When work began on the project that became Star Trek: First Contact, writers Ron Moore and Brannon Braga were certain only of two story elements: time travel and the Borg. Picard and the Enterprise-D would pursue their biomechanical adversaries into Earth's past and there do battle with them, but Moore and Braga wrestled with selecting a time period in which to set the story. Ancient Rome was discussed (until it was realized this would entail putting our heroes in togas) as was the American Civil War (undoubtedly because actor/director Jonathan Frakes already had a convincing enough beard for a Confederate general). The historical locale upon which they finally settled, at least temporarily, was the Italian Renaissance (indeed, Star Trek: Renaissance was even the film's working title for a time). According to Moore, the story featured the Enterprise crew visiting an Italian village, tracking the Borg to a medieval castle, and fighting them with swords and phasers. Naturally, the question of why one would bring a sword to a phaser fight remains an open one. Mercifully, Moore and Braga eventually opted to change the time travel destination from the distant past to the near future, and First Contact became the most well-received of the TNG-era feature films.
Recovering print journalist, writing professionally since 1991, polluting the internet and wasting the world's bandwidth since 1995. Board-certified Doctor of Memetics and Trollology, offering free consultations to qualified patients.
