Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Episode 81

This special update episode marks ten years since we published Episode One of the Columbo Podcast - Murder by the Book. In this episode, Gerry and Iain look back on ten years of podcasting together and announce their plans for the Columbo Podcast in 2025.

This final wrap-up brings together our thoughts on the show and the movies. We look back on our high and low points and answer some last listener questions. In this episode Gerry and Iain firm up their plans for the future. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered the highs and lows of three seasons of Star Trek, six movies and the combined story of Captain Kirk and his Enterprise. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was the sixth and final big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with peace talks between the Klingons and the Federation threatened by a high profile assassination. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss whether peace is possible without trust. A sceptical Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are tasked with escorting the Klingon chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to high level peace talks. After a tense dinner, things escalate quickly when the Klingon ship appears to be attacked by torpedoes fired by the Enterprise. General Chang (Christopher Plummer) demands revenge and Kirk surrenders immediately. He and McCoy try to save Gorkon, but cannot and are arrested. Facing trial on the Klingon homeworld, the two men must rely on Spock to solve the case and set them free. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was directed by Nicholas Meyer, who had previously directed The Wrath of Khan. The story was by Leonard Nimoy with additional credits given to Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Screenplay credits were given to Meyer and Denny Martin Flinn, his only work for the show. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether all good things must come to an end. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was released in 1991. It is 1 hour and 50 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was the fifth big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with Spock's secret half-brother leading his cultists on a mission to find God. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss the difference between the family you're born with and the family you choose. When a mysterious Vulcan cultist takes hostages on a planet in the Neutral Zone managed jointly by the Klingons, Federation and Romulans, Kirk and the Enterprise-A crew are recalled from shore leave and sent to resolve the situation before it escalates further. The Vulcan turns out to be Spock's long-lost half brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) on a mission to reach the centre of the galaxy, where he believes he will find God. Meanwhile a Klingon vessel is in pursuit, setting up a convergence beyond the Great Barrier. Star Trek V: The Voyage Home was directed by William Shatner, his only directorial contribution to the show. The story was by Harve Bennett, William Shatner and David Loughery and Loughery is credited for the screenplay. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered the nature of beauty in the context of erotic dance. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was released in 1989. It is 1 hour and 47 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was the fourth big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with the group forced to travel back in time to the 1980s to recover a pair of humpback whales. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss defunct donut chains and timeless landmarks. With Spock's memory and skills largely restored, the Enterprise crew head back to Earth on the Klingon Bird of Prey they hijacked in the previous movie. Meanwhile a probe playing whalesong advances on Earth, threatening to end all life as cataclysmic weather ensues. Travelling back in time 300 years, Kirk and co. seek to acquire two humpback whales, extinct in their time, to respond to the probe and end it's assault. There they meet Dr Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) and her friends, George & Gracie. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was directed by Leonard Nimoy, just as the previous film had been. The screenplay and story were by Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether a triple dumbass could theoretically exist. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was released in 1986. It is 2 hours and 2 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was the third big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with the restoration of Spock's eternal soul to his regenerated body leading Kirk to hijack his own starship. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss the best way to deal with a pubescent Vulcan in an isolated setting. In the immediate aftermath of the detonation of the Genesis device, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise return to Starfleet mourning the death of Spock. Meanwhile, McCoy begins to suffer from some unusual symptoms that appear to be related to the loss of his friend. Back at Genesis, Saavik (now played by Robin Curtis) and David Marcus are studying the effects of the device with the USS Grissom. When it comes under attack from a Klingon ship under the command of Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), they become stranded on the unstable surface with Spock's resurrected form. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was directed by Leonard Nimoy, his first directorial work for the franchise. The screenplay and story were by Harve Bennett. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether Klingon dogs belong on the bridge of a starship. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was released in 1984. It is 1 hour and 45 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the second big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with a longstanding enemy restored to prominence with revenge on his mind. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss manoeuvring in 3D and genocide on a global scale. Abandoned on a hostile world, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) encounters Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) and his first officer Commander Chekov (Walter Koenig). Commandeering their vessell, the Reliant, he sets about twin goals of seeking revenge on Kirk and obtaining the Genesis device. Genesis is a scientific project headed by Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her son David (Merritt Butrick) with genociadal capabilities in the wrong hands. With the Enterprise crewed mostly by cadets, including the vulcan Saavik (Kirstie Alley), the support they needed may not be readily to hand Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was directed by Nicholas Meyer, his first work for the franchise. Meyer also wrote the screenplay from a story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether the temperature for serving revence matters all that much. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released in 1982. It is 1 hour and 54 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the first big-screen adventure for the Star Trek crew, with Kirk's return to the Enterprise leading to problems in the chain of command as Earth faces an existential threat. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss killer clouds and old friends. Alerted to the approach of a deadly cloud, presumed to be masking some kind of weapon, Admiral Kirk wrestles control of the Enterprise away from Commander Decker (Stephen Collins) and sets an intercept course, stopping along the way to put the band back together. With Decker's former lover Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) aboard and the commander smarting over losing his vessel, there is tension in the air even before the strange entity is encountered. Kirk and his crew must find a way to prevent Earth's destruction and persuade the entity to stand down before it is too late. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was directed by Robert Wise, his only work for the franchise. The teleplay was by Harold Livingston from a story by Alan Dean Foster. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether a refit is as good as a rest! The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in 1979. It is 2 hours and 12 minutes long. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United States and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries.

This series wrap-up is a brief interlude before we resume with the motion pictures, with a quick look back at some of our highlights and our thoughts on some viewers' questions. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss their plans for the future. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered the highs and lows of three seasons of Star Trek. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Turnabout Intruder was the twenty fourth and final episode of Star Trek's third season to air, with Kirk's body stolen by a jealous ex-lover intent on commanding the Enterprise. In this episode Gerry and Iain discuss role reversal and gender politics in space. Arriving at a Federation outpost on Camus II, the Enterprise crew find most of the team dead from apparent radiation poisoning and Dr Janice Lester (Sandra Smith) very ill, despite the attentions of Dr Coleman (Harry Landers). With Coleman distracting Spock and McCoy, Lester takes advantage of the opportunity to swap bodies with Kirk using ancient technology found on the planet. Her plan is to kill Kirk inside her own body and take command of the Enterprise by convincing the crew she is who she now appears to be. Turnabout Intruder was directed by Herb Wallerstein, the last of his four episodes. The teleplay was by Arthur Singer from a story by Gene Roddenberry. In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether life as a woman would be unbearable. The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast. You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts. Turnabout Intruder was released in 1969. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on Paramount+ in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.