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1979 - STAR TREK: The Motion Picture
Writer: Alan Dean Foster
Prod.: Gene Roddenberry
Dir.: Robert Wise
Captain Kirk : William Shatner
1st Officer, Commander Spock:
Leonard Nimoy
Dr. McCoy: De Forest Kelly
Commander Scott: James Doohan
Commander Uhura: Nichele Nichols
Commander Sulu: George Takei
Commander Chekov: Walter Koenig
Sister Chapel: Majel Barett
Ilia: Phersis Khambatta
Decker: Stephen Collins
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Deep in space the Klingons encounter a strange
phenomenon.
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A huge, unidentifiable object. Their torpedoes do not have any effect -
they simply vanish somewhere inside the object.
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On Earth the phenomena has been detected, too:
Heading directly towards earth and
destroying anything in its way.
On Vulcan Spock has undergone a test of total self control and logic. Having walked
several miles in the burning sunlight across the desert he reached a wall and
waited until total darkness. Then, seeing nothing at all, he made his very same way back along the canyons and steep valleys, using his memory
and relying on his knowledge about himself. Only total self control and the ability to
concentrate on each tiny move done before, made it possible to achieve.
Now, he is facing the priestess. She states that he has labored long and hard to achieve
what few have achieved:
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The test to be Kolinahr, to be capable of absolute logic.
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The moment Spock is about to receive the ornament to wear as Kolinahr, he senses the
desperation caused by everybody in fear for their lives from far away: Earth.
Spock stretches out his hand and stops the hands of the priestess just before she can
put the necklace with the sign for Kolinahr around his neck. "Give me your thoughts,"
the priestess orders and touches him to do a mindmelt. "His answer lies elsewhere.
He will not achieve his goal with us," she says and declares that his Human blood is
calling, he will not receive the sign for Kolinahr.
Captain Kirk got his call back to the bridge of the Enterprise after he has
inspected the ship. They are to investigate about the oncoming alien cloud.
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In order
to take over captaincy again, Kirk is to replace the ship's captain: Decker.
Dr. McCoy was already looking forward to his retirement, but he was ordered on
board, too.
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Also Commander Spock joins the crew as the others do – though still under
the influence of his long training for Kolinahr. He is deeply in logic and as cold as
the others never have known him before.
When Kirk, Spock and McCoy talk, Spock informs them that he had sensed the
conciousness from a source more powerful than he had ever encountered. All patterns
of the source were in perfect order. Spock thinks that his answer might lie there.
While McCoy muses about the coincidence that they are heading his way, Kirk is sure
he needs his friend and tells them so. When Spock summarizes in a question whether
his presence is to their mutual advantage, Kirk does not answer. He does not like
to think in terms of advantage of the situation.
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The enterprise receives a signal: They are being scanned. Spock measures a type of energy
he's never encountered before.
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He is quite certain that there is an object in the
center of the cloud. Then he feels that they have been contacted and the question
why they had not replied. But no one of them had noticed any sign of contact.
An energy field of enormous power hits the Enterprise and causes great damage.
Chekov's arm is badly hurt. To be able to answer the alien cloud Spock works on the
message.
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It has to be accelerated and technically more sophisticated. A second energy
fire–ball comes closer with high speed. While Kirk and Decker try (with repressed
impatience) to urge Spock to find the proper way of answering this source the seconds
until contact diminish quickly. Suddenly, just before contact, the energy - ball vanishes.
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Kirk assumes that Spock has managed to send a message.
In spite of Decker's objections Kirk makes the Enterprise approach the center.
Closer to the center the ship is searched by power rays, data are taken. When the power
tries to take over the computer Spock hits the computer to shut it off. A strong ray
of energy throws him all across the bridge. Soon later Ilia, the ships navigator,
disappears.
She has been taken by the entity though Spock tried to help her.
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They continue to approach the center and are taken by a tractor beam. Close
to the center the ship is trapped because the cloud closes its gates. Their scans
cannot be used, but there is contact: Ilia comes back.
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They soon discover that it is
a probe, not the person, who informs them that it was sent to learn more about the
Carbon based units and that V'ger, the cloud, is heading towards earth to meets its
creator. The Carbon based units will be reduced to smaller data units. Decker joins
Kirk, Spock and McCoy while they examine the probe. "Decker!" the probe comments and
Spock notices that it had not said: "Decker unit" as it had referred to the other
crewmembers.
They decide that Decker should be the one accompanying the Ilia probe on her tour through
the ship, he might succeed in finding a solution if (as Spock suggests) the probe was
copied in fine detail, i. e. with memories and feelings of Lieutenant Ilia.
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Without informing the others, Spock takes a thruster suit and leaves the Enterprise.
He is convinced that making contact to the aliens would clarify things.
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On his way
through tunnels and over huge fields where all information and memory is stored in
dimensional images, Spock is curious.
It might be the information of V'ger's entire
voyage. Now he is convinced that it is a huge machine. Spock tries a mindmeld when
he comes to the sensor he saw at Ilia's neck.
The experience is too much to bear ...
Knowing Spock had tried to make contact with the center of the cloud Kirk takes
a thruster suit, too. The moment Spock is pushed back all the way by the indescribable
power and energy of the machine and drifting lifeless inside the huge space of the
cloud, he is there to take his friend back.
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Spock is unconscious.
He awakes in sick bay. McCoy expects to finds signs of a neurological trauma
as Spock tells them: "I should have known. A life form on its own."
"I saw V'ger's planet.
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A planet populated by living machines – unbelievable
technology." Spock shares with is friends. "V'ger has knowledge that spans this universe.
…and yet …With all this pure logic V'ger is barren. Cold… I should have known
…" Spock becomes silent, close to becoming unconscious. Now Kirk grabs his shoulders,
shaking his friend: "Spock! Spock. What should you have known?"
Spock takes his friend's hand. "This, ... this simple feeling is beyond
V'ger's comprehension." ... They hold their hands and Spock goes on:
"No meaning, no hope,
... Jim, ... no answers." "It's asking questions." "What
questions?" Kirk asks. "Is this all what I am? Is there nothing more?" ...
A call comes from the bridge. The Enterprise inside the cloud is three minutes
from earth orbit.
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All back on the bridge they monitor a transmission from V'ger to Earth. Spock
comments: "A simple binary code transmitted by carrier wave signal - radio." The
Ilia probe also enters the bridge: "V'ger expects an answer."
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But no one knows the
question. Now they monitor how V'ger sends an energy ball towards Earth. The Enterprise
monitors that all Earth's defense systems do not work any more. V'ger positions power
sources around earth capable of destroying everything in a moment. "Why?" Kirk asks
the probe. "The creator has not answered," the probe says.
Spock calls for his captain and explains: "V'ger is a child ... it knows only
that it needs but – as so many of us - it does not know what."
Kirk takes a moment to think. He then turns to Ilia and says: "The carbon units
know why the creator does not respond." When the probe asks to reveal the information,
Kirk refuses to do so. V'ger becomes aggressive towards the ship, but Kirk stays determined:
If the ship is destroyed, the information will be destroyed as well.
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| V'ger is now what I was when I came here. Empty, searching... | ... logic and knowledge are not enough |
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After Spock tells
him that V'ger is operated from a central device, Kirk insists in disclosing the
information – only to V'ger itself.
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V'ger allows them to approach, created a field around its center where humans can
breathe and they learn that V'ger is the project of NASA more than 300 years ago –
Voyager – sent into space to "collect all available data". Ilia demands the information-
why the creator has not answered.
Now they know what V'ger has transmitted: All information it had found on
its course.
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And it had been waiting for the Earth's response. Knowing the code,
Uhura transmits the information she gets from Earth about Nasa at the time. While the
transmission goes on, Ilia seems to remember Decker. Both seem to realize the change in her.
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Spock discovers that V'ger/Voyager has interrupted the transmission from
earth. It wants to meat the creator in person.
Dr. McCoy fears that V'ger will be in
for disappointment. "Maybe not" Spock says. "V'ger wants to evolve."
"What more is there than
the universe, Spock?" McCoy wants to know. They all agree: Higher dimensions, higher
levels of being. "The existence of which can not be proven logically."
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Spock
summarizes. "Therefore V'ger is incapable of believing in them."
Kirk is sure: What V'ger needs is
a human quality.
Decker suggests that the machine wants to physically join with a human. Decker is
determined: He wants to join with the machine and gives in the information to V'ger.
He's taken as part of V'ger – together with Ilia.
When the crew is back on board they are sure: They have witnessed a beginning of
a new life form – which also will have to learn how to handle its own problems.
Captain Decker and Lieutenant Ilia are reported "missing".
Scotty suggests that Spock can be back on Vulcan in 4 days. "Unnecessary, Mr. Scott," Spock
answers, "My task on Vulcan is completed."
