Wise: Original 'Motion Picture' Was 'Unfinished'

Robert Wise said recently he produced a Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture because it was the only film he had left "unfinished".

"Once I'm finished with a film, I release it and let it have the life it was intended to have. Star Trek was the only film I returned to because it was the only one I truly felt was unfinished," Wise said in a Q&A with fans at StarTrek.com.

When the Academy Award-winning director decided to revist the 1979 film over 20 years later, he originally wanted it to be seen in the cinemas, like the digitally remastered Star Wars trilogy. Despite his wishes, Paramount Pictures only committed to the eventual DVD and video release of The Motion Picture Director's Edition, Wise told fans.

"I still believe that the film deserves a theatrical re-release, and that my team, David, Michael, and Daren need to be back at the studio to accurately restore and create the new negative I always intended," he said. "In the future, my 'Director's Edition' should be the only version that people see, on film theatrically and video in the home."

Despite the new cut, the film hasn't completely shaken off the "The Motionless Picture" moniker given to it by fans less than impressed by the slow pace. "I think we finally nailed the pacing, but that doesn't mean it's suddenly going to become an action film," Wise said of his Director's Edition. "The great thing about Star Trek is that there is room for all kinds of stories. This just happens to be one that is about exploring a mystery in space."

To read the full transcript of the Q&A with Robert Wise, in which he also talked about working with the cast, Gene Roddenberry, script revisions, the score and much more, head over to StarTrek.com.

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