STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT

(November 1996, U.S.)

As previously mentioned, I knew little-to-nothing of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, let alone the infamous story behind the Borg. Still, I'd been a loyal screen fan of STAR TREK movies since the first in 1979, so the next one in the series was met with as much enthusiasm as the previous (despite the fact that STAR TREK V sucked!). Though I didn't entirely know how to feel about one of its cast members, Jonathan Frakes, in the director's chair. The last one to do that was William Shatner for THE FINAL FRONTIER in 1989 and we all know how that turned out. Still, I was filled with nothing but positive feelings even before seeing the new STAR TREK movie. The trailer for it looked awesome, I was still riding high from the big sci-fi spectacle of 1996, INDEPENDENCE DAY (I bought in on VHS the day it was released) and I was already looking forward to the Special Edition versions of the original STAR WARS movies in 1997 (hey, they looked promising at the time!). But there was more. I went to see STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT at an intimate single-screen movie theater at the corner of 85th Street and First Avenue when I was still living in Manhattan (that theater is long since gone now). It was also just before Thanksgiving and I was geared up for a holiday trip to see my family and a special friend (at the time. She's also long since gone now) in Los Angeles. An afternoon of good science fiction fun seemed just the ticket right now.

The theater darkened and all was quiet. It looked as if the audience was in rare form that day and was going to be respectful enough by keeping their mouths shut. This new story didn't waste much time before it was knee deep in a space battle between the Federation the Borg high above Earth. Realizing that the fleet is losing the battle, Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise disobey its orders to join the battle against the Borg cube. Even as things look victorious for humankind when the cube is destroyed, it all appears to be futile. Having launched a small ship to Earth before its destruction, the Enterprise discovers that Earth has an alternate future when all of civilization have been assimilated by the Borg as a single collective through the use of time travel. Like STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, the Enterprise must now travel back in time to save Earth's future. Unlike that 1986 adventure, however, the crew arrives in the year 2063 following a nuclear war of the past and days before its first contact with alien life after the historical first warp drive flight engineered by Dr. Zefram Cochrane (played by James Cromwell). Realizing that the Borg are trying to prevent first contact, they aid the reluctant Dr. Cochrane in achieving his historical flight aboard his ship, the Phoenix, in an isolated region of Montana.

Meanwhile, the Borg have infiltrated the Enterprise and are slowly assimilating its crew, one level at at time, and Picard is trying to not only survive, but save the doomed ship at all costs, even as he tries to calm the nerves of an unwanted Earth passenger Lily Sloane (played by Alfre Woodard). Data has been abducted and is being seduced by the Borg Queen (played by Alice Krige) to not only embrace his more human side, but to join the Borg collective, as well. Data, being what he is, resists well and even manages to save the day in the end when Picard risks everything to rescue him. The flight of the Phoenix is successful when the ship achieves its warp flight and inevitably diverts an alien ship to our planet to investigate. The big surprise in the end is to learn that the aliens in question are Vulcans (not a young Spock, disappointingly) whose first words are, of course, "Live long and prosper."

As is the reputation with all even-numbered STAR TREK films, FIRST CONTACT doesn't fail its predecessors. It provides the proper action and excitement that all sci-fi fans want, especially after a summer where INDEPENDENCE DAY reigned supreme and STAR WARS was schedule for a triumphant return. It's a bold and ambitious undertaking with its traditional themes of friendship, loyalty and sacrifice. Humor is key here, too, particularly when Deanna Troi gets drunk on tequila, though not as effective, in my opinion, when Dr. Cochrane gets drunk while enjoying his beloved Roy Orbison music. It is, in fact, James Cromwell who is the first character to use the actual phrase "star trek" in the entire history of the franchise when he says, "You're all astronauts, on some kind of star trek." (cute, indeed). Like STAR TREK: GENERATIONS, it's refreshing not having to know too much about the past events of THE NEXT GENERATION TV series to be able to enjoy this film. Patrick Steward continues to be just as Shakespearean with his beloved character and even gives us some new insight to MOBY DICK once again since STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (Stewart would eventually play Captain Ahab on TV in 1998).

At this time, I can only say that despite not being a "Trekkie" myself, my writer's indulgence in one STAR TREK film after another can become tiresome. Well, we're almost done...

Favorite line or dialogue:

Deanna Troi (drunk): "Look...he wouldn't even talk to me unless I had a drink with him. And then, it took three shots of something called "tequila" just to find out that he was the one we're looking for! And I've spent the last twenty minutes trying to keep his hands off me! So don't go criticizing my counseling techniques!"