Ahead Warp Factor One!
May 25th, 1977, the world changed. It had previously been changed September 8th, 1966.
United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy launched the United States space program with the goal to put a man on the moon. This was in response to the Russian space program and the launch of Sputnik.
After fits and starts, Gene Roddenberry launched Star Trek on NBC, September 8th, 1966. The final episode of the original series ("Turnabout Intruder") aired June 3rd, 1969. Star Trek continued as an animated series and a Dell comic book until opening on theater screens December 7th, 1979.
The Harold Livingston screenplay, based on Alan Dean Foster (Splinter of the Mind's Eye and Black Hole) and Roddenberry's idea is ambitious.
The film features a number of very long sequences with lush orchestration. Fans join Kirk in the view of Enterprise. The only downside is that the pace is slow and plodding. The action drags. This is not a summer blockbuster by any means. That would mean a brisker pace and more action.
This is an enjoyable film. It serves the purpose of making the jump from television screen to theater screen. It is that awkward family reunion with family one hasn't seen in a number of years.
