Walter Koenig wrote a Star Trek VI script that killed off several main characters

Thanks to their fictional captain, the original crew of the Starship Enterprise barely got a fond farewell on the big screen.

Prior to 1989, the Star Trek franchise survived network cancellation and a critical/box office disappointment in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. As such, the brand was unexpectedly in excellent shape following three consecutive hits in the 1980s with “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” ​​and “Star Trek IV: The Journey to Spock.” home.” For the first time, it seemed like the entire “Star Trek” team was playing with house money. So William Shatner, having watched Leonard Nimoy take two turns at the helm, which earned him a huge “Star Trek” directorial success in “Three Angry Men” (the highest-grossing film of 1987), decided he was Time to show off 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 lead roles with younger actors in a prequel set at Starfleet Academy.

The writing was on the wall at this point, and in the case of some of the actors, their advanced age was very much on screen. They were lucky enough to have one last fling and they knew it. They also, understandably, took it personally, which prompted Walter Koenig, a relatively late newcomer to the franchise (his character, Chekov, joined the bridge of the Enterprise in the second season of the original “Star Trek” TV show), to step up and write a proposal for the sixth film. How did that work out for him?

Walter Koenig's proposal was titled “Star Trek VI: In Flanders Fields”. If you're familiar with the history of World War I, you can probably assume that this was an unusually bloody – or, at the very least, expensive – story for the franchise.

Koenig's story, which he reprinted in his memoir “Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe,” begins with the Federation helping a Romulan civilization on the brink of catastrophe due to a mysterious natural disaster. This enrages the Klingons, so they all go to war. The Federation requires fitness assessments before ships are manned, which prevents everyone except Spock from serving in this conflict. As the Federation wages a successful campaign, the Enterprise's former crew members are scattered to the winds. They struggle to readjust to a world ready to move on without them.

Just as it seems her days in Starfleet are over, the Enterprise, upon returning home from war with the Klingons, disappears. They have been ensnared by a race of worm-like monsters that feed on the life force of humans. Since Kirk, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty are elderly, the worms have little interest in them. Instead, they head to the worm planet to rescue Spock and the new crew of the Enterprise.

It's their last mission. They each give their lives as they try to free Spock from a dungeon. According to Koenig's proposal, Kirk is the last to fall. Or so we think.

McCoy unexpectedly resurfaces and, although he has nothing left in the tank, is able to catch up to Spock. Konig's proposal:

“Slowly, Spock raises his arm and McCoy reaches out to help him up. In this most lonely and desolate moment, Spock allows himself the only expression of friendship he has never admitted before: his need for Leonard McCoy, Spock leans on the doctor, and the two men – adversaries in thousands of arguments over the years – leave together .”

Obviously, the “Star Trek” creatives went in a different direction with “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.” who wisely let “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” director Nicholas Meyer guide the Enterprise back to safe haven, with everyone accounted for, one last time (although they borrowed the idea from an enemy in need, opting by the Klingons). of the Romulans). The baton was later passed to the “Next Generation” team for four films, although Shatner found a way to insert himself into one more film. Yes, Nimoy appeared in 2009's “Star Trek” and its sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness,” but that was one of the few unforced elements of that very entertaining but strangely risk-free film.