As we outline in our ‘Complete Guide To Gene Roddenberry‘, Star Trek was never a ratings topper over its three years on television. In fact, it veered perilously close to cancellation at the end of its second year, only to be given a last-minute reprieve.
Star Trek was also never, at the time, a prized asset for its distributor Paramount. It took over 15 years, it’s said, for the series to become profitable (even in 1982 the series was $500,000 in the red) and the show had the stink of failure about it. Cretor Gene Roddenberry felt that he was “perceived as the guy who made the show that was an expensive flop”. He later said of the years after Star Trek: “My dreams were going downhill because I could not get work after the original series was cancelled.”
However, the first rumbles of Star Trek’s second coming were felt in the mid-Seventies. The initial idea was for a new TV series, and indeed plans were being drawn up for a two-hour pilot, and a series of 13 episodes. But Star Wars’ barnstorming box office performance convinced Paramount that Star Trek was potentially more profitable as a big screen event. Before too long, Star Trek: Phase II, as it had become known, had become Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Roddenberry was tasked with reworking writer David Livingstone’s Phase II pilot script, ‘In Thy Image’, for the multi-million dollar movie. In fact, The Motion Picture’s script would ping-pong between the two of them, with eventually even William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy having a crack.
Eventually released in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture became the fourth highest grossing movie of the year and earned three Academy Award® nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Music, Original Score. The film successfully launched the Star Trek franchise beyond the original television series, despite having been rushed to theaters with incomplete special effects and forced editing choices.
In 2001, director Robert Wise revisited the film to refine the edit and enhance the visual effects. His updated vision was released on DVD in standard definition and embraced by fans but has never been available in higher definition until now with Limited-Edition Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition – The Complete Adventure on 4K Ultra HD™ and Blu-ray™.
Meticulously assembled and restored by producer David C. Fein with Post Production Supervisor, Mike Matessino, both of whom originally collaborated with Wise, the film has been prepared for presentation in 4K Ultra HD™ with Dolby Vision™ high dynamic range (HDR) and a new powerful and immersive Dolby Atmos® soundtrack.* Fein and Matessino assembled a team of special effects experts, led by returning visual effects supervisor Daren R. Dochterman, and utilized the extensive resources in the Paramount Archives to recreate the effects not just in HD, but in Ultra HD. After more than six months of painstaking work, the updated movie looks and sounds better than ever while staying true to Wise’s original intention.
Not only that but Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition – The Complete Adventure includes a plethora of special extras, including an exclusive deleted scene from the movie which we’re delighted to share with you right here at SciFiNow!
Watch it here…
The Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition – The Complete Adventure five-disc set includes the new Director’s Edition, the theatrical cut, and a special longer cut all on 4K Ultra HD along with the newly remastered director’s cut on Blu-ray™, the previously released theatrical cut on Blu-ray™ and special features on Blu-ray™. The set is presented in deluxe packaging along with exclusive collectibles, including reproductions of original promotional material, a booklet with behind-the-scenes images, stickers, and more.
Find out more about Star Trek: The Motion Picture with our six fun facts…
