Star Trek IV The Voyage Home (1986)
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84% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(64,517 ratings)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) concludes the story arc begun with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), but on a wholly new, different, and upbeat note. As the movie opens, months have elapsed since the events in Star Trek III;… More Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) concludes the story arc begun with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), but on a wholly new, different, and upbeat note. As the movie opens, months have elapsed since the events in Star Trek III; Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Scott (James Doohan), Sulu (George Takei), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and Chekhov (Walter Koenig) are marooned in self-imposed exile on Vulcan, along with the resurrected and regenerated Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who also directed). While Spock tries to sort out the Vulcan and human halves of his resurrected psyche, the others prepare to return to Earth to face a brace of charges by the Klingon Empire and Star Fleet over events on Genesis. Taking off in their commandeered, jerry-rigged Klingon ship, they head to Earth, not knowing that a new crisis could destroy their home world -- a huge, immensely powerful alien probe has entered the galaxy and established a position near Earth, disabling every vehicle and installation in its path with its energy and communication output, and has ionized the entire atmosphere and started vaporizing the oceans, leaving the planet only hours to survive. Spock determines that the probe is sending out signals to another intelligent terrestrial life form, humpbacked whales, which no longer exist. Using the gravity slingshot time-warp effect (established early in the original series) to travel back into Earth's 20th century, Kirk and company land in 1980s San Francisco to try and bring humpbacked whales to the 23rd century, to respond to the probe. Thus starts a surprisingly breezy, light-hearted, yet serious odyssey through the past (comparable to the best work of the original series), as the crew learns to deal with exact-change buses, angry drivers, punk-rock enthusiasts and other elements of '80s life, and Kirk tries to persuade a scientist (Catherine Hicks) of his good intentions for two whales in captivity. The screenplay, co-authored by Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Nicholas Meyer, and Harve Bennett (from a story by Nimoy and Bennett), is the cleverest and most sophisticated of all the Star Trek movie screenplays, recalling some of the elements of Meyer's earlier time-travel movie Time After Time and also anticipating the feel and tone of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation (which would be on the air not quite a year later). Nimoy's direction offers a combination of brisk pacing and a deep love of the characters and the actors, as well as a serious appreciation of the humorous aspects of the script, and Shatner gives his best performance of any of the movies. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Leonard Nimoy
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 26, 1986 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Latest excursion is warmer, wittier, more socially relevant and truer to its TV origins than prior odysseys.
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Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
I suspect the unconverted will want to be beamed up pronto.
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Stephen Garrett, Time Out
Kirk & Co return to present-day San Francisco to save the whales in the most enjoyable film of the series so far, also returning to the simplistic morality-play format that gave the original TV series its strength.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Mr. Nimoy directed this Star Trek installment, and indeed he should probably direct all of them. His technical expertise leaves much to be desired. But his sincerity is unmistakable, and it counts for a lot.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is 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.
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Cast
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William Shatner
as James T. Kirk
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Leonard Nimoy
as Mr. Spock
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DeForest Kelley
as Leonard "Bones" McCoy
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George Takei
as Hikaru Sulu
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James Doohan
as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
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Catherine Hicks
as Gillian
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Walter Koenig
as Pavel Chekov
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Nichelle Nichols
as Uhura
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Jane Wyatt
as Amanda Spock
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Mark Lenard
as Sarek
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Robin Curtis
as Lt. Saavik
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Robert Ellenstein
as Federation Council President
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John Schuck
as Klingon Ambassador
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Vijay Amritraj
as Starship Captain
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Majel Barrett
as Christine Chapel
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Michael Berryman
as Starfleet Display Officer
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Tony Edwards
as Pilot
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Alex Henteloff
as Nichols
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Joe Lando
as Shore Patrolman
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Jeff Lester
as FBI Agent
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Judy Levitt
as Doctor #2
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John Miranda
as 2nd Garbageman
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Brock Peters
as Admiral Cartwright
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Nick Ramus
as Saratoga Helmsman
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Phil Rubenstein
as 1st Garbageman
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Madge Sinclair
as Capt. of the U.S.S. Saratoga
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Raymond Singer
as Young Doctor
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Eve Smith
as Elderly Patient
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Newell Tarrant
as CDO
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Kirk R. Thatcher
as Punk on Bus
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Grace Lee Whitney
as Janice Rand
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Jane Wiedlin
as Alien Communications Officer
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Michael Snyder
as Starfleet Communications Officer
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Scott W. de Venney
as Bob Briggs
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Greg Karas
as Intern #2
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Martin Pistone
as Controller #2
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Bob Sarlatte
as Waiter
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Teresa E. Victor
as Usher
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Mike Timoney
as Electronics technician
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Jeffrey Martin
as Electronics technician


