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Star Trek : First Contactlanded in theatre right smart back in November 1996 , and it still stay one of the better receive outings by the crew of the USS Enterprise . The first film in the dealership to focus entirely on the plaster bandage of theNext GenerationTV series , First Contactpits Patrick Stewart ’s Captain Picard and his friend against merciless hive mind , the Borg .
The stakes have never been gamy , either . Indeed , the very beingness of the Federation and Starfleet hang in the balance , due to the Borg ’s sneaky scheme to eradicate both by foreclose the first meeting between humanity and supererogatory - terrestrial life from pass off centuries earlier . It ’s up to Picard , Riker , Data , and the rest of the gang to ensure that past consequence unfold as they should – or Earth is condemn to become the Borg ’s former settlement .
As you ’d bear from a time travel risky venture that ’s also part of a long - running sci - fi enfranchisement , First Contactis packed with small nods not only toStar Trekcontinuity , but to broad pop culture , as well . These venial originative tucket – which can include anything from a brief cameo , sly line of dialogue or cheeky digital effects Easter egg – are easy overlook by casual TV audience . But hard-core Trekkies ? You well believe they make out each and every one of them , no matter how obscure .
So if you consider yourself a true series hardcore , check out this list of20 obscure Details In Star Trek : First Contact Only Super Fans Noticedand discover once and for all if you deserve a place within the final frontier of Trek fandom !
The Borg Make-Up Received An Upgrade
First introduced inStar Trek : The Next Generation , the Borg quick established themselves as a new and credible fall back scourge . So when it came time to pick out a chief villain forFirst Contact , screenwriters Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore chop-chop nail down on this cybernetic collective , citing their direful reputation .
However , before the Borg made the changeover to the big screen , they would needed a visual make - over first . Due to the time and budgetary constraints , the make - up used to realize the Borg on the TV series was kept as simple as possible . As relate inStar Trek : The Next Generation Companion , neither of these factors was as much of a concern for theFirst Contactproduction gang , which allowed them to considerably enhance the Borg aesthetics to suggest their unwilling host have been assimilated from the inside out !
This Isn’t James Cromwell’s First Star Trek Appearance
TheStar Trek : First Contactcast is predominantly populated with the existingNext Generationroster , reprising their television receiver roles on the big screen . However , the script also feature several prominent new part , which necessitated the hiring of additional actors . For the pivotal purpose of pioneering space traveler Zefram Cochrane , the producer turned to acclaimed playacting old-timer James Cromwell – although queerly enough , this was n’t his first sashay in theStar Trekuniverse .
On the contrary , Cromwellpreviously appearedasthreeother , unrelated character in episodes ofThe Next GenerationandDeep Space Nine ! Fortunately , Cochrane testify sufficiently unlike from Prime Minister Nayrok , Jaglom Shrek , and Hanok , so there were n’t any persistence issues to fuss over , and nobody really seemed to object to Cromwell ’s ( re)casting .
The Phoenix Shuttle Was Constructed Inside A Real Missile Silo
Not every hidden detail inStar Trek : First Contactconstitutes an in - universe Easter egg or continuity callback . Some of these coolheaded factoids relate more to the actual production of the film – like the fact that the exterior shots of Zefram Cochrane ’s DIY blank space foxiness , the Phoenix , were filmed inside a genuine nuclear missile silo .
Star Trek : The Next Generation Companionconfirms that the cast and crew spent four days shooting at the Titan Missile Museum in Arizona , with a fiberglass Phoenix alight atop a real decommissioned load . It ’s a neat turn of trivia , and it also explains why the huge exercise set – which would otherwise have been too costly to construct – feels so authentic : because it is !
The Millennium Falcon Enters The Fray
Star Trekis set in the twenty-fourth Century , whereas rival sci - fi franchiseStar Warstakes place a longsighted time ago ( in a galaxy far , far away ) . This would seem to dominate out any chance of a crosswalk between the two iconic prop , but that ’s nevertheless on the dot what materialize inFirst Contact !
viewer who keep their eyes discase during the space battle between the Federation and the Borg will spy the most celebrated of allStar Warsstar - ship , the Millennium Falcon , among the Starfleet ranks . This was an in - antic overseen by visual issue executive program John Knoll , who – along with the residual of the ILM visual essence team – also work onStar Wars : Special Edition , providing them prosperous access to a CG exemplar of Han Solo ’s noted smuggling watercraft .
A Tip Of The Hat To 2001: A Space Odyssey
Whilst theStar Trekfranchise has cerebral elements , at the closing of the day , it ’s essentially escapist Zea mays everta entertainment which draw a bead on to entertain rather than enlighten . But that does n’t mean that those involved with the various movies and tv set serial publication in the series do n’t have tremendous respect for other , more highbrow science fiction efforts .
Nowhere is this wonderment more apparent than inFirst Contact ’s spacewalk picture , which includesa subtle nod to2001 : A Space Odyssey . In case you missed it , give attention to the technical read-out on the deflector dish controls , and you ’ll see the text edition “ MAGLOCK AE35 – a denotation to the AE35 antenna dish mentioned by HAL 9000 early on in Stanley Kubrick ’s larger-than-life 1968 chef-d’oeuvre .
A New Starship Enterprise Makes Its Debut
As the setting for mostStar Trekfilms and TV series , the USS Enterprise is virtually a part in its own right hand . Yet despite its constant presence in the franchise , the Enterprise is n’t really one star - ship at all , butseveral – with various retrofitted or replacement craft take over the same name . For example , the Enterprise first seen inThe Original Serieswas more accurately known as USS Enterprise ( NCC-1701 , ) which was by and by superseded by USS Enterprise ( NCC-1701 - A. )
effortless audience tend not to notice the aesthetic differences between each incarnation of the endeavor , even when the change are quite drastic . So even though the USS Enterprise - D was destroy inStar Trek : Generations , the legal age of viewers likely did n’t notice when the sleeker , more muscular USS Enterprise - E)took its placeinFirst striking !
Voyager’s Doctor Is In
Paramount axed theStar Trek : The Next Generationtelevision series in 1994 , shifting the focus of this loop of the dealership to movement pictures , or else . To fill the void , a new TV show was commission , Voyager , which transmit from 1995 until 2001 . With two separateTreknarratives unfolding simultaneously , this led to occasional deal universe crossovers – like when Robert Picardo ’s Emergency Medical Holographic program pops up inFirst Contact .
Picardosnagged this cameoafter convince the movie maker that the USS Enterprise should own alike technology to that seen on the Voyager , right down to sharing the same virtual Dr. ! on-key , most motion-picture fan would n’t have been familiar with the EMH , but its presence was a existent thrill for hardcore Trekkies .
It’s The Only Time We Get To See A Norway Class Ship In Action
The major action mechanism specify piece inStar Trek : First Contactsees a Starfleet armada square off against a Borg Cube ship . reason that Starfleet would “ throw everything it could ” at such an implacable foeman , optical personal effects executive program John Knoll assert on the inclusion of several never - before - reckon star - ship . Among these was the Norway class craft – and amazingly , this would also be thelasttime these ship would be envision taking part in an on - screen struggle .
Commentsby output designer David Stipes have ostensibly confirmed relentless hearsay that the Norwayclass CG model became demoralize after output onFirst Contactwrapped . As a result , subsequent effects crew have permanently mothball the Norway , rather than make new asset !
Several Crew Members Cameo In The Dixon Hill Scene
Easily the most surreal moment inStar Trek : First Contactoccurs on the Enterprise ’s holodeck , where Captain Picard and Lily Sloane endeavor to evade the Borg inside a false 1940s nightclub . have it away as the Dixon Hill , this holographic nightspot faithfully recreates the atmosphere of a classic noir flick , sodding with period - appropriate music , costumes and characters .
Although the majority of the background players in the Dixon Hill were played by uncredited extras , a handful of gang membersjoined in the sport , too . Among those who portray night club patrons are screenwriter Brannon Braga and stunt coordinator Ronnie Rondell . well still , actor Ethan Phillips – live toStar Trek : Voyagerfans as Neelix – cameos as the Dixon Hill ’s maître d ' !
Lieutenant Daniels Gets His Start
One of the unexpected bonuses of working on aStar Trekinstallment is that what starts out as a one - off bit part can quickly acquire into a recurring minor part . Michael Horton ’s turn as Lieutenant Daniels inFirst Contactis a meridian example of this . Here , he ’s bill as “ Security Officer , ” and most watcher would just retrieve his momentary moments of screen - time .
However , Horton was fetch back for 1998 sequelInsurrection , wherehe was creditedas Lieutenant Daniels – and more tell apart moviegoer at once began speculating that Daniels and “ Security Officer ” were one and the same . The filmmakers subsequently confirmed that both characters portrayed by Horton were designate to be the same guy wire , plant him as an prescribed supporting character – and retroactively makingFirst Contacthis first appearance !
