Set a course for the final frontier as the newly restored Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition arrives September 6, 2022 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a bonus Blu-ray Disc filled with new and legacy special features from Paramount Home Entertainment. The film will also be released in a Limited-Edition Collector’s Set entitled “The Complete Adventure,” which includes the new Director’s Edition, the theatrical cut, and a special longer cut all on 4K Ultra HD along with special features on Blu-ray. In addition, Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection will arrive on September 6 with all six big-screen adventures featuring the original series crew on 4K Ultra HD.
Originally released in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture became the fourth highest grossing movie of the year and earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Music, Original Score. The film successfully launched the Star Trek franchise beyond the original television series, despite having been rushed to theaters with incomplete special effects and forced editing choices.
In 2001, director Robert Wise revisited the film to refine the edit and enhance the visual effects. His updated vision was released on DVD in standard definition and embraced by fans but has never been available in higher definition until now. Meticulously assembled and restored by producer David C. Fein with post-production supervisor Mike Matessino, both of whom originally collaborated with Wise, the film has been prepared for presentation in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR) and a new powerful and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Fein and Matessino assembled a team of visual effects experts, led by returning visual effects supervisor Daren R. Dochterman, and utilized the extensive resources in the Paramount Archives to recreate the effects not just in HD, but in Ultra HD. After more than six months of painstaking work, the updated movie looks and sounds better than ever while staying true to Wise’s original intention.
“The Director’s Edition on 4k Ultra HD delivers an experience that is far more intimate, engaging, and powerful thanks to the hard work of everyone involved,” said Fein. “In building The Complete Adventure, we appreciated that many people who were first introduced to the film through the full frame release of the ‘Special Longer Version’ have missed it. I’m excited that it will now be available for the first time in widescreen 4k Ultra HD. After so many years, it’s deeply rewarding to finally deliver Robert Wise’s definitive Director’s Edition for fans to enjoy at home.”
Following is an overview of the new product offerings:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition 4K Ultra HD
The newly restored, definitive version of the first big-screen adventure is presented in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, as well as Dolby Atmos. Also includes access to a Digital copy of the film and the following new and legacy bonus content:
Ultra HD Disc bonus features
- Audio Commentary with David C. Fein, Mike Matessino, and Daren R. Dochterman—NEW!
- Audio Commentary by Robert Wise, Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Jerry Goldsmith, and Stephen Collins
- Text Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
Blu-ray Disc bonus features
- The Human Adventure—An all-new 8-part documentary detailing how the Director’s Edition came to life—NEW!
- Preparing the Future – How the remastering began
- A Wise Choice – The storied history of Robert Wise
- Refitting the Enterprise – How the Enterprise design shaped future federation starships
- Sounding Off – Exploring new dimensions of sound in Dolby Atmos
- V’ger – The conception and restoration of an iconic alien antagonist
- Return to Tomorrow – Reaching an already high bar with new CGI effects
- A Grand Theme – Behind the iconic, influential music score that shaped the franchise’s future
- The Grand Vision – The legacy and evolving reputation of this classic movie
- Deleted Scenes—NEW!
- Effects Tests—NEW!
- Costume Tests—NEW!
- Computer Display Graphics—NEW!
- Additional legacy bonus content
Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition—The Complete Adventure 4K Ultra HD
This Limited-Edition Collector’s Set includes all of the above, plus an additional 4K Ultra HD disc containing:
- The Theatrical Cut
- The first-ever widescreen presentation of the Special Longer Version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, originally created for broadcast television in 1983
The set is presented in deluxe packaging along with exclusive collectibles, including reproductions of original promotional material, a booklet with behind-the-scenes images, stickers, and more.
Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection
This comprehensive 15-disc collection includes the first six big-screen adventures featuring the original series crew in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR-10. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition also includes Dolby Atmos). Both Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country are making their 4K Ultra HD debuts. The set also includes access to Digital copies of each of the six films, as well as hours of new and legacy bonus content. Below is a breakdown of disc contents:
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Additional Blu-ray with bonus content
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Theatrical Cut) – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Includes Director’s Cut
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – Ultra HD & Blu-ray
- Includes Director’s Cut
All six of the feature films listed above will also be available individually on 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray. Read Steve Geise’s review of Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection on 4K Ultra HD.
In addition, in celebration of its 40th anniversary, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan will return to select theaters on September 4th, 5th and 8th. Tickets for this special engagement presented by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies, and Paramount Pictures can be purchased at www.fathomevents.com or at participating theater box offices.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture—The Director’s Edition Synopsis
The U.S.S. Enterprise boldly debuted on the big screen with the cast of the original Star Trek series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and James Doohan. Meticulously restored and remastered, with enhanced visual effects and state-of-the-art sound, this definitive vision of director Robert Wise has been optimized for a new generation of fans. When an unidentified alien intruder destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Admiral James T. Kirk (Shatner) returns to the helm of a newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take command and confront an alien spacecraft of enormous power heading toward Earth.
