Star Trek: First Contact MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -1/2

The STAR TREK franchise is still running strong in this fine sci-fi adventure that features the cast from the Next Generation TV series. The most deadly villains from that show, the Borg, have returned. These half-machine, half-organic aliens travel the universe absorbing other humanoid populations and technologies into their collective consciousness. Now the Borg are intent on assimilating Earth. Ignoring orders to remain uninvolved, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who was once captured by the Borg, leads the new Starship Enterprise-E into the battle and destroys the main alien vessel. But some Borg fly away in an escape pod and travel back in time to the year 2063, intending to stop an important event in Star Trek history. Zefrem Cochrane (James Cromwell) is about to make the first flight in a warp-driven rocket, leading to first contact with beings from another world and the birth of the United Federation of Planets. The Enterprise also travels into the past, with part of the crew beaming down to Earth to locate Cochrane and make sure his journey is successful. Meanwhile, the Borg have infiltrated the Enterprise and Picard leads a team trying to stop these invaders from taking over his ship. The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) captures android Data (Brent Spiner) and, knowing his desire to be human, tries to tempt him over to her cause by grafting actual human flesh onto his body. Dedicated Star Trek fans in particular will be delighted with this film, which is packed with plenty of action, humor and drama.

Because of its dangerous villains, action and violence, this is the first Star Trek film that has been rated above a PG. In their face-to-face confrontations with the Borg, the crew uses phasers to injure or kill the aliens, but these incidents do not feature graphic violence. In one scene, however, Worf (Michael Dorn), the Enterprise's Klingon lieutenant commander, uses a knife to slash a Borg drone, with limbs removed and blood spilled. Scenes played for laughs show Cochrane and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) getting intoxicated. Cochrane's assistant (Alfre Woodard) uses the s-word twice in heated moments. With its heightened violence, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT is not appropriate for young children and utilization of offensive words is unfortunate for such a popular film series.

Preview Reviewer: Mark Perry
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023-7780