Star Trek: 10 Alien Encounters Before First Contact
1. Vulcan On A Bus - Star Trek IV: The One With The Whales
It's a foregone conclusion that none of these people have ever seen an extra-terrestrial before.
As this article has proven, that statement is debatable, but the crew of the HMS Bounty certainly changed things up historically when they parked their cloaked ship in Golden Gate Park.
Though Spock had the wherewithal to cover his ears and brows, he couldn't cover his Vulcan nature, which continually slipped out during the search for the Whales. The jig may have been up when he mind-melded with Gracie, yet even before this, he exposed his Vulcan skill.
While on the bus across the bay, a punk fell foul to Spock when he refused to lower his music. Admiral Kirk politely asked him again and again, to no avail. Spock then leaned in, grasping the man by the neck, and administered his famous 'nerve pinch', rendering the man unconscious, while also allowing his head to fall perfectly on the off-button.
This alien encounter, once such a throw-away moment of history, left a deep impact on this young rebel. When Seven of Nine and Raffi rode the bus in LA, some forty years later from his point of view, he knew enough to shut his music off the second that he asked. He may still have lived a punk lifestyle, but he knew when to quit.