Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Paramount Pictures, 1986) is the fourth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. It completes the trilogy started in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Directed by Leonard Nimoy. Written by Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett, Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, and Nicholas Meyer.

Miscellany

• The cast and crew of Star Trek wish to dedicate this film to the men and women of the spaceship Challenger whose courageous spirit shall live to the 23rd century and beyond...
  • [Opening dedication text]

Dialogue

Klingon Ambassador: Behold the quintessential devil in these matters: James T. Kirk, renegade and terrorist! Not only is he responsible for the murder of a Klingon crew, or the theft of a Klingon vessel; See now the real plot and intentions. Even as this Federation was negotiating a peace treaty with us, Kirk was secretly developing the Genesis Torpedo, conceived by Kirk's son, and test-detonated by the Admiral himself. And the result of this awesome energy was euphemistically called the Genesis Planet, a secret base from which to launch the annihilation of the Klingon people! We demand the extradition of Kirk! We demand justice!!

Sarek: Klingon justice is a unique point of view, Mr. President. Genesis was perfectly named: the creation of life, not death. The Klingons shed the first blood while attempting to possess its secrets.

Klingon Ambassador: Vulcans are well-known as the intellectual puppets of this Federation!

Sarek: Your vessel did destroy U.S.S. Grissom. Your men did kill Kirk's son. Do you deny these events?

Klingon Ambassador: [proudly] We deny nothing. We have the right to preserve our race.

Sarek: You have the right to commit murder? [audience uproar as the Klingon ambassador is offended by Sarek's words]

Federation President: Silence! SILENCE!!! [uproar stops] There will be no further outbursts from the floor.

Sarek: Mr. President, I've come to speak on behalf of the accused.

Klingon Ambassador: Personal bias! His son was saved by Kirk!

Federation President: Mr. Ambassador, with all respect, the Council's deliberations are over.

Klingon Ambassador: Then Kirk goes unpunished?

Federation President: Admiral Kirk has been charged with nine violations of Starfleet regulations.

Klingon Ambassador: Starfleet regulations?! That's outrageous!! Remember this well: There shall be no peace as long as Kirk lives!

Leonard McCoy: You think they could at least send us a ship. It's bad enough to be court-martialed and to have to spend the rest of our lives mining borite, but to have to go home in this Klingon flea trap!

James T. Kirk: You could learn a thing or two from this flea trap, it's got a cloaking device that costs us a lot.

Leonard McCoy: I just wish we could cloak out the stench.

Leonard McCoy: Perhaps we could cover a little philosophical ground? Life, Death, Life. Things of that nature?

Spock: I did not have time on Vulcan to review the philosophical disciplines.

Leonard McCoy: Come on Spock, it's me, McCoy! You really have gone where no man has gone before. Can't you tell me what it felt like?

Spock: It would be impossible to discuss the subject without a common frame of reference.

Leonard McCoy: You're joking!

Spock: A joke is a story with a humorous climax.

Leonard McCoy: You mean I have to die to discuss your insights on death?

[Listening to communications earpiece]

Spock: Forgive me, Doctor, I am receiving a number of distress calls.

Leonard McCoy: I don't doubt it.

Leonard McCoy: This is insane! You're proposing that we go backwards in time, pick up two humpback whales, bring them forwards in time, drop 'em off and hope they tell this probe what to go do with itself!

James T. Kirk: That's the plan.

Leonard McCoy: Well that's crazy!

James T. Kirk: If you've got a better idea, now's the time.

[while traveling over the Golden Gate Bridge in a passenger bus]

Spock: Admiral, may I ask you a question?

James T. Kirk: Spock, don't call me Admiral. You used to call me Jim. Don't you remember "Jim"? What's your question?

Spock: Your use of language has altered since our arrival. It is currently laced with, shall I say, more colorful metaphors-- "Double dumb-ass on you" and so forth.

James T. Kirk: You mean the profanity?

Spock: Yes.

James T. Kirk: That's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word. You'll find it in all the literature of the period.

Spock: For example?

James T. Kirk: [thinks] Oh, the complete works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins....

Spock: Ah... The Giants.

[Chekov and Uhura radio Kirk just outside Alameda Naval Base]

Pavel Chekov: Admiral, we have found the nuclear wessel.

James T. Kirk: Well done, team two.

Pavel Chekov: And, Admiral... it is the Enterprise.

[Kirk and Spock look at each other]

James T. Kirk: Understood. What's your plan?

Pavel Chekov: We will beam in tonight, collect the photons, and beam out. No one will ever know we were there.

James T. Kirk: Understood and approved. Keep me informed. Kirk out.

[Pavel Chekov is being interrogated]

Interrogator: Ok, let's take it from the top.

Pavel Chekov: The top of what?

Interrogator: Name.

Pavel Chekov: My name?

Interrogator: [sarcastically] No, my name!

Pavel Chekov: I do not know your name.

Interrogator: You play games with me mister, and you're through!

Pavel Chekov: I am? May I go now?

James T. Kirk: Mister Sulu, you have the con. I'm gonna take our guest down and have a look at her whales. Oh, Mister Spock! Have you accounted for the variable mass of whales and water in your time re-entry programme?

Spock: Mister Scott cannot give me exact figures, Admiral, so I will...make a guess.

James T. Kirk: A guess? You, Spock? That's extraordinary!

(He and Gillian leave the bridge, both smiling)

Spock: I don't think he understands.

Leonard McCoy: No, Spock. He means that he feels safer about your guesses than most other people's facts.

Spock: Then you're saying...it is a compliment.

Leonard McCoy: It is.

Spock: Ah, then I will try to make the best guess I can.

[Having returned to the 23rd century and saved Earth, the Federation summons the Enterprise crew to face court martial for their actions.]

Federation President: Bring in the accused. [crew enters council chamber; Spock stands and joins them in line, and attracts the President's attention] Captain Spock, you do not stand accused.

Spock: Mr. President, I stand with my shipmates.

Federation President: As you wish. The charges and specifications are - conspiracy; assault on Federation officers; theft of Federation property, namely the starship Enterprise; sabotage of the USS Excelsior; willful destruction of Federation property, specifically the aforementioned USS Enterprise; and finally, disobeying direct orders of the Starfleet commander. Admiral Kirk, how do you plead?

James T. Kirk: On behalf of all of us Mr. President, I am authorized to plead guilty.

President: So entered. Because of certain mitigating circumstances, all charges but one are summarily dismissed. The remaining charge, disobeying orders of a superior officer, is directed solely at Admiral Kirk. I'm sure the admiral will recognize the necessity of keeping discipline in any chain of command?

James T. Kirk: I do, sir.

President: James T. Kirk, it is the judgment of this council that you be reduced in rank to captain. And that as a consequence of your new rank, you be given the duties for which you have demonstrated unswerving ability, the command of a starship. Captain Kirk, you and your crew have saved this planet from its own short-sightedness, and we are forever in your debt.

Spock: Father.

Sarek: I am returning to Vulcan within the hour, I would like to take my leave of you.

Spock: It was most kind of you to make this effort.

Sarek: It was no effort. You are my son. Besides, I'm most impressed with your performance in this crisis.

Spock: Most kind.

Sarek: As I recall, I opposed your enlistment in Starfleet. It is possible that judgment was incorrect. Your associates are people of good character.

Spock: They are my friends.

Sarek: Yes, of course. Do you have a message for your mother?

Spock: Yes, tell her...I feel fine. Live long and prosper, Father.

Sarek: Live long and prosper, my son.

[The crew is pondering what their ship will be.]

Leonard McCoy: The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. We'll get a freighter.

Hikaru Sulu: With all respect, Doctor, I'm counting on Excelsior.

Montgomery Scott: Excelsior? Why in God's name would you want that bucket of bolts?

James T. Kirk: A ship is a ship.

Montgomery Scott: Whatever you say, sir. Thy will be done.

[The new U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A emerges.]

James T. Kirk: My friends... we've come home.

Cast

External links

• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home at StarTrek.com

Creator	Gene Roddenberry  (1921–1991)
Television series	Star Trek  (1966–1969) · The Animated Series  (1973–1974) · The Next Generation  (1987–1994) · Deep Space Nine  (1993–1999) · Voyager  (1995–2001) · Enterprise  (2001–2005) · Discovery  (2017–) · Picard  (2020–)
Feature films	The Original Series		The Motion Picture  (1979) · The Wrath of Khan  (1982) · The Search for Spock  (1984) · The Voyage Home  (1986) · The Final Frontier  (1989) · The Undiscovered Country  (1991)
	The Next Generation		Generations  (1994) · First Contact  (1996) · Insurrection  (1998) · Nemesis  (2002)
	Reboot series		Star Trek  (2009) · Into Darkness  (2013) · Beyond  (2016)
Video games	Borg  (1996) · Klingon Academy  (2000)
Proverbs	Klingon · Vulcan
Other	Star Trek franchise · Last words in Star Trek media · Jean-Luc Picard· Phase II