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- James Doohan on his role as Montgomery Scott in Star Trek VI: Generation, the last time in main continuity that he would reprise that role.


November of 1995 would bring the sixth film in the Star Trek franchise, the final one to feature the entire Original Series crew. In addition, it would be the first film to feature the Next Generation cast, with the story acting as a “hand-over”.

The film would be directed by Leonard Nimoy, who also acted as one of the writers. The film would be the last released under Rick Berman’s tenure as franchise head, and as such, would be the last to credit him as writer.


The film would be released on November 17th 1995, to positive reviews. Though it was considered a slightly weaker showing than The Final Frontier in part due to the much larger cast, it was financially successful. However, its success would be tempered somewhat due to it sharing a release date with the hugely successful Goldeneye, the first James Bond film to star Sean Bean in the role, also starring Paul McGann. [1]


Plot Synopsis of Star Trek VI: Generations: based on a proposal by @Ogrebear

On its final mission before decommissioning, the crew of the Enterprise-A survey an asteroid that is giving off strange energy readings. They discover evidence of a complex inside the asteroid, and manage to activate an opening after Uhura manages to establish a connection with the computer systems in the complex. Kirk and Uhura, along with a security and science detail, beam down to the complex after piloting the Enterprise inside the asteroid. They discover a small artificial star inside, which seems to be stable. The base however, seems to show no signs of habitation.

Onboard the Enterprise, Spock and Scotty deduce that the star is not stable, but rather “metastable”, going through periods of high instability, one of which is about to start. The increasing instability in the star is causing its energy outputs to become erratic, which was the source of the strange readings. Uhura returns to the Enterprise to analyse data she has retrieved from the computer systems, discovering that the base is Iconian. While Kirk and the rest of the team try to open the inner complex up, the star’s output shifts again, damaging the Enterprise’s shields. The crew realise that they will have to leave and seal the asteroid or face the destruction of the Enterprise, as they cannot risk lowering the already weakened shields to rescue the away team. Kirk orders them to leave, accepting his fate. Unbeknownst to the crew of the Enterprise, one of the away team has found a way inside the base, and they enter the base before the star’s radiation causes them any more damage.

It is revealed that this story was being told through Spock’s perspective to the crew of the Enterprise-D during the events of “Unification”. Since then, and after “Relics”, where Montgomery Scott was rescued from another Iconian artefact, the two have reconvened, and deduced that the star’s stability period is every 76 years, an anniversary which is coming up. They wish to undertake a mission to the asteroid once more, and find out what happened to Kirk.

Spock and Scotty manage to convince Sulu, who has now served as captain of the Excelsior and as Federation President, to come with them on this mission. They find that Uhura needs little convincing, nor does Dr McCoy, though they face difficulty in getting Chekov temporary parole to serve on the mission. Scotty decides to ask the crew of the Enterprise-E for their help, and to use their ship for the mission. While Captain Picard agrees, he expresses concern over the possibility of Chekov being on the ship again. [2]

Sulu is able to use his political clout to get Chekov parole, and the crew of the old Enterprise, all now reaching extreme old age with the exceptions of Spock and Scotty, meet with the crew of the Enterprise-E, as they set off for the mission.

Upon reaching the asteroid, they find that they are being hailed. A young man appears on screen, explaining that he is one of the descendants of the away team that was left behind. The old crew meet with the fledgling civilisation that has formed, finding Kirk miraculously alive, but aged and on the brink of death. The inhabitants reveal that they want to remain on the asteroid, having become happy with their life there, or in the case of most of the younger members, know only that life. However, the radiation from the unstable star is slowly killing them.

Geordi, Scotty, Data and Spock work on a way of stabilising the star, while Drs. Henderson and McCoy treat the inhabitants for radiation posioning. Kirk soon finds himself swarmed by visitors who want to meet the legendary captain, not least of all Picard. Kirk expresses pleasant surprise that it should be the Enterprise that saves him, and urges Picard not to give up his captaincy there for anything.

Scotty finishes the device, which should stabilise the miniature star’s fusion sequence. Sulu and Ro pilot the shuttle that will fire the device, and it is a success. However, upon the star’s stabilisation, parts of the facility suddenly activate, and energy readings from inside many of the structures spike. Gateways form, showing a far-away world in ruin. Worf and Chekov mount a quick expedition to the other side, but are forced to retreat by sentry drones, which follow them through. [3]

Picard hypothesizes that these drones are remnants of the Iconian Empire, and that the asteroid was never inhabited because they could not make the star stabilise. Drones begin pouring out of the gateways, and despite its power, the Enterprise begins to be overwhelmed by the sheer number. Uhura tries to shut off the gates, but finds that they are hardwired into the systems, and cannot be deactivated unless the star is destabilised. [4]

The crew of the Enterprise and the inhabitants are beamed up, while Scotty and Geordi create a new device that will destabilise the star, using trilithium. The device however, must be activated by someone close by, who will have to remain and likely die. Kirk volunteers, saying that he had always known that he would die alone, and has come to terms with his own mortality given his failing health. The drones continue to attack the Enterprise, while Kirk travels back to the surface in a shuttle. The Enterprise clears the asteroid, sealing it shut once more, fighting off the drones that have followed it out. Kirk stands alone under an alien sun, and activates the device. As the sun destabilises and explodes, Kirk closes his eyes and smiles, feeling the warmth on his face. [5]

The crew of the Enterprise, both old and new, mourn for Kirk once more. Returning to Earth, the original crew parts ways with the new crew and each other, expressing a bitersweet joy in having been able to have one last mission with the complete crew. The Enterprise-E departs to continue the mission that Kirk’s Enterprise started. Seek out new life and new civilisations, and to boldly go where no-one has gone before. [6]


Cast of Star Trek VI: Generations:

• Captain James T. Kirk – William Shatner
• Spock – Leonard Nimoy
• Dr. Leonard McCoy – DeForest Kelley
• Uhura – Nichelle Nichols
• Hikaru Sulu – George Takei
• Montgomery Scott – James Doohan
• Pavel Chekov – Walter Koenig
  
• Captain Julien Picard – Patrick Stewart
• Commander William Riker – Jonathan Frakes
• Lt. Cmdr. Data – Brent Spiner
• Dr. Henderson – Stephanie Beacham
• Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge – LeVar Burton
• Counsellor (Cmdr.) Troi – Marina Sirtis [7]
• Lt. Worf – Michael Dorn
• Lt. Ro Laren – Michelle Forbes

With the sixth film’s success, even among strong competition, a seventh would be ordered, tentatively for a June 1997 release, starring the cast of The Next Generation. The torch had been passed.


[1] Alright, a little detour here. To clarify, Sean Bean is James Bomd, Paul McGann is Alec Trevelyan. This is part of the reason why I didn't reveal all of what McGann was doing when I was asked a little while ago. Sorry, I lied a bit with that.
[2] I really like Sulu. So I've incorporated some Beta canon here, with him being the Federation President at some point. Also, there will be pretty heavy makeup on some of the cast (not season 1 TNG though, gods no) as their characters are all nearing 150.
[3] I also really like the Iconians. As you may be able to tell, I'm somewhat influenced by Star Trek Online. Fun as that game is though, it is a game, and that doesn't translate to a good film. So we don't see the Iconians, in fact all evidence is that they're extinct. We've already seen the destructive potential of their technology though.
[4] I like bigger and better enemies, sure. But what I prefer is something new. Sure, the Enterprise-E could punch through most enemy ships no problem, and these Iconian drones are no exception. That many drones though? They're pouring out faster than the Enterprise can take them down.
[5] So, why did I kill Kirk off after stranding him on the planet? Why strand him there and not save the rest of the crew? It's simple. One: he needed to die on screen, or at least we needed to see his final moments. Two: he hadn't accepted death during the Enterprise-A mission, but he had here. While he dies alone, he doesn't die lonely. He's accepted his fate, and he's happy to go out saving the Enterprise, he wouldn't have it any other way.
[6] I imagine this film being capped off in a J.J. Abrams reboot films kind of way, in that just before the closing credits, as the Enterprise-E sets off to the stars, Shatner reads the Captain's Oath.
[7] Her pay dispute is sorted out, but as a result, Troi doesn't get much to do in the film. That will be different next time. It was dificult to give everyone something to do, especially with the big cast. This needed to be a film focussed on the original crew, so I prioritised them.