Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Kirk and his crew violate orders to save Spock.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise is returning home. Most of the trainee crew has already been reassigned, with Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis) and Kirk's son David (Merritt Butrick) transferring to a science ship studying the Genesis planet. It is a skeleton crew that returns to the starbase, whereupon Kirk is told that the Enterprise will not receive a refit. It is an old ship, it has had its day. It is to be decommissioned.

Shortly after, Kirk receives a visit from Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), Spock's father, who waves away Kirk's expressions of sympathy at Spock's death. He informs Kirk that when a Vulcan dies, he transfers his katra to another person, to be returned to Vulcan so that his knowledge will not be lost. Sarek had assumed Spock had done so with Kirk, until Kirk tells him that they were separated by glass when he died. Instead, Spock made the connection with Dr. McCoy, who has been behaving irrationally ever since.

Now Kirk is a man with a mission. To save one old friend whose mind is in peril, and to put to final rest another who has died, he will return to the Genesis planet. He will find Spock's body, and he will bring it back along with McCoy.

Even if doing so will cost him everything he holds dear!

The Enterprise stares down a Klingon Bird of Prey.

CHARACTERS

Admiral Kirk: Is warned early in the film that he will lose everything if he pursues this course, and that isn't far off what happens. By stealing Enterprise and taking it to Genesis, he all but guarantees the end of his Starfleet career. He is forced to listen helplessly as his son is murdered on the planet below. Finally, in order to give his crew "a fighting chance," he lures the Klingons onto the Enterprise and destroys the ship that has defined his life. As the Enterprise burns up in the atmosphere of a dying planet, Kirk is moved to exclaim: "My God, Bones. What have I done?"

Dr. McCoy: With Spock's katra in his head, he feels driven to return to Genesis. It's difficult to say how aware McCoy is of his actions early in the film. He only really seems himself again after Kirk gives him a drug to deal with a Vulcan mind-meld. Despite his annoyance at Spock taking "revenge for all those arguments he lost," he is a full participant in recovering his friend's body. When they find that body alive, he confides in an excellent quiet moment just how much he has missed him.

Scotty: Without Spock around, Scotty effectively acts as first officer. It's rather nice to see James Doohan get such a more substantial role, particularly after his very good showings in the first two films. His nonverbal reactions to moments such as Enterprise's destruction or David's death as effective as his (very good) line deliveries. He also receives some nice character bits. I particularly enjoyed his scornful reaction at the ultra-advanced Excelsior, which he gains entirely too much pleasure from sabotaging.

Sarek: Mark Lenard returns as Sarek, for the first time since TAS' Yesteryear, and for the first time live action since Journey to Babel. He still possesses the considerable screen presence that distinguished his earlier appearances, and makes an enormous impression in just a few minutes' screen time. The ending, as he expresses his recognition of all Kirk has sacrificed, sees him finding a respect for Kirk that had not previously existed.

Hot Alien Space Babe of the Week: With Kirstie Alley (probably more accurately, her agents) wanting too much money for her to return, the production opted to recast. I would have preferred Kirstie Alley, both for continuity and because she is a substantially better actress than Robin Curtis.  Still, if the salary demands were out of bounds, I can't fault the decision that was made. Robin Curtis' Vulcan performance occasionally tips over into "robotic," and she doesn't hold the camera the way Alley did.  But she is perfectly adequate to the demands placed on her, and her presence doesn't provide any barrier to enjoying the film.  It is easy to see why she was so quickly written out of the following movie, however.

ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Redshirt count: Only one significant redshirt: David (Merritt Butrick). Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), the Klingon captain, orders his subordinate to kill a hostage to demonstrate his seriousness.  When Saavik is selected, David decides to act like his father and heroically jumps the Klingon. His fighting skills are not on par with Kirk's, however, and the end of the fight comes very quickly. Given how bland and wimpy David came across in both films, it's hard to regret his loss.  Still, it should be noted that Butrick is far more likable here than he was in The Wrath of Khan.

A one-sided conversation between two old friends.

THOUGHTS

By picking up directly where The Wrath of Khan left off, The Search for Spock turns what might have been a series of standalone films into an ongoing narrative. The first two Star Trek movies told stories that were very self-contained. This movie weaves its entire plot from threads left by the previous film. It also ends in such a way as to demand a followup. The trilogy that defined the TOS movie series is effectively created here, because the script is specifically tailored to make this the second part of an ongoing story.

The way the movie builds its story on the plot threads of its predecessor is quite artful. The Genesis device, a subplot in the earlier story, becomes the focus of the conflict. In the previous film, Genesis fit the idea of bringing new life out of decay and death. Here, we discover that it doesn't actually work. The new world is unstable, and over the course of the movie it gradually self-destructs around the characters.  From death, to life, back to death again. Out of Spock's sacrifice of his own life comes a new world. Out of Spock's rebirth, that world is destroyed.

Star Trek III is probably the best evidence to disprove the "evens/odds" theory of Trek fandom: Namely, that all the even numbered films are good while all the odd-numbered ones are not.  While Star Trek: The Motion Picture was financially successful, it was not well-reviewed and is not very well-liked by fandom.  Star Trek V was both badly-received and financially unsuccessful.  But Star Trek III was well-reviewed at the time, remains a well-liked movie within fandom, and was successful at the box office. It may be a bit overshadowed by the titans on either side of it, but it still absolutely defies the "evens/odds" curse - and did so before that curse was even invented!

Leonard Nimoy does a capable job in the director's chair. He's good with the actors, and he keeps the pace tight throughout. He makes sure that every member of the ensemble gets a moment - something that was not true of the previous films. Nobody is wallpaper here. Uhura gets to chide a young ensign she dubs "Mr. Adventure." Sulu takes out his resentment on a dumb guard who refers to him as "Tiny." Chekov acts as science officer and gets a number of good nonverbal reactions. Everyone is remembered, leaving a much greater ensemble feel than the previous films.

On the other hand, his direction often feels more suited to television than to motion pictures. There are a lot of close-ups and static shots focused mainly on actors, talking. The model shots of the Enterprise and the Klingon Bird of Prey don't have the atmosphere of similar shots in the first two films. The scenes on the Genesis planet are marred by very obvious sets and backdrops. This is particularly true of the site where the hostages are held. When Kirk finds Spock and Saavik, the fakeness of the surrounding area has me actively looking for Ben Cartwright to come riding out from behind a Styrofoam rock.

Though the film was made for $5 million more than  The Wrath of Khan was, it just feels like a much smaller movie.  The result is a Trek film that arguably feels more at home on the small screen than the big screen.  It's entertaining, but even a "big" moment, such as the death of Kirk's son, just doesn't carry the weight that it should - and I think the flat visual style is a big part of the reason.

The destruction of the U. S. S. Enterprise.

OVERALL

What The Search for Spock lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in pace. It moves quickly, while still making time for strong, often humorous character-building.  Harve Bennett's script does a fine job creating a new adventure out of the story threads left over from The Wrath of Khan, and both script and direction do well in using the full ensemble.

If pressed, I'd say this was the least of the first three Trek films (though I suspect I'd be in the minority rating it below the first one). It remains an enjoyable picture, however, and a worthy part of the Star Trek franchise.

Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Movie: Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan
Next Movie: Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home


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