On This Day

Star Trek: The Motion Picture released

December 7th 1979

10:50 7 December 2023

'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' opened in theaters in North America on this day in 1979. Directed by Robert Wise and based on the TV series created by Gene Rodenberry, the first film in the Star Trek series reunited original cast members including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley as well as featuring newcomers Persis Khambatta and Stephen Collins.

The movie opened to less than enthusiastic reviews but performed well enough at the box office for Paramount Pictures to green-light a less expensive sequel, 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982).