The film will be available to stream on Paramount+ in 4K Ultra HD on supported devices and platforms. The newly restored film will subsequently arrive on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in September from Paramount Home Entertainment. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to see the restored version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition on the big screen for the first time when Fathom Events and Paramount Pictures bring it to theaters for an exclusive two-day event on May 22 and May 25. Tickets will go on sale Friday, April 8 at FathomEvents.com.
Originally released in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture became the fourth highest grossing movie of the year and earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Music, Original Score. The film successfully launched the Star Trek franchise beyond the original television series, despite having been rushed to theaters with incomplete special effects and forced editing choices.
In 2001, director Robert Wise revisited the film to refine the edit and enhance the visual effects. His updated vision was released on DVD in standard definition and embraced by fans but has never been available in higher definition until now. Meticulously assembled and restored by producer David C. Fein with preservationist Mike Matessino, both of whom originally collaborated with Wise, the film has been prepared for presentation in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR) and a new powerful and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Fein and Matessino assembled a team of special effects experts, led by returning visual effects supervisor Daren Dochterman, and utilized the extensive resources in the Paramount Archives to recreate the effects not just in HD, but in Ultra HD. After more than six months of painstaking work, the updated movie looks and sounds better than ever while staying true to Wise’s original intention.
“I couldn’t be prouder and more thrilled to have completed the film in 4K,” said Fein. “Paramount offered unprecedented access to the original elements and exceptional support and the results are stunning. Utilizing the latest discoveries and innovations of modern film production, The Director’s Edition delivers so much more today than was previously possible. It’s an adventure you’ll never forget!”
Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition Synopsis
The U.S.S. Enterprise boldly debuted on the big screen with the cast of the original Star Trek series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and James Doohan. Meticulously restored and remastered, with enhanced visual effects and state-of-the-art sound, this definitive vision of director Robert Wise has been optimized for a new generation of fans. When an unidentified alien intruder destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Admiral James T. Kirk (Shatner) returns to the helm of a newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command and confront an alien spacecraft of enormous power heading toward Earth.
The Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital releases will include HDR-10 and Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos, accompanied by extensive new and legacy bonus content, which will be detailed at a later date.
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And here, at long last, is the official trailer…
Regarding the September physical media release alluded to in the press release, keep in mind that Star Trek: The Original Series debuted on NBC television on September 8th, 1966. So it seems very likely that the street date for the disc version will be Tuesday, September 6th (9/6/22). And yes, we’re almost certainly going to get it on both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Disc.
Paramount hasn’t yet officially announced the remastered 4K UHD release of the remainder of the Star Trek feature films—including Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis, but rest assured those are all coming as well, probably later this year or early next. I would imagine we’ll learn more when Paramount officially announces The Director’s Edition physical release in the weeks and months ahead.
Finally today, you can read a little more about the new The Director’s Edition restoration here and here on StarTrek.com.
Stay tuned…!
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