Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Imagine if Star Trek had never been revived as a movie...

...and now, imagine if it were revived as a movie today.

It wouldn't be much like the original. No, it would be a comedy.

Will Ferrell as Kirk, Ellen DeGeneres as Mrs Spock and we both know it'd be more about him getting her back again than saving the universe. Lots of jokes about technology, a laugh-filled montage as bungling Kirk learns how to be a starship captain, and all to a brand new track by Shaggy.

Gone are the days of a couple of years ago...

Do you remember when a movie version of an old TV show came out, and it would actually be the same team behind it that had made the original?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a good example. Eight years on, the whole surviving cast was asked back - even Nurse Chapel and Janice Rand. Creator Gene Roddenbury was behind it. And it confidently trod the same ground, in the same serious tone, as the original series. No frightened recasting to attract new viewers at the expense of the existing ones here.


Kirk's drive to control was subtly underplayed, as is Spock's soul-searching, while everyone else just carries on with work as usual... like they would, if it were real.

Yes, it's a slow film, but thank God for that.

As I rewatched this tonight on a gigantic screen, thoroughly enjoying it, my experience was marred only by what Comic Book Guy would call:

"All-time worst spoiling of a movie's ending ever."

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Decker and Ilia are all at the evil super-computer about to blow-up the Earth. It's called "Vger." Kirk steps forward like a hero and rubs off the dust on the side of the machine.

He reads.

He gasps.

"Voy-" Neil walks in and says "Ronnie's Barker's dead."