Star Trek: First Contact Got An Instant Stamp Of Approval From One Original Series Star

The on-screen connections between "Star Trek: The Original Series" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" are numerous. In the 1994 feature film "Star Trek Generations," Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was, thanks to a unique time nexus, able to meet Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) face-to-face. In the 1992 "Next Generation" episode "Relics," Scotty (James Doohan) was pulled into the 24th century after being kept suspended in a transporter beam for 75 years. In the two-part "Next Generation" episode "Unification" from 1991, Picard got to meet Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who, as it turns out, is just very long-lived. And in the "Next Generation" pilot episode in 1987, Data (Brent Spiner) had a very brief conversation with a 137-year-old Dr. McCoy, played by a returning DeForest Kelley, acting from underneath piles of old age makeup.

Also, Michael Dorn, who played Worf on "Next Generation," has a cameo in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," so there was plenty of overlap. Trekkies weren't hurting for inter-franchise continuity, even if "The Original Series" and "Next Generation" took place almost a century apart.

What fans really wanted to hear, though, was what the original "Star Trek" actors felt about "Next Generation." There was (very briefly) some consternation in 1987 over whether "Star Trek" could exist without Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and if there might be any outrage from Shatner, Nimoy, or Kelley. It turns out it was mostly all copacetic, and the outrage was the 1987 version of manufactured clickbait. Those present in 1987 might recall that tempers weren't terribly heated.

Indeed, according to a 2016 oral history about 1996's "Star Trek: First Contact" printed in The Hollywood Reporter, the original cast was largely complimentary. "First Contact" director Jonathan Frakes (who also played William T. Riker in the film and "Next Generation") even recalled getting a call from Kelley saying how much he liked the movie.

"Star Trek: First Contact," for non-Trekkies, was the film where the U.S.S. Enterprise-E traveled back in time to the year 2063 to stop the Borg — a destructive race of unthinking cyborgs — from altering Earth's history. It featured a lot of action and violence, and Captain Picard was transformed from a stern diplomat into an action hero hellbent on bloody vengeance. The film was well-received, and many consider it to be the best of the four featured based on "Next Generation."

It seems that Kelley also liked the movie. The actor had more or less retired from performing by 1996, but was still appearing at "Star Trek" conventions and had a deep appreciation for the sci-fi franchise that brought him so much fame. Evidently, he went to see "First Contact," and was moved to call Frakes.

Frakes recalled receiving the call and being very moved, telling THR:

"Opening weekend, my wife and I went to stay with friends in Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. We stayed in a barn and I put my head down and [...] one of my fondest memories from the entire weekend was: I got a phone call from DeForest Kelley, who I had only met briefly at Rick Berman's house. He was a neighbor of Rick's. And I guess he had seen the movie and he contacted Rick and asked Rick how to get in touch with me. And he called to congratulate me on how wonderful the movie is and on the success. And I carry that with me to this day."

Rick Berman was the executive producer of the franchise and ran the joint after the death of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. Still, how kind of Kelley to reach out. It's the ultimate blessing, it seems, when a star of Kelley's stature reaches out of his own accord.