I was 13 when ST TMP came out. Being a Trekkie, I was super excited, and enjoyed it. I'm not sure how many times I saw it while it was still in theaters. I enjoyed it, but I always felt that it was about 20 minutes too long. Wrath of Khan was much tighter, and more exciting when it came out, and I loved it!
Thank you for your comment. I was 10 when it came out, and I saw it twice. I liked it, but it was Wrath of Khan that turned me into a die-hard Star Trek fan.
I'll look forward to seeing this. I worked at a theatre back in 79 when this picture opened. Back in those days, we normally drove to "film row" and picked up our prints ourselves a day before release. I recall it being a bit of nailer biter in this case, though. They were literally down to the last minute finishing this film and striking the prints, and our print was delivered by secure courier, arriving a few minutes after the first show was to begin. For that first show, it was the only time I can recall running a film with absolutely no trailers or bumpers. No one realized there was an opening musical prelude, so when the opening fanfare suddenly began, combined with the late start and no trailers, it greatly startled the audience, who burst into applause and took their seats. There was a lot of pent up demand for this film, especially after the success of Star Wars, and the opening weekend audience had a good experience, offering judicial applause when it was over. Subsequent audiences (and critics) were a bit less kind. I think where you lie with this film has a lot to do with how much you appreciate the effects, which were jawdropping for the time. I also appreciated Goldsmith's score, which is among his best work. He really did the impossible, instantly implanting an all-new musical theme upon a franchise that was already identified with a distinctive melody. When it became the theme of TNG, it would forever after overshadow Alexander Courage's original composition as the music most popularly identified with Star Trek. Thanks again for sharing. It's great stuff for those of us who actually grew up with these now half-century old films!
Wow! That's incredible that you worked in the theaters during this time! What an amazing story! You were part of history! It's neat hearing your story and how it affected the actual thaters. I wish I could have included your story into the episode, but thank you for sharing it in the comments. I was 10 yo when this movie came out and I remember my father taking us on opening weekend. I had no idea of the drama involved in the production back then, and I was just happy to see my heroes on the big screen. However, it wasn't until the next film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, that I became a full-brown Trekkie, but a part of always loved this film. Thank you so much, and I hope you keep warching and commenting!
Wow. Great recollection. Fascinating to see how the arrival was cut so frantically close. Just the insights on how theaters interacted with the studio and the distributor was interesting enough. Thanks for sharing that.... Re: the audience reaction, my sister greatly liked it. My good friend Ray hated it. I never saw Star Trek: the Motion Picture until stumbling upon it on cable TV circa 1982. By that time, I had already seen Star Trek II in theaters, so the wonder of the first movie had no impact on me. In 1979, seeing the Enterprise and other vehicles on the big screen after years of craving a movie must have liberating for fans.
@@brianarbenz1329 What happened with Star Trek was extremely rare during the ten or so years of my experience in the theatre business. It was interesting that when ST II came out three years later, the buzz was somewhat muted for it given some of the disappointment of the first film. I attended a trade screening of a VERY unfinished print several months before its release, and sat almost alone in the screening room. It had no finished visual effects, no credits, no musical score, or even an ending (due to ongoing working of Nimoy's involvment). But I could quickly tell that it was very different from the first film, and left predicting it was going to be a big hit with audiences. It ended up opening huge against Rocky III, scoring very big with both the box office and critics. It was almost two weeks before I could sit down in the theatre myself and finally see the ending that was missing three months earlier! It's easy to forget that when ST:TMP came out in the late seventies, the Saturday morning cartoon was the only new ST thing to happen since the first three seasons of the original TV show fifteen years earlier. There was a LOT of pent up demand, and Star Wars had certainly changed the sci-fi landscape. When Kirk delivered his final line and the Enterprise streaked away at warp speed, the opening weekend audiences went wild with applause. But very quickly, the enthusiasm faded and the original film was perceived as one of the lessor entries in the series. But its reputation has improved in recent years, and it remains praised for its excellent visual effects that hold up even today. (I watched the V'ger cloud scenes many times in the theatre trying to figure out - unsuccessfully - how they were achieved.)
Growing up in England in the 70’s watching Star Trek watching the reruns and loved watching it and the movie I have the original Star Trek series on dvd and the movies looking forward to seeing what they are going to do for the 60 th anniversary
Dykstra didn't actually work on the actual effects for Star Wars, he developed the camera equipment. When Lucas returned from location, he found Dykstra and his team sitting around in the middle of the afternoon smoking weed. They had not captured a single, usable shot, and argued that they needed George to guide them. George fired the lot of them and hired people like Dennis Murren to complete the actual effects. Dykstra has since publicly apologized and distinguished himself as one of the best in the business.
That is very interesting. Thank you for the comment.😀 I also heard that they installed a small portable swimming pool in the front parking lot of ILM and the team was just goofing off all day. 🤣
Great videos. Very well done. I first saw this movie as a child and fell asleep. The second time was in college and it blew my mind. It has a lot in common with 2001. 2 and 3 were definitely course corrections toward Star Wars territory.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm the same way. This movie bored me when I was young, but I've really come to appreciate it the older I get. Thank you so much for your comment.
I think the fact that Robert Wise was not a fan and had not done this type of movie before actually worked in their favor, lending it a sort of credibility. Reminds me of Irvin Kershner doing The Empire Strikes Back, having done mainly character driven movies. It worked out great for Empire, which is why most Star Wars fans consider that one the best of the whole lot. I liked ST:TMP but felt it was, as the critics complained, very slow paced. But other than that I liked it well enough. But, as a ten year old kid at the time, it did not compare to Star Wars. As an adult I love and appreciate both. Anyway, I always felt that they missed a golden opportunity in ST:TNG to connect the Borg to V'Ger as an origin story. It would fit beautifully.
Thanks for the comment! We're the same age. I was 10 years old as well, and my father took my sister and me to see this on opening weekend. You're right, it wasn't Star Wars, but I appreciate it the older I get. However, it was Wrath of Khan that really turned me into a die-hard Star Trek fan.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast To me, Star Trek and Star Wars were never in competition with each other because they were different kinds of movies. Star Trek is science fiction, whereas Star Wars is science _fantasy,_ good versus evil, light versus dark etc. If you watch just about any Star Wars film or TV show you'll see that there is virtually no technobabble, whereas they love that kind of stuff in Star Trek. (The original series didn't have much of it, but starting with TNG they greatly expanded on "explaining" how things work in that universe.)
Robert Wise was a versatile and talented director. Regarding sci-fi, he had “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Andromeda Strain” under his belt. And the film he made just prior to this was “The Hindenburg” - not sci-fi, but a historical drama requiring top-notch effects. Let’s not forget a classic submarine drama, “Run Silent, Run Deep.” Like many directors, Wise cut his teeth as an editor; his credits included a couple of little numbers for Orson Welles: “Citizen Kane” and “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Under the worst kind of pressure, he delivered a sci-fi classic. (Fortunately he lived to recut the film to his liking.) The cast members who later griped about the script or the size of their roles, should have felt honoured to work with Robert Wise.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Agreed. I hope Mr Wise had the chance to kick Robert Abel in the ass! Fortunately he had the chance to work with Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra - can’t beat that combo! And he made good choices all-around: the redesign of the Enterprise, the costumes, and Jerry Goldsmith’s superb score. I remember the anticipation and excitement over this film during Christmas 1979.
While Wise was certainly known as the director of Sound of Music and West Side Story, most Trekkies knew him for his more relevant works, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Andromeda Strain. While not SF, he also directed the horror films The Haunting and The Body Snatchers, and the WWII submarine thriller Run Silent Run Deep. So while he may not have been a ST fan per se, he was well versed in SF and genre films in general. He was a perfect choice for TMP and he really did save the movie, because he knew how to craft a story (also very significant is that he got his start as a film editor, and so he knew how important the right cut of a film was--which is why he was SO frustrated that Paramount never gave him the chance to properly edit the film until the Director's Edition came out.)
I respect Wise's body of work very much (particularly "The Andromeda Strain" which holds up beautifully even by today's standards). However, the guy admitted he didn't know much about "Star Trek," and he was asking the cast how to end the movie while they were making it. I think he should've said no to the offer because it needed somebody with both a greater acquaintance with- and affection for- the original series.
Your patience is admirable. I can see how people can interpret aspects of this presentation as AI generated. Particularly with no names in the credits and some odd pronunciations at times. Each comment seems to have a response, even to comments that are short and rude. As a suggestion I would include credits with your name, and even a short personal intro or outtro. I do enjoy watching these.
Thank you for the kind words and the thoughtful comment. I was thinking of doing that, but I am reconsidering. 90% of the comments have been kind and generous and gracious. Another 9% have been critical, and 1% have been downright scary. 🥺 I think the 1% has made me decide to keep my anonymity online for now. 🤣
I have really enjoyed these Star Trek videos you made. I stumbled across part 2 in my recommended feed awhile back and just added it to my watch later videos (I have tons of watch later videos lol). Well last night I finally got to the Star Trek II video and really enjoyed it, subsequently I watched 3-6 and now I’m back tracking on part 1. I’m half way through it and love it. I think I saw you said you will be doing TNG soon, looking forward to it. Some of the things you mentioned I already knew, but much more of the things you said, I didn’t know. Very interesting material. Great videos
Thank you so much for the kind words. It's comments like yours that make creating videos worthwhile! I hope you keep watching and enjoying all of my videos!
Also, Star Trek the Motion Picture was not the most expensive movie made up to that date. Superman: The Movie was. The Salkinds often divulged that 'Superman's' had cost $50M. But more recently Ilya Salkind has admitted that between the footage Donner shot for the 1st and 2nd pictures, the actual tally was $100M. At the time, this massive budget (the largest in history) was reported by a gossip columnist named Rona Barrett, but the Salkinds had denied it.
For the number of years it took to bring "Star Trek" back, the movie was kind of a let down. However, it's success lead to over 4 decades (and counting) of mostly good films and tv sequel series. So in the end "ST:TMP" served a very important purpose.
I agree the movie was on the boring side. Special effects scenes were way too long. But with all the loyal fans out there it was bound to be a success. I saw the movie on opening day in a NY City theater. What an exhilarating experience. The theater was packed and you knew everyone was a die hard devoted fan. We were all waiting to see the crew again after a 10 year hiatus from the original series. As each member appeared on the screen the audience broke out in wild cheers and applause. It was an amazing shared communal experience that I never had. ps The only other times I've had this kind of connected communal feeling is watching a total solar eclipse.
That's amazing! You were part of Star Trek history. The communal experience must have been amazing. I also saw Star Trek The Motion Picture on opening weekend. I was so excited. Thank you so much for your post.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Thanks. I just came off the new Beetlejuice video after binging the other ST ones. I saw the film last night. While bloated with characters. Your take helped me appreciate it a bit more. Proud to subscribe!
I think the whole theaters threating to sue Paramount's ass gave them the push they need despite the ongoing mess that was following during production. blaming Gene Rodenbery alone was pretty harsh. Paramount made a dumb pre-selling tickets to theaters was by far I believe the most financially dangerous move and of course, some of the blame should go to ABEL for that BS SFX company that wasted time and money for half assing it so much. thank God ILM relented and save everyone's ass at a short period of time. all the challenges may have helped this project get to the finish line. also I feel bad that phase II had to shut down in favor of TMP. I mean, it would have been cool to see a late 70's to early 80's star trek series.
I think Abel deserves so much of the blame. Paramount was already setting him up as the fall guy in case they didnt make it and the theaters sued. However, Abel lucked out when Robert Wise and his team got Star Trek TMP to the theaters on time. Still, he deserved to be run out of Hollywood. 😃 Thank you for your comment!
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast I would like to add that Paramount was wise to at least kept Gene in the loop regarding in further ST project till his death. It a shame he was pain in the ass over ST6. I have no doubt his illness may have made him irritable at time
Ha! I remember watching TOS one Saturday afternoon. I was eight or nine, and knew that it wasn't real. However, I saw an interview with Leonard Nimoy an hour later. I asked my parents how Nimoy could go from the set wearing his Vulcan costume to the interview in such a short time. I then learned about syndication.
Considering that NASA had launched in 1977 a space probe called Voyager 1 that is where the name V ‘ger came from. It was a what-if of what could happen to a space probe if it encountered a more advanced life form. My father sent a letter to save Star Trek on Alcan stationary the Canadian company my father worked for.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Not yet, I just found you today and I've already watched your videos on Star Trek 1&2. The AI voice is a bit annoying since it has odd inflections and pauses. But other than that I think your videos are 1st rate.
Abel failed to fulfill their contract, so why was Paramount out $5 million???? Why were they ever paid ANYTHING???? Worst case maybe they were paid HALF UP FRONT! Why wasn’t there a lawsuit???
Holy mackeral....I thought I knew everything about the making of this movie, but I had never heard of Robert Abel and did not know what a shit show the production was...I can't believe they didn't have a third act written yet...
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Well , his partner was Con Pederson who did a ton of stuff on 2001. Con was no con but sounds like Able talked a big game.
How could you not capture the saddest part of Persis’ life? Dying at such a young age after being typecast as a character from a movie that essentially destroyed her career but since then has become a cult classic.
Such a sad tragic life that started with such potential. I wonder if it would have been better if she starred in the Phase 2 series rather than The Motion Picture.
Her resume is a brief one, but was "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" the reason? Though it failed to meet expectations, the film was still pretty successful and I don't recall her performance being panned.
Star Trek first aired in the UK in 1969. I watched all of series one and two but lost interest by series three, as, to be frank, the third series was terrible. I did go to watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and I found the special effects to be spectacular for the time, but sadly, I found the movie to be a tediously boring Hodge-podge of wooden acting and dialogue.
Thank you for your comment. Please check out my video on Star Trek The Original Series, where I talk about each season of the show, and you may understand the train-wreck events that lad to the third season being so terrible. It's a fascinating story. I hope you enjoy it!
Considering that NASA had launched in 1977 a space probe called Voyager 1 that is where the name V ‘ger came from. It was a what-if of what could happen to a space probe if it encountered a more advanced life form
Trumbal had JUST done the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey…OVER TEN YEARS AGO IN 1968!!!!! Not to mention that there is no mention of him on IMDB!!! GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT!!!
One thing. Shatners career was in the toilet and he didnt have a TV Career of any note at that time. TJ Hooker was well after TMP. TMP is the best Trek pic in my opinion, especially the directors cut. The Shat was typecast as Kirk and living in a trailer with his dogs with no money before TMP Nimoy had the best TV Career at that time with Impossible Mission
as a child, I couldnt stand the orginal Star Trek. I always found it BORING, and always wished something better was on, like either the Batman tv series or Lost in Space. I never understood the appeal of the original star trek, only until i saw some of the 1980s movies like star Trek the vovyage home did i come to like the original series, but im still no trekkie.
Thanks for the comment! I didn't become a die-hard Star Trek fan until Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and Voyage Home. I have continued to love Star Trek since. Ive come to appreciate The Motion Picture as I get older.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast still can’t get into watching that first movie.its too slow and mind numbing boring. I’m so glad they changed the format for the Wrath of khan which was much better movie.
The original series was ground breaking attacking racism. Nationalism, & ceaseless war. Maybe you were too young to get it or not aware of national.& world events?
Why ANTONE would waste anyone’s time with trying to hype up the phenomenal turd of a so called motion picture, that was Star Trek movie, is beyond sanity 😊
I was 13 when ST TMP came out. Being a Trekkie, I was super excited, and enjoyed it. I'm not sure how many times I saw it while it was still in theaters. I enjoyed it, but I always felt that it was about 20 minutes too long. Wrath of Khan was much tighter, and more exciting when it came out, and I loved it!
Thank you for your comment. I was 10 when it came out, and I saw it twice. I liked it, but it was Wrath of Khan that turned me into a die-hard Star Trek fan.
I'll look forward to seeing this. I worked at a theatre back in 79 when this picture opened. Back in those days, we normally drove to "film row" and picked up our prints ourselves a day before release. I recall it being a bit of nailer biter in this case, though. They were literally down to the last minute finishing this film and striking the prints, and our print was delivered by secure courier, arriving a few minutes after the first show was to begin. For that first show, it was the only time I can recall running a film with absolutely no trailers or bumpers. No one realized there was an opening musical prelude, so when the opening fanfare suddenly began, combined with the late start and no trailers, it greatly startled the audience, who burst into applause and took their seats. There was a lot of pent up demand for this film, especially after the success of Star Wars, and the opening weekend audience had a good experience, offering judicial applause when it was over. Subsequent audiences (and critics) were a bit less kind. I think where you lie with this film has a lot to do with how much you appreciate the effects, which were jawdropping for the time. I also appreciated Goldsmith's score, which is among his best work. He really did the impossible, instantly implanting an all-new musical theme upon a franchise that was already identified with a distinctive melody. When it became the theme of TNG, it would forever after overshadow Alexander Courage's original composition as the music most popularly identified with Star Trek. Thanks again for sharing. It's great stuff for those of us who actually grew up with these now half-century old films!
Wow! That's incredible that you worked in the theaters during this time! What an amazing story! You were part of history! It's neat hearing your story and how it affected the actual thaters. I wish I could have included your story into the episode, but thank you for sharing it in the comments. I was 10 yo when this movie came out and I remember my father taking us on opening weekend. I had no idea of the drama involved in the production back then, and I was just happy to see my heroes on the big screen. However, it wasn't until the next film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, that I became a full-brown Trekkie, but a part of always loved this film. Thank you so much, and I hope you keep warching and commenting!
Wow. Great recollection. Fascinating to see how the arrival was cut so frantically close. Just the insights on how theaters interacted with the studio and the distributor was interesting enough. Thanks for sharing that.... Re: the audience reaction, my sister greatly liked it. My good friend Ray hated it. I never saw Star Trek: the Motion Picture until stumbling upon it on cable TV circa 1982. By that time, I had already seen Star Trek II in theaters, so the wonder of the first movie had no impact on me. In 1979, seeing the Enterprise and other vehicles on the big screen after years of craving a movie must have liberating for fans.
@@brianarbenz1329 What happened with Star Trek was extremely rare during the ten or so years of my experience in the theatre business.
It was interesting that when ST II came out three years later, the buzz was somewhat muted for it given some of the disappointment of the first film. I attended a trade screening of a VERY unfinished print several months before its release, and sat almost alone in the screening room. It had no finished visual effects, no credits, no musical score, or even an ending (due to ongoing working of Nimoy's involvment). But I could quickly tell that it was very different from the first film, and left predicting it was going to be a big hit with audiences. It ended up opening huge against Rocky III, scoring very big with both the box office and critics. It was almost two weeks before I could sit down in the theatre myself and finally see the ending that was missing three months earlier!
It's easy to forget that when ST:TMP came out in the late seventies, the Saturday morning cartoon was the only new ST thing to happen since the first three seasons of the original TV show fifteen years earlier. There was a LOT of pent up demand, and Star Wars had certainly changed the sci-fi landscape. When Kirk delivered his final line and the Enterprise streaked away at warp speed, the opening weekend audiences went wild with applause. But very quickly, the enthusiasm faded and the original film was perceived as one of the lessor entries in the series. But its reputation has improved in recent years, and it remains praised for its excellent visual effects that hold up even today. (I watched the V'ger cloud scenes many times in the theatre trying to figure out - unsuccessfully - how they were achieved.)
Growing up in England in the 70’s watching Star Trek watching the reruns and loved watching it and the movie I have the original Star Trek series on dvd and the movies looking forward to seeing what they are going to do for the 60 th anniversary
I hope they do something cool.
Dykstra didn't actually work on the actual effects for Star Wars, he developed the camera equipment. When Lucas returned from location, he found Dykstra and his team sitting around in the middle of the afternoon smoking weed. They had not captured a single, usable shot, and argued that they needed George to guide them. George fired the lot of them and hired people like Dennis Murren to complete the actual effects. Dykstra has since publicly apologized and distinguished himself as one of the best in the business.
That is very interesting. Thank you for the comment.😀 I also heard that they installed a small portable swimming pool in the front parking lot of ILM and the team was just goofing off all day. 🤣
Great videos. Very well done. I first saw this movie as a child and fell asleep. The second time was in college and it blew my mind. It has a lot in common with 2001. 2 and 3 were definitely course corrections toward Star Wars territory.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm the same way. This movie bored me when I was young, but I've really come to appreciate it the older I get. Thank you so much for your comment.
I think the fact that Robert Wise was not a fan and had not done this type of movie before actually worked in their favor, lending it a sort of credibility. Reminds me of Irvin Kershner doing The Empire Strikes Back, having done mainly character driven movies. It worked out great for Empire, which is why most Star Wars fans consider that one the best of the whole lot.
I liked ST:TMP but felt it was, as the critics complained, very slow paced. But other than that I liked it well enough. But, as a ten year old kid at the time, it did not compare to Star Wars. As an adult I love and appreciate both. Anyway, I always felt that they missed a golden opportunity in ST:TNG to connect the Borg to V'Ger as an origin story. It would fit beautifully.
Thanks for the comment! We're the same age. I was 10 years old as well, and my father took my sister and me to see this on opening weekend. You're right, it wasn't Star Wars, but I appreciate it the older I get. However, it was Wrath of Khan that really turned me into a die-hard Star Trek fan.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast To me, Star Trek and Star Wars were never in competition with each other because they were different kinds of movies. Star Trek is science fiction, whereas Star Wars is science _fantasy,_ good versus evil, light versus dark etc. If you watch just about any Star Wars film or TV show you'll see that there is virtually no technobabble, whereas they love that kind of stuff in Star Trek. (The original series didn't have much of it, but starting with TNG they greatly expanded on "explaining" how things work in that universe.)
bs utter failure & total travesty
Robert Wise was a versatile and talented director. Regarding sci-fi, he had “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Andromeda Strain” under his belt. And the film he made just prior to this was “The Hindenburg” - not sci-fi, but a historical drama requiring top-notch effects. Let’s not forget a classic submarine drama, “Run Silent, Run Deep.”
Like many directors, Wise cut his teeth as an editor; his credits included a couple of little numbers for Orson Welles: “Citizen Kane” and “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Under the worst kind of pressure, he delivered a sci-fi classic. (Fortunately he lived to recut the film to his liking.) The cast members who later griped about the script or the size of their roles, should have felt honoured to work with Robert Wise.
You are so right! Robert Wise is a legend, and he doesn't get enough credit for saving Star Trek The Motion Picture.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Agreed. I hope Mr Wise had the chance to kick Robert Abel in the ass! Fortunately he had the chance to work with Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra - can’t beat that combo! And he made good choices all-around: the redesign of the Enterprise, the costumes, and Jerry Goldsmith’s superb score. I remember the anticipation and excitement over this film during Christmas 1979.
That spock helmet was diabolical! 🤣
Haha! So true!
The 4k Directors Edition is the one to watch as this is how Robert Wise & co envisioned it to look in 79, Now looks & sounds great. Epic sci fi
I agree. It's such a better version!
essential viewing for any Star Trek fan. The story needed to be told.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you keep checking out my videos.
While Wise was certainly known as the director of Sound of Music and West Side Story, most Trekkies knew him for his more relevant works, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Andromeda Strain. While not SF, he also directed the horror films The Haunting and The Body Snatchers, and the WWII submarine thriller Run Silent Run Deep. So while he may not have been a ST fan per se, he was well versed in SF and genre films in general. He was a perfect choice for TMP and he really did save the movie, because he knew how to craft a story (also very significant is that he got his start as a film editor, and so he knew how important the right cut of a film was--which is why he was SO frustrated that Paramount never gave him the chance to properly edit the film until the Director's Edition came out.)
That's right! He directed so many great films.
I respect Wise's body of work very much (particularly "The Andromeda Strain" which holds up beautifully even by today's standards). However, the guy admitted he didn't know much about "Star Trek," and he was asking the cast how to end the movie while they were making it. I think he should've said no to the offer because it needed somebody with both a greater acquaintance with- and affection for- the original series.
Your patience is admirable. I can see how people can interpret aspects of this presentation as AI generated. Particularly with no names in the credits and some odd pronunciations at times. Each comment seems to have a response, even to comments that are short and rude. As a suggestion I would include credits with your name, and even a short personal intro or outtro. I do enjoy watching these.
Thank you for the kind words and the thoughtful comment. I was thinking of doing that, but I am reconsidering. 90% of the comments have been kind and generous and gracious. Another 9% have been critical, and 1% have been downright scary. 🥺 I think the 1% has made me decide to keep my anonymity online for now. 🤣
I have really enjoyed these Star Trek videos you made. I stumbled across part 2 in my recommended feed awhile back and just added it to my watch later videos (I have tons of watch later videos lol). Well last night I finally got to the Star Trek II video and really enjoyed it, subsequently I watched 3-6 and now I’m back tracking on part 1. I’m half way through it and love it. I think I saw you said you will be doing TNG soon, looking forward to it. Some of the things you mentioned I already knew, but much more of the things you said, I didn’t know. Very interesting material. Great videos
Thank you so much for the kind words. It's comments like yours that make creating videos worthwhile! I hope you keep watching and enjoying all of my videos!
Also, Star Trek the Motion Picture was not the most expensive movie made up to that date. Superman: The Movie was. The Salkinds often divulged that 'Superman's' had cost $50M. But more recently Ilya Salkind has admitted that between the footage Donner shot for the 1st and 2nd pictures, the actual tally was $100M. At the time, this massive budget (the largest in history) was reported by a gossip columnist named Rona Barrett, but the Salkinds had denied it.
Very interesting. Thank you for the comment. I should consider doing a Superman series!
In the UK nobody would have watched BBC 2 if it wasnt for StarTrek syndication reruns every Tuesday night for years
That's great! 😀
I truly loved this film. I still wish that Phase 2 had been done.
Me too. In some alternate universe from ours, they have all the Star Trek we got PLUS Star Trek Phase 2. It would be amazing!
For the number of years it took to bring "Star Trek" back, the movie was kind of a let down. However, it's success lead to over 4 decades (and counting) of mostly good films and tv sequel series. So in the end "ST:TMP" served a very important purpose.
Thank you for your comment. That is an excellent point. It's been going strong for over 40 years since The Motion Picture.
Good, informative video by the way. I've recommended it, too.
I agree the movie was on the boring side. Special effects scenes were way too long. But with all the loyal fans out there it was bound to be a success.
I saw the movie on opening day in a NY City theater. What an exhilarating experience. The theater was packed and you knew everyone was a die hard devoted fan. We were all waiting to see the crew again after a 10 year hiatus from the original series. As each member appeared on the screen the audience broke out in wild cheers and applause. It was an amazing shared communal experience that I never had.
ps The only other times I've had this kind of connected communal feeling is watching a total solar eclipse.
That's amazing! You were part of Star Trek history. The communal experience must have been amazing. I also saw Star Trek The Motion Picture on opening weekend. I was so excited. Thank you so much for your post.
"Wise wanted the uniforms to look more realistic...like realistic pajamas."
Haha! 🤣 This comment genuinely made me laugh out loud!
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Thanks. I just came off the new Beetlejuice video after binging the other ST ones. I saw the film last night.
While bloated with characters. Your take helped me appreciate it a bit more.
Proud to subscribe!
The design of the costumes also had somthing to do working on very warm sets apparentlt.
he was an absolute loser
He foresaw Walmart.
I think the whole theaters threating to sue Paramount's ass gave them the push they need despite the ongoing mess that was following during production. blaming Gene Rodenbery alone was pretty harsh. Paramount made a dumb pre-selling tickets to theaters was by far I believe the most financially dangerous move and of course, some of the blame should go to ABEL for that BS SFX company that wasted time and money for half assing it so much. thank God ILM relented and save everyone's ass at a short period of time. all the challenges may have helped this project get to the finish line.
also I feel bad that phase II had to shut down in favor of TMP. I mean, it would have been cool to see a late 70's to early 80's star trek series.
I think Abel deserves so much of the blame. Paramount was already setting him up as the fall guy in case they didnt make it and the theaters sued. However, Abel lucked out when Robert Wise and his team got Star Trek TMP to the theaters on time. Still, he deserved to be run out of Hollywood. 😃 Thank you for your comment!
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast I would like to add that Paramount was wise to at least kept Gene in the loop regarding in further ST project till his death. It a shame he was pain in the ass over ST6. I have no doubt his illness may have made him irritable at time
Ha! I remember watching TOS one Saturday afternoon. I was eight or nine, and knew that it wasn't real. However, I saw an interview with Leonard Nimoy an hour later. I asked my parents how Nimoy could go from the set wearing his Vulcan costume to the interview in such a short time. I then learned about syndication.
That's great! I remember when I was 7 and genuinely believed that Lee Majors had to be bionic to Steve Austin. 🤣
Best movie in history
This movie certainly has its fans. 😀
Did you not know that Robert Wise is the director of the classic The Day The Earth Stood Still?
I did! He was such a prolific and talented director. Thank you for the comment.
Considering that NASA had launched in 1977 a space probe called Voyager 1 that is where the name V ‘ger came from. It was a what-if of what could happen to a space probe if it encountered a more advanced life form.
My father sent a letter to save Star Trek on Alcan stationary the Canadian company my father worked for.
That is incredible! Your father is a part of Star Trek history!
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcasthe is. Please read the edit.
Great vid 💪🍺👍💞 . Did you spot Scotty point the way for Kirk after his argument with decker ?
Thank you so much! 😀🙂🖖
I never noticed it. I'll have to check it out. 😀
Decker and Vger merging could have been the birth of the Borg. A fusion of flesh and machine.
That's a great theory! This is a popular theory in fandom. In the video game, Star Trek: Legacy, Vger created the Borg.
Whats with the disconnected video clips?
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I want to know what happened to Abel after this fiasco. Also did he have a brother called Cain?
Haha! I think he was run out of Hollywood. 🤣
The Ai voice is annoying, but other than that it's good.
Yeah. I dont know what I was thinking. Did you watch my Ranking video. That's 100% me just talking. What do you think? Better?
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Not yet, I just found you today and I've already watched your videos on Star Trek 1&2. The AI voice is a bit annoying since it has odd inflections and pauses. But other than that I think your videos are 1st rate.
Thank you for the kind words. As you can see, I'm moving away from it, and have been using my full natural voice. I think it's better.
Good timing
Thank you!
Why the hell do you use so many reverse images???
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I sold the holographic WARP effect for this.
Wow! Please tell!
Abel failed to fulfill their contract, so why was Paramount out $5 million???? Why were they ever paid ANYTHING???? Worst case maybe they were paid HALF UP FRONT! Why wasn’t there a lawsuit???
These are excellent questions.
The “Star Trek Enterprise”?
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Kids in the 8th grade kicked my leg when I talked about Star Trek in 1993. They're miserable adults with high BAC levels.
That's hilarious! 🤣
Holy mackeral....I thought I knew everything about the making of this movie, but I had never heard of Robert Abel and did not know what a shit show the production was...I can't believe they didn't have a third act written yet...
Wow! Thank you for the kind words. I hope you keep watching my videos. Final Frontier and Undiscovered Country are next!
Mackerel
Robert Unable and Associates.
That's right! What a con man.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Well , his partner was Con Pederson who did a ton of stuff on 2001. Con was no con but sounds like Able talked a big game.
Stop using AI voices. It is horrible.
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With all the mispronunciations is really irritating
How could you not capture the saddest part of Persis’ life? Dying at such a young age after being typecast as a character from a movie that essentially destroyed her career but since then has become a cult classic.
Such a sad tragic life that started with such potential. I wonder if it would have been better if she starred in the Phase 2 series rather than The Motion Picture.
I question, though, if "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was the reason she didn't have a bigger career.
should have fired her useless & unnecessary waste of space
@gallery7596 what "career"
Her resume is a brief one, but was "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" the reason? Though it failed to meet expectations, the film was still pretty successful and I don't recall her performance being panned.
Star Trek: The Motionless Picture - An effective treatment for insomnia.
Haha! I love it. 😁
Transporter not Teleporter
I stand corrected.
How did Roddenbury do this movie with none of the personalities of the interactions of the main characters? just makes no sense....??
I know. Then again, Roddenberry didn't have his entire team that helped create Star Trek TOS.
Fans jokingly called it The Motionless Picture, not the Slow Motion picture.
Both work well. 🤣🤣🤣
Star Trek first aired in the UK in 1969. I watched all of series one and two but lost interest by series three, as, to be frank, the third series was terrible. I did go to watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and I found the special effects to be spectacular for the time, but sadly, I found the movie to be a tediously boring Hodge-podge of wooden acting and dialogue.
Thank you for your comment. Please check out my video on Star Trek The Original Series, where I talk about each season of the show, and you may understand the train-wreck events that lad to the third season being so terrible. It's a fascinating story. I hope you enjoy it!
The letters Kirk uncovers on the space probe say Voyager not NASA.
uhhhh...
Voyager was a space probe launched by nasa in 1977
December 9th (25:10) or December 7th???? GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT!!!!
Love the enthusiasm.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcastADDRESS THE BLAINTENT ISSUE!!!
So was it the 7th or the 9th???? Pretty simple question!!!
FIX YOUR FUCKING DISCREPANCY!!!
V'ger evolved and became.... Q
Haha! 🤣 Wouldn't that be something!!!
Considering that NASA had launched in 1977 a space probe called Voyager 1 that is where the name V ‘ger came from. It was a what-if of what could happen to a space probe if it encountered a more advanced life form
Trumbal had JUST done the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey…OVER TEN YEARS AGO IN 1968!!!!! Not to mention that there is no mention of him on IMDB!!! GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT!!!
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@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcastJUST is NOT TEN YEARS PRIOR!!!!!!
One thing. Shatners career was in the toilet and he didnt have a TV Career of any note at that time. TJ Hooker was well after TMP. TMP is the best Trek pic in my opinion, especially the directors cut. The Shat was typecast as Kirk and living in a trailer with his dogs with no money before TMP Nimoy had the best TV Career at that time with Impossible Mission
Great point! Thanks for the comment!
Tj Hooker was on tv from 1982 to 1989. Google is your friend
@@whitleybayman123 rubbish Nimoy left MI in 1971 years before TMP. he hadn't been on TV in 8 years. Shatner was everywhere on games shows.
Most of the stuff that this guy says is BULLSHIT!!!
as a child, I couldnt stand the orginal Star Trek. I always found it BORING, and always wished something better was on, like either the Batman tv series or Lost in Space. I never understood the appeal of the original star trek, only until i saw some of the 1980s movies like star Trek the vovyage home did i come to like the original series, but im still no trekkie.
Thanks for the comment! I didn't become a die-hard Star Trek fan until Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and Voyage Home. I have continued to love Star Trek since. Ive come to appreciate The Motion Picture as I get older.
@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast still can’t get into watching that first movie.its too slow and mind numbing boring. I’m so glad they changed the format for the Wrath of khan which was much better movie.
The original series was ground breaking attacking racism. Nationalism, & ceaseless war. Maybe you were too young to get it or not aware of national.& world events?
@ I guess that’s why no one watched it.
@3dartistguy If "everyone" watched it in America it couldn't have been good.
Why ANTONE would waste anyone’s time with trying to hype up the phenomenal turd of a so called motion picture, that was Star Trek movie, is beyond sanity
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Man, you really dislike this movie. I can respect that.
Ai garbage
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I assure you, it is not ai. I personally spend many hours working on this. I am sorry it wasn't for you. I hope you still check out my other videos.
Then your language skills really suck!!!!@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast
Awful Film. Truly took me hours too watch cos I was falling asleep.
A lot of people hate this film. It certainly has very slow moments. 🤣
6:26... NIMOY... 'The Original Wokester'... They hurt his fee-fees... Again and again.
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