History Film / StarTrekTheMotionPicture

** As the yet-unidentified cloud approaches the Epsilon IX station, one of the background voices reports "Receiving a strange signal now..."

** As the yet-unidentified cloud approaches the Epsilon IX station, one of the background voices reports "Receiving a strange signal now.."

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Spock describes V'ger's homeworld as "a planet populated by living machines with unbelievable technology." [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration 10 years later]], came the Borg... (See also {{Leitmotif}} for a possible connection between V'ger and that race.)

** [[spoiler:They chose ''Voyager'' as the design of what became V'ger because it was a current event--''Voyager 1'' and ''2'' were launched in 1977, and by the time the film was released, both had already visited Jupiter. Mixes with a bit of HilariousInHindsight as there were only two ''Voyager'' probes... no matter that only two were ever planned.]]

* NoSell: V'ger's first attack on the ''Enterprise'' -- the same attack that wiped out three Klingon battle cruisers at the beginning of the movie with one shot each -- fails to even breach the newly reinforced shields, dealing no structural damage other than frying poor Chekov's hands. However, Scotty immediately notes that the next shot will definitely kill them.

* GrowBeyondTheirProgramming: V'ger started out as a simple probe. The machine race that found it hooked it up to a giant starship so it could do a better job. After traversing the entire universe, all that knowledge allowed V'ger to gain consciousness and redefine its own mission.

* SplitDiopter: The film is famous for its heavy use of these shots, in which the right side of the frame is focused differently from the left, allowing people standing in different areas of the bridge to all be in focus at once. While most directors attempt to hide the line where the focus changes, Wise chose to leave it [[https://cinemashock.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/audiovisual-split-focus-012.png?w=1280&h=544 obvious]], creating a very surreal effect almost as though two shots have been combined into one.

** During the transporter accident, the controls don’t explode. Spock smashes his computer console and it doesn’t explode.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Tagline}} "The human adventure is just beginning."]]]]

* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: The 2001 special edition. The original version ''was'' rated G,[[note]]"Not Rated" according to the packaging of the recent DVD/Blu-Ray release[[/note]] but it had a truly frightening moment and frank sexual discussion.

In 2001, a Director's Cut was released on DVD. It has been trimmed to be slightly faster-paced and includes improved special effects, including 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 executives feared such information would ruin the film's reputation ahead of time, and Wise was so slow at filming the movie that when the prints were delivered for the movie's premiere, they were still wet from last-minute editing. In 2022, a 4K remastered version of the Director's Cut was release to [[Creator/ParamountPlus streaming]], Blu-ray and a limited theatrical release.

In 2001, a Director's Cut was released on DVD. It has been trimmed to be slightly faster-paced and includes improved special effects, including 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 executives feared such information would ruin the film's reputation ahead of time, and Wise was so slow at filming the movie that when the prints were delivered for the movie's premiere, they were still wet from last-minute editing.

In 2022, a 4K remastered version of the Director's Cut was release to streaming, BluRay, and a limited theatrical release.

Eight years after the {{Cancellation}} of the original ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' series, which had gone on to be VindicatedByReruns, the blockbuster successes of ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' and ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind'' convinced Creator/{{Paramount}} Pictures to [[FollowTheLeader follow up]] by green-lighting a SequelSeries for the franchise, ''Star Trek: Phase II'', to serve as a backbone of a new fourth major television network, with ''Trek'' creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry running the new show. However, within a couple of years, and after substantial pre-production had already gone forward on the new series, Paramount ultimately vetoed the idea of starting a new network, fearing a major cash drainage.

** Its FanNickname isn't "The Motionless Picture"[[note]]Alternately, "The Slow Motion Picture"[[/note]] for nothing. The movie feels like it has more than enough plot for a 46-minute running time TV episode or even a two-parter with a little padding, but that 70-80 minute plot is crammed into a ''132-minute'' movie, so about halfway through the action stops dead while we watch long distance shots of the ''Enterprise'' cruising through what were undoubtedly the pinnacle of special effects at the time (in other words, a cheap screensaver by modern standards) for about half an hour.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: This film is about as "hard" as ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has ever gotten.

[[/folder]]

However, Paramount decided to use the work already put into ''Phase II'' to finally make TheMovie (Roddenberry and Paramount had tried to get a ''Trek'' movie off the ground four years earlier, which fizzled), with noted director Creator/RobertWise (director of ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'', ''Film/WestSideStory'' and ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'') at the helm.

* ShoutOut: Both the much-beloved fly-by tour of the new ''Enterprise'' and some of the music cues recall strongly elements of Robert Wise's ''Film/TheHindenburg1975''.

* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: ''Enterprise'' has just gone through an 18-month refit and pretty much the entire ship has been rebuilt. They haven't even gotten to engine tests yet. Kirk orders it pressed into service anyway, because the more time they have to 'meet' it, the more time they have to figure things out. RealityEnsues when the warp engines glitch out the first time they're used, nearly getting the ship destroyed.

* RealityEnsues:
** Admiral Kirk responds to the incoming V'Ger threat by using his clout to reassume command of the ''Enterprise''. Unfortunately, he's been out of the Big Chair for over two years, and that chair is on TheBridge of a thoroughly redesigned ''Enterprise''. As a result, he nearly gets the ship destroyed before they've even left the Sol System.
** In addition, Kirk reclaiming command of the ''Enterprise'' means taking the big chair away from his hand-picked successor. This naturally leads to plenty of resentment that undermines their professional relationship.

* StoryArc: It will get more focus in the next [[Film/StarTrekII one]], but Kirk's mid-life crisis (and he was already feeling his age in the [[Recap/StarTrekS1E15ShoreLeave original]]) starts here, carrying on until ''Film/StarTrekGenerations''.