Who directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Robert Wise directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first feature film in the Star Trek franchise.

Wise was an experienced filmmaker whose credits included West Side Story and The Sound of Music. His background in large-scale productions helped Paramount shape Star Trek's transition from television to cinema in 1979.

The film is sometimes confused with later Star Trek movies directed by actors from the franchise. Leonard Nimoy directed Star Trek III and Star Trek IV, while William Shatner directed Star Trek V. Wise instead brought a deliberately serious, visual style to the Enterprise's first theatrical mission.

The Motion Picture introduced a redesigned USS Enterprise and emphasized visual effects, music, and cosmic mystery. Its production was lengthy and expensive, but it established the film series that continued with The Wrath of Khan.