Simply the absolute best Next Generation film. Nothing more to say really. My favourite from this series. Everything is just perfect. Great story, effects, action, everyone has something to do. If there's only one change I'd make, I'd have loved to have seen more of the space battle. More ships, more battle, more... It's something we haven't really seen from the Star Trek movies before - a massive space battle. They certainly were grand on Deep Space Nine, but I'd really like to see a huge battle on the big screen. In my mind, Insurrection was a bit of a lost opportunity too when it came to this. Anyway, fantastic film, it's a definite for the collection. Highly recommended.

Plot Synopsis:

In the Borg Collective, Picard stands in an alcove, as we're taken through the ship, showing Picard's assimilation into Locutus of Borg. Picard opens his eyes in his ready room. Some Borg device bursts out of his cheek, and he wakes up. The communicator alerts him to a message from Starfleet. A colony on a Federation planet has been destroyed by the Borg. Picard briefs the command crew, that a single Borg ship is on its way to Earth. Picard reports that they won't be going to Earth's defence, as Starfleet has assigned them to patrol the Neutral Zone. Picard feels they don't trust him since he was assimilated by the Borg previously.

Out in the Neutral Zone, Picard is reduced to inspecting reports of space dust, and comets. Picard listens to Starfleet's communications as they engage the Borg cube. Picard listens as the fleet is massacred by the Borg. He reaches a decision, and decides to take the Enterprise to Earth.

Meanwhile, Worf is fighting the Borg with the USS Defiant. He is taking damage when the Enterprise arrives and begins attacking the Cube. When the Admiral's ship is destroyed, Picard takes command of the fleet. He can hear the Collective inside his head, and orders the fleet to attack a seemingly harmless section of the Cube. The fleet opens fire, and the Cube is destroyed. Just as it is about to explode, a smaller Borg Sphere leaves the larger Cube and continues on to Earth.

The Sphere opens a portal into the past, and escapes through. The Enterprise becomes caught up in its temporal wake, and detects that the Borg have assimilated Earth in the past. Picard follows them through to correct the changes in the past.

At a human settlement in Montana, Zephram Cochrane and Lily are heading home after a night of drinking at the local tavern. They see a bright light in the sky that begins shelling the settlement with energy bolts. The Enterprise arrives with minimal damage, and detects the Sphere firing on the settlement. Worf fires quantum torpedoes and destroys the Sphere. Picard realises the date is April 4th, 2063, and the Borg were attempting to disrupt First Contact. Picard leads an away team to the settlement.

They beam down to find devastation. Picard leads a team into the missile complex under the settlement. They find extensive damage to the complex, but find the prototype warp ship mostly undamaged. Lily fires on them with a machinegun, before collapsing due to radiation exposure from the damaged warp ship. Lily is transported back to the ship for medical treatment. Riker and Troi are assigned to locate Zephram Cochrane. Geordi beams down to aid in repairs to the warp ship.

Back aboard the Enterprise, Engineering has noticed some strange behaviour within the environmental systems. A team is checking for faults in the Jefferies Tubes when they are attacked. Picard hears the Borg again, and realises something is wrong aboard the Enterprise. Picard and Data return to the ship leaving Riker in charge.

Medical is having systems failures, when something starts trying to bash the doors down. Worf reports that there are system failures on the lower decks to Picard. Picard realises the ship is being adjusted to be more hospitable to the Borg. They transported over when the Enterprise's shields were down, and are now attempting to assimilate the ship. Data locks out the main computer to stop the Borg from gaining control of the entire ship.

Crusher is forced to wake Lily up so they can escape the Borg. She activates the EMH program to act as a diversion while they escape. When they escape into the Jefferies tube network, Lily runs away. Picard takes command of some security teams, and leads them to Engineering on Deck 16 to try to stop the Borg.

Meanwhile, Troi has located Zephram Cochrane, back in the bar getting drunk and dancing badly. Riker arrives and angers Cochrane when he turns off his loud music. Troi has been drinking with Cochrane, and is pretty drunk. She declares Cochrane nuts, then collapses onto the floor. Cochrane returns to his bad dancing and loud music.

Picard discovers the Borg have already begun converting the Enterprise corridors, building new alcoves and Borg technology into the ship. Data feels anxious, so Picard suggests he deactivate his emotion chip. They advance toward Engineering, running into Crusher's group. She warns Worf that Lily has escaped. The team begins to encounter Borg, and Enterprise crew members that are being assimilated. The Borg ignore them until they attempt to gain access to Engineering. They begin to attack and for awhile the teams phasers stop them, until the Borg adapt their shielding. Worf and Data begin attacking them in hand-to-hand combat. Picard opens the Engineering doors, but is attacked by more Borg. The team retreats, but loses Data as he is grabbed and dragged under the Engineering doors. Some team members are captured and assimilated. Picard kills one team member to end his suffering. They flee into the Jefferies tube network, where Picard runs into Lily. Lily takes his phaser and threatens him with it.

Data awakens to find himself restrained to a Borg assimilation table in Engineering. The Borg Queen introduces herself to Data, and attempts to seduce him to gain access to the computer network.

Meanwhile, Riker explains to the truth to Cochrane. They attempt to prove their story to Cochrane by showing him the Enterprise-E through a telescope. He eventually believes them, and Riker explains that they need him to conduct his warp flight in the morning as he will make first contact with an alien race. This race will come and this will lead to the eventual creation of the Federation. Cochrane agrees to help them.

Meanwhile, the Borg are advancing through the ship, assimilating crew members. A team reports to Worf that the Borg have halted their advance on Deck 11. Picard takes Lily to a room with an observation window so he can show her she's in space. Picard manages to calm her down, and explains what's going on.

Back in Engineering, the Queen reveals herself to Data, and reactivates Data's emotion chip. She has had synthetic skin grafted to his arm in an attempt to tempt him to her side. Picard takes Lily through the ship past the Borg. Picard fires at the Borg, and leads them into the Holodeck. He activates his Dixon Hill program, and deactivates the safety protocols. Picard pulls a submachinegun from one of the goon's cases, and opens fire on the Borg. Lily realises that Picard gunned down his own crewmen, and is stunned at his callousness. Picard locates the neuroprocessor, and checks it to find out what the Borg are working on.

Back in Montana, Barclay is nervously harassing Cochrane. Geordi explains to Cochrane how everyone worships him. Cochrane seems to be struggling with all the hero worship.

Picard arrives back on the bridge and receives a report from Worf. They discover the Borg are building a beacon on the deflector to summon more Borg from the Delta Quadrant. Picard decides to take a team outside onto the hull to stop them.

Cochrane has run away, and Geordi and Riker pursue him. Cochrane explains that he's not a great man, and didn't want to build a warp ship out of any great motive, he just wanted money and women.

Picard, Worf, and Hawk venture out onto the deflector dish. They attempt to release the magnetic couplings holding the deflector dish onto the ship. They come under attack from the drones assembling the beacon, and Hawk is assimilated. He turns on Worf and Picard, but Worf kills him with a Klingon knife he'd bought along. They release the dish, and destroy it as it drifts away from the ship.

The Queen has attached more flesh to Data's frame. She is still attempting to turn Data to the Borg ideal. Data tries to escape, but halts when his flesh is injured and he feels pain for the first time. Data finds himself unable to remove the flesh. The Queen kisses Data and uses her sexuality to seduce him. Surprisingly he reciprocates.

The Queen quickly realises her deflector dish plan has been disrupted, and changes to an alternate plan.

Back on Earth, the repairs have been completed, and the team are preparing Cochrane and the Phoenix for launch. Cochrane is hung over, so Riker and Geordi go along to help out.

A crew member reports to Picard that the Borg are once again advancing through the ship. Worf suggests they destroy the ship, and Crusher agrees. Picard refuses and they argue. Lily confronts Picard and he refuses to give in, even though his personal experience is coloring his judgement. Enraged, Picard destroys the display of previous Enterprise's on the wall. Lily points out an analogy to Picard and Ahab from Moby Dick. Picard finally relents and agrees to destroy the ship. The crew prepares to evacuate. The auto destruct sequence is activated. Picard apologises to Worf, then sends the crew to their escape pods with Lily. Picard stays, after hearing Data in the Collective.

The Phoenix launches from it's silo in Montana. Cochrane finally realises the enormity of what he's achieved. Picard goes to Engineering and finds the doors open for him. The Borg Queen confronts him as Locutus. She shows Picard what she has done to Data. Picard offers to give himself up to become a companion to the Queen, if she releases Data. She releases Data but he will not go, he is Borg now. The Borg Queen commands Data to unlock the computer core and deactivate the self destruct, which he does.

Cochrane prepares to activate the warp drive. He sees the Enterprise out his window. Data brings the sensors online and targets the Phoenix. He fires but the torpedoes just narrowly miss the Phoenix. The Queen realises Data has betrayed her, and he smashes the plasma coolant tanks, spraying the coolant throughout Engineering. Picard and the Queen climb up hosts to avoid the coolant which liquefy's organic matter.

The Phoneix goes to warp. Data rises from the coolant to drag the Queen back down, where her organic flesh is dissolved. All the Borg drones aboard the ship malfunction and shutdown. Picard activates the environmental systems and pumps the coolant out. He finds the Queens cybernetic skull and spine, and snaps them, finally killing her. Picard helps Data who has had his skin dissolved too. Data admits to being tempted by the Queen for 0.68 seconds.

The alien ship arrives in Montana and makes first contact with Zephram Cochrane. The Vulcans step out and and greet them with "Live Long and Prosper". The Enterprise returns to the future. Cochrane is busy introducing the Vulcans to loud music and drink.