A Reel 40 - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE

“Take us out…”

This month marks the 40^th anniversary of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. 

In the early 1970’s, the STAR TREK franchise was neither living or prospering. Originating as a TV series which ran from 1967-1969, creator Gene Roddenberry had been struggling for years to revitalize it. After a lot of lobbying from Roddenberry, Paramount Pictures finally gave in and decided to give TREK another voyage on TV, titled STAR TREK: PHASE II. Then in 1977, STAR WARS exploded onto screens, and with the public hungry for adventures in space, it was decided to send STAR TREK to the big screen for the first time. 

Brought on to the project would be young executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, who would later go on to found Dreamworks with Steven Spielberg. Katzenberg’s first challenge would be to sign series favorite Leonard Nimoy, who had played the Vulcan science officer Mr. Spock on the original TV series but had turned down PHASE II. After Katzenberg opened his checkbook, Nimoy would sign on, as would the rest of the original cast; William Shatner (Captain Kirk), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), George Takei (Sulu), Walter Keoing (Checkov), and James Doohan (Scotty). Newcomers to the crew would include Stephen Collins (Decker), and Indian supermodel Persis Khambatta as Ilia. As for the director, 64-year-old Robert Wise was chosen. Wise was beamed aboard despite never having seen a TREK episode, but he had a strong resume of films including THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), WEST SIDE STORY (1961), and the sci-fi classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951). 

The film was announced in a March 1978 press conference, which was the largest Paramount had hosted since Cecil B. DeMille revealed he was making THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956). Paramount was desperate to get the film, titled STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (or TMP) into theatres as soon as possible. This led to beginning production with an unfinished script, and a rush on an unprecedented amount of visual effects.  Roddenberry’s treatment for the pilot episode of the now cancelled PHASE II was bumped up to a full-feature screenplay, and was brought together on-set by the deep knowledge Shatner and Nimoy had of their respective characters. 

The plot was simple; some years after the conclusion of the TV series’ five-year mission, the crew of the USS Enterprise is called into action to fend off a mysterious and destructive alien probe that is approaching Earth. The script called for what was at the time a massive amount of visual effects. Graphic imaging was tried, but failed. Brought on to save the ship was special effects pioneer Douglas Trumball, who had taken us across the stars in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). 

The results on screen were breathtaking, as audiences were whisked across the galaxy in stunning colors…and the interiors of the probe (called V’ger), brought to the screen in ways audiences had never seen before. Famed composer Jerry Goldsmith provided the score. Despite mixed reviews from critics, TMP set a new record for a first December weekend at the box office, and even though it was released at the end of the year, it would finish as the fifth highest-grossing film in America in 1979. It would earn three Oscar nominations for Best Original Score, Visual Effects, and Art Direction. 

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This Blogger’s first experience with TMP came after its theatrical run. Having being bitten by the STAR WARS bug, TREK was the next logical thing. This Blogger and his dad watched the film many times on our new streaming service called HBO, and the mystery of V’ger scared me as a wee-lad. Today, TMP remains just as divisive among fans and critics as it did 40 years ago. It is indeed a slow-burner with a faceless villain/adversary, but it has the maturity, patience, and deep-thinking that TREK had always been known for. It is beautifully composed; scenes such as the drydock flyby and departure unfold like an orchestral performance, and the finale sees the discovery of a new life-form, which is exactly what the theme of the show has always been. While the plot is simple and familiar, it is a technical masterpiece; with visual effects that hold up against any modern CGI, and the Enterprise comes to life in a gorgeous presentation…so gorgeous that the famed starship is an actual character in the movie. To top it off, Jerry Goldsmith’s score is magnificent and iconic, and would be recycled years later for TREK’s eventual return to TV with THE NEXT GENERATION. While TMP still gets a fair amount of pounding, its legacy as the stepping stone for TREK to live and long and prosper for future generations is secure. It is a true trek into the unknown, which was the core of the franchise from the beginning. 

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“Is this all that I am, is there nothing more?”