December 7th 1979 – Star Trek The Motion Picture Began 30 Years Of Star Trek Movies December 7, 2009
by Mark A. Altman , Filed under: Feature Films (TMP-NEM), Review , trackback
30 years ago today, on December 7th 1979 Star Trek leapt from the small to the big screen with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. All week long TrekMovie will be celebrating the anniversary, beginning today with a tribute by Free Enterprise producer Mark Altman, that looks at the film and its place in history.
TO HAVE BOLDLY GONE: AN APPRECIATION
The Beginning of 30 Years of Star Trek Movies
by Mark A. Altman
I come to praise Star Trek: The Motion Picture, not to bury it. Despite no less than Harlan Ellison decrying the film at the time as “The Motionless Picture,” Despite its reputation in some quarters as a lugubrious bore, it’s hard to imagine that Star Trek could have possibly lived long and prospered for another three decades had The Motion Picture not paved the way for what was to come (so, yes, you can blame it for Voyager and Enterprise too).
For those who’ve only seen the film on home video or were too young to experience the movie for the first time in theaters, it’s hard to appreciate the monumental important this film had on fans upon its release. Back in 1979, TV series simply didn’t make the jump to the big screen so for a series, once left for dead that was kept alive by likeminded individuals coming together in convention ballrooms and pouring over faded 16mm prints of the original episodes, hardly seemed like the architects of the greatest resurrection since Lazarus. But somehow Paramount got the message and after several false starts which included a low-budget film and subsequently a new TV series, the studio ended up bankrolling what would become at the time the second most expensive film of all-time next to Cleopatra, the epic film that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Now admittedly, not all that money showed up on the screen. There was $10 million worth of effects from Robert Abel &
Company that were literally thrown away (and I could joke showed up in Star Trek V, but that’s not true, of course) as well as the development costs for the aborted series that was to spearhead the launch of a fourth TV network in the late 70s.
1978 newspaper report announcing TMP
That said, there was nothing about Star Trek: The Motion Picture that seemed small. A major feature film director at the helm, responsible for some of the most beloved films of all-time, Robert Wise, elaborate visual effects from the teams behind Star Wars, Close Encounters and 2001 and a stirring Jerry Goldsmith score, which to the best of my knowledge, may have been the last film to ever feature an Overture after the curtain opened, a staple of motion picture epics in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Beats the hell out of commercials for Fandango, that’s for sure.
But for me, it’s also about nostalgia. I had been counting the days, literally, till the films opening and rushed to the theater immediately after elementary school with a few of my best friends. In a true story that was literally immortalized in my film, Free Enterprise, I was not allowed to go into the theater, despite the fact that the film was rated G. Apparently the Georgetown Movie Theater in Brooklyn was having problems with noisy kids and wouldn’t let any children in under 17 after 4 PM. As if. I quickly recruited my mother, forcing her to take us to see the film, something she’s never forgiven me for to this day.
Now, in the cold light of day, it’s easy to see why people don’t love Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it’s a virtual remake of the episode “The Changeling” with the NOMAD probe that confuses Kirk as its creator, and has a glacial pace that today’s movie viewers are not accustomed to, especially watching it on television, and in the aftermath of The Wrath of Khan. But the fact is, in many ways, ST:TMP is a magnificent film. Spock faces his own humanity in a much more organic and real way than in a more recent Star Trek movie, Kirk has to come to terms with losing his ship and doing anything to reclaim his first best destiny and McCoy is just a hoot throughout. The redesign of all the ships, not just the Enterprise, have never been topped and the visual effects are quite simply awe-inspiring (take that, CGI). Although greenlit in the aftermath of Star Wars, ST: TMP owes far more of a thematic debt to 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sense of awe of the cosmos than Star Wars. And maybe that’s the key analogy. If you look at this year’s enjoyable re-invention and relaunch of the franchise, it’s a fast-paced, popcorn movie which bears the imprimatur of Star Wars far more than the Star Trek TV series, which makes sense, of course, if you’re trying to engage a new and younger audience for the franchise.
TMP, more 2001 than Star Wars
ST: TMP on the other hand, the last film in which Gene Roddenberry was allowed to be actively involved, has other things on its mind; combining its brand of pop humanism with the awe, majesty and danger of the unknown. But for the kid sitting in the theater in 1979, none of that mattered. Much like 1978s Superman, which is completely entrancing until after the helicopter rescue and then sort of falls off a cliff, ST: TMP is a rapturous tribute to Trekdom through Mr. Spock’s arrival…and then sort of falls of a cliff too. It’s easy to lose sight of what it was like the in the wake of the subsequent films and TV series, but seeing Starfleet Academy and Earth for the first time in the 23rd century was a giddy experience. The magnificent opening in which three Klingon ships are consumed by V’ger to the strains of Goldsmith’s brilliant Klingon Battle Theme stuck with you for weeks and, of course, the long, slow, lingering orgasmic glee on Kirk’s face as he, and the audience, admired the Enterprise in drydock for what seemed like forever. What seems interminable today on home video for was at the time the encapsulation of everything we felt about Star Trek and the amazement we had at seeing it back on the big screen and Andy Probert and Mike Minor’s redesign of the ship has never come close to being equaled. And in case of supreme irony, ST: TMP actually has the same ending as a James Bond movie. WTF? The same time, Moonraker, was released in which Roger Moore’s 007 goes into space and has destroy earth-imperiling globes that are going to annihilate all life on Earth, much like V’ger’s. Who woulda thunk it? (And if Trek was too heady for you at the time, you could ease on down the road to a nearby theater where The Black Hole was unspooling and watch Disney’s attempt to do Star Wars by sending Maximilian Schell to hell through a black hole. Or at least that’s what it appeared to be. I was too upset over the death of Slim
Pickens’ Old Bob to care at that point. And, yes, I’m kidding…sorta).
Robert Wise, Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy on the set
A few years back, a group of intrepid filmmakers worked with the late Robert Wise to try and salvage the film by doing a definitive director’s cut. It’s a wonderful curiosity and adeptly realized with some superb new visual effects. However, they weren’t able to physically go in and re-edit much of the film which is ultimately ST: TMP failing. Much like Godfather III, years later, Paramount had to make a release date, in this case, the ill-advised December 7th, 1979 opening. As a result, the film was literally edited with black slugs where the special effects would go, Jerry Goldsmith was literally sleeping on a cot on the music scoring stage and there was no time to test screen the film, let alone fine tune it. As a result, the pacing is completely off. Scenes which should have remained in the film were excised (some ham-handedly restored in the ABC TV airing a few years later) and, most notably, the endless flybys of V’ger remained in as the final visuals were dropped into the negative as the earlier reels were being printed for its massive, wide release. This is not the way to make a movie.
Now I wouldn’t go as far as saying Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a flawed masterpiece, it’s not, but it is the one film in the entire series, other than Star Trek (2009), that has a real cinematic scope to it and doesn’t feel like TV writ large. Even Khan, arguably the best of the series, was produced on a TV budget and, at times, looks that way through no fault of Nick Meyer. Fortunately, it’s crisp writing and clever plotting makes up for its deficiencies, of which there are many. And with its awesome cosmic vistas, cargo bays, massive engineering section (thankfully, not filmed at or near a brewery), galaxy spanning action, walking down the primary hull to the center of V’ger, the sumptuous Spock spacewalk, and expansive rec deck sequence, ST: TMP has an enormity of scale that befits its rather pretentious title, The Motion Picture. At the time, many of the film’s performances were savaged by critics, but Shatner, Nimoy and, particularly De Kelley all deliver nuanced versions of their familiar iconic TV characters. Shatner’s Kirk is pissed off and pissy over where his career has landed him, Nimoy’s Spock is seeking answers which he actually finds in the film and De Kelley’s McCoy provides the unbridled id that has made this character the ever-reliable glue of the entire series.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture may not be Star Trek’s crowning moment, but without it, and its indisputable financial, if not critical success, it’s hard to argue that the future of Trek would have played out very differently without it and for that, fans and detractors, of the film can all be grateful. It wasn’t until this year’s Star Trek relaunch that Paramount ever risked the kind of serious coin they did on Star Trek: The Motion Picture on the Trek franchise, but more importantly, it paved the way for the many TV to movie transitions that were to come. So for Charlie’s Angels, McHale’s Navy and The Flintstones among others, you can blame ST: TMP for that too.
"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" began Trek’s human adventure on film
Mark A. Altman is a writer/producer in Hollywood whose films include the homage to Star Trek, Free Enterprise, as well as many other film and TV series including DOA: Dead Or Alive, Castle and the upcoming remake of My Tutor. His new comic book, The Unknowns, is on sale now at comic book stores everywhere. www.theunknowns.com.
Loading ...
Comments»
Even though I wasn’t born at the time, I managed to see it on the big screen a couple of years ago. It might not be the best Star Trek picture, but it belongs on the silver screen more than any other ST movie, including ST’09. Up there, it feels like a totally different movie compared to the VHS/DVD/TV airing. I wonder what it must have been like seeing it for the first time on that big screen.
Couldn’t have put it better myself. What a great tribute to a film that for all its faults is at times brilliant, and usually underrated.
I remember seeing it on the day it was released here in the UK.
It was a huge rush to see the crew on the silver screen and the Enterprise.
Ok in hindsight it was to long and to dull – but I still loved it!
I saw it a the London Premier aged 17, went on my own…so memorable. The highest watermark ever for space VFX photography and model making without question. The E has never looked better and sadly looks like she never will. Also I think the most futuristic vision of Trek we are ever likely to see…it really did feel at the time as though it was truly a vision of our future, of mankind. Again that’s something we are not likely to ever experience again – I didn’t much care for the new film’s contemporary industrial feel. Yes, there are clearly film making errors in the pacing and edit, but as that vision of the future it remains at the top.
While not the best, it wasn’t the worst. How I remember going to see this opening weekend and falling in love with the refit Enterprise, the score, and the acting. Yeah, the story was long and very uneven ( due to that last minute rush work ), yet it really does feel like something massive and epic that has increasingly disappeared from films over the years since.
Still, I’ll take this one any day over much of the mindless fodder that has inundated us of late.
I did see it the first time at the theatres–very good article-if u were a tos trek fan it was a long delayed dream cum true–I also remember hearing Ilias theme overture for the first time-beautiful-Goldsmiths commanding soaring music as the movie started-Trumball,Dykstra et al generally awesome effex-trek finally was back it was awesome epic and grandly cosmic finally–I nearly cried seeing the new Enterprise for the 1st time-the reintroduction of our beloved characters was incredible-I remember expecting more from Robert Wises direction wishing it was Spielberg instead haha–but overall one of the few best movie openings of my life-i saw it at least 4-5 times in theatres–the ending especially cosmic–the human adventure was just beginning-salute to all involved-thanx for the rememberances–The black hole also had a great pre movie overture–i also admit to enjoying the black hole too–such wonderful spaceship designs-between the cygnus n enterprise the two most original space ship designs-yup except for jjs trek only tmp seemed epic in scope-flaws n all-2001 was a good comparison-both movies lose a lot by watching on the small screen–all those Pearl Harbor days ago-wow i feel old-except for sneakpreviews of et(a religous experience 6 months before it came out) and back to the future-(wow)-tmp is one of my fave movie going experiences-as was trek 2008 this year! Go Trek!
haha opps 2009 no i didnt see it a year earlier than everyone else really-just ask orci prime–damn typos
Ah, those were the days… long before DVD, VCR and whatever else is out there now. I saw that movie 17 times in the theater — once I even went to back-to-back showings. I still get chills listening to the music from the travel pod docking scene. I wish the franchise well in the future, but as far as I’m concerned it will never be the same again.
Also today dragged a Vizio 32 inch 1080 hi def tv home from walmart today to go with my playstation 3 n bluray star trek 2009 to watch it in hi def in me bedroom for the 1st time-wowsers! it was worth the wait-then i watched the closing of the experience in hi def from the trek evolutions disc in the blu ray tng collection-teared up watchin April receive the federation flag n watchin the last day interviews again-thst was beautifully shot n u can see how beautiful the whole design of the attraction was-pure genius-the hi def footage really has to be seen to be appreciated-
Hey Altman! Some of us LIKED Enterprise.
;)
Still remember how excited I was… and how great it was to see the gang with a (relatively) big budget.
#1
Heavenly
If nothing else, it had the best depictions of Klingons ever. Aggressive, dark and very thematic.
A toast to The Motion Picture. And a bow in hopes that Robert Wise’s Director’s Cut will soon see the light of High Definition.
10. Yup. Another pop at ENT. I love TMP but I’ll try not to hold Star Trek 2009 against it…
Ah, TMP. My favorite Trek movie. A timeless SF classic.
After watching it for the first time (and several times thereafter) on VHS tape in the 80s, it was a breathtaking experience when I first watched it in a movie theater in 1993.
I remember as a 15 year old kid seeing those three huge battlecruisers approach me for the first time with JG’s musical accompaniment. They just got larger and larger, and then we pass over them, see intense hull detail, and then watch them move away toward V’ger. That was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life.
I love TMP and hate the criticism it got over supposed lack of characterization.
BTW does anyone remember being suprised by the ending when they first saw it?
A nice tribute. But I’m in the category that just doesn’t like this movie. To me, it’s just unwatchable, save for a few scenes that actually show the characters as they were. I also disagree that all the other movies were TV episodes on the big screen. You can say that about the TNG films, but not Star Treks II-IV and Star Trek 6. Maybe if you take the three movies as one story, it might have that TV episode feel, but not individually. Star Trek II really touched on the fact that like the actors themselves, the characters have aged. Kirk’s glasses, Spock’s death–stuff you don’t see on an episode of TOS. And yes, Kirk’s glasses were a perfect symbol that the character is getting older. But despite that age, he’s still Kirk. Still a tactical genius. Still capable of pulling off that miracle.
Trek III was a great story of how these people will do anything, even sacrifice their careers and risk their lives, to help a friend.
And Trek IV saw just how valuable these people were to the Federation themselves, as only the greatest crew ever could save Earth.
I love TMP. And I’ve only seen a crappy old VHS of it.
I agree with just about everything you wrote. One big exception: I thought it was a massive mistake to show Earth and Starfleet Academy. TOS was always way out in deep space, and the fact that our crew was so far removed from the rest of humanity and had to rely on their own wits (and available technology) made TOS special for me.
Sadly (for me, anyway) Star Trek has lost that special essence. Still love it though : )
Nothing wrong with TV writ large in my view. Too many Star Trek films reach exceeded their grasp. Characterisation suffers when too many money-shots are thrown into the mix, for the sake of being epic.
Although I can’t deny had JJ Abrams brought to life, the origin story I thought he might when I first saw that 2006 teaser poster – “Star Trek Begins”, something epic and cinematic that fit into the Prime Universe continuity… ditching Nero, time travel & alternate realities… not rewriting Kirk’s backstory, that may well have disproved the rule.
I don’t care what anyone else say’s, I love this film.
My Dad took me to see it for my 8th Birthday, having loved the series in re-runs.
The whole atmosphere in the audience was electric – even for an 8 year old to feel.
In the days before internet spoilers I was truly unaware of what was before me.
I recall the absolute shock and delight (for an 8 yr old) at the fact the bridge now has 2 turbolifts, The other new sets and effects.
It was an experience i will always remember positively and probably cemented my love of Trek
ST:TMP was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater back in December of 1979. It is still one of my favorite Trek movies and other than the 2009 entry probably the only one that can be categorized as a “major motion picture.”
While the movie had its long stretches, it was a visual feast for the eyes with production design and art direction that have have never again been approached, let alone matched, in a Trek movie. It was also truer to Roddenberry’s vision of the future than most of the movies that came after it, adhering to his themes of optimism and trying to find non-violent solutions to the problem at hand.
Robert Wise’s director’s edition really smoothed out the rough edges and was clearly the definitive version of the film; now if only Paramount would see fit to have those special edition effect re-rendered at 1080p and release a proper BluRay version I think they’d make a lot of Trekkies very happy.
I was there on opening day, first in line for the first evening show. I was also buying tickets for a large group of people with me. It was fun to go up to the box office window (this is in the days prior to Fandango, etc.) and say “Thirty tickets, please.” As the machine spat out the tickets, I passed them on to another person in our group who distributed them to people in our party.
When the movie began, nothing could beat that fly-around of the Enterprise. And, when Kirk said “Take us out.” I felt as if it was the power of millions of Trek fans that moved NCC-1701 out of dry dock. Awesome!
Interesting how the color of the bridge in ST09 is identical to the TMP one. BTW the Kelvin bridge and design was much cooler looking than the white shiny one.
‘…[I]ts awesome cosmic vistas, cargo bays, massive engineering section (thankfully, not filmed at or near a brewery.’
Please take note, JJ and co. All the sets and ships in TMP were beautiful. And so too was the imagery: that shot of the Enterprise with the JJ esq flare, for example, is stunning. More such visuals in Star Trek 12, please, to capture the majesty and beauty of space. Space is important to humanity, whether for religious, scientific, or mystical reasons. To capture this importance, let’s see some jaw-dropping visuals, by which I don’t just mean lots of special effects. Let the audience appreciate the beauty, majesty, and mystery of space. Then they will value the adventure more. This can be done with a few images and some short beats of spine-tingling music; it doesn’t have to, and I think shouldn’t, be the foundation of the film a la 2001 etc.
More or less agree with everything ( btw , met you in Cannes the year you came with Free Enterprise , Mr Altman . Still have a signed pic…)
Except I’m still pissed with the atrociously looooooooong editing of the movie . Even the ‘ new enhanced version ‘ doesn’t hold a candle in front of the frenetic Khan or Undiscovered country .
This film is simply too long . A two-partners would have been great .
Anyway I guess my point of view will seem inocuous enough , coming from one of the very few country which always resisted Trek mania ( I discover myself ST TOS through Tele-Monte -Carlo viewings , then NOT a French channel ! )
Oh I remember those giddy teen-aged days when this came out, there was so many cool movies out at the time and the future was bright!
Happy Anniversary Star Trek TMP!
Also this movie was made by a 5 time Oscar winner, just for that alone you cannot you write this movie off, unlike say Star Trek V.
The pace is what killed this film for me. Very boring but not because of the story so much. Unlike Nemesis which was completely unbearable.
I think if they reduced the film length it could be re released as the 30th anniversary and make a few dollars now.
I saw this movie when I was 19 – waited in line in cold (for Texas) temperatures for almost two hours to get a ticket. I remember feeling … unfulfilled when the movie ended. Yeah, it was good, but was it great? The SFX were awesome (although I was not a fan of the Enterprise refit at the time), and the music was great (especially the little nod to Alexander Courage in some of the cues – but where was the [what I call] Enterprise fanfare? Da – da Da – - da da da da Da – - – - Da DAAAAAA). Story-wise: Yeah, it did feel a lot like a re-hash, but in retrospect, it may have been more of an expansion on the “Changeling” story, and for sure there are a number of similarities. But it did feel “off” somehow.
Now, having viewed the “Director’s Cut” numerous times, I can see little nuances I never saw before – like Kirk drumming his fingers on the arm of the center seat just before giving the order to “take her out.” You could tell he was nervous, and that’s not a quality one would expect in Kirk. But you had to look really hard to see it. Sometimes I think Shatner’s performances were a little too nuanced. But there were others, like Uhura’s voice cracking as the Enterprise was under attack by V’ger, that possibly were not noticed at the time. I think some of the performances were underrated by critics who saw it as just an escapist TV show brought to the big screen (and these are people who think “Hairspray” or “Mamma Mia” are works of art).
I’d love to see the Director’s Cut on the big screen at some point, but I’d be happy just seeing it on a 52″ HD plasma with an upconverting DVD player (’cuz it’s probably a foregone conclusion you’ll never see this version of the movie on Blu-Ray, even though the original is out there).
I was twenty-two years old and had been a trekkie (yes, trekkie) since the original broadcasts. After years of rumors of a return of Star Trek to television, the announcement of TMP was like a nuclear explosion not only to trekkie/trekkers and sci-fi fans but in the wider world of entertainment as well. I’d always been outspoken about my love of the show but now closeted trekkies were coming out of the woodwork everywhere! I was gleeful and a little smug (having been of the vanguard, as it were).
Because of my work schedule I wasn’t able see it for two days after the premier and the reviews I’d heard and read were not favorable. But I held out hope that they just didn’t ‘get it’. After all 2001 was my favorite science fiction movie and most people could not appreciate that one – too abstruse, obtuse and slow-paced for the average film goer…too much thinking required.
Well for me TMP turned out to be a great and glorious disappointment that I still love to this day. “Do I contradict myself? Very well…”
As much as I love ST2009 I hope the next film will give us a little more thoughtfulness (in the pure sense of that word) and find a balance of the slam-bam and the intellectual.
“…I contain multitudes.”
Call me crazy.
I just love the Enterprise in this movie anytime I see Kirk’s inspection scene a tear nearly drops from my eye as I breath in the awesomeness of the ship. It’ll never look better, excellent work by the effects people.
Let us not forget, ST:TMP was also the subject of the first-ever McDonald’s Happy Meals! How I wish I’d saved those boxes…
Great movie, I’ve loved it since I saw it on release night in the theater as a 10-year old kid.
I first saw TMP when I was 6… and fell asleep about 40 mins in! I’ve come to love the movie and feel that for all its faults it captures something of the awe and wonder (and mystery) of space exploration. Trek is many things to many people… that it can be that is a wonderful thing and all its forms should be celebrated. An era ended when Roddenberry couldn’t directly influence the movies and I find it interesting that the franchise now has such a legacy that its possible to follow stylistic and narrative changes in attitude to the basic concept over 40 years! Great article and great website. thanks!
The shot where the enterprise is fully revealed for the first time still gives me chills. I’ve never seen it in theaters. I have seen it on blu-ray on my 24″ monitor. I would also totally buy it again if paramount re-releases the 2001 version (with truly 1080p sfx) on blu-ray. Heres hoping.
In my opinion its the 2nd half of the movie that doesn’t work for whatever reason. The first half is truely epic. I didn’t know the movie was never truely finished until i heard about the 2001 version. Then it all made since for the first time.
Excellent retro-review and really a very engrossing film to watch (and I hate to say this), as one gets older. When it came out I was 13 and found it good-looking, but boring as all hell honestly – now, at 43, I find it pretty damn impressive on all levels. The plot is a little thin, but watching it on HD, especially, is almost awe-inspiring.
One guy’s opinion.
I first saw CLOSE ENCOUNTERS at the Georgetown. (I saw TMP at the Oceana). Like most Brooklyn theaters, it no longer exists :(
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/3921/
So I’m an oddity, I’m a young Trekker who was born after TMP but who loves everything TOS. I’ve always wished Phase II was a reality just so there would be more episodes with the original crew. However, I’ve often heard Spock would of been replaced by Xon, who was killed in TMP and that Capt. Kirk would of left after the first season and been replaced by Decker.
Are any of those true and does anyone wish Phase II had happened?
The very best the Star Trek movies. It respects the ability of the audience to sit back, relax, and enjoy a good sci-fi yarn..
“The Human Adventure is Just Beginning” ranks up there with Bebop’s “Are You Living In The Real World?”
simple, moving, poignant
It’s an interesting film and, like Khan, a damn sinister one at times. When I watched the Director’s Edition, I finally appreciated it. The KSM relationship was warmer and better handled than in the earlier versions, the new sound mix more Trek-like and the new FX better suited to the film.
I absolutely LOVE TMP, so this is a really nice, touching, relevant review for me. Honestly, depending on which I have watched most recently, TMP and TWOK vie for the top spot on my favorite Trek movie list. I think this movie is epic, cerebral, and really explores the characters of Kirk and Spock in a way that none of the other films do.
It always makes me sad that Leonard Nimoy did not have a good experience making this film, because I think it was EXTREMELY important to the Spock character. Spock is not as we know him in this film. He is colder, more distant, employing more control than ever to keep himself from connecting with the emotional humans around him. After watching his disappointment in his failure to reach kohlinar, actually seeing the cogs spinning nearly out of control after finding Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise, and his obvious discomfort at being confronted by all his old shipmates at once… for me, there is a very physical feeling of relief when Spock raises his eyebrow at McCoy’s sarcasm for the first time. It was the first inkling that maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay between these three, and especially between Spock and the disappointed and hurt Kirk.
There is so much going on in this film, that it always makes me sad when people say they don’t like the film. I can understand their objections, to be sure… but it still makes me sad.
This is one movie I would kill to see on the big screen, because it truly deserves to be seen that way. As a masterpiece, a piece of art on a galactic scale. And I love it.
#18—”I’m in the category that just doesn’t like this movie. To me, it’s just unwatchable, save for a few scenes that actually show the characters as they were.”
That’s one criticism of TMP that I have just never really understood. The characters were not supposed to be portrayed “as they were”. They were supposed to be portrayed as they are 2.5 years later, having been apart from one another in that time as they pursued rather unfulfilling paths of life in opposite directions. They are supposed to be stiff and uncomfortable—-that is, until they each, like V’Ger, find what it is they seek…I thought Wise’s direction and the performances of Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley brought to the story precisely what was called for.
For my money, TMP has always been grossly underrated, and it remains one of four Star Trek films which I consider great (each in different ways)—-TWOK, TVH, and ST09 being the other three.
Perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of TMP is its effect going forward upon the character of Spock, whom few would argue is one of the most iconic characters in American television/film history. It is, after all, Spock’s encounter with V’Ger and his subsequent moment of clarity which finally (save for a brief time following his rebirth) allows him to become comfortable in his own half-human skin—-once and for all embracing his individuality instead of pretending to be something he never was…The character is, following that turning point in his life, never the same again.
While, as a child (seeing TMP for the first time in the wake of the Star Wars phenomenon), I was disappointed and bored with its pace, I have found it to be one of the better Star Trek films ever produced.
What a shame 30 years has been replaced with the Star Warsian trite called star trek in 2009.
Some people will never get it….
A friend and I saw TMP on opening night. The theater was packed. The crowd applauded and laughed in all the right places. It was a fun experience.
When we had time to digest the film, we acknowledged there were problems with it, but none of that really mattered. It was Star Trek, and it was a great, big, gigantic movie, and we were happy that Trek was finally back.
Looking back, I have always had a soft spot for this film… especially since the Director’s Cut did make some improvements. It is still one of my favorite Trek films. I shudder to think what this film might have looked like had it been in the hands of someone less capable that Robert Wise, who, apparently, made the best of what he had to work with, and in the time he had to do it. But there is no doubt that it is Star Trek. And I, too, am hoping there will be a blu-ray release of the TMP Director’s Cut. Why Paramount didn’t just release one in the first place tells me they are either stupid (probably not), or just want to make another buck (probably).
My greater disappointment is that William Shatner was never allowed to do a Director’s Cut/upgrade of TFF, and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive Paramount for that one. I guess I’ll just have to make my own….
Some very good points made. However, I was not happy with the film. I have dubbed it the “bad vibes” film because no one seems to want to be there (or, if they do, for the wrong reasons). The fans were expecting a joyous reunion of the TOS characters and a great adventure. What they got was a plodding effects-driven story and an unhappy crew.
44. Bill
Some people? Are you referring to the many thousands of people who made Trek09 a box office/ dvd hit, and the many critics who liked it?
How can you simply dismiss the mass of Trekkies/moviegoers who liked this film simply on the basis of your disappointment? That seems rather egocentric, hmm?
Yup. I really want to see the Directors Edition on the big screen. It’s the closest thing we’ll get to what Robert Wise would have finished back in the 70’s. It’s a damn shame Paramount cheaped out and didn’t give it the wide release it deserved.
As I’ve said many times before…..I know I’m in the minority here but I strongly feel that STTMP is still the best of the lot. While the others films made for great entertainment, when viewed years later they don’t hold up as well as that initial film made 30 years ago. There are still many things that I marvel about in STTMP. All of which were greatly enhanced in Mr. Wise’s “Directors Edition”. Things like, an “adult” take on science fiction, the superior special effects (particularly in the Directors Edition), and the awesome musical score. I remember being quite flabbergasted to hear Nicholas Meyer’s running commentary on the “Wrath of Khan” DVD when he pretty much said, “I could do better then that” when referring to STTMP. I mean come on, he’s a good to average director, but he’s no Master! Just take a look how the late great Mr. Wise staged his actors on the bridge. Often using over the shoulder shots that required special lenses to keep his trio of foreground and background actors all in focus. A very stylish and sophisticated approach if you ask me. My only wish is that they will someday release STTMP- The Directors Edition on Blu-ray.
I remember seeing it on opening day. I “trekked” into Manhattan to see the film in 70 mm at Loew’s State in Times Square; they ran the film in screens one and two. I went back two days later to see it at the local theater, and made seven trips altogether. Including one on the last day of its second-run, in March, 1980. There should be a 30th anniversary DVD, but if there’s not one by now, there never will be.
And, “The Black Hole” also had an overture. At least the print that played at the National Theater in Times Square did.
I feel the film is deeply flawed as it is and yet it’s the one Trek film I keep coming back to over and over again.
Personally, I would love to see at least one more “special edition” that eliminates at least 10 minutes of screen time. There are so many establishing shots of the space dock offices, the Enterprise leaving the dry dock etc, etc, etc. Obviously, much of the trip over VGER, then through VGER could be cut as well.
Once all the eye candy is cut back, I think the real story can come forward once again. Interestingly, it’s taken me 30 years to really appreciate the film for what it is. I’ve only really begun to enjoy the film recently, almost being to drop all my preconceptions and see it for what it is. I think the following article has done a great deal to re-engage my interest in TMP. Please read it and I think you’ll see TMP in a very different light!
http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2009/04/cult-movie-review-star-trek-motion.html
Thanks,
Pierre
Wow-
Thirty years? Where has the time gone?
I remember ramping up to the movie and getting this little pamphlet from Pocket Books about all the tie ins they were going to do with the movie and trying to gleam what little information I could from the images there. Opening night was a blast my friends and I just couldn’t wait and once the lights went down, I was entranced. Yes, the movie has problems, but the E refit is still beautiful, and the characters were spot on.
I still love the movie to this day.
As I type this, I am listening to Jerry Goldsmith’s complete score to the movie (3 CD recording session). Happy 30th, TMP!! Thanks for thirty years of memories and here’s to many more.
I dragged my parents to see it when I was just twelve. I’ve always loved this movie for it’s “epicness” and I do like the slow pace too. I think it’s the most “Sci-Fi” of all the Trek movies by a long way.
It’s in my top three trek movies along with TWOK and ST2009, and they are like kids, I love them all equally, there’s no way to choose which one I like best, all three movies are so different yet all are great in their own way.
#39—-” I’m a young Trekker who was born after TMP but who loves everything TOS. I’ve always wished Phase II was a reality just so there would be more episodes with the original crew. However, I’ve often heard Spock would of been replaced by Xon, who was killed in TMP and that Capt. Kirk would of left after the first season and been replaced by Decker.
Are any of those true and does anyone wish Phase II had happened?”
Although I’m with you of course in wishing that there were more episodes with the original crew, I’m not sure I would trade the heyday of the film era for what I know of the first season storylines in Phase II, and I am almost certain that we would never have had both.
And yes, you are correct that the plan was to replace Spock with a full-blooded Vulcan named Xon (who wasn’t actually a character in TMP, but another character played by the same actor was killed on Epsilon Nine), and I’ve heard the same thing about the idea of eventually replacing Kirk with Decker.
But while the failure of Phase II to ever get off the ground may be seen as an initial disappointment, I think it was a key stepping stone in the chain of events which eventually led to the production and release of eleven (so far) feature films and four other live-action television series.
I think it turned out okay.
This is a case of “good old days” syndrome. Things in the past aren’t always as good as we remember them, usually because we tend to remember the best parts.
As a kid watching this film, I loved it because I loved space movies. But much like 2001, this film was boring. Hugely so.
When I’m feeling in the mood for a deep thinking movie like 2001 or TMP, and have a couple hours of nothing else on, i can sit and watch something like this.
There were some good scenes, and the scope was not matched again until ST:2009.
I completely disagree with the comments about how the redesign and the ship designs where the best every. I think ST:2009 blows it out of the water by a mile in the realistic, and futuristic depiction of the Enterprise and other ships.
The Enterrprise looked good in TMP, for a movie made in the 1970’s. But certainly not for a modern sci-fi movie. Different era, different level of sophistication in an audience requires difference choices.
Overall, it’s fun to watch from a nostalgic point of view, but as far as entertainment goes, I couldn’t watch TMP again and again like I can ST:TWOC and ST:2009. Those are the best Star Trek movies from an entertainment standpoint.
If you are looking for purely nostalgic, “I LOVED TOS” Star Trek, then watching TMP fits the bill. But even then, while I love the nostalgia, I get bored half way through the movie.
Another TMP enthusiast here.
Let me join the small chorus that loves this film. Yeah, it was a rehash of The Changeling, but wow, it still knocked our socks off back in the day. In my opinion the fx are unmatched (OK, Star Trek 2009 excepted) and the soundtrack still the best of any of the Trek films.
The Directors Cut is by far the best version of the film. Unbelievably when TMP was first released the scene showing Spock weaping on the bridge was NOT IN THE FILM. It wasn’t added until the ABC airing a few years later – and it made a HUGE impact on the story. The editor should have been shot. This and some other scenes were also included in the subsequent VHS and DVD versions and also into the Directors Cut.
Interesting note on the Directors Cut- Robert Wise addresses the criticism of the lengthy Enterprise and V’ger flyby sequences and defends them as artistic choices. The Enterprise flyby because it was the first time fans would be able to see the ship so intimately and the V’ger sequence because he wanted to show just how big and sophisticated V’ger was. He could have cut those down for the Directors Edition and he did not want to do that.
As noted by other posters the film was mostly about Spock coming to terms with his identity. That was largely lost in the initial release due to the deletion of an incredibly important scene) but was corrected later.
As for the Xon character, back when the whole project was still Phase II Nimoy was not involved and the Xon character had been created – and cast . When the project became a motion picture Nimoy signed on and the Xon character was no longer necessary. The Vulcan science officer who dies on the transporter pad near the beginning of the film is a hold over from this – though I seem to remember that actor originally cast as Xon actually played one of the starfleet officers on the Epsilon space station.
Anyway, TMP is still a beautiful film to watch. At least for us old foagies.
I remember well the emotion of seeing the Enterprise for the first time in drydock after waiting 10 years since the series ended on t.v. It probably doesn’t translate well now to viewers on dvd, but it meant a lot to myself and fans who had waited so long to see the Big E. The biggest disappointment for me was the ripoff of the t.v. episode “The Changeling” as Mr. Altman mentioned. The slow pace was mind numbing at times also. That said, the beginning scene with the Klingon battle cruisers and that great music combined with really interestingly filmed camera movements zooming into the Klingon ship and panning around is something I’ll always appreciate and remember. I wonder if the 10 million dollars in special effects left on the cutting room floor included the original ending where as V-GER disappeared, the Klingon battle group reappeared to fight the Enterprise. From what I’ve read, the Enterprise had to separate the saucer section during that battle before defeating the Klingons. That would have been an exciting end to the movie. Anyway, this movie did it’s job by keeping the franchise going.
Just watched this movie last night. Loved it growing up, love it now. My wife, who has never seen it, sat down and watched part; when Kirk and Scotty are viewing the enterprise in drydock, she commented on how beautiful the scene was.
Damn right.
My only complaints are the following:
1) It needs a standalone Blu-Ray release, including
2) The Director’s Edition, and both need a thorough
3) Print cleaning–there’s TONS of scratches and dust on this print.
Lovely film though. One of my favorites. Easily my second favorite in the Trek franchise.
16. AJ – December 7, 2009
“I remember as a 15 year old kid seeing those three huge battlecruisers approach me for the first time with JG’s musical accompaniment. They just got larger and larger, and then we pass over them, see intense hull detail, and then watch them move away toward V’ger. That was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life.”
I’m with you on that one AJ! I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way. It was among the best Star Trek special effects moments in all the movies I believe.
Well the NEW release of STTMP on bluray is the theatrical release, the SE version is the director’s cut, director’s cut, and the VHS is the theatrical version, w/o the newer or edited special effects/sound/computer voiceovers. I’ll keep all 3! I enjoy the later
[...] http://trekmovie.com/2009/12/07/december-7th-1979-star-trek-the-motion-picture-began-30-years-of-sta... [...]
My parents had an aversion to theaters in those days, they would only go to the drive-in. I remember seeing Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica at the drive-in. But I never did see STTMP during its theatrical run, even though I was into Trek at the time. I guess the drive-in may have closed down for the winter by the time STTMP was released. I probably caught up with it on video in the early 80s. Latest viewing was of the DE DVD.
To #56
The Enterrprise looked good in TMP, for a movie made in the 1970’s. But certainly not for a modern sci-fi movie. Different era, different level of sophistication in an audience requires difference choices.
–
The model work in TMP still looks great even today. I don’t think audiences today are sophisticated at all. For the most part Trek 2009 is a “dumbed down” version of trek with slick Star Wars packaging.
Also, the TMP engine room set is 1000 times better than Budwiser Engineering from Trek 2009.
We definitely do need to remember how amazing ST:TMP was and, much more importantly, still is — thanks, Mark.
When I was young, I watched this movie over and over and over, before I realized STII was much more *important*. But TMP is the type of movie we would expect occasionally for a series like Star Trek, with its crew constantly exploring. Instead, the formula now invariably includes some villain made in an image of Khan (and failing), and poor plots centered around them. With the exception of the latest (shout-out to Bob Orci), they never seemed to proceed from an actual plot either about the characters, the human adventure, or otherwise. But TMP did that. ( I know that IV didn’t have “heavies” , but there was no exploration here either, it was just fun. )
I *still* love the first sight of Admiral Kirk, and can watch the Enterprise’s introduction a million times. The majesty doesn’t match the ship herself, of course, nothing could: it is the greatest design by human hands of all time. I’m glad Mark also points this out — repeatedly — because every poll I have ever seen always puts this Enterprise far and away above any other ship, Starfleet or not, in terms of beauty. She was what Plato must have meant when he was talking about ideals in aesthetics.
And how about that score? Ilia’s theme and the overture? Breathtaking.
We need to take over a movie theater and do a mega marathon of all Trek movies.
The first and greatest of the Trek films. This movie still holds the torch for great Trek writing and storytelling. Trek doesn’t need Star Wars injected into it like a steroid syringe to appeal to audiences. Then again, audiences back in ‘79 were exposed to better films at the time, and yes, the audiences were MUCH more sophisticated.
Hell, even the later Trek films had better writing and a scale to them that overshadows the new Star War–er, Star Trek film.
Wasn’t born when TMP opened in theatres, but I’ve always liked it. It’s an epic film, and the effects are excellent, even by today’s standards.
Star Trek TMP is my favorite trek movie- it had its own world & was the only star trek film to show us a universe we could imagine ourselves in- the only one that gave you the time to experiance the scene & feel like you were there.
I love it’s 2001 style epic story & thoes beautifull images & effects.
I wish this board allowed editing or removing of messages by the author. What I meant to say, is I have the orig. theatrical release on vhs. Now on Bluray. I also own the extended version on dvd, and well as the Director’s cut. I enjoy the extended version more so, as it has scenes dropped back into it. The newer Direct. cut, I miss many of the older computer voice over and fx/sounds the orig. theatrical release has. each version has a different aspect to viewng to offer.
The poster unfairly implied that the film was in color.
That said, those early shots of the big-screen Enterprise remain some of the most stunning imagery in the history of movie make-believe.
Oh, and one more note:
Let’s be clear about this. Although the refitted Enterprise is the most beautiful ship of all-time, and there is little that comes close, there is one ship that is at least a candidate: the Enterprise of Star Trek XI. Her primary hull is almost entirely borrowed, the form of the ship is very similar. Obviously, instead of running away from it the way Star Trek’s designers did from 1987 until 1996 (the Sovereign is a half-hearted attempt to move back that way), these designers fully embraced the glory of the original. There’s something to be said about her lines, as she twists in the wreckage over Vulcan, rises up through Titan, and escapes the black hole.
Great article, Mark….I share your feelings about the film completely.
I’ve always had a soft spot for TMP, warts and all. It was only the 3rd or 4th film I had ever seen in a theater(I was 6 at the time) and was blown away, even though I didn’t understand parts of it.
The new Blu Ray really captures the scale and attention to detail that the subsequent sequels lacked due to budget. Kinda sad that we had to wait 30 years for another Trek movie to get a budget it truly deserves.
#57 – “Though I seem to remember that actor originally cast as Xon actually played one of the starfleet officers on the Epsilon space station.”
His name is David Gautreaux. He played Commander Branch of the Epsilon 9 Station in his two scenes in the film. Which, IIRC, were among the last scenes of the film to be shot, in the summer of 1979.
A truly epic and highly underrated Star Trek film. Far and away better than the strict action movie approach of later Trek films.
And has Altman ever heard of the carpentar from Nazareth?
Great review and a good read. All so true.
I can still tap into the excitement that I felt all those years ago. Thirty years! omg. Unbelievable.
I was interested to read that TV shows being adapted for the big-screen was unusual in the States at that point because here in the UK a TV show only had to be moderately successful and they did a cinematic release or two of the show. Mostly comedies, interestingly, but other series got the big-screen treatment too.
I was 9 when this came out… and I still remember my Dad taking me to the theater…after I talked him into it. I’d been watching Trek on TV since I could remember. (So I’m not QUITE old enough to have seen it during it’s original run.)
I remember the theater had a massive model of the refit Enterprise hanging from the ceiling. A MODEL. Fully lit. Don’t know how or where they got it, but it was one of the biggest theaters in our city. (Sadly, now long gone.)
I remember gazing at that model and thinking how cool it looked, yet somewhat different from the preview paintings (I think by Mike Minor) that I’d seen in Starlog magazine.
I was too young to get some of the underlying thematic components of the film, and the extended V’ger entry sequence was boring as hell. But I loved every minute of it.
It’s flawed, yes. However it’s still a great film. (Now can we get the DC effects updated to 1080p so we can have both the original cut AND the Director’s Cut on Blu-Ray?) :)
Oh… and great article Mark!!
I love ST:TMP, and some of it’s flaws are due to the fact that it wasn’t an Action-Adventure film ala TWOK or Star Wars.
I certainly love the Enterprise as she appeared here.
I was at university when Star Trek the Motion Picture was released. I remember standing in line with my best friends and hundereds of other people. Everyone cheered when the film started. I still have a soft spot in my heart for STTMP. I brought the soundtrack on cassette (remember those) and listened to it over and over.
Gah! Not enough coffee this morning… I was *11* when STTMP came out… not 9. :D (Great math skills…. NOT.)
I was only about 10 when i seen Tmp at the Theater. It to me at that time was awe inspiring. I was only a Trek Fan for about 3 years before that as my Dad Loved to watch it and I got hooked. My dad and I went to see it and We just loved it. I loved the music and seeing the Big E was just awe inspiring. I even ask my Dad if Nasa was going to make one. Lol. I have seen this Movie many times. But I love Robert Wise and his Remastering even more. I hope that soon they will do his version on Blurey as that is where it belongs.
Tonight im going to Watch Tmp Remastered. So happy Anniversory Tmp. As Spock said. First best Destaney. That is what Star trek is to all of us.
Best Star Trek film, ever.
It stands as a testament to Science Fiction done extremely well.
Even now after thirty years, it still stands up as a film convincingly depicting a future centuries ahead of ours. How many films which have tried this can boast that? While watching it you can really believe that this is happening in our future, there is nothing which jars you out of that.
Unlike the brewery scenes in ST09.
The pace is restrained but not boring, although I would agree that some time could be shaved off of the V’Ger fly-by. But it does serve to show the sheer scale of it, as we had a fairly similar look at the Enterprise earlier on.
The Directors Edition is for me, the definitive version of ST-TMP. Not so much the special effects, but they were welcome, but the character moments, like Spock in tears on the bridge. This was an extremely poignant moment for me when when I first saw this.
The characters are played with more depth and complexity than had ever been done before or after. With perhaps the exception of McCoys flashback with his Father in STV.
All in all, a great review, thanks Mark, and a wonderful trip down memory lane, as I was about 15 when I first got to see this in the UK.
Went to see it many times. A couple of times I sneaked into the bathroom between showings so that I could see it twice in a row. If my memory serves, I saw it 27 times in the cinema. My parents thought I was mad.
And if Paramount are watching, then add my vote to having the Directors Edition special effects redone in 1080p for a Blu-Ray ST-TMP-DE release.
It is wonderful to read so much love for a movie which I honestly believed I was in the minority for being my favourite.
I really hope the next Star Trek film is half as thoughtful and epic as ST-TMP
Got to see it for my 12th birthday. I had to wait a week after it premiered to be taken to the theater. I don’t remember much about the experience of seeing the film, but I do remember the exquisite anticipation in those pre-internet days of actually having to WAIT to see a movie before having it dissected for me and served on a plate (thanks, AICN…). It was an event – not dissimilar to this summer’s movie. They even themed the first McDonald’s Happy Meal after it – I think I still have the iron-on Starfleet delta patch that came with the meal. My neighbor, rich sonuvagun, got a model of the bridge – I, however, got a model of the NCC-1701 herself. Still have it.
I downloaded TMP Director’s Cut last year from Amazon, and decided to have a quick glance at a few scenes last week. Dontcha know, I watched the whole darn thing.
I particularly enjoy DeForest Kelley’s McCoy in this film. The scene of his coming aboard is one of my favorite moments in TOS, hands down. Kirk is almost manic in his hour of need, and McCoy’s gruff exterior disappears for just a second as they shake hands. Then it’s “I know engineers…they love to change things” and we’re rolling.
“49. Moonwatcher – December 7, 2009
As I’ve said many times before…..I know I’m in the minority here but I strongly feel that STTMP is still the best of the lot. While the others films made for great entertainment, when viewed years later they don’t hold up as well as that initial film made 30 years ago. ”
I agree fully. The Motion Picture is truly Star Trek fully realized., and grown up. I wanted to feel a bit more of The motion Picture in JJ’s Trek, but sadly…we just got more ‘entertainment’, and that’s fine I guess but i don’t see why the two can not meet somewhere in the middle.
Perhaps if Harlan Ellison is brought into JJ’s second Trek, we’ll see some more weight and brains in the story.
I remember seeing TMP on HBO a year or so after its release. I really enjoyed the film but the best part of TMP was when I was able to watch the Director’s Cut on DVD, now that was the version which SHOULD have been released in the first place.
If you haven’t seen “Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Cut,” then you are really missing out on things.
THANK YOU!
I have been saying this for years!!
Hey, it’s not all “old foagies” who love this film!
I am 23 years old and got into Star Trek only 2 years ago. Before I watched TMP, I had seen “The Galileo Seven,” “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” and ST IV. That’s it. And I absolutely loved it.
Just this May, I saw an older VHS release of TMP, one that had some deleted scenes included in. There is a scene in that version that is not in the Director’s Edition that I really wish was left in. It is the scene between Bones and Kirk after Decker leaves Jim’s office (the “Stop competing with me!” scene) and where the Director’s Edition picks up (”I’m a busy man, Bones…”). I can’t remember the dialogue at this point, but I remember really enjoying the scene and wondering why it was cut out.
Anyway, I’m young, I was a HUGE Star Wars fan loooong before I got into Star Trek, and I am in the small group of people who LOVE Star Trek: The Motion Picture. So there. ;)
Oh, one other thing I forgot:
The refit NCC 1701 is gorgeous. It’s a tie between the refit and the TOS Enterprise for my favorite version of the ship.
And yes, “Take THAT, CGI!!!” I miss models and practical effects. Sigh…
Still not diggin the bashing on Voyager and Enterprise, even if meant as a joke ;)
I remember my dad taking me to see that movie back in 1979. We were expecting something like Star Wars or Superman, The Movie. My dad was so bored, he fell asleep.
Like many people here, I saw it opening day. What long months and years of anticipation led up to that moment.
I’ll never forget sitting there next to my saintly mother — who brought me to conventions, too! — and first catching sight of those newfangled klingons with their hock-spotting language and weirdo skull ridges (wtf?). I was, and still am, baffled by some of the filmmakers’ choices: the grayscale colors, muted performances and long, orgasmic lap around the Enterprise.
But it was a thoughtful film, all in all, and I loved it despite its flaws. I still do.
ST:TMP now is such a big bore, especially the flybys of V’ger and the Enterprise – 15 minutes! are you crazy.
Will delete this one ( and a few other) from memory bank.
30 years!? Really? How did 30 years warp by so quickly? I know this thread is to celebrate ST:TMP (which I hold in very high regard…loved some of JJ’s homages in ST 2009) but I didn’t expect to feel so old today.
Heavy sigh.
Couldn’t have put it better myself.
I was there in 1979. The line was wrapped around the building. Literally, all the way around to the back of the theater. When the Overture started, there was a giddy excitement in the air. Star Trek was on the big screen!!! I was thrilled beyond words when the klingon ships flew toward the bottom of the screen and LOVED the music! The ultimate was seeing the new Enterprise. We were right there with Kirk and I felt just the same as he did. What a beautiful site. I enjoyed the film, but like many others grew to shrug it off only to have a new appreciation for it once I got my copy of the Director’s Cut on DVD. Finally, the film seemed complete and it was definitely more enjoyable than ever. If you haven’t seen that version, you owe it to yourself to find a copy (the new Blu-Ray doesn’t have it, only the theatrical version) and check it out. It’s a definite improvement. The film has moved back up to the top of my list thanks to the efforts of that amazingly talented team that worked with Robert Wise to put that version together. Thanks to them and to the powers that be that decided to give Trek another chance in the hands of J.J. Abrams. I can’t wait for more adventures.
A great article to one of the BEST Trek films ever made !!!
ST: TMP is my absolute favorite film of all of them. I know most of you think it was boring but I think it was pure genius! The most intelligent, thought provoking and best art direction of the series.
I was 14, got to the theater early with my Trek buddy, and went in for the final confrontation over Earth, then sat thru the whole movie after that. Even at 14 years of age we knew it wasn’t what we’d “wished” the movie to be, but it was so amazing to have new Trek, and on that BIG screen… great memories.
Ok… I’ll admit that the thing I remember most about that experience was how badly my ass was hurting from sitting so long in a crappy seat for 3+ hours… I think I still have a bruise ;p
Thanks so much, Mark. Always love your commentary…
I respect this film, but it still seems like a film from another time for me. It feels dated in a way the other films do not…
But it did what it needed to do. And because of that Trek is still going strong, thirty years later.
If you watch 2001 and then TMP, you’ll note the pacing and style similarities. Gene sold Trek as a “Wagon Train” to the stars so that Western-fixated TV execs would give the show a shot. He sold TMP as Trek’s answer to “Star Wars” for similar reasons. But in both cases he delivered something a bit different than what he promised – good for us fans, perhaps not so much for the execs…
100—”I respect this film, but it still seems like a film from another time for me. It feels dated in a way the other films do not…”
I think the wardrobe choices contributed significantly to that. But then again, I could say the same for TWOK. Khan and his henchmen could easily pass for David Bowie groupies!
And it certainly was a film from another time….people generally are born, educated, married, purchase a home, and have children of their own in a span of thirty years. Just take a moment to think about what the World was like in 1979. For Pete’s sake, the President of the United States was Jimmy Carter!!! :)
The refit E and the TOS E are my favorite ship designs. Next to those I will go with the Excelsior class, after that the Next Gen family of designs just do nothing for me. Not even going to mention the new E.
I miss this enterprise, its perfect from every angle, granted the area around the deflector could to be smothed out like on madkoifishes one here to be perfect in my eye
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/strangename19/Cardmodel%20Images/TOS-connie-039.jpg
but atleast it doesnt look like a hotrodded one designed for bobsleding like the 09 one
9.jpg
more shots of it here if anyones interested
http://www.cardmodels.net/forum/showthread.php?t=164044
stil even with these more modern designs I’ve seen over the years the TMP enterprise is the best in my eye, ILM has always been the the best effects studio when it comes to star trek and I hope that continues into the future
I had just started college when ST-TMP came out – I missed college several times to go and see the film….fans at that time, had eagerly awaited this film and just to know a ST film had been made (to me) was just awesome!
Many people I know didn’t like the film, many did as well, so all I can do is say what it meant for me – I had waited ages for new ST stuff…anything! Books, comics, anything – at that time there were very few books on ST available in England…I still have the 1st copy of a ST book that I bought then for 60p – then came the novelised series by James Blish….30p each then! (Still have those too!) – so to have a proper motion picture film was incredible to say the least. So I’m not too worried if the rest of the world didn’t like the film…for me it was years of waiting for a ST film, and although the initial gloss may have worn off over the years, the film itself still holds a special place for me.
And that film helped kick start the film franchise, so maybe ST fans have a lot to thank that film for. I really like all the films, but have to be honest and say ST 5 is my least-favourite one. On a personal note, I think ST is much more than just a franchise – for me it’s been a lifelong companion.
Of all the movies, TMP holds up for me every time. What I like is that it creates the experience of being aboard a “futuristic spaceship”, not necessarily a stereotyped TOS continuation. And its has some heavy sci-fi concepts. The living machine angle. I’m glad Gene Roddenberry made it his way.
I was 13 living in New Orleans…I saw it alone…my parents would never go see that…. Oh the impressions it made on me being such a TREKKER from TOS…the sfx and soundtrack still linger in my mind to this day…those first images of the new E…I remember the TV spots Orson Wells did… seeing the E fly past Jupiter…the happy meal toys I had to have after seeing the Klingon McD commerical…how the actors had changed…I didn’t know the acting was stiff or teh storyline tedious..this was TREK on the big screen and I loved it…still do to this age…I’ll pop it into the blu-ray tonight as a toast to 30 years of greatness….FF and Nemesis excluded….of even they had something!
To this day I’m still amazed how beautiful, visually, TMP managed to be. Maybe it wasn’t the best movie, but the Enterprise was poetry on the screen.
Here’s to Persis, Jimmy and De… wish they could have been here for the 30th anniversary of TMP’s release.
TMP is to Trek, as the Monolith to 2001. If we hadn’t had TMP, we wouldn’t have had TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, or ST09.
Goldsmith wrote orchestral music of such variety that it’s echoing in my head reading the review. Ilia’s theme, the Klingon battle licks, the Vejur theme, the whole bit that TNG stole as its theme…. wow.
I’d still like to see the definitve edit that has all the dialogue, the fixed visuals, and if we can have 5 hour Lord of the Rings movies, we can damn well have every scrid of TMP put together into a 3 hour movie. Heck, even the original Genesis took six days… now we can do it in 3 hours. Oh wait, that’s gotta wait for the 30th anniversary of 1982’s TWOK. :)
Age (but not non-existence) kept me from seeing it, too, since I had only been born just over 6 months earlier. Non-Trekkers to this day, I doubt my parents even knew of its existence when it came out as they probably didn’t even know yet if their own son would live to see the new year (long story).
In any case, I’d LOVE to see this on the big screen. I doubt I’ll get my chance – down here in Jacksonville, FL, there aren’t many of those, and sadly, I don’t ever get any opportunities to go down to bigger cities like Orlando (which, ironically, is my birthplace). Thusfar, including STAR TREK 2009, I’ve seen 6 of the 11 movies on the big screen, all in first-run and all, if I’m not mistaken, on or around opening night or opening weekend. I think I even managed to catch STAR TREK 6 when it first opened since, at 12 years of age, I had just become a fan of the franchise in general and wanted to see it on the big screen, not even being able to understand what I’d be seeing in any context yet (though I remember enjoying it immensely – even if my younger friends didn’t).
Lastly, I see a lot of you mentioning (and complaining about) the new movie and its Enterprise design. I’m going to show solidarity here in admitting that the more I see it (upon repeat viewing of the film), the more changes I see to the original design. For instance, I fail to understand the filmmakers’ insistance that it is supposed to be BIGGER. If you look inside the hangar bay at the back when Kirk and Bones are flying in, it looks like it takes up the WHOLE LENGTH OF THE fuselage (or whatever…). Except for the saucer, here seems to be no room for anything else – quarters, sickbay… even engineering (which, I think, is supposed to be right around the bottom of the neck). The neck, too, looks smaller and it makes the overall ship look small below the saucer by having the top of it essentially stretch all the way down to the end of the ship to the hangar-bay doors.
That said – plus the way the interiors look cold, uncomfortably bright and all hard-surfaced – it does look more utilitarian and, in its own way, add to the “realism” Abrams seems to have wanted – or as much of it as would ever be possible. I get the feeling we won’t be seeing this crew LIVING on the ship for long periods of time. Odds are they’ll return to Earth now and then or stay over on stations and the sort – notice we never saw living quarters onboard (thought he dorms looked like the quarters on the old series… a little.)
I like the design of the Enterprise for the 1979 movie, dated-elements and all – particularly the borderline-shag carpeting and brown-beige walls. If anyone has the new ART OF THE FILM book (or even the new issue of Star Trek Magazine) you’ll see an early concept painting Ryan Church did of the bridge of the new Enterprise that evokes TMP, though subtly. I think the reason they didn’t use it, though, was that it looked impossibly empty and maybe a bit TOO livable as, in stark contrast to the movie’s bridge, it looks like it would have been dimly-lit with almost no sharp angles, turboshafts whose doors you can barely make out and work consoles-and-screens so deeply-set into the walls and so minimalist that you can barely tell how any work could get done in there at all. It looks like someone could walk in, sit down in the captain’s chair and fall asleep.
Have I written enough? Sorry. ‘Just seemed like a really important topic. LOL
Agreed with all said though TMP is actually my favorite Trek film and I am enjoying the hell out of my Blu-ray on my 73″DLP
We need an updated director’s cut blu-ray. As the added effects from the Director’s cut a few years back could be done even better, I’d love to see a little more rotoscoping too. Specifically the officers lounge scene. We need to see the real actual officers lounge with ten ft. high windows , nice walnut burl paneling on the walls.
Altman,
Where the fluck is Free Enterprise II??
104. Kev – December 7, 2009
It’s sad but at the same time fantastic that some of the fan art out there can be so much better than the paid pros can do. Maybe it’s the love than fans have combined with the freedom of unbound creativity and huge talent that many have that may be lacking in the pro world.
As a life long trek fan, I actually had no idea that a trek movie had been made, not until i saw the trailer. I was floored and I liked the new design of the enterprise. I saw the motion picture with my dad at the paramount theater in st. cloud minnesota. Yes, I too fell asleep during the V’ger flyover and then woke up during the “intruder alert” alarm. afterwards I concluded that there wasn’t going to be another star trek movie, Not until 1982 while I was working at a drive in and behold! star trek 2! Much much better! action, a better story and a sad ending which made me think that nimoy really didnt want to play spock anymore. “I am not spock”.
the directors cut improved the movie with finished effects, and better editing, It was nice of paramount to still give us the deleted scenes and cuts as a special feature. Im holding off buying the blu-ray editions (except trek 2009) until special editions and directors cuts become available.
For me TMP was always a mix of failed elements and ones that worked incredibly well. There were parts I loved, parts that went deeper than any other TMP era movie out there. There were also parts that just dragged on with a numbingly slow pace. Its weird, but when I’m having trouble sleeping sometimes I’ll put on TMP and it’ll knock me right out, somewhere around the V’Ger flyover scene. I will say these two things about it. First, the refitted Enterprise is my favorite starship design ever. It was elegant, sporty for its time, and just fits together almost perfectly. Also the music. Some have Horner as their favorite, maybe some even have…what ever the new guy’s name is, but for me it was always Goldsmith. He established what we know as the lasting Star Trek theme in this movie, one that in my opinion was far better and beyond Williams Star Wars theme. I’m disappointed that in the new film they used the TOS theme instead of the TMP because only those who actually watched TOS remember it, I think its safe to say most everyone else associates the TMG/TNG theme as the theme to Star Trek in general.
Either way, what ever people think of this film, good or bad, it was the first relaunch of Star Trek and the vast majority of Star Trek owes its life to TMP.
I love the Director’s cut of TMP on DVD. It plays so much much better than the theatrical version.
I’m so thankful they were able to make that new cut a reality before Mr. Wise’s passing.
I remember that Friday night in 1979 very well. Went with a friend to the 8:00 pm showing in Valley Forge, PA. Lots of fun, but even then, I felt it just went on too long…
Happy 30th Birthday TMP!!! In many ways the MOST Star Trek-like of all the films, in terms of Mr Roddenberry’s vision of the future.
For me the only ‘problem’ with TMP is this – it is DESIGNED to be seen on the big screen. It falls FLAT on an average sized TV screen. It’s an experience film. This is one of those rare instances where the effects ARE needed and are essential to the film – we’re there experiencing the size and grandeur and awe of V’ger along WITH the crew! It’s almost like a Star Trek ride as opposed to a ‘mere’ film. It cannot be appreciated on TV no matter how big the screen. It really IS about exploring strange new worlds, something no other Star Trek film has attempted to do since, despite the fact these famous words used to open every show……
I submit that after TMP Star Trek lost it’s way completely (with the exception of IV) and ended up becoming a parody of itself. Meyer turned the Star Trek universe on it’s head, and in my opinion not for the better. Apparently Mr Roddenberry was displeased with the blood and violence in the movie, and ditto again with Star Trek VI. Meyer loves his blood…
I enjoyed the 2009 Star Trek for what it is: a popcorn action movie with new versions of well loved characters. However, it comes VERY firmly from the Star Wars school of science-fantasy, not science-fiction. Star Trek 2009 is trying to emulate the TOS Star Trek, so it always feels like a ‘double-fake’ if that makes any sense? Whereas TMP was the real deal – a story with REAL characters with depth which just happened to be set in the future.
Agree totally with another poster on here that this film is pivotal to the Spock we know and love today – the scene of Spock crying on the bridge, and also his laughter in sickbay and resignation to the fact that we need emotions to leap beyond logic are just fantastic Star Trek moments which have yet to be beaten.
TMP is a proper sci-fi movie and adult in nature – it would BOMB today as I really do think most audiences need to be spoon-fed CGI and action and fast paced editing to remain interested these days. Very sad.
I REALLY hope Bob Orci reads some of these comments and tries to concoct a sequel that’s more sci-fi, less action and sillyness and targeted more towards an audience capable of thinking. A film which stays with you after you’ve seen it and has you discussing it in the same breath as other sci-fi classics. Star Trek needs to evolve and EXPLORE. My sincere wish would be for them to NOT immerse themselves in Star Trek, but to immerse themselves in classic science-fiction novels, and even get some sci-fi authors to submit story ideas. That would be a challange. Star Trek has the power to inject some intelligence back into blockbuster movies – I’d hate to see it just become Star Wars mk.2…
We need to see the wonder and grandeur of the galaxy once again, and marvel at mankind’s imagination as TMP dared us to.
Star Trek – The Human Adventure needs to continue/evolve ;)
- I,M
I watched the Trek movies backwards, starting with 6…The Motion Picture still stands out to me as one of the best of the Kirk, Spock & McCoy films.
I remember it was a sunny day when I first saw the movie. The thing I remember taking away from it was the happiness at seeing the cast back together and on the ship. Even if the story was dissapointingly slow and a rehash of the Nomad “Changelling” story. Seeing Vulcan in a new cinematic way was another new thing we were gifted with.
“consumed by V’ger to the strains of Goldsmith’s brilliant Klingon Battle Theme stuck with you for weeks ”
and yes….this was one of the great parts of the movie. The score. A new musical vocabulary for our old familiar characters. Something I felt the score from the new movie was devoid of, or went out of it’s way to be as un-dynamic as possible, despite the glowing reviews and award nomination it’s received.
First time I saw “The Motion Picture” was when I was 5 and got it for Christmas from my grandparents in 1992. I remember watching the revealing of the refit Enterprise over and over again because I loved the music so much.
Reading this brought back some warm memories. I saw the film when it opened in the UK, on 15th December 1979, at the Empire, Leicester Square in London, and it was a wonderful experience. There was eager anticipation and a brilliant atmosphere – many fans were in costume, and everyone was thrilled to see our heroes on the big screen at last. I’ve seen the film many times since, but that day remains very special.
#119
Ditto except I did not enjoy TMP, I liked TUC/VH/TWOK the most out of the lot.
I bet a very good director/screenplay writer can make this work, not sure why TMP is such a bore to me, but this plot summary is awesome.
A Starfleet monitoring station detects an alien force hidden in a massive cloud of energy moving through space towards Earth. The cloud destroys three Klingon warships and the monitoring station en route. On Earth, the starship Enterprise is undergoing a major refit; its former commander, James T. Kirk, has been promoted to Admiral and works in San Francisco as Chief of Starfleet Operations. Starfleet dispatches the Enterprise to investigate the cloud entity as the ship is the only one in intercept range, requiring its new systems to be tested in transit.
Kirk takes command of the ship citing his experience, angering Captain Willard Decker, who had been overseeing the refit as its new commanding officer. Testing of Enterprise’s new systems goes poorly; two officers, including the science officer, are killed by a malfunctioning transporter, and improperly calibrated engines almost destroy the ship. The tension between Kirk and Decker increases when the admiral demonstrates his unfamiliarity with Enterprise. Spock arrives as replacement science officer, explaining that while on his home world undergoing a ritual to purge all emotion, he felt a consciousness that he believes emanates from the cloud.
The Enterprise intercepts the energy cloud and is heavily damaged by an alien vessel. A probe appears on the bridge, attacks Spock and abducts the navigator, Ilia. She is replaced by a robotic doppelgänger, a probe sent by “V’ger” to study the crew. Decker is distraught over the loss of Ilia, with whom he had a romantic history. He becomes troubled as he attempts to extract information from the doppelgänger, which has Ilia’s memories and feelings buried within. Spock takes a spacewalk to the alien vessel’s surface and attempts a telepathic mind meld with it. In doing so, he learns that the vessel is V’ger itself, a living machine.
At the heart of the massive ship, V’ger is revealed to be Voyager 6, a 20th-century Earth space probe believed lost. The damaged probe was found by an alien race of living machines that interpreted its programming as instructions to learn all that can be learned, and return that information to its creator. The machines upgraded the probe to fulfill its mission, and on its journey the probe gathered so much knowledge that it achieved consciousness. Spock realizes that V’ger lacks the ability to give itself a focus other than its original mission; having learned what it could on its journey home, it finds its existence empty and without purpose. Before transmitting all its information, V’ger insists that the Creator come in person to finish the sequence. Realizing that the machine wants to merge with its creator, Decker offers himself to V’ger; he merges with the Ilia probe and V’ger, creating a new form of life that disappears into another dimension. With Earth saved, Kirk directs the Enterprise out to space for future missions.[3]
This movie made me fall in love with Star Trek.
For a Trek fan it is a must-see.
Regardless of what the film was or wasn’t, the simple fact that this even happened at all after 10 years is a miracle in itself. After all the starts and stops, Nimoy swearing he would not come back to Trek, Roddenberry trying other projects to move on from Trek, etc. Before this, Once a Television show was cancelled, that was it! Trek not only came back, it came back as a big budget Motion Picture! And continued to return for years. Now, well over 30 thirty years since the whole thing began, it is bigger than ever with a brand new cast continuing the legacy. I, for one, believe this all would not have happened wereit not for the financial success of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
I’ve grown to appreciate the film more and more over the years. For me, the Director’s Cut on DVD is the definitive version, and I do wish I could see it on the big screen.
I remember before the movie came out, sitting in a Mass-Comm class of about 100–I don’t remember what brought it up-something about different media translating into one another or something–, and I said to my professor –”What about Star Trek, there’s a new movie coming out”. His response was “and then it will die”. I wish he were still around today!
Have always loved TMP. Beautiful movie.
Thank you Mr. Altman for the neat retrospective. I agree completely.
I saw it several times on the big screen in its original release. I remember the prints being very dark- no doubt to hide the matte lines which were the result of the rushed release. But Trumbull AND Dykstra? I had no complaints about the artistic direction the film took whatsoever!
I think the film was ahead of its time. The audiences of ‘79 were not quite expecting what they got. Also, the film is the most timeless- that is, the least dated looking- Trek film of all.
The Director’s Edition was an improvement and added a sense of completion, but I disagree with some minor changes they made (cutting certain lines, red alert sounds, etc.)
I addition, I’m proud and lucky to own a prop from the film- that scanner Spock uses in engineering- and it’s actually a redressed Vivitar flash unit!
And Happy Pearl Harbor day!
The sense of absolute cosmic-scale awe and wonder TMP made me feel at the age of 13 was an experience I’ve only had several times in movies (and I say this as a lifelong movie buff); other times included 2001 (which I saw in a revival theatre when I was 16; and I consider myself very lucky to have done so), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (at age 10).
Yes, ST-TMP film has many flaws (especially on the scale of home video/dvd; you are left with the essence of the experience, not the experience itself). But for 1979, on the big screen in a darkened movie house, it was quite a ride; you really felt the wonder and possibility of space travel.
Thank you, Mr Altman, for allowing us (in memory, at least) to party like it’s 1979!
130:
Not sure we actually ‘celebrate’ it, Bob. Good to remember it in any case.
And the TMP uniforms made sense for space travel too, unlike the TWOK doorman versions, which were absurd, when you think of it.
Gonna put my disc in tonite. (I need you… BADLY!)
#130 — AMEN TO THAT!!!
But, I also enjoyed ST:TMP — it’s a film worth celebrating.
P.S. bit of a tangent here so sorry, but isn’t Pike (in the new 2009 film) wearing something which looks VERY like a TMP uniform at the end of the film when Kirk’s being given Captaincy of the Enterprise?……
And thanks Mr Altman for a fantastic tribute!
- I, M
not one red shirt died in this movie,oh i remember no one wore a red shirt.lol.this is the only Trek movie i didnt get to see on the big screen.i would love to see this on an imax screen that would be awsome to see all those close up scenes of the enterprise.They definitely should have re released this in theaters for the aniversary,and let all the new fans see how the movie series started.
P.P.S. Another reason I love TMP so much is – despite the Klingon ships at the beginning and V,ger of course – space doesn’t feel threatening. It feels VAST and wondrous in this film. You really feel the scale of it all, as well as the planets. The later Star Trek films all made space feel threatening and cold. Not something to celebrate and to explore – just a background for an endless amount of space battles over the years.
Here’s hoping that the beauty and wonder of space is once again restored to the new ST sequal.
I remember this very well, even though I did see Star Wars and thought the action was great at that time. ST:TMP was nearer to my heart as I grew up with that crew. It was a nice treat to see the stars back doing their jobs and saving space/earth from the next disaster. The only thing I did not like and still do nto to this day is the terrible choice for uniforms.
The moment when Kirk finds out what V’ger really is still send shivers down my spine.
DECEMBER 1979
THE GOLDEN AGE TO BE A KID
I was 7 when TMP came out… saw it in the theater and loved it. Maybe I missed the phaser guns/battles, but it didn’t matter. You know why? ‘Cause at 7 years old, IT WAS ALL GOOD. I had no concept of reviews, Variety, bad buzz, budgets gone awry, ridiculous expectations, 10 years of waiting, whether or not the script was any good, why Kirk’s hair suddenly looked so god-awful, or any of that stuff.
To my eye, it was all glorious. Maybe Kirk DID look little different, and I probably didn’t understand where the heck Decker and Ilia came from, but I loved STAR TREK since watching the cartoon in 1975 and just couldn’t wait to see a Big Movie Version of it.
Back in late ‘79, I ate it all up:
-STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
-THE BLACK HOLE
-BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY
-MORK & MINDY
-THE INCREDIBLE HULK
-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
-re-runs of TOS, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
-SUPER FRIENDS, SPIDER-WOMAN, JONNY QUEST, GODZILLA and THE THING on Saturday mornings
-STAR WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE were still floating around in the ether
-You could still catch an episode of SPACE: 1999 on a weekend on some channel
-Plus that mysterious alien monster movie that kids couldn’t see! But we had the Topps cards anyway!
-And we were still waiting in breathless anticipation for that Mother of All Sequels, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, to hit theaters the next summer!
There’s never been another time like it. Which is why THE MOTION PICTURE will always hold a warm spot in my Nerd heart-of-hearts!!!
138 – awsome post and soooo true! We were spoiled rotten with television and film back then, and – as you said – it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see the like again… Still we have some pretty amazing memories to look back on eh?
:)
Not to mention, after this one, Sir William Shatner seems to have found his now-famous sense of irony and humor. This was our last chance to see him devouring the scenery with a ravenous appetite.
Love the film, just adore it. Gave us the best of the Enterprises as well.
I’m certainly old enough to have seen TMP in theaters but I somehow completely missed it. In fact I was oblivious to its existence until about 1987 when I finally saw it on cable TV or VHS. (I have no idea why I had never before been curious about the fact that The Wrath of Khan was titled Star Trek ***II***.) Anyway, when I finally saw it, in the context of having already seen II-IV, I was blown away. I had just become a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey and I loved the idea of Star Trek following that style. When I read Star Trek novels from then on I always imagined them in the style of TMP.
I think I saw The Cage the same year, and of course TNG premiered then too, and so I was very conscious of certain Roddenberry-isms that seemed unique to just these three productions. The Cage and TMP used a similar color palette and both had landing party jackets, while TMP and TNG shared music and uniforms that looked sprayed on.
I notice the photo of the TMP cast, in their 70s duds, features a poster of the Phase II Enterprise I’ve not seen before. Does anybody have a clear image of just that painting? It’s a different angle than the Phase II Enterprise that appeared on some TMP posters.
I know it was the 70’s but… nobody noticed the uniforms left little to the imagination? Spock had an armadillo in there, for gods sake. THAT”S why they wore the Muamar Qadaffi bellhop jackets for the next five movies.
Holy Crap Orci it is Pearl Harbor day!!
Yes as a Grandson of a living veteran who fought the Japanese in what is now Vietnam and Manchuria during WWII, I am still awed by the heroism and selflessness of those brave men jumping into burning oily water to save the few survivors of Japan’s heinous, cowardly act.
Thanks for the reminder Orci, embarrassed I forgot. Every year there are fewer and fewer of those heroes with us. I thank the lord that my Grandfather is healthy and can tell me stories of fighting alongside Chinese troops during the war that would make you thank your lucky stars that such men existed!!!
Could Peral Harbor have something to do with the plot of the next film? Hmmmm
I was 9 when I saw it, and actually fell asleep about an hour into it, I think. I was ready for another Star Wars, but after the klingon V’ger scene, literally dozed. I’ve since come to greatly appreciate this film, though. Probably going to have to watch the dvd again, after reading this. It’s been a while.
My dad took me to see this the week it opened. When it was over he looked at me and said “son….that was the worst movie I’ve ever seen” (he did see the others that came afterward and kind of liked them). Being 10 years old and a Star Wars fan I had to agree. I didnt give up on Trek though and over the years I’ve grown to appreciate it and still pull it out from time to time for a viewing. It gets better with age.
Intriguing, deep, imaginative, smart, reflective. ST2 and co. are good entertainment movies. TMP is real science fiction.
Today is indeed a blessed day. 30 years ago my father took me to my very first movie ST:TMP at the Mall Twin Theater in Washington, PA.
I have been a Trekkie ever since (I don’t like the Trekker tag). I LOVED it, for the grand scale of everything it was. My Dad hated it for exactly the same reasons. TMP was also the first movie I ever bought on DVD years later, and I cherish it to this day. My Dad passed away in January of this year, but I will have this memory of our journey to the movies forever in my heart.
December 7th, 1979, a date which will live in Trekery
I remember being a very bored 8 year old when my dad took me to see the new ST movie back in December of 1979.
Over the years I have grown to enjoy TMP. Besides Star Trek 09 it is the only film that actually looks like a major motion picture.
I always chuckle at Decker’s line (paraphrasing): “Voyager 6 disappeared into what scientists used to call a BLACK HOLE!!!”
Considering Disney’s THE BLACK HOLE was opening in theaters a scant 2 weeks later, I always imagine some Paramount execs were giving themselves ulcers over this line! “Can’t we cut that? What are we, pitching for the other team???”
What a well-written and incredibly generous tribute to an important and pivotal film. I remember so clearly the full page (albeit B&W) ads in the local paper. I remember pouring over it, looking for clues and insights to what I might expect. And later, after I had seen the film at least 3 times, I revisited the ad in ordert to revisit the film just one more time.
I was 17. This anniversary makes me feel old and young at the same time.
I like TMP, but its parts are more satisfying to me than the whole thing.
The score is amazing, the effects are spectacular, the Klingon battle, the first look at the Enterprise, and the flight into Vger are all breathtaking. And McCoy, as you mentioned, is just great — he even gets to make both jokes in the entire movie.
But when you add all the parts up, it feels like far more of a long haul than it should. Which is a shame, cause it has more heart and soul and scope that a lot of blockbusters I could mention.
On an unrelated note, were any of you guys as freaked out by the transporter malfunction sequence as I was? That was some primo Nightmare Fuel for an unsuspecting 8-year-old.
@135: In the Star Trek aft book, the costume designer mentions that Pike’s admiral uniform was a homage to Kirk’s TMP admiral uniform.
I was 12 years old when I saw it. Stood in line for 4 hours for tickets. I remember being in awe the entire time watching it.
Three years before I was born but would love to see it make another big screen appearance.
I was 13 years old when this movie premiered. I lived in San Jose, CA at the time and saw it at the Century theaters. I didn’t see it opening weekend, but actually saw it about two weeks later due to the long lines. My Dad took me to see it and bought me the famous cut-away Enterprise that was for sale in the lobby. At the time I believe it was only $5.
ST: TMP took quite a few risks (as did Paramount) in choosing to do a movie. But they won out in the best way possible, at the bottom line where the movie produced a very good return for the studio.
The same thing can be said of ST 2009. The franchise was, in my mind, dead and gone, especially after the horrible ST: Nemesis movie and Voyager (I actually thought Enterprise was pretty good). But Paramount decided to take a risk and gave JJ Abrams the green light for this latest movie.
And because of that, we can celebrate the fact that the series is truly revived. We’ll see another movie, we have more adventures to come. I realize many Trek fans didn’t like the re-imagining both of the series and the ST timeline, but the fact that the movie has grossed about $400 million worldwide (before DVD sales) is also a bottom-line vindication of the risks taken by Paramount and Abrams.
Star Trek is dead, long live Star Trek.
Paramount took no risk with JJ. They got an action oriented popcorn movie that aimed for the lowest common denominator. Going with a serious theme / plot / script rather than the visuals would have been risky.
30 years ago…
Rochester, NY.
Snow in the afternoon could not deviate me from my course. My mom and I had plans to go see it (waiting all year, reading catches in Starlog, getting the 1980 calendar with glimpses of scenes and the uniforms), Dad saying “you two are crazy for going to the movies in this”…
Get to the theater, and even get asked a few questions by the evening news team, saying something like ” I hope it is all I expect…and more!”
Yes it was slow in parts, but it was STAR TREK on the big screen, and it was really big (Klingons, Rec-Deck, Hangar deck, spacedock, space stations…wow…)
…and the Jerry Goldsmith score!
Recently, I saw the new BR transfer, and it was wonderful. It just needed to be the Directors Cut…and Spock and McCoy switching jackets at the end is still there. Wow!
Congrats on 30 years, TMP…I hope I can see you on the big screen again!
“…and Spock and McCoy switching jackets at the end is still there. Wow!”
I swear I only noticed this for the very first time last night! NEVER caught that one before!
To anyone who may be reading from Paramount: Is there ANY reason at all why this wonderful motion picture cannot be re-released in theaters? I’ve always been slightly bemused that studios seem to be willing to make as many sequels and remakes as possible in recent years – so presumably they don’t have to take a huge risk or make the effort to do something new! – and yet they’re sitting on ALL these classics which could make them tons of money in theatrical re-runs. Surely this is cheaper than making a new film from scratch in fact so why don’t they ever do this? I mean the popularity of the films are ALREADY there and in place so they automatically have an audience, right? Even allowing for royalties to be paid for remaining actors/actresses, directors and so on, it would surely still be far cheaper than making a film from scratch, and they’d more than likely return one hell of a profit! Perhaps spruce up the effects a little in some cases, but why not release ALL the Trek movies again from time to time?
The current fans would lap it up, and I’m sure new ones would too.
OK so we’re too late for a 30th anniversary TMP screening, but I’m sure they could work something out if they wanted to… perhaps to coincide with a freshly restored version of the Director’s cut with brand new SFX rendered in at least 4k. Imagine……
I was about 6 years old when i first saw TMP.
I would watch TOS reruns with my dad every weekday afternoon since I was 4 years old. So I basically knew who all the characters were at the time I saw it.
Back when ABC was STILL ABC. They used to show theatrical movies every monday night and sometimes thursday night.
It was around the time ABC aired GhostBusters, it was the following week, me and my dad perched in front of the tv, must have missed the first 2 minutes of it, we missed the opening credits, so we didn’t know what it was. The first thing we saw was the “Intruder Cloud” and 3 Klingon battle cruisers. Didn’t recognize the Klingons, ‘cuz of the forehead ridges, but after it was stated that they were Klingon, I freaked out!
I screamed at my dad, “Daddy it’s Star Trek!!!!, Daddy recorded it, recorded it!!! Dad was like, ” Find a blank tape so we can record it.”
It took me until Kirk’s inspection tour of the refitted Enterprise to find a tape.
I was like wow they spent money on this! Awesome!
As they appeared on the screen I named every one of the original cast.
Needless to say I can tell my dad was impressed and annoyed at the same time, hearing his 6 year old recite (or scream out) every characters name accurately.
Now it wasn’t until the following year when ABC aired TWOK and TSFS; now that’s when I was truly blown away. Which is pretty much same feeling I had when I first saw STXI.
What we got was a movie which was FUN, with good acting, an interesting storyline, and adventure. Notice that even in the article we hear that ST: TMP “fell off a cliff” after Spock rejoins the Enterprise? It’s because movies should make you think, but they should also lift you out of the ordinary. This was a worthy movie, and certainly one of the greatest of the ST films.
I remember going to the theatre in 79. (I was 16)
My friend referred to it as the ultimate moment in my life.
In a way it was.
All we had were repeats and the books.
Anticipation was HUGE for this film.
Yes it went clunk in a lot of places but it was star trek.
When my non trek friends asked me what the big deal was, I asked them to imagine no Stanley Cup playoffs for 10 years. (I’m from Canada)
Great article!
I remember as a 7yo waiting impatiently for TMP to arrive, then seeing it with my mom.
I still get goosebumps on the Enterprise flyby with Scotty and Kirk. That ship is truly majestic and Altman is right – it’s redesign has never been paralleled.
Of the six TOS films, TMP is my 4th favorite, ahead of TFF and TVH.
Hard to believe it’s been 30 years.
Oh yeah, and the Goldsmith score is second to none. I love Horner’s TWOK, but the majesty and mystery in the TMP score is great. The Ilia’s Theme overture is one of the most beautiful pieces of music in film.
Fantastic score.
It is definitely fun to read how many of us went with our dads or our friends (or moms!) to see this back in December 1979. Some were giddy little kids, some were preteens or teens (like me). I was in line with some die-hards of my own age in the cold December air at the Loews 86th Street in NYC. 70mm. We got there early remembering Star Wars and Superman lines around the block.
I’ve seen many Trek films with a few of those guys over the years, and regardless of the slow parts, the significance of the moment is obvious here on this thread for many people. Khui! Tcha!
ST:TMP is still my favorite movie in the franchise. Yes, I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t care. TMP is (just about) the only movie in the franchise that could be considered true SciFi, as it deals with confronting the unknown, not just another villain in a space opera (not that there’s anything wrong with that per se, but that is not true SciFi, in the purest sense). I guess TVH also qualifies, but that movie is somewhat silly.
So, there’s a little too much moire shots traveling to V’ger, I can deal with that…
Yeah, a lot of people disliked TMP but I enjoyed it. Sure it’s slow moving but it’s filled with emotion.
^ P.S. — in ‘79, I was 6 years old. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see it in theaters. However, I got the comic magazine version or the photostory version (I can’t remember which), and spent many hours poring over it. As a child, the whole transporter accident thing was kind of shocking to me. Of course, eventually, I did see the film, probably on screen, a few years later. Thanks to that movie and TWOK after it, I was just as hooked on Star Trek as I was on Star Wars, and when I had the chance to watch TOS reruns as a teenager, I caught up enthusiastically.
I saw TMP in Carmel, IN when I was 8 years old. I thought it was a little slow at times but I was blown away when the 3 Klingon ships appeared, attacked and then got “scanned” by V-Ger. It was amazing seeing the original crew back together on such a huge stage. Seeing Kirk boot Decker from the captaincy still gives me chills and the remodeled Enterprise is the best version of the NCC-1701 we will ever see. Doctor McCoy was awesome and Spock looked really cool with long hair!!
TMP will always be my favorite Trek film.
Right on, Mark!!! To this day, ST TMP remains my favorite of all the movies because it feels epic; it feels like home; and it feels like Gene Roddenberry.
Thanks for the stroll down Nostalgia Lane!
#56: “I completely disagree with the comments about how the redesign and the ship designs where the best every. I think ST:2009 blows it out of the water by a mile in the realistic, and futuristic depiction of the Enterprise and other ships.”
I disagree. Everything on STTMP was well thought out and planned to look and function as close to what they thought was real at the time.
I like the new film, I do…. but really, look at that bridge. It is bright, gaudy, it has tons of workstations that just seem to be thrown in for whatever reason that looks pleasing to the eye without regard to practicality. The controls don’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. It just looks like a big bash of lights, flash and excess.
AND that engineering deck is just God awful! Oddly enough, I was watching the original ‘V’ miniseries the other day and noted that when they (the lizards) gave a tour of their ship, their engineering deck looked rather reminiscent of ST09’s engineering set.
Sorry. but give me the set design to STTMP anyday!
#56: “I completely disagree with the comments about how the redesign and the ship designs where the best every. I think ST:2009 blows it out of the water by a mile in the realistic, and futuristic depiction of the Enterprise and other ships.”
Hardly, not even close.
It’s a case of design over function. All flash and very little substance. The exterior of the enterprise is an unbalanced mess. If they were going to revamp the style of the ship that much, then the saucer section should have been revamped too. The TMP style saucer does not fit the rest of the ship they designed. It looks like the ST09 ship was designed by committee and not by someone who has a feel for real world craft. Quite the opposite with both the TOS enterprise and the TMP enterprise. Those vessels look plausible.
The thing is, TMP is not just like 2001, it is trying to BE 2001, trying really, desperately hard to be big, to be GRAND, and mind-blowing, and worthy of its budget and BIG-SCREEN status; but in the end it simply doesn’t manage the feat.
There are, to its credit, moments in the film where it manages to transcend itself, to create a genuine sense of mystery, of the unknown, of the transcendent; Spock’s space-walk scene, especially, and his emotional experience and admission afterwards are truly captivating and beautiful conceptually, and set up a premise that is almost profound–but ultimately, the mystery is simply not that mysterious, the special effects are not as awe-inspiring as the film thinks they are, and the climax falls badly flat.
The question set up so beautifully by Spock’s space-walk–what more is there? When all knowledge is known, when the entire universe is understood, what is left? A beautiful concept, grounded firmly in science fiction, but pointing inevitably “upwards,” towards the transcendent, the religious– climaxes in a lame sci-fi deus ex machina that tries to be profound, thinks its profound, is trying really hard to make *us* think is profound, but emphatically is NOT profound; and it’s only made worse by the hideously overblown way in which the scene is filmed. We’re being, effectively, shouted at that “THIS IS PROFOUND!,” when what we’re seeing is emphatically not so.
And this is the problem, effectively, with much of the film; it simply doesn’t warrant its own pomp. The film is far too impressed with its own grandness, scope, and profundity, and far too willing to sacrifice everything else in service of it. It’s not like it couldn’t have worked; 2001 showed that if what you’re showing is good enough, then you can take your time, bask in the true scope of your premise, and even sacrifice story, character, etc, in service of it.
But, ultimately, the storyline and premise of TMP falls flat, and it destroyes the entire film in doing so so. Because, in the end,the film really doesn’t *earn* it’s own grandiosity, and so it ends up simply comes off as ridiculous, pompous, overblown, almost comical. Everyone in the film thinks they’re in an epic, profound space journey, and the film, to its credit, manages to really make us believe it for a few moments–but for the rest of the movie, it’s painfully apparent that the film is anything but, that what we’re watching is something totally different, desperately trying to be something its not. And the result is often painful to watch.
But the film still could have worked, if the other elements of the film had been allowed to carry it; but alas, they had already been sacrificed to feed the premise.
And this brings us to the crux of the matter, which is, simply, that Star Trek is NOT 2001. What works for one movie emphatically does NOT work for the other. Indeed, its hard to find two science fiction properties so diametrically opposed to each other:
Star Trek is, while a science fiction show, ultimately character based, whereas it’s almost the point of 2001’s characters that they’re relatively shallow–in 2001, the characters talk quietly, and we largely them from a distance, not really emotionally involved in what they do. Even when we get some actual characters, we’re still strangers to them–we see what they do, but we don’t know what’s going on in their heads, or their hearts, where they came from, etc.
In contrast, TOS is firmly centered around its characters; even when they’re facing some bizarre science fiction concept, the show still focuses around our characters reactions to it, how they deal with it, and the conflicts it creates among them. Even the greatest conceptual Trek shows are firmly centered around character–City on the Edge of Forever is a great concept, but the power of the episode is not its premise, but the character’s reactions to their predicament, and Kirk’s emotional attachment to Edith Keeler. Without it, the episode’s meaningless.
In stripping away all of this, in trying to make Star Trek into 2001, not only do the filmmakers not succeed at creating a new 2001 (see: above), but in the process they practically destroy what actually made Star Trek great, the characters. In TMP, the characters are largely tense, generally unpleasant caricatures of themselves, with little in the way of the humor or the light-heartedness that made them endearing in TOS. There *are* real character arcs here, but they’re severely under-developed–and in any case, the actual dialog the characters are given is largely flat and takes itself far too seriously.
Certainly, the actors do a valiant job to find the humanity and character in their roles, in the apparent belief that the film is about them. But the film ultimately doesn’t have much to do with them at all. It’s about what’s “out there,” in the cloud–and if what’s out there is ultimately pretty flat uninteresting, well, so be it.
What results is, while both visually and (sometimes) conceptually beautiful, simply not a very good film. There’s no shame in it, though. They took on a mammoth undertaking, and while what resulted was not a particularly good film, it did succeeded in setting the stage for many, many adventures to come. And for that, if nothing else, TMP is rightly hailed.
On reflection, I was 22 when STTMP came out. We (my [then] wife and best friend and his wife] waited outside in the cold for two hours in line (you know, like we used to walk five miles to school in the snow… uphill… both ways… LOL). The line started (of course) in the lobby and snaked its way out and around the theatre twice.
It was that huge to us TREK fans!
I remember every moment of the film! The Klingons. the scale… the epic-ness… the wonderful Goldsmith score, the SPFX (which stand up very well, thank you)… the costumes (I hated the TWOK costumes, which to this day remind me of the Gestapo)… the sets… EVERYTHING. the characters and their growth. I agree the KSM was nicely nuanced and laid the groundwork for the future of TREK.
Sure, as Mr. Altman pointed out, the movie has its flaws, but it is the only truly epic TREK to date (ST09 does come close in feeling epic in spite of the fact that it is a popcorn film).
I’ve loved all the franchise films (STTFF being the least satisfying), but I left STTMP totally awestruck, inspired and overwhelmed with emotion.
I cannot quite say that with the same zeal about the ones that followed. Kudos and happy anniversary to STTMP…
and as pointed out.. not as a celebration, but in honor of the veterans of the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Freedom is never free. we are who we are because of the men and women who fought in WWII.
#177 Nathan
But more importantly- don’t u just love the 70’s fashions in the news article?
Didn’t George look cute in the 70’s – lol
@177 — “TMP is not just like 2001, it is trying to BE 2001″ — You say this, and yet the fundamental concept of TMP predates 2001:ASO, being a re-imagining (heh) of the TOS episode “The Changeling”. I see your point when it comes to the moire visuals compared to the “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” section of 2001:ASO, but this similarity alone does not invalidate what is unique to TMP. (And this coming from a person who adores 2001:ASO.)
I don’t think TMP’s goal was to be 2001. I think it was trying to be its own movie that took Trek seriously. Sometimes, the movie takes itself too seriously.
Guys–
Good production design, great soundtrack, and some good scenes does NOT make a good or even great film, nostalgia aside. This movie is unwatchable for great lengths of its run time…. You are literally watching people watching a viewscreen for extended segments. If Wrath of Kahn hadn’t turned things around, another movie like this would have been the death of the franchise. Don’t let rosy-eyed glasses affect your judgment of this mess.
I was only 1 when the film came out but I have been lucky enough to see ST:TMP on the bigscreen 3 times- twice in Star Trek Marathons & once for the 40th anniversary teamed up with First Contact.
The original movie era is my favorite- i have been collecting merchendise from the film & sequels- was lucky enough to recently find the 3.75 ST:TMP & ST: III toys & a ST:TMP Photonovel which I didn’t even know existed.
have coloring books-poster magazines-comic adaptions-cinefex-cards-programmes-book & tapes-magazines- models ect ect
still looking for the toy bridge set & 12′ mego’s
What am i missing?
My fovorite STAR TREK movie. Thanks Trekmovie for the coverage this week.
My favorite STAR TREK movie. Thanks Trekmovie for the coverage this week.
I think there is only one word that even remotely does justice to TMP:
Class.
Just rewatched my copy of the Director’s Edition. This is still one of my favorite Trek movies. It certainly has the most depth of any of the 10 pre-Abrams films. The theme of the search for fulfillment and purpose through the simultaneous identity crises of Kirk and Spock, and continuing with the revelation that V’Ger is searching for its own identity through its creator. I prefer this deeper, more esoteric, type of story. About half of post-TMP Trek movies, including the 2009 movie, center around some person having suffered a trauma that has them bent on revenge of some sort. TMP deals with heavy issues of existence, and the search for meaning. True that this movie is very much a Roddenberry affair, and has a muted, even sedate, tone and style that foreshadows the first couple of seasons of TNG more than it reflects the campy, sexy, swashbuckling fun of the original series. But, it is one of my favorite original cast movies, just the same.
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this film. For me, part of the test is whether I’d have admired it had it not been a Trek film, but simply a science-fiction film with characters I was unfamiliar with. And it succeeds on that basis (in a way that, say, STAR TREK III does not); at it’s best moments it compares favorably with 2001 and the original SOLARIS. The human adventure is just beginning.
I have been meaning to point something out for a while- while Star Wars Star Trek II might have the bigger bang for your buck after u have seen the battle/action scenes & u know what happens the excitement is gone & you can never get it back- however the wonder, philosophy & mystery of V’GER & so many other Star Trek stories continue to give you something to think about.
while JJ’s film didnt give us anything to think about or have anything but wall to wall action, movement & leanse flares it did have a big sentimental heart & warm feelings that will resonate through repeated viewings i think…
This is why star trek is my home & i just visit star wars on the holidays.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the one Star Trek movie that deals with the root theme of Star Trek; possibility and Exploration. It’s too bad another film like this won’t ever be done. To quote Rob Orci “Star Trek is like classical music and Star Wars is like Rock and Roll. For this generation we wanted to bring some Rock and Roll into Star Trek.” Don’t get me wrong, I loved the new movie and a couple sequels with the same formula would be okay, but Orci, this generation can suck it. Some of us like our classical music.
Man, I was both amazed and disappointed with this movie as a kid, but to this day, I remember how much those “new” Klingons intrigued me- The TMP Klingon Cruiser was the first model I ever completed decently. It all holds up rather well as glimpse at a Star Trek Universe fully realized, but as an exciting story, no amount of editing or revision can change what it is, rather dull. I bought the Director’s Cut DVD, but honestly, I sold it away later, I just couldn’t convince myself that I loved it THAT much. If I had the fantastical choice of serving on any of the imagined Enterprises, I’d pick either that one or the original. Heck yeah. I sure hope I’m around when the pendulum swings back for smart, adventurous storytelling.
It seems like a lot of people here wish that Trek ‘09 had been more like the pretentious, dull mess that was STTMP.
I remember seeing it on opening day and being dismayed that they had taken flesh and blood characters that were so fun and alive and turned them into sterile automatons in service of a ponderous re-hashed tv plot. Thank goodness the new Trek ‘09 actually tried (and in my view succeeded) in bringing back some of the fun of the original series without needing to be 2001.
192
Preach on brother. TNG used to be my favorite Trek series but after seeing Star Trek ‘09, it just looked pretentious, stale, and (summing it up) vanilla. The beige sets capture the mood and flavor of that series perfectly.
It’s weird because a lot of shots in Trek 09 were similar to TMP. The flying around the Enterprise, the white bridge, the opening scenes with the Kelvin approaching the cloud, were very similar to shots from TMP.
I love watching TMP. Good story, great sets and the best Enterprise design ever. I’ve been lucky enough to watch it once in a movie theatre during a Trek movie marathon. A great movie that will never get tired in my eyes :)
I had no idea that Persis Kambata died.
193
So are you one who thinks all past Trek is crap now because of the new movie.
This is the thinking I hate from the fans here ever since the new movie hit.
The new movie is great but it is far from the best ever movie. At times it plays more like a Star Wars movie than a Star Trek movie, but it does have the spirit of The Original.
I am a big fan of The Next Generation, and will always be up with the original series. You don’t start hatingwhat came before just because of the new film.
I love the new film but I still prefer a lot of the stuff that came before. First Contact is still a better film in my opinion.
sorry I just hate the bashing of everything except the Abrams movie on this site.
Please it is one movie out of 40 years worth of material.
I like the new movie but I still love the other shows and movies.
#160
Rebooting TOS with new actors is pretty risky if you ask me, destroying Vulcan and billions of Vulcans, romance between Spock and Uhura and a new interpretation of the USS Enterpriseit could have went either way. I am just happy it turned out great. There was really no guarantees how the fan base or the non fase base would react to a re imaging of one of the best sci fi series ever.
Of course, the haters have to troll their way onto this thread… they can’t abide the fans who enjoy the movie… they have to use words like “unwatchable” even though there’s plenty of evidence that fans watch this movie frequently… they have to fabricate a black and white distinction of those fans who are into STXII versus those who are into TMP, even though no such distinction exists.
That is BS. I love the first movie, and I love the most recent. The two are different animals, they set out to achieve very different things.
Bashers: Just. Go. Away.
Wonderful film. Have always loved it – will always love it. Although the characters have taken different paths over the years (naturally), they move towards each other in the course of the film. I’ve always loved how the film shows V’Ger’s journey as an analogy to Kirk’s, Spock’s, and McCoy’s journey, the journey they have to go on to broaden their own experience of life and their insight in order to eventually regain their friendship.
“Apparently the Georgetown Movie Theater in Brooklyn was having problems with noisy kids and wouldn’t let any children in under 17 after 4 PM.”
This is something that would never happen today.
Unruly kids just run rampant now.
There’s no regard for any Earthly law ‘n’ order any more.
Oh, it’s no world for an old man any longer….
Anyone know why the stand-alone blu-ray of The Motion Picture is not available until March of next year (here in the UK) when the other films are available individually??!? Could this possibly indicate they’re working on the Director’s Edition for release?
Strange as TMP is available in the movies box set on Blu here, just not individually it seems…
Thanks.
just watching the STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE original theatrical version on standard definition released earlyer this year- the new print is amazing- far better than the Director’s edition- did anyone who has seen this addition notice the kolinar sequence on vulcan doesnt have the subtitles on it?
they would really have to do more than just re-render the new GCI FX but do some serious work on the Director’s cut edition/print b4 they put it onto blue ray.
They would have to re-do the San Fransisco air-tram approaching the depot shot- even on standard def it looks like an old newspaper print cut out & photagraphed with an old 2 megapixel camera then used as a digital matt- pitiful- shpuld have left a couple of seconds of the original shot of the depot at the base of the bridge in- yhat matt painting was far more elegant than anything they did to replace it- it was crisp, clean & dynamic & no less atatic than the smudgy image they replaced it with- i’d rather look at the federation seal on the depot floor than what they replaced it with- shocking considering every other shot in the Directors edition is briliant.
#193 I hear beige is now being called Cosmic Latte in an attempt to broaden its appeal!!
But I agree with you about TNG.
#189 “the wonder, philosophy & mystery of V’GER & so many other Star Trek stories continue to give you something to think about.”
exactly.. like good sci-fi should.. like good Star Trek should..
vision
Even though the film was a bit of a disapointment in contex of the story, I was so excited to see Star Trek as an EPIC up on the BIG screen on DEC 7, 1979. That night was MAGIC. I have nothing but very fond memories of it.
It takes a special kind of ballsiness — and by ballsiness I mean “poor taste,” or possibly “stupidity” — to criticize Voyager and Enterprise for anything while simultaneously apologizing for TMPs many, fundamental, and ultimately consuming flaws.
Mark Altman: when was the last time he judged anything on a basis other than nostalgia?
Not that he reads the comments, so I guess posting this was an exercise in futility.
Oh, but happy anniversary, TMP! Despite the fact that you were a bad movie, I do love to watch you, because I am just that hopeless of a Trekkie! And you sure knew how to make money!
I saw TMP in Manchester (UK) on the Saturday of the opening weekend. Like many commenter’s above, I was eager to see another adventure of the crew of the USS Enterprise. During the opening battle between V’ger and the Klingons, I’d swear I felt a touch of vertigo, as the camera zoomed into the lead Klingon ship and then moved over it from above. You could feel the vastness of space below!
I loved the re-design of the ships especially the Enterprise and I agree with earlier comments that the ship has never looked better.
As a 19 year old at the time, I recall being distracted by how much older McCoy and Scotty looked from the TV series. Thirty years on, I’m thinking how young they looked and how similar to the TV series. Just shows how time changes your opinion.
The one point I wanted to record on this comment log, was about the line at the very end of the film, “The human adventure is just beginning”. Having grown up with Star Trek, originally watching it on a black and white TV set, then having to live for 10 years reading Star Trek novels as the only way to experience new adventures and hanging on every rumors of a possible remake, reading this line told me that Star Trek was back!
It was almost exactly 10 years since the ending of the series, it was a long wait and excitement to see Star Trek in a theater was at fever pitch.
Sure, it wasn’t exactly what we expected, but it was Kirk, Spock, McCoy et. all and just seeing the theater filled for a trek movie was exciting and it seemed to vindicate the efforts the fans made for years, writing letters to anybody who would listen, to bring back Star Trek.
Today I see it as a “2001″ type of experience, a travelog to the future, in some respects, intellectual… in a way, it’s own “alternate universe” trek.
I just hope they release the newer version in Blu Ray along with the directors cuts of the original cast movies.
Excellent article.
A film with the majesty, grandeur and high concept sci-fi like TMP combined with the solid action adventure of Trek 09 and strong character moments of TOS would be the perfect Trek film.
– are you reading Bob O?
I’m surprised how many people love TMP, as I do. The common perception always was that it is among the weak movies.
Anthony, what about a poll like “Rate TMP”.
I had just turned 18, and I waited in line on Hollywood Blvd. for a day and a half. For me, it was worth every minute and I’d do it all over again!
#208 maybe the Voyager and Enterprise (and for that matter TNG and DS9) doubters will make allowances for those shows in 30 years.
TMP deserves to be treated as a special case. It was made in the days before Trek became this long, endless conveyor of mediocrity and as such stands apart.
#215 — “long conveyor of mediocrity”
Hahahaha!!! Good one!
I think that Mark hits upon the most important aspect of TMP which is completely lost on people watching it today–the context of the time in which it came out.
–In that context, we had been without fresh and new Trek for nearly 10 years.
–In that context, movie houses typically had one screen and that screen was gianormous, bordering on IMAX sizes. Movies could not help but be spectacles.
–In that context, our attention spans hadn’t been corrupted by MTV and reduced to a few milliseconds.
I think I was in the 6th grade when it came out and I remember thinking how cool the overture was. Loved the music and the anticipation that it built up.
I loved every second of Kirk’s Enterprise flyby. For me, the Enterprise is and was as much of a character of the show as Kirk and Spock. Seeing the Big E in all her glory, two stories tall, and in stunning detail… Wow. Wow. Wow. Big geek O!
While I suppose that I can appreciate that by today’s standards TMP seems slow and boring, again, I was in the 6th grade at the time. A kid with not much of an attention span. And I remember seeing the movie three times between December 7 and December 25 of that year. My sister, who was three years younger, also sat through the film. I don’t remember being bored or loosing attention.
It was great to see Trek finally return after keeping up with all the false starts and problems via Roddenberry’s newsletters and CFQ magazine back then. As a fan of Doug Trumbull’s work, I looked forward to some great visuals and was rewarded with the earth orbit space dock sequence and Big E eye candy. The matte painting of earth was dusted with some kind of white powder to give a 3D shadow effect to the clouds (take that Jim Cameron). Speaking of white powder, at one late evening showing in the movie theater I attended, it was comical to hear all the sniffing noises in the sparse crowd during the Big E flyby and Vger encounter visuals. That was the “blue ray enhanced” version of that era.
Trivia sorta note: Most theaters quit playing the opening overture (”Ilia’s Theme”) fairly quickly as it was just a blank black screen, not the moving starfield seen in the director’s cut DVD.
@218
Actually, the sniffing theater viewers were more comparable to Imax than blue ray.
TMP felt like a great Star Trek ideal
As much as I love the new movie it does play like a Star Wars movie
As always, great article by Mark Altman. He nails both what is good, bad and great about this movie.
I also continue to agree these are still the best designs of the Enterprise and the Klingon Cruisers ever done
I have a vivid memory of sharing the opening day of this film in the theatre with a like-minded friend and fan. The chills, pride and hope of seeing my favorite characters in a new story but this time in a pre-HD world of big screen quality was an experience I will cherish always. Live long and prosper –indeed!
I was seven when this came out, and I remember peppering my father with questions throughout – Who are those guys with the foreheads in the Klingon ships? Why are the uniforms so bad? Why isn’t Spock on the ship?
I remember my 5-year-old brother crying when the ship went to warp for the first time, because he thought it had just been destroyed. And I remember the whole audience laughing out loud when he asked, near the end of the ’shuttle inspection of Enterprise’ scene, “When are they gonna DO SOMETHING?”
Good times. The extra footage from the ABC version was an improvement, and the Director’s Cut DVD really enhanced the last 45 minutes of the movie — but I still find it impossible to watch the whole flick in one sitting. It *feels* like a 4 hour ‘Lord of the Rings,’ but instead of a roller coaster, it’s driving through the prairies.
In addition to my earlier comments of waiting in line for two hours, along with the hundred of other fans who waited out in the cold with us, I’ like to add that I saw STTMP nine times in the theater, and I wore out my VCR tape of it in subsequent years.
I cannot say that about any other film!
I enjoyed the director’s cut, but in some ways I still prefer the original… mostly because I didn’t like the sound effect changes made in the new version (however the new SPFX I approve of, for the most part).
I sure do love that movie!!!
I watched the Director’s Cut of Star Trek The Motion Picture last night. I really enjoy this version of the film as Robert Wise felt it completed his vision. Now if only Paramount will complete the work for a blu ray as well as a full restoration which Robert Wise really wanted. He also wanted to insure that the Director’s Cut was the version that future audiences would see exclusively of his film. I’m holding out for The Motion Picture on blu ray until Paramount can get it right!
I was not old enough to see The Motion Picture in theaters. Star Trek II was the first Trek film that I saw in theaters. It took a while, but eventually Star Trek The Motion Picture has become one of my favorite Trek films. 1-4 are hard to beat.
I would love to see The Motion Picture on a huge theater screen to fully appreciate it. I saw 2001 in theaters a few years back and it became a completely different film for me. I understood the scale and saw so much that I had never seen at home on DVD.
One of the things that I enjoyed about the 2009 Star Trek film was the numerous homages to The Motion Picture. There were quite a few starting with the US movie poster. It’s clear that JJ is also a fan of the early Star Trek films. I thought this was a great nod, especially since Star Trek 2009 came out during the 20th anniversary year of Star Trek The Motion Picture.
“And if Trek was too heady for you at the time, you could ease on down the road to a nearby theater where The Black Hole was unspooling and watch Disney’s attempt to do Star Wars by sending Maximilian Schell to hell through a black hole. Or at least that’s what it appeared to be. I was too upset over the death of Slim Pickens’ Old Bob to care at that point.” Hilarious quote…I did go to see THE BLACK HOLE and afterwards went right in to see ST:TMP again for a 5th time. I was 13 when ST: TMP came out and will never forget when the lights in Showcase Cinema in East Hartford, Ct dimmed and Jerry Goldsmith’s beautiful overture began. Nevermind when Scotty gave Kirk a tour of the Enterprise in drydock…thanks for some nice memories!
I celebrate the 30th Anniversary of TMP, because of Trek and SW-ANH, I became a Writer. I LOVED the new Trek film despite its flaws, I predict the next one to be “The Dark Knight” of Trek films, the BEST! Critically and commercially successful are the goals for the next film. First Contact was the last BEST Trek film, Trek XII better go above and beyond it in every sense! Strong Writing, Strong Acting, as well as Strong Production Value COULD lead to some OSCAR nominations in 2012!!! I am writing an outline for a potential Trek Novel, wish me luck! :D Keep the faith and thank you Robert Wise, Gene Roddenberry, and the Original Cast for bringing ALL of US Star Trek – The Motion Picture!!! :D
This thread is so long I doubt anyone will even read this, but hey my opinion is as legit as anyone else’s here, so here goes-
Star Trek TMP deserves respect- it doesnt have to be loved or appreciated, but it simply is hyperbole to say it is unwatchable. Say what you will about Mr. Altman’s post TOS-Trek bashing, it is his schtick afterall, but I think this tribute is pretty spot on. If it were the unwatchable failure it is alledged to be there would have been nothing else. It is extremely cinematic, in a way that few of the other films ever were.
TMP has great visuals, the money is on the screen, it has wonderful moments-Klingons, Starfleet HQ, Drydock, Kirk’s love of the Enterprise is so tangible, the crew reuiniting, etc. Lost of good Trek stuff. It’s slow, and slightly humorless(but I still love the the trinity in the officers lounge, beneath the solemnity the heart of the characters shines through”Will you PLEASE sit down..Isnt lucky for you we happen to be going your way…etc.) None of it sins were a first for Trek, but they didnt have 79 episodes to spread the unevenness out over.
The problem any one Trek movie has is that Trek was a T.V. Series first, as such it played out over so many hours that it is impossible to encapsulate the spirit of the show in it’s entirety in one film. One week we have the comedic romps of Tribbles, and I, Mudd, the next you might have the gritty cat and mouse of Balance of Terror. Pick your own example. Some episodes sought to be big idea shows, some thin alegory, some just good action and adventure. The films being limited to 120 mins are forced to condense and so any one film also has special moments and cringe inducing ones as well. You can find a fan who says any film is the best or who say its drek, and in many ways they are both right depending on the collection of classic episodes that make up what they most value from the series. Any one film is usually measured against the series in total, as such its bound to dissapoint somebody.
There is something to be said for being the first, it will always be an important film for its precedence.
As for Trek 2009, it was a good movie. I enjoyed it, it had it’s share of groan inducing moments(the overuse of the brewery/power plant locales comes to mind), but the spirit of the characters and the wonder of their universe survived the attempt to turn it into such an obvious homage to Star Wars (Coruscant as San Francisco, Tatooine twin sun moments, finding Spock on Hoth, Enterprise corridors that look like Rebel Blockade runners, etc.). I’ll give them credit they managed a more entertaining Star Wars movie than the prequels, no small achievement. It lands firmly in the action adventure category of Trek episode archetypes, it has some great character moments, and tremendous performances, snazzy visuals, there is much to praise but it lacked the brainy-cerebral side of Trek, but like I said before its hard to fit all of Trek in one movie. And Trek as homage is not new TMP was 2001 lite, Trek 2009 was big time Star Wars-esque.
I was 8 when my dad took us to see TMP at a drive in theatre in 1979. I remember the opening sequence with the Klingons but sadly the only other thing I remember is waking up and seeing the end credits with JG’s score playing. I got the LP for christmas and listened to the score 100’s of times. Eventhough the movie has its faults I’m thankful that it launched the franchise. My wife still hasn’t seen it all the way through without falling asleep. I like the directors cut and would love to see it on Blu-Ray.
“The thing is, TMP is not just like 2001, it is trying to BE 2001″
Or rather the philosophical inversion of 2001, in that 2001 is predicated on the idea that man can’t become more than he is without help, whereas in TMP it’s human nature that makes possible the transcendence of a nominally much more advanced intelligence. (They probably should have nodded to the Halting Problem…)
_________
For my money a future re-edit of the movie should dump the transporter accident — which ruined the rest of the film as far as I was concerned in 1979. Although I suppose it’s a tribute to the film; STAR TREK MOVIE killed billions-plus-Mom and I didn’t care one way or the other.
Loved all the comments-i thought most fans hated tmp-i am shocked to find that many have great memories of this movie–like me-i am rewatching dir edition on my new 32 inch vizio hi res tv–the ps 3 upscaling makes this look purty danged good on the tv—no movie is ever perfect but this one has everything a real trek fan should want-almost-intelligent story-cosmc scale-the best looking enterprise ever made,return of our fave characters-best music ever to grace a movie–the two best efx artists of the time making it, trumball n dykstra, and roddenberry overseeing it all with an oscar winning director-and the promise that the human adventure was just beggining! Awesome and they were right! When it came to tv they added the edited out scenes including kirk in a spacewalk that never had the efx finished where u can see behind and above him the roof n rafters of the studio it was filmed in–that really irritated me–its still in the deleted scenes on the dvd–I am glad that Shatners oh my gawd in the transporter accident was also deleted–heres another fan hoping for a blu ray directos edition-and yes i luv tmp n also luv jjs trek–good times peoples–
there’s a wonderful vintage feature about TMP here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYPvH6LW_uY&feature=related
More behind the scenes footage than I have ever seen for the film. This should’ve been included on the DVD and / or blu ray..
@230 — “in TMP it’s human nature that makes possible the transcendence of a nominally much more advanced intelligence.”
Um, don’t you mean (a vast database of computer knowledge acquired over hundreds of years of exploration) + (human nature) = (much more advanced intelligence)?
#232 thats brilliant. Thanks for sharing it. And wow, wasn’t Persis gorgeous- hair or no hair!
[...] Happy 30th Anniversary to Star Trek: The Motion Picture!: "30 years ago today, on December 7th 1979 Star Trek leapt from the small to the big screen with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. All week long TrekMovie will be celebrating the anniversary, beginning today with a tribute by Free Enterprise producer Mark Altman, that looks at the film and its place in history." [...]
Nice review. I actually find, watching the movie now, that it’s a great and convincing character study of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy up to about the 2/3rds mark. (1/2?) It gives each of them, especially Kirk and Spock, something real and human to chew over and deal with.
And there’s a real sense of scale and pacing and real worldness to the opening that hasn’t been matched in any Star Trek film yet.
But after a certain point the pace goes from slow to crawl; it loses all forward momentum. And then at the end, it’s Decker who resolves the plot by coming up with the idea to join with V’ger. It would have gone a long way to making it a better movie if it was Kirk who took some decisive, insightful step at the end; it would have been a better arc for the character, and justified some of his naked ambition in getting the Enterprise back at the beginning of the movie, and left us really feeling like, yes, this is where this guy needs to be, at the bridge of the Enterprise. That payoff would have justified some of what went before. Giving Decker that moment sucked the last of the air out a movie that was already leaking badly.
But back to the beginning of the movie — I’ll watch Scotty fly Kirk around the Enterprise anytime. The ship has never seemed so believable. One of the great sci-fi sequences.
It is too slow paced by today’s standards – but back then I loved it.
I still watch but to fill in those long drawn out Galazy Quest moments I watch it with Mike Okuda’s text commentary which is pretty awesome.
There was a time when I swore I’d never watch TMP again, but now I love it more the more I see it. Altman up there says the Director’s cut was not edited, but that is not true. They went back to all the original takes and re-cut the move from scratch. Sometimes there are cutaway shots in one scene that were originally from another. You can’t do a side by side comparison because the two versions don’t line up at all. There is (or used to be) a downloadable commentary by Dochterman and others on Star Trek.com that goes into detail about that process.
Excellent article. I remember it well. I was in my senior year of high school. My younger brother and a couple of freinds of ours went to our local theatre to see the debut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. We were blown away! Still one of my all time favorites and far better than anything JJ Abrams will ever come up with!
It ran for over a year here in Portland and I think I went at least six times to see it in the theater. Spotlights ran out front and they even had a ribbon cutting with local officials on opening night. A very different time. The film holds up well and is far more engaging than the seven frame cuts and lense flares of today. The music does its job and packs the intended emotional punch. A very remakrable motion picture. Jerry Goldsmith’s score was and still is extraordinary.