Subject: Retrospective: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

From: "Joe Chamberlain" <[email-masked]>
Date: 23 Dec 1998 05:28:33 GMT

Star Trek: First Contact
A review by Joe Chamberlain

Starring Patrick Stewart; Jonathan Frakes; Brent Spiner & LeVar Burton
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth movie in the series based on Gene
Roddenberry's TV show from the sixties. It is the second movie featuring the
cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. First Contact is one of the best
movies in the series, and it seems to hold up the tradition of the even
numbered movies being far superior to their odd numbered counterparts.

Unlike the other films in the series, this is the first one where no members
of the original cast of Star Trek appear. (Except for Majel Barret, as the
voice of the Enterprise’s computer.)

In this latest installment, the crew as forced to travel back in time to
prevent the Borg (more about them in a second) from changing the course of
Earth's history. It seems the Borg want to prevent the first warp flight.
For those of you out there that aren't familiar with the Borg, they are half
biological, half mechanical beings that assimilate other races and transform
them into Borg.  This is usually not a pleasant experience, what with all
the mechanical parts being implanted into the victim. As far as villains go,
since being introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg have
become on of the most popular villains in Star Trek.

The special effects in this latest effort are among the best in a Star Trek
film. As are the sets for the new Enterprise. In the tradition of the TV
series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the main cast does their usual superb
job. The "guest stars" of the film include Alice Krige as the Borg's queen,
and James Cromwell as Zefram Cockran, the man who is to make the historic
first warp flight. Cromwell, in my humble opinion, steals every scene he is
in. As usual, there is the normal humor associated with Star Trek, although
most of it is inside jokes that would go right over the head of non Star
Trek fans.

Generally, a great film that both diehard Trek fans and your average movie
patron will enjoy.

7/10

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