Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 29, 2011



Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series. Taking place shortly after the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the plot follows the crew of the USS Enterprise-A as they confront a renegade Vulcan, Sybok, who is searching for God at the center of the galaxy. The film was directed by cast member William Shatner (pictured), following two films directed by his co-star, Leonard Nimoy. Shatner also developed the initial storyline in which Sybok searches for God, but instead finds Satan. The original script was disliked by series creator Gene Roddenberry, while Nimoy and DeForest Kelley objected to the premise that their characters, Spock and Leonard McCoy, would betray Shatner's James T. Kirk. The script went through multiple revisions to please the cast and studio, including cuts in the effects-laden climax of the film. The film's ending was reworked because of poor test audience reaction and the failure of planned special effects. The Final Frontier was released in North America on June 9, 1989, amidst a summer box office crowded by sequels and blockbuster films. The film received generally mixed or poor reviews by critics on release, and according to its producer nearly killed the franchise. (more...)

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