STAR TREK WEEK DAY I: THE MOTION PICTURE

It’s going to be a futuristic week because today we start with the first cinema blockbuster from the USS Enterprise universe. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Captain Kirk and his crew discover a completely new alien entity that wants to explore the carbon units, us.

THE MOTION PICTURE IN BRIEF

ACT I: KIRK’S exaggerated ambition

The year is 2270. A Starfleet monitoring station detects an alien entity hiding in a massive energy cloud. Unstoppable, the cloud moves through space toward the earth. On its way, the cloud destroys Klingon warships and the monitoring station.

Bad timing! Because the USS Enterprise experiences a general overhaul on earth. Furthermore, James T. Kirk was promoted to admiral. Nevertheless, the Starfleet Command instructs the crew of the Enterprise to confront the mysterious cloud.

But the vessel is now commanded by Captain Willard Decker. And he is not amused at all by this news. Because Kirk used his authority to take command of the starship Enterprise again.

However, Decker knows that no one is more familiar with the ship’s upgrades than he is. Nevertheless, James T. Kirk demoted him to the commander and first officer.

ACT II: SPOCKS FIRST RETURN

Kirk’s arrogance will take revenge very soon because the first system tests almost lead to disaster. Not only that the USS Enterprise is almost destroyed. Worse, two officers, including Vulcan science officer Sonak, die when the transport beamer fails. But a replacement is quickly found. And so Kirk’s old friend Spock takes over as science officer.

ACT III: THE CLOUD

When the Enterprise finally reaches the cloud, a probe from the cosmic nebula beams aboard and assimilates the beautiful navigator Ilia. So, she becomes an ambassador of the alien, and the crew learns about Ilia’s new self and more about the entity’s goals.

They also find out that the alien calls itself V’Ger. Moreover, they understand that V’Ger plans to investigate the “carbon units”, the people on the ship. Unfortunately, it means their deaths.

Decker, in love with Ilia, tries to reactivate the woman’s memories. Meanwhile, Spock takes an unauthorized spacewalk into the cloud. In doing so, he realizes that the entire ship is V’Ger.

THE MOTION PICTURE’S LEGACY

With Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the crew of the USS Enterprise beamed onto the big screen for the first time. The critics’ voices were divided. Nevertheless, today Star Trek: The Motion Picture, like its successors, is one of the absolute cult films of the science fiction genre.

At that time, in 1979, the film was a part of the new Si-Fi hype that was triggered shortly before by Star Wars. And as great rifts formed between Beatles and Rolling Stones fans, two hard fronts in the Si-Fi genre quickly developed.

Now suddenly, there were the Trekkies on one side. On the other side were the Star Wars fanboys and girls. And from now on, everyone lived in their very personal favorite universe. However, the story continues tomorrow.