A newsreel was a Human form of news distribution, popular in the early 20th century, before the emergence of television and news bulletins. Typically, the newsreel would be shown before a movie. In times of conflict, most notably World War II, newsreels served as propaganda for the nation state in which they were produced. The script for "First Contact" opened with a scene where the Borg were examining information from Earth's history, including newsreel footage from World War II.