10 Star Trek Re-Shoots That Totally Changed The Ending

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Spock arrives on the Enterprise having attempted the Kohlinar ceremony. This is aimed at purging all emotion, though the vast consciousness of V'Ger overcomes him, leading him to leave Vulcan and return to service. For much of the film's runtime, Spock is cold and distant to his crewmates.

This changes after his spacewalk scene, wherein he encounters the heart of V'Ger. The original version of the scene paints V'Ger in a far more villainous light than the audience actually received in the final ending. Kirk, fearing for his friend, follows him out, only to be attacked by various elements of V'Ger's sensor probes. This version of the scene was deemed problematic, and it was reshot to what finally appears in the film.

This then serves the dual purpose of helping the film's pacing and removing some of V'Ger's villainy. Subsequently, the finale, which sees V'Ger merge with Decker, becomes a more wonderous moment - two being evolving together - than a Human triumph over a cold machine. The film is far better for it.