What was your first experience with a movie?

[Ziriath]

If you like ST:TMP, do not read this post.

I've started watching Star trek 15 years ago, but first time I saw a Star trek TMP, were last Christmas, when it was aired on TV. I was disappointed, coz it was two hours of nothing happening and all my favourite characters were reduced to walking Enterprise's equipment, wearing particularly hideous uniforms. It was a pain to watch it, for me. It was like watching an animated Mandelbrot fractal endless loop. Everything I loved on Star trek TOS, was gone. Colours, humour, chemistry, Kirk's unintended humour, Spock's great personality, everything. I hate that motionless and lifeless movie, despite all its good special effects..
But TWOK and TUC became my favourite ST movies.
When I was watching the movies, all of them seemed to me very familiar. It's possible I have seen them when I was too young to understand it.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I don't quite recall: the first movie I remember clearly was a VHS of The Voyage Home in someone's living room.

 

[Kirby]

I saw TMP at the Tamarac Square Theaters with my two little brothers and the kid that lived across the street, while our parents went to see whatever was playing in the other theater. I was 11 at the time, and I had seen almost all of TOS thanks to my friend with that new fangled thing called cable tv.

Side note... My office is just a couple of miles from Tamarac Square, a neat little higher-end specialty mall, which was just shut down and will be bulldozed in order to put up a Super Target.

 

[Caesar753]

The first movie I ever saw was Wrath of Khan on VHS. I was just a little kid but remember loving the movie and also being scared of Khan's burned face at the end. :-P

 

[plynch]

TMP in 79 at 12 Oaks Mall, suburban Detroit. They plowed over a stand of oak trees 12 times to build it, I think.

Never do this: be overweight in junior high and go to TMP in 1979 wearing your Donmoor kids' size Trek uniform shirt from 1975 that's too short so you have to slouch so it covers your belly, while wearing your AMT Exploration Set phaser and tricorder.

Nope, don't do that. I'm just sayin'.

 

[HaventGotALife]

At the Star Theatre in Rochester Hills, MI. It was 1994 and Star Trek: Generations had just been relased (we saw it on opening day). It was enjoyable because we went as a family after having dinner. It had been 4 short years since I had been introduced to Trek (TNG's Best of Both Worlds, Part II). My dad had watched as an adult and he took us kids along for the ride. However, my parents had divorced in 1992 so he wasn't with us. I remember buying all the Star Trek figurines (by Playmates). They had the TNG crew in dress uniforms we never saw in the movie. I had Worf and my brother had Riker before the movie was relased. We also read the Star Magazine article saying Kirk was going to die! Shocking! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the experience. Generations has never been one of my favorites, but it was a great action flick for my 10-year-old brain.

 

[Saxman1]

TMP, possibly the first Saturday it was released. I enjoyed it a ton, having gotten away from TOS for a number of years after having watched it first-run. However, TWOK blew me away!

 

[Mr Pointy Ears]

The first trek movie isaw in the theatres was generations and i was with my younger brother,most of the earlier star trek movies i saw on tv or on video.

 

[Balrog]

TMP - I saw it the Sunday afternoon of the opening weekend. I remember how a friend of mine was telling me about it the day before, "Sulu, Chekov and Uhura were there. McCoy is like a hippie with a beard, but he shaves it off. Scotty has a mustache!"

TWOK - Saw it openning night with my sister, her boyfriend and his sister. Her boyfriend cried when Spock died. She dumped him soon after that.

TSFS - Openning day. I ditched school to see it with my brother, who was in college at the time.

TVH - Saw it openning night with a bunch of friends from high school

TFF - Saw it openning night with friends from the Army

TUC - Saw it openning night with work friends, family and my wife (not married yet)

GEN - Saw it openning night with a large group of friends and wife (married)

FC - Saw it openning night with my sister and her fiance and my wife

INS - Saw it openning night with wife and another couple

NEM - Saw it openning day alone

ST09 - I saw it openning day after work alone, and then the next day in IMAX with a large group.

 

[Iamnotspock]

I think the first one I saw was The Final Frontier on TV, possibly its UK terrestrial première. I remember when The Undiscovered Country came out but I was only 5 and no one took me to see it. The first one I saw in the cinema was Generations with my parents when I was 8.

 

[los2188]

The first Trek movie that I saw was The Motion Picture. I was only 4 so I don't remember it at all, but according to my parents they took me with them and I promptly fell asleep throughout the movie which in hindsight, was probably right in line with that movie. The actual movie that I remember seeing was Wrath of Khan and there's debate as to whether or not I saw certain scenes in that movie...nevertheless I tried to be a tough guy and not cry when Spock died, but I didn't quite get the job done. After reading everyone else's first movie...I feel so old!!!!!!!

 

[butch101]

The first one I saw was The Voyage Home. I had no idea what was star trek whatsoever. I didn't get it at first that this was the last of a "trilogy", but liked it anyway. Then, I watched "The Motion Picture". Just the V'Ger thing at the beginning of the movie scared the living shit out of me. I think it was the music that did this effect.
But the first one I saw in theater was "Generations". I liked the movie for the visual effects, ie, the crash, the E-B, the Farragut... but found Kirk's death a bit overkill.
good memories though!


Butch

 

[Brikar99]

I sort of vaguely recall watching 'The Voyage Home' with my dad soon after it came out on video, but the first movie I have solid memory of is 'The Undiscovered Country,' which is also the first movie I saw twice in theatres.

This past weekend, I saw a screening of 'Wrath of Khan' on the big screen, and it was like watching it for the first time. It's a completely different experience than watching it at home, even on blu-ray with my booming surround system.

 

[Alrik]

TMP at the Drive-In theater in San Bernardino, CA. with my family during its initial release. Pretty sure I was 12. I can remember being so happy to have Trek back that I didn't really pick up on much of what it gets shredded for now, but I'll also admit that it didn't prepair me for how blown away I'd be when TWOK came out.

 

[FatherRob]

How were you introduced to the Star Trek movies? What was the first one you saw in a theatre? Who were you with?

I discovered Star Trek in 1984 or 1985 by watching TAS in Nickelodean. From there, I transitioned to watching TOS on my local station (now a Fox affilliate) in early 1986. At this point I knew nothing of any movies.

Later in the year, I saw my first film, TWOK, on ABC during one of their Sunday Night movies, inclusive of the 'deleted scenes'. I VHS'ed the film at the babysitter's (we did not have a VCR until 1989), editing out the commercials with my pause button, and watched the daylights out of it. Ditto with Trek III. My babysitter had HBO or Showtime when they got Trek IV, and she recorded it for me. My next film was TMP, rented from a local grocery store in early 89 when we got a VCR at home.

My first in-theater movie experience was TFF in 89. My uncle took me (he also took me to my first two Star Trek conventions, even though he didn't care for the show - he was my father figure in life, so I am grateful he took an interest) and I was thrilled.

By 91, I was running a Trek fan club, and we were doing a display of memorabilia from Trek at TUC. We got midnight showing and unlimited viewing of the film during opening weekend in exchange for being in costumes and manning our velvet-rope-lined tables for four days. It was a blast. I also remember, in my first time seeing the film, I noticed that they had placed the name ENTERPRISE on the forward part of the photorp tube, ala TNG. So, like an idiot, I shouted out in the middle of the film (always the Technical Geek) "Did you see that? They put the ship's name on the torpedo launcher!" I got a few dirty looks.

In 94, our club did a similar display, together with computers showing Trek ships and a food-drive for GENS. We likewise got a midnight showing and full weekend passes to see the film as often as we wanted.

By the time of FC, I was in seminary, but I have seen every Trek movie from TUC through ST09 on opening day or a preview. TFF was seen on the Saturday of opening weekend.

Rob+

 

[Therin of Andor]

The actual movie that I remember seeing was Wrath of Khan and there's debate as to whether or not I saw certain scenes in that movie...nevertheless I tried to be a tough guy and not cry when Spock died, but I didn't quite get the job done. After reading everyone else's first movie...I feel so old!!!!!!!

Haha. You didn't mention before that you were only six or so watching ST II.

Imagine how I feel knowing I turned 21 a few days before TMP premiered.

I watched "The Motion Picture". Just the V'Ger thing at the beginning of the movie scared the living shit out of me. I think it was the music that did this effect.

This reminds me a bit of my first experience seeing "Forbidden Planet" on b/w TV in the 1960s. That eerie music, Morbius's deep voice, Altaira's tiger, those lead panels that went kachunk, kachunk, kachunk over the windows, when Morbius was demonstrating his house, Robby's whirring gears, and the bottomless pit aspect of the Krell overhead walkways.

 

[gottacook]

TMP at the Fox theater, center-city Philadelphia across the street from City Hall, during the first week of release. The Cinema Treasures page for the Fox (http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1177) says that TMP was the last feature shown there, but actually something called In Search of Historic Jesus ran for a few weeks before it closed and was torn down.

I've never understood people who have compared TMP to 2001: A Space Odyssey for a simple reason: I saw 2001 at the Fox as well, in Cinerama, in 1968 (I was 11). "There is no comparison," indeed.

 

[Warped9]

The Motion Picture on opening day.

Same.

I was 20 and everyone was hyped. The opening sequence with the Klingon ships was mesmerizing. When next Nimoy and then Shatner appeared onscreen the audience reaction was thunderous. The unveiling of the refit Enterprise had the audience hushed with astonishment while you could hear occasionally whispered exclamations such as "whoa!" and "holy shit!"

I haven't seen any SF or genre film since have that kind of impact on an audience.

Today new Trek is basically common canned food. Back then for the first couple of films Star Trek was magic. To this day two of my favourite music tracks from the Trek films are the launch of the Enterprise and the opening Klingon sequence.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The first Star Trek movie that I saw was "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in 1991 a couple of months after it opened. I was 12 years old. Went with my best friend at the time and another friend of ours. We went to the cheap theater, there were six people in the theater and we sat in the front seat. I had pretty much just discovered Star Trek at this time and remember being riveted by everything I saw. My friends, not so much lol.

 

[Tan Ru]

TWOK.

At a drive-in (hey, who remembers those?), thru a dirty car windshield caked with bug guts. With that tinny sounding mono speaker blaring distortion.

It was summer, and hot, and muggy............man, what a rotten night that was... I'd preferred an air-conditioned theatre actually.

...oh yeah, it was my high school "graduation present" from my oldest brother.

"Hey, thanks 'bro............"