The Motion Picture - I remembered it differently...

[Therin of Andor]

I keep expecting someone on the Enterprise to go, REALLY ANOTHER LOST PROBE??!!

At the Sydney gala celebrity premiere night of ST IV, 100 of us in Star Trek costumes all said, in unison, "ANOTHER LOST PROBE??!!"

 

[Nick086]

I remember Spock looking into the sky, but there was no sky, just space and two planets or moons

 

[SMC]

Maybe it was night time

 

[Expo67]

I saw TMP on its opening weekend, and this after years of pent up anticipation and reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the film. In December '79 I was 20 years old.

In many respects I was blown away by it. This was Star Trek treated with the respect many of us felt it rarely got. It was done as science fiction and eschewed any caricatured silliness. Seeing the refit Enterprise up there on the big screen was amazing. And I remember the audience applauding and cheering aloud when Kirk first appeared onscreen. Then a hushed silence of awe as the refit Enterprise was revealed. The opening scene of the Klingon battlecruisers encountering V'ger was stunning.

The only f/x gaff that immediately stood out to me then was when the crew exit onto the ship's hull to meet V'ger. I could see right off that it didn't look right, the scale and perspective were all wrong.

All that said I had some small reservations in that I would like to have seen more character drama. But all told I thought it was a good start. Later I was disappointed to hear so much harsh criticism of the film. Three years later TWOK did indeed give us more energy and character drama, but I also noted a lot of things changed that I was disappointed with.

After seeing TMP two or three times in theatre I didn't see it again for quite a long time, and my memory of it was partly affected by much of the negative commentary I heard repeated (and still do). I finally saw it again (well the extended version) on VHS some years later and I was again reminded of how much I liked about the film and what little I was disappointed with.

Then the DE version came along and I felt this was the version we should have gotten back in '79. It worked much better particularly in terms of pacing. We now had something that was almost there, but you can't remaster character drama into an old film and restore scenes never shot...well, not yet anyway.

And now TMP remains my favourite Trek film. Even with its flaws it harkens back to "The Cage" and the Star Trek of TOS' first season. It's Star Trek as unapologetic science fiction. And it has aged better than all the others.

And just as TOS is visually distinctive from all the later series I love how TMP is also visually distinctive from all the following films.

Warped9, you took the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Expo67]

I usually find those people complaining about TMP being "the most boringest" are usually like Plinkett says - aged around thirteen with the attention spans of mosquitoes...Most thinking adults really like it.

Nope, sorry. I was an adult when it premiered - which in fact may have been one reason I was underwhelmed by it.

That is, assuming that your intent was to so characterize adults who find the movie boring - your attempted mockery of those people by using the phrase "the most boringest" is a failed parody which renders your intent there somewhat muddled.

"Most thinking adults," BTW, have never sat through this or any Trek movie - period. So even if you could offer some evidence that you represent "most thinking Trek fans" in some sense superior to those who dislike the film - and you can't - your observation fails as a simplistic and thoughtless overgeneralization.

It never ceases to amaze me that your comments and replies to certain fan posts are laced with sarcasm. Which makes me wonder if either Harlan Ellison or the late Robert Altman were inspirations of yours.

How do you know for a fact that most thinking adults have never sat through TMP or other Star Trek films? Some might have. You can't rule out such a possibility just because that you don't happen to like it.

All that aside, I'll admit that some fans dislike the film for its slow pacing, the sterile and antiseptic quality about it(i.e. the pastel colored pajama-like uniforms). Including and up to the supposed inspirations for TMP - The Doomsday Machine, The Changeling, The Immunity Syndrome, and One Of Our Planets Is Missing. Let alone, more of the warm camaraderie between the main characters.

However, some do like the film for just that. It's one of those films that you either love or hate. There is no middle ground.

Nevertheless, despite those sleek, metallic qualities, I happen to enjoy the film. Like Christopher L. Bennett stated in his forward to his excellent Star Trek adventure 'Ex Machina', Star Trek-The Motion Picture is a cinematic event. One that was epic in scope. Unlike some die-hard fans, I was overwhelmed by the first film.

And, it was certainly a positive way of ending the decade known as the Seventies.

It had a memorable soundtrack by the late Jerry Goldsmith, astounding production values(sets and costumes), and most of all excellent SFX by Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra.

But more importantly, the first film brought back the original cast five years after the end of The Animated Series. It was something fans had been waiting for a long period of time. And despite some negative criticism, it made a whole ton of money, signaling the envitable sequel.

So in essence, a lot is owed to Star Trek-The Motion Picture. If it hadn't been for the first film, we never would have gotten TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TFF, TUC, or even the recent prequel/reboot.

The chances, or odds of such a possibility happening are the following.

Slim and none.

 

[Pauln6]

TMP was very much of its time but there remains a lot to admire even by modern standards. Much like all but the greatest of movies, a few minor changes would have improved it but let's be honest, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Trek fans doubly so.

 

[Psion]

I love "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" as it was released in the theaters, tolerate various changes in an unsuccessful attempt to improve on it, and hope one day to see a Star Trek movie that's superior.

 

[gomtuu20]

"Maybe eventually JJ can remake ST:TMP with some plot, color and lens flares. " - Dennis
--------
If JJ would have made STTMP, the Enterprise flyover would have lasted about 5 seconds. The shuttle bay would be a white, blinding light obscuring all detail. The camera would be shaken so badly that you wouldn't be sure if you just saw the Enterprise, or a cat in a blender.

 

[Warped9]

"Maybe eventually JJ can remake ST:TMP with some plot, color and lens flares. " - Dennis
--------
If JJ would have made STTMP, the Enterprise flyover would have lasted about 5 seconds. The shuttle bay would be a white, blinding light obscuring all detail. The camera would be shaken so badly that you wouldn't be sure if you just saw the Enterprise, or a cat in a blender.

Cat in a blender sounds about right.

 

[DWF]

I see TMP at least once a year, I love the visual effects especially the V'ger flyover and the opening with the Klingon ships. The music is fantastic and I do have the extended CD of the soundtrack.

However the movie does feel alittle flat kind like a cross between a high school reunion and a pilot for a new series. while it's nice to see Uhuru, Scotty, Sulu and Checkov little is known about what happened to tem after we last saw them. And while I love the V'ger flyover I thought the Enterprise flyover was a bit excessive. seeing as how we see the ship thoughout the rest of the movie.

 

[gomtuu20]

I was expecting STTMP to be better than Star Wars. Star Wars had made the studios realize that Science Fiction was bankable (although I would classify Star Wars as Science Fantasy rather than Science Fiction). When I finally got to see it, it was a big let down. The interactions between the characters that made TOS feel like home were gone. While I think is Nimoy is an outstanding actor, his acting seemed flat and unconvincing to me. I realize he had been on the brink of purging all human emotion, but does that mean he had to purge all his manners too? It just didn't feel like the Trek I knew. Having said that, the fly over of the Enterprise is my favorite scene of any of the series and movies in the entire Franchise. The Enterprise was a character in and of herself (something that Voyager missed) and it was great to see her in all her glory. This scene and the V'ger flyover scene are frequently noted as the reason why many people thought this film was boring, but I wish this scene would have lasted twice as long.
When you refer to the gong, I assume you are referring to the very deep sound. That was actually a very large wire. When seen in the theatres, this sound was like nothing ever heard before (or since, really). It would almost rumble the theatre seats. I think that is missed when watched in the home. It was something that was used to bring something strange and different to the theatre audience and it was very effective. I recently bought a surround sound system with a subwoofer, maybe I'll watch it again to see if it has the same effect at home now.
I strongly disagree with those who are saying the Director's Edition is so bad. If finally gives the film a finished feel, which the theatrical version was sorely lacking. Yes, I would have made a few different choices than they did, but overal the film is vastly improved. For example, in the the theatrical version, when V'ger breaks off the attack on the Enterprise, the sound effect continues on after the probe has disappeared. This is corrected in the Director's Cut. I love the Director's Edition so much more than the original. I don't even watch the original anymore. The so-called character moments that were edited out needed to be edited out. Lines like Decker's stated that man creates God in his own image are just terrible. They needed to be cut. Some of the added scenes that were in the extended edition were nothing but scenes that were edited out of the movie because they weren't very good. They were added on so that Paramount could sell more video tapes with "never before seen footage".
In any event, I like The Motionless Picture much better now than I did when it first came out. I think my expectations were too high then. The Director's Edition IS what Wise would have originally done had he had the time. He said so himself.

 

[SMC]

When you refer to the gong, I assume you are referring to the very deep sound. That was actually a very large wire. When seen in the theatres, this sound was like nothing ever heard before (or since, really).

That instrument is called a Blaster Beam.

http://www.gigapolis.com/kitaro/en/instruments/synthesizer/sonstige/beam/index.php

It is basically an extremely large (25 foot long) lap-steel electric guitar. Long strings were positioned over electric guitar pickups and hooked up to an amplifier. It was played by sliding a pipe or spent artillery casing along the strings. You can also hear it a few times in the score of Star Trek II and 2010: The Year We Make Contact.

It would almost rumble the theatre seats. I think that is missed when watched in the home. It was something that was used to bring something strange and different to the theatre audience and it was very effective. I recently bought a surround sound system with a subwoofer, maybe I'll watch it again to see if it has the same effect at home now.

On the director's cut DVD they really did ruin the film's sound mix so the blaster beam sound lost almost all of its impact, but on the Dolby Digital True HD track on the blu ray release of trhe theatrical version, it really comes through loud and clear. I've been informed by hose who saw the film in good theatres in its original release that the blu ray soundtrack is a vastly more faithful representation.

I love the Director's Edition so much more than the original. I don't even watch the original anymore. The so-called character moments that were edited out needed to be edited out. Lines like Decker's stated that man creates God in his own image are just terrible. They needed to be cut.

Why is the line terrible? Its true, afterall. We did create god in our image. God was created by man, *not* the other way around. Amazing how many people get that mixed up...

Some of the added scenes that were in the extended edition were nothing but scenes that were edited out of the movie because they weren't very good. They were added on so that Paramount could sell more video tapes with "never before seen footage"

You can say that about all the needless character scenes the DE puts back in too. We didn't need Spock explaining V'ger's dilemma in relation to his own situation *twice* - the scene in sickbay where Spock tells Kirk that "This... simple feeling, is beyond V'ger's comprehension" was essentially repeated in the scene where Spock cries on the bridge. The same information was conveyed. We certainly didn't need to be beaten over the head with that concept. No wonder that scene was deleted from the theatrical version. It was put back in beacause they could, not because it improves the film. That goes for just about all the DE changes and I maintain (and have it on good authority) that Robert Wise had nothing to do with the day to day decisions that were made about what to do with the film for the DE. He was present purely for publicity (and possibly legal) reasons but did not make any decisions about what was done on the DE. He had more or less disowned the film anyway prior to that.

The Director's Edition IS what Wise would have originally done had he had the time. He said so himself.

Sounds more like something a marketing executive came up with to me...

 

[Pauln6]

I'd like to see the extended tv version with the completed effects from the DE. I will admit reducing the amount of time the camera spent focused on the charcters' furrowed brows was probably a good idea but apart from that, I rather enjoy the longer version.

 

[ST-One]

I'd like to see the extended tv version with the completed effects from the DE. I will admit reducing the amount of time the camera spent focused on the charcters' furrowed brows was probably a good idea but apart from that, I rather enjoy the longer version.

Good idea. But you'd have to lose Kirk's 'memory-wall' exit from the ship.

 

[Pauln6]

I'd like to see the extended tv version with the completed effects from the DE. I will admit reducing the amount of time the camera spent focused on the charcters' furrowed brows was probably a good idea but apart from that, I rather enjoy the longer version.

Good idea. But you'd have to lose Kirk's 'memory-wall' exit from the ship.

Hmm well, it's a small price to pay I suppose. They should have tooled up Janice with a big gun and sent her off to rescue Ilia. Worked for Sigourney (until the second sequel).

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

"Maybe eventually JJ can remake ST:TMP with some plot, color and lens flares. " - Dennis

Did I actually say that?

If not, I claim it anyway.

...The camera would be shaken so badly that you wouldn't be sure if you just saw the Enterprise, or a cat in a blender.

I really don't get the trouble that some folks seem to have had in following the visual action or seeing what was onscreen in JJTrek; I certainly didn't have any problems and I don't fit anywhere into that "ADHD adolescent" straw man category that some of the "critics" like to invoke. These complaints are starting to sound like untreated opthamological issues.

 

[gomtuu20]

SMC - I disagree with nearly everything you said in post #152, but THANK YOU for the link about the Blaster Beam. I've read descriptions of this thing for years, but I've never seen it before. Maybe I'll get the BRD version of the film to hear it the way I remember it. It was one of the coolest things about the movie when I saw it in the theatre.

 

[Anduril]

I'm still waiting on those pics of the wide-bottomed officer. I've tried trekcore, but to no avail.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm still waiting on those pics of the wide-bottomed officer.

Decker by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

Here you go. Depending on whether you do a frame grab, or simply photograph a monitor screen which stretches the image, or even if you choose to sharpen (or not sharpen) the image, the woman's bottom can look bizarrely wide in some shots. It's not helped that her skintight jumpsuit has a side pocket. She doesn't look that wide from the front, when Kirk asks her for directions.

 

[Pauln6]

The camera adds ten pounds. She was probably really skinny in real life. Still, something for everyone in that particular shot!