Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
	File:Star trek3.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Leonard Nimoy
Written by	Harve Bennett (story and screenplay); Gene Roddenberry (creator)
Produced by	Harve Bennett
Starring	See table
Cinematography	Charles Correll
Edited by	Robert F. Shugrue
Music by	James Horner
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	June 1, 1984
Running time	105 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17,000,000 (estimated)
Box office	$87,000,000 (worldwide)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Paramount Pictures, 1984) is the third feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. It is often referred to as ST3:TSFS or TSFS. It is the middle chapter in a loose trilogy, preceded by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concluded in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Among Trek fandom, the even numbered Star Trek films are generally regarded as superior to the odd numbered films; The Search for Spock is generally regarded as the best of the odd numbered movies.

Plot

Shortly after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the USS Enterprise carrying the combined crews of both Enterprise and USS Reliant, limps back to Earth, scarred from its battle with Khan. Once there, Admiral James T. Kirk is informed that the obsolete vessel's days are over (it is stated to be 20 years old, but official production timelines place it as about 40 years old, with Kirk's command of the Enterprise being about 20 years); it won't be refitted, but will instead be retired, and its crew reassigned. Meanwhile, Dr. Leonard McCoy exhibits strange behavior, somehow related to the deceased Captain Spock. He even seems to be channeling both Spock's behavior and voice.

Simultaneously, Kirk's son Dr. David Marcus and Lieutenant Saavik are now on board the research vessel USS Grissom to explore the Genesis Planet, created at the end of the last film. The two transport down to the planet's surface to explore its terraforming progress. While there, they discover, much to their shock, that Spock's body has been resurrected by the Genesis effect, although his mind is no longer present and he operates on a purely child-like level. Marcus, pressed by Saavik, admits that he used unstable "proto-matter" in building the Genesis device to solve "certain problems". Without it, he claims that the Genesis Project could have been delayed by years or would have never been completed at all. The unstable matter puts the planet in a state of accelerated evolution that will conclude with the planet's premature destruction.

Unknown to them, a Klingon commander named Kruge has intercepted information about Genesis and becomes interested in it (for much the same reasons as Khan: as a weapon). He travels to the Genesis Planet to learn its secrets after stealing additional information related to it.

Spock's father, Sarek, visits Earth and discovers, with Kirk's help, that McCoy possesses Spock's "katra" (soul). Both his katra and body are needed to properly lay him to rest on his homeworld Vulcan; McCoy could die as well. Disobeying direct orders prohibiting anyone from visiting the Genesis Planet, Kirk reunites with his bridge officers and steals the Enterprise and travels to the remote world, which is beginning to self-destruct due to accelerated aging. Scotty disables the pursuing USS Excelsior, a ship that is technically advanced with "transwarp drive", but easily sabotaged by removing a couple of circuits.

Kruge arrives at Genesis first, destroying the Grissom with all hands (save for the landing party). He also summarily executes his weapons officer responsible for Grissom's destruction; Kruge wanted prisoners. His crew locates and captures the scientists on the planet: David, Saavik, and a now-teenaged Spock. Kirk and the skeleton crew of the Enterprise arrive, unaware that the Klingon ship and its crew are cloaked nearby. The Enterprise detects the cloaked Bird of Prey and strikes first, hitting the Klingon ship as it de-cloaks, but is unable to raise shields because after the two photon torpedoes were fired the automation systems had overloaded. During the Klingon counterattack, the Klingons fire one torpedo and cripple the Enterprise, disabling all bridge systems. Kruge demands that they surrender and orders his troops that he had sent to the surface of the Genesis Planet to kill one of the prisoners. David defends Saavik, who was to be the intended victim, and dies as a result. Kirk is devastated to hear his son has been killed.

Rather than surrender, Kirk orders McCoy and Sulu to the transporter room. Kirk, Scotty and Chekov order the ship to self-destruct, and they escape the Enterprise for the last time. The computer counting down at first confuses the majority of Kruge's crew who had just beamed over to complete the ship's capture; they are all killed as the ship self-destructs. The crew of the Enterprise watches as their home for the last twenty years disintegrates as it enters the atmosphere. They find Saavik and Spock and free them from their captors. Moments later, Kruge beams to the planet and has everyone but Kirk and Spock beamed aboard his Bird of Prey. Still demanding the technology of the Genesis project, Kruge and Kirk engage in hand-to-hand combat on the disintegrating planet. Kirk defeats Kruge, who plunges into a volcanic rift. Kirk quickly grabs Spock, and, imitating Kruge's voice, shouts the order to beam them both aboard Kruge's ship. The Enterprise crew are able to easily capture the Klingon vessel and the one crewman left on board.

The crew return to Vulcan, where Spock's katra is reunited with his body in a dangerous procedure called "fal-tor-pan" which will reunite Spock's mind with his body. Dr. McCoy agrees to the ritual, knowing that it is quite risky for both him and Spock. The ritual is successful, and Spock is resurrected alive and well, though his memories are still extremely fragmented. The final scene, a brief discussion between Kirk and Spock, ends with Spock slowly remembering the man before him: "Jim. Your name is Jim."

Cast

Actor	Role
William Shatner	Admiral James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	Captain Spock
DeForest Kelley	Commander (Dr.) Leonard McCoy
James Doohan	Commander/Captain Montgomery Scott
George Takei	Commander Hikaru Sulu
Walter Koenig	Commander Pavel Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	Commander Uhura
Grace Lee Whitney	Commander Janice Rand
Mark Lenard	Ambassador Sarek
Merritt Butrick	Dr. David Marcus
Judith Anderson	High Priestess T'Lar
Robin Curtis	Lieutenant Saavik
Christopher Lloyd	Klingon Commander Kruge
Robert Hooks	Fleet Admiral Morrow
James Sikking	Captain Styles
Frank Welker	Spock's screams (voice-over)

Critical reception

The film has a 71% "fresh" rating at rotten tomatoes,^[1]. It made $76,471,046 in the domestic box office.

External links

Template:Klingon stories Template:Star Trek Vulcan stories

^ Star Trek Search for Spock at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] Star Trek Search for Spock at Rotten Tomatoes

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