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 earlier versions Picard's character was supposed to be the one helping Zefram Cochrane on Earth, with Riker fighting the Borg on the Enterprise. The main story was also focused on the happenings on Earth. After Patrick Stewart objected to that, the characters of Riker and Picard were swapped. This also resulted in making Picard more of an action hero and the story more focusing on happenings on the Enterprise.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Data jumps down while Lily is shooting at him, he has no bullet holes in his clothing as he walks towards her.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Angry Video Game Nerd: Chronologically Confused About Sequel Titles (#1.15)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Ooby Dooby

Finally!

Star Trek VIII: First Contact - Stardate: 50893.5

Finally, after the dismal Generations outing, they got it right with this one! First Contact indeed is on par with the very best of the Star Trek films - The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country. Unfortunately, they won't get it right again to the present day (with the above average but still not as good Insurrection and awful Nemesis). The script is very solid, the acting above par (with kudos going to Alice Krige as the seductive Borg Queen and Alfre Woodard as the trusting Lily Sloane), and the score by Jerry Goldsmith again another hit. All of that combined with visual effects that service the story and not is the story makes this outing a spectacular success - a solid 9 out of 10!