Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)
Ultimate Trek

Cover

VHS release
Series: TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY
Season: All through 1999
No. of episodes: Numerous clips
No. of tapes: 1
Director: Michael Stevens
Release date: 11 July 2000
Rating(s): Not Rated
Reference: 850753
ASIN 6305908850

Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments is a UPN special from 1999 hosted by Jason Alexander, who plays a faux James T. Kirk. "Kirk", in this special, makes note of popular choices of long-time viewers in a number of areas such as "best episode". The winners had been previously selected by on-line voting.

The special also contained clips from other series making reference to Star Trek, including Frasier, Saturday Night Live, Suddenly Susan, and Dilbert. It also showcased never before seen bloopers from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager and had a tribute to DeForest Kelley, who had passed away earlier in the year.

Plot[]

"Captain's log, stardate: 4725.4. My crew and I have been sent to this sector for a very important mission. The signal that has supplied the universe with the uninterrupted broadcast of the 20th century television program Star Trek has mysteriously been terminated. No one seems to know how or why. First Officer Spock, Dr. McCoy, and I are beaming down to the planet Earth to investigate this strange phenomena that, if unsolved, with result in chaos of galactic proportions."

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (inexplicably, much to McCoy's consternation) beam back through time to 20th century Earth to discover why the broadcast of the contemporary television series Star Trek has been interrupted.

Materializing in 1999 Los Angeles, Spock is unable to locate exactly where the Star Trek signal originates due to "very expensive roaming charges." At this point in history, the population of the United States of America was voting for its favorite Star Trek episode on the Internet - when the favorite episode was to be announced, it caused a sudden acceleration of the Y2K bug which terminated the Star Trek signal (although McCoy wonders how the Y2K bug could have any effect since it happened on New Year's Eve '99, which is weeks away leading Kirk to lament that he should have brought Scotty along instead). Appeasing McCoy, the party jumps through a strangely familiar donut advertising a diner called "Randy's Donuts" to explain their time travel and heads towards the Hollywood Hills.

On Hollywood Boulevard, the party discovers a shop marketed as "Lingerie by Borg." Deducing that the lost of the Star Trek signal must be the work of the Borg Collective, Kirk makes a breathless speech about how risk is their business. McCoy volunteers to charge into the line of danger first, declaring that he is the most expendable member of the party. However, instead of finding a group of Borg drones, the party encounters a bevy of voluptuous females, instead. As Kirk heroically steps in to confront the "Borg", a photographer steps forward and introduces himself as Borg; the ladies are part of the "Collective 2000" photo spread. When Borg comments that Kirk and his crew look like characters from Star Trek, a show he used to watch on NBC, it leads the crew to the valley where NBC headquarters is located. However, Kirk is reluctant to leave the photo studio due to "contractual obligations" and "viewer expectation" for him to communicate with the sexy women. Unfortunately, Kirk uses the line that "should have gotten (him) a nomination" and proceeds to accuse the women of killing his son as he did to Kruge as well as proclaiming himself to be Kirok before being subdued by Spock with a Vulcan neck pinch.

Later, the crew arrives at NBC, but, according to Spock's tricorder, the Star Trek signal is not coming from it. Enraged, Kirk screams out for "KHAAAAAAN!" before being reminded by McCoy that they had previously been speaking to "BOOOOOORG!" As an NBC executive approaches them, he reveals that the network dropped Star Trek a number of years previously and that it is now being broadcast over at Paramount. He also notes how well Kirk handles a phaser and offers him a starring role in an hour-long cop show. Kirk considers and offers that he'd rather host a show that re-enacts 911 calls, which the executive buys. Kirk begins envisioning a reinventing of himself, drawing from the dark side of his personality. However, using a mind meld, Spock is able to remind Kirk of the last time he tried to reinvent himself ("Your recording career... Rocket Man..."). Back to normal, Kirk and the party make their way to the Paramount Pictures studio.

At Paramount, the crew is restricted from entering by a security guard, as the only "Kirk" on the call sheet is Kirk Cameron, of whom the captain has neither his boyish good looks or puckish charm. Desperate to get in to "prevent the Borg's Y2K attack", Kirk demands Spock turn over his wallet and offers the security guard a sizable bribe, which grants them access.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy make their way to the bridge set of the Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager and discover that the Star Trek broadcast signal is transmitting from within the conn station prop. Spock determines what to do to prevent the Y2K bug from stopping the signal, but, McCoy wonders if the preservation of Star Trek is for the greater good of mankind. All Kirk can offer is that the answer to that question is likely to be determined within the walls of the Voyager set. As the Internet voting on the best Star Trek episode concludes, Spock enters the proper sequence to prevent the signal crash. Unfortunately, due to his half-Human side, he makes a mistake and the crash becomes imminent. Spock scrambles to correct his error, while McCoy, despite being "just a simple country doctor", refuses to stand by and do nothing and smacks the console, sparking it.

Due to McCoy's interference, the Star Trek broadcast signal continues on. Unfortunately, it has cost the life of the good doctor, who dies, telling Kirk that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one." Their mission a success, Kirk and Spock beam back to the Enterprise in the 23rd century.

Back on the bridge (which looks remarkably like an Intrepid-class bridge), McCoy rematerializes alongside Kirk and Spock, alive again. With the Star Trek broadcast having continued uninterrupted, the fabric of time has mended itself, restoring the doctor. Of course, McCoy doesn't understand how he can suddenly be alive again and Kirk refuses to listen when Spock begins to offer an explanation, wondering if the bickering between his two friends will go on forever. McCoy claims he hopes as much, while Spock only offers a traditional "Fascinating."

Taking the command chair, Kirk records in his log that with their mission complete, their ongoing mission continues and that Star Trek lives and that Star Trek will survive.

Outtakes/bloopers[]

Ultimate lists[]

Ultimate Time Travel Moments[]

Ultimate Villains[]

Ultimate Beauty[]

Ultimate One-Liners[]

When Good Guys Go Bad[]

Ultimate Heroics[]

The Deeper Meaning[]

Ultimate Trek Episodes[]

Voting cast on StarTrek.com over a one month period nominated the following episodes the best Star Trek episodes:

Ultimately, "The Best of Both Worlds" was selected as "The Ultimate Trek Episode."

Main cast[]

Advertisement