The "Star Trek" movie franchise got its start 40 years ago with 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

And now's your chance to see it on the big screen. Tickets for Fathom’s Events September 15 and 18 screenings of "The Motion Picture" go on sale this Friday, August 2.

Besides the original cast, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Nichelle Nichols, the movie added actress Persis Khambatta  as intriguingly bald navigator Ilia and Stephen Collins as Decker, the new captain of the Enterprise who clashes with Shatner's Captain Kirk.

Robert Wise, the Oscar-winning director behind another sci-fi classic, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," was  hired to direct.

It’s the first nationwide cinema release since the film premiered in December, 1979. The  presentation will also feature the behind-the-scenes documentary short "The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture."

While "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" can't boast the same kind of action and memorable villain as its sequel, "The Wrath of Khan," its box-office success ensured there'd be plenty more "Star Trek" movies to come.

It earned Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Music, Original Score.

[Via Variety]