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

DVD, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director's Edition) (1979/2000) film

I love the piece of music the film opens with, it emphasises that this is a special film, and takes the time to get you in the mood, something that would never be done now. This is the continuation of the series, taking advantage of an inflated budget to do things the TV episodes could never do, but in doing so it loses some of the appeal and gets bogged down a bit in the groundbreaking effects work.

I was surprised by how many similarities there were between this and 'Star Trek XI'. Both films succeed and fail in different ways, both films aren't quite right, and there are so many links between them. 'Star Trek II' is the most cited film that the new film linked to, but this has just as many. The obvious being the uniform that Pike wears at the end, being very similar to Kirk's Admiral uniform. Sulu uses an automatic gear lever to put the ship into warp. The Klingon ships appear fleetingly. The characters are all there, but not wholly themselves. The tone is quite different to the series, in that this film is very serious and bland in colour scheme, yet has a deeper something to it, that by the end brings its roots into vision. XI begins very similar to the series, though with huge emphasis on action, and by the end you realise there is less depth, and it's taken further from its roots. If I had to choose one to exist it would be this one, because as good as XI is as an action film, it changes the future, whereas ST:TMP continues that future.

The first thing you think is what great music, even though the original theme is not present (although a subdued strain of it filters through occasionally when the Enterprise flies through V'GER), and the welcome appearance of all the names - everyone is involved! There are even added bonuses such as the fleeting appearances of Janice Rand, a brilliant touch, even if her story is not expanded upon, or her being there explained. So much that later influenced 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' is in evidence here. The Klingons make their first introduction to the ridged heads look, that would continue to the present day. The warp core is seen as a stunning pillar of light. The corridors, design and scale are all things the spinoff series would adopt, right down to the wall panelling of corridors, even the sensibilities such as a rec room and an executive officer that is free to voice his concerns over protocol.

Will Decker is another nice surprise, being the son of Matt Decker, who died in the series. His and Ilia's performances stand out despite being the guests in a familiar cast. We only know them for a short while, but they make an impression and prove to be sympathetic characters. The uniforms don't help with the feeling of blandness the film has, and it's strange they chose to make lighter, pastel shaded attire with no contrast. Thank goodness that changed in the following film! The design of the Enterprise (another parallel with STXI, as that ship had a new look that was smoother and more elaborate than the TV model) is sterile and paradoxically both more cramped and more expansive than its TV counterpart. It is the same ship, but refitted, rekitted, with the colour sucked out and stored in a box somewhere.

Chekov has progressed to security, Chapel to Doctor, but the others are all there, even if they need rounding up. The shock of the film is in Spock's reaction or non-reaction to his crewmates when he finds his goals aligned with the Enterprise, and joins them from Vulcan, though he has left Starfleet. McCoy (again, like STXI) is the closest to his TV character, still saying the best lines, getting irascible, but speaking the truth. But by the end, it's as if the script, the actors and the characters have found themselves again, and as Kirk tells the new navigator to plot a course "...Somewhere... thataway," we feel that the pieces are back in place and all is as it should be (a kind of feeling you get at the end of STXI, although actually the rest of the universe is in little pieces, and not in place, but they still sail off for a shakedown).

The effects, especially of this Director's Edition are worthy of attention, but you do notice the slow pace even with this tweaked, tidied up and enhanced version. It is very good that Robert Wise and his team were able to put together a film that was closer to his original vision that could not be done, for time primarily. While the film is still one of the weakest in the series in terms of being 'Trekkish' (along with 'Star Trek: Nemesis' and 'Star Trek XI'), most of the films are of a high quality so that's not to degrade the film. It is still a good film, though obviously an aquired taste, and one to be watched in context and enjoyed for it's position as being the only live-action Trek of the seventies (which shows itself as the sixties' style did in the series, with hairstyles and clothing, and direction that definitely evokes that era!).

It brought the crew together again in a logical and impressive way, without leaving out anyone important, and provided a unique experience, vast and daunting, with effects that were pioneering and a redesign that would show the way forward for everything after. It also made a pot of money, and ensured the creative success of sequels. It was a lesson in what not to do, yet remains a special film. And the problems are lessened when you know what's coming after...

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