I feel this short-lived Enterprise captain deserved a better ending in Star Trek: The Motion Picture

James T. Kirk's position as the captain of the USS Enterprise has been a constant in the world of Star Trek. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Kirk (played by William Shatner) is promoted to Admiral. After he steps back from his previous role, the iconic ship briefly gets a new captain in Will Decker (played by Stephen Collins). However, Decker never gets an opportunity to embark on his mission as Kirk unexpectedly returns to command the ship in order to stop a dangerous alien entity called V’Ger, which was making its way to Earth.

Decker shows his annoyance openly when Starfleet authorizes Kirk to take over the mission. However, having had experiences with other alien lifeforms during his previous missions, Kirk was best suited for the job.

V’Ger is an energy filled cloud that was approaching Earth to find its creator. On the way, it ends up destroying Klingon spaceships and Starfleet’s station that had detected a hostile object at the center of it. Decker would end up merging with the entity, and together evolve into a higher life-form.

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Who is Will Decker?

Will Decker comes off as a bold and spirited Starfleet officer, all set to prove himself. He had been working on the new USS Enterprise for more than a year and was preparing to take the ship on a five-year mission. It was on Admiral Kirk's recommendation that Decker got the job.

When Admiral Kirk comes aboard the ship and informs that he is taking over the captain’s role as per Starfleet’s directive, Decker shows his displeasure. He argues that he knows more about the ship than Kirk. Decker stays on the ship as the First Officer, a demotion that he reluctantly accepts. He has had a romantic relationship in the past with the Deltan navigator Lieutenant Ilia (played by Persis Khambatta), who also joins the crew.

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What happened to Decker?

When the Enterprise encounters the alien entity V’Ger, it would send a probe to scan the ship. In the bridge, it kills Ilia and takes her. We witness a distraught Decker, who still puts his duty above his emotions and helps the crew navigate through the challenges.

V’Ger sends Ilia back as a link to communicate with the Enterprise. The crew learns that though Illia appears robotic, her human memories still exist as she shows glimpses of recognition for Decker.

Decker is given the task to revive Ilia’s memories so she can help the Enterprise understand the alien. They learn that V’Ger is looking for its ‘creator’ on Earth. Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) would journey into the heart of V’Ger alone and discover that it is a living machine.

V’Ger threatens to annihilate the Earth if it is not allowed to meet the creator. Decker along with Kirk, Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and Doctor Leonard McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley) land on the inner core of the machine. Kirk discovers that the space probe at the center is ‘Voyager 6’, which was NASA's deep space probe shuttle from the 20th Century.

The space probe had got caught in a black hole and ended up on the other side of the galaxy. The primitive machine was enhanced by a planet of living machines and sent back to its creator to share the knowledge it acquired on the way. V’Ger also got self-aware in the process.

V'Ger’s ultimate aim was to unite with its creator and become a more advanced life form. Decker, who had lost his Captain’s role and the love of his life, Illia, volunteers to become a part of the entity. Decker and assimilated Ilia disappear into a blinding light. At the end, Kirk will request the two officers to be listed as ‘missing.'

While Decker may have made the ultimate sacrifice, his actions does not make sense. It was abrupt and needed more explanation. During the whole movie, Decker’s character created much tension, something Kirk was not used to. As a matter of fact, they both shared similar traits and it would have been compelling to see their dynamics together.

While this was the last time we see V’Ger, its return cannot be ruled out in future Star Trek ventures. Of course, Decker is no longer himself, but a version of him still exists and it would be interesting to witness the new life form in action.

Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry. The Original Series on NBC ran for three seasons between 1966 and 1969. Despite getting canceled, the series went on to gain a cult following. The Star Trek franchise expanded to comics, animated series, films, and spin-off shows.

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