In 1979, the world didn't just get a movie. It got a miracle. Honestly, if you look at the sheer chaos behind the scenes, the cast of Star Trek: The Motion Picture shouldn't have been on that screen at all. Between a director who was basically editing the film in the back of a limo on the way to the premiere and a lead actor who almost sat the whole thing out, it’s a wonder the Enterprise ever left spacedock.
You’ve probably heard the rumors. The "Slow Motion Picture." The pajamas. The weirdly long shots of a ship that looked like it was being romanced by the camera. But beneath the surface of that 1979 epic is a story of a cast that was aging out, moving on, and—in one case—nearly replaced by a Vulcan who wasn’t Spock.
The Leonard Nimoy Slog: Why Spock Was the Last to Sign
If you think getting the band back together is easy, you haven't dealt with Leonard Nimoy’s 1970s contract disputes. By the time Paramount decided to pivot from a TV series called Phase II to a big-budget movie, Nimoy was done. He’d even written a book titled I Am Not Spock. Basically, he was over the ears.
He was actually in the middle of a lawsuit with Paramount over the use of his likeness. They were selling Spock merchandise, and he wasn't seeing a dime. While William Shatner was ready to go, the production was literally days away from filming without its most iconic character. They had even cast a "replacement" Vulcan named Xon, played by David Gautreaux.
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Then, Jeffrey Katzenberg—who was a junior executive at the time—stepped in. He basically hounded Nimoy until a deal was struck. When Nimoy finally showed up on set, a reporter asked why he was late. His response? "The mail service between here and Vulcan is still pretty slow."
The New Faces: Persis Khambatta and Stephen Collins
While the original crew got the headlines, the cast of Star Trek: The Motion Picture leaned heavily on two newcomers: Persis Khambatta as Lieutenant Ilia and Stephen Collins as Captain Willard Decker.
Khambatta’s role was legendary before the cameras even rolled. She was a former Miss India who agreed to shave her head for the part of the Deltan navigator. That wasn't a small deal in 1978. She was originally signed for a five-year TV contract, but when it turned into a movie, she suddenly found herself at the center of a $35 million epic.
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Stephen Collins, meanwhile, had the thankless job of being the guy who "took" Kirk’s ship. The dynamic on set was... interesting. Kirk and Decker were written to be at odds, and that friction felt real. Collins later noted that the veteran cast was like a tight-knit family that he and Khambatta were trying to break into.
The Bridge Crew: More Than Just Background
The "Magnificent Seven" returned, but not everyone was thrilled with their screen time. DeForest Kelley, as always, was the heart of the group. His McCoy remains the most "human" part of a movie that often felt like a cold, architectural exercise.
The rest of the supporting cast—James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Walter Koenig—were mostly relegated to pushing buttons and looking concerned at the viewscreen. It’s a bit of a bummer. These actors had spent a decade keeping the franchise alive at conventions, only to be backgrounded in their big return.
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- James Doohan (Scotty): He finally got to show off the Enterprise in that legendary flyover scene.
- Nichelle Nichols (Uhura): She wore the new "muted" uniforms which, frankly, she hated. Most of the cast did.
- Walter Koenig (Chekov): He actually gets the most dramatic moment of the "red shirts" when he’s injured during the V'Ger probe scene.
The Legend of the "Green Girl" Mix-up
One of the funniest things that happened during production involved the Orions. They were filming a scene with a green-skinned woman (a classic Trek trope). The problem was the film lab.
The technicians at the lab thought the footage was "off." They kept "color correcting" the film to make her skin look normal. The crew would get the dailies back, and she’d be Caucasian. They’d paint her greener. The lab would "fix" it again. This went on for several cycles before someone finally called the lab and shouted, "She’s supposed to be green!"
Actionable Takeaways for Trek Fans
If you’re revisiting the film today, don't watch the theatrical cut. It’s a slog. Go for the Director’s Edition released in 2022. It fixes the pacing, finishes the special effects that Robert Wise couldn't finish in 1979, and actually lets the cast's performances breathe.
To really appreciate what this cast went through, you should:
- Watch for the "Air Lock" glitch: In the original TV version, you can actually see the soundstage rafters because they didn't finish the matte paintings.
- Listen to the score: Jerry Goldsmith’s theme is the real star here. It’s the same one used later for The Next Generation.
- Look at the uniforms: They are famously uncomfortable. The cast complained they had no pockets and the fabric was thick enough to cause sweating under the hot studio lights.
The cast of Star Trek: The Motion Picture eventually found their footing in the sequels, but this first outing was the trial by fire. It proved that people still wanted Kirk and Spock, even if they were a little older and the uniforms were a lot tighter.