After The Search for Spock, Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett and the rest of the Star Trek creative team wanted a change in style. Both of the previous films featured strong, angry antagonists by Christopher Lloyd and Ricardo Montalban. Numerous people were killed. On the other hand, many episodes of the original television series had no villains at all. In the Menagerie, for example, the Talosians were not evil, but merely trying to save their own species, and even proved their gracious nobility in the end.
The decision was made to alter the tone in a "return to the roots" type movie. Their first attempt, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, tried and failed in the same effort, but did so because it was protracted and boring, hardly characteristics of the original series. It was a risky choice, but if successful it would please not only fans of the cannon, but mainstream viewers as well.
Successful it was, as it became the only Star Trek movie to exceed $100 million in box office receipts. Not even the beloved First Contact matched its intake. So favorable was its reception that it paved the way for a new television series, The Next Generation, which in turn spawned others such as Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Why was it so successful? The reasons were many. First of all, Leonard Nimoy returned to the director's chair. It was Nimoy's guidance that made The Search for Spock as good as it was. Part of his contract to return as Spock also granted him direction of this film. Like Jonathan Frakes after him, Nimoy had a great deal of skill in both the direction and the story, which he co-wrote with Harve Bennett.
The plot: An alien probe from an unknown system is on a direct heading for Earth. It is emitting immensely powerful sound waves that knock out power in every star vessel it encounters. It arrives above Earth and continues to emit its signal, which begins to vaporize the oceans.
Meanwhile, the crew of the scuttled Enterprise has decided to return to Earth and face trial for their violations of Starfleet Regulations in the previous film. They receive a planetary distress call en route, and conclude that the sound emissions are meant for an underwater species, namely humpback whales. With no other options, they decide the only way to save the planet is to travel back to 1986 in order to transport humpbacks back to the present and answer the probe's call.
The idea has an intrinsic appeal, but it is not until the crew embarks on late 20th Century San Francisco that its true ingenuity becomes apparent. The crew attempts to blend into "a primitive and paranoid society," leading to a host of hilarious moments. It also lampoons 1980s culture, but in a friendly way. Nimoy took a scouting trip to see what appropriate urban clothing for Spock would be, but saw so many outrageous outfits that he soon knew that his character's Vulcan robes would fit right in.
The less said about the main portion of the film the better, since the uncanny situations presented are so humorous it would be a crime to give them away. Three teams are formed, the main one consisting of Admiral Kirk and Spock (William Shatner and Nimoy), each experiences its own unique adventure. Kirk meets Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a whale biologist at the Cetacean Institute. The facility houses two humpback whales who are about to I can say no more.
After two forgettable musical scores by James Horner, Leonard Rosenman invigorates the movie with his Oscar nominated music. His theme is not filled with mystery, intensity or foreboding, but levity and joy. During the film's two chase scenes, one of which takes place in a hospital, the music is not the usual pulse rising, but instead accentuates how silly the whole affair is.
This is one of those movies that must be seen to be believed and appreciated. The arsenal of gags is large and every one works. If you want to know about simple logic, the yellow pages, and the *best* application of the Vulcan neck pinch ever, see this movie. If not, see it anyway. It will brighten your day.
The decision was made to alter the tone in a "return to the roots" type movie. Their first attempt, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, tried and failed in the same effort, but did so because it was protracted and boring, hardly characteristics of the original series. It was a risky choice, but if successful it would please not only fans of the cannon, but mainstream viewers as well.
Successful it was, as it became the only Star Trek movie to exceed $100 million in box office receipts. Not even the beloved First Contact matched its intake. So favorable was its reception that it paved the way for a new television series, The Next Generation, which in turn spawned others such as Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Why was it so successful? The reasons were many. First of all, Leonard Nimoy returned to the director's chair. It was Nimoy's guidance that made The Search for Spock as good as it was. Part of his contract to return as Spock also granted him direction of this film. Like Jonathan Frakes after him, Nimoy had a great deal of skill in both the direction and the story, which he co-wrote with Harve Bennett.
The plot: An alien probe from an unknown system is on a direct heading for Earth. It is emitting immensely powerful sound waves that knock out power in every star vessel it encounters. It arrives above Earth and continues to emit its signal, which begins to vaporize the oceans.
Meanwhile, the crew of the scuttled Enterprise has decided to return to Earth and face trial for their violations of Starfleet Regulations in the previous film. They receive a planetary distress call en route, and conclude that the sound emissions are meant for an underwater species, namely humpback whales. With no other options, they decide the only way to save the planet is to travel back to 1986 in order to transport humpbacks back to the present and answer the probe's call.
The idea has an intrinsic appeal, but it is not until the crew embarks on late 20th Century San Francisco that its true ingenuity becomes apparent. The crew attempts to blend into "a primitive and paranoid society," leading to a host of hilarious moments. It also lampoons 1980s culture, but in a friendly way. Nimoy took a scouting trip to see what appropriate urban clothing for Spock would be, but saw so many outrageous outfits that he soon knew that his character's Vulcan robes would fit right in.
The less said about the main portion of the film the better, since the uncanny situations presented are so humorous it would be a crime to give them away. Three teams are formed, the main one consisting of Admiral Kirk and Spock (William Shatner and Nimoy), each experiences its own unique adventure. Kirk meets Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a whale biologist at the Cetacean Institute. The facility houses two humpback whales who are about to I can say no more.
After two forgettable musical scores by James Horner, Leonard Rosenman invigorates the movie with his Oscar nominated music. His theme is not filled with mystery, intensity or foreboding, but levity and joy. During the film's two chase scenes, one of which takes place in a hospital, the music is not the usual pulse rising, but instead accentuates how silly the whole affair is.
This is one of those movies that must be seen to be believed and appreciated. The arsenal of gags is large and every one works. If you want to know about simple logic, the yellow pages, and the *best* application of the Vulcan neck pinch ever, see this movie. If not, see it anyway. It will brighten your day.