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I am so very excited to be
hosting this marquee panel
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for the Star Trek: First
Contact feature film,
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which debuted in theaters
25 years ago this year.
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It debuted before Mica Burton debuted,
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and I'm even more excited
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that we get to have this discussion
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on First Contact Day, of all days.
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Please join me in welcoming
these immensely talented
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creators and performers from the movie,
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stars Patrick Stewart, Brent
Spiner, and Alice Krige,
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as well as star and
director, Jonathan Frakes.
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Thanks to all of you for joining me
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for this 25th anniversary celebration.
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Good to be here.
Thank you, Wil.
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It has been 25 years since
First Contact was released
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and we are here celebrating
First Contact Day.
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So let's talk about your first contact
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with the movie First Contact.
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Where did the idea come
from to do a standalone
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Next Gen-era movie?
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Johnny, I feel you probably
could start us off there.
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I was under the impression
that after Generations,
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which we shared the screen
with the original cast,
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Paramount decided to
continue with our cast
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and Brannon Braga and
Ron Moore and Rick Berman
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were kept on as writers and storytellers,
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and the Borg were chosen
to be our nemesis,
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and all three of the writers, I believe,
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wanted a time travel story.
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So the objective was to
find a way to connect,
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marry those two big concepts.
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And originally it was going to take place,
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I believe, in Renaissance Italy, perhaps,
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and we were gonna fight
the Borg with swords,
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and thankfully that idea was taken away
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for financial reasons and logic reasons
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and absurd reasons, I'm sure.
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And we were blessed with this,
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arguably the best of the Star
Trek movie scripts, certainly,
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and a great, great story.
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You know, one of the
reasons I think this movie
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is so beloved by fans
and one of the reasons
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it really holds up 25
years later, Patrick,
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is your performance.
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Picard is so clearly carrying the trauma
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of having been assimilated by the Borg,
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and I feel that the driving narrative arc
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of this movie
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is Picard's efforts to come to terms with
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and work through that trauma.
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Did working on this film help inform
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some of the choices you
have made in Picard,
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where I feel like some of that
trauma is still playing out?
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Yes.
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I was going to immediately
reference Picard
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when I saw where you were
going with that question.
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There is a lot of referencing
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Picard as a Borg character,
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and there is enough evidence in that
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to show that he is still
profoundly disturbed
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by what happened to
him by that experience.
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And Johnny, we might find
some way that we could,
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you know, we could
introduce these elements,
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again, into Picard.
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Yeah, that's exactly where I was,
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what was spinning in my head
as you were suggesting it.
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That's one of the great
successes of the first season
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of Picard, I thought,
one of the great moments,
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was the moment when you
shared with Jeri, or with...
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Seven of Nine.
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As we call her, about
your shared experience
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with the Borg, and it was brief,
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but it was so powerful
and pithy and loaded
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from both of you, I thought.
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Johnny, you had directed several episodes
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of Next Generation by the time
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First Contact rolled around.
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We are talking about
you directing episodes
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of Star Trek: Picard.
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Everyone in the world knows
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that you are our favorite director.
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How did you get chosen for First Contact?
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How did that process play
out? Talk me through that.
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I believe, if the urban myth is true,
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the movie was offered to Ridley Scott,
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who obviously was not
interested in doing Star Trek 8,
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John McTiernan, the same story,
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and as I understand it, Sherry Lansing,
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who was the head of Paramount at the time
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told Rick Berman, who was
the keeper of the reins,
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"Why don't you hire who you like?"
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And so there was one caveat,
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that the director that they
hired had to be approved
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by now Sir Patrick Stewart.
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So, Rick said, "I'd really
like you to do the movie,
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but Patrick's gonna have to approve you."
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So Patrick and I had lunch at
Jerry's Deli in Studio City.
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[laughs] Remember this Patrick?
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And he said, "I'm okay with
you directing the movie.
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I was told that I had to
make it official with you."
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And it was, it kinda changed my life.
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I believe we both had Reuben sandwiches.
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There is nothing like
a Jerry's Deli Reuben.
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I just, I wanna go on
record as being entirely
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in favor of the Jerry's Deli Reuben.
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Brent, in First Contact, Data gets closer
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to being human than we
ever saw him before.
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There are a couple of great moments
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where he gets these patches of human skin
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and reacts to the skin being stimulated.
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It's creepy and unsettling.
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Would you talk a little bit
about playing that side of Data?
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With the knowledge that even
when it appears that Data
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has 100% gone over to the bad guys,
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he's still actually on our side?
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Would you talk a little
bit about that process?
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I think that that involved
the ever-popular emotion chip,
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as well, that he was accessing
the emotion chip, too,
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which allowed him to be more human,
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and he was accessing, of
course, or being accessed
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by the wonderful Borg
Queen, which stimulated
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other human experiences
that he hadn't had before,
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sensations and experiences.
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But you know, in general, and it was true
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through the entire series
and all of the films
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is there was this sort
of symbiotic relationship
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between me and the audience,
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whereby I really didn't
have to do anything,
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and the audience would
paint the emotion onto me.
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It was a little more
profound in First Contact,
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because I actually got
to express it more fully,
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and it was a relief.
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It was fantastic.
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It was...
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I thought it was a great invention.
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A lot of people didn't
like the emotion chip,
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but I did because I
thought it was really rare
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that a character who's been one thing
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for as long as I had been
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suddenly was able to
change almost completely.
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And it just afforded me so
many more opportunities.
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We're very lucky to have
with us today, Alice Krige.
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Alice, you are the Borg Queen,
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an original creation for this film.
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Your character is as iconic as Khan,
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or Gul Dukat, or Q.
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You had mentioned to me
earlier before we were rolling
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that the Borg Queen was a gift.
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I feel that way about my
character on Star Trek,
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and I would love for you to
talk a little bit about that
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and talk a little bit about the process
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that led to you being cast in this film.
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My agent called me one day and she said,
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"Here's some sides for
the next Star Trek movie."
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Now I have a confession to
make that I had never seen
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an episode of Star Trek.
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And I said, okay.
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And I said, but where's the script?
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And she said, I said, I
can't go in without a script.
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And she said, "No, you don't understand.
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No one sees the script."
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So I thought, okay. And I had a friend
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who wrote for Star Trek, he and his wife.
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It was not his main job,
but some of his writing was,
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and so, I ran over to his house,
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and I watched all the
Borg episodes that he had,
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'cause he had everything on tape,
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and I learned my lines
and I went into Paramount,
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and there was Jonathan and Junie Lowry,
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and I did the three scenes.
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And as I was doing them,
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I actually started to understand,
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it was the act of doing it,
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that it was not intellectual,
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it was like just something
opened up, a channel opened up,
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and they thanked me politely, and I left.
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Now, this was the day before
the days of mobile phones.
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I ran to my car in the parking lot
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and I drove to find the
first payphone I could find.
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And I called my agent, and I
said, I totally screwed it up.
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Please tell them that I can do better,
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and I really want to do it again.
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Well, we didn't hear
from them for three weeks
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and I thought another one bites the dust.
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And then I got another call and I went in
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and I did the same thing again,
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and I was offered the Borg Queen.
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The Next Gen family simply
opened their hearts to me.
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It's actually not easy to come into a show
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where they've been together, you know,
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they've become true family, truly,
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it was a truly functional family,
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and I was made to feel
instantly part of them.
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And then, also, of course,
all the Borg wranglers,
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'cause I must have had eight, maybe,
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someone who looked after my battery packs,
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someone who had a big pot of
glue and glued the cracks,
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someone who looked after
my hands, my feet, my head,
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someone with a huge tube of what was it?
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K-Y Jelly and a sponge?
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Every one of them helped make her.
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This was sort of the
apotheosis of collaboration
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for me, this role.
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Johnny, do you have any
memories of the audition process
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that you can share from
your side of the table?
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I do remember when we got
the call from Alice's agent
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saying that she didn't think she did well
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and wanted to come back and
Berman and I, and Junie,
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thought she was insane because
she was clearly our favorite,
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and then we had call
backs had been pushed,
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because we had production issues.
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But I remember specifically
that phone call
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or dialogue about the unease.
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One of the great moments in the movie
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is obviously the Borg Queen's
entrance from the ceiling
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of the Enterprise with her spinal cord,
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which connects to her body.
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And then Alice, or the
Borg Queen, walks forward.
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And it's a great visual effects shot.
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It's great today, it was
great, whenever that was,
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25 years ago. And the reason it's great--
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and John Knoll, the Academy Award-winning
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visual effects artist who
designed it will tell you,
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and I will tell you, it was
because Alice made you believe
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that she actually did connect to her body
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and walk towards you.
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She didn't let the visual
effect do the work.
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She did the work for them.
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And that was one of the key moments,
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one of the key successes of
that movie was Alice's acting.
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Jonathan, you might not remember this,
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but it was an acting note you gave me.
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[laughs] Of course it was.
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No, it's true.
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When her head dropped into her body,
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and the fasteners
clicked in, you said, go,
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just register
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the docking of the two parts.
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And that actually was a note you gave me
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or a suggestion you very kindly made,
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and that sells the moment, actually.
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You're a love.
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No, it's true. [laughs]
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Patrick, you got to do
some incredible scene work
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with Alfre Woodard, who is
sensational in this movie.
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She played Lily.
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I wonder if you could talk a little bit
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about working with her and
maybe share some of the things
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she brought to those scenes
that you two had together?
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Well, primarily, she brought
an emotional openness
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and honesty that I think had always been
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a principle objective of
the cast of Next Generation,
253
00:13:49.662 --> 00:13:53.541
and of our movies when
we began making them.
254
00:13:54.959 --> 00:13:57.878
But she was,
255
00:13:58.963 --> 00:14:02.675
there was a worldly quality about her
256
00:14:02.675 --> 00:14:07.096
and an experience of life that she had had
257
00:14:07.096 --> 00:14:12.096
that was so very different from
the crew of the Enterprise.
258
00:14:14.979 --> 00:14:19.024
And that had a direct
impact on how I played
259
00:14:19.024 --> 00:14:22.820
the scenes with her because, I mean,
260
00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:25.072
not that I'm suggesting I fake stuff,
261
00:14:25.072 --> 00:14:30.072
but I felt there was a challenge
262
00:14:30.494 --> 00:14:35.494
to really search into
heartfelt emotion and feelings.
263
00:14:39.587 --> 00:14:44.258
And that is what made all of my moments
264
00:14:44.258 --> 00:14:47.469
with her so memorable and telling,
265
00:14:48.512 --> 00:14:50.764
and we never ever managed to do anything
266
00:14:50.764 --> 00:14:53.017
like that again, did we, Jonathan?
267
00:14:53.017 --> 00:14:54.810
No, we didn't.
With Alfre.
268
00:14:54.810 --> 00:14:59.810
No, and it's one of those
little sadnesses I have
269
00:15:00.357 --> 00:15:03.944
that you know, something
else didn't show up
270
00:15:03.944 --> 00:15:07.114
that could've involved Alfre.
271
00:15:07.948 --> 00:15:12.948
Johnny, there is a
potentially apocryphal story
272
00:15:12.953 --> 00:15:16.707
that it was on the set of
this film where you earned
273
00:15:16.707 --> 00:15:18.751
the moniker "Two-Takes Frakes."
274
00:15:20.544 --> 00:15:23.839
I've known you longer than
this movie has existed, yet
275
00:15:23.839 --> 00:15:25.507
this is the first time I've ever heard
276
00:15:25.507 --> 00:15:27.343
of you called "Two-Takes Frakes."
277
00:15:27.343 --> 00:15:30.346
You've directed me, which is weird,
278
00:15:30.346 --> 00:15:34.266
when Two-Takes Frakes and
One-Take Wheaton come together,
279
00:15:34.266 --> 00:15:38.395
it's gonna be the summer
blockbuster. [laughs]
280
00:15:38.395 --> 00:15:40.481
Would you shed some light onto how you got
281
00:15:40.481 --> 00:15:42.066
the Two-Takes Frakes moniker?
282
00:15:42.066 --> 00:15:43.692
I would be happy to.
283
00:15:43.692 --> 00:15:45.277
One would think that Two-Takes Frakes
284
00:15:45.277 --> 00:15:48.113
suggests that I work fast.
285
00:15:48.113 --> 00:15:49.490
That's what I believed, yes.
286
00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:50.491
Yeah.
287
00:15:50.491 --> 00:15:55.491
The truth is that somewhere
during the early filming
288
00:15:56.038 --> 00:15:59.458
on First Contact, I printed take one,
289
00:15:59.458 --> 00:16:01.543
and I said, "Let's move
on," 'cause it was,
290
00:16:01.543 --> 00:16:03.545
you know, I thought it was great.
291
00:16:03.545 --> 00:16:04.380
[Wil] Yeah.
292
00:16:04.380 --> 00:16:05.381
The producer, the line producer,
293
00:16:05.381 --> 00:16:07.049
whose name was Marty Hornstein ,
294
00:16:07.049 --> 00:16:09.385
came and whispered in my ear and said,
295
00:16:09.385 --> 00:16:12.638
"When you're doing a movie for a studio,
296
00:16:12.638 --> 00:16:15.599
you have to print at least two takes."
297
00:16:17.101 --> 00:16:17.935
Really?
298
00:16:17.935 --> 00:16:22.935
So I quoted our dolly grip,
O.T. Henderson, who said,
299
00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:25.943
"If it was so great,
print take one twice."
300
00:16:25.943 --> 00:16:27.277
He said, "No, it's gonna work like that."
301
00:16:27.277 --> 00:16:28.487
So we had to--
302
00:16:28.487 --> 00:16:31.073
[all laughing]
303
00:16:32.825 --> 00:16:33.909
I love that.
304
00:16:37.329 --> 00:16:39.248
Hence Two-Takes Frakes. Where I learned--
305
00:16:39.248 --> 00:16:41.166
So you've directed a lot
of features since then.
306
00:16:41.166 --> 00:16:43.460
Does Two-Takes Frakes still exist?
307
00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:44.294
Oh yeah.
308
00:16:44.294 --> 00:16:45.170
All right. Good to know.
309
00:16:45.170 --> 00:16:47.423
And exists on TV, as well.
310
00:16:47.423 --> 00:16:49.133
Two-Takes Frakes on Picard?
311
00:16:49.133 --> 00:16:49.967
Yes.
312
00:16:49.967 --> 00:16:52.845
But now, especially
during the COVID world,
313
00:16:53.804 --> 00:16:56.306
we generally do at least
two takes before we cut
314
00:16:56.306 --> 00:16:59.268
because of the nightmare
that is the protocols.
315
00:16:59.268 --> 00:17:00.394
Right.
Yeah.
316
00:17:00.394 --> 00:17:02.104
And it's so different
now shooting digitally
317
00:17:02.104 --> 00:17:03.480
than in those days, where we were on film
318
00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:04.565
and we had to worry about roll-outs.
319
00:17:04.565 --> 00:17:06.233
Exactly.
320
00:17:06.233 --> 00:17:10.612
Brent, at the very
beginning of First Contact,
321
00:17:11.488 --> 00:17:16.410
Data just literally takes a
bunch of bullets for his friends
322
00:17:16.410 --> 00:17:18.120
and crew mates on the Enterprise.
323
00:17:19.580 --> 00:17:24.580
He risks his life frequently
to save his friends,
324
00:17:25.836 --> 00:17:27.755
without question, and ultimately,
325
00:17:27.755 --> 00:17:30.883
he sacrifices his life in Nemesis.
326
00:17:30.883 --> 00:17:35.883
Do you think Data's
humanity manifests most
327
00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:38.682
in his willingness to sacrifice?
328
00:17:38.682 --> 00:17:42.102
I think that is the ultimate
329
00:17:42.102 --> 00:17:45.481
act of humanity from Data.
330
00:17:45.481 --> 00:17:48.567
And you know, it's part of
his programming as well.
331
00:17:48.567 --> 00:17:53.567
I mean, that's what Dr.
Soong put in him was this
332
00:17:55.282 --> 00:17:56.116
ultimate
333
00:17:58.619 --> 00:18:00.829
ability to sacrifice
himself for his friends.
334
00:18:02.331 --> 00:18:04.416
But let me tell you one other thing.
335
00:18:04.416 --> 00:18:08.962
You mentioned the bullets that Data took.
336
00:18:08.962 --> 00:18:09.797
[Wil] Yeah.
337
00:18:09.797 --> 00:18:11.799
I mean, that was the scene where Alfre
338
00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:15.260
shot him several times with
the machine gun or something,
339
00:18:15.260 --> 00:18:16.637
or some kind of gun.
340
00:18:16.637 --> 00:18:20.641
But this is also a story
about ol' Two-Takes.
341
00:18:20.641 --> 00:18:23.477
[group laughs]
342
00:18:23.477 --> 00:18:27.356
We were in a missile silo for that scene.
343
00:18:27.356 --> 00:18:29.441
Whoa.
In Arizona,
344
00:18:29.441 --> 00:18:33.904
and Patrick and I were
standing aside the missile
345
00:18:33.904 --> 00:18:38.659
on a platform that was
very high in the air.
346
00:18:38.659 --> 00:18:41.829
And as typically, whenever
I worked with Patrick
347
00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:45.833
on a high platform, he knew and knows
348
00:18:45.833 --> 00:18:47.960
that I am terrified of heights.
349
00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.337
And so he would be bouncing on it
350
00:18:50.337 --> 00:18:54.591
just to try to, you know,
terrify me, which he did.
351
00:18:54.591 --> 00:18:59.471
So the deal was in that
scene Alfre, or her character
352
00:18:59.471 --> 00:19:02.307
Lily is firing at us.
353
00:19:02.307 --> 00:19:04.685
And I say to the captain,
"I'll take care of it,"
354
00:19:04.685 --> 00:19:06.478
or something like that.
355
00:19:06.478 --> 00:19:09.523
And I jump off the platform
and sail through the air,
356
00:19:09.523 --> 00:19:11.692
down to the ground, and then she shoots me
357
00:19:11.692 --> 00:19:13.068
and nothing happens.
358
00:19:13.068 --> 00:19:15.821
But when we shot that, initially,
359
00:19:16.822 --> 00:19:20.868
it was my stunt-- the stunt person who
360
00:19:20.868 --> 00:19:25.789
did my stunts, Brian, I can't
remember his name right now,
361
00:19:25.789 --> 00:19:28.959
but he was terrific, and
he could do anything.
362
00:19:28.959 --> 00:19:30.878
They called him the Human Bouncing Ball.
363
00:19:30.878 --> 00:19:35.757
He was fantastic, and he did that jump,
364
00:19:35.757 --> 00:19:40.095
and Jonathan shot him coming
down from the missile silo
365
00:19:40.095 --> 00:19:42.431
and land, and then it cut to me.
366
00:19:42.431 --> 00:19:45.392
So I didn't have to
jump, you know, 50 feet.
367
00:19:45.392 --> 00:19:49.563
And so they printed all
of that and looked at it,
368
00:19:49.563 --> 00:19:50.981
and Jonathan came to me and said,
369
00:19:50.981 --> 00:19:54.318
"Listen, you can tell it's not you.
370
00:19:54.318 --> 00:19:55.652
"You're gonna have to do it."
371
00:19:55.652 --> 00:19:59.615
And so we went to a soundstage,
372
00:19:59.615 --> 00:20:03.452
they put me in a harness and they said,
373
00:20:03.452 --> 00:20:05.579
"We're gonna take you up
three feet," or whatever,
374
00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:07.831
"just so you see what it feels like,
375
00:20:07.831 --> 00:20:10.751
and then bring you down,
and then we'll take you up
376
00:20:10.751 --> 00:20:12.794
a little higher and bring you down,
377
00:20:12.794 --> 00:20:13.629
and then, take you all the way
378
00:20:13.629 --> 00:20:15.130
to the top of the soundstage."
379
00:20:15.130 --> 00:20:17.883
And I was in a panic.
380
00:20:17.883 --> 00:20:20.385
I mean, really, I hate heights.
381
00:20:21.261 --> 00:20:24.848
I mean, it's odd all those years
we spent in the Enterprise,
382
00:20:24.848 --> 00:20:29.848
and, but it's true, and so
we got to film that sequence,
383
00:20:29.978 --> 00:20:32.898
they put me in the harness,
they took me up three feet.
384
00:20:32.898 --> 00:20:34.358
I hated it.
385
00:20:34.358 --> 00:20:36.235
They brought me down, and they said,
386
00:20:36.235 --> 00:20:37.778
"We're gonna take you
up another few feet,"
387
00:20:37.778 --> 00:20:40.239
and I said, no, no, no,
just take me to the top.
388
00:20:40.239 --> 00:20:43.116
I'll never be able to do
it if you keep doing this.
389
00:20:44.201 --> 00:20:46.245
And so, they took me
all the way to the top
390
00:20:46.245 --> 00:20:48.664
of the soundstage on a rope,
391
00:20:48.664 --> 00:20:52.042
and I was literally spinning like that.
392
00:20:52.042 --> 00:20:55.045
So they had a guy with a pole on a catwalk
393
00:20:55.045 --> 00:20:58.590
who would straighten me out,
and so they could do the shot.
394
00:20:58.590 --> 00:21:02.844
And when Jonathan said
action, they were to drop me,
395
00:21:02.844 --> 00:21:05.472
and then a few feet
before I hit the ground,
396
00:21:05.472 --> 00:21:09.643
the hydraulic kicked in and
it slowed down the landing.
397
00:21:09.643 --> 00:21:13.981
And so Jonathan said,
"Action," and they let go
398
00:21:13.981 --> 00:21:17.401
and I had to focus and be Data,
399
00:21:17.401 --> 00:21:19.861
and that was the only thing I could do,
400
00:21:19.861 --> 00:21:23.073
'cause if I was being
me, I would've screamed.
401
00:21:24.324 --> 00:21:27.953
So I was able to do it and
look confident and I landed.
402
00:21:27.953 --> 00:21:32.791
And the crew applauded and the stunt guys
403
00:21:32.791 --> 00:21:34.960
were all like great work and all of that,
404
00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:37.671
and I thought, wow, I'm
so glad that that's over.
405
00:21:37.671 --> 00:21:40.674
And then Two-Takes comes and says,
406
00:21:41.508 --> 00:21:43.176
"I don't think we got the shot.
407
00:21:43.176 --> 00:21:44.386
Can you do it one more time?"
408
00:21:45.762 --> 00:21:46.680
Thank you, John.
409
00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:49.850
And we did, I had to do it a second time.
410
00:21:49.850 --> 00:21:53.395
And so now, when you see the
shot you can slow it down
411
00:21:53.395 --> 00:21:55.564
and you'll see, it is actually me
412
00:21:55.564 --> 00:21:58.066
coming down that missile silo.
413
00:21:58.066 --> 00:21:59.526
That must have been-- like,
414
00:21:59.526 --> 00:22:03.405
I'm sweating, listening to
you recount that experience.
415
00:22:03.405 --> 00:22:04.614
It was terrifying.
416
00:22:04.614 --> 00:22:05.449
It really was.
417
00:22:05.449 --> 00:22:08.327
I don't like standing if I can help it.
418
00:22:08.327 --> 00:22:09.619
I know.
Yeah.
419
00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:12.998
[group laughing]
420
00:22:12.998 --> 00:22:14.541
Alice, Brent, and Patrick,
421
00:22:14.541 --> 00:22:19.504
your three characters share
the pivotal scene of the movie,
422
00:22:19.504 --> 00:22:22.382
when Picard is willing and ready
423
00:22:22.382 --> 00:22:25.052
to give himself back to the Borg.
424
00:22:25.052 --> 00:22:28.680
Right before Picard and Data team up,
425
00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.183
we find out Data's really on our side
426
00:22:31.183 --> 00:22:33.852
and they sabotage the Queen.
427
00:22:33.852 --> 00:22:37.272
It's such an incredible
moment in the film.
428
00:22:37.272 --> 00:22:38.690
It's such an incredible moment
429
00:22:38.690 --> 00:22:41.818
in the history of the Star Trek franchise.
430
00:22:41.818 --> 00:22:46.198
I would love for you to talk
about that scene in particular
431
00:22:46.198 --> 00:22:50.660
and the other scenes that you
had together, the three of you
432
00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:53.789
and Alice, I would love it
if you would start us off.
433
00:22:53.789 --> 00:22:58.543
It was a wonderful scene
because it was the first moment,
434
00:22:58.543 --> 00:23:01.213
I mean, if I talk about it
435
00:23:01.213 --> 00:23:03.340
from the point of view of an actor,
436
00:23:03.340 --> 00:23:05.300
in all the build up we've had,
437
00:23:05.300 --> 00:23:10.300
it's the first moment
that the Queen and Picard
438
00:23:11.807 --> 00:23:16.770
actually come face to face
with their shared history.
439
00:23:18.397 --> 00:23:22.192
Just as an actor, the arc
of the writing of the scene
440
00:23:22.192 --> 00:23:26.196
was wonderful because it's
an extraordinary journey
441
00:23:26.196 --> 00:23:31.076
through the scene from where
it starts to where it ends.
442
00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:35.163
Just a beautifully written scene.
443
00:23:35.163 --> 00:23:40.163
And great to do, because
it's one of those scenes
444
00:23:42.462 --> 00:23:46.675
that does itself, if you let
it, if you don't mess with it.
445
00:23:48.593 --> 00:23:51.680
And I think we did it
quite late in the shoot.
446
00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.558
So I think that there
was a sense that everyone
447
00:23:54.558 --> 00:23:57.310
had really settled into the story.
448
00:23:57.310 --> 00:24:00.647
Was this shot over, that sequence,
449
00:24:00.647 --> 00:24:01.982
was that shot over several days?
450
00:24:01.982 --> 00:24:04.651
Was it in a day? Do you remember?
451
00:24:04.651 --> 00:24:08.363
We worked an 18 hour day.
452
00:24:08.363 --> 00:24:09.197
Wow.
453
00:24:09.197 --> 00:24:13.410
It was 18 off, 18 working and nine off,
454
00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:17.581
18 working and nine off, so frankly,
455
00:24:17.581 --> 00:24:19.958
by that time, I was just floating.
456
00:24:19.958 --> 00:24:23.587
I had lost track of day or night,
457
00:24:23.587 --> 00:24:25.922
because we literally worked
458
00:24:25.922 --> 00:24:28.633
18 on, nine off, 18 on, nine off.
459
00:24:28.633 --> 00:24:31.720
So day and night got
scrambled, which was great
460
00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:36.600
because that was like the
Borg headspace, at that point.
461
00:24:36.600 --> 00:24:41.600
I was just floating, which is
a wonderful feeling. [laughs]
462
00:24:42.564 --> 00:24:46.485
It feels like that is
energetically appropriate
463
00:24:46.485 --> 00:24:48.653
for the Queen, as well,
because you are at a point
464
00:24:48.653 --> 00:24:51.323
where it seems like
everything's going her way,
465
00:24:51.323 --> 00:24:56.286
everything that she has pushed
for this moment to represent
466
00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:01.625
is going to happen, everything
is going according to plan.
467
00:25:01.625 --> 00:25:06.213
And then Data says, "Ah,
actually," it turns out not.
468
00:25:06.213 --> 00:25:08.340
Talk about that moment, Brent.
469
00:25:08.340 --> 00:25:09.841
Oh, well, you know,
470
00:25:09.841 --> 00:25:12.761
it was an incredibly
satisfying thing to play.
471
00:25:14.513 --> 00:25:15.555
I haven't seen the film in a long time,
472
00:25:15.555 --> 00:25:19.184
but I don't remember, did
Picard, Picard didn't know?
473
00:25:19.184 --> 00:25:20.352
He thought I was gone, too,
474
00:25:20.352 --> 00:25:21.478
or Data?
Yeah, yeah.
475
00:25:21.478 --> 00:25:24.105
We all thought, the
audience thinks you're gone.
476
00:25:24.105 --> 00:25:26.024
Everyone thinks you're gone.
477
00:25:26.024 --> 00:25:27.692
So does the Queen!
478
00:25:27.692 --> 00:25:31.196
You know, you knew that should
would have a blind spot.
479
00:25:31.196 --> 00:25:34.366
I mean, she gets hoist on
her own petard, doesn't she?
480
00:25:34.366 --> 00:25:35.909
That's right.
481
00:25:35.909 --> 00:25:36.743
You know what?
482
00:25:36.743 --> 00:25:40.622
It was such a satisfying
script all the way around.
483
00:25:40.622 --> 00:25:44.960
I mean, that moment, of
course was wonderful to play
484
00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:49.297
and climactic, but I
thought the whole script
485
00:25:49.297 --> 00:25:54.219
was unusually satisfying for all of us.
486
00:25:54.219 --> 00:25:58.557
We all got to play things
that were a dream to do,
487
00:25:58.557 --> 00:26:00.642
and they all landed so nicely.
488
00:26:00.642 --> 00:26:04.479
And even the denouement to that scene,
489
00:26:04.479 --> 00:26:08.733
the scene after Patrick or Picard
490
00:26:08.733 --> 00:26:11.194
kills the Borg Queen,
491
00:26:11.194 --> 00:26:14.781
or pulls her down-- or Data
pulls her down into the,
492
00:26:14.781 --> 00:26:18.326
whatever the substance
is that destroys her.
493
00:26:18.326 --> 00:26:20.370
But the sequence,
494
00:26:20.370 --> 00:26:24.457
the denouement sequence
with Picard and Data,
495
00:26:24.457 --> 00:26:27.752
when Picard snaps the spine.
496
00:26:30.922 --> 00:26:35.427
And we talk about Data having been tempted
497
00:26:35.427 --> 00:26:38.847
in that moment,
498
00:26:38.847 --> 00:26:42.976
and was he ever really on her side?
499
00:26:42.976 --> 00:26:45.979
And just that beautiful
line that I don't remember
500
00:26:45.979 --> 00:26:47.731
the specific number, but it had to do
501
00:26:47.731 --> 00:26:51.901
with a very infinitesimal amount of time
502
00:26:51.901 --> 00:26:53.820
that he actually considered it.
503
00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:55.989
It's like, it's like 0.68 seconds,
504
00:26:55.989 --> 00:26:57.490
I think is the number,
something like that.
505
00:26:57.490 --> 00:27:00.160
Just a beautifully written piece,
506
00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:03.079
but Rick and Brannon and Ron just did
507
00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:05.373
a fantastic job with the script.
508
00:27:05.373 --> 00:27:07.876
After he says, 0.68 seconds, he says,
509
00:27:07.876 --> 00:27:10.170
"Which is an eternity for an android."
510
00:27:10.170 --> 00:27:11.463
For an android, yeah, exactly.
511
00:27:11.463 --> 00:27:16.092
Johnny, First Contact has
this incredible challenge
512
00:27:16.092 --> 00:27:19.220
in that it is the first
purely Next Generation movie,
513
00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:22.140
that-- there are expectations.
514
00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:25.185
And you have the challenge
515
00:27:25.185 --> 00:27:28.396
of satisfying the existing fan base,
516
00:27:28.396 --> 00:27:31.066
bringing a feature film
to a wider audience,
517
00:27:31.066 --> 00:27:33.735
making a feature film that
feels like a feature film,
518
00:27:33.735 --> 00:27:36.029
that doesn't just feel like a big episode,
519
00:27:36.029 --> 00:27:38.365
and I think you managed to nail
520
00:27:38.365 --> 00:27:41.493
every one of those requirements.
521
00:27:41.493 --> 00:27:43.912
And one of the reasons that I
think you managed to do that
522
00:27:43.912 --> 00:27:45.705
is that there are these great action beats
523
00:27:45.705 --> 00:27:48.625
and comedy beats in the movie.
524
00:27:48.625 --> 00:27:50.919
We were talking about Marina being drunk
525
00:27:50.919 --> 00:27:51.878
with James Cromwell.
526
00:27:51.878 --> 00:27:55.090
It's just, it's chef's kiss, brilliant.
527
00:27:56.091 --> 00:27:59.803
Were you and the writing team,
528
00:27:59.803 --> 00:28:04.803
were you striving for that
level of comedy in the film?
529
00:28:05.350 --> 00:28:09.145
And did you make deliberate
choices that were like,
530
00:28:09.145 --> 00:28:11.940
listen, this is a film,
we need to do it this way,
531
00:28:11.940 --> 00:28:13.191
as opposed to the way we would do it
532
00:28:13.191 --> 00:28:15.110
if we were doing this for TV?
533
00:28:15.110 --> 00:28:16.736
The last part of the
question, absolutely not.
534
00:28:16.736 --> 00:28:18.822
I think we'd probably to
do that with anything.
535
00:28:18.822 --> 00:28:19.656
Cool.
If the script
536
00:28:19.656 --> 00:28:23.243
was smart enough to pepper in levity.
537
00:28:24.411 --> 00:28:26.371
We have a policy on Star Trek.
538
00:28:27.372 --> 00:28:31.167
Never cut funny, funny is money. [laughs]
539
00:28:31.167 --> 00:28:34.170
[group laughs]
540
00:28:34.170 --> 00:28:37.173
It was in the script, the
stuff is all in the script.
541
00:28:37.173 --> 00:28:41.219
Even when Data turns-- the
moment when Patrick says,
542
00:28:41.219 --> 00:28:44.222
"May I suggest you turn
off your emotion chip,"
543
00:28:44.222 --> 00:28:47.308
Data does his thing, and Picard says,
544
00:28:47.308 --> 00:28:49.310
"Sometimes, I envy you."
545
00:28:49.310 --> 00:28:54.310
Or really, same with "Borg
sounds Swedish," he says.
546
00:28:54.482 --> 00:28:55.525
Yeah.
547
00:28:55.525 --> 00:28:57.402
I mean, there's wonderful stuff in it,
548
00:28:57.402 --> 00:28:59.487
and it also gives a chance to rebuild.
549
00:28:59.487 --> 00:29:02.365
I mean, if you have a breath
or a laugh or a smile,
550
00:29:02.365 --> 00:29:04.325
then you can start to
rebuild the drama again,
551
00:29:04.325 --> 00:29:07.328
instead of trying to pretend
that it goes in one direction.
552
00:29:07.328 --> 00:29:08.955
It's more musical.
553
00:29:08.955 --> 00:29:13.835
Patrick, I want to give you
one of our last questions.
554
00:29:13.835 --> 00:29:15.962
As I mentioned at the start of this panel,
555
00:29:15.962 --> 00:29:20.962
it is the 25th anniversary
of Star Trek: First Contact.
556
00:29:21.009 --> 00:29:25.638
What do you think it is
about this particular film
557
00:29:25.638 --> 00:29:28.308
that has kept it so fondly in the hearts
558
00:29:28.308 --> 00:29:30.602
of so many Star Trek fans for so long?
559
00:29:31.478 --> 00:29:36.478
There was a intimacy and an openness,
560
00:29:37.066 --> 00:29:41.988
and a true collaboration with
Jonathan and the whole cast,
561
00:29:42.864 --> 00:29:46.659
the principle cast of First Contact.
562
00:29:49.496 --> 00:29:53.708
That, coupled with the
extraordinary script
563
00:29:53.708 --> 00:29:57.420
that we'd been given, really outstanding,
564
00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:04.339
with so much subtlety and
ambiguity in it, as well,
565
00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:09.933
which wasn't, I think, a quality
that showed up very often
566
00:30:09.933 --> 00:30:12.602
in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
567
00:30:12.602 --> 00:30:16.606
There were a handful of
great memories from those,
568
00:30:17.941 --> 00:30:21.236
what, 28 years that we spent
569
00:30:21.236 --> 00:30:23.446
on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
570
00:30:26.157 --> 00:30:30.745
But First Contact is a memory that's--
571
00:30:30.745 --> 00:30:34.207
when I think of it and when I
think of watching it tonight,
572
00:30:34.207 --> 00:30:39.207
it just makes my body smile
at the recollection of it.
573
00:30:40.922 --> 00:30:45.922
When you have trust in
those that surround you,
574
00:30:46.553 --> 00:30:50.598
when you know that they're
going with you on this journey,
575
00:30:50.598 --> 00:30:53.601
that they, too, understand the requirement
576
00:30:53.601 --> 00:30:57.188
for courage and bravery and taking risks,
577
00:30:57.188 --> 00:30:59.315
what a difference that makes.
578
00:30:59.315 --> 00:31:01.860
Because if that isn't there,
579
00:31:01.860 --> 00:31:05.613
if you suspect there might not be trust,
580
00:31:05.613 --> 00:31:08.199
there might not be safety where you are,
581
00:31:09.117 --> 00:31:11.160
that's not productive.
582
00:31:12.120 --> 00:31:13.580
Am I right?
583
00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:14.956
Yeah.
Or do you feel differently?
584
00:31:14.956 --> 00:31:16.624
Can I say something?
585
00:31:16.624 --> 00:31:18.126
Yes, please.
586
00:31:18.126 --> 00:31:21.796
As an outsider coming in, to me,
587
00:31:21.796 --> 00:31:26.796
that extraordinary closeness,
588
00:31:29.888 --> 00:31:33.057
you knew each other so well,
589
00:31:33.057 --> 00:31:38.021
and you worked with such
sort of unspoken empathy
590
00:31:38.021 --> 00:31:41.232
as a group of actors,
591
00:31:41.232 --> 00:31:45.904
it was an exceptional
situation to walk into.
592
00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:48.865
But there was another layer
593
00:31:48.865 --> 00:31:52.827
that impressed and moved me greatly,
594
00:31:52.827 --> 00:31:57.827
which was that I felt that
the crew was pulling so hard
595
00:31:59.375 --> 00:32:02.962
to support what everyone was doing.
596
00:32:02.962 --> 00:32:07.008
I felt, Jonathan, as if
they felt it was really,
597
00:32:07.008 --> 00:32:12.008
really, really important to
be there for you every moment.
598
00:32:12.263 --> 00:32:15.350
I mean, that was what I, as
a stranger, felt coming in.
599
00:32:15.350 --> 00:32:19.187
So when the actors are working
600
00:32:19.187 --> 00:32:23.358
with that kind of synergy, it's fabulous.
601
00:32:23.358 --> 00:32:28.358
Add to that a crew that is
invested in this process.
602
00:32:29.405 --> 00:32:33.743
I mean, one always goes and
puts one's best foot forward
603
00:32:33.743 --> 00:32:35.745
and does one's best work,
604
00:32:35.745 --> 00:32:40.541
but this was something above
and beyond from everyone.
605
00:32:40.541 --> 00:32:45.046
That is an absolutely
sensational way to memorialize
606
00:32:45.046 --> 00:32:48.257
The Next Generation,
Star Trek: First Contact,
607
00:32:48.257 --> 00:32:51.803
and 25 years of the Borg Queen.
608
00:32:51.803 --> 00:32:55.723
And I am so grateful to you for everything
609
00:32:55.723 --> 00:32:56.933
that you just said.
610
00:32:56.933 --> 00:32:59.686
Star Trek is such a family.
611
00:32:59.686 --> 00:33:02.355
It is such an incredible family.
612
00:33:02.355 --> 00:33:04.315
On that note, thank you
all so much for stopping by
613
00:33:04.315 --> 00:33:06.567
to look back at this
amazing Star Trek film,
614
00:33:06.567 --> 00:33:09.487
and I hope to see you all
again in person very soon.
615
00:33:09.487 --> 00:33:11.781
Remember everyone at home
today, on First Contact Day,
616
00:33:11.781 --> 00:33:14.367
we are reviving our Star
Trek United campaign,
617
00:33:14.367 --> 00:33:16.202
where you can pitch in and support.
618
00:33:16.202 --> 00:33:18.287
For every person who tweets the hashtag
619
00:33:18.287 --> 00:33:21.958
#StarTrekUnitedGives,
Paramount+ will donate $1
620
00:33:21.958 --> 00:33:24.335
to organizations who
do the real world work
621
00:33:24.335 --> 00:33:26.796
of championing equality, social justice
622
00:33:26.796 --> 00:33:29.632
and the pursuit of
scientific advancements.
623
00:33:29.632 --> 00:33:33.553
Patrick, Johnny, Brent,
and Alice, thank you again.
624
00:33:33.553 --> 00:33:35.138
And happy First Contact Day.
625
00:33:36.472 --> 00:33:39.100
Well done.
Thank you, Wil.