THE MOTION PICTURE, THE BOOK

 

Name: The Motion Picture

Author: Gene Roddenberry

Publication Date: 12/1979

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #1)

Page Number: 252

Historian’s Note:  NA

Cast of Characters:  Rear Admiral James T. Kirk       Captain Willard Decker           Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Commander Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Commander Nyota Uhura              Lieutenant Kyle                Lieutenant Radly Marcus             Dr. Christine Chapel          Lieutenant Pavel Chekov         Lieutenant Ilia        Lieutenant Janice Rand             Ensign Chavez                    Lieutenant Cleary         Commander Branch            Chief Petty Officer DiFalco             Chief Petty Officer Ross           Lieutenant  Commander Sonak      Grand Master T’Sai   Fleet Admiral Heihachiro Nogura                 Vice Admiral  Lori Ciana 

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Epsilon Nine, Space-drydock, IKS Amar, two unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class, Surak VS-5047-61192259584-5, various unnamed shuttlecraft

Planets:  Earth and Vulcan

My Spoiler filled summary and review: Since this is a review of the book version to the movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture, there is no need to provide a summary of the story as I already did that in my last review.  So, I am just going to focus on the differences between the book and the movie.

1)      The opening scene with the Klingons was actually seen by Kirk in his head.  This is because all high-ranking Starfleet officers have computer chips put into their head for instant communication.  It’s not perfect as they still have to check in for details.

Kirk is seeing this too!

2)      In the movie Kirk says to Sonak that his meeting with Nogura was going to last for a few minutes.  This gave the impression that the decision to swap Kirk in for Decker was already made, decided by higher ups, and Kirk simply agreed with it.  In the book, Kirk maneuvers his way in taking Decker’s command away from him.  This confirms Decker’s statements about Kirk.

Kirk a little more ruthless in the book!

3)      The dialogue is slightly different in most conversations.  Sometimes changing the meaning of the conversation while other times it is simply a character’s line being swapped with another’s. 

4)      The other officer killed in the transporter accident was Vice Admiral Lori Ciana.  She was Kirk’s CO and sometimes girlfriend.  She was coming aboard to join the crew with her own “temporary grade reduction.”

5)      We learn some details that we couldn’t know from the movie.  Ilia’s “vow of celibacy” is explained that Deltan sex is too much for humans who aren’t prepared so they take celibacy oaths to protect the lives of the crew.  We also learn that Kirk was told of the modification to run the phasers through the engines.  He had objected to it when it was made, and he thought the engineers had listened to him, turns out they didn’t, and he never checked.  It also shows that Scotty and Decker were working on an override.

Sorry Decker, no action for you!

6)      Ilia is not the only person to be taken by the V’ger energy probe, a security officer is taking as well.  Decker’s reaction is different, instead of getting mad at Kirk he orders communications to send life support information for Deltans and to let the unknown aliens (they hadn’t heard the V’ger name yet) that they have taken a lifeform.

7)      V’ger is spelled Vejer.

8)      Decker has sex with the Fake Ilia which causes the Ilia personality to come forth in the robot, then V’ger takes back control.   However, the robot still wants to hang around Decker.  Later Decker’s internal monologue states he would like to have sex with her again.

On second thought

9)      There is an entire chapter donated to V’ger’s point of view.

10)   The final confrontation when we learn that V’ger is Voyager 6 is more drawn out.  In this case they refer to V6 having been lost in the time stream and not some black hole.  The personality of Ilia reemerges and helps the landing party.  There is more discussion before Decker sacrifices himself.     

11)   Kirk denies Starfleet’s request for a debriefing so he can fly the Enterprise around. 

I am not going home I am too busy flying!

 

Additional thoughts: Something I forgot to mention in my review of the film.  It stated that Kirk’s job at Starfleet Command was Chief of Operations.  That must be a very different job in Starfleet than in the US Navy.  In the Navy, it is the post of the highest admiral.  While in Starfleet it seems to be a minor administrative post. 

                Now the book was an interesting take on these events, especially how it allowed us to get into the heads of some of the characters.  Although I felt it fell short in some parts as well.

                The most famous thing this book is known for is the first acknowledgement of the “Sprik” rumors.  Anyone who has read my other reviews know I take Spirk with a grain of salt and “live and let live attitude.”  I find the concept to be ridiculous but harmless especially if a gave a corner of the fandom joy.  It appears that Roddenberry decided to try to kill the rumor with this passage.

"I was never aware of this lovers rumor, although I have been told that Spock encountered it several times. Apparently he had always dismissed it with his characteristic lifting of his right eyebrow which usually connoted some combination of surprise, disbelief, and/or annoyance. As for myself, although I have no moral or other objections to physical love in any of its many Earthly, alien, and mixed forms, I have always found my best gratification in that creature woman. Also, I would dislike being thought of as so foolish that I would select a love partner who came into sexual heat only once every seven years." (pg.22)

                However, this didn’t affect that he wanted.  For the fans who wanted to believe in it the simply say the word “gratification” as the euphemism for sex.  “I have always found my best sex with women.” As opposed to the euphemism being the three words “my best gratification.” “I have always found sex with women.” Lesson being if you want to make point, it is best to be clear.

Spock would probably agree that clarity was best 

                The funny thing I find the most important level in the novelization is the fact that senior Starfleet officers all have these data chips implanted into their heads so they can have instant access to knowledge.  However, it still works imperfectly, and they still have to check in.  That makes me question things I have seen on screen a lot more than the Spock line.   

                Decker pulling Ilia’s personality out of the robot probe by having sex with her was interesting and certainly not in the movie.  The really funny part was in the chapter from V’ger’s point of view.  V’ger was confused by why the Decker-unit was “attacking” the probe, and when V’ger went to reassert control, to its surprise the Decker-unit kept “attacking.”  

                I commented on my review of the film that there should have been more made into the Decker/Kirk relationship, particularly involving the fate of Decker’s father in “The Doomsday Machine.”  Well, the book flops on this.  It acknowledges that Captain Decker is the son of Commodore Decker, but that is it.  It is never important; it is just randomly stated offhand in one paragraph.  You could remove the line and it doesn’t take way from what is being said at all.

Dad should have had greater influence on son's story.

In the end the book is a fun add-on but not much else.

Should it be canon: I prefer to think of what we saw on screen as the canon version of events and the book is just a clever “what if?”.

Cover Art: The cover is the same as the movie poster.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5