Inspired by the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country examines how peace can be complicated thing, especially when career soldiers are concerned. On the one hand, peace is pretty obviously a good thing. Hot take, right? On the other hand, peace can also lead to a sense of aimlessness and resentment, especially when you're forced to befriend former foes. There may be fewer aliens here in the real world, but that doesn't mean that the ideas of Star Trek VI can't be applied to earthbound geopolitics.
Questions about Warfare
- What real-life conflicts can the conflict in the film be compared to?
- What are the conspirators' motivations for stopping peace? Are they all the same, or are they different?
- How do Chang's and Kirk's views of warfare differ?
- If Klingon culture is warlike, why is Gorkon so dedicated to peace? Does this mean that we are not always products of our social environment?
Chew on This
While Kirk sees war as something that is an unfortunate necessity, Chang sees it as an arena in which to win glory.
Although their individual reasons differ, most of the conspirators seem to be motivated by strong prejudice against the other side.