The sad part of the Borg Queen intro is that it took 5 months to shoot 'perfectly because it was originally going to be one fluid shot from when we first see her suspended in the air to when she fits into her body. Frakes has told how extremely tricky it was to pull off.... and then the editors made it moot by clipping a shot of Data's reaction to her descent into the middle of that single shot. Frakes was really frustrated with that as it would have been MUCH easier to do in multiple shots.

I was about 11 when I was sitting in a room dimly lit with the TV while I read astronomy books and drew spaceships. Like some twist of fate, I decided to switch over one night and landed on "Star Trek: First Contact" right at the "Battle of Sector 001". It had me hooked on the spot, but then April 5th was mentioned as First Contact Day, which also happens to be my birthday. I'm hoping to be around in 2063, and that the world will be in a better spot then than it is now. LLAP.

I was 14 years old when First Contact was released. In my mind today? it remains the best that Trek has ever been. It feels like Star Trek has been chasing that high ever since - if not in story? then certainly in glory.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Trek Culture is the only place where I can get "X things you didn't know about Star Trek" where I actually find out things I didn't know. Keep up the good work, guys!

Definitely a top favourite film of mine. That overture still brings me out in goosebumps, and does move me.

Having Geordi switch over to ocular implants does make perfect sense, seeing as his visor was hacked by the Duras sisters in the previous movie, and the implants would've been able to prevent against that happening. Since that hacked visor ultimately lead to the destruction of the Enterprise D

This is such a good movie, not just as a Trek feature but in general.

When I was a kid in the 90s, my cousin was gushig about Star Trek Generations and it made me curious. I went to our local VHS rental store and asked if they had Star Trek. They had this movie so I rented it. And I was BLOWN away. I rented the movie maybe hundreds of times. This movie singlehandedly made me a Trekkie.

Funnily enough, when I went to see First Contact, about 40 minutes in the screen went completely white and after another 20 minutes of just sitting staring at a blank screen the lights came up and an employee came in to tell us the projector had caught fire and we would have to be given rain checks to come back another time after they got another copy of the film. Lovely. It took me two weeks before I was able to get back and see the whole movie.

Switching Picard and Riker's roles would have been a big mistake. Picard dealing with his trauma over being assimilated is far too important, IMO, to have him stuck on the planet with Cochrane, even if it would have resulted in him taking Cochrane's place, a la Sisko in the Bell Riots. I think Stewart's insistence was well-founded, even if his reasoning may have differed.

First contact isn't just a great next generation movie it's one of the best Trek movies. It's got a great story and the characters are very well written. It is a credit to Jonathan Frakes and his production team to put out such a great film at warp speed . As for Insurrection I personally like the film .....it's much better then generations and nemesis.

I'm going to take this opportunity to speak to a point I've had for years. First, tiny back story. I'm blind and have been since birth. I also watched Star Trek practically since birth. TNG was very formative for me. So that places me in time. As a child, I was given few (shockingly few) blind or visually impaired role models. This serious under-representation actually became something of a talking point as an adult; we're significantly under-represented in mainstream media, even compared with other disabilities and minorities. Anyway, Geordi LaForge is an obvious role model. I had at least two Geordi action figures, and one of my earlier childhood dreams was growing up to be an engineer like Geordi. Sadly, technical drawing and design is somewhat beyond my grasp, because of my blindness, so I moved on from that idea. But as I got older and watched more Star Trek, something occurred to me. Geordi is not actually a very good self-insert for the blind. In fact, he's rather a bad one. He cannot cope with the loss of his vision. Whenever his VISOR is removed, he wants it back very quickly. In fact, though loss of vision is not a key plot point, I'd suggest that, because of his trauma, he's even more attached to his eyesight than a lot of the traditionally sighted characters. Instead, Geordi is a perfect role model for the emerging population of neural modification and prosthetics. I still like the character; he's one of my favorites, and I feel that the VISOR may have actually caused his actor to express himself more effectively vocally, because Geordi's emotions are clearly written in his voice. But I was a little sad to see my childhood role model in a different light. On the other hand, I latched onto another character, whose brief (single episode) of appearance was riveting. "Is There In Truth No Beauty" features Dr. Miranda Jones. Granted, she is a telepath, and that's a little harder to relate with, but she is a high-quality psychologist. Furthermore, she is not afraid of her lack of vision. She does try to hide the fact, indicating she feels shame over her condition, but that, sadly, is a common state among blind people, though not one I feel myself. She uses future technology to navigate her environment, but it's technology that is not integrated into her body; the sensor net she wears gives her data about the environment without seeming to require the same kind of modification as the VISOR. The technology obviously works, as she boasts being able to play tennis, a highly visual game, a boast she wouldn't make without being able to back it up. Her neuroses contribute significantly to the arc of the show, making her somewhat the antagonist, but this, too, is empowering in its own way. She certainly possesses the wit and capacity for good and for ill. I know this comment has very little to do with the subject of the video, stemming from one entry in the list about Geordi's VISOR and Berton's performance, but I don't think the channel has done a list of disabled characters throughout Star Trek (nudge nudge) and I felt it worth the time to type. Live long and prosper.

When you think about Q's role in introducing the Borg, it makes sense he'd show up in the Borg movie I always felt like Q might show up immediately after the events of First Contact and be like I told you so

I really enjoyed this because I'm such a fan of the film. Looking forward to Part 2. Big fan of TrekCulture!

That makeup sign that said Ferengis, Klingons and Borg oh my! LOL

I fondly remember seeing this on the big screen when it came out, with a friend who let's be honest wasn't as into Trek as I but was prepared to indulge me, bless her, and I did did find myself choking up seeing the TNG cast reunited. Didn't see Generations, for reasons which escape me, so this was quite something at the time. I don't think we got a toilet break, but happy days nonetheless.

I remember myself very exited watching the first scene the Enterprise E apears. Realy explode my brain!

Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but I love this movie. Great score, great visuals and the Borg are still the scary villains.

7:25 Me: where's the other part of the list? Picard: "The line must be drawn HERE! THIS FAR AND NO FARTHER!"

One of my favorite films of all time.

Best line in First Contact...Worf to the Borg: "Assimilate this." Before blasting him

Pt2 better include the Borg comedy nicknames. I remember at the time an interview with the producers revealed that different extras had different names to identify them . Bjorn Borg, Smorgasborg etc

The second one, #19, explains a lot of why *Red Letter Media* wrote such a scathing review of Picard's character. He was much angrier and more active compared to how he had ever been before.

While FC wasn't the first Star Trek I watched, it was what made me start caring about the franchise, and the Borg were a large part of that. I hadn't seen any of the Borg episodes for TNG when I first saw this and I thought the Borg were genuinely terrifying, so I started thinking "I gotta see more of this!"

1996 ??? I was in the army,stationed at Ft Hood,Tx in 1st Cav-Div-home unit-HHC 2/8 Cav !!! GO-ARMY !!! It was a WILD=RIDE at Hood !!! LOL. And I was a wild boy too !!!MAYBE,a little too wild !!! LOL. I remember seeing this film in the cinema and enjoying it very much !! I LOVE THE BORG. LOL. A lot of Star Trek fans in the army too. GOOD video,learned a lot.

I will say, First Contact is, IMO, the best of the 4 TNG movies, and the #3 of all the Star Trek movie universe behind Wrath of Khan & Undiscovered Country. I love this movie.

I was a very excited 17 year old when I went to the cinema to watch this during my Christmas leave whilst undergoing army basic training. I had a fortnight off and I think I went to watch it at least twice.

First Contact is my favorite Star Trek movie ever!

This is my favorite Star Trek movie with Wrath of Khan a close second. I always wished that we could have had more of the horror element. That scene in the Jefferies tube always give me the creeps and perfectly defines the true terror of the Borg - you can't escape them.

First Contact is by far and away the best TNG movie and probably the second best Trek movie for me. It's a shame despite doubling the budget, they could never replicate the success with TNG. The script and characters were key in it.

First Contact (title score) has by far the best musical score of ANY Star Trek Film. It is extremely beautiful score.

This is what got me into Trek in the first place.

In-universe, it was Doctor Pulaski who first suggested Geordi get optic implants and ditch the visor.

Actually rewatched first contact yesterday and every time i rewatch this movie im surprised how well it has held up over all these years. Still my favourite star trek movie

I learned something today! Yeah, man, you're really good at this. The research, presentation, and wit are spot on! Ok - I will say, it would have been great if Q appeared for a 10 second exchange where Picard curses him and says "End this now, Q!" and Q smiles, "mon capitain, I simply came here to tell you that I have nothing to do with what's going on. You're on your own this time." gone, carry on to the Holodeck

FYI, Trekculture videos are the one channel that I rewatch all the time even ones I’ve seen five times because they’re that good keep it up

You can definitely see some plot points that were not used in First Contact that ended up being used in Picard season 2.

I can't wait for the rest of it. Looking forward to it!

By far one of the best Star Trek movies ever made. It’s great to learn new things about it.

Awesome video!

Nicely done. One of my favourite ST movies along with 2 and 6 ❤️

Sean:"Was it perfect? No!" I disagree. It WAS perfect. It's my favorite TNG Film, followed by Insurrection

I am completely flabbergasted. Seven months is insane.

I may have an unpopular opinion but i was sad when geordi appeared without the visor. I always thought it made him look like a badass. His "ocular implant" eyes looked dead and a bit sinister to me. But whatever, give lavar what he wants, he certainly earned it. 🙂

Amazing video. I'm looking foward for the 2nd part. I remember watching this movie when I was 14 and its has just been released. Regards! *

What suprised me the most was that the Star Wars VFX company was responsible for making this look good and it was not even a numbered entry.

Please, please, please, please TrekCulture, can you start doing ups and downs for all the feature films. Pretending as if you're seeing it for the first time.

I always preferred the VISOR. I did know these before, but it's always fun to revisit them.

My parents loved this movie and thought it would be perfect to introduce me to Star Trek. Turns out the Borg brutally and coldly assimilating people can really scare 9 year old kids. I was scared of the Borg for years after this

I've loved FC more and more over the years. The guest performances were outstanding. It established the Enterprise E as a beautiful, badass ship.

I went to a Star Trek convention in 94 or 95 (pretty sure it was in 95) where John de Lancie and Majel Barrett were the featured guests and de Lancie made it VERY clear during his appearance that he wanted to appear in the second TNG film or at least a TNG film after that one. It makes sense now since they would have been considering including him at that time

This is splendid, Thank you. I really dig the morse code Easter egg in the ocular implants. I had no idea that was a thing, but how cool is it??

I think First Contact is my favorite Star Trek film, but it isn't as if none of the others are close. I love the feel this film had.

Of COURSE I'll come back and visit you!

First Contact is easily the best Next Generation movie. It finally showed Starfleet taking a pre emptive tactical stance against the Borg- NB: The Borg doesn’t remember any knowledge assimilated from Picard in The Best of Both Worlds as Adm. Hayes (who did survive the Battle of the Typhon Expanse/Sector 001 as he was seen later in Star Trek: Voyager)’ fleet held out far longer than Adm. Hayes’ 40 vessels at Wolf 359. Solkar’s voice actually sounded a lot like Mark Lenard’s, adding more credence to his connection. Its a shame Q never appeared in any TNG film. Regarding Geordi’s VISOR- he should’ve been given the implants from the start- given how unwieldy the VISOR seems to be compared to Col. Steve Austin’s bionic vision as seen in the 1970s’ The Six Million Dollar Man. And Col. Austin’s bionic eyesight looked far cooler than the chaotic look seen from Geordi’s POV in TNG’s “Heart of Glory”, the only time it was ever seen in any TNG show.

considering the heavy tone of the movie, I'm guessing the writers decided that a Q cameo would have felt out of place

Hopefully you'll have in part 2 that the Millennium Falcon is in the fight with the borg in the beginning. Its kind of a blink and you'll miss moment, but apparently John Knoll who had just done the one of the Star Wars special editions inserted the Millennium Falcon in the background of this scene.

The movie was fantastic and the design of the borg made it scarier over their tv counterparts and then used the makeup during voyager era .

One of the best Trek films OF ALL TIME!! Live long and prosper.

CGI can work, but I don't really like the look of the ships, especially in the last few years of Stark Trek. The copy and paste fleet from PIC was awful, and I don't particularly like the over-the-top lens flare from the JJ films either. I liked PIC Season 2 better, although I wasn't 100% satisfied either. To me, Star Trek, especially the ships, looked their best during First Contact. I don't know why, but it looks so "real", kind of touchable. This is probably due to the fact that all films are no longer shot on real film but with digital cameras, so that everything looks a bit "washed out" these days.

One of my most memorable “technical difficulty in the middle of a movie” incidents was when I saw Search for Spock in the theater. It was the scene where David was fighting the Klingon with the knife, then right at the critical “pre-stab” moment the film cut out and there was a collective sound of protest from the audience.

Saw this opening night but our buddy was late. So we went in and when it was over, he was in line for the next show. So we joined him and saw it again

I remember seeing this in the cinema. I miss the 90s.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes - the best Star Trek show director. Great movie, loved the themes and musical tones from First Contact being used in Picard Season 2.

Regarding practical model use stopping in First Contact. I am pretty sure that was the intention, but that they did use physical models or parts there of for some stuff. For all the good reasons to hate Nemesis, the ships ramming was done practically with a partial saucer section created for it.

This still proves that Trek works better on a budget. Of course a good co cept, Picard undergoing PTSD with a revenge drive, that works.

Stuff in there I 100% didn't know. Well played sir.

Best Star Trek movie ever made (in my opinion). Wrath of Khan in second place.

Thank you. 🖖🏻

I...I don't remember there being an intermission when I saw First Contact. My bladder certainly suffered. 🤣

It's definitely one of the best trek films hands down.

They should have made the borg eye pieces flash Morse code for help me. If anyone caught on it would have shown that there was still some individuality left in them

Here's something that bothered me about Geordi's VISOR, although it wasn't until decades later: what was the point of all the added capabilities? Sure, good for story, but in-universe? Was there a conversation like, "Hey, Joe, you know that blind kid? How about we make it so he can see neutrinos and s--t? Wouldn't that be cool?" "I don't know, man. That's like mad scientist stuff. What if causes him lifelong pain? The human visual cortex isn't made for that." "C'mon, man, where's your sense of adventure? Besides, it's for SCIENCE!"

I loved this movie !! Saw it with my dad when I was a kid

I loved the Klingon skeet shoot scene. Worf: Assimilate this! ( BLAM!)

oh man. Now I really want to see Star Trek: Reniassance.

I love this movie. It was amazing in the cinema, and I know all the words. I had the collectors edition VHS and pretty much wore it out. I can never decide whether this one, 2 or 4 is my favourite ST film. I change my mind fairly often. I think my version of 8 from the Final Frontier set is pretty much worn out and it is digital so can't wear out! That is how much I watch it!

My favorite Trek movie!

First Contact is my favorite Star Trek Movie.

Solkar was mentioned in Enterprise. when the Crew were sequestered to the catwalks and an ensign was trying to finish a crossword puzzle and asks Archer who was the first Vulcan Ambassador to Earth.. and he Answered Sokol.

First Contact is my favorite TNG movie. Overall it's my second favorite Trek movie; right behind The Wrath of Kahn. Lol, Kahn didn't want to be a statue either!

First Contact probably isn't most people's pic for best Trek film, but it'll always be my favorite. It was the first Trek film I got to see in theaters, and as a 10 year old at the time the Borg terrified me. They really peaked in this movie. Voyager kind of tamed them down after this, and now they seem to be nothing more than a running gag.

I would love to get my hands on that big model!

I love the make-up room sign (at 3:15-20) that says, "Ferengis and Klingons and Borg, Oh My!" Glad they didn't include Q in the movie. I generally don't care for the character, particularly since as soon as you introduce and omnipotent being as a character, that means you can just call in the "god" for help. I personally would not antagonize Q, I'd rather have him as a friend than an enemy.

The Borg have gone from bad ass, feared across the galaxy to the Samaritans. Way to kill a villain.

I was a manager for Cineplex Odeon when this movie came out. The information we were given said the title was: Star Trek: Final Conflict. The F and C are the same so it was probably a typo, but still it's kind of funny.

Didn't they used a partial model of the E for the crashing scene in Nemesis?

When Data was being dragged in by the Borg before the door shuts I wanted him to shout: Ryker somethings got me!!!* *two points if you get the reference.

Sean big OOF right off the bat in a technicality.. STFC WAS a Perfect film in the sense nothing was cut and ending up on the editing room floor.

A terrific video, but the sound harshens whenever there's an S sound.

Star Trek First Contact was the first movie ever to give me nightmares. the idea of being assimilated and the loss of individuality scared my younger self. I also seen STFC in the theater 3 times at the and still is one of the best looking trek movies

Here's something I don't know about Star Trek First Contact: The original date of First Contact was in 2061. There was an encyclopaedia produced before this movie listing all sorts of canon and facts established during the show's history. A revised edition got released after this film.

Wish they had made a movie with Q.

My favorite Next Gen film and my favorite star trek film

Great film, second best Trek film ever!

The BEST Star Trek movie, I'd say even better than "Wrath of Khan".

Fun fact about Geordis implants: In season two of TNG Dr. Pulaski offers Georde implants instead of a visor with the caveat of a worse performance. Seems that about a decade later the technology evolved.

I am glad that LeVar Burton got rid of the visor... since that visor has caused more trouble than it did help Mr. LeForge. That visor was indirectly the cause of the destruction of the Enterprise D in Generations.

I think pretty much anyone with working eyes knew that the Borg received a big budget upgrade.

In my opinion, First Contact is the best Next Generation movie and probably in my top 5 Star Trek movies