In 1979, what were we seeing in terms of other sci-fi movies?

It was around the same time as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Alien and there was an interest in the genre. And Star Trek the movie was a gamble for Paramount.

The series had not been a huge hit when it first aired, but Paramount executives thought they might have something because the re-runs had grown to be a powerful force on local stations across the country and even around the world. It did something which had never been done before, it developed a cult audience.

Star Trek helped popularise syndication and it showed that there was a devoted audience out there that was clamouring to see whatever happened to these people. And so Paramount took a risk and it paid off.

The first movie was not a huge critical success and, in fact, even let down some fans, but it did well enough in the box office to suggest that there definitely was an audience for the genre and for the franchise to continue.