10 Notorious Star Trek Urban Legends

One small curiosity about Star Trek: The Motion Picture is that, included deep in the credits, Isaac Asimov is listed as a Special Consultant. The legendary science fiction author often credited with inspiring the genre's explosion in popularity during the 20th century, his inclusion in a Star Trek movie would have been big news at the time. So why wasn't it?

Well, Asimov wasn't drafted in to help with the writing, the production, or any element of actually crafting the movie, however, it's arguable that he's responsible for it getting made it at all. With a major rift brewing between Roddenberry and the studio over the nature of the plot - specifically that the idea of this living robot seeking it's "creator" would have major scientific and religious ramifications - he was the man that both parties went to in order to settle the argument.

He reassured the executives that this was a great narrative thread to tug on, and indeed one that would likely be seen as visionary in decades to come. They weren't entirely convinced (it took NASA Director Robert Jastrow to do that) but they trusted his judgment and, having provided the most important slice of consultancy in the movie, credited him thusly.