Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

[I originally wrote this while furloughed in January 2019, during which I decided to re-watch — or in the case of the final two in the series watch, since I hadn’t gotten around to seeing them yet — all the Star Trek TOS and TNG movies.]

So I hadn’t seen Star Trek: First Contact since it was in the theaters back in the 1990s. My memories of it were fairly positive, but the rewatch didn’t quite hold up as I had expected.

First of all, it’s nice to have Jerry Goldsmith back for the soundtrack. Sadly, the most memorable parts of the score are pieces recycled from earlier films: the TMP/TNG theme and repurposing the Klingon anthem from TMP for Worf’s theme.

The best and worst thing about this movie is the return of the Borg. They’re easily the best villains that TNG created, so seeing them in a big budget production is a fantastic visual treat. But the problem with them here is the same problem that they suffered in later TNG appearances. They’re really too powerful and the Trek crew really shouldn’t be able to defeat them. After twelve shots from Starfleet’s most powerful hand-phaser and the Borg are able to adjust and become invulnerable to them. Yet they are seemingly unable to adjust to Worf repeatedly punching them in the face. (Them being killed by holodeck machine gun fire makes a similar lack of sense.)

I tried not to nitpick, but the more I thought about the Borg’s plan, the less I understood it. Why do they have to go back exactly to April 4th, 2063 (the day of Earth’s first recorded contact with alien life)? If they want to go back and assimilate the Earth before the development of Starfleet defenses, couldn’t they have just as easily gone to 2062? 1963? 1776? Unless I’m missing something, I’m completely baffled why they need to disrupt the first contact and couldn’t just set up base on Earth of the past and start assimilating there.

And another thing, why did they bother waiting to time travel until the Enterprise could see what they were doing and follow? Couldn’t they have traveled back to 2063 while still in their territory (where no one in the Federation would have a clue about what they were doing) and THEN warp their way over to Earth?

Still, while the whales were the McGuffin to get the story moving in The Voyage Home, the first contact plot point is just what we have to accept to move ahead.

I like the retcon (or reimagining) of Zefram Cochrane from saintly scientist of the “Metamorphosis” TOS episode to the alcohol-soaked cranky guy we see here who’s in way over his head.

I wish there had been some way to bring Alfre Woodard’s character into the 24th century. She couldn’t join the crew because the size of the ensemble cast means that it’s already a stretch to give everyone enough screen-time, but it would be nice to have revisited this character.

I had completely forgotten the subplot about Data being captured by the Borg Queen and I had wiped from my memory the fact that Data and the Bog Queen make the cyborg with two backs. I’m sure there was something about this that was supposed to make some sort of sense, but I refuse to do any research into what that is.

And finally, I like the reveal at the end that the alien species that first contact humanity are the Vulcans. That their initial exposure to the human race is through a group of hard-drinking, hard-partying, rock’n’roll-loving, hippie survivalists probably colors their view of humanity well into the 23rd century.

[Originally written in January of 2019.]