History Trivia / StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome

* BeamMeUpScotty: This is also the closest the franchise comes to actually featuring the Trope Namer, though it's phrased "Scotty, beam me up."

* TropeNamers: SpaceWhaleAesop.

** Whilst keyboards, mice and [=WIMP=] interfaces are still the norm for desktop [=PC=]s and Macs, Scotty's futile attempt to talk to a Mac Plus is now even more HilariousInHindsight now we have Siri. Likewise as smartphones and tablets seem to be almost taking over, so is his description of the keyboard as "quaint" (well, almost).

* BeamMeUpScotty: It's often claimed that there isn't a single weapon fired in the movie. This isn't really correct, as there are two actual weapons firings (Kirk using his phaser to weld a door shut, and the whalers trying to harpoon George and Gracie) and one attempted (Chekov trying to stun the interrogation officers). This is likely a mix-up with a real fact, namely that this is the only ''Star Trek'' film wherein EverybodyLives (assuming [[NoEndorHolocaust everyone survived the Probe's "attack"]], though WordOfGod is they did).
** This is also the closest the franchise comes to actually featuring the Trope Namer, though it's phrased "Scotty, beam me up."

*** The idea that the punk, while passing out, should turn off the stereo with his own head, came from the actor who played him, Kirk Thatcher, who was an associate producer on the film. The generic PunkRock that the punk is listening to (it's a song called "I Hate You") was composed and recorded by [[TheCastShowoff Thatcher himself]] and Mark Mangini, a member of the sound effects team.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Despite most of the film being filmed in and around San Francisco, the Cetacean Institute was actually filmed in Monterrey Bay, more than a hundred miles from Sausalito (where the institute supposedly was located), with the San Francisco skyline added in later.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Despite most of the film being filmed in and around San Francisco, the Cetacean Institute was actually filmed in Monterrey Bay, more than a hundred miles from Sausalito (where the institute supposedly was located), with the San Francisco skyline visible.

* TroubledProduction: Totally averted. The only things that went even vaguely wrong were the initial screenplay proving not to be workable and Nicholas Meyer having to be tempted back to the series to work on a new script, and animal rights activists incorrectly accusing the production of using captive whales; in actuality, the humpback whales that the plot focuses on were created via StockFootage and animatronics, and ILM easily disproved the accusations by producing behind-the-scenes footage.

* EnforcedMethodActing: The Navy and Marine personnel used in the film were very gung-ho, leaving Walter Koenig in some doubt as to what would happen if he failed to outrun them during the chase scene--so he ''really'' ran.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Kirk's days of getting the GirlOfTheWeek were long over even before the movie era begun. His interaction with Gillian is completely asexual, non-romantic, and strictly avuncular. Given his age compared to her, it is only appropriate.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Mostly downplayed as it doesn't whack you over the head with TheEighties, but it has its moments. Gillian thinks Kirk's communicator is a "pocket pager", cutting edge in those days but were it just a few years later, she'd probably assume it was a mobile phone. The whole debacle with Chekov being caught on board a US Navy ship is pure Cold War, and Scotty attempting to work a Macintosh Plus very much dates it. "Just use the keyboard" sounds like Dr. Nichols simply assumes that Scotty isn't used to computers with a mouse -- cutting edge back then!

* WrittenByCastMember: The first instance of someone, namely Creator/LeonardNimoy, being both a cast member and a credited writer in a ''Star Trek'' film or TV episode. While Nimoy had actually done both in the previous film as well, his writing contribution went uncredited and he only appeared on-screen for the last ten minutes of the film, and though Creator/WalterKoenig had previously wrote an episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'', he didn't lend his voice to that or any other TAS episode.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/EddieMurphy was originally going to play an astrophysicist at Berkeley who filled Dr. Taylor's role in the story (minus the romance with Kirk, obviously). He eventually backed out of the movie, but it resulted in a massive change to the storyline. The producers were worried that Murphy's presence would have turned ''Star Trek IV'' into a guest star movie like how ''Film/SupermanIII'' became Creator/RichardPryor's movie, so they made sure Taylor was clearly a secondary character to Kirk and Spock.
** There was supposed to be a scene where Sulu encountered a little boy whom he would realize was actually his ancestor, but when the time came to film it the child actor who had been hired became upset and could not be made to act properly, and unable to find another child actor, the scene was cut. It's in the novelization, though.
** There was supposed to be a scene of Sulu stealing the helicopter, but it required him to jump into the chopper and Creator/GeorgeTakei couldn't do it because his legs were too stiff from running in the San Francisco marathon. They tried filming it with a stunt man throwing him inside, but it was cut because it didn't look right.
** Saavik was supposed to be revealed to be pregnant with Spock's child from the scene in the previous film where she had to, ahem, help him through puberty, which was to explain why she didn't go back to Earth with the rest of the crew to serve as a witness on their behalf at the trial, but it was cut for unknown reasons (speculated reasons, even on this very wiki, include time, pacing, and {{Squick}}).
** Producers considered bringing Roger C. Carmel back for a cameo as Harry Mudd, who would have served as a character witness for Kirk at his trial. This also would have been an ironic ContinuityNod to the TOS episode [[Recap/StarTrekS1E6MuddsWomen "Mudd's Women"]], where Kirk had promised to be a character witness at ''Mudd's'' trial.
** Creator/SusanSarandon was considered for Dr. Gillian Taylor.
** Shatner and Nimoy had an agreement in their contracts that any perk offered to one was offered to the other. Since Nimoy was hired to direct ''Star Trek III'', Shatner was lined up to direct this film. But since he was busy with ''Series/TJHooker'' it didn't allow him the several months of pre- and post-production work a director needs. This was the same reason he ended up directing ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier''.
** Creator/GeneRoddenberry wrote [[http://www.roddenberry.com/media/vault/ST4-Outline.pdf a pitch]] for the film, which took the form of an {{interquel}} set in-between ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' and ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'', and depicted the ''Enterprise'' being thrown 15 million years into the future, with Kirk mysteriously disappearing in the process and being replaced by a new captain named Edmund West. As with all Roddenberry's ideas during this time period, Paramount politely ignored it.
** The ending, with Kirk demoted back to captain and given command of a new ''Enterprise'', was actually the ending of the previous film in earlier screenplay drafts. It got cut out for timing reasons and concerns that it would look like Kirk was too EasilyForgiven, with the ending of this film at least allowing the implication that Kirk would have been punished far worse if not for his saving Earth.
** Leonard Rosenman, the film's composer, originally included Alexander Courage's ''Star Trek'' theme in the main title sequence. However, Nimoy had him rewrite a new composition and Rosenman used part of the end title themes for the opening.

** Creator/EddieMurphy was originally going to play a conspiracy nut radio personality who filled Dr. Taylor's role in the story (minus the romance with Kirk, obviously). He eventually backed out of the movie, but it resulted in a massive change to the storyline. The producers were worried that Murphy's presence would have turned ''Star Trek IV'' into a guest star movie like how ''Film/SupermanIII'' became Creator/RichardPryor's movie, so they made sure Taylor was clearly a secondary character to Kirk and Spock.

** Kirk and Spock are unable to take a bus because they don't understand what "exact change" means (they had just gotten $100 that, presumably, comprises larger bank notes). Today, MUNI buses support prepaid [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_card Clipper cards]], making carrying the correct coins and bills no longer necessary.

* Kirk and Spock are unable to take a bus because they don't understand what "exact change" means (they had just gotten $100 that, presumably, comprises larger bank notes). Today, MUNI buses support prepaid [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_card Clipper cards]], making carrying the correct coins and bills no longer necessary.

** Well, there was the scene with Sulu's ancestor that had to be cut because of child actor problems...

* CaliforniaDoubling: Despite most of the film being filmed in and around San Francisco, the Cetacean Institute was actually filmed in Monterrey Bay, more than a hundred miles from Sausalito (where the institute supposedly was located).

* PropRecycling: The look of the alien probe may remind science fiction fans of another classic BigDumbObject. The probe model prop was actually built for an intended movie based on Creator/ArthurCClarke's ''Literature/RendezvousWithRama'', a film project that has been in and out of DevelopmentHell since TheEighties. Hollywood warehouses store many props and items that were made for aborted film projects and this one was probably altered and used in the interests of keeping costs down on this film.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Gillian mistakes Kirk's communicator (when it beeps in the restaurant scene) for "pocket pager" and inquires if he's a doctor (the most obvious kind of person to be using such a device). That is, before he starts talking through it. Nowadays, it could simply be passed off as a rather odd-looking cellphone set to speaker.

* DatedHistory: As of TheNewTens, humpback whales are no longer an endangered species due to the whale hunting moratorium [[note]] the IUCN in fact lists them as a "Least Concern'' species, indicating their population is not under threat [[/note]]. This film is one of the reasons why.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Gillian mistakes Kirk's communicator for a ''pocket pager''. Also the humour provided by Scotty using the then-cutting-edge Macintosh Plus as if it were hopelessly primitive is ironic nowadays.