They ended "The Next Generation" and made Generations, a bomb. The Enterprise was destroyed, Data became emotional, and they killed off Kirk. It was just plain bad. But First Contact set the record straight, with a new Enterprise, new graphics, and the return of "Star Trek's" most deadliest enemy, the Borg. This time, however, the Borg have been remodified for the movies; they are more grotesque and are led by the wickedly superb Borg Queen.

Time travel has been used in countless episodes of "Star Trek" and has also appeared in two other movies, The Voyage Home and Generations. Time travel has gotten rather old in the "Star Trek" series but First Contact pulls it off rather nicely. The Borg go back in time to assimilate the uncivilized humans of the 21st century, which is the basis of the entire plot. Comedy also arises as the crew meets Cochran, the first human to test warp speed.

First Contact is represented by state-of-the-art computer graphics, unlike it's predecessors. The Enterprise E looks awesome although there really aren't that many scenes that show it off. First Contact isn't really full of space battles- most of the action takes place inside the ship- so the graphcis cannot be shown to their full extent. Still, you'll notice the difference and like every minute of the external shots.

Even though it is one of the darker "Star Trek" films, it is also the funniest. From start to finish, comedy ensues, though several of the jokes will not be understood unless you are a "Star Trek" fan. The cameo appearance of the holographic doctor from "Voyager" was especially funny and look for the man who plays Neelix (also in "Voyager") as well. While the movie is fairly serious on the Enterprise, the cast members on Earth serve up the majority of the comedy. It was sort of disappointing that some of the best cast members were kept out of the action but they were funny, so it equalizes rather well.

Star Trek: First Contact can only compete with Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country for first place among the "Star Trek" movies. Either way, it is a must see, especially for "Star Trek" fans! First Contact gives "The Next Generation" crew new life.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.