William Shatner’s legacy is inextricably linked with that of the Star Trek franchise. As Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series, he helped make the ‘60s sci-fi show into a generational phenomenon. He then reprised the role in seven feature films, directed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, wrote multiple memoirs and unofficial Trek novels, and remains one of Trek’s most outspoken ambassadors. Over the years, Shatner has seen Star Trek canceled, resurrected, and rebooted countless times, but there was once a moment when even he believed it was all over.
In 1979, at the world premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, after a decade of fan campaigns, conventions, and a scrapped Phase II television revival, the Enterprise finally returned, this time to the big screen, under director Robert Wise. Sadly, however, Shatner himself thought the film was so bad, he was convinced they’d just killed the franchise.
Why William Shatner Thought The Motion Picture Would Be the End of Star Trek
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In Shatner’s 1994 memoir Star Trek Movie Memories, he recalled sitting through the completed film at its Washington, D.C., premiere and realizing he hated it. According to him, the pacing was sluggish, the visual effects overly ambitious, and the series’ energy, including the banter and the scrappy space swashbuckling, was completely lost amid long, silent flybys of the refitted Enterprise. According to Shatner, his immediate reaction was: “Well, that’s it. We gave it our best shot, it wasn’t good, and it will never happen again.”
However, his disdain for the film may have subconsciously sprouted prior to the premiere. During production, Shatner claims he also had grievances about the costumes. The new Starfleet uniforms, designed by Robert Fletcher, replaced the bold primary colors of TOS with sad beige humpsuits. Shatner himself called them “ugly, form-fitting, [and] pastel-colored,” lamenting that it was “virtually impossible for any male member of our cast to sit down without seriously endangering his ability to procreate.”
He was correct about the uniforms, which would be completely scrapped for Wrath of Khan. However, he was wrong about the movie. Technically, it grossed over $139 million worldwide on a $44 million budget, and while it was still a slight disappointment for Paramount, it was an essential stepping stone for what would one day become one of the longest-running franchises in pop culture. Reflecting on the moment, Shater added, “Shows you what I know.”
While many might agree that TMP was sluggish, Shatner’s anxiety was perhaps more about the pressure surrounding the film than the actual quality. The movie and all of its collaborators had to justify Star Trek’s leap from a planet-of-the-week TV series to a big-boy blockbuster. While critics were mixed, audiences showed up, and just three years later, The Wrath of Khan proved the franchise still had plenty of juice.
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