How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Quote #1
STARFLEET OFFICER: Leningrad has lost all electrical power. Cloud cover 100 percent. Temperatures decreasing rapidly.
Before we go swimming with the whales, let's note that the big disaster facing Earth is ecological in nature. In fact, it almost sounds like climate change. In our view, this episode is a subtle way of driving home the film's environmental message.
Quote #2
SPOCK: There are other forms of intelligence on Earth, Doctor. Only human arrogance would assume the message must be meant for man.
Here's Spock dropping a logic bomb, as usual. This line makes us think about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In that novel, dolphins are revealed to be the smartest creatures on Earth when they evacuate the planet just before it's destroyed. Both of these ideas make light of our innate human-centric worldview.
Quote #3
KIRK: It's possible. Whales have been on Earth far earlier than man.
[...]
SPOCK: They've been extinct since the 21st century. It is possible that an alien intelligence sent the probe to determine why they lost contact.
Whales are already bigger than us—why do they get to be smarter, too? They even have cooler intergalactic friends. It's just not fair. Jokes aside, this idea completely changes our understanding of the probe hanging around Earth. It's not an evil alien invader: it's a loyal BFF checking up on a buddy who hasn't posted to Instagram in a while.