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During the 1966–1969 "Star Trek" television series, William
Shatner and Leonard Nimoy's lawyers drafted what Shatner termed a
"favored nations clause," with the result that whatever
Shatner received—e.g., a pay raise or script control—Nimoy also got
and vice versa. Nimoy had directed "Star Trek III: The Search for
Spock" (1984) and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
(1986). Shatner had previously directed plays and television episodes;
when he signed on for "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier"
(1989) following a pay dispute, Shatner was promised he could direct
the next film.

Nimoy noted that this was the most physical film in the series, which
reflected Shatner's energetic sensibility and what he enjoyed doing
most on the series - "running and jumping." DeForest Kelley
noted the physicality required for this film and enjoyed doing things
that he had not been asked to do in years. "I was very pleased to
see that he (Shatner) brought it along in fine style," he said.
Kelley noted that his own ambition to direct had deserted him after
seeing difficulties Leonard Nimoy faced directing the previous two
"Star Trek" films.

According to George Takei, he originally turned down this film because
he did not want to be directed by Shatner, with whom he has had a
longstanding feud. But Shatner convinced Takei to reprise his role.
Takei has said that, despite studio pressure to complete the film on
time, Shatner maintained a creative and enthusiastic atmosphere on
set. "I have enormous admiration for his ability to block that
kind of pressure from seeping on to the set." Moreover, Takei
acknowledged, "despite our sometimes strained personal history, I
found working with Bill as a director to be surprisingly
pleasant."

Initially, Shatner believed that this film would get a positive
response. In the morning after the opening night, he woke up Leonard
Nimoy to tell him that the Los Angeles Times had given the film a
positive review. Soon after, a local television reporter also gave the
film a good review, and Shatner recalled that he incorrectly
"began sensing a (positive) trend." He later agreed that the
film nearly ended the movie franchise, and looking back on the film
called it a "failed, but glorious attempt" at a
thought-provoking film, that did not come together.

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