Yet, if anything, studio executives exhibited the ability to learn, and this particular situation was avoided for later film productions where either a single art department was employed, or when multiple ones were, responsibility boundaries were strictly defined with all of them answering to a single studio appointed production designer. [17] The studio politics, effectively deflecting any costs responsibility from themselves and Director Wise, worked like a charm; for the remainder of his life, the US$45 million Motion Picture price tag stuck to Roddenberry's name like glue. Kirk firmly insists that they are leaving, ready or not, in twelve hours. Decker tells Kirk that V'ger expects an answer, but Kirk doesn't know the question. ", indicating that the studio was grooming Berman and had never considered Roddenberry to continue in the first place. For the reproduction of the visual effects, a new budget of US$10 million was approved. He continues to rub and discovers that the craft is actually Voyager 6. Decker tells Kirk that Voyager 6 disappeared through a then-called black hole. The most remarkable coda to the whole Motion Picture cost-price "controversy" was provided by the aforementioned obscure production, or investment company Century Associates (who actually fronted Paramount Pictures the funding for The Motion Picture), when their official figures were submitted to the film website IMDb decades later. Having avoided the fate of Heaven's Gate, the Motion Picture earned US$11,926,421 in its opening weekend at the US box office, a record at the time, and its total domestic gross theatrical revenue was US$82,258,456. It's asking questions. Due to all this obscurity, however, Memory Alpha leaves the exact canonical dating open, and simply dates the film in the 2270s. 
"Wrong, Mr. Chekov, there are casualties. 119-120; The Special Effects of Trek, pp. The original budget, I believe, was they came to our studio with was 12 million for the effects, something like that.
Commander Branch tells them they have analyzed the mysterious cloud. I think we all knew then that we were associated with a bomb. He shows her pictures of previous ships that were named Enterprise. He moves over to the science station and tells Kirk that he is aware of the crisis and knows about the ship's engine design difficulties. The film marked the first time that Klingonese was heard spoken. Likewise, Paramount Pictures now saw an opportunity to distance themselves from Gene Roddenberry. Its ABC premiere was on 20 February 1983, and its second run was in March 1987 (ABC ran the film a third and final time in the summer of 1989). Kirk orders Sulu to fly above and along the top of the vessel at a distance of only five hundred meters. TM & Copyright 1979 by Paramount Pictures Film Corporation, Inc. All figures rounded off to the nearest thousand, Figure does not include $85,000 for special lighting, aren't re-forming properly in the transporter beam, Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 20th Anniversary Special Edition soundtrack, Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History, Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future, Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Stardate Calendar 1980, Star Trek: The Motion Picture The USS Enterprise Bridge Punch-Out Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (DVD), Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Official USS Enterprise Officer's Date Book (1980), Star Trek: The Motion Picture Make-Your-Own Costume Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Rhaandarite orbital office complex officer, Andrew Probert saucer separation concept art, Best Overall New Extra Features, Library Title, Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes, Best Archival Release of an Existing Score, Also, Nimoy is the only actor to participate in both this film and, Principal photography, the filming of scenes which required the principal cast, began on, The theme from the TV series is heard three times in the film. Decker asks her if she remembers wearing it on Delta IV. Ever since the inception the Original Series, Roddenberry was perceived by the studio as a thorn in their side, due to his unbudging character when it came to his Star Trek creation, of which he was over-zealously protective, as well as being stung by his surreptitiously orchestrating the letter writing campaign that for saved the Original Series for a season. Amar firing a photon torpedo at an unknown cloud. There is now an exterior shot of the asteroid exploding and the wormhole disintegrating. Then RA&A Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, has put it even more succinctly, having bluntly stated, "Paramount didn't check us out" (New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 59). The aperture in front of the Enterprise opens, and Spock's unconscious body floats toward him. She explains that she has been programmed by an entity called "V'ger" to observe and record the normal functions of the carbon-based units "infesting" the Enterprise. The special and visual effects in particular were in general well received. Then they would get upset when the budget would go up. While Paramount had done nothing untoward legally, it would have in hindsight behooved them, if they had taken these inter-company profits into account when acquiescing the publication of the aggregate production costs, allowing for a more honest assessment of the performance of The Motion Picture. David Gerrold, reaffirming that the studio still blamed Roddenberry for the perceived The Motion Picture failure, stated when he was pulled from the series, "Gene didn't like Rick, at all. There hasn't been that energy vortex in merchandise since she left." Kirk then dismisses him from the room. Still, in the particular case of Phase II, an argument could be made for carrying over production costs already incurred to the Motion Picture, since some of those costs were applicable to the Motion Picture as well, such as those of the sets that were already constructed and the fees for production staff and cast already paid, who continued to work on the film. and we're going: "Well you're the one who's changing the script. (Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. Scenes previously available in the "special longer version. The probe slowly moves around the room and stops in front of the science station. He tells her that Decker will do it with more efficiency. In simpler language, Captain, they DRAFTED me! (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise, 2nd ed.)
My familiarity with the Enterprise, this crew. ", "We witnessed a birth. Oddly, when the original theatrical version was released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2009, it carried no MPAA rating. Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. "May I ask why?" This was your idea, wasn't it? Spock reports they've been caught by a tractor beam and Kirk orders someone up to take the navigator's station. The probe shows another moment of emotion, saying Dr. Chapel's name, and putting her hand on Decker's face, calling him Will. Wise brings, March 1979: While devising the visual effects shots, Trumbull brings in Robert McCall, with whom he had already worked before on, Summer 1980: Work is started at the studio to transfer the theatrical master onto masters for commercial home media market releases as well as for television broadcasts. A common experience remembered around the world. Produced by Ilia says that it is illogical to withhold the required information, and asks him why he won't disclose it. Now what do you suggest we do?
In simpler language, captain, they drafted me! [23]. "You asked my opinion, sir. Then novice studio producer Jerry Bruckheimer recalled, "I was here doing American Gigolo when they were doing Star Trek. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known, seldom used reserve activation clause! Uhura tries to speak to Spock, but he ignores her as well and tells Kirk that with his permission, he will go to engineering and discuss his fuel equations with Scott. As in, frightened out of, captain, sir! Kirk goes to the transporter room to ensure that the person is beamed up. He discovers that it is headed on a precise course for Earth. "A thruster suit is reported missing. 108-109) The amount thus generated for the studio has never been disclosed, though Steel herself has given a conservative low estimate of at least $250 million dollar in total sales of licensed Star Trek-related merchandise, of which, "depending on the product", 1 to 11 percent were fees for the studio. "Yeah." (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. ", "Admiral, we have just spent eighteen months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise. The state of near-panic was exemplified by studio executive Don Simpson, who, realizing that virtually all visual effects footage had to be reproduced from scratch, now wanted to pull the plug entirely. I don't think you're sorry. Spock tells Kirk that V'ger's knowledge has reached the limits of the universe and it must evolve. Cleary informs Scott that there is a red line on the transporter. Chekov asks Spock if it is one of the alien's crew, and Spock replies that it is a probe sent from the vessel. Jenning's co-worker Mike Minor, was even more vehement in his appraisal, "It was one of the most soiled and shabby chapters of Hollywood history, in terms of how people were treated. To make room for parking on the Paramount lot, one of these executives had the western lot torn up the last surving western lot in town. Kirk continues by saying that on its journey back, it amassed so much knowledge that it gained its own consciousness. I said, 'Well, I'll do it for you after lunch.' A new CGI shot was inserted which shows V'Ger's second energy torpedo vanishing before it could strike the Enterprise. (Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. However, his budget included the costs already incurred for all previous revitalization attempts of the Star Trek live-action franchise, which included, among others, $500,000 for script development and $1 million for the Phase II bridge set alone. "You personally are assuming command?" End title: "The human adventure is just beginning.". The lead elder tells Spock he has labored long and she prepares to give him a symbol of total logic. Production Illustrator Andrew Probert provided the producers with his own script suggestions for a visually dramatic conclusion, and storyboarded the key event, and Mego's licensed toy model of the new ship had instructions for separating its saucer from the secondary hull. Uhura reports that she's transmitting full friendship messages on all frequencies, but there is no response. Feeling thoroughly dismayed at "being lied to", Wise pushed for the removal of Abel and, in an acrimonious atmosphere, the latter was fired and his company released two days later, effective immediately. Then, after the world premiere, he and Gene Roddenberry considered doing some more work on the film, but Paramount overruled them, saying it might show a lack of confidence in the film if they did that. Uhura has located the source of the radio signal and it is straight ahead. A female crewmember, Ross, asks Scott why Kirk ordered self-destruct, and Scott tells her that Kirk hopes that when they explode, so will the intruder. Another revenue guarantee the studio secured was the amount of US$35 million that theater owners committed to, provided the film was released on 7 December 1979 as announced, allowing them to plan for the Christmas season. Considered paramount, it is one of the most strictly enforced corporate laws in the Western world, the US, EU, and Australia in particular, where authorities are singularly keen on meeting any perceived transgression with traditionally hefty fines. Spank it? Decker figures out that V'ger wanted to bring the Creator here and transmit the code in person. Jimmy actually taught it to Mark Lenard and the others just prior to the shooting of that scene, which didn't take place until many months later." Later, Dr. Chapel and Dr. McCoy are examining Spock in sickbay. Chekov replies that an oxygen/gravity envelope has formed outside of the ship. For example, the Enterprise computer voice alarms are now replaced with klaxon sirens, the lightning effects have new echoes, and a blend of Enterprise bridge sound effects from the original Star Trek series, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country have been added into the background of scenes taking place on the bridge. Therefore, in order to fully appreciate the efforts that went into the production of The Motion Picture, a full overview of the live-action revitalization history is warranted.
"Report to the bridge, commander. But Rick was installed on the show by the studio as a way to keep a control on the show to keep the budgets in line, make sure that the scripts were done. Kirk orders the Enterprise's phasers to be fired on it, but Decker tells Chekov to fire photon torpedoes instead. Kirk then says that there is no one on Earth who recognizes the old-style signal the Creator does not answer. They always come back." At that time, however, Dykstra's Apogee was still working on Altered States and had to again decline until Altered States fell through only a month later. Steel was subsequently charged by Eisner to find additional cash by organizing the earlier mentioned merchandise and license fund drive, "My job was to merchandise this runaway freight train. The text is colored a bright gold, compared to the original version's white. Common GAAP's have it elsewhere in the corporate world, that these costs should have been charged in proportion against this film and in the same proportion deducted after-the-fact from the Motion Picture or put more simply, amortized over both productions. She shook the trees. ", "I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother. This fate already befell Roddenberry while The Motion Picture was still in production, and the film turned out to be his second and last major theatrical motion picture production. When Kirk first comes on board Enterprise he is called "Admiral," and then "Captain" a few seconds later. Screenplay by The crew struggles to shield their eyes from its brilliant glow and their ears from the high-pitched shrieking buzz it lets out. Spock confirms to Kirk that the alien has been attempting to communicate. Trumbull, one of the effects supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey, whose grandeur the studio wanted to emulate for the upgraded film, was actually the first party approached for the film's visual effects, but he had to decline as he and his company were knee-deep involved in the post-production of the science fiction classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the time. (Cinefantastique, Vol 12 #5/6, p. 52; et al.) (Cinefex, issue 2, p. 51; Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. McCoy tells Kirk that Ilia is a mechanism and Spock confirms she is a probe that assumed Ilia's physical form. (Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects, Chapter 1) This circumstance was certainly not lost on Phase II/The Motion Picture Production Illustrator Michael Minor, when he already in 1979 emphatically commented, "I love science fiction, but it's proved itself to be costly, damaging in human terms, costly in terms of money and time, and it is just much of a bankroll to bet too often.
Throughout most of the filming of The Motion Picture, a final ending story had yet to be developed.
What was I meant to be? Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. "Why? We did something, sort of down here and they did things that were sort of up there, that we could not do up here, what they did down there, whatever!" (Starlog, issue 27, p. 26) Kelly's breakdown indicated that eleven of Paramount's thirty-two sound stages were in use for the single Star Trek production during 1978-1979, more than for any other production in Paramount's history up to that point in time. One can only wonder if a little more diplomacy on part of both sides could have prevented the ensuing visual effects debacle. However "Ilia" says they are not true lifeforms like the Creator. The shuttle approaches the Enterprise from behind, and the top portion of it detaches and docks at an airlock just behind the bridge. Decker tells her, with slight sarcasm, that Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in him. (Return to Tomorrow , pp. He disconnects the thruster pack from his suit and it falls away from him. However, the effects requirements for these two films were in no comparison to the ones needed for the project Wise was now working on, as was indicated by Diller's above quoted "he didn't know, either" statement, and he was forced to rely solely on the, by Roddenberry below quoted, "it sounds reasonable" word of RA&A's namesake. (Star Trek Movie Memories, pp. Decker has been trying to see if Ilia's memories or emotions can resurface, but to no avail. Decker and "Ilia" come up to the bridge, and she says that V'ger is signaling the Creator. Their bodies disappear, and the light expands and begins to consume the area. The final message to the audience, "The human adventure is just beginning", was altered. This moment of emotion ends suddenly, and she returns to normal. In fact, I think Hartmut is, in voiceover, one of the Vulcans. Although a parkland near, The world premiere of the film took place at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, DC on, In the United Kingdom, the film had a gala premiere at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema in London on, Paramount sought and obtained a variety of, Several props and costumes from this film were sold off on the, Corridors, Transporter, Medical and Kirk's Quarters, Ilia's Quarters (modification Kirk's Quarters), Late July 1977: Diller's superior, Gulf+Western President Bluhdorn, pulls the plug on Paramount's plans for a fourth television network due to lack of advertiser interest, informed as such by his subordinate, Late August 1977: Robert Collins is hired as director for "In Thy Image". Concurrently, Director Robert Wise too, bore some of the responsibilities of the high production costs, after he was brought aboard in March 1978 and was given near-carte blanche latitude by the studio. A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a "damned computer center." Yet in 2000, by then former Paramount CEO Barry Diller, who had been the chief financial overseer on the film, revealed, "The studio poured $11 million into effects, and none of it worked." McCoy thinks that Kirk is obsessed with keeping his command. We'd say, "You just added a whole sequence that wasn't there." Everyone who worked on the art direction provided too much input to be ignored, so we all got credit, and Hal Michelson, brought in as art director, ended up getting credit as production designer." Then she bids him farewell, telling him to "live long and prosper". "Into the V'Ger Maw with Douglas Trumbull", Don Shay, "Greg Jein-Miniature Giant", Brad Munson, pp. Crudely drawn comic strips (as no other imagery was available) were subsequently featured on the containers of both companies, a legendary one featured on those of McDonald's, featuring Klingons eating hamburgers and drinking Coca-Cola. Add to this that the studio has been able to raise the US$10 million dollar shortfall due to the February visual effects crisis, on its own, meant that the film had already earned back its direct production budget, before even a single second of footage was seen by the public. ", "Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. According to the Guinness Book of Records, when the film was produced, it was the most expensive theatrical feature ever made with a total production cost of US$46 million dollars (or $44 million dollars, according to the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series, p. 75). It doesn't seem interested in us. Horrified, he asks her what this means. It was therefore that the studio still did not yet possess a war-chest large enough, to fully fund their own productions on their own, when The Motion Picture came along. As Enterprise moves in front of the alien vessel and holds position, an alarm sounds, and yet another energy bolt approaches the ship. Spock is now outside the ship in a space suit with an emergency evacuation thruster pack. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 204) Coincidentally, this amount corresponded with the amount the cost-price was adjusted downwards as mentioned previously, suggesting that this was the amount Steel had netted the studio with her fund drive as well as corresponding with the minimum cost estimates Roddenberry and Collins were given fourteen months earlier by effects companies in the first place.
When told by a yeoman that the crew member insisted on them beaming up first, "said something about first "seeing how it scrambled our molecules,"" Kirk tells Starfleet to beam the officer aboard. She'll launch on time, sir and she'll be ready," and gently puts his hand on the admiral's arm. The Enterprise has been undergoing a complete refitting for the past eighteen months and is now under final preparations to leave drydock, which would take at least twenty hours, but Kirk informs him that they only have twelve. Kirk is bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Steel however, had a problem since the production was running over schedule by that time, as she clarified, "I was a desperate person. "Heading?" (Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 165), Three years later, the studio made a big deal out of the fact that The Wrath of Khan, still produced under the auspices of Michael Eisner, was realized under its tight budget of approximately US$11.5 million, which officially (considering the worldwide box-office gross of US$97 million) makes this film the most profitable outing in the entire film franchise, putting Roddenberry in an even worse light. She is about to give him a necklace, when Spock reaches out and stops her, clearly disturbed by something out in space. In a state of near panic, a frantic search for a replacement was started, as the studio now unexpectedly found itself extremely pressured for time since the December premiere date for the film was a given. Magicam's refit-Enterprise studio model took over fourteen months, aggravated by mishap delays, to complete from start to finish and came in at a for the time staggering amount of US$150,000. V'ger hopes to touch its Creator and find those answers. Earth's defenses!
The total gross was, considering the estimated US$10-$20 million marketing expenditures incurred, reported to be a disappointment for the studio. 34, 69) The inclusion of these costs is debatable from a business economics point of view, since anywhere else in the corporate world research and development costs of projects that do not come to fruition are usually written off and are commonly charged against the balance sheets of corporations. Construction Coordinator Gene Kelly has compiled an overview statement on the costs and use of the Motion Picture sets, which was reproduced in The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (p. 95): While it is stated above that the studio included costs already incurred for previous revitalization attempts of the live-action franchise, Kelly stressed that the costs he listed are those that were exclusively made during the production of The Motion Picture proper, meaning from February 1978 onward. He didn't. You're just as warm and sociable as ever." RA&A's Art Director Richard Taylor, clarifying that this was on the studio's insistence, stated, "There was conflict from the very beginning. (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, pp. Did V'Ger ever transmit its data or just join with the Creator? Before they can think further, a red alert sounds, and a plasma bolt beam from within the cloud hits the ship and begins to overload the ship's systems. "It's running our records! Decker and Ilia are seen walking around in the recreation room. And only one year later, the 1980 western, Heaven's Gate, the US$44 million budget box-office disaster, ended United Artists, its remnants absorbed by MGM, though keeping the name as a separate dependent division. JPL's director John Casani agreed to loan the model to the studio in October 1977, mere months after the actual Voyager probes were launched in August and September that year. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp. The television run of the film marks one of the first times that scenes not incorporated into a theatrical cut were reintegrated for the television airing, making the television cut longer than the theatrical cut. The intruder has been on their monitors for a while and the cloud is rapidly dissipating as it approaches. The withholding itself of course was not the actual case, as the movie was not completed until the very last moment. Only in the mid-to-late 1980s did production budgets start habitually to balloon exponentially, first in double digits, and subsequently into the triple digits. He convinces her to let him help her revive those patterns so that she can understand their functions better. Decker is angry that the probe killed Ilia, but Kirk convinces him that their only contact with the vessel is through the probe, and they need to use that advantage to find out more about the alien. Captain James T. Kirk: [in mock horror] They didn't. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. He tells her that within her are the memory patterns of a certain carbon unit. The new mix is in Dolby 5.1 EX Surround. Scott says that the refit, a process that took eighteen months, can't be finished in twelve hours and tries to convince him that the ship needs more work done as well as a proper shakedown. As stated above, the studio actually did charge in full all costs made for every single prior revitalization attempt to the Motion Picture, further hinting at information manipulation, an industry phenomenon known as "Hollywood accounting". McDonald's ran several thirty second television commercials, promoting the Motion Picture Happy Meals, one of them featuring a Klingon, endorsing them in, what was supposed to be, Klingonese. () So, to this day I'd love to know who has made the decision at Paramount to come to us, and say, "We want you to do the effects on this film." 202-203) Still, being the primary managerial operations overseer as executive producer, Roddenberry formally did bear final responsibility for Rabwin's actions, which was skillfully exploited by the studio, made easier as Roddenberry lacked the political skills to maintain himself due to his character. In Klingon space, three Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruisers are patrolling an area and encounter a huge cloud-like anomaly. (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, pp. I'll explain what happened. He refuses, and a plasma energy attack shakes the ship. ", "Don't interfere with it!" Decker shows her a game that the crew enjoys playing. Kirk recalls the history of the Voyager program it was designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. Starfleet's strength! Uhura calls Kirk on his communicator and tells him she has retrieved the code. They didn't exactly expect we'd be able to actually spend that much()" (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, p. 87) Essentially speaking for all production staffers, when he was informed of the upgrade decision on 21 November 1977, Phase II Art Director Joe Jennings recalled in 2009, somewhat mellowed, but still aghast, "We were within two weeks of starting the new series, and somebody said, "Wheeew, let's make a motion picture!"
"Wrong, Mr. Chekov, there are casualties. 119-120; The Special Effects of Trek, pp. The original budget, I believe, was they came to our studio with was 12 million for the effects, something like that. Commander Branch tells them they have analyzed the mysterious cloud. I think we all knew then that we were associated with a bomb. He shows her pictures of previous ships that were named Enterprise. He moves over to the science station and tells Kirk that he is aware of the crisis and knows about the ship's engine design difficulties. The film marked the first time that Klingonese was heard spoken. Likewise, Paramount Pictures now saw an opportunity to distance themselves from Gene Roddenberry. Its ABC premiere was on 20 February 1983, and its second run was in March 1987 (ABC ran the film a third and final time in the summer of 1989). Kirk orders Sulu to fly above and along the top of the vessel at a distance of only five hundred meters. TM & Copyright 1979 by Paramount Pictures Film Corporation, Inc. All figures rounded off to the nearest thousand, Figure does not include $85,000 for special lighting, aren't re-forming properly in the transporter beam, Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 20th Anniversary Special Edition soundtrack, Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History, Star Trek: 45 Years of Designing the Future, Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Stardate Calendar 1980, Star Trek: The Motion Picture The USS Enterprise Bridge Punch-Out Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Peel-Off Graphics Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (DVD), Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Official USS Enterprise Officer's Date Book (1980), Star Trek: The Motion Picture Make-Your-Own Costume Book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Rhaandarite orbital office complex officer, Andrew Probert saucer separation concept art, Best Overall New Extra Features, Library Title, Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes, Best Archival Release of an Existing Score, Also, Nimoy is the only actor to participate in both this film and, Principal photography, the filming of scenes which required the principal cast, began on, The theme from the TV series is heard three times in the film. Decker asks her if she remembers wearing it on Delta IV. Ever since the inception the Original Series, Roddenberry was perceived by the studio as a thorn in their side, due to his unbudging character when it came to his Star Trek creation, of which he was over-zealously protective, as well as being stung by his surreptitiously orchestrating the letter writing campaign that for saved the Original Series for a season. Amar firing a photon torpedo at an unknown cloud. There is now an exterior shot of the asteroid exploding and the wormhole disintegrating. Then RA&A Executive Producer Sherry McKenna, has put it even more succinctly, having bluntly stated, "Paramount didn't check us out" (New West magazine, 26 March 1979, p. 59). The aperture in front of the Enterprise opens, and Spock's unconscious body floats toward him. She explains that she has been programmed by an entity called "V'ger" to observe and record the normal functions of the carbon-based units "infesting" the Enterprise. The special and visual effects in particular were in general well received. Then they would get upset when the budget would go up. While Paramount had done nothing untoward legally, it would have in hindsight behooved them, if they had taken these inter-company profits into account when acquiescing the publication of the aggregate production costs, allowing for a more honest assessment of the performance of The Motion Picture. David Gerrold, reaffirming that the studio still blamed Roddenberry for the perceived The Motion Picture failure, stated when he was pulled from the series, "Gene didn't like Rick, at all. There hasn't been that energy vortex in merchandise since she left." Kirk then dismisses him from the room. Still, in the particular case of Phase II, an argument could be made for carrying over production costs already incurred to the Motion Picture, since some of those costs were applicable to the Motion Picture as well, such as those of the sets that were already constructed and the fees for production staff and cast already paid, who continued to work on the film. and we're going: "Well you're the one who's changing the script. (Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. Scenes previously available in the "special longer version. The probe slowly moves around the room and stops in front of the science station. He tells her that Decker will do it with more efficiency. In simpler language, Captain, they DRAFTED me! (2013 interview for Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise, 2nd ed.) My familiarity with the Enterprise, this crew. ", "We witnessed a birth. Oddly, when the original theatrical version was released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2009, it carried no MPAA rating. Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. "May I ask why?" This was your idea, wasn't it? Spock reports they've been caught by a tractor beam and Kirk orders someone up to take the navigator's station. The probe shows another moment of emotion, saying Dr. Chapel's name, and putting her hand on Decker's face, calling him Will. Wise brings, March 1979: While devising the visual effects shots, Trumbull brings in Robert McCall, with whom he had already worked before on, Summer 1980: Work is started at the studio to transfer the theatrical master onto masters for commercial home media market releases as well as for television broadcasts. A common experience remembered around the world. Produced by Ilia says that it is illogical to withhold the required information, and asks him why he won't disclose it. Now what do you suggest we do?
"Report to the bridge, commander. But Rick was installed on the show by the studio as a way to keep a control on the show to keep the budgets in line, make sure that the scripts were done. Kirk orders the Enterprise's phasers to be fired on it, but Decker tells Chekov to fire photon torpedoes instead. Kirk then says that there is no one on Earth who recognizes the old-style signal the Creator does not answer. They always come back." At that time, however, Dykstra's Apogee was still working on Altered States and had to again decline until Altered States fell through only a month later. Steel was subsequently charged by Eisner to find additional cash by organizing the earlier mentioned merchandise and license fund drive, "My job was to merchandise this runaway freight train. The text is colored a bright gold, compared to the original version's white. Common GAAP's have it elsewhere in the corporate world, that these costs should have been charged in proportion against this film and in the same proportion deducted after-the-fact from the Motion Picture or put more simply, amortized over both productions. She shook the trees. ", "I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother. This fate already befell Roddenberry while The Motion Picture was still in production, and the film turned out to be his second and last major theatrical motion picture production. When Kirk first comes on board Enterprise he is called "Admiral," and then "Captain" a few seconds later. Screenplay by The crew struggles to shield their eyes from its brilliant glow and their ears from the high-pitched shrieking buzz it lets out. Spock confirms to Kirk that the alien has been attempting to communicate. Trumbull, one of the effects supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey, whose grandeur the studio wanted to emulate for the upgraded film, was actually the first party approached for the film's visual effects, but he had to decline as he and his company were knee-deep involved in the post-production of the science fiction classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the time. (Cinefantastique, Vol 12 #5/6, p. 52; et al.) (Cinefex, issue 2, p. 51; Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. McCoy tells Kirk that Ilia is a mechanism and Spock confirms she is a probe that assumed Ilia's physical form. (Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects, Chapter 1) This circumstance was certainly not lost on Phase II/The Motion Picture Production Illustrator Michael Minor, when he already in 1979 emphatically commented, "I love science fiction, but it's proved itself to be costly, damaging in human terms, costly in terms of money and time, and it is just much of a bankroll to bet too often.
Throughout most of the filming of The Motion Picture, a final ending story had yet to be developed.
What was I meant to be? Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. "Why? We did something, sort of down here and they did things that were sort of up there, that we could not do up here, what they did down there, whatever!" (Starlog, issue 27, p. 26) Kelly's breakdown indicated that eleven of Paramount's thirty-two sound stages were in use for the single Star Trek production during 1978-1979, more than for any other production in Paramount's history up to that point in time. One can only wonder if a little more diplomacy on part of both sides could have prevented the ensuing visual effects debacle. However "Ilia" says they are not true lifeforms like the Creator. The shuttle approaches the Enterprise from behind, and the top portion of it detaches and docks at an airlock just behind the bridge. Decker tells her, with slight sarcasm, that Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in him. (Return to Tomorrow , pp. He disconnects the thruster pack from his suit and it falls away from him. However, the effects requirements for these two films were in no comparison to the ones needed for the project Wise was now working on, as was indicated by Diller's above quoted "he didn't know, either" statement, and he was forced to rely solely on the, by Roddenberry below quoted, "it sounds reasonable" word of RA&A's namesake. (Star Trek Movie Memories, pp. Decker has been trying to see if Ilia's memories or emotions can resurface, but to no avail. Decker and "Ilia" come up to the bridge, and she says that V'ger is signaling the Creator. Their bodies disappear, and the light expands and begins to consume the area. The final message to the audience, "The human adventure is just beginning", was altered. This moment of emotion ends suddenly, and she returns to normal. In fact, I think Hartmut is, in voiceover, one of the Vulcans. Although a parkland near, The world premiere of the film took place at the K-B MacArthur Theater in Washington, DC on, In the United Kingdom, the film had a gala premiere at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema in London on, Paramount sought and obtained a variety of, Several props and costumes from this film were sold off on the, Corridors, Transporter, Medical and Kirk's Quarters, Ilia's Quarters (modification Kirk's Quarters), Late July 1977: Diller's superior, Gulf+Western President Bluhdorn, pulls the plug on Paramount's plans for a fourth television network due to lack of advertiser interest, informed as such by his subordinate, Late August 1977: Robert Collins is hired as director for "In Thy Image". Concurrently, Director Robert Wise too, bore some of the responsibilities of the high production costs, after he was brought aboard in March 1978 and was given near-carte blanche latitude by the studio. A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a "damned computer center." Yet in 2000, by then former Paramount CEO Barry Diller, who had been the chief financial overseer on the film, revealed, "The studio poured $11 million into effects, and none of it worked." McCoy thinks that Kirk is obsessed with keeping his command. We'd say, "You just added a whole sequence that wasn't there." Everyone who worked on the art direction provided too much input to be ignored, so we all got credit, and Hal Michelson, brought in as art director, ended up getting credit as production designer." Then she bids him farewell, telling him to "live long and prosper". "Into the V'Ger Maw with Douglas Trumbull", Don Shay, "Greg Jein-Miniature Giant", Brad Munson, pp. Crudely drawn comic strips (as no other imagery was available) were subsequently featured on the containers of both companies, a legendary one featured on those of McDonald's, featuring Klingons eating hamburgers and drinking Coca-Cola. Add to this that the studio has been able to raise the US$10 million dollar shortfall due to the February visual effects crisis, on its own, meant that the film had already earned back its direct production budget, before even a single second of footage was seen by the public. ", "Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. According to the Guinness Book of Records, when the film was produced, it was the most expensive theatrical feature ever made with a total production cost of US$46 million dollars (or $44 million dollars, according to the reference book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series, p. 75). It doesn't seem interested in us. Horrified, he asks her what this means. It was therefore that the studio still did not yet possess a war-chest large enough, to fully fund their own productions on their own, when The Motion Picture came along. As Enterprise moves in front of the alien vessel and holds position, an alarm sounds, and yet another energy bolt approaches the ship. Spock is now outside the ship in a space suit with an emergency evacuation thruster pack. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 204) Coincidentally, this amount corresponded with the amount the cost-price was adjusted downwards as mentioned previously, suggesting that this was the amount Steel had netted the studio with her fund drive as well as corresponding with the minimum cost estimates Roddenberry and Collins were given fourteen months earlier by effects companies in the first place.
When told by a yeoman that the crew member insisted on them beaming up first, "said something about first "seeing how it scrambled our molecules,"" Kirk tells Starfleet to beam the officer aboard. She'll launch on time, sir and she'll be ready," and gently puts his hand on the admiral's arm. The Enterprise has been undergoing a complete refitting for the past eighteen months and is now under final preparations to leave drydock, which would take at least twenty hours, but Kirk informs him that they only have twelve. Kirk is bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Steel however, had a problem since the production was running over schedule by that time, as she clarified, "I was a desperate person. "Heading?" (Return to Tomorrow - The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 165), Three years later, the studio made a big deal out of the fact that The Wrath of Khan, still produced under the auspices of Michael Eisner, was realized under its tight budget of approximately US$11.5 million, which officially (considering the worldwide box-office gross of US$97 million) makes this film the most profitable outing in the entire film franchise, putting Roddenberry in an even worse light. She is about to give him a necklace, when Spock reaches out and stops her, clearly disturbed by something out in space. In a state of near panic, a frantic search for a replacement was started, as the studio now unexpectedly found itself extremely pressured for time since the December premiere date for the film was a given. Magicam's refit-Enterprise studio model took over fourteen months, aggravated by mishap delays, to complete from start to finish and came in at a for the time staggering amount of US$150,000. V'ger hopes to touch its Creator and find those answers. Earth's defenses!
The total gross was, considering the estimated US$10-$20 million marketing expenditures incurred, reported to be a disappointment for the studio. 34, 69) The inclusion of these costs is debatable from a business economics point of view, since anywhere else in the corporate world research and development costs of projects that do not come to fruition are usually written off and are commonly charged against the balance sheets of corporations. Construction Coordinator Gene Kelly has compiled an overview statement on the costs and use of the Motion Picture sets, which was reproduced in The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (p. 95): While it is stated above that the studio included costs already incurred for previous revitalization attempts of the live-action franchise, Kelly stressed that the costs he listed are those that were exclusively made during the production of The Motion Picture proper, meaning from February 1978 onward. He didn't. You're just as warm and sociable as ever." RA&A's Art Director Richard Taylor, clarifying that this was on the studio's insistence, stated, "There was conflict from the very beginning. (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, pp. Did V'Ger ever transmit its data or just join with the Creator? Before they can think further, a red alert sounds, and a plasma bolt beam from within the cloud hits the ship and begins to overload the ship's systems. "It's running our records! Decker and Ilia are seen walking around in the recreation room. And only one year later, the 1980 western, Heaven's Gate, the US$44 million budget box-office disaster, ended United Artists, its remnants absorbed by MGM, though keeping the name as a separate dependent division. JPL's director John Casani agreed to loan the model to the studio in October 1977, mere months after the actual Voyager probes were launched in August and September that year. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp. The television run of the film marks one of the first times that scenes not incorporated into a theatrical cut were reintegrated for the television airing, making the television cut longer than the theatrical cut. The intruder has been on their monitors for a while and the cloud is rapidly dissipating as it approaches. The withholding itself of course was not the actual case, as the movie was not completed until the very last moment. Only in the mid-to-late 1980s did production budgets start habitually to balloon exponentially, first in double digits, and subsequently into the triple digits. He convinces her to let him help her revive those patterns so that she can understand their functions better. Decker is angry that the probe killed Ilia, but Kirk convinces him that their only contact with the vessel is through the probe, and they need to use that advantage to find out more about the alien. Captain James T. Kirk: [in mock horror] They didn't. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. He tells her that within her are the memory patterns of a certain carbon unit. The new mix is in Dolby 5.1 EX Surround. Scott says that the refit, a process that took eighteen months, can't be finished in twelve hours and tries to convince him that the ship needs more work done as well as a proper shakedown. As stated above, the studio actually did charge in full all costs made for every single prior revitalization attempt to the Motion Picture, further hinting at information manipulation, an industry phenomenon known as "Hollywood accounting". McDonald's ran several thirty second television commercials, promoting the Motion Picture Happy Meals, one of them featuring a Klingon, endorsing them in, what was supposed to be, Klingonese. () So, to this day I'd love to know who has made the decision at Paramount to come to us, and say, "We want you to do the effects on this film." 202-203) Still, being the primary managerial operations overseer as executive producer, Roddenberry formally did bear final responsibility for Rabwin's actions, which was skillfully exploited by the studio, made easier as Roddenberry lacked the political skills to maintain himself due to his character. In Klingon space, three Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruisers are patrolling an area and encounter a huge cloud-like anomaly. (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, pp. I'll explain what happened. He refuses, and a plasma energy attack shakes the ship. ", "Don't interfere with it!" Decker shows her a game that the crew enjoys playing. Kirk recalls the history of the Voyager program it was designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth. Starfleet's strength! Uhura calls Kirk on his communicator and tells him she has retrieved the code. They didn't exactly expect we'd be able to actually spend that much()" (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, p. 87) Essentially speaking for all production staffers, when he was informed of the upgrade decision on 21 November 1977, Phase II Art Director Joe Jennings recalled in 2009, somewhat mellowed, but still aghast, "We were within two weeks of starting the new series, and somebody said, "Wheeew, let's make a motion picture!"