Star Trek V: The Final Frontieris certainly a low point in the film franchise, but its worst offense is making a mockery of an iconicEnterprisecrew member. The penultimate film to star the original cast came at the tail end of the ’80s, and was the only movie in the franchise to be directed by William Shatner.
With a convoluted plot involving an interplanetary terrorist hijaking theEnterpriseto take it to meet God,The Final Frontierhad bold ideas that were mostly mishandled. Ittook the wrong lessons fromStar Trek IVand leaned too heavily on the humor, while also telling a dark narrative about trauma that didn’t match the movie’s goofy tone.
It focused mainly on Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and it left the rest of theEnterpriselegends to twiddle their thumbs. Furthermore, it actively puts the supporting characters in silly situations, lowering their status as the elite of Starfleet. One of the franchise’s most important characters was treated the worst, and their shining moment was nothing but a bad joke.
Uhura’s Fan Dance Makes A Mockery Of Her Character
It’s hard to overstate thereal-world importance of Nichelle Nichols' performanceas Lt. Uhura inStar Trek: The Original Series, and she shattered racial boundaries in the late ’60s. However,she took a bit of a backseat once the film franchise began, though it’s somewhat excusable because of the narrow focus on Spock and Kirk.
What’s less excusable is how she was treated inStar Trek V, withthe polyglot linguistical genius serving as a distraction as the rest of theEnterprisecrew storms Nimbus III. Though she’s likely just as capable as her peers in combat, she instead sings anddances naked with fansin order to lure the guards away.
Nichelle Nichols was a noted dancer and singer in real life, butit was demeaning to have one of the only major female characters in the film appear nude. To add to the indignity, Nichols herself was supposed to be heard singing in the film, but her voice was ultimately dubbed over in post-production (viaStar Trek).
At that point in her career,Uhura was a decorated Starfleet officer who outranked most crew on theEnterprise, but the screenwriters couldn’t think of a better way to work her into the plot. InStar Trek III, Uhura used a clever ruse to help Kirk steal theEnterprise, and she did so without having to take her clothes off.
Star Trek V Was Unkind To Several Enterprise Legends
Though Uhura was perhaps the most mistreatedEnterpriselegend inStar Trek V, she was not the only one. While stalwarts like Sulu and Chekhov were mostly absent, Chief Engineer Montgommery Scott had some agency. Sadly,his scenes made him out to be a buffoonish oaf, with the engineer hitting his head in a poor attempt at slapstick humor.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontieris the lowest-rated film in the original franchise, with a 22% onRotten Tomatoes.
He does end up rescuing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, but he’s quickly eliminated from the story once he serves his purpose.Like Uhura, Scotty is essentially a human MacGuffinwho helps the main trio out of a jam before fading to the background. Fortunately, all theEnterprisecrew returned afterStar Trek V, and their final film did them justice.
