This film was of course famous as "the one with the whales". And it's been a divisive one throughout Star Trek fandom. Many loved this film, many loathed it. As a kid, I was in the latter camp. I would dread a rewatch of 4, but you needed it to complete the three film arc. As I grew up, I discovered many who said this was their favorite of the Star Trek films at the time. This let me to reconsider my childhood opinion.
Let's watch!
I've warmed on this film considerably over the years. It was famously put that after the Enterprise crew had experienced "Life and Death and Life again, it was time to lighten up a little." This was one of the first films that reminded me those who create these films are people, just as human as you or me. We've seen examples of this sort of "production team catharsis" before in other more famous projects.
The anime FLCL was very much a way to the production team behind Evangelion to net a much needed reset. The less known series NieA_7 was similar for the team behind Serial Experiments Lain. In that way, Star Trek 4 is in good company.
Star Trek 1 was a tempestuous production that nearly didn't happen at all. Star Trek 2 bloody and cold and paid for in the "series dearest blood." 3 a much, much needed rejoining despite further death. Time to lighten up indeed.
There's a number of firsts in this film that go by in just the first act alone without much comment. This may be the first time we've seen any sizable portion of the Federation Council on camera. We've seen select members in previous films and The Original Series, but never more than a handful of actors.
This rolls right into the next reveal. One of the first Klingons see on camera who is not a warrior in the conventional sense.
Instead of the typical rubber, black fur, metal, and spikes, the Klingon Ambassador's outfit is soft and a kind of cornflower blue. It feels very much like a ceremonial purposes, a culturally specific demarcation. It's more than that, however, as we quickly learn from John Shuck's performance.
Here we have the first klingon which feels klingon. There's a powerful, almost Shakespearean presence to the man.
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