Anticipating The Voyage Home

The third Star Trek film was still in theatres when I first began to hear word on the fourth film in the series. My diary entries end during the Spring of 1985, but before then I did record some of the information I learned about the film:

29June1984: "Yesterday I bought The Best of Trek #7 which reports that work (pre-production, to be sure) has already begun on Star Trek IV."

24August1984: "I picked up the September issue of Starlog today. Also in Starlog is confirmation that Star Trek IV is "on the drawing boards" though writer, director, and producer haven't been made official. Nimoy is a possibility for director, however."

17October1984: "Over the past few weeks...I bought...the November review issue of Starlog. Also in this issue was notice of the fact that Leonard Nimoy will direct the next Star Trek film with Harve Bennett as producer. Though the two will play a big role in the storyline, they will be looking for a Hollywood screenwriter to pen the actual script. Paramount is hoping for a Christmas '85 release though that will likely be pushed back to the Summer of 1986. Still, it is good to know that a new film is on the way."

29January1985: "Today I learned that all of Star Trek IV's contractual problems have been ironed aout. Shatner and Nimoy are slated to star, with the "rest of the cast" along as well. Production is scheduled to begin in Fall '85. If past experience holds true again, the movie should be out the in the Summer of '86. Now I'm waiting for Star Trek II on TV, Star Trek III on video cassette, and Star Trek IV in the theatres."

5February1985: "ST IV has been in the news a lot of late. All reports point to a Fall start in principle photography, with all the cast returning. Specifically, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura & Chekov. I've not heard anything about the Saavik situation or any new cast members."