Star Trek: First Contactis the best movie to feature theNext Generationcrew, but it misses the point of the philosophy ofStar Trek. After six blockbuster movies starring the cast ofStar Trek: The Original Series, it was time for a new phase ofTrekon the big screen. 1994’sStar Trek Generationsbridged the gap by featuring a team-up between James T. Kirk and Captain Picard, but the first true standaloneNext Generationfilm was released two years later withFirst Contact.The movie was a smashing success, and was a big change for the series.
Two moreStar Trek: The Next Generationmovieswould be released afterFirst Contact, but neither could reach the heights of its predecessor. They would be the finalStar Trekmovies in the original continuity, and it would take nearly a decade for the franchise to return to the big screen in J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot. WhileFirst Contactis a beloved piece of theStar Trekcinematic universe, it isn’t without its flaws in both execution and philosophy. Perhaps most importantly, the movie stumbles when it comes to understanding what makesStar Treksuch a unique science fiction franchise.
Star Trek: First Contact Is An Excellent Action Film
There’s No Denying What First Contact Gets Right
Afterthe lackluster installment that wasStar Trek Generations,First Contactwas certainly a breath of fresh air. Not only did it allow the crew fromThe Next Generationto really shine, but it represented a wealth of new possibilities. After all, the movies featuring the crew ofThe Original Seriesstretched on for a decade-and-a-half, and there was no reason to think that the newEnterprisecrew couldn’t match that feat.First Contactalso smartly leaned into theNext Genera’s most powerful new villain, The Borg, and allowed them to flourish with a bigger budget.
Star Trek: First Contactgrossed over $146 million (viaBox Office Mojo) making it the highest-grossing film in the original continuity.
WhatFirst Contactends up being is an excellent sci-fi action film with familiar characters and locations from theStar Trekfranchise. The 1990s CGI was impressive for the time, and the scope and scale of the story certainly feels bigger than any meretwo-part episode ofThe Next Generation. The next film,Insurrection, was a noticeable downgrade in terms of scale, and it really helps to point out what madeFirst Contactsuch a great action film. The plotting is crisp, andthe stakes are quite high since the crew is tasked with saving the future.
It helped to set the tone for what theNext Generationmovies could look like, much in the same way that the esthetics ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khaninfluenced the Kirk era.
From a design perspective,First Contactis also nearly flawless, and it enhanced the visuals from the show and adapted them for the big screen. The movies naturally had to be bigger, and the production upped the ante in every department, from lighting, to costumes and makeup, and even a sweeping score by Jerry Goldsmith. It helped to set the tone for what theNext Generationmovies could look like, much in the same way that the esthetics ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khaninfluenced the Kirk era.
First Contact Betrays The Ideals Of The Star Trek Franchise
The Philosophy Of Star Trek Is Thrown Out The Window
TheStar Trekfranchise is a utopian sci-fi story that imagines a future in which humanity has transcended all the evils of society. While the shows and movies have explored how that idea isn’t entirely infallible, it is still the guiding principle behind the original era ofStar Trekthat concluded with the cancellation ofEnterprisein 2005.Star Trek: First Contactlargely ignores those ideals when it comes to its characters, andturns the enlightened Captain Jean Luc Picard into an action herowith very little consideration for who he was during the seven seasons ofThe Next Generation.
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One of the movie’s themes recalls the trauma Picard faced when he was captured by the Borg in “The Best of Both Worlds”. The evil inflicted upon him weighs heavily on his psyche, and he holds a grudge. This would be natural for someone else, butFirst Contactmakes Jean Luc Picard into an ultraviolent, Ahab-like figure who wants nothing more than revengeagainst the Borg. This is completely out of character, and he previously showed in the season 5 episode “I, Borg” that he wouldn’t destroy the entire collective despite having the opportunity.
Picard’s trauma could have been a fascinating theme, and it’s not unlikeThe Wrath of Khan. The titular villain pushes Kirk into a no-win situation, and it tests him to his very core. However,Star Trek IIshowed that Kirk stuck to his morals no matter what, whileFirst Contacttransforms Picard into a raving madman who mows down Borg drones with a machine gun. MakingStar Trek: First Contactan action film was a smart choice, but it shouldn’t have come at the expense of the philosophy of the heroes and the moral foundation of the entire franchise.
