Star Trek The End Of The Kirk Generation

Posted on January 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. This update is something very special as it will be the final update about the Star Trek films that featured members of the original cast, and of course, the film is Star Trek: Generations that was released in 1994 and featured Captain Kirk along with a few other members of his crew in small rolls as they passed the silver screen torch to Captain Picard and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I have had a very fun time covering these adaptations of the Star Trek films as they were ones I grew up watching and they kept Captain Kirk and his crew alive in media as their show was long over with on TV. So I think it’s time that we come aboard the Enterprise and set off with the final film adventure of Captain Kirk as this is truly the end of the Original Star Trek cast updates here at Rotten Ink, and I hope that you readers enjoy it.

Okay before we get to deep into this update, I want to also now take a brief moment to introduce the crew that made up “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as they are the main focus of this film as well as comic adaptation. First up is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a very smart and strategic Captain who comes off cold at times but is truly a caring person. He is played by Patrick Stewart. Commander William T. Riker is second in command on the Enterprise; he as well is very smart, is a ladies man and has a sly attitude. He is played by Jonathan Frakes. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is the ship’s chief engineer and is blind and must use a visor to see. He is played by LeVar Burton. Lieutenant Worf is the ship’s chief of security and is a Klingon and is the muscle of the crew. He is played by Michael Dorn. Commander Data is the operations officer and is an android that battles with wanting to be more human. He is played by Brent Spiner. Lieutenant Deanna Troi is the ship’s counselor. She is half human and half Betazoid and is the love interest of Riker. She is played by Marina Sirtis. Doctor Beverly Crusher is the ship’s chief medical officer and semi love interest for Picard, and she is played by Gates McFadden. Other returning characters include Wesley Crusher, the annoying son and acting ensign for the Enterprise played by Wil Wheaton. Guinan, the ship’s bartender and advice giver played by Whoopi Goldberg. Lieutenant Tasha Yar was the original chief and security before the character was killed and she was played by Denise Crosby. Miles O’Brien was the ship’s conn officer and transporter chief; he would be later transferred to the Deep Space Nine base and he was played by Colm Meaney. And lastly Doctor Katherine Pulaski who was the ships doctor for a short time when Crusher was away, and she was played by Diana Muldaur. This is just a really fast crash course of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as to really dive into each crew member would be a massive update of its own.

So now that we have briefly talked about the crew, let’s now take a look at the 7^th film in the Star Trek movie series and the final movie voyage for the Original Star Trek cast. Like always, I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s beam up to the Enterprise and take a look at Generations.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

“With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.”

The films starting the Original Star Trek cast were coming to an end due to them all getting older as well as the box office dropping for them, but on TV, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a big hit and fans wanted to see Captain Picard and his crew on the big screen and so did Paramount Pictures and plans began to make a film staring them in production. Paramount Pictures ended up having Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore write the screenplay for the film as they both were working on Star Trek: The Next Generation at the time and were the perfect pair to handle this task. And when the story was coming about, the studio had some requests as well: the film had to have a funny Data subplot, that the film have an epic bad guy and that the original cast only appears shortly at the start of the film with Captain Kirk being the one that would come back in the end as well. The film’s plot went through many different ideas that also included having at one point a member of The Next Generation Crew dying, and one of the early ideas would have had Captain Kirk and Captain Picard along with their crews at odds with each other and having to battle one another with one Captain having to die…this would have been an epic film and would have really ruffled the feathers of many Trekkies as it’s clear that Kirk would have lost as Paramount wanted Picard and crew to be the new stars of the films. But after going back and fourth, the script was locked and a budget of around $35million was given, with David Carson coming on to direct after Leonard Nimoy turned it down. The cast of Star Trek The Next Generation Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis and Whoopi Goldberg made up the main cast with Malcolm McDowell being cast as the main villain named Soran and Jacqueline Kim playing Demora Sulu the daughter of Hikaru Sulu a crewmember of Enterprise-B. The original cast brought in was William Shatner playing Kirk and James Doohan returned as Scotty with Walter Koenig once more as Chekov. The filming took place toward the end of Star Trek The Next Generation’s run on TV, and this allowed them to rough up the set more as the set was planned for demolish to make way for Star Trek Voyager that was on its way to TV. Once done the film was scored by Dennis McCarthy who worked on the music for such shows as MacGyver, Dynasty and V to name a few and also did the score for the 1980 Bigfoot Horror Film called Night Of The Demon. The film would be released in theaters on November 18, 1994 and was meet with good reviews from critics and fans as many liked that blending of the Original Cast with that of the Next Generation…plus Trekkies loved seeing Captain Picard with Captain Kirk fighting to save the Universe. The film ended up making over $118million worldwide and would rank at # 15 for the year. The film would also beat out such other films as Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Stargate, Wolf, Beverly Hills Cop III, The Shadow, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare to name a few. The film would also be a big hit when released on home media and would gain even more of a fan base.

When Star Trek Generations was first announced I was both excited and also a little sad as this was clearly the sign that Captain Kirk and the original crew’s film series was truly at an end and that the films were now in the hands of Picard and his crew. Now keep in mind, I grew up a big fan of the original series thatI can remember watching in reruns with my Dad and Brother, but I also have great memories of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on a small black and white portable TV I had when I was a kid, as the show would air before reruns of Tales From The Crypt on FOX. Many critics and even some fans for years had been mocking the age of the original cast and this became more and more of a chatter and it was clear that the box office drop of the films as well as the age chatter was sealing the fate of Captain Kirk and his crew…and this was gearing up to be their final adventure on the big screen. In 1994, I was super busy at school and was also at this point moved to a new school so I was not able to see the film in the theater and had to wait for the film to be released on home media and rented it from the local small video store and can remember enjoying it as I liked that the film made Captain Kirk the hero in the past as well as the future and they worked around any limitations that William Shatner had and delivered one heck of an entertaining film and a fitting send off for Captain Kirk. While I enjoyed the film, I also have to say that I was a little disappointed that Spock, McCoy, Sulu and Uhura did not appear in this film as it would have been great to have seen them all together that one last time. The film is one I would end up buying on VHS and later would upgrade to DVD and is one I have watched at least every three years or so. I will say that also when this film was released in 1994 it had a buzz going as the Trekkies I knew seemed to be really excited about Captain Picard being the new focus of the films, and for me while I was looking forward to seeing Picard, I cannot stress just how sad it was to see Kirk go away. Over all I am a fan of Star Trek: Generations and have to say that it was a nice send off for the original cast even though not all of them appeared in the film. I will get more into my thoughts in the review of the comic so be prepared for that.

Like all Star Trek films that came before it, Star Trek: Generations had a great amount of cool merchandise released for fans to collect. Such things as books, magazines, posters, home media, toys, model kits, trading cards, shirts, soundtrack, stickers, buttons, pins, comic book and so much more! And of course over the years I have had many of these things in my collection as of course I have the comic book, the film on VHS and DVD, the soundtrack on CD, action figures and I had some of the trading cards. So if you are a big fan of Star Trek: Generations, make sure to track down some of this merchandise as they are worth having if you are a collector.

So as you can see, Star Trek: Generations was Paramount’s attempt to try and breath new life into the feature length film series for Star Trek and you can tell that while they cheaped out on the budget, they really did want these Star Trek films to continue with this new cast. Now for those wondering, Juliet has reviewed this comic before on her big update about Star Trek: The Next Generation and if you have not read it, make sure to do so here. I would like to thank Bell, Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible, and I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, let’s head to the bridge and see how Captain Picard and Captain Kirk will save the galaxy this time.

Star Trek: Generations # 1 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $3.95 DC Comics # 1 of 1

Captain Kirk has jumped from a ship and as he lands he meets up with Scotty and Chekov and the three the next day the three are at a press event for the new Enterprise and meet the new Captain named Harriman as well as Demora Sulu, the daughter of Hikaru Sulu who is a member of the crew. And as the Enterprise heads off into space they get a distress call from The Lakul, a ship holding refugees and among these refugees is Guinan and Soran who are among those able to be saved and beamed aboard, but Soran seems to want to go back to the ship that is being ripped apart by time…and worse the Enterprise is being torn to shreds, but Captain Kirk comes up with a plan and saves everyone on board besides himself. Now 78 years later, the Enterprise is run by Captain Picard and he and his crew are on the Holodeck as they are promoting Worf and doing so via a classic navel way, but the fun is cut short when they get a distress call and find Soran as one of the survivors who informs them that the attacks was so quick and he has no clue who did it. Meanwhile the android Data is having an Emotion Chip implanted in order to understand humans better and gets the help of La Forge to install it. Once more Soran is wanting to head back to the destroyed lab ship and begs Captain Picard to let him return to it. Meanwhile the crew have discovered that Trilithium might have been used to blow up the ship, and when Data and La Forge are on the wreckage looking for it they are attacked by Soran. Picard seems very distracted and his crew has noticed and Counselor Troy speaks to him and learns that his brother and nephew have died in a fire and he is now thinking of death and legacy. But things quickly turn deadly as Soran has caused a Level 12 wave that will destroy everything in its path and as Worf and Riker beam down to the destroyed lab and are attacked by Soran who has La Forge hostage. We learn that Soran is working with the Klingons to create a weapon of mass destruction and as Picard learns about Soran from Guinan as well as a place called the Nexus that once you enter you do not want to leave as well as an event called The Ribbon that will rip through the galaxy. Meanwhile Soran is forcing La Forge to tell him all that the Enterprise knows. Picard and Data figure out that Soran wants to use The Ribbon in order to get back to the Nexus but this will also cause another shockwave that will kill nearby planets and they have to stop this and head to the projected planet that the event will hit. At the planet The Enterprise and The Klingons are at a standoff as Soran and Picard are on the planet having talks to try and stop this destruction as La Forge returns to the Enterprise and later the Enterprise must destroy the Klingon Bird Of Prey but they also suffer some serious damage and must split the ship in order to save lives and they crash to the planet below banged up but alive. Meanwhile Soran is able to set his plan in motion and Picard is taken into the Nexus and there he has a family of his own and they are celebrating Christmas together, but while there he sees Guinan who breaks the Nexus’s hold on Picard who ends up finding Captain Kirk and talks him into leaving the Nexus as well to stop Soran and close the Nexus for good. Captain Kirk and Captain Picard do just that and stop Soran as well as The Nexus opening via The Ribbon…but Kirk passes away being the hero. In the end the Enterpirse is gone but Picard and his crew live on and will get a new ship to have more adventures.

I have to say it first thing DC Comics and the creators of this adaptation did a great job of bringing this film to comic pages and keep the story going fast and showcase all the main characters from the cast. The plot has Picard and his crew responding to a distress call at a starship lab only to pick up a survivor who is really a madman and wants to use a natural solar event as well as a powerful bomb to open a path to another dimension, but in order to do this millions of people will die! And it’s up to Captain Picard and his crew to stop it as well as find Captain Kirk who was lost in the other dimension for over 70 years! The issues villain is Soran a brilliant scientist who has turned mad after his family was killed by The Borg and after finding a place called The Nexus were time does not matter he is willing to kill millions to return to it after being taken away from it via Captain Kirk in the past. He is cold very cold and does not care who he has to kill to get what he wants and is even willing to work with the Klingons by building them a weapon of mass destruction in order to get to his destination. The Klingons this time around are lead by The Duras Sisters who want to cause war and bring the Klingons back to their glory of being feared around the galaxy. Captain Picard is a great leader to his crew, but his a little shaken when he learns that his brother and nephew have died in a fire and this causes him to question death and how we all die, but he like always fights through his mental struggle and is able to save millions of lives with his quick thinking. The rest of the crew as well do what they can to help stop this massacre as well as help Picard, and Data himself has some major issues when his Emotion Chip goes wrong and causes him to have breakdowns and overloads with feelings. The true hero of this story is Captain Kirk who in the past saves many lives from an explosion even though he was retired from Starfleet, and his heroic act causes him to be stuck in the Nexus for over 70 years and once talked out of the Nexus by Picard he ends up given his life to stop the explosion…showing once more that Kirk is the best Captain. The comic also features Scotty and Chekov as they appear in the past events along side Kirk and it was also cool to see the daughter of Sulu. The cover is very eye catching for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation as it showcases Picard and his crew and the interior artwork for this issue is really good and captures the likeness of the actors who played these characters and the artist behind it was Gordon Purcell. To sum it up this comic adaptation is very well done and does the film justice. Checkout the art bellow to see the style used by Purcell.

Star Trek: Generations is truly the passing of the torch from one crew to another and after this film Captain Picard and his crew would have three more films before they would end up being replaced with a reboot series that would feature a younger version of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. And I am not sure what Rotten Ink has in store for the future when it comes to Star Trek as I might end up covering the Next Generation movie series and the comic adaptations of them or I might even just cover the comics based on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, or does the Enterprise dock for good here at Rotten Ink…but only time will tell really on what I choose to do. But one thing is for sure is that I had a blast covering all these Star Trek films as they were apart of my childhood and it was fun revisiting not only the films but also the memories of the films and re-reading the comics. Our next update will take us away from space and will instead take us to the world of Horror as we take a look at The Screaming Skull. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Star Trek film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon as I am sure this skull has lots to scream about!

Star Trek VI: The Rotten DC Country

Posted on January 13, 2023 by bloodlinematt

As you can see, you have found yourself on Rotten Ink and on another trip down memory lane with the crew of the USS Enterprise as this time around we will be talking about Star Trek VI that has Captain Kirk and his crew once more at odds with Klingons when he is framed for the murder of a high ranking Klingon. And like most of the past films in the series, DC Comics was the company who took up the task of making the adaptation. This sixth film has an interesting back story of cheap budget, anniversary and even rumors of a star taking naughty photos on the set, so with those teasers lets get to the bridge and take flight through space with Captain Kirk and his crew as we try and beat a murder wrap and find that undiscovered country.

So let’s take a few moments and talk about the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I will be taking the films write up from our pals at IMDB, and then I will talk about the films production as well as a little about my thoughts on the film. So let’s jump to warp speed and talk part six.

Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country (1991)

“On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.”

The fifth film in the series was a disappointment at the box office for Paramount Pictures and the future of the Star Trek films was on shaky ground, but they knew that they needed to do something as the series 25^th Anniversary was coming up and they wanted to do something to celebrate it but also did not want to spend a lot of money on a new film. And then ideas and scripts started to be pitched and considered with the first one being about The Starfleet Academy and would feature younger versions of Kirk, Spock and other characters from the classic series and would have focused mostly on Doctor McCoy who would be telling the story of how they all meet to recruits at the academy. And this cool idea was viewed very negatively by most of the original cast, heads at Paramount and even Gene Roddenberry himself and this caused Harve Bennett to be fired from Star Trek projects. And during this time even Walter Koening tried to create a new script that would have Starfleet and the Romulans teaming up to go to war with the Klingons and would see almost all the cast die in the end besides Spock and McCoy…this as well was not green lighted nor was an idea for the original cast to meet the cast of Star Trek The Next Generation. And it was an idea by Leonard Nimoy and the screenplay by director Nicholas Meyer that ended up being the bases for the sixth film in the series.

After the screenplay was locked Paramount gave the film the small budget of only $27million and filming started April 16, 1991 and needed to wrap on September 27, 1991 as Paramount wanted the film in theaters in December for a Holiday release. And during filming many coast cutting measures was used to keep the film in the given budget and they even filmed some parts at the iconic Bronson Canyon in California that has been the set for many iconic TV Shows and Movies over the years including such Horror and Sci-Fi films as “White Zombie (1932)”, “The Vampire Bat (1933)”. “Robot Monster (1953)”, “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)”, “Return Of Dracula (1958)”, “Equinox (1970)” and “Army Of Darkness (1992)” to name a very small few. I should also note that many classic heroes films, shows and serials has been shot here as well like Superman, Batman. Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon and Captain Marvel. The film would be scored by Cliff Eidelman and it would be released in theaters of December 6, 1991 and was meet with mostly positive reviews from critics as well as fans. But one sad thing is that Gene Roddenberry would pass away on October 24, 1991 at the age of 70 from heart failure and never got to see the film released. Star Trek VI would go on to bring in $96,888,996.00 worldwide and be the # 15 top grossing films in 1991 beating out such films as JFK, What About Bob?. Boyz In The Hood, The Rocketeer, Thelma & Louise, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, People Under The Stairs, Child’s Play 3, Ernest Scared Stupid, Drop Dead Fred and Suburban Commando to name a few. Over the years this film is also considered one of the best in the Original Cast Star Trek films and is still talked about and respected to this day. And I can see why I have always liked this film and have good memories once more of seeing the film in school and enjoying it for all the strange moments of the prison and the aliens that made it up. This film is also iconic for me as it marks the final film that features the classic crew all together and truly marks the end of a era of Science Fiction characters for me as while I like the reboots of Star Trek no once can replace these actors in those roles.

Star Trek VI is such a fun film and from the first time I seen it via renting it on VHS when released I was a fan as I felt that it was a great story that once more pitted Captain Kirk against the Klingons and really built up the bond and friendship between Kirk and McCoy. While the cast was getting older it was awesome to see the character they played as well grow as well as be promoted and yet all still remain friends and stick by each other during the ups and downs. It’s crazy to thank that this film is the last to feature all of the original cast together and while it’s not my favorite film in the series I feel that it was a fun one to go out on as it brings Captain Kirk and the Klingons back together and a healing moment happens for Kirk. I also think that casting David Warner as the Klingon High Council member Gorkon was very cool as I knew him from the films Tron, The Omen, Nightwing, Time Bandits, Waxwork and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret Of The Ooze and seeing him as a Klingon was fun. And growing up I owned this film on VHS and later DVD, I also had the paperback and comic adaptations as well as the films score on CD. I need to also point out that while they cut the films budget very low the film does not feel cheap, just a little less polished than the other films in the series. If you have not seen this film and enjoy Classic Star Trek make sure to give this one a watch.

Like all Star Trek films the merchandise machine was in full effect as they wanted to make a little extra money off it just in case if the box office numbers needed help. And besides the comic and of course home media release you also got the soundtrack, magazines, toys, novel, posters and shirts and like all other Star Trek movie merchandise that came before it fans flocked to buy it all up. And over the years I have had and have much of this as I still own the film on DVD as well as many of the toys, the novel and soundtrack. And at one point I had a few magazines featuring the film. I must say I do really like the classic Playmates Star Trek toys as they were well done for the time and covered all eras of the classic series and films. So if you are a fan of Star Trek VI, make sure to track down some of its merchandise for your collection.

Ok before we move onto the comic review part of this Star Trek themed update we need to talk about the fact that actress Kim Cattrall and her character Valeris are super attractive in this film I mean Kim was already a 80’s Actress Sex Symbol with her roles in such films as Police Academy, Big Trouble In Little China, Mannequin and Honeymoon Academy to name a few all adding to movie goers noticing her beauty. And when she took a roll in the then newest Star Trek film the world of Sci-Fi started to really take notice of her looks and her acting talent. And man did she look great as a Vulcan and in a Star Fleet Office uniform! And come on any of you fellow Trekkies out there know just how great it is to see an attractive woman in a Trek uniform. Rumor has it that Leonard Nimoy was not a fan of Kim’s on set as he thought she was driven by ego and again just a rumor is that she and her boyfriend at the time took sexy pictures of herself on the USS Enterprise set and this was the final straw for Nimoy who caught her doing so and forced them to destroy the pictures and made it that she would never work on a Star Trek project again…but again this was all just a rumor. But one thing is for sure and that’s Kim made her mark in the world of Star Trek and looked good doing it.

Well I think we are at the point to travel to that Undiscovered Country with the crew of the USS Enterprise and DC Comics and see how this comic adaptation compares to the film it’s based on. And this is a comic I am looking forward to re-reading as its been a very long time sense I did so, and I also would like to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would like to also remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready lets head to the criminal trail of Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy and see how and if they can beat the murder rap they are on the hook for.

Star Trek VI # 1
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.95 DC Comics # 1 of 1

Captain Sulu and his crew have just finished up a three year mission and as they are returning an explosion from a Klingon owned moon rocks the star ship and worse when they call the planet to see if they need help the Klingons refuse it, and Sulu ends up calling for the Starfleet for help. Days pass and at a big Starfleet meeting Spock gives a speech about helping The Klingons who’s ozone is damaged after the moon explosion and that in 50 Years their planet will be unlivable and that Klingon Ambassador Gorkon is willing to call for peace in order to get help, and the Starfleet are torn on if they should trust them and help and Captain Kirk is against helping them! But after talk they majority vote to help and Spock has volunteered Kirk and the Enterprise to host Gorkon through federation territory and to the meeting, Kirk is not happy as he hates them but does so with his classic crew as well a new crew member Valeris a Vulcan who graduated at the top of her class. That evening Captain Kirk and the Enterprise Crew host Gorkon and his crew for dinner and that includes General Chang who clearly does not like Kirk, and the dinner ends in arguments between the two sides. Latter the ship of Gorkon is attacked by torpedo’s being fired by the Enterprise to Kirk and the crews shock as well as two masked men beam aboard the Klingon ship and shoot and kill Gorkon! After the attack General Chang blames Kirk for the attack as well as Doctor McCoy who tired to medically help Gorkon for his murder and this forces the two to be put to trial via Klingon law and are found guilty and sent to a frozen prison planet. Meanwhile Spock, Valeris, Scotty, Uhura and Chekov are all trying to figure out what happened as the ships computers are conflicting with each other on if the torpedo’s came from the Enterprise as well as some interference is keeping them from talking with Starfleet. While on the frozen prison planet Kirk and McCoy meet female alien Martia who fills them in on the rules of this prison, while on the Enterprise Spock leads a search of the ship in order to find the assassins. Kirk and McCoy are able to escape the prison with the help of Martia who was a spy for the Klingons and is killed during the escape and are beamed back to the Enterprise where they have discovered that a new cloaked Klingon Bird Of Prey ship is the one who fired the torpedo’s and that Valeris is the one who was the traitor of the Enterprise and helped set up the assassination. Kirk gets the help of Sulu and they head to the peace talks as another assassination is going to take place and they bring down General Chang who was one of the masterminds behind this framing of Kirk and is in the Bird Of Prey that is now blown up that fired on Gorkon’s ship. Once at the peace talks Kirk and his crew stop the assassination and expose the members of both sides that wanted the peace talks to fail, and Kirk forgives the Klingons for the death of his son and as all things change for the good Kirk knows this was the final ride for the Enterprise with him in as Captain.

This comic adaptation is very well done and DC Comics once more proved that they knew how to adapt the Star Trek films into comics! The plot is best summed up this way Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are framed for the murder of a high ranking Klingon and are sent to a prison planet were they have to try and escape the clear their names and expose the Klingon traitor who has set up the whole thing to cause more tension and possible war between Starfleet and the Klingons as he thinks his people have gone soft. This plot is very cool and is kind of deep as it shows Race Tension between several different alien races and shows that all people are the same and there is good and bad in everyone as we all have the goal of just living our lives, and it also shows that people will come together for a common goal and that can be something positive or something foul. Captain Kirk goes from being very angry and hating the Klingon race for the death of his son, and by the end learns that forgiveness and change is what is best for the galaxy. And like always Kirk is a ladies man and a hero and risks his life several time in order to escape and do the right thing and that’s solve a murder, make sure peace is meet and to clear his name of murder. Doctor McCoy who does not trust the Klingon’s does do his best to save the life of one, but does not understand the biology of them and is not able to help. Spock along with Scotty, Uhura and Chekov do what they can to solve this murder mystery and of course figure it all out and save lives and Spock is the key to help Kirk grow as a person. Valeris and General Chang are the two masterminds behind the killing of Gorkon as they both on the side that The Klingons and Starfleet should never trust each other and that being at war is what is needed. I think what is great is that General Chang is so ego driven that even before he is blown up he is bragging and thinking he is in charge of the battle, such a great and sleazy bad guy. The comic does a great job of keeping the pace of the story going and yet also keeps all the important speeches and exchanges between characters. I also have to say that while they are around Sulu, Scotty, Uhura and Chekov do kind of seem like background players in the issue as they are helpful and around they just are not major players in the issue. The cover for this issue is awesome and showcases all the major character from the film and the interior artwork done by Gordon Purcell is really good and he does a great job of capturing the likeness of the actors. Over all a great comic adaptation and is a very fun and entertaining read. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Purcell.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a great film and as you can see DC Comics did a great job of turning the movie into a fun comic and capturing the mood and adventure elements of the film on paper. I also want to say that I was really sad hearing about the passing of Nichelle Nichols in 2022 who played Uhura, as she was an amazing actress and will be missed. But with the review coming to an end it also makes me a little sad as we only have one more film and comic adaptation that features the some of the cast of the original series to cover and of course that is Star Trek: Generations and we will be covering that in 2024. But as our time with Captain Kirk and the crew come to an end I want to let you know that the next update will take us out of space and into the wrestling ring as we take a look at George “The Animal” Steele and kick off our year long celebration of Pro Wrestling and WWF WrestleMania! So until next time read a Star Trek comic or three, watch a Star Trek film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update and lets hope that Turnbuckles is not the only snack food offered at the Rotten Ink Arena snack bar!

Star Trek V: What Does God Need With A Starship?

Posted on January 13, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and one of the updates that I selected to be part of this 10 year celebration of course has to be another of the Star Trek films as they have always been some of my favorite sci-fi flicks ever made. Rotten Ink and Star Trek go hand in hand as the show and movies are truly parts of my past, and I am sure as Star Trek continues on it will as well be apart of my future. As you long time readers know, I have been reviewing all the comic adaptations of Star Trek films that feature the original cast (you know the ones with Captain Kirk and Spock) and this year we have landed on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, a film in the series that was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, but one I am very much looking forward to covering as I have always enjoyed it! So with that, let’s take a look at Star Trek V as well as the DC Comics adaptation as its time to Boldly Go Where Many Comic Readers Have Gone Before and that’s on comic adventures with the crew of the Enterprise.

Let’s start off by talking about the film itself. I will be taking the film’s plot write up from our pals at IMDB and after I will be writing about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s take trip with the Enterprise Crew to a final frontier in space.

Star Trek V: Final Frontier (1989)

“When the newly-christened starship Enterprise’s shakedown cruise goes poorly, Captain Kirk and crew put her into Spacedock for repairs. But an urgent mission interrupts their Earth-bound shore leave. A renegade Vulcan named Sybok has taken three ambassadors hostage on Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace. This event also attracts the attention of a Klingon captain who wants to make a name for himself and sets out to pursue the Enterprise. Sybok’s ragtag army captures the Enterprise and takes her on a journey to the center of the galaxy in search of the Supreme Being.”

William Shatner was finally given the opportunity to direct one of the films in the Star Trek series with this fifth film that he also helped with the story on, a story that he had been working on even before he was offered the director’s chair. Shatner’s original idea was about a false God that turns into Satan that tries to take the crew of the Enterprise to Hell…what a strange and interesting idea that also seems like it would have been an issue of the Marvel Comics series. Producer Harve Bennett was ready to walk away from the Star Trek film series after three films produced and the feuding he had with Leonard Nimoy, but after a meeting Shatner got him back on board. Then some elements of Shatner’s story needed to be changed due to the concern that the subject matter of God and Satan might not sit well with moviegoers. They changed the depiction of God into an alien being that was faking being God in order gain power and then brought on David Loughery to write the screenplay. This idea and script did not sit well with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, and the screenplay was put on hold when Loughery was part of the Writers Guild Of America strike, holding up the film’s production. When he finally got back to work and finished it, Shatner was displeased with many of the writer’s changes to his idea and things once more had to be worked out when Nimoy and Kelley had concerns with the script. Once the script was green lit by Paramount, they started the design, production and casting processes and started to film in October 1988. The filming of the fifth film in the series was very stressful as delays, strikes and looming deadlines made it stressful for all involved, but with luck and a hard working crew, William Shatner was able to get the film wrapped and Paramount as well as fans were very pleased to hear that the film was wrapped and would be released in theaters very soon. When the film was edited, composer Jerry Goldsmith was brought in and he made an amazing score that for many is one of the highlights of the film series with tracks like “The Mountain” being a must listen in this blogger’s opinion. The film was released in theaters on June 9, 1989 and was meet with poor reviews from critics who thought it was the weakest in the series, but movie goers seemed to favor it more as with them it was meet with mixed reviews. The film brought in $52,210,049.00 for Paramount at the American box office and ranked # 25 for the year beating out such films as Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, The Karate Kid Part III, License To Kill, All Dogs Go To Heaven, A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 5, No Holds Barred and Friday The 13^th Part 8 to name a few. While Star Trek V might not be the biggest blockbuster in the series, I for one always enjoyed it and think it’s way underrated and offers some fun and adventures moments.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a film that I first saw on VHS when my parents rented it from the video store and we had a family movie night watching it. I remember that we had microwave popcorn, and me and my brother were drinking Kool-Aid. I remember enjoying and loving the film as the bonding between Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy around the campfire singing songs, drinking whiskey and eating beans was awesome and something that captured the three characters’ friendship so perfect. I liked the idea of them searching for God all because of a crazed Vulcan who is a cult leader by all accounts taking them hostage and brainwashing them to do so. Over the years I have seen the film many times and each time I have enjoyed it, and no joke this film has a line that I say all the time around the house to Juliet and I will get to that a little later. I also remember that my Uncle Thurman loved Star Trek V and can remember talking to him about the film while at my grandparents’ house. While Star Trek V is not my favorite film in the series, it’s not one I dislike and find it to be very charming, It’s one you should watch for the first time or watch again with a clear mind and enjoy it for the fun ride it is. I guess before we get off this part of the review I should also point out some things I didn’t like about the film with the biggest for me being the fact that the film’s semi villain is able to use his powers to scramble the minds of McCoy and the Enterprise Crew with only Kirk and Spock being strong enough to fight it off, and damn it, McCoy should have been able to as well as Sulu! To sum it up, Star Trek V is a great sequel and a fun film that I have enjoyed since I was a kid.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has one of the greatest lines in Trek history and one that, as I said, I use around the house and even at times while hanging out with friends. Now to set up this line I need to explain the scene as it has Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones McCoy and Vulcan cultist Sybok breaking through the barrier and beaming down to Sha Ka Ree, the planet that is supposed to house God, well to Sybok and his followers at least. Once there they meet The Creator who demands they bring the Enterprise closer so that he can leave the planet and spread his word among the galaxies. And upon hearing that The Creator wants them to bring down the Enterprise…Kirk asks the best question ever asked in a Star Trek film “What does God need with a starship?”! Hands down, this is an amazing line! Say that phrase out loud but do it in your best William Shatner impersonation and stress the word God…Shatner should have won an Oscar for that performance as it really is something I say so much in my life as I find it to be fitting for many of life’s questions.

Like all Star Trek films that came before it as well as after, The Final Frontier had its fare share of merchandise for fans to collect and add to their Trek collections. The film had magazines, novels, home media releases, soundtrack, toys, posters, shirts, hats, buttons, comic book, jackets, computer games, trading cards and so much more! Over the years I have owned many items based on Star Trek V like the film on VHS and DVD, the soundtrack on CD, the novel and comic as well as at one time the trading cards. So if you are a Trekkie and love Part 5, the world has many of cool items for you to own.

Did you old school gamers know that a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) based on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was being made by Bandai that was to release around the same time as the film? Did you know that it was cancelled due to the game not playing well and losing track of much of the film’s concept? Did you know that in 2006 a ROM of the game was released that featured four of the stages? Did you know that the game has also made it way to the grey market and is now on a cart that you can play on your NES? Well now you do, and I am happy to say that I have a cart version of this game and man is it a hard one with unforgiving controls and gameplay. The game is a side scrolling adventure game as well as a space shooter and it’s a shame that the game was never finished as who knows what the level that had you fight The Creator would have been, I am guessing the Enterprise firing at a floating head that spit fireballs. The game is a really fun play for fans of classic NES games, as well as Star Trek fans and if you have a ROM on your computer or have a trusty favorite cart maker, make sure to give this unfinished game a try.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a super fun film that spawned some great merchandise as well as a fun half finished game for the NES, and we are now at the time of reading and reviewing the comic. I would like to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for having the comic in stock and would also like to remind you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s boldly go where no comic reader has gone before!

Star Trek V: Final Frontier ***
Released in 1989 Cover Price $2.00 DC Comics #1 of 1

On the planet of Nimbus III the Vulcan Sybok is on a quest to get a starship in order to find the planet Sha Ka Ree and is gathering the lost souls of the planet to help him do so by coming up with a plan that will make sure one will come. Meanwhile at Yosemite National Park on shore leave Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy are having a camping trip and Kirk has decided to climb a mountain. While climbing Spock with rocket boots comes to speak to Kirk and this causes him to lose his grip and fall, and if not for Spock and his boots, he would have crashed to the earth below. Back on Nimbus III the ambassadors (a Klingon, Terran and Romulan) of the planet are taken prisoner by Sybok and his makeshift army, and Starfleet calls the Enterprise to be the peacemakers to help them. Also hearing of the hostage situation is Klingon Captain Klaa and he and his crew are more hyped for the idea of fighting a starship than helping. Once at Nimbus III, they try and trick Sybok when Chekov acts as the Captain and speaks to him about terms of releasing them while Kirk leads Spock, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Uhura and a few other crewmembers on a rescue mission on the ground. But Kirk and crew soon find that this was a set up to get their starship and Sybok has even gotten to the ambassadors who believe in his journey to find Sha Ka Ree. Now the Enterprise is in the hands of a religious madman who is Spock’s brother and also Captain Klaa is on the attack! Kirk, Spock and McCoy are thrown in a cell as Sybok uses his mind powers to get the rest of the Enterprise crew under his spell…all but Scotty who breaks them out of the cell. Kirk makes it to his room and sends a call for help! Sybok catches them and tells them of his want to find Sha Ka Ree and then uses his mind control powers on McCoy and Spock by showing them past pains and freeing them from it. Kirk refuses to get his pain taken away, and then they hit the zone that will lead them to the unknown planet of Sha Ka Ree. As Sybok rushes back to the bridge, Spock and McCoy break the hold and stay with Kirk who has been ordered to stay in his room, that is until Kirk is called back up the bridge as Sybok says the ship needs its captain. Then Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Sybok get into a shuttle and land on the planet to meet “God”, and when they land, they meet a powerful being that alerts them that he needs the starship to carry his wisdom away from the planet and the zone. When questioned why God needs the help of a ship, the being attacks Kirk and Spock! And the being shows its true self at being an evil being and Sybok attacks the being just as the Enterprise gets orders to blast it with phasers! As Kirk, Spock and McCoy run to the shuttle, the being now as a rock creature goes on the attack and Scotty is able to beam up McCoy and Spock, but before he can get Kirk, the Enterprise is attacked by Captain Klaa making Kirk stand alone against the rock creature. That is until Kirk is beamed aboard the Klingon ship thanks to the Klingon Ambassador who orders Klaa to save Kirk from that false god and that terrible planet. Once out of the zone and back on shore leave Kirk, Spock and McCoy finish their camping trip.

This DC Comic adaptation of Star Trek V is a great read and captures the adventure and humor of the film really well and even showcases the power of the Fake God even more by allowing him to become a massive rock creature who wants to smash Kirk into the ground! The plot is simple: Spock’s brother hijacks the Enterprise to find a planet that is said to hold the secrets of God only to find an evil being and throw in a young Klingon Captain who wants to make a name for himself by killing Kirk and you have this plot in a nutshell. Captain Kirk goes from a relaxing camping trip to a rescue mission to being a prisoner on his own ship to fighting a fake God to going back on vacation, so as you can see, he had a very busy couple of days! The thing about Captain Kirk is that he is fearless as well as loyal to his ship and crew and lives for his Starfleet command. Kirk really is my favorite Captain in any Star Trek series as he is a rebel, a ladies man, and a great strategist when it comes to battles with the likes of Klingons. Spock in this issue is trying to learn human camping stories and snacks and shows that while he cares about his brother, he is very much loyal to his friends. McCoy as well cares about his friends and we see that he holds lots of pain when he could not help his father with an illness that took his life and a cure was just around the corner. I have to say this again, nothing in the world of science fiction can beat the friendship and bond of Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy and Spock as they are the perfect trio of friends in any kind of fiction. The False God is pure evil and has been placed in the zone with a force field around it to keep it from infecting the rest of the galaxy with its evil ways, it’s violent and can take the appearance of anyone or thing and is best left on that planet. The Klingon Captain Klaa and his crew are young and crave war and want so badly to make a name for themselves in the history books and think that by killing Captain Kirk they can do so, and they come close until a high ranking Klingon forces them to help Kirk! Poor Sybok, who is the brother of Spock, is not a bad Vulcan at all and thinks that emotions are more important than logic and can even take peoples pain away and mind control them into happiness. All he really wants to do is find Sha Ka Ree, a planet he thinks God lives so all living things can find the answer to life and happiness, but instead he finds a fake and gives his life to try and help Spock, McCoy and Kirk to escape the cursed planet. The best part of Sybok is that he has a strange version of the Vulcan Mind Meld that allows him to fill a being with pure joy and take away their pain. I should also say that Sybok is Spock’s half brother as they share the same father. The comic does a great job of keeping the plot going and taking elements of the film that was cut from the film script like the Rock Creature. The cover for this comic is well done and super eye catching for fans of Star Trek and the interior art by James W. Fry and Arne Starr and is well done and captures the looks of the actors pretty well. If you are a fan of Star Trek V like I am I would say make sure to give this comic a read as I think you will enjoy it as much as I did. Check out the artwork below to see they style used in this comic adaptation.

Star Trek had to have a place on Rotten Ink’s 10 Year Anniversary year as they really are some of my favorite sci-fi films and growing up Star Trek was a big part of my childhood in both TV shows, movies and toys. And while Star Trek V is not one of the most well loved films staring the original cast by Trekkies, it is one that I have always been a fan of. And after reading this update I hope you give this film a watch and sit back and enjoy the silly ride from the mind of William Shatner. For my next update, I am staying in the world of sci-fi but the next topic has a touch of Greek myth and fantasy to it and I am talking about the 1981 classic film Clash Of The Titans! So until next time, read a Star Trek comic or three, watch a Star Trek film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. Join me next time as Rotten Ink unleashes the Kraken!