Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (1991)
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The Federation and the Klingon Empire attempt to forge a peace treaty that is threatened by unseen conspirators.
The story
In 2293, the Federation starship Excelsior discovers that the Klingon moon of Praxis has been destroyed in a mining accident. This ecological disaster forces the Klingon Empire to seek peace with the Federation. Starfleet sends the Enterprise to escort the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon to Earth for negotiations. However, Captain James T. Kirk, who resents the Klingons for the murder of his son, opposes the peace. During the journey, two men in Starfleet spacesuits board the Klingon vessel and mortally wound Gorkon. Kirk and Doctor McCoy are arrested by the Klingons and sentenced to life imprisonment on a frozen planetoid.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis, the Klingon Empire seeks peace with the Federation. Captain James T. Kirk is tasked with escorting Chancellor Gorkon to Earth, a mission he bitterly opposes. During the voyage, assassins in Starfleet uniforms board the Klingon ship and kill Gorkon. Kirk and Dr. McCoy are captured and imprisoned on the frozen planetoid Rura Penthe. While Gorkon's daughter, Azetbur, takes over as chancellor and continues negotiations, Kirk and McCoy are befriended by a shapeshifter named Martia, who eventually betrays them. Spock assumes command of the Enterprise and discovers that the assassination was a conspiracy involving Federation, Klingon, and Romulan officials. Spock identifies the killer as his protégé, Valeris, and discovers that General Chang is using a cloaked ship to sabotage the peace. The Enterprise and the Excelsior race to Khitomer to intercept Chang. After a space battle, they destroy Chang's ship and thwart an assassination attempt on the Federation president. The film ends with the Enterprise being decommissioned, though Kirk takes it on one last cruise.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nicholas Meyer
- Writers
- Nicholas Meyer · screenplay; Denny Martin Flinn · screenplay; Leonard Nimoy · story; Lawrence Konner · story; Mark Rosenthal · story
- Cast and characters
- William Shatner · James T. Kirk; Leonard Nimoy · Spock; DeForest Kelley · Leonard McCoy; James Doohan · Montgomery Scott; Walter Koenig · Pavel Chekov; Nichelle Nichols · Uhura; George Takei · Hikaru Sulu; Kim Cattrall · Valeris
- Genres
- science fiction
- Themes
- Peace; Conspiracy; Environmental Disaster
- Tone and mood
- Dark; Dramatic
- Setting
- The 23rd century in space, specifically involving the Federation starship Enterprise, the Klingon moon Praxis, and the frozen planetoid Rura Penthe.
- Premise and plot tags
- Space Opera; Political Thriller; Sci-Fi
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1966–1969 Star Trek television series
- Franchise connections
- Star Trek
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with publications praising the lighthearted acting, setting and references. It was a commercial success, posting the largest opening weekend gross of the series and earning $96.8 million worldwide.
- Awards and nominations
- Oscar · Best Makeup · Nomination; Oscar · Best Sound Effects · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Science Fiction Film · Win
- Production trivia
- The film's score was intentionally darker than previous Star Trek offerings.; The film was the first to feature the first canonical mention of Sulu's first name.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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