Walter Koenig’s Star Trek VI Pitch Killed Off A number of Essential Characters

Because of their fictional captain, the unique crew of the Starship Enterprise virtually did not get a fond big-screen farewell.

Previous to 1989, the starcrossed “Star Trek” franchise had survived community cancellation and a field workplace/essential disappointment in “Star Trek: The Movement Image.” As such, the model was unexpectedly in terrific form coming off three hits in a row within the Nineteen Eighties with “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III: The Seek for Spock,” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage House.” For as soon as, it felt like your entire “Star Trek” group was taking part in with home cash. Then William Shatner, having watched Leonard Nimoy take two turns on the helm, which earned him a massively profitable non-“Star Trek” directing effort in “Three Males and a Child” (the best grossing movie of 1987), determined it was time to strut his stuff behind the digicam.

The outcome was “Star Trek V: The Remaining Frontier,” a movie so poorly obtained critically and commercially that Paramount thought-about recasting the primary roles with youthful actors in a prequel set at Starfleet Academy.

The writing was on the wall at this level, and, within the case of among the actors, their advancing ages had been very a lot on the display. They had been lucky to be getting one final journey, they usually knew it. In addition they understandably took this personally, which led Walter Koenig, a relative late-comer to the franchise (his character, Chekov, joined the bridge of the Enterprise within the unique “Star Trek” TV present’s second season), to step up and write a pitch for the sixth movie. How did that work out for him?

Walter Koenig’s pitch was titled “Star Trek VI: In Flanders Fields.” In the event you’re acquainted with World Struggle I historical past, you’ll be able to most likely surmise that this was an unusually bloody –- or, not less than, expensive –- story for the franchise.

Koenig’s story, which he reprinted in his memoir “Warped Elements: A Neurotic’s Information to the Universe,” opens with the Federation serving to a Romulan civilization on the verge of disaster because of a mysterious pure catastrophe. This enrages the Klingons, so everybody goes to battle. The Federation requires health evaluations earlier than the ships are crewed up, which knocks all however Spock out of serving on this battle. Because the Federation wages a profitable marketing campaign, the outdated Enterprise crew members are scattered to the wind. They wrestle to readjust to a world prepared to maneuver on with out them.

Simply as it seems that their Starfleet days are over, the Enterprise, while returning house from the battle with the Klingons, goes lacking. They have been ensnared by a race of worm-like monsters that feeds off the lifeforce of people. Since Kirk, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Scotty are aged, the worms have little curiosity in them. As a substitute, they’re off to the worm planet to rescue Spock and the brand new crew of the Enterprise.

It is their final mission. They every give their lives as they try to free Spock from a dungeon. In response to Koenig’s pitch, Kirk is the ultimate one to fall. Or so we predict.

McCoy unexpectedly reemerges and, although he is obtained nearly nothing left within the tank, is ready to attain Spock. Per Konig’s pitch:

“Slowly, Spock raises his arm and McCoy reaches out for it, to assist him rise to his ft. On this loneliest, most desolate of moments, Spock has permitted himself the one expression of friendship that he has by no means earlier than admitted to: his want of Leonard McCoy. Spock leans towards the physician for help, and the 2 males — adversaries in a thousand arguments over time — stroll off collectively.”

Clearly, the “Star Trek” creatives went in a unique route with “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation,” which properly let “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” director Nicholas Meyer information the Enterprise again to secure harbor, with everybody accounted for, one final time (although they did borrow the thought of an enemy in want, choosing the Klingons as a substitute of the Romulans). The baton was subsequently handed to the “Subsequent Technology” crew for 4 movies, although Shatner discovered a technique to wedge himself into yet one more film. Sure, Nimoy obtained to seem in 2009’s “Star Trek” and its sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness,” however that was one of many few unforced components of that very entertaining but in any other case unusually stakes-less movie.