“Only Nixon can go to China.” - Old Vulcan Proverb - After the box-office and critical beating of “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” many had stuck their forks in Trek and called it done, but reports of the franchise’s death were greatly exaggerated. Although the gang was poised for a comeback, it initially was not for their final goodbye, but for a prequel movie introducing Kirk, Spock and McCoy meeting for the first time). in their younger Starfleet Academy days, (sounds familiar, eh?). As conceived by producer Harve Bennett, the actors would appear in bookend scenes at the beginning and end of the film addressing Academy graduates on how the legendary crew first met. 1991 was the franchise’s 25th anniversary and Paramount studios wanted to use that to sell “Star Trek VI,” thusly. Bennett turned in his script titled, “The Academy Years,” and the studio heads hated it and which time Bennett said goodbye to the franchise he helped revive. Upon Bennett’s departure, much to the chagrin of the fans, Leonard Nimoy was asked to write and possibly direct the series swan song. With help from “Wrath of Khan” director, Nicholas Meyer, the two churned out a potent political allegory with the Klingons in mortal danger and asking for the Federation for help. Nimoy deferred the offer to direct so as he wouldn’t rankle his friend Shatner‘s ego. Instead Nick Meyer was asked to direct and with it, bring some of his trademark realism to the Trek universe. With less than a year scheduled for the entire production, the filmmakers worked fast to deliver one of the finest entries. The movie begins with a cataclysmic explosion of the Klingon moon, Praxis. We meet Captain Sulu on board the Excelsior barely escaping the shock wave in one piece. Kirk and Spock are soon sent to meet the Klingons as an envoy of peace. An assassination of one of the Klingon representatives takes place and implicates Kirk and McCoy who are found guilty and sent to the icy prison planet Rure Pentha. Spock comes to their rescue and it’s a race against time to stop the peace obstructionists on their way to Camp Kitomer. A popular joke at the time dubbed the movie, “Star Trek VI: The Apology,” which in a sense is very true, although Trek 5 is one of my least favorite it’s not nearly as terrible as it was originally perceived, a modest failure at its worst, a mere bump in the road to greatness at the very least, thankfully this film rights those wrongs. “Star Trek VI” is very much aware of the it’s the previous films mistakes and is sturdy as tight-rope walker to make sure there are no repeats. Leonard Nimoy and Nicholas Meyers’ screenplay is very astute in capturing the political milieu of the day, asking what would happen if "the wall came down in space", touching on the contemporary events of the Cold War; the Klingons are echoing the Russians right after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and eastern communism, with Chancellor Gorkon resembling Gorbechev and Abe Lincoln. The acting is much improved this time around with everyone scaling back delivering real, human performances, especially Shatner as Kirk gets some juicy scenes that don’t end with a dumb joke. Leonard Nimoy as Spock runs the show as he elicits a shocking response from Kirk when he tells his Captain that Kirk has been chosen as the Federation envoy to the Klingons, quoting an old Vulcan proverb, “Only Nixon can go to China,” Spock says, “They are dying, Jim.” Kirk’s pain from the murder of his son David by a Klingon in Trek III, is still fresh, his reply “Let them die.” Kirk instantly regrets his words, but we can feel his rage, his fears. Plenty of other fine moments with the cast as this was their official goodbye in their final film together. It’s amazing the film is as good as it is with such a pre and post production schedule of less than a year and with time constraints came several budget cuts that will forever have the fans asking, “what might have been if….” Some behind the scenes trivia- Kirstie Alley, who originated the role of Saavik in Wrath of Khan, was offered to return, but Paramount said no to her asking price. So instead of re-casting the role for a third time, (Robin Curtis was unavailable) a totally new character was created, Vulcan protégé, Valeris played by Kim Cattrall , who ironically enough was originally offered the role of Saavik back in 1981. Some back-stage power struggles began when Gene Roddenberry got wind of Saavik’s third act betrayal as he tried to prevent the film from being made. Director Meyers reminded Robbenbarry that he created the character of Saavik and he could with her whatever he wanted. That, coupled with Alley’s budget busting price tag shot down the daring plot twist. The original opening to the film was a long sequence that involved Captain Sulu, after having been the first to report the explosion of the Klingon moon, Praxis, is sent around to collect his old friends out of their respective retirements. . Spock's whereabouts are classified; McCoy is drunk and bored at a posh awards ceremony in his honor; Scott is teaching Engineering while the Bird of Prey from The Voyage Home is pulled from San Francisco Bay; Uhura hosts a call-in radio show and is glad to escape; Chekov is playing chess at a club and Captain Kirk was to have married Carol Marcus (played again by Bibi Besch from “The Wrath of Khan“), the mother of his late son, David, leading a settled life before a special envoy arrives at his door. Once the script was submitted to the studio, this opening round-up was the first to go, either it was going to get the axe or the entire production was going to be cancelled, as always, the suits wanted Trek as cheap as they could get it and they got it. The performances are all great as the crew plays heavily on nostalgia. Up to that point, the characters had been with us for twenty-five years and it was bittersweet to see that the end in sight. Unlike the previous film that seemed to throw all logic and its character’s motivations into the wind, this film acknowledges the passage of time and let’s everyone know this is the final mission for the beloved crew. Christopher Plummer as Klingon General Chang is one of the best baddies since Khan. An arrogant, cunning brute who loves to quote Shakespeare. Performance wise, it’s a low-key approach as Plummer lets the make-up and costume do most of the work as he sports an eye-patch bolted to his skull. The theme of change is certainly the most dominant, not only for future Enterprise adventures, but especially in the film’s political setting. We see Kirk’s initial reluctance to help the Klingons as he still feels rage over his son murder, which makes it all the more poignant when he’s one of the first to reach out to the assassinated Gorkon’s daughter, Azetbur. It is Spock who helps him realize that his hatred is obsolete as he allows for a cleansing that restores his son to him in some way. Both men are reluctant to accept their new roles in retirement. Spock at one point asks, “Have we grown so old and useless?“ Both eventually acknowledge their time is up. Deep stuff that is handled with skill and maturity and in typical Star Trek fashion. The score is one of the best since Goldsmith’s TMP; very ominous and non-traditional, becoming a character itself. It’s a real mystery why it’s composer, Cliff Edelman, never became a household name. After the opportunities squandered in the fifth installment, UDC was a nice return to form and the perfect send-off to old friends. Far from a perfect film, but its well done and a welcome addition to any fans collection.