Delve deeper into Roddenberry’s untamed imagination with the Star Trek: The Motion Picture novel

Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture novel

We here at TrekNews.net love Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The 1979 movie, directed by Robert Wise, is a remarkable examination of the human condition wrapped in a big-budget 1970s sci-fi spectacle. Despite the decades-old qualms about its running time and pacing, it’s a great watch – especially if you catch 2022’s remastered Director’s Edition. But did you know there was a novelization of this movie, written by none other than The Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Gene Roddenberry?

Yes, The Motion Picture is the only novel the creator of Star Trek ever wrote, so after finding a first-edition version of this 45-year-old book, we were eager to check it out. And we are glad we did. While the movie and book naturally share the same general narrative, there are key differences that, while not groundbreaking, are quite fascinating for those who enjoy such details.

We all know the plot of The Motion Picture by now – and if you don’t, go watch it; it’s worth the two-hour investment. The Enterprise, newly refitted after its successful five-year mission, is tasked to intercept a mysterious and destructive energy cloud that’s on its way to Earth. In the center chair for this mission is Admiral James Kirk, although this is only after he bullied his way onto the bridge, replacing the Enterprise’s current young commander, William Decker.

The most striking element of the novelization is how thoroughly it exposes Roddenberry’s characteristic traits. Yes, he was a brilliant sci-fi mind, and the way he composes the narrative, and all its associated high-concept sci-fi elements, makes this book a thought-provoking read. But let’s face it, he also… ahem… appreciated women – just look at the prevalence of romance in The Original Series, or how women were portrayed generally in that show and early The Next Generation. The Motion Picture book is full of erotic imagery and references not present in the movie.

Here is a great example of this underlying characteristic right from the third sentence of the book, during Admiral Kirk’s preface to the story as he explains where he got his name:

“I received James because it was both the name of my father’s beloved brother as well as that of my mother’s first love instructor.”

We had a good chuckle at that admission from the admiral, and also had a couple of follow-up questions: how many love instructors did his mother have, and how impressive was the first one to warrant naming a child after?

Numerous parts of this book aren’t present in the movie — many of which contribute to the book’s eroticism. Let’s list some examples of scenes and interactions that are present in the book but not the movie:

• Kirk begins his journey in this book while on vacation in Egypt, where Starfleet contacts him about the Intruder via an emergency “senceiver” implant built into his head.
  
  
• Kirk is briefed about the Intruder via an old flame, Vice Admiral Lori Ciana, who was someone Kirk lived with and loved while adjusting to life after his five-year mission. Roddenberry is sure to reference the… ahem… physical reaction Kirk has upon seeing his old love. Later in the story, Lori is the other person besides Commander Sonak who turns into hot goo after running afoul of the Enterprise’s malfunctioning transporter.
  
  
• While attending his Kolinahr ceremony, Spock can hear Kirk’s thoughts, including how the admiral wishes Spock was with him to deal with news of the Intruder. Interestingly, in this same scene, Roddenberry describes how Kolinahr would have purged Spock of all thought of his former starship crew, including his former captain, someone he considered a t’hy’la, a Vulcan word which could mean “brother” or “lover.” Roddenberry asserts Kirk and Spock were more the former than the latter, but that there were rumors – nothing more – of something more between the two friends.
  
  
• After arriving on the Enterprise and fixing the engines, Spock adjourns to a space on the ship reserved for private time, such as meditation, reading, or erotic activities, the last of which Spock’s acute hearing captures in distinct detail.
  
  
• The Enterprise intercepts V’Ger at warp and makes a nimble little maneuver that always keeps the Starfleet vessel pointed head-on with the cloud. The approach between the Enterprise and V’Ger in the movie did not happen at warp.
  
  
• As Decker interacts with the Ilia probe, he tries to make love with it to better the understanding between V’Ger and the carbon units aboard Enterprise.
  
  

So, as people who enjoy The Motion Picture and the fascinating sci-fi story it tells, reading this extra material was a neat addition to our understanding of this important time in Star Trek history. While Roddenberry isn’t exactly a great novelist – we were often relying on our understanding of the movie’s visuals and character performances to fill in missing details in the book – there are some truly thought-provoking sentiments the legendary idealist portrays in his writing.

For example, at the end of the story, Decker and Ilia join, and here is how Roddenberry describes it: “On the bridge, [the Enterprise crew] had a last look at the transcendence. It then became too lovely for them to comprehend, and so it was gone without ever really leaving.” [Emphasis in original]. The next stage of human evolution being so lovely that our brains couldn’t interpret it if we saw it? That’s pretty cool.

The story told in the novelization of the first Star Trek movie is still worth reading decades after its release. It’s classic sci-fi, recognizably from the time of Clarke, Asimov, and other writers which cemented the genre in the hearts and minds of the world. If you find this classic in a local bookstore, it’ll be more than worth the few dollars.

Either find The Motion Picture in a bookstore or buy it on Amazon.

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