"I don’t want my pain taken away! I need my pain!"

Leonard Nimoy had directed two Star Trek films so naturally, William Shatner wanted to give it a go. He even had a great concept for a story – the crew of the Enterprise goes on a quest to find God. Unfortunately, with a writers strike hitting Hollywood at the time, with an effects company that couldn’t deliver, and with a studio demanding as much humor as they could cram into the script, Shatner’s vision was muddled and became what many consider to be the worst of the original cast films in the franchise. But is it really that bad? Is it possible to get past the terrible humor and find a compelling story? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Star Trek series and look for these answers and more in Shatner’s 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”

We talk about the overall problems we have with this film but how the story itself is actually quite compelling. We look at how the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is developed in this film and what elements of that development work for us. We chat about the character of Sybok and the problem he created for many ardent fans – a laughing Vulcan! We shake our heads at much of the bad comedy and screenwriting that nearly buries the fascinating story in nonsense (and some would say DID bury it (buried alive…)). We look at the style and verve that Shatner infused in the film with the lighting and camera work, not to mention the incredible score he gets out of Jerry Goldsmith, returning to the franchise. And we ponder the merits of the Kraft Marshmallow (marshmelon?) Dispenser in all of its glory.

It’s an incredibly problematic film that represents some of the franchise’s worst… but also some of its best. We have a great time chatting about it so check it out then tune in! When the movie ends, our conversation begins.

Film Sundries

Do you like getting the good stuff before everyone else? Support The Next Reel on Patreon and get access to the show Drafts Podcast Feed! — http://patreon.com/thenextreel

• Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Hulu
• Script Transcript
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Kraft Marshmallow Dispenser

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• Sitting in the Dark

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.