Walter Koenig Reveals Star Trek VI Pitch Killed Off Multiple Main Characters

Thanks to their fictional captain, the original crew of the Starship Enterprise almost didn’t get a fond big-screen farewell.

Prior to 1989, the starcrossed “Star Trek” franchise had survived network cancellation and a box office/critical disappointment in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” As such, the brand was unexpectedly in terrific shape coming off three hits in a row in the 1980s with “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” For once, it felt like the entire “Star Trek” team was playing with house money. Then William Shatner, having watched Leonard Nimoy take two turns at the helm, which earned him a hugely successful non-“Star Trek” directing effort in “Three Men and a Baby” (the highest grossing film of 1987), decided it was time to strut his stuff behind the camera.

The result was “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” a film so poorly received critically and commercially that Paramount considered recasting the main roles with younger actors in a prequel set at Starfleet Academy.

The writing was on the wall at this point, …the new crew of the Enterprise.

It’s their last mission. **They each give their lives as they attempt to free Spock from a dungeon. ** According to Koenig’s pitch, Kirk is the final one to fall. Or so we think.