20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
3. Racism In The 23rd Century
One of Gene Roddenberry's major issues with the script was the racism and bigotry that was on show against the Klingons. In this case, he was not alone. Brock Peters returned as Admiral Cartwright, having first appeared in Star Trek IV. Here, he is revealed to be one of the co-conspirators, though he tips his hand early in the movie.
During the Starfleet Headquarters scene, he urges the rest of the room to force the Klingons into submission, rather than opening with the olive branch. Believing that they will become the 'alien trash of the galaxy'. Peters struggled quite a bit with this line.
Years previously, he played the falsely accused Tom Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird. That film's message of anti-racism and anti-prejudice were at complete odds with his character here, forcing the need for several re-takes to get the scene right. William Shatner was also disturbed at the bigotry that Kirk shows in the line 'Let Them Die!', feeling somewhat betrayed by Meyer, who had assured him it would be played far less seriously than it was delivered.