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Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s Edition, is the original Star Trek movie, but now in a fancy new version, just before they package them all up and sell them to you again for another £20 each in 4K on September 5th, the same date that a full 1-6 Movie Boxset is available for a penny under £100.
Prior to going to the cinema recently, I think I’ve only seen this once, when it was on ITV in the ’90s, and in 4:3 on a small TV, so not the best way of watching it. Prior to going to the cinema, I had no idea what’s been added or taken away, but this is the third version of the film, following the original 132-minute version and then the 143-minute TV version, so I figured, hopefully, it’ll be better than I remember it. I also saw that the UK Paramount+ has the 132-min version. Apparently in the US, they have this new version on the streaming platform. That said, I figured it was worth watching the new one on the big screen to get the full effect of it all.
When it comes to the plot, the Kingons are kicking off again, but thankfully, their shenanigans is kept to a small amount of screen time. Meanwhile, Spock is on Vulcan, performing tasks that apparently make sense to him there, receiving a symbol of Pure Logic for his troubles, whilst also letting his hair grow like a hippy.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise isn’t ready, yet Kirk demands it’s ship-shape within 12 hours, since some baddies are on their way, stating there’s an object of unimaginable power that’s going to wreak havoc before too long.
Some observations on the film…
- There’s a lift Kirk uses to get from one floor to the one below, but it’s just a platform with no front to it, so would easily fail health and safety!
- In this restoration, some images – such as longshots of crowds – are fairly out of focus, while close-up face shots are perfectly sharp. Perhaps different types of film were used for these?
- Dekker is unhappy with Kirk taking over the Commander role, relegating himself down a position, although presumably due to his rank, he’d still be on full pay? I doubt anyone in his position could force out someone of the same rank, though, so they’d surely call for a supervisor to make a decision, and they’d have ousted Kirk in a trice!
Also, Kirk had been out of the loop for a few years, while Dekker was in control of the Enterprise, so there’s no reason why Kirk should be able to assume command, He’s just a narcissistic aholle!
- However, as for Dekker and Ilia – who’ve previously encountered each other’s ‘final frontiers’, if you’ve never seen this before and wonder why the pair don’t turn up in any sequels, this film will answer that question.
- Bones is clearly the best character out of the bunch, his sarcasm standing out from early on, and I’d forgotten the impact he made with that.
- And when they go to visit V’ger – the enemy of the piece, and to detemine what he wants – they have to cross a huge floor which looks like the Vortex game in The Adventure Game!
A couple of aspects I have since been made aware of is that the V’Ger flyover has been much more condensed while still retaining the sense of scale, even though it still feels like it goes on forever. Plus, the plot hole of the Klingon cruiser at the beginning has been fixed, as one of the displays on Epsilon IX shows that one of the Klingon craft has been destroyed, while the original version didn’t show this.
To me, this sounds a bit like Terminator 2, where only the Special Edition shows how John Connor spots the differences between the two Sarahs (since the T-1000’s Sarah’s feet are meshed into the wire platform).
Additionally, while the film retains the 2001 version’s overture prior to the opening credits, this time, there’s a starfield put over the top of it. Perhaps they added the stars, so that people in the cinema wouldn’t think the film had broken down and they’d gone back to mood music?
All the said, below is a video I found which compares a lot of scenes between the original and 2022 edition. However, they’ve left out the Klingon section for some reason.
As an aside, it was also the first time I’ve been to the Cineworld Didsbury in 20 years. I went to see Training Day after work. The film was overhyped rubbish. But as for Star Trek, the force will be with you, always…
Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s Edition is in selected cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on 4K Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray Movie 1-6 Boxset, Blu-ray, and DVD.
There’s also a Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s Edition: The Complete Adventure 4K Boxset.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 137 minutes
Release date: August 21st 2022
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Format: 2.39:1 (Dolby Vision, VistaVision (visual effects), Anamorphic Panavision)
Cinema: Cineworld Didsbury
Rating: 6/10
Director: Robert Wise
Producers: Gene Roddenberry, David C Fein (2001 edition)
Story: Alan Dean Foster
Screenplay: Harold Livingston
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Cast:
Capt. James T. Kirk: William Shatner
Spock: Leonard Nimoy
Dr. McCoy: DeForest Kelley
Scotty: James Doohan
Sulu: George Takei
Dr. Chapel: Majel Barrett
Chekov: Walter Koenig
Uhura: Nichelle Nichols
Ilia: Persis Khambatta
Decker: Stephen Collins
Janice Rand: Grace Lee Whitney
Klingon Captain: Mark Lenard
Rhaandarite Ensign: Billy Van Zandt
Epsilon Technician: Roger Aaron Brown
Airlock Technician: Gary Faga
Cmdr. Branch: David Gautreaux
Assistant to Rand: John D Gowans
Cargo Deck Ensign: Howard Itzkowitz
Lt. Cmdr. Sonak: Jon Rashad Kamal
Chief DiFalco: Marcy Lafferty
Lieutenant: Michele Ameen Billy
Technician: Jeri McBride
Chief Ross: Terrence O’Connor
Lt. Cleary: Michael Rougas
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.