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Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn ... see more see more... , Gates McFadden , Marina Sirtis , Alfre Woodard , James Cromwell , Alice Krige , Neal McDonough , Robert Picardo , Dwight Schultz , Patti Yasutake

The first "Trek" film to feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series without any of the members of the original series, this action-packed hit was well received at the box office.... read more read more... The Federation comes under attack by its ongoing enemy, the Borg, a cybernetics-enhanced race that once kidnapped Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), "assimilating" him into a drone. As a former prisoner of the Borg, Picard is ordered to stay out of the new battle, but he cannot resist and orders the brand-new starship Enterprise into the fray. The Enterprise follows the only surviving Borg ship through a time tunnel, where they intend to conquer Earth in an earlier era. The Borg have targeted the work of Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), inventor of warp drive, the device that makes interplanetary travel possible. As the Enterprise crew attempts to stop the Borg from interrupting the work of Cochrane and his assistant, Lily (Alfre Woodard), Borg drones invade the Enterprise and take it over piece by piece, while Data (Brent Spiner) is captured and seduced by the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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83% liked it

93,423 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

53 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Jonathan Frakes

Release Date: November 22, 1996

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 1998

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Stats: 4,457 reviews

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Captain Picard is vengeful Enterprise E Star Trek - First Contact The Borg Queen Marina Sirtis Star Trek - First Contact Data Lily Sloane Star Trek - First Contact Star Trek - First Contact Star Trek - First Contact Lt. Hawk Star Trek - First Contact Star Trek: First Contact Commander William T. Riker Star Trek - First Contact Star Trek - First Contact USS Defiant
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Flixster Reviews (4,457)

  • skeletonking101
    February 22, 2012
    skeletonking101
    no one knows if cyborg technology is possible, but if it is, then Star Trek the Next Generation is what gave us one of our first glimpses at this idea, and with the First Contact, they go full force with it.

    First Contact revolves around Captain Jean Luc Picard of the U.S.S. E... read morenterprise having constant flashbacks to his time when he was Locutus, his Borg Persona. While these flashbacks are happening, the Borg are starting to strike back and go for the ultimate blow, they go back in time to stop man having first contact with the Vulcan Race, so its up to Picard and his team from the series to go back in time to fight his old enemy.

    The whole cast from the show returns in this film like in Generations and the two sequels after this, and they all do their usual great jobs, especially Patrick Stewart as Picard. Stewart was always one of my favorite actors and he always played my favorite captain out of the two main captains from the two main series, and here he goes all out because this movie mainly focuses on him and his struggles with the borg. The two new actors are JAmes Cromwell, Alice Krige, and Alfre Woodard and they all do very well for one time characters in this film. James Cromwell does very good at playing the alcoholic pilot Zefram, he's both a funny character and a serious character just being a drunk trying to make sense of everything, and Woodard does a good job as his best friend who is stuck on the Borg ship trying to get out. Though the one person who steals the show in terms of newcomers is Alice Krige as the Borg Queen, she is just chillingly well acted and she is up there with some of the creepiest villains of all time. You may have known Krige as Morgana in the Sorcerers Apprentice or Christabella in the Silent Hill movie, which she also does very creepily well. The villains in general are also very creepy and many points in the movie actually scared me and they made the film feel like a horror movie and though I will admit that that feels weird for a star trek movie, it is very well done.

    Though many of the Star Trek movies are very slow films and are very long with very little amounts of big entertainment value, but to me, this is the most entertaining of the star trek movies, and while I like Generations, Search for Spock, and think that Journey Home is funny, they just don't hold a candle to the entertainment that this movie gives to the viewer. The effects look great, the characters are well acted and developed, the action is spectacular, the film has some good comedic moments, and the entertainment value is fantastic. If you can see any star trek movies, see this one.

    My overall rating
    4.5*s out of 5
  • garyX
    December 11, 2011
    garyX
    The greatest nemesis of the federation, the Borg attempt to assimilate Earth in this hugely enjoyable addition to the Trek franchise. There are some great effects, and director Frakes had obviously done his homework; the space battle is spectacular (if a little brief), and he cle... read moreverly chooses to transform the sterile, neon-lit corridors of the Enterprise into the kind of gloomy, atmospheric locations that would not look out of place on the Nostromo. The Borg are rightful favourites from the series, a seriously creepy race of "bionic zombies" who can assimilate their enemies through touch and render their weapons useless. It's also nice how the characters are given shades of grey, notably Picards almost pathological hatred of them and Data's "seduction" at the hands of the coldly fascistic Borg queen. It does have it's weak points; while all the best characters are battling robotic corpses through darkened corridors (cool), the crap ones are all planet side indulging in feeble comic relief (about as cool as Celine Dion covering "Achy breaky heart" in bri-nylon slacks and sewn-in mittens.) These sequences are brief enough to avoid wrecking it however, and James Cromwell is quite good fun as the boozy astronaut who bears little resemblance to the legendary figure the crew were all expecting. As a whole it cracks along at a fair old pace and with some knowingly self-referential lines and Trekkie-friendly cameos thrown in, it's a great slice of action-packed and fun family entertainment. Still the best Trek film by some way, and yes that includes the ill-advised "update" .
  • spielberg00
    August 31, 2011
    spielberg00
    STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT is great, yes, and certainly fun, even as the eighth entry in the overall film series (and the second based on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), but especially for a Star Trek flick, Jonathan Frakes (who played Commander Riker in this one), turned what cou... read moreld have been a straightforward, serious masterpiece into a whacked-out, somewhat sickly gross (in its first PG-13 style), science fiction thrill ride. Imagine SAW with aliens instead of Jigsaw and camera cutaways before we can even see the gore we know is coming. There's the apparently new STAR TREK way to create a twisted PG-13 flick.
  • ajv2688
    July 8, 2011
    ajv2688
    This movie is very cool, especially if you're a trekkie like me. They go back in time (again) to when the first starship with warp drive was being invented and have to stop the borg from attacking the people in the past! What could be more exciting than a time travel story with... read more the borg? I loved this movie.
  • crunchbunch
    January 22, 2011
    crunchbunch
    A film for fans and non fans alike, Star Trek: First Contact follows the crew into the past to prevent the Borg from preventing Earth's most important historical event that would see them reach for the stars.

    Patrick Stewart is perfection in the role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard an... read mored steers this film from the very off. As a fan of the series I know that the films dont always live up to expectation but First Contact is a joy to watch. A good stooryline, action, the BORG and enough emotional involvement as Picard struggles to draw the line between taking a stance and revenge. If you havent seen this film - "Make it so".

    Star Trek: First Contact is first class.

    "Borg? Sounds Swedish. "
  • Deano78
    November 20, 2010
    Deano78
    I'm not a Trekkie fan by any means but I have to say I'm suprised so many rate this so highly? I found it rather slow and boring and void of any real action whatsoever. The borg can just be walked past half the time, hardly an intimidating or a fearsome enemy. The latest Star Tre... read morek film going back to how the original crew got together is the best by far.
  • cosmo313
    August 8, 2010
    cosmo313
    Supposedly this is the best TNG-era film, and, while I can't confirm or disconfirm that personally (yet), I can say that this is a damn fine film on it's own, and in Trek overall.

    Frakes provides strong direction with great pacing, lots of action, some decent comedy (although ... read moreit is the film only real weak point), amazing special effects, and excellent characters and character development. The film's plot isn't very original and the debt it owes to films such as Aliena, Close Encounters, Moby Dick, and others is noted, but it doesn't fully rip all those off, either. Instead it combines bits and pieces from all of them and stitches them together with a stroy involving the Borg, who, I feel are some of the best Star Trek villains, and some of the most interesting sci-fi characters in general. Another cool thing about all of this is how fairly balanced it all is. There's a lot going on here: sci-fi yarn, time travel nuttiness, zombie space horror, etc, and it fits. This is a hard thing to pull off.

    The cast regulars are all great as usual (although some of the humor seemed a tad forced in laces), but the new players (Krige, Cromwell, and Woodard) are fantastic. Woodard is the weakest, but still does a good job. Cromwell is going against type, succeeds at it, and looks like he had a fun time with it. Krige is absolutely chilling as the creepily seductive Borg Queen-a pretty memorable villain. The music rocks and the visuals (the general look and especially the special effects) are outstanding.

    Like Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home, this is a film where newbies and non-fans can come to it and find something to enjoy, but at the same time its not dumbed down so much that the die hards feel alienated. That's another one of those tricky things that's hard to pull off: trying to please the broadest audience possible-everyone.

    Watching this is a terrific way to spend a couple of hours, so, for that reason, and many others, I highly recommend this one.
  • blacksheepboy
    April 12, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    First Contact, the eighth installment of the Star Trek films, presents incredible makeup and special effects in a surprisingly good, urgent plot that boasts a most sinister villain - and the subplot involving Data (Brent Spiner) captured by the Borg is definitely the highlight.
  • SirPant
    September 21, 2009
    SirPant
    First Contact is Ok but the comedy element is not there anymore, neither is the homoerotica of the first crew! Oh well, you can?t have it all! It does explain a few historical issues within the Star Trek universe though, although they don?t quite match up with previous and subseq... read moreuent time lines but that?s just me being an anal trekkie who should get out more.
  • Redlats
    May 4, 2009
    Redlats
    Stories about time travel are so hokey. If the Borg can go back in time to "fix" some history that isn't to their liking, why can you go back one day earlier and blast them out of the sky when they arrive? And if Picard releases some gas killing all organic matter on every deck... read more of the ship, and yet Picard survives? Come on now.

    But, logic aside the movie keeps your interest. It is always great to view the battle between the evil Borg and the crew of the Enterprise. Great makeup of the Borg.

View All Star Trek - First Contact Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
May 3, 2009
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

First Contact is no grab bag of camp gewgaws; it stands proud and apart, accessible even to the Trek-deficient. This old Star, it seems, has a lot of life in it. Full Review

Lisa Alspector
June 5, 2007
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

The elegance of the story is enhanced by the sure direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Riker. Full Review

Joe Leydon
June 5, 2007
Joe Leydon, Variety

A smashingly exciting sci-fi adventure that ranks among the very best in the long-running Paramount franchise. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

The series now lacks all of its original stars and much of its earlier determination. It has morphed into something less innocent and more derivative than it used to be, something the noncultist is ev... Full Review

Lloyd Rose
July 31, 2002
Lloyd Rose, Washington Post

The excitement comes from Frakes's direction. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A nicely constructed science-fiction film, with a simple premise, a charismatic villain and a good back-story to enhance the action. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Blessed with clever plot devices and a villainous horde that makes the once-dread Klingons seem like a race of Barneys, First Contact does everything you'd want a Star Trek film to do, and it does it ... Full Review

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

The first stretch and the home stretch are so filled with visual interest and, more importantly, with the patented Star Trek philosophical and humorous tidbits that fans will gladly suffer the dull Bo... Full Review

January 1, 2000
USA Today

While First Contact espouses the usual lofty Trek ideals, it never forgets to factor in the fun. As the Borg likes to say, resistance is futile -- and also unnecessary.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Star Trek: First Contact is one of the best of the eight Star Trek films: Certainly the best in its technical credits, and among the best in the ingenuity of its plot. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Lt. Cmdr. Worf: Assimilate this!
    • Lily Sloane: Jean-Luc blow up the damned ship!
    • Capt. Jean-Luc Picard: NO!
    • Cmdr. William Riker: We've finished our first sensor sweep of the Neutral Zone...
    • Capt. Jean-Luc Picard: Oh, fascinating... 20 particles of space dust per cubic meter and a class 3 comet... Wow, this is certainly worthy of our attention...
    • Cmdr. William Riker: Captain, why are we out here chasing comets?
    • Capt. Jean-Luc Picard: Because Starfleet has every confidence in the Enterprise and its crew, they're just not sure about her captain...
    • Lily Sloane: Definitely not Swedish.
    • Lily Sloane: You broke your little ships.
Submit a Fact | View All

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Star Trek - First Contact Trivia

  • In Star Trek First Contact, what novel was quoted that convinced Captain Pickard to blow up the Enterprise?  Answer »
  • Which Star Trek film did Patrick Stewart utter this quote? "They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far no farther! And I will make them pay for what they have done to me!"  Answer »
  • In Star Trek: First Contact, which aliens were the first to visit the earth after history was made on earth's first ever warp speed space travel?  Answer »
  • In which Star Trek movie was the Borg Queen featured in?  Answer »
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