The Movie Sleuth compares the three different versions of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Legendary director Robert Wise’s attempt to bring the
world of Star Trek to the big screen
in 1979 understandably remains the most divisive and troubled entry in the
canon for numerous reasons. To begin
with, its creator Gene Roddenberry lobbied Paramount Pictures to continue the
series through film, only to have them flip flop on the idea by planning what
would have become a reboot of the television series with a new cast called Star Trek: Phase II. Many of the cast members, most notably
Stephen Collins as Decker and Persis Khambatta as Ilia would have helmed the
series as its main stars. But then after
the unexpected success of science fiction ventures like Star Wars and Close
Encounters of the Third Kind, Paramount changed their minds and cancelled Phase II in lieu of making a $15 million
Star Trek film with the Academy Award
winning director of such science fiction classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Andromeda Strain behind it.
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| Vulcan: Original versus Director's Edition |
In a move that would spell doom for countless films throughout history,
most notably Alien 3, Paramount
issued a release date for the film well before the cameras began rolling,
producing a rushed film that was completed just days before the premiere. Between endless script revisions that took
place during the production as well as the brazen move to fire the film’s
entire original special effects team in favor of Close Encounters’ effects technician Douglas Trumbull, it’s kind of
amazing that a watchable Star Trek film
emerged from the chaos at all. Not
unlike Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
its director admitted what went to theaters was more or less a rough cut with
many areas left unfinished or hastily assembled to meet the studio’s
deadline.
As a result of the scheduling
impositions on both Close Encounters and
what became Star Trek: The Motion Picture,
home video soon saw the release of alternate versions of the films offering a
unique look at what came to be and what might have been had their respective
creators had more time to finish them as they saw fit. While that’s not to say Star Trek: The Motion Picture would have emerged as a flawless
venture, it’s interesting to consider the possibility of a better version of
the same story being told to viewers.
With that, the Movie Sleuth takes a unique gander at the three
distinctly different releases of Star
Trek: The Motion Picture in an effort to determine which of the three
represents the best possible version of this still deeply flawed but beautiful
epic that brought Star Trek back into
cultural consciousness.
1979
Theatrical Version (132 Minutes)
Early into Star
Trek: The Motion Picture, Scotty (James Doohan) remarks to Captain Kirk
(William Shatner), ‘she’ll launch on time sir, and she’ll be ready’. Thinking about this particular line of
dialogue can’t help but beg the question, was Star Trek: The Motion Picture ever really ready before it was
unleashed on the first audiences who saw it?
Completed days before the premiere with post-production visual effects
wizard Douglas Trumbull working overtime to meet the deadline, this is the
version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture first
seen by audiences on December 7th, 1979. While a fully functioning film with
breathtaking vistas, ornate production design and a sense of awe and wonder
missing somewhat from the other following Star
Trek pictures, the 1979 version clearly suffers from the tight schedule
imposed on the filmmakers. Outside of
attempting to capture the realism of space travel with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as
pondering thought provoking questions concerning the inextricable link between
extraterrestrial and human life The
Motion Picture doesn’t really feel like a Star Trek film.
It’s a feast
for the eyes on every front but it moves at a pace unbecoming of the
series. The opening introduction of the
redesigned Enterprise goes on far too long in all three cuts of the film and
the premise is closer to mid-70s science fiction interested in ideas instead of
action. When the Enterprise happens upon
the alien cloud careening slowly towards Earth, it goes on and on and on. One has to wonder how much of the sluggish
pacing is due to pleasing the numerous Trekkies glimpsed in the staff meeting
who were overjoyed to see their favorite television show get such a lavish
treatment. For some that’s been the
accusation for years. Others complained
whether rushed or not, the characters and story take a backseat to the visual
effects. Whatever the case, Robert Wise
has gone on to say his film would have been tighter and more balanced if he had
more time to tie up loose ends.
1983
Television Version (144 Minutes)
Produced for network television by Paramount Pictures
without Robert Wise’s involvement or permission, what became known as the Special Longer Version added
approximately twelve minutes of footage to the film and premiered in 1983. Soon all the Betamax, VHS and laserdisc
editions of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
conformed to this longer version and the original theatrical release of the
film wasn’t seen again for years until the widescreen laserdisc release of the
film in the early 1990s. In the early
tradition of reformatting the film’s 2.35:1 aspect ratio down to a heavily
cropped 1.33:1 television ratio, Star
Trek: The Motion Picture had half of the picture information cut off with
dreadful pan-and-scan and occasional stretched images. As for the extra scenes themselves, most of
the moments feel like snippets scattered throughout the film. Some of it is relevant, including a moment
where Spock weeps for VGer and Ilia uses telekinesis to ease Chekov’s pain from
his third degree burnt hand.
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| In the special longer edition, Spock is a cry-baby. |
There’s
also more time spent with Decker and Ilia than previously. Other scenes however, notably a scene where
Captain Kirk is seen leaving the ship’s atmosphere in an attempt to retrieve
Spock from penetrating VGer’s central core, stick out like a sore thumb. Besides the spacesuit design Kirk wears
changing inexplicably when it cuts back to the theatrical footage, a wide shot
of Kirk leaving the airlock reveals flags and elements of the set piece
intended to be matted away by the visual effects department. Reportedly this was part of an unused
sequence which became known as the Memory Wall scene. Why this scene which was never completed
properly in the first place returned to the longer version of the film still
makes no sense, particularly for the jarring break with continuity its
inclusion creates. The Special Longer Version also makes the
early mistake often made with director’s cuts or expanded versions of films in
that whatever was left on the cutting room floor gets jammed back into the
picture whether it throws the pacing off balance or not. Understandably, Robert Wise disapproved of
this version and soon would be granted permission to finish up his own finalized
Director’s Edition version of the
film in 2001.
2001
DVD Version (136 Minutes)
When news broke out in the post Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition era that Robert Wise was going
back to Star Trek: The Motion Picture to
not only recut the film but revise many of the film’s visual effects including
returning to unused conceptual art and the original script, people were
understandably skeptical. Not to worry
though, because the newly created CGI visual effects shots took great care to
conform to the look of the original models and optical effects work of the 1979
picture. The most noticeable changes in
this area involve the look of Spock’s planet Vulcan, which went from a volcanic
moon to the Tattooine look of The Search
for Spock and The Voyage Home. While I still prefer the 1979 look of Vulcan
versus the revised and reimagined look, it’s subdued and doesn’t stray too far
from the original footage. Another
notable standout involves a special effect that was never shot where rocks form
a bridge between the Enterprise and VGer as opposed to the bridge already being
there. It’s a minor effect but cool to
see. More than anything, what became
known as The Director’s Edition is
easily the most well-paced of all three versions currently available, adding
some of the moments of the Special Longer
Version while cutting out most of the rest.
Shots of the Enterprise traveling inside VGer that seemed to go on
forever have now been abbreviated by trimming a few seconds out of every shot and
the whole scene, while still lengthy, moves along much faster than before.
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| Bridge to V'Ger: Original versus Director's Edition |
The film’s sound design was also almost
completely re-recorded with modern sound mixing technology, a move that will
aggravate some purists including the removal of vocal recordings that blare
‘Intruder Alert!’ over the loudspeakers.
I could have done without the addition of the Wilhelm Scream in the
scene where Chekov’s hand is burned, but it’s a minor grievance. Unfortunately for this version, which was
originally intended for theatrical re-release before going to DVD, the newly
created CGI visual effects were mastered in 480 interlaced resolution and thus
would have to be entirely re-rendered for Blu-Ray, making this cut of the film
a DVD exclusive for the moment. Maybe
one day it’ll make the transition to Blu-Ray but for now the recently released
Blu-Ray boxed set only uses the 1979 theatrical version of the film.
The
Outcome
While I’m a purist and won’t deny all three versions
still represent an imperfect film whose problems stem far beyond the editing
room, The Movie Sleuth has to go with the Director’s
Edition for the simple fact that it’s the tightest version and moves the
fastest. It’s still slow and drawn out,
but many of the films longest scenes now move at a brisker pace and some of the
re-rendered visual effects make for smoother transitions as well as correcting
jarring limitations of the technology at the time. Yes its slightly longer than the already
overlong 1979 version released in theaters, but not by much and the complete
overhaul of the entire picture makes the experience feel closer to being a
finished package than before. While I do
miss the original look of Vulcan, the change isn’t anywhere near the alteration
of the City of Clouds in The Empire
Strikes Back and the film still looks like it did when it first came
out. Blu-Ray owners will likely wind up
watching the original 1979 version due to its increased resolution and enhanced
sound design over the DVD, but if I were to show the film to someone who has
never seen it before, I’d show them the 2001 Director’s Edition without the slightest hesitation. For a movie that was never really finished in
the first place before being unleashed upon audiences, this is the closest Star Trek: The Motion Picture has come
to finally being finished.
-Andrew Kotwicki