After 36 Years, Star Trek Is Finally Calling Out Its Most Controversial Movie

After 36 years, Star Trek is finally calling out its most controversial movie. After the classic Star Trek was canceled in 1969, it returned in a series of feature films running from 1979 to 1991. These movies were successes at the box office and with fans, but were not without controversy. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was one, and its contentious nature is called out in Star Trek: Lower Decks #5.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #5 was written by Ryan North and drawn by Jack Lawrence. The Cerritos crew is enjoying some downtime on Arakia Base while the ship undergoes a baryon sweep. Some of the ship’s officers are watching a puppet re-enactment of the conclusion of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in which Spock confronts “God.” The dialogue is different from the movie, as are Spock’s actions, leading T’Lynn to conclude “this puppet-based play is, at best, of dubious canonicity.”

Star Trek V Is One of the Franchise's Most-Maligned Movies

The Final Frontier Had Great Ideas, Just a Lousy Execution

T’Lynn’s remark might seem to be nothing more than a snarky brush-off, but in fact it is a very subtle reference to one of the most controversial movies in the Star Trek franchise. In 1989, Paramount Pictures released Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Directed by William Shatner, the movie introduced Spock’s half-brother Sybok, a Vulcan who embraced emotions. Sybok was on a quest to find “Sha-Ka-Ree,” a mythical world that could be compared to the Garden of Eden. Sybok hijacked the Enterprise and took it to the center of the galaxy, where he believed Eden lay.

Arriving at the center of the galaxy, the crew meet “God,” only to find out he is nothing more than a cosmic being seeking to escape his captivity. Kirk, Spock and the crew succeed in stopping the creature, but are no closer to finding Sha-Ka-Ree, if it ever existed at all. The film raised serious questions about the nature of God and faith. It was also a celebration of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy dynamic that made the classic Star Trek so great. The film was a success at the box office, but took a beating from critics and some fans.

Even Gene Roddenberry Had Things to Say About Star Trek V

In Later Years, Gene Roddenberry Had a Contentious Relationship with his Creation

Star Trek: V: The Final Frontier had its detractors from all sectors, including franchise creator Gene Roddenberry. After the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Roddenberry had been “promoted” to Executive Producer, but had very little power or control over what was made. According to Star Trek lore, Roddenberry took issue with several parts of The Final Frontier, including Spock having a half-brother. Apparently, Roddenberry was so incensed with elements of the movie he tried to get them declared non-canon, to no avail. Gene Roddenberry would pass away two years after The Final Frontier’s release.

To be fair, there were other aspects of the Star Trek franchise Roddenberry voiced displeasure with. After the lukewarm reception by fans and critics to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Roddenberry was kicked upstairs, and creative control was handed off to Harve Bennett, who would produce the remaining films featuring the Original Series cast, including The Wrath of Khan. Roddenberry was apparently displeased with that movie as well, fearing it cast Starfleet as a strictly military organization, which he felt ran counter to Star Trek’s values. Roddenberry was also not happy with later seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Calls Out Gene Rodenberry's Reaction to The Final Frontier

Is The Final Frontier Really That Bad of a Movie?

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a mess of a movie, one that promises a big story but ultimately fails to deliver. It also takes liberties with some of the character’s backstories, which Roddenberry had issues with, to the point that he tried to use his remaining clout at Paramount to get it struck from the canon. His relationship with his creation in later years was somewhat contentious, leading to declarations such as The Final Frontier not being in continuity. Now, 36 years later, Roddenberry’s displeasure with the film gets a subtle callout.