Other Titles • Star Trek: The Motion Picture • In Thy Image (1979) • Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (1979) • Star Trek: Der Film (1980)
Synopses for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
1.
Back when the first Star Trek feature was released in December 1979, the Trek franchise was still relatively modest, consisting of the original TV series, an animated cartoon series from 1973-74, and a burgeoning fan network around the world. Series creator Gene Roddenberry had conceived a second TV series, but after the success of Star Wars the project was upgraded into this lavish feature film, which reunited the original series cast aboard a beautifully redesigned starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Under the direction of Robert Wise (best known for West Side Story), the film proved to be a mixed blessing for Trek fans, who heatedly debated its merits; but it was, of course, a phenomenal hit. Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) leads his crew into the vast structures surrounding V'Ger, an all-powerful being that is cutting a destructive course through Starfleet space. With his new First Officer (Stephen Collins), the bald and beautiful Lieutenant Ilia (played by the late Persis Khambatta) and his returning veteran crew, Kirk must decipher the secret of V'Ger's true purpose and restore the safety of the galaxy. The story is rather overblown and derivative of plots from the original series, and avid Trekkies greeted the film's bland costumes with derisive laughter. But as a feast for the eyes, this is an adventure worthy of big-screen trekkin'. Douglas Trumbull's visual effects are astonishing, and Jerry Goldmith's score is regarded as one of the prolific composer's very best (with its main theme later used for Star Trek: The Next Generation). And, fortunately for Star Trek fans, the expanded 143-minute version (originally shown for the film's network TV premiere) is generally considered an improvement over the original theatrical release. --Jeff Shannon
DVD features More than simply a "director's cut," this new edition features enhanced, and in some cases completely redone, special effects as well as (for a change of pace) cuts to tighten the dawdling story. It may not fly with purists, but director Robert Wise makes his case in the documentary featurette "Redirecting the Future," which details the changes with scene-by-scene comparisons, and on the commentary track, which he shares with special-effects legends Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra (revisiting work they created over 20 years ago), actor Stephen Collins, and composer Jerry Goldsmith. Elder statesman Wise speaks in a slow and ponderous manner, but he gets his point across. Further documentaries tackle the project's leap from TV pilot to blockbuster feature and the making of the film itself, and a supplemental gallery gathers the original scenes cut or condensed from the theatrical version and all 11 scenes from the 1983 TV version. --Sean Axmaker
2.
In STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, the original crew of the Starship Enterprise from the 1960s TV show is reunited in this dramatic, full-length science fiction epic. Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), formerly a captain, is called upon to collect his old crewmates in order to save humanity from a giant, hostile alien vessel steadily approaching Earth and destroying everything in its path. The complex alien life-forms apparently possess such an advanced intelligence that even the brilliant Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) fails to comprehend the massive structure that contains them. There is tension on the ship, as well as in the universe, as Commander Willard Decker (Stephen Collins), the Enterprise's new captain, is relegated to being Kirk's assistant. In addition, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the lovable, crotchety doctor who is constantly at odds with Spock, must be tricked away from his life of relaxation to serve on a voyage he wants no part of. It’s not long before the Enterprise is taken over by the alien entity, and navigator Ilia (Persis Khambatta) is abducted. When she is returned to the Enterprise, she informs Kirk that unless the entity is united with its creator, it will destroy the Earth. With excellent special effects and witty nods to the old series, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE set a new standard in sci-fi films--and paved the way for a host of excellent sequels.
3.
An alien presence of unlimited power is headed towards Earth, destroying everything in its path. The only Starfleet ship within range to intercept is the U.S.S. Enterprise, still in drydock after a detailed overhaul. As the ship's captain readies his crew for the mission, the legendary Captain James T. Kirk arrives with orders to take control of his former ship with hopes of saving Earth.
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