Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
Adventure sci-fi film

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): Cast, Ratings & Box Office

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) movie poster

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 adventure sci-fi film directed by Robert Wise, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. It runs 2 hours 12 minutes and earned $82.7 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. It was nominated for 3 Oscars. Critics gave it 50 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10.

IMDb rating
6.4/10
worldwide gross
$82.7M
award nominations
8
Metascore
50
Loading streaming availability…
Watch the trailer Read the plot summary
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 12m (132 min)
Director
Robert Wise
Genres
Adventure , Sci-Fi , Mystery
Original language
English
Studio
Paramount Pictures
Budget
$35M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Star Trek: The Motion Picture About?

The premise of Star Trek: The Motion Picture without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

When Earth is threatened by a massive alien cloud, Admiral James T. Kirk and the Enterprise crew are called upon to investigate. They soon discover the cloud is controlled by a powerful, malevolent artificial intelligence with a dangerous agenda. As the Enterprise pursues the cloud, a deadly probe is unleashed, abducting Lieutenant Ilia. An android duplicate of Ilia appears, leading the crew on a perilous quest to understand the intelligence's directive and save all life.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • alien
  • voyager spacecraft
  • transporter malfunction
  • u.s.s. enterprise
  • starship
  • admiral
  • captain
  • star trek
  • starship interior
  • troubled production
  • federation starship
  • based on tv series
+38 more
  • cult favorite
  • based on cult favorite
  • female humanoid alien
  • humanoid alien
  • enterprise the starship
  • voyager 6 spacecraft
  • voyager 6 space probe
  • voyager space probe
  • voyager probe
  • epic sci fi
  • space adventure
  • space sci fi
  • 23rd century
  • spacecraft
  • warp speed
  • space station
  • human being
  • male starfleet admiral
  • male captain
  • space vessel
  • male admiral
  • starfleet captain
  • male physician
  • physician
  • earthling
  • human vulcan man
  • communicator
  • human alien hybrid
  • half human half alien
  • human in outer space
  • bald woman
  • vulcan starfleet officer
  • cloud
  • relieved of command
  • reunion
  • voyager golden record
  • constitution class starship
  • transporter accident
Loading streaming availability…
Cast & crew

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Cast

William Shatner leads the cast, with Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. Directed by Robert Wise; 7 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Star Trek: The Motion Picture

· 3 more
From the director

More from Robert Wise

More films directed by Robert Wise, best-rated first: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, The Haunting and The Body Snatcher.

Full filmography
Ratings

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Star Trek: The Motion Picture 50 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10.

Plot

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Plot Summary

What happens in Star Trek: The Motion Picture from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In the year 2273, an ominous alien force is detected by a Starfleet monitoring station, Epsilon Nine, cloaked within a vast cloud of energy that is swiftly approaching Earth. This powerful cloud obliterates three state-of-the-art Klingon K’I’Inga-class warships and damages the monitoring station en route. Meanwhile, on Earth, the starship Enterprise is undergoing significant refurbishment. Its former captain, James T. Kirk (William Shatner), has received a promotion to Admiral and now serves as the Chief of Starfleet Operations in San Francisco. Starfleet decides to send the Enterprise to explore this enigmatic entity, as it is the only ship within range, which necessitates a test of its newly implemented systems during the journey.

Full summary

The whole story of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Box Office & Budget

Star Trek: The Motion Picture grossed $82.7 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, 2.4 times what it cost. $82.6 million came from the US and Canada and $69,621 (0%) from the rest of the world.

1979 box office

Worldwide gross

$82.7M

2.4× its budget

US & Canada
$82.6M
International
$69.6K
Budget
$35M
US & Canada 100% Rest of the world 0%
Awards

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Awards & Nominations

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was nominated for 3 Oscars. The 8 nominations come from 3 ceremonies, the most at the Saturn Awards 1980.

8 nominations3 ceremonies

Videos

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Trailers & Videos

8 videos: 1 trailer, 3 teasers, 1 clip, 2 featurettes and 1 behind-the-scenes video.

All 8 videos
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Original Trailer [FHD]
  • Teaser Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - Teaser Trailer HD 1080p
  • Teaser Official Trailer
  • Teaser Fathom Events Spot
  • Clip The Enterprise
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What event stirred in the depths of space in 2273?
Details

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Also Known As

38 alternative titles, including “スタートレック” and “スター・トレック”.

Also known as
  • スタートレック
  • スター・トレック
  • Звездный путь: Фильм
  • Űrszekerek: Csillagösvény
  • Star Trek: Csillagösvény
  • Стар Трек 1
  • Zvjezdane staze: The Motion Picture
  • 星际旅行1：无限太空
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition
  • La Patrouille du Cosmos
  • Star Trek：The Motion Picture
  • Star Trek - Der Film
+26 more
  • Star Trek, le film
  • Star Trek: La película
  • O Caminho das Estrelas
  • Uzay Yolu: Uzay Macerası
  • Звёздный путь: Фильм
  • Star Trek: Film
  • Star Trek: A mozifilm
  • Стар Трек: Филмът
  • Σταρ Τρεκ: Η ταινία
  • Star Trek I: La pel·lícula
  • מסע בין כוכבים: הסרט
  • Star Trek I: The Motion Picture
  • Star Trek I: Filmul
  • Jornada nas Estrelas: O Filme
  • 스타 트렉
  • Star Trek: Avaruusmatka
  • 星艦奇航記
  • Зоряний шлях: Фільм
  • Viaje a las estrellas: La película
  • Star Trek I : Le film
  • Žvaigždžių kelias
  • Zvjezdane staze
  • 星空奇遇記
  • Star Trek: Bản Điện Ảnh
  • پیشتازان فضا : تصویر متحرک
  • สตาร์ เทรค: บทเริ่มต้นแห่งการเดินทาง

Seen Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
More like this

Movies Like Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Star Trek, Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Insurrection.

From the blog

Articles About Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Our article about Star Trek: The Motion Picture: “The Journey of Film Adaptations from TV to Big Screen”.

FAQ

Star Trek: The Motion Picture FAQ: Cast & Box Office

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture runs 2 hours 12 minutes (132 minutes).

When was Star Trek: The Motion Picture released?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released on December 7, 1979.

Who directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was directed by Robert Wise.

More films by Robert Wise

Who is in the cast of Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, among 7 credited actors.

How much did Star Trek: The Motion Picture make at the box office?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture grossed $82.7 million worldwide ($82.6 million domestic, $69,621 international) on a budget of $35 million.

How is Star Trek: The Motion Picture rated?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture has 6.4/10 on IMDb, 50 on Metacritic and 65% on TMDB.

Was Star Trek: The Motion Picture nominated for any awards?

Star Trek: The Motion Picture received 8 nominations across 3 ceremonies.

Does Star Trek: The Motion Picture have a post-credit scene?

No. Star Trek: The Motion Picture has no extra scene during or after the credits.

Coming soon to your phone

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app