In the movie, the crew of the Enterprise is lured to a remote planet by Spock's half-brother, Sybok, who has convinced a group of religious fanatics that he has discovered the location of the fabled planet of Sha-Ka-Ree, where he believes he will find the ultimate truth and the creator of the universe. Sybok hijacks the Enterprise, taking Kirk, Spock, and McCoy hostage and forcing them to assist him in his quest by using their individual pains as a way to break through the planet's barrier. Along the way, they encounter a dangerous alien who feeds off of fear and an old rival of Kirk's. Eventually, they reach Sha-Ka-Ree and discover that it is, in fact, a trap set by a malevolent alien entity posing as God in order to escape its prison and wreak havoc on the universe. The Enterprise crew is able to defeat the entity and save the diplomats, but not before Sybok sacrifices himself to try and prove his beliefs.