First of all, I have no interest in debating which version
of Star Trek is better, or which captain is better, or which villain is the
best, etc. One of the delights of the
Star Trek franchise is that it’s been around long enough that a lot of people
have grown up with it. Which version you
prefer may depend on your age and exposure.
I grew up as the original movies were being released, and Star Trek: The Next Generation was on
television. I’ve been watching Star Trek
most of my life, and while I have my preferences, this essay will focus on my
favorite of the films. (Do I think it’s
the best? Hard to say. There are others that I admire greatly and
may write about in the future.)
Star Trek: First
Contact (1996) was the second film of the Next Generation cast, and
probably stands as their best. Their
first feature film outing felt more like a glorified television episode instead
of a full-fledged movie. The success of First Contact began with writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore. They decided to add the element of time
travel, and, even more crucially, brought back the best Next Generation
villains: the Borg (cybernetic zombies, if you will). These and other decisions gave the film a
slightly darker, grittier tone, which ended up being exactly what the series
needed. These story decisions, under the
spirited and confident direction of Jonathan Frakes (aka Commander Riker), made
First Contact an exciting adventure.
The movie starts with a wonderful shot that seems to begin
in space but pulls back to reveal the eye of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and keeps pulling back to reveal the interior of a vast Borg ship. When the story begins, the Borg are attacking
Earth and the ships of Starfleet when the USS Enterprise flies to the rescue. The crew of the Enterprise end up following
the Borg back in time to the 21st century. It appears that the Borg are attempting to
prevent “first contact,” that moment in Star Trek history when aliens made
contact with Earth, thus giving birth to the Federation, Starfleet, and all
things Star Trek.
The Borg, those sneaky buggers, manage to beam aboard the
Enterprise and begin assimilating entire decks.
(The good news for non-Trekkies is that the movie brings us up to speed
nicely, so a familiarity with the television series isn’t a requirement.) Commander Riker and a team beam down to
Earth, while Picard leads the remaining Enterprise crew against the Borg. In the confusion of the Borg attack, two important
things happen: Lily (Alfre Woodard), who is from the 21st century,
gets to tag along with Picard on the Enterprise, and Data (Brent Spiner), an
android member of the Enterprise crew, is kidnapped by the Borg.
What happens on Earth with Riker and his team qualifies as
the “lighter” storyline. Part of their
mission is to locate and assist Zefram Cochran (James Cromwell), the man who
will be known historically as the inventor of warp drive, which made “first
contact” possible. Instead of some
stuffy intellectual, Cromwell plays him as a drinker who likes loud music and
wants to make lots of money in order to attract lots of women. What later generations mistakenly regard as
his vision for a brighter future owes a lot to luck (and a little help from the
Enterprise crew of the future). At one
point, Cochran even succeeds in getting Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) drunk. There are other amusing moments when
crew members of the future can’t help but gawk in open-mouthed wonder at their
hero.
Back on the Enterprise, Picard must find a way to stop the
Borg from assimilating his entire crew and ship. Lily, in essence, is the audience, the
outsider who gets a glimpse into the future.
Her lack of knowledge provides Picard with a chance to fill us in on how
things have changed. He also has a
unique perspective on the Borg, having once been assimilated into their
collective and subsequently rescued by his loyal crew. His growing friendship with Lily is one of
the strongest elements of the film.
Once Data is captured by the Borg, the film gives us one of
its biggest surprises. The Borg are a
collective with a hive mind, but we discover that there is a Borg Queen (Alice
Krige). I guess with so many drones,
somebody had to be calling the shots.
Her look is both disturbing and vaguely sexy. She pretty much tries to seduce Data, as the
Borg graft human skin to his body so he can experience human sensations, all in
an attempt to bring him to the dark side, so to speak. As far as Star Trek villains go, the Borg
Queen is a good one. Her appearance is unexpected and throws aside many of our assumptions about the Borg in general,
and female villains in particular.
Without giving anything away, I’d like to talk about an
important scene. It’s the scene right
after Picard calls his Klingon security officer Worf (Michael Dorn) a
coward. While Worf and the crew think
they should abandon the Enterprise and set it to self-destruct, Picard is determined
to defeat the Borg no matter the consequences.
The only person who will stand up to him is Lily, which works because
she is not bound by the Starfleet chain of command. She confronts
Picard about his need for revenge, even calling him Captain Ahab. Picard responds with equal force, in a
powerful display of Patrick Stewart’s acting ability. The most impressive element of this scene is
watching these two actors give it all they’ve got. Other than the unmistakable chemistry between
the actors, there are no special effects, and Jerry Goldsmith’s score is
properly subdued. A crucial decision
must be reached through (sometimes heated) discussion, and Patrick Stewart and
Alfre Woodard make the scene spellbinding.
