star trek movie 1980s

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Untangle the different timelines and get the popcorn: Here are the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release.

• Chronological order
• Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

• Kelvin Timeline
• Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

We've got a guide to watching the Star Trek movies in order, decloaking off our starboard side!

So long as movies stick numbers on the ends of their titles, it’s easy to watch them in order. Once they start branching out, however, things can get a little muddled, especially when reboots come along and start the whole process over from scratch. 

You may have heard that the even-numbered ones are good and the odd-numbered ones are not. That’s spot on for the films starring the cast of The Original Series (aka Kirk and friends) falls apart once you reach the tenth entry in the series. It would probably be worth your while to have this list of the Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best around to steer clear of the clunkers. Look, we’re not going to pretend everything here is worth two hours of your day, we’re just letting you know which came out after which.

Should your Trek appetite remain unsatiated after your movie watchathon, feel free to pull from either our list of the best Star Trek: The Original series episode s or best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes . Either one will set you up for a weekend jam-packed with great Trek moments. Consult our Star Trek streaming guide for all the details on where to watch the movies and shows online 

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline. 

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• Release date: December 8, 1979
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• Release date: June 4, 1982
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.   

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• Release date: November 26, 1986
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness. 

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

• Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• Release date: December 6, 1991
• Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort. 

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

• Release date: November 18, 1994
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time. 

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

• Release date: November 22, 1996
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin. 

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

• Release date: December 11, 1998
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle. 

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

• Release date: December 13, 2002
• Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy. 

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

• Release date: May 8, 2009
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline. 

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

• Release date: May 16, 2013
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction. 

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

• Release date: July 22, 2016
• Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day. 

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.   

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety . 

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Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• View history

" The Human adventure is just beginning… "

" Ten years ago, a television phenomenon became a part of life, shared in 47 different languages, read in 469 publications, and seen by 1.2 billion people. A common experience remembered around the world. Now Paramount Pictures brings the memory to life. "

After an eighteen-month refit process, the USS Enterprise is ready to explore the galaxy once again. But when a huge, invincible cloud approaches Earth , Admiral James T. Kirk must assume command of his old ship in order to stop it. Crew members old and new face new challenges, and must work together to triumph over the unknown.

• 1.1 Act One
• 1.2 Act Two
• 1.3 Act Three
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.2 Costs and revenues
• 4.3.1 Robert Abel & Associates
• 4.3.2 Future General Corporation and Apogee
• 4.4.1 Alien languages
• 4.4.3 Make-up
• 4.4.4 Voyager aka V'ger
• 4.4.5 Saucer separation
• 4.4.6 The walk to V'ger
• 4.5.1 Late 1967 – June 1976: Early revitalization attempts
• 4.5.2 July 1976 – May 1977: Star Trek: Planet of the Titans
• 4.5.3 May 1977 – November 1977: Star Trek: Phase II
• 4.5.4 December 1977 – December 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• 4.5.5 1980s releases and merchandising
• 4.5.6 1990s merchandising
• 4.5.7 2000s and beyond merchandising
• 4.6.1 Awards and honors
• 4.7 Apocrypha
• 5.1.1 Opening credits
• 5.1.2.1.1 All Rights Reserved.
• 5.1.3 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director's Edition)
• 5.1.4 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.1.5 Uncredited stunt performers
• 5.1.6 Uncredited production staff
• 5.1.7 Uncredited production companies
• 5.2.1 Spacecraft references
• 5.3 Script references
• 5.4 Other references
• 5.5 Further reading
• 5.6 External links

Summary [ ]

Act one [ ].

Amar firing a photon torpedo at an unknown cloud

In Klingon space, three Klingon K't'inga -class battle cruisers approach a massive cloud-like annomaly. As they approach it, the captain of one of the ships, the IKS Amar , orders photon torpedoes . They're armed and targeted on the center of the cloud, and the captain orders them to fire. The torpedoes are launched, and streak toward the annomaly. However, they abruply dissapear on sensors , and the captain orders evasive maneuvers, and the vessels pull back. Meanwhile, in Federation space, a listening post, Epsilon IX , picks up a distress signal from one of the Klingon ships. Commander Branch asks what they're fighting, and a liutenant responds that she doesn't know. Another officer reports he has a visual, and the ships continue away from the cloud. A plasma-energy weapon streaks from the cloud hits one of the ships, engulfing it in plasma bolts before seemingly fading out of existence. On a tactical display on the Amar, the captain sees they're the only ship in that area. Another plasma weapon is launched, and the captain orders aft torpedoes fired. As the plasma weapon approaches, a torpedo is fired from the rear launcher, but dissapears on contact with the plasma weapon. With nothing they can do, the weapon hits the Amar, engulfing it in plasma bolts, before it, too, dissapears. On Epsilon IX, the liutenant reports the cloud will pass by them, and it's on a direct course for Earth.

" You have not achieved kolinahr . "

On the planet Vulcan , Spock has been undergoing the kolinahr ritual, in which he has been learning how to purge all of his remaining emotions, and is nearly finished with his training. The lead elder tells Spock of how their ancestors had long ago cast out all animal passions on those sands, and says that their race was saved by attaining kolinahr , which another elder describes as the final purging of all emotion. The lead elder tells Spock he has labored long and she prepares to give him a symbol of total logic . She is about to give him a necklace , when Spock reaches out and stops her, clearly disturbed by something out in space. She asks for a mind meld to read his thoughts, to which Spock complies. She discovers that the alien intelligence which has called to him from deep space has stirred his Human half. She drops the necklace and states, " You have not yet achieved kohlinahr . " She then tells the other elders, " His answer lies elsewhere. He will not achieve his goal with us. " Then she bids him farewell, telling him to " live long and prosper ." Spock picks up the necklace from the ground and holds it in his hand.

Meanwhile, at the Presidio campus of Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco , Admiral James T. Kirk arrives in air tram 3 . As he steps out, he sees Commander Sonak , a Vulcan science officer who is joining the Enterprise crew and was recommended for the position by Kirk himself. Kirk is bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Sonak explains that Captain Decker , the new captain of the USS Enterprise , wanted him to complete his science briefing at Starfleet Headquarters before departing. The Enterprise has been undergoing a complete refitting for the past eighteen months and is now under final preparations to leave drydock , which will take at least twenty hours, but Kirk informs him that they only have twelve. He tells Sonak to report to him on the Enterprise in one hour – he has a short meeting with Admiral Nogura and is intent on being on the Enterprise at that time.

Following the meeting, Kirk transports to an orbital office complex of the San Francisco Fleet Yards and meets Montgomery Scott , chief engineer of the Enterprise . Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. After the two men enter a travel pod and the doors seal shut, Kirk explains that an alien object is less than three days away from Earth, and the Enterprise has been ordered to intercept it because they are the only ship in range. Scott says that the refit, a process that took eighteen months, can't be finished in twelve hours and tries to convince him that the ship needs more work done as well as a proper shakedown . Kirk firmly insists that they are leaving, ready or not, in twelve hours. Scott activates the travel pod's thrusters and they begin the journey over to the drydock in orbit that houses the Enterprise .

" They gave her back to me, Scotty. "

Scott tells Kirk that the crew hasn't had near enough transition time with all the new equipment and that the engines haven't even been tested at warp power, not to mention that they have an untried captain in command. Kirk tells Scott that two and a half years as the Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made him a little stale, but that he wouldn't exactly consider himself untried. Kirk then tells a surprised Scott that Starfleet has given him back his command of the Enterprise . Scott comments that he doubts it was so easy with Admiral Nogura, and Kirk tells him he's right. While sharing a laugh with Kirk, Scott remarks, " Any man who can manage such a feat I wouldna dare disappoint. She'll launch on time, sir… and she'll be ready, " and gently puts his hand on the admiral's arm. They arrive at the Enterprise held in drydock , and Scott gives Kirk a brief tour of the new exterior of the ship.

A transport goes bad

Upon docking with the ship and entering the Enterprise 's cargo bay , Scott is immediately called to engineering. Kirk takes a turbolift up to the bridge, and upon arrival, is informed by Lieutenant Commander Uhura that Starfleet has just transferred command from Captain Decker over to him, and she, along with several other crewmembers including Sulu and Chekov , step forward excitedly to greet Kirk, who appreciates the welcome but wishes it were under more pleasant circumstances. Kirk asks the crew where Decker is. " He's in, uh, engineering, sir. He, uh… he doesn't know, " Sulu says. Kirk makes his way to the new engine room and pauses to look at Enterprise 's warp core before taking the lift down to where Captain Decker is busy assisting Scott with launch preparations. After Kirk takes him aside to talk, he becomes visibly upset when the admiral tells him that he is assuming command. Decker will remain on the ship as executive officer and will receive a temporary demotion to commander. As Decker storms off, an alarm sounds. Someone is trying to beam over to the ship, but the transporter is malfunctioning. Cleary informs Scott that there is a red line on the transporter. Kirk and Scott promptly race over to the transporter room . Transporter chief Janice Rand is frantically trying to tell Starfleet to abort the transport, but it is too late. Commander Sonak and a female officer are beaming in, but their bodies aren't re-forming properly in the transporter beam . The female officer screams horrifically, and then their bodies disappear. Starfleet tells them that they have died. With tears beginning to form in his eyes , Kirk tells Starfleet to express his sympathies to their families. He mentions that Sonak's can be reached through the Vulcan embassy . " There was nothing you could have done, Rand, " Kirk tells the upset transporter operator, " it wasn't your fault. "

In the corridor outside the transporter room, Kirk sees Decker and tells him they will have to replace Commander Sonak. Kirk wants another Vulcan if possible. Decker tells him that no one is available that is familiar with the ship's new design. Kirk tells Decker he will have to double his duties as science officer as well.

Kirk addresses the Enterprise crew

In the Enterprise 's recreation room , as Kirk briefs the assembled crew on the mission, they receive a transmission from Epsilon IX. Commander Branch tells them they have analyzed the mysterious cloud. It generates an immense amount of energy and measures 82 au ( only 2 au in the director's edition ) in diameter. Branch also reports that there is a vessel of some kind in the center. They've tried to communicate with it, but there has been no response. The lieutenant reports that further scans indicate something inside the cloud, but all scans get reflected back. Suddenly, an alarm goes off on the station, and Branch reports they're under attack. Kirk orders an external view of the station, and plasma bolts start engulfing it. The crew is watching this happen, and Epsilon IX dissapears. Ordering Uhura to deactivate the viewer, Kirk informs the crew that the pre-launch countdown will begin in forty minutes and the assembled crew leaves to attend to their duties.

Epsilon IX destroyed

Act Two [ ]

Lieutenant Ilia steps on the bridge

Later on the bridge, Uhura informs Kirk that the transporter has been fully repaired and is functioning properly now. Lieutenant Ilia , the Enterprise 's Deltan navigator , arrives. Decker is happy to see her, as they developed a romantic relationship when he was assigned to her home planet several years earlier. Ilia is curious about Decker's reduction in rank and Kirk interrupts and tells her about Decker being the executive and science officer. Decker tells her, with slight sarcasm, that Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in him. Ilia tells Kirk that her oath of celibacy is on record and asks permission to assume her duties. Uhura tells Kirk that one of the last six crew members to arrive is refusing to beam up. Kirk goes to the transporter room to ensure that the person is beamed up.

Dr. McCoy beams aboard

When told by a yeoman that the crew member insisted on them beaming up first, " said something about first "seeing how it scrambled our molecules ," " Kirk tells Starfleet to beam the officer aboard. Dr. McCoy , dressed in civilian attire and wearing a thick beard , materializes on the transporter platform. McCoy is angry that his Starfleet commission was reactivated . He realizes that Kirk is responsible for the draft. His attitude changes, however, when Kirk says he desperately needs him. McCoy leaves to check out the new sickbay , grumbling about all the new changes to the Enterprise .

The crew finishes its repairs and the Enterprise leaves drydock and heads into the solar system at impulse .

The Enterprise in a wormhole.

A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a " damned computer center. " Kirk is anxious to intercept the cloud intruder at the earliest possible opportunity, and despite protests from Scott and Decker, he orders warp drive engaged. The Enterprise goes to warp 1 sucesfully, and Kirk turns to speak with Decker, but an alarm draws his attention to the viewscreen. The Enterprise has entered a wormhole , and Kirk orders full reverse. Uhura reports all communications are jammed, and Ilia reports an asteroid has been pulled into the wormhole and is on a collision course. Kirk orders phasers , but Decker countermands his order, goes over to the tactical station, and tells Chekov to arm photon torpedoes . Chekov is able to lock on to the asteroid, and Decker gives the order to fire. With four seconds left before impact, the torpedo leaves the launcher and collides with the asteroid, causing a massive explosion that rocks the Enterprise and causes the wormhole to dissapate. Sulu reports that helm control is restored, and Kirk, annoyed, wants Decker in his quarters. McCoy decides to come along, as well.

Once in Kirk's quarters, Kirk demands an explanation from Decker on why his phaser order was countermanded. Decker points out that the redesigned Enterprise now channels the phasers through the main engines and because they were imbalanced, the phasers were automatically cut off. Kirk acknowledges that he has saved the ship – however, he accuses Decker of competing with him. Decker, in his opinion, tells Kirk that, because of his unfamiliarity with the ship's new design, the mission is in serious jeopardy. Kirk sarcastically trusts that Decker will " nursemaid me through these difficulties, " and Decker tells the captain that he will gladly help him understand the new design. Kirk then dismisses him from the room. In the corridor, Decker runs into Ilia. Ilia asks if the confrontation was difficult, and he tells her that it was about as difficult as seeing her again, and apologizes. She asks if he is sorry for leaving Delta IV , or for not saying goodbye. He asks if, had he seen her again, would she have been able to say goodbye? She quietly says " no ," and goes to her quarters nearby.

Back in Kirk's quarters, McCoy accuses Kirk of being the one who is competing, and the fact that it was Kirk who used the emergency to pressure Starfleet into letting him regain command of the Enterprise . McCoy thinks that Kirk is obsessed with keeping his command. On Kirk's console viewscreen , Uhura informs Kirk that a Starfleet registered shuttlecraft is approaching and that the occupant wishes to dock. Chekov also pipes in and replies that it appears to be a courier vessel, non-belligerency confirmed. Kirk tells Chekov to handle the situation. Turning the viewer off, Kirk asks McCoy is he has anything more to add, to which McCoy quietly states " that depends on you, " and leaves Kirk to ponder this, while he stands silently.

Spock arrives aboard the Enterprise

The shuttle approaches the Enterprise from behind, and the top portion of it detaches and docks at an airlock just behind the bridge. Chekov is waiting by the airlock doors with a security officer and is surprised to see Spock come aboard. Moments later, Spock arrives on the bridge, and everyone is shocked and pleased to see him, yet Spock ignores them. He moves over to the science station and tells Kirk that he is aware of the crisis and knows about the ship's engine design difficulties.

" Well, so help me, I'm actually pleased to see you! "

He offers his services as the science officer. McCoy and Dr. Christine Chapel come to the bridge to greet Spock, but he only looks at them coldly and does not reply to them. Uhura tries to speak to Spock, but he ignores her as well and tells Kirk that with his permission, he will go to engineering and discuss his fuel equations with Scott. As Spock walks into the turbolift , Kirk stops him and welcomes him aboard. But Spock makes no reply and continues into the turbolift. Kirk and McCoy both share a look after Spock leaves the bridge.

With Spock's assistance, the engines are now rebalanced for full warp capacity. The ship successfully goes to warp to intercept the cloud. In the officers lounge, Spock meets with Kirk and McCoy. They discuss Spock's kolinahr training on Vulcan, and how Spock broke off from his training to join them. Spock describes how he sensed the consciousness of the intruder, from a source more powerful that he has ever encountered, with perfect, logical thought patterns. He believes that it holds the answers he seeks. Uhura tells Kirk over the intercom that they have made visual contact with the intruder.

With the entire ship on red alert, Kirk orders full mag on the viewer, and the massive cloud is revealed. The cloud scans the ship, but Kirk orders Spock not to return scans as they could be considered hostile. Spock determines that the scans are coming from the exact center of the cloud. Uhura reports that she's transmitting full friendship messages on all frequencies, but there is no response. Decker suggests raising the shields for protection, but Kirk determines that that might be considered hostile to the cloud. Spock analyzes the clouds composition and discovers it has a 12-power energy field, the equivalent of power generated by thousands of starships .

The Enterprise attacked

Sitting at the science station, Spock awakens from a brief trance. Kirk asks him what's happening, and Spock says the alien is puzzled. The Enterprise was contacted, so why is it not replying? Kirk asks Spock how they've been contacted, but an alarm coaxes him to his chair. A plasma-energy weapon has been launched toward the Enterprise, and Kirk orders full shields. The weapon hits, overloading multiple systems and sending bolts of plasma energy throughout the ship. Bolts of lightning surround the warp core and nearly injure several engineering officers. Chekov is injured – his hand badly burned from a plasma bolt emanating from the weapons station on the bridge. The bolt then finally disappears, and Scott reports deflector power is down seventy percent. A medical team is called to the bridge, and Ilia is able to use her telepathic powers to soothe Chekov's pain.

Spock confirms to Kirk that the alien has been attempting to communicate. It transmits at a frequency of more than one million megahertz, and at such a high rate of speed, the message only lasts a millisecond. Spock programs to computer to send linguacode messages at that frequency and rate of speed. Another plasma-energy weapon is launched, and Spock is still working as it approaches. With ten seconds left, Spock transmits the message. The weapon continues moving toward the Enterprise, but abruptly dissapears right before it can collide. Kirk asks for recommendations, and Spock recommends proceeding inside the cloud to investigate, while Decker advises against it, calling the move an "unwarranted gamble." Kirk asks Decker what constitutes "unwarranted" to him, while Decker retorts that Kirk asked his opinion.

Enterprise encounters V'ger 's ship

Kirk orders that the ship continue on course through the cloud. They pass through many expansive and colorful cloud layers and upon clearing these, a giant vessel is revealed. Kirk asks for an evaluation and Spock reports that the vessel is generating a force field greater than the radiation of Earth's sun . Kirk tells Uhura to transmit an image of the alien to Starfleet, but she explains that any transmission sent out of the cloud is being reflected back to them. Kirk orders Sulu to fly above and along the top of the vessel at a distance of only five hundred meters.

As Enterprise moves in front of the alien vessel, Kirk orders to hold position. Suddenly, an alarm sounds, and another plasma weapon approaches the Enterprise. However, it slows down, stopping in front of the ship, and starts zapping the bridge. It forms a column in the bridge and the crew struggles to shield their eyes from its brilliant glow and their ears from the high-pitched shrieking buzz it lets out. Chekov asks Spock if it is one of the alien's crew, and Spock replies that it is a probe sent from the vessel. The probe slowly moves around the room and stops in front of the science station. Bolts of lightning shoot out from it and surround the console – it is trying to access the ship's computer. Kirk orders the computer turned off, which Decker tries to do, but it has taken control of it. Spock pulls Decker away and smashes the controls, which works. As he starts stepping away, he's suddenly given an electric shock by the probe and falls to the floor. The probe starts moving again, and approaches the navigation console. As Ilia is watching, it starts scanning her, much to Decker's horror. Spock tries to pull her away, but he's knocked back by an electric shock. Decker is similarily shocked to keep him away, and Ilia, horrified, stands there as she's scanned. As Decker's watching this, Ilia abruptly vanishes, and the tricorder she was holding falls to the floor. Kirk, shaken, picks up the tricorder. Decker angrily exclaims, "This is how I define unwarranted! "

Enterprise inside the ship

Another alert goes off, reporting helm control has been lost. Spock reports they've been caught by a tractor beam and Kirk orders someone up to take the navigator's station. Decker calls for Chief DiFalco to come up to the bridge as Ilia's replacement. Decker suggests that the ship fire phasers, but Spock, evocatively, asserts that " Any show of resistance would be futile, Captain. " The ship travels deep into the next chamber. Decker wonders why they were brought inside – they could have been easily destroyed outside. Spock deduces that the alien is curious about them. Uhura's monitor shows that the aperture is closing – they are now trapped inside. The ship is released from the tractor beam and suddenly, an intruder alert goes off. Someone has come aboard the ship and is in the crew quarters section.

Act Three [ ]

Ilia returns as V'ger 's probe

Kirk and Spock arrive inside a crewman's quarters to discover that the intruder is inside the sonic shower . It is revealed to be Ilia, although it isn't really her – there is a small red device attached to her neck . In a mechanized voice, she replies, " You are the Kirk unit, you will assist me. " She explains that she has been programmed by an entity called " V'ger " to observe and record the normal functions of the carbon-based units "infesting" the Enterprise . Kirk opens the shower door and " Ilia " steps out, wearing a small white garment that just materialized around her. Dr. McCoy and security officer Ensign Perez enter the room, and Kirk tells McCoy to scan her with a tricorder.

Kirk asks her who V'ger is. She replies, " V'ger is that which programmed me . " McCoy tells Kirk that Ilia is a mechanism and Spock confirms she is a probe that assumed Ilia's physical form. Kirk asks where the real Ilia is, and the probe states that "that unit" no longer functions. Kirk also asks why V'ger is traveling to Earth, and the probe answers that it wishes to find the Creator, join with him, and become one with it. Spock suggests that McCoy perform a complete examination of the probe.

"Ilia" being examined

" I am concerned with that being our only source of information, captain. "

In sickbay, the Ilia probe lays on a diagnostic table, its sensors slowly taking readings. All normal body functions, down to the microscopic level, are exactly duplicated by the probe, even eye moisture. Decker arrives and is stunned to see her there. She looks up at him and addresses him as " Decker ," rather than " Decker unit ," which intrigues Spock. Spock talks with Kirk and Decker in an adjoining room and Spock locks the door. Spock theorizes that the real Ilia's memories and feelings have been duplicated by the probe as well as her body. Decker is angry that the probe killed Ilia, but Kirk convinces him that their only contact with the vessel is through the probe, and they need to use that advantage to find out more about the alien. Suddenly, the probe bursts through the door, and demands that Kirk assist her with her observations. He tells her that Decker will do it with more efficiency. After Decker and the probe leave, Spock expresses concern to Kirk of that being their only source of information.

Decker and Ilia are seen walking around in the recreation room. He shows her pictures of previous ships that were named Enterprise . Decker is trying to see if Ilia's memories or emotions can resurface, but to no avail. Kirk and McCoy observe them covertly on a monitor from his quarters. Decker shows her a game that the crew enjoys playing. She is not interested and states that recreation and enjoyment have no meaning to her programming. At another game, which Ilia enjoyed and nearly always won, they both press one of their hands down onto a table to play it. The table lights up, indicating she won the game, and she gazes into Decker's eyes. This moment of emotion ends suddenly, and she returns to normal. " This device serves no purpose. "

" Why does the Enterprise require the presence of carbon units? ", she asks. Decker tells her the ship couldn't function without them. She tells him that more information is needed before the crew can be patterned for data storage. Horrified, he asks her what this means. " When my examination is complete, all carbon units will be reduced to data patterns. " He tells her that within her are the memory patterns of a certain carbon unit. He convinces her to let him help her revive those patterns so that she can understand their functions better. She allows him to proceed.

Meanwhile, in one of the ship's airlocks , Spock slips up behind the airlock technician and nerve pinches him into unconsciousness.

Decker, the probe, Dr. McCoy, and Dr. Chapel are in Ilia's quarters. Dr. Chapel gives the probe a decorative headband that Ilia used to wear. Chapel puts it over "Ilia's" head and turns her toward a mirror. Decker asks her if she remembers wearing it on Delta IV. The probe shows another moment of emotion, saying Dr. Chapel's name, and putting her hand on Decker's face, calling him Will. Behind them, McCoy reminds Decker that she is a mechanism. Decker asks "Ilia" to help them make contact with V'ger . She says that she can't, and Decker asks her who the Creator is. She says V'ger does not know. The probe becomes emotionless again and removes the headband.

Spock is now outside the ship in a space suit with an emergency evacuation thruster pack . He begins recording a log entry for Kirk detailing his attempt to contact the alien. He activates a panel on the suit and calculates thruster ignition and acceleration to coincide with the opening of an aperture ahead of him. He hopes to get a better view of the spacecraft interior.

" A thruster suit is reported missing. " " A thruster suit… that's Spock. Damn him! "

Kirk comes up to the bridge and Uhura tells him that Starfleet signals are growing stronger, indicating they are very close to Earth. Starfleet is monitoring the intruder and notifies Uhura that it is slowing down in its approach. Sulu confirms this and says that lunar beacons show the intruder is entering into Earth orbit . Chekov tells Kirk that airlock 4 has been opened and a thruster suit has been reported missing. Kirk figures out that Spock has done it, and orders Chekov to get Spock back on the ship. He changes his mind, and instead tells Chekov to determine his position.

Spock touches a button on his thruster panel and his thruster engine ignites. He is propelled forward rapidly, and enters the next chamber of the vessel just before the aperture closes behind him. The thruster engine shuts down, and the momentum carries Spock ahead further. He disconnects the thruster pack from his suit and it falls away from him.

Continuing his log entry, Spock sees an image of what he believes to be V'ger 's homeworld . He passes through a tunnel filled with crackling plasma energy, possibly a power source intended for a gigantic imaging system. Next, he sees several more images of planets , moons , stars , and galaxies all stored and recorded. Spock theorizes that this may be a visual representation of V'ger 's entire journey. " But who or what are we dealing with? ", he ponders.

Spock attempts mind meld with V'ger

He sees the Epsilon IX station, stored in every detail, and notes to Kirk that he is convinced that all of what he is seeing is V'ger , and that they are inside a living machine. Then he sees a giant image of Lt. Ilia with the sensor on her neck. Spock decides it must have some special meaning, so he attempts to mind meld with it. He is quickly overwhelmed by the multitude of images flooding his mind and falls back unconscious.

Spock in sickbay

Kirk is now in a space suit and has exited the ship. The aperture in front of the Enterprise opens, and Spock's unconscious body floats toward him. Later, Dr. Chapel and Dr. McCoy are examining Spock in sickbay. Dr. McCoy performs scans and determines that Spock endured massive neurological trauma from the mind meld. While he is telling Kirk this, they are interrupted by an incredible sound: Spock, regaining consciousness, is laughing softly, saying he should have known.

Spock describes V'ger as a sentient being, from a planet populated by living machines with unbelievable technology, allowing it access to a truly galactic store of knowledge. Yet for all of that, V'ger is barren, with no sense of mystery and no emotions to give meaning to its actions. Spock, seeing the irony when comparing V'Ger to himself, can not help but laugh: V'Ger has, for all intents and purposes, achieved Kolinahr – flawless logic and limitless knowledge – yet doing so has only made it see the gaps in its own understanding. Spock grasps Kirk's hand and tells him, "This simple feeling is beyond V'ger 's comprehension. No meaning, no hope. And Jim, no answers. It's asking questions. 'Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?'"

Uhura chimes in and tells Kirk that they are getting a faint signal from Starfleet. The intruder has been on their monitors for a while and the cloud is rapidly dissipating as it approaches. Sulu also comments that the intruder has slowed to sub-warp speed and is only three minutes from Earth orbit. Kirk acknowledges and he, McCoy, and Spock go up to the bridge.

V'ger's ship enters low Earth orbit, and the cloud entirely dissapears. Starfleet sends the Enterprise a tactical report on the intruder's position. Uhura tells Kirk that V'ger is transmitting a signal. Decker and "Ilia" come up to the bridge, and she says that V'ger is signaling the Creator. Spock determines that the transmission is a radio signal. Decker tells Kirk that V'ger expects an answer, but Kirk doesn't know the question. Then "Ilia" says that the Creator has not responded. Suddenly, a plasma weapon is launched and starts orbiting Earth. Chekov reports all planetary defense systems have gone offline. Several more plasma weapons are launched and all orbit Earth in unison.

McCoy notices that the bolts are the same ones that hit the ship earlier, and Spock says that these are hundreds of times more powerful, and from those positions, they can destroy all life on Earth. " Why? ", Kirk asks "Ilia." She says that the carbon unit infestation will be removed from the Creator's planet as they are interfering with the Creator's ability to respond and accuses the crew of infesting the Enterprise and interfering in the same manner. Kirk tells "Ilia" that carbon units are a natural function of the Creator's planet and they are living things, not infestations. However "Ilia" says they are not true lifeforms like the Creator. McCoy realizes V'ger must think its creator is a machine. Decker concurs, comparing it to "We all create God in our own image."

Spock compares V'ger to a child and suggests they treat it like one. McCoy retorts that this child is about to wipe out every living thing on Earth. To get "Ilia's" attention, Kirk says that the carbon units know why the Creator hasn't responded. The Ilia probe demands that Kirk " disclose the information ." Kirk won't do so until V'ger withdraws all the orbiting devices. In response to this, V'ger cuts off the ship's communications with Starfleet. She tells him again to disclose the information. He refuses, and a plasma energy attack shakes the ship. McCoy tells Spock that the child is having a " tantrum ."

Kirk tells the probe that if V'ger destroys the Enterprise , then the information it needs will also be destroyed with it. Ilia says that it is illogical to withhold the required information, and asks him why he won't disclose it. Kirk explains it is because V'ger is going to destroy all life on Earth. "Ilia" says that they have oppressed the Creator, and Kirk makes it clear he will not disclose anything. V'ger needs the information, says "Ilia." Kirk says that V'ger will have to withdraw all the orbiting devices. "Ilia" says that V'ger will comply, if the carbon units give the information.

Spock tells Kirk that V'ger must have a central brain complex. Kirk theorizes that the orbiting devices are controlled from there. Kirk tells "Ilia" that the information can't be disclosed to V'ger 's probe, but only to V'ger itself. "Ilia" stares at the viewscreen, and, in response, the aperture opens and drags the ship forward with a tractor beam into a massive tunnel. Chekov tells Kirk that the energy bolts will reach their final positions and activate in 27 minutes. Kirk calls to Scott on the intercom and tells him to stand by to execute Starfleet Order 2005 – the self-destruct command. A female crewmember, Ross , asks Scott why Kirk ordered self-destruct, and Scott tells her that Kirk hopes that when they explode, so will the intruder.

The countdown is now down to 18 minutes. DiFalco reports that they have traveled 17 kilometers inside the vessel. Kirk goes over to Spock's station and sees that Spock has been crying. " Not for us, " Kirk realizes. Spock tells him he is crying for V'ger , and that he weeps for V'ger as he would for a brother. As he was when he came aboard the Enterprise , so is V'ger now – empty, incomplete, and searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough. McCoy realizes Spock has found what he needed, but that V'ger hasn't. Decker wonders what V'ger would need to fulfill itself.

Spock comments that each one of us, at some point in our lives asks, " Why am I here?" "What was I meant to be? " V'ger hopes to touch its Creator and find those answers. DiFalco directs Kirk's attention to the viewscreen. They're approaching the next chamber, and see a light up ahead. Sulu reports that forward motion has stopped. Chekov replies that an oxygen / gravity envelope has formed outside of the ship. "Ilia" points to the structure on the screen and identifies it as V'ger . Uhura has located the source of the radio signal and it is straight ahead. "Ilia" says the carbon units will now provide the information, and a passageway slowly materalizes from the light toward the Enterprise. Kirk chooses Spock and Bones to come, but Decker volunteers to go as well. They enter a turbolift as Uhura looks at the viewscreen.

The passageway

The passageway is reaching the Enterprise as they come up an airlock onto the hull. They start walking up the passageway, and at the end of the path is a concave structure, and in the center of it is an old NASA probe from three centuries earlier. Kirk rubs away the soot on the nameplate and makes out the letters "V G E R". He continues to rub and discovers that the craft is actually Voyager 6 . Kirk recalls the history of the Voyager program – it was designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. Decker tells Kirk that Voyager 6 disappeared through what was then called a black hole .

The heart of V'ger is revealed

Kirk says that it must have emerged on the far side of the galaxy and got caught in the machine planet's gravity. Spock theorizes that the planet's inhabitants found the probe to be one of their own kind – primitive, yet kindred. They discovered the probe's 20th century programming to collect data and return that information to its creator. The machines interpreted that instruction literally and constructed the entire vessel so that Voyager could fulfill its programming. Kirk continues by saying that on its journey back, it amassed so much knowledge that it gained its own consciousness .

"Ilia" tells Kirk that V'ger awaits the information. Kirk calls Uhura on his communicator and tells her to find information on the probe in the ship's computer , specifically the NASA code signal, which will allow the probe to transmit its data. Decker realizes that that is what the probe was signaling – it's ready to transmit everything. Kirk then says that there is no one on Earth who recognizes the old-style signal – so the Creator does not answer.

Kirk calls out to V'ger and says that they are the Creator. "Ilia" says that is not logical – carbon units are not true lifeforms. Kirk says they will prove it by allowing V'ger to complete its programming. Uhura calls Kirk on his communicator and tells him she has retrieved the code. Kirk tells her to set the Enterprise transmitter to the appropriate code frequency and to transmit the signal. Decker reads the numerical code on his tricorder and is about to read the final sequence, but V'ger burns out its own antenna leads to prevent reception.

"Ilia" says that the Creator must join with V'ger , and turns toward Decker. McCoy warns Kirk that they only have ten minutes left. Decker figures out that V'ger wanted to bring the Creator here and transmit the code in person. Spock tells Kirk that V'ger 's knowledge has reached the limits of the universe and it must evolve. Kirk says that V'ger needs a Human quality in order to evolve. Decker thinks that V'ger joining with the Creator will accomplish that. He then goes over to the damaged circuitry and fixes the wires so he can manually enter the rest of the code through the ground test computer. Kirk tries to stop him, but "Ilia" tosses him aside. Decker tells Kirk that he wants this as much as Kirk wanted the Enterprise .

V'ger evolves into a higher form of existence after merging with Decker

Suddenly, a bright light forms around Decker's body. "Ilia" moves over to him, and the light encompasses them both as they merge together. Their bodies disappear, and the light expands and begins to consume the area. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy retreat back to the Enterprise . The light starts engulfing V'ger's ship, and an enormous explosion of light forms in orbit. As the light clears, the Enterprise moves forward, unharmed. On the bridge, Kirk wonders if they have just seen the beginning of a new lifeform , and Spock says yes and that it is possibly the next step in their evolution. McCoy says that it's been a while since he's "delivered" a baby and hopes that they got this one off to a good start.

" Spock… did we just see the beginning of a new lifeform? " " Yes, captain. We witnessed a birth. "

Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. Kirk reports that there were only two casualties: Lieutenant Ilia and Captain Decker. He quickly corrects his statement and changes their status to "missing." Vessel status is fully operational. Scott comes on the bridge and agrees with Kirk that it's time to give the Enterprise a proper shakedown. When Scott offers to have Spock back on Vulcan in four days, Spock says that's unnecessary, as his task on Vulcan is completed.

Kirk orders the Enterprise out for more adventures

Kirk tells Sulu to proceed ahead at warp factor one. When DiFalco asks for a heading, Kirk simply says " Out there, that-away. "

With that, the Enterprise flies overhead and engages warp drive on its way to another mission of exploration and discovery.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), mid-2270s

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Heading? " " Sir, it's on a precise heading for Earth. "

" The Enterprise is in final preparation to leave dock. " " Which will require another twenty more hours at minimum, Admiral - " "Twelve."

" I'm on my way to a meeting with Admiral Nogura which will last no more than three minutes. Report to me on the Enterprise in one hour. " " Report to you , sir? " " It is my intention to be on that ship following that meeting. Report to me in one hour. "

" Admiral, we have just spent eighteen months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise . How in the name of hell do they expect me to have her ready in twelve hours?! "

" Mr. Scott, an alien object of unbelievable destructive power is less than three days away from this planet. The only starship in interception range is the Enterprise . Ready or not, she launches in twelve hours. "

" He wanted her back, he got her. " " And Captain Decker? He's been with the ship every minute of her refitting. " " Ensign, the possibilities of our returning from this mission in one piece may have just doubled."

" I'm replacing you as captain of the Enterprise . You'll stay on as executive officer, temporary grade reduction to commander. " " You personally are assuming command? " " Yeah. " " May I ask why? " " My experience. Five years out there, dealing with unknowns like this. My familiarity with the Enterprise , this crew. "

" Admiral, this is an almost totally new Enterprise . You don't know her a tenth as well as I do. " " That's why you're staying aboard. I'm sorry, Will. " " No, sir. I don't think you're sorry. Not one damn bit. I remember when you recommended me for this command. You told me how envious you were, and how you hoped you'd be given a starship command again. Well, sir, it looks like you found a way. " " Report to the bridge, commander. Immediately. " " Aye, sir. "

"Enterprise, what we got back didn't live long. Fortunately. "

" Just a moment, captain, sir. I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known, seldom used reserve activation clause! In simpler language, captain, they drafted me! "

" Why is any object we don't understand always called a thing? "

" Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. Well, I'm gonna need a top nurse, not a doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me! And they've probably redesigned the whole sickbay, too! I know engineers. They love to change things! "

" Thrusters ahead, Mr. Sulu. Take us out! "

" Well, Bones, do the new medical facilities meet with your approval? " " They do not. It's like working in a damn computer center! "

" No casualties reported, doctor. " " Wrong, Mr. Chekov, there are casualties. My wits! As in, frightened out of, captain, sir! "

" Mister Spock! " " Well, so help me, I'm actually pleased to see you! "

" Spock, you haven't changed a bit. You're just as warm and sociable as ever. " " Nor have you, doctor, as your continued predilection for irrelevancy demonstrates. "

" Will you please sit down ! "

" Mr. Decker, I will not provoke an attack. If that order isn't clear enough for you - " " Captain, as your exec, it's my duty to point out alternatives. " " Yes it is. I stand corrected. "

" I sense... puzzlement. We have been contacted. Why have we not replied? " " Contacted? How? "

" Moving into that cloud, at this time, is an unwarranted gamble. " " How do you define unwarranted? " " You asked my opinion, sir. "

" Don't interfere with it! " " Absolutely I will not interfere! " " No one interfere! It doesn't seem interested in us. Only the ship. "

" It's taking control of the computer! " " It's running our records! Earth's defenses! Starfleet's strength! "

"This is how I define unwarranted! "

" I don't want him stopped! I want him to lead me to whatever is out there. " " And if that whatever has taken over his mind…?! " " Then, he'll still have led me to it, won't he? "

" Spock, this child is about to wipe out every living thing on Earth. Now what do you suggest we do? Spank it? "

" Your child is having a tantrum, Mr. Spock! "

" I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother. As I was when I came aboard, so is V'ger now. Empty. Incomplete. Searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough. "

" Each of us, at some time in our life, turns to someone – a father, a brother, a god – and asks: Why am I here? What was I meant to be? V'ger hopes to touch its creator to find its answers. " " "Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more? "

" Capture God…? V'ger 's liable to be in for one hell of a disappointment. "

" Jim, I want this! As much as you wanted the Enterprise , I want this! "

" We witnessed a birth. Possibly a next step in our evolution. " " Well, it's been a long time since I delivered a baby and I hope we got this one off to a good start. "

" List them as missing. "

" Heading, sir? " " Out there. Thataway! "

Background information [ ]

The theatrical poster for Star Trek: The Motion Picture

From left to right: Robert Wise, William Shatner, Gene Roddenberry, DeForest Kelley, and Leonard Nimoy

• This film was the last Star Trek release to occur in the 1970s, and the only live-action one to take place in that decade.
• Grace Lee Whitney ( Janice Rand ) and Mark Lenard (Klingon captain) are the only actors, besides the original cast, to appear in both this film and the final Star Trek: The Original Series film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Lenard plays the Klingon captain in The Motion Picture and Ambassador Sarek in The Undiscovered Country , while Whitney plays Janice Rand in both films.
• Likewise, Majel Barrett and Leonard Nimoy are the only original series actors to participate in both this film and the first Star Trek film set in the rebooted timeline , Star Trek . In The Motion Picture , Barrett played Dr. Chapel and in Star Trek she voiced the computer for the alternate reality USS Enterprise , while in both films Nimoy portrayed Spock (in the 2009 film he played the Spock of the original "Prime" timeline). However, James Doohan 's son Chris also appeared in both this film and the 2009 film. In The Motion Picture he is in the recreation deck scene (with his twin brother Montgomery) when Kirk addresses the entire crew; and in Star Trek he is in the transporter room scenes as an engineering lieutenant commander. Concurrently, Barrett and Nimoy are the only two cast members from the original pilot " The Cage " to appear in this first Star Trek film. Nevertheless, Nimoy is the only actor to portray the same character in both productions, having played Spock in both, whereas Barrett played Number One in the pilot and Dr. Chapel in the film.
• Also, Nimoy is the only actor to participate in both this film and Star Trek Into Darkness . In both films, Nimoy portrayed Spock.
• Bruce Logan was the director of photography for the Klingon scenes. He was scheduled to be the Director of Photography (DP) on "In Thy Image", the un-produced pilot for Star Trek: Phase II , the immediate predecessor television project of the film. Both the plot and script emerged from the un-produced pilot.
• One of the most persistent myths in Star Trek -lore, erroneously propagated in numerous reference works such as Star Trek Movie Memories , Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , to name but a few, is that the 1977 science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind played a decisive key role (besides Star Wars ) in the decision to upgrade Phase II to The Motion Picture . Actually, the upgrade decision was already firmly in place for nearly a month before Close Encounters even premiered. It was Star Wars , and Star Wars alone, that had been the prime motivator for the upgrade decision. The reference book Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , which contains a contemporary account of the production history but was only released in 2014, confirmed this to be the case (p. 48) Still, in the mind of the studio executives, the phenomenal success of Close Encounters served as the validation of their decision. ( see Production history below )
• Fred Phillips saved Leonard Nimoy's ear molds from the Original Series. They were put back into use when the molds being made for the film were damaged.
• Principal photography, the filming of scenes which required the principal cast, began on 7 August 1978 and was finished on 26 January 1979 .
• The theme from the TV series is heard three times in the film. Each time it is used, it is for a "captain's log" dictation. The first one is heard just before Kirk engages the Enterprise 's first warp test. The second time is when Spock is making his repairs to the warp drive, and the third time is when Kirk and McCoy are watching Decker and the Ilia-probe from Kirk's quarters.
• This film, and the last TOS cast film ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ), are the only two that do not use the original series fanfare in the opening credits of the film. That fanfare was not heard at all in the score to this film, and did not make an appearance until Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Jerry Goldsmith did, however, bring the fanfare back for the subsequent Star Trek films he scored.
• According to David Gerrold 's The World of Star Trek , a blooper occurred in the scene where Kirk and Spock leave to investigate the intruder alert, William Shatner , as Kirk, tells Stephen Collins as Decker, that he has the bridge and Collins jumped down to the floor, grabbed the command chair and yelled like Daffy Duck, " It's mine! It's mine! At last it's mine! All mine! " which led Shatner to turn around and yell " I take it back! "
• The five previous ships named Enterprise , which Decker shows the Ilia probe in the rec room are, according to Mike Okuda's DVD text commentary , an 18th century frigate, the much decorated World War II carrier , the space shuttle orbiter prototype, an unseen ship which was actually an early Matt Jefferies design for the TV Enterprise and of course, the original configuration of the Enterprise from the original series. Internet rumors from 2001 speculated that the unseen ship might be replaced by the NX-01 Enterprise ; however, this did not happen. Christopher L. Bennett 's novel Ex Machina establishes (albeit non-canonically) that the image of the NX-01 Enterprise was added after the events of this film. Incidentally, it was Jefferies, who had provided both the historical lineage concept and the artwork upon which the backlit transparencies of the vessels were based, for the Motion Picture 's immediate predecessor, Phase II . It has set a tradition that was adhered to in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series and films, as well as in Star Trek: Enterprise . ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 94)
• According to an article written by Harlan Ellison (writer of the acclaimed Original Series episode " The City on the Edge of Forever ") and published in Starlog in 1980, Gene Roddenberry took Harold Livingston to arbitration with the Writer's Guild of America five times, seeking a screen credit for the film's screenplay. The Writer's Guild apparently sided with Livingston, as Roddenberry never received any credit for the script. However Alan Dean Foster did successfully arbitrate with the Writer's Guild as he had initially received no story credit at all, even though he had written an early draft of the " In Thy Image " script which was rewritten into the TMP script.
• The film was one of only a few Hollywood productions, and also one of the last along with Disney's The Black Hole , that introduces the film with an overture – a practice commonly used for "epic" films. For that purpose, Jerry Goldsmith chose to present the auditory "Ilia's Theme", which he also referred to as a "love theme". The overture runs for approximately three minutes, and is then taken over by the film's concise main theme (which later became famous as TNG's main title) ( 20th Anniversary Special Edition soundtrack booklet).
• This film marks the first depiction of Earth in the 23rd century. Although a parkland near Christopher Pike 's native Mojave was seen in TOS : " The Cage ", this was merely an illusion created by the Talosians . Every subsequent film except for Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Beyond has included a scene set on Earth in the future.
• Academy Award-winning film legend Orson Welles provided the narration for many of the film's trailers. Director Robert Wise worked as film editor on Welles' first two films, Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons .
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture was one of the last heavily-marketed, non-animated big studio films with just a G rating, and the only Star Trek film to receive this rating (although in 2001, the director's cut got a PG for sci-fi action and mild language). Ever since, such productions were released with at least a PG rating. ( citation needed • edit )
• The Star Trek newspaper comic strip was launched in coordination with this film, four days prior to its premiere. The character of Ilia is inexplicably featured in the first two story arcs, even though they take place after the events of the film.
• The world premiere of the film took place at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, DC on 6 December 1979 as a fund-raising event for the National Space Club . With thousands of Trekkies expected to attend, the event fell somewhat flat as only about three hundred showed up due to bad weather. A black tie affair, it was followed by a reception with all the film's stars and Gene Roddenberry at the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum , complete with an orchestra playing the Jerry Goldsmith theme (some internet sites incorrectly state it was at the Kennedy Center ). The admission price to the reception for non-affiliated guests was a, for the time, hefty US$100. ( The Washington Post , 6 December 1979, p. C12; 7 December 1979, pp. C1, C3)
• In the United Kingdom, the film had a gala premiere at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema in London on 15 December 1979 . All of the principal cast attended. The Motion Picture was released theatrically on 21 December. At the time, to generate interest in the film, the BBC was re-running the series on television. The Motion Picture enjoyed a three week stint at the top of the UK box office and grossed £4,774,456 overall. [1]
• Paramount sought and obtained a variety of design patents on some costumes, ships, and props from this film, which directly resulted from Dawn Steel 's merchandising fund drive. ( see below ) They would continue to do so for the next two films, as well as for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation .
• The film was adapted as a novel and as a three-part comic , as well as becoming the third of five official Star Trek productions to be adapted into View-Master reels.
• Several props and costumes from this film were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including Walter Koenig 's uniform, [2] William Shatner's uniform, [3] a bio-monitor , [4] a beige class-B Starfleet uniform, [5] a brown class-A uniform belt, [6] several uniform patches, [7] [8] [9] a schematic lot of Enterprise deck one's exterior, [10] and many background uniforms and civilian costumes. [11] [12] [13]
• In his commentary on the Star Trek DVD, J.J. Abrams (who can be seen in the DVD's gag reel wearing a TMP production jacket) stated that the reveal of the new Enterprise in that film was, as much as possible, intended as an homage to the "amazing" shuttle sequence where Kirk sees the refit Enterprise for the first time.

It is somewhat unclear as to what exact year the first Star Trek film took place. Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 39) and the Star Trek Encyclopedia  (3rd ed., p. 691) place The Motion Picture in 2271 , stating that it took place 2.5 years after the end of the last five-year mission that, according to the Encyclopedia , took place from 2264 to 2269 . This was based on Decker's line to Kirk, that the latter had " not logged a single star hour in the last two-and-a-half years, " and Kirk's line to Scott, " Well, two and a half years as Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made me a bit stale, but I certainly wouldn't exactly consider myself untried. " This indicates a minimum of two-and-a-half years between the time the Enterprise returned to dry dock and the beginning of the first film.

In 2019, StarTrek.com released a timeline video of events in the Star Trek universe, placing The Motion Picture in 2273. [14] On screen, in VOY : " Q2 ", it is stated that Kirk's five-year mission ended in 2270 . This would establish the earliest point at which The Motion Picture could possibly have taken place some time in either 2272 or 2273 (depending on at what point in 2270 the ship ended the five-year mission). On the other end of the spectrum, the latest this film could have taken place is in 2278 , since the red The Wrath of Khan -style uniforms were in use by some time that year based on TNG : " Cause And Effect ". The stardates mentioned in the film cannot be used to accurately date the events, since the four-digit stardates beginning with the digit "7" were used for fifteen years between 2270 and 2284 , based on " Bem ", " The Ensigns of Command ", and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The final TAS episode, TAS : " The Counter-Clock Incident ", takes place in 2270 , as does the entire second season of the series.

Toward the end of the film, Commander Decker tells Captain Kirk, " NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jim, this vessel was launched over three hundred years ago ", and given that the Voyager 6 probe would presumably have been launched some time after Voyager 1 and 2 , which were launched in 1977, then this would put a lower limit of 2278 on the year of the film's events.

Apocryphally, the dating of the film has been set by Pocket Books to be 2273 in their 2006 chronology Voyages of Imagination . The novel Triangle supports this dating, as it is set after The Motion Picture, and takes place seven years after " Amok Time ", in 2274 . Also, the novelization of the film written by Gene Roddenberry states that it has been 2.8 years (nine Vulcan seasons) since Spock left the crew. Due to all this obscurity, however, Memory Alpha leaves the exact canonical dating open, and simply dates the film in the 2270s .

Costs and revenues [ ]

According to the Guinness Book of Records , when the film was produced, it was the most expensive theatrical feature ever made with a total production cost of US$46 million (or $44 million, according to the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 75). This proved incorrect however, as Superman: The Movie had an even higher budget at US$54 million, though the producers didn't give the exact figure for some years afterward. This doesn't take inflation into account, however; taking it into account, Cleopatra was, at the time, the most expensive film ever made. And even Cleopatra was arguably surpassed by far by the Soviet-made version of Tolstoy's War and Peace , the 1966 (four-part) film Voyna i mir , reported to have been produced at a for the time staggering US$100 million budget. [15]

The original production budget for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , set at US$15 million, included the costs made for the aborted Star Trek: Phase II series, as well as the earlier false starts in getting a Star Trek film off the ground. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , pp. 34, 69) The inclusion of these costs is debatable from a business economics point of view, since anywhere else in the corporate world research and development costs of projects that do not come to fruition are usually written off and are commonly charged against the balance sheets of corporations. This is a sound business generally accepted accounting principle (as stated in any business economics text book and where the principles are known under their acronym GAAP's) since it prevents cost price inflation with undue elements, therefore avoiding pollution of their viability assessment, of products that do come to fruition. Still, in the particular case of Phase II , an argument could be made for carrying over production costs already incurred to the Motion Picture , since some of those costs were applicable to the Motion Picture as well, such as those of the sets that were already constructed and the fees for production staff and cast already paid, who continued to work on the film.

This film was pre-sold in the autumn of 1978, while it was still in production, to the ABC TV network for US$15 million – or $10 million, according to performer Walter Koenig. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58) That fee allowed two airings of the film, the first to run no earlier than December 1982 . Its ABC premiere was on 20 February 1983 , and its second run was in March 1987 (ABC ran the film a third and final time in the summer of 1989). The television run of the film marks one of the first times that scenes not incorporated into a theatrical cut were reintegrated for the television airing, making the television cut longer than the theatrical cut.

Another revenue guarantee the studio secured was the amount of US$35 million that theater owners committed to, provided the film was released on 7 December 1979 as announced, allowing them to plan for the Christmas season. It was exactly for this reason that the studio could not deviate from the release date, even if they had wanted to, when the visual effects debacle occurred in February 1979, which left the production in dire straits ( see below ). Barry Diller , then studio head and chief financial overseer of the production, recalled, " Once the theater owners realized that we pulled this scam off on them, none of them liked it. They were all trying to get out of it and we wouldn't let them out of it and we knew, of course, that if we didn't open this picture on December 7, the guarantees would evaporate… " ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) The actual potential financial damage was reportedly even far greater than Diller led to believe, as the studio, in case of non-timely release, not only forfeited the guarantees, but had also to pay out the same amount to the distributors as damages (a not uncommon reciprocal feature for this kind of arrangements), meaning the total financial damage would amount to US$70 million according to Animation and Graphics Artist Leslie Ekker . ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 351) It was more than enough reason to have the release date set in stone.

In the spring of 1979, a second revenue source was additionally tapped long before the film premiered, necessitated by the February visual effects debacle, which had left the studio without cash to finish the film. Charged with creating that stream was recently appointed vice-president of Marketing and Licensing , studio executive Dawn Steel. Then novice studio producer Jerry Bruckheimer recalled, " I was here doing American Gigolo when they were doing Star Trek . The budget was going up, up, up. They needed money to cover the negative. Eisner went to Dawn and said, "I want X amount of guarantees for this merchandising." She went to conventions and got every toy-maker, anyone who made T-shirts and key chains and raised every nickel she could. She shook the trees. There hasn't been that energy vortex in merchandise since she left. " Steel however, had a problem since the production was running over schedule by that time, as she clarified, " I was a desperate person. There was no product, because there was no movie to show anyone. So I had to this razzmatazz bit onstage, so I could convince the people making pajamas and toys and Coca-Cola and McDonald's to do the tie-ins. I figured out this laser thing. I beamed myself onto the stage. " Held in the largest theater on the Paramount lot, and joined in a similar fashion by the principal cast, the imaginative presentation was met with rambunctious enthusiasm. " It was the most unbelievable party Paramount ever had. ", another attending studio producer, Brian Grazer, remembered. As already indicated by Steel, the, at the time, most unlikely corporations to sign up were Coca-Cola and fast-food company McDonald's, " Coca-Cola bought all this network time to advertise our movie. It had never been done before. ", Steel enthused. Crudely drawn comic strips (as no other imagery was available) were subsequently featured on the containers of both companies, a legendary one featured on those of McDonald's, featuring Klingons eating hamburgers and drinking Coca-Cola. Often incorrectly credited as McDonalds's very first outing in their "Happy Meal" concept, The Motion Picture was nevertheless their first themed one, coming from December 1979 onward in five boxes with items included such as bracelets, puzzles and the like. McDonald's ran several thirty second television commercials, promoting the Motion Picture Happy Meals, one of them featuring a Klingon, endorsing them in, what was supposed to be, Klingonese. Impressed with her performance, studio COO Michael Eisner promoted Steel the following day to vice-president of productions in features, having been less than six months in the employment of Paramount, and she went on to become one of the first female "Hollywood Moguls" by holding a position as studio head in the then predominantly male-dominated industry. ( New York magazine, 29 May 1989, p. 45; Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , pp. 108-109) The amount thus generated for the studio has never been disclosed, though Steel herself has given a conservative low estimate of at least $250 million dollar in total sales of licensed Star Trek -related merchandise, of which, "depending on the product", 1 to 11 percent were fees for the studio. ( Playboy magazine, January 1980, p. 310)

Arguably, Steel not only saved the film, but the entire studio as well with her fund drive. Not only were the US$35 million dollar payable as damages to distributors avoided, but also the loss of the approximately same amount, already sunk in the production. That money had not been Paramount's own, but had been a loan from the obscure investment company Century Associates . When Gulf+Western 's Charles Bluhdorn bought Paramount Pictures in 1966, the studio was in dire straits, rapidly descending towards bankruptcy. It took nearly seven years to painfully restructure the company and reverse its fortunes, and it was only by the mid-1970s that the studio became profitable again, albeit still somewhat tentatively. It was therefore that the studio still did not yet possess a war-chest large enough, to fully fund their own productions on their own, when The Motion Picture came along. It would not have been the first time that a studio was killed off by an overly ambitious film project, nor would it be the last time; Previously, in 1957, RKO Pictures was terminated as an independent film production company by its owners (some of its remnants absorbed by Paramount and Desilu , as the former RKO property was adjacent to those of both), due to the fact that John Wayne's 1956 epic, The Conquerers , failed to earn back its production budget. And only one year later, the 1980 western, Heaven's Gate , the US$44 million budget box-office disaster, ended United Artists , its remnants absorbed by MGM , though keeping the name as a separate dependent division.

Having avoided the fate of Heaven's Gate , the Motion Picture earned US$11,926,421 in its opening weekend at the US box office, a record at the time, and its total domestic gross theatrical revenue was US$82,258,456 .

The total gross was, considering the estimated US$10-$20 million marketing expenditures incurred, reported to be a disappointment for the studio. At first glance, this came as no surprise as Gerrold had noted, when he estimated shortly before its release that the film had to gross two to three times its budget to cover the indirect overhead costs to be profitable for Paramount, meaning it ultimately barely broke even in the home market if at all. ( Starlog , issue 30, pp. 37, 63) Yet, a somewhat different spin on the studio's position – already contradicted by their decision to do the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan follow-up film shortly after the premiere – is put, when the additional foreign gross of $57 million , the gross world wide rentals of $79 million , the ABC pre-sale of $10 – $15 million, the above-mentioned undisclosed licensing fees for associated merchandise and the equally undisclosed home media format sales are taken into account (but discounting revenue streams from home media format re-releases, merchandise and television rights, spawned in later decades, still trickling in to date). These figures were commonly not disclosed to the home public by the Hollywood Studio System , as it was until the mid-1990s customary in the American motion picture industry, to publicly judge the performance of a film solely on how well it did in its home market, discounting other revenue streams which traditionally remained undisclosed. This used to be a conscious strategy policy as it afforded Hollywood studios certain decision-making advantages. If a film did not do well in the home market, it allowed them to curtail future legal, artistic and financial requirements of hitherto successful producers and/or directors for subsequent productions – essentially preventing them becoming too expensive or too difficult to work with – using bad home market performances as negotiation arguments. A particularly notorious, even infamous example of this was the 1995 science fiction film Waterworld of Director/Producer Kevin Costner (and served by Star Trek alumnus Steve Burg as assistant art director), then famed and lauded for his exceptionally successful western Dances with Wolves (produced for US$18 million, it grossed US$424 million in world-wide ticket sales alone). At US$176 million, the most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld failed at the home box office and, like Heaven's Gate , it went on to become considered to this date as one of the biggest recorded disasters in motion picture history, severely damaging Costner and thereby diminishing his market value for the time being. What Universal Studios purposely did not disclose at the time however, was that the film did well abroad, particularly in France and Japan, and that the additional revenue streams made the film ultimately break even. But, for Costner and his film, the damage was already done. From the mid-1990's onward, the traditional stance of Hollywood studios has since then become untenable due to the ballooning production costs of major motion picture productions.

Likewise, Paramount Pictures now saw an opportunity to distance themselves from Gene Roddenberry. Ever since the inception the Original Series , Roddenberry was perceived by the studio as a thorn in their side, due to his unbudging character when it came to his Star Trek creation, of which he was over-zealously protective, as well as being stung by his surreptitiously orchestrating the letter writing campaign that for saved the Original Series for a season. At the time, no longer shielded by Herb Solow (who ran interference for Roddenberry and the studio during the first two seasons), it had forced him to remove himself from control of that series' third season . But once the former was gone, so was Roddenberry, and during the production of the Motion Picture Roddenberry again had his share of run-ins with the studio. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp. 371-375) It had been exactly for this reason why the studio had brought in their own producers, Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston , during the early stages of the production of Phase II in June 1977, with the express intent to keep Roddenberry's perceived eccentricities in check. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 59-60) The studio now made Roddenberry the sole scapegoat for the (in their eyes) disappointing performance of the film, faulting him for the high production costs due to the visual effect debacle, the incessant script rewrites and creative direction for the "plodding pace". ( From Sawdust to Stardust , pp. 240-241) Bumped "upstairs" in a ceremonial figure head function as "Executive Consultant" to the studio's equivalent of the "Bermuda Triangle", Roddenberry was forced out of creative control of the Star Trek franchise. Under the stipulations of his new contract, directors and creative staff could ask for his opinion on the project, but his advice – which he, unsolicited, provided nevertheless for years in the form of a fruitless avalanche of story outlines, script drafts, annotations, memos and the like, particularly for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , none of them really read – was not needed to be taken. As subsequent film production histories showed, none of the subsequent film directors and producers ever bothered to consult with Roddenberry in person or in writing again, his formal "Created by" and "Executive Consultant" credits for them notwithstanding. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , pp. 99, et al. ) This fate already befell Roddenberry while The Motion Picture was still in production, and the film turned out to be his second and last major theatrical motion picture production.

Implicating Roddenberry in the high production costs, which was only partly justified ( see below ), was, in hindsight, indeed studio politics by COO Michael Eisner and his studio executive colleagues, adeptly turning a disadvantage into a publicity advantage by carefully managing cost information dissemination. Usually, corporations, regardless in what industry they are operating, are loathe to divulge costs, especially if a product is not doing well, but in this case aggregates were made public around the time the film premiered, already allowing reporter Peter H. Brown to divulge a US$45 million price tag as early as November 1979, even before the film premiered. ( Reader magazine, 23 November 1979, p. 7). Roddenberry was indeed largely responsible for the script problems, which did cause production delays and thus over-budget expenditures, but the visual effects debacle situation ( see below ) was somewhat more nuanced. It was Post-production Supervisor Paul Rabwin who selected Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A), the unfortunate visual effects company. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 202-203) Still, being the primary managerial operations overseer as executive producer, Roddenberry formally did bear final responsibility for Rabwin's actions, which was skillfully exploited by the studio, made easier as Roddenberry lacked the political skills to maintain himself due to his character. During the production of The Motion Picture , it was Director Wise, who had grown weary of the constant script delays, who skillfully maneuvered Roddenberry out of creative control in October 1978. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 107-110) Only once afterwards, in 1987, was Roddenberry ever allowed back in the driver's seat for the development for a new Star Trek production, Star Trek: The Next Generation , only to have it yanked out from under him again upon the conclusion of its second season , when the series turned out to be viable and was turned over to the studio's watchdog, Rick Berman . David Gerrold, reaffirming that the studio still blamed Roddenberry for the perceived The Motion Picture failure, stated when he was pulled from the series, " Gene didn't like Rick, at all. But Rick was installed on the show by the studio as a way to keep a control on the show… to keep the budgets in line, make sure that the scripts were done. Ultimately, Berman ended up in control rather than Maizlish [note: Roddenberry's lawyer, who tried to establish creative control of the new show for his client] because Berman played the politics of the studio more effectively. ", indicating that the studio was grooming Berman and had never considered Roddenberry to continue in the first place. [16] The studio politics, effectively deflecting any costs responsibility from themselves and Director Wise, worked like a charm; for the remainder of his life, the US$45 million Motion Picture price tag stuck to Roddenberry's name like glue.

Yet, not everyone bought into the studio line, as Roddenberry had never been without staunch supporters of his own, like the author couple Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens , who have bluntly stated in their reference book The Art of Star Trek (p. 156) that, " (T)o be fair, the movie itself cost only $25 million to make. The extra $20 million or so represented all the cost Paramount had occurred over the years on all the other STAR TREK projects that were not made. " Considering that their "$25 million" – having taken Rodenberry's 1979 interview statement to that effect at face value ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 653) – were already taken up by the visual effects production and set construction alone ( see below ), meant that the Reeves-Stevens/Rodenberry assertions should therefore be considered as equally manipulative as those of the studio, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Concurrently, Director Robert Wise too, bore some of the responsibilities of the high production costs, after he was brought aboard in March 1978 and was given near- carte blanche latitude by the studio. As was his habit for all the films he worked on, Wise stipulated on that occasion that he was to have executive producer rights as well, which the studio granted, in the process curtailing those of Roddenberry. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 76) Nearly all non-script related production decisions made after March were Wise's and not Roddenberry's, which included, among others, his decision to completely revamp at great cost ( see below ) the vast majority of the Phase II sets, which he "didn't like very much". Wise's management style as producer did also backfire in regard to the visual effects, and it was Roddenberry, of all people, who sounded the alarm when the situation started to spin out of control ( see below ). But Wise was never associated by the studio with the high production costs, as he was, consciously or not, and unlike every other of his films, never officially credited as producer and therefore shielded from criticism. It should likewise be noted that Wise in his role as director also should have shared to some extent in the "plodding pace" criticism but, in his defense, in this regard he had by then little choice due to the February visual effects debacle, as he was forced to " start putting our effects into the body of film, one at a time, as they came in from the effects houses ". ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 101-102, 122-124)

While the studio has successfully deflected any performance responsibility for the film from itself, there actually was enough blame to go around for them as well, already starting with the upgrade decision proper of 11 November 1977. Business economics generally states that a radical mid-stream course change for any product or project development, especially for one as advanced in development as Phase II was, is bad management decision making. If overriding reasons does make it imperative, huge transition costs, even if carefully managed, are by definition unavoidable. When Robert Wise was approached for the director's position, he recalled, " And when I first came into the film, I was told by Michael and Jeffrey [Katzenberg] that they were out to make a "top-notch picture", and that our budget stood at somewhere between fifteen and eighteen million dollars. They didn't exactly expect we'd be able to actually spend that much(…) " ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, p. 87) Essentially speaking for all production staffers, when he was informed of the upgrade decision on 21 November 1977, Phase II Art Director Joe Jennings recalled in 2009, somewhat mellowed, but still aghast, " We were within two weeks of starting the new series, and somebody said, "Wheeew, let's make a motion picture!" Just like it was a whole different thing, you know. They've always thought that about the TV people. We did something, sort of down here and they did things that were sort of up there, that we could not do up here, what they did down there, whatever! " ( Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future ) Both remarks implied that the upgrade was a "spur-of-the-moment" decision, whereas the somewhat flippant "top-notch picture" annotation by Eisner, additionally indicated that the consequences of their upgrade decision was neither thought through, nor fully understood by the studio.

In the case of RA&A, though Roddenberry was formally responsible for its selection, contract negotiations and the actual contracting are traditionally the purview of the studio, as producers usually have no authority to do so. While studio executives are dependent on their producers for providing accurate production information – studio executives are generally business people, not film or television makers, and they usually have more than one production under their auspices at any given time – this does not discharge them from the responsibility of performing their own due diligence assessments, especially on financial matters, which are their primary responsibility in the first place. With RA&A, as related below, it was abundantly clear that the executives dropped the ball in this regard. On this, RA&A's Visual Effects Designer, Richard Taylor , has later dryly commented, " Well, what I found was fascinating was, that why Robert Abel Studios, which was really doing graphics and television advertising and so forth, was asked to do the effects for this film, because there was no track record there. (…) So, to this day I'd love to know who has made the decision at Paramount to come to us, and say, "We want you to do the effects on this film. " (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 2nd ed.) Then RA&A Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, has put it even more succinctly, having bluntly stated, " Paramount didn't check us out… " ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 59)

As an industry professional, Michael Eisner was aware of what the production budgets had been for the two most visually influential science fiction films in the previous ten years, he had in mind for his "top-notch picture", 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, and as indicated at the time by Production Illustrator Andrew Probert , who had stated, " Originally, when Bob Abel was on the project, everybody was extremely hopeful that this would surpass the classic 2001 . ") and Star Wars (1977), which was approximately $10 million each ( Close Encounters of the Third Kind had not yet premiered by the time of the upgrade decision). And when he set the initial film budget at $15 million, he could at first glance have been excused for thinking that this was ample. However, his budget included the costs already incurred for all previous revitalization attempts of the Star Trek live-action franchise, which included, among others, $500,000 for script development and $1 million for the Phase II bridge set alone. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 156; Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , pp. 34, 69; Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) Adding to this other incurred, otherwise undisclosed costs, such as for the other Phase II sets, the studio models (all of which later discarded) and other production staff fees already paid, meant that the amount made available for the actual upgrade was less than the publicized figure of $15 million originally suggested. According to Unit Production Manager Phil Rawlins it was even substantially less, " When Bob Wise took the show over, there were, I believe, close to $5,000,000 worth of false starts. That includes all the versions they didn't do, the small feature, the TV series, the TV movie and all of that. " ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 112) Furthermore, when inflation adjusted, the production costs of 2001 came to US$18 million in 1977 prices (incidentally, conforming to Eisner's adjusted remark when he approached Wise), all of which pointing at Eisner's original budget being on the meager side to begin with. Eventually, it became known that the total production budget for Close Encounters came to approximately US$19 million, but that film required far fewer visual effects than The Motion Picture ultimately did.

Even with the in hindsight unrealistic original budget of US$15 million, The Motion Picture was still the most complex, ambitious and expensive film project the studio had ever embarked upon in its history, Cecil B. DeMille's (inflation adjusted) 1956 remake of his own 1923 silent film classic The Ten Commandments , being the sole exception. In comparison, all the studio's biggest box-office successes of the mid-1970s, John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever and Grease , as well as Mario Puzo's The Godfather , were "low-budget" productions, none of them exceeding a production budget of US$6 million. Only in the mid-to-late 1980s did production budgets start habitually to balloon exponentially, first in double digits, and subsequently into the triple digits.

In the case of Star Wars , Eisner and company, formed in the "Hollywood Studio System" tradition, failed to grasp that that film was produced under unique and radically different circumstances. Firstly, George Lucas employed an, at the time, virtually unknown and therefore inexpensive, cast (the only two established names, Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness, agreed to perform in the film for token fees); Secondly, Lucas combined within himself the roles of director, producer, as well as story and script development, affording him to maintain production integrity, and ensuring that the production stayed strictly on course creatively. In the case of the Motion Picture these roles were divided over a half dozen people, each of which with his own agenda, resulting in the somewhat unstructured and drifting production history and constituting a classic case of having too many helmsmen at the wheel; thirdly, and most importantly, cost-wise speaking, all effects were produced in-house. Lucas employed in his new Industrial Light & Magic company (then merely a subsidiary department of Lucasfilm, and later to play a significant part in the Star Trek film franchise) a team of young, highly motivated and enthusiastic effects staffers, all sharing Lucas' visionary approach, and each of them willing to work for low wages and putting in huge amounts of unpaid overtime. Thus organized, Lucas was ensured of minimal meddling by the powerful Hollywood Unions. ( Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects , Chapter 1) This circumstance was certainly not lost on Phase II / The Motion Picture Production Illustrator Michael Minor , when he already in 1979 emphatically commented, " I love science fiction, but it's proved itself to be costly, damaging in human terms, costly in terms of money and time, and it is just much of a bankroll to bet too often. And the only person who seems to know how to do it right now, forgive me, is George Lucas, because I firmly believe Steven Spielberg hasn't the slightest idea what storytelling is all about. He's proved that rather conclusively. " ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 165)

Paramount Pictures could never enjoy these advantages, if only for the fact that they, as a venerable and well-established motion picture industry corporation, were subjected to more stifling Hollywood Union regulation. The circumstance that two Paramount subsidiary companies, the visual effects companies Magicam, Inc. and Future General Corporation (FGC), provided a huge and substantial amount of The Motion Picture work for their mother company did not help at all either. Corporate laws in those territories employing the free market economy system, universally have it that the subsidiary structure of a corporation, if utilized, may not lead to unfair competition advantages in regard to companies not encompassed within a group. This translates in practice that these subsidiaries can not give parent or sister companies undue advantages by offering them services or products at (below-)cost, and are to be treated as independent, outside companies with their own profitability responsibilities. Considered paramount, it is one of the most strictly enforced corporate laws in the Western world, the US, EU, and Australia in particular, where authorities are singularly keen on meeting any perceived transgression with traditionally hefty fines. It was exactly this circumstance Magicam's Vice-President Carey Melcher referred to, when he made the statement on the occasion of his company being reinstated as the primary studio model vendor for the Motion Picture in January 1978, " Even though we were a Paramount company, we had to submit bids just like any outsiders. We were expensive, because we're a union shop, but they knew we could do the work. " ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) For a group as a whole (in this case, Gulf+Western), this has no consequences, as inter-company costs and profits within a group, cancel each other out in the aggregated, or consolidated, profit-and-loss statements, submitted to tax authorities. However, for Paramount Pictures proper, the profits made by Magicam and FGC did turn up on their individual profit-and-loss statement as production costs. While Paramount had done nothing untoward legally, it would have in hindsight behooved them, if they had taken these inter-company profits into account when acquiescing the publication of the aggregate production costs, allowing for a more honest assessment of the performance of The Motion Picture .

As it turned out, the "inter-company" situation only played a part of any substance in the case of the Motion Picture , as it was not applicable in any of the later Star Trek film productions. Until 2005 that was though, when the issue re-emerged in a slightly different format when Gulf+Western's successor Viacom (old) was split into two separate entities – CBS Corporation and (new) Viacom . For Paramount proper it again resulted in very similar adverse circumstances for the profitability performances of their three, 2009-2016, alternate reality films.

The cost-inefficient situation of having "too many helmsmen at the wheel" was not restricted to the highest management echelons alone. When hired, a second, equivalent Art Department, Astra Image Corporation (ASTRA), was allowed to be established by RA&A to operate on par alongside Paramount's own Art Department, resulting in confusing situations with hugely overlapping responsibilities, as Jennings attested to, " We made a camel. It started out to be a horse, but a committee got hold of it. Everyone got into the act on that movie. There was creative pulling back and forth, fumbling around, coming and going of people ad infinitum and ad nauseam . Everyone who worked on the art direction provided too much input to be ignored, so we all got credit, and Hal Michelson , brought in as art director, ended up getting credit as production designer. " Jenning's co-worker Mike Minor, was even more vehement in his appraisal, " It was one of the most soiled and shabby chapters of Hollywood history, in terms of how people were treated. The trouble, as always, was that the wrong people were in charge. We're in a business in which the people at the top, who make the decisions, really don't know a damn thing about making pictures. I think we all knew then that we were associated with a bomb. It's too bad the movie happened at all. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol 12 #5/6, p. 58) The comments of Minor and Jennings notwithstanding, this situation was partly due to the contractual obligations the studio had committed to for the Phase II production. Yet, if anything, studio executives exhibited the ability to learn, and this particular situation was avoided for later film productions where either a single art department was employed, or when multiple ones were, responsibility boundaries were strictly defined with all of them answering to a single studio appointed production designer.

As the previous points already implied, none of the studio executives, Michael Eisner especially, seemed to have a firm grasp of the products of the industry they were actually working for at the time, at least where visual effects heavy projects, which The Motion Picture (as the very first one for Paramount) actually was, were concerned. In the visual effects case, this was exemplified by Eisner's treatment of FGC and his later reaction to the visual effects situation in July 1978. ( see below ), further indicated by his upping the initial budget to US$18 million within a month. Only in 2000 did Diller concede this to have actually been the case, " We didn't know what these things were, Bob Wise was a lovely man, but he didn't know, either. " ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) It was again Mike Minor who had made a scathing observation in this regard at the time, " Why do I think the filming took so long and cost so much? Poor planning. From the beginning, we all said there was never any one in control. The people running all the studios in Hollywood are cost accountants, bankers and idiot sons of advertising executives from New York. They have no idea whatsoever – underline that in italics [sic.] – what moviemaking is about. Since it sold to Gulf&Western, Paramount is no exception. To make room for parking on the Paramount lot, one of these executives had the western lot torn up – the last surving western lot in town. My question, and the question of most art department directors, to these individuals would be, "OK, what happens when Star Trek , Star Wars and the other pictures have had their run and you're back to making westerns? Where are you going to do them? You're going to have to build it again." And westerns will come back. They always come back. " Motion picture history has proved Minor right. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 165)

Three years later, the studio made a big deal out of the fact that The Wrath of Khan , still produced under the auspices of Michael Eisner, was realized under its tight budget of approximately US$11.5 million, which officially (considering the worldwide box-office gross of US$97 million) makes this film the most profitable outing in the entire film franchise, putting Roddenberry in an even worse light. ( Cinefantastique , Vol 12 #5/6, p. 52; et al. ) This too has to be taken with a grain of salt, as that film made use of many visual, and special effects elements – both commonly responsible for the largest part of a science fiction production budget, as it already had been for the Original Series – previously produced for the Motion Picture , the studio models, props and sets in particular and even including the reuse of entire visual effects sequences, thereby realizing huge savings in effects costs not incurred, known in business economics as "opportunity costs". Common GAAP's have it elsewhere in the corporate world, that these costs should have been charged in proportion against this film and in the same proportion deducted after-the-fact from the Motion Picture – or put more simply, amortized over both productions. As stated above, the studio actually did charge in full all costs made for every single prior revitalization attempt to the Motion Picture , further hinting at information manipulation, an industry phenomenon known as " Hollywood accounting ". While Roddenberry was effectively put out to pasture, Eisner went on to become the, up to that point in time, highest paid media executive in history, when he switched over to The Walt Disney Company in 1984, receiving over $40 million in 1988 alone. [17] (X)

The fact that The Motion Picture had been delivered just in time to the theaters, resulted in that both the US$35 million dollar theater guarantees as well as the ABC pre-sale of US$10-$15 million dollar were secured. Add to this that the studio has been able to raise the US$10 million dollar shortfall due to the February visual effects crisis, on its own, meant that the film had already earned back its direct production budget, before even a single second of footage was seen by the public.

Another spin on the studio's position is put when one considered that despite its mixed reception, The Motion Picture was for three decades the best world-wide performing Star Trek film adjusted for inflation , US$422 million in 2014 prices, even outperforming the highly successful films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: First Contact (US$284 and $222 million in 2014 prices respectively) when inflation adjusted, and was only to be surpassed in 2009 with the advent of the film set in the alternate reality. And even in absolute dollars, the film still ranked fourth as of 2014.

The most remarkable coda to the whole Motion Picture cost-price "controversy" was provided by the aforementioned obscure production, or investment company Century Associates (who actually fronted Paramount Pictures the funding for The Motion Picture ), when their official figures were submitted to the film website IMDb decades later. A substantially lower production budget of US$35 million (indicating that at least some of the above-mentioned avant-premiere revenue streams were now accounted for) was allowed for in these figures, making the Motion Picture the fourth most profitable outing in the entire Star Trek film franchise as of 2022, incidentally outperforming the three alternate reality ones by far. For a more detailed breakdown of the individual performances in the film franchise, please see Star Trek films .

Visual effects [ ]

Though Roddenberry was later implicated in the high visual effects over-budget expenditures, Michael Eisner and his studio CEO colleagues could actually be as equally faulted as well, as they, prior to the Phase II project, seriously mishandled the relationship with Paramount's subsidiary effects house, FGC led by Douglas Trumbull , as Trumbull years later bitterly recalled (the studio of course, did not share that information with the public at the time), " Paramount had no vision at all and [was] going through a big management change. The guy [remark: Frank Yablans] that I did the deal with was ousted, and Michael Eisner and Barry Diller came in and they couldn't see what I was trying to do and wanted to get rid of it. I don't know, there's just a whole train of disillusionment that accompanies my history in movies. " [18] (X) . Trumbull, one of the effects supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey , whose grandeur the studio wanted to emulate for the upgraded film, was actually the first party approached for the film's visual effects, but he had to decline as he and his company were knee-deep involved in the post-production of the science fiction classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the time. ( Cinefex , issue 1, pp. 4, 6) How bad the relationship between the two parties already was by that time was exemplified by the fact that Trumbull failed to communicate that the work was close to completion, since Close Encounters already premiered on 16 November 1977, and that the studio immediately went in search for another company, making it debatable how sincere their inquiry was.

As it turned out, both parties were to pay the price for their failure to communicate and Paramount was forced to come yet knocking on Trumbull's door later on during the production, hat in hand. One can only wonder if a little more diplomacy on part of both sides could have prevented the ensuing visual effects debacle. At the time, the studio falsely spun Trumbull's refusal in contemporary press releases as being, "regrettably", unable to meet Trumbull's demand of serving on the film as its director (though having dangled, insincerely however, as they never had for a second considered doing so, the position as a carrot in front of him – like Roddenberry, Trumbull had a "solid" reputation of being too difficult to work with), instead of Wise. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 42, 46-47, 353)

Robert Abel & Associates [ ]

After Douglas Trumbull had turned it down, it was visual effects company Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A), ironically already suggested by Trumbull to Paul Rabwin in late October 1977, that was given the assignment to produce the film's visual effects, having tendered an initial bid of US$1.6 million for a television production, upped to US$4 million, once it became clear that the visuals were intended for a full-fledged theatrical motion picture production, for the commission, accounting for approximately 140-185 effects shots, slated to start in January 1978. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60) The company was selected by Rabwin, taking along Mike Minor on the second meeting, on the strength of their groundbreaking contemporary commercials, unaware that the company was at the time not ready to handle a project of this magnitude, while correctly assessing that Paramount's other subsidiary effects house, Magicam, who were to do the effects for the television predecessor, was not either. In Rabwin's defense, many studios were at the time interested in doing science fiction, and he had a hard time finding an available effects studio at all. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 202-203; Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46; Return to Tomorrow , p. 42) In the end, they indeed proved unable to provide visual effects that met the producers' requirements.

Before Rabwin was tasked with selecting an effects house, Roddenberry and Phase II director Robert Collins had already made a quick precursory round of the established visual effects houses in mid-October 1977, but found out that visual effects production had been tremendously revolutionized since The Original Series (not in the least due to Trumbull and his colleagues when working on 2001: A Space Odyssey , and not even mentioning what ILM had done on Star Wars ) and were unanimously informed that the visual effects they had in mind could not be produced for less than US$9-$10 million. It was mainly for this reason that the studio executives increased the budget from US$8 to $15 million for the upgrade. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , p. 83) That the relatively unknown RA&A, which had no track record whatsoever in the motion picture industry for major features, was willing to do the effects for US$4 million, should have raised at least some executive eyebrows. The cat came out of the bag in February 1979 when it became known that Robert Abel was actually aware that he could not do the effects for his initial bid. In December 1977 his company was in financial troubles due to the fact that his acclaimed Levi's commercial had run hugely over-cost (tendered at US$190,000, the commercial ended up costing US$330,000, and measured in thousands instead of millions was proof how small Abel's company actually was in fact) and he needed the Paramount commission for his company's survival. His then Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, who had flat-out stated, " Paramount didn't check us out… ", revealed that, presented with an early script draft, an internal analysis for the effects production already revealed that the production of these could not be accomplished for less than US$5.5-$6 million, but Abel, fearing that this amount was too high for Paramount (indicating his lack of experience with major feature productions), decided to take a gamble with his bid as not to lose the account. The shortfall was almost exactly the amount he requested as the first two budget upgrades in the early stages of his company's involvement. McKenna incidentally, left RA&A in late December 1977, when negotiations entered into their final stages, as she did not want to be party to the deception. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 59-60)

While pulled from the visual effects production proper, Magicam was retained by RA&A for the construction of the studio models for the film. However, this entailed discarding all the ones made for Phase II , deemed unsuitable to meet big-screen requirements, and starting all over again. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46)

Inexplicably, both the studio and director Wise failed to register that the departure of Post-production Supervisor Rabwin, who was not succeeded once RA&A was in place, had left a dangerous void in the production, as there was now no dedicated studio liaison and/or specialized supervisor, leaving an unsupervised RA&A pretty much to their own devices for nearly seven months. Apparently, Wise saw no need for one at the time, as he had none on the two science fiction films he worked on before, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and The Andromeda Strain (1971, and on whose strengths he was hired in the first place), instead dealing directly with the effects staffers in his role as producer. On both films he was well served by conscientious effects staffers, especially on the latter one where it was Douglas Trumbull himself who directed the effects and with whom Wise formed a close relationship on that occasion. However, the effects requirements for these two films were in no comparison to the ones needed for the project Wise was now working on, as was indicated by Diller's above quoted "he didn't know, either" statement, and he was forced to rely solely on the, by Roddenberry below quoted, "it sounds reasonable" word of RA&A's namesake. Abel, as it turned out, was concurrently looking out after the interests of his own company, having produced several commercials in Paramount's time and at their expense, as was conceded by RA&A's own Executive Producer for Commercials Jeffry Altshuler. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 60, 62)

This situation translated itself in a continuous stream of budget increase requests from RA&A, something that, while no longer his purview, came to the attention of an alarmed Gene Roddenberry and it was he who alerted Michael Eisner to the fact that the visual effects situation was rapidly spinning out of control in a memo dated 24 July 1978, informing him that the visual effects budget had already hit the $5 million dollar mark. Roddenberry, drawing upon the very good experience he had on the Original Series with Edward K. Milkis , advised the studio to appoint liaisons between RA&A and the studio. Eisner immediately responded by appointing Richard Yuricich to the production and concurrently instructing studio executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Lindsley Parsons, Jr. to spend more of their time on the project, which for both men meant a raise from 20 to 50 percent of their available time. However, in doing so, Eisner exhibited his lack of understanding and empathy as both Katzenberg and Parsons were at the time business managers (not yet a film maker in the former case), and neither had any experience with visual effects whatsoever, whereas, intentionally or not, forcing Yuricich to serve as an unpaid liaison due to contractual obligations, was a particularly uncouth act on the part of Eisner, as an unmotivated Yuricich was co-founder and co-CEO of the by Eisner maligned FGC. Roddenberry, who suggested him, was not aware of the problems between FGC and the studio, and unsurprisingly, Eisner's actions did not do much to remedy the situation. In his memo, Roddenberry predicted, " Indeed, we may not have heard the last of optical expediting expenditures. It is possible we could also have other expenditures in dollars and delays on optical techniques, systems and equipment which do not work out as planned. Major optical effects of this type carry many hazards under the best of circumstances, and the director and myself have an urgent need to make decisions on them from something more than "it sounds reasonable" basis. " Roddenberry's prediction was in hindsight painfully accurate. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 203-204; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 25-26, 390)

Regardless of what the shortcomings of RA&A proper were, in one respect Gene Roddenberry did cause the effects budgets to balloon. A still exasperated Richard Taylor later clarified, " They just kept changing the playing field. Then they would get upset when the budget would go up. We'd say, "You just added a whole sequence that wasn't there." The original budget, I believe, was – they came to our studio with was 12 million for the effects, something like that. Initially, what the script was, we probably could have fit it into that, but they kept changing stuff and the budget kept going up and we finally were up to 16 million or 17 and they're going, "Well you guys are out of control!" – and we're going: "Well you're the one who's changing the script. You can't shoot these shots without people, without models. " [19] Roddenberry's incessant rewrites were mainly responsible for the amount of required effects shots to rise from the initially planned and budgeted 140 to over 350, resulting in that RA&A had to ultimately hire over a hundred staffers. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60)

The first serious clash between the studio and RA&A occurred around Christmas 1978, when producers and executives, rather belatedly, came by Abel's company for the first time to ascertain the state of affairs regarding the studio model photography. Much to their horror, they found what little model photography was produced was both incomplete and entirely unacceptable. To aggravate matters even further, it was discovered on that occasion that RA&A had, in the studio's time (and at their expense, by using both the studio's equipment and money), continued to produce commercials, as mentioned above. Irate, the studio demanded that the company cease any and all side projects and be given a final budget figure for the effects, which at that point in time stood at US$14 million. Abel brazenly retorted that he needed US$16 million, and a desperate studio did reset the budget at that amount. In order for them to concentrate on the other visuals, RA&A was however entirely pulled from the studio model photography, from here on end completely denied access to them, which for the time being was reverted to FGC cinematographer Bill Millar while Douglas Trumbull was, ironically, concurrently appointed as an unpaid technical consultant in a last ditch effort to regain control over the situation. Trumbull only agreed to do so as a courtesy to his old friend Robert Wise. As it so happened, both Trumbull and Abel were headstrong characters and for the next two months they were locked in vicious combat with each other. Trumbull was ultimately not able to get Abel back on track and the situation proved to be unsalvageable. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 60; The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 203; Enterprise Incidents; special edition on the technical side , pp. 38, 42;)

The situation truly came to a head on 20 February 1979, when studio executives and producers came again sizing up the visual effects status at RA&A. Reportedly, the company had only a single completed effects shot to show for all the time and money spent. For decades the exact extent of the damage was mired in lore as sources were not quite in concordance with each other regarding costs incurred, mentioning figures such as US$5 million (by Wise, though he had the July Roddenberry memo in mind, being sent a copy at the time, when recalling the figure decades later), and a budget standing by then at US$16 million as above indicated by RA&A's own Richard Taylor, the latter amount the most mentioned but both already indicating millions of dollars over-budget expenditures by December 1978. Yet in 2000, by then former Paramount CEO Barry Diller, who had been the chief financial overseer on the film, revealed, " The studio poured $11 million into effects, and none of it worked. " Feeling thoroughly dismayed at "being lied to", Wise pushed for the removal of Abel and, in an acrimonious atmosphere, the latter was fired and his company released two days later, effective immediately. In a state of near panic, a frantic search for a replacement was started, as the studio now unexpectedly found itself extremely pressured for time since the December premiere date for the film was a given. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6; Star Trek Movie Memories , 1994, pp. 119-120; The Special Effects of Trek , pp. 29, 31; Enterprise Incidents , issue 13, pp. 25-26; Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) As to more detailed specifics in regard to Abel's over-budget expenditures, please refer to the individual entries for:

• Robert Abel
• Robert Abel & Associates

Wise's "being lied to" feeling was reported to be an understatement as the otherwise levelheaded Wise apparently lost it on that fateful day and erupted in a full-blown rage. As a consequence, Abel threatened to sue the studio over perceived injuries sustained by Robert Wise. Jeffrey Katzenberg, confirming the incident, was hardly perturbed, " That much is true, Abel has said he's going to sue us because of [Wise's] statements. And I say, let him. Problems with special effects have caused various scenes to be reshot, driving up the cost considerably higher. " ( Reader magazine, 23 November 1979, p. 7) In turn, informed that Abel had sold off some by Paramount paid equipment, studio auditors started a criminal investigation, whether or not this was the case. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 63) Without much further ado however, both litigations were settled out of court a few months later, amicably according to Katzenberg. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 348-350).

One RA&A visual effects sequence made it into the film though, that of the wormhole (an early and primitive CGI effect), whereas the V'ger probe on the bridge sequence was very much executed as designed and pre-produced by RA&A. [20] It earned the company a slightly diminutive "Certain Special Visual Effects Conceived and Designed by" credit, albeit near the bottom of the end credits roll.

Future General Corporation and Apogee [ ]

The state of near-panic was exemplified by studio executive Don Simpson , who, realizing that virtually all visual effects footage had to be reproduced from scratch, now wanted to pull the plug entirely. Dawn Steel recalled, " The story goes that Simpson tried to talk Jeffrey out of it, that he said to him, " Star Trek is a nighttime freight train. It's bearing down on you at 200 miles per hour. Get off the f---g track!" He didn't. It wasn't in Jeffrey's nature to get off the track. " Steel was subsequently charged by Eisner to find additional cash by organizing the earlier mentioned merchandise and license fund drive, " My job was to merchandise this runaway freight train. ", she has added. ( New York magazine, 6 September 1993, p. 40)

Trumbull was ultimately given primary responsibility for the film's visual effects in March 1979 through his own visual effects company, FGC. Ironically, RA&A's Con Pederson, who was the second of four visual effects supervisors for 2001 (the others were Tom Howard and Wally Veevers) was one of Robert Abel's lead men. Paramount, stung by Trumbull's initial rejection and already at loggerheads with its headstrong manager as previously touched upon, withholding funding for a new project he had lined up and already in the process of shutting down FGC, now had to headlong reverse their policy, as Trumbull clarified, " I was under contract at Paramount, who began closing down Future General in order to provide my cameras to Bob Abel's company. At the same time, Bob was already a year into the production, trying to implement a radically new computerized and computer graphics driven process. " [21] Getting back the equipment he initially was forced to surrender to RA&A, Trumbull used the problems the studio were in as leverage to secure a proviso that he would be released from his contractual studio obligations if he accepted, as did Yuricich. For the work, Trumbull was able to partly reassemble his team he had on Close Encounters , but was forced to let go by the studio over a year earlier. Both Trumbull and Yuricich left FGC upon completion of the project.

For the reproduction of the visual effects, a new budget of US$10 million was approved. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 204) Coincidentally, this amount corresponded with the amount the cost-price was adjusted downwards as mentioned previously, suggesting that this was the amount Steel had netted the studio with her fund drive as well as corresponding with the minimum cost estimates Roddenberry and Collins were given fourteen months earlier by effects companies in the first place.

The problems with RA&A resulted in that virtually no visual effects were produced by the time Trumbull was brought in definitively, and he found himself particularly pressed for time, as the studio would not delay the planned December release. Trumbull, in turn, was thus forced to sub-contract Apogee, Inc. in order to divide the workload. Apogee was operated by famed cinematographer John Dykstra , a former protégé of Trumbull, who had coached him on the 1972 science fiction cult film Silent Running . Actually, Dykstra had already been approached by Paul Rabwin as one of the VFX companies sought out for the upgrade in October 1977. However, he was at that time still working on his classic Battlestar Galactica commission (during which he had formed his company), and had already committed his company to a follow-up project, the 1980 film Altered States , so he had to decline on that occasion. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 46-47) Faced with the gargantuan task of recreating all the VFX from scratch for the film at the eleventh hour, Trumbull suggested his former protegé again so as to get a headstart on VFX production, as he scrambled to reassemble his own near-dismantled FGC. At that time, however, Dykstra's Apogee was still working on Altered States and had to again decline – until Altered States fell through only a month later. With no work in the pipeline, Dykstra was able to take on the Star Trek emergency after all, to Trumbull's relief. ( Cinefex , issue 2, p. 51; Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 372-374)

Apogee was entrusted with the opening Klingon scene, the digitizing of Epsilon IX station scene, the wormhole mishap sequence, the V'ger approach scenes and the V'ger -probe on the bridge scene. Part of their responsibility was, under the supervision of Grant McCune , having their model shop build a number of studio models for the film, including a two-foot articulated thruster suit puppet , three models of the Epsilon IX station (an entirely original Apogee design), and exterior sections of V'ger , as well as extensively modifying Magicam's D7-class model for it to become the K't'inga -class model . ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 50-72)

All other effects visuals were the purview of FGC, including those of the interior scenes of V'ger , which required the build of several interior section models. While FGC operated an, at the time, small subsidiary model shop, Entertainment Effects Group (EEG), the sheer amount of models required, necessitated the subcontracting of additional model makers, which came in the form of Gregory Jein and his team. ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 42-45)

Despite the fact that two effects companies were working full-time on the visuals, Trumbull was still working 24×7 on the visuals one week before the film was about to premiere, the final cut of the film only completed by Wise one day before. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4). Not having been able to take a single day off for four months, Trumbull suffered from nervous exhaustion upon the completion of the work and had to be hospitalized for ten days afterwards, his personal price he had to pay for his part in the failure to communicate with the studio two years earlier. [22]

Nearly missing the premiere date due to the visual effects debacle still had consequences, as Wise elaborated upon in the Director's Edition DVD audio commentary track, where he stated that out of the forty films he directed, Star Trek was the only one that never got a sneak preview. According to Wise, the visual effects came in so late, they didn't have time to preview the film to an audience and get some feedback and so they were stuck with just dropping the expensive effects into the film and basically having to rely on them. Wise also mentioned that he literally carried the first print of the film to the premiere and it was loaded into the projectors as they waited in the theater. Then, after the world premiere, he and Gene Roddenberry considered doing some more work on the film, but Paramount overruled them, saying it might show a lack of confidence in the film if they did that. Wise also said that the Director's Edition is a tighter cut and more focused on the characters, within the restrictions of the film's story.

Magicam's refit- Enterprise studio model took over fourteen months, aggravated by mishap delays, to complete from start to finish and came in at a for the time staggering amount of US$150,000. Even more staggering was the cost of the drydock model whose final tally totaled up to US$200,000. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 207, 210) Yet, to put some perspective on the issue, the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series (p. 75), strongly indicated that the costs already incurred with the construction of their immediate Phase II predecessors, and which were simply discarded after the upgrade from a television production to a motion picture, had to be included.

With nearly five hundred visual effects cuts, it was reportedly the most effects laden motion picture to date. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)

Production design [ ]

Alien languages [ ].

The film marked the first time that Klingonese was heard spoken. The spoken Klingon language was developed by James Doohan, who had expertise with various dialects, after he had a discussion with Gene Roddenberry over lunch. Roddenberry had very recently hired a dialectician from the University of California, Los Angeles to devise some words for the Klingons. Decades later, Doohan remembered, " [Roddenberry] didn't like what [the dialectician] created. I said, 'Well, I'll do it for you after lunch.' I was doing something close to Mongolian. " At the time, Doohan told his co-workers, " We have to cut out vowels as much as possible. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 80 , p. 16) At that time the language as featured, only consisted of a few exclamations, and it took until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock before the language was somewhat beefed out by linguist Marc Okrand .

Concurrently, the film also represented the first time that the Vulcan language was heard spoken out aloud in a coherent matter – a few loose spur-of-the moment incoherently invented exclamations were previously heard in the Original Series episode " Amok Time ". Like the first pass on the Klingon language, it was developed for the film by linguist Hartmut Scharfe , but unlike his original Klingon, the Vulcan language did make it unaltered into the film as Associate Producer Jon Povill recalled,

"The Vulcan masters were actually shot and recorded speaking English. Eventually, we decided we didn't like the way it sounded and we didn't like the way it played in English. It was Gene's idea to try and find other words that would synch up to the English mouthing which would not sound anything at all like English, and that's how the Vulcan Language came about. We got this professor from the linguistics department at UCLA, Hartmut Scharfe, and he constructed a Vulcan language for us very well. In fact, I think Hartmut is, in voiceover, one of the Vulcans. When we switched from TV to motion picture, we had decided to make sure that the Klingons weren't speaking English, so we now asked our language expert, Hartmut, to help us construct a Klingon language. Whereas he had given us just what we needed for the Vulcans, his Klingonese didn't sound alien enough. Hartmut is Indian, and he was using it as a combination of Sanskrit and Germanic, it sounded in some ways recognizable, so we were not completely satisfied. Jimmy Doohan has always been good at just kind of making up dialects and languages, so he volunteered his services to help us. After Hartmut had done his thing and worked it all out logically, Jimmy and I just sat down one day and made up stuff. We created the Klingonese by using some of what Hartmut had done and then combining it with our own: we strung together nonsense syllables, basically, totally made up sounds with clicks, and grunts, and hisses. Jimmy actually taught it to Mark Lenard and the others just prior to the shooting of that scene, which didn't take place until many months later." ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 260-261)

Construction Coordinator Gene Kelley has compiled an overview statement on the costs and use of the Motion Picture sets, which was reproduced in The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (p. 95):

• ↑ Footage was later discarded
• ↑ All figures rounded off to the nearest thousand
• ↑ Figure does not include $85,000 for special lighting
• ↑ Figure also includes the tram

While it is stated above that the studio included costs already incurred for previous revitalization attempts of the live-action franchise, Kelly stressed that the costs he listed are those that were exclusively made during the production of The Motion Picture proper, meaning from February 1978 onward. Of the bridge set for example, already nearing completion for the Phase II production, is known that it had already incurred over US$1 million in construction costs by the time the production was upgraded to a theatrical feature. ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26) Kelly's breakdown indicated that eleven of Paramount's thirty-two sound stages were in use for the single Star Trek production during 1978-1979, more than for any other production in Paramount's history up to that point in time. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 94)

Part of the reasons why RA&A's budgets kept rising was that they became involved in set construction as well, which had not been their assignment originally. RA&A's Art Director Richard Taylor, clarifying that this was on the studio's insistence, stated, " There was conflict from the very beginning. And Bob Abel, who was one of the top sales men in the history of film, would go in there, and we'd get involved in more things than we should have ever been. We were initially there to do the models and the model photography, but we got involved with the sets, we got involved with the costumes, and all these other things, we never should have been, and that was a real problem. " (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 2nd ed.) This however backfired on the company, when the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) became aware that RA&A started to employ non-union set constructors and started procedures against the company, only adding to the growing friction between the studio and RA&A, as Production Illustrator Andrew Probert noticed when he recalled the toll it took on his art director, " I remember how utterly exasperated he was, every time he returned from meetings at Paramount…mostly with the late Hal Michelson (Production Designer), an absolutely brilliant Art Director who was out of his element, on this, his first Science Fiction production. " ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60; [23] )

Make-up [ ]

This film is the first time that the Klingons were depicted with their cranial ridges, as opposed to the more human-like appearance from The Original Series . However, in this movie, the Klingons all had identical cranial ridge patterns. It would not be until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock that Klingons would have unique cranial ridge patterns. The change in the Klingon's appearance would not be acknowledged in-universe until the Deep Space Nine episode " Trials and Tribble-ations ."

Voyager aka V'ger [ ]

The fictional Voyager 6 probe around which V'ger was built, was actually a full-scale mock-up of the real world Voyager 1 and 2 probes of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL). JPL's director John Casani agreed to loan the model to the studio in October 1977, mere months after the actual Voyager probes were launched in August and September that year. Then Phase II Producer Robert Goodwin reported in a progress memo, dated 21 October 1977, " After your conversation with John Casani at Jet Propulsion Laboratories, JPL has agreed to loan us the mock-up of the Voyager, to be used as part of our set as the interior of the Alien Spaceship. Joe Jennings and Matt Jefferies attended a briefing in JPL last night in the Voyager and Joe Jennings will return there next week with Bud Arbuckle to get measurements so that we can incorporate this large full-scale mock-up into our plans for the set." ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 52) According to the text commentary on the Director's Edition DVD, JPL was willing to go a step further and loan the production an actual engineering duplicate of the Voyager spacecraft, but the studio declined, saying that the risk of the duplicate being damaged on the set was too high.

The V'ger sound effects were performed on the blaster beam – a musical instrument invented by former Star Trek actor Craig Huxley . The sound was created by several strings attached to an eighteen-foot aluminum body and amplified by motorized guitar pickups. The blaster beam effect was later reused in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (during Kirk's battle with Khan in the Mutara Nebula ) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (very briefly, during the theft of the Enterprise from Spacedock ) and in Star Trek: First Contact for the spacewalk sequence and Picard 's final encounter with the Borg Queen .

Saucer separation [ ]

Throughout most of the filming of The Motion Picture , a final ending story had yet to be developed. Production Illustrator Andrew Probert provided the producers with his own script suggestions for a visually dramatic conclusion, and storyboarded the key event, and Mego 's licensed toy model of the new ship had instructions for separating its saucer from the secondary hull. For the record, the possibility of the original Enterprise 's undergoing a saucer separation was first mentioned in the original series episode " The Apple ". But it was not until the pilot episode of The Next Generation that the maneuver was finally depicted.

The walk to V'ger [ ]

Twenty-two years after The Motion Picture appeared in theaters, the film was re-released with the intention of depicting an improved version, closer to the director's original vision. The Director's Edition added a new sound mix and new scenes to Robert Wise's film, but one of the most notable changes from the original version was the stunning addition of new visual effects, specifically in how the mysterious craft V'ger was revealed. Since the walk to V'ger scene was the climax of the film, it was important to convey a sense of the extraordinary and fantastic by using the new visual effects to complement the original film rather than overwhelm it. Critical opinion is mixed as to whether or not it succeeded. Some fans remained critical of the film and they continue to refer to as "Star Trek: The Motion Sickness", "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture", or "Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture", as given to the original cut. ( The World of Star Trek )

Production history [ ]

While strictly speaking the production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture officially spanned the time period of December 1977 through November 1979, its history, as an attempt to bring back Star Trek as a live-action production, stretched as far back as 1967, and as such these attempts were intertwined, especially if one considered the players involved, with some elements originating from those early attempts, the atheist theme in particular, surviving long enough to turn up in edited form in the final production. This was especially true for the Star Trek: Phase II television movie, né series, -project, which directly preceded The Motion Picture , as much of the groundwork for The Motion Picture was laid during the pre-production of that project. Therefore, in order to fully appreciate the efforts that went into the production of The Motion Picture , a full overview of the live-action revitalization history is warranted.

Late 1967 – June 1976: Early revitalization attempts [ ]

• Late 1967 : Gene Roddenberry, Associate Producer Gregg Peters and Leonard McCoy Performer DeForest Kelley discuss among themselves in the former RKO commissary, the possibility of doing a Star Trek motion picture on a number of occasions, intended as a filler for the production hiatus between the second and third season of the regular Original Series . Being the earliest recorded notion of a motion picture, the idea is nixed however, or as Kelley has put it, " Who would ever think of making a motion picture out of a television show? " As it turns out, the series proper soon finds itself fighting for survival, threatened by cancellation. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , pp. 3, 5)
• 22 June 1972 : D.C. Fontana writes in to the fanzine Star-Borne about the possibility of a theatrical film. In her letter she writes, " Paramount… [is] enormously impressed by the quantity (and quality) of fan mail they continue to receive. The possibility seems to be slowly developing of a Star Trek feature movie for theatrical release, aimed at becoming the new Star Trek television pilot… on the network front, NBC still expresses great interest in doing Star Trek in some form. Both NBC and Paramount continue to receive a great deal of mail and have had to assign secretaries for the sole job of answering it. " [24] While it does not lead to a live-action production at the time, the notion does eventually entice NBC to commission Star Trek: The Animated Series .
• 1973 : With the help of his former Desilu boss Herbert F. Solow , Gene Roddenberry first approaches Paramount with an idea for a feature film, tentatively called " The Cattlemen ". On this occasion, Solow actually repeats his exact same role when he took Roddenberry to NBC to pitch The Original Series back in 1964. The idea is based on the story outline called " A Question of Cannibalism ", one of the twenty-five earliest Star Trek story outlines developed in 1964 as back-up for the original pilot episode "The Cage". Then Paramount President, Frank Yablans , envisioning a high-tech space film potentially grossing US$30 million years before Star Wars , is interested. However, very much aware of Roddenberry's Original Series reputation and of his utter failure as producer to control the antics of director Roger Vadim for the 1971 film Pretty Maids All in a Row in particular (which caused the movie to run over-time and over-budget), Yablans emphatically refuses to have him serve as producer, only willing to hire him as writer. Through his attorney Leonard Maizlish, Roddenberry counters with demanding a hitherto near-unprecedented US$100,000 writer's fee, which Yablans dismisses as unacceptable and subsequently trashes the entire proposition. Solow is later told by two Paramount attorneys, " He lost the deal arguing over nickels. Nickels! " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , 2nd ed, pp 420-421) Despite the failure of the negotiations, Yablans' interest in producing high-tech science fiction is piqued nevertheless and to this end he facilitates and provide the funding for the establishment of two Paramount visual effects subsidiaries, Douglas Trumbull's Future General Corporation (FGC) and Carey Melcher's Magicam, Inc, one year later. Unfortunately, his immediate successors, Barry Diller and Michael Eisener, have zero affinity with science fiction and with visual effects in particular, and try to shut down FGC immediately upon their ascent, which will come back to haunt the production.
• Early Autumn 1974 : Entirely independent from Roddenberry, Arthur Barron, Paramount's then chief financial officer (of all people, considering that it was predominantly financial executives who pushed for the cancellation of the Original Series back in 1967) and bypassing Yablans, approaches the highest top executive, Gulf+Western President Charles Bluhdorn , with the idea of turning Star Trek into a movie. Having completely reversed his stance when he acquired Desilu in 1967, Bluhdorn by now has become enamored with Star Trek due to its huge and unexpected success in syndication and has embraced Star Trek as something of a pet project. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 5)
• October 1974 : Bluhdorn instructs freshly-appointed Paramount President Barry Diller (having just replaced Yablans, who was "invited" to leave after failing to show respect for his boss and who, incidentally, had failed to inform Bluhdorn of Roddenberry's prior overtures) to turn the idea into a project. Not particularly interested in doing Star Trek in any format whatsoever and, by any standard, a formidable executive himself, Diller nevertheless does not want to antagonize his new boss and his new-found infatuation with Star Trek by refusing and approaches Roddenberry for the project. However, still smarting over Yablans' rejection the year previously, Roddenberry has somehow become aware of Bluhdorn's interest and, on instigation of his attorney Maizlish, decides to play studio politics by holding out on Diller for the better part of half a year. Diller plays along – for now. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapters 2, 5; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 9, 48) Much to his detriment, Roddenberry will later find out that Diller has a long memory and is by no means a man with whom to be trifled.
• 12 March 1975 : Roddenberry signs a contract with Paramount to do a Star Trek movie with a US$3 million budget. ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , p. 62)
• May 1975 : Roddenberry returns to the office he occupied during the production of the Original Series and writes a script called The God Thing , start of principal photography projected for the fall of 1975. By then the budget is increased to US$5 million. ( Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , p. 16; [25] ) William Shatner, who is purely by coincidence at the studio for unrelated business, chances upon Roddenberry and is on the occasion given a beat-for-beat expose on the story outline of The God Thing , which he will later recall in his memoirs. Shatner's own 1989 film, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , would feature very similar atheistic themes akin to The God Thing , angering Roddenberry, who is convinced that Shatner stole his story, also dutifully recorded by Shatner in his memoirs. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. pp. 46-49, 289-291)
• 30 June 1975 : First draft of The God Thing script is submitted to the studio by Roddenberry. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 23)
• August 1975 : The script for The God Thing is rejected by Diller. ( The Lost Series , p. 16)
• September 1975 : Roddenberry, now with input from Jon Povill , starts a new story and script outline for a movie, tentatively called " Star Trek II ", with a new production start that is moved up to 15 July 1976, again moved up to January 1977 at a later point. ( The Making of , p. 25)
• January 1976 : The studio toys with the idea to turn " Star Trek II " into a television series and a relieved Diller dumps the property in the lap of the recently appointed (by him) Michael Eisner. Then-television department head Eisner, misinformed by industry peers, at first does not believe in the viability of a science fiction proposition like Star Trek and now wants to cancel the project altogether, yet his colleague Jeffrey Katzenberg, who, as a former Trekkie , is very much aware of the fan convention phenomenon surrounding the Original Series , believes in the potential, and convinces Eisner to push ahead with the development, also being subtly reminded by Diller of their boss' interest in Star Trek . (Decades later, in 2002, Eisner nearly makes the same error in judgment with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.) [26] Eisner now commissions new story outlines for which numerous Writers Guild of America authors are approached to turn in story pitches for episodes, including noted science fiction authors like John D.F. Black (producer on the Original Series and writer of its episode " The Naked Time "), Robert Silverberg, the aforementioned Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury , and Theodore Sturgeon . ( The Lost Series , pp. 16-17) Ellison, only involved in the production during this period, later recalls on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show how his and Roddenberry's story ideas are met by Eisner. Idea after idea is rejected, including ones about time-travel, Adam and Eve, dinosaurs (a treatment of Bradbury's classic short story "A Sound of Thunder" and met with Eisner's remark " It's gotta be bigger! "), and one in which the Enterprise finds God –the real one – to which Eisner responds after a brief pause, " Not big enough. " ( The Making of , p. 25; Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , pp. 63-64; [27] )
• April 1976 : All story outlines are rejected and the property, now rapidly becoming something of a hot potato, is bounced back to the motion picture department of the studio, again the responsibility of a slightly dismayed Diller. ( The Making of , p. 25)

July 1976 – May 1977: Star Trek: Planet of the Titans [ ]

• April 1976 : Gene Roddenberry assumes the producer role for a new Star Trek movie project, Star Trek: Planet of Titans , to be produced in Great Britain. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 151)
• May 1976 : Roddenberry's company Lincoln Enterprises relaunches the first "official" fanzine, Inside Star Trek , now as " Star Trektennial News " and continuing the numbering where the source publication had left off when it ended its first run upon the cancellation of the Original Series . Express intent of the relaunch is to keep fandom abreast of the live-action revitalization attempts, starting with the above mentioned Star Trek II , and engender as much public awareness as possible. This is not entirely a benevolent effort on Roddenberry's part, as the magazine is also as a public platform for self-promotion through numerous interviews, serving as counterbalance to studio policies in regard to his person, and to which end he has assigned his longtime personal assistant, Susan Sackett , to serve as one of the two editors. The publication will run for another thirteen issues over the next three years, regaining its original title along the way and ceasing publication prior to the premiere of The Motion Picture . [28]
• 22 June 1976 : Jon Povill tenders a proposal list of possible directors. The list includes names of later renowned directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, who at the time are still at the start of their careers. More established names include William Friedkin, George Roy Hill, and Robert Wise . None of the directors are available, though. ( The Making of , p. 29)
• 1 July 1976 : Jerry Isenberg is appointed executive producer for the project by the studio for the express purpose to keep Roddenberry's eccentricities in check, and it is he who brings in British writers Chris Bryant and Allan Scott for the script treatment, who will start their work in September. Povill is now appointed assistant producer to Isenberg. Though initially appointed as the film's producer, Roddenberry is after the hiring of Philip Kaufman as director shortly afterwards, effectively sidelined on the insistence of Diller, which marks the first time that the Star Trek creator is purposely left out of a production entirely, though Povill keeps him clandestinely abreast of the production by continuously consulting with him. ( The Lost Series , p. 17; The Making of , p. 27) Diller, who by no means has forgotten his affront two years earlier, is not done with Roddenberry yet, not by a long shot.
• 6 October 1976 : Paramount accepts the script treatment and gives the green light to write the full script. Concurrently a movie budget is set at US$7.5 million. Illustrators Ken Adam and Ralph McQuarrie are subsequently brought in as concept artists. ( The Lost Series , p. 17)
• 1 March 1977 : The final Planet of the Titans script is submitted by Bryant and Scott. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)
• April 1977 : The script is rejected by the studio, and Kaufman, hired previously as director, immediately embarks on a rewrite without any input whatsoever from Roddenberry. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)
• 8 May 1977 : Kaufman's rewrite too, is rejected by the studio and Planet of Titans , by that time budgeted at US$10 million, is permanently cancelled and the property is once again bounced back to Eisner's television department. ( The Lost Series , p. 19)

May 1977 – November 1977: Star Trek: Phase II [ ]

• 25 May 1977 : Star Wars premieres. Considered by the studio as a fluke at first, the ultimately resounding success of this movie plays an important role in a series of decisions by studio executives regarding the Star Trek production. ( Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future , et al. )
• Late May 1977 : Even before the series is announced, Roddenberry, together with Povill, who has rejoined him as story editor, starts writing the Star Trek II Writer's/Director's Guide , otherwise known as the " Writer's Bible ", dubbed after the similar internal document already used for the Original Series . The new guide is actually an updated rewrite of the original. Aside from Roddenberry and Povill, Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston , upon being hired, make substantial contributions to the guide as well. ( The Lost Series , pp. 83-103)
• 10 June 1977 : The television series Star Trek: Phase II is officially announced as the flagship for Paramount's newly conceived fourth television network, to be called "Paramount Television Service", by studio President Barry Diller, with a two-hour television movie as the series pilot, reset at a budget of US$3.2 million, and slated for a February 1978 broadcast with principal photography to start on 28 November 1977. Roddenberry is again to serve as the executive producer. Officially, the series was to be called Star Trek II . Eisner continues to be the primary studio overseer of Star Trek , but is reinforced with Jeffrey Katzenberger, who Diller transfers from the marketing department by promoting him to the newly-conceived title for the new web, Head of Programming. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6; The Lost Series , pp. 21-22, 49; The Making of , p. 34)
• June 1977 : Robert Goodwin and Harold Livingston are brought in as producers to form the nucleus of the production team, Goodwin as operations manager and Livingston for story and script development. Goodwin fulfills for the production the role Robert H. Justman had on the Original Series . Actually, Justman has been approached for the position by Roddenberry, but overruled by the studio; he subsequently does not return Justman's calls when the latter reports for work. Justman will later claim that if he had been there, some of the mistakes in the making of the film could have been avoided. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 432) Neither Goodwin or Livingston are either solicited by Roddenberry or even wanted by him, but are brought in by the studio nonetheless, essentially a repetitive move of what Diller had already ordained for Planet of the Titans a year earlier. Diller and Eisner, like their television predecessors, become increasingly alarmed by Roddenberry's reasserting character flaw of stubbornly adhering to storylines he himself (and nobody else) has conceived. Most ironically, Roddenberry is starting to mimic Vadim's behavior, which has caused himself so much trouble six years earlier. Livingston in particular is to serve as a counterbalance to Roddenberry's stubbornness. But while the executives are, for the time being, shielded from his obtuseness, Livingston almost immediately finds himself at loggerheads with Roddenberry, resulting in a continuous series of increasingly vicious battles over story outline and script rewrites and re-rewrites, often performed surreptitiously by Roddenberry. The ongoing creative battle lasts for almost two years and proves to be particularly detrimental to the production, aside from entirely destroying the relationship between the two men. ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 67, et al. ) Subsequently, the senior staff of the art department, responsible for the visual look of the production, is filled. Initially, Original Series veteran Matt Jefferies is offered the position, but he declines tenure, agreeing only to serve on a temporary basis as a technical consultant. In his stead he recommends another veteran, Joe Jennings, his assistant on the second season of the Original Series , and who is appointed art director. Jefferies immediately starts the redesign work of his Original Series creations, the bridge of the Enterprise and the ship itself, whereas Jennings starts design work on the other sets. ( The Lost Series , pp. 23-26) Concurrently that month, Roddenberry's assistant, Susan Sackett , starts her series of " Star Trek Reports" for Starlog magazine, in which she keeps readership appraised about the progress of the Star Trek live-action production, starting in issue 6. The reports run through issue 29, 1979, and are to be the starting point for her book The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the writing she embarks upon directly pursuant to her "Reports" and finished a month before The Motion Picture is completed. She eventually appears in the The Motion Picture recreation deck scene as an Enterprise science division crewmember alongside a multitude of other Star Trek fans.
• July 1977 : Hiring of creative production staff continues unabated, and in this month Jenning's art department is beefed out with Set Designer Lew Splittsberger , Graphic Artist Lee Cole , and Assistant Art Director John Cartwright . A noticeable addition to the production staff is another Original Series veteran, William Ware Theiss , reprising his role as costume designer. ( The Lost Series , pp. 28-29)

Early stage of the Enterprise bridge set construction

• 25 July 1977 : Alan Dean Foster is contracted to write the story for the pilot episode of Phase II , with an option to write the teleplay as well. ( The Lost Series , p. 31) The bridge set construction is started on this day on Paramount Stage 9, for which yet another Original Series veteran was brought aboard on recommendation of Jefferies, Special Effects Artist Jim Rugg . ( The Making of , p. 36)
• 31 July 1977 : Alan Dean Foster, with input from Goodwin, submits a story treatment for Phase II , entitled "In Thy Image", which was actually in part based on a story called "Robot's Return" written for Roddenberry's television series Genesis II , which had not been picked up after its pilot episode. ( The Lost Series , pp. 31, 33; [29] ) The sentient robot theme does not sit well with some of the highest and more conservative corporate executives for religious as well as scientifically believability reasons, and for over a year they resist the theme. It is for this specific reason that Isaac Asimov is brought in as an additional science consultant later on in the production. Despite his reassurances, and even though that by that time it has been too late to alter the story, their fears are only allayed when Penthouse magazine, of all publications, publishes an interview in their October 1978 issue (incidentally, also featuring a Leonard Nimoy interview) with NASA 's director of their Institute of Space Studies, Robert Jastrow, in which he broaches the subject favorably. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 193; Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101) This will solicit an acerbic response from Asimov himself, after he had spent weeks trying to do the same to no avail, " There it was in Penthouse , in black and white, so the studio figured, "It must be true, OK, go ahead with your ending." ( Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101)
• 3 August 1977 : Other set construction is started as well; Stage 8 is assigned for the planetary sets, Stage 9 for the Enterprise sets, and Stage 10 as a backup set for what Goodwin calls "swing sets". NASA scientist Jesco von Puttkamer is for the first time mentioned in an internal memo from Goodwin as a technical consultant. Von Puttkamer, a Star Trek fan and later to receive an official credit as "Special Science Advisor", will continue to provide his services well into the production of the Motion Picture . Von Puttkamer is for the production what Harvey P. Lynn had been for the Original Series . ( The Making of , pp. 36-37)
• 9 August 1977 : Another Original Series veteran, Mike Minor, is interviewed for the position of (Production) Illustrator, and subsequently signed on recommendation by Jennings, who had been Minor's mentor at the start of the latter's career. A few days earlier, Robert McCall was interviewed for the position, but was passed over in favor of Minor. McCall is yet to work on the Star Trek production, nearly two years later. ( The Making of , p. 37)
• August 1977 : Harold Livingston starts work on the adaptation of the "In Thy Image" treatment into a motion picture screenplay.
• 12 August 1977 : The new Star Trek II Writer's/Director's Guide is completed and distributed. ( The Making of , p. 39)
• Late August 1977: Robert Collins is hired as director for "In Thy Image". The casting process is started up immediately for which casting directors Pat Harris and Marcia Kleinman , under the auspices of Head of Casting Hoyt Bowers , are the primary responsible staffers. ( The Lost Series , pp. 40, 355)
• Early September 1977 : Magicam, Inc, a Paramount subsidiary, is contracted for the visual effects of Phase II , including the construction of the studio models . They have outbid Original Series visual effects company Howard Anderson Company , with whom Goodwin was also engaged in detailed negotiations during the previous month. ( The Making of , p. 37) In order to alleviate work pressure on Magicam's model shop, headed by Jim Dow , Brick Price Movie Miniatures is subcontracted for the build of the new Enterprise model , based on the redesign by Jefferies, Jennings, and Minor. Price brought along NASA technician Don Loos as its lead model maker. Price also starts the design and construction of props. ( Starlog , issue 27, p. 26; The Lost Series , p. 27) Additionally, Magicam subcontracts Gregory Jein for the build of the three-foot D7-class studio model , using the actual Original Series model, on loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, as a template. The Klingon vessel is at the time endowed with the designation Koro -class heavy cruiser . ( The Lost Series , p. 64) This was Jein's very first official Star Trek assignment, but not his last by a long shot, as, firstly, he was not done with this production yet, and secondly, he was to provide the franchise with a plethora of models for later Star Trek live-action incarnations. [30] (X) To oversee the effects production, relative newcomer in the motion picture industry, having just turned 30, Paul Rabwin is appointed in the vital role of post-production supervisor. As his title already suggests, he will be responsible for all post-production aspects of the production and his role is comparable to the one Bill Heath , and more specifically Edward K. Milkis , had on the Original Series .
• 12 September 1977 : William Shatner is signed to reprise his role as Captain James T. Kirk, after lengthy negotiations that started in July. ( The Lost Series , p. 43)
• 26 September 1977 : David Gautreaux is cast in the role of Xon . However, his casting becomes somewhat unhinged for a while as Majel Barrett, recast as Christine Chapel, raises some objections. Barrett, unaware that both the series concept and the character of Spock were already dropped, and fearing that the Original Series "unrequited love of Chapel for Spock" plot line will not play well against an actor as young as Gautreux, requests an older actor against whom to play. A new test screening is called with both Gautreux and an older British actor in mid-October, but the older actor's performance is "absolutely abominable" and Gautreux is definitively reaffirmed by the third week of October. ( The Lost Series , pp. 53-54)
• 21 October 1977 : Livingston turns in his completed screenplay, seventeen days overdue. ( The Lost Series , p. 50) However, on this day the decision is internally made by the studio to upgrade Phase II from a television movie to a full-blown theatrical motion picture production. The only people who know of this decision at that moment are Bluhdorn – who ordained the upgrade that day from high above, quite literally as lore would have it, since he was reportedly inflight aboard a plane when he made the downstairs call by radio ( The Toys That Made Us ) – , Diller, Eisner, Katzenberg, Roddenberry, Livingston, Collins, Goodwin, von Puttkamer, and David Gautreaux, who happens to come by to sign his contract, becoming the first cast member to be aware of the upgrade decision. Roddenberry and Collins are subsequently sent on a fact-finding mission to the established visual effects houses, but return with the sobering report that the visual effects the studio executives have in mind for the upgrade cannot be produced for less than US$9-$10 million. First contacts laid with visual effects company Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A). ( Movie Memories , pp. 77-78, 83; Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 8 , p. 27; Return to Tomorrow , p. 42)

An unidentified actress (t) and Khambatta's (b) screen test on 27 October

• 27 October 1977 : Persis Khambatta and an unidentified actress hold their screen tests for the part of Ilia. Neither actress require their heads shaven yet on this occasion; instead they wear bald caps. Khambatta is the one who is signed the following day. ( The Lost Series , p. 54)
• 7 November 1977 : Gene Roddenberry completes a second draft rewrite of Harold Livingston's original first draft. The script mostly follows Harold Livingston's original draft, although several action scenes were removed and replaced with character moments and scenes of future Earth. This draft also has the first scene of Decker merging with V'Ger, although Ilia survives the adventure. ( Star Trek II: In Thy Image , Second Draft) Michael Eisner reads both drafts and concludes the second draft is a step back. Robert Collins attempts to "blend" the scripts together in December, but also fails to get the script accepted. ( The Lost Series , p. 60)
• 11 November 1977 : The upgrade decision is made formal for the upper echelons by the studio, and the budget, mainly due to Roddenberry's fact-finding mission, is initially set at US$15 million by studio CEO Michael Eisner, but is by March 1978 already upped to US$18 million. Katzenberg and Parsons are reinforced with colleague Don Simpson. ( The Making of , pp. 47, 85; The Lost Series , pp. 69, 75)
• 16 November 1977 : Close Encounters of the Third Kind premieres and is attended by several people involved with the Star Trek production. In their minds, the impressive visual effects by FGC strongly reinforces the upgrade decision made by the executives and producers. Michael Eisner, conveniently forgetting that he had wanted to liquidate FGC and withdraw from science fiction entirely less than two years prior, is reported to have shouted, while raising his hands toward the screen, " Jesus Christ, this could have been us!!! " Over the next couple of days, Gene Roddenberry and Robert Collins screen this, as well as the Star Wars movie, several times over to get a feel of what they want their movie to look like. ( Movie Memories , pp. 78, 83) The phenomenal success of Close Encounters , produced at US$19 million and grossing US$303 million worldwide, further reinforces the validity of the upgrade decision in the mind of the studio executives. At the same time however, it will also become one of the sources of their chagrin over the performance of The Motion Picture later on.
• 21 November 1977 : The executive upgrade decision is disseminated through the lower production echelons, and production on Phase II is suspended in order to ascertain the requirements for a motion picture production, save for the construction of the studio models. The start on the new production is moved up to March or April 1978 in order to make the necessary upgrade changes to scripts, sets, wardrobes, production assets, etc. Production crew such as make-up artists, hair dressers, cameramen, stand-in performers, set dressers, and the like, just hired that week, are immediately fired. Veterans Matt Jefferies and Jim Rugg by that time had already left the production earlier that month, the former to return to his regular job. ( The Making of , p. 47; Return to Tomorrow , p. 46)

December 1977 – December 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture [ ]

• 1 December 1977 : Post-production Supervisor Paul Rabwin, together with Roddenberry and Director Collins, inspect the studio models to see if they hold up in big-screen resolution. With them are Robert Abel and Richard Taylor of RA&A to help them out with the analysis. Both men realize they do not. After Rabwin submits a findings memo five days later, construction on the models is now halted too. ( The Lost Series , pp. 69, 72)
• December 1977 : Writers are still blissfully unaware of the upgrade and episode scripts keep pouring in right until January. Povill, Livingston, and Roddenberry (who publicly keeps up the ruse in Star Trektennial News magazine, issue 24 of November/December) intentionally keep them in the dark by continuing to annotate their work. However, gossip columnist Rona Barrett does blow the whistle in her Rona Barret's Hollywood December issue tabloid, with her largely correct report that Phase II has been halted and that Roddenberry is offered an opportunity to make a theatrical movie. The studio goes on record vehemently denying the supposition, only willing to concede that the premiere has been postponed from February to Autumn 1978, and that the projected series is expanded from thirteen to between fifteen and twenty-two episodes. ( The Lost Series , p. 67)
• 12 December 1977 : Rabwin also inspects the sets and deems them salvageable, albeit with additional upgrading and detailing. To this end he has Director Collins and Cameraman Bruce Logan start shooting test footage and lens tests of the sets on this date, (including, among others, the engineering set), but now with anamorphic lenses, required for wide-screen movies, to get a feel of how these sets will translate on theater screens. Shooting of this test footage continues throughout this and the subsequent week. ( The Lost Series , pp. 67, 73, color inset)
• 30 December 1977 : Due to ever-increasing creative differences with Roddenberry, causing the relationship between the two men to sour considerably, Producer Harold Livingston decides to leave the Star Trek production after turning in his last report, effective immediately. ( The Lost Series , p. 73) With RA&A set for the visual effects, Paul Rabwin too has left the production to pursue other ventures.
• Early January 1978 : RA&A, who have tendered a bid of US$4 million, is signed for the visual effects for what is now Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Its namesake, Robert Abel, is the main responsible effects producer/director, whereas Taylor will serve as effects designer. [31] Brick Price Movie Miniatures is released from the production (Jein had already left after completion of his one assignment). It is now definitively decided to discard all the, in various states of completion, Phase II models and start all over again, with RA&A being responsible for the necessary redesigns. To this end Robert Abel establishes a subsidiary art department company, ASTRA, responsible for all art work and design. Aside from his visual effects duties, Richard Taylor is to serve as its Art Director, working on par with Paramount's Art Department, headed by Jennings. Magicam, released from the visual effects production, is retained as a studio model shop only, and it is they who are to build the models. From the start, there is strife and conflict between the two art departments as ASTRA is perceived, by Jennings and Minor in particular, as performing a power-grab by aggressively trying to assert total creative control over the entire concept production. ( The Making of , p. 202; Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 46; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 71-72)
• 5 January 1978 : In a budget allocation memo, Goodwin allows for a salary allotment for Leonard Nimoy as Spock, indicating that the production staff at least now considers Spock as instrumental for the new movie. Studio executives though, for reasons mentioned below, still hold out. ( The Lost Series , p. 65)
• Early February 1978 : While awaiting the redesigns, Magicam, upon receipt of Taylor's blueprints, specifying the new movie dimensions, starts model construction with the build of the new Klingon battle cruiser studio model . The early start is facilitated by the fact that the basic design of the model is to remain unchanged. Magicam's Chris Ross is appointed lead modeler on the construction. ( American Cinematographer , February 1980, p. 153)

Abel directing the bridge set test footage

Crumb supervising the start of the Enterprise model build

• Early March 1978 : After negotiations that lasted for two months, Robert Wise is signed on as director and producer. He was already suggested by Jon Povill as one of the possible directors to direct Planet of the Titans back in 1976. Wise's unwillingness to share producer credit with "that kid in jeans", causes Robert Goodwin (who was thirty at the time) to leave the production in disgust. Phase II director, Robert Collins, too is released from the production. Povill is officially promoted from story editor to associate producer. As it will turn out, Wise is only to officially receive a director's credit, and not one as producer. That credit is reserved for Roddenberry only, even though his influence is considerably curtailed by the studio, after Wise comes aboard, who essentially takes over as the primary overseer of the production. However, thoroughly fed up with ASTRA and their attempts to grab total power, Art Director Joe Jennings quits the production in disgust, leaving the Paramount art department without a head. ( The Lost Series , p. 76; Return to Tomorrow , pp. 71-72)
• March 1978: One of the first things Wise does is replace William Theiss, considering his costume designs sub-par, calling them "pajamas". Wise brings Robert Fletcher aboard as the new costume designer. ( Movie Memories , p. 102; The Lost Series , p. 62) Wise also brings along his regular production illustrator of many years, Maurice Zuberano , who is primarily tasked with the re-imagining of what is to become V'ger . ( The Making of , pp. 81-82) Yet, as far as the Star Trek fan base is concerned, Wise's most important contribution this month is to bring back Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Wise, who in turn is enticed by his wife Millicent and her father, ardent Trekkies (which Wise himself is not) to do so, only accepts the assignment on the condition that Spock is brought back. Aside from the officially given reason that Nimoy does not want to commit to the rigors of a weekly show, there is an unofficial reason as well; Nimoy has, since the end of the Original Series , been involved in a conflict with the studio over residual amenities of the use of his likeness on merchandise, for which neither he, nor any of his co-stars, ever received any financial compensation in the form of royalties. Up to that point the studio has steadfastly refused to give in, with Michael Eisner at first still not convinced of the necessity for the Spock character. " Who gives a fuck what this guy with the ears does? Just make the movie! Who could understand why anyone cared about Star Trek ? We would watch the TV episodes – they were the dumbest things you ever saw. ", Eisner exclaims to Wise. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6) But now, on Wise's insistence, the studio caves and the conflict, which had dragged on for a decade, is resolved within a week with a "check for a reportedly substantial figure", and Nimoy is signed on. It is Jeffrey Katzenberg, running interference for the studio and Nimoy, who is instrumental in both convincing Eisner and resolving the conflict. The deal is advantageous for Shatner as well, since he and Nimoy had years earlier, during The Original Series , entered into a mutual "favored-nation clause" covenant, which stipulated that, simply put, what the one got so did the other, and the compensation they receive, charged against the movie, adds yet another undue element to its cost. ( Movie Memories , pp. 86-94, 244) Millicent was rewarded for her input with a cameo as one of the Enterprise crewmembers gathered for the briefing scene on the recreation deck of the refit Enterprise , where she appeared alongside a multitude of other Star Trek fans. Wise's only child, son Rob Wise , will also serve on the movie as assistant cameramen, as is his nephew, Doug Wise , as assistant director. An important change this month is Wise's addition of Richard H. Kline as director of photography, responsible for the principal photography. Kline thereby replaces Bruce Logan as such, who is made the main responsible cinematographer for the second-unit photography. ( The Making of , pp. 79, 186)
• 25 March 1978 : The royalties conflict now resolved (when Nimoy received the settlement check the previous day), a long, first time meeting is held at his house with Katzenberg, Roddenberry (with whom Nimoy has a by now very strained relationship, due to the fact that Roddenberry had refused to side with Nimoy on the royalties conflict), and Wise to discuss the script. Nimoy expresses trepidations for his character, as the script does not yet allow for the Spock character, and is not reassured with Roddenberry's ideas for the character. Ultimately though, Nimoy decides to put his trust in Wise, not Roddenberry, when he decides over the weekend to commit to the movie, also realizing that if he declined that he has to answer for the rest of his life questions with remarks like " I didn't like the script ", " I hated Gene ", or " I was angry at the studio ". ( Movie Memories , pp. 91-94) His trust in Wise will prove to be justified, as Wise later on in the production, bypassing Roddenberry, arranges to have both him and Shatner be given script input.
• 27 March 1978 : Leonard Nimoy is finally signed for the movie. ( Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History , p. 101) As soon as he is confirmed, a frantic series of yet another round of rewrites is started to get the Spock character into the movie. This however, has ramifications for the Xon character, as he is now dropped as a principal character, and indeed, even the Decker character, which is not yet cast, is in doubt. Struck definitively during the summer months as a principal character, for which he will receive US$35,000 in September as play-or-pay compensation, Gautreaux is offered the consolation role of Commander Branch . ( The Lost Series , p. 77; Movie Memories , pp. 111-112)
• 28 March 1978 : Star Trek: The Motion Picture is announced to the public at Paramount Pictures in the largest press conference held since Cecil B. DeMille 's announcement of his 1923 silent movie, The Ten Commandments . ( The Making of , pp. 50-51)
• Late March 1978 : Harold "Hal" Michelson is brought in by Director Wise as production designer, to fill the place vacated by Joe Jennings as head of the art department. Michelson is responsible to perform redesigns on the Phase II sets in their various states of completion for their motion picture use. Unlike Jennings, most of the art department staff has stayed on, including the equally critical Minor. A new staff member is Production Illustrator Rick Sternbach , a future Star Trek alumnus, while remaining uncredited for The Motion Picture . ( The Making of , pp. 85, 87)
• 1 April 1978 : A noticeable addition to ASTRA on this date is future Star Trek alumnus, Andrew Probert , who is to assist Taylor with the redesign work as production illustrator, most notably that of the Phase II Enterprise . He is brought in on recommendation of his former mentor Ralph McQuarrie , who was originally approached for the position, but who had to decline due to the fact that he has already committed to the second Star Wars installment. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 65)
• April 1978 : Forced by the studio to dine on ashes, Gene Roddenberry begs Livingston to return as script development has hit a brick wall. Livingston only agrees to do so after a meeting with Wise and additionally secured guarantees from studio executives Michael Eisner and Jefferey Katzenberg, specifying his own working conditions and that he is to have as little as possible to do with Roddenberry. ( The Lost Series , p. 76)
• May 1978 : RA&A, feeling compelled to do so by ever-increasing studio demands, ups their original bid for the visual effects with US$750,000, the first raise of many. ( The Making of , p. 203)
• 17 May 1978 : Another draft of the script is released, titled Star Trek: The Motion Picture likely written by Dennis Clark. The script comes with a preface (possibly by Harold Livingston) saying that the script will have more extensive rewrites coming, but that the sets and action will mostly stay the same. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Revised Draft)

D7, aka Koro -class, model test footage, Taylor deemed unsuitable for theatrical release

• 19 July 1978 : Shooting script.
• 24 July 1978 : In a memo, Roddenberry informs the studio that RA&A has made an additional US$220,700 request for the visual effects. Sensing that problems are brewing, Roddenberry advises the studio to appoint liaisons between RA&A and the studio. Michael Eisner immediately responds by appointing Richard Yuricich (as of yet unpaid) to the production and concurrently instructing studio executives Katzenberg and Lindsey Parsons, Jr. to spend more of their time on the project. On the recommendation of Yuricich, several former Close Encounter visual effects staffers, including effects cameraman Dave Stewart , are brought in to reinforce RA&A's team. ( The Making of , pp. 203-204; Return to Tomorrow , p. 174)
• 25 July 1978 : After nearly a full year, the role of Captain Decker is still to be filled when a final round of cast interviews is held. The continuous script rewrites, resulting in perpetual changes in the characterization of Decker – even going as far as considering whether or not the character is needed at all for the movie – are in no small measure contributing to the arduous process of filling the role. Nine actors are interviewed this day; aside from Stephen Collins , Andrew Robinson is also interviewed for the role. ( The Making of , p. 104)

Phillips working on Khambatta

• 1 August 1978 : Stephen Collins is signed for the role of Decker. Decker is the final primary character to be cast. ( The Making of , p. 6)

Wise directing his actors on the bridge set

• 8 August 1978 : The second-unit film crew moves to Yellowstone Park and starts filming the planet Vulcan sequence. Director Wise joins them shortly, and the sequence takes three days to film. RA&A liaison Joe Viskocil is onsite as visual effects coordinator in order to ascertain the nature and extent of the effects RA&A is to add in post-production. Not present is performer Nimoy, who will shoot his Spock sequences in October. ( The Making of , p. 173)
• Early October 1978 : Production hits another brick wall with Act Three, scene 335-336, in which the crew cajoles the Ilia-probe into letting them meet V'ger in person. An exhausted Roddenberry, who believes himself free from Livingston (as the latter had shortly before resigned for a third time), experiences a severe case of writer's block, as his scene rewrites grow from bad to worse. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy come up with a solution: the "child treatment" of the Ilia-probe, as a way out of the gridlock, and present it to director Wise, who endorses the solution. The three men subsequently present it to Roddenberry, who erupts in a full-blown rage over the perceived infringement on his script rights. However, unbeknownst to Roddenberry, Wise, by now thoroughly fed up with Roddenberry, has solicited the help of Jeffrey Katzenberg. A few days earlier, Katzenberg had rehired Livingston, who on that occasion had demanded and secured a substantial raise, and is awaiting Wise's cue. During the (by now) very charged meeting, Wise arranges to get Katzenberg on the phone and the latter informs Roddenberry that Livingston has now executive creative powers. Roddenberry is essentially released from the production and his presence is from here on end only required for public relations events, and is ordered to begin writing the novelization of the movie, which he is contractually obligated to do. For the latter he is to attend subsequent script meetings until its completion, but now only as an observer, not as a participant. ( Movie Memories , 1995, pp. 105-111)
• 16 October 1978 : The crew gathering sequence for Kirk's mission briefing on the just completed recreation deck set on Stage 8 is shot. Assembled are three hundred extras of which one hundred males and twenty-five females are notable Star Trek fans, like Bjo Trimble and Denise Tathwell ; the others are Screen Extras Guild performers, with an additional number of production staff affiliates like Susan Sackett and Millicent Wise. The shooting concludes the following day and the extras are released with a few exceptions for an additional shot on the overhead catwalk. ( Starlog , issue 32, pp. 57-58)
• 24 October 1978 : Second unit filming of still outstanding segments of the wormhole sequence; first unit filming of outstanding Vulcan segments with Nimoy on the Vulcan set in the B Tank . A late afternoon meeting is held between Wise, Livingston, Nimoy, and Shatner in which the latter two formally gain script approval rights. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58)
• 7 November 1978 : Walter Koenig reports that he is informed that the budget is now no longer fixed and that it currently stands at a reportedly US$24 million, but that it is a "departure point, not a final reckoning". ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 58)
• 8 November 1978 : Yet another script meeting for the still unscripted Act Three ending is held between Livingston, Wise, Nimoy, and Shatner, with Roddenberry attending, and filming is suspended that day. Recently famed by his role on Mork and Mindy , comedian Robin Williams tours the sound stage on his bicycle, explaining to the cast that he is a big fan of the show and is invited in onto the bridge of the Enterprise . According to Walter Koenig, " his wide-eyed admiration not withstanding, his squeaky-voiced reaction to all the buttons and panels is, "Hmmmm, microwave!" " ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 60) The role of Berlinghoff Rasmussen on the Next Generation will later be explicitly written for him, though Williams will be unable to do the part.
• 24 November 1978 : Walter Koenig finishes his Chekov sequences and is released from the production. His subsequent presence will only be required for promotional and public relations purposes. Koenig has kept a detailed journal during his involvement during the production, and immediately starts transforming it into his book, Chekov's Enterprise , released shortly after the premiere of the movie in February 1980. ( Starlog , issue 32, p. 61)
• 29 November 1978 : The completed and final script draft is distributed at last, with only a mere two months left on principal photography. ( The Making of , p. 57) This is the version as published  at Star Trek Minutiae , but it, like previous versions, is antedated to 19 July 1978, the date of the first script draft distribution, for copyright legality reasons.
• Late November 1978 : Magicam delivers the hero " Enterprise " studio model to Astra's Seward St. filming facility. Model painter Olsen followed suit to finish up upon his work. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 276)
• Late December 1978 : By Christmas, the situation with RA&A is spiraling out of control and creative and financial conflicts between the company and the studio intensify to the breaking point. Douglas Trumbull, who only one year earlier had turned down the visual effects assignment, is brought in as an unpaid technical consultant. Trumbull, who by then has a very strained relationship with the studio, only agreed to do so as a courtesy to his old friend Bob Wise, who personally requested his input. ( The Making of , p. 203) A particular bone of contention on that specific occasion is the perceived lack of acceptable studio model photography, resulting in RA&A/Astra, completely denied access to them from here on end, being entirely pulled from the studio model photography. The model photography is for the time being reverted to Paramount's own cinematographer Bill Millar , a former Trumbull-associate through FGC, even though he has at that point in time nowhere near the facilities necessary to provide studio model effects photography in any format whatsoever. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 62)
• 26 January 1979 : Principal photography ends, with scene 391, the " V'ger fusion" scene between Decker and the Ilia-probe, the very last scene shot. Originally scheduled to finish on 31 October 1978 (shortly thereafter revised to 22 December), principal photography as initially budgeted is three months overdue. At US$4,000 a day for stage time, this means an additional over budget cost of roughly US$250,000 for principal photography alone. Three second unit scenes though, for which the principal cast was not needed, the San Fransisco air tram station, the Klingon bridge, and the Epsilon IX bridge sequences still remain outstanding, as are the visual effects sequences. These sequences will be shot throughout the spring and summer, the visual effect ones extending well into the autumn of 1979. ( The Making of , pp. 7, 188, 191-193)
• 10 February 1979 : The traditional "wrap party" celebrating the end of principal photography is held at Liu's Chinese Restaurant and Chez Moi Disco on 140 South Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and is open to everyone involved with the Motion Picture and their retinue. ( The Making of , p. 195)
• Mid- February 1979 : Behind-the-scenes information is leaked. The head of a local fan club alerts the studio that he is offered stolen set construction blueprints and the studio calls in the FBI. The FBI is able to arrest the culprit, who is thereafter convicted on 24 August, given two years' probation, and fined US$750 for selling stolen trade secrets. Studio security is tightened considerably due to the incident. ( New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 60; Return to Tomorrow , p. 175)
• 20 February 1979 : Studio executives and producers come calling to size up the visual effects situation at Robert Abel & Associates. The company reportedly had only a single completed effects shot to show for all the time and money spent, already four million dollars over budget at sixteen million dollars by December 1978, and of which US$11 million was actually already spent. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6; New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 62-63)
• 22 February 1979 : In an acrimonious atmosphere, Abel is fired and his company released, effective immediately, starting a frantic search for a replacement, as the studio now unexpectedly finds itself extremely pressured for time since the release date for the movie is immutable, due to the fact that the studio is financially committed by having accepted the $35 million payment guarantees from exhibitors planning for the 7 December 1979 release. This becomes critical, as rumors are already spreading that the production is in trouble, and theater owners start to back down on their commitments. ( The Special Effects of Trek , pp. 29, 31; The Making of , pp. 204-205) Realizing that effects production has to virtually start over from scratch, the now-strapped for cash studio initiates Dawn Steel's merchandising fund drive to cover a new visual effects budget set at US$10 million. ( The Making of , p. 204).
• Early March 1979 : Douglas Trumbull's visual effects company, Future General Corporation (FGC), is signed for the visual effects. Both his and co-founder Richard Yuricich's participation in the production now becomes formal. Having initially been forced to surrender his equipment to RA&A, Trumbull now returns the favor, aside from getting back the equipment, by usurping several of Abel's key staffers, among others Robert Swarthe , Scott Farrar , and Tom Barron , not few of them, ironically, hired by RA&A in the first place when the studio started to close down FGC earlier, but now rejoining the latter. Yuricich, now credited as "Producer of Effects", is tasked with re-initializing FGC by reassembling the team and finding new, suitable filming facilities. Barron acquires on this occasion several pieces of equipment which are not to be used anymore. Acting upon a hunch, he stores them away for a few years, and they will become the foundation of later regular Star Trek motion control photography supplier Image G . ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 374; Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 1 , p. 60) Trumbull also establishes on this occasion a subsidiary company of FGC, the Entertainment Effects Group (EEG) which replaces ASTRA as art department. Andrew Probert is one of the very few ex-ASTRA employees retained by Trumbull, who has him work on the interior re-design of the Klingon battle cruiser bridge, discarding the one previously done by Jennings. Concurrently, EEG will serve as the legal entity, responsible for the handling of the studio models during filming. To this end, several Magicam model makers transfer to the new company to insure the proper handling of the models. Unlike FGC, EEG will survive the production of the Motion Picture to become the renowned 1980s-1990s visual effects company Boss Film Studios . Trumbull also subcontracts John Dykstra's Apogee, Inc. in order to divide the workload. ( see above )
• March 1979: While devising the visual effects shots, Trumbull brings in Robert McCall, with whom he had already worked before on 2001: A Space Odyssey and where the two men became close friends, as production illustrator in order to help out with visualizing the various V'ger scenes. Much of what McCall, who had been passed over for Mike Minor nearly two years earlier, will conceive is indeed translated onto the screen by Trumbull. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 8 , pp. 70-73) Another noticeable new addition to EEG is artist Matthew Yuricich , brother of Richard and whose work Trumbull is already acquainted with, when both men were working together two years earlier on Close Encounters of the Third Kind . Yuricich will create all the matte paintings for the movie. During this month, the San Fransisco air tram station sequence is filmed on the combined stages 12 and 14. William Shatner has to return for this sequence. Shatner is the only principal cast member who has to return to the production after principal photography had wrapped. ( The Making of , p. 193) The tram station sets are subsequently struck to make room for the other two remaining scenes, yet to be filmed, which however suffer yet another round of delays. This is due to the fact that the Klingon bridge set is still in the process of being redesigned by Trumbull and Probert, and for whose construction Trumbull has brought in Art Director John Vallone . ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 346)
• 19 March 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent application for Andrew Probert's re-design of the Constitution II -class studio model is filed.
• 26 March 1979 : Due to the information leak the previous month, reporter Jeffrey Kaye is able to publicly divulge the big reveal that V'ger is actually a Voyager probe in the 26 March issue of New West magazine. (p. 60) Not only that, but Kaye's "Abel Neglex Trex Effex" article also provides a detailed, and largely correct, account of the circumstances under which RA&A is released from the production, serving for the next quarter of a century as the only verifiable and available source of said circumstances.

Simpson (l) and Eisner making their appearance in Life magazine

• 10 April 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent applications for Robert Fletcher's designs of the Starfleet uniforms , belt buckle, and Starfleet breast-worn insignia, as well as Dick Rubin 's designs for the redesigned phaser , wrist communicator , and tricorder are filed.
• 13 April 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model is filed.
• May 1979 : The refit- Enterprise model is just about finished and ready for delivery for filming when a studio staffer, wanting to impress his female guest during an illegal visit, turns on the lighting of the model incorrectly and destroys the circuitry in the saucer section. The subsequent repairs by Magicam delays delivery of the model by nearly two months. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, p. 55)
• 7 May 1979 : Paramount Pictures' design patent applications for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model, shuttle portion, and the Klingon K't'inga -class are filed.
• June 1979 : the re-initialization of FGC is completed and effects photography is started by the company with only six months remaining before the premiere. ( Return to Tomorrow , p. 411)
• 18 June 1979 : With the Klingon bridge set completed, shooting starts this day for the Klingon scenes (Scenes 3-21, 23-25) with Mark Lenard playing the Klingon captain, joined by eight or nine stuntmen playing the other Klingons on the bridge. Robert Wise takes on the directorial chores himself and brings back the former Phase II Director of Photography Bruce Logan, as Richard Kline has already left the production for another project. Filming takes a little over a week, after which the set is immediately struck to make room for the last outstanding live-action scene, the Epsilon IX monitor room scene (Scenes 24-27, 91). Having been around since Phase II , David Gautreaux finally gets to shoot his screen time in his consolation role as Commander Branch. Joining him on the set as an Epsilon IX crew member is Harold Livingston's secretary, Michele Ameen Billy , who has three lines. Filmed back-to-back, this scene, shot in little under a week, finally wraps up live-action shooting. ( Return to Tomorrow , pp. 375-378)
• Early July 1979 : Greg Jein returns to the Star Trek production when Trumbull, as EEG, tasks him with the construction of several detail miniatures for Spock's spacewalk inside V'ger . ( Cinefex , issue 2, pp. 42-45)
• 4 July 1979 : Mishap continues to bedevil the Enterprise model. The filming of the model has just started, when during one of the very rare days off during this period, the fourth of July holiday on Wednesday, an air conditioning unit on the set springs a leak, and drips water on the model, severely damaging the bridge module of the model. EEG model makers Mark Stetson , Kris Gregg , and Ron Gress (the former two ex-Magicam employees) have to pull all-nighters for four days to repair the damage, straining the visual effects production schedule even further. ( Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , 1st ed, pp. 55-56)

Morton working on one of the interior V'ger model sections

• 31 July 1979 : In order to cover legal liabilities for the staff he brings along, Jein needs to form his own company, Gregory Jein, Inc. [32] The new company is also formally subordinated to EEG.
• 1 August 1979 : Pocket Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Stardate Calendar 1980
• 1 November 1979 : Wanderer Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture The USS Enterprise Bridge Punch-Out Book
• 29 November 1979 : Last visual effects shot is completed. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)
• 30 November 1979 : Wanderer Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book
• 1 December 1979 : A first completed rough cut is screened at the studio. Present at the screening are Director Wise, producers, studio executives, and several invited Star Trek alumni, old and new, which include Original Series veterans Matt Jefferies and John Dwyer . Gene Roddenberry is not invited. Over the next couple of days, Wise trims a further ten minutes from the cut. ( Movie Memories , p. 123; [33] (X) )
• Early December 1979 : Douglas Trumbull is hospitalized for ten days due to nervous exhaustion, diagnosed with ulcers and a hiatal hernia. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (DVD) ; audio commentary ; [34] )
• Pocket Books : novelization .
• The documentary The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , a specialty promotional tool, is shown nationwide at public venues, such as train stations.
• Marvel Comics Super Special #15 (comic adaptation).
• Soundtrack LP record release.
• Pocket Books Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology release.
• Wallaby Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Official USS Enterprise Officer's Date Book (1980) desk calendar release.
• View-Master adaptation.
• Topps : Star Trek: The Motion Picture trading card set .
• Fast-food corporation McDonald's : start of its The Motion Picture -themed "Happy Meal" campaign.
• South Bend Electronics : electronic USS Enterprise
• 5 December 1979 : Post-production work is finally finished and the final master print of the movie is delivered for the reproduction of distribution prints. ( Cinefex , issue 1, p. 4)
• 6 December 1979 : Washington, DC world premiere. Regretting he has not been able to hold a screening before test audiences, Robert Wise himself rushes the fresh print by plane to the K-B MacArthur Theater for its premiere, where it is loaded into the projector one minute before its announced screening. Guests were, for the occasion, presented with a twenty-page movie program . ( Variety , 24 December 2001, p. 21; The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6)
• 7 December 1979 : US theatrical premiere. For the timely distribution of the 2,000 prints, the studio has to charter a fleet of private planes. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , Chapter 6; Movie Memories , p. 123)
• 13 December 1979 : Sydney, Australia, theatrical premiere at the Paramount Theatre.
• 15 December 1979 : UK theatrical premiere at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square in London.
• 21 December 1979 : Melbourne, Australia, and Ireland theatrical premieres. Sydney, Australia, general release.

1980s releases and merchandising [ ]

• Pocket Books Photostory adaptation .
• Wallaby Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture Blueprints .
• The Mind's Eye Press USS Enterprise cutaway poster.
• Citadel Miniatures gaming figurines.
• 1 January 1980 : Australia theatrical general release.
• 17 January 1980 : Argentina (as Viaje a las estrellas: La película ) theatrical premiere.
• February 1980 : Pocket Books Chekov's Enterprise (book).
• March 1980 : Wallaby Books The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The writing completed before the movie premiered, author Susan Sackett has added a provisionary end credit roll for the movie in her book (pp. 217-221), which differed from that as ultimately featured (See: below ). While cast and primary production staff were featured as projected, there were some noticeable differences; several title descriptions were changed and especially amongst production staffers there were inclusions that were previously not considered whereas others that were initially, were now excluded. A very noticeable example of the latter, was future Star Trek alumnus Rick Sternbach, who now missed out on an official credit for the Motion Picture as a consequence.
• 3 March 1980 : Paramount Pictures' patent application tender for Richard Foy 's designs of the typeface fonts for the movie are filed.
• 18 March 1980 : Spain (as Star Trek – La película ) and Brazil (as Jornada nas Estrelas: O Filme ) theatrical premieres.
• 19 March 1980 : France (as Star Trek, le film ) theatrical premiere.
• 21 March 1980 : Portugal (as O Caminho das Estrelas ) theatrical premiere.
• 27 March 1980 : West Germany (as Star Trek: Der Film ) theatrical premiere.
• 28 March 1980 : Finland (as Star Trek: Avaruusmatka ) theatrical premiere.
• 2 April 1980 : Sweden theatrical premiere.
• 7 April 1980 : Norway and Denmark premieres.
• 17 April 1980 : Brazil (as Jornada nas Estrelas: O Filme ) theatrical premiere.
• April 1980 : Marvel TOS #1 (comic reprint 1 of 3).
• May 1980 : Marvel TOS #2 " V'ger " (comic reprint 2 of 3).
• June 1980 : Marvel TOS #3 " Evolutions " (comic reprint 3 of 3).
• 19 June 1980 : Netherlands theatrical premiere.
• Summer 1980: Work is started at the studio to transfer the theatrical master onto masters for commercial home media market releases as well as for television broadcasts. A contemporary studio editor stated in 2016, " I mastered the "director's cut" for Paramount in 1980, and it was never commercially released. Wise cut the film down to 110 minutes, and the assistant editor on the picture told me he was livid when the studio overruled him and cut 12 minutes of the V'Ger VFX sequence back into the film. Wise was smart enough to know it dragged the film down, and he was right. But because the film had gone so grossly over budget, the studio was determined to see "all their money up on the screen," so it went out at 132 minutes. " [35] The 132 minutes version this staffer referred to was the one intended for ABC Television Network. While this staffer has preferred to remain anonymous, he has credited a contemporary studio co-worker for doing the home media format masters of the television version, " 95% of the work was done by my old pal Pat Kennedy (who did the lion's share of that transfer), though I did correct quite a few of the additional bits for the expanded version shown on NBC. At the time (around 1982), I asked the Paramount exec why they wouldn't finish the obviously-incomplete VFX, but he kind of shrugged and said nobody wanted to spend the money. Eventually, they did fix them [for the 2001 Director's Edition ] . " [36]
• 5 July 1980 : Japan theatrical premiere.
• October 1980 : US video tape releases ( VHS and Betamax formats), with a Super 8 release following suit.
• 25 October 1980 : Taiwan theatrical premiere.
• 25 November 1980 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's Starfleet uniforms is confirmed as patent number D257546 .
• US LaserDisc .
• UK LaserDisc.
• 22 March 1981 : Capacitance Electronic Disc ( CED ).
• 31 March 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's belt buckle is confirmed as patent number D258700 .
• May 1981 : UK video release (VHS and Betamax formats).
• 2 May 1981 : Pay TV premiere on SelecTV in Marina Del Rey, California, USA.
• 14 July 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model is confirmed as patent number D259889 .
• 21 July 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's redesign of the phaser, called a "toy weapon" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D259939 .
• 25 August 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's design of the wrist communicator, called a "toy communicator" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260411 .
• 1 September 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Dick Rubin's redesign of the tricorder, called a "toy console" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260539 .
• 4 September 1981 : Iceland theatrical premiere.
• 15 September 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's redesign of the Constitution II -class, called a "toy spaceship" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D260539 .
• 26 October 1981 : Turkey (as Uzay Macerasi ) theatrical premiere.
• 17 November 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Robert Fletcher's breast-worn Starfleet insignia is confirmed as patent number D261872 .
• 24 November 1981 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Richard Foy's designs of the typeface fonts for the movie is confirmed as patent number D277297 .
• 6 April 1982 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's designs of the long range shuttle model, shuttle portion, is confirmed as patent number D263727 .
• 20 February 1983 : US Network Television Premiere on ABC Television Network as the first public showing of what came to be called the "Special Longer Version". The added footage, running for twelve minutes, was largely unfinished and cobbled together for the network premiere and is met with skepticism by Director Robert Wise, who had never wanted the footage to be included in the final cut of the film in the first place, as already stated by the above-quoted studio editor. (" Trek director Waxes Wise on new DVD", Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun , 6 November 2001, p. 46)
• 13 April 1982 : Paramount Pictures' patent application for Andrew Probert's redesign of the K't'inga -class, called a "toy spaceship" on the application, is confirmed as patent number D263856 .
• 1983 : US LaserDisc (special longer version).
• 1983: US Betamax (special longer version).
• 3 September 1984 : UK television premiere on ITV .
• 1985 : Japan VHD.
• 7 July 1985 : Japan LaserDisc.
• 1986 : Soundtrack CD 1st release.
• 25 April 1986 : East Germany theatrical premiere.
• March 1987 : Second airing by ABC of the "Special Longer Version".
• Summer 1989 : Third and final airing by ABC of the "Special Longer Version".

1990s merchandising [ ]

• 25 October 1990 : Soundtrack CD 2nd release.
• 1991 : France LaserDisc.
• 1991: Germany LaserDisc.
• 1991: Netherlands LaserDisc.
• 7 December 1992 : VHS.
• 10 March 1994 : Japan LaserDisc.
• 1994 : US and Europe VideoCD.
• 1995 : TNT airs the "Special Longer Version" introduced by William Shatner .
• 2 April 1997 : VHS Widescreen.
• 26 January 1999 : Soundtrack CD 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition.

2000s and beyond merchandising [ ]

• 6 November 2001 : Director's Edition world premiere
• 9 November 2001 : Director's Edition Region 1 DVD.
• 13 May 2002 : Director's Edition Region 2 DVD.
• 12 May 2009 : Original theatrical release Blu-ray.
• 22 March 2010 : Remastered original theatrical release Region 2 DVD.
• 5 June 2012 : Expanded soundtrack release , La-La Land Records .
• December 2012 : Olsenart.com Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise
• 30 April 2013 : Star Trek I: The Motion Picture Blu-ray Directors Edition release announcement. The announced release date proves to be premature though, as it turns out that Paramount Pictures had failed to maintain ownership over the CGI elements that were added to the Director's Edition. Former employee Adam Lebowitz of Foundation Imaging , the visual effects company responsible for the newly-conceived elements, confirms that all these elements were left on the company servers when they were auctioned off after the company went out of business, which would mean that the studio has to painstakingly recreate all these elements. [37] Still, his former Foundation colleague, Robert Bonchune , strongly indicates that these elements are still in existence, as some ex-employees had made backups, including Bonchune, of all the Star Trek files on their own computers, and they could be made available to the studio if they are so inclined. [38] By 2018, the status of a Blu-ray release remained yet unknown, though one of the co-producers of the Director's Edition , David C. Fein , has confirmed Bonchune's assessment by stating in 2017 that it was he who still had all the original digital effects elements available for remastering to Blu-ray standards. " We have all that we need. Would I like a few more pieces… sure. But we have everything we need, " stated Fein, " All of the shots in the film were created with HD in mind so the quality of the models and elements were much higher than the SD renderings. We have everything, and when the time is right, we'll use them. Again, there is no truth that anything is missing. " Fein also confirmed that a Blu-ray release was put on the backburner as "Paramount has yet to green light the project. We've had some discussions," adding that "it'll happen, the only question is when are we going to go ahead with it". [39] Nonetheless, preliminary talks were reported by both Trekcore and TrekMovie.com to have resumed in July 2019 for a remastered release, albeit for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray one.
• 10 September 2013 : Remastered original theatrical release Region 1 DVD.
• December 2014 : Creature Feature Publishing Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• 15 & 18 September 2019 : For the occasion of the film's 40th anniversary , NCM Fathom Events organizes a to over 500 screens limited theatrical re-release of The Motion Picture . Accompanying the screening is the documentary The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture , originally a special feature produced for, and included on the 2009 Blu-ray disc release and its various reissues. [40] [41] [42] The limited two-day USA only event manages to add an additional US$346,243 gross to the box-office total. [43]
• 8 October 2019 : McFarland & Company The First Star Trek Movie
• 1 September 2020 : Titan Books Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects
• 2021 : Print release of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture orchestral score
• 7 September 2021 : Newly in 4k UHD remastered version of the theatrical cut released in two variants, as part of the 4K Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection box set, and as an improved Blu-ray single disc reissue.
• 5 April 2022 : 4K version of the "Director's Edition" with new higher resolution visual effects premieres on Paramount+ , accompanied by the (digital) release of the remastered soundtrack by Paramount Music.
• 22, 23 & 25 May 2022 : Limited special event theatrical release of the remastered "Director's Edition" by Phantom Events. [44]
• 19 August 2022 : Limited UK theatrical release of the remastered "Director's Edition", [45] adding another US$69,621 gross to the box-office total [46]
• 6 September 2022 : 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray "Director's Edition" release with exclusive new bonus content in both standard 2-disc Blu-ray/1-disc 4K UHD versions, as well as a limited 3-disc "The Complete Adventure" boxset, containing all three film versions including the "Special Longer Version", now remastered as well. On this occasion the theatrical cut was also issued in the single-disc 4K UHD format.

Reception [ ]

• The highly anticipated movie received copious contemporary coverage, both prior as well as after its premiere, in period magazines, most notably in movie and genre periodicals, Starlog magazine in particular. Yet, there was one very remarkable exception: the usually very Star Trek -friendly genre magazine Cinefantastique did cover the movie hardly at all, save for a short editorial article in Volume 9 #3/4, 1979 after the movie had premiered. As it turned out however, extensive copy was written by freelance writer Preston Neal Jones for a planned The Motion Picture themed double-issue. Due to editorial problems because of the volume of text, that issue, despite advertisements in the magazine to the contrary, never came to fruition, save for some preliminary excerpts of Jones' work, published in the avant-premiere Vol. 9 #2 issue of the magazine. However, 35 years after the movie's release, the text was announced as voluminous reference book for an October 2014 release as Return to Tomorrow – The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , which was eventually released two months later.
• How eagerly awaited the movie was before its premiere was witnessed by Decker performer Stephen Collins when he visited a movie theater before its release, " I was in a movie theater when one of the Trek trailers played. It was astounding. Everybody cheered. " ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 502)
• When Paramount CEO Barry Diller saw a complete first version of the movie for the first time at the studio screening of 1 December 1979, he was horrified. " The movie was horrible and we were scared to death. ", Diller recalled. ( The Keys to the Kingdom , 2000, Chapter 6) Director/Writer Nicholas Meyer , responsible for three subsequent, highly successful Star Trek films, recalled upon being hired by Diller, " Barry Diller said to me that one of his most wrenching moments as head of Paramount, was seeing lines around the block for Star Trek The Motion Picture and knowing that in his opinion the movie didn’t deliver. " [47]
• William Shatner, who saw the completed movie for the first time on the world premiere, was struck by the overall sluggishness of the movie, and was convinced that the Star Trek franchise died there and then, having reminisced, " Well, that's it. We gave it our best shot, it wasn't good, and it will never happen again. " But having recalled his reaction fifteen years later, he has added, " Shows you what I know. " ( Star Trek Movie Memories , 1995, p. 124)
• The film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 45% overall approval rate for The Motion Picture , as of 2014 the third lowest of all Star Trek films. [48]
• In his 1983 special Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories , Leonard Nimoy spoke briefly about the film saying: " It was a very finely crafted film, and it did well. But from the actor's point of view frankly, it was frustrating. We didn't feel that we were getting to play the characters that we enjoyed playing in the way that we knew how to play them. And it was frustrating for Gene Roddenberry too. It wasn't the story or script he had wanted, and the gaps seemed filled with too much emphasis on special effects. " Years later, in a 2012 LA Times video interview, mirroring Shatner's perception, Nimoy has added that he too had felt that the movie had left the franchise stranded like a "beached whale" at the time, clarifying, " I think [Robert Wise] and Gene Roddenberry were looking for a [2001: A] Space Odyssey kind of thing, like [Stanley] Kubrick had done. A cold, cool "we're out here in space and it's kind of quiet and things move very slowly." [laughs] There was a lot of that and a lot of cerebral stuff. There wasn’t enough drama. It just wasn't a Star Trek movie. We had the Star Trek people, but it didn't use us as Star Trek characters very well. " [49]
• Though eagerly awaited, Star Trek fans were by and large in agreement with Nimoy's assessment at the time, especially where the lumbering pace of the movie was concerned, and endowed the movie with humorous, if unflattering, sobriquets such as "Star Trek: The Motion Sickness", "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture", or "Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture". ( The World of Star Trek ) As if to underscore the validity of their denominations, Matt Jefferies, who had done design work for the predecessor Phase II , related when he was invited to the 1 December studio screening, " I went to the first movie. I was invited to the screening. I fell asleep. John Dwyer noticed it from across the screening room and said, " Matt, wake up. " Fortunately nobody else in there knew me. " [50] (X)
• Another sobriquet given to the movie was "Where Nomad Has Gone Before", which reflected the criticism that the story was too reminiscent of several Original Series episodes, first and foremost the second season episode " The Changeling ", in which the sentient robot Nomad was featured. [51]
• Of such negative opinions were professional critics at the time, that they started to accuse the studio of purposely withholding the movie for press pre-screening as, according to them, the studio was well aware that the movie was a dud. The withholding itself of course was not the actual case, as the movie was not completed until the very last moment. ( Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 606)
• As related above and its bad (press) reception notwithstanding, The Motion Picture became one of the most successful outings of the entire film franchise in financial terms. This seemingly contradiction can only be explained by the fact that fans were so desperate to see an on-screen Star Trek live-action return, that they went anyway, often even several times – inconceivable for 21st century cinema goers in the age of digital social media. Michael Matessino for example, has related that he went to see the film twice, even though he had disliked the film the first time around, having stated in a letter he had sent to the genre magazine Starlog that "It stunk!" ( Starlog , issue 33, April 1980, p. 8) Nonetheless, Matessino went on to become instrumental for the production of The Director's Edition .

Awards and honors [ ]

The mixed reactions to the movie notwithstanding, did not prevent Star Trek: The Motion Picture to receive several award nominations, including three Academy Awards . The special and visual effects in particular were in general well received. The movie was nominated for the following awards and honors:

Apocrypha [ ]

• In Gene Roddenberry's novelization of the film, the female lead Vulcan elder is given the name T'Sai.
• The novelization of Encounter at Farpoint establishes that Captain Picard first boarded the USS Enterprise -D via shuttlecraft, a process later canonized in TNG : " All Good Things... ". According to the novel, Picard recalled how the then-Admiral Kirk had unwittingly begun a tradition of captains coming to their ship for the first time via shuttle instead of transporting aboard including the irony that no one really thought of the fact that Kirk traveled to Enterprise in a travel pod because of a serious transporter malfunction.
• The novel The Return , written by William Shatner, states that the "Living Machines" that Voyager 6 encountered on its journey were the Borg .
• The novel Ex Machina establishes that of all the original crew, only Scott and Uhura were long-term members of then-Captain Decker's crew. Chekov and Sulu had only been assigned back to Enterprise only hours before Kirk transferred aboard, as Admiral Nogura wanted as many of the original command crew back on the ship as was possible for the emergency mission. According to the film, Scott had been working on the refit and according to the novel, Decker had personally recruited the entire crew, making it the most diverse of species ever seen aboard a starship up until that point. Decker had even recruited Uhura to help recruit many of the nonhuman crewmembers. During a conversation between Sulu and Uhura, Sulu mentions that Decker was considering making Uhura his executive officer, thus adding new subtext to her first line spoken while on the bridge during prelaunch: " my people are all tied up here!".

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• James Doohan
• George Takei
• Walter Koenig
• Nichelle Nichols
• Majel Barrett
• Persis Khambatta
• Stephen Collins as Decker
• Jerry Goldsmith
• Todd Ramsay
• Harold Michelson
• Richard H. Kline , ASC
• Gene Roddenberry
• Harold Livingston
• Alan Dean Foster
• Robert Wise

Closing credits [ ]

• Douglas Trumbull
• John Dykstra
• Richard Yuricich
• Lindsley Parsons, Jr.
• Robert Swarthe
• Jesco von Puttkamer
• the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Isaac Asimov
• Bob Fletcher
• Linda DeScenna
• Fred Phillips
• Janna Phillips
• Barbara Minster
• Tom Overton
• Phil Rawlins
• Danny McCauley
• Joe Jennings
• Leon Harris
• John Vallone
• Bonnie Prendergast
• Rick Mitchell
• Randy D. Thornton
• Richard L. Anderson
• Stephen Hunter Flick
• Cecelia Hall
• Alan Murray
• Colin Waddy
• George Watters II
• Dirk Dalton
• Joel Goldsmith
• Alan S. Howarth
• Francisco Lupica
• Frank Serafine
• Steve Hanley
• Bill Varney
• Steve Maslow
• Gregg Landaker
• Gene Kelley
• Alex Weldon
• Darrell Pritchett
• Marty Bresin
• Maurice Zuberano
• Michael Minor
• John Rothwell
• Suzanne Gordon
• Kevin Cremin
• Charles A. Ogle
• Anita Terrian
• Al Bettcher
• Michael Genne
• Larry Howard
• Agnes Henry
• Susan Sackett
• Dave Stewart
• Matthew Yuricich
• Rocco Gioffre
• Russ Simpson
• Phil Barberio
• Douglas Eby
• David Hardberger
• Alan Harding
• David McCue
• Scott Squires
• Hoyt Yeatman
• Jim Dickson
• Bruce Logan
• Charles F. Wheeler , ASC
• Jack Hinkle
• Evans Wetmore
• Richard Hollander
• David Negron
• Andy Probert
• Tom Cranham
• Robert McCall
• George Polkinghorne
• Virgil Mirano
• Ernest Garza
• Guy Marsden
• Pat Van Auken
• Larry Albright
• Bruce Bishop
• Al Broussard
• Chris Crump
• Lee Ettleman
• Rick Guttierez
• Mike McMillen
• Robert Short
• Robert Spurlock
• Mark Stetson
• George Trimmer
• Rick Thompson
• Paul Turner
• Don Wheeler
• Thane Berti
• Glenn Campbell
• Christopher George
• Scott Farrar
• Robert Freidstand
• Robert Hollister
• Tom Hollister
• Russ McElhatton
• Lex Rawlins
• Jonathan Seay
• Steve Slocum
• Deena Burkett
• Alison Yerxa
• Lisze Bechtold
• Merllyn Ching
• Elrene Cowan
• Cy Didjurgis
• Leslie Ekker
• Linda Harris
• Nicola Kaftan
• John Kimball
• Thomas Koester
• Deidre Le Blanc
• Linda Moreau
• Connie Morgan
• Greg Pierce
• Greg Wilzbach
• Stephen Fog
• John Gilman
• Jim Goodnight
• Fred Iguchi
• Robin Leyden
• Greg McMurray
• Josh Morton
• Michael Backauskas
• M. Katheryn Campbell
• Nora Jeanne Smith
• Bill Millar
• Mona Thal Benefiel
• Joyce Goldberg
• Leora Glass
• Brett Webster
• Alan Gundelfinger
• Milt Laiken
• George Randle Co.
• Precision Machine
• Dieter Seifert
• Rourke Engineering
• Robert Mayne
• Apogee, Inc.
• Robert Shepherd
• Grant McCune
• Roger Dorney
• Chuck Barbee
• Bruno George
• Michael Lawler
• Jerry Pooler
• John Sullivan
• Harry Moreau
• Alvah J. Miller
• Paul Johnson
• Martin Kline
• Jack Johnson
• John Shourt
• Dick Alexander
• Bill Shourt
• Don Trumbull
• Cosmos Bolger
• Dennis Dorney
• Robert Elswitt
• Phil Gonzales
• Greg Kimble
• Michael Sweeney
• Diane E. Wooten
• David Beasley
• John Erland
• Joe Garlington
• Pete Gerard
• Rick Gilligan
• Richie Helmer
• Michael Joyce
• Deborah Kendall
• Pat McClung
• Gary Rhodaback
• John Ramsay
• Dennis Schultz
• David Scott
• Dick Singleton
• Richard Smiley
• David Sosalla
• Susan Turner
• Chuck Embrey
• Mary Etta Lang
• Angela Diamos
• John Millerburg
• Denny Kelley
• David Bartholomew
• Steve Klein
• Mike Middleton
• Phil Joanou
• Mimi McKinney
• Ann M. Johnston
• Deborah Baxter
• Janet Dykstra
• Philip Golden
• Proctor Jones
• Tut Shurtleff
• B/G Engineering
• Abbot Grafton
• Gerald Nash
• Ron Resch , Boston University
• Magicam, Inc.
• Richard Foy , Communication Arts, Inc.
• Arthur Morton
• Captain Kirk – William Shatner
• Spock – Leonard Nimoy
• Dr. McCoy – DeForest Kelley
• Scotty – James Doohan
• Sulu – George Takei
• Dr. Chapel – Majel Barrett
• Chekov – Walter Koenig
• Uhura – Nichelle Nichols
• Ilia – Persis Khambatta
• Decker – Stephen Collins
• Janice Rand – Grace Lee Whitney
• Klingon Captain – Mark Lenard
• Alien Boy – Billy Van Zandt
• Epsilon Technician – Roger Aaron Brown
• Airlock Technician – Gary Faga
• Commander Branch – David Gautreaux
• Assistant to Rand – John D. Gowans
• Cargo Deck Ensign – Howard Itzkowitz
• Lt. Commander Sonak – Jon Rashad Kamal
• Chief DiFalco – Marcy Lafferty
• Lieutenant – Michele Ameen Billy
• Technician – Jeri McBride
• Chief Ross – Terrence O'Connor
• Lt. Cleary – Michael Rougas
• Woman – Susan J. Sullivan
• Ralph Brannen ( Crew Member 1 )
• Ralph Byers ( Crew Member 2 )
• Paula Crist ( Crew Member 3 )
• Iva Lane ( Crew Member 4 )
• Franklyn Seales ( Crew Member 5 )
• Momo Yashima ( Crew Member 6 )
• Jimmie Booth ( Klingon Crewman 1 )
• Joel Kramer ( Klingon Crewman 2 )
• Bill McTosh ( Klingon Crewman 3 )
• David Moordigian ( Klingon Crewman 4 )
• Tom Morga ( Klingon Crewman 5 )
• Tony Rocco ( Klingon Crewman 6 )
• Joel Schultz ( Klingon Crewman 7 )
• Craig Thomas ( Klingon Crewman 8 )
• Edna Glover ( Vulcan Master 1 )
• Norman Stuart ( Vulcan Master 2 )
• Paul Weber ( Vulcan Master 3 )
• Security Officer – Joshua Gallegos
• Lisa Chess ( Yeoman 1 )
• Leslie C. Howard ( Yeoman 2 )
• Sayra Hummel ( Technical Assistant 1 )
• Junero Jennings ( Technical Assistant 2 )
• Robert Bralver
• William Couch ( stunt double for William Shatner )
• Keith L. Jensen
• John Hugh McKnight

TM & Copyright © 1979 by Paramount Pictures Film Corporation, Inc. [ ]

All rights reserved. [ ].

• Alexander Courage
• Robert Abel & Associates, Inc.
• Richard Taylor
• Digital Equipment Corporation
• Sam Nicholson
• Brian Longbotham
• Polaroid Corporation
• Sutherland Computer Corporation
• Marvin Paige
• Pocket Books
• Panavision ®
• Metrocolor ®

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director's Edition) [ ]

• Robert Wise Productions
• David C. Fein
• Michael Matessino
• Daren R. Dochterman
• Chuck Michael
• Foundation Imaging
• Ron Thornton
• Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz
• Sherry L. Hitch
• Stephen Burg
• Robert Bonchune
• Doug Drexler
• Trevor Pierce
• Lee Stringer
• David Morton
• Allen Hastings
• David Smithson
• Michael Donahue
• Brent Burpee
• Lindsay Adler
• Benjamin Martin
• Wilshire Stages
• Michael McDonald
• Peter G. Parise
• Miles O'Fun
• Apple Computer, Inc.
• Medéa Corporation

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• David Armstrong as Enterprise crewmember
• Richard Arnold as Enterprise crewmember
• Rosanna Attias as Enterprise crewmember
• Jerry Best as Enterprise sciences crewmember
• Fred Bronson as Enterprise crewmember
• Bob Bryan as Enterprise crewmember
• Robert Buckingham as Enterprise crewmember
• Bobby Butz as Enterprise crewmember
• Gordon Cardoza as Enterprise crewmember
• Celeste Cartier as Enterprise crewmember
• JoAnn Christy as Vulcan sciences crewmember
• Lisa Christy as Enterprise crewmember
• Price Coetzee as Enterprise crewmember
• Armando Diaz as Enterprise crewmember
• Vern Dietsche as Enterprise crewmember
• Christopher Doohan as engineering crewmember
• Montgomery Doohan as science division crewmember
• Walt Doty as Enterprise crewmember
• John Dresden as Starfleet security officer (slated for credit as "Security Officer")
• Scott Dweck as Vulcan medic
• Don Fanning as Zaranite Enterprise crewmember
• Dennis Fischer as engineering crewmember
• Cassandra Foster as Enterprise crewmember
• Barnetta Fowler as Enterprise crewmember
• Gayle Frank as sciences crewmember
• Ryan Frazier as Starfleet command officer
• David Gerrold as command division crewmember
• Brenda Gooch as Enterprise crewmember
• William Guest as Enterprise crewmember
• Doug Hale as Computer Voice
• John Hayes as Enterprise crewmember
• Sharon Hesky as Federation civilian
• Bill Hickey as science division crewmember
• Betty Kennedy as Federation civilian
• James T. Kirk as Enterprise crewmember
• Victor Koman as Zaranite Enterprise crewmember
• Katherine Kurtz as Enterprise crewmember
• Art Lake as Enterprise crewmember
• Steven Lance as Rhaandarite Enterprise crewmember
• Randall Larson as Enterprise crewmember
• Suzanne Lodge as Starfleet officer
• Don J. Long as Enterprise crew member
• Leah Livingston as Enterprise crew member ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 38)
• Greg Mace as Enterprise crewmember [52]
• Enterprise engineering chief
• Enterprise medical staff member
• Winnie McCarthy as Epsilon IX technician
• John Hugh McKnight as medical technician
• Michelle as Enterprise crewmember
• Barbara Minster as Enterprise crewmember
• Beth Moberly as Enterprise crewmember
• Ve Neill as Enterprise crewmember
• Air tram Starfleet officer
• Enterprise crewmember
• Rod Perry as security guard
• Gene Poe as Enterprise crewmember
• Todd Ramsay as Starfleet Transporter Chief (voice; uncredited)
• Zack Richardson as Enterprise crewmember
• Linda Robertson as Enterprise crewmember
• Susan Sackett as science division crewmember
• Eileen Salamas as Enterprise crewmember
• Frank Salsedo as Enterprise crewmember
• Keith Shiozaki as Starfleet Headquarters crewman
• Kathleen Sky as Enterprise crewmember
• Jay Smith as Enterprise crewmember
• Louise Stange-Wahl as science division crewmember
• Leigh Strother-Vien as Enterprise crewmember
• Cedric Taporco as Saurian Enterprise crewmember
• Denise Tathwell as Enterprise Vulcan crewmember
• H. Teague as Epsilon IX technician [53]
• Arthur Tovey as Vulcan civilian
• Roger Trantham as Enterprise crewmember
• Bjo Trimble as science division crewmember
• Vincent as Saurian Enterprise crewmember
• John Watts as Andorian Enterprise crewmember
• Green Whitaker as Federation civilian
• Marlene Willauer as civilian crewmember
• Millicent Wise as engineering crewmember
• C. Adam Young as USS Enterprise crew member
• Aaamazzarite visitors
• Andorian crewmember
• Betelgeusian assistant ambassador 1
• Betelgeusian assistant ambassador 2
• Betelgeusian chief ambassador
• Betelgeusian Enterprise crewmember
• Female Native American crewmember
• Female Natvie American crewmember
• Female Native American Enterprise officer
• Orbital office complex crew 1
• Orbital office complex crew 2
• Orbital office complex crew 3
• Orbital office complex crew 4
• Orbital office complex crew 5
• Orbital office complex crew 6
• Orbital office complex technician
• Sickbay patient
• Two Rhaandarites
• Rhaandarite crewmember
• Rhaandarite orbital office complex officer
• Enterprise engineer
• Enterprise assistant engineer
• Enterprise sciences crewman

Uncredited stunt performers [ ]

• Lightning Bear
• Stunt double for Leonard Nimoy
• Workman in space
• Kim Washington as stunt double for Nichelle Nichols

Uncredited production staff [ ]

• Robert Abel – Robert Abel & Associates : Special Effects Director
• Bernie Abramson – Second Unit Director of Photography
• Howard A. Anderson, Jr. – Howard Anderson Company : Additional Graphics and Animation
• Philo Barnhart – Apogee, Inc.: Effects Animation Artist
• John L. Black – Key Grip
• Susan Cabral – Makeup Artist: Background performers
• Michael Chavez – Set Costumer
• Jim Chirco – Craft Serviceman
• Leslie Ekker – Animation and Graphics
• Michael Edward Gentry – Lead Scenic Painter
• Bill George – Gregory Jein, Inc. : Model Maker
• Ron Gress – Entertainment Effects Group : Model Painter
• John Grower – Astra Image Corporation
• William Guest – Special Effects: Special Props and Miniatures
• " Hersey " – Production Illustrator ( The Art of Star Trek , pp. 162-163; Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , color inset/otherwise unknown)
• Pierre Jalbert – Editor/Dialogue Editor
• Dennis Jones – Sound-Boom Man
• David A. Kimble – Astra Image Corporation: Production Illustrator
• Alexander Lepak – Percussionist
• Michael Lynn – Costumer
• Dan Maltese – Set Designer (slated for credit as "Set Designer")
• Bruce MacRae – Brick Price Movie Miniatures : Prop Maker
• Joel Marston – Dialogue Coach for William Shatner
• William Mass – Costumer
• Lisa Morton – Gregory Jein, Inc.: Model Maker
• Steve Neill – Makeup Artist
• Debbi Nikkel – Apogee, Inc.: Production Accountant
• Don Pennington – Gregory Jein, Inc.: Model Maker
• Kevin Pike – Custom Props Special Effects Artist
• Brick Price – Brick Price Movie Miniatures: Prop Maker
• Hartmut Scharfe – Linguist/Vulcan master voice-over
• Charlie Schram – Makeup Artist
• Michelle Small – Robert Abel & Associates: Effects Production Coordinator/Entertainment Effects Group: Storyboard Artist
• Rick Sternbach – Production Illustrator (slated for credit as "Illustrator")
• Rick Stratton – Lab Technician: Makeup Department
• William Sully – Illustrator
• Joe Viskocil – SFX Coordinator: Astra Image Corporation
• Carlos Yeaggy – Makeup Artist

Uncredited production companies [ ]

• Astra Image Corporation – Visual Effects company (subsidiary Robert Abel & Associates)
• Howard Anderson Company – Visual Effects company
• Brick Price Movie Miniatures – Prop making company, originally subcontracted by Robert Abel & Associates
• Entertainment Effects Group – Visual Effects company, subsidiary
• Gregory Jein, Inc. – Model making company, subcontracted by Entertainment Effects Group

References [ ]

20th century ; 2270s ; Aaamazzarite ; ability ; acceleration ; acceleration rate ; aircraft carrier ; airlock four ; air tram station ; alien ; all-decks read-out ; alternative ; analysis ; ancestor ; Andorians ; animal ; antenna lead ; answer ; antimatter ; antimatter imbalance ; aperture ; appointment ; Arcturian ; area ; arrival ; " as soon as possible "; assignment ; assumption ; asteroid ; astronomical unit (au); " at your discretion "; attack ; attention ; audio-video association ; auxiliary computer circuit ; auxiliary power ; auxiliary power test ; baby ; backup sensor ; battle stations ; beauty ; Betelgeusian ; binary code ; biofunction monitor ; birth ; black hole ; blood ; bluff ; body ; body function ; " Bones "; brother ; burn duration ; " burn up "; calculation ; captain ; captor ; carbon-based unit ; carbon unit ; cargo bay ; cargo six ( dock six ); carrier wave ; casualty ; cc ; " center seat "; central brain complex ; chamber ; Chief of Starfleet Operations ; child ; circuit ; cloud ; cloud boundary ; code signal ; comm station ; channel ; commission ; compassion ; composition ; computation ; computer ; computer center ; computer library ; condolence ; confidence ; conic section ; connecting tunnel ; consciousness ; Constitution II -class decks ; contact ; control arm ; countdown ; courier ; course ( heading ); course projection ; Creator ; crew status ; cruiser ; curiosity ; dalaphaline ; damage ; damage report ; data ; data pattern ; data storage ; day ; deck ; deflector ; deflector power ; degree ; Deltans ; Delta IV ; demonstration ; departure order ; design ( redesign ); destination ; device ; diagnosis ; diameter ; dilithium crystal ; dimension ; dimensional image ; directional control ; disappointment ; discipline ; distance ; division ; dock control ; docking port ; doctor ; Doctor of Medicine (MD); drafting ; dreadnought ; drydock ; duty station ; Earth ; Earth Defense Network ; efficiency ; embarrassment ; emergency ; emergency alert ; emergency evacuation thruster pack ; emergency power ; emergency shut-down trip ; emotion ; energy ; engineer ; engine navigation relay ; Enterprise (frigate); Enterprise , USS (CV-6); entity ; Epsilon IX station ; estimate ; evolution ; examination ; executive officer (aka exec ); existence ; exocrine system ; experience ; explanation ; eye ; father ; Federation ; Federation space ; feeling ; field coil ; flight deck ; flight path ; flow sensors ; force field ; force field circuit E10 ; force field circuit E14 ; forebearer ; French language ; friendship ; " frighten out of my wits "; fuel equation ; gain ; galaxy ; goal ; God ; Golden Gate Bridge ; grade 1 priority ; gravitational field ; ground test computer ; guidance system ; heart ; hope ; hostility ; hour ; Human ; Human quality ; idea ; igniter ; impact ; image ; imaging system ; Imperial Klingon Cruiser ; impulse power ; inertial lag ; information ; injury report ; insight ; intention ; interference ; intermix chamber ; interrogative ; intersection course ; intruder ; intruder alert ; IP ; job ; Jupiter ; Kazarite ; key ; kilometer ; Klingon ; Klingon language ; Klingon Fight with V'ger ; K'normian ; knowledge ; kolinahr ; launch crew ; learning ; light cube table ; lifeform ; linguacode friendship message ; living machine ; logic ; loyalty ; lunar beacon ; machine ; machine planet ; magnification (mag); main drive system ; main elevator ; main power system ; Main stage flux chiller ; malfunction ; maneuvering thruster ; manual override ; manual shutoff ; mass ; matter ; meaning ; mechanism ; medic ; medical facility ; meeting ; megabit ; megahertz ; Megarite ; memory ; memory pattern ; message ; meter ; micro-miniature hydraulics ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; millisecond ; mind ; minute ; missing in action ; mission ; mistaking ; module ; moisture ; molecule ; momentum ; monitor ; month ; moon ; multi-processor chip ; mutual advantage ; name ; nano synch rate ; National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ); navigator ; navigational deflectors ; neurological trauma ; Nogura ; nurse ; oath of celibacy ; obedience ; object ; objection ; observation ; obsession ; Officer's lounge ; officers' quarters ; " on the double "; opinion ; orbit ; orbiting device ; orbital office complex ; order ; orderliness ; orifice ; osmotic micro-pump ; oxygen gravity envelope ; pain ; orbit ; parallel course ; passion ; pattern ; pattern degradation ; " pep talk "; percent ; permission ; phaser ; phaser power ; photic sonar ; photon torpedo ; photon torpedo load status ; planet ; planetary defense system ; plasma energy ; plasma energy conduit ; plasti-skin ; pneumonic pulse pattern ; pons area ; power field ; power loss ; power surge ; pre-launch countdown ; Pre stage flux chiller ; pressure ; priority signal ; probe ; Probert ; problem ; program ; programming ; progress ; purge ; Quad L-14 ; quarters ; Quasar 7 ; question ; radiation level ; radio ; radio messaging ; radio signal ; rate of speed ; record ; recording ; recreation ; recreation deck ; recreation deck games ; red alert ( status red ); red line ; refit ; relationship ; relative position ; remote communications drone ; rendezvous ; repair time ; report ; reserve activation clause ; Rhaandarite ; Rigellian ; sand ; San Francisco ; San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge ; Saurian ; science briefing ; science officer ; Scots language ; scout ; screens ; search ; season ; second ; security scan ; security team ; self-destruct ; sensor drone ; sensor scan ; sensor-transceiver combination device ; sequence ; shakedown ; Shamin ; sickbay ; signal ; simulation study ; simulator ; Sol ; Sol system ; Sonak's family ; sonic shower ; space ; space matrix restoration coil ; spanking ; spinal nerve ; spray applicator ; standard light ; star ; stardate ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Starfleet Operations ; Starfleet Order 2005 ; star hour ; station keeping ; status report ; sublight speed ; subspace frequency ; surface ; T'Khut ; T'Khut moon ; tactical plot ; " tag along "; tantrum ; technology ; temperature ; temporary grade reduction ; thing ; thought ; thought pattern ; thousand ; throat ; thruster ignition ; thruster suit ; " top brass "; tractor beam ; Transamerica Pyramid ; transfer-of-command order ; transmission ; transmitter ; transporter ; transporter accident ; transporter accident victim's family ; transporter chamber ; transporter personnel ; transporter platform ; transporter room ; transporter sensor ; transporter system ; tricorder ; turboshaft ; twelfth power ; universe ; velocity ; vessel status ; V'Ger's planet ; viewer ; visual contact ; VS ; Vulcan ; Vulcan ; Vulcan embassy ; Vulcan language ; Vulcan master ; Vulcan salute ; mind meld ; Vulcan nerve pinch ; Vulcan ritual ; Vulcan symbol ; warp capacity ; warp drive ( main engine ); warp power ; warp simulation ; weapon ; " wee "; weep ; " with all due respect "; " with our bare hands "; word ; wormhole ; wormhole distortion ; wormhole effect ; Yard Command ; year ; Yerba Buena Island ; Zaranite

Spacecraft references [ ]

air tram ; Air tram 3 ; Air tram 14 ; Amar , IKS , cargo management unit ( workbees ); Class F shuttlecraft ; Columbia , USS ; Conrad ; Constitution -class ; Constitution II -class ; Entente , USS ; Enterprise ( space shuttle orbiter ); Enterprise , USS (NCC-1701); Enterprise , USS (XCV-330); K't'inga -class ( Amar 's sister ships ); Laika ; life boat ; long range shuttle ; Merrimac , USS ; Revere , USS ; shuttlecraft ; starship ; Surak ; travel pod ( unnamed 1 , 2 ); travel pod 05 ; V'ger ; Voyager 6 ; Voyager series

Script references [ ]

aurora borealis ; command cruiser ; Dante ; engine pylon ; Grayson, Amanda ; heavy cruiser ; hydrogen cloud ; integrator ; lunar monitor relay ; nebula ; Sarek ; Saturn ; scrap metal compactor ; solar system ; Starfleet archives ; supernova ; transceiver ; United States Subdivision ; yellow alert

Other references [ ]

Rhaandarite

Further reading [ ]

• " Abel Neglex Trex Effex ", Jeffrey Kaye, New West magazine, 26 March 1979, pp. 58-63
• "Red alert on the Starship Enterprise", Peter H. Brown, Reader magazine, 23 November 1979, pp. 7, 20
• "STAR TREK The Motion Picture", Kay Anderson , Cinefantastique , Vol. 9 #3/4, December 1979, pp. 64-67
• "Star Trek's Enterprising Return", Gretchen McNeese, Playboy magazine, January 1980, pp. 138-144, 172, 308-310
• American Cinematographer , February 1980 – The Motion Picture theme issue
• "Into the V'Ger Maw with Douglas Trumbull", Don Shay, Cinefex , issue 1, March 1980, pp. 4-33
• "Greg Jein-Miniature Giant", Brad Munson, pp. 24-49
• "Star Trekking at Apogee with John Dykstra", Don Shay, pp. 50-72
• See also: Starlog magazine
• Chekov's Enterprise , February 1980
• The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , March 1980
• "Star Trek: The Emotional Picture", Chapter 4, Star Trek Movie Memories , August 1995, pp. 81-124
• "The Dream Fulfilled: STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE", Part Two-Chapter One, The Art of Star Trek , November 1995, pp. 153-200
• Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , March 1997
• Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 8 , December 2001 – The Motion Picture theme issue
• Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise , December 2012
• Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , December 2014
• The First Star Trek Movie , October 2019
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects , September 2020

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• Faces in the crowd – exhaustive list of fan extras compiled by Ian McLean
• " Star Trek: The Motion Picture " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "The Troubled Production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture " at Den Of Geek!
• "A troubled enterprise: How Star Trek: The Motion Picture flirted with disaster only to become a surprise smash" at The Independent
• Simon & Schuster and 40 Years of Star Trek Publishing at StarTrek.com

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Where to watch.

Watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Featuring a patchwork script and a dialogue-heavy storyline whose biggest villain is a cloud, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a less-than-auspicious debut for the franchise.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Robert Wise

William Shatner

Leonard Nimoy

Commander Spock

DeForest Kelley

Lt. Cmdr, Leonard H. 'Bones' McCoy, M.D.

Stephen Collins

Persis Khambatta

Lieutenant Ilia

Movie Clips

More like this, movie news & guides, this movie is featured in the following articles., critics reviews.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, star trek: the motion picture.

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Epic science-fiction stories, with their cosmic themes and fast truths about the nature of mankind, somehow work best when the actors are unknown to us. The presence of the Star Trek characters and actors who have become so familiar to us on television tends in a strange way to undermine this movie. The audience walks in with a possessive, even patronizing attitude toward Kirk and Spock and Bones, and that interferes with the creation of the "sense of wonder" that science fiction is all about.

Let's begin with the toy for the eyes. The Star Trek movie is fairly predictable in its plot. We more or less expected that two of the frequent ingredients in the television episodes would be here, and they are: a confrontation between Starship Enterprise and some sort of alien entity, and a conclusion in which basic human values are affirmed in a hostile universe. In "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", the alien entity is an unimaginably vast alien spaceship from somewhere out at the edge of the galaxy. The movie opens as it's discovered racing directly toward Earth, and it seems to be hostile. Where has it come from, and what does it want?

The Starship Enterprise, elaborately rebuilt, is assigned to go out to intercept it, with Admiral Kirk, of course, in charge. And scenes dealing with the Enterprise and the other ship will make up most of the movie if the special effects aren't good, the movie's not going to work. But they are good, as, indeed, they should be: The first special-effects team on this movie was fired, and the film's release was delayed a year while these new effects were devised and photographed. (The effects get better, by the way, as the movie progresses. The alien ship looks great but the spaceports and futuristic cities near the film's beginning loom fairly phony.)

The Enterprise, perhaps deliberately, looks a lot like other spaceships we've seen in " 2001: A Space Odyssey ," " Silent Running ," "Star Wars," and " Alien ." Kubrick's space odyssey set a visual style for the genre that still seems to be serviceable. But the look of the other spaceship in " Star Trek " is more awesome and original. It seems to reach indefinitely in all directions, the Enterprise is a mere speck inside of it, and the contents of the alien vessel include images of the stars and planets it has passed en route, as well as enormous rooms or spaces that seem to be states of a computer-mind. This is terrific stuff.

But now we get to the human level (or the half-human level, in the case of Mr. Spock). The characters in this movie are part of our cultural folklore; the Star Trek television episodes have been rerun time and time again. Trekkies may be unhappy with me for saying this, but there are ways in which our familiarity with the series works against the effectiveness of this movie. On the one hand we have incomprehensible alien forces and a plot that reaches out to the edge of the galaxy.

On the other hand, confronting these vast forces, we have television pop heroes. It's great to enjoy the in-jokes involving the relationships of the Enterprise crew members and it's great that Trekkies can pick up references meant for them, but the extreme familiarity of the Star Trek characters somehow tends to break the illusion in the big scenes involving the alien ship.

Such reservations aside, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is probably about as good as we could have expected. It lacks the dazzling brilliance and originality of 2001 (which was an extraordinary one-of-a-kind film). But on its own terms it's a very well-made piece of work, with an interesting premise. The alien spaceship turns out to come from a mechanical or computer civilization, one produced by artificial intelligence and yet poignantly "human" in the sense that it has come all this way to seek out the secrets of its own origins, as we might.

There is, I suspect, a sense in which you can be too sophisticated for your own good when you see a movie like this. Some of the early reviews seemed pretty blase, as if the critics didn't allow themselves to relish the film before racing out to pigeonhole it. My inclination, as I slid down in my seat and the stereo sound surrounded me, was to relax and let the movie give me a good time. I did and it did.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

132 minutes

Walter Koenig as Chekov

James Doohan as Scotty

William Shatner as Kirk

George Takei as Sulu

Leonard Nimoy as Spock

Directed by

• Robert Wise

Produced by

• Gene Roddenberry

Screenplay by

• Harold Livingston

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Star Trek Movies Ranked:How to Watch All the Best Trek Films Online

Ghezal Amiri

Official JustWatch writer

The Star Trek franchise has produced 13 feature films spanning over several decades. The original series, which aired in the 1960s, served as the foundation for the franchise's success. The first six films were released between 1979 and 1991 starring the original cast members. These films explored a range of themes, from political tensions to the struggle for personal identity and maintained the series' reputation for thought-provoking storytelling. In the late 1980s, the franchise saw a resurgence with the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The success of the TV series prompted the production of four subsequent films featuring the Next Gen crew. These films continued the franchise's legacy of tackling complex issues including the consequences of technological advancement and the ethics of leadership. However, the series saw a decline in critical reception and box office earnings towards the end of the 1990s.

JJ Abrams’ reboot of the Star Trek universe in 2009 was met with critical and financial success despite its more bombastic atmosphere which was not a common component of previous Star Trek entries. The film introduced a new cast with Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. It is presented in an alternate timeline which made its way for new interpretations of the franchise’s beloved characters. Two subsequent sequels were released with Into Darkness in 2013 and 2016’s Beyond. Here are the 13 Star Trek movies ranked and where you can find them.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan - brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth - has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation Starship and sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk... even if it means universal Armageddon.

Star Trek: First Contact

The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

It's the 23rd century, and a mysterious alien power is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In a frantic attempt to save mankind, Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien as anything they've ever encountered in the far reaches of the galaxy. A thrilling, action-packed Star Trek adventure!

Star Trek Beyond

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock's body.

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

Star Trek Into Darkness

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Star Trek: Insurrection

When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.

Star Trek: Generations

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

When a destructive space entity is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral Kirk resumes command of the Starship Enterprise in order to intercept, examine, and hopefully stop it.

Star Trek: Nemesis

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

The crew of the Federation starship Enterprise is called to Nimbus III, the Planet of Intergalactic Peace. They are to negotiate in a case of kidnapping only to find out that the kidnapper is a relative of Spock. This man is possessed by his life long search for the planet Sha Ka Ree which is supposed to be the source of all life. Together they begin to search for this mysterious planet.

pop culture

A guide to the 'star trek' movies in order.

Perhaps you've started watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and you're wondering where this whole thing (like the whole thing ) originated from. Maybe you're completely ingrained in the Star Trek universe but want to start all over from the beginning for the hundredth time. Whatever the case may be, you're currently reading this because you plan on watching or re-watching all of the Star Trek movies in order. No worries, we've got you all covered with everything you need to know before you get to it. When you're dealing with franchise that has been around many different decades and has had different iterations things can get a bit tricky.

We're going to break it down the best way we can.

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How Many Star Trek Movies Are There?

All-in-all, there are thirteen total films in the Star Trek franchise as of this writing. That's the simple version. Now we're really going to break it all down.

Star Trek "Original Series" Movies in Order:

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek "Next Generation" Movies in Order

• Star Trek Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek "Kelvin Timeline" Movies in Order aka the "New" Star Trek Movies in Order

• Star Trek (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

• Release Date: December 8, 1979
• Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nicholas
• Extra Recommended Viewing:  While it isn't required to watch Star Trek: The Original Series in its entirety before Star Trek: The Motion Picture , seasons one and two in particular can help prepare you for the overall pace of the movie and familiarize yourself with the characters as they are the ones that star in the film.

Ten years prior to the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the television series, Star Trek: The Original Series , was cancelled after three seasons. Despite the cancellation, Paramount Pictures had been lobbying for a feature film which originally began development in 1975, but was scrapped in 1977 for another television series that was to be titled Star Trek: Phase II . However, after the success of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounter of the Third Kind in 1977, plans for a feature film were put back into motion since that particular film showed that science-fiction movies could be successful.

Finally, after many years, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released on December 8, 1979, as we just mentioned, it featured the cast from the television series. Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise is called upon by the federation to help contain an object that is on a crash course with earth. This object is an alien cloud that is wreaking havoc on everything getting in it's way. Kirk uses his leadership expertise to intercept the cloud, which eventually leads to an alien attack.

We then find out that Voyager aka V'Ger,  a 20th-century Earth space probe previously believed lost in a black hole, was found by an alien race of living machines, learned all the information it could, returned home to report what they discovered, but that nobody knew how to respond to the findings. Some people believe that you can skip this film altogether, but if you want to say that you've watched every single Star Trek , you've gotta get it in.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

• Release Date: June 4, 1982
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Similar to the first film, nothing is required to be watched in order to understand the movie. However, if you want to get super nerdy, you can watch "Space Seed" (season 1, episode 22) from the television series as that's when Khan is originally introduced.

Despite the mixed reviews of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the follow-up Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released three years later on June 4, 1982. Many consider The Wrath of Khan to be the best Star Trek movie of all time, which makes for a fun debate amongst fans and movie critics. Adm. James T. Kirk and Capt. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are monitoring trainees at Starfleet Academy when they discover that another vessel from the United Federation of Planets is about to test the planet-creating Genesis Device, which leads to two of Kirk's officers being captured and a showdown.

The Wrath of Khan was a huge box office success, grossing $97 million at the box office along with positive reviews from critics.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

• Release Date: June 1, 1984
• Extra Recommended Viewing: For Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , you will need to watch The Wrath of Khan as this film is a continuation of the events that happened in that movie.

Fast forward two years later, Spock is dead. Or is he? Adm. James T. Kirk succeeded in defeating Khan, but that defeat apparently came with the cost of losing Spock. While investigating  the Genesis planet from aboard the science vessel  Grissom , they discover that Spock has been resurrected, but in the form of a child and that he has lost consciousness. The crew defies orders disables the USS  Excelsior , and steals the  Enterprise in the attempt to retrieve Spock's body. While The Search for Spock did gross $87 million at the box office (which in reality wasn't that much less than its predecessor), the film was still considered a "moderate" success compared The Wrath of Khan .

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

• Release Date: November 26, 1986
• Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nicholas, Catherine Hicks
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home completes the arc of The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock , so you will need to watch both in order to understand what's going on.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is another debate starter as it is frequently put up against The Wrath of Khan in terms of which one is better. In it, Adm. James T. Kirk and his crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve humpback whales — which is the key to communicating with a probe that's dangerously looking for somebody that understands it/them/whatever you want to call it. The plot is inexplicably corny 1980s, but you can't deny its charm as it pulled in $133 million worldwide at the box office, and received four Academy Award nominations for cinematography and sound.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

• Release Date: June 9, 1989
• Extra Recommended Viewing: No required viewing, but it is recommended that you watch the previous films.

Alright, we're going to save you the trouble here — the mark was missed with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . It has a case for being one of if not the worst Star Trek film of all time. That said, The Final Frontier centers around Sybok, the half brother of Spock, who hijacks the Enterprise in order to meet God, who he also believes is himself. Interesting. We're not going to say skip The Final Frontier completely, but we will say to have proper expectations before you watch.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

• Release Date: December 6, 1991
• Extra Recommended Viewing: While it's recommended you watch the previous films, it should be noted that some have started their Star Trek journey with The Undiscovered Country . You don't have to watch the television series to understand what's going on this film either.

Whenever Star Trek would take a step backward in terms of critical and commercial success, they would always follow it up with a stronger attempt. The Undiscovered Country is a whirlwind journey as Capt. Kirk and the USS Enterprise Crew are carrying Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to Earth as leverage for a peace treaty with the United Federation of Planets. Their ship gets confused for firing on a Klingon vessel, which kills Gorkon. This leads to Kirk and Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) being arrested for murder as it is thought to be a revenge attempt by Kirk for the Klingons murdering his son. Now it's all left up to Spock to save the day.

7. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

• Release Date: November 18, 1994
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, William Shatner
• Extra Recommended Viewing: It is our recommendation that you watch at least a few episodes of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series that ran from 1987 to 1994, as the movies are set at the end of series and preceded by the 1994 series finale "All Good Things."

And here begins The Next Generation era of Star Trek . While not as captivating as the prior films, the movie had its own strong points as the Starship Enterprise gets sent to a giant energy field on the verge of engulfing two ships that presumably kills Capt. Kirk. Fast forward several years later, Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) learns that one of the survivors, Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell), has big plans to enter the field by destroying a neighboring star, and must be stopped. While The Next Generation received mixed reviews, it did gross $118 million at the box office, so it was a good first start to the new generation.

8. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

• Release Date: November 22, 1996
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner
• Extra Recommended Viewing: "The Best of Both Worlds" (season 3, episode 26 and season 4, episode 1)

The story behind Star Trek: First Contact goes a little something like this — Paramount Pictures asked writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore to start working on the next film. Braga and Moore wanted to feature the Borg in the storyline, but Rick Berman, the producer, wanted the plot to focus on time travel. The solution? They decided to combine both ideas, pulling references from the two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds" from Star Trek: The Next Generation , which served as both a season finale for season 3, and a season premiere for season 4.

First Contact features the crew following a Borg ship and traveling back in time to prevent the Borg from taking over the Earth in a past era. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and a space travel guru (James Cromwell) are stuck trying to create the first time warp, whereas Capt. Picard and mdr. Data (Brent Spiner) are trying to battle the borg queen as she attempts to take over The Enterprise. Fun stuff.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

• Release Date: December 11, 1998
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Any episode from The Next Generation and the previous movies in The Next Generation series.

When a mission to planet Ba'ku gets disrupted by a malfunctioning android named Data (Brent Spiner) taking the cultural task force hostage, Capt. Picard and crew learn that the Federation mission was actually a ploy by the Son'a to remove the inhabitants of Ba'ku. There's also the romance between Troi and Riker that gets rekindled in the process. While some may argue other Star Trek films are more dynamic, we'd argue that Insurrection stands on its own two feet.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

• Release Date: December 13, 2002
• Starring: Patrick Stewart, Stuart Baird, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Tom Hardy
• Extra Recommended Viewing: You could watch the entire Next Generation series and all the prior films before tackling Nemesis , but it also works as a standalone.

The final film of The Next Generation series sees Capt. Picard diverting Enterprise's trip to Cmdr. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi's (Marina Sirtis) wedding in order to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romulans. Pre-Bane Tom Hardy takes on the role of Shinzon, the new Praetor of the Romulans, who needs Picard’s blood to survive. The only problem is Shiznon is also trying to destroy the entire Earth and take everyone down with him, so there's that.

11. Star Trek (2009)

• Release Date: May 7, 2009
• Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban
• Extra Recommended Viewing: The 2009 Star Trek essentially restarts the whole series. You can watch it without having seen any of the prior series or movies.

Back to the beginning we go! We get re-introduced to Kirk, Bones, Spock and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew as they are dealing with the villainous Romulan commander Nero (Eric Bana) who's kinda threatening all of mankind. It's up to Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and everybody else to defeat Nero before it's too late. Nothing too complicated here — just a simple plot to introduce newcomers to the franchise.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

• Release Date: May 16, 2013
• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek (2009)

Capt. Kirk gets removed from his commander position by violating the Prime Directive, Admiral Pike replaces him, Spock gets transferred to another ship, and that's just the beginning. Khan is back, but he's actually kind of... somewhat... nice, and Kirk and the rest of The Enterprise team set out to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction which leads to a life or death battle. Fun stuff again.

13. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

• Extra Recommended Viewing: Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

And this is where the Star Trek movies (emphasis on movies) leaves us in this era until Star Trek 4 which is currently in development. Star Trek Beyond was about The Enterprise being deceived by Krall (Idris Elba), a vicious enemy who gets his energy from sucking the life out of his victims. Long story short, Krall needs an artifact that's on The Enterprise ship, and Kirk and the crew have got to battle against him. The events of Star Trek Beyond effectively serve as a prequel to the 1960s series, so you can actually watch Star Trek: The Original Series after this.

The Star Trek Movies in Release Order:

Unlike other franchises or universes , the Star Trek movies in order of release date is actually exactly the same as the chronological order.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture - December 6th, 1979
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - June 4th, 1982
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock - June 1st, 1984
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - November 26th, 1986
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - June 9th, 1989
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - December 6th, 1991
• Star Trek: Generations - November 18th, 1994
• Star Trek: First Contact - November 22nd, 1996
• Star Trek: Insurrection - December 11th, 1998
• Star Trek: Nemesis - December 13th, 2002
• Star Trek - May 7th, 2009
• Star Trek Into Darkness - May 16th, 2013
• Star Trek Beyond - July 22nd, 2016

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Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

As a media phenomenon, "Star Trek" began on September 8, 1966 with the airing of "The Man Trap" (the sixth episode in production order, but the first aired). Originally, the show's writers, including creator Gene Roddenberry, used the concept of "stardates" to ensure the show's actual timeline was left vague; for several episodes, all audiences knew was that "Trek" was set in the future and that the future was a pretty keen place. It wouldn't be until the episode "The Naked Time" (seventh episode produced, fourth aired, first aired on September 29, 1966) that the Gregorian year would be mentioned out loud, and an actual timeline could begin to be constructed. 

Since then, "Star Trek" has extrapolated an extensive, centuries long timeline of events, often skipping merrily back and forth through the centuries, adding more and more to the franchises complex chronology. The chronology of "Star Trek" is so complicated that entire books have been published tracking the various shows' and films' events. Because of the constant production of new "Star Trek," these books became dated immediately. 

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " is set to debut on Paramount+ on May 5, and it is set immediately before the events of the original "Star Trek," making it the third "prequel" series to the original. To keep matters as clear as possible, here is a (very brief, by the standards of "Trek") rundown of "Star Trek" chronology from within its own canon. 

NOTE : This list will not necessarily include single episodes wherein characters go back in time, but give an overall timeframe for each individual film and TV show.

1986: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Although beginning and ending within the proper chronology of the "Star Trek" future, Leonard Nimoy's 1986 feature film " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home " is set largely in the earliest point in the franchise's timeline (again, excluding single time travel episodes of any given TV series, wherein Mark Twain, the 1950s, and other eras are regularly visited). In the film, the crew of the Enterprise must go back in time to rescue a pair of humpback whales from extinction in order to appease an enormous, inscrutable space monolith that has been draining future Earth of its oceans, looking for its own kind. 

The bulk of "Voyage Home" takes place in 1986, and the film gained a lot of critical and audience attention for its fish-out-of-water humor and light tone; the previous three films had been comparatively dour, downbeat, or cerebral.

2024: Star Trek: Picard (Season 2)

As of this writing, the second season of "Star Trek: Picard" is still being released weekly on Paramount+, so the ultimate conclusion of the story is as yet unknown. 

What is known is that the trickster god Q (John De Lancie), a playful villain from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," visited an elderly Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to warn him of a parallel universe. In this parallel universe, Earth is a genocidal conqueror race that has wiped out most life in the galaxy. Picard must travel back in time, paralleling the story of "Voyage Home" in order to stop the fascist timeline from starting. Thanks to the limited information they have, they travel to the year 2024, and the bulk of the season's action takes place there. 

A bit of a continuity error already: In previously mentioned "Trek" canon, the Eugenics Wars — the conflagration that wrought Khan from "Star Trek II" — should have already happened by 2024 (I believe the original date for the Eugenics Wars was 1997), but, in "Picard," they had clearly been delayed. One of the subplots of the second season of "Picard,' however, involves a malevolent genetic engineer, so it looks like the Eugenics Wars may finally be nigh.

2063: Star Trek: First Contact

Although never directly filmed, there are constant references throughout "Star Trek" to World War III, an event that left the entire planet devastated. Despite destitution and technological ruin, an inventor named Zefram Cochran managed to invent an engine that allowed humanity to travel faster than light. This technology, when being tested for the first time in the solar system, attracted the attention of some Vulcans who just happened to be passing by. This was the First Contact mentioned in the title of the 1996 film " Star Trek: First Contact ." 

In that film, the characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" travel back in time to foil a plot by a malevolent species of cyborgs called The Borg, and find themselves in the year A.D. 2063 where they could witness First Contact themselves. This was the event that essentially kicked off creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of a peaceful future. In meeting intelligent space aliens, a hobbled humanity learned that war was churlish, and that unity as a species was preferable in the face of a suddenly occupied cosmos. 

"First Contact" is essentially the "Star Trek" origin story.

2151 - 2155: Star Trek: Enterprise

After first talking to Vulcans, humans were eager to take to the stars and join the galactic community. The conceit of the 2001 TV series " Star Trek: Enterpris e" (originally just called "Enterprise") was that the Vulcans, seeing how illogical and roughhewn humanity still was, encouraged them to stay on Earth for nearly a century before actually taking to the stars. In that century, humanity rebuilt, formed a Starfleet, and constructed its very first long-mission starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise NX-01. The show is about the adventures of the very first humans in space, circa A.D. 2151.

"Enterprise" took place before a lot of established "Trek" tech had been invented. There were transporters, but they weren't entirely safe for use on humans. There were no shields around the ship. There were no food replicators, and the Enterprise required a galley. Most notably, there wasn't a Prime Directive yet, so a lot of mistakes are bound to be made. It wouldn't be until 2161 — according to ancillary revelations — that the Federation would be formed. 

2254: The Cage

The unused "Star Trek" pilot has probably gained more canonical traction than any other unused footage from any other work of filmed fiction. "The Cage" didn't air in its complete form until 1986, 20 years after its making. Previously, footage from "The Cage" was incorporated into a two-part "Star Trek" episode called "The Menagerie" (November of 1966). 

In the pilot, we first meet Capt. Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his ship the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. We were first introduced to Spock as well, although Spock would be the only character carried over into the second pilot that was eventually used. Majel Barrett played the Enterprise's first officer in "The Cage," and she would go on to play multiple other roles throughout "Star Trek," including Nurse Chapel, M'Ress, Lwaxana Troi, and the voice of the ship's computer. 

The events of "The Cage" would also be revisited in the second season of "Star Trek: Discovery."

2256 - 2258: Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 1 and 2)

Another cataclysm that had been mentioned multiple times throughout "Star Trek" was a war between the Klingons and the Federation. The first season of "Star Trek: Discovery," which debuted on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in November of 2017, dramatized those events explicitly, as seen through the eyes of the U.S.S. Discovery. This new ship was a science vessel that had figured out a way to tap into a galaxy-wide network of near-undetectable, microscopic spores into order to teleport anywhere in the galaxy instantaneously. 

After surviving the Klingon war, the Discovery teamed up with the U.S.S. Enterprise while it was still being captained by Christopher Pike (now played by Anson Mount), putting the events of "Discovery" immediately after the original pilot. There were a lot — and I mean a LOT — of narrative excuses as to why the high-tech Discovery (realized with late-2010s special effects) didn't match the boxier, monochromatic world of "The Cage." 

The show's writers also needed to come up with an organic reason why a ship that can teleport — a technology that would have fundamentally changed the world of "Star Trek" — was never mentioned in any of the "Trek" shows made from 1966 until 2017. As such, at the end of the second season of "Discovery," the ship was thrown almost 1,000 years into the future in order to outrun an insidious computer intelligence that would spread throughout the galaxy if knowledge of it was passed around. As such, the Discovery more or less deleted itself from existence. As panicked, narrative ass-saving measures go, it's a 7.

2258: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The appearance of Capt. Pike on "Discovery" was so well-received that Paramount+ elected to go back to the Enterprise, bring back the characters from "The Cage," lump in a few familiar faces from the 1966 "Star Trek," and make " Strange New Worlds ," a series that takes place only eight years prior to the events of the original TV series. 

"Strange New Worlds" brings back Anson Mount as Pike, as well as a young Spock, a very young Uhura, a young Nurse Chapel, one of Khan's ancestors, and Dr. M'Benga, who showed up in a few episodes if the 1966 show. It also, notably, will not have season-long story arcs, but a single-hour episodic structure, standing in contrast with most of the other Paramount+-era "Star Treks," with "Lower Decks" being the proud exception.

2258 (KELVIN): Star Trek (2009)

Thanks to "Star Trek," the notion of parallel universes is quite well-known to the public. Incidentally, it's been quite odd watching the films and TV shows in the Marvel universe slow-walk the notion of a multiverse over the course of multiple installments when we've already seen Spock with a goatee. 

Thanks to complicated studio politics, there was a split in Paramount in the mid-2000s, and the Paramount side of the schism — when wanting to make a new "Star Trek" feature film — was legally required to make something distinguishable from the TV shows. Enter J.J. Abrams and his 2009 feature film " Star Trek " which takes place at the same time as "Strange New Worlds," but in a parallel universe where the characters from the 1966 show now look like a new cast, the Enterprise looks brighter and sleeker, and everything is more intense and action-packed. 

This new timeline would be created when a villain went back in time interfered with James T. Kirk right when he was born.

2259 (KELVIN): Star Trek Into Darkness

Although taking place far before the events of 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," J.J. Abrams' " Star Trek Into Darkness " (2013) drew a lot of story parallels to the Nicholas Meyer film. Taking place almost immediately after the 2009 film, "Into Darkness" involved the character of Khan who, in the timeline of the 1966 series, wouldn't be resurrected from cryogenic sleep for a few years hence. In "Into Darkness," he was awakened early, became involved in a plot to smuggle other cryogenically frozen compatriots. 

Originally, the Eugenics Wars were meant to have started in the 1990s, but — as "Star Trek" persisted, and the '90s came and went in the real world — that timeline had to be altered several times. The timeline of the Eugenics Wars in "Into Darkness" are a little unclear. As we saw above in "Star Trek: Picard," we know that they'll now take place sometime after 2024.

2263 (KELVIN): Star Trek Beyond

In Justin Lin's " Star Trek Beyond " (2016), Kirk (Chris Pine) laments that his adventures have already become episodic. It's unusual that the 2009 film and the 2013 sequel are essentially origin stories about the young Kirk coming into his own, and "Beyond" skips ahead to the point where he's already tired of being on "Star Trek." We missed the actual "five year mission" part!

Another interesting wrinkle in "Beyond" is that it alludes to a time somewhere after "Star Trek: Enterprise": The evil Kroll (Idris Elba) was, in fact, a human captain named Edison who led his own starship in the "Enterprise" era. Before the film, he was mutated into an evil alien. "Beyond," in explicitly mentioning the Xindi wars and other events from "Enterprise," anchors the Kelvin films a little more solidly into the "Trek" timeline.

2265 - 2269: Star Trek

After "The Cage" was abandoned by Paramount, the studio and Gene Roddenberry reworked the show into the 1966 program we all know and love. As mentioned, Spock was the only character carried over from the original pilot, and "Star Trek" now featured William Shatner as Captain Kirk and a host of new characters besides. "Star Trek" began as a horror show — there are many monsters and scare moments in the first season — eventually tackling ethical issues in a sci-fi fantasy context. 

"Star Trek" ran for three seasons, ending its initial run on June 3, 1969. Thanks to the gods of syndication, "Star Trek" would remain in reruns for the following decade, building up interest, spawning Trek conventions, and allowing the show to grow into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

2269 - 2270: Star Trek: The Animated Series

In the opening credits of " Star Trek ," Shatner brazenly informed the audiences that the U.S.S. Enterprise was on a five-year mission. Given that the show was canned after only three years, there was more mission left to witness. In 1973, Roddenberry teamed up with Filmation to make an animated "Star Trek" series that would, by dint of its two seasons, ostensibly complete the five-year mission. Chekov (Walter Koenig) was absent from this show, but other unusual aliens took his place, including a cat woman named M'Ress and Mr. Aryx, a being with three arms. The animated format allowed for wilder ideas, aliens, and ships to be employed, and there are stories featuring flying serpents, aliens made of plants, an undersea episode, and a story with a 50-foot Spock. 

This 1973 version of "Star Trek," in only running 30 minutes per episode, cut out a lot of extraneous character moments from the traditional "Trek" structure, and got straight to the story. It's a far more efficient show than the 1966 program, and it has a passionate following of fans. 

2273: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The decade of syndication, "Trek" conventions, and the financial success of George Lucas' sci-fi serial epic " Star Wars " in 1977 led Paramount to start thinking about restarting "Star Trek" on TV. A project was put into production that was to be called "Star Trek Phase II," and would have reunited several familiar "Trek" characters as well as introduce some new ones. For various reasons, "Phase II" was abandoned and elements of it were transformed into what would become the 1979 theatrical release " Star Trek: The Motion Picture ."

If all you had prior to "The Motion Picture" was a failed, low-budget TV show and a little-regarded animated series, this movie would feel grand in ways that you couldn't previously imagine. A lot of time was devoted to the size of the Enterprise, the importance of the characters, and mind-bending notions about the unending vastness of the cosmos. Here was a "Star Trek" film that is often compared to 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Good gracious was it enormous. 

"The Motion Picture" was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but not so successful that Roddenberry was welcomed back. Remember that detail when we get to "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

2285: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

2285 was a significant year. In the events of Nicholas Meyer's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), a thawed out Khan — the version played by Ricardo Montalbán from the 1967 "Star Trek" episode "The Space Seed," not the version played by Benedict Cumberbatch in "Star Trek Into Darkness" — hijacked a starship called the U.S.S. Reliant and set out on a mission of revenge against Admiral Kirk. The good admiral, we find, had forgotten about a lot of irresponsible actions taken in his past and had to face them head on just as he was looking down the barrel of old age. "Star Trek II" didn't end well for Kirk or for Spock. In that film, Spock famously dies. 

Not wasting any time, however, Kirk and co. sprang back into action in Leonard Nimoy's " Star Trek III: The Search for Spock " (1984), which picks up immediately after "Khan" ended. Thanks to the fineries of Vulcan psychic powers, and a high tech radiation wave that can generate life out of nothing, Spock could potentially be resurrected, and Kirk hijacks the Enterprise in order to help a friend. In so doing, Kirk destroys the ship, rouses the ire of some Klingons, loses his son (killed by said Klingons), and possibly destroys his career in Starfleet. Oops. 

Perhaps one of the reasons "Star Trek IV" (which began in 2286) was so popular was that it was the first "Trek" film to end on a wholly positive note. 

2287: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Often cited as the worst of the "Trek" movies, William Shatner's "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989) starts with a promising concept, but was undone by a bad script hastily written during a strike, and a repeatedly cut FX budget. The film ultimately feels flimsy and ill-considered, not able to truly confront the interesting ideas it brings up. Shatner has apologized for the poor quality of his film, which was fraught with production troubles.

In "Frontier," a newly-built Enterprise is hijacked by Spock's half-brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), who is leading a cult of brainwashed followers, freed from pain by their leader's psychic powers. He seeks a mysterious planet at the center of the galaxy where he believes God physically lives. The final frontier of the title is not space, but the soul, religion, or spirituality. Many "Trek" purists will point out that seeking the center of the galaxy, and finding a deity there, is similar to an Animated Series episode called "The Magicks of Megas-Tu," wherein Kirk found the planet at the center of the galaxy is actually home to Satan. 

Note : "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" is far better than "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

2293: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Made after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nicholas Meyer's " Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country " (1991) was very clearly a metaphor for the end of the Cold War. In it, the Klingon Empire is crippled by the accidental explosion of one of their moons, leaving the entire government requiring Federation help. "Country" is about how difficult it is to give up being enemies, especially when so much of one's identity is tied in with hate. There's an assassination, a investigation, a trial, a prison break ... It's one of the best "Trek" movies. 

One might glean from the title of the previous film in the series that the entire Kirk era was meant to end with "The Final Frontier." One might also glean that the poor reception and bad box office of "Final Frontier" led to one last go 'round. Fans may be relieved that the final feature film in the Kirk era was actually, y'know, a good one.

2364 - 2370: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Throughout the 1970s, Gene Roddenberry made tours on the convention circuit, talking about his vision for "Star Trek," and interacting with fans who were inspired by the peace, diplomacy, and calm that "Star Trek" has written into its DNA. Looking back over the 1966 show, notions of optimism and diplomacy are present, but they are mixed in with a lot of violence, sexism, and other now-backward ideas. After Roddenberry was essentially barred from involvement on the "Star Trek" feature films, he decided to make a purer, better version of his old show, set another 80 years in the future, and even more devoted to intelligence and diplomacy than ever before. Hence, 1987's " Star Trek: The Next Generation ." 

Taking place on a new ship, the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, and featuring an all new cast, the update of "Star Trek" started a little clumsily, but eventually found its stride to become the best "Star Trek" has offered to date. The tech was more convincing than it ever was, and it featured professional, adult characters who deal with crises with stiff upper lips. More so, it more frequently addressed questions about the meaning of life that humanity will always, it seems, wrestle with.

"Next Generation" last for seven full seasons, and its characters ended up occupying just as large a place in the pop consciousness as the characters from the 1966 TV series. 

Yes, "Next Generation" went back in time several times.

In terms of chronology, "Next Generation" overlapped with...

2369 - 2375: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

" Deep Space Nine " (1993 – 1999) was an unusual animal in many ways. It was the first time two "Star Trek" shows would run concurrently, and would take place over the same time frame (Picard from "Next Generation" appeared in the show's pilot). It was not about trekking at all, as it took place aboard a space station. It was also not set in the world of the Federation, often revolving alien species who were not offered protection from the organization. It was a show of healing and animosity. Of war and death. It started with an ensemble of seven or eight people, and eventually expanded to include about 30 main characters. "Deep Space Nine" is "Star Trek" via a Russian historical novel. 

When taken as a unit, "Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine," both excellent in their own rights, become a complementary mass that is greater than their sum. The strength of diplomacy vs. its breakdown. The avoidance of war vs. the involvement in it. The absence of fascism vs. its inevitable regrowth. 

Yes, "Deep Space Nine" went back in time several times. 

"Deep Space Nine's" chronology would overlap with "Star Trek: Voyager," as well as with...

2371: Star Trek: Generations

The 1994 feature film " Star Trek: Generations " was a strange excursion. Although "Next Generation" had already run for seven years, "Generations" was still insistent on "passing the torch" from Kirk to Picard, and it bent over backwards to create the means by which Kirk and Picard, separated by 87 years of history, could meet face-to-face. It was the fan crossover no Trekkie wanted. As such, "Generations" is a flimsy affair, speeding through a ridiculous plot about a mobile temporal nexus that serves as Heaven for the people it scoops up along its path. 

Trekkies were even-headed enough to realize that Kirk and Picard weren't meant to meet, and that "Next Generation" was its own entity. The decision to aggressively tie the two shows even more closely together was just baffling. 

Notable too: The Enterprise-D was destroyed in "Generations," and would be replaced by a big ol' ugly thing for three additional feature films.

2371 - 2378: Star Trek: Voyager

" Star Trek: Voyager " debuted in 1995 and ran concurrently with "Deep Space Nine" both on television and within the chronology of "Star Trek." To cleverly avoid any interference between the two shows, however — "Deep Space Nine" would eventually become embroiled in a galaxy-spanning war — "Voyager" was given a "Lost in Space"-style premise wherein the title ship was thrown all the way across the galaxy to a portion of space that has never been explored by Starfleet, and could otherwise only be reached by 70 years of space travel. 

While the premise would perhaps lead a viewer to believe that "Voyager" was going to be about resource allocation and survival, it quickly became more about the Borg, a character played by actress Jeri Ryan, and Captain Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) steady slide into autocracy. 

"Voyager" struggled with ratings for years, but still managed to last seven seasons like "Next Gen" and "Deep Space" before it. The final episode of "Voyager," a time travel story called " Endgame ," would air in March of 2001.

2375: Star Trek: Insurrection

While "Voyager" and "Deep Space Nine" were running concurrently on television, the "Next Generation" crew were yukking it up in the overwhelmingly mediocre 1998 Jonathan Frakes film " Star Trek: Insurrection ." Like "The Final Frontier," "Insurrection" can be seen straining against the limits of its budget, with bad CGI, bland costumes, and locations clearly found in the California mountains. The cheapness of "Star Trek" has often served as a boon for its story, forcing writers to insert interesting and challenging ideas into their plywood sets. "Insurrection" has no such ideas, asking the ethical question of forced relocation, but never feeling threatening, and offering a magical curative radiation that would require study and collection. 

Although one can admit this: "Insurrection" captures the tone of the "Next Generation" TV series far better than any of the other movies in this part of the series. It's a pity, though, that after the grand finale of "Next Generation," we find ourselves with suck lackluster films. 

Speaking of lackluster films ...

2379: Star Trek: Nemesis

Released in 2002, Stuart Baird's " Star Trek: Nemesis " was poised to be the final gasp for "Star Trek." "Enterprise" was already taking the franchise in a new direction, and the "NextGen" cast was clearly too tired to handle a continued barrage of poorly planned action movies, and thrillers that didn't resemble the show they were inspired by. "Nemesis" is dark and action-packed and violent and takes a lot of structural cues from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." 

In it, Tom Hardy plays a character named Shinzon who is, in fact, a clone of Captain Picard, grown in a Romulan lab, and eventually discarded into a Romulan mine. Shinzon escaped the mine, built an army, and is poised to take a giant death ship into Federation space to revenge all over people. "Nemesis" is also the film in which Data (Brent Spiner) dies, and Captain Picard drives a dune buggy. 

The sentiment of the time was reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's " The Hollow Men ." This is the way "Next Gen" ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Worry not. There will be further whimpers for the NextGen crew.

2380 - ?: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Named after a seventh season episode of "Next Generation," and taking place in line with the end of "Nemesis" and "Voyager," " Star Trek: Lower Decks " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020 as part of a slew of "Star Trek"-related indicia that the company was desperate to exploit. And while the all-your-eggs-in-one basket approach to TV production affected by Paramount led to stinkers like "Discovery" and "Picard," it did lead to this surprisingly good animated program. 

One of the more appealing aspects of "Star Trek" is that it's essentially a series of workplace shows. The characters are typically vocation-forward, and take their duty to their ship very seriously. Where a "Star Trek" character works speaks powerfully to who they are. "Lower Decks" follows the people who have the worst possible jobs on a Starfleet vessel, often tasked with cleaning holodecks, sanitizing floors, and arranging widgets for the senior staff. It's rough going for ensigns. They sleep in the hallway and are typically not deemed important enough to include on more exciting missions. What's more, the central ship on "Lower Decks" is a tiny, crappy ship with substandard tech. Surely such jobs would exist in "Star Trek." 

"Lower Decks" is eager to make "Trek" references, and is clearly made by people who understand "Trek's" ethos, but who still have a raunchy sense of humor. The future is here. And it's still crappy for those on the bottom. 

2383: Star Trek: Prodigy

Produced under the auspices of Nickelodeon, " Star Trek: Prodigy " (2021) was the first Trek series to be made explicitly with a younger audience in mind. The series follows a ragtag group of alien youths as they flee a prison mine and discover an abandoned Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Protostar. On board is an instructional hologram of Captain Janeway from "Voyager," and she teaches the kids how to behave like Starfleet officers, the importance of duty and compassion, and how their trauma does not define them. The design and the creatures are more reminiscent of "Star Wars" than "Star Trek" (the series features an evil emperor and his powerful masked servant, invoking the Emperor and Darth Vader), but it certainly functions as a generic space adventure. The "Star Trek" stuff is mere window dressing. 

It's almost disappointing to include "Prodigy" on this timeline, as one of the show's central mysteries — at least for the first part of its first season, the only part to have aired as of this writing — is when and where it takes place. It was possible that "Prodigy" took place centuries or even millennia beyond the known Trek universe. The last we saw, however, the real Captain Janeway is still alive, giving "Prodigy" a known place in Trek chronology. 

2399: Star Trek: Picard (Season 1)

After nearly 20 years of a world without Picard, Paramount+ convinced Patrick Stewart to reprise his role in a new show named for him. " Star Trek: Picard " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020, taking place further in the future than any other Trek show to date. In the timeline of "Picard," the Federation had become soured by xenophobia and openly discouraged the evacuation of Romulus, historically an enemy world, but now in dire straits after their sun went supernova (something something J.J. Abrams). Picard had left Starfleet in disgust, and had now retired to his winery. 

The story of the first season is too convoluted to get into here, needless to say it involved a Romulan secret society, a planet of androids, a reclaimed Borg cube, and a robot Cthulhu. I'm not kidding. 

It's a pity that "Picard" did not roll with its future setting more, establishing new tech or positive sea changes in the "Trek" universe. Instead, everything is devoted to a chewy, awful story about androids. Indeed, by the end, Picard himself would have his consciousness shunted into an android body. What a snore.

3188 - 3190: Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 3 and 4)

When last we saw the U.S.S. Discovery, it was being pulled through a time hole into the distant future. In the third and fourth seasons , Discovery's crew learns that they are stranded 930 years from home, and now must rediscover their function as Starfleet officers after the Federation went into hiding. A galaxy-wide disaster — The Burn — spontaneously destroyed millions of starships, and a fierce new criminal enterprise, The Emerald Syndicate, now rules the galaxy.

The 23rd-century ship now has to learn how to use 32nd-century technology. The Discovery was redesigned, and the new mission became to spread diplomacy in a galaxy unready for it. This is the premise, it seems, that Discovery should have started with two years prior. The writing is still rather weak, and the characters are callow and weepy, but "Discovery" does excel in one notable way: Queer representation. Seven of the main cast members are openly queer. After 55 years of a dodgy relationship with queerness, "Discovery" finally nailed it.

I just wish it were a better show.

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Published Dec 7, 2021

Discovering the First Star Trek Movie, the Second Time Around

How one fan's journey into Star Trek's past resulted in a new appreciation for its present.

StarTrek.com

This article was originally published on December 5th, 2019.

After my first work of scholarly sparkliness, Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016 , was published in March 2017, an old itch returned: a desire to write a book about Robert Wise's Star Trek —The Motion Picture . (No, not Star Trek: The Motion Picture . I’ll get to that.)

The next book I was under contract to write was about the history of film credits, a seemingly banal subject which had fascinated me ever since I watched Robert Altman's M*A*S*H on VHS for the umpteenth time as an 8 year-old in 1981. Aside from the occasional age-appropriate Peanuts movie or Michael Schultz's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , the only tape I asked my parents to rent from our neighborhood video store more than the M*A*S*H movie was the first Star Trek movie. This was the theatrical cut, mind you, two years before the Special Longer Version and two decades before the Director’s Edition .

In 2014, I began but never completed a proposal about Star Trek—The Motion Picture for the BFI Film Classics series, knowing damn well that nobody but me considered it a classic. But in 2017, my publisher proved willing to push back the deadline of the screen credits book and allow me to scratch that old itch, and it was published in October 2019 as The First Star Trek Movie: Bringing the Franchise to the Big Screen, 1969-1980 .

I decided to tell the story of Star Trek ’s resurrection from the ground up using primary sources, meaning that with very few exceptions The First Star Trek Movie is based on the facts as they were recorded at the time, not how they were remembered offhand decades later. As existing books go, this meant “yay” to using Preston Neal Jones’ 2014 oral history Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , since the interviews were conducted by Jones with people who worked on the film from mid-1979 through early 1980.

This also meant “nay” to Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman’s The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years , because the timeframe of a given quote is unknown, and the book is full of secondhand rumors and anecdotes. Don’t get me wrong, The Fifty-Year Mission is a great read if you enjoy Trek -related snark and acrimonious axe-grinding — and don’t we all? — but as a history book? Not so much.

The majority of The First Star Trek Movie ’s sources turned out to be digitized periodicals from the 1970s such as Variety , Starlog , non-fiction fanzines , and countless local newspapers . I must also give a shout-out to Star Trektennial News , the newsletter edited by Gene Roddenberry’s right-hand woman (and my own personal hero) Susan Sackett for twelve issues from 1976 through 1977. It’s the second-best $40 I’ve ever spent on eBay!

My journey through Trek ’s past coincided with an unexpected renaissance in the present, beginning with Justin Lin’s 2016 Star Trek Beyond . Rewatching The Motion Picture was the first time since the Voyager finale that I’d watched something which felt like Star Trek , and since I’ve always considered the third film of the original movies to be the first to get Star Trek right, I hoped it meant history was repeating itself. While it didn’t end up tantalizing me in the way I’d expected, Rihanna’s “Sledgehammer” was my jam that summer (with all due respect to Beyoncé’s “All Night” ), and the poster which paid homage to The Motion Picture was a nice touch.

Excited to take home this #LimitedEdition poster #StarTrek #StarTekBeyond #StarTrekFan pic.twitter.com/z8q1qFaVf3

By halfway through the first season of Discovery in November 2017, the impossible had happened: Star Trek wanted me to like it again! The First Star Trek Movie is full of Discovery references as a result (for all things on the mycelial network are connected) and in an act of unmitigated gall I refer to myself in the book as “this wayward Burnham.” (But Worf admires gall, so that’s okay.)

Something I noticed early on during my research was that Paramount’s official title for the film was not Star Trek: The Motion Picture with a colon, but Star Trek—The Motion Picture with an em-dash, as demonstrated in this college of 1979 press materials. It was little things like this which made me realize how much of the true story has been forgotten.

Star Wars and Jaws are often considered the beginning of the blockbuster era, but after researching and writing The First Star Trek Movie , I now believe it truly kicked off with the release of The Motion Picture .

It’s well-known that the unalterable December 7, 1979 release date resulted in a rushed post-production period and what can be charitably described as the “uneven” final product. What is less discussed is that the product which premiered that day across the United States and Canada did not unspool in American states which had passed anti blind-bidding legislation. I didn’t have space to properly discuss the mess that is ‘ Blind-Bidding ’ (selling multiple films from the same studio, often unseen by the theatre owners, to a single theatre as a unit, outlawed via supreme court decision in the 1930s) in The First Star Trek Movie , let alone here, but what matters for our purposes is that the movie did not open in Alabama, Ohio, Louisiana, South Carolina, or Virginia until December 21. Further, I’ve found no evidence that it opened in Alaska, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or West Virginia at all in 1979.

This means that of the 850-odd prints which opened on Pearl Harbor Day, at least 13 of them were in Canada, and the rest were spread out among 39 American states in mostly single-screen theaters. That doesn’t sound like much now, but this sort of massive nationwide, same-day release for a movie based on long-canceled television show was big news.

Part of what made the film news irresistible was that Star Trek fans were a source of near-morbid curiosity in 1979, often discussed in terms reserved for religious cults. It had been a little over a year since the Jonestown tragedy ; Gene Roddenberry had said “I'm not a guru and I don't want to be” in a 1976 AP article about “the near-fanatical cult that continues to follow the series”; and as seen in Amy Rose and Ryan Estrada’s wonderful comic “ My First Contact: Connected to the Truth ” on this very site, at least one capital-C Cult really did form around the franchise.

The point is, if The Motion Picture had been just a huge day-and-date release, or if it was just a film based on a television show which conventional wisdom said was only enjoyed by children and weirdos, it might not have gotten so much coverage. In my research, I found about 45 locally-sourced articles about the film’s opening from newspapers in 18 different states. For example, there were articles in five different papers in New Jersey, another five in Minnesota, four in New York state, three each in California, Kentucky, Florida, and so on.

I’m glad local newspapers were on the job, because many of them printed pictures of the lines, and those images of fans standing outside movie theaters from forty years ago this week fill me with joy. Again, lines outside of movie theaters for big premieres were nothing new in 1979.  There was media coverage of such things as recently as the unexpected hit Star Wars in 1977 , but it had more often been for expected-hit pictures such as Robert Wise’s own The Sound of Music in 1965 , Mary Poppins in 1964 , The Ten Commandments in 1956 , and at least as far as back as The Wizard of Oz in 1939 .

Those crowds tended to be red-carpet affairs in major markets, however. But, Battle Creek, Michigan, was not a major market.

Nor was East Lansing, Michigan, where the long-shuttered Campus Theater has my undying respect for putting Nichelle Nichols on the marquee where she belongs.

There were lines in Binghamton, New York…

…and Poughkeepsie, too.

In Santa Maria, California, the audience didn’t have to worry about whether the film would have the Original Crew—and, hey, someone brought an Omicron Ceti III spore plant ! That’s very neighborly.

Ponder your cosmic insignificance outside the monolithic, neon-lit Showcase Cinemas in Louisville, Kentucky, where some people were turned away due to lack of seating.

The first showing at the Paramount Theater in St. Cloud, Minnesota, was at 7 p.m., but which time the temperature was below 20F . As a lifelong Californian, I cannot even imagine.

The biomass often got closer to its Schwarzschild Radius once inside, such as these lines in the Southtown Theater in Minneapolis…

…or the West Mall Theater in Sioux Falls, South Dakota…

…or this claustrophobia-inducing huddle at the Somerville Circle Theater in Somerville, New Jersey, in front a lobby standee which makes the Original Crew look like Your Action News Team. This is the joy of primary-source research: I had no idea these existed until I started scouring newspapers.

A closer look at one of those lobby standees at the nearby Cherry Hill Cinema. I always imagine Walter Koenig saying, “Really? That’s the picture you went with?”

If I could hop through the Guardian of Forever to attend any of these premieres, it would be Miami. First of all, unlike most of the rest of the country, the weather didn’t suck . Secondly, I so want to attend the Star Trek Party at the Longshot disco in Hialeah that night.

Sealing the deal is the picture from the party run in the Miami News .

The headline “Trekkies in their Glory” was probably sarcastic, but it all looks like so much fun, y’know? On the one hand, I have no truck with long lines and packed theaters; as I write this I’ve already reserved my favorite seat at my favorite theater for the 9 a.m. showing of The Rise of Skywalker on Christmas morning, which I’m hoping will be relatively under-attended. On the other hand, my brother and I camped out overnight for the premieres of the fifth and sixth Star Trek movies in 1989 and 1992 as an excuse to hang out with dozens of other fans, and the process of writing The First Star Trek Movie has brought back that old familiar glow.

Sherilyn Connelly (she/her) is a writer and a youth librarian from San Francisco, and was the head film critic for SF Weekly from 2013 through 2019. She's on Twitter at @sherilyn, and her books Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016 and The First Star Trek Movie: Bringing the Franchise to the Big Screen, 1969-1980 would have had even lengthier titles if she could have gotten away with it.

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How to watch the star trek movies and tv shows in order.

The universe is composed of 13 films and eight TV shows. Here's how to watch them all.

Key Takeaways

• Explore the Star Trek universe by watching the franchise in chronological order, based on stardates.
• The original Star Trek timeline includes the TV show Enterprise and the first two seasons of Discovery.
• The original series, The Animated Series, and the first Star Trek movie are important parts of the franchise's origins.

With the Star Trek franchise rapidly expanding on Paramount+ , now is the perfect time to boldly go explore the Star Trek Universe.

The universe is composed of 13 films and nine TV shows. Now, it'd be easy enough to watch them all in the order they premiered, but if you prefer to watch everything chronologically (when the events take place), we've compiled an ultimate viewing guide for you. Below, you'll find the entire franchise organized by stardates. It starts with the oldest event in the original Star Trek timeline.

Speaking of timelines, there are two in Star Trek: The original, which includes nearly all the films and TV shows; and Kelvin, an alternative timeline that kicked off with the latest three reboot films. To better understand what we're talking about, please read the guide below. Those of you who want to proceed spoiler-free, however, can scroll all the way to the bottom for the list version of this guide.

Also at the bottom, we've included another spoiler-free list. It's structured by order of release - or when each film and TV show premiered.

How to watch every Marvel movie and TV show in chronological order

The original star trek timeline.

The thing to remember about this order is that it is chronological - based entirely on the stardate time system in the Star Trek franchise. Think of stardates as years. In that case, the order below starts with the oldest events in the Star Trek Universe - but it excludes the Kelvin timeline films.

There are spoilers below.

1 Star Trek: E nterprise

The first to boldly go where no man has gone before, star trek: enterprise.

Stardate: 2151 to 2156

Enterprise follows the adventures of one of the first starships to explore deep space in the Star Trek Universe.

Set right before the founding of the Federation of Planets (and about 100 years before the original Star Trek series), Star Trek: Enterprise is a TV show that follows the adventures of Captain Jack Archer, played by Scott Bakula, and the Starship Enterprise crew. This ship is the first Federation vessel to have Warp 5 capabilities, allowing its crew to be among the first deep-space explorers.

The series introduces many of the different alien species important to the Star Trek Universe, such as the Vulcans and Klingons. It also begins to lay the groundwork for the Federation of Planets, in the fourth and final season.

2 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2

Discover a new type of starship, set ten years before the original series, star trek: discovery.

Stardate: 2256

The first two seasons of Discovery is set ten years before the original series as the crew of the titular ship tests an impressive new warp drive.

Star Trek: Discovery follows Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, the first officer aboard the USS Shenzhou before she is found guilty of mutineering. However, with the Federation at war with the Klingons, the captain of the new Discovery ship, Gabriel Lorca, played by Jason Isaacs, enlists Burnham to help get the ship’s experimental warp drive properly working.

Discovery's early setting in the Star Trek universe was changed with a leap through time at the end of season two, which is why we're placing the recently released third season elsewhere on our list.

3 Star Trek: Strange New World

A direct prequel to the original series., star trek: strange new worlds.

Stardate: 2258

Strange New Worlds follows the early adventures of the Starship Enterprise, before Kirk became its captain.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike.

Pike will be a familiar name to Star Trek fans, as Pike is the man who commanded the starship Enterprise before Captain Kirk. The series follows Pike doing just that, in his final five-year mission as captain of the Enterprise before he becomes Fleet Captain and hands the reigns to Captain Kirk.

This being a prequel to the original Star Trek series, there are also other recognizable names, with Ethan Peck playing Spock and Celia Rose-Gooding as Uhara. A third season is currently in production.

4 Star Trek: The Original Series

Where it all began, star trek: the original series.

Stardate: 2266 to 2269

The original Star Trek series follows Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew as they boldly go where no man has gone before.

This is the original Star Trek TV show. It began airing in 1966 and primarily follows the crew of the USS Enterprise, starting with them embarking on a five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before”.

The series introduces William Shatner’s Captain James T Kirk and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, too.

It also gives us the basis for the universe that makes Star Trek so successful, from introducing numerous alien species like the Vulcans and Klingons to showing us the inner workings of the Federation of Planets. The origins of the Star Trek Universe wouldn’t exist without it.

5 *Optional* Star Trek: The Animated Series

Continue the journey with the original crew, star trek: animated.

Stardate: 2269 to 2270

Continue the adventures of the original series in this animated version that sees most of the cast return to voice their characters.

After The Original Series ended, it quickly became a cult classic. Creator Gene Roddenberry then began work on an animated series that saw most of the original cast provide voice work for the animated versions of their characters. The show essentially functions as the fourth season of the original series, with the original characters navigating unexplored sections of space.

However, it was eliminated from canon by Roddenberry himself, when the rights were renegotiated following the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. So, if you want to consume every drop of Star Trek content, add this to your list.

6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The first star trek movie, star trek: the motion picture.

Stardate: 2273

Captain Kirk, his crew, and a newly remodeled Enterprise head out to investigate an alien entity known as V'ger.

This is the first feature film in the Star Trek Universe. It sees Captain James T Kirk retake the helm of a renovated USS Enterprise to investigate a mysterious cloud of energy that is moving toward Earth. The energy cloud destroys a Federation monitoring station, as well as three Klingon ships, but before Kirk is able to engage it, he must learn to operate an unfamiliar USS Enterprise.

7 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Star trek: the wrath of khan.

Stardate: 2285

The crew of the Enterprise faces off against it's most fearsome adversary, Khan.

The second Star Trek movie is perhaps the most successful entry in the franchise. It sees Captain James T Kirk taking command of a USS Enterprise staffed with untested trainees in order to track down the adversary Khan Noonien Singh and his genetically engineered super soldiers.

In the process of escaping a planet that Kirk trapped him on, Khan learns of a secret device known as Genesis, capable of re-organizing matter to terraform (make them habitable) planets. Khan tries to steal the device, but, of course, Kirk will do all he can to stop him.

8 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The crew of the enterprise try to resurrect spock, star trek iii: the search for spock.

Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise set out on a mission to recover Spock's body and bring him back to life.

Following their battle with Khan, the crew of the USS Enterprise returns home to Earth in this third feature film.

Once there, Leonard H “Bones” McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, begins to act strangely, leading to him being detained. Captain James T Kirk, with the help of Spock’s father, Sarek, played by Mark Lenard, then learns that Spock transferred his Katra into McCoy before dying.

If nothing is done, McCoy will die from carrying Spock’s Katra. So, the crew of the USS Enterprise go back to the site of their battle with Khan - in the hopes of retrieving Spock’s body. To top it all off, they must battle with the Klingon Kruge, played by Christopher Lloyd, over control of the Genesis Device. The Search for Spock is also directed by Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy.

9 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Earth is in danger and the only hope is humpback whales, star trek iv: the voyage home.

Stardate: 2286

The Enterprise travels back in time to 1986 and has to untangle a mystery involving humpback whales and an alien probe.

In this film, a mysterious ship begins orbiting Earth and destroys the planet's power grid. It emits strange noises, too, and the newly resurrected Spock realizes the sound is similar to the now-extinct humpback whale. Believing the strange ship is expecting to hear back the song of humpback whales, the crew goes around the Sun and travels back in time to 1986 to get a humpback whale.

Nimoy returned to direct this film, as well.

10 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

The enterprise crew must face off with spock's brother, sybok, star trek v: the final frontier.

Stardate: 2287

The Enterprise heads out on a mission to rescue hostages from the planet Nimbus 3.

After finishing a mission, Kirk, Spock, and Bones are enjoying a camping trip in Yosemite in this film when they are ordered to rescue hostages on the planet Nimbus III. But, once arriving on the planet, the crew realizes Spock’s half-brother, Sybok, is responsible for taking the hostages in order to lure a starship, with the hopes of reaching the mythical planet Sha Ka Ree and meeting a God.

Sybok realizes he’ll need Kirk’s expertise to navigate through the barrier at the centre of the Milky Way that leads to this mythical planet. Along the way, the Klingon Kraa decides to hunt Kirk. The Final Frontier is also the only Star Trek film directed by William Shatner.

11 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The final film starring the original series cast, star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

Stardate: 2293

After being framed for a political assassination, Kirk and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise must unravel the conspiracy to avoid war with the Klingon Empire.

In the final film of this series, we see the Klingon homeworld nearly destroyed, leading the hostile empire to engage in peace talks with the Federation. Captain James T Kirk is assigned to escort the Klingon ambassador, but is instead blamed when assassins beam aboard the Ambassador’s ship and kill him. The Klingons then sentence Kirk and McCoy to life imprisonment on a frozen asteroid.

At that point, Spock and the rest of the crew must find the true culprits behind the attack of the Klingon ship and rescue Kirk and Bones.

12 Star Trek: The Next Generation

The next generation takes over the uss enterprise, star trek: the next generation.

Stardate: 2364 to 2370

A new crew takes over the Enterprise and heads out on a five-year mission to explore the unknown.

Set 71 years after the USS Enterprise’s last mission with Captain James T Kirk at the helm, The Next Generation introduces us to a new USS Enterprise staffed with the next generation of Starfleet officers, led by Captain Jean Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart).

This TV series also shows us new species of aliens, the Cardassians and the Borgs, which replace the now-friendlier Klingons as the Federation’s primary adversaries.

The Next Generation ran for seven seasons and featured a couple of cameos from The Original Series, like Spock and Bones, among others.

13 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Everyday life in the deepest reaches of space, star trek: deep space nine.

Stardate: 2369 to 2375

Set on a stationary space station instead of an exploring starship, Deep Space Nine explores what life in space is like after the exploring part is done.

This TV show overlaps with the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It focuses on the former Cardassian space station, a backwood outpost that the Federation now controls and has ordered a Starfleet crew to run, with Avery Brook’s Benjamin Sisko as the commanding officer.

It's not about a starship exploring the unknown, but rather the trade disputes and political manoeuvring surrounding a crucial military hub.

14 Star Trek Generations

The two enterprise crews unite to take on a force with the power to destroy stars, star trek: generations.

Stardate: 2371

The first Star Trek film to feature the Next Generation crew also brought back the Enterprise crew from the original series.

Star Trek Generations is the first film to feature the crew of The Next Generation while also starring some of The Original Series cast.

The plot primarily centres around an El-Aurian, named Dr Tolian Soran (played by Malcolm McDowell), as well as an energy ribbon known as the Nexus.

You see, in 2293, Soran is rescued from the Energy Ribbon by a retired Captain James T Kirk, who is attending a maiden voyage of a new USS Enterprise. Then, in 2371, while answering a distress call, Captain Jean Luc Picard finds Soran - and he has a weapon capable of destroying stars.

15 Star Trek: Voyager

A federation starship stranded in uncharted space, star trek voyager.

Stardate: 2371 to 2378

Follow a Captain Janeway and her crew of the USS Voyager as they attempt to find their way home after being stranded in space.

After leaving Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in search of a group of Maquis rebels, the Starship Voyager, led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), is captured by an energy wave that sends it - and a ship of Maquis rebels - into the middle of the unexplored Delta Quadrant. With both ships damaged and far from home, the crews agree to join forces and begin a 75-year journey back to Earth.

16 Star Trek: First Contact

The crew of the enterprise travels back before the first warp drive was used, star trek: first contact.

Stardate: 2373

The Enterprise must travel back in time to prevent a Borg ship from assimilating all of Earth.

In this film, the USS Enterprise tries to help defeat a Borg Cube attacking Earth, with Captain Jean Luc Picard assuming command of a fleet of starships. However, just before the Cube is destroyed, it releases a smaller ship that enters a temporal vortex. The USS Enterprise gives chase through the vortex, but in the process, realizes the Borg traveled back in time and assimilated the entire planet.

And once through the Vortex, the crew arrives in 2063. More specifically, they arrive one day before Zefram Cochrane (played by James Cromwell) uses the first warp drive system, which draws the attention of the Vulcans, leading to humanity's first contact with an alien race.

17 Star Trek: Insurrection

The enterprise must uncover the mystery around a nearly immortal group of people, star trek: insurrection.

Stardate: 2375

The crew of the USS Enterprise uncovers a conspiracy involving the forced relocation of a peaceful alien race.

The action now centres around a planet with a type of unique radiation that rejuvenates its people, known as the Ba’ku. The effects of the radiation make the Ba’ku nearly immortal.

In this film, Brent Spinner’s Data is sent undercover to monitor the Ba’ku people and soon begins to malfunction, which causes Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise to investigate.

They uncover a conspiracy between a species, which is hostile to the Ba’ku, and Admiral Mathew Doherty, a Starfleet officer played by Anthony Zerbe. The crew of the Enterprise must stop them both in order to save the Ba’ku from being forcibly removed from their home planet.

18 Star Trek: Nemesis

Picard vs picard, star trek: nemesis.

Stardate: 2379

Captain Picard and the crew face a new, dangerous enemy in the form of a clone of Picard himself.

Captain Jean Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise crew are sent on a mission to meet with the leader of the Romulans, Shinzon, played by a super young Tom Hardy. Once there, they learn that Shinzon is actually a clone of Picard, created in the hopes that he would one day be able to infiltrate the Federation. The Romulans had abandoned the plan and sent Shinzon into slavery.

He led a rebellion, however, and created his own starship, the Scimitar. Soon, the Enterprise learns Shinzon’s true plan is to use a form of radiation poisonous to all life in order to attack the Federation and destroy Earth.

19 Star Trek: Picard

Picard's forced out of retirement one more time

Star Trek: Picard

Stardate: 2399

Captain Picard's retirement is about as full of adventure as his career on the Enterprise.

One of the most popular starship captains in the Star Trek Universe, Jean Luc Picard had retired to a life of wine-making, but a new mission set 20 years after the events of Nemesis sees Captain Jean Luc Picard return to space along with many of his old friends. The first season sees Picard struggling with the events that led to his retirement from Starfleet -- when he's forced into a conflict that sees him thrust into a captain's chair again.

The second season sees Picard transported to an alternate timeline by the interdimensional being known as Q (John De Lancie), who originally appeared in The Next Generation. The third and final season of Picard recently got a teaser and is slated to premiere in spring 2023.

20 Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3 and beyond

The discovery's journey picks up later than any other star trek content.

Stardate: 3188

Catch up with the rest of Discovery after a timejump shifts the story to the end of the Star Trek timeline.

Burnham and the crew of the Discovery make a jump through time that lands them further in the future than we've ever seen in the Star Trek Universe.

There, Burnham is separated from the rest of the crew of Discovery.

While trying to locate the ship, she learns that the United Federation of Planets has fallen following the event known as The Burn, which saw ships simultaneously explode throughout the entire galaxy. The fuel for Star Trek's ships, Dilithium, has also become extremely rare, which makes travel across wide distances of space much harder. In the fourth season, Burnham and the crew of the Discovery begin the process of rebuilding the Federation of Planets. A fifth season of Star Trek Discovery is slated to premiere in 2024.

Kelvin timeline: The alternate Star Trek timeline

These films kick off JJ Abrams' alternate Star Trek timeline. Officially called the Kelvin timeline, it's named after the USS Kelvin. If you want to watch them, you can do so either before or after Star Trek: The Original Series. We prefer you watch it after - in fact, watch it after you've finished the original Star Trek timeline, because it literally takes place in a different timeline.

The Original 'Star Trek' Movies, Ranked by Letterboxd

Beam this list up, Scotty!

Star Trek : The Original Series is fondly regarded by fans as the show which started the mission to boldly go where no one has gone before. It introduced some of the best characters in the franchise, such as James T. Kirk, Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy. After their success on television, putting these characters onto the big screen seemed like a logical next step, and this finally happened with the 1979 movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

A total of six films would be made about the original crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Kirk's ( William Shatner ) command, featuring elements of time travel, politics, religion, and exploration. The films showed the characters getting older and having to come to terms with the changes happening around them, both in Starfleet and in the wider galaxy.

6 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' (1989)

Letterboxd score 2.5/5.

A rogue Vulcan takes control of a planet being developed peacefully by the Federation, Romulan, and Klingon governments as a sign of their commitment to better relations. The Enterprise is called in to help, and things quickly go wrong when they discover that the Vulcan responsible is actually Apock's half-brother, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill ). Using his Vulcan telepathic abilities to help people deal with their trauma, he gathers a cult around him and uses his followers to take control of the Enterprise to transport him to the Great Barrier, an anomaly at the center of the galaxy, believing he will find enlightenment there.

The movie is something of a divisive entry for fans, particularly for its unique sense of humor. It's certainly the most comedy-inspired movie in the series, with a lot of the laughs coming from the excellent banter between the three main actors, who clearly know their own and each other's characters so well that they can play around for the comedy and get away with it. A lot of fans felt it went too far, however, and was the least successful, both critically and commercially, of the six films. Taking such a beloved franchise in a comedy direction was always going to be difficult, but it does provide something different and lets the actors try out their comedy skills to good effect.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.

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5 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979)

Letterboxd score 3.2/5.

A powerful force is sweeping across the galaxy, destroying anything it comes into contact with. Desperate to stop it before it reaches Earth, Starfleet gives Admiral James T. Kirk command of his old ship and sends him to investigate. They discover it's actually Voyager 6, a probe launched from Earth in the 20th century, which has become self-aware during its journey across the galaxy and has returned home to try and find out the reason for its existence.

This was the first cinematic outing for the original crew of the Enterprise , and marked something of a return for the Star Trek franchise, which had been largely dormant since the Original Series had ended in 1969. It received a mixed reception from fans on its release , with criticism for its plot and the slow pace of the story, while its over reliance on special effects to fill the time has led to it looking more dated than the other movies. Despite this, it helped to revive interest in the franchise and was the first of a six-film series following the original crew of the Enterprise , which continued with the much better received Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

4 'star trek iii: the search for spock' (1984).

After the events of The Wrath of Khan, Lieutenant Savik ( Robin Curtis ) and Kirk's son David ( Merritt Butrick ) travel to the newly terraformed planet of Genesis. The world was created after Khan ( Ricardo Montalban ) detonated the Genesis torpedo, and is where Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) was laid to rest. They discover that his body has been reborn along with the lifeless planet, but are captured by Klingon Captain Kruge ( Christopher Lloyd ), who want to learn about the planet's secrets. Meanwhile, Kirk leads the Enterprise back to Genesis to recover Spock's body and lay him to rest on Vulcan, bringing him into conflict with the Klingon crew.

Bringing Spock back made a big U-turn on the previous movie when he sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise , and it's one of the more direct sequels, leaning heavily on The Wrath of Khan's story. It was smaller in scale than other movies, mainly focusing on the stalemate between the Enterprise and the Klingon bird of prey as they sit damaged in space, with Kirk and the Klingon captain both trying to bluff their way into a better negotiating position. It also showed Kirk's dedication to his friend as he risked everything to bring Spock to Vulcan where he could be laid to rest with the proper Vulcan rituals.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.

'Star Trek: The Original Series': The 10 Most Powerful Characters, Ranked

3 'star trek vi: the undiscovered country' (1991), letterboxd score 3.6/5.

After a devastating natural disaster threatens the Klingons' survival, they push for a peace agreement to end the long-standing hostility they can no longer afford to keep up. Acting as host to the Klingon chancellor would be a hard task for any Starfleet captain, but especially for James T. Kirk, given his personal history with them, after they murdered his son David. When he and Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) are framed for assassinating the chancellor , leading to their trial and imprisonment by the Klingons, it looks like a peace settlement might be further away than ever.

This was the last entry in the six film series and the final time all seven of the main original characters would appear together in a Star Trek project. Bringing about peace between the Federation and the Klingons was a fitting way to end Kirk's run as captain of the Enterprise . The Klingons had often served as his adversary, and their change from enemy to ally showed how much the galaxy had changed during his time in Starfleet , while also tying in to the new adventures of The Next Generation , which featured Klingon Commander Worf as part of the bridge crew. It's not the best film in the series, but it has a strong, original story, and provides a satisfying end to the voyages of the starship Enterprise with one of its most enduring crews.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

2 'star trek iv: the voyage home' (1986), letterboxd score 3.7/5.

After Spock's resurrection, the crew of the Enterprise are on their way back home in a captured Klingon bird of prey when they receive news of an alien probe threatening Earth with freak weather events, and the only way it can be communicated with is by the call of the humpback whale, a species that has been made extinct. With no one else able to help, Kirk makes the decision to travel back in time to when these creatures still existed and bring one back to the 23rd century.

This was the third movie in what could be considered a trilogy, following the story arc through The Wrath of Khan and The Search For Spock , following Spock's death, rebirth, and attempts to regain his former character. This has become one of the best-loved movies featuring the original Star Trek cast, and it's easy to see why. It makes good use of its time-travel storyline, as the crew have to try and fit in with life in 1980s San Francisco after coming from a society that doesn't even use money. Most of the humor is perfectly executed, in large part because of the actors' familiarity with their characters, allowing them to use things like Spock's logical personality and their unfamiliarity with outdated technology to provide comedy that never feels forced.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

1 'star trek ii: the wrath of kahn' (1982), letterboxd score 3.9/5.

Now an admiral in Starfleet, Kirk is struggling to come to terms with his advancing age. He goes along with a crew of new recruits on what should be a routine training cruise. He's contacted by Carol Marcus ( Bibi Besch ), an old love interest who's helping to develop a terraforming technology known as Genesis, who needs his help. He goes to meet her and comes into contact with Khan, an enemy he met years earlier and who he marooned on a planet. During a fight, Khan's ship is damaged, and he detonates the Genesis torpedo, which will wipe out all life nearby. To save the ship, Spock sacrifices himself to fix the hyperdrive so that the rest of the crew can make it out alive.

This is one of the most popular films in the Star Trek franchise, and is seen as a big improvement over the Motion Picture, helping to move the franchise in a new, more realistic direction, setting the style for future projects . A lot of credit for the movie's success has to go to Ricardo Montalban and his incredible performance as the genetically enhanced superhuman Khan, proving a perfect antagonist to James Kirk. He was a favorite villain with Trek fans, having appeared on an episode of the original series, "Space Seed," where he attempts to take control of the Enterprise , resulting in Kirk exiling him to the planet Ceti Alpha V.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.

Things That Happen In Every Star Trek Movie

When it first launched on television in 1966, few could have possibly imagined "Star Trek" lasting so many more decades, let alone continuing across a variety of spin-off series. Even fewer probably could have foreseen that the little sci-fi show from the mind of Gene Roddenbery would make the jump to the big screen, where for more than three decades it would dazzle audiences around the world with outer space adventures.

With each new episode, decade after decade, "Star Trek" has continued to explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no one has gone before. No matter what century the stories are set in, and whether aboard a starship, a space station, or focused on a single iconic character like Jean-Luc Picard , there are some elements so intrinsic to "Trek" that they show up nearly every time. And just as every "Star Trek" TV series has its shared hallmarks, so too do the feature films have their own commonalities — elements that recur across more than a dozen films, three crews, and parts of five decades. 

From William Shatner and Patrick Stewart to Chris Pine, and from baddies to beauty shots, we've found a number of things that the talented folks behind the "Star Trek" movies have almost always included. So charge your phasers and prepare to go to warp: Here's a list of all the things you can find in just about every "Star Trek" movie.

A villain that threatens millions

If a big-budget action movie doesn't have a major villain at its center — killing hundreds of people, threatening thousands more, or even seeking global domination — it might seem incomplete. In a space adventure like "Star Wars," you might even be confused if there were no enemy putting entire worlds at risk. But in "Star Trek," things have always worked a little differently. Across more than 60 years of television, most episodes didn't have a big bad or world-ending threat. Sure, you'd have the big finale here or there with the Borg  or a storyline with a major threat like the Dominion, but some of the best "Trek" stories don't have a traditional villain.

When it comes to the movies, however, it seems that the writers and producers always want to go bigger — even as far back as "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979, where a mysterious craft threatens to destroy planet Earth. Since then, it's never stopped. We've had renegade Klingons attempting to use Genesis as a world-ending weapon ("Star Trek III: The Search for Spock"), an alien probe that nearly wiped out Earth ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), and several vengeful interstellar tyrants, at least two of which destroyed entire planets ("Star Trek Generations" and J.J. Abrams' first reboot). Somehow, every movie seems to have a threat of galactic scale that the Enterprise has to stop. This trend may not have always been wholly consistent with the stories from the TV series, but there's no denying that the bigger, bolder villains make sense for the franchise's big-screen outings.

Jokes on the stick-in-the-mud

Since it first hit the airwaves, every "Star Trek" series has had many of the same hallmarks: A bold commander, an intrepid crew, and missions that bring them to strange new worlds. But interestingly, every series has also had at least one stick-in-the-mud character — a straight-laced, mostly humorless, by-the-book officer who always becomes the butt of everyone's jokes. "The Original Series" has Spock being endlessly teased by McCoy , while "The Next Generation" has the android Data on the receiving end of plenty of laughs. "Deep Space Nine" has the grumpy Constable Odo, while "Voyager" uses the Doctor as both the giver and receiver of comedy due to his uptight nature and sarcastic charm.

When "Star Trek" has gone to the silver screen, filmmakers have made sure to take that tradition with them. Since 1979, every movie in the series has made sure to include wisecracks at the expense of one of those uptight characters. In the original six feature films starring Captain Kirk, it's Spock once again, while Data and Worf are each made butt of the jokes in the four "TNG" films.

With the rebooted "Star Trek" in 2009 delivering three new feature films, the custom continued. J.J. Abrams was sure to include the trademark humor directed at Mr. Spock, this time played by Zachary Quinto. Sometimes it was Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy razzing the green-blooded Vulcan, others it was Kirk himself, and on at least a couple of occasions it was even Nyoto Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

The transporter rescue

Arguably the most iconic piece of fictional technology in "Star Trek," the transporter was actually created for the original TV series simply as a way of cutting costs by avoiding travel scenes for the crew (via  Comic Book Resources ). In the many episodes that followed, it became a handy tool and even a major plot device itself in some episodes, as accidents involving the transporter have caused more than a few problems.

When it comes to the films, the transporter is used in even more dramatic ways. In most of the "Star Trek" movies , there's a scene where a quick beam-up saves the day just in the nick of time. For instance, in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," Scotty beams Chekov, Kirk, McCoy, and Dr. Taylor up to the ship just as they're about to be discovered by 20th-century police. Worf is beamed off the Defiant moments before it loses life support in "First Contact," and Picard is beamed out of a deadly encounter with the villain Ruafo in "Insurrection" just seconds before the whole ship he's on self-destructs. In the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" films, the teleporter is used to maximum effect, saving Kirk's life in mid-air more than once. Though it's rarely used so dramatically in the television series, the transporter is the perfect way to give audiences suspenseful, death-defying action sequences in the "Star Trek" movies.

The Enterprise is nearly destroyed

One of the many criticisms leveled at J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" films is that they're too action-heavy. One could certainly make the case that the Enterprise is too often on the receiving end of big alien attacks in the movies — an undignified look for such a noble and majestic vessel. But to be fair, if "Star Trek" films have made anything a tradition, it's having the Enterprise get the living daylights knocked out of it.

Perhaps some filmmakers have done it to show how powerful of a threat the crew is facing, or maybe it's just a simple but effective way of raising the stakes. But as far back as the early 1980s, the Enterprise has received constant poundings. It's pummeled by Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," leaving it in need of serious repairs at the start of the next film. It's promptly blown up in "Star Trek III" following a battle with the Klingon Kruge, and in "Star Trek VI," the ship gets blasted by General Chang, who nearly blows it out of the stars.

Moving into the "Next Generation" films, the Enterprise-D is destroyed in "Generations," again by Klingons, and the Borg do a number on the Enterprise-E in "First Contact." The Romulans and Son'a each have a serious run at the ship in "Insurrection" and "Nemesis" too. Suffice it to say, the Enterprise has been a punching bag for decades, and filmmakers seem to love running the iconic starship through the wringer. In reality, Abrams' treatment of the vessel is nothing new at all.

An unexpected ally

In addition to seeking out new life and new civilizations episode after episode, one cornerstone of "Star Trek" throughout its long history on television has been the guest star of the week. Whether it's a big-name actor stopping in for a cameo or just a new character joining the crew for an episode, these walk-ons have always been staples of the franchise. It might be a fellow Starfleet officer joining from another ship or an alien who helps the crew in their mission, but either way, the movies take the idea and run with it. That's why a new character pops up in every movie and joins the cast, becoming an unexpected ally in their adventure. Even more than in the TV shows, adding a new face to the mix helps mix things up for the crew of the Enterprise.

In the films in particular, these new friends often come from unexpected places, sometimes even being introduced as potential foils to Kirk or Picard. David Marcus serves this role in "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search For Spock," while Kirk himself becomes the unexpected ally in "Star Trek Generations." This role has often gone to women on the big screen, like with Lt. Saavik in "The Search for Spock," Dr. Gillian Taylor in "The Voyage Home," and Lily in "First Contact." From Ilia to Jaylah, whenever the Enterprise needs help, there's usually a strong woman stepping up to lend a helping hand.

An unexpected enemy

If there's anything "Star Trek" movies love more than a new ally coming from a surprising place, it's a new enemy coming from a surprising place. It may not always be the main villain — normally the mustache-twirling type you can see from a mile away (Khan, Nero, Shinzon, Kruge, etc.) — but there's usually a supporting bad guy of some kind who's a little bit harder to spot.

Arguably the most notable instance of this is in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" when it's revealed that Lt. Valeris, the ship's new resident Vulcan, is actually a traitor . But Valeris is by no means alone. The main adversary of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" turns out to be Earth's own space probe, while the U.S. Army becomes the enemy in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Spock's own brother is the baddie in "The Final Frontier," and there's nothing more surprising than learning that Starfleet Admiral Dougherty is behind the villainous plot in "Star Trek: Insurrection" That is, unless you've seen one of the many TV episodes of "Trek" in which an admiral goes bad . Even though "Star Trek" may not be known for major surprise twists or villainous reveals on television, they're trademarks of the franchise's films.

Encounters with death

It makes sense that when "Star Trek" moved to the big screen, the stories had to be bigger, bolder, and with higher stakes. In addition to their big villains and galactic threats, the "Star Trek" movies love killing off major characters , or at least bringing them very close to death. While the franchise has certainly killed off characters on TV as well, it's typically been much rarer, with most casualties being unnamed "redshirts." All that changed at the movies, though, with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" emphatically letting the audience know that anything could happen with the stunning death of Ilia.

Of course, the most famous "Trek" death of all time occurs at the climax of "The Wrath of Khan" when Spock sacrifices himself for the ship. Kirk's son David is killed in the following film, and Chekov comes very close to dying in "The Voyage Home." The "Next Generation" films aren't afraid to kill either, with Captain Kirk dying in "Generations" and Data biting the dust in "Star Trek: Nemesis." From George Kirk and Captain Robau in the opening moments of 2009's "Star Trek" to Admiral Pike's death in "Into Darkness" and Nimoy's original Spock dying off-screen at the beginning of "Star Trek Beyond," the newer films have also killed off plenty of major characters.

As Captain Kirk himself famously said, "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." It would seem the filmmakers of "Star Trek" have taken that to heart, using death to make impactful cinematic statements time and again.

Defying orders from above

For a group of Starfleet officers bound by oath to the organization they serve, it's curious that the Enterprise crew breaks rules and defies orders with such regularity. And yet, the "Star Trek" films often put their captains at odds with the Starfleet bosses, and officers are constantly refusing commands or going rogue. Kirk, who's much more of a by-the-book officer in the original "Star Trek" series, becomes an "insubordinate, unprincipled, career-minded opportunist" in the movies. 

Kirk steals the Enterprise to save Spock in "Star Trek III" and violates several Starfleet directives by going back in time in "The Voyage Home." Captain Sulu defies his orders and helps Kirk in "The Undiscovered Country," and Captain Picard goes against Starfleet brass multiple times. He goes to Earth to engage the Borg in "First Contact," and the entirety of "Insurrection" involves Picard breaking every order to do what he feels is right. J.J. Abrams' version of Kirk also goes rogue multiple times, and even Spock gets in on the rule-breaking action in the reboot films. 

Despite the TV stories often centering a strict adherence to protocol and obedience to the chain of command, the movies have made it commonplace for crew members, officers, and even captains to defy orders. The TV version of Picard would have winced at the thought of breaking the rules, but in the movies, he's more than happy to butt heads with Starfleet over and over again.

An new or ill-equipped starship

The Enterprise — in each of the three distinct "Star Trek" film series — is usually portrayed as one of the best ships in the flee. It's the most powerful and advanced vessel crewed by the best of the best. As it's Starfleet's flagship — sent on the most critical missions — it stands to reason that you'd want the cream of the crop on the job. That makes it all the more perplexing why in the "Star Trek" movies, the ship is usually poorly equipped or crewed by a team who's not quite ready for the job. This odd trend goes all the way back to the very first "Star Trek" film in 1979, where the Enterprise is sent off to discover the secret of a galactic menace before its refit is even complete.

The sequel, "The Wrath of Khan," does it again, sending the Enterprise off on a mission when it's manned mostly by cadets unready for a conflict. In "Star Trek III," the Enterprise is stolen from a starbase by Kirk, who brings just a skeleton bridge crew with him. And in "Star Trek IV," that same crew is left aboard an ill-equipped Klingon Bird of Prey . The problem doesn't end when the movies leave the original Enterprise behind either, as Captain Harriman's Enterprise-B doesn't have most of its systems when it launches in "Star Trek Generations." The Enterprise is still undergoing a shakedown cruise in "First Contact" when its crew faces the Borg, and the problems continues in the J.J. Abrams films, with the Enterprise repeatedly rushed out into space to tackle a new threat.

Maybe it's for strictly dramatic reasons, but the movies always seem to put Kirk, Picard, and their crews on the back foot from the start.

References to old adventures

If there's any franchise that loves to indulge in continuity and canon, rewarding its audience for decades of loyalty, it's definitely "Star Trek." While the movies are of course designed to be enjoyed by fans both new and old, the writers just can't seem to help themselves from making references to older adventures or previous movies, even when they don't tie directly into the story at hand.

As a sequel to the "Original Series" episode "Space Seed," it made perfect sense to mention the events of that episode in "The Wrath of Khan." In "The Voyage Home," Kirk makes a direct callback to the adventures of "Tomorrow is Yesterday" when he discusses the slingshot time travel method. References are even made to episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in "The Undiscovered Country" with the appearance of Colonel Worf — the grandfather of future Enterprise security chief Lt. Worf. The "TNG" films make plenty of their own references to past episodes and films, with Data's emotion chip from the episode "Descent" playing a critical role in "Generations" and lots of nods to "The Best of Both Worlds" in the sequel, "First Contact." Even the newer films revel in references to old episodes, with "Star Trek Beyond" being loaded with callbacks to "Star Trek: Enterprise," including a mention of the Xindi War .

While some may view these Easter eggs as being meant just to delight longtime Trekkies, they're usually useful for new fans too. References to past adventures reinforce that the world of "Star Trek" is a big one with a long history, making it feel like a fully immersive universe.

A deep personal conflict

The best "Star Trek" stories aren't about the space battles or the diabolical villains attempting to destroy the Federation — they're based around the personal journeys of the characters involved. In the movies, this has translated to deep personal conflicts usually faced by Kirk or Picard. Sometimes those arcs are front and center, like "Star Trek III" dealing with the aftermath of Spock's death, but they can also be more subtle. For instance, on an emotional level, "The Wrath of Khan," is really a story about Kirk coming to terms with growing older. 

"Star Trek IV" is all about the friendship between Kirk and Spock, as the latter is forced to confront his emotions for the first time in the series. Moving to the "Next Generation" films, Picard is seen grappling with similar internal dilemmas of aging, and he deals with the death of his only family in "Generations." He also faces his past traumas in "First Contact," and his youthful regrets in "Nemesis."

It may often be lost amidst the space shoot-outs, big effects, and rollercoaster action, but even the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" reboot films have used Kirk and Spock's emotional journeys as a touchstone for their stories. Kirk has to confront the shadow of his father's legacy, while Spock has to finally face his human emotions in "Into Darkness." Like the best "Star Trek" episodes, the movies know that internal drama is essential to driving a compelling story.

A majestic first look at the Enterprise

Moviegoers who are less familiar with the "Star Trek" television franchise may not realize it, but the Enterprise is often treated like a character unto herself. It's not just any ship that takes the crew around the galaxy, but perhaps the most iconic sci-fi starship ever designed, and the Enterprise is every bit as important to the integrity of the series as the captains and crews. While the original TV series has a wonderfully designed ship with plenty of detail, the move to the movies meant a new, more detailed, and higher quality model built for the big screen. And "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" made sure to show it off in a jaw-dropping flyby that lasts a full five minutes, inadvertently starting a trend that just about every future "Star Trek" film would follow.

Of course, later movies don't devote quite so much time to their beauty shots of the Enterprise, but nearly every film gives the audience a soaring, majestic sequence showing off the ship when it first appears on screen. More than a mere establishing shot, it's designed to remind everyone just what an incredible sight the Enterprise really is, whether it's Kirk's classic 1701, Picard's future version D and E, or even J.J. Abrams' reimagined design . Not every "Star Trek" movie does everything right, but a long, slow beauty shot of the Enterprise in flight is always a welcome sight to behold, and it's fitting in any adventure.

1980s Forgotten Superhero Movie With Star Trek Leading Actress

R ight now, we're living in the midst of both the Golden Age of superhero films and the long-awaited Star Trek renaissance. However, fans of both genres don't realize that the 80s brought us a now-forgotten film that blends one of the most influential superheroes ever made with one of the best actors to ever appear in Star Trek. Below, you can watch a preview of the television film The Spirit, which features Nana Visitor, best known for playing Bajoran station commander Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

The 1987 film The Spirit (not to be confused with the 2008 film of the same name) features the adventures of a police detective (Sam Jones) who goes missing and is presumed dead. Deciding that he can fight crime better when his enemies think he is dead and buried, the detective dons a suit and mask and gives himself a new crimefighting name: The Spirit. In a manner likely to remind you of Batman's own crimefighting adventures, our superhero works in tandem with the police commissioner of Central City. 

The Spirit is based on the landmark Will Eisner comic book.

Where does Star Trek icon Nana Visitor come into all this? In The Spirit , she plays the daughter of the police commissioner and a love interest for our titular superhero. As a law-abiding good girl, she is the perfect romantic match for The Spirit and a perfect narrative foil for P'Gell, a bad-to-the-bone femme fatale running her own art forgery racket.

Nana Visitor plays the daughter of the police commissioner and The Spirit's love interest.

Originally, The Spirit was intended to serve as a pilot for a television series, but the series was never picked up by any network. It's a shame because the pilot finds the perfect balance between camp and crime fighting, and it feels like a breath of fresh air to those who are used to the more serious world of modern superhero cinema. The pilot also has a very high pedigree: it was written by Steven E. de Sousa, best known for writing the Bruce Willis action film turned perennial holiday classic Die Hard .

Decades after this failed TV pilot, The Spirit received a proper theatrical film…

Another reason we're sad The Spirit never got his own television series based on this pilot is that the character and his creator have been hugely influential on the world of comics for the better part of a century. The original comic strip was created by Will Eisner back in 1940, and its noir storytelling had an amazing influence on Batman and countless other gothic heroes. As for Eisner, he has been so influential to entire generations of comic creators that he has an award named after him (the Eisner Award) that is given each year to the best and most innovative comics.

Decades after this failed TV pilot, The Spirit received a proper theatrical film, but that Frank Miller-written film was an empty and passionless attempt to ride on the success of Sin City . We far prefer this 1987 TV pilot because it captures the spirit of the original comics and the characters who are at once larger than life and immensely relatable. The fact that it also stars Nana Visitor, our favorite Bajoran, is just icing on the cake.

Or, for you Deep Space Nine fans out there, icing on the hasperat souffle.

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Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

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• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

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• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

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New $10 million horror movie copies a quentin tarantino twist from 28 years ago.

Abigail's central vampiric twist transforms a crime-thriller into a horror movie — similar to the central twist of From Dusk 'Till Dawn.

• Abigail & From Dusk 'Till Dawn boast similar vampire twists that turn crime-thrillers to horror.
• Abigail 's twist is better executed than From Dusk 'Till Dawn , maintaining character focus.
• From Dusk 'Till Dawn loses strong dramatic beats when it embraces campy horror, unlike Abigail .

Abigail utilizes a similar storytelling trick as a twenty-eight-year-old film written by Quentin Tarantino. Abigail has proven to be a hit with critics, in part due to the film's focus on character even as it transforms into a gore-filled splatterfest. After being kidnapped and restrained for the film's first half, Abigail shifts gears when it reveals that the titular little girl is actually a vampire, building to Abigail 's grisly ending . It's a solid turn that drives the rest of the film. However, it's also a strikingly similar twist to what occurred in From Dusk 'Till Dawn .

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino (who also starred in the film), From Dusk 'Till Dawn remains a unique entry within the filmography of both creatives. The film's second half embraces the supernatural and turns a more grounded story into a bloody horror flick. Both movies even utilize a structurally similar reveal when they transform — although Abigail 's cast and characters help ensure the new film pulls off the turn better than From Dusk 'Till Dawn .

Abigail's "Rat Pack" Explained: Every Character's Real Identity, Backstory & Role In The Heist

Abigail & from dusk till dawn both use vampire twists to change genres, both films transform from a crime-thriller into a gory horror film.

Abigail and From Dusk 'Till Dawn utilize the same tonal genre shift plot twist , with both films initially presenting themselves as crime-thrillers before becoming vampire-filled horror films. Released in 1996, From Dusk 'Till Dawn focuses on Seth and Richie Gecko, a pair of criminal brothers who kidnap an innocent family. The film initially comes across as a dark character-drama, focusing on the tension between the characters as they wait at a bar for the Gecko brother's criminal contact. However, the film takes a hard turn when the bar turns out to house vampires.

Abigail and From Dusk 'Till Dawn utilize a very similar genre trick, catching the characters (and the audience) off-guard by shifting gears and becoming a very different type of movie. Both films initially present themselves as grounded thrillers with morally ambiguous leads. However, that drama gives way to a more openly bizarre and action-filled second half once the vampires are introduced. In this way, From Dusk 'Till Dawn bears as much of a similarity to Abigail as the new film shares with Universal's Dracula's Daughter , the classic monster movie that initially inspired the concept behind the movie.

John Hughes' 39-Year-Old Comedy Classic Gets An Unexpected Remake In Critically Acclaimed New Horror Movie

Why abigail's vampire twist is better than from dusk 'till dawn's, abigail retains a better character focus than from dusk 'till dawn.

Abigail benefits from a more contained premise and setting than From Dusk 'Till Dawn , especially after the plot twist. After Abigail 's vampire twist , the film refrains from expanding the cast of characters over time, keeping the focus on the central characters and their reactions to the changed situation. By contrast, From Dusk 'Till Dawn uses their arrival at the vampire-filled bar to introduce purposefully wacky takes on action archetypes, such as Fred Williamson as the grizzled veteran Frost or Tom Savini as the gun-toting Sex Machine. It leans too hard into horror at the expense of a compelling first act .

When From Dusk 'Till Dawn embraces an over-the-top campy vibe, it loses much of the film's stronger dramatic beats. Abigail remains more focused and keeps the characters center-stage . This makes the increasing stakes of Abigail 's second half more impactful. The shift in story feels less disconnected from the film's first half as a result, too. From Dusk 'Till Dawn is fun but feels entirely different once it introduces vampires. By contrast, Abigail benefits from the more grounded first act that keeps the stronger moments and elements of that first half even as the film becomes increasingly over-the-top and gory.

Abigail (2024)

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Abigail is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot follows a group of people who kidnap the daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover that the little girl is actually a vicious vampire out for blood. Alisha Weir stars as the titular character alongside Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, and Dan Stevens.

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Star Trek Prequel Movie In The Works With Star Wars Director

Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of Black Mirror, Doctor Who, and Andor, is lined up to make a Star Trek movie.

By Eddie Makuch on April 11, 2024 at 12:06PM PDT

A Star Trek prequel movie is in the works with Star Wars director Toby Haynes attached to direct, Paramount announced during CinemaCon. This has been rumored since January , and now it's confirmed. The movie is set for release sometime in 2025.

Haynes previously directed episodes of Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Sherlock, and the Star Wars series Andor. Collider reported on these details from CinemaCon.

Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote The Lego Batman Movie, is writing the untitled Star Trek film. Haynes has never directed or written a Star Trek movie, but he directed Black Mirror's Star Trek-inspired USS Callister episode.

The film is said to be an "origin story" that will take place prior to the events of 2009's Star Trek, which took place in 2255 and was itself an origin story. This likely means it will feature a different cast. The stars of the latest series, including Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, have been rumored to be coming back for a fourth film in their series, but it hasn't happened yet.

2016's Star Trek Beyond is the latest entry in the main Star Trek movie series, but the franchise has lived long and prospered on streaming with the TV shows Picard and Strange New Worlds.

The 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel Into Darkness were directed by JJ Abrams, before he handed off directing duties to Justin Lin for Star Trek Beyond. The three movies collectively earned around $1.2 billion at the global box office.

In addition to Pine, Saldana, and Quinto, the latest Star Trek movie series featured John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Yelchin tragically died in 2016 at the age of 27 after a motor vehicle accident in his driveway.

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Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

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By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

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