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A Reflection upon “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”
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As Compiled from the Judgments of Members of the Order
First exhibited some six-and-forty years past, Star Trek: The Motion Picture arrived not with the swashbuckling fervour of its television antecedent, but with a stately gravity befitting its title. Often maligned in its day as ponderous, the picture has since undergone reappraisal—not least owing to the restoration and refinement of its most recent cut. What once seemed leaden now gleams with solemn beauty.
When surveyed, the Members of our Order offered divided but passionate marks: 80 percent granted the highest commendation (A), while the remaining 20 percent, less persuaded, assigned it a D. A wide chasm of opinion, to be sure—but none without merit.
The Tale as Told:
The crew of the Enterprise, now older, wearier, and dispersed across the bureaucracy of peace, are summoned to confront a mystery unlike any before: a vast and silent intelligence of unknown origin, bearing down upon Earth with cathedral-like majesty and incomprehensible purpose. Within its heart—an old signal, a name long forgotten: V’Ger.
One member offered unambiguous praise for the revised edition:
“This newly restored edition is nothing short of outstanding—a revelation in tone and clarity.”
Another, with a touch of fatigue, observed:
“There is pleasure in the viewing, certainly—but one might swear the runtime stretches beyond all reckoning.”
To which a third, in gentlemanly agreement, replied:
“Indeed—its duration feels not so much measured in hours, as in star-cycles.”
Such is the paradox of the film: it is a meditation, not a thrill; a hymn to scale and silence; a voyage not merely through space, but into the realm of becoming. Its palette is one of celestial blues and metallic whites; its rhythms deliberate, its tone reverent.
Though some viewers found its pacing glacial, others were struck by the grandeur of its vision—a vision rarely attempted, let alone achieved, in the annals of speculative romance.
Final Consideration:
A somber opera of stars and steel, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is less a tale of action than of awe. For those with patience, it offers revelation.