It all makes ense with borg queen. She is a consequence of the episode "I Borg". The seed for individualism was layed and the borg queen formed as a knew kind of advancement in the borg evolution. Evolution instead of Revolution as humans do.
The idea that the masterpiece of First Contact could have wound up instead being Data hobnobbing with Leonardo Da Vinci in Renaissance Italy just feels like we dodged the largest and silliest bullet imaginable lol.
Data: She brought me closer to humanity than I ever thought possible, and for a time...I was tempted by her offer. Jean-Luc Picard: How long a time? Data: Zero point six eight seconds, sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity I can't stress how good and powerful these lines are.
Literally Data maturing into a man and true colleague. When Picard calls Data a friend, we feel it because that is really what he has become before our eyes. A cyborg who knows what genuine human friendship really is.
„Rick Berman gained access to a real nuclear missile silo with the missile still inside” … I feel like we glossed over that sentence a little too fast 😁
I grew up in an area with a ton of old nuclear missile silos. We visited a couple of them as a field trip, both with a real nuclear missile still inside. Neither of them had the warhead, of course. This was in '99, by the way. The US military didn't really care that much about people going into old silos because they were mostly done with using them.
Jonathan Frakes is the best! I've long appreciated him as an actor and especially as a director; he just gets it, without all the ego and other nonsense. Definitely a class act!
@@PetersonZF Agreed. Nemesis had some great potential, and if Frakes had been given the Big Chair, I believe that it would have been much better than it unfortunately turned out to be!
That Titan Missile silo is now the Titan Missile Museum not to far outside of Tuscon. The museum is absolutely fantastic, and while you’re only allowed a one hour guided tour of parts of the complex (including the launch control center), it is one of the best museums I have ever visited. There’s so much packed into such a short time. A piece of advice: a one point in the tour, they ask for a volunteer. Be that volunteer.
Piqued my interest. Too bad I will never voluntarily cross the border into America, I'll never experience it. Ah well. We have a Paul Bunyan statue somewhere around. 😑
I can't go to the US for reasons I won't go into Please, why be that volunteer? Must be something awesome, but you know the old military adage, "Never volunteer"
@@jonathanbaron-crangle5093 Spacer for the people who want to be surprised. The tour guide and the volunteer go through the standard procedure to launch a missile, including turning the keys. Veritaseum had a video showing that process at the museum, but it’s different being there and especially being that volunteer.
@@Kujakuseki01 The queen was the big screw-up for me, I could deal with then assimilating everything because of humanities unique way of thinking, but the queen destroyed the monolithic feeling the Borg had in TNG
@@Kujakuseki01 I didn't like the way they did Picard in this film either. Star Trek already did the whole Captain Ahab thing with Khan, and it just feels wrong for Picard of all people to suddenly be going on a berserk revenge quest. Now, if only they'd put Sisko in this film...
Star Trek: First Contact is my favorite movie of all time. I will never forget being 8-9 years old in 96’ and going to a local theater in Chicago with my dad and seeing this movie. Seeing that horrific zoom out from Picard’s eye ball that pulled out to show the massive internal infrastructure of the Borg Cube was shocking. This movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid but as I got older my fascination with it grew and the fact that in many ways it was a continuation to the Best of Both Worlds. As a 32 year old man now I greatly appreciate this movie for what it is now almost 25 years later and what it was then. Great video and thank you for going over this wonderful movie!
I caught it on TV when I was in kindergarten. All I could remember and vividly was Riker executing an infected crew member (for some reason my mind replaced Picard with Riker in that scene lol). I absolutely loved it. Shortly afterwards I fell in love with Stargate SG-1.
@@KageMinowara I meant more specifically ST cinematic one-liners. There are way too many in all iterations of the live-action and animated series to list.
The pinnacle of documentary style is BBC in my humble opinion and your retrospectives have the quality, detail, and organisation of a BBC-trained documentarian. I’m not sure of your opinion of BBC, but I hope you know I mean this in nothing but the most positive praise. I have actually become almost slightly dismayed when I discover one of your retrospectives are less than 30 minutes because I enjoy them so much lol.
@@johnbd9765 75% of BBC product is excellent. News is only about 5% of it's output. The anti-BBC narrative was started by commercial media (eg Murdoch) because the Beeb forces them to spend more on production to keep up and puts a squeeze on their profits. Also, to them, every person watching the BBC is one less person watching adverts. Think about that- they have the most to gain so have always pushed that narrative. As for it's news coverage, it's hard coverage is 2nd to none, it's just it's covering of politics and political issues that is often lacking ie it's Brexit coverage was sooo biased.
Associating the creator of these video's is a Shameful Total Insult ... the BBC is the Most Corrupt Disgusting Organisation in the UK ... the BBC >>> (Buggering Boys Club) is full of Peado's and Tosspots
I remember watching First Contact in the theater and seeing and hearing the audience reacting to some of the scenes and gags that real Star Trek fans would get, cheering when the Defiant starts fighting the cube, applauding as we finally get to see the REAL size Difference between Defiant and The Enterprise-E, cheering when the EMH appears, and many others. Also, there were people actually crying when the captain of the Vulcan Ship pulls back his hood, exposing those ears. Jonathan Frakes hit it out of the park with this one!
I saw it at the theatres and for a the first half I thought I was watching a Star Trek horror film because thats what it felt like. I was like wow! Then it shifted to a revenge story for a bit. I loved it and bought the DVD and watched it so much I made myself literally sick of it and struggle to watch it now. When I do watch it now I feel the stuff on earth with Cochran was needed but it really disrupts the flow of the movie. Things are tense, horrifying and claustrophobic on the ship then we cut to some cheap gags on earth. I also used to love the ending but I now find that a bit of a cop out ending. Again this is all down to me watching it too much
I always thought that the Borg Queen *was* the Borg. Normally not needed, because it did well as just a hive mind. However, even the Borg recognizes the need for one contact point that can interact with other species if needed, especially with those pesky humans that just manage to resist. This is also not really out of the norm, seeing that Locutus exists, although Locutus is not a representative avatar for the Borg, just a tool to use. And we also see later that the Borg Queen is not an individual. A Borg Queen gets destroyed, it just has a near-infinite supply of replacements that just takes off where the previous one ended. Why they all had to be female is a bigger question in that regard. Man, if only they could've made a series for the origin of the Borg.
I pretty much agree with this. I feel like the Borg Queen isn’t an all-present individual directing the Collective, but rather a representative and representation OF the Collective. Perhaps the Borg adapted to the continued resistance from the Federation by creating a role; Seven of Nine fulfilled that with Voyager during the Borg conflict with Species 8472, which was further adapted after Seven’s severance into a “Queen”, someone given a title denoting nobility who would be implicitly acknowledged as an authority within the Collective. Think about it: how may times have Federation captains been known to cease hostilities when given the chance to speak with an ambassador or leader of some kind? The Queen’s insistence that she was around when Picard was assimilated may be true, just…from a certain point of view, as it’s possible existed in some form or fashion before being given the Queen designation. In any case, his lingering connection to the Collective likely makes it easy for him to be given suggestions, so it’s possible his memory of her is entirely fabricated BY her.
The need for them to be female I think may be a kind of corruption from the collective sexuality in all living things. Even plants have their compulsions.
Yeah, people seem to forget that she has to be created. She didn't already exist. We see her being made. And, at the end, she, unlike all other Borg, continues to exist to some degree when her organic parts are dissolved. They needed a Queen in this instance. That said, it seems that, when they do this, and form an individual, it creates a weak point. Disconnecting Locutus causes a chain reaction, causing them to self destruct. Killing the Queen shuts down all the drones. My theory with the Queen here is that she is needed whenever the Borg have only small numbers and need to assimilate. They don't want the new minds to overwhelm the collective. So they need an individual with her own direction to take charge. As for why she's female? She originally existed. Either she was their leader at one point, or the first Queen was based on her. Perhaps the first Queen was like Locutus, just a promoted Drone that retained individuality and this helped them survive. And, since her being female never was a problem, there's no point to change that. Heck, maybe the sexuality she presents helped--why else would it be there? As for Locutus, they say they do this when encountering a new species, to have someone to talk to the individuals. Granted, maybe they don't always do this, but humanity had come to them and sparked their curiosity then vanished without any known way for them to do so (thanks to Q). Hence we became a priority to assimilate, to know how we escaped. So perhaps not all species get this treatment. But it still makes them more vulnerable. The individual can be more easily saved. They don't wind up like High, with no individuality other than the one he encounters. They have their residual selves. Even Seven of Nine had that, and she was Voyager's liaison. Though I do still wonder how, if the Borg regularly assimilate individuals, Hugh's individuality became a problem. Maybe it was that they didn't realize that he had been altered, and so he got through the firewall. And there was no Queen active at the time to just dismiss this thought.This is the one thing that makes me wonder if the Queen was actually a new idea instead of an old one, based on what had happened before. It did take them while to come up with this plan, and they sure put a whole lot into assimilating Earth, seemingly using time travel for the first time. That is probably the biggest actual issue. It's not the Queen. It's giving the Borg time travel. Why wouldn't they just use that to go back and assimilate everyone? Most of the time there won't be another ship caught on the "temporal wake." Somehow it has to be something they couldn't just use all the time, but it's hard to come up with a reasonable restriction, when they have the collective knowledge of how to time travel from every species they've assimilated, and all the resources to do it.
It was always a female and therefore a queen simply because the Borg are modeled on insect hives. Ants, bees, wasps, etc. have a queen as well as drones/workers, which were the only type of Borg we'd seen til that point in the ST universe. Since Borg are modeled off of insects it makes more sense on a subconscious level to have a Borg Queen. It taps into our background knowledge of nature on Earth and lets the viewer make logical suppositions like "kill the Queen and you kill the whole hive." I guess I'm saying that the echos/parallels with known Earth nature make it "feel right" on a gut level.
Data's fist-pump in the previous movie may be more memorable...but I just love the contempt in his voice/face when he delivers "Resistence...is futile!!!" with gritted teeth
They did manage to do a great job of updating the look of the Borg, and the music is outstanding. Just listening to a few notes of the theme written for this movie is incredibly nostalgic and uplifting.
I will always love First Contact, not only for being a fantastic movie but for being the thing that got me into star trek originally. Before I'd seen bits and pieces of the movies and tv shows but this was the first movie I watched beginning to end and I loved it even without knowing what was fully going on.
I love how this movie explored on a different front, Picard's trauma from his experience with the Borg. His descent into revenge illustrate that though Trek takes place in the future, it's still populated with people who are Human, and as such, are fully capable of being influenced by their past and can therefore make mistakes. These Captains we love, including Picard, aren't perfect, and yet there is much we can appreciate about them. One of the things I love most about this movie is the character work they did with Picard.
Agreed this reminds me of a quark quote from ds9: "take away their replicators and sonic showers and these so called civilised humans become more bloodthirsty than a klingon" (I may be paraphrasing slightly)
Jerry Goldsmith's overall theme in this one I think is probably the best music in all of ST. And it's inclusion in the scene with First Contact with the Vulcans brings tears whenever I watch it.
Best Trek movie that came out in my time, saw it three times in theaters when I was 10. Frakes did a great job directing, the whole cast was amazing and Cromwell and Alice Krige were great additions.
Not all of the TOS ones were either. The even number movies are always better than the odd numbers hence why he mentioned Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country which are 2 and 6 in the list.
I thought Generations was OK and I understand some fans have a lot to say about that, but IMO it was a pretty nice film that served as a fine introduction to the big screen for the TNG cast, certainly more entertaining and easier to digest film than The Motion Picture was for the TOS cast. As for the other two, I like them (being a TNG fan as I am), but recognise they are not GREAT films.
Saw this in the theaters when I was young. Was the first thing of Startrek I ever saw. Then never watched anything else until two years ago now I'm pretty obsessed.
I understand the criticism that the Borg Queen kind of ruins what's so terrifying about the Borg, but there's a reason; I can't say for certain Trek meant to do it this way exactly, but they at least set up the possibility for something LIKE the Borg Queen to exist -- they did this 2 ways exactly: 1) Locutus: Picard, himself, was turned into a Borg Queen-like figure to fight humankind. The Borg assimilated Picard specifically because they imagined it'd make assimilating humans easier (both through his knowledge of Starfleet secrets, and to simply have a human-like symbol to present to humanity, as an arbiter) 2) Hugh: Hugh's already infected the Borg with individuality; the Borg are beginning to suffer because of it. They didn't need a Queen before, but they do NOW. They need a Queen like bees in a hive, as opposed to a collective of machines that make up a whole. A slow drift toward a more organic existence.
The idea that the Borg wouldn’t try to create a form of individualism to counteract the wins of an individual-focused threat (the Federation species), especially with the raw materials for such an experiment being abundant, is absurd. The Borg have no moral imperative to be a hivemind, it’s only been judged as an evolutionary success. Seeing some arm of the Borg hive, a particularly ambitious arm with the whole time travel thing, pursue the strengths of their enemy in order to outcompete their evolutionary advantages against assimilation makes perfect sense to me. I actually had no idea the Queen was considered controversial. The Borg being a monolith and unchanging is completely antithesis to the whole assimilation thing. Why bother collecting unique strengths if you aren’t going to utilize them?
@@theflyingkaramazovbrothers6 the FC Queen was cut off from the Collective, so she did represent all the Borg in the sphere. The Voyager Queen was at the very core of their civilization, the button pusher of her people who are otherwise monolithic. It's greatly hinted that there is no one 'queen' as a person, but that one develops as needed when a focal point is required, one that occasionally will display traits of organic beings, since the Borg are themselves technoorganic and not exempt from sentience.
The ending scene of First Contact where the vulcans arrive is one of my favourite movie scenes of all time. And... also yeah I really love "Assimilate THIS!!!"
I was just a kiddo but I remember seeing this in theaters when it came out. I'll never forget the audience cheering when the Vulcans threw up their gang sign. Although I didn't understand why until I was older, Picard becoming more unhinged throughout was unnerving to me. Since he was always calm and collected in TNG.
I remember as a 7 yr old getting my dad to rent the VHS tape of First Contact over and over again so many weeks in a row. I remember the holographic cover where one side would show the normal poster and the other would show Picard and Data assimilated. I was fascinated by this movie by its action-horror juxtaposed with such hopeful promise of a better future. This movie cemented me as a Star Trek fan, is 100% my favorite Star Trek movie of all time
First Contact is my absolute favorite of all the Star Trek movies, bar none!! I think it is fantastic in every way!! Story, FX, acting, direction, music, pacing, action, heart - all absolutely top notch!!
It's such a treat every time these retrospectives are released. I'm in hard lockdown in Australia right now and this type of regular content is a big part of what keeps me sane - thanks Rowan!
Since the Trek films had demonstrared limited overseas appeal, the studio was vigilantly spartan (or parsimonious) with their budgets. Thus, it would seem highly unlikely that a scene with DS9 commander Sisko would have been filmed (extra 💱 to a topline actor for a superfluous scene).
Given that the Defiant was built to fight the Borg, I'd rather imagine Starfleet Command ordered Sisko to take the ship into the fight, and him ordering Worf to lead that mission.
Star Trek First Contact and Undiscovered Country are my two favorite Star Trek movies hands down. I love what they did with the Borg. In TNG they were little more than a nuisance. But in First Contact, they are downright scary!
My Favourite Star Trek Film with one of Jerry Goldsmith's Best Scores (I really Wish that First Contact's Theme was used for Star Trek: Enterprise), Wonderfully Atmospheric Cinematography and Some of the Best Acting I've seen from Sir Patrick Stewart. Alfre Woodard also makes everything better by her mere presence in my eyes.
The scene where Picard apologises to worf for yelling at him is one of the most powerful moments in the film and it’s amazing moments in the film that cements it as my personal favourite
This movie always creeped me out as a kid. The borg theme with its, ahem, droning sound, along with the scenes of the crew getting corrupted and turning into borg really unsettled me. Also, the scenes where Troi was drunk were the best scenes in the movie and were so hilarious.
Defiant Helm Crewman : Main power is off-line, we've lost shields and our weapons are gone! Lt. Commander Worf : [hits console] Perhaps today *is* a good day to die! Prepare for ramming speed! Defiant Helm Crewman : Sir, there's another star ship coming in... it's the Enterprise! That scene bringing Worf into the fray was among my favorite seeing First Contact at the theater opening weekend of November 1996. I couldn't help but think to myself, who was giving the Defiant and her crew the hardest time? The Borg or Worf? One of my favorite theater going experiences ever.
I agree with the criticisms that the Borg Queen ruins the Borg, but the concept is so well executed in First Contact that I can almost forget that. Almost.
Yeah, honestly IDK what's the problem. They make drones to fill needs. The Queen fills a need in this case seducing Data to unlock the Ent computers, and I guess we are to believe Picard once.
@@johnbd9765 The Queen defined herself as: "I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg." Although this suggested she was an individual within the Collective, and while she addressed Borg drones as "my drones", she was not an individual. She was the embodiment of the Collective itself. She was a gestalt, one from many, but greater than the sum of the parts.
there would be a problem if the Borg had no leadership at all, they would be really boring to write. That's why villains like the human Cylons in BSG, Dessler from Star Blazers/ SB Yamato and Vreetai/Breetai from Macross/Robotech are very popular, they aren't like their common soldiers and make you curious.
I've just caught up with this retrospective series and I've gotta say, these videos are fucking phenomenal. The amount of research, writing, and editing that must've gone into these is insane, but the result is an entire SERIES of absolutely top-tier documentaries. Thanks so much, and I can't wait for the next one!
I always thought the very idea of the Borg Queen was brilliant. Through her, the Borg have weaponized individualism as if it were any other technology or system they've incorporated throughout their existence.
IMO This is the high water mark in Star Trek movies. I’m a rabid fan of the fantastic Star Trek 2 and 6 movies. First Contact is even better. Thank you Jonathan Frakes, you should be proud. It has everything. It’s an action movie. Horror movie. Suspense. Comedy. Fantastic sci-fi elements. Complex yet approachable plot. All with so much heart woven throughout. The new uniforms, new enterprise, the meeting of the Vulcans. Vintage warp speed. THE FREAKIN BORG. The soundtrack… I bet the movie revived Steppenwolf lol. But the maturing of the already well fleshed-out characters. That’s where this movie ultimately shines.
Star Trek: First Contact is my favorite Next Generation movie and best overall. James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, and Alice Krige were all outstanding and helped make this movie top notch. The first contact with the Vulcans theme made the movie thrilling. I'd always wondered how that had gone down and this movie answered this question to my satisfaction. This is the one Star Trek movie I watch over and over.
I really like the new Starfleet uniforms in this movie. They are a big improvement of the DS9 versions, and also add a certain gravitas to the film characters .
@@procyon6370 You misunderstand me. It is not as the preceeding uniforms are uniformly bad or something. They are fine, but these other clothes just gives off a much more grittier impression. DS9 was indeed very lucky to get such a makeover. But do not in the slightest take It is a putdown on VOYAGER, which is a unfairly underrated series .
You misunderstand ME- the uniforms ought to be called different things: There are the TNG uniforms, created for TNG. There are the DS9 uniforms, created for DS9, which are erroneously called the Voyager uniforms as they were used for all seven seasons of that show, compared to only the first four seasons and a few more episodes of DS9. There are the TNG movie uniforms, created for First Contact, which are erroneously called the DS9 uniforms, as they were used for most of the final three seasons of that show, compared to only the 4 TNG movies.
Yeah never liked the baggy DS9 jumpsuits, using them for VOY seemed a mistake & then we have the mess of using 2 uniform types in Generations! It made sense to adopt separate uniforms given Starfleet were invited in to operate DS9 but that should have been the limit
This movie was great and one that I watch frequently as it's my favorite TNG movie. Though, I'll never forget how awkward the reveal of the Vulcans was at the end of this film. I saw the film in the theater and a huge number of people burst into laughter. For whatever reason, the general audience was not prepared for that reveal.
It's the most essential movie in the Star Trek universe. It makes you wonder.... If the TNG crew didn't follow the Borg back in time, would Cochran have actually launched his warp ship??
I absolutely loved first contact for me it is by far by most favourite Trek film. Incredible music, the best villains Star Trek invented, Picard showing his action side. There’s just so much to love
This was was perfect combo of old and new. It felt like the perfect (next generation) Star Trek tv show. The graphics, camera shots, music, character development, set design, clothing, dialogue, supporting actors ... were perfect! The whole movie was super smooth from start to finish.
Definitely my favorite Star Trek movie. I was one of the people who scoffed at the idea of having a Borg queen, but when I saw the movie I did a full 180. Alice Krige as the Borg queen is up there as one of the greatest Star Trek villains of all time. Like many iconic movie villians, she strikes the perfect balance between being terrifying and being alluring.
Before I even watch- First Contact is my FAVORITE ST:TNG movie. I love the story, the heart, the casting… ugh! And then watching it again after reading the Destiny Trilogy and then Greater than the Sum, omg… I really wish they could bring the true story of The Borg to life; the history to the “present.” SO GOOD!!
Met Alice Krige at a convention a few years ago - lovely lady, very small and delicate - a definite surprise considering how she feels the screen in this film
That's the sign of a great actor/actress when they can circumvent their physical stature with awesome screen presence. The ability to grab your attention while they are on screen is something every actor and actress should aspire to.
When Cochrane uttered those words I can imagine alot of people were expecting a fourth wall break and to be honest it would have been hilarious even if it were for the briefest of seconds were you weren't sure it had happened and you had to rewatch it just to be sure.
God no, I cringe at that moment. I think it was done far better when Q said, "It's time to put an end to your trek through the stars," in All Good Things.
@@PetersonZF Though I do not mind what Zeframe Cochran said, I too think Q said it better. But then, "All Good Things..." is a far better installment than Nemesis, Insurrection, and Generations.
As a Star Trek fan ( turning 73 - March 2025) for most of my life, I so appreciate your willingness to say that various episodes movies and scenes bring a tear to your eyes, as so happens with me during my favorite episodes and movies. I was heavily criticized by a woman I was married to - her saying "It's just a TV show!" To which I unspoken said "Not to me!! My favorite Voyager episode is Death Wish, because I know so well, if we do not have a "game" a purpose, a challenge in our lives we decay and often perish. My favorite NG episode is Family, because of the terrific acting and actors present in this episode. I really like the DS9 episode The Defiant. It is so good to see Dr. Bashir stand his ground against a worn out and argumentative Kira and then of course Frakes acting as his counterpart and the interplay on Kardasia between Ducot and Cisco. Original series favorite - certainly the one about Kodos the executioner and movies - The Voyage Home - for the lighthearted fun it represents. I work from home for the family printing business, basically sending endless e-mails to generate jobs for the company. Your multiple part series which I have watched before made it bearable to stay working which would have been difficult and tedious without your series to keep me seated and working Thanks! Finally, at convention, since I look enough like Patrick Stewart / Picard, I have had so much fun "cos-playing" the captain many times. The best was when I dressed as Dixon Hill, complete with Dixon Hill business cards printed by my son for me. When I handed one to a fellow Trek fan, dressed AS Hill, the look on her eyes was something I will NEVER forget! Fun!!
The way I always interpret the Queen is as a individualistic manifestation of the collective, and we kinda see this with the way the drones all interact with her. She isn't revered, or anything like that, she's simply another member of the collective with a very intentional role. Much in the same way that Locutus clearly stood out from drones, and seemed to have been designated with a "unique" role.
I can't believe it was 25 years ago I first saw this film. They hit a home run with this film, everything from the story, to the music, the character development, the guest stars. I never quite thought about it but you're right. It does have some of the feel and pacing of a horror film at times. Especially the scene on the deflector dish. The last great star trek film and really the pinnacle of the franchise.
So that's how the (eeewww) Borg queen scene was done. Yes, that one really was like "whooaaa how did they do this?" first time watching a Star Trek production that looked light Sub Zero's Fatality.
One thing of note is how different TNG is than the original cast. Stewart pushing to better Frakes career in being a champion for Frakes in getting the directing job. They were friends and not in competition. They just wanted a better movie or show and also wanted to see the others do better and not be jealous of someone doing better. It makes the original cast seem almost childish.
Frakes, with a naughty schoolboy grin on his face."To see Counsellor Troi under the influence of 5 or 6 shots of Tequila is worth the admission price alone" ........... You are not wrong sir. Makes me smile just thinking about it :-)
I get why they did it, but I felt like not exploring the Borg as a Gestalt hive mind with no hierarchy was a missed opportunity that other science fiction franchises have had a chance to explore in detail. Mass Effect and the Geth and Reapers of that Franchise are fascinating in their exploration of what constitutes a consciousness
my favourite of the movies, it feels like the perfect story for the big screen where Generations and Insurrection felt more like TV movies. It's a shame it has never been followed up by a better movie. Even with the Queen controversy which I get, I'm happy to ignore it because the character is totally needed for the film to work and it actually justifies Data being a more stand out character for the movies. All in all I can easily rewatch the film every fear and enjoy it for an action romp with some heart in it.
First contact is in my top 3 favourite Star Trek movies. To me, the Borg Queen complete the Borg concept. She is indeed both fierce, cold and sexy. All attributes that enhances the idea of the Borg - even though she a personification of the collective.
Minor point, but the viewscreen on the Enterprise-D was also meant to be holographic, and it was (usually if not always) depicted as such if a bit subtly. Occasionally there are shots of someone standing on the bridge in front of the viewscreen, filmed from the side, in which the person on the viewscreen is also shot in profile. Easy to miss but I think it was pretty consistent throughout TNG.
He means that the Enterprise-E's viewscreen appears as a blank wall until a holographic overlay was projected onto it. They didn't do that for TNG and dispensed with the idea for the other TNG films after First Contact in favour of a more traditional viewscreen. Which is too bad because I loved that idea from First Contact.
@@Xondar11223344 yeah I understand the visual thing he's referencing in the video, which makes the nature of the screen more explicit of course. But he mentioned it in contrast with the Enterprise-D, which isn't quite correct. (Also, yeah it's a cool visual moment, but also a little silly that they were all maybe just staring at a carpeted wall until then)
@@illyth63 I kinda think a viewscreen would be valuable real estate for displaying graphical information about ship status and functions and the like, so I'm not sure they'd use the "viewscreen is just a wall" feature very much. I do think a carpeted wall makes more sense than an actual window out into space newer Star Trek has decided to go all in on recently.
I love this movie so much! The Enterprise E, The sovereign class is just my favorite. I still remember that first time I saw it in the theater I was just like what the hell? It's beautiful 😍
I didn't know Tom Hanks was considered for the role of Zephram Cochrane. It would have been amusing to see him piloting another multi-staged spacecraft with a cone-shaped three-seater cockpit on a historic space mission just a year after Apollo 13.
I'll have to respectfully disagree with the narrator about one thing. This movie is easily my favorite of all the films, followed closely with The Voyage Home, Generations and Wrath of Khan. All of which I was lucky enough to see in the theater when they first came out.
I can hardly wait for the rest of the Star Trek to feature this series of review. As big fan, I have seen many takes on the franchise. Reviews of the series, the movies, and of course every ones idea of what made or break the franchise. There's hundreds of videos out there. I like your take on it better because it talks about the stories AND the story of they came about. The background of the making of it. Thank you for this Retrospective review series of Star Trek. I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your effort to give an unbiased honest assessment. Live long and prosper!
As far as I know, the "class" of a starship is usually the name of the first ship that uses that chassis. So for all of the Enterprise ships to be of a different class, it would mean there are other first ships that may have similar experiences, only with more "first time" problems. I would love to see new Star Trek series with the Galaxy and the Sovereign and so on. Hopefully without any connection or contact with other series.
What I like about FC is that everything and everyone looks fantastic! The sets, the Enterprise, the costumes and especially Dr Crusher and Troi! The Make Up of Worf and the Borg was top notch and I still pause the scene when they walk on the saucer section. The level of detail is incredible! In ‘96 Trek was really at it’s peak! First Contact in the theatres and on TV 30 years of Star Trek was celebrated with DS9’s Trials and Tribbelations. I was 12 years old back then but I’m still happy to have witnessed it all!
Star Trek: First Contact is hands down the best TNG feature film of all, a confluence of events, circumstances and individuals that resulted in a filmic tour de force! Peace and long life! ✌
First Contact is the only Star Trek movie that I turned off in the middle of my initial viewing of the movie. I was ten when I saw it on VHS and the Borg scared the crap out of me so much that I asked the person watching it with me to turn it off. And then asked them to put on the VHS of Encounter at Farpoint for me. Lol. Even at ten years old I couldn't handle the really scary stuff.
I love how, in a later DS9 episode, Armin Shimerman as Quark gets to poke fun at Picard's line: "The line must be drawn HERE! This far, no farther!" :D
Picard finally works through his PTSD. As someone who suffers the same, i saw it right away in this film. It's a great exploration of how it changes a person and how it often takes someone external, to point it out.
I love this movie, its firmly second on my list of Trek movies, just under Wrath of Khan :) The soundtrack is so incredibly emotional to, it can really hit you if your not paying attention.
FC had several effects on the franchise: VOY got the Borg sets and costumes to play with, DS9 took over the movie uniforms and ENT used First Contact at its spawning point (and even referenced the Borg in a 1st season episode with a hidden 1701-E).
ST:FC was probably the first movie I ever saw; and I still stand by its probably the one of the best ST movies made to date; especially from a technical and pacing front. The fairest comparison id say is its ST's answer to Aliens.
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It all makes ense with borg queen. She is a consequence of the episode "I Borg". The seed for individualism was layed and the borg queen formed as a knew kind of advancement in the borg evolution. Evolution instead of Revolution as humans do.
As usual great job 👍
@@jave2274 That's a great take on the lore!
@@jave2274 Laid *
Your videography & documentary skills reminds me of growing up with Star Trek & Documentaries
The idea that the masterpiece of First Contact could have wound up instead being Data hobnobbing with Leonardo Da Vinci in Renaissance Italy just feels like we dodged the largest and silliest bullet imaginable lol.
Masterpiece?? Really though??? 😂😂
It feels like some 1st or 2nd season mid season filler doesn't it?
Although Janeway got to "Meet" DaVinci on the Holodeck...
@@tdog999100 yea idk about "Masterpiece" lol. Was a good movie though.
Can definitely tell Picard's part was meant for Riker - Picard the action hero a la Die Hard lol
Data: She brought me closer to humanity than I ever thought possible, and for a time...I was tempted by her offer.
Jean-Luc Picard: How long a time?
Data: Zero point six eight seconds, sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity
I can't stress how good and powerful these lines are.
We were THIS close to greatness!
@@ChuckNorrisIsNothing no
Something I watched recently had Data saying .86 seconds yeah it's
.68 definitely.
Literally Data maturing into a man and true colleague. When Picard calls Data a friend, we feel it because that is really what he has become before our eyes. A cyborg who knows what genuine human friendship really is.
„Rick Berman gained access to a real nuclear missile silo with the missile still inside” … I feel like we glossed over that sentence a little too fast 😁
A bit unnerving, isn’t it?
I grew up in an area with a ton of old nuclear missile silos. We visited a couple of them as a field trip, both with a real nuclear missile still inside. Neither of them had the warhead, of course. This was in '99, by the way. The US military didn't really care that much about people going into old silos because they were mostly done with using them.
@@enhydralutra you live in a weird country 😁
He said hollowed out missile
@@kkehoe5 you must be fun at parties 🙄
How awesome is Jonathan Frakes? He always looks like he's having fun and is always great in interview footage!
While all the main cast enjoyed their parts Frakes seems to have a particular affinity for his role a William T. Riker
always enthusiatic on stage, and in person
Jonathan Frakes is the best! I've long appreciated him as an actor and especially as a director; he just gets it, without all the ego and other nonsense.
Definitely a class act!
Aye, they should have given him Nemesis.
@@PetersonZF Agreed. Nemesis had some great potential, and if Frakes had been given the Big Chair, I believe that it would have been much better than it unfortunately turned out to be!
That Titan Missile silo is now the Titan Missile Museum not to far outside of Tuscon. The museum is absolutely fantastic, and while you’re only allowed a one hour guided tour of parts of the complex (including the launch control center), it is one of the best museums I have ever visited. There’s so much packed into such a short time.
A piece of advice: a one point in the tour, they ask for a volunteer. Be that volunteer.
Awesome! I’m headed to Arizona soon and will definitely check it out.
Piqued my interest. Too bad I will never voluntarily cross the border into America, I'll never experience it.
Ah well. We have a Paul Bunyan statue somewhere around. 😑
I can't go to the US for reasons I won't go into
Please, why be that volunteer? Must be something awesome, but you know the old military adage, "Never volunteer"
@@jonathanbaron-crangle5093 Spacer for the people who want to be surprised.
The tour guide and the volunteer go through the standard procedure to launch a missile, including turning the keys. Veritaseum had a video showing that process at the museum, but it’s different being there and especially being that volunteer.
I was that volunteer on my visit, it was…surreal
The best of the next generation films
Easily.
That’s not saying much. It’s got it’s highs but it’s still not a great film, and most certainly ruined the borg.
@@Kujakuseki01 The queen was the big screw-up for me, I could deal with then assimilating everything because of humanities unique way of thinking, but the queen destroyed the monolithic feeling the Borg had in TNG
@@Kujakuseki01 I didn't like the way they did Picard in this film either. Star Trek already did the whole Captain Ahab thing with Khan, and it just feels wrong for Picard of all people to suddenly be going on a berserk revenge quest.
Now, if only they'd put Sisko in this film...
@@imperium3556 if they put Sisko in the film it would be a really short film. 🤜🏿😜
Star Trek: First Contact is my favorite movie of all time. I will never forget being 8-9 years old in 96’ and going to a local theater in Chicago with my dad and seeing this movie. Seeing that horrific zoom out from Picard’s eye ball that pulled out to show the massive internal infrastructure of the Borg Cube was shocking. This movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid but as I got older my fascination with it grew and the fact that in many ways it was a continuation to the Best of Both Worlds. As a 32 year old man now I greatly appreciate this movie for what it is now almost 25 years later and what it was then. Great video and thank you for going over this wonderful movie!
I caught it on TV when I was in kindergarten. All I could remember and vividly was Riker executing an infected crew member (for some reason my mind replaced Picard with Riker in that scene lol). I absolutely loved it. Shortly afterwards I fell in love with Stargate SG-1.
"Assimilate THIS!" (16:14) is one of my favorite Star Trek one-liners.
Thanks for the like Rowan.
@@ZeroAnalogy It is pretty good. Though not as good as Worf telling Q to "Die."
@@KageMinowara I meant more specifically ST cinematic one-liners. There are way too many in all iterations of the live-action and animated series to list.
"Little?" 🤨
The other one also uttered by Worf is "I am not a merry man!"
The pinnacle of documentary style is BBC in my humble opinion and your retrospectives have the quality, detail, and organisation of a BBC-trained documentarian. I’m not sure of your opinion of BBC, but I hope you know I mean this in nothing but the most positive praise. I have actually become almost slightly dismayed when I discover one of your retrospectives are less than 30 minutes because I enjoy them so much lol.
Same. I like his long videos too.
Sounds like you're saying you love BBC
@@johnbd9765 75% of BBC product is excellent. News is only about 5% of it's output. The anti-BBC narrative was started by commercial media (eg Murdoch) because the Beeb forces them to spend more on production to keep up and puts a squeeze on their profits. Also, to them, every person watching the BBC is one less person watching adverts. Think about that- they have the most to gain so have always pushed that narrative. As for it's news coverage, it's hard coverage is 2nd to none, it's just it's covering of politics and political issues that is often lacking ie it's Brexit coverage was sooo biased.
I have to absolutely agree with this comment. The depth, detail and entertainment value of your videos is impressive. Thank you !
Associating the creator of these video's is a Shameful Total Insult ... the BBC is the Most Corrupt Disgusting Organisation in the UK ... the BBC >>> (Buggering Boys Club) is full of Peado's and Tosspots
First Contact came out 25 years ago? Holy moly. Time flies.
27 years now
I remember watching First Contact in the theater and seeing and hearing the audience reacting to some of the scenes and gags that real Star Trek fans would get, cheering when the Defiant starts fighting the cube, applauding as we finally get to see the REAL size Difference between Defiant and The Enterprise-E, cheering when the EMH appears, and many others. Also, there were people actually crying when the captain of the Vulcan Ship pulls back his hood, exposing those ears. Jonathan Frakes hit it out of the park with this one!
I saw it at the theatres and for a the first half I thought I was watching a Star Trek horror film because thats what it felt like. I was like wow! Then it shifted to a revenge story for a bit. I loved it and bought the DVD and watched it so much I made myself literally sick of it and struggle to watch it now. When I do watch it now I feel the stuff on earth with Cochran was needed but it really disrupts the flow of the movie. Things are tense, horrifying and claustrophobic on the ship then we cut to some cheap gags on earth. I also used to love the ending but I now find that a bit of a cop out ending. Again this is all down to me watching it too much
I always thought that the Borg Queen *was* the Borg. Normally not needed, because it did well as just a hive mind. However, even the Borg recognizes the need for one contact point that can interact with other species if needed, especially with those pesky humans that just manage to resist. This is also not really out of the norm, seeing that Locutus exists, although Locutus is not a representative avatar for the Borg, just a tool to use. And we also see later that the Borg Queen is not an individual. A Borg Queen gets destroyed, it just has a near-infinite supply of replacements that just takes off where the previous one ended. Why they all had to be female is a bigger question in that regard.
Man, if only they could've made a series for the origin of the Borg.
The Borg Queen idea was also brought over to Voyager. That series really did a deep dive into the Borg storylines.
I pretty much agree with this. I feel like the Borg Queen isn’t an all-present individual directing the Collective, but rather a representative and representation OF the Collective.
Perhaps the Borg adapted to the continued resistance from the Federation by creating a role; Seven of Nine fulfilled that with Voyager during the Borg conflict with Species 8472, which was further adapted after Seven’s severance into a “Queen”, someone given a title denoting nobility who would be implicitly acknowledged as an authority within the Collective. Think about it: how may times have Federation captains been known to cease hostilities when given the chance to speak with an ambassador or leader of some kind?
The Queen’s insistence that she was around when Picard was assimilated may be true, just…from a certain point of view, as it’s possible existed in some form or fashion before being given the Queen designation. In any case, his lingering connection to the Collective likely makes it easy for him to be given suggestions, so it’s possible his memory of her is entirely fabricated BY her.
The need for them to be female I think may be a kind of corruption from the collective sexuality in all living things. Even plants have their compulsions.
Yeah, people seem to forget that she has to be created. She didn't already exist. We see her being made. And, at the end, she, unlike all other Borg, continues to exist to some degree when her organic parts are dissolved. They needed a Queen in this instance.
That said, it seems that, when they do this, and form an individual, it creates a weak point. Disconnecting Locutus causes a chain reaction, causing them to self destruct. Killing the Queen shuts down all the drones.
My theory with the Queen here is that she is needed whenever the Borg have only small numbers and need to assimilate. They don't want the new minds to overwhelm the collective. So they need an individual with her own direction to take charge.
As for why she's female? She originally existed. Either she was their leader at one point, or the first Queen was based on her. Perhaps the first Queen was like Locutus, just a promoted Drone that retained individuality and this helped them survive. And, since her being female never was a problem, there's no point to change that. Heck, maybe the sexuality she presents helped--why else would it be there?
As for Locutus, they say they do this when encountering a new species, to have someone to talk to the individuals. Granted, maybe they don't always do this, but humanity had come to them and sparked their curiosity then vanished without any known way for them to do so (thanks to Q). Hence we became a priority to assimilate, to know how we escaped. So perhaps not all species get this treatment.
But it still makes them more vulnerable. The individual can be more easily saved. They don't wind up like High, with no individuality other than the one he encounters. They have their residual selves. Even Seven of Nine had that, and she was Voyager's liaison.
Though I do still wonder how, if the Borg regularly assimilate individuals, Hugh's individuality became a problem. Maybe it was that they didn't realize that he had been altered, and so he got through the firewall. And there was no Queen active at the time to just dismiss this thought.This is the one thing that makes me wonder if the Queen was actually a new idea instead of an old one, based on what had happened before. It did take them while to come up with this plan, and they sure put a whole lot into assimilating Earth, seemingly using time travel for the first time.
That is probably the biggest actual issue. It's not the Queen. It's giving the Borg time travel. Why wouldn't they just use that to go back and assimilate everyone? Most of the time there won't be another ship caught on the "temporal wake." Somehow it has to be something they couldn't just use all the time, but it's hard to come up with a reasonable restriction, when they have the collective knowledge of how to time travel from every species they've assimilated, and all the resources to do it.
It was always a female and therefore a queen simply because the Borg are modeled on insect hives. Ants, bees, wasps, etc. have a queen as well as drones/workers, which were the only type of Borg we'd seen til that point in the ST universe. Since Borg are modeled off of insects it makes more sense on a subconscious level to have a Borg Queen. It taps into our background knowledge of nature on Earth and lets the viewer make logical suppositions like "kill the Queen and you kill the whole hive." I guess I'm saying that the echos/parallels with known Earth nature make it "feel right" on a gut level.
Picard's scream when he destroys the ship display case was so iconic, it was even used in a south park episode as Randy destroys sth
First contact is my absolute favorite star trek movie. 😍
Data's fist-pump in the previous movie may be more memorable...but I just love the contempt in his voice/face when he delivers "Resistence...is futile!!!" with gritted teeth
They did manage to do a great job of updating the look of the Borg, and the music is outstanding. Just listening to a few notes of the theme written for this movie is incredibly nostalgic and uplifting.
To me, the theme created for this movie is hands down the most beautiful piece of music ever composed.
I will always love First Contact, not only for being a fantastic movie but for being the thing that got me into star trek originally. Before I'd seen bits and pieces of the movies and tv shows but this was the first movie I watched beginning to end and I loved it even without knowing what was fully going on.
I love how this movie explored on a different front, Picard's trauma from his experience with the Borg. His descent into revenge illustrate that though Trek takes place in the future, it's still populated with people who are Human, and as such, are fully capable of being influenced by their past and can therefore make mistakes. These Captains we love, including Picard, aren't perfect, and yet there is much we can appreciate about them. One of the things I love most about this movie is the character work they did with Picard.
Agreed this reminds me of a quark quote from ds9: "take away their replicators and sonic showers and these so called civilised humans become more bloodthirsty than a klingon" (I may be paraphrasing slightly)
Einer meiner Favoriten ever mit einem brillanten Soundtrack!
Jerry Goldsmith's overall theme in this one I think is probably the best music in all of ST. And it's inclusion in the scene with First Contact with the Vulcans brings tears whenever I watch it.
And then Janeway becomes an artist's apprentice, learning from Leonardo and fighting a nobleman and his soldiers...
Best Trek movie that came out in my time, saw it three times in theaters when I was 10. Frakes did a great job directing, the whole cast was amazing and Cromwell and Alice Krige were great additions.
Cromwell was a terrible choice. Was nothing like the original Cochran from TOS
"The Voyager team was finally given the green light."
I see what you did there.
Why couldn't all the Next Generation films be this good?
Yeah this was certainly the peak and by a fair margin
Not all of the TOS ones were either.
The even number movies are always better than the odd numbers hence why he mentioned Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country which are 2 and 6 in the list.
@@DarkLordDiablos And the Voyage Home. I know you probably simply forgot to mention but I had to make sure.
I thought Generations was OK and I understand some fans have a lot to say about that, but IMO it was a pretty nice film that served as a fine introduction to the big screen for the TNG cast, certainly more entertaining and easier to digest film than The Motion Picture was for the TOS cast.
As for the other two, I like them (being a TNG fan as I am), but recognise they are not GREAT films.
@@DarkLordDiablos Yeah, Nemesis and Into Darkness really blew that principle out of the water!
Saw this in the theaters when I was young. Was the first thing of Startrek I ever saw. Then never watched anything else until two years ago now I'm pretty obsessed.
I understand the criticism that the Borg Queen kind of ruins what's so terrifying about the Borg, but there's a reason; I can't say for certain Trek meant to do it this way exactly, but they at least set up the possibility for something LIKE the Borg Queen to exist -- they did this 2 ways exactly:
1) Locutus: Picard, himself, was turned into a Borg Queen-like figure to fight humankind. The Borg assimilated Picard specifically because they imagined it'd make assimilating humans easier (both through his knowledge of Starfleet secrets, and to simply have a human-like symbol to present to humanity, as an arbiter)
2) Hugh: Hugh's already infected the Borg with individuality; the Borg are beginning to suffer because of it. They didn't need a Queen before, but they do NOW. They need a Queen like bees in a hive, as opposed to a collective of machines that make up a whole. A slow drift toward a more organic existence.
The idea that the Borg wouldn’t try to create a form of individualism to counteract the wins of an individual-focused threat (the Federation species), especially with the raw materials for such an experiment being abundant, is absurd. The Borg have no moral imperative to be a hivemind, it’s only been judged as an evolutionary success. Seeing some arm of the Borg hive, a particularly ambitious arm with the whole time travel thing, pursue the strengths of their enemy in order to outcompete their evolutionary advantages against assimilation makes perfect sense to me.
I actually had no idea the Queen was considered controversial. The Borg being a monolith and unchanging is completely antithesis to the whole assimilation thing. Why bother collecting unique strengths if you aren’t going to utilize them?
@@theflyingkaramazovbrothers6 the FC Queen was cut off from the Collective, so she did represent all the Borg in the sphere. The Voyager Queen was at the very core of their civilization, the button pusher of her people who are otherwise monolithic. It's greatly hinted that there is no one 'queen' as a person, but that one develops as needed when a focal point is required, one that occasionally will display traits of organic beings, since the Borg are themselves technoorganic and not exempt from sentience.
The First Contact unique theme is gorgeous
The scene between Alfre Woodard and Pat Stew is genuinely some of my favourite acting on screen.
The ending scene of First Contact where the vulcans arrive is one of my favourite movie scenes of all time. And... also yeah I really love "Assimilate THIS!!!"
Loved the twist to that scene in the Enterprise's Mirror universe 2-parter.
Frakes is a downright great director
I was just a kiddo but I remember seeing this in theaters when it came out. I'll never forget the audience cheering when the Vulcans threw up their gang sign. Although I didn't understand why until I was older, Picard becoming more unhinged throughout was unnerving to me. Since he was always calm and collected in TNG.
I remember as a 7 yr old getting my dad to rent the VHS tape of First Contact over and over again so many weeks in a row. I remember the holographic cover where one side would show the normal poster and the other would show Picard and Data assimilated. I was fascinated by this movie by its action-horror juxtaposed with such hopeful promise of a better future. This movie cemented me as a Star Trek fan, is 100% my favorite Star Trek movie of all time
First Contact is my absolute favorite of all the Star Trek movies, bar none!! I think it is fantastic in every way!! Story, FX, acting, direction, music, pacing, action, heart - all absolutely top notch!!
It's such a treat every time these retrospectives are released. I'm in hard lockdown in Australia right now and this type of regular content is a big part of what keeps me sane - thanks Rowan!
First Contract was just the perfect TNG movie.
This was my first Star Trek film watched in the theatre. It was absolutely thrilling then and still holds up!
First Contact is easily my favourite Star Trek film.
I've always wanted to see the deleted scene where Worf is given permission by Sisko to take the Defiant to fight against the Borg cube!
Is that really a deleted scene? I want to see that too!
I've heard this rumor is this legit?
Since the Trek films had demonstrared limited overseas appeal, the studio was vigilantly spartan (or parsimonious) with their budgets. Thus, it would seem highly unlikely that a scene with DS9 commander Sisko would have been filmed (extra 💱 to a topline actor for a superfluous scene).
Given that the Defiant was built to fight the Borg, I'd rather imagine Starfleet Command ordered Sisko to take the ship into the fight, and him ordering Worf to lead that mission.
Avery Brooks has no role in First Contact at all/
Star Trek First Contact is my favorite Star Trek movie. Has suspense, action, character development and the cast was top notch
An Overture.
it has an overture…
…with a freakin’ horn section solo
in 1996, this movie had me at the opening credits
Star Trek First Contact and Undiscovered Country are my two favorite Star Trek movies hands down. I love what they did with the Borg. In TNG they were little more than a nuisance. But in First Contact, they are downright scary!
My Favourite Star Trek Film with one of Jerry Goldsmith's Best Scores (I really Wish that First Contact's Theme was used for Star Trek: Enterprise), Wonderfully Atmospheric Cinematography and Some of the Best Acting I've seen from Sir Patrick Stewart.
Alfre Woodard also makes everything better by her mere presence in my eyes.
I love the idea of using this theme for "Enterprise". That would've been so good!
Woodard is the high point of this film for me.
@@smacksalad "I Think YOU GOT HIM!"
I love that Holodeck Sequence.
Alfre Woodard is wonderful in this, and I love seeing her in other films every once in a while.
@@eamonndeane587 "You broke your little ships." Such a great line.
The scene where Picard apologises to worf for yelling at him is one of the most powerful moments in the film and it’s amazing moments in the film that cements it as my personal favourite
In one scene, with one line, we get to understand how Klingons think and feel. "If you were any other man...." It was brilliant
This movie always creeped me out as a kid. The borg theme with its, ahem, droning sound, along with the scenes of the crew getting corrupted and turning into borg really unsettled me.
Also, the scenes where Troi was drunk were the best scenes in the movie and were so hilarious.
Defiant Helm Crewman : Main power is off-line, we've lost shields and our weapons are gone!
Lt. Commander Worf : [hits console] Perhaps today *is* a good day to die! Prepare for ramming speed!
Defiant Helm Crewman : Sir, there's another star ship coming in... it's the Enterprise!
That scene bringing Worf into the fray was among my favorite seeing First Contact at the theater opening weekend of November 1996. I couldn't help but think to myself, who was giving the Defiant and her crew the hardest time? The Borg or Worf? One of my favorite theater going experiences ever.
One of the best Star Trek movies ever.
i actually like the borg queen it adds to the borgs semi insect theme but i understand why she is somewhat controversial as a concept in star trek
I agree with the criticisms that the Borg Queen ruins the Borg, but the concept is so well executed in First Contact that I can almost forget that. Almost.
Yeah, honestly IDK what's the problem. They make drones to fill needs. The Queen fills a need in this case seducing Data to unlock the Ent computers, and I guess we are to believe Picard once.
@@rubaiyat300 the issue is that as written, the hive mind serves her not the other way round
@@johnbd9765 The Queen defined herself as: "I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg." Although this suggested she was an individual within the Collective, and while she addressed Borg drones as "my drones", she was not an individual. She was the embodiment of the Collective itself. She was a gestalt, one from many, but greater than the sum of the parts.
there would be a problem if the Borg had no leadership at all, they would be really boring to write. That's why villains like the human Cylons in BSG, Dessler from Star Blazers/ SB Yamato and Vreetai/Breetai from Macross/Robotech are very popular, they aren't like their common soldiers and make you curious.
I've just caught up with this retrospective series and I've gotta say, these videos are fucking phenomenal. The amount of research, writing, and editing that must've gone into these is insane, but the result is an entire SERIES of absolutely top-tier documentaries.
Thanks so much, and I can't wait for the next one!
I always thought the very idea of the Borg Queen was brilliant. Through her, the Borg have weaponized individualism as if it were any other technology or system they've incorporated throughout their existence.
IMO This is the high water mark in Star Trek movies. I’m a rabid fan of the fantastic Star Trek 2 and 6 movies. First Contact is even better. Thank you Jonathan Frakes, you should be proud. It has everything. It’s an action movie. Horror movie. Suspense. Comedy. Fantastic sci-fi elements. Complex yet approachable plot. All with so much heart woven throughout. The new uniforms, new enterprise, the meeting of the Vulcans. Vintage warp speed. THE FREAKIN BORG. The soundtrack… I bet the movie revived Steppenwolf lol. But the maturing of the already well fleshed-out characters. That’s where this movie ultimately shines.
Star Trek: First Contact is my favorite Next Generation movie and best overall. James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, and Alice Krige were all outstanding and helped make this movie top notch. The first contact with the Vulcans theme made the movie thrilling. I'd always wondered how that had gone down and this movie answered this question to my satisfaction. This is the one Star Trek movie I watch over and over.
Nothing beats Cochran's "you people are on some sort of star trek" line in the movie.
I really like the new Starfleet uniforms in this movie. They
are a big improvement of the
DS9 versions, and also add
a certain gravitas to the film characters .
I mean, there's good reason DS9 adopted them.
Thank you for calling the "Voyager uniforms" the DS9 uniforms.
@@procyon6370 You misunderstand me. It is not as the preceeding uniforms are uniformly bad or something. They are fine, but these other clothes just gives
off a much more grittier impression. DS9 was indeed very lucky to get such a makeover. But do not in the slightest take It is a putdown on VOYAGER, which
is a unfairly underrated series .
You misunderstand ME- the uniforms ought to be called different things:
There are the TNG uniforms, created for TNG.
There are the DS9 uniforms, created for DS9, which are erroneously called the Voyager uniforms as they were used for all seven seasons of that show, compared to only the first four seasons and a few more episodes of DS9.
There are the TNG movie uniforms, created for First Contact, which are erroneously called the DS9 uniforms, as they were used for most of the final three seasons of that show, compared to only the 4 TNG movies.
Yeah never liked the baggy DS9 jumpsuits, using them for VOY seemed a mistake & then we have the mess of using 2 uniform types in Generations! It made sense to adopt separate uniforms given Starfleet were invited in to operate DS9 but that should have been the limit
This movie was great and one that I watch frequently as it's my favorite TNG movie. Though, I'll never forget how awkward the reveal of the Vulcans was at the end of this film. I saw the film in the theater and a huge number of people burst into laughter. For whatever reason, the general audience was not prepared for that reveal.
It's the most essential movie in the Star Trek universe.
It makes you wonder.... If the TNG crew didn't follow the Borg back in time, would Cochran have actually launched his warp ship??
‘First Contact’ is definitely the ‘Wrath of Kahn’ of the TNG films.
I thought that from the first time I saw it.
This is my favorite of the ST movies. Great review, and thanks for all the rare photos! :)
I absolutely loved first contact for me it is by far by most favourite Trek film. Incredible music, the best villains Star Trek invented, Picard showing his action side. There’s just so much to love
This was was perfect combo of old and new. It felt like the perfect (next generation) Star Trek tv show. The graphics, camera shots, music, character development, set design, clothing, dialogue, supporting actors ... were perfect! The whole movie was super smooth from start to finish.
This was my favourite one of the lot.
Definitely my favorite Star Trek movie. I was one of the people who scoffed at the idea of having a Borg queen, but when I saw the movie I did a full 180. Alice Krige as the Borg queen is up there as one of the greatest Star Trek villains of all time.
Like many iconic movie villians, she strikes the perfect balance between being terrifying and being alluring.
Before I even watch- First Contact is my FAVORITE ST:TNG movie. I love the story, the heart, the casting… ugh! And then watching it again after reading the Destiny Trilogy and then Greater than the Sum, omg…
I really wish they could bring the true story of The Borg to life; the history to the “present.” SO GOOD!!
This is my favourite Star Trek film
Met Alice Krige at a convention a few years ago - lovely lady, very small and delicate - a definite surprise considering how she feels the screen in this film
That's the sign of a great actor/actress when they can circumvent their physical stature with awesome screen presence.
The ability to grab your attention while they are on screen is something every actor and actress should aspire to.
I love it when the words "star trek" are actually uttered in this film.
When Cochrane uttered those words I can imagine alot of people were expecting a fourth wall break and to be honest it would have been hilarious even if it were for the briefest of seconds were you weren't sure it had happened and you had to rewatch it just to be sure.
God no, I cringe at that moment. I think it was done far better when Q said, "It's time to put an end to your trek through the stars," in All Good Things.
@@PetersonZF Though I do not mind what Zeframe Cochran said, I too think Q said it better. But then, "All Good Things..." is a far better installment than Nemesis, Insurrection, and Generations.
Thanks, Enjoyed. Been a Trek fan since the beginning.
As a Star Trek fan ( turning 73 - March 2025) for most of my life, I so appreciate your willingness to say that various episodes movies and scenes bring a tear to your eyes, as so happens with me during my favorite episodes and movies. I was heavily criticized by a woman I was married to - her saying "It's just a TV show!" To which I unspoken said "Not to me!! My favorite Voyager episode is Death Wish, because I know so well, if we do not have a "game" a purpose, a challenge in our lives we decay and often perish. My favorite NG episode is Family, because of the terrific acting and actors present in this episode. I really like the DS9 episode The Defiant. It is so good to see Dr. Bashir stand his ground against a worn out and argumentative Kira and then of course Frakes acting as his counterpart and the interplay on Kardasia between Ducot and Cisco. Original series favorite - certainly the one about Kodos the executioner and movies - The Voyage Home - for the lighthearted fun it represents. I work from home for the family printing business, basically sending endless e-mails to generate jobs for the company. Your multiple part series which I have watched before made it bearable to stay working which would have been difficult and tedious without your series to keep me seated and working Thanks! Finally, at convention, since I look enough like Patrick Stewart / Picard, I have had so much fun "cos-playing" the captain many times. The best was when I dressed as Dixon Hill, complete with Dixon Hill business cards printed by my son for me. When I handed one to a fellow Trek fan, dressed AS Hill, the look on her eyes was something I will NEVER forget! Fun!!
Seeing it recapped like this, there really was a lot going on in this movie! Pretty iconic Star Trek.
Along with The Undiscovered Country (1991); they are my personal top two faves~
This movie ended up being about as perfect as it gets.
What a classic startrek film. Along with Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country it's definitely my favourite!
The way I always interpret the Queen is as a individualistic manifestation of the collective, and we kinda see this with the way the drones all interact with her. She isn't revered, or anything like that, she's simply another member of the collective with a very intentional role. Much in the same way that Locutus clearly stood out from drones, and seemed to have been designated with a "unique" role.
There was also a Next Gen Episode Titled "First Contact" as well.
Obelisk shaped Borg ships? Can the reuse that concept, that sounds awesome.
I can't believe it was 25 years ago I first saw this film. They hit a home run with this film, everything from the story, to the music, the character development, the guest stars. I never quite thought about it but you're right. It does have some of the feel and pacing of a horror film at times. Especially the scene on the deflector dish. The last great star trek film and really the pinnacle of the franchise.
So that's how the (eeewww) Borg queen scene was done.
Yes, that one really was like "whooaaa how did they do this?" first time watching a Star Trek production that looked light Sub Zero's Fatality.
One thing of note is how different TNG is than the original cast. Stewart pushing to better Frakes career in being a champion for Frakes in getting the directing job. They were friends and not in competition. They just wanted a better movie or show and also wanted to see the others do better and not be jealous of someone doing better.
It makes the original cast seem almost childish.
Frakes, with a naughty schoolboy grin on his face."To see Counsellor Troi under the influence of 5 or 6 shots of Tequila is worth the admission price alone" ........... You are not wrong sir. Makes me smile just thinking about it :-)
I get why they did it, but I felt like not exploring the Borg as a Gestalt hive mind with no hierarchy was a missed opportunity that other science fiction franchises have had a chance to explore in detail. Mass Effect and the Geth and Reapers of that Franchise are fascinating in their exploration of what constitutes a consciousness
This is what happens when screenwriters get together and think about the script for more than five minutes!
"Let's kill off Picard's family to give his character some motivation."
my favourite of the movies, it feels like the perfect story for the big screen where Generations and Insurrection felt more like TV movies. It's a shame it has never been followed up by a better movie. Even with the Queen controversy which I get, I'm happy to ignore it because the character is totally needed for the film to work and it actually justifies Data being a more stand out character for the movies. All in all I can easily rewatch the film every fear and enjoy it for an action romp with some heart in it.
First contact is in my top 3 favourite Star Trek movies. To me, the Borg Queen complete the Borg concept. She is indeed both fierce, cold and sexy. All attributes that enhances the idea of the Borg - even though she a personification of the collective.
Minor point, but the viewscreen on the Enterprise-D was also meant to be holographic, and it was (usually if not always) depicted as such if a bit subtly. Occasionally there are shots of someone standing on the bridge in front of the viewscreen, filmed from the side, in which the person on the viewscreen is also shot in profile. Easy to miss but I think it was pretty consistent throughout TNG.
He means that the Enterprise-E's viewscreen appears as a blank wall until a holographic overlay was projected onto it. They didn't do that for TNG and dispensed with the idea for the other TNG films after First Contact in favour of a more traditional viewscreen.
Which is too bad because I loved that idea from First Contact.
@@Xondar11223344 yeah I understand the visual thing he's referencing in the video, which makes the nature of the screen more explicit of course. But he mentioned it in contrast with the Enterprise-D, which isn't quite correct. (Also, yeah it's a cool visual moment, but also a little silly that they were all maybe just staring at a carpeted wall until then)
@@illyth63 I kinda think a viewscreen would be valuable real estate for displaying graphical information about ship status and functions and the like, so I'm not sure they'd use the "viewscreen is just a wall" feature very much.
I do think a carpeted wall makes more sense than an actual window out into space newer Star Trek has decided to go all in on recently.
I love this movie so much! The Enterprise E, The sovereign class is just my favorite. I still remember that first time I saw it in the theater I was just like what the hell? It's beautiful 😍
I didn't know Tom Hanks was considered for the role of Zephram Cochrane. It would have been amusing to see him piloting another multi-staged spacecraft with a cone-shaped three-seater cockpit on a historic space mission just a year after Apollo 13.
I hate the man now but Tom Hanks plays a great and fun drunk
I'll have to respectfully disagree with the narrator about one thing. This movie is easily my favorite of all the films, followed closely with The Voyage Home, Generations and Wrath of Khan. All of which I was lucky enough to see in the theater when they first came out.
Whenever you put a face on the enemy, especially an emotive one, they're not nearly as frightening.
I can hardly wait for the rest of the Star Trek to feature this series of review. As big fan, I have seen many takes on the franchise. Reviews of the series, the movies, and of course every ones idea of what made or break the franchise. There's hundreds of videos out there. I like your take on it better because it talks about the stories AND the story of they came about. The background of the making of it.
Thank you for this Retrospective review series of Star Trek. I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your effort to give an unbiased honest assessment. Live long and prosper!
As far as I know, the "class" of a starship is usually the name of the first ship that uses that chassis. So for all of the Enterprise ships to be of a different class, it would mean there are other first ships that may have similar experiences, only with more "first time" problems. I would love to see new Star Trek series with the Galaxy and the Sovereign and so on. Hopefully without any connection or contact with other series.
I've always appreciated that Zephram Cochrane was basically an allegory for Roddenberry.
I can't believe this was 1996! It's aged fantastically well.
What I like about FC is that everything and everyone looks fantastic! The sets, the Enterprise, the costumes and especially Dr Crusher and Troi! The Make Up of Worf and the Borg was top notch and I still pause the scene when they walk on the saucer section. The level of detail is incredible! In ‘96 Trek was really at it’s peak! First Contact in the theatres and on TV 30 years of Star Trek was celebrated with DS9’s Trials and Tribbelations. I was 12 years old back then but I’m still happy to have witnessed it all!
Star Trek: First Contact is hands down the best TNG feature film of all, a confluence of events, circumstances and individuals that resulted in a filmic tour de force!
Peace and long life! ✌
First Contact is the only Star Trek movie that I turned off in the middle of my initial viewing of the movie. I was ten when I saw it on VHS and the Borg scared the crap out of me so much that I asked the person watching it with me to turn it off. And then asked them to put on the VHS of Encounter at Farpoint for me. Lol. Even at ten years old I couldn't handle the really scary stuff.
This is my favorite musical score of all the Treks. Been doing a bit of a rewatch (in no order mind you) so finding these videos has been fun.
I love how, in a later DS9 episode, Armin Shimerman as Quark gets to poke fun at Picard's line: "The line must be drawn HERE! This far, no farther!" :D
😆 His obstinate defence of the old capitalistic world of Ferenginar~
Picard finally works through his PTSD. As someone who suffers the same, i saw it right away in this film. It's a great exploration of how it changes a person and how it often takes someone external, to point it out.
I love this movie, its firmly second on my list of Trek movies, just under Wrath of Khan :) The soundtrack is so incredibly emotional to, it can really hit you if your not paying attention.
FC had several effects on the franchise: VOY got the Borg sets and costumes to play with, DS9 took over the movie uniforms and ENT used First Contact at its spawning point (and even referenced the Borg in a 1st season episode with a hidden 1701-E).
ST:FC was probably the first movie I ever saw; and I still stand by its probably the one of the best ST movies made to date; especially from a technical and pacing front. The fairest comparison id say is its ST's answer to Aliens.