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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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Watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture with a subscription on Paramount+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Featuring a patchwork script and a dialogue-heavy storyline whose biggest villain is a cloud, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a less-than-auspicious debut for the franchise.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Robert Wise

William Shatner

Leonard Nimoy

Commander Spock

DeForest Kelley

Lt. Cmdr, Leonard H. 'Bones' McCoy, M.D.

Stephen Collins

Persis Khambatta

Lieutenant Ilia

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Epic science-fiction stories, with their cosmic themes and fast truths about the nature of mankind, somehow work best when the actors are unknown to us. The presence of the Star Trek characters and actors who have become so familiar to us on television tends in a strange way to undermine this movie. The audience walks in with a possessive, even patronizing attitude toward Kirk and Spock and Bones, and that interferes with the creation of the "sense of wonder" that science fiction is all about.

Let's begin with the toy for the eyes. The Star Trek movie is fairly predictable in its plot. We more or less expected that two of the frequent ingredients in the television episodes would be here, and they are: a confrontation between Starship Enterprise and some sort of alien entity, and a conclusion in which basic human values are affirmed in a hostile universe. In "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", the alien entity is an unimaginably vast alien spaceship from somewhere out at the edge of the galaxy. The movie opens as it's discovered racing directly toward Earth, and it seems to be hostile. Where has it come from, and what does it want?

The Starship Enterprise, elaborately rebuilt, is assigned to go out to intercept it, with Admiral Kirk, of course, in charge. And scenes dealing with the Enterprise and the other ship will make up most of the movie if the special effects aren't good, the movie's not going to work. But they are good, as, indeed, they should be: The first special-effects team on this movie was fired, and the film's release was delayed a year while these new effects were devised and photographed. (The effects get better, by the way, as the movie progresses. The alien ship looks great but the spaceports and futuristic cities near the film's beginning loom fairly phony.)

The Enterprise, perhaps deliberately, looks a lot like other spaceships we've seen in " 2001: A Space Odyssey ," " Silent Running ," "Star Wars," and " Alien ." Kubrick's space odyssey set a visual style for the genre that still seems to be serviceable. But the look of the other spaceship in " Star Trek " is more awesome and original. It seems to reach indefinitely in all directions, the Enterprise is a mere speck inside of it, and the contents of the alien vessel include images of the stars and planets it has passed en route, as well as enormous rooms or spaces that seem to be states of a computer-mind. This is terrific stuff.

But now we get to the human level (or the half-human level, in the case of Mr. Spock). The characters in this movie are part of our cultural folklore; the Star Trek television episodes have been rerun time and time again. Trekkies may be unhappy with me for saying this, but there are ways in which our familiarity with the series works against the effectiveness of this movie. On the one hand we have incomprehensible alien forces and a plot that reaches out to the edge of the galaxy.

On the other hand, confronting these vast forces, we have television pop heroes. It's great to enjoy the in-jokes involving the relationships of the Enterprise crew members and it's great that Trekkies can pick up references meant for them, but the extreme familiarity of the Star Trek characters somehow tends to break the illusion in the big scenes involving the alien ship.

Such reservations aside, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is probably about as good as we could have expected. It lacks the dazzling brilliance and originality of 2001 (which was an extraordinary one-of-a-kind film). But on its own terms it's a very well-made piece of work, with an interesting premise. The alien spaceship turns out to come from a mechanical or computer civilization, one produced by artificial intelligence and yet poignantly "human" in the sense that it has come all this way to seek out the secrets of its own origins, as we might.

There is, I suspect, a sense in which you can be too sophisticated for your own good when you see a movie like this. Some of the early reviews seemed pretty blase, as if the critics didn't allow themselves to relish the film before racing out to pigeonhole it. My inclination, as I slid down in my seat and the stereo sound surrounded me, was to relax and let the movie give me a good time. I did and it did.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture movie poster

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

132 minutes

Walter Koenig as Chekov

James Doohan as Scotty

William Shatner as Kirk

George Takei as Sulu

Leonard Nimoy as Spock

Directed by

Robert Wise

Screenplay by

Harold Livingston

Produced by

Gene Roddenberry

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Header image for Star Trek I: The Motion Picture showing the U.S.S. Enterprise emerging from space dock

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

" The Human adventure is just beginning... "

" Ten years ago, a television phenomenon became a part of life, shared in 47 different languages, read in 469 publications, and seen by 1.2 billion people. A common experience remembered around the world. Now Paramount Pictures brings the memory to life. "

After an eighteen-month refit process, the USS Enterprise is ready to explore the galaxy once again. But when a huge, invincible cloud approaches Earth , Admiral James T. Kirk must assume command of his old ship in order to stop it. Crew members old and new face new challenges, and must work together to triumph over the unknown.

1.1 Act One
1.2 Act Two
1.3 Act Three
2 Log entries
3 Memorable quotes
4.2 Costs and revenues
4.3.1 Robert Abel & Associates
4.3.2 Future General Corporation and Apogee
4.4.1 Alien languages
4.4.3 Make-up
4.4.4 Voyager aka V'ger
4.4.5 Saucer separation
4.4.6 The walk to V'ger
4.5.1 Late 1967 – June 1976: Early revitalization attempts
4.5.2 July 1976 – May 1977: Star Trek: Planet of the Titans
4.5.3 May 1977 – November 1977: Star Trek: Phase II
4.5.4 December 1977 – December 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture
4.5.5 1980s releases and merchandising
4.5.6 1990s merchandising
4.5.7 2000s and beyond merchandising
4.6.1 Awards and honors
4.7 Apocrypha
5.1.1 Opening credits
5.1.2.1.1 All Rights Reserved.
5.1.3 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director's Edition)
5.1.4 Uncredited co-stars
5.1.5 Uncredited stunt performers
5.1.6 Uncredited production staff
5.1.7 Uncredited production companies
5.2.1 Spacecraft references
5.3 Script references
5.4 Other references
5.5 Further reading
5.6 External links

Summary [ ]

Act one [ ].

Amar firing a photon torpedo at an unknown cloud

In Klingon space, three Klingon K't'inga -class battle cruisers approach a massive cloud-like anomaly. As they approach it, the captain of one of the ships, the IKS Amar , orders photon torpedoes . They're armed and targeted on the center of the cloud, and the captain orders them to fire. The torpedoes are launched, and streak toward the anomaly. However, they abruptly disappear on sensors ; the captain orders evasive maneuvers, and the vessels pull back. Meanwhile, in Federation space, a listening post, Epsilon IX , picks up a distress signal from one of the Klingon ships. Commander Branch asks what they're fighting, and a lieutenant responds that she doesn't know. Another officer reports he has a visual, and the ships continue away from the cloud. A plasma-energy weapon streaks from the cloud hits one of the ships, engulfing it in plasma bolts before seemingly fading out of existence. On a tactical display on the Amar, the captain sees they're the only ship in that area. Another plasma weapon is launched, and the captain orders aft torpedoes fired. As the plasma weapon approaches, a torpedo is fired from the rear launcher, but disappears on contact with the plasma weapon. With nothing they can do, the weapon hits the Amar, engulfing it in plasma bolts, before it, too, disappears. On Epsilon IX, the lieutenant reports the cloud will pass by them, and it's on a direct course for Earth.

" You have not achieved kolinahr . "

On the planet Vulcan , Spock has been undergoing the kolinahr ritual, in which he has been learning how to purge all of his remaining emotions, and is nearly finished with his training. The lead elder tells Spock of how their ancestors had long ago cast out all animal passions on those sands, and says that their race was saved by attaining kolinahr , which another elder describes as the final purging of all emotion. The lead elder tells Spock he has labored long and she prepares to give him a symbol of total logic . She is about to give him a necklace , when Spock reaches out and stops her, clearly disturbed by something out in space. She asks for a mind meld to read his thoughts, to which Spock complies. She discovers that the alien intelligence which has called to him from deep space has stirred his Human half. She drops the necklace and states, " You have not yet achieved kolinahr . " She then tells the other elders, " His answer lies elsewhere. He will not achieve his goal with us. " Then she bids him farewell, telling him to " live long and prosper ." Spock picks up the necklace from the ground and holds it in his hand.

Meanwhile, at the Presidio campus of Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco , Admiral James T. Kirk arrives in air tram 3 . As he steps out, he sees Commander Sonak , a Vulcan science officer who is joining the Enterprise crew and was recommended for the position by Kirk himself. Kirk is bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Sonak explains that Captain Decker , the new captain of the USS Enterprise , wanted him to complete his science briefing at Starfleet Headquarters before departing. The Enterprise has been undergoing a complete refitting for the past eighteen months and is now under final preparations to leave drydock , which will take at least twenty hours, but Kirk informs him that they only have twelve. He tells Sonak to report to him on the Enterprise in one hour – he has a short meeting with Admiral Nogura and is intent on being on the Enterprise at that time.

Following the meeting, Kirk transports to an orbital office complex of the San Francisco Fleet Yards and meets Montgomery Scott , chief engineer of the Enterprise . Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. After the two men enter a travel pod and the doors seal shut, Kirk explains that an alien object is less than three days away from Earth, and the Enterprise has been ordered to intercept it because they are the only ship in range. Scott says that the refit, a process that took eighteen months, can't be finished in twelve hours and tries to convince him that the ship needs more work done as well as a proper shakedown . Kirk firmly insists that they are leaving, ready or not, in twelve hours. Scott activates the travel pod's thrusters and they begin the journey over to the drydock in orbit that houses the Enterprise .

" They gave her back to me, Scotty. "

Scott tells Kirk that the crew hasn't had near enough transition time with all the new equipment and that the engines haven't even been tested at warp power, not to mention that they have an untried captain in command. Kirk tells Scott that two and a half years as the Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made him a little stale, but that he wouldn't exactly consider himself untried. Kirk then tells a surprised Scott that Starfleet has given him back his command of the Enterprise . Scott comments that he doubts it was so easy with Admiral Nogura, and Kirk tells him he's right. While sharing a laugh with Kirk, Scott remarks, " Any man who can manage such a feat I wouldna dare disappoint. She'll launch on time, sir... and she'll be ready, " and gently puts his hand on the admiral's arm. They arrive at the Enterprise held in drydock , and Scott gives Kirk a brief tour of the new exterior of the ship.

A transport goes bad

Upon docking with the ship and entering the Enterprise 's cargo bay , Scott is immediately called to engineering. Kirk takes a turbolift up to the bridge, and upon arrival, is informed by Lieutenant Commander Uhura that Starfleet has just transferred command from Captain Decker over to him, and she, along with several other crewmembers including Sulu and Chekov , step forward excitedly to greet Kirk, who appreciates the welcome but wishes it were under more pleasant circumstances. Kirk asks the crew where Decker is. " He's in, uh, engineering, sir. He, uh... he doesn't know, " Sulu says. Kirk makes his way to the new engine room and pauses to look at Enterprise 's warp core before taking the lift down to where Captain Decker is busy assisting Scott with launch preparations. After Kirk takes him aside to talk, he becomes visibly upset when the admiral tells him that he is assuming command. Decker will remain on the ship as executive officer and will receive a temporary demotion to commander. As Decker storms off, an alarm sounds. Someone is trying to beam over to the ship, but the transporter is malfunctioning. Cleary informs Scott that there is a red line on the transporter. Kirk and Scott promptly race over to the transporter room . Transporter chief Janice Rand is frantically trying to tell Starfleet to abort the transport, but it is too late. Commander Sonak and a female officer are beaming in, but their bodies aren't re-forming properly in the transporter beam . The female officer screams horrifically, and then their bodies disappear. Starfleet tells them that they have died. With tears beginning to form in his eyes , Kirk tells Starfleet to express his sympathies to their families. He mentions that Sonak's can be reached through the Vulcan embassy . " There was nothing you could have done, Rand, " Kirk tells the upset transporter operator, " it wasn't your fault. "

In the corridor outside the transporter room, Kirk sees Decker and tells him they will have to replace Commander Sonak. Kirk wants another Vulcan if possible. Decker tells him that no one is available that is familiar with the ship's new design. Kirk tells Decker he will have to double his duties as science officer as well.

Kirk addresses the Enterprise crew

In the Enterprise 's recreation room , as Kirk briefs the assembled crew on the mission, they receive a transmission from Epsilon IX. Commander Branch tells them they have analyzed the mysterious cloud. It generates an immense amount of energy and measures 82 au ( only 2 au in the director's edition ) in diameter. Branch also reports that there is a vessel of some kind in the center. They've tried to communicate with it, but there has been no response. The lieutenant reports that further scans indicate something inside the cloud, but all scans get reflected back. Suddenly, an alarm goes off on the station, and Branch reports they're under attack. Kirk orders an external view of the station, and plasma bolts start engulfing it. The crew is watching this happen, and Epsilon IX disappears. Ordering Uhura to deactivate the viewer, Kirk informs the crew that the pre-launch countdown will begin in forty minutes and the assembled crew leaves to attend to their duties.

Thruster suit miniature about to be digitized by V'ger

Epsilon IX destroyed

Act Two [ ]

Lieutenant Ilia steps on the bridge

Later on the bridge, Uhura informs Kirk that the transporter has been fully repaired and is functioning properly now. Lieutenant Ilia , the Enterprise 's Deltan navigator , arrives. Decker is happy to see her, as they developed a romantic relationship when he was assigned to her home planet several years earlier. Ilia is curious about Decker's reduction in rank and Kirk interrupts and tells her about Decker being the executive and science officer. Decker tells her, with slight sarcasm, that Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in him. Ilia tells Kirk that her oath of celibacy is on record and asks permission to assume her duties. Uhura tells Kirk that one of the last six crew members to arrive is refusing to beam up. Kirk goes to the transporter room to ensure that the person is beamed up.

Dr. McCoy beams aboard

When told by a yeoman that the crew member insisted on them beaming up first, " said something about first "seeing how it scrambled our molecules ," " Kirk tells Starfleet to beam the officer aboard. Dr. McCoy , dressed in civilian attire and wearing a thick beard , materializes on the transporter platform. McCoy is angry that his Starfleet commission was reactivated . He realizes that Kirk is responsible for the draft. His attitude changes, however, when Kirk says he desperately needs him. McCoy leaves to check out the new sickbay , grumbling about all the new changes to the Enterprise .

The crew finishes its repairs and the Enterprise leaves drydock and heads into the solar system at impulse .

USS Enterprise caught in artificial wormhole

The Enterprise in a wormhole.

A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a " damned computer center. " Kirk is anxious to intercept the cloud intruder at the earliest possible opportunity, and despite protests from Scott and Decker, he orders warp drive engaged. The Enterprise goes to warp 1 successfully, and Kirk turns to speak with Decker, but an alarm draws his attention to the viewscreen. The Enterprise has entered a wormhole , and Kirk orders full reverse. Uhura reports all communications are jammed, and Ilia reports an asteroid has been pulled into the wormhole and is on a collision course. Kirk orders phasers , but Decker countermands his order, goes over to the tactical station, and tells Chekov to arm photon torpedoes . Chekov is able to lock on to the asteroid, and Decker gives the order to fire. With four seconds left before impact, the torpedo leaves the launcher and collides with the asteroid, causing a massive explosion that rocks the Enterprise and causes the wormhole to dissipate. Sulu reports that helm control is restored, and Kirk, annoyed, wants Decker in his quarters. McCoy decides to come along, as well.

Once in Kirk's quarters, Kirk demands an explanation from Decker on why his phaser order was countermanded. Decker points out that the redesigned Enterprise now channels the phasers through the main engines and because they were imbalanced, the phasers were automatically cut off. Kirk acknowledges that he has saved the ship – however, he accuses Decker of competing with him. Decker, in his opinion, tells Kirk that, because of his unfamiliarity with the ship's new design, the mission is in serious jeopardy. Kirk sarcastically trusts that Decker will " nursemaid me through these difficulties, " and Decker tells the captain that he will gladly help him understand the new design. Kirk then dismisses him from the room. In the corridor, Decker runs into Ilia. Ilia asks if the confrontation was difficult, and he tells her that it was about as difficult as seeing her again, and apologizes. She asks if he is sorry for leaving Delta IV , or for not saying goodbye. He asks if, had he seen her again, would she have been able to say goodbye? She quietly says " no ," and goes to her quarters nearby.

Back in Kirk's quarters, McCoy accuses Kirk of being the one who is competing, and the fact that it was Kirk who used the emergency to pressure Starfleet into letting him regain command of the Enterprise . McCoy thinks that Kirk is obsessed with keeping his command. On Kirk's console viewscreen , Uhura informs Kirk that a Starfleet registered shuttlecraft is approaching and that the occupant wishes to dock. Chekov also pipes in and replies that it appears to be a courier vessel, non-belligerency confirmed. Kirk tells Chekov to handle the situation. Turning the viewer off, Kirk asks McCoy is he has anything more to add, to which McCoy quietly states " that depends on you, " and leaves Kirk to ponder this, while he stands silently.

Spock arrives aboard the Enterprise

The shuttle approaches the Enterprise from behind, and the top portion of it detaches and docks at an airlock just behind the bridge. Chekov is waiting by the airlock doors with a security officer and is surprised to see Spock come aboard. Moments later, Spock arrives on the bridge, and everyone is shocked and pleased to see him, yet Spock ignores them. He moves over to the science station and tells Kirk that he is aware of the crisis and knows about the ship's engine design difficulties.

" Well, so help me, I'm actually pleased to see you! "

He offers his services as the science officer. McCoy and Dr. Christine Chapel come to the bridge to greet Spock, but he only looks at them coldly and does not reply to them. Uhura tries to speak to Spock, but he ignores her as well and tells Kirk that with his permission, he will go to engineering and discuss his fuel equations with Scott. As Spock walks into the turbolift , Kirk stops him and welcomes him aboard. But Spock makes no reply and continues into the turbolift. Kirk and McCoy both share a look after Spock leaves the bridge.

With Spock's assistance, the engines are now rebalanced for full warp capacity. The ship successfully goes to warp to intercept the cloud. In the officers lounge, Spock meets with Kirk and McCoy. They discuss Spock's kolinahr training on Vulcan, and how Spock broke off from his training to join them. Spock describes how he sensed the consciousness of the intruder, from a source more powerful that he has ever encountered, with perfect, logical thought patterns. He believes that it holds the answers he seeks. Uhura tells Kirk over the intercom that they have made visual contact with the intruder.

With the entire ship on red alert, Kirk orders full mag on the viewer, and the massive cloud is revealed. The cloud scans the ship, but Kirk orders Spock not to return scans as they could be considered hostile. Spock determines that the scans are coming from the exact center of the cloud. Uhura reports that she's transmitting full friendship messages on all frequencies, but there is no response. Decker suggests raising the shields for protection, but Kirk determines that that might be considered hostile to the cloud. Spock analyzes the clouds composition and discovers it has a 12-power energy field, the equivalent of power generated by thousands of starships .

The Enterprise attacked

Sitting at the science station, Spock awakens from a brief trance. Kirk asks him what's happening, and Spock says the alien is puzzled. The Enterprise was contacted, so why is it not replying? Kirk asks Spock how they've been contacted, but an alarm coaxes him to his chair. A plasma-energy weapon has been launched toward the Enterprise, and Kirk orders full shields. The weapon hits, overloading multiple systems and sending bolts of plasma energy throughout the ship. Bolts of lightning surround the warp core and nearly injure several engineering officers. Chekov is injured – his hand badly burned from a plasma bolt emanating from the weapons station on the bridge. The bolt then finally disappears, and Scott reports deflector power is down seventy percent. A medical team is called to the bridge, and Ilia is able to use her telepathic powers to soothe Chekov's pain.

Spock confirms to Kirk that the alien has been attempting to communicate. It transmits at a frequency of more than one million megahertz, and at such a high rate of speed, the message only lasts a millisecond. Spock programs to computer to send linguacode messages at that frequency and rate of speed. Another plasma-energy weapon is launched, and Spock is still working as it approaches. With ten seconds left, Spock transmits the message. The weapon continues moving toward the Enterprise, but abruptly disappears right before it can collide. Kirk asks for recommendations, and Spock recommends proceeding inside the cloud to investigate, while Decker advises against it, calling the move an "unwarranted gamble." Kirk asks Decker what constitutes "unwarranted" to him, while Decker retorts that Kirk asked his opinion.

Enterprise encounters V'ger 's ship

Kirk orders that the ship continue on course through the cloud. They pass through many expansive and colorful cloud layers and upon clearing these, a giant vessel is revealed. Kirk asks for an evaluation and Spock reports that the vessel is generating a force field greater than the radiation of Earth's sun . Kirk tells Uhura to transmit an image of the alien to Starfleet, but she explains that any transmission sent out of the cloud is being reflected back to them. Kirk orders Sulu to fly above and along the top of the vessel at a distance of only five hundred meters.

As Enterprise moves in front of the alien vessel, Kirk orders to hold position. Suddenly, an alarm sounds, and another plasma weapon approaches the Enterprise. However, it slows down, stopping in front of the ship, and starts zapping the bridge. It forms a column in the bridge and the crew struggles to shield their eyes from its brilliant glow and their ears from the high-pitched shrieking buzz it lets out. Chekov asks Spock if it is one of the alien's crew, and Spock replies that it is a probe sent from the vessel. The probe slowly moves around the room and stops in front of the science station. Bolts of lightning shoot out from it and surround the console – it is trying to access the ship's computer. Kirk orders the computer turned off, which Decker tries to do, but it has taken control of it. Spock pulls Decker away and smashes the controls, which works. As he starts stepping away, he's suddenly given an electric shock by the probe and falls to the floor. The probe starts moving again, and approaches the navigation console. As Ilia is watching, it starts scanning her, much to Decker's horror. Spock tries to pull her away, but he's knocked back by an electric shock. Decker is similarly shocked to keep him away, and Ilia, horrified, stands there as she's scanned. As Decker's watching this, Ilia abruptly vanishes, and the tricorder she was holding falls to the floor. Kirk, shaken, picks up the tricorder. Decker angrily exclaims, "This is how I define unwarranted! "

Enterprise inside the ship

Another alert goes off, reporting helm control has been lost. Spock reports they've been caught by a tractor beam and Kirk orders someone up to take the navigator's station. Decker calls for Chief DiFalco to come up to the bridge as Ilia's replacement. Decker suggests that the ship fire phasers, but Spock, evocatively, asserts that " Any show of resistance would be futile, Captain. " The ship travels deep into the next chamber. Decker wonders why they were brought inside – they could have been easily destroyed outside. Spock deduces that the alien is curious about them. Uhura's monitor shows that the aperture is closing – they are now trapped inside. The ship is released from the tractor beam and suddenly, an intruder alert goes off. Someone has come aboard the ship and is in the crew quarters section.

Act Three [ ]

Ilia returns as V'ger 's probe

Kirk and Spock arrive inside a crewman's quarters to discover that the intruder is inside the sonic shower . It is revealed to be Ilia, although it isn't really her – there is a small red device attached to her neck . In a mechanized voice, she replies, " You are the Kirk unit, you will assist me. " She explains that she has been programmed by an entity called " V'ger " to observe and record the normal functions of the carbon-based units "infesting" the Enterprise . Kirk opens the shower door and " Ilia " steps out, wearing a small white garment that just materialized around her. Dr. McCoy and security officer Ensign Perez enter the room, and Kirk tells McCoy to scan her with a tricorder.

Kirk asks her who V'ger is. She replies, " V'ger is that which programmed me . " McCoy tells Kirk that Ilia is a mechanism and Spock confirms she is a probe that assumed Ilia's physical form. Kirk asks where the real Ilia is, and the probe states that "that unit" no longer functions. Kirk also asks why V'ger is traveling to Earth, and the probe answers that it wishes to find the Creator, join with him, and become one with it. Spock suggests that McCoy perform a complete examination of the probe.

"Ilia" being examined

" I am concerned with that being our only source of information, captain. "

In sickbay, the Ilia probe lays on a diagnostic table, its sensors slowly taking readings. All normal body functions, down to the microscopic level, are exactly duplicated by the probe, even eye moisture. Decker arrives and is stunned to see her there. She looks up at him and addresses him as " Decker ," rather than " Decker unit ," which intrigues Spock. Spock talks with Kirk and Decker in an adjoining room and Spock locks the door. Spock theorizes that the real Ilia's memories and feelings have been duplicated by the probe as well as her body. Decker is angry that the probe killed Ilia, but Kirk convinces him that their only contact with the vessel is through the probe, and they need to use that advantage to find out more about the alien. Suddenly, the probe bursts through the door, and demands that Kirk assist her with her observations. He tells her that Decker will do it with more efficiency. After Decker and the probe leave, Spock expresses concern to Kirk of that being their only source of information.

Decker and Ilia are seen walking around in the recreation room. He shows her pictures of previous ships that were named Enterprise . Decker is trying to see if Ilia's memories or emotions can resurface, but to no avail. Kirk and McCoy observe them covertly on a monitor from his quarters. Decker shows her a game that the crew enjoys playing. She is not interested and states that recreation and enjoyment have no meaning to her programming. At another game, which Ilia enjoyed and nearly always won, they both press one of their hands down onto a table to play it. The table lights up, indicating she won the game, and she gazes into Decker's eyes. This moment of emotion ends suddenly, and she returns to normal. " This device serves no purpose. "

" Why does the Enterprise require the presence of carbon units? ", she asks. Decker tells her the ship couldn't function without them. She tells him that more information is needed before the crew can be patterned for data storage. Horrified, he asks her what this means. " When my examination is complete, all carbon units will be reduced to data patterns. " He tells her that within her are the memory patterns of a certain carbon unit. He convinces her to let him help her revive those patterns so that she can understand their functions better. She allows him to proceed.

Meanwhile, in one of the ship's airlocks , Spock slips up behind the airlock technician and nerve pinches him into unconsciousness.

Decker, the probe, Dr. McCoy, and Dr. Chapel are in Ilia's quarters. Dr. Chapel gives the probe a decorative headband that Ilia used to wear. Chapel puts it over "Ilia's" head and turns her toward a mirror. Decker asks her if she remembers wearing it on Delta IV. The probe shows another moment of emotion, saying Dr. Chapel's name, and putting her hand on Decker's face, calling him Will. Behind them, McCoy reminds Decker that she is a mechanism. Decker asks "Ilia" to help them make contact with V'ger . She says that she can't, and Decker asks her who the Creator is. She says V'ger does not know. The probe becomes emotionless again and removes the headband.

Spock is now outside the ship in a space suit with an emergency evacuation thruster pack . He begins recording a log entry for Kirk detailing his attempt to contact the alien. He activates a panel on the suit and calculates thruster ignition and acceleration to coincide with the opening of an aperture ahead of him. He hopes to get a better view of the spacecraft interior.

" A thruster suit is reported missing. " " A thruster suit... that's Spock. Damn him! "

Kirk comes up to the bridge and Uhura tells him that Starfleet signals are growing stronger, indicating they are very close to Earth. Starfleet is monitoring the intruder and notifies Uhura that it is slowing down in its approach. Sulu confirms this and says that lunar beacons show the intruder is entering into Earth orbit . Chekov tells Kirk that airlock 4 has been opened and a thruster suit has been reported missing. Kirk figures out that Spock has done it, and orders Chekov to get Spock back on the ship. He changes his mind, and instead tells Chekov to determine his position.

Spock touches a button on his thruster panel and his thruster engine ignites. He is propelled forward rapidly, and enters the next chamber of the vessel just before the aperture closes behind him. The thruster engine shuts down, and the momentum carries Spock ahead further. He disconnects the thruster pack from his suit and it falls away from him.

Continuing his log entry, Spock sees an image of what he believes to be V'ger 's homeworld . He passes through a tunnel filled with crackling plasma energy, possibly a power source intended for a gigantic imaging system. Next, he sees several more images of planets , moons , stars , and galaxies all stored and recorded. Spock theorizes that this may be a visual representation of V'ger 's entire journey. " But who or what are we dealing with? ", he ponders.

Spock attempts mind meld with V'ger

He sees the Epsilon IX station, stored in every detail, and notes to Kirk that he is convinced that all of what he is seeing is V'ger , and that they are inside a living machine. Then he sees a giant image of Lt. Ilia with the sensor on her neck. Spock decides it must have some special meaning, so he attempts to mind meld with it. He is quickly overwhelmed by the multitude of images flooding his mind and falls back unconscious.

Spock in sickbay

Kirk is now in a space suit and has exited the ship. The aperture in front of the Enterprise opens, and Spock's unconscious body floats toward him. Later, Dr. Chapel and Dr. McCoy are examining Spock in sickbay. Dr. McCoy performs scans and determines that Spock endured massive neurological trauma from the mind meld. While he is telling Kirk this, they are interrupted by an incredible sound: Spock, regaining consciousness, is laughing softly, saying he should have known.

Spock describes V'ger as a sentient being, from a planet populated by living machines with unbelievable technology, allowing it access to a truly galactic store of knowledge. Yet for all of that, V'ger is barren, with no sense of mystery and no emotions to give meaning to its actions. Spock, seeing the irony when comparing V'Ger to himself, can not help but laugh: V'Ger has, for all intents and purposes, achieved Kolinahr – flawless logic and limitless knowledge – yet doing so has only made it see the gaps in its own understanding. Spock grasps Kirk's hand and tells him, "This simple feeling is beyond V'ger 's comprehension. No meaning, no hope. And Jim, no answers. It's asking questions. 'Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?'"

Uhura chimes in and tells Kirk that they are getting a faint signal from Starfleet. The intruder has been on their monitors for a while and the cloud is rapidly dissipating as it approaches. Sulu also comments that the intruder has slowed to sub-warp speed and is only three minutes from Earth orbit. Kirk acknowledges and he, McCoy, and Spock go up to the bridge.

V'ger's ship enters low Earth orbit, and the cloud entirely disappears. Starfleet sends the Enterprise a tactical report on the intruder's position. Uhura tells Kirk that V'ger is transmitting a signal. Decker and "Ilia" come up to the bridge, and she says that V'ger is signaling the Creator. Spock determines that the transmission is a radio signal. Decker tells Kirk that V'ger expects an answer, but Kirk doesn't know the question. Then "Ilia" says that the Creator has not responded. Suddenly, a plasma weapon is launched and starts orbiting Earth. Chekov reports all planetary defense systems have gone offline. Several more plasma weapons are launched and all orbit Earth in unison.

McCoy notices that the bolts are the same ones that hit the ship earlier, and Spock says that these are hundreds of times more powerful, and from those positions, they can destroy all life on Earth. " Why? ", Kirk asks "Ilia." She says that the carbon unit infestation will be removed from the Creator's planet as they are interfering with the Creator's ability to respond and accuses the crew of infesting the Enterprise and interfering in the same manner. Kirk tells "Ilia" that carbon units are a natural function of the Creator's planet and they are living things, not infestations. However "Ilia" says they are not true lifeforms like the Creator. McCoy realizes V'ger must think its creator is a machine. Decker concurs, comparing it to "We all create God in our own image."

Spock compares V'ger to a child and suggests they treat it like one. McCoy retorts that this child is about to wipe out every living thing on Earth. To get "Ilia's" attention, Kirk says that the carbon units know why the Creator hasn't responded. The Ilia probe demands that Kirk " disclose the information ." Kirk won't do so until V'ger withdraws all the orbiting devices. In response to this, V'ger cuts off the ship's communications with Starfleet. She tells him again to disclose the information. He refuses, and a plasma energy attack shakes the ship. McCoy tells Spock that the child is having a " tantrum ."

Kirk tells the probe that if V'ger destroys the Enterprise , then the information it needs will also be destroyed with it. Ilia says that it is illogical to withhold the required information, and asks him why he won't disclose it. Kirk explains it is because V'ger is going to destroy all life on Earth. "Ilia" says that they have oppressed the Creator, and Kirk makes it clear he will not disclose anything. V'ger needs the information, says "Ilia." Kirk says that V'ger will have to withdraw all the orbiting devices. "Ilia" says that V'ger will comply, if the carbon units give the information.

Spock tells Kirk that V'ger must have a central brain complex. Kirk theorizes that the orbiting devices are controlled from there. Kirk tells "Ilia" that the information can't be disclosed to V'ger 's probe, but only to V'ger itself. "Ilia" stares at the viewscreen, and, in response, the aperture opens and drags the ship forward with a tractor beam into a massive tunnel. Chekov tells Kirk that the energy bolts will reach their final positions and activate in 27 minutes. Kirk calls to Scott on the intercom and tells him to stand by to execute Starfleet Order 2005 – the self-destruct command. A female crewmember, Ross , asks Scott why Kirk ordered self-destruct, and Scott tells her that Kirk hopes that when they explode, so will the intruder.

The countdown is now down to 18 minutes. DiFalco reports that they have traveled 17 kilometers inside the vessel. Kirk goes over to Spock's station and sees that Spock has been crying. " Not for us, " Kirk realizes. Spock tells him he is crying for V'ger , and that he weeps for V'ger as he would for a brother. As he was when he came aboard the Enterprise , so is V'ger now – empty, incomplete, and searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough. McCoy realizes Spock has found what he needed, but that V'ger hasn't. Decker wonders what V'ger would need to fulfil itself.

Spock comments that each one of us, at some point in our lives asks, " Why am I here?" "What was I meant to be? " V'ger hopes to touch its Creator and find those answers. DiFalco directs Kirk's attention to the viewscreen. They're approaching the next chamber, and see a light up ahead. Sulu reports that forward motion has stopped. Chekov replies that an oxygen / gravity envelope has formed outside of the ship. "Ilia" points to the structure on the screen and identifies it as V'ger . Uhura has located the source of the radio signal and it is straight ahead. "Ilia" says the carbon units will now provide the information, and a passageway slowly materializes from the light toward the Enterprise. Kirk chooses Spock and Bones to come, but Decker volunteers to go as well. They enter a turbolift as Uhura looks at the viewscreen.

The passageway

The passageway is reaching the Enterprise as they come up an airlock onto the hull. They start walking up the passageway, and at the end of the path is a concave structure, and in the center of it is an old NASA probe from three centuries earlier. Kirk rubs away the soot on the nameplate and makes out the letters "V G E R". He continues to rub and discovers that the craft is actually Voyager 6 . Kirk recalls the history of the Voyager program – it was designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. Decker tells Kirk that Voyager 6 disappeared through what was then called a black hole .

The heart of V'ger is revealed

Kirk says that it must have emerged on the far side of the galaxy and got caught in the machine planet's gravity. Spock theorizes that the planet's inhabitants found the probe to be one of their own kind – primitive, yet kindred. They discovered the probe's 20th century programming to collect data and return that information to its creator. The machines interpreted that instruction literally and constructed the entire vessel so that Voyager could fulfil its programming. Kirk continues by saying that on its journey back, it amassed so much knowledge that it gained its own consciousness .

"Ilia" tells Kirk that V'ger awaits the information. Kirk calls Uhura on his communicator and tells her to find information on the probe in the ship's computer , specifically the NASA code signal, which will allow the probe to transmit its data. Decker realizes that that is what the probe was signaling – it's ready to transmit everything. Kirk then says that there is no one on Earth who recognizes the old-style signal – so the Creator does not answer.

Kirk calls out to V'ger and says that they are the Creator. "Ilia" says that is not logical – carbon units are not true lifeforms. Kirk says they will prove it by allowing V'ger to complete its programming. Uhura calls Kirk on his communicator and tells him she has retrieved the code. Kirk tells her to set the Enterprise transmitter to the appropriate code frequency and to transmit the signal. Decker reads the numerical code on his tricorder and is about to read the final sequence, but V'ger burns out its own antenna leads to prevent reception.

"Ilia" says that the Creator must join with V'ger , and turns toward Decker. McCoy warns Kirk that they only have ten minutes left. Decker figures out that V'ger wanted to bring the Creator here and transmit the code in person. Spock tells Kirk that V'ger 's knowledge has reached the limits of the universe and it must evolve. Kirk says that V'ger needs a Human quality in order to evolve. Decker thinks that V'ger joining with the Creator will accomplish that. He then goes over to the damaged circuitry and fixes the wires so he can manually enter the rest of the code through the ground test computer. Kirk tries to stop him, but "Ilia" tosses him aside. Decker tells Kirk that he wants this as much as Kirk wanted the Enterprise .

V'ger evolves into a higher form of existence after merging with Decker

Suddenly, a bright light forms around Decker's body. "Ilia" moves over to him, and the light encompasses them both as they merge together. Their bodies disappear, and the light expands and begins to consume the area. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy retreat back to the Enterprise . The light starts engulfing V'ger's ship, and an enormous explosion of light forms in orbit. As the light clears, the Enterprise moves forward, unharmed. On the bridge, Kirk wonders if they have just seen the beginning of a new lifeform , and Spock says yes and that it is possibly the next step in their evolution. McCoy says that it's been a while since he's "delivered" a baby and hopes that they got this one off to a good start.

" Spock... did we just see the beginning of a new lifeform? " " Yes, captain. We witnessed a birth. "

Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. Kirk reports that there were only two casualties: Lieutenant Ilia and Captain Decker. He quickly corrects his statement and changes their status to "missing." Vessel status is fully operational. Scott comes on the bridge and agrees with Kirk that it's time to give the Enterprise a proper shakedown. When Scott offers to have Spock back on Vulcan in four days, Spock says that's unnecessary, as his task on Vulcan is completed.

Kirk orders the Enterprise out for more adventures

Kirk tells Sulu to proceed ahead at warp factor one. When DiFalco asks for a heading, Kirk simply says " Out there, that-away. "

With that, the Enterprise flies overhead and engages warp drive on its way to another mission of exploration and discovery.

Log entries [ ]

Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), mid-2270s

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Heading? " " Sir, it's on a precise heading for Earth. "

" The Enterprise is in final preparation to leave dock. " " Which will require another twenty more hours at minimum, Admiral - " "Twelve."

" I'm on my way to a meeting with Admiral Nogura which will last no more than three minutes. Report to me on the Enterprise in one hour. " " Report to you , sir? " " It is my intention to be on that ship following that meeting. Report to me in one hour. "

" Admiral, we have just spent eighteen months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise . How in the name of hell do they expect me to have her ready in twelve hours?! "

" Mr. Scott, an alien object of unbelievable destructive power is less than three days away from this planet. The only starship in interception range is the Enterprise . Ready or not, she launches in twelve hours. "

" He wanted her back, he got her. " " And Captain Decker? He's been with the ship every minute of her refitting. " " Ensign, the possibilities of our returning from this mission in one piece may have just doubled."

" I'm replacing you as captain of the Enterprise . You'll stay on as executive officer, temporary grade reduction to commander. " " You personally are assuming command? " " Yeah. " " May I ask why? " " My experience. Five years out there, dealing with unknowns like this. My familiarity with the Enterprise , this crew. "

" Admiral, this is an almost totally new Enterprise . You don't know her a tenth as well as I do. " " That's why you're staying aboard. I'm sorry, Will. " " No, sir. I don't think you're sorry. Not one damn bit. I remember when you recommended me for this command. You told me how envious you were, and how you hoped you'd be given a starship command again. Well, sir, it looks like you found a way. " " Report to the bridge, commander. Immediately. " " Aye, sir. "

"Enterprise, what we got back didn't live long. Fortunately. "

" Just a moment, captain, sir. I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known, seldom used reserve activation clause! In simpler language, captain, they drafted me! "

" Why is any object we don't understand always called a thing? "

" Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. Well, I'm gonna need a top nurse, not a doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me! And they've probably redesigned the whole sickbay, too! I know engineers. They love to change things! "

" Thrusters ahead, Mr. Sulu. Take us out! "

" Well, Bones, do the new medical facilities meet with your approval? " " They do not. It's like working in a damn computer center! "

" No casualties reported, doctor. " " Wrong, Mr. Chekov, there are casualties. My wits! As in, frightened out of, captain, sir! "

" Mister Spock! " " Well, so help me, I'm actually pleased to see you! "

" Spock, you haven't changed a bit. You're just as warm and sociable as ever. " " Nor have you, doctor, as your continued predilection for irrelevancy demonstrates. "

" Will you please sit down ! "

" Mr. Decker, I will not provoke an attack. If that order isn't clear enough for you - " " Captain, as your exec, it's my duty to point out alternatives. " " Yes it is. I stand corrected. "

" I sense... puzzlement. We have been contacted. Why have we not replied? " " Contacted? How? "

" Moving into that cloud, at this time, is an unwarranted gamble. " " How do you define unwarranted? " " You asked my opinion, sir. "

" Don't interfere with it! " " Absolutely I will not interfere! " " No one interfere! It doesn't seem interested in us. Only the ship. "

" It's taking control of the computer! " " It's running our records! Earth's defenses! Starfleet's strength! "

"This is how I define unwarranted! "

" I don't want him stopped! I want him to lead me to whatever is out there. " " And if that whatever has taken over his mind...?! " " Then, he'll still have led me to it, won't he? "

" Spock, this child is about to wipe out every living thing on Earth. Now what do you suggest we do? Spank it? "

" Your child is having a tantrum, Mr. Spock! "

" I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother. As I was when I came aboard, so is V'ger now. Empty. Incomplete. Searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough. "

" Each of us, at some time in our life, turns to someone – a father, a brother, a god – and asks: Why am I here? What was I meant to be? V'ger hopes to touch its creator to find its answers. " " "Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more? "

" Capture God...? V'ger 's liable to be in for one hell of a disappointment. "

" Jim, I want this! As much as you wanted the Enterprise , I want this! "

" We witnessed a birth. Possibly a next step in our evolution. " " Well, it's been a long time since I delivered a baby and I hope we got this one off to a good start. "

" List them as missing. "

" Heading, sir? " " Out there. Thataway! "

Background information [ ]

The theatrical poster for Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Wise, Shatner, Roddenberry, Kelly, Nimoy

From left to right: Robert Wise, William Shatner, Gene Roddenberry, DeForest Kelley, and Leonard Nimoy

This film was the last Star Trek release to occur in the 1970s, and the only live-action one to take place in that decade.
Grace Lee Whitney ( Janice Rand ) and Mark Lenard (Klingon captain) are the only actors, besides the original cast, to appear in both this film and the final Star Trek: The Original Series film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Lenard plays the Klingon captain in The Motion Picture and Ambassador Sarek in The Undiscovered Country , while Whitney plays Janice Rand in both films.
Likewise, Majel Barrett and Leonard Nimoy are the only original series actors to participate in both this film and the first Star Trek film set in the rebooted timeline , Star Trek . In The Motion Picture , Barrett played Dr. Chapel and in Star Trek she voiced the computer for the alternate reality USS Enterprise , while in both films Nimoy portrayed Spock (in the 2009 film he played the Spock of the original "Prime" timeline). However, James Doohan 's son Chris also appeared in both this film and the 2009 film. In The Motion Picture he is in the recreation deck scene (with his twin brother Montgomery) when Kirk addresses the entire crew; and in Star Trek he is in the transporter room scenes as an engineering lieutenant commander. Concurrently, Barrett and Nimoy are the only two cast members from the original pilot " The Cage " to appear in this first Star Trek film. Nevertheless, Nimoy is the only actor to portray the same character in both productions, having played Spock in both, whereas Barrett played Number One in the pilot and Dr. Chapel in the film.
Also, Nimoy is the only actor to participate in both this film and Star Trek Into Darkness . In both films, Nimoy portrayed Spock.
Bruce Logan was the director of photography for the Klingon scenes. He was scheduled to be the Director of Photography (DP) on "In Thy Image", the un-produced pilot for Star Trek: Phase II , the immediate predecessor television project of the film. Both the plot and script emerged from the un-produced pilot.
One of the most persistent myths in Star Trek -lore, erroneously propagated in numerous reference works such as Star Trek Movie Memories , Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , to name but a few, is that the 1977 science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind played a decisive key role (besides Star Wars ) in the decision to upgrade Phase II to The Motion Picture . Actually, the upgrade decision was already firmly in place for nearly a month before Close Encounters even premiered. It was Star Wars , and Star Wars alone, that had been the prime motivator for the upgrade decision. The reference book Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , which contains a contemporary account of the production history but was only released in 2014, confirmed this to be the case (p. 48) Still, in the mind of the studio executives, the phenomenal success of Close Encounters served as the validation of their decision. ( see Production history below )
Fred Phillips saved Leonard Nimoy's ear molds from the Original Series. They were put back into use when the molds being made for the film were damaged.
Principal photography, the filming of scenes which required the principal cast, began on 7 August 1978 and was finished on 26 January 1979 .
The theme from the TV series is heard three times in the film. Each time it is used, it is for a "captain's log" dictation. The first one is heard just before Kirk engages the Enterprise 's first warp test. The second time is when Spock is making his repairs to the warp drive, and the third time is when Kirk and McCoy are watching Decker and the Ilia-probe from Kirk's quarters.
This film, and the last TOS cast film ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ), are the only two that do not use the original series fanfare in the opening credits of the film. That fanfare was not heard at all in the score to this film, and did not make an appearance until Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Jerry Goldsmith did, however, bring the fanfare back for the subsequent Star Trek films he scored.
According to David Gerrold 's The World of Star Trek , a blooper occurred in the scene where Kirk and Spock leave to investigate the intruder alert, William Shatner , as Kirk, tells Stephen Collins as Decker, that he has the bridge and Collins jumped down to the floor, grabbed the command chair and yelled like Daffy Duck, " It's mine! It's mine! At last it's mine! All mine! " which led Shatner to turn around and yell " I take it back! "
The five previous ships named Enterprise , which Decker shows the Ilia probe in the rec room are, according to Mike Okuda's DVD text commentary , an 18th century frigate, the much decorated World War II carrier , the space shuttle orbiter prototype, an unseen ship which was actually an early Matt Jefferies design for the TV Enterprise and of course, the original configuration of the Enterprise from the original series. Internet rumors from 2001 speculated that the unseen ship might be replaced by the NX-01 Enterprise ; however, this did not happen. Christopher L. Bennett 's novel Ex Machina establishes (albeit non-canonically) that the image of the NX-01 Enterprise was added after the events of this film. Incidentally, it was Jefferies, who had provided both the historical lineage concept and the artwork upon which the backlit transparencies of the vessels were based, for the Motion Picture 's immediate predecessor, Phase II . It has set a tradition that was adhered to in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series and films, as well as in Star Trek: Enterprise . ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 94)
According to an article written by Harlan Ellison (writer of the acclaimed Original Series episode " The City on the Edge of Forever ") and published in Starlog in 1980, Gene Roddenberry took Harold Livingston to arbitration with the Writer's Guild of America five times, seeking a screen credit for the film's screenplay. The Writer's Guild apparently sided with Livingston, as Roddenberry never received any credit for the script. However Alan Dean Foster did successfully arbitrate with the Writer's Guild as he had initially received no story credit at all, even though he had written an early draft of the " In Thy Image " script which was rewritten into the TMP script.
The film was one of only a few Hollywood productions, and also one of the last along with Disney's The Black Hole , that introduces the film with an overture – a practice commonly used for "epic" films. For that purpose, Jerry Goldsmith chose to present the auditory "Ilia's Theme", which he also referred to as a "love theme". The overture runs for approximately three minutes, and is then taken over by the film's concise main theme (which later became famous as TNG's main title) ( 20th Anniversary Special Edition soundtrack booklet).
This film marks the first depiction of Earth in the 23rd century. Although a parkland near Christopher Pike 's native Mojave was seen in TOS : " The Cage ", this was merely an illusion created by the Talosians . Every subsequent film except for Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Beyond has included a scene set on Earth in the future.
Academy Award-winning film legend Orson Welles provided the narration for many of the film's trailers. Director Robert Wise worked as film editor on Welles' first two films, Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons .
Star Trek: The Motion Picture was one of the last heavily-marketed, non-animated big studio films with just a G rating, and the only Star Trek film to receive this rating (although in 2001, the director's cut got a PG for sci-fi action and mild language). Ever since, such productions were released with at least a PG rating. ( citation needed • edit )
The Star Trek newspaper comic strip was launched in coordination with this film, four days prior to its premiere. The character of Ilia is inexplicably featured in the first two story arcs, even though they take place after the events of the film.
The world premiere of the film took place at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, DC on 6 December 1979 as a fund-raising event for the National Space Club . With thousands of Trekkies expected to attend, the event fell somewhat flat as only about three hundred showed up due to bad weather. A black tie affair, it was followed by a reception with all the film's stars and Gene Roddenberry at the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum , complete with an orchestra playing the Jerry Goldsmith theme (some internet sites incorrectly state it was at the Kennedy Center ). The admission price to the reception for non-affiliated guests was a, for the time, hefty US$100. ( The Washington Post , 6 December 1979, p. C12; 7 December 1979, pp. C1, C3)
In the United Kingdom, the film had a gala premiere at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema in London on 15 December 1979 . All of the principal cast attended. The Motion Picture was released theatrically on 21 December. At the time, to generate interest in the film, the BBC was re-running the series on television. The Motion Picture enjoyed a three week stint at the top of the UK box office and grossed £4,774,456 overall. [1]
Paramount sought and obtained a variety of design patents on some costumes, ships, and props from this film, which directly resulted from Dawn Steel 's merchandising fund drive. ( see below ) They would continue to do so for the next two films, as well as for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation .
The film was adapted as a novel and as a three-part comic , as well as becoming the third of five official Star Trek productions to be adapted into View-Master reels.
Several props and costumes from this film were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including Walter Koenig 's uniform, [2] William Shatner's uniform, [3] a bio-monitor , [4] a beige class-B Starfleet uniform, [5] a brown class-A uniform belt, [6] several uniform patches, [7] [8] [9] a schematic lot of Enterprise deck one's exterior, [10] and many background uniforms and civilian costumes. [11] [12] [13]
In his commentary on the Star Trek DVD, J.J. Abrams (who can be seen in the DVD's gag reel wearing a TMP production jacket) stated that the reveal of the new Enterprise in that film was, as much as possible, intended as an homage to the "amazing" shuttle sequence where Kirk sees the refit Enterprise for the first time.

It is somewhat unclear as to what exact year the first Star Trek film took place. Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 39) and the Star Trek Encyclopedia , 3rd ed., p. 691 place The Motion Picture in 2271 , stating that it took place 2.5 years after the end of the last five-year mission that, according to the Encyclopedia , took place from 2264 to 2269 . This was based on Decker's line to Kirk, that the latter had " not logged a single star hour in the last two-and-a-half years, " and Kirk's line to Scott, " Well, two and a half years as Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made me a bit stale, but I certainly wouldn't exactly consider myself untried. " This indicates a minimum of two-and-a-half years between the time the Enterprise returned to dry dock and the beginning of the first film.

In 2019, StarTrek.com released a timeline video of events in the Star Trek universe, placing The Motion Picture in 2273. [14] On screen, in VOY : " Q2 ", it is stated that Kirk's five-year mission ended in 2270 . This would establish the earliest point at which The Motion Picture could possibly have taken place some time in either 2272 or 2273 (depending on at what point in 2270 the ship ended the five-year mission). On the other end of the spectrum, the latest this film could have taken place is in 2278 , since the red The Wrath of Khan -style uniforms were in use by some time that year based on TNG : " Cause And Effect ". The stardates mentioned in the film cannot be used to accurately date the events, since the four-digit stardates beginning with the digit "7" were used for fifteen years between 2270 and 2284 , based on " Bem ", " The Ensigns of Command ", and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The final TAS episode, TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident ", takes place in 2270 , as does the entire second season of the series.

Toward the end of the film, Commander Decker tells Captain Kirk, " NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jim, this vessel was launched over three hundred years ago ", and given that the Voyager 6 probe would presumably have been launched some time after Voyager 1 and 2 , which were launched in 1977, then this would put a lower limit of 2278 on the year of the film's events.

Apocryphally, the dating of the film has been set by Pocket Books to be 2273 in their 2006 chronology Voyages of Imagination . The novel Triangle supports this dating, as it is set after The Motion Picture, and takes place seven years after " Amok Time ", in 2274 . Also, the novelization of the film written by Gene Roddenberry states that it has been 2.8 years (nine Vulcan seasons) since Spock left the crew. Due to all this obscurity, however, Memory Alpha leaves the exact canonical dating open, and simply dates the film in the 2270s .

Costs and revenues [ ]

According to the Guinness Book of Records , when the film was produced, it was the most expensive theatrical feature ever made with a total production cost of US$46 million (or $44 million, according to the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 75). This proved incorrect however, as Superman: The Movie had an even higher budget at US$54 million, though the producers didn't give the exact figure for some years afterward. This doesn't take inflation into account, however; taking it into account, Cleopatra was, at the time, the most expensive film ever made. And even Cleopatra was arguably surpassed by far by the Soviet-made version of Tolstoy's War and Peace , the 1966 (four-part) film Voyna i mir , reported to have been produced at a for the time staggering US$100 million budget. [15]

The original production budget for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , set at US$15 million, included the costs made for the aborted Star Trek: Phase II series, as well as the earlier false starts in getting a Star Trek film off the ground. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , pp. 34, 69) The inclusion of these costs is debatable from a business economics point of view, since anywhere else in the corporate world research and development costs of projects that do not come to fruition are usually written off and are commonly charged against the balance sheets of corporations. This is a sound business generally accepted accounting principle (as stated in any business economics text book and where the principles are known under their acronym GAAP's) since it prevents cost price inflation with undue elements, therefore avoiding pollution of their viability assessment, of products that do come to fruition. Still, in the particular case of Phase II , an argument could be made for carrying over production costs already incurred to the Motion Picture , since some of those costs were applicable to the Motion Picture as well, such as those of the sets that were already constructed and the fees for production staff and cast already paid, who continued to work on the film.

This film was pre-sold in the autumn of 1978, while it was still in production, to the ABC TV network for US$15 million – or $10 million, according to performer Walter Koenig. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58) That fee allowed two airings of the film, the first to run no earlier than December 1982 . Its ABC premiere was on 20 February 1983 , and its second run was in March 1987 (ABC ran the film a third and final time in the summer of 1989). The television run of the film marks one of the first times that scenes not incorporated into a theatrical cut were reintegrated for the television airing, making the television cut longer than the theatrical cut.

Another revenue guarantee the studio secured was the amount of US$35 million that theater owners committed to, provided the film was released on 7 December 1979 as announced, allowing them to plan for the Christmas season. It was exactly for this reason that the studio could not deviate from the release date, even if they had wanted to, when the visual effects debacle occurred in February 1979, which left the production in dire straits ( see below ). Barry Diller , then studio head and chief financial overseer of the production, recalled, " Once the theater owners realized that we pulled this scam off on them, none of them liked it. They were all trying to get out of it and we wouldn't let them out of it and we knew, of course, that if we didn't open this picture on December 7, the guarantees would evaporate... " ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) The actual potential financial damage was reportedly even far greater than Diller led to believe, as the studio, in case of non-timely release, not only forfeited the guarantees, but had also to pay out the same amount to the distributors as damages (a not uncommon reciprocal feature for this kind of arrangements), meaning the total financial damage would amount to US$70 million according to Animation and Graphics Artist Leslie Ekker . ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 351) It was more than enough reason to have the release date set in stone.

In the spring of 1979, a second revenue source was additionally tapped long before the film premiered, necessitated by the February visual effects debacle, which had left the studio without cash to finish the film. Charged with creating that stream was recently appointed vice-president of Marketing and Licensing , studio executive Dawn Steel. Then novice studio producer Jerry Bruckheimer recalled, " I was here doing American Gigolo when they were doing Star Trek . The budget was going up, up, up. They needed money to cover the negative. Eisner went to Dawn and said, "I want X amount of guarantees for this merchandising." She went to conventions and got every toy-maker, anyone who made T-shirts and key chains and raised every nickel she could. She shook the trees. There hasn't been that energy vortex in merchandise since she left. " Steel however, had a problem since the production was running over schedule by that time, as she clarified, " I was a desperate person. There was no product, because there was no movie to show anyone. So I had to this razzmatazz bit onstage, so I could convince the people making pajamas and toys and Coca-Cola and McDonald's to do the tie-ins. I figured out this laser thing. I beamed myself onto the stage. " Held in the largest theater on the Paramount lot, and joined in a similar fashion by the principal cast, the imaginative presentation was met with rambunctious enthusiasm. " It was the most unbelievable party Paramount ever had. ", another attending studio producer, Brian Grazer, remembered. As already indicated by Steel, the, at the time, most unlikely corporations to sign up were Coca-Cola and fast-food company McDonald's, " Coca-Cola bought all this network time to advertise our movie. It had never been done before. ", Steel enthused. Crudely drawn comic strips (as no other imagery was available) were subsequently featured on the containers of both companies, a legendary one featured on those of McDonald's, featuring Klingons eating hamburgers and drinking Coca-Cola. Often incorrectly credited as McDonalds's very first outing in their "Happy Meal" concept, The Motion Picture was nevertheless their first themed one, coming from December 1979 onward in five boxes with items included such as bracelets, puzzles and the like. McDonald's ran several thirty second television commercials, promoting the Motion Picture Happy Meals, one of them featuring a Klingon, endorsing them in, what was supposed to be, Klingonese. Impressed with her performance, studio COO Michael Eisner promoted Steel the following day to vice-president of productions in features, having been less than six months in the employment of Paramount, and she went on to become one of the first female "Hollywood Moguls" by holding a position as studio head in the then predominantly male-dominated industry. ( New York magazine, 29 May 1989, p. 45; Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , pp. 108-109) The amount thus generated for the studio has never been disclosed, though Steel herself has given a conservative low estimate of at least $250 million dollar in total sales of licensed Star Trek -related merchandise, of which, "depending on the product", 1 to 11 percent were fees for the studio. ( Playboy magazine, January 1980, p. 310)

Arguably, Steel not only saved the film, but the entire studio as well with her fund drive. Not only were the US$35 million dollar payable as damages to distributors avoided, but also the loss of the approximately same amount, already sunk in the production. That money had not been Paramount's own, but had been a loan from the obscure investment company Century Associates . When Gulf+Western 's Charles Bluhdorn bought Paramount Pictures in 1966, the studio was in dire straits, rapidly descending towards bankruptcy. It took nearly seven years to painfully restructure the company and reverse its fortunes, and it was only by the mid-1970s that the studio became profitable again, albeit still somewhat tentatively. It was therefore that the studio still did not yet possess a war-chest large enough, to fully fund their own productions on their own, when The Motion Picture came along. It would not have been the first time that a studio was killed off by an overly ambitious film project, nor would it be the last time; Previously, in 1957, RKO Pictures was terminated as an independent film production company by its owners (some of its remnants absorbed by Paramount and Desilu , as the former RKO property was adjacent to those of both), due to the fact that John Wayne's 1956 epic, The Conquerers , failed to earn back its production budget. And only one year later, the 1980 western, Heaven's Gate , the US$44 million budget box-office disaster, ended United Artists , its remnants absorbed by MGM , though keeping the name as a separate dependent division.

Having avoided the fate of Heaven's Gate , the Motion Picture earned US$11,926,421 in its opening weekend at the US box office, a record at the time, and its total domestic gross theatrical revenue was US$82,258,456 .

The total gross was, considering the estimated US$10-$20 million marketing expenditures incurred, reported to be a disappointment for the studio. At first glance, this came as no surprise as Gerrold had noted, when he estimated shortly before its release that the film had to gross two to three times its budget to cover the indirect overhead costs to be profitable for Paramount, meaning it ultimately barely broke even in the home market if at all. ( Starlog , issue 30, pp. 37, 63) Yet, a somewhat different spin on the studio's position – already contradicted by their decision to do the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan follow-up film shortly after the premiere – is put, when the additional foreign gross of $57 million , the gross world wide rentals of $79 million , the ABC pre-sale of $10 – $15 million, the above-mentioned undisclosed licensing fees for associated merchandise and the equally undisclosed home media format sales are taken into account (but discounting revenue streams from home media format re-releases, merchandise and television rights, spawned in later decades, still trickling in to date). These figures were commonly not disclosed to the home public by the Hollywood Studio System , as it was until the mid-1990s customary in the American motion picture industry, to publicly judge the performance of a film solely on how well it did in its home market, discounting other revenue streams which traditionally remained undisclosed. This used to be a conscious strategy policy as it afforded Hollywood studios certain decision-making advantages. If a film did not do well in the home market, it allowed them to curtail future legal, artistic and financial requirements of hitherto successful producers and/or directors for subsequent productions – essentially preventing them becoming too expensive or too difficult to work with – using bad home market performances as negotiation arguments. A particularly notorious, even infamous example of this was the 1995 science fiction film Waterworld of Director/Producer Kevin Costner (and served by Star Trek alumnus Steve Burg as assistant art director), then famed and lauded for his exceptionally successful western Dances with Wolves (produced for US$18 million, it grossed US$424 million in world-wide ticket sales alone). At US$176 million, the most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld failed at the home box office and, like Heaven's Gate , it went on to become considered to this date as one of the biggest recorded disasters in motion picture history, severely damaging Costner and thereby diminishing his market value for the time being. What Universal Studios purposely did not disclose at the time however, was that the film did well abroad, particularly in France and Japan, and that the additional revenue streams made the film ultimately break even. But, for Costner and his film, the damage was already done. From the mid-1990's onward, the traditional stance of Hollywood studios has since then become untenable due to the ballooning production costs of major motion picture productions.

Likewise, Paramount Pictures now saw an opportunity to distance themselves from Gene Roddenberry. Ever since the inception the Original Series , Roddenberry was perceived by the studio as a thorn in their side, due to his unbudging character when it came to his Star Trek creation, of which he was over-zealously protective, as well as being stung by his surreptitiously orchestrating the letter writing campaign that for saved the Original Series for a season. At the time, no longer shielded by Herb Solow (who ran interference for Roddenberry and the studio during the first two seasons), it had forced him to remove himself from control of that series' third season . But once the former was gone, so was Roddenberry, and during the production of the Motion Picture Roddenberry again had his share of run-ins with the studio. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp. 371-375) It had been exactly for this reason why the studio had brought in their own producers, Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston , during the early stages of the production of Phase II in June 1977, with the express intent to keep Roddenberry's perceived eccentricities in check. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 59-60) The studio now made Roddenberry the sole scapegoat for the (in their eyes) disappointing performance of the film, faulting him for the high production costs due to the visual effect debacle, the incessant script rewrites and creative direction for the "plodding pace". ( From Sawdust to Stardust , pp. 240-241) Bumped "upstairs" in a ceremonial figure head function as "Executive Consultant" to the studio's equivalent of the "Bermuda Triangle", Roddenberry was forced out of creative control of the Star Trek franchise. Under the stipulations of his new contract, directors and creative staff could ask for his opinion on the project, but his advice – which he, unsolicited, provided nevertheless for years in the form of a fruitless avalanche of story outlines, script drafts, annotations, memos and the like, particularly for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , none of them really read – was not needed to be taken. As subsequent film production histories showed, none of the subsequent film directors and producers ever bothered to consult with Roddenberry in person or in writing again, his formal "Created by" and "Executive Consultant" credits for them notwithstanding. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , pp. 99, et al. ) This fate already befell Roddenberry while The Motion Picture was still in production, and the film turned out to be his second and last major theatrical motion picture production.

Implicating Roddenberry in the high production costs, which was only partly justified ( see below ), was, in hindsight, indeed studio politics by COO Michael Eisner and his studio executive colleagues, adeptly turning a disadvantage into a publicity advantage by carefully managing cost information dissemination. Usually, corporations, regardless in what industry they are operating, are loathe to divulge costs, especially if a product is not doing well, but in this case aggregates were made public around the time the film premiered, already allowing reporter Peter H. Brown to divulge a US$45 million price tag as early as November 1979, even before the film premiered. ( Reader magazine, 23 November 1979, p. 7). Roddenberry was indeed largely responsible for the script problems, which did cause production delays and thus over-budget expenditures, but the visual effects debacle situation ( see below ) was somewhat more nuanced. It was Post-production Supervisor Paul Rabwin who selected Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A), the unfortunate visual effects company. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 202-203) Still, being the primary managerial operations overseer as executive producer, Roddenberry formally did bear final responsibility for Rabwin's actions, which was skillfully exploited by the studio, made easier as Roddenberry lacked the political skills to maintain himself due to his character. During the production of The Motion Picture , it was Director Wise, who had grown weary of the constant script delays, who skillfully maneuvered Roddenberry out of creative control in October 1978. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 107-110) Only once afterwards, in 1987, was Roddenberry ever allowed back in the driver's seat for the development for a new Star Trek production, Star Trek: The Next Generation , only to have it yanked out from under him again upon the conclusion of its second season , when the series turned out to be viable and was turned over to the studio's watchdog, Rick Berman . David Gerrold, reaffirming that the studio still blamed Roddenberry for the perceived The Motion Picture failure, stated when he was pulled from the series, " Gene didn't like Rick, at all. But Rick was installed on the show by the studio as a way to keep a control on the show... to keep the budgets in line, make sure that the scripts were done. Ultimately, Berman ended up in control rather than Maizlish [note: Roddenberry's lawyer, who tried to establish creative control of the new show for his client] because Berman played the politics of the studio more effectively. ", indicating that the studio was grooming Berman and had never considered Roddenberry to continue in the first place. [16] The studio politics, effectively deflecting any costs responsibility from themselves and Director Wise, worked like a charm; for the remainder of his life, the US$45 million Motion Picture price tag stuck to Roddenberry's name like glue.

Yet, not everyone bought into the studio line, as Roddenberry had never been without staunch supporters of his own, like the author couple Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens , who have bluntly stated in their reference book The Art of Star Trek (p. 156) that, " (T)o be fair, the movie itself cost only $25 million to make. The extra $20 million or so represented all the cost Paramount had occurred over the years on all the other STAR TREK projects that were not made. " Considering that their "$25 million" – having taken Rodenberry's 1979 interview statement to that effect at face value ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 653) – were already taken up by the visual effects production and set construction alone ( see below ), meant that the Reeves-Stevens/Rodenberry assertions should therefore be considered as equally manipulative as those of the studio, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Concurrently, Director Robert Wise too, bore some of the responsibilities of the high production costs, after he was brought aboard in March 1978 and was given near- carte blanche latitude by the studio. As was his habit for all the films he worked on, Wise stipulated on that occasion that he was to have executive producer rights as well, which the studio granted, in the process curtailing those of Roddenberry. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 76) Nearly all non-script related production decisions made after March were Wise's and not Roddenberry's, which included, among others, his decision to completely revamp at great cost ( see below ) the vast majority of the Phase II sets, which he "didn't like very much". Wise's management style as producer did also backfire in regard to the visual effects, and it was Roddenberry, of all people, who sounded the alarm when the situation started to spin out of control ( see below ). But Wise was never associated by the studio with the high production costs, as he was, consciously or not, and unlike every other of his films, never officially credited as producer and therefore shielded from criticism. It should likewise be noted that Wise in his role as director also should have shared to some extent in the "plodding pace" criticism but, in his defense, in this regard he had by then little choice due to the February visual effects debacle, as he was forced to " start putting our effects into the body of film, one at a time, as they came in from the effects houses ". ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 101-102, 122-124)

While the studio has successfully deflected any performance responsibility for the film from itself, there actually was enough blame to go around for them as well, already starting with the upgrade decision proper of 11 November 1977. Business economics generally states that a radical mid-stream course change for any product or project development, especially for one as advanced in development as Phase II was, is bad management decision making. If overriding reasons does make it imperative, huge transition costs, even if carefully managed, are by definition unavoidable. When Robert Wise was approached for the director's position, he recalled, " And when I first came into the film, I was told by Michael and Jeffrey [Katzenberg] that they were out to make a "top-notch picture", and that our budget stood at somewhere between fifteen and eighteen million dollars. They didn't exactly expect we'd be able to actually spend that much [...] " ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, p. 87) Essentially speaking for all production staffers, when he was informed of the upgrade decision on 21 November 1977, Phase II Art Director Joe Jennings recalled in 2009, somewhat mellowed, but still aghast, " We were within two weeks of starting the new series, and somebody said, "Wheeew, let's make a motion picture!" Just like it was a whole different thing, you know. They've always thought that about the TV people. We did something, sort of down here and they did things that were sort of up there, that we could not do up here, what they did down there, whatever! " ( Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future ) Both remarks implied that the upgrade was a "spur-of-the-moment" decision, whereas the somewhat flippant "top-notch picture" annotation by Eisner, additionally indicated that the consequences of their upgrade decision was neither thought through, nor fully understood by the studio.

In the case of RA&A, though Roddenberry was formally responsible for its selection, contract negotiations and the actual contracting are traditionally the purview of the studio, as producers usually have no authority to do so. While studio executives are dependent on their producers for providing accurate production information – studio executives are generally business people, not film or television makers, and they usually have more than one production under their auspices at any given time – this does not discharge them from the responsibility of performing their own due diligence assessments, especially on financial matters, which are their primary responsibility in the first place. With RA&A, as related below, it was abundantly clear that the executives dropped the ball in this regard. On this, RA&A's Visual Effects Designer, Richard Taylor , has later dryly commented, " Well, what I found was fascinating was, that why Robert Abel Studios, which was really doing graphics and television advertising and so forth, was asked to do the effects for this film, because there was no track record there. [...] So, to this day I'd love to know who has made the decision at Paramount to come to us, and say, "We want you to do the effects on this film. " (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 2nd ed.) Then RA&A Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, has put it even more succinctly, having bluntly stated, " Paramount didn't check us out... " ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 59)

As an industry professional, Michael Eisner was aware of what the production budgets had been for the two most visually influential science fiction films in the previous ten years, he had in mind for his "top-notch picture", 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, and as indicated at the time by Production Illustrator Andrew Probert , who had stated, " Originally, when Bob Abel was on the project, everybody was extremely hopeful that this would surpass the classic 2001 . ") and Star Wars (1977), which was approximately $10 million each ( Close Encounters of the Third Kind had not yet premiered by the time of the upgrade decision). And when he set the initial film budget at $15 million, he could at first glance have been excused for thinking that this was ample. However, his budget included the costs already incurred for all previous revitalization attempts of the Star Trek live-action franchise, which included, among others, $500,000 for script development and $1 million for the Phase II bridge set alone. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 156; Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , pp. 34, 69; Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) Adding to this other incurred, otherwise undisclosed costs, such as for the other Phase II sets, the studio models (all of which later discarded) and other production staff fees already paid, meant that the amount made available for the actual upgrade was less than the publicized figure of $15 million originally suggested. According to Unit Production Manager Phil Rawlins it was even substantially less, " When Bob Wise took the show over, there were, I believe, close to $5,000,000 worth of false starts. That includes all the versions they didn't do, the small feature, the TV series, the TV movie and all of that. " ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 112) Furthermore, when inflation adjusted, the production costs of 2001 came to US$18 million in 1977 prices (incidentally, conforming to Eisner's adjusted remark when he approached Wise), all of which pointing at Eisner's original budget being on the meager side to begin with. Eventually, it became known that the total production budget for Close Encounters came to approximately US$19 million, but that film required far fewer visual effects than The Motion Picture ultimately did.

Even with the in hindsight unrealistic original budget of US$15 million, The Motion Picture was still the most complex, ambitious and expensive film project the studio had ever embarked upon in its history, Cecil B. DeMille's (inflation adjusted) 1956 remake of his own 1923 silent film classic The Ten Commandments , being the sole exception. In comparison, all the studio's biggest box-office successes of the mid-1970s, John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever and Grease , as well as Mario Puzo's The Godfather , were "low-budget" productions, none of them exceeding a production budget of US$6 million. Only in the mid-to-late 1980s did production budgets start habitually to balloon exponentially, first in double digits, and subsequently into the triple digits.

In the case of Star Wars , Eisner and company, formed in the "Hollywood Studio System" tradition, failed to grasp that that film was produced under unique and radically different circumstances. Firstly, George Lucas employed an, at the time, virtually unknown and therefore inexpensive, cast (the only two established names, Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness, agreed to perform in the film for token fees); Secondly, Lucas combined within himself the roles of director, producer, as well as story and script development, affording him to maintain production integrity, and ensuring that the production stayed strictly on course creatively. In the case of the Motion Picture these roles were divided over a half dozen people, each of which with his own agenda, resulting in the somewhat unstructured and drifting production history and constituting a classic case of having too many helmsmen at the wheel; thirdly, and most importantly, cost-wise speaking, all effects were produced in-house. Lucas employed in his new Industrial Light & Magic company (then merely a subsidiary department of Lucasfilm, and later to play a significant part in the Star Trek film franchise) a team of young, highly motivated and enthusiastic effects staffers, all sharing Lucas' visionary approach, and each of them willing to work for low wages and putting in huge amounts of unpaid overtime. Thus organized, Lucas was ensured of minimal meddling by the powerful Hollywood Unions. ( Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects , Chapter 1) This circumstance was certainly not lost on Phase II / The Motion Picture Production Illustrator Michael Minor , when he already in 1979 emphatically commented, " I love science fiction, but it's proved itself to be costly, damaging in Human terms, costly in terms of money and time, and it is just much of a bankroll to bet too often. And the only person who seems to know how to do it right now, forgive me, is George Lucas, because I firmly believe Steven Spielberg hasn't the slightest idea what storytelling is all about. He's proved that rather conclusively. " ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 165)

Paramount Pictures could never enjoy these advantages, if only for the fact that they, as a venerable and well-established motion picture industry corporation, were subjected to more stifling Hollywood Union regulation. The circumstance that two Paramount subsidiary companies, the visual effects companies Magicam, Inc. and Future General Corporation (FGC), provided a huge and substantial amount of The Motion Picture work for their mother company did not help at all either. Corporate laws in those territories employing the free market economy system, universally have it that the subsidiary structure of a corporation, if utilized, may not lead to unfair competition advantages in regard to companies not encompassed within a group. This translates in practice that these subsidiaries can not give parent or sister companies undue advantages by offering them services or products at (below-)cost, and are to be treated as independent, outside companies with their own profitability responsibilities. Considered paramount, it is one of the most strictly enforced corporate laws in the Western world, the US, EU, and Australia in particular, where authorities are singularly keen on meeting any perceived transgression with traditionally hefty fines. It was exactly this circumstance Magicam's Vice-President Carey Melcher referred to, when he made the statement on the occasion of his company being reinstated as the primary studio model vendor for the Motion Picture in January 1978, " Even though we were a Paramount company, we had to submit bids just like any outsiders. We were expensive, because we're a union shop, but they knew we could do the work. " ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) For a group as a whole (in this case, Gulf+Western), this has no consequences, as inter-company costs and profits within a group, cancel each other out in the aggregated, or consolidated, profit-and-loss statements, submitted to tax authorities. However, for Paramount Pictures proper, the profits made by Magicam and FGC did turn up on their individual profit-and-loss statement as production costs. While Paramount had done nothing untoward legally, it would have in hindsight behooved them, if they had taken these inter-company profits into account when acquiescing the publication of the aggregate production costs, allowing for a more honest assessment of the performance of The Motion Picture .

As it turned out, the "inter-company" situation only played a part of any substance in the case of the Motion Picture , as it was not applicable in any of the later Star Trek film productions. Until 2005 that was though, when the issue re-emerged in a slightly different format when Gulf+Western's successor Viacom (old) was split into two separate entities – CBS Corporation and (new) Viacom . For Paramount proper it again resulted in very similar adverse circumstances for the profitability performances of their three, 2009-2016, alternate reality films.

The cost-inefficient situation of having "too many helmsmen at the wheel" was not restricted to the highest management echelons alone. When hired, a second, equivalent Art Department, Astra Image Corporation (ASTRA), was allowed to be established by RA&A to operate on par alongside Paramount's own Art Department, resulting in confusing situations with hugely overlapping responsibilities, as Jennings attested to, " We made a camel. It started out to be a horse, but a committee got hold of it. Everyone got into the act on that movie. There was creative pulling back and forth, fumbling around, coming and going of people ad infinitum and ad nauseam . Everyone who worked on the art direction provided too much input to be ignored, so we all got credit, and Hal Michelson , brought in as art director, ended up getting credit as production designer. " Jenning's co-worker Mike Minor, was even more vehement in his appraisal, " It was one of the most soiled and shabby chapters of Hollywood history, in terms of how people were treated. The trouble, as always, was that the wrong people were in charge. We're in a business in which the people at the top, who make the decisions, really don't know a damn thing about making pictures. I think we all knew then that we were associated with a bomb. It's too bad the movie happened at all. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol 12 #5/6, p. 58) The comments of Minor and Jennings notwithstanding, this situation was partly due to the contractual obligations the studio had committed to for the Phase II production. Yet, if anything, studio executives exhibited the ability to learn, and this particular situation was avoided for later film productions where either a single art department was employed, or when multiple ones were, responsibility boundaries were strictly defined with all of them answering to a single studio appointed production designer.

As the previous points already implied, none of the studio executives, Michael Eisner especially, seemed to have a firm grasp of the products of the industry they were actually working for at the time, at least where visual effects heavy projects, which The Motion Picture (as the very first one for Paramount) actually was, were concerned. In the visual effects case, this was exemplified by Eisner's treatment of FGC and his later reaction to the visual effects situation in July 1978. ( see below ), further indicated by his upping the initial budget to US$18 million within a month. Only in 2000 did Diller concede this to have actually been the case, " We didn't know what these things were, Bob Wise was a lovely man, but he didn't know, either. " ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) It was again Mike Minor who had made a scathing observation in this regard at the time, " Why do I think the filming took so long and cost so much? Poor planning. From the beginning, we all said there was never any one in control. The people running all the studios in Hollywood are cost accountants, bankers and idiot sons of advertising executives from New York. They have no idea whatsoever – underline that in italics [sic.] – what moviemaking is about. Since it sold to Gulf&Western, Paramount is no exception. To make room for parking on the Paramount lot, one of these executives had the western lot torn up – the last surving western lot in town. My question, and the question of most art department directors, to these individuals would be, "OK, what happens when Star Trek , Star Wars and the other pictures have had their run and you're back to making westerns? Where are you going to do them? You're going to have to build it again." And westerns will come back. They always come back. " Motion picture history has proved Minor right. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 165)

Three years later, the studio made a big deal out of the fact that The Wrath of Khan , still produced under the auspices of Michael Eisner, was realized under its tight budget of approximately US$11.5 million, which officially (considering the worldwide box-office gross of US$97 million) makes this film the most profitable outing in the entire film franchise, putting Roddenberry in an even worse light. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 12 #5/6, p. 52; et al. ) This too has to be taken with a grain of salt, as that film made use of many visual, and special effects elements – both commonly responsible for the largest part of a science fiction production budget, as it already had been for the Original Series – previously produced for the Motion Picture , the studio models, props and sets in particular and even including the reuse of entire visual effects sequences, thereby realizing huge savings in effects costs not incurred, known in business economics as "opportunity costs". Common GAAP's have it elsewhere in the corporate world, that these costs should have been charged in proportion against this film and in the same proportion deducted after-the-fact from the Motion Picture – or put more simply, amortized over both productions. As stated above, the studio actually did charge in full all costs made for every single prior revitalization attempt to the Motion Picture , further hinting at information manipulation, an industry phenomenon known as " Hollywood accounting ". While Roddenberry was effectively put out to pasture, Eisner went on to become the, up to that point in time, highest paid media executive in history, when he switched over to The Walt Disney Company in 1984, receiving over $40 million in 1988 alone. [17] (X)

The fact that The Motion Picture had been delivered just in time to the theaters, resulted in that both the US$35 million dollar theater guarantees as well as the ABC pre-sale of US$10-$15 million dollar were secured. Add to this that the studio has been able to raise the US$10 million dollar shortfall due to the February visual effects crisis, on its own, meant that the film had already earned back its direct production budget, before even a single second of footage was seen by the public.

Another spin on the studio's position is put when one considered that despite its mixed reception, The Motion Picture was for three decades the best world-wide performing Star Trek film adjusted for inflation , US$422 million in 2014 prices, even outperforming the highly successful films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: First Contact (US$284 and $222 million in 2014 prices respectively) when inflation adjusted, and was only to be surpassed in 2009 with the advent of the film set in the alternate reality. And even in absolute dollars, the film still ranked fourth as of 2014.

The most remarkable coda to the whole Motion Picture cost-price "controversy" was provided by the aforementioned obscure production, or investment company Century Associates (who actually fronted Paramount Pictures the funding for The Motion Picture ), when their official figures were submitted to the film website IMDb decades later. A substantially lower production budget of US$35 million (indicating that at least some of the above-mentioned avant-premiere revenue streams were now accounted for) was allowed for in these figures, making the Motion Picture the fourth most profitable outing in the entire Star Trek film franchise as of 2022, incidentally outperforming the three alternate reality ones by far. For a more detailed breakdown of the individual performances in the film franchise, please see Star Trek films .

Visual effects [ ]

Though Roddenberry was later implicated in the high visual effects over-budget expenditures, Michael Eisner and his studio CEO colleagues could actually be as equally faulted as well, as they, prior to the Phase II project, seriously mishandled the relationship with Paramount's subsidiary effects house, FGC led by Douglas Trumbull , as Trumbull years later bitterly recalled (the studio of course, did not share that information with the public at the time), " Paramount had no vision at all and [was] going through a big management change. The guy [remark: Frank Yablans] that I did the deal with was ousted, and Michael Eisner and Barry Diller came in and they couldn't see what I was trying to do and wanted to get rid of it. I don't know, there's just a whole train of disillusionment that accompanies my history in movies. " [18] (X) . Trumbull, one of the effects supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey , whose grandeur the studio wanted to emulate for the upgraded film, was actually the first party approached for the film's visual effects, but he had to decline as he and his company were knee-deep involved in the post-production of the science fiction classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the time. ( Cinefex , issue 1, pp. 4, 6) How bad the relationship between the two parties already was by that time was exemplified by the fact that Trumbull failed to communicate that the work was close to completion, since Close Encounters already premiered on 16 November 1977, and that the studio immediately went in search for another company, making it debatable how sincere their inquiry was.

As it turned out, both parties were to pay the price for their failure to communicate and Paramount was forced to come yet knocking on Trumbull's door later on during the production, hat in hand. One can only wonder if a little more diplomacy on part of both sides could have prevented the ensuing visual effects debacle. At the time, the studio falsely spun Trumbull's refusal in contemporary press releases as being, "regrettably", unable to meet Trumbull's demand of serving on the film as its director (though having dangled, insincerely however, as they never had for a second considered doing so, the position as a carrot in front of him – like Roddenberry, Trumbull had a "solid" reputation of being too difficult to work with), instead of Wise. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 42, 46-47, 353)

Robert Abel & Associates [ ]

After Douglas Trumbull had turned it down, it was visual effects company Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A), ironically already suggested by Trumbull to Paul Rabwin in late October 1977, that was given the assignment to produce the film's visual effects, having tendered an initial bid of US$1.6 million for a television production, upped to US$4 million, once it became clear that the visuals were intended for a full-fledged theatrical motion picture production, for the commission, accounting for approximately 140-185 effects shots, slated to start in January 1978. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60) The company was selected by Rabwin, taking along Mike Minor on the second meeting, on the strength of their groundbreaking contemporary commercials, unaware that the company was at the time not ready to handle a project of this magnitude, while correctly assessing that Paramount's other subsidiary effects house, Magicam, who were to do the effects for the television predecessor, was not either. In Rabwin's defense, many studios were at the time interested in doing science fiction, and he had a hard time finding an available effects studio at all. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 202-203; Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46; Return to Tomorrow , p. 42) In the end, they indeed proved unable to provide visual effects that met the producers' requirements.

Before Rabwin was tasked with selecting an effects house, Roddenberry and Phase II director Robert Collins had already made a quick precursory round of the established visual effects houses in mid-October 1977, but found out that visual effects production had been tremendously revolutionized since The Original Series (not in the least due to Trumbull and his colleagues when working on 2001: A Space Odyssey , and not even mentioning what ILM had done on Star Wars ) and were unanimously informed that the visual effects they had in mind could not be produced for less than US$9-$10 million. It was mainly for this reason that the studio executives increased the budget from US$8 to $15 million for the upgrade. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , p. 83) That the relatively unknown RA&A, which had no track record whatsoever in the motion picture industry for major features, was willing to do the effects for US$4 million, should have raised at least some executive eyebrows. The cat came out of the bag in February 1979 when it became known that Robert Abel was actually aware that he could not do the effects for his initial bid. In December 1977 his company was in financial troubles due to the fact that his acclaimed Levi's commercial had run hugely over-cost (tendered at US$190,000, the commercial ended up costing US$330,000, and measured in thousands instead of millions was proof how small Abel's company actually was in fact) and he needed the Paramount commission for his company's survival. His then Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, who had flat-out stated, " Paramount didn't check us out... ", revealed that, presented with an early script draft, an internal analysis for the effects production already revealed that the production of these could not be accomplished for less than US$5.5-$6 million, but Abel, fearing that this amount was too high for Paramount (indicating his lack of experience with major feature productions), decided to take a gamble with his bid as not to lose the account. The shortfall was almost exactly the amount he requested as the first two budget upgrades in the early stages of his company's involvement. McKenna incidentally, left RA&A in late December 1977, when negotiations entered into their final stages, as she did not want to be party to the deception. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 59-60)

While pulled from the visual effects production proper, Magicam was retained by RA&A for the construction of the studio models for the film. However, this entailed discarding all the ones made for Phase II , deemed unsuitable to meet big-screen requirements, and starting all over again. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46)

Inexplicably, both the studio and director Wise failed to register that the departure of Post-production Supervisor Rabwin, who was not succeeded once RA&A was in place, had left a dangerous void in the production, as there was now no dedicated studio liaison and/or specialized supervisor, leaving an unsupervised RA&A pretty much to their own devices for nearly seven months. Apparently, Wise saw no need for one at the time, as he had none on the two science fiction films he worked on before, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and The Andromeda Strain (1971, and on whose strengths he was hired in the first place), instead dealing directly with the effects staffers in his role as producer. On both films he was well served by conscientious effects staffers, especially on the latter one where it was Douglas Trumbull himself who directed the effects and with whom Wise formed a close relationship on that occasion. However, the effects requirements for these two films were in no comparison to the ones needed for the project Wise was now working on, as was indicated by Diller's above quoted "he didn't know, either" statement, and he was forced to rely solely on the, by Roddenberry below quoted, "it sounds reasonable" word of RA&A's namesake. Abel, as it turned out, was concurrently looking out after the interests of his own company, having produced several commercials in Paramount's time and at their expense, as was conceded by RA&A's own Executive Producer for Commercials Jeffry Altshuler. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 60, 62)

This situation translated itself in a continuous stream of budget increase requests from RA&A, something that, while no longer his purview, came to the attention of an alarmed Gene Roddenberry and it was he who alerted Michael Eisner to the fact that the visual effects situation was rapidly spinning out of control in a memo dated 24 July 1978, informing him that the visual effects budget had already hit the $5 million dollar mark. Roddenberry, drawing upon the very good experience he had on the Original Series with Edward K. Milkis , advised the studio to appoint liaisons between RA&A and the studio. Eisner immediately responded by appointing Richard Yuricich to the production and concurrently instructing studio executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Lindsley Parsons, Jr. to spend more of their time on the project, which for both men meant a raise from 20 to 50 percent of their available time. However, in doing so, Eisner exhibited his lack of understanding and empathy as both Katzenberg and Parsons were at the time business managers (not yet a film maker in the former case), and neither had any experience with visual effects whatsoever, whereas, intentionally or not, forcing Yuricich to serve as an unpaid liaison due to contractual obligations, was a particularly uncouth act on the part of Eisner, as an unmotivated Yuricich was co-founder and co-CEO of the by Eisner maligned FGC. Roddenberry, who suggested him, was not aware of the problems between FGC and the studio, and unsurprisingly, Eisner's actions did not do much to remedy the situation. In his memo, Roddenberry predicted, " Indeed, we may not have heard the last of optical expediting expenditures. It is possible we could also have other expenditures in dollars and delays on optical techniques, systems and equipment which do not work out as planned. Major optical effects of this type carry many hazards under the best of circumstances, and the director and myself have an urgent need to make decisions on them from something more than "it sounds reasonable" basis. " Roddenberry's prediction was in hindsight painfully accurate. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 203-204; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 25-26, 390)

Regardless of what the shortcomings of RA&A proper were, in one respect Gene Roddenberry did cause the effects budgets to balloon. A still exasperated Richard Taylor later clarified, " They just kept changing the playing field. Then they would get upset when the budget would go up. We'd say, "You just added a whole sequence that wasn't there." The original budget, I believe, was – they came to our studio with was 12 million for the effects, something like that. Initially, what the script was, we probably could have fit it into that, but they kept changing stuff and the budget kept going up and we finally were up to 16 million or 17 and they're going, "Well you guys are out of control!" – and we're going: "Well you're the one who's changing the script. You can't shoot these shots without people, without models. " [19] Roddenberry's incessant rewrites were mainly responsible for the amount of required effects shots to rise from the initially planned and budgeted 140 to over 350, resulting in that RA&A had to ultimately hire over a hundred staffers. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60)

The first serious clash between the studio and RA&A occurred around Christmas 1978, when producers and executives, rather belatedly, came by Abel's company for the first time to ascertain the state of affairs regarding the studio model photography. Much to their horror, they found what little model photography was produced was both incomplete and entirely unacceptable. To aggravate matters even further, it was discovered on that occasion that RA&A had, in the studio's time (and at their expense, by using both the studio's equipment and money), continued to produce commercials, as mentioned above. Irate, the studio demanded that the company cease any and all side projects and be given a final budget figure for the effects, which at that point in time stood at US$14 million. Abel brazenly retorted that he needed US$16 million, and a desperate studio did reset the budget at that amount. In order for them to concentrate on the other visuals, RA&A was however entirely pulled from the studio model photography, from here on end completely denied access to them, which for the time being was reverted to FGC cinematographer Bill Millar while Douglas Trumbull was, ironically, concurrently appointed as an unpaid technical consultant in a last ditch effort to regain control over the situation. Trumbull only agreed to do so as a courtesy to his old friend Robert Wise. As it so happened, both Trumbull and Abel were headstrong characters and for the next two months they were locked in vicious combat with each other. Trumbull was ultimately not able to get Abel back on track and the situation proved to be unsalvageable. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 60; The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 203; Enterprise Incidents; special edition on the technical side , pp. 38, 42;)

The situation truly came to a head on 20 February 1979, when studio executives and producers came again sizing up the visual effects status at RA&A. Reportedly, the company had only a single completed effects shot to show for all the time and money spent. For decades the exact extent of the damage was mired in lore as sources were not quite in concordance with each other regarding costs incurred, mentioning figures such as US$5 million (by Wise, though he had the July Roddenberry memo in mind, being sent a copy at the time, when recalling the figure decades later), and a budget standing by then at US$16 million as above indicated by RA&A's own Richard Taylor, the latter amount the most mentioned but both already indicating millions of dollars over-budget expenditures by December 1978. Yet in 2000, by then former Paramount CEO Barry Diller, who had been the chief financial overseer on the film, revealed, " The studio poured $11 million into effects, and none of it worked. " Feeling thoroughly dismayed at "being lied to", Wise pushed for the removal of Abel and, in an acrimonious atmosphere, the latter was fired and his company released two days later, effective immediately. In a state of near panic, a frantic search for a replacement was started, as the studio now unexpectedly found itself extremely pressured for time since the December premiere date for the film was a given. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6; Star Trek Movie Memories , 1994, pp. 119-120; The Special Effects of Trek , pp. 29, 31; Enterprise Incidents , issue 13, pp. 25-26; Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) As to more detailed specifics in regard to Abel's over-budget expenditures, please refer to the individual entries for:

Robert Abel
Robert Abel & Associates

Wise's "being lied to" feeling was reported to be an understatement as the otherwise levelheaded Wise apparently lost it on that fateful day and erupted in a full-blown rage. As a consequence, Abel threatened to sue the studio over perceived injuries sustained by Robert Wise. Jeffrey Katzenberg, confirming the incident, was hardly perturbed, " That much is true, Abel has said he's going to sue us because of [Wise's] statements. And I say, let him. Problems with special effects have caused various scenes to be reshot, driving up the cost considerably higher. " ( Reader magazine, 23 November 1979, p. 7) In turn, informed that Abel had sold off some by Paramount paid equipment, studio auditors started a criminal investigation, whether or not this was the case. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 63) Without much further ado however, both litigations were settled out of court a few months later, amicably according to Katzenberg. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 348-350).

One RA&A visual effects sequence made it into the film though, that of the wormhole (an early and primitive CGI effect), whereas the V'ger probe on the bridge sequence was very much executed as designed and pre-produced by RA&A. [20] It earned the company a slightly diminutive "Certain Special Visual Effects Conceived and Designed by" credit, albeit near the bottom of the end credits roll.

Future General Corporation and Apogee [ ]

The state of near-panic was exemplified by studio executive Don Simpson , who, realizing that virtually all visual effects footage had to be reproduced from scratch, now wanted to pull the plug entirely. Dawn Steel recalled, " The story goes that Simpson tried to talk Jeffrey out of it, that he said to him, " Star Trek is a nighttime freight train. It's bearing down on you at 200 miles per hour. Get off the f---g track!" He didn't. It wasn't in Jeffrey's nature to get off the track. " Steel was subsequently charged by Eisner to find additional cash by organizing the earlier mentioned merchandise and license fund drive, " My job was to merchandise this runaway freight train. ", she has added. ( New York magazine, 6 September 1993, p. 40)

Trumbull was ultimately given primary responsibility for the film's visual effects in March 1979 through his own visual effects company, FGC. Ironically, RA&A's Con Pederson, who was the second of four visual effects supervisors for 2001 (the others were Tom Howard and Wally Veevers) was one of Robert Abel's lead men. Paramount, stung by Trumbull's initial rejection and already at loggerheads with its headstrong manager as previously touched upon, withholding funding for a new project he had lined up and already in the process of shutting down FGC, now had to headlong reverse their policy, as Trumbull clarified, " I was under contract at Paramount, who began closing down Future General in order to provide my cameras to Bob Abel's company. At the same time, Bob was already a year into the production, trying to implement a radically new computerized and computer graphics driven process. " [21] Getting back the equipment he initially was forced to surrender to RA&A, Trumbull used the problems the studio were in as leverage to secure a proviso that he would be released from his contractual studio obligations if he accepted, as did Yuricich. For the work, Trumbull was able to partly reassemble his team he had on Close Encounters , but was forced to let go by the studio over a year earlier. Both Trumbull and Yuricich left FGC upon completion of the project.

For the reproduction of the visual effects, a new budget of US$10 million was approved. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 204) Coincidentally, this amount corresponded with the amount the cost-price was adjusted downwards as mentioned previously, suggesting that this was the amount Steel had netted the studio with her fund drive as well as corresponding with the minimum cost estimates Roddenberry and Collins were given fourteen months earlier by effects companies in the first place.

The problems with RA&A resulted in that virtually no visual effects were produced by the time Trumbull was brought in definitively, and he found himself particularly pressed for time, as the studio would not delay the planned December release. Trumbull, in turn, was thus forced to sub-contract Apogee, Inc. in order to divide the workload. Apogee was operated by famed cinematographer John Dykstra , a former protégé of Trumbull, who had coached him on the 1972 science fiction cult film Silent Running . Actually, Dykstra had already been approached by Paul Rabwin as one of the VFX companies sought out for the upgrade in October 1977. However, he was at that time still working on his classic Battlestar Galactica commission (during which he had formed his company), and had already committed his company to a follow-up project, the 1980 film Altered States , so he had to decline on that occasion. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 46-47) Faced with the gargantuan task of recreating all the VFX from scratch for the film at the eleventh hour, Trumbull suggested his former protegé again so as to get a headstart on VFX production, as he scrambled to reassemble his own near-dismantled FGC. At that time, however, Dykstra's Apogee was still working on Altered States and had to again decline – until Altered States fell through only a month later. With no work in the pipeline, Dykstra was able to take on the Star Trek emergency after all, to Trumbull's relief. ( Cinefex , issue 2, p. 51; Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 372-374)

Apogee was entrusted with the opening Klingon scene, the digitizing of Epsilon IX station scene, the wormhole mishap sequence, the V'ger approach scenes and the V'ger -probe on the bridge scene. Part of their responsibility was, under the supervision of Grant McCune , having their model shop build a number of studio models for the film, including a two-foot articulated thruster suit puppet , three models of the Epsilon IX station (an entirely original Apogee design), and exterior sections of V'ger , as well as extensively modifying Magicam's D7-class model for it to become the K't'inga -class model . ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 50-72)

All other effects visuals were the purview of FGC, including those of the interior scenes of V'ger , which required the build of several interior section models. While FGC operated an, at the time, small subsidiary model shop, Entertainment Effects Group (EEG), the sheer amount of models required, necessitated the subcontracting of additional model makers, which came in the form of Gregory Jein and his team. ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 42-45)

Despite the fact that two effects companies were working full-time on the visuals, Trumbull was still working 24×7 on the visuals one week before the film was about to premiere, the final cut of the film only completed by Wise one day before. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4). Not having been able to take a single day off for four months, Trumbull suffered from nervous exhaustion upon the completion of the work and had to be hospitalized for ten days afterwards, his personal price he had to pay for his part in the failure to communicate with the studio two years earlier. [22]

Nearly missing the premiere date due to the visual effects debacle still had consequences, as Wise elaborated upon in the Director's Edition DVD audio commentary track, where he stated that out of the forty films he directed, Star Trek was the only one that never got a sneak preview. According to Wise, the visual effects came in so late, they didn't have time to preview the film to an audience and get some feedback and so they were stuck with just dropping the expensive effects into the film and basically having to rely on them. Wise also mentioned that he literally carried the first print of the film to the premiere and it was loaded into the projectors as they waited in the theater. Then, after the world premiere, he and Gene Roddenberry considered doing some more work on the film, but Paramount overruled them, saying it might show a lack of confidence in the film if they did that. Wise also said that the Director's Edition is a tighter cut and more focused on the characters, within the restrictions of the film's story.

Magicam's refit- Enterprise studio model took over fourteen months, aggravated by mishap delays, to complete from start to finish and came in at a for the time staggering amount of US$150,000. Even more staggering was the cost of the drydock model whose final tally totaled up to US$200,000. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 207, 210) Yet, to put some perspective on the issue, the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series (p. 75), strongly indicated that the costs already incurred with the construction of their immediate Phase II predecessors, and which were simply discarded after the upgrade from a television production to a motion picture, had to be included.

With nearly five hundred visual effects cuts, it was reportedly the most effects laden motion picture to date. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)

Production design [ ]

Alien languages [ ].

The film marked the first time that Klingonese was heard spoken. The spoken Klingon language was developed by James Doohan, who had expertise with various dialects, after he had a discussion with Gene Roddenberry over lunch. Roddenberry had very recently hired a dialectician from the University of California, Los Angeles to devise some words for the Klingons. Decades later, Doohan remembered, " [Roddenberry] didn't like what [the dialectician] created. I said, 'Well, I'll do it for you after lunch.' I was doing something close to Mongolian. " At the time, Doohan told his co-workers, " We have to cut out vowels as much as possible. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 80 , p. 16) At that time the language as featured, only consisted of a few exclamations, and it took until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock before the language was somewhat beefed out by linguist Marc Okrand .

Concurrently, the film also represented the first time that the Vulcan language was heard spoken out aloud in a coherent matter – a few loose spur-of-the moment incoherently invented exclamations were previously heard in the Original Series episode " Amok Time ". Like the first pass on the Klingon language, it was developed for the film by linguist Hartmut Scharfe , but unlike his original Klingon, the Vulcan language did make it unaltered into the film as Associate Producer Jon Povill recalled,

"The Vulcan masters were actually shot and recorded speaking English. Eventually, we decided we didn't like the way it sounded and we didn't like the way it played in English. It was Gene's idea to try and find other words that would synch up to the English mouthing which would not sound anything at all like English, and that's how the Vulcan Language came about. We got this professor from the linguistics department at UCLA, Hartmut Scharfe, and he constructed a Vulcan language for us very well. In fact, I think Hartmut is, in voiceover, one of the Vulcans. When we switched from TV to motion picture, we had decided to make sure that the Klingons weren't speaking English, so we now asked our language expert, Hartmut, to help us construct a Klingon language. Whereas he had given us just what we needed for the Vulcans, his Klingonese didn't sound alien enough. Hartmut is Indian, and he was using it as a combination of Sanskrit and Germanic, it sounded in some ways recognizable, so we were not completely satisfied. Jimmy Doohan has always been good at just kind of making up dialects and languages, so he volunteered his services to help us. After Hartmut had done his thing and worked it all out logically, Jimmy and I just sat down one day and made up stuff. We created the Klingonese by using some of what Hartmut had done and then combining it with our own: we strung together nonsense syllables, basically, totally made up sounds with clicks, and grunts, and hisses. Jimmy actually taught it to Mark Lenard and the others just prior to the shooting of that scene, which didn't take place until many months later." ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 260-261)

Construction Coordinator Gene Kelley has compiled an overview statement on the costs and use of the Motion Picture sets, which was reproduced in The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (p. 95):

↑ Footage was later discarded
↑ All figures rounded off to the nearest thousand
↑ Figure does not include $85,000 for special lighting
↑ Figure also includes the tram

While it is stated above that the studio included costs already incurred for previous revitalization attempts of the live-action franchise, Kelly stressed that the costs he listed are those that were exclusively made during the production of The Motion Picture proper, meaning from February 1978 onward. Of the bridge set for example, already nearing completion for the Phase II production, is known that it had already incurred over US$1 million in construction costs by the time the production was upgraded to a theatrical feature. ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) Kelly's breakdown indicated that eleven of Paramount's thirty-two sound stages were in use for the single Star Trek production during 1978-1979, more than for any other production in Paramount's history up to that point in time. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 94)

Part of the reasons why RA&A's budgets kept rising was that they became involved in set construction as well, which had not been their assignment originally. RA&A's Art Director Richard Taylor, clarifying that this was on the studio's insistence, stated, " There was conflict from the very beginning. And Bob Abel, who was one of the top sales men in the history of film, would go in there, and we'd get involved in more things than we should have ever been. We were initially there to do the models and the model photography, but we got involved with the sets, we got involved with the costumes, and all these other things, we never should have been, and that was a real problem. " (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 2nd ed.) This however backfired on the company, when the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) became aware that RA&A started to employ non-union set constructors and started procedures against the company, only adding to the growing friction between the studio and RA&A, as Production Illustrator Andrew Probert noticed when he recalled the toll it took on his art director, " I remember how utterly exasperated he was, every time he returned from meetings at Paramount... mostly with the late Hal Michelson (Production Designer), an absolutely brilliant Art Director who was out of his element, on this, his first Science Fiction production. " ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60; [23] )

Make-up [ ]

This film is the first time that the Klingons were depicted with their cranial ridges, as opposed to the more Human-like appearance from The Original Series . However, in this movie, the Klingons all had identical cranial ridge patterns. It would not be until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock that Klingons would have unique cranial ridge patterns. The change in the Klingon's appearance would not be acknowledged in-universe until the Deep Space Nine episode " Trials and Tribble-ations [!] ."

Voyager aka V'ger [ ]

The fictional Voyager 6 probe around which V'ger was built, was actually a full-scale mock-up of the real world Voyager 1 and 2 probes of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL). JPL's director John Casani agreed to loan the model to the studio in October 1977, mere months after the actual Voyager probes were launched in August and September that year. Then Phase II Producer Robert Goodwin reported in a progress memo, dated 21 October 1977, " After your conversation with John Casani at Jet Propulsion Laboratories, JPL has agreed to loan us the mock-up of the Voyager, to be used as part of our set as the interior of the Alien Spaceship. Joe Jennings and Matt Jefferies attended a briefing in JPL last night in the Voyager and Joe Jennings will return there next week with Bud Arbuckle to get measurements so that we can incorporate this large full-scale mock-up into our plans for the set." ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 52) According to the text commentary on the Director's Edition DVD, JPL was willing to go a step further and loan the production an actual engineering duplicate of the Voyager spacecraft, but the studio declined, saying that the risk of the duplicate being damaged on the set was too high.

The V'ger sound effects were performed on the blaster beam – a musical instrument invented by former Star Trek actor Craig Huxley . The sound was created by several strings attached to an eighteen-foot aluminum body and amplified by motorized guitar pickups. The blaster beam effect was later reused in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (during Kirk's battle with Khan in the Mutara Nebula ) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (very briefly, during the theft of the Enterprise from Spacedock ) and in Star Trek: First Contact for the spacewalk sequence and Picard 's final encounter with the Borg Queen .

Saucer separation [ ]

Throughout most of the filming of The Motion Picture , a final ending story had yet to be developed. Production Illustrator Andrew Probert provided the producers with his own script suggestions for a visually dramatic conclusion, and storyboarded the key event, and Mego 's licensed toy model of the new ship had instructions for separating its saucer from the secondary hull. For the record, the possibility of the original Enterprise 's undergoing a saucer separation was first mentioned in the original series episode " The Apple ". But it was not until the pilot episode of The Next Generation that the maneuver was finally depicted.

The walk to V'ger [ ]

Twenty-two years after The Motion Picture appeared in theaters, the film was re-released with the intention of depicting an improved version, closer to the director's original vision. The Director's Edition added a new sound mix and new scenes to Robert Wise's film, but one of the most notable changes from the original version was the stunning addition of new visual effects, specifically in how the mysterious craft V'ger was revealed. Since the walk to V'ger scene was the climax of the film, it was important to convey a sense of the extraordinary and fantastic by using the new visual effects to complement the original film rather than overwhelm it. Critical opinion is mixed as to whether or not it succeeded. Some fans remained critical of the film and they continue to refer to as "Star Trek: The Motion Sickness", "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture", or "Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture", as given to the original cut. ( The World of Star Trek )

Production history [ ]

While strictly speaking the production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture officially spanned the time period of December 1977 through November 1979, its history, as an attempt to bring back Star Trek as a live-action production, stretched as far back as 1967, and as such these attempts were intertwined, especially if one considered the players involved, with some elements originating from those early attempts, the atheist theme in particular, surviving long enough to turn up in edited form in the final production. This was especially true for the Star Trek: Phase II television movie, né series, -project, which directly preceded The Motion Picture , as much of the groundwork for The Motion Picture was laid during the pre-production of that project. Therefore, in order to fully appreciate the efforts that went into the production of The Motion Picture , a full overview of the live-action revitalization history is warranted.

Late 1967 – June 1976: Early revitalization attempts [ ]

Late 1967 : Gene Roddenberry, Associate Producer Gregg Peters and Leonard McCoy Performer DeForest Kelley discuss among themselves in the former RKO commissary, the possibility of doing a Star Trek motion picture on a number of occasions, intended as a filler for the production hiatus between the second and third season of the regular Original Series . Being the earliest recorded notion of a motion picture, the idea is nixed however, or as Kelley has put it, " Who would ever think of making a motion picture out of a television show? " As it turns out, the series proper soon finds itself fighting for survival, threatened by cancellation. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 3, 5)
22 June 1972 : D.C. Fontana writes in to the fanzine Star-Borne about the possibility of a theatrical film. In her letter she writes, " Paramount... [is] enormously impressed by the quantity (and quality) of fan mail they continue to receive. The possibility seems to be slowly developing of a Star Trek feature movie for theatrical release, aimed at becoming the new Star Trek television pilot... on the network front, NBC still expresses great interest in doing Star Trek in some form. Both NBC and Paramount continue to receive a great deal of mail and have had to assign secretaries for the sole job of answering it. " [24] While it does not lead to a live-action production at the time, the notion does eventually entice NBC to commission Star Trek: The Animated Series .
1973 : With the help of his former Desilu boss Herbert F. Solow , Gene Roddenberry first approaches Paramount with an idea for a feature film, tentatively called " The Cattlemen ". On this occasion, Solow actually repeats his exact same role when he took Roddenberry to NBC to pitch The Original Series back in 1964. The idea is based on the story outline called " A Question of Cannibalism ", one of the twenty-five earliest Star Trek story outlines developed in 1964 as back-up for the original pilot episode "The Cage". Then Paramount President, Frank Yablans , envisioning a high-tech space film potentially grossing US$30 million years before Star Wars , is interested. However, very much aware of Roddenberry's Original Series reputation and of his utter failure as producer to control the antics of director Roger Vadim for the 1971 film Pretty Maids All in a Row in particular (which caused the movie to run over-time and over-budget), Yablans emphatically refuses to have him serve as producer, only willing to hire him as writer. Through his attorney Leonard Maizlish, Roddenberry counters with demanding a hitherto near-unprecedented US$100,000 writer's fee, which Yablans dismisses as unacceptable and subsequently trashes the entire proposition. Solow is later told by two Paramount attorneys, " He lost the deal arguing over nickels. Nickels! " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , 2nd ed, pp 420-421) Despite the failure of the negotiations, Yablans' interest in producing high-tech science fiction is piqued nevertheless and to this end he facilitates and provide the funding for the establishment of two Paramount visual effects subsidiaries, Douglas Trumbull's Future General Corporation (FGC) and Carey Melcher's Magicam, Inc, one year later. Unfortunately, his immediate successors, Barry Diller and Michael Eisener, have zero affinity with science fiction and with visual effects in particular, and try to shut down FGC immediately upon their ascent, which will come back to haunt the production.
Early Autumn 1974 : Entirely independent from Roddenberry, Arthur Barron, Paramount's then chief financial officer (of all people, considering that it was predominantly financial executives who pushed for the cancellation of the Original Series back in 1967) and bypassing Yablans, approaches the highest top executive, Gulf+Western President Charles Bluhdorn , with the idea of turning Star Trek into a movie. Having completely reversed his stance when he acquired Desilu in 1967, Bluhdorn by now has become enamored with Star Trek due to its huge and unexpected success in syndication and has embraced Star Trek as something of a pet project. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 5)
October 1974 : Bluhdorn instructs freshly-appointed Paramount President Barry Diller (having just replaced Yablans, who was "invited" to leave after failing to show respect for his boss and who, incidentally, had failed to inform Bluhdorn of Roddenberry's prior overtures) to turn the idea into a project. Not particularly interested in doing Star Trek in any format whatsoever and, by any standard, a formidable executive himself, Diller nevertheless does not want to antagonize his new boss and his new-found infatuation with Star Trek by refusing and approaches Roddenberry for the project. However, still smarting over Yablans' rejection the year previously, Roddenberry has somehow become aware of Bluhdorn's interest and, on instigation of his attorney Maizlish, decides to play studio politics by holding out on Diller for the better part of half a year. Diller plays along – for now. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapters 2, 5; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 9, 48) Much to his detriment, Roddenberry will later find out that Diller has a long memory and is by no means a man with whom to be trifled.
12 March 1975 : Roddenberry signs a contract with Paramount to do a Star Trek movie with a US$3 million budget. ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , p. 62)
May 1975 : Roddenberry returns to the office he occupied during the production of the Original Series and writes a script called The God Thing , start of principal photography projected for the fall of 1975. By then the budget is increased to US$5 million. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 16; [25] ) William Shatner, who is purely by coincidence at the studio for unrelated business, chances upon Roddenberry and is on the occasion given a beat-for-beat expose on the story outline of The God Thing , which he will later recall in his memoirs. Shatner's own 1989 film, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , would feature very similar atheistic themes akin to The God Thing , angering Roddenberry, who is convinced that Shatner stole his story, also dutifully recorded by Shatner in his memoirs. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. pp. 46-49, 289-291)
30 June 1975 : First draft of The God Thing script is submitted to the studio by Roddenberry. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 23)
August 1975 : The script for The God Thing is rejected by Diller. ( The Lost Series , p. 16)
September 1975 : Roddenberry, now with input from Jon Povill , starts a new story and script outline for a movie, tentatively called " Star Trek II ", with a new production start that is moved up to 15 July 1976, again moved up to January 1977 at a later point. ( The Making of , p. 25)
January 1976 : The studio toys with the idea to turn " Star Trek II " into a television series and a relieved Diller dumps the property in the lap of the recently appointed (by him) Michael Eisner. Then-television department head Eisner, misinformed by industry peers, at first does not believe in the viability of a science fiction proposition like Star Trek and now wants to cancel the project altogether, yet his colleague Jeffrey Katzenberg, who, as a former Trekkie , is very much aware of the fan convention phenomenon surrounding the Original Series , believes in the potential, and convinces Eisner to push ahead with the development, also being subtly reminded by Diller of their boss' interest in Star Trek . (Decades later, in 2002, Eisner nearly makes the same error in judgment with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.) [26] Eisner now commissions new story outlines for which numerous Writers Guild of America authors are approached to turn in story pitches for episodes, including noted science fiction authors like John D.F. Black (producer on the Original Series and writer of its episode " The Naked Time "), Robert Silverberg, the aforementioned Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury , and Theodore Sturgeon . ( The Lost Series , pp. 16-17) Ellison, only involved in the production during this period, later recalls on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show how his and Roddenberry's story ideas are met by Eisner. Idea after idea is rejected, including ones about time-travel, Adam and Eve, dinosaurs (a treatment of Bradbury's classic short story "A Sound of Thunder" and met with Eisner's remark " It's gotta be bigger! "), and one in which the Enterprise finds God –the real one – to which Eisner responds after a brief pause, " Not big enough. " ( The Making of , p. 25; Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , pp. 63-64; [27] )
April 1976 : All story outlines are rejected and the property, now rapidly becoming something of a hot potato, is bounced back to the motion picture department of the studio, again the responsibility of a slightly dismayed Diller. ( The Making of , p. 25)

July 1976 – May 1977: Star Trek: Planet of the Titans [ ]

April 1976 : Gene Roddenberry assumes the producer role for a new Star Trek movie project, Star Trek: Planet of Titans , to be produced in Great Britain. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 151)
May 1976 : Roddenberry's company Lincoln Enterprises relaunches the first "official" fanzine, Inside Star Trek , now as " Star Trektennial News " and continuing the numbering where the source publication had left off when it ended its first run upon the cancellation of the Original Series . Express intent of the relaunch is to keep fandom abreast of the live-action revitalization attempts, starting with the above mentioned Star Trek II , and engender as much public awareness as possible. This is not entirely a benevolent effort on Roddenberry's part, as the magazine is also as a public platform for self-promotion through numerous interviews, serving as counterbalance to studio policies in regard to his person, and to which end he has assigned his longtime personal assistant, Susan Sackett , to serve as one of the two editors. The publication will run for another thirteen issues over the next three years, regaining its original title along the way and ceasing publication prior to the premiere of The Motion Picture . [28]
22 June 1976 : Jon Povill tenders a proposal list of possible directors. The list includes names of later renowned directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, who at the time are still at the start of their careers. More established names include William Friedkin, George Roy Hill, and Robert Wise . None of the directors are available, though. ( The Making of , p. 29)
1 July 1976 : Jerry Isenberg is appointed executive producer for the project by the studio for the express purpose to keep Roddenberry's eccentricities in check, and it is he who brings in British writers Chris Bryant and Allan Scott for the script treatment, who will start their work in September. Povill is now appointed assistant producer to Isenberg. Though initially appointed as the film's producer, Roddenberry is after the hiring of Philip Kaufman as director shortly afterwards, effectively sidelined on the insistence of Diller, which marks the first time that the Star Trek creator is purposely left out of a production entirely, though Povill keeps him clandestinely abreast of the production by continuously consulting with him. ( The Lost Series , p. 17; The Making of , p. 27) Diller, who by no means has forgotten his affront two years earlier, is not done with Roddenberry yet, not by a long shot.
6 October 1976 : Paramount accepts the script treatment and gives the green light to write the full script. Concurrently a movie budget is set at US$7.5 million. Illustrators Ken Adam and Ralph McQuarrie are subsequently brought in as concept artists. ( The Lost Series , p. 17)
1 March 1977 : The final Planet of the Titans script is submitted by Bryant and Scott. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)
April 1977 : The script is rejected by the studio, and Kaufman, hired previously as director, immediately embarks on a rewrite without any input whatsoever from Roddenberry. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)
8 May 1977 : Kaufman's rewrite too, is rejected by the studio and Planet of Titans , by that time budgeted at US$10 million, is permanently cancelled and the property is once again bounced back to Eisner's television department. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)

May 1977 – November 1977: Star Trek: Phase II [ ]

25 May 1977 : Star Wars premieres. Considered by the studio as a fluke at first, the ultimately resounding success of this movie plays an important role in a series of decisions by studio executives regarding the Star Trek production. ( Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future , et al. )
Late May 1977 : Even before the series is announced, Roddenberry, together with Povill, who has rejoined him as story editor, starts writing the Star Trek II Writer's/Director's Guide , otherwise known as the " Writer's Bible ", dubbed after the similar internal document already used for the Original Series . The new guide is actually an updated rewrite of the original. Aside from Roddenberry and Povill, Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston , upon being hired, make substantial contributions to the guide as well. ( The Lost Series , pp. 83-103)
10 June 1977 : The television series Star Trek: Phase II is officially announced as the flagship for Paramount's newly conceived fourth television network, to be called "Paramount Television Service", by studio President Barry Diller, with a two-hour television movie as the series pilot, reset at a budget of US$3.2 million, and slated for a February 1978 broadcast with principal photography to start on 28 November 1977. Roddenberry is again to serve as the executive producer. Officially, the series was to be called Star Trek II . Eisner continues to be the primary studio overseer of Star Trek , but is reinforced with Jeffrey Katzenberger, who Diller transfers from the marketing department by promoting him to the newly-conceived title for the new web, Head of Programming. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6; The Lost Series , pp. 21-22, 49; The Making of , p. 34)
June 1977 : Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston are brought in as producers to form the nucleus of the production team, Goodwin as operations manager and Livingston for story and script development. Goodwin fulfills for the production the role Robert H. Justman had on the Original Series . Actually, Justman has been approached for the position by Roddenberry, but overruled by the studio; he subsequently does not return Justman's calls when the latter reports for work. Justman will later claim that if he had been there, some of the mistakes in the making of the film could have been avoided. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 432) Neither Goodwin or Livingston are either solicited by Roddenberry or even wanted by him, but are brought in by the studio nonetheless, essentially a repetitive move of what Diller had already ordained for Planet of the Titans a year earlier. Diller and Eisner, like their television predecessors, become increasingly alarmed by Roddenberry's reasserting character flaw of stubbornly adhering to storylines he himself (and nobody else) has conceived. Most ironically, Roddenberry is starting to mimic Vadim's behavior, which has caused himself so much trouble six years earlier. Livingston in particular is to serve as a counterbalance to Roddenberry's stubbornness. But while the executives are, for the time being, shielded from his obtuseness, Livingston almost immediately finds himself at loggerheads with Roddenberry, resulting in a continuous series of increasingly vicious battles over story outline and script rewrites and re-rewrites, often performed surreptitiously by Roddenberry. The ongoing creative battle lasts for almost two years and proves to be particularly detrimental to the production, aside from entirely destroying the relationship between the two men. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 67, et al. ) Subsequently, the senior staff of the art department, responsible for the visual look of the production, is filled. Initially, Original Series veteran Matt Jefferies is offered the position, but he declines tenure, agreeing only to serve on a temporary basis as a technical consultant. In his stead he recommends another veteran, Joe Jennings, his assistant on the second season of the Original Series , and who is appointed art director. Jefferies immediately starts the redesign work of his Original Series creations, the bridge of the Enterprise and the ship itself, whereas Jennings starts design work on the other sets. ( The Lost Series , pp. 23-26) Concurrently that month, Roddenberry's assistant, Susan Sackett , starts her series of " Star Trek Reports" for Starlog magazine, in which she keeps readership appraised about the progress of the Star Trek live-action production, starting in issue 6. The reports run through issue 29, 1979, and are to be the starting point for her book The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the writing she embarks upon directly pursuant to her "Reports" and finished a month before The Motion Picture is completed. She eventually appears in the The Motion Picture recreation deck scene as an Enterprise science division crewmember alongside a multitude of other Star Trek fans.
July 1977 : Hiring of creative production staff continues unabated, and in this month Jenning's art department is beefed out with Set Designer Lew Splittsberger , Graphic Artist Lee Cole , and Assistant Art Director John Cartwright . A noticeable addition to the production staff is another Original Series veteran, William Ware Theiss , reprising his role as costume designer. ( The Lost Series , pp. 28-29)

USS Enterprise bridge set construction start for Phase II

Early stage of the Enterprise bridge set construction

25 July 1977 : Alan Dean Foster is contracted to write the story for the pilot episode of Phase II , with an option to write the teleplay as well. ( The Lost Series , p. 31) The bridge set construction is started on this day on Paramount Stage 9, for which yet another Original Series veteran was brought aboard on recommendation of Jefferies, Special Effects Artist Jim Rugg . ( The Making of , p. 36)
31 July 1977 : Alan Dean Foster, with input from Goodwin, submits a story treatment for Phase II , entitled "In Thy Image", which was actually in part based on a story called "Robot's Return" written for Roddenberry's television series Genesis II , which had not been picked up after its pilot episode. ( The Lost Series , pp. 31, 33; [29] ) The sentient robot theme does not sit well with some of the highest and more conservative corporate executives for religious as well as scientifically believability reasons, and for over a year they resist the theme. It is for this specific reason that Isaac Asimov is brought in as an additional science consultant later on in the production. Despite his reassurances, and even though that by that time it has been too late to alter the story, their fears are only allayed when Penthouse magazine, of all publications, publishes an interview in their October 1978 issue (incidentally, also featuring a Leonard Nimoy interview) with NASA 's director of their Institute of Space Studies, Robert Jastrow, in which he broaches the subject favorably. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 193; Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101) This will solicit an acerbic response from Asimov himself, after he had spent weeks trying to do the same to no avail, " There it was in Penthouse , in black and white, so the studio figured, "It must be true, OK, go ahead with your ending." ( Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101)
3 August 1977 : Other set construction is started as well; Stage 8 is assigned for the planetary sets, Stage 9 for the Enterprise sets, and Stage 10 as a backup set for what Goodwin calls "swing sets". NASA scientist Jesco von Puttkamer is for the first time mentioned in an internal memo from Goodwin as a technical consultant. Von Puttkamer, a Star Trek fan and later to receive an official credit as "Special Science Advisor", will continue to provide his services well into the production of the Motion Picture . Von Puttkamer is for the production what Harvey P. Lynn had been for the Original Series . ( The Making of , pp. 36-37)
9 August 1977 : Another Original Series veteran, Mike Minor, is interviewed for the position of (Production) Illustrator, and subsequently signed on recommendation by Jennings, who had been Minor's mentor at the start of the latter's career. A few days earlier, Robert McCall was interviewed for the position, but was passed over in favor of Minor. McCall is yet to work on the Star Trek production, nearly two years later. ( The Making of , p. 37)
August 1977 : Harold Livingston starts work on the adaptation of the "In Thy Image" treatment into a motion picture screenplay.
12 August 1977 : The new Star Trek II Writer's/Director's Guide is completed and distributed. ( The Making of , p. 39)
Late August 1977: Robert Collins is hired as director for "In Thy Image". The casting process is started up immediately for which casting directors Pat Harris and Marcia Kleinman , under the auspices of Head of Casting Hoyt Bowers , are the primary responsible staffers. ( The Lost Series , pp. 40, 355)
Early September 1977 : Magicam, Inc, a Paramount subsidiary, is contracted for the visual effects of Phase II , including the construction of the studio models . They have outbid Original Series visual effects company Howard Anderson Company , with whom Goodwin was also engaged in detailed negotiations during the previous month. ( The Making of , p. 37) In order to alleviate work pressure on Magicam's model shop, headed by Jim Dow , Brick Price Movie Miniatures is subcontracted for the build of the new Enterprise model , based on the redesign by Jefferies, Jennings, and Minor. Price brought along NASA technician Don Loos as its lead model maker. Price also starts the design and construction of props. ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26; The Lost Series , p. 27) Additionally, Magicam subcontracts Gregory Jein for the build of the three-foot D7-class studio model , using the actual Original Series model, on loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, as a template. The Klingon vessel is at the time endowed with the designation Koro -class heavy cruiser . ( The Lost Series , p. 64) This was Jein's very first official Star Trek assignment, but not his last by a long shot, as, firstly, he was not done with this production yet, and secondly, he was to provide the franchise with a plethora of models for later Star Trek live-action incarnations. [30] (X) To oversee the effects production, relative newcomer in the motion picture industry, having just turned 30, Paul Rabwin is appointed in the vital role of post-production supervisor. As his title already suggests, he will be responsible for all post-production aspects of the production and his role is comparable to the one Bill Heath , and more specifically Edward K. Milkis , had on the Original Series .
12 September 1977 : William Shatner is signed to reprise his role as Captain James T. Kirk, after lengthy negotiations that started in July. ( The Lost Series , p. 43)
26 September 1977 : David Gautreaux is cast in the role of Xon . However, his casting becomes somewhat unhinged for a while as Majel Barrett, recast as Christine Chapel, raises some objections. Barrett, unaware that both the series concept and the character of Spock were already dropped, and fearing that the Original Series "unrequited love of Chapel for Spock" plot line will not play well against an actor as young as Gautreux, requests an older actor against whom to play. A new test screening is called with both Gautreux and an older British actor in mid-October, but the older actor's performance is "absolutely abominable" and Gautreux is definitively reaffirmed by the third week of October. ( The Lost Series , pp. 53-54)
21 October 1977 : Livingston turns in his completed screenplay, seventeen days overdue. ( The Lost Series , p. 50) However, on this day the decision is internally made by the studio to upgrade Phase II from a television movie to a full-blown theatrical motion picture production. The only people who know of this decision at that moment are Bluhdorn – who ordained the upgrade that day from high above, quite literally as lore would have it, since he was reportedly inflight aboard a plane when he made the downstairs call by radio ( The Toys That Made Us ) – , Diller, Eisner, Katzenberg, Roddenberry, Livingston, Collins, Goodwin, von Puttkamer, and David Gautreaux, who happens to come by to sign his contract, becoming the first cast member to be aware of the upgrade decision. Roddenberry and Collins are subsequently sent on a fact-finding mission to the established visual effects houses, but return with the sobering report that the visual effects the studio executives have in mind for the upgrade cannot be produced for less than US$9-$10 million. First contacts laid with visual effects company Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A). ( Movie Memories , pp. 77-78, 83; Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 8 , p. 27; Return to Tomorrow , p. 42)

Persis Khambatta screen tests for her role as Ilia

An unidentified actress (t) and Khambatta's (b) screen test on 27 October

27 October 1977 : Persis Khambatta and an unidentified actress hold their screen tests for the part of Ilia. Neither actress require their heads shaven yet on this occasion; instead they wear bald caps. Khambatta is the one who is signed the following day. ( The Lost Series , p. 54)
7 November 1977 : Gene Roddenberry completes a second draft rewrite of Harold Livingston's original first draft. The script mostly follows Harold Livingston's original draft, although several action scenes were removed and replaced with character moments and scenes of future Earth. This draft also has the first scene of Decker merging with V'Ger, although Ilia survives the adventure. ( Star Trek II: In Thy Image , Second Draft) Michael Eisner reads both drafts and concludes the second draft is a step back. Robert Collins attempts to "blend" the scripts together in December, but also fails to get the script accepted. ( The Lost Series , p. 60)
11 November 1977 : The upgrade decision is made formal for the upper echelons by the studio, and the budget, mainly due to Roddenberry's fact-finding mission, is initially set at US$15 million by studio CEO Michael Eisner, but is by March 1978 already upped to US$18 million. Katzenberg and Parsons are reinforced with colleague Don Simpson. ( The Making of , pp. 47, 85; The Lost Series , pp. 69, 75)
16 November 1977 : Close Encounters of the Third Kind premieres and is attended by several people involved with the Star Trek production. In their minds, the impressive visual effects by FGC strongly reinforces the upgrade decision made by the executives and producers. Michael Eisner, conveniently forgetting that he had wanted to liquidate FGC and withdraw from science fiction entirely less than two years prior, is reported to have shouted, while raising his hands toward the screen, " Jesus Christ, this could have been us!!! " Over the next couple of days, Gene Roddenberry and Robert Collins screen this, as well as the Star Wars movie, several times over to get a feel of what they want their movie to look like. ( Movie Memories , pp. 78, 83) The phenomenal success of Close Encounters , produced at US$19 million and grossing US$303 million worldwide, further reinforces the validity of the upgrade decision in the mind of the studio executives. At the same time however, it will also become one of the sources of their chagrin over the performance of The Motion Picture later on.
21 November 1977 : The executive upgrade decision is disseminated through the lower production echelons, and production on Phase II is suspended in order to ascertain the requirements for a motion picture production, save for the construction of the studio models. The start on the new production is moved up to March or April 1978 in order to make the necessary upgrade changes to scripts, sets, wardrobes, production assets, etc. Production crew such as make-up artists, hair dressers, cameramen, stand-in performers, set dressers, and the like, just hired that week, are immediately fired. Veterans Matt Jefferies and Jim Rugg by that time had already left the production earlier that month, the former to return to his regular job. ( The Making of , p. 47; Return to Tomorrow , p. 46)

December 1977 – December 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture [ ]

1 December 1977 : Post-production Supervisor Paul Rabwin, together with Roddenberry and Director Collins, inspect the studio models to see if they hold up in big-screen resolution. With them are Robert Abel and Richard Taylor of RA&A to help them out with the analysis. Both men realize they do not. After Rabwin submits a findings memo five days later, construction on the models is now halted too. ( The Lost Series , pp. 69, 72)
December 1977 : Writers are still blissfully unaware of the upgrade and episode scripts keep pouring in right until January. Povill, Livingston, and Roddenberry (who publicly keeps up the ruse in Star Trektennial News magazine, issue 24 of November/December) intentionally keep them in the dark by continuing to annotate their work. However, gossip columnist Rona Barrett does blow the whistle in her Rona Barret's Hollywood December issue tabloid, with her largely correct report that Phase II has been halted and that Roddenberry is offered an opportunity to make a theatrical movie. The studio goes on record vehemently denying the supposition, only willing to concede that the premiere has been postponed from February to Autumn 1978, and that the projected series is expanded from thirteen to between fifteen and twenty-two episodes. ( The Lost Series , p. 67)
12 December 1977 : Rabwin also inspects the sets and deems them salvageable, albeit with additional upgrading and detailing. To this end he has Director Collins and Cameraman Bruce Logan start shooting test footage and lens tests of the sets on this date, (including, among others, the engineering set), but now with anamorphic lenses, required for wide-screen movies, to get a feel of how these sets will translate on theater screens. Shooting of this test footage continues throughout this and the subsequent week. ( The Lost Series , pp. 67, 73, color inset)
30 December 1977 : Due to ever-increasing creative differences with Roddenberry, causing the relationship between the two men to sour considerably, Producer Harold Livingston decides to leave the Star Trek production after turning in his last report, effective immediately. ( The Lost Series , p. 73) With RA&A set for the visual effects, Paul Rabwin too has left the production to pursue other ventures.
Early January 1978 : RA&A, who have tendered a bid of US$4 million, is signed for the visual effects for what is now Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Its namesake, Robert Abel, is the main responsible effects producer/director, whereas Taylor will serve as effects designer. [31] Brick Price Movie Miniatures is released from the production (Jein had already left after completion of his one assignment). It is now definitively decided to discard all the, in various states of completion, Phase II models and start all over again, with RA&A being responsible for the necessary redesigns. To this end Robert Abel establishes a subsidiary art department company, ASTRA, responsible for all art work and design. Aside from his visual effects duties, Richard Taylor is to serve as its Art Director, working on par with Paramount's Art Department, headed by Jennings. Magicam, released from the visual effects production, is retained as a studio model shop only, and it is they who are to build the models. From the start, there is strife and conflict between the two art departments as ASTRA is perceived, by Jennings and Minor in particular, as performing a power-grab by aggressively trying to assert total creative control over the entire concept production. ( The Making of , p. 202; Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 71-72)
5 January 1978 : In a budget allocation memo, Goodwin allows for a salary allotment for Leonard Nimoy as Spock, indicating that the production staff at least now considers Spock as instrumental for the new movie. Studio executives though, for reasons mentioned below, still hold out. ( The Lost Series , p. 65)
Early February 1978 : While awaiting the redesigns, Magicam, upon receipt of Taylor's blueprints, specifying the new movie dimensions, starts model construction with the build of the new Klingon battle cruiser studio model . The early start is facilitated by the fact that the basic design of the model is to remain unchanged. Magicam's Chris Ross is appointed lead modeler on the construction. ( American Cinematographer , February 1980, p. 153)

Robert Abel directing test footage of the Enterprise bridge

Abel directing the bridge set test footage

USS Enterprise aluminum frame studied by Chris Crump

Crumb supervising the start of the Enterprise model build

Early March 1978 : After negotiations that lasted for two months, Robert Wise is signed on as director and producer. He was already suggested by Jon Povill as one of the possible directors to direct Planet of the Titans back in 1976. Wise's unwillingness to share producer credit with "that kid in jeans", causes Robert Goodwin (who was thirty at the time) to leave the production in disgust. Phase II director, Robert Collins, too is released from the production. Povill is officially promoted from story editor to associate producer. As it will turn out, Wise is only to officially receive a director's credit, and not one as producer. That credit is reserved for Roddenberry only, even though his influence is considerably curtailed by the studio, after Wise comes aboard, who essentially takes over as the primary overseer of the production. However, thoroughly fed up with ASTRA and their attempts to grab total power, Art Director Joe Jennings quits the production in disgust, leaving the Paramount art department without a head. ( The Lost Series , p. 76; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 71-72)
March 1978: One of the first things Wise does is replace William Theiss, considering his costume designs sub-par, calling them "pajamas". Wise brings Robert Fletcher aboard as the new costume designer. ( Movie Memories , p. 102; The Lost Series , p. 62) Wise also brings along his regular production illustrator of many years, Maurice Zuberano , who is primarily tasked with the re-imagining of what is to become V'ger . ( The Making of , pp. 81-82) Yet, as far as the Star Trek fan base is concerned, Wise's most important contribution this month is to bring back Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Wise, who in turn is enticed by his wife Millicent and her father, ardent Trekkies (which Wise himself is not) to do so, only accepts the assignment on the condition that Spock is brought back. Aside from the officially given reason that Nimoy does not want to commit to the rigors of a weekly show, there is an unofficial reason as well; Nimoy has, since the end of the Original Series , been involved in a conflict with the studio over residual amenities of the use of his likeness on merchandise, for which neither he, nor any of his co-stars, ever received any financial compensation in the form of royalties. Up to that point the studio has steadfastly refused to give in, with Michael Eisner at first still not convinced of the necessity for the Spock character. " Who gives a fuck what this guy with the ears does? Just make the movie! Who could understand why anyone cared about Star Trek ? We would watch the TV episodes – they were the dumbest things you ever saw. ", Eisner exclaims to Wise. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6) But now, on Wise's insistence, the studio caves and the conflict, which had dragged on for a decade, is resolved within a week with a "check for a reportedly substantial figure", and Nimoy is signed on. It is Jeffrey Katzenberg, running interference for the studio and Nimoy, who is instrumental in both convincing Eisner and resolving the conflict. The deal is advantageous for Shatner as well, since he and Nimoy had years earlier, during The Original Series , entered into a mutual "favored-nation clause" covenant, which stipulated that, simply put, what the one got so did the other, and the compensation they receive, charged against the movie, adds yet another undue element to its cost. ( Movie Memories , pp. 86-94, 244) Millicent was rewarded for her input with a cameo as one of the Enterprise crewmembers gathered for the briefing scene on the recreation deck of the refit Enterprise , where she appeared alongside a multitude of other Star Trek fans. Wise's only child, son Rob Wise , will also serve on the movie as assistant cameramen, as is his nephew, Doug Wise , as assistant director. An important change this month is Wise's addition of Richard H. Kline as director of photography, responsible for the principal photography. Kline thereby replaces Bruce Logan as such, who is made the main responsible cinematographer for the second-unit photography. ( The Making of , pp. 79, 186)
25 March 1978 : The royalties conflict now resolved (when Nimoy received the settlement check the previous day), a long, first time meeting is held at his house with Katzenberg, Roddenberry (with whom Nimoy has a by now very strained relationship, due to the fact that Roddenberry had refused to side with Nimoy on the royalties conflict), and Wise to discuss the script. Nimoy expresses trepidations for his character, as the script does not yet allow for the Spock character, and is not reassured with Roddenberry's ideas for the character. Ultimately though, Nimoy decides to put his trust in Wise, not Roddenberry, when he decides over the weekend to commit to the movie, also realizing that if he declined that he has to answer for the rest of his life questions with remarks like " I didn't like the script ", " I hated Gene ", or " I was angry at the studio ". ( Movie Memories , pp. 91-94) His trust in Wise will prove to be justified, as Wise later on in the production, bypassing Roddenberry, arranges to have both him and Shatner be given script input.
27 March 1978 : Leonard Nimoy is finally signed for the movie. ( Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101) As soon as he is confirmed, a frantic series of yet another round of rewrites is started to get the Spock character into the movie. This however, has ramifications for the Xon character, as he is now dropped as a principal character, and indeed, even the Decker character, which is not yet cast, is in doubt. Struck definitively during the summer months as a principal character, for which he will receive US$35,000 in September as play-or-pay compensation, Gautreaux is offered the consolation role of Commander Branch . ( The Lost Series , p. 77; Movie Memories , pp. 111-112)
28 March 1978 : Star Trek: The Motion Picture is announced to the public at Paramount Pictures in the largest press conference held since Cecil B. DeMille 's announcement of his 1923 silent movie, The Ten Commandments . ( The Making of , pp. 50-51)
Late March 1978 : Harold "Hal" Michelson is brought in by Director Wise as production designer, to fill the place vacated by Joe Jennings as head of the art department. Michelson is responsible to perform redesigns on the Phase II sets in their various states of completion for their motion picture use. Unlike Jennings, most of the art department staff has stayed on, including the equally critical Minor. A new staff member is Production Illustrator Rick Sternbach , a future Star Trek alumnus, while remaining uncredited for The Motion Picture . ( The Making of , pp. 85, 87)
1 April 1978 : A noticeable addition to ASTRA on this date is future Star Trek alumnus, Andrew Probert , who is to assist Taylor with the redesign work as production illustrator, most notably that of the Phase II Enterprise . He is brought in on recommendation of his former mentor Ralph McQuarrie , who was originally approached for the position, but who had to decline due to the fact that he has already committed to the second Star Wars installment. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 65)
April 1978 : Forced by the studio to dine on ashes, Gene Roddenberry begs Livingston to return as script development has hit a brick wall. Livingston only agrees to do so after a meeting with Wise and additionally secured guarantees from studio executives Michael Eisner and Jefferey Katzenberg, specifying his own working conditions and that he is to have as little as possible to do with Roddenberry. ( The Lost Series , p. 76)
May 1978 : RA&A, feeling compelled to do so by ever-increasing studio demands, ups their original bid for the visual effects with US$750,000, the first raise of many. ( The Making of , p. 203)
17 May 1978 : Another draft of the script is released, titled Star Trek: The Motion Picture likely written by Dennis Clark. The script comes with a preface (possibly by Harold Livingston) saying that the script will have more extensive rewrites coming, but that the sets and action will mostly stay the same. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Revised Draft)

D7, aka Koro -class, model test footage, Taylor deemed unsuitable for theatrical release

19 July 1978 : Shooting script.
24 July 1978 : In a memo, Roddenberry informs the studio that RA&A has made an additional US$220,700 request for the visual effects. Sensing that problems are brewing, Roddenberry advises the studio to appoint liaisons between RA&A and the studio. Michael Eisner immediately responds by appointing Richard Yuricich (as of yet unpaid) to the production and concurrently instructing studio executives Katzenberg and Lindsey Parsons, Jr. to spend more of their time on the project. On the recommendation of Yuricich, several former Close Encounter visual effects staffers, including effects cameraman Dave Stewart , are brought in to reinforce RA&A's team. ( The Making of , pp. 203-204; Return to Tomorrow , p. 174)
25 July 1978 : After nearly a full year, the role of Captain Decker is still to be filled when a final round of cast interviews is held. The continuous script rewrites, resulting in perpetual changes in the characterization of Decker – even going as far as considering whether or not the character is needed at all for the movie – are in no small measure contributing to the arduous process of filling the role. Nine actors are interviewed this day; aside from Stephen Collins , Andrew Robinson is also interviewed for the role. ( The Making of , p. 104)

Phillips working on Khambatta

1 August 1978 : Stephen Collins is signed for the role of Decker. Decker is the final primary character to be cast. ( The Making of , p. 6)

Robert Wise directing the actors on the set of the Enterprise bridge

Wise directing his actors on the bridge set

8 August 1978 : The second-unit film crew moves to Yellowstone Park and starts filming the planet Vulcan sequence. Director Wise joins them shortly, and the sequence takes three days to film. RA&A liaison Joe Viskocil is onsite as visual effects coordinator in order to ascertain the nature and extent of the effects RA&A is to add in post-production. Not present is performer Nimoy, who will shoot his Spock sequences in October. ( The Making of , p. 173)
Early October 1978 : Production hits another brick wall with Act Three, scene 335-336, in which the crew cajoles the Ilia-probe into letting them meet V'ger in person. An exhausted Roddenberry, who believes himself free from Livingston (as the latter had shortly before resigned for a third time), experiences a severe case of writer's block, as his scene rewrites grow from bad to worse. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy come up with a solution: the "child treatment" of the Ilia-probe, as a way out of the gridlock, and present it to director Wise, who endorses the solution. The three men subsequently present it to Roddenberry, who erupts in a full-blown rage over the perceived infringement on his script rights. However, unbeknownst to Roddenberry, Wise, by now thoroughly fed up with Roddenberry, has solicited the help of Jeffrey Katzenberg. A few days earlier, Katzenberg had rehired Livingston, who on that occasion had demanded and secured a substantial raise, and is awaiting Wise's cue. During the (by now) very charged meeting, Wise arranges to get Katzenberg on the phone and the latter informs Roddenberry that Livingston has now executive creative powers. Roddenberry is essentially released from the production and his presence is from here on end only required for public relations events, and is ordered to begin writing the novelization of the movie, which he is contractually obligated to do. For the latter he is to attend subsequent script meetings until its completion, but now only as an observer, not as a participant. ( Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 105-111)
16 October 1978 : The crew gathering sequence for Kirk's mission briefing on the just completed recreation deck set on Stage 8 is shot. Assembled are three hundred extras of which one hundred males and twenty-five females are notable Star Trek fans, like Bjo Trimble and Denise Tathwell ; the others are Screen Extras Guild performers, with an additional number of production staff affiliates like Susan Sackett and Millicent Wise. The shooting concludes the following day and the extras are released with a few exceptions for an additional shot on the overhead catwalk. ( Starlog , issue 32, pp. 57-58)
24 October 1978 : Second unit filming of still outstanding segments of the wormhole sequence; first unit filming of outstanding Vulcan segments with Nimoy on the Vulcan set in the B Tank . A late afternoon meeting is held between Wise, Livingston, Nimoy, and Shatner in which the latter two formally gain script approval rights. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58)
7 November 1978 : Walter Koenig reports that he is informed that the budget is now no longer fixed and that it currently stands at a reportedly US$24 million, but that it is a "departure point, not a final reckoning". ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58)
8 November 1978 : Yet another script meeting for the still unscripted Act Three ending is held between Livingston, Wise, Nimoy, and Shatner, with Roddenberry attending, and filming is suspended that day. Recently famed by his role on Mork and Mindy , comedian Robin Williams tours the sound stage on his bicycle, explaining to the cast that he is a big fan of the show and is invited in onto the bridge of the Enterprise . According to Walter Koenig, " his wide-eyed admiration not withstanding, his squeaky-voiced reaction to all the buttons and panels is, "Hmmmm, microwave!" " ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 60) The role of Berlinghoff Rasmussen on the Next Generation will later be explicitly written for him, though Williams will be unable to do the part.
24 November 1978 : Walter Koenig finishes his Chekov sequences and is released from the production. His subsequent presence will only be required for promotional and public relations purposes. Koenig has kept a detailed journal during his involvement during the production, and immediately starts transforming it into his book, Chekov's Enterprise , released shortly after the premiere of the movie in February 1980. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 61)
29 November 1978 : The completed and final script draft is distributed at last, with only a mere two months left on principal photography. ( The Making of , p. 57) This is the version as published at Star Trek Minutiae , but it, like previous versions, is antedated to 19 July 1978, the date of the first script draft distribution, for copyright legality reasons.
Late November 1978 : Magicam delivers the hero " Enterprise " studio model to Astra's Seward St. filming facility. Model painter Olsen followed suit to finish up upon his work. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 276)
Late December 1978 : By Christmas, the situation with RA&A is spiraling out of control and creative and financial conflicts between the company and the studio intensify to the breaking point. Douglas Trumbull, who only one year earlier had turned down the visual effects assignment, is brought in as an unpaid technical consultant. Trumbull, who by then has a very strained relationship with the studio, only agreed to do so as a courtesy to his old friend Bob Wise, who personally requested his input. ( The Making of , p. 203) A particular bone of contention on that specific occasion is the perceived lack of acceptable studio model photography, resulting in RA&A/Astra, completely denied access to them from here on end, being entirely pulled from the studio model photography. The model photography is for the time being reverted to Paramount's own cinematographer Bill Millar , a former Trumbull-associate through FGC, even though he has at that point in time nowhere near the facilities necessary to provide studio model effects photography in any format whatsoever. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 62)
26 January 1979 : Principal photography ends, with scene 391, the " V'ger fusion" scene between Decker and the Ilia-probe, the very last scene shot. Originally scheduled to finish on 31 October 1978 (shortly thereafter revised to 22 December), principal photography as initially budgeted is three months overdue. At US$4,000 a day for stage time, this means an additional over budget cost of roughly US$250,000 for principal photography alone. Three second unit scenes though, for which the principal cast was not needed, the San Fransisco air tram station, the Klingon bridge, and the Epsilon IX bridge sequences still remain outstanding, as are the visual effects sequences. These sequences will be shot throughout the spring and summer, the visual effect ones extending well into the autumn of 1979. ( The Making of , pp. 7, 188, 191-193)
10 February 1979 : The traditional "wrap party" celebrating the end of principal photography is held at Liu's Chinese Restaurant and Chez Moi Disco on 140 South Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and is open to everyone involved with the Motion Picture and their retinue. ( The Making of , p. 195)
Mid- February 1979 : Behind-the-scenes information is leaked. The head of a local fan club alerts the studio that he is offered stolen set construction blueprints and the studio calls in the FBI. The FBI is able to arrest the culprit, who is thereafter convicted on 24 August, given two years' probation, and fined US$750 for selling stolen trade secrets. Studio security is tightened considerably due to the incident. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60; Return to Tomorrow , p. 175)
20 February 1979 : Studio executives and producers come calling to size up the visual effects situation at Robert Abel & Associates. The company reportedly had only a single completed effects shot to show for all the time and money spent, already four million dollars over budget at sixteen million dollars by December 1978, and of which US$11 million was actually already spent. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6; New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 62-63)
22 February 1979 : In an acrimonious atmosphere, Abel is fired and his company released, effective immediately, starting a frantic search for a replacement, as the studio now unexpectedly finds itself extremely pressured for time since the release date for the movie is immutable, due to the fact that the studio is financially committed by having accepted the $35 million payment guarantees from exhibitors planning for the 7 December 1979 release. This becomes critical, as rumors are already spreading that the production is in trouble, and theater owners start to back down on their commitments. ( The Special Effects of Trek , pp. 29, 31; The Making of , pp. 204-205) Realizing that effects production has to virtually start over from scratch, the now-strapped for cash studio initiates Dawn Steel's merchandising fund drive to cover a new visual effects budget set at US$10 million. ( The Making of , p. 204).
Early March 1979 : Douglas Trumbull's visual effects company, Future General Corporation (FGC), is signed for the visual effects. Both his and co-founder Richard Yuricich's participation in the production now becomes formal. Having initially been forced to surrender his equipment to RA&A, Trumbull now returns the favor, aside from getting back the equipment, by usurping several of Abel's key staffers, among others Robert Swarthe , Scott Farrar , and Tom Barron , not few of them, ironically, hired by RA&A in the first place when the studio started to close down FGC earlier, but now rejoining the latter. Yuricich, now credited as "Producer of Effects", is tasked with re-initializing FGC by reassembling the team and finding new, suitable filming facilities. Barron acquires on this occasion several pieces of equipment which are not to be used anymore. Acting upon a hunch, he stores them away for a few years, and they will become the foundation of later regular Star Trek motion control photography supplier Image G . ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 374; Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 3, Issue 1 , p. 60) Trumbull also establishes on this occasion a subsidiary company of FGC, the Entertainment Effects Group (EEG) which replaces ASTRA as art department. Andrew Probert is one of the very few ex-ASTRA employees retained by Trumbull, who has him work on the interior re-design of the Klingon battle cruiser bridge, discarding the one previously done by Jennings. Concurrently, EEG will serve as the legal entity, responsible for the handling of the studio models during filming. To this end, several Magicam model makers transfer to the new company to insure the proper handling of the models. Unlike FGC, EEG will survive the production of the Motion Picture to become the renowned 1980s-1990s visual effects company Boss Film Studios . Trumbull also subcontracts John Dykstra's Apogee, Inc. in order to divide the workload. ( see above )
March 1979: While devising the visual effects shots, Trumbull brings in Robert McCall, with whom he had already worked before on 2001: A Space Odyssey and where the two men became close friends, as production illustrator in order to help out with visualizing the various V'ger scenes. Much of what McCall, who had been passed over for Mike Minor nearly two years earlier, will conceive is indeed translated onto the screen by Trumbull. ( Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 8 , pp. 70-73) Another noticeable new addition to EEG is artist Matthew Yuricich , brother of Richard and whose work Trumbull is already acquainted with, when both men were working together two years earlier on Close Encounters of the Third Kind . Yuricich will create all the matte paintings for the movie. During this month, the San Fransisco air tram station sequence is filmed on the combined stages 12 and 14. William Shatner has to return for this sequence. Shatner is the only principal cast member who has to return to the production after principal photography had wrapped. ( The Making of , p. 193) The tram station sets are subsequently struck to make room for the other two remaining scenes, yet to be filmed, which however suffer yet another round of delays. This is due to the fact that the Klingon bridge set is still in the process of being redesigned by Trumbull and Probert, and for whose construction Trumbull has brought in Art Director John Vallone . ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 346)
19 March 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent application for Andrew Probert's re-design of the Constitution II -class studio model is filed.
26 March 1979 : Due to the information leak the previous month, reporter Jeffrey Kaye is able to publicly divulge the big reveal that V'ger is actually a Voyager probe in the 26 March issue of New West magazine. (p. 60) Not only that, but Kaye's "Abel Neglex Trex Effex" article also provides a detailed, and largely correct, account of the circumstances under which RA&A is released from the production, serving for the next quarter of a century as the only verifiable and available source of said circumstances.

Don Simpson and Michael Eisner in Life magazine, April 1979

Simpson (l) and Eisner making their appearance in Life magazine

10 April 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent applications for Robert Fletcher's designs of the Starfleet uniforms , belt buckle, and Starfleet breast-worn insignia, as well as Dick Rubin 's designs for the redesigned phaser , wrist communicator , and tricorder are filed.
13 April 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model is filed.
May 1979 : The refit- Enterprise model is just about finished and ready for delivery for filming when a studio staffer, wanting to impress his female guest during an illegal visit, turns on the lighting of the model incorrectly and destroys the circuitry in the saucer section. The subsequent repairs by Magicam delays delivery of the model by nearly two months. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 55)
7 May 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent applications for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model, shuttle portion, and the Klingon K't'inga -class are filed.
June 1979 : the re-initialization of FGC is completed and effects photography is started by the company with only six months remaining before the premiere. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 411)
18 June 1979 : With the Klingon bridge set completed, shooting starts this day for the Klingon scenes (Scenes 3-21, 23-25) with Mark Lenard playing the Klingon captain, joined by eight or nine stuntmen playing the other Klingons on the bridge. Robert Wise takes on the directorial chores himself and brings back the former Phase II Director of Photography Bruce Logan, as Richard Kline has already left the production for another project. Filming takes a little over a week, after which the set is immediately struck to make room for the last outstanding live-action scene, the Epsilon IX monitor room scene (Scenes 24-27, 91). Having been around since Phase II , David Gautreaux finally gets to shoot his screen time in his consolation role as Commander Branch. Joining him on the set as an Epsilon IX crew member is Harold Livingston's secretary, Michele Ameen Billy , who has three lines. Filmed back-to-back, this scene, shot in little under a week, finally wraps up live-action shooting. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 375-378)
Early July 1979 : Greg Jein returns to the Star Trek production when Trumbull, as EEG, tasks him with the construction of several detail miniatures for Spock's spacewalk inside V'ger . ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 42-45)
4 July 1979 : Mishap continues to bedevil the Enterprise model. The filming of the model has just started, when during one of the very rare days off during this period, the fourth of July holiday on Wednesday, an air conditioning unit on the set springs a leak, and drips water on the model, severely damaging the bridge module of the model. EEG model makers Mark Stetson , Kris Gregg , and Ron Gress (the former two ex-Magicam employees) have to pull all-nighters for four days to repair the damage, straining the visual effects production schedule even further. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, pp. 55-56)

Lisa Morton working on the V'ger interior section models

Morton working on one of the interior V'ger model sections

31 July 1979 : In order to cover legal liabilities for the staff he brings along, Jein needs to form his own company, Gregory Jein, Inc. [32] The new company is also formally subordinated to EEG.
1 August 1979 : Pocket Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Stardate Calendar 1980
1 November 1979 : Wanderer Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture The USS Enterprise Bridge Punch-Out Book
29 November 1979 : Last visual effects shot is completed. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)
30 November 1979 : Wanderer Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book
1 December 1979 : A first completed rough cut is screened at the studio. Present at the screening are Director Wise, producers, studio executives, and several invited Star Trek alumni, old and new, which include Original Series veterans Matt Jefferies and John Dwyer . Gene Roddenberry is not invited. Over the next couple of days, Wise trims a further ten minutes from the cut. ( Movie Memories , p. 123; [33] (X) )
Early December 1979 : Douglas Trumbull is hospitalized for ten days due to nervous exhaustion, diagnosed with ulcers and a hiatal hernia. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (DVD) ; audio commentary ; [34] )
Pocket Books : novelization .
The documentary The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , a specialty promotional tool, is shown nationwide at public venues, such as train stations.
Marvel Comics Super Special #15 (comic adaptation).
Soundtrack LP record release.
Pocket Books Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology release.
Wallaby Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Official USS Enterprise Officer's Date Book (1980) desk calendar release.
View-Master adaptation.
Topps : Star Trek: The Motion Picture trading card set .
Fast-food corporation McDonald's : start of its The Motion Picture -themed "Happy Meal" campaign.
South Bend Electronics : electronic USS Enterprise
5 December 1979 : Post-production work is finally finished and the final master print of the movie is delivered for the reproduction of distribution prints. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)
6 December 1979 : Washington, DC world premiere. Regretting he has not been able to hold a screening before test audiences, Robert Wise himself rushes the fresh print by plane to the K-B MacArthur Theater for its premiere, where it is loaded into the projector one minute before its announced screening. Guests were, for the occasion, presented with a twenty-page movie program . ( Variety , 24 December 2001, p. 21; The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6)
7 December 1979 : US theatrical premiere. For the timely distribution of the 2,000 prints, the studio has to charter a fleet of private planes. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6; Movie Memories , p. 123)
13 December 1979 : Sydney, Australia, theatrical premiere at the Paramount Theatre.
15 December 1979 : UK theatrical premiere at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square in London.
21 December 1979 : Melbourne, Australia, and Ireland theatrical premieres. Sydney, Australia, general release.

1980s releases and merchandising [ ]

Pocket Books Photostory adaptation .
Wallaby Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Blueprints .
The Mind's Eye Press USS Enterprise cutaway poster.
Citadel Miniatures gaming figurines.
1 January 1980 : Australia theatrical general release.
17 January 1980 : Argentina (as Viaje a las estrellas: La película ) theatrical premiere.
February 1980 : Pocket Books Chekov's Enterprise (book).
March 1980 : Wallaby Books The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The writing completed before the movie premiered, author Susan Sackett has added a provisionary end credit roll for the movie in her book (pp. 217-221), which differed from that as ultimately featured (See: below ). While cast and primary production staff were featured as projected, there were some noticeable differences; several title descriptions were changed and especially amongst production staffers there were inclusions that were previously not considered whereas others that were initially, were now excluded. A very noticeable example of the latter, was future Star Trek alumnus Rick Sternbach, who now missed out on an official credit for the Motion Picture as a consequence.
3 March 1980 : Paramount Pictures' patent application tender for Richard Foy 's designs of the typeface fonts for the movie are filed.
18 March 1980 : Spain (as Star Trek – La película ) and Brazil (as Jornada nas Estrelas: O Filme ) theatrical premieres.
19 March 1980 : France (as Star Trek, le film ) theatrical premiere.
21 March 1980 : Portugal (as O Caminho das Estrelas ) theatrical premiere.
27 March 1980 : West Germany (as Star Trek: Der Film ) theatrical premiere.
28 March 1980 : Finland (as Star Trek: Avaruusmatka ) theatrical premiere.
2 April 1980 : Sweden theatrical premiere.
7 April 1980 : Norway and Denmark premieres.
17 April 1980 : Brazil (as Jornada nas Estrelas: O Filme ) theatrical premiere.
April 1980 : Marvel TOS #1 (comic reprint 1 of 3).
May 1980 : Marvel TOS #2 " V'ger " (comic reprint 2 of 3).
June 1980 : Marvel TOS #3 " Evolutions " (comic reprint 3 of 3).
19 June 1980 : Netherlands theatrical premiere.
Summer 1980: Work is started at the studio to transfer the theatrical master onto masters for commercial home media market releases as well as for television broadcasts. A contemporary studio editor stated in 2016, " I mastered the "director's cut" for Paramount in 1980, and it was never commercially released. Wise cut the film down to 110 minutes, and the assistant editor on the picture told me he was livid when the studio overruled him and cut 12 minutes of the V'Ger VFX sequence back into the film. Wise was smart enough to know it dragged the film down, and he was right. But because the film had gone so grossly over budget, the studio was determined to see "all their money up on the screen," so it went out at 132 minutes. " [35] The 132 minutes version this staffer referred to was the one intended for ABC Television Network. While this staffer has preferred to remain anonymous, he has credited a contemporary studio co-worker for doing the home media format masters of the television version, " 95% of the work was done by my old pal Pat Kennedy (who did the lion's share of that transfer), though I did correct quite a few of the additional bits for the expanded version shown on NBC. At the time (around 1982), I asked the Paramount exec why they wouldn't finish the obviously-incomplete VFX, but he kind of shrugged and said nobody wanted to spend the money. Eventually, they did fix them [for the 2001 Director's Edition ] . " [36]
5 July 1980 : Japan theatrical premiere.
October 1980 : US video tape releases ( VHS and Betamax formats), with a Super 8 release following suit.
25 October 1980 : Taiwan theatrical premiere.
25 November 1980 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's Starfleet uniforms is confirmed as patent number D257546 .
US LaserDisc .
UK LaserDisc.
22 March 1981 : Capacitance Electronic Disc ( CED ).
31 March 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's belt buckle is confirmed as patent number D258700 .
May 1981 : UK video release (VHS and Betamax formats).
2 May 1981 : Pay TV premiere on SelecTV in Marina Del Rey, California, USA.
14 July 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model is confirmed as patent number D259889 .
21 July 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's redesign of the phaser, called a "toy weapon" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D259939 .
25 August 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's design of the wrist communicator, called a "toy communicator" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260411 .
1 September 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's redesign of the tricorder, called a "toy console" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260539 .
4 September 1981 : Iceland theatrical premiere.
15 September 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's redesign of the Constitution II -class, called a "toy spaceship" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260539 .
26 October 1981 : Turkey (as Uzay Macerasi ) theatrical premiere.
17 November 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's breast-worn Starfleet insignia is confirmed as patent number D261872 .
24 November 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Richard Foy's designs of the typeface fonts for the movie is confirmed as patent number D277297 .
6 April 1982 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model, shuttle portion, is confirmed as patent number D263727 .
20 February 1983 : US Network Television Premiere on ABC Television Network as the first public showing of what came to be called the "Special Longer Version". The added footage, running for twelve minutes, was largely unfinished and cobbled together for the network premiere and is met with skepticism by Director Robert Wise, who had never wanted the footage to be included in the final cut of the film in the first place, as already stated by the above-quoted studio editor. (" Trek director Waxes Wise on new DVD", Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun , 6 November 2001, p. 46)
13 April 1982 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's redesign of the K't'inga -class, called a "toy spaceship" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D263856 .
1983 : US LaserDisc (special longer version).
1983: US Betamax (special longer version).
3 September 1984 : UK television premiere on ITV .
1985 : Japan VHD.
7 July 1985 : Japan LaserDisc.
1986 : Soundtrack CD 1st release.
25 April 1986 : East Germany theatrical premiere.
March 1987 : Second airing by ABC of the "Special Longer Version".
Summer 1989 : Third and final airing by ABC of the "Special Longer Version".

1990s merchandising [ ]

25 October 1990 : Soundtrack CD 2nd release.
1991 : France LaserDisc.
1991: Germany LaserDisc.
1991: Netherlands LaserDisc.
7 December 1992 : VHS.
10 March 1994 : Japan LaserDisc.
1994 : US and Europe VideoCD.
1995 : TNT airs the "Special Longer Version" introduced by William Shatner .
2 April 1997 : VHS Widescreen.
26 January 1999 : Soundtrack CD 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition.

2000s and beyond merchandising [ ]

6 November 2001 : Director's Edition world premiere
9 November 2001 : Director's Edition Region 1 DVD.
13 May 2002 : Director's Edition Region 2 DVD.
12 May 2009 : Original theatrical release Blu-ray.
22 March 2010 : Remastered original theatrical release Region 2 DVD.
5 June 2012 : Expanded soundtrack release , La-La Land Records .
December 2012 : Olsenart.com Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise
30 April 2013 : Star Trek I: The Motion Picture Blu-ray Directors Edition release announcement. The announced release date proves to be premature though, as it turns out that Paramount Pictures had failed to maintain ownership over the CGI elements that were added to the Director's Edition. Former employee Adam Lebowitz of Foundation Imaging , the visual effects company responsible for the newly-conceived elements, confirms that all these elements were left on the company servers when they were auctioned off after the company went out of business, which would mean that the studio has to painstakingly recreate all these elements. [37] Still, his former Foundation colleague, Robert Bonchune , strongly indicates that these elements are still in existence, as some ex-employees had made backups, including Bonchune, of all the Star Trek files on their own computers, and they could be made available to the studio if they are so inclined. [38] By 2018, the status of a Blu-ray release remained yet unknown, though one of the co-producers of the Director's Edition , David C. Fein , has confirmed Bonchune's assessment by stating in 2017 that it was he who still had all the original digital effects elements available for remastering to Blu-ray standards. " We have all that we need. Would I like a few more pieces... sure. But we have everything we need, " stated Fein, " All of the shots in the film were created with HD in mind so the quality of the models and elements were much higher than the SD renderings. We have everything, and when the time is right, we'll use them. Again, there is no truth that anything is missing. " Fein also confirmed that a Blu-ray release was put on the backburner as "Paramount has yet to green light the project. We've had some discussions," adding that "it'll happen, the only question is when are we going to go ahead with it". [39] Nonetheless, preliminary talks were reported by both Trekcore and TrekMovie.com to have resumed in July 2019 for a remastered release, albeit for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray one.
10 September 2013 : Remastered original theatrical release Region 1 DVD.
December 2014 : Creature Feature Publishing Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
15 & 18 September 2019 : For the occasion of the film's 40th anniversary , NCM Fathom Events organizes a to over 500 screens limited theatrical re-release of The Motion Picture . Accompanying the screening is the documentary The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture , originally a special feature produced for, and included on the 2009 Blu-ray disc release and its various reissues. [40] [41] [42] The limited two-day USA only event manages to add an additional US$346,243 gross to the box-office total. [43]
8 October 2019 : McFarland & Company The First Star Trek Movie
1 September 2020 : Titan Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects
2021 : Print release of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture orchestral score
7 September 2021 : Newly in 4k UHD remastered version of the theatrical cut released in two variants, as part of the 4K Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection box set, and as an improved Blu-ray single disc reissue.
5 April 2022 : 4K version of the "Director's Edition" with new higher resolution visual effects premieres on Paramount+ , accompanied by the (digital) release of the remastered soundtrack by Paramount Music.
22, 23 & 25 May 2022 : Limited special event theatrical release of the remastered "Director's Edition" by Phantom Events. [44]
19 August 2022 : Limited UK theatrical release of the remastered "Director's Edition", [45] adding another US$69,621 gross to the box-office total [46]
6 September 2022 : 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray "Director's Edition" release with exclusive new bonus content in both standard 2-disc Blu-ray/1-disc 4K UHD versions, as well as a limited 3-disc "The Complete Adventure" boxset, containing all three film versions including the "Special Longer Version", now remastered as well. On this occasion the theatrical cut was also issued in the single-disc 4K UHD format.

2001 Original official promo Director's Edition poster art

Reception [ ]

The highly anticipated movie received copious contemporary coverage, both prior as well as after its premiere, in period magazines, most notably in movie and genre periodicals, Starlog magazine in particular. Yet, there was one very remarkable exception: the usually very Star Trek -friendly genre magazine Cinefantastique did cover the movie hardly at all, save for a short editorial article in Volume 9 #3/4, 1979 after the movie had premiered. As it turned out however, extensive copy was written by freelance writer Preston Neal Jones for a planned The Motion Picture themed double-issue. Due to editorial problems because of the volume of text, that issue, despite advertisements in the magazine to the contrary, never came to fruition, save for some preliminary excerpts of Jones' work, published in the avant-premiere Vol. 9 #2 issue of the magazine. However, 35 years after the movie's release, the text was announced as voluminous reference book for an October 2014 release as Return to Tomorrow – The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , which was eventually released two months later.
How eagerly awaited the movie was before its premiere was witnessed by Decker performer Stephen Collins when he visited a movie theater before its release, " I was in a movie theater when one of the Trek trailers played. It was astounding. Everybody cheered. " ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 502)
When Paramount CEO Barry Diller saw a complete first version of the movie for the first time at the studio screening of 1 December 1979, he was horrified. " The movie was horrible and we were scared to death. ", Diller recalled. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) Director/Writer Nicholas Meyer , responsible for three subsequent, highly successful Star Trek films, recalled upon being hired by Diller, " Barry Diller said to me that one of his most wrenching moments as head of Paramount, was seeing lines around the block for Star Trek The Motion Picture and knowing that in his opinion the movie didn't deliver. " [47]
William Shatner, who saw the completed movie for the first time on the world premiere, was struck by the overall sluggishness of the movie, and was convinced that the Star Trek franchise died there and then, having reminisced, " Well, that's it. We gave it our best shot, it wasn't good, and it will never happen again. " But having recalled his reaction fifteen years later, he has added, " Shows you what I know. " ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, p. 124)
The film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 45% overall approval rate for The Motion Picture , as of 2014 the third lowest of all Star Trek films. [48]
In his 1983 special Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories , Leonard Nimoy spoke briefly about the film saying: " It was a very finely crafted film, and it did well. But from the actor's point of view frankly, it was frustrating. We didn't feel that we were getting to play the characters that we enjoyed playing in the way that we knew how to play them. And it was frustrating for Gene Roddenberry too. It wasn't the story or script he had wanted, and the gaps seemed filled with too much emphasis on special effects. " Years later, in a 2012 LA Times video interview, mirroring Shatner's perception, Nimoy has added that he too had felt that the movie had left the franchise stranded like a "beached whale" at the time, clarifying, " I think [Robert Wise] and Gene Roddenberry were looking for a [2001: A] Space Odyssey kind of thing, like [Stanley] Kubrick had done. A cold, cool "we're out here in space and it's kind of quiet and things move very slowly." [laughs] There was a lot of that and a lot of cerebral stuff. There wasn't enough drama. It just wasn't a Star Trek movie. We had the Star Trek people, but it didn't use us as Star Trek characters very well. " [49]
Though eagerly awaited, Star Trek fans were by and large in agreement with Nimoy's assessment at the time, especially where the lumbering pace of the movie was concerned, and endowed the movie with humorous, if unflattering, sobriquets such as "Star Trek: The Motion Sickness", "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture", or "Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture". ( The World of Star Trek ) As if to underscore the validity of their denominations, Matt Jefferies, who had done design work for the predecessor Phase II , related when he was invited to the 1 December studio screening, " I went to the first movie. I was invited to the screening. I fell asleep. John Dwyer noticed it from across the screening room and said, " Matt, wake up. " Fortunately nobody else in there knew me. " [50] (X)
Another sobriquet given to the movie was "Where Nomad Has Gone Before", which reflected the criticism that the story was too reminiscent of several Original Series episodes, first and foremost the second season episode " The Changeling ", in which the sentient robot Nomad was featured. [51]
Of such negative opinions were professional critics at the time, that they started to accuse the studio of purposely withholding the movie for press pre-screening as, according to them, the studio was well aware that the movie was a dud. The withholding itself of course was not the actual case, as the movie was not completed until the very last moment. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 606)
As related above and its bad (press) reception notwithstanding, The Motion Picture became one of the most successful outings of the entire film franchise in financial terms. This seemingly contradiction can only be explained by the fact that fans were so desperate to see an on-screen Star Trek live-action return, that they went anyway, often even several times – inconceivable for 21st century cinema goers in the age of digital social media. Michael Matessino for example, has related that he went to see the film twice, even though he had disliked the film the first time around, having stated in a letter he had sent to the genre magazine Starlog that "It stunk!" ( Starlog , issue 33, April 1980, p. 8) Nonetheless, Matessino went on to become instrumental for the production of The Director's Edition .

Awards and honors [ ]

The mixed reactions to the movie notwithstanding, did not prevent Star Trek: The Motion Picture to receive several award nominations, including three Academy Awards . The special and visual effects in particular were in general well received. The movie was nominated for the following awards and honors:

Apocrypha [ ]

In Gene Roddenberry's novelization of the film, the female lead Vulcan elder is given the name T'Sai.
The novelization of Encounter at Farpoint establishes that Captain Picard first boarded the USS Enterprise -D via shuttlecraft, a process later canonized in TNG : " All Good Things... ". According to the novel, Picard recalled how the then-Admiral Kirk had unwittingly begun a tradition of captains coming to their ship for the first time via shuttle instead of transporting aboard including the irony that no one really thought of the fact that Kirk traveled to Enterprise in a travel pod because of a serious transporter malfunction.
The novel The Return , written by William Shatner, states that the "Living Machines" that Voyager 6 encountered on its journey were the Borg .
The novel Ex Machina establishes that of all the original crew, only Scott and Uhura were long-term members of then-Captain Decker's crew. Chekov and Sulu had only been assigned back to Enterprise only hours before Kirk transferred aboard, as Admiral Nogura wanted as many of the original command crew back on the ship as was possible for the emergency mission. According to the film, Scott had been working on the refit and according to the novel, Decker had personally recruited the entire crew, making it the most diverse of species ever seen aboard a starship up until that point. Decker had even recruited Uhura to help recruit many of the nonhuman crewmembers. During a conversation between Sulu and Uhura, Sulu mentions that Decker was considering making Uhura his executive officer, thus adding new subtext to her first line spoken while on the bridge during prelaunch: " my people are all tied up here!".

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

William Shatner
Leonard Nimoy
DeForest Kelley
James Doohan
George Takei
Walter Koenig
Nichelle Nichols
Majel Barrett
Persis Khambatta
Stephen Collins as Decker
Jerry Goldsmith
Todd Ramsay
Harold Michelson
Richard H. Kline , ASC
Gene Roddenberry
Harold Livingston
Alan Dean Foster
Robert Wise

Closing credits [ ]

Douglas Trumbull
John Dykstra
Richard Yuricich
Lindsley Parsons, Jr.
Robert Swarthe
Jesco von Puttkamer
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Isaac Asimov
Bob Fletcher
Linda DeScenna
Fred Phillips
Janna Phillips
Barbara Minster
Tom Overton
Phil Rawlins
Danny McCauley
Joe Jennings
Leon Harris
John Vallone
Bonnie Prendergast
Rick Mitchell
Randy D. Thornton
Richard L. Anderson
Stephen Hunter Flick
Cecelia Hall
Alan Murray
Colin Waddy
George Watters II
Dirk Dalton
Joel Goldsmith
Alan S. Howarth
Francisco Lupica
Frank Serafine
Steve Hanley
Bill Varney
Steve Maslow
Gregg Landaker
Gene Kelley
Alex Weldon
Darrell Pritchett
Marty Bresin
Maurice Zuberano
Michael Minor
John Rothwell
Suzanne Gordon
Kevin Cremin
Charles A. Ogle
Anita Terrian
Al Bettcher
Michael Genne
Larry Howard
Agnes Henry
Susan Sackett
Dave Stewart
Matthew Yuricich
Rocco Gioffre
Russ Simpson
Phil Barberio
Douglas Eby
David Hardberger
Alan Harding
David McCue
Scott Squires
Hoyt Yeatman
Jim Dickson
Bruce Logan
Charles F. Wheeler , ASC
Jack Hinkle
Evans Wetmore
Richard Hollander
David Negron
Andy Probert
Tom Cranham
Robert McCall
George Polkinghorne
Virgil Mirano
Ernest Garza
Guy Marsden
Pat Van Auken
Larry Albright
Bruce Bishop
Al Broussard
Chris Crump
Lee Ettleman
Rick Guttierez
Mike McMillen
Robert Short
Robert Spurlock
Mark Stetson
George Trimmer
Rick Thompson
Paul Turner
Don Wheeler
Thane Berti
Glenn Campbell
Christopher George
Scott Farrar
Robert Freidstand
Robert Hollister
Tom Hollister
Russ McElhatton
Lex Rawlins
Jonathan Seay
Steve Slocum
Deena Burkett
Alison Yerxa
Lisze Bechtold
Merllyn Ching
Elrene Cowan
Cy Didjurgis
Leslie Ekker
Linda Harris
Nicola Kaftan
John Kimball
Thomas Koester
Deidre Le Blanc
Linda Moreau
Connie Morgan
Greg Pierce
Greg Wilzbach
Stephen Fog
John Gilman
Jim Goodnight
Fred Iguchi
Robin Leyden
Greg McMurray
Josh Morton
Michael Backauskas
M. Katheryn Campbell
Nora Jeanne Smith
Bill Millar
Mona Thal Benefiel
Joyce Goldberg
Leora Glass
Brett Webster
Alan Gundelfinger
Milt Laiken
George Randle Co.
Precision Machine
Dieter Seifert
Rourke Engineering
Robert Mayne
Apogee, Inc.
Robert Shepherd
Grant McCune
Roger Dorney
Chuck Barbee
Bruno George
Michael Lawler
Jerry Pooler
John Sullivan
Harry Moreau
Alvah J. Miller
Paul Johnson
Martin Kline
Jack Johnson
John Shourt
Dick Alexander
Bill Shourt
Don Trumbull
Cosmos Bolger
Dennis Dorney
Robert Elswitt
Phil Gonzales
Greg Kimble
Michael Sweeney
Diane E. Wooten
David Beasley
John Erland
Joe Garlington
Pete Gerard
Rick Gilligan
Richie Helmer
Michael Joyce
Deborah Kendall
Pat McClung
Gary Rhodaback
John Ramsay
Dennis Schultz
David Scott
Dick Singleton
Richard Smiley
David Sosalla
Susan Turner
Chuck Embrey
Mary Etta Lang
Angela Diamos
John Millerburg
Denny Kelley
David Bartholomew
Steve Klein
Mike Middleton
Phil Joanou
Mimi McKinney
Ann M. Johnston
Deborah Baxter
Janet Dykstra
Philip Golden
Proctor Jones
Tut Shurtleff
B/G Engineering
Abbot Grafton
Gerald Nash
Ron Resch , Boston University
Magicam, Inc.
Richard Foy , Communication Arts, Inc.
Arthur Morton
Captain Kirk – William Shatner
Spock – Leonard Nimoy
Dr. McCoy – DeForest Kelley
Scotty – James Doohan
Sulu – George Takei
Dr. Chapel – Majel Barrett
Chekov – Walter Koenig
Uhura – Nichelle Nichols
Ilia – Persis Khambatta
Decker – Stephen Collins
Janice Rand – Grace Lee Whitney
Klingon Captain – Mark Lenard
Alien Boy – Billy Van Zandt
Epsilon Technician – Roger Aaron Brown
Airlock Technician – Gary Faga
Commander Branch – David Gautreaux
Assistant to Rand – John D. Gowans
Cargo Deck Ensign – Howard Itzkowitz
Lt. Commander Sonak – Jon Rashad Kamal
Chief DiFalco – Marcy Lafferty
Lieutenant – Michele Ameen Billy
Technician – Jeri McBride
Chief Ross – Terrence O'Connor
Lt. Cleary – Michael Rougas
Woman – Susan J. Sullivan
Ralph Brannen ( Crew Member 1 )
Ralph Byers ( Crew Member 2 )
Paula Crist ( Crew Member 3 )
Iva Lane ( Crew Member 4 )
Franklyn Seales ( Crew Member 5 )
Momo Yashima ( Crew Member 6 )
Jimmie Booth ( Klingon Crewman 1 )
Joel Kramer ( Klingon Crewman 2 )
Bill McTosh ( Klingon Crewman 3 )
David Moordigian ( Klingon Crewman 4 )
Tom Morga ( Klingon Crewman 5 )
Tony Rocco ( Klingon Crewman 6 )
Joel Schultz ( Klingon Crewman 7 )
Craig Thomas ( Klingon Crewman 8 )
Edna Glover ( Vulcan Master 1 )
Norman Stuart ( Vulcan Master 2 )
Paul Weber ( Vulcan Master 3 )
Security Officer – Joshua Gallegos
Lisa Chess ( Yeoman 1 )
Leslie C. Howard ( Yeoman 2 )
Sayra Hummel ( Technical Assistant 1 )
Junero Jennings ( Technical Assistant 2 )
Robert Bralver
William Couch ( stunt double for William Shatner )
Keith L. Jensen
John Hugh McKnight

TM & Copyright © 1979 by Paramount Pictures Film Corporation, Inc. [ ]

Alexander Courage
Robert Abel & Associates, Inc.
Richard Taylor
Digital Equipment Corporation
Sam Nicholson
Brian Longbotham
Polaroid Corporation
Sutherland Computer Corporation
Marvin Paige
Pocket Books
Panavision ®
Metrocolor ®

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

David Armstrong as Enterprise crewmember
Richard Arnold as Enterprise crewmember
Rosanna Attias as Enterprise crewmember
Jerry Best as Enterprise sciences crewmember
Fred Bronson as Enterprise crewmember
Bob Bryan as Enterprise crewmember
Robert Buckingham as Enterprise crewmember
Bobby Butz as Enterprise crewmember
Gordon Cardoza as Enterprise crewmember
Celeste Cartier as Enterprise crewmember
JoAnn Christy as Vulcan sciences crewmember
Lisa Christy as Enterprise crewmember
Price Coetzee as Enterprise crewmember
Armando Diaz as Enterprise crewmember
Vern Dietsche as Enterprise crewmember
Christopher Doohan as engineering crewmember
Montgomery Doohan as science division crewmember
Walt Doty as Enterprise crewmember
John Dresden as Starfleet security officer (slated for credit as "Security Officer")
Scott Dweck as Vulcan medic
Don Fanning as Zaranite Enterprise crewmember
Dennis Fischer as engineering crewmember
Cassandra Foster as Enterprise crewmember
Barnetta Fowler as Enterprise crewmember
Gayle Frank as sciences crewmember
Ryan Frazier as Starfleet command officer
David Gerrold as command division crewmember
Brenda Gooch as Enterprise crewmember
William Guest as Enterprise crewmember
Doug Hale as Computer Voice
John Hayes as Enterprise crewmember
Sharon Hesky as Federation civilian
Bill Hickey as science division crewmember
Betty Kennedy as Federation civilian
James T. Kirk as Enterprise crewmember
Victor Koman as Zaranite Enterprise crewmember
Katherine Kurtz as Enterprise crewmember
Art Lake as Enterprise crewmember
Steven Lance as Rhaandarite Enterprise crewmember
Randall Larson as Enterprise crewmember
Suzanne Lodge as Starfleet officer
Don J. Long as Enterprise crew member
Leah Livingston as Enterprise crew member ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 38)
Greg Mace as Enterprise crewmember [52]
Enterprise engineering chief
Enterprise medical staff member
Winnie McCarthy as Epsilon IX technician
John Hugh McKnight as medical technician
Michelle as Enterprise crewmember
Barbara Minster as Enterprise crewmember
Beth Moberly as Enterprise crewmember
Ve Neill as Enterprise crewmember
Air tram Starfleet officer
Enterprise crewmember
Rod Perry as security guard
Gene Poe as Enterprise crewmember
Todd Ramsay as Starfleet Transporter Chief (voice; uncredited)
Zack Richardson as Enterprise crewmember
Linda Robertson as Enterprise crewmember
Susan Sackett as science division crewmember
Eileen Salamas as Enterprise crewmember
Frank Salsedo as Enterprise crewmember
Keith Shiozaki as Starfleet Headquarters crewman
Kathleen Sky as Enterprise crewmember
Jay Smith as Enterprise crewmember
Louise Stange-Wahl as science division crewmember
Leigh Strother-Vien as Enterprise crewmember
Cedric Taporco as Saurian Enterprise crewmember
Denise Tathwell as Enterprise Vulcan crewmember
H. Teague as Epsilon IX technician [53]
Arthur Tovey as Vulcan civilian
Roger Trantham as Enterprise crewmember
Bjo Trimble as science division crewmember
Vincent as Saurian Enterprise crewmember
John Watts as Andorian Enterprise crewmember
Green Whitaker as Federation civilian
Marlene Willauer as civilian crewmember
Millicent Wise as engineering crewmember
C. Adam Young as USS Enterprise crew member
Aaamazzarite visitors
Andorian crewmember
Betelgeusian assistant ambassador 1
Betelgeusian assistant ambassador 2
Betelgeusian chief ambassador
Betelgeusian Enterprise crewmember
Female Native American crewmember
Female Natvie American crewmember
Female Native American Enterprise officer
Orbital office complex crew 1
Orbital office complex crew 2
Orbital office complex crew 3
Orbital office complex crew 4
Orbital office complex crew 5
Orbital office complex crew 6
Orbital office complex technician
Sickbay patient
Two Rhaandarites
Rhaandarite crewmember
Rhaandarite orbital office complex officer
Enterprise engineer
Enterprise assistant engineer
Enterprise sciences crewman

Uncredited stunt performers [ ]

Lightning Bear
Stunt double for Leonard Nimoy
Workman in space
Kim Washington as stunt double for Nichelle Nichols

Uncredited production staff [ ]

Robert Abel – Robert Abel & Associates : Special Effects Director
Bernie Abramson – Second Unit Director of Photography
Howard A. Anderson, Jr. – Howard Anderson Company : Additional Graphics and Animation
Philo Barnhart – Apogee, Inc.: Effects Animation Artist
John L. Black – Key Grip
Susan Cabral – Makeup Artist: Background performers
Michael Chavez – Set Costumer
Jim Chirco – Craft Serviceman
Leslie Ekker – Animation and Graphics
Michael Edward Gentry – Lead Scenic Painter
Bill George – Gregory Jein, Inc. : Model Maker
Ron Gress – Entertainment Effects Group : Model Painter
John Grower – Astra Image Corporation
William Guest – Special Effects: Special Props and Miniatures
" Hersey " – Production Illustrator ( The Art of Star Trek , pp. 162-163; Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , color inset/otherwise unknown)
Pierre Jalbert – Editor/Dialogue Editor
Dennis Jones – Sound-Boom Man
David A. Kimble – Astra Image Corporation: Production Illustrator
Alexander Lepak – Percussionist
Michael Lynn – Costumer
Dan Maltese – Set Designer (slated for credit as "Set Designer")
Bruce MacRae – Brick Price Movie Miniatures : Prop Maker
Joel Marston – Dialogue Coach for William Shatner
William Mass – Costumer
Lisa Morton – Gregory Jein, Inc.: Model Maker
Steve Neill – Makeup Artist
Debbi Nikkel – Apogee, Inc.: Production Accountant
Don Pennington – Gregory Jein, Inc.: Model Maker
Kevin Pike – Custom Props Special Effects Artist
Brick Price – Brick Price Movie Miniatures: Prop Maker
Hartmut Scharfe – Linguist/Vulcan master voice-over
Charlie Schram – Makeup Artist
Michelle Small – Robert Abel & Associates: Effects Production Coordinator/Entertainment Effects Group: Storyboard Artist
Rick Sternbach – Production Illustrator (slated for credit as "Illustrator")
Rick Stratton – Lab Technician: Makeup Department
William Sully – Illustrator
Joe Viskocil – SFX Coordinator: Astra Image Corporation
Carlos Yeaggy – Makeup Artist

Uncredited production companies [ ]

Astra Image Corporation – Visual Effects company (subsidiary Robert Abel & Associates)
Howard Anderson Company – Visual Effects company
Brick Price Movie Miniatures – Prop making company, originally subcontracted by Robert Abel & Associates
Entertainment Effects Group – Visual Effects company, subsidiary
Gregory Jein, Inc. – Model making company, subcontracted by Entertainment Effects Group

References [ ]

20th century ; 2270s ; Aaamazzarite ; ability ; acceleration ; acceleration rate ; aircraft carrier ; airlock four ; air tram station ; alien ; all-decks read-out ; alternative ; analysis ; ancestor ; Andorians ; animal ; antenna lead ; answer ; antimatter ; antimatter imbalance ; aperture ; appointment ; Arcturian ; area ; arrival ; " as soon as possible "; assignment ; assumption ; asteroid ; astronomical unit (au); " at your discretion "; attack ; attention ; audio-video association ; auxiliary computer circuit ; auxiliary power ; auxiliary power test ; baby ; backup sensor ; battle stations ; beauty ; Betelgeusian ; binary code ; biofunction monitor ; birth ; black hole ; blood ; bluff ; body ; body function ; " Bones "; brother ; burn duration ; " burn up "; calculation ; captain ; captor ; carbon-based unit ; carbon unit ; cargo bay ; cargo six ( dock six ); carrier wave ; casualty ; cc ; " center seat "; central brain complex ; chamber ; Chief of Starfleet Operations ; child ; circuit ; cloud ; cloud boundary ; code signal ; comm station ; channel ; commission ; compassion ; composition ; computation ; computer ; computer center ; computer library ; condolence ; confidence ; conic section ; connecting tunnel ; consciousness ; Constitution II -class decks ; contact ; control arm ; countdown ; courier ; course ( heading ); course projection ; Creator ; crew status ; cruiser ; curiosity ; dalaphaline ; damage ; damage report ; data ; data pattern ; data storage ; day ; deck ; deflector ; deflector power ; degree ; Deltans ; Delta IV ; demonstration ; departure order ; design ( redesign ); destination ; device ; diagnosis ; diameter ; dilithium crystal ; dimension ; dimensional image ; directional control ; disappointment ; discipline ; distance ; division ; dock control ; docking port ; doctor ; Doctor of Medicine (MD); drafting ; dreadnought ; drydock ; duty station ; Earth ; Earth Defense Network ; efficiency ; embarrassment ; emergency ; emergency alert ; emergency evacuation thruster pack ; emergency power ; emergency shut-down trip ; emotion ; energy ; engineer ; engine navigation relay ; Enterprise (frigate); Enterprise , USS (CV-6); entity ; Epsilon IX station ; estimate ; evolution ; examination ; executive officer (aka exec ); existence ; exocrine system ; experience ; explanation ; eye ; father ; Federation ; Federation space ; feeling ; field coil ; flight deck ; flight path ; flow sensors ; force field ; force field circuit E10 ; force field circuit E14 ; forebearer ; French language ; friendship ; " frighten out of my wits "; fuel equation ; gain ; galaxy ; goal ; God ; Golden Gate Bridge ; grade 1 priority ; gravitational field ; ground test computer ; guidance system ; heart ; hope ; hostility ; hour ; Human ; Human quality ; idea ; igniter ; impact ; image ; imaging system ; Imperial Klingon Cruiser ; impulse power ; inertial lag ; information ; injury report ; insight ; intention ; interference ; intermix chamber ; interrogative ; intersection course ; intruder ; intruder alert ; IP ; job ; Jupiter ; Kazarite ; key ; kilometer ; Klingon ; Klingon language ; Klingon Fight with V'ger ; K'normian ; knowledge ; kolinahr ; launch crew ; learning ; light cube table ; lifeform ; linguacode friendship message ; living machine ; logic ; loyalty ; lunar beacon ; machine ; machine planet ; magnification (mag); main drive system ; main elevator ; main power system ; Main stage flux chiller ; malfunction ; maneuvering thruster ; manual override ; manual shutoff ; mass ; matter ; meaning ; mechanism ; medic ; medical facility ; meeting ; megabit ; megahertz ; Megarite ; memory ; memory pattern ; message ; meter ; micro-miniature hydraulics ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; millisecond ; mind ; minute ; missing in action ; mission ; mistaking ; module ; moisture ; molecule ; momentum ; monitor ; month ; moon ; multi-processor chip ; mutual advantage ; name ; nano synch rate ; National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ); navigator ; navigational deflectors ; neurological trauma ; Nogura ; nurse ; oath of celibacy ; obedience ; object ; objection ; observation ; obsession ; Officer's lounge ; officers' quarters ; " on the double "; opinion ; orbit ; orbiting device ; orbital office complex ; order ; orderliness ; orifice ; osmotic micro-pump ; oxygen gravity envelope ; pain ; orbit ; parallel course ; passion ; pattern ; pattern degradation ; " pep talk "; percent ; permission ; phaser ; phaser power ; photic sonar ; photon torpedo ; photon torpedo load status ; planet ; planetary defense system ; plasma energy ; plasma energy conduit ; plasti-skin ; pneumonic pulse pattern ; pons area ; power field ; power loss ; power surge ; pre-launch countdown ; Pre stage flux chiller ; pressure ; priority signal ; probe ; Probert ; problem ; program ; programming ; progress ; purge ; Quad L-14 ; quarters ; Quasar 7 ; question ; radiation level ; radio ; radio messaging ; radio signal ; rate of speed ; record ; recording ; recreation ; recreation deck ; recreation deck games ; red alert ( status red ); red line ; refit ; relationship ; relative position ; remote communications drone ; rendezvous ; repair time ; report ; reserve activation clause ; Rhaandarite ; Rigellian ; sand ; San Francisco ; San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge ; Saurian ; science briefing ; science officer ; Scots language ; scout ; screens ; search ; season ; second ; security scan ; security team ; self-destruct ; sensor drone ; sensor scan ; sensor-transceiver combination device ; sequence ; shakedown ; Shamin ; sickbay ; signal ; simulation study ; simulator ; Sol ; Sol system ; Sonak's family ; sonic shower ; space ; space matrix restoration coil ; spanking ; spinal nerve ; spray applicator ; standard light ; star ; stardate ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Starfleet Operations ; Starfleet Order 2005 ; star hour ; station keeping ; status report ; sublight speed ; subspace frequency ; surface ; T'Khut ; T'Khut moon ; tactical plot ; " tag along "; tantrum ; technology ; temperature ; temporary grade reduction ; thing ; thought ; thought pattern ; thousand ; throat ; thruster ignition ; thruster suit ; " top brass "; tractor beam ; Transamerica Pyramid ; transfer-of-command order ; transmission ; transmitter ; transporter ; transporter accident ; transporter accident victim's family ; transporter chamber ; transporter personnel ; transporter platform ; transporter room ; transporter sensor ; transporter system ; tricorder ; turboshaft ; twelfth power ; universe ; velocity ; vessel status ; V'Ger's planet ; viewer ; visual contact ; VS ; Vulcan ; Vulcan ; Vulcan embassy ; Vulcan language ; Vulcan master ; Vulcan salute ; mind meld ; Vulcan nerve pinch ; Vulcan ritual ; Vulcan symbol ; warp capacity ; warp drive ( main engine ); warp power ; warp simulation ; weapon ; " wee "; weep ; " with all due respect "; " with our bare hands "; word ; wormhole ; wormhole distortion ; wormhole effect ; Yard Command ; year ; Yerba Buena Island ; Zaranite

Spacecraft references [ ]

air tram ; Air tram 3 ; Air tram 14 ; Amar , IKS , cargo management unit ( workbees ); Class F shuttlecraft ; Columbia , USS ; Conrad ; Constitution -class ; Constitution II -class ; Entente , USS ; Enterprise ( space shuttle orbiter ); Enterprise , USS (NCC-1701); Enterprise , USS (XCV-330); K't'inga -class ( Amar 's sister ships ); Laika ; life boat ; long range shuttle ; Merrimac , USS ; Revere , USS ; shuttlecraft ; starship ; Surak ; travel pod ( unnamed 1 , 2 ); travel pod 05 ; V'ger ; Voyager 6 ; Voyager series

Script references [ ]

aurora borealis ; command cruiser ; Dante ; engine pylon ; Grayson, Amanda ; heavy cruiser ; hydrogen cloud ; integrator ; lunar monitor relay ; nebula ; Sarek ; Saturn ; scrap metal compactor ; solar system ; Starfleet archives ; supernova ; transceiver ; United States Subdivision ; yellow alert

Other references [ ]

Rhaandarite

External links [ ]

The Motion Picture at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Star Trek: The Motion Picture at Wikipedia
Star Trek: The Motion Picture at the Internet Movie Database
Star Trek: The Motion Picture script at Star Trek Minutiae
Faces in the crowd – exhaustive list of fan extras compiled by Ian McLean
" Star Trek: The Motion Picture " at MissionLogPodcast.com
"The Troubled Production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture " at Den Of Geek
"A troubled enterprise: How Star Trek: The Motion Picture flirted with disaster only to become a surprise smash" at The Independent
Simon & Schuster and 40 Years of Star Trek Publishing at StarTrek.com
1 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
2 Daniels (Crewman)
3 Star Trek: Prodigy

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When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command.

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the 'Star Trek: The Original Series' television series. When a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches Earth, destroying everything in its path, Admiral James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) assumes command of his starship—the USS Enterprise —to lead it on a mission to save the planet and determine V'Ger's origins.

When the original television series was cancelled in 1969, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry lobbied Paramount to continue the franchise through a film. The success of the series in Broadcast syndication convinced the studio to begin work on a feature film in 1975. A series of writers attempted to craft a suitably epic script, but the attempts did not satisfy Paramount, so the studio scrapped the project in 1977. Paramount instead planned on returning the franchise to its roots with a new television series, [Star Trek: Phase II. The box office success of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' convinced Paramount that science fiction films other than 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|Star Wars' could do well at the box office, so the studio canceled production of Phase II and resumed its attempts at making a Star Trek film. In 1978, Paramount assembled the largest press conference held at the studio since the 1950s to announce that Academy Award–winning director Robert Wise would helm a $15 million film adaptation of the television series.

With the cancellation of the new television series, the writers rushed to adapt the planned pilot episode of Phase II, "In Thy Image," into a film script. Constant revisions to the story and shooting script continued, to the extent of hourly script updates on the shooting date. The Enterprise was modified inside and out; costume designer Robert Fletcher provided new uniforms and production designer Harold Michelson fabricated new sets. Jerry Goldsmith composed the score, beginning an association with Star Trek that would continue until 2002. When the original contractors for the optical effects proved unable to complete their tasks in time, effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull was given carte blanche to meet the December 1979 release date. The film came together only days before the premiere; Wise took the just-completed film to its Washington, D.C., opening, but always felt that the theatrical version was a rough cut of the film he wanted to make.

Released in North America on December 7, 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom criticized the film for its lack of action and over-reliance on special effects. The final production cost ballooned to approximately $46 million. The film earned $139 million worldwide, falling short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a cheaper sequel. Roddenberry was forced out of creative control for Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan . In 2001, Wise created a director's cut for a special DVD release of the film; a team remastered the audio, tightened and added scenes, and used new CGI Effects to, he said, complete his vision.

1.1 Prologue
1.2 Your Destiny Lies Elsewhere
1.3 A Plan of Action and A New Captain
1.4 Kirk Addresses The Crew
1.5 Time For Launch
1.6 The Arrival Of Mr. Spock
1.7 Enterprise Meets The Intruder
1.8 Ilia's "return" and V'Ger
1.9 The Crew's Examination of V'Ger
1.10 Spock Understands
1.11 V'Ger Revealed
1.12 Epilogue
3.1 Early development
3.2 Phase II and restart
3.4 Props and models
3.5 Costumes and makeup
3.6 Technical consulting
3.7 Filming
3.8 Post-production
4.2 Sound effects
6.1 Release
6.2 Critical response
6.3 Home video

It is the mid- 2270s [1] , and an enormous cloud is passing through space.

Prologue [ ]

Three Klingon Template:ShipClass battle cruisers are patrolling an area of space close to the Federation Neutral Zone , lead by the Template:IKS . The fleet investigates the strange cloud, scanning it with tactical sensors. After ordering the visual activated, the captain orders photon torpedoes locked on and orders Amar to fire into the cloud. When the torpedoes are absorbed with no effect against it, the captain orders evasive action.

Meanwhile, at the Neutral Zone, a Federation listening post, Epsilon IX , observes the engagement. They note that the transmission of the battle was intercepted by sensor drones and located within Klingon boundaries. They cannot identify who the Klingons are fighting, but a technician establishes an exterior visual and the scene changes to show the enormous cloud that the Klingon ships are retreating from. One of the cruisers is gone, apparently destroyed. A spherically-shaped "bolt" of plasma energy flies out from the cloud and impacts another of the Klingon ships, sending electric currents all over the vessel and once the ship is completely absorbed by the alien energy, it disappears. Another plasma energy "bolt" comes out of the cloud towards Amar . The captain orders another torpedo fired at the bolt, but it absorbs the torpedo effortlessly and impacts the ship, dissipating it. On Epsilon IX, the lieutenant informs Branch that the cloud will enter Federation space close to them. When Branch asks its heading, she reports the cloud is on a direct course for Earth .

Your Destiny Lies Elsewhere [ ]

On Vulcan , Spock has been meditating and then stands, shielding his eyes from the Vulcan sun. He meets three Vulcan elders under a large statue of an ancient Vulcan warrior holding a lirpa . The lead elder tells Spock of how their ancestors had long ago cast out all animal passions on those sands, and says that their race was saved by attaining kolinahr , which another elder describes as the final purging of all emotion. The lead elder tells Spock he has labored long and she prepares to give him a symbol of total logic. As she prepares to put the emblem around his neck, Spock reaches out and stops her, clearly disturbed by something out in space. She asks for a mind meld , to which Spock complies. She discovers that the alien intelligence which has called to him from deep space has stirred his Human half, and in so doing, she decides he has not attained kolinahr and drops the medallion on the ground. She then tells the other elders that Spock's answers will be found elsewhere and then she bids him farewell, telling him to " live long and prosper ". Spock is left alone contemplating the kolinahr medallion he has now lost the right to wear.

A Plan of Action and A New Captain [ ]

Meanwhile, at the Presidio campus of Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco , a shuttle lands, with Admiral James T. Kirk on board. As he steps out, Kirk notices Commander Sonak , the Enterprise 's recently appointed science officer , according to Kirk's own recommendation, which Sonak expresses gratitude over. Kirk asks Sonak why he's not on board Enterprise and Sonak tells him that Captain Decker requested that Sonak complete a final science briefing at Starfleet before departing. Kirk mentions that Enterprise is in final preparations to depart, a procedure Sonak estimates will take a minimum of twenty hours, but Kirk overrides Sonak and tells him it will be twelve. Kirk says he is meeting with Admiral Nogura which Kirk estimates to not take more than three minutes. Kirk then orders Sonak to report to him aboard Enterprise in one hour. When Sonak questions him, Kirk explains that he intends to be on Enterprise following that meeting and repeats his command to Sonak to report to him in one hour. Kirk then walks off, leaving Sonak behind with a rather curious expression on his face.

Following the meeting, Kirk transports to the orbital office complex of the San Francisco Fleet Yards , near the drydock where Enterprise is preparing for launch. Scotty greets Kirk on the complex and asks about the departure orders, saying that Starfleet can't be serious about departing in twelve hours. Kirk asks why the Enterprise transporters aren't operating and Scotty explains " oh, a wee problem sir, just temporary " and then proceeds to comment on how they have just finished redesigning and refitting the Enterprise , a process that took eighteen months, and so Scotty wonders how he's supposed to have the ship ready in only twelve hours. Stepping into a travel pod , Kirk asks Scotty to take him over to Enterprise . Scotty protests that the Enterprise needs more work and a shakedown cruise. Kirk plainly tells Scotty that " an alien object of unbelievable destructive power is less than three days from this planet. The only starship in interception range is the Enterprise . Ready or not, she launches in twelve hours. "

Scotty detaches the travel pod from the office complex and begins the trip toward the drydock housing Enterprise . Scotty explains the crew hasn't had enough transition time with the new equipment and that the engines haven't even been tested at warp power, not to mention that they have an untried captain. Coyly, Kirk tells Scotty that " two and a half years as Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made me a little stale, but I wouldn't exactly consider myself untried. " He turns to Scotty, who looks surprisingly at Kirk once he grasps what he said, and tells Scotty excitedly that they gave the ship back to him. Scotty comments that he doubts it was so easy with Nogura and Kirk tells him he's right, in a faux-Scottish accent, which the two men laugh over. Scotty tells Kirk that any man that could accomplish such a feat he'll not dare disappoint and he confidently promises Kirk that Enterprise will launch on time and be ready.

Scott indulges his once and future captain with a thorough inspection of the redesigned and rebuilt Enterprise . Visible differences include two new warp engine nacelles atop swept-back pylons , a recessed navigational deflector beneath a prominent new dual- photon torpedo complex, a new impulse drive system, and a new bridge module.

Upon boarding the ship, Kirk and Scotty are greeted by an ensign who tells Scotty he's immediately needed in engineering . After a momentary look at some of the ship's cargo bays and hangar deck , the ensign offers to show Kirk around but Kirk says he'll find his own way and walks to a turbolift and heads for the bridge .

On the bridge, it is a scene of (somewhat) controlled chaos, as everyone is scrambling feverishly to get the ship ready for launch. The noise on the bridge fades as Kirk arrives on the bridge. Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet Command just signaled the transfer of command orders and she, along with several other crewmembers including Sulu and Chekov , step forward to greet Kirk, who appreciates the welcome but wishes it were under more pleasant circumstances. He tells Uhura to keep a channel open to Epsilon IX as they are monitoring the intruder. Kirk asks where Captain Decker is and Sulu tells Kirk that Decker is in engineering and somewhat carefully points out that that he doesn't know about the change in command. Kirk tells Chekov to have the crew assembled on the recreation deck at 0400 to show them what they are facing. He then heads for engineering . Sulu mentions how Kirk wanted the ship back and that he got it. A young ensign wonders about Decker though as he's been with Enterprise all throughout the refit. Uhura tells the ensign that with Kirk on board, the possibility of their returning from the mission in one piece may have just doubled.

Kirk makes his way to the new engine room , where Captain Decker is assisting Scotty with launch preparations, helping him repair a transporter malfunction. Decker is cordial in his greeting, calling it a "top brass send-off." Decker assures Kirk that Enterprise will launch on schedule even if they have to tow her out by their bare hands. Kirk asks to speak privately with Decker and he agrees. When they're alone, Decker tells Kirk that he's too busy for a Starfleet pep talk. But Kirk tells Decker that he's taking over as captain of the Enterprise , and that Decker will stay on as executive officer and temporarily demoted to commander. Decker asks why Kirk is personally assuming command and Kirk mentions his experience, how he spent five years dealing with unknowns such as the intruder. Kirk also cites his familiarity with the Enterprise and its crew. Decker interrupts Kirk to tell him how this is an almost totally new Enterprise and how Kirk doesn't know the ship even a tenth as well as Decker. Kirk acknowledges that's why he's staying aboard. Kirk then tries to apologize, but Decker rebuffs him, saying he doesn't think Kirk is "one damn bit" sorry. Decker then remembers how Kirk personally recommended him to be captain and how Kirk told him how envious he was and that he hoped to find a way to be a starship captain again and that it looks like he found it. Kirk coldly tells Decker to report to the bridge immediately, highlighting his grade of "Commander" to get his point across. Decker acknowledges his new status with a rather bitter sounding " Aye, sir. "

As Kirk and Scotty exchange a rather sorrowful look in regards to Decker, a console erupts as part of a transporter malfunction in progress. Lieutenant Cleary tries to urgently call the transporter room, calls Scotty over and tells him there's a red line on the transporter. Scotty gets on the intercom and tells the transporter operator not to engage, but Cleary tells him it's too late and transport is already in progress. Kirk and Scotty rush to the transporter to help Chief Rand . Kirk and Scotty take over the controls, Kirk calls Starfleet and tells them to boost the matter gain, that they need more signal. Scotty exclaims that the two are losing their pattern and Rand is horrified at how they're beginning to form. As they begin to materialize in their now twisted humanoid form, they both scream out in horrid pain and finally disappear. The two people in transport were Commander Sonak and another officer. Kirk asks Starfleet if they have them back and a chilled officer on the other end of the stream reports, " What we got back... didn't live long, fortunately. " Kirk asks Starfleet to express his condolences to their families and that Commander Sonak's can be reached through the Vulcan Embassy. As he turns to leave, Kirk tells a traumatized Rand that it wasn't her fault and there was nothing anyone could have done. Kirk then exits to the corridor, dismayed by the deaths. Disoriented, he asks for directions, and as he turns to head for the turboshaft as directed by a yeoman, he realizes that this weak moment was witnessed by Decker. Refusing to acknowledge embarrassment, Kirk tells Decker that they need to replace Sonak and that he'd still like a Vulcan there if possible. Decker says none are available and that there's no one that's fully rated on this new design. Kirk mentions that Decker is, and so he'll have to double as science officer.

Kirk Addresses The Crew [ ]

On the recreation deck , the assembled crew witnesses a recording of the destruction of the Klingon vessels by the intruder cloud. Kirk tells the crew that's all they know about the intruder and that it is now 53.4 hours from Earth and that Enterprise is the only Federation starship standing in its way. They believe that some type of vessel must exist at the heart of the cloud and their orders are to intercept, investigate and take whatever action is necessary and possible. Kirk tells them that " we can only hope that there is a lifeform aboard that vessel that reasons the way we do. " The briefing is interrupted by a call from Epsilon IX, which Kirk has put on the rec deck viewer. Commander Branch reports to Kirk that the intruder cloud is definitely some kind of power field measuring over 82 AUs in diameter (only 2 AUs in the director's edition ) . He also reports that their repeated friendship messages have garnered no response. The lieutenant reports that further scans indicate something inside the cloud, but all scans get reflected back. Branch speculates that the intruder may be mistaking their scans as a hostile act and their last view of Commander Branch is him ordering shields raised to full power and telling Kirk they are under attack. Kirk calls for an external view and they see the cloud approaching the station and seeing the results of another plasma bolt fired, which destroys the station without leaving a trace. When the station disappears, nothing is left but the cloud. As a stunned crew stares at the screen, Kirk composes himself and orders the viewer turned off. After a moment, he tells the crew that " pre-launch countdown will commence in forty minutes. "

Time For Launch [ ]

Later, on the bridge, as Kirk arrives (having changed from his admiral's uniform to a standard captain's uniform) Uhura reports that the transporter has been fully repaired and is functioning normally. Sulu reports dock signals clear and Kirk tells Uhura to inform Starfleet they are awaiting final crew replacements and are holding position until then. Uhura reports that the navigator , Lieutenant Ilia is already aboard and en route to the bridge. Uhura then tells everyone that she's Deltan . When she arrives on the bridge, she causes a stir among the male bridge crew. She reports to Kirk and Kirk welcomes her aboard. Decker steps up and greets Ilia and she is clearly pleased to see him. Decker explains that he was stationed on Ilia's home planet some years previously. Ilia is curious to note Decker's rank as Commander and Kirk quickly interrupts to tell her Decker is first officer and science officer. Decker tells Ilia (with lightly shielded sarcasm) that Kirk has the utmost confidence in him and Kirk (not acknowledging Decker's tone) tells Ilia he does in her too. As if a reassurance, she tells Kirk her oath of celibacy is on record and she asks to assume her duties and Kirk permits her to do so. Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet reports the last six crewmembers ready to beam up except that one person won't step into the transporter. Figuring out who that could be, Kirk chuckles and says he'll see to it that person beams up and heads for the transporter room.

After Kirk leaves the bridge Decker turns to Sulu and, after getting his attention away from Ilia, Decker asks Sulu to take Ilia in hand. Sulu stumbles over the board but shows Ilia that her pre-programming is all on the computer and that she shouldn't have any problems just as he accidentally hits a button causing something to go off, much to Decker's amusement. He turns it off quickly and apologizes to Ilia. She tells Sulu that because of her oath of celibacy she's as safe as any human female. Decker steps down to Ilia and tells her he's sure that Kirk didn't mean anything personal by what he said. Ilia says she'd never take advantage of a sexually immature species and asks if Decker can surely assure Kirk that that's true.

Upon arriving in the transporter room, Kirk asks a yeoman what the problem was and she says that the man insisted they go first because he wanted to see how this new transporter "scrambled [their] molecules". After everyone walks out, Kirk and Rand exchange a smile, recognizing the familiarity of that statement. Kirk then tells Starfleet to beam the officer up. On the transporter pad, a bearded Dr. McCoy materializes. Kirk steps out and tries to make a cordial bit of small talk about McCoy swearing never to return to Starfleet, but McCoy interrupts Kirk, telling him " Just a moment, captain, sir! I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known, seldom used, reserve activation clause . In simpler language Captain, they drafted me! " But immediately Kirk admits that "they didn't." McCoy realizes that Kirk is responsible for the draft, and as Kirk tells him that there's something out there, McCoy interrupts, wondering why every object they don't understand is automatically called a "thing." Kirk tells him that the "thing" is headed toward Earth and that he needs McCoy. Kirk reaches out for McCoy's hand and after a moment, he takes it and asks permission to come aboard. Rand happily grants it to him. McCoy then tells Kirk that now since Chapel is an MD now, he wants a top nurse, and not some doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with him. As he starts out the door, he looks back at Kirk and tells him " and they probably redesigned the whole sickbay too! I know engineers, they love to change things! "

Now with everyone aboard, preparations are made to get underway as the drydock lights are deactivated and all the workbees and travel pods clear the drydock. All report ready and yard command signals clear. As the ship's external lights are activated, maneuvering thrusters are held at station keeping. Shortly thereafter, Kirk orders Sulu to "take us out" and the Enterprise begins moving out of drydock for the first time in eighteen months. After the ship clears the drydock and moves around the Earth, Scotty tells Kirk that the impulse engines are ready and Kirk tells Sulu to move ahead at warp point five. At half impulse, Enterprise makes its way to the edge of the solar system , passing through the Jupiter system on its way out.

Decker reports that if the ship has full warp capability, as soon as they leave the solar system, accelerating to warp 7 will allow them to intercept the intruder in just over twenty hours, a figure that Ilia confirms, which draws a smile from both. A clean-shaven McCoy steps onto the bridge for the first time and Kirk asks if he approves of the new medical facilities. McCoy says he doesn't and that it's like working in a computer center. When Kirk asks if warp drive is ready, Decker tells him that programs are all set for engaging warp speed, but that he still recommends further study. Kirk is impatient to get to warp, knowing that the more they delay, the closer the intruder will be to Earth. Kirk calls Scotty and tells him to prepare for warp speed and Scotty protests just as well, saying they need more simulation, but Kirk's impatience rules out and that he wants warp speed immediately. McCoy gently whispers to Kirk that he's pushing them and that his crew knows their jobs.

In the engine room, an engineering tech tells Scotty he's got it as good as he can and Scotty tells Kirk he can't guarantee that the warp drive will work properly. Despite this, Kirk orders Sulu to warp one. The Enterprise achieves warp speed at first looking successful. However, the ship's imbalanced engines create a wormhole . Kirk orders them back down to impulse. Sulu reports negative helm control and Uhura reports all subspace frequencies are jammed, all as a result of the wormhole. Decker reports it'll be 22.5 seconds before their inertial velocity slows to sub-warp speeds. Unfortunately, they don't have the time to simply slow down as Ilia reports an asteroid at the end of the wormhole. Kirk orders shields up and then asks about manual override on the helm, but it doesn't work. Decker reports distortion from the wormhole is overloading the main power systems and Ilia reports the navigational deflectors are inoperative. With about twenty seconds to go, Kirk orders Chekov to stand by on phasers , but Decker asks Chekov to belay the order and asks him to fire photon torpedoes . With only four seconds to spare, the asteroid is destroyed and the Enterprise is set free from the wormhole.

Now out of the wormhole, everyone reports all systems back to normal. Chekov reports no damage and tells McCoy there are no casualties to which an annoyed McCoy replies " Wrong Mr. Chekov, there are casualties, my wits! As in 'frightened out of,' Captain, sir! " Decker reports Enterprise' s velocity at warp point eight. He calls engineering for a status report and Scotty asks for a second as the engine room is a scene of relative chaos. Kirk, finally speaking, quietly tells Scotty they need warp drive as soon as possible. Scotty tells Kirk that it was the engine imbalance that created the wormhole in the first place and that it will happen again if they don't correct the problem. Kirk, his anger being tightly controlled, tells Scotty that with the intruder only two days out from Earth, they need to intercept it while it's still out there. Kirk rises out of his chair, tells Ilia to set a new course to match their original interception point with the intruder, and tells Sulu he has the conn. He then asks Decker to see him in his quarters. McCoy comes along with them and they head into the turbolift.

The Arrival Of Mr. Spock [ ]

Once in Kirk's quarters, Kirk angrily asks Decker to explain why he countermanded Kirk's phaser order. Decker explains that the refit Enterprise channels energy through the main engines, and because of the antimatter imbalance, the phasers were cut off. An embarrassed Kirk realizes Decker acted properly and admits it to him. Decker apologizes if he embarrassed Kirk. Kirk quietly tells Decker that he saved the ship and Decker says he's aware of it. Kirk, who is getting more than a little fed up with Decker's attitude, tells Decker to stop competing with him. Decker asks to be able to speak freely and Kirk grants it. With that, Decker reminds Kirk that he hasn't logged a single star hour in two and a half years and that, plus Kirk's unfamiliarity with Enterprise' s redesign is placing them in serious jeopardy, in Decker's opinion. Kirk asks Decker if he will "nursemaid" Kirk through these difficulties and Decker says he will. With that, Kirk says he won't keep Decker from his duties any longer and dismisses him, turning his attention to McCoy. With that, Decker leaves Kirk's quarters. McCoy waits until Decker is gone to tell Kirk that Decker may be right.

Decker walks down the corridors of deck five, only to meet up with Ilia at the turbolift . She asks if his meeting with Kirk was difficult and he says it wasn't any worse than what he expected. He also says it was about as hard as seeing her again and he apologizes to her. She asks if it is because he left Delta IV or if it's because he didn't even say goodbye to her when he left. He then asks her if she could have said it if he had seen her again. She gently replies " No " and goes to her quarters.

Meanwhile back in Kirk's quarters, McCoy is reading Kirk the riot act. Kirk, in no mood for McCoy, tries to throw him out, but McCoy is now talking about the subject of command fitness. When Kirk tells McCoy to make his point, he accuses Kirk of being the one who's competing, not Decker. McCoy alleges that Kirk is obsessed with keeping Enterprise no matter what, saying Kirk rammed getting this command down Starfleet's throat. McCoy believes Kirk's obsession is dangerous enough to blind him to much more immediate and critical responsibilities, citing Kirk's reactions to Decker as an example.

At that moment, Kirk then receives a call from Uhura informing him that a Federation-registered Long range shuttle has hailed and wishes to dock with the Enterprise . When Kirk asks why, Chekov tells Kirk his security scans show the shuttle has a grade one priority and that he has confirmed non-belligerency. With that, Kirk grants permission. Turning back to McCoy, Kirk tells him he has noted McCoy's opinion and asks if there's anything further. McCoy quietly tells Kirk " that depends on you. " And with that, he leaves Kirk in his quarters alone with his thoughts.

Shortly thereafter, the shuttle docks with Enterprise . Chekov arrives at the docking hatch and waits for the boarder. The security scan identifies one boarder and his identity as Starfleet, inactive. The hatch opens and Spock comes on board. He stops at Chekov just long enough to ask permission to board, which Chekov happily grants. But with no further word, Spock walks away from Chekov, leaving him rather speechless. As the shuttle departs from Enterprise , Spock arrives on the bridge to everyone's amazement. However Spock is completely emotionless and regards his old shipmates and friends quite coldly, only speaking to ask Decker if he may take the science station. Momentarily dumbstruck, Decker realizes what Spock wants and steps out of the way. Spock begins working the library computer station and tells Kirk that he's been monitoring Kirk's transmissions with Starfleet Command and that he is aware of Enterprise' s engine design difficulties. He then offers, with all due respect to Decker, his services as science officer. Decker is only too happy to relinquish the science officer's position to Spock and so Kirk tells Chekov to list Spock's Starfleet commission as reactivated and to list him as science officer, effective immediately. McCoy and Chapel arrive on the bridge and are happy to see Spock, but he only looks at them coldly and does not reply to them. Uhura tries to speak to Spock, but he ignores her and tells Kirk that with his permission, he will go to engineering and discuss his fuel equations with Scotty. As Spock walks into the turbolift, Kirk stops him and welcomes him aboard. But Spock makes no reply and continues into the turbolift, leaving McCoy and Kirk looking concerned toward him and back to each other.

With the engines fully operational now, the Enterprise accelerates to warp seven easily and with total success.

Later, Spock meets with Kirk and McCoy in the officer's lounge. Kirk tries to get Spock to sit down but he remains standing. McCoy tells Spock that he hasn't changed a bit and that he's just as "warm and sociable" as ever, to which Spock notes that McCoy hasn't changed either, as his usual mentioning of something irrelevant has shown. Before it can go further, Kirk stops them and then tells Spock as far as they knew he was on Vulcan and apparently planning on staying there. McCoy mentions how Spock was undergoing the kolinahr ritual and Kirk notes that he broke it to join them. Spock swiftly corrects McCoy on the pronunciation. Kirk finally gets a bit exasperated with Spock still standing and tells him " Will you please sit down? " Spock finally sits and after a moment tells Kirk that on Vulcan he began sensing a more powerful consciousness than he ever has felt before, and that these thought patterns were of exactly perfect order. Spock tells Kirk that he suspects those perfect thought patterns come from the intruder and that it may hold the answers Spock is searching for. McCoy quips that it's fortunate that they happen to be heading that way. Kirk tells McCoy that they need Spock, that he needs Spock. Spock notes then that his presence will be to their mutual advantage. Kirk tells Spock that if he senses any more thought patterns from the intruder, whether or not it appears to affect him personally or not, Kirk expects Spock to immediately report it and Spock agrees to do so. At that, Kirk dismisses Spock and he leaves. Before Kirk can leave, McCoy has to wonder if the intruder's super-intelligence is as important to Spock as he says it is, he has to wonder... Kirk finishes McCoy's question for him, wondering if Spock would put his own interests ahead of the ship's and that Kirk could never believe that. At that moment Uhura calls him from the bridge and tells him that their new estimate for visual contact with the cloud is 3.7 minutes. Before Kirk can leave, McCoy asks him quickly how do they know about any of them and Kirk leaves the lounge without replying.

Enterprise Meets The Intruder [ ]

At the cloud, the ship is on full red alert. After a moment Kirk orders the dark red lights to be deactivated and standard lighting reinstated. Then he orders full magnification on the viewer and the enormous cloud appears. Uhura reports that she's transmitting full friendship messages on all frequencies. Chekov confirms all decks on status red. Spock notes that they are being scanned and Kirk tells Spock not to return the scan as it could be misinterpreted as hostility. Spock notes the scans are originating deep inside the center of the cloud and it is of unknown energy type. Uhura reports no response to their friendship messages and Chekov asks if he should signal battle stations, but Kirk says not to as they will take no provocative action. Decker recommends raising shields, but Kirk feels that too would be misinterpreted as hostility. He then asks Spock for the cloud's composition and Spock calmly estimates it as a twelfth power energy field which stuns the rest of the bridge. Decker then again reiterates his suggestion, saying that they know well what the intruder's weapons can do and that they should do something to at least take precaution. Spock tells Kirk he suspects an object at the heart of the cloud. Kirk then turns to Decker and tells him that he will not provoke an attack and asks if that order isn't clear enough, but Decker reminds Kirk that as his exec it's his duty to point out alternatives. Kirk initially prepares to chew Decker out, but accepts that Decker is right and with a slight smile admits that he's been properly corrected. When Ilia reports Enterprise at five minutes from the cloud's boundary, Kirk orders a course that would bring them parallel with whatever would be at the heart of the cloud. Ordering a tactical plot on the viewer, Sulu puts it on the screen and the enormous size of the intruder to the Enterprise becomes clear.

Decker momentarily is astounded at how the intruder is generating twelfth power energy and that thousands of starships couldn't generate that much energy. At that moment he sees Spock staring blankly into space. Kirk steps over and tells Spock to tell him what he senses. Spock tells Kirk that he senses puzzlement because they have been contacted and that they haven't replied. Before they can think further, the alert goes off and Kirk orders full shields and evasive action. The intruder has fired a plasma bolt at the ship. Sulu and Ilia begin evasive maneuvers and Uhura attempts to contact Starfleet Command. Spock scans the bolt and tells Kirk that it is plasma energy with an unknown guidance system and composition. He also notes that it is impossible to estimate if Enterprise Template:'s shields will hold. Uhura continues to try to hail Starfleet telling them they've transmitted linguacode friendship messages on all channels and with no reply from the intruder, they are now under attack. The bolt impacts the ship. At first, the Enterprise Template:'s shields are able to deflect the energy. Scotty reports that systems are starting to overload and the console that he is at gets covered with the plasma energy. Scotty and his staff manage to get away in time, but on the bridge the energy comes out over at the weapons console and seriously burns Chekov's right hand and wrist. Kirk calls for medics as Ilia and Decker run over to Chekov. The bolt finally fades and Scotty reports deflector power down seventy percent. Kirk orders auxiliary power deflected to deflectors. At that moment, Chapel and a nurse come to the bridge and Uhura sends them to Chekov. Chapel starts to ask for a hypo but Ilia says she can stop Chekov's pain. She clutches her hands to Chekov's shoulder and as the pain finally fades, Chekov happily thanks Ilia. Chapel then continues to work on Chekov's hand.

Spock tells Kirk that indeed, the intruder has been trying to communicate. They're using a frequency more than one million megahertz and the message is being transmitted so fast that it lasts only a millisecond. Spock tells Kirk that as their previous transmissions were too primitive to be received, he will now program their computers to transmit linguacode at the intruder's frequency and rate of speed. Spock turns to work and Decker moves to help him. Then the cloud fires another bolt at the Enterprise . Kirk asks for a status report and Scotty tells him their shields will not withstand another attack. Kirk turns to Spock and tells him to "transmit now!" With just under ten seconds before impact, Spock transmits the modified message and the plasma bolt then disappears before hitting the ship. Kirk notes that their message must have been received and understood, which Spock agrees is a logical assumption.

With 1 minute and 30 seconds until cloud boundary, Spock tells Kirk that they are obviously confronted by a highly-advanced mentality but yet, the intruder cannot understand who they are or what they want. Kirk notes that they still broke off the attack, so they must have understood the message. Decker speculates that perhaps the attack was meant as a warning to keep away. Spock dismisses that however because it would suggest a feeling of compassion. But Spock senses no emotion, only pure logic. Kirk orders Sulu to hold position and put a course projection on tactical. Kirk then asks Spock and Decker for opinions. Spock suggests they proceed but Decker recommends caution as they can't withstand another attack. Kirk says to Decker that they know nothing about the cloud, but Decker says that's exactly his point. Decker says that moving into the cloud would be an unwarranted gamble. Kirk asks how Decker defines unwarranted and Decker tells Kirk " You asked my opinion, sir. " After a moment, Kirk decides to proceed and tells Sulu " steady as she goes. "

The Enterprise first enters the immense cloud. As the ship continues to go in deeper, they are amazed at the size and energy of the cloud. Spock tells Kirk the patterns are unrecognizable. Finally after passing through the cloud they are astonished to see the vessel on the viewscreen . Uhura says the ship could hold a crew of tens of thousands and McCoy (who had just recently arrived on the bridge with Chekov) counters " or a crew of a thousand ten miles tall. " Kirk asks for an evaluation and Spock reports that the vessel is generating a force field greater than the radiation of Earth's sun. Kirk tells Uhura to send a report to Starfleet, but she's unable to send a message back through the cloud. Kirk tells Sulu to make a parallel course that takes Enterprise over the alien at five hundred meters and eventually taking them out to one hundred kilometers.

Enterprise passes over the intruder vessel and the crew is mesmerized by what they see. As Enterprise moves in front of the alien vessel and holds position, the intruder alert alarm is activated and another plasma bolt appears to be coming toward the ship. Suddenly it stops, starts to scan the ship and then a pole of strange energy materializes on the bridge with a loud shrieking buzz. It begins moving around the bridge. Chekov wonders if perhaps it's one of the crewmembers. Spock's tricorder scans reveal it to be a plasma/energy probe. The probe stops near Chekov's station and begins shooting electric bolts at it, appearing to scan it. Decker tells Chekov not to interfere with it and Chekov says he absolutely will not. Kirk reiterates Decker's order to everyone, as the probe only seems interested in the ship and not them. The probe then moves its way around the bridge to Spock's science station . It begins scanning through the library computer and Kirk orders it deactivated. Decker tries to deactivate the library computer but is unable, telling Kirk that the probe has taken control of it. Kirk sees the probe running through their records, seeing files on Earth defenses and Starfleet strengths. At that point, Spock moves Decker out of the way and smashes the console, disabling it and severing the probe's connection. The probe responds to this by shocking Spock with several electrical bolts, making him fall to the deck. Ilia turns to render aid to Spock and as she helps him back to his feet, the probe stops in front of her. Then the probe begins sending energy bolts toward Ilia, freezing her in place. Spock tries to grab her and pull her out, but is repulsed by the electrical energy. And, just as the Klingon ships and the Epsilon IX station before, Ilia appears to be completely scanned by the probe and then disappears, as her tricorder falls to the deck where she once stood.

As Kirk reaches down to pick up her tricorder, Decker furiously says to Kirk, "This is how I define unwarranted! " Decker then waves Spock back to the science station and orders auxiliary computer circuits activated. Another alert goes off, reporting helm control has been lost. Kirk orders shields up to full power and Decker orders the crew to defensive stations. Spock reports they've been caught by a tractor beam and Kirk orders someone up to take the navigator's station. Decker orders Chief DiFalco up to the bridge as Kirk tells Scotty to take the engines to full power. Scotty then says that if they don't break free in 15 seconds, they'll burn up. Spock reports that they only have a small fraction of the necessary power to break the intruder's tractor beam, so Kirk cancels the order and orders all main drive systems deactivated. DiFalco arrives on the bridge and Decker orders her to the navigation station. Uhura reports she's ready to launch a communications drone with all records of their encounter so far and Decker tells her to delay as long as possible as the drone won't escape the tractor beam. Decker then suggests that a maximum phaser strike at the center of the beam might weaken it enough for the ship to break free, but Spock asks Decker where would they go and tells Kirk any show of resistance would be futile. Decker comments to Spock that they don't know that for sure and wonders why Spock is afraid of trying.

Later, as they're dragged deeper into the vessel, Decker wonders why they brought the Enterprise in. Surely not to just destroy them as they could have accomplished that from the outside and Kirk reminds Decker that they still could. Spock says it is insatiable curiosity that has brought them here. Uhura then reports the aperture they passed through is closing, trapping them inside the alien vessel. Then Spock reports the tractor beam has released them. Kirk orders maneuvering thrusters ahead at one-third power and then tells Spock to commence full sensor scan, thinking that the aliens can't expect them not to scan them now and Decker agrees, stating that they're now looking down the aliens' throat and Kirk finishes by stating how they've got the aliens just where the aliens want them. They look at each other and smile, perhaps realizing that for once they agreed about something. But the aperture that Enterprise is approaching seems to begin to close so Kirk tells Sulu to hold position. Then Spock reports that all scans are reflected back, rendering sensors useless. When Kirk asks for an evaluation, Spock says the closed orifice up ahead likely leads to part of the vessel's inner mechanism. Before he can go any further, he stops mid-sentence, obviously sensing something again.

Ilia's "return" and V'Ger [ ]

Before there is time to tell Kirk what it is, there is another intruder alert. Chekov reports it is in officer's quarters on Deck Five, and Kirk and Spock run down to check it, telling Chekov to meet them down there. Security reports that whatever the intruder is, it is white-hot but is beginning to cool. By the time Kirk and the security officers enter, it has cooled off. The intruder is standing in the room's sonic shower and the door opens to reveal Ilia. But yet, it is not Ilia. She calls Kirk "the Kirk unit" and that he must listen to her. She tells him she was programmed by V'Ger to observe and record normal function of the carbon-based units that are infesting USS Enterprise . Kirk closes the door on the shower and a robe appears over the Ilia probe as she was naked when she first arrived. As the robe solidifies around her, Kirk opens the door again and she steps out. It is an exact copy of Ilia except for some device in her throat. Just then, McCoy enters and asks the Ilia probe who V'Ger is. "Ilia" tells Kirk that V'Ger is that who programmed her. Kirk asks if V'Ger is the name of the captain of the alien vessel but gets no answer. McCoy tells Kirk that she is mechanical and Spock realizes she is a probe and says that the device in "Ilia"'s throat is some kind of sensor/transceiver combination which records everything they say and do. Kirk asks where the real Ilia is and "Ilia" says that that carbon unit is no longer functioning and that she was given Ilia's form to more easily communicate with the carbon based units infesting Enterprise . Kirk asks why V'Ger travels to Earth and "Ilia" says that V'Ger wants to find the creator and that it wants to join with the creator. Spock asks how and "Ilia" says that the creator and V'Ger will become one. Spock then asks who the creator is, but "Ilia" will only say that the creator is that who created V'Ger and tells Kirk that V'Ger is that which seeks the creator. "Ilia" says she wants to start her observations. Spock suggests taking "Ilia" to sickbay, to which McCoy agrees. At first "Ilia" won't budge, saying she is to only observe normal functions, but Kirk reassures her that the examination is a normal function and so "Ilia" consents to the examination.

In sickbay, "Ilia" is examined by McCoy and Chapel and they are amazed to discover that along with incredibly micro-miniature machinery, every single body function of Ilia has been duplicated in "Ilia", right down to exocrine systems and eye moisture. Decker, not knowing about the nature of the new probe, steps into the examination room and sees "Ilia." When "Ilia" sees Decker, she refers to him by name, not "Decker-unit" like she called Kirk earlier, something that Spock notes. He then asks to see Decker and Kirk outside.

Outside the examination room, after Spock locks the door, he tells Kirk that perhaps the probe would be the key to the aliens. Spock explains to Decker that "Ilia" is a programmed mechanism with a body duplicating the real Ilia in exacting detail. Spock then goes on to speculate on the possibility that in duplicating Ilia so exactly, that they may have also duplicated Ilia's memory patterns as well, something he and Kirk hope that they can perhaps exploit. Decker angrily mentions that the earlier version of that probe is what killed Ilia and Kirk grasps his shoulders to remind Decker of their situation: " Will, we're locked in an alien vessel, six hours from Earth orbit. Our only contact with our captor is that probe. If we can control it, persuade it, use it... "

At that point, "Ilia," having examined enough in sickbay, simply steps through the locked door, leaving a large hole in the door through which McCoy and Chapel peer out. "Ilia" tells Kirk that he will assist her, but Kirk tells "Ilia" that the Decker-unit would be much more efficient in that area and he tells Decker to carry out the assignment. Decker quietly says " Aye, sir " and leads "Ilia" out of sickbay. Spock tells Kirk that for "Ilia" to be their only source of information concerns him.

The Crew's Examination of V'Ger [ ]

In the rec room, as Kirk and McCoy observe in Kirk's quarters, Decker shows "Ilia" the pictures of five previous ships named Enterprise and then shows her one of the games. Decker asks "Ilia" what kinds of recreation people on board her ship enjoy, but she says those words recreation and enjoy have no meaning to her programming. Decker shows her another game, which the real Ilia played often and most often won. He bends down to play it and she does as well, winning the game just as the real Ilia would have likely done and her face seems to show regret for a moment as she stares at Decker. But then "Ilia"'s programming kicks in and she dismisses the game as having no purpose. "Ilia" asks Decker why Enterprise must have carbon units and Decker tells her without carbon units, Enterprise could not function. "Ilia" says she'll need more data on this function before the carbon units can be patterned for data storage at the end of her examination. Decker tells "Ilia" that inside her are a carbon unit's memory patterns and if he could help her revive those memory patterns, she could understand their functions better. Deciding that to be a logical step, "Ilia" agrees to let Decker try.

Meanwhile in one of the ship's airlocks , Spock slips up behind the airlock technician and nerve pinches him into unconsciousness. Spock then takes a thruster suit and leaves the Enterprise .

Outside the ship, Spock commences making recordings for Kirk as he attempts to contact the intruder aliens. He sets the thruster suit to time its launch to coincide with the opening of the orifice in front of the ship. Spock believes this will give a better view of the spacecraft's interior. On the bridge, Uhura reports to Kirk that they are beginning to receive signals from Starfleet and that they report the intruder on their outer monitors and that V'Ger is decelerating. Sulu reports lunar beacons projecting a course into Earth orbit. At that time, Chekov reports that airlock four has been opened and a thruster suit is reported missing. Kirk realizes that that's Spock out there and initially tells Chekov to bring him back aboard but stops and simply has Chekov lock on Spock's position.

Spock activates his thruster suit and travels into the orifice. Deep inside, Spock begins reporting that he's beginning to see images, one of which he believes to be a representation of V'Ger' s home planet. Then he passes through a connecting tunnel with plasma energy arcing inside it. Afterward, Spock is impressed by the sights. He's seeing entire planets, moons, stars, literally a galaxy's worth of information. Spock believes all these images could represent V'Ger 's entire journey. He then passes through a representation of the Epsilon IX station, stored to perfect detail. With this in mind, Spock tells Kirk in the recording that he believes they have entered a living machine and then he sees a gigantic representation of Ilia with the sensor in her neck. Believing it to have special meaning, Spock decides to mind meld with it, but the information he receives in the meld is overwhelming and Spock falls back unconscious.

Floating out near Enterprise , Kirk sees Spock float back out of the orifice he went in and Kirk goes out to retrieve Spock. Kirk tries to speak to him but Spock is completely unconscious. Kirk gets him back inside the ship and rushes him to sickbay.

In Ilia's quarters, Decker brings "Ilia" in and McCoy and Chapel are waiting on them. Chapel says Ilia had mentioned how she wore a certain headband. Decker recognizes it as the one she wore when they met. Chapel gives it to "Ilia" and tells her to put it on. But "Ilia" doesn't know what to do with it, so Chapel puts it on her head and puts her in front of the mirror. After turning a light on, "Ilia" adjusts the headband. Decker asks her if she remembers wearing it on Delta IV. "Ilia" turns to Chapel and refers to her by name and then turns to Decker, puts her hand on his face as the real Ilia would have done and calls him "Will." Before Decker can be too entranced by what may be the real Ilia's memories finally emerging in the probe, McCoy reminds him that this is a mechanism. Decker asks "Ilia" to help them make direct contact with V'Ger but she says she can't. He then asks who the creator is, only to find out that V'Ger doesn't know but that V'Ger does have data confirming that the creator is on the third planet. She then turns back to the mirror and takes off the headband. She then coldly asks why two carbon units have entered V'Ger . McCoy says it's because they wish to contact V'Ger and then Decker asks "Ilia" if V'Ger objects to the presence of the two carbon units. "Ilia" says that they are of no consequence and V'Ger will determine their purpose. McCoy tells "Ilia" that their purpose is to survive. "Ilia" says it is also V'Ger's purpose. When Decker remarks that she said earlier that V'Ger's purpose was to find and join with the creator, "Ilia" explains that that is how V'Ger will survive. She then says she wishes to continue her observations.

Spock Understands [ ]

In sickbay later, Chapel and McCoy are examining Spock. McCoy tells Kirk that the enormous power pouring through the mind meld caused some neurological trauma. Just then, McCoy and Kirk hear Spock laughing and they rush over to see him. Spock says he should have known and Kirk asks if he was right about V'Ger . Spock calls it a "conscious, living entity." Kirk explains that V'Ger considers the Enterprise a living machine and it's why "Ilia" refers to the ship as an entity and the crew as an infestation. Spock describes V'Ger Template:'s homeworld as a planet populated by living machines with unbelievable technology. But with all that logic and knowledge, V'Ger is barren, with no mystery or meaning. He momentarily lapses into sleep but Kirk rouses him awake to ask what Spock should have known. Spock grasps Kirk's hand and tells him " This simple feeling is beyond V'Ger Template:'s comprehension. No meaning, no hope. And Jim, no answers. It's asking questions. 'Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?' " Uhura then calls from the bridge and tells Kirk that they're receiving a signal from Starfleet, that the intruder cloud has been on monitors for some time and is rapidly dissipating as it approaches. Sulu breaks in and tells Kirk that the intruder has slowed to sub-warp speeds and that they are three minutes from Earth orbit. Kirk says he'll be right up and tells McCoy he needs Spock on the bridge. Kirk and McCoy then contemplate how incredible it is that a machine planet has sent this machine to Earth to look for its creator. As Spock is helped up, Kirk calls Chekov and asks Decker's present location and Chekov reports them to be in engineering.

As V'Ger approaches Earth, the cloud finishes dissipating and the ship slides into orbit. Uhura shows a tactical report sent from Starfleet on V'Ger' s position and that it's transmitting a signal. Spock determines the code to be a simple radio transmission. Decker tells Kirk that V'Ger expects an answer but Kirk doesn't know the question. "Ilia" reports that the Creator did not respond and so large bolts leave V'Ger and head into Earth orbit. Chekov reports all planetary defense systems have gone inoperative. The bolts begin orbiting the planet in equidistant positions. McCoy realizes they're the same things they were attacked with but Spock says they are hundreds of times more powerful and from those positions, the devices could destroy all life on Earth.

Kirk asks "Ilia" why and she says that the carbon unit infestation will be removed from the Creator's planet as they are interfering with the Creator's ability to respond and accuses the crew of infesting Enterprise and interfering in the same manner. Kirk tells "Ilia" that carbon units are a natural function of the Creator's planet and they are living things, not infestations. However "Ilia" says they are not true life forms like the Creator. McCoy realizes V'Ger must think its creator is a machine and Decker compares it to how we all create God in our own image.

Spock calls Kirk over and suggests Kirk treat V'Ger as the child it is. McCoy sarcastically asks that since this 'child' is about to wipe out all life on Earth if they should spank it. Spock says that it knows that it needs but like most people, it doesn't know what. Kirk then realizes what to do. He turns to "Ilia" and tells her the carbon units know why the Creator does not respond. When "Ilia" demands he tell V'Ger why, Kirk refuses as long as the devices orbit Earth. V'Ger cuts off Enterprise Template:'s contact with Starfleet and then has "Ilia" demand again that Kirk explain why and Kirk simply says "no." Kirk then orders the bridge cleared and V'Ger begins assaulting the Enterprise with plasma energy bolts. As the crew begins to move out, McCoy asks "Jim, what the hell kind of strategy is this?" Kirk tells "Ilia" that if V'Ger destroys the Enterprise it will destroy the information that V'Ger requires. "Ilia" says it is illogical that he withholds the information and as Kirk begins to walk onto the turbolift, she calls after him momentarily and after getting his attention, asks why Kirk won't disclose the information. Kirk says it is because V'Ger will destroy all life on Earth. "Ilia" says the carbon units have oppressed the Creator, and so Kirk reiterates that he will not disclose the information. When "Ilia" says that V'Ger needs that information, Kirk says V'Ger must first withdraw all the orbiting devices. "Ilia" says that if Kirk discloses the information, V'Ger will comply. Spock then realizes that V'Ger must be controlled from a central brain complex, where the orbiting devices would be controlled from. Kirk then steps out of the turbolift and tells "Ilia" that " The carbon units' information cannot be disclosed to V'Ger' s probe, but only to V'Ger , directly. " "Ilia" turns toward the viewscreen and another tractor beam grips Enterprise and begins to pull it forward, as the orifice ahead opens up.

Decker steps out and asks Kirk what their next move is but Kirk is wondering if they have a next move and then orders all personnel to resume their duty stations. Kirk tells Decker it looks like his bluff got called and Decker admits their hand right now looks weak. Kirk asks Chekov how long until the devices reach their final position and Chekov reports it as 27 minutes from now. Kirk then calls engineering and has Scotty stand by to execute Starfleet Order 2005 on his command. One of Scotty's engineers ask why Kirk would order self-destruct and Scotty speculates it's likely so when they explode, Kirk hopes to take the intruder with them. When she wonders if they will, he assures his assistant when as much matter and antimatter that is present on Enterprise is brought together, they will indeed take the intruder with them.

With eighteen minutes to go, everyone sits quietly at their stations. Uhura reports that Starfleet has been made aware of their situation. DiFalco reports they have traveled 17 kilometers inside the vessel. Kirk turns to Spock but Spock does not respond. When Kirk, Decker and McCoy step up to him, they see that Spock has been crying as a tear falls down his face. Kirk and McCoy are amazed but Kirk realizes it's not for them. Spock says it is for V'Ger and he weeps for V'Ger as he would a brother. Spock says that V'Ger now is like what he was when he came on board, and he has now realized that logic and knowledge alone aren't enough. McCoy realizes that Spock has found what he needs but V'Ger still needs it. Spock comments on how everyone at some point in their life asks "Why am I here?" and "What was I meant to be?" V'Ger hopes to get these answers by finding the Creator.

Sulu reports that their forward motion is slowing and Chekov reports an oxygen/gravity envelope forming outside Enterprise . Eventually all forward motion stops with a bright light ahead and what appears to be a passageway forming outside the ship. "Ilia" points toward the light and calls it V'Ger . Uhura says the source of V'Ger' s radio signal is directly ahead. "Ilia" says it's now time for the carbon units to give V'Ger the information. Kirk prepares to take Spock and McCoy with him and tells Decker he'll contact him every five minutes, but Decker asks to accompany them and Kirk permits him to go, leaving Sulu in command.

V'Ger Revealed [ ]

The landing party goes out of an airlock on the top of the saucer section and they then walk over the hexagonal pieces that have made up the island. Everyone walks along the island wing and when they reach the center to see V'Ger , the crew is amazed to see an old Earth Voyager -series probe in the center, which "Ilia" points to and identifies as V'Ger itself. They walk down, and Kirk steps up to the probe and sees its identification plaque. Kirk begins to rub away some of the grime and is able to read "V---GER," V'Ger . He then wipes away some of the grime in between the letters and sees the full name as "VOYAGER." Voyager 6 , to be exact. Decker tells Kirk this probe was launched from Earth more than three centuries ago. Kirk recalls the Voyager series as being designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. Decker tells Kirk that Voyager 6 disappeared into what was called a black hole . Kirk theorizes it emerged on the far side of the galaxy and fell into the gravitational field of the machine planet. Spock says the living machines inhabiting the planet likely found it to be of a kindred spirit and discovered its simple programming: " Collect all data possible and return that information to its creator. " Spock says the machine inhabitants likely took those instructions literally, building the entire vessel so Voyager could fulfill its programming. Then on its way back, it amassed so much knowledge, that it achieved consciousness and became a living thing. "Ilia" interrupts their musings to demand the information. Kirk calls Enterprise and has Uhura look up the old files on Voyager 6 , specifically wanting the code signal that would make Voyager transmit its data. Decker realizes that the probe is signaling its readiness to transmit all its information. Unfortunately there's no one on Earth left who would recognize the old signal and send a response. Hence, the Creator does not answer.

Kirk steps forward and tells V'Ger that they (meaning humans) are the Creator but "Ilia" dismisses that as illogical because carbon units aren't true lifeforms. Kirk tells V'Ger they will prove it and make it possible for V'Ger to complete its programming, something only the Creator could do. Uhura reports they have the response code and Kirk orders her to transmit it. V'Ger receives all of it except the final sequence, as it burns out its own antenna leads to prevent that reception. Decker realizes V'Ger is trying to make the Creator come to V'Ger .

Spock steps over and tells Kirk that V'Ger must evolve as its knowledge has reached the limits of this universe and it must evolve. And what it might require of its god is the answer to the question it posed, 'is there nothing more?' When McCoy wonders what else there could be besides the universe, Decker knows that the answer would be other dimensions and higher levels of beings which of course, cannot be logically proven to exist, therefore rendering V'Ger incapable of believing in them. Kirk realizes V'Ger needs the Human capacity to go beyond logic. McCoy wonders if V'Ger is actually wanting to join with a Human and Decker decides to find out. He steps up and begins to rewire Voyager . When Kirk steps up to stop him, "Ilia" shoves him away. Decker says he'll personally key in the final sequence through the ground test computer and despite McCoy's protestations, says he knows exactly what it'll do to him. Kirk begs him not to, but Decker tells Kirk " Jim! I want this. As much as you wanted the Enterprise , I want this! " So Kirk lets him and suddenly a glow begins to form around Decker.

As the glow forms more rapidly and brighter, "Ilia" steps inside the field of light with Decker, as it seems that V'Ger is joining with Decker. The two begin to rotate until they disappear and the whole island eventually begins to be swept away by the light. Finally Kirk, Spock and McCoy begin to retreat away from the island and run back to Enterprise just in time as the entire vessel is overcome with the light. A massive explosion appears above Earth, and V'Ger disappears, leaving Enterprise behind.

Epilogue [ ]

On the bridge, Kirk asks Spock if they just saw the beginning of a new lifeform and Spock says they did and it's possibly a next step in their evolution. McCoy says it's been a while since he delivered a baby and he hopes they got this one off to a good start. Kirk says " I think we gave it the ability to create its own sense of purpose out of our own Human weaknesses and the drive that compels us to overcome them. " McCoy ribs Spock a little, adding in that V'Ger will have to deal with those "foolish Human emotions" as well, to which Spock agrees.

Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is asking for damage and injury reports and a complete vessel status. Kirk reports the ship fully operational and that there were only two casualties: Lt. Ilia and Captain Decker. But then he corrects himself and tells Uhura to list Decker and Ilia as missing. Scotty comes on the bridge and agrees with Kirk it's time to give the Enterprise a proper shakedown. When Scotty offers to have Spock back on Vulcan in four days, Spock says that's unnecessary, as his task on Vulcan is completed.

Kirk tells Sulu to proceed ahead at warp factor one. When DiFalco asks for a heading, Kirk simply says " Out there, thataway. "

With that, the Enterprise flies overhead and engages warp drive on its way to another mission of exploration and discovery.

The main cast of The Motion Picture in the film's costumes on the bridge set. Clockwise from far left: director Robert Wise: Collins, Barrett, Nimoy, Doohan, Shatner, Kelley, Whitney, Nichols, Koenig, producer Gene Roddenberry, Takei, and Khambatta. These and other publicity shots were taken after screen tests for the actors on August 3, 1978. [1]

William Shatner as James T. Kirk , the former captain of the USS Enterprise and an Admiral at Starfleet headquarters. When asked during a March 1978 press conference about what it would be like to reprise the role, Shatner said, "An actor brings to a role not only the concept of a character but his own basic personality, things that he is, and both [Leonard Nimoy] and myself have changed over the years, to a degree at any rate, and we will bring that degree of change inadvertently to the role we recreate." [2]
Leonard Nimoy as Spock , the Enterprise Template:'s half- Vulcan , half-human science officer. Nimoy had been dissatisfied with unpaid royalties from Star Trek and did not intend to reprise the role, so Spock was left out of the screenplay. Director Robert Wise , having been informed by his daughter and son-in-law that the film "would not be Star Trek " without Nimoy, sent Jeffrey Katzenberg to New York City to meet Nimoy. Katzenberg gave Nimoy a check to make up for his lost royalties, and the actor attended the March 1978 press conference with the rest of the returning cast. Nimoy was dissatisfied with the script, and his meeting with Katzenberg led to an agreement that the final script would need Nimoy's approval. [3] Despite the financial issues, Nimoy said he was comfortable with being identified as Spock because it had a positive impact on his fame. [2]
DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy , the chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise . Kelley had reservations with the script, feeling that the characters and relationships from the series were not in place. Along with Shatner and Nimoy, Kelley lobbied for greater characterization, but their opinions were largely ignored. [4]
James Doohan as Montgomery Scott , the Enterprise Template:'s chief engineer. Doohan created the distinctive Klingon vocabulary heard in the film. [5] Linguist Marc Okrand later developed a fully realized Klingon language based on the actor's made-up words. [6]
Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov , the Enterprise Template:'s weapons officer. Koenig noted that the expected sense of camaraderie and euphoria at being assembled for screen tests at the start of the picture was nonexistent. "This may be Star Trek ," he wrote, "but it isn't the old Star Trek ." The actor was hopeful for the film, but admitted he was disappointed by his character's bit part. [7]
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura , the communications officer aboard the Enterprise . Nichols noted in her autobiography that she was one of the actors most opposed to the new uniforms added for the film because the drab, unisex look "wasn't Uhura". [8]
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu , the Enterprise Template:'s helmsman. In his autobiography , Takei described the film's shooting schedule as "astonishingly luxurious", but noted that frequent script rewrites during production "usually favored Bill" [Shatner]. [9]
Persis Khambatta as Ilia , the Deltan navigator of the Enterprise . Khambatta was originally cast in the role when The Motion Picture was a television pilot. [2] She took the role after Roddenberry warned her that she would have to shave her head completely for filming. [10]
Stephen Collins as Willard Decker , the new captain of the Enterprise . He is temporarily demoted to Commander and First Officer when Kirk takes command of the Enterprise . Collins was completely unfamiliar with the franchise, having never seen an episode of the series. Kelley's dressing room was next to Collins', and the older actor became his mentor for the production. [11]

Other actors from the television series who returned included Majel Barrett as Christine Chapel , a doctor aboard the Enterprise , and Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand , formerly one of Kirk's yeomen. David Gautreaux, who had been cast as Xon in the aborted second television series, cameos as Branch, the commander of the Epsilon 9 communications station. [2] Mark Lenard portrays the Klingon commander in the film's opening sequence; the actor also played Spock's father, Sarek , in the television series and in later feature films. [12]

Production [ ]

Early development [ ].

The original Star Trek television series ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969 on NBC. The show was never a hit with network executives, and the show's low Nielsen ratings bolstered their concerns. When the show was canceled, owner Paramount Studios hoped to recoup their production losses by selling the syndication rights to the show. The series went into reruns in the fall of 1972, and by the late 1970s had been sold in over 150 domestic and 60 international markets. The show developed a cult following , and rumors of reviving the franchise began. [13]

Ray Bradbury was one of the science-fiction writers who offered a premise for the Star Trek feature film.

Roddenberry had first proposed a Star Trek feature at the 1968 World Science Fiction Convention . The movie was to have been set before the television series, showing how the crew of the Enterprise met. [14] The popularity of the syndicated Star Trek caused Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry to begin developing the film in May 1975. Roddenberry was allocated $3 to $5 million to develop a script. By June 30 he had produced what he considered an acceptable script, but studio executives disagreed. [15] This first draft, The God Thing , [16] featured a grounded Admiral Kirk assembling the old crew on the refitted Enterprise to clash with a godlike entity many miles across, hurtling towards Earth. The object turns out to be a super-advanced computer, the remains of a scheming race who were cast out of their dimension. Kirk wins out, the entity returns to its dimension, and the Enterprise crew resumes their voyages. The basic premise and scenes such as a transporter accident and Spock's Vulcan ritual were discarded, but later returned to the final script. [3] [17] The film was postponed until spring 1975 while Paramount fielded new scripts for Star Trek II (the working title) from acclaimed writers such as Ray Bradbury , Theodore Sturgeon and Harlan Ellison . Ellison's story had a snake-like alien race tampering with Earth's history to create a kindred race; Kirk reunites with his old crew, but they are faced with the dilemma of killing off the reptilian race in Earth's prehistory just to maintain humanity's dominance. When Ellison presented his idea, an executive suggested Ellison read Chariots of the Gods? and include the Maya civilization into his story, which enraged the writer because he knew Mayans did not exist at the dawn of time. By October 1975 Robert Silverberg had been signed to work on the screenplay along with a second writer, John D. F. Black , whose treatment featured a black hole that threatened to consume all of existence. [15] Roddenberry teamed up with Jon Povill to write a new story that featured the Enterprise crew setting an altered universe right by time travel; like Black's idea, Paramount did not consider it epic enough. [3] [18]

The original Star Trek cast—who had agreed to appear in the new movie, with contracts as-yet unsigned pending script approval—grew anxious about the constant delays, and pragmatically accepted other acting offers while Roddenberry worked with Paramount. [15] The studio decided to turn the project over to the television division, reasoning that since the roots of the franchise lay in television the writers would be able to develop the right script. A number of screenwriters offered up ideas that were summarily rejected. As Paramount executives' interest in the film began to wane, Roddenberry, backed by fan letters, applied pressure to the studio. [18] In June 1976, Paramount assigned Jerry Isenberg, a young and active producer, to be executive producer of the project, with the budget expanded to $8 million. Povill was tasked with finding more writers to develop a script. His list included Edward Anhalt , James Goldman , Francis Ford Coppola , George Lucas , Ernest Lehman , and Robert Bloch . To cap off his list, Povill put as his last recommendation "Jon Povill—almost credit: Star Trek II story (with Gene Roddenberry). Will be a big shot some day. Should be hired now while he is cheap and humble." The end result was a compiled list of 34 names, none of whom were ever chosen to pen the script. [19]

689px-Space shuttle enterprise star trek

Roddenberry and the Star Trek cast on hand for the space shuttle Enterprise Template:'s maiden voyage on September 17, 1976. [20]

In October, British screenwriters Chris Bryant and Allan Scott wrote a 20 page treatment entitled Planet of the Titans , which executives Barry Diller and Michael Eisner liked. Bryant believed he earned the screenwriting assignment because his view of Kirk resembled what Roddenberry modeled him on; "one of Horatio Nelson 's captains in the South Pacific, six months away from home and three months away by communication". In the treatment, Kirk and his crew encounter beings they believe to be the mythical Titans and travel back millions of years in time, accidentally teaching early man to make fire . Planet of the Titans also explored the concept of the third eye . [3] Povill wrote up a list of possible directors, including Coppola, Steven Spielberg , Lucas, and Robert Wise , but all were busy at the time (or were not willing to work on the small script money budget.) [21] Philip Kaufman , having impressive science fiction credits, signed on to direct and was given a crash course in the series. Roddenberry screened ten episodes from the original series for Kaufman, including the most representative of the show and those he considered most popular: " The City on the Edge of Forever ", " Devil in the Dark ", " Amok Time ", " Journey to Babel ", " Shore Leave ", " The Trouble with Tribbles ", " The Enemy Within ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " This Side of Paradise ", and " A Piece of the Action ". Early work was promising and by the fall of 1976 the project was building momentum. Fans organized a mail campaign that flooded the White House with 400,000 letters, influencing Gerald Ford to rechristen the space shuttle Constitution to Enterprise . [20] Bryan and Scott's proposal became the first accepted by the studio in October; Roddenberry immediately stopped work on other projects to refocus on Star Trek , and the screenwriters and Isenberg were swamped with grateful fan mail. The elation was short-lived; the first draft of the completed script was not finished until March 1, 1977, and pressure was mounting for Paramount to either begin production or cut its losses and cancel the project. Isenberg began scouting filming locations and hired designers and illustrators to complement the script. [22] Dissatisfied with having everyone take a turn at rewriting the script, [23] Bryant and Scott quit in April 1977. Kaufman reconceived the story with Spock as the captain of his own ship and featuring Toshirō Mifune as Spock's Klingon nemesis, but Katzenberg informed the director in May that the film was canceled. [3] [24]

Phase II and restart [ ]

Barry Diller planned on anchoring a new Paramount television network with a new Star Trek series.

Barry Diller had grown concerned by the direction Star Trek had taken in Planet of the Titans , and suggested to Roddenberry that it was time to take the franchise back to its roots as a television series. Diller planned on a new Star Trek series forming the cornerstone for a new television network . Though Paramount was loath to abandon its work on the film, Roddenberry wanted to bring many of the production staff from the original series to work on the new show, titled Star Trek: Phase II . [25]

Producer Harold Livingston was assigned to find writers for new episodes, while Roddenberry prepared a writers' guide briefing the uninitiated on the franchise canon. To replace Spock, Roddenberry created a logical Vulcan prodigy named Xon. Since Xon was too young to fill the role of first officer, Roddenberry developed Commander William Decker, and later added Ilia. [26] The new series' pilot episode "In Thy Image" was based on a two-page outline by Roddenberry about a NASA probe returning to Earth, having gained sentience. Alan Dean Foster wrote a treatment for the pilot, which Livingston turned into a screenplay. When the script was presented to Michael Eisner, he declared it worthy of being told as a feature film. At the same time, the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind showed Paramount that Star Wars' success in the science fiction genre at the box office could repeat. [14] On November 11, just two and a half weeks before production on Phase II was due to start, the studio announced that the television series had been canceled in favor of a new feature film. Cast and crew who had been hired that Monday were laid off by Friday, and construction came to a halt. Production was moved to April 1978 so that the necessary scripts, sets, and wardrobe could be upgraded. [27]

On March 28, 1978, Paramount assembled the largest press conference held at the studio since Cecil B. DeMille announced he was making The Ten Commandments . Eisner announced that Academy-Award winning director Robert Wise would direct a film adaptation of the television series, titled Star Trek—The Motion Picture . [28] The budget was projected at $15 million. Dennis Clark ( Comes a Horseman ) was invited to rewrite the script and to include Spock, but he disliked Roddenberry, who demanded sole credit. Livingston returned as writer, and although he also found Roddenberry unreasonable, Wise and Katzenberg convinced him to continue rewriting the script throughout production. [3]

The writers began to adapt "In Thy Image" into a film script, but the script was not completed until four months after production commenced. [29] Wise felt that the story seemed right, but the dramatic action and visuals could be upgraded and made more exciting. As the intended start of filming in late spring 1978 approached, it was clear a new start date was needed. Time was of the essence; Paramount was worried that their science fiction film would appear at the tail end of a cycle, now that every major studio had such a film in the works. [30] Livingston described the writers' issue with the story, calling it "unworkable":

We had a marvelous antagonist, so omnipotent that for us to defeat it or even communicate with it, or have any kind of relationship with it, made the initial concept of the story false. Here's this gigantic machine that's a million years further advanced than we are. Now, how the hell can we possibly deal with this? On what level? As the story developed, everything worked until the very end. How do you resolve this thing? If humans can defeat this marvelous machine, Template:Sic it's really not so great, is it? Or if it really is great, will we like those humans who do defeat it? Should they defeat it? Who is the story's hero anyway? That was the problem. We experimented with all kinds of approaches...we didn't know what to do with the ending. We always ended up against a blank wall. [31]

The script received constant input from the producers and from Shatner and Nimoy. The discussions led to incessant rewrites, right up to the day the pages were to be shot. At one point, scenes were rewritten so often on the same day so that it became necessary to note on script pages the hour of the revision. Though revisions were constant, the biggest push for change revolved around the ending. Much of the rewriting had to do with the relationships of Kirk and Spock, Decker and Ilia, and the Enterprise and V Template:'ger . [31] A final draft of the third act was approved in late September 1978, but if it had not been for a Penthouse interview where NASA director Robert Jastrow said that mechanical forms of life were likely, the ending may not have been approved at all. [32]

The first new sets (intended for Phase II ) were constructed beginning July 25, 1977. The fabrication was supervised by Joseph Jennings , an art director involved in the original television series, special-effects expert Jim Rugg , and former Trek designer Matt Jefferies , on loan as consultant from Little House on the Prairie . [33] When the television series was canceled and plans for a film put into place, new sets were needed for the large 70 mm film format . [34] Template:Star Trek: The Motion Picture set costs Wise asked Harold Michelson to be the film's production designer, and Michelson was put to work on finishing the incomplete Phase II sets. The designer began with the bridge, which had nearly been completed. Michelson first removed Chekov's new weapons station, a semicircular plastic bubble grafted onto one side of the bridge wall. The idea for Phase II was that Chekov would have looked out toward space while crosshairs in the bubble tracked targets. Wise instead wanted Chekov's station to face the Enterprise Template:'s main viewer, a difficult request as the set was primarily circular. Production illustrator Michael Minor created a new look for the station using a flat edge in the corner of the set. [34]

The bridge ceiling was redesigned, with Michelson taking structural inspiration from a jet engine fan. [34] Minor built a central bubble for the ceiling to give the bridge a human touch. Ostensibly, the bubble functioned as a piece of sophisticated equipment designed to inform the captain of the ship's attitude. Most of the bridge consoles, designed by Lee Cole , remained from the scrapped television series. Cole remained on the motion picture production and was responsible for much of the visual artwork created. To inform actors and series writers, Lee prepared a USS Enterprise Flight Manual as a continuity guide to control functions. It was necessary for all the main cast to be familiar with control sequences at their stations as each panel was activated by touch via heat-sensitive plates. [35] The voltage of the light bulbs beneath the plastic console buttons were reduced from 25 watts to 6 watts after the generated heat began melting the controls. [36] The seats were covered in girdle material, used because of its stretching capacity and ability to be easily dyed. [37] For the science station, two consoles were rigged for hydraulic operation so that they could be rolled into the walls when not in use, but the system was disconnected when the crew discovered it would be easier to move them by hand. [36]

Aside from control interfaces, the bridge set was populated with monitors looping animations. Each oval monitor was a rear-projection screen on which super 8 mm and 16 mm film sequences looped for each special effect. [35] The production acquired 42 films for this purpose from an Arlington, Virginia -based company, STOMAR Enterprises. STOMAR's footage was exhausted only a few weeks into filming, and it became clear that new monitor films would be needed faster than an outside supplier could deliver them. Cole, Minor, and another production designer, Rick Sternbach , worked together with Povill to devise faster ways of shooting new footage. Cole and Povill rented an oscilloscope for a day and filmed its distortions. Other loops came from Long Beach Hospital, the University of California at San Diego, and experimental computer labs in New Mexico. In all, over two hundred pieces of monitor footage were created and catalogued into a seven-page listing. [38]

The Enterprise engine room was redesigned while keeping consistent with the theory that the interior appearance had to match the corresponding area visible in exterior views of the starship. [38] Michelson wanted the engine room to seem vast, a difficult effect to achieve on a small sound stage. To create the illusion of depth and long visible distances, the art department staff worked on designs that would utilize forced perspective ; [37] set designer Lewis Splittgerber considered the engine room the most difficult set to realize. On film the engine room appeared hundreds of feet long, but the set was actually only Template:Convert in length. To achieve the proper look, the floor slanted upward and narrowed, while very small actors of three, four, and five feet in height were used as extras to give the appearance of being far from the camera. For "down shots" of the engineering complex, floor paintings extended the length of the warp core several stories. J.C. Backings Company created these paintings; similar backings were used to extend the length of ship hallways and the rec room set. [39]

Redesigning the Enterprise corridors was also Michelson's responsibility. Originally the corridors were of straight plywood construction reminiscent of the original series, which Roddenberry referred to as "Des Moines Holiday Inn Style". To move away from this hotel look, Michelson created a new bent and angular design. Roddenberry and Wise agreed with Michelson that in three hundred years, lighting did not need to be overhead, so they had the lighting radiate upward from the floor. Different lighting schemes were used to simulate different decks of the ship with the same length of corridor. Aluminum panels on the walls outside Kirk's and Ilia's quarters were covered with an orange ultrasuede to represent the living area of the ship. [39]

The transporter had originally been developed for the television series as a matter of convenience; it would have been prohibitively expensive to show the Enterprise land on every new planet. For the redesign Michelson felt that the transporter should look and feel more powerful. [40] He added a sealed control room that would protect operators from the powerful forces at work. The space between the transporter platform and the operators was filled with complex machinery, and cinematographer Richard Kline added eerie lighting to the set to create atmosphere. [41]

After the redesign of the Enterprise sets was complete, Michelson turned his attention to creating the original sets needed for the film. The recreation deck occupied an entire soundstage, dwarfing the small room built for the planned television series; this was the largest interior in the film. The set was Template:Convert high, decorated with 107 pieces of custom-designed furniture, and packed with 300 people for filming. Below a large viewing screen on one end of the set was a series of art panels containing illustrations of previous ships bearing the name Enterprise . One of the ships was NASA's own Enterprise , added per Roddenberry's request:

Some fans have suggested that our new Enterprise should carry a plaque somewhere which commemorates the fact it was named after the first space shuttle launched from Earth in 1970s. This is an intriguing idea. It also has publicity advantages if properly released at the right time. It won't hurt NASA's feelings either. I'll leave it to you where you want it on the vessel. [42]

Another large construction task was the V Template:'ger set, referred to by the production staff as "the Coliseum" or "the microwave wok". The set was designed and fabricated in four and a half weeks, and was filmable from all angles; parts of the set were designed to pull away for better camera access at the center. Throughout production Star Trek used eleven of Paramount's thirty-two sound stages, more than any other film done there at the time. [42] To save money, construction coordinator Gene Kelley struck sets with his own crew immediately after filming, lest Paramount charge the production to have the sets dismantled. The final cost for constructing the sets ran at approximately $1.99 million, not counting additional costs for Phase II fabrication. [43]

Props and models [ ]

Ralph McQuarrie and Ken Adam worked on the ship designs for Planet of the Titans . McQuarrie had to redesign the sets and models that were meant for the television series; the Enterprise , space dock, and orbital office were remade with greater details to look more impressive on the bigger movie screens. [14] [44] McQuarrie also redesigned the Enterprise with a flat hull, and though his models never appeared in the film they were later used for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " The Best of Both Worlds ". [45]

Art director Richard Taylor wanted to completely redesign the ship, abandoning Jeffries' television design, but Roddenberry insisted on the same shape. Instead, Taylor focused on the details, giving it a stylization he considered "almost art deco ". Concept artist Andrew Probert helped with the redesign. [46] Probert elaborated on Jenning's television movie model, making the Enterprise Template:'s secondary hull wider, with angled struts supporting the nacelles (engine pylons) and an elaborate wiring system for the model's lights. [14] In the television series, it had not been clear where the photon torpedoes were intended to have originated from, so Probert rectified this by designing multiple launcher designs at the base of the secondary hull for Taylor to choose from. Probert even added elements such as a separating saucer and landing pads that never made it to The Motion Picture or any other film featuring the model. While the hull surface was kept smooth, it was treated with a special paint finish that made its surface appear iridescent in certain lights. More windows were added than the previous design, and transparent images of the sets were inserted behind the windows so that when the camera approached the model it appeared that viewers could see something inside. As a joke, these images featured Probert, other production staff members, and Mickey Mouse . [47]

Most of the models in The Motion Picture were created by Magicam, a Paramount subsidiary. The main Enterprise model was eight feet long, to a scale of Template:Convert to Template:Convert . It took 14 months and $150,000 to build. Instead of standard fiberglass used for older models, the new Enterprise was constructed with lightweight plastics, weighing Template:Convert . The biggest design issue was making sure that the connective neck and engine struts were strong enough so that no part of the ship model would sag, bend, or quiver when the model was being moved. The completed model could be supported at one of five possible points as each photographic angle required. A second, 20-inch (50.8 cm) model of the ship was used for long shots. [48] Magicam also produced the orbital dry dock seen during the Enterprise Template:'s first appearance in the film. Measuring 4 ft x 10 ft x 6 ft (1.22 m x 3.05 m x 1.83 m), its 56 neon panels required 168,000 volts of electricity to operate, with a separate table to support the transformers; the final price for the dock setup was $200,000. [49]

After the original model was rejected, designer Syd Mead created a new version of the V'ger ship.

The creation of V'ger caused the entire production problems. The crew was dissatisfied with the original four-foot clay model, which looked like a modernized Nemo's Nautilus submarine. [50] Industrial designer Syd Mead was hired to visualize a new version of the mammoth craft. Mead created a machine that contained organic elements based on input from Wise, Roddenberry, and the effects leads. The final model was Template:Convert long, built from the rear forward so that the camera crews could shoot footage while the next sections were still being fabricated. The model was built out of a plethora of materials—wood, foam, macramé, styrofoam cups, incandescent, neon and strobe lights. [51]

Dick Rubin handled the film's props, and set up a makeshift office in the corner of stage 9 throughout production. Rubin's philosophy as property master was that nearly every actor or extra ought to have something in their hands. As such, Rubin devised and fabricated approximately 350 props for the film, 55 of which were used in the San Francisco tram scene alone. [52] Many of the props were updated designs of items previously seen in the television series, such as phasers and handheld communicators. The only prop that remained from the original television series was Uhura's wireless earpiece, which Nichols specifically requested on the first day of shooting (and all the production crew save those who had worked on the television show had forgotten about.) The new phaser was entirely self-contained, with its own circuitry, batteries, and four blinking lights. The prop came with a hefty $4000 price tag; to save money, the lights were dropped, reducing the size of the phaser by a third. A total of 15 of the devices were made for the film. The communicators were radically altered, as by the 1970s the microminiaturization of electronics convinced Roddenberry that the bulky handheld devices of the television series were no longer feasible. A wrist-based design was decided upon, with the provision that it look far different than the watch Dick Tracy had been using for decades previous. Two hundred communicators were fashioned, but only a few were the $3500 top models, used for close-ups of the device in action. [53] Most of the props were made from plastic, as Rubin thought that in the future manmade materials would be used almost exclusively. [54] Template:-

Costumes and makeup [ ]

Roddenberry firmly believed that throwaway clothes were the future of the industry, and this idea was incorporated into the costumes of The Motion Picture . William Ware Theiss , the designer who created the original television series costumes, was too busy to work on the film. Instead Robert Fletcher , considered one of American theater's most successful costume and scenic designers, was selected to design the new uniforms, suits, and robes for the production. Fletcher eschewed manmade synthetics for natural materials, finding that these fabrics sewed better and lasted longer. [55] As times had changed, the Starfleet uniforms , with their bright reds, blues, greens, and golds, had to be revised: the miniskirts worn by females on the show seemed exciting in the 1960s but would now be considered sexist. Wise deemed the original multicolored uniforms too garish, and Fletcher believed that the brightness of these old designs would work against believability when seen on the wide screen—the designer's first task was to create new, less conspicuous uniforms. [56]

In the original series, divisions in ship assignments were denoted by shirt color; for the movie, these color codes were moved to small patches on each person's uniform. The Starfleet delta symbol, which previously indicated duty branches—command, science, medical, engineering, and so forth—was replaced with the command symbol for all branches, superimposed over a circle of color indicating area of service. The blue color of previous uniforms was discarded, for fear they might interfere with the blue screens used for optical effects. [56] Three types of uniforms were fabricated: dress uniforms used for special occasions, Class A uniforms for regular duty, and Class B uniforms as an alternative. The Class A designs were double-stitched in gabardine and featured gold braid designating rank. It was felt that the traditional four gold sleeve stripes for the captain's rank was too blatantly militaristic. Povill had to send out a memo to Fletcher with the modified stripe rank system, as the designer continued to get the 20th and 23rd centuries confused. [57] Fletcher designed the Class B uniform as similar to evolved t-shirts, with shoulder boards used to indicate rank and service divisions. Each costume had the shoes built into the pant leg to further the futuristic look. An Italian shoemaker decorated by the Italian government for making Gucci shoes was tasked with creating the futuristic footwear. Combining the shoes and trousers was difficult, time-consuming, and expensive, as each shoe had to be sewn by hand after being fitted to each principal actor. There were difficulties in communication, as the shoemaker spoke limited English and occasionally confused shoe orders due to similar-sounding names. Jumpsuits , serving a more utilitarian function, were the only costumes to have pockets, and were made with a heavyweight spandex that required a special needle to puncture the thick material. A variety of field jackets, leisure wear, and spacesuits were also created; as these parts had to be designed and completed before most of the actors' parts had been cast, many roles were filled by considering how well the actors would fit into existing costumes. [58]

For the civilians of San Francisco, Fletcher decided on a greater freedom in dress. Much of the materials for these casual clothes were found in the old storerooms at Paramount, where a large amount of unused or forgotten silks, crepes, and leathers lay in storage. One bolt of material had been handpicked by Cecil DeMille in 1939, and was in perfect condition. The red, black, and gold brocade was woven with real gold and silver wrapped around silk thread; the resulting costume was used for a Betelgeusean ambassador and, at a price of $10,000 for the fabric alone, was the most expensive costume ever worn by a Hollywood extra. [55] [59] Fletcher also recycled suedes from The Ten Commandments for the Zaranite costumes. [59] With the approval of Roddenberry, Fletcher fashioned complete backgrounds for the alien races seen in the Earth and recreation deck sequences, describing their appearances and the composition of their costumes. [60]

Fred Phillips , the original designer of Spock's Vulcan ears, served as The Motion Picture Template:'s makeup artist. He and his staff were responsible for fifty masks and makeup for the aliens seen in the film. The designs were developed by Phillips himself or else off Fletcher's sketches. In his long association with Star Trek Phillips produced his 2000th Spock ear during production of The Motion Picture . Each ear was made of latex and other ingredients blended together in a kitchen mixer, then baked for six hours. Though Phillips had saved the original television series casts used for making the appliances, Nimoy's ears had grown in the decade since and new molds had to be fabricated. While on the small screen the ears could be used up to four times, since nicks and tears did not show up on television, Phillips had to create around three pairs a day for Nimoy during filming. [59] [61] The upswept Vulcan eyebrows needed to be applied hair by hair for proper detail, and it took Nimoy more than two hours to prepare for filming—twice as long as it had for television. [62]

Besides developing Vulcan ears and alien masks, Phillips and his assistant Charles Schram applied more routine makeup to the principal actors. Khambatta's head had to be freshly shaved each day, then given an application of makeup to reduce glare from the hot set lights. Khambatta had no qualms about shaving her head at first, but began worrying if her hair would grow back properly. Roddenberry proposed insuring Khambatta's hair after the actress voiced her concerns, believing the price of such insurance to be negligible. Roddenberry also saw other benefits to taking out a policy:

...Second, [the insurance] would have the advantage of reassuring [Khambatta] and making her feel more comfortable during her role. Third and finally, if the price does turn out to be negligible, John Rothwell, our publicist, assures me that we would probably get many times the cost back in publicity about the insurance. [63]

The idea was ultimately scrapped, as it turned out such a guarantee would be highly expensive; the insurance company believed that there would be difficulty in proving that the hair grew back exactly the same as before. Instead, Khambatta visited the Georgette Klinger Skin Care Salon in Beverley Hills, where experts recommended that she receive six facials and scalp treatments during the course of production. The salon also prescribed a daily scalp treatment routine of cleansing bars, brilliantine lotion, conditioner, makeup remover, and cleansing lotion. The studio agreed these measures were necessary and footed the bill while Khambatta spent six months following the tedious instructions (her hair eventually regrew without issue, though she kept her shaven locks after production had ended.) [64]

Technical consulting [ ]

In the decade between the end of the Star Trek television series and the film, many of the futuristic technologies that appeared on the show—electronic doors that open automatically, hypodermic injections, talking computers, weapons that stun rather than kill, and personal communication devices—had become a reality. Roddenberry had insisted that the technology aboard the Enterprise be grounded in established science and scientific theories. The Motion Picture likewise received technical consultation from NASA , the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , as well as individuals such as a former astronaut and the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov . [65]

The greatest amount of technical advice for the production came from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who provided Trek fan Jesco von Puttkamer as advisor to the film. Roddenberry had known Puttkamer since 1975, when they had been introduced by a mutual friend, the Assistant Director of Astronautics at the Smithsonian Institution . [66] From 1976 until the completion of the film Puttkamer provided the writers, producer, and director with memos on everything technical in the script; [67] the scientist reviewed every line in the script, and was unpaid for his assistance. "Science fiction films, including those of the recent past, have been woefully short of good science advice," he said. " Star Wars [is] really not science fiction. I loved it, but it's a fairy tale of princes and knights in another galaxy. The technology was improbable, the science impossible." [68]

During the rewrite of the final scenes, the studio executives clashed with Roddenberry about the script's ending, believing that the concept of a living machine was too far-fetched. The executives consulted Asimov: if the writer decided a sentient machine was plausible, the ending could stay. Asimov loved the ending, but made one small suggestion; he felt that the use of the word "wormhole" was incorrect, and that the anomaly that the Enterprise found itself in would be more accurately called a "temporal tunnel". [69]

Filming [ ]

Filming of The Motion Picture Template:'s first scene began on August 7, 1978. A few ad-libbed ceremonies were performed before the cameras rolled; Roddenberry gave Wise his baseball cap, emblazoned with "Enterprise" in gold lettering (the cap was a gift from the captain of the nuclear carrier Enterprise .) Wise and Roddenberry then cracked a special breakaway bottle of champagne on the bridge set (there was no liquid inside, as flying champagne would have damaged the readied set.) The scene planned was the chaotic mess aboard the Enterprise bridge as the crew readies the ship for space travel; Wise directed 15 takes into the late afternoon before he was content with the scene. [70] The first day's shots used Template:Convert of film; Template:Convert were considered "good", Template:Convert were judged "no good", and Template:Convert were wasted; only one and one-eighth pages had been shot. [71]

Alex Weldon was hired to be supervisor of special effects for the film. Template:Ref label Weldon was planning on retiring after 42 years of effects work, but his wife urged him to take on Star Trek because she thought he did not have enough to do. [72] When Weldon was hired, many of the effects had already been started or completed by Rugg; it was up to Weldon to complete more complex and higher-budgeted effects for the motion picture. The first step of preparation involved analyzing the script in terms of the number, duration, and type of effects. Before costs could be determined and Weldon could shop for necessary items, he and the other members of the special effects team worked out all possibilities for pulling off the effects in a convincing manner. [36]

Richard H. Kline served as the film's cinematographer. Working from sketch artist Maurice Zuberano's concepts, Wise would judge if they were on the right track. Kline and Michelson would then discuss the look they wanted (along with Weldon, if effects were involved.) Each sequence was then storyboarded and left to Kline to execute. The cinematographer called his function to "interpret [the] preplanning and make it indelible on film. It's a way of everybody being on the same wavelength." Kline would recall that there was not a single "easy" shot to produce for the picture, as each scene required special consideration. The bridge, for example, was lit with a low density of light to make the console monitors display better. It was hard to frame shots so that reflections of the crew in monitors or light spilling through floor grilles were not seen in the final print. [73]

As the Paramount executive in production, Katzenberg tried to keep costs down as filming lagged behind schedule. [74]

While Kline was concerned with lighting, print quality, and color, Bonnie Prendergast, the script supervisor, took notes that would be written up after the company had finished for the day. Prendergast's role was to ensure continuity in wardrobe, actor position, and prop placement. Any changes in dialogue or ad-libbed lines were similarly written down. Assistant director Danny McCauley was responsible for collaborating with unit production manager Phil Rawlins to finalize shooting orders and assigning extras. Rawlins, McCauley, production manager Lindsley Parson Jr., and Katzenberg were all tasked with keeping things moving as fast as possible and keeping the budget under control; every hour on stage cost the production $4000. [74]

The production was for most of the filming a closed set, with great measures taken to maintain the secrecy of the plot. Scripts were numbered and lists kept of who received each copy. The press was told nothing about the story and only a few production stills were allowed to be published. During construction one young visitor to a soundstage stole a copy of blueprints for the bridge set and sold duplicates of them to any fans who would pay him $75; Paramount reported the matter to the FBI, who turned the case over to the Los Angeles Police Department . The police arrested, convicted, and fined the culprit $750; it was later discovered that the stolen plans were in fact not the final copies. Visitor's badges were created to keep track of guests, and due to the limited number were constantly checked out; among the visitors included friends of the cast and crew, the press, fan leaders, and actors such as Clint Eastwood , Tony Curtis , Robin Williams and Mel Brooks . [75] Security swept cars leaving the lots for stolen items; even the principal actors were not spared from this inconvenience. [76]

By August 9, the production was already a full day behind schedule. Despite the delays, Wise refused to shoot more than 12 hours on set, feeling he lost his edge afterwards. [77] The director was very patient on set; bets were placed on when he would finally lose his temper, but pool organizers returned the money when Wise never lost his cool. [2] While the bridge scenes were shot early, trouble with filming the transporter room scene delayed further work. Crew working on the transporter platform found their footwear melting on the lighted grid while shooting tests. [78] Issues with the wormhole sequences caused further delays. The footage for the scene was filmed two ways; first, at the standard 24 frames per second, and then at the faster 48 frames; the normal footage was a back-up if the slow-motion effect produced by the faster frame speed did not turned out as planned. [79] The shoot dragged on so long that it became a running joke for cast members to try and top each other with wormhole-related puns. The scene was finally completed on August 24, while the transporter scenes were being filmed at the same time on the same soundstage. [80]

Minerva Terrace served as the stand-in for the planet Vulcan.

The planet Vulcan setting was created using a mixture of on-location photography at Minerva Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park and set recreation. [81] Yellowstone was selected after filming in Turkish ruins proved to be too expensive. Securing permission for filming the scenes was difficult in the middle of the summer tourist season, but the Parks Department acquiesced so long as the crew remained on the boardwalks to prevent damage to geological formations. Zuberano, who had helped select the site for the shoot, traveled to Yellowstone and returned with a number of photos. Minor also made a trip and returned to create a large painting depicting how the scene might look. In consultations with Michelson, the crew decided to use miniatures in the foreground to create the Vulcan temples, combined with the real hot springs in the background. In the film, the bottom third of the frames were composed of miniature stairs, rocks, bits of red glass and a Vulcan statue. The center of the frame contained Nimoy's shots and the park setting, while the final third of the frame was filled with a matte painting. On August 8, the day after production began at Paramount, an eleven-person second unit left for Yellowstone. The sequence took three days to shoot. [82]

On returning to Paramount, the art department had to recreate parts of Yellowstone in a large "B tank", Template:Convert long. The tank was designed to be flooded with millions of gallons of water to represent large bodies of water. Minor set up miniatures on the tank's floor before construction and made sure that the shadows that fell on Spock at Yellowstone could be properly recreated. A plywood base was built on metal platforms to create stone silhouettes, reinforced with chicken wire. Polyurethane foam was sprayed over the framework under the supervision of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The bottom part of the statue miniature was represented by a Template:Convert high fiberglass foot. [82] Weldon matched the effects filmed at Yellowstone using dry ice and steam machines. To recreate the appearance of the swirling eddies of water in the real Yellowstone, a combination of evaporated milk, white poster paint, and water was poured into the set's pools. The pressure of the steam channeled into the pools through hidden tubing causes enough movement in the whirlpools to duplicate the location footage. [81] Due to the requirement that the sun be in a specific location for filming and that the environment be bright enough, production fell behind schedule when it was unseasonably cloudy for three days straight. Any further scenes to recreate Vulcan would be impossible, as the set was immediately torn down to serve as a parking lot for the remainder of the summer. [83]

The computer console explosion that causes the transporter malfunction was simulated using brillo pads . Weldon hid steel wool inside the console and attached an arc welder to operate by remote control when the actor pulled a wire. The welder was designed to create a spark instead of actually welding, causing the steel wool to burn and make sparks; so effective was the setup that the cast members were continually startled by the flare-ups, resulting in additional takes. [84] Various canisters and cargo containers appear to be suspended by antigravity throughout the film. These effects were executed by several of Weldon's assistants. The crew built a circular track that had the same shape as the corridor and suspended the antigravity prop on four very small wires that connected to the track. The wires were treated with a special acid which oxidized the metal; the reaction tarnished the wires to a dull gray that would not show up in the deep blue corridor lighting. Cargo boxes were made out of light balsa wood so that very fine wires could be used as support. [81]

Template:Quote box As August ended, production continued to slip farther behind schedule. Koenig learned that rather than being released in 14 days after his scenes were completed, his last day would be on October 26—eight weeks later than expected. [85] The next bridge scenes to be filmed after the wormhole sequence, Enterprise Template:'s approach to V'ger and the machine's resulting attack, were postponed for two weeks so that the special effects for the scene could be planned and implemented, and the engine room scenes could be shot. [86] Chekov's burns sustained in V'ger's attack were difficult to film; though the incident took only minutes on film, Weldon spent hours preparing the effect. A piece of aluminum foil was placed around Koenig's arm, covered by a protective pad and then hidden by the uniform sleeve. Weldon prepared an ammonia and acetic acid solution that was touched to Koenig's sleeve, causing it to smoke. Difficulties resulted in the scene being shot ten times; it was especially uncomfortable for the actor, whose arm was slightly burned when some of the solution leaked through to his arm. [87]

Khambatta also faced difficulties during filming. The actress' conservative Indian upbringing meant she would not appear nude as called for in the script during the Ilia probe's appearance. The producers got her to agree to wear a thin skin-colored body stocking, but she caught a cold as a result of the shower mist, created by dropping dry ice into warm water and funneling the vapors into the shower by a hidden tube. Khambatta had to leave the location repeatedly to avoid hypercapnia . [87] One scene required the Ilia probe to slice through a steel door in the sickbay; doors made out of paper, corrugated cardboard covered in aluminum foil, and cork were tested before the proper effect was reached. The illuminated button in the hollow of the probe's throat was a 12–volt light bulb that Khambatta could turn on and off via hidden wires; the bulb's heat eventually caused a slight burn. [88]

The last week of production was fraught with issues. Red gel lights appeared orange upon reviewing the daily footage; the lights were faulty, and three people were nearly electrocuted. On January 26, 1979, the film finally wrapped after 125 days. The three leads (Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley) delivered their final lines at 4:50 pm. Before the crew could go home, a final shot had to be filmed—the climactic fusing of Decker and V'ger. The script prescribed a heavy emphasis on lighting, with spiraling and blinding white lights. Collins was covered in tiny dabs of cotton glued to his jacket; these highlights were designed to create a body halo. Helicopter lights, 4000–watt lamps and wind machines were used to create the effect of Decker's fusion with the living machine. The first attempts at filming the scene became a nightmare for the crew. The extreme lighting caused normally invisible dust particles in the air to be illuminated, creating the appearance that the actors were caught in a blizzard. During the retakes throughout the week the crew mopped and dusted the set constantly, and it required later technical work to completely eliminate the dust in the final print. [89]

Two weeks later, the entire cast and crew joined with studio executives for a traditional wrap party. Template:Ref label Four hundred people attended the gathering, which spilled over into two restaurants in Beverly Hills. While much of the crew readied for post-production, Wise and Roddenberry were grateful for the opportunity to take a short vacation from the motion picture before returning to work. [90]

Post-production [ ]

While the cast departed to work on other projects, the post-production team was tasked with finalizing the film in time for a Christmas release; [91] the resulting work would take twice as long as the filming process had taken. Editor Todd Ramsay and his assistants had spent their time during shooting syncing film and audio tracks and creating rough cuts of the sequences while discussing plans for the sound effects, music, and optical effects that would be added later.

While Wise made sure his directing choices were reflected on screen, [92] Roddenberry also provided a large amount of input. On April 19 he sent off an eleven page memo to Ramsay via Wise where he proposed several ideas for editing, including dubbing the Vulcan ceremony into a Vulcan language, feeling that fans would consider it a "cheat" to have the Klingons speak in their language while having the Vulcans perform in "King James-type English". He also suggested cuts to the interactions and dialogue of the supporting characters. Ramsay tried to cut as much footage and unnecessary moments as long as the cuts did not jeopardize character and story development or short-change the visual sweep of the film. [93] Because the original Vulcan scenes had been photographed with actors speaking English, the "language" needed to lip-sync with the actor's lines. [94]

Douglas Trumbull was given the task of finishing The Motion Picture Template:'s opticals in time for a December 1979 release date.

After the groundbreaking opticals of Star Wars , the producers of "In Thy Image" had been keenly aware that the television movie could not settle for outdated effects. [95] The first choice for director of special effects was Douglas Trumbull , a film director who had worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey . Trumbull declined the offer. At the time he was approached, Trumbull was busy on Close Encounters , and was tired of being ignored as a director and having to churn out special effects for someone else's production; after completing his effects work, he planned on launching his own feature using a new film process. The next choice, John Dykstra , was similarly wrapped up in other projects. [96] Post-production supervisor Paul Rabwin suggested Robert Abel 's production company Robert Abel and Associates might be up to the task. The scope and size of the effects grew after the television movie became The Motion Picture . Abel and Associates bid $4 million for doing the film's effects and Paramount accepted. By May 1978 Abel revised their bid $750,000 upwards as new effects were added, and Roddenberry began to suggest that the effects costs and schedules be reexamined. [95]

Slowly, persistent rumors began to crop up about difficulties regarding the special effects. By a year into the production, millions of dollars had been spent, yet almost no usable footage had been created; [96] Abel and Associates was not experienced in motion picture production and the steep learning curve worried the producers. Due to contract obligations, Trumbull served as a consultant to Abel and Associates, while effects artist Richard Yuricich acted as a liaison between Abel and Paramount. To speed up the work, Abel passed off miniature and matte painting tasks to Yuricich. Despite being relieved of nearly half the effects work, it became clear by early 1979 that Abel and Associates would not be able to complete the remainder on time. [97] Creative differences grew between Abel and Associates and the Paramount production team, and by mid-February 1979 the two companies agreed their differences were irreconcilable. [98]

Trumbull, meanwhile, had completed Close Encounters , but his plan for a full feature had been turned down by Paramount—a move some considered punishment for passing on Star Trek . [96] With Trumbull now available, primary responsibility for The Motion Picture Template:'s optical effects passed on to him. [98] The studio wasted $5 million and a year's worth of time with the change. [3] In March the studio offered Trumbull virtual carte blanche if he could get the opticals work completed by December, the release date to which Paramount was financially committed (having accepted advances from exhibitors planning on a Christmas delivery). Trumbull was confident that he could get the work done without a loss of quality, [98] and together with Yuricich the effects team rushed to finish. [3] The effects budget climbed to $10 million. [98]

Yuricich's previous work had been as Director of Photography for Photographic Effects on Close Encounters , and he and Trumbull formulated a plan which involved reassembling the equipment and recruiting the crew from Close Encounters , modifying existing equipment and factories for the new opticals and adding more stage space, cameras, and personnel. Time, not money, was the main issue; Trumbull had to deliver in nine months twice the effects as found in Star Wars or Close Encounters , which had taken years to complete. [99] The Glencoe-based facilities the teams had used for Close Encounters were deemed insufficient, and a nearby facility was rented and outfitted with five more stages equipped with camera tracks and systems. [100] Dykstra and his production house Apogee Company were subcontracted to Trumbull. Employing 60 people, Dykstra still found the work time-consuming, as Paramount's directives including creating effects that had not been seen before, completing them on time and keeping the price down. In addition to detailing and shipping models to Trumbull, Apogee was responsible for several standalone effects. [101]

The USS Enterprise is attacked by V'ger "whiplash bolt"; the cloud was created by Trumbull's team, while the subcontracted Apogee under Dykstra created the bolt weapon. [102] The model features Trumbull's system of self-illumination, and was shot fully lit, with the darker passes composited and burned in post-production. [103]

Trumbull and Dykstra found the Magicam models problematic. The Klingon cruiser's lighting was so dim that using longer exposures and changing the f-stops was not sufficient to make them bright enough. Trumbull felt that the Enterprise Template:'s lights were not adequate for his needs, and had the model completely rewired. He questioned that the Enterprise could be traveling years from any source of light and yet still be fully illuminated. Instead of having the ship completely dark save for viewports, Trumbull came up with a system of self-illumination; he pictured the ship as something like an oceanliner, "a grand lady of the seas at night". [49] A similar method was used on the Klingon cruiser model, but he made it less well-lit to convey a different look than the clean visuals of the Federation—the cruiser was meant to evoke "an enemy submarine in World War II that's been out at sea for too long". [44] [49] The models were filmed in multiple passes and composited together in post-production; at least one pass had enough fill light so that the entire model could be seen. Multiple passes with only the model's lighting running were burned in on top of the original pass to complete the look. [103]

The Klingon cruiser sequence was deliberately developed to avoid an opening similar to Star Wars . [103] One model was used for all three cruisers seen on film. While Dykstra's team handled the ships, the V'ger cloud was developed by Trumbull. [104] Trumbull wanted the cloud to have a specific shape to it—"it couldn't just be a blob of cotton," he said, "it had to have some shape that you could get camera angles on." A special camera support track was built that could pan and focus over a Template:Convert piece of art, with the light strobed to provide depth. While the team planned on compositing multiple passes to provide physical movement to the cloud shots, Trumbull felt that it detracted from the sense of scale, and so small animations were subtly introduced in the final product. [105] The torpedo effects were simulated by shooting a laser through a piece of crystal mounted on a rotating rod after experiments with Tesla coils proved insufficient. The same effect was recolored and used for the Klingons and the Enterprise ; the aliens' torpedoes glowed red while the "good guys" had blue-colored weaponry. V'ger's destruction of the ships was created using scanning lasers, with the multiple laser passes composited onto the moving model to create the final effect. [104]

The scenes of Kirk and Scott approaching the Enterprise in drydock spanned two pages of script but took forty-five different shots (averaging one shot a day) for the travel pod containing Kirk to make its flight from the space office complex to the docking ring. Double shifts around the clock were required to finish the effect on time. [49] For close shots of the pod traveling to the Enterprise , close-ups of Shatner and Doohan were composited into the model, while in long shots lookalike puppets were used. [44]

Dykstra and Apogee created three models to stand in for the Epsilon 9 station. A Template:Convert model was used for distance shots, while an isolated Template:Convert panel was used for closer shots. The station control tower was replicated with rear-projection screens to add the people inside. A 2 ft model spaceman was created for the shot, which ended up being used in the drydock sequence and Spock's spacewalk. While the destruction of the station was filmed in a similar manner to the Klingon cruisers, some unique effects had to be discarded due to time constraints. [106] V'ger itself was filmed in a hazy, smoky room, in part to convey depth and also to hide the parts of the ship still under construction. The multiple passes were largely based on guesswork, as every single available camera was in use and the effects had to be generated without the aid of a bluescreen. [51]

Even after the change in effects companies, Yuricich continued to provide many of the matte paintings used in the film, having previously worked on The Day the Earth Stood Still , Ben Hur , North by Northwest and Logan Template:'s Run . The paintings were combined with live action after a selected area of the frame was matted out. For example, the blue Earth sky over Yellowstone was replaced with the specially-created painting of a red-hued Vulcan landscape. More than 100 such paintings were used. [101]

Despite being hired after the completion of nearly all the principal photography, Trumbull had an enormous amount of creative input on the film. The Spock spacewalk sequence, for example, was radically changed from the Abel version. The original plan was for Kirk to follow Spock in a spacesuit and come under attack from a mass of sensor-type organisms. Spock would save his friend, and the two would proceed through V'ger. Wise, Kline, and Abel had been unable to agree on how to photograph the sequence, and the result was a poorly-designed and ungainly effect that Trumbull was convinced was disruptive to the plot and would have cost millions to fix. Instead, he recommended a stripped-down sequence that omitted Kirk entirely and would be simple and easy to shoot; [100] Robert McCall, known for designing the original posters to 2001: A Space Odyssey , provided Trumbull with concept art to inform the new event. [101]

Jerry Goldsmith began a long association with Star Trek by scoring The Motion Picture . [107]

The score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture was written by Jerry Goldsmith , who would later compose the scores Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , Star Trek: First Contact , Star Trek: Insurrection , and Star Trek Nemesis , as well as the themes to the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager . [108] [109] Gene Roddenberry had originally wanted Goldsmith to score Star Trek 's pilot episode, " The Cage ", but the composer was unavailable. [110] When Wise signed on to direct, Paramount asked the director if he had any objection to using Goldsmith. Wise, who had worked with the composer for The Sand Pebbles , replied "Hell, no. He's great!" Wise would later consider his work with Goldsmith one of the best relationships he ever had with a composer. [111]

Goldsmith was influenced by the style of the romantic, sweeping music of Star Wars . "When you stop and think about it, space is a very romantic thought. It is, to me, like the Old West, we’re up in the universe. It’s about discovery and new life [...] it’s really the basic premise of Star Trek ," he said. Goldsmith's initial bombastic main theme reminded Ramsay and Wise of sailing ships. Unable to articulate what he felt was wrong with the piece, Wise recommended writing an entirely different piece. Although irked by the rejection, Goldsmith consented to re-work his initial ideas. [110] The rewriting of the theme required changes to several sequences Goldsmith had scored without writing a main title piece. The approach of Kirk and Scott to the drydocked Enterprise by shuttle lasted a ponderous five minutes due to the effect shots coming in late and unedited, requiring Goldsmith to maintain interest with a revised and developed cue. [112] Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the only Star Trek film to have a true overture , using "Ilia's Theme" in this role. Star Trek and The Black Hole would be the only feature films to use an overture from the end of 1979 until the year 2000 (with the movie Dancer in the Dark ). [113]

Much of the recording equipment used to create the movie's intricately complicated sound effects was, at the time, extremely cutting edge. Among these pieces of equipment was the ADS ( Advanced Digital Synthesizer ) 11, manufactured by Pasadena, California custom synthesizer manufacturer Con Brio, Inc. The movie provided major publicity and was used to advertise the synthesizer, though no price was given. [114] The film's soundtrack also provided a debut for the Blaster Beam , an electronic instrument Template:Convert long. [115] [116] It was created by musician Craig Huxley , who played a small role in an episode of the original television series. [117] The Blaster had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum; the device was played with an artillery shell. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'ger's cues. [110] An enormous pipe organ first plays the V'ger theme on the Enterprise Template:'s approach, a literal indication of the machine's power. [117]

Goldsmith scored The Motion Picture over a period of three to four months, a relatively relaxed schedule compared to typical production, but time pressures resulted in Goldsmith bringing on colleagues to assist in the work. Alexander Courage , composer of the original Star Trek theme, provided arrangements to accompany Kirk's log entries, while Fred Steiner wrote the music to accompany the Enterprise achieving warp speed and first meeting V'ger. [118] The rush to finish the rest of the film impacted the score. [117] The final recording session finished at 2:00am on December 1, [110] only five days before the film's release. [119]

A soundtrack featuring the film's music was released in 1979 together with the film debut, and was one of Goldsmith's best-selling scores. [118] Sony's Legacy Recordings released an expanded two-disc edition of the soundtrack on November 10, 1998. The album added an additional 21 minutes of music to supplement the original track list, and was resequenced to reflect the story line of the film. The first disc features the complete score, while the sequence disc contains "Inside Star Trek", a spoken word documentary. [120]

Sound effects [ ]

Sound designer Frank Serafine , a longtime Star Trek fan, was invited to create the sound effects for the picture. Given access to state-of-the-art audio equipment, Serafine saw the picture as the chance to modernize outdated motion picture sound techniques with digital technology. Owing to background noise such as camera operation, much of the ambient noise or dialogue captured on set was unusable; it was Serafine's job to create or recreate sounds to mix back into the scenes. [121]

As all the sound elements such as dubbed lines or background noise came together, they were classified into three divisions: A Effects, B Effects, and C Effects. [121] A Effects were synthesized or acoustic sounds that were important and integral to the picture—the sound of V'ger's weapon, for example, or Spock's mind meld, as well as transporters, explosions, and the warp speed sound effect. B Effects consisted of minor sounds such as the clicks of switches, beeps, or chimes. C Effects were subliminal sounds that set moods—crowd chatter and ambient noise. All the elements were mixed as "predubs" to speed integration into the final sound mix. [122]

When The Motion Picture was announced, many synthesizer artists submitted demo tapes to Paramount. Ramsay and Wise consulted and decided that the film should have a unique audio style; they were particularly concerned with avoiding sounds that had become pervasive and clichéd due to repetitious use in other science fiction movies. Events such as Enterprise bridge viewscreen activation were kept silent to provide a more comfortable atmosphere. In contrast, almost every action on the Klingon bridge made noise to reflect the aliens' harsh aesthetic. [122] While much of the effects were created using digital synthesizers, non-acoustic recordings were used as well. The wormhole's sucking sounds were created by slowing down and reversing old Paramount stock footage of a cowboy fight, while the warp acceleration "stretch" sound was built on a slowed-down cymbal crash. [123] The crew encountered difficulty in transferring the Template:Convert tapes used for creating the sounds to the 35 mm film used for the final prints; while the film was to be released with Dolby sound , Serafine found it was easier to mix the sounds without regard to format and add the specific format after, during the later transfer to 35 mm. [124]

According to author Duncan Barrett, Roddenberry had a decidedly negative view of religion that was reflected in the Star Trek television series episodes; in the episode " Who Mourns for Adonais? ", for example, the god Apollo is revealed to be a fraud, an alien rather than a divine being from earth's past. [125] In comparison religious scholar Ross Kraemer says that Roddenberry "pulled his punches" regarding religion and in the television show religion was not absent but highly private. [126] Barrett suggests that with the Star Trek feature films this attitude of not addressing religious issues shifted. [127]

In the television series little time was spent pondering the fate of the dead. In The Motion Picture , meanwhile, Decker is apparently killed in merging with V'ger, but Kirk wonders if they have seen the creation of a new life form. Decker and Ilia are listed as "missing in action" rather than deceased, and the lighting and effects created as a result of the merge have been described as "quasimystical" and "pseudo-religious". [127] [128] The discussion of a new birth is framed in a reverential way. [127] While V'ger is a machine of near omnipotence, according to Robert Asa the film (along with its successor, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) "implicitly protest[s] against classical theism ". [129]

Reception [ ]

Release [ ].

To coincide with the film's release, Pocket Books published a novelization written by Roddenberry. Template:Ref label The only Star Trek novel Roddenberry wrote, the book adds back story and elements that did not appear in the movie; for example, the novelization consistently spells "V'Ger" as Vejur , until Kirk examines the Voyager 6 probe itself near the end of the story, the novelization also mentions that Willard Decker is the son of Commodore Matt Decker from the original series episode " The Doomsday Machine ". This plot element was planned for the Phase II television series. [130] In addition to the novel, Star Trek printed media included a coloring book, comic (published by Marvel ), and ship blueprints. Toys included action figures, ship models, and a variety of watches, phaser mockups and communicators. McDonalds sold specially-designed Star Trek Happy Meals . [131] The marketing was part of a coordinated approach by Paramount and its parent conglomerate Gulf+Western to create a sustained Star Trek product line. [132] The Motion Picture novel started Pocket Books' Star Trek book franchise , which produced 18 consecutive bestsellers within a decade. [133]

Owing to the rush to complete the film, The Motion Picture was never screened before test audiences, something Wise later regretted. The director carried the fresh print of the film to the world premiere, [119] held at the K-B Mac Arthur Theater in Washington, D.C. Roddenberry, Wise, and the principal cast attended the function, which also served as an invitational benefit for the scholarship and youth education fund of the National Space Club. [134] While thousands of fans were expected to attend, [134] rain reduced fan turnout to around 300. [135] The premiere was followed by a black-tie reception at the National Air and Space Museum . More than 500 people—consisting of the cast and crew, working members of the space community, and the few "hardcore Trekkies " who could afford the $100 admission price—filled the museum. [136] The film was the first major Hollywood adaptation of a television series that had been off the air for nearly a decade to retain its original principal cast. [137]

The Motion Picture opened in North America on December 7, 1979, in 859 theaters and set a box office record for highest weekend gross, making $11,815,203 in its first weekend (generally considered to be a slow time for the movie business). The film beat the record set by Superman (1978), which had opened in a similar number of theaters but had been released in late December—a busier time. [138] The Motion Picture earned $17 million within a week. [14] At its widest domestic distribution, the film was shown in 1,002 theaters; it grossed $82,258,456 in the United States. [139] Overall, the film grossed $139 million worldwide. [140] The Motion Picture was nominated for three Academy Awards : Best Art Direction ( Harold Michelson , Joseph R. Jennings , Leon Harris , John Vallone and Linda DeScenna ), Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score. [141]

In the United States, The Motion Picture sold the most tickets of any film in the franchise until 2009's Star Trek , [142] but Paramount considered its gross disappointing compared to expectations and marketing. The film's budget had ballooned to $46 million, [143] including costs incurred during Phase II production. [144] The studio faulted Roddenberry's script rewrites and creative direction for the plodding pace and disappointing gross. [143] While the performance of The Motion Picture convinced the studio to back a (cheaper) sequel, Roddenberry was forced out of its creative control. [145] Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer would produce and direct Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan , which received better reviews and continued the franchise. [146] With the successful revival of the Star Trek brand on the big screen setting an example, Hollywood increasingly turned to 1960s television series for material. [137]

Critical response [ ]

The Motion Picture met with disappointing reviews from critics; [147] a 2001 retrospective for the BBC described the film as a critical failure. [148] Gary Arnold and Judith Martin of The Washington Post felt that the plot was too thin to support the length of the film, although Martin felt that compared to similar films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey , Star Wars , and Alien , The Motion Picture Template:'s pretense was "slightly cleverer". [149] Time Template:'s Harold Livingston wrote that the film consisted of spaceships that "take an unconscionable amount of time to get anywhere, and nothing of dramatic or human interest happens along the way". Livingston also lamented the lack of "boldly characterized" antagonists and battle scenes that made Star Wars fun; instead, viewers were presented with lots of talk, "much of it in impenetrable spaceflight jargon". [150] David Denby said that the slow movement of ships through space was "no longer surprising and elegant" after films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey , and that much of the action consisted of the crew's reacting to things occurring on the viewscreen, which the New York Magazine critic considered to be "like watching someone else watch television". [151] Variety disagreed, calling the film "a search-and-destroy thriller that includes all of the ingredients the TV show's fans thrive on: the philosophical dilemma wrapped in a scenario of mind control, troubles with the space ship, the dependable and understanding Kirk, the ever-logical Spock, and suspenseful take with twist ending". [152]

The characters and acting received a mixed reception. Stephen Godfrey of The Globe and Mail rated their performances highly: "time has cemented Leonard Nimoy's look of inscrutability as Mr. Spock [...] DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy is as feisty as ever, and James Doohan as Scotty still splutters about his engineering woes. At a basic level, their exchanges are those of an odd assortment of grumpy, middle-aged men bickering about office politics. They are a relief from the stars, and a delight." Godfrey's only concern was that the reunion of the old cast threatened to make casual viewers who had never seen Star Trek feel like uninvited guests. [153] Martin considered the characters more likable than those in comparable science fiction films. [149] Conversely, Arnold felt that the acting of the main cast (Shatner in particular) was poor; "Shatner portrays Kirk as such a supercilious old twit that one rather wishes he'd been left behind that desk", he wrote. "Shatner has perhaps the least impressive movie physique since Rod Steiger, and his acting style has begun to recall the worst of Richard Burton." [154] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the actors did not have much to do in the effects-driven film, and were "limited to the exchanging of meaningful glances or staring intently at television monitors, usually in disbelief". [155] Stephen Collins and Persis Khambatta were more favorably received. Gene Siskel felt the film "teeter[ed] towards being a crashing bore" whenever Khambatta was not on screen, [14] and Jack Kroll of Newsweek felt that she had the most memorable entrance in the film. [156] "[Khambatta] is sympathetic enough to make one hope she'll have a chance to show less skin and more hair in future films", Godfrey wrote. [153]

Many critics felt that the special effects overshadowed other elements of the film. Canby stated that the film "owes more to [Trumbull, Dykstra and Michelson] than it does to the director, the writers or even the producer". [155] Livingston felt that Trumbull and Dykstra's work on the film was not as impressive as on Star Wars and Close Encounters due to the limited amount of production time. [150] Godfrey called the effects "stunning", but conceded that they threatened to overpower the story two-thirds of the way into the film. [153] Kroll, Martin, and Arnold agreed that the effects were not able to carry the film or gloss over its other deficiencies; "I'm not sure that Trumbull & Co. have succeeded in pulling the philosophic chestnuts of Roddenberry and his co-writers out of the fire," Arnold wrote. [149] [154] [156]

Later assessments of the film have echoed these criticisms. Rotten Tomatoes reported 54% of 28 selected critics gave the film a positive rating. [157] James Berardinelli , reviewing the film in 1996, felt that the pace dragged and the plot bore too close a resemblance to the original series episode " The Changeling ", but considered the start and end of the film to be strong. [158] Terry Lee Rioux, Kelley's biographer, noted that the film proved "that it was the character-driven play that made all the difference in Star Trek ". [159] The slow pacing, extended reaction shots, and the film's lack of action scenes led fans and critics to give the film a variety of nicknames, including The Slow Motion Picture , [3] The Motion Sickness , [160] and Where Nomad [the probe in "The Changeling"] Has Gone Before . [158]

Home video [ ]

In 1983, an extended cut of the film was released on videotape and premiered on the ABC television network. [161] It added roughly 12 minutes to the film. [119] The added footage was largely unfinished and cobbled together for the network premiere; Wise had never wanted the footage to be included in the final cut of the film. [162]

Two members of Wise's production company, David C. Fein and Michael Matessino, approached Wise and Paramount and persuaded them to release a revised version of the film on video; Paramount released the updated Director's Edition of the film on VHS and DVD in 2001. Wise, who had considered the theatrical presentation of the film a "rough cut", was given the opportunity to re-edit the film to be more consistent with his original vision. The production team used the original script, surviving sequence storyboards, memos, and the director's recollections. In addition to cuts in some sequences, 90 new and redesigned computer-generated images were created. [160] Care was taken that the effects meshed seamlessly with the old footage. [119] The edition runs 136 minutes, about four minutes longer than the original release. [163] Included among the special features are the deleted scenes which had been part of the television cut. [162]

Aside from the effects, the soundtrack was remixed. Ambient noise such as the buzz of bridge controls were added to enhance certain scenes. [160] Goldsmith had always suspected that some overly long cues could be shortened, so he made the cues repetitive. [164] Although no new scenes were added, the MPAA rated the revised edition "PG" in contrast to the "G" rating of the original release. Fein attributed the rating change to the more "intense" sound mix that made scenes such as the central part of V'ger "more menacing". [165]

The Director's Edition was better received by critics than the original theatrical release. The DVD Journal's Mark Bourne said that the Director's Edition showcased "a brisker, more attractive version of the movie" that was "as good as it might have been in 1979. Even better maybe." [166] Complaints included the edition's 2.17:1 aspect ratio , as opposed to the original 2.35:1 Panavision . [119] [167] Jeremy Conrad of IGN felt that despite the changes, the pacing might still be too slow for some viewers. [168]

The film's original theatrical cut was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2009 to coincide with the new Star Trek feature, [169] packaged with the five following features as the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection . [170] The Motion Picture was remastered in 1080p high-definition from the 2000 DVD transfer. The Director's Edition was not released in the high definition format in the new set as the visual effects were rendered at 480i standard definition. [171] All six films in the set have 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. The disc features a new commentary track by Star Trek authors and contributors Michael and Denise Okuda , Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens , and Daren Dochterman . [170]

↑ Koenig, 28.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dillard, 66-71.
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Hughes, 21-26.
↑ Rioux, 230.
↑ Template:Cite news
↑ Koenig, 24.
↑ Nichols, 239.
↑ Template:Cite book
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 4.
↑ Rioux, 231.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 15.
↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Reeves-Stevens, 155-158.
↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Template:Cite journal
↑ Dillard, 62.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 24.
↑ 18.0 18.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 25.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 26–28.
↑ 20.0 20.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 30.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 29.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 31–32.
↑ Dillard, 64.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 33.
↑ Reeves-Stevens (1995), 55.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 40–42.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 47.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 51.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 57.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 64.
↑ 31.0 31.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 66.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 67.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 36.
↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Sackett & Roddenberry, 85.
↑ 35.0 35.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 86.
↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Sackett & Roddenberry, 160.
↑ 37.0 37.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 88.
↑ 38.0 38.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 87.
↑ 39.0 39.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 89–91.
↑ Reeves-Stevens, 164-167.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 92.
↑ 42.0 42.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 93–94.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 95.
↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Reeves-Stevens, 170-173.
↑ Reeves-Stevens, 56.
↑ Tobias, 85.
↑ Tobias, 87.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 207.
↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 Sackett & Roddenberry, 210.
↑ Shay, 63.
↑ 51.0 51.1 Shay, 64.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 145.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 146–147.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 148.
↑ 55.0 55.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 129.
↑ 56.0 56.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 123–125.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 126.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 127–128.
↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 Reeves-Stevens, 178-179.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 130.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 134–137.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 138.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 139.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 140.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 149.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 150.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 153.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 155–156.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 1–3.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 7.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 159.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 185–187.
↑ 74.0 74.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 188–189.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 179–180.
↑ Koenig, 71.
↑ Koenig, 42.
↑ Rioux, 232.
↑ Koenig, 57.
↑ Koenig, 68–70.
↑ 81.0 81.1 81.2 Sackett & Roddenberry, 165.
↑ 82.0 82.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 172–176.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 177.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 161.
↑ Koenig, 84–85.
↑ Koenig, 87.
↑ 87.0 87.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 162.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 163.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 190–192.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 193.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 194.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 196.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 197–198.
↑ Wise, Robert. Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition [Disc 1] . Special features: Commentary.
↑ 95.0 95.1 Sackett & Roddenberry, 202–203.
↑ 96.0 96.1 96.2 Shay, 4.
↑ 98.0 98.1 98.2 98.3 Sackett & Roddenberry, 204–205.
↑ Sackett & Roddenberry, 206.
↑ 100.0 100.1 Shay, 8.
↑ 101.0 101.1 101.2 Sackett & Roddenberry, 211–212.
↑ Shay, 12.
↑ 103.0 103.1 103.2 Shay, 52.
↑ 104.0 104.1 Shay, 55–56.
↑ Shay, 11.
↑ Shay, 59.
↑ Bond, 87.
↑ 110.0 110.1 110.2 110.3 Goldsmith, Jerry. Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition [Disc 2]. Special features: Commentary.
↑ Bond, 88.
↑ Template:Cite video
↑ 117.0 117.1 117.2 Bond, 89.
↑ 118.0 118.1 Bond, 90.
↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 119.3 119.4 Template:Cite news
↑ 121.0 121.1 Serafine, 796.
↑ 122.0 122.1 Serafine, 797.
↑ Serafine, 798–799.
↑ Serafine, 846.
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↑ Kraemer et al, 9.
↑ 127.0 127.1 127.2 Barrett, 144.
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↑ Template:Cite web
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↑ 137.0 137.1 Template:Cite book
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↑ 143.0 143.1 Rioux, 240–241.
↑ 149.0 149.1 149.2 Template:Cite news
↑ 150.0 150.1 Template:Cite news
↑ 153.0 153.1 153.2 Template:Cite news
↑ 154.0 154.1 Template:Cite news
↑ 155.0 155.1 Template:Cite news
↑ 156.0 156.1 Template:Cite news
↑ 158.0 158.1 Template:Cite web
↑ Rioux, 234.
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↑ 170.0 170.1 Template:Cite web
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2 Star Trek 10: Nemesis
3 Ronald D. Moore

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Scotty: The crew hasn't had near enough transition time with all the new equipment. And the engines, they're not even tested at warp power. And an untried captain... Kirk: Two and a half years as Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made me a little stale, but I wouldn't consider myself untried... They gave her back to me, Scotty. Scotty: Gave her back, sir? I doubt it was that easy with Nogura. Kirk: * in Scottish accent * Ye're right.

The one that gave Klingons their trademark forehead ridges.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the first movie in the Star Trek film series, released in 1979.

Eight years after the Cancellation of the original Star Trek series, which had gone on to be Vindicated by Reruns , the blockbuster successes of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind convinced Paramount Pictures to follow up by green-lighting a Sequel Series for the franchise, Star Trek: Phase II , to serve as a backbone of a new fourth major television network, with Trek creator Gene Roddenberry running the new show. However, within a couple of years, and after substantial pre-production had already gone forward on the new series, Paramount ultimately vetoed the idea of starting a new network, fearing major cash drainage.

However, Paramount decided to use the work already put into Phase II to finally make The Movie (Roddenberry and Paramount had tried to get a Trek movie off the ground four years earlier, which fizzled), with noted director Robert Wise (director of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) , West Side Story and The Sound of Music ) at the helm.

As a side note, the general story is nearly identical to the Original Series episode " The Changeling ," note earning it the fan nickname, "Where Nomad Has Gone Before" with elements from " Obsession " and the Animated Series episode " One of Our Planets Is Missing "—and in fact the movie's story was intended to be the pilot of the abandoned Phase II .

The plot sounds simple enough. An unstoppable entity calling itself V'ger is heading towards Earth, destroying all in its path, and the Enterprise is sent out to investigate. The story was originally written to be an hour and a half pilot to Phase II (two hours with commercials), stretched to 2½ hours, most of which involved the bridge crew staring at special effects in awe. This led to the film to receiving several Fan Nicknames based on its quite slow pacing, such as "The Slow Motion Picture" and "The Motionless Picture". Wise's declared intent at the time was to create a 2001: A Space Odyssey for that era, and the equally slow-moving Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a blockbuster. This film's criticized slow pacing was partly the reason towards making an Actionized , Surprisingly Improved Sequel , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

The novelization of the film is noteworthy for two reasons: it is the only prose Star Trek fiction ever written by series creator Gene Roddenberry, and it contains a footnote explicitly addressing rumors that Kirk and Spock were lovers (it may or may not have cleared that up ).

The movie is also noteworthy for its score, composed by Jerry Goldsmith , who would go on to score four more Trek theatrical films (he had been Roddenberry's first choice to score the original Trek first pilot, " The Cage ", but was unavailable at the time). Goldsmith's main theme would be re-purposed as the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation , and his Klingon themes would be adapted in other Trek film scores and in later Star Trek series.

In 2001, a Director's Cut was released on DVD. It has been trimmed to be slightly faster-paced and includes improved special effects, including a shot that shows the entirety of V'ger. It also revealed that the original film was more of a workprint and Wise was not allowed to trim it to a more reasonable length because executives feared such information would ruin the film's reputation ahead of time, and Wise was so slow at filming the movie that when the prints were delivered for the movie's premiere, they were still wet from last-minute editing. In 2022, a 4K remastered version of the Director's Cut was released on streaming , Blu-ray and a limited theatrical release.

This movie provides examples of:

Activation Sequence : When the refitted Enterprise leaves spacedock. The spacedock lights go dark, things disconnect and get out of the way, there is bridge chatter to report multiple forms of readiness, and in response to Kirk giving the orders for thrusters, Enterprise lights up and starts to move.
Advertising Campaigns : No less than Orson Welles narrated the original trailers and ads for the film.

Alien Geometries : V'ger remains one of the trippiest examples in film, consisting of nothing but bizarre angles and lights.
The production diary has elaborate backstories for many of the bizarre aliens shown at the Federation headquarters. As an interesting subject of what constitutes Canon , almost none of this backstory has featured in later Star Trek productions. One species was even stated as being expert cloners and that the Federation relies on them for cloning soldiers in times of war.
Most of these aliens get fleshed out in the novel Ex Machina , which is set immediately after the movie, incorporating bits of their original descriptions from the production diary. The Saurians, meanwhile, at least get mentioned every time someone pulls out a bottle of "Saurian brandy,'' which was around in the Original Series .
The biggest example are Deltans, the species to which Ilia belongs. If you didn't read the novel, you'd have no idea why Ilia had to take a vow of celibacy, or why she refers to the crew as "sexually immature species" (which is why Sulu and Chekov do an immediate Male Gaze when she enters). According to the book, Deltans use sex as an everyday form of communication. Even the act of greeting someone is a sexual act. Now, bear in mind Decker was stationed on Delta (which is how he met Ilia), so you have to have a new respect for a guy who is unfazed by their society on a daily basis.
It isn't mentioned onscreen, but Willard Decker is the son of Commodore Matt Decker from the TOS episode " The Doomsday Machine ", which somewhat justifies his gung-ho attitude towards giant space threats.
Gene Roddenberry's novelization reveals the identity of the woman killed in the transporter accident as Vice Admiral Lori Ciana and that she was effectively Kirk's girlfriend at the time, with Admiral Nogura partly relying on her to keep Kirk interested in his desk job at Starfleet Headquarters. The movie gives no indication of this.
The Blu-Ray releases include the Library Computer, an interactive database that will appear on screen as the movie plays offering entries on characters, ships, places, etc. with additional information on them.
Ancient Astronauts : The novelization mentioned that an unknown race of aliens used to have a base on the Moon where they manipulated early humanity.
And the Adventure Continues : It ends with "The Human Adventure is Just Beginning".
Artifact Title : It is no longer 'The' (only) Star Trek Motion Picture.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence : Decker, Ilia, and V'ger.
As You Know : Kind of a variant: Decker explains that Voyager 6 disappeared into "what we used to call a black hole." If they don't call them that any more, why bother using the obsolete terminology? It got worse when the subsequent Trek shows ignored this line and featured several references to black holes. It is possible that certain phenomena observed from Earth were called black holes but were in reality wormholes , which would explain why V'ger wasn't crushed by a singularity.
Attack! Attack... Retreat! Retreat! : When the Klingons first encounter V'ger, they go Leeroy Jenkins and fire photon torpedoes at it . When that fails and V'ger starts blasting them, they beat a hasty (yet futile) retreat.
Author Appeal : Robert E. Wise is familiar with intellectual sci-fi flicks with overt religious overtones.
Avoid the Dreaded G Rating : The original version was rated G (and regraded to "Not Rated" on packaging of the recent DVD/Blu-Ray release), even with one truly frightening moment and frank sexual discussion. The Director's Cut was re-rated PG because the sound mixing was more "intense" and "menacing."
Back in the Saddle : Deconstructed . Kirk has been captaining a desk for several years, in which time he's spent very little time in space, meaning his instincts are rusty. In addition, Enterprise has just completed a massive refit in which she's effectively been entirely rebuilt, meaning she's not the ship he knew before. Commander Decker, who was in command of Enterprise through her refit period, is much more familiar with the ship and, in Kirk's own words, "nursemaids" him through the mission, helping them narrowly avoid destruction due to Kirk's unfamiliarity with the ship's new design and associated teething problems.
Big "NO!" : Decker during the wormhole scene, though this is partially due to the wormhole slowing down time for the ship.
Not clearly seen, but the transporter malfunction apparently results in this. Transporter Operator: Enterprise , what we got back didn't live long... fortunately.
The novelization suggests that Sonak and the other crewmember (Vice Admiral Lori Ciana) were rematerialized with their internal organs outside their bodies.
Bookends : The traveling pass over the Klingon vessel in the beginning of the film and the traveling pass under the Enterprise at the end.
Broken Pedestal : One of the reasons Decker is angry with Kirk replacing him as captain is because Kirk personally recommended him for the position beforehand.
Celebrity Paradox : A rare nonhuman example is Played With in that the real life Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after the fictional starship Enterprise , but in-universe the Enterprise space shuttle is shown as a precursor and namesake to the starship.
Closest Thing We Got : Decker is made Science Officer after Sonak's death, since no one else with the right qualifications is familiar with the Enterprise redesign. Spock shows up to resolve that issue later on.
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience : It isn't as apparent as with other Starfleet uniforms, but each division is differentiated by the color surrounding the assignment patch: white for command, orange for sciences, green for medical, red for engineering (just like TOS), pale gold for operations, and gray for security.
Comic-Book Adaptation : Marvel Comics published a mini-series adaptation of the film, which was followed by short-lived series chronicling what happened after the movie. Meanwhile, McDonald's featured a serialized comic strip adaptation of the film on the boxes of its first-ever Happy Meals, released as promotional tie-ins with the film.
Commander Contrarian : Decker. Justified early on; Decker does know the refit Enterprise better than Kirk at that point. Overriding an order from Kirk even saves the ship from being destroyed by an asteroid. Later on, however, he continues to advocate actions which are obstructive or downright contrary to their mission, even recommending firing on V'ger to escape its tractor beam. Decker justifies this with his claim that giving the captain alternatives is the duty of an executive officer, a point which Kirk reluctantly agrees is true. This does nothing to alleviate the hostility between the two.
Computers Are Fast : The reason V'ger keeps destroying all the ships it encounters is because its greeting message is transmitted in mere milliseconds, under the assumption that the ships are fellow mechanical lifeforms and will thus be able to understand and communicate at the same rate of speed. Normal lifeforms don't even realize they've been contacted, and thus V'ger doesn't perceive them as intelligent. Spock's telepathy allows him to sense that a message was sent, thereby allowing him to deduce its nature and respond in kind.
Continuity Nod : Various supporting characters from the original series turn up, with various promotions. Janice Rand has a brief scene attempting to resolve the Teleporter Accident , and Nurse Chapel is now an MD serving aboard Enterprise .
Cool Starship : This movie introduces the Klingon K't'inga -class battlecruiser — essentially a more powerful version of the familiar D7 design from the series — in the opening scene, as well as showcasing the redesigned Enterprise .
Costume Evolution : The uniforms were famously changed from the red, gold and blue tunics with black pants in the show into varying pastel shades of tan, grey, khaki and white, along with pants that merged straight into the shoes. The sheer variety of uniforms is interesting, as Kirk himself seems to change outfits every other scene. Behind-the-scenes, the convoluted engineering of the uniforms made the actors hesitant to sign on to another movie unless those were changed, and only the white engineering jumpsuits progressed to later films with some alterations.
Critical Staffing Shortage : After Sonak dies in a Teleporter Accident , Kirk asks Decker to find him another Science Officer, Vulcan if possible. Decker informs him that Sonak happened to be the only Vulcan science officer available, and the last qualified applicant on the planet (in the sense that no one else is familiar with the Enterprise redesign). Kirk's response is to have Decker double up as first officer and science officer, since they're on a tight schedule.
Curb-Stomp Battle : The battle at the beginning of the movie between three Klingon battlecruisers and V'ger. Poor Klingons never had a chance.
Darker and Edgier : This film takes a more serious tone than the original series.
Deconstruction : Of the original series, showing how, even in the 23rd century and despite all the advancements in science and technology, space exploration is still a dangerous business.
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life : Spock theorizes that this is what V'ger is actually trying to do. Spock: Each of us, at some time in our lives, turns to someone — a father, a brother, a God — and asks, "Why am I here? What was I meant to be?"
Disintegrator Ray : V'ger's main weapon digitizes whatever it hits, storing an exact duplicate in its databanks. Three Klingon ships and the Federation monitoring outpost fall victim to it. Ilia is vaporized by a scaled down version used by V'ger's probe.
Does This Remind You of Anything? : Spock, in his own words, "penetrates" an "orifice" to get into V'ger's inner chamber, then passes through a large structure that looks like a vagina on its side, touches a pink, pulsating sensor to make intimate contact with V'ger, is overwhelmed with stimulation then finally passes out from exhaustion and wakes up alone in a bed...in a G-rated movie!
Dress-O-Matic : The V'ger probe in Lt. Ilia's form appears in the sonic shower in her quarters apparently completely naked. Kirk pushes a few buttons on the shower controls to somehow put an outfit onto it before it steps out of the shower.
Sonak and another crew member suffer a hideous death at the hands of a malfunctioning transporter. Kirk's response is a flat, affectless 'Oh my God.' without a change of expression. Albeit justified in the fact that over the 5 years Kirk spent exploring aboard the Enterprise, he’s seen a LOT weirder things happen.
Kirk, Bones and Decker standing on the Enterprise saucer without spacesuits. It was a tense situation but you’d think somebody would have looked around in awe.
Director Robert Wise edited Citizen Kane and spent the forty years after that making masterpieces of cinema. Accordingly, this film feels like it's from an entirely different era when watched alongside Wrath of Khan and the films that came after. Its spectacle-based panorama, "soft" lightning and film stock, '70s sci-fi fashions, methodical pace, and use of an overture all make it feel more like a roadshow historical epic from the '60s than the relatively-modern Khan . Their intent was to imitate 2001: A Space Odyssey , but coming after Star Wars ( A New Hope ) it really felt its age.
This film marks the first appearance of the Klingon language, which consists entirely of one-word sentences.
Earth All Along : Kind of—V'ger turns out to be the (fictional) NASA probe Voyager 6 .
Easily Forgiven : Spock uses his famous neck pinch to disable a lowly Enterprise crew member, steals a thruster suit, then uses the suit to explore the inner depths of V'Ger. After the Enterprise recovers him he does not suffer any consequences for his actions and Kirk tells Doctor McCoy that he needs the recovering Spock back on the bridge as soon as possible.
Enhanced on DVD : Twenty years after the movie debuted, Robert Wise came back and massively overhauled and Re-Cut everything for the DVD release. That included fixing some unfinished special effects, removing some useless scenes and adding some others, sweetening the audio, and most importantly, chopping down the waaaay too long special effects shots. Many fans point to the DVD edition as being far superior to the theatrical release. The Blu-Ray/4K/streaming release of the Director's Edition in 2022 further enhanced the effects (old and new), color timing, and sound mix to modern standards.
Epiphany Therapy : After Spock's mind meld with V'ger, he becomes much more relaxed in his acknowledgement of his emotions, and he retains this personality through all of Nimoy's portrayals of him in the rest of the franchise.
Epic Launch Sequence : Okay, more like an "epic re -launch sequence", as it's the launching of the freshly re-fitted Enterprise . Also a meta example, as it represents the relaunching of the Star Trek franchise itself.
Everything Trying to Kill You : Actual deaths in this movie consist of the crews of three Klingon ships getting vaporized for shooting torpedoes at the approaching V'ger; Commander Sonak and another officer, who die horribly on their commute in to work; the crew of the Federation's Epsilon 9 station, who were only in V'ger's way; and Ilia, who is vaporized by a scan . Earth is nearly destroyed by a probe they themselves had sent out centuries ago that was looking for its mommy.
When V'ger's first shot hits the shields, the ship suffers no damage save for an electrical surge going right to poor Chekov's console and giving him some nasty burns. The electrical surge looked like it was V'ger's weapon itself, partially getting past the shields.
During the transporter accident, a console in engineering responsible for that system goes haywire and spits out sparks, as they hadn't finished repairing it.
Averted when Spock smashes his computer console while the V'ger is messing with it. Spock breaks the keys and nothing else, though the probe starts shocking him in retaliation.
Expospeak Gag : McCoy describes his Mandatory Unretirement in this manner.
Familial Chiding : Kirk has just taken control of the ship on authorization from Starfleet Command, and is trying to rush a newly refit Enterprise to meet V'Ger before it arrives in the Solar System. When Scotty tries to tell him the warp drive needs further simulations, Kirk gets short with him. McCoy chides him for it. McCoy : Jim, you're pushing. Your people know their jobs.
Fanservice : A mechanical example; the long, long pass around the Enterprise in spacedock is her very first appearance on the big screen, and Trekkers got a good look at the gorgeous lady.
Fanservice Extra : The background characters at Starfleet Command include some personnel (of both genders) in very short skirts and skimpy tops.
Fashion-Based Relationship Cue : The novelization reveals that in Deltan society, headbands such as the one Decker puts on the Ilia probe mean the wearer is in a marriage-like relationship.
Flawed Prototype : The Enterprise . The ship was gutted from head to toe and outfitted with brand new equipment. However, the ship still needed time to finish installing the equipment and do a proper shakedown cruise when V'ger decided to show up. The Enterprise 's first attempt at warp ends up creating a wormhole that sucks up an asteroid and are forced to use photon torpedoes when the phasers are off-line due to being connected to the screwed up warp core. It isn't until Spock returns that the ship is in working order.
As the yet-unidentified cloud approaches the Epsilon IX station, one of the background voices reports "Receiving an odd pattern now..."
Spock describes V'ger's homeworld as "a planet populated by living machines with unbelievable technology." 10 years later , came the Borg... (See also Leitmotif for a possible connection between V'ger and that race.)
Four Star Bad Ass : Kirk. To quote Uhura: "[Their chances] of coming home from this mission in one piece may have just doubled."
FTL Test Blunder : The USS Enterprise has just undergone an 18-month long refit, updating and improving most of her systems. But they haven't ironed out all of the bugs yet, including the warp drive. The new engines aren't properly calibrated, and Kirk orders that they employ the new warp drive while still in the solar system. The imbalance in the engines creates a wormhole that shorts out their subspace communications and has an asteroid trapped with them heading straight for the ship with deflectors and shields disabled. A photon torpedo destroys the asteroid, and the use of animatter in the torpedoes warhead destabilizes the wormhole, freeing the Enterprise . Scotty warns that it will happen again if they don't finish calibrating the engines.
Funny Background Event : Decker trying not to laugh his ass off at Sulu's clumsy interactions with Ilia. He's aware of the affect Deltan females have on males (especially human males), but it doesn't make it any less funny to watch Sulu act like an awkward teenager with a crush.
Futile Control Fiddling : The transporter suffers a serious malfunction just as two people begin to beam aboard from Starfleet Command in San Francisco. Kirk takes over the controls from Janice Rand, fidgeting with the controls along with Scotty and calling to Starfleet, "Starfleet, boost your matter gain, we need more signal!" Unfortunately, the patterns begin to degrade and they begin to materialize, before being returned to Starfleet Command. Kirk somberly asks Starfleet if they retrieved the crew who were in the beam. The reply is an equally somber " Enterprise , what we got back didn't live long...fortunately."
Future Spandex : The movie has this in spades. The main cast threatened to quit if they didn't get rid of them, seeing how not everyone looked good in them. Plus, the spandex costumes were hard to get into and out of, requiring the help of assistants every time the actors needed to use the bathroom, hence the uniform change in the rest of the Star Trek movies.
Grew Beyond Their Programming : V'ger started out as a simple probe. The machine race that found it hooked it up to a giant starship so it could do a better job. After traversing the entire universe, all that knowledge allowed V'ger to gain consciousness and redefine its own mission.
Hated Item Makeover : As the old hands become reacquainted with the rebuilt and refitted Enterprise , Doctor Leonard McCoy declares that he'll go down to the ship's sick bay with a certain dread. "I know engineers," he forebodes, "they just love to change things." Sure enough, his report to Admiral Kirk is: "It's like working in a damned computer center."
In the theatrical cut, Uhura has one after seeing the Federation outpost taken by V'ger, forcing Kirk to repeat his order, "Viewer off!"
Chief Rand enters one during the transporter malfunction.
High-Tech Hexagons : All over the place—the Klingon ships' tactical displays, the light gantries in Spacedock, the Federation scanning outpost, and the steps Kirk and company walk over to reach V'ger near the film's end.
Ignoring by Singing : In order to keep from receiving the final sequence, and disprove its assertion that "carbon units" are not true life forms, V-Ger burns its receiving antenna leads to prevent "hearing" the final sequence.
In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face : Spock has an (untethered!) spacewalk scene using thrusters, and Kirk has a much shorter spacewalk to catch Spock when he comes flying back. You can see both their faces, though slightly obscured.
Instant A.I.: Just Add Water! : Kirk surmises that V'ger "amassed so much data it achieved ... consciousness itself!"
Jerkass Has a Point : Decker isn't really a jerk at all, in fact he has a very good reason to be pissed at Kirk, but a lot of his arguments as to why Kirk is unfit to command the Enterprise are justified and in the best interest of the ship, not due to personal resentment. McCoy even realizes this and tells Kirk so.
Jetpack : Sort of. To get a closer look at V'ger's nerve center, Spock steals a "thruster suit"—a space suit with a rather impressive thruster pack attached. This is implied to be an emergency escape system, and during the destruction of Epsilon 9 someone can briefly be seen attempting to use one in this manner. What else you could plausibly do with a rocket booster that has only a single, fixed duration burn in it attached to your spacesuit is somewhat difficult to imagine.
The Juggernaut : V'ger's technology is completely beyond anything the Federation or any other race is capable of handling. The top-of-the-line Enterprise could survive exactly one hit from V'ger's weapons, and V'ger just fired again before they talked it down.
Jurisdiction Friction : Admiral Kirk is back on the Enterprise , but he occasionally finds himself at odds with the ship's commander, Captain Decker. At one point, Decker countermands one of Kirk's orders during a crisis, and ends up saving the ship from destruction as a result.
Just a Machine : Played with. Decker initially dismisses Ilia-bot as the thing that killed Ilia. However, he starts falling in love with Ilia-bot, causing McCoy to harshly remind him, "Commander... this is a mechanism ." By the film's end, Ilia-bot is basically V'ger in humanoid form.
Kicked Upstairs : Admiral Kirk, before the movie begins. Ironically, Gene Roddenberry infamously got kicked upstairs as well because of the film's disappointing critical reception.
Lampshade Hanging : McCoy remarks that he expects the entire sickbay has been redesigned , because engineers just love making changes, in reference to the movie's Enterprise being substantially redesigned compared to the original series's version.
One notes that the film's plot is pretty much the (never filmed until now) pilot for Star Trek: Phase Two so yes it it did start out as a 46-minute story.

The Klingon theme that would echo in later movies and TV shows, and a love theme that plays during Decker/Ilia and Kirk/Enterprise scenes.
In Star Trek: First Contact , also scored by Jerry Goldsmith, the Borg's leitmotif is very similar to V'ger's leitmotif from this movie, perhaps lending credence to the popular fan theory that the "planet of machines" was the Borg homeworld. This is also somewhat supported by Spock, who has been telepathically receiving some thoughts from V'ger, saying that " Any show of resistance would be futile, Captain. "
A slower mix of the main theme from Star Trek: The Original Series plays when Kirk is delivering his Captain's Log.
Let No Crisis Go to Waste : Kirk uses V'ger's imminent approach to get Starfleet to assign him command of the Enterprise , which is currently the only ship in interception range, and he has no intention of giving it back once the crisis has passed. McCoy even lampshades this when dressing down Kirk for his hostility towards Decker.
Living Emotional Crutch : One gone would be bad enough, but the novel and movie establish that not having Spock, Bones or the Enterprise would leave Kirk an Empty Shell of a man.
Machine Monotone : Probe Ilia speaks in mostly monotone, though she's occasionally demanding when she gets tired of activities which have no purpose to her mission. Her softer tone towards Decker indicates that the real Ilia still exists within her.
Magical Security Cam : When the Klingon ships are discombobulated by V'ger, a Starfleet observatory is watching through a sensor probe, which is reasonable enough. Later on, said observatory sends a direct broadcast to the Enterprise , and the live feed continues well after it gets zapped.
Male Gaze : When Ilia reports for duty, Chekhov and Sulu snap fixed, amorous gazes as if to say, "Hot damn ! A Deltan!" They even act like buffoons around her at first. Decker (who is well aware of the power Deltan women have on sexually immature Terran males) is trying not to crack up in the background.
Mandatory Unretirement : McCoy . Kirk: Well, for a man who swore he'd never return to Starfleet— Bones: Just a moment, Captain, sir. I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little-known, seldom-used 'reserve activation clause'. In simpler language, Captain, they drafted me!
Manly Tears : Spock weeps for V'ger.
Mega-Maw Maneuver : Done from the other side here. After Enterprise has taken position behind V'ger, V'ger uses a tractor beam to draw them into a hatch on that side, closing it behind them.
Mile-Long Ship : The main body of V'ger is 48 miles long according to Deleted Scenes and the novelization.
Mood Whiplash : Less than ten minutes after the horrifying transporter accident, Bones' usual reluctance to use the transporter is played for its usual laughs. Even worse, the crewman that beamed up before Bones quoted him as saying he first wanted to see how it scrambled their molecules.
The Movie : Or rather, The Motion Picture , because we're classy, dammit. note With no less than Orson Welles narrating the original trailers.
My God, What Have I Done? : Though she doesn't say anything, the look on Rand's face all throughout the transporter accident scene clearly says this. Thankfully, Kirk reassures her that it isn't her fault.
My Skull Runneth Over : Spock tries to mind-meld with V'ger and nearly fries his brain from the information overload.
Naked on Arrival : Probe Ilia is beamed in sans clothing. V'ger helpfully beams her into a sonic shower so she isn't strutting around in the buff, and the shower comes with some kind of instant clothing button that puts her in a spacey bathrobe. The Ilia probe was very hot — in the temperature sense (and, sure, the other one too) — when it arrived, the sonic shower was to cool it down. Though how a sonic shower would do so (or why it's called a "sonic" shower when you can clearly see water on Ilia's skin) is another question.
Never Found the Body : At the end, Kirk doesn't want to declare to Starfleet that Ilia and Decker are casualties. "List... list them as 'missing'."
No OSHA Compliance : The Enterprise transporter is both powered and in active state while Scotty is busying repairing the system, so when Starfleet ignorantly beams over Sonak and a second person, it immediately goes haywire and mangles the poor bastards. If Starfleet had properly relayed the memo about the transporters or Scotty had secured the system while he was operating on it, the accident would never have happened.
The battle between the three Klingon ships and V'ger is completely one-sided, with the former firing three photon torpedoes into the latter that simply vanish, and a last-ditch photon into V'ger's digitizer ball that does nothing to slow their demise.
Downplayed with V'ger's first attack on the Enterprise . The same attack that wiped out three Klingon battle cruisers at the beginning of the movie with one shot each is largely dissipated by the shields, and what little residual energy gets through only lights up the warp core for a bit and fries poor Chekov's hands. However, Scotty immediately notes that shields were depleted by 70% with just one attack, so the next shot will definitely kill them.
Nothing Is Scarier : All you see of the transporter accident is a woman screaming mid-transport, their outlines slowly melting, and just when her screams get loudest, the beam vanishes, and you get the aforementioned Body Horror line. Brrrrrr...
Obliviously Evil : V'ger kills the crews of three Klingon ships, everyone on the Epsilon IX station, Ilia, and nearly the population of Earth. There is no malice in its actions; it simply doesn't understand that what it's doing is wrong, as it doesn't realize that "carbon-based units" are alive. From its point of view, all it's doing is gathering information as efficiently as possible (and removing inconvenient obstacles to its objective).
A fairly subdued one from a Starfleet officer after observing the results of the engagement between V'ger and the Klingon cruisers: Lieutenant : We've plotted a course on that cloud, Commander. It will pass into Federation space fairly close to us. Commander Branch: Heading? Lieutenant: Sir, it's on a precise heading for Earth.
When the transporters malfunction on the Enterprise , Janice Rand lets out a hushed and horrified "Oh no - they're forming ."
The Oh, Crap! continues when Kirk and Scotty realize Starfleet finally got Sonak and Ciana back...just not in one piece.
Ominous Clouds : The film opens with a massive cloud in space passing through Klingon Space heading directly to Earth. The cloud is already impressive and foreboding on its own. But then it is able to easily dispatch three Klingon Battle Cruisers. And then we're told it is on a heading directly towards Earth, and we later learn that it is over 2 AUs note Astronomical Units, the distance between Earth and the Sun, 2 AUs would equal over 185 million miles. in diameter.
Ominous Pipe Organ : Can be heard while the Enterprise is inside V'ger.
The Only One : The Enterprise is the only starship available to confront V'ger. Keep in mind that "interception range" means "from Earth to the Klingon border ," an empire with which, at the time, relations were at best frosty.
It isn't obvious at first, but both Kirk and Spock are wildly out of character for most of the film, and only McCoy can see it in both of them. Kirk is being a Pointy-Haired Boss towards Decker, and Spock's Kolinahr training has left him with No Social Skills , while the telepathic emanations he received from V'ger make him willing to become a Military Maverick to uncover its secrets. It's not till the closing scene that the banter between the three heroes becomes what fans were used to on the show.
When Spock recovers from his Mind Meld with V'Ger, the first sign that he has regained consciousness is the sound of him laughing softly. Kirk and McCoy are thunderstruck, and Spock, sounding like his old self for the first time, says that he can't help but see the joke : V'Ger has achieved Kolinahr - flawless logic and ultimate knowledge - but doing so has only made it realize how empty it is, and the emotions that Spock was trying so hard to deny actually make him a more enlightened being than V'Ger.
A warp malfunction pitches the Enterprise into an unstable wormhole, within which is an asteroid they have to blow up before a messy collision.
A different kind of wormhole ("what they used to call a 'black hole'") is what landed Voyager 6 on the far end of the galaxy.
Permission to Speak Freely : Decker is outright hostile towards Kirk in plain view of their subordinates, and even more so in private. Kirk looks as though he wants to punch him in the face numerous times, but lets it go as he needs him to guide his command of a ship he no longer recognizes. Notably, when they're in private and Decker invokes this trope directly, Decker does it correctly; he keeps his tone respectful and his comments on point. McCoy ends up taking Decker's side after Decker leaves.
Pilot Episode : As mentioned above, the script was written as the pilot episode to a new television series, and was hastily being rewritten after filming had already started (hence the addition of Spectacle ). In fact, if you watch it with this in mind, you might spot that the finished product still hits many of the beats required of most television pilots, such as introducing the characters, and relaunching the ship, elements which weren't strictly necessary for the story that's being told here, but which make perfect sense in context of setting up the format for a new television show. This is also the explanation for the main flaw of this film: It's a 2+ hour theatrical movie with only about 45 minutes worth of story in it.
Planet Spaceship : Downplayed. If one includes the concealing cloud (2 AU, twice the distance from Earth to the sun), then V'ger dwarfs a fair portion of the entire solar system. V'ger itself, however, is indicated to be a merely 48 miles long, which still dwarfs pretty much every ship known to the Federation but is miniscule in astronomical terms.
Plot-Driven Breakdown : The transporter accident that kills Commander Sonak creates a competence gap in the science crew that Spock can then fill.
The Power of Love : It causes Decker, Probe Ilia, and V'ger to Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence .
Putting the Band Back Together : Kirk drafts McCoy for this reason, and Sonak is a Replacement Goldfish for Spock until the transporter knocks him out of the picture and the actual Spock shows up.
Rank Up : Since end of the Enterprise 's five-year mission depicted in the original TV series, Kirk has been promoted from Captain to Admiral, Scotty has been promoted from Lt. Commander to full Commander, Sulu and Uhura have been promoted from Lieutenant to Lt. Commander, and Chekov has been promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant. Neither Spock nor McCoy were promoted because both left Starfleet after the end of the five-year mission.
Sonak was killed in the transporter accident because he was intended to be in the film as Spock's replacement, but Leonard Nimoy agreed to come back late in pre-production, forcing them to add his introduction largely separate from everyone else. The full production history gets even more interesting, the replacement Vulcan science officer in the Phase II series was to be Xon and played by David Gautreaux , who was recast in a minor role as the Epsilon IX commander.
Played straight with Ilia. The V'ger probe is interrupted by Spock, who it then zaps in retaliation. Decker then tries to help Spock, and is also zapped. Then it outright vaporizes Ilia, who did absolutely nothing to provoke it. The probe would have also killed a security officer prior to her, but they cut his death to give Ilia's more dramatic weight.
Originally, they planned to kill Chekov . Thankfully for the sake of the sequels they didn't know they would be making, it was decided that it would be more dramatic if Kirk listed Decker and Ilia as the only casualties at the end.
Not wearing red shirts didn't seem help the Klingons, the two crew members horribly mangled by the transporters, or the crew of the Epsilon IX station.
The crewman who Spock neck-pinches before stealing a thruster suit has a reddish-brown uniform, the closest we see to an actual red shirt. He survives the movie.
Replacement Goldfish : In the beginning of the film, Kirk is quite insistent upon getting a Vulcan science officer, even after Sonak dies via malfunctioning transporter. He is obviously trying to replace the now-absent Spock.
The Resenter : Captain Decker is not at all happy that Kirk's hijacking his command after he just spent the last year and a half overseeing the Enterprise 's refit. However when Kirk chews Decker out over it, McCoy sides with Decker, saying that Kirk is the resentful one because Decker has the one thing Kirk wants—permanent command of the Enterprise .
Ridiculously Human Robots : Probe Ilia is a perfect mechanical reproduction of the real Ilia, down to the smallest bodily functions. In fact, this is the chink in the probe's armor, as it were: Ilia's memories and feelings (mostly for Decker) have been reproduced "with equal precision." Kirk: They had a pattern to follow. Spock: They may have followed it too closely.
Robot Girl : Probe Ilia. And intentionally or not, she strongly resembles the Machine!Maria from Metropolis .
Rubber-Forehead Aliens : The Klingons appear with forehead ridges for the first time ever. Though here, they share the same sort, whereas later Trek installments would show different varieties of ridges amongst Klingons.
Scifi Writers Have No Sense Of Scale : V'ger is originally classified as being over 82 AUs in diameter, which would make it the size of the entire solar system. It's brought down to 2 AUs in the DVD release, which would make the cloud the entire size of Earth's orbit around the sun, which is still quite massive but far more reasonable to hide a ship which, at best, can't be much larger than a planet.
Scenery Porn : The effects budget was huge, and they made sure to put all of it onscreen. Pacing suffered noticeably as a result.
Scotty Time : One thing that gets inherited from the series. Scotty: Admiral, we have just spent 18 months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise . How in the name of hell do they expect me to have her ready in 12 hours? She needs more work, sir! A shakedown!
Sex Goddess : Ilia, although she'd never take advantage of a sexually immature race, as Commander Decker can tell you. Hilariously, one of the first things Ilia tells Kirk after reporting for duty is that her oath of celibacy is on record. As noted in All There in the Manual , Deltans have sex as an everyday part of life; even communicating is a sexual act — so it makes sense that Starfleet wouldn't want to make saying "hello" awkward for non-Deltans.
Shaped Like Itself : The crew's attempts to learn about V'ger are stymied by that fact that it will only describe itself as seeking its creator, and said creator is simply that which created V'ger. Ilia later reveals that V'ger isn't being obtuse here; it literally doesn't know how to describe itself or its creator. It's not until the climax that they get enough leverage to make V'ger reveal itself to them, thus allowing them to figure out why an incredibly powerful "living machine" thinks someone or something on Earth created it.
Both the much-beloved fly-by tour of the new Enterprise and some of the music cues recall strongly elements of Robert Wise 's The Hindenburg (1975) .
The POV shots of the Enterprise traveling through the cloud and flying over the incomprehensibly alien design of V'ger's surface, and Spock's journey into V'ger's memory core, are strongly inspired by the "Star Gate" sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey .
Signs of Disrepair : V oya ger 6 , which is how the antagonist got its name.
Single Tear : Spock, of all people, sheds one for V'ger. "I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother."
Space Clothes : And man, did the cast hate them. See the Tropes for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan for more.
Space Opera : Heavily influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey , the first movie is very different in tone from the rest.
Space Suits Are SCUBA Gear : Averted. Both Spock's and Kirk's space suit air systems were contained within a backpack type suit which fed directly to the helmet.
Staggered Zoom : Out from the viewscreen when V'ger's plasma probe approaches, before it appears on the bridge.
Stock Scream : We hear a Wilhelm Scream during V'ger's initial attack on the Enterprise.
It will get more focus in the next one , but Kirk's mid-life crisis (and he was already feeling his age in the original ) starts here, carrying on until Star Trek: Generations .
This also is the start of Spock realising that having emotions (and showing love for your friends) is a good thing actually, with some stops and starts along the way.
Admiral Kirk responds to the incoming V'ger threat by using his clout to reassume command of the Enterprise . Unfortunately, he's been out of the Big Chair for over two years, and that chair is on The Bridge of a thoroughly redesigned Enterprise . As a result, he nearly gets the ship destroyed before they've even left the Sol System.
In addition, Kirk reclaiming command of the Enterprise means taking the big chair away from his hand-picked successor. This naturally leads to plenty of resentment that undermines their professional relationship.
Taking You with Me : Kirk orders Scotty to prepare the ship's self-destruct (or more precisely, detonating the warp core as a matter/antimatter bomb), to be carried out on his command, in case their attempt to disable V'ger from its central core fails.
Technology Porn : Along with the introductory flyby of the ship in dry dock, there's a few loving shots of the Enterprise's awesome-looking warp core.
Teleporter Accident : Sonak and another crew member are mangled by a malfunctioning transporter as the Enterprise is preparing to leave. And yet, mere minutes later in screen time (and mere hours in-universe), McCoy is still treated as irrational for not liking them.
Too Dumb to Live : The Klingons are confronted with an absolutely gigantic cloud/ship/thing traveling at warp speed through their space, something several AU in diameter. It's seemingly just minding its own business and on a course to cross into Federation space in a few days. But the Klingons decide that the best move ... is to fire a handful of torpedoes into it. With predictable results.
Too Strange to Show : What Decker, Ilia, and V'Ger become, since they disappear from our universe entirely.
Typeset in the Future : During the Original Series , the exterior markings on Federation spacecraft were set in the standard typeface used by the U.S. Air Force. Beginning with this movie, the typeface was changed to Eurostile Bold Extended.
Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway : Enterprise has just gone through an 18-month refit and pretty much the entire ship has been rebuilt. They haven't even gotten to engine tests yet. Kirk orders it pressed into service anyway, because the more time they have to 'meet' it, the more time they have to figure things out. A Surprisingly Realistic Outcome happens when the warp engines glitch out the first time they're used, nearly getting the ship destroyed.
Vow of Celibacy : Lieutenant Ilia randomly informs Kirk when she comes aboard that she has one. Expanded on in the novelization.
We Hardly Knew Ye : Sonak, Spock's Replacement Goldfish dies before getting much screentime or characterization.
We Want Our Jerk Back! : No one at the end seems terribly upset at the departure of Captain Decker, and the return of Kirk to full-time command.
Weapon Running Time : V'ger's plasma-energy bolts travel slowly enough that the Enterprise can see them coming for ten or fifteen seconds —but has no way to divert or stop them and must depend on shields for defense.
What Is This Thing You Call "Love"? : V'ger, via Probe Ilia, falls in love with Decker, but is completely confused with this emotion.
Played for Laughs when Kirk reveals it wasn't Nogura who "drafted" McCoy .
When Decker saves the Enterprise from the wormhole, Kirk attempts to give him one of these for countermanding his orders. Decker ends up throwing him a Shut Up, Kirk! , letting him know that he's going to get the crew killed with his inexperience with the ship's new systems.
After Decker leaves, McCoy takes it even further, ripping Kirk a new one. In the theatrical version, he even makes a thinly-veiled threat to declare Kirk medically unfit for command if Kirk doesn't start listening. After McCoy lets him have it, Kirk does indeed start to listen.

Tropes seen in the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture include:

It's stated in the novelization that Commander Willard Decker is the son of Commodore Matt Decker from the TOS episode " The Doomsday Machine ", and the Enterprise was his big chance to prove he wasn't crazy like his dad. That explains why he's none too pleased with Kirk casually commandeering the Enterprise (or some of his crew grousing about it). Notably, it's a complete inversion of of that episode, with Kirk now the flag officer who commandeers Enterprise from her rightful CO and makes poor command decisions that nearly lead to the ship's destruction.
The novelization also reveals the identity of the female transporter accident victim, as well as why Chekov and Sulu suddenly act strangely around Ilia. (Females of her species can emit pheromones that make males want to mate with them).
Given Shatner's usual tendency to over-emote , dull surprise might actually be a sign that he's profoundly affected by the deaths—indeed, Kirk would have a similar reaction to his son's murder in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
Artifact Title : It's a book, not a movie.
Boldly Coming : Together with Intimate Psychotherapy — Kirk tells Decker to have sex with the Ilia probe in the hopes that it would reawaken Ilia's memories. In Kirk's internal dialogue, he muses that in different circumstances, he would have wanted to do this himself , but he knows Decker is the best man for the job in this case.
Framing Device : The novel directly refers to the events of the original TV series as dramatizations based on the voyages of the Enterprise . So that means Star Trek is seen by its creator as a Show Within a Show . Justifiable since Roddenberry got fed up with being asked why the Klingons looked different from the ones seen in TOS. His answer remained that he always intended for everything, including the Klingons, to look more elaborate and detailed than they did on TV; they just didn't have the money or the technology to realize it. Making the original series an "in universe" dramatization takes care of that question. In terms of the production's looks, we might assume that what is low budget and zeerust to us in the real world is simply a stylistic choice on the part of the "in universe" show's creators.
Male Gaze : But it almost certainly was Ilia — except that there was some sort of a glowing light from the throat.... Kirk found his eyes shifting from the tiny light glow to what seemed impossibly lovely, hard-tipped breasts, which were at this moment swinging around to point directly at him... damn! It had to be Deltan pheromones that were doing this to him! This meant Spock was wrong. She had to be Ilia!
Vow of Celibacy : Ilia's is explained here. Deltans (Ilia's race) are highly sexual and view humans as immature when it comes to sex, and more to the point having sex with a non-Deltan can potentially kill their partner (because it involves a blending of minds as well as bodies). Deltans are compelled to take a vow of celibacy in order to join Starfleet. Just about everything in Deltan society is sexual on some level, even greetings. The issues became apparent when the Deltans killed the first contact team entirely by accident .

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20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek⁠: The Motion Picture (1979)

Deleted scenes, unused scripts, studio politics, and more tidbits about the first Star Trek movie.

More than forty years after its theatrical debut, Star Trek—The Motion Picture remains a divisive installment of the long-running franchise.

Harlan Ellison offered this assessment in 1980: "The saddening reality is simply that it is a dull film: an often boring film, a stultifyingly predictable film, a tragically average film."

Other reviewers have dismissed the movie with less eloquent descriptions than Ellison, calling it “The Slow-Motion Picture,” “The Motionless Picture, “The Motion Sickness,” and “Where Nomad Has Gone Before” (a reference to the original Star Trek episode “The Changeling,” the plot of which bares some resemblance to the film).

However, despite lukewarm reviews and a mixed response from fans, the movie was a box office smash. According to an analysis in Daily Variety, of the 103 million movie tickets purchased at the U.S. box office in December 1979, nearly one in four was for Star Trek—The Motion Picture.

In the years and decades since its initial release, there has also been a reassessment of the film’s merits in some circles. Mark A. Altman, author of many books about the franchise, recently called it “the most cinematic of the Star Trek films.” Bryan Fuller, co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery, has proclaimed it “a flawed masterpiece.” A search for “Star Trek—The Motion Picture Appreciation” will bring up multiple groups and forums online dedicated to the movie, each with thousands of members.

And yet, despite the decades of reviews, criticism, and reassessment (including a recut “Director’s Edition” of the film that was released on DVD in 2001), there are still many things most people don’t know about the making of the first Star Trek movie.

20. A Star Trek Theatrical Release Was Considered As Early As 1965

Following Star Trek’s cancellation in 1969, rumors and hopes of a motion picture or television revival immediately begin swirling, but talk of a theatrical Star Trek release can be traced back much earlier than the fan phenomenon it became in the 1970s.

After NBC rejected the first Star Trek pilot (“The Menagerie”) in 1965, Gene Roddenberry wrote to its star, Jeffrey Hunter, to propose bringing him back for a couple of days to expand the episode to theatrical length:

You will recall I mentioned to you during shooting that I felt there were things more important to both of us than budget. One result of this is we have an enormous investment in a project which can now be recouped in only one of two ways: (1) expansion of current footage via stock and long cutting into an "acceptable" motion picture, or (2) one day or two of shooting an additional action opening which can result in a fast, tightly cut, exciting film release.

An episode of Roddenberry’s previous television series, The Lieutenant, had been released in this manner internationally as “To Kill A Man” in 1964. Indeed, American television episodes were re-edited (sometimes with new footage) into “movies” for shows including Mission: Impossible, Custer, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Disneyland (specifically, Davy Crockett), Ramar of the Jungle, and The Untouchables.

These compilation films were mostly released overseas, but they were sometimes shown in the United States, too. Every actor on Star Trek had a “theatrical rate” built into their contract in case this happened—typically SAG minimum, although actors like William Shatner negotiated for more.

When NBC ordered a second pilot and Hunter decided not to continue with Star Trek, this idea appears to have been abandoned, but it was reconsidered later on. On June 20, 1967, Roddenberry wrote to Robert Coulson (an American science fiction writer and editor of the fanzine Yandro) about renewed possibilities following the sale of Desilu to Gulf+Western (owners of Paramount):

With Desilu now merging with Paramount Pictures there is some talk of releasing ["The Menagerie"] overseas as a motion picture and so it appears there is some chance that we may some day [sic] break even on the unusual costs involved in making two pilots.

In the same letter, Roddenberry offered budgetary aspirations that would be achieved more than forty times over when Star Trek—The Motion Picture was finally realized twelve years later:

All of us here would someday like to have the greater latitude permitted [by a] motion picture. The idea of having a million or more dollars in the budget is terribly appealing. Maybe someday.

Baseless rumors circulated during the run of the television series, too. On May 4, 1967, Science Fiction Times editor James Ashe sent a letter to Roddenberry asking about a rumored Star Trek movie. Apparently, author James Blish had mentioned the possibility at a recent convention, and Ashe wanted to know if the scoop was true. It certainly wouldn’t be the last time a fan queried Roddenberry for news about a Star Trek movie.

Michael is one of the founders of FACT TREK (www.facttrek.com), a project dedicated to untangling 50+ years of mythology about the original Star Trek and its place in TV history. He currently is the Director of Sales and Digital Commerce at Shout! Factory, where he has worked since 2014. From 2013-2018, he ran the popular Star Trek Fact Check blog (www.startrekfactcheck.blogspot.com).

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‘star trek: the motion picture’ fully restored director’s cut trailer released.

Paramount has released a stunning look at the 4K restoration of the 1979 'Star Trek' film.

By James Hibberd

James Hibberd

Writer-at-Large

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Paramount has released a trailer for its long-awaited release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture —The Director’s Edition .

The 1979 Robert Wise film has been given a special effects makeover and an upgrade to 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound.

In 2001, Wise revisited the film to refine the edit and enhance the visual effects. The result was released on DVD in standard definition, but this is the first time the edit been made available in high def. Though Wise passed away in 2005, producer David C. Fein and preservationist Mike Matessino assembled a team of effects experts, led by Daren Dochterman, to spend six months re-creating the original effects in Ultra HD for the new release.

“I couldn’t be prouder and more thrilled to have completed the film in 4K,” said Fein. “Paramount offered unprecedented access to the original elements and exceptional support, and the results are stunning. Utilizing the latest discoveries and innovations of modern film production, the Director’s Edition delivers so much more today than was previously possible. It’s an adventure you’ll never forget!”

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'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' is the most beautiful 'Trek' film, and the least human

Entertainment Geekly's 'Star Trek' series begins with a partial defense of the weird first film

Star Trek turns 50 this year. It is the most important of the great pop culture franchises, maybe, the first realized vision of a cross-platform fictionalized universe. There are long-running narrative ideas that predate Trek ‘s 1966 TV debut, sure: James Bond, Middle-Earth, Godzilla, Spider-Man, Superman, Sherlock Holmes. But the Star Trek half-century is the half-century of fandom, canon, mythology, spin-offs, young faces growing old across sequels and reboots. It is the age that fandom took over the movie industry – or the age of the movie industry co-opting fandom. Consider: The other franchises had to come to Hollywood. Trek started here – to the south, in Culver City, at Desilu Productions, rescued from development oblivion because Lucille Ball had serious sway.

If you want to understand everything fascinating about our movie moment – the push and pull between fans and creators, between beloved actors and the characters who define them, between the executives with all the money and the creators with all the ideas, between the demand for more of what has already worked and the constant need to set off in bold new directions, between the infinite creative possibilities of special effects and the infinite destructive possibilities of special effects – you need to understand Star Trek . It is the miracle of modern entertainment.

Star Trek turns 50 this year. It is the most inessential of the great pop culture franchises, maybe, forever chasing the stylistic advances of younger upstart entertainments, forever entrapped in narrative tropes and hackneyed philosophy, a vision of the future long past. Once progressive in vision, the franchise turned conservative in its desperate curation. In Trek , you see the beginning of the Faustian bargain between fan and executive – between the person who wants more of the same, and the person unwilling to try anything new – that would transform genre storytelling from the fascinating fringe into the vanilla mainstream. In Trek , you see the end of science fiction as a venue for ideas; the never-ending birth of remake culture; you can pinpoint the moment when every movie needed to be an action movie.

If you want to understand everything depressing about our movie moment – how every movie is an advertisement for another movie, how the most expensive films in history have less emotional impact than a middling episode of Better Call Saul , how directors became crossing guards, how actors became spokespeople, why a Pulitzer Prize-winning author is working on the Hasbro Cinematic Universe – you have to understand Star Trek . It is the downward spiral, the totalitarian Mirror Universe. It is modern entertainment’s original sin.

There is no simple way to understand Star Trek . There are high highs and low lows. There is canon and fanon, a general sense that continuity doesn’t matter running alongside a fierce protection of holy canon. There are arguments: Kirk vs Picard, Deep Space Nine vs everything, Voyager was secretly brilliant the whole time, J.J. saved Trek , J.J. ruined Trek .

Best to focus in, I think. On July 22, the 13th Star Trek movie will arrive in theaters. If Star Trek Beyond is awful, it still might not be the worst Star Trek movie. If Beyond is fantastic, it still might not be the best Star Trek movie. Trek cinema is all over the map: Thrilling, boring, experimental, primitive, expensive, shoestring. Maybe Star Trek should only be a TV show. (A new one arrives 2017.) Maybe Star Trek should only be about an Enterprise . Maybe it should just end. Maybe we’re just beginning. Every week from now until Beyond , we’ll look closely at one of the movies, in chronological order from Kirk to Picard to Kirk again. Hopefully, we’ll understand more at the end.

There are some moments in Star Trek: The Motion Picture that are so beautiful – serene, cosmic, passionately alive with the possibility of The Infinite. You want to cry, you don’t know why. There are planetscapes and solaric abstractions and effervescent fugue-core incoherence rippling across electric oceans. The villain in The Motion Picture is one such abstraction: A demi-god vapor-planet of unknown origin and unknowable purpose. It is the first thing we see in the movie, and we never really see it at all.

In the first scene of The Motion Picture , three Klingon ships approach the cloud. In 1979, a Star Trek fan would have recognized the design of the Klingon ships. But things would have also looked different, to that diehard Trek fan. The camera follows the ships move across the stars – the kind of special effect that was practically impossible when Star Trek was on TV.

The Klingons are different, too: more alien, with makeup and forehead prosthetics. The subtext could be understood by a child: Star Trek is now $tar Trek !. And things sound better, too. The Motion Picture opens with the new Star Trek theme by Jerry Goldsmith, one of the greatest and most instantly recognizable musical cues in the last four decades. And the first scene is set to Goldsmith’s Klingon Battle Theme. That track might actually be better than Goldsmith’s theme tune, the way John Williams’ “The Imperial March” is deeper, richer, funnier, more dramatic than the Star Wars main theme.

The Motion Picture needs you to know that it’s a movie, by god. It’s right there in the title: “The Motion Picture,” a phrase connoting something bigger, better, more official , maybe even more pure than all that had come before. (You can feel an implication: Wouldn’t Star Trek be even better on the big screen?)

Today, “The Motion Picture” is a meaningless title. It runs along another outdated idea: That movies are fundamentally better than television. Almost four decades on, TV is more like movies, and movies are more like TV. And – roll with me, please – “motion pictures” stopped being A Thing You Watch and started being Your Life And How You Express Yourself. Your ten-year-old nephew makes motion pictures. Your ten-year-old nephew films from better angles than Robert Wise.

Wise directed The Motion Picture. He is one of perhaps twenty people who you could say saved Star Trek , and he is one of perhaps thirty who you could say almost destroyed Star Trek . (The lists overlap. Gene Roddenberry’s on both, at the top.) But if you allow for some wide wiggle room in your definition of “authorship,” all the best motion pictures in The Motion Picture comes from Douglas Trumbull.

Trumbull was a special-effects guy, worked on some of the most famous sequences in 2001: A Space Odyssey , was just finishing Close Encounters of the Third Kind , would soon craft the neon gritworlds of Blade Runner . An impressive run, and one that maybe Trumbull himself only appreciates as a complimentary prize from fate. In the early ’70s, Trumbull directed Silent Running , a Big Idea space thinker that earned the kind of negative money cult sensations always earn.

Trumbull only agreed to do The Motion Picture out of spite. Paramount was in a jam; he was on contract to them; they needed him; he wanted nothing to do with Paramount ever again. So he agreed to finish the movies’ special effects on a tight turnaround, on the condition that he would never have to work with Paramount again. He worked his team hard – in his own telling, Trumbull wound up in the hospital for two weeks, exhausted. Working alongside onetime protégé John Dykstra (who created some of the most memorable effects in Star Wars ) and much of the Close Encounters team, Trumbull the weirdest and gorgeous and often wildly incongruous visions ever seen in a science fiction movie.

Much of it looks unreal, like this early shot of Planet Vulcan, rendered across matte paintings and smoke effects and the tease of rockform gargantuans. Who knows how this played in 1979, so soon after Star Wars imagined alien planets as real on-location set-ups in Tunisia and Guatemala.

In the best and maybe most despised sequence from The Motion Picture , the Starship Enterprise enters the godcloud, and, for 10 minutes, we see an interior that seems to hold the cosmos. It’s the closest thing to a tesseract ever caught on film: The deeper we go, the more there is.

There’s a shot in this sequence that may be the single most stunning image ever captured in a Star Trek project. Maybe that doesn’t matter as much as we think; maybe the franchise only gets worse when the people involved think “stunning images” are what define Star Trek . But, toward the end of this journey inwards, the camera pulls back to what a cinematographer might call a “Cosmically Extreme Long Shot,” and we see the great starship Enterprise , a tiny speck on this monster’s horizon.

Later, Spock puts on a spacesuit and goes on his own private journey through what you can only safely describe as a cosmic vaginal endoscape. The cutting strategy is familiar to anyone who saw 2001 : Spock’s face, something crazy, Spock’s face, something crazy. At the end of Spock’s journey, there is a woman – Ilia, but it doesn’t matter, names don’t matter in The Motion Picture , nothing any person does really matters. We know that’s not the real woman; she’s back on the Enterprise , or some version of her is.

But Spock is tantalized. To the extent that any character has a “journey” in The Motion Picture , Spock has been seeking something the whole movie. A higher state of consciousness, maybe? He seems to find it here, in this glowing representation of WOMAN. An unearthly glow encompasses him, erasing his face from our sight. He reaches out his hands – to mindmeld, to know .

The mindmeld blasts Spock backwards. The effect is, no other way of saying this, orgasmic. Spock describes the strange thoughts he experienced, inside the creature’s brain. “Is this all I am?” he says. “Is there nothing more?”

The Motion Picture ‘s monster is in the midst of an existential crisis, it turns out. It was a computer, created by man – Voyager 7 6, or “V’GER,” a satellite sent out to the stars. In the stars, it found more computers, which gave it inconceivable power. It has seen everything now – and, in achieving total cosmic awareness, it has also achieved sentience. It lives: So what?

In The Motion Picture , the “what now” is… well, sex. Or togetherness. Or the awareness of other life. Or the knowledge that we live only so that we can create other things that live. It’s all a bit abstract – but don’t Zen Buddhists seem pretty happy? The movie ends with Ilia and Decker – another nothing character, they might as well be named Eve and Adam, Woman and Man, Thing One and Thing Two – bonding with the cloud-thing. The climactic image of them – receiving enlightenment? ascending to a higher state? dying? being reborn? – is one of the silliest and most transcendent special effects shots ever.

“I think we gave it the ability to create its own sense of purpose,” concludes SpockKirk. You might point out, rightly, that “creating a sense of purpose” is not the most dramatic concept for a movie. You might also point out, just as rightly, that “creating a sense of purpose” is the central experience of humanity. How do you put such a vague but universal experience onscreen? How do you conjure up the fear that there is no purpose? Maybe you need a new language, something beyond words. Cinema, or whatever cinema used to be.

Decades later, Wise worked on a special cut of The Motion Picture . It was released with added digital effects – not the first time a major moment in Trek history happened because of Star Wars , not the last time a terrible moment in Trek history happened because of Star Wars . That special cut adds in a few shots that seem to clearly identify what V’Ger looks like. This is helpful only if you think that incoherence was The Motion Picture ‘s problem, and not its saving grace. The first Star Trek film has almost no real story, and the characters are only “characters” because we know their names and faces from a long-dead TV show. But you could spend a long time pondering the image of the Enterprise , dwarfed and surrounded by V’Ger.

You wonder what it must have been like, to see that on a big screen. You wonder what it must have felt like, to only see motion pictures on the big screen. You wonder, above all, what it was like to feel so small in the universe.

The Motion Picture depends on you loving space – and I mean “space” both ways, as in “everything outside of Earth” and as in “height and depth and width and distance.” In 2016, nobody pays much attention to outer space, except as one more piece of nostalgiabait trending curiosity. (Is Pluto still not a planet?) And maybe we don’t pay as much attention to the other definition of space: What does distance mean, to digital natives?

So The Motion Picture is beloved by film theorists and special effects nerds and people who treat marijuana as a sacrament. But in 2016, special effects are too common – and marijuana too legal – to feel sacred.

–––––––––––––––––––

Kirk looks at the Enterprise for the first time around minute 16 of The Motion Picture , and doesn’t stop until minute 23. Kirk and Scotty are riding a little shuttle to their ship, and that ride takes seven minutes of screen time. It is slow, and nothing “happens,” unless you love Douglas Trumbull’s special effects and Jerry Goldsmith’s music, unless you can groove onto the idea that “Looking” is an active state. ( Wrath of Khan is to The Motion Picture as The Motion Picture is to Solaris .)

Kirk’s returning to the old ship after years behind a desk. He ascended from the captain’s chair to become, ahem “Chief of Starfleet Operations.” One of the many accidental gags in The Motion Picture ‘s nonsense script is that Kirk must have been truly terrible at operating Starfleet. There is a giant killer gas cloud coming towards Earth – and “the only starship in interception range is the Enterprise .” The only starship? Isn’t Earth, like, the center of Starfleet Operations? Wouldn’t this be, like, the Joint Chiefs saying, “We’ve only got one fighter jet defending Washington!”)

Kirk is out of practice. “You haven’t logged a single star hour in two years!” declares Commander Decker, the man who would have been in charge of the Enterprise if Kirk hadn’t unretired himself. Decker is played by Stephen Collins, with retroactively creepy blandness . There is a ghost of a good idea here, the whole DNA of Wrath of Khan : What if Kirk is too old for this? But part of the strangeness of The Motion Picture is that the special effects sequences are vivid, mad with pulsating power – and the scenes with human beings are void, stilted, static. Wise shoots with wide angles and deep focus, so you can appreciate how full this Enterprise is of humans standing immobile, unresponsive.

Wise had a huge budget, and so he built huge sets, each less compelling than the last. The Enterprise ‘s Rec Room looks as playful as a prison cell, and the observation lounge allows crew members to sit on asylum sofas and contemplate the eternal void.

You could say that the whole problem of Star Trek – or a problem that many brilliant creators and actors have grappled with – is how stilted the core ethos of the franchise is, on narrative and visual levels. Star Trek must have a cast of characters who obey authority and work together. Everyone’s an officer in some codified organized military or other. Everyone wears a uniform. Because most of the action happens with the main characters on “The Bridge,” most of the climactic sequences in Star Trek history happen with all our heroes sitting down.

Wise does not try to bring life to this structure. He doesn’t send the crew into a fistfight, doesn’t blow up the ship, doesn’t ram spaceships into each other. He does send a couple characters out into space – but they don’t fire lasers at anyone. Late in the long first act, Dr. McCoy arrives on the Enterprise , and Kirk asks him for help. Look at how Shatner insistently extends his hand; that is the closest Kirk comes to an action scene in The Motion Picture .

Maybe the problem was Roddenberry. The creator of Star Trek spent the decade after Star Trek trying to bring back Star Trek . He would not let it die. You think of George Miller, returning to create the perfect Mad Max 30 years later. Or maybe you think of George Lucas, who returned to the saga he created with no clear sense of what made the saga work so well. Or maybe you think of other people – Chris Carter? Roger Kumble ? Anyone on Fuller House who isn’t John Stamos? – returning to the most popular item on a long-dormant IMDb page.

Roddenberry was devoted to Star Trek , but he carried the blame for all the perceived faults of The Motion Picture . This is the only Trek film Roddenberry really worked on. History repeats: Years later, Roddenberry was booted from The Next Generation . Mythology holds that Roddenberry’s utopian vision was the antithesis of drama. So in The Motion Picture , Decker is only ever mildly upset with Kirk, and Kirk is only ever mildly concerned about Spock.

The film can’t even commit to a lack of emotion. One of Ilia’s first terrible lines is, “My oath of celibacy is on the record, Captain.” Soon, celibate Ilia is transformed into an emotionless robot – two different layers of Spocklike indifference! But Ilia can’t keep her eyes off love interest Decker, and Decker can’t stop smiling at her. Here again, another ghost of a good idea – what if Kirk Junior had to romance Lady Spock for the good of the cosmos! – but the outcome is never in doubt, the drama never dangerous.

Roddenberry was a utopianist. He believed in the best ideas about humanity getting along. This is the beautiful thing about Star Trek , and it is why people who love Star Trek get nervous whenever some new Star Trek thing tries to be dark, or less-than-hopeful. It strikes me that the vision of Starfleet in The Motion Picture is as close as Roddenberry ever got to a pure utopia. Everyone is so… serene. Everyone is so… peaceful. Everyone is so… bland. George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig are only in the movie to smile at Kirk.

Kubrick’s big joke in 2001 was that the computer was more human than the humans. That’s another accidental joke in The Motion Picture . Shatner, dangerously toned-down, seems more Vulcan than the Vulcan. The Enterprise crew listens patiently to Kirk giving commands, follows orders. Spock pursues great knowledge, with no ambition or thirst. He seeks cosmic transcendence with all the exhausted energy of a TSA officer opening her 31st carry-on of the day, knowing there’s probably nothing inside but a toenail clipper and a forgotten half-empty water bottle.

The Motion Picture has a simple problem: It’s too goddamn slow. Every other Star Trek film is, in some way, a reaction against that complaint. But the slowness creates the great parts of The Motion Picture – those long moments of sound and image, unencumbered by plot or character or even dialogue. You could argue that The Motion Picture is 2001 for Dummies, or the misbegotten mash-up of 2001 and Star Wars with placeholders where characters should be.

But The Motion Picture is reaching for something no other Trek film has even tried to reach for. It is Head-Trip science fiction, Big Question science fiction. No one involved can think of a compelling way to dramatize those questions. Surely there was a way, though! You think of “Balance of Terror,” one of the greatest of all Star Trek stories. “Balance of Terror” is a bottle episode about people in one set trying to outthink people on another set. Like a lot of great original series episodes, it might as well have a declarative title: “THIS IS ABOUT THE COLD WAR.” The characters have no psychology: They exist as mouthpieces for thought-notions, “Let’s shoot first,” “Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt,” “We can’t trust anyone,” “We need to trust someone.” The narrative is Socratic, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Not every fight needs to be choreographed.

Could The Motion Picture have worked like that, as a thoughtful exploration? It still almost does, even if everyone besides DeForest Kelley looks bored. There’s no other film like it – besides maybe Final Frontier (more on that in four weeks). So The Motion Picture is a fascinating curio. There are better Trek s, but they’re smaller, too, and maybe less ambitious. This could be the last Star Trek ever. Will anyone ever even try to write the last Star Trek ?

FASHION NOTES:

Further sign of the cognitive dissonance that powers The Motion Picture : The special effects are colorful, neon-dark against the infinite, and the clothes are beige, gray, light brown, and off-white. The clothes look like furniture, the furniture looks like clothes. These are the shortest-lived of the Trek uniforms, and the extras all look like they’re wearing pajamas. I am not sure we will ever be in a moment like this again: One of the most expensive movies of the year takes for granted that you want to see middle-aged men wear V-necks.

But, devil’s advocate: The Motion Picture uniforms are the only Star Trek costumes that look made for comfort. They are loose, turtlenecks and sweatshirts, onesies, shirts that don’t ever get tucked in. Witness the Holy Trinity in slanket-chic.

The grand exception is Ilia, played by Persis Khambatta. An Indian model with silent-cinema eyes, Khambatta was cast as Ilia when The Motion Picture was going to be a new TV show, and her character only just barely transitioned to the feature film, with the barest whisp of a backstory and a kinda-nude scene. Captured and reprogrammed by V’Ger, Ilia returns to the Enterprise in a barely-there bathrobe with a cowl and high heels – a clear sign that V’Ger is much kinkier than the movie allows.

WORTH NOTING FOR FUTURE FRANCHISE REFERENCE:

The first lens flare in any Star Trek film occurs about 35 minutes into the original theatrical cut. You can see it floating next to Sulu’s head. This was almost certainly a mistake brought on by Wise’s abject love for unnecessary camera trickery. But penicillin was a mistake, too.

THE ENTIRE MOVIE IN ONE SHOT:

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Star trek: the motion picture, common sense media reviewers.

The Enterprise's first feature, with smarts outdoing guns.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Intellect and good judgment save the day, instead

While the crew of the Enterprise demonstrate some

Space vessels are disintegrated into nothingness.

Mention that Decker formerly had intimate relation

Scotty says "hell."

Nothing onscreen, but Star Trek, as a marketing fr

Positive Messages

Intellect and good judgment save the day, instead of warfare. The United Federation of Planets is famously multicultural, multi-ethnic, even multi-species. The ethos of Star Trek is one of exploration and non-interference, though the crew inevitably gets involved in protecting the vulnerable and fighting evil.

Positive Role Models

While the crew of the Enterprise demonstrate some basic human foibles (Kirk is too eager to regain command, McCoy suspects Spock's motives), they still function well as a unit of people who care about one another. Some commentators have pointed to the main trio of Star Trek as summing up aspects of a well-rounded, complete person: Kirk for decisive action and passion, Spock for cold logic and intellect, Dr. McCoy for emotion and altruistic kindness.

Violence & Scariness

Space vessels are disintegrated into nothingness. A few crew are knocked around and scorched by energy bolts. A Vulcan nerve pinch. Minor characters perish in a transporter malfunction, but the horrific result is left to the imagination.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mention that Decker formerly had intimate relations with a comely alien. She spends a lot of the movie in a robe with a very short hemline, and there is generalized talk about her species having a powerful psychic sexual allure.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Nothing onscreen, but Star Trek, as a marketing franchise, has toys and products in "infinite diversity in infinite combinations," to quote a favorite Gene Roddenberry saying.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Star Trek: The Motion Picture features sci-fi violence, including the implication of death, and some intense moments amped up by music. When it was first released theatrically, the movie received a G rating, which was revised to PG for the director's cut. There are allusions to sexual activity, but nothing onscreen. Some aspects of the story involve spiritual/moral questions. Like all Star Trek offerings, this one reflects a multicultural universe largely concerned with peace and the well being of all people (and aliens). To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (10)
Kids say (12)

Based on 10 parent reviews

Starts off a bit clunky but gets better as it goes along

The adventures of star shrek, what's the story.

After years deskbound as an admiral in Starfleet, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE begins with James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) reassuming command of the starship Enterprise , just refurbished with the latest gear and weaponry. Their mission is to stop a cosmic menace, a shimmering force field from uncharted space that is heading for Earth and destroying anything in its way. Kirk is in an uncomfortable situation, having demoted the younger, more tech-savvy Captain Decker (Stephen Collins) in order to get his ship back. First Officer Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) is a late arrival on the mission, having unhappily opted out of joining a monk-like mystical order of pure logic on his home planet of Vulcan.

Is It Any Good?

While the $42 million budget generated almost as much awe in itself as the movie's cosmic menace, the best part about Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the reunion of beloved small-screen cast members. Far more complex than the film's plot is the story behind the many years it took to bring the first Star Trek film to the big screen. It's commendable that the filmmakers, for the most part, stuck to the TV show 's model of character-based dramatics, and an interplanetary menace was defeated using intellect and good judgment, not light sabers.

Still, the film is a pretty ponderous spectacle. When the Enterprise enters the vast, cloudlike boundaries of the intruder, an awful lot of the movie is indeed the cast gaping at the shimmering light show, right up to a quasi-mystical finale that might have some viewers more puzzled than dazzled.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about sci-fi violence. How realistic is the violence seen in this movie ? Does it make the same impact if violence is in a sci-fi setting?

The Star Trek series and movies always made a point of having a diverse cast. Why does having diverse media role models matter?

How does Star Trek compare to other science fiction franchises?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 7, 1979
On DVD or streaming : November 6, 2001
Cast : DeForest Kelley , Leonard Nimoy , William Shatner
Director : Robert Wise
Studio : Paramount Pictures
Genre : Science Fiction
Topics : Adventures , Space and Aliens
Run time : 143 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
Last updated : June 11, 2024

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You Can Finally Stream All the Star Trek Movies in One Place

Surely, the best of times.

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 4: William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk in the movie, "Star Trek II: The Wrat...

Most science fiction movie franchises that get past six films are fairly impressive. Way back before the MCU blew up in 2012 or the Star Wars sequels began in 2015, sci-fi film franchises generally didn’t get into the double-digits. In fact, the seemingly immortal Planet of the Apes franchise just now released its 10th film overall. Star Wars has 11 theatrical films, but five of those all came out in the last nine years. This summer, the Alien franchise will release its ninth film in very fragmented continuity, which funnily enough, has the subtitle Romulus , a term that was arguably popularized by the scrappiest science fiction franchise of them all — Star Trek .

While it's tempting to think of Star Trek as primarily a TV sci-fi empire (there are 11 distinct shows, with a 12th in production) the fact is, as a film franchise, Star Trek is not only massive but also extremely durable. And as of right now, every single Star Trek movie — from 1979 to 2016 — are all streaming on Paramount+. Here’s why even someone with a casual interest in science fiction or Star Trek should binge these movies ASAP.

In 1979, a TV series getting turned into a major motion picture was not common. Before Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the best examples of TV shows having feature film versions were the 1954 Dragnet and the 1966 Adam West-led Batman . What made Star Trek: The Motion Picture significant is that not only was it a TV series-turned-movie, but it was also released a decade after the show had been canceled. On top of this, it was a major aesthetic redesign for the entire concept. While Star Trek: The Original Series was known for its over-the-top colors and melodramatic action-adventure-oriented directorial choices, The Motion Picture was a contemplative epic, directed by cinema legend Robert Wise, with a graceful score from Jerry Goldsmith. For any of its faults, Star Trek: The Motion Picture wasn’t an attempt to emulate Star Wars. If anything, it was the exact opposite.

And from 1979, each Star Trek movie — to some degree — has been a departure from the previous installment. While the films sometimes struggled to translate the smaller-stakes brilliance of the episodes of the various series into big tentpole events, there’s no denying that each Star Trek film is utterly dissimilar to all other Star Trek films. With 1982’s crowd-pleasing favorite The Wrath of Khan , director Nicholas Meyer solidified a nautical flavor and mashed it up with a revenge thriller. Directing two back-to-back films, The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home , Leonard Nimoy created one movie about a spiritual journey and another film about environmentalism. By the time you get to Meyer’s other Trek film, The Undiscovered Country , you’re dealing with a deeply political film with smart commentary on the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the dangers of nationalism in general.

And that only covers through 1991! The four films spanning The Next Generation crew’s jump to the big screen are equally diverse in themes and concepts. While 1994’s Generations explores ideas of mortality and addiction, 1996’s First Contact reimagined the Trek revenge film with the hero as the person at fault. And though Insurrection (1998) and Nemesis (2002) are generally considered some of the weakest films in the franchise, the performances from guest villains F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hardy are outstanding.

FILM 'STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT' BY JONATHAN FRAKES (Photo by Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma/Sygma via Getty ...

Data (Brent Spiner) and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) battle the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact .

In 2009, J.J. Abrams famously rebooted the Trek franchise with a new film simply titled Star Trek . While this film still creates a fair amount of controversy in hardcore Trekkie fandom circles, it is probably the best J.J. Abrams movie ever, and holds up extremely well as a great contemporary blockbuster, 15 years after its release. Star Trek Into Darkness , its 2013 sequel, is probably one of the least-loved Trek films of all time, but that doesn’t mean that Benedict Cumberbatch’s take on Khan isn’t fantastic. Nor, can anyone ignore the brilliant spectacle of the film in general. But it was 2016’s Star Trek Beyond that provided one of the most well-balanced Trek movies since The Wrath of Khan. Helmed by Fast and Furious alum Justin Lin with a script co-written by Lin, Simon Pegg, and Doug Jung, Into Darkness’ much-superior follow-up movie showed a deep, deep love for the flavor of The Original Series.

Since 2016, there have been no new Star Trek films in theaters. Instead, the franchise has expanded significantly in the medium of streaming TV, while various plans for a new Star Trek movie have remained stalled for more reasons than even Data could recall off the top of his head. Late 2024 will see the release of the first direct-to-streaming Trek movie — the highly anticipated sci-fi spy flick Star Trek: Section 31 , starring Michelle Yeoh. After that, a new Trek “origin story” movie, directed by Toby Haynes, is expected sometime in 2026, just in time for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary.

Whether or not that movie will actually beam down is unclear. But, until then, if you want to experience a wide variety of sci-fi adventures, set in a cozy, yet compelling future, you can’t do much worse than to binge all the Trek movies, starting at the very beginning.

All 13 Star Trek feature films are streaming on Paramount+.

Phasers on Stun!: How the Making — and Remaking — of Star Trek Changed the World

Science Fiction

Every Star Trek Movie Comic Book Adaptation, Ranked

Star Trek movie comic book adaptations have been released by various publishers throughout the franchise's history.
Some of the adaptations took liberties with the original scripts, but still featured awesome and poignant moments.
The comic book adaptations provide fans with additional scenes and perspectives that were not in the final movies.

Comic books have been an essential component of the Star Trek franchise for most of its history. Publishers such as Gold Key, Marvel, DC and IDW have taken turns with the Star Trek license, giving fans new and exciting adventures in the final frontier. Nearly every incarnation of the franchise has appeared in comic book form, and some publishers have also created original material.

Another component of the Star Trek comic book experience is the movie adaptations. In the 1980s, it was common practice for major publishers to release books adapting popular movies—and Star Trek was one of them. Here are all the Star Trek movie comic book adaptations, ranked.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Published by dc comics, 1984.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is arguably the best of the odd-numbered Trek films, but its comic book movie adaptation takes some liberties with the script, namely in the sequencing of events. For example: the comic adaptation begins with the arrival of the USS Grissom at the Genesis Planet, an event that occurred a third of the way through the actual movie. However, the adaptation is not without awesome and poignant moments that did not make it into the final movie, including an epitaph spoken by Edith Keeler in “City on the Edge of Forever.”

Related: 2023 Proved Star Trek's "Deep Space Nine Sequel" More Than Deserves the Name

Star Trek: Generations

Published by dc comics, 1994.

The first Star Trek: The Next Generation movie adaptation would be the last published by DC Comics , as they would lose the license shortly afterward. Fan opinion on Generations remains divided, with its critics pointing to numerous plot holes, such as the Nexus. DC’s adaptation of Generations does not plug any of these holes, but is still an enjoyable read nonetheless. The comic book version of Generations is notable for including a scene not in the original cut of the film, such as Captain Kirk’s orbital sky-dive. While rough cuts of it are now available to watch, for many years this was the only way for fans to see it.

Related: Star Trek vs Alien Crossover Was Meant to Give Picard His Ultimate Challenge

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Published by dc comics, 1986.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is probably the most accessible of the original Trek films: a light-hearted romp with a serious environmental message. The Voyage Home’s comic book adaptation is a faithful one , largely sticking to the original film’s script. Writer Barr adds some dialogue, including a brief exchange between former Enterprise officers Doctor Chapel and Yeoman Janice Rand . Artists Sutton and Villagran are, like Barr, firing on all thrusters here. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is widely regarded as one of the best films in the franchise overall, and its comic book adaptation is worthy of the name.

Star Trek: First Contact

Published by marvel comics, 1996.

Star Trek: First Contact is a tense, nail-biting film , and its adaptation reflects that. Published by Marvel as part of their short-lived “Paramount Comics” imprint, Star Trek: First Contact stays faithful to Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore’s original screenplay, but is forced to cut some scenes due to spatial limitations. However, this does not deter one bit from the adaptation. Star Trek: First Contact’s movie adaptation was one of a few to receive a reprint years later from IDW, who currently holds the Trek comic license.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Published by dc comics, 1991.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was the last ride of the original crew of the Enterprise , a bittersweet end to a glorious run, and its comic book adaptation perfectly captures this tone. Part of the adaptation’s success can be attributed to Peter David , who has written numerous Trek comics and novels, many of which are fan favorites. David and artist Gordon Purcell, who also illustrated a good portion of DC’s Star Trek output, deliver a first-rate adaptation, one that flows just as well as the source film. The Undiscovered Country is one of Trek’s finest hours, and its comic book adaptation is just as good.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Published by dc comics, 1989.

Among fans, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is regarded as one of the weakest entries in the franchise, but its comic book adaptation shines. Peter David, who had just finished up on DC’s first Star Trek comic, turns in an excellent adaptation that makes the original shine. Drawn by James W. Fry, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’s comic adaptation hits all the right notes, perfectly distilling the film’s best parts. The comic book version of The Final Frontier was then used to inaugurate DC’s second line of Star Trek comics, which launched shortly thereafter.

Related: 10 Biggest Changes to Star Trek Canon Delivered By Its Epic 'God War'

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Published by idw, 2009.

Despite being regarded as one, if not the best, Star Trek films, The Wrath of Khan never received a comic book adaptation when it was released in 1982, as Star Trek comics were in limbo at the time, with DC acquiring the license soon after. IDW rectified this problem in 2009, releasing a three-issue adaptation of the movie, which bucked the trend of Trek movie adaptations being one-shots. Thanks to the extra space afforded writer Andy Schmidt and artist Chee Yang Ong, this adaptation shines. Ong’s art especially compliments the movie’s dark tone.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Published by marvel comics, 1979.

The modern era of Star Trek comics began with Marvel’s adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Initially released as the first three issues of Marvel’s Star Trek comic, The Motion Picture’s adaptation is easily the best of the franchise. Some of its success can be attributed to the legends that worked on it: writer Marv Wolfman and artist Dave Cockrum. Wolfman and Cockrum were on a roll in the late 1970s, and they brought this energy to the adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Later released as a one-shot edition by Marvel, the adaptation was reprinted by IDW in the 2000s, giving fans the chance to experience this amazing book again.

The practice of adapting movies to comic book form has largely fallen by the wayside. While the Star Trek movie adaptations may seem relics of a bygone era, they are in fact an important part of the lore.

Every Star Trek Movie Comic Book Adaptation, Ranked

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With the summer heat in full swing, subscribers of Paramount+ will be happy to hear about the number of films headed to the platform in the coming weeks. Relatively new to the world of streaming, the platform has increasingly become a popular service for movie lovers. With dozens of films ready to entertain subscribers next month, those who don’t already have the service should most certainly think about getting one.

With a major film franchise heading to Paramount+, along with a classic Hollywood film and plenty of dramas, the streaming service has a slew of offerings any viewer will surely enjoy inside the comfort of their own home. No matter what a viewer’s interests might be, they’ll most definitely find something worth their time next month.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Stream on July 1

Written and directed by Sean Durkin in his directional feature film debut, Martha Marcy May Marlene is a psychological drama about a woman who struggles to reintegrate back into her previous life after escaping an abusive hippie-like cult. The film stars Elizabeth Olsen, in her film acting debut , who offers a magnetic and award-winning performance as Martha, the damaged young woman at the heart of it all.

Haunted by the painful memories of her past, her paranoia increasingly drives a wedge between herself and the rest of the world, including her family. As she faces the challenges of leaving the cult behind for good, she may need more help than those closest to her can actually provide. Martha Marcy May Marlene is streaming on Paramount+ on July 1.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

One of the most beloved science fiction franchises in the world, Star Trek , is on its way to Paramount+ with 10 films ready to hit the platform next month. Before Chris Pine took over the role of Captain Kirk in 2009, William Shatner sat at the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise as the esteemed captain. Along with Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Kirk and the rest of his Starfleet crew explore the depths of space on humanitarian and peacekeeping missions on behalf of the United Federation of Planets.

15 Famous Actors You Probably Forgot Were in Old Star Trek Movies

Star Trek has been... and always shall be... filled with famous actors.

The first six films follow Kirk in the 23rd century, whereas the next four films include Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), who captains the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in the 24th century. A behemoth of a franchise, Star Trek rarely fails to impress some of its most devoted fans. 10 films from the Star Trek franchise will hit Paramount+ on July 1.

Zero Dark Thirty

Written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty is based on a true story and chronicles the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda terrorist leader responsible for the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. The story centers around a CIA intelligence analyst named Maya (Jessica Chastain), a composite character modeled in part after Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, whose difficult work in the years after the attack ultimately led to the discovery of bin Laden’s whereabouts in 2011.

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Upon discovering bin Laden’s location, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 is sent in to capture or kill him, succeeding in the latter. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Jessica Chastain, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. Zero Dark Thirty is streaming on Paramount+ on July 1.

Directed by Wes Anderson, Rushmore is a comedy that follows a precocious teenager named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) who befriends a rich industrialist named Herman Blume (Bill Murray), the father of two of Max’s classmates. A student who lives for his attendance at Rushmore, a private school, Max is known as the king of extracurricular activities. From the beekeeping society to producing various school plays, there isn’t much he’s not involved in once school hours conclude.

However, when he realizes he’s on academic probation, his life completely shifts. To make matters worse, he soon discovers he and Herman share the same love interest, an elementary school teacher named Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). This causes Max to begin a vendetta against Herman. As a result, Max’s fate hinges on the outcome of his peculiar love triangle. A cult classic, the 1998 film also stars Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson, and marks the acting debut of Schwartzman . Rushmore is streaming on Paramount+ on July 1.

Rushmore (1998)

For a complete list of every movie coming to Paramount+, check the list below.

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Star trek’s callback to leonard nimoy’s whale movie hints at what happened to a forgotten character.

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Star Trek & Whales: Earth’s Mammals Have Been Important To Starfleet For 37 Years

Shadow the hedgehog’s live-action movie debut just got even more exciting 6 months before sonic 3, zac efron’s popular new netflix movie continues a disappointing 17-year trend after his 92% rt rom-com.

Star Trek: Prodigy references Star Trek IV with a whale named Gillian, who helps translate a communication problem.
Dr. Gillian Taylor's impact on the future humpback whale population is acknowledged, leading to the existence of Starfleet's cetacean ops division.
Animated Star Trek series allow for the inclusion of cetacean operations departments, as seen in Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, "Observer's Paradox"

A reference to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , affectionately referred to as "the one with the whales ", appears in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, "Observer's Paradox". In Star Trek IV, Starfleet fails to communicate with an alien probe inadvertently destroying Earth, so Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock suggests going back in time to retrieve two members of the species the probe wants to speak to: extinct humpback whales . Once Spock and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) arrive in 1986 San Francisco, they enlist the help of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a marine biologist dedicated to caring for humpback whales George and Gracie.

In Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 , Starfleet Academy hopeful Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) is assigned to the USS Voyager-A's Cetacean Ops department as part of Admiral Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) internship program, where Rok is tasked with the care and feeding of Voyager's resident cetacean crew members. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, "Observer's Paradox," written by Jennifer Muro and directed by Ruolin Li and Andrew L. Schmidt, introduces one of Rok-Tahk's new cetacean friends, a humpback whale named Gillian . Gillian is given a voice through the ship's computer (Bonnie Gordon) and helps translate the vocalizations of Star Trek: Prodigy 's Mellanoid slime worm, Murf (Dee Bradley Baker).

Star Trek IV is famously known as 'the one with the whales,' and it kicked off the franchise's fascination of the mammals ever since.

What Star Trek: Prodigy’s Whale Callback To Star Trek IV’s Dr. Gillian Taylor Means

Dr. gillian taylor from star trek iv makes an impact on the future.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, "Observer's Paradox", calls back to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with the introduction of Starfleet cetacean Gillian, whose name is a clear reference to Dr. Gillian Taylor, and the impact that Dr. Taylor had on the humpback whales of the future. In Star Trek 's 23rd century, humpback whales were an extinct species, so Dr. Gillian Taylor's expertise was essential to ensure the health of George, Gracie, and the whales' offspring . To that end, Dr. Taylor voluntarily travels to the 23rd century with Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise, where Gillian Taylor would be the only expert on humpback whales.

Star Trek never explains what ultimately became of Dr. Gillian Taylor in the 23rd century. Naming Star Trek: Prodigy 's whale Gillian, however, implies that Dr. Taylor not only remained with George and Gracie but also educated future scientists on the health and development of humpback whales as the whales' population increased. If not for Dr. Gillian Taylor, Starfleet's cetacean ops division would almost certainly not exist , since Gillian's work with George and Gracie led to the use of humpback, beluga whales, and dolphins as starship navigators. Generations of Starfleet scientists — human and cetacean alike — owe Dr. Gillian Taylor a debt of gratitude.

Given that Spock and Kirk bring George and Gracie to the 23rd century to communicate with the destructive probe, it's fitting that Star Trek: Prodigy 's humpback whale, Gillian, also assists with a communication problem by translating Murf's important message.

Cetacean Ops In Star Trek Ships Explained

Whales and dolphins in star trek are starship navigators.

Star Trek 's cetacean operation s division originated as an Easter egg on a map of the USS Enterprise-D in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, written by TNG production designers Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda. The Technical Manual depicts the Enterprise-D's cetacean ops with navigation labs on two decks and explains that bottlenose dolphins and Takaya's whales serve as navigators. Despite the presence of cetacean ops in TNG, cetacean Starfleet officers were never seen on-screen in Star Trek: The Next Generation , likely due to budgetary concerns over showing the whales and dolphins of Star Trek 's cetacean operations in live action.

Animated Star Trek series don't have the same limitations as live-action Star Trek shows, however. After years of speculation about cetacean ops, Star Trek 's cetacean ops made its on-screen debut in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 10, "First First Contact", which also introduced the USS Cerritos' beluga whale officers, Lieutanants Matt and Kimolu. Because Star Trek: Prodigy is also animated, it's easy to include a cetacean operations department on the USS Voyager-A. The assignment is a great fit for aspiring xenobiologist Rok-Tahk, who befriends cetaceans just as easily as the namesake of Star Trek: Prodigy 's whale, Dr. Gillian Taylor from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Robert Wise. The Motion Picture is based on and stars the cast of the 1966-1969 television series Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, who serves as producer.In the film, set in the 2270s, a mysterious and powerful alien cloud known as V'Ger approaches Earth, destroying everything in its path.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
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Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, "Observer's Paradox", calls back to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with the introduction of Starfleet cetacean Gillian, whose name is a clear reference to Dr. Gillian Taylor, and the impact that Dr. Taylor had on the humpback whales of the future. In Star Trek's 23rd century, humpback whales were an extinct species, so Dr. Gillian Taylor's expertise was ...

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Summary [ ]

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Late 1967 – June 1976: Early revitalization attempts [ ]

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May 1977 – November 1977: Star Trek: Phase II [ ]

December 1977 – December 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture [ ]

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TM & Copyright © 1979 by Paramount Pictures Film Corporation, Inc. [ ]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director's Edition) [ ]

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Prologue [ ]

Your Destiny Lies Elsewhere [ ]

A Plan of Action and A New Captain [ ]

Kirk Addresses The Crew [ ]

Time For Launch [ ]

The Arrival Of Mr. Spock [ ]

Enterprise Meets The Intruder [ ]