the novelization written by
Gene Roddenberry
reviewed by David Landon
Movie novelizations are sometimes dismissed as just
another piece of a film's merchandising campaign. To disregard Gene Roddenberry's
retelling of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in this way, however, is to miss out on
one of the most important pieces of Star Trek literature ever printed.
Theres a persistent belief that Alan Dean Foster served as Genes ghostwriter
on the book, and it isnt true. Foster provided the initial treatment that served as
the skeleton of the story that eventually became The Motion Picture, and as such he
received story credit for the film. The books cover also contains the "story by
Alan Dean Foster" credit, and the fact that Foster did ghostwrite the
novelization of George Lucas first Star Wars film led some to believe that he did
the same for Gene Roddenberry on The Motion Picture. A comparison of the two books,
however, makes it clear that they are not the work of the same author.
In the beginning, it could be argued that Gene Roddenberry had no grand ideas about the
future of mankind; he just wanted to create a successful television show. However, during
the years between Star Trek's cancellation in 1969 and the start of preproduction
on Phase II (the aborted television series that eventually morphed into the first Star
Trek film), Gene obviously had begun to think deeply about what life would be like in
the Star Trek century. He expounded on his ideas at convention appearances and on
the "Inside Star Trek" record album produced in 1976, but The Motion Picture
was his first chance to actually show people his vision of 23rd century Human society. The
movie, of course, only offered a few tantalizing glimpses. The novel offered Roddenberry
the opportunity to throw in all those little things that didn't make it into the film, and
that's a big part of what makes this book special. In the author's preface, Roddenberry
casts himself as a historian of sorts, chronicling events that "really"
happened. It's the same approach that L. Frank Baum took with his Oz books, and it's an
interesting touch.
The Motion Picture is often criticized for its
glacial pace and its long, dialogue-free special effects sequences, and obviously the book
is an improvement here. You never really feel like the story is bogging down, and the long
flight into the V'Ger cloud is peppered with interesting details; the characters are
actively analyzing and discussing what they're seeing, instead of staring wordlessly at
the main viewer. Also, the character arcs for Kirk, Spock, and Decker are much more fully
fleshed out in the novelization, and the story is better for it. For example, Decker's
desire to be the one who "joins" with V'Ger is a natural development for his
character here, and looks less like the last-minute jettisoning of an expendable
"guest star."
Roddenberry has a unique writing style. He loves exclamation points, and his seemingly
random use of italics reminded me of the way A.A. Milne would randomly capitalize words in
his Winnie-the-Pooh stories. However, he cleverly avoids tipping the reader off to
VGers true "identity" by spelling the Intruders name
"Vejur" throughout the story. In any case, if you were frustrated by The
Motion Picture, if you felt that it had huge potential that went unrealized, then you
need to read this book. I've read Alan Dean Foster's original treatment, and a couple of
earlier drafts of the shooting script, but the Roddenberry novelization stands as the best
version of the story we know as Star Trek: The Motion Picture. At a time when the
prevailing sci-fi fad is to show a grim-'n-gritty future where the uglier aspects of human
nature still reign supreme, this book immerses you in a positive, tantalizingly real
vision of a future where we have finally become what we ought to be.
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