Star Trek: First Contact (1988) - full transcript

Locutus.

I am Locutus of Borg.

Resistance is futile.

Authorization, Picard 4-7-alpha-tango.

Admiral.

Catch you at a bad time, Jean-Luc?

No, of course not.

I've just received a disturbing report

from Deep Space Five.

Our colony on Ivor Prime

was destroyed this morning.

Long-range sensors have picked up...

Yes, l know.

The Borg.

Captain's Log, Stardate 50893.5.

The moment I have dreaded

for nearly six years has finally arrived.

The Borg, our most lethal enemy,

have begun an invasion

of the Federation,

and this time,

there may be no stopping them.

How many ships?

One.

And it's on a direct course for Earth.

They will cross the Federation border

in less than an hour.

Admiral Hayes is mobilizing a fleet

in the Typhon sector.

At maximum warp,

it will take us three hours, 25 minutes...

We're not going.

What do you mean, we're not going?

Our orders are

to patrol the Neutral Zone

in case the Romulans decide

to take advantage of the situation.

The Romulans?

Captain, there has been

no unusual activity

along the Romulan border

for the last nine months.

It seems highly unlikely they would

choose this moment to start a conflict.

Does Starfleet feel

we need more shakedown time?

Captain, we've been out in

space nearly a year now.

We're ready.

The Enterprise-E is

the most advanced starship in the fleet.

We should be on the frontline.

I have gone over all this

with Starfleet Command.

Their orders stand.

Number One,

set a course for the Neutral Zone.

Bizet?

Berlioz.

What do you have?

We finished our first sensor sweep

of the Neutral Zone.

Fascinating.

Twenty particles of space dust

per cubic meter,

fifty-two ultraviolet radiation spikes

and a class-2 comet.

This is certainly worthy of our attention.

Captain, why are we out here

chasing comets?

Let's just say,

that Starfleet has every confidence

in the Enterprise and her crew.

They're just not sure about her captain.

They believe that a man

who was once captured

and assimilated by the Borg

should not be put in a situation

where he would face them again.

To do so would introduce

an unstable element,

to a critical situation.

That's ridiculous.

Your experience with the Borg

makes you the perfect man

to lead this fight.

Admiral Hayes disagrees.

Bridge to Captain Picard.

Go ahead.

We've just received

word from the fleet.

They've engaged the Borg.

Mr. Data, put Starfleet frequency

1-4-8-6 on audio.

Aye, sir.

Flagship to Endeavor,

stand by to engage at grid A-15.

Defiant and Bozeman,

fall back to mobile position one.

Acknowledged.

We have it in visual range.

A Borg cube on course 0 mark 2-1-5,

speed warp...

We are the Borg.

Lower your shields

and surrender your ships.

We will add your biological and

technological distinctiveness to our own.

Your culture will adapt to service us.

Resistance is futile.

All units, open fire.

Remodulate shield...

They've broken through

the defense perimeter...

toward Earth. Pursuit course...

The cube is changing course.

0-2-1 mark 4.

Defiant, continue to attack.

Flagship to Starfleet Command.

We need reinforcements.

Casualty report is coming in...

96 dead,

22 wounded on the Lexington.

Lieutenant Hawk,

set a course for Earth.

Aye, sir.

Maximum warp.

I'm about to commit

a direct violation of our orders.

Any of you who wish to object

should do so now.

It will be noted in my log.

Captain, l believe l speak

for everyone here, sir, when l say

to hell with our orders.

Red alert! All hands to battle stations!

Engage.

Report!

Main power is off-line.

We've lost shields and

our weapons are gone.

Perhaps today is a good day to die.

Prepare for ramming speed!

Sir, there's another starship coming in.

It's the Enterprise.

The Defiant's losing life support.

Bridge to Transporter Room 3.

Beam the Defiant survivors aboard.

Captain, the Admiral's ship

has been destroyed.

What is the status of the Borg cube?

It has sustained heavy damage

to its outer hull.

I am reading fluctuations

in their power grid.

On screen.

Number One,

open a channel to the fleet.

Channel open, sir.

This is Captain Picard of the Enterprise.

I'm taking command of the fleet.

Target all of your weapons

onto the following coordinates.

Fire on my command.

Sir.

The coordinates you have indicated

do not appear to be a vital system.

Trust me Data.

The fleet's responded, sir.

They're standing by.

Fire.

Mr. Hawk, pursuit course.

Engage.

Aye, sir.

What?

I can hear them.

I have a patient here

who insists on coming to the Bridge.

Welcome aboard

the Enterprise-E, Mr. Worf.

Thank you, sir.

The Defiant?

Adrift but salvageable.

Tough little ship.

Little?

Mr. Worf, we could use

some help at tactical.

You do remember how to fire phasers?

Sensors show chronometric particles

emanating from the sphere.

They're creating a temporal vortex.

Time travel.

Data, report.

We appear to be caught

in a temporal wake.

Captain. Earth.

The atmosphere contains

high concentrations of methane,

carbon monoxide and fluorine.

Life-signs?

Population, approximately 9 billion.

All Borg.

How?

They must've done it in the past.

They went back and assimilated Earth,

changed history.

But if they changed history,

why are we still here?

The temporal wake

must have somehow protected us

from the changes in the timeline.

Sir, the vortex is collapsing.

Hold your course, Mr. Hawk.

We must follow them back,

repair whatever damage they've done.

Come on.

Good night, Eddie.

Go home.

You're gonna regret this tomorrow.

One of the things you should

have learned about me by now,

is that l don't have regrets.

Come on, Lily. One more round.

Z. Z, you had enough.

I'm not going up in that thing

with a drunken pilot.

I sure as hell am not

going up there sober.

What is that?

That, is the constellation Leo.

No. That.

It's an ECON!

After all these years?

We gotta get to the Phoenix.

To hell with the Phoenix.

Help! Hurry! Help! Move!

Move out! Move!

This way! Zefram!

Report.

Shields are down, long-range

sensors are off-line,

main power's holding.

According to our astrometric readings,

we are in the mid-21 st century.

From the radioactive

isotopes in the atmosphere,

l would estimate we have

arrived approximately

10 years after the Third World War.

Makes sense.

Most of the major cities have been

destroyed, very few governments left,

600 million dead.

No resistance.

Captain.

Mr. Worf, quantum torpedoes.

Ready, sir.

Fire.

They were firing at the surface.

Location?

Western hemisphere,

North American continent.

Looks like a missile complex

in central Montana.

Missile complex.

The date.

Data, l need to know the exact date.

April 4th, 2063.

April 4th,

the day before first contact.

Precisely.

Then the missile complex must be

where Zefram Cochrane

is building his warp ship.

That's what they came here to do,

stop first contact.

How much damage, Lieutenant?

Can't tell. Long-range sensors

are still off-line.

We have to go down there,

find out what happened.

Data, Beverly, you're with me.

Have a security team meet us

in Transporter Room 3.

Computer, mid-21 st century

civilian clothing.

Number One,

you have the Bridge.

Over here.

They're all dead.

See if one of them is Cochrane.

Data, let's go check the warp ship.

The structural integrity of

the missile appears to be intact,

but there is significant damage

to various sections of the fuselage

and primary intercooler system.

We should have the original blueprints

in the Enterprise computer.

Commander La Forge will need

to bring a team down here...

Hold your fire!

We're here to help you!

Bullshit!

Captain, l believe l can handle this.

Greetings.

Captain, this woman requires

medical attention.

Severe theta radiation poisoning.

Radiation is coming

from the damaged throttle assembly.

We're all gonna have to be inoculated,

and l have to get her to Sickbay.

Doctor...

Please, no lectures

about the Prime Directive.

I will keep her unconscious.

Very well.

Tell Commander Riker to beam

down with a search party.

We need to find Cochrane.

Crusher to Enterprise,

two to beam directly to Sickbay.

We have less than 14 hours

before this ship has to be launched.

Picard to Engineering.

La Forge here.

Geordi, Cochrane's ship was damaged

in the attack.

Get down here with an engineering

detail. We have work to do.

Right. l'm on my way, Captain.

Alpha team, let's assemble

in Transporter Room 3.

We're heading down to the surface.

Porter, you're gonna be in command

till l get back.

Aye, sir.

And Porter,

check out the environmental controls

while l'm gone.

It's getting a little warm in here.

All right, let's go.

Looks like a good spot right here.

Isn't it amazing?

This ship used to be a nuclear missile.

It is an historical irony

that Dr. Cochrane would choose

an instrument of mass destruction

to inaugurate an era of peace.

It's a boyhood fantasy, Data.

I must've seen this ship,

hundreds of times in the Smithsonian,

but l was never able to touch it.

Sir, does tactile contact alter

your perception of the Phoenix?

Yes.

For humans, touch can connect you

to an object in a very personal way,

make it seem more real.

I am detecting imperfections

in the titanium casing,

temperature variations

in the fuel manifold.

It is no more real to me now

than it was a moment ago.

Would you three like to be alone?

What have you found out?

There's no sign of Cochrane

anywhere in the complex.

He has to be here.

There was nothing more important

to him than this ship.

This flight, it was his dream.

Captain, we should consider

the possibility

that Dr. Cochrane was killed

in the attack.

That's true,

then the future may die with him.

What do you think?

It's like the entire

environmental system's gone crazy.

It's not just Engineering.

It's the entire deck.

Maybe it's a problem

with the EPS conduits.

Hello?

Hey!

Are you talking to me?

Is there anyone else

working maintenance in this section?

Not that l know of.

Paul?

Paul?

Are you okay in there?

Captain?

What is it?

Picard to Enterprise.

Mr. Worf, is everything all right up there?

Yes, sir. We are experiencing

some environmental difficulties

on Deck 16, but that is all.

What kind of difficulties?

Humidity levels have risen 73%

and the temperature has jumped

10 degrees in the last hour.

Mr. Data and l are returning to the ship.

Understood.

Number One, take charge down here.

Aye, sir.

Damage to her cell membranes

is repaired.

She should be fine,

but l'd like to run another test

on her spinal tissue.

And find out why it's so hot in here.

Now what?

Crusher to Engineering.

Crusher to Bridge.

Commander Worf,

l need to know exactly

what's been happening.

We just lost contact with Deck 16.

Communications, internal sensors,

everything.

I was about to send a security team

to investigate.

No! Seal off Deck 16.

Post security teams

at every access point.

Aye sir.

Mr. Hawk.

Before we lost internal sensors,

what were the exact environmental

conditions in Main Engineering?

Atmospheric pressure

was two kilopascals above normal,

ninety-two percent humidity,

39.1 degrees Celsius.

39.1 degrees Celsius.

Like a Borg ship.

They knew their ship was doomed.

Our shields were down.

Somehow they transported over here

without being detected.

They'll assimilate the Enterprise,

and then...

Earth.

Picard to Riker.

Enterprise to away team.

Respond!

Sir, main control is being rerouted

through Main Engineering.

Weapons, shields, propulsion.

Quickly, Mr. Data!

Lock out the main computer!

I have isolated the main computer

with a fractal encryption code.

It is highly unlikely

the Borg will be able to break it.

The Borg have cut primary power

to all decks except 16.

The Borg won't stay on Deck 16.

Wake up. You're all right.

Come on. Come on. Wake up.

Take it easy. Stay calm.

You are all right!

Now, listen to me. Look at me.

No!

You are gonna be fine.

I need you to do as l say.

Alyssa,

is the EMH program still online?

It should be. That's it.

That's a girl.

I swore l'd never use one of these.

Computer, activate the EMH program.

Please state the nature

of the medical emergency.

Twenty Borg are about

to break through that door.

We need time to get out of here.

Create a diversion!

This isn't part of my program.

I'm a doctor, not a doorstop.

Well do a dance,

tell a story, I don't care.

Just give us a few seconds.

According to Starfleet

medical research,

Borg implants can cause

severe skin irritations.

Perhaps you'd like an analgesic cream?

Which way?

We need to get off this deck.

Follow me.

First thing they'll do in Engineering,

is establish a collective,

a central point

from which they can control the hive.

The problem is, if we begin firing

particle weapons in Engineering,

there's a risk

that we may hit the warp core.

I believe our goal should be to puncture

one of the plasma coolant tanks.

Data?

Excellent idea.

Plasma coolant will liquefy

organic material on contact.

But the Borg are not entirely organic.

True, but like all cybernetic life-forms,

they cannot survive

without their organic components.

I have ordered all weapons to be set

on a rotating modulation.

The Borg will adapt quickly.

We will be able to fire

12 shots at most.

One other thing.

You may encounter Enterprise crew members

who've already been assimilated.

Don't hesitate to fire.

Believe me, you'll be

doing them a favor.

Let's go.

Deanna!

Deanna!

No, no! Don't turn off the...

Who is this jerk?

Who told him he could turn off my music?

Will Riker.

Zefram Cochrane.

Ls he a friend of yours?

Yes.

Husband?

No.

Good.

Now this Deena.

Deanna.

This...

is the good stuff.

Dr. Cochrane.

To the Phoenix,

may she rest in peace.

Ok, that wasn't so good.

Will, l think we have to tell him the truth.

If we tell the truth, the timeline...

Timeline?

This is no time to argue about time.

We don't have the time.

What was l saying?

You're drunk.

I am not!

Yes, you are.

Look,

he wouldn't even talk to me

unless l had a drink with him.

And then it took three shots

of something called tequila,

just to find out he was

the one we're looking for.

And l've spent the last 20 minutes

trying to keep his hands off me.

So don't go criticizing

my counseling technique.

Sorry.

It's a primitive culture.

L'm just trying to blend in.

You're blended, all right.

I already told him our cover story.

He didn't believe me.

We are running out of time.

Now, if we tell him the truth,

do you think he'll be able to handle it?

If you're looking for my professional

opinion as ship's counselor,

he's nuts.

I'll be sure to note that in my log.

Captain, l believe l am feeling...

anxiety.

It is an intriguing sensation.

A most distracting...

Data, l'm sure

it's a fascinating experience,

but perhaps you should deactivate

your emotion chip for now.

Good idea, sir.

Done.

Data, there are times that l envy you.

It's only me!

Doctor, are you all right?

Yes, but we have wounded here.

Lopez, get these people

back to Deck 14.

There was a civilian,

a woman from the 21 st century.

We got separated.

We will watch for her.

Worf, she has no idea what's going on.

Try to find her.

Lower your weapons.

They'll ignore us

till they consider us a threat.

The manual release.

Mr. Worf, hold this position.

Manual release is online.

Perhaps we should just knock.

Data.

Ready phasers!

Data, cover me.

Captain, they've adapted!

Regroup on Deck 15.

Don't let them touch you!

Captain!

Data!

Here!

Captain!

Help.

Please, help.

You! How the hell did you...

Back off!

Calm down!

Shut up!

Who are you?

My name is Jean-Luc Picard...

No! Who are you with?

What faction?

I'm not a member

of the Eastern Coalition.

Listen...

l said shut up!

I don't care who you're with.

Get me the hell out of here.

Now!

That isn't going to be easy.

Well, you better find a way

to make it easy, soldier,

or l'm gonna start pushing buttons.

All right!

Follow me.

Slow!

Your efforts to break the encryption codes

will not be successful.

Nor will your attempts to assimilate me

into your collective.

Brave words.

I've heard them before,

from thousands of species

across thousands of worlds

since long before you were created.

But now, they are all Borg.

I am unlike any life-form

you have encountered before.

The codes stored in my neural net

cannot be forcibly removed.

You are an imperfect being

created by an imperfect being.

Finding your weakness

is only a matter of time.

Let me just make sure

that l understand you correctly,

Commander.

A group,

of cybernetic creatures,

from the future,

have traveled back through time,

to enslave the human race,

and you're here to stop them?

That's right.

Hot damn.

You're heroic.

We're gonna prove it to you.

Geordi!

There she is.

Here we go.

Beautiful!

All right,

take a look.

Well, well, well, well.

What do we got here?

I love a good peep show.

That's a trick.

How'd you do that?

It's your telescope.

That's our ship, the Enterprise.

And...

Lily's up there right now?

That's right.

Can l talk to her?

We've lost contact with the Enterprise.

We don't know why yet.

So, what is it you want me to do?

Simple.

Conduct your warp flight tomorrow

morning just as you planned.

Why tomorrow morning?

Because at 11:00 an alien ship will

begin passing through this solar system.

Alien, you mean...

extraterrestrials?

More bad guys?

Good guys.

They're on a survey mission.

They have no interest in Earth.

Too primitive.

Doctor,

tomorrow morning when they detect

the warp signature from your ship

and realize that humans have discovered

how to travel faster than light,

they decide to alter their course.

They make first contact with Earth,

right here.

Here?

Actually, over there.

It is one of the pivotal moments

in human history, Doctor.

You get to make first contact

with an alien race,

and after you do,

everything begins to change.

Your theories on warp drive

allow fleets of starships to be built,

and mankind

to start exploring the galaxy.

It unites humanity in a way

that no one ever thought possible

when they realize

they're not alone in the universe.

Poverty, disease, war,

they'll all be gone

within the next 50 years.

But unless you make that warp

flight tomorrow morning,

before 11:15,

none of it will happen.

And you people you're all...

astronauts on...

some kind of star trek.

Look, Doc, l know this is

a lot for you to take in but,

we're running out of time here.

We need your help.

What do you say?

Why not?

It's pretty bad, sir.

It looks like they control

Decks 26 up to 11.

But when they took Deck 11,

they just stopped.

The Borg have assimilated more than

half the ship in a matter of hours.

Why stop there?

What is on Deck 11?

Hydroponics, stellar cartography,

deflector control. No vital system.

They would not have stopped there unless

it gave them a tactical advantage.

Return to your checkpoint.

Send reports every 10 minutes.

Right, sir.

Something must've happened

in Sickbay.

Where are Doctor Crusher

and the others?

Why did you break the cease-fire?

We didn't attack you!

Who did?

There's a...

There is new faction,

that wants to prevent your launch

tomorrow morning,

but we are here to help you.

This may be difficult for you to accept,

but you are not in Montana anymore.

You're on a ship...

a spaceship, orbiting the Earth

at an altitude of...

You wanna help me,

get me out of here.

All right.

You want a way out.

Here it is.

What is this?

Australia, New Guinea, the Solomons.

Montana will be up soon,

but you may want to hold your breath.

It's a long way down.

Now, listen to me.

I'm not your enemy,

and l can get you home but,

first you must put

that weapon down and trust me.

Jean-Luc Picard.

My name.

That's my name.

What's yours?

Lily.

Welcome aboard, Lily.

Thank you.

Maximum setting.

If you'd fired this,

you would've vaporized me.

It's my first ray gun.

There's no glass.

Force field.

I've never seen that kind of technology.

That's because

it has not been invented yet.

What?

There's more l have to tell you.

Come on.

Are you ready?

Who are you?

I am the Borg.

That is a contradiction.

The Borg have a

collective consciousness.

There are no individuals.

I am the beginning,

the end,

the one who is many.

I am the Borg.

Greetings.

I am curious.

Do you control the Borg collective?

You imply a disparity

where none exists.

I am the collective.

Perhaps l should rephrase the question.

I wish to understand

the organizational relationships.

Are you their leader?

I bring order to chaos.

An interesting if cryptic response.

You are in chaos, Data.

You are the contradiction.

A machine who wishes to be human.

Since you seem to know

so much about me,

you must be aware that

l am programmed to evolve,

to better myself.

We too are on a quest

to better ourselves,

evolving toward a state of perfection.

Forgive me,

but the Borg do not evolve.

They conquer.

By assimilating other beings

into our collective,

we are bringing them closer

to perfection.

Somehow,

l question your motives.

That is because

you haven't been properly,

stimulated yet.

You have...

reactivated my emotion chip.

Why?

Don't be frightened.

I am not frightened.

Do you know what this is, Data?

It would appear you are attempting

to graft organic skin

onto my endoskeletal structure.

What a cold description,

for such a beautiful gift.

Was that good for you?

How many planets are in this Federation?

Over 150,

spread across 8,000 light-years.

You must not get home much.

Actually, l tend to think

of this ship as home.

But if it's Earth you're talking about,

l try to get back whenever l can.

Good. They haven't broken

the encryption codes yet.

Who, those bionic zombies

you told me about?

The...

Borg.

Borg? Sounds Swedish.

How big is this ship?

There are 24 decks,

almost 700 meters long.

It took me six months

to scrounge up enough titanium

just to build a four-meter cockpit.

How much did this thing cost?

The economics of the future

are somewhat different.

You see,

money doesn't exist in the 24th century.

No money?

You mean you don't get paid?

The acquisition of wealth,

is no longer the driving

force in our lives.

We work to better ourselves,

and the rest of humanity.

Actually, we're rather like yourself

and Dr. Cochrane.

All right!

All right.

Come on.

Is there another way around?

I know what l'm doing.

Definitely not Swedish.

What the hell are you doing?

Perhaps something in satin?

I'm sorry gentlemen but we're closing.

And you do understand

we have a strict dress code,

so if you boys don't leave right now, l'll...

l'm looking for Nicky the Nose.

The Nose?

He hasn't been here in months.

This is the wrong chapter.

Computer! Begin chapter 13.

Try and look

as if you're having a good time.

No, no, no, look at me!

Try to act naturally.

There he is.

Ruby,

this is not a good time.

It's never the time for us, is it, Dix?

Always some excuse,

some case you're working on.

I have to talk to Nicky.

L'll see you later.

Ok, but watch your caboose.

And dump the broad.

Well, well, well.

Look what the cat dragged in.

What's shaking, Dix?

The usual, Nick. Martinis and skirts.

Excuse me.

Hey, l'm going to take

that personal in a second.

No offense.

Hey!

Hey!

I think you got him.

I don't get it.

I thought you said this was

all just a bunch of holograms.

If it's holograms...

l disengaged the safety protocols.

Without them,

even a holographic bullet can kill.

What are you doing?

I'm looking for the neuroprocessor.

Every Borg has one.

It's like a memory chip.

It will contain a record,

of all the instructions this Borg has

been receiving from the collective.

My...

Jean-Luc,

it's one of your uniforms.

Yes, this was Ensign Lynch.

Tough luck?

I've gotta get to the Bridge.

Good morning, sir.

Doctor?

Yeah?

Would you mind taking a look at this?

Yeah.

I tried to reconstruct the intermix

chamber from what l remember in school.

Tell me if l got it right.

School?

You learned about this in school?

Yeah.

Basic Warp Design is

a required course at the Academy.

The first chapter is called

Zefram Cochrane.

Well, it looks like you got it right.

Commander,

this is what we're thinking of using,

to replace the damaged

warp plasma conduit.

Yeah, Reg.

Yeah that's good,

but you need to reinforce

this copper tubing with a nanopolymer.

Dr. Cochrane, l know this sounds silly,

but can l shake your hand?

Thank you, Doctor.

I can't tell you what an honor it is

to work with you on this project.

Reg.

I never imagined that l'd be meeting

the man who invented warp drive. l...

Reg!

I'm sorry. Right.

Thanks.

Do they have to keep doing that?

It's just a little hero worship, Doc.

To tell you the truth,

l can't say l blame them.

We all grew up hearing

about what you did here.

Or what you're about to do.

You know, l probably shouldn't

even tell you this but,

l went to Zefram Cochrane High School.

Really?

You know, l wish l had a picture of this.

What?

Well, you see,

in the future, this whole area,

becomes an historical monument.

You're standing almost on the exact

spot where your statue's gonna be.

Statue?

Yeah!

It's marble,

about 20 meters tall,

and you're looking up at the sky,

and your hand's sort of reaching

toward the future.

I gotta take a leak.

Leak?

I'm not detecting any leak.

Don't you people from

the 24th century ever pee?

Leak!

I get it.

That's pretty funny.

Excuse me.

Commander?

Captain.

Jean-Luc.

Reports of my assimilation

are greatly exaggerated.

I found something you lost.

I am a Klingon.

Mr. Worf, report.

The Borg control over half the ship.

We have tried to restore power

to the Bridge and the weapon systems,

but we have been unsuccessful.

We have another problem.

I've accessed a Borg neuroprocessor,

and l've discovered

what they're trying to do.

They're transforming the deflector dish

into an interplexing beacon.

Interplexing?

It's a subspace transmitter.

If they activate the beacon,

they'll be able to establish a link

with the Borg living in this century.

But in the 21 st century,

the Borg are still in the Delta Quadrant.

They'll send reinforcements.

Humanity will be an easy target.

Attack the Earth in the past

to assimilate the future.

Then we must destroy the deflector dish

before they can activate the beacon.

We can't get to deflector control

or a shuttlecraft.

Mr. Worf,

do you remember your

zero-g combat training?

I remember it made me

sick to my stomach.

What are you suggesting?

I think it's time that

we took a little stroll.

Hang on.

There's a humanoid

life-sign up ahead.

Five hundred eleven meters.

Cochrane?

It's him, all right.

I've re-modulated the pulse emitters,

but l do not believe we will get

more than one or two shots

before the Borg adapt.

Then we must make

every shot count.

Magnetize.

Watch your caboose Dix.

I intend to.

How are you doing, Mr. Worf?

Not well, sir.

Try not to look at the stars.

Keep your eyes on the hull.

Let's go.

Tell me,

are you using a

polymer-based neuro-relay

to transmit the organic nerve impulses

to the central processor

of my positronic net?

If that is the case,

how have you solved the problem

of increased signal degradation

inherent to organo-synthetic

transmission...

Do you always talk this much?

Not always,

but often.

Why do you insist on utilizing

this primitive linguistic communication?

Your android brain is capable

of so much more.

Have you forgotten?

I am endeavoring to

become more human.

Human.

We used to be exactly like them.

Flawed, weak,

organic.

But we evolved to include the synthetic.

Now we use both to attain perfection.

Your goal should be the same as ours.

Believing oneself to be perfect is,

often the sign of a delusional mind.

Small words,

from a small being trying to attack

what he doesn't understand.

I understand that you have

no real interest in me,

that your goal,

is to obtain the encryption codes

for the Enterprise computer.

That is one of our goals,

one of many.

But in order to reach it,

l am willing to help you reach yours.

Is it becoming clear to you yet?

Look at yourself,

standing there, cradling the new

flesh that l've given you.

If it means nothing to you

why protect it?

I...

I am simply imitating

the behavior of humans.

You're becoming more human

all the time, Data.

Now you're learning how to lie.

My...

programming was not designed,

to process these sensations.

Then tear the skin from your limb

as you would a defective circuit.

Go ahead Data.

We won't stop you.

Do it.

Don't be tempted by flesh.

Are you familiar

with physical forms of pleasure?

If you are...

referring to...

sexuality,

l am...

fully functional,

programmed in...

multiple techniques.

How long has it been

since you've used them?

Eight years,

seven months, 16 days,

four minutes, 22...

Far too long.

We should bring reinforcements.

There's no time.

It looks as if they're building the beacon

right on top of the particle emitter.

Once all the transponder rods

are in place,

the beacon will be activated.

Well, if we set our phasers

to full power, we can...

No. There's a risk that we hit the dish.

It's charged with antiprotons.

We could destroy half the ship.

We have to find another way.

Come on, come on.

Doctor!

Sir?

You still looking for the bathroom?

I'm not going back.

Look Doc,

we can't do this without you.

I don't care.

I don't wanna be a statue.

Doctor...

You stay away from me.

We don't have time for this.

You told him about the statue?

For this to work,

all three maglocks will

have to be released.

Magnetic constrictors are disengaged.

They've adapted.

Warning.

Decompression in 45 seconds.

Hawk!

We've had a change of plans, Data.

Assimilate this.

Only got an hour to go, Doc.

How you feeling?

I got a four-alarm hangover,

either from the whiskey

or your laser beam,

or both,

but l'm ready to make history.

Troi to Commander Riker.

Riker here.

We're ready to open the launch door.

Go ahead.

Look at that.

What, you don't have a moon

in the 24th century?

Sure we do.

It just looks a lot different.

There are 50 million people

living on the moon in my time.

You can see Tycho City, New Berlin,

even Lake Armstrong on a day like this.

And you know, Doctor...

Please!

Don't tell me it's all thanks to me.

I've heard enough

about the great Zefram Cochrane.

I don't know

who writes your history books

or where you get your information from,

but you people got

some pretty funny ideas about me.

You all look at me as if l'm some kind of...

saint or visionary or something.

I don't think you're a saint Doc,

but you did have a vision.

And now we're sitting in it.

You wanna know what my vision is?

Dollar signs. Money.

I didn't build this ship

to usher in a new era for humanity.

You think l want to go to the stars?

I don't even like to fly!

I take trains!

I built this ship so that l could retire

to some tropical island...

filled with...

naked women.

That's Zefram Cochrane.

That's his vision.

This other guy you keep

talking about this,

historical figure,

l never met him.

I can't imagine l ever will.

Someone once said,

Don't try to be a great man.

Just be a man,

and let history make its own judgments.

That's rhetorical nonsense.

Who said that?

You did, 10 years from now.

You got 58 minutes, Doc.

You better get on that checklist.

They're on the move again.

The Borg just overran

three of our defense checkpoints.

They've taken over Decks 5 and 6.

They've adapted

to every modulation of our weapons.

It's like we're shooting blanks.

We'll have to work

on finding another way

to modify our weapons

so they'll be more effective.

In the meantime,

tell your men to stand their ground.

Sir.

Fight hand-to-hand if they have to.

Aye, sir.

Wait. Captain, our weapons are useless.

We must activate

the auto-destruct sequence

and use the escape pods

to evacuate the ship.

No!

Jean-Luc, if we destroy the ship,

we destroy the Borg.

We're gonna stay and fight.

Sir, we have lost the Enterprise.

We should not sacrifice...

We have not lost the Enterprise, Mr. Worf.

We are not going to lose the Enterprise.

Not to the Borg,

not while l'm in command.

You have your orders.

I must object to this course of action.

It is...

The objection is noted.

With all due respect, sir,

l believe you are allowing

your personal experience with the Borg

to influence your judgment.

You're afraid.

You want to destroy the ship

and run away. You coward.

Jean-Luc.

If you were any other man,

l would kill you where you stand.

Get off my Bridge.

So what do we do now?

We carry out his orders.

Dyson, Kaplan,

start working on a way to modify...

Wait!

The weapon systems.

This is stupid!

If we can get off this ship

and then blow it up, let's do it!

Once the Captain's made up his mind,

the discussion is over.

Lily!

You son of a bitch.

This really isn't the time.

Ok, l don't knowjack

about the 24th century,

but everybody out there thinks

that staying here

and fighting the Borg is suicide.

They're just afraid to come in here

and say it.

The crew is accustomed

to following my orders.

They're probably accustomed

to your orders making sense.

None of them understand

the Borg as l do.

No one does.

No one can.

What is that supposed to mean?

Six years ago,

they assimilated me

into their collective.

I had their cybernetic devices

implanted throughout my body.

I was linked to the hive mind,

every trace of individuality erased.

I was one of them.

So you can imagine my dear,

l have a somewhat unique perspective

on the Borg,

and l know how to fight them.

Now, if you will excuse me,

l have work to do.

I am such an idiot.

It's so simple.

The Borg hurt you and now

you're going to hurt them back.

In my century,

we don't succumb to revenge.

We have a more evolved sensibility.

Bullshit! l saw the look on your face

when you shot those Borg

on the Holodeck.

You were almost enjoying it!

How dare you.

Come on, Captain.

You're not the first man to get

a thrill from murdering someone.

I see it all the time!

Get out!

Or what?

You'll kill me,

like you killed Ensign Lynch?

There was no way to save him.

You didn't even try.

Where was your evolved sensibility then?

I don't have time for this.

Hey.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean

to interrupt your little quest.

Captain Ahab has

to go hunt his whale.

What?

You do have books in the 24th century?

This is not about revenge.

Liar!

This is about saving

the future of humanity!

Jean-Luc, blow up the damn ship!

No!

No!

I will not sacrifice the Enterprise.

We've made too many compromises

already, too many retreats.

They invade our space

and we fall back.

They assimilate entire worlds

and we fall back.

Not again.

The line must be drawn here.

This far, no further!

And l will make them pay

for what they've done.

You broke your little ships.

See you around, Ahab.

And he piled upon

the whale's white hump

the sum of all the rage and hate

felt by his whole race.

If his chest had been a cannon,

he would have shot his heart upon it.

What?

Moby-Dick.

Actually, l never read it.

Ahab spent years hunting

the white whale that crippled him,

a quest for vengeance,

but...

in the end it destroyed

him and his ship.

I guess he didn't know when to quit.

Prepare to evacuate the Enterprise.

ATR setting?

Active.

Main bus?

Ready.

Initiate pre-ignition sequence.

Begin auto-destruct sequence.

Authorization, Picard 4-7-alpha-tango.

Computer Commander Beverly Crusher.

Confirm auto-destruct sequence.

Authorization, Crusher 2-2-beta-charlie.

Computer, Lieutenant Commander Worf.

Confirm auto-destruct sequence.

Authorization, Worf 3-7-gamma-echo.

Command authorization accepted.

Awaiting final code

to begin auto-destruct sequence.

This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Destruct sequence alpha-one.

Fifteen minutes, silent countdown.

Enable.

Self-destruct in 15 minutes.

There will be no further

audio warnings.

So much for the Enterprise-E.

We barely knew her.

Think they'll build another one?

Plenty of letters left in the alphabet.

Mr. Worf.

I regret some of the things

l said to you earlier.

Some?

As a matter of fact,

l think you're the bravest man

l've ever known.

Thank you, sir.

See you on Gravett lsland.

Captain.

Data?

Control to Phoenix.

Final launch sequence

checks are complete.

Good luck.

Everybody ready

to make some history?

Always am.

I think l forgot something.

What?

I don't know.

It's probably nothing.

Begin ignition sequence.

20, 19.

God!

Now l remember!

What?

Where is it?

What?

We can't lift off without it!

Geordi, we've got to abort.

No! No, wait, l found it.

12, 11, 10,

9, 8...

Let's rock and roll!

7, 6...

Turn that down a little?

Hey! We've got a red light

on the second intake valve.

Ignore it. We'll be fine.

Prepare first stage shutdown

and separation on my mark.

3, 2, 1,

mark!

Ok, let's bring the warp core online.

You ain't seen nothing yet.

If you see Commander Riker

or any of my crew, give them this.

What is it?

Orders to find a quiet corner

of North America and...

stay out of history's way.

Well, good luck.

To both of us.

You're not leaving, are you?

Lily, when l was held captive

on the Borg ship,

my crew risked everything

to save me.

There is...

someone...

still on this ship,

and l owe him the same.

Go and find your friend.

What's wrong, Locutus?

Isn't this familiar?

Organic minds are such fragile things.

How could you forget me so quickly?

We were very close, you and l.

You can still hear our song.

Yes, l...

l remember you.

You were there all the time.

But that ship,

and all the Bor on it were destroyed.

You think in such 3 dimensional terms.

How small you've become.

Data understands me.

Don't you, Data?

What have you done to him?

Given him what he always wanted,

flesh and blood.

Let him go.

He's not the one you want.

Are you offering yourself to us?

Offering myself?

That's it.

I remember now.

It wasn't enough that you assimilate me.

I had to give myself freely to the Borg.

To you.

You flatter yourself.

I've overseen the assimilation

of countless millions.

You were no different.

You're lying.

You wanted more

than just another Borg drone.

You wanted a human being

with a mind of his own,

who could bridge the gulf

between humanity and the Borg.

You wanted a counterpart.

But l resisted.

I fought you.

You can't begin to imagine

the life you denied yourself.

It's not too late.

Locutus could still be with you,

just in the way you wanted,

an equal.

Let Data go,

and l will take my place at your side,

willingly without any resistance.

Such a noble creature,

a quality we sometimes lack.

We will add your distinctiveness

to our own.

Welcome home,

Locutus.

Data, you are free to go.

Data go.

No.

I do not wish to go.

As you can see,

l have already found an equal.

Data, deactivate

the self-destruct sequence.

Data, no. Don't do it.

Data, listen to me.

Auto-destruct sequence

deactivated.

Now enter the encryption codes

and give me computer control.

Data!

Data.

He will make an excellent drone.

Plasma injectors are online.

Everything's looking good.

I think we're ready.

They should be out there right now.

We better break the warp barrier

in the next five minutes

if we're gonna get their attention.

Nacelles are charged and ready.

Let's do it!

Engage!

Warp field is looking good.

Structural integrity is holding.

Speed?

20,000 kilometers per second.

Sweet Jesus!

Relax, Doctor. l'm sure they're just here

to give us a send-off.

I am bringing

the external sensors online.

Thirty seconds to warp threshold.

Approaching light-speed.

We're at critical velocity.

Quantum torpedoes locked.

Destroy them.

Watch your future's end.

Data!

Resistance is futile.

That should be enough.

Throttle back.

Take us out of warp.

Is that Earth?

That's it.

It's so small.

It's about to get a whole lot bigger.

Captain.

Data.

Are you all right?

I would imagine l look worse than l...

Feel.

Strange.

Part of me is...

sorry she is dead.

She was unique.

She brought me closer to humanity

than l ever thought possible,

and for a time,

l was tempted by her offer.

How long a time?

Zero-point-six-eight seconds, sir.

For an android,

that is nearly an eternity.

Captain's Log, April 5th, 2063.

The voyage of the Phoenix

was a success,

again.

The alien ship detected

the warp signature

and is on its way

to rendezvous with history.

My God.

They're really from another world.

And they're going to want to meet

the man who flew that warp ship.

Live long and prosper.

Thanks.

I think it's time

we made a discreet exit.

Riker to Enterprise,

stand by to beam us up.

You gotta go?

I envy you,

the world you're going to.

I envy you,

taking these first steps

into a new frontier.

I shall miss you, Lily.

Picard to Enterprise. Energize.

Report.

The moon's gravitational field

obscured our warp signature.

The Vulcans did not detect us.

Captain, l've reconfigured our warp field

to match the chronometric readings

of the Borg sphere.

Recreate the vortex, Commander.

Aye, sir.

All decks report ready.

Helm standing by.

Mr. Data, lay in a course

for the 24th century.

I suspect our future is there

waiting for us.

Course laid in, sir.

Make it so.

By LESAIGNEUR

Sync & corrections September 2018