To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whal... Read allTo save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 4 wins & 19 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe woman who answers Uhura and Chekov when they are looking for the nuclear vessel was Layla Sarakalo, an extra who had never acted before and was not supposed to speak much. Sarakalo happened to be on the set when her car was towed away to make room for the film's production. She then offered to be an extra, because she needed the money to get her car back. She was told to "act naturally", and when she was asked, she improvised an answer. Much to her surprise, her unscripted line was kept in the film. This was because director Leonard Nimoy enjoyed the spontaneity of the scene so much that he left it the way it was.
- GoofsWhen Sulu accidentally turns on the windshield wipers of the helicopter, the wipers were broken so a grip had to move the wipers manually. Look closely and you can see his finger holding on to the blade as it moves back and forth.
- Quotes
[Spock is still learning how to use profanity correctly]
Spock: They like you very much, but they are not the hell "your" whales.
Dr. Gillian Taylor: I suppose they told you that.
Spock: The hell they did.
- Crazy creditsThe film opens with a dedication to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger. - European cinema versions contains a short summary of the two previous movies instead of dedication.
- Alternate versionsThe Australian and Germany release summaries mentioned above (they are the same) also included music unique to the prologue. This prologue has not been included on any North American DVD release of the film.
- ConnectionsEdited from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
- SoundtracksTheme From Star Trek (TV Series)
by Alexander Courage
There's a real threat to the planet as a super race (maybe it's the Q continuum) that has sent a probe to the earth that is causing all kinds of climate change. And they are sending out all kinds of sgnals causing massive flooding around the planet. They are sending out a signal to the humpbacked whales, the theory being that if the whales respond the planet is being taken care of.
But in our time the whales were hunted to extinction or at least this species of. So William Shatner and the gang go back to get some whales and save the earth.
This is one wild and far out story, but it's compelling and draws you in. Best scenes are Leonard Nimoy trying to fit into 20th century earth.
This film got 4 Oscar nominations in the technical categories. It's still enjoyable after over 30 years.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 9, 2019
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Star Trek IV: The Adventure Continues
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $109,713,132
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $16,881,888
- Nov 30, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $109,713,132
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1