Line #4 YMMV/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith returns to the ''Enterprise'' and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5a-D9jb_kc&list=PLF4017EAE672F04A8&index=19 rises to the occasion again]].
4	* BestKnownForTheFanservice:
5	** From the way tumblr and slashers tell it, the movie is just Kirk moving like he's going to kiss Spock (even does the usual clasping their arms beforehand thing), Spock telling him "Not in front of the Klingons," before Kirk looks embarrassed.
6	** Don't forget Uhura's fan dance.
7	*** In this case, it's more like fan ''disservice'' given that Nichols was in her mid fifties at the time.
8	** Then there's the [[MultiBoobage triple-breasted]] dancing CatGirl.
9	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
10	** The infamous scene where Uhura does a naked fan dance. There are no complaints about her beautiful singing voice, though.
11	** Klaa destroying ''Pioneer 10'' ForTheEvulz. It's never even mentioned that [[ScienceFictionWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale he'd have had to enter deep into the Earth system to find it]].
12	** The ''entire movie'' could count as this to the franchise, as the "Search for God" plot is almost never referred to again after the fact.[[note]]The commentary for ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' reveals that this is because the writers apparently have ''an actual policy'' never to acknowledge this movie in any way, shape or form.[[/note]] ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' would be the first to break this streak '''33''' years after the film's release in 2022 by featuring Sybok as an important plot point.
13	* BizarroEpisode: The movie is a textbook example; the plot ignores many of the rules and conventions of the setting, the entire premise comes out of nowhere, it has no impact on the ongoing plot of the films which kicks back in for the next one, and the events are never mentioned again. Removing it from continuity entirely would have no effect on anything else in the franchise. It's been noted as feeling a lot like Shatner wrote his own original sci-fi story, then simply changed the names to ''Star Trek'' characters.
14	* ContestedSequel: It won three MediaNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward[=s=], is widely considered the shining example of the StarTrekMovieCurse and at the very least the worst movie with the original ''Enterprise'' crew, with some going so far as to consider it the worst ''Star Trek'' movie overall, or even one of the worst films of all time. But it has some defenders (see VindicatedByHistory).
15	* EpilepticTrees: Believe it or not, there's a small debate in the fandom about the species of the three-breasted cat girl stripper, particularly whether she's a Kzinti (as she was referred to as "Kzinrett", the word for female Kzinti in Creator/LarryNiven's Literature/KnownSpace novels) or a Draylaxian (who are mentioned in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' as having three breasts).
16	* HarsherInHindsight:
17	** It's a bit uncomfortable in retrospect watching the scene in which Scotty hits his head on the bulkhead (after saying "I know this ship like the back of me hand!") knowing that Creator/JamesDoohan developed Alzheimer's disease towards the end of his life.
18	** Also the scene where Chekov and Sulu attempt to convince Uhura they are lost in a snowstorm, considering that, many years later, Creator/WalterKoenig's son would disappear in snow-covered UsefulNotes/{{Vancouver}} -- and subsequently be found dead from his apparent suicide.
19	** Kirk tells [=McCoy=] and Spock "I've always known I'll die alone." It was originally harsher after ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', [[spoiler: in which Kirk died without either one around]]; but it's ''heartbreaking'' now that Creator/WilliamShatner has outlived both Creator/DeForestKelley and Creator/LeonardNimoy. And then, in ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that Spock has died, with the strong implication that he was the last surviving TOS crewmember.]]
20	** When Sybok offers to take away his pain, Kirk refuses--emphatically insisting that he needs his pain. [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The next movie]] shows that Kirk holding onto his pain (specifically, his son being killed by Klingons) makes him an ample scapegoat for the conspiracy and is a major obstacle that he must overcome.
21	** Spock losing his half-brother (however much they didn't see eye-to-eye) becomes worse when ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' reveals that [[spoiler:Spock also had an adopted sister he was estranged from, whom he also lost when she went on a one-way trip to the distant future shortly after the two reconciled]]. Poor guy can't catch a break when it comes to family.
22	* HilariousInHindsight:
23	** The plan to fly to the center of the galaxy is even goofier after the franchise created [[Series/StarTrekVoyager an entire show]] about how long that kind of trip takes, though to be fair, ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'' was wildly inconsistent about warp speed times. Notably in "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E17ThatWhichSurvives That Which Survives]]," the ''Enterprise'' traveled a thousand light years in hours. And they traveled more than once to the edge of the galaxy, which is 20,000+ light years as well. Twenty thousand light years is in the same order of magnitude of ''Voyager'' returning to the Alpha Quadrant.
24	** Nearly three decades after the film's release, Alex Honnold completed the actual first free solo ascent of El Capitan, as seen in the MediaNotes/AcademyAward-winning documentary ''Film/FreeSolo''.
25	** And as for that line about Spock being "well-versed in the classics", in ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'' he [[spoiler: not only knows but apparently ''likes'' the Music/BeastieBoys, which Bones recognizes as "classical music".]]
26	** Given Kirk's increasing annoyance to Spock revealing family members that Kirk doesn't know about, a lot of fan artists have imagined his migraine reaction to [[spoiler: Spock's adopted sister]] in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery''.
27	* HoYay:
28	** "Please, Captain. Not in front of the Klingons."
29	--->Q: Who hates Klingons with a fiery passion?
30	--->A: Every YaoiFangirl ever.
31	** Sulu and Chekov have a few LikeAnOldMarriedCouple moments such as when they're lost in the woods in the opening. Which is even funnier after Creator/GeorgeTakei came out in real life years later. (Of course, Creator/WalterKoenig and the rest of the cast had known Takei was gay since the 60s).
32	** It's also the movie with the most lampshades that Kirk/Spock are co-dependent, the most obvious being when Kirk is climbing the mountain and tells Spock he could be literally doing anything else in Yosemite instead of hanging around him.
33	** The book brings up Kirk's actual brother when it's said that he lost a brother once, and has Kirk clarify that with all the grief he still feels for Sam, the breakdown over Spock was much worse.
34	** When Spock refuses to go with Sybok, saying he's sticking with his Captain, Kirk gives Sybok a hilariously smug look.
35	* MagnificentBastard: [[FriendlyEnemy Sybok]] is Spock's [[LongLostRelative long-lost half-brother]], who was banished from Vulcan for embracing his emotions. Sybok gets visions from a being that he believes is God and travels to the planet Nimbus III. Sybok can mind-control people by using mind melds, allowing him to form a {{cult}}. Sybok and his cult kidnap Federation, Romulan and Klingon diplomats and [[HostageSituation hold them hostage]]. Sybok demands a Federation vessel go to Nimbus and parlay for their freedom. Sybok captures Kirk and a landing party when they try to rescue the diplomats and hijacks the ''Enterprise''. Sybok has the ''Enterprise'' go to a barrier in the Centre of the Galaxy, correctly believing the barrier is an illusion. Crossing the barrier, the ''Enterprise'' arrives at the planet Sha Ka Ree and investigates Sybok's claims. When this God turns out to be false, an evil being who wants to escape Sha Ka Ree and cause havoc and reveals its true nature by torturing Kirk and his crew, Sybok turns against this false God and uses his mind control powers against him, so Kirk and his friends can escape, [[DyingMomentOfAwesome at the cost of his own life]].
36	%%* MemeticMutation:
37	%%** "What does God need with a starship?"
38	%%** From the DVD bonus features: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kestt5BI3eg "Captain Kirk is climbing the mountain,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ why is he climbing the mountain?"]]
39	%%** The exchange between Sybok and "God" shortly before the former's HeroicSacrifice becomes this partly due to this quote being [[{{Sampling}} sampled]] in the song "Pain" by Music/TupacShakur.
40	%%--> '''Sybok:''' I couldn't help but notice your pain.
41	%%--> '''"God":''' ''(confused)'' My pain?
42	%%--> '''Sybok:''' It runs deep. Share it with me!
43	* MisBlamed:
44	** Granted, Shatner can be cited as the cause of much of the mess that is this movie, but he's treated as an out-and-out scapegoat in some quarters even though there were several other factors such as ExecutiveMeddling, [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes the WGA strike]], and Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic being too busy that year.
45	** It goes the other way sometimes too, with fans placing the blame solely on Creator/{{Paramount}} Pictures and excusing Shatner. This applies in part to the film's money problems as well: while the budget cuts did hurt the film immensely, they seemed to have [[SkewedPriorities trouble prioritising what they did have]], such as the million-dollar self-lighting cigarette that ended up being cut, the cat-stripper costume (complete with animatronic tail!) and the rock monster costumes that didn't work properly and endangered their wearers. Indeed, out of the six ''Trek'' films with the original cast, ''The Final Frontier'' actually had the second ''highest'' budget, with only ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' being more expensive.
46	* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: As ridiculous as this movie is overall, there are two shining moments in Spock's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKfTCCq-p4Q conversation with Klaa]], which, courtesy of Creator/LeonardNimoy's peerless acting talent, are considered to be two of Spock's best lines in the whole franchise.
47	* {{Narm}}: When "God" chases Kirk near the end, it wails [[YouExclamation "Yyyyyyyyyyooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"]] It's supposed to be haunting and scary, but sounds like an elderly ghost from ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' trying to scare someone and failing.
48	** SF Debris likened it to Yosemite Sam screaming "Oh I hate that rabbit!"
49	%% ** Spock's "pain."
50	%%** The "dying bird squawk" sound effect[[note]]Technically, an oboe in the orchestra.[[/note]] slapped over the Klingon theme.
51	* NarmCharm: Sybok's last words before attacking the false God: "I couldn't help but notice your pain! ...It runs deep! ''Share it with me!''" Only he could take such a corny line and make it sound badass.
52	* NeverLiveItDown:
53	** Sarek's disappointment in his "so human" son from the moment of his birth, despite Spock looking just as Vulcan as you could want.
54	** Not to mention Sarek ''willingly married'' and ''had a child'' '''''with a human'''''. What did he '''''think''''' was going to happen?!
55	* NightmareFuel:
56	** The book has Sulu's pain, and it's him as a child, his home town being set on fire by pirates and his guilt at not being able to save an adult who was kind to him.
57	** When Klaa shoots at the ''Pioneer 10'' space probe, some brief noise almost makes it sound like the probe is ''screaming'' before it gets blown up.
58	* {{Padding}}: A whole movie of it. You can easily skip from [[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome the fourth film]] to the sixth and lose nothing, and if anything, it actually makes the story flow better.
59	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem games based on movies have never had the best of reputations anyway, but it takes a special kind of bad for Paramount to have refused to release the game ''at all'', even if only a limited run to recoup some of the development costs.
60	* {{Sequelitis}}: In keeping with the odd-numbered films of the franchise, it is widely regarded as one of the lesser entries owing to its script, campiness, and poor special effects.
61	* SoBadItsGood: Some consider it to be more enjoyable than ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'', but for all of the wrong reasons.
62	* SoUnfunnyItsFunny: Related to the above, while the comedy portion of the film has been far less well received than in the previous installment, some find the humor so forced and cartoonish it ends up funny again.
63	* SpecialEffectFailure:
64	** Nearly every special effect in the movie. The phaser and transporter effects (handled by the same team that produced the corresponding effects on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'') are decent, as is the StockFootage of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey from the two previous films, but most of the effects would be barely passable for a movie made in the ''1950s'', never mind 1989.
65	** ILM was busy (this was the summer of ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', ''Film/GhostbustersII'' and the pseudopod in ''Film/TheAbyss''), as were most of the other choices planned (one of them being Creator/ApogeeProductions again). Shatner sought out another special effects creator who showed [[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Associates_%26_Ferren a few amazing demonstrations in person]], and then delivered ''complete and utter crap'', to the point that it necessitated further emergency script rewrites to accommodate how completely unusable the shots were.
66	** Ironically, the Rock Monsters that were originally going to be chasing Kirk rather than the disembodied head of not-God were tossed out because the one suit they made looked "like crap," according to many. [[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/202840/no_love_for_the_star_trek_v_rockman.html Seen here]], while they don't look all that great, we can see that they actually looked varying degrees of better than most of the effects used in the film.
67	** Most of the effects problems were apparently to do with the motion control photography being done at 16 frames per second (fps) instead of the usual 24 fps as a cost-saving measure. Notably, the static shots of the ''Enterprise'' and the Klingon Bird-of-Prey are generally okay (if a bit flatly lit), but whenever they move they do it in a stuttery, jerky fashion that looks like something out of an old Creator/RayHarryhausen flick.
68	** On the topic of the Enterprise, the model representing it was vandalized during the film's production by employees of Universal Studios Florida. It being a decade old at this point also meant that its internal lighting system also died out while production was underway. Basically, the fact that Bran Ferren (the man behind the effects) has never been allowed near another movie to this day (the company was absorbed into Creator/{{Disney}} Imagineering in 1993) says it all.
69	** Sha Ka Ree as seen from space is clearly a ''star'', not a planet.[[note]]It's the result of the effect being generated from an electron microscope image of a ''lobster claw'', and yet another example of bizarre budgeting.[[/note]] On top of that, the planet's surface is clearly the same location used for Nimbus III, except tinted purple. Not surprisingly, this fails to produce the hoped-for effect of an ethereal paradise. Even the titular planet in the infamous TOS episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E20TheWayToEden The Way to Eden]]" looked far more like a tropical paradise than Sha-Ka-Ree does.
70	** The Great Barrier is represented using an old-school FX tool called a cloud tank (essentially a large tank of water which other liquids can be injected into, creating surreal swirling patterns), but the results aren't particularly awe-inspiring, especially considering that the nebula from [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan the second film]] was created using the exact same method seven years earlier and looked far, far better.
71	** The streak effect used when the ''Enterprise'' hits warp speed isn't ''bad'' per se, but it's noticeably different than how the equivalent effect looks in the films handled by ILM, creating a bit of a visual continuity error. The transporter effect is much closer to ILM's but still a little less natural-looking.
72	** The shots of Klaa's Bird-of-prey traveling at warp speed looks exactly like what it is; a model in front of a green screen. This was below the standard of the warp-travel effect they were using on ''The Next Generation.''
73	* StrangledByTheRedString: When did Uhura ever show romantic interest in Scotty? Granted, it probably wouldn't have been out of place in TOS or one of the earlier films, but the attraction between the two comes out of absolutely nowhere, and is never referenced again.
74	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
75	** Sybok could have been used to explore what Vulcans would be like if they reject Surak's teachings without being a slimy-by-default Romulan, leading to questions about whether Surak's teachings were necessary. Instead this is barely touched upon -- Sybok could have just as easily been any other type of alien with psychic powers (or, given that the plot is that he is receiving psychic messages from God, even a human with borrowed psychic powers) and all it would change is his connection to Spock. Speaking of Spock, there's a brief contrasting moment where Sybok is happy to see his brother again and Spock is visibly uncomfortable because he doesn't want to show emotions and his duty as a Starfleet officer; this could have been another exploration of Surak's teachings which is never elaborated on.
76	** Creator/DavidWarner is utterly wasted as St. John Talbot. Thankfully, he's given a more substantial part in [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry the next film]].
77	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
78	%%** The Nimbus III parts ''could'' have been amazing. Desert planet filled with rogues and criminals? It easily could have been ''Star Trek''[='=]s [[Franchise/StarWars Tatooine]] but alas the Shat happened. For comparison, Nimbus was revisited in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' for a five-episode arc which gave it a ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' feel (a mix of SpaceWestern and {{Steampunk}}) for a good story. Imagine if this movie had Kirk in a SpaceWestern setting?
79	** You'd think that with Sybok's powers to show people their deepest pains and release them, it'd be a good opportunity to show more of the backstory of the main characters, right? Unfortunately, that only ends up being the case for [=McCoy=]. Sybok doesn't get to use his powers on Kirk or Scotty at all, Spock's pain is something we already knew, and the EpiphanyTherapy for Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura happens off-screen.
80	* TookTheBadFilmSeriously:
81	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW1BCy_dVeI Laurence Luckinbill as Sybok]], as seen on his official demo reel from the film. He gives a pretty decent performance and one suspects that he would have provided a truly memorable villain, if his character had been given a less ridiculous motivation and plot.
82	** Creator/DeForestKelley. Despite the film's generally hokey story and writing, a sizable contingent of fans consider this one of his best performances as Bones. Especially when he relives taking his terminally-ill father off life support, and then reveals that a cure was discovered soon after.
83	--->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Not long after, they found a cure. '''A GODDAMN ''CURE''!'''
84	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: As with the following film's Iran-Contra allusions, the hostage situation on Nimbus III and the "Send in the marines!" mentality of Starfleet is very evocative of [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan Reaganite]] foreign policy.
85	* VindicatedByHistory: To a ''very'' slight degree. For about a decade or so after its release it tended to appear alongside ''Film/HowardTheDuck'', ''Film/JawsTheRevenge'', and later ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' on "Worst Films of All-Time" lists and wasn't much better-regarded among ''Star Trek'' fans. Most people nowadays tend to see it as just a mediocre sci-fi flick (or a decent two-hour television episode), with the likes of ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' attracting more BileFascination from casual viewers and ''Trek'' fans turning their ire toward ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'', or ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' instead. It has a few heartwarming character moments that elevate it slightly as well, and Kirk’s speech about needing his pain (whether he’s right or not, the novel version interprets it as more torturing himself) is one of his iconic moments.
86	* WatchItForTheMeme: Sybok's "I couldn't help but notice your pain" (said when he encounters "God") [[Main/{{Sampling}} found its way into a]] [[Music/TupacShakur 2Pac]] song.

Context YMMV / StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier