9. Shatner Falls Off A Mountain, Mimicking Star Trek V's Box Office Returns
As filmed, Kirk's climbing of (everyone face palm with me) El Capitan - and his subsequent fall and bad-special-effect save by Spock - is on its way to a great idea. It never gets there because it fails to answer a question asked afterwards by McCoy: did it occur to Kirk that he could die while free-climbing a mountain? After the events of the last few movies - of the death of his son, David, in particular - is it possible that Kirk has a death wish? OK, Kirk wouldn't have a death wish. But there's a crisis of faith that's strangely lacking from Kirk throughout the film, since the movie is all about emotional pain, faith, and acceptance. Kirk's oddly relaxed and in good spirits when the film begins. Instead, the tension in these early scenes rests completely on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's reluctance to admit how much they need each other. The bond between the three is what keeps the film going, and the already great character dynamics between them would only be strengthened by starting Kirk in a dark place. As I'll discuss later, Kirk never considers Sybok's offer of absolution. The movie is never concerned with taking Kirk through the grieving process - and the simple truth is that all of us, even Kirk, would want that kind of grief to be taken away. That story beat alone could have saved this film.