The Jessica Journals:

January is now officially Star Trek Appreciation Month here at the Jessica Journals.

And with that announcement, we move on to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Yeah, it's the one where they travel back in time to save the whales.

This light-hearted romp through Star Trek land finds an alien probe threatening the citizens of Earth with the planet-wide destruction of their species unless they can rassel up some singing humpback whales. Unfortunately, humpback whales were hunted to extinction two centuries earlier.

This sounds like a job for James T. Kirk, who decides that the only thing to do is travel back through time to the latter half of the 20th century and pick up a couple whales, with the intention of then bringing them forward in time so that they can deal with the crisis currently occurring in the 23rd century.

Hilarity ensues.

Star Trek IV is essentially a 2 hour 16 minute Public Service Announcement, but, unlike other PSAs, this one actually works. It's easy to scoff at Nancy Reagan and the triteness of the "Just say no" campaign, but when Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock tell you the whales need saving then you know you have to save the whales.

This might be a desire of mine shared by no one else, but I would really like to see some more PSAs by the Enterprise crew. McCoy could decry the evils of racism as Kirk extols the use of condoms and yearly HIV testing and Spock discusses the way your body "changes" and reminds you to keep track of your seven year cycle. I would be such a happy person if they did that.

When it comes down to it, Star Trek IV is great film. It's well written, and, as many other reviewers have, no doubt, pointed out, it does not take itself too seriously which results in a very enjoyable viewing experience. Scotty tries to converse with a Mac, McCoy spazzes out over the 20th century's barbaric medical practices, Spock neck-pinches an angry punk-goth, Kirk at least partially gets his smoove on, and nobody gets killed.

All in all, I got no complaints.