Star Trek V: The Final Frontier would've been so much better if they'd cut this part of the film

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier failed for a variety of reasons. From the direction, the plot, and the limited resources afforded to the film, the battle was always going to be an uphill one. Yet, the film could've been salvaged had the director not shoehorned a nearly 12-minute set of scenes of the crew on shore leave, engaging with the elements of nature.

For some reason, William Shatner, who directed the film, dedicated nearly 12 minutes of run time to the adventures of James Kirk, Leonard McCoy, Spock, Hikaru Sulu, and Pavel Chekov in Yosemite National Park. Sulu and Chekov got lost, Kirk nearly fell to his death and then the trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy all sat around a fire, and sang "Row Row Row Your Boat".

Well, they mostly sang it, that is.

The scene was long, gratuitous and expensive. Being shot on scene in Yosemite, California, the film wasted precious resources and time to give the core trio of actors a scene that didn't set up or pay off anything. It wasn't even done to explain the relationship between the three men.

This wasn't the first time we'd seen the trio together, so a scene depicting their friendship was a short-sighted endeavor. One that could've been trimmed to a few minutes, and the time is given to more impressive aspects of the film; namely Sybock and his religious recruitment.

In fact, had the scene done a better job depicting Sybock as the religious zealot that he was, and how he got so many people to follow him, you may have been able to salvage the general concept of the film. After all, he was the best part of the film for many and his utilization could have been far more robust and expansive if they had given the time to him.

But no, instead we had to waste nearly a tenth of the film watching grown men bicker. The film had no chance to recover after that part of the film.