Celebrate First Contact Day Like Zefram Cochrane WIth Pierogies, Rock and Roll Music, and More

First Contact Day. Image: Paramount.

APRIL 5, 2023 - Happy First Contact Day! On this day, humanity officially makes first contact with another sentient species and takes its first steps into the galactic community. That is, forty years from today, Zefram Cochrane will make his destined first warp flight which leads to Vulcans landing in Bozeman, Montana, and making First Contact with Earth, as seen in 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact.

Behind the scenes, co-writer Ronald D. Moore explained that April 5th was the date chosen for the film as it was also his son’s birth date.

Within the Star Trek Universe, we aren’t given many looks into how First Contact Day is celebrated, but some series have given us a few clues. In Lower Decks, Commander Ransom makes the comment, “carved up like a First Contact Day salmon,” which would imply that salmon is the centerpiece of a First Contact Day dinner similar to a turkey on Thanksgiving.

To complete the menu we turn to the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Homestead.” In the opening scene, Neelix is hosting a First Contact Day party for the crew and serving cheese pierogis, Zefram Cochrane’s favorite food.

From the film, we know Zefram Cochrane is a fan of classic rock as he plays Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” during takeoff and later tries to get the Vulcans to dance along to “Ooby Dooby” by Roy Orbison.

You can also celebrate by nabbing yourself a copy of Star Trek: First Contact, now available for the first time in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

But perhaps the best way to celebrate First Contact Day is to take part in the meaning of the holiday by reaching out and making contact with others. Engage with those in your life about this part of your life, Star Trek. Technically speaking this may be more like a second contact, but the spirit of first contact is there. Because in the end, First Contact is all about connection. The creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, said it best. “In a very real sense, we are all aliens on a strange planet. We spend most of our lives trying to reach out and communicate. If during our lifetime we could reach out and really communicate with just two people, we are indeed very fortunate.”

Let us know how you’ll be celebrating First Contact Day.