Thanks so much for that book recommendation! I didn't know about it and I shall definitely read it. A friend gave me 'Star Trek The Motion Picture: Inside the Art and Visual Effects' for my birthday earlier this year. If you haven't seen it already, it's a wonderful book - an absolute treasure trove of art and production details.
We never saw Robert Wise’s cut. Paramount forced it out the door with half done effects shots. The Directors cut DVD was the closest but it was only done in 480 for budget reasons. That team is now finally doing a 4K directors cut which might finally do the movie some justice. The recent art and visual effects book paints a picture of the undertaking to make those SFX we can’t really appreciate today. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789091993/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W69BVCTY0T8VPRFJC6AC