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Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
7 December 1979 (USA)
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Tagline:
The human adventure is just beginning more
Plot:
When a destructive space entity is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral Kirk resumes command of the Starship Enterprise in order to intercept, examine, and hopefully stop it. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 2 wins
&
15 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(52 articles)
30 Years Ago Today 'Star Trek' Debuted on the Big Screen
(From CinemaSpy. 6 December 2009, 9:50 PM, PST)
Tweet in Klingon
(From Slash Film. 6 December 2009, 7:06 PM, PST)
(From CinemaSpy. 6 December 2009, 9:50 PM, PST)
Tweet in Klingon
(From Slash Film. 6 December 2009, 7:06 PM, PST)
User Comments:
As far from the restrictions of TV as it could possibly be.
more (318 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| William Shatner | ... | Admiral James T. Kirk | |
| Leonard Nimoy | ... | Mr. Spock | |
| DeForest Kelley | ... | Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy | |
| James Doohan | ... | Cmdr. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott | |
| George Takei | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Hikaru Sulu | |
| Majel Barrett | ... | Dr. Christine Chapel | |
| Walter Koenig | ... | Lt. Pavel Chekov | |
| Nichelle Nichols | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Uhura | |
| Persis Khambatta | ... | Lt. Ilia | |
| Stephen Collins | ... | Cmdr. Willard Decker | |
| Grace Lee Whitney | ... | CPO Janice Rand | |
| Mark Lenard | ... | Klingon Captain | |
| Billy Van Zandt | ... | Alien Boy | |
| Roger Aaron Brown | ... | Epsilon Technician | |
| Gary Faga | ... | Airlock Technician |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Star Trek II (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Phase II (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (USA) (DVD title)
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Star Trek: Phase II (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (USA) (DVD title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for sci-fi action and mild language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
132 min | USA:136 min (director's cut) | USA:143 min (TV version)
Country:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital EX (director's cut) |
Dolby
Certification:
Italy:T |
Canada:PG (Ontario - 2006) |
Iceland:L |
South Korea:12 |
Brazil:Livre |
New Zealand:G |
Netherlands:6 (theatrical rating) |
Canada:G (Canadian Home Video rating) |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:G |
Chile:TE |
Finland:K-10 |
France:U |
Ireland:G |
Netherlands:12 |
Norway:12 |
Sweden:11 |
UK:U |
USA:G |
USA:PG (director's cut) |
West Germany:12 |
Singapore:PG |
Canada:F (Ontario) |
Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba) |
Canada:G (Quebec) |
Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
For the Director's Cut, Robert Wise received permission and a budget to complete the film as he had originally intended. Several special effects scenes, that could not be finished in 1979 due to time and budget constraints, were redone, sometimes with the use of the original models. A completely original model of V'Ger, as it appeared when the surrounding clouds had dissipated, was based on the cross-sectional reading of the ship that appeared on a screen in the movie. A computerized "model" of the Enterprise was created, using the original physical model as reference, to create new CGI shots.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the scene where the USS Enterprise is seen leaving spacedock bound for Vger, the Earth is shown in the background as the sun slowly rises behind it. Since it was obvious that this was shot with the stationary camera facing towards the ship, it should not be possible that the sun can be seen 'rising up at dawn' from this position in outer space. Only if the observer is on Earth as the planet spins on its axis can this view of the sunrise be possible.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Captain's Summit (2009) (V)
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FAQ
How fast is the Enterprise?Why do the Klingons in this movie look so different from the Klingons from the original series?
Who invented the Klingon language spoken in this movie?
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more (318 total)
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Oooh, a difficult one this. Very difficult indeed. Unless you are particularly patient, or are a hardcore Star Trek fan this is going to take some effort to stick with. It doesn't seem like a Trekkie movie. Nowhere near as much fun as Wrath Of Khan, or First Contact. Not as much humour as The Voyage Home. In fact, there is no humour at all. Something that cripples the film badly. Everything is very straight-faced and sincere. To introduce someone to Star Trek with this film would be a bad idea.
Being the first Trek product since the original series one might expect the familiar campy story lines and beaming down to "M-class" planets - a bit of desert 10-minutes drive from LA - but there's none to be had. Veteran director Robert Wise has crafted a film very much in the style of his original version of The Haunting. His w-i-d-e-s-c-r-e-e-n compositions are beautiful and he really manages to lift Trek from the small screen to the cinema screen. It was a hard undertaking, but he set the standard for nine sequels to date.
The plot has a giant alien force destroying three Klingon ships on its direct course with earth. If the Federation doesn't stop this thing, it will blow up the planet. Admiral Kirk leaves his sunny San Francisco home to assume command of the Enterprise from Captain Decker and stop the alien menace. But Decker has a chip on his shoulder. The new Enterprise is not finished yet and he doesn't appreciate Kirk moving in on his territory.
Very slowly the original crew return and are in command of their posts again and there is a weird new navigator, a bald-headed, celibate alien woman named Ilia. Decker seems to have a thing for her. For some reason.
Once they reach the mysterious alien mass, the crew learns its name is Vger. Ilia is kidnapped and replaced with an android. Spock is driven to tears as he finds TOTAL logic in Vger actions and motivations. This is all sub-subtext and the actual explanation behind Vger might not come as a surprise to most. Once they fly inside Vger's mass of clouds and orifices it takes a healthy hour for the damn thing to be fully revealed.
To criticise a film for its length may be an ignorant thing to do. Audiences today are too satisfied with any plot lasting less than 100 minutes. This is not a good sign. Films with the scope and, dare I say it, class of Star Trek: The Motion Picture need their full and proper running time. Coherent story lines can be sacrificed for fast paced, exhilarating storytelling, or a dull, seemingly endless narrative can be the result of a big story being fully fleshed out. It's difficult to achieve both length and pace. Sadly, this film doesn't. But it looks very good, is well directed and has the balls to bite off more than it can chew.