The Final Frontier’s Troubled Production Almost Killed The Franchise

William Shatner’s 1989 Space Empire “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” is still mentioned to this day as one of the worst “Star Trek” films. The movie’s hefty $ 30 million budget probably went mainly to its actors because its visual effects are seriously missing and the series look miserable and cheap. Similarly, the scenes of Planet Nimbus III and its paradise city were very clearly shot only in the Mojave desert, and many of the film’s views were consisting of, forcing Shatner to shoot real projecting screens. (It doesn’t look good.)

The “last border” was also full of countless production problems. As soon as the shooting started, the Teamsters Union struck, forcing Paramount to find the Union drivers on the move, which, of course, was to invite team counter -measures. (It’s not necessarily a relative, but one truck was blown up in the parking lot shortly before the location.) The studio could not afford to have a regular effect team in Industrial Light & Magic, so it had to hire a much cheaper technician team at the last minute. This was all on Shatner makes questionable director decisions everywhereAt least producer Harve Bennett (who has been very honest about the failure of the film).

However, the starting point of the film is big swing because it is accompanied by a Sybok terrorist (Laurence Luckinbill), who captures the USS company and takes it to the center of the galaxy, where he believes that God (!) Living. The film even culminates with Sybok and the crew of the company, which may possibly be a physical manifestation of the Almighty. “Star Trek” has always been interested in asking great, philosophical questions about the nature of the universe, but in front of God’s head seemed to be stupid, even for long -term hikes.

Ultimately, the “final border” bombed the box office, and that gross was an unclean $ 70.2 million (compared to $ 133 million, made by Leonard Nimoy’s “Star Trek IV: The Wath Home”). For a moment, it seemed that the “Star Trek” series was over.

In 1989, the subtitle “The Final Frontier” suggested that yes, this would be the last “Star Trek” movie. It was also a reference to Shatner’s opening report of the original “Star Trek” series, which brought all the full circle. In addition, its starting point was so extensive that it really felt well on the ultimate boundary of man’s consciousness. Space can be easily traveled at “Star Trek”, but the infinity of the human soul remains largely unexplored. Shatner was allowed to install the film’s starting point as the “Voyage Home” salary dispute gave him the opportunity to set certain contractual requirements. It was ordered that Shatner could not only control “Star Trek V”, but he was also able to compile manuscript treatments. As such, his idea was to get a movie about God’s meeting face to face.

However, after the movie, it was unclear in the tank where the franchise goes. Bennett started a reboot of the property, which was designed to be Kirk and Spock as a young men in Starfleet Academy. They were supposed to play new actors and the movie series would be allowed to start again. Unfortunately, Bennett’s “pre -part” idea was scrapped after a system change in Paramount and a new leadership rejected his concept. The 1991 issue of Cinfantastique also borrowed Bennett by saying that he worked at one stage in “Star Trek”, which has strongly inspired Michael Curtiz Western “Santa Fe Trail”, but was also rejected in the midst of a leadership exchange. Of course, Bennett’s perception of rebooting the property with a young new actor would eventually be used in 2009 for JJ Abrams’ “Star Trek”.

Ultimately, however, the new Paramount Administration felt that “Star Trek” should be redeemed and decided to collect the original series’ actor for the last time to the right “final border”.

Bennett stepped away as a producer because his project was killed, but it was very possible, for a few lively, that “Star Trek” could have been launched in 1990. At that time, “Star Trek: Next Generation” was already in the air, so the audience did not want to observe the original “Star Trek” choice. Franchise would have started again seriously, and Kirk and co. – At least as we had met them – would have been allowed to rest. It would have been a bold transplant – such that Paramount would not have Chutzpah for still 19 years.

However, the new system of Paramount in 1990 was more concerned about what had already had the property instead of falling into a restart trap. The studio hired Nicholas Meyer, writer/director “Star Trek II: Khan’s anger” and the decisive factor for the “Voyage Home” manuscript to handle a whole new production with the original “Star Trek” series. Meyer compiled “Star Trek VI: The Unfiscole Country,” the post -Cold War allegory that was held like a political thriller. The Klingon Empire’s fall was clear simultaneously with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1988. Some people know, ever. It was certainly a lot, a much better ending for the original “Star Trek” actor than the “last border”.

The next “Star Trek” movie afterwards, 1994 “Star Trek Generations”, was a “Next Generation” movie that introduced Shatner in a tukkiro. At the same time, Bennett continued with a pretty good time on the COP TV series “Time Trax” in 1993 and even worked with Steven Spielberg to develop Small conversation with animated series “Invasion America” In 1998.