By the late 1980s, Star Trek was in an undeniable boom with a movie franchise and spin-off TV show following the success of the original series. In fact, things were going so well that while Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was in development, the studio was eyeing iconic James Bond actor Sean Connery for the role of Spock’s half-brother, Sybok. Ultimately, he turned down the role to pursue other projects, but the film still retained a nod to the actor in the name of one of the film's planets.
William Shatner was tasked with directing Star Trek V after Leonard Nimoy turned down the job, and one of his first moves was to try to court Sean Connery to play Sybok. Shatner hoped the combination of the actor's stardom and the success of previous Star Trek films would bring even better box office numbers for the fifth installment. However, those hopes were dashed when Connery decided to pass on the offer, opting to instead accept the role of Indiana Jones’s father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Without a big star to play the part, Sybok would be portrayed by theater actor Laurence Luckinbill.
That wouldn't be the only impact Connery had on the film, however. Although sources differ on the actual namesake of the planet, it's widely believed that The Finale Frontier's "Sha Ka Ree" is s a nod to Connery. In fact, according to the Star Trek Encyclopedia and Lisbeth Shatner’s novel Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the planet is named after the James Bond actor. The film's DVD commentary tells a different story, claiming the planet's name is merely a play on “Shangri-La,” but both answers may be equally correct.
Sha Ka Ree is a mythological Vulcan planet equivalent of Heaven -- a place of paradise, creation and peace where answers about life and existence can be found. Sybok, Spock’s older half-brother, claims he has been receiving visions of the planet from God and is on a quest to find the mysterious planet. However, while Sybok and the crew do eventually manage to discover the planet, they quickly realize it’s not the Sha Ka Ree of lore and there is nothing heavenly about it. Instead, the planet has been inhabited by a malevolent spirit imprisoned there for centuries who managed to use Sybok’s telepathy against him and trick him into helping the alien escape. In an effort to escape, Sybok sacrifices himself, and the Enterprise crew fires on the planet.
Premiering during the 1989 summer movie season, Star Trek V was met with a disappointing reception, causing the original movie franchise to hit a roadblock from which it never really recovered. While it’s impossible to tell if Connery’s addition to the cast would have changed anything, his influence on the franchise is forever preserved in Sha Ka Ree.