Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film
directed by Leonard Nimoy and based on the television series Star
Trek. It is the fourth feature installment in the Star Trek film
series, and is a sequel to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984);
it completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(1982) and continued in The Search for Spock. Intent on returning home
to Earth to face trial for their actions in the previous film, the
former crew of the USS Enterprise finds the planet in grave danger
from an alien probe attempting to contact now-extinct humpback whales.
The crew travel to Earth's past to find whales who can answer the
probe's call.After directing The Search for Spock, Nimoy was asked to
direct the next feature, and given greater freedom regarding the
film's content. Nimoy and producer Harve Bennett conceived a story
with an environmental message and no clear-cut villain. Dissatisfied
with the first screenplay produced by Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes,
Paramount hired The Wrath of Khan writer and director Nicholas Meyer.
Meyer and Bennett divided the story between them and wrote different
parts of the script, requiring approval from Nimoy, lead actor William
Shatner, and executives at Paramount Pictures. Principal photography
commenced on February 24, 1986. Unlike previous Star Trek films, The
Voyage Home was shot extensively on location; many real settings and
buildings were used as stand-ins for scenes set around and in the city
of San Francisco. Special effects firm Industrial Light & Magic
assisted in post-production and the film's special effects. Few of the
humpback whales in the film were real: ILM devised full-size
animatronics and small motorized models to stand in for the real
creatures. The film was dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle
Challenger, which broke up 73 seconds after takeoff on the morning of
January 28, 1986.The Voyage Home was released on November 26, 1986, in
North America by Paramount Pictures, and became the top-grossing film
at the weekend box office. The film's humor and unconventional story
were well received by critics, fans of the series, and the general
audience. It was financially successful, earning $133 million
worldwide, and earned several awards and four Oscar nominations for
its cinematography and sound. It was followed by Star Trek V: The
Final Frontier in 1989. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter