Review of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) by Gregg P — 17 Sep 2009

A mysterious probe has come to Earth from some unknown galaxy and it is broadcasting a strange message aimed at Earthâ??s Oceans. Although not overtly hostile the probe drains the energy of any ship that it approaches and begins to vaporize the worldâ??s oceans and disrupt the atmosphere with catastrophic effect. Enter the heroic crew of the Enterprise now aboard a commandeered Klingon Ship following the destruction of their ship in Star Trek III. Though they are facing a number of charges for their actions in the previous film and despite the fact Spock my or may not have recovered fully after being restored to life they are the only one in a position to save Earth from catastrophe. They are the ones that discover the only way to save Earth is to go back in time to the 1980's to find whales.

While retaining a number of the traditional Star Trek elements and having a serious theme, much of the movie could best be described as light comedy, and in that genre it works. Despite the genre, and the light hearted tone though, the film also has a message that is surprisingly resonant. Another interesting aspect of the film is that included no real violence or hostility, which was a very big shift from previous two films in the series. Much of the humor is based on a fish-out-of-water scenario (no pun intended) wherein our protagonists from the future must deal with Earth in the 1980â??s. There is also some not so subtle commentary on the problems of late 20th century earth including the cold war and pollution.