Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, was relieved when reviews of the 1979 film didn’t mention him. Koenig discussed the movie in “The Making of the Trek Films”, expressing dissatisfaction with both the premiere night and subsequent reviews. Despite being part of the first installment of a major sci-fi franchise that began in the ’70s, Koenig’s experience was far from positive.
“It was the only time in my life that I thanked God for the relative anonymity that I had on Star Trek,” Koenig said, “because I was not mentioned in any way, shape or form.” Coming from someone who was in the first “Star Trek” movie, that might sound a little odd, since “The Motion Picture” was the start of one of the biggest sci-fi movie franchises that began in the ’70s.
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A Premonition of Disappointment
Despite the film launching a major sci-fi franchise, Koenig wasn’t a fan. He sensed trouble before even watching it. On a flight to the Washington, D.C. premiere, Koenig sat beside Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek‘s creator. Roddenberry had already seen a cut and, when asked his opinion, simply said, “It’s a good picture.” Roddenberry never explicitly criticized the film, but the lukewarm tone of his response made Koenig uneasy. “It was a death knell,” Koenig recalled. “As soon as he said that I knew it wasn’t going to work.”
A Glimmer of Hope, Then Disappointment
The premiere’s red carpet, limousines, and spotlights briefly lifted Koenig’s spirits, as did the film’s opening scenes and music, particularly the introduction of V’ger. However, his enthusiasm quickly faded. “I began to become aware of time; that time was passing. That I wasn’t involved in the picture,” he said, describing the experience of watching as an audience member rather than a cast member. The longer the movie went on, the more his disappointment grew, and by the end, he had concluded it wasn’t a good movie.
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Critical Reception and Cast Reactions
Reviews were harsh, particularly towards the main cast. The Washington Post called William Shatner’s Kirk “such a supercilious old twit that one rather wishes he’d been left behind that desk.” Koenig, however, escaped criticism entirely, which he found oddly comforting. Not every critic was entirely negative; Roger Ebert described the film as “probably about as good as we could have expected,” but he also noted that the familiarity of the TV characters diminished the film’s sense of wonder.
Leonard Nimoy was also so frustrated with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” that he didn’t want to come back for the sequel, nearly denying fans one of the franchise’s greatest moments in “Star Trek II.” Things turned out much better for the crew with “The Wrath of Khan,” though, which remains one of the best movie sequels to TV shows ever released.
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