Happy First Contact Day, that annual Trekkie holiday that marks the fictional occasion when the Roy Orbison-loving scientist Zefram Cochrane makes his historic Warp 1 flight aboard the Phoenix rocket ship to initiate first contact with the Vulcan race near Boseman, Montana. And what better way to celebrate than with the new Star Trek First Contact coffee table book which has just been unveiled by Titan Books.
That pivotal date in “Star Trek” lore, April 5, 2063, becomes a turning point for all Mankind as it unites the planet in ways which, before this unexpected encounter, might have seemed impossible, with irrefutable confirmation that benevolent alien life exists elsewhere.
These momentous times are depicted in the hit 1996 film “Star Trek: First Contact,” one of the finest entries in Hollywood’s 43-year roster of Trek movies – you can see them all in our guide to the Star Trek movies in order.
We’re huge fans of First Contact, in fact we put it at the number three spot in our Star Trek movies ranked list. More than any other movie from the TNG era, it shows a deep love for Star Trek lore and characters thanks to the direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Riker.
Last year was “First Contact’s” 25th anniversary, and to honor director Jonathan Frakes’ popular sci-fi flick that featured time travel, goofy bar dancing, Cochrane’s converted ICBM nuclear missile, and a sultry Borg Queen grafting real skin onto Data’s synthetic arm, London-based Titan Books is releasing a new coffee-table hardback detailing the film’s production.
Arriving on July 19, 2022, “Star Trek: First Contact: The Making of the Classic Film” is a 160-page deluxe edition penned by Hollywood SFX veteran and longtime Cinefex writer Joe Fordham. It’s an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at every aspect of the movie’s development, on-set filming, and post-production process.
Inside, fans will be treated to rare never-seen concept art, spaceship sketches, costume designs, storyboards, and character renditions that contributed to the finished product that raked in $146 million in worldwide box office receipts.
Packed with unreleased archival material, candid production stills, imaginative drawings, and revealing production designs, this educational volume saluting “Star Trek: First Contact” also contains exclusive interviews with the blockbuster feature’s cast and crew, including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Alice Krige, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore, Marina Sirtis, Herman Zimmerman, and Michael Westmore.
Titan Books’ “Star Trek: First Contact: The Making of the Classic Film” lands in bookstores and major online retailers on July 19, 2022. The book is available for pre-order now.
If you want to catch up on Star Trek: First Contact to see how it holds up, you can watch it (and everything else Trek related) on Paramount Plus.
