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"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

Revised Draft Script
Possibly written by Dennis Clark with unmarked Harold Livingston revisions.

May 17, 1978

Source: Reproduction script

Given the very different characterizations and tenor of the script, this was likely not written by Gene Roddenberry or Harold Livingston, and instead possibly by Dennis Clark who had finished a draft around this time.

The script begins with a note (likely by Harold Livingston on his return or Gene Roddenberry) saying that the script is going to be "greatly rewritten" with a specific note about the rewrites using the existing planned sets. The following scenes are specifically pointed out:

● V'Ger's electrical sparks will be replaced with an actual probe.
● The Enterprise will enter V'Ger earlier.
● Kirk and Spock's exploration of V'Ger will have more action and effects.
● The walk to the V'Ger island will be redone, although action and sets will remain the same.
● The destruction wreaked by V'Ger's cloud forcefield on Earth will not happen.
● Decker's fate and the end of the movie will be rewritten, however sets will remain the same.

There is a draft of the movie before this one I do not have: Unknown Draft Script by Gene Roddenberry on February 4th, 1978

Three Klingon cruisers confront an unseen adversary and are destroyed by it. Before destruction, the Klingon captain sends a report to the Klingon Command.

Kirk takes the turbolift to the bridge, drinking in that he's back on the Enterprise.

The turbolift halts and Doctor Chapel enters not seeing Kirk as she's tending to medical cultures. She apologizes for overriding the turbolift as the cultures are perishable. Kirk replies congratulating her on her promotion to Doctor. She replies saying she's happy to be the ship's Doctor, and Kirk absentmindedly replies that he'll miss McCoy. As Chapel leaves, she says that she may not have McCoy's qualifications, but she's just as good a doctor as he is. Kirk has heard nothing of this, and doesn't realize he's insulted her. He's too busy thinking about getting McCoy back.

Kirk orders warp drive. Scotty and Decker suggest further work on the engine before doing so. Kirk again orders warp drive. As the ship goes into warp, an engine problem creates a wormhole, sucking an asteroid into the wormhole as well. The Enterprise escapes by destroying the wormhole, but not before Decker countermands Kirk orders for phasers, and uses photon torpedoes instead. Despite escaping, warp drive is unusable.

The script has two versions of this scene here.

McCoy asks if V'Ger would be impressed by human medical knowledge. Tasha responds that V'Ger is more interested in determining that humans should be "stored" along with the Enterprise when she is done observing. From her, the three learn who V'Ger is, and that he's going to Earth to find and join with The Creator, based on The Message from The Messenger. When Kirk says that the third planet is also their home, Tasha doesn't believe them as the information V'Ger got from Enterprise didn't have anything about the Creator or higher life forms. Kirk, Spock and Decker leave the room and decide that if V'Ger can send a probe to them, they can send a "probe" of their own to V'Ger. Both Spock and Kirk will leave in thruster suits to explore V'Ger itself while Decker distracts Tasha from noticing they're gone with a tour of the ship. Tasha breaks down the door ready to commence her observations.

"Star Trek II: In Thy Image"

Second Draft Script
Written by Gene Roddenberry

November 7th, 1977

Source: Reproduction Script

The turbolift halts and Doctor Chapel enters not seeing Kirk as she's tending to medical cultures. She apologizes for overriding the turbolift as the cultures she's delivering to Sickbay are perishable. Kirk replies congratulating her on her promotion to Doctor. Chapel clumsily asks if he's here to see the ship off, but before he can answer, she apologizes for her question. It must feel awkward, she says, just like her taking over McCoy's place on the ship. She's only there because she was the only half-way qualified surgeon available. Kirk comforts her, letting her know they chose the captain the exact same way.

Suddenly bright turquoise lights appear around the ship, materializing into small mechanical probes. The probes begin poking and prodding the ship, but completely ignore the humans, except for one. Scott sees a probe taking readings of the ship. He tells the probe if it touches one of his controls, the probe will end up as a junk pile. Xon determines that they must be sensor probes, but are showing no interest in the life forms on the ship. He tries to distract one and fails. Another appears in sickbay as Chapel is operating on an injury. Kirk orders a security guard attached to each probe, and a report if they tamper with anything. Xon is doing just that, and says the technology is highly advanced. Each type of probe has a different sensing function. Kirk orders that the probes are not to be harmed if all they do is examine the ship. Chekov comes in holding a probe different from all the others. This one, he named "Tasha" due to its resemblance to a brooch his Aunt Tasha would wear, is clearly frightened of humans, and seems to be the only probe that even acknowledges the crew. Tasha, scared, moves over to Kirk who kneels down to it and tries to gain its trust., Just then, Uhura cuts in reporting that the probes have infiltrated the computer library. Kirk tells Uhura to send a message demanding the probes withdraw or they'll be destroyed. As the probes close in on the computer library, Decker fires. Two are destroyed and when he aims for a third, it simply disappears.

Recovering in sickbay, Xon reports that he's finally managed to compile all the information the object got from the main computer. all of Earth history, studies in agriculture, animal life and human anatomy. some of the Enterprise's personnel records. Kirk's relieved that they didn't get any info about Earth's defenses or the Federation. Xon says they may not be as lucky as they think - the object may now consider that the same infection plaguing the Enterprise is infecting Earth.

They beam over against the wall of a gigantic cavern who's dimensions are so large they stretch into infinity. The interior has miles of sophisticated machinery. They walk on this machinery towards a gelatinous plasma-cube with Ilia's body inside. She appears to be dead. preserved for study. Kirk asks if she can be revived. Surprised, Tasha says they have her instead. Tasha is more durable and useful.

As they continue walking they come across a beaten and battered 20th Century Voyager spacecraft melded into part of Ve-jur. Kirk recognizes it immediately: Voyager 4, a ship that entered a black hole and sent back signals that revolutionizes early space concepts. He finds an plaque marked V-GER. Kirk asks Tasha if this is where Ve-jur got it's name. She replies that her kind did not have names before the Creator's messenger enlightened them. Tasha calls the plaque and it's other inscriptions "The Creator's Message." The ship was a holy Messenger from Na-sah (NASA). Kirk exclaims that humans built Voyager 4. Suddenly a laser bolt hits Kirk in the chest. "Ve-jur forbids deception." Ilia explains that the Creator sent the Holy Messenger to Ve-jur's companions at a time of need, and a time when their purpose in life was unknown. While the Messenger was smaller and more primitive than the machines on Ve-jur's planet, it contained information of the Universe beyond the planet, as well as the order "To explore, to learn, to discover all things discoverable." The team beam back to the Enterprise.

Flying closer to Ve-jur, Uhura reports that Ve-jur has not responded. Xon has disappeared from the bridge. Sulu says he's gone to the transporter room to help with some calculations. Xon is looking for the coordinates of Ve-jur's main computer. Calling down to the transporter room, Decker finds out that Xon is about to beam over to Ve-jur. He belays the order and goes tot he transporter room himself. There Xon tells Decker his plan - he'd planned to beam himself over to Ve-jur, but only have his brain patterns transmitted. With Ve-jur no longer providing gravity and oxygen, the body would die quickly, but Ve-jur and it's insatiable curiosity may be interested in the brain pattern being beamed over, and integrate it into itself to examine it. This way, Ve-jur would have to examine an organic mind, and realize it was a life form. Scott calls it suicide, and Xon agrees it has very low odds of succeeding. But it's their only chance. Decker overrules Xon - he is going in Xon's place. He not only outranks everyone in the room, but he's human - the very life form being threatened. He says his goodbyes and orders his mind beamed over to Ve-jur.

[An alternate version of this scene occurs earlier in this script]

With only nine minutes remaining, the librarians are displaying every possible piece of information on NASA and Voyager to Tasha hoping Ve-jur will also be assimilating the information. Kirk tries to persuade her these documents are very old, but she has no sensors for determining the ages of things. The lights dim and an old 20th Century projector begins playing a documentary about the Voyager Probes. Tasha seems interested when suddenly her arm smashes the projector. She looks at it as if the arm movement was involuntary. "Ve-jur rejects this." With five minutes remaining Scotty contacts Kirk: Beam up to the Enterprise right away.

Rough Draft Script
Written by Harold Livingston

October 20th, 1977

Source: Star Trek Phase II - The Lost Series by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Decker says they need to show some teeth and threaten the object. Since there's twelve hours before the Enterprise is back to full power and repaired, Kirk orders the ship to go to Standby crews and everyone gets some rest. As he and Decker walk, Kirk asks what the object might do with the knowledge that the Enterprise has a bomb. Decker replies that he would listen to Enterprises demands. Kirk counters - he wouldn't give the ship the chance to arm the weapon. It would destroy the ship. Never make a threat you're not prepared to carry out, because your enemy will naturally assume you are prepared and act accordingly.

Suddenly bright turquoise lights appear around the ship, materializing into small mechanical probes. The probes begin poking and prodding the ship, but completely ignore the humans, except for one. One, a ring shaped probe with a pearl eye sees a security guard coming for it and begins making squeals. It's obviously frightened of him. Chekov attempts to grab one of the floating probes, but misses. The pearl-probe squeals at him, seemingly angry. Between the two they manage to catch the floating probe to take to Xon. Chekov looks around and notices the pearl-probe is gone. Security passes a closed door in search of the pearl-probe, and as they pass, the door opens and the probe, self-satisfied, heads the other way. Scott calls the bridge to complain that the probes are poking around his engines. Kirk orders no action against them as long as they damage nothing. Scott tells the probe if it touches one of his controls, the probe will end up as a junk pile. Another appears in sickbay as McCoy and Chapel are operating on an injury. Annoyed, he offers to dissect one for Kirk. Xon is doing just that, and says the technology in the probe he's pulled apart is so advanced, they don't have words for what they're seeing. Uhura cuts in reporting that the probes have infiltrated the computer library. Kirk tells Uhura to send a message demanding the probes withdraw or they'll be destroyed.Chekov is dispatched to the computer library to destroy any probes that attempt the access the library computer. As the probes close in on the computer, Chekov fires. Two are destroyed and when he aims for a third, it simply disappears.

Xon figures that they may be able to use Tasha to get information from Ve-jur by entering a "relationship" with her. Kirk is not pleased with this idea.

They beam over against the wall of a gigantic cavern who's dimensions are so large they stretch into infinity. The interior has miles of sophisticated machinery. They walk on this machinery towards a gelatinous mass with Ilia's body inside. She appears to be dead. preserved for study. Kirk asks if she can be revived. Surprised, Tasha says they have her instead. Tasha is more durable and useful.

As they continue walking they come to a container, sticking out of the wall. Xon tricorders the container - it's titanium. Not used sicne the early 21st century. kirk isn't listening. He's looking at other pieces also growing out of the wall, all from the same object. He finds an plaque marked V-G-R 18. He realizes from the plaque that it's Voyager 18, a ship that presumably entered a black hole. Tasha calls the plaque and it's other inscriptions "The Holy Writings," and when Kirk explains the acronym NASA, Tasha prays "Glory to Nasa. Kirk exclaims that if Ve-jur destroys the humans on Earth, he'll be destroying the creator. They built Voyager 18. Suddenly a laser bolt hits Kirk in the chest. "Ve-jur punishes those who lie." Tasha says Ve-jur is satisfied the human do not accept the Creator. They are to return to Earth to herald to the superior life forms of Earth of Ve-jur's arrival and the return of the Creator. Before beaming back, Kirk asks Uhura to get absolute proof of the existence of NASA in the 20th Century and details of the creation and launching of Voyager 18.

Kirk takes her to a beach where she picks up a piece a driftwood. She asks if the humans made the beach. Kirk says the humans didn't - nature did. Tasha exclaims that if objects aren't manufactured, they cannot be perfect. Kirk counters that nothing here is perfect, including the humans. It's the imperfections that make humans different for "servo-units." Coldly she points out a hydrofoil floating by with people riding it. An obvious higher life form forced into being transportation for humans. He says humans created it. Just like they created NASA and Voyager 18. She refuses to accept this, but doesn't know why. Kirk calls the Delphi to have them beamed to the Archives.

Ve-jur, now in Earth orbit, releases neutron bombs towards Earth to destroy the humans on Earth who, it believes, have repressed the creator. The Enterprise attempts to intercept one, but senses a proximity fuse on it. The Enterprise veers away. Chekov determines they have twenty six minutes before the bombs detonate. Ve-jur immediately grabs the Enterprise in a tractor beam, pulling it inside.

Decker, grasping at any straws he can get to save Earth, sends Ve-jur "all" the cultural achievements of humans, although Decker has edited it to show mostly the peaceful and progressive portions of Earth history. Ve-jur replies that the history is incomplete - it's seen through the editing. He prepares to send the rest of the information, but Xon stops him. While Ve-jur will see the wars of Earth, it will also learn about the Federation and all the other "infested" planets. Decker relents, he can't win. He orders the ship's library erased.

With only five minutes remaining, the librarians are having trouble assembling a 20th Century projector. Tasha tells them that she can do it, and as she does so, calls the project "quite a charming unit" then hugs it calling it beautiful. They attempt to play the film, but it falls apart and breaks. Kirk admits defeat on the film. It's three hundred years old, and too deteriorated to play. Even Tasha seems sad this attempt has failed and apologizes. Nogura orders all UFP data erased from every Starfleet database.