Today in Star Trek future history is "First Contact Day". Regardless of your timeline, on April 5th, 2063 Dr. Zefram Cochrane is to became the first man to break the warp barrier (with a little help from the crew of the NCC-1701E), which will catch the notice of some passing Vulcans who initiate the ‘first contact’ between humans and aliens…and the beginnings of the United Federation of Planets and all that came with it.
The fateful moment
The following scene from Star Trek First Contact is one of the more powerful in all Trek film history, culminating the best of the TNG era films. The moment of Humans and Vulcans meeting for the first time, in friendship, you see in an instant the entirety of Gene Roddenberry’s message of a humanity that will eventually (after many struggles) come together into an optimistic future.
Learn more about the ‘First Contact’ (links from our friends at Memory Alpha)
How will you celebrate?
Planning a First Contact viewing party? Going to finally go up to that girl/guy and make your own ‘first contact’? Share your ideas with your fellow Trekkies.
Happy First Contact Day!
I think this article on First Contact Day is still relevant:
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/editorials/article/49835.html
Wow. I just watched “Metamorphosis” yesterday. What a coincidence.
Happy first contact Day!
Let’s make it happen. We have plenty of time so let’s do it!
Happy First Contact day to all!
This day always meant a lot to me because it is also my birthday (I will turn 74 on April 5th, 2063 btw). I can only dream something this amazing could happen within my lifetime. To Roddenberry, and to the dream.
– Master Dex, a.k.a. Rob
Personally, i celebrated by blasting out of my yard today with “Magic Carpet Ride” blaring from my car speakers.
And a wonderful happy first contact day to all of you folks! Terran or otherwise! Hug your local Vulcan,Andorien ,and yes tellorite…and Klingon! Prefirrably Worf. A day to contimplate unity, and all around civilized behavior…”Happy Day”
Wasn’t this turned into a holiday on Voyager? Seems like they celebrated 1st Contact Day in one of the later episodes.
I can’t wait for the real thing!
#4 — Happy Birthday
“First Contact” is my favorite TNG film. Jonathan Frakes did a phenomenal job directing, IMO.
To me…the actual first contact w/ real aliens ain’t vary far away…we’ve made it this far…someone will notice:)…happy first contact day!!
#5 awesome idea! I should have done that!
#7 I think you’re right!
#4 Happy Birthday
To all, Happy First Contact Day and Live long and prosper, of course.
#4 Happy Birthday
Also share my birthday with first contact day. Had a few two many drinks to figure out how old i will be though in 2063.
Happy first contact day all
I remember my first contact well. June 1979. Don’t remember any Vulcans, though…
In 2063 I’ll turn 96. My great aunt is 102 years old, so I figure I have a shot at still being here.
I’ll be 91 in 2063 & am hoping to be there for that & the return of Halley’s Comet two years earlier.
The problem is that according to the “science” in the new film, the events of First contact would have already created another alternate timeline (the original presumably continuing on after the Borg assimilation of Earth), not to mention all the other timelines monkeyed with over the years in each of the series.
I remain pleased with the new film but continue to be utterly disappointed in the use of the multi-verse “theory”, and I use that term loosely since it is not scientifically testable and is a mere article of faith. (I happen to be a person of faith, but I generally require at least some evidences, which don’t exist for multi-verse theory).
I won’t even get started on how black holes generated by red matter sometimes behave as time warps and sometimes crush whatever is consumed by them, depending on where in the script of a film they are used.
I wish they’d get another team to write the next movie. Orci and Kurtzman made a mockery of the science in the new film.
While first contact obviously happened, my question is how was it altered by the developments in the latest startrek movie since the crew of the enterprise E had a big part in first contact happening. Did the borg still attack? Did the enterprise E still show up to save the day? How were things altered since the timeline will be different for the enterprise E?
Happy First Contact day everyone
Break out OOBY DOOBY!!
Well I also hope to celebrate my 95th with Vulcans!
Happy Birthday to all of you!
#16
Despite the new timeline created in the new movie, we know the Borg will still travel in time in a bid to assimilate Earth. The “Enterprise” episode “Regeneration” proves it. In the episode, two Borg drones are discovered in the arctic. They are proven to come from the future. The new movie might have created a new timeline where a lot of things will happen differently or not happen at all, but at least parts of “First Contact” will still happen. Whether its the Enterprise-E that goes back in time to stop the Borg we don’t know. But I would tend to think so.
The new movie created a new “future” that will be considerably different from what we have been familiar with ( TNG, DS9, VOY) but “Regeneration” preserved at least a piece of the prime timeline in the new timeline since “Enterprise” took place prior to the timeline changing events of “Star Trek”.
Here is what I surmise is the case: Beginning of First Contact…Borg attack…in Prime TImeline…Sphere goes back thru history…assimilates Earth… Enterprise E gets caught up in temporal vortex and sees alternate timeline MEANING THE BORG ASSIMILATION OF EARTH IS AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE FROM THE ONE PICARD AND CREW CAME FROM…Picard and crew go back and fix things…creating ANOTHER alternate timeline…the one leading up to Star Trek Enterprise…they go forward in time again to ANOTHER alternate timeline…its THAT alternate timeline from which NimoySpock and Nero travel back into the ArcherEnterprise Timeline but later on…thus creating the timeline in the new film…the Shatner-era Defiant that showed up in the 22nd century Mirror Universe, which should actually be called the Mirror Metaverse if its to retain its original context in Abrams’ vision of temporal theory, came from the original Prime Timeline which had Zefram Cochrane making First Contact in 2061, which, do to any number of Kirk-related time travel alterations, is not the timeline that Picard’s era remembers in their history…
Any contraindications along the way can be explained away by characters’ limited knowledge of temporal physics… or science based upon incorrect assumptions LOL
you people are all so silly!
#22
“you people are so silly!”
Well, what do you expect on a site created for nerds and visited by nerds? :-)
HAPPY FIRST CONTACT DAY (in 53 years) !!!
Can’t wait! xD
Wait a second. First Contact Day is in 53 years. Cocharine was probably at least 53 years old (Cromwell was 56 in the film)
So…… my head hurts thinking about what that means.
This is a day to celebrate for now and in the future. Today is my birthday too and I would still like to think I will be around in 2063, despite the fact that would be my 105th Birthday.
The only way to celebrate today is with watching FC and having some drinks from Quarks such as a Mind Meld or a Borg Shere per the recipe from STTE.
It is a good day. FOX aired First Contact yesterday, so I watched it and have had my fill. 2063 should be an interesting year, hope I’m here to see it.
its my anniversary today! two years with my girlfriend!
:)
@11: Did you have too many shots of “something called ‘Tequila'”? Deanna shares your pain. :)
Hey, let’s not forget First Contact Day as it happened in the opening of “In a Mirror, Darkly” either! Cuz I’m most certainly glad it’ll never come to THAT, I hope X D
In April 5, 2063, I’ll go to Montana.
HAPPY FIRST CONTACT DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!
#30
I’m certain Capt. Mike of the Terran Empire is celebrating that version! :-)
Hope you had a happy First Contact Day. Live long and prosper!
3 months shy of my hundreth birthday.
The alternate timeline was not created until the Narada arrived. Therefore everything that happened before still happened. The prime universe was unaffected according to the writers (since it was their story, I accept it as written). Therefore the Enterprise-E from the original universe still exists and still goes back in time to stop the Borg. Since the Narada did not affect what happened before it arrived, history remains unchanged. In any event, I share Captain Janeway’s sentiment about temporal paradoxes. They give me a headache.
I’ve described my take on the trek multiverse before, but I’ll quickly recap..
I think First Contact created ‘universe B’, from which ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ continued from (as evidenced by the episode “Regeneration” and various other inconsistencies). From there, it depends on what universe the Enterprise-E went back to. If they went into the future of ‘universe B’, then ‘Insurrection’ and ‘Nemesis’ as well as ‘Star Trek: Online’ and the Countdown comics take place in this alternate timeline. And when Nero goes back in time in ‘universe B’ he creates ‘universe C’ from which STXI spawns from. The other option is that the Enterprise-E goes back to the 24th century of ‘universe A’ and the remaining TNG movies, STO, and Countdown take place in the prime universe. So Nero would be hopping into an already established but separate timeline (‘B’) and creating ‘C’. Either way, I think Nero and Spock end up in a third timeline not a second. The differences between the two options though, could mean a lot. With option 1, Spock is not from the prime timeline and any observable events in the prime timeline end with ‘First Contact’. Personally, I think this works best for everyone. It explains why the Kelvin looked more advanced (being from ‘universe B’), why the Enterprise can look so different (in ‘universe C’), explains the differences in ‘ST: Enterprise’, and leaves the prime timeline largely untouched, excluding INS, NEM, STO, and STXI entirely.
I think it works, and reconciles things pretty well. But it’s just my opinion on the matter. Happy First Contact Day, no matter which timeline we’re in! :D
I nominate Oobie Doobie for the official First Contact Day anthem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ijEWj2xmg&feature=related
#37–While it has never been explicitly stated on screen, I think in First Contact, Picard & crew, restored the prime timeline as it was supposed to play out (I think it was called a predestination paradox). They were always supposed to go back in time to stop the Borg, which led to their future as it existed. This was also demonstrated when Captain Sisko took on the role of Bell in the 21st century. They also restored the timeline. The key difference with Star Trek (2009) was that they created a parallel universe and did not fix the timeline to conform with the original timeline. That’s not to say that some time in a future movie or production, that they eventually “fix” the timeline and restore it to the prime universe. The Next Generation episode “Parallels” nicely sums up Abrams & co. basis for their story (as does the mirror universe stories).
Goose bumps after watching that clip. I have not seen first contact in 4 years
Another way to celebrate would be to hear the late, great Roy Orbison sing “Oooby Dooby.”
“ooby dooby” Oobby Dooby!
“Timeline! We can’t worry about the timeline! We don’t have the time!”
“It’s a primitive culture. I’m just trying to blend in.”
“You’re blended alright…”
The head-turn that Riker gives when Deeana flops off the barstool is gold.
So, was it a coincidence that “First Contact” was aired on Saturday night this past weekend or do we have a trekkie working at channel 45 here in Minneapolis/St. Paul?
#44
It was a Trekkie. You’ll never stop him/her. We are everywhere! :-)
Happy late First Contact day!