The Making of First Contact

Interview with author Joe Fordham

Oct 11, 2022

Welcome to Star Trekking, my attempt to share points of interest and random intersections in the final frontier.

One of the many many many MANY books on my shelves is Planet of the Apes: The Evolution of the Legend, cowritten by Jeff Bond and Joe Fordham.

When I saw that Joe had a new book coming out, and this one was about Star Trek, well, I reached out immediately.

Star Trek: First Contact - The Making of the Classic Film is a big, beautiful coffee table book. It’s all new - it’s not some kind of reissue of the 1996 book.

I asked Joe to tell us about his deep dive into one of the most beloved films in the franchise.

Cover of the book, Making of First Contact

What was the genesis of this book? Why First Contact?

Titan has been publishing Star Trek books and novelizations for, I believe, more thanthree decades. In 1996, that included the first ‘making of’ book about “First Contact” using material that had previously appeared in Star Trek Magazine. I worked withTitan a couple of times while I was at Cinefex magazine. After Cinefex ceased publication, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Titan editor Simon Ward asked me if I was into Star Trek. I sent him my Cinefex articles on JJ Abrams’ Star Trek films and another on the first season of “Star Trek: Picard” – that’s how I got the job. “First Contact” was the publisher’s choice for a new Star Trek film book following Jeff Bond and Gene Kozicki’s Titan publication on the first Star Trek feature. The decision to cover “First Contact,” I believe, was based on the popularity of the film. Plus, the film was approaching its 25th anniversary in November 2021.

These books often have a long gestation, sometimes years in the making. I wrote my author’s draft in about three months; but then, Covid-19 impacted the production schedule, so it took a little longer than anticipated to print and ship.

How did you approach the research? Were you able to conduct new interviews or did you have to rely on archival material? What other resources did you get to peruse?

I knew I wanted to start fresh, with 25 years’ hindsight. I also wanted the book to be accessible to anyone who might not have seen “Star Trek” or “The Next Generation.” I always use the criterion, ‘Would my Dad understand this?’ So, context was important. I had fun digging into the mythology of Trek, and the Trek world circa 1996, with producer Rick Berman, and screenwriters Ronald Moore and Brannon Braga. I ended up with 16 new interviews. Whenever I was unable to reach production staff, if they were deceased or if they were busy with other projects, I relied on research. CBS was very kind, welcoming me to their inner sanctum, where I pulled imagery from their visual archive. I also drew on a lifetime’s love of Star Trek, which for me began by watching James T. Kirk on BBC television in the U.K. in the 1970s.

Table of contents page - includes close up of Worf

Were there any interviews you couldn’t get that you think would have been especially helpful (or fun!)?

A few. I conducted most of my interviews while filming was underway for the last two seasons of “Star Trek: Picard.” For that reason, the stars failed to align with some of my interview requests, including Sir Patrick Stewart – he is in the book, of course, but I was unable to secure a one-on-one. It would have also been a dream to interview composer Jerry Goldsmith, who died in 2004. I conjured Jerry’s presence from eye-witness testimony – mostly thanks to director Jonathan Frakes and concept artist John Eaves. If I had a time machine, I would have loved to interview Gene Roddenberry, who died five years before “First Contact” was made. Cinefex founder Don Shay gave me a little help with that when he shared an interview he conducted with Gene for the Cinefantastique coverage of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” I was able to use one key phrase from Gene about Star Trek’s legacy. That’s on page 12.

Did you come across anything that will come as a surprise to readers?

There were many gems. Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis were warm and funny, Rick Berman was very candid. Brannon Braga and Alice Krige both had fascinating insights into the origins of the Borg Queen. I know the Queen was controversial in her day – we get into that discussion: why would a collective need a matriarch? – but the filmmakers’ answers to that conundrum were thought-provoking, even in light of BQ’s later incarnations in more recent Treks.

What are your memories of seeing First Contact?

I first saw “First Contact” at the Century Gateway multiplex in Tucson, Arizona, on November 30, 1996. I was visiting my friends, Judy Hubbard and Don Archer, co-publishers of a fanzine that I contributed to back then. We were all Trek fans. I remember I was interested to see how Riker handled the helm, although I never dreamed I’d be interviewing him 25 years later. I thought Jonathan did a terrific job of balancing character and action, and the movie still holds up today.

First Contact is often mentioned with Wrath of Khan as one of the top Trek movies and is almost universally seen as the best film starring the TNG crew. What do you think makes it such a favorite?

“First Contact” respects its audience. It fits beautifully into Trek lore, but it also delivers an honest story with keen insights into characters that resonate with audiences. The movie also succeeds in bringing a powerful new villain to the screen – Ron Moore commented that there tended to be a quest in Star Trek films, ‘Who is the Khan in this movie?’ referencing Ricardo Montalbàn’s powerhouse 1982 performance. But every time Alice Krige is on screen, she sizzles.

If you could be any character from Star Trek, who would that be?

Since I was a boy, I always wanted to be captain of the USS Enterprise, so my answer would have to be James T. Kirk – my girlfriend, Patti, had something to say about that but fortunately she’s an Orion, so we are a good match.