…ACTION! See what the Montana Film Office thinks about our fair community of Great Falls. Among the films that shot at least some footage here are: Northfork (weird!), Holy Matrimony, Telefon, and Thunderbolt & Lightfoot. Of course, my favorite Montana-based film wasn’t shot anywhere near Great Falls (or even Montana), but the setting of the movie is (will be?) very close to us: the movie is Star Trek: First Contact.
The setting for Star Trek: First Contact is “a missile complex in central Montana.” In other words – right here where I live! They’re referring, of course, to Malmstrom Air Force Base. Or, to be more precise, one of our many launch silos in the surrounding area. The first warp-drive capable vessel launched from Earth is actually one of our ICBMs, it seems, although it has been retro-fitted for space-flight. And according to the film, Zefram Cochrane’s “first contact” with an alien race – the Vulcans – occurs right here on April 5, 2063.
So when I’m 96 years old, living in Great Falls, I will be able to witness this historic event! How cool is that?!
OK, I am going to out myself here. I am a huge Star Trek fan. I admit it.
Now, in ST:FC, they did refer to a “missle complex in central Montana.” Obviously, Malmstrom.
However, the scenes with Cochrane in the movie are in the mountains. Worse, references within the various series always referred to the launch in “Bozeman.”
Obviously, Hollywood thinks Montana starts and ends in the Gallatin.
ROFLMFAO Aaron…I didn’t realize they said “Bozeman”!
Dave- I remember the filming of Telefon mainly because they blew up part of what is now Paris Gibson Square while I was swinging on the swings by the Nat!
I recently acquired the original ST movie to complete my DVD collection. (I hated having to replace VHS with DVD until I married the electronic freak hubby)
Live long and prosper!
I was there when they blew up Paris too!
Hey – we have mountains near us, too, and “Bozeman” could just be the new name for Montana in that year!
I was in the first class that would have attended “old Paris” but for the fact that it was destined to be blown up.
For local movies, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a much better movie. When you watch it, you’ll see they drive around in a white, Cadillac convertible. That car was owned by a friend of mine’s dad, and his older brother used to take us ‘cruising’ Central in it once in a while.
Severe geek alert.
I’ve given the “missile complex in North Central Montana” line some thought and have come to conclude that since the shanty town is next to a silo (doesn’t strike me as wise under any circumstances), that the “complex” to which they’re referring is simply one of the groups of silos spread throughout the area. As it turns out, there’s a missile silo in the Little Belts not too far from Neihart, and the surrounding country looks reasonably like that portrayed in the movie.
I have no explanation for the “Bozeman” thing, beyond the fact that one of the writers got his film degree in Bozeman and sprinkled such references throughout the series and movies. There’s a starship Bozeman and one supporting character in one of the movies is named “Gallatin.” The writer may simply not have been able to resist tying the whole First Contact thing to Bozeman rather than its “rightful” place of Neihart.
[...] want it, better hurry…although the price tag might scare off some folks (seriously). ALSO: obligatory reference to Star Trek/Montana [...]
[...] In today’s Tribune, Rich Ecke takes note of the connection between Great Falls and “Star Trek.” As I wrote back in 2006: [...]