1991 was an exciting and tumultuous year. The Berlin Wall had come down two years prior, the Soviet Union was slowly dissolving, America and our allies had obliterated the Iraqi military in the Gulf War, gas was cheap, and the USAF still flew F-4Gs. Star Trek fans would mark a milestone of their own as well, with the final voyage of the original Star Trek crew.
While Star Trek V had been poorly received, the franchise was on much stronger legs than it had been for a long time. Star Trek: The Next Generation entered it’s fourth season in 1991, with some of the best regarded episodes in the series. There was more than enough momentum to justify one final cinematic voyage for the original USS Enterprise crew.
I remember seeing Star Trek VI in theaters when it came out in December 1991. In the next few years, it, along with the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Trek II, and Star Trek IV, would be regular viewing in our home. However, much like the rest of the classic Trek movies, I hadn’t watched VI in about twenty years. Unfortunately, unlike most of the other favorite Trek movies, and even Star Trek V, which I felt improved a lot with a grown viewpoint towards the themes, Star Trek VI didn’t feel like it has aged well.
Lest I be misunderstood, I don’t think that Star Trek VI is a bad film. It just doesn’t hit the dramatic heights of II, or the comic blend of IV, and marks the beginning of the Star Trek movies’ gradual descent into more action oriented popcorn films. A lot of the problem is the plot. Most Star Trek is fairly timeless – most of the time when the series ventures into contemporary events, it ends in a weak episode. Star Trek VI is all about contemporary events: the fall of the Klingon Empire and a forced turn to peace with the Federation is modeled directly after the then-current ending of the Cold War.
This all felt very current at the time. The Cold War is ending! It’s a glorious new day! Even the various military hardliners opposing peace (on both sides, it should be noted) seemed plausible. Thirty years later though, with Putin’s Russia trying to claw back to their Soviet Era “glory”, an ascendant China looking to be a superpower in their own right, millions of Muslim terrorists scattered through the Middle East, and America currently doing our best to jumpstart Civil War II: Electric Boogaloo, the whole premise of Star Trek VI seems even more painfully naïve than most of the optimistic “We’re better and have grown beyond all that!” episodes of both classic Trek and ST:TNG.
Again, it’s not to say that the movie isn’t an enjoyable swan song for the crew. Sulu gets command of his own ship! After having seen the USS Excelsior show up and be useless for bits of the last few movies, it’s nice to see the new hotness in action, and helmed by a competent captain. Shakespeare quoting Klingons will never cease to be enjoyable, even if Christopher Plummer as General Chang is basically Klingon Khan in a Bird of Prey for the film’s Third Act. Everyone gets a dramatic moment or two, or at the very least, a couple of good one-liners.
Still, this was very clearly a goodbye film. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but at least Star Trek fans at the time could appreciate the original crew going out on a high note, while also being confident that the series was in a stable, enjoyable new direction with the Enterprise-D.