This is the first Trek film I saw in theaters, and even at the time I remember being a little disappointed. My favorite parts of the film and when Kirk is off camping with Spock and McCoy. The character moments between the three of them are all the redeems this from being among the very worst of the films. Sybok as an emotional Vulcan is about as entertaining as Data with the emotion chip. Even the Klingons aren't at their best in this film with the one rogue captain with wild hair not really adding much tension.
The movie begins with some dude with no teeth digging on a the planet of galactic peace. Some bearded guy on a horse comes and offers to take away his pain and the toothless guy seems excited. We join Kirk halfway up El Capitan in Yosemite climbing the face with no rope. McCoy is freaking out below and Spock decides to fly in with rocket boots to say hi. Kirk falls and Spock saves him just before he hits the ground. We rejoin them around the campfire enjoying baked beans and roasting marshmallows. Back on the ship Scotty and Uhura are having a hell of a time getting things working. Back on the planet Nimbus III (aka galactic peace I guess) Sybok (the dude who takes peoples pain) takes control of the city of paradise and seizes the ambassadors to the Klingons, Romulans and Federation. This is apparently enough of a crisis to summon Kirk and company back from shore leave and send the barely functional Enterprise to investigate, but not a big enough deal to send any other Federation vessels. A bored Klingon ship joins in as well.
Kirk plans a raid on paradise which involves Uhura distracting some nomads with her fan dance and Kirk stealing a bunch of horses. Paradise puts on a fight but in the end of course Kirk wins but the ambassadors all want to work with Sybok so they surrender for some reason despite having just won. They take a shuttlecraft back up but of course the Klingons show up and Sulu has to crash land the shuttle into the shuttle bay. Spock refuses to shoot Sybok and he captures the captain and apparently the entire ship as well without any fight. He brainwashes Chekov and Uhura and throws Spock, McCoy and Kirk into the brig. Scotty manages to blast them out but knocks himself unconsious before he can help any more.
They think they have contacted Starfleet but in fact have contacted the Klingons. Sybok shows up and there is a long scene where he goes through McCoy and Spock's painful memories and I guess frees them which seems to work at least mostly with McCoy, but not at all with Spock. But no time! They have come to THE GALACTIC BARRIER! Only instead of being around the galaxy it is in the middle. Now before we go further I want to point out this barrier is penetrated with easy by both Enterprise and Klingon bird of prey making it more of an advisory than a barrier. Anyway they fly in and find a planet inside. Sybok flies down with Kirk, Spock and McCoy and they meet god only he is an evil alien, not god. Kirk has Sulu shoot a torpedo at him but it doesn't work. Spock and McCoy beam up but the Klingons show up and damage the transporters. Spock has the Klingon ambassador convince the bird of prey to stand down and it blasts the god thing and saves Kirk. Now they apparently are cool and there is peace the end.
Review: I kinda glossed over some of the stuff like Sulu, the ships navigator, getting lost in the woods or pretty much everyone on the ship being willing to betray Kirk at the drop of a hat. Shatner directed this one and you can tell his ego was on the line. If you want a better story about going to the center of the galaxy and meeting the god/devil go watch The Magicks of Megus-tu instead.
3 out of 10
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