Did He Boldly Go?
1979 must have seemed the perfect time for a big-screen adaptation of Star Trek . Afterall, it was only two years after the phenomenal success of Star Wars which proved that Science Fiction could make money at the box office. Frightening to think, isn’t it, that there are people out there who view Star Wars only as an indicator of financial success? And, considering that 8 of the 10 biggest grossing movies of all time are Science Fiction films, it is kind of strange to think there was a time when studio execs needed such reassurance. Worryingly, however, more than anything, this situation seems to show a complete lack of understanding of film by those studio bosses. Who, in their right mind, would green light a film like Star Trek: The Motion Picture based on the receipts of a film that was more Western than Science Fiction? Hadn’t they read the script? Of course, if they had the TV series more in mind (rather than the actual film released), maybe they can be excuse...