Star Trek: The Motion Picture
When it comes to sci-fi, the nerd world is typically divided into two camps. You’re either a Star Wars fan or a Star Trek fan. I suppose if I was forced to pick, I would choose to align myself with the rest of the Star Wars nerds. But thankfully, we live in a world where we are free to enjoy both. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was introduced to the classic Star Trek television show when I was a young child. Re-runs of Star Trek were everywhere when I was younger. I would watch the show almost every night before going to bed. Then one day, I was at the store with my parents and I saw a “read-along book and record” for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Until this moment, I had no idea that there had been a film based on Star Trek. I begged my parents to get it and for the next couple years, my only knowledge of the the film was through this vinyl record and picture book. Eventually, I did manage to catch the movie on cable and I was completely awed by what I saw. The production quality of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was leaps and bounds better than the television series. Everything from the clarity of the picture to the score and special effects was just leagues beyond than what I had seen on the syndicated show.
The original series ran from 1966-1969 and despite being cancelled by the network after just three seasons, the show developed a very dedicated following. Flash forward almost ten years later, Star Wars was now the biggest film in the world and Paramount Pictures decided to try to cash in on the hype by turning Star Trek into a feature length film.
This movie is a direct sequel to the original Star Trek series. It takes place several years after the end of the Enterprise mission. James Kirk is now an Admiral in the Starfleet and is no longer in command of the vessel. However, the ship is called into emergency service to investigate a hostile “energy cloud” that appears to be on a direct path with Earth. Kirk is brought aboard the Enterprise (which is currently docked for refit) to assess the readiness of the vessel for this mission. Despite the fact that the ship isn’t fully operational, Kirk reassembles his old crew and decides to take command of the Enterprise once again in order to deal with this unknown threat.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture brings back nearly every regular cast member from the original series. Upon the release of the film, it had been a decade since the world had a glimpse at the crew of the Enterprise. The cast was noticeably older. But, in my opinion, this fact only helped cement the plot of the film and made things more interesting. Upon its release, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was praised for its special effects, but criticized for its slow moving plot. I do have to admit, that when I watched the film as a young kid, I did find a good portion of it to be rather boring. But, as an adult, my opinion on the movie changed quite a bit. Being able to look at this film through the eyes of nostalgia, I can I only imagine how thrilling it must have been for die-hard fans of the original series. The filmmakers do a fantastic job of relaying the awe and wonder of the refitted Enterprise to the big screen. The movie also has a fun “getting the band back together” vibe that would have been nearly impossible to replicate without the ten-year gap in time.
If you like your science fiction to have its roots in reality, Star Trek is without a doubt the way to go. This film does a great job at tickling that itch. If you’ve never had the pleasure of viewing this movie, you need to be aware that there are a few different versions of the film. For starters, there is the original theatrical release. This is the version of the film that was released in theaters back in 1979. Next, there is the TV Version. This is an extended version of the movie that was cobbled together for airing on Network television. It takes the theatrical version and adds in scenes that were initially cut from the movie (often times these scenes are unfinished in one way or another). This version is heavily criticized for feeling very disjointed. The extra scenes are almost universally hailed as making the pacing of the film even worse than it was before. I tend to agree with these critiques.
Finally, we have the Director’s Edition. This version of the film was created in 2001. It features an edit that both cuts existing scenes and adds new ones. These changes to the film were made to fix pacing issues and provide a more cohesive story. Personally, I have seen all three versions of the film multiple times and I can tell you without a doubt, the Director’s Edition is the way to go. This version of the film received even more attention in 2022, when fit was given a full HD restoration, revamped CGI effects, and remastered sound. This new HD version is vastly superior to anything that’s come before it. To me, this is without a doubt, the definitive version of the movie.
If you’re a sci-fi fan and you’ve never taken the time to give this movie a chance, I urge you to do so. As I mentioned above, if you’re going with the Director’s Edition, you’re going to want to seek out the 2022 HD version. I highly recommend the new 4K master of the film. This new scan is by far the best Star Trek: The Motion Picture has ever looked. As a collector, I recommend physical media over streaming whenever possible. Of course, if you don’t have a 4K television, the Blu-ray release is a little cheaper, and it doesn’t look bad. But if you can, I highly recommend the 4K transfer for the best color and detail.
