Star Trek: The Motion Picture (novel)
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Books, including Star Trek novels |
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A Novel is a 1979 book adaptation of the movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture, released in the same year. It stands out as the sole Star Trek novel authored by the franchise's creator, Gene Roddenberry. Additionally, it was the inaugural Star Trek novel published by Pocket Books.
Publishing history
This novelization represented Pocket Books' debut in publishing Star Trek literature, beginning a long-lasting collaboration that remains active as of 2024. At that time, rights to original Star Trek fiction were held by Bantam Books, with Pocket Books releasing their first original novel in 1981. Over the next ten years, Pocket Books expanded to publishing several new Star Trek titles each month, eventually becoming what has been described as "by far the biggest series of fiction in the history of western literature."
Authorship
Although often incorrectly credited to Alan Dean Foster, who contributed to the film’s story but did not write this adaptation, the novel was entirely penned by Roddenberry. He transformed the screenplay by Harold Livingston into novel form, a process that reportedly caused friction between the two. Roddenberry received an advance payment of $400,000 for this work.
Plot summary
The original five-year mission has concluded. The original crew of the Enterprise, now serving in different capacities, are brought back into duty. The USS Enterprise has undergone extensive upgrades, and its crew faces a powerful threat endangering Earth and all humanity.
Critical reception
Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer from Tor.com characterized the book as "a blend of an encyclopedia and a thrill ride," noting "intriguing revelations about Kirk family dynamics." Kevin Church echoed similar observations, including that Captain Kirk’s first name honors his mother’s "love instructor." He described the novel as "an unusual relic" mainly appealing to dedicated Star Trek enthusiasts but deemed it "not worthwhile" for casual readers.