A Star Episode of Forgotten Journey Brought William Shatner’s Craziest Idea to Life
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Here’s a question for you Star Trek fans out there: what do you think William Shatner’s craziest idea was? If you know enough about the man’s creative resume, you might be tempted to mention his TekWar series. Or, for a deeper cut, his musical journey (seriously, his rendition of “Tambourine Man” is shocking in all the worst ways). When it comes to the franchise that made him famous, however, the answer is probably more involved Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Following two successful Leonard Nimoy Trek movies, Shatner moved from the captain’s chair to the director’s chair to give even worse movie in the franchise (at least, until Episode 31 comes to life).
Most of the jokes with The last Frontier focus on the bonkers ending when Kirk pisses off God so much that this towering beast sprouts laser eyes. However, believe it or not, this ending was going to be even more difficult because Shatner wanted to film himself fighting 10 rock men (not a euphemism, I swear) as an interest in his fight with God. This had to be cut for budgetary reasons, but Star Trek later brought the idea to life by showing forgotten stone monsters in the area. Business episode “Strange New World”!
What Does God Want from the Rock Beast?
You’re going to need a lot of context for this one, so grab your favorite “Go rock climbing” shirt and buckle up. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Shatner directed and co-developed the story), there was a famous fight scene where Captain Kirk had to fight 10 “rock men” that came out of the rocky face of an unknown planet, Sha Ka Ree. But the plan was largely shelved due to extreme budget cuts faced by the film. The group prepared a unmarried animatronic rock man, but the scene where he attacks Kirk looked so embarrassing that it was cut out.
After only 12 years, the president Business the episode “Strange New World” premiered. Some of the Enterprise crew happily visit the surface of an Earth-like planet, but a storm sends them scrambling for shelter; they soon discover that there are reptiles hiding in the nearby caves. Alternately, these monsters are revealed as phantoms caused by threefold cosmic pollen on earth. What is interesting, however, is exactly what the team members identified. Look closely, and you’ll see they’re rock men, a clear homage to the abandoned rock monster concept from rock men. The last Frontier!
Sci-Fi Meets The Stone Age
While it was cool to see Star Trek belatedly reviving William Shatner’s rock monsters, the franchise was hit with success two years earlier. 1999 saw the release of Galaxy Questwhich was one big love letter to Trek. In it, Tim Allen’s Shatner-like character confronts Gorignak, a giant rock monster that also serves as a tribute. The Final FrontierThe concept of the rock monster has been abandoned. Finally, worlds collided in video game time Star Trek: Fleet Command I got a Galaxy Quest crossover that brought in several familiar characters from the film, including Gorignak!
On the other hand, it’s a shame we never got to see William Shatner fight a bunch of animatronic rock monsters The Final Frontier; after all, an extra layer of cheesiness can only enhance that film’s stench. On the other hand, however, all the rock monsters worshiped over the years, including the big CGI monster. Galaxy Quest and terrifying hallucinations Businessyou almost make the sacrifice worth it. If you’re still disappointed you’ve never seen Captain Kirk fight a tough alien who can easily choke him, you can just go read the fan fiction based on “Amok Time.” Don’t worry, I won’t judge you!
No that too much, anyway.
