[56] Sixty-six Klingons were used for the scene, with six actors in custom makeups and an additional fifteen in "A-level" makeup; the high quality designs were used for the Klingons in the first row of the stands, while those actors to the rear used masks. [20] While they tried to hold on to the opening as long as they could, Paramount threatened to cancel pre-production unless a few million dollars were cut from the budget. [52] Whenever possible, the ships were filmed from below to reinforce the nautical theme, with their movements intended to remind the audience of galleons or other large seafaring vessels. Cloak (TOS novel) - The novel Cloak establishes Admiral Cartwright as … Use the HTML below. [60], The last scene in the film was arranged for the last day of filming. [117], The film's original theatrical cut was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2009 to coincide with the new Star Trek feature,[128] along with the other five films featuring the original crew in Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection. The production budget was smaller than anticipated because of the critical and commercial disappointment of The Final Frontier. Written by Will they manage to escape? He wanted there to be uncertainty about Gorkon's true intentions. “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” begins, as so many “Star Trek” stories do, with a story set in the future but parallel to contemporary developments. Hiro was very keen to avoid that over-bright stage look. [39], The large, hulking form the shapeshifter Martia assumes while on the surface of Rura Penthe was dubbed "The Brute" by the production team. The site's critics' consensus reads: "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. On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. Initially, the language was supposed to be more somber and classical, but Meyer made some last minute changes. [116] A Cinefantastique retrospective review considered the film to have the finest guest stars ever assembled for a Star Trek film. The phasers used in the scene and throughout the film were redesigned versions of earlier models and were first used in The Final Frontier. Maybe then I'll care what he has to say. The Undiscovered Country opened in 1,804 theaters in North America and grossed $18,162,837 in its opening weekend; the showing was a record for the film series and was the top-grossing film of the weekend. [3] The Undiscovered Country's strong showing was one of the big successes of 1991, a year in which the film industry experienced disappointing box office results overall. [125] Because of a trend in supermarket video sales and rentals, Paramount offered rebates for the home video release of The Undiscovered Country through boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats. [76] Meyer said the idea for having the Klingons claim Shakespeare as their own was based on Nazi Germany's attempt to claim the Bard as German before World War II. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth. [8], Because of the multiple angles and takes required for a single mouthful of food, Meyer offered a bounty of $20 per every shot of a character eating. The unusual title Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is derived from William Shakespeare, but it takes on a different meaning in the movie's context from what the Bard intended in Hamlet. [18], Paramount made a decision early on to use existing ship models for filming, meaning the old models—some more than a decade old—had to be refurbished, adapted, and reused. Worf was a Klingon male who appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.. Worf was the elder brother of Thok Mak and the head of the House of Mogh. [86] Kirk undergoes a transformation through the film by way of his incarceration; realizing that his hatred is outmoded he allows for a cleansing that restores his son to him in some way. "[72] For the climactic battle, Eidelman starts the music quietly, building the intensity as the battle progresses. The director took careful consideration to keep you in suspense, for example, hiding the villain in the background of the light, things like that. In the opening, each of the crew was to be rounded up out of unhappy retirement for one final mission. On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. In the end, all of the characters except McCoy and Spock die. [49], The Klingons received the first major revision in design since their appearance in The Motion Picture. [89] Nimoy, who had earlier requested $1 million to cameo on The Next Generation, appeared in the two-part episode "Unification" that aired during November 1991 to increase interest in the feature film. play_arrow. He felt that the tracking of a shuttle from the planet evoked 2001: A Space Odyssey. The plan proving unfeasibly expensive, and with both James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith turning the film down, Meyer began listening to demo tapes submitted by composers. While I saw Star Trek VI in theaters I was a bit young. For Shatner, the incentive was enough that he became the only cast member to consume purple-dyed squid. [26], Mancuso asked Leonard Nimoy to conceive the new film to serve as a swan song for the original cast. [17] Bennett claimed that after he rewrote the script to include Shatner and Nimoy, Paramount had still rejected it and that he decided it was time he left the franchise. Sulu orders that Lojur have the Excelsior turned into the wave and the ship clears the disturbance. Azetbur likewise refuses to invade Federation space. [78] The title itself alludes to Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1, the famous “To be, or not to be” soliloquy. The plot is a clear parallel to … "[75] In reality, the reverse—translating Shakespeare into Klingon—proved problematic because Marc Okrand had not created a verb for "to be" when he developed the language. "[21] After the stormy first meeting, a group including Meyer, Roddenberry, and producer Ralph Winter discussed the revised draft. We raised a glass of champagne, but everybody was actually a little antsy."[27]. The special effects, though not remarkable, as in The Wrath of Khan's in-your-face effects, the effects in this movie generally are good, the battle sequences in this movie are just as good as The Wrath of Khan one.Again a nice motif is the scripts placement of Shakespeare quotes into the villain, just like Khan in Star Trek II. Gorkon: You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon. Eidelman, then 26, had made a career in composing for ballets, television, and film, but despite work on fourteen features, no film had been the hit needed to propel Eidelman to greater fame. These sets were on gimbals so that the movement of the actors and sets created a floating effect. And will there ever be peace with the Klingons? [103], The Undiscovered Country received a much kinder reception from reviewers and audiences than The Final Frontier. [8] Ralph Winter was brought on to the project as producer shortly after Bennett's departure, and said Paramount's mandate was to produce a 25th anniversary film that would not cost a lot of money. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said that "Star Trek VI is definitely colorful, but even more of its color comes from conversation, which can take some amusingly florid turns. The writers and producers really did a wonderful job with this one. Jun 25 - 27, 2021. The script would have established that George Kirk, James T. Kirk's father, was a pilot who went missing—presumed dead—during a warp experiment with Scott. Although the original series mentioned a galley in the episode "Charlie X", only machines able to synthesize food had been shown before. Christopher Plummer requested his character's forehead have more subdued spinal ridges than Klingons in previous films, to look unique and to humanize his character. [39] For The Undiscovered Country, Meyer wanted the Enterprise interiors to feel grittier and more realistic; the metal was worn around the edges to look used without looking beat up. Star Trek. It is a Grand Finale for the classic Trek crew (as played by the original actors, at least) which resolves the previously ongoing conflict between The Federation and the Klingons with a Tom Clancy IN SPACE! Events. Flinn conceived the penal colony Rura Penthe as on an arid, undeveloped world with odorous aliens; Meyer suggested that it be turned into an ice world instead. The final budget came in at $27 million. Besides using percussion from around the world, Eidelman treated the choir as percussion, with the Klingon language translation for "to be, or not to be" ("taH pagh, taHbe") being repeated in the background. Also created for the Rura Penthe shoot was a frozen Klingon with a horrified expression. It measured twelve inches and was fabricated in less than a week. Far from being idealized, the characters were shown as bigoted and flawed. The Undiscovered Country is a strong cinematic send-off for the original Trek crew, featuring … You know, the Klingons have always been our stand-ins for the Russians..." Meyer recalled that he replied "'Oh, wait a minute! [119] Instead of maintaining suspense, The Washington Times's Gary Arnold noted the Rura Penthe sideplot offered "scenic distraction without contributing significantly to the whodunit crisis [...] The crime itself has a promising 'closed-room' aspect that never gets elaborated adequately [...] You look forward to a cleverly fabricated solution." [125], As with the other nine Star Trek films, The Undiscovered Country was re-released on DVD as a Special Edition in 2004. '"[67], Meyer's original plan for the score was to adapt Gustav Holst's orchestral suite The Planets. [...] I don't quite agree with using too much of that sort of thing, but once you get Plummer, suddenly it's working. [59] The elevator descent into the bowels of the mine was simulated by pasting fake rocks to a canvas being cranked in the background of the scene. "[The compilation] showed me what to stay away from, because I couldn't do James Horner [composer for The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock] as well as James Horner," he said. [77], According to scholar Larry Kreitzer, The Undiscovered Country has more references to Shakespeare than any other Star Trek work until at least 1996. Poorly regarded by earlier effects artists because of its complicated wiring and bulk,[45] the Enterprise's hairline cracks were puttied and sanded down, and the internal circuitry was redone. The 12-hour showings also included footage of The Undiscovered Country. [15] The special features included a commentary track with Meyer and Flinn, featurettes detailing the special effects, production, and historical inspiration of the film, and a tribute to actor DeForest Kelley. Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews, and buy Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country directed by Nicholas Meyer for $14.99. The crews of the Enterprise and the Excelsior must stop a plot to prevent a peace treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation After years at war, the Federation and the Klingon empire prepare for a peace summit. When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it. Gorkon's daughter Azetbur becomes the new chancellor, and continues diplomatic negotiations; for reasons of security, the conference is relocated and the new location is kept secret. We've curated a list of lesser-known films to help you explore the space-time continuum from the comfort of your couch. [53] This design change meant only Plummer's front could be photographed during the first few days of filming while the makeup department created appliances to cover the back of his head. Cinematographer Hiro Narita's previous work had been on effects films such as The Rocketeer, where he had time and money to make a lavish period fantasy; with The Undiscovered Country, he was constantly under time and budgetary pressures. The elaborate sheen was never visible on screen (lighting schemes prevented reflections while filming so the ship could be properly inserted into effects shots) and so when the model was repainted with conventional techniques the effect was lost. They have only one choice - to make peace with the Federation, which will mean an end to 70 years of conflict. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Critics Consensus. [70], Eidelman stated that he finds science fiction the most interesting and exciting genre to compose for, and that Meyer told him to treat the film as a fresh start, rather than drawing on old Star Trek themes. Roddenberry would voice his disapproval of elements of the script line by line, and he and Meyer would square off about them while Winter took notes. The undiscovered country...the future. In my opinion, this was the best of their movies. [39], Principal photography took place between April 16 and September 27, 1991,[27] using a mix of fixed sets and on-location footage. The shoot lasted several days because of what Plummer called the "horror" of filming the dinner.[8]. [111] Desson Howe, writing for The Washington Post's Weekend section, said that "the Klingons' spilled blood floats in the air in eerily beautiful purplish globules; it's space-age Sam Peckinpah. He doesn't want to go on this trip even though the spark is there that overtook him. [15] The effects, dubbed "morfs", were more advanced revisions of the technology used for films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Inspired by a scene in Ben-Hur, matte supervisor Craig Barron used two hundred commercially available Worf dolls sent by Ralph Winter. Producer Steven-Charles Jaffe led a second unit that filmed on an Alaskan glacier that stood in for a Klingon gulag. The pair are found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on the frozen asteroid Rura Penthe. The set was placed on its end in the tallest soundstage at Paramount, so that the camera looked up towards the ceiling. "[114] Plummer and Warner's portrayals of their Klingon characters were well-received; Maslin commented that "whenever a skilled actor [...] manages to emerge from behind all this [makeup] with his personality intact, it's a notable accomplishment." The script shows Kirk and Spock's upbringing, their meeting McCoy and Montgomery Scott at the Academy and defeating a villain before parting ways. Arnold felt that instead of developing this mystery, the filmmakers defused the potential for suspense by shifting away from the search of the Enterprise. Internal pressures, enormous military expenditures, and the destruction of their primary energy source have brought the Klingon Empire to the verge of catastrophic collapse. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a 1991 American science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer. Chang recites most of the lines from Shakespeare used in the film, including quotes from Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV, Part 2 in his parting words to Kirk after dinner. Nurse Christine Chapel cameos in the script's climax. One unfortunate byproduct of the fixes was the loss of the model's distinctive pearlescent finish. The character of Valeris was designed to be more ivory-hued than Spock's yellow tone, with sleeker eyebrows and a severe haircut favored by Meyer. [63] After receiving the script, ILM created storyboards for the effects sequences before meeting Meyer and producers Winter and Steven-Charles Jaffe to discuss the planned scenes. Old and new techniques were applied to shooting the models. The new model's running lights were matched to similar intensities, saving the effects artists time because the lights would look correct with only a single pass, instead of three passes required previously (for the sensor dome, running lights, and window lights). Gallery: Home > Movies > Star Trek VI – The Undiscovered Country (Director’s Cut) 1+ Tagged as screencaps Star Trek TOS. Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy. While Zimmerman believed Shatner would hate the fight between Kirk and his doppelgänger, the actor enjoyed the theatrical sequence, and contributed to the choreography with his knowledge of judo and karate. [20] The initial killing of the Klingon in the transporter room as the assassins beam aboard was the testing ground for tweaking the color of the blood and how it would move around the room. Star Trek VI Anniversary Fine Art Print Set Available Now . The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. The resulting courtroom miniature was ten feet long.[58]. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace. I was offered $1.5 million to do Star Trek VI and I said 'Thanks, I don't want to do that. [15], The division of labor for shooting the starship models was decided early on by effects cameramen Peter Daulton and Pat Sweeney. According to Mills, "[if] we could prove to [Ralph Winter] that we needed something to get the shot done, then we'd have it." storyline. It garnered positive reviews, with publications praising the lighthearted acting and facetious references, and performed strongly at the box office. Makeup artist Ed French found a spare Klingon headpiece in Richard Snell's possession and attached it to his own head. [20] Shakespeare scholar Paul A. Cantor argues that this association is appropriate—the warlike Klingons find their literary matches in the characters Othello, Mark Antony, and Macbeth—but that it also reinforces a claim that the end of the Cold War means the end of heroic literature such as Shakespeare's. The cement instead sat on the model and baked itself to the model surface, and had to be scrubbed off. [51] Makeup artist Richard Snell was in charge of the principal Klingon actors' appliances. The Undiscovered Country opens with brooding foreshadowing of the darker tones within the film, beginning with low, forbearing strings and culminating in a massive orchestral fanfare. 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