On April 5, we Star Trek fans celebrated the day when Vulcans and humans first met. On that evening in 2063, a Vulcan survey ship detected the warp signature of the Phoenix, and the Vulcans touched down in Bozeman, Montana, allowing them to meet Zefram Cochrane. It was the start of a new relationship, and, although tenuous at first, Vulcans and humans reached a level of respect for one another. So we celebrate First Contact Day.
The Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) took part in the festivities and reminded us that it wants to find life on other planets, and it’s one of their focuses.
Happy #FirstContact Day!
— Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) April 5, 2021
In the #StarTrek lore, humans make first contact with an extraterrestrial race, the Vulcans, on this day in 2063.
Finding life off of Earth is one of our core enterprises. Learn more here: https://t.co/Bqdh220OQx
(Image: Blake Estes) pic.twitter.com/nb1k0hI5aq
Picardilly (@artwithhamirra) took us back to the cliffhanger ending of Best of Both Worlds when Captain Picard appeared as Locutus of Borg.
Kevin J. Walter (@Kevin_J_Walter) wasn’t sure about which Star Trek series or moment could be counted as his First Contact, but he shared that he has a strong, emotional connection to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That’s certainly understandable. It remains one of my favorite movies.
I am honestly not sure which #StarTrek was in fact my #FirstContact - I enjoyed Voyager in early childhood as well as the movies.
— Kevin J. Walter (@Kevin_J_Walter) April 5, 2021
What I do know, is that I have a real strong emotional connection to ST IV - the classic one with the whales! 🐳 pic.twitter.com/q28lln9GJO
Trey Lawson (@T_Lawson) is a fan who answered @startrek’s question about their First Contact memory. He said that he has been a fan for as long as he can remember. And, honestly, who hasn’t ran around the room making Enterprise noises when they were kids?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a Trekkie. When I was a kid, Star Trek: TNG was family TV night. I would zoom around the room making WHOOOSH noises (like the Enterprise in the opening credits). #FirstContact #FirstContactDay https://t.co/7aDbeVVFZJ pic.twitter.com/epEqybLTOk
— Trey Lawson (@T_Lawson) April 6, 2021
And Amanda (@nerdychick678) answered @startrek’s questions as well, sharing just how much Star Trek helped her get through the pandemic. Many fans have talked about how they binged several of the series to help them during lockdown. It was like comfort food!
My #FirstContact was as a baby, growing up on Next Gen and TOS. My #SecondContact was as an adult deciding to watch every episode of every series. #StarTrek really helped me through the early days of the pandemic as I came back to a universe I knew and loved for so long https://t.co/MHqLjGqu7c
— Amanda (@nerdychick678) April 6, 2021
Honestly, there were so many more tweets I could have shared as the love of Star Trek was so abundantly obvious on First Contact Day. These are just some of the highlights. If you have time, you should do a search on Twitter yourself to see the ones I didn’t share. They’ll all bring a smile to your face!