Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Reviewed by: Ian Hosier
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults Teens |
| Genre: | Sci-Fi Adventure Comedy |
| Length: | 1 hr. 52 min. |
| Year of Release: | 1986 |
| USA Release: |
November 26, 1986 |
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| Featuring |
William Shatner Leonard Nimoy DeForrest Kelley George Takai James Doohan Walter Koenig |
| Director |
Leonard Nimoy |
| Producer |
Ralph Winter Harve Bennett See all » |
| Distributor |
 Paramount Pictures Corporation, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS |
It’s the 23rd century and a mysterious Alien probe is threatening Earth. In a frantic attempt to save the planet, Kirk and crew must time travel back to 1986 in an attempt to retrieve a pair of hump back whales; to a world of punks. pizza and exact change buses as alien as anything they have encountered in space before!
This film is a generally good humoured (the only Star Trek movie that made me laugh—a lot!). It will be enjoyable for many teens and adults. Occasional bad language and a complex storyline would make this movie unsuitable for children.
BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE: This film indirectly preaches false evolutionary ideas including the memorable comment “whales have taken 10 million years to evolve” and also that man (Kirk and his crew) are capable of saving the planet—a task which only God is qualified to do. However, the film also conveys a very positive message concerning the need for conservation of God’s creation (and the possible consequences of not doing so), although of course God is the judge and not some alien race.
ILLEGAL BEHAVIOUR: This film is generally very moral and decent, however there are a few profanities including two instances of taking the Lord’s name in vain. There are no scenes of sex or violence in this movie.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Watch and enjoy, but make sure your Christian worldview is intact before you do!
The film began with a brief but moving tribute to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Catherine Hicks played the part of Dr. Gillian Taylor with heart, passion, and emotion. While Robert Ellenstein was very dignified as Federation President Hiram Roth (some sources list the Federation President’s name as Alistair Fergus).
A fun and educational science fiction classic the time travel shenanigans in this film had a very positive impact on the Star Trek Universe and is referenced to years later. For Example, the punk on the San Francisco bus in this film was later encountered by Seven of Nine and Raffaela Musiker in Los Angeles in 2024, while he was once again playing music loudly on a bus, he was much more agreeable when asked to turn it down, as seen in the Star Trek: Picard episode “Watcher.” William Shatner himself spoke about the greatness of “The Voyage Home” when he hosted Saturday Night Live on December 20, 1986, in the opening monologue, even the end credits to this film was uniquely and superbly done. All people who care about Climate Change should watch this film!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
[Better than Average / 2½]
Much of the movie is about these characters in the 20th century… Bones lamenting the primitive medical conditions, Scotty talking to a man’s Macintosh, expecting it to reply, and everyone getting used to the rudeness this is 20th Century California. Some of the more memorable, yet possibly offensive, running gags in this movie is Spock’s attempt to fit in to the culture by mildly swearing in every other line. The main reason I find this funny is that it shows to us the stupidity and the needlessness of profanity.
My Ratings: [Better than Average / 4]