10 Greatest New Beginnings In Star Trek

9. V'Ger Merges With The Creator

Persis Khambatta's Ilia was a heart of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. Though her character technically dies about halfway through the film, the Ilia Probe offers us a childlike view of the universe, one wrapped around a devastatingly powerful energy source, one capable of destroying all life in the galaxy.

V'Ger's long journey home echoed humanity's search for something greater than itself. The film was an existential exploration of the universe, told through the lens of an admittedly already-covered premise. The Changeling, an Original Series episode that featured the probe, Nomad, did on the small screen what The Motion Picture set out to do on the big screen. 

The Motion Picture is the superior effort, with both the original budget and the recent remaster finally completing this vision of new life in the universe. The film's climax gives us a soaring Jerry Goldsmith score while Ilia and Decker merge. As McCoy puts it - 'it's a long time since I've delivered a baby!'

Though met with lukewarm reviews at the time, The Motion Picture was quintessential Star Trek. It took the old format from The Original Series and added a cinematic majesty that simply hadn't been possible before. Now, here was Star Trek as it was meant to be seen and heard. As Admiral Kirk would say:

Young minds, fresh ideas.