20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

20. The Models Were So Good, Animal Rights Groups Complained

It must be so gratifying, as a model maker, to know that your creation is so effective that people believe you are being cruel to animals, just to get that perfect shot. This is exactly what happened after the release of Star Trek IV.

As there was no opportunity of filming Humpback Whales in the wild, or at least not to the extent needed for the film, Nimoy decided that animatronic whales would have to be used instead. These would consist of several models, and part thereof, which could be manipulated with relative ease.

The models used for the long-shots of George and Gracie were roughly four feet long, fully animated, and covered in a rubber skin. The manufacturers of this rubber advised the film crew not to push it too far. For example, on a flexibility scale, underwater, of 1 - 100, they advised not to go beyond 15. The crew, to their delight, pushed it 70, and the models worked perfectly.

For the scenes showing the massive tails of the Humpback's breaking the water, these were fitted to a rig that rose and sunk into the tank, which lift the tail and allowed it to slap down, giving it that sense of power you can see in the film.