Star Trek V: The Final Frontier : Quick question about god

Quick question about god

So I've just watched this for the first time - I'm working my way through the movies - and I may have missed something..

What was the 'being' they confronted at the end?

In all honesty, I've been enjoying the Star Trek movies up to this one - it just seemed a bit flat and empty... a tad pointless...

But yeah, what or who was the 'god' character?

Re: Quick question about god

Shatner intended it to turn out to be the devil, but in the Star Trek universe it's safe to assume this creature was some energy type being imprisoned on the planet by other beings of it's kind or more powerful. Have you seen any Star Trek episodes that feature other beings with godlike powers? Beings like these could have taken this evil creature in hand and sentenced him to what arguably could be a prison planet of some sort.

As for Star Trek V itself. It's the weakest of the films, imo. It does feature some good interaction/dialogue between the three main characters (Kirk, Spock, McCoy)though. Some fun Klingon characters. And an absolutely great soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. And that nice moment...

Kirk: "I've always known, I'll die alone."
McCoy: "I'll call Valhalla and reserve a room for you."

Re: Quick question about god

It should have been a Q type being. They shouldn't have done it merely as George Murdoch's head, but the actor perhaps dressed in something appropriate, and then glowing.

The whole idea should have been that Sybok finds out that this is indeed not his "god", which leads to the three accepting that "god" is merely an omnipotent being and if he were released from his "imprisonment" he could cause major disruptions in the universe due to being omnipotent. That's why they order a Photon Torpedo to be fired in which "god" can absorb much of it's destructive power (which should have killed the three). And head for their "escape".

Re: Quick question about god

For all intents and purposes it was/is a Q type being. The dialogue well establishes that it isn't any "god".
I think Sybok fully realizes that it isn't his god at the end there too.

Re: Quick question about god

Which just leaves another 1 million loose ends including how Sybok learned to brainwash masses, how the impenetrable barrier became penetrable for not one, but two ships and how the Enterprise and a Warbird got all the way from Orion's arm to the centre of the galaxy in a matter of days or hours an entire century before Voyager would be stranded probably a similar distance away in the delta quadrant with seven decades worth of warp travel ahead of them.

On that last one it has always bugged me why people whine about JJ Abrams re-thinking of ST, but don't seem to mind that the differences between the original series and the next generation were so completely different they were entirely apart. Star Trek went from fables, fun and adventures to maths, physics and morality and no one batted an eyelid.


Ya Kirk-loving Spocksucker!

Re: Quick question about god

loose ends? Sybok is a rebel Vulcan, aka rebel telepath. Is it hard to figure out? Wasn't there some dialogue indicating the barrier was an illusion? Not as dangerous as readings had indicated. The distance one is a flaw, but one that most Trek has suffered from, especially TOS; and do we have any idea how far that particular part of the neutral zone is from *anyplace* plus don't get caught thinking 2 dimensionally like Khan lol. Its not a perfect movie but is by no means terrible, and the flaws are minor enough to handwave, IMO.

Your last point is actually why I've never really been a big fan of TNG; I've rewatched TOS and all the fan-films and fan-edits on a regular basis over the years, but I haven't watched TNG since it first aired, and I stopped watching the spinoffs midway through Voyager/DS9.

Re: Quick question about god

In Star Trek we're introduced to a continuum of sentient-like beings. At one end, we have physical organic types represented by humanoid species (Humans, Vulcans, Klingons) to giant organic space-faring squid-like beings, to robotic and machine-like, all the way to the omnipotent Q beings that can go anywhere/do anything with a snap of a finger.

I consider Sybok to be somewhere in the middle. Obviously more advanced than a being in need of a physical body, but not able to transport himself freely to other worlds.

In short, he was just an evolutionary step of your standard sentient-being. But a God he most certainly was not, and not anymore more so than a future human sentience could ever be.

--- MY RATINGS ---
2001,F.Gump,S.Shank,A.Beauty:10 | TDK:6 | Avengers:4

Re: Quick question about god

I have no idea, but it wasn't super-natural. It if was, then it was a poor effort at bringing "spiritualism" into what was always a predominantly show for science enthusiasts who liked adventure.

Re: Quick question about god


But yeah, what or who was the 'god' character?

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/God_(Sha_Ka_Ree)
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