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Regarded as one of the best movies in the franchise, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was a box office triumph, embraced by fans and critics alike. The film follows Admiral James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise as they travel back to 1986 San Francisco to retrieve two humpback whales that can assist with the mysterious alien probe threatening to destroy Earth in the Prime timeline. Since the movie's release, several fans have speculated that Kirk’s actions may have contributed to the species' extinction in the first place.
One of the humpback whales that Kirk and the crew will bring to the 23rd century is named Gracie, who is also pregnant. It can be argued that if the whales had been allowed to live out their lives in the 20th century, the species would not have gone extinct by the 23rd century. By bringing the two whales into the future, Kirk may have actually contributed to the problem.
Humpback whales journey to the 23rd Century in Star Trek IV
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, as the Enterprise crew returns to Earth on the Klingon Bird-of-Prey, they receive a distress call about a mysterious alien probe threatening to destroy the Earth. When Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) analyzes the probe’s signal, it matches the song of humpback whales, which are extinct in the 23rd Century. The crew realizes that until their call is answered, the alien probe will continue to destroy the planet.
Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise crew decide to travel back in time to bring a humpback whale that can communicate with the alien entity. They arrive in 1986 San Francisco, where Kirk and Spock venture out to find whales. At the Sausalito Aquarium, they meet Dr. Gillian Taylor (played by Catherine Hicks), an expert in cetacean biology.
She shares her concerns about whaling, which threatens the planet's population of humpback whales. After initial hesitation, she helps them track down two humpback whales named George and Gracie. The crew builds a tank to hold the whales, into which the two are beamed.
Gillian also travels back to the 23rd Century with the crew to help the whales. After crash-landing on Earth, the whales respond to the alien probe’s signal. The entity will reverse all the weather effects and leave Earth's atmosphere.
In the 2008 comics miniseries Star Trek: The Last Generation from IDW Publishing, the subject is revisited. The comic is written by Andrew Steven Harris and illustrated by Gordon Purcell. In the story, Braxton briefly mentions how Admiral Kirk’s adventure ultimately led to the extinction of the humpback whale species and how the timeline needed fixing, making the whole plot rather ironic.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was directed by Leonard Nimoy in 1986. The movie also sparked conversations about climate change and endangered species. In a callback to the film, Star Trek: Prodigy interestingly introduced a humpback whale named Gillian. The alien probe featured in the movie has not returned to the Star Trek franchise and remains a mystery.
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