History Film / StarTrekTheMotionPicture

* NotableCommercialCampaigns: No less than OrsonWells narrated the original trailers and ads for the film.

* [[WeWantOurJerkBack We Want Our Kirk Back]]: Noone at the end seems upset at the departure of Captain Decker.

* CelebrityParadox: PlayedWith in that the Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after the starship Enterprise as a work of fiction, but is shown in-universe as a precursor and namesake to the starship.

Ten years after the {{Cancellation}} of the original ''[[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' series, it had been [[VindicatedByCable Vindicated By Reruns]] and so Paramount decided to make TheMovie with none other than Robert Wise (director of ''TheDayTheEarthStoodStill'', ''WestSideStory'' and ''TheSoundOfMusic'') at the helm. As a side note, the general story is nearly identical to the [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]] episode "The Changeling", with elements from "Obsession" and the [[StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries Animated Series]] episode "One Of Our Planets Is Missing" -- and in fact the movie's story was intended to be the pilot of the abandoned ''StarTrek: Phase II''.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: The Vulcan Sonak was a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of Xon from the aborted second series, who himself was a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of Spock because Leonard Nimoy wasn't interested in returning (this was the peak of his IAmNotSpock period) only for him to reconsider. The actor who was going to play Xon was in fact recast in the movie as the commander of an observatory that gets destroyed by the V'ger. When Spock was a go ahead to return they scrambled with the script to get Spock in and get Sonak out. Hence the transporter malfunction.

* GuideDangIt: It's never mentioned in the film that Deckard is ''the'' son of the same crazed Deckard who piloted a shuttle into a Doomsday Machine, and the ''Enterprise'' was his big chance to prove he wasn't crazy like his Dad. That explains why he's none too pleased with Kirk casually commandeering the ''Enterprise'' (or some of his crew grousing about it.)

--> '''TheNostalgiaCritic''': Captain Decker is right. I mean Captain Decker, I mean ''Captain'' Decker, I mean...he's the captain, I don't know why Kirk's there.

** Justified, in that Decker ''did'' know the refit ''Enterprise'' better than Kirk at that point. Overriding an order from Kirk even saved the ship from being destroyed by an asteroid.
--> '''TheNostalgiaCritic''': Captain Decker is right. I mean Captain Decker, I mean ''Captain'' Decker, I mean...he's the captain, I don't know why Kirk is there.

** Not wearing a red shirts didn't help the two crew members horribly mangled by the transporters.

* MindlinkMates: Spock hears Kirk's thoughts from light years away, and later on it's mentioned that, "It was common knowledge that telepathic rapport between Vulcan and human was possible only in cases of extraordinarily close friendship."
* ShipTease: The word t'hy'la, as mentioned above, along with the famous footnote in response that seems, on the surface, to debunk Kirk/Spock [[http://www.alternateuniverses.com/judygran/footnote.txt but could almost as easily be used as evidence for it]].

* HoYay: "This simple feeling..." is exactly what, now, Spock? Especially since they're holding hands? And Kirk's gazing at him with a look of unprecedented, almost aching tenderness?
** "Dammit Bones, ''I need you!'' '''''Badly!'''''"
** The page image for HoYay is from this movie. Just sayin'.
** Watch the scene where Spock first shows up on the bridge. Now look at Kirk's face. Does he or does he not look like he's just had the love of his life returned to him from death? His entire ''face'' lights up in that moment. There's no ambiguity there whatsoever.
** And V'Ger finally understands this 'simple feeling' once [[OfficialCouple Decker and Ilia]] join with it...sorry, is this supposed to be ''sub''text?
*** Yes. Clearly, [[SlashFic it]] [[HoYay didn't]] [[RelationshipWritingFumble work]].

- Michael Okuda's text commentary for the Director's Edition, when Kirk tells Scotty that "the only starship in interception range is the ''Enterprise''."

* FreudWasRight: Everything has sexual subtext. EVERYTHING. ''Enterprise'' has make-out alcoves, V'Ger's giant orifice is likened to... another kind of orifice, Kirk gets a boner while talking to an old flame, a pretty intimate description of Probe!Ilia's first appearance, V'Ger wondering why Decker and its probe are having sex (Decker suggested it as a way to break through to Ilia's mind and Kirk agreed to it), and on and on and on.
* HoYay: The movie is already fairly homoerotic, but the novelisation takes it UpToEleven. For one thing, the novel introduces the Vulcan word t'hy'la, which Spock uses to describe Kirk, and which can mean friend, brother or ''lover''.
** However, Roddenberry explicitly [[{{Jossed}} Josses]] the SlashFic by fans, stating that Jim and Spock are HeterosexualLifePartners anyway.

In (ironically) 2001, a Director's Cut was released. It is faster paced and actually includes a shot that shows the entirety of V'Ger. It also revealed that the original film was more of a workprint and Wise was not allowed to trim it to a more reasonable length because [[ExecutiveMeddling the suits]] feared such information would [[TaintedByThePreview ruin the reputation ahead of time.]]