Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Parent Guide

When Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and crew took off to rescue Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, they did so at the cost of their careers with Starfleet. After a brief respite on Vulcan, they are now ready to come home and face court martial for their actions. Before they can get there, though, they receive a distress signal: Earth is being bombarded with strange signals from a massive alien probe, and the signals are causing cataclysmic climactic upheaval. Unless Kirk can find a way to answer the probe, Earth will be destroyed in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, the answer lies in the 20^th century. Can the crew travel through time quickly enough to save Earth?

One of the things to look at with this movie is its stated genre: it’s a sci-fi action comedy. Heavy on the comedy. Unlike Search for Spock, which was unintentionally hilarious, The Voyage Home manages to be funny on purpose. Particularly amusing are the interactions between Kirk and Spock, as Spock begins to regain his memory and Kirk tries to make him fit in with the human culture of 1986. Another highlight is Chekov (Russian accent and all) trying to get directions to US Naval bases as newspapers show arms limitation talks struggling. Is it the height of intellectual comedy? No, but it works for what it is.

The plot is also noticeably sillier than other entries in the franchise. Going from the pure revenge of Wrath of Khan to the death of a close friend in Search for Spock, time-travel to kidnap whales really does stand out. Again, though, it works for what it’s trying to be. The Voyage Home is a welcome reprieve from the more serious plot lines that precede it. The break in tension serves the longer arc of these films well, while still showing the peril faced by the characters and the consequences of their choices.

As far as production value goes, the movie continues to improve on previous entries. The jokingly-named HMS Bounty set has been built up a good bit from the version in Search For Spock. Special effects are similar in terms of ship movements and the like, although for 1986, the time-travel sequence is pretty darn impressive.

Like the rest of the franchise, this movie is eminently suitable for family viewing, particularly with older children. The film is simple and well-paced, with plenty of comedy and action to engage the attention of younger viewers. Strong messages of teamwork and doing the right thing (no matter how difficult) further cement this as solid family entertainment.