What Was V’Ger: Star Trek’s Original Movie Villain Explained

Star Trek: The Motion Picture pitted Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise against V’Ger, a unique villain in the history of the Star Trek: The Original Series movies. Released in 1979, The Motion Picture was the first live action adventure for Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in a decade, following the cancelation of TOS in 1969. Directed by The Andromeda Strain‘s Robert Wise, with visual effects from 2001: A Space Odyssey‘s Douglas Trumbull, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a suitably cinematic spectacle.

Despite the cinematic talent involved in its production, the first Star Trek movie was criticized for its sluggish pace and cerebral tone. William Shatner reflected in his book Star Trek Movie Memories that he thought The Motion Picture “wasn’t good.” Arguably, Star Trek: The Motion Picture‘s “villain”, V’Ger contributed heavily to this slightly cold and cerebral tone that put off critics and cast members. Indeed, esteemed movie critic Roger Ebert, while generally positive about The Motion Picture, highlighted the movie’s “incomprehensible alien forces“.

What Was V’Ger In Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

V’Ger was a space probe that originated on Earth centuries before the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Shortly after leaving Earth’s orbit, the Voyager 6 probe was pulled into an anomaly, and emerged into what it believed to be the furthest region of the galaxy. After falling into the gravitational pull of a planet inhabited by living machines, Voyager was renamed, repaired and augmented with vastly superior data retrieval and defensive technology to that of the 20th century. These aliens then sent V’Ger back to its creators, and on its long way home, the probe collected a vast wealth of knowledge about the galaxy, and gained sentience.

The USS Enterprise intercepted V’Ger on its return to Earth’s solar system, to discover a being desperate for answers to the deep philosophical question of “is that all there is?“ It was V’Ger’s quest for answers that brought it back to Earth, to seek an audience with its creator. If its request was not granted, V’Ger would destroy the planet, forcing Captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins) to offer an alternative solution. Merging with the probe, Decker gave V’Ger the information it was seeking about humanity, and creating a brand-new form of life in the process.

Why Star Trek Movie Villains Became More Like Khan Than V’Ger

Audiences took to the epic action and adventure of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan more than the philosophical tone of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This meant that future Star Trek movie villains were crafted in the mold of Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). V’Ger was a vast, unknowable, sentient machine that didn’t have much to offer moviegoers in 1979. It’s easier for audiences to relate to the Enterprise crew’s movie adventures if there’s a tangible villain that can face off against Kirk or Spock.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan defined the rest of the Star Trek: The Original Series movies and beyond, because it proved that audiences were willing to look beyond cerebral sci-fi concepts if there was a recognizable villainous archetype. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the exception, because despite featuring another alien probe intent on destroying the Earth, the pacing and script remembered to let the Enterprise crew have fun. The huge commercial success of Voyage Home suggests that the real problem with Star Trek: The Motion Picture was its characterization of Kirk and the crew, rather than its choice of V’Ger as a villain.