Barnes & Noble

The last Star Trek adventure to focus on the original show's characters -- portrayed by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, et al. -- The Undiscovered Country is suspenseful and exciting, but it also has a wistful undercurrent that suggests cast and crew alike knew the torch would soon be passed to the Next Generation. The story begins after a Chernobyl-like disaster, with the Klingon leader attempting to make peace with the Federation. Sent to escort the official to peace talks being held on Earth, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew are stunned when unknown conspirators murder the Klingon and the blame is fixed on them. The race to clear their names takes on added importance for Kirk and friends when the peace conference itself is imperiled. Director and co-writer Nicholas Meyer, whose involvement with the series dates back to the excellent Wrath of Khan (1982), knows these characters well and gives all the regular cast members a few fleeting moments in the sun before we say goodbye to them. The murder-mystery angle isn't especially well developed, and the final outcome is never much in doubt, but Meyer goes through his paces and delivers what Star Trek fans expect to see. The familiar cast members, by now wearing their characters like comfortable old sweaters, are predictably delightful in their final outing together; and newcomer Kim Cattrall, well in advance of Sex and the City stardom, makes a fetching addition to the crew. There's a not-unexpectedly sappy windup to the film, but Trek fans wouldn't have had it any other way. On balance, however, Undiscovered Country makes a perfectly satisfying coda to one of sci-fi's most cherished series. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The plot involves a peace conference between the Federation of Planets and the troublesome Klingons. The Klingons are hoping to perform a little damage control after triggering a mining disaster on one of their moons; their spokesman is the seemingly contrite General Chang (Christopher Plummer). All negotiations abruptly cease when a Klingon vessel is attacked, and Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are accused of the crime. As they stand trial for murder, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Vulcanian trainee Lt. Valeris (Kim Cattrall) try to locate the real culprits. It turns out that Kirk and McCoy are victims of a conspiracy to foment further hostilities between the Good Guys and the Klingons. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 097360719345
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Remastered, Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:53:00
• Sales Rank: 17,241

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Star Trek - The Original Motion Picture Collection
• Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection

Features: