The RAD crew sits down to discuss their thoughts on First Contact Day and to help spread the word about this important event.
April 5th is right around the corner, and that means Star Trek: First Contact is upon us!
Well, not really. In about fityish years….so be sure to mark your calendars!
Most Star Trek fans will agree that one enormously important date within the Trek timeline is the first contact between Humans and Vulcans. April 5, 2063, is indeed a date that will forever mark the turning point for humanity. This is the day that Zefram Cochrane, famed warp theorist, took flight in the Phoenix. The first warp-capable ship built on Earth. This action caught the attention of a nearby Vulcan survey ship, and the rest is history. Or rather, future history. You get the idea.
This historic event was, of course, made famous in the 1996 film, Star Trek: First Contact. In that film, we witnessed the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew travel-back-in-time to stop a Borg invasion. During this mission, they inadvertently damaged Zefram Cochrane’s (James Cromwell) warp-capable ship the Phoenix. Battling both a ticking clock and a Borg Queen, the Enterprise crew managed to save the day and guarantee First Contact.
First Contact was also famously re-done by the creative team behind Star Trek: Enterprise.
In an almost shot-for-shot remake of Star Trek: First Contact’s finale, we see Zefram Cochrane approach a Vulcan ambassador. But instead of extending a hand in peace, he extends his signature shotgun and blasts the Vulcan away. This action eventually leads to the founding of the Terran Empire and we know as the Mirror Universe.
Regardless of how First Contact goes down in your universe, it is undoubtedly an important turning point for humanity.
NEXT: Why Star Trek Is The Greatest Science Fiction Franchise Ever
How do you celebrate First Contact Day? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.