Star Trek IV The Voyage Home (1986) - Illustrated Reference

Star Trek IV The Voyage Home was directed by Leonard Nimoy. It premiered on the 26th November 1986 Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Catherine Hicks, Robert Ellenstein, Jane Wyatt and Mark Lenard. Screenplay by Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Nicholas Meyer, Harve Bennett. Music by Leonard Rosenman. 119mins.

A mysterious alien probe approaches Earth sending out a signal and waiting for a response. The presence of the probe is threatening the Earth with destruction. Admiral Kirk and his crew travel back in time to the 20th century to bring back two humpback whales, hunted to extinction by the 23rd century and the only creatures that can respond to the probe’s signal.

Comedian Eddie Murphy wanted to star in the 4th movie and a script was written. Murphy’s character was a professor who enjoyed listening to whale song and believed in UFO’s. But Murphy didn’t want to play a hippie professor, he wanted to play a Starfleet officer. He declined the role and went on to make The Golden Child (1986) instead.

Gillian: Don't tell me, you're from outer space?
Kirk: No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space

William Shatner stars as James Tiberius Kirk. Captain of a Klingon Bird of Prey, dubbed “The Bounty” by the crew. The USS Enterprise was blown up in Star Trek III and Kirk and crew took over a Klingon ship. Shatner asked for $2m to return as Kirk and with condition he direct the next one.

Leonard Nimoy plays the resurrected Mr. Spock and he also directed the fourth Star Trek movie. Spock is still recovering from events in the past two films.

Gillian: Do you guys like Italian?
Kirk: Yes.
Spock: No.
Kirk: Yes.
Spock: No.
Kirk: I love Italian,
(looks at Spock)
Kirk: And so do you.
Spock: Yes.

Catherine Hicks (1951-) plays marine biologist Dr. Gillian Taylor. She helps Kirk take back two humpback whales to the future and she hitches a ride there too.

Hicks received an Emmy nomination for playing Marilyn Monroe in the TV movie Marilyn-The Untold Story (1980) , she won a Best Actress Saturn Award for the horror film Child’s Play (1988), and received a Best Supporting Actress Saturn for Star Trek IV.

Jane Wyatt (1910-2006) plays Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson, she is married to Sarek, a Vulcan Ambassador played by Mark Lenard. Wyatt starred in the classic fantasy Lost Horizon (1937) directed by Frank Capra. She found fame on TV as Margaret Anderson in the series Father Knows Best (1954-1960).

Robert Ellenstein (1923-2010) is the Federation President. The actor appeared as a different character in the Star Trek-TNG episode “Haven” (1987).

Brock Peters (1927-2005) plays Starfleet Admiral Cartwright. He would reprise the role in Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country (1991) where he would be exposed as one of the conspirators planning to sabotage peace talks with the Klingon Empire.

Peters also played Captain Sisko's father on Deep Space Nine. He was the innocent black man accused of rape in the classic movie To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Peters read the eulogy at Peck’s funeral in 2003.

John Schuck (1940-) played the angry Klingon Ambassador demanding that Kirk be punished for stealing a Klingon Bird of Prey and wiping out the Klingons responsible for killing his son, chronicled in Star Trek III.

Schuck would reprise the role of “angry Klingon Ambassador” in Star Trek VI and would appear in other roles in episodes of Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise. The actor played Herman Munster in the TV series The Munsters Today (1987-1991)

Kirk: Excuse me! Would you mind stopping that damn noise?

Kirk Thatcher played the annoying “Punk on Bus”, who plays his music so loudly Spock has no choice but to administer the Vulcan nerve pinch on him. Thatcher is an associate producer on the film, he also wrote and sung the song playing on his boombox.

Star Trek IV is dedicated to the crew of the Challenger space shuttle which exploded after lift off in January 1986, killing all seven on board.

Scotty: Admiral, there be whales here!

Many of the shots of the humpback whales used in the film were in fact life size animatronic models. I couldn’t tell the difference.

The time travel technique used in the film to take the Bird of Prey back to the 20th century was first seen in the first season episode “Tomorrow is Yesterday” (1967) and the second season episode “Assignment Earth” (1968).

One plot development from the script that was not used in the film was Saavik staying behind on Vulcan because she was pregnant with young Spock’s child after he went through the Vulcan pon farr in Star Trek III.

Chekov: Excuse me, sir! Can you direct us to the naval base in Alameda? It's where they keep the nuclear wessels.

After saving the Earth once again, Admiral Kirk’s punishment for disobeying Starfleet orders and stealing the Enterprise was to demote him to Captain and give him command of a Starship, which turns out to be a brand new Enterprise NCC-1701 A.

This is the only Star Trek movie with no villains. The closest thing to a villain here are the Finnish whale hunters attempting to harpoon the two humpback whales.

If you look carefully at the scene where Sulu is flying the Huey helicopter and he accidentally turns on the windscreen wiper look to the bottom right and you can see someone’s finger moving the wiper up and down.

Veteran composer Leonard Rosenman (1924-2008) scored the fourth Star Trek movie and received an Oscar nomination. Among the films he has scored are East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1956), Fantastic Voyage (1966) and The Lord of the Rings (1978).

Star Trek IV The Voyage Home was very successful, grossing $109m in the US. Until the recent reboot it was the only Star Trek film to pass $100m at the US box office. The worldwide total was $133m.

Kirk: If we play our cards right, we may be able to find out when those whales are being released.
Spock: How will playing cards help?

Very popular with fans and moviegoers, Star Trek IV had few special effects and plenty of humour. Surprisingly its environmental message was not a turn off and it’s the only Star Trek movie liked by people who aren’t fans of the series. It’s also very quotable.

Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise will be back in Star Trek V The Final Frontier (1989).

The Critics Wrote –

"Mr. Nimoy directed this Star Trek installment, and indeed he should probably direct all of them. The technical minutiae, the solemn silliness and the preachy tone occasionally sounded here (''You know, it's ironic - when man was killing these creatures, he was destroying his own future'') are all essential to the Star Trek mystique. Whatever it is, it seems durable beyond anyone's wildest dreams. And Mr. Nimoy, by injecting some extra levity this time, has done a great deal to assure the series longevity." (Janet Maslin, New York Times)

“It has an irresistibly sure touch, an easy command of its audience... It’s reminiscent of an old trouper - Chevalier, Hope or Crosby in their later years. Short of wind, it captures us with a wink or a word, a nudge on our mutual memory banks.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Warmer, wittier, more socially relevant and truer to its TV origins than prior odysseys.” (Variety)

"Some of the kidding around is fairly genial, and William Shatner's Kirk is less stoic here than in III--HE'S pleasantly daffy. The others in the crew also have an easy, parodistic tone. But the picture doesn't have much beyond the interplay among them and the jokey scenes in San Francisco” (Pauline Kael)

“The best of the series: it isn’t saying much, but at least there are shreds of wit in the script.” (Halliwell)

“Easily the most absurd of the Star Trek stories - and yet, oddly enough, it is also the best, the funniest, and the most enjoyable in simple human terms. I'm relieved that nothing like restraint or common sense stood in their way.” (Roger Ebert)