There's no question that "Star Trek VI" is intended as a gift to Trekkers. For those who felt "Star Trek V" was an utter failure — and there were many — this one ensures that audiences will not be left with an empty "Trek" farewell.
Rich, action-filled and loaded with familiar literary and political references, not to mention a number of savvy in-jokes, "Star Trek VI" is an utter delight that should more than please fans of the series.
The story has Kirk and the gang (except Sulu, who is captain of his own starship, the Excelsior) being summoned for a confidential meeting where it is revealed that peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire is at hand.
The parallels between Klingons and Russians are much more specific than they've ever been before, with the reasons for the peace initiative hanging on a Chernobyl-like event and a Klingon leader (David Warner) whose actions bear more than a passing resemblance to Gorbachev.
Meanwhile, a war-loving, Shakespeare-spouting general (Christopher Plummer) figures into events, clashing head-on with Kirk, who opposes the treaty, reasoning that Klingons cannot be trusted. Eventually, Kirk and Bones are accused of murder, stand trial in a Klingon court and wind up on a frozen planet, a la Siberia.
Meanwhile, Spock takes charge of the Enterprise and tries to track down a pair of killers, unravel a conspiracy plot — and implies that he may be a distant relative of Sherlock Holmes!
A fascinating new character is a changeling (Iman) who fluidly takes on other shapes, courtesy of George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (the effects resemble those used in "Terminator 2" and the Michael Jackson "Black or White" video).
Kim Cattral also has a prominent role as a Vulcan officer, to whom Spock is attracted, and other roles are filled very well by Rosana DeSoto (daughter of a Klingon chancellor), Michael Dorn (as the grandfather of Worf, whom the actor plays on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Brock Peters, Kurtwood Smith and others. (There is also an odd, unbilled cameo by Christian Slater.)
Plenty of comedy figures into the proceedings, with Walter Koenig as Chekov and DeForest Kelley as Bones getting the lion's share of quips, and the action and special effects are alltop of the line.
The strong hand of director Nicolas Meyer can be congratulated for much of this, along with a script (co-written by Meyer) that is loaded with clever, self-reverential moments that, mercifully, never sink into self-parody. (And, wisely, the political pontificating never goes on long enough to become preachy.)
It's as if the characters had read all the analysis written about "Star Trek" and decided to comment on it, often with humor.
The filmmakers are not above stealing devices from other films (transferring another language into English instead of relying on subtitles, in the manner of "The Hunt for Red October"; an underground mining camp that suspiciously resembles "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"; Kirk fighting himself, a la Superman in "Superman III"). But on the whole, the script and the look are first-rate.
As to the two big questions reflecting rumors about this film — does Spock fall in love and marry, and does Kirk die? Don't ask.
This one is right up there with the best in the series, which, in my estimation, are "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Both of those films were also guided, at least in part, by Meyer.
"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is rated PG for violence and a mild profanity or two.