The Voyage Home: Vision Guided by 6 Key Rules

Previously discussed on /Film, “Star Trek” excels when it avoids typical action thriller tropes, instead focusing on philosophy, diplomacy, crisis, teamwork, and character. Traditional action movies often rely on violence to solve problems, culminating in fistfights, shootouts, or chases. They simplify complex problems with simple violent solutions. Imagine how easy it would be if kicking a man off a cliff actually remedied the world’s issues!

“Star Trek,” however, often serves as a counterpoint to this action-forward thinking. While some “Star Trek” stories, particularly the films, end with explosions or the villain’s death, the franchise is truest to its principles when solving problems through diplomacy and heroism.

“Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” exemplifies this. Released in 1986, it became the highest-grossing “Star Trek” film until 2009. Remarkably, it features no villains, no action sequences, no gunfights, fistfights, or car chases. The plot revolves around a mysterious probe draining Earth’s oceans, searching for humpback whales, which had been hunted to extinction. The Enterprise crew travels back to 1986 to rescue a pair of whales and bring them to the 23rd century to stop the probe.

According to the 1995 book “The Art of Star Trek” by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, director Leonard Nimoy had a distinct anti-action policy for “Voyage Home,” banning six action-forward concepts from his screenplay.

In the book, Nimoy listed his mandates for the film:

“No dying, no fighting, no shooting, no photon torpedoes, no phaser blasts, no stereotypical bad guy. I wanted people to really have a great time watching this film [and] if somewhere in the mix we lobbed a couple of big ideas at them, well, then that would be even better.”

These rules were perhaps a response to the previous two “Star Trek” films, which were loaded with death and violence. “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” featured a stereotypical villain, numerous phaser blasts, shooting, photon torpedoes, and multiple deaths, including that of Spock (Nimoy). “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” saw the Enterprise crew hijack the Enterprise, resulting in deaths, the ship’s destruction, and the crew going into hiding.

Nimoy felt “Star Trek IV” was the perfect time for a lighter story. A time travel tale about ecology and biodiversity fit the bill, and audiences appreciated it. The film grossed $133 million against a $26 million budget, making it the most successful “Star Trek” movie until J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot. Ironically, Abrams’ film was action-packed, breaking all of Nimoy’s “Voyage Home” mandates.

“Star Trek IV” wasn’t a tense race against time but a whimsical fish-out-of-water comedy, generating laughs from the 23rd-century Enterprise crew interacting with 1980s America. Spock confronts a punk rocker in one scene, while Kirk (William Shatner) needs to sell his personal items to obtain currency, which is obsolete in the 23rd century. The light-hearted tone only added to the film’s appeal.

Nimoy brilliantly made his film an environmentalist message, highlighting the illogicality of hunting species to extinction and the unknown, dire consequences for the future. By not saving animals today, we might doom ourselves in the future. Initially, Nimoy considered featuring an endangered fish called a snail darter. As the story evolved, he chose whales, offering more intriguing storytelling possibilities, such as how to transport whales onto a starship or acquire Klingon ship parts in 1986.

With all six mandates, thoughtful ideas, and a dose of whimsy, Nimoy created the most successful “Star Trek” movie of its time.

It’s curious that recent “Star Trek” movies have followed the “Wrath of Khan” template. Four films in a row focused on villains seeking revenge, ending with violent confrontations. Perhaps a future “Star Trek” movie will revisit the light-hearted, time-travel adventure with an emphasis on ecology.

Source: Slashfilm