As hard as it may be to believe, Star Trek: First Contact was released 20 years ago today. The second (and best) film to include the cast of TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation, First Contact follows he crew of the Enterprise-E face their most implacable enemy, the half-human, half-robot Borg. When the Borg travel back to the mid-21st century in an effort to stop mankind’s first contact with alien life, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and company must follow them across time to stop their evil plan. Much action and genuine human drama ensues. The film — which is a rousing sci-fi adventure that appeals to hardcore Trekkies and fans of epics like Alien equally, is buoyed by, er, stellar performances by Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes (who also directed), Brent Spiner, James Cromwell (as warp drive creator Zefram Cochrane), Alfre Woodard (as the fantastic Lily), and Alice Krige (as the sultry Borg Queen). The Hollywood Reporter has this celebratory look back at the film that explores why it continues to draw new fans every year. The biggest reason? It’s just incredibly well written and acted, with jaw-dropping special effects. You see, when it comes to Star Trek: First Contact, resistance is indeed futile!
