Star Trek: First Contact was the last Star Trek: The Next Generation movie that inspired us and gave us hope for the future. Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, Star Trek: First Contact premiered on November 22, 1996. Part of Star Trek’s 30th anniversary, Star Trek: First Contact is the highest-grossing TNG movie and is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Naturally, Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) battle against the Borg aboard the USS Enterprise-E is what fans tend to focus on. Star Trek: First Contact‘s ‘A story’ sees Stewart delivering his finest movie performance as Picard, who succumbs to his obsession with destroying the Borg. Jean-Luc’s touching friendship with Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard) pulls him from the brink so that Picard can heroically defeat the Borg Queen (Alice Krige).
Star Trek: First Contact is a thrilling sci-fi action adventure thanks to Captain Picard’s war with the Borg, yet Jonathan Frakes’ magnum opus is so much more. For me, with each rewatch, Picard’s macho heroics take a back seat to Star Trek: First Contact’s ‘B story’ about Dr. Zephram Cochrane’s (James Cromwell) pivotal first warp flight that would change the course of history, becoming the origin of Star Trek itself.
The true heart of Star Trek: First Contact, and why it resonates, is because Zephram Cochrane is inspired to change the course of history for the better. In 2063, Earth is slowly rebuilding in the wake of World War III’s devastation, and Cochrane is a product of his time. Zephram is a genius, but he’s also only concerned with his own survival. Building the Phoenix and a functioning warp drive is Cochrane’s key to wealth and security.
30 Years Ago Was Star Trek’s Gold Standard Anniversary
Star Trek celebrates 60 years in 2026, but the bar was set high by Star Trek’s 30th anniversary in 1996.
Enter the crew of the USS Enterprise-E, led by Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who know Zephram Cochrane as “a great man,” and a pioneer who opened the door to humanity exploring the stars. Riker, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), and others looking for the hero they’ve read about in the craven and drunken Cochrane is played for laughs, but it carries a deeper resonance.
When Zephram Cochrane allows himself to hope and dream of the better future the “astronauts on some kind of Star Trek” claim he ushers in, the lanky scientist becomes us, and we become him. With Riker and Geordi at his side, Zephram overcomes his fear and doubt to meet his destiny, jumping the Phoenix to warp and going where no one has gone before. The result: First Contact with nearby Vulcans and the beginning of Star Trek‘s future.
By the end of Star Trek: First Contact, we know things will get better for humans and the galaxy. We are reminded that with unity, ingenuity, cooperation, and a little faith (of the heart), we can overcome our failings to be better. Zephram Cochrane came to believe in what’s possible from the example set by Star Trek: The Next Generation, and so can we if we allow ourselves to want and work for the future that Star Trek promises.
Star Trek: First Contact eternally resonates and uplifts in ways that Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis do not. This is because of the inspiring message of hope at the core of Jonathan Frakes’ masterpiece, and in Star Trek itself.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 is a sequel, of sorts, to Star Trek: First Contact, with Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s crew reuniting aboard the USS Enterprise-D to defeat the Borg one last time.
In Star Trek‘s timeline, World War III starts sometime around 2026 and lasts until 2053, irrevocably changing our planet and people. No matter where one stands in today’s political and cultural climate, it’s hard not to feel the encroaching dread that the human race is marching towards catastrophe.
30 years ago, Star Trek: First Contact couldn’t have anticipated the state of the world today — or maybe it did. The truly important thing Star Trek: First Contact offers, besides rip-roaring entertainment from Captain Picard and our favorite space heroes, is a message that’s needed more than ever: “It will get better.”
It won’t be easy, but worthwhile progress never is. Watching Zephram Cochrane rise above his cynicism to embrace hope and usher in a better future is a beacon that we can, too. There aren’t any Borg standing in our way, and Vulcans won’t come from the skies to save us. We have to do it ourselves, and we can, together.
Star Trek: First Contact establishes that First Contact Day in Star Trek lore is April 5, 2063. Star Trek fans turned First Contact Day into an annual occasion to celebrate Star Trek, and especially to rewatch Jonathan Frakes’ finest film as a director.
Star Trek: First Contact is a gift that keeps on giving. It reminds us we, too, can achieve great things, and that we can be what Zephram Cochrane said of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew: “Goddamn, you’re heroic.”
- Release Date
-
November 22, 1996
- Writers
-
Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore