Watch: Star Trek: First Contact interviews from a 1996 press junket

1996 Patrick Stewart stars in the new movie "Star Trek: First Contact".
1996 Patrick Stewart stars in the new movie "Star Trek: First Contact".

The 25th birthday of Star Trek: First Contact is upon us.

Star Trek: First Contact was released 25 years ago this week, and it still remains one of the most impactful and well-made movies in Star Trek history. It’s one of the best films ever and holds up incredibly well.

The special effects, the acting, the costumes, and everything about this film holds up incredibly well. It was a masterclass in how to do science fiction with limited technology and it arguably looks better than most films with a far bigger budget and far better effects than films today have.

If you can’t tell, I adore this film.

It’s basically Star Trek meets George Romero, with mental health getting shown in ways rarely done at the time. Namely, Zefram Cochrane’s alcoholism and depression, as well as Jean-Luc Picard’s PTSD and rage issues.

They were shown for being what they are, issues that need to be dealt with. It was subtle but powerful. Plus it’s just a great story. With elements of the real-life Apollo missions setting the frame for Cochrane’s launch and Picard being stuck in his own space-zombie Moby Dick tale.

With it being 25 years and one day to the date that the film first debuted, a lot of people are digging up stuff on the film, like details surrounding it or even old interviews from press junkets from before the film came out.

Both help shine more light on this masterpiece of entertainment.

Star Trek: First Contact interviews

Patrick Stewart (aka Jean-Luc Picard)

Jonathan Frakes (aka William Riker)

Rick Berman – Star Trek executive producer

Brent Spiner (aka Data)

LeVar Burton (aka Geordi La Forge)

Michael Dorn (aka Worf)

James Cromwell (aka Zefram Cochrane)

Alice Kreig (aka The Borg Queen)