20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
18. Can I Get An Amen? And You Bank Account Details?
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were among the direct inspirations behind both Sybok and the mission that he is on in the film. The world of TV evangelists fascinated Shatner, By the time that the script was in production, there was more than enough material to make an entire series of Sybok movies if the need arose.
The Bakker's had stormed to stardom within the Christian televangelical scene between the '70s and '80s, inspiring donations worth millions from their followers. The PTL Club, their own show, ran from 1985 until 1989, when Jim Bakker's fall from grace forced the show into cancellation.
Sybok, in Star Trek V, is shown as a true believer who comes into contact with a being he doesn't understand. In a way, God is the Bakker of this film. The creature at the centre of the galaxy is shown to be a hoax, intent merely on escaping its prison, while Sybok's blind belief almost allows that to happen. In reality, Jim Bakker was brought up on charges of sexual misconduct and misappropriation of donated funds, the latter of which he served time in prison for.
In life, as in the film, appearances were most certainly deceiving.