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| Zefram Cochrane | |
 Zefram Cochrane as portrayed by James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact |
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| Species | Human |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Date of death | Unknown (disappeared in 2117) |
| Home planet | Earth |
| Portrayed by | Glenn Corbett James Cromwell |
Zefram Cochrane is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry.
As established by the film Star Trek: First Contact, Cochrane is the first human to travel at warp speed, in 2063, getting the attention of the Vulcans, and leading to humanity's first contact with aliens.
Glenn Corbett played Cochrane for his first appearance in the TOS episode "Metamorphosis". James Cromwell played Cochrane in the feature film Star Trek: First Contact and the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot, "Broken Bow". First Contact footage of Cromwell as Cochrane was used in the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part I", along with new footage of an identically-dressed actor whose face is not shown.
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Character story
Most of the character's backstory was established by First Contact. According to the backstory, in 2053, Cochrane began construction of humanity's first warp-capable vessel, the Phoenix, in Bozeman, Montana.1 According to his dialog in Star Trek: First Contact, he started the project for financial gain.1
On April 5, 2063 at 11:15 AM local time, Cochrane made Earth's first warp flight, playing Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" during blast-off and dedicating the first flight to Alcubierre and Obousy, early pioneers of warp physics.1 The Phoenix's warp signature is detected by a Vulcan survey ship, the T'Plana Hath, which then makes peaceful first contact with humans, including Cochrane, at the Phoenix's launch site.1 In the Mirror Universe, rather than reciprocating the Vulcans' peaceful greeting, Cochrane and the other humans kill the Vulcans and loot their ship.
According to the TOS episode "Metamorphosis", Cochrane was presumed dead after disappearing from Alpha Centauri in 2117.1 James T. Kirk, Spock, and Leonard McCoy find Cochrane living on an asteroid with a being he calls the Companion, an ethereal presence of pure energy who rejuvenated the aged, dying Cochrane more than a century before, and has held him captive — and in a state of youth and vigor — ever since.1 Traveling with the three Starfleet officers is an ill Federation commissioner.1 The Companion, who loves Cochrane, merges with the commissioner, ridding her of her illness and providing the Companion with a corporeal (but now mortal) form.1 The combined entity no longer has power to force Cochrane to stay with her, but Cochrane chooses to stay out of love and gratitude. Before departing, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy promise not to reveal Cochrane's existence.1
Federation
In the novel Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, whose publication predated the release of Star Trek: First Contact by two years, Cochrane's story is told in a different fashion: his warp experiments are the result of a mysterious billionaire's financial and idealistic support in the period between the Eugenics Wars and World War III; his self-identification with Alpha Centauri results from it being the destination of his first warp voyage and his subsequent founding role in the first colony in the system; and his life's story beyond his encounter with Kirk at Gamma Canaris in "Metamorphosis" is depicted up to his death during the events of the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.2
Scholarly and fan reception
Scholars read the behavior of Cochrane in the TOS episode "Metamorphosis" as heteronormative: "When the Enterprise crew arrive, they connect the Companion to a "universal translator," which gives it a voice, a female voice. ... In the conversation that follows, Cochrane manifests distaste about the now-sexualized relationship in which he has unknowingly participated."3
Origin Conflict
Between his introduction in the original series's episode "Metamorphosis" (which first aired on November 10, 1967) and the eighth movie of the franchise, the character has been retconned in both origin and history. Originally a native of Alpha Centauri, he was recast as a Terran.
Cochrane had earlier been portrayed as a Terran in Federation, which suggested he retired to Alpha Centauri at some point between his first warp flight and his disappearance2. This follows a suggestion made in the Star Trek Chronology, on the assumption humans could not have settled the Alpha Centauri system prior to the warp drive's invention.4
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Okuda, Mike and Denise, with Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
- ^ a b Reeves-Stevens, Judith and Garfield (1994-11-01). Federation, Star Trek. Pocket Books. ISBN 0671894226.
- ^ Elspeth Kydd, "Star Trek Insiders and "outcasts"" Jump Cut 42 (1998): 39 - 44
- ^ Okuda, Mike and Denise (1993). Star Trek Chronology. Pocket Books. ISBN 0671796119.
External links
- Zefram Cochrane article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Article about Federation (novel) at Memory Alpha
- Obousy Warp Drive Theory [1]
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 16 November 2008, at 20:31.
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