The Star Trek Are Movies Quietly Returning To Theaters — With A Twist

Star Trek is headed back to the big screen for its big 60th birthday in September. Starting on September 4 and running through September 8 — the 60th anniversary of Star Trek — the first four theatrically released Star Trek films will return to theaters at AMC and Cinemark locations around the U.S. But there’s an interesting twist with this theatrical re-release: each film is billed as a double-feature, complete with an episode of The Original Series that complements the themes and events of each of the first four movies.

Basically, nobody has ever watched Star Trek movies in the theater quite like this before. But with a few of these pairings, this may be the best way to experience Trek on the big screen ever. Here’s which Star Trek movies are getting a theatrical re-release in September, and which TOS episodes each is paired with.

“The Changeling” + Star Trek: The Motion Picture

In 1979, hardcore Trek fans were somewhat surprised that some elements of The Motion Picture were very similar to the John Meredyth Lucas-penned episode from 1967, “The Changeling.” Both stories deal with an Earth probe that undergoes a huge change after merging with an alien intelligence, and in both cases, it is in search of its creator. The TMP screenplay had several cooks in the kitchen, including Harold Livingston and Alan Dean Foster, inspired by a screenplay for the never-launched 1970s Trek series, Star Trek: Phase II. That screenplay — the kind of melting point between “The Changeling” and The Motion Picture — was called “In Thy Image,” based on a story from Trek creator Gene Roddenberry called “Robot’s Return.”

In all versions, we’re dealing with a great story about an AI that thinks it has god-like powers, and is incredulous that it could have been created by humans. Classic stuff.

“Space Seed” + Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Famously, The Wrath of Khan presented a direct sequel to the TOS episode “Space Seed,” the episode in which the crew accidentally revived genetically-enhanced supervillain Khan (Ricardo Montalban) from suspended animation. While Khan’s 1982 Wrath is certainly more famous than the 1967 episode, the episode does have one thing that the film lacks: Kirk and Khan actually fight!

Of all the double-features for Star Trek’s theatrical release, this one will almost certainly be the most popular.

“Amok Time” + Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The mega-popular (and often-parodied) classic Trek episode “Amok Time” established the seven-year cycle of Vulcan pon farr. During this time, Spock (and other Vulcans) have to mate or suffer the fatal consequences. While we saw Spock’s adulthood pon farr in “Amok Time” (written by sci-fi legend Theodore Sturgeon), it was in The Search for Spock that a teenage Spock — in a regenerated body — had to deal with pon farr for the “first” time. Fun fact: a subplot in which Saavik (Robin Curtis) was pregnant with Spock’s child was dropped from Star Trek IV, though many fans still consider it canon.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” + Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

More than half of the most popular Star Trek stories involve time travel, and nearly all the box office hits for Trek movies are timey-wimey. In 1986, director and star Leonard Nimoy — with help from a screenplay crafted by Harve Bennett, Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, and Wrath director Nicholas Meyer — delivered one of the best, and quirkiest Star Trek movies of all time. Fans like to call The Voyage Home by its funnier, unofficial title: “The One With the Whales,” since this is the movie where the crew goes back to 1986 to try to bring whales into the future to talk to a space probe that only speaks whale.

For the double-feature, this film is being paired with another beloved time travel story, albeit one that is way more of a bummer: the tragedy of “The City on the Edge of Forever,” written by Harlan Ellison. The biggest connection between these two stories? Spock has to figure out how to hide his ears, and Kirk struggles with managing 20th-century cash.

Star Trek 60th Anniversary popcorn buckets

As reported by TrekMovie, AMC will be offering a 60th anniversary Star Trek popcorn bucket, with the classic TOS version of the USS Enterprise. There will also be four different drink cups with four “mystery toppers.” Those four options include the TOS Enterprise, the movie version of the Enterprise, the USS Excelsior, and the USS Reliant.

You can get showtimes and information about the Star Trek movie+episode pairings at AMC and Cinemark. Note: most of these showings will run more than three hours, since it’s a feature film, plus an hour-long episode of The Original Series.