Line #0 YMMV/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome


1	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
2	** The probe. It's willing to sacrifice an entire planet just to make contact with an alien species, and yet it (or its designers) see nothing wrong in this. Could be a case of badly-programmed AI or AI without empathy, but even so, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality it makes no sense to us]].
3	** It's possible the probe would just keep repeating its message until it got an answer, that in effect it could not be turned off until it did. It's still poor planning, as what would happen if there was never an answer hadn't been considered by the programmers.
4	** One of the ExpandedUniverse novels (the appropriately named ''Probe'') had Kirk and crew re-encounter the probe and attempt to make contact with it. Turns out it was a combination of oversight on the part of its creators (a cetacean-like race that saw humanoids as little more than "mites"), and damage to its sensors from a prior encounter with some "mites" in a cube-shaped vessel ([[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration the Borg]]). Once the crew repaired the damage and showed the probe the havoc its full-power signal was causing, it agreed to be more careful.
5	** The Klingons are justified in being frightened by the destruction of the Mutara nebula. The Klingon ambassador alleges that Kirk test detonated the Genesis torpedo-- developed by Kirk's son-- and that it's a doomsday device. The Klingons sent one small ship to investigate the destruction of the Mutara nebula, and that ship was taken by Kirk with the loss of all hands.
6	* AngstWhatAngst: Gillian is not particularly upset about being thrown 300 years into the future. True, she said she had no one at home but still, such an upheaval should have warranted some shock.
7	* {{Anvilicious}}: With respect to its GreenAesop, it definitely ''is''; opinions vary on whether people have a problem with that. Considering that humpback whales are no longer an endangered species (at least in part ''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome because]]'' of this movie), the heavy-handedness is perhaps more than justified. There are two scenes that are the most overt with the movie's message:
8	** During the scene where Kirk and Spock are in a tour group hearing about the damages being made to whales there's a scene in which Gillian appears to be looking ''directly into the camera'' as she talks about how whaling needs to be abolished.
9	** The movie hits audiences with the message ''hard'' and ''unforgettably'', by showing RealLife whale hunting, with bodies being carved up graphically, leading to this potent exchange between Spock and Gillian before returning to the sci-fi adventure.
10	--->'''Spock:''' To hunt a species to extinction is not logical.
11	--->'''Gillian:''' (''DeathGlare'') Who said the human race was ''logical''?
12	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
13	** Leonard Rosenman's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJzt_ZbNQOk opening theme]], which contains snippets from his score from ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings''.
14	** "[[https://youtu.be/odYI7sm4FWA Home Again]]", featuring a gorgeous rendition of the TOS theme for The Reveal of the ''Enterprise''-A.
15	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The bizarre dream sequence that occurs during the first time-jump.
16	* {{Fanon}}: It's suggested by official sources, though not confirmed, that the Enterprise-A was not a brand new ship but was the ship ''Yorktown'' (mentioned early in the film as suffering from the probe's effects) and was rechristened to be the ''Enterprise''. In any case it is question of how quickly they were able to make a new USS ''Enterprise'' when the first was destroyed only about 3 months prior in the story. This story did have the backing of WordOfGod, as the ''Yorktown'' was the original name of the starship in Gene Roddenberry's first pitch of ''Franchise/StarTrek''. Such a concept would be used in a [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine later series]], where the USS Sao Paulo is redubbed the USS Defiant.
17	** An alternate theory is that the ''Enterprise''-A ''is'' a new ship, originally ordered with a different registry, but then that wouldn't explain why Starfleet would be so keen to retire the ship [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry less than a decade later]]. The ''Yorktown'' theory would fit, as it was around at the time of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original series]].
18	*** Could just be standard politics in Starfleet. The design is still Constitution class, which was getting very long in the tooth by then, and is much smaller than newer models. It could be the last of the run and they renamed it Enterprise as sort of a prize for Kirk and company, knowing they were all getting rather old anyway.
19	* CommonKnowledge: 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 ([[WeldTheLock 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).
20	* HarsherInHindsight:
21	** Dr Nichols' "I Quit Smoking" button was actually Leonard Nimoy's idea, as he himself recently quit smoking. He would still later die of COPD from his past smoking.
22	** Admiral Cartwright appears to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure here. [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry Two movies later]], [[spoiler:he turns out to be a traitor]].
23	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: The film helped to kickstart a huge surge in efforts to preserve humpback whales and other marine life, and their population eventually bounced back enough to be taken off the endangered species list.
24	* HilariousInHindsight:
25	** Creator/CatherineHicks, who plays Dr. Gillian Taylor, went on to play Mrs. Camden on the TV series ''Series/SeventhHeaven''. Her on screen husband, Stephen Collins, played Commander Willard Decker in ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''.
26	** Alternatively, [[Film/StarTrek2009 Kirk really is from outer space]].
27	** In 20th century San Francisco, Kirk tells his crew [[Film/StarTrek2009 "You look like a cadet review"]].
28	** In the beginning of the film, the Klingon Ambassador (Creator/JohnSchuck) says "There shall be no peace, as long as Kirk lives!" The plot of the [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry sixth movie]] is about a new Klingon-Federation peace treaty, and Kirk is instrumental in getting it ratified and preventing another war. The very same Ambassador is shown in that film as well, begrudgingly applauding Kirk's efforts.
29	** Scotty, after overcoming his initial uncertainty over how to use a [[Platform/AppleMacintosh Mac Plus]]: "The keyboard? How quaint!" Back then, ironic as mice and [=GUIs=] were cutting edge. Now, "just using the keyboard" ''is'' quaint; made even more ironic given smartphones and tablets (made popular by the same company) mostly eschew keyboards and have introduced voice activation (which Scotty was trying to do with the Mac Plus). Sorry, Scotty, no Siri in TheEighties. It's also doubly funny considering the ''Trek'' shows from TNG onwards showed the use of "[=PADD=]s," a technology very much like our modern tablets.
30	** [[http://www.tssbulletproof.com/optically-clear-aluminum-provides-bulletproof-protection/ Transparent aluminum is becoming a reality 19 years after Scotty gave the formula away.]]
31	** The humpback whale was taken off the endangered species list in 2008 after the global whaling moratorium resulted in a healthy population rebound. While whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries had resulted in an over 95% population reduction (from 125,000 in 1900 to 5,000 in 1966), they now number 80,000 globally as of 2008.
32	** [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks LDS]], Captain Kirk?[[note]]See Acronym Confusion under the main page[[/note]]
33	** In a wonderful meta sense: in the original premise in 1986, the crew travels back in time to the PRESENT. Now, they travel back in time to TheEighties!
34	* HoYay: The book version combines this with TearJerker, as it puts Spock and Edith on the same level as people Kirk was [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/b4e19055ba29976b6c7688edf91f039a/d2d30e2d4d327738-3c/s1280x1920/cea2840edf6351165b40107dd684066f15c3f1c7.jpg forced to let die]].
35	* MemeticMutation:
36	** "Nuclear Wessels"
37	** "Admiral! There be whales here!"
38	** "Yeah, well, a double dumbass on you!"
39	** "Hellllllllloooo, Computer."
40	** This film is widely known as "the one with the whales," which is even acknowledged with a Website/{{Wikipedia}} redirect. This nickname originates from the fact that, for many years, this was the ''Star Trek'' film that non-fans were most familiar with, due to it having achieved considerable mainstream success as a FishOutOfWater comedy.[[note]]Arguably, its status as the ''Star Trek'' film that non-fans are most familiar with has been more recently superseded by [[Film/StarTrek2009 the 2009 film]].[[/note]] However, said mainstream viewers often did not retain the film's admittedly nonintuitive title, resulting in them almost always calling it, "the one with the whales." Nowadays, "the one with the whales" is used semi-ironically by Trekkies themselves. They've even attempted to come up with similar "the one with" titles for the other ''Trek'' films (in fact, it's being done on Website/ThisVeryWiki), although none have caught on like, "the one with the whales."
41	* NarmCharm: The movie’s premise of “Kirk, Spock, and crew travel to 1980’s San Francisco to save the whales” sounds utterly ridiculous when described, and yet the film’s execution manages to make it work (probably helped by the movie not taking itself quite as seriously as the previous installments, as well as [=McCoy=] summing up InUniverse how ridiculous the idea is).
42	* NightmareFuel: Though pretty lighthearted compared to previous entries this ''comedic'' entry does have some very creepy scenes, such as the Federation ships being de-powered by the Probe, and the strange montage that plays out in Kirk's head when they're going back in time.
43	** Also, the very real footage of whale slaughter playing in the museum.
44	* OlderThanTheyThink: While most people first heard of Captain Kirk being born in Iowa in this film, it was actually first revealed in the book ''The Making of Star Trek'' in 1968. In 1985, the town of Riverside asked Creator/GeneRoddenberry for official authorization as the future birthplace of Kirk. [[TouristBump Now, there are many Trek-related attractions in the area, including a big sculpture of the U.S.S. Enterprise]].
45	* OneSceneWonder:
46	** The punk on the bus that Spock gives a Vulcan neck pinch to. Quoth Kirk Thatcher, who was also the Associate Producer of the film: "I could win the Nobel Peace Prize and my grave would still say 'Punk On Bus – Star Trek IV'."
47	*** Thatcher comes back 36 years later, as the exact same punk, in Season 2 of [[Series/StarTrekPicard Star Trek: Picard]]. (He's a much nicer punk now.)
48	** The white-haired helmsman of the ''Saratoga'' has a striking and memorable design and manages to convey stoic wisdom in mere seconds of screen time. No surprise that his race (Efrosian) showed up again, in the person of the Federation President, no less, in ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''.
49	** The Klingon [[AssInAmbassador Ambassador,]] [[Creator/JohnSchuck Kamarag]], was memorably [[LargeHam loud]] enough to get himself a RoleReprise in ''The Undiscovered Country'', first finally getting to nail Kirk to the wall for purportedly assassinating Chancellor Gorkon, and then later, ironically, as one of the first to applaud Kirk for salvaging the Klingon/Federation peace treaty.
50	** The woman who gave Sulu and Uhura absolutely no help telling the duo the nuclear wessel was probably in Alameda.
51	** Madge Sinclair as the captain of the USS ''Saratoga'', marking the first appearance of a female Starfleet captain in the franchise.
52	* SignatureScene: Spock and the [[OneSceneWonder obnoxious punk on the bus]], easily one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie, if not the whole ''franchise.''
53	* StrawmanHasAPoint: The pompous Klingon ambassador demands justice in response to Kirk killing Kruge's crew in the last movie, which cues Sarek to explain just how villainous they really were. The Federation president assures everyone present that Kirk will face Federation justice, which the Klingon ambassador scoffs at. Out of all the things the crew did in the last movie, no one is going to bat an eye over what happened to Kruge's crew. However, the Klingon ambassador nonetheless winds up being right to scoff at "Federation justice." All charges of theft and sabotage of Starfleet property are dropped, and Kirk's violating the chain of command is "punished" by a demotion to Captain and the command of his own ship - the two things he wanted anyway.
54	** Though, as Sarek points out, Kruge himself is responsible for the destruction of the USS Grissom, and the murder of David Marcus, Kirk's son - based on what we know of Klingon culture (notably the Rite of Vengeance that allowed a discommendated Worf to be able to legally kill Duras with no repercussion) aside from scoring political points, from the Klingon perspective, this would be entirely justified. Probably part of why the threat of "there will be no peace as long as Kirk lives" ends up being a hollow and empty one.
55	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
56	** 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[[note]]Mobile phones not only ''did'' [[AluminumChristmasTrees in fact exist in 1986]], they weren't even all the early bulky "suitcase" phones; they hadn't quite gotten down to the early "candy-bar" style yet, and were mostly "bricks". It would have been unusual for someone (especially someone like Kirk, who isn't wearing an expensive suit) to have one, but they were around[[/note]].
57	** The whole debacle with Chekov being caught on board a US Navy ship is pure Cold War, as is Leningrad being mentioned by Starfleet Operations.
58	** 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!
59	** Nowadays, Jacqueline Susann (''Literature/ValleyOfTheDolls'') and Harold Robbins are too obscure for the joke about them being "the giants" to really land. Back in the day, they were the authors of popular trash novels. The modern equivalent would be citing Creator/ELJames and Creator/StephenieMeyer as "giants" of 21st-century literature.
60	** The film's use of early CGI during the scene where the crew travels back to 1986 helps to date the film to that time period.
61	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome:
62	** The whales. It got to the point where US fishing authorities were brought in and criticized the producers for being around them. All the while not realizing they were just small-scale animatronic models.
63	** While dated by modern standards, the CGI used on the morphing heads of the crew when the Bird of Prey travels through time was a standout effect of the time. It helps that the animators went for a more stylized appearance.

Context YMMV / StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome