How it started and what it means

Celebrated on April 5, First contact date remains one of the most significant holidays in the Star Trek Universe. While Star Trek Sometimes featuring Earth holidays like Halloween or Christmas, the franchise has also introduced several holidays unique to the Star Trek Universe. Founded to commemorate first contact with the Vulcans after Zefram Cochrane’s (James Cromwell) successful warp flight, The first contact date is also adapted by real-world Star Trek Fans. in 2021, Star Trek Started celebrating first contact day with reveals about upcoming Trek Projects and merchandise, panels with cast and crew members, and other virtual events.

First Contact Day as a holiday was first established in Star Trek: First Contact, which saw Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D crew travel back in time to stop Borg from changing history. First contact Co-writer Ronald D. Moore chose April 5 because it was his son’s birthday and Star Trek Most famous holiday was born. Star Trek Another real-world holiday, Star Trek Day, is celebrated on September 8 to mark the day that Star Trek: The Original Series First premiere. yet, First contact day remains a favorite among trekkers, Who often flock to social media to commemorate the holiday.

The volcanoes would later become Earth’s strongest allies

Zefram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett) is established as the inventor of warp drive Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 9, “Metamorphosis,” when Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the USS Enterprise encounter a young, immortal Cochrane on an asteroid. Cochrane’s role leading to the founding of the United Federation of Planets are more fully explored in Star Trek: First Contact, When the USS Enterprise-D crew helped ensure Zephram’s historic warp flight occurred as it was always meant to. Accompanied by Commander William Ricker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Cochrane launched the Phoenix on April 5, 2063, breaking the warp barrier just after 11 p.m.

A Vulcan survey ship called the T’Plana-Hath happened to be nearby at the time and detected the Phoenix Warp signature. The Vulcan ship then landed in Bozeman, Montana, initiating the first open contact between an alien species and humanity. This historic encounter would usher in a new era for the human race, laying the groundwork for what would one day become the United Federation of Planets. Although Cochrane’s initial motivations for inventing warp drive were largely financial, he later accepted his place in history, delivering speeches and sharing stories about his historic flight.

The first contact date is tinged with tragedy in Star Trek: Picard

Hundreds of years after the original first contact between Earth and the volcano, the holiday became less of a spectacle. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) once noted that First Contact is only a day away from school. While Earth’s population probably celebrated First Contact Day in different ways, it was used as an excuse to take a day off work or school and have a nice meal. yet, First Contact Day celebrated the Federation ideal of “Infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” Commemorate the day when two species come together for the better of both.

Tragically, one of the most devastating attacks in Federation history occurred on First Contact Day, forever tarnishing the holiday. On First Contact Day 2385, rogue synths attack Mars, Destroying the Utopia Planitia shipyards and decimating the planet. With over 92,000 lives lost, as well as 20,000 ships, the attack on Mars led Starfleet to scale back missions of exploration to focus on defense. The Federation also banned synthetic life, although this ban was later overturned when the Romulan Xath Vash were revealed as the orchestrators of the attack.

The Mirror Universe Zefram Cochrane salutes the Vulcans with a shotgun

Zefram Cochrane’s first encounter with the volcanoes was much different Star Trek Mirror Universe. As shown in the US Star Trek: Enterprise Two-part, “In a Mirror, Darkly,” Cochrane still launched the Phoenix on April 5, breaking the warp barrier. But when the Vulcans made contact in Bezman, Cochrane shot the first Vulcan with a shotgun and the Terrans attacked the Vulcan ship. The Terrans assumed that the volcanoes meant to attack Earth, and they killed all the visiting aliens. The Terran Empire then used the stolen Vulcan technology to quickly improve their own ability to travel the galaxy.

Rather than using this upgraded technology for exploration, the Terran Empire planned to invade and conquer as many worlds as possible, and relentlessly expanded their territory. Terrans acquire Vulcan technology more quickly than their Prime Universe counterparts, Use it only for their own gain and faster developing new ships and weapons. By the 2150s, the Terrans had conquered many alien civilizations, including the Vulcans, Denobulans, Andorians, Orions, and Tellarites. In the Mirror Universe, First Contact Day is celebrated as a holy day and Cochrane is hailed as a hero for stopping the supposed Vulcan invasion.

Frontier Day celebrates the Enterprise NX-01 and its crew

one of Star Trek Among other major holidays, Frontier Day commemorates the maiden voyage of the Enterprise NX-01 in April 2151. Both First Contact Day and Frontier Day celebrate the collaboration between alien species, but Frontier Day highlights Starfleet and its many achievements. In the latest episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3, The Federation celebrates the 250th anniversary of Captain Jonathan Archer’s (Scott Bakula) first mission. Admiral Picard and Captain William Ricker (Jonathan Frakes) are both scheduled to speak at the event, which would also celebrate the final flight of the USS Enterprise-F.

As almost all of Starfleet’s most important ships were gathered around Earth for the 250th Frontier Day celebration, the Borg/Changeling alliance saw this as the perfect time to strike. With all Federation starships connected by a new automated fleet formation system, The Borg took over the ships and forced assimilation into every officer under the age of 25. As the assimilated fleet prepared to fire on Earth, the USS Enterprise-D swooped in to save the day as the only ship not connected to the Starfleet mainframe. Admiral Picard and his crew put an end to the Borg, preventing the Frontier Day attack from being much worse and preserving a Star Trek holiday