I think I figured out why I liked Star Trek The Motion Picture so much when I was 12 years old, and continue to enjoy it to this day.
I’ve been a Star Trek fan since as far back as I can remember. It was a staple of my childhood, alongside The Six Million Dollar Man and Underdog.
In 1977, a movie called Star Wars came out, and I was not interested in seeing it, mainly because it wasn’t Star Trek. Reluctantly, I went to see it with my immediate family and a couple of my aunts.
It fucking changed my life.
But that’s another story.
For two years I was more gung ho for Star Wars than Star Trek, though Trek was more readily available to watch because of syndicated television. All we got for Star Wars on TV was a Holiday Special, which, incidentally, introduced my favorite Star Wars character of all time.
But that’s another story.
When The Motion Picture finally premiered, it seemed to ‘make things right’ in my mind. Star Trek made it to the big screen.
And it’s not like there was ever a competition between the two franchises in my mind, I just seemed to shift focus from one to the other over time. Nowadays I watch both equally, whether it’s a episode of TOS or TNG or one of the films, or introducing my niece to the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series, or the latest episode of The Mandalorian.
But back to The Motion Picture.
Sure, it can be a boring film, but to me it’s as captivating as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Depending on your mindset.
And as I’ve gotten older, I seem to be in that mindset more and more.
But that’s another story.
