Star Trek: Beyond the Barrier is an edit of Star Trek V, but it’s a mistake to approach the movie as if it were some updated version of The Final Frontier. It’s a very different movie experience, and if you’re overly familiar with the original 1989 film you are going to bring false assumptions and expectations to bear on the new narrative lines. You must allow the new movie to tell its own story. One way this will happen is through repeated viewings, but an understanding of BTB’s thematic “code” will expedite the re-orientation process.
Consider these points when trying to make sense of the action and story development:
- Star Trek V introduces an evil entity in the third act. In BTB, we call it the “the beast” and its role is first hinted at the very start of the movie.
- The movie captures the final days of Sybok, but his arrival at Sha Ka Ree is the epilogue to a life-long story of deception, seduction and enthrallment. [Hint. Sybok was easy prey.]
- Sha Ka Ree is home to other, less powerful undesirables. We call them “minions.” They could be beings which long ago were also lured to the planet.
- Sha Ka Ree, being a place to safeguard the galaxy, was not supposed to be known to man.
- Star Trek V builds up the false-god reveal gradually. In BTB, there is no reveal because “God” is appearing in three forms simultaneously. When “God” emerges in the Judeo-Christian form, it can be seen that Captain Kirk already suspects they are being deceived (Kirk cannot accept that God is appearing exactly as expected). At the same time, Sybok begins seeing himself (which has him horrified) after first being enraptured by his idealized vision of God, and Spock is seeing a Vulcan master (which has him completely baffled).
- It is commonly reasoned that the Enterprise torpedo attack should have destroyed “God,” but there is another outcome to consider: The torpedo was a bad idea and it produced an unexpected result. [Hint. What if the light column itself was a form of restraint?]
- Evil can not be destroyed; it is only contained.
Star Trek: Beyond the Barrier 