Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Type of Being

Ever met an alien? You can learn a lot about them by finding out what type of being they are. Not that we have any experience with that.

Take Klaa, the renegade Klingon warrior, for example. In many ways, he's the quintessential Klingon: a man driven by a desire to defend his honor, earn glory on the battlefield, and get into all sorts of violent nonsense. Klaa's quest for Kirk fulfills all three of these desires.

Sybok, on the other hand, defies his heritage. The Vulcan race is defined by its adherence to logic and repression of emotions. Sybok puts that thing down, flips it, and reverses it, choosing emotion instead of logic as his defining characteristic. This not only makes Sybok a unique character in and of himself, but it also highlights the internal conflict of his people.

Family Life

We learn a lot about the crew of Enterprise through their relationships with their families—and very little of it is pretty.

Spock, for example, has serious daddy issues. We learn via a telepathic flashback that from the moment of his birth, his Vulcan father, Sarek, has always looked down on him because of his human heritage. (Spock's mother is human.) That's intergalactic racism, folks. What's more, it reveals a deep insecurity within Spock that isn't always visible beneath all of that logic.

McCoy's family issues are even more difficult. Some years ago, his father fell deathly ill and begged his son to end his life and relieve his suffering. So McCoy did. This would be a rough decision under any circumstances, but it's made a million times worse when McCoy finds out that a cure for the disease was found soon after. The elder McCoy might have survived had Bones stood his ground. As with Spock, what's revealed is a deep pain that, in McCoy's case, is buried beneath mounds of sarcasm, snark, and cynicism.

Speech and Dialogue

In space, no one can hear you scream. They can sure hear you talk, though, if Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is any indication.

For instance, Kirk is always giving big monologues. After Sybok "releases" McCoy and Spock from their pain, Kirk proudly proclaims that his shame and regrets are what make him who he is. Later, when Spock and McCoy are upset about the whole God mix-up, he tells them that God truly exists within the "human heart." It's not quite Shakespeare, but it does show Kirk's capacity for leadership and inspiration.

Sybok, on the other hand, says crazy things left and right. He talks about visions from God. He rambles about Sha Ka Ree until the cows come home. He even references Eden and heaven to advocate for interreligious understanding. This obsession with spiritual imagery is very much in line with Sybok's messianic character, and it further reveals his universalist perspective on spiritual matters.