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Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

At4w star trek 6 by mtc studios-d6n81hm-768x339

Released
September 23, 2013
Running time
33:40
Previous review
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Tagline
The battle for peace has begun... and actually ended several years ago.
Link

(Like all Star Trek comic reviews, Linkara is wearing his red Starfleet uniform)

Linkara (v/o): Hello, and welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn. (looks at his uniform) I'm a captain again. Got a reprimand from myself and was forced to demote myself. It happens.

(Footage is shown of the final classic Star Trek movie: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Linkara (v/o): Our look at the Star Trek movies continues with the swan song of the original series' Star Trek cast. Oh, sure, we'd see them playing the roles again in video games, cameos in other Star Trek shows, but this was meant to be the final outing for the first crew of the Starship Enterprise. I'm happy to say it's a good one, too. In terms of Star Trek movies, it's in the top five, although that's probably not too difficult to task when your competition includes The Motionless Picture, The Final Frontier of Shatner's directing, and friggin' Insurrection. Fortunately, though, it is a good movie, jut not one that's as good as, say, Wrath of Khan. If you've never seen Star Trek VI, this is the one that's meant to be the largest parallel to real-world events. Oh, sure, we've gotten broader themes of social criticism and commentary in the actual show, but Star Trek VI actually reflected real-world events; in this case, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War. And thus, we see the end of the Klingons being bad guys and the repercussions of having to accept bitter enemies as allies, as reflected in the crew, and of course, with Kirk and his acceptance of the death of his son at the hands of Kruge's men from back in Star Trek III.

Linkara: Yeah, it only took you seven years and three movies to remember: (as Kirk) "Oh, yeah, those Klingon bastards killed my son. Maybe I shouldn't be drinking with them over Sha Ka Ree and smiling at them when they tried to kill me again, too!"

Linkara (v/o): My only complaints about the film are pretty small, mostly just things that felt or that the writing didn't have quite enough punch to it. Still, good movie, but did it have a good comic adaptation?

Linkara: Well, let's dig into "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" and find out.

(AT4W title sequence plays, and title card has the overture for Star Trek VI by Cliff Eidelman playing in the background. Cut to a closeup of the comic's cover)

Linkara (v/o): Our cover is... erm, not that great. I like the movie poster style, of course, but it's the art that's kind of making me wince. Again, it's not bad in itself, but there's something about it that's putting me off. Like, because it's arranged like a movie poster, I expect it to painted in a Drew Struzan-like style. Instead, it's got lots of shading lines that don't really work all that well. That being said, they do look like the characters they're depicting, so that's a plus.

(The comic opens to the first page)

Linkara (v/o): We open with the USS Excelsior, captained by Sulu himself.

Linkara: And if I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that they slipped this line into Star Trek IV...

(Cut to a clip of that movie)

Sulu (George Takei): (to Dr. McCoy) With all respect, Doctor, I'm counting on Excelsior.

Linkara: ...specifically because they knew he would get the ship.

Linkara (v/o): The Excelsior has just finished three years charting a sector of space, and you've got to love how tired Sulu looks. Dude is just slouching like crazy. I think he needs a Posture Pal. Before Sulu slithers out of his chair, though, an energy wave suddenly approaches and collides into the ship– er, doesn't collide, since there's no visible damage or reaction to the ship whatsoever. There's a panel where Sulu tells them to turn the ship into the wave, but... the ship looks fine. No shaking, no explosions. Hell, Sulu's tea is probably still okay in this version.

Aide: We seem to be in one piece, Captain.

Linkara: No kidding! I guess 23rd Century Starship shields hold up a hell of a lot better than those newfangled shields in The Next Generation.

Linkara (v/o): Sensors indicate that the wave came from the Klingon moon Praxis, which was the key energy production facility for the Klingon Empire. Sulu sends out a message, asking if they need any help, and a Klingon quickly responds that there's an emergency... before his transmission is apparently interrupted by another Klingon.

Klingon: This is Brigadier Kerla, speaking for the High Command. There has been an incident on Praxis. However, everything is under control. We have no need for assistance.

Linkara: (as Kerla) Someone spilled their coffee on the fusion reactor again. It happens all the time, but the newbies panicked.

Linkara (v/o): And thus, Sulu calls into Starfleet, and we cut to sometime later, at a meeting of top Starfleet officers, including the command staff of the Enterprise.

Admiral: I'll make this as simple as possible. The Klingon Empire has roughly fifty years of life left to it.

Linkara: (as the Admiral) And unfortunately, the warranty ran out a year ago.

Linkara (v/o): The Admiral turns the briefing over to Spock, who explains that the explosion of Praxis was caused by overmining and insufficient safety precautions.

Linkara: Which were a result of them losing another energy production moon during the events of the game (holds up the game in question) Star Trek: Klingon Academy. (looks at game) Oh, this? Uh, just another reminder that I am a colossal nerd, especially in regards to the Star Trek expanded universe material. If that is your first time learning about this, welcome! You must be new here.

Linkara (v/o): I'm not entirely certain what's going on in regards to Praxis. Spock says that there's an 80% loss of energy as a result of the moon's destruction, but that somehow leads to "a deadly pollution of their ozone". Do they mean on Kronos, their home world? Was Praxis in orbit over it? If it was, well, I hate to break it to you, but destroying the planet's moon would have slightly worse problems for them than ozone depletion. Or do they mean that they required the energy Praxis delivered in order to power the machines keeping the ozone layer stable?

Linkara: And I hate to sound unsympathetic, buuut space is really big, and there are a crap-ton of habitable planets. Yeah, the energy loss is devastating, but you can evacuate the planet and settle somewhere else, you know.

Linkara (v/o): In any case, this is seriously bad for the Klingon Empire, so they really can't sustain war with humanity any longer, and peace is their only option.

Linkara: Which just confuses me further, since I thought the Organians were keeping the Federation and the Klingons from ever going to war back in the episode, Errand of Mercy. Well, except for that one game, Starfleet Command, where it turns out the Organians were apparently wiped out by invaders from the Mirror Universe. (suddenly shouts) AND DID I MENTION I'M A COLOSSAL NERD?!

Linkara (v/o): Admiral Cartwright, who you may recall from Star Trek IV protests the peace negotiations.

Cartwright: To offer Klingons a safe haven within Federation space is suicide. The opportunity here is to embargo trading, forcing them to run through their own resources faster, and bring them to their knees. Then, we'll be in a far better position to dictate terms.

Linkara: (holding up fist) Give sanctions more time! (stops himself abruptly) Oh, wait, that joke doesn't really work here.

Linkara (v/o): Kirk reluctantly agrees with the Admiral, but the Starfleet chief of staff and Spock say that it's imperative they act on the opportunity offered by the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon.

(Cut to concurrent footage of the movie)

Linkara (v/o): This scene has changed slightly from the movie, removing or changing a sentence here and there, for better and for worse. For example, it's good that they changed a line from Cartwright that was in the movie that Klingons would be "the alien trash of the galaxy." How nice. However, they also cut out Spock's line that explains why they need to take advantage of Gorkon's proposal; namely, that if they don't act for peace now, that it's likely that the more aggressive and warmongering among the Klingons would suggest an all-out attack on the Federation to try to take resources and have a completely open war. So, what's their best bet for diplomacy, then? Someone trained in diplomacy and the Klingon culture. Uh, perhaps a Federation officer who has earned the respect of the Klingons by coming to their aid on numerous occasions?

(Cut back to the comic)

Linkara (v/o): Nah! Let's just send Captain Kirk! Oh, yeah, the Klingons love Kirk!

(Cut to a clip of Star Trek IV)

Klingon Ambassador: There shall be no peace as long as Kirk lives!

(Back to the comic again)

Admiral: There are some Klingons who feel the same about a peace treaty as yourself and Admiral Cartwright. They'll think twice about attacking the Enterprise under your command.

Linkara: Oh, definitely! I mean, it's not like in the last movie a Klingon officer directly chased Kirk to the center of the galaxy, explicitly to take him on. (suddenly becomes upset) OH, WAIT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!!

Linkara (v/o): Spock also says that he personally vouched for Kirk in this matter, much to Kirk's irritation. The group files out, save for Kirk and Spock.

Spock: There's an old Vulcan proverb: Only Nixon could go to China.

(Cut to a clip of an episode of Red Dwarf)

Arnold Rimmer: There's an old human saying: If you're gonna talk garbage, expect pain.

(Cut back to the comic)

Linkara (v/o): And Kirk delivers, pissed off that Spock arrogantly presumed that he could speak on behalf of him on the matter. Kirk still views the Klingons as his enemies, especially because of his son.

Spock: They're dying.

Kirk: Let them die.

Linkara: That night, Kirk was visited by the ghosts of Star Trek past, present and future. Unlike the original "Christmas Carol", though, the ghost of the past was Star Trek: Enterprise, so it was actually scarier than the future.

Linkara (v/o): We cut to the Enterprise, where the bridge crew are arriving, and they meet their new helmsmen, a Vulcan woman named Valeris. When this was originally written, it was supposed to be Saavik, but there are conflicting reports about why this was changed. It's probably for the best, though, as we'll see, and it would have damaged the character for the fans. Kirk orders them to head out of space dock at one quarter impulse power, but Valeris reminds him that they're only supposed to use thrusters in space dock.

Kirk: Lieutenant, I don't care if I'm senile! If I sit in this chair and give the word, you jump!

Valeris: Aye, sir.

Linkara: (as Kirk) Now, then, set a course for... the future, at ludicrous speed! (as Valeris) Aye, sir. (as Kirk) And now, (pretends to hold something) put on this clown suit. (as Valeris) But, sir– (as Kirk) I am IN THE CHAIR, LIEUTENANT!

Linkara (v/o): Later, Kirk gives a log entry in his quarters.

Kirk: (narrating) I have never trusted the Klingons, and I never will... I have never been able to forgive them for the murder of my boy.

Linkara: Also, I suspect they put mind-control drugs in my water that resulted in hair loss.

Kirk: Spock says that this could be an historic moment and I'd like to believe him, but how on Earth can history get past people like me...?

Linkara: (as Kirk) Well, I suppose I could fall into some kind of space-time ribbon anomaly thing, traveling through space that sends me into some kind of heaven dimension, but that would just be kind of silly.

Linkara (v/o): Valeris clears her throat outside of his quarters to get his attention.

Kirk: Come on, Valeris, you could knock.

Linkara: This is a question I have, both for the movie and the comic: Star Trek has sliding, automatic doors, and the doors for quarters require you to signal someone before you can come in. Why the hell was Kirk's door wide open to begin with?

Linkara (v/o): Anyway, she tells him that they're almost at the rendezvous, and unfortunately, they've cut a very important scene here.

(A clip of said scene from the movie is shown)

Linkara (v/o): After Valeris' visit to Kirk, she was supposed to go to see Spock, who sponsored her at the Academy and can be considered her mentor. And to Spock, she is his successor as a Vulcan on the fast track through Starfleet. It both shows Spock's character growth when he admits that logic is not the only method by which wisdom is attained, and it very subtly sets up Valeris' character for later in the film. Cutting it was a bad call and we really didn't need the bit with Kirk telling her to jump at his command, which did end up being added.

(Back to the comic again)

Linkara (v/o): Anyway, the Enterprise arrives at the rendezvous, and Kirk invites Chancellor Gorkon and his party aboard the ship for a formal dinner.

Chekov: Guess who's coming to dinner?

Linkara: (as Kirk) The-The Klingons, Mr. Chekov. They are coming to dinner. (as Chekov) No, no, sir, it was a reference to a movie about– (as Kirk) Please, Mr. Chekov! This is the future. Nobody watches movies anymore.

Linkara (v/o): The Klingons beam aboard, and the respective groups are introduced to each other, including Gorkon's daughter, Azetbur, and most especially General Chang, Gorkon's chief of staff and played by Christopher Plummer in the film. Chang is an entertaining bad guy, but unfortunately, there is not much characterization present in the film.

(Footage of Chang in the movie is shown)

Linkara (v/o): Again, that's rectified in Klingon Academy, wherein Chang is a patriotic Klingon, who feels Gorkon is weak and will lead the empire to ruin at the hands of the Federation even before the destruction of Praxis, but that he has a lot of interest in human culture and, in particular, the works of Shakespeare. Hence, the quoting in the film.

(Cut back to the comic)

Linkara (v/o): Anyway, dinner proceeds as well as you would expect, with both parties trying to be diplomatic, but a combination of alcohol, a bit of racism, and simmering tensions overall does not make for the best of evenings. Gorkon and Spock are the only ones who retain optimism, Gorkon himself giving a toast to the undiscovered country: the future. But at the same time, there's something to be said about cultural differences and international relations, best exemplified by another Klingon saying this...

Klingon: You hypocritically presume that your democratic system gives you a moral prerogative to force other cultures to conform to your politics.

Linkara: Ah. Before Tumblr, that was the sophisticated way of yelling, "Check your privilege!"... except without some of the stupidity that the phrase has become associated with.

Linkara (v/o): But enough about the social discussion of this crap; let's get back to the plot, wherein Kirk gives another log entry, admitting that things did not go well, but is called to the bridge before he can go to bed. Spock says that they're picking up an enormous amount of neutron radiation, which, even stranger, seems to be coming from them. Aaaand then they fire a torpedo at the Klingon ship.

Linkara: And this is why serving booze at diplomatic functions really isn't a good idea. (drunken voice) "Hey! Hey, Ron! I bet I can hit the torpedo control with my head faster than you!"

Linkara (v/o): And it seems Ron took that bet, since a second torpedo fires and hits the Klingon ship, knocking out their gravity. Two men in spacesuits beam aboard the Klingon ship and start shooting up the place, killing any Klingons they come across before they then beam back over to the Enterprise. Kirk asks Scotty if they fired the torpedoes, but their inventory says they're still fully loaded. He orders them to stand down all weapons and take no aggressive action, that he's gonna beam over there himself. Spock objects, saying that this is his fault because he got Kirk involved in this fiasco.

Kirk: I'm going. You're going to be responsible for getting me out of this.

Linkara: (as Kirk) I mean, let's fact it: they're gonna be pissed off regardless of who goes over there, and frankly, Spock, you're better at the last-minute rescues than I am. Hell, last time, you actually did it by taking command of a Klingon ship. Ooh! That'd be nice! Do that again, Spock. I'll get into a horrible mess over there, and then you take command of their ship.

Linkara (v/o): Spock places a "viridium patch" on his back so that the Enterprise can track him from a great distance.

(Cut to a clip of the movie)

Linkara (v/o): In the movie, it's a very subtle gesture that you probably wouldn't even notice unless you were paying attention to it.

(Back to the comic again)

Linkara (v/o): In the comic, Spock grabs him and puts a nice big SLAP on his back for emphasis.

Linkara: (as Spock) Put 'er there, Captain! Better you than me, eh?

Linkara (v/o): McCoy volunteers to go over, too, since they may need a doctor. They transport over and are held at first, but when the Klingons admit their doctor is dead and Gorkon is dying, McCoy says he'll try to help.

McCoy: Sweet Jesus. He's lost a lot of whatever this stuff is!

Linkara: McCoy's a great doctor. (as McCoy) What the hell is this stuff, jello?! Eh, whatever. Let me just inject some of this crap into him. That'll probably help.

McCoy: Jim, I don't even know his anatomy!

Linkara: Then why the hell did you volunteer to go over?! You're drunk, and you don't know how to heal Klingons!

(Cut to Pollo standing in front of the bookshelf)

Pollo: We'll be right back in a moment. Maybe. We'll see.

(Pollo leaves as the AT4W logo appears in the corner and we got to a commercial break. Upon return, Pollo returns)

Pollo: And we're back. Good times.

(Pollo leaves as the AT4W logo appears in the corner. Cut back to the comic as the review resumes)

Linkara (v/o): So, yeah, Gorkon dies, begging that they don't let it end this way. The two are arrested, and Spock assumes command of the ship. Er, the Enterprise, I mean. With my earlier joke about him taking over the Klingon ship, I should make sure that's clear. Valeris says that they can't just let them take the two back to Kronos, but Spock says that they really have no choice. Firing on them won't get the Captain back and it would just make the situation worse. We cut to Earth, where the Klingon Ambassador is yelling at the Federation President that they intend to try Kirk and McCoy for Gorkon's death. And unfortunately, there's no way under the law to retrieve them. There are more bits missing in the comic version, but they're not huge losses, aside from introducing the character Colonel West, a play on Oliver North, whom I doubt many of my viewers even know who the hell that is.

Linkara: And even more ironically, William Shatner played Oliver North in a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Look it up: "The Mute Marine".

Announcer: This has been Six Degrees of William Shatner.

Linkara (v/o): The Enterprise is ordered to return home, but obviously, they can't without losing track of Kirk and McCoy. Valeris suggests that (in mock alarm) "Oh, no! The ship seems to be broken for some reason. Looking into it, bye!" While Gorkon's daughter is named the new Chancellor, Spock talks with Scotty about the torpedo situation. The torpedo room computer says that all the torpedoes are accounted for, but the data banks say that they were the ones who fired on the ship. One of the computers is lying, meaning someone tampered with one of them. And now it's time for Kirk and McCoy's trial, which is bizarrely put together in the comic version. The questioning for Kirk and McCoy is put on splash pages, and Kirk's bits are put before McCoy's. As such, we don't get to see the full range of emotions that General Chang, who is prosecutor for some reason, has during the trial. However, the big detail in the trial is shown here, that Chang has a copy of Kirk's log from earlier about not trusting Klingons and that he'll never forgive them for David's death.

Linkara: This is why you should never write embarrassing things in your diary. Some asshole is always gonna come along and read it!

Chang: Captain Kirk, are you aware that under Federation law, the captain of a starship is considered responsible for the actions of his men?

Kirk: I am.

Chang: So if it should prove members of your crew did in fact carry out such an assassination...

Kirk: As Captain, I am responsible.

Linkara: Um, how the hell does that work? An officer goes nuts and kills a whole bunch of people, but it's the captain who gets punished for that?!

Linkara (v/o): Chang rests for the state.

McCoy: Is it our turn now?

Klingon: According to Klingon law, both sides present their cases at the same time--we've had our turn.

Linkara: (incredulously) Well, then you've been doing a pretty crappy job of it, Worf! The best you've done so far is object once, and presented no evidence for the defense! And yeah, that's Colonel Worf, the grandfather of Worf from The Next Generation! Given what a fine lawyer he has demonstrated himself as here, it's pretty clear why he's never mentioned!

Linkara (v/o): The judge declares his sentence with his Phantasm Orb in hand that the two are guilty, but because of the upcoming peace talks, they're not going to be executed, but instead sent to life imprisonment on the asteroid Rura Penthe. Back on the Enterprise, they speculate about what transpired. They do leave out an important piece of evidence here from the movie, that Scotty visually confirmed every torpedo. They were not the ones who fired on the Klingon ship. However, that leaves the question of who the hell did fire. They did detect that neutron energy, which indicates a cloaked ship; specifically, a Klingon Bird of Prey. Normally, a ship can't fire while cloaked, presumably because of the energy drain on the cloaking device; we've never gotten a real reason why. Obviously, it's just speculation, so they can't tell Starfleet about it, but by that same obviousness, someone is still on board the ship. After all, someone had to tamper with the data banks, and someone was using Federation equipment and weapons to kill the Chancellor. Find the equipment, and you find the killers presumably.

Linkara: Assuming, of course, they didn't just beam over to the cloaked Bird of Prey or something, but... I don't know, maybe they would be detectable. I don't know, I just like nitpicking.

Linkara (v/o): Anyway, over to summertime in Minnesota– er, Rura Penthe, which is a snowy asteroid that guarantees nothing can live on the surface for very long... unless you're a giant space monster from the 2009 Star Trek movie. A magnetic shield around the base prevents people from just beaming out, and it blocks the signal from the viridium patch. Inside, an alien starts harassing Kirk, but an alien woman named Martia calms him down and befriends them, especially after Kirk kicks another alien's ass by... kicking them in the knee crotch. I'm not kidding. Turns out that alien's knees are its crotch, as Martia states.

Martia: Not everybody keeps their genitals in the same place, Captain.

Kirk: Is that your way of trying to tell me something?

Linkara: Well, yeah. (points to fedora) What did you think this orange thing on my head was?

Linkara (v/o): Later, in their bunks, Kirk talks with McCoy about this whole thing.

McCoy: Three months 'til retirement. What a way to finish.

Kirk: Bones, are you afraid of the future?

McCoy: That was the general idea I intended to convey.

Linkara: (as McCoy) I was finally gonna pay Spock back that money I owed him. Well, I guess there is a positive to all this: that ten bucks is still mine! (gives a thumbs-up)

Kirk: Some people are afraid of the future. Of what might happen. I was used to hating Klingons. That's why I failed in our assignment. It never even occurred to me to take Gorkon at his word. Spock was right.

McCoy: Well, don't be too hard on yourself. We all felt exactly the same.

Linkara: (as McCoy) Yeah, I'm actually an expert in Klingon anatomy. I could have saved him in five seconds. My bad.

Kirk: Uh-uh. Somebody felt much worse. And I'm starting to understand why. But you heard the judge: the peace conference is on again-- there's bound to be another assassination attempt!

Linkara: What do you, the people at home, think?

Linkara (v/o): Martia shows up and explains that she does have a way they can escape, but the problem is, she has no way off the asteroid once she does, so there's no point unless he has a way out of the system. Then, she starts making out with him!

Kirk: I think I've been alien-ated.

Linkara: (stumped) The hell is that supposed to mean?!

Linkara (v/o): To make a long story short, Martia helps them get outside the prison, partially thanks to the fact that she's a shape-shifter. Of course, because of the condensing for the comic, we see McCoy collapse from exhaustion... right after they've gotten outside, making it look like McCoy is winded after only three seconds. Kirk reveals the viridium patch to him, and they manage to get outside the magnetic shield and set up a fire in a small ridge. Martia says it's Kirk's turn for his part of the bargain. He promptly decks her.

(Cut to a clip of Kingdom of the Spiders, as watched by the RiffTrax crew)

Man: You're kind of pretty for a girl.

Bill Corbett: Well, you're kind of lumpy for a dick.

(Cut back to the comic)

Kirk: She didn't need our help getting anywhere. Where did she get these convenient clothes?

Linkara: (confused) Convenient clothes?! You're wearing the same damn rags you were wearing when you first got here!

Linkara (v/o): Nice going, artist! Gotta love that disconnect between what's being written and what actually ends up on the page. Martia explains that she would have gotten a full pardon for helping set this up.

Kirk: An accident wasn't good enough!

Martia: ...Good enough for one! Two would look suspicious--

Kirk: --but killed while attempting escape, now, that's convincing for both!

Linkara: Yep, it sure would have been convincing! (beat) Why did Kirk and McCoy have to die, exactly?

Linkara (v/o): And most fortunately, the comic included this awesome bit from the movie...

(Cut to a clip of the movie)

Kirk: I can't believe I kissed you.

Martia: (turned into Kirk) Must have been your lifelong ambition.

(Back to the comic again)

Linkara (v/o): On board the Enterprise, Scotty finds the spacesuits stuffed into an air vent and goes to show them to Spock. Back on Rura Penthe, the Klingons arrive and kill Martia, stating that they were going to kill her anyway since they needed no witnesses to this plot. Kirk asks who it was that wanted them dead, and hey, since they're gonna be killed anyway...

Klingon: His name is--

Linkara (v/o): Aaaand they're beamed away before he can say the name.

Kirk: Dammit! Dammit all to Hell! You couldn't wait two seconds before-- He was just about to explain the whole damn--

Chekov: You want to go back?

Linkara: (as Kirk) Damn right I do, Mr. Chekov! (crosses arms and teleports away briefly before returning) Okay, okay, uh, sorry about that. You were saying? (as Klingon) Uh, his name is... (Linkara as Kirk teleports again) God DAMN it, Chekov! (as Chekov) What, what? Was that not enough time?

Linkara (v/o): Spock explains about the Bird of Prey that can fire while cloaked, and Scotty arrives with the spacesuits. However, they find the bodies of two officers, the same ones that the spacesuits belonged to, meaning that there must be another accomplice on board who killed them to keep them quiet. To catch them, they make a fake announcement on the ship that the two are simply wounded and are in sick bay, and the third person quietly arrives in sick bay, revealing themself to be Valeris. And again, good stuff has been cut out of here. Spock tells her to shoot because logic demands that she do so to protect herself. However, she can't bring herself to do it.

(Cut to a concurrent clip of the movie)

Linkara (v/o): In the movie, Spock then angrily – yes, angrily – swats the phaser out of her hand. It again shows character depth, that her betrayal really did affect him.

(Cut back to the comic)

Linkara (v/o): On the bridge, Kirk states that they have further proof of her duplicity. The recording played at their trial was from the log entry he was making while she was standing outside his quarters, meaning she was the one who knew about it. So... good coincidence for her. She states that the plot was put together by both Federation and Klingon officers to prevent the peace talks... ironically that they worked together to prevent them from working together.

Valeris: They conspired with us to assassinate their own chancellor. How trustworthy can they be?

Linkara: (incredulously) About as trustworthy as the woman who killed two other guys who were on your side that were also part of the assassination plot, ya hypocritical jackass!

Linkara (v/o): Spock forces a mind-meld on her, which is rather jerky behavior that I kind of wince at our heroes doing, but he manages to get the names of the other accomplices, including Admiral Cartwright and General Chang. They contact Sulu in the Excelsior to get the coordinates for the peace conference... because he has those for some reason, and asks for them to come help, since the Bird of Prey that can fire while cloaked is bound to be in the area.

First Officer: Sir! You realize you've just committed treason.

Sulu: To be candid, I always hoped that if the choice ever came down to betraying my country or betraying my friend, I'd have the guts to betray my country.

Linkara: (as Sulu) And I already tried the whole (makes "finger quotes") "betraying my friend" thing in the last movie, and that didn't go over too well.

Linkara (v/o): Next, we have a good scene that they've left in: Kirk and Spock's discussion about how prejudiced they both were, Spock in his unwavering optimism that ended up getting Kirk and McCoy almost killed, plus his trust in Valeris, and Kirk's prejudice over the death of his son. They both have made mistakes and are now owning up to them. Mind you, Spock's stuff would have held more weight if we had that earlier scene with Valeris and him. While the conference gets underway, the Enterprise arrives in orbit and is immediately attacked by the cloaked Bird of Prey.

Chang: I see you, Kirk.

Linkara: (as Chang) Peek-a-boo!

Chang: Be honest, Captain, warrior to warrior. Don't you prefer it this way-- as it was meant to be? No peace in our time. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends..."

Linkara: Oh, come on, Chang! I can do the Shakespeare quoting, too. (looks up) "You speak an infinite deal of nothing."

Linkara (v/o): Down at the conference, a sharpshooter starts assembling a sniper rifle. In orbit, Chang continues to quote.

Chang: Poor thing. "If you have tears, prepare to shed them now."

Linkara: (as Chang) Peace, ye fat guts!"

Linkara (v/o): Spock points out that a ship has to expend fuel like any other and thus have some form of exhaust that can be traced. As such, Spock and McCoy, who is yet again on the bridge for some reason, head down to modify a torpedo to track them. They're still getting hit pretty hard, but fortunately, the Excelsior arrives to provide another target.

Chang: So! The game's afoot! Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!

Linkara: (as Chang) Thou art as fat as butter!

Linkara (v/o): Spock and McCoy finish their work on the torpedo, giving a few bits of banter at each other. And so, the torpedo fires and tracks right at Chang, who suddenly decided to stand up and look away from the view screen, possibly in the hopes that if he doesn't see it, it'll go away.

Chang: To be... or not to be...

Linkara: (as Chang) Tune your instrument!

Linkara (v/o): With their position identified, both ships quickly fire on and destroy the Bird of Prey. And in the span of less than a single page, Kirk and company have beamed down to the planet, shoved the President out of the way of the assassin... not sure how the hell they knew about that, but whatever... and Scotty has promptly shot the guy through a window so he falls out onto the floor below. Badass!

Chancellor: What's the meaning of this?

Kirk: It's about the future, Madame Chancellor. Some people think the future means the end of history.

Linkara: (as Kirk) Which is kind of the case when the future means reboots.

Kirk: But we haven't run out of history just yet. Your father quoted Hamlet. He called "the undiscovered country." What I had always assumed Hamlet was speaking of was death. Gorkon thought the undiscovered country might mean something else. Another kind of life.

Linkara: (as Kirk) And as I once said, "One should get a life."

Kirk: People can be very frightened of change. I know I was. There's an old expression: it takes one to know one.

Linkara: (shrugging in confusion) Okay... Here's another old saying: never get involved in a land war in Asia. It has about as much to do with this situation as "it takes one to know one" does.

Linkara (v/o): The two hug, and peace is back on track. Kirk and company say goodbye to Sulu, and McCoy happily points out that they're not going to prosecute for the whole "disobeying orders and almost starting an interstellar war" thing. And then Uhura says that they're to be decommissioned... Er, wait, they leave that out. And yet Chekov says...

Chekov: So... this is good-bye...?

Linkara (v/o): And then Uhura says...

Uhura: We've been dead before.

Linkara: No, not really. Some of you have been dead before, though your definition of (makes "air quotes") "dead" might need to be stretched a bit.

Kirk: To be--

Spock: Or not to be--

McCoy: That is the question.

Linkara: No, Victor Sage and Renee Montoya are the question.

Kirk: (narrating) Captain's Log, Stardate 9529.1. This is the final cruise of the starship Enterprise under my command. This ship, and her history, will shortly become the care of a new generation...

Linkara: (as Kirk) The Pepsi generation.

Kirk: (narrating) ...to them and their responsibility will we commit our future. They will continue the voyages we have begun and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where no man... where no one... has gone before...

Linkara: (as Kirk) Hopefully, they won't botch it with a crappy first season. (holds up hands) This comic... (hesitates) It's okay... (shrugs)

Linkara (v/o): While I have my minor problems with Star Trek VI – the Rura Penthe stuff, while funny at times, felt a bit rushed – it's still a pretty damn good film overall and a good sendoff to the original series cast. The comic, however? It suffers the same problems as the "Star Trek II" comic: really good and important bits have either been cut or rushed to get to the next part, and it lacks some of the same themes and tones from the film. Some of the additions, like the "It takes one to know one" line, really felt out of place, though I admit I do like all the other additions they made to Kirk's speech at the peace conference. Overall, just a mediocre adaptation.

Linkara: Still, it presented itself a very optimistic view of what our future can hold. (smiles, then scowls) Unfortunately, next week, we're looking at another issue of "SCI-Spy", so the future will get back to sucking! (gets up and leaves)

(End credits roll)

Cutting out Colonel West from the comic meant that they also cut out the reveal that the sniper at the conference wasn't a real Klingon. That was a GOOD change, since revealing that he was secretly Colonel West held no weight whatsoever in the movie.

They also cut out the forced show claps for our heroes after Kirk's speech, despite the fact that they really had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

(Stinger: A clip of the movie is shown, showing Kirk and McCoy in their prison in the Rura Puenthe gulag. McCoy heres a sound coming from Kirk's bunker)

McCoy: What is it with you anyway?

Kirk: Still think we're finished?

McCoy: More than ever!

(end)

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