Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

I have several friends who acted as if I had grown another head when I said that Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was my favorite Star Trek film. Star Trek II had the epic battle between Khan and Kirk as well as the (supposed) death of Mr. Spock. Star Trek VI had a great whodunit mystery and the final sendoff of the original crew. Star Trek VIII: First Contact had the inspiring story of how the Next Generation crew saved postwar Earth from the Borg and thus helped humankind begin its idealistic journey towards the foundation of Starfleet. Star Trek IV, however, "just had a bunch of whales and a lot of dumb humor." They said that the latter quality was especially out of place since the original series was so serious in tone. And that's where I had them. True fans of the original series know that it had loads of humor. From Spock and Dr. McCoy's verbal battles to Kirk getting buried under tons of tribbles to Kirk and Spock's impersonation of old Chicago gangsters to the Enterprise crew's tangles with Harry Mudd, the series was rife with comic relief that made the characters all the more appealing. Even the most serious episodes had moments of humor. For example, in the classic City on the Edge of Forever, when Kirk and Spock travel back to New York City circa 1930, Kirk must try to explain Spock's appearance to a police officer. He explains that Spock is Chinese and that his ears are the result of getting his head caught in a rice picker. The scene is hilarious and works beautifully even within the very serious story line. That's why Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home works so well. It has an entertaining story that even non-Star Trek fans can enjoy. But it still remains faithful to the tone and character of the original show. Gene Roddenberry and crew brilliantly addressed problems in modern society through the use of science fiction. In this case, the crew of the Enterprise must counter 20th Century man's short sightedness by retrieving two humpback whales -- which are extinct in the 23rd Century -- so they can communicate with an alien probe that will destroy the Earth unless it can communicate with the whales. As Spock says, "To hunt a series to extinction is illogical." The audience can't help but agree. But Leonard Nimoy, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, does not beat the audience over the head with the message. The previous two films were very heavy and serious in nature, so Nimoy opts for a light touch reminiscent of episodes like "The Trouble with Tribbles," "I, Mudd" and "A Piece of the Action" from the original series. Kirk and company must deal with hostile traffic in 1986 San Francisco, bus drivers demanding exact change, punk rockers with 40 decibel boom boxes, an ornery female marine biologist and other hazards of the 20th Century. After watching Spock's death, the Enterprise crew's mutiny against Starfleet, the death of Kirk's son and the destruction of the Enterprise, the jovial, humorous tone of this film is a welcome change. Naturally Star Trek fans will get the most out of the film. When Spock's father Sarek (Mark Lenard) and mother Amanda (Jane Wyatt) appear, a dedicated Trekker can't help but remember the great episode "Journey to Babel" where we learned of Spock's complicated and often hostile relationship with his father. And when we see the brand new Enterprise at the end of the film, only Star Trek fans can truly appreciate what a happy moment it is. But the fact that this film was the most commercially successful of the series -- over $100 million in 1986 -- shows that general audiences and not just Star Trek fans found the film entertaining and appealing. Roger Ebert, who was very lukewarm about most of the other entries in the series, raved about The Voyage Home. Star Trek fans have always seen the films as surrogate family reunions. The actors playing the characters may have aged and gained weight, but the fans loved seeing Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov return for another adventure. Star Trek IV, however, allows even non Trekkers to enjoy the reunion.

After the death of Spock and Kirk's son (not to mention the demise of the Enterprise), the tone of the Star Trek films was growing dark. And so, it was definitely time to "lighten up!" It was no wonder that movie goers packed the theatres to see "The Voyage Home", which became the most successful Trek film (so far). It's a film which reaches a wide audience with the message: you don't have to be familiar with all the Trek trappings to enjoy it. Opening with the appearance of a mysterious alien probe--and Kirk & crew preparing to depart Vulcan in their newly-acquired Klingon ship to face the consequences of their actions back on Earth--the probe's transmissions are so overwhelming that any vessel approaching is rendered instantly powerless (and helpless). Once arriving at Earth, the probe "innocently" begins to ionize the atmosphere as it attempts to communicate. But with whom? Spock concludes that the messages are not meant for man, but for whales. And since whales no longer exist in the 23rd century, the crew must risk time travel to find whales in the past and bring them to their own time to respond to the probe before it destroys Earth. (Got all that, so far?) What begins as a serious story turns into a lighthearted "fish-out-of-water" (pardon the pun!) farce once the crew clashes with 20th-century culture, circa 1986, San Francisco. Kirk & Spock soon clash themselves with a whale biologist, Dr. Gillian Taylor, played with feistiness & likability by Catherine Hicks. Hicks blends humor, exasperation, and flirtation in her scenes with Kirk & Spock, as she tries frustratingly to figure out who these odd men are, and why they're so interested in her whales, George & Gracie. As Leonard Nimoy did with "The Search for Spock", he allows each crew member to have some great moments: imagine Checkov wandering the streets of Frisco asking about the "nuclear wessels?" Or McCoy & Scotty tempting a plastics manufacturer with the recipe for transparent aluminum in exchange for materials to build a whale tank? Or Spock administering the Vulcan nerve pinch to an unruly punk rocker on a bus? Nimoy surpasses his previous directorial effort with this one, so fresh & original in its storyline that it's hard to resist. With a strong ecological message at the center---when "man destroys other creatures, he's destroying his future"---Nimoy manages to deliver that message without making it seem heavy-handed. And the Bird of Prey is such a fascinating ship that the absence of the Enterprise was hardly missed. The Bird of Prey is an impressive creation, with the out-stretched neck of a vulture and wings which can move in a "defensive" posture when going in for the kill. As mentioned, there are several subplots happening as each "team" tries to accomplish their task. However, the delightful subplot of Spock attempting to get back in touch with his human side by way of "guesses" and "colorful metaphors" is quite amusing. This is easily one of the best of the series; it belongs next to "The Wrath of Khan" as a fun & satisfying adventure.

Crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise return to Earth to face crimes committed in the course of rescuing a resurrected Spock. Meanwhile, a strange alien probe is ravaging Earth demanding a response from a life form that no longer exists. Captain Kirk and his crew are piloting a Klingon Bird Of Prey and will investigate the mysterious transmissions. Spock determines that it’s the sound of Humpback Whales, which means they have to go back in time, when earth had whales. Back in the past and in San Francisco, they have a lock on 2 whales. Blending into this times society, is a wild hoot. Plenty of laughs throughout the entire movie. To help pull this off, Whale Biologist Dr. Gillian Taylor helps Kirk and his crew. The whales contact the probe and has left earth.

envoi correcte dans les délais... rien à dire, si ce n'est cette mauvaise habitude depuis quelques temps de ne plus mettre de facture jointe, qui pourtant peut parfois être utile autrement qu'en la copiant sur le net...... le film est pour moi sans surprise et toujours apprécié, car je suis amateur presque inconditionnel de Star Trek... cet épisode est particulièrement intéressant... de montrer des extraterrestres qui s'intéressent plus aux Baleines qu'aux humains... pour entrer en contact avec la Terre... mais cela à l'avantage de diffuser l'idée juste et vrai que les baleines sont mille fois plus intelligentes et sensibles que ce qu'en croient et pensent de nombreuses personnes (en particulier les imbéciles qui les tuent de puis bien trop longtemps en ne respectant ni la loi ni la vie et détruisent notre monde pour se faire du fric...) allez savoir, on aura peut-être ce problème sur le dos dans un temps futur ? D'ailleurs c'est aussi valable pour toutes les autres espèces vivant AVEC nous sur notre planète... enfin c'est plutôt nous qui vivons avec elles, car les animaux etc. sont des milliards pus nombreux que nous humains, et c'est eux à eux tous qui sont la vie dominante sur notre planète... si on les détruit et éliminent on est assuré de disparaître à notre tour... d'une manière ou d'une autre, et là, la proposition de Star Trek en est une possible... c'est à méditer pour agir dans le bon sens dans le respect de la vie qui nous entoure.

Probably my favourite out of the 6 movies …. Got such a good feel factor about the movie.

Guten Abend! Der Film mit Captain Kirk finde ich richtig gut. Habe paarmal gesehen. Es geht um Buckelwale und Rettung der Erde. Sollte man gesehen haben. Vielen Dank.

Me encanta la saga de Star Trek ,y cuando vi que Paramount Pictures había restaurado las 10 Películas de la saga, las compré de inmediato. La de Star Trek 4, llegó hermosa con su Slipcover de colección y se ve mejor que nunca. El único inconveniente es que las mandaron en una simple bolsa sin burbujas ni nada.