A star trek movie inspired Dave Franco’s horror film together [Exclusive]

Neon has made big waves in recent years. Not only does the company are home to several best winners of Oscar, notably “Parasite” and “Anora”, but the independent studio has also completely become paradise for the original horror, such as the escape tube of last year “Longlegs”. The last foray in the company in the genre is “together”, a piece of corps / twisted horror by director Michael Shanks. It turns out that he was inspired by an unexpected place: “Star Trek”.

“Together” features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, respectively. Years after their relationship, the couple is at the crossroads, having moved to the country with them being the only familiar thing in the lives of others. As tensions increase, a meeting with a mysterious force forces them to bind, so to speak.

/ BJ Colangelo of the film spoke with Shanks in honor of the release of the film in theaters. By discussing his inspirations for his latest feature film, the filmmaker revealed that “Star Trek: First Contact” of 1996 was an influence. This is because it is, from a certain point of view, a body of body horror. As Shanks explained:

“I was thinking about one of my favorite films of all time when I was a child – and I should probably stop talking about it, because it is not very interesting – was` Star Trek: First contact ”, directed by Jonathan Frakes. I love this film. I saw it recently, and I said to myself: “Oh, it’s a body of body. “This is perhaps the reason why he has ruminated in my head for so long. So yes, thanks to The Frakes-Man for inspiration.”

For those who may not be familiar, “Star Trek: First Contact” sees the company crew fighting the Borg under the direction of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart). They finally follow the extraterrestrials in the 21st century to prevent them from corrupting the chronology of the earth and preventing it from the first contact of humanity with extraterrestrial life. They must fight the formidable Queen Borg before assimilating all humanity.

Borg are one of the biggest classic bad guys in “Star Trek”. They are also one of the most horrible, since the point is literal assimilation, this is where the body horror of all this happens. Although it is first a science fiction film, anyone who saw “First Contact” can probably see where Shanks comes from the comparison. Alice Krige is incredibly threatening as a Borg queen, and her interactions with Picard are indeed horror.

There is a good reason why “First Contact” was named film “Star Trek” favorite by Stewart. The franchise has prospered on television for decades, but films have always been a successful proposal. It was absolutely one of the successes, and one at that time was kind. And it turns out that this particular success, years later, helped to inspire one of the most acclaimed horror films of 2025. Perhaps Shanks should reconsider its position about what is not an interesting anecdote.

“Together” is now in theaters.