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Jul. 25th, 2026
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Jul. 25th, 2026 10:49 pmIt's finally done!
In 1975, Gene Roddenberry wrote the first draft of what was intended to be the first Star Trek movie. Today, it's better known by fans as The God Thing.
About three years ago, I found a copy of the screenplay online. The problem? It was only the first 20 pages.
Then, this January, a complete copy unexpectedly landed in my email inbox.
After reading it thoroughly and verifying that it was legitimate, I began writing a scene-by-scene synopsis. I also wanted to find a way to make the screenplay itself available...either privately or, if I could get the file size small enough, publicly.
Progress was slow until about two weeks ago, when a friend wrote a script that could OCR the PDF while preserving the original text layout (screenplays are heavily formatted). That automated about 90% of the transcription work, and suddenly the race was on to get it published before Star Trek: Las Vegas.
You can find it on The Evolution of Star Trek: The Motion Picture webpage:
http://www.dolari.net/startrek/tmp/index.html
Click the "Genesis II" button at the bottom of the page. On the left is a link labeled "Click Here to Read" next to "Star Trek II (Commonly Known as 'The God Thing')." You can also scroll to the right to read a complete scene-by-scene synopsis.
There's a lot here to explore. It's surprising just how many ideas that eventually appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture have their roots in this screenplay. It also settles a few long-standing rumors.
No, Kirk doesn't punch Jesus on the bridge.
Yes, there really is an assassination attempt by voluptuous, oil-bathed women.
I hope this proves useful to Star Trek fans, screenplay enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the fascinating road that eventually led to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Enjoy!
#StarTrek
In 1975, Gene Roddenberry wrote the first draft of what was intended to be the first Star Trek movie. Today, it's better known by fans as The God Thing.
About three years ago, I found a copy of the screenplay online. The problem? It was only the first 20 pages.
Then, this January, a complete copy unexpectedly landed in my email inbox.
After reading it thoroughly and verifying that it was legitimate, I began writing a scene-by-scene synopsis. I also wanted to find a way to make the screenplay itself available...either privately or, if I could get the file size small enough, publicly.
Progress was slow until about two weeks ago, when a friend wrote a script that could OCR the PDF while preserving the original text layout (screenplays are heavily formatted). That automated about 90% of the transcription work, and suddenly the race was on to get it published before Star Trek: Las Vegas.
You can find it on The Evolution of Star Trek: The Motion Picture webpage:
http://www.dolari.net/startrek/tmp/index.html
Click the "Genesis II" button at the bottom of the page. On the left is a link labeled "Click Here to Read" next to "Star Trek II (Commonly Known as 'The God Thing')." You can also scroll to the right to read a complete scene-by-scene synopsis.
There's a lot here to explore. It's surprising just how many ideas that eventually appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture have their roots in this screenplay. It also settles a few long-standing rumors.
No, Kirk doesn't punch Jesus on the bridge.
Yes, there really is an assassination attempt by voluptuous, oil-bathed women.
I hope this proves useful to Star Trek fans, screenplay enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the fascinating road that eventually led to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Enjoy!
#StarTrek