 4 is said to be the "final chapter" of the voyages of the USS Enterprise commanded by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and his crew.

Following the resolution of the WGA writers' strike, a new report indicated two Star Trek movies are in development at Paramount. Star Trek 4 is said to be the "final chapter" of the voyages of the USS Enterprise commanded by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and his crew. Meanwhile, a Star Trek origin film set "decades before" Star Trek (2009) is being developed by director Toby Haynes ( Star Wars: Andor ) and writer Seth Grahame-Smith ( Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunte r). While it seems inevitable that a new Star Trek movie will return to the big screen one day, it looks like the long wait will continue into the foreseeable future.

Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation movies are available to stream on Max.

Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness , and Star Trek Generations are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Number One, show me a list of all the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release — engage!

• Chronological order
• Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

• Kelvin Timeline
• Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

Raise shields, red alert — we’re going to try and put all the Star Trek movies in order. And we do mean try.

When they were focused on the Original Series era, the Star Trek movies were so easy to watch in order — the movies were numbered, everything was nice and simple. Then Picard comes in with his Next Generation buddies and suddenly numbers are out, subtitles are in. And that’s before we get all the time travel shenanigans that gave birth to the Kelvin timeline , an alternative timeline that splits off from the main canon.

It's been a long while since we've had a new Star Trek movie, with the last release — Star Trek Beyond — coming out back in 2016. Over eight years! Voyager got home from the Delta Quadrant in less time than that! Mercifully the drought is nearly over, with the Discovery spin-off movie Star Trek: Section 31 due to launch in early 2025.

So while we wait for Trek's silver screen return, we’re going to break down the various timelines and help you watch the Star Trek movies in either chronological or release order —- the Temporal Prime Directive be damned. Oh and we’re not making any judgements on the quality of the movies here, so head over to our Star Trek movies ranked list if you want to fight about whether the Kirk or Picard era movies are better.

All of the Star Trek movies are available to watch on Paramount+, along with almost all the shows — check our Star Trek streaming guide to find which nebulas the exceptions are hiding in. 

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline. 

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• Release date: December 8, 1979
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• Release date: June 4, 1982
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.   

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• Release date: November 26, 1986
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness. 

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

• Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• Release date: December 6, 1991
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort. 

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

• Release date: November 18, 1994
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time. 

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

• Release date: November 22, 1996
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin. 

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

• Release date: December 11, 1998
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle. 

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

• Release date: December 13, 2002
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy. 

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

• Release date: May 8, 2009
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline. 

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

• Release date: May 16, 2013
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction. 

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

• Release date: July 22, 2016
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day. 

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

Star Trek 4

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.   

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety . 

Still, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety.

Since then, there hasn’t been much in the way of updates, which leaves us with the worrying prospect of Star Trek 4 being stuck in development hell. During a 2023 appearance at the 57-Year Mission convention in Las Vegas (reported by TrekMovie ), Zachary Quinto explained that creative differences were the cause of the numerous delays. 

“I think there’s a lot of other stuff, creative things. It’s complicated. The fact that anything good gets made is kind of a miracle. I think it’s about different people having different agendas and ideas about what it will be.“

Star Trek: Section 31

In the meantime, we are getting the Star Trek: Section 31 movie staring Academy Award-winning actress MichelIe Yeoh. She is reprising her role as Emperor Philip Georgiou, her character from Star Trek Discovery (well one of them anyway, mirror universes and all that). This spin-off from the TV series is coming out of warp in early 2025.

Check out our guide to Everything we know about Star trek Section 31 for more info on the upcoming movie.

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Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

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‘Star Trek’ Cast, Including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, Returning for Fourth Film

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They’re boldly going back.

Paramount is planning to enter negotiations for “ Star Trek ” stars Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho and Simon Pegg to return to the Enterprise for their fourth tour of duty in the venerable sci-fi franchise.

The announcement was made by J.J. Abrams during the Paramount Investors Day Presentation on Feb. 15.

“We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into areas that you’ve just never seen before,” Abrams said. “We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”

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The six actors first stepped into their respective iconic roles as Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, Sulu and Scotty in 2009’s “Star Trek,” directed by Abrams, which reset the “Trek” timeline and allowed for the reboot to exist unencumbered from the hundreds of hours of “Trek” continuity that had come before. The actors returned in two sequels, 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness,” also directed by Abrams, and 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond,” directed by Justin Lin.

Popular on Variety

Abrams is producing the new, as-yet-untitled film through Bad Robot, with Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) directing from a screenplay by Josh Friedman (“Avatar 2”) and Cameron Squires (“WandaVision”) based on a earlier draft by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”).

Paramount was close to bringing back this cast once before: In 2018, S.J. Clarkson (“Jessica Jones”) had signed up to direct a sequel that would have reunited Pine’s Kirk with his late father, played by Chris Hemsworth reprising his performance from the 2009 “Star Trek.” That film never materialized, however, after Paramount reportedly couldn’t close a deal with Pine and Hemsworth.

Since then, insiders say the studio has done market research to determine audience interest in the rebooted cast, given the long wait period between “Beyond” — which lost money for Paramount — and a prospective new “Trek” film. Execs determined that there was still lasting audience enthusiasm for Pine, Quinto and the rest of the cast in their established roles, which allowed the studio to feel comfortable with moving forward with bringing them back.

Paramount has also explored several other avenues for “Trek” features, none of which seem to have ultimately borne fruit. Quentin Tarantino reportedly cooled on a “Star Trek” script he was pursuing with “The Revenant” screenwriter Mark L. Smith. In late 2019, Paramount tapped “Fargo” and “Legion” creator Noah Hawley to write and direct a “Trek” movie that Hawley planned to feature new actors playing new characters. But when Emma Watts became president of the Paramount Motion Picture Group a few months later, insiders say she paused all “Trek” development, including Hawley’s film , to decide how best to move forward with one of the studio’s crown jewel franchises. With Watts’ departure from Paramount in September, it’s unclear what the current “Trek” film portends for other development for the franchise, including a screenplay by “Fear the Walking Dead” co-executive producer Kalinda Vazquez .

Bringing the 2009 “Trek” cast back could prove a challenge given they’ve all had busy schedules since “Beyond.” Pine added the “Wonder Woman” franchise to his resume and he’ll next appear in Olivia Wilde’s thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” and the black-ops film “Violence of Action.” Quinto headlined the AMC series “NOS4A2,” and starred in the Broadway revival of “The Boys in the Band” and its 2020 Netflix film adaptation. Saldana continued her run as Gamora in several Marvel Studios films, including “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “Avengers: Endgame”; she’ll star in “Avatar 2” this year and in “Guardians Vol. 3” in 2023. Urban appeared in 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok” and he’ll continue his performance as Billy Butcher on Season 3 of Amazon’s “The Boys” in June. Cho starred in acclaimed indies “Columbus” and “Searching,” and he starred in Netflix’s live-action adaption of the anime series “Cowboy Bebop.” And Pegg starred with Nick Frost on Amazon’s horror comedy series “Truth Seekers,” and he’ll reprise his role as Benji in “Mission: Impossible 7” in 2023.

One member of the 2009 “Trek” cast, however, sadly cannot join them. Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov, died in an accident in June 2016, a month before “Beyond” opened in theaters. At that film’s premiere at San Diego Comic Con, the cast, filmmakers and invited guests sat in a full minute of silence in tribute to the late actor.

Brent Lang contributed to this story.

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In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 280 User reviews
• 99 Critic reviews
• 16 wins & 31 nominations total

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• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Music by Alexander Courage

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• September 8, 1966 (United States)
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