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Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (1 Viewer)

Jonathan Perregaux

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I loved those novels. Vonda was a great writer. Though her characterization of Scotty for “III” was... off. He never said words like “thy,” ever. It was cool to see some of his family, such as his niece Dannan Stuart, even if it was a strained relationship.

Beginning with Generations, the novels became coloring books.

Beginning with 2009 Star Trek, they became eye tests. E... F... P... T... O... Z...
 

jcroy

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Beginning with Generations, the novels became coloring books.

The novelization of First Contact was very much like this. It read like the author just read the script and rewrote everything in a straightforward manner.

Beginning with 2009 Star Trek, they became eye tests. E... F... P... T... O... Z...

I found the 2009 and "Into Darkness" novelizations somewhat better than watchng the actual movies.
 

Mark McSherry

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I found the 2009 and "Into Darkness" novelizations somewhat better than watchng the actual movies.

Alan Dean Foster wrote the 2009 STAR TREK novelization and I thought it superior to the movie. It was probably just my bias against the re-imagining of The Original Series but I thought I sensed that distaste in Foster's written take too. After all, he had taken the time writing the novelizations of Star Trek: The Animated Series decades ago.

One nice touch in the 2009 novelization was the homage to Eric Frank Russell. Russell and A. E. van Vogt are often credited with creating the concepts behind ST:TOS. Van Vogt with his Space Beagle and Mixed Men stories from the late 30's to mid-40's, and Russell with his Jay Score / Marathon tales. Foster includes a bit, in his novelization, about a missing Admiral's dog--- an incident that never occurs in the movie that is a variation on Russell's most famous story, "Allamagoosa", which won the 1955 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Come to think of it, "Allamagoosa" would have made a fine Star Trek episode, much along the lines of "The Trouble with Tribbles."
 

Osato

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I was watching the directors cut dvd last night. Started the extras which I haven’t seen in years. It was cool to see some of the phase II footage. I wish they would release all of it.
It also would be great to have more outtakes and test footage from the motion picture.
Finally there is a lot of promotional films for tmp that are not included on this release as well. I actually have one in vhs from a show. It’s a long film with interviews with the cast and gene on the bridge set.

Persis getting her hair cut feature could also be included.
Lastly I’m sure there are radio spots for all of the Star Trek films but these are impossible to find. It would be great to have these too.
 

Jason_V

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One nice touch in the 2009 novelization was the homage to Eric Frank Russell. Russell and A. E. van Vogt are often credited with creating the concepts behind ST:TOS. Van Vogt with his Space Beagle and Mixed Men stories from the late 30's to mid-40's, and Russell with his Jay Score / Marathon tales. Foster includes a bit, in his novelization, about a missing Admiral's dog--- an incident that never occurs in the movie that is a variation on Russell's most famous story, "Allamagoosa", which won the 1955 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Come to think of it, "Allamagoosa" would have made a fine Star Trek episode, much along the lines of "The Trouble with Tribbles."

It'll be a long time before I get to Trek 09's novelization, but there is a line in the film about "Admiral Archer's prized Beagal." While never seen, a Beagle is mentioned, so it does exist in the actual film in dialogue only.
 

Jason_V

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I thought the beagle was a reference to Admiral Archer.

That's my assumption too, but I don't see why the reference can't pay homage to two different things at the same: both Archer/ENT and the piece that Mark mentions.

I could be misreading Mark's comment, but my interpretation is that the reference/incident is in the novel but not the movie. If I'm misreading at 6:30 am, my apologies.
 

Tino

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That's my assumption too, but I don't see why the reference can't pay homage to two different things at the same: both Archer/ENT and the piece that Mark mentions.

I could be misreading Mark's comment, but my interpretation is that the reference/incident is in the novel but not the movie. If I'm misreading at 6:30 am, my apologies.
It’s in the movie.
 

Mark McSherry

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I don't know where I stored my paperback copy, so I downloaded the kindle version. A search with the keyword "beagle" brought up two instances.

One-
Scott grew animated. “I got into a debate with my instructor on the issue of relativisitic physics as they relate to subspace travel. He seemed to think the range of transporting a, say, roast turkey, was limited to a few hundred kilometers. So I told him not only could I beam a bird from one planet to an adjacent planet in the same system, which is no big deal anyway, but that if I were so inclined I could actually do it with a viable life-form. Long-range transwarp beaming is supposed to be impossible.” He snorted. “Difficult maybe, but not impossible.”

“Says you,” countered Kirk.

“Says I, aye.” The engineer glared back at him. “My mistake was in attemptin’ a practical demonstration. Unfortunately, for a test subject I chose Admiral Archer’s prize beagle.” He shook his head sadly. “Shoulda scanned the little mutt’s ident implant first, I suppose.”

Kirk’s expression changed to one of surprise. “I know of the admiral—and his dog. What happened to it?” Scott looked away. “I’ll tell ye when it reappears. I’m convinced it will, one of these days.” His voice dropped to a mumble. “Somewhere. Somehow. If I’d known it was the bloody admiral’s I would’ve been more careful.” He perked up. “Sweet dog, though. Nice ears. I feel guilty.”

Foster, Alan Dean. Star Trek Movie Tie-In (Star Trek: Movie Novelizations) (pp. 200-201). Pocket Books/Star Trek. Kindle Edition.

Two (the last two paragraphs of the novelization)-
No one was in the transporter room when it unexpectedly and fleetingly energized. The figure that emerged on the pad closest to the rest of the chamber did not hesitate, but made straight for the nearest open portal. The blip engendered by its appearance was too transitory and insufficient to alert security. It did not matter, because the unexpected arrival’s appearance on board caused only consternation and not alarm.

For the life of them, as it sped outsystem and entered warp space, no one on the Enterprise could figure out where the beagle with the very peculiar ears had come from.

Foster, Alan Dean. Star Trek Movie Tie-In (Star Trek: Movie Novelizations) (p. 274). Pocket Books/Star Trek. Kindle Edition.

Is the Scott conversation with Kirk above included in the movie? I can't remember, and could (very likely) be wrong.
 
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Josh Steinberg

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Is the Scott conversation with Kirk above included in the movie? I can't remember, and could (very likely) be wrong.

It's in the movie - the conversation is much shorter and goes a little differently. Spock tells Kirk that he needs to get back on to the Enterprise, and Scotty says that's impossible and that he's already tried it on "Admiral Archer's prized beagle". Kirk says that he knew that dog and asked what happened, and Scotty tells him that he'll let him know if the dog ever shows up.
 

Jonathan Perregaux

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Granted, Scotty did blow out all that dialogue at once without audible spaces between words. Like the “ample nacelles” comment. Whatever happened to acting, anyway?
 

Nelson Au

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This Saturday is December 7th, the 40th Anniversary date of Star Trek The Motion Picture release.

I’ll probably watch the old Blu Ray, the theatrical cut.

Hope there will be movement soon for a new remastering of this film for the Theatrical cut including the Wise Director’s Edition. Plus TV cut.
 

Osato

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This Saturday is December 7th, the 40th Anniversary date of Star Trek The Motion Picture release.

I’ll probably watch the old Blu Ray, the theatrical cut.

Hope there will be movement soon for a new remastering of this film for the Theatrical cut including the Wise Director’s Edition. Plus TV cut.

I end up watching the directors edition a lot more than the blu ray.

happy anniversary TMP!!!
 

Tino

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A surprisingly clueless review of TMP by Richard Schickel of Time

“Weirdos”??


Cinema: Warp Speed to Nowhere
By Richard Schickel Monday, Dec. 17, 1979

STAR TREK—THE MOTION PICTURE Directed by Robert Wise; Screenplay by Harold Livingston

It used to be that special effects were created to serve a movie's story, to permit the camera to capture that which could not be found—or recorded on film—in the natural world. But now, in the postStar Wars era, stories are created merely to provide a feeble excuse for the effects. Star Trek consists almost entirely of this kind of material: shot after shot of vehicles sailing through the firmament to the tune of music intended to awe. But the spaceships take an unconscionable amount of time to get anywhere, and nothing of dramatic or human interest happens along the way. Once the ships reach their destination, they do not encounter the kind of boldly characterized antagonists that made Star Wars such fun. In fact, they do not meet any human or humanoid antagonists at all. There isn't even a battle scene at the climax.

Instead there is a lot of talk. Much of it in impenetrable spaceflight jargon. Scanners, deflectors, warp speed, linguacode—words like that are always being barked into the intercom. But it is never to the point: it is hard to decipher where the starship Enterprise stands vis-a-vis the mysterious intruder from outer space. When the crew are not jabbering in technocratese, they are into metaphysics, one of the characteristics of the old Star Trek television show and a major reason for its cult vogue among the half-educated.

It turns out that the villainous UFO is not manned. This is very peculiar, since in the film's opening sequence it is full of weirdos. By the time the Enterprise closes in on it, the creatures have all disappeared, victims not of the story line but of what appears to be a shortage of either money or time.
In a very fast shuffle, the film suddenly announces that the villain is not merely a Death Star, but "a great, living machine." When Ilia, the Enterprise's navigator, is captured by the enemy and literally rewired to be its servant, she explains that the machine is seeking its creator and is terribly cross. The bad temper results from the fact that though the great machine thinks like a whiz, it has no human emotions. And so the picture ends not with a bang but, as it were, a bang. One of the space cadets, who has had his eye on the original Ilia all along, agrees to mate with the improved model and produce a hybrid race of brainy but emotionally turned-on creatures. Just imagine how the effects guys get the colored lights whirling in order to preserve the G rating when that happens.

Some of the metaphorical questions that used to get raised by the Enterprise's intergalactic encounters on the old TV show were at least a little more interesting than this stale intelligence-vs.-emotion debate. One suspects a sellout to the Me Generation's self-absorbed search for feelings. It's a wonder they didn't invite the great machine to join them for an Esalen weekend.
 

Osato

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Just a few hours until the 40th anniversary!!

soundtrack now playing on full!
 
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Tino

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Listening to the theatrical commentary as I type this. Love the DC but the SD quality makes it virtually unwatchable on my lg OLED.
 

Osato

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Listening to the theatrical commentary as I type this. Love the DC but the SD quality makes it virtually unwatchable on my lg OLED.

we need that directors cut approved by wise. His intention was that it would be the version shown from 2000 on.

hopefully a UHd Blu ray is in the
Works for 2020.
 

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