The First Time I Saw – Star Trek: The Motion Picture

There are those who say that you must choose one side or the other. Either you’re a Star Wars fan or you’re a Star Trek fan. You can’t be both. I wouldn’t agree with that since I enjoy both. However, Star Wars will always win out in my heart. I was six years old when George Lucas took us to his galaxy far far away for the first time and it had a huge effect on my childhood. I was certainly aware of Mr. Roddenberry’s universe. I remember a friend of mine who lived up the block had a number of Trek dolls as well as the Enterprise playset, complete with the cool spinning transporter. However, I never actually watched Star Trek until I saw the Enterprise’s first big screen adventure in 1979.

I actually got to see the film a few weeks before it was released to the general public. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in December of 1979 and one of the film’s big promotional campaigns was with McDonalds. The Happy Meal, which had just debuted earlier in the year, became the “Star Trek Meal” in celebration of the film’s release. I remember very clearly commercials featuring a Klingon telling earth parents to take their kids to McDonalds for this special treat. At my local McDonalds there also happened to be a drawing to win two tickets to an advanced screening of the movie. You’ve probably figured out by now that I won.

So, on a cold Saturday morning in December of 1979, my father and I went to the movie theater outside of the Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard, IL to see Star Trek. I was eight years old. Now remember, I had never really seen Star Trek before. I think I knew who Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock were, I knew the ship was called the Enterprise, and I knew the phrase “Beam me up, Scotty.” That was about it. I was still excited, though.

In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best way for me to start on Star Trek. This first film certainly has its supporters these days, but most people recognize that Star Trek: The Motion Picture is not one of the strongest of the Trek films. The main thing I remember is that the film was pretty boring. That and that there was this weird bald chick in a bathrobe. My Star Trek fandom might have ended up derailed for good after this weak first outing. To this day, it is the Trek film I have revisited the least. I would become much more invested in the series with the next installment, though. My memories of seeing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan for the first time will be coming soon.