Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), PG, 1 hr 59 min

Title: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Year: 1986

Franchise: Star Trek

Franchise #: 4

ARC: Genesis Trilogy #3

MPAA Rating / TV Parental Guidelines

MPAA Rating: PG

TV Parental Guidelines: TV-PG

Total Runtime

119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

Tagline

“The key to saving the future can only be found in the past.”

Main Cast

William Shatner – Admiral James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy – Captain Spock

DeForest Kelley – Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy

James Doohan – Montgomery “Scotty” Scott

George Takei – Hikaru Sulu

Walter Koenig – Pavel Chekov

Nichelle Nichols – Uhura

Catherine Hicks – Dr. Gillian Taylor

Mark Lenard – Ambassador Sarek

Jane Wyatt – Amanda Grayson

Reviews

Overview

The Voyage Home is the lightest and most fun of the original Star Trek films—and it totally works. After the heavy emotions and loss of Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock, this time the crew goes back in time to 1986 San Francisco to save... whales. Yup—humpback whales. An alien probe threatens Earth in the 23rd century, and the only beings that can respond to its signal are whales—long extinct in their time. So the crew jumps into a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey and navigates the streets of the 1980s with a ton of humor, heart, and fish-out-of-water charm.

Family Friendliness

This is easily the most family-friendly of the original Trek movies. There’s no major violence, no sex, and only a handful of mild language (one humorous scene where Scotty swears using “colorful metaphors” like “d—n” and “hell”). Teens and tweens will enjoy the humor and fast pace. The environmental message is positive, and the values of teamwork, respect for life, and problem-solving are front and center.

Christian Perspective

This movie doesn’t explore theology directly, but it strongly affirms the stewardship of creation—a biblical concept rooted in Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 24:1. The idea that humanity’s carelessness can endanger God’s creation is a real moral concern. The crew’s unity, compassion, and self-sacrifice echo values found in Philippians 2:3–4 and John 15:13. While the solution is based on time travel and science fiction, the movie still opens doors to talk about environmental responsibility and the sacredness of life—animal and human.

Critics Ratings

IMDb: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Critic Score, 81% Audience Score

Metacritic: 71/100 Metascore, 8.2/10 User Score

Dove Foundation: Not officially rated, but widely regarded as one of the most family-appropriate Star Trek films

My Rating: 8.5/10 – Fun, positive, and rewatchable. This one’s a crowd-pleaser, even for non-Trekkies.

Notable Scenes

Time Warp Slingshot: The crew uses a slingshot around the sun to time-travel—classic Trek sci-fi.

Scotty and the Computer: Scotty tries to talk to a 1980s computer using the mouse as a microphone—hilarious.

Spock’s “Colorful Metaphors” Lesson: Spock learns to curse “correctly” in 1980s slang.

Spock, Kirk and the Punk: Spock nerve-pinches a loud punk on a San Francisco bus, earning cheers from grateful passengers.

Chekov Asking for Nuclear “Wessels”: Comedy gold as Chekov, in his thick accent, wanders around asking about nuclear weapons.

Whale Tank Transport: Beaming two whales into the ship’s water tank is a fun mix of science fiction and animal rescue.

Spock and Gillian’s Conversations: The budding connection between Spock and the marine biologist is thoughtful and awkward.

Hospital Rescue Scene: McCoy’s disgust with 20th-century medicine is both funny and revealing.

Saving the Whales: The climax features the whales responding to the alien probe and saving Earth.

Kirk’s Demotion: Kirk is “punished” by being demoted to captain—exactly what he wants.

The Enterprise-A Revealed: The final shot gives fans a new Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, rising in glory.