Commentary: Trek Stars 32: He's a Ballerino!

Meyer II Part 6: Company Business. Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is an allegory about the end of the Cold War. When the prospect of peace between the Federation and the Klingons becomes a reality, Captain Kirk and General Chang are uncertain of their place in the galaxy. But The Undiscovered Country isn’t the first time that Meyer had dealt with this subject matter. Just three months prior to that film’s release, Company Business hit the sliver screen. Company Business tells the story of two aging spies, played by Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who must team up in order to survive after a prisoner exchange between the Americans and the Russians goes wrong. Both films deal with the Cold War in a very similar way. But where The Undiscovered Country is universally considered to be a success, Company Business is thought of by many, including Meyer himself, to be a failure. This week, Max and Mike take a look at Meyer’s seventh directorial effort. We discuss the similarities between the two films, the compromises that Meyer was forced to make in order to get Company Business made, what makes this one of Meyer’s lesser works, and what the proper term for a male ballerina is.