Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact was a pleasant surprise, so I am quite content to have seen it in the cinema. The film still appeals mostly to die-hard fans of the series, but I had no trouble following the plot, which leapt merrily through time and space. On the other hand, I cannot remember all that time activity and could therefore hardly explain it fully now.

The film has very impressive special effects, but fortunately the plot takes pride of place. The starship Enterprise faces a fight to the finish with the Borg, a technically advanced race that is half human, half robot. The Borg have a collective consciousness. Their expansion consists of capturing humans and building Borg out of them. In an earlier episode Picard was a prisoner of the Borg. That story is quickly outlined, so the lines are clear.

The Borg travel back to the point in the past, after the Third World War, when an American scientist is completing his spaceship, which will bring humans and peaceful aliens into close contact. The Borg want to prevent this encounter so that they can incorporate humanity into their collective consciousness themselves. The Enterprise must thwart the Borg's plan while the Borg are in the process of taking over the Enterprise. So there is plenty to keep them busy!