The U.S.S. ENTERPRISE and VEJUR from ‘STAR TREK The Motion Picture’ (1979), Directed by Robert Wise and Produced by Gene Roddenberry

Star Trek The Motion Picture is one of my favourite films. yes, it is flawed, but has a fantastic, epic, science fiction storyline and all the grandeur that a theatrical film of a TV series warrants.

When I saw the film in 1979 I was struck by the scene when Kirk and the landing party exit the ship and are lead by the Ilea probe to the hearty of Vejur itself. This is my version of that scene and the awe inspiring establishing shot. Unfortunately that original matte painting had several shortcomings and was not accurate to the shape of the ship. the shot was reworked doe the Director's edition on DVD - which satisfied the likeness issues, but, for me, lacked the spectacle of that original shot. It was redone again for the blu-ray version which reframed the shot to show a more interesting angle on the Enterprise.

So this painting is an attempt to capture the grandeur of the original 1979 shot. I have exaggerated the size of the Enterprise’s circular fuselage and pushed perspective a bit, but I think it works. The Enterprise had a unique appearance in this film. with the iridescent 'aztec' panelling all over the hull and the self-illumination from numerous running lights. Spectacular.

Starship Enterprise designed by Walter ‘Matt’ Jeffries, design updates primarily by Andrew Probert

Star Trek The Motion Picture Production Design by Syd Mead, Robert T McCall, Harold Michelson

Spoecial Visual Effects Directed by Douglas Trumbull