They might not be related by blood, but the crew members of the USS Enterprise are pretty much family. They spend their days and nights together. They rely on each other in times of need. Heck, they even bring each other back to life. That's commitment. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, this makeshift family is torn asunder by its members' conflicted relationships with their real fams. Think Family Feud: Intergalactic Style. In the end, the crew members realize that the bonds they've built with each other are sometimes stronger than those they've left behind.
Questions about Family
- How do Spock's and McCoy's relationships with their families differ? How are they similar?
- What specific scenes establish the idea that the crew of Enterprise is like a family?
- What is Sybok's conception of Spock? Is that conception limited in some way? If so, why?
- Did McCoy make the right decision about his father? Explain your answer.
Chew on This
Although the specifics of McCoy's and Spock's relationships with their families differ, these families are similar to the extent that they both involve repressed feelings.
The opening and closing camping scenes are meant to depict the closeness of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, specifically its familial nature.