Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

The cast and crew of Star Trek wish to dedicate this film to the men and women of the spaceship Challenger whose courageous spirit shall live to the 23rd century and beyond ....

These sobering words begin what is the most humorous of all the Star Trek movies.

The original crew is back once again. It has been three months since the end of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. They have decided to head back to Earth to face the consequences of their actions during the last movie.

But Earth is under attack from a probe of unknown origin. If this sounds familiar - it is. The premise of a probe of unknown origin threatening Earth and various ships was seen in Star Trek The Motion Picture. This time, however, the probe reaches Earth and begins to wreak havoc on Earth's environment.

For the crew of the Enterprise, now traveling to Earth aboard the hijacked Klingon Bird-of-Prey, they easily deduce what no one else has yet figured out: that the probe is attempting to communicate with the (extinct) species Humpback Whale.

What is a Starfleet Admiral to do, but travel back to 20th century Earth and bring back a couple of whale to talk to the probe.

And that is where the wonderful humor comes in. Imagine traveling back 300 years in time to the year 1701 - how out of place you would be. This is what happens to Kirk & crew as they attempt to deal with "exact change", nuclear "wessels", kidney dialysis and the like.

Spock is a fish out of water - still trying to understand his place in the universe and at the same time trying to adapt to a crazy world. The scene where he deals with a punk-rocker blasting his radio on a bus is hilarious, as is his attempts at using "colorful metaphors" during a conversation.

Some of the humor seems dated now. In the years when the Berlin Wall was still up and the Cold War still going strong, a Russian looking for the "nuclear wessels" probably got a lot more laughs than they do in this age of detante. Kirk trying to hide his using a communicator was a more effective joke before everyone had Star-Tac cell-phones, and Scotty attempting to talk to a computer using the mouse was funnier before there was voice-recognition software.

Still, the humor is there and is effective. It brings the humanity back to the world of Star Trek. There are a few nits, as there are in most Star Trek movies. The Klingon Ambassador at the beginning of the movie is playing a tape of the destruction of the Enterprise that is from Star Trek III, but where did he get this information? Unless the Klingons were broadcasting the whole incident back to their planet, this shouldn't have existed. Kruge did not seem to know what was going on aboard the Enterprise while he was in command of the Bird-of-Prey during that time. David, Kirk's son, is mentioned briefly by Saavik in the beginning, then he is dropped completely.

The movie is tremendously enjoyable. The writing is well-done and it's refreshing to see all of the Star Trek actors featured prominently throughout the picture. This did not turn into a movie only about Kirk and Spock. All of the cast had an important part in bringing everything together to get them back to Earth in the 23rd Century.

Once again, they do save the day. Kirk's punishment for disobeying orders is a demotion from Admiral to Captain, and the assignment of a new vessel: NCC-1701A: Enterprise.



To see where this movie ranks in my assessment of the Star Trek films, go to: Star Trek's Top 10


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older