Star Trek – The Motion Picture

I am one of those who start drooling just on hearing the words “Space – the final frontier”. No wonder then, that I sat wide-eyed as the first ever Star Trek movie began playing. :-)

The plot is engaging enough. A gigantic cloud of unknown origin destroys three Klingon spaceships as it continues to close in on the 3rd rock from the sun – Earth. The only starship that can intercept and investigate it is the U.S.S. Enterprise. The only problem is that it’s undergoing a major overhaul. Engineer Scotty is asked to hurry up as Captain Decker prepares his crew for the mission ahead.

But much to the Captain’s chagrin, the Starship’s old captain, James T. Kirk - who now is an Admiral – shows up at the last minute to take command of her and the mission. What’s more, the Admiral hasn’t logged a single Star Hour in the three years that have passed since he last steered the ship where no man has gone before and she has changed a lot during this time.

When a transporter malfunction results in the death of the Science Officer, Captain Decker is asked to double up as one. Some of Kirk’s old crew – Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura and Dr. McCoy – are already on board. And when Spock flies in at the last minute from Vulcan claiming that he sensed a consciousness calling out to him from the strange cloud, good old Bones wonders if the Vulcan will put his pursuit of attaining “pure logic without any feelings” ahead of the Starship’s mission of stopping the intruder from reaching Earth.

Matters come to head when the Deltan on board the Enterprise disappears off the bridge only to be returned in the form of a machine probing the Starship on orders from Vger. The question is: will the Enterprise crew find out whoVger is and why he is searching for his Creator before he gobbles up Earth?

The film tends to rather ramble on in the beginning. I got especially worked up when Scotty and Kirk travel in the slowest vehicle on earth to inspect the fitting of the Starship in the dry dock. “Get going guys!” I must have said at least 5 times. The same goes when the Enterprise inspects the intruder. The graphics showing the inside of the mysterious cloud must have, no doubt, dazzled the audience in the 70s. But it doesn’t seem all that appealing in the 21st century.

The crew of the original TV series is fantastic as ever. Spock - as the cool competent Science Officer (a tad more logical and unemotional for my comfort!), the Doctor - ready to flare up at Spock’s pure logic and Kirk, as the good old captain, who though slightly out of his depth with the new gadgets, is still in command when it comes to dealing with the unknown.

The plot, sadly, fails to deliver on its promise. I said “huh?” when I realized who Vger must be moments before Kirk and company figures it out. And whosoever thought up the totally unimaginative title “Star Trek – The Motion Picture” should be sent to a penal colony many galaxies away. :-(

P.S. The Indians will recognize the Deltan on board – model Persis Khambata.