Summary

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country holds a franchise record that no other Star Trek movie has been able to beat in over 30 years.
• The success of Star Trek: The Original Series in syndication led to the development of a successful movie franchise that stayed true to the show's ethos.
• Star Trek VI's willingness to tackle contemporary political issues played a key role in its success and helped it win the prestigious Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the sixth Star Trek movie, set a franchise record that still hasn't been beaten over 30 years after the movie's 1991 release. Star Trek - now known as Star Trek: The Original Series - first aired on NBC in 1966 and was only a moderate success. After Star Trek was canceled in season 3, however, the show developed a dedicated fanbase in syndication and became a viable movie franchise after Star Trek: The Motion Picture became a hit. Over the next 57+ years, Star Trek reached many noteworthy milestones, both critically and culturally, but one such achievement has only happened once — and Star Trek VI was the film that did it.

Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek to comment on social issues and view the future with a sense of optimism. His core concept was to have a Western in space, but he executed it with a deft hand, which allowed the sci-fi show to challenge and break down social barriers. Of course, Star Trek: The Original Series' cast indelibly trailblazed the franchise becoming a pop culture milestone. The subsequent Star Trek movies were more action-oriented than TOS was but remained true to the show's ethos. Star Trek VI was no different, and its willingness to tackle contemporary political issues was a key element of its success in winning a major award no other Star Trek movie has achieved.

Star Trek VI Is The Only Star Trek Movie To Win A Saturn Award

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Won Best Science Fiction Film

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a hit film that won several awards, including the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film — and to date, The Undiscovered Country is the only Star Trek film to garner that accolade. After the disappointment of the William Shatner-directed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Leonard Nimoy, who directed the successful Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and the blockbuster Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, was approached about developing a swan song for the original cast to coincide with Star Trek's 25th anniversary. With Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan's auteur, Nicholas Meyer, back to direct, Nimoy helped conceive Star Trek VI's story.

Leonard Nimoy famously proposed Star Trek VI be about 'the Berlin Wall coming down in outer space', which had just occurred in 1989, and the Klingons pursuing peace talks with the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek VI was a sweet conclusion for the original USS Enterprise crew, with a timely plot and self-deprecating humor that allowed Captain James T. Kirk and his friends to bow out with dignity. Gene Roddenberry reportedly hated Star Trek VI's script, as he disliked any depiction of bigotry or corruption within Starfleet; however, his opinion was in the minority, as many reviewers largely praised Star Trek VI's writing and direction. The quality of Star Trek VI is reflected in its Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, which it received in 1992. Arguably, Star Trek VI benefitted from a lack of strong sci-fi movies to compete against; had it been judged against Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which won the Saturn in 1991, it may not have won. Regardless, Star Trek VI's achievement is a noteworthy one that has yet to be repeated in the franchise.

Star Trek: Picard & Strange New Worlds Are Up For Saturn Awards

3 Star Trek shows and a Star Trek movie's home video release are up for Saturns in 2024

Star Trek on Paramount+'s series and the home video release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition dominate the 2024 Saturn Awards with 15 nominations in 7 categories. Star Trek: Picard season 3's 7 Saturn Award nominations are the most of 2023, and they include nods for Best Science Fiction Series, Best Actor in a Television Series for Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Ed Speleers, and Todd Stashwick competing for Best Supporting Actor, Jeri Ryan up for Best Supporting Actress, and Amanda Plummer for Best Guest Star.

Meanwhile, Strange New Worlds season 2 nabbed 6 Saturn Award nominations, including Best Science Fiction Television Series, Anson Mount for Best Actor, Ethan Peck for Best Supporting Actor, Jess Bush and Celia Rose Gooding for Best Supporting Actress, and Paul Wesley for Best Guest Star. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 is up for Best Animated Television Series, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition 4K is nominated for Best 4K Home Media Release. Star Trek certainly has a great chance to sweep multiple Saturn Awards, but with no Star Trek movies in contention, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country's Saturn Awards record will remain intact.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is available to stream on Max.