Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) was the much-awaited big-screen comeback of ‘The Original Series.’ However, despite the tremendous anticipation, both critics and fans had differing opinions. The movie’s slow pacing, ponderous storytelling, and vague premise drew criticism from the general audience. Adding to this was Leonard Nimoy, who wasn’t a fan of the movie either.
Time and again, Nimoy detailed his love and hate for his Star Trek character, Spock. But not just his character; the actor also expressed strong opinions on why he doesn’t consider Star Trek: The Motion Picture a franchise-worthy movie.
Why Leonard Nimoy Disliked Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
Leonard Nimoy was not the one to mince his words. In his autobiography, I Am Not Spock, he tried to establish that the half-human-half-Vulcan character wasn’t his sole identity. Further, while talking with the Television Academy Foundation, he emphasized that initially he was glad the Star Trek series got over as the writing and the script had gone awful. But with relief, he had also expressed his disappointment that the series could have been much better with a stronger script.
So, when the plans for Star Trek: The Motion Picture emerged, Nimoy’s script concerns emerged again. He voiced the same during an interview with John Blackstone in 2005. He added:
I was not enamored with the first movie. I thought it was really not ‘Star Trek,’ it was something else. They were trying to do something else with ‘Star Trek. (Further) And we did it and I thought, Well, that’s done, we did the ‘Star Trek’ movie. And of course it didn’t quite work out that way, we were just beginning.
Nimoy continued that because it deviated so far from the central tenets of the show, it didn’t really feel like Star Trek to him. But in spite of his skepticism, the movie went on to gross an incredible $80 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). This triumph assured another movie and further secured the franchise’s future.
Leonard Nimoy used his popularity wisely and put out a condition before joining in for the third Star Trek movie, The Search for Spock (1984).
Leonard Nimoy Agreed To Do a Third Star Trek Movie Only if He Could Direct It
In the same interview for the Television Academy Foundation, Nimoy mentioned that he was invited to discuss his involvement in the third Star Trek movie. The actor stated that he would only be willing to appear in the movie if he was allowed to direct it.
Nimoy and William Shatner had previously stated their wish to helm episodes for the Star Trek television series, but their requests were consistently turned down. Thus, The Search for Spock provided Nimoy with the chance to ultimately achieve his goal.
For Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Nimoy’s vision was to shift the focus from individual characters to the entire Enterprise crew. For this, he drew inspiration from his time on Mission: Impossible, where each and every character had their own well-defined responsibilities.
The characters’ sense of unity with one another, which was conspicuously absent from the previous two films, made this attempt successful. Because of how well his direction was appreciated, Nimoy was given the chance to helm Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as well.
You can stream Star Trek: The Motion Picture on Max and can watch the other Star Trek movies on Paramount+.
