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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

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Watch Star Trek III: The Search for Spock with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Though it may be short on dazzling special effects, The Search for Spock is still a strong Star Trek installment, thanks to affecting performances by its iconic cast.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Leonard Nimoy

William Shatner

Admiral James T. Kirk

DeForest Kelley

Commander Leonard H. McCoy, M.D.

James Doohan

George Takei

Commander Hikaru Sulu

Walter Koenig

Commander Pavel Andreievich Chekov

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Movies in theaters, movie news & guides, this movie is featured in the following articles., critics reviews.

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Spock, who died saving the Enterprise in Star Trek II , is found alive on the Genesis planet where his body was laid to rest.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• View history

" A Dying Planet. A Fight For Life. The Search For Spock. "

" All that they loved, all that they fought for, all that they stood for will now be put to the test… Join us on this, the final voyage of the starship Enterprise . "

Admiral James T. Kirk's defeat of Khan and the creation of the Genesis planet are empty victories. Spock is dead and McCoy is inexplicably being driven insane. An unexpected visit from Sarek, Spock's father, provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence. With one friend alive and one not, but both in pain, Kirk attempts to help his friends by stealing the Enterprise and defying Starfleet's Genesis planet quarantine. But the Klingons have also learned of Genesis and race to meet Kirk in a deadly rendezvous.

• 1.1 Act One
• 1.2 Act Two
• 1.3 Act Three
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1.1 Spock's rebirth
• 4.1.2 Destruction of the Enterprise
• 4.1.3 Deleted scenes
• 4.1.4.1 Concept art
• 4.1.4.2 Production gallery
• 4.1.4.3 Publicity photos
• 4.5.1 Trivia
• 4.6.1 Awards and honors
• 4.7 Merchandise gallery
• 4.8 Apocrypha
• 5.1.1 Opening credits
• 5.1.2 Closing credits
• 5.2.1 LCARS references
• 5.2.2 Meta references
• 5.2.3 Unreferenced material
• 5.3 External links

Summary [ ]

Act one [ ].

Limping home

As a result of Khan Noonien Singh 's attempt to kill James T. Kirk using the Genesis Device , Spock is dead and a new planet has been created from matter within the Mutara Nebula . Dejected over the loss of Spock, the crew returns to port aboard the Enterprise for essential repairs to their ship, which was severely damaged in the fierce battle against Khan .

A little over two hours away from the Spacedock One , Kirk asks Commander Pavel Chekov to take the science station – Spock's old post – for a pre-approach scan. He asks Uhura about an inquiry he made on Project Genesis : Uhura replies that there was not yet a response from Starfleet Command , which he finds odd. He then gets a status report from Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott , who says automation will be ready in time for docking, and states he can have the ship repaired for her next cruise within two weeks, compared to his usual recommended repair time of eight weeks. Kirk observes that Scott always multiplies his repair estimates by a factor of four in order to maintain his reputation as a miracle worker. Before leaving the bridge , handing Hikaru Sulu the command con, Foster , one of the few remaining Starfleet Academy cadets still aboard asks if a reception will greet them when they arrive at Earth. " A hero's welcome, son? Is that what you'd like? " Kirk asks the cadet. He adds in observation, " Well, God knows there should be. This time we paid for the party with our dearest blood. " With that, he enters an empty turbolift and becomes emotional about the loss of his old friend as the lift descends towards his quarters .

Kruge learns about Genesis

Meanwhile, somewhere off in space, a freighter with a female Klingon, Valkris , awaits somebody. That somebody is her lover, the warrior Kruge , who suddenly decloaks in a Klingon Bird-of-Prey , which dwarfs the freighter. Once there, she transmits data to the Bird-of-Prey, which from brief flashes can be ascertained to relate to Project Genesis. When Valkris reveals that she had seen the data, Kruge reluctantly determines that she must die, and subtly relays this to Valkris, who understands. After conveying their mutual admiration for each other, Kruge destroys the freighter with the Bird-of-Prey's disruptors . This also means he does not need to pay the freighter's crew for their work. After the freighter's destruction, he sets course for the Federation-Klingon neutral zone and orders one of his crew to feed his pet .

Welcome home, Enterprise

The Enterprise reaches Earth and approaches the mammoth Spacedock One . During the approach, they see a new ship: USS Excelsior , a part of " The Great Experiment ", an attempt at transwarp drive . Although Sulu seems to be in awe of the possible capabilities of the ship, Scott is less than impressed, commenting " If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon… " " Come, come, Mr. Scott. Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant, " Kirk gently chides him. After the Enterprise is moored at the spacedock, Chekov, who is sitting at the science station, notes to Kirk that someone has entered Spock's quarters. When Uhura adds that the sealed room's door was forced open, Kirk goes down to investigate. After running down a corridor to Spock's quarters flanked by two security guards, he slowly enters through the damaged doors and, inside, he hears Spock's voice. " Jim, help me. You left me… on Genesis. Why did you do that? Help me… " Kirk runs forward and grabs the shadowed figure, finding the individual to be Dr. Leonard McCoy , mumbling about locations on Vulcan , particularly Mount Seleya , before fainting. Kirk calls Uhura to send medics to Spock's quarters, immediately.

" Uhura, get the medics down here! Get them now! "

Once Enterprise is docked, they are met by Fleet Admiral Morrow , Commander, Starfleet . In the ship's torpedo bay , he states that all crewmembers will be given the highest commendation of the Federation as well as extended shore leave , all except for Commander Scott who is being promoted to Captain and will serve as chief engineer aboard the Excelsior . Scott appreciates the sentiment, but would rather remain and help with the refit of the Enterprise. Morrow explains that the Enterprise is not to be refit, but is to be decommissioned instead. When Kirk protests, Morrow states to him, " Jim, the Enterprise is twenty years old. We feel her day is over. " Kirk voices his hope that one day, the Enterprise will be able to return to Genesis, but Morrow says that is out of the question, as, in Kirk's absence, Genesis has become a galactic controversy. Morrow orders the Enterprise crew that they are not to discuss with anyone their knowledge about Genesis. " Consider it a quarantined planet… and a forbidden subject. "

Life from lifelessness?

On the Bird-of-Prey, Kruge and his most trusted officers, Maltz and Torg , view the data on Project Genesis . The Klingons are impressed by the power, but Kruge bristles at the idea of the Federation making new planets for themselves. He resolves to travel to Genesis and seize whatever information he can. Kruge regards what he calls the " Genesis torpedo " as a powerful weapon, not a means of creating life. After he dismisses Maltz, he tells Torg that they will seize the secret of this supposed "weapon" for the preservation of their race.

The USS Grissom , with Lieutenant Saavik and Dr. David Marcus aboard, arrives at Genesis and begins using sensors to explore the surface. During the initial scans of the planet's biosphere, its sensor scans discover Spock's photon torpedo casket on the surface harboring a lifeform that they cannot identify. Saavik and David Marcus try to convince Captain J.T. Esteban to allow them to beam down and investigate closer. Due to the sensitive nature of Genesis, Esteban keeps Starfleet in the loop with their every move. However, he reluctantly permits them to beam down and check it out.

Kirk reviews the Battle in the Mutara Nebula

At Kirk's apartment in San Francisco on Earth, he, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura toast to "absent friends." Kirk reveals that the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. McCoy is sedated at home, apparently suffering "exhaustion," and promises he will behave himself. A chime at the door is anticipated by Kirk to be Scott, but is instead Sarek , who demands a word alone with him. After Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura leave, Sarek is upset that Kirk did not follow what would have been Spock's final wishes, but Kirk is unaware of any particular request Spock would have made, and had no physical contact with him in the immediate moment of his death. Sarek believed Kirk would hold Spock's katra , his living spirit, but after conducting a mind meld with Kirk, Sarek does not find it – since they were on opposite sides of a wall, Spock would not have been able to meld with him. Sarek dejectedly says that, since the katra was not passed to Kirk, all of Spock is lost forever and silently turns to leave.

Before he reaches the door, Kirk asks him to wait, since he knows that, if the katra is as important as Sarek suggests, one way or another, Spock would have found some way to save it. After reviewing flight recorder tapes from the time of Spock's death, they find out that it was Dr. McCoy that received his katra . Although it will be very difficult, Kirk swears to Sarek he will get Spock's body back and return him and Dr. McCoy to Mount Seleya on Vulcan so they can find peace.

The search is on

Back at Genesis, Saavik and David transport down to the surface to conduct a closer examination of the unidentified lifeform. The duo discovers them to be an evolved form of microbe that had been present on the casket's surface when it was launched from the Enterprise . Opening the casket, they are puzzled to find Spock's body missing entirely, although they recover his burial robe. Before the scientists can speculate further, they are interrupted by what sounds like somebody screaming in the distance, and Saavik and Marcus set off to find the source.

Act Two [ ]

" The word is no. I am therefore going anyway. "

Kirk's attempt to get the Enterprise back runs afoul of Admiral Morrow. In a bar at Starfleet Headquarters , despite Kirk's plea, Morrow does not give him back Enterprise , and explicitly orders him not to return to Genesis, warning him, as a friend, to stop obsessing over this or it will ruin his career and he will destroy himself. Considering Morrow's words for just a moment, Kirk tells the admiral that he hears him and says he had to at least try. Kirk thanks Morrow for the drink and gets up to leave. Upon seeing Sulu and Chekov standing near the bar's exit, Kirk tells them, " The word – is "no." I am therefore going anyway. " With the help of his loyal crew, Kirk then begins to put his plan into motion.

Meanwhile, Dr. McCoy, influenced by the katra , attempts to charter a black market civilian ship to Genesis, independent of his shipmates' efforts. Upon meeting his nameless alien contact, McCoy attempts to negotiate terms of passage without revealing the exact details of his ultimate destination, but the alien presses harder, and as the conversation escalates, McCoy reveals that the destination is the Genesis planet. The alien refuses very loudly, due to the planet's recent forbidden status, but McCoy persists when he is interrupted by Federation Security and arrested. He tries to nerve pinch the security officer, but is unsuccessful. " You're going to have a nice, long rest doctor, " the officer says while McCoy raises an eyebrow. Kirk and Sulu are subsequently forced to rescue the doctor. In the process they assault Federation personnel and the trio barely escape from the brig before the security officers arrive.

" How many fingers do I have up? "

Despite being reassigned to Excelsior , Scott has been secretly making essential repairs to the Enterprise in addition to slaving the ship's controls to the main bridge. The commanding officer of the Excelsior , Captain Lawrence H. Styles , makes an offhanded remark to Scott about looking forward to breaking the speed records of the Enterprise the next day, which doesn't sit well with Scott at all. After asking the Excelsior 's turbolift to take him to the transporter room and the computer thanks him, he responds " Up your shaft. " Uhura accepts a post as a transporter operator at Old City Station in San Francisco , with the covert task of beaming Kirk and company aboard the Enterprise at the required moment. Kirk and his crew arrive in the transporter station and Uhura locks the junior officer in the closet while she beams the officers to the Enterprise . Before she energizes she tells her friends that she will meet them at rendezvous point and says to Kirk " all my hopes " and the crew are beamed to Enterprise , which is still docked within spacedock.

" Someone is stealing the Enterprise ! "

Scott has set up an automation system to allow control of the Enterprise just from the bridge. " A chimpanzee and two trainees could run her, " he assures the admiral. Although Kirk cannot ask his friends to go further, and that only he and McCoy must continue, Sulu, Chekov, and Scott hear none of it and insist on joining the flight. Kirk orders one-quarter impulse and the Enterprise begins its departure from spacedock. Unable to stop the Enterprise from opening the massive bay doors in spacedock, the Excelsior is ordered to pursue. Styles sends a message to Kirk threatening him that if he goes through with this he will never sit in a captain's chair again. Kirk considers this for a brief moment but refuses to give up on Spock. " Warp speed, " Kirk orders Sulu. The Enterprise engages warp drive. Styles prepares to send the Excelsior into transwarp to intercept the Enterprise as soon as possible. However, due to sabotage carried out on its transwarp computer drive by Scott, the Excelsior 's transwarp drive fails to activate and comes to a rough halt as the Enterprise escapes at warp speed. Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise , Scott hands McCoy a handful of parts from Excelsior 's transwarp drive computer as a souvenir " from one surgeon to another. " Commenting on the excellent work, Kirk jokes that he will recommend his crew for promotions… " in whatever fleet we end up serving. " The Enterprise goes to its best possible speed, bound for Genesis.

The Vulcan child

Unaware of events back in the Sol system, Saavik and Dr. Marcus locate a young Vulcan boy in the snow among large cactus and conclude that it is Spock, somehow regenerated by the same process that created the Genesis planet. Relaying this surprising information to the Grissom , Captain Esteban is reluctant to permit Spock to be beamed aboard the ship immediately, and would prefer to contact Starfleet Command to receive instructions. This turns out to be fortuitous; shortly afterward, Kruge's Bird-of-Prey decloaks. The USS Grissom is unintentionally destroyed by a "lucky shot" from the ship's gunner. Kruge is furious, as he had desired to take the science ship, and its data, intact, and the crew as prisoners. Kruge summarily executes the gunner, vaporizing him with his disruptor. Torg points out to Kruge that there are life signs on the planet and surmises that it is a landing party , which pleases Kruge. Now marooned on the surface and in danger of being captured, Saavik, Marcus, and Spock flee to more defensible ground.

The cruise of Enterprise to the Genesis planet goes well. As Kirk asks for a scan ahead for any vessels pursuing the stolen Federation ship, Dr. McCoy, who is at the science station, gives an impression of Spock while reporting that they have not detected any vessels in pursuit of the Enterprise , to Kirk's amusement. Later on, Chekov reports that Starfleet is transmitting a message to Grissom , warning them of the approach of the stolen Enterprise , but that Grissom is not responding. Kirk wonders aloud what Grissom is up to, having not responded to earlier messages, and wonders how the science vessel will respond when Enterprise arrives at Genesis: whether she'll join Enterprise or fire on her. He orders Chekov to break radio silence and send his compliments to Captain Esteban.

Vulcan mating season

Kruge and several members of his crew beam to the surface of the Genesis planet to pursue the surviving crew of the Grissom . Saavik finally finds out why the Genesis planet is changing so rapidly: David had used protomatter in the Genesis matrix, a substance known to be unstable. The Genesis planet is not likely to remain stable for very long, and it is causing the rapid evolution of the lifeforms on the planet as well as making Spock age rapidly. As night falls on the planet, David guards the location where he, Saavik and Spock are hiding. After discussing Spock's difficult adolescence that lies ahead of him, David detects life forms approaching their position from his tricorder . Saavik offers to confront them but David instead insists on intercepting them, asking for her phaser . Later, Spock, now aged to adolescence, begins to experience pon farr . Saavik determines that the only way Spock will make it through this portion of his accelerated growth would be for her to mate with him.

Sitting duck

Spock, Saavik, and David held prisoner by Kruge

As Enterprise approaches the Genesis planet, they briefly detect a ship, but it vanishes. They scan the planet, looking for life on it, and attempt to hail the Grissom . Meanwhile, as day breaks at their hiding place, Saavik and Spock are captured by the Klingons, as well as a beaten David Marcus. Kruge demands to know the secrets of the Genesis Project, but neither Marcus nor Saavik are forthcoming, and tell Kruge that the project was a failure. Shortly after, Kruge returns to his Bird-of-Prey to confront the Enterprise . As they sneak closer, Kirk and Sulu notice spatial distortions caused by the Bird-of-Prey's cloaking device. As soon as the Klingon vessel decloaks, Enterprise reflexively fires two photon torpedoes, both hitting the Bird-of-Prey's hull . The advantage proves short-lived however as, after the initial shock of being hit, the Klingons swiftly regain control of their vessel and bear down on the Enterprise . Chekov tries to raise the Enterprise 's shields , but finds the system non-responsive, and Scott reports that the automation system is overloading under the strain of the unexpected combat situation. The Bird-of-Prey fires one plasma charge , which strikes the Enterprise near the bridge, causing a series of internal explosions. The crew recovers and Kirk orders emergency power be engaged and to return fire; before Scott can do so though, the helm console sparks and bursts into flames, and Scott grimly informs Kirk that the automation system has been destroyed by the Klingon blast, leaving him having no control over any system, the ship dead in space. " So – we're a sitting duck, " Kirk grimly notes.

" Admiral, David is dead. "

" You Klingon bastards, you've killed my son! "

Aboard the Bird-of-Prey, Kruge becomes suspicious that the Enterprise isn't putting up more of a fight, considering it has far heavier armaments than his ship. Kirk then hails the Bird-of-Prey, demanding that the crew surrender within two minutes or face destruction. Kruge determines that Enterprise is less of a threat than Kirk is letting on, and calls Kirk's bluff, ordering him to surrender instead. He reveals that he has prisoners on the surface. Both Marcus and Saavik speak to Kirk by communicator and Saavik reveals that Spock is with them, alive. Marcus says that he can't believe that Kruge would kill them for Genesis, since the project was a failure. Kruge challenges that by ordering his men on the surface to kill any one of the prisoners. One of the men stalks behind the Grissom prisoners with his d'k tahg knife unsheathed. He chooses Saavik. However, as he rears back to sink the blade into the Vulcan's back, Marcus jumps backward and attacks the Klingon. Thoroughly outmatched physically, Marcus is knocked down and stabbed through the heart, while both Spock and Saavik can only watch and do nothing. With the Klingon communicator forced in her face, Saavik simply intones, " Admiral, David is dead. "

The death of the Enterprise

Completely devastated, Kirk stumbles back, and falls to the deck in front of his chair, cursing the Klingons for the needless death of his only son. Kruge is unmoved however, and threatens to have Saavik and Spock killed if Kirk refuses to surrender. The admiral finally gives in, and Kruge gives Kirk two minutes to prepare to be boarded. After taking a moment to quietly grieve David's death, Kirk consults with Sulu as to the crew numbers of a Bird-of-Prey, realizing that their only chance of survival is to eliminate as many of the Klingons as possible in one go. Kirk orders McCoy and Sulu to go to the transporter room and set beam-down coordinates for the planet below, while he, Scott, and Chekov activate the ship's auto-destruct sequence from the science station. With the sixty-second countdown begun, Kirk, Scott, and Chekov make a hasty departure to the transporter room, and then the five crewmembers leave the Enterprise for the last time. Moments later, the Klingons board the ship and begin stalking their way to the bridge. Torg becomes suspicious while storming through the Enterprise 's corridors with his men, finding no crewmembers to confront them.

"My God, Bones… what have I done?"

The Enterprise burning in Genesis' atmosphere

Arriving on the bridge, Torg signals Kruge and informs him the ship is deserted, the only voice coming from the computer as it counts down to zero. Kruge frantically tries to warn his crew to get off the ship; however, it is too late and the auto-destruct detonates: the bridge is engulfed in explosions that instantly kill the Klingon boarding party. As the saucer disintegrates in a series of explosions, a final detonation destroys the primary hull and knocks the lifeless hulk that was once the USS Enterprise out of orbit and into the atmosphere of Genesis. Safe on the planet's surface, Kirk, McCoy, Scott, Sulu, and Chekov watch on a plateau as their starship streaks across the atmosphere, burning up when it contacts the planet's atmosphere. Blinking hard to fight back tears, Kirk asks McCoy for guidance. All McCoy can offer is that Kirk did what he had to do and what he always has done: turn death into a fighting chance to live.

Act Three [ ]

Kirk observes Armageddon

Sulu detects lifeforms with his tricorder only a few kilometers away, and more worryingly that the planet's structure is beginning to totally destabilize. In that direction, Spock is going through a series of painful physical changes. He throws one of his two remaining Klingon guards to their death. The Enterprise crew finds them, and Kirk shoots the remaining Klingon. As McCoy examines Spock, who is now physically near his actual age, Kirk tends to David's body, covering him with his jacket. Saavik tells Kirk he gave his life to save her and Spock. McCoy says Spock is rapidly aging, but has no mind; McCoy suspects he possesses all of Spock's mentality .

Kirk taunts Kruge, who is mourning his crew, as a way to goad him into beaming them aboard the ship before the planet destroys itself. Kruge himself beams down to the planet instead and holds them all at gunpoint, ordering Maltz to beam up Sulu, Chekov, Scott, McCoy, and Saavik, but leaving Kirk and Spock. Kruge demands Genesis, over Kirk's protests that it is a failure, evidenced by the disintegrating planet they're on. Kruge and Kirk fight; Kruge is prepared to kill himself in the battle. The two eventually end up on a cliff-side overlooking a lava stream, and Kruge nearly falls to his death when part of the cliff breaks off. Kirk offers to save Kruge's life by extending his hand to help, but he tries to drag Kirk into the chasm along with him, and Kirk finally declares that he has had enough of the Klingon and kicks him in the face three times until he falls off the side of the cliff. As he plummets, the Klingon commander disappears in a flash of flame. Kirk retrieves Spock, who is now unconscious, but back to the physical age he was when he died, and tricks Maltz into beaming him on board the Bird-of-Prey by impersonating Kruge. Maltz, the last remaining member of his crew, surrenders, and Kirk gives him the choice of helping the Enterprise crew or dying, and Maltz is content to let the ship be destroyed when the planet below explodes. " Fine, I'll kill you later, " Kirk says. Scott, Sulu, and Chekov figure out the Klingon propulsion systems, and they set a course for Vulcan as the Genesis planet finally begins to blow itself apart. Once safely away from the self-destructing planet, Kirk quietly says his farewell to his son. He then orders Chekov to hold Maltz prisoner, but Maltz protests that Kirk stated he would kill him. Kirk intones, " I lied, " and stands by his order.

In a medical bay aboard the Klingon vessel, McCoy tries to converse with Spock's unconscious body. McCoy tells Spock of the katra that he had put into him in the Enterprise 's engine room , asking him to remember that. Still getting no response, McCoy tells his old Vulcan rival that he is going to say something that he never thought he'd hear himself say – he has missed Spock since his death and he doesn't know if he could stand to lose him again.

The Bird-of-Prey lands near Mount Seleya, where it is greeted by Sarek and Uhura. After Spock's body is taken up telekinetically to Mount Seleya, followed by Sarek, Kirk and company, a ceremony is then officiated by the Vulcan priestess T'Lar , who determines that Spock, indeed, is alive. Sarek, stating that his logic is uncertain as far as his son is concerned, requests that Spock's katra be reintegrated with its body in the fal-tor-pan ceremony. McCoy agrees to this despite being warned that there are risks involved. T'Lar initiates a mind meld with Spock and McCoy, and begins the ritual to restore Spock's soul.

The ceremony proceeds through the long night. As day breaks, T'Lar is escorted away in her sedan as McCoy wearily informs Kirk that's he's all right. When Kirk asks Sarek about Spock, the Vulcan can only reply "Only time will answer." As he begins to thank Kirk for his actions, the admiral cuts in saying that he did what he had to do. Sarek, with a hint of sorrow, asks Kirk if the price he paid with the loss of the Enterprise and his son was worth all of the effort. Kirk replies that if he hadn't tried, he would have paid with his own soul.

" My father says that you have been my friend… you came back for me. "

At first, Spock and two Vulcan priests walk past the Enterprise crew without a glance, but Spock removes his hood, turns back and then regards each of them, trying to remember a fragment of a memory of any of them. As he approaches Kirk, he regards him carefully and states that Sarek has told him that Kirk was his friend, that he came back for him. Kirk replies that Spock would have done the same for him. Spock, puzzled, asks why Kirk would do such a thing. Remembering what Spock had told him as he slowly died in the engine room of the Enterprise about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, Kirk turns it back and explains to Spock that in this case, " the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. "

The needs of the one

In Spock, the memory begins to surface and he echoes back to Kirk " I have been and ever shall be your friend. " Kirk, encouraging, tells Spock that he is correct. He also remembers more from his last meeting with Kirk, asking if the Enterprise is out of the danger that Khan had forced them into. Kirk tries to continue to jog Spock's memory by telling him he saved the ship – he saved them all. Spock, considering Kirk, looks at him guardedly: " Jim. Your name… is Jim… " Kirk smiles and says " Yes! " Spock, almost contented with the success, regards Dr. McCoy who taps his finger to his head knowingly and in a moment of overwhelming joy, the rest of the Enterprise crew welcomes Spock back as the sun rises over Vulcan.

" … and the Adventure continues … "

Log entries [ ]

" USS Enterprise , Captain's personal log . With most of our battle damage repaired, we're almost home. Yet I feel uneasy, and I wonder why. Perhaps it's the emptiness of this vessel. Most of our trainee crew have been reassigned. Lieutenant Saavik and my son, David, are exploring the Genesis planet which he helped create. And Enterprise feels like a house with all the children gone. No, more empty even than that. The death of Spock is like an open wound. It seems I have left the noblest part of myself back there… on that newborn planet. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" And Enterprise feels like a house with all the children gone. No, more empty even than that. The death of Spock is like an open wound. "

" Sir? I was wondering… are they planning a ceremony when we get in? I mean a reception? " " A hero's welcome, son? Is that what you'd like? Well, God knows there should be. This time we paid for the party with our dearest blood. "

" Until the Federation Council makes policy, you are all under orders not to discuss with anyone your knowledge of Genesis. Consider it a quarantined planet and a forbidden subject. "

" Impressive. They can make planets. " " Oh, yes. New cities and homes in the country. Your woman at your side. Children playing at your feet, and overhead, fluttering in the breeze, the flag of the Federation! Charming. "

" Regulations specifically state nothing shall be beamed aboard until danger of contamination has been eliminated. "

" Beaming down to the surface is permitted. " "If the Captain decides that the mission is vital and reasonably free of danger. "

" To absent friends. "

" The Council has ordered that no one but the science team goes to Genesis! "

" What'll it be? " " Altair water. " (giggles) " That's not your usual poison. " " To expect one to order poison in a bar is not logical. "

" All right, dammit! It's Genesis! The name of the place we're going is Genesis!" " GENESIS!? " " Yes! Genesis!! How can you be deaf with ears like that!? " " Genesis allowed, is not! It's planet forbidden! "

" Sir, I'm sorry, but your voice is carrying. I don't think you want to be discussing this subject in public. " " I'll discuss what I like! And who in the hell are you? " " Could I offer you a ride home, Dr. McCoy? " " Where's the logic in offering me a ride home, you idiot? If I wanted a ride home, would I be trying to charter a space flight? "

" Make it quick, Admiral. They're moving him to the Federation funny farm. " " Yes, poor friend. I hear he's nutty as a fruitcake. "

" How many fingers do I have up? " (Makes a Vulcan hand salute) " That's not very damn funny. " " Your sense of humor's returned. " " The hell it has! "

" You're suffering from a Vulcan mind meld, doctor. " " That green-blooded son of a bitch! It's his revenge for all the arguments he lost. "

" Keeping you busy? " " Don't get smart, Tiny. "

" That's Admiral Kirk, my God! " " Very good for you, Lieutenant. " " But it's damned irregular. No destination orders. No encoded IDs. " " All true. " " Well, what are we going to do about it? " " I'm not going to do anything about it. You're going to sit in the closet. " " The closet ? What, have you lost all your sense of reality? " " This isn't reality. " (turns and points a phaser at him) " This is fantasy ! You wanted adventure, how's this? The old adrenaline going, huh? Good boy. Now get in the closet! " " Okay, um… " " Go on, go on. " " I'll just get in the closet. "

" I'm glad you're on our side. "

" Ah, Mr. Scott! Calling it a night? " " Uh, yes sir. " " Turning in myself, looking forward to breaking the Enterprise 's speed records tomorrow. " " Ah, yes sir. Good night. "

" Level, please. " " Transporter room. " " Thank you. " " Up your shaft. "

" A chimpanzee and two trainees could run her. " " Thank you, Mister Scott. I'll try not to take that personally. "

" And… now, Mr. Scott. " " Sir? " " The doors, Mr. Scott! " " Aye, sir, I'm working on it! "

" Kirk! If you do this, you'll never sit in the captain's chair again. "

" Scotty… as good as your word. " " Aye, sir. The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain! (to McCoy) Here, doctor. Souvenirs… from one surgeon to another. I took them out of her main transwarp computer drive. "

" Gentlemen, your work today has been outstanding. I intend to recommend you all for promotion… in whatever fleet we end up serving. "

" Sir, may I suggest… " (points his weapon at Torg) " Say the wrong thing, Torg!! " " That if it's prisoners you want, there are life signs on the planet, perhaps the very scientists you seek. " (lowers his weapon) " Very good. "

" How are we doing? " " How are we doing? Funny you should put it that way, Jim. We are doing fine. But I'd feel a lot safer giving him one of my kidneys than what's scrambled in my brain! "

" Hello, sir. It's David. " " I'm sorry I'm late. " " It's OK; I should've known you'd come. But Saavik's right. This planet is unstable; it's going to destroy itself in a matter of hours. " " David, what went wrong? " I went wrong. " " I don't understand. " " I'm sorry, sir. Just don't surrender. Genesis doesn't work. I can't believe they'd kill us for it. "

" You Klingon bastard! You've killed my son! "

" There are two more prisoners, Admiral. You want them killed, too? Surrender your vessel. "

" Bones, you and Sulu to the transporter room. The rest of you with me, we have a job to do. "

" Destruct sequence completed and engaged. Awaiting final code for one minute countdown. " " Code zero, zero, zero...destruct...zero. " " Destruct sequence is activated. "

" Nine, eight, seven, six, five... " " GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE! GET OUT! " " ...One... "

" My God, Bones. What have I done? " " What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live. "

" Klingon Commander! This is Admiral James T. Kirk! I'm alive and well on the planet surface! I know this will come as a pleasant surprise for you, but our ship was a victim of an unfortunate accident! Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c'est la vie . I have what you want. I have the secret of Genesis. But you're gonna have to bring us up there to get it. You hear me? I'm waiting for you! What is your answer? "

" You fool, look around you! The planet's destroying itself. " " Yes! Exhilarating, isn't it? " " If we don't help each other, we'll die here. " " Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be! "

" You – help us or die. " " I do not deserve to live. " " Fine, I'll kill you later. "

" Where's the damn antimatter inducer? " " This? No, this. " " That, or nothing! "

" Wait! You said you would kill me! " " I lied. "

" I'm going to tell you something that I never thought I'd hear myself say. But it seems that I've missed you. And I don't know if I could stand to lose you again. "

" What you seek has not been done since ages past, and then only in legend. Your request is not logical. " " Forgive me, T'Lar. My logic is uncertain where my son is concerned. "

" McCoy, son of David, since thou art Human, we cannot expect thee to understand fully what Sarek has requested. Spock's body lives. With your approval, we shall use all our powers to return to his body that which you possess. "

" The danger to thyself is as grave as the danger to Spock. You must make the choice. " " I choose the danger! " (muttered) " Hell of a time to ask… "

" Kirk, I thank you. What you've done is – " " What I've done, I had to do. " " But at what cost? Your ship. Your son. " " If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul. "

" My father says that you have been my friend. You came back for me. " " You would have done the same for me. " " Why would you do this? " " Because the needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many. "

" Jim. Your name is Jim. "

Background information [ ]

Production [ ].

• Harve Bennett 's twenty-page outline for this film was entitled Return To Genesis and is dated 16 September 1982 . [1] Bennett has said in various interviews and the Star Trek III DVD that the script was the easiest he had ever written, starting at the end of the movie with Spock alive again and working backwards from that point. Bennett also said that Paramount green-lighted this film faster than any film he ever worked on, having been told to "Start writing Star Trek III " within days of the release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
• According to an article on io9.com Harve Bennett's original outline for Star Trek III would have involved Romulans coming to Genesis instead of Klingons and them finding the world very rich in dilithium. The Romulans then begin to mine the planet until the miners begin being killed by a feral Spock, whose aging was still tied to the aging of the planet. At the same time, Vulcan, upon hearing of the Genesis Device, is so horrified to discover that the Federation created such a potential weapon they want to secede from the Federation. This would have sent Kirk to Vulcan, with the crew of the Enterprise , to face the angry Vulcans. In the article, Robert Meyer Burnett argues that this would have been a more serious, "perilous" and above all epic story than the actual produced and released film – and it would have featured a Romulan commander along the lines of the thoughtful antagonist from the original Romulan story, " Balance of Terror ".
• In an early draft of the script, the Klingon Bird-of-Prey was originally to be a stolen Romulan vessel (the red "feather design" of the wings' underside was designed with the original Romulan Bird-of-Prey in mind), but that detail was dropped from the final draft.
• A copy of Bennett's original storyline was leaked to fans in February 1983 , forcing him to rewrite the script, changing many of the film's original details and events. This forced the original release date to change from the Christmas of 1983, when production was delayed until 15 August 1983 , partially due to the rewrite. ( Starlog #77, December 1983 , p. 15)
• After filming on Star Trek III began on Monday, 15 August 1983 . The opening scene on the Enterprise bridge was the first to be filmed. The last shot was taken at Thursday, 20 October 1983 on the Excelsior bridge . When the film was released, the box office receipts were strong. The film grossed US$16.7 million in its opening weekend, approximately US$2.4 million more than Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan made when it first opened. In the long run, however, Star Trek III grossed a total of US$76.5 million domestically, falling just short of Star Trek II 's US$78.9 million gross.
• During production, a fire broke out behind the Paramount lot which caused minor damage to the Genesis Planet set. Among those who assisted in putting out the fire was actor William Shatner. According to his Star Trek Movie Memories , Shatner was in full Kirk costume and makeup when he helped with the fire. Shatner also accounted in his book that he was terrified the fire was going to hold up filming and thereby make him late for reporting back to start filming the new season of TJ Hooker , the police drama that Shatner was starring in at the time that Star Trek III (and later Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ) was filmed.

Spock's rebirth [ ]

• Actor and director Leonard Nimoy also worked on the film's story, but his contribution went uncredited. " The only time there was any conflict about the movie's content happened during pre-production, when I said I was satisfied with the final script, and was ready to start shooting. The executives had some reservations about ending the picture on Vulcan. I felt, very, very strongly about that final sequence. I wanted to end the film by bringing Spock to Vulcan, and going through the ritual. I believed it would work, and that the audience would enjoy it. " Nimoy explained, " Not being so familiar with Star Trek , the executives didn't understand what that sequence would mean to the audience. They were worried about it, and tried to convince me to substitute a different ending. They wanted to end with the dramatic escape from the Genesis planet, getting Kirk and Spock on board the Klingon Bird of Prey , reviving Spock in the sick bay, doing a little tag scene and going home. " To that end, Nimoy said he " argue vehemently that we had to have the sequence on Vulcan. Showing Spock on his planet, among his people, trying to remember his friends, would be a moving scene. I managed to convince them that I wanted to do it my way, and they agreed. I didn't discuss the film with them again until I showed them my first cut. " ( Starlog #106, May 1986 , p. 52)
• There is an extra long pause between William Shatner's name and DeForest Kelley's during the opening credits where Leonard Nimoy's name would have been. To keep secret Leonard Nimoy's participation in this movie as an actor, official daily call sheets mentioned the adult Spock character only as "Nacluv" ("Vulcan" spelled backwards), played by " Frank Force ". Nimoy continued the joke by using the pseudonym in the end credits for his cameo role as the ( Excelsior ) elevator voice.
• After the Enterprise escapes from Spacedock, when Kirk orders a scan "for vessels in pursuit," an off-screen McCoy responds " scanning: indications negative at this time. " However, it is in actuality the voice of Leonard Nimoy that the audience hears. This is left as an open-ended question to whether it is McCoy performing an impersonation, or more likely, another manifestation of Spock's katra (spirit), as witnessed in the scene in Spock's quarters, in which McCoy sits in the shadows, but speaks in Spock's voice.

Destruction of the Enterprise [ ]

• According to director/producer commentary for the two-disc DVD release, the destruction of the Enterprise was to be a secret (like Luke Skywalker's father in the Star Wars franchise), but the Paramount promotional department made this the biggest point of the initial trailers, calling it "The Death of the Enterprise "; Harve Bennett had objected to this and tried to have the trailers changed so as to not spoil the surprise, but lost out. Despite the heightened security precautions implemented during filming, word of the ship's destruction was leaked during production, in an incident that some have attributed to Gene Roddenberry himself.
• In a 1987 interview with the Official Star Trek Fan Club magazine, Harve Bennett said that the destruction of the Enterprise was not in the original drafts of the script and was added later in writing when he and Leonard Nimoy realized they needed a dramatic life or death decision. After the film was finished, Bennett said he quietly vowed to restore the Enterprise at the proper time. The Enterprise was restored in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with the introduction of the USS Enterprise -A .

Deleted scenes [ ]

The filming of the turbolift scene

• A scene between Kirk and McCoy in a turbolift was filmed for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock but was ultimately cut. ( Starlog , issue 87, p. 20) This scene was included in the comic Star Trek III: The Search for Spock adaptation. An image from the production of this scene, with Leonard Nimoy directing William Shatner and DeForest Kelley , was published in Starlog (issue 88, p. 23).
• Scene 276 : A scene scripted to feature the Enterprise crew carrying Spock up the stairs to Mount Seleya . In this scene, credited actress Katherine Blum – as the Vulcan child – released herself from her father and went to Spock, performed the Vulcan salute , and said " Live long and prosper, Spock. "

• Another scene which was filmed for the movie but eventually omitted was set inside the Vulcan Hall of Ancient Thought . ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 61; Cinefantastique , Vol. 17, No. 3/4, p. 68; The Making of the Trek Films , 3rd ed., p. 53)

Behind the scenes [ ]

Concept art [ ].

Production gallery [ ]

Publicity photos [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy originally wanted Edward James Olmos as Kruge , but Paramount Pictures nixed the casting, while Olmos went on to play William Adama in Ronald D. Moore 's Battlestar Galactica revival in 2003.
• This movie marks the first live-action appearance of Ambassador Sarek ( Mark Lenard ) since his introduction seventeen years earlier in TOS : " Journey to Babel ". In the interim, he appeared in TAS : " Yesteryear ".
• Judi Durand voices her first computer in this movie. She can be heard announcing that the space doors are closed. She went on to play the Cardassian Computer Voice in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• Paramount continued its practice of seeking design patents for designs from the Star Trek movies with this film as well. It obtained patents for several props, the Excelsior , and the Klingon Bird-of-Prey.
• During the scene where Kirk asks Admiral Morrow for permission to return to the Genesis Planet, part of the Epsilon IX station from Star Trek: The Motion Picture can be seen as a wall decoration hanging in the background, and when they reach the turbo shaft, the other half can be seen.

The Klingon D'k tagh

• The Klingon d'k tahg is first introduced in this film.
• Several costumes, props, and set dressing from this film were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a pair of Vulcan gloves, [2] a lot of Genesis microbes , [3] Scott McGinnis ' undershirt, [4] and one of Robin Curtis ' costumes. [5]
• The bar in San Francisco, in which McCoy meets the alien, is a reused part from the sickbay of the Enterprise .
• For the bridge of the Grissom , the regular Enterprise bridge was used, with the captain's chair and the helm console twisted around. The covers of the seats were changed from white to pink.
• For the transporter complex, where Uhura beamed Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu to the Enterprise , the interiors from the Regula I space station were used.
• The climactic fight between Kirk and Kruge was originally supposed to feature huge boulders that would "burst" up from the ground. On the day of shooting, however, the boulders failed to work properly and the scene was shot without them (however, one of them worked correctly and was used to propel Kruge into the air to attack Kirk at the onset of their fight).

Reception [ ]

• This film failed to impress Ronald Reagan , when he viewed it at the White House on 23 June 1984 . Reagan mentioned the film in his diaries, commenting, " After dinner we ran Star Trek III . It wasn't too good. " Despite this, he watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home two years later. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 160 , p. 53)
• In Britain, the film was released on 27 July 1984 . It reached no.2 in the box office charts, but eventually rose to no.1 late in its run. It was however the lowest performing Star Trek film at the UK box office overall with only £1,096,042. [8]
• Star Trek III: The Search For Spock had its broadcast network television premiere on ABC on September 28, 1987 (coinciding with the syndicated debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation ), to compensate for the loss of that evening's Monday Night Football (due to the 1987 NFL strike).

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock received the following awards and honors:

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Apocrypha [ ]

The novelization of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock shows that from her transporter station, Uhura was monitoring Starfleet channels and helping to jam and distort channels in order to aid in Kirk and company's escape attempt. Also, after Excelsior was disabled, it issued a distress call, and Uhura intercepted and dumped it, thinking that as Styles had usurped what was supposed to be Sulu's command, that he could sit out there and stew for a while. After the escape of Enterprise , Uhura quickly ran to the Vulcan Embassy and asked for asylum from Sarek, which he granted to her despite the protestations of Starfleet security who had followed Uhura there.

In the novelization, after their escape from Genesis, Saavik speculates to Kirk that billions of years in the future, the matter that formed the Genesis system may again coalesce into another star system, this time lacking the protomatter that doomed it and this time, the system should be stable and may well turn out in the way that David and Carol and their friends all intended. The novelization and the children's read-along storybook also referenced the intended fate for the Genesis planet in the shooting script: it was to fall into its sun (parts of this are seen in the finished film: as the Bird-of-Prey begins to make its escape, the planet is clearly shown to be very close to the sun, as well as the fact that Kirk's face seems to get yellower as he calls for beam-out). In the novel, the planet falls into its sun, and the sun itself expands and is reduced to a cloud of plasma.

The novelization also includes several scenes that were not in the film or script at all, such as a wake aboard the Enterprise for Spock (and by extension, everyone who died in The Wrath of Khan ) that goes badly; a debriefing with Captain Esteban that ends with a rift forming between Kirk and David; the recovery of bodies from the Regula One laboratory; the escape of two survivors from the merchant ship that was destroyed by the Bird of Prey; Sulu being informed that, because he was aboard the Enterprise during events that were going to be classified by Starfleet, command of the Excelsior was being given to Styles; a relationship forming between David and Saavik; and the discovery that the plants in the Genesis Cave had mutated and secreted a substance that was a powerful narcotic.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ], opening credits [ ].

• William Shatner
• DeForest Kelley
• James Doohan
• George Takei
• Walter Koenig
• Nichelle Nichols
• Mark Lenard as Sarek
• Merritt Butrick as David
• Dame Judith Anderson
• Robin Curtis as Lt. Saavik
• Christopher Lloyd as Kruge
• Gene Roddenberry
• James Horner
• Ralph Winter
• Robert F. Shugrue
• John E. Chilberg II
• Charles Correll , ASC
• Gary Nardino
• Harve Bennett
• Leonard Nimoy

Closing credits [ ]

• James B. Sikking
• Allan Miller
• Carl Steven
• Vadia Potenza
• Stephen Manley
• Joe W. Davis
• Michael P. Schoenbrun
• James Hockridge
• Ken Stringer
• Robert Fletcher
• David Nowell , SOC
• Robert A. Torres
• Alfredo R. Sepulveda
• Michael Scott , SOC
• Norman E. Parker
• Gene S. Cantamessa , CAS
• Raul A. Bruce
• Agnes G. Henry
• Jean Merrick
• Dan Bronson
• Joseph Markham
• The Burman Studio ( Barney Burman & Rob Burman )
• James L. McCoy
• Silvia Abascal
• Paul Abascal
• Carol O'Connell
• Lily La Cava
• Norm Glasser
• "Big" Ed Cooper
• Dennis Harper
• Clarence Ebert
• Jon Falkengren
• Ronald E. Greenwood
• Jerry Kobold
• Charlie Russo
• Ron Galloway
• Thomas R. Homsher
• Dennis K. Petersen
• Tony Vandenecker
• Peter G. Evangelatos
• Scott Goodale
• Ed Charnock, Jr.
• Dennis C. Ivanjack
• Cameron Birnie
• Blake Russell
• Robert D. Mayne
• Lynn Harman
• Robert Morgan
• John Shannon
• Martin X. Chielens
• John A. Hagger
• Terry P. Haggar
• Cecelia Hall
• George Watters II
• John Leveque
• Paul Bruce Richardson
• Sean Hanley
• Ron Horwitz
• Pamela Bentkowski
• Dan O'Connell
• Ellen Heuer
• Danniel F. Finnerty
• Bruce D. Fortune
• Alan Howarth
• Frank Serafine
• Tom Johnson
• Robert Badami
• Greig Mc Ritchie
• David J. Hudson
• Robert W. Glass, Jr.
• Dr. Richard H. Green
• Marc Okrand
• Debbie Schwab
• Cynthia Riddle
• Joel Marston
• Andre Tayir
• Barbara Arms
• Barbara Harris
• Sylvia Rubinstein
• Teresa E. Victor
• Deborah Arakelian
• Industrial Light & Magic , Marin County, California
• Kenneth Ralston
• David Carson
• Kenneth F. Smith
• Scott Farrar
• Selwyn Eddy III
• Peter Daulton
• Robert Hill
• Patrick McArdle
• Ray Gilberti
• Toby Heindel
• Donald Clark
• Ralph Gordon
• David Berry
• Warren Franklin
• Laurie Vermont
• Steve Gawley
• William George
• William Beck
• Richard Davis
• Michael Fulmer
• David Sosalla
• Michael Pangrazio
• Chris Evans
• Frank Ordaz
• Craig Barron
• Charles Mullen
• Bruce Walters
• Phillip Norwood
• Bill Kimberlin
• Jay Ignaszewski
• Ted Moehnke
• ILM Stage Crew
• Terry Chostner
• Michael MacKenzie
• The Burbank Studios
• Hal Landaker
• Alan Landaker
• Rick Whitfield
• Symbolics, Inc. , Graphics Division
• Omnibus Video, Inc.
• Strayframes
• Stuart Jensen
• Elza Bergeron
• Mary Ann Barton
• Kirk – William Shatner
• Spock – Leonard Nimoy
• McCoy – DeForest Kelley
• Scotty – James Doohan
• Chekov – Walter Koenig
• Sulu – George Takei
• Uhura – Nichelle Nichols
• Saavik – Robin Curtis
• David – Merritt Butrick
• Trainee Foster – Phil Morris
• " Mr. Adventure " – Scott McGinnis
• Admiral Morrow – Robert Hooks
• Spock...Age 9 – Carl Steven
• Spock...Age 13 – Vadia Potenza
• Spock...Age 17 – Stephen Manley
• Spock...Age 25 – Joe W. Davis
• Captain – Paul Sorensen
• Valkris – Cathie Shirriff
• Kruge – Christopher Lloyd
• Torg – Stephen Liska
• Maltz – John Larroquette
• Sergeant – Dave Cadiente
• Gunner #1 – Bob Cummings
• Gunner #2 – Branscombe Richmond
• Captain Esteban – Phillip Richard Allen
• Helm – Jeanne Mori
• Communications – Mario Marcelino
• Alien – Allan Miller
• Waitress – Sharon Thomas
• Civilian Agent – Conroy Gedeon
• Captain Styles – James B. Sikking
• First Officer – Miguel Ferrer
• Sarek – Mark Lenard
• Child – Katherine Blum
• High Priestess – Dame Judith Anderson
• Prison Guard #1 – Gary Faga
• Prison Guard #2 – Douglas Alan Shanklin
• Woman in Cafeteria – Grace Lee Whitney
• Robin Kellick
• Kimberly L. Ryusaki ( Bar alien / Trainee Enterprise crewmember )
• Phil Weyland (for William Shatner / Starfleet crewman )
• Steve Blalock (for Leonard Nimoy / Vulcan guard )
• Spock Screams – Frank Welker
• Enterprise Computer – Teresa E. Victor
• Flight Recorder – Harve Bennett
• Space Dock Controller – Judi Durand
• Elevator Voice – Frank Force
• Background Voices – The Loop Group
• Al Jones ( Klingon crewman )
• Steve Blalock ( Trainee crewman )
• David Burton (stunt double for Merritt Butrick)
• Kenny Endoso
• Jim Halty ( San Francisco bar patron )
• Chuck Hicks ( Stunt double for Paul Sorensen )
• Jeff Jensen ( Stunt double for Douglas Alan Shanklin )
• Don Charles McGovern ( Klingon crewman )
• Tom Morga ( Merchantman alien crewman / Starfleet officer / Klingon officer )
• Alan Oliney
• Chuck Picerni, Jr. ( Klingon crewman )
• Danny Rogers ( Merchantman first officer )
• Frank James Sparks
• David Zellitti ( Klingon crewman )
• Ron Stein & R.A. Rondell
• Movie Magic
• Hollywood Armor
• United States Marine Corp. – Air / Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California
• Music by Alexander Courage
• Craig Hundley
• Johnny Mercer & Victor Schertzinger
• Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen
• Panavision ®
• Glen Glenn Sound
• Cinema Group Venture
• Capitol Records and XDR™ cassettes
• Shirley Anthony as Vulcan priestess
• David Armstrong as Vulcan apprentice
• Benjie Bancroft as Vulcan attendant
• Bibi Besch as Carol Marcus (archive footage)
• Jessie Biscardi as a Vulcan maiden
• Suzy Born as a Vulcan maiden
• Barney Burman as a bar alien ( deleted scene )
• Charles Correll as a Spacedock worker
• Debra Dilley as a Vulcan maiden
• Claudia Lowndes as an Officer's wife
• Danny Nero as Vulcan guard
• Paulette as a Vulcan maiden
• Michael Prokopuk as Excelsior crewmember
• Nanci Rogers as a bar waitress
• Teresa Sloan as a bar patron
• Rebecca Soladay as a Vulcan maiden
• John Staible as Enterprise crewman
• Cheryl Wallack as Vulcan priestess
• Bar alien with bald tattooed head
• Bar alien with metallic faceplates
• Bar dart player
• Female bar patron
• Female Starfleet officer in bar
• Male Human bar patron
• Enterprise security officer 1
• Enterprise Security officer 2
• Alien Enterprise crewmember
• Deltan Excelsior officer
• Excelsior helmsman
• Excelsior engineer
• Excelsior bridge crewmembers
• Grissom navigator
• Morrow's personal aide
• Spacedock controllers 1 and 2
• Vulcan at ritual 1 and 2
• Vulcan apprentices 1 – 4
• Vulcan attendant 1
• Vulcan maiden
• Vulcan musician
• Vulcan priests 1 and 2
• Lightning Bear
• Jean Coulter as stunt double for Sharon Thomas ( deleted scene )
• Eric Mansker as bartender ( deleted scene )
• Bari Burman – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Thomas R. Burman – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Edward Goehring – Creative Consultant: Stray Frames Ltd.
• Steve LaPorte – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Kenneth A. Larson – Propmaker
• Tony McVey – Sculptor
• Leonard Nimoy – Writer
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• Professional VisionCare Associates – Contact Lens company

References [ ]

2265 ; 40 Eridani A ; accident ; act of war ; acting ; adrenaline ; adventure ; agent ; aging ; animal ; area ; Altair water ; alternative ; answer ; antimatter inducer ; approach control ; Arcanis Lager ; argument ; " at regular intervals "; attack ; auto-destruct ; automate ; automation center ; automation system ; auto system ; bar ; bargain ; barn door ; battle alert ; battle damage ; battle cruiser ; bearing ; behavior ; blood ; blue alert ; boarding party ; body ; " Bones "; Bounty , HMS ; brain ; breeze ; burial robe ; " by the book "; captain's chair ; captain of engineering ; " calling it a night "; career ; cell ; Celsius ; ceremony ; chance ; chief engineering officer ; channel ; charter ; children ; chimpanzee ; choice ; city ; civilization ; cloaking device ; closet ; combat ; commander ; commendation ; communications ; compartment ; compliments ; computer ; computer voice ; comrade ; Constitution II -class ; Constitution II -class decks ; contamination ; countdown ; country ; course ; crew complement ; criminal ; cylindrical ; d'k tahg ; damage ; danger ; darts ; data ; day ; deafness ; death ; decommission ; Deltan ; desert ; destination order ; distortion ; docking ; docking maneuver ; docking procedure ; doomsday weapon ; door ; dozen ; drain ; duty station ; ear ; Earth ; emergency channel ; emergency frequency ; emergency power ; emergency tube ; emissary ; emotional problem ; emptiness ; encoded ID ; enemy ; energy ; energy surge ; Enterprise , USS ; estimating ; ethics ; event ; evolution ; Excelsior -class ; Excelsior , USS ; execution ; exhaustion ; expedition ; failure ; Fal-tor-pan ; fantasy ; Federation Council ; Federation government ; Federation Neutral Zone ; Federation Security ; feet ; finger ; firing range ; flag ; fleet ; Flight International ; flight recorder ; foliage ; fool ; French language ; friend ; friendship ; funny farm ; gang ; Genesis Device ; Genesis effect ; Genesis Experiment ; Genesis (planet) ; Genesis matrix ; Genesis Planet sun ; Genesis sector ; Genesis Torpedo ; Genesis wave ; Genesis worm ; " give the word "; God knows "; gravitational field ; gravitational support system ; " Great Experiment, The "; green ; Grissom , USS ; gunner ; hailing frequency ; hand ; head ; hello ; " hind end "; home ; honor ; hope ; hour ; house ; Human ; humor ; idea ; impatience ; impulse power ; information ; inquiry ; inspection ; instinct ; instruction ; intention ; James T. Kirk's San Francisco apartment ; katra ; Keeper ; kellicam ; kidney ; Klingons ' Klingon Bird-of-Prey ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon monster dog ; Klingonese ; knowledge ; Kobayashi Maru ; knowledge ; Kruge's Bird-of-Prey ; land ; landing ; lava lamp ; legend ; lexorin ; light ; life ( lifeform ); lifelessness ; life sign ; line ; lord ; loyalty ; luck ; machine ; main transwarp computer drive ; marbles ; mass ; maximum velocity ; medical tricorder ; McCoy, David ; medic ; memory bank ; Merchantman ; message ; metal ; meter ; microbe ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mind ; mind meld ; minute ; miracle worker ; mission ; money ; moon ; mooring ( automatic mooring ); Mount Seleya ; multiplication ; Mutara sector ; " my God "; mysticism ; NCC-500 ; NCC-585 ; NCC-3801 ; NCC-4000 ; name ; negotiation ; newborn ; Oberth -class ; obsessive behavior ; officer ; " oh my God "; Old City Station ; " on course "; opinion ; opponent ; orbital shuttle ( unnamed ); Orbital shuttle 6 ; Orbital shuttle 7 ; order ; " out of the question "; " out on a limb "; pain ; parlor ; peace ; permission ; permit ; phaser ; phaser bank ; photon torpedo ; photon tube ; poison ; place ; planet core ; plant ; platitude ; playing ; plumbing ; policy ; pon farr ; pre-approach scan ; price ; priority one ; prisoner ; problem ; progress report ; Project Genesis ; promotion ; protomatter ; prototype ; quarantine ; quarters ; radiation ; radio silence ; range ; rationality ; reality ; reception ; recorder ; red alert ; refit ; refit time ; regeneration ; rendezvous ; repair estimate ; reply ; report ; reputation ; research ; retrothrusters ; revenge ; risk ; " Roger "; room ; rule ; sabotage ; sacrifice ; science officer ; science station ; science team ; science vessel ; scientist ; scout class ; Scott's grandmother ; screen ; search ; " second wind "; secret ; Sector 1 ; Sector 2 ; Sector 3 ; security access ; sense of humor ; " set sail "; shaft ; shield ; ship for hire ; shock ; short range scan ; side elevator ; signal ; " sitting duck "; " son of a bitch "; Spacedock One ; spacedock ship ; spirit ; ship's surgeon ; shore leave ; Skon ; snow ; soft landing ; Solkar ; soul ; souvenir ; space ; space body ; Spacedock One ; space door ; spaceflight ; space veteran ; speed ; speed record ; staff meeting ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Commander ; Starfleet regulations ; step ; standard orbit ; standard orbital approach ; " stand by "; stranger ; stealing ; subject ; subspace coded channel 98.8 ; sunrise ; surface ; surgeon ; surprise ; surrender ; survivor ; sympathy ; temperature ; terminium ; terrain ; " the promised land "; thought ; thousand ; thruster ; time ; toast ; torpedo casing ; town ; tractor beam ; trainee ; trainee crew ; tranquilizer ; transmission ; transporter ; transporter beam ; transporter room ; transwarp drive ; treaty ; trial run ; tricorder ; trick ; travel pod 05 ; truce ; truth ; type 2 phaser ; umbilical support system ; Unit 1 ; Unit 2 ; vegetation ; victim ; violation ; voice ; Vulcans ; Vulcan (planet) ; Vulcan gong ; Vulcan language ; Vulcan nerve pinch ; Vulcan salute ; wagon ; " wait a minute "; walk ; warp drive ; warp speed ; " what the hell "; weakling ; weapon ; weapon system ; weather ; week ; wheel ; wisdom ; wish ; word ; world ( planet ); wound ; year ; yellow alert

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External links [ ]

• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock at Wikipedia
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock at the Internet Movie Database
• Behind the scenes on The Search for Spock  at Forgotten Trek
• Filming Locations at Film in America
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• " Star Trek III: The Search for Spock " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

Den of Geek

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock retrospective review

Adam looks back on the slightly less-regarded middle entry in the 'Genesis Trilogy'...

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Two years after the release of The Wrath Of Khan , the crew of the Enterprise returns and they’re looking for someone. Maybe you’ve seen him? With Star Trek II being another success, Paramount now knew that this Trek film thing was not some flash in the pan. This was a franchise that could be virtually guaranteed to rake it in every few years.

Spock’s death in the previous film meant there was plenty of meat for the next chapter, so here it is, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock . Directed by Leonard Nimoy, The Search For Spock serves as the middle act of what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Genesis Trilogy’ and opens with a flashback to the decisive events of the previous film, the Enterprise winding its way wearily home after the events of TWOK .

Kirk is still struggling to come to terms with Spock’s passing, and remarks that with his newfound son transferred to another ship (along with Saavik) the Enterprise feels like ‘a house with all the children gone.’ McCoy, too is not himself, and is found by Kirk in Spock’s quarters, doing what I guess, in Star Trek terms, would be a Spock Tribute act. Sadly, we don’t get a Vulcan rendition of Suspicious Minds or The Wonder Of You .

Meanwhile, we learn that a Klingon agent has stolen the Genesis proposal (although William Shatner is now explaining what’s what, presumably to save giving Bibi Besch a second pay-cheque for playing Carol Marcus) and passed it to a renegade commander, Kruge (played by Christopher Lloyd), who is intent to make the Genesis secrets his own.

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The Enterprise arrives back to Earth to the shock of the assembled onlookers (and a nice little cameo from Grace Lee Whitney) and the crew is informed the Enterprise will not be refitted and Scotty will be transferred to the new USS Excelsior ; seems like the crew will be split up.

Gathering to discuss their future, and the health of Dr. McCoy,  they are interrupted by Spock’s father, Sarek, who believes Kirk is carrying his son’s ‘katra’, the Vulcan equivalent of a soul, which at times of near death, a Vulcan may pass to a member of their family, or somebody they consider to be as good as.

After Kirk pops on the DVD of the Wrath Of Khan (although from the numbers on screen, I think it may be a hooky copy, or maybe a screener) it becomes apparent that Spock was unable to pass his Katra to Kirk, but instead passed it to the good Doctor.

We then join Saavik and David aboard the USS Gutless, sorry, USS Grissom, where they are busy surveying the Genesis planet. The ship’s sensors detect a life-form, which they beam down to investigate. McCoy meanwhile, is being driven to find Spock’s body, and like some intergalactic salmon, tries to charter a ship.

Sadly, he finds no trace of Han Solo, or anyone else willing to take him to the restricted sector, and is quickly arrested and after a failed attempted at a Vulcan nerve pinch, sectioned.

Over drinks with Admiral Morrow, Kirk is told there is no way he can return to Genesis, so with the help of his senior officers, rescues McCoy from the hospital and sets about stealing the Enterprise. Thanks to some extra help from Scotty, the USS Excelsior is unable to pursue, and with Chekov ditching the oddest wardrobe choice in the 23rd century, the Enterprise is on her way, to rescue Spock’s body, and save Dr McCoy’s mind.

A pity then, that the Captain of the Grissom wasn’t quite as canny as old JTK, and failed to notice the Klingons watching under cloak, because before you can say ‘ The Trouble With Tribbles ‘ the Grissom is little more than space debris, leaving Saavik and Marcus at the mercy of the Klingons.

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The Klingons quickly track down Spock, Saavik and David and with the Enterprise nearing Genesis, Kruge returns to the Bird-of-Prey, keen to face the legendary Kirk in battle. gets the upper hand, but with Scotty’s computer bypass system overloaded, Kirk tries to bluff the Klingon into surrender. But it seems Kirk has met his match, and is one of the few people to see though the Captain’s poker face and reveals he holds three prisoners on the planet.

David informs Kirk that Genesis doesn’t work, and that the planet is destroying itself. Kruge orders one of the prisoners killed as a show of his strength, and as the Kilngon moves to kill Saavik, David intervenes, eventually being killed. Kirk is a broken man, and with no way out, orders the destruction of the Enterprise, whilst luring the Klingons onto the doomed ship.

Thankfully, Kirk’s kung-fu is much better than Kruge’s and after dispatching the Klingon to a lava-based death, the Enterprise crew successfully steal the Bird-of-Prey and make their way to Vulcan.

After returning to his home world, the Vulcans are able to reinstall Spock’s katra and after rebooting him, he’s good as new and Kirk has once again cheated death. Kirk 2 – Death nil…

The best thing about SFS has to be DeForest Kelley. He finally gets a decent portion of screen time, and his performance shines. The scene in the bar is brilliant, and it really shows how gifted an actor he was. The pitch and timing is perfect, you really do believe this man has Spock’s soul inside him.

Christopher Lloyd also deserves credit for his performance as Kruge (Nimoy originally wanted to cast Edward James Olmos, thankfully Paramount said ‘no’, you can’t have a Klingon in command of the Colonial Fleet and the Battlestar Galactica!)

Like his counterpart on TWOK , Nimoy’s direction succeeds in getting another good performance from Shatner; the scene where he learns of David’s death and the loss of the Enterprise is particularly touching, as is his ultimate reunion with Spock as the film concludes.

As usual for a Star Trek film, the special effects are great, the stand-out scenes being Kirk stealing the Enterprise (again, accompanied by some superb music from James Horner) and the destruction of the ship, Industrial Light and Magic underline their excellent work on the previous film and the introductions of the various new ships and starbases work well.

Where the film falls down, however, is with the Genesis planet itself. To be blunt, it looks cheap. TV show cheap. Paramount once again tightened the purse strings and plans to shoot Genesis scenes in Hawaii were deemed too expensive, and in my opinion, it hurts the film.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock is a good film, certainly not on a par with Khan , but a fine entry in the franchise, and certainly good enough to break the rule that ‘every odd numbered Star Trek film is crap’.

Adam Sloman

MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews & Interviews

Film Review: Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)

Though the Star Trek movies got off to a shaky start with the first film – The Motion Picture, which I reviewed here – the second film was an absolutely spectacular romp, full of high stakes action, superb writing and excellent character development. It ended on a pseudo-cliffhanger too, with the death of Spock. Despite…

Though the Star Trek movies got off to a shaky start with the first film – The Motion Picture, which I reviewed here – the second film was an absolutely spectacular romp , full of high stakes action, superb writing and excellent character development. It ended on a pseudo-cliffhanger too, with the death of Spock. Despite Leonard Nimoy’s apparent desire for the character to be killed off and the event being somewhat of an open secret in advance of the film’s release, the climax of The Wrath of Khan left tantalising threads dangling; clearly the potential setup for the character to return.

So it’s not really surprising then, that the third film sees us taking the trip with our familiar crew to get the beloved Vulcan back. His coffin having landed on the Genesis planet during the final moments of The Wrath of Khan – along with his ‘katra’ (essentially his spirit or soul) being transferred to his old sparring partner, Dr McCoy, before he died – means that Spock can be fully, miraculously resurrected. We start with a recap of the previous movie’s climax and move into the new story very swiftly from there.

Klingon commander Kruge – a fantastic Christopher Lloyd – has found out about the Genesis device and seeks to weaponise it; meanwhile, Kirk’s scientist son David and Vulcan Starfleet Lieutenant Saavik – both of whom made their first appearance in The Wrath of Khan – are beaming down to the surface of the Genesis planet to inspect the discovery of an unexpected life form…

Though Leonard Nimoy had – as mentioned – sought to escape the shadow of Spock throughout the 70s (nothing demonstrates this better than his first autobiography, published in 1975, which was titled ‘I Am Not Spock’), his experience when viewing The Wrath of Khan was such a positive one that he expressed the desire not only to return to the role that made him so famous – he also wanted to direct the next film himself.

He does well. It’s an excellent and very direct follow up from The Wrath of Khan. Though it isn’t as good as the second film, it certainly accomplishes an excellent – unpredictable, even, in terms of the story beats that get us to the expected climax – return for Spock. Despite the fact that the character coming back is a foregone conclusion, particularly at this point in time, there are still plenty of surprises in store over the course of the film. It often has a bit of a lighter tone than The Wrath of Khan too – and the cast are brilliant, with the more familiar characters we know and love all getting excellent moments to shine, as well as working together as a team in a way you don’t realise you haven’t really seen before. Without Spock involved for most of the running time, characters such as Chekov and Sulu get a bit more screen time than we’re used to and are utilised well for once.

There’s one exception: Saavik. Portrayed by Kirstie Alley – in her first ever film role – in The Wrath of Khan, the character is played by Robin Curtis in The Search for Spock. She doesn’t quite find the right tone for the Vulcan Lieutenant, coming across as very wooden. It’s a shame; apparently the only reason Alley didn’t return is that she feared being typecast.

The special effects, for the most part, really hold up well. The Klingon Bird of Prey, in particular, looks absolutely fantastic – the cloaking effect is superb and the ship’s look adds a great splash of colour to the space battles – with its bold green colouring – too.

I’m a big fan of Kruge’s pet, the mangy, slimy Klingon ‘monster dog’, as well – it’s an excellent design and a nice example of how effective puppetry can be, rather than the CGI we’re all too familiar with these days.

One thing that does disappoint is that there’s a very artificial feel to the Genesis planet; it’s clear that it all takes place in a studio. Very little of the film takes place in real locations and it’s unfortunately more obvious here than in The Wrath of Khan, given how much time we spend planetside.

There’s a sense here of the franchise moving even further away from expectations than The Wrath of Khan did; with Kirk and crew stealing the Enterprise from Starfleet, for example – but also in the fact that it’s the end of the road for the Enterprise itself (for now, at least). The crew finishing their adventure on a Klingon vessel is another sign that we’re seeing a new Trek, despite the fact that The Search for Spock could well have fallen into the trap of being far too predictable.

The sudden, tragic end for Kirk’s son David is a shocking development too; though Shatner’s reaction to this is fantastic, it’s not quite on par with his handling of Spock’s death in The Wrath of Khan, which I still believe is his greatest Star Trek performance. It’s made all the more tragic when you discover that Merritt Butrick, who played David, died at the age of just 29, from complications arising from an AIDS-related illness.

Perhaps as an acknowledgement that Kirk never directly confronts Khan in the previous film, here he goes toe to toe with his adversary at the climax, for a fight that – due to the involvement of Kruge in David’s death – feels even more personal for Shatner’s character (though it’s very brief).

So there we are. The oft-cited curse of only the even numbered films being any good when it comes to the Star Trek movies is proven wrong here – at least in my opinion. I thought that The Search for Spock was a great companion piece to – and continuation of – the story that began in The Wrath of Khan. Though it suffers a little in comparison to that film, as well as the fact that it exists almost solely in order to get Spock back, I do admire the fact that it’s not simply a lazy cash grab – it does have twists and turns outside of the Spock resurrection that make it an essential entry in the series, as far as I’m concerned.

With the time travelling fun of The Voyage Home up next, can we maintain the same level of quality seen here? The ‘even numbered’ rule was there for a reason, after all – so perhaps we’re going to be on to a winner there too. I’ll be sure to let you know once I’ve had the chance to watch it again.

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6 responses to “film review: star trek iii: the search for spock (1984)”.

It’s nice to read your reviews of these. Seeing them from your POV. Looking forward to the next one!

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Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying these. Happy to be watching these again with fresh eyes and it’s good to see that the film series recovered from the bad start it got.

[…] in tone and content to the previous two films, it nonetheless picks up right after the climax of The Search for Spock –  with our crew still on Vulcan, manning a Klingon Bird of Prey rather than the Enterprise […]

[…] Trilogy’ of movies (beginning with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, continuing with Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and ending with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), the status quo of Star Trek had been reset […]

[…] with the original cast. It’s another successful big screen outing and – along with the underrated third episode – means that we only have two genuine misfires across six films (adding The Motion Picture to […]

[…] Movie review on Mid-life gamer geek […]

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Read no further if you don't want to know whether Mr. Spock is alive at the end of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". But, if you, like me, somehow had the notion that there was a 100 percent chance that they would find Spock (if only so he would be available for "Star Trek IV"), then you will be relieved to learn that his rediscovery and rebirth pay due homage to the complexities of the Vulcan civilization. By the end of this movie, all Mr. Spock has to do is raise one of those famous eyebrows, and the audience cheers.

This is a good but not great Star Trek movie, a sort of compromise between the first two. The first film was a "Star Wars" road company that depended on special effects. The second movie, the best one so far, remembered what made the Star Trek TV series so special: not its special effects, not its space opera gimmicks, but its use of science fiction as a platform for programs about human nature and the limitations of intelligence. "Star Trek III" looks for a balance between the first two movies. It has some of the philosophizing and some of the space opera, and there is an extended special-effects scene on the exploding planet Genesis that's the latest word in fistfights on the crumbling edges of fiery volcanoes.

There is also a great-looking enemy spaceship that resembles a predatory bird in flight (although why ships in the vacuum of space require wings is still, of course, a question Star Trek prefers not to answer).* The ship is commanded by the fairly slow-witted Klingon warrior Kruge (played by Christopher Lloyd of Taxi), who falls for a neat little double cross that is audacious in its simplicity. The movie's plot involves a loyal attempt by the Enterprise crew to return to the planet Genesis in an attempt to reunite Spock's body and spirit. The alien spaceship is in the same sector, attempting to steal the secret of Genesis, a weapon from the last movie that begins by bringing life to dead planets and goes on from there. The showdown between the Klingons and the Enterprise crew resembles, at times, one of those Westerns where first Bart had the draw on Hoppy and then Hoppy had the draw on Bart, but the struggle to the death between Kirk and Kruge takes place against such a great apocalyptic background that we forgive all.

The best thing the Star Trek movies have going for them is our familiarity with the TV series. That makes for a sort of storytelling shorthand. At no point during this film, for example, is it ever explained that Vulcans are creatures of logic, not emotion -- although we have to know that in order to understand most of the ending. It's not necessary. These characters are under our skins. They resonate, and a thin role in a given story is reinforced by stronger roles in a dozen others. That's sort of reassuring, as (a fanfare, please) the adventure continues.

* Leonard Nimoy sent me a helpful explanation: "The Klingon Bird of Prey has wings for the same reason that our own space shuttle does. It can land in an earth-like atmosphere."

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

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Why 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' Is Top-Tier Trek

It's time to banish the Trek "odd/even" rule.

The classic “odd-even rule” among Star Trek fans cites that the even-numbered films are the only films in the series that are any good. It’s a fun “curse” to consider, but it’s also a flawed categorization tool given the way the series quality has developed. Few would argue that there’s any merit to the even-numbered Star Trek: Nemesis , and opinions range dramatically on the most recent trilogy of films set in the “Kelvin” Timeline (ironically, the most derided of the new films among fans is the even-numbered Star Trek Into Darkness ).

However, this is a rule that should have been disregarded as soon as Star Trek III: The Search for Spock hit theaters in 1984. It’s not just that the third Star Trek film doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with an ambitious failure like Star Trek: The Motion Picture or the completely unwatchable Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Search for Spock is a compelling character piece that’s just as exciting and emotional as the best of the franchise, and it's time for the film to be recognized as top-tier Trek .

RELATED: 'WandaVision's Matt Shakman Will Direct the Next 'Star Trek' Movie

The most obvious reason Search for Spock faced such sharp criticism upon release was it immediately followed the best film in the franchise, 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The death of Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) in The Wrath of Khan was such a powerful cinematic moment that the thought of reversing the ending struck many as sacrificial to the emotional impact. Unlike today’s blockbuster culture, in which any popular character is bound to get a spinoff, flashback appearance, or reintroduction in one form or another, many Trek fans thought this was the last time they would see their favorite half-Vulcan science officer.

But Spock’s return is far from a lazy retcon, and Star Trek III is thematically centered around the consequences that Kirk ( William Shatner ) and the crew face when trying to undo death itself. After a daring heist when the crew steal back their old ship, the Enterprise is destroyed in the process of uncovering Spock’s katra. It’s an ironic moment when considering Spock’s sacrifice was to protect the ship itself.

While the Enterprise has been retired as a commodity by Starfleet , the sequence in which Kirk and the gang steal it feels closer to rescuing an old friend than it does a heist for a specific artifact. The escape is fun and filled with banter reminiscent of the best episodes of The Original Series , but it's not a fruitless action set piece. As evidenced by Kirk’s somewhat restored confidence as he returns to his iconic chair, leading a new mission has allowed him to heal in the aftermath of losing his closest friend.

Kirk’s reluctance to even consider the possibility that Spock’s katra could be restored speaks to his growth as a character. In an intimate conversation with Spock’s father Sarek ( Mark Lenard ), Kirk expresses his deep sadness, but also shows his respect for the decision that Spock made. Kirk’s fear of trivializing Spock’s sacrifice voices a fear that fans also felt, and it's only the immediate threat that the katra could kill McCoy ( DeForest Kelly ) that sparks him back into action.

Shatner is often lampooned for his performances, but by this point in the series he’s grown into the role of a matured Admiral. The Sarek conversation shows Kirk attempting to maintain a professionalism not present in his younger days, and while there’s hints of a more playful character throughout his battle of wits against the Klingon leader Kruge ( Christopher Lloyd ), Kirk recognizes that he must limit his open grief in order for the crew to function.

Yet, this controlled emotional state completely evaporates upon the loss of his son David Marcus ( Merritt Butrick ), who is killed aiding his father in the battle against the Klingons. Making Kirk a father at the end of The Wrath of Khan seemed like the most natural progression of the character, but The Search for Spock shows that Kirk can’t have it both ways and be both an adventurer and parent. Settling into a paternal role would mean giving up his inherent desires to immediately confront injustice, and the price of a “return to normalcy” is another devastating loss.

The tragedy is distinct from Spock’s death, as this is a loss that really only affects Kirk. This is his story, and few films in the series capture the emotional toll that the captain’s chair takes this well. Some may laugh at Shatner’s delivery of “Klingon bastard! You killed my son! ,” but it's effective in showing how the loss of a friend and the loss of a child spark different reactions.

Kruge himself is an entertaining villain, and I respect that Lloyd is attempting to be more overtly campy than the restrained approach that Ricardo Montalbán brought to Khan. The Klingons are the natural villain for the story, and the political impact that Genesis has on the tension between the Federation and the Klingon Empire helps to foreshadow how difficult finding a peaceful solution will be in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Kirk’s quick association of Kruge with the entire Klingon race lays the groundwork for how difficult it will become to set aside his prejudices during The Undiscovered Country ’s peace negotiations.

Kruge is also just an entertaining presence, and there’s a lot of Search for Spock that is plain fun. McCoy’s adoption of some of Spock’s qualities while possessing his katra adds unexpected physical comedy, given how often the two were at odds with each other previously. Some elements haven’t aged as well, as the fight choreography during the final confrontation between Kirk and Kruge on Genesis never looks particularly convincing, and the Genesis sets in particular feel leftover from The Original Series ’ shakiest production design. However, these are fairly minor issues that don’t dampen the excitement of the scene, and they certainly don’t deserve to dominate the conversation about what is a largely satisfying film.

I confess the final sequence in which Spock finally unites with old friends leaves me teary-eyed. It’s a gorgeously shot sequence (Nimoy was frequently interested in exploring Klingon culture and the design of the Vulcan planet is striking), and Spock’s fractured memories indicate that his return won’t be completely seamless. What’s important is that he recognizes his family and his place among them, and Nimoy’s delivery of “Jim” is delivered with as much weight as his iconic final moments in The Wrath of Kha n.

The Search for Spock doesn’t have the dramatic perfection of The Wrath of Khan , the comedic novelty of The Voyage Home , or the political timeliness of The Undiscovered Country , but it understands the characters and why they’ve endured. With the original Trek films ripe for a rewatch given the upcoming 4K restoration and release of the first four installments in September, it’s time for The Search for Spock to be rightfully considered among the best Star Trek films of all.

KEEP READING: Every ‘Star Trek’ Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

“Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” Is the Next Screening in the Hollywood Theatre’s “Trek Nights” Series

Witness the “you klingon bastards” scene in glorious 35 mm.

Ever since reopening post-quarantine, the Hollywood Theatre has faithfully screened the best , worst and strangest Star Trek films as part of its “Trek Nights” series. But on Wednesday, Feb. 1, the theater will unveil a unique treat: a 35 mm screening of 1984′s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

Starting at 7:30 pm, The Search for Spock is one of the most hilarious (intentionally and unintentionally) entries in the series. A flamboyant Christopher Lloyd plays the main villain, but he’s relatively restrained compared with the story itself, which involves the attempts of the Enterprise crew to unite a deceased Spock’s soul (or “katra”) with the body of a mindless, rapidly aging Spock clone.

The film was the feature directorial debut of Spock actor Leonard Nimoy, who stepped in after Nicholas Meyer ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ) declined to be involved (in his memoir A View From the Bridge , Meyer cited his opposition to Spock’s resurrection, given his noble demise in Khan ).

Working from a screenplay by producer Harve Bennett (who, along with Meyer, is credited with revitalizing the series after 1979′s disastrous Star Trek: The Motion Picture ), Nimoy was tasked with handling many difficult story points, including David (Merritt Butrick), son of Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), being abruptly killed by Klingons.

Hoping to get the best possible performance out of Shatner, Nimoy cleared the set for the scene in which Kirk learns of David’s murder, according to Robert Schnakenberg’s The Encyclopedia Shatnerica .

In response, Shatner resorted to bizarre improvisation, stumbling dramatically backward, colliding with the captain’s chair and moaning, “You Klingon bastards killed my son!” (assessing the actor’s performance, Nimoy cryptically commented, “He looks deeply pained”).

That alone should be worth the price of admission Feb. 1.

Related: How William Shatner Nearly Destroyed a Franchise With “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”

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It was like I was seeing a ghost.

Playing With Fire

No shenanigans under my watch.

Like A Boss

We are two badass queens like those bitches who raised Wonder Woman.

The Rhythm Section

I need your help to find the ones who did this. I’ve got nothing to lose.

I could hear the whole tune in my head. It was all there.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock LEARN MORE

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Released in 1985, much has been made about  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  as a failed film, or at least, a film that did not live up to its predecessor. How could it? 

Comparing  The Wrath of Khan  to  The Search for Spock  is like comparing Michael Jackson’s most significant album (and some may argue, the greatest pop-rock album of all time) “ Thriller ” to its follow up, “ Bad .” That first album sold a bajillion copies, had some of the most outstanding singles — “Billy Jean,” Human Nature,” “Beat It,” and even gave us an event video which is played on Halloween to this day. He even had a duet with a Beatle. 

A few years later, Jackson gave us “Bad.” This follow-up to the top-selling record of all time was bound to fail. Sure, you got “Smooth Criminal,” “Man in the Mirror,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and, of course, “Bad.” But unlike “Thriller,” this one did not set sales records. Jackson was already the top pop star globally and had nowhere to go but number two. He tried to match the duet with Paul McCartney on “Thriller” with a duet with Prince on “Bad.” Unfortunately, the Purple One declined the offer.

What fans got was a B+ effort from Jackson. “Bad” would have been a smash for anyone else, but for Jackson, it was a letdown. 

This is kind of like The Search for Spock . Many older Treksperts out there like to point out the corners that writer and producer Harve Bennet cut when creating this one. They point out the fact that the Romulans have the Bird of Prey — not the Klingons. They make a big deal over the pile of crap in the back of the smugglers’ ship and a bunch of other stuff.

I will grant them that the graphics aboard the  U.S.S. Excelsior  was awful (and they were), but I saw  The Search for Spock  on Laserdisc at a friend’s house around 1988. And I loved it! Sorry for all those who like to watch movies to point out errors; I really enjoyed The Search for Spock  back then and still do today. I actually wish Paramount would re-release the film for its 40th anniversary in theaters. Then they could fix the terrible graphics aboard the  Excelsior .

All that said, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  was released on June 1, 1984. With a budget of $16 million, the film grossed $87 million.

STARDATE: 8210.3

The film begins with a quick recap of the final few minutes of Spock’s life from  The Wrath of Khan . This allowed those few fans who hadn’t see Star Trek II to get all caught up. After that, we hear from Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) himself. As he details in his personal log, the  U.S.S. Enterprise  is patched up from its battle with Khan and is headed back to Earth. 

Kirk’s son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick) and Saavik (Robin Curtis), have stayed behind on the Genesis Planet to conduct research. 

NOTE:  As is often talked about, Saavik was recast between  TWOK  and The Search for Spock because Kirstie Alley did not want to return to the role. She was replaced by Robin Curtis, who did a fine job but was not as loved as Alley, who went on to star on  Cheers  and the  Look Who’s Talking  films. I bet it would be cool to see Saavik return to Trek… on Picard , maybe? 

Anyhow, Kirk also said that most of the trainee crew had been reassigned.

“ Enterprise  feels like a house where all the children are gone,” said Kirk. He also talked about how he left “the noblest part” of himself on the new planet (Spock). 

As they cruised back toward Earth, Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) announced that Starlet had not acknowledged their requests for more information about the Genesis situation. Kirk ordered Scotty to “automate” the ship so they could presumably take the  Enterprise  back to the Genesis Planet for support… or something. 

Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan) also said that he’d need eight weeks to finish the Enterprise’s refit. Then he backtracked and said that he’d get it done in just two weeks. 

“Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?” Kirk asked.

“Certainly, sir,” replied Scott. “How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?”

“Your reputation is secure, Scotty,” said Kirk. As Kirk turned to leave the bridge, a young cadet (actor Phil Morris) asked if there would be a reception for the crew by Starfleet when they pulled into dock. 

“A hero’s welcome?” asked Kirk. “Well god knows there should be. This time we paid for the party with our dearest blood.”

Kirk stepped onto the turbolift and signed.

Meanwhile, we join a small smuggling ship (a very cool creation by the team at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) known internally as the “Merchant Man”) as they wait to meet someone deep in space. The two human pilots on the ship asked where “he was.” The Klingon female aboard the ship told them that “he” had been there for some time.

The Klingon woman, Valkris (Cathie Shirriff), hailed the mysterious ship.

“Commander Kruge, this is Valkris,” and then started to speak in Klingon. A voice responded to Valkris, telling her well-done. 

At that, a Klingon Bird of Prey appeared above the small ship. 

NOTE:  As pointed out before, the Romulans were supposed to be the ones with the Birds of Prey, but the Klingons got them too, thanks to some changes in  the The Search for Spock  story. Apparently, Commander Kruge was supposed to be aboard a stolen Romulan ship and not a Klingon one. The script called for Kruge to terrorize his own people with this superior Romulan ship. Instead, Harve Bennett and others switched it back to being a Klingon ship. Director Leonard Nimoy approved the Klingon “Bird of Prey” design, and no one thought to change it. 

Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) responded back to Valkris (in Klingon) to load the Genesis information into the computer and transmit it. She said that she watched it, and Kruge told her, “that’s too bad.” He said that she’d be remembered with honor. Then the Klingon ship swung around and blasted the smuggler’s ship out of the sky. 

NOTE:  It was for this film that Marc Okrand developed Klingon into an existing language. Before this point, the only Klingon used was by James Doohan and  Star Trek: The Motion Picture  producer Jon Povill, and that was extremely limited. Okrand even wrote a Klingon dictionary and serves on many Trek projects to this day, including  Star Trek: Discovery . 

Beside Kruge’s chair on this Klingon ship was a dragon-like dog. Kruge ordered one of his crew to feed the creature. You can read more about the “monster dog” here . 

Later, the Enterprise returned “home” to Space Dock (which was based on an original design by Andrew Probert , which Roddenberry called the “Space Office Structure”). As they cruised in, the crew observed the  U.S.S. Excelsior , which was supposed to be the newest vessel in Starfleet. Mr. Sulu (George Takei) noted that it had “trans-warp drive.” Scotty was not impressed.

“Aye, and if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a wagon,” said Mr. Scott. 

NOTE:  The  U.S.S. Excelsior  was to be the next great ship but could not be too fancy to overshadow the  Enterprise  too much. According to the special features on The Search for Spock blu-ray, ILM designer Bill George said he designed the  Excelsior  as if created by a Japanese firm. He took hints from Japanese industrial design to create this new style of starship, which appeared in five Trek films,  The Next Generation ,  Deep Space Nine,  and many other places.

As the damaged and scarred  Enterprise  floated inside the massive hanger, Starlet personnel watched in awe. One notable person was Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), a veteran of many memorable  Original Series  episodes.

As Sulu connected the ship to the mooring systems, Chekov (Walter Koenig) reported that someone had broken into Mr. Spock’s quarters. Kirk ordered them sealed, so he was not too happy to hear this. He ran down there, and a shadowy figure said that he needed help.

“Jim… help me,” said the man. “You left me on Genesis. Why did you do that? Help me …”

Kirk grabbed the intruder and wheeled him into the light. It was Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForrest Kelly)!

“Help me, Jim,” said McCoy. “Take me home. Climb the steps of Mount Seleya.”

“Bones, Mount Seleya is on Vulcan,” said Kirk. “We’re home — on Earth!”

“Remember…” said McCoy before he passed out in Kirk’s arms. 

“Uhura! Get the medics down here!” Kirk called. “Get them now!”

Soon, Commander Starfleet Marrow (Robert Hooks) boarded the Enterprise for an inspection. He told the crew that they’d done remarkable service, and they would all get extended shore duty, except Scotty. The latter would report to the  Excelsior  as the new captain of engineering.

“With all appreciation, sir, I’d prefer to supervise the refit of  Enterprise ,” said Scott.

Marrow said that there would be no refit of  Enterprise . Kirk protested, saying that they wanted to take the ship back to Genesis. Marrow said that was out of the question. He told them the politics of Genesis made going back too controversial. He banned them from talking about the project with anyone. 

Aboard the Klingon ship, Kruge and two of his officers watched the Genesis presentation, now narrated by Admiral Kirk. This was changed from  Star Trek II , which featured Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) as narrator, most likely a cost-saving move.

Kruge demanded thoughts from his lieutenants on what they saw. Torg (Stephen Liska) said, “great power to control… dominate.” Maltz (John Larroquette) said, “impressive… they can make planets.” Kruge dismissed Maltz and told Torg that they would go to Genesis to “act in the preservation of our race.” He said they would seize the power of the weapon.

Meanwhile, the  U.S.S. Grissom  (NCC-638),a science vessel, orbited the Genesis Planet. Captain Esteban (Phillip R. Allen) was in command. David and Saavik scanned the planet’s surface.

NOTE:  The  Grissom  was named after U.S. astronaut Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury astronauts. Grissom was killed in a training accident while preparing for the Apollo missions. The ship was a science vessel and categorized as an Oberth-class ship. 

They found all sorts of temperature and topical variance on the planet’s surface. They were “fascinated” by what they had seen. But one thing that set everything a-kilter was a torpedo tube on the surface. 

David speculated that the tube was from Captain Spock’s burial. “Gravity was in flux… it must have soft-landed,” he said. Esteban radioed back to Starfleet to update them on what they’d found. Then the scanners detected a life form. 

David wanted to beam up the “animal life form,” but Esteban cited Starfleet policy instead. Saavik asked permission for her and David to beam down. Esteban was non-committal.

“Captain, we’ll take the risk,” said David. “We’ve got to find out what is down there.”

“Or whom,” added Saavik. 

NOTE:  I looked up some advertising about Star Trek III, wondering if they were teasing Spock in the ads. If you look at this one below, you’ll see that they were not. The clips used in this ad were very dramatic… and there was no Spock. I wondered because all of these little hints through the film keep the viewer guessing. 

This ad by Taco Bell ruined everything, though. What a spoiler, Taco Bell!

Back on Earth, Kirk and the rest of the bridge crew got together at the captain’s apartment to drink to “absent friends.” Sulu asked Kirk what would happen to the ship, and Kirk replied that the Enterprise would be decommissioned. Chekov asked if they’d get a new ship; again, Kirk didn’t know. Uhura asked about McCoy, and Kirk said he was resting. 

NOTE:  A lot has been said about the civilian costumes that Kirk, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov wore (all designed by Robert Fletcher) during this scene. I immensely enjoyed them. Kirk looked incredibly relaxed in a 23rd Century jogging suit. In contrast, Uhura looked like she was going for a cross between the 80s (big shoulder pads) and Afrofuturism. Sulu wore a leather jacket with a cape. A cape! It was fantastic. Chekov got the short end of the stick. He was wearing a salmon jumpsuit. Kinda blah.

Kirk was expecting Scotty to join the party, but instead, Sarek (Mark Lenard) walked in. Kirk did look a bit shocked to see Spock’s dad. Everyone left after a brief introduction. 

“I will speak with you alone, Kirk,” said Sarek.

NOTE:  If I was Sulu or Chekov, and I was invited to the boss’ house for drinks and got kicked out by some weirdo in a robe, I would be pissed. But hey… Sarek did look pissed. 

Sarek immediately started asking Kirk a bunch of questions regarding Spock’s death and the moments that led up to it. 

“Why did you leave him on Genesis?” Sarek asked. 

Apparently, Kirk should not have left Spock’s lifeless body on that new planet. He should have brought the body back to Vulcan. Sarek said that his living spirit, known as the  Katra , was still a few things left to be done.

Sarek got frustrated with all this talking and requested to mind-meld. They did, and Sarek and Kirk talked through those last scenes of Spock’s life (as seen on  Star Trek II ). Sarek realized that Kirk never touched Spock, and there was no way to transfer the Katra. 

Kirk then took Sarek to Starfleet Headquarters to review the Enterprise’s engine room footage when Spock died. They saw the whole thing, and they saw how Spock melded with McCoy. 

Sarek told him that he must get Spock’s body from Genesis and bring it to Vulcan and Dr. McCoy. Only then would this be put right. 

Back at the planet, Grissom beamed David and Saavik down to the surface to investigate. They arrived in a tropical area to start their search. They found Spock’s torpedo quickly and found that the microbes on the surface of the torpedo from the  Enterprise  had evolved into fat slugs.

Saavik questioned how this could happen. David didn’t answer. He did open the torpedo and found no dead body, but only the Vulcan burial robe. The ground rumbled, and they heard a voice in the distance screaming out. They ran toward it.

Meanwhile, Kirk met the Commander of Starfleet for drinks. He tried to talk Marrow into giving him back the  Enterprise  to fulfill his duty to Sarek. He denied Kirk’s request to the  Enterprise , so Kirk said he’d hire a ship. 

“Out of the question,” said Marrow. “The council has ordered that no one but the science team goes to Genesis.”

After a few more seconds of arguing, Kirk laughed and said that he “had to try.” Marrow laughed too, and that was that. Sulu and Chekov were waiting in the restaurant lobby, and Kirk said that Marrow denied his request. But he wanted to still try. Sulu and Chekov said they’d help, and Chekov said that he’d get Dr. McCoy ready.

In another part of San Francisco, McCoy walked into a bar, which must have been seedy for the 23rd Century. People were all getting drunk, and some of them were playing video games. 

NOTE:  This scene always reminded me of a low-budget cantina from the original  Star Wars . We got to see some strange aliens and human beings in bizarre clothing, but nothing too expensive or otherworldly. This could be another scene that Paramount could use CGI to spruce up if they could make a special edition version. I won’t hold my breath.

Bones ordered a drink, and a crazy looking alien with huge ears (played Allen Miller). McCoy spoke with this character, trying to charter a ship to the Genesis planet. The alien said that was forbidden, and McCoy raised his voice. 

A Federation security agent (Conroy Gedeon) stopped the conversation and offered McCoy a “ride home.” McCoy tried to use the Vulcan neck pinch on the agent, but it hilariously did not work.

“You’re going to get a nice, long rest, doctor,” said the agent.

NOTE:  I realized that there was no way that this could have worked (since it was 20 years before Deep Space Nine premiered), but wouldn’t it have been cool if the “large eared alien” could have been Quark? Or perhaps a generic Ferengi would have worked too. Another idea for a special edition. I know Armin Shimerman would come back for something like this!

Back on Genesis, David and Saavik were tracking a “second life form,” which has two feet. 

On Earth, Kirk visited McCoy, who was in custody at some sort of police station. He woke McCoy and made the Vulcan hand gesture.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Kirk asked.

“That’s not very damn funny,” said McCoy. 

NOTE:  YES, IT WAS!

Kirk gave McCoy a sedative, which was supposed to calm the doctor down for a journey. Kirk said that McCoy was suffering from a Vulcan mind-meld.

“That green-blooded son of a bitch,” said McCoy. “It’s his revenge for all those arguments he lost.”

NOTE:  Geez, these scenes are so hilarious! And this was a call back to  The Original Series  and the debates they had, usually at the end of the episodes. 

Simultaneously, Sulu burst into the station looking for Kirk, saying that the Commander of Starfleet needed to see the captain. One guard left the front desk area to retrieve Kirk, while a second stayed behind. This second guy (Doug Shanklin) let out a giant yawn, and Sulu asked him if they were keeping him awake. He stood and looked down at Sulu.

“Don’t get smart, tiny,” he said to Sulu.

In the cell with McCoy, the other guard walked in to tell Kirk that he was needed, but Kirk cold-cocked him with one punch! As Kirk walked McCoy out, Sulu told him to take the side elevator as there were agents on the way. Sulu then flipped the colossal guy, destroyed the computer, and said:

“Don’t call me tiny.”

NOTE:  What a great moment and line. 

In the elevator, Kirk called Chekov to inform the other crew members who were in on this plan. He said that the “Kobayashi Maru had set sail for the promised land.” 

Meanwhile, as Scotty was departing the  U.S.S. Excelsior  when he ran into Captain Styles (James Sikking), who said that they would be breaking some of the  Enterprise’s  speed records in the morning. Scotty was polite as he said good-night to the captain. 

NOTE:  At the time, Sikking was a massive television star thanks to his role on the hit show  Hill Street Blues . His small role in  Star Trek III  was a coup for the film. 

As Scotty entered the turbolift, the automated voice asked for his destination. He said, “transporter room.” The AI said, “thank you,” to which Scotty replied: “Up your shaft.” 

At the same time, Uhura was working at Old City Station transporter depot with a young lieutenant. This guy told her that he wanted excitement in his life, which she probably did not wish to because she was “winding down” her career. She didn’t like that. 

Just then, Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu walked in. With a phaser, Uhura put the lieutenant in the closet. She said that she’d meet them at the rendezvous spot and wished them well as they beamed out. It was another hilarious and well-done scene.

Aboard the  Enterprise , Scotty and Chekov were at work setting things up to go. Scotty said that the ship was almost entirely automated. Kirk said that he could not ask any more of them and told them to leave. Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov made it known that they would stay to help on this mission. 

The  Enterprise  cleared moorings and began to move out of position. Chekov reported that the Commander Starfleet ordered Kirk to return the ship, but Kirk said not to respond. 

On the  Excelsior , the crew called Styles to the bridge from his quarters. They also signaled a yellow alert. 

“Bridge, this is the captain,” said Styles. “How can you have a yellow alert in SpaceDock?”

“Sir, someone is stealing the Enterprise!”

“I’m on my way,” he said.

NOTE:  These scenes were fantastic, and James Horner’s score only made them better. 

The  Enterprise  backed out toward the doors, and Chekov announced that the  Excelsior  was powering up to pursue. The crew reported that all speeds were available to the  Excelsior , including the new TransWarp drive. Styles ordered that they follow at 1/4 impulse power. 

Just at the last possible second, Scotty got the space doors to open. All breathed a sigh of relief. The  Enterprise  moved away from SpaceDock, and as they did, Styles signaled directly to Kirk.

“Kirk, if you do this, you’ll never sit in the captain’s chair again,” he said. Kirk ignored the warning, and they made the jump to warp speed. Upon seeing this, Styles ordered TransWarp speed to overtake the  Enterprise . 

But, thanks to Mr. Scott, the  Excelsior  was unable to jump to warp, as he took out some of the components from the TransWarp computer drive. This was very funny, as the  Excelsior  just sputtered and did not move.

Back on Genesis, Saavik and David were in a desert area under winter conditions as they tracked the humanoid. When they finally caught up with him, they said, “yup it’s Spock.” Saavik tried to speak to him in Vulcan, but he didn’t understand. David said it was the Genesis wave that regenerated Spock. 

Saavik wanted to beam Spock up to the  Grissom , but Captain Esteban wanted Starfleet to OK it first. When the  Grissom  tried to send a message to Starfleet, they found that they were being jammed. 

Turns out it was the Klingon Bird of Prey. Kruge ordered that his gunner disable the Grissom, but instead, the Klingon shot destroyed the vessel. Kruge was enraged, saying that he wanted hostages. The gunner said it was just a “lucky shot.” Kruge used his disruptor to kill the gunner on the spot.

Torg then notified Kruge that there were life signs on the planet’s surface. As Saavik tried to contact the  Grissom , young Spock touched her face. Saavik said that the Grissom must have been destroyed, and they needed to keep moving, as the enemy would likely come after them too.

As the Enterprise sped to Genesis, Kirk asked for a scan for vessels in pursuit. McCoy responded in Spock’s voice. Everyone on the bridge was stunned. 

On Genesis, Kruge and a landing party beamed to the surface. They were attempting to find Saavik and David, who were now resting. Saavik asked David why the planet was not what he “hoped for.” He admitted that he’d used protomatter to solve specific problems with the Genesis matrix. 

“Protomatter … an unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the galaxy has denounced as dangerously unpredictable,” said Saavik.

“It was the only way to solve certain problems,” said David.

“So, like your father, you changed the rules,” she said. 

“If I hadn’t, it might have been years, or never,” he said.

“How many have paid the price for your impatience?” Saavik asked. “How many have died?”

Nearby, Kruge found Spock’s torpedo and the life forms which had evolved even more. Now they were long, slimy tentacled creatures. Kruge picked one up and killed it just as it nearly strangled him.

Kruge’s team and David experienced nightfall unbelievably fast. We learned that there must have been a moon or something orbiting Genesis because when the planet spun away from the star it orbited, something else replaced it in the sky, which reflected blue light.

NOTE:  This was never explained, and I assume that Nimoy and Harve Bennet just created this scene and took moonlight for granted. We never actually saw a moon orbiting the Genesis planet.

Saavik was caring for Spock and told David that he was aging with the planet. David said that they had hours or days before the world breaks up. She also told David that Spock would “feel the burn of Pon Farr,” which was the mating drive in Vulcan males, which they must satisfy every seven years. 

NOTE:  This was first addressed in the TOS episode “Amok Time.”

They detected Kruge on the tricorder, and David said he’d meet them. He asked for Saavik’s phaser and left. 

Back on the  Enterprise , Chekov reported that Starfleet was trying to reach the  Grissom , but there was no response. Kirk told Chekov to contact the  Grissom . Chekov got no response either.

On the planet, Spock writhed with pain and shook. Saavik started the Pon Farr rituals. 

NOTE:  We didn’t see them mate (thank goodness), and it was left up to the audiences’ imagination, but we assume that they did. Here’s what Harve Bennet’s script said about this scene:

In orbit high above the planet’s surface, the Klingon’s detected the  Enterprise . Before they were noticed, they went into cloak. As they did, Chekov swore that he saw something (the Klingon ship cloaking). Kirk began calling to the Grissom… on the surface, Saavik’s communicator played Kirk’s voice. Still, she was asleep (after her  long night  with Spock). 

The Klingons grabbed her and Spock up and forced them to walk. They tossed Saavik and Spock down next to where the now-captured David was seated. David was all beat up.

“I’ve come a long way for the power of Genesis, and what do I find?” said Kruge. “A weakling human, a Vulcan boy, and a woman.”

Saavik tried to tell Kruge that the planet would destroy itself very soon, but he didn’t believe her. 

“You will tell me the secret of the Genesis torpedo,” Kruge told Saavik. 

“I have no knowledge,” she said.

“Then I hope pain is something you enjoy,” said Kruge. He then beamed up after learning that the  Enterprise  was approaching. Saavik and David heard Kirk’s voice over the Klingons’ communicators. They smiled.

Chekov continued to scan as Kirk called to the  Grissom . Kruge waited for the exact moment to strike; they crept closer and closer to the  Enterprise . Finally, they were so close that Kirk and Sulu could see the distortion with the naked eye. Before the Klingons could completely decloak, Mr. Scott fired two photon torpedoes. Direct hit!

The Klingons suffered damage, and most notably, Kruge’s devil dog died. They returned fire and hit the Enterprise — which was unable to raise shields.

“The automation system’s overloaded,” said Scotty. “I didn’t expect to take us into combat, you know.”

The automation system completely fried out, and neither Scotty nor Sulu had control over anything. Kirk said they were a “sitting duck.” Kruge wondered why the Enterprise hadn’t finished them off.

“They outgun us ten to one!” Kruge said.

Kirk then hailed then and tried to bluff Kruge into surrendering. Kruge called the bluff. He told Kirk that they had prisoners on the surface. Kirk asked to speak to the prisoners. Saavik spoke, saying that she and David were both there… and someone else.

“A Vulcan scientist of your acquaintance,” said Saavik.  

“Vulcan?” Kirk pondered. “Is he alive?”

“He is not himself, but he lives,” said Saavik. “He is subject to rapid aging like this unstable planet.”

The Klingons put David on the call as well, and he admitted that he screwed up the Genesis program. 

“Just don’t surrender,” said David. “Genesis doesn’t work.”

So Kirk knew Kruge meant business, he ordered that one of the prisoners be killed. The Klingons were going to kill Saavik, but David jumped in. After a struggle, the Klingon stabbed David to death.

“Admiral… David is dead,” said Saavik. Kirk stumbled back and whimpered.

“Klingon bastards — you’ve killed my son,” Kirk said. 

Kirk agreed to surrender the  Enterprise . Kruge ordered that a landing party take over their ship. Sulu said there were 12-14 Klingons on a Bird of Prey. Kirk ordered McCoy and Sulu to the transporter room. He said Chekov and Scotty had a few things to do. 

He told Kruge that on the next signal, the Klingons would beam over. 

“No tricks, Kirk!” said Kruge.

“No tricks,” said Kirk.

Kirk, Scott, and Chekov authorized the self-destruction of the  Enterprise . They signaled to the Klingons, and as they beamed over, the  Enterprise  crew beamed away. 

The Klingons scoured the empty ship. Torg called to Kruge to say the ship was abandoned and that the only thing speaking was the computer. Kruge heard the countdown, but it was too late. The Enterprise began to blow apart.

NOTE:  With the in-ship views of the destruction, viewers could see plywood blowing apart. Did they still use plywood to build ships in the 23rd Century? Ha ha!

On the surface, the crew watched at the Enterprise burned up in the atmosphere. 

“My god, Bones,” said Kirk. “What have I done?”

“What you had to do… what you always do,” said McCoy. “Turn death into a fighting chance to live.”

Using a tricorder, Sulu reported that the planet core was unstable. He did locate the life signs of the Klingons, Saavik, and Spock. 

Speaking of them, Spock started aging rapidly again. His face began to bubble and warp as the planet began to break up. Trees fell over as the ground shook and fires began raging. A Klingon tried to stand Spock up, but the Vulcan tossed him 20 yards away. Saavik and the other Klingon watched Spock’s face deform.

As this happened, Kirk and company found Saavik. Kirk shot the Klingon and asked McCoy to look at Spock. Kirk walked over to David’s body and laid his jacket upon it.

Saavik said that David gave his life to save hers and Spock’s. McCoy noted that Spock was suffering from rapid aging and that he had all of Spock’s “marbles.” Saavik said that the only thing that could be done was to get Spock off the planet. 

Kirk found a Klingon communicator on the ground. He picked it up and called to Kruge. 

“Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth… c’est la vie,” Kirk said. He then told Kruge that he had the secret of Genesis, but to get the mystery, he’d need to beam them up. 

Kruge beamed down with his disruptor pointed at Kirk. He ordered Kirk to drop his weapons and that Kirk stand aside. He called to Maltz to beam up everyone except Spock. Kirk said he ought to beam Spock up as well, but Kruge said he would not — because Kirk wanted it.

They negotiated for a bit, and eventually, it devolved into a classic Kirk hand to hand battle. Many cool things happen (just watch — you’ll see), and Kirk finally won the fight. He used the communicator to beam both he and Spock up to the Klingon ship. 

When he got up there, Scotty and the others had taken over. It took them a while to figure out how to fly the ship, but eventually, they got it. They got away right before the planet exploded.

On the ship, McCoy told the sleeping Spock that he missed the Vulcan… something he thought he’d never say.

When they arrived on Vulcan, Uhura and Sarek were waiting for them. The crew presented Spock to the Vulcan High Priestess T’Lar (played by Dame Judith Anderson). Sarek asked her to transfer the Katra from McCoy to Spock. She said that hadn’t been done in millennia. 

NOTE:  This whole setting looked like “Amok Time” done with a much higher budget. It looked great — from the costumes to the ceremonial tables and gongs, to the ears — everything was a believable upgrade to the TOS series. Well done!

She took them both and stood on a stage above everyone else. McCoy and Spock laid on tables, and she touched their foreheads. A long time passed, and eventually, Sarek walked McCoy off the stage. McCoy said he was “alright.”

Sarek thanked Kirk. Kirk said he had to do it, or else he would have lost his own soul. 

Eventually, Spock stood and walked off the platform. He was wearing a long hooded robe, which covered his face. Spock walked past Kirk at first, then paused and came back. He looked at all of the crew, one at a time. He then looked at Kirk and said:

“You came back for me,” said Spock to Kirk.

“You would have done the same for me,” said Kirk.

Why would you do this?” Spock asked.

“Because the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many,” said Kirk. Spock looked down and walked a few steps. He then turned back and said:

“I have been and always shall be your friend.”

 “Yes, Spock!” said Kirk. 

He then began to ask about the  Enterprise . Kirk told him that Spock saved them all. 

“Jim. Your name is Jim,” said Spock, who then turned to McCoy. The doctor smiled and tapped his temple. The rest of the crew surrounded Spock, and everyone smiled.

The film ended, and audiences saw “… and the adventure continues..” on the screen. Which set us up for yet another  Star Trek  sequel. 

TREK REPORT SUPPLEMENTAL:

Another good one. Like I said when I started this review, it’s almost too much to ask for a sequel to stand up to one of the very best films of the genre. But  Star Trek III  was pretty darn good. I enjoyed the heist, the battle scenes with the ships, humans, and Klingons. In fact, I think the fight between Kruge and Kirk was something that was missing from the previous film — as Shatner and Ricardo Montalban (Khan) never appeared on set together. So there was no big fight between Kirk and Khan. 

Without Spock on the screen, the others got more lines, like Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov. That was nice as well. 

I think Star Trek III was a great second act in a three-act story. This may not have been planned in advance, but it worked out nicely. 

RATING: 4 out of 5

William Shatner DeForest Kelley

CO-STARRING James Doohan George Takei Walter Koenig Nichelle Nichols

ALSO STARRING

Mark Lenard … as Sarek Merritt Butrick … as David

SPECIAL APPEARANCE Dame Judith Anderson

INTRODUCING Robin Curtis … as Lt. Saavik

Christopher Lloyd … as Kruge

Executive Consultant … Gene Roddenberry Music Composed by … James Horner Associate Producer … Ralph Winter Edited by … Robert F. Shugrue Art Director … John E. Chilberg II Director of Photography … Charles Correll, ASC Executive Producer … Gary Nardino

Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry

Written and Produced by Harve Bennett

Directed by Leonard Nimoy

ALSO STARRING James B. Sikking Allan Miller

and as Spock

Carl Steven Vadia Potenza Stephen Manley Joe W. Davis Leonard Nimoy

Unit Production … Manager Michael R Schoenbrun First Assistant Director … John Hockridge Second Assistant Director … Ken Stringer Costume Designer … Robert Fletcher

Camera Operator … David Nowell, S.O.C. First Assistant Cameraman … Robert A. Torres Second Assistant Cameraman … Alfredo R. Sepulveda Second Camera Operator … Michael Scott S.O.C. 2Nd Assistant, 2nd Camera … Norman E. Parker Sound Mixer … Gene S. Cantamessa, C.A.S. Boom Operator … Raul A. Bruce Utility … Jack Wolpa

Men’s Wardrobe Supervisor … James Linn Women’s Wardrobe Supervisor … Agnes G. Henry Wardrobe … Jean Merrick, Dan Bronson, Joseph Markham

Special Makeup Appliances created by … The Burman Studio

Makeup Artists … Wes Dawn, James Kail, James L. Mccoy Hairstylist … Silvia Abascal Additional Hairstylists … Paul Abascal, Carol O’Connell Script Supervisor … Lily La Cava Chief Lighting Technician … Norm Glasser Best Boy … “Big” Ed Cooper, Ed Reilly Key Grip … Dennis Harper 2nd Company Grip … Clarence Ebert Dolly Grips … Jon Falkengren Tom Sawyer Set Decorator … Tom Pedigo Property Master … Joe Longo Assistant Property … Ronald E. Greenwood Lead Man … Jerry Kobold Swing Gang … Charlie Russo, Ron Galloway

Special Effects Supervisor … Bob Dawson Special Effects … Rocky Gehr, Thomas R. Homsher, Dennis K. Petersen, Tony Vandenecker Peter G. Evangelatos

Construction Coordinator … Lynn Price Construction Foreman … Scott Goodale Paint Foreman … Ed Charnock, Jr. Standby Painter … Dennis C. Ivanjack Illustrator … Tom Lay Set Designers … Cameron Birnie, Blake Russell

Transportation Coordinator … Robert D. Mayne Transportation Captain … Lynn Harman Craft Service … Robert Morgan Unit Publicist … Ed Pine Still Photographer … John Shannon Assistant Film Editors … Martin X. Chielens, John A. Haggar Color Timers … Terry P. Haggar, Bob Noland

Supervising Sound Editors … Cecelia Hall, George Watters II Sound Effects Editors … John Leveque, Paul Bruce Richardson, Jack Woods ADR Editors … Sean Hanley, Ron Horwitz Foley Editor … Pamela Bentkowski Foley by … Dan O’Cconnell, Ellen Heuer Assistant Editors … Daniel F. Finnerty, Bruce D. Fortune

Special Sound Effects by … Alan Howarth ,Frank Serafine Additional Sound Effects … Sprocket Systems, Randy Thom, Tom Johnson Music Editor … Robert Badami Orchestrations … Greig Mc Ritchie Music Scoring Mixer … Dan Wallin Re-Recording Mixers … Ray West, David J. Hudson, Robert W. Glass, Jr.

Technical Advisor … Dr. Richard H. Green Alien Language Created by … Marc Okrand Assistant To Mr. Schoenbrun … Debbie Schwab DGA Trainee … Cynthia Riddle Dialogue Coach … Joel Marston Choreographer … Andre Tayir Assistant Choreographer … Barbara Arms Voice-Over Casting … Barbara Harris Assistant To Mr. Bennett … Sylvia Rubinstein Assistant To Mr. Nlmoy … Teresa E. Victor Production Assistant … Deborah Arakelian

Special Visual Effects produced at Industrial Light & Magic Marin County, California

Supervisor of Visual Effects … Kenneth Ralston Visual Effects Art Directors … Nilo Rodis, David Carson Optical Photography Supervisor … Kenneth F. Smith Visual Effects Cameramen … Donald Dow, Scott Farrar, Selwyn Eddy III Assistant Cameramen … Peter Daulton, Robert Hill, Patrick Mcardle, Ray Gilberti. Dave Hanks, Toby Heindel … James Lim, Donald Clark Optical Camera Operators Optical Line-Up … Ralph Gordon, David Berry General Manager, ILM … Tom Smith

Production Supervisor … Warren Franklin Production Coordinator … Laurie Vermont Supervising Modelmaker … Steve Gawley Additional Spacecraft Design … William George Modelmakers … William Beck, Sean Casey, Richard Davis, Michael Fulmer, Ira Keeler, Jeff Mann Creature Supervisor … David Sosalla Matte Painting Supervisor … Michael Pangrazio Matte Artists … Chris Evans, Frank Ordaz Matte Camera Supervisor … Craig Barron Animation Supervisor … Charles Mullen Effects Animators … Bruce Walters, Phillip Norwood Chief Visual Effects Editor … Bill Kimberlin Visual Effects Editor … Jay Ignaszewski Miniature Pyrotechnics and Fire Effects … Ted Moehnke Stage Technicians … ILM Stage Crew Still Photography Supervisor … Terry Chostner Equipment Engineering Supervisor … Michael Mackenzie

Video Playback and Displays by The Burbank Studios

Video Supervisor … Hal Landaker Chief Engineer … Alan Landaker Video Coordinator … Rick Whitfield

Instrumentation Displays Computer Animation by Symbolics, Inc., Graphics Division Omnibus Video, Inc. Strayframes

Casting by … Stuart Jensen, Elza Bergeron, Mary Ann Barton

Kirk … William Shatner Spock … Leonard Nimoy McCoy … Deforest Kelley Scotty … James Doohan Chekov … Walter Koenig Sulu … George Takei Uhura … Nichelle Nichols Saavik … Robin Curtis David … Merritt Butrick Trainee Foster … Phil Morris “Mr. Adventure” … Scott McGinnis Admiral Morrow … Robert Hooks Spock … Age 9 … Carl Steven Spock … Age 13 … Vadia Potenza Spock … Age 17 … Stephen Manley Spock … Age 25 … Joe W. Davis

The Merchantship Captain … Paul Sorensen Valkris … Cathie Shirriff

The Klingons Kruge … Christopher Lloyd Torg … Stephen Liska Maltz … John Larroquette Sergeant … Dave Cadiente Gunner #1 … Bob Cummings Gunner #2 … Branscombe Richmond

USS Grissom Captain Esteban … Phillip Richard Allen Helm … Jeanne Mori Communications … Mario Marcelino

The Bar Alien … Allan Miller Waitress … Sharon Thomas Civilian Agent … Conroy Gedeon

The Excelsior Captain Styles … James B. Sikking First Officer … Miguel Ferrer

The Vulcans Sarek … Mark Lenard Child … Katherine Blum High Priestess … Dame Judith Anderson

Others Prison Guard #1 … Gary Faga Prison Guard #2 … Douglas Alan Shanklin Woman In Cafeteria … Grace Lee Whitney

Stand-Ins Robin Kellick, Kimberly L Ryusaki, Phil Weyland, Steve Blalock

Voices Spock Screams … Frank Welker Enterprise Computer … Teresa E. Victor Flight Recorder … Harve Bennett Space Dock Controller … Judi Durand Elevator Voice … Frank Force Background Voices … The Loop Group

Stunt Double for William Shatner … John Meier Stunt Double for Christopher Lloyd … Al Jones

Stunts Steve Blalock, David Burton, Phil Chong, Eddy Donno, Kenny Endoso, Jim Halty, Chuck Hicks Jeff Jensen, Don Charles Mcgovern, Tom Morga, Alan Oliney, Chuck Picerni Jr., Danny Rogers, Frank James Sparks, David Zellitti

Stunt Coordinators … Ron Stein & R. A. Rondell

Additional Optical Effects by … Movie Magic Wardrobe Accessories … Hollywood Armor

Special thanks to United States Marine Corp Air/Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, California

Theme from STAR TREK television series Music by Alexander Courage

“GENESIS PROJECT” by Craig Hundley “I REMEMBER YOU” by Johnny Mercer & Victor ScherIzInger “THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC” by Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen “TANGERINE” by Johnny Mercer & Victor Schertylnger

COPYRIGHT © MCMLXXXIV BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 3 'Jinaal' is a slow but steady affair

Humans have evidently evolved beyond the need for stairs in the 32nd century as teleportation has replaced the simple act of actually walking to places

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 3

The latest installment of "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5 on Paramount Plus adds a little water – and possibly some fertilizer – to the various different story seeds sewn last week. 

Entitled "Jinaal," the primary plot revolves around a revisit to the planet Trill and as you may recall, the last time we spent any length of time here was the episode " Forget Me Not " (S03, E04), which was not terrible. In fact, it was undeniable highlight of the third season, which itself had some of the best we've seen from "Discovery." Incidentally, that was first look at the Trill homeworld since " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine " episode "Equilibrium" (bizarrely, also S03, E04). (If you need a recap on how to watch Star Trek: Discovery, check out our Star Trek streaming guide for Paramount Plus .)

Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Discovery and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

Curiously, in that episode "Forget Me Not," Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) was given a rare and welcome chance to shine and he does so once again in this episode as well. To briefly recap, Adira (Blu del Barrio) and her lover, a Trill named Gray (Ian Alexander), were aboard a generation ship way back when. They were both orphans, very much in love, and Gray had just received his symbiote when the ship was struck by an asteroid and everyone was ordered to evacuate. Unfortunately, Gray was fatally injured and the only way to save the symbiote was for Adira to join with it. And that's how it was for all of season three right up until the fourth season episode " Choose To Live " (S04, E03). 

Then, after all of that, Gray Tal has his consciousness transferred out of Adira and into an artificial synth golem before heading back to Trill to complete all that monk-style studying. And now you're all caught up. 

While a trip back to Trill is nice, you can't help but start to wonder if this fifth and final season will end up a 10-episode long epilogue as it ties up all its loose ends, almost like season five of " Babylon 5 ."  Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) pops up in this episode at last, which more or less just leaves Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), whom we last saw in the episode " Rubicon " S04, E09, to make an appearance. Although Ancheril's IMDb page does currently say, "Coming up in 2024, Rachael will be seen again in 'Chucky' season three [and] 'Star Trek Discovery' for its final season," so who knows. 

The big highlight this week was, as we alluded to above, Cruz's chance to stretch his acting chops just a little bit and he does not disappoint. The two biggest grumbles however, are the dialogue written by a writer who just saw "Lethal Weapon II" for the very first time and that the notion of teleporting around the place instead of just walking, has been taken to ludicrous extremes. 

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"Star Trek: Discovery" seems to be at peace with lifting from other IPs, sci-fi or otherwise. We've seen a nice " Close Encounters of the Third Kind " reference with mashed potato and we've even seen a fun nod to "Scooby-Doo," but these were all subtle. Then there was the extremely unsubtle " Die Hard " thing and then in " Scavengers " (S03, E06) the writers went  way  beyond homage and practically lifted a set piece directly from the 1987 movie "The Running Man." The premise was the same, the effect was the same and even the setting was practically identical.

This week's insight into what classic movie the Gen-Z writers of "Discovery" have recently discovered comes from a legendary scene with equally legendary dialogue between Sgt. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) during a rescue attempt after the latter learns that the toilet he's been sitting on has been rigged with a bomb in the first "Lethal Weapon" sequel. Lest we forget, this underrated action extravaganza also gave us Leo Getz and immortalized phrases like "diplomatik immunitee." and "but, but...you're blick."

Still, at least it was just a line or two of dialogue this time and not an entire set piece. My other main grumble with this episode as we mentioned above is the carefree abandon with which transporters are used. And I've touched upon this before. Despite beaming becoming a very common part of everyday life of the 32nd century, to the extent that folk use transporters instead of stairs and even to just change outfits, like we saw in the season four premiere episode — but the thing is, transporters kill you .

The creators of " Star Trek " have never officially confirmed that transporters kill you. However, solely based on the science, transporters do kill you. In simple terms, these teleportation devices scan every molecule in your body and briefly store them in the pattern buffer, while at the same time, the original body is to all intents and purposes, disintegrated. The transporter then converts the scanned copy into energy and beams the data stream to the desired location, where the body is rebuilt, from a sub-atomic level, using technology similar to a replicator. It's comparable in principle to a fax, except this fax machine destroys the original, to prevent duplication, although that has been known to happen.

The issue is essentially an existential one. Since our bodies are made up of identifiable matter, why won't transference of consciousness occur? What makes our consciousness so unique? What's the difference between an identical copy and you? If you were to put your copy into a different room that you hadn't been into, would you be able to see it? No. It's a perfect copy, but it's not you. There is a good article on Ars Technica that really goes into detail on this.

Still, all of this banter aside, this episode is not ... terrible. It is very evenly paced and that, despite the not-exactly edge-of-seat storyline, makes it bearable. Every sub-story seems to be given equal time and brief-but-enjoyable interplay between Lt. Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is fun. Plus, of course, we get to see the Trill homeworld again, which is nice. 

In other "Star Trek" news, " Strange New Worlds " has been renewed for a fourth season, while " Lower Decks " will end with its previously announced upcoming fifth season, expected to air sometime this year. Creator Mike McMahan and executive producer Alex Kurtzman posted a statement on the Star Trek website: “While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we've spent making this show has been a dream come true. Our incredible cast, crew and artists have given you everything they have because they love the characters they play, they love the world we've built, and more than anything we all love, love, love Star Trek."

Meanwhile, "Strange New Worlds" is currently in production on its third season, which is set to debut in 2025. It seems that all of this combined with the fact that "Section 31" ended up as a movie , casts doubt over the future of the Starfleet Academy spin-off and hopefully signals the end of the idiotic idea of "Star Trek: Legacy." Perhaps Paramount should look to cancel other ludicrous endeavors like the proposed Picard movie instead of cancelling decent shows in their efforts to tighten purse strings. 

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US while "Prodigy" has found a new home o n Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

 —   Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

 —  'Spaceman' sees Adam Sandler shine as a cosmonaut in crisis in Netflix's somber sci-fi film (review)

—  Star Trek's Seven of Nine returns in new novel 'Picard: Firewall' (exclusive)

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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