Directed by
William Shatner
Story by
William Shatner, Harve Bennett and David Loughery
Screenplay by
David Loughery
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Stardate 8454.1
Premiered June
9, 1989
St. John
Talbot; Federation
diplomatic representative to the Paradise City settlement on planet
Nimbus III.
Sybok; Son
of Sarek of Vulcan and half-brother to Spock. Sybok was born in 2224
to Sarek and his first wife, a Vulcan princess. After the death of
his mother, Sybok was raised with his half-brother. Even as a youth,
Sybok was a rebel in the highly conformist Vulcan society, and he was
eventually ostracized because he sought to find meaning in emotions
as well as in logic. Sybok left his homeworld to pursue his visions
of the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree. Sybok did not realize that these 
visions
had been implanted by a malevolent creature living near the center
of the galaxy. This creature inspired Sybok to gather a group of
followers at planet Nimbus III in 2287, then to hijack the starship
Enterprise-A to the planet it called Sha Ka Ree, having realized too
late the malevolent nature of the entity there.
General
Korrd; Klingon
diplomatic representative to the Paradise City settlement on planet
Nimbus III. Koord had previously led a distinguished career in the
Klingon Defense Force before he fell out of favor with the Klingon
High Command. His military strategies are required reading at
Starfleet Academy.
Ambassador Caithlin Dar; Romulan representative to the Paradise City settlement on planet Nimbus III, assigned in 2287. An idealistic young woman, Dar believed the colony might still serve as a catalyst for galactic peace, despite the failure of the project for the past two decades. Under the mental influence of Sybok, Dar joined Sybok's quest for the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree.
Captain
Klaa; Commander
of the Klingon bird-of-prey that was ordered to secure the release
of Klingon general Korrd at planet Nimbus III in 2287. Klaa, an
ambitious young officer, saw the mission as an opportunity to
distinguish himself by challenging the legendary Captain Kirk. Klaa
later served as translator in 2293 when Kirk and McCoy were tried for
the murder of Chancellor Gorkon.
Vixis; A striking female Klingon warrior, first officer aboard the Klingon bird-of-prey commanded by Captain Klaa.
J'Onn;
Bald,
humanoid digger of holes, and resident of Nimbus III when Sybok
found him in 2287. After being freed of his pain by Sybok, J'Onn
joined the Vulcan's search for Sha Ka Ree.
Admiral
Robert Bennett; Starfleet
chief-of-staff in 2287. Bennett assigned Kirk and the Enterprise-A
to rescue Federation Representative St. John Talbot at planet Nimbus
III, despite the fact that the Enterprise was far from operational at
the time.
"God";
Evil
entity on planet Sha Ka Ree.
Amanda and Sarek at Spock's birth
High Priestess
David
McCoy; Father
of Dr. McCoy. The elder McCoy suffered from a painful, terninal
illness, 
and
his son eventurlly pulled the plug to spare his father further pain.
On the planet Nimbus III, a central location where one ambassador each from the Federation, Klingon Empire and Romulan Empire have met to discuss solutions to the mutual hostility each government holds for the others, talks have virtually ceased despite the arrival of a new Romulan ambassador and Nimbus III has become an arid desert. A renegade Vulcan - apparently breaking from the tradition of his race and embracing emotions and impulses - has generated a strong following on the planet and takes the three ambassadors hostage.
The Vulcan, Sybok, then sends a message to the delegates' governments, demanding a fair hearing of his demands in exchange for the hostages' lives. A Klingon vessel, commanded by trigger-happy Captain Klaa, heads for Nimbus III with Klaa spoiling for a fight with the legendary Enterprise. The Enterprise arrives first, and Kirk mounts a rescue operation involving distracting the guards, but he finds himself being held at gun point by the hostages he was meant to rescue, Kirk realizes that the affair has been a trap. Sybok now intends to hijack the Enterprise, and succeeds in earning the loyalty of Sulu, Uhura and Chekov by "releasing" them from painful memories in their lives. Sybok sets the Enterprise on a course to the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy, where he believes he will find the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree and, according to Sybok's theory, that world's inhabitant - God.
Surviving the supposedly deadly trip through the barrier, the Enterprise arrives at an uncharted planet, convincing many of the ship's crew that Sybok may be right. In their excitement, no one notices that Klaa's ship is now arriving at Sha Ka Ree as well. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Sybok fly a shuttle to the surface and, although initially finding no sign of life, encounter the projection of an enormous face which claims to be God and greets Sybok. However, when the being insists that the enterprise be brought in close enough that he may meld with it for the journey beyond the Great Barrier, Kirk is suspicious and questions the being's authenticity.
The creature lashes out at Kirk and Spock when they doubt his identity, and Sybok realizes that it is not God. Grappling with the entity so that the others may escape, Sybok gives Kirk time to order a torpedo fired at the creature, but it is not easily killed. When they return to the shuttle, Kirk, Spock and McCoy discover that it has been crippled by the creature, and Kirk orders Scotty to beam Spock and McCoy up. As soon as they have safely returned to the Enterprise, Klaa opens fire on the Enterprise, damaging the transporters once more. Spock convinces General Koord, the Klingon delegate from Nimbus III and one of Sybok's recent converts, to use his rank to commandeer Klaa's ship and rescue Kirk. Koord agrees, and Spock takes over the gunner's seat on the Klingon ship to destroy the God impostor in time to save Kirk. The Klingons and the Enterprise leave Sha Ka Ree peacefully (and after profuse apologies from Klaa), offering some hope for a peaceful future, in which the formerly disgruntled Nimbus III delegates promise to take a more active interest.
Kirk
-- William Shatner
Spock
-- Leonard Nimoy
McCoy
-- DeForest Kelley
Scott
-- James Doohan
Chekov
-- Walter Koenig
Uhura
-- Nichelle Nichols
Sulu
-- George Takei
St. John
Talbot -- David Warner
Sybok --
Laurence Luckinbill
Korrd --
Charles Cooper
Caithlin Dar
-- Cynthia Gouw
Captain Klaa
-- Todd Bryant
Vixis -- Spice Williams
J'onn -- Rex Holman
"God"
-- George Murdock
Young
Sarek --
Jonathan Simpson
High Priestess
-- Beverly Hart
Pitchman --
Steve Susskind
Starfleet
Chief of Staff -- Harve Bennett
Young
Amanda --
Cynthia Blaise
McCoy's Father
-- Bill Quinn
Yeoman --
Melanie Shatner