ST09 Trailer Countdown: Taking A Look At ST: First Contact’s Trailer November 10, 2008
by TrekMovie.com Staff , Filed under: Feature Films (TMP-NEM) , trackback
We are into the home stretch awaiting the new Star Trek trailer coming up this Friday, and today our countdown retrospective brings us to the film that most consider the best of the TNG era, Star Trek First Contact from 1996.
They must travel to the past — to save our future
Theatrical trailer for Star Trek: First Contact.
Commentary:
In line with the film itself, this trailer says ‘big sci-fi adventure" from the gravelly-voiced narrator and epic stakes, to the copious combat and battle shots (even showing off the new new Enterprise E). This trailer also dips into the world of catchphrases to sell the film, especially with the soon-to-be classic line from Picard "The line must be drawn HEEERREEEE!"). All that plus some humor, snappy dialog and the S&M-sexy Borg Queen too. All in all this may be the best trailer of the franchise so far.
Also of note, this trailer uses more music from more previous Star Trek films than any other (TMP, STII and GEN). Even though Star Trek Generations is the first film to get a website, this is the first Trek trailer to list a website URL.
Teaser: Here come the Borg
First Contact’s teaser amps up the spookiness of the coming Borg invasion by bringing in a gravelly-voiced Trailer narrator guy. Without actually saying the word ‘Borg’ this trailer made it clear that this film would be a full on TNG film with the only Klingon in sight being Worf. Like many other Trek teasers, it uses live action from the new film, combined with previously used effects shots. In this case they are even more jarring as we see the Enterprise D (which was destroyed in the previous film). Although the E does not appear, you did get your first glimpse of the new uniforms and the new bridge.
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Comments»
First! First Contact!
I remember watching the teaser and noticing that while they didn’t show the big -E, you could see her schematics on the bridge. I looked at the schematic a lot.
I didn’t like the Enterprise E when I first saw it, but it has grown on me. Nowhere near my favorite, but I think it’s ok.
My personal fav.
uniforms are cool.
First Trek movie I saw in theatres! They had people dressed up as Borg, Klingons, and Starfleet officers at the premier.
Jeez, I remember the teaser at the beginning of Mission Impossible on VHS. Even though it didn’t show much, it reinforced what I loved about Star Trek.
I never got to see the theatrical trailer in theaters, but considering how epic the movie was compared to the trailer, everyone should see the movie, regardless of whether they’re a trek fan or not. The movie was just that good and the trailer scratches the surface of what the movie offers action-wise, story-wise, whatever-wise.
The trailer is great. The teaser had a couple of issues.
I did always find it odd that they used the ‘D’ in the teaser. And what the heck is with the shots of Riker and Troi from the crash sequence in Generations?
The trailer is executed much better.
However, my favorite part is in the teaser: I always loved that “Borgified” Trek logo. Resistance is futile! Awesome stuff!
Best. Trek. Movie. Yet.
The Enterprise E is gorgeous, warlike, and menacing. Not exactly the Star Trek that won my heart (my favorite is the Enterprise-A, for it’s modern but graceful sensibility), but very very cool.
Enterprise E is the crappiest design they ever came up with. Looks like a toy. FC is the best of the TNG movies and it was still garbage.
You forgot to mention the Voyager cameo at the 45 second mark in the teaser. It is seen firing a broadside at the cube for about a second. NCC-74656 can be clearly read on the hull.
I have mixed feelings about this film. It is a huge improvement on its dire predecessor but I still find it good only in parts.
I do enjoy time travel stories that focus on culture shock, particularly those that take the issue seriously (which are extremely rare.) In this case, I find Lily’s reactions reasonably plausible and I think the scenes between her and Picard are fine. They are the heart of the film.
Sadly, the rest of the film does not work so well. Time travel stories always introduce plot holes, such as “why didn’t the Borg simply go back to pre-industrial Earth and take over the planet then” and so on…
Cochrane is a ridiculous character. I realise many fans do not like this portrayal because it contradicts the canonical figure but to me, he is simply a seedy character that will appeal to the lowest common denominator through the “humour” of his crude behaviour. Comedy in Star Trek has fallen a long way since The Voyage Home. I realise he is meant to contrast with the “civilised” world of the Federation future but a much more meaningful story could have been written around him if we actually cared more about the rehabilitation of this character.
Pacing is also a problem. The “deflector shield” scenes utterly lack in tension and slow the pace of the whole film to treacle.
The violence in the film can be quite repulsive and the depiction of the new Enterprise as much more of a warship then its predecessors indicates the series is continuing to betray its original ideals. No longer are we exploring the final frontier or encountering new races or exploring humanity’s own philosophical awareness; instead, Star Trek has sadly undermined all of its own potential to become just another piece of military sci. fi.
I understand that the Borg were apparently more interesting to many viewers prior to the introduction of the “Queen.” Here, they come across as poor cousins of the “Doctor Who” Cybermen and the “Aliens” from the Sigourney Weaver films.
To end on a more positive note, I did find the scene of “first contact” between Cochrane and the Vulcans to be quite moving and it left me with more of a positive impression of this film than I might otherwise have had.
In summary, definitely the best of the Next Generation films but still with more weaknesses than strengths. Picard and Lily work well but nothing else captures my interest and the military aspects of this film are deeply unappealing and should be disturbing to most Trek fans who still cling to the show’s utopian ideals.
#11
Wow. Never noticed that before. Weird.
Star Trek: First Contact was everything i and many a mainstream moviegoer ever wanted from Star Trek. With Deep Space Nine and this movie, i thought Star Trek had grown up – sadly, they had to dumb it down again with Star Trek: Insurrection.
I still think if they had done a sequel to First Contact and then merged DS9 with TNG and then had one massive film about the climax to the Dominion War then the franchise might not have been in the place it is now.
Picard and the federation flagship would have never missed such a battle, that could have wiped out the federation, to go off on some hippie journey to the planet of eternal youth sorting out these silly aliens stretching their faces…
Also of note, the teaser makes use of a take of Picard saying, “the line must be drawn here,” not used in the final cut of the film.
The best Star Trek trailer.
i always remember that my friend and I saw First Contact on the 1st show opening day at like 11am or something and we had to wait in line AND the 1st show was sold out. Before the movie started in the packed house, the crowd cheered for the previews for Starship Troopers (!) and for the Star Wars Special Edition trailer. although i had never given DS9 a chance, I loved First Contact so much I became a regular viewer that day. A fun time to be a sci fi & Trek fan….
First Contact is without a doubt the best of the TNG films, the only one that really got the big screen right. It’s one of the rare ones that has almost everything that big mainstream films have- sure it’s dark and a bit creepy (trust me, being quite young at the time- this was the first PG13 I saw in the theatres), but it has all the action and still a lot of humour (probably the most since Voyage Home).
Now a question, when everyone saw this, wouldn’t you say it’s the TNG version of Wrath of Khan, having all the elements of both a great Trek and an overall great film. So, wouldn’t it have made more sense to make FC the first part of a trilogy. I guess neither Paramount or that producer “who shall not be named” didn’t have any creative guts to follow what worked for Harve Bennett and his team a decade before.
Well. We get to the best of the TNG films. This movie had it all.Action and adventure and drama. ime Travel and First contact with the Vulcans. A great battle scens with the borg and well. a great movie worthy of the Tos Films. a truly great Villian in the Borg and great Heroes. What More could you ask. I Loved this Movie and I wish Tng Had done more of this type of movie.
Certainly the BEST of the TNG movies, and lightyears better than Generations…. but I’m afraid I still have a hard time loving it as much as other fans do.
The first problem is that the Borg just aren’t NEARLY as scary or menacing as they need to be. Frakes was clearly trying his hardest to capture that dark, claustrophobic “Aliens” feel with his direction, but I just wasn’t feeling it. The whole thing just felt way too tame and safe.
And then of course there’s Picard acting out of character for most of the movie. Even if I accept that he’s still haunted and obsessed with the Borg, I can’t see the dignified Picard of the TV series lashing out at people the way he does here, or turning into a vengeful Ahab type. Not to mention the ridiculous sight of him running around like Rambo afterwards….
good trailer for a good film – i saw it opening night- i timed moveing to the city in time to see it in november.
it was not a long tng episode- it was its own movie with its own style and tone- a great crowd pleaser- that plenty of people saw even a few non fans i know- a real popcorn munching event film.
I saw it every night of the box office opening weekend! thursday -friday-saterday-sunday- lol
I was also lucky enuff to see it the next year with a theatre full of star trek fans and patrick stewert.
But that said i rarely crave watching it over the other next generation era films- even Nemisis.
but when i do- usualy in a tng movie marathon i do enjoy it just as much.
I know this is the wrong thread but i still wanna know why the Generations trailers are not on the DVD’s does anyone know? its been bugging me for years.
My favorite Star Trek movie ever. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Always loved First Contact, especially the music. Action and pacing was nice. And love the actual contact scene with Vulcans at the end. But have to say I didn’t like the external design of the Enterprise E.
First Contact was the first Trek film I saw in the cinema. I was really young at the time and all I’d seen of Star Trek was movies 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (taped off TV), so when the movie started I was all like “Where are Kirk and Spock? How come a Klingon’s a good guy?”
But yeah, now I love First Contact – it’s easily my favourite TNG film. And I actually like the Enterprise-E design very much – externally and internally. And it’s definitely a lot better than the Enterprise-D, which is ridiculously top-heavy and unbalanced-looking.
#24 – how come you asked those questions yourself after seeing 6 ;)
Best Trek ever!
“You are astronauts on some kind of a star trek?” – best line ever!
6. Newman,
Same here. I went with my dad to see it. I remember my brother wanted to come but couldn’t because he had fallen behind on his schoolwork.
The only other Trek movie I saw in theaters was Nemesis, which I liked at the time. My opinion of it has changed since them.
I do like First Contact a lot, but I agree that it really didn’t do justice to TNG’s Borg. They tried too hard to make them “scary” and actually made them much less scary in the process. Changing them from the pale, emotionless, and sterile creatures from the show into essentially space zombies was a poor choice. Voyager then managed to further ruin the Borg.
When I First Saw this Movie I really Liked it, but now that I’m older I Can’t Stand the Story or lack there of, I mean Time travel again?
We’ve done that in the movies already. Why is it never the Future?
Anyway. Picard not Acting like Picard wasn’t so Great. And Worf started the stupid Action one liners With “Assimilate This!!”, terrible.
Though it’s Saving graces to me, were all of the Aesthetic Changes that were made. First off the New Ship “1701-E”, is an elegant, Sleek Design. Absolutely worthy of the Name Enterprise. Mad props to John Eaves for that one. Second the New Uniforms are SO much Cooler looking than Those Horrible Voyager ones(Good thing DS9 inherited those too) They’re so Dark and Serious perfect for such a sunny Crew. Third The Borg, My God!! I never thought the Borg were all that Menacing on TNG, save for “Locutus”, but these Guys I’d Be pretty scared of. Michael Westmore hit it out of the Park on them. He pulled off this intimidating yet Suffering look about them. I really Loved how the movie was given a very Dark tone,
including the lighting, The Sets were Pretty cool also. Geordi’s Eyes were Bionic implants. cool. Beverly Had Short BLONDE hair Pretty hot I gotta say. All in all I guess it stands as a Decent TNG flick. I liked the Music too.
27. Prologic 9,
The problem with the Borg on VOY was oversaturation, IMO. The more we saw them, the less mysterious and menacing they became. That, and the depiction of Borg nanoprobes as being able to fix and cure anything (even death) became an easy cheat to solve any and every problem Voyager faced. I guess really teo problems with VOY’s handling of the Borg.
Sorry, in post # 29, that should read ” I guess that’s really two problems with VOY’s handling of the Borg.”
Sloppy trailer, but still best TNG Trek movie.
Best TNG movie, but still a bad one. In my opinion, Borgs are a very lame nemesis and #29 is right, there was an oversaturation. FC has *huge* plot holes and Picard is totally out of character. Plus, come on, this is an action movie with some plot and good lines here and there.
This was the first Star Trek movie I saw on the big screen when I was like 11. Back then the borg scared the crap out of me and they’ve never been done better. As Ive grown older Ive seen more and more flaws with this movie, but Frakes was still the best TNG director and this the best of the films, in a way the TNG equivalent to Wrath of Khan. I never liked the idea of the borg queen, though, to me thats where the borg went down hill. The idea of then having a collective mind with no individuals was half of what made them so frighting of a villan but the queen took that away, and instead it was like some being collecting drones. And yes, VOY went and killed the borg for me and as others have said they were just too over exposed. I do wish the movie had focused more on the borg part of it, had more of the enterprise crew getting driven back, deck by deck, and assimilated one by one, that would have been nice. I guess they do have budgets though.
Re: 18. Jason – November 10, 2008
“… Now a question, when everyone saw this, wouldn’t you say it’s the TNG version of Wrath of Khan, having all the elements of both a great Trek and an overall great film. So, wouldn’t it have made more sense to make FC the first part of a trilogy.”
I have also always thought this film should have been part of a trilogy. I would’ve liked to see them somehow stranded in the past at the end of the film, instead of simply (and much too easily) returning to the future. I also thought they made a huge mistake by deciding to make huge gaps between films after Insurrection… by the time Nemesis came around, most people had sort of forgotten TNG as a show and a crew, or just didn’t care much anymore. Me aside, of course!
To destroy the D in Generations was stupid. All they wanted was a cool Warship for the people who didn´t know Star Trek. No families aboard. No peaceful sense is given to such a Warship. AND: the end of the “A” had after all a good sense! Roddenberry always thought about the Enterprise as one main character. Well, a lot of main characters died in Generations in a quite ungraceful way… Nevertheless, yes! The “E” IS cool!
This is the best Star Trek film, along with The Wrath of Khan.
The combination of action and drama was the right mix. It is still a great film this day.
new posters of spock and kirk: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=62053
I never did like the Enterprise E but I remember the D reportedly being a nightmare to film but I’d loved seeing it on the big screen. The first flyby was awesome :)
Loved this film though in spite of that and the uneven pacing.
Ah, First Contact – in retrospect, the only bad thing about this movie is that it’s (and probably remains) the only good TNG movie to date.
Well, I do not particularly like the design of the Enterprise E – it has just too much of a Warship. But then again: Star Trek on the Big Screen has always been more “action-trek” (except TMP, of course) – the atmosphere of TNG as we knew it just wouldn’t have worked in a feature. In fact the character design for Picard in this movie was really quite a stunt! – But hell, it worked!
always critiscing TNG because of JJ Abrams retconning ST with his new movie.
This is a great movie and the Enterprise E was a great design.
talk about people being more tolerant for being dudious about JJ Abrams]
from the pics and trailer descrip of the new movie Trek fans have a lot to be worried about .
I love all the Star trek shows
Remember TNG was a great show, don’t change your opinion just because this new movie is coming along and going back to TOS era and changing it.
All Batman fans praised Tim Burton for his two movies and I feel like they betrayed Burton when Nolan’s film were more faithful to Batman comics of later years. however as much as I love the new movies there was a comic book darkness I loved to Burton’s two.
What I am saying is that everyone is forgetting about Batman and Batman Returns bcaause of The Dark Knight. I like both to complemen each other.
Same with Trek and its spin offs and this movie
#10-agreed. Cheap little toy.
I actually think the E is way better of a design than D. Loks so much more impressive and a return to the designs of earlier ships more than the Holiday Inn look of the D.
I love the original and refit Constitution class Enterprises, but the Sovereign class is the best looking and best designed of them all. Sorry.
Best TNG movie but still lacking.
That rock music when the Warp ship lifts off is a very poor choice as it should have been full blast Goldsmith to set the correct tone.
Goldsmith created a very strong score and the sound FXwere also good. This movie was a great experience in the cinema.
Cochrane as a drunk was also another poor decision and when he takes a leak must have been a new low for Berman trek (if thats possible!!).
Really a Picard & Data show the rest of the crew get very little to do or say.
ILM really did probably their best work of the entire ST series here by using plenty of CGI to give scope & awe to the space shots like walking on the Enterprise hull was very well done as was the battle of the borg. Their reward was to get thrown of ST9 + 10 by Berman to save money!!
not all the footage in the trailer is tng…weirdly enough there a WTF? FTW? shot of unbelievably THE USS VOYAGER firing on the cube as part of the battle fleet…the only explanation for that i have even though it was footage not used in the film, is that assuming voyager was destroyed, starfleet did what they later did when the defiant was destroyed by the breen in ds9…take another ship of the same class and recommission it as a replacement ship…no alteration in registry number…no bloody a, b, c, or d… lol
as for the songs used in the film, i do agree that they were poor choices…i personally would’a picked the doors’ ‘light my fire’ or a different steppenwolf hit, ‘born to be wild’ or the rolling stones’ ’start me up’ for the warp launch and for the bar scenes i’d have used chubby checker’s ‘the twist’ instead of that stupid roy orbison song ‘ooby dooby’
as for picards seemingly uncharacteristic vengeful attitude, picard was always a reserved man…therefore according to basic psychology, he would most likely be the type to rage in such situations…furthermore the evilness of the birg couldve rubbed off on picard via his latent telepathic link with them…then when you look at shinzons rage issues in nemesis (btw another reason nemesis bombed is since dealing with an evil clone of himself was a very personal violation to picard, picard shouldve exhibited a rage similar to that in first contact), you see how similar he and picard really were so no, picards rage wadnt out-of-character…it made him more human…more real…almost, although in a different way, like mccoy
Paul: “That rock music when the Warp ship lifts off is a very poor choice”
agreed, although I understand the producers wanting to frequently touch base with the 60’s, as that is Trek’s roots. At least he didn’t play “Faith of the Heart.” ughghgg… made myself shiver.
The CGI work here actually works, which is nice. Also agree that it totally does not work in ST9 and ST 10. That’s coming… so I’ll kvetch more then, but the Captains Yactch was a missed opportunity.
Loved the new uni’s in ST:FC, and the E-E. Although, the E-E has just a ridiculous number of life pods. Does everyone in Starfleet think their ships are gonna blow up? And what do you do if you’re not in orbit around Earth? Kinda screwed then, huh? I doubt the pods have warp drive, shields, phasers, transporters, holosuites, jacuzzis, et al. It would be unlikely you’d live more than a week or two in one of those. Maybe they have subspace transmitters, but even then, they’re a nice bit of target practice for whomever just disassembled your vessel to a molecular level.
The trailer still shows the late great D. Berman said he couldn’t justify a new model for Generations, then made a new model for ST:FC, then went digi-crap for Insurrection and Nemesis. Makes lots of sense.
re:12 Kerr Avon
“Cochrane is a ridiculous character. I realise many fans do not like this portrayal because it contradicts the canonical figure but to me, he is simply a seedy character that will appeal to the lowest common denominator through the “humour” of his crude behaviour.”
Not his fault, since this is how they cast the role, and the actor who plays him is OK in some other things I’ve seen, but this is not Cochrane. It’s like Larry the Cable Guy invents warp drive. And I despise Larry the Cable Guy.
Oh well, it’s only a Next Generation movie. :)
This movie worked technically on several levels, but again I came out of the cinema disillusioned because of its unused potential and missing depth. Watch TNG’s “Best of both Worlds – Part 1/ 2″ for comparison only and you know what I mean… these TV episodes much more got to the point than any of the ragged TNG motion pictures.
I think First Contact was a missed opportunity. As others have said, why not go to a different time period and assimilate Earth. I’ve always said why even go to Earth first, go back in time at the edge of Federation space and then cruise to Earth in the past and assimilate Earth with no resistance.
What should have happened is the Borg did not have time travel but attacked Earth and there was some kind of accident that sent the Enterprise and some Borg back in time. Also, the Enterprise-D should not have been completely destroyed till maybe this movie. In Generations Kirk could have commanded the battle section with a skeleton crew from the D while the saucer section escaped and Kirk fighting off the Klingons and stopping the missle from hitting the sun and dies in the process.
The saucer section gets a refit with a new battle section and goes on to battle the Borg in First Contact.
Hindsight is great.
Best movie, 2nd best trailer (behind Nemesis).
Only gripes are the…”well they’ve got plenty of letters in the alphabet” line when they thought they had to self-destruct.
This was the PEAK of Star Trek in the 1990s. This movie and having DS9 and Voyager on air.
And we all knew it would and could only go downhill from there…
Oh and that battle sequence was WAY to short at the start of the movie.
Too bad they didn’t let James Cromwell do Cochrane more like he did Dudley Smith in L.A. Confidential. That would have been cool.
Yes, but the battle sequence has great replay value… I like to watch it a couple or three times when I review the movie, because there are a lot of great angles and cuts.
In regard to Voyager and the Enterprise-D showing up in the teaser trailer — obviously they hadn’t finished the special effects yet by that point. Ultimately, how serious a gaffe is it? I mean, in that sequence, there are a number of Federation ships fighting the cube, and it stands to reason that Galaxy class and Intrepid class ships would be among them.
But, then again, I hate trailers anyway.
Best of TNG, but that’s not saying much. Acting aside from Picard was ridiculous (Riker needs to be put out of our misery). Where would TNG be without time travel, or the Borg? Nowhere. Crappy series, crappy movies, although this one was passable and entertaining.
Hey, is anyone else pissed at how they eviscerated the book, “Strangers from the Sky”? I know the books aren’t canon, and that book involved Kirk’s crew, but it could’ve been adapted. Much better story.
Jerry Goldsmith’s score is amazing!
Yeah, I think this was the best of the TNG movies. I’m generally leery of time travel stories, but this one grabbed me. The movie played to TNG’s strengths, not really trying to hard to be an action movie. The scene near the end when we see the Vulcan silhouette coming aout of the ship always gives me shivers.
Riker, Worf, and Data have always been my favorite TNG characters and they all have GREAT SCENES in this one
@ 56 Agreed and Amen
my dad loves the main theme from this one, and the music in the background where Zefram Cochrane shakes the Vulcan’s hand is great!
With regard to Trek losing its way during the TNG phase…
Someone over at AICN just hit the nail on the head, at least as far as I’m concerned:
“As soon [the holodeck] was built, the writers started writing what they wanted (period dramas as in f***ing Robin Hood and WWII) rather than what the show needed: SPACE EXPLORATION AND GALACTIC WARFARE!!”
Well put I say.
I agree with many of you, this was the best of TNG movies. I think if the series continued to move in this direction, it might have been much more interesting.
Unlike some, I enjoyed the characterization of Zefram Cochrane. Something of a tortured, or flawed genius. Isn’t it often the case that history paints a more positive picture of great people, leaving out the negative. For me it was a risky move that paid off.
Although it was more of an action story than was reflective of TNG series, it still managed to work well with a large ensemble cast while capturing some essential Trek virtues.
Not a fan of the E-E, warp nacelles were excellent, but the idea of fusing the primary and secondary hulls (a la Voyager) never worked for me. It lacked the smooth sleek look that was the E’s signature.
In the end, the movie series was never able to capture the spirit of TNG. Studios expect blockbusters and if there is not sufficient action, they panic.
Many have been critical of the television series which I find odd as it was Roddenberry’s vision and I thought it was executed rather well. Thoughtful, mature, character driven.
The Trek we know best is the ‘Shatner-action-hero’ style that Roddenberry eventually sold to NBC, but let’s not forget the original pilot, his initial vision, was much more cerebral, and I would argue much more interesting.
C’est la vie.
im glad you guys arent gushing all over this film. it had some cool moments. but defintly at the expence of what start trek stood for
the time travel story was stupid as hell as was cochrane. this film reeks of disrespect to the intelliegence of the viewer. but maybe they were correct: it was a huge success
im worried about the new trek film and referneces to make it more star warsish. st is about optimism not just blowing stuff up. at least it used to be, maybe star trek is dead….we’ll see
The only redeeming quality of the Ent-D was the saucer separation sequence. It deserved to die. The Ent-E was the best Ent until the NX-01 (I go back and forth on which I like better). For those of you complaining about the warship like appearance of the Ent-E seem to be forgetting about the dominion threat at the time of the movie’s launch in DS9. It was a cold war like period in trek’s history.
“You’re all jerks”
“……jerks”
“computer deactivate iguana”
THE TRAILER
The trailer for Star Trek starts off looking more like a 70s road movie, as a young Kirk (Chris Pine) drives a beat-up old Chevy round the ranges of Iowa in search of a few thrills before over-estimating his own braking power. Pretty soon his car is plunging a few thousand feet and he’s being rescued from a literal cliff-hanging situation by a rather robotic-looking Iowa traffic cop, who’s just descended from his floating ride to help the young rebel out. They’re really going for the ‘bad boy’ bit with Pine’s Kirk, as we shall find out in the full-length scenes.
Much of the content of the rest of the trailer contains material covered in the scenes that we were shown afterwards, and the slow Kirk-in-trouble scene quickly gives way to the usual epilepsy-inducing quick-cuts, showing some pretty spectacular space battles, the Enterprise under construction in the fields of Iowa (being regarded by an awed Kirk, not yet enrolled in Starfleet), a roll-call of all the returning characters and…Uhura (Zoe Saldana) stripping down to her bra (for some reason – I’m not complaining, it’s a very nice sight, but it’s a bit of a cheap shot for a film with this much going for it). The trailer concludes with Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) declaring portentously ‘The wait is over’….
12/48/61. Cochrane makes perfect sense when you realize Earth just went through World War III: his previous well-funded research probably destroyed, distressed over the need to relocate to the middle of nowhere Montana, drinking away the loss probably of his university, his wife, his family, and the general breakdown of the planet… yet in spite of that, the inertia of his ideas still was valid. I’m sure we catch him near his nadir: his excellent support staff (of which we really only see Lily, since the majority of the rest are killed) has gotten him to what will become his zenith.
Star Trek: Enterprise “fixes” Cochrane in the very first episode. Putting the Kirk opening soliloquy as the words of Cochrane… brilliant.
My problems with First Contact boiled down to the lack of exposition: it would have been easy to explain certain details better (Worf’s presence, Data’s emotions, ship models, life pods, time travel) with just an extra line or two of dialogue. Plus, the Queen should have been set up as an “evolution” of the Borg more: I’d have preferred that she was created BECAUSE of Locutus.. that it was “the Borg” in toto with an affection for Picard/Locutus, and imbuing her with leadership was the Borg’s method of coming back for Picard.
Oh well. What did we ever expect from Bermaga Trek… but unfinished symphonies.
awesome movie! my favorite TNG film and I think the 3rd best Trek film of all 10 so far. I remember seeing it in theatres like it was yesterday. Jonathan Frakes behind the camera was nice. LOVED seeing the Defiant in the movie…”tough little ship”.
Without a doubt, the best of the Next Gen movies… not that that’s saying much. But even at the time, I was bored with time travel stories in general.
In fact, if I never saw another movie involving time travel, it wouldn’t be soon enough for me.
Oh wait ….
Scott B. out.
MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/144620/star_trek_four_full_scenes_and_new_trailer_reviewed.html
Hey 7, I saw it on the Mission Impossible VHS too!
First Contact is my no. 1 Trek-Movie. So far the best of all 10. The action was well placed, as was the suspense moments with the Borg and the drama around Picard’s search for revenge. And the ending, with the Vulcans landing on earth, was a very great moment for me, because it showed the beginning of all Star Trek and let one knew, the mankind is save now and the UFP only a few steps away (okay, it’s almost a century). It’s a shame, that this hopeful ending was so twisted with the “Dark-Vulcans”-theme in Enterprise’s first three seasons.
Personally, I love the E-E. She looks fast and streamlinked, she was tough and the first Enterprise since the E-A with powerfull shields. She’s my alltime favorite starship with 24 or even with 28 decks.;) I’m also a great fan of all the other new federation starships and it’s a shame they copied the Akira-Class as prototype from the “supposed 200 years older” NX-01.
Personally I like Cochrane and his drinking. Why not a hero with some flaws, that he has to overcome in the final? The humor was well placed too and not too silly (as it was in Insurrection and TFF). Was it a Picard/Data-show? Yes, but this two are the most interesting characters of TNG (and far the two best actors of the entire TNG-cast). The guest-appearence from Bob Picardo’s Holodoc was hilarious and one of the funniest moments in First Contact (And the Holodoc was the only character I really liked from the entire VOY-cast).
The Borg looked really scary and the spacebattle was far the best battle-scene I’ve seen in Star Trek so far. I can’t understand why they changend the SFX-team after First Contact, because the Effects in Insurrection and Nemesis looked really CGI and nothing like the quality ILM can produce.
The only greater flaw I think (after the 1000 time watching it), is the missed opportunity to show more of the Third World War. Why it started? How it ended? Why it maked Cochrane drinking? How Cocharne met Lilly? What have Lilly done in the War and after it? The Borg-Queen could have needed some more explanation too. I’ve never understood that concept and I see her like a personalized Windows Vista of the great Computer-systems called the Borg-Colektive.
So, there was a good story, good action, great SFX, great acting (Stewart and Spiner), some good character moments, a very good enemy (the Borg, when they were allready a thread, before VOY twists them to a bunch of idiots) and it fitted and expanded the canon without any great vioation. All I’ll expect from the new movie as well (and knowing it won’t come like that).
The trailer was also great and indeed the best of all Star Trek trailers so far.
This is the only TNG-era film that is watchable at all to me. I would even go so far as to say it is more watchable than STV: The Great Trek Turd Of ‘89.
However, I think it gets a bit overrated around here sometimes. I think that some fans are more forgiving of its mediocrity simply because the other TNG-era films are so bad.
At best, it is #1 in the TNG-era by default alone.
That’s my opinion.
#48 –
It isn’t all the actor’s fault either…it’s also the fault of the people who wrote the character — and Frakes, who directed the film.
I don’t think James Cromwell “made up” the way the character should be all by himself. The character was written to be like that, and directed to be like that.
Hey! That teaser trailer shows a Borg ship in the shape of the Starfleet Delta insignia! WTF, there were no ships in the movie like that….
….oh…wait…that was only a TEASER, and things shown in teasers are not necessarily canon, nor will they necessarily be in the film, and sometimes they are only symbolic…
…sort of like the Enterprise being “under construction” is symbolic.
I love the 1701-E… it looks much more dynamic than the flying bathtub known as the D ever did.
The film has a number of problems, but I still enjoy it. As fun as the scene with Picard brandishing a tommy gun is, it makes no sense at all.
It ’s hard to feel threatened by a villian (the Borg) that ignores you standing next to them, but this film evoked danger from them better than had been done before.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39056
20 min of completed footage review, spoiler heavy
re: 72. Jackson Roykirk – November 11, 2008
#48 – It isn’t all the actor’s fault either…it’s also the fault of the people who wrote the character — and Frakes, who directed the film.
I don’t think James Cromwell “made up” the way the character should be all by himself. The character was written to be like that, and directed to be like that.”
I believe that’s more or less what I was trying to imply.
After seeing Cochrane in the series, it was a rude jolt to see what they made him out to be in this movie.
It amazes me how good this film was, and how bad the the nest two sequels were. Had they been able to make every sequel as good as this, I don’t think we would be seeing a TOS prequel right now. If anything, we would hve had 6 TNG movies.
I really hope they go back and make another TNG movie. Patrick still is in amazing shape, and could pull the role off well. Throw in Nimoy (he can’t be in all the prequels, can he?) and have it be about the Romulan unification, and you will have a good film. Hell, even throw the Borg back in the mix, with the Feds finally coming to peace with them. That would be a good film!
I feel like I am cheating on the original Enterprise but I love the Ent E. She’s a sleek beauty.
My favorite TNG film and ALMOST favorite ST film of them all. I like watching “Best of Both Worlds” (cut together) from the Borg Collective LD set and then this movie (3 hours of greatness); I even bought the soundtrack (a rare event for me). The space battle near the beginning is a great audio/video (the re-issue added DTS to the DD) demo clip. I only wish there were more great TNG movies.
There are great moments in this film for fans of TNG. If you didn’t like TNG, you still had some great action sequences & humor to chew on. Introducting the Borg Queen created some odd inconsistencies for the Borg, but Alice Krige plays her with such menace here it’s entirely forgiveable. I know people had issues with the line about ‘thinking in such three dimensional terms’ but I actually thought that was an interesting way to address an obvious continuity problem. Plus it enhanced that otherworldly feeling about her.
This is really a movie about Data more than anyone else (even Picard), and he’s given all the best dialogue & scenes. It’s especially enjoyable given the complete backtracking the character suffers from this point on in Insurrection & Nemesis (did the writers just fall asleep or what?) The scene about being ‘tempted by flesh’ was incredibly effective, and it’s probably some of Spiner’s finest work.
I didn’t like the way the movies from this point on tried to make Picard an action hero, but you have to admire the fact that Stewart looks damn good for his age! Especially considering he’s only 8 years younger than Shatner (and Shatner at Stewart’s age definitely didn’t look as fit).
Worf is actually introduced into the story in a way that makes sense, something that would be completely dropped in subsequent TNG films. “Oh Worf, you’ve decided to join us just as we set off on an adventure!” I found that even more egregious than Closettrekker finds the conceit that the TOS crew were still together after being promoted to such high ranks. As much as Worf was given to do in those films, they could have just had him appear on a subspace communique or something.
A good movie not without flaws, but they don’t overshadow what was done right.
#47
As a kid who was nerdy enough to have the Enterprise-D model, I can tell you that it was littered with lifepods. It made the E look like the Titanic in comparison.
My least favorite ship is the Excelsior (I can’t even spell it). And they based the Enterprise-E on that ship. FAIL!
Wow, put the Borg Queen on posters ala Uncle Sam & you’ll have people *wanting* to be assimilated! “I want YOU! to join the collective”
#76 –
Sorry stanky…after reading your post again, I get what you are saying.
This is the first ST movie I saw in a theater. Actually, I think it’s the first Trek movie I saw, period.
I still love this film and think it is by far the best of the TNG features. I also remember being very excited by the spooky trailer.
What a great movie. One of my favorites.
what gives? I made a comment completely ON TOPIC about FC and FC’s trailer….and it was removed. I’m certain i didnt violate any rules.
first contact was my 1st trek movie i’ve seen and the others were just seeing them (the old ones) on video. And seeing the next generation movies in the theatres and now hoping to see the upcoming star trek 11 the same- at the theatres. Depends on how it would look like.(just kidding).
FC appealed to the lowest common denominator, hence, its success.
Borg Queen. Please.
Picard being convinced to blow up his ship by a loud-mouthed 21st century woman. Give me a break.
Borg outside the ship IN A VACUUM? Slipshod writing- in fact, the whole thing!
And the E-E looked like it was designed by Cardassians.
#86
As someone that uses WordPress myself, sometimes the spam filter picks up comments that aren’t spam. I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate.
First Contact is my favourite. Such a great movie! It’s really a toss-up between Khan and this for me. So today, I’ll go with ST:FC.
Great story, exciting action, fun character moments, fantastic SFX and production design. And I love the Sovereign-class Enterprise.
the pacing of this movie was terrible..plodding & slow. The fight with the borg at the start was an UTTER let down..I was expecting something spectacular but got a few ships blowing it up in less than a minute, it got worse from there.
The ‘deflector dish’ fight was mind numbingly slow/boring and took a big chunk of the film omg the pacccccccccccccciinnngggggggggggg
I rationalize the Borg’s decision to battle their way through the UFP’s defenses and then go back in time by thinking that the sphere-shaped vessel is the only vessel that the Borg could transport back in time, and that this vessel didn’t have the power to travel that far across the galaxy to get to Earth if it first went back in time.
I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many…
I am the borg.
This is the Star Trek film which has:
- the best trailer
- the second best score of them all
- the best acting of them all
- most suspense of them all
- best script of them all
- scariest villain(s) of them all
- the most heart
- the best Star Trek scene ever
Yes, it shows too much, but that’s more of a rule than an exception since the later part of the eighties. It really is as suspenseful as the film itself, yet, as some other poster have already said, it only scratches the surface.
Jerry Goldsmith’s work is unquestionably the best in the whole Trek franchise. I actually think that his work on Insurrection is just slightly more beautiful than on this one, but it’s still a masterpiece and one of the greatest film soundtracks of all time.
I know a lot of people will never accept it, but Pat Stewart is a thousand times better actor than Bill Shatner, and Brent Spiner is, well, at least 100 times better than Leonard Nimoy. Just look at their work outside their Trek characters and you’ll see.
In fact, it’s probably the only Star Trek film which doesn’t feel like a TV movie. Yeah, TWOK is OK too but it doesn’t really come near First Contact. I mean, how many other films hasn’t had some evil villain looking for revenge? What’s so scary about the borg is that they are emotionless, in other words really cold bastards! So for me, the queen isn’t the main villain of the film.
I think the borg are a lot more scarier here than in the TNG series. As many have pointed out, they were later on over-used on Voyager. I still remember though, when they slowly started to enter Borg space at the end of season 3. Scorpion I&II is simply two of the best Star Trek episodes ever, however unfortunately also the last time the borg were scary. It kind of went downhill from there.
Yes, this is the one with the most heart. This is really a film about a big family taking care of each other. The TOS crew doesn’t come near the warmth and care that the TNG crew radiate for one another. But I guess what’s most heartfelt of all, is the scenes between Lily (Alfre Woodard – amazing actress) and Picard.
And Picards “line most be drawn here”-scene… after all these years I still say… wow.
Btw, someone didn’t like Worf’s “assimilate this!”. Well, I think that’s a rather funny character moment! It’s like a mix of comedy relief and just a plain emotional response to all the hell the borg are putting them through.
Ok, my fingers are tired now.
Damn it, I forgot the following:
- the best battle scene ever in Star Trek
- the coolest ship ever in Star Trek
I watched the movie a few months back. I couldn’t handle the scene with Troi drunk, too cutsy. That didn’t seem appropriate considering what was going on at the time.
Cochrine wasn’t the same character from “Metamorphosis”, I don’t know who this guy was. This was the type of movie that looks great when you view it the first time in a theater, but with repeated viewings it becomes cliche and comes off superficial. It’s much like the Final Frontier, in that it has some good scenes and moments, but overall it falls short of being a classic trek movie.
But it’s the best of the TNG movies, to be sure.
#94 I disagree 100% but respect your opinion
Love this movie, everything worked, Timetravel, Cochrane, Borg, Vulcans, EMH, Enterprise E, humour, action, everything
#94 – dead on. could not have said it better
Best Star Trek movie ever!!!!
Everthing is just perfect with this movie and the Enterprise E is my favorite Enterprise plus the new killer uniforms plus the great script plus the great effect (best in a Star Trek movie so far) plus the best crew.
sorry but TOS is not my cup of tee and the huge bunch of TOS Purist that regularly post here somehow irritate me in their disresepct for TNG and DS9, the two best Star Trek Series imo.Then comes TOS
#15 – I’m pretty sure (and I’m just doing this from memory) that the line in the final cut of the film is:
“The line must be drawn here. This far, no further. And I will make them pay for what they’ve done.”
Patrick Stewart is one of my favorite actors and his performances have had a huge impact on my life. However, I think he’s at his best in moments of pathos. This is why he was perfectly cast as the diplomat captain; his inner-calm goes a long way. But when he goes into elevated emotion, it sometimes looks to me like he’s pushing a bit and loses that sense of inner relaxation that’s essential to good acting even in the most hightened situations.
Does anyone agree? Disagree?
@97 Drew:
Thanks! Amen to respectful disagreement! :)
Btw, I’m not a TOS hater if anyone should think so. I’m currently watching TOS-R season 1 for the third time (and I have seen through the “original The Original Series” – lol – before that as well).
@101 aries127:
I disagree that he doesn’t pull off elevated emotion brilliantly, but I agree that he is at his best when performing those moments of pathos.
Or as Jonathan Frakes says in the FC audio comment track: “Patrick… he does so much with so little”.
I quite like this film, its a nice peice of Sci-Fi Fantasy.
I still cringe when i hear the Cochrane’s line “so you’re all astronauts on some kinda star trek?”
Ewww its making me cringe now!!
This is a fun movie, and as good as any of the best of the TOS movies, regardless of what the TNG-haters think.
By far the best of the TNG movies. My only gripe is that I wish we could have had a more romantic introduction to the Enterprise E.
Yes, I did enjoy this movie and watch it on my big screen to capture the theater effect. It was IMO the best of TNG movies, although, I did enjoy them all.
It can be argued however, that by the Big E-E going back in time, it somehow screwed with the timeline enough that we get what we are getting with JJ’s re-whatever-you-want-to-call-it. So if we can blame anyone for May 2009’s success or failure of what we see on the big screen and the complete and udder hosing of continuity, we can cast the blame HERE, NO FURTHER!
It’s all Picard’s fault for chasing the big whale into the past and having Riker and LaForge hitching a ride with Cochrane. Maybe Cochrane was how he was because he was stunned with a phaser.
#95 the best battle scene ever in Trek? What substances are you smoking!?? It was crap. The one at the beginning of DS9 kicked its a$$ all over the alpha quadrant.
The reason FC was a success, it was a brilliantly written (not realy a fan boy wet drea aka Nemesis) the characters were spot on, the acting was brilliant and the directing was perfect. Frakes should have helmed Nemesis. Frakes is simply a brilliant actor and a brilliant Director. He would, in my opinion, be equal to Myer.
# 108:
I think that’s a question of taste, isn’t it?
DS9 had for the most times not more than three or four ships on screen together (at last in a battle scene, not including “fleet-scenes). Okay, First Contact shows nearly only shipwrecks, but I like the dynamic and all the new different starfleet ships and the many different weapon- and starshipsounds. It’s just a short scene, but makes me allways think: “Yeah, so I could imagine a spacebattle in the 24th century.” The DS-9 spacebattles from season 6 and 7 were quiet good, well executed for a tv-show (even if they re-use many old explosion and battle-scenes). But I like the FC-battle a bit more.
Yea the astronauts on some kinda star trek line was awful. I can only imagine what this film would have been like if Tom Hanks had been able to portray Cochrane as was suggested in pre-production. The music and photography was spot on. The acting and directing was top notch. Cromwell’s Cochran was OK but not someone who I could believe that planets and universities has been named after. Human yes, a renowned scientist …not a chance in hell. I did like the movie but it could have been better.
The final Star Trek film, for me (although one of these days I may rent the later ones; I just feel no rush to). I felt the movie was better than the trailer would have us believe, but in a good way … most of the wince-inducing stuff is put out front in the trailer and you can just relax and, um, assimilate it. So, I think this is a mediocre but ultimately very _fair_ and useful trailer.
On the movie: The reimagining of cochrane didn’t bother me; it was cool making him likeable. Some of the ship exterior stuff was painfully slow, various pacing problems throughout … and the Borg Queen is another example of the film series’ mania to have “villains” whenever possible, despite the general paucity of clearly-definable “villains” in the TV shows. But overall I thought it was a good flick.
Someone briefly mentioned this, but it has bothered me for the last 12 years, but WHY is Voyager in the teaser trailer. Was that test footage because that has never been shown before???????????
Morn 113, ok I watched the teaser again and squinted. I’m not seeing the Voyager… what time stamp is it at?
These were both awesome trailers… and a great movie. My only (small) gripes are that Cochrane is now an old codger. I guess I remember that he got youngified on the planet with the companion, but still….
And the uniforms. The gray was drab and boring. Colors are good. Gray is…. gray.
Oregon Trek Geek it’s at 44 seconds, I have never seen this footage on Voyager and this was still a while before the Borg was seen on the show.
115–Ok, that IS the Voyager! Well, that is quite odd, isn’t it? Thanks for pointing that out!
Canon: D+
Action: B+
Overall: B-
In my book this is the only TNG film worth watching.
-The best trek movie ever…
Truly one of the best. I’d put Wrath of Kahn and Undiscovered Country in the “Best of” list also
the borg have assimulated the earth – reaction from the enterprise crew – “nothing”
! classic !
This is far and away the best of the TNG Movies and my Favourite Star Trek Movie! (That may change in May of next year)
First Contact had The Borg, time travel and the AWESOME Ent-E! What more could you ask for?!
I was three when this movie came out… xD; Needless to say, I’ve only recently gotten into the whole Star Trek phenomenon.
However, this movie and “Nemesis” were the ones that got me hooked on TNG. 8D I was watching it for the first time on Sci-Fi with my dad, bugging him about who they were going to make “first contact” with. I kept saying, “Is it the Vulcans? Huh? Huh? It’s the Vulcans, isn’t it. Right? Right?” and he would just smile and shake his head at me.
My first time seeing the Borg, and they are just the /definition/ of awesome. The Borg Queen is just plain… creepy. She sent a shiver up my spine!
And, of course, the “OMG EXTREMELY EPIC” ending. I just thought it was the coolest thing, when Cochrane and the Vulcan first shake hands. I was squealing like a little girl through all that. Such a fantastic movie.
I have to agree with #94.
And, I LOVE the Ent E. I think she’s sleek, powerfull. A beauty. (I love the ships.)
Ugh. No one has ever been able to resolve for me why the Borg, if they had a central figurehead/leader in the first place, had to create Locutus to begin with. The Borg themselves said that it was b/c it would make humans easier to assimilate since they lacked a central leader figure (according to BoBW).
And if anyone rolls out time travel as an excuse, I will find you and I will harm you.
But the space battle scenes and the tension between Picard and crew were solid. Spiner was solid, too, and at least he could ‘turn off’ that ridiculous emotion chip and act more like Data than he did in Generations.
The on-Earth/Cochrane stuff, however…stunk.
For anybody that has Xbox360, this movie is now available in HD. No lie. It really is!