4K Ultra HD Film Review

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) • Director’s Edition 4K Ultra HD

When an alien spacecraft approaches Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled U.S.S Enterprise in order to intercept it.

While speaking at a 1968 convention, Gene Roddenberry promised fans a prequel to his currently-airing TV series, to show how the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise first met. This prequel never happened because NBC cancelled the next year, blaming a drop in viewing figures over its three seasons. This may have been the end of the classic show’s original run, but it certainly wasn’t the end of the Star Trek brand. Its 79 episodes were often repeated on television and its fanbase only grew, prompting a revival in the form of a short-lived animated show in 1972. And then, after the phenomenal success of Star Wars (1977), Paramount Pictures saw an opportunity to cash in on the public’s appetite for big-budget sci-fi, so they ordered a Star Trek film into development.

Many screenwriters proposed ideas for what later became Star Trek: The Motion…