Zefram Cochrane's warp flight draws a Vulcan survey ship to Earth.
After World War III Earth lay in ruins, and its survivors struggled to rebuild. In the aftermath Zefram Cochrane, an eccentric scientist in Bozeman, Montana, built the Phoenix, a spacecraft capable of faster-than-light travel, and planned to test it in 2063.
The warp flight took place as planned, and a Vulcan survey ship passing nearby detected the signature of the warp field. The Vulcans decided that humanity had taken a decisive step toward the stars and landed to make contact. They were greeted by Cochrane, who shook hands with the visitors in a moment that became a cornerstone of human history.
The encounter ended Earth's isolation, and from it flowed the Vulcan assistance that led to Earth's eventual membership in a greater interstellar community. The events were nearly derailed by the Borg, who traveled back in time to stop it, and the Enterprise crew had to repair the damage. Picard, Riker, Data, Troi, Lily Sloane and Cochrane himself were all key figures in the effort, and the story is widely seen as the birth of the Star Trek future.