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[[Image:Sovereign class bridge.jpg|thumb|The ''Enterprise'' crew listens in on the battle at Earth]] |
[[Image:Sovereign class bridge.jpg|thumb|The ''Enterprise'' crew listens in on the battle at Earth]] |
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| − | Leaving the captain's ready room, Picard and Riker step onto the bridge and to their respective posts. Picard orders [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] to patch the ship's com into Starfleet's, allowing the entire bridge crew to listen in on the [[Battle of Sector 001|battle]]. Through normal ship-to-ship communications and calm chatter, a sinister voice cuts in |
+ | Leaving the captain's ready room, Picard and Riker step onto the bridge and to their respective posts. Picard orders [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] to patch the ship's com into Starfleet's, allowing the entire bridge crew to listen in on the [[Battle of Sector 001|battle]]. Through normal ship-to-ship communications and calm chatter, a sinister voice cuts in: "''We are the Borg, lower your [[shields]] and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.''" |
Suddenly the com voices are frantic as the battle begins, and through the sounds of explosions, shouting can be heard. Picard listens intently then moves from his [[command chair|seat]] to Data's post, pressing a control that silences the noise. He turns to his crew and announces his intention to defy Starfleet, ordering the [[helmsman]], [[Lieutenant]] [[Hawk (Lieutenant)|Hawk]], to set course for Earth, "''Maximum [[warp]].''" |
Suddenly the com voices are frantic as the battle begins, and through the sounds of explosions, shouting can be heard. Picard listens intently then moves from his [[command chair|seat]] to Data's post, pressing a control that silences the noise. He turns to his crew and announces his intention to defy Starfleet, ordering the [[helmsman]], [[Lieutenant]] [[Hawk (Lieutenant)|Hawk]], to set course for Earth, "''Maximum [[warp]].''" |
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Revision as of 02:03, 30 August 2007
- "Resistance is futile."
The Borg begin a new invasion of the Federation, but this time they take the battle to the year 2063: the launch of Earth’s first warp ship and First Contact with extraterrestrials.
Summary
Act One
24th Century
Picard surrounded by the Borg
Jean-Luc Picard stands in an expanse, surrounded by a sea of cold machinery and the dead faces of millions of Borg. The captain is a single point of color in this place, his red Starfleet uniform a stark contrast in the dark gray catacombs of a Borg vessel.
Strapped to an examination table, Picard is subjected to a gruesome procedure; his flesh drained of life and replaced with alien technology. He is violated, mutilated, transformed into one of them: Locutus. A sharp, needle-like instrument descends from the darkness toward him. With a shrill buzz, the probe extends and pierces his eye...
A nightmare recalling assimilation
Picard opens his eyes to find himself in familiar surroundings: his ready room. Moving to the lavatory, he stands at the sink and splashes water onto his face. Staring into the mirror, Picard runs a hand along his cheekbone where the Borg implants once were. But something isn't right: the skin on his face is moving, stretching. Suddenly a small, circular device bursts through his flesh and attaches itself to his face. He opens his mouth to exclaim in horror then...
The captain lurches awake, having fallen asleep on the couch in his ready room. An indicator sounds and he moves toward his desktop terminal, activating the device. Sitting in front of the screen, Picard is greeted by his superior officer: Admiral Hayes. The admiral gets right to the point, but the captain is already well aware. "Yes, I know," he says, "The Borg."
- "Captain's Log, Stardate 50893.5. The moment I have dreaded for nearly six years has finally arrived. The Borg, our most lethal enemy, have begun an invasion of the Federation, and this time, there may be no stopping them."
The senior staff assembles
The senior staff of the new USS Enterprise-E has assembled in the ship's observation lounge. Picard sits at the head of the table and briefs his crew: a single Borg ship is less than an hour away from the Federation border; a fleet of starships is preparing to defend Earth, but the Enterprise will not be among them. The captain informs his crew that they have been relegated to the sidelines, patrolling the Neutral Zone in case of a Romulan incursion. Everyone in the room objects, but, as Picard says, these are their orders. "Set a course for the Neutral Zone."
The Enterprise-E heads for the Neutral Zone
As the Enterprise slowly makes its way to the outskirts of Federation space, Picard immerses himself in opera. Staring from his ready room window, the captain is lost in thought when his first officer, Commander William Riker, enters to deliver a sensor report. Muting the music, Picard surveys the information displayed on a PADD, but there is nothing of interest in this region.
Riker knows something is wrong and puts it bluntly: "Sir, why are we out here chasing comets?" Picard doesn't hesitate in his response, "Starfleet feels that a man who was once captured and assimilated by the Borg should not be put in a situation where he would face them again." Riker shakes his head in disbelief, "Your experience with the Borg makes you the perfect man to lead this fight." Before their conversation can continue, Counselor Deanna Troi calls from the bridge: The Borg have reached Earth.
The Enterprise crew listens in on the battle at Earth
Leaving the captain's ready room, Picard and Riker step onto the bridge and to their respective posts. Picard orders Lieutenant Commander Data to patch the ship's com into Starfleet's, allowing the entire bridge crew to listen in on the battle. Through normal ship-to-ship communications and calm chatter, a sinister voice cuts in: "We are the Borg, lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
Suddenly the com voices are frantic as the battle begins, and through the sounds of explosions, shouting can be heard. Picard listens intently then moves from his seat to Data's post, pressing a control that silences the noise. He turns to his crew and announces his intention to defy Starfleet, ordering the helmsman, Lieutenant Hawk, to set course for Earth, "Maximum warp."
A Borg cube approaches Earth and engages the fleet
Explosions erupt on the hull of an advancing Borg cube as it slowly makes its way toward the planet Earth. Leading the advance, the warship Defiant has taken heavy damage but continues its assault on the invaders. Aboard the Defiant, the bridge is in shambles as its commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Worf, throws himself back into his chair. With the situation dire for the entire fleet, Worf knows what he must do and prepares to ram the Borg vessel.
Picard watches the battle rage
Just then, the Enterprise warps onto the scene, opening fire on the Borg cube. On the bridge, Data reports the status of the cube, but Picard can hear them already and orders the Defiant survivors beamed aboard. Hailing the other vessels in the fleet, Picard announces that he is taking command and orders all ships to target a single location on the Borg cube. Standing in front of the viewscreen as the battle rages on, Picard orders all weapons to fire.
Orange beams of phaser fire and powerful photon torpedoes slice into the Borg cube, at the specified location. Green fire explodes from within the cube and the entire vessel is engulfed in a sickly fireball. As the ship breaks apart, a circular airlock opens and a small, spherical vessel emerges, escaping the destruction of the mother ship.
The Borg sphere ejects
The Enterprise crew watches on screen as the Borg sphere barrels toward Earth. Picard orders Hawk to set a pursuit course and the Enterprise takes off after it. From a turbolift aft of the bridge, Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher walks onto the bridge and announces the arrival of her patient: Worf. Picard suggests Worf take up his old post at tactical as they prepare to take on the Borg sphere.
The smaller Borg vessel plunges toward Earth, opening an energy rift and disappearing into it. Data deduces that the Borg have opened a temporal vortex and Commander Riker knows exactly what that means: time travel. On the viewscreen, Earth has dramatically changed. Staring at the planet, the crew realizes that Earth as they knew it is gone. In place of blue oceans, there are brown pools of fetid liquid; in place of green continents, only vast Borg cities.
The Enterprise enters the temporal vortex
Data scans for life signs: "Approximately nine billion. All Borg." Doctor Crusher doesn't understand how this could happen, but Picard thinks he knows: The Borg went back and assimilated Earth and changed history. Protected from the changes in the timeline, the Enterprise crew has only moments to act before the temporal vortex collapses. The captain has made his decision: "We must follow them back. Repair whatever damage they've done!" With that, the Enterprise charges ahead, following the Borg into the vortex as it closes behind.
Act Two
21st Century
Lily and Cochrane see a UFO
In a wooded area, several men huddle around a campfire built in the center of a small shanty town. Zefram Cochrane and Lily Sloane emerge from a makeshift bar and talk quietly as they head home. Cochrane is clearly drunk, begging Lily for "one more round." Glancing up into the sky, Lily notices something odd. Cochrane dismisses it as the constellation Leo, but Lily isn't so sure. Suddenly, a volley of green disruptor fire rains down on the town, destroying several buildings. Cochrane and Lily run for cover. "We've got to get to the Phoenix!" Lily insists. Cochrane is more concerned with staying out of harm's way.
Destroying the Borg sphere
On the bridge of the Enterprise-E, Captain Picard calls for a status report. Data works his panel and announces that they have arrived in what appears to be the mid-21st century. Scanning the area for the Borg ship, the crew discovers the sphere in orbit over North America where it continues its barrage. Picard is quick to act, ordering Worf to fire quantum torpedoes which rip through the sphere and destroy it.
Moving to a science station, Riker scans the Borg's target: a missile silo in central Montana. Picard turns to Data for an exact date. Entering calculations into the computer, Data is able to pinpoint their location in time: April 4, 2063, the day before first contact. Doctor Crusher deduces that the missile silo must be where Zefram Cochrane had built Earth's first warp ship. With sensors damaged, it is impossible to tell what havoc the Borg may have wrought on the surface. Picard orders Data and Doctor Crusher to accompany him to the surface and they head to the Enterprise transporter room.
The away team arrives in 2063
Materializing on the surface, Picard, Crusher, Data and an away team have disguised themselves in 21st century civilian clothing. Scanning with tricorders, they locate an entrance to the silo and search the missile control room for survivors. Crusher inspects a number of bodies looking for Cochrane, Data and the captain head for the warp ship.
Lily fires on Picard and Data
Opening a heavy door into the cavernous silo, Picard and Data find the Phoenix only slightly damaged, both unaware of Lily's presence below. Aiming a machine gun at the two Enterprise officers, Lily opens fire, narrowly missing them. Picard shouts down to her that they're here to help, but she continues to fire. Data tells Picard he believes he can handle the situation and steps off the landing. Descending several stories, the android lands gracefully at the bottom of the silo. Lily opens fire, but Data is unscathed, approaching her with a polite "Greetings". As she turns to flee, she suddenly faints. Lily needs medical attention.
La Forge assembles his team
Scanning Lily with her tricorder, Doctor Crusher diagnoses her with theta radiation poisoning that will need to be treated aboard the Enterprise. The doctor assures the captain that she will keep Lily sedated to prevent any violation of the Prime Directive then dissolves away in the transporter effect. Tapping a concealed combadge, Picard calls up to Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge on the Enterprise, ordering the Lieutenant Commander to report to the surface with a repair team. In engineering, La Forge acknowledges the captain's order then assembles his crew, leaving Lieutenant Paul Porter in command.
Picard and Data experience the Phoenix firsthand
Taking a moment to himself, Picard places his hand on the titanium case of the Phoenix. Mimicking the Human's action, Data touches the missile himself. Picard admits that he had seen this very vessel in the Smithsonian as a child and always wanted to touch it. Appearing on a level above, Counselor Troi reports to Picard: There's no sign of Cochrane anywhere in the complex. Picard is grim at the thought of the warp scientist's possible demise, "The future may die with him."
Aboard the Enterprise, Porter is hard at work with Lieutenant Eiger, trying to solve the ship's sudden and unexplained environmental problems. The entire deck, it seems, is suffering from the difficulties. Climbing into a Jefferies tube, the Lieutenant's investigation is interrupted by the sound of activity within the tube. Calling out to anyone who might be in there, Porter suddenly screams out in pain and is silenced. Entering the tube after him, Eiger barely has time to scream herself when she too is attacked.
Beverly Crusher wonders "Why it's so hot in here."
Picard can hear the voices in his head again. He contacts the Enterprise for an update. Lieutenant Commander Worf responds, informing Picard of the ship's environmental issues. Acknowledging the Klingon's signal, Picard orders Commander Riker to take charge, alerting the Enterprise that he and Data will be returning to the ship.
In sickbay aboard the Enterprise, Doctor Crusher and Nurse Alyssa Ogawa stand over a biobed examining Lily. Suddenly, the lights in sickbay flicker and dim. Unable to contact the bridge, Crusher begins scanning with a tricorder when something smashes hard against the closed doors making a large dent.
Data encrypts the main computer
Picard and Data enter the bridge and Worf provides an update: they've lost all contact with deck 16. Lieutenant Hawk reports that deck 16 had experienced a rise in temperature and humidity which Picard recognizes as similar to a Borg vessel. With their ship doomed, the captain realizes, the Borg were able to transport aboard the Enterprise. "First they'll assimilate the Enterprise and then... Earth." The lights suddenly flicker and dim and computer terminals shut down. Data rushes to a console and enters a fractal encryption code to lock the main computer. Worf reports that the Borg have cut primary power to all decks except 16, but Picard knows they won't stay in one place for long.
The pounding on the sickbay doors continues. Beverly Crusher revives Lily, who awakes panicked. The doctor tries to keep her calm, calling Ogawa for assistance. Together, the two women carry Lily into an open Jefferies tube – an escape route. Crusher calls out to the computer, telling it to activate the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram.
"I'm a doctor, not a doorstop!"
The holographic doctor appears: "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The doctor orders the hologram to create a diversion to give them time to flee the scene. The EMH is indignant, "I'm a doctor, not a doorstop." Crusher jumps into the Jefferies tube and closes the hatch behind her. The sickbay doors finally succumb and the Borg make their entrance.
Scrambling through the Jefferies tubes, Crusher leads her staff to safety. Falling behind, however, Lily sneaks off in another direction.
In another section of the Enterprise, Picard, Worf and Data have gathered a large group of security personnel. Each grabbing a phaser rifle, the crew studies a diagram of the ship as Picard describes his plan: they will enter engineering and puncture the plasma coolant tanks flanking the warp core. Data agrees that this is an excellent plan as plasma coolant will liquefy organic material on contact. Despite the Borg's nature as cybernetic lifeforms, this will defeat them. Taking a rifle for himself, the captain warns his fellow officers that they shouldn't hesitate to fire on already assimilated crew members, "You'll be doing them a favor." They depart to do battle.
Cochrane and Troi toast as Riker looks on
Rock 'n roll music echoes through the ramshackle village down on the surface of Earth. Inside the local watering hole, Deanna Troi sits at the bar nursing a drink. Entering the bar behind her, Commander Riker shouts for the counselor, but the music is too loud. Pulling the plug on the blasting jukebox, Riker finally gets her attention. Emerging from somewhere in the bar, Zefram Cochrane makes his appearance, throwing a bottle at Riker. The warp scientist slurs his words, "Who is this jerk?" Deanna introduces Riker to Cochrane, who is less interested in the commander than he is in the beautiful counselor. Cochrane pours Troi another shot and they drink together. Reeling from the awful taste of the booze, Cochrane tosses another bottle toward Riker, then wanders over to the jukebox.
Escorting a wobbly Deanna to a table, Riker seeks the counselor's advice on how to proceed. Troi suggests they tell him the truth. When Riker counters that the timeline will be altered, Troi rambles drunkenly. Riker openly laughs at Troi, who tells the commander that she thinks Cochrane is "nuts". Nearby, the scientist has finally reactivated the jukebox and begins dancing along with the music. Troi passes out, face down on the table.
Picard and Data hunt Borg on deck 16
In space, Picard and Data lead a team of security personnel down an Enterprise corridor. Armed with phaser rifles, the team moves deck-by-deck, down to its destination. Entering a section of corridor mangled by the Borg, Picard and Data are surrounded by the Borg's handiwork. Data admits that he is feeling extreme anxiety; the captain suggests he deactivate his emotion chip for now.
Meanwhile, Worf and crew have entered a similarly mangled section of the Enterprise - covered in exposed circuitry and wiring. Beverly Crusher and Ogawa surprise them by emerging from their Jefferies tube refuge. Scrambling into the corridor, Crusher tells Worf that Lily has gone missing. The Klingon vows to watch for her and assigns members of his team to escort the doctor and her staff to safety.
The Borg appear
Making their way deeper into "Borgified" sections of the ship, Picard and Data catch their first glimpses of the cybernetic intruders. Two Borg drones approach but do not consider the team a threat. Cautiously following the Borg down the corridor, Picard's team enters the Borg hive just as Worf and his crew arrive. There are Borg everywhere, regenerating in alcoves constructed into the bulkheads. Approaching the door to engineering, Picard orders Worf to situate his men in a defensive posture as he makes his way to the manual release mechanism. Opening a panel, Data hits several commands into a keypad and then pulls on the manual release lever, breaking it free from its housing in a shower of sparks.
Data kills a Borg drone by snapping its neck
Suddenly, the Borg are awake. Stepping out of their alcoves they move toward Worf's men who open fire on the now aggressive drones. The battle begins. Telling Data to cover him, Picard throws open another panel in an attempt at rewiring the door. Suddenly, the engineering doors part and a Borg drone steps out. Evading the drone, Picard ducks as Data grabs it by the head and breaks its neck. With the fight going badly, Picard orders a retreat and the officers begin their escape. Behind Data, a door slides open and two drones grab the android by his legs, pulling him into engineering as the door closes fast behind them.
Hurrying away from engineering, down a corridor, one of the security officers is caught by a Borg drone. With talon like tubules, the Borg injects something into the officer's neck then tosses him to the deck. Opening a Jefferies tube hatch, Picard shoves his men through the opening when the injured officer calls out to him. Picard watches as wires and Borg technology overrun the officer's body, then aims his phaser and kills the man.
Lily surprises Picard
As the Borg give chase, Picard throws himself into the Jefferies tube and seals the hatch. Safe from the drones, Picard is caught off guard by Lily who strangles him and grabs his phaser. Pointing it at Picard, Lily demands to be released.
Data is strapped to a Borg operating table in engineering
Main engineering is infested with Borg activity. The once brightly-lit chamber is now a dark maze of machinery. Lieutenant Commander Data opens his eyes to find himself restrained on a Borg operating table. Several drones near him work tricorders, attempting to break the encryption code securing main computer. Data tells them that it is unlikely they can crack the code and take over the Enterprise. From somewhere in the darkness, a female voice – almost amused – rings out, "Brave words. I've heard them before." Data is curious. Conversing with the voice, he assures it that he is unique. The voice counters that he is an "imperfect being, created by an imperfect being." With that, a drill activates, penetrating the android's skull.
Zefram Cochrane laughs outright. He doesn't believe Commander Riker's story about cybernetic beings from the future. Riker promises proof as Geordi La Forge uses Cochrane's telescope to locate something in the night sky. When he finds what he's searching for, La Forge hands it over to Cochrane who humors the Enterprise crew by taking a look. Cochrane is shocked to see the distant form of the Enterprise orbiting the Earth. Thinking it's a trick, Cochrane examines his telescope to find nothing. Deanna Troi informs the scientist that what he sees is their ship, where Lily is right now. Riker says they have lost contact with the Enterprise and they need his help.
Riker, La Forge and Troi try to convince Zefram Cochrane
Cochrane wonders how he could help them. Riker explains that he must simply conduct his warp flight as originally planned. Cochrane wonders why. "Because," Riker says, "an alien ship will begin passing through this solar system." Cochrane is at first hesitant to face more aliens, but Deanna assures him these are "good guys". Riker tells him that the aliens will make contact with Humanity here, once they've discovered Humans can travel faster than light. Deanna tells him that this is a pivotal moment in Human history that will end all poverty and war on Earth. La Forge adds that Cochrane's discovery will allow fleets of future starships to be built. Humanity will start exploring the galaxy. That is, if Chochrane makes the flight. Looking up into the stars, Cochrane mulls it over, then agrees to cooperate.
The Borg overrun the ship
Aboard the Enterprise, the Starfleet crew is losing its battle against the Borg. More and more crew members have been assimilated, taken to a chamber of horrors to receive full cybernetic implants. As security teams attempt to keep the advancing drones at bay, they find themselves surrounded on all sides by Borg capable of adapting to their phaser fire. One group of Starfleet officers hurries into a darkened section of the ship only to find the red lasers of ocular implants emerging from blackness.
Emerging from a Jefferies tube, Picard leads Lily to a small compartment. Lily keeps her distance from the captain, still holding the phaser pointed directly at him. Picard attempts to assure Lily that he is here to help her, but she doesn't want help, just a way out. "All right," Picard says, "here's a way out." He enters a command into a console that opens an oval-shaped airlock in the bulkhead. Lily is stunned to see stars and the Earth below. The captain takes this moment to earn her trust, telling her to give him the weapon.
"You are not in Montana anymore."
Reluctantly she hands over the phaser, which, he tells her, was set to maximum. Picard takes her hand and leads Lily to the airlock, showing her the force field securing the hatch. Lily says she has never seen such technology, to which the captain replies, "That's because it hasn't been invented yet." With more to show her, Picard opens the Jefferies tube hatch and leads the way.
Still in captivity in engineering, Data looks up toward the ceiling as something appears from the shadows. "Are you ready?" The disembodied voice asks. Data is curious, "Who are you?" The voice is cryptic, "I am the Borg." A woman's head, neck and torso appears, suspended above the floor by cables that carry her down toward the android. "I am the beginning. The end. The one is who is many." A hollow body awaits the woman as she descends into it and connects to become a whole person. "I am the Borg." The cables release the woman's shoulders and float back up and away; the Borg Queen steps forward.
The Borg Queen descends to her body
Pacing around Data's operating table, the Borg Queen introduces herself as not just any Borg – she is the Borg, an embodiment of the Collective. She tells Data that, like him, they are on a quest to better themselves, assimilating other races in order to achieve perfection. Questioning her sincerity, the Queen reacts by reactivating Data's emotion chip, flooding the android Lieutenant Commander with deep feelings of fear. A metal restraint suddenly pops open, revealing the android's wrist, stripped down to its circuits. In the place of his yellow-golden skin, a small patch of pink, organic flesh sits among flashing lights and wiring. This, the Borg Queen says, is their gift to him. She leans down and lightly blows on the flesh, causing the hairs on his new wrist to rise. Data reacts to the new experience with shock and pleasure. The Queen smiles, "Was that good for you?"
The Borg encounter Picard and Lily in a corridor
Elsewhere on the ship, Picard and Lily head down corridor after corridor, red alert signals flashing silently. Picard explains the situation to her and describes the Federation. Lily is amazed at what she is hearing, more so at the sheer size of the Enterprise. Picard equates Humanity's drive into the cosmos to the selflessness of Zefram Cochrane. Before Lily can object to that comparison, however, she turns and screams. Just a few meters away, a section of corridor has been transformed into a Borg hive and drones swarm everywhere. Picard tells her not to be afraid and, grabbing her hand, leads her into a crowd of "cybernetic zombies". As they inch their way through the corridor, the Borg pay little attention to the two Humans. Arriving at a door marked "holosuite", Picard aims and fires his phaser, quickly provoking a response from two Borg drones who pursue them. Picard leads Lily into the holosuite, closing the door behind them. The Borg pound on the holosuite doors as Picard activates the arch, calling up a holonovel and ordering appropriate costuming.
Tearing the holosuite doors open, the two Borg drones step out of 24th century corridor and into a 20th century nightclub. The maître d' is quick to block their entrance, telling them that they do not fit with the club's dress code. One of the drones grabs the hologram by the neck and both disrupt the projection by scanning it with their ocular implants.
The Dixon Hill holonovel
At the bar, Picard is dressed as Dixon Hill, Lily to the nines. As the maître d's body is thrown into a tray of food, Picard realizes this is the wrong chapter and calls to the computer, "Begin chapter thirteen!" Suddenly, there is music and crowd of happy dancers. Picard grabs Lily and turns her into the crowd, telling her to look natural and blend in. He spots his target across the room, a gangster distinguished by a metallic nose – Nicky the Nose. Shoving through the crowd of period holograms, the Borg pursue Picard and Lily, sticking out in this 1950s recreation. Picard dances Lily over to Nicky's table, pats down one of the gangster's henchmen, then grabs a saxophone case. Throwing open the case, Picard retrieves a Tommy gun and opens fire on the advancing Borg. Blowing one of the drones away, Picard focuses his fire on the other, screaming in rage as the Borg is pummeled by bullets.
Picard as Dixon Hill opens fire on the Borg
The drone falls back onto a table and Picard wields the gun like a club, chasing after the Borg. "Hey! I think you got him!" Lily shouts, restraining the captain. Picard breaks from her and tears into the chest of the Borg drone, digging into its flesh and circuitry. He pulls out a small device – the Borg's neuroprocessor – then attaches it to his tricorder, punching the controls angrily. Lily looks down at the body and realizes that this isn't just any Borg drone – this was once a Starfleet officer, still wearing a combadge. Picard already knows, this was Ensign Lynch. Lily is taken aback by the brutality of the captain, who tells her they've got to get to the bridge.
On Earth, progress repairing the village continues. Zefram Cochrane has little to do but watch as the 24th century engineering personnel go about their work. Ducking into a dark corner, Cochrane takes a moment to drink from a flask, when Geordi La Forge calls him over for assistance. Reviewing a PADD, Geordi asks Cochrane to review his work. Cochrane is surprised at the accuracy, but La Forge shrugs it off - he learned about this stuff at Starfleet Academy. Lieutenant Reginald Barclay approaches La Forge and Cochrane, timidly asking to shake the scientist's hand and gushing about what an honor it is to meet the man who invented warp drive.
La Forge reaches toward the future
As Barclay stumbles away excitedly, Cochrane confesses to La Forge that he's uncomfortable with this sudden fame. La Forge assures him that it's just hero worship, "We've all heard about what you did here, or... what you're about to do." La Forge admits that he too is a little starstruck, having gone to Zefram Cochrane High School. Cochrane raises his hands to the sky in an "Oh God" gesture. "I wish I had a picture of this!" La Forge says, Cochrane is standing on almost the exact spot where his statue is going to be! Cochrane doesn't want to hear anything about it, excusing himself, "I gotta go take a leak."
Reaching the bridge, Picard and Lily are greeted by the barrels of Doctor Crusher's, Lieutenant Hawk's and Commander Worf's phaser rifles. Crusher is relieved – they'd heard the captain had been assimilated. Picard assures her, "Reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated." With Lily in tow, Picard gets right to the point. Having accessed a Borg neuroprocessor, he has discovered their plans to build an interplexing beacon on the ship's main deflector. This will allow them to contact other Borg living in the Delta Quadrant of this century. With deflector control and the ship's shuttlebays controlled by the Borg, Picard realizes their only choice is to don EV suits and make the trek to the deflector on foot. The prospect makes Worf uneasy as they head to an airlock and suit up. Watching as they prepare to exit the ship, Lily warns Picard, "Watch your caboose, Dix," and the captain, Lieutenant Hawk and Worf disappear behind a closing hatch.
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The Queen seduces Data
In the Borg lair, drones continue to operate on Data's ever more Human arm. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, Data is able to break from the restraints and subdue several drones. Attempting to flee, the android is blocked by a force field erected by the Queen. A Borg drone armed with a claw-like arm extension swipes at Data's new flesh, tearing a bloody gash into his skin. Cradling the bleeding arm, Data is taken aback as the Borg Queen approaches him. If the skin means nothing to him, she says, tear it away like a "defective circuit". Data is torn as the Queen corners him against the operating table. "Data", she asks, "are you familiar with physical forms of pleasure?" She pushes closer to him and the android is clearly confused as she goes in for a soft kiss on the lips. Data grabs her hard and pulls her in for another, more passionate kiss. He has been seduced.
As the EVA team reaches the deflector, Picard, Hawk and Worf discover the Borg hard at work, building their beacon directly on top of the deflector's emitter. Firing their phaser rifles at the deflector, Picard says, would likely result in the destruction of the entire ship. They've got to get closer and release the deflector from the ship's hull manually. "Let's go."
Riker stuns a fleeing Cochrane
On the surface, Cochrane has taken off and Riker and La Forge are hot on his trail. Using the engineer's new ocular implants, they are able to uncover Cochrane's hiding spot in the nearby forest and flush him out into a meadow. As several Enterprise officers chase Cochrane, the scientist refuses to go with them, telling them he doesn't want to be a statue. Riker has had enough and draws his phaser, firing an energy burst that strikes Cochrane in the back, sending him tumbling into a stream.
Hawk, Picard and Worf on the lower hull of the Enterprise
At the Enterprise deflector dish, Picard, Worf and Hawk have situated themselves at three points around the circular perimeter. Crouching down to the manual input controls, each officer works to crack the computer code and release the deflector and thus the Borg communications device. Realizing their plan, the Borg are suddenly interested in the Starfleet officers. A drone approaches Lieutenant Hawk, who fires his phaser rifle, sending the Borg spinning off the hull and into space.
As Picard works, he too is seized upon by a Borg. Knowing that they have a limited number of shots before the Borg adapt, Picard fires his rifle at the hull of the ship, sending the drone flying in a shower of sparks. At his station, Worf is also approached by a Borg. His phaser rifle useless, Worf must defeat the Borg hand-to-hand, drawing his mek'leth and slicing the drone's arm off. The Borg, however, scores a hit, cutting the Klingon's environmental suit open and exposing the Lieutenant Commander to space. Plunging the mek'leth into the Borg's body, Worf is victorious, but he has little oxygen left in his suit.
"They have adapted."
Meters away, Hawk struggles with his manual release valve as yet another Borg drone lumbers toward him. The helmsman is still struggling with the device when the Borg drone catches him by the arm, injecting him with Borg nanoprobes and carrying him off and out of sight. The captain is also in jeopardy as a drone has backed him against a steep incline in the hull of the Enterprise. With his phaser rifle also useless, Picard releases his magnetic boots and floats off the hull, flying over the attacking drone. Grabbing onto the hull, Picard pulls himself down near to where Hawk was working and quickly takes up where the lieutenant left off. Finally releasing the last magnetic lock, Picard succeeds in freeing the deflector.
"Assimilate THIS!"
As it floats away from the hull of the ship – with the Borg and their beacon – the deflector hits a snag, held on to the Enterprise by a thick cord. Reaching for a phaser rifle to disconnect the emitter, Picard is suddenly blocked by a now assimilated Hawk, who throws the captain against the hull and begins punching him in the helmet. Picard is helpless as the Borg Hawk pummels him, cracking his visor. A burst of phaser fire suddenly rips into Hawk who tumbles away into space. Worf, having used parts of the Borg he killed to repair his EV suit, stands with his phaser rifle, grinning at the captain. Picard quickly moves for his rifle and fires, disconnecting the deflector emitter and the Borg communicator before it can be activated. Aiming his rifle at the deflector as it lazily drifts away from the Enterprise, Worf destroys it with a triumphant "Assimilate THIS!" He and Picard make their back inside the Enterprise.
"Let history make its own judgments."
In the cockpit of the Phoenix, Cochrane is preparing for launch. Climbing into the seat behind him, Riker watches through the forward windows as the silo doors open, revealing a bright blue sky and a glimpse of the moon. Riker is thrilled by the sighting, telling Cochrane that it looks much different in the 24th century... all thanks to the scientist. Cochrane is terse, telling the commander that he has heard enough about "the great Zefram Cochrane." Squinting into the sunshine through a hangover, Cochrane admits to Riker that he is not the altruistic pioneer the Enterprise crew thinks he is; that he built the Phoenix for profit. Riker's faith in the scientist in unchanged, quoting a famous line, "Someone once said, 'Don't try to be a great man, just be a man and let history make its own judgments.' " Cochrane dismisses it as rhetorical nonsense, then asks who said that. Riker responds, "You did. Ten years from now." The two men continue to prepare for launch.
On the Enterprise, the situation is even worse. Security officer Daniels gives the captain a firsthand report, telling Picard that the Borg have overrun decks 5 and 6. Daniels adds that their weapons are ineffective. Picard is vigilant, telling Daniels and his men to stand their ground, "Fight hand to hand if you have to." Worf objects, suggesting the crew evacuate the ship and use the auto-destruct sequence to destroy it. Crusher agrees, "You destroy the ship, you destroy the Borg." This angers Picard, who refuses to sacrifice the Enterprise. Worf insists, telling the captain that he believes Picard is allowing his personal feelings to influence his judgment. The two men go toe-to-toe, Picard telling Worf that he is a coward for wanting to "run away". Worf growls at the captain, "If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand!" Picard orders Worf off the bridge then disappears into the observation lounge. As Worf departs and Doctor Crusher and crew resume working on ways to fight the Borg, Lily questions the captain's orders. Crusher tells her that the captain's decision is final, but Lily doesn't listen, charging into the observation lounge.
"The line must be drawn here!"
Finding Picard at the large table modifying a phaser rifle, Lily curses the captain. She tells him that his crew believes this course of action is suicide. Picard is dismissive, telling her that none of them understand the Borg as he does. She doesn't understand, so he elaborates, telling her of his assimilation six years ago: "I had their cybernetic devices implanted throughout my body. Every trace of individuality erased. I was one of them." Claiming that his experience with the Borg gave him a unique understanding of how to fight them, Picard denies that his motives are personal: "In my century we don't succumb to revenge." Lily counters that it is clear the captain was seeking revenge when he shot Ensign Lynch on the holodeck. She insists he destroy the ship, provoking an outburst. Throwing his phaser rifle into a glass display of model starships, Picard erupts, "NO! I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"
"If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it."
He turns from her and stands at one of the large windows of the observation lounge. Lily surveys the shattered display case and broken ships, then turns to leave, "Captain Ahab has to hunt his whale." Staring out into space, Picard recites lines from Moby Dick, letting the words resound, Lily admits she has never read the book. Picard explains to Lily that Ahab spent years hunting the white whale – a quest for vengeance that resulted in the captain's death and the destruction of his ship. Lily articulates it perfectly: "Maybe he didn't know when to quit." The words strike Picard hard, who drifts off toward the bridge. Stepping out onto the bridge, the captain resigns himself. "Prepare to evacuate the Enterprise."
Act Three
Picard and Worf reconcile as the ship is evacuated
The countdown begins as preparations for the flight of the Phoenix conclude. Commander William Riker and Geordi La Forge have strapped themselves into the co-pilots seats and Cochrane goes over last minute checks.
Aboard the Enterprise, Captain Picard, Doctor Crusher and Lieutenant Commander Worf have assembled on the bridge, instructing the computer to being the auto-destruct sequence. Below decks, Enterprise crew members scramble to the escape pods as the final codes are entered and the destruct sequence is set. Crusher wonders to Picard if they will ever build another one, to which the captain replies, "Plenty of letters left in the alphabet."
Picard on the empty bridge
As the crew evacuates the bridge, Picard catches Worf before he leaves. The captain tells the Klingon Lieutenant Commander that he regrets some of the things he said earlier, "In fact, you are the bravest man I have ever known." Worf and Picard shake hands, looking forward to their next meeting on the surface of Earth.
Once the bridge is clear, Picard stands in front of his command chair and looks over the empty posts. The bridge is silent and he takes it all in then turns to leave. A voice catches him in mid-stride and he stops. The voice is familiar, "Captain..." Picard knows who it is: "Data!"
"Magic Carpet Ride"
In the Montana missile silo, the countdown continues with Deanna Troi working the control room. As the Phoenix prepares to blast off, Cochrane realizes he forgot something. Riker is alarmed, "Geordi, we've got to abort!" But Cochrane stops him, "No wait! I got it!" Pulling out a green disk and inserting it into a receiver, Cochrane activates the device, "Let's Rock and Roll!" "Magic Carpet Ride" blasts in the Phoenix audio speakers and over the communication lines to the control room as the rocket boosters fire and the missile launches. Through the open silo doors, the Phoenix blasts up, past the trees, shaking the tiny village below. As they make their ascent, Cochrane silences the music in time to see Earth glide away from the windows, the Phoenix enters space.
Escape pods depart the Enterprise for Earth
In the darkened corridors of the Enterprise-E, the last of the ship's crew are making their way to escape pods. Picard escorts Lily to her lifeboat, handing her a PADD to give to Commander Riker or any other crew member, he tells her they are his orders to "Find a quiet corner of North America and stay out of history's way." He wishes her good luck, but she realizes he's not coming with her. Picard explains to her that when he was kidnapped by the Borg seven years ago, his crew risked everything to retrieve him. "There is someone still here and I owe him the same." Lily smiles and pats the captain on the back, "Go on and find your friend." She enters her escape pod and Picard closes the hatch behind her, as the lifeboats rise up from their bays and depart the Enterprise for the safety of Earth.
The Borg Queen welcomes Locutus back to the collective
Now alone on the ship with the Borg, Picard is free to go wherever he wants. Strolling into engineering, Picard enters the Borg hive with no resistance. Looking up at the assimilated warp core a familiar voice emerges from the darkness and the Borg Queen makes her appearance, "Isn't this familiar? Organic minds are such fragile things... we were very close you and I." A flood of memories flash in Picard's mind, images of Picard as Locutus and of the Queen herself. Suddenly he remembers her, she was there all along. "But that ship," he says, "and all the Borg on it were destroyed." The Queen mocks him, "You think in such three-dimensional terms, how small you've become." Then she turns to Data, standing in an alcove, "Data understands me." Picard now notices his android officer, his face now divided by a large patch of Human flesh and hair. "What have you done to him?" Picard asks. "Given him what he always wanted," the Queen replies, "flesh and blood."
"He will make an excellent drone."
Picard appeals to the Borg Queen, suggesting she take him instead of Data. He tells her that he is offering himself to her without any resistance, just the way she wanted. She touches his face with her cybernetic hand and commends his nobility, deactivating a force field restraining Data and telling him he's free to go. When Data does not act, Picard orders the android to leave. Data resists, refusing to go. The Queen is delighted, telling the captain that she has already found an equal in Data. Then she orders the android to deactivate the self-destruct sequence and give her control of the computer.
Data steps out from his Borg alcove and moves to a computer terminal, deactivating the destruct sequence and breaking the computer encryption code. He moves to stand next to her as two Borg drones seize Captain Picard. With his face now half organic, Data smiles and says of the captain, "He will make an excellent drone."
Enterprise pursues the Phoenix
In space, the Phoenix, Riker, La Forge and Cochrane prepare to bring the warp engines online. Looking out of a window, Cochrane spots the Enterprise approaching and is in awe. Riker tells the scientist to relax, the Enterprise is likely there to give them a send off.
Picard is thrown onto the Borg operating table, a drone holding a saw to his neck. Data stands at a free-standing console and punches in commands, activating the weapons systems. The Queen orders Data to lock onto the Phoenix and destroy it. Data hesitates for a second, then fires quantum torpedoes. The Borg Queen stands next to Picard and they watch a monitor together as the torpedoes streak toward the tiny spacecraft. "Watch," the Queen says, "Your futures end."
Data punctures one of the warp plasma coolant tanks
On the screen, the torpedoes draw ever nearer to the Phoenix, then narrowly miss the vessel. The Queen spins around to face Data, yelling his name. Standing next to the warp core Data's face is fierce, "Resistance is futile!" He turns and punches a plasma coolant tank which explodes in a flood of radiant gas that overtakes the android and spills out over engineering.
Aboard the Phoenix, the warp engines have been deployed and Cochrane orders their activation, "Engage!" The warpship jets off at warp speed, Cochrane screaming as the stars streak past the windows of his ship.
Picard and Queen struggle to escape
Picard is quick to react to the coolant leak, leaping up onto the operating table and grabbing hold of several hanging wires. As the Queen activates two snaking cables to retrieve her, Picard latches onto them, using them to pull himself above the flood. The Queen reaches out and grabs onto the captain's leg, pulling him toward her as he struggles to climb. Emerging from the liquid gas, Data, his flesh now melted clean off, catches the Queens leg and pulls her hard toward him. The three struggling like this, hanging onto one another until Data overpowers the Queen, yanking her into the bubbling coolant where she immediately begins to dissolve.
Falling out of warp, the Phoenix banks back and Earth appears distant in the windows. Cochrane is still in awe, amazed at how far they've traveled in just a few seconds.
Borg Queen no more
Venting the deadly gas from engineering, Picard climbs down to the deck amid a slew of dead Borg. Stepping gingerly over the metallic skeletons of what remains of the Borg, Picard approaches the body of the Queen. The skull and cerebellum of the Borg Queen are still alive, writhing helplessly on the deck. Crouching over the her remains, Picard picks up the Queen's skull and holds it in his hands. He stares down into the face of the former Borg Queen then violently breaks the cerebellum. The flashing lights of the skull quickly die and Picard throws it to the floor.
Picard turns to find Data, circuitry on half his face and one arm exposed, lying against the remains of the Borg operating table. The captain rushes to the android's side, asking him how he feels. Data admits that he is sorry to see the Queen dead. Picard agrees that she was unique, but Data explains further. She brought him closer to Humanity than he had ever been and she tempted him, albeit briefly. The captain wonders just how long Data was tempted and the android replies, "Zero point six eight seconds, sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity."
- "Captain's Log, April 5, 2063. The voyage of the Phoenix was a success – again. The alien ship detected the warp signature, and is on its way to rendezvous with history."
First contact with the Vulcans
Lights appear in the night sky over the Montana village. Captain Picard, Doctor Crusher, Commander Riker, Deanna Troi and Geordi La Forge have assembled to witness history as the alien starship breaks through the clouds and lands in front a crowd of onlookers. Cochrane is reluctant to greet the visitors as an airlock opens and cloaked figure emerges. Riker tells Cochrane that the aliens will want to meet the man who invented the warp ship and the scientist steps forward, taking Lily's hand. Standing in front of the alien vessel, Cochrane approaches the visitor who removes his hood and reveals himself to be a Vulcan. Extending a hand, the Vulcan displays his people's customary salute with the words, "Live long and prosper." Cochrane attempts to imitate the gesture to no avail, bringing his hand down for a friendly handshake, and replies "Thanks."
Picard and crew depart for their future
Away from the crowd, Picard bids a fond farewell to Lily. Lily is sad to see him go, telling Picard that she envies him and the world he's going to. Picard counters, telling her that he envies her for being here during these historic days. He adds, "I shall miss you Lily" and leans in for a gentle kiss on the cheek. Joining his fellow officers, Picard and company transport back aboard the Enterprise to head back to their own time.
Now in uniform, the entire crew of the USS Enterprise-E is together on the bridge. Taking their stations, the crew prepares for the journey back home, recreating the temporal vortex that brought them here. Sitting in his chair, Picard assures his officers that he suspects, "Our futures are there waiting for us." Then gives the command to "Make it so."
Lily watches the Enterprise leave orbit
Lily stands on a hill and looks up as the Enterprise enters the temporal vortex overhead. She turns and looks down to the village bar where Cochrane introduces the Vulcan's to booze. Revving up the jukebox, Cochrane plays them a song, showing them a few of his dance moves.
The stars hang over the treetops of Montana and rock 'n roll plays on...
Memorable Quotes
"We've finished our first sensor sweep of the Neutral Zone."
"Oh, fascinating! Twenty particles of space dust per cubic meter, fifty-two ultraviolet radiation spikes, and a class two comet. Wow! This is certainly worthy of our attention..."
- - Riker and Picard
"Captain, I believe I speak for everyone here sir when I say, 'To Hell with our orders'."
- - Data
"Main power is off-line, we've lost shields and our weapons are gone!"
(hits a console) "Perhaps today is a good day to die! Prepare for ramming speed!"
- - Helm officer and Worf, on the Defiant
"Tough little ship."
"Little?"
- - Riker and Worf, speaking about the Defiant
"You do remember how to fire phasers...?"
- - Riker, to Worf
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
"Twenty Borg are about to break through that door. We need time to get out of here. Create a diversion!"
"This isn't part of my programming. I'm a doctor, not a doorstop."
"Well, do a dance, tell a story, do anything – just give us a few seconds!"
- - Emergency Medical Hologram and Dr. Crusher
"I'm just trying to blend in."
"You're blended, all right."
- - Troi and Riker, about Troi's intoxication
"Timeline? This is no time to be arguing about time! We don't have the time!... what was I saying?"
- - Troi, to Riker, while intoxicated
"If you want my professional opinion, as ship's counselor... he's nuts!"
- - Troi, about Zefram Cochrane
"You'd better find a way to make it easy, soldier, or I'm going to start pushing buttons!"
- - Lily, holding a hand phaser on Picard
"Maximum setting, if you fired this you would have vaporized me."
"It's my first ray gun."
- - Picard and Lily
"So, you're all... astronauts, on... some kind of star trek?"
- - Zefram Cochrane, to Riker, Troi, and La Forge
"Borg? Sounds Swedish..."
- - Lily Sloane, to Picard
"Definitely not Swedish!"
- - Lily Sloane, after she sees Borg drones
"No money? You mean you don't get paid?"
"The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We wish to better ourselves and the rest of humanity."
- - Lily and Picard
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! AAAAHH..."
"HEY! (stopping Picard) I think you got him..."
- - Picard and Lily, while Picard uses a Tommy Gun to attack a Borg drone
"Tell your men to stand their ground. Fight hand to hand if they have to."
- - Picard, to Daniels
"I gotta take a leak."
"Leak? I'm not detecting any leak."
"Don't people from the 24th century ever pee?"
"Oh. Right. That's pretty funny."
- - Zefram Cochrane and La Forge
"I don't want to be a statue!"
- - Zefram Cochrane, to Riker and La Forge
"You told him about the statue?"
- - Riker, to La Forge
"Assimilate this!"
- - Worf, before blowing up the interplexing beacon floating off the Enterprise's deflector dish
"Jean-Luc, blow up the damned ship!"
"No! Nooooo!"
(smashes glass and model ships with his phaser rifle)
"I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"
(a brief silence)
"You broke your little ships. See you around, Ahab."
- - Lily Sloane and Picard
"Let's rock 'n' roll!!!"
- - Zefram Cochrane, seconds before the Phoenix launches
"Engage."
- - Zefram Cochrane, unintentionally mirroring Jean-Luc Picard's famous order
"Watch your future's end."
- - Borg Queen to Picard, having ordered the destruction of the Phoenix
"Resistance is futile."
- - Data, to the Borg Queen before destroying a plasma coolant tank
"Mr. Data, lay in a course for the 24th century. I suspect our future is there waiting for us."
"Course laid in, sir."
"Make it so."
- - Picard and Data as the Enterprise leaves the 21st century
Background Information
Development
Teaser poster for Star Trek: First Contact
With the success of Star Trek Generations and its worldwide gross of US$120,000,000 [1], Paramount Pictures development executives approached producer Rick Berman in February 1995 to ready the next installment in the Star Trek franchise. During an impromptu meeting with writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, Berman revealed his interest in a time travel story.
- "All of the Star Trek films and episodes I have been most impressed with – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, "Yesterday's Enterprise", "The City on the Edge of Forever", and I could give you half a dozen more – have all been stories that deal with time travel. In a way, Star Trek Generations dealt with time travel. Nick Meyer's wonderful movie Time After Time, dealt with time travel. The paradoxes that occur in writing, as well as in the reality of what the characters are doing and what the consequences are, have always been fascinating to me. I don't think I've ever had as much fun as being involved with "Yesterday's Enterprise," and having to tackle all the logical, paradoxical problems that we would run into and figure out ways to solve them."
The Moore/Braga writing team, however, wanted to tell a story focusing on the Borg. Moore recalled the first meeting:
- "We were standing outside on the Hart Building steps. Rick had just come back from that studio meeting, and stopped us and he said, 'I really want you guys to think about it... I want to do a time travel piece.' Brannon and I added, 'We want to do something with the Borg.' And right on the spot, we said maybe we can do both, the Borg and time travel."
Brainstorming sessions began between the writer/producers day jobs on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Again, Moore recalled:
- "...We started talking about the places and times that had been done on screen or had not been done on screen. Certain things we just crossed off, because they would be took hokey. We could go to the Roman Empire which would be cool in a lot of ways. But Picard in a toga? You don't want to do that. Put him in a spacesuit."
Other time periods in history including the American Civil War were bandied about, eventually the Italian Renaissance time period was seized upon. An early story draft entitled Star Trek Renaissance expanded upon this idea. According to Moore, the story would have found Picard and company searching history for a group of time-travelling Borg. Happening upon a Renaissance village, the crew would hear stories about strange creatures taking over neighboring villages:
- "We begin to realize that these horrific monsters... were the Borg. We track them down to a castle near the village where a nobleman runs a feudal society. We suspect the Borg are working in there, but no one can get in. So Data becomes our spy, impersonating an artist's apprentice... Data became friends with Leonardo da Vinci, who at the time, was working for the nobleman as a military engineer... you would have sword fights and phaser fights mixed together, in fifteenth-century Europe... it risked becoming really campy and over-the-top."
According to some reports, Patrick Stewart nixed the idea upon first mention, objecting to the prospect of wearing tights throughout production. Additionally, the producers realized that the time period was expensive to realize on screen, with audience knowledge of and identification with the period very low. [2]
Ultimately, a time period after modern history was selected: The birth of the Federation. According to Brannon Braga:
- "The one image that I brought to the table is the image of the Vulcans coming out of the ship. I wanted to see the birth of Star Trek. We ended up coming back to that moment. That, to me, is what made the time travel story fresh. We get to see what happened when humans shook hands with their first aliens."
A revised storyline was constructed, this time called Star Trek Resurrection. Utilizing elements laid into place by Gene Roddenberry's original concepts for the Star Trek universe and the The Original Series episode "Metamorphosis", Resurrection closely resembled the final film. In the story, the Borg attack Zefram Cochrane's Montana laboratory, severely injuring the scientist. With Doctor Crusher fighting to save Cochrane's life, Captain Picard assumes his place in history, rallying a town around reconstructing the damaged warp ship. As the action unfolded, Picard would have become romantically involved with a local photographer and X-ray technician named Ruby, who helps the captain reconstruct a key element of the ship. Aboard the Enterprise, Commander Riker would be engaged in combat with invading Borg drones. The Borg, in Resurrection would remain faceless automatons.
With a draft of Resurrection sent to studio executives, generally positive notes were returned. However, one Paramount executive pointed out the weakness of the Borg as being that they were "basically zombies." Despite the Borg's inception as a faceless swarm, the writers chose to incorporate a figurehead into the Collective. The Borg Queen was created, a logical extension of the insect-like qualities incorporated into the Borg's characterization. Having read the early script pages too, Patrick Stewart, however, was dissatisfied with the film. Stewart suggested that the Picard and Riker stories be switched. Thus, the focus of the film was transferred to the action aboard the Enterprise with a B-story on the planet's surface. Elements like Ruby the photographer and an injured Cochrane were ultimately scrapped. As was any prospect of a love affair for Picard. Ronald D. Moore described the thought process:
- "Let's get simple. Bring Cochrane into the story. Let's make him an interesting fellow, and it could say something about the birth of the Federation. The future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned is born out of this very flawed man, who is not larger than life but an ordinary flawed human being."
With that adjustment in the structure of the film, Berman suggested the addition of a holodeck sequence: The "cocktail party". In August 1995 an early draft of the script, still titled Resurrection, was circulated to key members of the production staff, headed by Martin Hornstein and Peter Lauritson. Using this script, the production heads would budget the film, ultimately falling into the US$45,000,000 range. [3]
Key positions were filled as preproduction began. With several members of the cast volunteering for the director's chair, Jonathan Frakes won out. According to Frakes, the film was offered to A-list directors who had little interest in the franchise; as a result he was offered the job "a month later than would have been ideal." Frakes appointed Jerry Fleck, [4] a veteran of TNG, as first assistant director and John W. Wheeler as editor. [5] Veteran costume designer Deborah Everton was assigned the task of creating all non-Starfleet clothing, plus redesigning the Borg with Michael Westmore. Everton's credits at the time included The Abyss and The X-Files TV series; she later costumed Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica miniseries. [6] Robert Blackman returned to once again redesign the Starfleet uniforms, this time to compliment Frakes' darker color palette and stand up better to big screen scrutiny.
Preproduction
The New Enterprise
John Eaves' infamous "chicken in a pan" design
Upon delivery of the script to production designer Herman Zimmerman, the art department's first task was the creation of a new Enterprise. Having been retained from his work on Generations, illustrator John Eaves operated in conjunction with Zimmerman to develop the Enterprise-E, based upon direction by Berman and the writers. According to Ronald D. Moore, "We described the new Enterprise in some detail. We said we want a sleeker look, with more of a muscular, almost warship kind of a look to it."
According to illustrator Eaves, the process began by reviewing what came before, specifically Bill George's Excelsior from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Over twenty or thirty sketches, the designer honed the look of the ship into an even sleeker design, rotating the oval-shaped saucer of the Enterprise-D to fit the new concept.
- "I wanted to carry some of the Enterprise-D lines into the E – not with the saucer or body, but where the nacelles connected. At this point, the nacelles were almost a third longer than in the finished product. But I had the struts holding the nacelles up; they branched off the body and returned forward , making a little horseshoe, the way the D does. But instead of having them angled back, I had them angled forward."
By October 1995, Eaves and Zimmerman proceeded with their design with approval from Rick Berman. Featuring the same basic shape that appears in the finished film, this version of the Enterprise-E included movable warp pylons recalling the starship Voyager. Showing a dorsal-view sketch to a member of the production staff, Eaves received negative feedback that compared the ship to a chicken. "...From the moment he said that, the design was cursed. Every time I looked at it, I saw not a starship, but a chicken in a pan. Sadly, Herman saw it, too, so we had to (pardon the pun) scratch that one."
Over the next several months, the ship was again refined. In sketched dated January 1996, the Enterprise-E had finally been settled upon. Now distinguished by back-swept engine pylons, the ship was almost ready to be constructed. Eaves described the next steps:
Eaves' finalized overview drawings for the Enterprise-E
- "So now it's January 1996, and we're just officially starting on the feature. Things were extremely hectic, as I was splitting my time between Deep Space Nine and the movie. Herman and I started presenting the last of the Enterprise-E drawings to Mr. Berman, and he loved all our efforts. This gave Rick [Sternbach] the time he needed to do his blueprints. Just when I thought I was finished with the E, Mr. Berman told Herman, 'You know, I love the shape we've got right now – but let's make sure. Let's do some more passes on the E, some different variations.' "
With several days of sketching alternatives behind him, Eaves returned to his original design to focus on the smaller details that allowed Sternbach to complete his plans. By the spring of 1996, the ship's blueprints were turned over to Industrial Light & Magic's model building team under John Goodson. The ten-foot model was fabricated under extreme time constraint (about half the normal time period); with photographs of rooms and people inserted into the ship's windows. A computer-generated model was also constructed (with almost indistinguishable differences between the two). [7]
Interiors
Working simultaneously on the exterior Enterprise-E, Eaves and Zimmerman focused inward, generating drawings of the Enterprise bridge as early as November 1995. First designing a smaller space to fit with the smaller, sleeker direction of the Enterprise, the art department eventually opened the set up, creating a space that was larger than the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Eaves described the decision:
- "We thought it would be a bad thing, because we'd decided the E's bridge should be sleeker and therefore smaller. But it wound up being a great thing; it was a beautiful set, with warmth and depth, and the colors Herman chose gave the bridge a sense of ballistic beauty and great function... we left the framework, but removed the walls, so that you could see other stations beyond those walls. The major players are in the main bridge, and off in the alcoves you have secondary crew members working, which adds a lot of scope and function to the bridge."
A collaborative process, Eaves received input from Doug Drexler regarding his new bridge:
- "Doug Drexler, who is quite the Star Trek expert, took a look at one of my sketches for the bridge and said 'Hey, you've got to have a row of blinkies – blinking running lights – under the viewscreen. It's a tradition on every Enterprise, those lights simply MUST be there.' We wound up designing a detailed area on the floor that acted like a holographic projector array – and we attached the blinking lights to that. So when the viewscreen came on, the lights on the back of the bridge would go down, and an image would appear on our new, viewscreen – with, of course, Doug's running blinkies."
The final details of the bridge were honed through early 1996, alongside other new sets including new corridors and an expanded engineering. Again designed by Eaves and Zimmerman, Enterprise-E corridor sets were constructed in a basic horseshoe shape with built-in handrails, back-lit monitors and removable panels that could be easily swapped for "Borgified" parts. Two lighting schemes were created for the corridor sets for normal and "red alert" conditions, though the former was not seen until Star Trek: Insurrection. For the evacuation sequence, set decorator John Dwyer created vacuum-formed pieces molded from the hood of a Camaro, to be used as escape pod hatches. Paramount's Stages 14 and 15 housed the vast corridor complex which connected to Herman Zimmerman's and Nancy Mickleberry's main engineering. Eaves recalled the experience:
- "We... wound up designing a lot of 'ends', which are pieces that you can put at the back of a particular set, to create different areas of the ship. We could take a corridor and put a Jefferies tube end piece on it, or a hatchway. And we had a lot of corridor - two full quarter-circles of it, with a couple of T-intersections and walkways. You could walk for a good five minutes from the engine room set through Jefferies tubes without ever walking out of the set. There was also this big main door to engineering that Nancy Mickleberry had come up with. She put a second level of corridor above that, and you still had another story-and-a-half of warp core going up. The set was immense! Nancy and Herman worked together for a long time designing it (after all, it had to seem "Federation-style" and "Borgified"). The set had many neat areas, many of which never made it into the finished film."
Despite the number of new sets created for the film, the production once again reused old material, including turbolift wall sections dating back to 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Sections of the starship Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager were cannibalized for the film, with that series' sickbay repainted and redressed for use as Doctor Crusher's sickbay; the Voyager cargo bay set became the Enterprise weapons locker with relatively little modification. Having been saved from the wrecking crews following the completion of Generations, the Enterprise-D observation lounge, first built in 1987 for TNG was put into service, overhauled and expanded, then connected to the bridge set. For the first time in the Star Trek film series, the transporter room did not appear. Also omitted from the finished picture, a large, cylindrical fish tank constructed for Picard's new ready room was replaced with nondescript objet d'art before the cameras rolled.
The Borg
A little less menacing: the Borg relax off camera
Assigned to refresh the Borg make up that had previously consisted of simple pale faces and cobbled together bodysuits, Deborah Everton and Michael Westmore cooperated with Herman Zimmerman and his team. As late as January of '96, pages of Borg designs flowed from the art department, with contributions by Alex Delgado of DS9. Working for Disney in addition to Star Trek, Delgado often worked on his time off, generating complex and sometimes grotesque images of the Borg, heavily influenced by insect life and ancient Egyptian culture. While many of Delgado's ideas (including exposed organs and obelisk-shaped vessels) were ultimately rejected, much of his work was integrated into Everton's and Westmore's final designs. According to Westmore:
- "I wanted it to look like they were Borgified from the inside out rather than the outside in, it was very difficult. We didn't want somebody to come along and say, 'Oh that looks like Alien.'"
What resulted were eight Borg body-suits that would be combined with individually molded pieces to be swapped into various configurations representing different drones.
- "Instead of having an entire helmet, now we have these individual pieces that are on the head, so you get this bald look. That way the pieces look like they're clamped into the head individually, instead of being a full cap that pulls over the top."
Electronics built into the Borg suits often included blinking lights that spelled out production members' names in Morse code. Makeup effects were achieved by airbrushing tiny "wires" that would appear to be just below the surface of the Borg drones' skin; a wide variety of humanoid and alien drones were created, including Klingons, Cardassians and Romulans, though the latter two never appeared in the theatrical cut. With days beginning as early as 2am, it took the makeup department thirty minutes to get the eight Borg actors into their costumes, another five hours to apply makeup, and ninety minutes to remove the makeup at the end of the day. According to Westmore:
- "As they bettered their prep times, they were using two tubes, and then they were using three tubes, and then they were sticking tubes in the ears and up the nose. And we were using a very gooey caramel coloring, maybe using a little bit of it, but by the time we got to the end of the movie we had the stuff dripping down the side of their faces – it looked like they were leaking oil! So, at the very end, they're more ferocious."
Alice Krige as the Queen's torso, lowered on a crane
As the leader of the hoard of eight, Alice Krige's Borg Queen costume was unique. A tight-fitting, one piece bodysuit, combined with a large headpiece and integrated lighting systems, the first of the Queen's costumes was built out of hard rubber. After the first of Krige's ten-day shoot, the actress suffered from blisters raised by the tight rubber. A second, soft foam suit was fabricated overnight. Despite the relative comfort of the new suit, Krige was still required to wear painful silver contact lenses that could be worn for only four minutes at a time. According to Jerry Fleck, the actress never complained.
Borg vessels were handled by John Eaves, based upon script pages, referring to a "tetragon", or rectangular-shaped vessel. Eaves generated drawings in January of 1996, labeled "Borg teragon":
- "The first one I did had beveled edges and deep canyons throughout; I was trying to get away from the familiar Next Generation series cube... I did three or four passes in the rectangular shape. As time went on, Rick Berman, Ron Moore and Brannon Braga rewrote the scenes, returning to the original cube style of the Borg ship."
Unable to reuse the Borg cube built for the television series, created out of inexpensive pieces from model kits, a new cube had to be designed. Described by Eaves as "nonsensical", a distinctly new surface was designed, distinguished by interlocking shapes and angles, with a hidden hatchway for Eaves' Borg sphere. Intricate details of ILM's Borg cube model were achieved through the use of recycled paper clips.
The Phoenix
In their original concept of Zefram Cochrane's warp ship, the Phoenix, Moore and Braga's script referred to a space shuttle-type lander, constructed on a large, outdoor platform. Difficult to realize without the aid of extensive digital effects, the production searched for more practical methods. Rick Berman ultimately seized upon the idea of utilizing a real nuclear missile, inspiring the writers to adjust the script to accommodate the "irony" of a weapon of mass destruction used to "inaugurate an era of peace."
With the cooperation of the United States military, the production gained permission to shoot within a real missile silo in Green Valley, Arizona, near Tucson. Utilizing the real, though hollowed out Titan V missile still in its silo, the team resolved to construct a new nose to sit atop the missile, acting as the cockpit of the Phoenix. John Eaves:
- "I started out by drawing a standard space capsule cone; I figured they had used whatever pre-existing technology they could find, then added to it whatever was needed... I wanted something that had a double window on the front and two side windows – bubbled, so that you could look out and around. However, construction-wise, a flat window was easiest, sot that's what we did."
Completing his design for the full-size cockpit facade, Eaves next began conceptualizing the second-stage Phoenix, basing his drawings on designs appearing in Michael Okuda's Star Trek Chronology. Incorporating TOS-style warp nacelles into his drawings, Eaves refined the Phoenix from rough drawings to finalized designs over months. Turning over the plans to ILM and John Goodson's team, Eaves was stunned by the finished product:
Eaves' approved Phoenix logo
- "...They all worked so hard; I've never seen a drawing translate so accurately into a finished model. They came up with a beautiful color scheme for it – a gold capsule with a lot of silver framework on the rocket, with silver, white and black graphics."
Though mostly invisible on screen, a logo for Cochrane's warp ship was also designed by Eaves on the fly.
- "One beautiful morning, Herman [Zimmerman] ran into my office and said, 'Stop what you're doing! We need a logo for the Phoenix, and we need it approved by eleven o'clock. This morning!' ...I'm from Phoenix [Arizona] originally, and immediately my mind was filled with images of phoenix birds. I especially remember this one beautiful large abstract sculpture of a phoenix outside the Town and Country Mall, right in the heart of the city."
Calling a number of gift shops in the area, Eaves was finally able to locate a postcard with an appropriate picture of the phoenix he remembered. Taking the postcard to a local store, the gift shop owner faxed a picture of the phoenix to the Paramount production offices were Eaves went to work. With only a single pass, the logo was approved by Rick Berman.
Production
In the spring of 1996, newly-recruited director Jonathan Frakes and producer Rick Berman cast their three "guest stars". The role of Zefram Cochrane went to James Cromwell, a veteran of TNG and DS9, and recent Oscar nominee for his role in the 1995 movie Babe. According to Jonathan Frakes: "In spite of having been nominated for an Academy Award, he actually came in and read for the part... He nailed it. He left Berman and me with our jaws in our laps." Cromwell later reprised his role as Cochrane in 2001's Enterprise pilot, "Broken Bow".
For the role of Lily, Frakes' immediate inclination after reading the script was to cast actress Alfre Woodard. Woodard, an Oscar nominee herself and multiple Emmy Award winner, was Frakes' self-proclaimed "godmother": "The first time we got through the script, I think everyone's first words were 'Alfre Woodard'." A challenge for Frakes and Berman, though, was ultimately solved in the casting of South African-born actress Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. Both Frakes and the Moore/Braga writing duo would later recall a sense of uneasy sexiness in Krige's portrayal of the Queen, aided by the application of a wet sheen to her skin by the make up department. Other guest players were added to the Resurrection call sheets as they were added to the script, including Trek vets Dwight Schultz as Barclay, Ethan Phillips as the holographic Maitre'D, and Robert Picardo as The Doctor. Phillips' role went uncredited, a request made by the actor to confuse fans who may or may not recognize him from his role as Neelix. Robert Picardo's appearance in the film was equally notable, inserted into one of the few sickbay scenes despite protestations by Gates McFadden.
Other cast additions included Patti Yasutake's final appearance as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, having first appeared back in TNG's fourth season. Don Stark was cast as Nicky the Nose, most memorable in his role as Bob Pinciotti in TV's That '70s Show – he also appeared in the DS9 episode "Melora" as Ashrock the Yridian. Jack Shearer appears as Admiral Hayes, later reprising the role (apparently not dead) in Voyager episodes "Hope and Fear" and "Life Line". Michael Zaslow was the first person ever to be pronounced "He's dead, Jim" by Doctor McCoy in The Original Series episode ("I, Mudd"), appears as Eddy, Zefram Cochrane's bartender. Actor Eric Steinberg portrayed Paul Porter, taken early in the film but appearing throughout as a partially assimilated Borg drone in engineering.
Brannon Braga is clearly visible as an extra in the holodeck nightclub as the Borg enter the scene, though writing partner Moore's appearance was never shot – despite sixteen hours of waiting with his then wife Ruby, an anniversary present. Rumors persist that both Nichelle Nichols and Kelsey Grammer (captain of the USS Bozeman from "Cause and Effect") have uncredited "voice cameos", though they are as unsubstantiated as those indicating that actor Tom Hanks was up for the role of Zefram Cochrane.
Production on Star Trek Resurrection began on 8 April 1996, but within a month, a new title had been chosen. Mere weeks prior, 20th Century Fox had announced the title of the fourth installment in their Alien film franchise: Alien Resurrection. A number of new titles were proposed for the film including Star Trek Destinies, Star Trek: Future Generations, and Star Trek Regenerations. The titles Star Trek: Borg and Star Trek Generations II were even chosen as working titles for the film until Star Trek: First Contact was finally selected, made official in a 3 May 1996 fourth draft script. (Star Trek: Borg went on to become the title of a video game, released not long after.)
Minor details in the script, even as shooting was under way, continued to evolve. Early drafts were vague regarding the fate of the Defiant, DS9's resident warship. Having read the script, Deep Space Nine producer Ira Steven Behr's only note was an objection to the apparent destruction of the Defiant. The writers added the clarification "adrift but salvageable" and no mention of the ship's near annihilation was made in the TV series. Minor details in the script's pages included the ill-fated Enterprise crew member Ensign Lynch, named for Internet critic Timothy W. Lynch, who reviewed every episode of TNG and DS9. Gravett Island was not a real Earth location, but a fictional one named after Jacques Gravett, Ronald D. Moore's then assistant. Rumors circulated during production, even reported by some GLBT publications, that another ill-fated Enterprise crewman, Neal McDonough's Lieutenant Hawk was homosexual. No reference is made in the finished film to this fact; the producers have denied the rumors. [8] Regarding the film's emotional battle played out between Picard and Lily, Brannon Braga recalled: "I'd have to say that scene was nailed and perfect only about a week before it was filmed."
Location shooting dominated the early schedule for the Star Trek: First Contact production team. First up were scenes set in Bozeman, Montana, shot in the Titan Missile Museum outside Tuscan, Arizona for a duration of four days. The production then moved to the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains not far from Los Angeles. Two weeks of nighttime shooting followed, with a large village constructed by Herman Zimmerman's art department to represent exterior Bozeman. Minor details in the sets included the 52-star American flag referencing an early TNG episode, "The Royale". A full-size section of the Vulcan lander was brought to this location for the film's finale. The film then moved to Los Angeles Union Station's art deco restaurant where the Dixon Hill holonovel sequence played out, including over 120 extras in period costumes and two Borg drones.
Production finally moved to Paramount Pictures studios in Hollywood on May 3 for a half day of shooting on the three story Enterprise-E engine room set. Cameras were then moved from Stage 14 to Stage 15 where scenes were shot on the bridge, observation lounge and ready room sets. Jonathan Frakes recalled:
- "It was as if we had gone back in time. It was the same sort of fantastic, cynical, fearless, take-no-prisoners abuse your fellow cast member that has kept us together all these long years."
The next two months were dubbed by the crew, "Borg Hell", with scenes shot on stages 14, 15 and 8 that included heavily made-up Borg extras, stunts, pyrotechnics and one large, deflector dish. Likely the film's most labor intensive sequence to shoot was the battle on the Enterprise hull, on the film's largest set. The deflector dish itself, while massive was shot at angles intended to exaggerate its size – the manual input computers were labeled "AE35", a subtle reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The sequence also required Patrick Stewart as Picard, Michael Dorn as Worf, and Neal McDonough as Hawk to wear restrictive environmental suits that incorporated internal lighting and cooling systems. With the addition of flying rigs and complex stunts, tempers on the set were pushed, as was Patrick Stewart's endurance; the actor suffered breathing problems in his spacesuit, halting production for an entire day. Problems also arose in the realism of the sequence, with smoke rising from the set, then quickly falling, contrary to the physics of real life zero-G. This required Frakes to shoot around the smoke, or shoot takes short enough to prevent the falling smoke to be seen. Writers Moore and Braga agreed that, had the film been produced only a few years later, the entire sequence was likely to have been less complicated if shot with computer-generated sets.
Despite the complications, Star Trek: First Contact wrapped production on 2 July 1996 (two days over schedule), with the flashback that opened the film. Fittingly, the sequence required Patrick Stewart to don the Starfleet uniform he had worn for seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation. According to Ronald D. Moore, everyone involved with the film knew it was going to be a hit.
Post Production
Visual Effects
As described by visual effects supervisor John Knoll, time allotted for post production visual effects and model building resulted in a "brutal effort". Not only did ILM's team have to construct the Enterprise-E, large models representing the Borg sphere, the new Borg cube, and the Phoenix were also required.
The Millennium Falcon appears below an Akira-class starship
Even more so than the previous film, the First Contact visual effects team also utilized computer-generated imagery, lending itself to sequences that required large numbers of starships. To stand up to the Borg cube alongside the new Enterprise and the old Defiant, ILM art director Alex Jaeger designed sixteen new Starfleet vessels, four of them rendered digitally and appearing in the massive opening battle sequence. The new starships included Template:ShipClass, Template:ShipClass, Template:ShipClass, and Template:ShipClass vessels; the latter starship was lost after production due to a computer glitch, never to appear in Star Trek again. Also included in the melee were a Template:ShipClass starship, a Template:ShipClass vessel, and an Template:ShipClass science ship in its final use. As a joke, the Millennium Falcon CG model (created for the Star Wars Special Editions) was inserted into the Borg attack, though generally indistinguishable.
Other computer-generated vessels included the John Eaves' designed Enterprise lifeboats and the Vulcan lander, constructed by the VisionArt company. At that time, First Contact included more complex visual effects shots than any Star Trek film before; low-tech methods, however, were still utilized. Close-up shots of La Forge's new ocular implants were achieved through the use of of a sprocket-shaped shower handle, matted against black contact lenses.
Music
- See also: Star Trek: First Contact (Soundtrack)
Jerry Goldsmith, who composed the music for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, returned to score First Contact and the remaining two TNG films after it. Because of his hectic schedule, Goldsmith shared much of the work with his son, Joel Goldsmith; as a result much of the music in First Contact does not appear on the commercial soundtrack. Among the two Goldsmiths' work, a theme established in The Final Frontier, referred to as the "A Busy Man" theme, was used throughout First Contact, likely as a theme for Picard. It can be heard just after the opening fanfare at the beginning of the film. It can also be heard only briefly in Insurrection, but is used quite heavily in Star Trek Nemesis. Also repeated in First Contact was the Klingon theme, originally introduced in The Motion Picture and used in this film to represent Worf.
The opera that Picard listens to in his ready room is Berlioz' Les Troyens – "Hylas' Song" from the beginning of Act V. (Hylas is a homesick young sailor being rocked to sleep by the sea as he dreams of the homeland he will never see again.) This is the first and only Star Trek movie to have rock and roll in the soundtrack (though Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home did feature late '80s jazz by the Yellowjackets, as well as a punk song). In their joint audio commentary on the Special Edition DVD, Ron Moore and Brannon Braga credited Peter Lauritson with the selection of Steppenwolf's original recording of "Magic Carpet Ride" (and not "some cheap cover"). They criticized, however, the choice of Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby" as being "too goofy".
Promotion and Merchandising
A shot of Voyager created for the First Contact trailer
Borg from a cut scene appearing in the trailer
The teaser trailer for Star Trek: First Contact premiered with Paramount movies in early summer 1996. As much of the film had yet to be shot when the advertisements were assembled, footage from Star Trek Generations and episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was included. Inter-cut with sequences from the film, the reused footage included snippets of "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Emissary". The trailer utilized score from "The Best of Both Worlds", Generations and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, most notably, however, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
The theatrical trailer included footage unique only to it, with some visual effects created specifically for the trailer. Unique shots included the USS Voyager firing phasers at a Borg cube, cut takes of various Borg drones, and an alternate version of Picard's soon-to-be infamous speech, "The line must be drawn here!" This appears to be the only evidence of cut material; no deleted scenes have surfaced or been officially released. [9]
As with the previous film and TNG, Playmates Toys released a line of action figures and accessories in conjunction with the premiere of the film. Among the toys was a model of the Enterprise-E, apparently based upon early sketches of the ship and not the finalized version - featuring several key structural differences from the finalized designed. Out of scale to their previous lines, the larger First Contact action figures were made in the likenesses of the entire Enterprise-E crew, Lily, Zefram Cochrane, Picard in an environmental suit, and a Borg drone – also based on production drawings. [10] In recent years, Art Asylum has released a detailed action figure in the likeness of Captain Picard from First Contact, complete with the skull of the Borg Queen.
Marvel Comics released both a comic adaptation of the movie, and a sequel comic book that crossed the crew with the X-Men in "Second Contact". This had a later sequel novel by Michael Jan Friedman, called Planet X.
First Contact novelizations and soundtracks were also released, as were updated version of the Star Trek Chronology and Star Trek Encyclopedia.
Reaction
Star Trek: First Contact premiered in American cinemas on 22 November 1996, number one at the box office. With a budget of around US$45,000,000, it opened on 2,812 screens and went on to garner around US$150,000,000 worldwide. By comparison, Star Trek Generations, with a budget of US$35,000,000, opened at US$23,100,000 and grossed US$120,000,000 worldwide. It was the second highest grossing Star Trek film ever, falling just behind 1986's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The film, however, was considered by most to be not only a financial success, but a critical one as well.
The film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 91% overall approval rate for First Contact, with 40 of 44 reviews giving positive remarks. [11] Giving the film "Two thumbs up!", Siskel & Ebert host Roger Ebert elaborated in his Chicago Sun Times review:
- "...The story gives us yet another intriguing test of the differences among humans, aliens and artificial intelligence. And the paradoxes of time travel are handled less murkily than sometimes in the past... STFC was directed by Frakes, who did some of the The Next Generation shows for television, and here achieves great energy and clarity. In all of the shuffling of timelines and plotlines, I always knew where we were. He also gets some genial humor out of Cromwell... There is such intriguing chemistry between Picard and the Woodard character that I hope a way is found to bring her on board in the next film. Star Trek movies in the past have occasionally gone where no movie had gone, or wanted to go, before. This one is on the right beam."
While often negative in his reviews of other Trek films, Ebert elaborated, "how I love the Star Trek jargon!" and even expressed his fondness for the Borg Queen:
- "I also admired the interiors of the Borg probe, and the peculiar makeup work creating the Borg Queen, who looks like no notion of sexy I have ever heard of, but inspires me to keep an open mind." [12]
BBC Films' Emily Carlisle, however, was less enamored:
- "While some quality dark humour comes from the dominatrix-outfitted Borg Queen's attempts to seduce android Data, other attempts at lightening the tone seem forced and stiff in comparison... Patrick Stewart believably plays Captain Picard... and he and Brent Spiner are clearly the most talented actors on display. While others try hard (Alfre Woodard in particular), their energies are dissipated in the broad storyline which switches uncomfortably between a running battle on board the Enterprise and an effort on the surface of the Earth to ensure that first contact is made on schedule. Focusing more on action sequences than characterisation, the breakneck pace gives an unsatisfying result." [13]
In his 18 November 1996 review, Daily Variety magazine writer Joe Leydon expressed his approval:
- "Frakes makes an auspicious debut as a feature filmmaker, sustaining excitement and maintaining clarity as he dashes through a two-track storyline... Stewart once again comports himself with all the gravity and panache you would expect from a Shakespearean-trained actor. He is at his best playing opposite Woodard in a scene that has their characters arguing over the best way to battle the Borg... It is a credit to both actors that their emotion-charged conversation is genuinely compelling. Purists who recall Gene Roddenberry's original vision of a less blood-soaked Star Trek universe may be put off by the rough stuff. But mainstream audiences will be more approving of the greater emphasis on high-voltage shocks and action-movie heroics."
Leydon concluded, "If First Contact is indicative of what the next generation of Star Trek movies will be like, the franchise is certain to live long and prosper." [14]
Star Trek: First Contact was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup, Michael Westmore, ultimately losing to Rick Baker's The Nutty Professor. Despite an effort by the producers, the film failed to receive a nomination for the Data/Borg Queen kiss at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards. The film, however, received numerous other nominations including Best Dramatic Presentation, Hugo Awards; Best Science Fiction Film, Saturn Awards; and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Alfre Woodard, Image Awards.
Wins included a BMI Film Music Award for Jerry Goldsmith at the BMI Film & TV Awards; and Best Costumes for Deborah Everton, Best Supporting Actor for Brent Spiner, and Best Supporting Actress for Alice Krige at the 1996 Saturn Awards. [15]
Notes
- The reference that Data makes about using his "fully functional organs" times coincidently with the time he used them with Tasha in TNG: "The Naked Now", eight years before the Borg invasion.
- First Contact references and even explicitly quotes Moby Dick. Despite the story parallels, the producers hesitated using it, as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was also heavy in Moby Dick references. Two years after First Contact premiered, Patrick Stewart played Captain Ahab in a 1998 TV mini-series.
- Early in the movie, Zefram Cochrane points out the constellation Leo, the constellation in which Wolf 359 is located.
- First Contact marked the first time the words "Star Trek" were ever uttered in the franchise. In the TNG finale "All Good Things...", however, Q tells Picard "It's time to put an end to your trek through the stars."
The different holosuite programs on the Enterprise-E
- The program menu in the holosuite depicts various holodeck programs from previous episodes. Specifically: Café des Artistes (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris"), Charnock's Comedy Cabaret (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona"), "The Big Goodbye" (TNG: "The Big Goodbye", "Manhunt", "Clues"), Emerald Wading Pool (TNG: "Conundrum") and the "Equestrian Adventure" (TNG: "Pen Pals").
- During the end of the Dominion War, Quark would speak, in DS9: "The Dogs of War", the same words ("The line must be drawn here! This far and no further!") as Picard does during Star Trek: First Contact.
- Riker calls the Defiant a "tough little ship." In the DS9 episode "Defiant", Thomas Riker called it the same thing.
- According to the (apocryphal) Customizable Card Game by Decipher, the Vulcan who greeted Zefram Cochrane was named Solkar, the grandfather of Sarek and the great-grandfather of Spock. This was later confirmed in ENT: "The Catwalk".
- The events of Star Trek: First Contact were later referred to in DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow", VOY: "Year of Hell, Part II", and VOY: "Relativity". The Borg sphere was recovered in ENT: "Regeneration", while a slightly different version of Earth's first contact with Vulcans can be seen in ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly".
- According to the ENT episode "Carbon Creek", though this movie records the first official contact between Earth and Vulcan, contact was actually made in 1957 in a place called Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, nearly 110 years prior.
- Subsequent Vulcan starships seen in Star Trek: Enterprise would be based upon the T'Plana-Hath-type lander seen in this movie.
- The partial flesh in Data's face resembles the mask of the Phantom of the Opera.
- The model of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) that was on display in the conference room was auctioned off (albeit broken) in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction.
- Lily says that "Borg" sounds Swedish. In Swedish, "borg" actually means "castle", although it would be pronounced as "borj".
Links and References
Cast
- Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard / Locutus of Borg
- Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker
- Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
- LeVar Burton as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
- Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf
- Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
- Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
- Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane
- James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane
- Alice Krige as the Borg Queen
Starfleet Personnel
- Michael Horton as Daniels (credited as Security Officer)
- Neal McDonough as Lt. Hawk
- Marnie McPhail as Eiger
- Robert Picardo as the Holographic Doctor
- Dwight Schultz as Lt. Barclay
- Adam Scott as the Defiant Conn Officer
- Jack Shearer as Admiral Hayes
- Eric Steinberg as Porter
- Scott Strozier as a Security Officer
- Patti Yasutake as Nurse Ogawa
- Victor Bevine as Guard #1
- David Cowgill as Guard #2
- Scott Haven as Guard #3
- Annette Helde as Guard #4
- Majel Barrett as the computer voice
Nightclub
- C.J. Bau as a Bartender
- Hillary Hayes as Ruby
- Julie Morgan as a Singer in Nightclub
- Ronald R. Rondell as a Henchman
- Don Stark as Nicky the Nose
Missile Complex
Borg
- Don Fischer
- J.R. Horsting
- Heinrich James
- Andrew Palmer
- Jon David Weigand
- Dan Woren
- Robert L. Zachar as Borg #7
Uncredited
- Cameron as Ensign Kellogg
- Michael Braveheart as Martinez
- David Anderson as Armstrong
- Ethan Phillips as the Maître d'
- Ray Uhler as a Dancer
- Mike Boss as a Nightclub Patron
- Brannon Braga as a Nightclub Patron
- Ronald D. Moore as a Nightclub Patron
- Michael Zaslow as Eddy
- Jeff Coopwood as the Borg voice
- Noelle Hannibal as a Vulcan
- Patrick Barritt as a Borg drone
Stunt performers
- Kenny Alexander
- Janet Brady
- Chic Daniel
- Mark De Alessandro
- Eddy Donno
- Tony Donno
- Kenny Endoso
- Christian Fletcher
- Frankie Garbutt
- Andy Gill as stunt double for Brent Spiner
- Gary Guercio
- Jim Halty
- Tom Harper
- Rosine "Ace" Hatem as a Nightclub woman
- Billy Hank Hooker
- Buddy Joe Hooker
- Maria R. Kelly as a Nightclub woman
- Jamie Keyser
- Kim Robert Koscki
- Joyce McNeal
- Dustin Meier
- Johnny C. Meier
- Rita Minor
- Jimmy Nickerson
- John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart
- Manny Perry as a Townsperson
- Steve Picerni
- Danny Rogers
- Jimmy Romano
- Pat Romano
- Debby Lynn Ross
- John Rottger
- Craig Shuggart
- Brian J. Williams as stunt double for Brent Spiner
Stunt Borg
- Joey Anaya, Jr.
- Billy Burton, Jr.
- Steve DeRelian as the one armed Borg drone
- Andy Epper
- Gary Epper as Ensign Lynch
- Wayne King as a Klingon borg
- Bob McGovern
- Monte Rex Perlin
- Tom Poster
Crew
- Director: Jonathan Frakes
- Writers: Rick Berman (story), Brannon Braga (story & screenplay), Ronald D. Moore (story & screenplay)
- Based Upon Star Trek Created by: Gene Roddenberry
- Producer: Rick Berman
- Executive Producer, Unit Production Manager: Marty Hornstein (as Martin Hornstein)
- Cinematographer: Matthew F. Leonetti
- Production Designer: Herman Zimmerman
- Editors: Anastasia Emmons, John W. Wheeler
- Costume Designer: Deborah Everton
- Starfleet uniforms designed by: Robert Blackman
- Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
- Co-Producer, Second Unit Director: Peter Lauritson
- Casting Directors: Junie Lowry-Johnson, Ron Surma
- Visual Effects Supervisor: John Knoll
- First Assistant Director: Jerry Fleck
- Second Assistant Director: Rosemary Cremona
- Second Second Assistant Director: David A. Ticotin
- Stunt Coordinator: Ronald R. Rondell
- Art Director: Ron Wilkinson
- Set Decorator: John M. Dwyer
- Production Supervisor: Ira S. Rosenstein
- Production Assistants: Anthony Bro, Todd W. Buhmiller, Shane Clark, Eric Darensborg, Karen Garutso, Stephanie Gorsuch, Ellen J. Hornstein, Robert Newlin-Mazaraki, Seth Squadron, Simon Stotler, Brenda Taylor, Kerry A. Vill, Glenn Goldstein (uncredited)
References
Ahab; Template:ShipClass; antiproton; Appalachia, USS; assimilation; atomic weapon; authorization code; auto-destruct; Battle of Sector 001; Berlioz, Louis Hector; "Big Good-Bye, The"; Bizet, Georges; Borg; Borg cube; Borg drone; Borg sphere; Borg Queen; Bozeman, USS; Budapest, USS; chronometric particle; Deep Space 5; Defiant, USS; deflector control; deflector dish; Dixon Hill; Dyson; Earth; ECON; Emergency Medical Hologram; emotion chip; Endeavour, USS; Enterprise-E, USS; escape pod; First Contact; fractal encryption code; Gravett Island; high school; holodeck; holodeck safety protocol; hydroponics; interplexing beacon; Ivor Prime; Kaplan (Crewman); kilopascal; Lake Armstrong; Lexington, USS; Luna; Lynch; Madison, USS; "Magic Carpet Ride"; main engineering; maglock; mek'leth; Template:ShipClass; Moby Dick; Montana; "Moonlight Becomes You"; Template:ShipClass; neuroprocessor; New Berlin; Template:ShipClass; Template:ShipClass; "Ooby Dooby"; opera; ocular implant; Orbison, Roy; phaser rifle; Phoenix; plasma coolant; quantum torpedo; Romulan Neutral Zone; Romulan Star Empire; Template:ShipClass; sickbay; Smithsonian Institution; Template:ShipClass; Starfleet Academy; Template:ShipClass; stellar cartography; Steppenwolf; T'plana-Hath; tequila; temporal vortex; theta radiation; throttle assembly; Thunderchild, USS; Titan V; tricorder; Tycho City; Typhon sector; vice admiral; Vulcan; warp drive; whiskey; World War III; Yeager, USS; Zefram Cochrane High School; zero-gravity combat training
Media
- Star Trek: First Contact (Special Edition)
- Star Trek: First Contact (soundtrack)
- Star Trek: First Contact (novel)
Sources
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, Pocket Books, 2002.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies, John Eaves & J.M. Dillard, Pocket Books, 1998.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Pocket Books, 1998.
- Star Trek: First Contact (novelization), "A First Look at Star Trek: First Contact", J.M. Dillard, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, 1996.
- Star Trek: First Contact (Special Edition) DVD, Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga, audio commentary.
- Star Trek: First Contact (Special Edition) DVD, Michael & Denise Okuda, text commentary.
External links
- Star Trek: First Contact at Wikipedia
- Template:IMDb-link
- Behind the scenes on Star Trek: First Contact at Forgotten Trek - features production history, concept art, and costume design.
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