Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

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.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (television series Star Trek), Alan Dean Foster (story),

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Captain Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
James Doohan	...	Scotty
George Takei	...	Sulu
Majel Barrett	...	Dr. Chapel
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Persis Khambatta	...	Ilia
Stephen Collins	...	Decker
Grace Lee Whitney	...	Janice Rand
Mark Lenard	...	Klingon Captain
Billy Van Zandt	...	Alien Boy
Roger Aaron Brown	...	Epsilon Technician
Gary Faga	...	Airlock Technician

Storyline

An alien phenomenon of unprecedented size and power is approaching Earth, destroying everything in its path. The only starship in range is the USS Enterprise--still in drydock after a major overhaul. As Captain Willard Decker readies his ship and his crew to face this menace, Admiral James T. Kirk arrives with orders to take command of the Enterprise and intercept the intruder. But it has been three years since Kirk last commanded the Enterprise on its historic five year mission... is he up to the task of saving the Earth?

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Plot Keywords:

alien | admiral | klingon | warp speed | spacecraft | 

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Taglines:

There is no comparison

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Genres:

Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action and mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Startrek.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English Klingon

Release Date:

7 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek II

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$82,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Century Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min 136 min (director's cut) 143 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX (director's cut) Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original script for the movie was written by Gene Roddenberry and was titled "The God Thing" though it was overwhelmingly rejected by Paramount executives because of the story line in which the Enterprise crew meet God. Many other story ideas were considered during the early planning stages, preventing John F. Kennedy's assassination, becoming the Greek Titans, and trying to prevent a black hole from swallowing the galaxy. The Enterprise meeting God was used for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, while preventing the Kennedy assassination was briefly reconsidered for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home before it was rejected again.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt double for Spock during his fall on the bridge when the V'Ger probe zaps him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Klingon captain: [giving an order in Klingon] Tactical...

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Connections

Followed by Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

User Reviews

Star Trek Done Right!

It's amazing how many Trekkies I meet describe Star Trek the Motion Picture as "A good sci-fi film, but an awful Star Trek movie."....And that's when they're feeling generous!

This statement can't be farther from the truth. The story is well written and director Robert Wise makes the characters believable. The movie is not filled with the goofy jokes and ridiculous Shatner back-flip fight scenes that some Trekkies seem to enjoy. Instead, the battle with the mysterious alien entity reveals the dynamics and inner conflicts of the crew. Spock realizes that pure logic alone cannot answer all, but must be coupled with emotion in order to tap into our creative imagination and see the possibilities of our universe. Kirk is portrayed as a daring and brilliant captain, who learns that as a leader he needs to rely on the expertise of those around him. He is a more believable figure who is fallible and struggles to learn from his mistakes.

The Enterprise is not envisioned as an easy to fly wonder ship that requires no more than the main Trek cast to run, but as a complex machine that needs precise tuning of components balanced by a crew of hundreds. The scene where Spock and the engineering crew struggle with balancing the mathematical models needed to program the warp engines convey the real dangers of space flight.

Additionally, both the visual and audio effects add to the impact of this movie. For a film made in '79, before the advent of believable CGI, the special effects are superb. Believe it or not, I've noticed special effects scenes in Independence Day taken directly from Star Trek:TMP footage (scan the shots of the inside of the mother ship (ID4)when Will Smith is making his escape run).

All in all, the ingredients of good character development, believable conflict, and hard science make this movie the true precursor to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unfortunately, Star Treks III, IV, and V avoid the hard work this movie required and depend on the silly antics of its maturing crew.