07 Kirklooks
onasSpock
probesValeris’
mind,inThe
Undiscovered
Country.STM: YoufinallydirectedaStar
Tr e kfilmwithThe FinalFrontier.
It’shadmixedreactionsoverthe
years,andyou’venotedhowyou
wouldhavelikedmoremoneyspent
onthespecialeffects.
WS:Yes,exactly.STM: Arguably,yougaveDeForest
Kelleyhisfinestmomentinthe
scenewithhisailingfather,butin
termsoftheoverallperformances
thatyougotfromyourcast,how
pleasedwereyou?
WS:Well,I appreciateyousayingthat.
I wasthatmuchshortof makinga
goodfilm,andit camemostlyoutof
mytrustinotherpeople,whichwasn’t
fulfilled.Whenit camedowntohaving
moremoneyforthespecialeffects,to
givetheaudiencea resolveat theend,I
didn’thavethemoneytodoit.STM: Is thata regret,oris thatjust
business?
WS:I don’tliveinregret,butI wishedthatI haddonesomethinga little
differently.I don’tknowwhatthat
somethingis, I haven’tgiventhatthought.STM: Whendidyourealizethatthis
wasn’tgoingtoplanandtherewas
troubleahead?
WS:WhenI firstlearnedthatthesuits
thatthestuntmenwouldwearwould
cost$250,000each,andtodofour
wouldcosta milliondollars.It wasfar
outsidetheparametersofthebudget,
soI waskindoflostas towhattodo.WS:LeonardgottodirectStarTrekIV
andhereallydidwellbyit;hegota
wonderfulscriptas well.Hewasvery
smartaboutgettingthescriptwritten
alongthewaysthathefeltit should
go,whichallowedmetodoStarTrek
Vwithmyownpremise.Mypremise
wasStarTrekgoesinsearchofGod.
Roddenberrywasthefirstonetosay,
“WhoseGod?”andwillI havethe
audienceupinarmsagainstwhoever’s
Godit’snot?Theywouldbeupset–
andwedon’twanttoupsetanybody.
So,I hadtolearnthatlesson.Buton
theprogressionofscripts,StarTrekIV
wasgood.
STARTREKV:
THEFINALFRONTIER
Storyby:WilliamShatner&Harve
Bennett&DavidLoughery
Screenplayby:DavidLoughery
Directedby:WilliamShatner
Released:June9, 1989
“The greatestenterpriseof allis adventure.”
“If I had more insight, if
I was more intelligent,
I would have tried it a
couple of different ways,
because I had something
in mind on Kirk’s death.”
ON GENERATIONS07INTERVIEW