When NBC canceled the cult science fiction series "Star Trek" in 1969, it seemed like the USS Enterprise would be consigned to drydock for good. Then, to the surprise of many in Hollywood, the show became a bona fide hit in syndication, at which point creator Gene Roddenberry was able to convince Paramount Pictures to mount a big-budget motion picture. Robert Wise, a two-time Oscar winner for Best Director (for the musicals "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music"), was brought on to direct, while Douglas Trumbull, the special effects pioneer who crafted the awe-inspiring imagery of "2001: A Space Odyssey," was hired to deliver the visual razzle-dazzle. Suffice to say, expectations for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" were several light-years out of this world.

While Wise was no stran

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