Themes
The Final Frontier appeared amidst several other films that grappled with quests for God and spiritual meaning; author Peter Hansenberg regarded the film as part of an "almost fashionable" trend of 1980s science fiction movies with religious motifs. Regent's Park College professor and Baptist minister Larry Kreitzer argues the film was "deliberately constructed" to raise the issues of God and the Biblical concept of paradise, Eden. Dixie State College professor Ace Pilkington went further, saying that after the "theological preoccupations" of the television series and previous films, "where else can the Enterprise go but in quest of God?" Pilkington notes that The Final Frontier has roots in many plots from the series including "The Way to Eden" (which also deals with a brilliant man hijacking the Enterprise to find the place of creation), "The Apple", and "Shore Leave"; a common thread between the paradises described is that they are always "too good to be true". John S. Schultes agrees, pointing out that the idea of paradise has been seen many times in the series, but almost always illusory or deadened.
While many Star Trek episodes dealt with false deities, The Final Frontier is one of the few that, in the words of religious scholar Ross Shepard Kraemer, "intentionally confronted and explored theological questions, including the existence of God." Theologist Larry Kreitzer dubbed it the film most preoccupied with religious ideas. According to the film, centuries in the future, beliefs in Eden persist, even among other alien races such as the Klingons and Romulans. Moreoever, the view of God is homogenized — no one disputes Sybok's references to God as a "he".
Kreitzer finds that the film's theological interpretation is offered by Kirk's words: "Maybe He is not out there, Bones. Maybe He's right here, in the human heart." Schultes agrees, writing that in contrast to the mythic and supernatural aspects found in Star Wars, Star Trek espouses a belief in science and rational thinking. "The immortality we seek in religious belief perhaps does not reside in the hands of a deity or some supernatural force," he wrote, "but rather through natural or technological means that are in our hands. The true gods may simply be ourselves."
Read more about this topic: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
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