10 Star Trek Re-Shoots That Totally Changed The Ending
5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - No More Rock Men
The climactic battle with 'God' in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier originally included several rock-henchmen that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy would have to fight to escape. These were bulky characters, resembling the Excalbians from The Savage Curtain, who would become an imposing threat to overcome.
They were, in a word, ridiculous. The budget on the film simply didn't stretch to a believable costume, which looked exactly what it was - styrofoam and rubber suits, with cigarette smoke pumped inside to give them a steaming quality. Had they remained in the film, they would have given the impression of a '60s Batman flavour of villain.
They were cut altogether and the scenes with 'God' were reshot and re-edited. With the rock men removed, the climax becomes Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Sybok facing off against George Murdock's ethereal starship-seeking baddie, followed by its destruction, thanks to the timely intervention of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey.
Star Trek V may never reach any fan's list of top three Star Trek films, yet it has its charms. Not least for the fact that it looks like it was made on a wing and a prayer, but there is also the 'well it's better than what we could have had' element to it as well.