Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

 

'Generations' was the fun first introduction to the new crew on the big screen and that was a cool adventure, but this one ups the ante on every level. It even has hints of horror introduced, which was rather unexpected, to be honest. This has, without a doubt, to do with the antagonist: the Borg.

For those not in the know: the Borg are a race of cybernetic beings that attack and assimilate other lifeforms to add to their own collective hive mind. In essence, they take you over and turn you into one of their mindless drones. They also look the part, with torture porn levels of implants and appendages inserted in their bodies. 

They are also beyond cool. 

Just as 'The Wrath of Khan' was a sequel of sorts to an episode of the original series, this is a sequel to a few episodes where Captain Jean-Luc Picard was sort of assimilated by the Borg, but still given enough autonomy to be an individual, which is something the Borg don't normally do. Now he is having nightmares of that time, which makes him realise the Borg are back. Indeed they are, and they have their sights set on Earth. During a massive space battle, the Borg Cube launches a smaller vessel that travels through time and the Enterprise is the only ship that follows. See, the Borg are planning to assimilate Earth in the past, so no one could ever stop them. It turns out, they've all gone back to the day before 'First Contact', which is when the people of Earth successfully test a warp drive to fly faster than light. This will then be noticed by a Vulcan ship in the vicinity, ushering in a new era of peace and eventually Starfleet. 

The Enterprise destroys the small vessel, and some people head down to make sure that the launch will happen as planned, but on the Enterprise, things are amiss. It seems some of the Borg transported onto the Enterprise and are now taking it over, deck by deck. They even kidnap the android Data to get him to join them. 

How? 

Well, it turns out the Borg are not all a hivemind, as there is a Queen who is very much the alpha and omega of the species. She is also surprisingly seductive, both in words and appearance. 

Yes, even with all those mechanical parts. I guess it's the silvery eyes. That, and she talks with the silky voice of Alice Krige, so there's that to consider as well. Picard is now on a vengeful quest to destroy the Borg once and for all, but will things go his way?

So yes, this is an entry that is truly awesome. Several things work, especially if you liked/loved the series. The use of the Borg is a great idea, as they are one of those villainous races that will stay with you, no matter what. They are creepy yet fascinating and because there was something of a budget, this is the first time they truly look menacing and scary. After this film, they reused many of the costumes present here, and with good reason. You could argue that the inclusion of an individual (the Queen) is a bit weird, but it helps the film immensely to have one central antagonist and in the end: a species that works like an insect colony having a queen is not that far-fetched. Alice Krige is great in that role, as she combines ruthlessness with coy demeanour, and her sweet talking of Data is a little kinky. It's all in the voice, and her look is feminine enough to be sexy, yet otherworldly enough to stay weird. Kudos to the design!

The scenes on the Enterprise also benefit from a tone that is more horror than adventure, helped by the fact that Jerry Goldsmith's music is more than once reminiscent of the music for 'Alien'. I'm serious: you can even recognize certain themes. You could argue this is a bit lazy, but combined with the close corridors and feeling of foreboding dread you get the closest Star Trek has ever gotten to being absolutely chilling. Picard's parallel to captain Ahab is perhaps a little too on the nose, but it is striking that the other entry of the franchise with this theme is also one of the best (yes, 'The Wrath of Khan'). 

But because this is still 'Star Trek' and only doom and gloom would probably make most people turn away from this film, the scenes on Earth are at times silly, but they are certainly a lot more lighthearted. It makes for a nice breather at times and even though I'd never suspect it, but Marina Sirtis is hilarious when she has to portray a drunk Troy. You can even see Jonathan Frakes chuckle unintentionally.

But our focal point is Brent Spiner as Data. He has a lot of time alone with the Queen and Spiner manages to play Data not just as an inquisitive child who discovers new things, but he gives the character more depth than he ever had before. Sure, they easily dance around his emotion chip problems that were so prevalent in the previous outing, but still. 

There's also a lot less technobabble, come to think of it. 

In the end 'First Contact' is a more than solid science fiction film and even if it helps if one is knowledgeable about the series and especially the Borg, it doesn't detract from the story. There is some exposition, but it is not shoved in your face and you will be able to follow the proceedings easily. So this one comes highly recommended!