Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Admiral Kirk reunites the Enterprise crew to confront a planet-threatening intelligence whose search for meaning becomes a test of human consciousness.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- philosophical
- awe-struck
- solemn
- classic science fiction night
- star trek marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually impressive and intellectually ambitious but hindered by slow pacing, limited action, and an overextended philosophical premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Enterprise crew investigates V'ger while its nature and purpose become tied to questions of consciousness and creation.
V'ger's immense artificial intelligence and its interaction with the crew center the film's conflict.
The film emphasizes prolonged views of the Enterprise, V'ger, space phenomena, and large-scale visual effects.
The original Star Trek cast reunites for the franchise's first feature film, backed by Paramount's major theatrical production.
Films like Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and why
2001: A Space Odyssey
shared cerebral science fiction, vast extraterrestrial mystery, philosophical questions, and deliberate pacing
Star Wars
shared space opera scale, exploratory starship adventure, cosmic threat, and emphasis on visual effects
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
shared thoughtful science fiction, first-contact mystery, human-machine themes, and measured atmosphere
Solaris
shared crew-based space exploration, alien intelligence, and visually ambitious science fiction adventure
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Release Date
- 1979-12-07
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (2015)
Cast
- William Shatner
- Leonard Nimoy
- DeForest Kelley
- James Doohan
- George Takei
- Walter Koenig
- Nichelle Nichols
- Stephen Collins
- Persis Khambatta
- Majel Barrett
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Star Trek: The Motion Picture about?
- Admiral Kirk reunites the Enterprise crew to confront a planet-threatening intelligence whose search for meaning becomes a test of human consciousness.
- What is Star Trek: The Motion Picture like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Star Trek: The Motion Picture violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Star Trek: The Motion Picture as mild.
- What did critics think of Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
- Critics broadly found the film visually impressive and intellectually ambitious but hindered by slow pacing, limited action, and an overextended philosophical premise.
- Which films are like Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
- Films with a similar feel include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Solaris.
- How long is Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
- In United States, Star Trek: The Motion Picture streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
In Ember's collections
Movies like Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home1986
- Star Trek: Insurrection1998
- Battlestar Galactica1978
- Contact1997
- Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack1979
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country1991
- Star Trek2009
- The Day the Earth Stood Still1951
- Star Trek Into Darkness2013
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...2014
