Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Making Of A Cult Classic

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

What’s your favorite behind-the-scenes fact or moment from this iconic production?

[@James-rn7dx]

I used to never watch The Motion Picture when I was younger and thought it was boring until the director's edition came out, now it's one of my favorite Star Trek films.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You're right! Both time, and the 2001 Director's Cut have helped this movie.

[@paulicke3483]

I can consider star trek the motion picture a Christmas movie because it was released in December, so I'll be watching this classic movie over Christmas 🎄 🖖

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I like that idea! I think I'll watch it on Christmas, too! Logical. Merry Christmas.

[@Plisken65]

Same! My older brother (r.i.p.) took me to see it twice that December. I always watch it in December in honor of him.

[@scifiguy26]

Another awesome video 🖖 & just when you think you know everything about Star Trek you see a video like this and realize you don't 😆

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the compliment.

[@johnedwards1580]

My dad took me and my brother to see this film in the theater in 1979. It was great to see the TV cast together again for such an epic adventure! 💫

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Me, too. My father took us on that opening Saturday back in 1979. It was the beginning and first step of the eventual revival of the franchise!

[@imperiallebaron2391]

When i saw the movie, the theater was so packed I had to sit in the third row from the front. I love that movie, even though it wasn't done. I remember when they did the Enterprise fly by scene, I was so taken by the re-fit Enterprise i jumped to my feet and yelled "holy shit, look what they did to the Enterprise" the entire audience erupted in thunderous ovation.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is so cool you saw it in the theaters. I did too, on opening weekend. WE are a part of Star Trek history! The new design of the Enterprise was so gorgeous. It's still my favorite version of the ship.

[@imperiallebaron2391]

Yep, mine and my son Ryan's favorite design.

[@spacedock873]

I remember seeing this film on it's theatrical release in 1979 and have loved it ever since. The opening scenes with the three K'tingas are my all-time favourite in the ST universe. I knew quite a bit about the making of it but nowhere near as much as you have presented here. Many thanks 👍

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

My pleasure. I also saw this in the theater on opening weekend. Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan is next!

[@3dbildermacher590]

It seems I am alone with my opinion but for me this is by far my favourite ST movie.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You are definitely in the minority, but I can respect your opinion. It's an amazing film.

[@3dbildermacher590]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Of course, I have to say that I have a special relationship with the film because I saw him in the cinema as a ten year old at the time and of course it didn't make me entirely objective, but I never understood the many criticism of the film.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

What a coincidence. I also saw it in the theater when I was 10 years old. I saw it opening weekend on a Saturday. Always loved the film since, but the next film, Wrath of Khan, blew me away!

[@k2sworld]

Nope, you're not alone. It's just our voices get drown out by the haters. Or, we just avoid adding our voices to comment sections bc we're tired of hearing the same predicable attacks from TWoK minions.

[@YourreelmemoriesAu]

Yes I am a fan also. It’s definitely a ‘motion picture’ version of Star Trek which I’ve always appreciated. The sequels are great & more like the TV show but there’s something about being taken on a journey to the unknown with awe inspiring visuals that does it for me.

[@robertfanuzzi2206]

Shatner did not have TJ Hooker until after the second movie, not before the first

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thanks for the correction!

[@trhansen3244]

Never seen TJ Hooker and it lasted for five seasons. Not a bad run.

[@Tubeflux]

Yes, the crucial film for Star Trek. Good enough for fans. Always worth a rewatch. But the second one is a myth of spectacular fashion.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree. You can't deny how great Wrath of Khan is. However, I seem to appreciate Star Trek TMP more and more as I get older.

[@ryanhunter130]

I love this video, and have rewatched it a few times now…very well done! I’m so happy for the revisions/special editions this film has received…the most recent Blu-ray edition delivered on the promise of TMP…and its perhaps the most elaborate and moody of the Star Trek films. Robert Wise was simply not given enough time in 1979 to make this movie what it should’ve been in its initial release.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much! I also love the special editions!

[@YourreelmemoriesAu]

Excellent documentary on the film. One of my favourites. I learnt a bunch of things I never knew although I did know the time-frame to do the special effects by Douglas Trumbull was a Herculean effort that put him in the hospital.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much! Isn't it amazing? I respect Doug Trumball and Robert Wise so much!

[@davidgaul572]

The wormhole sequence is mostly Robert Abel's work. The probe when it first came aboard is also mostly an Abel concept. The high cost also included all the money they had spent on the Star Trek Phase 2 TV series development, which included sets, costumes and story development. Great movie! I stood in line at the Des Moines Riveria theater with three friends from college for eight hours waiting for the premiere. We were first in line and saw the delivery car come up to the theater. We watched as a guy walked into the lobby with a print of the movie. We eventually got on local TV when a camera crew from a local station came out to see what all the excitement was about. By that time, the line stretched far to the very edge of the parking lot. It was also very cold. Thanks for the video!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words. That's amazing you saw the, deliver the print of the movie. You're a part of Star Trek history! Thank you for your post.

[@Plisken65]

14 year old me seeing Persis Khambatta: "straaaaange things are happening to me...."😂

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You got that right! 🤣🤣

[@walkerpantera]

I love this presentation. great job!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words. 🙂

[@countgeekula9143]

I adore TMP. Always have. I love dearly all the TOS movies but TMP is special to me as it's the only one that does hard sci-fi and truly sells the epic scale and sheer vastness of the universe. I got to see the new remastered Director's Cut on the big screen a couple years ago and it was amazing. Robert Wise truly was one of the greatest ever filmmakers. What a career.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes. I like the pure sci fi of TMP. And you are right. Robert Wise was one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema.

[@trhansen3244]

I would love to see TMP Director's on the big screen. It is my co-favorite ST film along with WOK. I have probably watched it 20 times since it was released on Paramount+. And I agree about Wise. What an incredible career, from West Side Story to The Andromeda Strain, from The Day the Earth Stood Still to The Sand Pebbles, from The Haunting to Star Trek the Motion Picture.

[@earlperson741]

STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE, THE DIRECTOR's CUT......... SIMPLY BRILLIANT 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!!!!!!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I do love the Director's Cut. It is so much better than the theatrical cut.

[@mr.milehi9883]

Wow. I am just amazed at your videos. This is a good synopsis of a relatively boring but innovative motion picture debut thanks.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the kind words! It means a lot to me!

[@junmochung]

This video is awesome!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@k2sworld]

People who say "Star Trek II is 'better'" have to realize that they're comparing apples to oranges. There's this film and all the other Star Trek films. This film was a new start to the original franchise that, as you pointed out, morphed from a TV show to a movie and brought with it years of production design which were scrapped almost entirely for the next film. Your preference for Star Trek II over The Motion Picture is just that, a preference. It's more accurate to say, you prefer the rebooted Star Trek film, Star Trek II, over the original Phase II TV show that became a movie. But the two are not even in the same ballpark. I love The Wrath of Khan, but my preference is, and always will be, The Motion Picture. It looks and feels totally different than all of the other films and feels more like OG Star Trek... exploration and discovery. Star Trek II is an action movie. The Hunt For Red October in space. And to the person who said this film reminds them of Christmas, I wholeheartedly concur. I saw it opening night in December 1979 and it has always stuck with me as being a "Christmas (release) movie". LOL

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I love your analysis of the two films. And time has been very kind to TMP. I also love the Special Editions.

[@akfreed6949]

Because of the growing popularity of syndication , a magazine of the Trek franchise was released in the mid 70s called STARLOG . It was to be a Trek exclusive themed magazine for the planned upcoming series based on the Federation . It wasn't going to be about the starship Enterprise and it's crew , it was to be more about the Federation being a group more about science . Then STAR WARS was released and became a huge box office success . STARLOG became more of a magazine about science fiction and the new Trek series was dropped for a STAR TREK movie .

[@trhansen3244]

Sad to see what Star Wars and Star Trek have become.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

So true.

[@marpsr]

Channel 43 WUAB out of Cleveland is where I first saw Star Trek. I remember having to move the TV antenna from pointing at Toledo to pointing at Cleveland to catch the signal.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is amazing. 😀 You are a part of Star Trek history.

[@krdragon6950]

Dec. 7 1979 was the premiere of Star Trek The Motion Picture. 45 years ago.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yup! It sure was.

[@christopherthorkon3997]

19:16 "The model was 8 feet long, and the larger size allowed for many more details." Actually, the model made for Star Trek the Motion Picture was smaller than the TV model, not larger.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Really? I didn't know that. Thank you for your post.

[@gsr4535]

Still a big favorite of mine. I prefer my Trek a little more on the "serious" side and this one is certainly that!

[@gesichtslegasteniker]

Just right for bedtime 😊

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Have a great sleep. 🙂

[@earlperson741]

Nooooooooo DOUBT!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

😂

[@robertdelisi9473]

I always imagined the "planet of living machines" to be Cybertron, of the Transformers. When Star Trek finally crossed over with Transformers in IDW Comics, they did not use this idea. What a missed opportunity to pit them both against a new version of V'Ger.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That absolutely makes it canon. 😅 Personally, I also love the Cybertron theory.

[@lanceash]

Stephen Collins is actually best-known for "Tales of the Gold Monkey."

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Haha! 🤣🤣🤣

[@marpsr]

“He didn’t get serious about music until he was eleven years old” tell me you’re Asian without telling me you’re Asian 😂

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Haha. 🤣🤣🤣

[@earlperson741]

HEY......SINCE I WAS AH KID..... LATE 1960's.... STAR TREK!!!!!!! AND NOOOOOOOOOO DAMMMM PRETENDER😁!!!!!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

🤣🤣😄😊🖖

[@FrancisXLord]

Yeah I know the Director's Edition may be the better version (although not seen it actually) but it's too late for me. I grew up with the theatrical version, I know it by heart. Any change would feel like a hiccup or perhaps a commercial break.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Interesting. I can totally respect that. 🙂

[@theironclads]

Doug Trumbull & his team saved ST: TMP visually.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

They certainly did!

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

The star trek movie had already been in pre production before star wars was even released... only after it became a huge hit, star trek was given more money... but once again.. it was already in pre production to make a movie.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I have always heard that Star Trek Phase 2 TV show was transitioned into Star Trek The Motion Picture on March 28, 1978, and it was due to the success of Star Wars. Do you know anything different? Please tell.

[@Felchenstien]

It was actually (or so I've heard) the success of Close Encounters, which was released in December 77, that proved the success of Star Wars was not a fluke and that science fiction was hot.

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

@@Felchenstien nope..do your research....about a week before star wars was released, the go was pretty much given by paramount and eisner. the movie discussions started before phase 2.. In fact, phase two came out of discussions to make a movie. It was Movie changed to TV series changed back to Movie.. all before Star Wars was released over a two year period. The budget for the film was drastically increased due to the succes of Encounters and Star Wars

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast well, I just told you... do your research instead of just repeating what you hear in the zietgiest. You are the one making these ridiculous claims, take some responsibility.

[@ronreyes9910]

Harve Bennett was the one who called it "Star Trek - The motionless picture"...

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's right!

[@Semaj4747]

Gene was an interesting guy. His bts antics got worse during his tng run. TMP was a sore spot for him and wanted to prove it with TNG. S1 of TNG was a remake of certain elements of TMP. Will we ever see the full memory wall deleted scene? We know it was filmed. Why is Paramount hiding it? Good work on the video.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I can't believe I forgot to include the memory wall scene. You can find it on KZbin. It's such a fascinating concept, and makes total sense, since V-ger is basically a huge computer.

[@kunserndsittizen2655]

Notice how there’s continuity errors on the hull lighting

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Interesting.

[@mem1701movies]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast the lighting on the NCC1701 and phasers etc would vary from shot to shot

[@n.oneimportant5]

9:00 1998 not 1988

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

😊

[@MichaelSTaylor]

This video is otherwise known as making of Star Trek The Motion Picture: Phase II. Phase I: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHKtk36Mi5eji9k Coming soon to a KZbin screen near you, in another 2 months -- The Making of Star Trek The Motion Picture: Phase III. Maybe the third time will be a charm? All kidding aside, I thought I knew a lot about this movie but I picked up a lot. Good stuff. I'm not sure why you redid your first effort but I took a quick look at that and can appreciate the lack of that weird echoey voice. I saw this movie in the theaters at age 13 and wanted to love it but remember watching it thinking, "when is something really interesting going to happen?" and sadly not much of interest ever really happened. And while the effects were great and it was cool seeing everybody on the big screen, Spock came across as unlikably cold and distant, which was a waste of arguably Trek's best character. Such a contrast to Spock being the emotional core of the second film, "You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours" along with the unforgettable scene with Kirk at the end. But of course Wrath of Khan doesn't happen if this one didn't get the attention it did so at least there's that. My mom said a friend and I could see two movies that night and as much as I had always loved Star Trek, I had a much better time watching The Jerk at the 9 o'clock showing, which remains an all-time favorite.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

It's funny. I'm thinking of doing a future series in 1970s comedies like Snokey and the Bandit, Animal House, and The Jerk. Also, your post made me laugh. People kept complaining about the weird voice recording in Phase 1, so I decided to re-record it. I figured I would add more facts and the new info became more than the whole video. Anyway, next week I'll be releasing Making of Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan Phase II. But no plans yet for Making of Star Trek The Motion Picture Phase III. 🤣🤣🤣

[@MichaelSTaylor]

Love the idea of an in-depth look at classic '70s comedies, I'd definitely tune in. Great that you are responsive to feedback and are committed to solid content, even if that means taking a second go at it. Yeah I agree a third go around might come across as a bit obsessive, lol. I'd love to start a channel myself someday and am inspired by people just diving right in and doing it, keep up the good work.

[@thesonicpurveyor]

Said age 47

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

🖖

[@clockingthet4827]

Just to clarify: There is no way in hell the prints were shipped dripping wet to the theaters. If they were the 35mm filmstrip would literally be fused together into a solid brick and you would never be able to project them. The film processors in the lab has built in dryers that dry the film right out of the bath and just before it winds onto the film core/spool. It's impossible to wind the reel saturated unless there is a mechanical error, and believe me, the lab workers would know that immediately. The term 'wet' means that the reel is not inspected and thrown in a steel shipping container and immediately shipped to wherever its gotta go to. You're basically rolling the dice that the print will play properly and has no processing errors. How do I know this? Four years working in two film labs.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Wow! That's amazing! Thank you for the information.

[@clockingthet4827]

"Drug Trumbell?" kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXS5o2mLYpmrrNk

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

🤣 When you're recording for 30 min and you're on a roll, weird things occasionally come out!

[@zaphodb9213]

3:21 - Space shuttle launch? Never happened.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

What do you mean?

[@MarkPear-k6v]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Geez, you wouldn't be thinking deluded conspiracy theorist, would you?

[@kunserndsittizen2655]

@@MarkPear-k6vwell it didn’t technically launch...it was piggybacked on a 747 and glided down for testing. Never went to space.

[@Interstellar-in5wb]

@@kunserndsittizen2655 ​​⁠ Correct, Enterprise was a test orbiter, for atmospheric test flights only. The 2nd Space Shuttle, Columbia, was the first one that launched off a launch pad.

[@kunserndsittizen2655]

@@Interstellar-in5wb I was informing the above commenters

[@matthewscotti8077]

So THAT is why this movie was SO awful,

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Haha.🤣🤣