TMP... what's the difference?

[captain-brad]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture has always been my favorite Star Trek film. It feels the most like the way the stories were structured and progressed in the show with a transcendant and life affirming ending. What's different between the original and the director's cut?

 

[T'Girl]

Director Edition has different special effects. Some are better, others worse. In the original, I like the fact that you never saw all of V'Ger, just pieces, the Director's Edition seemed to diminish V'Ger by showing the entirety of it clearly as it approached Earth, became just another big spaceship.

 

[Pauln6]

I love the movie too. I think it suffers some because it is one of the movies that many people struggle to enjoy after multiple viewings - limited action being cited as its biggest flaw. I think it impresses far more when viewed on the big screen but even then, since special effects have moved on on the last 30 years, it would be less impressive to a modern audience that has seen it all before.

As a prelude to the Phase II TV show, I think it would have served us extremely well (and would have done so even with fewer special effects). I love the ship, I love how the Federation looks and feels, and I like the crew, especially the aliens on the Rec Deck.

As a 2001-inspired epic movie it can still impress but less so after multiple viewings.

 

[F. King Daniel]

They ruined the red alert in the directors' cut. The sirens and "RED ALERT! RED ALERT!" are gone, and replaced with something resembling a pager going off.

 

[Pauln6]

They ruined the red alert in the directors' cut. The sirens and "RED ALERT! RED ALERT!" are gone, and replaced with something resembling a pager going off.

Nooooo! I have TMP 'Intruder Alert' as my mobile phone ring tone.

I recall that some of the supporting characters' dialogue got cut in the Director's Cut too.

 

[Amasov]

I've really come around on this movie. I never really hated it nor did I ever consider it one of my favorites. Only recently did I watch it. The movie has some very good ideas. The joke that Gene Roddenberry threw out there that V'Ger could be Borg-related really got my creative juices flowing. Just that idea alone made me enjoy it a lot more. It's fun to think about.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^You might want to read William Shatner's nutty The Return, which ties V'Ger to the Borg.

 

[Warped9]

The Director's edition fixes some flawed and incomplete f/x shots from the theatrical release. The film is edited as a whole rather surgically so that the pacing is improved to a limited fashion. And some previously cut footage was put back in. Although the DE is actually about nine minutes longer than the theatrical cut it actually feels short because of the improved pacing.

The DE is my preferred version of the film, the one we should have gotten all along.

 

[Indysolo]

Although the DE is actually about nine minutes longer than the theatrical cut it actually feels short because of the improved pacing.

"The Director's Edition" is 136 minutes while the theatrical cut runs 132 minutes. However, the DE has a longer overture and extended end titles. The film proper runs about the same time.

Neil

 

[Data Holmes]

Man I wish The God Thing was here to answer the op.

 

[Brandonv]

I never liked the idea that V'ger and the Borg are related. The machine civilization that built V'ger had to have been orders of magnitude more advanced than the Borg.

 

[Warped9]

I never liked the idea that V'ger and the Borg are related. The machine civilization that built V'ger had to have been orders of magnitude more advanced than the Borg.

Agreed. It's also a bit of retconning I can do without.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I recall that some of the supporting characters' dialogue got cut in the Director's Cut too.

Not much. Some of the supporting character's dialogue had been left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical version, but finally restored for the ABC-TV "Special Longer Version" (and subsequent release on VHS), such as the bridge Rhaandarite's defence of Captain Decker (which had been featured in the Marvel Comics adaptation and in the novelization) and his admonishment by Uhura. That scene was retained for the DVD DE.

As a fan of Billy Van Zandt, it's the scene I miss the most on the recent BluRay version, which goes back to the original theatrical version.

 

[Captain Rob]

The Director's edition fixes some flawed and incomplete f/x shots from the theatrical release. The film is edited as a whole rather surgically so that the pacing is improved to a limited fashion. And some previously cut footage was put back in. Although the DE is actually about nine minutes longer than the theatrical cut it actually feels short because of the improved pacing.

The DE is my preferred version of the film, the one we should have gotten all along.

The DE is my preferred version also. One of my biggest complaints about the theatrical release was that we never saw all of V'Ger's ship. I love the overture as well, and the pacing is vastly improved. The DE is just more enjoyable.

 

[Pauln6]

I recall that some of the supporting characters' dialogue got cut in the Director's Cut too.

Not much. Some of the supporting character's dialogue had been left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical version, but finally restored for the ABC-TV "Special Longer Version" (and subsequent release on VHS), such as the bridge Rhaandarite's defence of Captain Decker (which had been featured in the Marvel Comics adaptation and in the novelization) and his admonishment by Uhura. That scene was retained for the DVD DE.

As a fan of Billy Van Zandt, it's the scene I miss the most on the recent BluRay version, which goes back to the original theatrical version.

That's true, it was Uhura's best line too. The supporting cast didn't get much in the way of lines so I'd prefer a hybrid of the DE plus all the extra dialogue - it's the lengthy reaction shots I can live without.

 

[Basill]

I miss the computer voice and Kirk's dramatic "Oh my God." (and I'm not ashamed to admit it).

 

[Listener4]

The Directors cut is a minor improvement over the original, mostly for better pacing. The new visual and sound effects are a mixed bag. But it still feels unfinished.

 

[Warped9]

The Directors cut is a minor improvement over the original, mostly for better pacing. The new visual and sound effects are a mixed bag. But it still feels unfinished.

In a greater sense I think it will always feel somewhat unfinished because the story demands more character drama. With some good character drama added it could conceivably have been one of the best Star Trek adventures ever done.

If TMP had had its f/x completed and polished as it should have had when released and it had had some polished character drama a la TWOK it could have been awesome.

As it is I just imagine said needed character drama happening offscreen where we unfortunately never got to see it.

 

[Pauln6]

Yes, TMP is very sterile but it has to be said that not many of the subsequent sequels managed to evoke the right mix of character drama after TWoK. This is why I say TMP would have set things up nicely for a series - like NuTrek it had to spend some time setting the scene again and could have built on what occurred in the movie. If I'm honest, I prefer the crispness of TMP's style of command to the laissez faire attitude of say Archer in ST:Enterprise or the camp caricature of TUC.

A few more character scenes would have been greatly preferred by me though.

 

[Warped9]

My disappointment with TMP is qualified: I like it even though I feel, Man, it's almost there! So close! Arrgh!