Make a new StarTrek-V

[Crossroads Inc.]

STV is so reviled among both fans and movie goers, that at one point Roddenberry himself alluded to it not being a part of StarTrek Canon. In the last discussion thread, the most plausible explanation for the bizarre and nonsensical aspects of the movie was that Kirk, after a near death experience, and a night of consuming beans and large amounts of booze, had a bizzar and disturbing dream.

Lets go with that...

ST-Four ended with the crew coming back to Earth and Receiving the "Yorktown" the last Constellation produced, which was renamed Enterprise-A and given to them.
ST-Six opens with the crew being assembled for their mission to escort the Klingon Chancellor.

Between that time Sulu becomes Captain of the Excelsior, and, going by statements of the rest of the crew upon entering the briefing room, others of the Crew have either retired or gone on to other assignments.

Going from this, what movie would you think of putting in between the two that, would not interfere wiht Six, but still might be fun or a good story?

[Solauren]

Actually, I think Enterprise-A was a new Enterprise-Class build.

What I think would be a good story would be something involving the Klingon Empire, to set up #6 better.

Say, an unknown alien species shot up a Klingon cruiser, and the Enterprise + the Klingons have to work together to defeat this new threat. It's later revealed to by the Orions or Gorn or someone else we don't see much of, with a new weapons technology.

Kirk has shown himself to be honorable, despite the 'Genesis incident', and the Klingon Chancellor requests the Enterprise for the peace negotiations in Star Trek 6. Maybe Gorkon's (what that his name?) had a son or relative on the ship, or maybe his daughter was on it. (That would add a subtle 'betrayal of trust' issue between her and Kirk when her father is killed).

[Crossroads Inc.]

I always thought the the explosion on Praxis should have been caused by the Klingons experimenting with creating their own genesis device, instead of a "Mining Accident" That reall would have tied 6 in with the others as well.

[tim31]

Actually, I think Enterprise-A was a new Enterprise-Class build.

The favoured production-suggested fan-supported theory is that it was the Yorktown, which was coming in for an upgrade to Connie block-three, when the crew perished during the Whale Probe incident. Starfleet is a navy, and sailors do not like ghost ships. Ergo it was renamed and rushed into service.

Based on this, Star Trek V would have been a better movie if they'd been haunted by the ghosts of the Yorktown crew, and had to take them to travel to Sha-Ka-Ree so they could be at peace. En route they had to deal with rouge klingons and a new spectrephobic alien power that we didn't know about before.

Or was that an episode of Voyager?

[LaCroix]

I always thought the the explosion on Praxis should have been caused by the Klingons experimenting with creating their own genesis device, instead of a "Mining Accident"

That's what they want you to think...

[Crossroads Inc.]

I always thought the the explosion on Praxis should have been caused by the Klingons experimenting with creating their own genesis device, instead of a "Mining Accident"

That's what they want you to think...

Well that is always something I assumed, the "official" story was Praxis blew up to 'over mining' But, lets say at that secret meeting with the crew, the head guy makes a remark to "traces of Protomatter," and "Apparently testing their own Genesis Device" and then Kirk could make a comment like "Wasn't that banned" or so and so. And then the story moves on... Always thought a short addition like that would be a GREAT tie in to the rest of the series.

[Patrick Degan]

In the review thread for STV, my idea for fixing the movie came down to this:

It seems that the story of this movie would have flowed a lot more smoothly if Sybok had pulled this whole "share your secret pain" Jedi mind-trick on Starfleet officials or even a Federation high commissioner, who would have then been "inspired" to send a starship to discover ShaKaRee and God —and choosing the Enterprise as the most capable ship to do the job, captained by their most experienced space explorer, Kirk. At once, you dispose of the entirely redundant terrorist/hostage subplot which goes nowhere, the Klingon revenge/glory quest subplot which really only sets up a climax as easily handled by the gunners on the Enterprise as by Spock on the Bird of Prey and is therefore also redundant, the whole "crew-turns-against-Kirk" subplot which is entirely unnecessary and unbelievable (and also disposes of the unanswered question of how Sybok overwhelmed Kirk's crew so swiftly) and also essentially goes nowhere once the ship is actually on its way to ShaKaRee, the idiotic broken ship in-joke subplot which only very clumsily set up the hostage rescue by shuttlecraft landing battleporn but afterward goes absolutely nowhere. Indeed, you can cut Nimbus III out of the movie altogether.

Let's have St. John Talbot be the Federation high commissioner who is the political power behind this mission, who got zapped by Sybok's Jedi mind-trick early on and gives that character a more expansive role than what we got of him as a hostage who starts off as a chain-smoking drunk. Keep Kirk's scepticism over the whole idea of finding God. You can still have the scene in the observation lounge when Sybok tries his Jedi powers on the Big Three and brings out the revelation that this whole thing is entirely down to Sybok corrupting people to pursue his own God quest. Rest of the movie flows on to ShaKaRee and the revelation that the whole vision was fake, that Sybok's God is merely his own ego writ large, and that "God" is actually evil.

Now, maybe the resulting movie which follows from these changes still has plot-holes, but nowhere near as gaping ones as the film we actually got.

A few fixes to retain the basic idea of the story, which would be played as a serious drama instead of a very clumsy mix of drama and comedy which really did not work at all, and also streamlines the film considerably. That movie had a lot of excess baggage loaded onto what could have been a workable Trek plot.

[Gramzamber]

I always thought the the explosion on Praxis should have been caused by the Klingons experimenting with creating their own genesis device, instead of a "Mining Accident"

That's what they want you to think...

Well that is always something I assumed, the "official" story was Praxis blew up to 'over mining' But, lets say at that secret meeting with the crew, the head guy makes a remark to "traces of Protomatter," and "Apparently testing their own Genesis Device" and then Kirk could make a comment like "Wasn't that banned" or so and so. And then the story moves on... Always thought a short addition like that would be a GREAT tie in to the rest of the series.

Would the Klingons really be stupid enough to test a genesis device on their own homeworld's moon?
Even the drooling DS9 cavemen would probably test it in the ass end of their space.

[open_sketchbook]

And maybe they did. Maybe it worked the first few times, they got confident... remember, things always go wrong when it most need it to go right.

[dworkin]

I would have the Ent sent out to rescue a distressed vessel near the neutral zone. Problem being it is a Klingon ship with occupants as happy to be rescued by Kirk as he is to rescue them.

No classics quoting villan either. Just the nastiness of space on a ship thats breaking up. And paranoia.

[Themightytom]

I have a pretty detailed post here, maybe I'll make it a fanfic some day, but I would have rather seen a ST:V that better continues the tone, themes and characters in the vein of ST II, III and IV reintroduces some old villains from TOS and maybe sets the stage for some of the shows that followed.

I would have started ST V with the Enterprise out exploring somewhere, you know doing that thing its sort of known for but never does in the movies?

The Romulans have been kind of neglected so I would have had them be involved, maybe take some of the elements from ST: V and try to make them work, for example a legitimatecooporative colony in neutral space sends out a distress call that makes it seem like Vulcans are attacking and when the Enterprise responds it finds no trace of the colonists. Kirk Spock and McCoy beam down to investigate. They find the Klingon ambassador, or, the upper half of him on the outskirts of the colony in shock. McCoy beams up with his patient, Scotty beams down to try to get the colonies security cameras back online, and a few moments later the away team vanishes from the surface. Sulu assumes command and lt. Valeris can make her debut as Spock's new cadet/ The Helmswoman. Ships from the other participating governments start to show up in orbit demanding to know whats going on, the Romulans, the Gorn, and The Tholians . A Vulcan science ship arrives wishing to clear their name. The klingon wakes up in sickbay and explains that doorways were opening all around the colony and Vulcans were seemingly appearing from thin air and abducting people.

On the planet below the landing party finds itself in an underground chamber. They find the colonists have been kidnapped by group of renegade vulcans led by a man named Sybock.Sybock was the captain of the Intrepid, a Federation star ship destroyed during the Enterprise's first five ever mission. Intrepid's mission was to investigate ancient ruins and Sybock had brought back an artifact from one such ruin that, as his ship was destroyed pulled him through a gateway to a base in a distant part off the galaxy. Sybock claims that he has determined logically, that he is an emissary of God.

As McCoy explains to his infuriated patient that he'll have to use a wheel chair until McCoy can figure out how to regrow his limbs. Sulu orders Chekov to "volunteer" to escort the klingon to the bridge to show that all is being done to remedy the situation, and also because as security chief he should keep an eye on their guest. Ulhurua intercepts coded messages being exchanged by the Romulans and the Tholians.

Sybock was given a vision by God that lead him to contact a lost colony of vulcans who would be his followers. Sybock had learned to use the doorways to pull whomever he wanted from wherever he needed. He explains that God called him to bring peace to the galaxy and that the colony would help him to do so. At this point the "vulcans" turn on Sybock and reveal the colony he found was Romulus. Sybock had had no idea that Romulans were Vulcans. Rather than build a new Sha ka Ree, they are more interested in turning their enemies upon one another and plan to use the doorways to do so. the Romulan leader reveals herself to be Idrys a Romulan Spock and Kirk double crossed in the past.

This situation gives Spock plenty of time to contemplate the juxtopposition of emotionless logic, and passion. She tortures Kirk for his knowledge of starfleet security, and mind probes Spock to see what he remembers from his time "being dead". Kirk slips under torture and reveals strategic information about the Klingons, and a weakness in their industrial security procedures. Information which he would never have revealed when he was younger, and become more aware than ever of his advancing age.

The Gorn hail the enterprise again (The various ships have been doing this for a while) and demand to board the Vulcan ship claiming they are withholding information from everybody. Ulhura deciphers the coded transmission between the Romulans and the tholians with the help of Checkov and the Klingon ambassador who happens to speak Romulan. The Romulans have made an alliance with the Tholains captain and are planning to destroy the Vulcan ship and then the Enterprise the next time they lower their shields. Sulu invites the captains of the three other ships to beam over to the Vulcan ship to oversee their investigation. He manipulates them into agreeing in order to forestall the attack on the Enterprise.

Scotty, Sybock and the other prisoners rescue Kirk and Spock. Sybock force melds with Idrys, brainwashing her in a forbidden mind meld technique. Idrys follows his commands and helps them access the room where the doorway is kept. She later commits suicide and Sybock observes he must have damaged her. Spock in a moment of anger retorts that is why a forced mind meld is forbidden among Vulcan. Sybock replies that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.

On the Enterprise the Ambassadors are watching a boring presentation by the vulcans. the Romulan suddenly beams off the enterprise even as Ulhura informs Sulu that an unauthorized transmission has been sent. the klingon ambassador demands they raise their shields, fearing a Romulan attack Sulu can't however because the other ambassadors are beaming their ambassadors off. He orders engineering to divert all available power to the structural integrity field, Checkov observes they might survive for a few seconds longer. The ship begins to shake and as Sulu arrives on the bridge Chekov reports it is the Tholians attacking not the Romulans they had four ships hiding on the other side of the planet.

As the Romulans begin to break down the security door Kirk orders Scotty to rig the base to blow. Everyone heads through the door save Kirk, Spock Scotty and Sybock. Sybock nerve pinches Spock, forcing Scotty to hold him and explains that if the base self destructs with the doorway open, the explosion will come through as well, and the doorway is to the Enterprise shuttle bay. The ship would be destroyed. Sybock shoves Kirk through, confident that God will save him and detonates the base.

Kirk arrives on the bridge and Chekov fills them in. The Tholians have disabled the Gorn ship and the Vulcan ship with an energy web. The Romulans have cloaked, The klingon observes they are probably waiting to see who survives. Sulu takes the helm and manages to evade the energy webs from the four ships. The science ship, manages to break free of the web and makes a run for it. The Tholians stop trying to capture the Enterprise and concentrate on destroying it. As the Enterprise fights off the four Tholian ships the captain of the Vulcan ship sends a message to the Gorn, and they free themselves from the web. The Enterprise and the Gorn ship both take heavy damage and the Romulan ship decloaks. Suddenly three ships arrive at high warp coming in from behind the planets shadow. The Klingons have finally arrived. The Klingon Ambassador orders them to protect the Enterprise. and after some disbelief, the Klingons chase off the Tholians. the Romulans signal they were about to assist the Enterprise. The ambassador explains that an agent had been tracking a discredited terrorist named Idrys and had sent a sudden distress call seemingly from the Enterprise.

The Romulans apologized for any damage the terrorists might have caused, and disappeared under cloak. Chekov escorts his new Klingon friend to the transporter room, and more federation ships arrive to help the colonists.

I would have had ST:V ending with Kirk by order of Starfleet command was authorized to promote Sulu immediately to Captain and the Enterprise was ordered back to Spacedock for repairs to allow Sulu to take command of the Excelsior. Kirk and Spock pontificate on the fates of idrys and Sybock. How Sybock's actions, logical in and off them self, stemmed from an unprovable belief. how Kirk would feel if his crew had been killed before him and if the last 25 years had happened differently.

Chekov loitering by Sulu cracks a joke to Sulu about how "They do this every mission, its like they don't know we're here" Sulu remarks he'll miss it and offers to have Pavel as his first officer. Pavel considers it but says "No... command isn't for me, I've found my calling as Chief of security here." he holds up a medical tricorder. "The ambassador may be disappointed when he realizes he's forgotten this. It was chock full of information he was hoping to take back."
Kirk invites Pavel to navigate for Sulu as he helms the Enterprise one last time, Valeris steps aside movie over.

Incidently the base would be at the center of the galaxy and Iconian of course, but this would be inferred rather than stated. This set the stage for the Romulan duplicity seemingly taken for granted in TNG, as well as thier interest in Iconian artifacts, and willingness to help the Federation start a war with the Klingons. It would also imply that Kirk bore some responsibility for praxis, as the information he revealed under torture could have contributed to espionage and sabotage on Praxis. Making it a planned event rather than a random one.