Star Trek V: The Final Frontier UHD Review

I have always thoroughly enjoyed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. There, I said it. Paramount never really had the right level of faith in their Star Trek franchise to budget appropriately it seems – with an exception perhaps being The Motion Picture, though that may have crept up on them more than having been a decision made. This would become more pronounced during the theatrical exploits of The Next Generation. That budgetary challenge and its impact on Shatner’s directorial effort cannot be understated. Everything from the visual effects work to the rushed and retooled ending contribute to the film’s faltering. Money won’t fix script problems, or editing kinks and creases, but it can help a filmmaker better realize an ambitious vision, remove some headaches and challenges, and even help distract audiences from broader issues.

Still, The Final Frontier succeeds best in the intimate. The campfire, the brig, the “pain” sequence in the Forward Observation Lounge, are some of the best scenes in the film. This outing is also the most physical, action-wise, for the Enterprise crew (a preference for Shatner), and thus makes this more naturally adventurous in spirit. There’s a better film to be had from the original intentions, but that’s not what we got. Despite all its foibles, I remain steadfastly fond of this film and Paramount’s 4K release is the best this film has ever looked in the home theater.

The Production: 3/5

“Damn it, Bones, you’re a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They’re the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away! I need my pain!”

A mesmerizing Vulcan, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) orchestrates a hostile takeover of a rundown, forgotten backwater town called Paradise on the weapons-free, neutral planet of Nimbus III. In doing so, he takes the Klingon, Terran, and Romulan diplomats stationed there hostage. His plan, to lure a response and steal a starship so he can make the journey to the center of the universe, beyond the perilous Great Barrier, to find Sha Ka Ree – the place where all existence began. The Federation only has the USS Enterprise close enough to respond, and despite the ship still undergoing a refit and the crew amid some needed shore-leave, Captain Kirk, his crew, and the imperfectly operating starship are dispatched the Nimbus III.

“What does God need with a starship?”

Shatner’s The Final Frontier isn’t a great film by any standard. Unevenly structured, challenged by script weaknesses, and almost fatally impacted by a paucity of good visual effects work. The crew of the Enterprise on a mission to the center of the universe to find God is a tantalizing premise (even if Gene Rodenberry wasn’t a fan), but the ambitions of the story aren’t matched by its execution, and the production not supported with the budget necessary to “do it right.” There were other matters that hurt the film, chiefly the absence of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) who were too busy with the effects work for Ghostbusters II, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, and of course creating the Pseudopod for James Cameron’s The Abyss. 1989 also proved to be a banner year for fun and popular films at the Box Office, all of which served as headwinds for this shaky entry.

This fifth big screen adventure also delightfully hues to the spirit of the television series. It’s filled with several memorable character moments and interactions. While the campfire sequence with Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Bones, AKA Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) didn’t win everyone over, I’ve always adored the interaction; a mix of gruffness and silly that captures the decades these three members of Enterprise’s crew have served together and the friendship between them and the actors portraying them. The sequence after Sybok has taken command of the Enterprise – as Spock, Bones, and Kirk engage with Sybok as he seeks to free them of “their pain,” through his empathetic mind-meld technique – is one of the best scenes in any of the Star Trek films, and certainly a wonderful showcase for DeForest Kelly’s acting. That captivating showcase is emblematic of something William Shatner as director would so generously do for all the core cast. Even George Takei, who famously had a fractured relationship with Shatner, would get a delightfully comedic moment as Sulu. Takei also shared in interviews how Shatner as director was warm and generous. Shatner, it seems, understood the power and potential of the full crew of the Enterprise and the winning cast who inhabited them. Nichelle Nichol’s Uhura and Walter Koenig’s Chekov both get their own solo scenes (though Uhura’s isn’t widely enjoyed). Laurence Luckinbill’s Sybok is interesting. He’s not so much a villain, as a complication. There’s an attempt to add a more tradition villain in the form of a Klingon aggressor, Captain Klaa (Todd Bryant), in a pursuing Bird of Prey. It’s unconvincing. The Klingon, Terran, and Vulcan ‘hostages’ are Charles Cooper’s Korrd, David Warner’s St. John Talbot, and Cynthia Gouw’s Caithlin Dar. None are used particularly well, but David Warner would get another opportunity as a much better character in the next film, The Undiscovered Country, and a juicy part on Star Trek: The Next Generation’s season 4 two-part episode, The Chain of Command, as Gul Madred.

I spent this summer (2022) rewatching the entirety of Star Trek: The Original Series; three seasons of spirited adventures brimming with social commentary and an impressive exploration of science fiction concepts. I followed that with the animated series, a less successful expression of the root premise but still a beneficiary of thoughtful science fiction ideas. I am glad I was so deeply reacquainted with all the television episodes of Kirk and crew before seeing Star Trek V again for the first time in many years. It reminded me just how deeply reminiscent of the show The Final Frontier succeeded in being.

I recognize Star Trek V is the weakest of the original crew’s big screen adventures, but I am also very fond of the film. The Final Frontier was the first Trek film I got to see on the big screen. I was 14 and had the most joyous day at the cinema, watching Shatner’s Trek followed by James Cameron’s The Abyss. It’s one of my favorite memories at the cinema and has placed both Trek V and The Abyss deep within my cinema-loving DNA. Despite my memories of this film being warm and thrilling, I’ve always been aware of where this film went wrong. But you can love and be charmed and enamored with something while recognizing all its imperfections. That is what Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is to me.

Video: 4.5/5

3D Rating: NA

Framed at 2.39:1, the 4K scan of the original camera negative performed by Paramount for this release affords the film its best presentation that’s light years ahead of the previous Blu-ray release (which was hampered by aggressive digital noise reduction and artificial sharpening).

The Ultra High-Definition disc delivers an experience of this film that’s closer to perfect than ever before. With protected film grain and striking detail throughout, there’s a wonderfully ‘brand new’ sense to the experience. The colors are sublime in a few scenes, aided by the Dolby Vision grading. Flesh tones are warm and natural, and while the visual effects are largely unconvincing and ‘digital’, the crisp white of the USS Enterprise is quite something. The colors of The Great Barrier, the blue pop of ‘God,’ also stand out. Darker scenes, such as the Sybok sequence with Spock, Bones, and Kirk, are nicely balanced and details really shine through while the blacks are deep and rich. The moments of softness, while fleeting, will be noticeable if short.

I could not be more thrilled with how Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has fared in this 4K release.

Audio: 4.5/5

While we’re not getting a new Dolby Atmos mix for any of the Star Trek films besides the Director’s Cut of The Motion Picture, the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 repurposed from the previous Blu-ray release is still very good. Effective at creating the starship’s ambience, the real treasure in this track is the solid spread of surround effects and booming low frequency effects during the action. The failed hostage rescue attempt on Nimbus III a good example with a great deal going on and an audio track that’s pulling you in. Dialogue is clear and clean in the center channel, too. The score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith who returned to the cinematic franchise for the first time since The Motion Picture. He crafts a rousing score and delivers a sense of adventurous awe and wonder for the passage to and through the Great Barrier. It’s a magnificent score and one I’ve replayed countless times thanks to La-La Land Records superb 2-disc expanded version released in 2010. That version is now out of print, but Intrada Records brought it back into release and you can still grab a copy.

Special Features: 4/5

There are no new special features on this release. The included Blu-ray disc carries all the same special features found on the 2009 release, while the 4K disc also carries the 2 commentary tracks (so both Blu and 4K discs have the commentaries). It’s a good collection of special features, certainly comprehensive, but one that never exposed for those interested, the reality of its challenging production (besides mentions of budgetary impacts), nor the film’s pronounced failure and flaws. Still, there are interesting pieces to be found in here though precious few are in HD.

4K Disc:

• Audio Commentary by William Shatner and Liz Shatner
• Audio Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and Daren Dochterman

Blu-ray disc:

• Audio Commentary by William Shatner and Liz Shatner
• Audio Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and Daren Dochterman
• Library Computer (HD)
• Production
  • Harve Bennett’s Pitch to Sales Team (SD – 1:42)
  • The Journey: A Behind-The-Scenes Documentary (SD – 28:55)
  • Makeup Tests (SD – 9:50)
  • Pre-Visualization Models (SD – 1:41)
  • Rockman in the Raw (SD – 5:37)
  • Star Trek V Press Conference (SD – 13:42)
• The Star Trek Universe
  • Herman Zimmerman: A Tribute (SD – 19:09)
  • Original Interview: William Shatner (SD – 14:37)
  • Cosmic Thoughts (SD – 13:05)
  • That Klingon Couple (SD – 13:05)
  • A Green Future? (SD – 9:24)
  • Star Trek Honors NASA (HD – 9:57)
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame: James Doohan (SD – 3:07)
  • Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 005: Nimbus III (HD – 3:02)
• Deleted Scenes
  • Mount Rushmore (SD – :18)
  • Insults (SD – 2:03)
  • Behold Paradise (SD – :52)
  • Spock’s Pain (SD – 1:02)
• Production Gallery (SD – 4:04)
• Storyboards (HD)
  • Sha Ka Ree
  • The Face of God
  • Escape
• Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD – 2:42)
• Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD – 1:34)
• TV Spots
  • Vacation Is Over (SD – :32)
  • Renegade (SD – :32)
  • Challenge of Rebellion (SD – :31)
  • Brothers (SD – :32)
  • Beyond (SD – :32)
  • Adventure (SD – :16)
  • Warp Speed Now (SD – :17)
• The Gag Reel (SD – 1:08)

Digital copy of the film

Overall: 4.5/5

I have always thoroughly enjoyed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. There, I said it. Paramount never really had the right level of faith in their Star Trek franchise to budget appropriately it seems – with an exception perhaps being The Motion Picture, though that may have crept up on them more than having been a decision made. This would become more pronounced during the theatrical exploits of The Next Generation. That budgetary challenge and its impact on Shatner’s directorial effort cannot be understated. Everything from the visual effects work to the rushed and retooled ending contribute to the film’s faltering. Money won’t fix script problems, or editing kinks and creases, but it can help a filmmaker better realize an ambitious vision, remove some headaches and challenges, and even help distract audiences from broader issues.

Still, The Final Frontier succeeds best in the intimate. The campfire, the brig, the “pain” sequence in the Forward Observation Lounge, are some of the best scenes in the film. This outing is also the most physical, action-wise, for the Enterprise crew (a preference for Shatner), and thus makes this more naturally adventurous in spirit. There’s a better film to be had from the original intentions, but that’s not what we got. Despite all its foibles, I remain steadfastly fond of this film and Paramount’s 4K release is the best this film has ever looked in the home theater.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

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Neil Middlemiss

Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.