Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
MEMORIES:
Nuke67 remembers...This did as well as Star Trek 2, and was a big hit for Nimoy turned director, the movie had ... More »
Posted on 08/04/08
PHOTOS:
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Boldly going where no Star Trek production had gone before, the cast and crew of the intrepid starship Enterprise left the confines of the Hollywood hills for sunny San Francisco. After an early script about Klingon reprisals against Kirk for his part in the third film was shelved, the production instead went with a story from director Leonard Nimoy, once again back as Spock after his resurrection in the third film. Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett returned to the writer’s desk with Meyer scripting the 20th century scenes and Bennett in charge of the action in the 23rd century. Meyer also included several scenes that had been cut from an earlier film he had written, Time After Time. After three rather serious films, the fourth put a little emphasis on fish-out-water – no pun intended – humor: Spock struggles to comprehend euphemisms and cursing; Scotty can’t “talk” to a Mac; Bones gripes about the lack of medical know-how.
When Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the ex-starship Enterprise return to Earth on board their stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey, they find the Earth besieged by an alien craft speaking an unknown language. The somewhat daffy Spock discovers that the craft seems to be trying to contact Humpback whales, a species that had been hunted to extinction on Earth two centuries earlier. Sling shooting around the sun, the crew travels back in time to 1986 where they must repair their rickety ship and bring the last two Humpback whales in existence to the future.
After numerous mishaps while trying to understand 20th century American culture, the crew finally manages to save the humpback whales George and Gracie, as well as the planet Earth. Upon returning to the Federation, everyone is absolved of the theft of the Enterprise. Everyone, that is, but Kirk, who is demoted from Admiral back to Captain. And in reward for saving Earth, the good Captain is given the commission over the newly christened starship Enterprise-A.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home became the highest grossing Star Trek film of all time. With almost $110 million in box office receipts, it not only delighted fans but welcomed newcomers. Due to its far-reaching popularity, Paramount gave the green light for production to begin on a syndicated television show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. In terms of technical merit, the film was no slouch either, bringing home an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. The film also bore a dedication to the members of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which had exploded shortly after its launch in 1986.
