Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Theatrical release poster by Bob Peak
Directed by	Leonard Nimoy
Produced by	Harve Bennett
Written by	Screenplay: Steve Meerson Peter Krikes Nicholas Meyer Harve Bennett Story: Leonard Nimoy Harve Bennett Characters: Gene Roddenberry
Starring	See table
Music by	Leonard Rosenman
Cinematography	Donald Peterman
Editing by	Peter E. Berger
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	November 26, 1986
Running time	119 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$27,000,000 (estimated)
Money made	$133,000,000 (worldwide)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is an exciting science fiction movie from 1986. It's the fourth film in the popular Star Trek series. In this adventure, James T. Kirk and his brave crew must travel back in time. They use a Klingon spaceship to reach Earth in the past. Their mission is super important: they need to save our planet from a big danger!

The Story: Saving Earth and Whales
Main Characters and Actors
Why This Movie Is Special
Images for kids
See also

The Story: Saving Earth and Whales

This movie is different from other Star Trek films. It mixes science fiction with comedy and a message about nature. The story begins after the events of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Captain Kirk and his crew are on the planet Vulcan. They are heading back to Earth to face charges for breaking rules.

A Mysterious Probe Threatens Earth

As they travel, a huge, powerful alien probe arrives near Earth. This probe sends out strange signals. These signals are so strong they stop all power on Earth. They also cause terrible storms and make the oceans boil. The probe is looking for something, but no one knows what.

Time Travel to Find Humpback Whales

Spock figures out what the probe wants. It's trying to talk to humpback whales! But in the 23rd century, humpback whales are extinct. This means they no longer exist. To save Earth, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time. They need to go to the year 1986. Their goal is to bring two humpback whales to the future.

Adventures in 1986 San Francisco

The crew arrives in San Francisco, California, in 1986. They have to blend in with people from the past. This leads to many funny situations. They struggle with money, old technology, and strange customs. Dr. McCoy even tries to help a sick patient using future medicine!

Finding the Whales and Heading Home

They find a marine biologist named Dr. Gillian Taylor. She works with two humpback whales named George and Gracie. The crew needs to get these whales onto their Klingon spaceship. This is a very tricky task. Once they have the whales, they must travel back to their own time. They hope the whales can talk to the probe and save Earth.

Main Characters and Actors

The movie features the classic Star Trek crew. Many of the original actors returned for this film.

William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk: The brave and determined leader.
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock: The logical and intelligent science officer. Nimoy also directed this movie!
DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy: The grumpy but caring doctor.
James Doohan as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott: The brilliant engineer.
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu: The skilled helmsman.
Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov: The enthusiastic navigator.
Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura: The talented communications officer.
Catherine Hicks as Dr. Gillian Taylor: A marine biologist from 1986 who helps the crew.

Why This Movie Is Special

The Voyage Home is known for being a fun and hopeful Star Trek movie. It focuses on environmental themes, like protecting endangered animals. It also has a lot of humor, which made it popular with many viewers. The film was a big success and is still loved by fans today. It reminds us that even in the future, we might need help from the past.

Images for kids

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, viewed from the back. The shallow area behind the rocks was turned into a whale tank via special effects; other changes included the addition of the San Francisco skyline in the background.
Vasquez Rocks was used as a stand-in for the alien world of Vulcan. The rocks had also appeared in TOS and many other TV shows and movies.