star trek movie first contact

Star Trek: First Contact

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Six years have passed since Captain Jean-Luc Picard was captured and assimilated by the Borg. Now, the Borg make a second attempt to conquer the Federation. Starfleet believes that Picard's experience makes him an "unstable element to a critical situation" and orders him to stay behind. But, when Starfleet's fight does not go well, Picard and the crew of the new USS Enterprise disobey orders to join the fight, following the Borg three hundred years into the past just as Zefram Cochrane prepares to launch Humanity's first warp-capable engine, the Phoenix , and make first contact with an alien race.

• 1.1.1 24th century
• 1.1.2 21st century
• 1.2 Act Two
• 1.3 Act Three
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Development
• 4.2.1 The New Enterprise
• 4.2.2 Interiors
• 4.2.3 The Borg
• 4.2.4 The Phoenix
• 4.3.1 Production history
• 4.4.1 Visual effects
• 4.4.2 Music
• 4.4.3 Promotion and merchandising
• 4.5 Box office performance
• 4.6 Reactions
• 4.8 Apocrypha
• 4.9 Merchandise gallery
• 5 Awards and honors
• 6.1.1 Opening credits
• 6.1.2.1 Motion Control and Pyrotechnics Unit
• 6.2.1 Performers
• 6.2.2 Stunt performers
• 6.2.3 Stand-ins and photo doubles
• 6.2.4 Production staff
• 6.2.5 Production companies
• 6.3.1 Spacecraft references
• 6.3.2 Other references
• 6.3.3 Unreferenced material
• 6.4 Sources
• 6.5 External links

Summary [ ]

Act one [ ], 24th century [ ].

Picard relives his assimilation

Still haunted by memories of his assimilation six years ago , Captain Jean-Luc Picard awakes from a nightmare to wash his face. In the mirror, he is surprised by a Borg assimilation unit emerging from under his skin on his face. Awakening for real, Picard receives a communiqué from Starfleet Command . Appearing on his desktop terminal , Starfleet Admiral Hayes relays distressing news that Picard partially guesses from his dream: a Borg cube has attacked a Federation outpost on Ivor Prime and crossed into Federation space.

Picard announces the Enterprise will not be participating in the battle with the Borg

Picard dutifully informs his crew that they are to take the new Sovereign -class USS Enterprise -E to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone , a minor threat compared to the Borg. In the Enterprise -E's observation lounge , the senior crew members protest and are confused as to why the most advanced ship in the fleet is being relegated to a relatively unimportant task; the Romulans have not caused any incidents recently and would almost certainly not take the opportunity to start a conflict. Picard doesn't disagree with the protests but is compelled to follow orders. He later confides to first officer William T. Riker that the reason Starfleet is keeping the Enterprise away from the Borg is due to Picard's history with them. Riker emphatically disagrees with Starfleet's decision, saying that given Picard's experience with the Borg he should be leading the fight instead of being kept away from it. They then receive word that the fleet has engaged the Borg and listen as the battle appears to go badly.

" Set a course for Earth. Maximum warp. "

Picard announces his intention to commit a direct violation of their orders and that if anyone on the bridge objects, it will be noted in his log. The crew votes unanimously to disobey their orders and set a course for Earth at maximum warp, where they join a fleet of vessels repelling an advancing Borg cube. Among them is the badly-damaged warship USS Defiant commanded by Lieutenant Commander Worf . With the ship under heavy fire and its shields and weapons gone, he orders that the Defiant ram the cube when he is informed that the Enterprise has arrived. As the Defiant 's survivors are beamed aboard, Riker reports that the fleet admiral's ship has been destroyed. Informed by Data that the cube's outer hull has been heavily damaged and its power grid fluctuating, Picard has a good look at the cube on the viewscreen and uses his remaining connection to the Borg to briefly "listen in" on them. Picard takes command of the fleet and swiftly destroys the cube by ordering all vessels to target a seemingly insignificant region of the cube. As it explodes, however, the foundering Borg ship launches a sphere -shaped vessel into orbit of Earth.

The Enterprise -E enters the temporal vortex

Worf arrives on the bridge and (after being formally welcomed aboard the Enterprise -E) offers his assistance. He asks about the status of the Defiant and is relieved when told it is adrift but salvageable. Picard requests he takes tactical and Riker jokingly asks if he "remembers how to fire phasers." Suddenly, the sensors detect that the Borg sphere is creating a temporal vortex ; the crew watches the viewscreen as the Borg vessel disappears through the vortex and Earth dramatically changes. Seeing that it is now populated entirely by Borg drones and has a toxic atmosphere only suitable to them, they determine that history has been changed, having been protected from the changes themselves by the wake of the temporal vortex. As the vortex collapses, Captain Picard orders Lieutenant Hawk not to alter course and have the Enterprise follow the Borg into the past – to repair whatever damage they've done.

21st century [ ]

Lily and Cochrane spot the attackers

In the small shanty town of Bozeman , Montana , Lily Sloane and Zefram Cochrane wander out of a makeshift bar as their town is unexpectedly pulverized by a volley of disruptor fire. Lily and Cochrane run for cover but are unaware that the Borg sphere is responsible for the destruction raining down upon them. Lily suspects that they're under attack by the forces of the Eastern Coalition (ECON).

The Enterprise emerges from the temporal vortex and destroys the Borg sphere with quantum torpedoes . Scanning the surface, the crew discovers that they have arrived on April 4th , 2063 – one day before Earth's First Contact with an alien species, and a decade following the destruction of World War III . Picard surmises that the Borg were attempting to prevent the launch of Earth's first warp -powered craft. He gathers Lieutenant Commander Data and Doctor Beverly Crusher , leading an away team to locate the warp ship's inventor, Doctor Zefram Cochrane.

Picard, Data and the Phoenix

After beaming down, Picard's away team enters Cochrane's missile silo where they find the occupants dead but the prototype warpship, the Phoenix , suffering only minor damage. Picard and Data inspect the rocket but are surprised by Lily, who fires at the Enterprise officers. Impervious to bullets, however, Data intercepts the 21st century woman before she succumbs to radiation poisoning. Doctor Crusher returns to the Enterprise with Lily in her care, promising to keep her unconscious as Picard calls up to Geordi La Forge , asking the chief engineer to bring a repair crew to the silo.

The Borg overrun the ship

As the damage control team departs the ship, engineers Porter and Eiger are left to deal with environmental difficulties that have mysteriously cropped up. One after the other, both officers crawl into a Jefferies tube , wherein they are quietly assimilated by unseen Borg stowaways. Sensing that something is wrong aboard the Enterprise , Picard returns with Data to the ship, leaving Commander Riker in charge.

Indeed, something is dreadfully wrong, as the Borg infiltrate the Enterprise ; Picard surmises that the Borg, knowing their vessel was doomed, must have transported aboard undetected while the Enterprise 's shields were down. Fleeing Borg drones in sickbay , Doctor Crusher is forced to revive Lily. With the help of the Enterprise 's EMH , Crusher, Nurse Ogawa , Martinez , and other medical personnel are able to escape into the Jefferies tubes where Lily quietly slips away while the medical officers flee the deck. On the bridge , Picard orders Data to lockout the main computer with an encryption code as the Borg attempt to take command of the ship. Picard knows that, once the Borg have control of the Enterprise , they will assimilate Earth.

Act Two [ ]

Troi and Cochrane share a drink

Below decks, Picard briefs Data, Worf, and a team of security officers as they arm themselves with phaser rifles (Worf informing the crew that even with a rotating modulation , they will get at most twelve shots before the Borg adapt). As the Borg have taken control of main engineering , Picard explains their objective: puncture one of the warp plasma coolant tanks . Doing so will release the plasma coolant, liquefying the Borg's organic components, without which, Picard explains, the cyborgs cannot survive. Picard also warns his officers that they should not show mercy to assimilated Enterprise crew members – indeed, killing them would be the merciful thing to do.

On Earth, Commander Riker finds a drunken Counselor Troi at the town's makeshift bar. The counselor introduces Riker to Zefram Cochrane, himself intoxicated, explaining that the scientist doesn't believe their cover story – and that, in her professional opinion as ship's counselor , she thinks he's "nuts." Riker is very amused by Troi's drunken behavior, which annoys Troi even more. As Cochrane activates a rock and roll -spouting jukebox , Troi bemoans her first experience with tequila then finally passes out while Cochrane continues to dance to the music.

Picard and Data hunt Borg in the corridors of the Enterprise

Meanwhile, two teams march through the corridors of the Enterprise -E – one led by Worf, the other by Picard and Data. Rounding a corner on deck 16, the crew finds that the usually pristine and immaculate bulkheads of a Federation starship have been replaced by the grotesque and mechanical equipment of a Borg vessel. In response, an anxious Data deactivates his emotion chip . Elsewhere, Worf and his men encounter Dr. Crusher as she emerges from the Jefferies tubes with her medical staff and patients. She notifies the Klingon that Lily has gone missing and Worf promises to watch out for the woman. Moving on, the two teams meet outside of engineering, in corridors crawling with Borg drones. At first ignoring the Starfleet officers' arrival, the Borg suddenly spring into action as Picard and Data attempt to gain entry to main engineering. A battle ensues, but the Borg quickly adapt to phaser fire and Picard calls for a retreat. The captain tells the Enterprise crew to regroup on deck 15 and warns his officers not to let the Borg touch them. Too late, however, for Data, who is captured by the Borg and taken into their hive.

Lily captures Picard

Rushing to a Jefferies tube, Picard sees a crewman begging for help as Borg technology starts to take over his body and, believing he is saving him from a worse fate, shoots him dead before escaping into a hatch. Inside the access tube, Lily catches Picard by surprise, turning the captain's phaser on him and demanding to be returned home. Picard tells her that is not going to be easy at the moment, but Lily informs Picard that he had better make it easy or else she will fire the phaser on him. Picard tells her to follow him and she warns the captain to go slow.

Data awakes in engineering, restrained to a Borg operating table and surrounded by drones. He assures them that they cannot gain the Enterprise access codes stored in his neural net , speaking directly to the disembodied voice of the Borg. The Borg tell Data that breaking the code is only a matter of finding the android 's weakness.

Convincing Cochrane to make his flight

On the surface, Riker, Troi, and La Forge attempt to convince Cochrane that the story about the Borg and their mission is true. Adjusting the scientist's telescope , La Forge gives Cochrane a glimpse of the Enterprise -E, orbiting high above Montana. The Enterprise officers urge Cochrane to continue with his plans to launch the Phoenix , telling him of the Utopian society that warp travel and first contact will bring to Earth. On the same day that Cochrane makes his first warp flight, a survey ship from a neighboring alien race will be passing through Earth's solar system : upon noticing that Humans have discovered faster-than-light travel, they will decide that Humanity is advanced enough to officially make first contact. Thus, even if Cochrane's test flight is simply delayed a few days, it will drastically alter history. If Cochrane hurries to make his warp flight as scheduled, the aliens will make contact, and Humanity will put aside its differences and unite as never before, to rebuild from the world war and, within fifty years, build a utopia on Earth. Grudgingly, Cochrane agrees.

The Enterprise undergoing assimilation

Meanwhile, the fight does not go well aboard the Enterprise . The Borg continue their relentless assimilation of the ship and its crew, taking control of more than half of the starship. In command of the bridge, Worf is informed by Chief of Security Daniels that the Borg have halted their approach after seizing control of deck 11, which contains hydroponics , stellar cartography , and deflector control ; none of which are vital Enterprise systems; Worf is mystified, as the Borg would only have ceased their attack there if they gained a tactical advantage. Meanwhile, still crawling through the bowels of the ship, Picard leads Lily to a porthole looking out over Earth. Shocked to find herself in space, Lily surrenders her phaser and begins to trust the captain.

" The beginning, the end, the one who is many… "

Down in engineering, Data continues his conversation with the Borg Queen , who finally shows herself as a head and upper torso descending to a robotic body. Reactivating Data's emotion chip, the Queen reveals a patch of Human flesh grafted onto his android skeleton. With this new skin, Data is able to feel all new sensations and gets to experience pleasure for the first time when the Queen blows on the flesh.

In a corridor, Picard describes the Federation and the Borg to Lily, who reacts in terror as they enter a section overrun by Borg. As they make their escape, Picard fires his phaser, provoking a response from two drones who pursue them into the holosuite . Activating a holonovel , Picard recreates a scene from The Big Good-Bye , using a holographic Tommy gun to blast the two Borg in a fit of rage. He goes berserk and plans on ripping apart the dead Borg with the gun before being calmed down by Lily. Nonetheless, he starts pulling open the chest cavity of one of the drones when Lily notices the Borg has partial remains of a Starfleet uniform on. Picard unemotionally informs her that the Borg was formerly Starfleet Ensign Lynch . The captain retrieves a Borg neural processor and proceeds to the bridge, surprising Lily at how emotionally detached he was at the thought of killing his own crew member.

On Earth, Cochrane has grown frustrated with the high esteem bestowed upon him by the 24th century officers as they repair the Phoenix . After a run-in with Lieutenant Barclay (who, like many of the crew had already done, asks to shake his hand), Cochrane expresses his reservations to La Forge, who admits that he too is experiencing feelings of hero worship . La Forge reveals to Cochrane that the missile silo would eventually become home to a statue in his honor . The scientist quickly escapes into the woods, attempting to flee. Riker and La Forge give chase, ultimately stunning Cochrane to prevent his escape.

The Borg Queen seduces Data

In engineering, the operation to give Data flesh and blood continues. Exploiting a small window of opportunity, Data breaks free of the operating table and attempts to escape his captors. He is stopped, however, when a drone slashes at and cuts Data's new Human skin. Data is then forced to experience another new feeling – pain – and is left confused that, despite the fact he wants to rip the flesh off, he can't bring himself to do it. The Borg Queen then sets about seducing the android, who explains that he is "fully functional" and "programmed in multiple techniques," but it has been just over eight years since he has used them. Just as he tells the Queen this, the two fall into a passionate embrace.

Picard, Worf, and Hawk on the hull of the Enterprise

On the bridge, Picard returns to brief his crew on the situation: the Borg plan to use the ship's navigational deflector to contact reinforcements in the Delta Quadrant which would easily conquer Earth. With no other way to gain access to the deflector dish, Picard, Worf, and the ship's helmsman , Lieutenant Hawk, don EV suits and cross the exterior hull of the ship on foot (much to Worf's dismay, as the zero-gravity makes him sick to his stomach ), finding several drones constructing a beacon atop the particle emitter . Unable to simply destroy the dish due to the risk of severe damage to the ship, Picard and company work to manually release it into space. Arousing a response from the drones, the Enterprise officers battle the Borg, who are able to injure Worf and assimilate Hawk. Hawk, now assimilated, tries to kill Picard by throwing him to a wall, cracking the glass in his helmet. Just as Hawk is about to slam his foot down on Picard's helmet, Worf shoots Hawk and he flies away into space. Recovering quickly, Picard finishes his task and releases the deflector into space. Worf allows the deflector to drift away from the ship, then destroys it with his phaser rifle.

Sensing the destruction of the beacon, the Borg Queen announces to Data – still undergoing the operation – that she has changed her plans.

Act Three [ ]

Aboard the repaired Phoenix , with less than an hour before launch, Cochrane mulls over some final details as Riker joins him. Cochrane admits that he's suffering from a hangover which is either from the whiskey or Riker's phaser blast (or both), but is ready to make history nonetheless. As the launch doors are opened, Riker marvels at the sight on the moon visible in the early morning sky. Cochrane, unimpressed, wonders if maybe there is no moon in the 24th century. Riker admits that there is but it just looks very much different here in the 21st century as 50 million people live on the moon in the 24th century. Riker points out Tycho City , New Berlin and Lake Armstrong , but Cochrane doesn't want to hear any of it being credited to him, as he's had quite enough of hearing about "the great Zefram Cochrane." Cochrane advises Riker that the Enterprise crew has some pretty unbelievable ideas about who he really is as he has observed them treating him as some kind of saint or visionary. Riker admits that he doesn't think Cochrane is a saint, but he most definitely had a vision - the Phoenix itself. Cochrane admits, however, his real vision is dollar signs and money . He confides in Riker that he didn't build the Phoenix to usher in a new era for Humanity - he doesn't even like to fly, preferring trains . He built the Phoenix to be able to retire to a tropical island filled with naked women, which amuses Riker, but Cochrane vehemently defends his vision as who he truly is and dismisses the historical figure that the crew sees him as while also believing he'll never be the man history knows him to be. Riker offers Cochrane a quote - "Don't try to be a great man, just be a man and let history make it's own judgments." Cochrane dismisses it as rhetorical nonsense before quizzing Riker on who said that. Riker, quite amusedly, tells Cochrane it was he himself, ten years from the present, before leaving the doctor to finish his pre-launch checklist.

Returning to the bridge, Picard and Worf find the situation has worsened: Daniels, bloodied, emerges from the Jeffries Tube and reports that the Borg have continued their takeover of the ship, assimilating decks five and six, with the intent of charging their way to the bridge, and the crew's phasers can no longer affect their adversaries. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Picard orders Daniels to tell his men to stand their ground, even fight hand-to-hand if need be. Worf and Dr. Crusher argue against this, instead suggesting evacuating the Enterprise in escape pods and setting the ship to self-destruct to destroy the Borg. Picard angrily balks and decrees that the crew will stay and fight. Worf believes however that the Enterprise has been lost, but Picard retorts he has no intention of losing the Enterprise , certainly not to the Borg while he's in command. Worf, owing to all due respect to the captain, attempts to reason with Picard telling him that his experience with the Borg is influencing his judgement. Picard responds by calling the Klingon a coward by wanting to destroy the ship and simply run away. Worf, insulted and outraged, snarls at Picard: " If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand! " Unfazed by the threat, Picard angrily fires back at Worf "Get off my bridge!" and retreats into the observation lounge, alone. Dr. Crusher begins to coordinate the remaining crew in defense of the ship, but Lily argues in favor of the self-destruct. Dr. Crusher points out that when the captain makes up his mind the discussion is over. Lily, not one of the crew, doesn't accept this and follows Picard to confront him…

"The line must be drawn HERE! This far, NO FURTHER! "

In the observation lounge, Picard sits at the table and tries to reconfigure his phaser rifle as Lily enters calling him a " son of a bitch ." The captain, with little time to spare, waves her off. Lily admits that while she may not know anything about the time where the crew comes from, she knows that everyone on the bridge believes that staying aboard the ship and fighting the Borg is suicide, they just won't tell Picard. The captain dismisses her belief with the assumption that the crew will follow his orders as they always have. Lily reminds him that his orders probably make sense most of the time. Picard's temper rises and silences her by saying the crew cannot understand the Borg as he does and no one can, he says quietly. Lily doesn't understand what Picard means.

Picard explains the circumstances surrounding his abduction and incorporation into the Collective six years earlier and smugly tells her that his experiences give him a unique perspective on the Borg and how to fight them. He asks that she excuse him, as he has work to do. Lily begins to understand Picard's motivations – the Borg hurt him before and now he's going to pay them back. The captain sneers that in the 24th century, mankind doesn't succumb to revenge as they have a more evolved sensibility than what Lily can appreciate. " Bullshit! " she exclaims as she watched him earlier murder two Borg in the holosuite in cold blood with a look of enjoyment on his face. Picard is appalled she would make such an accusation and snarls at her to get out. Lily, defiant, stands her ground and wonders if he'll kill her like he did Ensign Lynch if she refuses. Picard, his emotions running high, dismisses the incident, claiming "there was no way to save him." Lily doesn't buy it and asks where his "evolved sensibility" was then. Picard tries to ignore her claims, but Lily compares him to the obsessed Captain Ahab in the novel Moby Dick . Picard is momentarily jarred, but he shifts the conversation away from the accusation saying his refusal to abandon ship is more about saving the future of Humanity. Lily presses him bluntly, screaming at him to "blow up the damn ship!" Picard now loses control entirely, yelling " No! " and in a moment of total rage smashes his phaser rifle into the display case containing models of previous starship Enterprise s . As he watches the shattered models of the USS Enterprise -C and USS Enterprise -D fall and break, he is momentarily taken aback. He tells her that sacrificing the Enterprise -E would be another compromise in a long line of compromises in Humanity's dealings with the Borg. " No further ," Picard intones, for he intends to make the Borg pay for what they've done.

Seemingly defeated, Lily examines the broken pieces of the Enterprise -D model and gently chides the captain that his little ships are broken and begins to exit the lounge. " See you around, Ahab. " As she does, the words of Moby Dick echo from his memory…

Lily confesses she never actually read the book. With a smile on his lips, Picard explains that Captain Ahab had spent years hunting the whale that had crippled him, but his quest for vengeance eventually destroyed him and his ship. Realizing that he is indeed walking the same path, Picard sets his phaser rifle next to the broken pieces of the Enterprise -D model and enters the bridge and gives the order…

" Prepare to evacuate the Enterprise . "

At the launch site, Riker, La Forge, and Cochrane begin the pre-ignition sequence to launch the Phoenix while on the Enterprise bridge, Picard, Crusher, and Worf arm the auto-destruct sequence. Programming the escape pods to head for the isolated Gravett Island , the captain activates the destruct order: fifteen minutes with a silent countdown. Dr. Crusher laments the quick death of the Enterprise -E and wonders if Starfleet will build another one. Picard, as hopeful as he was following the destruction of the Enterprise -D, quips that there are still " plenty of letters left in the alphabet. " Worf turns to exit as Picard stops him, regretting some the remarks he made to him earlier. The captain adds that the Klingon is the bravest man he's ever known. Worf accepts the apology and they shake hands. Now alone on the bridge, his Starfleet career seemingly over and his command minutes away from destruction, Picard suddenly becomes very much aware that Data is still held in the clutches of the Collective.

From mission control in Montana, Counselor Troi, on headset to the cockpit of the Phoenix , advises Cochrane, Riker and Geordi that final launch checks are complete and wishes them good luck. Riker wonders if everyone is ready to make history, which La Forge concedes that he always is. Cochrane, however, is bothered by a nagging feeling that he has forgotten something, although he dismisses it as probably nothing. As Troi begins the ignition sequence and the countdown to launch begins, Cochrane suddenly realizes what he has forgotten. As Riker and Geordi begin to abort, Cochrane finds what he's looking for in his pocket - a green disc, which he inserts into the console. As the countdown approaches zero, Cochrane orders the Phoenix launched - "Let's rock and roll!" He presses a button on the console with the disc as " Magic Carpet Ride " by Steppenwolf blasts into the cockpit (and Troi's headset) at maximum volume. The Phoenix blasts off as the townspeople look on. As she begins to achieve orbit, Riker, more of a jazz enthusiast, wonders if Cochrane might turn the song down a little as Geordi reports a red light on the second intake valve. Cochrane, unconcerned, tells them to ignore it as the Phoenix completes first-stage shut down and separation. As it does, the warp nacelles deploy from the port and starboard sides of the craft. Riker brings the warp core online as Cochrane marvels at the sight of the Earth out of the window. Geordi promises him "you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Flight of the escape pods

Escorting Lily to her escape pod, Picard hands her a PADD containing orders for Commander Riker, informing him and their crew on the surface to find a quiet corner of North America and to stay out of history's way. Lily wishes Picard good luck and does he, but she quickly realizes that the captain has no intention of leaving the ship. He explains to her that when he was held captive on the Borg ship years earlier, the crew risked everything to save him and that there is one member of the Enterprise crew still aboard and he owes him the same. Accepting his decision, Lily tells Picard to go find his friend and boards her pod as dozens of escape craft disengage from the Enterprise and travel towards Earth.

Grappling with the Queen

Picard advances to engineering where he comes face-to-face with the Borg Queen. She recalls the last time they met – during his assimilation – and notes how Picard can still hear "their song" - the call of the Collective. Picard, incredulous, begins to remember the Queen but cannot understand how she survived the destruction of the Borg cube that invaded the Federation six years earlier. The Queen, disgusted with Picard's limited understanding, admonishes him for how small he has become and how Data understands her and calls to the android. Picard turns to see a new Data, plugged into a Borg alcove , with half of his face now sporting organic Human flesh. The captain demands to know what the Queen has done to him, but she simply states she has simply given him what he's always wanted - flesh and blood. Picard requests that the Queen let Data go as he is not the one she wants. As she quizzes the captain on whether he's offering himself to the Borg, Picard has a sudden realization that it wasn't enough that the Borg assimilate him six years earlier, he had to give himself over to the Borg to satisfy the Queen's intentions. She angrily rebukes his claim, stating that she has overseen the assimilation of countless millions and that Picard was no different. The captain accuses her of lying, stating he knows that she wanted him to be more than just another Borg drone, she was seeking a Human counterpart to herself to bridge the gap between Humanity and the Borg, but that plan failed as Picard resisted. The Queen laments that Picard couldn't begin to understand the life he denied himself. Picard makes his offer - Locutus rejoins the collective willingly without any resistance in exchange for letting Data go. The Queen commends Picard's nobility and releases the forcefield containing Data and allows him to leave. However, Data remains motionless. The captain orders Data to go but he refuses, stating he does not wish to leave. With a glint of satisfaction, the Queen informs Picard that she doesn't need him as she's already found her equal - Data. She orders him to deactivate the self-destruct sequence and he obliges. Picard desperately tries to convince Data not to do it, but he ignores him as the ship's computer acknowledges that the auto-destruct sequence has been deactivated. After deactivating the self-destruct sequence, the Queen orders Data to now enter the encryption codes on the main computer, which will give the Queen command of the Enterprise. Data, again, obliges as Picard woefully notes that Data will not listen to him. Data, instead, leaves the captain and takes his place at the Queen's side, telling her that Picard will be an "excellent drone" as Borg drones take hold of the betrayed captain.

Aboard the Phoenix , Geordi reports everything is looking good and the ship is prepared for warp speed as Riker warns that they had best break the warp barrier in the next five minutes if history is to fulfill itself. Cochrane orders Riker and La Forge to jump to warp with a familiar command - "Engage!" Riker and Geordi allow themselves a grin at the parallel as the Enterprise begins to bear down on the Phoenix. Back in engineering, Picard is confined to an operation table as Data targets the Phoenix with quantum torpedoes , which the Queen orders destroyed. The torpedoes are launched from the Enterprise as a delighted Borg Queen taunts the captain to watch as Humanity's future comes to an end, not noticing Data quietly moving towards a plasma coolant tank behind her. Picard can only watch in horror as the torpedoes close in on the Phoenix until they finally… miss their target. The horrified Queen and smirking captain realize that Data has deceived the Borg, not joined them. Data mockingly repeats the Borg's mantra back to the Queen - "Resistance is futile!" and thrusts his fist into the coolant tank, enveloping him in the deadly gas as Picard scrambles for cover. The Phoenix engages it's warp drive as Cochrane hangs on for dear life. On the Enterprise , Picard utilizes some suction hoses from the ceiling to escape the lethal plasma coolant. Just below him, the Queen grabs hold of his foot, impeding his climb to safety. Picard struggles against her grip until Data – his new skin dissolved – emerges from the plasma coolant and grabs hold of her. After a desperate struggle, Data pulls the Borg Queen into the deadly gas. Screaming in pain and rage, the Borg Queen's flesh quickly disintegrates. With her control of the Borg on the Enterprise destabilized, drones all over the ship collapse and die.

The remains of the fallen Borg Queen

" Data, are you all right? " " I would imagine I look worse than I… feel. "

After a few moments traveling faster than the speed of light, Riker aboard the Pheonix orders throttle back. As the Phoenix drops out of warp, it begins it's return journey to Earth. Cochrane, amazed at his experience, notices how small Earth looks from the cockpit window. Riker reminds him that it's about to get a whole lot bigger once history takes it's course. Picard vents the plasma from engineering and descends to the deck, which is littered with Borg corpses. Finding the metallic skeletal remains of the Borg Queen still clinging to life near the warp core, Picard breaks her spinal column and terminates her once and for all, finally allowing him some form of closure. The captain finds Data not far away; knowing that the melting of his Borg-given Human skin has left some of his inner circuits revealed but caused no real damage, he quips that he probably doesn't feel as bad as he might look, allowing a small chuckle at the irony. The android expresses a sense of sadness at the death of the "unique" Borg Queen and the glimpses of Humanity she brought him. He admits that he was tempted by her offer for a mere 0.68 seconds, but also notes that this involved much more deliberation than the captain might suspect. Picard extends his hand to Data and helps him to his feet. They both take a look at the Borg assimilated engineering and exit.

First contact

In Montana, a crowd of observers, including Cochrane, Lily, Picard, and the other Human members of the Enterprise 's senior staff , watch the historic landing of the first extraterrestrial craft to openly and publicly visit Earth. Cochrane, amazed, marvels to Riker that the aliens really are from another world as Riker reminds him that they're going to want to meet the man who flew that warp ship that drew them there. Cochrane approaches them as the alien leader makes his way forward and removes his hood, revealing a set of pointed ears and extends his hand in greeting: "Live long and prosper." Cochrane attempts to return the gesture, but cannot get his fingers to mimic the alien's. Instead, he offers him the Human equivalent - a handshake . "Thanks." he says. Picard, happily noting that all is proceeding as it should, notes to his crew that the time has come for them to make a discreet exit and let history unfold as it should. With that, Riker taps his combadge and orders the Enterprise to stand by to beam them up as the captain heads for Lily. She notes that the time has come for him to go and remarks how she envies him and the world he's going to. Picard responds how much he envies her that she gets to witness Humanity's first steps into a new frontier before telling her that he'll miss her. With a kiss good-bye, the Enterprise crew departs unnoticed.

Back on the bridge, Worf tells Picard that the Enterprise 's warp signature was obscured by the moon's gravitational field and thus was not detected by the Vulcans, while La Forge can recreate the temporal vortex that brought them there by reconfiguring their warp field . Data, with his damaged face, informs the captain that helm stands by for his orders. Picard, confident that the future they know will be waiting for them, has Data lay in a course for the 24th century. On Earth, as Lily watches in the sky as the Enterprise disappears through the vortex, a happily blitzed Cochrane unsuccessfully tries to get the Vulcans to drink and dance along to " Ooby Dooby " by Roy Orbison .

Log entries [ ]

Memorable quotes [ ].

" I've just received a disturbing report from Deep Space 5. Our colony on Ivor Prime was destroyed this morning. Long range sensors have picked up the– " " …Yes, I know, the Borg. "

" Bridge to Captain Picard. " " Go ahead. " " We've just received word from the fleet. They've engaged the Borg. "

" Flagship to Endeavour , stand by to engage at grid A-15. " " Defiant and Bozeman , fall back to mobile position 1. " " Acknowledged. " " We have it a visual range, a Borg cube on course 0 mark 2-1-5, speed warp nine… "

" We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. "

" All units, open fire! " " Remodulate shield… " " They've broken through the defense perimeter toward Earth! " " Pursuit Course. " " The cube is changing course! 0-2-1 mark 4! " " Defiant continue to attack! Flagship to Starfleet command, We need reinforcements!' " Casualty reports coming in! " " 96 dead, 22 wounded on the Lexington ! "

" I'm about to commit a direct violation of our orders. Any of you who wish to object should do so, now. It will be noted in my log."

" Isn't it amazing? This ship used to be a nuclear missile! " " It is an historical irony that Doctor Cochrane would use an instrument of mass destruction to inaugurate an era of peace. "

" This isn't part of my program! I'm a doctor, not a doorstop! "

" And you people, you're all astronauts on… some kind of star trek? "

" Who is this jerk? (slurring) And who told him he could turn off my music? "

" Timeline!? This is no time to argue about time!! We don't have the time!! What was I saying? "

" You'd better find a way to make it easy, soldier, or I'm going to start pushing buttons ! "

" I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg. "

" Assimilate this!"

" I will not sacrifice the Enterprise . We've made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here… THIS far, NO further! And I will make them PAY for what they've done. "

" Watch… your future's end. "

" Resistance is futile! "

" Live long and prosper. " " Thanks. "

" I envy you, the world you're going to. " " I envy you, taking these first steps into a new frontier. "

" Mister Data, lay in a course for the twenty-fourth century. I suspect our future is there waiting for us. " " Course laid in, sir. " " Make it so."

Background information [ ]

Development [ ].

The teaser poster for Star Trek: First Contact

With the success of Star Trek Generations and its worldwide gross of US$120,000,000, [1] Paramount Pictures development executives approached producer Rick Berman in February 1995 to ready the next installment in the Star Trek franchise. During an impromptu meeting with writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga , Berman revealed his interest in a time travel story.

The Moore/Braga writing team, however, wanted to tell a story focusing on the Borg. Moore recalled the first meeting:

Brainstorming sessions began between the writer/producers' day jobs on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . Again, Moore recalled:

Though other time periods in history including the American Civil War were bandied about, eventually the Italian Renaissance time period was seized upon. An early story draft entitled Star Trek Renaissance expanded upon this idea. According to Moore, the story would have found Picard and company searching history for a group of time-traveling Borg. Happening upon a Renaissance village, the crew would hear stories about strange creatures taking over neighboring villages:

The producers realized that the time period was expensive to realize on screen, with audience knowledge of and identification with the period very low. ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Ultimately, a time period after modern history was selected: The birth of the Federation. According to Brannon Braga:

A revised storyline was constructed, this time called Star Trek Resurrection . Utilizing elements laid into place by Gene Roddenberry 's original concepts for the Star Trek universe and the Star Trek: The Original Series second season episode " Metamorphosis ", Resurrection closely resembled the final film. In the story, the Borg attack Zefram Cochrane's Montana laboratory, severely injuring the scientist. With Doctor Crusher fighting to save Cochrane's life, Captain Picard assumes his place in history, rallying a town around reconstructing the damaged warp ship. As the action unfolded, Picard would have become romantically involved with a local photographer and X-ray technician named Ruby, who helps the captain reconstruct a key element of the ship. Aboard the Enterprise , Commander Riker would be engaged in combat with invading Borg drones. The Borg in Resurrection would remain faceless automatons.

With a draft of Resurrection sent to studio executives, generally positive notes were returned. However, one Paramount executive pointed out the weakness of the Borg as being that they were "basically zombies." Despite the Borg's inception as a faceless swarm, the writers chose to incorporate a figurehead into the Collective. The Borg Queen was created, a logical extension of the insect-like qualities incorporated into the Borg's characterization. Having read the early script pages too, Patrick Stewart, however, was dissatisfied with the film. Stewart suggested that the Picard and Riker stories be switched. Thus, the focus of the film was transferred to the action aboard the Enterprise with a B-story on the planet's surface. Elements like Ruby the photographer and an injured Cochrane were ultimately scrapped. As was any prospect of a love affair for Picard. Ronald D. Moore described the thought process:

With that adjustment in the structure of the film, Berman suggested the addition of a holodeck sequence: The "cocktail party". In August 1995 an early draft of the script, still titled Resurrection , was circulated to key members of the production staff, headed by Martin Hornstein and Peter Lauritson . Using this script, the production heads would budget the film, ultimately falling into the US$45,000,000 range. [2]

Key positions were filled as preproduction began. With several members of the cast volunteering for the director's chair, Jonathan Frakes won out. According to Frakes, the film was offered to A-list directors who had little interest in the franchise; as a result he was offered the job "a month later than would have been ideal." Frakes appointed Jerry Fleck , [3] a veteran of Star Trek: The Next Generation , as first assistant director and John W. Wheeler as editor. [4] Veteran costume designer Deborah Everton was assigned the task of creating all non-Starfleet clothing, plus redesigning the Borg with Michael Westmore . Everton's credits at the time included The Abyss and The X-Files TV series; she later costumed Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica miniseries. [5] Robert Blackman returned to once again redesign the Starfleet uniforms , this time to complement Frakes' darker color palette and stand up better to big screen scrutiny.

Pre-production [ ]

The new enterprise [ ].

John Eaves' so-called "chicken in a pan" design

Upon delivery of the script to production designer Herman Zimmerman , the art department's first task was the creation of a new Enterprise . Having been retained from his work on Generations , illustrator John Eaves operated in conjunction with Zimmerman to develop the Enterprise -E, based upon direction by Berman and the writers. According to Ronald D. Moore, " We described the new Enterprise in some detail. We said we want a sleeker look, with more of a muscular, almost warship kind of a look to it. "

According to illustrator Eaves, the process began by reviewing what came before, specifically Bill George 's USS Excelsior from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Over twenty or thirty sketches, the designer honed the look of the ship into an even sleeker design, rotating the oval-shaped saucer of the USS Enterprise -D to fit the new concept.

By October 1995 , Eaves and Zimmerman proceeded with their design with approval from Rick Berman. Featuring the same basic shape that appears in the finished film, this version of the Enterprise -E included movable warp pylons recalling the starship USS Voyager . Showing a dorsal-view sketch to a member of the production staff, Eaves received negative feedback that compared the ship to a chicken. " …From the moment he said that, the design was cursed. Every time I looked at it, I saw not a starship, but a chicken in a pan. Sadly, Herman saw it, too, so we had to (pardon the pun) scratch that one. "

Over the next several months, the ship was again refined. In sketches dated January 1996 , the Enterprise -E had finally been settled upon. Now distinguished by back-swept engine pylons, the ship was almost ready to be constructed. Eaves described the next steps:

Eaves' finalized overview drawings for the Enterprise -E

With several days of sketching alternatives behind him, Eaves returned to his original design to focus on the smaller details that allowed Sternbach to complete his plans. By the spring of 1996 , the ship's blueprints were turned over to Industrial Light & Magic 's model building team under John Goodson . The ten-foot model was fabricated under extreme time constraint (about half the normal time period); with photographs of rooms and people inserted into the ship's windows. A computer-generated model was also constructed (with almost indistinguishable differences between the two). [6]

Interiors [ ]

Working simultaneously on the exterior Enterprise -E, Eaves and Zimmerman focused inward, generating drawings of the Enterprise bridge as early as November 1995 . First designing a smaller space to fit with the smaller, sleeker direction of the Enterprise , the art department eventually opened the set up, creating a space that was larger than the bridge of the Enterprise -D. Eaves described the decision:

The bridge of the Enterprise -E as seen on film

A collaborative process, Eaves received input from Doug Drexler regarding his new bridge:

The final details of the bridge were honed through early 1996, alongside other new sets including new corridors and an expanded engineering. Again designed by Eaves and Zimmerman, Enterprise -E corridor sets were constructed in a basic horseshoe shape with built-in handrails, back-lit monitors and removable panels that could be easily swapped for "Borgified" parts. Two lighting schemes were created for the corridor sets for normal and " red alert " conditions, though the former was not seen until Star Trek: Insurrection . For the evacuation sequence, set decorator John M. Dwyer created vacuum-formed pieces molded from the hood of a Camaro, to be used as escape pod hatches. Paramount's Stages 14 and 15 housed the vast corridor complex which connected to Herman Zimmerman's and Nancy Mickleberry's main engineering. Eaves recalled the experience:

Corridor sets under construction

Despite the number of new sets created for the film, the production once again reused old material, including turbolift wall sections dating back to 1979 's Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Sections of the starship Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager were cannibalized for the film, as filming was to take place between that series' second and third seasons. Voyager 's sickbay was repainted and redressed for use as Doctor Crusher's sickbay, and the Voyager cargo bay set became the Enterprise weapons locker with relatively little modification. Having been saved from the wrecking crews following the completion of Generations , the Enterprise -D observation lounge, first built in 1987 for Star Trek: The Next Generation was put into service, overhauled and expanded, then connected to the bridge set. For the first time in the Star Trek film series, the transporter room did not appear. Also omitted from the finished picture, a large, cylindrical fish tank constructed for Picard's new ready room was replaced with nondescript objet d'art before the cameras rolled.

It was not only from previous Star Trek productions, the movie scavenged set pieces from as Production Illustrator John Eaves divulged in 2009, " We did Osiris immediately after Generations and both were Paramount films. When First Contact was starting up we brought over all the sets from Osiris and incorporated them into Star Trek . It was an oddity to take elements I had drawn for OC and then redraw them into the TNG world…everything came together well and if you have seen Osiris or (Battle lords) the tub shaped set piece that the Plentum was in became the center piece of the Warp core of the Enterprise E. " [7] Eaves was referring to the planned science fiction television series The Osiris Chronicles , for which a pilot episode, " The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy ", was produced in 1995/1996. A somewhat ill-conceived attempt to further capitalize on the new found popularity of science-fiction television shows, the series was not picked up however.

The Borg [ ]

A little less menacing: the Borg relax off camera

Assigned to refresh the Borg make up that had previously consisted of simple pale faces and cobbled together bodysuits, Deborah Everton and Michael Westmore cooperated with Herman Zimmerman and his team. As late as January of '96, pages of Borg designs flowed from the art department, with contributions by Alex Delgado of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Working for Disney in addition to Star Trek , Delgado often worked on his time off, generating complex and sometimes grotesque images of the Borg, heavily influenced by insect life and ancient Egyptian culture. While many of Delgado's ideas (including exposed organs and obelisk-shaped vessels) were ultimately rejected, much of his work was integrated into Everton's and Westmore's final designs. According to Westmore:

What resulted were eight Borg body-suits that would be combined with individually molded pieces to be swapped into various configurations representing different drones.

Electronics built into the Borg suits often included blinking lights that spelled out production members' names in Morse code . Makeup effects were achieved by airbrushing tiny "wires" that would appear to be just below the surface of the Borg drones' skin; a wide variety of humanoid and alien drones were created, including Klingons, Cardassians and Romulans , though the latter two never appeared in the theatrical cut. With days beginning as early as 2 am, it took the makeup department thirty minutes to get the eight Borg actors into their costumes, another five hours to apply makeup, and ninety minutes to remove the makeup at the end of the day. According to Westmore:

Alice Krige as the Queen's torso, lowered on a crane

As the leader of the horde of eight, Alice Krige 's Borg Queen costume was unique. A tight-fitting, one piece bodysuit, combined with a large headpiece and integrated lighting systems, the first of the Queen's costumes was built out of hard rubber. After the first of Krige's ten-day shoot, the actress suffered from blisters raised by the tight rubber. A second, soft foam suit was fabricated overnight. Despite the relative comfort of the new suit, Krige was still required to wear painful silver contact lenses that could be worn for only four minutes at a time. According to Jerry Fleck, the actress never complained.

Borg vessels were handled by John Eaves, based upon script pages, referring to a "tetragon", or rectangular-shaped vessel. Eaves generated drawings in January 1996, labeled "Borg tetragon":

Unable to reuse the Borg cube built for the television series, created out of inexpensive pieces from model kits, a new cube had to be designed. Described by Eaves as "nonsensical", a distinctly new surface was designed, distinguished by interlocking shapes and angles, with a hidden hatchway for Eaves' Borg sphere. Intricate details of ILM's Borg cube model were achieved through the use of recycled paper clips.

Besides several background and stunt performers who changed into Borg, there were also a few Borg mannequins. One of these mannequins was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [8]

The Phoenix [ ]

In their original concept of Zefram Cochrane's warp ship, the Phoenix , Moore and Braga's script referred to a space shuttle-type lander , constructed on a large, outdoor platform. Difficult to realize without the aid of extensive digital effects, the production searched for more practical methods. Rick Berman ultimately seized upon the idea of utilizing a real nuclear missile, inspiring the writers to adjust the script to accommodate the "irony" of a weapon of mass destruction used to "inaugurate an era of peace."

With the cooperation of the United States military, the production gained permission to shoot within a real missile silo in Green Valley, Arizona, near Tucson. Utilizing the real, though hollowed out Titan II missile still in its silo, the team resolved to construct a new nose to sit atop the missile, acting as the cockpit of the Phoenix . John Eaves:

Eaves' approved Phoenix logo

Completing his design for the full-size cockpit facade, Eaves next began conceptualizing the second-stage Phoenix , basing his drawings on designs appearing in Michael Okuda's Star Trek Chronology . Incorporating Star Trek: The Original Series -style warp nacelles into his drawings, Eaves refined the Phoenix from rough drawings to finalized designs over months. Turning over the plans to ILM and John Goodson's team, Eaves was stunned by the finished product:

Though mostly invisible on screen, a logo for Cochrane's warp ship was also designed by Eaves on the fly.

Calling a number of gift shops in the area, Eaves was finally able to locate a postcard with an appropriate picture of the phoenix he remembered. Taking the postcard to a local store, the gift shop owner faxed a picture of the phoenix to the Paramount production offices where Eaves went to work. With only a single pass, the logo was approved by Rick Berman.

Production [ ]

In the spring of 1996, newly-recruited director Jonathan Frakes and producer Rick Berman cast their three "guest stars". Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, an admitted Trekker, was slated to play Zefram Cochrane but he was busy with his directorial debut. The role went to James Cromwell , a veteran of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Oscar nominee for his role in the 1995 movie Babe . According to Jonathan Frakes: " In spite of having been nominated for an Academy Award, he actually came in and read for the part… He nailed it. He left Berman and me with our jaws in our laps. " Cromwell later reprised his role as Cochrane in the Star Trek: Enterprise first season episode " Broken Bow ".

Robert Picardo cameos as another EMH

For the role of Lily, Frakes' immediate inclination after reading the script was to cast actress Alfre Woodard . Woodard, an Oscar nominee herself and multiple Emmy Award winner, was Frakes' self-proclaimed "godmother": " The first time we got through the script, I think everyone's first words were 'Alfre Woodard'. " A challenge for Frakes and Berman, though, was ultimately solved in the casting of South African-born actress Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. Both Frakes and the Moore/Braga writing duo would later recall a sense of uneasy sexiness in Krige's portrayal of the Queen, aided by the application of a wet sheen to her skin by the make up department. Other guest players were added to the Resurrection call sheets as they were added to the script, including Trek vets Dwight Schultz as Barclay , Ethan Phillips as the holographic maitre'D , and Robert Picardo as the EMH of the Enterprise -E (not to be confused with The Doctor ). Phillips' role went uncredited, a request made by the actor to confuse fans who may or may not recognize him from his role as Neelix .

Other cast additions included Patti Yasutake 's final appearance as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, having first appeared back in TNG's fourth season . Don Stark was cast as Nicky the Nose , most memorable in his role as Bob Pinciotti in TV's That '70s Show – he also appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine second season episode " Melora " as Ashrock the Yridian . Jack Shearer appears as Admiral Hayes, later reprising the role (Hayes apparently escaping the destruction of his ship) in Voyager episodes " Hope and Fear " and " Life Line ". Actor Eric Steinberg portrayed Paul Porter , taken early in the film but appearing throughout as a partially assimilated Borg drone in engineering.

Brannon Braga is clearly visible as an extra in the holodeck nightclub as the Borg enter the scene, though writing partner Moore's appearance was never shot – despite sixteen hours of waiting with his then wife Ruby, an anniversary present. Rumors persist ( citation needed • edit ) that both Nichelle Nichols and Kelsey Grammer (captain of the USS Bozeman from " Cause And Effect ") have uncredited "voice cameos", though these claims are unsubstantiated.

Production on Star Trek Resurrection began on 8 April 1996 , but within a month, a new title had been chosen. Mere weeks prior, 20th Century Fox had announced the title of the fourth installment in their Alien film franchise: Alien Resurrection . A number of new titles were proposed for the film including Star Trek Destinies , Star Trek: Future Generations , and Star Trek Regenerations . The titles Star Trek: Borg and Star Trek Generations II were even chosen as working titles for the film until Star Trek: First Contact was finally selected, made official in a 3 May 1996 fourth draft script. ( Star Trek: Borg went on to become the title of a video game, released not long after.)

"The line must be drawn here!" : A pivotal scene

Minor details in the script, even as shooting was under way, continued to evolve. Early drafts were vague regarding the fate of the Defiant , DS9's resident warship. Having read the script, Deep Space Nine producer Ira Steven Behr 's only note was an objection to the apparent destruction of the Defiant . The writers added the clarification "adrift but salvageable" and no mention of the ship's near annihilation was made in the TV series. Minor details in the script's pages included the ill-fated Enterprise crew member Ensign Lynch , named after a friend of writer Brannon Braga, but thought by many named for Internet critic Timothy W. Lynch, who reviewed every episode of TNG and DS9. Gravett Island was not a real Earth location, but a fictional one named after Jacques Gravett, Ronald D. Moore's then assistant. Rumors circulated during production, even reported by some LGBT publications, that another ill-fated Enterprise crewman, Neal McDonough 's Lieutenant Hawk was gay. No reference is made in the finished film to this fact; the producers have denied the rumors. [9] Regarding the film's emotional battle played out between Picard and Lily, Brannon Braga recalled: " I'd have to say that scene was nailed and perfect only about a week before it was filmed. " ( citation needed • edit )

Location shooting dominated the early schedule for the Star Trek: First Contact production team. First up were scenes set in Bozeman, Montana, shot in the Titan Missile Museum outside Tucson, Arizona for a duration of four days. The production then moved to the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains not far from Los Angeles. Two weeks of nighttime shooting followed, with a large village constructed by Herman Zimmerman's art department to represent exterior Bozeman. Minor details in the sets included the 52-star American flag referencing an early TNG episode, " The Royale ". A full-size section of the Vulcan lander was brought to this location for the film's finale. The film then moved to Los Angeles Union Station's art deco restaurant where the Dixon Hill holonovel sequence played out, including over 120 extras in period costumes and two Borg drones. Everton designed the costumes for Picard, Ruby, Sloane, and the other speaking parts, while many others were rented. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 13 , p. 67)

Production finally moved to Paramount Pictures studios in Hollywood on May 3 for a half day of shooting on the three story Enterprise -E engine room set. Cameras were then moved from Stage 14 to Stage 15 where scenes were shot on the bridge, observation lounge and ready room sets. Jonathan Frakes recalled:

Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, and Neal McDonough film the "space walk" scene

The next two months were dubbed by the crew, "Borg Hell", with scenes shot on stages 14, 15 and 8 that included heavily made-up Borg extras, stunts, pyrotechnics, and one large deflector dish. Likely the film's most labor intensive sequence to shoot was the battle on the Enterprise hull, on the film's largest set. The deflector dish itself, while massive, was shot at angles intended to exaggerate its size – the manual input computers were labeled "AE35", a subtle reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey . The sequence also required Patrick Stewart as Picard, Michael Dorn as Worf, and Neal McDonough as Hawk to wear restrictive environmental suits that incorporated internal lighting and cooling systems. With the addition of flying rigs and complex stunts, tempers on the set were pushed, as was Patrick Stewart's endurance; the actor suffered breathing problems in his spacesuit, halting production for an entire day. Problems also arose in the realism of the sequence, with smoke rising from the set, then quickly falling, contrary to the physics of real life zero-G. This required Frakes to shoot around the smoke, or shoot takes short enough to prevent the falling smoke to be seen. Writers Moore and Braga agreed that, had the film been produced only a few years later, the entire sequence was likely to have been less complicated if shot with computer-generated sets.

Despite the complications, Star Trek: First Contact wrapped production on 2 July 1996 (two days over schedule), with the flashback that opened the film. Fittingly, the sequence required Patrick Stewart to don the Starfleet uniform he had worn for at least five of the seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation . According to Ronald D. Moore, everyone involved with the film knew it was going to be a hit.

Production history [ ]

• 8 January 1996 – Second draft script, titled Star Trek: Resurrection
• 12 March 1996 – Third draft script, titled Star Trek: Borg

Post-production [ ]

Visual effects [ ].

As described by visual effects supervisor John Knoll , time allotted for post production visual effects and model building resulted in a "brutal effort". Not only did ILM's team have to construct the Enterprise -E, large models representing the Borg sphere, the new Borg cube, and the Phoenix were also required.

The Millennium Falcon appears below an Akira -class starship

Even more so than the previous film, the First Contact visual effects team also utilized computer-generated imagery, lending itself to sequences that required large numbers of starships. To stand up to the Borg cube alongside the new Enterprise and the old Defiant , ILM art director Alex Jaeger designed sixteen new Starfleet vessels, four of them rendered digitally and appearing in the massive opening battle sequence. The new starships included Akira -class , Saber -class , Steamrunner -class , and Norway -class vessels; the latter starship was lost after production due to a computer glitch, never to appear in Star Trek again. Also included in the melee were a Nebula -class starship, a Miranda -class vessel, and an Oberth -class science ship in its final use. As a joke, the Millennium Falcon CG model (created for the Star Wars Special Editions) was inserted into the Borg attack, though generally indistinguishable.

Other computer-generated vessels included the John Eaves' designed Enterprise escape pods and the Vulcan lander, constructed by the VisionArt company. At that time, First Contact included more complex visual effects shots than any Star Trek film before; low-tech methods, however, were still utilized. Close-up shots of La Forge's new ocular implants were achieved through the use of a sprocket-shaped shower handle, matted against black contact lenses.

Jerry Goldsmith , who composed the music for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , returned to score First Contact and the remaining two TNG films after it. Because of his hectic schedule, Goldsmith shared much of the work with his son, Joel Goldsmith; as a result much of the music in First Contact does not appear on the commercial soundtrack.

Among the two Goldsmiths' work, a theme established in The Final Frontier , referred to as the "A Busy Man" theme, was used throughout First Contact , likely as a theme for Picard. It can be heard just after the opening fanfare at the beginning of the film. It can also be heard only briefly in Insurrection , but is used quite heavily in Star Trek Nemesis . Also repeated in First Contact was the Klingon theme, originally introduced in The Motion Picture and used in this film to represent Worf. As with all Star Trek films scored by Goldsmith, the theme from The Motion Picture was used in the end credits, and the opening fanfare from the Theme from Star Trek was used to segué into the opening and closing themes.

The opera that Picard listens to in his ready room is Berlioz ' Les Troyens – "Hylas' Song" from the beginning of Act V. (Hylas is a homesick young sailor being rocked to sleep by the sea as he dreams of the homeland he will never see again.) This is the first and only Star Trek movie to have rock and roll in the soundtrack (though Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home did feature late '80s jazz by the Yellowjackets, as well as a punk song , and Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness , and Star Trek Beyond all included hip hop songs – all three featured songs by the Beastie Boys , and Star Trek Beyond also included a song by Public Enemy ). In their joint audio commentary on the Special Edition DVD, Ron Moore and Brannon Braga credited Peter Lauritson with the selection of Steppenwolf 's original recording of "Magic Carpet Ride" (and not "some cheap cover"). They criticized, however, the choice of Roy Orbison 's " Ooby Dooby " as being "too goofy".

Promotion and merchandising [ ]

A shot of Voyager created for the First Contact teaser

Borg from a cut scene appearing in the trailer

The teaser trailer for Star Trek: First Contact premiered with Paramount movies in early summer 1996. As much of the film had yet to be shot when the advertisements were assembled, footage from Star Trek Generations and episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was included. Inter-cut with sequences from the film, the reused footage included snippets of " The Best of Both Worlds " and " Emissary ". The trailer utilized score from "The Best of Both Worlds", Generations , and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , most notably, however, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

Both the teaser and theatrical trailers included footage unique only to them, with some visual effects created specifically for the trailer. Unique shots included the USS Voyager firing phasers at a differently-designed Borg cube and an alternate version of Picard's soon-to-be infamous speech, " The line must be drawn here! " in the teaser, and cut takes of various Borg drones in the theatrical. [10]

As with the previous film and TNG, Playmates Toys released a line of action figures and accessories in conjunction with the premiere of the film. Among the toys was a model of the Enterprise -E, apparently based upon early sketches of the ship and not the finalized version – featuring several key structural differences from the finalized design. Out of scale to their previous lines, the larger First Contact action figures were made in the likenesses of the entire Enterprise -E crew, Lily, Zefram Cochrane, Picard in an environmental suit, and a Borg drone – also based on production drawings. [11] In recent years, Art Asylum has released a detailed action figure in the likeness of Captain Picard from First Contact , complete with the skull of the Borg Queen.

Marvel Comics released both a comic adaptation of the movie, and a sequel comic book that crossed the crew with the X-Men in " Second Contact ". This had a later sequel novel by Michael Jan Friedman , called Planet X .

First Contact novelizations and soundtracks were also released, as were updated version of the Star Trek Chronology and Star Trek Encyclopedia .

Box office performance [ ]

Star Trek: First Contact premiered in American cinemas on 22 November 1996 , number one at the box office. With a budget of around US$45,000,000, it opened nationwide on 2,812 screens at US$30,716,131 and went on to eventually garner US$146,027,888 worldwide. [12] By comparison, Star Trek Generations , with a budget of US$35,000,000, opened at US$23,116,394 on 2,659 screens, but only grossed US$118,071,125 worldwide. [13] It made First Contact the highest grossing Star Trek film ever, surpassing the hitherto highest grossing film 1986 's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – though it remained the second-most profitable one after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – until the release of 2009 's Star Trek and its two sequels.

In the United Kingdom, despite becoming the first Star Trek movie not to reach the top of the box office since The Wrath of Khan , the film was a success earning £3,555,980 for its opening weekend and £8,735,340 overall. It was the highest grossing Star Trek film overall in that territory until the release of Star Trek . [14]

The film, however, was considered by most to be not only a financial success, but a critical one as well, beating out both The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home respectively in this regard, as of 2020 only to be surpassed by 2009's Star Trek by the slimmest of margins.

Reactions [ ]

The film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 92% critic score for First Contact , with 40 of 44 reviews giving positive remarks. [15] Giving the film "Two thumbs up!", Siskel & Ebert host Roger Ebert elaborated in his Chicago Sun Times review:

While often negative in his reviews of other Trek films, Ebert elaborated, " how I love the Star Trek jargon! " and even expressed his fondness for the Borg Queen:

BBC Films' Emily Carlisle, however, was less enamored:

In his 18 November 1996 review, Daily Variety magazine writer Joe Leydon expressed his approval:

Leydon concluded, " If First Contact is indicative of what the next generation of Star Trek movies will be like, the franchise is certain to live long and prosper. " [18]

• This film opened on the same day that Mark Lenard , the actor best known for portraying the character of Sarek , died at the age of 72.
• Despite the use of the uniforms in the previous film, Star Trek Generations , this is the only movie starring The Next Generation cast where the Star Trek: The Next Generation and early Star Trek: Deep Space Nine combadge is seen, as visible on Picard's uniform in the flashback from " The Best of Both Worlds " in the opening of the film.
• The reference that Data makes about using his "fully functional" sexual organs seemingly references the time he used them with Tasha in TNG : " The Naked Now ", eight years before the Borg invasion (though that would place that episode in 2365 ). This would seem to indicate Data and his fourth-season "girlfriend" Jenna D'Sora were never sexually intimate during the course of their relationship.
• This film marks the first canon reference to the number of planets in the Federation (over 150) and its size (over 8,000 light years)
• The bar in Bozeman featured bar signs based on mission patches for NASA vessels, including the Molly Brown .
• First Contact references and even explicitly quotes Moby Dick . Despite the story parallels, the producers hesitated using it, as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was also heavy in Moby Dick references. Two years after First Contact premiered, Patrick Stewart played Captain Ahab in a 1998 TV mini-series.
• However, Picard slightly misquotes the Moby Dick passage. The actual passage is " He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it. "
• Early in the movie, Zefram Cochrane points out the constellation Leo, the constellation in which Wolf 359 is located.
• First Contact marked the first time the phrase "star trek" was ever uttered in the franchise. In the TNG finale " All Good Things... ", however, Q tells Picard " It's time to put an end to your trek through the stars . "
• When Picard announces to the crew his intention to break his orders and join the engagement, Data's response is " Captain, I believe I speak for everyone here sir when I say, 'To hell with our orders'. " Similarly in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , Spock's response to the Enterprise 's orders to return to spacedock is " If I were Human, I believe my response would be, 'Go to hell'. "

The different holodeck programs on the Enterprise -E

• The program menu in the holosuite depicts various holodeck programs from previous episodes, specifically Café des Artistes , ( TNG : " We'll Always Have Paris ") Charnock's Comedy Cabaret , ( TNG : " The Outrageous Okona ") The Big Goodbye , ( TNG : " The Big Goodbye ", " Manhunt ", " Clues ") Emerald Wading Pool , ( TNG : " Conundrum ") and the Equestrian Adventure . ( TNG : " Pen Pals ")
• Picard's line " Reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated " is a paraphrasing of a famous quotation by Mark Twain , concerning his premature obituary. Picard had made a similar paraphrasing in TNG : " Samaritan Snare " (" Any rumors of my brush with death are greatly exaggerated ").
• Riker calls the Defiant a "tough little ship." In the DS9 third season episode " Defiant ", Thomas Riker called it the same thing.
• According to the (apocryphal) Customizable Card Game by Decipher , the Vulcan who greeted Zefram Cochrane was named Solkar , the grandfather of Sarek and the great-grandfather of Spock . This was later supported by dialogue in ENT : " The Catwalk ".
• The events of Star Trek: First Contact were later referred to in DS9 : " In Purgatory's Shadow ", VOY : " Year of Hell, Part II ", and VOY : " Relativity ", the latter using those events as an example for the Pogo paradox . The Borg sphere was recovered in ENT : " Regeneration ", while a slightly different version of Earth's first contact with Vulcans – utilizing footage from the film – can be seen in ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ".
• According to ENT : " Carbon Creek ", though this movie records the first official contact between Earth and Vulcan, contact was actually made in 1957 in a place called Carbon Creek , Pennsylvania , nearly 110 years prior.
• Subsequent Vulcan starships seen in Star Trek: Enterprise were based upon the T'Plana-Hath -type lander seen in this movie.
• Geordi La Forge , who with Riker participates in Cochrane's historic first warp flight, had earlier compared being at Bilana III to view the soliton wave experiment to being present when Cochrane engaged the first warp drive in TNG : " New Ground ".
• According to DS9 : " The Search, Part I ", the Defiant had originally been designed to counter the Borg threat, but was then assigned to Deep Space 9 . The Battle of Sector 001 was the only time the Defiant eventually battled the Borg.
• The model of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) that was on display in the conference room was auctioned off (albeit broken) in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction .
• Lily says that "Borg" sounds Swedish. In Swedish, "borg" actually means "castle", although it would be pronounced as "borj". "Borg" is also a Swedish surname. In addition, the word is spelled and means the same in Norwegian and Danish, and in these cases is pronounced very similar to the English word. The most well-known "Borg" is the internationally-known Swedish tennis player Björn Borg .
• This marks the fourth of five times the captain shows a female native her home planet from orbit. This happened previously with Rivan in " Justice ", Nuria in " Who Watches The Watchers ", and Mirasta Yale in the episode " First Contact ", and later with Bethany in " North Star ". This approach clearly has meaning to the captain as he tells Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection , seeing his home planet from space for the first time was a moment when time stood still.
• Besides making references to Moby Dick, this film is also similar to The Wrath of Khan in that they're both sequels to classic episodes of their respective series; TWOK follows " Space Seed " while FC follows " The Best of Both Worlds " and " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ".
• Among the items seen in this film which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay are the Phoenix Launch Silo Missile Manual , [19] a broken model of the USS Enterprise -D , [20] a broken model of the USS Enterprise -C , [21] a pair of boots worn by a background actor, [22] a Phoenix button board, [23] and an undersuit of Alice Krige . [24]
• This movie includes one of the explicit mentions of the attributes of the New World Economy . Picard tells Lily that money (as she understands it) no longer existed in the 24th century, and that people worked not for the acquisition of wealth, but for the betterment of all Humanity.
• In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " In the Cards ", Jake Sisko repeats Picard's line " we work to better ourselves and the rest of Humanity, " only to be challenged by Nog saying, " What does that mean, exactly? " Similarly, in DS9 : " The Dogs of War ", Quark speaks almost the same words (" The line has to be drawn here! This far and no further! ") as Picard does during Star Trek: First Contact . The two episodes were, respectively, written and co-written by Ronald D. Moore, who also co-wrote First Contact . Said Moore, " I take great glee at mocking my own work. " ( AOL chat , 1999 )
• Based on averaging the differences of the stardates from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's " Children of Time " and " Empok Nor ", the initial events of this film should have occurred between " Blaze of Glory " and " Empok Nor ". However, Sisko 's mention of " the recent Borg attack " in " In Purgatory's Shadow ", actually places First Contact before that episode. Furthermore, based on the stardates, the initial events of the film would have taken between the events of the Star Trek: Voyager episodes " Real Life " and " Displaced ". It is unclear whether these events take place before, after or contemporaneously with the events of " Distant Origin ", which was broadcast in the interim and does not feature a stardate.
• In the ending credits, Zefram Cochrane 's name is misspelled as "Zefram Cochran".
• This is the only Star Trek movie to feature a female primary antagonist, the Borg Queen .
• This film is the only appearance of the Defiant outside of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• It is the first Star Trek film to be rated PG-13.
• This was the first Star Trek film since The Motion Picture to not re-use any footage from previous films.
• This is the only Star Trek film not to feature scenes on a planet other than Earth.
• This was the first of two Star Trek films ( Star Trek Into Darkness being the other) to be given a certification during the end credits by the American Humane Association that no animals were harmed during the film's production.
• The new Starfleet uniforms , which were introduced in the film, would later be adopted in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, " Rapture " onward, but the crew on Star Trek: Voyager continued to use the old DS9 Starfleet uniforms , due to being stranded in the Delta Quadrant .

Apocrypha [ ]

The novelization of Star Trek: First Contact establishes that during the Battle of Sector 001 as the Defiant attacked the Borg Cube, Worf thought that by keeping the Enterprise away from the battle, Starfleet Command was doing Picard a great dishonor by not allowing him the opportunity to gain revenge against his mortal enemy.

In Oblivion's Gate , the third and final novel of the Star Trek: Coda trilogy, it was revealed that Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise -E caused the creation of the First Splinter timeline during their attempt to stop the Borg from assimilating Earth in the year 2063, and the Devidians used this to their own advantage as part of the Temporal Apocalypse.

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek: First Contact received the following awards and honors.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• Brent Spiner
• LeVar Burton
• Michael Dorn
• Gates McFadden
• Marina Sirtis
• Alfre Woodard
• James Cromwell
• Alice Krige
• Junie Lowry-Johnson , CSA and Ron Surma , CSA
• Jerry Goldsmith
• Peter Lauritson
• Deborah Everton
• John W. Wheeler , ACE
• Herman Zimmerman
• Matthew F. Leonetti , ASC
• Martin Hornstein
• Gene Roddenberry

Rick Berman

Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore

Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore

Closing credits [ ]

• Jerry Fleck
• Rosemary Cremona
• Picard – Patrick Stewart
• Riker – Jonathan Frakes
• Data – Brent Spiner
• Geordi – LeVar Burton
• Worf – Michael Dorn
• Beverly – Gates McFadden
• Troi – Marina Sirtis
• Lily – Alfre Woodard
• Zefram Cochran – James Cromwell
• Borg Queen – Alice Krige
• Security Officer – Michael Horton
• Lt. Hawk – Neal McDonough
• Eiger – Marnie McPhail
• Holographic Doctor – Robert Picardo
• Lt. Barclay – Dwight Schultz
• Defiant Conn Officer – Adam Scott
• Admiral Hayes – Jack Shearer
• Porter – Eric Steinberg
• Security Officer – Scott Strozier
• Nurse Ogawa – Patti Yasutake
• Victor Bevine ( Guard #1 )
• David Cowgill ( Guard #2 )
• Scott Haven ( Guard #3 )
• Annette Helde ( Guard #4 )
• Computer Voice – Majel Barrett
• Bartender – C.J. Bau
• Ruby – Hillary Hayes
• Singer in Nightclub – Julie Morgan
• Henchman – Ronald R. Rondell
• Nicky the Nose – Don Stark
• Vulcan – Cully Fredricksen
• Townsperson – Tamara Lee Krinsky
• Don Fischer ( Bolian drone )
• J.R. Horsting
• Heinrich James
• Andrew Palmer ( Romulan drone and Non-Romulan drone )
• Jon David Weigand
• Robert L. Zachar ( Borg #3 )
• Ronald R. Rondell
• Kenny Alexander
• Janet Brady
• Chic Daniel
• Kenny Endoso
• Christian Fletcher
• Frankie Garbutt
• Andy Gill (Stunt double for Brent Spiner )
• Gary Guercio
• Rosine "Ace" Hatem ( Nightclub patron )
• Billy Hank Hooker
• Buddy Joe Hooker
• Maria Kelly ( Nightclub patron )
• Jamie Keyser (Stunt double for Alice Krige )
• Kim Robert Koscki (Stunt double for Ethan Phillips )
• Joyce McNeal
• Dustin Meier
• Johnny C. Meier
• Rita Minor (Stunt double for Alfre Woodard )
• Jimmy Nickerson
• John Nowak (Stunt double for Patrick Stewart )
• Manny Perry ( Bozeman townsperson )
• Steve Picerni
• Danny Rogers
• Jimmy Romano
• Debby Lynn Ross
• John Rottger
• Craig Shuggart
• Brian J. Williams (Stunt double for Brent Spiner )
• Joey Anaya, Jr.
• Billy Burton, Jr.
• Steve DeRelian ( One Armed Drone )
• Gary Epper ( Ensign Lynch )
• Tom Harper ( Drone Protecting Engineering )
• Wayne King, Jr. ( Assimilated Klingon )
• Bob McGovern
• Monty Rex Perlin
• David Takemura
• Michael Westmore
• Joel Goldsmith
• Robert Blackman
• Ron Wilkinson
• John M. Dwyer
• Michael Okuda
• Les D. Gobruegge
• Nancy Mickleberry
• Martha E. Johnston
• William P. Hawkins
• Linda A. King
• Joseph Musso
• Ricardo Delgado
• Ivan "Bing" Sokolsky
• David Lukenbach
• Randy Feemster
• Michel D. Weldon
• Mark Santoni
• Paul Santoni
• Elliot S. Marks
• Wayne Tidwell
• Patrick R. Blymyer
• Tim Marshall
• Frank X. Valdez III
• Greg Cantrell
• Christopher Lama
• Lloyd Barcroft
• Shawn Whelan
• Armando Contreras
• Anthony Mollicone
• Tino Contreras
• Alan Schultz
• John D. Babin
• Thomas Causey
• Joe Brennan
• John Agalsoff
• Terry D. Frazee
• Eugene Crum
• Greg Curtis
• Donald Frazee
• Donald E. Myers, Jr.
• Donald T. Black
• Logan Z. Frazee
• Scott Lingard
• Samuel Price
• Ralph Allen Winiger
• Scott Wheeler
• Jake Garber
• James MacKinnon
• Bradley M. Look
• R. Stephen Weber
• Sonny Burman
• June Westmore
• Monty Westmore
• Mark Bussan
• Camille Calvet
• Belinda Bryant
• Mary Kay Morse
• Todd Masters Co.
• Todd Masters
• Greg Johnson
• Jaremy Aiello
• David Matherly
• Timothy P. Huizing
• Scott D. Tebeau
• Claudia Regne
• Shanna Tebeau
• Robert W. Miller
• A.J. Venuto
• Bernhard Eichholz
• Patrick M. Gerrety
• Patrick A. Chitty
• Walter T. Phelan
• Joe Colwell
• John F. Shea
• Gloria Munoz
• Thomas D. Bacho, Jr.
• Cory Sylvester
• Alan Tuskes
• Derik Wingo
• William J. Fesh
• Thomas Zimmerman
• Brian Van Dorn
• Alexi Bustamante
• Kristine Morgan
• Michael Westmore, Jr.
• Yolanda Toussieng
• Danny Valencia
• Lee Ann Brittenham
• Chris McBee
• Barbara Ronci
• Dean Wilson
• Glen Feldman
• William K. Dolan
• Elijah Bryant
• Philip Calhoun
• James Buckley
• Denise Lynn Okuda
• Shawn Baden
• Doug Drexler
• Anthony Fredrickson
• John Josselyn
• James E. Van Over
• Elizabeth Radley
• Benjamin A. Betts
• Larry Markart
• Christine Heinz
• Leah P. Brown
• Charles Ray de Muth
• Sonny Merrit
• Heidi Strasburg
• Gina A. Flanagan
• Timothy Board
• John A. Haggar
• Travis G. Rendich
• James W. Wolvington
• Cameron Frankley
• Jeffrey Clark
• Doug Jackson
• David F.Van Slyke
• Kerry Dean Williams
• Scott G.G. Haller
• Michael Szakmeister
• Richard Corwin
• Robert Ulrich
• Pamela Bentkowski
• Tammy Fearing
• Scott Curtis
• Courtenay Marvin
• Roger Fearing, Jr.
• Robert Morrisey
• Paramount Pictures
• Randy Singer
• David Lee Fein
• Sarah Monat
• Robin Harlan
• Steve Pederson
• Brad Sherman
• Arthur Morton
• Alexander Courage
• Jeff Atmajian
• Bob Bornstein
• Sandy De Crescent
• Clifford Kohlweck
• Bruce Botnick
• Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage M
• Barbara Harris
• Smith Wordes
• Ira Stanley Rosenstein
• James Selzer
• David A. Ticotin
• David Goldfarb
• Robin Bronner
• Deborah L. Schwab
• David Rossi
• Barbara Casner
• Cindy M. Ichikawa
• Thomas J. Arp
• Frank "Ferb" Leasure
• John M. Carroll
• Clete F. Cetrone
• Curtis B. Jones
• Sammy Mendoza
• Steve Morey
• Aaron H. Rockler
• Gary A. Clark
• David R. Galvan
• Barry R. Tugendhaft
• Vincent R. Heileson
• Primrose V. Fukuchi
• Alex Worman
• Penny Juday
• Lisa J. Olin
• April Rossi
• Jackie Edwards
• Lolita Fatjo
• Robert Gillian
• Janet Nemecek
• Robert Newlin-Mazaraki
• Ellen J. Hornstein
• Eric Darensbourg
• Brenda Taylor
• Simon Stotler
• Todd W. Buhmiller
• Kerry A. Vill
• Karen Garutso
• Stephanie Gorsuch
• Anthony Bro
• Seth Squadron
• Wayne Nelson
• Kenneth Newland
• Tim Edwards
• Bruce Moore
• Kevin A. Canamar
• William "Tex" Collins
• Wescam, Inc.
• Central Casting
• Cenex Casting
• Industrial Light & Magic , a division of Lucas Digital Ltd., Marin County, CA
• George Murphy
• Alex Jaeger
• Habib Zargarpour
• Dennis Turner
• Joakim Arnesson
• Steve Braggs
• Kyeng-Im Chung
• Marc Cooper
• Mitch Deoudes
• Jeremy Goldman
• Matt Hendershot
• Stu Maschwitz
• Steve Molin
• Eric Texier
• Pablo Helman
• Chad Taylor
• Luke O'Byrne
• Heather Smith
• Bill George
• Noel Brevick
• Tad Leckman
• Chris Stillman
• Jonathan Rothbart
• Paul Theren
• Tim Alexander
• Kathleen Beeler
• Scott Frankel
• Greg Maloney
• Tom Rosseter
• Cathy Burrow
• Susan Kelly Andrews
• Heidi Zabit
• Selwyn Eddy III
• Jodie Maier
• Patrice D. Saenz
• Mike McGovern
• Mike Gleason
• Anastasia Emmons
• Ladd MacPartland
• Tim Greenwood
• Kenneth Smith
• Joshua Pines
• George Gambetta
• Todd Mitchell
• Amanda Micheli
• Jodi Birdsong
• Andrea Biklian
• Timothy Geideman
• Nancy Jencks

Motion Control and Pyrotechnics Unit [ ]

• Marty Rosenberg
• Patrick Sweeney
• Robert Hill
• John Gadzik
• Keith London
• Brad Jerrell
• Geoff Heron
• Chuck Biagio
• Berny Demolski
• David Murphy
• Adam Bennes
• David Dranitzke
• John Goodson
• Barbara Affonso
• Jon Foreman
• Rick Anderson
• Jeff Brewer
• Giovanni Donovan
• John Duncan
• Ed Miarecki
• Nancy Luckoff
• Suzie Vissotzky Tooley
• Amanda Montgomery
• Heidi Schmidt
• Anthony Pitone
• Rodney Bogart
• Jeffery Yost
• Dugan Beach
• Dan Shumaker
• Christa Starr
• Angela Leaper
• Heather McCurdy
• Patricia Blau Price
• Gail Currey
• Pacific Ocean Post Digital Film Group
• Scott Rader
• Adam Howard
• Andrea D'Amico
• Greg Kimble
• Carol Brzezinski
• Caleb Aschkynazo
• Kenneth Littleton
• Lawrence Littleton
• Jennifer German
• Brandon McNaughton
• Michael Peterson
• David Crawford
• Kirk Cadrette
• Stephane Couture
• Joshua D. Rose
• Richard J. Cook
• Daniel Kramer
• Carl Hooper
• Dorene Haver
• Bethany Berndt-Shackelford
• Jeff Pierce
• Celine Jackson
• Illusion Arts
• Robert Stromberg
• Mike Wassel
• Richard Patterson
• Fumi Mashimo
• Matte World Digital
• Craig Barron
• Krystyna Demkowicz
• Chris Evans
• Caroleen Green
• Paul Rivera
• Morgan Trotter
• Cameron Noble
• Pacific Title
• Mike Milliken
• Theresa Repola Mohammed
• Bruce Schluter Design, Inc.
• GNP Crescendo Records, CDs and Cassettes
• by Dick Penner & Wade Moore
• Performed by Roy Orbison
• Courtesy of Orbison Records, Inc.
• Music by Alexander Courage
• by Johnny Burke & James Van Heussen
• Performed by Julie Morgan
• Produced by John E. Oliver
• by Hector Berlioz
• Performed by Ryland Davies and The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden
• Conducted by Sir Collin Davis
• Courtesy of Phillips Classics by arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
• by John Kay & Rushton Moreve
• Performed by Steppenwolf
• Courtesy of MCA Records by special arrangement with MCA Special Markets and Products
• Pima Air and Space Museum and Titan Missile Museum
• USDA Forest Service , Angeles National Forest
• Arroyo Seco Ranger District and Annitta H. Keck
• Arizona State Film Commission
• Playback Technologies
• [[Cinema Vehicle Services[[
• Jeri Taylor
• Ira Steven Behr
• Merri Howard
• Steve Oster
• Wendy Neuss
• Bill Wistrom
• Philip M. Strub
• Lieutenant Colonel Thomas R. Worsdale
• Eastman Kodak Film

Uncredited [ ]

Performers [ ].

• Al Ahlf as security officer
• David Keith Anderson as Armstrong
• Patrick Barnitt as Borg drone
• Terrence Beasor as Additional Voices
• Denise Blasor as Additional Voices
• Renna Bogdanowicz as Lopez
• Mike Boss as holographic nightclub patron ( unconfirmed )
• Harry Boykoff as Eddy
• Brannon Braga as holographic nightclub patron
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Cameron as Kellogg
• Steve Carnahan as Borg drone
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• Jeff Coopwood as The Voice of the Borg
• John Copage as holographic nightclub patron
• David Paul Cutler as civilian engineer
• Kenneth David Ebling as sciences officer
• Heather Ferguson as security officer
• Kevin Finister as command crewman
• Sylvester Foster as operations officer
• Tracey Frakes as Nicky's girl #2
• Star Halm as security officer
• Noelle Hannibal as Vulcan officer
• Jon Horback as security officer
• Randy James as Jones
• Jimmy Kupenwoff as operations division officer
• Dan Magee as assimilated operations officer
• James Mapes as Buster ( deleted scene )
• Angus McClellan as | Bajoran sciences officer
• Ronald D. Moore as Holodeck Nightclub Patron
• Vulcan officer
• Ethan Phillips as nightclub maître d'
• Larry Polson as man with dog
• Woody Porter as science division lieutenant
• Jackie Rainey as operations division officer ( unconfirmed )
• Aric Rogokos as Starfleet security officer
• Shepard Ross as Starfleet security officer
• Rick Rossi as nightclub musician
• Janelle Showalter
• Steph Silvestri as Enterprise -E engineer
• Pablo Soriano as holographic nightclub patron
• Gregory Sweeney as Bolian science officer
• Chris Tedesco as nightclub musician
• Ray Uhler as holographic nightclub patron
• Enterprise -E engineer
• Holographic nightclub patrons
• Nicky's girl #1
• Nightclub musicians
• Security officer (female)
• Security officer (male)
• security team officer

Stunt performers [ ]

• Billy Burton, Jr. as stunt double for Neal McDonough
• Mark DeAlessandro
• Andy Epper as stunt double for James Cromwell
• Richard Epper – Stunt Rigger
• Marguerite Happy as stunt double for Alice Krige

Stand-ins and photo doubles [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – Stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Gerald David Bauman – Stand-in
• Debbie David – Stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Cameron – Stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Tracee Lee Cocco – Stand-in for Alice Krige
• Kenneth David Ebling – Photo double for Brent Spiner
• Randy James – Stand-in for Jonathan Frakes (2 weeks)
• Nora Leonhardt – Stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Richard Sarstedt – Stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Scott Somers – Stand-in/ photo double for LeVar Burton
• James A. Swan – Photo Double for Patrick Stewart
• John Tampoya – Stand-in for Eric Steinberg
• Dennis Tracy – Stand-in for Patrick Stewart

Production staff [ ]

• Anna Albrecht – Special Effects Artist
• Bill Bannerman – Development Executive
• Mark Banning – Associate Music Executive Producer
• William D. Barber – Additional Camera Operator
• Jason Dante Bardis – Movie Effects Lighting Designer
• Brent W. Bell – Lead Man
• Jennifer Bender – Extras Casting
• Francois Blaignan – Additional Sound Designer
• Tom Boyd – Musician: Oboe
• Rob Bredow – Digital Artist: Vision Art
• Christian H. Burton – Assistant Camera Operator
• Ed Callahan – Foley Editor
• Valerie Canamar – Assistant to Michael Westmore
• Lois Carruth – Assistant to Jerry Goldsmith
• Dave Cervantes – Adviser (Stunt)
• Shane Clark – Production Assistant
• Michael Condro – First Assistant Camera Operator
• Henryk Cymerman – 2nd Unit Director of Photography
• Eric Darensborg – Production Assistant
• Fon Davis – Model Maker: ILM
• A.Y. Dexter Delara – Visual Effects Assistant
• Joe Diaz – Costumer
• Linda Di Franco – Foley Editor/Sound Editor
• Norm Dlugatch – Assistant Music Engineer
• Dragon Dronet – Props and Weapons Creator
• Kevin Dukes – Musician: Guitarist
• Earl Ellis – FX Make-Up Artist
• Kenneth E. Estes – Computer & Video Playback Operator
• Ted Fay – Director of Technology: Vision Art
• Mark Fiorenza – Model Maker
• Edward J. Franklin – Special Effects Artist
• Don E. Gaffney – Prop Construction
• Jane Galli – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
• J. Armin Garza II – Driver: Camera Car
• Brian J. Geary – Propmaker Foreman
• Katy Genovese – Payroll Accountant
• Bob Gillan – Pre-Production Assistant
• Christopher Gilman – Head of Global Effects, Inc.
• Glenn Goldstein – Production Assistant
• Dominic Gonzalez – Assistant Music Engineer
• Sam Greenmun – Prop Designer/Spacesuit Technician
• Tom Harper – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Aaron Haye – Model Maker: ILM
• Russ Herpich – Special Effects Mechanic
• Matthew A. Hoffman – Key Costumer
• Tina Hoffman – Make-Up Artist
• Christopher Horvath – Digital Compositor: Matte World Digital
• Jeffery J. Jenkins – Paint Foreman
• Tom Keefer – 2nd Unit Key Grip
• Roger L. King – Property Maker
• Barry R. Koper – Make-Up Artist
• Toby Lamm – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
• David Luckenbach – Steadicam Operator
• John Mann – Storyboard Artist
• John McCunn – Visual Effects Associate Producer
• Alan McFarland – Puppeteer " Borg Queen "/Borg Suit & Space Suit Electronics Designer
• Gary Metzen – Painter
• Richard Miller – Model Maker
• Robert Miller – Helmet & Chest Designer: Todd Masters Effects
• Bart Mixon – Make-Up Artist
• Mark Moore – Concept Designer: ILM
• David W. Mosher – Mold Technician: Todd Masters Effects
• Neil Norman – Executive Music Producer
• Michael Olague – Visual Effects Gaffer
• Lowell Peterson – Additional Photography
• Joe Podnar – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
• Alex Proctor – Make-Up Artist
• Karen Ragan – Assistant to Producers
• Brandon Ramos – Assistant to Producers
• Rick Rische – Matte Artist: Matte World Digital
• Theresa M. Roehner – Driver
• Philip Rogers – Sound Recordist
• Ira Stanley Rosenstein – Production Supervisor (credited as "Location Manager")
• Jorge Sanchez – Additional Photographer
• Lee Scott – Music Editor
• Michael Shelton – Creature Effects Artist
• Gregory Shummon – Electric Rigger
• Andrew Silver – Preview Music Editor
• Jennifer Small – Production Assistant
• Bryan Smith – Sculptor & Painter: Todd Masters Effects
• Douglas James Smith – Digital Effects Artist
• Bing Sokolsky – 2nd Unit Director of Photography
• Perri Sorel – Make-Up Artist
• Thomas E. Surprenant – Make-Up Artist (Klingon Borg)
• Tom Talley – Location Foreman
• Chris Tedesco – Musician: Trumpet
• Trevor Tuttle – Model Maker
• Pam Vick – Digital Rotoscope Artist
• Nick Vidar – Music Programmer/Computer Programmer
• Michael Walters – Special Costumes
• Harold Weed – Model Maker
• Paul Wertheimer – Assistant Music Engineer
• Natalie Wood – Make-Up Artist: Borg Make-Up
• Susumu Yukuhiro – Visual Effects Production Assistant
• Sarah Ziff – Choreographer

Production companies [ ]

• Cogswell Video Services, Inc. – Video Assist Company
• Global Effects, Inc. – Space Suit Creator and Provider
• Matte World Digital – Special Effects Company (Digital Matte paintings )
• Professional VisionCare Associates – Contact Lens company
• Vision Art – Visual Effects Company

References [ ]

1940s ; 2053 ; 2063 ; 2073 ; 2367 ; 2372 ; 2373 ; 21st century ; 24th century ; access point ; actuation servo ; Ahab ; alien ; Alpha team ; alphabet ; ammonite ; analgesic cream ; antiproton ; April ; assimilation ; atmospheric pressure ; atomic weapon ; Australia ; auto-destruct ; auto-destruct sequence ; barbecue grill ; Basic Warp Design ; Battle of Sector 001 ; battle stations ; beer ; Berlioz, Hector  ; bicycle ; " Big Good-Bye, The "; biohazard ; bionics ; Bizet, Georges ; blood ; blueprints ; Borg ; Borg Collective ; Borg drone ; Borg hive ; Borg Queen ; bridge ; bullet ; " bullshit "; cafe ; Café des Artistes ; Calico M960 ; campfire ; cannon ; captain's log ; carbon monoxide ; cell membrane ; Celsius ; Champs-Elysees ; chapter ; Charnock's Comedy Cabaret ; checklist ; chest ; chorus ; chronometric particle ; cigarette ; class 2 comet ; cockpit ; collective consciousness ; comet ; command authorization ; coolant tank ; counselor ; course ; cover story ; cripple ; critical velocity ; cybernetic device ; cybernetic lifeform ; damage ; Deep Space 5 ; defense checkpoint ; deflector control ; deflector dish ; Delta Quadrant ; detective ; Dixon Hill ; dog ; dollar ; doorstop ; dress code ; dust ; Dyson ; Earth ; ECON ; economics ; Emerald Wading Pool ; Emergency Medical Hologram ; emotion chip ; endoskeletal structure ; engineering detail ; engineering tool ; USS Enterprise -E chef ; environmental conditions ; environmental controls ( environmental system ); environmental suit ; EPS ; EPS conduit ; Equestrian Adventure ; escape pod ; external sensors ; extraterrestrial ; Federation ; First Contact ; flattery ; fluorine ; force field ; fractal encryption code ; French ; front line ; fuel manifold ; fuselage ; glasses ; Gravett Island ; H ; H-46 ; H-47 ; H-48 ; H-49 ; H-50 ; H-925 ; H-926 ; hate ; heart ; hemisphere ; henchman ; hero worship ; high school ; historical figure ; holodeck ; holodeck safety protocol ; hologram ; holosuite ; horse ; hour ; hull ; humidity ; hydroponics ; hypospray ; injection ; inoculation ; intermix chamber ; internal sensors ; interplexing beacon ; intoxication ; irritation ; Ivor Prime ; Jefferies tube ; Jesus ; jukebox ; Kaplan ; kilopascal ; kiss ; Klingon ; Lake Armstrong ; laser ; leader ; Leo ; Les Troyens ; lie ; life support ; light speed ; linguistic communication ; long range sensor ; Ludwig ; Luna ; " Magic Carpet Ride "; main engineering ; maglock ; marble ; maximum warp ; meade ; medical tricorder ; mek'leth ; memory chip ; methane ; meter ; Mintakan tapestry ; Moby Dick ; money ; Montana ; Montana Lions ; " Moonlight Becomes You "; monument ; nanopolymer ; neural net ; neuroprocessor ; New Berlin ; New Guinea ; no smoking sign ; North America ; nuclear missile ; number one ; missile complex ; " Ooby Dooby "; opera ; ocular implant ; outer hull ; Orbison, Roy ; Paris ; particle emitter ; particle weapon ; particles per cubic meter ; patrol ; peep show ; phaser ; phaser rifle ; Phoenix music player ; plasma coolant ; plasma injector ; pool ; positronic net ; power grid ; Prime Directive ; primitive culture ; pulse emitter ; quantum torpedo ; radiation poisoning ; radioactive isotope ; rage ; ramming speed ; ray gun ; ready room ; red alert ; replicator ; rhetorical nonsense ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; saint ; satin ; Schlitz ; scotch ; security team ; sensor ; sensor sweep ; sexuality ; shakedown ; shields ; " shooting blanks "; sickbay ; skin ; skirt ; Skylab ; Smithsonian ; smoking ; sober ; Sol ; Sol system ; Solomons ; Sovereign class decks ; space walk ; space sickness ; spinal tissue ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; statue ; Statue of Liberty ; stellar cartography ; Steppenwolf ; stomach ; structural integrity ; subspace transmitter ; Sumiko III ; sunglasses ; survey mission ; Swedish ; telescope ; temperature ; temporal vortex ; temporal wake ; tent ; tequila ; theta radiation ; Thompson submachine gun ; throttle assembly ; time travel ; Titan II ; titanium ; toast ; train ; transporter room ; tricorder ; truck ; Tycho City ; Typhon sector ; ultraviolet radiation ; vaporize ; vice admiral ; " Vallon sonore "; visionary ; Vulcan ; warp barrier ; warp core ; warp drive ; warp field ; warp plasma conduit ; warp signature ; warp threshold ; whale ; whiskey ; white ; Wizard of Oz, The ; World War III ; year ; " Z "; Zefram Cochrane High School ; Zefram Cochrane's statue ; zero-gravity combat training ; zombie

Spacecraft references [ ]

Akira -class ( starships ); Apollo 15 ; Appalachia , USS ; Borg cube ; Borg sphere ; Bozeman , USS ; Budapest , USS ; Defiant -class ; Defiant , USS ; Endeavour , USS ; Enterprise -E, USS ; Lexington , USS ; Madison , USS ; Miranda -class ( starships ); Nebula -class ( starship ); Norway -class ( starships ); Oberth -class ( starships ); Phoenix ; Saber -class ( starships ); shuttlecraft ; Sovereign -class ; Sovereign -type escape pod ; spaceship ; Steamrunner -class ( starships ); T'Plana-Hath ; T'Plana-Hath -type ; Thunderchild , USS ; warp ship ; Yeager , USS

Other references [ ]

• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) dedication plaque : Arp, Tom ; Baden, Shawn ; Barcroft, Lloyd ; Berman, Rick ; Betts, Benjamin ; Blymyer, Pat ; Braga, Brannon ; Brown, Judi ; Causey, Tom ; Cremona, Rosemary ; Delgado, Ricardo ; Dolan, Bill ; Drexler, Doug ; Dwyer, John M. ; Eaves, John ; Everton, Deborah ; Fleck, Jerry ; Frakes, Jonathan ; Frazee, Terry ; Fredrickson, Anthony ; George, Bill ; Gobruegge, Les ; Goodson, John ; Hawkins, Bill ; Hornstein, Marty ; Jefferies, Matt ; Josselyn, John ; Juday, Penny M. ; King, Linda ; Knoll, John ; Lauritson, Peter ; Leasure, Frank ; Leonetti, Matt ; Luckenbach, David ; Markart, Larry ; Mickelberry, Nancy ; Moore, Ronald D. ; Musso, Joseph ; Okuda, Denise ; Okuda, Michael ; Propulsion Systems ; Research and Development ; Roddenberry, Gene ; Rossi, Dave ; San Francisco Yards ; Schwab, Debbie ; Shaw, Sarah ; Spaceframe Development ; Starfleet Command ; Sternbach, Rick ; Systems Management ; Takemura, David ; Toussieng, Yolanda ; Van Over, James ; Westmore, Michael ; Wilkinson, Ron ; Wilson, Dean ; Yard Engineer ; Zimmerman, Herman

Unreferenced material [ ]

blacksmith ; Buster ; Cornell ; DePaul ; dome money ; Earth Defense Network ; Great Depression ; hovercar ; Kirby ; McDonald's ; militia ; Mitchell ; night vision ; No Zone solution ; Molly Brown ; paper ; planetary defense system ; plutonium ; ration ; Resurrection City ; Resurrection Protective Force ; Rippert ; San Francisco ; Scrimm, Jonathan ; survivalist ; trinary language ; windmill ; Wright brothers ; zombie

Sources [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.), Larry Nemecek , Pocket Books, 2002 .
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies , John Eaves & J.M. Dillard , Pocket Books, 1998 .
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission , Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens , Pocket Books, 1998 .
• Star Trek: First Contact (novelization) , "A First Look at Star Trek: First Contact" , J.M. Dillard , Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens , 1996 .
• Star Trek: First Contact (Special Edition) DVD , Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga , audio commentary .
• Star Trek: First Contact (Special Edition) DVD , Michael & Denise Okuda , text commentary .

External links [ ]

• " Star Trek: First Contact " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• Star Trek: First Contact at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek: First Contact at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: First Contact at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: First Contact at the Internet Movie Database
• Behind the scenes on Star Trek: First Contact  at Forgotten Trek – features production history, concept art, and costume design
• Draft version of Star Trek: First Contact script  at Star Trek Minutiae

Star Trek: First Contact

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The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.

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“Star Trek: First Contact” is one of the best of the eight “ Star Trek ” films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot. I would rank it beside “ Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ” (1986), the one where the fate of Earth depended on the song of the humpback whale. This time, in a screenplay that could have been confusing but moves confidently between different levels of the story, the crew of the Enterprise follows the evil Borgs back in time to the day before mankind made its first flight at warp speed.

That flight, in 2063, was monitored by an alien race, the Vulcans, who took it as evidence that man had developed to the point where it deserved to meet another race. But now the Borgs, starting from the 24th century, want to travel back through a temporal vortex (how I love the “Star Trek” jargon!), prevent the flight and rewrite history, this time with Borgs populating the Earth instead of humans.

The latest edition of the starship is the “Enterprise E” (and there are plenty of letters left in the alphabet, Capt. Picard notes ominously). It is patrolling deep space when it learns the Borgs are attacking Earth. The Enterprise is ordered to remain where it is--probably, Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) notes bitterly, because he was a prisoner of the Borgs some six years ago, and “a man who was captured and assimilated by the Borg is an unstable element.” These Borgs are an interesting race. They are part flesh, part computer, and they “assimilate” all the races they conquer into their collective mind, which organizes their society like a hive. There is even a queen ( Alice Krige ), although she is not fat and pampered like an ant or a termite, but lean, mean and a student of seduction. One of the movie's intriguing subplots involves Data ( Brent Spiner ), the Enterprise's android, who is captured and hooked up to a Borg assimilating machine--which fails, because it can't crack his digital defenses. Then the Queen tries some analog methods all her own.

The central plot takes place as the Enterprise follows a Borg ship back through time to Earth, which, the Trekkers are dismayed to learn, is now populated by Borgs. To turn history around again, they need to be sure man's first warp flight succeeds. Earth is recovering from World War III, and a brilliant inventor named Cochrane ( James Cromwell , the tall farmer from “ Babe ”) has adapted a missile for this historic flight.

He leads a commune that seems to be part hippie, part survivalist, and spends much of his time listing to rock 'n' roll and drinking, to the despair of his associate Lily ( Alfre Woodard ). These two do not believe the weird story they get from the starship crew, and at one point Lily nearly fries Picard with a stolen gun. (He: “Maximum setting! If you had fired, you would have vaporized me.” She: “It's my first ray gun.”) The plot moves deftly between preparations for the Earth launch, Data's assimilation tortures on the Borg ship, and a fight against a Borg landing party on the Enterprise, which Picard personally directs, overruling doubts expressed by his second-in-command, William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) and their own assimilated Klingon, Worf ( Michael Dorn ).

Some of the earlier “Star Trek” movies have been frankly clunky in the special-effects department; the first of the series came out in 1979 and looked pale in comparison to “Star Wars.” But this one benefits from the latest advances in f/x artistry, starting with its sensational opening shot, which begins so deep inside Picard's eyeball, it looks like a star-speckled spacescape and then pulling back to encompass an unimaginably vast Borg starship. I also admired the interiors of the Borg probe, and the peculiar makeup work creating the Borg Queen, who looks like no notion of sexy I have ever heard of, but inspires me to keep an open mind.

“Star Trek” movies are not so much about action and effects as they are about ideas and dialogue. I doubted the original Enterprise crew would ever retire because I didn't think they could stop talking long enough. Here the story gives us yet another intriguing test of the differences among humans, aliens and artificial intelligence. And the paradoxes of time travel are handled less murkily than sometimes in the past. (Although explain to me once again how the Earth could be populated with millions of Borgs who are expected to vanish--or never have been--if the Enterprise succeeds. Isn't there some sort of law of conservation of energy that requires their physical bodies to come from, or be disposed of, somewhere, somehow?) “STFC” was directed by Frakes, who did some of the “ST Next Generation” shows for television, and here achieves great energy and clarity. In all of the shuffling of timelines and plotlines, I always knew where we were. He also gets some genial humor out of Cromwell, as the inventor who never wanted fame but simply enough money to go off to a “tropical island with a lot of naked women.” And there is such intriguing chemistry between Picard and the Woodard character that I hope a way is found to bring her onboard in the next film. “Star Trek” movies in the past have occasionally gone where no movie had gone, or wanted to go, before. This one is on the right beam.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Rated PG-13 For Some Sci-Fi Adventure Violence

112 minutes

Brent Spiner as Data

Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane

Alice Krige as Borg Queen

Jonathan Frakes as William Riker

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Directed by

• Jonathan Frakes
• Brannon Braga
• Ronald D. Moore

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Star Trek: First Contact

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Watch Star Trek: First Contact with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

While fans of the series will surely appreciate it, First Contact is exciting, engaging, and visually appealing enough to entertain Star Trek novices.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Jonathan Frakes

Patrick Stewart

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Commander William Thomas Riker

Brent Spiner

Lieutenant Commander Data

LeVar Burton

Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Lieutenant Commander Worf

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Star Trek: First Contact

1996 • PG-13

Picard orders the Enterprise to follow the Borg back in time to stop them from destroying the Phoenix , Earth's first warp-speed vessel.

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‘star trek’: the story of the ‘next generation’ crew’s greatest movie.

Jonathan Frakes, Brannon Braga, and more look back at 'Star Trek: First Contact' 20 years after the groundbreaking 1996 hit took 'Trek to new heights.

By Aaron Couch

Aaron Couch

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In 1996, Star Trek was at its apex.

On the small screen, Deep Space Nine and Voyager were carrying the Trek  legacy — and on the big screen, the Next Generation crew was still in its prime, having delivered a hit movie with 1994’s Generations after ending a seven-season run at the height of its popularity.

But the Trek creative team longed for more. Longtime writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga weren’t completely satisfied with Generations — a film they wrote but that was saddled with mandates that saw Picard (Patrick Stewart) share top billing with original series captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner ). For their next project, the pair were determined to do right by the Next Generation crew, pitting them against their greatest nemesis , The Borg — a collective consciousness bent on assimilating all life in the galaxy — and creating of a time-travel narrative that examined the origins of Star Trek itself. 

Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker ) had proven himself to be a top-notch director on Next Generation , and was tapped to lead the crew of the Enterprise behind the camera for his debut feature. It proved to be a wise choice, with Frakes commanding respect and affection from the cast and crew and utilizing his TV director’s ability to make the budget look much bigger than it was.

When  Star Trek: First Contact hit theaters 20 years ago on Nov. 22, 1996, it went on to earn $146 million worldwide against a $45 million budget — making it at the time the second-highest-grossing Trek film ever. It also would be considered a high point in Trek lore, with many fans arguing only Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan can top it.

“WE WANTED TO REDEEM OURSELVES”

1994’s Star Trek: Generations is still in theaters and screenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga are approached by producer Rick Berman about crafting a follow-up. The pair immediately agree — eager to get right what they feel they got wrong with the previous film.

Brannon Braga , screenwriter : When Generations came out, Kirk and Picard were on the cover of Time magazine and it’s like, “OK, how much bigger does it get?” But at the same time, Ron and I felt that we had made some missteps with Generations and we wanted to redeem ourselves and make a really great movie.

Ronald D. Moore, screenwriter : The big difference between First Contact and Generations was right at the start, there really wasn’t a list of things to do. There was no mandate. When we did  Generations , there was literally a list of things that the movie had to accomplish. It had to be a transition from one cast to the other. You could only have the original series cast in the first 10 minutes. It had to have the Klingons in it, it had to have a big villain, it had to have time travel in it. It was all this stuff. With First Contact , it was really just, “OK, what do you want to do?” So the three of us worked on the story together, and I think Rick was interested in doing time travel and Brannon was interested in doing the Borg.

Braga : The first draft had Riker fighting the Borg on the ship and Picard down on the planet and everything was just backwards. Patrick Stewart, who had read that first draft, said, “Why am I not on the ship? I’m the one who got raped by this species.” We were like, “OK. Obviously he is correct.” 

Moore : There were a lot of budgetary constraints. Even though the budget was obviously much bigger than your average episode was, it was still astonishing how quickly that got chewed up by visual effects budgets of the day. Paramount didn’t really spend a lot on those movies. We were reusing the sets and reusing old stuff. At the beginning, when the Enterprise comes in and the Borg are attacking Earth and there’s a huge fleet battle, that got way cut back. Likewise, a lot of the action that took place on board the Enterprise, you’ll note that we are still down to counting phaser bolts, which was such a pain in the ass, where we’re budgeting, “Well how many shots can the security guys take?” “Oh, it’s $10,000 a shot” and you’re negotiating with the production people.   

Braga : There were a few “aha” moments. Definitely when we conceptualized the Borg Queen, because at an early stage we were realizing the Borg are zombies but they don’t talk and we wanted some depth. We wanted these villains to want to be understood. And the other “aha” moment for me was the idea that the hero to all of the people on the Enterprise, Zefram Cochrane, was a drunk asshole who is creating warp drive for all the wrong reasons and him realizing why he needs to do it because it’s going to change the world and I thought, if you could go back in time and meet one of your great heroes from history and they’re a jerk, it’s very shocking.

Jonathan Frakes , director and Commander Riker : Sherry Lansing, who ran Paramount at the time, said to Rick Berman, “I’ll leave this in your hands because you know this franchise.” First Contact was Star Trek 8 . Ridley Scott was not going to direct this movie. Spielberg was not going to direct this movie. The big action guys certainly were not interested in doing the eighth version of a Star Trek movie. So I threw my hat in the ring with the rest of them and I was blessed to get arguably the best job of my life.

“ GODMOMMY , I’M GOING TO DIRECT FIRST CONTACT “

The crew of the Enterprise welcomes three new additions — Alice Krige as the Borg Queen; James Cromwell as warp drive inventor Zefram Cochrane; and Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloan, Cochrane’s assistant — who would challenge Picard in ways no other character ever did.

Alfre Woodard, Lily Sloane:  We are the same age, but I’m Jonathan Frakes ‘ godmommy . We were all young actors to Hollywood. We are like 22, and we would sit around and pool our money for chicken and beer and other things. It was a big gang of us and we would just crash at each other’s apartments. Besides silly and bawdy conversations with Jonathan, we also had poignant conversations, and I was talking about what my godmother meant to me. His eyes were moist and he said, “I don’t have a godmother.” I said, “Are you kidding?” Then he looked at me and said, “Will you be my godmommy ?”  

Frakes : I think she’s one of our finest actresses, and Rick shares that feeling. When he found out I had a relationship with her, we just offered her the part. We had met with a number of movie stars and then it became clear that casting Alfre in that part, not only is she a great actor, she isn’t who you think of in an action-adventure-horror movie. She added a gravitas and she also could go head-to-head with Patrick. At the core of what makes the movie work is that wonderful scene in the conference room where she says, “You broke your little ships.” It’s brilliant.

Woodard : I got a call, and it might have been Jonathan saying “ Godmommy , I’m going to direct First Contact. ” I said, “Yes!” My godson was going to direct me. “Hell yeah.” Then I thought, I don’t know anything about this. I remember that first day on set, Jonathan said, “You’re from a different time anyway, so you won’t even know half the things — it will work, it will work.” That first day, I had to come through a Jefferies tube and I said, “Jonathan, who’s Jeffrey?” And he looked at me and he said, “Oh my god, what have I done?”

Frakes : Cromwell was also unlikely casting. That was the year he was up for Babe [for an Oscar nomination]. He was an actor that Rick and I had discussed because we thought it was quirky, interesting. He was appealing, he was absurd and he seemed intelligent. He felt like he could be a mad scientist.

Alice Krige , the Borg Queen : I just got sent three scenes by my agent and I said, “I’ll go in on this, but I need to see the script if they want to meet me.” She said, “No, you don’t understand. No one sees the script.” I had never seen an episode of Star Trek . So I ran over to a friend’s house, who had a whole lot of Star Trek episodes on tape. And I watched the Borg episodes. I did the audition for Jonathan and Rick and [casting director] Junie Lowry. In the course of doing those scenes for them, I suddenly kind of got her. I suddenly experienced the Borg Queen. I came out and I thought I had completely blown it. So I ran off the lot and found a payphone at a gas station and I called my agent and said, “I really, really messed that up. But I really, really want to do it. Would you ask them if I could come in again?” She phoned them and we didn’t hear anything for three weeks. I thought, “Oh well. Another one bites the dust.” And three weeks later they called and said, “Would you come in again please?” I went in and met the three of them again and, as I remember, as I left they made the offer.   

Scott Wheeler, makeup artist : That character would not have worked without Alice playing the role. They were talking about Cher playing the role. And no offense to Cher, she’s had some great moments, but it would have been so gimmicky and I doubt she would have been willing to sit through the 4 1/2-hour makeup we were putting on Alice.

“THE BORG QUEEN WAS BORN”

The painstaking work of hundreds of movie artisans brings the film to life in an era when practical effects still ruled and CG was just coming on the scene. The Borg Queen is among the film’s crowning achievements under a team led by legendary makeup artist Michael Westmore .

Wheeler:  Jake Garber and I basically redesigned the original TV version of the Borg. I always thought of them as this metaphor for technology destroying humanity, like Communism over free will, the collective being prioritized over the individual. It started to represent technology almost raping humanity and biology. The whole basis of the actual paint scheme was based on cadavers to represent death.

Frakes :  All the Borg were on a different clock. There was an entirely different crew that showed up at 2:30 in the morning, their own set of ADs , their own set of and makeup artists, and Alice was part of that. So by the time we showed up at 6 or 6:30, they had already been there for four hours getting Borgified .

Jacob Garber, special makeup effects artist: We were the first ones there and the last ones gone. I don’t recall anything less than a 14-hour day. I ended up sneaking in a bunch of hidden messages in the Borg head pieces. I think I got about every makeup artist’s name in there somewhere. I snuck one in there that was Westmore’s House of Barbeque, I put me and a girl I was dating at the time in there. 

Scott G.G. Haller , sound effects editor:  It was a fun moment to be walking to lunch on the Paramount lot and seeing an extra in full Borg costume sitting on a chair outside of a sound stage, smoking a cigarette and reading a newspaper.

Wheeler: With the Borg Queen, the script had one simple description: hauntingly beautiful. I thought, “OK, why is she hauntingly beautiful?” Maybe the Borg needs a certain appeal. Maybe she’s hauntingly beautiful, because she’s sort of the seductress of the ideals that the Borg are supposed to represent. There was this beautiful face that is basically stretched over a biomechanical form. In the very front is a façade of beauty, and as you go further back and look at her, more and more you see the horror and the rot and the decay.

Krige :  By the time it was all on and all done, quite simply, I felt like the Borg Queen. It was as if I had gone through a type of time warp or portal. By the time they put in the lenses, it was not me anymore. That was phenomenally helpful. And I always think of it as a collaborative performance, because you can’t think of the character separate from what she looked like.

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Wheeler: We did some tests and the film dailies came back without them being properly timed. They were way too contrasty and too saturated. Rick didn’t really quite understand that was the situation. Rick felt it was way too dark and he asked me to lighten it up. His first note was just make it off white. “Don’t have any of the discolorations or the rotting.” I said, “No, I’m not going to make her into a giant egg head.” I wanted to keep the paint scheme the same. I said, “Let me lighten it up and I’ll show you.” So what I actually did was I painted another head exactly the same way I painted the first one, and then I took the original and I darkened it. I took those up to him and said, “Here’s the original, the one you don’t like that’s too dark, and here’s the new painted version, are you OK with it?” He goes, “Yeah, yeah, that’s much better.” So I got to keep the paint scheme the way I wanted it.

Todd Masters, designing supervisor, the Borg : We actually made a special suit for Alice that we didn’t put on the budget, because she was so awesome that we really wanted her performance to work. We initially made a suit that was a little too dense, a little too hard, and she was having trouble with it, so over the weekend, we made her a new one, which was not easy to do. The all-nighters were definitely a fact.

Wheeler :   We did the initial makeup test, and it was one of those things where we didn’t know how these elements were going to come together. We put her in the costume and we were in this special trailer just for her to do her makeup and wardrobe. Frakes was there, Mike Westmore was there and Rick Berman was just walking in while the lens technician was putting in the metallic contact lenses. When the lenses went in, Alice looked in the mirror and you could see how the look all of a sudden informed her about the character. She changed her posture and her presence. She turned around — and when she turned around, I kid you not, everyone gasped and stepped back. It was that moment when we went, “OK. It works.” The Borg Queen was born.

Masters : The whole part of the Queen coming down from the rafters when the head and shoulders are plugged into her body — that was unexpected at that time, the manner we approached it. Practical effects were still the rock star of the set, but CG was coming in. And we were one of the first groups to start integrating the two. So the whole thing with Alice coming down from the rafters and plugging in — most of the production didn’t believe we could pull it off.

Tracee Lee Cocco , the Borg Queen’s stand-in : They had me go up in a hoist on a flat kind of board and they turned the mechanism to make me turn over. And I’m so high and I’m afraid of heights anyway. Stand-ins have to do exactly what the actors do in every scene to get the lighting right.

Masters:  I didn’t think it would have worked as well if it was shot in two different parts, if we shot Data in month one and three months later we’re shooting Alice on a blue screen. I really argued for shooting it all on one stage and no one knew what the hell I was talking about it. It was like, “Well how do we do that?” She doesn’t have a body. We came up with this whole, bizarre system of old technology meets new — and it worked beautifully and ILM composited this thing together like gangbusters. And it’s still shocking today. I have visual effects supervisors coming to me today asking how we did that shot.

A NEW ENTERPRISE

After saying goodbye to the Enterprise-D in Generations , a new ship needs to be constructed. To add to the pressure at Industrial Light & Magic, a key piece of equipment broke just before they began work on the Enterprise-E, which would end up being the final model Enterprise used for a film or television show. It takes around 35 people months to complete.

John Eaves, illustrator:  The Enterprise-D in Next Generation was a much shorter Enterprise from what you had previously seen. They wanted to be able to show a ship that would fit on TV screens all at once as opposed to being way far away to show the whole ship. For the Enterprise-E, I went back to the old, original Matt Jefferies Enterprise, which was longer and used an Excelsior that Bill George at ILM created. It was a mix of the two and being able to make that length again added a nice balance to the whole ship.

John Goodson , model project supervisor : The model was 10 feet long. They really wanted to be able to look in the windows and see into the rooms. In the past, all those types of models, you wouldn’t see anything inside the room, you’d just see a light. We tried a bunch of different solutions and we just couldn’t get it to work. Eventually we cut little 16th  of an inch window frames for each window on the ship out of plexiglass . We put a piece of 32-inch plexiglass in the window frame and in the back of it we mounted a piece of plexiglass that was a quarter of an inch thick. We took photographs from a technical manual that’d been done on CD-ROM for Next Generation and we photographed a bunch of the rooms, just taking a camera and shooting it off the monitor. We put the slides in the windows. Later we had to change the dish, because halfway through the show, they added the whole thing where they fight the Borg on the dish and they built a live-action set.

Frakes :  [Production designer] Herman Zimmerman built the saucer on half of one of the sound stages. We storyboarded that sequence so we could tell the story that they were upside-down but shoot them right-side-up. I wasn’t as thrilled with that scene in retrospect when I watch the movie again. That scene in one of J.J.’s [Abrams] budgets would have been visually more amazing. I think we would have seen more shots of them in medium-wide shots where you would feel like they were actually doing this in space. There were a lot of close-ups in ours. There were practical close-ups of the boots on the set and the people against a blue screen and there weren’t a lot of medium- wides where you saw the whole dish and you felt it. But I look back at what we did for what we had and I’m very, very proud.  

“WE KEPT THAT LILY AND PICARD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAKES”

Alfre Woodard’s character Lily is at the heart of the film. Lily and Picard share a special chemistry, which culminates with a now-classic scene in which she challenges him to admit that he has embarked on an Ahab-like quest against the Borg.   

Woodard: That one and the luscious day I spent in Picard’s quarters with Patrick — that’s one of those days you don’t want to end. You have them occasionally with an actor and this is what we do. We’re in the middle of the music right now.

Frakes : I remember like it was yesterday, sitting under the camera and looking up at these two heavyweights duking it out and just getting a couple of different sizes and let the acting tell the story.

Woodard:  All three of us are from the theater, so we knew what the scene was. We worked the same way. We know about finding your intention and all that. The words will come. The words are the writers’ direction to get you to the plot, but the real activity happens between what is said. What is said is not as important as what you mean, what you’re not saying. Jonathan said, “Where would you be moving naturally?” And then one of us would say, “OK I think by this point …” and he said, “This is all I need you to do — be over here by the ships.”

Frakes :  Sometimes you tell the story with the camera, but this was just capturing and letting the actors tell the story.

Woodard : One of the things I was nervous about was the candy glass. When those kinds of things are set up, Patrick has got to hit exactly where it is, but you don’t want to be thinking about it. Patrick I were great friends, but for that whole morning and afternoon, we kept that Lily and Picard relationship in between takes. You know you have a partner. But even though you focus and you are in your character and you are seeing from your character’s reality, there is somewhere in the back of you, where you know that you are an Olympian running with a teammate passing that baton back and forth.

Moore: The relationship between Patrick and Alfre’s character was really strong. It was more of a romance in the earlier drafts and I think there was more to the kiss [at the end of the movie] and it was shot to have a more romantic element to it. I think what happened was, it wasn’t quite playing as well on screen and that got kind of cut back through post and through the editing process. It wasn’t an overt romance, it was never scripted that he falls in love with her, but there was definitely more of a chemistry between the two of them. The chemistry onscreen between the two of them was interesting, but it was a little more adversarial and they were challenging to each other on an intellectual level. It wasn’t sort of sparking off romantic sparks the way we thought it would initially.

Krige : The day I got cast, they went off to the Angeles Forest for the Zefram Cochrane scenes, so it was more or less [Data actor] Brent [ Spiner ] and me back in L.A. So I spent some time with him on the lot and he was incredibly helpful. I was under the impression that it was all about the Borg Queen and Picard. Brent kind of put me right. He said, “No, no, no. It’s all about the Borg Queen and Data.” And of course he was right. She’d been there, done that in respect of Picard.

Moore : Once we were dealing with Data having an emotion chip, then you really started to have to face the question, “What would he do with the chip? How human could he be? What would he be seduced by emotionally?” For a while, we weren’t quite sure what to do with Data. I think it was more of a comedic line for a little while, and then once we were developing the Borg Queen, I remember us early on saying, “Well you know, Data is an android. She’s a cybernetic being, perhaps she can find a way to seduce him in a way that no one else really can, because she sort of understands his side of the equation as well.”

Krige : In Data she meets her match. Whoever trumped the Borg Queen? But he manages to. I don’t know where the sensuality or sexuality or visceral physicality came from, but it’s kind of who she was, because she kind of does a similar thing with Seven of Nine with  Voyager . It’s just part of who she is. It’s one of the things she does to draw people in. She uses it with Data, but she kind of gets hoisted on her own petard.  

James MacKinnon , prosthetics makeup artist: Michael Westmore asked me to work on Data’s arm. It’s a little flap of skin. We’re gluing wires from one side to the other and I’m squeezing the bottle of two ounces of super glue and it’s not coming out. All of a sudden I squeeze hard and the whole bottle explodes on my arm. The super glue sets quick. My arm is attached to my chest. It’s kind of smoking because it makes super glue go faster. Now my arm’s burning. I finished my makeup with one hand and it takes me two hours to get out of the super glue.  

Masters : The back office didn’t like what we were doing, because we didn’t have a budget. We kind of kept going until they told us to stop. Things like the Locutus suit. They told us to stop. They said, “We don’t have the budget for the Locutus suit! We’re going to use the Locutus suit from the television show.” I put my foot down and I said, “There’s a big difference between what we’re doing here and what was done from the TV show.” That was black long Johns with Battleship parts. It had phone cords wrapped around. No disrespect to the people who made that stuff, but it was made for a small screen. Our stuff had to be projected on these huge, 300-foot wide screens. I finally convinced the producer to bring in Picard’s double, so we put the television suit on the double to prove to them. Still, they said, “We don’t have the budget.” My team somehow cobbled together a suit for Locutus out of Borg parts. So we didn’t use the TV suit. We actually made it. I think the top is part of the Queen’s suit and part of one the male Borg suits. It actually didn’t close in the back, so you never see Locutus from the back.

“HEY, THAT WAS A REAL SUPERSONIC MISSILE”

First Contact was the rare Trek outing for the Next Generation cast away from the studio lot. They shot the Earth scenes in Angeles National Forrest and the Titan Missile Museum, south of Tucson, Ariz. The old missile silo doubled for Cochrane’s lab and featured an actual (unarmed) Titan II missile.

Dennis Tracy, Picard’s longtime stand-in: The Titan Missile Silo was closed down in the early ’80s and officers who had been stationed there resigned their commissions and they got permission after many years from Washington, D.C., to keep it as a museum of missiles. They had to go through a lot of red tape. I remember one night we were shooting late and I wasn’t needed, and I left the silo and I’m walking around in the desert with 50 trucks, motor homes, all this stuff in the middle of the desert, just humming, making this marvelous movie in the middle of the desert and the rest of the world is sound asleep and here is this little creative community at 11 at night, just humming in this missile silo, of all places.

Doug Drexler, designer/scenic artist: Star Trek fans can be picky. I had one guy come at me about the missile that was in the silo, that it was supposed to be a supersonic, but it had rivets on it. How could we make such a foolish mistake? I got to say, “Hey! That was a real supersonic missile. We just put a nose cone on it.”

Frakes : It wasn’t glamorous, but it was nice to get out of the studio. We were shooting at night in the woods. I think it was a couple weeks of nights. A lot of us ended up staying in hotels up there close to the Angeles Crest so we could sleep during the day and just roll into work.

Eaves : For Zefram’s ship, the script read beautifully: They had built it out of a missile. They were using crude materials. We went back to the Apollo style of the big thruster cones and all of that. But we figured only the capsule came back to Earth. We hadn’t read that in the script, and we’re watching the movie and they are on this missile silo looking at it and Picard goes “Yeah, I’ve seen this in the Smithsonian many times,” and I’m going, “What?! The whole thing comes back!” It was never designed to do that.

David Takemura, visual effects supervisor : For the Vulcan ship, the actual landing was a computer graphic model. The art department built the landing foot, which was one of the landing legs on the ship, and the Vulcan ambassadors walk out of that. That was an actual set piece they walked out of. Then we had some additional shots where we blended the computer graphic Vulcan ship you see in some of the wider shots in back of the landing leg.

Braga: I think the most important plot aspect of the movie and what gave it its title was that Vulcan encounter at the end. This is what Star Trek is and this is where it all began. And you want it to happen. It’s what’s at stake —  Star Trek itself — and that to me gives the movie such a strong core.

POST-PRODUCTION BEGINS

The film was perfect balance between practical effects and CG. After shooting wraps, there’s more work to be done.

Takemura: We did Geordi’s eyeball. There’s a little gag where you see his now-bionic eyes. His bionic pupils rotating. In this high-tech, visual effects world that we live in, that was decidedly low-tech. It was actually a crystal faucet shower handle that I found at Home Depot. I just took some still photographs of it and I worked with one of the compositing artists at Pacific Ocean Post. It was just rotating that crystal shower faucet handle and doing some expansions of his iris to make it look mechanical.  

Adam Howard, visual effects supervisor: I had one shot that I worked on where Patrick Stewart is in a night club and he pulls out a Tommy gun and fires it. There were two takes, apparently — and one of them had him reacting fully with the gun and the second take had him reacting much less. They chose the second take for us to work on to put the Tommy gun muzzle flashes into, but then they realized there wasn’t enough kick in his arms or a real reaction in his body from the power of the gun. I literally cut his body apart digitally and I adjusted the kickback in his arms and added a very slight jiggle to the skin in his face and we put very slight blinks in his eyes so there were reactions to muzzle flashes going off in front of him. 

Haller : I also was tasked with cutting a little buzz every time a light blinked on a Borg costume — and there were a lot. I ended up crafting Borg-ified tribbles with blinking LEDs as gifts to my supervisors.

IT’S A HIT

The film opens on Nov. 22, 1996, to acclaim from critics and fans. It’s the biggest smash in Star Trek history at the time, only trailing the beloved 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Moore: Opening weekend, we rented a limo and Brannon and I, we drove around and went theater to theater, stood in the back, watched various crowds watching the different sections of the movie, then we’d drive off to the next theater. It was really fun and it was just a great night. You could just feel the energy in the house, when you were there and they were watching the sequences. Cheers and laughter and gasps and you just knew it was working.

Braga : When First Contact was released and did as well as it did, both critically and financially, I really felt — at least from my personal perspective — I never reached that height again. I would have great experiences on Voyager and became showrunner for it and all that stuff, but there was just something about going out on Friday night to go pop into audiences and see that theaters were packed and people were cheering. It was a fun time.

Frakes : Opening weekend, my wife and I went to stay with friends in Berkshires in Western Massachusetts and we stayed in a barn and I put my head down and one of my fondest memories from the entire weekend was I got a phone call from [original series star] Deforest Kelley, who I had only met briefly at Rick Berman’s house. He was a neighbor of Rick’s. And I guess he had seen the movie and he contacted Rick and asked Rick how to get in touch with me. And he called to congratulate me on how wonderful the movie is and on the success. And I carry that with me to this day.

Moore:  It was still in theaters, and again, Rick said, “Hey, this comes from Sherry Lansing. They want to start working on the next one.” Brannon and I — this time we didn’t jump at it. This time, we said, “Let’s think about this. Do we really want to do it?” There was a sense of get out on a high note. We just had a gut instinct that we didn’t want to now risk it. We had just achieved what we wanted to achieve, we had bettered Generations . We felt like we had scored that. This was a big movie. Everyone liked it. Let’s not push our luck. Rick was disappointed and Paramount was disappointed. Rick really pressed us for a while, because I think he was disappointed, but he understood ultimately and we just bowed out. We just walked off stage. This was it.

'Star Trek': The Story of the Most Daring Cliffhanger in 'Next Generation' History

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Star Trek: First Contact is a meta movie about the creation of the Trek franchise

John Hodgman joins the Galaxy Brains podcast to explain

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The 25th anniversary of Star Trek: First Contact , easily the best Next Generation movie of them all, has prompted many articles, essays, and podcast episodes about why this particular movie worked, and the other Picard-led films were varying levels of bad. Was it the Borg? The time travel element? The humor? Jonathan Frakes’ direction?

The easiest, most likely answer is that it was the only one with a truly excellent script. The ingenious idea of splitting up the crew, the breathless pacing, and the clever action set pieces set it apart not just from the other TNG movies, but from many of the other Star Trek films too.

But what has always piqued my interest most is the performance of Academy Award nominee James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane, the irascible, alcoholic inventor of warp drive that is sort of the MacGuffin of the entire film. The story revolves around whether or not he can get it together and go on his historic warp flight. I’ve always thought of Cochrane as a stand-in for Star Trek’s own inventor, Gene Roddenberry, and that First Contact is really a movie about the creation of Star Trek itself — a kind of futuristic roman a clef about a deeply flawed man who changed the world.

A far-out theory? Welcome to Galaxy Brains , guys. C’mon.

On this week’s show, Jonah Ray and I are joined by comedian, author and long-time Star Trek fan John Hodgman to discuss whether or not Star Trek: First Contact is a sneaky Gene Roddenberry biopic.

As always, this conversation has been edited to sound less weird.

Dave: I think a lot about Gene Roddenberry as the creator of Star Trek when I watch this movie. Zefram Cochrane in the context of the meta movie that we are watching is the creator of Star Trek. He says the words “Star Trek” in the movie. He invents warp drive. He meets a Vulcan for the first time. He’s this volatile human being with a lot of flaws, who meets his very logical person, and they have a moment of understanding. I always have thought of Zefram Cochran as basically just a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry. Gene Roddenberry has been said by many people, including his assistant Susan Sackett, in her book , and a lot of other people who’ve worked with him that he was kind of a volatile, difficult man. And that’s kind of what Zefram Cochrane’s arc is. He starts off as this guy who’s just trying to make money and make a buck. Star Trek was a means to an end for Gene Roddenberry. But then it becomes this cultural phenomenon, and he changes the world in a lot of ways. Do you see any of this parallel or am I completely off base? John Hodgman: To continue your sports metaphor, you are on base. You are safe. Dave: I know you love baseball, John. John Hodgman: I love you, love baseball, and I love it. You just threw a home base. I mean, you did a good job. Touchdown, indeed. Yeah. I’m not completely familiar with the behind the scenes true life of Gene Roddenberry, but I’m certainly familiar with his deification, you know, and the shadow as a creator that he cast and whether certain storylines would be considered “Gene enough” or “not Gene enough.” Yeah, there’s definitely I mean, whether it’s acknowledged or not, there’s definitely a feeling of, you know, don’t meet your heroes. They’re flawed people. They’re human beings. That’s not even subtext in the movie. Jonah: It’s text. More than 10 years prior to this was, I think, the big cultural shift in the culture of Star Trek, which was the Saturday Night Live sketch, with William Shatner yelling at the fans to get a life . It did remind me of that thing of just these all the nerds coming up to Cochrane and, you know, being excited and him going like, What’s wrong with you? Dave: He’s a statue, and he’s so horrified to get the statue at some point since he doesn’t see himself as that important. And I think that’s probably true of most people that we deify. John Hodgman: I mean, Gene Roddenberry created a calm, egalitarian socialist utopia of tolerance, probably because that didn’t exist in his own mind. That was a projection of something that he wished for, that he didn’t have peace of mind. Jonah: Something that Dave and I talked about earlier is maybe money did fucking make him an irritable drunk. Maybe he really thought, like if only money didn’t exist , I wouldn’t have to worry about this stuff all the time . There is something to that, like getting rid of money. John Hodgman: Yeah, right? I was just going to say it’s part of our cultural moment now. It’s like, well, after we shut down the economy for a year and people don’t feel like going back to work at those shitty jobs, we’re all of a sudden thinking, like, is there another way to do this? Dave: And Gene Roddenberry also created a world where sex was completely different than how we perceive it now, and the idea of sexuality is more just like, yeah, we have sex and we can have sex with lots of different people or aliens or whatever. It was more chill in that respect. And that was something that he was projecting in the real world, too. John Hodgman: Yeah, he wanted to have sex with everybody. He wanted everybody to have green skin. He wanted to have sex with them.

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‘Star Trek: First Contact’ Turns 25 – Celebrate By Watching 1996 Interviews And More

| November 22, 2021 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 65 comments so far

In the Fall of 1996 , Star Trek: Voyager was in its third season on television and Deep Space Nine was in its fifth. And on November 22nd, The Next Generation crew returned to the big big screen with Star Trek: First Contact , which was the biggest commercial and critical success of the TNG-era feature films. Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of First Contact by looking back at some interviews conducted for the release. There are also a couple of new interviews with co-writer Ron Moore about the movie, and we have news on a brand-new book all about First Contact .

First Contact Junket interviews

Veteran NBC entertainment reporter Bobbie Wygant recently posted full unedited videos from her 1996 First Contact junket interviews with producer Rick Berman, director/star Jonathan Frakes, and members of the cast.

Siskel & Ebert gave it two thumbs up

Movie reviewer all-stars Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review First Contact . Ebert called it “one of the best in the series” and lauded the effects and performances. Siskel called it “the best in the series,” which he noted had been “uneven,” adding that “everything looked sharper, including Patrick Stewart.”

Theatrical Trailer

Ron Moore talks Borg Queen debate, cutting jokes, and almost being replaced

First Contact co-writer Ron Moore did a couple of new interviews for the anniversary of the film. He spoke to Syfy about the Borg Queen, acknowledging that an individual was “antithetical” to how the Borg collective had previously been presented, which created a lot of debate between himself and co-writer Brannon Braga and producer Rick Berman:

[A]s soon as you bring the Queen into it, that voice became an individual and it brought up significant, in-world story questions. So we really went back and forth about it internally; the three of us argued it every which way.

He also clarified what she was the queen of:

So what we came up with was, there this idea of a Borg Queen that controlled at least this collective of that particular ship, not necessarily that she was the queen of the whole Borg. We wrestled with it for quite awhile before deciding to do it.

Moore also talked about some of the things he wished weren’t cut from the final version:

There was just more action in general, more fighting the Borg in the corridors, and going into different places on the ship. And I think there was more humor. A lot of the jokes got cut down. I think we had more fun with Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Cochran’s relationship on Earth, where he gets her drunk. We had more to that sequence scripted and that was fun to write, too. Rick might have made us cut it because he was always a little too—he was always kind of worried that maybe the humor would be too corny or something.

The writer also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter , where he dismissed the idea that Tom Hanks was ever in serious contention to play Zefram Cochrane, saying “…it was never really on the table.” He also revealed that at one point, Patrick Stewart got Rick Berman to bring in a different writer to rewrite some scenes, but eventually those scenes “were thrown out.” Later this incident created a bit of tension on set when the writers sat down with Stewart, as recalled by Moore:

I remember Patrick at the outset just said something like: ‘It’s good to see you. I hope that we can all move on from the things that have happened, and now let’s just concentrate on the work.’ And I took that in the spirit it was given: [He] wants to move on from this, he’s not going to apologize outright, but he kind of is apologizing. And it was never spoken of again. So we just moved on.

New First Contact book

Titan Books is releasing a new book celebrating the movie.  Star Trek: First Contact The Making of the Classic Film by Joe Fordham promises rare and previously unseen production art as well as new interviews with the cast and crew. The book, “filled to the brim of archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, concept art, production designs, and much more,” will arrive on April 5, 2022, just in time for First Contact Day. The hardcover coffee table book retails for $50 and can be pre-ordered now at Amazon . The Kindle/ebook can be pre-ordered for $15.39 .

Cover mockup

First Contact virtual panel tonight

To celebrate the 25th anniversary Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek is hosting a Zoom tonight at 6PM PT/9PM ET.

So days ago longtime Trek illustrator  John Eaves  rounded up some friends and asked me to herd them, as a free, one-hour online panel/reunion: With Trek video supervisor  Ben Betts , ILM model supervisor  John Goodson ,  and Trek art department superstars   Doug Drexler, Mike Okuda, Denise Okuda  and  Jim Van Over .  PLUS ILM vet  David Blass , now  Picard ‘s production designer over Season 2 & 3.

Check out the full details over on Trekland

Short notice, #StarTrek , but BOOM—this live #FirstContact25 panel literally just came together: https://t.co/EtcoTV9cfl pic.twitter.com/BsENeV6wfA — Larry Nemecek (@larrynemecek) November 22, 2021

VES Celebrated First Contact

Last night, the Visual Effects Society held a screening along with a Q& following the film, which included producer Rick Berman, director/star Jonathan Frakes, VFX supervisor Dan Curry, production designer Herman Zimmerman, and visual effects artist John Knoll and makeup artist Todd Masters.

In the audience was Star Trek: Picard production designer David Blass, who talked about how the film still holds up as a masterpiece.

Cast and Crew screening of the 25th Anniversary of @StarTrek #FirstContact with a panel of the filmmakers. What an amazing night. Congratulation @jonathansfrakes on a fabulous film that hold up as a masterpiece 25 years later pic.twitter.com/RolJTCY182 — Dave Blass (@DaveBlass) November 22, 2021

First Contact still part of new Trek

25 years on and First Contact is still resonating with the new Star Trek shows. In October the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “ I, Excretus ” featured a storyline involving the Borg, which featured the Borg Queen and the return of Alice Krige to voice the character.

From Lower Decks “I, Excretus”

The Borg Queen is also returning in the second season of Star Trek: Picard, which debuts in February 2022. The Queen will be played by Annie Wersching , and we have already seen glimpses of her in trailers.

Annie Wersching as Borg Queen in trailer for season 2 of Picard

Find more Star Trek history at TrekMovie.com .

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I hope they are working on a 4K release that reflects what the movie looked like in cinemas. That means no dvnr, no artificial sharpening/edge enhancement or redone colors. In other words don’t give it the Lowry treatment.

From what I’ve heard Paramount has a nice 4k digital cinema format version of the film for theatrical exhibition, so it’s only a matter of time for that version to filter down to the home video market.

Best Trek movie! Finally depicting the Borg in the proper terrifyingly realistic way. Thank you Ron Moore and for BSG that came later.

The Borg from the show were much scarier and unnerving, especially from the first few episodes.

The Borg in this movie were more like generic zombies.

Just one of those little continuity questions I ponder….Voyager depicted Delta Quadrant Borg having access to vast fleets, the the technology to pretty much deposit them anywhere they wanted. Yet, anytime they made a run on Earth, it was always one cube….

The answer I think is that the Borg were farming the Federation for tech. Even the attack in FC, they didn’t want to destroy Earth, they wanted to capture Data because they thought the emotion chip would give them the ability to transform the hive into an innovative imaginative lifeform without the need for organics (after all, you can only assimilate what is out there as opposed to go beyond what is out there). This is why they let Locutus in on where to fire.

Very imaginative theory. I’d think it more likely the effects team simple couldn’t afford to have a massive battle involving a number of cubes.

With a JJ budget it could have been done but having said that I think what we see is good enough. Star Trek isn’t about massive space battles and that’s why I like it the way it is myself.

What leads you to this conclusion? Was it the bit at the start of the film when they attacked the Sol system and had to fight through pretty much every single Starfleet ship other than the Enterprise which was sidelined and stationed elsewhere? Or was it that part when they travelled back in time and assimilated every single living person on planet Earth?

Yeah I don’t really understand that theory either. Why are they going to Earth and not just directly to the Enterprise then? And if they wanted Data, why are they time traveling to the past, that would also effectively wipe out everything in the future including Data since I’m guessing Soong would never be in the position to make an android.

And they would have to assume the Enterprise would be just lucky enough not to get erased in the future with everything else and be able to follow it?

If they really wanted to assmiliate Earth of the past, why wouldn’t they just goto the past? Or send more Cubes to the present? Or both? I think the answer is clear – they don’t want to end the Federation / want the Federation to not exist unless they have the tech that allows AI life to be fully innovative/imaginative (think V’ger). Then they don’t care anymore – past, present, whatever.

Yeah, that has always been the HUGE plothole lol.

But they clearly would’ve succeeded since 9 billion were Borg on Earth as Data said before they stopped them. They had already ended the Federation in the past. Or will. Ah, temporal mechanics!

Also the Queen states directly why she wants Data, most of it is just to get the encryption code to the Enterprise computer. She thinks Data is imperfect like humans are. She wants to assimilate him but none of that you’re suggesting is ever said or implied in the film itself.

Your theory just has a lot of holes in it to work.

That was the big plot hole of the movie. I’ve always wondered why not just time travel well before reaching Sol then just approach Earth completely unmolested? However this is where the “we want Data” theory helps. It is possible that they had both goals going into this. Showing up at Earth would have drawn Data out and then go back and assimilate.

But this is the real problem you get when you give characters control of time travel. Anything can be undone at any time.

They went back in time, assimilated earth… There’s enough exposition that suggests that turning Data was just a happy coincidence for the Borg. Assimilation of earth was always the primary goal, IMO….

I think going back in time wasn’t also their plan but came up at the last moment. They could have simply choosen a place far away from earth to go back in time.

If the Borg can go back in time (and pick the time and place), then they would just go back in time. They purposely don’t. My thought is they wanted to “trap” Data and see him in action. (Btw writers, this is why time travel/reset stories are always the worst outside comedies). Also if they got the key to AI=life why not get that tech to the Borg early. Indeed the time for the tech to get to the Borg on the present from the alpha quadrant could have been the real purpose of the drive.

That’s another problem. The entire concept of the Borg having the ability to time travel at will means they could just go back far enough and start assimilating every single race in every corner of the universe at will.

And yet no one seems to care that the Borg have this monumentally powerful tool in their arsenal. I guess they were banking on the idea that “they tried it once and failed. They won’t try it again.”

Yeah all true, but let’s be honest, that’s been the issue with having time travel in Star Trek since TOS started. As I once argued here back in Discovery season 2, EVERY one knows how to time travel. You can’t get away from that. The ‘go really fast around a star method’ is baked in. You don’t need any special equipment beyond just a ship capable of warp speed and a star to steer it by and you’re in a time warp.

In fact I remember arguing this with you and Sam (hey whatever happen to that guy??) at the time that Star Trek just made it too easy for anyone to already time travel. You said Star Trek has never made it directly known how to do it and how you can kind of justify it not really being used very much. But then the irony came a month later when we found out on Discovery that both Starfleet and the Klingons were involved in some secret time travel race; to the point Starfleet was now building specialized time travel suits and we learned the Klingons had an entire collection of time crystals which Section 31 stole from them for their time suit. Both groups could indeed travel any time they wanted. Why didn’t the Klingons just use the crystals to time travel and defeat the Federation in the war that way? Same as the Borg.

On Enterprise, there was a time travel war already happening centuries into the future. Who knows how much they had changed time over and over again which brought up another point and was addressed with Carl/GOF on Discovery.

That thing just sat idly on a planet for millions of years. Why didn’t other species use it to go back in time and change their fates? That’s why I liked how they used it in Discovery in the 32nd century and explained it started to hide once the Temporal Cold War started because it made NO sense this powerful entity just sat on a lifeless planet where anyone can use it at any time (excuse the pun ;))….but didn’t.

So yes time travel has always been a problem in Star Trek. The Federation itself has the Temporal Prime Directive that states they can’t just go back and change history willy-nilly, especially because they seen the effects of doing that over and over again. But it doesn’t stop the Klingons, Borg, Romulans and anyone else to not time travel when they feel like it and completely remake history. I guess you can argue that’s what the time police job in the 29th century does and watch ALL groups in the galaxy from changing time, but how they can stop them all from doing it is a head scratcher.

For me it seemed, they never really made a run on Earth as a major target. they just had some cubes flying around the galaxy who made a run on anything that seemed interesting to assimilate.

An invasion of the Federation might even be quite a waste of recources from borg perspective. If only some technologies or only some aspects of the species are interesting you don’t have to spend so many drones and ships, don’t have to conquer the whole other stuff, that isn’t more developed than the many other species you already have at home.

EDIT: Just think of the borg’s reaction of someone beaming onto their ship. As long as they don’t do any real harm drones ignore intruders. Because it would be a waste of recources to do otherwise.

The size of their territory and fleets in the delta quadrant is more of a irresistible side effect of their exponential growth of power due to assimilation. They are not like the Klingons truely interested in expanding their territory, going to war, conquering or ruling. These things just happen by becoming 1000 times more advanced than anyone else.

IMO this film holds up very well as the best of the TNG offerings, I watched the first 15 minutes the other night just to watch the fleet battle with the cube. Very enjoyable.

I can’t tell you how many times I used that scene as a demo for how cool the image quality and 5.1 sound on DVDs was back when it was first released on DVD.

I remember how excited I was for this movie to come out. I was in college at the time and just couldn’t wait. I was so obsessed with it watching/reading every clip, interview or article on it. It was around the time the internet was really becoming a thing and I was always online trying to find anything about it. I remember some of the crazy rumors at the time. Sisko was going to have a role in the beginning of the film. Geordi was going to get assimilated. Data will die.

I remember going home to see it with my friends in L.A. About 9 of us went opening weekend and it did not disappoint. We were with a huge crowd and clearly big Trek fans. The two biggest applause lines came when Worf appeared in the Defiant and then the Doctor in sick bay. People were really shocked to see him there.

It’s been 25 years later and it still holds up well IMO. I’ve watched it twice in the last year. Its also cool it has turned April 5th into First Contact day for us fans to celebrate every year together! Even the company has made it a special day to promote the franchise. Sad to say this, but this was the last great Star Trek film to come out for me.

I vividly remember being 13 years old, counting down the days until this movie came out. I used to dial-in to my AOL account to go to stfcweb.com to read spoilers about what the new Enterprise-E would look like. I went with my Dad and best friend on premiere day to the local theater and was blown away that the movie was even better than I could have imagined. 25 years later it’s still my favorite Trek. I keep a small model of the Enterprise-E on my desk. Thank you for a fine film and for being a cornerstone of my childhood.

That’s such a great story Dennis. Always love hearing stuff like this. It does remind me how special the films can still be, even when we had like 500 episodes of the shows by then. But the really good films (or our favorites) can create the those type of experiences and later memories after seeing them with family or friends for the first time.

My journey to First Contact began in the pages of Dreamwatch and Starburst (uk scifi magazines) and that it would feature the borg and be set in the Renaissance and titled ‘Star Trek Resurrection’ and then the very early days of ‘surfing the net’ (can clearly remember slowly loading up the new one sheet movie poster astounded that i was looking at it on a screen instead of the back of a comic book or theatre lobby). then seeing the film was obviously far superior to Generations and had a Khan feel (second improved film, sequel to an episode, Moby Dick, revenge, militaristic tone, better uniforms ) but at the same time it felt like FC was being the ‘TMP’ for TNG in that it was being re-jigged for the big screen like the way TOS had with TMP (and then was again for TWOK) with a new Enterprise and redesigned Giger Borg . and also felt like part of the’ Alien Invasion’ wave that was in vogue throughout 96 (ID4, XFiles, Mars Attacks), also was fun that uk wasnt too far behind the US release date unlike the last films

in the run up and after bought the usual Trek movie memorabilia – official magazine (titan not starlog), comic (Marvel not DC anymore), the novel, poster, the making of book .and a few First Contact chocolate bars! (pretty sure they had caramel inside, and were very nice )

That’s right, I remembered one of the earliest rumors was that the movie was going to take place in the Renaissance. It would’ve been interesting to say the least lol, but I’m happy the first contact idea came along.

I do agree with you about TMP parallel. I never really thought of it before until now but you’re right in a way because Generations basically kept all the elements for the show like the ship and uniforms. It was FC they really had the ‘movie version’ of TNG. There was a big shift between TMP and TWOK of course but that was probably due to slashing the budget and MANY people hating those TMP uniforms. I couldn’t stand them lol.

The recent Hollywood Reporter article citing Ron Moore on conflicts between Moore/Braga and Patrick Stewart on First Contaxt is worth a read.

It really sounds as though Stewart generally shouldn’t be indulged too far in providing input into scripts. A challenge and feedback function can be helpful and seems to have been positive but it went far beyond that. The idea that he hired his own writer to rework his dialogue is mind boggling even if the rewrites were thrown out in the end.

LOL I read that yesterday as well. It popped up on my phone. It was an interesting read! Hiring his own writers, my god! People always talk about how power hungry Shatner was on the show and films, but Stewart sounded just as bad in many ways, at least by the time the movies started. I still think Michael Piller’s original idea for Insurrection was a much better story until Stewart got involved and mucked it all up.

And its interesting no matter HOW much we’re told about these shows and films you are still learning new things about them. The Center Seat was on yesterday and I learned a ton about the time when Paramount was getting TMP up and running (both being our favorite movie of course ;)). The biggest that TMP was suppose to be the only one movie because they had planned to make another TOS TV show after it. I knew they planned to make one before it, but never after. But then it made a ton of money…

Oh and just to make this as off topic as possible, I rewatched 12 Monkeys! Finished it a week ago. There was SO MUCH I forgot because I only watched it when it originally aired starting in 2015. But boy a great show. More excited about Picard now.

It had a modest budget by even 1996 standards but it looks really smart and has aged quite well indeed. The key fx scenes hold up very well still today.

The biggest tragedy is they didn’t capitalise on this film and make a sequel perhaps with the crew having to find a way back home because temporal rift sent them where they didn’t expect to end up.. perhaps to a far future where the Borg have succeeded and the Enterprise is on the run and having to find a way to get the right coordinates to return home.

TNG didn’t act like a proper film series. A series of films in a franchise need to connect because that’s what keeps audiences coming back. Generations was passing of the baton and ended with a clear intent to continue.

“Somehow I doubt this will be the last ship to be called Enterprise”

First Contact delivered and delivered a solid movie. The film series has momentum!

Insurrection totally did its own thing and has no connection to previous movie. Even worse is the movie is really not very geared toward general audiences to enjoy and despite a higher budget it seems the actual end product look far cheaper (must have been the Baku village?)

Insurrection derailed the whole thing sadly. Doing sigular stories only work if every film is a winner and the Star Trek franchise is inconsistent on that front. If the audience is invested in the characters they will still turn out even for a somewhat poor film in a franchise. That’s what I’m thinking anyway.

To this day I don’t understand why neither the TNG or Kelvin movies didn’t have more of a story arc in their films? The irony about the TOS films was that 2-4 became special for fans because it was the first time TOS told a continuing story and those became a trilogy of sorts. I know it was more of an accident due to the Spock/Nimoy thing but it was also really successful too.

I thought the Kelvin movies would basically be a serialized trilogy from the start, especially since that’s what most movies were doing more and more. Movies were still mostly standalone sequels in the TNG era with some call backs to other movies but more were appearing outside of Star Wars. But by the time the Kelvin movies came out, nearly every big franchise were doing serialized stories. There was definitely a connection between the first film and Into Darkness, but a minor one. And then Beyond just totally ignored the events of Into Darkness. Same with Insurrection and Nemesis.

I think both movie franchises would’ve been more popular today if they built in a really strong story arc and not just standalone movies. Today it would be crazy not to do it. If the next film ever gets off the ground and stars a new cast, I really hope it goes that direction.

Well, the explaination for the Kelvin movies is easy – just way to much time between projects. It didn’t help that the behind the cameras creative team had way to many other projects going concurrently with their Trek work. It doesn’t matter how good a multi-tasker you are, at some point quality suffers with too many pokers in the fire.

The TNG movies are another story. There were decades of serial TV on their resume, DS9 in a lot of peoples eyes laid the groundwork for serialized TV we see today. For the TNG movies to be as disjointed as they are is a mystery, considering the backgrounds of the creative team.

I agree with you with both points.

The Kelvin movies just took a long time between movies and didn’t have a build up between the next ones. STID had plenty of hype but once people actually saw the movie and that it was a completely separate story (and not a great one at that) it made it easier to not care as much. Now to be fair, there were certainly other big brands out there taking their time between films like the James Bond and Nolan Batman movies. But those also were smart enough to continually build on those characters and storylines that got people excited to keep coming back. I think the Kelvin movies should’ve done something like those more. Give Kirk and Spock a REAL arc even if the stories are completely standalone. They sort of got them, but they weren’t very strong either.

The TNG movies also weird as you said. They had the opportunity to tie the movies a little more together and there was serious talk with Insurrection, the next movie was going to directly connect to those events but then completely dropped it. My guess is because the movie didn’t get the reception they hoped and just went a different way. TBH, it would’ve been hard to follow First Contact story wise since that was a time travel movie (and they did sort of make a sequel out of it with Regeneration on Enterprise). But they could’ve still made the stories a little more connected instead of just being completely standalone. The crazy thing about the TNG movies is I don’t think a single movie ever called back to any of the films. They referenced stuff from the shows in all of them, but the movies were isolated from each other outside of getting a new Enterprise and the Troi’s getting married.

You make an interesting point about the Enterprise episode “Regeneration”. The first time I saw that episode I kept thinking to myself why they couldn’t have made this or a version of this as a proper sequel to First Contact on the big screen. It could have worked, maybe have it as a flashback or involve the holodeck somehow.

In my grand rewatch of the franchise this year, I actually watched First Contact and Regeneration together. I followed a viewing order website and that’s how they suggested to watch it. And it works really well. I still remembered how much it bothered some fans when it was revealed the Borg was coming to Enterprise. But it ended up being a very clever way to introduce them on that show and one of Enterprise’s best episodes. It’s in my top 10 episodes for that show.

I agree, they could’ve found a way to follow up the story on the big screen, but I really liked how it was followed up on Enterprise.

I think that the other issue with the Kelvin movies is that if there is any linking arc, it is Kirk’s hero’s journey.

But it’s just not all that well done, and a fourth film resolving daddy issues just wouldn’t be all that compelling since the action has always been more important than the character arcs.

I’m forced to agree. I don’t think they really intended to arc the 3 KU films but yes… What arc there is would definitely be Kirk’s. Especially since the message from the 2nd film (which I agree with but not in how it was executed) was that Kirk got the chair by circumstance in the first film and in the 2nd he needed to EARN it.

Trek Beyond didn’t even have an arc in itself- Kirk is bored with Starfleet –> Kirk saves a space station and now he is not bored with Starfleet. The movie barely even had a theme– I think it was supposed to be “strength through diversity” but an exec decided that was too divisive so they changed it to “unity,” thus there’s the antagonist inexplicably saying how much he hates “unity” which comes across like a kid’s cartoon villain whose mission is to eradicate hugs.

Its crazy to think Beyond would have to have been budgeted cheaper than Trek 2009 to have made money for Paramount. Sequels cost more, actors salaries go up not down. Inflation happens. But Bad Robot’s budgets are untenable. They can’t make one of these for 200 million and make less than 400 million and continue to make them. I assume that means the KT will remain a trilogy unless they are willing to gamble on one more script and director and go for broke. But i doubt it they seem risk averse.

It’s why I’m not holding my breath the next movie will be about the Kelvin cast. They will be spending tens of millions of dollars to get them all back when they can probably spend a fraction of that with a new cast. I remember Beyond and everyone saying it would be the ‘cheapest’ Kelvin film and that was still around $140 million estimated at the time. Instead it basically cost the same as STID but only made $120 million less than that film did in the process. That probably put a bad taste in Paramount’s mouth they still can’t get rid of.

Between 2016-2018 despite Beyond bombing I was sure of two things, we’ll get another film and it will star the Kelvin cast; just a much cheaper one in the process. But once Pine walked away because they wouldn’t pay him what they promised, I been completely convinced of the opposite and still am.

And if another movie really happens it may still take place in the Kelvin universe but if they don’t use that cast, I’m guessing it’s going back to the Prime universe. That’s the one fans truly care about and where the focus squarely is again with all the new shows and seeing legacy characters like Picard, Janeway and Seven again. That’s just a lot more exciting in general.

Unfortunately they squandered those films and I don’t think most fans really cared as much about that universe in general.

It seems Orci’s ST3 wouldve tied into the alternate reality plot threads from ST09 (and a lesser extent ID with the timeline ‘righting’ itself into a reversed TWOK reenactment) Beyond pretty much ignored anything to do with that other than Spock Prime and the fun Trek V cast photo

TNG couldve done a trilogy arc by doing a mirror film after FC (Geordi’s wormhole led into the mirrorverse?) and then a wrap up the trilogy film with the borg returning for TNG4 (including 7of9 for extra appeal)

I guess the studio was always afraid that making the stories more serialized would exclude new audiences (because they couldn’t understand what was going on) but the movies never really succeeded in attracting a lot of new audiences despite allegedly being made very accessible. It took Marvel years and a long string of movies to reach that level of loyal following, and I guess Trek just never really tried.

As for Insurrection looking cheaper than First Contact despite a bigger budget, the TNG movies really had a big problem that the actor salaries shot up and ate up a big chunk of the budget. Some fans are complaining that the Kelvin actors are too expensive but they completely ignore that essentially half the budget of the TNG movies went into actor salaries. Patrick Stewart alone allegedly made $14 million on Nemesis on a movie with a total reported budget of $60 million.

Yeah that’s a good point about the budgets. They only went up to pay the cast AND crew salaries more, not necessarily for the production itself. They were all being paid 7 figures by the third film with Stewart and Spiner making the most. With the exception of Shatner, Nimoy and probably Kelly, none of the others ever got to a million dollars in the films and why it was easier to keep those budgets lower. And I read they all took a pay cut for TUC to happen.

As for the Kelvin actors, I don’t think anyone is really ‘complaining’ about their salaries. They should get whatever they deem is worthy. The problem is unlike the TOS and TNG films, the Kelvin films are some of the most expensive movies Paramount has ever made and they are clearly not getting the ROI as they hoped on them. So the reality is IF people want to see those films continue then yeah the budget has to be cut across the board, including the actor’s salaries as well. If not, then that’s probably why there has been no movie with them in the last 5 years. That’s really the issue most fans cares about. Many want to see them again but knows that probably won’t happen unless there is a serious budget draw down somewhere. It’s also why I’m not holding my breath they are coming back in the next film. Once Pine walked and they shelved the fourth film a few months later, that told me those films are most likely dead barring any real breakthroughs…and we’ve heard nothing out of all that time.

I thought he took a pay cut for Nemesis. Or maybe I’m mixing that up with Shatner and TUC.

Very Cool, they should release books like that on all the movies,…or least the first 10.

And I agree with what the critic said, about Stewart looking sharp, I think the TNG cast looked their best in this movie, which is interesting as they were nine years into the roles.

I remember seeing this when I was 15. Once those credits started in with that unexpectedly emotional theme I knew I was in for something special.

To this day it’s still kind of wild to me that the Borg — the coolest, scariest, most thought-provoking enemy from the series — actually got the big screen treatment. I used to watch “The Best of Both Worlds” repeatedly daydreaming about how epic a movie about them would be. I never thought they would actually do it!

I still hope we get another Borg movie some day, just involving a different crew. If we can have two Khan movies and 6 movies involving Klingons, then yes, I think we can have another Borg outing.

They are still very very popular today. It’s the reason why they are now showing up again in Picard and LDS. My guess is we will even see them again in Prodigy being back in the Delta Quadrant, but that’s probably in later seasons.

I think we can have another Borg outing

If it still involves the Kelvin crew, they could use the Planet Killer instead. Or combine it with V’Ger and/or the Borg. There still is the non-canon connection of V’ger and the Borg. And there is a TNG-novel which includes the Planet Killer and the Borg, which suggests that the Planet-Killer was sent to destroy the Borg. First Contact was the TNG-version of Wrath of Khan, but I think vice versa V’Ger and the Planet Killer are the TOS-equivalents of the Borg.

The problem is that Enterprise seeded the Borg into pre TOS canon. I’ll refrain from commenting on that creative decision, but it at least provides some continuity if the Borg are discovered in the Kirk era Kelvin universe.

My personal opinion, any Borg movie now should not happen, or just be a stand alone project.

All true. It’s not hard at all to place the Borg in the Kelvin universe in the 23rd century. And it would be interesting to see them connected to things like V’ger or the Planet Killer. That’s the thing about the Kelvin universe, it could shake things up in all kinds of ways from the Prime universe and unfortunately it didn’t. Other than turning Khan white and destroying Vulcan it didn’t really do anything interesting in this new universe. Just a lot of uber-villains in big ships who want to take down the Federation.

There seems to be this perverse need for the creative types to not be creative. The Kelvin universe doesn’t have to unfold the way the Prime universe did, and who’s to say the Prime universe isn’t some shadow of some different universe? Into the Spiderverse did a good job with a multiverse story, Worf’s trip down that rabbit hole in Parallels certainly allowed for different outcomes. Yeah, let the Borg find earth early in the Kelvinverse…..thaw out white Khan and his crew and let them have at it. It would be….glorious!

Even though I wasn’t really into the idea of redoing TOS at all (and I been a fan since the late 70s), once I found out it was going to be done in a different universe at least, I got a lot more excited about it. Because then they could tell stories any way they wanted. Really mix it up. Introduce known species or situations in different ways, etc.

Now to be fair they did SOME of that like the Spock and Uhura relationship. That would never fly in the Prime universe for most fans, so it was nice to see and I liked it personally (I know others didn’t though to say the least). And some Star Trek fans seem perverse to seeing relationships and sex in Star Trek in general lol.

But they could’ve done SO MUCH MORE to make the Kelvin universe just a more unique and interesting setting. Maybe the Cardassians and the Federation became major allies in this universe and fighting the Klingons together. Just the opposite, maybe the Andorrians left the Federation and became its main enemy instead like the Klingons breaking its treaty with them on DS9. Maybe the Federation already created the Genesis device but the technology caused havoc once the Romulans got their hands on it.

Take familiar elements of the universe but put your own spin on it. Have the destruction of Vulcan create a real shake up in the galaxy besides just creating a more militarized Section 31. And it doesn’t even have to be about conflict all the time either. Maybe the Federation has spread out to the Gamma Quadrant by this period because they found the Bajoran wormhole a lot earlier and now the Federation has expanded because of it.

That’s what bothers me about the Kelvin universe, it just doesn’t add anything really new . Star Trek has become such a rich and deep universe in the last 40 years by then with so much mythology it could mine. Now they can take all of that and mold it any way they want. Instead we get stuff like waking Khan up to build weapons or a former MACO soldier angry because he was left on a planet for 100 years. They never tried to expand their universe in any meaningful way or told bigger stories. It felt pretty much like the Prime universe, just with a few minor changes.

Watched this in the cinema, was incredible and such a strange experience and a lot to take in seeing the new uniforms, ship, Geordi without a visor etc. Incredible film still looks great today…my gripe after all this time was they should have made that battle scene at the start a little more wow…would of loved to see the Defiant get more than 20 secs of film time!

LOOKING SO MUCH FORWARD TO THE 4K BLU RAY OF IT (AND THE OTHER TNG FILMS)!!!

25yrs later and it’s still yarn inspiring. But it’s easy to understand why TNG fans think this is the best ST movie while being actually being one of the most predicable dull stories committed to film. Add half a star if your a fan, enema’s are free.

Make a zombie like tv series but borg version, assimilating humans before Enterprise catch-up.

Such a delightful film. So much fun to watch as a teenager too, getting a proper PG-13 action film for the first time. I ate up all the articles and the website (complete with that fun little first person shooter game) and the press coinciding with the 30th Anniversary. 1996 was just the best year to be a Trek fan.

This is the last great Trek film IMO. I’ve not enjoyed any of the subsequent films. 25 years now without a decent film… its a hellava long time.

Their is something very special about FC. The action is sharp and the film is beautifully paced. Just to think they took a massive risk making an all out action film… it could have gone either way with the fans. Fortunately, it all turned out well and we are celebrating its 25 anniversary. The film has become iconic.

Excellent movie, I’d consider it the best of TNG. All these reviews are good and nice but everyone seems to be missing an important part of what made the film so good and that is the excellent music by Jerry Goldsmith. His borg themes and the klingon themes and of course that beautiful ending theme when the first contact is happening are just so memorable and make the movie much better and much more emotional.

1996 interviews are veeeery much to see…

Thanks Trekmovie.com for such a great compilation of info celebrating the anniversay of Star Trek First Contact.

When I was a kid I of course loved Wrath of Khan. It was such a cool movie and of course compared to TMP I am sure it helped sell the studio on making more movies in the future!! That said, the older I get, I have to say my favorite is now, by far, First Contact. IMHO, the acting, the story, the music, the FX, the overall themes in the movie all combine to create the best of the 13 Star Trek motion pictures.

To all those south of the border, have a great Thanksgiving! The holiday is easily one of the things I miss most after moving back to Toronto a few years ago.

I was 4 years old when I saw this movie in the theater. It is my earliest memory of seeing a movie in the cinema, and was definitely the coolest thing I had ever seen by far in my short lifetime. I remember going to preschool and doodling the Enterprise E with its incredible details, I remember waiting for it to come out on VHS so we could rent it and watch at home, and then I remember when the Borg finally showed up in Voyager…yeah, I guess I got started on the Star Trek obsession pretty early

Curious thing about First Contact… The friend who is the biggest Trek fan after me became a big TNG guy while I remained a TOS guy. Which we sorta enjoyed over the years. The thing about First Contact that I liked best, that it showed Picard to succumb to the human frailty of revenge, is the same thing that he did NOT like about it. I liked that Picard was no longer perfect. And he was unhappy for the same reason. That Picard was no longer perfect. His opinion was that when Picard told Lily that in the future mankind has risen above such weaknesses that he should have stuck with it and NOT felt that emotion. Of course then we would have no character in the movie but he didn’t care. I actually liked that Picard spoke about how he had evolved into this higher ideal but Lily saw right thought it. That it was bul***it.

If only they could have called bul***it on the bit about money not existing in the future, too.

“THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE!!!”

This has oddly become one of the most famous lines in Star Trek. That line could ONLY happen with a much different and vengeful Picard in that moment. A guy who wanted to take down the Borg one by one. I can understand why your friend felt that way, but I fully agree with you. I loved seeing this version of Picard. And it just made sense because it was the first time he seen the Borg again in the way he saw them in BOBW as this terrifying group who would do anything to rip the Federation apart and this time he was going to do anything to stop them.

That entire scene Between him and Lily is just great on so many levels. The above line with “Jean Luc blow up the damn ship!” is just really great writing and acting.

I can still remember a bunch of us watching that whole scene with Picard and Lilly and thinking how great the acting was! That may be one of the finest, or the finest, Star Trek theatrical scene ever! I hope both Stewart and Woodward as well as Director Frakes are proud of what they made.

My friend who liked TNG didn’t like FC for four reasons I believe, and certainly saw it as a let down to The Best of Both Worlds:

1) The Borg weren’t the scary Borg from Best of both Worlds. Suddendly the Borg aren’t a unimind and they have a Queen. They only send one Cube… again. He went into the theatres thinking it was going to be this massive Borg invasion and got one Cube and 15 minutes of fighting at the beginning after which the whole thing was a forgettable affair in his opinion. I remember him showing me scripts (obviously fake? Internet was new then) with these massive battles at the end, the Federation fighting for survival, etc. I even remember seeing a trailer that used scenes from Ds9 and TNG to make you think you were going to get this epic Borg invasion and instead got.. 15 minutes at the start.

2) Did not understand how Picard “won” the battle. He “heard” exactly where to shoot? Huh? No three dimensional strategic thinking in this one. All those Akira class ships just couldn’t hit the er, something.

3) Did not like action hero/out for revenge Picard, which I personally thought was an improvement on the boring perfect TNG Picard who lasted like 10 seconds in combat when not working for the Borg. I disagree on this point, Picard was way better and watchable in FC vs. TNG.

4) Time travel is dumb, why do the Borg not just go back in time again? And why even engage Picard?

Ironically I at the time was happy there was some TOS with Cochrane and the door was open for an prequel birth of the federation / early exploration that I thought would be the future of Trek… (which ironically happened but not the way I thought it would go when the ENT pilot was a disaster in being TNG lite.. sigh).

Out of that discussion came the idea to save the Borg as a scary unimind from BOBW (the only TNG worth watching in my opinion, including FC) where they are “farming” the Federation for tech (i.e. the Borg right now only get new tech by assimilating life to add distinctiveness and new tech) , purposely sent only one Cube, told Picard where to shoot and force him to follow, the time travel was all about getting the Ent/Data alone, the Borg never really cared about time travel, that their soul purpose is to get the Federation to develop AI=life and thought it was achieved with Data only to be disappointed when Data was found subpar. The Queen is a ruse, and on finding out it was all for naught they lose and send the compromised Picard back home. This plays into concepts from TMP, the Borg go back to being an evil V’ger that want to take the next step in its evolution.

Ironically ST Picard is consistant with this. Picard seems internally lost, goes obsessed with AI and Data in his dreams, builds an evacuation fleet on his watch with an odd focus on using AI synths to the point they are programmed to act as slaves and then almost instinctively does whatever it takes to get AI=life tech to the point he dies and becomes it. I’m actually in shock Season 2 isn’t the Borg trying to capture him at all costs (and throw in that massive invasion for my TNG friend).

This movie and the critical and financial success of it book-ended the “peak trek” or “golden” era from 1990-1996 which to this day I don’t think has been matched in terms of overall broad-based popularity of Star Trek. That era started with BBOW and the sustained mainstream ratings success of TNG and the spin-offs that resulted from that point. DS9 was established as a very good show at this point, and voyager still had it’s moments before that show ruined the main villain of this movie (that being the Borg) in subsequent seasons. After this movie, things slowly went downhill even though DS9 had some of its best moments in season 6 and 7 until for better or worse JJ Trek gave a new lease on life for the Trek franchise.

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Movie Review: 'Star Trek: First Contact'

Spanning the universe within the confines of an eyeball, Star Trek: First Contact opens deep in the unblinking peeper of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), commander of the starship Enterprise . Then the camera pulls way back, revealing the captain imprisoned in a humongous cube of a fortress floating in deep space. The cube belongs to the terrible Borg. And Picard, it turns out, is having a flashback to a time (dating from the second TV season of Star Trek: The Next Generation ) when he was taken over by the galaxy’s most lethal, cybernetically gussied-up aliens, who are capable of assimilating all life, everywhere. ”Resistance is futile!” is the Borg war cry, and it was only by dint of his extraordinary Picardosity that J-L and his core company survived. As a result, though, the guy bears a huge personal grudge. So when news reaches the Enterprise , out there in the 24th century, that Picard’s nemesis is making another pass at evil — this time aiming, through a blip in the space-time continuum, to wreck the course of history by preventing the profound 21st-century first contact between earthlings and aliens — he and his crew hustle to stop the madness.

”Resistance is futile” may as well be the slogan of the whole 30-year-old Star Trek empire. But in zooming out from Picard’s glinty eyeball, this eighth feature film from the Trek factory displays a zippy new energy and a sleek, confident style fully independent of its predecessors: First Contact jettisons all vestiges of the later, lumbering, mat-haired William Shatner years (the baton, you remember, was officially passed two years ago with all the pomp of a papal election in Star Trek Generations ).

For this Trek (directed, in his first feature-film project, by Jonathan Frakes, who also runs in front of the camera to play Comdr. William Riker), the Enterprise itself has been spruced up. The famous command bridge no longer looks like a Best Western lobby. The team uniforms no longer look like Halloween costumes. Self-aware wit — that characteristic dialogue tone of the ’90s — is woven throughout the script by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore, while the plot maintains the conventions of Trek feature films, i.e., parallel stories of trouble on earth and in space. Data (Brent Spiner) gets a very special subplot involving the Borg queen (Alice Krige), whose entire head is permanently, erotically lubricated. And it’s a pleasure to see guest stars Alfre Woodard and James Cromwell, as a couple of 21st-century pioneers, used in inventive contrast to their better-known images as Serious Dramatic Actress and dancing farmer in Babe . (Cromwell plays Zefram Cochrane; Trek kers will recognize him as an old friend.)

The Borg, by the way, look fabulous, owing a big debt to the creations of Alien designer H.R. Giger. They’re a breath of fresh carbon dioxide for the Next Generation team, who rise briskly to the occasion. By the time Worf (Michael Dorn), knocking off a slimy attacker, growls a Schwarzeneggerish ”Assimilate this!” we’ve already done so, with pleasure. B+

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Star trek: first contact, common sense media reviewers.

Intense, gory Starfleet adventure earns series' first PG-13.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Starfleet is notably racially, gender, and species

Picard's vengeful attitude towards the Borg is cal

Spaceship explosions, ray-gun fire, dead bodies se

Dialog about sexuality in general terms, mostly wi

More bathroom talk than usual Starfleet regulation

Tie-ins with three Star Trek TV shows, innumerable

Quite a lot of drinking and drunkenness among the

Parents need to know Star Trek: First Contact is the first Trek movie to Go Where No Star Trek Flick Had Gone Before, to a PG-13 rating. It has some pretty gruesome violence and a macabre threat in the menacing Borg, a zombie-like, infectious, cybernetic race who could give younger viewers nightmares…

Positive Messages

Starfleet is notably racially, gender, and species-integrated (with the addition of Mr. Data, even machine-integrated), and there is a strong sense of friendship, duty, loyalty and, if necessary, sacrifice.

Positive Role Models

Picard's vengeful attitude towards the Borg is called into question by a civilian, and he relents. Mr. Data puts his own wishes to be human aside for the greater good.

Violence & Scariness

Spaceship explosions, ray-gun fire, dead bodies seen. Grisly close-combat with the Borg, including snapped necks, injections-implants piercing skin, disembodied or hacked-off body parts, and dissolving flesh.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Dialog about sexuality in general terms, mostly with the android Data being tempted by an inhuman villainess. He talks about being anatomically correct and programmed in "techniques." A human character described as a drunken womanizer.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

More bathroom talk than usual Starfleet regulations, including "bulls--t," "hell."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Tie-ins with three Star Trek TV shows, innumerable action-figure/book/video game spin-offs. Zephraim Cochrane forces the crew to listen to classic rock.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Quite a lot of drinking and drunkenness among the people of Earth, played comically.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know Star Trek: First Contact is the first Trek movie to Go Where No Star Trek Flick Had Gone Before, to a PG-13 rating. It has some pretty gruesome violence and a macabre threat in the menacing Borg, a zombie-like, infectious, cybernetic race who could give younger viewers nightmares. Humans and Borg alike die in battles, with some limbs severed, and a Borg commander can detach her head at will. There is some generalized dialog about sexuality, as well as mild swearing. A historical Starfleet hero is revealed as a misfit drunkard; while his alcoholism is perhaps meant as pathos, it comes across as mainly comical. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (3)
• Kids say (15)

Based on 3 parent reviews

Fine except for that one scene...

The best tng film. excellent flick, deserving of pg-13 rating., what's the story.

A theatrical spin-off of the fine TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation , STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT gets right to business with the most compelling of the villains from the program, the Borg, an army of ghoulish cyborgs from deep space, out to conquer all humanoid life. Responding to an attack on Earth by the Borg, the starship Enterprise (a new model since the previous one got trashed in the last film ) discovers the invaders have sent a Borg expedition back in time, to a war-devastated 21st-century Earth. By striking at this crucial interval, the Borg will absorb humanity at its weakest point, altering history and preventing the founding of Starfleet. Following in the same time warp, the Enterprise crew split into two teams; one beams to the wilderness of Montana of 2063, to find a genius inventor-pilot named Zephraim Cochrane (James Cromwell), responsible for faster-than-light space travel -- but he turns out to be a gangly wastrel, aghast that he's destined to be regarded as the planet's greatest hero. That's played on a comic level; more serious events unfold on the Enterprise , where Borg have taken root like an infection and are spreading throughout the ship.

Is It Any Good?

Kids (heck, adults too) who have absorbed Treklore on the level of their Pokemon or Buffy the Vampire Slayer scholarship should be delighted by the well-modulated space adventure. Though it comes on like gangbusters (or Borgbusters, as the case may be), as with many Star Trek movies, knowledge of the dense TV mythology is crucial to comprehending this maximum-warp theatrical expansion. Someone who has not seen the cliffhanger episodes in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) is captured and turned into a Borg, will be a bit lost -- and Star Trek: First Contact not only references them but also connects, to varying degrees, with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager , among others. In-joke lines and cameos that made audiences cheer in 1996 may seem puzzling and out of context today.

While the relatively tame stuff on Earth with Zephraim Cochrane seems to have drifted in from an entirely different (and more lighthearted) film, it gives you vital breathing space in between the Borg conflict, in which the stakes are literally a fate worse than death. Indeed, the vibe is not unlike Alien as the purposeful zombies take over deck by deck -- only to meet their match in human will and loyalty.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why the Borg are standouts among all the alien menaces on Star Trek . Why are they such memorable adversaries?

What about the side-story about Zephraim Cochrane, the legendary inventor who turns out to be an extremely reluctant hero? Can you think of any real-life equivalents in human history?

The theme of Moby Dick and obsessive vengeance arises, a reference that also came up in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . What similarities are there in the stories?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 22, 1996
• On DVD or streaming : May 15, 2005
• Cast : James Cromwell , Jonathan Frakes , Michael Dorn , Patrick Stewart
• Director : Jonathan Frakes
• Inclusion Information : Black actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Run time : 111 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some sci-fi adventure violence.
• Last updated : March 10, 2024

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Star Trek: First Contact

• Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum In zooming out from Picard's glinty eyeball, this eighth feature film from the Trek factory displays a zippy new energy and a sleek, confident style fully independent of its predecessors.
• New York Times Janet Maslin The series now lacks all of its original stars and much of its earlier determination. It has morphed into something less innocent and more derivative than it used to be, something the noncultist is ever less likely to enjoy.
• Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan Blessed with clever plot devices and a villainous horde that makes the once-dread Klingons seem like a race of Barneys, First Contact does everything you'd want a Star Trek film to do, and it does it with cheerfulness and style.
• San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle A nicely constructed science-fiction film, with a simple premise, a charismatic villain and a good back-story to enhance the action.
• Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Star Trek: First Contact is one of the best of the eight Star Trek films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot.
• Detroit News Susan Stark The first stretch and the home stretch are so filled with visual interest and, more importantly, with the patented Star Trek philosophical and humorous tidbits that fans will gladly suffer the dull Borg patch for the pleasure of the rest.
• ReelViews James Berardinelli Following in the wake of a trio of disappointing features, First Contact proves to be the most entertaining Star Trek in more than a decade.
• Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov The film feels soulless and hollow, despite best intentions to the contrary.
• Miami Herald Leonard Pitts Jr. This is why we go to Star Trek: for a tomorrow of promise and possibility and stories that lift us from the muck of what we are to the summit of what we might learn to be.
• Boston Globe Jay Carr It's easily one of the best in the series -- the best, in fact, since Leonard Nimoy and the old Enterprise crew saved the whales in "Star Trek IV."
• TIME Magazine Richard Corliss First Contact is no grab bag of camp gewgaws; it stands proud and apart, accessible even to the Trek-deficient. This old Star, it seems, has a lot of life in it.
• Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector The elegance of the story is enhanced by the sure direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Riker.
• Variety Joe Leydon A smashingly exciting sci-fi adventure that ranks among the very best in the long-running Paramount franchise.
• Washington Post Lloyd Rose The excitement comes from Frakes's direction.
• Washington Post Desson Thomson A thoroughly enjoyable visit with the crew of TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Keith & the Movies Keith Garlington Star Trek fans will find that same style and unique form of storytelling that they've come to expect from the franchise.
• Slant Magazine Jake Cole Here, the TNG cast gets to show off their longstanding chemistry and further develop their characters.
• Solzy at the Movies Danielle Solzman If you've never watched anything Star Trek before, First Contact is a very accessible film and highly recommended.
• Rob's Movie Vault Rob Gonsalves The storytelling is tight, the style loose and limber, and it moves with great confidence and speed; it caught me up in the first shot and never let me down.
• USA Today While First Contact espouses the usual lofty Trek ideals, it never forgets to factor in the fun. As the Borg likes to say, resistance is futile -- and also unnecessary.

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All Roads Lead to Discovery: The Full Star Trek Timeline, Explained

Star Trek: Discovery takes place at the furthest point in the franchise timeline. Here is the stardate for each major entry in the series.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, the final season, is currently underway. The series debuted in 2017 and was used as the launch title for the streaming service CBS All Access, now rebranded Paramount+. It was also the first Star Trek series on television in 12 years following the conclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise back in 2005. While Paramount has spent nearly a decade trying to get Star Trek 4 out of development hell , the franchise has been going strong on Paramount+ with various series on the streaming service at different times of the year. Now, there is almost always a Star Trek series on the air at any given point.

Star Trek: Discovery is a fascinating case for the franchise, as it was originally conceived as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , but following the conclusion of Season 2 and starting in Season 3, the series jumped far into the future, the farthest point in the franchise history. Star Trek: Discovery now takes place in a universe built on years of stories. Here is a breakdown of the Star Trek timeline across television and film and how it all leads to Star Trek: Discovery .

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star trek: enterprise.

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The last television series on air before Star Trek: Discovery is also the first in the timeline as Star Trek: Enterprise takes place over 100 years before the adventures of Kirk and Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Jonathan Archer, the captain of the Enterprise NX-01 which was Earth’s first starship able to reach warp five. Major events in the series are around first contact with alien species like the Klingon and the Xindi. The series also featured the true formation of the United Federation of Planets.

The series also established the Temporal Wars, a conflict that stretched across time and space and resulted in the creation of multiple timelines as agents from various factions in the 32nd century were sent back in time to move history in their favor. This eventually resulted in an all-out war, and while it was resolved, it later had some major ramifications for the franchise. The first was that all-time travel technology became outlawed or destroyed in the 32nd century, so when the crew of Discovery jumped forward in time, they had no way of returning home. The other was a way for the writers to fix continuity errors , like moving up the date of Khan's rise and the Eugenics wars from the 1990s, as established in The Original Series , to the 2010s.

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

When Star Trek: Discovery first premiered, it was pitched as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , taking place nine years before the events of the series. It introduced Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, the never-before-mentioned adopted sister of Spock who ended up starting the war between the Federation and the Klingons, one that would have repercussions for the franchise for years. Star Trek: Discovery dealt with a threat from the Mirror Universe , a faction that would come into play in Star Trek: The Original Series , while season two brought on fan-favorite versions of characters from the original Star Trek pilot in the form of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijln), and Spock (Ethan Peck).

Star Trek: Discovery season two ended with the crew of the Enterprise making the decision to jump forward 1000 years in the future to save the galaxy from an artificial intelligence threat. This resulted in Pike, Spock, and Number One telling Starfleet that Discovery was destroyed in the battle and vowing never to speak of it or the crew again to prevent another incident like the rouge AI Control from happening. This was done to explain why nobody in the later series of Star Trek mentioned any of the characters on Discovery or the advanced technology the ship had as the first and only one of its kind to use an experimental spore drive.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is both a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery , following Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise, introduced in that series, as well as a continuation of the original pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series "The Cage." Now that Captain Pike knows the fate that awaits him by the time Star Trek: The Original Series happens, he and the crew of the Enterprise begin exploring strange new worlds. The series is notable for featuring not only Spock but also his first-ever meeting with Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) and the first missions of Uhurua (Celia Rose Gooding). Other members of the original crew, like Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), while Season 2's finale introduces a young Scotty (Martin Quinn).

Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

It also adds a new wrinkle to the lore: La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), who is a descendant of villain Khan Noonien Singh. The series has so far fleshed out the alien race, The Gorn, and features the foundation of the Prime Directive rule, one that forbids a Starship from interfering with the development of an alien planet. It also features time travel in two key episodes. The first was when La'an and another version of Kirk traveled to 2020 Toronto, where La'an has a chance to kill a young Khan when he was just a boy but doesn't due to him not being guilty of any crime yet, and the other involved the crew of Star Trek: Lower Decks traveling back in time and arriving back 100 years before their time.

Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

The one that started it all, Star Trek: The Original Series , follows the crew of the USS Enterprise in their five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and go where no one has gone before. Under the guidance of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), his first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and friend and ship doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly), the crew of the USS Enterprise are the most important characters in the Star Trek franchise. Decisions and events here have major ripple effects on the entire franchise.

There are far too many to name, but the biggest ones include in 2267 when the crew finds and uncovers the body of Khan Nooniegn-Signh, and after he attempts a mutiny, they leave him on a planet to begin a new life, an action that will have repercussions decades later.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Star trek: the animated series.

Star Trek: The Animated Series was made in 1973, four years after Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled. It featured the continuing adventures of the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. It lasted for two seasons and helped round out the stories of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2271)

Star trek: the motion picture.

While no official stardate is mentioned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and is only identified as the 2270s, supplementary material for the film dates it one year after the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. The film sees the crew of the Enterprise reunite to investigate a mysterious and powerful alien cloud known as V'Ger, which is destroying everything in its path as it approaches Earth. While not stated in the film, subsequent Star Trek material has suggested that V'Ger is the progenitor of the Borg, one of the franchise's most popular recurring enemies.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

Star trek 2: the wrath of khan.

The most iconic Star Trek film, The Wrath of Khan , picks up 15 years after the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed." The time since the planet Khan was marooned on , it became a wasteland after one of the planets near it was destroyed and altered the atmosphere. Khan now seeks revenge on Kirk and does so by going after the planet-terraforming machine called the Genesis device, a machine created by Kirk's ex, Carol Marcus, and his son, David Marcus. Kirk is able to defeat Khan but at a price, as Mr. Spock is forced to give his life to save the crew of the Enterprise. Spock's death will have major repercussions on the franchise that will be felt for years.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

Star trek iii: the search for spock.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock picks up just months after The Wrath of Khan , as the crew of the Enterprise discovers that there is a way to revive Spock. They go against Starfleet's orders and steal the Enterprise to return Spock's body and mind to Vulcan so that he can be reborn. The crew must also face off with hostile Klingons, led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), who is bent on stealing the secrets of the powerful terraforming Genesis.

Here’s How Much Each Star Trek Movie Made at the Box Office Upon Release

The film features some major hallmarks of the franchise. The first is the destruction of the Enterprise, a ship that had been with the franchise for years and would be absent in the following film. The second was establishing the core characters as fugitives from the United Federation of Planets, which would set up clearing their names in the follow-up. It also featured Spock being resurrected but at another cost for Kirk, the death of his son, which would begin to drive Kirk's prejudice against Klingons for many films.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

Star trek iv: the voyage home.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sees the former crew of the USS Enterprise discover that Earth is in grave danger from an alien probe attempting to contact now-extinct humpback whales. The crew travels to Earth's past to find whales who can answer the probe's call. The first and final part of the movie takes place one year after The Search for Spock , but the majority of the movie takes place in 1986, the present day for moviegoing audiences. While Star Trek had done time travel stories before, this one set a template for future entries in the franchise. By the end of the film, Kirk and his crew had been reinstated and cleared of all charges.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

Star trek v: the final frontier.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier deals with the crew of the new USS Enterprise-A as they confront renegade Vulcan Sybok, who is searching for God at the center of the galaxy. Sybok is Spock's half-brother , and he is from his father's previous relationship with a Vulcan woman. This makes the second chronological secret member of Spock's family and the first introduced in the series in order of release.

Sybok's presence was actually hinted at in the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when his lover, Angel, attacks his half-brother's ship. The entry is also the first to allude to a higher power in the Star Trek franchise, and while God would not be revealed in the series, the idea of someone being the creator of life in the galaxy would be picked up years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation and is now the main storyline for the final season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

Star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

The final time the entire crew of the USS Enterprise would be together was in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . The Klingons seek to form an alliance with the Federation after years of fighting due to their planet suffering a major catastrophe, but Kirk is still bitter after the death of his son at the Klingon's hands in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Kirk and Bones are framed for the murder of a high-up Klingon official, which threatens the peace accords, and they, alongside the rest of the crew of the Enterprise, must work to clear their names.

This final entry for most of the original cast marks a turning point in the franchise. It marked the end of the Federation and Klingon conflict, setting up Star Trek: The Next Generation , featuring the character Worf in a prominent role as part of the crew. The film takes place 28 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, and through one live-action show, an animated series, and six films, audiences saw a massive epic unfold for these characters, but the story was far from over as a new era began for the franchise and the next generation began.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Star trek: the next generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation takes place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Captain Jean Luc-Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as they continue to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations. For many audiences, this was their Star Trek and introduced a whole new host of concepts to the franchise, with the most iconic being the villain, The Borg.

Star Trek: The Next Generation might be one of the most important in terms of how it connects to Star Trek Discovery. The first is the episode "Unification," in which Spock looks to bring peace between the Vulcans and Romulans. Not only is this paid off as Spock's vision of a united Romulus and Vulcan comes true in the form of the planet Ni'Var in Star Trek: Discovery , but his work with the Romulan people will lead to the events that create the alternate Kelvin timeline of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond .

Yet the most important element is in the episode "The Chase," which reveals that the reason various alien life in the galaxy looks so similar is due to sharing a common ancestry from an ancient species that crafted life in their image. This revelation forms the backbone of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season as the crew looks to find the technology of the species that created life, now dubbed the Progenitors. The episode debuted in 1993, and now, 31 years later, the series is finally going to delve into some answers.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star trek: deep space nine.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke from franchise conventions as instead of being focused on a starship, it was set on a space station Deep Space Nine, located adjacent to a wormhole connecting Federation territory to the Gamma Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy. The series begins one year before the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation come to a conclusion and is firmly connected to the events of that series as Benjamin Sisko, head of Deep Space Nine, is mourning the death of his wife, who was killed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 seen in the episode "The Best of Both Worlds Part II" from The Next Generation and has a difficult time seeing the face of Jean-Luc Picard as that was the face he saw leading the Borg that lead to the death of his wife.

The biggest event of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is The Dominion Wars, a massive story arc that ran over the course of the series. It involved all major powers of the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants, organized into two opposing military alliances, the Federation Alliance and the Breen-Dominion Alliance, which resulted in the deadliest conflicts in the galaxy. It would begin the drive for the Federation to become a more militarized organization.

Star Trek Generations (2371)

Star trek: generations.

Star Trek: Generations occupies an interesting place within the timeline. It is set one year after the events of The Next Generation and two years into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the year 2371. Yet the film's beginning takes place shortly after the events of Star Trek VI: The Final Frontier, which sees Captain Kirk stuck in a pocket dimension, allowing him to meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard of The Next Generation nearly a century later into his future. This film marked the death of Captain Kirk , who died the way he lived, a man of adventure.

Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

Star trek: first contact.

Star Trek: First Contact is another time travel movie, similar to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Set six years after being assimilated by the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Captain Picard and his crew travel through a time portal to pursue the Borg to April 4, 2063. This is the date before the historic warp drive flight that leads to humanity's first encounter with alien life, and the Borg are looking to alter the future so humans never make contact. The film's date of April 5th has now become an unofficial Star Trek holiday known as First Contact Day .

Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

Star trek: insurrection.

Star Trek: Insurrection is notable as the film is set in 2375, the same year as the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Trying to take the renegade Starfleet team element from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , the crew of the USS Enterprise -E rebels against Starfleet after they discover a conspiracy with the Son'a species to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating properties.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Star trek: voyager.

Star Trek: Voyager begins in 2371, the same year as Star Trek: Generations . It follows the adventures of the USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the galaxy. This entry is key for introducing two characters to the franchise that will play major roles in future installments. The series introduced Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the first female Captain in the franchise, who will later have a major role in Star Trek: Prodigy .

The second is Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), a former Borg drone that was born Annika Hansen before being assimilated by the Borg at age six in 2356, eight years before the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Seven of Nine plays a major role in Star Trek: Picard as the series delves more into the Borg's history and culture.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

Star trek: nemesis.

Star Trek: Nemesis takes place fifteen years after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation and deals with a threat from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who has taken control of the planet Romulus and was created by the Romulan Empire originally to create a spy within the Federation but the plans were abandoned likely due to the events of "Unification" and the clone child was left on die as a slave on the Romulan controlled planet Remus. The film marked the final film for the crew of The Next Generation as it marked many landmarks, including the wedding of Commander Will Ryker and Deanna Tori and the death of Data, all elements that lead into Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

Star trek: lower decks.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a comedic spin on the Star Trek franchise . This animated adventure follows the low-ranking support crew of the starship Cerritos and begins one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis . Star Trek: Lower Decks crossed over with Star Trek: Strange New World in that series' second season episode, "Those Old Scientists," which saw Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid get the chance to play their roles of Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler, respectively, in live-action.

The series just announced its fifth and final season, meaning both it and Star Trek: Discovery will come to a close in 2024, and fans are certainly hoping to hear a mention of the characters of Lower Decks in Discovery just to know these lowly crew members did become big names with the Federation history.

Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

Star trek: prodigy.

Star Trek: Prodigy was an attempt to create a new starting point for young kids to get into the Star Trek franchise. Set in 2383, it follows a group of young aliens from the Delta Quadrant who find the abandoned starship Protostar and learn about Starfleet with the help of the ship's computer, an AI of Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . This young crew of kids makes their way to the Alpha Quadrant while discovering what it means to be a crew and what being part of Starfleet is all about.

The series features plenty of cameos and references to the past Star Trek series but does so in a way that invites the young viewer to learn more about them. The series was canceled at Paramount+ after one season but was then picked up by Netflix, where it will have a second season.

Kelvin Timeline (2387, 2255 - 2263)

This is where things get a bit tricky. In the year 2387, a supernova destroys the planet Romulus. For those in the original timeline, the destruction of Romulus kicks off the events of Star Trek: Picard, but a major event happens that none of the characters are aware of at the time: the creation of a new timeline.

In an attempt to stop the supernova, an elder Spock launches a piece of red matter into the supernova that creates a black hole that sucks both him and the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) through it and back in time. Nero arrives first in the year 2233, which results in the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of Geroge Kirk on the birth of his son James T. Kirk's birth, creating a new branching timeline that is the Kelvin timeline, which is where the events of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond take place. This means that while the events of the Kelvin timeline take place earlier, they are doing so in a separate timeline that is built off the events of the prior stories. So 2009's Star Trek is both a reboot, a prequel, and a sequel to the franchise.

Due to the timeline changing, the events of the Kelvin timeline actually take place earlier than in Star Trek: The Original Series . 2009's Star Trek takes place in 2255, while Into Darkness takes place four years later in 2259, and Beyond is set in 2263, roughly four years into the crew's five-year mission. This is notably two years before Star Trek: The Original Series begins. By the 31st century of Star Trek: Discovery season three, the Prime Timeline is aware of the Kelvin timeline. They established a Starfleet officer named Yor, a time soldier who originated from another timeline and referenced the events of 2009's Star Trek .

Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard takes place 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis in the year 2399. In the years since the series concluded, the Federation has become more isolationist. Following the destruction of Romulus, the Romulan people have become scattered; meanwhile, an attack on a Starfleet operation has led to a ban on synthetics. Season one focuses on Picard discovering more about the syncs with the discovery of Data's daughter Soji while also exploring more into the Borg culture as Romulans have begun mining Borg technology.

Season 2 takes place two years later, in 2401, and sees an old adversary named Q, an extra-dimensional being, traping Picard and his new crew in an alternate reality which forces them to travel back in time to Los Angeles 2024 to save the future while exploring more about Picard's own family origin. Finally, season three takes place one year later, in 2402, as Picard reunites with his old crew from The Next Generation , as well as his long-lost son, for a final showdown with the Borg.

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3-5 (3188-TBD)

Now, finally, it's time to loop back to Star Trek: Discovery . Season 3 sees the crew of Discovery travel to the year 3188 to discover the Federation fragmented and investigates the cause of a cataclysmic event known as the "Burn" as they attempt to rebuild Starfleet. Burnham is promoted to captain at the end of the season, and in season four, the crew helps rebuild the Federation while facing a space anomaly created by unknown aliens that causes destruction across the galaxy, similar to the plot of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The fifth and final season sees Discovery faced with its biggest task yet. They embark on a journey to uncover the mystery of The Progenitors, the species that The Next Generation revealed created multiple sentient lifeforms in the universe. The final season of Star Trek: Discovery , the series set furthest in the Star Trek timeline, is now taking the franchise to answer the oldest question in the cosmos: where do we come from, and what is our purpose?

With humans making first contact with aliens on April 5, 2063, to the events of Star Trek: Discovery in 3188, the story of Star Trek is one that spans 1,125 years. It is an epic tale filled with heroes, villains, and worlds filled with imagination and hope. Star Trek continues forward as there are plenty more stories to tell.

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9 versions of the borg in star trek.

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Which Star Trek Shows & Movies Do The Borg Appear In?

Everyone in star trek who beat the borg, what happened to star trek: picard's other borg queen explained by showrunner.

• Borg's evolution from mindless drones to formidable villains led to their various versions in the Star Trek universe.
• The Borg Queen introduced in Star Trek: First Contact brought deeper lore, adaptability, and persistence to the Borg Collective.
• Star Trek: Picard continued the Borg legacy, showcasing their adaptability and the potential for new versions to emerge.

The ever-changing Borg have had several different versions throughout Star Trek history. Sparsely used as a mindless force of nature in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the cybernetic Borg, with unison voices proclaiming, "Resistance is futile," became breakout villains in TNG . The Borg were formidable enough to become the villains of the second Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, Star Trek: First Contact , which introduced the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). With its Delta Quadrant setting, Star Trek: Voyager made the Borg a primary enemy of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), as Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) provided an insider's perspective on the Borg Collective.

Even after their apparent destruction, the Borg still played a major role in Star Trek: Picard , which addressed the trauma that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sustained after being transformed into Locutus, the voice of the Borg. Echoes of the Battle of Wolf 359 , Starfleet's Pyrrhic victory against Locutus and the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation , rippled through the backstories of several Star Trek characters, making the battle a defining moment in the Star Trek timeline. The Borg, however, are highly adaptable, so instead of being haunted by trauma, the Borg respond by constantly evolving. Let's take a look at the Borg evolution, starting at the beginning.

As one of Star Trek's most iconic villains, the Borg have made many appearances in various franchise projects over the years since their introduction.

9 Original Borg Collective

Star trek: the next generation.

Initially conceived as a purely technological species, the original Borg Collective was first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 16, "Q Who", when Q (John de Lancie) showed Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D crew the horrors that waited at the far reaches of space. The original Borg Collective had pallid, indifferent drones who were unified in one mind and only interested in assimilating alien technology , but as the Borg proved to be a fascinating foil for the plurality of the Federation, they did what the Borg would come to do best: the Borg adapted.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 26, and TNG season 4, episode 1, "The Best of Both Worlds", was a turning point for the Borg, for Picard, and for Star Trek as a whole. Picard's capture and transformation into Locutus of Borg haunted Jean-Luc for the rest of his life. "The Best of Both Worlds" also introduced the concept of the Borg assimilating people, not just technology, that would come to be a hallmark of the Borg.

8 Lore’s Borg Collective

Star trek: the next generation - season 6, episode 26 & season 7, episode 1, "descent".

The roots of Lore's (Brent Spiner) Borg Collective can be found in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 23, "I, Borg". A year before "Descent", the USS Enterprise-D discovers and rescues an abandoned Borg drone who chooses the name Hugh (Jonathan del Arco) after being rehabilitated by Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). Hugh takes the concept of individuality back to the Collective , but instead of liberating the Borg, it backfires.

An unusual faction of the Borg Collective with individual names and personalities appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 26 & season 7, episode 1, "Descent". These individual Borg still require direction, so Lore graciously steps in to fill the power vacuum. Lore uses the Borg under his banner as a personal army to capture the USS Enterprise , making them seem relatively toothless compared to the Borg's earlier TNG appearances, but thankfully, there are far more versions of the Borg in Star Trek .

7 The Borg Queen's Collective

Star trek: first contact & star trek: voyager.

While technically the same Collective as the original Borg seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the cosmetic changes and the deeper lore in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Voyager warrant recognition as a new version. Perhaps the most significant change to the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact is introducing the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) as the physical embodiment of the Borg Collective, but these Borg are more adaptable and more persistent, stopping at nothing short of complete assimilation of all intelligent organic life.

In Star Trek: Voyager , Seven of Nine becomes the Borg's new voice, and after being liberated from the Collective, provides insight as to the Borg's true motives. Seven explains that the ultimate goal of the Borg is perfection, not conquest , and assimilation is the means by which the Borg learn about other cultures. Adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of other species only refines the Borg Collective.

6 The Borg Cooperative of Former Drones

Star trek: voyager - season 3, episode 15, "unity".

Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) encounters the Borg Cooperative in Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 15, "Unity". During a scouting mission, Chakotay crash lands on a planet and is rescued by Riley Frazier (Lori Hallier), a human woman. Frazier and members of several other Alpha Quadrant species were assimilated by the Borg at Wolf 359 and brought to the Delta Quadrant as drones , until an electro-kinetic storm severed them from the Collective.

Although separated from the Borg hive mind, members of Frazier's Borg Cooperative are still neurally linked like drones in the Collective, and share thoughts and memories with one another. The Borg Cooperative proves that there are some benefits to the unity experienced as a Collective , like a lack of conflict, common goals, instant communication, and rapid healing. Frazier, however, exploited the neural link technology to force Chakotay to act against his will, so the Borg Cooperative still wasn't perfect by any means.

The Borg were the deadliest enemy to face Starfleet and the Federation in a century, but many Star Trek heroes have defeated them to save the universe

5 Unimatrix Zero

Star trek: voyager - season 6, episode 26 & season 7, episode 1, "unimatrix zero".

In Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 26 & season 7, episode 1, "Unimatrix Zero", some Borg drones experience a virtual reality called Unimatrix Zero during regeneration cycles. In Unimatrix Zero, drones are able to remember their former lives prior to being assimilated, and live out entire lives with each other, creating friendships, romances, and organized resistance against the Borg Collective. Memories of Unimatrix Zero fade when the drones wake up and go about their business.

Unimatrix Zero is a weakness that exists within the Collective, so, of course, the Borg's greatest adversary, Captain Kathryn Janeway , wants to use it as a means to destroy the Borg, but the dream-world is important to nearly every drone who is able to access it, because Unimatrix Zero makes the drones' lives bearable to some extent. Unimatrix Zero is destroyed, but the drones who experienced it become severed from the Collective, and form their own resistance movement.

Star Trek: Voyager

4 the borg in the confederation of earth alternate reality, star trek: picard season 2.

In Star Trek: Picard season 2, Q takes Admiral Jean-Luc Picard to an alternate reality where the Confederation of Earth arises in place of Earth's position in the United Federation of Planets, and the Borg are all but wiped out. Only the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching) remains, a seemingly impotent remnant of the Collective's former power and glory, and the people of Confederate Earth look to General Picard, the Borg Slayer , to deal the final blow against the Borg Collective by killing the imprisoned Borg Queen.

Instead of giving in to xenophobic demands, however, Admiral Picard recognizes that the La Sirena crew needs the Borg Queen's computational power and multidimensional awareness in order to go back in time and undo the damage to the timeline that created the unrecognizable, hostile present. The Borg Queen cooperates, perhaps as a means of self-preservation.

3 The Borg Soldiers Serving Adam Soong

Adam Soong's (Brent Spiner) Borg Soldiers in 2024 Los Angeles are the work of the Borg Queen, in the body of Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), seeking to recreate the sweet bliss of the Borg Collective's connection. The Borg Queen convinces Adam Soong that Soong's work will be rendered obsolete by Renée Picard's (Penelope Mitchell) Europa Mission, but the Queen will help Soong prevent that, if Soong agrees to help the Queen in return by providing the bodies of mercenaries from Spearhead Operations .

The Borg Queen uses Soong's 2024 Mercenary Borg to lead an assault on the crew of La Sirena in Star Trek: Picard season 2, episode 9, "Hide and Seek", keeping Admiral Jean-Luc Picard from protecting Picard's own future by surrounding Château Picard. Many die in the ensuing battle, with the remainder accompanying the Borg Queen and Agnes Jurati in La Sirena, as they escape to the Delta Quadrant.

2 Agnes Jurati's Borg Collective

In Star Trek: Picard season 2, Dr. Agnes Jurati merges with the Borg Queen from the Confederation of Earth reality, and together Jurati and the Borg Queen create a new Borg Collective that seeks entry into the United Federation of Planets . With a specialty in synthetic life forms that was curtailed by Earth's ban on synth production, Jurati is fascinated by the concept of the Borg as a species that combines the best traits of organic and synthetic life, so it's not hard for the Borg Queen to quite literally get under Agnes' skin.

Agnes Jurati considers assimilation more of a promise than a threat.

As someone who longs for personal connection and rarely finds it, Agnes Jurati considers assimilation more of a promise than a threat, and willingly accepts being merged with the Queen. The nature of the Borg Collective changes under the auspices of Borg Queen Jurati, and it operates much more like the Borg Cooperative in Star Trek: Voyager . Jurati's Borg Cooperative only assimilates those who consent to being part of the community, and uses its combined power to protect others, rather than destroy them.

Terry Matalas considered having Agnes Jurati's Borg Queen make a surprise return in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Here's why it didn't happen.

1 Assimilated Starfleet Borg

Star trek: picard season 3.

The Borg Queen is again reduced to a dying echo of what she once was at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 , as the Queen supposedly killed by Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager is revealed to survive by leeching off of the trickles of power in the husks of dead drones. The Queen has just enough power to make promises to the last surviving dregs of another powerful Star Trek enemy: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Changelings. Working with the Changelings, the Borg Queen orchestrates a plot to create more Borg drones.

At the behest of the Borg Queen, the Changelings create the new Starfleet Borg drones in Star Trek: Picard by contaminating Starfleet's transporters with Borg DNA extracted from Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's corpse. The Assimilated Starfleet Borg are sleeper drones under the age of 25 who are completely unaware of their assimilation until Frontier Day , when the Borg Queen activates the Borg DNA throughout Starfleet with a signal from the Queen's Borg Cube, creating a new Collective.

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard season 3 seems to be the end of the Borg, for real this time, but the same could have been said of Star Trek: First Contact , when Picard and Data killed the Borg Queen in 2063, or Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 26, "Endgame", when Admiral Janeway killed the Borg Queen again. As long as some remnant of the Borg remains active in Star Trek , there's no guarantee that the Borg will ever actually be permanently defeated. A new Borg Queen always rises to take the place of the previous one, so another new version of the Borg can always potentially return to Star Trek , deadlier -- or at least more interesting -- than before.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Picard are streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: First Contact is streaming on Max.

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Star trek: first contact (1996), favorite theaters, recently viewed.

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Star Trek Actor's Famous Habit Turned Into An Onscreen Joke

Posted: May 15, 2024 | Last updated: May 16, 2024

Star Trek Actor’s Famous Habit Turned Into An Onscreen Joke

Thanks to the universal communicator, talking to aliens in Star Trek is usually as simple as speaking in one’s native tongue and letting the computer handle the rest. Sometimes, there are cultural obstacles to communication, like when Janeway insulted the Tak Tak aliens by putting her hands on her hips. As it turns out, this unexpected bit of storytelling was written into the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Macrocosm” as a way to make fun of Kate Mulgrew’s real-life habit of putting her hands on her hips.

A Long Tradition

Kate Mulgrew is, of course, not the first Star Trek actor to develop certain physical eccentricities regarding their performance. One of the more famous examples is that Riker actor Jonathan Frakes would always step over the low backs of seats in areas like Ten Forward before sitting down.

He thought it gave his character an aura of cowboy confidence, and he wasn’t wrong–the move instantly set his character apart from the rest of the cast.

Of course, before Kate Mulgrew and even before Jonathan Frakes, the most famous Star Trek physical habit was the Picard maneuver. Onscreen, this was the name given to a fancy warp-speed maneuver invented by Captain Picard.

Offscreen, this was the nickname the cast and crew had for Patrick Stewart’s habit of tugging his uniform shirt down whenever he stood up.

While they didn’t have a cutesy nickname for it, Kate Mulgrew’s tendency to put her hands on her hips while shooting scenes was well-known among Voyager’s own cast and crew. It was certainly known among the writers, which is why Brannon Braga wrote it into the episode “Macrocosm.”

The episode begins with Neelix apologizing for the huge communication faux pas that occurred when Janeway put her hands on her hips, considered to be the most offensive gesture to the alien Tak Tak.

First Contact

In case you’re wondering, Kate Mulgrew didn’t seem too offended by the Star Trek writer turning her famous habit into an onscreen joke.

That’s likely because this was the episode that transformed Captain Janeway into a cross between Rambo and Ripley as she ran around the ship with a giant phaser and saved the day by throwing a specially-rigged bomb into the holodeck. 

In a fun bit of parallel timing, this episode came out less than a month after Star Trek: First Contact, and it’s tough not to think about Captain Picard’s turn as an action hero when you see Janeway in her tank top fighting off a swarm of bad CGI creatures.

In fact, going back to their earliest origin, the Borg have more in common with bugs than bots, so this comparison is especially apt.

Hush, Voyager Style

Considering what this episode became, it’s fascinating to consider what the writer originally wanted to do. Before setting out to make Kate Mulgrew into an action icon, Star Trek writer Brannon Braga claimed that he found Trek to sometimes be too “talky” and “moralistic,” so he set out “to do an episode with no dialogue.”

He was eventually forced to add “a couple of acts of dialogue” to the episode, but his original goal of an almost entirely quiet Voyager ep seems very reminiscent of what Joss Whedon did a few years later with the iconic Buffy: The Vampire Slayer episode “Hush.”

Communication Is Key

Looking at how Kate Mulgrew’s own simple gesture was turned into an onscreen joke in Star Trek, I can’t help but imagine how weird first contact with actual aliens could be.

Visitors from space might not think we’re really all that peaceful if they misinterpret something as simple as talking with our hands or blowing hair out of our faces as insulting gestures. Should that happen and we don’t have our very own Neelix to smooth things over, the end of the world may not end with a bang or a whimper–with fire or with ice.

With our luck, it just might end with the worst-timed air quotes in human history.  

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