AMBITIOUS, ORIGINAL, yet largely underappreciated, the first Star Trek film stands alone. Rushed into theaters in December 1979 with unfinished special effects and a studio-mandated runtime of only 130 minutes, it was not the version director Robert Wise intended. In 2001, a talented team under the leadership of producer David C. Fein and including post-production supervisor Michael Matessino and visual effects supervisor Daren Dochterman assembled the “Director’s Edition” DVD with enhanced visuals and reinstated, reorganized, and extended scenes to better represent Wise’s vision. Two decades later, they have returned to complete the project at 4K resolution with high dynamic range (HDR) and a new Dolby Atmos sound mix, in addition to further honing the story through many subtle yet engaging creative choices. With the release of the new Director’s Edition on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, we sat down with Fein and crew to give S&V readers an exclusive glimpse of what it took to boldly go where no one has gone before.
S&V: What is it about The Motion Picture that has inspired so much enthusiasm all these years later?
is always there to give great hope for the future. And plenty of fans who first
