Movies I Love : Star Trek: First Contact
Running time: 111 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Jonathan Frakes
When our relationship was still new, Jason and I were so eager to spend time together that we’d do things that only one of us found interesting. He would go to Mexican restaurants with me, and I later found out that he doesn’t like Mexican food. I would go rollerblading down a hill in his neighborhood even though I didn’t know how to brake and Jason had to race to the bottom to stop me.
That desire to spend time together was in full force one Thanksgiving Day when Jason invited me to see Star Trek: First Contact. I thought Star Trek was for nerds, but Jason convinced me that the movies were decent and not as nerdy as the show. (editors note: how did I do that?) We were done with family obligations, and I agreed to give the movie a try so I could hang out with him.
First Contact is the story of the Enterprise’s journey to the past to battle the Borg (the ugly fleet of guys at the bottom of the poster above), an alien race on a sinister mission to assimilate all other species and create a perfect race. If the Borg succeed, individuality will no longer exist. The crew of the Enterprise have to follow and defeat the Borg, who have gone back to the time of Earth’s first contact with an alien race, which ushers in a new era for humanity and for the universe.
Before seeing First Contact, I was unfamiliar with the series regulars, aside from Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton.
That didn’t matter because I was caught up in the world of space travel and the cast’s performances. The most impressive performance for me came from Brent Spiner as Data, an android who wants to be human.
Data is far superior to humans in many ways (memory capacity, physical and mental speed, strength), yet he wants more than anything to be like his human shipmates. He wants to feel. The Borg capture Data and offer him the opportunity to come the closest he’s ever been to the human experience. He’s faced with the temptation to join them at the expense of his friends’ lives.
I think I connected with Data because I was at a point in my life when I didn’t quite know where I fit in. I was in college but, being a commuter, I wasn’t actually part of the college community. I didn’t have any adult responsibilities because I was living with my parents. Part of me wanted to stay a kid and not have to be responsible while another part just wanted to show the world who I could be, though I wasn’t even sure who that was.
First Contact opened up the world of Sci-Fi to me. I was drawn to the stories with very clear heroes and villains, emphasizing humanity’s ability to triumph over evildoers. I was already a fan of some Sci-Fi, like Stargate, but after First Contact I learned to unashamedly embrace that part of me. I started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation in syndication. I watched all of the movies starring the original Star Trek cast. Recently, I enjoyed the Battlestar Gallactica remake. More importantly, I became a fan of LOST, which may not have occurred if I hadn’t listened to my inner nerd.
by Amy
