Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Jonathan Frakes

Writers (WGA):

Gene Roddenberry (television series Star Trek)
Rick Berman (story) ...

Release Date:

22 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Resistance is Futile.

Plot:

Capt. Picard and his crew pursue the Borg back in time to stop them from preventing Earth from initiating first contact with alien life.

Plot Keywords:

Borg | First Contact | Alien | Captain | Nuclear Missile

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Patrick Stewart	...	Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Commander William Riker / Holodeck Musician
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (as Levar Burton)
Michael Dorn	...	Lt. Commander Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Alfre Woodard	...	Lily Sloane
James Cromwell	...	Dr. Zefram Cochrane
Alice Krige	...	Borg Queen
Michael Horton	...	Lieutenant Daniels
Neal McDonough	...	Lieutenant Hawk
Marnie McPhail	...	Lieutenant Eiger
Robert Picardo	...	Emergency Medical Hologram
Dwight Schultz	...	Lieutenant Reginald Endicott Barclay III

Also Known As:

Star Trek 8 (USA) (informal alternative title)
Star Trek VIII (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Borg (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Destinies (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Future Generations (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Generations II (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Renaissance (USA) (working title)
Star Trek: Resurrection (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi adventure violence.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Italy:T | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Angeles National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In an early draft of the screenplay, the character Lt. Hawk (Neal McDonough) was gay, and therefore was to have been the first openly gay character in any Star Trek series or movie; however, any reference to his sexual orientation was excised from later drafts of the screenplay.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Data and Picard turn a corner in a corridor before opening the hatch to deck 16, a stage light with an orange over is visible for a moment as they round the corner.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Borg Queen: Locutus...
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile.

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Big Goodbye (#1.11)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Moonlight Becomes You

The Next Generation's best film hands down

The next generation crew of the Enterprise star in their best movie. Picard and his crew hitch a ride back in time to save the Galaxy from being infested with Borg, by saving the drunkard who invented Warp Drive from being killed by the Borg. This Star Trek movie is nuanced enough for the 'trekkies' to get into, while still being very accessible to the rest of the cinema going public. Johnathon Frakes, for all of his smarmy, cocky demeanor, still I have to admit that he hits a home-run in this initial outing (now his "Insurection" is a whole nother story, one for a different day) This film is action-packed, features good performances, and is just plain fun. All those aforementioned traits easily puts it among the top echelon of Trek films.

My Grade: B+

DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentary with director/actor Jonathan Frakes; Second commentary with writers Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore; Text Commentary with Michael and Denise Okuda Disc 2) 12 featurettes (Making 'First Contact', The Art Of 'First Contact', "The Story, The Missile Silo, The Deflector Dish,From 'A' to 'E', Jerry Goldsmith: A Tribute, The Legacy Of Zefram Cochrane, 'First Contact': The Possibilities, Unimatrix One, The Queen, and Design Matrix); 3 Scene Deconstruction;Storyboards, Photo Gallery; Teaser & Theatrical Trailers; and Trailer for the Borg Invasion Hilton show in Vegas

3 Easter Eggs: In the Main Menu, click on the sun for a list of all the alternative titles considered; In the Star Trek Universe menu highlight a circle for an interview with Ethan Philips; In The Borg Collective menu highlight a circle for an interview with Alex Jaeger