The Original Series crew goes out with a bang this week as we explore “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”!
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente returns to the show this week to discuss the triumphal exit of the TOS crew from the cinematic stage. When an ecological disaster threatens the existence of the Klingon empire, Kirk and the Enterprise are sent to ease their transition into the interstellar political community. But when the Klingon High Chancellor is assassinated and the blame falls on Kirk, the Klingon’s greatest for will have to put aside his own prejudice to stop another century of war!
The Star Trek film franchise–perhaps always on a somewhat shaky ground–was fully in crisis with the failure of Star Trek V. With the 25th anniversary of the franchise approaching and a new series in syndication, Paramount turned to their reliable savior Nicholas Meyer, who had twice before flipped the script on what audiences expected from a Trek tale. The result was a rousing send-off for the beloves TOS crew and a piece of political commentary that was eerily prescient for the time of its release. On this episode, we talk about the “big year” of 1991, the naivete of the “End of History”, the fall of the USSR and its political ramifications, the haunting specter of mutually assured destruction, making Trek’s diversity text, the deleterious political effects of racism, the modern shifts in TV storytelling, and how Star Trek VI makes “feeling like a long episode” a good thing.
We also discuss the Eurovision results, Grim Fandango sequels, Hugos Susan Lucci, the “Call me, Star Trek” phase, the ultimate war/prison/political thriller/space adventure/racial commentary/murder mystery flick, the Nicholas Meyer reverse curse, Law & Order: Special Mogh Unit, onward Christian Slaters, and going as hard as you can without getting canned!
Kick him in the knee balls!
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