Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

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

Release Date:

7 December 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The human adventure is just beginning

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.

Plot Keywords:

Disfigurement | Old Flame | Android | Psychedelic Image | Golden Gate Bridge

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

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

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)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi action and mild language.

Runtime:

132 min | USA:136 min (director's cut) | USA:143 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Klingon

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX (director's cut) | Dolby

Certification:

Italy:T | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario - 2006) | South Korea:12 | 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:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Century Associates

Trivia:

In the scene where Kirk addresses the crew prior to launching, much of the crew were extras who were noted Star Trek fans, including Bjo Trimble, co-organizer of the letter-writing campaign that kept the original "Star Trek" (1966) alive for a third season.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Kirk, Decker, Spock, McCoy, and Ilia Probe begin their journey to the V'Ger satellite, you can clearly see the outline of a hole in the matte painting of the Enterprise (1979 Version only)

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Spaced: Chaos (#1.5)" (1999)

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 further 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 seen 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 running 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.