The Space Probe in Star Trek 4 was terrifying

I know Star Trek 4 is known as “the funny movie” but I feel that undersells just how big of threat the space probe was. The last time I watched the movie, I was struck by how well they did to build up the space probe threat. The federation’s greatest strength - its technology - basically just gets turned off by this probe.

It also does the “only ship by earth” thing well because essentially any ship that comes nearby shuts down. The Yorktown situation and how dire things are is pretty dark for “the whale movie.” Earths weather getting thrown completely off kilter and Starfleet telling everyone to stay away from the planet is one of the more forbidding things we have seen.

Compare that to BOBWs and we dont really see what Earth is going through at the time. V’ger was a similar threat but its not really explored in the way Star Trek 4 does.

I am struck by how well done Star Trek 4 is, but it just sometimes gets pegged as the funny whale movie.

BTW, would love to actually see them re-imagine TMP or explore some of the ramifications of V’Ger like how Starfleet started building stronger ships after Wolf 359. Its kind of never mentioned again but I think its a pretty significant moment in Starfleet history.