STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT

"STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT"
(1996) (Patrick Stewart, James Cromwell) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Mild	Mild	Mild	Heavy

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	Mild	None	Mild

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	Minor	None	Minor	*Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Sci-Fi: The crew of the Starship Enterprise must fight off the alien Borg while trying to mend the past that has been altered.

PLOT:: This is the eighth movie based on the original TV show "Star Trek," and the second with the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The story begins with the Borg, a species that is part organic, part synthetic, that operates under a collective consciousness, on its way to assimilate the inhabitants of Earth into their "being." The Federation fights back, but is being beaten until the U.S.S. Enterprise, helmed by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (PATRICK STEWART), arrives and destroys their ship. They find, however, that the Borg have already taken over Earth and have done so by traveling back in time to alter history. The Enterprise follows the "temporal wake" back to April 4, 2063 where they find the Borg attempting to stop Zefram Cochrane (JAMES CROMWELL) and his assistant Lily Sloane (ALFRE WOODARD) from blasting off into space and establishing the "first contact" with an alien civilization. Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew, including William T. Riker (JONATHAN FRAKES), Geordi LaForge (LEVAR BURTON), Worf (MICHAEL DORN), Dr. Beverly Crusher (GATES MCFADDEN), Counselor Deanna Troi (MARINA SIRTIS), and android Data (BRENT SPINER), attempt to get Cochrane back on course but also must deal with the Borg, led by their Queen (ALICE KRIGE), that have taken over part of the Enterprise.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they’re fans of the Star Trek movies or TV shows they will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: The MPAA reason was not available, but we imagine it's for sci-fi violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: PATRICK STEWART plays the captain who wishes to protect his crew and better himself. He is somewhat stubborn and makes the battles with the Borg personal.
JAMES CROMWELL plays a man from the past who turns out to be a hard drinking, profit driven man, instead of the visionary hero that everyone thought he was.
THE REST OF THE CREW pretty much play the same somewhat decent role model characters they did in the TV series and/or the last Trek movie. The only exception of note is the character played by MARINA SIRTIS who gets drunk in this film.; JAMES CROMWELL plays a man from the past who turns out to be a hard drinking, profit driven man, instead of the visionary hero that everyone thought he was.
THE REST OF THE CREW pretty much play the same somewhat decent role model characters they did in the TV series and/or the last Trek movie. The only exception of note is the character played by MARINA SIRTIS who gets drunk in this film.; THE REST OF THE CREW pretty much play the same somewhat decent role model characters they did in the TV series and/or the last Trek movie. The only exception of note is the character played by MARINA SIRTIS who gets drunk in this film.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

OUR TAKE: 4 out of 10: In this, the eighth installment of the series based on the original TV show from the '60s, once again the trustworthy crew of the Enterprise must react to a threat and travel back in time to Earth's past to make things right. While that's an okay plot for a film, the problem with it here is that it's been done before (in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home") and in this version, there's no urgency to get it done. Not that the urgency isn't stated, it just isn't acted out in the pacing of the plot or in the motivation of the characters. We don't care whether they succeed because the stakes aren't dramatically and urgently presented to us (compared to in "Voyage Home" where they had to bring back a whale or else there'd be no future to return to). Also, the other half of the dual plot (the crew having to regain control of the Enterprise) was lifted directly from the original TV show (with Shatner and Nimoy) and gets rather boring without an active antagonist trying to stop the good guys from attaining their goal. Trek fans will obviously like this film and the die hard types will not mind the plot and pacing problems. The film, however, doesn't try to embrace non-Trek fans and will not gain a cross over audience the way other past "Trek" films have in the past. We give it just a 4 out of 10.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:: This movie isn’t a great deal different from the TV series on which it is based. The degree of the material is just pushed a little farther. The violence is a little more graphic (but certainly not that bad), profanity at its extreme uses 2 "s" words, and there’s some sexual innuendo that will go over little kids' heads and probably won’t be anything new to the older kids who hear and understand it. Two of the characters are seen drunk, but not for very long. We listed weapons use as heavy and violence as extreme only because of the intent and end results of them. We gave those ratings based on our guidelines of how to the rate the content of every category. Since space ships are destroyed and it's assumed many people are killed in the process and many weapons are used here and there, we have to give those ratings. Obviously the degree of both is different, than say in "Natural Born Killers," but deaths are deaths and violence is violence. Nonetheless, we do suggest that if your children wish to see this film that you read the category listings to determine if this movie is appropriate for them.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: People are seen drinking inside an Earth based bar on several occasions.
Lily tells Cochrane, "I'm not going up in that ship if you're drunk." He replies, "I'm sure as hell not going to fly it sober."
Both Cochrane and Deanna are drunk and are seen drinking a shot of some sort of liquor. Deanna then says that they earlier had three shots of tequila.
In the holodeck, a simulated holographic scene, several computer generated people are seen drinking and smoking.
Cochrane is seen drinking from a flask.

BLOOD/GORE: A small drill bit is stopped just short of going into Picard's eye. Moments later, a small mechanical apparatus bursts from his cheek (and he then wakes up from his nightmare).
Worf's face is a little bloody during one of the space battle scenes.
A Borg drills two small drill bits into the neck of a crew member.
Two drill bits are drilled into Data, but since he's an android, no blood comes out.
A female Borg's eye is missing and in its place are parts of a mechanical eye. It's not bloody or gory, but might seem so for the brief instance it’s seen.
The Borg Queen's only living part is her head and shoulders that are seen being lowered down into her mechanical body. While not bloody or gory, it might be unsettling to some viewers.
A crew guard is a little scuffed up after an encounter with the Borg and has just a little blood on his face.
A flap of skin is rolled back up onto Data's arm, covering the mechanical pieces underneath.
Data fights with several Borg, ending with one of them scratching his arm resulting in bloody scratches.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Picard disobeys his superiors' orders and takes his ship and crew toward Earth to fight the Borg.
The Borg have both as it is their mission to conquer all other species and convert them into more Borg.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: A small drill bit is stopped just short of going into Picard's eye. Moments later, a small mechanical apparatus bursts from his cheek (and he then wakes up from his nightmare).
Picard and his team slowly make their way through the Enterprise's corridors, wary of encountering any Borg.
Outside the ship, in outer space, Picard, Worf, and another crew member fight the Borg as they try to release the magnetic locks that holds down a platform on which the Borg are assembling a weapon. All of the action takes place in slow, outer space, motion and thus makes the scene a little suspenseful.
The Borg may be scary looking to kids who are not familiar with them from the TV show. They are part "human" and part mechanical and the strange metal pieces sticking from their faces may be unsettling to some children. Scarier looking is the Borg Queen whose bald head shows many veins under her scalp.
In addition, the disorienting Point of View camera work representing what the Borg see might be scary to younger viewers.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Several space ships are damaged or destroyed by weapons fired from other space craft.
Machine gun: Used by Lily to shoot at Picard and Data. Data moves closer to her and she shoots him in his body. Of course, since he's an android, he isn't hurt.
Phasers (laser guns): Used by the crew to shoot (and evidently kill) several Borg.
Phaser: Used by Picard to shoot and kill a crew member who has just been turned into a Borg (to put him out of his misery).
Phaser: Held by Lily on Picard, but she eventually relinquishes it to him.
Tommy Gun (machine gun): Used by Picard to shoot two Borg dead.
Phaser: Used to "stun" Cochrane to keep him from running away and he stumbles to the ground.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Jerk," "Idiot," "Shut up," and "I've got to take a leak."
Lily shoots a machine gun at Picard and Data. Data moves closer to her and she shoots him in his body. Of course, since he's an android, he isn't hurt. Young kids might get the idea that one can be shot and not hurt.
Data jumps down several stories onto a metal structure below him (that would obviously injure or kill a human).

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): There is a mild amount of suspenseful music in several scenes of this movie.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: 2 "s" words, 5 hells, 2 damns, 1 SOB, and 1 use each of "Oh God," "Sweet Jesus," and "My God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: After the Borg Queen has grafted real skin onto Data's artificial body and he's responded with a pleased, guttural sound, she says, "Was that good for you?"
The Borg Queen, while interrogating Data, asks him, "Are you familiar with physical forms of pleasure? He replies, "Responding to sexuality? and then states that he's fully functional and programmed in multiple techniques. She asks how long it's been since he's used them, and he replies, "Eight years, seven months, sixteen days . . . " They then passionately kiss but the scene ends with that.
Cochrane tells the crew that his goal is to make enough money to retire to an island of naked women.

SMOKING: In the holodeck, a simulated holographic scene, several computer generated people are seen drinking and smoking.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Time travel.
Whether Picard's statement about the future where money no longer exists and people work only to better themselves is a realistic view of the future.

VIOLENCE: We rated the violence as heavy due to the deaths of crew members and of the Borg and of the destruction of several large space ships. While none of it’s particularly graphic, they’re still deaths and sticking to our guidelines, the material here rates as extreme.
A small drill bit is stopped just short of going into Picard's eye. Moments later, a small mechanical apparatus bursts from his cheek (and he then wakes up from his nightmare).
There is a great deal of sci-fi space battle violence where ships fire back and forth at each other. Several Federation ships are destroyed and two of the Borg vessels are also destroyed in big explosions.
A Borg ship fires upon Earth and hits Cochrane's camp, blowing up buildings and injuring and killing people (several bodies are later seen, but none are graphic).
Lily shoots a machine gun at Picard and Data. Data moves closer to her and she shoots him in his body. Of course, since he's an android, he isn't hurt.
There are many instances of fighting between the crew and the Borg. Both are hit in the face or slammed into walls, and several Borg are shot by the crew's phasers (laser guns) and evidently killed.
Data kills (or disables) one of the Borg by breaking its neck.
A Borg drills two small drill bits into the neck of a crew member. He's turned into a Borg himself and Picard kills him with a phaser shot to put him out of his misery.
Two drill bits are drilled into Data, but since he's an android, he apparently isn't hurt.
Lily holds a phaser on Picard for a while, but eventually relinquishes it to him.
In the holodeck, a simulated holographic scene, several computer generated people are pushed aside by the Borg, Lily bashes one of them over the head with an ice bucket, and Picard shoots the two Borg dead with a Tommy gun (machine gun).
Data fights with several Borg, ending with one of them scratching his arm resulting in bloody scratches.
Cochrane is shot by a phaser on "stun" to keep him from running away and he stumbles to the ground.
Outside the ship, in outer space, Picard, Worf, and another crew member fight the Borg as they try to release the magnetic locks that hold down a platform on which the Borg are assembling a weapon.
Worf chops of the hand and then part of the arm of a Borg that is attacking him.
A crew guard is a little scuffed up after an encounter with the Borg and has just a little blood on his face.
After Picard calls him a "coward," Worf says, "If you were any other man, I'd kill you where you stand."
Picard breaks a glass display case in anger.
The Borg Queen screams in agony as she disintegrates into a pile of metal rubbish.

Reviewed November 18, 1996

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