star trek 4 the voyage home probe

The fearsome probe in The Voyage Home isn't your typical alien invader. This isn't Independence Day , or even Close Encounters of the Third Kind . What we get here is a different kind of beast altogether.

Visually, the probe is strikingly simple. The main craft consists of a large dark-gray cylinder. Below, suspended by a bright beam of energy, is a small orb, which seems to be the ship's source of energy. Beautifully minimalist? Sure. Intimidating? Not quite.

But maybe that's the point. In the same way that human arrogance leads us to assume that we're the smartest species on the planet, we see the simplicity of this craft as evidence of the simplicity of its creators. The Voyage Home subverts this idea.

In fact, the film suggests that simplicity is exactly what makes the probe—and the whales—so advanced. When we look at it this way, the probe's use of simple, fundamental shapes suggests that it has somehow transcended the complexity that makes human life so messy.

Or maybe we've just watched too many episodes of Star Trek . Wouldn't be the first time we've been accused of that.

Tired of ads?

Logging out…, logging out....

You've been inactive for a while, logging you out in a few seconds...

W hy's T his F unny?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

When they finished writing the script for “Star Trek IV,” they must have had a lot of silly grins on their faces. This is easily the most absurd of the “ Star Trek ” stories – and yet, oddly enough, it is also the best, the funniest and the most enjoyable in simple human terms. I’m relieved that nothing like restraint or common sense stood in their way.

The movie opens with some leftover business from the previous movie, including the Klingon ambassador’s protests before the Federation Council. These scenes have very little to do with the rest of the movie, and yet they provide a certain reassurance (like James Bond’s ritual flirtation with Miss Moneypenny) that the series remembers it has a history.

The crew of the Starship Enterprise is still marooned on a faraway planet with the Klingon starship they commandeered in “ Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .” They vote to return home aboard the alien vessel, but on the way they encounter a strange deep-space probe. It is sending out signals in an unknown language which, when deciphered, turns out to be the song of the humpback whale.

It’s at about this point that the script conferences must have really taken off. See if you can follow this: The Enterprise crew determines that the probe is zeroing in on Earth, and that if no humpback songs are picked up in response, the planet may well be destroyed. Therefore, the crew’s mission becomes clear: Because humpback whales are extinct in the 23rd century, they must journey back through time to the 20th century, obtain some humpback whales, and return with them to the future – thus saving Earth. After they thought up this notion, I hope the writers lit up cigars.

No matter how unlikely the story is, it supplies what is probably the best of the “Star Trek” movies so far, directed with calm professionalism by Leonard Nimoy . What happens is that the Enterprise crew land their Klingon starship in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, surround it with an invisibility shield, and fan out through the Bay area looking for humpback whales and a ready source of cheap nuclear power.

What makes their search entertaining is that we already know the crew members so well. The cast’s easy interaction is unique among movies, because it hasn’t been learned in a few weeks of rehearsal or shooting; this is the 20th anniversary of “Star Trek,” and most of these actors have been working together for most of their professional lives. These characters know one another.

An example: Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) and Mr. Spock (Nimoy) visit a Sea World-type operation, where two humpback whales are held in captivity. Catherine Hicks , as the marine biologist in charge, plans to release the whales, and the Enterprise crew need to learn her plans so they can recapture the whales and transport them into the future.

Naturally, this requires the two men to ask Hicks out to dinner.

She asks if they like Italian food, and Kirk and Spock do a delightful little verbal ballet based on the running gag that Spock, as a Vulcan, cannot tell a lie. Find another space opera in which verbal counterpoint creates humor.

The plots of the previous “Star Trek” movies have centered around dramatic villains, such as Khan, the dreaded genius played by Ricardo Montalban in “ Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .” This time, the villains are faceless: the international hunters who continue to pursue and massacre whales despite clear indications they will drive these noble mammals from the Earth. “To hunt a race to extinction is not logical,” Spock calmly observes, but we see shocking footage of whalers doing just that.

Instead of providing a single human villain as counterpoint, “Star Trek IV” provides a heroine, in Hicks. She obviously is moved by the plight of the whales, and although at first she understandably doubts Kirk’s story that he comes from the 23rd century, eventually she enlists in the cause and even insists on returning to the future with them, because of course, without humpback whales, the 23rd century also lacks humpback whale experts.

There are some major action sequences in the movie, but they aren’t the high points; the “Star Trek” saga has always depended more on human interaction and thoughtful, cause-oriented plots. What happens in San Francisco is much more interesting than what happens in outer space, and this movie, which might seem to have an unlikely and ungainly plot, is actually the most elegant and satisfying “Star Trek” film so far.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• William Shatner as Adm. Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• Deforest Kelley as McCoy
• Brock Peters as Federation President Robt. Ellenstein Cartwright
• Catherine Hicks as Gillian Taylor
• John Schuck as Klingon Ambassador
• Jane Wyatt as Spock's Mother

Screenplay by

• Nicholas Meyer
• Peter Krikes
• Steve Meerson

Photographed by

• Don Peterman

Produced by

• Harve Bennett

Directed by

• Leonard Nimoy
• Leonard Rosenman

Leave a comment

Now playing.

The Wild Robot

We Live in Time

Look Into My Eyes

The Front Room

Matt and Mara

The Thicket

The Mother of All Lies

The Paragon

My First Film

Don’t Turn Out the Lights

I’ll Be Right There

Latest articles

TIFF 2024: Bonjour Tristesse, The Fire Inside, The Last Showgirl

TIFF 2024: The Life of Chuck, Nightbitch, K-Pops!

TIFF 2024: Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Sharp Corner, The Quiet Ones

TIFF 2024: Dahomey, Bird, Oh Canada

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• 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.
• The most acclaimed Star Trek adventure of all time with an important message. It is the 23rd century, and a mysterious alien probe is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In their frantic attempt to save mankind, Admiral Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien to them as anything they have ever encountered in the far-off reaches of the galaxy. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy return as Kirk and Spock, along with the entire Star Trek crew. — Robert Lynch <[email protected]>
• It is the 23rd century, and a space probe appears over Earth, emanating strange sounds towards the planet, and apparently waiting for something. As time goes on, the probe starts to cause major storms on Earth and threaten its destruction. Admiral James T. Kirk and crew are called upon once again to save mankind. They discover the strange sounds are actually the songs of the humpback whale - which has been hunted to extinction. They have only one choice - to attempt to time travel back into the 20th century, locate two whales, and bring them back to 23rd century Earth to respond to the probe. — Colin Tinto <[email protected]>
• In 2286, an enormous cylindrical probe moves through space, sending out an indecipherable signal and disabling the power of ships it passes. As it takes up orbit around Earth, its signal disables the global power grid and generates planetary storms, creating catastrophic, sun-blocking cloud cover. Starfleet Command sends out a planetary distress call and warns star ships not to approach Earth. On the planet Vulcan, the former officers of the USS Enterprise are living in exile, after the events of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Accompanied by the Vulcan Spock, still recovering from his resurrection, the crew - except for Saavik, who remains on Vulcan - take their captured Klingon Bird of Prey vessel (renamed the Bounty, after the Royal Navy ship) and return to Earth to face trial for their actions. Hearing Starfleet's warning, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) determines that the probe's signal matches the song of extinct humpback whales, and that the object will continue to wreak havoc until its call is answered by the whales. The crew uses their ship to travel back in time via a slingshot maneuver around the Sun, planning to return with a whale to answer the alien signal. Other officers include Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Medical officer, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) engineer, helmsman Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) Arriving in 1986, the crew finds their ship's power drained. Hiding their ship in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park using its cloaking device, the crew split up to accomplish several tasks: Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock attempt to locate humpback whales, while Montgomery Scott, Leonard McCoy, and Hikaru Sulu construct a tank to hold the whales they need for a return to the 23rd century. Uhura and Pavel Chekov are tasked to find a nuclear reactor, whose energy output will enable their ship's power to be restored. Kirk and Spock discover a pair of whales in the care of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks) at a Sausalito Museum and learn they will soon be released into the wild. Spock does a mind meld with a whale and figures out that it is preggers. Gillian is suspicious of Kirk and Spock, but Kirk manages to charm her and take her out to dinner. Kirk tells her of his mission and asks for the tracking frequency for the whales, but she refuses to cooperate. Meanwhile, Scott, McCoy, and Sulu trade the formula of transparent aluminum for the materials needed for the whale tank. Uhura and Chekov locate a nuclear-powered ship, the aircraft carrier Enterprise. They collect the power they need but are discovered on board. Uhura is beamed back but Chekov is captured and severely injured in an escape attempt. Taylor learns the whales have been released early and goes to Kirk for assistance. Taylor, Kirk, and McCoy rescue Chekov and return to the now recharged Bird of Prey. After transporting the whales aboard the ship, the crew returns with Taylor to their own time. On approaching Earth, the ship loses power and comes down in San Francisco Bay. Once released, the whales respond to the probe's signal, causing the object to reverse its effects on Earth and return to the depths of space. All charges against the Enterprise crew are dropped, save one for insubordination: for disobeying a superior officer, Kirk is demoted from Admiral and back the rank of Captain where he is returned to command of a star ship. The crew departs on their ship, the newly christened USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A), and leaves on a new mission.

Contribute to this page

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore, recently viewed.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Nov 26, 2021

The Biggest Lesson From Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Isn't Talked About Enough

George and Gracie have a lot to say about what it means to be a good ally.

StarTrek.com

This article was originally published on July 9, 2019

When a giant space log comes to Earth and demands to speak to only whales, Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise (who are temporarily the crew of the H.M.S. Bounty ) must travel back in time to before humpback whales went extinct, in order to bring two of them back to the future to talk to the alien log and tell it to please stop sucking up all our oceans.

This is the bonkers premise of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (or as I like to call it, The One With the Whales ), a film which was intended to be a lighthearted departure from the serious nature of the previous Star Trek films, and has aged remarkably well considering the time in which it was made. Yes, the technology is dated, and there are a few cringe-worthy lines that would never make it into a Star Trek script today, but for the most part, The One With the Whales still holds up as an entertaining romp through time with an earnest conservationist message. “Save the whales,” The One With the Whales urges, “so that one day, the whales may save us.”

This is often where analysis of Star Trek IV begins and ends, and it’s not wrong to conclude that the intended takeaway from this film is that we need to be better stewards of our planet. Even the year in which the film is set — 1986, the same year in which it was released — drives home the idea that Kirk and his crew aren’t merely addressing some symbolic future versions of humanity, but us, the very people watching the movie. "Save the whales" isn’t the subtext of The Voyage Home . It’s just… the text. Sitting right there on the surface, like a humpback whale coming up for a breath.

However, watching Star Trek IV over three decades later, I can’t help but notice another, subtler thread running through this whaletastic adventure; one which I don’t think was intended, but which resonates particularly strongly in the times we find ourselves in today. You see, in a world of seemingly limitless technology, Kirk and Spock quickly decide that it is easier to attempt time travel than to try to speak for a group they don't understand.

As soon as Spock identifies that the probe is attempting to communicate in whalesong, Kirk’s first question is whether they can artificially create similar sounds to answer back. Spock immediately shuts that idea down, saying that while he might be able to replicate the noises, he can’t even begin to understand the language. “We’d be responding in gibberish,” he tells Kirk.

While it’s understandable that the film doesn’t want to spend a lot of time attempting to decipher the linguistic intricacies of whalesong — this is Star Trek IV: The One With the Whales , after all, not Arrival — it’s still worth noting just how quickly Spock shoots down the possibility of faking their way through an important conversation in a language they don’t speak. Surely, with the technology available to them, Spock and Uhura could’ve eventually figured out a way to crack the whale code. Maybe they wouldn’t have had a perfect grasp of whale syntax and grammar, but c’mon, they’re whales, how hard can it be?

But Spock refuses to even try, leaving Kirk no other choice than to risk his entire ship and crew, slingshot around the sun, and time warp back to 1986 to liberate two humpback whales named George and Gracie from the Cetacean Institute in Sausalito, California. The rest of the movie is spent building massive water tanks in the cargo bay, plotting a whale heist, and stealing nuclear reactors. You know, normal stuff.

But let’s get back to the idea that this convoluted plot to steal whales from 300 years in the past is somehow a simpler solution than trying to communicate with a space probe. At first glance, it seems like it should require some massive suspension of disbelief to buy into this premise, but I don’t think it does, if you’re willing to embrace some deeper social themes (and really, this is Star Trek; deeper social themes are its bread and butter). Unlike, say, Armageddon , the plot of Star Trek IV really isn’t trying to pull a fast one on us by trying to convince us that an incredibly complex task is easier than the simpler option. Instead, it’s suggesting that communication is the complex task, and that to oversimplify it only contributes to — quite literally — our own destruction.

Think about it. What would’ve happened if Kirk had ordered Spock to try to program the computer to mimic whalesong? If they’d been so confident in their own humanoid superiority to assume that their voices, simulating a language and culture they didn’t understand, were the ones that most needed to be heard? Maybe they would’ve lucked into accidentally saying the right thing, but more likely, despite their good intentions, their ignorant fumbling of the microphone would have resulted in irreparable harm.

Still, it would’ve been understandable for Kirk and his crew to have taken this approach, devastating as it might have been. After all, it’s not uncommon among humans — both in 1986, and in 2019 — for the privileged to assume they know what’s best for the marginalized. We see it today all over the news cycles, as the wealthy make decisions for the working class , men speak with presumed authority on issues affecting women , and white people attempt to explain away the racism experienced by people of color . Many times, no harm is intended, but that doesn’t prevent it from occurring anyway.

A lot has been written in recent years about what it means to be a good ally . At the top of every list of tips, no matter which group it’s aimed at supporting, is a plea to listen. Listen to the voices of the marginalized, give them a platform to speak, and consider their perspective above your own when considering what sorts of actions need to be taken.

Of course, “listening” in the context of Star Trek IV doesn’t necessarily mean understanding, since the crew of the Enterprise has no way to know what either the whales or the space probe are saying. Interestingly, in an earlier version of the film, the mournful wailing of the space probe was actually subtitled , allowing audiences to see what it was asking: “Where are you? Can you hear us?” The subtitles were eventually deemed unnecessary and cut from the finished film, which was fortunate, since allowing the audience to understand something the characters never could, would have probably only undermined the film’s message.

Still, underneath all its Vulcan neck pinches, nuclear "wessels," and transparent aluminum, The One With the Whales isn’t so much about whales at all, but about the crew of the Enterprise being the best allies they can possibly be when faced with a problem that is significantly outside their lane. They may not be able to understand the words that are being said, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still amplify them. Star Trek IV is a film about an advanced group of people using every last ounce of their privilege to ensure that the mic gets passed to those whose lived experience and knowledge uniquely qualifies them to speak to a specific situation, and trusting that they’ll know what’s best going forward.

Yes, the marginalized group in Star Trek IV is whales, and they’re not so much marginalized as they are completely extinct. Yes, I get that that’s a very weird parallel to draw, and that no one really wants to be compared to a whale (although, in all fairness, George and Gracie are Very Good Whales). But the focus of The Voyage Home isn’t actually George and Gracie themselves, but rather, what they represent: hope for the future. And while I can only speak for myself, lifting up the marginalized as a path toward hope is a parallel I can get behind.

The end of Star Trek IV sees the H.M.S. Bounty return to the year 2286, now heavier with two whales and one rogue marine biologist. They land the ship in the ocean, release George and Gracie, and hope for the best. They have no way of telling the two whales what to say; they can only trust that they’ve done everything in their power to present the right voices with a chance to speak. They’ve provided the platform, they’ve handed over the mic, and now there’s nothing left to do other than take a seat and let their cetacean passengers do their thing.

George and Gracie speak. And the world changes for the better. The Enterprise crew’s decision proves to be the right call. And it still is today.

Lauren Thoman is a freelance writer and pop culture enthusiast who lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband, two daughters, and a perpetually confused dog. Her writing has appeared on Vulture, Collider, Looper, and Mic, among other places. Would happily eat tacos for every meal.

Get Updates By Email

Probe (novel)

• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Cover gallery
• 4 Characters
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Summary [ ]

In the aftermath of the visit of the mysterious probe to Earth in 2286 , Starfleet is wondering what this strange visitor really was about, and who sent it. At the same time, a major political upheaval on Romulus has deposed a ruling party that has ruled for decades, and the new leadership is interested in more diplomatic relations with the Federation . With the probe headed towards Romulan space, it is a chance for the two powers to work together to understand who sent the probe, and why.

Eventually, the crew of the USS Enterprise , working with Romulan counterparts, tracks down the probe, and learns more about its background and history. Spock successfully mind melds with the probe, learning that it did not seek to be destructive to other races, instead they were so different from its creators that they were ignored as "mites" in "metal bubbles", and teaches the probe to be more aware of what it is doing to humanoid life in the galaxy as it travels, leaving the probe to continue to explore the galaxy and the detente seeking Romulans with some of the first peaceful interaction they have ever had with the Federation.

Memorable quotes [ ]

Background information [ ].

• As Voyages of Imagination notes, " an objective report of Probe 's bumpy road to publication is, unfortunately, impossible. All the parties involved have different recollections of those events, as well as different ways of interpreting them, and the various accounts are contradictory. " ( Voyages of Imagination , pp. 125-126) The credited author, Margaret Wander Bonanno, disclaims the book, noting on her website that " I know my name is on the cover, but no, I did not write it ," and provides the full-text of The Music of the Spheres , the novel she handed in. [1] Bonanno acknowledges Gene DeWeese as an uncredited rewriter of the published novel.
• The original manuscript was reportedly rejected after Gene Roddenberry 's office " took issue with certain characterizations in the book. " Pocket editor Dave Stern then brought in DeWeese to rewrite the novel. ( Voyages of Imagination , pp. 125-126)
• In a contemporary interview with The New York Times , Bonanno explained that " [they] are telling their readership that this is a book by a certain author they have come to know, and the book is not mine. It was written by someone with a great scientific background who lectures the reader for 300 pages. I do great characterizations, and there are no interesting characters in this book. I just don't want my name associated with it. " [2]
• Despite all of the controversy, Voyages of Imagination notes that " everyone involved wishes that the situation had not deteriorated to the extent that it did, and that the book could have been published to everyone's satisfaction. " ( Voyages of Imagination , pp. 125-126)
• Probe reached number six on the New York Times Best Seller List for 29 March 1992 , its second week on the list. [3] It remained on the list for six weeks.
• The Science Fiction Book Club released a special edition of the hardback in July 1992 .
• The audiobook version was abridged by George Truett .

Cover gallery [ ]

Characters [ ]

References [ ], external links [ ].

• Probe at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Probe at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ( Paramount Pictures , 1986 ) is the fourth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series . It completes the trilogy started in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

• 1 Miscellany
• 4 External links
• [Opening dedication text]

External links

• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home at StarTrek.com

• Star Trek films
• 1980s American films
• Sequel films
• Films based on television series
• Time travel films
• Films directed by Leonard Nimoy

Navigation menu