Star Trek III: The Search For Spock



"Sulu: The word, sir?

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

""How many fingers do I have up?""

- Kirk, doing the Vulcan salute

Incoming Late Arrival Spoiler: in Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan Spock was Killed Off for Real. But Nimoy didn't want to leave the series, as working on that film was such a great experience. Thus room was left in there for him to come back, and this film was all about this.

You see, Spock put his katra into McCoy before he died, so now the good doctor is Sharing a Body with the late Science Officer. Now, if only Spock's body could be raised as well. No wait, his body landed on the Genesis Planet, so now it's a living empty shell! The Rapid Aging down there means he has to repeatedly go through Vulcan PMS and Mate or Die. Fortunately, Saavik happens to be there. Now, the obvious thing would be to reunite Spock's body and soul, but the Obstructive Bureaucrats say no. The crew sets off for Genesis anyway, of course, where the Klingons are waiting, headed by Commander Kruge.

Not actually that bad considering the whole plot is just a vehicle for bringing Spock back. In particular, the scene where the crew steals the Enterprise from spacedock, leaving the newfangled Excelsior and its smug captain in the proverbial dust, is awesome. Overall it's probably best classified as So Okay It's Average, and about the only Star Trek film that no-one really admits to loving or hating.

Oh yeah, the Enterprise goes down in a ball of flame in her final "F&#$ YOU" to the Klingons.

Tropes seen in The Search for Spock include:
"Captain: What's going on?! When do I get paid?
 * Aliens Speaking English: Although the Klingons are shown speaking their own language at first, for simplicity's sake they speak English to each other for the majority of the film. Only Kurge and Maltz are shown to actually be able to speak English though..
 * All There in the Manual: Kruge's Bird of Prey has more in common style-wise with a Romulan ship (bird like) versus a Klingon ship (boxy and utilitarian). As a way to use Prop Recycling in the original series an episode suggested a brief Klingon / Romulan treaty where they shared technology and ship designs; it allowed them to represent the Romulans by using a (previously made) Klingon D-7 cruiser. This brief alliance (the two factions are later very antagonistic to each other) is also the source of Klingon cloaking technology and the Bird of Prey ship design first seen in this movie. Incidentally, that ship style became far more recognizable as a Klingon vessel later in the franchise.
 * Word of God is that a dropped plot point from the movie would have been that Kruge stole this prototype bird-of-prey from the Romulans.
 * And the Adventure Continues: The end caption is exactly these words.
 * Avengers Assemble: The scene where the crew get back together and beam aboard the Enterprise.
 * Back From the Dead: Read the title.
 * Bad Boss: Kruge.
 * Blown Across the Room: On the Genesis planet, when Kirk shoots a Klingon with a phaser.
 * Book Ends: In the previous film, Spock died to save the Enterprise; in this film, Kirk destroys the Enterprise to save Spock.
 * Broken Aesop: But replaced in a good way..
 * Call Back: Several:
 * The destruct sequence used is the same one mentioned in the TOS episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".
 * And of course Spock at the end repeating his dying words from the end of Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan.
 * A bit of a Brick Joke also: in Wrath of Khan, after the Kobayashi Maru scenario, Kirk asserts that Klingons do not take prisoners. In this film, Kruge ordered the attack on the Grissom with the specific aim of taking prisoners.
 * Since they destroy the Grissom by accident, possibly they don't get enough practice at it?
 * In Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan, Bones growled at Spock, "You green-blooded, inhuman..." In III, he gets to complete the insult.
 * Some of the patrons at the bar have tribbles.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Where did Carol Marcus go between Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan and this movie?
 * The Novelization deals with her, as well as the Novelization of Star Trek IV the Voyage Home. Short story: she spends most of the time in a Heroic BSOD.
 * Continuity Nod: Saavik is left hanging on the Genesis planet because Captain Esteban (of the Grissom) wants to do things "by the book". Having learned that lesson last movie, she's almost a Phrase Catcher, there.
 * Cool Starship:
 * Subverted with the cool-looking, but utterly useless science vessel Grissom, and the Excelsior, which was intended to be an obnoxious too-modern contrast to the good old Enterprise. Gets Rescued From the Scrappy Heap a few movies later when Sulu is in the center seat.
 * Played straight with the utterly badass Klingon Bird-Of-Prey, and the Enterprise, of course (battle damage be damned).
 * Disney Villain Death
 * Earthshattering Kaboom: Genesis Planet shattering kaboom, anyway.
 * Eighties Hair: Robin Curtis' (Saavik) bouffant-like perm/mullet hairstyle.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Kruge shoots his gunner and calls him an animal after he explains his destruction of the Grissom as "a lucky shot".
 * It's more that Kruge wanted prisoners and the gunner was clumsy.
 * In the novelization, the gunner begs for his life, an act of cowardice which prompts the shooting and the "Animal!" comment.
 * Face Death With Dignity: Valkris makes no attempt to beg for her life or flee when she realizes Kruge is going to kill her for seeing the Genesis data.
 * It becomes a combination of Shoot the Hostage (the freighter crew probably thought they were safe so long as Kruge's girlfriend was on board) and a Pre-Mortem One-Liner.

Valkris: (coolly with no sarcasm whatsoever) Soon, Captain.

(BOOM!)"

"Kruge: [more curious than alarmed] Why haven't they finished us? They outgun me 10 to 1."
 * Foregone Conclusion: Let's face it, when your movie is called The Search For Spock, its not going to end with Admiral Kirk turning to the viewers and saying "Sorry folks, we didn't find him". As William Shatner put it, if they had done so, "people would have thrown rocks at the screen."
 * Frank Welker: The voice actor behind young Spock's screams.
 * Genre Savvy: Perhaps Kruge's only redeeming value is how damn efficient he is in his work. Namely, he calls Kirk's bluff when Kirk tries to get him to surrender, despite the fact that, as far as he's aware, the Enterprise could mop the floor with him.

"Kirk: You should take the Vulcan.
 * Later:

Kruge: No.

Kirk: But why?

Kruge: Because you wish it!"

"Big-Eared Alien: To your planet, welcome!
 * Heroic BSOD: Kirk when and arguably again with a literal My God, What Have I Done? while watching
 * Heroic Sacrifice:.
 * Hey That's My Line:

Bones: I believe that's my line, stranger."

"Sulu "The word, sir?"
 * How Many Fingers: "That's not very damn funny."
 * I Am Your Opponent: Kruge, to Kirk.
 * Literally a line in the movie: "Admiral Kirk. This is your opponent speaking!"
 * I Lied
 * In the Original Klingon: This was the film that began the Klingon Dictionary, when Marc Okrand was brought on to create a language based on some of the brief Klingon improvised by James Doohan in Star Trek the Motion Picture.
 * Invisibility Cloak: While cloaking technology was used in The Original Series, this movie gave it the ripple effect that has greatly influenced the way around Visible Invisibility in media. Although, here it is a plot point as Kirk recognizes something is wrong when they reach the Genesis Planet and was able to visually point out where the ship was.
 * Lethal Lava Land: What the Genesis planet gradually turns into as it decays.
 * Fridge Brilliance / Fridge Horror: That's not lava. That's the planet's core.
 * Little No: Echoed from the previous movie, when Sarek leads Kirk (or vice versa) through the memory of Spock's death.
 * Magic Countdown: The Enterprise's 60-second countdown to self-destruct lasts 100 seconds on-screen, and even that is compressed to exclude people moving around.
 * Mate or Die: Spock, as he's aging up.
 * "My God, Bones, What Have I Done?"
 * "What you had to do. What you always do... turn death into a fighting chance to live."
 * Neuro Vault: It turns out Spock implanted his soul/essence/memories in McCoy at the end of the previous film, just before his Heroic Sacrifice
 * Considering he didn't expect to be resurrected and have his soul and memories returned to him and the effect it has on McCoy (driving him batshit insane), it was kind of a dick move on Spock's part at the time
 * Presumably, another Vulcan familiar with katra transfers, like his father, was supposed to figure out what he had done after news of Spock's death and McCoy's symptoms reached Vulcan and take custody of the katra, or Spock just didn't know what a half-Vulcan's spirit would do to a human physiology.
 * Another common theory is that Spock's katra upload was supposed to include instructions for McCoy concerning what to do with Spock's body, but McCoy's allergy to mind melds prevented him from understanding the message.
 * The book confirms that McCoy's reaction was uncommon. Seems that he's allergic to mind-melds.
 * "Dammit, I'm a Doctor, not a Tape Recorder!"
 * Never Trust a Trailer: "The final voyage of the Starship Enterprise" indeed.
 * True, for some values of "Starship Enterprise." more pointedly, a huge Trailers Always Spoil.
 * No Name Given: The lieutenant who Uhura drives into the closet is just called "Mr. Adventure" in the credits.
 * Averted in the novelisation - his name there was Lt. Heisenberg.
 * So his name remains uncertain.
 * Not Named in Opening Credits: William Shatner.  DeForest Kelley. Rest of the cast.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat: Admiral Morrow.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Valkris.
 * The Other Darrin: Robin Curtis replaces Kirstie Alley as Saavik.
 * The Password Is Always Swordfish: The final password for the self-destruct is 0-0-0-Destruct-0. Granted, it was the fourth password of a set of four, but still.
 * It's implied in the Expanded Universe that 0-0-0-Destruct-1 will cause a slightly different kind of self-destruction.
 * All There in the Manual: There is an official guide book that states that the 1 code would cause what could be described in the TNG era as a warp core breach, with the equivalent destructive force of a very large atomic bomb, potentially obliterating the nearby Klingon ship (i.e., their only means of escape). Also, Scotty said in Star Trek the Motion Picture that such a self-destruct would have a force of 100 megatons. About as much as overloading the impulse engines in The Doomsday Machine episode. Destruct-0 "only" sets off charges in the hull to render the ship a useless hulk.
 * People Fall Off Chairs
 * Pet The Targ: Captain Kruge, literally, several times.
 * Precision F-Strike: The scene
 * See Sharing a Body, and you'll see McCoy's always had a pretty foul mouth.
 * Punctuated for Emphasis: See Punctuated Pounding below. Kirk even kicks the Big Bad off a cliff to boot.
 * Punctuated Pounding: "I... have had... enough of... YOU!"
 * Rapid Aging: Spock, on Genesis.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Kirk and friends steal the Enterprise and defy Star Fleet orders to not return to the Genesis planet in order to rescue Spock.

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

""That green-blooded sonuvabitch. It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost.""
 * Self-Destruct Mechanism: "My God Bones, what have I done?"
 * Sharing a Body

"Valkris: Transmission completed... You will find it useful.
 * She Knows Too Much:

Kruge: (shocked) Then you have seen it?

Valkris: I have, my lord.

Kruge: Unfortunate.

Valkris: (Beat) Understood."

"Kirk: My God, Bones, what have I done?
 * Shout Out: The seedy bar McCoy goes to is pretty clearly inspired by the Mos Eisley Cantina, complete with a smuggler for hire (who talks like a bad Yoda impression).
 * Smug Snake: The dick-ish Captain of the Excelsior.
 * Staff of Authority - Captain Styles of the USS Excelsior is often seen carrying a swagger stick.
 * Stock Footage: To a much lesser extent than most of the other 80's Trek movies, natch; all the special effects shots are new for this film, and the stock footage from the previous movie is actually justified somewhat, since Kirk is watching it on a security log.
 * Stolen MacGuffin Reveal: The Excelsior's transwarp coils.
 * Take a Third Option: Kirk and McCoy on the surface, watching the Enterprise explode and burn up with all the Klingons:

McCoy: What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live."

"Maltz: I do not deserve to live
 * Take My Hand: Kirk to Kruge.
 * Taking You With Me: Kruge's response.
 * Followed by the aforementioned Punctuated Pounding.
 * Throw It In: Kirk stumbling off the chair after being told was entirely accidental, but Leonard Nimoy felt it suited the scene, and left it in.
 * To be quite exact: Shatner stumbled on a previous take, whereupon the two convened and decided that the scene should include such a gesture. The recorded take was then staged, leading to the movie we now know.
 * Timeshifted Actor: All the young Spocks.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Uhura. Holy crap.
 * "...I'm glad you're on OUR side!"
 * Sulu, as well. "Don't call me tiny."
 * Too Dumb to Live: Maltz is SO dumb that even HE realises he deserves to die for his stupidity.

Kirk: Fine, I'll kill you later."

"Kruge: Speaking? Let me hear.
 * Trailers Always Spoil: If you listen to the DVD commentary, Harve Bennett mentions that he really wanted the Enterprise getting blown up to be a total shock to the audience, so he asked the people cutting the trailer together to please, please omit it from the trailers. What's the first trailer they come back with? "The last voyage of the Enterprise", The Face Palm must have registered on the Richter scale, though it did increase interest in the film from fans who wondered if they'd actually do it.
 * Translation Convention: Bizarrely, the scenes with the Klingons only use it on about half the lines.
 * Vehicular Sabotage: Scotty "performing surgery" on the USS Excelsior transwarp drive.
 * Villainous Breakdown / Oh Crap: When the Klingon boarding party arrives on the bridge of the Enterprise... and all they find is the computer's voice; "it is the only thing speaking":

Computer: Six. Five. Four.

Kruge: GET OUT!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!

Klingon: Huh?


 * BOOM*"


 * This makes more sense when you remember that only Kruge understands English.
 * Vulcan Has No Moon: In an early episode of Star Trek the Original Series, Spock tells Uhura this in response to her flirting. However, Star Trek III shows a massive "moon" in the Vulcan sky.
 * Justified in that it's so big, in fact, that Vulcan does not technically have a moon; Vulcan is a binary planet. This specificity is quite within Vulcan character.
 * Wacky Sound Effect: When the Excelsior's transwarp drive fails.
 * What Happened to The Mouse?: And Maltz was never seen again.
 * He committed suicide, according to the Novelization.
 * However, in the Expanded Universe he's still around in the 24th century, ninety years later, having spent some time as a Federation prisoner before being released, and atones for his past failure by helping out when someone gains control of the Genesis information. See Star Trek the Genesis Wave.
 * The Klingon Dictionary credits Maltz for assisting in the Federation efforts to translate and to understand the Klingon language.
 * Why Isn't It Attacking?: See Genre Savvy above.
 * You Have Failed Me: What Kruge does to his gunner for destroying  because he wanted prisoners.
 * You Would Do the Same For Me
 * Zeerust: When viewing the footage of the engine room, Kirk rewinds the recording, and it looks like a VHS tape rewinding instead of instantly jumping back.
 * Another example is the fighter plane computer game played by the human and the alien in the bar McCoy goes to.
 * How many holographic arcade games do you play?
 * The screens, largely (though not entirely) starting with this film, are clearly CRTs. Great for making screens feature motion, but they look less like modern screens than the still-image projections and backlit photos that came before.