Taglines: On the verge of peace. On the brink of war.
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country movie storyline. After an explosion on their moon, the Klingons have an estimated 50 years before their ozone layer is completely depleted, and they all die. They have only one choice – to make peace with the Federation, which will mean an end to 70 years of conflict. Captain James T. Kirk and crew are called upon to help in the negotiations because of their experience with the Klingons. Peace talks don’t quite proceed, and Kirk and McCoy are convicted of assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor, and imprisoned on Rura Penthe, a snowy hard-labor prison camp. Will they manage to escape? And will there ever be peace with the Klingons?
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a 1991 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the sixth feature film based on Star Trek, and a sequel to the 1966–1969 Star Trek television series. Taking place after the events of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, it is the last film featuring the entire cast of the original series. After the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis leads the Klingon Empire to pursue peace with their long-time adversary the Federation, the crew of the USS Enterprise must race against unseen conspirators with a militaristic agenda.
The sixth film in the series was initially planned as a prequel to the original series, with younger actors portraying the crew of the Enterprise while attending Starfleet Academy, but the idea was discarded because of negative reaction from the original cast and the fans. Faced with producing a new film in time for Star Trek’s 25th anniversary, Nicholas Meyer, the director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Denny Martin Flinn wrote a script based on a suggestion from Leonard Nimoy about what would happen if “the Wall came down in space”, touching on the contemporary events of the Cold War.
Principal photography took place between April and September 1991. The production budget was smaller than anticipated because of the critical and commercial disappointment of The Final Frontier. Because of a lack of sound stage space on the Paramount lot, many scenes were filmed around Hollywood. Meyer and cinematographer Hiro Narita aimed for a darker and more dramatic mood, subtly altering sets originally used for the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Producer Steven-Charles Jaffe led a second unit that filmed on an Alaskan glacier that stood in for a Klingon gulag. Cliff Eidelman produced the film’s score, which is intentionally darker than previous Star Trek offerings.
The film was released in North America on December 6, 1991. The Undiscovered Country garnered positive reviews, with publications praising the lighthearted acting and facetious references. The film performed strongly at the box office. It posted the largest opening weekend gross of the series before going on to earn $96,888,996 worldwide.
The film earned two Academy Award nominations, for Best Makeup and Best Sound Effects, and is the only Star Trek movie to win the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. A special collectors’ edition DVD version of the film was released in 2004, to which Meyer had made minor alterations. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died shortly before the movie’s premiere, just days after viewing the film. The film marked the final appearance together of the original series’ cast.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Directed by: Nicholas Meyer
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Kim Cattrall, David Warner, Christopher Plummer, Rosanna DeSoto
Screenplay by: Nicholas Meyer, Denny Martin Flinn
Production Design by: Herman F. Zimmerman
Cinematography by: Hiro Narita
Film Editing by: William Hoy, Ronald Roose
Costume Design by: Dodie Shepard
Set Decoration by: Mickey S. Michaels
Art Direction by: Nilo Rodis-Jamero
Music by: Cliff Eidelman
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: December 6, 1991
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