STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

[@Xehanort117]

Cassie screaming “shields up!” is peak 2024 entertainment!🤓🤓🤓

[@StayFractalesque]

She's a good sport, and truly gives every movie a chance.. she must have a great imagination to suspend disbelief so well for every movie she sees.. not saying they're bad movies, I just appreciate how she buys in to so many varied stories and appreciates them for what they are, no matter how corny or dated..

[@Ambaryerno]

I do hate that the final battle honestly makes Kirk kind of incompetent, and not the master starship tactician and strategist he's supposed to be. He went into the fight with no plan whatsoever for dealing with Chang, even though he knew he would have to get through him, and instead had to rely on a last-minute stroke of genius from Spock (which wasn't even the case in the original script; originally it was Excelsior - which was doing the gaseous anomaly survey in the opener - that came up with the seeker torpedo, but Shatner rightfully insisted Enterprise should be able to save herself in her final mission). It also forgets that Kirk knows how to fight cloaked ships, having done so in TOS. So instead of Kirk being allowed to use actual tactics, he's forced by the script to sit and take a beating until someone comes up with a Deus Ex Machina.

[@Theomite]

I was so damn proud of her when she said that.🥲

[@DavidTraynier]

​@@AmbaryernoKirk does use tactics. They're explained more in the novelisation, but hinted at in the film with Kirk ordering reverse after the first hit and Spock's line that Chang is trying to ascertain whether the Enterprise can detect them. Basically, Kirk is trying to deceive Chang - but it's elaborated on in the novel.

[@Xehanort117]

@@Ambaryerno Really, the only thing this film suffers from is the fact that Nicholas Meyer continuously butted heads with Gene Roddenberry over the script and the direction Meyer wanted to take the film in. That's why some things tend to not add up which could've otherwise made more sense if Meyer had been allowed the same control he had in Wrath of Khan. It just proves that even in the face of staunch opposition from the show's creator, that Nicholas Meyer is a stellar director and writer who proved his mettle early on and deserved to do this film justice with his creativity and storycrafting.

[@jasonparadis]

You recognized Romulan Ale upon sight. You're a fan just like the rest of us. Don't listen to the haters. It doesn't matter when you begin your journey, or how you begin your journey, just that you begin it. Can't wait for TNG!

[@Maya_Ruinz]

That was pretty good, she also can identify that a Bird of Prey can cloak ... there are people that watch for years and never catch on.

[@7thsealord888]

"One of us. One of us. One of us ...." ;)

[@nicks.5552]

She even knew that a Bird of Prey can’t fire when cloaked. She’s a Trekkie. When I saw ST: Generations in the theater, I heard someone ask “what’s a tractor beam?” 🤦

[@Maya_Ruinz]

@@nicks.5552 I have family members who have been watching for decades and still can’t tell the difference between a Vulcan and a Romulan, nor their ships.

[@Anson_AKB]

@@nicks.5552 hard to believe that people go to the cinema and never heard of it, neither in star trek nor in star wars or any other movie. but besides those who are too young, there are also people who think that tractor beams are real or those that "research" on youtube that these movies are only made as "false propaganda" that planets are round and in space.

[@jacksonconley5117]

Fun Fact: Kirk and McCoy’s lawyer was played by Michael Dorn, known for playing Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

[@sougetsukazama]

That is very true, plus little unknown fun fact he is also a pilot.

[@TheDougMan]

Michael Dorn’s character (Kirk’s lawyer) is Worf’s Grandfather.

[@existenceisrelative]

@@TheDougMan Funner Fact: Two hundred of the klingons in the audience of that scene were actually Worf action figures from TNG.

[@Terminator484]

@@TheDougMan And his name is also "Worf".

[@susanalexander6721]

That voice is unmistakable.

[@wrench_in_the_works]

Don’t EVER let anyone tell you that you’re not a Treky! I literally cheered when they were talking about the ship firing from underneath of them and you said, but I thought they couldn’t fire when they’re cloaked You are one of us!!! 😂😂😂

[@lennyvalentin6485]

Hear, hear! :D

[@GeneralZodFDNY77]

That she is.

[@gardener68]

One of us! One of us!

[@tru3sk1ll]

One of us! One of us!

[@Taoscape]

Yeah it was great to watch. She actually is pretty on top of things in her toher videos. She asks questions in some movies which are answered in the second or third one in the series.

[@namelesswalaby]

the President is Kurtwood Smith, he was the dad in That 70s show and the bad guy in Robocop.

[@adamscott7354]

Red Foreman is not above interstellar law... dumba$$!

[@Drawkcabi]

Cassie also saw him recently in Deep Impact where he was the guy in charge at ground control.

[@MrFishing4u]

He was also in two Voyager episodes dealing with time traveling.

[@karlsmith2570]

​@@MrFishing4u "The Year Of Hell, Parts 1 & 2"

[@R1ddic]

A few future DS9 alumn as well: Brock Peters (Admiral Cartwright / Joseph Sisko), Rene Auberjonois (Klingon assassin, Odo)

[@BinkyTheToaster]

30:20 - This scene, where Spock interrogates Valeris, always gave me chills. The implications are clear; Valeris' screams as Spock tears through her mind put ice in my veins. Extremely powerful acting from both Leonard Nimoy and Kim Cattrall.

[@davismccardle1]

Yep the way even Spock's voice broke was spine tingling.

[@T.Florenz]

I was reminded that Mirror!Spock did this to McCoy, and I'm glad we didn't have to see it 💔

[@TheAes86]

General Chang kept quoting Shakespeare. "To be or not to be" "Cry Havoc and let loose the dogs of war" "Once more unto the Breach" etc James Kirk quoted Peter Pan (second star on the right and on until tomorrow) It showed their differing character. Chang was about war and conquest of space and enemies. Kirk was at heart a child looking in wonder at the universe and what was left to explore.

[@BogeyTheBear]

For anyone wondering what "Cry havoc..." means, 'havoc' is the command to take no prisoners. When you wreak havoc on an enemy, you are killing them all even if they try to surrender. It's a risky call, because any commander who orders it is automatically subject to the same fate in the future: The enemy has no obligation to accept his surrender.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Christopher Plummer was a fantastic addition to this film. And the lines they borrowed from Shakespeare (and from "Peter Pan", yes) were awesome. Especially with the "Hitler faux-pas", heheheh. And you hit the nail on the head... Kirk WAS indeed "a child at heart". I often wonder if Gene had always intended that, or if Shatner simply gravitated the character in that direction via his own personality.

[@ReelMeurik]

Also Chang quoting Hitler, Earth, 1938... "We need breathing room...!"

[@cteal2018]

Kirk since the second movie was always dealing with his own mortality. Peter Pan is a story about a boy who never grew up...

[@everettdepangher6131]

Chang also quotes Adlai Stevenson II ("don't wait for the translation") and Neville Chamberlain ("peace in our time"). Also, Kirk's quote "the end of history" is a famous one that has bounced around in reference to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

[@juvandy]

'FLY HER APART THEN' always gets me. Every single time.

[@richardadams4928]

Truly a FANTASTIC moment. Really shows off Sulu's astounding BAD-ASSERY. His calm, confident, "Target that explosion and FIRE!" is also MAGNIFICENT. The Cinemassacre crew took off multiple "sins" for that one.

[@PianoDentist]

@@richardadams4928 I love both those moments too. Shows firstly how much Sulu cares about his friends then his calm ruthlessness!

[@richardadams4928]

@@PianoDentist Yeah, I wound up watching it again last night. When you think about it, it has outer space battles, a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, an escape caper, and LOTS of espionage/intrigue. It's got everything one could ask for!

[@AlanCanon2222]

Alumni of the Enterprise crew don't mess around when it's Universe-saving time!

[@joemasters2270]

I love that line!!

[@geoffallshorn5167]

'And you've restored my son's..." God, what a line. RIP Merrit Buttrick.

[@NateAZ]

Christopher Plummer as General Chang was his best role ever in my opinion. He totally owned it, a true world class actor.

[@GhostWatcher2024]

Not even CLOSE to his BEST role... but i do agree he killed thia role.

[@cypher515]

See, he's had a lot of roles in his life... I don't know if the man has had too many bad roles, either.

[@parallaxnick637]

@@cypher515 I mean, come on, Captain von Trapp? Rudyard Kipling? Sherlock freaking Holmes? That said, he has had bad roles. Dragnet for one.

[@Oxley016]

He was obviously great in this role but certainly not his best. Von Trapp in Sound of Music and Wellington in Waterloo are far above in my and most others opinion I would say. And that’s just two options from a very long list of classic performances.

[@hernanpisano7913]

Great actor. Here, he is awesome

[@MatthewBrown-bf5lz]

19:12 It's so freakin cute that you can't remember the term cloaked but you do remember that a cloaked vessel can't fire its weapons 🤣🥰

[@StayFractalesque]

Don't be so "Passy Aggressie" 😊

[@stiimuli]

Yeah I thought that was funny too XD

[@charlize1253]

Uh oh spaghetts!

[@Bnio]

That "passy aggressie" line made me see that moment in a different light. All these years I read Gorkon's tone as him navigating the human rules of etiquette, but, yeah, he's totally masking a reluctance to say yes.

[@MegaBearsFan]

This is a great example of the importance of setting up consistent rules in a fictional story or world. Even though she didn't remember the term, she understood the important stuff, and it created tension and mystery for her.

[@dreadpenguinlord340]

Loved the beginning. "Is this like a meteor shower..?" Sulu seconds later: "Don't tell me that was any meteor shower!" 😛

[@reesebn38]

Cassie The Undiscovered Country is a little piece of Canadian History. When William Shatner was a young actor starting out he was Christopher Plummers understudy at the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ontario. One night Plummer was sick and Shatner got to go on. It was his big brake and the start. So when Plummer's quoting Shakespeare in the movie it is for sure paying homage to their roots.

[@Emilysbrother1]

My fave detail about that story is that Shatner did the opposite of everything Plummer did. If Plummer stood, Shatner would sit, if Plummer yelled, Shatner would whisper. Plummer heard that and went "he's going to be famous,"

[@AlanCanon2222]

Thanks Canada for making us look bad again. Seriously, you guys are the best. Love from Kentucky.

[@izzyryder4969]

The alien woman who helps Kirk and McCoy escape from the prison is played by Iman, famous actress/supermodel and wife of David Bowie.

[@Stubbies2003]

And totally worth the title of supermodel. What a beauty.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

DON'T remind me!

[@davidhutchinson5233]

Iman.

[@cubbiedog2814]

The in-universe explanation as to why General Chang recites so many Shakespeare quotes is that Chang took the time to study earth history and culture. A kind of "know your enemy" type of thing. He was especially fascinated by the works of William Shakespeare, citing that had things been different, Shakespeare himself would've made a great Klingon. The real life explanation however was actually because of an inside joke between Christopher Plummer and William Shatner. Many years prior, Plummer had acted with a Canadian Shakespeare stage company, and Shatner was his understudy at the time. One night, while suffering from illness, Plummer had to bow out, and Shatner had to step into his role, to which he received rave reviews the next day, which kind of needled Plummer a bit, but in the end he was happy that everything went well. So when he was cast in Star Trek VI, it was supposedly his idea to have Chang spout out so many lines of Shakespeare.

[@mikerhodes8454]

Leonard Nimoy said the hardest scene he'd ever had to film was when he mind melded with Valeris to get the info out of her. He compared it to raping her, a sort of mind-rape, and it disturbed him. Others too as you can see the reactions on their faces and it wasn't acting.

[@lancebakore497]

That quote from Nimoy always stuck with me when I rewatched this. Not only did it prove how far Captain Spock was willing to go when desperate, but the horrified looks of his long time friends explains very well how horrifying this is and that they had never seen this side of him (except Kirk when they went backwards in time to the frozen planet. He knows damn well what his best friend is capable of. He may have been uncomfortable bit not surprised).

[@usedscar]

Yeah it is very uncomfortable, deeply so when you have followed the character awhile.

[@Emper0rH0rde]

As deeply as Valeris' betrayal hurt Spock, it clearly *killed* him to have to do that to her.

[@erikbjelke4411]

The novelization adds a layer to it. It's depicted as pretty much a rape, but Spock is doing his best to be gentle, and Valeris recognizes this and mostly cooperates. They both hate that it's come to this, but their convictions won't allow them to totally surrender to the other.

[@T.Florenz]

@@lancebakore497 the only time one of them has seen Spock do such a thing, it was his mirror version, dragging information out of McCoy. I can't imagine seeing that darkness manifest in our Spock was anything less than horrifying for him 💔

[@Rycel2001]

It's easy to forget since Stare Trek has become such a pop culture phenomenon, but we should remember that the original TV series that started it all was produced against the background of the Cold War and a lot of the politics of the time were at the forefront of the stories they wanted to tell. This movie was made in 1991, 2 years after the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union dissolved. It was a monumental shift in global politics and many people on both sides of the old iron curtain were unsure of what would happen to their people. This movie is a perfect example of the core philosophy of science-fiction: trying to understand and explore the issues of our current world by using a strange or future one.

[@jonathanmarshall5038]

whats crazy is the movie came out after the berlin wall fell but the story of star trek 6 was written before the fall of the soviet union. during production of star trek 6 well after the script was written and the movie was well under production Premier Gorbachev was kidnaped by rouge elements of the KGB to stop the dissolution of the soviet union and peace with the west.

[@amateurastronomer9463]

also when they were making the 3 seasons of TOS they were not even thinking franchise. all they were thinking was are we going to make it to season 2 or 3, or are we going to get cancelled.

[@Anson_AKB]

even when release was in 1991 "two years after the fall of the wall" which at first sounds to be "soon but not immediately", all the planning, production, and postproduction had to start earlier and thus was much closer to the then current realworld politics and events of 1989 and 1990, with only almost exactly 25 months between the fall of the wall and the release in cinemas. this movie is significant in more than one way.

[@tremorsfan]

The explosion of Praxis was meant to parallel the Chernobyl disaster.

[@brucechmiel7964]

The Soviet Union collapsed 20 days after this movie released in theaters. Dec-26-1991

[@BOGO2020]

Star Trek VI was the best send off of any Star Trek crew period! I’ve always liked the thought that they chose Sulu to become a captain not just because he was great for the job, but to subconsciously show the extension of the TOS crew in Starfleet. Captain Sulu’s adventures albeit not as rampant as Captain Kirk’s; Sulu would bring the same type of commitment to and from his crew that Captain Kirk did. This same type of influence would only spread and affect so many others in the course of their starfleet careers reinforcing the great character influence from Captain Kirk’s crew. I LOVE this movie and I’m glad you did too!

[@NilMortifey]

23:44 Christian Slater cameo. His mother was involved in the casting for smaller roles and when Slater discovered she was hiring for parts in the next Star Trek movie he begged her for a part.

[@chipstercamarillo9373]

And he framed his check...

[@RoadWarrior77]

​@chipstercamarillo9373 Well, he didn't really do it for the money. He was already a famous actor at that point (Pump up the Volume, Young Guns 2, Gleaming the Cube, The Legend of Billie Jean), he just wanted to be in a Star Trek movie. Just like some Star Wars movies after the original trilogy. Samuel Jackson wanted to be in a Star Wars movie so badly, he told Lucas he would even be a storm trooper, to which George Lucas said that he could find him doing something better than that, which inspired the creation of Mace Windu.

[@ChrisBrown-or8ky]

Pump up the volume was a brilliant movie. Watched that as a teen. Wonder how it stacks up now?

[@MP197742]

It might be one of the most jarring cameos I’ve ever seen in a movie. Like at least when Sean Connery shows up at random for the final scene of Robin Hood, he’s at least playing the king. Slater just shows up in the middle as like Crewman #7 or whatever. You’re just like, “what is he doing there?”

[@joehoy9242]

​@@MP197742He does it again in the first Austin Powers movie, but only in the international cut.

[@maestro80smusic93]

The Klingons were always the "Russians" in the Star Trek universe. In real life when this movie was made, the Cold War was ending, the Berlin Wall had just come down... The explosion of Praxis was the Klingon version of Chernobyl... Tiberius was established as Kirk's middle name in an episode of the Animated Series (unofficially Season 4) from 1974....

[@TrekBeatTK]

And Uhura was scripted to say “would you want your daughter to marry one?” But Nichelle refused to say it.

[@RabidTribble]

If the Klingons were the Russians, were the Romulans the Chinese? 😉

[@brauliob]

@@TrekBeatTK They did get Chekov to say, "Guess who's coming to dinner." A 1967 movie about an interracial couple and the difficulties their families have with that.

[@fakecubed]

@@RabidTribble Yes. Although their aesthetics were based on Rome.

[@jblitzen]

It's definitely about the end of the cold war and the idea of confronting new beginnings. Which should date it, but it doesn't. Every day we confront new beginnings. The movie successfully leverages its entire franchise to talk about something core to the human experience. It's magical. Hollywood hasn't made anything like this in 20 years.

[@jacksonconley5117]

Fun Fact: The explosion of Praxis was based on the Chernobyl Incident and this movie is based on the collapse of the Soviet Union.

[@iamgermane]

Clicks just because she is a chick.

[@mrsaipros338]

I saw this in the theater with 6 friends. At the end my friend Bob jumped out of his seat in shock & shouted "Holy Shit! Scotty shot someone!" The entire theater burst into laughter. 30+ years later I still laugh every time I see that scene thinking about it.

[@ortizmo]

Well damn.......it was about time a redshirt killed someone else for a change, yes??

[@ninjabearpress2574]

My favorite line is when Dr. McCoy asks, "What is it with you?" Kirk's in an alien gulag and STILL finds himself a date.

[@fraziergavin]

I've always loved when Kirk says, "Second star on the right. Straight on till morning." Brings a tear to my eyes as it hits me that this is the last time they were all on screen together.

[@brauliob]

A line from Peter Pan pointing the direction to Neverland, a place where no one grows old.

[@Divamarja_CA]

Same

[@StayFractalesque]

​@brauliob ..bingo.. I'm surprised so few catch the reference!

[@tru3sk1ll]

Where people go to be a kid again, time passes slowly and you have nothing but time for limitless adventures......... so many people don't get that line or the reference - sad

[@MrStephenLast]

The Federation President was played by Kurtwood Smith. He was the Dad in That 70s Show and in Robo Cop(1987) he played the leader of the gang that killed Alex Murphy.

[@karter95]

Kurtwood Smith has a long Star Trek history on top of the movies. He played a Cardassian in DS9 the villain Anarax in a 2 part Voyager episode year of H... and he played the voice of a delegate im Lower Decks

[@Tribble314]

In the first scene with the president, it sounded like Cassie thought he was a Klingon. I paused it, and he *does* look incredibly Klingon-ish. He's even got the Fu Manchu mustache that so many Klingons have! It's a nice alien design, but an unfortunate time to use it.

[@davequinlan3020]

President Red Forman

[@turbopokey]

He played the dad in Robocop? Heh-heh…cool. 😂😂

[@charleshays5407]

The scenes featuring the two Kirks was inspired by TOS episode Whom Gods Destroy, featuring Captain Garth, a shape shifter.

[@deke76]

The signatures during the credits was the inspiration for the same thing during the credits of Avengers: Endgame

[@martinbraun1211]

A great farewell to the original STAR TREK cast! 🖖

[@TheBlackB0X]

Not yet...

[@squirrelsinjacket1804]

@@TheBlackB0X Yea Generations is next but... meh

[@TheBlackB0X]

@@squirrelsinjacket1804 Yeah, but , I will take what I can get, besides, even that's not the end either, given the guest spots on TNG

[@jbwade5676]

Star trek generations ❤

[@jjjones8609]

As someone said don’t forget the original cast on the next generation series.

[@DiscoverMontréal]

William Shatner and Christopher Plummer grew up together in Montreal in the 1930s. Shatner was even Plummer's understudy numerous times! When Plummer died in 2021, Shatner wrote an article in Variety about his friend: "We came together, finally, on Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. Chris was so wonderful in it. I felt like I was inviting him to my home. I felt an obligation to him because I’d been his understudy years ago. He was a level above me for the longest time, and I would imagine you could see that in my face if we were being filmed. He was an extraordinary actor, and an extraordinary person."

[@edl653]

The Klingon lawyer defending Kirk is Michael Dorn. He will be very popular Klingon in the TNG.

[@subspace666]

kinda wierd they didn't change his name for TNG though , he was named worf in the movie aswell.

[@ortizmo]

Dorn is every bit iconic in Trek as Shatner and Nimoy now.

[@SengirIndustries]

​@@subspace666 Colonel Worf is TNG Worf's grandfather, he is named after him

[@Drawkcabi]

He was playing the grandfather of his TNG character. Worf was named after him. Also, TNG had been on for 5 years when this movie came out.

[@AgentScooterX]

Is Col Worf Mog's father?

[@Bnio]

"If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." I'm really glad the editor kept that clip in this video. That quote runs through my head a lot as I grow older.

[@hrayz]

However I missed my favourite quote, "Target that explosion and fire!"

[@Ya_Mosura]

@@hrayz And ''I'd give real money if he'd shut up.''

[@b-mak]

"Fly her apart then!" Sulu to the rescue.

[@noneya3635]

this is why trek is timeless, that phrase is universally true of all changes in the world from the perspective of the older generation.

[@StayFractalesque]

Have yall read Brave New World? ..I often feel like this script is just shout-outs to their favorite stories..

[@bryanblackburn6928]

One of my favorite movie lines ever; "What you want is irrelevant, what you've chosen is at hand."

[@richardadams4928]

Spock's intensity and shameless display of emotion REALLY got me on first viewing. And the cheering in the theater when Chang got his comeuppance was unrestrained....

[@AlanCanon2222]

It reminds me of my Dad dressing me down, every time. So stern.

[@JamesBond-ke5tp]

@@richardadams4928makes sense. She was his prized pupil. She betrayed everything he stands for. A betrayal of that depth would certainly illicit strong emotion.

[@richardadams4928]

@@JamesBond-ke5tp 👍

[@Vulcanerd]

Others have already mentioned this, but it tickles my heart to see Cassie immediately recognize Romulan Ale or immediately suspect General Chang, remembering that a cloaked Klingon ship couldn't fire cloaked.

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

About that. My version of this movie: Chang: "Do you hear me Kirk?" Kirk: "Lock onto the source of that audio transmission and fire!" Roll credits

[@Chou-seh-fu]

"Yes we do, sexy alien." The actress was Iman, a supermodel back in the day who was married to David Bowie until he died.

[@timesthree5757]

One thing you need to remember is that in the other movies the Enterprise was a training vessel, under maned, or heavy battle damage. This is the only tos movie in which the Enterprise was repaired and ship shape, fully crewed and ready for duty. She took the hits, dished it out ten fold. Constitution class was feared in her prime.

[@CaesiusX]

*Captain Spock:* _"Logic, logic, logic. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end."_ My favorite line, showing Spock's character growth. It was such a pleasant surprise when I first heard it. 🖖😎

[@operative2136]

This one is honestly my favorite movie of the classic crew. Not only was it a solid script with an excellent cast, it was arguably a perfect send off for the classic crew. Now that most of the original crew are gone, this is how I choose to remember them all together. "Second star to the right, and straight on until morning."

[@StayFractalesque]

That's Peter Pan, right? Neverland?

[@BrickIntyre]

What kills me about this one - and this is a rumor I've heard a few times, I don't know how true it is, but Valeris was originally written to be Saavik. And you can kind of see it in the way that Spoke reacts to her betrayal. Neither actor (Alley or Curtis) were available for the movie, and they didn't want to case a third Saavik, so they changed the character. Could you imagine the impact that would have had on the movie! Tying Saavik's motivation back to what happened on Genesis, her and Kirk sharing the experience of David's death. That would have been incredible.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

This would have been a 'perfect sendoff' - except that three of them, notably Captain Kirk, returned in the next (#7; 1994) film, thus diluting the impact of this fine film at least a tad.

[@SSPerfectChaosRCT]

​@@bonghunezhou5051maybe a little bit, but the specific wording of the sendoff could also be a good lead into it. I think it would have been more fitting if TNG had kicked off from Generations instead of being the movie it was, kond of like Wrath of Khan was semi meant to kick off a new series. But who knows if that would have been for better or worse.

[@glamourweaver]

Kirk changing it from “no man” to “no one” at the end is a nice touch as it marks the exact point of historic transition from the TOS, 23rd Century, Cold War with the Klingons era, to the TNG, 24th century, peace with the Klingons era - with the change between the wording of the two openings.

[@DaveMiller2]

Brock Peters, who played Admiral Cartwright here, also played Joseph Sisko, father of Captain Ben Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space 9.

[@AgentScooterX]

He was also in To Kill a Mockingbird as well as the voice of Dath Vader in the star wars trilogy radio drama.

[@Manofsteel1701-f4r]

He absolutely crushed it in DS9. Avery and him had such good chemistry. That show is so lovely in how it portrays family relationships

[@anonygent]

I thought that was a nice redemption for the actor.

[@CollideFan1]

@@anonygent It was. If I remember correctly, he was very uncomfortable saying those racist comments about the Kilingons. He did a good job of playing a hardcore warrior who didn't want peace.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

John Schuck aka 'The Painless Pole' as the Klingon ambassador.

[@HistoryNerd8765]

A lot of people prefer Wrath of Khan, but The Undiscovered Country is absolutely classic American Science Fiction. It's my favorite Star Trek movie ever.

[@Xardion55]

This one is the first one I watched in the movies as a kid. Always a blast.

[@indiajohnson]

Ditto

[@HistoryNerd8765]

@@Xardion55 Me too. I love it.

[@noirangel6416]

17:00 Fun fact: The quote "Dont wait for the translation answer me now!" is taken from Adlai Stevenson II questioning Russian ambassador Valerian Zorin durring the Cuban Missle Crisis.

[@Fushichou1978]

TOS-era Trek had always used the Klingons as a metaphor for the Soviets, with the Federation as a stand-in for the US, in a Cold War in Space scenario. With the end of the Cold War around the time this movie was made, and writing an equivalent end to the Federation-Klingon Cold War seeming timely (especially since TNG had already established that decades ahead in the in-universe future said war would long be over) they deeply dived into Cold War quotes, references, and metaphors for this movie. Supposedly the destruction of Praxis was meant to be an analogy for the Chernobyl meltdown, and making the Klingon prison camp of Rura Penthe essentially a Siberian Gulag in space was no accident.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Good to know.

[@shawnkildal3151]

It was used in the movie Thirteen Days

[@Emilysbrother1]

I LOVE that you know the rules! "They can't fire when cloaked!" If you haven't added "Relics" to your list of TNG episodes, add it. You'll love it. Actors: Gorkon, the Chancellor, was the Earth Ambassador in Star Trek V, and Dillinger/Sark in the original Tron, and he shows up in TNG. Kirk's attorney plays Worf on TNG. Cartwright was in Star Trek IV in the Federation HQ, it was a smart move to bring him back. He shows up on DS9 as Sisko's father. The officer who wakes up Captain Sulu is Christian Slater, he's a big Trek fan and his mom was the casting director for this movie. Couldn't tell from this cut if you recognized him or not. The one-eyed Klingon warden is a character actor named William Morgan Sheppard, his son played Badger on Friefly.

[@adalwolf8328]

Makes you wonder how Klingons never figured out to replicate this "cloak-firing" technology. It was briefly mentioned somewhere that it was a flaw in their power generation, but that's a bit vague.

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

Add to the list: The President of the Federation - Kurtwood Smith, who also played Annorax in ST: Voyager a few years later, and was known for being Red Forman on That 70's Show and Clafrence Boddicker in Robocop. Also, W. Morgan Sheppard will show up again in Star Trek (2009) as one of the Ministers of the Vulcan Science Academy. He also played Gen. Isaac Trimble in Gettysburg, as well as being the narrator.

[@Emilysbrother1]

@@adalwolf8328 You could chalk it down to the Federation knowing how to look for it, and maybe the original plan being lost or destroyed since it was developed in secret.

[@ObriensKayak]

Relics is a great call I also hope you watch it

[@Desmond9100]

@@geoffreyreuther5260 Sheppard is also in one episode of Star Trek Voyager and in a few Medal of Honor games.

[@michaelanderson7288]

"Sexy alien" is an understatement. The shape-shifter was played by Iman, a Somali-American supermodel who was married to David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

[@StayFractalesque]

::wolf whistle::

[@palmerlp]

I love that David Warner, Christopher Plummer, Kurtwood Smith and Iman are all in this crazy flick.

[@ArchibaldMisery]

“Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning” is the directions to Neverland

[@Drawkcabi]

Yeah and was it a coincidence when this movie came out during the same month that Hook did?

[@logicplague]

he-hee..

[@TheBS1000]

For some unknown reason, Undiscovered Country has always been my favorite from the original films. It feels like a Cold War thriller and I love it.

[@orthochronicity6428]

It's been recognized as paralleling thawing relations between the USSR and USA, with Praxis being an analogue for Chernobyl. "The end of history" that Kirk rebukes at the end was commonly flung around in US politics around the dissolution of the USSR by many that saw that event as the ultimate victory of the cold war while not wanting peace to commence.

[@christopherplummer1299]

When you consider the time this came out. With the collapse of the USSR and the end of the cold war happening it strongly mirrors cold war politics at that time. It's just too bad we didn't follow through on our promises and normalize our relations with Russia, as represented in this movie.

[@furtherback6131]

For some unknown reason? Maybe because it's an incredibly well-made movie? lol

[@ChristiansPlaymo-Ecke]

@@orthochronicity6428 It as literally advertised as mirrorinig the political downfall of the USSR back then. Was the first Star Trek Movie I got to watch in cinema ...

[@SinginRabbit]

That was the exact intent.

[@jaydigshistory36]

“Is it possible the we two, you and I, have grown so old and so inflexible, we have outlived our usefulness?” After 30 years working an ambulance this statement resonates with me.

[@BlargeMan]

Age and guile beat youth and enthusiasm any day. You've got wisdom and experience that you must pass on, you're not useless by a long shot.

[@Ambaryerno]

This was the first Star Trek film I actually got to see in theaters. It was SUCH a huge deal at the time, as it was the last time the original cast would be together. It also marks the end of an era in the Star Trek Universe: The film sees the end of the Cold War between the Federation and Klingon Empire, laying the foundations for what will in time become an alliance, as a metaphor for the end of the real world Cold War (the Berlin Wall came down two years before this film released). Sulu gaining command is the end of a long character arc that was originally to be set up in Wrath of Khan; Dialogue cut from the film would have revealed Sulu was to receive command of Excelsior following the training mission. Takei has long blamed Shatner for delaying Sulu getting his command (Takei and Shatner...don't get along. Or rather, Takei doesn't get along and Shatner couldn't care less) however it honesty makes complete sense given the timeline and events of II - V (Khan, his part in Kirk's mutiny, his exile on Vulcan, and the Nimbus III situation all packed into at most about 6-9 months). However, approximately 7-8 years have passed between TFF and TUC, so there's finally enough of a gap for Sulu's promotion to fit. Excelsior's communications and executive officer is Janice Rand, played by a returning Grace Lee Whitney. Whitney reprised her role as Rand from the original series in TMP and The Voyage Home. She also cameoed in Search for Spock (she's the redheaded woman who shakes her head when Enterprise arrives in space dock. Her character wasn't named, even in the credits, but fans like to say it was Rand, especially because that familiar smirk she gives on seeing Enterprise's condition would be completely fitting to her character. Praxis is an allegory for the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, which occurred under similar circumstances (gross negligence, poor maintenance, etc.) and was a major contributing factor to the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union. The entire reason Kirk was put forward for this assignment was precisely BECAUSE the Klingons didn't like him. The intended message is that if even someone like Kirk is behind peace, it would be symbolic of the Federation's earnestness. Shatner hated Kirk's "let them die," so threw in a sort of physical backtrack to show that he was ashamed of it. Most of it got cut, but there's still a bit of it in the hesitation while he gathered his thoughts. The character of Valeris was originally to be Saavik, and Meyer wanted Alley to reprise her role. Roddenberry was vehement in his insistence that Saavik would never betray the crew, and the resulting conflict between him and Meyer on the matter pretty much destroyed their working relationship until Roddenberry's death before the film released. It ended up being a non-issue because Alley had priced herself way out of their budget, and Meyer had no interest in bringing back Robin Curtis. So when Cattrall was cast, they ultimately decided to make a new character rather than have a THIRD actress play Saavik. There's a few elements of Saavik left, such as being Spock's protege, and while it WOULD have given the betrayal more impact, I frankly have to agree with Roddenberry: Saavik betraying Spock and the rest of the crew would have been completely out of character from what we saw of her in her previous appearances. Also, Saavik is an INCREDIBLY popular character, and her being the traitor wouldn't have been much different than if it had been Chekov or Scotty. Fans would have been LIVID. Merrit Buttrick (David) passed away in 1989 from AIDS-related complications, which adds a bit of extra poignancy to his photo. Chekov's comment "Guess who's coming to dinner" is a reference to the 1967 film of the same name. In the original script it was Uhura who had the line, but Nichelle Nichols objected, given the racial overtones of the film being referenced (in which Sidney Poirtier plays a black man dating a white woman, which in 1967 was a HUGE deal). This is the second of three appearances in Star Trek for David Warner. You previously saw him with a lot less makeup as Ambassador St. John Talbot in Star Trek V. His third role would come in an episode of TNG the following year. You probably would also recognize him as Dillinger/Sark/the MCP from Tron. Incidentally, Hamlet's soliloquy HAS been translated into Klingon (in fact, I believe the entire play has been). There's a video of it on KZbin. Neutron radiation is an indication of weapons powering up (this is made clearer in the novelization). Kirk and McCoy's lawyer is played by Michael Dorn, and was created as a deliberate connection to the character he plays in TNG as part of the principle cast as Lt Worf, the first Klingon in Starfleet. Colonel Worf is Lt. Worf's grandfather. As another fun aside, the actor who played Klaa in Star Trek V plays the court translator here. It's popular fanon that after Klaa's attack on Enterprise, he got relieved of his command and dumped into this job. Apparently, Spock's ancestor is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "If you eliminate the impossible..." is a direct quote of Sherlock Holmes (from The Sign Of Four, to be exact). Star Trek writers LOVED Holmes. I don't like the galley scene. Chekov is generally depicted as Enterprise's head of security, which means HE SHOULD KNOW about that alarm and wouldn't need to have it demonstrated by a Jay Gee straight out of the Academy. Christian Slater's cameo got a lot of cheers in the theater. He was one of the "Next Big Things" in the mid and late-80s, so having him appear even in that one scene garnered attention. He's a HUGE Star Trek fan, and his mother actually worked on the film as the casting director, so got him in. If you pay close attention, you can actually see Spock stick the patch Kirk mentions on his back before he leaves the bridge, and it's present in the courtroom scenes. The border crossing scene was another choice made for the film that Nichols disliked because it made Uhura (the head of the ship's communications department would be EXPECTED to be multilingual) look bad, but this time Meyer overrode her objections because he insisted on having a scene with real books. The border guard's response was basically a smuggler's code telling them not to be caught by the authorities. Kim Cattrall deliberately shaved her sideburns because it's such an unusual hairstyle it makes her look SLIGHTLY off, as a hint of Valeris's true nature. Also, Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord, so even her name was chosen to foreshadow her part in the conspiracy. The final battle is spectacular, but it also makes Kirk look INCREDIBLY incompetent. He knew he had to face Chang to reach the planet, but shows no indication of having planned for how to deal with him. Especially egregious because Kirk is a master starship tactition, and has fought cloaked ships before (in short: saturate space where Chang's torpedoes are coming from with phaser fire). The Federation President is played by Kurtwood Smith, AKA Red Forman. Smith was yet another actor who played multiple roles across the Star Trek franchise. In the original script, it was Excelsior that rigged the seeker torpedo. If you remember in the opening, Sulu's log states they were doing EXACTLY what Uhura said: Cataloguing gaseous anomalies. So it made sense for Excelsior to have that equipment. However Shatner insisted that Enterprise be able to save herself in her final mission. And even if it's a bit of a plothole (Enterprise had no reason to have the equipment aboard) Shatner IMO was RIGHT. Kirk's delivery of the order to fire is EPIC. Under the best of circumstances, a Bird of Prey of that class would be hopelessly outmatched by ONE Federation cruiser (Chang only did as well as he did because the script kept Kirk from using actual combat tactics). Against two she's well and truly @#$%ed. It's hinted at several times throughout the film, but the Federation President is actually blind. His glasses are a primitive form of a technology you'll see Geordi LaForge wear in TNG. This is why he's looking around wildly when Kirk's calling his name, because he can't locate who's calling him There's a deleted subplot restored in the Director's cut involving a Federation officer named West (played by DS9's late Rene Auberjonois) who's part of the conspiracy. The ending would reveal that the Klingon gunman who tried to assassinate the President was actually West in disguise, with Colonel Worf realizing the dead assassin wasn't bleeding Klingon blood before the reveal. The change "Where no man...where no ONE...has gone before" was the final bridge in this film between TOS and TNG. TNG first updated the opening narration to use "where no one has gone before." This was the last time the entire original cast appeared in a production. Although some of the cast would reprise their roles later in the franchise, you never got to see all of them together again.

[@StayFractalesque]

Bruh.. no TLDR?

[@anthonybranch4712]

I've been a Trek fan for the vast majority of my 63 years. And while I already knew a number of these facts, there were QUITE A FEW that I've never heard before. Thank you sincerely, for putting this out there.

[@Pajalfonso]

Amazing read, thanks for taking the time to write this 😊

[@1RedHyena]

Yo! What a great and informative comment. Sincerest thanks for real. Great stuff.

[@AndrewKendall71]

I love that Yeoman Rand from TOS became transporter chief on the updated Enterprise in the first movie, and is now Sulu's chief communications officer. She's got an obviously great career story. I love this film for its complexity and mystery and acting. And it's one of my favorite lines in a ST story - "If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." Applicable. Oh, and Kirk quoting from Peter Pan, "Second star to the right...and straight on till morning."

[@logicplague]

I saw a fan edit on here a while back of the Spacedock escape scene from Star Trek III. The edit showed that as they were trying to get out, Scotty didn't actually get the door hacked in time, and it was in fact Rand who opened the doors for them. Since she had a brief cameo on the Spacedock, I thought it was a REALLY neat idea, and it is now canon in my mind.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

She was pushed out of TOS due to a scandle with an executive sexually assaulting her. Nimoy and Shatner saw what happened as totally unfair and had her appearance in TMP as a part of their conditions to do the movie. From there she cor a quick cameo in TSFS and TVH, here she got a larger role that later served to her appearing in a Voyager episode. Seeing Janice Rand appear in different places feels like seeing a lower decks crew member slowly rising through the ranks, and I love how the cast stood up for Grace Lee Whitney.

[@charleshays5407]

George Takei and Grace Lee Whitney reprised their roles on an episode of Voyager.

[@AlanCanon2222]

"Look at these silver foxes!" Look at Cassie, zero to hardened Trekkie in a matter of months. Enjoying these reactions so much. 30:05 "I do not remember" is a sly reference to former US President Ronald Reagan's 1990 testimony in the Iran-Contra affair, in which the Reagan administration illegally sold weapons to Iran in order to fund terrorists in Nicaragua.

[@namco003]

Hi Cassie!! Not sure if you noticed, Kirk and McCoys LAWYER in the trial was played by Michael Dorn, who plays Commander Worf in TNG. I was told he is playing the grandfather, or great grandfather of Worf.

[@N0-1_H3r3]

This is true. And, as Klingons are big on family names, Michael Dorn's character here is also called Worf, suggesting that the Worf we see in TNG is named after his grandfather.

[@sluglife9785]

She's not seen TNG yet, has she?

[@cypher515]

No she has not, ​@@sluglife9785 . Mentally I'm thinking of what episodes she most needs to see other than s3e26, s4e1 and s4e2. Because she certainly needs to see all three in a row for Generations and First Contact.

[@tru3sk1ll]

She's not quite up to TNG yet, but it's a really slim reference, she may forget by the time she watches it

[@gfox9295]

@@sluglife9785 She will soon!

[@kevinpogue7294]

I worked on this movie, making props at Greg Jein's shop in Marina Del Rey. I have a lot of fond memories of those times.

[@DiogoVincenzi]

Sir, I thank your for the work you've done. I'm currently working on the assets to redo that sequence of the Enterprise and the Excelsior destroying the Bird of Prey, as a homage. Hopefully in the next few months I'll have it ready. This is my favorite Trek movie by far.

[@thealexanderllanos]

Really? Nice. We could play 6 degrees of separation together. I've worked with Gary Hutzel and Ron Thornton on the vfx side of productions. All legends, sadly no longer here.

[@jamesbeach7405]

​@@thealexanderllanosGary Hutzel died?

[@Kesedrith]

One of my favorite lines ever: "Target that explosion and FIRE!"

[@richardadams4928]

Can't help it, even after so many watchings down through the years, I still fist pump and exclaim, "YES!!!" EVERY time....

[@geraldnormandeau4144]

Fun fact. The speech by the prison commander when they get to the prison is lifted from the prison commander's speech in Bridge On The River Kwai.

[@weldonwin]

Additional Fun Fact: The explosion of Praxis and the Klingons refusing aid, saying there was an "Incident" but everything was under control, is a direct reference to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when the Soviet Union refused to tell anyone that one of the nuclear power plants had exploded and refused to admit anything had happened until a Swedish powerplant I think, detected the radioactive fallout spreading from the blast sight.

[@seventhson2151]

Additional Fun Fact: Obi-Wan Kenobi was the officer-prisoner in that scene

[@purplepothos5794]

@@seventhson2151 Additional fun fact: Chang's "don't wait for the translation" was a reference to, and directly lifted, from US Ambassador Stevenson's question put to the Soviet ambassador in a UN session as to whether they had put missiles in Cuba.

[@les4767]

Also the penal colony of Rura Pente was the name of the penal colony Captain Nemo escaped from in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

[@Johnny_Socko]

@@purplepothos5794 That was my favorite, but I love how many political and diplomatic references there are in this movie. "Only Nixon can go to China."

[@gardener68]

The Federation President was played by Kurtwood Smith, who also played Red Foreman on That 70s Show and, more famously for nerds, the deliciously villainous Clarence Boddicker in Robocop!

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Annorax on Year of Hell, Parts 1 & 2 📺

[@ahad2k11]

Oh my God that's Clarence!!

[@tru3sk1ll]

Until this very reaction I never knew any of that

[@simonelgie]

Spotting the name Tiberius.... No one knew what the 'T' stood for, until it was given in this send off. One of the last unanswered questions of the original crew.

[@serwinzzalot9989]

That Christain Slater cameo was a big moment back then. It was like having the cool kid heartthrob eat at lunch with the nerds.

[@michaelanderson7288]

Speaking of which, I hope she reacts to "Heathers" and "Pump Up the Volume" in the future.

[@StayFractalesque]

Love that man.. yall seen Mr Robot?

[@Ambaryerno]

Except that cool kid is "One of us." Slater wanted to be in it because he's a HUGE Trekkie. Kind of like how Vin Diesel and Joe Manganiello are massive DnD nerds (if they don't find a way to get them into the DnD movie sequel if it ever gets made I will be incredibly disappointed).

[@Psilocybin77]

I love Christian Slater, Always have...always will.

[@michaelmiller378]

Wish they had chosen him to follow Charlie Sheen on 2.5 men@@Psilocybin77

[@thomasdoscher6555]

Valeris's whole arc makes more sense when you understand that, originally, she was supposed to be Saavik returning for a third movie. But since they didn't want to recast the character again, they went with a whole new Vulcan. Though it's not said in ST3 the movie, the novel and background reveal that Saavik and David Marcus were in a relationship while on USS Grissom. David's death was her motivation for joining the conspiracy. During the interrogation when Valeris says she doesn't remember, Spock asks "A lie?" And she says "A choice." This was a callback to ST2 when Saavik says to Spock, "You lied," and he replies, "I exaggerated." The betrayal and anguish you see in Spock and Kirk were supposed to be for a character who had, essentially, been part of the crew for a long time, and not a random newbie Kirk had just met. I wish they had just gone with her being Saavik as that would have had much more of an emotional punch.

[@Daveyboy100880]

And to be honest, Cattrall almost plays the character like she’s half-Vulcan, half-Romulan, as Saavik was originally supposed to be. And just imagine if they’d also kept the discarded storyline that Saavik had Spock’s child (after he Pon Farred her brains out on Genesis)!

[@thealexanderllanos]

Actually glad it didn't work out that way. Makes perfect sense from a storytelling point, but I like Saavik, it would ruin return views of Wrath of Khan (for me).

[@thisspaceforrent5737]

There was also the fact that Saavik had become a popular character not only through the movies, but in related novels and comics that came out in the years between ST2 and this movie. Making her the traitor at this point would have upset a lot of fans.

[@logicplague]

They were afraid of doing that to such a beloved character, but you're not wrong, the emotional impact would have been intense.

[@jamesbeach7405]

Also there's the idea Saavik and Spock had a child together

[@Damen178]

"If there is to be a brave new world, our generation will have the hardest time living in it." One of the most pointed lines I've ever heard and the older I get, the more it starts to hit home.

[@SirHilaryManfat]

I don't know about anyone else, but for me this movie encapsulates what made the original Star Trek series, and Star Trek in general, so good. It may not be cinematically as impressive as the previous movies, but as a Star Trek story it's one of the greatest.

[@Typhis19]

As quick as the final shot of Enterprise and Excelsior blowing up the BoP is, let's not forget, it was the explosion so nice, they used it twice! lol.

[@Jimmer93]

Undiscovered Country is hands down one of my favourite Trek movies! I find it tends to be rather underrated. Beautiful send off for the OG cast.

[@R1ddic]

Same. II and VI reign supreme for me. I'm thinking the key may be well written villains.

[@byronclark7652]

My favorite old Vulcan proverb: "Only Nixon could go to China." Truly words to remember.

[@nuanil]

But have you heard it in the original Klingon?

[@gypsylights9518]

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning" was the directions to Neverland in 'Peter Pan". The actor who played Admiral Cartwright {Brock Peters) played Tom Robinson in the classic movie "To Kill a Mockingbird"

[@jamesalexander5623]

.... And Heston's Captain in :"Soylent Green"!

[@grishnakh0305]

...... And Joseph Sisko, father of Captain Benjamin Sisko in ST: DS9

[@peteryang5056]

@@grishnakh0305It always feels a little weird to me coming back to this film and seeing Peters play the cynical Admiral Cartwright. I keep expecting him to soften and start cooking jambalaya while delivering a heartfelt monologue about the ideals we fight for. 😂

[@StayFractalesque]

​@@peteryang5056..lmao.. good one

[@Firespray421]

And he was also the voice of Darth Vader in the NPR radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy. I highly recommend those. They are like extended versions of the OT

[@Deukish]

A few things. Chancellor Gorkon was played by David Warner, you saw him in the last film as the Federation representative on Nimbus III, you also saw him in Tron as Dillinger/Sark/MCP. Kirk and Bones' Klingon defense attorney was played by Michael Dorn, who you'll see as one of the main characters, Worf, in The Next Generation, and was meant to be an ancestor of his. Admiral Cartwright was played by Brock Peters, who would have a later role in DS9 as Commander/Captain Sisko's father. And finally we have Colonel West, who was unfortunately removed from the theatrical cut. We first see him earlier in the film giving a briefing to the president (who is not a Klingon, he's an Efrosian, they just look similar), and at the end its revealed that he was actually the Klingon sniper (they cut his mask being pulled off). He was played by Rene Auberjonois, who would later become one of the main characters, Odo, on DS9.

[@B.Norton]

Michael Dorn is playing his great grandfather who is a klingon attorney.

[@JayM409]

Rene Auberjonois also played Father John MulCahy in the movie M*A*S*H.

[@LordNelsonkm]

David Warner also is the Evil Genius from Time Bandits which Cassie totally needs to watch.

[@darrelllane796]

David Warner is Jack the Ripper in Time After Time and a reporter in the original Omen movie.

[@essexexile]

I saw this in the cinema when I was 8 years old. I’ve been a Trekkie since I was 6 I’m now 41. This is still one of the best send offs.

[@Chiller0871]

" ✌Space peace, everybody! ✌" 🤣 You'd be the best movie night friend ever.

[@jhilal2385]

The officer who woke up Captain Sulu was played by Christian Slater The Federation President was played by Kurtwood Smith, whom you saw as Clarence Boddicker in "Robocop" Klingon Defense Attorney Worf was played by Michael Dorn, who was playing Lt. Worf in "Star Trek The Next Generation" when ST:VI was made Sulu's communications officer was Janice Rand (Kirk's yeoman) in the original TV series

[@MrDeathpilot]

Kurtwood Smith is probably better known as Red Foreman, Eric's dad in "That 70's Show".

[@jhilal2385]

@@MrDeathpilot It is a generations thing. Gen X knows him as Clarence Boddicker. It is similar to Alan Rickman: adults know him as Hans Gruber (or the Sheriff of Nottingham), while kids know him as Harry Potter's dom daddy.

[@krashd]

@@jhilal2385 It's also a distribution thing, US movies are popular all over the world but US TV shows are not since countries will usually just remake a TV show for their own audience. If you showed a picture of Kurtwood to anyone outside the US they would be far more likely to know him from Robocop than That 70's Show.

[@seantlewis376]

Kurtwood Smith! The makeup was so good that I didn't recognize him. I should have listened to the voice.

[@karter95]

Christian Slaters mom was the casting director he asked if he could have a small role in the movie he had wanted to play in Star Trek. It's rumored he never cashed his paycheck and framed it

[@ruatonim]

These movies and TOS will always have a special place for me. I was born the year The Motion Picture came out, grew up to TOS on TV on one of our few stations and saw IV-VI in the theater when they released. Knowing this is their final voyage as a crew will always bring a tear. Cheers.

[@whiskyandpoetry]

It was a joy to see you experience that. You really get Star Trek the way it is meant to be. Us life long Trekkies are always overjoyed to welcome others into the fold.

[@idea2go]

​Christopher Plummer had so much fun with this role!

[@rockyroadproductions4016]

Christopher Plummer’s daughter plays one of the villains in season three of Star Trek Picard

[@davidknight2104]

"Cry havoc!! And let slip the dogs of War!" r.i.p Christopher Plummer what a legend 👏🏼

[@isaaccienega1057]

" To be or not to be"

[@ortizmo]

So much fun in fact he returned to play Chang for the video game Star Trek: Klingon Academy. The video segments of his performance are all available on KZbin.

[@woodyeblom9063]

Who's going to tell Cassie that Plummer is Canadian; she hates those guys.😄

[@mjf9576]

As a fan of Star Trek when you said they can't fire while cloaked I was really impressed. Shows you're paying attention.

[@Googerstein]

Hand over heart here... I've GENUINELY been looking forward to you watching ST VI. I am delighted and relieved you enjoyed it so much! I'd be honored to be allowed to submit my TNG episode recommendations!

[@ASKMEABOUTMYGARDEN]

She should watch the TV show before the generations movie.

[@highstimulation2497]

absolutely.

[@vinnynj78]

"Only Nixon could go to China". Even as a kid I thought that was hilarious. Watching this in an old duplex theater in Wrightstown, NJ was an experience that I will always remember. Kirk's "Fire!" is still the greatest single shot in all of Star Trek and when that torpedo [spoilers censored] I was ready to jump out of my seat.

[@davidlarsen-tj4tn]

Couldn’t agree more about the “fire” shot. When it comes on cable now I rewind it at least 5 times every time.

[@karlsmith2570]

6:46 Interesting Fact about this scene, Cassie: Merrick Buttrick, the actor who played David, had died from an HIV-related illness, and Kirk placing his photo on his desk was basically paying tribute to Merrick

[@4thDan]

I met and acted on stage with W. Morgan Shepherd, the gentleman who played the one-eyed jailer on Rura-Pente. He was a delightful man, and I’m glad to have met him years before he passed!

[@StayFractalesque]

That's nifty!

[@nbartlett6538]

Cool! He was also on Babylon 5, playing a couple of different roles in alien costume.

[@Theomite]

You lucky bastard.

[@seventhson2151]

He also played Data's "Grandpa"

[@rowansjet]

And is Mark Shepherd's dad

[@rneelymedia9152]

Cliff Eidelman (composer) was a newbie to film scoring. He was only 27 when he was offered to scored the film- but he had done his senior thesis on Holst’s ‘The Planets’ which is the style of music the film director wanted (if you listen to the main title music, it has a musical structure very similar to ‘Mars: Bringer of War’)

[@StayFractalesque]

John Williams' greatest influence when it came to composing for Star Wars

[@rneelymedia9152]

Yep

[@Ambaryerno]

Nick Meyer didn't want the style of The Planets, he wanted to actually USE The Planets, but they couldn't afford the licensing.

[@rneelymedia9152]

did not read that. Interesting.@@Ambaryerno

[@txheadshots]

Fun trivia moment for "Second Star to the Right" at the end... Star Trek VI was originally slated to come out the same weekend as another holiday blockbuster: Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman in Hook and the line was added as a nod to that movie. (The studios shuffled dates around vying for top box office weekends and they ended up not being released at the same time after all... and Hook did not perform as well as expected)

[@jeremyneilsen1263]

for me both awesome movies and was an incredible end to star trek VI, such a perfect line to end it... neverland, not wanting to grow up, not wanting to face reality... Kirk not wanting to let the adventure die. IMO perfect ending

[@williambryan3346]

@18:58 Spock’s human ancestor was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[@scott4092]

I never thought of that. I thought he was making a joke, like the Vulcan proverb "Only Nixon could go to China." Interesting!

[@harveylee51]

@williambryan3346 So in addition to being half Vulcan he is the descendant of the creator of SHERLOCK HOLMES Good God man what a legacy !! 😃 🔍

[@richardzinns5676]

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," is Sherlock Holmes' favorite maxim, so Spock is claiming descent on his human side from Holmes. Nicholas Meyer, who co-wrote and directed this movie (as well as Star Trek II, for which he received screen credit only as director), had at this time already written 2 Sherlock Holmes novels, and has written 3 more since then.

[@user-gv4cx7vz8t]

​@@scott4092Poasibly not a joke. An idea like that would appeal to ironic logic of Vulcans. It's recognizable today after fifty years.

[@josephwhite4489]

In the Star Trek novel 'Ishmael' [1985], Spock is transported back in time to the setting of the 1968-1970 tv series 'Here Comes The Brides...He loses his memory and is taken care of by the character Aaron Stempel. Spocks' presence there sets in motion a romance between Stempel and one of the 'brides'...they subsequently marry and become Spocks' great-great-great grandparents [ie. the ancestors of Amanda Grayson]. The actor that played Stempel in Here Comes The Brides is the same one who played Spocks' father, Sarek [Mark Lenard]. I don't know if this is considered canon, but it is an interesting easter egg, since we are discussing Spocks' human ancestry. Considering that the main star of Here Comes The Brides [Robert Brown] guest starred in the Star Trek episode 'The Alternative Factor', as Lazarus, it would have been uniquely interesting had Spock considered him 'a familiar face'. That said, there is also a 1996 comic depicting a crossover between Kirk & his crew and The X Men..LOL...quite positive this is not canon!! [Should Kirk have recognized Charles Xavier in The Nexus???]

[@Vulcanerd]

Cassie: They need seatbelts! 70 minutes later... They really do need seatbelts!! Don't ever change, Cassie 🤣❤

[@Korrd]

This is where Star Trek really shines. Khan and Voyage Home are great, but Undiscovered Country has to be my favorite of the classic Treks. Politics, intrigue, character development, chemistry. As you said, a great send off. This is the best of Trek and everything that's missing from the Abram's movies, though I'm interested in your reaction to those films as well. Absolutely loved your reactions to the series and looking forward to the TNG era content! So many great episodes to choose from, I hope Patreon voters pick some amazing ones!

[@nathans3241]

David Warner, the actor who portrayed the Klingon Ambassador is the same guy who portrayed Dillinger in Tron, and the creepy guy who worked for Cal in Titanic.

[@robd9413]

and the human ambassador in Star Trek V (plus the Cardassian Interrogator from TNG) - you could recognise his voice no matter the prosthetics.

[@Rschaltegger]

CHancellor Gorkon, not the Ambassador...thats "Dral"

[@ortizmo]

The Klingon AMBASSADOR was played by John Schuck, who would return to play a Cardassian Legate in ST: DS9 and then ST: Enterprise as Klingon geneticist.

[@nathans3241]

@@Rschaltegger OK, got it!

[@nathans3241]

@@ortizmo I met John Schuck after the release of Star Trek IV. He would read the paper at a McDonald's in Sherman Oaks, CA where I lived. I spoke with him briefly and told him I saw the movie. He wanted to know what I thought about it. I told him that I liked it because it was like watching a Star Trek episode as opposed the first Star Trek movie. I told him the movie was entertaining, and that he makes a good Klingon. He's a nice guy.

[@Stogie2112]

Sulu: "Raise shields! Fasten seat belts!!" Bridge crew: "Huh?"

[@francescathomas3502]

LOL I love the way Cassie keeps going about Seatbelts!!

[@Ambaryerno]

Seat belts and fuses.

[@RossWrock]

Cassie, the Federation President (dude with the white hair and mustache) is Kurtwood Smith, better known as Red Forman, from That 70's Show.

[@devonbradford2897]

And before that, Clarence Boddicker in Robocop (a previous PiB feature)

[@jrod112278]

My 2nd favorite Star Trek film (#1 being Khan) and an excellent send off for the original cast. Has one of my favorite lines that rings more true as I get older: "If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." Glad you enjoyed.

[@hoodoowilliams5187]

This will always be my favorite Star Trek movie. This was one of the best sendoffs for any series. Couldn't be happier with this film.

[@lincolnross9000]

Fun fact: According to DS9, a Photon Torpedo contains about 1kg of antimatter. Some is used in the propulsion of the weapon, but with physics equations that brings the yield of a single torpedo to between 60 megatons and 600 gigatons. The fact that starships are capable of surviving an impact from one is incredible, shields or not. For reference, the largest nuke ever detonated was 50 megatons.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

In the original series episode "Obsession", the antimatter was about a quarter ounce in the device to kill the cloud, and it blew away half of that planet's atmosphere. A kilogram would've broken the planet to pieces.

[@Zel0978]

Makes me wonder what the detonation yield of a quantum torpedo is by comparison then...and the resilience of the Borg vessel in First contact that took repeated photon and quantum torpedo hits in the same place to bring it down!

[@BogeyTheBear]

One (quickly dropped) conceit is that when a photon torpedo is launched, its warhead has already exploded and the fireball is being tightly contained in an energy field. Some of that fireball is drawn off to power the torpedo, but the rest is released once it hits the target and the containment field fails. This also explains the sparkling red appearance of a torpedo in flight as the glow of that fireball shines through the casing.

[@dazs390]

I saw this one in the cinemas in 1992- sooooo loved it and was a great return to form after a in parts lackluster ST 5- loved the signatures signing off at the end & also you see the original crew basically up on stage been applauded by everyone as this would be the very last time you see all of them together

[@jonathanweathersby812]

They gave the original cast and crew the most distinguished sendoff they could come up with. Glad you enjoyed them, and welcome to the Trek family

[@clarkbarrett6274]

And the Avengers: Endgame closing credits cast signatures was a direct nod to the close out cast signatures in Undiscovered Country. Needless to say Kevin Feige, Marvel producer extraordinaire, is a huge Trek fan too.

[@OneAndOnlyMe]

Sulu shouting, "Fly her apart then!" is one of the best moments in Star Trek history.

[@jguzman1326]

This one is so hard to watch knowing its the end. Even the credits where it does their signatures makes me emotional. ST TOS was something dad and I watched when I was a kid together. We watched all of the movies in theaters. This is a lifetime of memories having grown up with this crew. You missed out because you get to just burn through them in a few sittings versus ruminating on each episode or movie until however long I took for the next one. Something gets lost there. Also, your channel is fantastic. I am truly enjoying rewatching my childhood through your innocent heart. Thank you so very much.

[@joshualandry3160]

Fun fact. The admiral that has the racist rant against the Klingons had such a hard time filming the prejudice he was unable to do it in a single take. The director offered to move the lines to another actor but he refused. He felt the message would have a greater impact if it was spoken by someone who looked like him. He had, of course, grown up with the same sort of prejudice directed at him.

[@jaybirdjargon]

Brock Peters. Also from To Kill A Mockingbird and later on DS9

[@ortizmo]

Brock Peters. A legendary actor from the original "To Kill A Mockingbird" who would eventually return to the Trek universe (in a new role) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Also voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars radio drama on NPR back in 1981. Passed away in 2005.

[@Tuning3434]

I know that anecdote as Nicole Nichols refusing to say the line 'guess who is coming for dinner...' as she considered a to painfull thing to say as an afro-american. Walter Koenig took the line instead.

[@richlisola1]

He also played Captain Sisko’s dad!

[@adamscott7354]

Yes, but more still in the ST world, he's just a man, not his skin as part of his identity be it from without, or within

[@jonathandonley3299]

I still remember seeing that in the movie theater when it came out with a friend of mine. One of the best experiences of my life.

[@Razl07]

Saw this in the theater as a kid. One of the best moviegoing experiences ever.

[@ortizmo]

Saw it opening night when I was 21 in Orange, CA. What an amazing night at the movies.

[@k1productions87]

Unfortunately for me... it was one of the worst moviegoing experiences ever. 1) the theater was so packed, they had to assign seats to everyone in line 2) the theater had no stadium seating, so our seat at second row all the way to the right was a LITERAL pain in the neck 3) ... I was 10 years old at the time, and I got scared from odd things. In this case... the floating Klingon blood. It traumatized me for the entire movie 4) throughout the entire final battle, I knew the next torpedo hit was gonna kill Enterprise's gravity, and Klingons would beam aboard and start shooting, making more scary floating blood So... even though the entire theater was cheering when the Bird of Prey blew up (first time I ever saw a theater cheer), I couldn't enjoy the moment I was so traumatized that I hid away all my Star Trek stuff in the closet for several weeks.

[@serwinzzalot9989]

Same...my dad won tickets from a radio trivia contest..got some star trek 6 swag too...unfortunately the shirt didn't last

[@dougwoody332]

This is my favorite Star Trek movie. " 'They are dying.' 'Let them die!' " my favorite lines in the franchise, although "What want is irrelevant. What you have chosen is at hand..." is right there as well.

[@SinginRabbit]

The good news is, you don't have to say goodbye. You can do like I do and rewatch them all the time.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

This movie is very much a reflection of the events of the time, with the end of the Cold War beginning with the explosion at Chenobyl (Praxis), the beginning of peace talks, the old resentment on both sides... It was a good way to say goodbye to the original cast in an "end of an important era" way that very much paralleled the real world.

[@MegaBearsFan]

But it also has timeless appeal, as it can be read today as being about the moral imperative to help countries ravages by climate change and war, and to take in refugees. Cartwright's line "Klingons would become the alien trash of the galaxy", is just as much a poignant "oof" kind of remark today as it would have been in the 90's.

[@nicholasregan6526]

General Chang lost his eye in a one on one battle in the computer game Klingon Academy, which makes Starfleet Academy look like candy land. General Chang boarded a battle cruiser or bird of prey, challenged their captain to combat, egged him on, his eye got gouged, but Chang ended the battle. Now you know the eyepatch background, LOL.

[@michaelrickert1284]

One of the most thought provoking episodes of Star Trek is "Errand of Mercy." It was between the Federation (Enterprise) and the Klingons. A 3rd party intervened and kept the two sides from fighting. But in doing so, it took away their free will. Both sides were so blinded by rage that they didn't realize that in arguing for their free will, they were arguing for the right to kill and be killed.

[@ryanweiss7560]

Congrats Cassie, you've become an actual Trekkie! The first six Trek movies, especially 2,3,4 and 6 are peak Star Trek for me. The stories, characters, acting, costuming and set design are at their peak in this movie. Sure, there is a lot of Star Trek material still for you to take a look at, and there are some great moments along the way, but in the 30+ years since this movie was released, they've never made anything quite like it. This movie is also really a product of what the contemporary world looked like at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. Look at Praxis and Chernobyl, the worries of a hardline coup in the USSR, Kirk even uses the phrase "the end of history" when talking to the female chancellor at the end, which was the title of an incredibly influential (in the early 1990s at least) philosophy book by Francis Fukuyama discussing post-USSR world politics. I was just a kid then, but looking back now, this movie is more emblematic of that era than just about any other.

[@DannyD714]

kirk's final line "where no man...where no one has gone before" was passing the baton to the next generation cast as "where no one has gone before" is how captain picard says it in the opening of TNG series. i love how each cast member got a close up (not seen in this video) in the last scene, only sulu was missing. it's said it had something to do with the tension between shatner and takei that sulu wasn't on board the enterprise for this final film. so much for peace in the universe.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

😢

[@jruhnke7670]

This movie is the best "wrap up" of Any series I've ever seen. They did such a great job resolving The Original Series this way. Gene Roddenberry died just before it came out, but I read that he saw a "rough cut" of it. They managed to stay Optimistic... right to the end. The story is Great, and ends with Kirk and Friends saving Everybody... yet again. Great review and observations! I remember seeing this in the theater and got a lump in my throat when the original cast put their signatures down in the credits. It looks to me like you are now a Star Trek fan... like the rest of us! Welcome to the group!

[@Stogie2112]

The great David Warner....may he rest in peace. He played Chancellor Gorkon. He was the Federation ambassador in Star Trek V. He was also a Cardassian in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Chain of Command")

[@TheeYellowDart]

There Are, Four Lights!

[@Stogie2112]

"Whenever I look at you now, I won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six year old boy who is powerless to protect himself. In spite of all you've done to me, I find you a pitiable man!"

[@Bnio]

And the bad guy in Tron that Cassie recently watched.

[@allengator1914]

He was also Jack The Ripper in 1979 sci-fi action film "Time After Time" with Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells who learns his friend is the ripper and pursues him after he uses H.G.'s time machine to escape to the future. It also stars Mary Steenburgen.

[@djco5782]

​@@allengator1914Another Nicholas Meyer movie.