Background"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" is the fourth installation in the initial Star Trek film series. Launched in 1986, the film marked a shift from the more dramatic narrative of its predecessor to a lighter, comedic tone. Directed by Leonard Nimoy, the movie starred the original tv series cast including William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, and Nimoy.
Plot SummaryThe motion picture begins where the previous one left off, with the crew of the Enterprise stranded on earth Vulcan following their fight with Kahn. The crew is set to go back to Earth to face trial for the theft and damage of the USS Enterprise, but a powerful alien probe is causing havoc, threatening to damage the planet by evaporating its oceans. The probe transmits a signal, which goes unanswered, causing destructive atmospheric impacts. It appears to be attempting to communicate with humpback whales, which are extinct in the 23rd century.
The Time Travel to 1986To conserve Earth, Spock predicts the concept to return in time and bring humpback whales to the future to answer the probe. They slingshot around the sun in their captured Klingon spaceship, triggering them to take a trip back in time to the year 1986. After landing, they discover themselves in San Francisco. Their mission: to discover humpback whales and carry them to the future.
The Adventure in San Francisco2 crew members, Kirk and Spock, locate 2 humpback whales in a local aquarium. The marine biologist in charge of the whales, Dr. Gillian Taylor, becomes suspicious of their intents. After learning their time-travel story, she assists them on their objective. Meanwhile, the remainder of the crew deals with other elements of the objective - collecting nuclear power to energize their spaceship for the return to the future, and building a huge tank within the spacecraft to hold the whales and tons of seawater.
The Return HomeKirk and his team eventually succeed in transferring the whales and Dr. Taylor into the future. The whales' interaction with the alien probe saves Earth, as the probe ceases its operations and leaves. The crew is later cleared of all charges, because of their effective save-the-world mission, other than Kirk who is benched to the rank of captain, which is a subtle triumph for him as it enables him to command a starship once more. The film ends with the team leaving on a new ship, USS Enterprise - NCC-1701-A, for more expeditions.
Impact and ReceptionSignificantly lighter in tone compared to the earlier sequels, "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" supplied a departure from classic Star Trek designs into new territory, try out funny interactions and story. The film effectively integrated contemporary concerns of environmental factors to consider with the expected science-fiction action, and held appropriate and serious messages below its amusing plot. The movie was a success both critically and at the box-office, setting a new box-office record for the franchise at the time of its release.
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